Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Perhaps it was because the sphere the Demon Envoy had given him was showing its use, but Qin Yu's journey through the Holy Palace proceeded incomparably smoothly. He didn't meet any troubles at all. Slowly, he felt himself nearing the location of the Holy Son Seal.

Shua -

Qin Yu came to a sudden stop. He looked up at a temple before him. Within this massive palace complex, this temple seemed common and ordinary. But, the blue and gold temple gates emitted a noble feeling.

The Holy Son Seal was within.

After a brief hesitation, Qin Yu flicked his sleeves. The blue gold temple doors quietly opened, revealing an incomparably black hall within, so dark that it left one frightened.

But after coming this far, there was no reason to fear continuing forward. Qin Yu stepped into the hall. His body seemed to pass through an invisible barrier. Then, a bright and warm light splashed onto his face, surprising him.

There was actually a small garden hidden inside the hall. The construction was exquisite and pleasing to the eyes and all sorts of unique flowers and grasses grew in lush abundance. There was a small lake with a stone bridge spanning across running water. This place was quiet and calming to the heart.

Faint zither music spread out from the garden. Looking up, he could see a small pavilion located behind a rock garden sculpture. Several of its black tiles were exposed.

Qin Yu sensed his surroundings. After not noticing anything wrong, his eyes flashed and he walked along the stone path to the pavilion in the back. Though he maintained a calm appearance, his guard was raised to its peak state. He could hear the rustling of every flower and blade of grass. If there was even the tiniest hint of trouble, he would instantly respond.

The area of the garden wasn't too large. After several dozen steps, the pavilion came into sight. Traces of fog rose up, shrouding the person in the pavilion. But, it wasn't hard to judge that this was a beautiful woman with an enticingly enchanting figure. And for some unknown reason, Qin Yu unexpectedly felt that this figure was someone familiar.

As he was startled, the zither music suddenly stopped. The beautiful woman in the pavilion stood up and turned to bow towards him. "This servant greets His Highness Holy Son!" Her limpid eyes were clear and graceful, warm like pools of spring water, shooting straight into the heart.

If it weren't for the fact that Qin Yu had experienced so many things these past years and had tempered his mind and heart, he would have likely shouted out in surprise. The woman beneath the pavilion was actually You Qi. But after observing her more carefully, he found that her temperament and manners were all different. And, there was no trace of recognizing him in her eyes.

His thoughts rapidly raced. Qin Yu kept a calm expression as he said, "Who are you?" He scrutinized her response.

Seeing his gaze, 'You Qi' felt more at ease. She respectfully said, "I inadvertently entered the Holy Palace several years ago. Now I follow Empress Grace."

Qin Yu's heart skipped a beat. This woman was indeed You Qi. Could she have suffered some accident and lost her memories as a result? But since this was the Holy Palace, he couldn't assume anything. His eyes flashed and he said, "I came here today to obtain the Holy Son Seal. Since you're here, you should know where it is. Take it out."

'You Qi' smiled. "I have already been waiting for a long time. Your Highness, please wait a moment." As she spoke, she lifted a hand and thrust her palm towards the lake.

Bang -

The bottom of the lake violently shook as if an earth dragon were awakening down below. Water shot up into the skies and began raining down as if they were caught in a great storm. After a blink of an eye, the 'You Qi' standing near the pavilion was completely soaked in water. Her clothes clung tightly to her body, accentuating her beguiling curves.

Qin Yu's pupils slightly shrank before he returned to normal. He looked up into the air. As the water fell back down, a golden light appeared. It was a square seal wrapped in a transparent bubble.

The Holy Son Seal!

'You Qi' lifted her hand and the bubble fell onto it, instantly bursting open. She bowed and offered it with both hands, "I ask Your Highness Holy Son to please take it and inspect it."

Because her clothes were soaked wet and clung to her body, when she leaned forward Qin Yu was able to see everything there was to see. Her fair and clear skin caused one's heart to shiver.

Qin Yu looked at her carefully. It seemed as if he had frozen in place for a moment because of the 'beautiful scene' before him. Then, he stepped forward.

There were lotus flowers planted in the lake. Now, after the upheaval, countless petals were scattered over the surface, emitting a faint and delicate fragrance. The scent continuously flowed into the nose. There was a light sweetness to it that invigorated the spirit, making everything become crystal clear.

For instance, this beautiful and docile young woman bowing her head, her dress that clung tightly to her ravishing boy, the fluctuations of her chest as she breathed…an inexplicable atmosphere began to spread through the air.

Qin Yu's steps were still steady, but there was a bit of absent-mindedness in his eyes. His mouth seemed to have gone dry as he subconsciously licked his lips.

'You Qi' kept her head bowed. Joy flashed in her covered eyes. As she thought, even though 100,000 years had passed, the actions and desires of these pathetic smelly men hadn't changed at all. Still, to her, this couldn't be any better.

Qin Yu reached out a hand to take the seal. But for some unknown reason, when his hand came down, it landed on her clear and pale hands instead.

Across from him, 'You Qi' pouted her lips and humphed. As if all the bones had been pulled out from her body, she fell forward. Her eyes were half-lidded and her face was flushed red. She whispered, "Your Highness…"

Her words were like a spark that fell onto a dry grassland, immediately setting it all ablaze. Qin Yu's breathing suddenly quickened and a strange red color flashed in his eyes. He stared straight at the beautiful woman in his arms, the bump in his throat rolling back and forth as he gulped repeatedly.

"To be able to serve Your Highness is this servant's fortune. Since this is my first time, I hope that Your Highness can take pity on this servant." 'You Qi' whispered. Her voice was like tiny hands scratching one's itchy heart.

Qin Yu placed a hand on her face, gently stroking her skin. There seemed to be an invisible charm to his fingertip that caused 'You Qi' to flush red and sway from side to side. As her hands were wrapped around Qin Yu's neck and she was about to offer him a kiss, she suddenly froze.

This was an incomparably hot and spicy scene. Anyone watching would have assumed that something l.u.s.tful was about to occur next. But, the harmony was far too great; the plot was bound to reverse.

A hand reached up and grabbed her neck.

'You Qi' opened her eyes, her warm and watery pupils filled with grief and pity. "Your Highness, why are you like this? Do you not like this servant?"

Though Qin Yu's heart was still rapidly beating and there was a red flush on his face, his expression was cold and desolate. "Just who are you?"

Tears flowed down from the corners of 'You Qi's' eyes. "Your Highness doubts my heart? You should already know of my status."

Qin Yu's gaze turned even icier. "The lotus flowers on the lake and the drugs smeared on the seal; did you think that I wouldn't realize it? And, there is also the most important part. If you knew about it you would probably be saddened, because the body you happened to choose today is actually that of a very important person to me."

He took a deep breath and his tone turned dark and gloomy, each word he spoke dripping with a terrifying flavor. "You had best guarantee that she is not truly harmed, otherwise I promise you that you will definitely regret it!"

'You Qi' still had tears in her eyes. She stared at Qin Yu for some time and then slowly frowned. "Really?" Seeing the chill in Qin Yu's eyes become even colder, she let out a light sigh. "This is really…" She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

"Your Highness, in truth, I actually wasn't planning on harming you today. If you could just have a good time with me, you could have spared yourself today's disaster. But, the plans of heaven cannot be calculated by men. It seems that Your Highness is destined to suffer this tribulation." Her neck was still grasped by Qin Yu. The slightest bit of strength and her throat would be crushed. But, she didn't worry at all. Instead, there was only regret in her eyes.

A blood red color appeared in 'You Qi's' pupils and started to rapidly spread out like ink. In the blink of an eye, her two eyes had turned pure blood red.

"Your Highness, if you don't want to be a living Holy Monarch, then you can only be a dead puppet. But, I ask Your Highness to feel relieved. On behalf of your honored status, I will make my movements quick. You won't feel any pain at all."

Within her blood red eyes, Qin Yu's figure was reflected. His body tensed up and froze.

In his soul space, Meimei fiercely opened her eyes. "Found it!"

The hand on her slender neck suddenly tightened. Invisible fluctuations spread out, seeping into her body. 'You Qi' suddenly froze, the regret in her eyes completely gone.

"Yao Bin, what have you done!?"

Qin Yu ignored her. He lifted his other hand, then, like a sharp arrow, a finger pressed between her eyebrows.

"Ahhh!"

'You Qi' emitted a pitiful scream. The blood red color in her eyes rapidly faded away, restored to their original colors in just several breaths of time.

Qin Yu's expression became even more dignified. He slowly lifted his finger and a continuous blood red wisp was pulled out.

Within his soul space, Meimei's face was pale. She couldn't conceal the weariness in her eyes.

When she froze Bai Xinyuan's soul, she had suffered tremendous losses. Now she had forced herself to take action today, causing damage to herself.

But at this moment there was a hopeful look in Meimei's eyes. When she saw the faint traces of blood red wisp, a satisfied smile lit up her face.

While she had suffered some losses, the candy that was about to arrive was more than enough to make up for it. It seemed like she would be able to have a grand feast today!

More and more of the blood red wisp appeared, finally blending into a mass of blood red light. The horrendous face of a woman appeared within. Then, as if sensing that the situation was dire, she screamed out loud and tried to rush towards Qin Yu's soul.

Hum -

The purple moon above his head trembled. Faint traces of light sparkled down, weaving together into a net that surrounded the sphere of blood red light.

The face of the woman angrily screeched and shouted, but no matter how much she struggled she couldn't escape.

The purple moon's net tightened, dragging the sphere of blood red light in front of Meimei. The little girl laughed and expressed her thanks, grinning as she said, "Thank you Big Sister Moon. Then, I won't be polite!"

As she said that, she reached out her chubby little hands and grabbed onto the red sphere of light. Although she didn't seem to be doing anything, the woman's face crazily screamed as if she were withstanding some incredibly terrifying pain. Wisps of blood red were constantly peeled off and absorbed into Meimei's hands. She couldn't help but close her eyes, a look of enjoyment on her face.

"Your Highness Holy Son, please forgive me! I know many secrets of the Holy Palace. As long as Your Highness spares me from death, I am willing to offer everything to Your Highness!"

This blood red sphere of light was Empress Grace's soul. She had taken over You Qi's mortal body in order to do unspeakable things. But, she never expected that she would end up like this.

At this moment, her pleading cries received no response. Her screams became sharper and shriller. After some time, Meimei released her hands. The blood red sphere of light had shrunk by more than half its size. The woman's face within trembled, about to collapse at any moment.

Empress Grace finally relaxed. She really thought that she was going to die just now! But as long as she didn't die, there was a chance she could continue living. She just needed Qin Yu to give her that opportunity.

Meimei stuck out her tongue. "Ah, I accidentally forgot myself and ate so much. Big sister, big brother, please don't blame me. I'll give the rest to you. I feel tired all of a sudden, so I'm going to go take a nap first."

These words didn't seem right…Empress Grace's eyes flew open. But, the purple moon didn't give her a chance to speak. The net suddenly tightened. Then, like innumerable sharp blades, her soul was sliced into countless fragments.

Moonlight swirled around, taking half. A phantom of the blue sun appeared and swallowed the other half.

With this, this person who had struggled in the Holy Palace for 100,000 years, this Empress Grace who had all sorts of diabolical schemes and plots in her mind, and whose methods were supreme, had her soul carved up into three by the 'residents' in Qin Yu's soul space and cleanly gobbled up. As for the secret technique she had finally managed to successfully cultivate, she hadn't even been able to use it once before she vanished from existence.