Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu's face was gloomy. He did not expect such a dramatic change in the situation.

Barbarian blood flowed in Ye Wangu's veins, and it was extremely pure and powerful.

In other words, in the West Desolate, the Later Ye Family, who was one of the two major military families, was actually of barbarian blood.

Qin Yu did not believe that the West Desolate Royal Family was unaware of this. There was no way the Later Ye Family could have hidden it for so long.

If the king could not even control the Later Ye Family, who was in charge of the military, the Royal Family could have been overthrown long ago, and the king would have already been replaced.

This made Qin Yu suppress some thoughts that he had…no matter how the Later Ye Family rose to power, they must have been completely loyal to the West Desolate Royal Family.

Qin Yu could not use his status as the Barbarian King to gain their allegiance.

What a pity. If he could get the Later Ye Family to be loyal to him, Qin Yu's Barbarian King power would definitely skyrocket.

Well, it would also be more convenient for him to execute this plan in the future.

Ye Wangu did not like his identity as a West Barbarian. He only revealed it to kill these people.

Being in the Western Barbarian Land, they were unlucky and had been killed by the barbarians…this explanation was logical and not suspicious.

As for the Royal Family, Ye Wangu believed that as long as he could become a Half-King, everything else would not be a problem.

That's right, other than Ye Ziling who was a peak-level Ruler, there was another hidden chess piece.

Ye Wangu had this big secret, and because of this secret, he could protect himself even when the barbarian ascetics were chasing after them.

Of course, in the Saint realm, even if there was a secret in one's body, the success rate of breaking through to become a Half-King was not very high.

However, Ye Wangu still decided to make his move.

The opportunity was right in front of him!

If he missed his chance today, the lantern in Qin Yu's hand may never be his ever again. And in this life, he would no longer have another opportunity to break through to the King realm.

Buzz -

The sound of a sword rang in the air instantly, and the space started to tremble. Zhe'er's face was pale, but without the slightest hesitation, she raised her arm and summoned some symbols.

Multicolored light surged violently, and the sword shadow slashed into it, almost chopping the light into pieces. Zhe'er started bleeding from her ears and mouth, and her body was trembling.

With her strength, she was not able to hold on for much longer.

And it seemed like she only had strength for one more battle.

Qin Yu was in a dilemma.

Ye Wangu was very strong, but Qin Yu had the lantern. Even after they left the imperial tomb, it would not be difficult to kill him.

However, the key problem was that he was ready to hand the lantern over to someone else; if he used it now, it would be difficult for him to explain it in the future.

Furthermore, everyone knew that he was now seriously injured. If he suddenly killed Ye Wangu, it would be very suspicious.

Looking at Zhe'er who was trembling, and 'Rourou' who had shrunk into a ball in fear, Qin Yu smiled bitterly.

His plan had been progressing smoothly, but unexpectedly, a traitor barbarian suddenly jumped out and instantly disrupted the situation.

Just as Qin Yu was about to make his move, a strange look flashed across his eyes. After a brief hesitation, he took a deep breath and made a decision.

Things did not usually go as planned, and he could only pick the lesser of two evils.

It might not go smoothly, but if the situation got out of control, it would not be too late for him to take action.

……

In the wilderness, a barbarian ascetic who was barefooted and dressed in animal skins walked with a resolute look on his face.

Suddenly, he raised his head abruptly. Brilliance erupted in his indifferent eyes, and there was a hint of excitement.

As his foot landed on the ground, the barbarian ascetic instantly disappeared.

……

Zhe'er's face was full of despair. The rays of light between her hands gradually shattered and dissipated.

The sword slashed downwards, cutting her fingers and her palm and creating countless fine wounds.

At this moment, the space trembled violently. A barbarian ascetic broke through the air and pushed forward with one hand.

The space shattered and countless fragments flew out.

Ye Wangu squinted his eyes and without hesitation, he put his sword in front of him. The pieces of space that shattered knocked against his sword and turned into dust.

However, he was unable to block all the space debris. Wounds started to appear on his body and blood oozed out of them.

The barbarian ascetic looked at Qin Yu and he rushed towards him to defend him.

Ye Wangu's face changed slightly, and not daring to confront this barbarian head-on, he immediately retreated.

He indeed had a secret, and could show his true explosive power. However, this was harmful to his body and could not be used continuously.

The barbarian ascetic was very strong and he had no certainty of winning, so he could only choose to retreat.

With the barbarian chasing after Ye Wangu, the two figures moved as quick as lightning as they rushed out of the ground fissure.

Zhe'er widened her eyes and turned back to look at Qin Yu, before looking at 'Rourou' who was curled up on the ground, trembling. She could not understand why this barbarian ascetic had saved them at a critical time like this.

Qin Yu knew why, but he would never admit to it.

As long as he did not expose any loose threads, no one would connect this incident with him in the future.

But now that this incident happened, after returning to the West Desolate, there would definitely be some speculations.

However, Qin Yu did not need to worry as this matter already had an explanation, but this was a story for later on and shall not be mentioned for the time being.

The grotto was quiet now, and the scars on Zhe'er's hands were still there. If it were not for these scars, everything that happened would have felt like an illusion.

"What do we do now?"

She looked at Qin Yu. Qin Yu thought for a while and did not bother to ask for 'Rourou's' opinion before saying, "Let's leave this place first!"

Zhe'er hurriedly nodded her head.

"Go and call 'Rourou'."

The startled 'Rourou' was led out by Zhe'er and her body was trembling the entire time. Obviously, she had been frightened to her limit.

Qin Yu was slightly speechless, thinking that her personality was slightly unusual, but how could it be to this extent? After leaving the grotto, they did not see that barbarian who saved them or Ye Wangu, so the three of them hurried away in another direction.

Luckily, they did not encounter any other trouble; they found another crack in the ground and hid in it.

Fissures like these were very common in the depths of the Western Barbarian Land.

For the next two days, they were not chased by any barbarian ascetics, and Ye Wangu had disappeared as well.

Two more days later, a 'hum' filled the air like a huge tide. Without giving three of them time to react, they were directly wrapped inside.

……

Somewhere deep in the Western Barbarian Land.

The eyes of the barbarian ascetic were dim, and there was a terrifying wound on his face. From the corner of his eye, his scalp was torn upwards, revealing his bones.

The deep scars that were engraved on his bones were particularly eye-catching. Obviously, his head had almost been smashed by someone.

In his hands, there was a decapitated head. Endless resentment and unwillingness could be seen on the decapitated head.

It was Ye Wangu!

Not caring at all about the terrifying injury he had sustained, the barbarian ascetic sat cross-legged with a hint of joy in his eyes.

The Barbarian King had been reborn.

In the world of ascetic cultivation, there had always been a saying that when a king was reborn, it signified hope for the rise of the barbarians.

He was not sure where the Barbarian King was, and he did not have the intention to go and seek the king. As long as his king was well, he would wait for the day when he could finally meet him.

Taking a deep breath, the barbarian ascetic closed his eyes and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

In his mind, the face of that West Desolate cultivator appeared. He was thinking that this cultivator must have some connection with the Barbarian King.

……

Regarding Ye Wangu's situation, Qin Yu decided to tell the truth. Besides, Zhe'er and the 'Rourou' lady most likely wouldn't have hidden anything.

Zhou Chengshan's expression was heavy as she said, "This matter ends here, no one shall mention it anymore."

Qin Yu respectfully said yes, and now in his heart, he was completely certain that the West Desolate's Royal Family had long known about the Later Ye Family's secret.

Instructing Qin Yu not to go out, Zhou Chengshan left in a hurry and went straight to find the Night Demon Sect Master.

"Sect Master, Ye Wangu's matter involves the foundation and stability of the empire. I hope Your Excellency can handle it properly."

She did not explain herself further - just this sentence was enough to show her attitude.

The Night Demon Sect Master nodded his head, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, rest assured, this matter will never be leaked."

Zhou Chengshan's expression softened a little, "Of course I trust a promise that a sect master has made to me."

This matter involved the Later Ye Family, and Ye Ziling was here as well, so she had to deal with it as soon as possible. She immediately got up and said goodbye.

Not knowing what kind of communication she had with the capital city, Ye Ziling did not show up again and disappeared in front of everyone's eyes.

The Night Demon Sect Master also chose to leave, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, my injury has not healed fully yet; I will return to my sect first."

Behind him was 'Rourou'.

Qin Yu could feel her looking at him right now.

For some reason, shrouded in her eyes, Qin Yu had this feeling that she could see through him and know all his secrets.

This made him think of how she had felt something before Ye Wangu attacked them. He was startled.

Could it be…

He suppressed the uneasiness that he felt; his eyes were as calm as possible as he raised his head to look at her directly.

'Rourou' looked like a scared little rabbit, immediately lowering her head to avoid his gaze.

The Night Demon Sect Master frowned slightly as he looked at Qin Yu and cupped his hands, "I'll take my leave!"

He turned and pulled 'Rourou' with him. He raised his arm to tear the space in front of him and they stepped directly into it.

Zhou Chengshan looked at Qin Yu and said in a low voice, "That lady is not ordinary; you'd better not get too close to her."

There seemed to be a misunderstanding.

But now, Qin Yu's mind was in a mess and he could not be bothered to explain. He nodded, not saying anything.

"We should go too!"

Zhou Chengshan waved her sleeves, pulling Qin Yu and Zhe'er together with her, and they left.

A day later, after passing through three Teleportation Portals, the three of them stepped out again and the majestic capital city was already in sight.

With a peak-level Ruler to protect them, this journey was rather smooth and relaxing.

Even though they had spent a lot of time in the Western Barbarian Land, what they went through was shocking.

Qin Yu did not expect all this to happen either. Originally, he thought it would just be a more troublesome treasure-hunting mission, yet he had become so heavily involved in politics…he became the new Barbarian King and presented the Barbarian Clan treasure to the West Desolate in exchange for his safety.

In addition, there was another huge headache, which was Her Excellency.

How was he going to explain it to her? Just thinking about it made his head hurt.

Qin Yu was stressing about it internally, and just when he was helpless, Zhou Chengshan suddenly said, "Ning Qin, I owe you a favor this time. If you need anything from me, you can find me through Zhe'er."

Then, this peak-level Ruler flew up and disappeared in the direction of the capital city.

Zhe'er nodded her head, "Ning Qin, I'm sure we'll meet again someday."

Leaving a token behind, she left in the other direction, and soon someone from the capital city greeted her and welcomed her into a carriage.

Only Qin Yu did not know what to do next, when suddenly, the sound of the air splitting apart approached him.

It was the Imperial Palace's Secret Guards!

"Darkness Ruler, please come with us," the other party said indifferently, but his tone was not cold.

Qin Yu's eyes flashed. He had seen this person before. He was from Li Zhouyi's palace, and had escorted Qin Yu into the Imperial Palace before.

"Thank you for your trouble!"

Cupping his hands, Qin Yu followed these people into the sky and it was no surprise that the destination was the Imperial Palace.

Having arrived at the Imperial Palace again, he was still captivated by how majestic and huge it was. Qin Yu took a deep breath as he stepped into the palace gate.

Soon, Qin Yu was sent into a remote side palace.

Madame Wu stood in the hall, and when she saw him come in, she turned around and bowed politely, "My Lord, I have the imperial decree on me, so you can pass it to me and I'll take my leave."

Beside her, there was a graceful middle-aged man who nodded his head and said, "Madame, you may do as you like."

Madame Wu walked over and stretched her arm out, her face expressionless.

Without any hesitation, Qin Yu handed over the lantern.

She reached out and took it, and the lantern hummed. The flame inside it started to tremble.

But in the next moment, it was as if it had been suppressed by a powerful external force.

The flame instantly dimmed and returned to calmness.

Madame Wu scoffed coldly and walked out of the hall with the lantern.

Qin Yu bowed politely, "Qin Yu greets Your Highness."

The middle-aged man looked at him and nodded his head, "Ning Qin, I have been ordered to check if your body has any abnormalities after returning from the Western Barbarian Land."

Without waiting for Qin Yu to reply, he raised his hand. Qin Yu's eyes widened slightly, and then his pupils were dilated. He fell into an absent-minded state.