Refining the Mountains and Rivers

There was also a Dao Arena branch in the Deep Stream Region. According to Solitary Westgate's point of view, as long as it was a place where masters gathered he would establish one. Whether or not it earned profits didn't matter. At the very least he would have eyes and ears in that location.

This Dao Arena was located in Survival City; Solitary Westgate brought Qin Yu and You Qi there to rest temporarily.

No matter which Dao Arena branch it was, the top level training rooms were all beautifully constructed. Qin Yu rested beneath a pavilion, leaning against a soft bed as he drank some wine.

"It suddenly occurred to me that the reason you constructed these Dao Arenas is so that you would have a comfortable place to rest no matter where you went."

Across from him, Solitary Westgate's smile stiffened and he fell silent.

Qin Yu sat up. "Did I say something wrong?"

Solitary Westgate bitterly smiled. "No, you should be the first person who's guessed the truth." He stood up, looking at the beautiful garden before him. "In truth, the reason I set up the Dao Arena system was originally because I wished for me and my family to enjoy happy days together."

Qin Yu had a dignified expression. "If my words caused you to remember some unhappy memories, I really do apologize."

Solitary Westgate shook his head. "It doesn't matter." After several breaths of silence, he continued to say, "There are some things that I should tell you about." He turned around, "Do you mind coming with me somewhere? Don't worry, it's very safe within the Dao Arena. As long as the moon bird is here, You Qi won't be in trouble."

Qin Yu nodded, "Alright."

Solitary Westgate flicked his sleeves. Space collapsed inward to form a fathomless black hole.

The two stepped within.

Colors flashed all around them at a dizzying speed. Qin Yu could feel that this wasn't a temporary space channel, but one that had been specially prepared long ago.

Solitary Westgate explained, "Every Dao Arena in the world has such a specially prepared channel. It is so that I can return home as quickly as possible…as for why, you will soon find out."

Qin Yu could feel the heavy atmosphere coming from him and didn't say much.

Soon, they reached the end of the spatial channel. When they exited they appeared above a vast sea.

A low mountain peak was suspended in the skies above the sea. It was covered in clouds, obscured from sight.

Solitary Westgate revealed a gentle expression. "Qin Yu, you are the first person in the Land of Divinity and Demons to step into my home. From here on out, no matter what you see, I ask you not to reveal anything."

He took a step forward. The fog automatically parted to reveal an ordinary courtyard situated in the mountainside.

"Daddy!"

With cheers of surprised joy, a little boy tossed himself into Solitary Westgate's arms.

Solitary Westgate lifted him up and patted his head, his smile kind and warm. "Anning, have you been a good boy lately?"

The boy nodded repeatedly. "Of course. Mommy praised me many times…" He suddenly saw Qin Yu in the back. With a timid look he hid behind Solitary Westgate.

"Don't be afraid. This is uncle Qin Yu, daddy's good friend."

Qin Yu suppressed the shock in his heart. He stepped forward and bent over a little. "It's nice to meet you, Anning. I often hear your father talk about you. You really are a good child."

Anning's head drilled out and he smiled in embarrassment. But, there was friendliness in his eyes.

A beautiful middle-aged woman walked out in welcome. She earnestly bowed towards Qin Yu and then dragged Anning away with her. "Be obedient and come prepare a meal with me. Don't disturb your father and uncle speaking to each other."

Qin Yu watched the mother and child walk away. He turned his head toward Solitary Westgate, a dignified look in his eyes. With his cultivation and boundary he could naturally see that this supposedly ordinary mother and child were actually two specters that had died long ago.

But with a powerful strength of rules, someone had molded bodies for them, forcefully maintaining their souls that should have faded away by now.

"Now, you know everything." Solitary Westgate said in a quiet voice. "I once said that I would need your help for something in the future…this is it. I need your help to revive my dead wife and child!"

Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows together. "Westgate, I can help you, but the great terror of life and death is something that even a Calamity Immortal finds difficult to free themselves from. Moreover, what you want to do is to bring them back from death. This is something that has never been recorded in the history of the Demonic Path. Are you sure that it is even possible?"

Solitary Westgate lightly said, "In the past, after Yun Niang and Anning died, I went crazy looking for every possible method to keep them in this world. Thus, I divided off this part of the world and reversed the rules here so that their souls could continue.

"At the time, I thought that they wouldn't be able to be revived. Then, I discovered a great secret of this world. Right now I cannot tell you what this is. It isn't that I don't want to tell you, but that if I even mention it, it will touch upon some invisible perception that can produce unpredictable consequences. But there is one thing for sure. As long as you help me with all your strength, there is a chance that they can be revived. And for that, I will surely give you back enough in return!"

Qin Yu's eyebrows relaxed. "Even if there is no repayment, the assistance that you gave me in the past is more than enough."

Solitary Westgate replied, "Thank you!"

Qin Yu smiled. "I suddenly feel a great pressure on me. It seems my life is no longer purely my own."

Solitary Westgate said, "So, you must survive. You absolutely cannot die!"

Because you are my only hope in reviving my dead wife and child. It is impossible for Yun Niang and Anning to wait for a second 'turning point' person to appear.

The food and wine was quickly prepared. Yun Niang and Anning sat quietly on the right. As they watched Qin Yu and Solitary Westgate eat and drink together, their eyes were filled with joy.

It had been a long time since a guest had come to their home. After Anning got to know Qin Yu a little bit more, he immediately started to ask questions.

"Uncle Qin, what is the outside world like?"

"Are there really birds in this world that are so large they can block out the skies with their wings?"

"I really want to go take a look at the great sea. But daddy says I am too young and the fish will eat me if I try. Is it really like that?"

"I am really bored at home. Daddy leaves often and only mommy is here with me. I really want to go out and take a look. Can you bring me?"

Looking at Anning's pure and innocent eyes as well as his hope-filled face, Qin Yu felt a slight bitterness in his heart. He put down his wine cup and smiled, "Anning, be a good child. The outside world isn't safe and your father is worried about you. However, uncle promises you that before too long, you will definitely be able to leave."

"Really? But daddy tells me the exact same thing all the time." Anning's bright eyes started to dim down.

Solitary Westgate said, "Trust your Uncle Qin. He won't lie to you."

Night arrived. Yun Niang brought Anning away to sleep. Qin Yu waited outside in the courtyard. After a long time, a weary Solitary Westgate wandered out.

"The reason you built so many rapid transmission channels in the Dao Arenas, is it because sister-in-law and nephew are in a condition where they can disappear at any moment?" To contend with the Heavenly Dao's samsara with the strength of man alone, even if that man was Solitary Westgate he would still have to pay a steep price.

Solitary Westgate rubbed his eyebrows. "That's right. Their conditions worsen with time. I am becoming increasingly worried about them."

He looked at Qin Yu and said, "So, if possible, please become stronger as quickly as you can, until you reach the level where you surpass life and death. Only like that can I bring you to open that secret."

Qin Yu took a deep breath. "Let's go. We should discuss what we are going to do." Since he couldn't find Woodchopper Fu, he would have to end his plans of tempering his will through life and death battles ahead of time.

Although there were many powerhouses in the Land of Divinity and Demons, there actually weren't many who had the qualifications to serve as a grinding stone for Qin Yu. At the very least it wasn't as if he could recklessly attack random strangers. Otherwise, even if he were the Demonic Path's Holy Monarch, he still wouldn't be able to afford the public anger that would be directed against him.

In this world, there was no one that was truly free from all fetters…this included even supreme beings of this world!

Solitary Westgate nodded. With a flick of his sleeves he opened a channel. Then, the two of them left this small world that had been separated and now existed by itself.

Hualala -

The moment Qin Yu stepped into the channel he could hear the sound of crashing waves. Solitary Westgate's figure paused for a moment.

Anning wanted to see the sea. But what he didn't know was that what lay beneath the shroud of fog was the endless sea.

This was a sorrow he had endured since a long time ago. But each time it was like a hot iron branding itself into Solitary Westgate's heart, burning his innermost feelings.

So what if he was a supreme being of this world who possessed unsurpassed power and influence? So what if he could shake the heavens and sunder the earth with a thought? In the end he was just a pathetic lonely man whose wife and child had died!

Deep Stream, Survival City's Dao Arena.

Solitary Westgate and Qin Yu stepped out of a spatial channel one after another. Although only several hours had passed, after that brief interlude the two of them had grown closer to each other.

"Woodchopper Fu is a qualified grinding stone, but since he cannot be found, you will have to end your plan of tempering yourself through life and death battles." After Solitary Westgate took a seat he went straight to the point, "I know a place which is an unsurpassed treasure trove for tempering your will. But that place is extremely dangerous. If no one in the Demonic Path told you about it, it should be because they are wary of it."

Qin Yu's eyes brightened. "If I don't go, what do you think the chances are that I will be able to resist the devil mark's backlash?"

Solitary Westgate lifted one finger, "At most 10%. Perhaps even lower."

Qin Yu said, "The reason I risk my life is because I regret my life. If there is a great chance for me to continue living, I will still give it a try. Moreover, my luck has always been extremely good, otherwise it would have been impossible for me to emerge from that declining land of exile and have my current achievements."

Solitary Westgate lightly said, "Although I hope that you go, I still have to clearly explain things to you. Throughout the years, many people have entered the Sealed Stone World. But, only around ten people or so have ever managed to come out.

"In the rumors, it is said that only those who have tempered their will to the point where they can affect reality, in other words, to materialize their will, can break free from that world and return to the Land of Divinity and Demons. Think it over. If you are still interested then I will tell you more about the Sealed Stone World."

Qin Yu said, "I don't need to consider. I'll go."

Solitary Westgate nodded, "Good. If you were indecisive about it then I would have urged you to give up. If you don't even have the courage to risk it all then you absolutely cannot come back out from the Sealed Stone World."

Qin Yu said, "You have my full attention."