Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu's heart skipped a beat. By the time the bone hand broke through the lava lake he had already confirmed his own guess - the Western Tomb Divine Church wanted to kill them. Although he had no idea why they wanted to murder them, this clearly wasn't the time to consider such things.

Looking down at the bone hand howling toward him and the tyrannical aura it released, Qin Yu's heart chilled. He felt something familiar, as if he had seen this before.

Hu Fu was enraged. He bellowed, "The Western Tomb has harmed me!" The horror of this bone hand left his mind shaking as if he was thrust into the depths of the sea. It was a feeling that was difficult to deal with.

This was the so-called 'dangers'? This was clearly a hopelessly desperate deathtrap! From this alone he could easily make out the evil intentions of the Western Tomb. But, the Hidden Fog Sect had never had any grudges with the Western Tomb Divine Church, so why would they do this? Hu Fu took a deep breath and stepped forward, keeping himself in front of Qin Yu. "Mister, run away! I will block it!"

Today was the time for him to sacrifice himself for his sect. Even if the Hidden Fog Sect suffered total defeat in Dragon City, he could throw himself away here as a life-saving graciousness. With Mister Ning Qin looking after the Hidden Fog Sect, it would be easy for them to overcome any tribulations that arrived in the future.

However, his plans to break the shackles that surrounded his sect would be shattered here today. Hu Fu pursed his lips, pain and unwillingness in his eyes. But in the next moment, all of that hesitation was replaced with a cold resolve.

If he couldn't accomplish what he wanted to, he would need to settle for the next best thing. At the very least, he needed to contribute his life to the sect in some way. When he went to the underworld, he would be able to greet the older generations of the sect without any regrets.

Shua -

The sound of howling wind rose up and a black figure flashed past him. Hu Fu's eyes widened as he watched Qin Yu race towards the bone hand.

After a moment of stunned shock, he roared out loud, "Mister, no!" He shot forwards, his figure exploding ahead like an arrow.

An arrow that was released could not turn around. Hu Fu had already embarked on the road of no return. No matter what the result in Dragon City was, he wouldn't live for much longer. In that case, he certainly had to use this life that was soon going to fade away to seek out a better future for the Hidden Fog Sect.

But although he was fast, Qin Yu was similarly quick. No matter how Hu Fu rushed forward with all his strength, he could only watch helplessly as Qin Yu clashed with the bone hand.

"No!" Hu Fu roared out loud, a pained look on his face. But then, he was frozen in place, as if he were caught in a trance.

On top of the 'Soul Refining Lake', Qin Yu raised a fist and punched out at the bone hand. To others this scene was like an ant running into a mountain.

But the final result was different from his expectations. Hu Fu's eyes widened and a clear image reflected in his pupils.

From the point of collision where Qin Yu's fist met with the terrifying giant bone hand that reached out from the lava lake, countless cracks began to spread outwards. Then, with unstoppable force, they surged through the bone hand. The hand was like a clay sculpture as it started to tremble and break apart. It rapidly decomposed into countless blocks that smashed into the Soul Refining Lake below. Shrill and sorrowful screams filled the air as the souls struck by the blocks were grinded into nothing. As for the souls that were grinded away, they no longer reformed.

Waves tumbled up and down. The Soul Refining Lake that released a formidable swallowing strength began to rapidly calm down. Even the crying souls within had widened their eyes in horror and shut their mouths tight. When they looked at the black-robed figure floating in the skies, they no longer made any sounds.

"We're leaving!"

Qin Yu flew away. Hu Fu's body shook and only then did he regain his composure, hurriedly following behind. Hu Fu looked at Qin Yu's back. Although Qin Yu's back wasn't too tall, to Hu Fu, it resembled a great mountain, one so high that it pierced through the clouds and into the heavens!

Mister Ning Qin was not just a Grand Expert beast trainer but also someone who possessed a terrifying cultivation. He was absolutely someone who stood at the peak of the world, and it was extremely likely he was a Divine Dao existence! At this time, Hu Fu's awe and reverence towards Qin Yu reached an unprecedented state.

A long time later, they flew out from the scope of the Soul Refining Lake. Qin Yu landed first. He stood on sloping ground and glanced back.

At this time strong winds swirled around his body, lifting his robes. His aura was tranquil and restrained, like a mighty mountain that had stood there for time eternal.

Of course, this was only an illusion in Hu Fu's eyes. In truth, Qin Yu was both afraid of what had happened and rejoicing that he had escaped. Fortunately he had made the right bet, otherwise he feared he would have been buried in that Soul Refining Lake.

With the aura that the bone hand emitted, even if Hu Fu risked his life he could only block it momentarily. Qin Yu simply wouldn't have any chance to flee. So, his only chance was to go on the offensive, leading to the scene that had just occurred.

Of course, Qin Yu wasn't being impulsive. The reason he dared to touch that bone hand on his own initiative was because he remembered why it gave off such a familiar feeling.

The day he entered Dragon City, his mind had separated from his body and he had borne witness to an amazing series of scenes. He saw a formidable Ancient suppress the dragon race and construct Dragon City. As for that bone hand, it gave off a similar feeling to that Ancient.

But even so, he had still been taking a gamble with his life on the line. If he failed he would have died on the spot with not even his bones left over!

Within his soul space, the three unyielding women who had been fighting over the distribution ratios had all fallen silent at the same time. They clearly didn't expect that this mystic realm would be so dangerous. For instance, when facing that bone hand just now, they weren't able to provide Qin Yu any help.

This made them feel a little awkward. They couldn't help but wonder…when they were assigning the distributions and left Qin Yu out of it, had they been too excessive?

Hu Fu bowed, "Thank you for saving me life!"

He knew that without Qin Yu's help, he would have died just then.

There was a brief silence and then a dignified voice came from beneath the black robes. "Sect Master Hu Fu, this place is more dangerous than I expected. That bone hand is not the greatest crisis here. If you continue following by my side, I cannot guarantee your safety."

Hu Fu bitterly smiled. "Mister's meaning is...?" His original intention was to guarantee mister's safety no matter the cost when they entered this mystic realm. He never thought that he would actually become a burden instead.

Qin Yu directly said, "In my opinion, you should stay here. I will go and pick the resurrection lily myself."

He lifted a hand and a stone that emitted a faint blood red light appeared in his palm. "Hold onto this stone and don't casually walk around. It should be able to keep you safe. If anything happens, leave through the portal."

Hu Fu didn't hesitate. He received the stone with both hands and said, "I shall obey mister's orders!"

"There isn't much time remaining. I will leave first."

As his voice fell he took a step forward and shot into the skies. Soon after, he vanished from sight.

…

Soul Refining Lake.

In the place where Qin Yu smashed apart the bone hand, the quiet souls on the surface of the lake started to pitifully scream out in unison. They dove down into the lava without hesitation, not caring about the painful and agonizing burning feeling that enveloped them.

In the next moment, faint traces of darkness appeared. They were like threads of silk that were soaked in ink. They twined together to form a thick black screen.

A tall and haughty woman appeared from the darkness. Although her appearance was blurry, one could still see the shock that shined in her bright eyes.

Looking at the direction that Qin Yu and Hu Fu left in, the woman was silent for a time before releasing a long breath.

"Impossible. How is this possible…?"

Her voice was hoarse and low, carrying with it a strange and different charm.

…

Leaving Hu Fu behind was an agreement that Qin Yu made with the three women in his soul space. Only like this could they conveniently act without tying up their hands and feet.

After flying for some time, Qin Yu said, "You can begin now! Point out the path for me!"

After a brief pause, Purple Moon said, "From the position you are currently facing, turn ten degrees to the right and continue forward."

"Good!" Qin Yu turned and howled ahead.

At this time his thoughts were solemn as he tried to imagine what kinds of scenarios he would encounter next. He didn't notice the slight unnaturalness in Purple Moon's voice.

"Stop. Wait here a moment."

Purple Moon's voice rang out once more. What lay beneath him was a mountain range. The stone was pitch black in color and gave off an extremely eerie feeling.

Qin Yu's concentration was fully focused. His body was tensed up and he was ready to erupt with his full power at any moment.

Luckily, no dangers came from the black mountain range. Purple Moon and the other two rapidly completed their measurements, and Qin Yu soon raced away.

What he didn't know was that soon after he left, the entire black mountain range stood up from the ground. A pair of massive eyes looked in the direction where Qin Yu went. With a deep roar, the earth rumbled as the mountain began to move.

But the 'black mountain range' wasn't able to go far before it stopped. It looked up into the air where a woman bathed in darkness floated about.

"I know that you don't like to be troubled so I won't bother you for long. As long as you tell me what feeling that person gives you then I will let you leave." The woman's hoarse voice echoed through the heavens and earth. Invisible bowstrings seemed to flicker in the air.

This was clearly a choice. You may either leave, or you will stay.