Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Before crossing multiple layers of the abyss and entering the domain ruled by the Nightmare Clan, Qin Yu chose to go into seclusion. No one knew what sort of situation Adversity Peak City would be in. Although, he didn’t think Feature would have put him in some dangerous place.

But since he was here to stir up wind and rain, why not reduce the risks as much as possible? Before going in, increasing his strength as much as he could was the wisest choice.

Qin Yu personally witnessed the advantages that Old Fox and Black Astral obtained from Feature. There shouldn’t be a reason for the effects of the things she gave him to be any worse.

But as he went into seclusion, the time it took surpassed his expectations. A month passed in the blink of an eye.

If it weren’t for the fact that Old Fox and Black Astral could sense Qin Yu though their connection and knew that his aura was steady, the two old demons might have been unable to suppress themselves and rushed in.

And in truth, this period of seclusion couldn’t be considered a happy experience for Qin Yu. Because the process of absorbing the demon dragon’s blood was no different from being cut by thousands of swords.

However, the final effects were surprisingly good. When Qin Yu stood up and left this cave he had stayed in for over a month, he turned his head and looked at it one final time. His lips twitched as Feature’s image appeared in his mind.

This woman, she absolutely had to be aware of how difficult it was to achieve a half-dragon body. But from the start she never gave him any warning at all, allowing him to freefall into that ‘sea of tearing pain’.

It was really…though she wasn’t in this world anymore, the world would never forget her…Feature, just you wait for me!

He gritted his teeth and met the eyes of Old Fox and Black Astral. When he composed himself, he smiled and said, “I’ve had you wait for a long time.”

Old Fox had a doubtful look as he glanced over Qin Yu. He could sense that Qin Yu’s aura hadn’t changed much.

Yet for some unknown reason, he felt naturally suppressed.

This feeling was as if he were facing a terrifying hunter that stood at the top of the food chain…that’s right, even though it was weak, it caused his mind to shiver.

Black Astral could sense it much more clearly. His lips moved but he didn’t say anything.

Qin Yu glanced at the pale Mian Ya and the two little children that were hiding far away. His eyes flashed and he restrained his aura.

Soon, that feeling thoroughly vanished. He became the same as before, common and ordinary in the perception of others, someone who wouldn’t draw any attention at all.

“We’ve delayed for too long already. Let’s hurry along.” Qin Yu’s orders were the highest priority within the group.

They soon left.

Ten days later, after stepping through the third Abyss Borderline, the darkness around them slowly vanished and light reappeared.

Old Fox confirmed their surroundings. He respectfully said, “Sir, we’ve arrived.”

In the carriage, Qin Yu opened his eyes. His eyes flashed with a sharp light and he said, “Let’s go to Adversity Peak City.”

Although he had entered the abyss layer ruled by the Nightmare Clan, this area of the layer was astonishingly large. After a full five days of non-stop travel, they finally managed to reach a giant abyssal demon city.

The reason this was a ‘giant city’ was because Adversity Peak City was incredibly large. After travelling through a few layers of the abyss, Qin Yu had seen several capital cities from afar that were personally guarded by Abyssal Demon Kings.

Besides lacking the terrifying column of demonic energy that seemed to connect the heavens and earth, the scale and grandeur of Adversity Peak City’s momentum was no less than those capital cities’.

But this was also normal. After all, in the entire abyss, the Nightmare Clan was a formidable royal family that nearly stood at the peak.

Their ancestral land was related to the safety and inheritance of the entire tribe, so it was naturally worth carefully managing and making sure it maintained a state of absolute safety.

The group smoothly entered the city. It was said that the ancestral land in Adversity Peak City never rejected outsiders. This was not just a manifestation of their strong self-confidence, but also because Adversity Peak City relied on their ancestral land to earn a massive amount of demon crystals.

The number was astonishing. It was enough to maintain the operations of the entire city and even provide a considerable boost in income for the Nightmare Clan.

Adversity Peak City was self-sufficient and could even offer additional demon crystals to the tribe. This was completely different from relying on the tribe for resources. And the amount they offered was astronomical.

Because of this, even though some people within the Nightmare Clan once opposed opening Adversity Peak City to outsiders, they never garnered much support.

If one didn’t manage a household, they would have no idea how expensive daily necessities were. The Nightmare Clan was large and had numerous assets and industries, but their daily expenses were equally terrifying…simply put, they didn’t have much of a surplus.

Old Fox chose where to stay in the city. It was a large inn that one could see was luxurious with a single glance.

According to this old demon’s words, if they had enough demon crystals then it was best to choose an expensive place to live. It would be much safer and far more comfortable.

Facts proved that Old Fox was correct. This inn had the backing of the Nightmare Clan and its security could be ranked in the top three spots of the whole city.

When assigning rooms, Qin Yu did not hesitate to refuse Old Fox’s proposal to have Mian Ya serve him. This caused Old Fox to reveal a strange look.

Could it be that what he accidentally heard before was true? If so, should he try to help His Excellency Qin Yu out somehow?

Of course, when it came to such a private affair, he had to manage this silently. To prevent Qin Yu from discovering his plans, he couldn’t be too straightforward. Otherwise if he wasn’t careful, he would end up smashing his foot with a rock.

Mm…food supplements…yes, that was it.

Old Fox smiled. He couldn’t help but stroke his beard with a self-satisfied expression. He thought that developing his culinary skills in the past was the best decision of his life.

But what a pity, the food supplement plan that Old Fox spent so much time and effort coming up with was interrupted by Qin Yu before he could put it into effect.

Black Astral left to listen in on any news worthy of attention in Adversity Peak City. He had his own plans.

Adversity Peak City guarded the ancestral land of the Nightmare Clan. And, the natural power released by this ancestral land would place a great oppressive force on the soul of demons.

This sort of oppressive power, after being altered and adjusted, was initially used by the Nightmare Clan to assist their demons in cultivating.

Afterwards, due to some unknown reason, news was leaked out. Countless demons were drawn here, hoping that they could borrow the strength of the Nightmare Clan’s ancestral land to cultivate.

At the start, they had been rejected. After a long time they decided to slowly open it up, leading things to evolve to how they were now. Adversity Peak City became the best shortcut location where various tribes of the abyss came to temper their will and enhance their soul cultivation.

It was mentioned before that due to the demon seed bloodlines in their bodies, the minds of the abyssal demons were affected. As a result, their souls always remained their weak point.

When Qin Yu attacked twice before, killing off the Demon Commander level Yin Hanxin and the red-eye demon leader, the reason he managed to catch them off guard was by borrowing the soul-killing skills that the Nightmare Clan excelled in.

Because of this, the Nightmare Clan was able to maintain their peak position amongst the royal family bloodlines within the abyss.

Qin Yu wasn’t interested in the countless various cultivation methods that the abyssal demons were so eager to follow. After all, while he currently had the body of an abyssal demon, in terms of the intensity of his soul, his level was far higher.

This was something that Qin Yu realized when he came into contact with Old Fox and Black Astral. And this was precisely the drawback of the abyssal demon race that established their strength on the foundation of their demon seed bloodline.

According to Qin Yu’s estimations, while an Abyssal Demon King that obtained the approval of the abyss’ will might overwhelm him in terms of absolute strength, their soul wasn’t necessarily much stronger.

Moreover, he also had the sun and moon force field and Cosmic Seacross Bell.

When Qin Yu learned the significance of this ancestral land, he had already made up his mind. Until he found a turning point to enter the Nightmare Clan, this was one of the ways he could explore the Path of 10,000 Souls.

The Path of 10,000 Souls was founded in ancient times. It was based on the source of the Nightmare King who had been encircled by the beings of the living world and slain.

It could even be said that the Path of 10,000 Souls came from a formidable cultivation method of the Nightmare Clan. Even if it had been changed, the origins were the same.

Then, if he approached the Nightmare Clan’s ancestral land, it was likely he would find a pleasant surprise.

Even if it was useless in the end, it would just cost a little time.

…

Nine Nether Pagoda.

Within Adversity Peak City, this was the only place of contact that could connect with the Nightmare Clan’s ancestral land. Strictly speaking, it was a giant tower-shaped building that was turned upside down.

The first floor had the largest surface area and the building shrank layer by layer as it went down. Simply put, it was an inverted stone tower that was buried deep in the earth.

The pagoda had nine floors. The deeper one went, the more they would feel the power released from the ancestral land.

And this strength was called soul tempering power by the various tribes of the abyss.

Of course, soul tempering power wasn’t free to use. The starting price of the first floor was enough to leave common Demon Generals feeling angst.

And as the pagoda went deeper, the cost of entering would skyrocket at an astronomical price.

Moreover, Nine Nether Pagoda’s ninth floor was closed to the outside world. Only members of the Nightmare Clan’s royal lineage, after earning great merits and being approved by the entire tribe, would have the qualifications to enter.

It was rumored that the ninth floor had all sorts of strange and fantastical abilities. It could even help the Nightmare Clan strengthen their demon seed bloodline and open up their tribe’s bloodline inheritance.

As the saying went, the higher one stood, the greater the storm they would have to withstand. This was even truer inside the abyss.

With the Nightmare clan’s position amidst the various royal families of the abyss, the greater their power and influence was, the more benefits they occupied, and the more enemies and opponents they had.

Nine Nether Pagoda was the only place that connected to the ancestral land of the Nightmare Clan. Of course, there were bound to be some people that wanted to use it as a medium to break into the ancestral land or cause damage to it.

But without exception, all these attempts failed…besides the Nightmare King, no one knew where the entrance to the ancestral land was.

It existed within Adversity Peak City but also seemed to exist in a completely different dimension. Without knowing the proper way to enter, it was impossible.

Qin Yu stood outside Nine Nether Pagoda and scratched his chin. What he was thinking was the same thing countless demons had thought before – could he enter the Nightmare Clan’s ancestral land through here?

Without a doubt, once he succeeded there was a great chance he could find a way to undo the Path of 10,000 Souls.

And this was Qin Yu’s most important goal since he came to the abyss. After completing it, he could figure out a way to exit to the living world.

He let out a deep breath. It was nice to think this, but countless abyssal demons had tried in the past and failed. None of them succeeded. Although Qin Yu had some hopes, he didn’t believe he was more outstanding than all those who came before him.

But he still needed to give it a try. After all, who knew what would happen unless he tried? What if he succeeded?