Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 544B – Hopes Shattered

Chapter 544B – Hopes Shattered

In the long life of a cultivator, a year was like a flashing comet in the skies. If one didn’t pay attention, it would soon howl off into the unseen distance.

On this day, Holy Nether City was incomparably peaceful. But in this peace, one could feel a boundless constrained strength. It was like a bow that had been pulled past its limits. Once the opportunity arose, this bow would shoot out a heaven-shocking arrow, tearing apart all obstacles in its way.

Hai Lanlan looked at Qin Yu’s calm profile. She couldn’t figure out why he was so eager to walk this road of almost certain death. Was the outside world really something he couldn’t sever himself from? Or, was there someone waiting for him?

As her thoughts moved, an almost imperceptible gentleness appeared in her faint eyes. Qin Yu could stay in Holy Nether City in peace and comfort. Although it was the same as being imprisoned here, as the Lord Commander who had the approval of the Holy Nether Guard, he could live a life far more satisfying than what the vast majority of people in the outside world experienced.

If he could discard all of this without hesitation and step onto a road of unknown life or death, this required an immense amount of courage. It was something worth praising.

However, Hai Lanlan couldn’t figure out why such a courageous person did all that ridiculous stuff from before? She shook her head, suppressing these thoughts. Her eyes became faint once more. She looked up towards the great sea above her eyes and decisiveness began to flood her face.

She had already agreed to Uncle Fu Shan’s request. So, no matter what price she had to pay, she would ensure that he survived.

Death…that wasn’t something she feared. But, if she could see the skies outside before she died, that would bring her satisfaction before she perished.

She would treat it as completing what her father couldn’t achieve in the past.

After fully completing the fusion, Tuba and Tutou’s bodies had become even more grand and towering. As the two stood there without expression, they were like two terrifying vicious beasts that had taken human form. Every breath they took released a potent aura that shook the mind.

They saw Hai Lanlan. This delicate girl seemed as if she could be flicked away with a single finger. But, neither of them dared to underestimate her. After obtaining the remnant cultivations of the previous generations of Holy Nether Guards, their senses had become even sharper. They could perceive a dangerous aura coming from her petite body.

Moreover, what left Tuba and Tutou satisfied was that there was a vague indifferent on Hai Lanlan’s face. This was a mood that completely disregarded her own life or death. They wouldn’t mistake someone who was feeling the same way that they did.

In the end, the two people had a simple judgment. Anyone who was willing to abandon their own life to protect His Highness was a good person.

Fu Shan knelt down. “Commander, I hope your journey goes smoothly!” He had already done everything he could, so there was nothing much left to say. And, if he spoke much more, he was worried he would reveal his own nerve-wracked feelings.

Hualala –

Behind him one could see 100,000 Holy Nether Guards kneeling in place. They joined together to form a sea of red. Armor clashed and collided and the waves of sound left one’s mind rushing.

“I pray for the Lord Commander to Ascend to Heaven!”

At this moment, Wang Chao was kneeling on the ground with everyone else. His heart beat like a rapid drum. Beneath his helmet, his lips were shivering due to anxiousness.

The Lord Commander had to succeed, he had to!

Qin Yu was originally prepared to quietly leave; he never thought that Fu Shan would cause such a commotion today. Still, he had to acknowledge that his heart was affected. A heroic and valiant spirit filled his chest.

He took a deep breath and slowly said, “I know that many of you still think of me as a stranger. But since I am the Commander of the Holy Nether Guard, I will surely be responsible for all of you. I ask that you all rest assured. I am not rushing into my own death. Since I dare to take the road of Sea Burial, I naturally have my reasons.

“I guarantee you all that I will return before long. At that time, perhaps the Holy Nether Guard will finally retrieve their freedom!”

Qin Yu turned around, “Move out!”

He took one step out. His figure shot into the skies.

Tuba and Tutou stepped forwards. The ground shook and caved in and countless cracks appeared. Their towering figures were suddenly thrust upwards, following close behind.

Compared to the two titans, Hai Lanlan didn’t make any movements at all. An invisible strength lifted her delicate body and she floated up like a fairy.

Fu Shan took out a blood stone from his chest and fiercely tossed it onto the ground. As the blood stone smashed apart, he opened his mouth and shouted out from the depths of his throat, “Road of Sea Burial, open!”

In the legends, it was said that long ago the stone used to open the road was pure white in color. But every time a person died in the road of Sea Burial, the stone would gain a tiny dot of blood red color. The blood red color gradually increased until it finally linked up into an endless stretch that became its current appearance.

Just how many Holy Nether Guards had died in the road of Sea Burial? If asked, Fu Shan would immediately give them an accurate number: 34,568 people. He took a deep breath, looking at the four figures that flew out from Holy Nether City. He earnestly hoped that this number would not grow once more.

If the Commander were to die today, then the Holy Nether Guard would only have that final choice left remaining to them…while they all might die in a sea of bloody battle, there would no longer be any path to retreat to.

The road of Sea Burial opened. The moment they stepped out of Holy Nether City, Hai Lanlan gently wrinkled her eyebrows together. Her bloodline possessed a formidable specialty that was compatible with the sea. Right now, she could sense an intense evil intent being exerted upon the four of them by the surrounding sea.

Hai Lanlan took a deep breath and a subtle aura emanated from her body. As it fused into the surrounding sea, it was like a gentle palm, comforting the feelings of malice and loathing. Thus, the sea region remained calm as before. The four of them rapidly sped upwards, not encountering any troubles.

Tuba and Tutou couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow. Fu Shan had narrated a great deal of information to them concerning the road of Sea Burial, as well as many various methods to deal with the potential dangers they might encounter. But they had been in the sea for a long time already and there hadn’t been a single disturbance. This seemed different from what Fu Shan said. Could their luck be good and they hadn’t encountered the suppression of the Endless Sea? It had to be known that based on their current speed, they would break out of the sea soon.

Qin Yu turned his head and looked over Hai Lanlan. There was no change in her expression. If he didn’t receive a reminder from Meimei, he wouldn’t have noticed that she had already made her move.

Fu Shan’s arrangements were truly reasonable. This girl could actually obtain so much peaceful time for them. But, he knew when it was time to stop. If this continued any longer, she might suffer a backlash.

Qin Yu stopped. He turned and grabbed Hai Lanlan’s hand. Before she could react with anger or surprise, he said, “That’s enough. You can stop here. From here on out, I will protect you, so make sure you restore yourself.”

Hai Lanlan hesitated for a moment. Although she felt a bit of resistance, she knew that this was the best choice. She took a deep breath and nodded. Once she closed her eyes, beads of sweat instantly appeared, drenching her hair. Her face turned pale white.

Qin Yu relaxed. He was somewhat worried that Hai Lanlan might not cooperate because of her previous prejudices towards him. But now he saw that he didn’t need to deal with such needless troubles. He turned and welcomed Tuba and Tutou’s shocked expressions. It didn’t take much to know what they were thinking. He said with an ill-humored tone, “Put away your thoughts. It’s your turn now.”

Before his voice fell, the previously incomparably quiet and peaceful Endless Sea became turbulent and raging. Loud rumbles roared all around. Tuba and Tutou separated, one taking the right and the other taking the left, protecting Qin Yu and Hai Lanlan between them. They roared out loud and terrifying blood fluctuations erupted from their bodies. Then, like two divine mountains within the sea, they blocked all the undercurrents that hurtled towards them.

The road of Sea Burial was a ray of hope left behind to the Holy Nether Guard. At the same time, it served as a warning to those who tried to change their destiny. Thus, after opening the road, those that stayed behind in Holy Nether City were given the ability to clearly see everything that happened to Qin Yu and the others…this was to show them the pitiful fate of those who tried to resist their destiny, to serve as a warning to all those in the future that they shouldn’t try to change something that had already been decided for them.

As the deep sea erupted with shocking waves, Fu Shan tensed up. This was because he knew that the true test was finally beginning!

“Lord Commander, no matter what, please survive!” Old thieving heavens, since you decided to give my Holy Nether Guard a glimpse of hope, please don’t take it away!

Tuba and Tutou easily resisted the waves. After undergoing the cultivation fusion, they each possessed a terrifying strength that surpassed a Blue Sea. If they joined forces they could even contend with Qin Yu. And with their incomparably potent bodies, they simply didn’t fear the shaking strength of the undercurrents. They were the best-suited to opening the road ahead.

But there was no relaxation on the faces of these two, because the game had just begun. Moreover, the threat within the road of Sea Burial came not just from the Endless Sea itself.

Bang –

There was another fierce collision. Before the undercurrent could approach Tuba it was already crushed to nothing by a tyrannical strength. But as this undercurrent collapsed, a large fish with golden scales appeared. Its tail rapidly swung about, rushing forward like a whistling dark golden arrow. Tuba’s extremely powerful blood energy fluctuations were only able to slow it down a little.

“Come on!” He roared out loud and punched forward. Because of how dreadful the force behind his fist was, it shattered the water in front of him, causing a white line extending straight out.

The dark golden fish cried out pitifully as it was sent hurtling away. One could clearly see countless cracks appear on its surface. Then, its scales began to disintegrate, revealing the flesh below. Golden blood poured out from all across its body.

Seeing this, Tuba’s complexion changed. “That’s impossible!”

At the same time, in Holy Nether City, Fu Shan also emitted a cry of alarm. The three Lieutenants around him instantly paled.

Wang Chao’s heart shrank. Disregarding his disrespectful actions, he shouted out, “What happened?! Why is the fish’s blood gold?”

Hua Yanting and Huang Shan clearly discovered the horrified expressions appearing on the faces of those around them, as if they saw something terrifying.

No one replied to Wang Chao’s question. The scene in front of them caused the fields of vision of those watching to flash black, as if all the strength were being sucked out of their bodies.

It was clear that this golden blood contained some strange information…

Wang Chao rushed ahead. His eyes were cold. “Vice Commander, I need to know just what the Lord Commander has encountered.” His voice was calm, but there was a brutality beneath the surface. His eyes began to turn red. If something were to happen to the Commander, he had no idea how he would react.

This was an extremely impolite and rude questioning, but no one bothered to scold Wang Chao for offending his superiors. Even Yuan Zhen, who valued rules and customs the most, couldn’t summon the strength to speak.

Fu Shan’s voice was hoarse, like someone who had walked through the desert for many days without water. “Through the countless recorded incidents of the road of Sea Burial being opened, there have been some exceptionally tragic attempts. Everyone that stepped into the road of Sea Burial was submerged and swallowed up by monster beasts of the Endless Sea, without any strength to resist.” There was a dazed look on his face. He paused and then continued, “In those tragic attempts, golden blood has already appeared…to our knowledge, that golden blood represents an extremely intense attraction for monster beasts in the sea and it will even cause them to fall into a berserk state…”

Wang Chao instantly froze. The road of Sea Burial was said to have ten chances of death and no chances of survival. If someone were to encounter something like this too, then that was almost ensured annihilation. He shivered and began to release a cold sweat. “No, that’s not possible, that cannot happen! Hurry and have the Commander return! He just left not too long ago; he can definitely withdraw in time!”

Fu Shan shook his head. “Once the road of Sea Burial begins, one can only advance; there is no retreat. There is no longer any time.” He seemed to instantly age. His back bent and a dreary aura surrounded him.

The hopes of the Holy Nether Guard had been shattered!