Grasping Evil

In just a brief moment, the situation of the banquet was all set for a showdown.

Nascent Soul Crushing Bows. Each arrow was lethal enough to kill an Early Nascent Soul Realm demon. All of them had been personally made by Lu Daochen himself.

If tens of these bows were fired simultaneously, even Demon General Jing Yun1a would have to face the danger of being wounded.

However, facing the group of demon archers, Jing Yun could not stop laughing maliciously. It was because he was sure that Lu Daochen1b would not be so daring to let them fire the arrows since there were two Demon Generals from the Upper World. One of them was Jin Qun1c, a demon who had awakened a full drop of Golden Mastiff bloodline. He was already a member of the Golden Mastiff Race!

The other one was Li Ban1d who awakened one and a half drop of Thunder Dragon bloodline. Also, he was a member of the Immemorial Thunder Dragon Race!

If either one of them dies, they would end up infuriating a massive True Spirit Race in the Immortal Demon World.

That is to say, if Lu Daochen acts and injures the two of them, the chances for him to ascend to the Immortal Demon World would disappear for his entire life…

Jing Yun sent a look at Ning Fan and let out a cold harrumph within his heart. His gaze continued to move and eventually landed on Yao Fei1e.

Immediately, the eyes of the haughty and arrogant Jing Yun were filled with a hint of respect. He cupped his fists and saluted, "Greetings to Empress Yao Fei!"

"Mm." Yao Fei coldly nodded her head. Not everyone was able to make her smile at them.

Originally, Jing Yun did not know who Yao Fei was. It was the Honorable Demon General of his tribe who told him about her identity.

This lady was not a popular courtesan of the Misty Rain House like what the other demons thought.

In fact, she was the concubine of the Spirit King who resided in the Spirit King Palace of the Immortal Demon World!

The Misty Rain House might just be a common brothel to the ancient demons, but the Spirit King Palace was an extremely significant force which no demons would be unaware of.

According to what he was told, she remained in the Luo Yun Province for two purposes.

Firstly, she had taken a fancy on Lu Daochen's talents, especially his spirit augmentation techniques. She wants to give him the opportunity to ascend to the Immortal Demon World on behalf of the Spirit King Palace.

Secondly, she had set her eyes upon the Star of the Celestial Emperor. She wants to assemble all the maps and activate the World Passage to the Third World in order to retrieve that star. If she succeeds in obtaining it, it would be a huge contribution to the Spirit King Palace.

However, for now, let's not discuss about her second purpose.

With her first intention, as long as Lu Daochen becomes a member of the Spirit King Palace, it would almost be certain for him to attain the Void Fragmentation Realm and ascend to the Immortal Demon World.

Therefore, according to Lu Daochen's shrewdness, it would be impossible for him to harm the Demon Generals from the Upper World as harming them would only offend some great enemies up there.

It was why Jing Yun was fully confident that Lu Daochen would not dare to act!

As he expected, when Lu Zhan1f who was already brimming with killing intent eagerly looked forward to put the three generals of the Pure Flame Tribe down, Lu Daochen let out a dry cough and waved his hand to dismiss all the archers.

"Stand down! Don't be rude towards the Demon Generals of the Upper World!"

"Yes, General!" Each and every one of the black-armored archers backed-off one by one.

Lu Zhan's face was filled with discontentment.

What the hell is going on? Why should we restrain ourselves and allow them to act like that in our own territory?!

He glared at Lu Daochen with his large, angry eyes, showing his discontentment towards Lu Daochen's decision to show the white feather at them.

"Lu Zhan, sit down!"

"Fine!" Lu Zhan clenched his teeth and sat down, bottling up his anger.

Most of the important beings of the Luo Yun Province at the scene felt relieved inwardly.

Luckily they didn't come to blows and harmed the Demon Generals from the Upper World and turn this matter into a big deal. In this way, the Luo Yun Tribe won't get involved in a terrible disaster.

Lu Daochen gradually rose from his seat. The hand which he used to lean on his crutch reached into the pocket on his waist and took out a crimson-red map that was made of the skin of demon beasts.

When it was publicly displayed, the eyes of Jing Yun, Jin Qun and Li Ban were blazing with enthusiasm.

Even Ning Fan's eyes brightened up with interest.

Although this incomplete map was just at the size of a palm, it emanated an extremely ferocious demon beast qi which caused everyone at the scene, except for Ning Fan and Yao Fei, to shudder in fear at the same instant.

"The map! Lu Daochen, hand it over to me now!" Jing Yun made a step forward, trying to seize it from Lu Daochen's hand.

However, Lu Daochen's eyes flashed with the color of white clouds and within his left eye, two snow-white demon stars emerged in succession!

Upon seeing the stars, Jing Yun's expression drastically changed and hurriedly retreated. His forehead was beaded with cold sweat!

"The Bestowal Star!"

The second demon star was granted by the Demon Marshal. It carried a great ability that was enough to kill an Early Divine Transformation Realm being!

"What are you?! How dare you directly call out this old man's full name?! The map is now in my hand, but there's no way you can get it from me by yourself!"

Lu Daochen slammed on his crutch firmly. A tremendous aura force rushed at Jing Yun, causing him to retreat backwards for three steps. He coughed out a mouthful of blood for every step he took. The slabstone which his foot landed on cracked into pieces. The original confidence in his eyes was replaced by terror!

So this is the Honorable Demon General of the Luo Yun Tribe who is famously known for his benevolent and kind countenance…

It had been a long time since he demonstrated his power and might. As such, countless people began to look down upon him. However, his combat power probably was sufficient enough to put up a fight against a Late Divine Transformation Realm expert who did not possess the Bestowal Star!

Under the power of the star, even the two Demon Generals of the Upper World, Jin Qun and Li Ban, who were used to seeing a second demon star, were filled with astonishment. Neither of them could remain calm.

Jing Yun gulped down his saliva.

If I didn't have the two Demon Generals from the Upper World as my backers, the Cloud General, Lu Daochen, would have beheaded me just now!

"I am sorry for being disrespectful to the Cloud General. Please forgive me for my impoliteness!" Jing Yun gritted his teeth and cupped his fists to offer an apology.

"Forgive you?! Hmmph… Go back and tell Lu Jiefen to cut out his unrealistic dream of breaking through to the level of the Demon Marshal! There is no way I will give him the map, not even the Star of Celestial Emperor!"

Lu Daochen withdrew his aura and kept the map back into his pocket. After that, he gave Ning Fan a deep look and returned to his seat like a clumsy old man.

That look was actually a compliment.

He was complimenting Ning Fan for being able to remain as calm as a mountain after witnessing his Bestowal Star.

This kid is truly exceptional. As a human, he does not fear the demon race at all. He is even bold enough to aspire to kill the Demon Marshal from the Upper World. There is nothing that can cause him to waver in his decision. This kind of man is indeed the best person for me to cooperate with…He thought to himself.

Ning Fan did not utter a word.

The map isn't hidden anywhere in the province as it is just on Lu Daochen's body. As such, it's impossible for me to obtain it by way of stealing. Unless I am capable of defeating him, I may not be able to obtain it.

Lu Daochen's power was really strong. Ning Fan thought that even if he displays all his ultimate techniques, he might not necessarily win against Lu Daochen.

What Ning Fan felt the most uncertain was how the different tribes treated the maps and the Demon Marshal…

Supposedly, the Demon Generals of the Second World should be of one mind and defend against the Demon Marshal together.

However, among the nine tribes of the Lu Clan, each and every one of them seemed to be independent from each other. Moreover, there were fights and killing among each other. The way they treated the Demon Marshal, Lu Wu,1g was utterly disrespectful too. For instance, Demon General Jing Yun was daring enough to address the Demon Marshal with his full name – Lu Wu and even go so far as to dub him as the Sinful Marshal!

Sinful Marshal… A being that is forever banished by the Immortal Demon World…The Star of Celestial Emperor…

Apparently, activating the World Passage to the Third World is not as simple as I thought. The situations and the secrets within this Land of Slumber can't be compared by other places…

What does Lu Daochen want to cooperate with me with? What is his attitude towards the Demon Marshal… He knows that I want to obtain the map. I suppose he should have already figured out that I'm not Lu Bei, and even the fact that I'm not a demon. But he is still willing to cooperate with me. Could he be planning to join forces with me to obtain the maps and kill the Demon Marshal?

If it truly is such a simple matter, there is no harm for me to work with him. However, my instincts are telling me that it is not as simple as what I've guessed…"

*Sigh* I can't figure it out…

When Ning Fan was muttering to himself, Lu Wan'er exclaimed in surprise because after Lu Daochen sat down, the green-dressed lady, Yao Fei stood up.

The lower hem of her green yarn skirt brushed through Ning Fan's face, leaving a strange, enchanting fragrance.

"Sister Yao Fei, what are you doing?"

Lu Wan'er rose from her seat, trying to stop her.

In the current moment where the Pure Flame Tribe is having a heated confrontation with the Luo Yun Tribe like this, what is Sister Yao Fei planning to do? Meddle in it? She would be in great danger…

But before Lu Wan'er could make a step forward, Ning Fan held her wrist, smiling at her.

"Silly girl. Your Sister Yao Fei isn't any ordinary being… In the Second World, no one dares to touch her… I'm afraid that she isn't just the master of the Misty Rain House… She is actually a Late Divine Transformation Realm demon!"

"Late Divine Transformation Realm demon?!" Lu Wan'er was completely stunned.

The courtesan woman whom I treated as my sister all this while is a top figure of the Second World?

When Ning Fan's words fell, Yao Fei turned around and smiled apologetically at Lu Wan'er. At the same time, she began to release an aura which was far greater than that of Lu Daochen.

"I'm sorry for not telling you my true identity all this while. I had to keep it a secret. I am actually an outer imperial concubine of the Spirit King Palace in the Land of the Awakened, the Immortal Demon World…. I don't have a surname. My last name is Wu Yan1h. From today onwards, you can call me Sister Yan or you can also continue calling me as Yao Fei…"

"Sister Yao Fei…" Currently, Lu Wan'er had too many questions to ask. However, her lips were gently pressed by Ning Fan.

"There will be a chance for the two of you to talk in the future. Now, let's look at what your Sister Yao Fei is trying to do…"

Ning Fan's eyes shone. One of the doubts within his heart was resolved.

Misty Rain House. As expected, it is indeed a fake organization… This woman is actually the concubine of the Spirit King of the Immortal Demon World!

Spirit King…The demon emperor which all the True Spirit Races worship and enshrined! The ruler of the Land of the Awakened in the Immortal Demon World!

Naturally, no one would dare to touch his women!

Moreover, under her aegis, even if Lu Wan'er arrives at the Immortal Demon World, she would be extremely safe…

As the green-dressed lady revealed her true identity, many of the Late and Peak Nascent Soul Realm beings among the guests were shocked to the guts.

"The master of the Misty Rain House is the imperial concubine of the Spirit King?! We…we once tried to molest her in the Misty Rain House… Even though we did not succeed, it's still considered a grave felony!"

"I'm doomed! I have even said that I am willing to pay a million immortal jade for her to sleep with me for a night… It's capital punishment, A CAPITAL PUNISHMENT!"

Yao Fei did not say anything after hearing their words. She only let out a faint sigh and treated them with utter disregard, as if all of them were like insignificant grass. To her, all of them were only mediocre beings.

She put one of her hand into her sleeve of the other hand and took out a token which glowed with blue, fiery light. As soon as it was shown openly, the groups of demons were all petrified.

The Spirit King's Token!

"All of you are Demon Generals of the Lu Clan. Although Lu Wu is considered as a rebel, you all still have to obey any command upon seeing this token… Jing Yun! I now command you to leave immediately and never cause any troubles in the Luo Yun Province anymore!"

As that token was shown, it was clear that the demon imperial concubine, Wu Yan, was siding with Lu Daochen.

Jing Yun might have the Demon Generals from the Upper World as his backers, but Lu Daochen had the imperial concubine of the Spirit King as his supporter.

With a resentful expression, he cupped his fists towards her, "Empress! Isn't it because of the Star of the Celestial Emperor that you came to this land?! Before I came, the Flame General had stated clearly that if the World Passage is activated, he only wants the demon blood and corpse of the Demon Marshal, Lu Wu. The Star of the Celestial Emperor will belong to you. You will then be deemed to have made a huge contribution to the Spirit King Palace by giving it to the Spirit King. When the time comes, your status in the Spirit King Palace will surely be elevated…"

"What?!"

The faces of Li Ban and Jin Qun were filled with rage.

The Flame General, Lu Jiefen is really bold. How dare he still promise to give the Star of the Celestial Emperor to a member of the Spirit King Palace despite knowing perfectly well that we, the Demon Generals from the Immortal Demon World, are after the same thing…

Truth be told, in the Land of Demons above the Immortal Demon World, the Spirit King Palace might be a dominating force respected by thousands of demon races, but it did not mean that the other True Spirit Races would not have their own thoughts…

Li Ban and his gang represented some of the True Spirit Races like the Immemorial Thunder Dragon Race.

Wu Yan the demon imperial concubine was acting on behalf of the Spirit King Palace.

However, all of them shared a common objective – obtaining the Star of the Celestial Emperor!

Sure enough, when she heard Jing Yun's words, she became silent, as if she was slightly tempted by him.

After all, the World Passage has to be opened. Lu Wu could not be slumbering forever…

"Demon Imperial Concubine does not have to worry about it. No matter what, the World Passage will be opened in the end…"

Lu Daochen heaved a deep sigh and rose from his seat again, casting his gaze onto Jing Yun.

"I, Lu Daochen, as one of the nine generals of the Demon Marshal Lu, will stay loyal and faithful to him forever, regardless of why he chose to betray the demon clan in the past. Nothing can change my mind… Eventually, the World Passage will be activated. However, it shouldn't be the Pure Flame Tribe who unlocks it but we, the Luo Yun Tribe instead!"

"Jing Yun, according to the teachings of the Demon Ancestor, 'Anything that doesn't have the agreement of everyone will be decided with strength!' I don't mind if you can utter flowery words that could make one feel that flowers are cascading down from the sky. If you want my map, show me your strength! I will dispatch three generals versus the three of you. If your team wins, the map will naturally be yours. But if my team is victorious, I want the map in your Pure Flame Tribe. Are you daring enough to gamble with me? Are you able to make such a decision?! Besides, this fight will need to be written down. No one is to be held accountable for those who end up dead in this fight. In other words, even if the Demon Generals from the Upper World might die in this fight… Are you qualified enough to give me an answer for this battle?! If you aren't, get lost from my territory!"

As Lu Daochen was done talking, Jing Yun, Jin Qun and Li Ban exchanged glances with each other in silence.

Jing Yun did not dare to respond to him rashly because he was not at the level to decide anything about such an important matter with regards to the map of the World Passage.

On the other hand, Jin Qun and Li Ban were also not bold enough to give Lu Daochen an affirmation. It was because one had to sign a life-and-death contract in order to participate in the battle. With that contract, even if they die in battle, no one would have to take responsibility for their deaths.

Furthermore, their team were all Early Divine Transformation Realm experts whereas the opposing team consisted of Lu Qing and Lu Zhan, who were both Early Divine Transformation Realm beings and Lu Daochen who was nearly at the level of a common Late Divine Transformation Realm expert.

The winning side and the losing side were already in plain sight as the nose on one's face!

Their expressions turned gloomy, knowing that no matter what they try to do today, be it seizing it by force or threatening them, they would not be able to get the map.

Jing Yun's gaze shifted towards Ning Fan and inwardly thought to himself.

Now, we can only rely on our biggest spy, Lu Bei, to steal the map, though no one knows if he is still loyal to the Pure Flame Tribe and accomplish his duty…

Just as the three of them were going to leave the hall, a large red cloud shrouded the sun outside the Encompassing Heaven Hall.

Amidst the massive red cloud, a blood-red dragon shadow flashed past, transforming into a middle-aged man in red armor. He was standing high up in the sky, overlooking the hall.

"Lu Daochen, regarding your so-called gamble, Jing Yun might not have the right to make the decision, but what if I am the one who decides for him?! Very well! I will take your challenge. We will bet our maps for this battle! However, I think we don't have to involve the juniors. Let's just settle it between ourselves, once and for all…"

As the voice reverberated in the sky, a grand and powerful Late Divine Transformation Realm aura surrounded the province, striking fear into everyone's heart.

The people within the hall walked out one after another. When they caught sight of the man who spoke above the sky, surprise began to fill their expressions.

The person who came was the Honorable Demon General of the Pure Flame Tribe – the Flame General, Lu Jiefen!

Facing Lu Jiefen's provocation, Lu Daochen shook his head in disapproval and indifferently replied, "I have yet to attain the Late Divine Transformation Realm, not to mention be your match… I have said it just now, this battle is following the ancient teachings of the Demon Ancestor. It will be a 3-versus-3 battle. You send out three of your Demon Generals and they must be at the Early Divine Transformation Realm or below. I will also dispatch three of my Luo Yun Tribe's generals, namely the Fourth General, Lu Qing; the Sixth General, Lu Zhan and the Eighth General, Lu Bei. No one shall be at a level higher than the Early Divine Transformation Realm… It will only be fair in this manner. So, Lu Jiefen, do you still dare to gamble with me?!"

With just a few words, Lu Daochen seemed to have turned their solo confrontation for the maps into a 3-on-3 match.

Moreover, everything that happened seemed to be within his expectations as he just urgently called in two demon generals and Ning Fan for this banquet.

"Lu Qing, Lu Zhan, Lu Bei…" Lu Jiefen's eyes shone and hundreds of thoughts flew across his mind.

The first two participants are not much of a concern. But the third person…

Lu Jiefen had already known about the matter about him killing three Divine Transformation Realm beings before attaining the Divine Transformation Realm.

Currently, other than me, I only have three demon generals here. Jing Yun, Jin Qun and Li Ban… Jing Yun might not be a match for Lu Bei. If Jin Qun fights Lu Bei, it will be difficult to determine which one of them will lose or win. As for Li Ban… This person is not someone whom Lu Bei can possibly win against!

With a decision in mind, Lu Jiefen burst into laughter above the sky.

"Alright! I will accept your challenge or gamble or whatever it is. Nothing can ever be better than this since it can avoid a war between our tribes while giving me a chance to obtain your map with ease… Li Ban, Jin Qun, Jing Yun, prepare for battle! The three of you shall get on the fire platform to fight against the three generals of the Luo Yun Tribe!"

Lu Jiefen clawed at the sky and immediately, the vicinity of ten thousand li was turned into a sea of flames. However, the flames quickly condensed and congealed into a giant platform which was a thousand li* large in circumference. It was completely made of flames.

"Hmmph!" Jin Qun and Li Ban's face darkened even more.

How dare he command us, the Demon Generals from the Upper World, like his own underlings?!

But as they thought of the map which they would get if they win the battle, they repressed their anger. Without uttering a word, they vanished in rays of light and emerged on the fire platform which was floating in the sky.

Respectfully, Jing Yun saluted and flew to the fire platform, not daring to disobey the command of the Honorable Demon General of his tribe.

In the blink of an eye, the three generals were all set for battle.

The reason why they did not dare to accept the challenge just now was because they were afraid that Lu Daochen might involve himself in the battle. Since they now knew that they only had to deal with two Demon Generals and one Nascent Soul Realm demon without any interference from Lu Daochen, there was nothing else that worried them. To them, they actually thought that their chances of winning were at least 90% and above.

The strongest among the three generals of the Luo Yun Tribe was no doubt the person who eliminated three Divine Transformation Realm experts by himself – Lu Bei.

However, despite knowing that Lu Bei would be one of their opponents, they were not afraid at all. In fact, Jin Qun and Li Ban were confident that they would be able to finish him off.

Well, that was the pride they had from being the Demon Generals of the Upper World.

At this moment, a sensation was caused in the Luo Yun Province!

Countless guests forgot about the banquet and left their seats to watch such a grand event.

A 3-on-3 battle based on the teachings of Demon Ancestor. This method would occasionally be adopted by the young masters within the province to compare against each other. However, up until now, the strongest contestant of that battle had just been a Nascent Soul Realm being. There was never a battle between Divine Transformation Realm experts before!

The life-and-death contract states that the fighters' life and death would be determined by the Heavens… Perhaps some of the Divine Transformation Realm experts might end up dying on the fire platform today… This is truly a big event!

Lu Daochen's eyes flashed with battle intent. Leaning on his crutch, he said with a clear and commanding voice, "My generals, don't ever show weakness! Lu Qing, Lu Zhang, heed my call! Lu Bei, heed my call!"

"Yes, Honorable General!" Lu Qing and Lu Zhan had already been holding grudges against the members of the Pure Flame Tribe. To them, it was the perfect chance for them to fight them fair and square.

Ning Fan, however, let out a sneer and said something shocking.

"I'm not fighting!"

Laughable! Lu Daochen wants me to be his fighter without giving me any benefits? Why should I do that?

"If we win the battle, the map of the Pure Flame tribe will then be yours!"

Lu Daochen's words were even more shocking.

Everyone thought that the reason why Lu Daochen came up with such battle was to defeat the Pure Flame Tribe and take possession of their map.

However, he publicly gave his word to Ning Fan that if he wins, their opponents' map would be given to him.

As such, from everything Lu Daochen had done, what was he actually up to?

Ning Fan's eyes shone. Still, he could not identify Lu Daochen's true intention.

Ning Fan could see that Lu Jiefen had the same objective as himself – obtaining the Demon Marshal's blood.

Ning Fan could tell that the demon imperial concubine and Li Ban's gang wanted to get the Star of the Celestial Emperor.

But Lu Daochen…

What is his true objective?

I really can't see through him. But since he is offering me a chance to obtain the map, even if it is only one out of the nine parts, I might as well accept it.

Aside from that, Ning Fan hypothesized that after obtaining the map from the Pure Flame Tribe, Lu Daochen would then reveal the true matter to him what they both would be cooperating in. When the time comes, he would probably tell him his true objective.

In this battle, other than having the chance to obtain the map, of course, he also had the chance to kill someone…

"Li Ban!"

Ning Fan's killing intent surged. Without furthering the conversation, he followed Lu Qing and Lu Zhan to the fire platform.

His gaze fearlessly scanned through Jing Yun, Jin Qun and Li Ban.

"This old man will go first! Jing Yun, you little rascal, come out and fight me!"

Lu Zhan whose face was as dark as charcoal raised his massive halberd as he moved out from the ranks for the first match. His eyes were brimming with battle intent.

Obviously, he had long been feeling annoyed with Jing Yun.

"Lu Zhan. You aren't my match. Back off!" Jing Yun stood with his hands clasped behind his back. At the same time, his aura was increasing continuously.

"You bastard!" Lu Zhan's face got even darker due to his unquenchable rage.

<strong>Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel</strong>

<strong>Note:</strong>

1. Literal meaning for the names of the characters

1a. Jing Yun : Jìng(净) means pure or clean, Yún(云) means cloud.

1b. Lu Daochen : Lù (陆) means land; Dào (道) means law, road or moral, chén (尘) means dust.

1c. Jin Qun : Jīn (金) means gold or golden, Qún (群) means group.

1d. Li Ban : Lǐ (鲤) means carp, Bàn (伴) means accompany or friend

1e. Yao Fei : Yāo (妖) means demon, Fēi (妃) means imperial Concubine.

1f. Lu Zhan : Lù (陆) means land; Zhàn (战) means battle

1g. Lu Wu : Lù (陆) means land; Wú (吾) in classical Chinese, it means "myself"

1h. Wu Yan : Wǔ (舞) means dance; Yān (嫣) means beautiful