Grasping Evil

"Art of Void Flame, Samadhi Fire Palm!"

Revered Flame's eyes became blood-red. Now, he only knew that he had to eliminate Ning Fan before the two Void Refinement Realm experts can befriend him!

He stretched his five fingers as wide as he could and clawed at Ning Fan. Three types of Earth Vein Demonic Flames that were burning in different colors emerged. When he scraped the air once more, he produced one hundred groups of Fourth Grade spiritual flames. All of them were eye-catching as they floated in midair.

Revered Flame then put his palms together and all the flames he conjured began to combine into one, forming a palm print that glowed in an exquisite jade green color. Without any hesitation, he slammed that palm print towards Ning Fan with a massive force.

This fire palm attack was a Void Refinement Grade magic technique which Revered Flame had practiced hard for a thousand years.

The destructive power of this palm attack was just a hair's breadth away from an Early Void Refinement Realm attack. Moreover, it was a supreme technique that was given to him by the Rain Palace!

The size of this incoming palm imprint enlarged into four thousand zhang* (3.33m per zhang) tall. With a loud rumbling sound, cracks appeared in the sky and the whole Xuan Wu City trembled violently.

It was definitely not an attack that an ordinary Half-Step Void Refinement Realm expert would be able to withstand!

The power of this palm attack was beyond everyone's expectations!

All the onlookers could already clearly distinguish the winner and the loser of this fight. The result was very obvious. Ning Fan had won while Revered Flame had lost. Ning Fan gave his opponent a way out and did not end his life. However, instead of expressing his appreciation, Revered Flame took advantage of the time when Ning Fan had put down his guard to shoot out a fatal fire palm at him, trying to eliminate him. In everyone's mind, Revered Flame's actions were indeed mean and shameless!

The two Void Refinement Realm experts were furious. The both of them were just about to stop the fight but Revered Flame who had been defeated acted out of their expectations and made a sneak attack on Ning Fan. This act of his brought shame to the Rain Palace!

No. The reputation of the Rain Palace was just a small matter. If Ning Fan dies, their chance of rendering a meritorious deed would be gone! It would certainly be a great contribution to the Rain Palace if they bring Ning Fan back and convince him to help the Divine Sovereign to acquire that thing!

"Yun Yan! Stop whatever you are doing! If you dare to hurt this man, you will surely be sentenced with a serious punishment by the Divine Sovereign!"

The two experts tried to threaten him but Revered Flame completely ignored their words.

Ning Fan's eyes turned cold. Even though he did not kill Revered Flame, he had been secretly observing his actions. Thus, it was certainly impossible for the latter to successfully sneak attack him.

Wrong. He felt like he had just made a wrong decision again!

Was it because he worried too much that he gave Revered Flame the impression of being a pushover?

This man does not know how to appreciate what is good. If I let him go, there will definitely be countless troubles afterwards.

"It's my fault. I was being too merciful!"

Ning Fan made a step forward as immense murderous intent immediately rose within him.

Revered Flame was indeed strong. If it was not for Ning Fan's Stele of Sun and Moon that could restrain nearly any type of flame, it would be extremely difficult for him to defeat Revered Flame.

Since this person hated Ning Fan deeply, how could Ning Fan still let him off?!

If he let him go today, wouldn't there be another bloody incident like what had happened in Gusu in the future?!

If Revered Flame wants to kill, even Dong Xu would not be able to put up a resistance against him. The Pleasure Devil Island would definitely be in danger. The Bi Yao Sect would be in danger too. Moreover, with this man's capabilities, if he finds out about Yue Country, Zhihe and the other women, they would also be put at risk!

Ning Fan did not regret saving Ya Lan. The only matter he regretted was being too kind and lenient towards Revered Flame.

So what if I offend two Void Refinement Realm experts?!

So what if I displease the Rain Palace?!

Would I be free from troubles if I let this man go?!

Since there's no way to avoid offending anyone, I might as well kill Revered Flame and all the others to keep their mouths shut!

"Sword crystal, appear!"

Ning Fan patted his storage pouch and produced the last piece of sword crystal which contained the full-powered strike of a Mid Void Refinement Realm expert!

He already gave the Early Void Refinement Realm sword crystals he had to Xi Ran and Wu Yan. This piece was his last!

Ning Fan's defense against flames could be said to be heaven-defying. However, if he wishes to instantly kill Revered Flame, he might not be able to do it even with his Black Tempest Rupture Art.

Although the sword crystal was precious, it was the best among all the items he had in eliminating a serious hidden danger!

"Break!"

A gleaming resplendent sword beam shot out from Ning Fan's palm. Right afterwards, it turned into millions of rays of sword light which emanated terrifyingly vigorous auras.

This sword crystal itself was already extremely powerful. After Ning Fan infused his own sword intent in it, it was boosted to its maximum power.

The fire palm imprint which was strong enough to severely hurt a Half-Step Void Refinement Realm expert was shredded into pieces by the millions of rays of sword light in a blink of an eye.

Numerous sword rays continued to rush towards Revered Flame, engulfing him completely. Fear ran across his expression. He could not understand why Ning Fan possessed such a rare and precious sword crystal!

"A Mid Void Refinement Realm sword crystal! Impossible! Even I can't obtain such a formidable life-saving treasure. Why do you have it?! Why?! Ahh!"

As he wailed and screamed in pain, Revered Flame's physical body burst into a cloud of bloody mist and his primordial spirit was torn to pieces. His presence vanished, leaving only balls of flames in the air. Those were spiritual flames that Revered Flame had devoured in his lifetime. Ning Fan flicked his sleeve and took away all the spiritual flames along with Revered Flame's storage pouch.

All the cultivators in Xuan Wu City were filled with absolute shock. Ning Fan had actually killed a revered being of the Rain Palace in public!

This man is so bold!

Ning Fan stared coldly at the two Void Refinement Realm experts of the Rain Palace. His eyes shone with a vicious glow.

He had killed Revered Flame and it did not seem to be a big deal to him!

Why should he be worried about this incident being exposed and offending the Rain Palace? If he eliminates the two Void Refinement Realm experts, and kills or captures all the cultivators who witnessed this incident on Penglai Immortal Island, leaving only those who were close to him and would never betray him...

As long as he does not let anyone of them escape, who would know that he had killed Revered Flame?!

Nothing would happen to the others if he did not kill him. But since he had done it now, he might as well uproot all potential troubles.

If he were to be faint-hearted, then there would be no need for him to continue his devil cultivation!

*Hiss*

Both the Void Refinement Realm experts sucked in cold breaths. If they were not wrong, that Mid Void Refinement Realm sword qi was soft and treacherous.

They both thought of a person at the same time.

If I recall properly, the third elder of the Zhou Family is a Mid Void Refinement Realm sword cultivator.

Does that mean that this piece of sword crystal actually belonged to the third elder's sword?

They could not help but think that Ning Fan still had the help of the third elder of the Zhou Clan who was a Mid Void Refinement Realm expert!

When their eyes met Ning Fan's, the two experts suddenly felt their blood turn cold for no reason.

Ning Fan's current gaze looked like he was going to kill them both too. It was absolutely frightening. Moreover, his killing qi gave them an extremely dangerous feeling!

Their hearts skipped a beat.

Did the third elder who is hiding in his Treasure of Immortal's Abode

give him the order to eliminate us too as there's no point in stopping here since he has started it?!

Yes! That must be it! The third elder of the Zhou Family possesses a formidable cultivation base. He is a brutal and relentless person. Nothing happens if he doesn't kill. However, once he begins, he would go for the entire family. This person is about to act on us!

According to hearsay, that third elder is on the verge of attaining the Late Void Refinement Realm. His sword techniques are incredibly strong. Killing an Early Void Refinement Realm expert is the same as crushing an ant to him!

The two experts immediately realized that they must clear the misunderstandings with Ning Fan at once to avoid worsening the relationship between them.

They must befriend Ning Fan and rope him in no matter what. It was not only because of their fear towards the third elder of the Zhou Family, but also for the purpose of obtaining that item.

Even though the both of them were quite unhappy to see Ning Fan killing Revered Flame, they were unable to do anything about it. Revered Flame had died and it was a dereliction of their duties. If they return without bringing anything worthy enough to compensate for their negligence, they would probably be severely punished.

However, if they could rope Ning Fan in and convince him to help the Rain Palace, both of them would be credited with this great contribution instead of being sentenced to heavy punishments due to their negligence in performing their duties. They would even receive rewards from the Divine Sovereign. Ning Fan had a natural restraining power towards flames. Therefore, even without attaining the Void Fragmentation Realm, he would have high chances of acquiring that item from the abyss of flames!

This matter was the top priority of the Rain Palace! Compared to this matter, Revered Flame's life was not worth mentioning at all.

The two experts exchanged glances with each other. They both forced faint smiles and wore friendly expressions.

In their hearts, they had decided that they must resolve the misunderstandings between them and Ning Fan and establish a friendly relationship with him today!

"Little Friend, are you injured? That was a really close call just now. If you're injured, we will certainly feel extremely guilty. This Yun Yan is really ungrateful. It's obvious that he had lost the gamble, but he still did a sneak attack on you. Even the death penalty is not enough to absolve his treacherous crime! Even if you didn't act just now, both of us would have also killed him!"

Their words stunned countless cultivators.

Originally, everyone thought that these two Void Refinement Realm experts were about to seek revenge for Revered Flame. However, what happened next greatly exceeded their expectations.

What on earth was happening?

A revered being of the Rain Palace had been killed and was turned to nothing, not even a speck of his bones left. How come these two Void Refinement Realm experts still have the mood to laugh? Are they actually cracking a joke with his murderer, Ning Fan?

Even though Ning Fan was not at fault for Revered Flame's demise and he had done it in order to protect himself, publicly killing a revered member of the Rain Palace was a slap in the face to them. It would really be not in line with the dominating style of the Rain Palace if they do not hold him accountable for such a serious matter!

"Oh? These two seniors don't think I'm guilty of murder?" Ning Fan was slightly surprised. Evidently, he also did not expect that the two Void Refinement Realm experts would smile at him in a friendly manner. His intention of getting rid of the two Void Refinement Realm experts was temporarily put off.

Could it be that these two experts had a grudge against Revered Flame and killing the latter just happened to align with their wishes?

"This young friend must be joking. The Endless Sea is a lawless region in the first place. There is nothing wrong with killing anyone here. Furthermore, Yun Yan attempted to kill you first, so you were just protecting yourself. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it? Don't worry, young friend. No one will blame you for Yun Yan's death. Both of us can assure you that! Moreover, you're much more useful than that Yun Yan to our Rain Palace. Therefore, you don't have to worry."

The two Void Refinement Realm experts laughed leisurely, as if Revered Flame's death was just a trivial matter.

Ning Fan stared deeply at the two experts.

From what they have said, the reason why they changed their attitudes is because I'm more useful than Revered Flame.

Does the word 'useful' they mentioned mean that they need help with something from me? Otherwise, with their identities as Void Refinement Realm experts of the Rain Palace, they would never speak so softly to me.

I see… I have some usefulness to the Rain Palace.

Speaking from another perspective, would this usefulness let Ning Fan obtain benefits from the Rain Palace?

"How are you, Third Elder?" One of the Void Refinement Realm experts asked with a smile.

"..."

There was a saying which goes, 'when words are many, sin is not absent.' Ning Fan remained silent as he had not figured out the actual intentions of these two experts.

"Hehe. It doesn't matter even if you don't say anything. We both know that that old man, Zhou Chen, is hiding in the space of your Treasure of Immortal's Abode…"

"Zhou Chen?" Ning Fan was inwardly surprised but his face remained calm. This name was unfamiliar to him. At least, it was not known in the Internal Endless Sea.

Seeing Ning Fan not expressing any opinion, the two experts did not ask about that matter anymore. Instead, they changed the topic and raised another question.

"This young friend, are you willing to join the Rain Palace and become a revered being? If you have this intention, we might be able to help you by recommending you to the Rain Palace."

*Hua*

Their words were too shocking. They caused an uproar among the cultivators who heard that offer.

Since when did the threshold for becoming a revered being of the Rain Palace became so low?

Didn't the Rain Palace reject devil or demon cultivators from joining them?

Don't they refuse to accept any person who kills people like scything flax?

Why are the experts of the Rain Palace still treating Venerated Ming with respect and are even trying to rope him in although he killed Revered Flame, a revered being of their clan?

Unbelievable. It's too unbelievable.

Ning Fan was analyzing the words of the two Void Refinement Realm experts and made some guesses.

These two experts might really need my help on something. Otherwise, they won't offer such a generous benefit to me.

Not everyone was able to become a revered being of the Rain Palace. Once you become a revered member of the Rain Palace, nearly none of all the eight hundred cultivation countries in Rain World would dare to provoke you.

"What are these two seniors' requests? You might as well be frank with me about your intentions. If there are great enough benefits, I might consider giving you help."

"Really?!"

The faces of the two Void Refinement Realm experts lit up with delight and they gave Ning Fan a firm and solemn promise.

"This young friend, are you okay with having a detailed discussion with us about this matter? Don't worry, we can swear with our Heart Devils not to hurt you at all! This matter wouldn't be too difficult or dangerous to you. As for the benefits, I believe they will definitely satisfy you!"

As a matter of fact, Ning Fan did not really think that they would be able to hurt him either.

Ning Fan stared at the two experts once again. Ning Fan gradually withdrew his killing qi and descended outside the southern tower with an expressionless face. He then smiled at Bei Xiaoman.

"Young Mistress Bei, do you mind lending me a place to have further discussion with these two seniors?"

"Of course I do!"

Bei Xiaoman glared furiously at Ning Fan. Somehow, she would feel angry every time she saw Ning Fan's smile. She just could not bear seeing his pleased and complacent face. However, a part of her felt relieved after knowing that he was safe and sound.

Fortunately, he did not cause any bigger trouble.

Just now, when she saw Ning Fan kill Revered Flame, she was scared half to death. Offending the Rain Palace was no joke.

"Really? Well, it actually doesn't matter to me even if you mind. These two seniors, please come into the tower. Let's have a conversation inside!" Ning Fan walked into the southern tower on his own. The two Void Refinement Realm experts exchanged glances with each other and followed. They were unable to hide the excitement in their eyes.

Bei Xiaoman was about to burst with anger!

I have already said 'I mind'. How could he act so stubbornly without listening to whatever I say and enter the southern tower without my permission?!

Since whatever I say doesn't matter to you, why did you still ask me in the first place?! Are you purposely trying to irritate me?!

Besides, the southern tower is my domain. Have I allowed him to enter?!

Who on earth does he think he is?! Ahhhh!

"Young Mistress, please calm down. Big Brother Zhou and the two Void Refinement Realm seniors are discussing something that is related to his life and death. If their negotiation breaks down, I wonder if those two seniors will hurt Big Brother Zhou or not… They have something that needs Big Brother Zhou's help. That's why they are being lenient towards him and didn't hold him responsible for Revered Flame's death. If… If…" Ya Lan was rather worried. Her cultivation base might not be strong, but she was a smart woman.

"Of course I know what you are saying! Otherwise, I would have directly kicked this stinky Zhou Ming out of my tower!"

Bei Xiaoman darted a glare at Ya Lan. All of a sudden, she felt rather blue.

Just now, she heard Lu Qing say that the reason why Ning Fan killed Revered Flame and his disciple was solely because of Ya Lan.

In the past, Bei Xiaoman had never paid any attention to this subordinate and did not even look her right in the eye. Now, the way she looked at Ya Lan seemed as if she was going to devour her. She felt inexplicably annoyed. Moreover, she was slightly envious of her.

She just could not stop thinking of how Ning Fan got angry because of Ya Lan and killed someone for her. Why wouldn't he treat her the same way he treated Ya Lan?

Why would Ning Fan be so friendly and good to others but bad and cruel to her?!

"You're not allowed to call him Big Brother Zhou! Bear that in mind! You're not allowed! Not allowed! NOT ALLOWED!"

Bei Xiaoman stomped her feet on the ground sulkily and went off. No one knew where she had gone to prick a figurine made of straw with needles. The figurine she was pricking was no doubt Ning Fan.

Lu Qing looked deeply at Bei Xiaoman who was venting her anger while going around aimlessly and stroked his beard, understanding something.

"Hehe. The Fourth Mistress seems to have found a person she likes…"

"Although Venerated Ming is a cultivator of the mortal world, his talent and potential are incredibly impressive. In a way, he is a good fit to Fourth Mistress. But…"

Lu Qing suddenly let out a sigh.

"The Fourth Mistress already has an engagement with the noble Ximen Family. Should I care about this matter and prevent her from getting too close with Venerated Ming?"

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

<strong>Note:</strong>

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