Grasping Evil

Each and every one of those who had just arrived at the province witnessed a shocking scene at the battlefield.

All mountains and rivers within an area of one hundred thousand li* (500 per li) got destroyed. It looked particularly desolate under the falling pure white snow. No one could imagine that this place was actually where the most important base of the Giant Devil Clan - The Evening Snow Pavilion, was previously located.

They did not have the chance to witness the terrific fight between Ning Fan and Shi Kun. What they could feel, however, was the remaining fluctuations of magic power that still lingered.

It was one of the greatest battles in history. In this battle, Ning Fan had fiercely killed an old monster who was matchless among Void Glimpse Stage experts.

Moreover, this old monster was also the king of a Void Grade cultivation country. He was a man with quite an honorable and esteemed identity.

However, no one would dare say that Ning Fan was wrong in killing him. The reason for that was because Ning Fan stood up for what was morally right and exercised justice, taking action by making full use of his identity as a revered elder of the Rain Palace.

Shi Kun had harbored malicious intentions towards the Giant Devil Clan. It was an awful misdeed but this sin was not serious enough to give him a death sentence.

His intention to kill Ning Fan, however, was an extremely serious crime that could never be atoned even if he dies ten thousand times.

Who was Ning Fan? He was the person whom the Rain Sovereign had personally given orders not to harm him. Even the palace lord of the Scarlet Heaven Palace and King Lan Ling did not dare to lay a finger on him. How could Shi Kun be so bold as to touch him? Who was he?

Not to mention that the Endless Sea was not under the jurisdiction of the World Law, even if someone tries to look into this matter, Shi Kun would still be considered as a violator of the World Law by trying to harm a revered elder of the Rain World and his crime naturally deserved more than just a death penalty. Hence, no one could find any fault with Ning Fan.

Furthermore, if the Rain Palace ever finds out about this, they would also suppress Shi Kun's descendants and hold them accountable for the serious crime Shi Kun committed by provoking Ning Fan.

For example, the palace lord of the Scarlet Heaven Palace, Mo Xiu, who was at the scene during that day actually publicly declared that Ning Fan was not guilty of killing people!

Those who had a discerning eye were well aware that the Scarlet Heaven Palace and the Great Heaven Palace were on bad terms back in the Rain Palace.

Since both of them were of different factions, it was absolutely impossible for Mo Xiu to say something good on behalf of Ning Fan. However, he had done it anyway. What did this mean?

It implied that Ning Fan's identity in the Rain Palace was definitely uncommon as he was capable of making Mo Xiu who was from a different faction to avoid offending him!

Shi Kun was now dead and nobody showed any interest in his death. Even though it had been said that he deserved more than death, what happened to him had really aroused some pity inside the hearts of some old monsters.

No matter how talented and astounding a cultivator was or how powerful one's cultivation level becomes, when they make a single misstep on the road of cultivation, they would still end up dead.

Today, Shi Kun fell but Ning Fan's notoriety meanwhile, spread across the internal sea, the external sea and even the whole Rain World encompassing the eight hundred cultivation countries!

Countless old monsters confidently claimed that the strongest person of the current generation of young cultivators in the Rain World was surely Ning Fan!

Yes. Ning Fan made the name of that dude, Zhou Ming, who died an unjust death, to be famous once again. If the true Zhou Ming ever knew about it in the netherworld, would he wake up from laughing?

After that great battle, Ning Fan did not take any rest. Instead, he followed Ju Qing and the others to another forbidden area of the Giant Devil Clan.

During that battle, he took zero damage thanks to the protection of his lightning armor. However, at the end of the battle, he sacrificed some of his blood essence in order to forcibly activate the Yellow Dragon Seven Tokens which were Mid Grade Mortal Void equipment in order to incapacitate Shi Kun.

The loss of blood essence might be a troublesome issue to ordinary cultivators. However, to Ning Fan who had the protection of the black stars, his body was healing all the time under the effect of the starlight. Hence, it was not something important at all.

They arrived at the Sad Devil Palace of the Giant Devil Clan.

Ning Fan and his three women, Xu Qiuling, Yue Lingkong and Fen Chi sat in the front row of the guest seats. There were many elders of the Giant Devil Clan around them. Each of them was standing and they all took turns to express their gratitude to Ning Fan.

These elders were sincerely feeling thankful towards him. If it wasn't because of him, the Giant Devil Clan would certainly be in grave danger.

Fortunately, Ning Fan insisted on intervening and eliminated Shi Kun. He had not only helped the Giant Devil Clan keep their Void Inquiry Pill but also intimidated countless old monsters who had been eyeing the pills.

Shi Kun was the first old monster who dared to obtain the Void Inquiry Pills using shady means but he definitely would not be the last one.

In fact, there were still several Void Glimpse Stage old monsters who had come from the eight hundred cultivation countries plotting to seize the Void Inquiry Pills of the Giant Devil Clan.

However, after knowing what happened to Shi Kun, those Void Glimpse Stage old monsters should have learned their lessons and it was likely that none of them would dare to offend the Giant Devil Clan anymore.

Besides, the prestige and reputation Ning Fan earned from this battle was also good news to the Six-Winged Clan. It had a greater intimidating effect against the Ghost Eye Clan and the Mist Horn Clan.

Everybody was now aware of the destructive power of the Yellow Dragon Seven Tokens and many saw that they could even harm a Void Inquiry Stage expert.

The strongest expert in the Mist Horn Clan was also just a Void Inquiry Stage expert. The Ghost Eye Clan might be stronger than the Mist Horn Clan but it would still not dare to brazenly provoke Ning Fan.

Ning Fan had shown his domineering and arrogant side to countless old monsters. Even though Shi Kun was a king of a country that was recognized by the Rain Palace, he still got rid of him without exception.

The reason he did this openly anyway was to let those who had evil plots and schemes in their minds understand how important he was to the Rain Palace and why they should avoid messing with him.

He wanted to let everyone know that the Rain Sovereign had his back and he was so important to the Rain Palace to the extent where he was not even found guilty in killing a country lord.

He wanted to let everyone understand that they could not lay a finger on him but he was free to kill anyone. Thus, they must never cross him or they would have to bear the consequences themselves.

What Ning Fan did was borrow the Rain Palace's authority and use it to his own advantage.

Ning Fan did not like having to deal with troubles after troubles. That's why he chose to go through great lengths to deal with Shi Kun this time and cut off the chains of troubles once and for all.

Inside the Sad Devil Palace, Ning Fan directly searched the souls and erased the memories of Shi Kun's son and the five state instructors in front of Ju Qing and the others. Then, he killed the six of them to completely root out the problem, following the saying which goes: digging up the roots of the weeds after cutting them.

From the memories of Shi Kun's son, Ning Fan discovered all of Shi Kun's plans and told the Giant Devil Clan about them.

Shi Kun's true intention in coming to the Giant Devil Clan was indeed the Void Inquiry Pill.

However, he not only wanted to get the Void Inquiry Pill but also brazenly schemed to abduct Feng Xueyan too!

Shi Kun's original plan was to ask his son to get close to Feng Xueyan and secretly kidnap her a day before the date they've agreed upon when they would inscribe the devil marks. Then, he would blackmail the Giant Devil Clan by bringing up Feng Xueyan's refusal to do the inscription.

As such, not only could Shi Kun get the Void Inquiry Pill but also Feng Xueyan who was a well-known tattoo master.

Unfortunately, when Shi Kun's son had just intruded Feng Xueyan's boudoir back then, he was discovered by her maidservants. With a shush, Feng Xueyan literally vanished before his very eyes. It was extremely bizarre.

Feng Xueyan's mastery in the art of devil marks inscription was certainly of the highest level compared to other tattoo masters in the Rain World.

With the devil mark inscriptions from Feng Xueyan, all body cultivators would experience a great advancement in their body refining realm.

Shi Kun really had wild ambitions as he wanted to break through to the Void Inquiry Stage using the Void Inquiry Pill and use Feng Xueyan to create a large army of body cultivators.

If it wasn't for Ning Fan's intervention, his plan would really have succeeded.

After hearing Shi Kun's entire plan, Ju Qing flew into a rage and his hair stood up in anger.

His Giant Devil Clan had always been maintaining a low profile just to realize the wishes of the eight previous ancestors. However, the result of them having an overly low profile gave others an impression that they were weak and could be overcome easily!

Ju Qing really wished that he could declare the true strength of the Giant Devil Clan to the world right away to let the world know that the strongest clan among the Four Clans of the Hidden Ocean was not the Ghost Eye Clan but the Giant Devil Clan!

Unfortunately, he could not act impulsively. The only option he had was to be tolerant. All of the tolerance and patience was all for the salvation of the ancestors of the clan.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou. In the past, <anno data-annotation-id="ab15f766-fe2a-aa43-9a96-97ea2290c6da"><strong>Little Shan</strong></anno> highly recommended you to me and he even praised you using flashy descriptions. I didn't believe him back then. However, after witnessing your strength with my own two eyes today, only now do I realize that Little Shan indeed has a keen eye. Very well! Qiuling has found a good partner! For her, you were even willing to take care of the problem troubling my Giant Devil Clan and kill the king of a Void Grade cultivation country. My Giant Devil Clan really owes you a huge favor. If Fellow Daoist ever faces any difficulty and requires help, my clan will be more than willing to repay what you have done for us all today with all of our strength!"

Ju Qing solemnly cupped his fists towards Ning Fan. He was extremely grateful to him.

Ning Fan nodded and cupped his fists in return. Compared to the Six-Winged Clan which prioritized benefits, the Giant Devil Clan obviously placed more emphasis on relationships and loyalty.

At least, Ning Fan believed that the Giant Devil Clan would not do something like selling out Ju Qing's daughter for the safety and prosperity of the clan which the Six-Winged Clan, on the other hand, had done.

The members of the Giant Devil Clan still had a backbone and were genuine and dignified devil cultivators.

Ning Fan secretly glanced at his three women. Among the three of them, Fen Chi was sitting quietly and sipping some tea on her own.

As for Xu Qiuling, she was taking the initiative to start a conversation with Yue Lingkong. Both of them were talking secretly via telepathy. No one knew what they were discussing.

The relationship between the two of them seemed a little inexplicable. They were not too close to each other but they have not gotten to a point where they envied each other.

What Xu Qiuling asked Yue Lingkong was whether or not he was living well and if he put himself in danger ever since they parted.

What most people see was Ning Fan's drastic increase in strength time after time and how glorious he was.

However, Xu Qiuling felt anguish for the great efforts he had to put in and the danger he had to put himself through in exchange for greater strength

She understood him. She knew that every ounce of strength he had today was from risking his life.

She knew that he had never cultivated with a calm heart and a peaceful mind before. The reason why he kept slaughtering and plundering from others was all to obtain enough strength to protect the people behind him.

"You are very special. Aren't you jealous of me for having such an intimate relationship with Little Cucumber? Honestly, I felt a bit jealous when I saw him fighting for you. I really wished that I could give him a kick in the face at that time… and keep kicking him until he surrenders to me." Yue Lingkong was very bold. There was nothing she was afraid to say out loud.

"Jealous? Sister Yue, I wonder if you know that my only wish is for him to keep on living safely and peacefully. When the day where he no longer needs to kill and could stand aloof from these worldly affairs comes, perhaps I will finally have the mood to feel jealousy over his love. Now, however…"

Xu Qiuling suddenly paused and continued with a faint smile.

"Now, I only wish that I can continue on living together with him… Living is very difficult. Being able to live in this world is already a blessing because you never know when you will pass away unexpectedly…Besides, my surname, 'Xu' (许), means promise. Since I have given my vow to love him, I'll follow him and support him no matter what happens…"

"When I met him, we both became each other's scenery similar to when you met him… However, there is no eternal scenery in this world… Perhaps I might die under the heavenly tribulation one day. Perhaps he might die under the attacks of his enemies… We, who do not even know if we could last for another day, don't have the right to feel jealous at all… There is no leisure in too much romance and there isn't too much peace in rest. We could only keep on going and moving forward… As long as one can feel satisfied with their life, there will be no regrets when they die…"

Xu Qiuling's words made Yue Lingkong fall into silence.

As long as one can feel satisfied with their life, there will be no regrets when they die… Indeed. I don't even know how much longer I can still play with Little Cucumber. Why should I feel jealous because of him…?

But why does my heart sting when I think about Little Cucumber dying someday?

Hmm! Why does this Little Cucumber need to risk his life every single time and charge into danger even if he knows how dangerous it is?! Isn't he afraid of death?!

All of a sudden, Yue Lingkong felt sympathy for Ning Fan.

She realized that she had never truly understood him. She did not even know why he would be so desperate every time.

"Little Cucumber, stop playing with your life next time. You aren't allowed to die! Hide behind my back and let me protect you!" Yue Lingkong suddenly spoke with a domineering tone. Her words were like a confession to Ning Fan and it startled all the cultivators of the Giant Devil Clan that were there.

"… I won't die…" Ning Fan did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had no idea why this Yue Lingkong would suddenly be so protective of him, like a mother would to her child.

He looked at Xu Qiuling, as if he wanted to find out what she had talked with Yue Lingkong.

Xu Qiuling blinked her eyes and smiled faintly. Her large bright eyes carried a hint of mischief. The look on her face seemed to be saying, "It's our secret woman-only talk. Why do I have to tell you?"

Ning Fan shook his head with a smile. He did not use his Mind Reading Technique to learn of their thoughts because it was rather disrespectful to the both of them.

However, he believed that Xu Qiuling would not fight with Yue Lingkong because of jealousy… At least, for the time being.

Having too many lovers is also troublesome…

Ning Fan rubbed his forehead and suddenly asked Ju Qing.

"Patriarch Ju Qing, Shi Kun's matter is finally resolved but your daughter is still 'missing'. Are you really not going to look for her?"

"That girl… If she wants to hide, no one will be able to find her. Let's wait until she is hungry. Then she will come home to eat…" Ju Qing broke into laughter, as if he understood his daughter very well.

After all, his daughter was just a Tenth Level Vein Opening Realm cultivator and her body was weak. She could not really open up a temporary abode outside. Hence, when she has nothing more to eat, she naturally would come home.

"Big Brother, what if you go looking for Sister Xueyan. Her body is weak. We must not let her get hungry…" Xu Qiuling pleaded with eyes filled with concern. She really was worried about that little sister of hers.

"Me? Are you really sure that I will be able to find her? Not even the members of the Giant Devil Clan managed to find her… Fine. I'll go!"

Ning Fan wanted to shake his head and decline. However, when he saw Xu Qiuling's pleading look, his heart softened.

Well, I'll just go look for her and quickly get her home so that she can eat as to not worry Xu Qiuling.

"Patriarch Ju Qing, please give me a personal belonging of the eldest mistress. I might need her qi to track her down."

"It's no use. Once that little girl hides, her qi will disappear completely. There's no way to find her…" Even though Ju Qing said so, he also hoped that Ning Fan could try it out and bring Feng Xueyan back as soon as possible.

After pondering for a while, he ordered a maidservant to bring over a soft little shoe and handed it to Ning Fan.

That shoe was left behind in Feng Xueyan's room when she turned invisible and ran away.

No matter where Feng Xueyan had run to in Cold Northern Country, the current her must have one of her feet bare.

If Ning Fan manages to find her, he could bring this shoe to her just in time.

"…"

Ning Fan suddenly felt speechless. He, the dignified Devil Lord Ning, actually had to deliver a shoe to a girl. If this news were to spread out, perhaps no one would believe that he would actually do such a thing.

The shoe gave off a whiff of an extremely faint female fragrance.

That fragrance was very light. Right after it went into Ning Fan's nose, it disappeared.

Ning Fan's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. He tried to recall that smell but he failed to do so.

The smell seemed to have been erased by some kind of force…

This scene was very familiar to him. It was just like the words on the white paper which were erased by the power of Samsara that Ning Fan encountered in the past.

"The reason why Feng Xueyan's invisibility is so mysterious seems to have something to do with the power of Samsara…"

Ning Fan closed his eyes. He activated the power of his Memory Intent and borrowed a trace of the power of Samsara which allowed him to identify Feng Xueyan's smell again.

After that, he locked on to a trace of qi and took a step forward, dashing towards a specific direction. Apparently, he found a clue.

All the experts of the Giant Devil Clan were shocked as they saw Ning Fan's expression that seemed to say that he had figured it out.

Inwardly, they muttered.

Could it be that he is really that powerful and could find the eldest mistress' whereabouts? None of us manage to do so but he can. He is indeed strong!

Ning Fan flew all the way like a trace of smoke.

He trailed after a trace of qi and got one million li* (500m per li) away from the province. Then, he suddenly stopped inside a barren snow forest.

It was where that trace of qi came to an end!

He released traces of power from his Memory Intent. Suddenly, on the snow around him, small footprints which should have already vanished reappeared.

The left footprint was an imprint of a lady's shoe while the right footprint was an imprint of a bare foot.

Following those footprints, Ning Fan went into the depths of the snow forest. At the end of the forest, there was actually a tiny snowman.

On the surface, it was clearly just a common snowman that had a mountain ginseng as its nose and two tiny rocks as its eyes.

However, when Ning Fan arrived, the eyes of the snowman that were originally rocks suddenly flinched with anxiety. It turned out to be an actual living thing.

*Shush*

The little snowman suddenly rose to its feet. After taking a gentle step, it vanished in a puff of smoke without leaving any traces!

The body of that snowman gave off traces of coldness of wind and snow. Every hint of qi and footprints it left on this area was erased completely.

"Interesting. She might only be a Tenth Level Vein Opening Realm cultivator but she knows teleportation and she could even use an 'artificial Samsara power'… That's why she could travel up to one million li* (500m per li) away from the province… Trying to play hide-and-seek with me, eh?"

A mere little snowman was trying to play hide-and-seek with Ning Fan. However, she was obviously too inexperienced for it.

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

<annotations style="display: none;"><ol class="tinymce-annotation-container"><li data-annotation-id="ab15f766-fe2a-aa43-9a96-97ea2290c6da">Little Shan (小山子)Little Shan refers to Xu Rushan (许如山) whom Ning Fan met in the past in the External Endless Sea. He is the father of Xu Qiuling.</li></ol></annotations>",