Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Cloud Boundless nodded, not doubting Qin Yu's words. In fact, everyone that entered the King's Palace today were people that could be trusted.

After all, even though a brutal cleansing had been carried out in Bluetile Courtyard, it didn't guarantee that there weren't any fish that managed to slip through the net.

"Two Demon Commanders. Especially this one, he is particularly powerful. If they can participate in the plan, our chances of success will be much higher." Cloud Boundless smiled, "I'm pressed for time and have other arrangements to make. Then, I'll have to ask little friend Qin Yu to explain things to them by yourself."

Qin Yu stood up, "Clean Elder, please be careful."

Cloud Boundless waved his hand, "Don't bother seeing me off."

He nodded at Black Astral and then brought Cloud Mist away.

In the abyss, strength was revered above all. Only the powerful could earn respect. While Old Fox was still a Demon Commander, in Cloud Boundless' eyes he was just commonplace.

It certainly didn't feel good to be despised by others. But if Old Fox couldn't manage to endure something as minor as this, he wouldn't have lived this far.

He forced a smile and asked, "Sir, what happened? I feel as if you've been concealing many things lately."

It wasn't that he was being unreasonable. Since Qin Yu called them here today, it proved it was going to explain everything. If he took the initiative to ask and inquire, that proved he was informed and had tact.

This was Old Fox's advantage…where he lacked in strength, he made up for it in social understanding.

Qin Yu smiled. "Old Fox has a good mentality. Then, let's get down to business." He put on a solemn expression. After pondering for a moment, he found that there really wasn't anything to say. Even though he had been in the middle of the entire process, he still found it unbelievable himself. So he simply said, "I am cooperating with the old King's lineage. They will use their full strength to back me in competing for the throne of the Nightmare King. Mm...that's about right."

Old Fox and Black Astral's eyes widened so much they nearly blew out of their heads. Even if they had already guessed Qin Yu had some connection with the old King's lineage, they never imagined it would have progressed to such a state.

And this progress was far too terrifying. Just what had Qin Yu done to have the old King's lineage agree to something so ridiculous?

Moreover…on what basis? Even though the three great factions were engaged in a fierce battle, in the end this was an internal matter of the Nightmare Clan.

How could an outsider participate in the competition for the throne? It didn't make sense. None of this made sense!

Qin Yu rubbed his chin. "I know that you two are probably shocked. In fact, there's a very long and winding story about all of this, but in short this is what is happening, so there's no need to think further about it."

Gulp –

The two old demons gulped in unison as their mouths fell open. They stared at Qin Yu. Was he going to take off into the skies? This was even faster than they imagined?

The Nightmare King. This was indeed a good position. With one step, he could immediately spring into the skies and become a pivotal figure of the abyss.

Perhaps this was what Miss Feature spoke of…the great destiny that His Excellency Qin Yu had, the destiny to unite the abyss under one banner.

We are about to participate in the creation of history. Perhaps many years later, this would become part of a glorious epic sung throughout the world.

For instance, in some year and some month, the Sovereign summoned Old Fox and Black Astral to Adversity Peak City, to plan the path to pave open the road to the abyss…

Just thinking about this caused them to become choked with emotions. Their blood seethed as if their hearts filled with joy.

With Old Fox and Black Astral's age and experience, it should have been impossible for something like this to happen. But, this matter was too grand and lofty, and their imaginations rose as they thought of the glorious future of this great mission.

The two old demons looked at each other and then fell to their knees. "We pledge our lives to Your Excellency!"

Qin Yu's face stiffened. For some reason he always felt that Feature must have said something to these old demons in secret.

Otherwise, why would they be like this? Looking at their appearance, even if he wanted them to walk through a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, they would do so without hesitation.

They must have been brainwashed!

Just what had Feature done to stimulate them so much? She shouldn't have fooled them into wanting to rule the abyss, right?

As Qin Yu thought of this possibility, a chill ran down his spine. With Feature's character that feared nothing, he simple couldn't rule out this possibility.

"Ah…rise, rise, let's get to business." Qin Yu quickly changed the topic. As a result, the two old demons' eyes shined even brighter.

His Excellency was truly His Excellency. Even after completing such an important step he still managed to remain calm and composed, without any arrogance at all. He was a true dragon and phoenix amongst men!

That's right. In Old Fox and Black Astral's eyes, since Qin Yu had reached an agreement with the old King's lineage and earned their support, the position of Nightmare King was already his.

What ancient King's lineage? What new faction? They could all screw off. Anyone that dared to compete with Qin Yu must be tired of living!

"Yes, sir." The two stood up.

Qin Yu felt that these two old demons must have reached the terminally ill stage of their brain disease. He was afraid that even if he tried explaining things to them now, they wouldn't believe it. They would likely think it was because he was trying to remain low-key.

Whatever. They could think what they wanted. In any case, he had to leave the abyss sooner or later. Once that happened, they could regret all they wanted then.

"Before you two arrived, I was discussing the nightmare beast hunt with Cloud Boundless." Qin Yu said, looking at them.

Old Fox respectfully replied, "We have heard about this matter. It is an exam targeted at the potential new Kings of the Nightmare Clan. In the end, according to the results of the nightmare beast hunt, the top ten participants in the rankings are selected to enter Chosen Platform. The others are all eliminated."

Black Astral chimed in, "One can bring their subordinates to the nightmare beast hunt. The total number is limited to seven and the strongest boundary permitted is the Demon Commander realm."

Qin Yu nodded in satisfaction, "Very good. It seems you two haven't been idling your time away. Since you know the general idea, I won't go into detail."

He paused and continued, "Cloud Billow will be disappearing in this nightmare beast hunt. I will be pushed up at this opportunity to participate in the struggle for the throne."

Old Fox's eyes brightened. "It seems that the old King's lineage is already prepared! What a wonderful plan! To take a Cloud Billow that is doomed to be abandoned and exchange him for a massive amount of benefits…hehe, if the family successor is assassinated, this will be a grave attack. Anyone involved will not be able to escape."

He stroked his beard and continued, "If I'm not guessing wrongly, the old King's lineage must be thinking of choosing a public venue of some kind and then dragging some people into the mud as accomplices that tried to kill Cloud Billow. Once the dirt falls on the crotch of their pants, they won't be able to wash it away.

"Tsk tsk, wonderful, truly wonderful! I have already heard that the Clan Elder Cloud Boundless is crafty and intelligent, with immense skills in scheming. Now that I see him, he is a true master of his craft. The title of old schemer is well deserved!"

Praising Cloud Boundless came out of sincerity. But, His Excellency didn't seem to like that old man very much. If so, he should have added in some insults too.

I, Old Fox, am an expert of the mind, so how can I make such a low-level mistake?

Qin Yu's face stiffened. If Cloud Boundless was an old schemer, then what was he? After all, the two of them had come up with this plan together.

Black Astral's lips twitched. He wasn't skilled in speaking, but he wasn't stupid. No matter who they were, demons who had touched upon the threshold of the Demon King realm were all top class existences.

He certainly sensed the unease demonstrated by Qin Yu…hehe, Old Fox had flattered so much he had slapped himself in the face!

Old Fox complained inwardly. He didn't know about this either. It was said that the ignorant were not to be blamed; His Excellency must understand this too, right?

This damned old black dog, just what is that expression? Do you want to provoke His Excellency's anger? If I suffer, you won't be any better off!

Black Astral coughed lightly, "Sir, Old Fox didn't have a good sleep last night so his mouth speaks faster than his brain. Please don't lower yourself to his level."

Qin Yu waved his hand in annoyance, "That's enough. This is what the situation is like. Go and prepare yourselves in advance. You just have to cooperate well when the time comes."

Old Fox tried to make up for his mistakes. He quickly said, "Sir, there are three of us. Then, the other three must be from the old King's lineage. Can they be trusted?"

Qin Yu said, "Don't worry, there won't be any problems in this regard. They wouldn't dare to mess around." After figuring out what Cloud Boundless was thinking, Qin Yu was truly reassured with the old King's lineage.

Of course, even though he knew, he had to pretend as if he didn't know anything. Otherwise the matter of how to manage his relationship with the old King's lineage would become a difficult problem, and he would also have an awkward time facing Cloud Boundless.

To put it bluntly, the way they addressed each other was a problem.

Although Qin Yu was glad to see Cloud Boundless placed in an awkward position, hiding himself was undoubtedly the best choice…at worst, he would still have an advantageous position when cooperating with the old King's lineage.

So, he wouldn't tell Old Fox and Black Astral about this matter for now in order to prevent anything from being given away.

Although he didn't say where his confidence came from, since he said there was no problem he had to have some assurance.

Old Fox and Black Astral nodded, not saying much else about it.

Moments later, after a few more words, Qin Yu sent the two away to prepare.

A thoughtful look came across his face.

Nightmare Ancestral Land…just what was it? After entering, would he really be promoted to the Demon King realm in a single leap?

If he truly became the Nightmare King, then with Cloud Boundless' current feelings, he might not allow him to vacate the throne for someone else.

This could be seen from the fact that he never brought up Qin Yu's previous promise.

In other words, Qin Yu had a chance of truly sitting steady on the throne of the King.

This…was a great temptation…

After all, the abyss was the mortal enemy of the living world. If Qin Yu could control the Nightmare Clan, this would surely be a great tool in his hands. He could reverse the situation if it got bad.

Whatever. Thinking about this too much was useless. He would take things one step at a time…he would come back to this question once he obtained the Nightmare Throne.

And the nightmare beast hunt was the first step!

…

Five days later, the Nightmare Clan Elder Assembly finally rid themselves of Cloud Boundless' complaints. They impatiently announced that the opening of the nightmare beast hunt would be at noon the next day.

In fact, this was much later than originally planned. It was all because of Cloud Boundless' endless pestering that they had no choice but to delay until now.

This bastard, taking advantage of the fact that Cloud Billow had experienced three assassination attempts, he made a fuss wherever he went. Not only did he demand extra benefits, he even forced the Clan Elder Assembly to guarantee that if Cloud Billow was injured again, then the old King's lineage had to be given a response that satisfied them.

If it weren't for this bastard's strength, he would have been blasted away a long time ago. Would he still be jumping around arguing like he was today? Did he really think he could complain and scold them all he wanted just because he was old!?

When he left the station of the Clan Elder Assembly in Adversity Peak City, Cloud Boundless was able to guess what those old geezers were muttering in their hearts.

But he didn't care. He had offended many people these past years, so he didn't mind adding a few more to the count. More importantly, he had managed to gain some extra time for the old King's lineage.

The cooperation with Qin Yu was unexpected, and the 'death' of Cloud Mist was an accident beyond an accident. A fully prepared plan might not necessarily fail, but there were too many variables and things could easily spin out of control. Cloud Boundless certainly couldn't allow such a good hand to be ruined.

This was why he kept pestering the Clan Elder Assembly, even putting on a demeanor where he wouldn't retreat unless he was given benefits.

A loss of face was certain. Even several people within the Clan Elder Assembly that he was on good terms with had to be grumbling inside.

But it was worth it.

Hehe!

In particular, he obtained a guarantee from the Clan Elder Assembly. Once Cloud Mist 'died' in the nightmare beast hunt, things would become fun.

He licked his lips, excitement in his eyes. This was going to be a great game!

Tricking the Clan Elder Assembly for compensation was a must. But even more importantly, someone would have to take responsibility for the 'dead' Cloud Mist.

Hum hum!

If he didn't give these people a deep lesson, they would really think he was mud to be pinched around!

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.

As noon arrived, there was a deep rumbling. A channel to the Nightmare Beast Territory was opened up…the hunt had officially begun!