Grasping Evil

The Snow Lotus Tribe only had several hundreds of people living in it and all of them were undead spirits with no cultivation bases.

Standing beside the large wooden fence, Ning Fan could see a tall wooden frame that had a bonfire burning with raging flames in the center of the tribe.

Around the bonfire, there were some young herders slaughtering cows and goats to make grilled meat. At the same time, there were also many ladies dressed in Hu Clothing dancing around.

Be it men or women, all of their eyes were clear and pure as the ice and snow on the snowy mountain. Everyone was simple and direct with nothing hidden in their minds.

Looking at this scene, a sense of calmness suddenly rose within Ning fan's heart… The Snow Lotus Tribe was a peaceful and hospitable tribe that stood aloof from worldly affairs.

They stayed away from fights and conflicts. They stayed away from the hustle and bustle. They stayed away from scheming and plotting against each other… It was a good place but unfortunately, it did not belong to him.

"Big Brother Ning, are you really an immortal master? You're too impressive! Can you summon the 'Barbarian God'? Can you summon the 'undead soldiers'? I heard that many immortal masters in the central region of the Sovereign Tomb are able to summon the Barbarian God and undead soldiers. A single immortal master can defeat tens of thousands of people. Do you know these immortal techniques?" Xi Lian asked with her face filled with admiration.

"No, I don't…" I just know how to kill. Naturally, he did not say the second part of the sentence in order to avoid scaring off the young lady.

"You don't know how to summon the Barbarian God and undead soldiers? How unfortunate…" The young lady looked a little disappointed.

The several burly men who were guarding the entrance of the tribe had already reported to their patriarch about Ning Fan's arrival.

The patriarch of the Snow Lotus Tribe was a brawny middle-aged man with stubble. His name was Xi Sa. Originally, he was in the middle of a discussion with the elders of the tribe over some important matters.

However, as soon as he heard about the arrival of an immortal master, Ning Fan, his face immediately turned pale. Without hesitation, he blew the horn and led all of the warriors and women of the tribe to welcome Ning Fan.

"Greetings to Immortal Master Ning!" Xi Sa greeted him respectfully.

Ning Fan sighed gently. After only having entered the Sovereign Tomb, he accidentally met Xi Lian. Under that young lady's enthusiastic invitation, he planned on visiting her tribe and having a look around. However, he never expected that his arrival would shock this peaceful and quiet tribe.

Thus, he shook his head gently and comforted them.

"Don't worry, everyone. I'm just passing by the Snow Lotus Tribe. I'll leave after drinking a cup of wine. I'll definitely not harm anyone from this tribe."

When Patriarch Xi Sa heard that Ning Fan was only passing by their tribe and promised that he would not harm anyone, he heaved a sigh of relief and warmly replied.

"Immortal Master Ning, since you have dropped by my Snow Lotus Tribe, you are naturally our tribe's guest. Our tribe doesn't have anything much except for tons of fine wine and excellent meat. Servants! Grill the greasiest muttons and beef and serve the best Lotus Wine for our Great Immortal Master Ning!"

"Alright! They will be served right away."

The atmosphere instantly turned lively. Those herdsmen who were initially afraid of Ning Fan's Vein Opening Realm cultivation base forgot about their fear at this moment and treated Ning Fan to good wine and meat.

Ning Fan no longer displayed any of his cultivation base because he was unwilling to scare these mortal undead spirits.

He did not show the demeanor of being aloof and superior to everyone. Instead, he just quietly sat down around the bonfire and ate the meat and drank the wine that were served to him while having casual conversations with the elderly of the tribe.

Since Ning Fan was a cultivator, he had seen a lot and had extensive knowledge. Whenever he shared his experience, it would fascinate countless people of the tribe.

Besides, he had an extraordinary capacity for drinking. Many young warriors of the Snow Lotus Tribe drank with him but none of them managed to get him drunk. As long as Ning Fan did not wish to be drunk and prevented his heart from being intoxicated, he would never be affected by alcohol. His capacity for drinking really impressed the young warriors of the tribe.

Occasionally, a few passionate ladies would invite him to dance with them. Ning Fan could only helplessly decline their offers because he did not know how to dance… However, he took a <strong></strong><anno data-annotation-id="4c7d7a40-f279-a2c5-079c-eebc0a4f14e4"><strong>Qiang flute</strong></anno> from a herdsman and began playing to provide music for those ladies to dance.

The sound of the flute was plain and melodious. The plainness of the melody was the reflection of Ning Fan's inner heart.

At the same time, the sound of the flute would also enable one to visualize the scene of shining spears and armored horses. That was the killings that Ning Fan had committed in the past which he could never erase in his entire life.

The melody he played had subdued countless young ladies of the tribe, including Xi Lian.

Many young ladies were looking at him enticingly, trying to make eyes at him. However, Ning Fan turned a blind eye to them. He merely raised his head and gazed at the sky that was gradually darkening, the falling of dusk and the rise of a bright full moon in the middle of the night sky…

He put down the flute and thought to himself.

Forty plus years of Dao cultivation is as vague as a dream.

Wandering in a strange land with nothing to rely on… What cultivators pursue seems like a hollow dream and the ethereal moon…

As night fell, the bonfire became even brighter.

Ning Fan seemed to have forgotten about the noises around him. He closed his eyes and listened to the crackling sound of the burning embers of the bonfire while recollecting his past.

Fame and fortune are void. Cultivation base is void. Power is void. Women's beauty is void. Kindness and evil are void. Illusory dream is void. Moonlight is void… All of these are void… But what is void?!

"What is void?!"

Ning Fan suddenly opened his eyes which sparkled as if he had gained a new comprehension about Dao.

The reason why he entered the Sovereign Tomb was just to briefly explore the world inside the tomb. However, he never expected that the peaceful scenery of mortal life in this Snow Lotus Tribe would evoke his memories and arouse his Dao comprehension.

As for this Dao comprehension, it was actually the understanding about the word 'void'!

Even though he had accidentally broken through the Void Inquiry Stage in the Star Palace and became a Mid Reckless Devil Realm cultivator who was comparable to a Void Inquiry Stage expert, he had never carefully thought about the word 'void'.

At this moment, he asked himself 'what is void', a question every Void Glimpse Stage cultivator would ask their inner hearts before attaining their breakthrough!

When one understood what the void was, they could then glimpse the void!

When one mastered the network of void, they could then inquire about the void!

When one stood above the sea of void, they could then pierce through the void!

When one dominated the void, they could then be the absolute void!

Ning Fan suddenly smiled.

Apparently, I can really discover the true meaning of 'void' in my current journey in the Sovereign Tomb.

The current him was just a trace of his soul and his cultivation base was merely at the First Level of the Vein Opening Realm… However, walking down the path of cultivation in the Sovereign Tomb and making this fragment of his soul regain his original cultivation base would be a good opportunity to experience and learn the cultivation of the devil path again.

While he was deep in thought, the sound of trotting horses mixed in the wind of night could vaguely be heard outside the Snow Lotus Tribe. There were at least a few thousand cavalrymen heading toward the direction of the tribe with strong killing qi.

The clatter of horse hooves was very light. Besides, they were extremely far away. It was very difficult for mortals to discern the sound but it could not get past Ning Fan's ears.

Ning Fan put down the wine pot and exhaled gently.

It seems like the Snow Lotus Tribe has gotten itself into trouble. I guess what Patriarch Xi Sa and the elders of the tribe were discussing earlier was probably related to this great disaster…

He then cupped his fists at Patriarch Xi Sa and said.

"Thank you, Patriarch Xi Sa for treating me to wine. I have something to do so I'll leave now."

Patriarch Xi Sa was stunned for a second. He did not understand why Ning Fan would want to leave after just drinking half of the wine.

However, he certainly would not dare to stop Ning Fan from leaving. If he wanted to leave, he would immediately have his people see him off.

But when Ning Fan waved his hand, he vanished in the night sky while holding the flute which the tribe had given to him.

Xi Lian and many young ladies of the tribe sighed gently while staring at Ning Fan's thin back, as if enamored with him…

Even so, it was impossible for Ning Fan to stay for them. And he would never tell the Snow Lotus Tribe his purpose for leaving.

He wanted to kill some people to eliminate the Snow Lotus Tribe's enemies and troubles. He wanted to prevent the several thousands of cavalrymen from slaughtering the Snow Lotus Tribe.

At the foot of the snowy mountain that was thirty li* (500m per li) away from the Snow Lotus Tribe, a river of snow flowed downward from the mountain. Nearly five thousand cavalrymen clad in exquisite armor were deployed there.

These five thousand cavalrymen were raising three large flags which represented the Ghost Wolf Tribe, the Desolate Wolf Tribe and the Calm Wolf Tribe.

The only reason why the five thousand cavalrymen of the three tribes would appear at this place was because they wanted to attack the Snow Lotus Tribe that was thirty li* (500m per li) from them!

"Haha! I heard that the Snow Lotus Tribe has lots of livestock as well as women with soft and tender skin. Hehe. We'll wipe out the Snow Lotus Tribe together with the combined force of our three tribes and then split the livestock, women and slaves among ourselves. What do you think?!"

"Alright!"

While the leaders of the three tribes were discussing the important matter of slaughtering the Snow Lotus Tribe, some of their sentries noticed a white-robed young man walking toward them from the dark.

They immediately nocked their arrows and bent their bows to shoot at the white-robed young man who was suddenly approaching their main force. The arrows produced fierce whistling sounds.

However, before they could even reach the young man, all of them were reduced to ashes when the young man flicked his sleeve.

Then, the young man took a step forward and disappeared from his original spot all of a sudden. He was nowhere to be found.

"How is this possible?!" Before the sentries could figure out what was happening, a bloody hole that was as thick as a person's thumb was left at the center of their foreheads. Each of them fell off their horses with blood splashing across the air and died.

A few sentries died mysterious deaths just like that!

*Hiss*

The long and terrified neigh of several war horses had alarmed the five thousand cavalrymen!

"Who's there?! How dare you approach the main force of our three tribes and kill our sentries?!" One of them shouted in rage.

Ning Fan then ethereally revealed himself. With a cold expression, he stood in front of the five thousand troops, blocking their path.

"Do you want to attack the Snow Lotus Tribe?" Ning Fan asked them a question with a flat tone.

"So what if we do?! Don't tell me that you are trying to resist my large force of five thousand troops for the Snow Lotus Tribe?!" That man said disdainfully.

"Sure I am!" Ning Fan replied indifferently.

"Just you alone?" The other leader wore smiles of mockery. From his perspective, it was truly idiotic for Ning Fan to face their five thousand cavalry alone.

"Why do you want to fight for the Snow Lotus Tribe? How many livestock and women have they given to you? I'll give you double the amount. Then, you'll help us attack them!" Another leader carefully enticed Ning Fan. He had witnessed the abnormal deaths of several sentries and all of them were killed at the same time by Ning Fan.

In that case, Ning Fan was rather brave and skilled. Someone like him was worth recruiting.

"…"

Ning Fan no longer said anything else.

He did not care about others ridiculing him and would not be tempted by their promises of wealth.

Whenever he killed people, he never needed a reason. Hence, why did he need to give them an explanation?!

If he really wanted to find a reason, there would only be one – to repay the favor of a single meal. He never killed for glory and riches.

After his figure flickered, Ning Fan raised the Qiang flute in his hand and activated his magic power which was only at the First Level of the Vein Opening Realm.

When that ordinary flute made out of oil bamboo fell into Ning Fan's hands, it actually became a terrifying deadly weapon which was even fiercer than a Low Grade Flying Sword!

*Chi* *Chi* *Chi*

Dozens of cavalrymen at the vanguard were all instantly killed by the flute which pierced through their heads and they all fell off the back of their horses.

The expressions of the three leaders were filled with shock. This killing technique of controlling a flute to kill people was already not in the realm of mortal martial arts. It was an immortal technique that could only be seen in the central region!

"A-An immortal master! This man is actually an immortal master! He is an immortal master from the central region!"

"An immortal master can massacre tens of thousands of mortals! Detestable! The Snow Lotus Tribe is just a small tribe with only several hundreds of people. No matter how much livestock they have, it's certainly impossible for them to hire an immortal master… Why does this immortal master want to lend them a hand?!"

"I don't care anymore! There is only one of him after all while there are five thousand of us! We'll fight him with everything we have!"

The three leaders wore ferocious looks on their faces. At the same time they blew their horns, the five thousand cavalrymen immediately took out their bows and each fired an arrow at Ning Fan together. The volley of arrows was like meteors chasing after the moon, whistling past the night sky with a glint.

Looking at the five thousand arrows, Ning Fan's eyes remained unmoved. His body flashed and disappeared like a ghost without leaving any traces behind. All five thousand arrows missed their target.

The magic technique Ning Fan displayed was merely a minor magic technique that was at the Vein Opening Realm which enabled him to go invisible. With his current cultivation base, he could only display low-grade magic techniques which made him feel like he had returned to the early days when he had just started cultivating the devil path.

To mortals, the invisibility technique was already a terrifying ability!

*Chi* *Chi* *Chi*

Every time the Qiang flute struck, tens of people would certainly lose their lives.

Under the night sky, Ning Fan was the only one who was one-sidedly committing a slaughter!

He would not use his magic power to bully mortals. However, if he faced thugs like this group of five thousand cavalrymen who bullied others by relying on their strength, he would not give a f*** about it at all. He would just directly slaughter them.

The darkness of the night slowly receded as the morning light began to shine upon the snowy mountain.

Ning Fan walked over the remains of five thousand cavalrymen and walked toward the other side of the snowy mountain indifferently.

In the Snow Lotus Tribe, Patriarch Xi Sa's expression was still filled with worry.

He originally received news about the cavalrymen of the Ghost Wolf Tribe and other two tribes heading over to attack his tribe. However, the information he received seemed to be inaccurate as none of the cavalrymen of the Ghost Wolf Tribe had come… What is all this about?

For three consecutive days, the Snow Lotus Tribe remained safe and sound.

At the end of the third day, the herdsmen who went out to investigate discovered a terrifying scene at the foot of the snowy mountain thirty li* (500m per li) away from their tribe!

All five thousand cavalrymen were killed!

The killer's methods were extremely horrifying. That person seemed to have used a unique weapon which penetrated through the heads of all the cavalrymen and left a bloody hole as thick as a thumb on their corpses' foreheads.

Judging from the situation on the battlefield, there was only one killer!

"Someone killed the five thousand cavalrymen from the Ghost Wolf Tribe and the two other tribes all alone! This is really terrifying!" Each of the herdsmen of the Snow Lotus Tribe including their Patriarch Xi Sa was greatly shocked by this.

At the same time, they felt very thankful and fortunate as well. After all, these five thousand cavalrymen were obviously coming to attack their tribe. If it wasn't for that mysterious killer who wiped out all of them, they would certainly have slaughtered the Snow Lotus Tribe three days ago.

"It seems like we should thank that mysterious expert… However, who could that powerful person be…?" Each of the herdsmen of the Snow Lotus Tribe sighed with emotion.

"It's him! It's Big Brother Ning!" Only Xi Lian teared up in joy.

She recognized the bloody holes on the foreheads of those corpses… They were most likely caused by the Qiang flute which was unique to the Snow Lotus Tribe.

Moreover, he was probably the only one with the capabilities of killing five thousand cavalrymen with an ordinary flute made by the Snow Lotus Tribe…

"Big Brother Ning…" The young lady gazed into the distance. There was gratitude as well as disappointment in her eyes.

She was thankful to Ning Fan for saving her tribe without asking for anything in return.

But she felt disappointed because he would never come back to her tribe.

"This place isn't his home. He isn't someone who lives here but is a mere passerby…"

…

Ning Fan travelled through the snowy mountain and walked for three days.

The tomb of the Thunder Sovereign was extremely profound and mysterious. Every time he killed an undead spirit who possessed a cultivation base, he would without a doubt get a thunder fruit that was similar to a Dao Fruit. The magic power these fruits contained was close to one-tenth of what you get from a genuine Dao Fruit.

Ning Fan slaughtered five thousand people but he had yet to obtain a single thunder fruit. Naturally, it was because they were only mortals.

However, after climbing the snowy mountain for three days, he discovered dozens of spiritual beasts that possessed Vein Opening Realm cultivation bases in the depths of the mountain.

To mortals, those spirit beasts were extremely scary. However, they were not that threatening to Ning Fan.

With a wave of his hand, he killed those spirit beasts who tried to sneak up on him and obtained twenty plus Vein Opening Realm thunder fruits.

After eating all of the thunder fruits, his cultivation base broke through to the Fifth Level of the Vein Opening Realm in one go.

This cultivation base happened to be what he had back then when he was the young lord of the Seven Apricot City!

He was currently standing at the other side of the mountain. While walking under the night sky, he raised his head and gazed at the bright moon, looking back at his life in the mundane world…

"Fifth Level of the Vein Opening Realm…"

He healed his body with the Black Star Technique.

His separated soul was going to continue his journey in the Sovereign Tomb and raise his cultivation base higher and higher!

Vein Opening Realm, Harmonious Spirit Realm, Gold Core Realm, Nascent Soul Realm, Divine Transformation Realm, Void Refinement Realm…

He wanted to gradually walk through every stage of the road of cultivation once again!

This path, however, would not take him too long. With his ability, he would only need a very short amount of time to cultivate his separated soul to an extremely high level.

"At the end of the day, I still do not understand… What is void…?"

He looked at the bright moon, feeling that the life of the mundane world was getting farther and farther away, making him unable to remember it…

What is void…?

On the fourth day, he walked to the other end of the mountain and arrived at a small town with rivers and a lake.

Boats with black canopies were endlessly coming and going at the lake. Sometimes, some young ladies would wave their hands at Ning Fan who was at the shore.

Ning Fan silently stood on the bridge. He stared at the flowing water below his feet, waiting for the night to arrive. As he stared at the reflection of the moon in the water, he seemed to have obtained new insights.

One day. Two days. Three days…

On the sixth day, he tossed a cobblestone at the reflection of the moon in the water, scattering the reflection with ripples on the surface of the lake.

At that very instant, an idea struck his mind!

"Void is the scattered moonlight!"

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

<annotations style="display: none;"><ol class="tinymce-annotation-container"><li data-annotation-id="4c7d7a40-f279-a2c5-079c-eebc0a4f14e4">Qiang flute (Chinese: 羌笛 Pinyin: qiāng dí )Qiang flute is among the most delicate crafts that the Qiang people made. It is made of bamboo pipes which give a special sound when played. Find out more at this websiteSource:https://qiangculture.wordpress.com/2016/04/19/qiang-flute/</li></ol></annotations>",