Grasping Evil

The sun had set and dusk was quickly approaching. They had already walked some distance from the market.

Ning Fan calmed his thoughts down. After the advancement of his state of mind, he became even more steady and self-restrained. There were eight individuals stealthily trailing him from behind but he did not care about them at all.

They were actually courting death!

The magnetic force of Joint Joyous Island was so strong that even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators did not dare to simply spread their spirit sense. However, Ning Fan was the exact opposite of those cultivators.

The underlings of Zhao Zijin thought that they were stealthy enough to go unnoticed but they did not expect that they had already been considered dead in Ning Fan's eyes.

"Light…Got…bad…guys…" The female corpse shot Ning Fan an innocent look that was filled with worry.

"Bad guys? What about me?" Ning Fan chuckled.

"Light…Good…guy…" The female corpse earnestly nodded her head.

"Silly girl…" Ning Fan could not help but laugh and gently shook his head. He placed his hand on her black hair and caressed her head.

Humans couldn't be differentiated by telling which of them are good or bad.

Besides, the eight followers were not bad guys but… cultivators who were about to die!

On the following two days, Ning Fan strolled idly around the island. In a flash, he had visited all the thirteen markets of the external part of the city.

He bought a lot of spiritual minerals, spiritual medicine, pill recipes and also a flower to place behind the female corpse's ear.

Countless cultivators who brushed past Ning Fan could no longer tell that he was strong from his appearance.

The eight individuals were still on his trail. But the more they followed, the more they strayed away from the main path, reaching a remote area of the island where no one would stay there.

Lu Wuping was confused. He could not comprehend the intention behind Ning Fan's action at all.

For two consecutive days, they obeyed Zhao Zijin's order to tail Ning Fan in order to find out this person's background. However, the person they were following did not get in touch with anyone else nor did he return to his lodge.

As such, Lu Wuping could not get a hold of any information about the person.

However, the longer he followed Ning Fan, the more surprise he got.

Within two days, Ning Fan and the female corpse had visited all the 13 markets and he purchased a slew of items including spiritual minerals, medicines and pill recipes… All of the items should've cost him at least ten million immortal jade!

Ten million immortal jade! What kind of young master is able to carry such a tremendous amount of wealth with him wherever he goes?!

He, Lu Wuping, was also a Nascent Soul Realm Feudal Ranking Member of the Profound Virtue Sect. However, throughout the 1400 years he spent in cultivation, he had never once possessed more than 2 million immortal jade even during his wealthiest time in the past.

He then realized how ridiculous Xu Qiuling and Zhao Zijin were when they tried to buy the flower with just ten thousand immortal jade. Their action was like teaching a fish to swim…

This person may be even more wealthier than the father of Zhao Zijin!

After two days of continuous observation, Lu Wuping did not managed to find out Ning Fan's actual cultivation level.

Ning Fan's qi was fluctuating all the time. Sometimes, it was at the Harmonious Spirit Realm. Sometimes it was at the Vein Opening Realm. Other times, it was at the Nascent Soul Realm. There were even times where his qi was just like that of a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert!

The uncertainty of his qi struck fear deep in Lu Wuping's heart. There were only two possibilities for the irregularity of his qi. Firstly, Ning Fan had some kind of magical treasure that could intensify his qi to a level which he has yet to attain. Secondly, his cultivation level was too powerful and it was far beyond Lu Wuping's!

"Cap. Should we continue tailing after him…" Without a doubt, the seven Gold Core Realm cultivators behind him were afraid.

"Follow him! If we don't get any results from this investigation, our young master will never let us off the hook…"

"However, did you notice that the more he walks, the more he deviates from the city?"

"Yes! This place is truly far-off. It's a great place for killing and robbing…*Sucks in cold breath together*!"

The moment one of them mentioned "killing and robbing", all of them felt a chill down their spine. An extremely bad feeling surged within their hearts.

It was at the same moment when Ning Fan who was a thousand zhang* in front stopped and stood in the dense sea mist and black snow.

All these while, there was not a single of his footprint left on the black snow on the ground. In fact, he was slightly levitating in the air like a ghost.

He turned back and his eyes flashed in a cold light. The politeness and elegance he had in the past two days subsided from his appearance.

"You ants! Are you all really that eager to know my name? It must have been difficult for you to trail after me in the past two days."

There was not a hint of joy or anger in his tone. They could only feel a bone-chilling devil prestige.

Under the effect of his devil prestige, Lu Wuping could no longer tolerate it and revealed himself. As for the other Gold Core Realm cultivators, they also did the same as their captain with fear in their hearts.

The man before them made a step forward. But that one step was like stomping on heaven and earth, creating a huge ripple in the air.

As the ripple travelled past them, Lu Wuping was sent backwards while spurting out mouthfuls of blood, grievously injured. The rest of them exploded into mists of blood one by one. His eyes widened in disbelief. Everyone on his side perished in just an instance.

"You… Who exactly are you?! How dare you kill people in the territory of one of the top ten sects?! Don't you know our top ten sects are of the same breath and branches?!"

"Who am I?! You tell me, this man with the surname Zhou is who?!"

The second step!

Ning Fan's long black hair danced in the wind and snow. He unleashed all his Violent Qi which then condensed into a faint blood light. Under such Violent Qi, Lu Wuping's heart sank. The next second, one of his arms was severed from his body by a shadow of a sword of heaven and earth that appeared out of nowhere!

"Ah!"

He let out a horrible shriek and fell down on his own pool of blood. His pupils dilated as he stared at the merciless man who was approaching him step-by-step.

"Tell me! Who am I?!"

The third step!

When he took the third one, Lu Wuping's body was crushed into pieces. Within his mist of blood was a tiny Nascent Soul that was trembling incessantly. He was so frightened that he did not even dare to perform hand seals and teleport away!

Cutting down an Early Nascent Soul Realm cultivator with just three steps!

His surname was also Zhou!

The madness and savageness of killing people without restraint!

Yes…Yes! There is only one devil lord in the External Endless Sea like him!

Lu Wuping immediately remembered Ning Fan's sneer and reply when his young master asked for Ning Fan's name in a harsh manner two days ago.

"You wouldn't want to know my name!"

Yes… It's him!

If Lu Wuping had an opportunity to choose again, he would definitely not want to know that the so-called "feeble young man" he had been following for the past two days was the madman that shook the entire External Endless Sea.

Zhou Ming! Zhou Ming! He is… Zhou Ming! Young master has put himself in serious trouble!

I must inform the young master! I must flee! I must flee from the Pleasure Devil Sect and return to the Profound Virtue Sect in order to request our Divine Transformation Realm old ancestor for protection. Otherwise, no one under the Divine Transformation Realm would be able to resist Zhou Ming's devil prestige!

"Nascent Crushing Blood Evasion!"

Ferocity shone in his eyes when he performed the incantations. Afterwards, his Nascent Soul shook and became illusory. Ninety percent of his cultivation level dispersed. The imaginary Nascent Soul turned into a gleam of blood light and teleported away! In just a second, he teleported thousands of li* away and headed directly to the Sparrow Ascending Stage!

"I must tell the young master about this information… I must…"

"Oh? You're really a loyal servant. Unfortunately, you're my enemy… When cutting weeds, their roots must also be destroyed. Similarly, when facing enemies, they must be eliminated completely.

The corners of his mouth curved into a cold smile. Ning Fan held the female corpse and vanished into the snow.

Above the Sparrow Ascending Stage, there were more than twenty Nascent Soul Realm experts. Each and every one of them were drinking while enjoying the beautiful snow. The black spiritual wine that they drank was called 'Black Jade' which fit perfectly to the black snow falling from the sky. They sat around a warm furnace, drinking and chattering cheerfully.

Among them, the most eye-catching individuals were seven handsome young men!

They were called the Seven Sons of the External Endless Sea! They were the ones with the strongest potential in the entire External Endless Sea!

Zhao Zijin could only be considered weak compared to the rest of the six. His achievement – attaining the Mid Nascent Soul Realm at the age of 900, was nothing in their eyes!

The expert who was considered the third strongest cultivator among them was Liu Zong from the Ice Spirit Sect! He formed his Nascent Soul at the age of 600 and achieved the Mid Nascent Soul Realm at the age of 700. He carried a soul flag which had absorbed millions of souls. With his power, he was able to put up a fight against a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert!

The second strongest expert was Lu An from the Green Cloud Sword Sect! This person formed his Nascent Soul while he was still 500 years old and at the age of 600, he attained the Mid Nascent Soul Realm. 300 years later, he was already a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert. His weapon was a sword. In the past, he had fought with the Peak Nascent Soul expert from the Purple Charm Gate – Luofei and it ended in a tie!

The strongest among them was Wang Yun from the Dao Law Sect! He formed his Nascent Soul at the age of 400 and attained the Mid Nascent Soul Realm at the age of 500. By the age of 600, he was already a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert. When he turned 900 years old, he achieved the Peak Nascent Soul Realm! He once battled against the eastern tower master of the Lost World Palace – Dong Qing and no one had come out triumphant out of that battle!

When the seven of them gathered and drank, they appeared united outwardly but divided at heart. However, Zhao Zijin's eyes which were filled with impatience drew the attention of all the other members.

"Oh? Brother Zhao seems to be holding a grudge? Is there something bothering you? Do you need Brother Liu to avenge you?!" Liu Zong wielded his blood-red flag pole and smiled maliciously.

"Thank you for your concern, Brother Liu. It's just a Harmonious Spirit Realm ant who dared to speak insolently to me… I have asked my men to track him down. But I suppose Lu Wuping is loafing on the job. Otherwise, he would have discovered the details about him and reported back by now."

"Hmm? There's a Harmonious Spirit Realm junior who dares to offend Brother Zhao in the territory of the top ten sects?" Lu An's eyes flashed with surprise. The massive sheath of his sword which he carried at his back was glittering in silver light under the snow.

"Precisely. I've imprinted his appearance. Please have a look, brothers. If there is a chance, please help younger brother to eradicate him. It will help alleviate the humiliation I suffered."

As his words fell, he slapped on his storage pouch and took out a jade slip. After muttering a few incantations, the jade slip immediately projected an illusory image into the air. It actually replayed what happened two days ago.

In the virtual scene, Ning Fan's expression, indifferent attitude, and the words he said, including "a mere Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator", immediately sparked hatred within the hearts of the proud seven sons.

They were the top talents among the External Endless Sea. Even though some of them might only be at the Mid Nascent Soul Realm, they did not consider themselves as "mere Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivators" mentioned by Ning Fan!

"Hmmph! This person is truly arrogant and wild! But he is rather familiar… I think I have seen him before!" The Purple Charm Gate cultivator sneered but he looked a little perplexed.

"Familiar? Hmm. Now that you said it, I think I have also met him before. Wait. Did I…?" A young master from Xuan Xiao Sect spoke as he tried to recollect his memories.

When a lot of them claimed that the person on the projection looked familiar to them, a strange feeling roused within his heart.

Don't tell me this person is truly a disciple from one of the most powerful forces in the External Endless Sea?

However, if he really is one, why haven't I met or heard of him before?!

As he was muttering to himself, an elder from the Xuan Xiao Sect slapped his thigh and pointed at the virtual image with surprise all over his appearance.

"It's him! It's him! I've met him before! Young Master Zhao was wrong. He isn't just a Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivator. He is clearly a Mid Nascent Soul Realm expert! Moreover, his aura will be much stronger than a Late Nascent Soul Realm when he is mad!"

The person who voiced out was surnamed Jiang. He was a Mid Nascent Soul Realm elder of the Xuan Xiao Sect from the Xuan Guang Immortal Island.

When his voice filled the air, everyone attentively listened to him and no one dared to ignore him.

After hearing Elder Jiang's words, Zhao Zijin got the shock of his life.

If what Elder Jiang says is true, then it would mean that I have just offended a fierce Mid Nascent Soul Realm expert whose combat power is comparable to that of a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert! But why haven't I heard of him before?!

"I suppose Elder Jiang is just joking. If this person really is a Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, why couldn't I sense his cultivation level when I met him face to face?"

"No! I can joke about other things but not this one! Nearly ten years ago, I once brought the disciples of my sect into the sea to temper their skills by cutting down human sharks. Unfortunately, we encountered the Upheaval of Thousand Human Sharks."

"The Upheaval of Thousand Human Sharks? Oh. I heard it was caused by the members of the Demon Sealing Sect from the Internal Endless Sea…" Zhao Zijin nodded his head as he recalled his memories of the incident. However, what Elder Jiang said next made his face turned pale. Not only him, but also everyone including the rest of the six top talents were shocked.

"That time, I felt the presence of a fierce devil approaching us. Each of his teleportations allowed him to travel thousands of li. When he brushed past me, I saw his face. It was exactly the same as this person in the projection! During the incident, he crushed his Sea of Consciousness as the price for the ability to enhance his speed of teleportation. The insane and indifferent look that he wore was etched deeply into my memories. There is no way I can ever forget about it… After he asked me for the exact location of the incident, he then dashed into the groups of human sharks alone…"

"What?! He faced thousands of human sharks all by himself?! Also, he could even teleport thousands of li for every teleportation he did?! Don't tell me he really is a Mid Nascent Soul Realm expert!"

After his words fell, there was dead silence in the air. Those who said that they would avenge Zhao Zijin did not dare to utter another word.

It would be fine if they were just going to face a Mid Nascent Soul Realm expert whose combat power could rival that of a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert. However, if they were to face a madman like Zhou Ming, no one would be willing to recommend themselves to do so. It was because not even the heavens would know what an insane expert like him would do when he was pushed to his limits.

Zhao Zijin let out a few dry coughs and his eyes met those of another elder of the Profound Virtue Sect. Both of them could tell the fear each other had for the person.

After two days the 8 men he sent to pursue Zhou Ming have yet to return. It seems the eight experts he sent are probably dead already in the latter's hands.

But even if Zhou Ming is a madman, he would not be that reckless to kill the experts from the top ten sects in their territories.

Zhao Zijin calmed himself down and filled his cup with wine. He forcibly maintained an unperturbed smile and said,

"Crushing his own Sea of Consciousness. Teleporting thousands of li every second. He truly is a terrifying madman. However, he is just a Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator after all. Based on what Elder Jiang said, this person might possess uncommon power but he is just a rogue cultivator. From the way he travelled in the past, he is probably a foreign rogue cultivator who entered the Endless Sea using the sea route. As such, he does not have any backing here. What should we be afraid of?"

But just before he could finish his cup of wine, another person's voice was heard!

"Wait! I remember now! This old man has seen him before! A few days ago, when I was entering the Pleasure Devil Sea, I saw him engaging five devil cultivators from afar. He was trying to save the female cultivators of Bi Yao Sect. I recognized the five devil lords. They were the renowned "Five Ugly Monks" from the Black Buddha Sect. Therefore…Therefore I did not dare to give a helping hand to the members of Bi Yao Sect and left… As for the result of the battle, I do not know what happened… However, it has been rumored that the sect master of Bi Yao Sect has arrived on the island safe and sound. That is to say, this person managed to save them from the five devil monks…"

"Five Ugly Monks?! The Five Ugly Monks from the Black Buddha Sect?! Elder Xue, are you certain?!"

"It can't be wrong! I am just unsure of how the battle turned out…"

"What kind of result do you expect?! Yesterday, when I passed by the external part of the island, I met the vice sect master of the Black Buddha Sect – Xie Guang, who was at the Early Divine Transformation Realm by chance. Just as he set foot on the island, he flew into a rage. I heard that it was because the Five Ugly Monks of his sect have all been killed. If Elder Xue did not see wrongly, I guess it was this person who killed them all!"

*Sucks in cold breath together*

Every Nascent Soul Realm expert at the scene sucked in a cold breath at the same time.

*Crack*

The jade goblet in Zhao Zijin's hand slipped and fell to the ground and shattered.

His thoughts were in disorder as if a tempestuous storm and violent waves had just hit him!

The Five Ugly Monks! The group was led by Milian who was a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert. The other four were Mid Nascent Soul Realm experts whose role was to assist him. Moreover, the leader, Milian, was rumored to possess a second Nascent Soul. His true combat power could even rival that of a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert. When the five of them worked together, they could be considered middle-grade experts among the Peak Nascent Soul Realm experts in the Internal Endless Sea.

But they died?! Before they died, Zhou Ming was the one they fought… That is to say, the person who killed them all was Zhou Ming!

In other words, this person couldn't be just a Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator…He is clearly an expert at the Peak Nascent Soul Realm and he is at the top of the list among the experts of that cultivation level.

At this moment, the sword that Lu An of the Green Cloud Sword carried at his back cried!

At the same time, the eyes of Wang Yun from the Dao Law Sect flashed with astonishment!

In the External Endless Sea, there's another young man who has combat power equivalent to that of a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert?!

Zhao Zijin lost his composure. If Ning Fan was just Mid Nascent Soul Realm madman, he would only fear him but not to the point where he would be too frightened to hurt him.

However, if Ning Fan was a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert at the top among them, he could not afford to offend him at all!

His father who was the vice sect master of Profound Virtue Sect was only a Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. As for himself, he was also at the same cultivation level with his father. For cultivators like them, they would need to be courteous in facing Late Nascent Soul Realm experts, let alone experts at the Peak Nascent Soul Realm. Besides, even Divine Transformation Realm experts would have to show their courtesy towards Peak Nascent Soul Realm experts. As such, could Zhao Zijin afford to offend Ning Fan who was one of them?!

"Detestable! Why hasn't Lu Wuping returned yet…Could he have met with a mishap?! No, even if the opponent is a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert, he would not dare to kill the experts from the top ten sects in their territory… Besides, even if I offended him, I did not offend him too much. Perhaps, there is still room for reconciliation…"

Zhao Zijin was no longer in the mood to drink wine. He stood up abruptly and gave an order to the Mid Nascent Soul Realm elder behind him.

"Elder Yuan, quickly prepare lavish gifts. I want to find him and apologize for my offense…"

If he knew this person was a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert, he, Zhao Zijin, would not have sent his men to tail the latter!

If he knew this person was a powerful madman, he, Zhao Zijin, would not have been so daring to plant a tracking seal on him!

It's ridiculous, too ridiculous!

All these while, I was painstakingly trying to recruit the experts of the External Endless Sea in order to expand my father's influence. However, at the end of the day, I actually offended a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert, an expert that is worth recruiting!

Unfortunately, when he came up with the decision, it was already too late.

All of a sudden, the stench of blood filled the air when a gust of wind with snow blew towards them. Immediately, everyone was on high alert.

In the dark sky, a glimmer of blood light flashed through and transformed into an illusory, grievously injured Nascent Soul. He was completely terrified and panic was plastered all over his face.

Zhao Zijin was shocked but the feeling of shock was instantly replaced by anger.

The Nascent Soul who was about to die in front of him was Lu Wuping!

"He hurt you?! He really has guts to do that! Now, even if he is a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert, he would never be forgiven as he has just injured a Nascent Soul Realm elder of the top ten set!"

"No… No…"

Upon seeing his own young master was still unaware of the severity of the situation, Lu Wuping's illusory Nascent Soul was burning with anxiety.

After a tremendous amount of effort, he could only muster his remaining strength to utter a few more words.

"Run…Run…It's…him…HIM!"

"Run?! Why do I have to run?! I was going to send him some gifts out of courtesy since he's a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert. However, since he has hurt the Nascent Soul Ream expert of my sect, he has to give an explanation to the Divine Transformation Realm old ancestor of my sect!"

As he thought of the mysterious Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert who had just assaulted Lu Wuping, Zhao Zijin was secretly delighted, though he behaved like he stood firm for justice.

Great! It's too great!

If this person did not hurt my people, I would be the person who offended him. In the end, the trouble would be on me.

Now, since he has done it, it is no longer a conflict between me and him. Instead, he has just offended the entire Profound Virtue Sect!

The Divine Transformation Realm old ancestor would not sit idly and ignore it!

Now, there is no need for me to fear him anymore!

"Flee… Flee…" The loyal and devoted Lu Wuping pronounced a few more words like his life depended on it. But he seemed to be unable to comprehend why his own young master was feeling pleased after seeing that he was severely wounded.

"What are you talking about?! You're such a coward! Lu Wuping, I now order you to lead the way to the expert who hurt you. Today, I must make him give an explanation to my Profound Virtue Sect!"

"Explanation… Do you think you deserve it?!"

Suddenly, a trace of blood-red Violent Qi swept across the Sparrow Ascending Stage!

All the experts at the scene were having a hard time breathing immediately under the pressure of the Violent Qi!

A white-robed young man who draped a black cloak around his body appeared in the snow. His presence radiated an air of indifference. Behind him was a woman who had the same look.

When he made a step forward, all the Nascent Soul Realm experts felt a violent quake in their chests. Experts at the Early Nascent Soul Realm spurted out blood and were injured, while those experts at the Mid Nascent Soul Realm and above might not have suffered any injuries but their blood and qi were in a chaotic state!

Even the Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert, Wang Yun, who was the strongest among the group had a wrong impression in his mind.

He must not fight against this person. If he does, he would not survive!

It's him! It's him!

Among all the cultivators in the External Endless Sea, there was only one individual that Wang Yun was fearful of!

He was…Zhou Ming!

"It's him… Zhou…Ming…" Lu Wuping finally could convey the message completely. But it was already too late!

The two simple words were even more shocking to the hearts of the people present compared to the first step he had just made!

Just as the two words came out from his mouth, the members of the other six sects hurriedly cupped their fists and left. The first thing they thought to do was to wash their hands off of this case and extricated themselves from having any relationship with the Profound Virtue Sect!

Everyone already knew what would happen that night. Even if Zhao Zijin was going to die, it would not be anything surprising because his opponent was Zhou Ming!

No matter what was going to happen, no one would involve themselves in it because the other party was Zhou Ming!

This was the Endless Sea.

An individual who kills a single person is considered a "criminal" but one who is able to kill thousands would be considered an influential being!

The fiercer you are, the more feuds you start, the lesser amount of people who would offend you!

In contrast, if you show the white feather and try to befriend others, you would be considered weak and feeble.

Zhao Zijin's body quivered uncontrollably. He had no idea that it was… Zhou Ming!

This person could even battle against three Peak Nascent Soul Realm experts by himself and kill all three of them!

Even the old ancestor of his sect once requested that every disciple must not offend the devil lord, Zhou Ming. Otherwise, those who died in his hands would have nothing to do with the sect!

"You… can die now…"

A tremendous amount of killing intent surged within his eyes!

Zhao Zijin's entire body went limp on the ground…

"I…am…doomed!"

<strong>Note:</strong>

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<strong>Translator Team:</strong>

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