Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu rubbed his temples. “Alright. We can put this matter to the side for the time being. Tomorrow I will enter the Demon Ascension Gate. You should be able to play some role as the Cosmic Seacross Bell.”

“Since I made a vow to help, I will naturally assist you; there is no need to remind me. If there is nothing else, give me the heaven mending stone.”

Qin Yu handed over the stone. He watched as the little girl ate it up in several moments and then lightly humphed before vanishing from sight.

Qin Yu didn’t care about her rudeness. On the other hand, his lips curled up in a happy smile.

At the very least, the hidden danger of the Cosmic Seacross Bell had been relieved. And, this little girl would even help him out as much as she could in the future.

While her attitude wasn’t good, there was plenty of time in the future. There was no need to worry about it now.

Qin Yu sat down in place and closed his eyes, calmly waiting for tomorrow to arrive.

…

Zuo Lanyue’s complexion was pale. Within his deep purple eyes, killing intent surged like a tide and his entire body emitted an aura of destruction and cruelty that was so thick it nearly condensed into essence.

Heaven mending stone, that was definitely a heaven mending stone!

If he could obtain it, then he could use a secret art to plunder the power from within the stone. His supernatural arts would advance to the large success stage and his strength would rise drastically.

“Yao Bin!” A deep roar constantly reverberated through the air. The ground beneath Zuo Lanyue shattered into powder.

At this time, a strange laugh sounded out. The shadow beneath his feet suddenly separated from his body. “Don’t worry. The heaven mending stone is incomparably hard. Without a special method, there is no way to refine it. Even if that boy obtained it, he cannot use it any time soon.”

The shadow unfolded his arms and stretched his body. “I have memorised his taste. After entering the Demon Ascension Gate, as long as he is within a certain distance I will be able to lock onto him. And once we kill him, the heaven mending stone will naturally return to our hands.”

Zuo Lanyue’s purple eyes were cold. “I have my own plans for this matter; there is no need for you to remind me!” He coldly snorted, “This is Heavenly Demon City and the opening of the Demon Ascension Gate is imminent. Countless Demonic Path powerhouses have gathered here, so it's best if you screw back to where you came from and don’t provoke any trouble!”

The shadow coldly sneered and then returned to the floor beneath Zuo Lanyue’s feet once more, as if nothing had transpired at all.

…

Zhou Fenghuang waved her hand, sending her family’s cultivator away. Then, she picked up the jade slip and probed it with her divine sense.

Inside it was information about Qin Yu, who she had asked others to inquire into. It was unexpectedly broad and detailed.

“Black Demon Sect…Yao Bin…” Zhou Fenghuang put down the jade slip. Though she had been charming and seductive outside, her cold expression now revealed a contemplative look.

The Blood Battle Demon God was one of the most favored powerhouses of the younger generation during this opening of the Demon Ascension Gate. Her family had given her instructions that even if she couldn’t recruit him, being on good terms with him was also a great merit.

But this Yao Bin wasn’t easy to deal with.

After a long period of silence, Zhou Fenghuang’s eyes brightened. She used a bit of strength and crushed the jade slip to dust.

Because his age was over a hundred, it was extremely likely that Yao Bin would perish in the Demon Ascension Gate. As long as she could find his corpse at that time, she would be able to retrieve the wonder stone.

Within the Demon Ascension Gate, although it was impossible to completely predict or control what would happen, there were still some rules that could be followed. As the daughter of a peak noble family within the Demonic Path, Zhou Fenghuang had the qualifications to make use of these rules.

She would simply consider this as a minor side quest. If there were harvests then that would be for the best, but even if there weren’t it didn’t matter.

…

“Young master, it’s just as you expected. Zhou Fenghuang has sent someone in secret to investigate information concerning Yao Bin. Your predictions are truly accurate!” An old servant said with a flattering expression.

Sun Zifu’s eyebrows rose in joy. “Of course. Who do you think I am? That little girl Zhou Fenghuang’s thoughts can’t escape my discerning eye!”

He thought for a moment and then sneered, “This bratty little girl, she played all cute and bashful as if she could play around with me, but I was just letting her do that. If she has her mind set on Yao Bin, then let her do as she wishes. Hehe, once she falls on her face and suffers a little, that will be the moment when I take the stage. By that time, she will likely submit herself to me!”

The old servant cheered out loud, “Young master is wise!”

Sun Zifu stamped his foot. “Stop needlessly flattering me and go. There are still other things you need to check up on. Tomorrow I will be entering the Demon Ascension Gate. I have decided that I will be the one to conquer the mountain; I can’t allow my boat to sink in this tiny ditch.”

“Yes, this old servant will immediately go and check. Young master’s great matters will absolutely not be harmed!”

…

The skies were clear and endless and the sunlight shimmered like the sea. It was a rare day of wonderful weather!

Outside every courtyard, there were Demonic Path cultivators standing ready. They escorted all the participants entering the Demon Ascension Gate to a great square within the city.

Qin Yu and the people from the Black Demon Sect followed the streams of people forward. He could faintly feel several cultivators around him looking at him with a twinkle in their eyes. When he turned to look at them they quickly lowered their heads, as if they were afraid they would be in trouble.

He naturally didn’t know that several cultivators inquired into his identity of ‘Yao Bin’ last night. These people had thoroughly sold him out, spilling everything they knew about him, so of course they felt weak at heart.

Soon, the streams of people passing through the city converged in a great square. There were 16 furnaces here, each one with burning black flames flickering atop it.

These flames possessed no heat. In fact, they even emitted a bone-piercing cold. Just looking at them made one feel a deep sense of fear.

Atop a massive altar, three Demonic Path priests sat down cross-legged. They were all incomparably old but the auras of their souls were terrifyingly strong.

Around them were six giant iron boxes. They were sealed tight and it was unknown what lay within.

Around the square were the 16 furnaces as well as an immense number of Demonic Path cultivator guards. Their auras were formidable and a cold light shined in their eyes.

But, the most terrifying things were two black-clothed old men standing at the base of the altar, no expression on their faces. They didn’t release any aura, but they gave off a feeling as if they were unfathomably deep abysses, capable of swallowing all.

Calamity Immortal realm!

Qin Yu’s eyes flew open and his heart shook. Although he knew that the Demonic Path would place a great deal of importance on the Demon Ascension Gate, it was still beyond his expectations that two Calamity Immortal realm existences would appear here. Moreover, this was only the strength revealed on the surface. If it was said that the Demonic Path hadn’t planned for further contingencies, he wouldn’t believe that at all. Conservatively estimating, there would be at least one more Calamity Immortal in Heavenly Demon City right now.

“Silence!” The black-clothed old man on the left suddenly spoke up. An invisible sense of dignity descended, as if a great mountain peak was pressing down on everyone, making them feel an endless sense of awe.

The great square immediately fell quiet.

“Today, the Demonic Path opens the Demon Ascension Gate to receive talented individuals as disciples. Now, we will be passing out soulguard stones.” The black-clothed old man flicked his sleeves and countless similar-looking stones flew out in all directions. Every cultivator that was entering the Demon Ascension Gate had one peacefully floating in front of them.

“For this thing, you can complete the master recognition process by marking it with your soul aura. After entering the Demon Ascension Gate, it will record all the points you receive. The top 150 participants with the highest number of points will be accepted into the Demonic Path. And besides that, the Demon Ascension Gate is a land filled with perilous dangers. If you encounter a hopeless situation that you cannot defend against, you can simply crush the soulguard stone and you will be transmitted outside.

“If there are no objections, you can complete the master recognition process now. The entrance to the Demon Ascension Gate will open immediately.”

Qin Yu held the soulguard stone in his hands. After a brief moment of thought, he carefully probed it with his divine sense. There was a light hum in his ears. At this moment, the Cosmic Seacross Bell from his soul space suddenly emitted a ringing sound. The demon seed flew out and all of its fluctuations were released and caught by the soulguard stone. The soulguard stone flashed with light, indicating that it had recognized Qin Yu as its master.

Within his soul space, the Cosmic Seacross Bell shook and the demon seed flew back into it.

Qin Yu secretly thought he was lucky. Fortunately he hadn’t insisted on having the Soul Summoning Bell dispel the demon seed, otherwise there would definitely have been a problem with the soulguard stone.

He turned his hand and put the soulguard stone away. At this time, within the large square, everyone else had also completed the master recognition process.

The black-clothed old man turned around. “Priests, the preparations have been completed. Please open the entrance!”