Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 185 – Deal Reached

The priest’s eyes brightened. He glanced at the Sea Sovereign and smiled. “I thank Your Majesty for your generosity. As a means of expressing our apologies, Moon Praying Shrine is willing to offer a Soaring Sea Mountain. We only ask that Your Majesty show mercy and forgive Priest Qin Yu for his crime.”

Everyone in the hall cried out in alarm!

A Soaring Sea Mountain was a treasure born from the heavens and earth. It floated deep within the sea, and after being refined, it could freely float. Coupled with its amazing defensive abilities…it was a treasure that every war division longed for in their dreams! It could be said that after obtaining a Soaring Sea Mountain, the strength of a war division would nearly double. It was a perfect platform on which to transport soldiers!

And war divisions were the most formidable strength in the sea region. In front of them, any powerhouse was considered a joke. Up until now, there were known to be seven Soaring Sea Mountains in the sea region. Moon Praying Shrine monopolized three, while the capital city, which controlled most of the sea region, only possessed two.

“Your Majesty!” A senior general stepped forwards, his face filled with excitement.

The Whale Sovereign sighed inwardly. He looked at the old man not too far away and a bit of admiration filled his eyes. What a smart and crafty old man. In order to achieve his objective, he was willing to place down such a heavy price. He looked around. Even those people who stood with him were beginning to hesitate.

On one hand, if they killed Qin Yu there was the possibility that they would have to wage war with Moon Praying Shrine. If so, then everyone here had a chance of perishing in the flames of war.

On the other hand, if they turned a blind eye or perhaps found a substitute to kill instead, they could harvest a Soaring Sea Mountain instead.

Disregarding anyone else, just those churlish fellows from the army had already gone red in the eyes upon hearing about the Soaring Sea Mountain. And with it being so close to their hands, if anyone were to think of ruining this moment for them, then while they might not say anything now, they would certainly bear a grudge in the future.

If one offended these great military figures, while nothing might happen for now, they might not fight their troubles in the future.

The Sea Sovereign spoke up at just the right time. “Priest, please wait a moment. This Solitude will soon give you an answer.”

The priest stood up. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” He bowed once more and turned to leave.

The Sea Sovereign lightly said, “Everyone. In this situation, can you all tell this Solitude what the best course of action to take is?”

One hour later, Qin Yu left the hall. He saw an ordinary but imposing old man standing outside, wearing strange-looking robes, waiting for him. He cupped his hands together. “Thank you, Lord Priest.”

The priest smiled, thinking that Qin Yu was indeed a smart person. There was no pain at all on his face from having given away a Soaring Sea Mountain. His voice was warm and kind as he said, “Little Friend Qin Yu, there is no need to speak so seriously. Moon Praying Shrine needs your help, so doing all of this is a matter of course.”

This was the truth but also a reminder.

If Qin Yu had no means of helping Moon Praying Shrine save the Saint Flower, then perhaps this kind-looking old man would fly into a palpable rage.

“Lord Priest, rest assured that since I made a promise, I can definitely accomplish it.” Qin Yu’s eyes flashed. “Can I leave now?”

Turtle Origin flew out from somewhere. He coldly sneered. “Stop thinking such beautiful thoughts. Before you leave the royal palace, fulfill your end of the bargain! Remember, if you cannot help…I guarantee that I will immediately tear up the agreement and dismember you alive!”

As a consequence of saving Qin Yu, the internal factions within the royal family were now a giant mess. While he and His Majesty had worked together to suppress the situation, they had also managed to thoroughly offend those old fogies in the Council of Elders. He didn’t care too much about it, but when he thought about how facing them in the future was inevitable, and how they would try to whittle away at him endlessly, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

Qin Yu frowned.

The priest smiled. He lightly said, “Little Friend Qin Yu, there is no need for you to worry. The reason I came here today is to calm your heart. From this day forth, you are Moon Praying Shrine’s guest priest. No one will touch you. After you finish helping His Majesty, I will personally lead people here and bring you back.”

Of course, one could simplify these words. For instance: rest assured and stay here; no one will dare move against you.

To speak such words in the royal palace was a tremendously brave display. For the old man to be so casual about it, it showed just how formidable Moon Praying Shrine was. After speaking some more words to the old turtle, the priest ignored his repugnant expression and left with his people in tow.

“That old thing!”

Qin Yu thought about it. He seriously said, “Senior, although I’m not too sure about it, if I had to make a guess I would say that the Lord Priest shouldn’t be as old as you.”

The old turtle was stunned. He thought about the meaning behind these words and then glared at Qin Yu. “You rascally boy, don’t think that I won’t fly into anger. Hurry up and get to work. You’re an eyesore!”

He flicked his sleeves and walked away.

Behind him, Qin Yu’s laughter rang out loud.

At this moment, he was truly relaxed. To have things reach this step, perhaps this was the best possible result.

“Please.” A royal guard guided the way. Although he didn’t reveal any expression, his actions were courteous and the occasional sweep of his eyes revealed a flash of awe.

A human had been able to conceal his identity and shake up the entire sea region. After being exposed, not only did he not die, but the upheaval became even greater. Just what sort of character was the Whale Sovereign? The Whale Sovereign had failed in killing Qin Yu several times already, and in contrast, his own son had been killed in front of him.

This was a person who had started a killing spree on the Day of Ancestral Worship, and every person he killed had been an important figure. Hah, it was incredible just thinking about it.

The supposedly very-fierce-Qin Yu quietly followed close behind. He gradually calmed down and felt a bit of luck and fear in his heart. Ever since his identity had been exposed, he had been dancing on the edge of a knife. If he had made a mistake, he would have surely died without a grave. And the reason he could accomplish all of this was not because he had relied on his strength or his smarts, but because of the little blue lamp.

Without the little blue lamp’s strength, would the Sea Sovereign put up with him? Would Moon Praying Shrine help him? He feared he would already be a corpse! His personal strength was far too weak. If he had the strength to directly face the Whale Sovereign, the old turtle, or even the mysterious Sea Sovereign, who cared if his identity was revealed?

In the end, only a powerful cultivation served as the foundation to all.

Thinking of this, Qin Yu revealed a faint happy smile. While there had been all sorts of twists and turns and troubles, he was still alive. Moreover, the five element Golden Cores were now formed within his dantian. Now that he was no longer imprisoned, he could officially begin practicing the Five Element Sword Diagram.

In a short period of time his strength would drastically rise again. He just didn’t know what level he would reach. It was truly something to look forwards to.

In order to go underground this time, they didn’t go through Soupman’s dwelling. Rather, they went to a strictly guarded temple where eight black-clothed seafolk were sat down cross-legged. When Qin Yu and the royal guard arrived, one of these people opened their eyes. Their eyes were ash gray and icy cold, without any fluctuations of feeling.

The guard took out a token. The black-clothed seafolk glanced at it and closed his eyes once more, no longer caring about them. If one looked carefully at these eight people, they would discover that their appearances were similar and their auras seemed to blend together. Their figures were half-hidden in shadows, just like eight wooden dolls, without any life to them. But, with Qin Yu’s formidable soul, he could actually feel an inconceivable thick smell of blood coming from their bodies!

It was hard to imagine just what these people had done to obtain such a horrifying smell of blood. But, there was one point that Qin Yu was aware of. If someone tried to rush underground, they would definitely be torn and smashed apart by a terrifying strength.

“I can only bring you this far. From now on, someone else will be responsible for you.” As the royal guard spoke, he used the strength within the token to activate a transmission array on the ground.

Qin Yu didn’t hesitate. He stepped into it.

Hum –

A light flashed and his figure vanished from sight. In the next moment, his field of vision was restored. He had appeared before that sealed stone door.

There was already someone waiting here; it was an old man with an ill expression. He coldly snorted and waved his hand, causing the stone door to open. “Go! Remember, this is your only chance. If you cannot satisfy His Majesty, your death will be miserable!”

Wonderful. It seemed that a good number of the sea races had an unfavorable impression of him.

Qin Yu cupped his hands together in thanks. There was nothing he could do about it. Since this person’s cultivation was more powerful than his, he could only take the abuse. The cultivators’ world was one where powerhouses were revered. Regardless of where he was, this couldn’t be considered a disgrace, only a basic rule of survival and getting along with others.

Rumble rumble –

The stone door closed behind him.

Soon, there was the sound of breaking air in the darkness. Qin Yu frowned but soon relaxed.

A thick and sturdy cane raced out from the dark. It drew close to Qin Yu, trembling in excitement as it tried to show its familiarity.

The last time he was here, Qin Yu had judged that while this vine was intelligent, it was mostly at the level of a young child. Otherwise, how could it possibly believe that a gift could move him or even think that he would come back? Moreover, even up until now, Qin Yu wasn’t sure just what that black chip was.

Qin Yu patted the vine and then gently leapt onto it. With a cheer, it raced back into the darkness at a speed faster than before. It seemed that since the last time they met, the vine had made great progress after completely absorbing the strength of the little blue lamp.

Qin Yu’s eyes flashed. He stepped down from the vine. “I said that I would return, so I would definitely return. But, did you abide by your promise and keep the matter between you and me a secret?”

The vine rubbed itself together, forming a series of syllables. “I…told…no…one…”

This voice was still strange, but clearer than before. If one didn’t earnestly listen, it was hard to distinguish the differences.

Qin Yu smiled. “Then that’s good. Otherwise, I would not have been able to come and see you again. Later, I will help you continue your growth, but you need to help me block out any senses so that no one outside knows what is happening here, okay?”

“O…kay…”

Rumble rumble –

The ground trembled and countless vines shot out, interweaving together in the air and forming a sealed space. Qin Yu tried to penetrate them with his divine sense but found that the vine itself seemed to have the ability to isolate out any probing senses.

His heart relaxed.

The first time he was here, the royal palace only thought of it as an attempt; they didn’t place much hope in him. But, they had found out just how potent his work had been afterwards. One didn’t need to be a genius to know that they would be curious as to how he had accomplished this.

So, Qin Yu had asked the vine to block out all senses. The little blue lamp was his greatest secret and his only advantage. If that were to be exposed, he would truly be beyond saving.

“Wait for me. I need to make some preparations to activate the treasure. Only then can I help you.” Qin Yu sat down cross-legged. The contents of the Five Element Sword Diagram began to appear in his mind, a bit at a time.

He only needed to wait for night to approach for the little blue lamp to activate. As for preparations or whatever, that was only an excuse.

Staying in the royal palace for a few days wasn’t a bad idea. With the protection of the vine he could use this opportunity to practice the Five Element Sword Diagram. Afterwards, he would be much better prepared to defend himself.

…

In the grand hall, the Sea Sovereign opened his eyes, revealing a helpless expression. “The Companion Vine has blocked out all external senses. Even this Solitude cannot see what is occurring within.”

The old turtle humphed. He had already guessed that the little bastard would be cautious and try to make a deal with the vine. But once this was truly confirmed, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

“Then…should we try some other method?”

“No. Everyone has secrets they don’t wish to be revealed. If we insist on investigating, there will surely be issues. Let Qin Yu do as he wishes.” The Sea Sovereign smiled. “If he is smart, then he will surely try his best this time. Otherwise, even with the priest here, this Solitude will still refuse him.”