Grasping Evil

Ning Fan was stealthily travelling in the pitch-black tunnel. It was unknown how much distance he had covered. At the end of the dark passage, there stood a gigantic silver door.

The door was at least one hundred thousand zhang* (3.33 m per zhang) tall and there were twelve silver lion statues lined up at the entrance.

When Ning Fan revealed himself and approached the door, the dull and lifeless eyes of the twelve lion statues suddenly turned towards him. Each of them emanated a bone-chilling killing intent.

Their message was clear. If Ning Fan gets a little closer to the door, all twelve of them would pounce on him and tear him to pieces.

A jolt of surprise ran across Ning Fan. If he did not sense wrongly, these twelve lion statues were products of a certain kind of formation technique.

They had been built and placed at this place with each of them infused with the power of the formation technique to guard the gigantic door and attack every intruder.

Each and every one of these twelve lion statues gave off the aura of the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm!

Even the Rain Sovereign himself would be inflicted with injuries once he is attacked by the twelve lion statues at the same time.

These lion statues could never be moved or brought away from this place. Their presence gave Ning Fan great surprise.

"The Rain Sovereign of a past generation who built this Blood Dragon Pool had really spent a great fortune on this! He actually used twelve Void Fragmentation Realm statues as guards whenever he entered into secluded training. One has to know that even the current Rain Palace only has eleven Void Fragmentation Realm experts in total, including the current Rain Sovereign…"

After calming his feeling of surprise, Ning Fan stopped moving. He did not dare to get a step closer to the gigantic door.

He stood there and pondered.

It's been rumored that none of the three generations of Rain Sovereigns after the Red Cloud Rain Sovereign could enter this place for secluded training.

There must be some kind of reason for that hidden behind this door.

As for this particular reason, Ning Fan already had a guess before he entered the tunnel.

His gaze swept across the twelve lion statues and eventually stopped at an inconspicuous groove above the gigantic door.

The groove was only the size of a palm. It seemed like something was needed to be inserted on that spot in order to unlock the gigantic door.

Without this item, any intruder would never be able to open the door even if the lion statues do not attack them.

Ning Fan patted his storage pouch and took out a silver token.

That token was the token of the Rain Sovereign which he obtained from the eighth floor of the Lost World Tower!

The third layer of the Blood Dragon Pool was specially prepared for the Rain Sovereign for cultivation purposes. But why could none of them enter the third layer after the generation of the Red Cloud Rain Sovereign…?

When Ning Fan noticed the groove above the door, he already had another guess in his mind. The size of the groove was exactly the same as the token of the Rain Sovereign. Perhaps all of this was related to the token?!

Ever since the generation of the Red Cloud Rain Sovereign, the Rain Sovereigns of the following three generations had lost the token.

Presently, this item had fallen into Ning Fan's hands. Would he be able to unlock the treasure house of cultivation that the Rain Sovereigns of three generations were unable to unlock?!

"Whether it's true or not, it will be known after a single try! If the lion statues still attacks me even if I hold this token, I will turn invisible immediately using the Heaven Deceiving Cloak and flee. Even though these lion statues are of the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm, they may not necessarily be able to detect me."

Ning Fan made up his mind. He took a large step forward, going into the attack range of the lion statues.

His heart was filled with two hundred percent of alertness and caution. Once he sees any lion statue show signs of assaulting him, he would immediately use his cloak and retreat.

Just as he stepped within the attack range of the lion statues, the killing intent of the twelve statues locked onto him.

However, when their blank eyes caught sight of the token of the Rain Sovereign, their killing intent subsided instantly.

A rumbling noise echoed across the dark, hollow tunnel. The twelve lion statues actually got to their knees and lowered their heads in the presence of Ning Fan.

After worshipping him on their knees, all twelve of them spoke in unison. Their voices were old and stiff.

"Wel…come…Divine…Sovereign…"

Ning Fan's eyes lit up with delight.

Sure enough, the key to open the door to the third layer of the Blood Dragon Pool was this token!

However, his expression was filled with shock a moment later. When the twelve lion statues knelt before him, there was actually an indescribable aura force pressing against him.

That aura force did not have malicious intentions.

In fact, that aura force was produced because of the worship from Void Fragmentation Realm beings.

When one attains the Void Fragmentation Realm, they would achieve unity with the Heavenly Dao as they were on the verge of becoming an immortal.

Not everyone would be able to accept the worship of Void Fragmentation Realm cultivators. If one's aura force wasn't strong enough, they would probably be crushed by the aura force of the Void Fragmentation Realm beings!

In this situation where twelve Void Fragmentation Realm lion statues were on their knees worshipping simultaneously, a cultivator of the Early Void Refinement Realm would probably be instantly crushed.

Even a Peak Void Refinement Realm expert would not be able to withstand without suffering any injuries!

Ning Fan retreated for one hundred steps consecutively. An aura force which was as massive and boundless as the sea was getting closer to him.

This scene was similar to that time when he was ascending the Ming Yu Building in the Northern Desert City of the Luo Yun Tribe.

While he was being restrained and suppressed by the intense aura force, he then understood and learned the Aura Force Cultivation Technique as well as the divine ability called the Sovereign's Shadow1…

"The Sovereign's Shadow!"

Ning Fan stopped retreating. Golden light glowed within his eyes. Afterwards, a golden illusory shadow which was a few zhang* (3.33 m per zhang) tall emerged behind him.

The moment this golden illusory shadow appeared, a protective layer in the form of a golden light surrounded his body. He then fearlessly made a firm step towards the immense aura force.

"Crush!"

His voice was cold and indifferent. It was as if he had become a Void Fragmentation Realm supreme being under the blessing of the Sovereign's Shadow.

With the help of the aura force of the Sovereign's Shadow, the aura force from the twelve lion statues actually dispersed after he uttered that single word.

"All of you may rise!"

"Yes!"

The twelve lion statues gradually rose to their feet. They slowly lost their spiritual intelligence and returned to their original forms again.

Ning Fan turned around to look at the Sovereign's Shadow behind him and thought that if it wasn't for the Sovereign's Shadow, he was not confident that he would survive after being hit by the aura force of the statues.

Among the three Void Fragmentation Realm divine abilities: Incarnation, Soul Extraction and the Sovereign's Shadow, the first two were the abilities that Ning Fan used the most.

His Sense Soul Incarnation Technique allowed him to summon another entity of himself and then merge together whenever he wanted to. It also allowed him to fend off different kinds of attacks by either turning into an illusory form or condensing into a real entity. Moreover, he was able to create various kinds of techniques from his incarnation like his Black Tempest Rupture Art.

The Soul Extraction Technique enabled him to draw the soul of the heavens, land, mountains and rivers to temporarily enhance his own magic power. It was a secret technique that countless cultivators desired.

As for the Sovereign's Shadow, it had a much greater use.

The strong aura force of the Sovereign's Shadow was actually just one of its functions. However, it was not the true way to use it.

The ultimate objective of condensing a Sovereign's Shadow was to temper the sovereign qi of the shadow's owner. It was not something that just about anyone could do.

When one cultivates their sovereign qi to a certain level, they would be able to use it for different purposes such as devouring the heavenly thunderbolt or earth flames, blocking calamities or tribulations, shielding their fates and heavens' secrets from others or making their souls immortal. Besides, it could also be used as a powerful means to attack!

The Incarnation Ability was focused on defense, the Soul Extraction Ability emphasized support while the Sovereign's Shadow Ability was specialized in attacks!

Ning Fan might have successfully condensed his Sovereign's Shadow, but there was not a single trace of sovereign qi in him.

Out of the eleven Void Fragmentation Realm experts of the Rain Palace, it was rumored that only the Rain Sovereign had completely condensed a trace of sovereign qi. Furthermore, even Chu Chang'an who was of high seniority and had served a few generations of Divine Sovereigns had only condensed half a trace of sovereign qi.

Even so, a lot of cultivators respectfully addressed him as Sovereign Chu1!

The word 'sovereign' represented the sovereign qi that he had!

A trace of sovereign qi might seem as light as cotton, but it could crush mountains and rivers.

If Ning Fan possessed even a trace of sovereign qi and prostrated in front of the twelve lion statues, it would definitely be those lion statues that would be harmed!

Within the nine worlds, even ordinary Void Fragmentation Realm experts were incapable of withstanding the worship of a sovereign-like being!

On the other hand, the reason why the Sovereign Rain Primordial Art of the Red Cloud Rain Sovereign was listed as the strongest cultivation method of the Rain Palace was because it contained several types of secret techniques that utilized the sovereign qi. The former Rain Sovereign who had condensed sovereign qi would not have any opponents among the experts of the same level when they display those secret techniques utilizing their sovereign qi, unless they faced another sovereign-like being!

Staring at his Sovereign's Shadow, Ning Fan silently contemplated.

Currently, he had no sovereign qi. It was completely impossible for him to use the sovereign qi to attack his enemies, other than using the Sovereign's Shadow to block against external aura force.

To him, sovereign qi was something that was in his sight but beyond his reach at the end of the day.

If he could condense a trace of sovereign qi right now, perhaps he would directly become a sovereign of the Rain World. It would be a bit too absurd if that happens…

Without the obstruction of the lion statues, Ning Fan walked closer to the gigantic door. There was a great and forceful aura force coming from it. Naturally, Ning Fan was not afraid of the aura force of the door as he was under the blessing of his Sovereign's Shadow.

He flicked the token of the Rain Sovereign to the groove above the door with his finger. Immediately, the gigantic door gave off a thunderous rumbling noise and gradually opened.

Ning Fan took the token of the Rain Sovereign and kept it. And then, he made a step forward, passing through the entrance. Seconds later, the gigantic door gradually closed behind him.

No one knew that Ning Fan had successfully entered the restricted area that even the Rain Sovereigns of the last three generations failed to enter!

When one looks around and then gazes into the distance, they would realize that this place was actually a bright and resplendent palace decorated with gold and jade.

This palace was meant only for the Rain Sovereigns of the past generations to train and cultivate.

At the center of the palace, there was a circular pool. It had a diameter of just a few zhang* (3.33m per zhang). The pool was filled to the brim with dragon blood. It seemed to have been prepared for one to bathe or conduct training.

On the ceiling of the palace directly above the blood pool, there was a tiny hole. It seemed to be connected to the first and second layers and the dragon blood of countless blood beasts was being drawn in endlessly into this pool.

Ning Fan's gaze fell upon the blood pool. At the next second, he took in a deep breath.

The liquid in this blood pool was all dragon blood!

Perhaps the amount of dragon blood in this entire pool was really equivalent to tens of thousands of bottles!

With such a massive amount of dragon blood, try to imagine how tremendous the magic power it contained!

The dragon blood in this pool was gathered drop after drop.

If the previous generations of Rain Sovereigns could still enter this place for cultivation, the pool would definitely not accumulate so much dragon blood. Presumably, the dragon blood would be assimilated and refined by the Rain Sovereigns to the very last drop when half of the pool was full.

Ning Fan was fortunate because it had already been three generations since the last Rain Sovereign visited the third layer of the Blood Dragon Pool. Thus, the pool had accumulated dragon blood to its full capacity and all of it was right there, waiting for Ning Fan to consume.

He stared at the pool which was full of dragon blood. He was certainly not going to use this dragon blood to bathe.

If ten thousand bottles of dragon blood are brewed into blood wine, it would be equivalent to fifty million units of magic power.

Now, there were tens of thousands of bottles of dragon blood. If he assimilated the entire pool of dragon blood, it would be extremely possible for him to even break through to the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm!

From this small pool of dragon blood, Ning Fan saw hope of reaching the sky in a single step. However, a brief moment later, he seemed to have noticed something which made him immediately feel like he had been splashed with a bucket of cold water which doused his excitement. He did not know whether to laugh or cry upon his discovery.

It's ruined… Even though there is a lot of dragon blood in this pool, all of it had been ruined by this pool.

This blood pool was established with a grand formation which transformed all of the dragon blood into bathing water. Therefore, the dragon blood could not be brewed into blood wine anymore.

The only option Ning Fan had was to take a bath in this pool. Assimilating the dragon blood and breaking through to the Void Fragmentation Realm had now become impossible!

Despite the strength and firmness of his Dao Heart, he could not help but waver a little.

Well, when a cultivator who had been bitterly cultivating all his life and aspired to attain the Void Fragmentation Realm suddenly sees a glimpse of hope of breaking through to his desired cultivation realm, he would obviously be joyful.

However, when he realized that he had rejoiced too soon and things did not turn out to be like what he had expected, he would be seriously disappointed.

Even so, the wavering of his Dao Heart only lasted for a short while and it was stopped by Ning Fan.

He continued to silently stare at the blood pool. After pondering for a while, he understood something.

To a Divine Transformation Realm or a Void Refinement Realm expert, if all the dragon blood in this pool is brewed into blood wine, they would have the chance of breaking through to the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm.

However, to Rain Sovereigns who already have Void Fragmentation Realm cultivation bases, the magic power contained inside the dragon blood was probably insignificant.

The Rain Sovereign who built the Blood Dragon Blood had spent so much effort and wealth. Hence, the reason why this blood bathing pool was built was certainly not just for bathing.

With Ning Fan's intelligence, it did not take him a long time to figure out that this blood pool must be of great and essential use to the cultivation of the Rain Sovereigns!

The use of the pool was far more important than helping them achieve a breakthrough in their cultivation. That was the reason why the dragon blood was used to fill up this pool instead of being brewed into blood wine!

Ning Fan formed a conclusion in his mind. Then, his eyes carefully scanned around the palace as if he was searching for something.

Other than the blood pool, there were still different kinds of good items in this palace.

Ning Fan found an ancient shelf. Many jade slips and ancient books were placed there. He browsed through every one of them and discovered that these jade slips contained the insights and comprehensions from the cultivations of some cultivators. There were not only the insights from the cultivators of the Rain World there, but also those of other worlds. Moreover, there were even the comprehensions of the ancient immortals.

The core content of their comprehensions was about the Sovereign's Shadow and the sovereign qi!

Aside from that, Ning Fan also found at the end of the palace a massive amount of immortal jade which was piled up like mountains as well as Dao Crystals!

A single Dao Crystal was worth five million immortal jade.

There were at least one thousand Dao Crystals here. All of them were worth five billion immortal jade!

Apart from that, the walls surrounding the palace had been carved with characters and drawings.

When Ning Fan used his spirit sense to study them carefully, he found out that what the characters and drawings held were actually the insights of the past Rain Sovereigns in cultivating the Sovereign's Shadow and condensing the sovereign qi.

At the end of the main hall, Ning Fan saw a stone platform. A piece of round crystal was enshrined on it.

As soon as he caught sight of this crystal, his eyes shone with great surprise.

This crystal was a Crystal of Inheritance, something that could only be found in the Four Heavens Immortal Worlds!

A Crystal of Inheritance allowed one to directly pass down the insights and enlightenment they gained in cultivating their cultivation methods and secret techniques to their descendants.

As for how much information one could receive, it depended on the cultivator's own innate talent and ability to comprehend.

A bold thought rose in Ning Fan's mind.

Every part of this place is related to the Sovereign's Shadow and the sovereign. Is it possible that the original purpose of building the blood pool is to help the previous Rain Sovereigns condense the sovereign qi and become a sovereign?

If what Ning Fan guessed was true, would he be able to condense his first trace of sovereign qi with the help of the resources in this place?!

Currently, there was only the Rain Sovereign in the Rain Palace who had managed to condense the sovereign qi. After today, would Ning Fan be the second individual to do so?

Ning Fan's eyes burned with excitement. If everything was just like how he expected and the blood pool existed for one to condense the sovereign qi, then bathing in the dragon blood would unquestionably be much more effective than using it to directly increase his magic power.

Whether or not his guess was correct, he would know by studying this crystal.

Ning Fan wanted to see what kind of inheritance the previous Rain Sovereigns had left in this place.

He placed one of his palms on the crystal.

At the next moment, the memories within the crystal were activated and started to enter Ning Fan's body.

In his Sea of Consciousness, he seemed to have heard a voice that began teaching him using words and examples.

"I'm the Demon Cloud Rain Sovereign. I set up the Dragon Pool and inheritance for the subsequent Rain Sovereigns to condense the sovereign qi…"

After hearing this voice, a wave of memories flooded into Ning Fan's Sea of Consciousness like a tidal wave.

Ning Fan's eyes looked even more excited. The memory inheritance included all the cultivation approaches of the Sovereign Rain Primordial Art.

Most importantly, he had ascertained one thing: this place was indeed prepared in order to condense the sovereign qi.

If he manages to condense even just a trace of sovereign qi, he could completely suppress a Void Refinement Realm expert even if he was still just a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator!

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

<strong>Note: </strong>

1. Sovereign's Shadow is previously called the Emperor's Shadow. It's changed now to better suit the context.

2. Sovereign Chu is previously called Lord Chu. It's changed to better suit the context.