Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 1526 – Misty Ghost Grotto

In the deep underground mine, there was a large stone cave.

It was unlike the surrounding tunnels that were obviously man made because they intertwined with each other in a structured manner. There was evidence in this cave that showed it was natural.

Waves of black mist continued to flow out from the cave entrance. They dispersed into the air and disappeared.

The leader of the sinners looked at this scene in horror. His face was pale and there was fear in his eyes.

Gulp –

Small Head gulped down saliva. His voice was shaking nervously as he asked, “General, are you going into Misty Ghost Grotto?”

Qin Yu nodded, “Wait here.” With that, he stepped in decisively.

“You can’t!” One of the sinners shrieked, “General, Misty Ghost Grotto is very dangerous. For so many years, there has never been anyone who returned from it after entering.”

Big Head’s voice was low and he confirmed, “That’s right. Misty Ghost Grotto is terrifying. Please reconsider, General!”

The sinners were not worried about Qin Yu’s safety because they surrendered to him.

It was because their souls were had been ‘imprinted’ by Qin Yu and they were now bound to him. They would share his experiences.

Simply put, if Qin Yu died in Misty Ghost Grotto, they would follow him to his grave.

Qin Yu’s lips curled and he laughed coldly. Without turning back, he said, “I have made up my mind, you don’t have to waste your words!”

He stepped into the cave and disappeared inside.

“It is over.” Meat Mountain wailed. Its eyes were barely visible behind the layers of meat on its face and it cried miserably. It had barely survived, but who knew that General Jinwu would be such a dimwit.

The Misty Ghost Grotto, it was the Misty Ghost Grotto before him. It was the scariest place in the mine.

No one who entered it managed to survive!

Small Head cried, “I don’t think so!” He scanned the crowd, “General Jinwu is full of vigor. Since he dared to enter it, he must be confident of coming out.”

Although his attitude had been inconsistent and many despised him, the sinners felt much more at ease after hearing his words.

Big Head spoke, “Right now, all we can do is wait.”

Aside from that, there was nothing else they could do.

The best case scenario was for General Jinwu to survive and come out. If he died…all of them would die together with him!

The moment Qin Yu stepped into the mine, his vision was blurred by a layer of fog. The name Misty Ghost Grotto was truly appropriate. Qin Yu came here because he sensed the aura earlier on.

The origin of the aura was here!

A flicker of violent nature rushed up from his heart. Like an unrelenting piece of rattan string, it crawled up his heart and flooded his mind.

What was terrifying was that this process happened very suddenly.

Amidst the fog, Qin Yu could sense the violent aura and he could feel it strengthening bit by bit.

There was a huge sense of unease in him, but he could suppress the feeling and keep calm such that he was still in control.

All of a sudden, like a threshold had been passed, the violent aura gushed up through his body and erupted in all directions like a volcano.

His mind was in chaos and his eyes turned bloodshot. Qin Yu lost his ability to think and there was only endless destruction and despair left in his heart.

Buzz –

The lantern suddenly appeared, floating above Qin Yu’s head. The fire within came to life and the bloodshot color in his eyes gradually dissipated.

His consciousness started to clear up again and Qin Yu heaved a sigh of relief.

He finally understood why this place was called Misty Ghost Grotto and why the leaders of the sinners were so scared of this place.

As the new Barbarian King, he was not scared of the curse. Despite how strong his consciousness and will was, he fell into a trap. If he did not have the lantern with him, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Granted, if Qin Yu did not have the lantern as a hidden card, he would not be so daring to step in the grotto directly and he would have made other preparations.

His eyes flashed brightly and he stared deep into the mist. The fluctuations of the aura were becoming clearer; Qin Yu was certain that it came from this direction.

With a thought, the flame in the lantern grew more lively. An invisible force rolled forward like flowing water and dispersed into the surroundings silently.

The mist surrounding Qin Yu was pushed away and there was an empty space that acted as a protective barrier around him.

Because of the sudden ambush previously, Qin Yu was now more cautious.

Perhaps, whatever it was that the great barbarian shaman left behind in the past was not a good thing for him as the Barbarian King.

Whether that was the case or not, there was no harm in him being more cautious.

Qin Yu stepped forward.

Like water being pushed away, the mist around him dispersed.

The grotto that was hidden deep within the mines was much larger than he imagined, but this was not all that Qin Yu felt from it.

Qin Yu sensed a mild shift of space in this mist. action

While this feeling was very weak, the cause of it may not be weak. There might be a stronger force that was hiding the cause of it.

Qin Yu frowned slightly. He sensed that the violence he had expelled out of his body before had reappeared in his heart.

As he went deeper into the grotto, it felt like the force hidden by the mist was growing stronger.

“Hmmph!”

With a grunt, the flame of the lantern above Qin Yu’s head grew brighter.

Qin Yu heard soft whispers of painful screams beside his ear.

A cold feeling spread out from the middle of his forehead like a cold dew drop that fell on his head.

Qin Yu narrowed his eyes and looked at the mist. It was much thicker and it was flowing smoothly like the tentacles of a creature that wriggled slowly.

His eyes flashed with coldness.

His cautiousness and wariness was not excessive. Although the great barbarian shaman was a barbarian…the shaman did not care for the new Barbarian King.

He lifted his head and glanced at the lantern above him. Qin Yu hesitated before he continued to trudge forward.

Although this lantern was merely an imitation of the little blue lamp, it was seen as a treasure by the Barbarian Clan and Qin Yu naturally had expectations for it.

Furthermore, Qin Yu had no other choice but to rely on it now.

Ruler…cough cough. Now, Qin Yu had no intentions of ‘disturbing’ her before he thought through how he was going to explain the events in the Tomb of the Barbarian King.

The mysterious being from space time was now an ant that was on the same rope as Qin Yu. They could be considered ‘close’.

If he was in trouble, he could summon it.

Although Qin Yu did not have a complete understanding of the mysterious being, it was undeniable that the mysterious being was very strong. Its strength was not ordinary at all!

For instance, it hindered the humans during their investigation of the Barbarian King despite it claiming that it paid a high price for that.

However, the mysterious being still looked very lively. It did not look like it suffered.

All in all, Qin Yu was confident in the mysterious being.

If it took action, he would no longer need to fear the Misty Ghost Grotto!

With this resolution, Qin Yu continued forward.

As though the force sensed Qin Yu’s determination, the thick mist suddenly disappeared.

That’s right, it disappeared into thin air!

Qin Yu finally took a look at the Misty Ghost Grotto. It was not large.

More accurately, it was much smaller than he imagined.

It was only about a hundred feet wide. There was a single stalactite growing from the ceiling of the cave. A black chain was wound around it and upon a closer look, one end of the black chain emerged from within the stalactite.

Scattered around the cave were a bunch of mummified corpses. Each of their mouths was wide open and their bodies had been pierced through by the black iron chain.

Even though the corpses had dried out, the look of violence and madness on their faces could be made out. There was no pain nor fear and it felt like they were the predators instead of pitiful bugs who were killed by an iron chain.

Qin Yu frowned slightly but he remained calm. He scanned the bodies in the cave and said, “You should know that you don’t need to hide any longer since I am here.”

There were a few moments of silence before a sigh could be heard from the cave, “Your Majesty is right.”

A face appeared on the stalactite. There was a peaceful look in its crystal clear eyes. They looked like the surface of a lake, and there was no disturbance in them.

An aura that could be attributed to the Barbarian Clan was coming from the stalactite.

Qin Yu said, “I still don’t know your name.”

The face hesitated for a moment before it slowly said, “Your Majesty, you can call me Lost.”

Qin Yu nodded and he looked up, “Shaman Lost, no one would have known that you would live till this day after what happened.”

“It was an accident…” There was a bitter smile on Lost’s face.

Cling clang –

The chains that pierced through the corpses suddenly started to move.

“Your Majesty, did you know that these chains were originally meant to prevent accidents. I personally made them to suppress myself.”

Qin Yu said, “Shaman Lost, it seems that your preparations were not enough.”

Lost fell silent before nodding, “Your Majesty, you are right. I underestimated this place. It is so powerful.”

There was a sudden flicker of confusion in his eyes, “Your Majesty, can you believe it? A dead person can be revived. Furthermore, I am sure that I am still myself.”

Qin Yu’s eyes flashed, “Reviving after your death. So you don’t want to die again.”

“Yes.” Lost sighed, “Without personally experiencing it, no one will be able to imagine how death feels.”

“It is lonely, dark and cold. After descending into it, all senses and all life is stolen. The world becomes black and white. It becomes so silent as it cuts off all contact with me…that, is a really terrifying feeling.”

Lost’s face on the stalactite looked up and his eyes stared at Qin Yu. There was some fear and guilt in his eyes, but deep within it, Qin Yu could see passion.

Qin Yu calmly said, “Although I have never experienced death personally, I can understand you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Lost respectfully exclaimed.

Qin Yu’s eyes glistened and he said, “So you can attack me now.”

Buzz –

The stalactite suddenly vibrated and a ball of light flashed.

“Your Majesty, if I can continue living, I will definitely do my best to restore our clan to its former glory. However, if I die, this ball of light will contain everything you want to know.”

Qin Yu nodded, “Alright!”

Bam –

Bam –

The mass of corpses in the cave suddenly burst into pieces.

An outpouring of chains rushed towards Qin Yu at lightning speed. They looked like numerous spider threads that were about to tear Qin Yu apart! In the blink of an eye, the chains morphed into a large ball…it looked like an organ that was constantly wriggling and transforming!

……

Outside Misty Ghost Grotto was a thin layer of mist that continuously flowed through. The leader of the sinners waited silently outside with solemn expressions.

No one whose life and death was linked to another person would be able to relax and welcome the grim reaper.

It had been an hour!

The good news was that they were still alive. The bad news was that no one knew how long this torture would last.

Suddenly, a holy light burst forth from the middle of Big Head.

He raised his head and touched his forehead using the arm that grew out from their chest.

Pst –

There was a crisp bursting sound as the flesh in the middle of his forehead tore and blood flowed out from within.

However, there was no pain revealed from his expression. There was only a moment of confusion before he was filled with excitement and joy!

He had not been mistaken!

He was certain that the imprint left on his soul had vanished.

That meant the connection with General Jinwu was gone!

Happiness came to him too suddenly and out of the blue. Although Big Head was typically calm, he made hysteric movements out of pure joy.

He wiped off the blood on his face and placed his hand down. Then, he burst into laughter and exclaimed, “We are free!”

Deep roars came from the sinners. They stared at the Misty Ghost Grotto. Aside from the respect in their eyes, there was also a look of mockery.

Don’t believe in loyalty. In this world, the only thing that made sense was strength. Although they did not know what happened, it was undeniable…General Jinwu was dead!

This was the only reason why the soul imprint would suddenly disappear.

It was strange that they were not dragged down to die together with General Jinwu. However, gaining their freedom after surviving was more important.

Nothing else mattered!

They had to thank General Jinwu for stupidly overestimating himself. He dug his own grave with how rash he was.

Puppets whose lives were controlled by others could not compare to free people in the underground world who could govern themselves.

Meat Mountain hesitated and asked, “Should we check?”

He could not be at ease and he was still in disbelief.

The powerful General Jinwu was dead?

The moment he said that, he knew that he had spoken like an idiot.

Eyes flicked over at him and he received looks of sympathy for how brainless he was.

That was the Misty Ghost Grotto!

Was General Jinwu strong? He was a person who could casually crush all of them and determine their lives.

He stubbornly went in and died there, returning the sinners their freedom.

Check? Why check? Anyone who went in would die!

“Hmmph!”

Meat Mountain slowly grunted. Its eyes opened wide and glared at the rest of the sinners. It was evident that it was boiling with anger and was about to flip.

Big Head smiled and said, “Alright. This day is a joyous occasion on which we obtained our freedom.”

It cupped its hands together and announced, “Everyone, General Jinwu is dead but we have things to do.”

Small Head’s laughter sounded ear-piercing. He raised his hand and pointed to his forehead, “Don’t forget, there are still people outside who are waiting for our news.”

“One thousand five hundred women…no, I want three thousand. I won’t stand for anyone missing! Also, I want ten times more flesh and blood to compensate us for our losses!”

There was a low laughter in the darkness, “Mister Small Head is absolutely right.”

The leaders of the sinners took one last glance at the Misty Ghost Grotto. Then, they turned and left, grinning from ear to ear.

General Jinwu’s death. No one could ask for a better outcome!