Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 1276: Meeting Cang Zhu Again

Just as the tip of the root was about to pierce through Qin Yu’s eye, the pupil suddenly disintegrated, losing all form of consciousness.

The seal around him disappeared and Qin Yu regained mobility of his body. Without hesitation, he grabbed the silver root and forcefully pushed it away. Then he retreated backward as fast as he could.

After he was out of the crack in the earth, he dashed in another direction. There was no form of hesitation and he moved at lightning speed.

Despite not knowing why the silver root suddenly lost consciousness, there was no disputing that he should run.

Terrifying, that was way too scary!

What was that silver root? Not only did it comprehend space rules, it also had a powerful sealing ability. After Qin Yu had been sealed by the silver root, he could not move at all.

There was silence behind him and he did not hear anything. However, his heart thumped loudly against his chest, beating so fast it threatened to jump out. There was an unsettling feeling in his heart.

This feeling…the best explanation for it was that Qin Yu had not completely escaped from danger yet. It was highly probable that the silver root was still chasing after him.

With this thought, the unsettling feeling grew stronger and Qin Yu’s expression turned stiff. He gritted his teeth tightly. This would cause him some harm and increase the burden on the Rule System body. It might even push the Rule System body to the edge of breaking apart again. However, Qin Yu could not worry about this much anymore. If the silver root caught up to him, he would definitely die.

Run!

Thankfully, the road ahead was smooth and he did not run into any other trouble. Otherwise he might really start to cry.

After a long time of winding through the cracks in the earth, the unsettling feeling he had finally disappeared.

Qin Yu’s heart gradually calmed down, but he dared not to let his guard down. He continued to run for a while more before he finally stopped to catch his breath.

Ptooey –

Qin Yu used his sleeve to cover his mouth as he spat out fresh blood. The Purpleback Bluewing Ants sucked the blood dry and carefully wiped away the bloodstain on his mouth. Qin Yu stood up straight.

The rocks through the cracks in the earth had transformed dramatically. Darkness from the earth seemed to have stained it and layers upon layers of pure black dyed the rocks.

Qin Yu scanned his surroundings quickly and confirmed his safety. Then he sat on top of a rock to rest.

He only wanted to rest for a short while, and he didn’t dare to stay here for too long. He had to hurry. However, he did not know where he was going next!

Sighing deeply, Qin Yu frowned. Out of danger now, he could finally think through his next moves.

He was completely lost. After being chased for so long, he had no idea where he was.

Walk back? Qin Yu looked up and observed the crack in the earth above him, wondering if the silver root was still there. Even if he had completely gotten rid of it, he was not sure he would be able to find his way back through the complicated winding paths in the cracks.

He could not return but could only continue forward through the deepest depths of the earth. Furthermore, he had a vague idea.

Old Turtle and Stone Pagoda had both said that this mountain contained a deep secret. Qin Yu was confident that this secret was within the area and that if he continued to head down, there were things that he could gain.

This determination to head down was not driven by greed after escaping danger. In actuality, Qin Yu had only suppressed the problem of his Rule System body breaking down and he had not completely solved the issue yet. The secret of this mountain could possibly be beneficial for the Rule System body.

While this was only a possibility, it was hope for Qin Yu in such a desperate situation and it helped him to feel a little better.

Let’s continue heading down!

……

The Lost Garden was a small world formed forcefully by ancient creatures. It was considered small compared to the Vast Brightness World.

In actuality, it covered a large area. After so many years, the cultivators who arrived here had only explored the outskirts of the small world.

When ‘Zhang Zhongshi’ died, he released a divine sense that attracted many cultivators to that area. His plan was very successful and almost every cultivator decided to head deeper into the Lost Garden.

However, there was an issue. The deeper the cultivators went, the more dangerous it was. Soon, they came to the point where they could no longer handle the dangers.

Strong cultivators could continue onward after paying a small price. However, weaker cultivators got injured easily and some even died, becoming some of the ancient creatures’ meals.

The road leading to the depths of the Lost Garden was like a huge tsunami that swept across the sand, burying many and frightening away others. In the end, less than twenty percent of the original group of people made it.

Those who managed to make it here either had hidden cards or were extremely powerful.

Elder apprentice brother looked up at the tall mountain before him. He frowned slightly and his eyes were filled with a mixture of surprise and wonder. The mountain gave him an unsettling feeling, and his hunches were always right.

He was in amazement staring at the mountain because it was huge. He had accompanied the Spring Master to many places before and he could not even think of another mountain that could compare to this one in size.

Hm…maybe that clan’s living place, the grand peak could compare to this. However, the feeling he had from this mountain was much stronger.

Lei Xiaoyu stood behind elder apprentice brother. Her eyes were narrowed as she scanned her surroundings occasionally. She was both excited and a little nervous. She was very different now compared to when she was with elder apprentice brother before. If Qin Yu saw this, he would definitely scream, ‘I knew there was something wrong with Lei Xiaoyu. The Spring Master definitely wants revenge!’

Nine Heads was nearby. Similarly, Nether Ye Xing wore a cold expression as he followed the two.

The Prince of Heavenly Palace stood together with a few other cultivators from Heavenly Palace. He wore a slight frown but did not step forward to greet them.

“Elder apprentice brother. What did you do to Ye Xing? Why is he looking at you like that? And why is the Prince of Heavenly Palace avoiding you too? I’m scared!” Lei Xiaoyu asked in a soft voice.

Elder apprentice brother frowned as he wore a helpless expression. He whispered, “Junior sister, you said you are scared but can you wipe the saliva that is drooping from the corners of your mouth?”

Lei Xiaoyu was taken aback and she exclaimed, “Is it that obvious?”

Elder apprentice brother laughed bitterly, “Don’t act rashly. The Nether Saint looks highly upon Ye Xing. If you do anything to him, you will end up in deep trouble.”

“Will Master be afraid?”

“Of course not…” Elder apprentice brother sucked in a breath of air, “Anyway, don’t attract his attention. At the very most, beat him up. You can not kill him.”

Lei Xiaoyu lowered her head to hide her bored expression. She could not even touch him when he voluntarily sought them out. How boring.

As the two from Peach Garden conversed quietly, the others did not stop. Instead, some were trying to reach agreements among themselves and others were trying to find a way to enter the mountain.

That was right. The reason why everyone was talking to each other outside the mountain despite having risked so much to get there was that they could not enter the mountain.

However, there were a few who were calmer. They reasoned that a strong and mysterious cultivator had lured them here with their divine sense and hence, the cultivator would have made plans for them to enter. Regardless of his motive, it was guaranteed that they would enter the mountain eventually.

Therefore, they only needed to wait!

Only Nine Heads from the Western Mountain had his head slightly lowered. Hidden behind his frown was his worry and helplessness. He was the only one who knew a part of the truth. The consciousness from his master in the Lost Garden was broken and there were no further plans for them.

Waiting here was pretty much useless and there would be nothing gained from this. But what else could he do?

The mountain was right in front of them but they could not enter. Barging in was the simplest and most effective way, but Nine Heads did not dare to do it.

Yes, although his name literally meant that he had nine lives, he was scared and worried now. He did not know what the mountain in front of him hid and he could not even notice any abnormal aura.

However, Nine Heads was afraid and he could not take a step forward. This worry of his was not unique to him but was shared by everyone before the mountain. Even elder apprentice brother was too scared to make the first move.

As such, they could never have imagined that a fellow cultivator had already traveled into the depths of the mountain. They were all just staring at the scary mountain in front of them. But by this point, that cultivator was about to reach the deepest point of this mountain.

However, that cultivator was now in trouble and he had to stop.

It was getting foggy in the cracks of the earth!

This was not some earth that was drenched by the rain nor the outskirts of fields. It was unimaginable that there would be fog so deep into the earth. Qin Yu instantly knew something was amiss.

Regardless, the fog was blocking his way now and if he wanted to continue digging deeper, he needed to force his way through it. Qin Yu had already tried some other methods. He had retreated back and dug another way down but the outcome was the same. No matter how many alternative routes he tried, the route in front of him was blocked by fog.

He had no other choice.

He hesitated for a long while as he stood before the blanket of fog, debating whether he should advance or retreat. In the end, he gave up on returning back to the surface.

This fog did not appear very dangerous and he would give it a shot. After all, he was very close to the deepest point in the mountain!

Gritting his teeth, Qin Yu stepped out and flew through the blanket of fog.

……

Cang Zhu curled her body as fog surrounded her. Her eyes were wide open and it showed her dissatisfaction and pain.

If she knew that this would be the outcome, she would not have come this way. At least, she would not be buried together with Tan Hai.

Old Ancestor would definitely be able to sense her death and he would come flying here in a rage. Tan Hai’s family members would be dragged in too. She knew what her Old Ancestor was like and she knew he did not hesitate to kill.

As such, these people would be dragged down by her.

She was really sorry. She did not want this to happen and she prayed that they would be able to forgive her.

As she wallowed in misery, her eyes filled with pain. However, there was now a flush across her face and her breaths were sharp and urgent, as though she was withstanding some pain.

All of a sudden, Cang Zhu could hear a hushed sound. Her eyes opened wide and fear crossed her face. She desperately struggled to get out of the earth but she was too weak and she failed every time she tried.

Worst still, her movements alerted the other party and the hushed sound grew closer. It was someone’s footsteps.

Cang Zhu shut her eyes for a while. Suddenly, she opened them with new determination. She had decided to give her life. There were too many mistakes and this thing could never happen.

Whoosh –

The fog quickly moved aside as a gust blew it away. A figure slowly appeared, the outline of the person becoming clear. Cang Zhu was stunned as she looked at the person with bulging eyes.

It was not Tan Hai. Who was the person in the blood red robe? There was another person here!

The man under the blood red robe coughed lightly and shifted his hood aside. The face of the man that had popped up many times in her mind appeared before Cang Zhu.

Him? It was actually him? How was this possible? Didn’t he die in the black tornado previously? Am I hallucinating? I guess I still cannot forget him because my heart longs for him. I can’t believe he is in my hallucination even after his death.

Cang Zhu laughed bitterly at herself while Qin Yu frowned. Did this unlucky girl become an idiot from all the demon energy around her?

He originally wanted to clarify some things with her.

After all, the mysterious Cang Zhu had suddenly appeared here in the deepest depths of the mountain. He would not believe it if she said that she had walked over here. There was definitely something wrong.

Hm? What is she doing? She is reaching forward…is she trying to touch my face? Hey! Although you are pretty, you have a slight blush on your face now and your clothing is disheveled. It is very presumptuous but I am a gentleman. Please respect me!

He stepped back and avoided her hand. Qin Yu asked in a deep voice, “Miss Cang Zhu, are you okay?”

He could speak, he was not an illusion…Cang Zhu’s hand froze midair and astonishment filled her eyes. As she thought about her actions, she desperately wanted to dig through an earth crack and hide herself from the embarrassment. However, she forgot that she and Qin Yu were the only ones here.

Thankfully, she was not from a small family and she was aware of how she should act. Furthermore, Qin Yu had taken a step back. She took a few breaths to calm herself down. Withdrawing her hand, she explained, “Sorry, the demon energy clouded my judgment. Please forgive me, Brother Qin.”

After a brief pause, she continued, “Also, I owe you another apology. Back in the black wind storm, you helped me many times. After what happened, I tried to find you but I did not manage to, and I thought you…thankfully, you are safe and well. I can be at peace.”

Qin Yu’s expression did not change and he still had his suspicions about Cang Zhu. He took a step back and stared at her, “Let’s not bother about the past. If you really want to thank me, please explain to me why you are here.”