Refining the Mountains and Rivers

At this moment, not only was Qin Yu a hundred feet tall but the strength he could erupt with also drastically rose.

He lifted a hand and punched out. The world seemed to roar out loud as a towering phantom appeared behind him, also punching out its fist.

He was borrowing the power of the Ancient race's ancestors!

Bang -

With a heaven-shaking ring, countless branches were thrust away by this formidable strength. They shook and disintegrated.

Qin Yu relaxed by a great deal. He discovered that the strength of this ancient tree wasn't as terrifying as he thought it would be. It seemed that its greatest advantage lay in that impact of will that it used against him. But unfortunately for the tree, that impact of will just happened to be within the range that he could still withstand.

Whoosh -

Whoosh -

With the sound of piercing air, vines came howling at him. Their tips split open to reveal black thorns beneath that flashed with a metallic l.u.s.ter. At the same time, the branches of the surrounding crown closed up all around him, reducing his range of movement.

Qin Yu was without expression. He raised a hand and thrust forward. The phantom of a magnificent mountain appeared behind him. As it appeared, it released an arrogant aura that seemed as if nothing could suppress it.

One of the Ancients' three Holy Mountains - Suppressing Sea!

"Ancient race!"

There was a cry of alarm. The vines that howled at Qin Yu started to retreat at an even faster pace. The surrounding branches also drew back.

Motes of green light floated out from within the ancient tree. They condensed in the air to form the figure of a young man. He had a slender and tall body and feminine features, as if he were a girl that had dressed up to look like a man. At this moment, this young man was looking closely at Qin Yu, a bit of fl.u.s.tered panic in his eyes.

Qin Yu asked, "Who are you?"

The man suddenly opened his mouth and spoke some strange syllables. Seeing no response from Qin Yu, the worry in his eyes faded a little. "So it seems you haven't returned to the Ancient race's Holy Land and received a baptism from the Holy Spring yet."

Qin Yu immediately understood that his background was being probed. But, he didn't reveal any worry at all. He lightly responded, "And what if I haven't?"

The man smiled, "Young Ancient, please do not misunderstand. I am from the Seven Saint World's spirit race, and we have always been on good terms with the Ancients. It's just because with the changing of times, the Ancient race has already declined, so it is a bit surprising for me to see you here."

Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows. "Why should I believe you?"

The man slightly bowed, "You may call me Foxflower. That is my true name. As is the custom of our spirit race, after learning my name, you and I are friends. Young Ancient, I understand that you are wary, but I will soon prove that I hold no ill intent towards you."

He paused and revealed a gratified expression, "In fact, I will even give you a good fortune that will help you become more formidable."

Qin Yu said, "Let's hear your price."

Foxflower looked up at the heaven-supporting tree, his eyes filled with the vicissitudes of time. "I have already been stranded here for a long, long time, so long that my memories have become blurry. If I hadn't been constantly struggling against this, I fear my consciousness would have already faded away."

He bowed and said, "First, I have to express my apologies to you. I have consumed too much of my strength so my consciousness is usually in a state of deep slumber. Just now it was purely instinct that triggered the ancient tree to attack."

Qin Yu lightly said, "Get to the point. I don't have much patience."

Foxflower smiled. "You are indeed an Ancient; you have the same impatient personality. What I need to tell you is that a powerful existence of the War Clan is buried beneath this tree. He is attempting to return from death. I have abandoned everything in order to seal him here.

"But he is too strong and I cannot kill him. There is even a chance that I will be swallowed by him. But if we join forces, we can kill him and divide his strength between us."

Qin Yu instantly thought back to the fusing of will and that person who had called himself the War Clan's Fifth Chief. That should be who this so-called spirit race person was referring to. Perhaps this was true, but as for equally dividing the spoils, Qin Yu could only laugh out loud in his heart.

"Promise him!"

A loud shout suddenly echoed out from deep within Qin Yu's heart. He carefully probed around but couldn't find the source.

He glanced at the self-proclaimed spirit race person Foxflower. It was obvious that this voice wasn't related to him.

His thoughts raced. Who did this voice belong to? What was their goal?

Across from him, Foxflower said, "You should be careful. But, how about looking at my actions first? There is no need to make a decision so quickly."

Qin Yu was silent for some time. "Alright. I can agree, but this doesn't represent a promise. If something wrong occurs, I will leave at any moment."

Foxflower revealed a blinding smile. "Of course. Believe me, you will not come to regret this decision." He lifted one finger, "I will give you the first repayment for believing a friend. From now on these stone beads are yours, so please use them as you like."

The withered leaves beneath the tree began to fly away. Stone beads came rolling in from all directions, gushing out from the pile; these were all high-grade stone beads.

Seeing Qin Yu remain motionless, Foxflower lifted a hand. A large number of stone beads flew into the air, "You can rest assured and collect them."

Qin Yu no longer hesitated. With a flick of his sleeves the stone beads vanished without a trace.

Foxflower looked in the direction of the shrine. He said, "Now, I will give you the second repayment." He lifted his hand and pointed a finger. Space violently shook. A deep darkness appeared and was shaken out.

The darkness dispersed to reveal a figure. Qin Yu's eyes widened. This person was actually the cultivator who controlled the Three United Trade Association's ship, Shu He!

But today's Shu He was different from before. His aura had completely changed. The deathly energy that surrounded him before was now full of vitality. This was the first time Qin Yu had seen something like this occur.

He icily looked at Qin Yu and said, "If you are looking to select a collaborator, I believe I am more suitable."

Foxflower shook his head. "You aren't good…none of you are good."

A second finger fell down.

As this finger fell, space instantly collapsed inwards to form a large black hole. Three figures tumbled out, their complexions pale.

This originally lonely place suddenly livened up with the appearance of several more people. Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows. Unexpectedly, he hadn't been able to detect their arrival at all.

Foxflower smiled. "It's normal for you not to have discovered them. This entire space is an extension of the ancient tree. Because you are inside, your senses are blocked out."

He looked at Shu He and said, "I remember you. You entered this palace long ago, but you were schemed against and should have already died. And, the ones who did it were these three cultivators right beside you. With your life and death archenemies placed right before you, shouldn't you be seeking justice for yourself?"

The old man in purple and black robes spoke up, "Why are you trying to instigate something? In this current situation, do you really think we would try to kill each other?"

Foxflower's eyes shined, "That may not be so."

Rah -

With a deep roar, Shu He's body shook and an ominous blood red light surged deep within his eyes. He glared at these three secret backers that propped up the trade association and fiercely clenched his teeth.

The silver-haired middle-aged man shook with anger, "Shu He, have you gone mad!?"

Shu He wildly laughed, "That's right, I am mad! From the moment you betrayed me and turned me into a puppet, I had already gone mad!"

Drool leaked out from the corners of his lips. His flesh and blood rumbled and scales appeared on the surface of his skin. Then, in the next moment, they began to disintegrate and fall off.

Blood flowed out from the cracked wounds, soaking through his clothes. Shu He's aura rose at a drastic speed, becoming filled with destruction and cruelty.

The old man roared, "Kill him!"

He lifted a hand and punched out. Countless purple lights appeared, howling towards Shu He like endless arrows.

Bang -

Shu He's body was broken apart from within. A strange beast drilled its way out. It rose in the air, soon becoming a thousand feet tall. It opened its maw and swallowed everything in front of it. Like a black hole, those purple lights were swallowed into its mouth!

Facing Qin Yu's eyes, Foxflower smiled and said, "The spirit race's talents are aimed at the soul. It just so happens that this fellow's soul has a flaw in it, so affecting him isn't too difficult."

After becoming the incarnation of the strange beast, Shu He fell into a vicious battle with the three others. Although it was one against three, he didn't fall into a disadvantage. The black Devil's Snare flower played a vital role in this.

"Mantuo's strength!"

The silver-haired middle-aged man revealed a startled look. It seemed he had a certain understanding of this.

Foxflower flicked his sleeve. Motes of light flew out from the ancient tree and entered the body of the strange beast, causing it to erupt with an even greater strength.

"There aren't many of us spirit race. In order to ensure the safety of every clansmen, we excel in borrowing strength from others. We rarely fight head-on.

"These three human cultivators aren't weak. It wouldn't be difficult for me to kill them, but I would need to use up my precious strength to do so.

"To drive this…blended being into fighting is the best choice. Even if they cannot both perish together, I can still save as much strength as possible."

Qin Yu was without expression. "Shu He…this strange beast isn't their match."

As he finished speaking, he looked at the third person who had remained silent. He appeared like a common young man, yet his deep eyes revealed a strange richness of the years.

But for some unknown reason, Qin Yu felt that this young man gave off a familiar feeling. Even though he sifted through his memories, he couldn't recall anything related to this person.