Refining the Mountains and Rivers

At the edge of the Sea of Bewildering Fog.

One cultivator was chasing after another. Occasionally, the rumbles of battle echoed through the void.

"Don't push things too far! Otherwise, if you truly provoke me I will rush straight into the Sea of Bewildering Fog and none of us will obtain the stone beads!"

The fleeing cultivator roared out loud.

It was clear that this was a battle which had erupted over a struggle for stone beads.

The chasing cultivator coldly sneered, "If you have the guts then rush in! The stone beads can be your burial treasures!"

At this time there was a loud rumble from the thick fog not too far away. The complexions of the two cultivators changed.

What was this sound?

The sound grew louder and louder, like a great wave rushing in ever close from the distance.

"This is bad!"

The two people couldn't bother with fighting each other anymore. They turned around and fled. When they were some distance away, they subconsciously turned around. The sight that entered their eyes nearly caused their hearts to stop beating.

The fog was torn open from within. An incomparably massive strange beast drilled out. But, what was shocking was that atop the head of this strange beast, there was actually a black-robed cultivator standing there.

The cultivator took a step forward and leapt down from the head of the strange beast. The strange beast's massive figure lay down prone, a deep ringing sound coming from its mouth as if it were respectfully bidding farewell.

The black-robed cultivator didn't turn his head. He took several steps forward and vanished from sight.

The giant strange beast rose back up. Its cold eyes swept over the two frozen people. Its gaze was like a bucket of ice cold water being poured over their heads, nearly causing their souls to freeze over.

When they regained their composure the strange beast had already disappeared. If it weren't for the fact that the fog was still tumbling in front of them, they would have thought that this was all an illusion.

"Ahhh!"

With loud screams, the two turned and fled, no longer thinking about fighting each other.

…

Throughout the long passing of years, small and large families gradually formed in the Sealed Stone World. They vigorously cultivated their juniors in order to continue on their bloodlines.

At the fringe of the sealed stone 'nebula', a white-clothed old man was leading a dozen some young men and women in a training session.

"You must all remember. Focus your heart and sense the suppression of will from the sealed stones. Only like this will you obtain the greatest effects of tempering. The road of cultivation is destined to be a lonely one. If you can withstand this loneliness, you will surely shine bright in the future! Talent is important, but a firm heart is also an indispensable key point for cultivation!"

Suddenly, the white-clothed old man's complexion changed. The sealed stones all around him started to gently shake.

Destruction of will!

This was an unerasable mark that was imprinted onto the souls of every living being in the Sealed Stone World. Predictably, before the dreadful waves of fluctuations appeared, the sealed stones were still trembling and their scope was growing increasingly large.

What was happening?

Suddenly, the white-clothed old man's expression changed. He saw a figure coming forth from the endless void. As he approached, the sealed stones shook more and more.

Was this person's aura causing the sealed stones to tremble?

Was that even possible!?

The approaching black-robed cultivator suddenly looked up. The white-clothed old man stuffily coughed. His complexion paled as if a large mountain was pressing down upon his mind. The juniors behind him were in an even worse situation. Their legs shook and they crumpled to the ground.

Fortunately, the black-robed cultivator only glanced at them before moving his gaze. His footsteps seemed slow but he moved with an astonishing speed. After several breaths of time he had already vanished deep into the 'nebula' of sealed stones. As for the shivering sealed stones, they had mostly calmed down.

The young men and women were drenched in sweat. They all looked as if they had been fished out of the water.

Their eyes were filled with awe and reverence. Looking at the direction Qin Yu went in, one of the young women gasped out, "Elder, who is he?"

The white-clothed old man's complexion changed. He hurriedly shouted out, "Shut up! The matters of such existences are not for the likes of us to even discuss. Even thinking about it is a matter of great disrespect!"

He cupped his hands together and bowed deeply, "My family juniors do not understand the customs. I ask senior to please forgive them!"

Everything remained tranquil.

After a long time, the white-clothed old man finally let out a deep breath. He stood up and said in a low voice, "We're leaving. Moreover, send a signal to the family that all of our clansmen outside are to be recalled. From this day forth, the Mo Family will be sealing itself away until further notice!"

The black-robed cultivator had come from the void, and what was in that direction was the Sea of Bewildering Fog…when it came to this sort of existence, every action they made was meaningful. They wouldn't travel out for nothing. It was likely that great turbulence would soon erupt in the Sealed Stone World!

…

In the endless void, there was a sealed stone so large that it seemed to support the heavens. Its size was comparable to that of an ancient divine mountain. But today, this ancient divine mountain was no longer as desolate and lonely as it was before. Rather, it had become lively.

Sh.i.p.s were anchored at a dock in the void. Countless cultivators wore sumptuous robes and exchanged greetings with each other. They occasionally glanced up at this heaven-supporting sealed stone, endless awe gushing out from the depths of their hearts.

It had to be known that this was the center of the Sealed Stone World. This was where the supreme sequencers lived. It represented unsurpassed power and authority.

Even though this was only a one seal sequencer, from the time when he ascended to this position, countless years had passed and his status was still as stable as a mountain. As a result, the line of sequencers in the Sealed Stone World hadn't changed for a long, long time.

It was rumored that this one seal sequencer possessed a truly terrifying strength. But, due to some imprisonment, he wasn't able to continue challenging the sequence.

Today, this normally low-key sequencer had publicly opened a banquet, inviting guests to celebrate his birthday.

All influences throughout the Sealed Stone World placed a great importance upon this event. If they could take advantage of this opportunity to draw closer to the sequencer, they would smile even in their dreams.

Not too far away, a giant ship was suspended in the void. The deck was full of people. Several maintenance cultivators were sweating profusely, their faces pale as they worked.

"Hurry and fix the ship. There isn't enough time. If we are late arriving to the unsurpassed sequencer's longevity feast, none of you will be well off!"

A chubby middle-aged man roared in anger as sweat dripped down his forehead.

"Yes, yes! We are trying our best, please wait a moment!" A maintenance cultivator hastily replied, his complexion quickly turning green.

The middle-aged man gasped for breath, his heaves coming in thicker and deeper. Blue veins stuck up on his neck and it made one worry that he would blow up in the next moment, "Can we tear down the command token and rush over ourselves?"

A cultivator braced himself and said, "The command token is a one-time use item. Once it has fused with the hull it is impossible to take back out!"

The center of the Sealed Stone World was filled with a formidable suppression of will. If one didn't have an invitational token, it was simply impossible to come this far. If they recklessly left the ship, their will would be crushed to pieces and their souls would collapse and fade away.

"What can we do? I spent a great price to purchase this command token. If we can't arrive in time then everything will be wasted!" The middle-aged man clenched his jaws.

At this time, a voice sounded out, "May I ask, exactly why have you all come here?"

The people on the deck were stunned. This was because this voice didn't come from any of them, but from outside the ship. However, the array formation surrounding the hull was still revolving so how did this sound pierce through so easily?

The middle-aged man looked up, his eyes colliding with those of a black-robed youth outside. His chubby body shivered for a moment before a smile brightened his face. "Reporting to senior, we were invited by Lord Woodchopper to participate in his birthday banquet."

The black-robed youth raised an eyebrow. "Lord Woodchopper?"

"Mm…it is the one seal sequencer, Lord Woodchopper." The middle-aged man said with a tentative expression.

"Birthday banquet." The black-robed youth was silent for some time. Then, he said, "Do you need any help?"

The people on the ship were left dumbfounded.

The black-robed youth lightly said, "As a reward, I hope that I can board for a smooth ride."

The middle-aged man's face filled with joy. "To work for senior is this lowly one's honor. Hurry up and open the array formation. Allow senior to come in!"

The black-robed youth landed on the deck. He swept his eyes around and tapped a foot against the ground.

Dang -

The ship began to shake. The gloomy lines on the hull shined with a brilliant light.

"Good!" The black-robed youth glanced at the statue-like people around him. "We should hurry along."

The middle-aged man quickly regained his composure. He loudly shouted, "Go, hurry up!" He looked at Qin Yu's back and couldn't help but wipe a cold sweat from his forehead.

Although he had been shouting at the maintenance workers before this, he was actually well aware of why the ship had been stranded in place. While the ship had a luxurious exterior it was actually extremely old. The array formation nodes were unstable in many places.

A single error would lead to a major problem. The maintenance workers would need to comb through the entire array formation to find out where the problem point was. However, he had been reluctant to spend the required money and had procrastinated until today. He never expected for such a problem to occur at a critical moment.

But this black-robed person had simply stamped a foot and thoroughly swept over the entire array formation. If he didn't see it with his own eyes he simply wouldn't dare to believe it.

What level of cultivation did one need to achieve this?

As the middle-aged man was filled with awe, he occasionally glanced at the black-robed youth. But, looking at the black-robed youth standing at the bow of the ship, he couldn't find an excuse to say anything. He hesitated several times before finally giving up on approaching him.

The black-robed youth was well aware of the middle-aged man's gaze. But, he didn't waste his time thinking about it. A cold light flowed in his eyes.

Birthday banquet?

Then I'll let you live one more day.

This person was Qin Yu. He came from the Sea of Bewildering Fog to bring this grudge to a completion and also capture the position of sequencer!

An hour later, the heaven-supporting sealed stone appeared in his line of sight. Besides Qin Yu, every cultivator on the ship fell into a dazed condition.

They simply didn't dare to imagine what sort of terrifying suppression of will such a large sealed stone would possess. Their hearts were filled with only one thought - sequencers were truly worthy of being the peak existences of the Sealed Stone World!

After the command token was verified, the ship was anchored to the dock.

The middle-aged man hurried forward. Before he could bow, Qin Yu said, "From this point on, I am only one of your followers."

The middle-aged man's heart trembled and his face paled. But, when he looked at Qin Yu's calm expression he stabilized himself. He comforted himself by thinking that no one would be so bored of living that they would provoke a sequencer.

Qin Yu's expression was light. "Don't worry, I won't create trouble for you."

The middle-aged man hurriedly said, "I am the Divine Wind Trade Association's president, surname Zuo, full name Zuo Dongdong. You can call me Little Zuo or Little Dong."

Zuo Dongdong…

Qin Yu glanced at the chubby man before him, a strange look in his eyes.

Zuo Dongdong awkwardly scratched his head, "It is the name my parents gave me. Perhaps they might have been wishing for a daughter but accidentally got me instead."

Qin Yu nodded, "Qin Yu."

Zuo Dongdong coughed. He lowered his voice and whispered, "Senior Qin, I apologize if I offend you."

He quickly stepped forward and welcomed the cultivators standing guard. After exchanging some greetings he said, "Fellow daoist Zhang, this junior is a relative of mine. I brought him with me to this banquet in the hopes of broadening his horizons. This small gift is a token of my respect; please accept it."

As he spoke he skillfully passed over a little cloth pouch.

The guard cultivator glanced down. As he saw the items within the cloth pouch, a smile lit up his stiff face. He immediately said, "Since President Zuo is so sincere, I can only make an exception. But, only one person can follow you."

Zuo Dongdong smiled blindingly. "Of course, of course. I really have troubled Brother Zhang. If there is time in the future, I will host a party for you and we can get to know each other better."

This person's speaking skills weren't too bad.

Qin Yu followed behind Zuo Dongdong and smoothly set foot on the sealed stone. As he did, he slowly looked up. His gaze was deep and profound, as if he could see through the impediments of space.

In the broad palace, atop a great throne, Woodchopper Fu opened his eyes. As he felt the aura filled with killing intent rushing his way, waves appeared in the depths of his eyes. What a coincidence that this person just happened to come today. Could this really be the dark flow of fate?

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the restlessness in his heart. He finally understood Qin Yu's intent.

Standing up, Woodchopper Fu cupped his hands across his chest and expressed his gratitude for this.

Zuo Dongdong had a cautious look. "Senior Qin, what is it?"

Qin Yu looked back down. "It's nothing."

Zuo Dongdong lightly coughed. He took a step forward and led the way. Since he had come late, most of the guests had already taken a seat.

Maids stood outside the palace. After asking their status, they led the two people inside.