Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Fourth day.

The 1000 foot tall ice and fire mountain below the pool of soup was now less than a hundred feet in size. It was like an eggshell, as thin as film and capable of shattering at any moment. And what was more astonishing was that the mountain phantom was still sinking, as if this pool of soup was really some bottomless abyss.

Qin Yu sat down cross-legged. When he looked at the barrier he could clearly see the situation outside. Looking down deeper, the color of the pool of soup became thicker, as if it were brewed from endless amounts of blood. The thick scarlet color unexpectedly formed some strange soul-stirring beauty.

It was like an endless flower of perdition, rolling in the wind and stretching into the endless horizon…but right now, Qin Yu really wasn't in the mood to enjoy such a gorgeous scene hidden deep below the surface. Moreover, he was well aware that when this barrier was finally eaten away, this 'beautiful scene' would eat him up clean, not leaving any of him behind.

Although his life was far more glorious and wonderful than how he imagined he would live when he was young, Qin Yu still wasn't willing to accept the reality of death so soon.

He was going to die…he was really going to die…there were many things he hadn't completed and many wishes he still had….thinking about these things might already be meaningless….but…for some reason, if he were to die here, would there be people in this world that would cry for him?

His lips twitched a few times before turning bitter. Originally, deep in his bones, he was someone that cared about such emotional things. He actually thought about this on the eve of his death.

When it came to death, all living beings were affected. Qin Yu really did admire Shen Yuanyin. Her tranquility was not an illusion. It was unknown what she had experienced, but she was surprisingly able to remain so confident in the face of death.

Qin Yu's back relaxed and he fell face up onto the ground. His eyes were wide open as he gasped for breath, seeming as if he was trying to vent all the gloom in his heart.

Shen Yuanyin opened her eyes. After several breaths of silence she said, "Have we met before?" Before her death, she didn't want to leave this world with doubts in her heart. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked this.

Qin Yu didn't stand up nor did he look over. "I met Palace Master just after entering the Sea of Purgatory…" Suddenly, he shook his head and smiled. "At this point, there is no point in concealing myself anymore. In truth, Yao Bin is only an alias of mine. My real name is Qin Yu."

He suddenly felt open and carefree. To honestly speak his name, in particular in front of Shen Yuanyin, one of the three public heads of the Immortal Sect, this feeling was actually quite good.

"Qin Yu?" Shen Yuanyin mulled over this name. Then, a dazed expression appeared on her face. A faint beating came from the depths of her heart.

A pale look crossed her face and she furrowed her eyebrows for a long time before stretching them back out. "I always thought that I recognized you from somewhere."

Qin Yu raised an eyebrow, "Palace Master is part of the Immortal Sect. Have you not heard of my name?" The matter of Four Seasons City had caused a great commotion. It could be said that the entire world knew of it.

Shen Yuanyin shook her head, "I usually ignore the internal affairs of the sect." With her cold and indifferent personality, this was also normal.

Qin Yu bitterly smiled. The carefree feeling he had had mostly faded by now. So it turns out that this person never knew who he was from beginning to end.

He stood up. Looking at Shen Yuanyin's light expression, he was suddenly indignant. "If Palace Master doesn't know, then allow me to tell you."

Whether or not she wanted to listen, Qin Yu started to tell the story on his own. It was a story starting from when he was a low and humble boy from the land of exiles and how he had met a proud senior-apprentice sister.

It was a story sprinkled with ups and downs. From when they first got to know each other, to the times they separated and met each other again, to their entering the Land of Divinity and Demons and then reuniting in the Infinite Realm.

"I thought that my misery was about to end, but who knew that Great Elder Purple Moon gave me such a great present. The yin yang energy explosion still wasn't able to kill me; she must have been surprised by this."

Did he really speak so much because he was being ignored by Shen Yuanyin? Most of it was likely because there was a part of him that was still unwilling.

In other words, it was human nature to not give up!

Shen Yuanyin was silent for a moment. She shook her head and said, "Honorable master isn't a hard-hearted person. She must have her reasons."

Qin Yu raised an eyebrow. "Palace Master doesn't doubt that I am slandering her?"

"You wouldn't."

These two simple words caused Qin Yu to fall silent for several breaths of time. The, he let out a breath and said, "For someone of Palace Master's status to trust me so much, that really is unexpected."

"Then, I won't lie to Palace Master any longer. The truth is that my original plan was to succeed the throne of the Holy Monarch and after I gained the authority to rule over the entire Demonic Path, I would have then taken my revenge towards the Immortal Sect no matter the cost. Whether or not Great Elder Purple Moon has her reasons or some other problem, from my standpoint, she is my life or death enemy. Of course, I won't have the chance to take revenge on her any longer."

He sighed, clearly disappointed.

Shen Yuanyin furrowed her eyebrows. "Like you said, Ning Ling was a disciple that honorable master highly regarded, even someone that she wanted to cultivate so that she could take over as Palace Master. But, I have no memory of her."

"What has Palace Master been doing these past years?"

Shen Yuanyin was silent for a moment. "I was in seclusion."

That's right, she seemed to always be in seclusion, meditating on the Sublime Lost Emotion Code. It was only when she made a breakthrough in her understanding that she came out and succeeded the throne of the Palace Master.

Qin Yu nodded, "If Palace Master has been in seclusion for so many years, it is natural if you didn't know of matters occurring outside. From the moment that Ning Ling entered the Immortal Sect to when she vanished, not many years passed."

He forced a smile. "I have no way to take revenge now. If so, I can only pray that Great Elder Purple Moon isn't a cruel and ruthless person. I hope she gives Ning Ling a chance to survive."

Even if he died, he still hoped that Ning Ling would live well somewhere in this world. At best, she should never learn that he had already died.

Putting himself in her place and considering her best interests in mind, perhaps this was true love.

But what a pity, his luck was poor and he would never have the chance to live through life with Ning Ling, hand in hand. No matter how much he struggled all these years, things still ended in tragedy.

Qin Yu couldn't help but imagine. If he didn't try so hard and didn't come to this world and instead stayed in the land of exiles, would Ning Ling not have suffered a bitter experience? And, perhaps he wouldn't have discarded his life like this?

Of course, these were only fanciful daydreams. Qin Yu never had the idea of indulging in them. Throughout the years, he had been calm and cautious enough. To let loose a little before he died, that wasn't asking for too much, right?

In a stupor, his thoughts fluttered far away. Across from him, Shen Yuanyin lowered her head as if she were thinking of something. However, her complexion was a bit more pale than before.

Although they didn't talk about much else, the two of them knew they were still strangers. Although they had experienced some things together, they really didn't have much in common. Moreover, since they were both at death's door, why waste so much breath. It was better to conserve their strength.

Without accident, the two of them would remain silent like this until their final moments arrived.

But the matters of this world were inevitably unpredictable. When Qin Yu accepted his fate and awaited death, a sudden change entered his eyes.

The crimson color all around him had separated at some unknown time. There was a pure black color. It was like a deep sea, cold and silent.

Qin Yu blinked his eyes and then blinked again. After determining that he wasn't seeing an illusion, joy rose up from his heart. He wasn't afraid that a change would occur, but was afraid of things remaining the same. With things having reached this step, how much more worse could the situation become?

He stood up and took several steps forward. Walking to the very edge of the barrier, he closely looked outside at the black color around him.

Following that, there was a shaking wave. The barrier of blended ice and fire suddenly stopped submerging, stopping right at the border where the crimson and black colors met.

He closed his eyes and probed out with his divine sense. After several breaths of time, his eyes opened and his face was wild with joy.

The heavens never sealed off all exits…the heavens never sealed off all exits!

The black color that appeared deep below the pool of soup was actually an unknown type of cold energy, completely opposite of the crimson energy around him. It was twin extremes of yin and yang.

Although he didn't know why such a situation occurred here, this didn't matter. What mattered was that the collision of yin and yang counterbalanced each other. The destructive attribute of the crimson pool of soup was eliminated and as a result, the terrifying corrosion that the barrier suffered also vanished.

In other words, as long as they stayed paused between these colors of black and crimson, they wouldn't be in danger for the time being.

To be saved from death, even with Qin Yu's calm disposition he still couldn't help but laugh out loud, his voice merry and joyful.

Accepting fate and awaiting death was completely different from being willing to die. Even if there was only the slimmest chance of survival, no one would want to give up.

As he had said before, as long as one was living, there were countless possibilities awaiting them.

The crimson and black colors pierced through the light barrier, reflecting upon Qin Yu and dying him in two colors. As these two colors shined upon his body, he suddenly frowned, feeling as if he had forgotten something.

Extreme yin, extreme yang…he seemed to have heard these words not too long ago…

He suddenly slapped his forehead. A happy expression lit up his eyes.

He turned his hand and a seed appeared. Its surface was dark gray and without any textures. It seemed no different from a stone.