Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The sky was dark, cloudy and gloomy. Even if it were a sunny day there would still be a heavy pall over the land. The earth was barren and withered with strong winds whipping across the ground, stirring up dust and sand, making it sound as if the world was sobbing and crying. Looking around, one’s line of sight was fuzzy, causing a chilling fear to rise from the depth of the heart.

Woosh –

Woosh –

Two flashes of light followed after each other, falling onto a low hill. They dispersed to reveal two figures, one a youth with an imposing aura and the other a tall woman with a charming aura and a stunning body.

These two people were Qin Yu and You Qi. They had left the mountain valley 14 days ago. They travelled tens of thousands of miles without stopping and entered the domain of the Northern Dynasty.

You Qi took out a compass. The black and red lines seemed to be dyed in blood. She carefully looked over it and then placed it away. She said, “We should arrive in another day.”

Qin Yu’s eyes flashed. “Miss, do you think it is time for you to tell me just where we are headed?”

You Qi seemed grief-stricken. “Little man, so you couldn’t trust me after all.”

Qin Yu remained unmoved. “Trust is established on a foundation of honesty.”

You Qi slumped down, as if she wanted to cry. “And you have been honest to me?”

Shortly after the storage bag incident, another change occurred with the Skythunder Bamboo. Qin Yu also avoided You Qi’s attempts of approaching him, thus she developed a grudge.

Qin Yu said without expression, “I refused because it is my own privacy, completely different from Miss You Qi’s attempts of concealing the current situation. How can they possibly be compared?” His tone remained indifferent. “If miss continues to refuse, then I can only apologize and withdraw from this matter.”

You Qi’s complexion changed. She could feel the decisiveness in his words. She clenched her teeth, “You’re ruthless enough!”

The place she wanted to go to was the Land of Sealed Demons. This was a place completely unrelated to the righteous path cultivators and was where the demonic path sealed away their demonic cultivators. Every faction had people they loathed or found unacceptable, and this was true even for the demonic path. Of course, those that had the qualifications to be exiled to the Land of Sealed Demons were all horrifyingly strong demons. Those that were insolent yet small and weak were long since exterminated.

You Qi wanted to find something in the Land of Sealed Demons. She didn’t specifically state what it was, and Qin Yu certainly wouldn’t ask.

“Now you know, so there’d better be no complaints!” You Qi bitterly said. She was just gnashing her teeth in anger a little while ago, and now she had completely changed her attitude. The performances that this sorceress passed through were far too dramatic.

Qin Yu wasn’t polite. “I have something to say! If the Land of Sealed Demons is as you say, then this is where the demonic path suppresses powerful demonic cultivators. Although you were very casual about it, shouldn’t the strength of these demons be incredibly terrifying? If you and I enter alone, I fear it will be difficult for us to come back out alive.”

You Qi remained calm. Her charmingly enticing aura was suddenly swept away, replaced by a quiet, even apathetic atmosphere. “Of course there are dangers, but they aren’t as scary as you imagine. After being sealed away for so many years, even if someone hasn’t died, their cultivation would have dramatically dropped. Moreover, the Land of Sealed Demon has seals that suppress those locked away. As long as you and I don’t deliberately go looking for trouble and undo their seals, there won’t be a problem.”

Qin Yu hesitated.

You Qi sighed. “Little man, you’re quite greedy aren’t you. Very well, this big sister will be honest with you.”

These words didn’t seem right at all.

“The root reason that you failed to break into the Golden Core realm lies in the fact that you cultivated the Demon Body. It is an overbearingly tyrannical body transformation law, and does not allow anything to surpass it in strength. So, you need to further evolve your Demon Body before you can increase your magic power and reach Golden Core. In order for the Demon Body to evolve, you will need to swallow powerful demon blood. You have already successfully cultivated a Demon Body so you should know how vital demon blood is. I’m sure you can tell whether or not I’m lying to you.”

You Qi smiled with rapturous allure, “And in this world where you and I are, the Land of Sealed Demons is the only place where we can find the demon blood that satisfies your needs. So, do you want to go or not?”

Qin Yu’s eyes began to burn. After a long time, he nodded. “I understand.”

He closed his eyes and started to meditate.

A light flashed in You Qi’s eyes. She didn’t speak any further.

Two hours later, the two of them shot into the skies, soaring deep into the desolate land.

……

North of the Southern Empire was the Northern Dynasty. The Northern Dynasty was three times the size, but its population was actually less than half that of the Southern Empire. This was because a vast amount of land was barren wilderness.

In the legends it was said that these barren lands were cursed long ago, and the vitality of the land gradually depleted over time. Although there was no evidence of this, the reality was that those who stepped into these barren lands often died violent and miserable deaths. Over time, fewer and fewer people journeyed there.

At this time, You Qi and Qin Yu were deep in the largest barren wilderness of the Northern Dynasty. The sun hung high above their heads yet they couldn’t feel any heat at all. The chill in the air was so cold it could almost freeze blood.

Without warning, the earth violently shook. A crack tore through the earth, splitting the land in a haphazard manner. Black gas flowed out from below, mixing with the cold air to form a void of ice.

In the blink of an eye, snow began to fall. The snow was black. Qin Yu’s complexion changed. With his current level of strength, he could feel the danger within the snow.

You Qi’s eyes brightened. She took out two tokens. They had ancient and simple marks, and the aura they emitted was similar to that of the compass she used earlier.

“These are guardian tokens. With them you can enter the Land of Sealed Demons. Make sure you always keep it with you; never forget it.”

Qin Yu took one. A cold aura rushed through his body and cleared out his mind. As he looked at the black snow, he didn’t feel fear anymore. f𝙧𝒆𝚎𝑤e𝚋𝓷o𝘷𝗲l.c𝐨m

You Qi flicked her sleeve and a wisteria vine appeared in a puff of demonic energy. The vine twisted into the form of a human and even stretched its waist and spoke out loud, “I finally have a chance to come out and breathe some fresh air. Miss, should we discuss later about being allowed to come out more often? Although I am only a demonic vine, I still have the right to pursue a higher standard of living!”

You Qi’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous light flashing within them. “Little demon vine, what did you say? I didn’t hear you the first time; perhaps you should say it again?”

Pata –

The demon vine cast down its arms and legs…no, it fell down in deep prostration, its large form thumping against the ground, its voice so fawning that it almost dripped water. “Miss has an appearance as beautiful as the moon and flowers, an appearance like an immortal, the bearing of a fairy, unparalleled beauty, twin peaks that stand proud –”

“Shut up!” You Qi breathlessly shouted.

Qin Yu’s lips twitched.

The demonic vine seemed stunned, as if it couldn’t figure why its groveling that had worked a hundred times before had suddenly failed. It looked at Qin Yu. Its eyes blinked as they flashed with understanding. What an awkward situation. In any case, You Qi’s face was blushing red.

Suddenly, the demonic vine sucked in a deep breath, horrified to the extreme. “Miss, h-h-h-h-his…his aura, h-h-h-he…”

“Shut up!” You Qi slapped the demonic vine away, seeming as if she could eat someone alive right now.

The demonic vine drew a beautiful arc in the air before it fell on the ground and tumbled about. But, why was it still covering its face?

Qin Yu’s complexion became even stranger.

As You Qi saw this, her face turned so red that it almost seemed soaked with blood. “If you dare utter another word of nonsense I will punish you with ten years of confinement!”

“Noo!”

The tragic cry was a stunning performance, filled with all three emotions of the heart. The plaintive cry twisted back and forth between bemoaning and begging, the trembling of the voice left one’s inner emotions feeling utterly satisfied. If the chicken overlord had to be compared, it fell far short. The difference was as great as the heavens and earth.

“Miss, I know I was mistaken, I will be absolutely obedient in the future. With your magnanimous character, please find it in your heart to forgive me!” The demonic vine flew over to atone. But, why are you blinking your eyes?

“Roll off and explore the way!”

“Will do!”

And it really…started to roll away…

Qin Yu clenched his jaws, trying not to make a single sound.

You Qi’s expression was ice cold. “If you want to laugh then laugh.”

Qin Yu frowned. “Is this alright?”

You Qi was fuming with anger. Just what sort of reply was that? What did you mean with that!?

As Qin Yu saw she was almost about to explode, he turned his eyes. He said earnestly, “Below the crack is the Land of Sealed Demons?”

You Qi’s complexion cleared. She coldly snorted in acknowledgement.

The demonic vine rolled forwards towards the crack in the earth. As the snowflakes landed on its body they bounced back, unable to cause any damage at all. It turned its head back towards Qin Yu and winked several times before probing the crack with its tentacle-like arms.

Suddenly, the demonic vine’s eyes popped wide open. It emitted a miserable cry and its body viciously shook. It seemed as if it could be pulled in at any moment.

Qin Yu’s heart shrank. He cast a glance at You Qi. As he saw her calm and expressionless face, he felt a little bit more assured. He continued to quietly stand where he was.

After a long period of time, the demonic vine came rolling back, its face filled with resentment. There was none of the previous fawning appearance at all.

You Qi reached out a hand, demonic energy lingering about her. “If there’s no problem, then roll back.”

The demonic vine shrank its head. It jumped up into the air, its body rapidly shrinking before it submerged into the demonic energy and vanished from sight.

A light flashed in Qin Yu’s eyes. This time, he could clearly see that the demonic vine hadn’t been placed into a storage bag. It seemed as if it had directly fused into her body.

“Let’s go.” You Qi flew into the crack.

Qin Yu took a deep breath. He stepped forwards and jumped down.

The crack was extremely deep. In several breaths of time they descended by 1000 feet, but they still hadn’t reached the bottom.

You Qi flicked her sleeve and demonic energy gathered around her in a black cloud that wrapped around the both of them.

Feeling the softness beneath his feet, Qin Yu’s gaze stiffened for a moment. Thinking back three years ago, there was once a girl who led him like this.

You Qi sensed he was distracted. After a moment, her lips curved up in a smile. “Are you thinking of that damned girl from the Ning Family?”

Qin Yu frowned. He turned, “I don’t know what enmity you have with Senior-apprentice Sister, but she has already died. I hope that you can show a bit more respect!”

You Qi’s eyebrows arched up as anger began to stew in her heart. What a good Qin Yu. You didn’t even blush during the over half-a-year you were with me, and yet you actually lost your temper with me for a little twit…huh? Wait, something was off.

Died? Who died? Could it be…

A strange color flashed over her features. “When was this? How come I don’t know?”

Qin Yu faintly muttered, “It was three years ago.”

You Qi’s anger dispersed. She honestly nodded, “Very well. I’ll show you a bit of face and won’t speak of it from now on.”

As she turned her head back, she nearly couldn’t stop the laughter erupting from her stomach.

I’ll let you be angry all you want and you can stew in your own sadness. This lady will pretend she doesn’t know anything at all!

Qin Yu was surprised. He didn’t think she would speak such amiable words. He cupped his hands across his chest, “Thank you, Miss You Qi.”

You Qi: Ah, my stomach hurts…

She quickly changed the topic. “Be careful, we will arrive soon!”

Qin Yu focused his attention. Indeed, they were nearing the end of the crack in the earth. He looked up to see only the tiniest white line indicating where they came from. He didn’t know just how far underground they were.

Shua –

The demonic cloud scattered and the two landed on solid ground.

A stone cave was in front of them. No aura emanated from them, but it was actually pitch black, like the deepest night in the world.

You Qi composed her mood and took out an ash gray jade document. “Feed this with your blood. Don’t worry, three drops will be enough.”

Qin Yu slashed his fingertip and dripped three drops of blood over the jade document.

A blood red light bloomed. The jade document seemed revived. A ferocious demon’s visage appeared on the surface, filled with an almighty dignity. You Qi waved her sleeve and the jade document flew forwards towards the stone cave. Unexpectedly, the jade document landed on the entrance to the stone cave as it were water, causing increasingly strong ripples to spread outwards. Then, the thick pitch black night darkness that seemed impossible to undo began to gradually turn into a vortex that led to some unknown place.

Roar –

Roar –

As if sensing the opening of the channel, rolling bass demonic roars spread out from the vortex!

A black face appeared from the vortex, its expression sharp and cold. “Who dares disturb the Land of Sealed Demons?”

You Qi grasped the guardian token in her hand. She respectfully said, “We are under demonic command to question Blood Demon.”

Without needing any reminder, Qin Yu also took out his guardian token.

The face paused for a moment, as if a bit cautious. But it finally said, “You may enter.”

Whoosh –

The face scattered away and the vortex fully opened. Billowing demonic energy erupted with a thunderous roar!

You Qi sucked in a deep breath, excitement on her face. She grabbed hold of Qin Yu and ran in.

In the skies above the barren wilderness, in the instant that the Land of Sealed Demons opened, the dark night suddenly descended, followed with the countless stars of the heavens. The vast starlight began to gather, but before it arrived the aura that galvanized all of this suddenly vanished.

And the descending of the dark night vanished with it.

But this matter shocked the Northern Dynasty and Southern Empire. Countless demonic cultivators were excited and righteous cultivators were left worried. For the next several days, all sorts of wicked and perverse characters gathered at the barren wilderness. But no matter how they searched, they couldn’t find anything at all.

The crack in the earth vanished as if it had been a dream. The cold aura also dissipated in the sunlight.