Refining the Mountains and Rivers

All sorts of carriages were lined up as far as he could see. A giant courtyard lay in the distance and guests were constantly getting off at the entrance and being invited in.

Old Fox and Black Astral had solemn expressions. They sat at the front of the carriage, one on the left and one on the right. Their auras were restrained as they quietly waited in line.

Many surrounding eyes gathered on them. Although the two old demons were unfamiliar, the way they held themselves and the carriage they sat on made it so that no one underestimated them.

They finally made it to the entrance.

The one in charge of receiving guests into Bluetile Courtyard was an old fox clansman. He had a face full of wrinkles and his smile was warm and temperate.

When he saw Old Fox, his eyes brightened and his smile widened with much more sincerity. “May I ask which guest this is? If there was any neglect, I ask that you please not be offended.”

Those that had the qualifications to be invited to Bluetile Courtyard at such a tense time weren’t nobodies.

Disregarding whether they were able to interfere with the inheritance of the throne, those here at least had the qualifications to speak out. So of course they had to be treated with sufficient respect.

Old Fox leapt off the carriage and bowed. He took out a jade slip and smiled, “My young master was invited to come. Please take a look.”

When the old fox clansman saw this invitation, his complexion changed a little and he immediately bowed deeply with respect. “I had no idea such an honored guest had arrived; this is really a failure of manners. I ask that you not blame us.”

Several orders were sent out. Soon, many demons came out from the courtyard and received them.

Although they were all young people, their demeanor was excellent and the pride in their expressions revealed their honored statuses.

But now, although the pride on their faces hadn’t fully dispersed, they did their best to conceal it. They bowed and said, “We respectfully welcome this honored guest!”

Outside the courtyard, the chaotic noises faded a little. Many eyes gathered over, curiosity and puzzlement in their gazes.

Of course, there was even more awe and envy.

To be invited to Bluetile Courtyard and be treated with such respect, this person’s status must be incredible.

There was likely a terrifying strength behind them, one capable of overturning the heavens and seas.

But those that arrived today weren’t common characters. They all had information networks and were well-informed, yet they hadn’t heard of any other great figures arriving at Adversity Peak City lately.

And they had never seen Old Fox or Black Astral before.

The struggle for the new King was coming soon and the old King’s lineage was holding a banquet – everyone knew the reason for this. If such an honored guest suddenly arrived…could it be that the old King’s lineage had found a new formidable helper?

As numerous demons were deep in thought, the carriage opened from the inside and Qin Yu stepped out.

Seeing him for the first time, most of the demons couldn’t help but praise that this was a handsome young man.

But while being handsome might be an extra bonus in hooking up with women, it was nothing to consider in the face of strength and status.

This young junior, who appeared handsome but had no other outstanding attributes, was the honored guest invited to Bluetile Courtyard.

It was one thing if his subordinates were unfamiliar, but it didn’t seem right that they had never seen their lord before.

What kind of games was the old King’s lineage trying to play?

Let alone the guests outside who were confused, even the young demons who came out to welcome Qin Yu were also scratching their heads. This was the honored guest that the Clan Elder told them to respectfully wait for?

Their complexions changed. But since they had the responsibility of receiving this guest, they couldn’t be rude about it.

With a light cough, the young demon at the front smiled and said, “Honored guest, we have been waiting here upon the orders of the Clan Elder. Please come with us.”

Qin Yu could sense the unnaturalness in their expressions. He frowned inwardly but didn’t reveal anything on the surface. He nodded and said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

Coming down from the carriage, Qin Yu was surrounded by several young demons as he entered the courtyard.

Old Fox and Black Astral followed behind. The carriage naturally had demons coming out to harness and move it somewhere else.

The several young demons constantly glanced at each other. They were all relatively outstanding figures within their tribe and they usually had a high level of judgment. They originally thought that the Clan Elder had ordered them to receive some noble character with tyrannical strength and prestige.

Who would have thought that reality was so different from their fantasies? This young man might be handsome, but his aura was average. Such an inconspicuous young man was the person they all needed to come out and greet?

Besides, when it came to being handsome, that proud son of heaven in their clan was the true unparalleled beauty. Countless women and young girls had swooned over him.

Today, for such a significant banquet, those women and girls came here. There was no need to think about their purpose in doing so.

After exchanging looks, the young demon at the front smiled and said, “Honored guest, you look unfamiliar. May I ask where you come from?”

Qin Yu had a calm expression. “My apologies, but it isn’t convenient to speak about my status right now.” With a few words, he blocked all further probing questions.

The smiling young demons flushed red. They felt a bit of anger, but they didn’t dare to express it.

After all, he was an honored guest designated by the Clan Elder. Although he wasn’t sure why this seemingly sloppy and common young man was so important, acting rashly before clarifying the situation would be an incomparably stupid action.

The young demon drew in a deep breath and suppressed his tumbling thoughts. “It was I who spoke out of turn. I ask that you not be offended.” He said in a stiff tone.

The following walk continued quietly. Qin Yu knew he had offended these people, but how was he supposed to reply? Making up an answer to one question was fine, but what was difficult was answering question after question, and he would have to link them together and continue justifying himself.

This was too tiring. He couldn’t be bothered with it.

Moreover, while these young people seemed uncommon, they clearly weren’t characters in the old King’s lineage that had qualifications to wield any authority.

Qin Yu wanted to maintain his focus so that he could deal with their true master. He didn’t have the time or effort to waste on them.

Strictly speaking, Bluetile Courtyard was where the old King stayed in Adversity Peak City before he perished. So in terms of scale and extravagance, there was nothing much to say about it.

And today, the banquet here was being held in Bluetile Courtyard’s largest Nine Nether Temple. Looking at the massive plaque that had the two characters ‘Nine Nether’ written on it, Qin Yu could feel an invisible aura flowing around it. He was astonished and also a bit curious.

Could this temple be connected to Nine Nether Pagoda? As this thought appeared, he hadn’t stopped walking. He entered through the doorway, crowded around by the young demons.

A good number of guests had arrived. While the banquet hadn’t yet begun, they had already started to converse amongst themselves. It was unknown what they were saying, but the atmosphere seemed quite good.

As they entered the temple they immediately attracted attention. When the guests saw the young demons leading the way, many of their complexions changed.

Of course, this change in mood was almost instantly restrained. But, their eyes still fell upon Qin Yu’s face with relish and interest.

The thoughts running through their minds were likely the same as those of the demons from outside.

“Clan Elder, the honored guest you invited has arrived.” The young demon bowed, his voice respectful.

At the seat of honor, a crimson-haired middle-aged demon with large eyes and thick eyebrows smiled. “Little friend Qin Yu has come? I took the liberty of asking you to come here today. If there was any disrespect, I ask that you not be offended.”

Qin Yu looked at this Clan Elder from the old King’s lineage. If this person could hold a banquet at Bluetile Courtyard, that was enough to indicate his status and strength. But when Qin Yu sifted through his memories, he couldn’t recall ever meeting this person.

But he seemed to be the reason for this invitation today.

Qin Yu’s eyes flashed and he smiled, cupping his hands together, “To receive this information and be able to attend this banquet at Bluetile Courtyard is my honor.”

“Hahaha, I knew that you were a man of great heart! Please sit down!” The red-haired Clan Elder was named Cloud Boundless. He might seem middle-aged but he was actually an old demon who had lived for countless years. As he smiled warmly, he glanced over Old Fox and Black Astral. While his expression didn’t change, he frowned inwardly. This boy really was sufficiently cautious!

Moreover, he wasn’t weak either.

Hehe, these were two Demon Commanders. The Fox Clan demon was fine, but the other should be a Demon Commander from the Three-headed Hellhound Clan. He was definitely fiercely strong.

Peak of the Demon Commander level? Or perhaps he had crossed that step and touched the threshold of the Demon King boundary? Touching the threshold didn’t mean he would cross that bridge, but there was a high chance he could.

Just this point alone was enough for him to feel dread.

Hah, it seemed his first plan wouldn’t work. Fortunately, he had made other preparations. No matter what happened today, he had to figure out the depths of this boy.

Qin Yu had no idea that this smiling old fellow had thought about directly taking his head off not too long ago. It was only because of Old Fox and Black Astral’s existence that he decided to give up on this thought…otherwise, he would have definitely spat in his face!

Uh…

This seemed to be a bit boastful. Because with Qin Yu’s temperament and his current situation, even if he knew about this he would still pretend that he didn’t, and then he would continue trying to figure out a way to get into Nine Nether Pagoda from him.

A little intolerance would often ruin the greater plan. Sometimes, keeping one eye open and one eye closed was how to properly behave in the world.

After being requested to take a seat, Old Fox and Black Astral stood behind Qin Yu. Although the two old demons had calm expressions, their eyes were dignified. In particular Black Astral. Because he was stronger, he could feel things much more clearly.

The smiling Clan Elder from the old King’s lineage had a strength that couldn’t be described with the word ‘terrifying’ alone.

Cloud Boundless wasn’t an Abyssal Demon King, but besides a Demon King, Black Astral didn’t think there was anyone that could pressure him with strength.

And the Nightmare Clan had at least ten or even more similar Clan Elders. Even if they all didn’t have strength that could compare with Cloud Boundless, this in itself was enough to prove the strength of the Nightmare Clan.

They deserved their reputation of being ranked amongst the top abyssal royal families!

Since this was Qin Yu’s first time officially attending a demon race banquet, he didn’t know exactly how things were going to go.

Luckily, even though his acting wasn’t top notch or particularly exquisite, it was relatively simple to put on airs.

Qin Yu maintained a suffocating momentum. As long as Cloud Boundless didn’t take the initiative to speak, his expression would remain flat and sullen. In the eyes of the surrounding demons, he appeared calm and solemn, giving off an unfathomably deep feeling.