Refining the Mountains and Rivers

"What nonsense!" With an angry roar that resounded throughout the world, Wei Changfeng who had been hiding like a turtle could no longer care about trying to avoid the public eye. He suddenly appeared in front of everyone, panting breathlessly.

Ridiculous, if he didn't come out now to justify himself, everyone would simply default to what was said as being the truth. If that happened, he would be stained and there would be no way to wipe this injustice from himself; there would be no other path to take.

Surname Yao, I only took one of your palaces, so do you need to be so ruthless?

Thinking of this, the originally disturbed Wei Changfeng glowered at Qin Yu, a look of deep hatred and bitter suffering in his eyes.

Qin Yu was expressionless. "Elder Wei occupied my palace, so shouldn't it be me who is angered to the extreme?"

Wei Changfeng's face stiffened. A few words had completely punctured his attempt to occupy the advantage in this argument.

The Chief Elder said, "Grandmaster Yao, there must be some misunderstanding here. But no matter what it was, it was Elder Wei who was wrong first, so compensating you is a matter of course…"

Qin Yu nodded. "Chief Elder also believes that I should be compensated. Then, I ask Elder Wei to give back double what he took."

The interrupted Chief Elder was so vexed that his field of vision flashed black for a moment. This surname Yao simply didn't play with common sense. He originally changed the conversation because he wanted Qin Yu to state a reasonable price.

No one here was an idiot. If he really opened his mouth as wide as the skies, did he truly think he would win?

Wei Changfeng clenched his jaws. "Grandmaster Yao, I am willing to pay a million spirit stones as a means of apology, but that is all I can do!" All he had done was occupy the palace; he hadn't even lived in it yet! In the eyes of Elder Wei, compensating a million spirit stones already caused his heart, liver, kidney, and lungs to all hurt.

Qin Yu remained expressionless. "Wei Changfeng, are you wishing to swallow all my wealth and treasures?"

"Grandmaster Yao, you are just pushing things too far!"

The scene fell deathly silent. Qin Yu hesitated, as if he found it hard to speak.

The Chief Elder's eyes brightened. If Yao Bin had truly obtained the approval of the Sealed Pagoda and directly summoned it, who would dare speak out against him again?

But what if he hadn't succeeded?

As this thought appeared, it recklessly grew in his heart.

"Yes, that must be it. Although I have no idea how this surname Yao was fortunate enough to not die, he didn't manage to become the master of the Sealed Pagoda. The reason he acts so arrogantly today is just to frighten everyone within my Black Demon Sect. As long as Wei Changfeng feels dread and bows his head, no one will dare to stop him and he can join the Demon Ascension Gate!"

In order to join the Demon Ascension Gate, Qin Yu had attempted to have the Sealed Pagoda recognize him as its master. If he dared to do something so dangerous that had almost almost zero chance of survival, then what did he care about causing drama through some performance today?

Yao Bin was necessary to help the Sect Master relieve the hidden dangers in his body, and he had to do so willingly. So, even if his act was exposed it would at most be a loss of face; it wouldn't endanger his life at all.

He exchanged the possibility of losing face once for the possibility of earning a massive amount of wealth as well as joining the Demon Ascension Gate. This could be called a most wonderful business deal! Thinking of this, the Chief Elder was even more determined that Yao Bin was only putting on a play. However, he likely never imagined that Wei Changfeng would be so impossibly greedy. To make him pay such a terrifying compensation amount was a fate worse than death.

However, it was fortunate that Wei Changfeng was sufficiently greedy and willing to do anything for his spirit stones. If it were anyone else, then Yao Bin might have succeeded!

After determining that Qin Yu was only a paper tiger, the Chief Elder immediately calmed down. "Although a million spirit stones isn't much, Elder Wei hasn't harmed Grandmaster Yao's vital interests yet. You might as well accept it to prevent this matter from growing out of control."

There was a hidden meaning behind these words. Boy, you had best accept this offer and quit while you're ahead, otherwise you won't be able to get out of here unscathed!

Tie Qianqiu had a surprised expression. He never thought that the Chief Elder would have such guts.

The various powerhouses of the Black Demon Sect also looked at him with admiration.

But, everyone here had brains they could use. Their thoughts raced and they immediately smelled something suspicious; just what had the Chief Elder discovered? After looking at the situation again, their eyes began to shine. Yes, that was it, Yao Bin's current silence was his greatest flaw.

If he had enough hidden cards, would he remain silent? This wasn't consistent with a situation where he had been recognized as the master of the Sealed Pagoda. But in their minds, this was also reasonable. Over tens of thousands of years, the Black Demon Sect had buried 137 seniors within the Sealed Pagoda and hadn't managed to complete the trial. Could this trivial surname Yao have accomplished that in just a single day?

It seemed they overestimated him!

The atmosphere in the field suddenly changed. The awe in the eyes of the people dimmed a bit, replaced by cold sneers and annoyed mockery instead.

Surname Yao, you want to play with us and run us around in circles? You are truly fierce!

Wei Changfeng's spirits were revived. As he thought about how he had just pierced through the disguise of this paper tiger, he couldn't help but straighten himself.

"Yao Bin, accept the million spirit stones and I will let things go like this. Otherwise, you will be charged with recklessly stirring up trouble within the sect and harassing others. As a sect Elder, I will have no choice but to ask the Sect Master to severely punish you!"

The attacking and defending sides had been completely reversed.

All around, the dense crowd of Black Demon Sect cultivators revealed confused looks. It was clearly Grandmaster Yao who was angry and had opened his mouth like a lion to blackmail everyone, so how had the tide changed so suddenly? Where did Elder Wei's bravado come from? He was actually the one making threats now!

Qin Yu looked up. He swept his eyes over Wei Changfeng and lightly said, "Originally, because of my relations with the Black Demon Sect, I didn't want to cause too great a stir. If you obediently compensated me, then I would have pretended nothing happened. That would have been good for all parties involved. Unfortunately, it seems my good intentions have become water tossed into the river. Since everyone doesn't appreciate my kindness, why should I have to make things more awkward for myself?"

A sharp light flashed in his eyes, "Wei Changfeng, since you can't tell right from wrong, don't blame me for being cruel."

He lifted a hand and grasped forward at the void.

The scene was quiet and serene, without a single wave.

After being frightened for a moment, Elder Wei's face turned cold and cloudy. "Grandmaster Yao, it seems you are the only one here who cannot tell right from wrong!"

Qin Yu had a faint expression. "Is that so?"

Before his voice fell, the entire Black Demon Sect started to violently tremble. A loud earth-shaking rumble spread throughout the entire region.

Before everyone could recover from their shock and figure out what happened, a white light cut through the horizon and floated above Qin Yu's head.

It was a small white pagoda. It was clear and shimmering, as if carved from jade. A faint light sprinkled downwards in the dark, pure and warm.

But at this time, starting from Tie Qianqiu and the Chief Elder, everyone else who had the qualifications to know what happened today suddenly had rapidly changing complexions.

The proud and aggressive Wei Changfeng looked as if his neck had been grabbed by others. His eyes went so wide they nearly popped out of his head.

S-s-s-s-s-sealed Pagoda!

No one here was blind. Even if they were blind, this aura was unmistakable.

The Chief Elder felt as if his head had been struck with a stick. His ears buzzed, his mind tumbled, and his body swayed.

This…this…this was completely different from what he had determined. Was the script wrong? He clenched his teeth so hard that a little blood came out from between his lips. This surname Yao had clearly been holding a massive trump card in his hands and as long as he took it out, no one would have tried to embarrass him. Did he find playing with them so entertaining?

Of course, whether this was because he found this amusing or not was an entirely separate matter. Right now, when the Chief Elder finally managed to gather himself, his first thought was that they had all jumped into a pit that Yao Bin had dug. And, the most aggrieved aspect of this was that they had leapt into this pit on their own initiative.

They were done for!

Originally, Qin Yu's demands had been wider than a lion's mouth. But now that their weakness was grasped by him, did he really plan on swallowing the entire heavens?

Tie Qianqiu shouted out, "Grandmaster Yao, there is always room for discussion! Don't be impulsive!"

Looking at the shining Sealed Pagoda, the Lord Sect Master had the sudden desire to choke the Chief Elder and Elder Wei to death.

You two bastards, if you want to die then don't drag my Black Demon Sect with you!

Tie Qianqiu was well aware of how terrifying the Sealed Pagoda was. It was only because of this that he felt a deep sense of fear in his heart. Although the possibility was small, if they accidentally enraged Yao Bin and he decided to open the Sealed Pagoda and release the poisons inside…then next year on this day, it would be the death anniversary of the Black Demon Sect!

Qin Yu narrowed his eyes and lightly said, "Sect Master, for all these years, I have never forgotten the life-saving graciousness that the Black Demon Sect granted me. But today there are people who don't even see me in their eyes. I can endure anything, but I cannot swallow such an insult. Do you think that I should counterattack right now?"

Tie Qianqiu cursed inside. It was clearly you that dug this pit, so why are you pretending to be a good person now? But he could only keep these words stuffed in his belly, not able to say a single one.

"Wei Changfeng, immediately apologize to Grandmaster Yao and pay back all the losses he suffered until he is satisfied. Otherwise, I cannot preserve your life!"

For the Black Demon Sect's survival, Elder Wei was tossed out without a second thought. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he had been abandoned. If Qin Yu didn't give in, then Tie Qianqiu might take action to clean up the sect.

Wei Changfeng was startled. His complexion paled and his body shivered. The pain and despair in his eyes was so vivid that it made one burst into tears just looking at him.

For someone that felt incomparable love for spirit stones and loved even more to put them in their storage ring, handing them over was the most painful suffering that could be imagined.

In particular, Wei Changfeng not only had to hand back the piece that he had swallowed into his belly, but he feared he would also have to give away the entirety of his wealth and property! Elder Wei's heart had become completely chaotic, the pain so deep he almost fell unconscious.

Why me? Everyone divided the benefits together, but now that there has been an accident, how come it's only me who is suffering?

You can all forget about it!

Wei Changfeng cried out, "I want to expose others! I want to report them!"

The Chief Elder's heart shrank. He quietly cursed to himself that this was bad, but it was already too late to stop him.

The insane and crazed Elder Wei took a big bite from everyone. Because of his incomparably deep love for spirit stones, he clearly remembered how everything had been divided.

In the dark of night, beneath the illumination of lanterns, the Black Demon Sect experts who were called out all paled.

When Tian Zhen heard his own name being called, he fell down and almost vomited out a mouthful of blood.

The scene was so quiet that it was horrifying. All that was left over were the loud heaving gasps of Wei Changfeng. As he gave vent to his mood, the blood red color from his eyes slowly retreated and he began to compose himself.

Shit!

What did I do!?

Elder Wei paused for a moment and then looked all around. When he saw all the hate-filled glares that looked as if they wanted to skin him alive, he subconsciously trembled. But with things having come this far, there was no path to retreat. Now, it was everyone for themselves! Wei Changfeng clenched his teeth and said, "Grandmaster Yao, all of your belongings were divided up by all of us. Since you want compensation, we should all join in together!"

Qin Yu really wanted to walk over and vigorously shake his head, praising, "What a good comrade!"

As he thought, there were really many good people in this world. He originally just wanted to find someone and blackmail them so that all the people in the Black Demon Sect contributed separately.

But now there was no need to make things so troublesome. Everyone had a share so there was no need to hurry. None of them could escape.

However, since there were so many people, did the amount that he stated before seem a bit too small?

He glanced over to the side. Tuba and Tutou took a deep breath and immediately cried out in unison. "Grandmaster, there are still some very important things we forgot to mention!"