Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu frowned as he looked at the Darkness Ruler, who was smiling. The Darkness Ruler appeared as if he had everything under control and was calm.

But then why did he tell Qin Yu everything? Was it only to see Qin Yu become helpless and uneasy?

It felt like with the Darkness Ruler’s position, resolution and shrewdness, he should not have been so direct and open.

Was there something wrong?

Taking his time to think it through, he would soon find the problem and glean something.

The biggest advantage the Darkness Ruler would get now was most likely increasing the pressure on Qin Yu.

The more pressure Qin Yu was under, the more likely that he would act rashly and not think about things thoroughly.

Especially when he was in a situation where he was caught in between. He was trying to agitate…Qin Yu to enter the palace!

As he thought of this, it was as if he saw the light and all his doubts were explained.

From Qin Yu’s point of view, by not entering the palace he would allow the Darkness Ruler to swallow Eye of Eternal Night. The Darkness Ruler would be able to recover his power and eventually it would be hard for Qin Yu to survive.

On the other side, if he barged into the palace, the Darkness Ruler’s plot would start. Having been mentally prepared, it might not be a huge problem.

The choice was obvious.

Qin Yu’s eyes flashed as he stared at the Darkness Ruler. He slowly stopped frowning, “You are trying to make me step in.”

The Darkness Ruler smiled, “Of course. If you enter, I will be able to escape and save a lot of trouble.”

He was admitting to this easily and did not seem to care.

Qin Yu’s mouth curled, “You can keep your tone calm but it is not easy to control your heartbeat. Coincidentally, I specialize in this and my five senses are particularly sharp…hoo, of course, I have naturally been more sensitive and I honed it even more.”

He breathed in and slowly breathed out. He smiled and seemed to have let go of a burden, “It seems like Eye of Eternal Night is more useful than I thought. Although I don’t know how he ended up like this, he is not completely gone. Since he can still fight back, you are still threatened by him and can’t wait to escape. Then…I will naturally not enter.”

The Darkness Ruler’s smile dampened slightly as he stared at Qin Yu. He then clapped slowly, “Mister Nine, you are really intelligent. You are actually able to see through everything. I really admire you. But have you considered that I intentionally allowed you to see through me in order to delay for time and prevent you from entering the palace to ruin my plan.”

Qin Yu shook his head, “I have to admit that you may be right. But there are so many things in this world and everything is different. There are numerous possibilities and I cannot analyze and measure all options to see which is best. So ultimately, I can only trust my own judgement.”

The Darkness Ruler nodded, “Then you can wait there until I finish swallowing Eye of Eternal and meet you outside.”

His eyes flashed and he continued, “I have to remind you that for what you did to force me to appear, once is enough. If you do it again, even if you don’t want to, you may be dragged in.”

Qin Yu responded, “Thank you for your warning.”

The air was silent once more. The Darkness Ruler closed his eyes and did not say anything. The veins in the bottom half of his body that looked like a mirage were starting to gather more quickly. At this rate, he would not need much longer to fully recover.

Standing outside, Qin Yu was expressionless and he did not move. But of course, he was not just staring silently.

Time was precious and he needed every second. Just now, when they were talking, it seemed like nonsense but it was actually Qin Yu delaying for time.

Of course, the Darkness Ruler was most likely having the same thoughts. Although Qin Yu did not know what he was planning for now, Qin Yu was waiting for Stone Pagoda to make a decision.

“Master, things are really as the Darkness Ruler said. There is a change in the palace’s mechanism. If you continue to attack it, there is a high probability that you will be dragged in…” Stone Pagoda paused and did not seem to want to continue.

Qin Yu frowned internally, “Hurry and speak, stop stammering and don’t waste time.”

Stone Pagoda’s voice sounded strange, “Yes Master. But can we first agree not to use this phrase in the future? It sounds wrong…”

The veins on Qin Yu’s head appeared. Without waiting for him to burst out, Stone Pagoda hurried to say, “According to my observations, if you are dragged in as well, the restrictive force will increase exponentially. The Darkness Ruler will then take this chance to escape, but the chance of success is very low.”

“What does that mean?”

“Cough, it means that if you really have no other options, you can try this. When everyone is locked in the palace, you can slowly find a way to defeat him!”

Qin Yu rubbed his eyebrows. Although he was unhappy with how Stone Pagoda was still in the mood to play around, he had to admit that this was…a nonsensical suggestion!

But even if this was nonsensical, it was still a way. Since he had no other options, he could only try it.

Even if it was of no use, Qin Yu would be able to bother the Darkness Ruler if he went in. He might not be able to rescue Eye of Eternal Night but he would be able to reduce the rate at which the Darkness Ruler absorbed Eye of Eternal Night, giving him a chance to rebel.

So even though he knew it was nonsensical, he had to use this way but he was feeling indignant.

Qin Yu could not help but glance at the pretty eyes. It definitely had many ways to deal with this. Another point was that it was obvious the Darkness Ruler had yet to notice the existence of this being.

It seemed like something normal. However, the Darkness Ruler was one of the strongest in the World of Darkness. Even if he was injured and under restriction, he was still extremely strong and terrifying.

Yet, he was not able to see this pair of eyes. Tsk tsk tsk…this was the true terror!

In Qin Yu’s mind, this pair of eyes that seemed extremely free and was good at talking, became a lot scarier.

So he immediately squashed down the thought of asking it to help.

Hmm, put a few more bricks on and utterly flatten the thought!

Qin Yu did not forget that this mysterious being stubbornly stuck around all this while. To say it did not have a scheme and just wanted to help…hehe, I would rather blind myself!

All in all, he could not ask it for help. At least not now.

Taking a deep breath, he thought quickly and an idea popped up…sss. He thought carefully. It might really work.

However, he had to be very careful and discuss with Stone Pagoda. After all, Stone Pagoda knew much more.

“Stone Pagoda, I was able to go through the ring-like mountain because my aura resembles the Darkness Ruler’s right?”

Hearing this, Stone Pagoda’s first thought was to curse. Was Qin Yu so worried and anxious that he had gone crazy? If not, why did he need to confirm something he did already?

Damn damn! Today, before they even fought with anyone, they were already flustered. How could they survive!

No, I have to be stable. Qin Yu is just scared shitless; I have to count on myself to save the situation.

What should I do? Yes, stabilize Qin Yu. Don’t let him realize that he is sounding stupid. Then, console him and help him become calm again. This is the only hope.

Coughing lightly, Stone Pagoda tried to sound as warm as possible, “Master, you are right. You are extremely smart. I know that nothing in this world can hide from you.”

The way to make someone dejected and flustered gain back their confidence? Compliment them excessively!

It was the art of flattering!

Qin Yu frowned, finding Stone Pagoda’s expression a bit weird. But he did not care and continued, “My aura is the same as the Darkness Ruler’s and that is why I was able to pass through the ring-like mountain. It is also why I can be sucked into this palace…hooo, I meant if I continued to attack it right?”

Oh no, was the flattery not working? Not only was he not becoming calm, he was getting even more hysterical. He was starting to repeat things. What should I do? I have to be calm….hoohoohooo, I can’t! I am too anxious!

Qin Yu saw that Stone Pagoda was not replying, and since he could not delay any longer, he frowned and continued, “You said that was if my aura was the same as the Darkness Ruler’s. But if it is not the same, will it change the result? So if I continue attacking the palace, the palace is clearly meant to restrict the Ruler. The hit just now that forced him to appear was the best evidence.”

Stone Pagoda was speechless, “...”

Oh, so Qin Yu did not go crazy!

Ah I knew it. We have gone through so many more difficult times together. Today’s situation is not the scariest.

Cough cough. Luckily, I was composed and did not make a fool of myself. Otherwise Qin Yu would definitely mock me and I will not be able to raise my head again.

“Cough, Master, I think that you make sense. The important part is on how to resemble the Darkness Ruler and then change to be different from him…Although I have not personally experienced it, I have to remind you that the force from the palace is not simple. Simple tactics will not be able to deceive it.”

Qin Yu's mouth twitched. Do I need you to remind me of this kind of thing? What rubbish. If the palace was not powerful, how would it be able to restrict the Darkness Ruler?

This Stone Pagoda was behaving strangely at the critical moment. Was he losing his wits from fear?

Qin Yu did not know that the way both of them looked at each other…they actually were in sync.

But thinking about it, this Darkness Ruler was probably the strongest person that Qin Yu had met up till now.

After all, he was someone who was equivalent to a Ruler of the Vast Brightness in the World of Darkness. Even if he was injured and under restriction, his condition would still be on par with a peak True Saint. It would not be easy to defeat him and there was a risk of getting injured himself.

Ssss –

Previously, he had not paid attention to this. Carelessness was a huge problem but no one could avoid it.

Cough, cough. This was all the Darkness Ruler’s fault. He first came out in such an imposing manner and was eventually injured by Qin Yu and Eye of Eternal Night, losing his bottom half. He then had to run away in a dishevelled manner and the difficulty at that point did not seem to match his status.

But thinking about it, how many in this world dared to risk their life as a way of attacking. Their powers must be mighty for them to even consider this.

Moreover, it was only the powerful Eye of Eternal Night and Inheritance Divine Way Star Retrieval that led to this ending.

If it were someone else, they would most likely have been torn apart instead of the Darkness Ruler escaping injured.

Cough cough. Cautious. He had to be even more cautious.

Qin Yu had a realization as he sucked in a sharp breath, “Soul Hiding!”

Stone Pagoda paused, looking slightly hesitant, “Soul Hiding?”

The vein on Qin Yu’s forehead was pulsating as he grew angry once more – what was Stone Pagoda for! I tell you the problem for you to give me a solution. You aren’t supposed to repeat everything I say. Are my words very hard to understand?

Stone Pagoda was flustered. Previously, he could sense how much Qin Yu relied on him so he did not become flustered easily. Even when he did, he would be able to pretend until Qin Yu felt satisfied.

But now, it was not the same. Stone Pagoda could sense the mysterious being in the air, watching silently. He could sense the glee in its eyes.

Trust me. Although this pair of eyes were beautiful, when it was locked onto you, the feeling was horrible.

It makes you feel like…you are a piece of meat on a chopping board. Although you are not in the pot yet, you will be sooner or later.

Exactly that feeling. Stone Pagoda was very proud of his description but soon he felt more and more sorrow.

Stone Pagoda was devastated!

Although Qin Yu had coldly rejected his proposal and did not seem to allow further discussions, Stone Pagoda knew that nothing was set in stone in this world.

Especially what a man says…tsk, tsk. There is a price to pay for believing even half their words. So he had to show his worth. The more useful he was, the more likely he would be able to remain and not get abandoned through an exchange.

“Master! There is a chance of success!” Ignoring everything else, he would make his stance known first.

Qin Yu frowned, “Really?”

Stone Pagoda resisted panicking, “Really!”

Qin Yu punched out. At the same time, he released Soul Hiding and the soul’s aura immediately disappeared, entering a different ‘space’.

Bom –

When his punch landed, the palace shook violently.

Stone Pagoda was silent.

Just like that? He began just like that!

But I haven’t really thought about it. I merely went along with you? Isn’t this a little rash?

Qin Yu was expressionless. Actually, before he asked, he had already made the decision to act. After getting Stone Pagoda’s affirmation, he merely felt slightly consoled.

After all, the worst that could happen would be that he got sucked into the palace and would have to face the suppressing force.

If that happened, the first point was that he could still use the nonsensical suggestion.

Secondly, he had just reformed his Great Dao. At most, it would just break again.

Thirdly, if he was really in danger and had no choice, he would ignore everything and call upon the Ruler.

Of course, Qin Yu was not someone who did not prepare. He considered the case where the Ruler refused to appear in order to hide her identity.

So there was a fourth point.

That was the warm and soft mysterious being floating behind him.

Cough cough. Actually, Stone Pagoda was right. What a man said was not one hundred percent reliable.

Things were always changing in this world and if there was a need, he had to as well. After all, he could not just watch and let himself get beaten, sticking to his old perspectives.

As long as he asked it to help, the Darkness Ruler would be no problem.

Ha!

He was not looking down on it at all.

Qin Yu had to admit that he was someone who cherished his life. Unless absolutely critical, if he was able to not risk his life, he would not. So the fourth point was the crucial one when it came to his decision to act.

Woosh –

In the palace, the Darkness Ruler opened his eyes. They were pitch black like a never-ending abyss.

His eyes locked onto Qin Yu as his mouth curled up mockingly.

You fell for it!