Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Yun Congyue walked out three days after entering Immaterial Mountain. In truth, this speed was far beyond anyone’s expectations. And, something even more shocking happened.

Yun Congyue had been healed.

It wasn’t just his previous injury that he sustained after being struck by a hammer from his enemy, but also the hidden dangers left within his body when he broke into the God boundary. These two wounds were on completely different levels, as far apart as the heavens and earth.

When everyone looked towards Immaterial Mountain, their eyes became increasingly dignified. Faintly, there was also awe.

No matter what place it was, powerhouses had a status that could not be provoked.

And now, they could be sure that this mysterious existence at Immaterial Mountain was a true powerhouse!

Everyone wanted to know just what happened at Immaterial Mountain these past three days.

Yun Congyue was honest. It seemed as if he had expected such a thing would happen.

Facing the questioning that came from all sides, he neatly and simply explained all that he had experienced.

But in the end…there didn’t seem to be any difference between saying something and not saying anything.

That powerhouse at Immaterial Mountain had hidden himself within the shadows, not revealing useful information.

“Everyone, this is all that I know. If that person at the mountain intends to conceal his identity, who can do anything about it?” Yun Congyue cupped his hands together, “Thanks to today’s good fortune, I owe that person a great graciousness. I am now going to seek out a treasure to repay him. Then, goodbye.”

He turned and flew into the skies.

No one here was an idiot. Everyone naturally realized the profound meaning between his words.

First, that character at Immaterial Mountain didn’t want people to know his true identity. Secondly, Yun Congyue owed a favor to that person at Immaterial Mountain. Right now, he was going out to search for a treasure as repayment.

In other words, they had better not try to take advantage of that person. Otherwise if they couldn’t find a treasure and the payment couldn’t be fulfilled, there would definitely be treasure.

No one wanted to provoke trouble, especially trouble with a peak powerhouse. That wasn’t just looking for excitement; that was seeking death.

When Yun Congyue smoothly withdrew, the fame of Immaterial Mountain blew up like a balloon, rapidly rising.

Another day passed. Mu Qingyuan appeared outside Immaterial Mountain. He was a long-established God boundary powerhouse and most of the people at the scene recognized him.

Without disappointing anyone’s expectant looks, Mu Qingyuan took a deep breath and stepped into Immaterial Mountain.

Three days later, Mu Qingyuan came out, happily laughing. He turned and bowed.

Like a spark falling into a barrel of oil, a raging fire was immediately ignited!

Everyone’s excitement was fully stimulated. Their eyes as they looked at Immaterial Mountain were flooded with infinite heat.

…

Lei Qianjun laid down the jade sip. His fingers gently rapped against the table. A moment later he looked up at the steward and said, “If things are like you say, that person at Immaterial Mountain must be an extraordinary character.”

He wasn’t too sure of Yun Congyue’s situation, but he knew about Mu Qiangyuan’s problem. That old fellow had been extremely miserable these past years.

But in short three days, he obtained a new life. If he didn’t repeatedly confirm the truth of this he definitely wouldn’t have believed it.

The steward said, “What is your plan?”

Lei Qianjun stood up. He tidied up his robes and said, “Such a great powerhouse has entered the territory of my Roc City. As the City Lord, if I don’t visit him then it would be impolite.”

The steward bowed, “As you command.”

But there was a nervous look in his eyes.

Lei Qianjun smiled. “It might not necessarily be an enemy. Perhaps they might be a friend.”

There was another sentence he didn’t finish. What could not be avoided should be faced, and it was always better to be early than late!

With one step he walked out of his study. With a second step he appeared outside the mansion. With a third step he left Roc City, and by the time the fourth step fell…he was already at Immaterial Mountain.

The countless cultivators outside the mountain all heard a thunderous heaven-shaking sound fall down from above their heads.

Its momentum was like a falling star, one that looked down at the world with disdain!’

“That’s the Roc City Lord, Lei Qianjun!”

“It’s actually him!”

“As I thought, he couldn’t sit still!”

With a flick of his sleeves, he scattered the mighty power around him. A violent wind rose up and rumbled through the world. But then, Lei Qianjun’s actions left many people disappointed.

He landed on the ground and cupped his hands together with a smile. “I am Lei Qianjun, the master of Roc City. I had no idea you arrived, so if there was any disrespect, I ask for your understanding.”

Several breaths of time later, there was a flash of light from Immaterial Mountain. Snowside stepped out and bowed. “I greet the master of Roc City! My master is cultivating and cannot leave right now so he bid me to relay his words. He only plans to stay here a short period of time and will leave soon. He has no intention of disturbing the City Lord.”

Lei Qianjun laughed. “If that’s so, then I won’t bother you. If he changes his mind in the future then my City Lord Mansion will open our doors at any time.”

He turned around and stepped away, instantly vanishing.

At this time, no matter which cultivator it was, they couldn’t help but acknowledge that Lei Qianjun was a genuine character.

Although he only made a single appearance, his elegant demeanor had suppressed everyone.

Outside the mountain, the crowd of cultivators mulled over the situation for a long time and forced a smile in unison, suppressing their initial thoughts.

Since that person in the mountain had no intention of making things awkward for Lei Qianjun, that meant it was impossible for them to take this opportunity and cause a mess.

Both sides had already expressed their stance, so it was best if they made a tactful retreat. If they continued to linger around here, disaster could strike at any moment.

Did anyone really think that the smiling and graceful Lei Qianjun was a kind-hearted scholar with the heart of a buddha? In the past, in order to seize the throne of the City Lord, he had killed so many people that their heads could be stacked into mountains and their blood formed rivers. That was the kind of cruel and ruthless man he was.

Everyone was filled with emotion. With one appearance he was able to erase countless disturbances and remove a period of chaos for Roc City…this Lei Qianjun could not be underestimated!

Returning to Immaterial Mountain, Snowside slapped her chest, a resentful expression on her face. “Later on, find someone else to do these things. The pressure is too great!”

Lei Qianjun’s voice was temperate and his smile was warm. But standing there he was like a heaven-reaching mountain, leaving one deep in awe.

This was a genuine powerhouse. While he might be weaker than the Great Dragon Overlord, if he risked his life he could overturn the heavens and earth.

Otherwise, how could he have become the Roc City Lord, dominating over a territory of hundreds of thousands of miles, even becoming a powerful regional tyrant that the imperial family dreaded?

Snowside was at the God boundary and her strength was decent. But she was far lacking compared to him. They weren’t even on the same level.

She looked at Qin Yu’s calm expression. Although her heart still rapidly beat and she was still a bit dissatisfied, she still felt some admiration for his bravery. How could he not be afraid of pretending to be a big-tailed wolf? Was he not afraid of something going wrong and causing everything around him to collapse?

Qin Yu breathed a sigh of relief. The situation was much better than expected. If Lei Qianjun tried to probe him, that would have been troublesome.

But he didn’t expose his mood. He faintly smiled and said, “Lei Qianjun came here to gain some fame for himself and also suppress any turbulent waves that might be lurking in the dark. We also are not without gain. After today, Immaterial Mountain has a transcendent status. No one will dare to question use anymore!”

Whether it was true or fake, it was a fact that they had the endorsement of the Roc City Lord.

…

In a study, several figures sat around in silence. The atmosphere was heavy and dreary.

After a long time, one of them let out a long breath. “This time, it seems that Lei Qianjun was lucky.”

“It’s not luck. In the past, I always thought that the reason he has such achievements was because he was a step ahead of us…but now that I see him today, he truly is an extraordinary character.”

“Humph! So what if he is extraordinary? For anyone that blocks our path, all that awaits them is destruction!”

Sitting behind a desk in the seat of honor, a man put down a cup of tea. With a light ‘pa’, the study fell silent.

“I’m tired. Shu Hang, stay behind. The rest of you may leave.”

Everyone stood up and bowed. Most of them glanced at a young man standing respectfully beside the desk, jealousy and hate in their eyes.

When the door opened and closed, sitting behind his desk, Wu Zucheng sighed, a bit of exhaustion on his face. He said in a soft voice, “They’ve all left. Shu Hang, there’s no need to be so formal. Sit down.”

“Thank you, Patriarch.” Shu Hang turned around and sat down. His back was still straight and he lowered his head to express his respect.

“This time is indeed a good opportunity. But what a pity, before we made a move Lei Qianjun already removed the firewood from the pot, cutting off the source of the storm.” Wu Zucheng patted the armrest. “He’s as decisive as he was in the past when he slaughtered without remorse. Moreover…his luck is very good.”

Shu Hang said, “Patriarch, on the contrary, I believe this isn’t a bad result for us.”

“Oh?”

“Even now, no one knows the background of that cultivator at Immaterial Mountain. No one knows for sure where he comes from. If we were to use his hand to shake Roc City’s status, we might benefit for a while, but in the end we won’t obtain what we want. We might even bring about trouble for ourselves.”

Wu Zucheng hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding. “Your words are reasonable. Whatever. The chess pieces have already been placed. It won’t matter if it’s a few years earlier or a few years later. With a bit more buffer time we can also prepare more.” His eyes shined with a sharp light, “In your estimation, how much time is left?”

Shu Hang said, “In as long as ten years or as short as five years, you will be able to achieve your wish.!”

…

Lei Xiaoyu stood beside a window and sulked. It wasn’t that she wanted to think about it, but she couldn’t get rid of that bastard’s shadow in her mind.

The more she sat the angrier she became. Even the beautiful scenery outside left her mind in chaos. She closed the shutters and turned around, tossing herself onto her bed and throwing a pillow around.

“Bastard!

“Good for nothing!”

“Good for nothing bastard!”

Lei Xiaoyu slammed her pillow down and screamed. “I better not see you again otherwise I’ll make sure to beat you up!”

“Ahhhhhhh!”

The two maids standing guard outside helplessly glanced at each other. The miss really had gone crazy recently. They were also curious what sort of man could make the miss unable to forget him.

As these thoughts circulated in their minds, the sound of footsteps rang out. The two maids looked up and smiled. “Big Sister Qing Rong, you arrived just in time. The miss is experiencing a fit of anger out of nowhere. We don’t dare to get close to her so we’ve been waiting for you to save us.”

Qing Rong glared at them. “You two really are smart!”

“Who doesn’t know that big sister is the most favored of all? The young miss has grown up with you but has never treated you like a servant.” As a maid spoke she opened the door.

Qing Rong paused before smiling once again. “I’m not in the mood to talk to you two. Some longevity porridge has just been cooked in the kitchen. I must take it to the miss while its hot and watch her finish it.”

She stepped into the small building and glanced at the familiar environment. After glancing around several times, she walked up the stairs. After walking up the exquisite and magnificent stairs and parting open the curtain of jade beads, she looked up and smiled. “Miss, it’s time to eat your porridge.”

Ever since she was young, the City Lord Mansion’s young miss had a weak body. She needed to eat longevity porridge made with numerous precious ingredients to slowly heal her body. This was something everyone at the mansion knew about.

It was a normal custom that occurred day after day; there couldn’t be anything more ordinary. But, what no one knew was that the female chef who meticulously prepared this bowl of porridge was combing back her hair right now. After she washed her face she faintly smiled at a mirror. Then, she raised her head and drank a bottle of vicious poison. It was colorless and tasteless and just a single drop was enough to seal her fate.

Pa –

A white jade bowl fell to the floor, rolling over the ground. Lei Xiaoyu grabbed her belly as severe pain overwhelmed her. Her eyebrows were tightly wrinkled together as she asked, “Why?”

Qing Rong softly said, “Because many years ago, my entire family died beneath your father’s hands…the smallest was my little brother who was less than three months old. Because your father wanted to cut the weeds at the roots and stamp out any potential for trouble, my little brother’s tiny body was picked up and pierced through with a spear.”

“Did miss not know of these things? You might not be able to think of these things, but I witnessed them myself in the past. There has not been a single day where I have been able to forget what I saw.”

Lei Xiaoyu began to vomit blood, a little at a time. The blood was black and emitted a strange and sweet fragrance. When the blood fell to the floor it automatically contracted and condensed into little black beads. Like rare black pearls from the deep sea, each one reflected her pale face.

“I sympathize with what you have experienced, but I won’t apologize for it…if my father didn’t kill then he would have been killed, and everything you experienced might have been my own.”

Qing Rong nodded. “Of course, miss has no need to apologize, nor do I need your apology. I’m more than happy to go to the yellow springs with you.”

Bang –

The windows shattered open. Fragments of wood howled over. They possessed a terrifying strength as they instantly pierced through Qing Rong’s body, cutting her into countless pieces.

The steward was deathly pale as he landed.

Lei Xiaoyu squeezed out a smile. “Uncle Gold…”

She crashed onto her back, immediately falling unconscious.

The City Lord Mansion was sent into chaos!