Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 466

Chapter 466A – You and Your Honorable Master Are Good People

The average-looking Nether Domain Master had a warm smile . He cupped his hands together and bowed . “Fellow daoist Westgate, I am ashamed to announce that today my Immortal Sect has won a round . ”

Solitary Westgate had discovered the precelestial wood and made use of Kang Mingqiao to inform Qin Yu . The Immortal Sect had also appointed someone in their place to launch an ambush . This was a normal fight, and victory or defeat depended on the methods utilized by both sides; no one could argue about it .

“Humph! The Immortal Sect is disgustingly rich, so there is naturally nothing I can do . But, the junior you chose to represent you was too arrogant . Does he not place my Dao Arena in his eyes?” Solitary Westgate had an ill expression .

The Nether Domain Master’s smile brightened . “It was that junior’s first time coming into so much wealth and power so his ego was momentarily inflated . With fellow daoist Westgate’s status, why bother lowering yourself to his level?” He lifted a hand and tore open space . Looking across, one could see a complete spirit stone vein within . “This spirit stone vein was accidently found by me . Today, I give it to fellow daoist Westgate as an apology for Qi Cheng’s actions . ”

Solitary Westgate grasped out a hand and the spirit stone vein loudly rumbled and shrank until it flew into his hand . With a cold snort he disappeared from sight .

The Nether Domain Master revealed a forlorn look in his eyes . After contemplating for several breaths of time, his body burst apart, turning into countless motes of starlight that scattered away into nothingness .

Immortal Sect .

The Nether Domain Master’s true body opened its eyes . “Something isn’t right . ”

The Buddhist Nation Sovereign faintly responded . “Of course something isn’t right! Just how difficult is it to have the Soul Summoning Bell recognize a master? It is something that is suppressed and rebuffed by the world . Yet, this junior Qin Yu was actually able to come across a precelestial wood . If it weren’t for you and I interfering, I fear he would have already completed the master recognition process . ”

The Nether Domain Master’s expression was dark and uncertain . “Is this the guiding hand of destiny? If so, then even the will of the world will not be able to hinder him much . ”

“Humph! In this world do you think there is something like the guiding hand of destiny? Everything you want is something you struggle for . You and I have cultivated to this stage, so how could we not understand something like this?” The Buddhist Nation Sovereign had a cruel and callous complexion . “Drawing back 10,000 steps, even if Qin Yu is being pulled forwards by destiny, I will still beat him into the dust…Soul Summoning Bell, it must be mine!”

The Nether Domain Master lightly smiled . “It’s a pity that Qin Yu didn’t fall for the trap . If he attacked Qi Cheng then things would have been much simpler . ”

The Buddhist Nation Sovereign responded, “Qin Yu isn’t a fool, otherwise he wouldn’t have his current achievements . Whether it is ranking on the Ancient Perishment Decree or breaking through the Mirage King Bead, all of his actions are proof of how outstanding an individual he is . If possible, I would be willing to forgive him the sentence of death and receive his soul into my Buddhist Nation, becoming a monk beneath my tutelage . ”

The Nether Domain Master shook his head . “It’s too late to talk about such things . As long as Qin Yu stays in Four Seasons City, we can do nothing to him . ” He paused and continued to say, “I recently led the Dao Arena Master into making a move . Although he hid his aura, I could still feel that Solitary Westgate is much stronger than before . ”

The Buddhist Nation Sovereign’s voice was cold . “And? If he tries to stop me from obtaining the Soul Summoning Bell, I will not hesitate to fight him!”

The Nether Domain Master had a worried expression . But at this time, his eyes flashed and he looked up at the space in front of him .

Hum –

Space rippled and a black-robed phantom appeared . “Another precelestial wood has appeared in Four Seasons City . ”

“What!?” The Nether Domain Master shouted out .

If it were said that he was only being pensive when he mentioned the guiding hand of destiny just then, now he had an incomparably intense feeling regarding this thought .

Precelestial wood . That was something that was nearly extinct from this world . Even within the Immortal Sect there was none of this treasure left behind .

But in that small and tiny Four Seasons City, two such treasures appeared one after another…if he were to try and say this had nothing to do with Qin Yu, it would be too forced .

The Buddhist Nation Sovereign squeezed out words from beneath his teeth, one syllable at a time . “Don’t hesitate to pay any price to take away the precelestial wood . I want to see whether this so-called guiding hand of fate can be broken or not!”

“Yes . ” The black-robed phantom dispersed .

Whoosh –

The Buddhist Nation Sovereign stood up . “I want to personally make a trip . ”

The Nether Domain Master frowned . “Solitary Westgate is there . If you go, I fear conflict will occur . ”

The Buddhist Nation Sovereign shook his head . “You do not understand . Ever since I knew about the existence of the Soul Summoning Bell, a faint and dark aura resonance was created between me and that treasure . ”

The Nether Domain Master hesitated for a moment . “Then I will go together with the Nation Sovereign . ”

“Good!”

Shua –

Shua –

The two people vanished from sight .

…

Two hours ago .

Four Seasons City, Dao Arena’s top training room .

Qin Yu summoned Undying and passed him a jade box . “With your skills, concealing all of your aura so that you aren’t sensed by anyone should be simple . I want you to take this thing to the entrance of the auction house and try to peddle it away . I will arrive right behind you . As for what happens after, you can do as you see fit according to the situation . ”

Undying opened the jade box . He took one glance and fell silent for several breaths of time . Without uttering a single word, he cupped his hands together and left .

Looking at Undying’s back, Qin Yu couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows . He always felt that this fellow was a bit different from before .

Today might be his chance to make the most money he had encountered in his lifetime . He hoped that nothing would go wrong .

In fact, Qin Yu really was worrying over nothing . Because at this moment, Undying was more reliable than any time ever before .

“Guiding hand of destiny? Shit, I thought it was just a joke, but I never expected it would really exist . Luckily for me, I met him . ” Undying muttered to himself . Waves surged in his heart and it took a long time for him to calm down . He resolved his heart and clenched his jaws, roaring out, “I’ll fight! I’m going to bet it all! Qin Yu, you’d better not disappoint me!”

Once he made a decision, he felt his entire body immediately relax and his footsteps became that much quicker .

Kang Mingqiao stood at a distance, watching the black-robed figure leaving the training room . At first he didn’t care, but his eyebrows soon furrowed and his expression became increasingly dignified .

After looking some more, a bit of surprise mixed into his dignified expression .

He actually couldn’t understand or sense this person’s aura at all!

It had to be known that he was currently in the Dao Arena . As the steward of this Dao Arena, he had the strength of the entire Dao Arena supporting him . Here, he could even battle almighty beings for a period of time . Yet, he couldn’t see just how deep a single person was…either this person had an extremely formidable aura-concealing treasure on his body, or this person’s boundary far surpassed his own!

Kang Mingqiao’s thoughts tumbled without end .

Why would such a mysterious figure appear from Qin Yu’s training room?

Before he could think further, Qin Yu pushed open the doors of the training room . As he saw Kang Mingqiao a happy smile lit up his face and he sauntered over .

“Arena Steward Kang, has the auction already ended?”

Kang Mingqiao subconsciously replied, “Not yet . I just left the field ahead of time to come and see you…”

Qin Yu smiled . “That’s good . I have a matter that I need Arena Steward Kang’s help with . ”

Kang Mingqiao nodded . “Feel free to speak . ” The black-robed figure he couldn’t sense was still on his mind . He wanted to ask Qin Yu about that person but thought that he would be unhappy if he did, so he continued to waver .

Qin Yu said, “I want to borrow spirit stones . ”

“Not a problem…uh, you want to borrow spirit stones?” Kang Mingqiao finally regained his senses . “That item was already won by Qi Cheng . Fellow daoist Qin Yu, don’t you think it’s too late to collect spirit stones now?”

Qin Yu shook his head . “It’s not too late . It’s actually just the right time . ”

Kang Mingqiao didn’t know how to respond . But, seeing Qin Yu’s confident and toothy smile, he hesitated briefly before asking, “Very well . I wonder how many spirit stones fellow daoist Qin Yu would like to borrow?”

Qin Yu lightly coughed . “However many you have, I’d like to borrow that much . ”

Kang Mingqiao: …

. . .

Auction House –

Qi Cheng had recklessly taken action, suppressing and forcing back the profligate young masters from the Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Li Families – four noble families from the Demonic Path . Then, he had even caused the renowned and illustrious Qin Yu to retreat, capturing the mysterious withered wood with 800 million spirit stones and becoming the center of attention of the entire audience . After they guessed his current status, the covetous looks in the eyes of the watchers retreated, replaced by awe instead .

Even the high and haughty young misses from the Zhou and Mu Families couldn’t help but glance at Qi Cheng several times, causing the satisfaction of his vanity to rise to never before seen heights .

Although Qi Cheng didn’t participate in any of the following auctions, he still remained the most eye-catching person throughout the entire audience .

When the last auction ended, Qi Cheng was suddenly submerged by a tide of people . Countless flattering voices left him smiling all around .

Right now, many people who he could only carefully look up to in the past, who he could only cautiously tiptoe around, were now directing blinding smiles his way . So what if he was one of the Immortal Sect’s people? Even if the Demonic Path knew about it, there wasn’t anything they could do as long as he didn’t violate any taboos . This was a rule observed by both sides . Otherwise, the world would have already been flipped into chaos .

The auction house cultivator spent a great deal of strength to force his way through the crowd and politely offer a metal box to Qi Cheng with both hands . Qi Cheng inspected the metal box and placed it into his storage ring . Then, he took out a transparent crystal spirit stone card .

The surface of the crystal card had a lifelike demonic visage etched into it . Lava seemed to flow from its eyes .

This was the most honored spirit stone card released by the Demonic Path . Each card represented at least a billion spirit stones and they were something that normally only almighty beings possessed .

Qi Cheng casually took it out . This could be called an explosive action . The eyes of those in the surrounding crowd immediately lit up with more awe and reverence than before .

The thin old man lowered his head, his hands hanging low as he quietly stood to the side . Not a single bit of extra aura was released . When this card appeared, the old man’s eyes swept around . His gaze was like a bucket of cold water being poured over everyone’s head . It caused them all to tremble and to immediately sober up from their hazy trance .

Qi Cheng smiled . “Don’t be nervous . I think fellow daoists won’t have any nefarious thoughts towards me just because of some mere spirit stones . ” He cupped his hands together towards everyone around him . “Everyone, I have an important matter to attend to today . If I have free time in the future, I will invite everyone to a banquet and I hope that you will grace me with your presence then . ”

These words immediately caused a wave of responses . Several female cultivators had bright and limpid eyes, their voices so sweet and succulent that you could die from sugar overdose . It was clear that as long as Qi Cheng wanted, he only needed to crook his finger and these women would crawl into his bed tonight without hesitation .

“Hahahah!” After a bout of carefree laughing, Qi Cheng took back the spirit stone card . He respectfully nodded towards the auction house cultivator and then walked away .

A group of people gathered around, watching him with amazement . It was an impressive sight .

Outside the front doors of the auction house, it was a rare day of good weather . The bright sunlight sprinkled down, warming Qi Cheng’s head . As he walked out, he subconsciously squinted his eyes and was drawn to a striking darkness nearby .

“Wonder wood! Wonder wood! Freshly chopped wonder wood! So fresh the cut is still wet! Everyone, you’d better not pass up on this opportunity or you’ll be missing out!” A vulgar peddler’s shouts were extremely piercing and grating in the crowd . But, the grating shouts also drew the attention of people, thus a number of cultivators were encircling this peddler right now .

Every time there was a large-scale auction, many cultivators would be drawn over to set up their own stalls outside in hopes that they could sell their own treasures to the wealthy people coming out . This could be called a long-established tradition .

“What? You’re asking me where this wonder wood came from? Heh, widen your eyes and take a look! When this wood is placed beneath the light, it produces darkness, and when it is bathed in darkness, it automatically releases a dazzling brilliance! Look again at these beautiful, brilliant colors . These textures and markings that captivate the mind . It is simply a natural piece of artwork!”

As Qi Cheng heard this, his smile stiffened . The sounds of flattering praise all around him had already vanished without a trace . The people that just walked out from the auction house all had incomparably strange looks on their faces . They had just witnessed a fierce competition involving several profligate young masters and an infamous character, and in the end an item being sold for a sky high price .

But none of that mattered . What mattered was that the withered wood that Qi Cheng had just won…didn’t its attributes sound similar to what this peddler was trying to sell?

Suddenly, an excited voice rose up from the crowd . “That wood, I want it!”

Qi Cheng’s eyeballs popped open . This voice…it was Qin Yu!

Chapter 466B – You and Your Honorable Master Are Good People

With great effort, he shoved off a female cultivator who had glued herself to his side . Then, he sprang forth like an arrow, flying straight out . The thin old man’s response was even faster . He was like a shadow, instantly crossing space . As for those people blocking his way, they were all sent flying away to the side .

“Hold on! I am also very interested in that wood!”

Seeing Qin Yu’s flustered, angered, and resentful expression, Qi Cheng’s psychological mindset was immensely satisfied . So what if you are a peerless proud son of heaven who is acknowledged by everyone? Aren’t you being trampled beneath my foot today? And twice at that!

“Qi Cheng, don’t push things too far!” Qin Yu roared .

Qi Cheng released a dazzling smile . “I am bullying you . The wood is right here . If you want it, then bid for it . ” He turned around and looked at the peddler whose entire body was covered in a black robe . He lightly said, “No matter how much anyone bids, I will give you more spirit stones . That wood is mine for certain . ”

The people who just came out of the auction house looked at Qin Yu with sympathy . To be pounded to death by spirit stones like this, wasn’t that just an aggrieved way to die? However, just what was this wood? If Qin Yu and Qi Cheng both wanted it, there was no way it could be something simple .

“Precelestial wood!” Within the crowd, someone suddenly cried out in alarm . That person’s eyes widened and excitement rose in his voice, “That’s right, that’s right, it has to be this sort of miracle item . I only accidently read through an ancient text once and saw a record pertaining to it, but I never imagined I would have the chance to see something like it in my lifetime!”

There weren’t many people who knew about precelestial wood . But, most of the people here actually knew that Qin Yu had been searching for this item for the last several months . Moreover, in the last two months, the price he put forth was becoming increasingly high, and yet he still hadn’t found it .

Qi Cheng faintly smiled, welcoming everyone’s eyes . He flipped his hand and took out a silver-colored metal box . He opened it to reveal a piece of withered wood . He took it out and held it in his hand . Then, with a bit of strength applied, there was a light crack as the black surface of the withered wood cracked apart to reveal its true appearance .

Ripples of darkness spread out, submerging Qi Cheng’s hand . The dazzling colors, the mystical and exquisite textures – they were exactly the same as what the peddler was selling .

“That’s right, this thing is precelestial wood . ” Qi Cheng smiled and looked up . “Qin Yu, you want this very much, right? But I won’t give it to you . Do you find it unbearable? Hahaha…because right now I am happy; I have never been so happy before!”

Qin Yu’s face flushed red and his body shivered . One could see blue veins sticking up on his neck; it was clear he was on the verge of erupting .

Qi Cheng narrowed his eyes and his smile widened . “You’re angry right? Then hit me, take it away from me! Aren’t you fierce? Why aren’t you willing to fight me?”

“Fellow daoist Qin Yu, don’t be so impulsive!” Kang Mingqiao shouted out . However, there wasn’t much worry in his eyes . He looked at the black-robed peddler, looked at Qin Yu, and finally looked at Qi Cheng . A strange look filled his eyes .

Qin Yu closed his eyes and took a deep breath . “Arena Steward Kang, I wish to borrow some spirit stones from the Dao Arena . The amount may be extremely large . I wonder if you are willing to help me?”

Kang Mingqiao said without hesitation . “Fellow daoist Qin Yu is the most honored guest of my Dao Arena . There is no problem in lending you spirit stones!”

“Good!” Qin Yu roared out . “Qi Cheng, then let me see just how many spirit stones the master is willing to toss to their dog!”

Qi Cheng’s lips curled up in a mocking smile . “If a dog is good and obedient, they have meat to eat . It is always better than being chased to the ends of the world, with no path to heaven and no door to hell . And in the end, being butchered anyways . ” He licked his lips . “Perhaps, if you die Qin Yu, maybe I will be given a part of your meat too . ”

Qin Yu clenched his jaws . “One billion spirit stones! Give me the precelestial wood!”

The peddler was clearly frightened by the fight happening in front of him . As he heard this amount, his eyes visibly brightened and he almost leapt up from the ground .

“What are you so flustered about! A mere billion spirit stones and you want to take the precelestial wood? Dream on!” Qi Cheng lightly said . “1 . 5 billion . ”

“2 billion!” Qin Yu’s eyes flushed red, no hesitation in his voice .

“2 . 5 billion . ”

Qin Yu shouted, “3 billion!”

At this time, everyone in the surrounding crowd, no matter how honored or mediocre they were, they were all scared silly .

They had seen many spirit stones before, but they had never seen people who tossed about so many spirit stones like child’s play .

3 billion spirit stones . . .

Even for the wealthy, as they thought about how all of this was happening for a mere spirit wood…well, alright, even if it was the incomparably rare and precious precelestial wood, it still wasn’t worth this price!

Insane! These two were madmen!

The peddler was clearly frightened silly . He instinctively held the precelestial wood tight to his chest, his gaze mixed with joy and fear . It was clear that even though he knew that this terrifying bid was an incredible amount of wealth, he might not be able to live long enough to spend it .

But humans were like this . Even though they were extremely frightened, they could still be captivated by greed . The peddler locked his eyes onto the two competitors, hoping they would offer an even higher price .

Qi Cheng paused for a moment . He suddenly said, “Anyone can speak hollow words . Since it’s a bid, you have to come up with enough chips . ” He turned his hand, producing four crystal demon spirit stone cards . “There are 4 billion spirit stones here . Qin Yu, do you dare increase the price?”

Qin Yu’s body trembled . It was only by twisting his thigh that he was able to maintain the expression of grief, pain, and indignation on his face . He took a deep shuddering breath and looked at Kang Mingqiao .

Arena Steward Kang looked at Qin Yu and then at the mysterious and unfathomable black-robed peddler . He glanced towards the high-spirited Qi Cheng and observed a moment of silence for him that lasted all of three seconds . Then, he appeared to hesitate a little as he said, “With my status as the steward of Four Seasons City’s Dao Arena, I guarantee that fellow daoist Qin Yu’s bid is effective and true!”

Qi Cheng laughed out loud . “Arena Steward Kang naturally qualifies to be a guarantor . But, I wonder how many spirit stones a Dao Arena Branch Division can take out?”

Kang Mingqiao coldly sneered . “Humph! More than you can imagine!”

Qi Cheng turned and said, “I don’t have enough spirit stones . ”

The thin old man didn’t say a word . He widened his hands and two piles of crystal cards appeared in a flash of demonic light . Each one was the highest rank crystal demon spirit stone card .

Gulp –

Several cultivators immediately fainted, their eyes rolling into the back of their heads . However, no one laughed at them, because at this moment their field of vision flashed black as if an invisible hand were grasping at their hearts .

This…this…how many spirit stones was this? Although everyone knew that the Immortal Sect had stood for countless years and they had to have an astonishing background, such bold and daring actions were still hard to withstand for many people .

Qi Cheng flicked his sleeves and the spirit stone cards in the thin old man’s hands fell to the ground . “If you give me the precelestial wood, all of these spirit stones are yours . ” He looked up, ridicule in his eyes . “Of course, Qin Yu, you can still increase the price . I don’t mind using spirit stones to ruthlessly crush you beneath my foot . ”

“You…” Qin Yu’s face flushed red and he stubbornly glared at Qi Cheng .

“Hahaha, it looks like this precelestial wood belongs to me too . ” Qi Cheng sneered . “You can give me the precelestial wood now . ”

The peddler’s fingers trembled . He handed over the precelestial wood . Then, with the speed of lightning he swept up all the spirit stone cards on the ground and ran out from the crowd . His actions were swift . But, such a massive pile of spirit stone cards worth 10 billion spirit stones was enough to make the eyes of countless cultivators turn red with greed . They were willing to take any risk to obtain that much wealth

Quietly, over a dozen figures flashed away in hot pursuit . Qi Cheng smiled . This was because he knew that people from the Immortal Sect were inevitably in that group .

Spirit stones were good, but if a person didn’t know when to retreat and took something that didn’t belong to them, all that awaited them was death .

QI Cheng played with the precelestial wood in his hand . He looked over . “Qin Yu, you could try begging me . Perhaps I’ll feel some pity and toss you a precelestial wood . After all, I have two now, and I can’t use them both . ”

Qin Yu’s expression was calm, and there was even a faintly happy smile on his face . His demeanor was completely different from just before . As Qi Cheng saw this, his heart skipped a beat before he cursed Qin Yu for putting on an act and trying to play tricks . Qi Cheng believed that the calmer Qin Yu tried to be, the angrier he was within .

“Qi Cheng, do you think my calmness is an act? And that in truth I am very, very angry? To the point that I want to tear you to pieces? I’m sorry, but I have to say that I’m not angry at all right now . On the contrary, I am incredibly happy . ” Qin Yu paused for a moment and then suddenly said, “You and your honorable master are both good people . Really . ”

After he finished speaking he smiled and walked away .

Qi Cheng was bewildered upon suddenly being labeled a good person . He turned around and started walking away .

Kang Mingqiao looked at Qi Cheng with a strange expression . He shook his head and said, “I hope your lord will treat you with some mercy . ”

Qi Cheng’s complexion paled . His intuition told him that something was wrong . But when he looked down and saw that he was still holding the two precelestial woods, he suppressed all of those worrisome thoughts .

Humph!

Schemes and plots . They wanted to disrupt his mindset and then use some schemes and plots, right?

It was useless . As long as he could stop Qin Yu from obtaining the precelestial wood, no matter how great a price he had to pay, it was only a merit to him in the end . Moreover, even though the Immortal Sect had paid 10 billion spirit stones, would that immense amount of wealth really be obtained by others? Heh, it was more likely that anyone who deigned to have thoughts on those spirit stones would die!

…

The black-robed peddler rushed into a tunnel . When he looked back behind him, he produced an inexplicably cold sneer . He moved and fused into a shadow in a corner, vanishing from sight .

Whoosh –

Whoosh –

Two cultivators broke through the void, appearing right where the black-robed peddler vanished . They looked around in anger, but no matter how much they searched they couldn’t find the peddler’s aura anymore .

As if he had vanished from existence .

Suddenly, an ice cold voice sounded out from behind the two . “Where are the spirit stones? Hand them over . ”

The two cultivators fiercely spun around . They saw a cruel-looking man with extraordinarily thick arms and cold eyes walking towards them . In contrast to his brutish appearance, when he walked on the ground he didn’t produce any sound at all .

The eyes of the two cultivators shrank . They were cultivators who walked in the darkness, but at this moment they felt an intense threat coming from this other person . They turned and fled without hesitation .

They were extremely fast . But compared to the fists behind them, they were far too slow . Or, it could be said that this strange man had already calculated their trajectory . When the fists fell, the two cultivators had no way of avoiding them .

There were two thumping noises that were in such quick succession they were nearly a single sound . Massive holes appeared in the chests of the two cultivators who fled in separate directions . Their corpses tumbled to the ground, panic still in their eyes .

The cruel-looking man sifted through the corpses of the two cultivators but didn’t find any harvests . Then, he frowned . At this time his complexion changed and he stormed backwards . The ground beneath him caved downwards and countless cracks wildly spread out like a spider web . Simultaneously, a peerless tyrannical aura erupted from his body .

But before he could even counterattack, a palm reached out from the darkness and silently touched his chest . As soon as he was touched, the cruel-looking man froze mid-action . Combined with the shattered ground all around him, it was as if time had come to a standstill .