Grasping Evil

Half a day later, Ning Fan sent out message transmission flying swords to Gui Xiong Outpost, Dragon Burial City, Southern Prison Country and Li Kun Palace respectively. Besides, he also left a piece of jade slip for the old bear before stepping into the Star Gate.

Within the jade slip, it stored what Ning Fan had learnt from wielding void power. Moreover, Ning Fan had also portioned out a tiny trace of the void power which he comprehended himself and left it inside the jade slip.

This item should be able to help the old bear break through to the Void Refinement Realm.

"Man Shan and I have just met each other for a couple of times. If we have the chance to meet each other again in the future, perhaps we could sit down, have a drink and treat each other like brothers…"

Brothers…

This word evoked the feeling of guilt within Ning Fan.

"I wonder how Ning Gu and An Ran are doing now. Thirty years have passed. I guess they have already married. Perhaps they might already have children or even grandchildren now…"

Ning Fan gave the two of them quite a number of life-prolonging pills. If they consume them, it would not be a problem for them to live up to 200 years old even if they do not cultivate.

Perhaps it would be better if Ning Gu and An Ran could become a celestial couple in the mortal world.

Inside the Star Gate, there was a silver river which stretched towards the heavens, flowing against gravity. It was the path leading to the Heaven Hall.

The flowing speed of the silver river was extremely fast. Ning Fan simply took out the Seven Apricot Ship which had not been used for a long time. Borrowing the river current, he rode the ship to head towards the Heaven Hall.

"The Star of the Celestial Emperor…"

Ning Fan's eyes lingered at one corner as his mind got into deep contemplation.

His original intention of obtaining the emperor's star was just to break through to the Mid Divine Transformation Realm.

Today, however, he just needed to completely assimilate the terrifying amount of demon blood within his body in order to achieve the Mid Divine Transformation Realm. If he obtains the emperor's star, his cultivation level on the foundation of the Mid Divine Transformation Realm would have another great improvement.

However, this was no longer Ning Fan's final objective.

His hand held a black-colored chess piece. That piece was formed from a streak of black-colored starlight. It was the star technique of the Celestial Emperor.

That black-robed middle-aged man whom he met in the broken dream was no doubt the Celestial Emperor himself!

After musing on that matter for quite a while, Ning Fan finally got a conclusion.

The person who played chess with me in the broken dream was probably the previous lord of the Star Palace, the remaining intent of the Celestial Emperor after his death.

On the other hand, according to Luo You and Yuan Yao, Ning Fan had also found out how powerful the Black Star Technique was which was used by the Celestial Emperor.

With the blessings of a million rays of starlight, he could remain standing without dying under the joint attacks from a few Immortal Emperors… If Ning Fan masters that kind of healing technique, it would not be difficult for him to cure Ning Gu and prolong his lifespan. It would not be difficult for him to help the two souls in the Demon Sinister Forest namely Mu Weiliang and Ning Honghong, reconstruct their physical bodies. Furthermore, it could also stimulate the recovery process for the female corpse's Sea of Consciousness.

The difficulty of seizing the Star of the Celestial Emperor is not high with the multiple trump cards and the group of spiritual puppets and refined corpse in my possession.

However, before obtaining the Star of the Celestial Emperor, I must find out the secrets behind this black chess piece which was formed from the black starlight.

Of course, I can't be careless too.

Inside the Heaven Hall, there are the people of Imperial Concubine Zi. Besides, there might be also the Realm Beast whose location is currently unknown.

And… there is also the previous star lord of the Greedy Wolf Star Sea!

"Lu Bei, are you really going to take action against Imperial Concubine Zi?" Wu Yan asked Ning Fan who was standing at the bow of the ship. She sounded slightly perturbed.

"If I show mercy on her, then you will certainly be imprisoned after she complains to the Spirit King… I will capture her and keep her as my human cauldron. As to whether to kill her or not, it's up to you."

"I think it's better not to kill her…" Wu Yan hesitated. However, she was not worried for Imperial Concubine Zi's life. Instead, she was afraid that the sin that Ning Fan would commit would be too heavy after killing her.

Although both actions were also an offense against the Spirit King Palace, if his deed were to be exposed, the crime of abducting imperial concubines would definitely be lighter than the crime of killing them.

As long as he does not kill Imperial Concubine Zi, Wu Yan would be able to preserve Ning Fan's life with the reputation of her family even if that matter were to be discovered…

"Since Sister Wu Yan is against killing her, then Brother Lu Bei will certainly not kill her. However, Brother Lu Bei, you must never be too careless… That Imperial Concubine Zi's true name is called Nalan Zi. Anyhow, she is also a member of the Spirit King's race, possessing the bloodline of one of the True Spirit Races - Purple Cuckoo Race. She might be somewhat bossy and domineering, but her capabilities are not weak. Besides, she is even pampered by the Spirit King… This time, she might bring along the secret treasure given to her by the Spirit King for her trip to the Star Palace on behalf of the Spirit King Palace… All in all, you must never belittle her!"

Xi Ran spoke, siding with Wu Yan. She seemed to have forgotten that just two months ago, she was still a loyal imperial concubine of the Spirit King Palace.

Unfortunately, she was currently proudly enlisted in Ning Fan's harem. Without her knowing consciously, she had become antagonistic towards Imperial Concubine Zi.

"Don't worry. I won't underestimate her and the same goes for all my enemies! Speaking of which, there should be an important mission for your Spirit King Palace to come to the Star Palace, right? Is it just about obtaining the Star of the Celestial Emperor? I actually felt rather suspicious of your actions to gather the medicinal ashes earlier…"

Ning Fan's gaze landed on Xi Ran's face and then shifted to Wu Yan's. Immediately, both of them revealed an awkward look.

"Is it something that can't be told?" Ning Fan teasingly asked.

"No! It's just…." The two women's eyes turned to Yue Lingkong and Yuan Yao. Especially Yuan Yao, their eyes lingered on her for much longer…

What they were implying with their gaze was quite obvious. The two other women were outsiders. Especially Yuan Yao, although it was not certain yet, she seemed to be an expert of the divine race.

The demon race and divine race were both archenemies in the world war. It was already difficult for members from those two races to stay together and chat. As for the secret of the demon race, it was of course something that could not be leaked to anyone from the divine race.

"You all can communicate using telepathy and I won't listen at all…"

Yuan Yao gave them a weird look. She had also never expected that she, the highly revered Palace Lord of the Lost World Palace, would lower herself and mingle with a group of junior sisters. Moreover, most of the younger sisters were cultivators from a different race…

Yuan Yao's cultivation level had already recovered to the Early Divine Transformation Realm. What was recovered along with her cultivation level was her disposition as a high-ranking being.

Considering the possibility that she might bump into any old monster from the Northern Heaven in the Heaven Hall, she had also put on a veil to cover her appearance.

After Xi Ran and Wu Yan hesitated for a while, they eventually decided not to use telepathy to avoid the awkward situation among the others.

"In actual fact, the mission that was assigned to us who are the imperial concubines of the Spirit King Palace was not really about acquiring the Star of the Celestial Emperor. Instead, we were tasked to gather the emperor's medicine within this Star Palace."

"Emperor's medicine?! The Demon Marshal of this land is Lu Wu who was once responsible guarding the Celestial Emperor's medicinal garden. However, after he had gone into slumber for such a long period of time, even if his demon body did not rot, the emperor's medicine would have already turned to ashes. I'm afraid that your trip to this Star Palace will be fruitless. Perhaps you won't be able to get any emperor's medicine. At most, you will only be able to get some medicinal ashes… However, does the dignified lord of the Spirit King Palace actually need the emperor's medicine? Could it be that the Spirit King has suffered some injuries?"

Yue Lingkong who obtained the inheritance of the Immortal Concubine Zang Yue obviously knew quite a lot of things about the Ancient Heavenly Court. Aside from that, with her intelligence, she could immediately deduce that the Spirit King was injured.

"Perhaps their mission is really to gather the medicinal ashes of the emperor's medicine! Unexpected, the Spirit King has been grievously injured to this extent…" Yuan Yao frowned.

"Precisely. The mission for the imperial concubines was to gather the medicinal ashes. *Sigh* Sister Bei Yao is really sharp-witted. We, the imperial concubines from the Spirit King Palace, don't even understand why the Spirit King would ask us to secretly gather the medicinal ashes but you know…"

Indeed, among all the women present, Yuan Yao's cultivation level was the highest. In fact, her level was so powerful that it could make one's hair stand.

She knew that the reason why the Spirit King ordered them to gather medicinal ashes of the emperor's medicine was for gathering the 'spirit'.

She also understood that the Spirit King must be at his wit's end. Therefore, he was forced to send some people to the mortal world to search for the remaining ashes of the emperor's medicine.

If they fail to bring back any medicinal ashes, the Spirit King might even die from severe injuries.

Once the Spirit King dies, if there is no successor for his position, the Spirit King Palace would also collapse with his death… At least, Xi Ran, Wu Yan, Lu Wan'er and the others would also be affected.

It was an extremely serious matter.

"Lu Bei, I have a recommendation. After you enter the Heaven Hall, help these two… two sisters, Wu Yan and Xi Ran to look for some remnant ashes of the emperor's medicine and help them accomplish their mission…"

"Huh?!" Xi Ran was stunned upon hearing her words.

After all, she did not expect that Sister Bei Yao who seemed to beng from the divine race would actually take the Spirit King of the demon race into consideration.

"It does not seem appropriate for you to utter such words with your identity." Ning Fan deeply stared at Yuan Yao. He did not know about the woman's identity in detail but he could tell that she was probably a big shot of the divine race from the Northern Heaven.

As a long-standing enemy of the demon race, she would definitely not speak for the Spirit King, but…

Could it be that this woman who is cold and indifferent on the surface is worried about Xi Ran and Wu Yan?

"If you don't listen to me, it's fine. You can just consider that I haven't said anything. You don't have to deliberately make fun of me…" Yuan Yao bit her lips and turned around to walk into the cabin of the ship.

"Exactly. If the remaining ashes of the emperor's medicine is truly important and if the Spirit King really has severe injuries… Little Cucumber, I think you better help the Spirit King out. Helping him means helping Sister Xi Ran, Sister Wu Yan as well as Sister Wan'er… Good or bad, you better listen to her advice!" Yue Lingkong spoke, trying to remind him.

"I didn't say that I wouldn't listen…"

Ning Fan was extremely intrigued.

There are just a few women gathered in this place and I already sense competition that would normally only happen in the palace among concubines…

In the past, the women that Ning Fan kept were mostly his human cauldrons. They were obedient in nature as he directly planted mental seals on them. Currently, however, the women on the ship were either a princess or a powerful expert that could command an influential force. None of them appeared to be obedient of him at all.

The good thing about this was that with the existence of this group of women, someone would provide a solution whenever Ning Fan faced trouble without needing him to use his own head.

However, the downside of it was that they might probably have a fight among each other, especially when their numbers grow in the future…

As for the latter thought, Ning Fan just laughed it away.

After their trip in the Star Palace, the women on board would part ways with him and return to their original homes.

Facing the dispute from the women, Ning Fan did not respond at all. This time, he felt that he should keep himself out of this.

If Yue Lingkong and Yao Yuan were to be absent from the ship, he would probably also suggest to help Wu Yan and Xi Ran complete their missions in gathering the remaining ashes of the emperor's medicine.

However, with the presence of the two aforementioned women, Ning Fan did not utter a single word. However, the way he would deal with the matter would be the same. It was just that he had gained another kind of insight.

That insight was his comprehension towards the words said to him by the Celestial Emperor!

At this exact moment, Ning Fan seemed to have realized something. He took out that black-colored chess piece and stared at it with absolute focus.

"By detaching oneself from affairs, the way one looks at things becomes completely different…"

"I don't know the method to cultivate the star technique. Neither do I know how to cultivate the Black Star Technique. But… if I change my perspective to view this piece of heaven, would I be able to see the black stars which are hiding themselves within the darkness?"

As soon as that thought arose within his head, the black chess piece in his hand gently trembled.

Ning Fan knew that he had found the key to comprehending the star technique!

The black-colored starlight does not shine openly in the night but conceal itself amidst the darkness. In order to comprehend the black-colored star technique, I must first find out the black star from the dark night!

Once I acquire the Star of the Celestial Emperor, it is very likely that I can borrow this tiny chess piece to learn the Black Star Body Tempering Technique of the Celestial Emperor!

At the other end of the silver river stood another Star Gate. After going through it, they would then arrive at the Heaven Hall.

Although there were still tens of thousands of li* (500m per li) away, he could faintly hear the sound of collisions of magical techniques which echoed from within the Heaven Hall.

Moreover, there were three panic-stricken shadows hurriedly flying out of the Heaven Hall. As soon as they caught sight of the Seven Apricot Ship, they immediately rushed towards it.

A silver-colored illusory shadow of a wolf was tightly following behind the three of them. It emanated the aura equivalent to that of a Late Divine Transformation Realm expert.

When the three experts scanned the ship with their spirit sense and recognized its owner was Ning Fan, their facial expressions instantly brightened up with joy.

"General Bei, please save our lives! We are the members of the Second Division, Thunder Water Tribe! Ahhh!"

Their call for help was passed to Ning Fan through telepathy from approximately twenty thousand li* (500m per li) away. As soon as their voices fell, one of them let out a painful yelp. The silver wolf behind them flew with an unimaginable speed and caught up to them, swallowing one of them alive.

The remaining two men who barely escaped with luck almost lost their minds. Without having the time to mourn for their comrade's death, they desperately picked up speed, pushing their bodies to the limits in order to flee.

Despite that, their eyes were already filled with despair.

Their call for help just now was an act of desperation, just like how a terribly sick patient who desperately looked for a doctor. As Divine Transformation Realm experts of the Thunder Water Tribe, they of course knew that Ning Fan was just an Early Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. They were also aware that he had killed Wang Xiao, a Late Divine Transformation Realm expert. However, as they thought deeper at this moment, they felt that Ning Fan might not necessarily have the capability of killing the silver wolf… Perhaps he could rely on his refined corpse. Even so, the speed of this silver wolf was just too fast. It could probably end Ning Fan's life in an instant before he could even summon his refined corpse.

"It's over… Both of us are likely going to die…"

They turned their heads and looked at the silver wolf which was grinning hideously at them, losing all hope of survival.

However, what happened next made the two of them be filled with complete astonishment.

The shadow of a white-robed man emerged right before the silver wolf after taking just one step forward. A single step was all it took for him to travel across a distance of twenty thousand li* (500m per li).

As soon as he appeared, he threw out a punch. Compared to any ordinary expert of the Third Level of Jade Life Body Refining Realm, the strength of his punch was slightly stronger!

*Bang*

Upon receiving that attack, the silver wolf spurted out a mouthful of silver blood and was sent flying backwards for ten thousand zhang*. When it regained its balance, the hideous grin on its face was replaced with a solemn expression.

"Junior, you are not quite bad! However, this lord will only give you three breaths. If you don't get lost within three breaths, you will certainly regret offending me, Tan Lang*(Greedy Wolf) in the future!"

"Tan Lang?"

Ning Fan's eyes glinted with hesitation. To him, it did not seem worthy to offend Star Lord Tan Lang who was the previous star lord of the Greedy Wolf Star Sea for just two unfamiliar demons of the Thunder Water Tribe…

However, during the moment he stopped to ponder, it gave time for the silver wolf to enhance its aura. Its eyes flashed with ferocious light and directly opened its mouth, blasting out a column of silver-colored poison mist.

"So what if you are Tan Lang?!"

Ning Fan's eyes turned cold. He was actually not afraid of him aside from feeling a hint of dread towards him.

He patted his storage pouch and a blood-red sword emerged in his hands. At the same time, he used his other hand to perform Soul Extraction. With enhanced magic power, he made a direct slash at his opponent!

An ear-piercing sword cry reverberated through the air. Countless traces of sword qi flooded the hollow space. The flow of the silver river was stopped by his sword!

The light of the blood-red sword caused the silver wolf to be surprised and made the two Divine Transformation Realm experts from the foreign tribe become filled with disbelief.

"Half-Step Mortal Void Treasure! It's that sword again!"

"Ahhhhh!"

The silver wolf shrieked painfully. Within the sword light of the blood sword, the virtual shadow of the silver wolf dispersed.

It died upon receiving a single sword attack!

However, before it died, it glared ferociously at Ning Fan as if it had etched his appearance into its memories.

As for the two Divine Transformation Realm experts who were on the verge of dying due to their grievous injuries, they were completely stupefied standing behind Ning Fan.

"Lu Bei from the Luo Yun Tribe has slain a Late Divine Transformation Realm being with just a single slash!"

This sword attack was not just a few times stronger than the one he displayed during the fight on the Cloud Platform! Besides, this sword attack did not leave any side-effect like the one he suffered when he wielded it on the Cloud Platform!

The current Ning Fan gave both of them another feeling: if he were to face Wang Xiao again, a single sword attack is all it needs to kill the latter!

"It has just been a few years but he has already gotten so much stronger. Moreover, why is there such a tremendous amount of Baleful Qi on his body… How many Divine Transformation Realm experts has he killed during the past few years?!"

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

<strong>Note: </strong>

1. Tan Lang (Chinese: 贪狼 Pinyin: tān láng)

Tan (贪 tān) literally means greedy.

Lang (狼 láng) literally means wolf.