Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Dry Bone King was dead. The land that he left behind had to be divided up.

The leaders of the sinners regained their composure after the initial celebrations.

Meat Mountain was the first to speak. Its voice was low but harsh and it showed that it had no intention of backing down.

"My territory is not close to Dry Bone King but I want a piece of this fat meat!"

The bigger the area they governed, the more the production of the mine and the greater the influence it had in the interactions with the surface.

Since this matter involved critical interests, he would not back down.

It was an intense quarrel where many shouted till their faces and ears turned red from anger. The yells almost caused the stone room to tumble down.

However, the leaders of the sinners gritted their teeth and did not really fight.

They had roughly the same strength and if there was an outburst, they would only be taken advantage of.

Ever since the last leader of the sinners committed suicide by doing this, the leaders of the sinners learnt their lesson.

Finally, they sorted out most of their differences and there was only a small issue left. However, that could be settled with the 'compensation' that would come soon.

"Alright, that's it then!" Mister Small Head announced. He was trembling in excitement as he said, "Snake Lady said that she will send a beautiful girl down. I am taking the first pick; she is mine. No one shall steal her from me!"

There was a roar of laughter. Meat Mountain's layers of flesh vibrated, "Who can compare to me in this regard? This time, I want a few dozen!"

The leaders of the sinners wore pleased looks on their faces.

However, right at this moment, time seemed to stop and there was dead silence in the underground mine.

All of the sinners froze on the spot and there was surprise and fear in their eyes.

They felt that the imprint on their souls…had reappeared!

……

In Misty Ghost Grotto.

Crack -

The sound was sharp and clear in the silence.

Numerous black chains criss-crossed over each other and formed a large ball. Suddenly, the sphere of black chains shattered.

Qin Yu appeared from within. He was still for a few seconds before he finally opened his eyes.

His eyes were glistening brightly and it created a mysterious and wondrous aura around him.

The light from the lantern above his head was soft and the light rays gently shone on his body.

It felt like there was a layer of golden light surrounding him.

Slap -

The ball of light floating in the air snapped and disintegrated. There was no use for it since Qin Yu learned about everything.

He lifted his head to look at the stalactite. The face of Lost was gone. After some silence, Qin Yu said, "Shaman Lost, it seems that I am the one who survived till the end."

He cupped his hands together and bowed.

This bow was not because Shaman Lost was strong.

It was also not because Qin Yu received gains from this.

Instead, it was his respect and acknowledgement, as the Barbarian King, to Shaman Lost's efforts to change the destiny for the Barbarian Clan after so many years.

The frontline of the battle between the West Desolate and the Western Barbarian Land was shrouded by the curse and a large number of border army soldiers could not avoid it…who knew that all of this was just a pretense.

Who would have imagined that the deep underground that was covered by the terrifying curse would have such a secret!

This secret was right in front of Qin Yu, it was the stalactite - it was a naturally formed Spirit Embryo!

It was born as a Saint…and this was only the start of its life.

As many years passed, it would continue to grow and awaken. Its strength would also increase continuously.

Becoming a Saint and then a Ruler…the Spirit Embryo was a culmination of Time and Space Rules.

This was why Qin Yu saw what he did after entering the cave.

In fact, if a piece of Shaman Lost's soul had not been sucked in by the Spirit Embryo unintentionally, he would not have lived till this day.

However, the Spirit Embryo already had a consciousness.

It was really alive now!

Buzz -

All of a sudden, a slight tremor came from the Spirit Embryo.

Qin Yu's expression faltered. He could sense that the Spirit Embryo was giving birth to its consciousness.

It happened very quickly and just as this thought passed through Qin Yu's mind, a weak consciousness had already formed in the Spirit Embryo.

He could vaguely hear the soft cries of a fetus.

This crying felt like an endless plea. The Spirit Embryo already had the ability to make sense of the world.

It was pleading for Qin Yu to stop it from forming.

Qin Yu frowned but he maintained calm. His eyes were clear as water and he pointed a finger out.

The finger touched the Spirit Embryo and Qin Yu's divine sense lunged into it like a large wave.

Wa -

The crying grew louder and clearer, but there was despair, dissatisfaction, and hatred in it.

In the next instant, it disappeared completely!

Despite being formed from a Spirit Embryo of heaven and earth, the newly formed consciousness was too weak.

It could not withstand the rush of divine sense that Qin Yu channeled into it and it vanished like the passing of a cloud.

"Apologies, but this is the opportunity of the Barbarian Clan. I cannot let you be born."

Qin Yu lifted his hand and placed a finger on his forehead. His expression instantly grew pale and he shivered.

'Crack', the sound came as a gap was revealed between his eyebrows.

Dazzling light rushed out. This was the light from his soul.

Within it were layers upon layers of light. These were fragments of his soul.

The cracked soul was trying to mend the harm done to it automatically.

Furthermore, Qin Yu was trying to make a complete separation from his own original self.

As a result, his soul was incomplete and there was now this gap.

This was the outcome that Qin Yu wanted.

Shoosh -

Cold sweat formed beads on his forehead. The bright light from his soul was dazzling and multicolored.

Qin Yu grabbed forward and forcefully placed the fragment of his soul into the Spirit Embryo.

There was nothing to obstruct him and the soul fragment merged into the Spirit Embryo.

Phew -

Qin Yu breathed out heavily. He stepped backwards and sat down to heal his soul.

One day later.

Qin Yu's eyes opened. His complexion was still pale and this was from the physical harm to his body after he broke his soul. It was not a simple injury that could be fixed in an hour, and he needed a much longer time to heal it bit by bit.

He stared at the Spirit Embryo. He could feel the close knit connection with it.

It was like a seed that had been planted in the ground and it required time to grow before it would sprout.

By that point, Qin Yu would have fully grasped the Spirit Embryo.

Because his soul fragment had merged into the Spirit Embryo, Qin Yu could sense the gift it had for him.

More accurately speaking, Qin Yu was now tied to the Spirit Embryo and he would be nurtured by the heavens and earth.

Since the Spirit Embryo was naturally born from the heavens and earth, it would grow as time passed.

Qin Yu was also going to be 'looked after' by the heavens and earth!

This was also why he was willing to sacrifice a soul fragment and harm his own origin to create this connection with the Spirit Embryo's Soul Seed.

Now, he had succeeded!

Buzz -

The space vibrated and a projection of Stone Pagoda appeared. His voice was emotional and he was very excited.

"Congratulations, Master, congratulations! With the Soul Seed in the Spirit Embryo, your cultivation will be enhanced!"

Qin Yu could not help grinning too.

Stone Pagoda was right.

From this moment on, he and the Spirit Embryo would receive the same nourishment from the heavens and earth. His cultivation path would be bright and smooth!

Back then, Shaman Lost also found this natural-born Spirit Embryo in the underground and that was why he defended the mine with all his might.

This resulted in a terrifying battle between the West Desolate and the Western Barbarian Land that lasted for centuries. Both sides suffered heavy casualties.

The West Desolate always thought that the Barbarian Clan never backed down because of this mine that was full of potential.

After all, mines were integral because of the resources they had for weapons construction. This was the foundation of the Barbarian Clan.

They never imagined that something else was hidden within.

Shaman Lost knew that he was not able to guard the mine and hence he sacrificed himself and a hundred thousand soldiers in the battle to create this ominous curse of the Barbarian Clan.

His objective was to protect the Spirit Embryo here.

It was possible that he already had some understanding of the Spirit Embryo before he died.

The black chains that Shaman Lost created were an attempt to seal his remnant soul. In another way, he wanted to seal the Spirit Embryo's body.

What happened in between was no longer important to Qin Yu.

Shaman Lost's remnant soul miraculously survived and he took over as the controller of the Spirit Embryo.

After he found out about Qin Yu's identity as the new Barbarian King, he purposely revealed his aura and lured him here.

This was a test for Qin Yu and himself.

If he won, he would control the Spirit Embryo and devour Qin Yu. After merging their strengths, he would become the strongest Barbarian King in the history of the Barbarian Clan.

It would then become truly possible for him to lead the declining Barbarian Clan and restore it to its former glory from when it dominated the world's creatures in the ancient times.

On the other hand, if he died, it was the Barbarian King's choice as to how he would treat the Spirit Embryo - Qin Yu chose to split his soul and create a 'Soul Seed' that would share the nurturing of heaven and earth with the Spirit Embryo.

This was the decision he made after three days after pondering over it.

Otherwise, if he wanted to 'possess' the Spirit Embryo for himself, he would have to sacrifice his soul and take over the Spirit Embryo like Shaman Lost.

However, doing this meant that his soul would be merged with the Spirit Embryo and he would need a long gestation period where he would grow stronger bit by bit.

This was a safe option. Under normal circumstances, the Spirit Embryo would be hidden well underground. Back then, a King realm cultivator from the West Desolate tried to enter the underground but he U-turned and did not achieve anything. This was the best evidence for it.

Yet, Qin Yu did not have much spare time and he had a lot of things he had to take care of. As such, after consulting Stone Pagoda, he decided to plant a 'Soul Seed'.

There were benefits and costs to this, but since he made his choice, he was not going to regret it.

Qin Yu glanced at the Spirit Embryo. It required strict supervision for a period of time.

At least, until the 'Soul Seed' grew into a seedling, it would still be very weak.

As he thought about this, Qin Yu turned and headed out of the cave.

Snap -

With a snap of his fingers, a thick blanket of fog filled the entire grotto. Time and Space Laws rolled out and silently morphed into the space.

However, this time, it was not harmful to Qin Yu.

This place was now his territory!

The cave entrance appeared before him and Qin Yu stepped forward.

He suddenly flashed a cold smirk and stood still as he gazed upwards.

Bom -

Bom -

Bom -

The leaders of the sinners knelt down to the ground heavily without making a sound. Their expressions were pale and sweat rained down their faces!