Grasping Evil

Heaven got divided into four while the earth was split into nine. Thus, there were the Four Heavens and the Nine Worlds.

The Nine Worlds were the cultivation worlds in the mortal world. The top three worlds among them were the Devil World, the Demon World and the Heaven Immortal World. Next was the Earth Immortal World. The remaining five were the Rain World, the Sword World, the Flame World, the Mountain World and the Tree World. The highest cultivation level a cultivator could achieve in Nine Worlds was the Void Fragmentation Realm. Occasionally, there are cultivators who fail to ascend and become immortals and were known as rogue immortals, rogue demons and rogue devils.

The Four Heavens, a.k.a the Four Oceans Immortal Worlds consisted of the Drifting Heaven in the Northern Ocean, the Void Heaven in the Eastern Ocean, the Brahma Heaven in the Western Ocean, and the Emperor Heaven in the Southern Ocean. Each of the heavens were governed by a single powerful force and the four of them together were known as the Four Heavens Sect. They shared a government office which allowed those who just newly transcended to hold a post there. The force that was in charge of the Void Heaven was the Godly Void Pavilion while the Lost World Palace was responsible for the Drifting Heaven.

The four forces would usually send some of their descendants to the mortal world for them to temper themselves and gain experience about the world. Aside from that, each and every one of them were able to grant those cultivators with Immemorial Divine or Devil Veins from the mortal world a spot of the Nine Worlds which would not only provide protection to them, but also guarantee their ascension to the Four Heavens. However, the cost that the cultivators had to pay was to join the four forces.

The Four Immortal Heavens were also known as the Broken Immortal World. In fact, they were the substitute for the fallen Ancient Heavenly Court, a place for the cultivators from the mortal world to ascend and become immortals.

The demons from the Demon World would not enter into the Four Heavens. Instead, they would ascend to the Land of Demons which was said to be separated into the Land of the Awakened and the Land of Dreams. However, Stone Warrior did not know the specific details about them.

The devils from the Devil World also would not enter into the Four Heavens. They would go to the Ancient Desolated Devil Pool instead…

These information were all acquired from Stone Warrior. To Ning Fan, it was his first time hearing to it.

"Zhou Ming, if you're willing to accept a spot in the Nine Worlds from my Lost World Palace, my mistress will help you ascend to the Four Heavens… You should know how difficult it will be to become an immortal after you attain the Void Fragmentation Realm on your own…If you manage to ascend to the Four Heavens, there are the Investiture of the Gods and the Power of Incense Flame to aid you. With them, it'll be as easy as turning your palm to become a True Immortal…"

"…Let me think about it…"

Ning Fan remained silent.

It sounded really tempting. The memories inherited from Emperor Ancient Chaos only provided guidance up to the Void Fragmentation Realm. They did not mention anything about becoming immortals. That is to say, if Ning Fan attains Void Fragmentation Realm, he would no longer possess uncommon foresight and insight compared to the others relying only on the memories.

His success rate of ascension to become an immortal would be the same with any ordinary cultivators, which was approximately one percent or even less…

With the spot of the Nine Worlds, becoming an immortal was certain. However, Ning Fan was hesitating whether to join the Lost World Palace after he accepts the spot from them… He had yet to make up his mind.

Thinking frankly, he would feel better if he accepts the spot from the Godly Void Pavilion rather than the unruly Bei Xiaoman. After all, the little devil girl that pestered him in the past was not as bad as Bei Xiaoman.

To Ning Fan, ascension to the heavens really was out of his capabilities. However, he was not eager in making the decision now. Whether to accept a spot or not and which force to join were decisions that needed careful considerations. Another thing he wanted to do was to ask the Old Devil to know which heaven he belonged to. At least, they could take care of each other if they are in the same heaven.

"We'll discuss about this next time. Help me engrave the devil marks first." Ning Fan replied coldly.

"Fine…" In Stone Warrior's current situation, he had no power to threaten or force Ning Fan. If the Lost World Palace left a good impression on Ning Fan when he first came to Peng Lai, he would have…

"The Art of Engraving the Devil Marks originated from the devils of the 'Stone Carving Tribe'. As for the Art of Spirit Augmentation, it was passed down by the demons of the 'Spirit Demon Tribe'. I don't know much about the Spirit Demon Tribe but I do know a thing or two of the Stone Carving Tribe… In ancient times, the members of this tribe were able to carve the Immemorial Divine or Devil Veins within cultivators with just a pin or needle. Hehe. I think I've wandered off from what I wanted to say. Regarding the devil marks, only demons or devils with excellent bodies could endure the excruciating pain of the procedure. The Stone Warrior Devil Mark is a devil mark at the soldier rank. The minimum number of lines needed to be drawn on the body is seven while the maximum amount is ninety-nine… It is possible to enhance the devil marks. However, the number of lines that you are able to endure for the first time will decide how much your devil marks will grow. I just want to remind you again that the process will be terrible and agonizing…"

"You've been repeating that many times already…"

"No. It's really painful. With my spiritual puppet body, it almost crumbled when the thirteenth line was drawn, making it impossible for me to get the fourteenth line. Besides, among the descendants of the fiendgods in the Four Heavens, the most outstanding record was 24 lines… It's because the pain of drawing the marks was not something that a common person could bear. As such, this art is normally used to raise the power of spiritual puppets…"

"Oh? In other words, if I learn how to inscribe the devil marks, I will be able to inscribe them on the refined corpses and spiritual puppets, like my refined corpse, Black Armour. I can even make it attain the Jade Life Body Refining Realm!"

If it was possible, Ning Fan could actually use the ability of his Corpse Devil Vein: Transforming Corpse Technique, to create tons of refined corpses with Jade Life Body Refining Realm. He could lead an army comparable to the body refining realm of Divine Transformation Realm experts to conquer the Rain World!

"That's impossible! The Art of Engraving the Devil Marks is not simpler than the Art of Spirit Augmentation. Without thousands of years of practice, you won't be able to master the way of engraving the devil marks above the soldier rank! Even if you're able to master it anyway, you need to kill hundreds of Nascent Soul Realm experts to form the Secret Blood for just one refined corpse… Moreover, the Art of Devil Marks might not work on the corpses as they do not have consciousness… Can I borrow your 'Immortal Pin'?"

"Immortal Pin?"

Ning Fan handed over the embroidery pin to Stone Warrior.

"Yes. This is an item that is used by the female immortals of the Ancient Heavenly Court for needlework. If you have the chance to enter the Ruins of the Ancient Heavenly Court, you might be able to find some of these. Using it to inscribe the devil marks is better than the other alternatives… Inscribing the devil marks consists of three steps. Firstly, pierce the body with the pin and draw the marks. Secondly, pour the secret blood on the marks that have been inscribed. Last but not least, is to activate the devil marks…"

Ning Fan took off his shirt. Stone Warrior frowned when he saw Ning Fan's bony back.

"Your body is weak. I'm afraid you can't even endure the first seven lines… The pain of drawing the marks is already unbearable. Furthermore, the pain that is caused by the Jade Royal Pill was the nightmare of the fiendgods… Listen to me. Don't consume the pill when I'm drawing the marks."

"Don't worry." Obviously, Ning Fan would never tell Stone Warrior the correct way of using the Jade Royal Pill. The only way to relieve the pain rendered by the pill was to endure the same degree of physical pain. In fact, Ning Fan might need to rely on the pills to endure the pain of getting a few more lines.

"Alright… Let's begin. The first line!"

The pin glittered between Stone Warrior's fingers. With a jolt of his hand, the pin turned into a three zhang* long pin and swiftly pierced into Ning Fan's back!

When Stone Warrior controlled the pin using his magic power and brutally drew on his back like drawing a curve on a sketch pad, the pain that Ning Fan felt immediately went up a few more times than before. Under such amount of pain, even Divine Transformation Realm experts would lose their focus and groan in pain.

However, it only made Ning Fan's brows quiver lightly… The pain was intense but it was not enough to make him cry in pain.

*sucks in cold breath! *

Astonishment filled Stone Warrior. He did not expect that this scrawny young man would have such a strong tolerance to pain!

Among the first six inscriptions, the first was the most tormenting one. It was because any cultivator would be taken by surprise by the first one. After the fifth inscription, the following ones would be even more painful but it was not hard to endure after getting used to the pain.

At least in Stone Warrior's memories, none of the cultivators or spiritual puppets would remain still like Ning Fan at the first inscription!

Regardless of Ning Fan's natural aptitude, his ability to endure the pain alone was sufficient to glance at him with indignation.

In fact, Stone Warrior's eyes were filled with a trace of respect.

Even though he is my enemy, but… he really is a tough man!

If it wasn't because of the conflict between them earlier, Stone Warrior would want to be his friend…

"Ai… Here comes the second one!"

The second inscription would inflict a little more pain than the first. But Ning Fan did not even move a single muscle on his face because he had already adapted to the pain.

The third inscription, the fourth… up until the sixth, Ning Fan had never frowned. When it came to the seventh inscription, Stone Warrior became nervous.

This will decide the success or failure of the devil marks…

"If you can't bear the pain, cry out loud…Now, the seventh inscription!"

When the pin landed on his body, his back had a dark tattoo which took the shape of a cloud!

The searing pain of the seventh inscription gathered on his back. This time, his eyes opened wide, his pupils dilated and blue veins surfaced on his neck and forehead!

He clenched his teeth in agony but he still did not cry out in pain!

Not enough! It's not enough! It's still a little weaker than the pain of the fourth Jade Royal Pill…

*sucks in cold breath again! *

He did not make a sound after seven inscriptions!

The admiration in Stone Warrior's eyes grew even stronger. Ning Fan's tolerance to pain truly was beyond his imagination!

"Just continue drawing… You don't have to stop!"

"Alright!"

His tolerance is much stronger than my spiritual puppet body. I managed to endure thirteen inscriptions. But I think thirteen inscriptions should not be a problem for him!

Originally, in Stone Warrior's mind, if Ning Fan began to cry out in pain he would end the process as soon as possible. If Ning Fan could not bear the pain any longer, he would immediately stop the inscription!

But none of his thoughts was right about Ning Fan!

The eighth inscription, the ninth… the thirteenth! It was the maximum lines that Stone Warrior was able to endure in the past. However, Ning Fan was still silent, although his body was covered in sweat!

The fourteenth, the fifteenth… the twenty-fourth! This was the highest achieved by a descendant of a fiendgod… But Ning Fan had yet to request to stop even though his face was pale!

The twenty-fifth, the twenty-sixth… the thirty-first! It would definitely shake the Four Heavens if this incident was known! Being able to endure the thirty-first inscription showed that this Zhou Ming's mind was as tough as a rock!

Ning Fan's back now had countless dark clouds and also a mountain peak!

"Alright. I think it's enough for you…"

"No! It's not enough! I want to have ninety-nine inscriptions!"

"Don't mess around! Your body has already reached its limit. If you insist, your body might blow up because of the pain…" Stone Warrior was worried for Ning Fan.

However, the way Stone Warrior changed his demeanor made Ning Fan's eyes flashed with strangeness.

It was truly weird to be the target of concern from an enemy.

"I think it's almost time for me to consume the fourth Jade Royal Pill…" Ning Fan's eyes turned clear and sparkled with determination! He was never afraid to be brutal to his enemies but he too was never afraid to be harsh on himself!

"Show me whether the pain of the devil marks inscription can relieve the pain of the Jade Royal Pill!"

He put the pill in his mouth and swallowed it!

Stone Warrior was greatly shocked!

"What?! The pain from the devil marks is already unbearable and you still consumed the Jade Royal Pill?! You're insane!"

"Am I?"

As the pill took effect, the immortal veins within his body began to break down. When they were completely broken down, new veins formed in their place. Fortunately, the pain of engraving the devil marks was sufficient to neutralize the pain rendered by the pill!

Meanwhile, his body refining realm was rapidly increasing!

"Continue to engrave!" Ning Fan roared fiercely!

Stone Warrior was shaken by the current Ning Fan who was sitting on the cattail hassock. The respect he had for Ning Fan was now mixed with fear…

He was not afraid of the black crescent mark on his face. He was afraid of… Ning Fan's brutality!

This person was someone who was brave enough to enter into the den of the wolf king to lure the Vein Opening Realm pursuers to death, making them the food of the wolf king.

This person was a person who was audacious enough to kill the elder of the Heaven Separation Sect when he was just at the Vein Opening Realm. After attaining the Harmonious Spirit Realm, he dared to enter deep into the Demon Sinister Forest and fought the Gold Core Realm ghosts!

Before he formed his Gold Core, he had already killed experts at that realm and even those of the Nascent Soul Realm! After he formed his Nascent Soul, he shook the entire world with his devil name!

Furthermore, this person was bold enough to capture a spiritual puppet at the Divine Transformation Realm!

Stone Warrior heaved a deep sigh. All of a sudden, an unimaginable thought struck him. This person who had unbelievable endurance for pain might really be able to endure ninety-nine inscriptions! It was even possible for him to become the first person to have the complete Stone Warrior Devil Marks on his back!

"I've seen lots of cultivators with outstanding talents in the Four Heavens. However, I have yet to meet anyone as good as you…"

The next moment, Stone Warrior's eyes turned clear and stern, focusing on the movement of the pin!

The thirty-second, the thirty-third… The forty-first!

The forty-second, the fifty-second… The sixty-second!

The seventy-second, the eighty-second, the ninety-second… the ninety-eighth!

The remaining Jade Royal Pills were all consumed. The pain of it all grew even more intense! There was nothing to offset the pain anymore!

The agony of the last inscription would be enough to tear his body to shreds!

Now, a tattoo with a devil mountain shrouded by dark clouds and mist decorated his back!

When Stone Warrior's eyes caught sight of the almost completed tattoo, he gaped in shock!

"How… How come?! If the ninety-nine inscriptions are completed, the Stone Warrior Devil Marks which is just at the soldier rank would advance into the legendary general rank devil marks: Profound Earth Devil Marks. They are said to be lost! Moreover, they are the second most powerful devil marks at the general rank!"

As a matter of fact, the top three devil marks at the general rank have all already been lost… It was really beyond his expectation that one of the so-called lost devil marks was actually the advanced version of the soldier rank devil marks!

There was only one last inscription left. After this, the devil marks which would provide the cultivator with unparalleled defense would finally be complete!

However, Ning Fan's consciousness was close to slipping away.

His face and lips were deathly white like that of a corpse. He could feel that his body could not hold the pain any longer. Even his Nascent Soul was unstable!

But when he heard Stone Warrior's exclamation of surprise, his weak eyes were filled with energy again!

"After the last inscription, my devil marks will be promoted to general rank from the soldier rank?

"Precisely. It is the Profound Earth Devil Marks which ranks second among the thousands types of general rank devil marks! Aside from that, if the devil marks are successfully engraved on your body, your physical defense will be fortified by at least several times!"

"Alright. Let's do this!"

"But your body is on the verge of breaking…"

"Hmm… How about this?!"

The blood vessels of his bloodshot eyes gradually faded and were replaced by an indifferent look. His dark hair grew longer and a demonic mark emerged on the left side of his face. Dark aura began to emanate from his body. His physical body had entirely transformed into the body of his Sense Soul Incarnation!"

"This is… incarnation! Only Void Fragmentation Realm Old Monsters are able to congeal such an incarnation!"

Stone Warrior stared at him in disbelief!

None of the descendants of the fiendgods could congeal the incarnation before they attain the Void Fragmentation Realm!

What is his background?! He actually can summon his incarnation at just the Nascent Soul Realm!

"In this manner, I would not need to be afraid that my physical body would explode… Engrave!" The darkened version of Ning Fan spoke in a cold tone, displaying a fearsome aura.

"Yes!"

Stone Warrior gritted his teeth and moved the pin for the last inscription!

The next second, the tattoo was totally completed. The picture of an ancient devil mountain peak began to spread tremendous amount of devil qi which rushed to the sky!

It was impossible for the physical body to bear this amount of pain… Since his Jade Royal Pill were fully consumed, he had to face it himself!

His Sense Soul Incarnation got broken apart into black mist in just a flash. The pain went straight to his mind, tearing his Sea of Consciousness apart!

If his Sea of Consciousness crumbles, his sense would collapse and his Dao Heart would vanish, rendering him ultimately dead. All the endurance and patience would be reduced to dust and his death would be in vain!

"Condense again! Condense! Condense!"

Ferocity filled his eyes. The black mist materialized into a body once more!

At the moment his incarnation was congealed, his aura became as stable as a mountain!

For the first step of the process, he managed to endure ninety-nine engravings on his back! Other than the creator of the Stone Warrior Devil Marks, he was the first person who was able to endure it to the end and promote this soldier rank devil marks to the general rank!

"It's completed! It's completed!" Stone Warrior shouted proudly. It really was the right choice to help Ning Fan engrave the devil marks which enabled him to discover the lost devil marks!

"No. It is not! Pour the Secret Blood and activate the devil marks!"

…

Quietly, a month flashed by.

After pouring the Secret Blood on the tattoo, the black mountain and clouds became slightly red. To be more accurate, it was dull-red.

Within this month, Ning Fan's mind was trapped in a faintly discernible devil mist.

In that realm, the sky and earth were covered with mist. Under his feet, there was an abyss emitting devil aura. Up in the sky was a massive dark mountain that pressed against the abyss. He stood at the top of the mountain, trying to conquer it!

"I am the soul of the ancient devil mountain… Little junior, you are not worthy enough to stand on top of me. Get lost!"

"Hmmph! Not only will I stand on top of you, but I will also conquer you! And I will activate this devil mark!"

One month later, Ning Fan abruptly opened his eyes and stood up. His hair danced wildly as wind blew!

Now, his body refining realm drastically improved! His body was overflowing with devil qi!

"The third step is finished!"

The second realm of Silver Bone, the third… the fourth… the peak!

There was only one more step left before he attains the Jade Life Realm that would enable him to withstand the attack of a Divine Transformation Realm expert!

However, the strength of his punch also magnified making it difficult for any Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert to resist!

"In my current state, I will only need three punches to finish off Xiang Liao!" Ning Fan's eyes flashed with domineering thought.

Slowly, his aura dispersed.

Upon the completion of the process, a black earth star formed on his right eye!

The first Divine Star he had was the Star of Imperial Lightning!

The first Devil Star he congealed was the Star of Earth Controlling!

As he set his foot on the land of Peng Lai, a weird feeling surged within his head…

He felt that he would be able to extract the soul of the entire Peng Lai Immortal Island if he wanted to!

Everything had a soul. A mountain had its soul; the water had its soul; even the sky had its soul!

Soul Extraction was a secret art that could only be displayed by a minority of the Void Fragmentation Realm old monster. Even if they were to display the technique, they could only suck the souls of some small mountains and rivers to increase their magic power temporarily…

However, Ning Fan had a feeling that he could use his Devil Star of Earth Controlling to draw the entire soul of the island for his own use!

If he manages to do that, his earth element magic power would increase to a terrifying level…

Unfortunately, the Jade Life Body Refining Realm would not be able to contain the massive power of the island soul, let alone his current body.

He cleared his thoughts. The Earth Star in his right eye flashed and he stretched his hand towards the ground and grasped the air.

Since I can't draw the soul of the island, let me try drawing the soul of the ground in just Mo Nan City!

As his pulled his hand upwards, the spiritual qi of the entire city crumbled immediately!

He felt his hand catching something intangible that emitted heavy and boundless qi. He placed it into his mouth and swallowed it. The next moment, his entire magic power surged crazily like he had just cast a secret art. There was an additional two thousand units of magic power within him, making him a Peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivator!

His gaze became even more indifferent and old, as if he himself was the earth which existed since ancient times!

"Such enigmatic secret art… With this technique, I can simply borrow power from the souls of nature whenever I have insufficient of them…"

He dispersed the soul from his body, returning the spiritual qi to the ground of Mo Nan City.

He took a deep breath and exhaled the foul smell within him.

"After regulating my breathing, I will start plucking the Flower Demon and the Wind Demon! I wonder how they will react when they witness my current cultivation realm…"

…

The spiritual qi of the earth in Mo Nan City was restored to its original state after disappearing for a short while.

Xiao Wanluo who was pacing with his hands clasped behind his back outside the stone chamber began to feel impatient.

He had been waiting outside the chamber for two months.

This Zhou Ming sure is arrogant. Anyhow, I am a half-step Peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. Even a Divine Transformation Realm expert would be polite with me. On the contrary, this Zhou Ming made me wait like an idiot outside the chamber. He's such a conceited person!

"A conceited person can never walk far in the path of cultivation!"

He cursed inwardly. If it was not for using Ning Fan's devilish reputation to save his own sect, he would never stoop so low as to wait for Ning Fan like a servant.

But when the spiritual qi under the ground vanished, Xiao Wanluo's expression changed!

He was the only Late Nascent Soul Realm expert who stayed closely to the stone chamber. Perhaps, he was the only person in Peng Lai Immortal Island who sensed the changes of the spiritual qi!

When the spiritual qi disappeared, he felt that the ground that he was stepping on died, as if it lost its soul!

"This is… the Soul Extraction Technique that only Void Fragmentation Realm old monsters are capable of using! Don't tell me this Zhou Ming is studying this ability in his seclusion! This person… This person… It has been rumored that anyone who could comprehend any one of the three techniques: Soul Extraction, Sense Soul Incarnation and Void Manipulation, would certainly attain the Void Fragmentation Realm! Furthermore, they would have a greater chance than common cultivators to ascend and become immortals!"

Xiao Wanluo was so shocked to even utter a word!

Deep inside, he decided that he should hold tightly on Zhou Ming's thigh even if the Pill Cauldron Gate did not face any danger.

Comprehending the technique of Soul Extraction… That is to say this person will definitely attain the Void Fragmentation Realm and become an immortal!

If Xiao Wanluo knew that Ning Fan had even congealed his Sense Soul Incarnation, he might not just want to hold on to Ning Fan's thigh tightly. Perhaps he might even recognize Ning Fan as his own father.

Now, the admiration that Xiao Wanluo had towards Ning Fan was immeasurable! It's even stronger than what he had towards the Divine Transformation Realm experts of the External Endless Sea as well as the Venerated Seven of the Internal Endless Sea!

<strong>Note:</strong>

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<strong>Translator Team:</strong>

G-Team [Tommy (TL), Roel (Editor)]