Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Deepblue’s eyes filled with loathing. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his people to bring Wordwind Demon away. With a personality like that, how could he possibly be a spy? It seemed he had been overthinking things too much.

“Thank you Saint Son, thank you!” Groveling gratitude echoed out in the wind as Wordwind Demon shamelessly bowed. His old and rickety waist seemed like a dead piece of grass that couldn’t withstand the tiniest bit of weight.

“Saint Son, it now seems that the information Shadethorn Demon brought back shouldn’t have any problems. Since there are signs that Shan Wugu is preparing to revolt, should we make some early preparations?” Han Shanye respectfully asked.

Deepblue’s eyes were cold. “Shadethorn Demon, what do you think?”

Beads of sweat formed on Shadethorn Demon’s forehead. He fell to his knees and bowed to the floor. “Saint Son, your subordinate dares to guarantee that Shan Wugu absolutely doesn’t know just how much information I gleaned. Drawing back 10,000 steps, even if he knows his plot was revealed, in the current situation he can only continue forwards because the Saint Furnace will soon be unsealed and there isn’t any time for him to change his plans.”

Deepblue’s smile curled upwards. “This time, if we can kill Shan Wugu, then you will have the greatest merit in doing so!”

Shadethorn Demon was overjoyed, but in the next moment he was a little worried. With his understanding of the Saint Son, if everything proceeded smoothly then he would be well rewarded.

But if something went wrong…

He began to pray in his heart. Shan Wugu, you must come!

But at this time, the Shan Wugu that Shadethorn Demon was praying for the arrival of was actually leading Northgate Demon and some of his other trusted subordinates out of the Netherworld Realm region.

The waves rolled atop the Netherworld Sea as the demonic cultivators floated high in the skies. Shan Wugu had an earnest look. He said, “Everyone, you can still withdraw now. Otherwise, if you take another step forwards, you will be thoroughly bound to me. We will share honor and defeat, life and death!”

Northgate Demon was the first to kneel. “I am willing to follow the Saint Son, even if it means dying the most tragic death!”

“We pledge our lives to fight to the death for the Saint Son!” Everyone began to kneel down together.

Shan Wugu laughed. “Good! Then let us bet it all!”

He took out jade bottles and began to hand one to each person.

“Take these. In the shortest amount of time, use all of your strength to control the most sea monsters you can!”

Northgate Demon had a calm expression; it was clear he already knew about this. But, the other demonic cultivators revealed shock. Medicine to control sea monsters…this was something extremely hard to obtain from the Total Faction Headquarters, and there wasn’t much of it to begin with. Almost all of it had been used up in bringing everyone to the sea region. But now Shan Wugu had casually taken out so much, several times that which the headquarters had given to them. The stunned awe this caused could be imagined.

For a time, everyone’s eyes began to shine. It seemed that Saint Son Shan Wugu wasn’t completely without foundation in the Total Faction Headquarters. Or, perhaps the background he was hiding had completely surpassed everyone’s expectations. If they followed such a person, they were sure to have boundless prospects!

With this simple gesture, everyone’s morale was raised to the peak. The demonic cultivators respectfully bowed before turning and flying towards the sea area. With this controlling medicine in their hands, the only fear they had was the fear that they wouldn’t find strong enough sea monsters. They were completely filled with courage!

Shan Wugu didn’t have any expression. Medicine to control sea monsters…this was a long story. As he thought back to the person who concocted this medicine years ago, his lips twitched and his eyes darkened. When he survived the events in the past, he had made a vow that he would never allow his destiny to be controlled by others.

Shan Wugu would become a true powerhouse of this world. And the Saint Furnace…that was the turning point of his destiny!

…

Two days later, 312 shark monster teeth were fully refined, indicating that the first set of Storm Flow magic tools had been completed.

With a thought, the 312 teeth spun around his body. Because they had been refined with his blood essence, he would be able to freely mobilize them.

However, even with his potent Demon Body, Qin Yu still felt a deep sense of weariness. As his cultivation rose, refining these Storm Flow magic tools became increasingly difficult. Of course, the power behind them increased proportionately.

But, the crucial point here was that the Storm Flow magic tools had to be refined from certain material; not everything could be used. Qin Yu had killed over 20 Golden Core realm variation sea monsters and only two of them met the requirements for refining into Storm Flow magic tools. And, this was absolutely a tremendous stroke of luck. When it came to things like luck, that was something no one could ask for, no matter how envious they were of it.

Swallowing down a pill, he closed his eyes and began to digest it.

Qin Yu started to restore his strength. After a day, his weak blood energy was refilled and his magic power seemed to have become a little bit stronger.

Shua –

He opened his eyes and flicked his sleeve. A second sea monster corpse appeared. In order to plan for all possible contingencies, Qin Yu didn’t mind preparing two sets of Storm Flow magic tools.

The difference was that the parts of this sea monster corpse that were suited to being refined were 197 bones within its body.

After another three days, Qin Yu pushed open his room’s door. Shan Wugu was waiting on the other side, seeming as if he had been there for a long time.

“How is it?”

The two people spoke. This was a tacit understanding formed from living together for many years, and made them realize just how confident they were in each other.

“When do you want to begin?”

Qin Yu smiled. “Whenever you want.”

“The sooner the better!”

Qin Yu’s pupils flashed. “Then let’s begin today.”

….

Demonic energy lingered around the ship. The hull sparkled with a shimmering black light. The specters that wandered about the Netherworld Realm didn’t dare to approach. Blood Red Island drifted along with the waters of the Netherworld Realm, wandering deep within the region. The demonic energy ship sailed directly towards it. It was clear that they had methods to lock onto Deepblue’s location.

Qin Yu glanced at the simple and honest face of Shan Wugu. It seemed that he had already made preparations for this a long time ago. Although he was grateful, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

Suddenly, the demonic energy ship came to a stop. Shan Wugu turned around. “Qin Yu, Blood Red Island is right in front of us. This is as far as the ship can go.” His complexion darkened. “The Saint Furnace spreads out a horrifying poison in order to protect itself. You must be careful.”

Qin Yu smiled. “Don’t worry. Just wait for my signal.”

Shua –

He took a step out from the demonic energy ship and disappeared in the next blink of an eye.

At this time, everyone on deck was trusted subordinates. The ordinary subordinates were left waiting outside the Netherworld Realm and weren’t participating in this mission. Right now, every one of them started to speak, but hesitated and eventually didn’t say anything.

Their reasoning was simple – they didn’t trust Qin Yu!

Just how potent were the defenses of the Saint Furnace? And with Deepblue and so many other demonic path powerhouses guarding it, wanting to steal it away alone was no different from the babblings of a fool. No one imagined that even though they had used up so much energy in their preparations, the most vital link of their mission would be whether or not Qin Yu succeeded. If it weren’t for Shan Wugu’s prestige in their hearts, they would have already spoken up against this.

Shan Wugu had a light look. “I know what you are all thinking, but since it’s Qin Yu, and since he is willing to do this, he is definitely confident in himself.”

Northgate Demon sighed inwardly. Why was the Saint Son so confident in Qin Yu? Did he not know that the success or failure of this mission would involve his future? And even whether he lived or died?

Hah. With things having come to this point, they could only step forwards and deal with things as they came.

Time slowly passed. The black clouds were incomparably tranquil, without the least bit of sound. Northgate Demon felt his heart becoming increasingly heavy and restless. Beads of sweat began to form on the heads of the surrounding demonic cultivators.

Did Qin Yu fail? Or did he flee upon realizing he couldn’t win?

Or, had he betrayed them?

Northgate Demon hesitated but finally spoke up. “Saint Son?”

“Wait!” Shan Wugu shouted.

Atop the pale blood red sea, a faint layer of black ice extended outwards from the island. Even without touching it, one could feel the dreadful aura contained within.

Qin Yu stood outside the edge of the black ice. His expression was calm, as if he were waiting for something.

Suddenly, he happily smiled. He flipped over his palm and a foot of sea blue light quietly bloomed in the dark.

Lifting a leg, he took one step onto the black ice. He stood firm, allowing the black aura below to attack him however it wished.

This black energy was cold ice poison. It originated from the Saint Furnace, and once it came into contact with the aura of living beings, it would endlessly attack them like the fires of the Netherworld until that person’s flesh, blood, and soul were completely erased from existence.

But for Qin Yu, the so-called violent poison of the Saint Furnace was nothing but an appetizer to whet his appetite. The deep blue light covered his palm, continuously drawing out all the black energy from his body and expelling it. What was left over gathered in his body like black meridians and flowed towards the index finger of his right hand. Between his fingers, a faint halo of light circulated that made it appear like jade.

The black ice beneath his feet began to melt away, as if a massive amount of strength was being sucked out. Seeing this, Qin Yu smirked. It looked like after today, his poison finger would return. And its power would definitely leave his enemies fully satisfied.

After a moment, Qin Yu took another step forwards. The layer of ice behind him crumbled.

Time quietly passed. Qin Yu maintained his steady pace forwards. If someone watched him from high up in the skies, they would discover that the black ice seemed to be rapidly shrinking.

Suddenly, Qin Yu’s complexion changed. As he stepped forwards, a powerful suction force emanated outwards and a massive amount  of black energy rushed towards him.

Kacha –

Kacha –

The black ice beneath his feet rapidly spread out. In the single breath of time, Qin Yu was encased in ice! If it were anyone else suffering an attack of this level from the cold ice poison, even if they were a Hollow Nascent Soul master, they would instantly be killed. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would only be able to rely on their deep cultivation to break free from the shackles of the poison ice and flee.

It was obvious that the Saint Furnace had discovered Qin Yu’s existence, and had even formed killing intent against this puny insect who dared to steal away its poison. Atop the blood red sea, an ice sculpture silently stood with billowing waves of black energy crazily pouring into it.

One breath…

Two breaths…

Three breaths…

The ice sculpture remained the same and the figure inside didn’t seem to have any intention of falling. A cold and angry cough seemed to resound in the air, and following that the black energy retreated like a tide until all the black ice on the sea surface vanished.

Qin Yu opened his eyes and a brilliant light burst out from his pupils. He fell into contemplation for a moment. It seems that the awakening of the demonic path’s Saint Furnace was close at hand, but it was being restricted by some sort of invisible force and couldn’t attack itself. He couldn’t allow the Saint Furnace to be unsealed like this. He lifted a hand and put on a black robe. Then, he raced forwards, the waters exploding beneath him.

Netherworld Realm, Blood Red Island.

Deepblue had a fervent expression. He never thought that one of the sea monsters his subordinates captured would actually possess a special bloodline. Although it was a bit regrettable that this powerful bloodline would be destroyed like this, he was more than happy to awaken the Saint Furnace ahead of time.

After today, his status as Saint Son would be unshakeable!

Deepblue was filled with valor. He looked up towards the black clouds beyond the island.

Shan Wugu, I am the one who eventually won this war!

Although Deepblue displayed full confidence in front of everyone and made it seem as if everything was within his control, he was more than aware of who his opponent was and how difficult they were to deal with. Shan Wugu had entered the Total Faction Headquarters not too long ago, but he had managed to obtain the support of the Elders and had even gathered up a force of people that couldn’t be underestimated.

For Shan Wugu to be able to participate in the mission of unsealing the Saint Furnace was more than enough proof of how dangerous he was. It indicated that he had already obtained the ability to engage him in a frontal confrontation and compete on the stage.

Even if it were only on the surface.

But in the end, he would be the one to finally laugh. In the end, he would strangle the threat at its source.

Suddenly, cries of alarm rang out from outside Blood Red Island. Deepblue’s heart quickened. He said, “What is it?”

A demonic cultivator guard flew forth in a panic. He screeched, “Saint Son, the Saint Furnace’s cold ice has vanished!”

Deepblue’s pupils shrank but his expression didn’t change. “The Saint Furnace will regain consciousness soon so it is normal for it to take back its strength. What are you so panicked about!?”

But, Han Shanye could actually detect a trace of worry from the subtle changes in Deepblue’s face. He quietly said, “Saint Son, since the Saint Furnace is taking back its strength, we should bolster our defenses to avoid any possible issues arising.”

Deepblue nodded.

Han Shanye waved his hand. Demonic cultivators shot up into the skies. Billowing demonic energy erupted from their bodies, forming a giant array formation. This was the Protection of the Heavenly Demon. Gathering the strength of numerous demonic cultivators would summon the arrival of an invisible Heavenly Demon. Any person who dared to intrude would suffer an attack from the Heavenly Demon. Their divine sense would go crazy and they would fall into a manic insanity as they died, their flesh and blood eventually becoming food for the Heavenly Demon.

Whoosh –

Outside the island, the rustling black clouds were scattered away.

A black-robed figure stepped forth.