Deep sea, abyss –

The ice cold seawater was dark, so dark that one couldn’t see their fingers in front of their face. Qin Yu lay face up in the sand, buried by silt. His aura was nonexistent, making him seem like a log of dead wood.

Several strange deep sea fish randomly wandered near him. These deep sea fish had eyes that had degenerated over the generations because light didn’t reach this far below the waters.

But, when the fins of these strange fish bumped into Qin Yu’s finger, they blew up without any warning at all. It was like a dark red flower blooming in the waters.

The remaining strange fish fled in fright. But, after discovering that there weren’t any dangers, their instinctual desire for food overcame their previous alarm and fear. They cautiously wandered back, eating bits of their fallen companions’ flesh and blood. Then, with a sense of satisfaction, they slowly meandered away.

Qin Yu’s eyes were still closed. He didn’t sense anything occurring in the outside world. But, with that scene just now, anyone could tell what sort of dreadful vibrational strength was contained in that dead log-like body of his.

Though he was as silent as a stone, there was a roaring flame inside him, one that raged like a volcano.

In this icy cold and pitch black environment, time seemed especially long but also uniquely meaningless. After an unknown period of time passed, silt began to stir in that deathly silent environment. A patiently waiting crab was excited; it had already been hungry for many, many days.

But soon, disappointment appeared in the crab’s eyes. The thing that stirred up silt was a ‘big fish’. Although it was hungry, it knew that it wasn’t a match for the big fish and if it ran over it would only be feeding itself to it. It might as well honestly wait here for food to appear.

As the disappointment-filled crab went into hiding once more, Big Fish Qin rapidly retreated with a confused look in his eyes. The chaotic memories that were jumbled up in his mind began to gradually reappear and sort themselves.

Capital city, heavenly tribulation, thunder beast…it seemed it was the thunder beast that had brought him here.

If he was alive then the thunder beast must have died. It was normal for it to vanish without a trace.

He rubbed his temples. Qin Yu stiffened. He recalled the agonizing pain he suffered before he fell unconscious. No matter how strong his willpower was, he didn’t want to recall those memories.

Luckily, he survived in the end.

Qin Yu sat down, sensing the changes in his body. Soon, he revealed a pleasant smile. After surviving a disaster, there were bound to be blessings afterwards; this saying couldn’t be any truer. Within his soul space, his cracked and damaged soul was now restored.

Moreover, there seemed to have been some changes.

Three days later, somewhere in the boundless sea region, the surface of the sea broke apart. Qin Yu’s figure shot out. He looked towards the great sun above his head and lightly smiled.

He glanced all around. The sea appeared the same no matter where he turned and it was almost impossible to find an identifying marker. But for Qin Yu, this was actually quite simple. His thoughts turned and the sea map appeared above his head, slowly unfurling.

Qin Yu glanced at it for several moments. After determining his position and locking onto the mainland, he put away the sea map and howled away in a beam of light.

He was a considerable distance away from the sea race’s capital city. But even if he wasn’t close, Qin Yu could never return there again. Without accident, the Sea Sovereign had already reached the Divine Soul realm. And if the Sea Sovereign decided to go back on his promise, there would be no bargaining between them.

So, he might as well leave.

It was just that he couldn’t question the priests about the key.

Whoosh –

A brilliant rainbow darted across the horizon!

…

One month later.

When the coastline appeared in his field of vision, Qin Yu revealed a happy smile. He had finally returned! The shore he chose to return to actually wasn’t too far away from the fishing village that Little Sea had gone to. Thinking about it, Qin Yu hid his aura and entered the fishing village.

Little Sea had indeed lived here for a period of time. But she had left around three months ago, and no one knew where she went.

Qin Yu smiled. He expressed his thanks towards a wizened old woman whose face was etched with time. Then, he turned and left. He had no intention of disturbing Little Sea’s life here. Since she had already left, there probably wasn’t a chance they would ever meet again.

He hoped she would live a happy life.

After leaving the coastal region, more and more cultivators appeared. Qin Yu soon discovered that the mainland was currently filled with a tense atmosphere. After paying a bit more attention, he found the reason behind it: the demonic path and Immortal Eclipse Valley were now as violent against each other as fire and water.

The specific cause was already lost in the chaos. Everyone only knew that both sides now had countless wounded and dead, and things had progressed far past any point of return.

The demonic path influence undoubtedly surpassed all others in scope and strength. Only if all righteous path sects joined forces, could they be a worthy opponent.

Immortal Eclipse Valley was known as the number one immortal sect, and their pill refining inheritance extended backwards across a glorious length of time. They had saved up an immeasurable amount of wealth and connections, and similarly showed disdain for all others.

Both of these sides decided to collide. Their turbulent war created a profound influence, so one could understand the current situation.

Qin Yu wryly smiled. In the beginning he had casually killed Bloodthirsty Demon, and since then, small scale conflicts had started to pop up all over between Immortal Eclipse Valley and the demonic path.

If it was said that the current situation was because of that initial event, then this was his responsibility.

But thinking more about it, there was no need to be too worried. Immortal Eclipse Valley had Pill Crucible, Jiang Li, Daoist Wang, and many others personally guarding their land. Even the demonic path didn’t have the means to easily shake their foundation. In the future, he could find some way to resolve this matter and further compensate them.

From when Qin Yu entered the sea region, including his short delay, around one whole year had passed.

He had to acknowledge that the reason he accelerated his pace was because of the news he obtained from that mysterious cultivator from Heavenseek Pavilion.

To enhance his Demon Body and break into Nascent Soul was his most vital objective at the moment. Once he succeeded, there shouldn’t be anyone else he needed to fear in this part of the world.

So, even if he dreaded Heavenseek Pavilion in his heart, he still decided to go and see them again.

Heavenseek Pavilion was incredibly famous. They spanned across the Southern Empire and Northern Dynasty. As long as there was a cultivator city of some size, there was most likely a branch division there.

Finding them was extremely simple.

Two days later, Qin Yu stepped into Heavenseek Pavilion. He didn’t conceal his status, so not long after he passed through the doors, a manager came out to personally greet and welcome him.

“Do you recognize me?”

The dark middle-aged cultivator didn’t deny it. He cupped his hands together and said, “A year ago I received a notice from headquarters. Once Lord Qin Yu arrives, we must treat you as a most honored guest. I ask for you to wait a moment. I have already sent a message; we will soon receive a response.”

Qin Yu nodded, not responding much.

In a luxuriously decorated room, Qin Yu drank fragrant tea. A serving maid wore a long dress tailored to fully expose her beautiful figure. Her submissive face hung low, her cheeks red, as if any person could go up and take hold of her.

If one really needed, she would not refuse.

Unfortunately, Qin Yu only drank tea. Besides the first moment when he glanced at her, he didn’t display anything else.

This caused the serving maid to bite her lips. A bit of hidden bitterness, just the right amount, flashed in her eyes.

She was capable of expressing her thoughts in a way that wouldn’t annoy others, but would instead arouse their pity and compassion.

Unfortunately, it was still useless.

An hour later there was a knock on the door. Then, a young man walked in, a congenial smile on his face. His expression was warm and gentle. He cupped his hands together and said, “Fellow daoist Qin Yu is truly a man of trust!”

Qin Yu lightly said, “Let’s speak business.”

The young man didn’t mind Qin Yu’s frosty attitude. He waved his hand and the maid rose up and left, closing the door behind her.

“Fellow daoist Qin Yu is a straightforward person. Then, I’ll get to the point. Have you ever heard of the Gold Noble Family before?”

Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows together. “Gold Noble Family?”

The young man sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. “It’s normal if fellow daoist Qin Yu doesn’t know of them. The Gold Noble Family is extremely hidden and besides a few people, no one else knows of their existence. However, if one carefully thinks about it, the Gold Noble Family should be one of the strongest influences within the Southern Empire and Northern Dynasty.”

He smiled. “Fellow daoist shouldn’t be anxious. Since I have mentioned it, I will certainly give you a satisfactory answer. However, as a price, I hope that fellow daoist Qin can agree to one thing for me in the future.”

Qin Yu frowned.

The Heavenseek Pavilion branch division that he visited today was different from the one he went to in the past. But, this young man had still appeared in an extremely short amount of time. He had no idea what this meant, but a bit more dread appeared in Qin Yu’s heart.

The young man said, “Fellow daoist Qin Yu, there is no need to be so worried. My request is surely within the scope of your abilities, and it won’t make things awkward for you either. Otherwise, you can refuse it.”

Qin Yu thought for a moment and then nodded. “Good, then I agree!”

The young man smiled. “The Gold Noble Family has a mysterious origin. It is rumored that they are connected to the Land of Divinity and Demons. That Ning Family lives in the Southern Empire, but actually nowhere in the Southern Empire…”

Qin Yu’s head rang.

Ning, they were surnamed Ning.

Qin Yu instantly thought of Ning Ling. She possessed a formidable talent, a terrifying bloodline, and an incomparably mysterious background.

Could she be from the Ning Family?

He sucked in a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent thoughts, and continued listening.

The young man spoke a great deal, praising and admiring the Gold Noble Family. But to sum it up: the Gold Noble Family had a way to help Qin Yu break through his chains and reach Nascent Soul.

“How can I obtain it?”

The young man smiled. “Soon, the Gold Noble Family will be recruiting a new group of servants and cleaners in Ning City. If fellow daoist Qin Yu can think of a method to enter, I’m sure an opportunity will soon open itself up to you.”

Qin Yu slowly said, “Can you not be more specific?”

The young man smiled. “There are some things that don’t work when spoken out loud. But, I won’t lie to you, so I ask fellow daoist Qin Yu to believe me.”

Qin Yu’s gaze was sharp. “I hope so!”

He rose up and left.

As for the payment, he had already paid it.

The young man was in a very good mood. He wasn’t in a hurry to leave and sat there, slowly drinking tea. The door opened once more and the submissive maid tentatively walked in. Her expression was cold and indifferent, completely lacking the soft warmth of before.

“This servant was incompetent and was unable to complete master’s instructions. I ask master for punishment!”

The young man smiled. “Qin Yu is a cautious person. He has already developed suspicions towards Heavenseek Pavilion so he certainly wouldn’t want to reveal any flaws. But, I have done what I needed to do. All I need is to wait now.”

The maid slightly frowned. “Is master truly confident?”

The young man wavered and then sighed. “I have already passed enough of these days. If there is only a slight chance, I will still try it.” He waved his hand and switched the topic, “How has the recent situation been?”

“Reporting to master, the conflicts between the demonic path and Immortal Eclipse Valley grow more and more intense by the day. They can no longer turn back.”

“Relay orders for our people to return. We no longer need to meddle.”

…

After leaving Heavenseek Pavilion, Qin Yu rushed into the skies. His eyes flashed and his thoughts raced.

In this matter, there was definitely something wrong with Heavenseek Pavilion!

But now, no matter what plans Heavenseek Pavilion had, if he wanted to break into Nascent Soul he could only raise his guard and continue forwards.

Ning City…Ning Family…

Whoosh –

Qin Yu’s figure vanished from sight!