Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Slap!

Qin Yu suddenly took a step forward; his black robe swayed down beside him in an ominous manner. He stared at Blood Flag in a menacing way.

"Since you are going to remember me, why don't I give you an unforgettable memory in case you forget me in the future?"

The air was still as they glared at each other. There was a mocking smile on Blood Flag's face even though he was being suppressed. The implied meaning was clear - do you dare to kill me?

Qin Yu walked in front of Blood Flag and stopped. He raised his leg and smashed his foot against Blood Flag's head.

"You…" Blood Flag only managed to grimace as his entire head was smashed into the ground.

All eyes were on Qin Yu, including those of the two main generals. Ye Qin and Ye Ziling were stunned momentarily. No one imagined that he would dare to do such a thing in front of everyone.

Qin Yu sensed the shock in everyone and he could not avoid feeling a sense of unease, but beyond that, he felt even more excited!

What he was doing now…one reason was that Qin Yu was fully enraged and he needed a place to vent his anger.

The second reason was that Blood Flag was already set on killing Qin Yu. So what if the grudge between them grew deeper? He would stomp on Blood Flag all he wanted!

Since you already decided to kill me, why can't I take out my anger on you?

There was a deathly glare in Blood Flag's eyes as he was stepped on. However, he did not attack Qin Yu as he had an intuition that Qin Yu could not be killed easily.

It was possible that Qin Yu was just baiting him by trampling on him and creating such a sad scene where he was unable to resist…Blood Flag was anticipating the day that Qin Yu would seek him out to kill him.

At that moment, many thoughts were rushing through Qin Yu's head. He sighed before backing down. Cupping his hands together, he admitted, "I was agitated and I might have done some inappropriate actions. Please forgive me, main generals."

Ye Qin shook his head and did not say anything else.

On the other hand, Ye Ziling forced Blood Flag up. After he glanced at Qin Yu, he shot into the sky and headed towards the capital.

"Blood Flag has a complicated background. Since you did not dare to kill him today, don't start a challenge with him in the future…the capital is right ahead. Hundred Saint has already settled things with you and I hope that you will draw a clear line with him in the future."

Jiang Chengzi informed Qin Yu before he cupped his hands towards Ye Qin. He turned and headed back to the army.

He said this in front of Ye Qin also to show that he would no longer interfere with this matter.

Anything that happened in the future should not involve him.

"Darkness Ruler, come with me to the capital." Ye Qin smiled. His tone was neutral and he appeared indifferent.

Stepping on Blood Flag's head was indeed a venting of anger, but what other use was there? Previously, he thought that the Darkness Ruler was a smart person, but now, Ye Qin thought he made a mistake. At most, the Darkness Ruler was just a clever bastard.

There might have been room for him before this, but after what happened, anyone who became involved with the Darkness Ruler would be Blood Flag's enemy. The choice was obvious.

He was destined to lose his life…since the Darkness Ruler did not dare to kill Blood Flag, he would die at Blood Flag's hands in the future. With Blood Flag's personality, this day was not going to be far away. Ye Qin was not interested in a person who was about to die.

Qin Yu calmly said, "Thank you."

The capital of the West Desolate was the most bustling city in all of the Desolate Area. However, the first time he stepped into it, Qin Yu felt a chill in the air.

Hundred Saint was nowhere to be found and he was probably led away by Jiang Chengzi who forbade Hundred Saint from coming into contact with him.

After Ye Qin gave him a few instructions, he turned and left, leaving Qin Yu by himself.

One of the soldiers from the Guard Division of the capital led Qin Yu into a stone room. He said, "Wait here. Before anyone comes for you, you are not allowed to leave."

Bam -

The doors closed and silence filled the air. Scanning the stone room, Qin Yu's eyes flickered under the black robe.

It was obvious to him that this unassuming small stone room was not as simple as it seemed.

Was he…being imprisoned?

Because of Blood Flag…no, it should not be. If Blood Flag had that much influence, he would not need to kill Qin Yu himself.

The highest probability for this was Li Zhouyi. The sixth prince must not be having a smooth life now.

Strictly speaking, Li Zhouyi had Qin Yu to thank for his circumstances right now. A cultivator from the fragmented area ought to be very proud if he could reduce the prince of the West Desolate to such a sorry state.

However, all of his actions indirectly led back to him…could this be considered karma? If Qin Yu knew this would happen, he would have been kinder to the sixth prince and wouldn't have shamed him so much back then.

There was a bitter smile spread across his face and Qin Yu shook his head to get rid of these feelings. It was pointless muddling over these.

From the information he had gathered, he was the last hope for Li Zhouyi. It was highly unlikely that Li Zhouyi would abandon him.

Since Qin Yu was now in the capital, Qin Yu believed that Li Zhouyi would show himself very quickly even if he met with obstacles along the way.

This was especially so after Qin Yu showed his ultimate strength.

Things showed that Li Zhouyi was in a much worse state than imagined. Three days passed and Qin Yu was like a forgotten soul left in the stone room.

His frown grew deeper and deeper and he prepared for the worst outcome. Finally, the tightly shut doors of the stone room opened on the fourth day.

Qin Yu was escorted away in a horse carriage that sped through the streets of the capital.

"His Highness is in a difficult position and not many people are willing to help him in his dire state. They even want to sabotage him. But this also shows how powerful His Highness is… they are all afraid of the repercussions of him regaining his power again." In the horse carriage, Border Cliff Saint slowly explained. His voice was calm but he sounded like he was admiring the sixth prince.

Qin Yu was thankful for the black robe as it hid his current expression. After all, Qin Yu had used the identity of Border Cliff Saint for a long time in Bounded Zero Place.

It was puzzling that Li Zhouyi did not shred the real Border Cliff Saint into pieces when he returned to the West Desolate. Was he too dumb or was the real Border Cliff Saint crafty enough?

He stared at Border Cliff Saint who explained Li Zhouyi's dire situation in a clear manner just now.

Qin Yu's guess was…it was both!

After all, Qin Yu could not see the sixth prince as an intelligent man after he was fooled so ridiculously back then.

Suppressing all these thoughts, Qin Yu slowly asked, "Where are we going?"

Border Cliff Saint replied, "His Highness' palace."

Qin Yu confirmed his suspicions with this answer. Li Zhouyi was truly in a bad state. In the entire capital, it seemed that he could only trust the people in his own palace.

A prince of the West Desolate ought to have a very high standing. There must have been a lot of grudge-holding people in the capital who pushed him to such a sorry state.

There was something that was still puzzling Qin Yu. After all, it seemed obvious that those who preserved a stable royal seat in the West Desolate must be very powerful.

A Half-King was a start, but someone needed to be even more powerful than that…if someone so powerful existed, a single command would be all he needed to get the state under control…why was the fight for that royal seat so intense? Was there a need for this contest?

The princes and princesses of the West Desolate created so much chaos when they were fighting for the seat. Weren't they afraid of angering the Desolate King? They were just bastards waiting for the old folk to die right?

Qin Yu decided to discard these thoughts. He would probably get an answer from Li Zhouyi when he met him. More importantly, the more dire Li Zhouyi's situation was, the more he would hold Qin Yu in higher regard.

The capital was very large. Since Teleportation Portals were restricted, the journey felt exceptionally long.

Luckily, Border Cliff Saint was good at talking and Qin Yu was also good at probing him for more information. Time passed by quickly during their conversation.

The horse carriage sped along for a long while before it finally stopped. Border Cliff Saint glanced out of the window and smiled before he jumped down.

"Darkness Ruler, this way."

This royal palace was majestic and it spanned many streets and took up a vast area of land to represent the authority and splendor of the Imperial Clan.

However, the palace now gave a defeated and solemn feeling. The tall trees standing by the gates of the palace appeared lifeless. Strangely, there were actually guards from the Guard Division of the capital standing guard outside the palace…

Sensing the confusion from Qin Yu, Border Cliff Saint coughed lightly and explained, "The capital is not stable right now and His Majesty ordered the Guard Division to take over the role of guarding the palace. He looks highly upon the sixth prince."

Qin Yu's lips twitched. Border Cliff Saint was really good at twisting the story and he also did not forget to include the most important details of sucking up.

As though Border Cliff Saint felt like he had gone too overboard with his statement, he coughed lightly. He led Qin Yu into the palace under the watchful gaze of the Guard Division troops.

Compared to how strict the security seemed from the outside, the inside of the palace felt completely lacking. Qin Yu only met a dozen servants in the royal palace, making the place seem even more desolated and abandoned.

Border Cliff Saint was very eloquent in the outside world, but he now fell silent and there was a look of worry in his eyes.

He silently scanned Qin Yu who was following him quietly. Border Cliff Saint felt bitter that the prince's luck kept getting worse.

Originally, he thought that they had gained an opportunity in the darkness. Who knew that those men provoked Blood Flag?

Three days had passed by and news of the battle in the Capital Border Area had spread wildly. Almost everyone knew that Qin Yu had stomped on Blood Flag's head.

Who was Blood Flag? After such humiliation, he would never let Qin Yu off! More news would surely follow soon and Border Cliff Saint would be dragged into the matter.

Could Qin Yu survive Blood Flag? The answer was obvious!

Border Cliff Saint would not be bothered if he died but the sixth prince's last hope would be diminished. And he…everyone in the West Desolate knew that he was the sixth prince's right hand man. He would perish with the sixth prince!

As he walked into the cold palace, Border Cliff Saint could no longer control his expression when he thought about his bleak future. His heart was full of worry and fear.

In the first place, how did I, Border Cliff Saint, suddenly become the sixth prince's right hand man?

What happened during that period of time?

Border Cliff Saint really wanted to tell the truth to the sixth prince. He did not know anything when the sixth prince sought him out in a panic. Out of worry, Border Cliff Saint told him a joke…however, Border Cliff Saint knew that Li Zhouyi was in a miserable state now. If Border Cliff Saint said anything, he would suffer the sixth prince's fury and be shredded into pieces.

Royalty was still royalty. Even if he was pushed into the abyss, he would find a hundred ways to drag Border Cliff Saint and anyone related to him to die too!

Thud!

Border Cliff Saint stopped and sighed deeply. Turning around, he smiled, "Darkness Ruler, the prince is in the main hall, please head in."

The moment he said this, the doors to the hall was opened and Li Zhouyi's calm voice came, "It is alright. Border Cliff Saint is my most trusted personnel. I don't have to hide any secrets from you. Come in as well."

Border Cliff Saint was at a loss for words.

He wanted to cry!

Your Highness, I beg you, please don't trust me that much. I really can't take it!

His heart bled internally but he wore a grateful expression. This was truly testing his acting skills.

Qin Yu observed silently and could not help sighing in admiration. There was always going to be a mountain higher than the current one, and among them, someone would be the teacher. Based on cultivation and strength, Qin Yu outranked Border Cliff Saint, but in terms of acting abilities, Qin Yu was a far cry from him.

The hall was empty and most of the candles on the walls were left with half their stick. At the same time, the windows were pulled open very slightly, causing the entire place to look very dim and miserable.

Li Zhouyi sat on a seat in the main hall. There was a tea cup in front of him with tea that had long since gone cold. He heard footsteps and slowly lifted his head. A glimmer of hope flickered in his tired eyes.

"Greetings to Your Highness!" Border Cliff Saint greeted respectfully.

Qin Yu bowed, "Greetings to Your Highness."

Li Zhouyi waved his hand dismissively, "Rise." He leaned back against his seat and his lowered his gaze to cover his emotions, "Darkness Ruler. You have been in the Desolate Area for a few days now, do you know what is going to happen next?"

Qin Yu answered, "I know a little."

"Alright, that saves a lot of explanation time." Li Zhouyi drummed his fingers against the chair and scoffed, "Right now, everyone in the capital is waiting for me to fall but I am very stubborn and I refuse to let them have their way!

"The battle in the Capital Border Area was because of my negligence and I will not let something like that happen again. This is a promise, but you have to remember that this is my last chance. Either I regain my honor or I sink into the abyss forever. If I manage to turn things around, I will share the honor and fame with you, but if I can't, then Darkness Ruler, you will have to accompany me into an eternal prison."

This was a passionate threat that delivered his intentions in the most effective manner.

Li Zhouyi was still himself but he had changed a lot compared to when he was in Bounded Zero Place. The traits of toughness, ruthlessness, and smartness that passed through the bloodline of the Imperial Clan were now awakening in his body.

It was a pity that his father was still his father. Standing in front of you right now, how much different do I look?

Qin Yu cupped his hands together and assured, "Your Highness, don't worry. I will do my best to get you out of this difficult situation."

As he made this assurance, he was thinking to himself, why hadn't that woman contacted him yet? He was already in the Desolate Area, so why couldn't she explain things already? What is she waiting for?