Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 174 – Draw Back One Step

At this moment, the regret in Soupman’s heart grew into a river. If he knew that something like this would occur he would have long since taken Ning Qin away. Sea race or human race, once his shock was over he really didn’t care. As long as this person could help His Majesty, what did it matter to him? But now, Honorable Ning was revealed to be a human, and for the sea races who always felt contempt towards humans, this was an extremely explosive event. If he wanted to bypass this hurdle it would be quite difficult.

His thoughts raced. Then, his complexion suddenly changed. The reflection of a pitch-black armored figure entered his pupils. Its momentum was like a raging tide, a devastating avalanche, the sound of it breaking past the sonic barrier! Although his steps appeared slow, each one seemed to shrink space, making his movements incredibly quick.

His pupils didn’t even have time to contract. He shouted out loud, “Take hold of that person and find out where Honorable Ning is!” This statement clearly wasn’t enough to convince the public, because as long as one wasn’t blind it was easy to see that this human in front of them was Ning Qin. But at this time, Soupman couldn’t be bothered with how weak his excuses were. He needed to take Qin Yu in hand to preserve his life.

Soupman turned and stepped out, blocking the way. He smiled and cupped his hands together. “Greetings, Whale Sovereign.”

Beneath the black armor, the Whale Sovereign’s face was calm. He swept his eyes around, “You want to save him?”

Soupman coughed. “I merely want to capture him to rescue Honorable Ning.”

The Whale Sovereign fell silent. Then, his lips curled up. “Soupman, it’s been several years since we’ve seen each other and your skin is thicker than ever. However, he will certainly die today.”

Soupman straightened himself. He said, “I thank you for the deep praise. This human will certainly die, but before that I must find out where Honorable Ning is.”

The Whale Sovereign didn’t bother to respond; he took one step forward.

This step seemed like a comet falling into the sea, creating immense shockwaves that spread out overbearingly, sweeping away all.

Soupman took a deep breath and his chest rose high. Facing the Whale Sovereign, he didn’t back off a single step.

He lifted a hand. Heaven and earth spiritual energy boiled and seethed. With a roaring rumble, he pushed forwards.

He chose to attack first!

A flash of appreciation appeared in the depths of the Whale Sovereign’s eyes. After all, there were very few people in this world that dared to stand in front of him and attack. It was no wonder why His Majesty held this person in such high regard.

He raised a fist and punched out.

The Whale Sovereign’s casual fist didn’t gather any potential nor did he use any fancy moves. The fist struck out silently, but when it did strike it was like an erupting volcano, all of that strength bursting out in a moment.

Bang –

There was a deafening thunderclap. Howling winds rushed out and over a dozen vortexes of spiritual energy appeared. The remaining buildings were caught in the blast radius and all of them were instantly razed to the ground.

Soupman seemed to suffer a heavy blow. He drew back step after step. His face was flushed red at first but he immediately paled afterwards. His hand hung to his side, gently shaking. Traces of blood flowed down his arm, gathering in streams and dropping onto the floor.

The Whale Sovereign faintly said, “As a guardian of the capital city, it is my official duty to kill this human who secretly snuck in and tried to destroy it using the Sea Mausoleum. If you try to stop me again, then don’t blame me for being heartless. Soupman, I know you are one of His Majesty’s people, so I am giving you a chance to get out. Make way.”

Beneath that tough and domineering appearance, there was a strong heart that didn’t reveal anything. He was well aware of Soupman’s character and knew that he wouldn’t give in like this. These words were only for him to establish himself on the side of righteousness, and also find himself a reasonable explanation for murdering someone.

Killing Qin Yu was necessary, and killing Soupman was also necessary. In the end, he had long since thought that this overly loyal and devoted dog was an eyesore.

Soupman spit out a mouthful of blood.

The Whale Sovereign lightly said, “Then, let me help you along the way.” He flicked his sleeves and a giant blue handprint appeared above his head before it came crashing down like a mountain.

Soupman recklessly laughed. Blood flowed out from his mouth and nose as he forcefully drew upon all his strength, leaving him unable to suppress the injuries in his body any longer. He stepped forwards and shot up into the skies, crashing into that massive blue handprint.

Time seemed to come to a grinding halt. After a brief silence, there was a horrifying sound. Soupman’s body came crashing down to the earth, tearing through the ground and forming a giant pit. He lay in the pit, his entire body covered in wounds. Blood flowed out from him, gradually dying his robes red.

The blue handprint gently shivered, then it collapsed and disintegrated, dissipating from sight. The Whale Sovereign frowned, but in the next moment he composed himself and continued onwards.

Since his strike hadn’t been able to kill the person, then he disdained attacking a second time…of course, this was only what the Whale Sovereign wanted to be as public perception.

That person in the royal palace was still alive.

So, he was still fettered.

The young girl watched all of this with wide eyes, completely shocked. Panic also flashed in the eyes of the woman beside her.

The guard captain turned to them and smiled. His figure flickered and he appeared before the Whale Sovereign.

“Seventh Uncle!” The young girl cried out in alarm.

The woman pursed her lips together. “Whether he is a human or one of the sea races, Honorable Ning is now one of our Sea Spirit Pavilion’s people, so he is also your Seventh Uncle’s responsibility.”

Almost simultaneously, the Vice Priest sitting in another carriage shouted out, “Block him!”

Xue Zheng straightened himself as he rode a sea wolf. No one could see his movements but his figure suddenly vanished, and when he reappeared, he was standing side-by-side with the guard captain.

They didn’t even glance at each other. As long as they both knew that they were here to preserve Ning Qin’s life, that was more than enough.

The Whale Sovereign’s eyes flashed. “Sea Spirit Pavilion’s Seventh Night Sky. I can understand if you intervene, since he is one of Sea Spirit Pavilion’s people, but what about you? Moon Praying Shrine’s wolf rider, why are you meddling?”

Xue Zheng had a callous complexion. As he faced the Whale Sovereign, even if he didn’t have the slightest belief that he could win, he still firmly opposed him. He only frowned at the question and didn’t respond.

“You dare to become enemies with me for a mere human? That, is a capital crime.” As the Whale Sovereign spoke, his eyes turned sharp.

Space violently twisted, shrouding the three people together. No one could clearly see what was happening within. In three breaths of time, Sea Spirit Pavilion’s guard captain, the one called Seventh Night Sky, came flying out. The chest of his robes had been shredded to pieces to reveal a horrifying red and purple-colored palm print. After four more breaths of time, Xue Zheng staggered out from the twisted space. Countless wounds married his body and some injuries were so deep that bone was revealed.

In seven breaths of time, two Nascent Soul powerhouses had been defeated. Whether it was Seventh Night Sky or Moon Praying Shrine’s wolf rider, both were synonymous with absolute strength. The Whale Sovereign’s formidable powers were made evident to all.

“Your name is Xue Zheng?” The Whale Sovereign had a look of acclaim. “I have heard your name before. You are even more extraordinary that the rumors describe. Submit to me and I will grant you new life.”

Xue Zheng had a faint expression, as if horrifying injuries didn’t cover every inch of his body. He roared out loud. Blood boiled all around him and a wolf phantom formed from billowing blood fog appeared atop his head. The wolf phantom reared back its head and howled before transforming into a flow of blood-red light.

The Whale Sovereign shook his head. “How impossibly stubborn.”

Bang –

The blood red light shattered and the blood wolf howled miserably before its body collapsed. Xue Zheng was sent soaring backwards, the sound of his cracking bones leaving one’s scalp tingling.

The Whale Sovereign looked up. When his eyes fell upon Qin Yu’s body, he smiled. “Junior, are you called Qin Yu or Ning Qin? Of course, none of this is important. The only thing that matters is that we see each other once again.”

Shua –

Qin Yu’s eyes opened.

The Whale Sovereign didn’t intend to speak any more. Rather than dragging things on for a long time, he would prefer to finish things now.

He lifted a hand, five fingers grasping towards Qin Yu.

Qin Yu had just regained control of his body, but he had been able to keenly sense everything that had happened around him. Facing the Whale Sovereign’s hand, his heart fiercely contracted, under so much pressure that it seemed as if it would explode. His face paled but his expression remained as calm as before, like a silent stone. In this desperate and nearly hopeless situation, he maintained his inner tranquility…then, he sent out his own counterattack.

Many years ago, in the deepest depths of a pond, he had obtained the demon blood needed to refine his Demon Body. And at that time, some images had been imprinted into his mind, images that he would never be able to forget.

Now these images flowed through his mind, as if he were seeing them once more. He saw the massive shadow of a demon standing atop the earth, as well as that finger that came crashing down from the highest heavens.

So, Qin Yu lifted a hand, and pointed a finger downwards.

A horrifying amount of energy was drawn from his body. Even with his current cultivation, his field of vision flashed black and a momentary dizziness overtook him. Within his dantian sea, the five different colored Golden Cores dimmed.

A finger appeared. Upon closer inspection, one would find that it was similar to Qin Yu’s finger, but also different. The lines of the fingerprint that covered its surface wove together into a disorderly flow. They seemed to emerge from chaos, as if they complied with the rules of the world, but also didn’t.

Thus, it could reverse the rules, turning from weak to strong.

Rumble rumble –

A massive amount of heaven and earth spiritual energy wildly poured into the finger. It grew within the wind, becoming ten feet long in the blink of an eye.

Howling winds whipped up. Clouds began to race across the skies.

A single finger to stir up winds and clouds, a single finger to cause changes of Boundless Blue!

The Whale Sovereign’s eyes suddenly brightened. His five fingers tightened together into a fist and he ruthlessly smashed out. In the next moment his body shook. From the moment he had broken the window and flown here, even after facing so many opponents with disdain, this was the first time the Whale Sovereign had been forced to step back.

But to accomplish this, Qin Yu had paid a price. The finger he pointed out had ruptured to reveal white bone. He stumbled backwards, and with each step sounds came out from his chest, each one representing breaking bones.

To the seafolk watching, perhaps it appeared that the Whale Sovereign had once again displayed his incomparably powerful abilities. But, even someone as strong as Soupman could only be overwhelmed, while Qin Yu had managed to force the Whale Sovereign backwards. Those who understood this and had seen the supernatural power of that finger were deeply shocked by its might.

But shock was only shock; their eyes were still filled with pity. If the Whale Sovereign wanted to kill someone, who could stop him? A terrifyingly vast amount of killing intent rose up from all around. In just the blink of an eye, Qin Yu would die.

“Humph! Whale Sovereign, you also want to kill my guest? It's as if you don’t place me in your eyes!” A cold voice resonated through the capital city. A figure suddenly appeared. Although this person was skinny, their presence was like a mountain, completely blocking out the sinister aura.

The figure had a thick turtle shell on his back, and at this time it didn’t seem humorous at all. The face that seemed quite old and funny in the past was now darkened with dignified majesty.

Qin Yu’s heart relaxed a bit.

This was the old turtle that had brought him to the capital city. With his strength, he should be able to stand on par with the Whale Sovereign.

His life was temporarily saved.

The Whale Sovereign frowned. “Turtle Origin!”

The old turtle coldly sneered. “Whale Sovereign, what great power and prestige you have.”

The Whale Sovereign narrowed his eyes. “I came here today to kill a human spy that has crept into our midst. If you try to stop me then that will be a violation of the oath we both made to protect the capital city. Are you not afraid that you will trigger a backlash from the sea oath you took?”

“Humph! Don’t bother trying to use the sea oath to scare me. I’ve already said that this junior is my guest!” The old turtle swept his eyes around and suddenly lifted a finger. ”Little brat Meng Li, when I brought Qin Yu to the capital city I passed him to you to arrange him somewhere. Now, tell the Whale Sovereign that he is my guest.”

Meng Li froze where he was, his face deathly pale. In truth, when Qin Yu’s real appearance was revealed, he had already paled at that time. It was only when he saw the Whale Sovereign’s unstoppable onslaught that he was able to calm down a little. He never imagined that without any preparations at all, he would be grabbed by the old turtle and used as a witness in his confrontation with the Whale Sovereign.

A thought instantly popped up in his mind – ‘I should faint.’ Throughout the years of navigating various circles, this move had helped him overcome more than one crisis. But today, just upon thinking of this he immediately dismissed the thought. Looking at Mister Turtle’s cold expression, he knew that if he dared to faint here, there was a high chance he would never wake up again.