Grasping Evil

Ancient devils refined their bodies, ancient demons cultivated their spirit sense while ancient deities cultivated dharma.

Ning Fan could guess that an ancient demon's cultivation base must be closely related to the strength of their spirit sense. However, he did not know the names of each of the cultivation levels in detail.

Each of the demon cultivators on Si Kong Island flew into the sky and gazed at Ning Fan who was standing at the bow of the silver boat. They caught their breath, feeling extremely scared.

As for the way they looked at Ming Que, their eyes were filled with an unusual respect.

A youngster with a dark complexion in particular had respect and admiration which rose from the heart reflected in his eyes while he was looking at Ming Que.

That young man's bone age did not exceed fifteen years old. His cultivation base was just at the Tenth Level of the Vein Opening Realm. However, because he was a winged demon and had wings on his back, he could fly in the air and had come to welcome Ming Que's arrival.

But he was flying at the rear of the group and had no right to get closer to Ming Que and worship her. Obviously, it was because his status on the island was rather low and insignificant.

Ning Fan's eyes scanned past the thousands of demon cultivators on the island. When he caught sight of the young man, his eyes stopped at him for a while. That young man gave him a strange feeling. But he could not describe it in words in great detail.

"The Island Lord and the Great Flamen, welcome back to the island! But why would the both of you be travelling with Venerated Ming and the rest?"

A few experts from the demon island who were much older than the rest walked out from the crowd and asked Ming Que with alert and careful expressions. Ning Fan's notoriety was simply too great. If they don't find out his true intentions of coming to the island, they would never be at ease.

"Venerated Ming is my big brother. He is also a dignified Fifth Revolution Biscuit Refinement Master. Out of respect for me, he certainly won't harm anyone on Si Kong Island. All of you can rest assured and let down your guards. There's no need to be so afraid of him."

Ming Que's clear voice went into the ears of countless cultivators on the demon island. As soon as they heard that Ning Fan was not an enemy but rather Ming Que's big brother, their hearts that were on tenterhooks were soothed. All of them could not feel more relieved.

"So it turns out that Venerated Ming is actually the Island Lord's big brother and not an enemy but a friend of ours… Hehe. It's good that this is the case."

Yes. Of course, it could not be any better than this. If Ning Fan were an enemy instead of a friend to the island, perhaps he would wipe out the entire Si Kong Island and not a single person would escape from the island alive for sure.

After all, who was Ning Fan? He was a cruel and ruthless person who could even suppress a great devil clan of the hidden ocean. A mere Si Kong Demon Island would naturally not dare to provoke a vicious person like him.

When every cultivator on the demon island was heaving a sigh of relief, their faces became more respectful than before whenever they looked at Ning Fan.

After seeing the reactions of the cultivators of the island towards Ning Fan's presence, Ming Que nodded his small head with satisfaction. Then, she gave an order to Old Man Qu who was standing behind her.

"Grandpa Qu, I'll give you ten days to prepare all the necessary items required for the 'Ancestral Sacrifice'. Ten days later, I will be officially receiving the inheritance power with the help of that ceremony. Failure isn't acceptable." Her voice sounded childlike but her words were rather dignified.

"Ten days? Understood!" Old Man Qu certainly did not dare to slack around. He immediately commanded his people to prepare the items which would serve as sacrificial offerings for the ceremony.

As for all of the demon cultivators on the island, when they heard that Ming Que was going to accept the inheritance, they all cheered in joy.

It was the hope of every demon cultivator on the island to let her accept the inheritance of the island. In the past, the reason why Old Man Qu did not dare to let her take it was because her cultivation base was still weak and he was worried that she might not be able to endure the massive amount of power.

Now, however, Ning Fan was beside her to keep her safe. Her probability of successfully receiving the inheritance would without a doubt be extremely high while the issues of her safety were no longer worrying.

Of all the demon cultivators, only that dark youngster immediately shouted loudly to stop Ming Que after hearing that she wanted to accept the inheritance.

"You can't! You must not take the inheritance!"

"Impudent! How dare a demon slave like you who is only responsible for looking after the statue of the princess behave so rudely towards the island lord. Do you know the punishment for your crime?!"

When the others heard the young man's ravings, many Gold Core Realm and Nascent Soul Realm cultivators immediately reprimanded him with stern voices.

"Alright, alright! A group of nasty old men bullying a youngster? Aren't you all ashamed of yourselves? *Sigh* Everybody, excuse yourselves. I need some peace!"

When Ming Que gave the order, no one dared to reprimand that dark youngster anymore. All the cultivators of the demon island left one after another. Even the group of Divine Transformation Realm servants she captured began to get themselves busy with the preparations for the Ancestral Sacrifice that would be held ten days later.

The dark youngster sighed in relief as he was saved from the punishment he might face for his recent actions. Then, he looked at Ming Que with gratitude in his eyes. He gritted his teeth as if he wanted to tell her something.

However, Ming Que did not pay the youngster any attention at all. There was only Ning Fan in her eyes. Hence, she ignored the expression on the young man's face.

After dismissing all the nasty old men, Ming Que happily held Ning Fan and Su Yan's hands and started touring them to Si Kong Demon Island.

"Brother Biscuit, accompany Ming Que to play on this island for a few days, okay?" Ming Que pleaded with Ning Fan using a soft tone. Her current look was innocent and adorable. Not a hint of dignity she showed earlier while giving orders to those demon cultivators could be seen on her right now.

In the past, Ming Que was just a naïve little pill devil. Now, after the life and death experiences and training she had in the Endless Sea, she had already cultivated how to discern a person's heart. Besides, she began building up her dignity as an island lord after becoming the lord of Si Kong Island. At the same time, she also developed some dark personality traits.

But no matter what, she would forever be the innocent and lively pill devil like before whenever she was in front of Ning Fan and this would never change.

"Okay."

Doubtlessly, Ning Fan would not reject Ming Que's request. However, just before he left, he gave the dark youngster a meaningful glance and passed him a secret message through telepathy to instruct him to do something.

When that young man received Ning Fan's instructions, his expression looked stunned almost instantly. He was slightly afraid but he hurriedly nodded his head without having the courage to say no to Ning Fan's request.

As for Ning Fan, he then followed the two ladies, Ming Que and Su Yan, to have fun on Si Kong Demon Island for two consecutive days.

In those two days, Ning Fan asked Ming Que a lot of questions about the ancient demon cultivation levels in an explicit manner. However, he did not get a satisfying answer.

Well, this could not be helped. Ming Que was clueless about everything regarding the 'ancient demons' and 'ancient devils'. She did not know anything about them at all.

Even though she had a small amount of ancient demon power inside her, she completely had no idea where this power came from.

However, Ming Que told Ning Fan that she had dreamed about the same ancient demon power in her dreams.

The source of this power seemed to be closely related to the 'Ancestral Sacrifice' of each of the great demon tribes. One would need to obtain some kind of 'demon blood mark' through the Ancestral Sacrifice in order to truly obtain the power. The details about the process, however, were unknown.

In reality, although Ming Que had some ancient demon power inside of her, she did not have that unique demon blood mark. Thus, she could not be considered a true ancient demon.

The Ancestral Sacrifice was different from the common sacrificial ceremonies of the demon clan. This particular ceremony could only be conducted using the unique remains of an ancestral demon.

This time, the ancestral demon's remains that she would be using for the upcoming ceremony would be that gigantic goddess statue.

Even though Ning Fan still did not manage to find out the names of the ancient demon cultivation levels and cultivation methods, he more or less gained some understanding in certain things.

Ning Fan possessed the Fu Li Demon Bloodline. In order to restore the ancestor's path and become an ancient demon, he would need at least an item left by the ancestors of the Fu Li Tribe and go through the Ancestral Sacrifice ceremony in order to obtain the unique power similar to the ancestral talisman of the devil race. Only then could he become a true ancient demon.

Unfortunately, the Fu Li Tribe had already been extinct for a very long time. Presumably, there would not be any remains left by the ancestors of the tribe in this world anymore. Even if Ning Fan finds out detailed methods to become an ancient demon, he would not be able to cultivate himself into an ancient demon.

After understanding this, Ning Fan no longer asked any questions about the ancient demons and simply accompanied Ming Que to have fun for two days.

Two days later, Ming Que began her seclusion to cultivate under Old Man Qu's forceful request so that she could receive the inheritance in her best condition. Hence, she had to stop having fun around the island.

The location where she started her secluded cultivation was a cold and quiet pond. The pond had the mysterious effect of tempering one's demon power.

Ning Fan was undoubtedly worried about Ming Que immersing herself in the quiet pond all alone. Thus, he asked Su Yan to keep her company in the pond while keeping her safe at the same time.

Ning Fan, on the other hand, returned to the guest house on the demon island. He was also making some preparations for the ancient demon inheritance ceremony that would be held eight days later.

The guest house where he was currently staying was not far from the place where Ming Que and Su Yan were having their secluded cultivation. If something happens to them, he instantly could go to their aid.

It was a guest house built from hollowing the insides of a massive log. Peculiar demon mottled bamboos of Si Kong Island had also been planted in the surroundings. The bamboo leaves filled the atmosphere with a clean and refreshing fragrance.

In the bamboo forest outside the guest house, a dark youngster was standing politely. He had been waiting for Ning Fan outside his guest house for two days. It was none other than the youngster who dissuaded Ming Que from receiving the inheritance power.

When Ning Fan arrived at his guest house, that youngster's body shivered at once. His expression looked a little fearful. Clearly, he was terrified of Ning Fan.

"G-Greetings to Venerated Ming." The youngster fell to his knees with a thud and made a few loud kowtows to Ning Fan.

"Mm." Ning Fan waved his sleeve casually and produced a gust of wind which helped the youngster stand up.

Two days ago, Ning Fan asked this youngster to wait for him outside his guest house because he had something to ask him personally.

When the young man heard that Ning Fan had some questions for him, how could he dare to ignore it? Even though his cultivation base was low, he lived in the internal sea after all and he had heard lots of rumors about his merciless and cold-blooded personality. Thus, he was afraid of Ning Fan to the marrow of his bones.

As one of the demon slaves who looked after the princess statue, he could not leave his post without permission.

However, when some deacons and elders heard that Ning Fan wanted to see him, they immediately relieved him of all of his duties temporarily and allowed him to wait politely in front of Ning Fan's guest house.

Moreover, there were some island's elders who reminded the youngster that he must tell everything he knew without withholding any details no matter what question Ning Fan would ask of him. Even if Ning Fan asks about the secrets of the island, he also did not need to hide anything.

The youngster's heart was racing. He was really nervous and confused. He did not know what Ning Fan was going to ask from him by requesting him to come here.

When he thought that the person standing in front of him was a great devil lord whose name shook the entire Rain World, he became even more anxious and his feet began to shiver uncontrollably as well.

"Don't be nervous. I have some questions for you. You just have to answer truthfully. If you do so, I will not harm you. Instead, I will give you some pills."

"Pills?! Understood. Senior can just ask me straight away if you have any doubts. This junior will certainly tell you everything I know!" When that young man heard that he would be rewarded with pills, his eyes instantly blazed with excitement and the fear he had for Ning Fan diminished a little.

If Ning Fan wanted to find out something, he could have just directly searched the youngster's soul and memories since the latter was just a lowly demon slave. There would be no need for Ning Fan to make such an unnecessary move by asking him.

No matter what damage a mere demon slave like him receives, no one would care about it. This was the cruel reality of the cultivation world.

For instance, there were demon slaves who went missing lately. However, no one was actually seriously investigating the reason behind their disappearance.

If it were other devil cultivators who wished to get some information, they probably would have directly searched the young man's soul and memories.

However, Ning Fan was not as cruel as them. Apart from that, he even promised to give the young man a reward if he answers his questions truthfully. This made the young man feel extremely thankful. He could not help but feel that Ning Fan was not actually as vicious and cold-blooded as the rumors in the outside world described him.

"What's your name? What's your position in Si Kong Demon Island?"

"This junior's name is Lin Yu. I am one of the demon slaves who looks after the princess statue." Lin Yu replied politely.

"Why did you stop Ming Que from conducting the Ancestral Sacrifice and taking the inheritance that day? And…" Ning Fan paused. His expression suddenly became stern.

"Where did the beast fang pendant which you are wearing around your neck come from?!"

On that day, Ning Fan only paid a little attention to this young man. When he studied him at a close distance today, only did he realize an extremely faint ancient demon power in him. This power solely came from the beast teeth pendant on his neck.

"Did you mean this beast fang? I accidentally picked it up during my duty and I made it into a pendant myself. I definitely didn't steal it. Please believe me, Senior! As for the reason why I stopped the island lord from accepting the inheritance, it was because… It's just because…" The young man was immediately overwhelmed with fear when he saw Ning Fan's fearsome look.

"Because of what?!"

"It's because when I was guarding the princess statue one night, I saw some 'dirty things' below the statue. It seemed to be some kind of monster and it had devoured a few of my fellow demon slaves. After that, it went inside the statue. I picked up this beast fang during that time. It was left by that monster. I am sure that there must be a monster inside the statue. If the island lord recklessly takes the inheritance from the statue, she might be in danger…" The young man's voice was trembling but his face was filled with sincerity. He did not look like he was telling lies.

"A monster?"

Ning Fan frowned.

What kind of monster would live inside a statue?

That statue was filled with an endless amount of incense flame power. Even Ning Fan could not go inside the statue using his spirit sense. What kind of monster would be so powerful to be able to enter the statue?

When Ning Fan recalled seeing the eyes of the statue flashing unusually on the day they arrived at the demon island, he suddenly fell silent.

When he continued to think about the monster's beast fang which contained ancient demon power, his eyes flickered with solemnity all of a sudden.

"Could it be that an ancient demon is residing inside the statue?!"

Ning Fan's gaze shifted to the beast fang pendant on the young man's neck and sensed a Void Pierce Stage qi from it.

If there really is an ancient demon inside the statue, then it must be a Void Pierce Stage ancient demon…

"This is a bottle of Second Revolution Pills. It can help you breakthrough to the Harmonious Spirit Realm."

Ning Fan took out a bottle of pills from his pouch and tossed it to the young man. Then, he asked him to leave.

As soon as the young man saw the pill bottle, his nervous expression immediately turned into a face full of surprise. He only left after profusely thanking Ning Fan.

Right after that, Ning Fan left his guest house and visited the princess statue. He examined it for a long time but he still could not take a look inside it using his spirit sense in the end. He could not find any traces of an ancient demon but he managed to discover some traces of qi left by a Void Pierce Stage expert from the statue.

That individual's qi was extremely faint. Common people would not be able to sense it. Only high-level pill refinement masters with sharp senses like Ning Fan could discover it.

Besides, that Void Pierce Stage qi also carried a mild ancient demon qi.

"There is indeed an ancient demon inside the statue. This ancient demon is hiding itself inside the statue where no one else could enter. Even I can't force it to come out unless I blast this statue to pieces… However, since Ming Que still needs this statue to obtain the inheritance, this statue certainly can't be destroyed. In this case, I won't be able to meet this ancient demon if it doesn't show itself voluntarily."

"I wonder if this ancient demon will cause any trouble when Ming Que receives the inheritance eight days later… A Void Pierce Stage ancient demon is a being that can't be disregarded… If it doesn't have the intention of harming Ming Que, I won't bother to deal with it as well. However, if it dares to cause any trouble… I'll make it perish for sure!"

…

Inside the statue, a demon beast in the form of a white tiger was secretly cultivating with its body wrapped under a mass of pure white incense flame power.

Its body was emanating a Void Pierce Stage aura force. It looked like it was taking a nap. Its mouth was still stained with the blood and skin left by the people it devoured alive.

"Detestable! It seems like two experts have arrived on this island. Their qi isn't any weaker than mine. Luckily, they still don't seem to have noticed my presence. But it seems like I can't leave this statue easily to devour people alive…"

The two experts it mentioned were naturally Ning Fan and Su Yan.

Even though this white tiger was strong, it seemed to be rather timid.

Its cultivation base was clearly higher than both Su Yan and Ning Fan, but it seemed to be extremely afraid of them.

"Apparently, the Ancestral Sacrifice ceremony is about to officially commence on this demon island. Hai. Even though I can hide inside this statue and borrow the incense flame power for my cultivation, I can't directly devour it. All of these incense flames are offered to the master of the statue. Usually, only the master of the statue can absorb the incense flame power. But…"

All of a sudden, the white tiger sneered maliciously.

"The person who will be receiving this inheritance of incense flame is the island lord of this demon island. She is just a Divine Transformation Realm junior. I can handle a person like her very easily. After this junior absorbs the incense flame inheritance of the statue, I will eat her alive. Then, I can obtain the power of the incense flame from her indirectly. The ceremony will begin in another eight days. That's when I will take action against that junior!"

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