Refining the Mountains and Rivers

West Desolate Imperial Palace, Hall of Longevity.

The West Desolate King sat upright and looked solemn. He raised his head to look at the ceiling. He then bowed and said, "Ancestors, please, show yourselves."

The space trembled slightly and strands of smoke and mist emerged.

These strands of smoke intertwined with each other and turned into figures. Although they were blurry, each figure gave off a strong feeling of oppression.

The king and the figures faced each other, and the hall was silent.

The Desolate King frowned and said, "I have proved my worth through my actions; could it be that the ancestors are still unwilling to help me?"

He then took a deep breath and continued, "I know that in the Great Desolate, other than the Central Desolate Area, there is a fixed amount of time for each monarch to rule, and there will be a backlash if I hold onto the throne. If a huge disaster happens in the future because of this, I am willing to bear the consequences alone. Even if I die, I want to usher in a new world for the West Desolate's Imperial Clan."

He inhaled again and then bowed, "I beg the ancestors to give me more time!"

An obscure and muffled sound resounded in the hall, making it indistinguishable.

After a long time, silence was restored, and the smoke figures finally came to a decision.

"We will give you a hundred years. Make good use of it."

Then, the smoke and mist dissipated.

The king got up and his eyes narrowed. A flash of lightning seemed to cross his eyes. A hundred years was not a very long time for Great Dao cultivators; it could pass in the blink of an eye. Yet, it was his last chance.

What a group of old, rotten people. They were restricting the advancement of the empire because of their own greed and they had to be removed completely…Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Dynasty, the national surname should be Zhou and not Li!

……

Ye Family.

All the elderly in the Imperial Capital knew that there was originally only one Ye Family in this world.

Later, another one suddenly popped up and took control over thirty percent of the army.

This was why they were now known as the Old and Later Ye families.

When one did not specify which 'Ye Family' they were referring to, by default, it would refer to the one that was older and had more seniority - the Old Ye Family.

The leader of the army, the old patriarch of the Old Ye Family, was standing in a corridor. He squinted and looked at the sea of stars above his head.

Behind him were the true direct descendants of the Old Ye Family. There were not many of them, but they controlled a lot of power.

All of them were important figures in the army!

At this moment, they were standing solemnly and their eyes were glued to the old, thin figure in front of them. While there was respect in their gazes, there was also a serious tone.

They were all aware of the results of the Heaven Inquiry launched by the Imperial Palace.

The Old Ancestor had summoned them here because he was ready to make his move.

From what they recalled, it had been a very long time since the Old Ancestor had personally made a move. However, every time he intervened, it would be earth-shattering, enough to change the future of the empire.

"You have all entered the ancestral temple before to worship the ancestors of the Ye Family, and you should have read the Ye Family records. In this world, there was originally only one Ye Family, but later the Imperial Clan wanted to put a check and balance on our power in the military, so they brought in another Ye Family from the west."

The Old Ancestor's expression was calm, but the things that he was about to say were shocking, causing the Ye Family descendants' hearts to be extremely shaken.

"The appearance of this other Ye Family has taken away forty percent of our family's fortune and it also prevented future dynasty changes."

The Great Desolate was split into nine areas such that there were nine families who governed it. The Central Desolate Area was blessed with the heavens' luck and it suppressed the other areas. The throne of the Central Desolate had always been inherited smoothly without any issues.

In the remaining eight regions, there were multiple shifts in powers and different dynasties would rise from time to time.

Using the West Desolate as an example, even though the name of the empire had never been changed, there were four families that had come to power.

Yun, Wang, Lu, Zhou!

The current royal Zhou Family was only the fourth family in power in the history of the West Desolate!

'Out with the old, and in with the new', the meaning behind the Old Ancestor's words was clear. The Ye Family would come to rule the country after the Zhou Dynasty. It was unclear how the Old Ancestor came to this conclusion, but he never said empty words. There must be a reason for him saying this.

Even if the Ye Family descendants were all high-ranked generals in the army and had calm and strong minds, at this moment, their expressions all changed. However, they were still silent.

The Old Ancesetor turned around and glanced at them, "Today, I told you this big secret because it is time for our Ye Family to reclaim that forty percent of our fortune which was taken away from us."

To do this, of course they would have to crush the other Ye Family until they had no hope of recovering!

This was going to be difficult.

There were two large pillars of the military. Even if the Later Ye Family was relatively late to the game, they had many strong people in the family. Many of their previous family heads were outstanding.

Although the Later Ye Family's overall strength was still inferior to the Old Ye Family's, they were not far behind.

If they wanted to destroy the Later Ye Family thoroughly enough that they would have no hope of making a comeback, they had to be careful. One wrong or careless step would lead to severe backlash.

If that happened, there would be a huge civil war within the West Desolate's military before the victor would emerge.

Thinking of this, the several Old Ye Family descendants could not help but frown as they thought deeply.

There was admiration in the Old Ancestor's eyes as he looked at the descendants, "Even after learning of this, all of you are able to keep calm. That's very good. You have lived up to this old man's expectations. The men in my Ye Family are truly as stable as a mountain.

"All of you do not need to worry too much about this matter. Since I have already judged that the time has come, the Later Ye Family will not be able to cause any turmoil!"

The two big pillars in the military…ha!

There was a hint of coldness in the Old Ancestor's face. The Later Ye Family was just a dog at the foot of the Imperial Clan, with an iron lock on its neck.

When one needed the dog to look after the house, of course one would not do anything to them. However, when one felt like this dog was becoming an eyesore, one just needed to tighten the chains on it and put it on the chopping board. Then, it would only be waiting for slaughter!

As for the timing…the Heaven Inquiry launched by the Imperial Palace today was the final confirmation that His Majesty needed. Since General Jinwu Ning Qin had gained His Majesty's trust, it meant that this entire plan could now be expedited.

The Boundary Breaking Seal was originally the Old Ye Family's agreement with His Majesty!

Thinking of that wise and noble man who sat behind the bead curtain in the Imperial Palace, the Old Ancestor's heart welled up with admiration.

His Majesty was truly the leader of the world who had a lot of aspirations. He knew very well that by joining forces with the Old Ye Family, the Old Ye Family would be able to get their forty percent of fortune back.

However, the king was not afraid. On the contrary, he was confident that he would still be in control of everything.

Even if the Old Ye Family's fortune was complete, they could only still be a sharp blade in the king's hand that was used to cut through thorns to open up a prosperous age for many generations in the West Desolate!

Despite his admiration for the king, the Old Ancestor could not help feeling bitter. The ultimate ruler of the world was still unknown!

Of course, if the Old Ancestor did not have the confidence, he would not act rashly.

Even if there was only one Ye Family left after this, they would still be a sharp blade held by the royal Zhou Family.

……

Bohu Hall.

Today, there was no one here except for Ye Bohu.

The candles were not lit, and at this moment, the stars in the night sky were dim, making this place feel even darker.

There were bits of cold specks floating up and down in the air, penetrating the mind and body.

They even pierced through bones and created fear that plagued the bottom of people's hearts.

However, Ye Bohu was calm. In the pitch black night, his eyes felt like the eyes of a real tiger. They were cold and cruel.

His barbarian ascetic bloodline was inherited from his ancestors and branded in him, and could not be changed or erased. When he was young, he was also confused, bitter, and even desperate, but in the end he overcame these feelings one by one. He transformed these difficulties into a 'sharpening stone' that honed his body and mind.

Step by step, he got to where he was today, making him qualified enough to access the hidden secrets of his family!

A deal had been made long ago between the Imperial Clan and his family.

Therefore, his family had gotten the surname Ye to become one of the two pillars of the imperial military. To the outside world, it seemed like these two big Ye families were mutually supporting each other.

However, all of the Later Ye Family's descendants were very clear that this was just a beautiful illusion.

This illusion may be shattered at any moment. At that time, the Later Ye Family who was one of the pillars of the imperial military, the high and mighty Later Ye Family…would become the flowers that bloomed yesterday and the withered leaves in the autumn wind, which would be swept directly into a garbage dump that no one would care about.

For countless years, the Later Ye Family gave their best and risked their lives to gain more achievements so that they could gain the trust of the West Desolate Imperial Clan. For this, they lost many of their family members.

They were successful, but they had also failed. They succeeded in gaining more and more power in the military and they were now strong enough to be the rival of the Old Ye Family. However, they also failed because the Later Ye Family members could never integrate themselves fully into the ruling class of the empire.

This was even if…they truly held a lot of power!

After they had seen the view from the peak of a mountain and experienced power, no one was willing to continue living in a precarious situation where they were constantly in danger of being abandoned.

But today, as the Heaven Inquiry was launched and the sea of stars dimmed, Ye Bohu could felt piercing coldness in Bohu Hall.

While he did not know what General Jinwu Ning Qin, the Imperial Clan, and the Old Ye Family were scheming, the Later Ye Family was one of the pillars of the military and he had long noticed that there was a secret alliance between the Old Ye Family and the Imperial Clan.

It was apparent that General Jinwu was the one who facilitated this alliance.

Ye Bohu picked up the tea cup. The tea had already gone cold, but he did not care as he took a sip. His eyes narrowed and a coldness flashed in his eyes.

Ye Wangu's death was a warning to him, and he felt hatred towards Qin Yu and wanted to kill him.

Ye Wangu was truly his most precious son and he had wanted Ye Wangu to become the next head of the Later Ye Family.

At the same time, at the bottom of Ye Bohu's heart, there was an unexplainable anxiety and fear. He wanted to kill General Jinwu Ning Qin, so he took action outrageously. Unfortunately, the outcome of this incident did not turn out as he wished.

Looking back, he was the one who failed to pay attention in the beginning. And now, he had ended up in this state.

Betraying the West Desolate was the last resort that he had. Unless he had no other choice, Ye Bohu did not want to do this. Otherwise, the foundation of the Later Ye Family would be destroyed and there would be many casualties, even if some members managed to escape.

He drank one sip of the cold tea, followed by another sip. On the third sip, he finished the cup.

He could feel the coldness of tea traveling from his mouth to his throat, and down into his chest and abdomen.

In the depths of Ye Bohu's eyes, a violent and cold glint flashed past. The future of his family seemed to be very dangerous, but there was also a weak link that he could exploit.

General Jinwu, Ning Qin!

If he died, the alliance between the Old Ye Family and the Imperial Clan would suffer.

As time passed, the once heroic and powerful king would not be able to resist the Imperial Clan's pressure on him to abdicate, and then the Later Ye Family would survive and usher in a new world.

To exchange the death of one person for the future of his Later Ye Family…this was a transaction that had to be completed - at all costs!

……

Other than the Imperial Palace, Old Ye Family, and Later Ye Family, there was one other person in the Imperial Capital who was now suffering from a great mental shock.

That was the West Desolate's Sixth Prince, Li Zhouyi.

When the Heaven Inquiry was launched, he could already feel how strange the situation had become. He suddenly found that General Jinwu, who was once his right hand man and his foundation, had become a stranger to him.

It was like someone had struck a blow to his head, causing his ears to buzz and his eyes to black out!

Li Zhouyi sat in his study. Occasionally, he grinded his teeth together and a look of despair would cross his face. He felt like everything he had done in the past was a big joke.

Ning Qin turned out to be working for His Majesty.

After a long while, Li Zhouyi took a deep breath and suppressed the waves of emotions he was feeling in his heart.

He got up and paced back and forth. After a while, he suddenly said, "Somebody send a letter to General Jinwu's residence and let him know that I will pay him a visit tomorrow."

General Jinwu may be working for His Majesty, but Li Zhouyi still had connections to him. He firmly remembered this, and definitely would not let go of General Jinwu.

Perhaps the future would be different from what he foresaw.

However, there was one thing that Li Zhouyi could not figure out. He was very sure that Ning Qin was a straw that he caught in a desperate situation.

He was definitely not planted by His Majesty.

Then why did Ning Qin start working for His Majesty? And he was even qualified for His Majesty to launch a Heaven Inquiry?

……

The night passed by silently.

Qin Yu did not know how he eventually managed to fall asleep despite being in such a weak state and being so fearful.

He only felt surrounded by warmth and gentleness. This soothed his mind after experiencing the Heaven Inquiry.

When he opened his eyes and looked at the curtains above him, he was slightly dazed, and then he gradually returned to his senses.

He was still alive.

It was great to be alive!

Taking in a deep breath, wisps of fragrance entered his nose and mouth. Qin Yu jerked and he turned to look around him. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief and laughed at himself in mockery.

A long strand of hair fell on his bed. By the color of that strand of hair and its aura, it definitely was not his.

Frowning, he reached out to take it. After thinking about it, he put it under his nose and his face suddenly changed.

It really was hers!

Qin Yu raised his hand and rubbed his temples. Some vague memories emerged in his mind in bits and pieces, and a wry smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He suddenly felt that it was indeed a blessing to still be alive right now.

Since there was no one in the room other than himself, she had obviously left. Qin Yu sat upright for a while, thinking. There was only one question in his mind right now - 'nothing happened, right?'

However, no matter how much he thought about it, he could not find the slightest fragment of memory of what happened last night. Instead, that warm and gentle feeling became more and more fresh in his mind. Then, he felt restless.

Looking down at the strand of hair, Qin Yu smiled bitterly. 'Even in this state, why am I still thinking about stuff like this? I must have lost my mind!'

He turned over, got out of bed, poured himself a cup of tea, and swiftly finished it. After washing up, he opened the door and walked out.

As the saying went, 'whatever will happen, will happen'…even if one tried to hide from it, or faced it head on, it was unavoidable!

Then, at first glance, he saw someone standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Squinting, Qin Yu stopped in his tracks and frowned, his eyes showing fear.

The other party turned around. It was a middle-aged man with a dignified face. When his eyes fell on Qin Yu, there was coldness and complexity in them.

"General Jinwu Ning Qin, if you dare to fail my family in the future…I will kill you with my own hands, at all costs!"

Killing intent filled the air.

After speaking, this man turned around and left, disappearing from sight.

Qin Yu's brows furrowed tighter. Why would the mighty Night Demon Sect Master, the chief elder of the Demon Sect and a peak-level Ruler, wait for him to wake up just to tell him such harsh words?

This was hilarious!

But soon, Qin Yu seemed to realize something. His body suddenly stiffened and he fell into a daze. Thinking of what the Night Demon Sect Master said to him just now, he subconsciously licked the corners of his mouth and his face turned pale.

Right at this moment, a female servant came, bowed to him, and said, "General, Madam invites you to have breakfast with her."

Qin Yu's body stiffened even more. He took a deep breath and asked with a serious tone, "Let me ask you a question. Last night…where was Madam?"

The female servant was surprised. She hurriedly knelt down and answered in a trembling voice, "After you returned from the Imperial Palace last night, you invited the lady to your room. After that, all the servants were dismissed…" She looked at Qin Yu, clearly frightened, as if she was trying to say, 'You slept together all night; why are you asking me this?'

Qin Yu was completely frozen!