Refining the Mountains and Rivers

In the Northern Camp.

As energy poured out of the Teleportation Portal, the space shifted and figures started to appear one by one. After looking at their surroundings, their expressions changed.

"The Northern Camp!"

"Why are we here?"

"Could it be that the Northeast Desolate Area will be involved with what we are about to do next?"

As Qin Yu heard the commotion occurring around him, he frowned. That woman clearly mentioned that this was related to the Tomb of the Barbarian King.

She would not be hiding things from him. Unless something changed?

"Silence!"

The cold command came from a general clad in armor. His eyes were as sharp as eagles and they felt chilly.

Once the crowd fell silent, the general said, "Don't worry. You guys came from the capital and the first stop is definitely the Northern Camp. You will stay here for a day before you are told your next mission."

The expressions of those present relaxed slightly and some even had a flicker of excitement. They were finally going to get information about the mission.

Actually, although the capital had done a great job in keeping the mission top secret, most people had already deduced some things about the mission.

This mission was very important!

The opening of the Boiling Mountain Fantasy was the best evidence of this.

There were definitely going to be risks but investments and rewards would normally go hand in hand with each other. The more risky this mission was, the greater the rewards would be.

The group left the area and gathered at a round tent where they would be briefed about the mission. Surprisingly, it was Madame Wu from the Imperial Palace who was going to brief them.

Qin Yu's eyes narrowed. It seemed that this plain-looking old woman had a much higher standing in the Imperial Palace than he originally imagined.

"Everyone here has met me before. I will get to the point. Your mission in heading towards the Western Barbarian Land is to obtain a treasure for the West Desolate…"

The rest of her explanations were similar to what the Ruler told Qin Yu before. However, she hid some details.

One of which was the Tomb of the Barbarian King.

Another one was how valuable that treasure was.

If the Ruler knew about this, Qin Yu did not believe that the West Desolate would be ignorant of these facts too.

The cover up of the details only meant that the West Desolate knew more than they offered and they weren't willing to tell the group this…they were obviously trying to rely on the crowd to obtain the treasure in the Tomb of the Barbarian King but they purposely hid such important information. No matter how he looked at this, it seemed like a stupid decision.

Was this the intelligence of the Imperial Clan of the West Desolate?

They left the round tent and had a day of rest before they headed off again. The long distance travel via the Teleportation Portal was also tiring for the cultivators.

Although two consecutive days of teleportation would not cause them much harm, since they were about to enter the Western Barbarian Land, they had to be in their peak conditions.

The next day, the group were gathered together again and they headed to the Northern Camp via the Teleportation Portal in the middle of the four border armies.

Very soon, they realized that there were going to be new joiners. It was not appropriate to call them new faces because they recognized most of the new joiners. These men were all famous!

"Main General Ye Qin!"

"Main General Ye Ziling!"

"The two main generals of the Guard Division in the capital are going to join us!"

"There is the Night Demon Sect Master too!"

Aside from these three, there were two that the group did not recognize. But since they all came together, it meant that they were powerful men on the same rank with each other.

Five Rulers!

More accurately, they were five Rulers at the peak of their realms.

Qin Yu jumped in realization as he saw the five Rulers. So this was the true situation…after all, the grand treasure of the Tomb of the Barbarian King could help a Ruler at the peak of his realm break through to the Half-King realm.

Once they got their hands on it, their best option was to use it immediately. Otherwise, were they going to bring it back to the West Desolate and split the spoils? What dreams!

Furthermore, the West Barbarians were not idle and they would notice changes in the Tomb of the Barbarian King.

Sighing deeply, Qin Yu wore a bitter smile under the black robe. The mission was tough enough but there were now five mountains crushing him. Ignoring all other difficulties, Qin Yu was not even sure whether he would be able to survive a fight against any one of the five Rulers.

Stealing the treasure of the Barbarian Clan right beneath their eyes and completing the task given by the Ruler…the hopes of this seemed incredibly small.

It was so extreme that a slight mistake would cost him his life!

His mind spun quickly and he recalled the suspicion in his heart previously.

The West Desolate knew of the secret in the Tomb of the Barbarian King and the wisest choice was to send strong men to steal it.

Even if the West Barbarians were strong, they were suppressed for so many years. Their number of powerful men in the King Realm would only be a handful.

Against a group of powerful cultivators, the success rate of the operation would be high…gaining an opportunity to cultivate a Half-King was worth it.

Qin Yu was not sure of why the West Desolate chose to do it this way but it was possible that there were some restrictions. Perhaps the Tomb of the Barbarian King had a constraint around it and the West Desolate had no choice but to send a group of Saints.

Things did not seem to be that simple. The five Rulers present meant that cultivators of the Ruler realm could enter the tomb.

Why did they need a group of Saints?

After all, no matter how strong a Saint was, he could not compare to a Ruler.

Even someone like Qin Yu, an extraordinary individual among Saints, would not be confident against any Ruler among the five if he had to fight to the death.

Every one of them was a top cultivator in the Ruler realm!

With the West Desolate's power, it could have pulled out any Ruler, not just the five in front, to form an elite team.

What was the reason for their actions?

Qin Yu's mind spun quickly but he did not have enough information and he was stuck. However, there was a great sense of unease in his heart…something felt very wrong about this.

All of a sudden, Qin Yu recalled that Madame Wu purposely omitted a critical piece of information during her briefing for the mission yesterday. Did the West Desolate have another plan?

"Everyone, don't think too much about this. The five Rulers are here to follow you and protect you against any threat from the West Barbarians. You guys will still participate in the treasure hunt."

"This mission is very important. If we successfully obtain the treasure, everyone will be rewarded. His Majesty will be very generous with the rewards."

The main general of the Northern Camp said in a low voice, "I hope that everyone will return safely."

Ye Qin and Ye Ziling bowed towards him.

The group followed along and even Blood Flag, the rebellious individual, dared not show any disrespect.

Zhou Wu was the main general of the Northern Camp and was well recognized as one of the top five generals in the West Desolate. He was very respected as an elite in the military and he had the Desolate King's trust.

"Let's go!"

With Zhou Wu's command, the group stepped into the Teleportation Portal. A buzzing sound came as the space contorted and swallowed each figure.

……

Where there were people, there would be deals. This was true regardless of what kind of deal it was and what they were dealing.

The West Desolate had suppressed the West Barbarians for so many years. After so much fighting, each party had stained their hands with so much blood.

It was not an exaggeration to say that this was a grudge that grew as deep as bones!

However, despite the merciless fighting between both sides, there were shadows in the dark who continued their deals.

The West Barbarians wanted luxury and leisure goods from the West Desolate while the West Desolate wanted treasures found only in the territory of the Barbarian Clan.

For instance, there was a type of demon called 'Jie' in the Western Barbarian Land. They were tamed and raised by the West Barbarians and they were a main source of meat.

The 'Jie' itself was not valuable but when its stool landed on a particular type of wild grass in the Western Barbarian Land, it would undergo a reaction to form a medicinal herb.

The West Desolate used this medicinal herb to create mists that were powerful enough to cause confusion even among the bravest West Barbarians. It was a common weapon that they used in battles.

There were many events in the past where the West Desolate purposely started a fight with the West Barbarians to loot these medicinal herbs. Once they obtained the land from the West Barbarians, they tried to make these herbs themselves.

It was a pity that all of these trials resulted in failure. Not only was it rare for the herbs to be formed, the domesticated 'Jies' would go crazy and attack the people.

Somehow, it seemed like the 'Jies' would regain their wild nature once they were away from West Barbarians.

This was one example. The Western Barbarian Land was a region in the Desolate Area that was filled with cruel, bloody killings. But it was actually a treasure trove.

All of this spurred the interactions between both sides…although the higher ups of both sides knew about the transactions, they merely closed one eye to it. Sometimes, they would even avoid the locations of these transactions during the war.

Today, under the blanket of darkness provided by the night sky, there was a large scale transaction ongoing near the West Border Army.

A valley was surrounded by steep stone walls on all sides but the winds still howled through the area. Like the cry of a being about to die, the sound felt very chilling.

There were many participants from both sides, and among them were some at the Ruler realm who tried their best to suppress their aura and not reveal themselves. After all, although the transactions were somewhat public knowledge, they still had to be concealed.

Both parties were cautious of each other and they observed their surroundings intently to make sure that no one would ambush them.

The wind howling managed to overshadow most of the sound in the valley. Both sides were familiar with each other and the items were quickly verified, allowing the exchange to proceed smoothly.

The heightened wariness of the people in the valley relaxed a little.

If nothing went wrong, this would be a mutually beneficial deal and everyone would disperse and head their own ways.

Right at that moment, someone from the West Desolate camp suddenly attacked. He was striking to kill!

The smile on the leader's face vanished and he was beheaded.

Dead silence filled the valley.

The assassin landed on the ground and bounded towards the other camp at the speed of light. He started to scream excitedly, speaking in the language of the Barbarian Clan.

Although not everyone in the West Desolate understood the mysterious Barbarian Clan language, they could pick up vague words.

Mission…plan…attack…no one shall be spared…

These barbarians came here with an evil plan!

"Attack, kill them!"

The shouts boomed like thunder and those from the West Desolate dashed forward furiously and determindly. They wanted the first mover advantage.

On the other hand, after the assassination, the West Barbarians seemed much slower in their reactions and they suffered heavy losses in an instant.

They shouted angrily, seeming as though they wanted to give an explanation. However, the smell of fresh blood had already filled the air and there was no way for them to reconcile.

Very quickly, the valley became a mad killing ground!

Bang bang -

Two dazzling signal fireworks shot into the sky at almost the same time, bursting into a bright red array. They looked like two blood red flowers that had blossomed.

Honk honk -

The army horns blared and the two camps at the border overlooking the Western Barbarian Land were activated.

Like a big tide that washed over the land, soldiers streamed out of the camps.

Jiang Chengzi stood up straight as he overlooked a dark and vast plain. His eyes were cold and he held an icy rock in his hand.

One of the assistant generals behind him could no longer hold it in and he cupped his hands and asked, "General, the people in the valley are citizens of the West Desolate. Should we not send troops to save them?"

Jiang Chengzi shook his head, "As scavengers for the empire, it is already their greatest honor to have been able to sacrifice their lives for the empire."

He was silent for a while before he calmly waved his hand dismissively.

The assistant general's face fell. With a low grunt, his body flew into the air. Before he could fly away, a brilliant flash of sword light lit up the sky and there was a sharp cutting sound before his body was split into two.

Blood dripped onto Jiang Chengzi's armor. His expression remained hostile and he coldly ordered, "Drag him away."

A while later, another soldier rushed into the room and whispered a few words to Jiang Chengzi.

Jiang Chengzi nodded lightly and waved his hand, "The West Barbarians have broken the agreement by attacking the West Border Camp. Relay my orders: the frontlines will go and suppress the West Barbarians. We will leave only after we have taken the heads of ten thousand West Barbarians."