Grasping Evil

The giant bear was once again scared off but this time it was because of the black-robed elderly man. The crack above the sky closed up and the atmosphere which was filled with the frightening howls of the windstorm began to quiet down again. As a light breeze blew, the elderly man leapt from his wine gourd and landed on the ground which was a few zhang* (3.13m) away from Ning Fan.

However, the vigilance he had towards the elderly man did not subside. Just as the latter approached him, he instinctively spread his demon wings and flew back for one hundred zhang* (3.13m). His right hand was already holding a black golden statue of a dragon under his sleeve while his left hand was hiding a dazzling starlight. It was an unknown treasure. However, when he took it out, the power of the earth veins within the area of one hundred thousand li*(500m) was slowly being amassed within the treasure.

"I don't know who you are. Neither do I know who Han Yuanji is."

Ning Fan's tone was indifferent. He was no longer a fledgling who had just stepped into the cultivation world. There was no way he was going to believe the words said by a stranger who had just appeared out of nowhere and tried to act friendly with him.

At least Ning Fan was unable to guarantee whether that person in front of him was a disguise of the Old Devil's old enemy or not. As such, if he speaks without caution, the trouble that he is going to get himself into must surely be big.

After activating the purple star, Ning Fan's sight was greatly enhanced. With his Fu Li's eyes, he was able to see through the elderly man's background with just a single glance.

This elderly man's true body might really be a Void Fragmentation Realm old monster. This body, however, is just a clone and is just at the Early Divine Transformation Realm. Perhaps he could still forcibly use Void Fragmentation Realm abilities that require Void Power. But since I have the Eastern Ocean Bell, if I go all-out, I'm not afraid of attacks based on Void Power from just an Early Divine Transformation Realm clone. Nevertheless, the sense of danger that this person give me is indeed much stronger than that of the black bear. I suppose this clone's combat power is already close to that of a Void Refinement Realm expert's, despite his current cultivation level…

I must not underestimate this man!

Little did he know that his caution and alertness had made the elderly feel impressed, surprised and bitter while wearing a complicated look.

What impressed him was the vigilance that Ning Fan had in dealing with things.

What surprised him was the Half-Step Void Refinement Realm refined corpse that Ning Fan possessed despite being just an Early Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. Besides, the elderly man was able to notice that the corpse was refined by Ning Fan himself. Not only that, the treasure in Ning Fan's left hand which drew the formation power within the vicinity of one hundred thousand li* (500m) caused the elderly man's eyes to sparkle with interest.

It's a treasure forged based on the Dao of Formations. It's truly extraordinary!

However, in the end, his face was filled with bitterness and guilt.

"My name is Wei Xuan1."

"This junior is Lu Bei. Greetings to Senior Wei." Ning Fan's countenance remained unaffected and cold. There was not a hint of friendliness within his face.

"Your master did not tell you about me, did he? Yea. I know it. He probably would not be willing to mention people like me…"

With a change of his hand seal, the elderly man's jade-green wine gourd disappeared into his pouch. He then unfastened the purple wine bottle which was tied to his waist and took a few large mouthfuls.

"What you are cultivating is the Black Devil Spell. The qi within your body contains Old Man Han's qi. However, I suppose you are unaware that while this cultivation method might not be strong, it has a special meaning. This is the inheritance of the Black Devil. It also represents the succession of the position of the Black Devil Sect's patriarch. When you ascend to the Northern Heaven in the future and enter the Yin Yang Star, you can succeed the position of the Black Devil and command the troops under his command. Currently, the Black Devil Sect might have already declined and can be bullied by other forces, but anyhow there are still forty-eight thousand Divine Transformation Realm cultivators within the sect. Besides, there are also seven Life Immortals. They will be the core strength of your troops… Your master is really kind to you."

"…" Ning Fan did not reply. Although he still had not admitted his identity, his heart was already filled with shock.

Even though the Black Devil Spell is not a peerless cultivation method nor a complete fiendgod's cultivation method, it actually carries a deep meaning.

When I first got the Black Devil Spell, I complained because I didn't like it. I even had the thought of throwing it away…

Indeed, the Old Devil once said that Ning Fan was the 972th patriarch of the Black Devil Sect. However, Ning Fan had thought that that position was just an empty title. He had never once imagined that there was actually a sizeable force comprising of forty-eight thousand Divine Transformation Realm cultivators and seven Life Immortals that would be under his command in the future!

"Come on! Let me be happy for a while! There are many people out there who would want my cultivation method!"

Recalling the Old Devil's words, Ning Fan heaved a sigh.

Unknowingly, the Old Devil has already passed his massive force to me during that time…

Besides, the troops he gave me is so strong that it can't be compared even if all the experts of the nine worlds are grouped together!

Up until now, Ning Fan had still yet to reveal his identity. Wei Xuan admiringly nodded his head.

Old Man Han's enemies aren't just a few. If this young man simply announced his identity, perhaps he has already been killed or assassinated somewhere.

The way this young man conducts himself in the world is too cautious. He definitely is the person who is willing to kill one hundred thousand innocent people by mistake and not to let his enemy off the hook. The ruthless and cruel character he has really resembles that of Old Man Han's.

I suppose there is only one way to gain this young man's trust.

That is to make the Great Oath of the Heart's Devil!

"I can make the Great Oath of the Heart's Devil! If you are Old Man Han's disciple, I will certainly not harm you at all. In front of me, you don't have to cover up your identity… In the past, when the Old Man was in trouble, I was unable to help him in public due to my family. That was the biggest regret in my whole life… However, even though the White Devil Sect threatened my He Luo Wei Family, discarded my immortal cultivation level, destroyed my immortal foundation and dropped me down to the Second Heavenly Layer of Void Fragmentation Realm, I have never once betrayed him! If anything that I spoke is fake, I will immediately be consumed by my Heart's Devil and be turned to ashes! So do you believe me now?!"

"The Great Oath of the Heart's Devil!"

Ning Fan was slightly stunned. His Mind Reading Technique was able to know the truth within a woman's heart but the Great Oath of the Heart's Devil however could discern if a man was telling lies. If Wei Xuan had spoken a single lie, he would have already been devoured by his Heart's Devil, suffering a serious damage on his cultivation level.

Vows like that must never be made easily. Even Ning Fan would not simply make an oath in front of others. However, this elderly man was extremely serious. He not only made the Great Oath of the Heart's Devil, but also made the vow of turning himself into ashes if what he said was untrue. That was enough to show that he was indeed telling the truth. Otherwise, the Heavenly Dao would have already triggered his Heart's Devil and eliminated his presence!

This man truly is the Old Devil's brother!

Besides, for Old Devil, this man's immortal foundation was discarded!

"This junior, Ning Fan, did not dare to tell the truth because I was doubting senior's identity. I hope senior would be magnanimous enough to forgive me! My master had never mentioned anything about his past in the Four Heavens to me. Therefore, this junior does not recognize senior. But it doesn't mean that my master didn't look highly on senior.

Since that man was Old Devil's brother, Ning Fan no longer needed to conceal his true identity.

"So Old Man Han has never told you anything?"

Wei Xuan's facial expression relaxed. To him, Ning Fan's explanation was without a doubt the biggest consolation.

It was not because Old Man Han has forgotten me. Instead, it was because he did not want his disciple to be involved in his enmity with others that he had caused in the past. As such, he did not tell him anything.

However, a brief moment later, Wei Xuan sighed.

"Old Man Han didn't tell you anything but I have leaked out quite some matters to you. Now it seems a little inappropriate. He must have his own reasons for keeping them a secret from you. I guess he did not want to burden you too much. But you have to understand one thing, being the patriarch of the Black Devil Sect is an honor! You must never look down on it!"

"Yes." Ning Fan replied.

"Is your master still doing fine? Wasn't he trying to search for the 'Yin Yang Dao Fruit' in the Rain World to cure his wife? Why has he gone to the Sword World?"

"Yin Yang Dao Fruit?!" Ning Fan's heart skipped a beat.

Isn't Dao Fruit something that can only be obtained after killing a cultivator? Don't tell me that the reason Old Devil kept me as his disciple is to cultivate me to the Void Fragmentation Realm and eventually kill me?

No! He won't!

The probability of obtaining a Dao Fruit from killing a cultivator is less than one percent. Even if Old Devil is a shrewd and extremely merciless person, it is impossible for him to bet on such improbable chance.

In Yue Country, Old Devil had two objectives. Firstly, he was looking for the inheritance of the Immemorial Yin Yang Devin Veins. Secondly, he was waiting for the Ancient Heavenly Court to open and look for the Dao Fruit in the ruins of the fiendgods.

He had also once said that he would need my help to save his wife. That process would take a great toll on me but he also told me that I won't die in the process.

Ning Fan shut his eyes. All his past memories flashed before his eyes. Eventually, he gently shook his head. Feeling calm and peaceful, he opened his eyes again and they were filled with tranquility.

No. My master will never kill me… If he wants to kill me, he could have passed on some secret arts to me which can rapidly grow my power to the Void Fragmentation Realm and then finish me off based on his knowledge and resources as a True Immortal in the past... Moreover, with his capabilities, I believe he could have forcibly increased my cultivation level to the Void Fragmentation Realm within one hundred years by displaying a secret art like Blood Changing of the demon world! But he didn't…Therefore, I don't believe that my master will kill me!"

The look on Ning Fan's face changed. Since he firmly believed that Old Devil would not hurt him, there should be other methods of obtaining a Yin Yang Dao Fruit.

"Senior, if I may be so bold to ask, other than killing other cultivators to obtain a Dao Fruit, is there any other way of obtaining it?"

"Of course there is. Through planting the Dao! Every cultivator who have attained the True Immortal Realm would know how to use this technique. The name 'Dao Fruit' has already implicitly implied that it is a fruit. Since it's fruit, of course it can be planted. The chances of getting a Dao Fruit from killing cultivators is abysmally low. As such, compared with that method, planting the Dao to grow a Dao Fruit is the most reliable method. As long as one can gather the 'Dao Power Seed' of a certain quality and plant it on the unique 'Dao Soil', a Dao Fruit will certainly be produced in the end, if without any accident. However, the method of Dao planting is far too slow. It might take a thousand years or even ten thousand years for one to grow… Of course, the higher the quality of the Dao Fruit, the longer the time for it to grow…"

"I see."

Ning Fan nodded. His choice of believing in the Old Devil was right after all.

Old Devil must be thinking of planting the Dao without a doubt. When the time comes, I will probably need to refine a Dao seed composed of my Yin Yang Power and it might cause some damage to me. However, these injuries aren't too much to repay Old Devil for our master-disciple relationship!

"Oh yes. You still haven't answered me. Why did Old Man Han want to travel to the Sword World. Has he found the possessor of the Yin Yang Devil Veins? Or has he found the Yin Yang Dao Fruit? But even so, why would he go to the Sword World?" Wei Xuan had a mind full of doubts.

"I am the possessor of the Yin Yang Devil Veins that my master was looking for." Ning Fan uttered indifferently.

"What?!" Wei Xuan's countenance changed.

So it means that when I was talking about the Yin Yang Dao Fruit just now, this young man was actually experiencing discord within himself?

Since he didn't know about Dao Planting, he must have been guessing whether his master was planning to kill him or not.

But he did not struggle much and decided to believe Old Man Han in the end.

This trust is very rare to find in a person who has an extremely cautious attitude in life… It's even harder to find such a relationship in this cultivation world where master-disciple relationships are always cruel and cold!

Countless masters accepted disciples with the motive of turning their disciples into Dao corpses to devour in the end. Countless disciples murdered their own masters just to seize their masters' position or obtain their precious treasures.

However, despite living in such a world where coldness and ruthlessness prevail, Ning Fan is still willing to believe in Old Man Han and he was even able to calmly ask me if there was any other way of obtaining the Dao Fruit.

This young man really has faith in Old Man Han from the bottom of his heart! As for Old Man Han, he must also have absolute belief in him. That's why he handed over his powerful troops to this young man without hesitation!

The relationship between this pair of master and disciple might have been established because of mutual benefits but neither of them would try to betray the other.

Wei Xuan took a deep breath in. The way he looked at Ning Fan was different from before.

Old Devil had a lot of disciples in his life but most of them died a tragic death. Among all the disciples he had, there used to be only one whom he would treat like his own son. But now, there was another person.

"To Old Man Han, you and Han Nietian are no doubt unique… Old Man Han has literally given up all his troops and handed them over to you. He certainly did not have any ill intentions towards you. I can assure you that for him. As for Han Nietian, he was originally just a mortal human. His weak physique was not suitable for cultivation. However, just to help him refine his body, Old Man Han rushed to a few True Immortal Realm sects and committed a series of massacres… *Cough* If the both of you refuse to believe in that old man, perhaps he would be really disheartened."

"Han Nietian!" When Wei Xuan mentioned that name, Ning Fan's eyes were burning with hatred.

"Oh yes. Where is Nietian? Has he also gone to the Sword World…" Wei Xuan's face was filled with a hint of recollection.

"He… has betrayed my master! He once said that the day when the Ancient Heavenly Court opens would be the day he takes my master's life! Because of him, my master had to go to the Sword World!"

"Han Nietian betrayed him?!" Wei Xuan's eyes revealed a look of disbelief.

Ning Fan did not continue to explain in detail. He immediately imprinted his past memories when that traitor appeared on a jade slip and gave it to Wei Xuan.

When he spread his spirit sense into the jade slip, Wei Xuan's eyes gradually became bloodshot.

He clenched his fists so hard that his nails pierced through the skin of his palms. Due to being overly enraged, his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

After a few breaths, he crushed the jade slip with his hand and let out a violent deafening roar which reverberated across the entire Star Island!

"That bastard! That bastard! Without Han Yuanji, what would have become of you now, Han Nietian?! You'll just be a mere mortal man who has abandoned his immortal cultivation seed! Without Han Yuanji, would you even have the chance to attain the Divine Transformation Realm?! I understand now. It's no wonder why Han Yuanji would strangely be pursued by the True Immortals from seven different sects. It was all your doing! Emperor Moksha of the Devil World, the possessor of the Nirvana Devil Veins, a cultivator of the Fifth Heavenly Layer of Void Fragmentation Realm! Hmmph. What a frightening title! If I still had my previous cultivation level, killing you would just be like slaughtering a dog! The Nirvana Devil Veins? The veins that Old Man Han had helped him acquire was the 'Black Flame Devil Veins'! This bastard had joined the White Devil Sect?!"

Wei Xuan shut his eyes. Even so, the anger on his expression hardly faded.

However, after a while, he let out a helpless sigh.

Han Nietian… The die has already been cast. The current me may not necessarily be this bastard's match anymore.

But…but…

"Being betrayed by that bastard and getting sneaked-attacked by him in their second encounter… Old Man Han, why didn't you tell…"

"He must have felt really bitter and disappointed…"

Wei Xuan's eyes flashed with a hint of loneliness. Old Devil had grown old and so did he, feeling that his strength could no longer match his ambition.

When a person starts to lament the past, it meant that their hearts had already grown old.

"I will kill that bastard."

Ning Fan coldly uttered. Despite his indifferent tone, it carried an imperishable killing intent.

"He will go to the Ancient Heavenly Court. After that, I will not give him a chance of descending to the Sword World!"

"You want to kill Han Nietian?" Wei Xuan gave Ning Fan an astonished look.

Han Nietian was an expert whose cultivation level was at the Fifth Heavenly Layer of Void Fragmentation Realm whereas Ning Fan was just a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. Moreover, according to what Wei Xuan knew, there were just less than seventy years left before the Ancient Heavenly Court opens.

He was unable to predict the exact timing of the day it will open. After all, his forte was not performing divinations.

However, within just tens of years, even a True Immortal Sect with innumerable profound pills and treasures would not be able to cultivate a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator to the Void Fragmentation Realm, let alone the Fifth Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm!

Despite that, Ning Fan was not faking the battle intent within his eyes. Wei Xuan might not believe that Ning Fan would have such capabilities, but he knew that this young man would never repeat the path that was chosen by Han Nietian by betraying his own master.

"It is truly worth it for Old Man Han to have you as his disciple…Because of the duty I was assigned, I can't head towards the Devil World without authorization. Even if I can, I am not Emperor Moksha's match. As for Old Man Han's previous friends, it was already difficult for them not to betray him. Placing hopes on them in facing Han Nietian would certainly be more difficult. Although I don't know how many people I can find, I will try my best to look for help. On the day when the Ancient Heavenly Court opens, I will bring a force to back you up! Perhaps in that manner, you can really kill that bastard!"

"Before I leave, I shall give you some benefits. I can't let you call me 'senior' in vain! Whatever that can help you, I will give it to you! Now, I have four Peak Void Refinement Realm Dao Fruits and one First Heavenly Layer of Void Fragmentation Realm Dao Fruit. Originally, I planned to use them to break through to the Third Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm… But now, I'll give them all to you!"

Wei Xuan unfastened the storage pouch below his waist and passed it to Ning Fan with a solemn expression!

"This is my gift to you for our first meeting. If you refuse to accept them, it means that you aren't giving me face!"

Ning Fan's eyes widened with surprise. He had never expected that he would obtain five precious Dao Fruits from Wei Xuan!

With his current cultivation level, he was still unable to consume any of them or his body would explode to pieces. However, if the matter about him having five such powerful Dao Fruits is spread around, it might be enough to cause a frenzy in the whole Rain World. If that happens, even Void Fragmentation Realm old monsters would probably be overcome by their greed and pursue him!

All in all, the value of these five Dao Fruits was hard to measure using immortal jade!

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

<strong>Note: </strong>

1. Wei Xuan (Chinese: 卫玄 pinyin: wèi xuán)

Wei (卫 wèi) means defend, guard or protect. In ancient times, it was the name of a state in Zhou Dynasty. It is also used as a surname.

Xuan (玄 xuán) means profound or abstruse. It also means black or dark. In some cases, it is used as a surname too.

2. Measurements:

a. li(里) = 500 m

b. zhang(丈) = 3.33 m

c. chi(尺) = 30.7 cm

d. cun(寸) = 3.33cm

e. jin(斤) = 0.5 kg