Grasping Evil

Hong Yi left with a cold expression. No one knew what she was thinking as she left quickly as she came.

Ning Fan was deep in thought while he was looking at Hong Yi's travelling light that was vanishing in the distance. Hong Yi should not be so bored as to come here just to have a brief chat with him.

"This lady, why did she come to the Giant Devil Clan…?"

She should have already known about King Ju Lu's plot. As for why she came here, she might have wanted to intervene in the Giant Devil Clan's affairs and help Feng Xueyan. Or maybe she came here for the ancestral tree's fruits...

Ning Fan sat below the wilted ancestral tree wearily. His entire body ached in pain, as if there were needles pricking him and fire burning him. The current him could not even muster a single trace of his magic power.

According to his estimation, he would need at least four months to fully recover even with the power of the Black Star. He was currently in a grievous state and could not use any of his magic power… This was the cost for borrowing Luo You's magic power!

If he were to suffer these injuries without the Black Star Healing Technique, it would be impossible for him to fully recover without spending several tens of years…

In the Giant Devil Clan, countless cultivators who managed to survive the disaster cheered in excitement. There were also countless cultivators who were in deep sorrow after losing their loved ones during the battle.

Su Yan, Yue Lingkong, Ming Que and Fen Chi rushed to the ancestral tree and surrounded Ning Fan. They also felt somewhat fearful when they gazed at Hong Yi who was travelling away in a ray of light.

They did not know who Hong Yi was but they were aware that her strength was rather frightening. She appeared all of a sudden and left in the next instant without lingering at this place for too long. She also did not show any hostility toward Ning Fan. Thus, everyone thought that she should be Ning Fan's friend instead of his enemy.

"You are badly hurt…" Xu Qiuling, who was holding Feng Xueyan up, also flew toward Ning Fan. When she noticed Ning Fan's serious injuries, her heart ached so badly that it nearly broke.

Feng Xueyan was no longer in danger. She woke up and flew into the sky with Xu Qiuling supporting her with her hands. When she saw all the injuries that Ning Fan had suffered because of her, she felt a lump in her throat and started sobbing with a red face.

"Don't cry. These are just some minor injuries. It's all over now…" Ning Fan patted Feng Xueyan's head and comforted her with a gentle smile.

Indeed. It's all over now. Be it the eight ancestors of the Giant Devil Clan, the Ghost Eye Clan or the Lan Ling Sect… none of them will harm you anymore!

…

The battle in the Giant Devil Clan greatly affected the Rain World. The Rain Sovereign was extremely furious as he sent out four experts of the Rain Palace in succession to get to the bottom of this incident.

Out of the four experts, the first person who had rushed to the Giant Devil Clan was the lord of the Dragon Determining Valley – Chu Chang An!

Chu Chang An's attitude toward Ning Fan was polite. However, he was a little surprised by the speed of Ning Fan's growth.

The last time Ning Fan went to the Dragon Determining Valley, he was merely a lowly Divine Transformation Realm junior. Today, however, he had turned into a Reckless Devil Realm ancient devil who was comparable to a Void Inquiry Stage expert. Moreover, he had even more terrifying trump cards to protect himself.

During the battle, Ning Fan had revealed too many of his trump cards. He had even borrowed Luo You's power and temporarily turned into a Revered Devil in one go.

Too many people had witnessed that scene and his Revered Devil Realm aura force had also shaken the entire Endless Sea. There was no way he could keep his Revered Devil Realm aura force a secret unless he massacred every last devil cultivator in the Endless Sea…

Thus, he had no other choice but helplessly reveal his trump cards.

As for Ning Fan's notoriety, it instantly spread across the Rain World after Chu Chang An had conducted his investigation!

An ancient devil cultivator, a Sixth Revolution Pill Refinement Master, a person who possessed jade slips containing Void Fragmentation Realm stored attacks and was someone who was capable of instantly turning into a giant that was comparable to a Void Fragmentation Realm expert and crush everything…

Ning Fan was not afraid of exposing his trump cards.

Letting others know that he possessed Void Fragmentation Realm jade slips would evidently deepen the respect and fear that others had for him. Thus, there was no harm in it and was even beneficial instead.

His identity as an ancient devil cultivator might have been exposed but he did not reveal the grade of his devil blood. Hence, who would be able to figure out that he was a terrifying ancestral devil who possessed ancestral grade bloodline?

The only troublesome thing was how he should explain the Void Fragmentation Realm power that he temporarily gained during the fight…

Well, Ning Fan was not that foolish to reveal Luo You's existence.

Therefore, when Chu Chang An asked him how he could temporarily rise to the Void Fragmentation Realm, his answer was – "I managed to find an unknown Seventh Revolution Pill inside a historical remains which could allow me to gain Void Fragmentation Realm strength by just consuming it. Unfortunately, that is the one and only pill of that kind that I have. Now I don't have it anymore."

Chu Chang An had also heard of a few pills that could allow cultivators to instantly possess Void Fragmentation Realm power for a short period of time. Thus, he believed in Ning Fan's explanation.

After investigating Ning Fan's trump cards, Chu Chang An continued to investigate the whole story of the great battle.

Even though a lot of cultivators from the one hundred plus sects died and were injured during this battle, most of them were killed by King Ju Lu and the ancestral tree. The people Ning Fan had killed were only the few cultivators who tried to harm Feng Xueyan in the first place. Thus, he did not need to be held responsible for the casualties of the one hundred plus sects.

The world was of the opinion that this whole thing started because the one hundred plus sects pressured the Giant Devil Clan in search of benefits. Then, King Ju Lu set everyone up and killed countless cultivators in order to use their blood as an offering to the tree. It was just two parties engaging each other in a dogfight where many cultivators of the one hundred plus sects died… What does Ning Fan have anything to do with that matter?

Moreover, if it was not for Ning Fan who eliminated King Ju Lu, not a single cultivator from the one hundred plus sects would survive the battle. Everyone would have died in King Ju Lu's hands.

Thus, Ning Fan did not need to be responsible for the dead and injured. Instead, he was deemed guiltless and had done a meritorious deed.

The other three experts of the Rain Palace who were also responsible for investigating this matter arrived afterward. All of them were Void Refinement Realm experts of the Rain Palace. The results of their investigations were similar to Chu Chang An's. And then, they left one after another and returned to report to the Rain Sovereign.

When Chu Chang An and the others departed, Ning Fan's life had become quiet and peaceful again.

Because he had borrowed Luo You's power which had a serious backlash, he would not be able to use his magic power for the next four months.

He could not cultivate, refine pills, open his storage pouch or go inside the Profound Yin World and the Yuan Yao World…

Aside from that, even his Sea of Consciousness was greatly damaged and he could only use an extremely weak trace of spirit sense.

Standing below the eaves of the guesthouse, he held his head up and stared at the falling snowflakes in the sky above the Northern Cold Country. Suddenly, he felt exhausted.

Dao Cultivation is really tiring… It's unknown how many more people I have to kill ahead of this path. It's unknown which day in the future I would become careless and die without a full corpse.

Ning Fan was unable to forget about the twelve blood roses on the ancestral tree. Before the blood roses bloomed, who could have guessed that King Ju Lu would kill twelve Void Refinement Realm experts using the ancestral tree…?

"Who could foresee tomorrow's death?"

"A cultivator with great capabilities will have the senses of a celestial being which can allow them to avoid calamity and obtain heavenly fortune. However, it's merely avoiding and hiding, one will never be able to escape from the calamities and tribulations in the end…"

"If I were a bit more careless that time, I would have probably been killed by King Ju Lu and become one of the blood roses on the ancestral tree… In the path of Dao Cultivation, one isn't allowed to make even half of a misstep. One single slip-up will cause a lifelong regret and when you look back at your journey, your whole life has passed."

Ning Fan reached out his hand to the eaves. Very quickly, the center of his palm was covered with a thin layer of snowflakes which immediately melted into water afterward.

The snow in this country might look similar to that in Seven Apricot City but they were both different in the end.

Ning Fan's eyes were filled with longing. He missed his homeland. He wanted to return to his hometown, Yue Country, as soon as possible.

Now, he no longer had any enemies in the Endless Sea. He could probably leave this place already… However, even if he wished to return home, he still had to fully heal his injuries first…

In his current state, he could not use any of his magic power while his physical body was severely damaged. He was as weak as a mortal.

He had not felt powerless and weak for so many years…

His women stayed by his side and vigilantly kept him safe as he was extremely feeble in his current grievous condition.

There were Void Refinement Realm spiritual puppets standing guard outside the courtyard while the women stayed around the courtyard so that they could protect him anytime.

Unfortunately, even though he was being heavily guarded by so many people, some people could still come and go here at will.

Inside his mind, Luo You suddenly teased Ning Fan.

"That Void Fragmentation Realm lady has come to find you again. Well, my family's younger brother, Ning Fan, really is charming."

As soon as Luo You's voice fell, a lady clad in red robes with an icy cold expression suddenly appeared beside Ning Fan.

Ning Fan smiled bitterly. The amount of spirit sense he could use at the moment was very limited. Thus, he could not sense if anyone was approaching him at all.

However, he could already tell who the lady was without even looking at her. Other than Hong Yi, who else could it be?

In the Black Lightning Tower, Ning Fan obtained the dark golden lightning bamboo leaves to help Hong Yi treat her injuries. After she had recovered from her injuries, she had actually regained her cultivation base which was at the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm! She truly was a terrifying lady!

Hong Yi's arrival had naturally alarmed Yue Lingkong and the others. However, Ning Fan gently waved his hand, signaling to them that he was fine.

"Your women treat you quite well. With them protecting you, I no longer need to worry about your safety."

"Oh? Is Mistress Hong Yi worried about my safety?" Although Ning Fan knew Hong Yi was the Thunder Sovereign, he did not openly reveal it to prevent exposing her identity.

"Of course. You are still useful to me. Thus, your life and death concerns me." Hong Yi said with a cold tone.

"I've once promised you that I will do you a small favor. However, I haven't gotten around to asking you. What exactly do you need my help with?" Ning Fan asked curiously.

"You don't have to ask too much about it. Take these with you and quickly recover. Only after that will we discuss proper business. You are currently too weak and have no use for me!" Hong Yi glared at Ning Fan as if she was disgusted with his current condition. By taking a gentle lotus step, she instantly vanished without a trace. Obviously, she had already left the area.

Ning Fan shook his head and smiled. He was actually looked down upon by Thunder Sovereign Bu Zhou.

However, just as he lowered his head and looked at the items which Hong Yi gave him, his eyes widened with surprise.

Hong Yi had given him two blood-red jade boxes. The first jade box contained a Low Grade Seventh Revolution Pill called the Life Returning Pill.

In the second jade box, it contained a silver jade token which was imbued with powerful lightning power.

"This is… the Thunder Jade Token?" Ning Fan had seen Dong Xu's Thunder Jade Token before. Thus, he was able to recognize it.

The Thunder Jade Token only had one use – it grants entry to the Sovereign Tomb.

Usually, cultivators would have to participate in a fighting tournament held by the Zhou Clan and obtain the Thunder Jade Token based on their rankings in the tournament.

However, since Ning Fan and Hong Yi knew each other, there was no need for him to participate in the tournament…

Based on their agreement, Hong Yi would only need Ning Fan's help in another few more years.

However, since she had given him the token now, she had probably changed her plan.

As for the fact that the dignified Thunder Sovereign Bu Zhou actually gave Ning Fan a Seventh Revolution Vulnerary Pill, it really caught Ning Fan by surprise.

He obviously did not think Hong Yi was interested in him. Well, she was not an ordinary lady.

By giving him such a precious pill, it could only mean that she attached great importance to Ning Fan. And this treatment was based on their mutually beneficial relationship.

Anyway, it was already enough for Ning Fan.

"It is not suitable to consume a Seventh Revolution Pill in my current state. After I recover a bit, I will certainly heal my injuries in one fell swoop by taking this pill."

"Before that, let me take a look at this jade token."

Ning Fan carefully inspected the Thunder Jade Token and discovered that it was not an ordinary jade token. In fact, it was the most precious token that was called "Bestowal Jade Token".

A Bestowal Jade Token did not only have the function of the common tokens which was to let the owner enter the Sovereign Tomb, but they also contain a bestowal magic power given by the Thunder Sovereign.

If one refines this power, it would greatly raise their cultivation base.

The seven venerated beings of the internal sea such as Old Ancestor Dong Xu had once obtained the Bestowal Jade Token before and the ones they had contained fifty thousand units of magic power.

As for the token that Ning Fan currently had, it contained one hundred thousand units of magic power. Was it a preferential treatment from the Thunder Sovereign?

"The Sovereign Tomb is located in the Zhou Clan of the internal sea. It's an enclosed forbidden area with no entrance. The only way to get inside there is by placing a trace of your soul onto the Thunder Jade Token and letting it go inside the Sovereign Tomb. As long as one has the Thunder Jade Token, they can enter the Sovereign Tomb at will no matter where they are in the Rain World. If one does not have the jade token, they will never be able to enter even if they are standing outside the tomb."

"My current injuries are very severe. However, I can enter the Sovereign Tomb by only using a trace of my soul… I suppose what Hong Yi needs my help with must be related to the Sovereign Tomb. I can go inside and check it out first."

Ning Fan turned around and entered the house. He put down the box containing the Seventh Revolution Pill and sat on the bed in a meditative position while holding the Thunder Jade Token in his hand.

With his eyes closed, he separated a portion of his soul power and placed it into the jade token while fully immersing his consciousness in it at the same time.

In a split second, the scenery before his eyes changed.

He felt as if he had travelled across countless realms. In the next second, he mysteriously appeared in the Sovereign Tomb of the Zhou Clan.

The place where he landed was a tribe rearing horses beyond the great wall.

He was wearing a set of white robes. His appearance and body were the same as before. However, his cultivation base was only at the pitiful First Level of Vein Opening Realm.

It was not because of his injuries. In fact, the first time a cultivator descends to the Sovereign Tomb, their cultivation base would only be at the First Level of the Vein Opening Realm.

"My true body is very weak… The current body, however, is much stronger compared to my injured true body." Ning Fan tried to clench his fists and continued to observe his surroundings.

The entire area was a vast meadow. In the distance, he could see the vague figures of snowy mountains. There were many herdsmen around him. Their actions and behaviors were similar to mortals. However, when Ning Fan looked at them closely, he realized that all of them were actually the undead spirits that were living in the Sovereign Tomb!

The Thunder Sovereign's Tomb had accommodated countless undead spirits that allowed them to live permanently in a state that was neither alive nor dead!

Ning Fan had once obtained a piece of a map of the Sovereign Tomb from Old Ancestor Dong Xu's hands. According to him, the map had mapped out one-third of the landscape of the Sovereign Tomb.

The Sovereign Tomb was divided into three regions – the Outer Region, the Central Region and the Divine Region.

The undead spirits living in the Outer Region were mostly mortals. As for the central region, there were undead spirits of cultivators but their cultivation bases were generally at the Divine Transformation Realm at best.

As for the Divine Region… It did not lack Void Refinement Realm undead spirits. Moreover, there were also Void Fragmentation Realm undead spirits there…

It has been said that the Thunder Sovereign's undead spirit was living inside this Sovereign Tomb in a strange state!

Ning Fan had already figured out that Hong Yi was the Thunder Sovereign. Thus, he did not completely believe in what he heard about the Thunder Sovereign's undead spirit. The Thunder Sovereign's undead spirit might really be living in the Divine Region or it might only be a rumor fabricated to mislead the world…

Ning Fan observed the landscape thoughtfully.

If he remembered correctly, the tribe of herdsmen on the snowy mountain in front of him should be the Snow Lotus Tribe that was located at the western border in the Outer Region of the Sovereign Tomb.

The Outer Region was incredibly vast. One had to travel at least several hundred thousand li* (500m per li) in order to get to the Central Region from the Outer Region. With Ning Fan's current cultivation base which was only at the 'First Level of the Vein Opening Realm', it would be quite difficult for him to enter the Central Region…

"Huh? Big Brother, are you a foreigner? Why haven't I seen you before?" A young lady wearing <strong></strong><anno data-annotation-id="786ed472-5137-bf84-4112-74847c73a935"><strong>Hu Clothing</strong></anno> who seemed to only be thirteen to fourteen years old approached Ning Fan while riding a small red horse. She skillfully held the reins of her horse to stop and gave Ning Fan a warm faint smile.

The young lady's appearance could not be considered angelic but she looked quite clean and delicate. Her bright clear eyes radiated intelligence and courage. Her valiant bearing made her as attractive as some of the charming daughters of humble families.

"Mm. I've just arrived here." Ning Fan nodded.

"Oh, so you are a big brother who was just passing by. Well, you can come and sit down at our Snow Lotus Tribe. How about drinking a cup of Lotus Flower Wine which is a specialty of our tribe to warm yourself up?" The young lady got down from her horse and invited Ning Fan enthusiastically.

"Alright." Ning Fan nodded. The reason why he entered the Sovereign Tomb was only to have a look at the surroundings. Since he did not have a special objective, he had no reason to turn down this young lady's invitation.

"My name is Xi Lian and I am the daughter of the Snow Lotus Tribe's patriarch. What's yours, Big Brother?" The young lady smiled sweetly.

"Ning Fan." Ning Fan spoke the two words he had never spoken for a long time. They gave him a sense of calmness.

After leaving the Yue Country, he had used the pseudonym, Zhou Ming as well as Lu Bei. Now, however, he could finally call himself Ning Fan again!

He was already strong enough to travel across the Rain World with his real name. He no longer needed to be afraid of anyone trying to plot against him. Now, he was the one who would trample upon the corpses and bones of others!

"Big Brother Ning, you are really handsome."

As Xi Lian carefully studied Ning Fan, all she could think about was that Ning Fan was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her entire life. Her cheeks blushed involuntarily and her heart thumped wildly.

She was as happy as a lark while she was walking the horse and leading Ning Fan to her Snow Lotus Tribe.

She was at a great young age where she was starting to have an interest in the opposite sex…

The Snow Lotus Tribe was enclosed by tall wooden fences with a lit bonfire at the center. Meanwhile, there were several men standing guard outside the tribe.

When Xi Lian was about to bring Ning fan into the tribe, one of the men suddenly blocked her path.

"Mistress, please stop! The patriarch has his orders. An important matter will be discussed in the clan today. Outsiders are not allowed inside the tribe at will!"

The man's eyes vigilantly shifted to Ning Fan with indifference. Clearly, he was not going to let Ning Fan, who was of suspicious origin, enter the tribe.

"Big Brother Ning is a guest who is only passing by our tribe! Our Snow Lotus Tribe has always been friendly and hospitable to guests and visitors. Besides, Big Brother Ning is my friend and isn't an outsider..."

"His surname is Ning?" The burly man's indifferent eyes suddenly flashed with a cold light.

"There isn't a clan with the surname, Ning, among the tens of tribes around our Snow Lotus Tribe. Only the Ghost Wolf Tribe has people with that surname. This man must be a spy from the Ghost Wolf Tribe. Guards, take him down!"

The atmosphere instantly became tense. Several muscular men who were guarding the entrance surrounded Ning Fan.

These men were all undead spirits of mortals. They did not have any magic power. All they could rely on was their martial arts.

Ning Fan's eyes casually scanned past these men. He was not angry. Instead, he just smiled and said with a calm voice.

"I am not a member of the Ghost Wolf Tribe."

Even though he killed people like scything flax, he never killed innocent mortals randomly even if they were merely undead spirits.

"Why should we believe you?!" The burly man's expression remained cold and indifferent but his tone was not as serious as before.

He had met countless people. From Ning Fan's calm eyes, he could faintly tell that he was not lying.

"Because I am a foreigner." Ning Fan released a trace of his magic power. Although it was only at the First Level of Vein Opening Realm, it greatly surprised the men around him.

"An immortal master! You are actually an immortal master!"

If Ning Fan was an immortal master, it was naturally impossible for him to be a member of the Ghost Wolf Tribe because the tribe only had mortals as their members. There had never been an immortal master in their tribe.

Moreover, an immortal master could wipe out the entire Snow Lotus Tribe with just a wave of their hands. Why would they need to lower themselves to act as a spy and sneak into the Snow Lotus Tribe…?

"Please forgive us for offending you!" The several burly men's expressions were instantly filled with respect and awe as they cupped their fists in apology.

At this moment, none of them dared to mess with the white-robed young man in front of them.

It was because this young man had the strength to flatten the entire Snow Lotus Tribe!

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

<annotations style="display: none;"><ol class="tinymce-annotation-container"><li data-annotation-id="786ed472-5137-bf84-4112-74847c73a935">Hu Clothing (Chinese: 胡衣 Pinyin: hú fú)According to a Chinese dictionary site, Hu Clothing means the clothing which the tribes in the western and northern areas of the ancient dynasties of China wore.Source (in Chinese) : https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E8%83%A1%E6%9C%8D#:~:text=%E8%83%A1%E6%9C%8D%20%E8%AF%8D%E8%AF%AD%E8%A7%A3%E9%87%8A&text=%E6%8C%87%E5%8F%A4%E4%BB%A3%E8%A5%BF%E6%96%B9%E5%92%8C%E5%8C%97%E6%96%B9,%E4%BA%A6%E6%B3%9B%E7%A7%B0%E5%A4%96%E6%97%8F%E7%9A%84%E6%9C%8D%E8%A3%85%E3%80%82</li></ol></annotations>",