Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The black sea stretched far and wide, with heavy waves crashing down on it. The sky was stormy and pitch black. Occasionally, lightning would flash across the sky.

There was a large ship that went against all odds and braved the waves. Lightning flashed above it and the barbarians on board had sullen faces.

This was the thirteenth squad of the Barbarian Clan and there were more than a hundred thousand men when they started. However, fewer than ten percent of them survived and they were sailing on this black sea now.

None of them could escape from this nightmare. The lightning flashing above their heads was because of the human cultivators chasing them and the roaring stormy black sea was a mouth that was ready to devour them.

"Ah!"

Finally, the large ship that was overlaid with many scars could no longer withstand the bombardment of the waves. Its hull started to tear and crumble apart into pieces.

All the barbarians on the ship sunk together with it. Lightning flashed and reflected the figures of the struggling barbarians but they quickly disappeared like rocks that sunk to the bottom of the sea.

This was not just the beginning of the tragedy nor the end. It was simply a picture frame in the nightmare.

The barbarians who clung onto their last hope of life in the black sea could not see the end of their voyage and they did not know when all of this would end.

Boom!

A clap of thunder boomed through the sky and numerous lightning strikes split the clouds apart before they struck the sea. The bits of the ship still floating in the sea were torn apart by the lightning.

……

Black smoke wafted out of a ship that was buried by the sand. Half of the ship was already broken and sunken in the ocean.

Sweeping across the sandbed, one could see many similar ships slanted in the sand.

Exhausted barbarians hopped off from the ships and kneeled on the ground. They were fully emotional and they kissed the sand continuously.

Yet, after the celebrations, all that was left was an overwhelming feeling of despair and pain. Barbarians who sailed through the black sea and arrived on these grounds that legend only spoke of were the minority. Most of the barbarians died in the black sea.

After the wails and mourning, the barbarians reorganized their ranks. They selected a new leader to lead the remaining barbarians.

They took all their remaining possessions with them and set off in different directions - this was the bloody memory ingrained in their minds for the great escape. Against the unknown future, the barbarians decided to split up. If any group met an unfortunate end, at least there would be another group who could carry on the bloodline of the Barbarian Clan. They would not die out.

…..

Many terrifying creatures lived in the foreign land. The barbarians bore the pain of their injuries as they worked hard to build the foundation of their tent.

They harbored a deep hatred of the past and they began a new way of living. With the scary black sea as a protective barrier, the barbarians finally had time to breathe.

However, the humans were relentless in pursuing them. They tried many ways to destroy the Barbarian Clan once and for all.

A long time passed before the human cultivators finally succeeded. They hopped over the barriers of time and penetrated the heart of the Barbarian Clan to plant an icy cold poisonous thorn.

This poisonous thorn started to grow and multiply and it eventually became the source of a calamity that ate out the Barbarian Clan from within. Like a poisonous parasite it grew more and more terrifying as time passed.

The barbarians decided to get rid of the poisonous thorn, and this started another merciless war between the humans and the barbarians.

……

In the darkness, a clear voice that tugged Qin Yu's soul and carried a consciousness sounded in his mind.

"Remember your destiny. Do not forget, even if you die or the world is destroyed, you must never forget this!

"The Barbarian Clan will never be enslaved!"

……

In the hall of the imperial tomb, Qin Yu grunted as he sat on the black dragon throne. His heart was hurting so much that it felt like numerous sharp thorns were piercing his skull.

His body shook uncontrollably and blood poured out of his nose and dripped onto his hands. Slowly, his palms and knuckles were dyed red.

Buzz -

There was a soft hum and Qin Yu noticed that there was a soft layer of warm light covering his body. Like warm flowing water, it soothed his body and slowly got rid of his pain.

Qin Yu gradually relaxed and he panted and opened his eyes with much difficulty. Then, he noticed the lantern in his hand. It was burning slowly and it felt like it was trying to say something. Qin Yu felt close to it.

His head was still throbbing in pain as every pang of his headache pierced his soul. Chaotic thoughts slowly stopped torturing his mind and Qin Yu closed his eyes and massaged his temples gently.

He was trying to organize all the information that was bombarding his head. Then, he realized an unbelievable truth - people could not eat any random things!

This was exactly his situation now and he had brought about a deep trouble for himself because of his 'greed'.

Barbarian King!

He was the Barbarian King!

The Barbarian King was Qin Yu!

There was no need for a coronation and no need for the Barbarian Clan to acknowledge him. He was the Barbarian King.

Because Qin Yu merged with the Barbarian Mark, he was acknowledged by the lantern and he became the new master of the imperial tomb.

That meant he was undeniably the Barbarian King!

Furthermore, as the last king of the Barbarian Clan, he had to take on all responsibility for the barbarians.

"Stone Pagoda!"

Qin Yu shouted. At that point, he was not happy about becoming the new Barbarian King. Instead, he was flustered and he felt a heavy pressure on him.

Cultivators had tough lives and surviving by himself was already a difficult task to begin with.

He did not believe that he could take on this burden. As such, his first thought was that he needed to get rid of it.

"Master…I can guess what happened to you, but this involves the entire bloodline of a clan and a mark that was formed after many years. There is no way to get rid of it…at least, I am sure that I can't do it…also, I have to remind you that since you merged with the mark, it has become a part of you. It becomes your belief and guidance. If you forcefully try to resist it, the mark might break apart and you will receive a backlash…"

Qin Yu's face stiffened and he barked, "Tell me in a simpler manner!"

"The simple point is that if you continue like this, you will end up killing yourself…" Stone Pagoda's aura disappeared after he said this. He was obviously afraid of Qin Yu's anger.

Qin Yu was at a loss for words.

He barely managed to escape with his life at death's door and he got rid of the Barbarian King. It should be a joyous thing that he became the new master of the imperial tomb, but the Abyss Titan went crazy and devoured the entire bloodline. Now, Qin Yu was stuck in this troubling situation.

He was the Barbarian King!

If he did not see that mark, that would have been the end of it. Perhaps he could have come up with another way to use the power of the Barbarian Clan.

The humans were still persistent about killing the barbarians. As the new Barbarian King, he had to eliminate them.

Although Qin Yu was not sure of the strength of the nine areas of the Desolate Area and the Barbarian Clan, he had an intuition that this was the case.

The world was far more terrifying than he imagined. After becoming the Barbarian King, he would have to face an impossible challenge that would ultimately ruin him!

This thought was extremely strong and Qin Yu wanted to jump out of this situation immediately…Barbarian King, whoever wants it can take it.

If Stone Pagoda did not have a way, who would?

Qin Yu thought about the Ruler. He entered the West Desolate, came to this imperial tomb, and ended up in this miserable situation because of her. Now that he was in trouble, she had to help him.

With this thought, Qin Yu was just about to call the Ruler when he suddenly stopped and beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

The Ruler got him to enter the imperial tomb to obtain the treasure of the West Barbarians and help her break through to become a Half-King. Qin Yu knew that it was not enough to have the treasure and she would need the Barbarian King himself as a medium.

It seemed that he fulfilled the condition now…the lantern was with him and he was the Barbarian King!

In other words, if he called the Ruler, she just needed to open her mouth and her goal would be accomplished.

Was this considered sacrificing himself?

Although he had the lantern and controlled the imperial tomb, Qin Yu was not confident as soon as he thought about the Ruler.

He did not have the confidence that he could stop the Ruler from devouring him!

Sighing in deeply, he suppressed his thoughts and came to a conclusion - he could not summon the Ruler now.

Aside from that, did he have anyone else he could ask?

There was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes but he knew that he could not consider that much now. Even if he knew that it would have severe consequences, he could only take the risk and try.

Qin Yu closed his eyes, reached deep within his heart, and summoned the mysterious being that existed between time and space.

Perhaps because he was in the imperial tomb or because he was in the Desolate Area, the answering to the summoning was much slower than before.

Just as Qin Yu frowned and was about to abandon the summoning, he heard that familiar warm voice by his ear, "It has been so long since you summoned me…Qin Yu!"

Whoosh -

A warm breath blew by his ear, carrying a nice fragrance with it.

Qin Yu walked forward quickly. Turning around, he saw the small, rosy mouth floating in mid air.

The mouth pouted upon seeing Qin Yu's reaction and it revealed some dissatisfaction as it said, "Qin Yu, don't forget that you were the one who summoned me this time. Is this the right attitude? Hmmph, if you are going to be like this, I am leaving!"

Qin Yu could sense that the mysterious being was acting cute. His head hurt but he did not have the time to bother about this anymore. Qin Yu's voice deepened and he said, "Your honor, I need your help!"

He spoke to the point.

Qin Yu did not know whether his connection with the Barbarian Mark would become stronger as time passed.

He had to solve this as fast as possible!