Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Like a sea of blood, red clouds covered the entire sky. An invisible restraining energy fell on this place, sealing off this world and forming another small world that was similar. Everyone who was within it was restricted and none of them could escape.

Bull Dingtian opened his eyes and slowly exhaled. There was a heavy expression on his face. After descending in this place, he felt that something was wrong. Now, he could confirm that he had indeed fallen for a trick that ‘lured the enemy away from his territory’.

With this thought, Bull Dingtian’s gaze turned even colder. The dense aura around him caused the air to become so heavy that it almost froze over. The matter regarding Bean had been exposed, and if it were not, they would not have dared to risk taking any action against him.

As for who was the one who planned this, Bull Dingtian was very aware, but it was also because of this that his heart felt even heavier. Since they had made a move, they would definitely give it their all. Even though that person agreed to help, her current condition was no longer what it was in the past.

Nothing must happen to Bean!

The thoughts turned quickly in his head. Then, light burst in Bull Dingtian’s eyes and he stomped heavily on the ground. The entire mountain instantly crumbled and terrifying energy rushed forth, forming a huge tidal wave. ‘Hong-long-long!’ It roared as it charged in all eight directions.

The red sea of blood above his head reacted to this and started to boil violently. Large amounts of blood energy rushed out, and as it interacted with the air, it condensed to form water droplets. In the blink of an eye, blood rain started to pelt down from the sky.

Whoosh –

Whoosh –

Several blurry figures appeared at the same time and an invisible force was produced, isolating the pouring blood rain. Their gazes fell on Bull Dingtian simultaneously and they remained silent.

There was no shock or confusion in their eyes, as if they had already guessed that Bull Dingtian would act in this way. After all, at their cultivation level, even though they did not dare to say that they had a complete understanding of the world, at the very least, they could take in everything that happened around them and remember it in their hearts. As long as they were given some clues, it would not be difficult to deduce the cause and effects of many things.

Bull Dingtian was expressionless and said in a low voice, “Good plan, the bait that was thrown out was heavy enough, I admit it. You can try killing Bull Bean, but let me warn you first. Cultivators of the King realm are not allowed to take action, otherwise, don’t blame me for going crazy.”

He looked at the sea of blood above him and there was a threatening expression written all over his face.

The blurry figures around him were just projections. Firstly, they were all very far from each other. Secondly…Bull Dingtian was indeed an old lunatic, and one could not guess his next moves using logic.

Although they were not afraid, they also did not want to have a life-and-death battle with him here. Not mentioning the blood sea, if they were not careful, they would suffer great losses. These people had lived for countless years and definitely would not make such trivial mistakes.

“Fine.”

After a brief silence, the blurry figures spoke at the same time.

Bull Dingtian squinted his eyes. “We’re all old acquaintances so let’s not beat around the bush. If someone below the King realm manages to kill Bull Bean, then it is her fate and I promise not to pursue the matter. However, if you all do not keep your promise, I, Bull Dingtian, swear upon my Great Dao that I will use all my cultivation to bring two old friends with me to the grave.”

In the air, killing intent surged to the sky!

An invisible energy rushed in between the blurry figures. Like a huge hand, the strong energy temporarily ripped open the sea of blood in the sky.

However, very quickly, this crack in the sky disappeared. The blood sea raged even more now, as if it was going to explode in the next moment.

A heavy expression formed on the blurry figures’ faces. They seemed to be calculating the situation, but they suppressed these feelings. To these people, a Great Dao Oath was so strong that it was not to be disobeyed.

Even if Bull Dingtian regretted taking this oath in the future, he would not be able to go back on his word.

If he went back on his word, he would have to endure backlash from the heavens, and even if he did not die, his Great Dao would be greatly impeded.

When it came to Great Dao Oaths, one had to practice what one preached, with zero chance of turning back.

Whoosh –

Whoosh –

The blurry figures dissipated one by one.

Above his head, the boiling blood sea’s aura gradually calmed down.

Bull Dingtian looked at the sky with no expression, but there was still a heavy look in his eyes. This was all he could do, and it was highly possible that in the future, he would be stuck in their schemes.

Even if cultivators from the King realm could not attack and Bean’s chances of survival would therefore increase significantly, there was still no absolute guarantee that she would be fine in the end.

……

Before Bull Dingtian left, he had evidently said something to Bull Bean. When she returned to Qin Yu and Rourou, she said, “Old Ancestor said both of you would be willing to accompany me in my upcoming journeys.” She seemed rather embarrassed. She was the one who took the initiative to stand up and help them, yet in the end, her Old Ancestor had made an appearance and solved the dilemma they were in. She even cried in front of everyone.

Rourou nodded, “We are going to Long Mountain Area and we will set out today.”

Bull Bean was delighted, “That’s great, my house happens to be in that direction too so we won’t have to make a detour.” After she finished speaking, she got up and told them to wait while she went to pack up her stuff.

Watching Bull Bean leave, Qin Yu looked at Rourou. She said blandly, “Bull Dingtian did not tell her the truth because he did not want her to be scared.”

Qin Yu coughed lightly, “What exactly is the situation? I still don’t know what’s going on.”

Rourou glanced sideways at him, “Rest assured, like I told you before, I will naturally inform you of what’s going on.” She picked up the tea cup and drank a few sips calmly. “The Bull Family is very powerful. I chose to sell a favor to Bull Dingtian, and you will learn in the future that the favor he does for us in return will be very beneficial. I’m not aware of the specifics, but according to what I know and what is happening before us, I can make a rough guess about the overall situation.

“The Bull Family is powerful enough. There are people who do not wish for them to become even more powerful, because if they do, it would be at the expense of their own interests. Therefore, they created a scheme to lure Bull Dingtian away by reducing Bull Bean’s protection.”

Qin Yu hesitated to speak.

Rourou looked at him and continued, “Bull Dingtian’s projection is indeed very strong. It is so strong that even if a King realm cultivator attacked, he would still be able to protect Bull Bean’s life. However, the problem is that his projection is too strong, so after descending once, he would need some time before he can descend again.”

Qin Yu’s eyes brightened, “Yushan Master?”

Rourou replied, “He was just a pitiful chess piece. I’m afraid that he did not know about this even in his death. This scheme had been set up very early on. Meeting Sun Yuhuan from Golden Toad Palace was probably coincidental as well. Of course, there are very few ‘coincidences’ in this world. Someone probably arranged for something like this to happen. Even if there was no Sun Yuhuan, there would be a Wang Yuhuan or a Zhang Yuhuan that appeared.

“The overall goal was to make Yushan Master attack, which would be the bait for Bull Dingtian to show himself. His death created a favorable situation for Bull Bean to be killed.”

Qin Yu thought about it and asked, “Is Bull Bean’s talent for cultivation really that good?”

Rourou nodded her head, “You’ve seen Sprout’s aptitude for cultivation. Bull Bean’s talent for cultivation is probably more than a hundred times greater than Sprout’s.”

There was suddenly a spiteful expression on her face as she looked at Qin Yu, “If you had even half of Bull Bean’s aptitude for cultivation, advancing to the King realm within thirty years would be an absolute certainty and we would not have to go through all this trouble.”

After being mocked, Qin Yu rubbed his nose and he was now very clear about Bull Bean’s shocking cultivation aptitude.

No wonder there were some people in the Central Desolate who were now restless. The Bull Family had Bull Dingtian who was very powerful already, and now there was Bull Bean…hiss, even thinking about it made one nervous.

Qin Yu asked, “Can you guess who is behind all of this?”

A cold smile formed on the corner of Rourou’s lips, “It’s very simple. Whoever’s interests are being harmed by the Bull Family’s increasing power is the mastermind.”

Qin Yu licked the corner of his lips, “The four sects and four families?”

Before he entered the Central Desolate Divine Area, he had done thorough research to understand the power dynamics in this vast land.

In this place, other than the Qin Empire, the eight aforementioned powers were the strongest. Each of them was a powerhouse in their own right.

Qin Yu raised his hand to rub his face and he looked at Rourou who was opposite him. He really wanted to tell Rourou that it was better if they quickly backed out now.

The four sects and four families!

At this playing level, any random person they sent out would be a powerful creature that could shake the heavens and earth with just a stomp.

And the both of us who insist on going against them would probably only end up with our bones and flesh being shattered.

After all, Rourou was no longer in the same condition that she used to be. She said herself that now, she was only in the Ruler realm. If she wanted to become more powerful, she would have to pay an external price. Qin Yu did not wish for her to be disadvantaged because of this matter.

Rourou glanced at him, seeming to have guessed his thoughts, “You’re scared now? It’s too late. That bastard Bull Dingtian has always been reliable with his words. He entrusted Bull Bean’s safety to our hands; if this little brat dies, we will be the first ones to suffer.”

Qin Yu grimaced and thought to himself, ‘Since you learned about this long ago, why did you still choose to participate in it? Wouldn’t it be better if we escaped earlier?’

Rourou humphed, “I was telling you about that favor earlier – didn’t you hear what I said? It’s not an easy thing to get Bull Dingtian to be indebted to you, especially because he suffered losses at my hands back in the past. He is only doing this because of Bull Bean, otherwise, do you think he would agree to this deal?

“Don’t worry, it’s not a life-threatening situation. Since I’ve agreed to this, of course I am somewhat certain. Bull Dingtian definitely realized that something was wrong when he took action. He will help you and I block the greatest dangers that are going to happen to us. After that, there will definitely be some people who will try to attack us, but they will at most be as strong as Yushan Master. There will not be anyone from the King realm attacking us.”

Qin Yu’s eyes brightened.

If that was the case, this opportunity was worth striving for.

If people from the King realm did not attack, then at most, their opponents would be in the Ruler realm. Even though Rourou was also in the Ruler realm, she was different from ordinary Rulers.

With her to hold down the fort, anyone who dared to attack would die. Thinking about it this way, the difficulty of this matter dropped by several levels.

Rourou laughed coldly, “What are you thinking about? If this matter was so simple, I would not need to explain so much to you.” She raised her head and looked at the sky, “The Central Desolate is a place with deep waters. I don’t know how many ancient turtles and tortoises it is hiding. If any traces of my true identity are detected, it would become a huge catastrophe in the blink of an eye.

“I dared to show my identity to Bull Dingtian because I have confidence that he would not do anything even if he knew who I was. But as for others…hmph, if they knew my true identity, you would be the first to suffer because of it.”

Qin Yu laughed bitterly, “So what you are saying is, you need me to take action this time?”

Rourou nodded her head, as if he should have known that this was expected of him.

He could not help but raise his hand to rub his face again. Then, he took one last deep breath and nodded his head.

After all, this concerned him. The fact that Rourou was helping him to set up the scheme was already a big favor that she was doing for him. He could not always think of taking the easy way out. Furthermore, Qin Yu felt that with his current power, as long as someone from the King realm did not attack and it was only cultivators from the Ruler realm, he had nothing to be afraid of.

“Little brat, you’re rather courageous. Don’t worry, I will help you hold the line. I won’t sit by and watch you get beaten to death.”

Great!

He finally managed to squeeze out some confidence, but it was instantly shattered by Rourou’s words.

After a few moments, Bull Bean was done tidying up her things and she brought Yuan Qin and Yuan Hu along with her. Evidently, she had already told them both about what happened at the Azure River. The moment these siblings saw Qin Yu, they knelt down with a face full of gratefulness.

Qin Yu did not stop them and accepted their bows. He did not ask for anything in return after saving Bull Bean’s life, so what if they knelt to him?

“Alright, we can discuss other matters next time. Let’s go,” Qin Yu smiled and said. Sprout had already returned to Rourou’s side. All of them left as Hua Xiangrong escorted them out. Then, they got into the carriage that was going to bring them to the pier.