Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 412 - Captive

Beneath the vast skies, yin yang energy gathered together into a vast lake. Loud rumbling sounds filled the skies and faint traces of black and white fused together, turning a clear and faint blue gray. To a degree, this was the chaos energy that existed in the endless nothingness before the formation of the world. This sort of energy possessed a mysterious strength that was able to evolve into all things in the world. Of course, this bluish gray energy only had a small portion of the attributes of chaos energy.

Ning Ling clenched her fists. The yin and yang energies were beginning to fuse together; this was the sign of entering the ninth level of the Primordial Singular Energy Art. Qin Yu had started on the final step and was beginning to attack the highest boundary. Looking at the speed at which the yin and yang energies were fusing together, he was perfectly controlling them. There had been no accidents yet at least.

He had already succeeded halfway!

The first step of combining yin and yang energies was the most difficult. As long as he could smoothly finish this stage, both sides would fuse together more and more, creating an increasingly powerful inertia. This inertia would force the yin and yang energies to fuse together in a short period of time.

Qin Yu, you are doing well! As long as you can maintain this speed you will soon succeed!

Bang –

With a heaven-shaking rumbling, the two vast lakes of black and white collided and touched together. After the edges violently trembled, they began to slowly emerge together.

Everything proceeded smoothly. An hour later, the yin and yang energies were halfway finished fusing. Even with Ning Ling’s faint temper, she still couldn’t help but reveal a look of excitement. As long as he took another step further and fused together most of the yin and yang energies, the inertia would appear and the ninth level of the Primordial Singular Energy Art could be considered complete.

But as the black and white lakes were halfway blended, a trembling suddenly occurred. It was like a great repelling strength had formed. Ning Ling stiffened, her eyes filling with panic and shock. Before she could respond, the fused yin and yang energies in the skies suddenly began to collapse.

Purple Moon’s complexion changed. She grabbed onto Ning Ling and pulled her away. With a single step, she appeared dozens of miles away.

A giant mushroom cloud formed of black and white ascended from where Qin Yu had been cultivating. Space trembled. Then, as if a hand of god had wiped away at the world, the entire region for ten miles all around was instantly turned into powder.

Ning Ling watched with wide helpless eyes as all of this occurred. Blood drained from her face and her body shivered. All that was left in her eyes was deep despair.

Qin Yu….failed…how could he…fail…

Purple Moon had a heavy complexion. “Ning Ling, I also feel sad that this sort of thing occurred, but what has happened has happened; you must hold on!”

Puff –

Ning Ling spat out a mouthful of blood. Her body wavered and her eyes began to dim down.

Purple Moon was greatly shocked. She could feel several incredibly chaotic strengths within Ning Ling’s body that were on the verge of collapse. She lifted a hand and pointed down several times, forcefully sealing away her cultivation.

“Ning Ling, you have gone insane! Hurry and restrain your strength, otherwise you will die!”

“Honorable master…cough…Qin Yu has died and this disciple doesn’t wish to live alone…please allow me to go together with him…I beg you, master…”

Purple Moon hurriedly said, “Good disciple, I know that you have deep feelings for Qin Yu, but do you know how or why he died? Do you think he could have committed suicide?” Seeing a fluctuation in Ning Ling’s eyes, she continued to say, “Qin Yu’s cultivation of the Primordial Singular Energy Art had gone smoothly and there wasn’t any problem in fusing together the yin and yang energies together. He was already more than hallway finished, so how could he have failed so suddenly? I suspect that someone has done something!”

Ning Ling clenched her teeth, “I ask master to bring me over!”

“Fine!”

Shua –

The two people instantly arrived at the place where yin and yang energies had exploded. A terrifying strength still tumbled around on the outside, but with Purple Moon there, it wasn’t able to touch them at all.

It was just that outside the area where the yin and yang energies were raging, there were traces of pure demonic energy.

Purple Moon coldly said, “The Demonic Path! I knew it had to be them! Qin Yu was brought back to my Nineheaven Mirrormoon Palace to cultivate the Primordial Singular Energy Art. The Demonic Path couldn’t look on without doing anything while a Demon Son who managed to achieve an Undying True Demon Body decided to change paths and join my Immortal Sect. So, they didn’t hesitate to pay the price to kill Qin Yu!

“Ning Ling, this is also my failure because of my negligence. I never imagined that the Demonic Path would be so rampant as to kill people in my Nineheaven Mirrormoon Palace! But, you do not need to worry. I will surely give you an explanation for this!”

Ning Ling muttered to herself, “Demonic Path…” She took a deep breath, the look in her eyes becoming bone-chillingly cold.

….

At a mountain peak with lingering black fog, sunlight sprinkled down unscrupulously, easily killing off many black plants that grew on the mountain peak and were exposed to the sunlight. It was clear that a powerful protective array formation had created the black fog, but now it had been torn to pieces and completely destroyed.

Flames burned. Amongst numerous giant palaces, many thunderclaps sounded out, accompanied by miserable cries. It was clear that a great war of annihilation was being fought here.

Without warning, at the edges of a half-collapsed palace, space trembled and a fissure appeared. A body bathed in blood with an incredibly weak aura flew out from the fissure. It landed on the floor in an utter mess. action

In the next moment, the spatial fissure closed and vanished.

In the skies above, a black-clothed old man suddenly frowned. Looking somewhere at the shattered palace, he seemed as if he had sensed a spatial fluctuation. But this place had already been sealed away by a spell, so it was impossible for a transmission to occur.

“Elder Wang, what is it?” A cultivator to his side asked with furrowed eyebrows.

The black-clothed old man hesitated for a moment and then said, “Perhaps it was nothing. I was just mistaken.” He turned and coldly said, “Search for it! We must find the Monster Raising Mystic Art!”

An hour later, the disciples gathered from various directions with nothing to show for their search.

Elder Wang coldly sneered, “From the moment we began we sealed away this space. No one from the Giant Monster Sect should have been able to run away. There must be some people who hid the Monster Raising Mystic Art! We cannot stay here for too long. Grab all the captives and completely destroy the entrance to the Giant Monster Sect. We will slowly interrogate them for the whereabouts of the Monster Raising Mystic Art later.”

A moment later, a group of cultivators searched through the collapsed palaces. A cultivator pointed a finger, “There’s another one here. Take him away!”

The man that appeared from the spatial fissure was crudely taken away by several men in his unconscious state. He was tossed into a large prison cart before being brought soaring into the skies.

Moments later, the ground trembled and the skies thundered. Destructive flames erupted and the entire Giant Monster Sect was enveloped. Everything was burnt to ashes without a single trace left behind.

…

A boundless darkness was like a heavy and ice cold sea, constantly drowning his consciousness. Although it didn’t suffocate him, it made him feel endless despair.

After struggling for an unknown period of time, Qin Yu’s consciousness was finally restored to clarity. He opened his eyes with difficulty to discover he was in a crowded and bumpy environment. A blinding light and deafening ringing caused him to not be able to sense anything further away.

Suddenly, the jolting stopped. Qin Yu’s body tumbled about and his head seemed to hit something hard. A loud crack spread through his bones to his mind and he fell into a dark stupor once more.

“You trash from the Great Monster Sect, you had best get out of my way! I urge you to not have any small thoughts, otherwise you will resent your parents for bringing you into this world!”

“You pig-headed idiot, hurry up! If you continue dawdling about, it won’t be as simple as the whip next time!”

Several cultivators in purple robes were wickedly pushing cultivators that were walking down from a prison cart. These people all had their cultivations sealed and their pupils were filled with fear.

“There’s another one? Stop pretending to be dead and get down from there!”

“He probably fainted.”

“Fuck, if the superiors hadn’t said that we couldn’t kill them without good reason, I would have already fed him to the dogs by now!”

“Bring over two men and lift him down! Check out his injuries. Make sure he doesn’t die in our hands!”

Two Giant Monster Sect cultivators in relatively good condition carefully lifted Qin Yu and followed behind the rest of the group. They moved towards a dark prison cell in the depths of the ground.

“His wounds are heavy…he shouldn’t be able to survive…help treat his wounds…we’ve done all we can…”

“The higher up…shouldn’t blame us…let’s go…”

Following that, Qin Yu could feel his mouth being forcefully pulled open. A pill was thrust in as well as some clear water.

The water poured down his air pipe but he couldn’t even choke. His consciousness was restored for a second time before he fell into darkness once more.

The third time he woke up, it was already two days later. There were pitiful screams and shouts filling his air.

“I don’t know, I really don’t know!”

“I beg you to kill me! Just kill me!”

“Ahh! You Black Demon Sect bastards! If I ever make it out alive I will slaughter your families!”

There were male voices and female voices, all of them shivering with pain and anguish. If a person with a weaker will were to hear all of this, even their mind would begin to tremble.

Qin Yu opened his eyes that were covered in blood. He could finally see that he was in some sort of prison. The shouts and cries around him and the irritating stenches that filled the air indicated he was in a bad situation. But at the very least he was alive.

Thinking of this, his eyes filled with rejoice, followed by an icy cold hatred. He took a deep breath, suppressing his tumbling thoughts. He tried to summon Undying, but there was no response from the strange summoned life form. It seemed that his current condition wasn’t too good either.

Sensing with his mind, he found that the Ninerealm Holy Land Saint Son Token was there as usual. But with his divine sense sealed away, there was no way for him to activate it. He couldn’t even summon Tuba or Tutou.

It looked like he could only depend upon himself for now.

Qin Yu closed his eyes and started to sense his current condition. His body seemed to have been sealed away by some fierce spell method. His originally dried up magic power was completely imprisoned; he wasn’t able to move even a little bit of it. As for his injuries…Qin Yu bitterly smiled. Even he was surprised that he had lived for this long!

His magic power was imprisoned and his mortal body had sustained losses so great that it was on the verge of collapse. In a situation where he couldn’t even draw in heaven and earth spiritual energy, much less recovering from these severe wounds, he feared they would worsen until he finally died. This condition wasn’t one that common pills could restore. He should have stayed unconscious until he passed away, so why had he woken up?

His cultivation was imprisoned and he couldn’t use his divine sense. But, he could faintly feel two anomalies within him. In his mind and in his dantian sea, there seemed to be two strengths. One cool, one warm, they constantly released faint traces of strength that nourished his soul and warmed his body.

Almost immediately, Qin Yu thought of the purple moon in his soul space and the blue sun in his dantian sea. It should be the strength brought by these two things that was slowly easing his wounds.

Unfortunately, this sort of recovery speed was too slow. If he wanted to restore himself to his original state, he had no idea just how long it would take.

Qin Yu sighed, a helpless look filling his eyes. It was no longer useful to consider these things. He could only take things as they came, one step at a time.

Perhaps because his injuries were too heavy and they worried that he wouldn’t be able to withstand the interrogation and die, while the cultivators were taken out from the prison and brought for the torture interrogation, Qin Yu had never been among them.

In an instant, a month passed. The Black Demon Sect cultivators might have been restrained during their interrogations at the start, but because they didn’t obtain any harvests, they became increasingly cruel and ruthless.

In a short three days, 17 Giant Monster Sect cultivators had become corpses. Then, in front of all the other cultivators, the corpses were thrown into a large cage where they were torn apart by ravenous dogs.

Qin Yu wasn’t afraid of these sights, but he began to grow anxious. The Black Demon Sect became increasingly cruel and brutal with their actions. There wasn’t much time left.

In a quiet room within the dungeon –

Although it was relatively clear here, it was still dimly lit. The smell of blood from two people filled the room.

“It’s been a month and we still haven’t had any harvests. The higher ups in the sect aren’t happy with our results. We must speed up the process.”

“Humph! That thing must be here. I don’t believe they can resist our interrogation!”

“Alright, there isn’t a need to speak more. Those we have secretly selected should have watched the play for long enough. They should be relaxed by now. Tomorrow we will begin to interrogate them.”

“Mm, I will immediately arrange it.”

One person stood up and quickly left. As he did, he revealed the fair and clear face of the other person. This person looked young. His fingers were clean and slender, without any dirt on them.

“Just where is it hidden? Haha, even I am curious.” A low and hoarse voice echoed through the quiet room, causing chills to run up one’s spine.

The interrogation continued.

Finally, seven days later, the door of Qin Yu’s cage was opened.

A Black Demon Sect cultivator arched an eyebrow. “I never thought that a little brat like you would have such a tough life. You even managed to survive such severe injuries. Let me give you a little bit of advice. If you know anything then hurry up and spill it, otherwise you will regret having lived this long.” He waved his hand, “Bring him out and take him to Lord Evil Ghost’s interrogation room.”

Behind him, two Black Demon Sect cultivator’s revealed looks of fear as their pupils shrank.

Qin Yu clenched his fists in his sleeves behind his back. But he loosened them in the next moment and revealed a panic-stricken appearance. Then, he was carried away by the two other Black Demon Sect cultivators.

After leaving the cage, before walking too far, the leading Black Demon Sect cultivator respectfully stopped in front of an interrogation room and said, “Lord Evil Ghost, today’s criminal has arrived.”

“Mm, bring him in.” A light voice transmitted outwards. There was no dark or ghostly tone to it, and it even sounded a bit warm. But it was this warmness that caused the three Black Demon Sect cultivators to all pale.

The leading cultivator squeezed out a smile. “Yes.” He turned and ordered, “You two, bring him in!”

He had already dodged to the side.

The two cursed inwardly but at this time they didn’t dare to hesitate. Because if they managed to anger Lord Evil Ghost, they were all dead.

The door was fearfully pushed open. What entered Qin Yu’s line of sight was a middle-aged man sitting behind a wooden table. He wore long white robes and he was smiling and drinking tea at the moment. His temperament was mild and he seemed relaxed, everything the demeanor of a gentleman.

“Oh, today’s criminal. He doesn’t look that bad.” This person that was for some reason called Evil Ghost suddenly walked over, his eyes brightened. He put his teacup down and approached Qin Yu, an excited look rising on his face. “What a rich blood energy. Not bad, not bad!”

He rubbed his hands together. “You may all leave. If there isn’t anything, then don’t disturb me for the next two days! If I manage to get something from the interrogation I will tell you. But if there aren’t any results, you don’t have to worry about this person anymore!”

The two Black Demon Sect cultivators quickly excused themselves and closed the door. While they had happy expressions, they also looked back with sympathy. Lord Evil Ghost had actually taken a liking to this bastard from the Giant Monster Sect. No matter what he knew, he was already doomed. Thinking of what would happen to the person, even if these two were cruel and ruthless people of their generation, they still couldn’t help but glance at each other and shiver in fear.

Behind the doors of the interrogation room, Evil Ghost grabbed onto Qin Yu. Although his body seemed frail, he was incredibly strong. His arms were like iron rings, “Brat, even if you know something, don’t confess too easily. I want to have some fun today.”

With a low chuckle, he brought Qin Yu to a corner of the interrogation room. Stepping on something, a secret door opened and then a strong smell of blood rushed out.

Behind this secret door was the true execution ground. All sorts of terrifying torture tools were cleaned up and placed all around the walls. They sparkled with a cold metallic luster beneath the light of a bright spirit lamp.

In contrast, the ground was covered in layers upon layers of bloodstains. And what was most terrifying was that one could see hairs and bone fragments within these accumulated bloodstains.

There was a wooden torture frame, but it was no longer possible to see that frame’s original color; its entire surface was covered in blood, much of it fresh. It was clear that it hadn’t been too long since the last person was here.

A wild dog was tied up in a corner of the torture room. One of its eyes was blind and its fangs were yellow and incomplete. It was clear that this dog was very old, but the ferocity in its single eye left one cold to the bone. At this time, the wild dog crawled up to its feet and constantly made circles, swinging its tail about as it howled in joy.

Evil Ghost smiled. “You can smell his scent too, right? It’s really good, isn’t it? Don’t worry, since when have I kept everything for myself? There will definitely be a share for you.” His eyes as he looked at Qin Yu were incomparably gentle. “Alright, let us start.”

With a flick of his hand, Qin Yu flew against the wall. The shackles on the torture frame automatically flew up and wrapped around him. Evil Ghost licked his lips and said, “Normally, before I begin my interrogation, I like to play some small games. But for some reason when I’m facing you, I can’t seem to resist you at all. Then, let me first taste your flavor.”

He turned, looking around. Then, he chose a knife with a blade as thin as a cicada’s wing. Evil Ghost walked up to Qin Yu and the knife in his hand fell like a bolt of lightning. Qin Yu trembled as a thin layer of his flesh was directly cut off.

Evil Ghost put the knife in front of his face, smelling the fresh blood on it. He took a deep breath and then placed the flesh between his lips, slowly chewing on it. After several breaths of time, a burning heat filled his eyes as if he had been stimulated. “What delicious blood energy. I have never experienced anything so formidable before. Even my entire body is shaking.”

Wu ~ wu ~

The wild dog in the corner began to howl.

Evil Ghost turned and angrily shouted, “Shut up!” He wiped the blood from the corners of his lips. “He is mine, everything is mine! You can forget sharing anything…at most I will give you some meaty bones!”

The wild dog seemed to dread Evil Ghost. With a howl it lay on the ground. But, its single eye never left Qin Yu. It seemed that as long as it was given a single chance, it would rush forward without hesitation and tear off a piece of flesh!