Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 256 – Land of Divinity and Demons

Returning to the mountain valley, Qin Yu first cleaned up the mess. Although he left behind countless collapsing footprints in his wake, this was actually extremely beneficial for controlling his body’s great strength.

The wild wolf had a serious expression, its eyes full of awe and devotion. Its master’s strength had reached a truly terrifying level. It didn’t doubt that if its master wanted to, he could easily smash apart the surrounding mountains.

Another pair of small staring eyes belonged to the chicken overlord. It originally wanted to spy and gossip to see what Qin Yu had done with Ning Ling that was so loud and chaotic that they could demolish an entire cabin.

But now, no matter how curious it was, it didn’t dare to speak out loud. However…it really wanted to know!

Qin Yu turned around and the wild wolf immediately lay prone on the ground, its tail wagging about. The chicken overlord was enraged. It cursed the wily wild wolf. You old bastard, you actually learned my methods! But even if you learn a little, your skills aren’t up to par! Wagging your tail? Allow me to open your eyes and show you how it’s done!

Looking at the chicken overlord that was using all its methods to wave its tail feathers so much that it nearly twisted out of place, Qin Yu chuckled and then turned back towards his room.

Having made a breakthrough of his Demon Body, he would be able to reach Nascent Soul. After the initial joy passed, the immensity of what occurred was now beginning to rise in his heart. Soon, he would step onto the highest peaks of this world.

Who would have expected that the young disciple of the Eastern Mountain Sect would reach these heights after such a short period of years? Then, what else was he waiting for? He had to digest the new strength of the Demon Body in the shortest time possible and make the final preparations to break into Nascent Soul.

Qin Yu closed his eyes and cultivated.

The mountain valley returned to tranquility. After using the Supremacy Sage Zhang Wei to establish himself, the Hundred Mile Ruler alone held the spotlight. Naturally, no one dared to break into the surrounding 300 miles of land. Ten days later, with a light creak, Qin Yu left his cabin. His eyebrows were furrowed. Just now, the blood energy in his body had reversed. Although it vanished after an instant, it left his chest feeling suffocated.

Demon Body sacrifices…

The first time the Demon Body made a breakthrough, Qin Yu had cut down Deepsea Demon to complete the sacrifice. With his current cultivation, if he wished to smoothly make a sacrifice, he feared he would need to kill a super powerhouse at the late Nascent Soul realm. But, how could he find such a master easily? Luckily there was still some time before the backlash of the Demon Body occurred, so he didn’t need to worry about it too much.

Suppressing these thoughts, Qin Yu flew out from the mountain valley. He arrived outside of Ning Ling’s dwelling, but she was still in seclusion.

“Senior-apprentice sister Ning, how have you been?”

After several breaths of time, Ning Ling’s light voice sounded out, “I thank junior-apprentice brother Qin for worrying about me. I’ve been very good.”

Qin Yu frowned. From this voice, he unexpectedly felt a tinge of indifference. For some unknown reason he felt panic rise in his heart, as if he were soon about to lose something incomparably important.

“Senior-apprentice sister Ning!” He took a step forwards.

Ning Ling said, “Junior-apprentice brother Qin, please go back. I wish to continue cultivating.”

Qin Yu took a deep breath and said. “I have something to say to senior-apprentice sister Ning. Please come out.”

After a long silence, the cabin door opened from within. Ning Ling appeared. There was no change to her appearance, but from the tips of her brows, to her pupils, every inch of her seemed to radiate a noble and indifferent aura, a sanctity that could not be defiled. Faint and without any fluctuations in mood, it was like a goddess descended to the mortal world.

A sense of disgust appeared in Qin Yu’s heart and an icy chill shined in his eyes. But in the next moment, he hurriedly suppressed his feelings. He forced out a smile, “Senior-apprentice sister Ning, you seem to have become a bit different.”

A complex light appeared deep within Ning Ling’s eyes, but soon vanished from sight. “Junior-apprentice brother Qin, it’s not just me that has changed. You are no longer the same person you were.

“I still haven’t congratulated junior-apprentice brother Qin. Now that your Demon Body has made a breakthrough, there are no longer any obstacles blocking you from the great dao of Nascent Soul. From here on out, in this part of the world, you may freely wander wherever you please.” action

Qin Yu looked at Ning Ling. He listened to her speak, but for some reason, abrupt anger and mania filled his heart. His voice rose, “Senior-apprentice sister Ning, what happened? Why…why are you avoiding me?”

Ning Ling lowered her head. “Junior-apprentice brother Qin Yu is overthinking things. I have always been like this, so if I have made a mistake somewhere, I hope that you can forgive me.”

It was this polite and indifferent attitude again, words that seemed to keep a thousand miles between them. Qin Yu clenched his teeth and grabbed onto her. “Senior-apprentice sister Ning, can it be that you don’t understand my feelings towards you…?”

When he caught Ning Ling, his palm seemed to pierce through some invisible divide. Then, the warm and soft palm that he grabbed suddenly turned as hot as red iron. There was a sharp hissing sound that made one’s scalp tingle.

Next, that blinding golden light and that rich black both erupted in an instant, as if splitting the world in two halves.

Rumble rumble –

A terrifying collision erupted. Shockwaves burst out, instantly sweeping through the entire valley. The cabin behind Ning Ling was instantly smashed to bits. Pieces of grass fluttered in the air and great fissures ripped through the earth, making it look as if some great typhoon had passed through the area.

Countless cultivators throughout Severed Spirit Mountain looked up in astonishment. In the skies, there were two colors of gold and black confronting each other, their horrifying aura rapidly spreading out.

Hu –

Wild winds bent trees and flipped boulders.

In the eye of the storm, Qin Yu held onto Ning Ling with a stunned look. His palm had turned a dark blood red and even the skin began to melt away to reveal the crimson flesh beneath. But, he didn’t seem to sense anything. He only stared in a daze at Ning Ling, sensing the ice cold hostility coming from within her body.

How could this be…?

Ning Ling lightly said, “Junior-apprentice brother Qin, do you now understand why I avoided you?” She lowered her head, frowning, disgust etched on her face. “Let go.”

Qin Yu’s heart shrank. He subconsciously loosened his hand. The surface layer of flesh and blood wriggled about and regrew in just several breaths of time. But right now he didn’t pay any attention to the incredible regenerative abilities of the Demon Body. He was only looking at that familiar yet strange face right in front of him.

She was Ning Ling. But, she was no longer the Ning Ling of before.

That trace of disgust was like an arrow that pierced into his heart. No matter how formidable his willpower, he still felt a stabbing pain. He looked up, right into her eyes, and asked, “Senior-apprentice sister Ning, can you tell me exactly what is happening?”

Ning Ling fell silent. Then, she slowly said, “Since ancient times, gods and demons have never been able to coexist. Junior-apprentice brother Qin has obtained the demonic bloodline from within my body, so now you have stepped into the demonic path. As for me, a descendant of the divine, our auras and strength now stand in contrast, repulsing and repelling each other. Even when standing nearby, our blood will rage and we will develop feelings of disgust and loathing. If there is contact…you’ve seen what the result is.”

Qin Yu opened his mouth. After a long time, he spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse. “Senior-apprentice sister Ning, you knew this would happen?”

Ning Ling nodded. “That’s right.”

Qin Yu looked at her. “Why? If I knew that obtaining the demonic bloodline from you meant that I would never be able to be with you, I would rather have never done so!”

Ning Ling lightly said, “Junior-apprentice brother Qin, what kind of words are those? As cultivators, you and I bravely stride forwards, seeking the great dao regardless of the price. The demonic bloodline can help junior-apprentice brother Qin reach Nascent Soul. This is such a great fortune, and the only cost is that you and I can no longer meet, so what is the problem? Moreover, expelling the demonic bloodline from my body is also beneficial to me.”

“If I can no longer see senior-apprentice sister Ning, then I would rather this Demon Body not have made a breakthrough.” Qin Yu’s eyes were hard. “Without the demonic bloodline, I can still make a breakthrough with my Demon Body and reach Nascent Soul. Today, I will destroy the bloodline in my body.”

He lifted a hand and smashed his chest. There was the sound of breaking bone. Then, the back of his robes burst apart and the demonic face appeared once more, its face full of anger.

Kacha –

Kacha –

The flesh and bone within his body shook and shattered. The surface of his skin rose up and blue veins wriggled all over. Countless tiny cracks appeared on his body and dark beads of red blood dripped out, seeping through his robes.

Ning Ling was stunned. She never imagined that Qin Yu would make such an extreme decision after learning the truth!

“You are insane!”

She could no longer maintain her cold indifference. She threw herself forwards and grabbed onto Qin Yu’s hand. Tears gushed out, flowing down her cheeks. “The demonic bloodline has become a part of the Demon Body, meaning it is part of you. If you destroy it, you will also die!”

Qin Yu grabbed her. The demonic bloodline in his body seemed to sense his craziness and restrained itself so that it avoided colliding with Ning Ling’s divine bloodline.

“Ning Ling, I know you hold me in your heart! No matter how cruel or indifferent you try to pretend to be, you cannot fool me!”

Ning Ling looked up, her eyes reddening. “You don’t blame me for deceiving you?”

Qin Yu wiped away her tears. “I don’t.”

Without anything else, just these two words were enough to warm her.

“But you must remember. Regardless of what happens from now on, you cannot use this type of method to reject me and alienate me.”

Ning Ling cried as she said, “Qin Yu! I’m leaving! I will be leaving here!”

She finally spoke the truth.

Ning Ling and the Gold Noble Family weren’t people of this world. They came from far away, a vast and endless world separated by a barrier of heaven and earth: the Land of Divinity and Demons.

Ning Ling’s mother lived there and was imprisoned. She was being punished for her crimes and was suffering. Ning Ling needed to go back and save her.

“I…I have already awakened my bloodline…my clan will soon arrive and bring me back to the Land of Divinity and Demons. Qin Yu, I will be leaving, I will be gone…” Ning Ling cried out. She rarely had such strong emotional outbursts. Originally, she wanted to coldly refuse Qin Yu so that he would wallow in despair and sorrow and then forget her as she left.

But today, Qin Yu’s decisive actions had shattered the icy cold exterior she concealed herself with. She wanted to stay with him, to be together with him, but her mother was suffering in the Land of Divinity and Demons.

How could she abandon her own mother?

Qin Yu could feel her pain and helplessness. He gently caressed her hair. “The Land of Divinity and Demons? It’s fine if you go. No matter how far away you are, I will find you.”

Ning Ling sobbed and shook her head. Qin Yu didn’t know what sort of place the Land of Divinity and Demons was. In that vast and endless world, there was an inexhaustible number of powerhouses. Nascent Souls could just barely be classified as first-class powerhouses. Higher level existences were like stars in the skies there, so many that they couldn’t be quantified.

Here, perhaps he might be a peak existence. But to the Land of Divinity and Demons, he wasn’t anything at all. Moreover, it was impossible that he would be brought there. There was no way for him to enter that world.

All these words were jumbled together in her heart. Ning Ling wanted to tell Qin Yu not to wait for her. She wanted him to pretend that she died long ago, and for him to find a beautiful young lady and live a good life with her. But no matter how many times these words reached the tip of her tongue, she still couldn’t bring herself to say them. If she told him, just how sad would he be?

As Ning Ling’s thoughts were in confusion, her complexion changed. She looked up into the skies.

Qin Yu could also feel a formidable strength appear. It was like a sword from beyond the heavens, crossing through endless space to arrive here.

Bang –

The skies shattered. A black vortex appeared. A massive turtle came crawling out, two cultivators on its back, both of them with icy cold eyes.