Grasping Evil

Inside a private room of a bamboo house, a wine pot was being heated with fire.

Ning Fan took a light sip of the mortal wine in his cup. Even though it did not contain any medicinal power, it was mellow and aromatic. As soon as it entered his mouth, it slid down his throat very smoothly. It was indeed excellent wine.

There were three women sitting in front of him. Except for Tantai Weiyu who was indulging in the taste of wine with a calm and collected expression, the other two women wore different expressions.

Qing Chuchu was scared stiff of Ning Fan at the moment. The reason why she came here to accompany them to drink was merely to quell his thunderous rage.

What was Ning Fan's favorite thing to do? It was certainly destroying one's sect and slaughtering every one of its members, wasn't it?

Qing Chuchu didn't want her sect to be wiped out in one day because of angering Ning Fan.

On the other hand, the other young woman who had no idea of death or danger was staring directly at Ning Fan as if she was going to devour him.

"Miss Lu Zhu's eyes are extremely large and round. I suppose your name, Lu Zhu, means green eyes (Lu Zhu = 绿lǜ means green, 珠zhū means pearl or pearly things). However, it sounds very strange to me since your eyes clearly has black pupils. Where is the green color…?" While sipping the delicious wine, Ning Fan spoke teasingly.

"Zhou Ming, you shouldn't go too far!" Lu Zhu slammed her bare hands on the wooden table in front of her. She was so furious that her five internal organs were on fire. However, she then restrained her rage after Tantai Weiyu gave her a glance.

"Sister Lu Zhu, have you forgotten our master's teachings?"

"No. I haven't…"

"Our master has once said that we, the cultivators of the Zifu Academy, should always follow the path of righteousness and uphold our virtues in whatever we do or think. Even if the person we are facing is an extremely shameless devil lord, we should not fight or kill him as long as he does not go against the heavenly rules. Moreover, even if he really violates the heavenly rules, our master will conjure heavenly tribulations to eliminate such a sinful and evil person. There is no need for you to be so upset…"

There was a hidden meaning in Tantai Weiyu's remark which suitably criticized Ning Fan.

Meanwhile, Ning Fan secretly activated his Mind Reading Technique and saw through what was in her mind once again.

Their master is actually the Tribulation Wielding Immortal Emperor… Another immortal emperor who holds a certain position? If that's the case, doesn't that mean that the blood-red lightning and silver flames that I had devoured in the past were summoned by this immortal emperor? Since I will no longer face any heavenly tribulations of lightning, I wonder if I can pay the immortal emperor a visit in the Southern Heaven and get some lightning tribulations from him to temper my Spirit Crushing Whip once I ascend to the Four Heavens…

Presumably, Tantai Weiyu would not even be able to imagine that Ning Fan was actually dead set on taking advantage of his master.

One had to admit that the Mind Reading Technique was a really good technique.

From the beginning until the end, Ning Fan did not talk with the women at all. Occasionally, he would activate the Mind Reading Technique and read all of their thoughts.

The information he got included the countless secrets of the Zifu Academy, their objective of descending to the mortal world this time and even about Yin Suqiu!

"Young Master certainly is a cold-blooded person. I invited you for a drink but you have only been drinking and refilling your own cup for the past four hours without even asking anything about Yin Suqiu. She is your woman. Don't you at least care about her?"

Tantai Weiyu's voice was gentle and soft but her words were incisive. She was obviously attacking Ning Fan's Heart of Dao which was about protecting his loved ones.

"I already know the matter regarding Suqiu. I even know that Mistress Weiyu has masturbated three times in your entire life. Don't you think it's weird too?"

Ning Fan teased again. As soon as his voice fell, Lu Zhu was immediately enraged and scolded him.

"Zhou Ming! You are too insolent! Sister Weiyu only criticized you a little a moment ago and now you try to taint her purity. She is a pure goddess and leads an honest and clean life. She is different from ordinary women like us. How can you claim that she masturbated?!"

"Oh? Does Miss Lu Zhu mean that an ordinary woman like you always masturbate?"

"You!" Lu Zhu's cheeks flushed red. She had inadvertently divulged the most unspeakable secret of a woman.

Yeah, I masturbate! So what?!

Everyone has the seven emotions and six sensory pleasures. What's wrong with masturbating?!

She really wanted to snap back at Ning Fan like that. However, she knew that the more she would debate with him, the more absurd it would become. As such, she decided to keep quiet and sit on one side without paying any attention to Ning Fan.

Lu Zhu no longer uttered a single word but Tantai Weiyu's face was blushing with shame. Internally, she was surprised.

Indeed. She managed to attain the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm after cultivating the Dao for 1700 years. In her entire lifetime, she had masturbated exactly three times…

How did Ning Fan know that kind of private matter which was supposed to be a woman's deepest and darkest secret?!

Yes. It must be that kind of secret art…

"The Mind Reading Technique, huh?!"

Tantai Weiyu gritted her silver teeth and spoke something that made Ning Fan frown.

"It's really the Mind Reading Technique as expected! It has been rumored that Emperor Ancient Chaos was the only person who was able to comprehend the Mind Reading Technique among all of the cultivators of the Yin Yang Devil Veins in the past. With just a single glance, he was able to see through the thoughts of all women beneath the heavens… Young Master Zhou certainly is an outstanding expert with incredible natural talent. If I'm not wrong, you are the second individual who was able to comprehend this technique after the passing of Emperor Ancient Chaos. I really want to know why you can achieve something that other cultivators of the Yin Yang Devil Veins can't!"

Tantai Weiyu was not aware of the existence of the Yin Yang Locket. Thus, she would never be able to understand that no other cultivator of the Yin Yang Devil Veins beneath the heavens could display the Mind Reading Technique other than Ning Fan who possessed the Yin Yang Locket.

He was the legitimate successor of the Yin Yang Devil Veins… Even though his cultivation method was a little too shameless, he was someone that countless cultivators with fiendgod cultivation methods could not surpass.

"Tantai Weiyu seems to have a deep understanding of my Yin Yang Devil Veins…" Ning Fan's expression turned solemn. Other than Luo You, there were none who understood his methods so well. Although Tantai Weiyu's understanding was not a quarter as deep as Luo You's, she was the second individual to be able to.

"Didn't Young Master Zhou hear of a saying? When Heaven creates an illness, it will invent a medicine to cure it. When Heaven creates Yang, it will create Yin to restrain it… What does Young Master Zhou think my Yang Devouring Physique is for…"

"Specialized in eliminating the rapists beneath the heavens?!" Ning Fan felt the part of his inner thigh turn cold. He wondered if that was just an illusion.

"Young Master Zhou certainly is smart. This is the duty of my Tantai Aristocratic Family, the duty of being cultivators of the righteous path… That's why Young Master Zhou must never fall into my hands. Or else…" Tantai Weiyu puckered her lips and smiled. She was not afraid of any type of perverts.

Whoever touches a single hair of hers would die.

"Your first name is Weiyu (Weiyu = 未wèi means not yet, 雨yǔ means rain) but you love holding an umbrella even during a sunny day. Is it because you want to cover yourself from the sun…? Apparently, the Yang Devouring Physique has some disadvantages too. Will you even absorb the sunlight? It seems like Mistress Weiyu's life is not very easy." Ning Fan took another sip of wine. He also exposed the secret of Tantai Weiyu's physique.

Her face darkened as Ning Fan had exposed the matter which pained her the most. However, that expression was only there for a second. No one noticed it except for Ning Fan. She stopped talking and covered her mouth with her sleeve to take a sip of the wine. Her cheeks were already slightly red.

Originally, she would never get drunk from drinking. However, she was slowly being intoxicated as her mind was disturbed after Ning Fan exposed a few of her secrets.

Lu Zhu and Qing Chuchu had no idea what Ning Fan and Weiyu were talking about at all.

Ning Fan's Mind Reading Technique was a secret. It was a secret technique that the Tantai Aristocratic Family discovered from studying a few cultivators of dual-cultivation methods. How could outsiders possibly know about it?

Weiyu's Yang Devouring Body was also a secret. Other than knowing Tantai Weiyu could not get close to any man, Lu Zhu did not have much understanding about her physique.

The reason why Ning Fan could see through Weiyu's physique was not because he read her mind using his Mind Reading Technique but due to him noticing a few minor details.

"Since Young Master Zhou has the Mind Reading Technique, aren't you going to care about Yin Suqiu? Well, she was chosen by my Zifu Academy. If she were to be given the opportunity of ascending to the immortal world, she will definitely join my Zifu Academy. When the time comes, she will be a genuine cultivator of the righteous path. Young Master Zhou is a devil lord. I'm afraid the both of you cannot be in love in your entire lives."

"An opportunity to ascend to the immortal world… Mistress Weiyu must be joking. The matter of whether or not Suqiu will be together with me is completely unrelated to being a righteous cultivator or a devil cultivator. Instead, it's related to my life and death." Ning Fan shook his head. If it wasn't because he had learned such a major issue using his Mind Reading Technique, he might not necessarily let these women off so easily.

Yin Suqiu was going to be given the chance to ascend to the immortal world. In addition to that, the group that had chosen her was the number-one righteous sect of the Four Heavens Immortal World – Zifu Academy!

It was probably the most suitable path for her. Since she loved the path of righteousness so much, Ning Fan did not intend to interfere with her decision.

Moreover, Ning Fan did not think that Yin Suqiu would choose to cut off her relationship with him after joining the reputable righteous sect.

On the surface, although Tantai Weiyu and Lu Zhu may have better aptitudes than Yin Suqiu, the both of them had yet to see through the difference between the cultivators of the righteous and devil paths.

Yin Suqiu on the other hand, had understood it thoroughly. In ancient times, before the cultivation methods of the three main races: the divine race, the devil race and the demon race were distinctively created, there were no three races in the first place…

The so-called righteous and devil cultivators were just a divergence that was used by cultivators of later generations. The only difference between the righteous and devil paths was their cultivation methods. It was not about the separation between good and evil in the first place.

Even if Yin Suqiu joins the Zifu Academy and becomes one of the goddesses of the Southern Heaven from being a normal cultivator, she would still be together with Ning Fan if she wants to be together with him.

Moreover, Ning Fan believed that the Tribulation Wielding Immortal Emperor would certainly not dare to chase him away when he casually visits the Zifu Academy to prevent him from annihilating his faction. This would be when he finally gains strength rivaling an immortal emperor which would make the latter become dreadful of him...

Ning Fan had witnessed too many scenarios like this where one's attitude changes from arrogance to humility.

Throughout his path of cultivation, he showed no mercy in taking someone's life and dominated everywhere he went. As long as his strength remained, no one would dare to provoke him.

He did not believe in the path of righteousness. Neither did he believe in the path of devils. He only believed in his own path.

Be it divine power, demon power, or devil power, his character changed greatly after he combined all three of them. His brutality was neutralized by his divine side. Aside from that, he also had a trait of being capricious which made him rather unpredictable. Well, it was quite obvious that the current Ning Fan was no longer a ruthless devil lord who only killed and took people's lives judging from his behavior during his visit to the Green Bamboo Palace this time.

Three different radical personalities which contradicts each other were already fused into one!

This was the most obscure part of Ning Fan that Tantai Weiyu could not understand.

Although the words he spoke were clearly flirty and provocative, his eyes looked honest and upright. From the beginning until the end, he did not show any indecency to the beauties.

Even though his baleful qi was tremendously strong, he had a very high self-restraint. It was just a matter of a single thought for him to decide whether to kill or not but his mind was not disturbed by his killing intent at all.

Despite having a domineering and proud attitude, he was unpredictable and quick-witted. His intelligence and schemes were not unrivalled, but he could be considered among the best.

When all of the contradictory elements combined, Tantai Weiyu who was a dignified Void Fragmentation Realm expert failed to see through Ning Fan.

Aside from that, she nearly got herself to agree with his words.

She thought Ning Fan was right. Yin Suqiu would not abandon him because of the difference in their paths and identities. If there were to be a reason in this world for her to forget Ning Fan, the only reason would be either one of them passing away… Apart from that, the person who would die would certainly not be Ning Fan but Yin Suqiu.

This woman was extremely stubborn. When she applies that stubbornness into her relationship, it would become a life-long and unfaltering devotion that she would not give up even if it would cost her her life.

Unless she dies, she would never give up on Ning Fan.

"Young Master Zhou, I can't understand you. Does this mean you aren't concerned about Sister Suqiu's ascension to the immortal world? With her potential and capability, attaining the Divine Transformation Realm is just a matter of time for her. If she successfully achieves the Divine Transformation Realm, she will…"

"She will ascend to the immortal world? Unexpectedly, Suqiu will be the first person to ascend to the immortal world among all my women. Her future will definitely be bright and promising. It would be good for her. This just proves that I have a pretty excellent foresight."

Ning Fan spoke with a proud tone.

He rarely felt conceited. However, when his own women were being praised by others, he would be happy. It was much more delightful than being the one to receive the compliments.

It was similar to a silly parent who would feel happy for the rest of the day when their child was praised by others for being smart and obedient.

After all, Ning Fan was just an ordinary person.

"I am only worried about two things. Firstly, I am worried that that silly woman will refuse the chance of ascension fearing that I will be angry…"

Just as Ning Fan finished speaking his first worry, Lu Zhu instantly sneered.

"Impossible! The chance of ascending to the Four Heavens is extremely precious. It's certainly impossible for that Yin Suqiu to refuse such a golden opportunity for a mere love affair!"

"You don't understand her." Ning Fan was too lazy to bother with Lu Zhu.

"What's your second worry?" Tantai Weiyu wore a faint smile as she asked.

"As for my second worry… Fortunately, I restrained my lust in the past and stopped myself from wanting her. I have heard that the Zifu Academy has very strict requirements on the female cultivators who are going to ascend and join their forces. If a woman has yet to be officially marriaged, she is strictly not allowed to have sex which will destroy her chastity. If a woman already has a partner, she will only be given the chance if her partner fulfills the conditions of being a righteous cultivator. I am not a righteous cultivator. As such, it's lucky that she wasn't formally married to me and I didn't destroy her chastity. Since she is still a pure woman, I don't think it will affect her ascension to the immortal world."

*Chuckle*

Tantai Weiyu actually laughed.

One has to admit that the point which she found funny was quite weird.

Actually, there wasn't anything wrong in laughing. She originally thought that the problems that Ning Fan was worried about must be something very serious, such as the issue of safety in ascending to the immortal world. Ironically, what Ning Fan was worried about was whether he had destroyed Yin Suqiu's chastity or not.

What does this man's mind hold? A pile of dung?

"Farewell!"

When Tantai Weiyu was laughing, Ning Fan did not take a second glance at her and suddenly rose from his seat.

He did not ask any details about Yin Suqiu's ascension. The ascension formation and the passage to the immortal world were very likely to contain the secrets of the Zifu Academy. Perhaps even Tantai Weiyu did not know anything about it.

Moreover, Ning Fan believed that he had no enemies in the Southern Heaven Immortal World. Thus, Yin Suqiu would safely ascend to the Southern Heaven. Apart from that, joining the Zifu Academy also guaranteed her safety.

Even though the cultivators of the Zifu Academy were rumored to have stubborn adherence to old and dated rules, there were none who committed serious violations of laws and discipline. After all, there were also advantages of being pedantic.

Ning Fan also believed that Yin Suqiu was no longer that ordinary lady who was stubborn about the differences between righteous and devil cultivators after going through countless changes. Her horizons should have already been broadened after everything she had experienced.

Ning Fan had that much confidence in his own woman. If he does not believe in his own woman, then he wouldn't be Ning Fan anymore.

After bidding farewell, he left in an elegant and unrestrained manner. Even Qing Chuchu who was still in the state of apprehension and Lu Zhu who had suffered some grievances could not help but admire him from the bottom of their hearts. Ning Fan indeed had an impressive demeanor. That demeanor had nothing to do with his appearance. It was just a calm attitude that remained unchanged despite whatever happened.

Especially his eyes which were filled with trust and confidence for his partner… To every lady who longed for a partner that treats them with sincerity, it probably had power destructive enough to harm their Heart's Devil.

"Wait a moment! Didn't Young Master Zhou want to compete with me?" Tantai Weiyu suddenly rose to her feet and spoke calmly.

"Compete? How do we compete?" Ning Fan's eyes shone with surprise. He had never noticed that this woman would have such a strong desire to win.

"Young Master has yet to comment on this wine. I noticed that the Young Master is also very fond of mortal wine. I suppose you must have some unique insights about mortal wine. Before we compete with each other, I would like to hear your comment. If Young Master is willing to share, I will be extremely grateful. If I may be so bold, may I know what wine is to the Young Master?"

Tantai Weiyu suddenly asked an unrelated question. It seems like this woman's thoughts were always running astray.

"The word 'wine' stands for the water of the You(酉yǒu) hour1. You(酉yǒu) is the tenth of the twelve Earthly Branches. It is the west direction, the autumn season, the time when the paddies ripen. The liquid fermented from the grain is wine!" Ning Fan quickly replied.

"Those are the definitions from books. I want to hear Young Master's personal thoughts on it."

"Anything that intoxicates a person is wine. The beauties in the world, wealth, fame, reputation... What isn't wine if it can intoxicate a person's heart?" Ning Fan answered with a serious tone this time.

"Well said, Young Master. Anything that intoxicates a person is wine. If that's what it is, are the innumerable beauties of Young Master Zhou mellow and delicious wines to you?"

"…" Ning Fan did not comment anything after hearing Tantai Weiyu's words.

"May I know what intoxication is for Young Master?"

"Dying from wine is intoxication. Living through wine is consciousness! In between intoxication and consciousness, it contains the meaning of life and death. I suppose the reason why Mistress Weiyu insists on drinking wine is because you want to comprehend the meaning of life and death with its help!" As Ning Fan spoke, his answer immediately caused the three women there to be astonished.

Qing Chuchu, the palace lord of the Green Bamboo Palace, had never heard of such a profound meaning of wine even though she had spent most of her life brewing wine. It just pointed out the origin of wine.

Lu Zhu who was one of the prodigies of the Zifu Academy emphasized the most on the cultivation of understanding of the Zifu Academy. Just as its name implied, its method of cultivation was similar to schooling which heavily stressed on learning and understanding in order to comprehend the Heavenly Dao and improve their cultivation base.

With such an atmosphere, there were always disciples exchanging views with each other within the Zifu Academy. They rarely competed against each other using their magic power. Instead, they exchanged their views on their comprehensions of Dao.

It would be conducted through debates, playing the qin, chess, calligraphy, painting and other methods. Sometimes, they would adopt a more straightforward method by competing with their spirit sense. After all, one's intent realm was a direct reflection of one's original heart. The stronger the comprehension on Dao, the stronger the spirit sense one possessed.

Despite living and cultivating in such an environment, Lu Zhu had never seen a young man who could speak such profound words like Ning Fan.

Moreover, even some of the seniors of the sect did not have such a high comprehension in the Dao like Ning Fan.

It had nothing to do with one's natural aptitude. It was only related to one's power of understanding!

Lu Zhu did not know how good Ning Fan's potential was. His power of understanding, however, was probably extremely profound and deep.

Tantai Weiyu's face turned red. Well, the point that made her feel embarrassed was also quite odd. Did Ning Fan say anything embarrassing to her that caused her to blush?

As a matter of fact, she was surprised to learn Ning Fan's power of understanding.

Not only did he perfectly answer her question, he had also elaborated on the true meaning of consciousness which was beyond the meaning of intoxication.

Furthermore, he had even directly pointed out the existence of the great Dao of life and death hidden within drinking wine.

There were three thousand great Dao within wine. What Ning Fan saw was memory and samsara whereas Tantai Weiyu saw the principle of life and death.

"He has actually seen through my Dao…" Tantai Weiyu felt her heart pound. She had never experienced such a feeling before.

She had never felt so astonished by a man.

"I am really thankful the Young Master is willing to share your thoughts. If I succeed in comprehending the Dao of Life and Death, I will certainly give Young Master lavish gifts as thanks in the future." Tantai Weiyu wore a solemn expression and gently nodded at Ning Fan.

"I haven't finished yet…"

"You still have more to share?" Weiyu asked, surprised.

"There is not only the Dao of Life and Death within wine, but also the Dao of Truth and Falsehood. Genuinely getting intoxicated while pretending to be sober or faking to be drunk while being truly conscious. Someone who leads a befuddled life as if he's drunk and entranced is not truly intoxicated. Instead, they are conscious but they just act like they are in the state of intoxication… It's just a pretense, a parallelism. They might appear to be intoxicated but they actually aren't and the underlying principle in this situation is the Dao of Truth and Falsehood. If Mistress Weiyu successfully comprehends the Dao of Life and Death, you will be able to understand what is true and false. In the future, it won't be difficult for you to attain the True Immortal Realm."

"Truth… and falsehood!" Tantai Weiyu was deeply convinced.

It would still be acceptable and reasonable if the person who gave such a profound advice to her was an immortal emperor. However, the person whom she was listening to was just a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator.

The level of understanding of this particular Divine Transformation Realm cultivator was hardly comparable.

The power of understanding one possesses had nothing to with natural aptitude or intelligence. Instead, it was a cultivator's understanding towards the great Dao and it was only related to one's character. After all, the Heavenly Dao always reflected one's heart.

The greatest asset that Ning Fan had was probably not his Yin Yang Transformation but his will to defy the heavens.

He was not smart in the first place. He was just an ordinary person. However, because of him being ordinary, he was able to get closer to the great Dao since the great Dao was simple and ordinary.

Tantai Weiyu had no idea of what to say next. If she attains the True Immortal Realm one day, the thing she would be the most thankful for would definitely be Ning Fan's advice.

She pondered for a while and then reached her hand out to her storage pouch, as if she had decided to take out something and give it to Ning Fan in order to express her gratitude.

But before she could take it out, Ning Fan continued speaking.

"Other than the Dao of Truth and Falsehood, there is still a deeper and more profound principle behind wine. Do you still want to hear it?"

"Yes! If Young Master is willing to lower yourself to teach me without sparing any detail, I am willing to repay your generosity. Mm. If anyone dares to disrespect Sister Suqiu when she ascends to the academy in the future, I will certainly help Young Master stand up for her and protect her!" Weiyu promised with an earnest tone.

Ning Fan nodded his head. He was obviously very satisfied with Weiyu's assurance. His eyes then shone with seriousness and continued speaking.

"Above the principle of life and death, I saw the principle of truth and falsehood. On top of that principle, I saw the principle of karma. Being intoxicated is the effect of drinking whereas drinking is the cause of intoxication. Being sober is the effect of not drinking whereas not drinking is the reason why one can stay sober. Generally speaking, the karma in this world is something just like this. However, one will not be drunk every time they drink and not every cause can manifest the appropriate effect… For example, even if a woman glances back at her beloved everyday without fail for five hundred years in her previous life, it may not necessarily stir up his pity and affection. Even if she turns into a stone bridge and waits by the riverside for one thousand years, it may not necessarily be able to wait for his arrival. If Mistress Weiyu is able to see through karma someday, it won't be surprising for you to become an immortal emperor."

"Karma… Not being able to stir up his pity and affection even if a woman glances back at her beloved for five hundred years consecutively…" A feeling of sorrow suddenly filled her heart. It seemed like Tantai Weiyu had a sad past…

Indeed. How would a woman adopt the hobby of drinking if she did not have any stories to tell?

"Try guessing what I saw above the principle of karma…"

Ning Fan let out a faint sigh. Originally, he had no intention to continue sharing what he knew. However, when he noticed Tantai Weiyu's depressed expression, he suddenly changed his mind and continued speaking, trying to divert her attention and diminish her sadness.

"What else could there be above the principle of karma?" Weiyu asked with an astonished expression. She felt that the maxim of such depth and profoundness was too much for her to understand.

"Being drunk as if you are living in a dream… Drinking is the cause of drunkenness while getting drunk is where the dream starts. Dreaming is the reason why you awaken and awakening is why one drinks again. If you look at it in reverse, you will find the effect… When you can clearly see cause and effect, it means that you have understood karma. When you are able to clearly see karma and identify which is which, then you have thoroughly seen through karma. Above the principle of karma is samsara. All things in this world are part of samsara. Nothing can escape from it. I am not your tree and you are not my fruit. There are some feelings that can't be explained clearly in one's entire life. Everything is just like the righteous and the devil paths."

As Ning Fan finished speaking, he cupped his fists and walked out of the bamboo house.

He had seen through Tantai Weiyu's thoughts. He even knew what she wanted to give him as a gift.

It was a set of fiendgod cultivation methods which was called Return from the Ocean of Lust. The function of this cultivation method was to nourish a man's primordial yang.

This cultivation method neutralizes the latent danger which is residing within a man who had plucked countless women. The hidden danger would harm the man's foundations when he abolishes his own dual cultivation method. With the help of this cultivation method, the male cultivator's primordial yang would be gradually replenished after he does that.

Yes. It required abolishing his dual cultivation method! In order to practice the cultivation method from Weiyu, Ning Fan had to abolish his Yin Yang Transformation.

This cultivation method was the secret art of the Tantai Aristocratic Family. Thus, it was forbidden to give it to an outsider without much consideration. If Ning Fan accepts her cultivation method, he might cause her to be punished by her family members.

The reason why Weiyu intended to give him this cultivation method was doubtlessly because she hoped Ning Fan could abandon his devil cultivation method and return to the path of righteousness.

However, the final sentence Ning Fan uttered –'Everything is just like the righteous and the devil paths', was actually reminding Weiyu that there were no differences between the cultivation methods of the righteous and devil paths in the first place. There was just no point being so stubborn in distinguishing the both of them.

It was not the fault of the Yin Yang Transformation. As a matter of fact, it was the user of the cultivation method who was at fault. As long as Ning Fan had no qualms about his own conduct, so what if he cultivated the Yin Yang Transformation and pluck all women beneath the heavens?!

It was an act of kindness from Tantai Weiyu but Ning Fan would never accept it.

"He has seen through everything…" Weiyu laughed bitterly while keeping the scroll of the cultivation method back into her storage pouch.

If Ning Fan returns at this point of time, she could probably help him enter the path of righteousness which would give him a better and brighter future.

It's such a waste…

For no reason, Weiyu began to feel sorry for Ning Fan.

It was her first time being 'subdued' by a man like this…

"Are we going to meet again…?" Tantai Weiyu sighed. A disappointed feeling that she never had before filled her.

To think Tantai Weiyu would actually sigh for a male cultivator. This was just too rare. If this matter is spread, it would probably be more shocking than the news of Ning Fan defeating Ximen Ye.

In the Green Bamboo Palace, Ning Fan bade farewell to Cao Kang and left after giving him some pills.

Ning Fan had only met that man for the first time today. However, it seems that their predestined relationship will have to end here.

He took a step forward and vanished from the Green Bamboo Palace. In the next moment, he appeared above the surface of the sea. There was no island, no cultivators and living creatures around and only the sound of the sea waves could be heard.

Ning Fan gazed into the empty yet deserted ocean and remained silent.

Three days and three nights passed.

Finally, a gentleman in white robes appeared above the empty sea. His expression was cold and indifferent and his face was dead serious. Furthermore, he praised Ning Fan as soon as he appeared.

"Your ability to understand things is really strong. Your level of concentration is not bad too."

The reason why this person complimented Ning Fan's power of understanding was certainly because he had heard him speaking his comprehension of the Dao from the beginning until the end.

The reason why he complimented Ning Fan's level of concentration was because Ning Fan was able to stand at his spot without moving or speaking until the gentleman appeared.

"Who are you, senior?"

"Yun." That gentleman only uttered a single word but it instantly made Ning Fan's expression change.

Ning Fan could not see through this gentleman's cultivation base. The amount of pressure he gave him could rival Emperor Moksha!

This word immediately made Ning Fan recall the message he got from Lu Qing before he left the Lost World Palace.

"Pass my test and you'll gain the token of a revered being. - Yun"

Ning Fan's eyes were solemn.

This white-robed gentleman was obviously the Void Fragmentation Realm old monster who came from the Rain Palace to test me!

Almost at the same moment, Ning Fan shook his Cauldron Ring and took out an ancient pouch.

He had cast aside the pouch to the deepest corner of the enormous space within the Cauldron Ring and had kept it there for a very long time.

Within the storage pouch was the strongest trump card that Ning Fan had so far – the rogue devil[2]!

Ning Fan had once thought that he might be able to control the rogue devil with some effort using different types of methods once he attains the Peak Divine Transformation Realm.

But honestly, he did not have one hundred percent confidence that he would surely be able to do so with his current cultivation realm.

Opening the storage pouch at the Peak Divine Transformation Realm was no doubt a gamble.

If he manages to control the rogue devil, he would then have the strength to dominate the entire Rain World.

If he fails, however, he would die right there and then. Everything he went through and all of his effort in Dao cultivation would be gone.

He would never make such a dangerous bet unless he found an opportunity that was worth gambling his life for.

However, when he met this white-robed gentleman, he had the urge to make the bet without any hesitation.

If this gentleman harbors malicious intent against him, he would open the pouch and unleash the rogue devil to fight against him!

Even if it would cost him his life, he would also want to make the latter perish together with him!

"It seems like there's something incredible inside your little pouch." The white-robed gentleman nodded his head but shook his head a second later.

"If I want to take your life, you would have died long ago. Five days ago, I arrived at the Lost World Tower and left a piece of jade… You should know what that means."

The meaning of his words was obvious without even any explanation.

Five days ago, Ning Fan was still asleep and he still needed Bei Xiaoman's care.

During that time, he had no way to protect himself or formations for self-preservation. If the white-robed gentleman wanted to kill him, it would be a piece of cake.

Since he did not kill Ning Fan that time, then he would not kill him now. At the very least, Ning Fan knew how this worked.

He kept the pouch containing the rogue devil and stared coldly at the white-robed gentleman. Then, he cupped his fists and asked.

"May I be so bold as to ask how Senior plans to test me?"

"You know a lot about wine, don't you?"

"Just a little." Ning Fan did not sound modest but he did not act arrogantly too.

"I overheard your conversation previously. You really seem to have some knowledge about wine. However, I don't like talking rubbish. I only look at a single benchmark to find out whether or not you truly know about wine and that is how much you can drink!"

Yun Tianjue patted his storage pouch and a ray of sword light shot out from within. It transformed into a ship with the shape of a sword.

He descended to the ship and lifted the sail. After that, he touched his storage pouch again. Bottles of spiritual wine piled up like a mountain. All of them were from the Green Bamboo Palace.

When Ning Fan was having a deep conversation with Weiyu, he had actually emptied out all the wine cellars of the Green Bamboo Palace!

"Have a drink with me."

"Can I assume that this is Senior's test for me?"

"You can think whatever you like."

Ning Fan landed on the sword ship and sat in a meditative posture just like Yun Tianjue. Both of them began to drink together. However, the atmosphere remained silent as if they had no common topic to talk about.

However, when they sat facing each other and drank, there was no element of contrast at all.

Suddenly, the furrow between Yun Tianjue's brows became deeper. He could not understand why he, an antisocial and solitary person, would decide to drink wine with an unfamiliar junior.

However, he did not reject this feeling.

"If you become drunk, you will fail the test." Yun Tianjue uttered indifferently.

"I won't become drunk!" Ning Fan smiled confidently. That smile made Yun Tianjue feel a bit stunned.

He seemed to have seen that smile before on a woman's face. He was very familiar with him yet he could not remember where he had seen it.

Who was it…?

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

<strong>Note: </strong>

1. The twelve Earthly Branches are a Chinese ordering system in various context including its ancient dating system, zodiacs and ordinals. 酉yǒu is the tenth of the twelve Earthly Branch, which means 5pm to 7pm. It also refers to the rooster in Chinese zodiac. (Click here to check out the table of the twelve Earthly Branch.)

Source: Wikipedia

2. Rogue devil is found in Chapter 165(1). It is a creature at the Ninth Heavenly Layer of the