Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu did not manage to wait for an explanation. On the contrary, he received an edict from the Imperial Palace that ordered him to head there immediately.

Li Zhouyi personally sent him off, "Darkness Ruler, you do not need to be worried. You were called to the Imperial Palace because the matter is very important and nothing can go wrong with it. It serves as a final confirmation."

"I see." Qin Yu's voice was calm but he immediately started to get cold sweat beneath the black robe. He suddenly understood why that woman had not contacted him. She knew that Qin Yu had not passed through every screening measure yet.

The memory of the pair of eyes when he stepped out of the Connecting Path and entered the Desolate Area was still fresh in his mind. They did not trust him even after a Half-King observed him personally. The 'confirmation' from the Imperial Palace would have higher standards too.

If he was exposed…Qin Yu's wings would be broken.

His first thought was that he had to run now!

It came immediately but Qin Yu suppressed the thought quickly too. He was in the capital of the West Desolate where many powerful individuals were.

With his current cultivation, the moment anything suspicious was detected, he would be suppressed immediately. This place might even be his burial ground. He could not run, he could only grit his teeth and continue heading towards the Imperial Palace.

Once he was on the horse carriage many wild thoughts flooded his mind, but before he could resolve them, he reached the Imperial Palace.

Qin Yu wore a bitter smile on his face. He sighed deeply before he pushed open the doors and alighted from the horse carriage.

This was a blessing and not a curse, and even if it was a curse, he could not avoid it…since things had evolved to this stage, he could only calm himself down and count on his luck!

Li Zhouyi's palace seemed splendid, but compared to the Imperial Palace of the West Desolate, it was not worth mentioning.

The moment he stepped down and took in the sight of the towering palace before him, Qin Yu felt the vastness of an ocean and an endless terrifying aura that filled the palace.

It was an invisible aura that surrounded the Imperial Palace. Although it could not be seen with the naked eye, it felt powerful enough to destroy a million creatures in an instant.

This was the use of a Divine Nation!

Qin Yu was not familiar with Divine Nations so he did not know the method to create such a set up. However, since he sensed it, he made a guess of how powerful it was.

While he did not know the extent of its powers, even if this was just ten percent of its full powers, Qin Yu felt like it could smash him into pieces in an instant.

"Once you enter the Imperial Palace, you cannot create any chaos and you have to keep your eyes focused to the front. Don't release your strength without any proper reason!" An old servant with a hunched back greeted him at the front of the Imperial Palace. His face was thin and sharp and he continuously scanned Qin Yu. Qin Yu felt as though numerous pin-like needles were currently piercing his skin.

"This is Madame Wu of the palace and she is a servant who has served His Majesty since a long time ago. Darkness Ruler, please be respectful and be mindful of yourself." One of the guards of the capital's Guard Division said. His tone was not kind but he still give Qin Yu a warning.

Of course, this was not because the guard was kind. Instead, he had been bribed at Li Zhouyi's palace beforehand.

Madame Wu glanced at the guard and snapped, "Stop talking nonsense. Follow me, we don't have much time left."

She turned and left. Her two little tiny feet were bound but she walked incredibly fast.

The guard whispered, "No matter what challenges you face, you must bear with them."

With that, he waved his hand and signalled Qin Yu to move ahead.

Qin Yu walked past the guards and entered the palace. Following Madame Wu, he quickly went far ahead.

"My lord, the sixth prince has lost favor and many people are dying to wipe their hands clean of him lest they are implicated. I am afraid that you will get in trouble after receiving his gifts." One of the other guards scanned his surroundings and whispered.

The guard said, "It is alright! The Secret Guards have always been loyal to His Majesty only. I received gifts to give him a small reminder. The higher ups will not fault me for such a small thing."

"Still…"

"Enough! Stop nagging at me. I have never seen you guys hesitate when receiving gifts before. Why can't I take a small gift this time? I know you guys are greedy. Once the matter is over, I will treat the team; you guys can choose the venue!"

The team clamored enthusiastically and they joked around. Then, the Secret Guards of the capital dispersed and assumed their positions again.

The guard sat behind a plain-looking desk and he sipped his tea. He could not help frowning and sighing in dismay.

He did not understand why he was still showing favor to the sixth prince. Forget it, a mere guard like him could not guess the intentions of the higher ups.

Qin Yu was not the only one who was called to the Imperial Palace today to have his identity confirmed.

By the time he arrived, the dark yard that gave off a deathly aura already had a few dozen people gathered there.

Madame Wu walked to a gate and escorted Qin Yu with a blank face. She left without a sound and Qin Yu guessed that she had to escort another person.

There were a few gazes on him and there was a flicker in these eyes before looks of disgust crossed them. The people knew who Qin Yu was.

After all, news of the battle in the Capital Border Area had spread very rapidly because Blood Flag was one of the main actors.

People were interested in the last hope that the sixth prince had.

Interest was just interest and these gazes felt uncomfortable to Qin Yu.

There was curiosity, but only a bit. The dominant emotion was hostility and coldness…people looked at him like he was an ice cold corpse.

Standing in a corner of the yard, Qin Yu quickly understood why people were looking at him in this way.

Swish -

There was a burst of movement before Blood Flag appeared outside the yard. He cast aside his arrogance and bowed respectfully towards the rest of the people in the yard before he walked in. Coincidentally, it was also Madame Wu who escorted him in.

It seemed that the guard had been right about warning him. Madame Wu wore an ugly look and it was not pleasing to look at her. However, she had a high position in the Imperial Palace.

Otherwise, Blood Flag would not be bothered about a madame in the Imperial Palace, much less bow towards her.

The footsteps grew closer and they finally stopped before him. Qin Yu frowned and he locked gazes with Blood Flag.

"What a coincidence, we meet again." Blood Flag smiled. However, every crease in his face let out a bloodthirsty feeling. He was like a starving beast who finally found fat prey.

Qin Yu replied, "Most of the coincidences in this world are not real coincidences."

Blood Flag snapped his fingers, "You are very direct and I like that." His smile grew brighter, "You are right too, this isn't a coincidence. I did not want to participate in this, but I decided to come here just to see your face quicker."

He leaned forward and got close to Qin Yu's ear, "Don't give me the chance. If I capture you, I will tear you into pieces…trust me, I have a lot of experience in this area and you will need to bear the pain of a million cuts in your body before I will let you die."

The pungent stench of blood came!

Qin Yu coldly answered, "I am looking forward to that."

Blood Flag straightened himself before he smiled and walked to the corner. Those that were originally standing where Blood Flag was took a few steps back as their expressions turned solemn. In the end, Qin Yu and Blood Flag were the only two left at this corner of the yard. Like a virus, everyone isolated them.

After a few moments, the last person entered the yard. There was a suppressive feeling in the area when suddenly, the doors slammed with a 'bang', shutting everyone inside.

Madame Wu appeared in front of everyone. She cleared her throat and said, "Each of you will receive an elixir next. Drink it and don't ask any questions."

The moment she said this, two Secret Guards appeared carrying a tray each.

Twelve elixirs as big as dragon eyes were placed neatly on each tray. They were bright red and looked like they were made out of fresh blood.

A trace of a sweet scent permeated the air. The people in the yard voluntarily stepped forward after a moment of silence.

Blood Flag raised his hand and swallowed the elixir. His eyes were shut as he slowly savored its taste. All of a sudden, his eyes flung open and he stared at Qin Yu with a cold smile.

This smile made Qin Yu's heart tighten but he did not reveal his nervousness. He walked towards one of the Secret Guards, took one of the elixirs, and consumed it. He did not hesitate throughout the entire process.

Once the red elixir entered his body, it instantly erupted like a burning hot tongue. It traveled down his nose, burning his throat on the way down. Once it entered his organs, it felt like there was an inferno.

His blood felt like it was boiling!

Buzz!

There was a little vibration before a Sun Moon force field appeared outside his soul. At the same time, the mirage of the Darkness Crown appeared above Qin Yu's head. In the middle of the Darkness Crown, Eye of Eternal Night let out a soft glow of light.

The flames licked all his organs and bones, penetrating his soul like a stream that flowed through sand. It did not let any part of his body off.

There was absolute silence in the entire yard and everyone who consumed the elixir seemed to be asleep as their eyes were closed. Thick red lines emerged on the surface of their bodies and merged to form various mysterious patterns.

Madame Wu's expression was serious. At some point in time, two other old servants had appeared behind her and they all exuded the same hostile vibe. Six eyes stared at everyone with a deadly look and they observed all the patterns, trying to find anything wrong with them.

All of a sudden, Madame Wu's eyes narrowed. She stepped forward and flashed, appearing again in front of a tanned cultivator. Thereafter, she placed her finger on his head.

Smack!

It happened like a mirror breaking or a pearl bead smashing into pieces. The tanned cultivator's body broke apart into pieces that started to rot upon falling to the ground. It was a slurry of gross flesh that corroded and released white steam.

"Ah!" With a scream, the flesh exploded and a little man the size of a knuckle screamed as he frantically dashed forward.

It was the miniature form of the tanned man!

The space shifted and a stone gate that carried a wild aura appeared. Just before the man was about to run through it, his face filled with horror.

Crackle!

A bolt of lightning appeared, penetrated the small man, and turned him into dust!