Refining the Mountains and Rivers

With the title 'General Jinwu', it was not appropriate for Qin Yu to take action against the army from the West Desolate.

However, as the Desolate King, it was even worse for him to attack the Barbarian Clan members.

As such, Qin Yu chose not to do anything.

Outside the horse carriage, the cries and shouts were as loud as the waves of an ocean.

The screeching screams as people died frequently sounded through the air.

Hundred Saint's expression was pale and he asked, "General, what should we do?"

Although he was considered strong as a Saint, he did not have much confidence against the cavalry of the Barbarian Clan.

Qin Yu glanced at him and questioned, "Do you want to help?"

Hundred Saint nodded hesitantly.

Although he was not on good terms with the West Border Army, Hundred Saint knew his priorities when faced against the Barbarian Clan.

Furthermore, if the West Border Army was defeated, their turn would come next.

Qin Yu nodded, "Alright, go ahead."

Hundred Saint looked at Qin Yu's unchanging expression. He could not guess what Qin Yu was thinking.

Gritting his teeth, he turned and pushed open the carriage door.

However, just as he turned around, his vision turned black and his consciousness fell into darkness.

Qin Yu glanced at the unconscious Hundred Saint and his lips curled.

He still could not control the lantern fully. He originally only wanted to knock Hundred Saint unconscious for a while.

But unexpectedly, he almost made Hundred Saint's mind explode.

Coughing lightly, Qin Yu ignored the sense of guilt in his heart and he rubbed his chin.

The killing was still continuing outside. However, it was evident that the West Border Army was about to be wiped out.

They could not hold on much longer and they would be massacred. By then, he would be forced out as the Barbarian King.

This was not an acceptable outcome for him.

While killing the cavalry of the Barbarian Clan was a simple task for him, Qin Yu could not do so because he was the Barbarian King.

This was related to the Barbarian Mark.

What a pain!

Qin Yu sighed in exasperation. If he really had no other choice, he could release a tiny bit of aura and order the cavalry to retreat first. He could then take the time to prepare precautions.

The sound of the battle was slowly quieting down and right as Qin Yu was about to take action, his eyes suddenly flashed.

He sensed a familiar aura.

It was him!

Thinking quickly, Qin Yu immediately stopped himself. With a 'bang', he destroyed the carriage door and stepped out, shouting, "I am General Jinwu of the West Desolate. The Barbarian Clan must die!"

His shout boomed through the surroundings like thunder.

Icy cold glares from the eyes of the cavalry from the Barbarian Clan instantly locked onto him.

However, right at that moment, the leader of the cavalry's expression suddenly changed.

"Retreat!"

Clip clop clip clop -

The cavalry of the Barbarian Clan dragged the corpses of their fellow clan members away. As the ground shook uncontrollably beneath their feet, they disappeared across the plains.

The handsome young general who collapsed on the ground was spurting blood out of his mouth. He was flabbergasted by what he saw.

"General Jinwu is so cool…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he fainted.

Qin Yu's eyes swept across the area. He grabbed onto Hundred Saint with one hand and hesitated before carrying the young general too.

Shoosh -

His body shot through the air and he headed into the mine.

……

The cavalry who retreated knelt down on the floor in a respectful manner. In front of them was an ascetic who was barefoot.

There was a scary scar that stretched across his face and tore through his scalp. Although the injury had healed, the purple red marks were still hideous.

"Lord Ascetic, why did you stop us from killing General Jinwu from the West Desolate?" Despite being respectful to the ascetic, the cavalry could not allow their men to have died for no reason. They had to give an explanation to the relatives of the dead.

The ascetic's eyes were soft, a stark contrast from his terrifying appearance, "I will give you an explanation for this in the future."

He waved his hand, "Go along. Take the black barbarian shaman and stop the mine mission."

The leader of the cavalry frowned slightly but he did not dare to oppose, "Yes, my lord."

Clip clop clip clop -

The ground shook again as the cavalry rode away.

The ascetic spit towards the ground and his eyes shone brightly. He never expected that General Jinwu who suddenly rose to power in the military of the West Desolate would be that young man.

Could all of this be related to the Desolate King?

The ascetic turned and left. He needed to report everything that happened to the clan.

……

My name is Ironstone.

That's right, it was the ironstone compound in the ore of iron.

Ever since I entered the army, I have been by the Grand Marshal's side. After so many wins and defeats, what have I not seen before? I have trained my boldness.

I am not afraid of death!

For military men, dying on the battlegrounds was the best burial.

I, Ironstone, have been waiting for this day.

However, I have to admit that now, I am afraid.

There were many things in this world that were more scary than death.

For instance, I am being dragged into a mine now. Because of my injury, I was unconscious for a while.

Although my physical appearance did not appear to have been changed, I feel that something inside me has changed innately.

I…have been corrupted!

I am no longer a pure human, but…I am a mutant that is half human and half barbarian!

My heart is filled with terror and I can't imagine surviving like this.

Accompanying this was an endless rage and despair. If my gaze could kill, General Jinwu, Ning Qin would have been killed a thousand times.

Shouldn't he have waited for the reinforcements from the camp to force the Barbarian Clan cavalry to retreat?

Even if you run from the battlefield, you could have chosen any other direction. Why did you choose this way?

Furthermore, if you wanted to come here, why bring me along?

If there was a choice, I, Ironstone, would rather have died on the battlegrounds!

Boohoo -

……

The cries of the burly man were full of despair and utter sadness. Had anyone witnessed this scene before?

Hundred Saint's expression was filled with grief and he stared at Qin Yu who was seated cross-legged not far away with a complicated look in his eyes.

After the chase from the Barbarian Clan cavalry, General Jinwu and his subordinates were heavily injured. No one could guard the mine…it was such a perfect reason and opportunity. As long as he gave a nudge, they could get out of this miserable nightmare.

However, General Jinwu refused to!

Not only that, he voluntarily took Ironstone who was sobbing like a lady into the mine too.

Everything was settled.

I, Hundred Saint, have blood of the Imperial Clan in my veins. I am a young man who had a bright future ahead of me.

How did I end up like this?

I am stuck here and I will no longer have a chance to flee from this place.

Goodbye, capital!

Goodbye, all my women!

He thought about how he would start to evolve barbarian-like features in the future as the Barbarian Clan curse intensified.

He would not be a human nor would he be a ghost.

As he thought about this, a painful cry started to emerge from the mines.

Hundred Saint's eyes were flooded with tears.

……

Nothing could stop my plan from unfolding.

The mine was the base.

This was the starting point for him to establish himself in the military and gain more control.

Qin Yu could feel Hundred Saint's resentment from his gaze. The young lad was hateful.

It was alright because he would soon learn that 'desperate situations' were meant to be broken out of.

Flicker -

Qin Yu's eyes flung open. He heard footsteps which indicated that someone was here!

"I am the general in charge of guardian the mine. Greetings to General Jinwu."

This low voice that was accompanied with the metallic clanging of armor made the damp and cramped mine seem much more ominous.

As mentioned before, the men who guarded the mine were considered failures in the border army.

Otherwise, they would not be assigned to this place where they would be subjected to the Barbarian Curse.

They finally got over the psychological despair of being here and they struggled to gain power in the mine.

However, orders suddenly came from the border army that General Jinwu would control the mine.

Who would be satisfied with this?

As such, Qin Yu could understand their hostility and rejection.

Qin Yu turned around and noticed that Hundred Saint had stopped wailing. He wore a cautious look in his eyes as he scanned the ground.

These men were all burly but their skin was rough, dry and cracked. There were even scales that lined their bodies.

Their eyes were either pale green or an orange color and their pupils were no longer round but flat horizontal rectangles that made them look like ferocious wild beasts.

This was the Barbarian Transformation!

The Barbarian Curse was not used to change humans into barbarians. Otherwise, there would be many spies from the West Desolate in the Barbarian Clan.

It was scary because it ate at the blood of the human race and forcibly caused the human to undergo a transformation. The cultivators in the mine were trapped in a state where human and barbarian blood coexisted but could not fuse.

This also caused their strange appearance.

As their physical appearance changed, their souls became twisted as well. Hundred Saint sensed a thick evil aura around these men and he could not help drawing closer to Qin Yu.

Although Saints were strong, the aura of a half human barbarian was terrifying. This was especially pronounced for the leader of the group whose head was covered in black scales.

A Ruler!

He was also a powerful Ruler who was not far from the peak level.

Despite his strength, he was not able to resist the power of the Barbarian Clan. If he attacked someone, he would only need one hand to turn them into dust.