Grasping Evil

Half a day had already passed but there was still no sign of Ning Fan getting past the first stage.

In the lower level of the Black Lightning Realm, Hong Yi's eyes remained gloomy. She took out a blood-red bronze mirror and touched its surface with one of her fingers. Within the mirror, it vaguely showed what was happening in the cloud realm in the upper level.

In the lightning palace, Ning Fan had already stood for half a day with his eyes closed, staying at the first stage.

Outside the formation, there was an elderly man in grey robes who was mocking and laughing at Ning Fan. He was the one who was controlling the illusions in the formation to deceive Ning Fan.

The cold light in Hong Yi's eyes slowly intensified. If she was not wrong, that grey-robed elderly man who was hidden outside the formation was the realm spirit of the White Lightning Realm.

"How dare a mere realm spirit touch my people? He's blatantly seeking death!"

Anyhow, Ning Fan could be considered as her subordinate at the moment. The fact that he was being trapped by a lowly realm spirit really angered her.

Unfortunately, she was only in her primordial spirit form that's why she did not dare to go up to the cloud realm recklessly to help Ning Fan.

Just as her anger rose within her, Ning Fan's eyebrows moved. After standing there without moving for half a day, he finally opened his eyes.

"Truth and illusion."

Two demon stars slowly surfaced in his left eye while two devil stars appeared in his right one.

On his glabella, two divine stars also gave off traces of lightning.

He seemed to have gained a new insight but he looked even more bewildered.

He looked at the two figures of Zhihe in front of him. Both of them had the exact same appearance and smiling faces. It was difficult to identify which of them was the true Zhihe.

He could not find the exit of the first stage after spending half a day standing there. The elderly man did not lie to him. In order to pass the first stage, he must kill either one of the two figures in front of him.

One of the two figures was the genuine shadow of Zhihe while the other one was an illusion.

If he kills Zhihe's true shadow, it would harm the luck of Zhihe's true body.

If he kills the illusion, he could get past this stage. However, Ning Fan felt somewhat reluctant.

He could massacre millions of living creatures without mercy but there were still some people whom he was reluctant to kill.

In the past when he faced Zhihe's illusion that was manifested by his Heart's Devil, he was reluctant to kill it. Today, he felt the same.

One of the two womanly figures donned simple and plain clothes while the other wore a coat made of the fur of a white fox. After Ning Fan opened his eyes, both of them gracefully walked towards Ning Fan. Their delicate and pretty faces were still filled with a hint of immaturity like usual.

That immature and innocent expression on her face that showed how unsophisticated she was softened Ning Fan's stone heart.

The two of them gave him a radiant smile, as if their greatest happiness in the world was to be able to see him safe and sound.

One of them mustered her courage and held Ning Fan's hands even though her face was filled with embarrassment. Her delicate hands were still soft and cold like before.

The other Zhihe looked at Ning Fan shyly but her eyes were filled with delight. At the same time, her face showed a hint of petulance as if she was angry at him for not returning after so many years.

"Big Brother Fan, just kill me. Then, you will be able to pass the first stage." The two figures spoke calmly, as if they were not affected by each other's presence.

Their words made Ning Fan even more hesitant.

He had been tainted with innumerable crimes and sins. He could massacre countless beneath the heavens. He could carry the infamy as an evil person to everyone for thousands of years. However, he could not harden his heart and kill Zhihe, even though the so-called Zhihe was just an illusion.

His heart was filled with even more struggle. The lightning palace before his eyes gradually became blurry. Vaguely, layers upon layers of illusions appeared in front of his eyes.

The first layer of illusion was the All Pleasure Sect.

The second layer of illusion was the Seven Apricot.

The third layer of illusion was the Ning City.

Each illusion engulfed Ning Fan. He succumbed deeper and deeper into the illusions, making it more difficult for him to extricate himself from it.

Outside the formation, the elderly man in grey robes laughed even more maliciously. His cold and evil laughter reverberated within the illusions.

"Weak. You are too weak! You can't even make up your mind to kill the true shadow or the fake illusion and you still think you can pass the first stage?! Your state of mind is so frail and fragile. I really wonder how you managed to have come this far!"

"Frail?"

Ning Fan's eyes turned cold. His heart gradually became still and quiet.

The last illusion paused at the night when he left. Standing under the grapevines, Zhihe murmured her little wish.

"Big Brother Fan, when you return from the Endless Sea, could you bring back a bell orchid?" The Zhihe who was in plain clothes spoke.

"I heard that the orchids in the Endless Sea will emit a sound like wind chimes whenever the wind blows. It's very pleasant to listen to… When I hear that sound, I will know that you have returned…" The other Zhihe who wore the fox fur coat said.

Ning Fan closed his eyes. He thought he was finally able to distinguish which one of them was the true shadow and which one of them was the fake illusion. However, he eventually realized that it was just his wishful thinking.

From the very beginning, his heart had never viewed these two womanly figures as illusions, much less hardened his heart to kill either one of them.

Which one is real and which one is fake?

So what if I can't distinguish? So what… if I can't distinguish?!

Even if he manages to identify the fake Zhihe, would he be willing to kill her?

His mouth formed into a warm smile. He reached out both of his hands and stroked the cheeks of the two figures. His touch was still as gentle and affectionate as always.

He would never hurt Zhihe. Never. No matter if it was her real self… or her illusion!

He activated the power of his heart formation and gradually understood why this grand formation of True Illusion was able to find his greatest weakness and manifested the figures of Zhihe to disturb his state of mind.

It turned out that the power of this formation had already invaded his heart and accessed all of his weaknesses without exception!

"Discovering one's weaknesses by peeking into their hearts and creating the illusions which could enchant them, huh…"

The cold light in his eyes became even fiercer. He raised one of his fingers and amassed a trace of sword qi on it. Mercilessly, he thrust it into his chest. His white robes were immediately stained with blood as it flowed out from his wound like a fountain!

His heart was crushed by the trace of sword qi. The pain was so intense that it seeped into his bones!

However, that excruciating pain could not make Ning Fan knit his eyebrows. He just shouted with a cold tone.

"Get out of my heart!"

A trace of formation power was expelled from his heart just as the sword qi pierced through it.

A muffled groan was heard at the same time. The person who was injured was the elderly man who was plotting against Ning Fan from outside the formation!

The elderly man revealed a look of shock. Ever since he was named as the White Lightning Realm Spirit by the Immortal Emperor Tai Su, he had met countless cultivators who entered the remaining White Lightning Realm.

No one had ever broken through the three stages created by Tai Su's three questions when he was personally controlling the power of the formation.

It was because Tai Su's three questions directly aimed at the weaknesses of a cultivator's heart!

No one in the world could truly give up their weaknesses. For those who retained affection, affection itself would be their weak point. For those who did not harbor a single trace of love, being cold and cruel was their weak point!

With the help of the formation power, the elderly man had managed to discover Ning Fan's greatest weakness in his heart and produced Zhihe's illusions using the formation power.

This True Illusion Formation was extremely profound and mysterious. It used the power of the Heavenly Dao to condense a real being and its illusion. One could only break through the formation by eliminating the illusion.

One must distinguish between the true shadow and the illusion. If they could not distinguish them and kill the true shadow by mistake, it would then harm the individual that the true shadow had taken form.

The people who came across this formation in the past dealt with it by killing either one of the two figures cold-heartedly, turning away from this formation due to the fear of its difficulty or eliminating the right illusion through accurate deduction after pondering for a long time.

No one had chosen to crush their hearts like Ning Fan in order to break this formation.

Each layer of the illusions shattered like a broken mirror after he destroyed his heart.

A trace of fresh blood flowed out from a corner of Ning Fan's mouth. When the two figures of Zhihe witnessed that gruesome sight, a pained expression came over their faces.

Be it the true Zhihe or the fake Zhihe, both of them felt heartache for Ning Fan. That anguish in their eyes was coming straight from the bottom of their hearts.

Ning Fan's eyes looked stunned. Now, he found it even more difficult to discern the true shadow from the two figures of Zhihe.

However, why did he have to distinguish them?

"I can't distinguish between the true shadow and the illusion but there is also no need for me to distinguish them. Be it the real shadow or the fake one, I will never hurt either one of them. I will never hurt her."

"True Illusion. The word 'illusion' means fabricated and baseless stubbornness and insistence. The word 'true' means a state which countless celestial beings diligently and tirelessly sought. I can't see through it because my cultivation realm is still low. But do you think you can see through it? You are just an Early Void Refinement Realm creature. Do you think you deserve to see through truth and illusion?!"

"Even though I can't distinguish them, I have already figured out a method to make the illusion vanish. In terms of the foundation of illusion techniques, they can only be used in deceiving one's heart. The key of crushing the illusion is in crushing one's own heart."

"What is truth? What is illusion? Illusion stirs when the mind is chaotic; illusion fades when the mind is tranquil."

"Be it the true shadow or the illusion, as long as it is your shadow, it is true in my heart. You are the truth of my Dao."

The power of the black stars enveloped his body. His heart then reformed. This time, his heart became as firm as steel. No matter how vigorous the power of the True Illusion formation was, it could not intrude his heart again!

He shut his eyes. His heart became as quiet as a millpond which did not have even a single ripple.

When he reopened his eyes, the illusion formation shattered like pieces of glass. However, not a single one of the two figures of Zhihe disappeared.

Are both of these figures real?

Just as this thought rose in Ning Fan's mind, the two of them began to fade away simultaneously.

No one could tell whether the both of them were true shadows or illusions.

However, it was this state where one could not tell or explain clearly that truly reflected the ultimate comprehension about truth and illusions!

All of a sudden, Ning Fan recalled the scenes when he acknowledged Immortal Sovereign Zi Dou as his master.

During his mortal severance, he entered into an illusion and acknowledged Zi Dou as his teacher. It was where he learned his Wind Mist Finger from.

In that illusion realm, he met his own mother and also Zhihe. He thought that it was nothing more than just an illusionary dream.

However, Zi Dou told him that an illusion realm might not necessarily be fake.

"From the Endless Sea, you entered the Broken World. Your consciousness entered the Sea of Clouds from the Broken World and your Dao Heart entered the illusions of the heart from the Sea of Clouds. Between them, have you really seen through which one is true and which one is fake?"

"The current diligent and industrious you may not necessarily be an illusion. The merciless and ruthless you in the Rain World may not necessarily be the true you… Reality and fantasy is just the difference of a single thought!"

*Rumble*

When he recalled the words the Immortal Sovereign Zi Dou had said to him, only then did he gain a bit of insight. That final sentence explained all the illusions and realities in the world.

Perhaps Zhihe was just originally an illusion.

However, when Ning Fan was stubborn about her, that illusion then became reality!

When Ning Fan's heart became tranquil, that illusion might then return to nothingness!

'Reality and fantasy is just the difference of a single thought. Perhaps there is originally no distinction between reality and fantasy in this world…"

When Ning Fan had just begun to comprehend the Dao, he literally cut it off himself.

His cultivation realm was too low and he had only started to comprehend the word 'void'. He did not have the qualifications to inquire about the 'truth'. That word 'truth' implied the truth of the Dao. It was the great Dao that only Life Immortal Realm beings had the qualifications to start pursuing!

If the first step of cultivation was said to be about pursuing longevity, then the second step of cultivation was to pursue the truth of Dao!

"Impossible! How can you make the illusions vanish by themselves without you cutting them down?! This is definitely impossible! Since ancient times, none had been able to see through the distinction between the true shadows and illusions including the Life Immortal Realm experts who had come here. How did you manage to do it?!"

The elderly man spoke in anger and disbelief. He had controlled the illusion formation to attack Ning Fan with all of his strength but the latter still managed to literally break the formation. The destruction of the formation had inflicted severe injuries on the elderly man.

After the illusion formation vanished, a lightning portal strangely appeared within the lightning palace. It was the doorway leading to the second stage.

The elderly man felt somewhat afraid now. Since Ning Fan was able to get past the first stage, perhaps he would also be able do the same for the second and third stage!

He harbored malicious intent towards Ning Fan and tried to kill him with a plot. If Ning Fan manages to get through the three stages and find him, he would certainly take revenge on him!

Even though the elderly man who was an Early Void Refinement Realm being had a higher cultivation base than Ning Fan, he could tell that the latter was someone that he should not mess with!

In addition, since his formation technique was broken and he suffered a severe backlash because of that, he was currently in a disadvantageous position to go against Ning Fan.

His heart was already filled with regret. He regretted provoking Ning Fan's reverse scale.

However, it was useless for him to be remorseful now. The only thing he could do was to spare no effort in controlling the formation of the second stage to block Ning Fan!

"The second stage is a question about Immortal and Mortal! The stages created by Immortal Emperor Tai Su are not something that ordinary people like you can get through!" The elderly man grinned hideously.

"Immortal Emperor Tai Su?" Ning Fan's eyes flashed thoughtfully.

This formation of True Illusion is incredibly profound and mysterious. It can even borrow the power of the Heavenly Dao. It is definitely not a common Immortal Grade formation.

So it turns out that the expert who established this formation was an immortal emperor.

If that's the case, was the original intention of that immortal emperor in setting up this formation to test a cultivator's comprehension about reality and illusions? Does this mean that there was no evil intention in the first place?

Evidently, the one who harbored ill intentions towards Ning Fan was just that elderly man.

Staring at the lightning portal which led to the second stage, Ning Fan cast aside his thoughts and calmly walked towards it.

However, just as he approached the lightning portal, a ray of lightning suddenly shot out from it and fell on Ning Fan's palm. It turned into a blood-red fragment of lightning power. Indistinctly, a trace of starlight could be seen moving inside the fragment.

At the next moment, the starlight twinkled and went into Ning Fan's glabella.

Originally, he had two divine stars. One of them was the Imperial Lightning Star and the other one was the Eroding Yin Star.

However, when this starlight went into his glabella, one-third of a blood-red divine star was condensed!

"Breaking the stage of True Illusions can actually condense one-third of a divine star!"

Ning Fan's eyes were filled with surprise. Could it be that this divine star was the reward of breaking through a stage?

As the divine star was taking form on his glabella, an old but imposing voice crossed over countless years since the ancient times and resounded inside Ning Fan's Sea of Consciousness.

"I am Lightning Emperor Tai Su. This star is a reward for you as you have broken through the star. If you can break through three stages in a row, you can condense the Tai Su Lightning Star…"

"<anno data-annotation-id="68f7e99b-6fab-bf59-014b-4d2a19786486"><strong>Tai Su</strong></anno> Lightning Star?"

Ning Fan's face was filled with a hint of surprise. When he activated that one-third of a star which had just formed in his glabella, an arc of blood-red electricity immediately flashed and sizzled in his palm.

Just as it appeared, Ning Fan was caught off guard and one of his hands was directly burnt by that electricity.

Despite the strength of his physical body, he was still easily harmed by this arc of electricity.

As a matter of fact, this arc of electricity was the blood lightning of the heavenly tribulation which Ning Fan had devoured in the past. Originally, it did not have such a frightening destructive power. It was even impossible to hurt Ning Fan.

This situation just proved one thing: his lightning power had been enhanced and strengthened!

The thing which improved Ning Fan's lightning power was none other than the incomplete Tai Su Lightning Star on his glabella!

By just condensing one-third of the lightning star, it actually strengthened Ning Fan's lightning power several times. The amount of his lightning power remained unchanged but its intensity increased.

Each trace of his lightning power was a few times stronger than before!

If he completely condenses the Tai Su Lightning Star, his lightning power would have an even more terrifying enhancement effect, wouldn't it?

The first divine star was an element star.

The second divine star was a star which gave him a special ability.

The third divine star was unexpectedly a star of enhancement!

"The realm spirit will be executed. The Tai Su Lightning Star has to be collected."

Ning Fan's tone was cold and firm. Then, he took a step forward and entered the lightning portal.

The second stage, Immortal and Mortal…

On the lower level of the Black Lightning Realm, Hong Yi's blood-red eyes were filled with amazement as she looked at the image in her bronze mirror.

Ning Fan had actually broken through the stage of True Illusion perfectly. His speed in overcoming that stage was even faster than hers in the past.

"In the past, even though I could move unhindered in the Rain World, I also could only pass the second stage and became stuck on the third stage. However, with just two-thirds of the complete Tai Su Lightning Star, I was already able to establish my intimidating reputation everywhere. Since this young man was able to condense one-third of the Tai Su Lightning Star, he could already be considered as a peerless prodigy in the nine worlds."

"If he manages to condense two-thirds of the Tai Su Lightning Star, his achievements in the future will certainly be not inferior to mine in the past. Thousands of years later, he will also doubtlessly become unrivalled in the Rain World, a person who can make the Rain Palace afraid of him."

"If he condenses the complete Tai Su Lightning Star, his potential will be unmatched in all the nine worlds… No. He should not be able to do it. Ever since Immortal Emperor Tai Su passed away, no one has ever been able to condense the complete lightning star. Even I have condensed only two-thirds of the star."

Hong Yi frowned. Her mind could not stop recalling the words which Ning Fan uttered when he broke the first stage.

"The key of crushing the illusion is in crushing one's own heart."

"What is truth? What is illusion? Illusion stirs when the mind is chaotic; illusion fades when the mind is tranquil."

You are the truth of my Dao!

Despite her cold and arrogant personality, Hong Yi actually gasped with admiration from hearing those words.

"This young man's cultivation realm might still be low, but speaking of the depth of his Dao Comprehension, even I am not as good as him… Perhaps he would be able to succeed in condensing the complete Tai Su Lightning Star, wouldn't he?"

All of a sudden, Hong Yi was even more concerned about Ning Fan's progress in breaking through the stages than obtaining the dark golden bamboo leaves to treat her wounds.

Would Ning Fan be able to accomplish something that she could not?

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

<annotations style="display: none;"><ol class="tinymce-annotation-container"><li data-annotation-id="68f7e99b-6fab-bf59-014b-4d2a19786486">Tai Su (太素) Tai means absolute; Su means white, plain or simple.</li></ol></annotations>",