Grasping Evil

<strong>I apologize for the delay guys. It's supposed to be uploaded yesterday but my laptop was stuck at the last min. I will make the upload early to avoid such issue again.</strong>

Ning Fan stood like a statue at the summit of the mountain for a long time. Every day, he waited for night to arrive and looked at the moon's dim light in the night sky.

It had been quite a long time since he felt so quiet and peaceful. At this exact moment, he came ever closer into the state of becoming one with Heaven.

He wanted to create his own magic technique which could enable him to ignite the moonlight!

Moonlight existed in this world which was why it was real. However, moonlight could not be touched. That was why it was void…

It was difficult to distinguish between 'true' and 'void'. Thus, Ning Fan no longer deliberately tried to discern them from each other. He only activated his magic power and simulated the changes of the moonlight.

One day. Two days. Three days… Seven days went by.

At the summit of the mountain located in the Central Region, the sun rose and the moon set. Ning Fan remained at his original spot like a statue.

Within the vicinity of a few hundred li* (500m per li) around him, countless undead spirits had gathered.

Each of them harbored ulterior motives. They intended to eat Ning Fan to boost their cultivation base and magic power but they lacked the courage to do so.

Among them, there were Nascent Soul Realm and Divine Transformation Realm undead spirits. As for Ning Fan's separated soul, he was only at the Early Nascent Soul Realm. In the first place, those undead spirits should not have been afraid of him.

The only reason why they were afraid was because of the frightening baleful qi Ning Fan emanated when he travelled across the sky of the Central Region. It had terrified too many people.

Besides, while Ning Fan stood proudly at the mountain's summit to comprehend his magic technique, his actions were extremely profound and abstruse. It discouraged those undead spirits from acting rashly.

"This man must be a cultivator who came from the outside world! As long as we eat him, we can significantly improve our cultivation base and magic power!"

"However, this man's baleful qi is so terrifying. We might not necessarily be able to kill him."

"No one knows what magic technique he is comprehending. He actually stood there for seven consecutive days without moving a muscle. Could it be that he is creating his own Nascent Soul Realm magic technique?"

"It doesn't look like it. Every time the moon rises to the sky, he will raise his head and stare at the moon. I suppose the magic technique he is creating is related to the moon. 'The sun as the saint; the moon as the emperor; the star as the fiendgod.' Magic techniques related to the sun, moon, and stars are definitely not simple. Perhaps this man is going to create a Divine Transformation Realm magic technique."

Too many undead spirits were carefully lying low and hiding nearby while holding their breaths. Most of them did not dare to attack Ning Fan recklessly and were guessing what Ning Fan's magic technique was about.

Only a few Nascent Soul Realm undead spirits were reckless and dared to approach Ning Fan secretly, attempting to sneak attack him.

However, when these undead spirits were only ten li* (500m per li) away from Ning Fan, all of them were mysteriously burned to ashes by black fire rings. Their deaths were extremely ghastly.

The scene of their deaths had shocked countless undead spirits. Even so, there were always some people who refused to believe what they saw and tried sneaking up on Ning Fan.

At first, the undead spirits who have tried to sneak attack Ning Fan would be burned to death by the fire rings when they were ten li* (500m per li) away from him.

As days passed by, the range of the fire rings increased and those who come within a hundred li* (500m per li) of Ning Fan would all be burned to ashes.

On the tenth day, no one else could stand within the area of one thousand li* (500m per li) from Ning Fan. Anyone who tried to get within that range would only end up dead!

On the fourteenth day, nobody could stay within the area of ten thousand li* (500m per li) from him. Every undead spirit had already fled ten thousand li* (500m per li) away from him. Only some Divine Transformation Realm undead spirits could stand outside of that circle to spectate Ning Fan creating his magic technique.

When the fifteenth day arrived, Ning Fan opened his eyes and raised his palm. A column of black devil flame emerged at the center of his palm. The devil flame contained countless networks of void power.

He looked at the devil flame on his palm and shook his head.

"It's still not enough."

The sixteenth day. The seventeenth day…

Ning Fan had already stood at the summit for one whole month.

No undead spirit has dared to approach him again without permission. Ning Fan also no longer summoned his devil flame to kill any of the undead spirits.

Day after day, he waited for the night to fall and basked in the moonlight. His feet had never moved a single step.

Some of the Divine Transformation Realm undead spirits who were more observant discovered that Ning Fan's body became fainter and fainter than it was previously. After just one month, his body had actually turned so vague that he looked transparent and they could see the scenery on the other side through him.

None of them knew that Ning Fan was turning his body into 'void' .

None of them knew that Ning Fan was comprehending a fire control technique that was at the Void Flame level.

Fire control techniques were divided into three steps which were the Tangible Flame Realm, the Void Flame Realm and the True Flame Realm.

The fire control techniques of ordinary cultivators were all at the Tangible Flame Realm. Only a few Void Fragmentation Realm old monsters could improve their fire control technique to the Void Flame Realm.

As for the True Flame Realm, even a true immortal would find it difficult to successfully master.

However, from Ning Fan's perspective, he would need at least a Void Flame Realm fire control technique if he wanted to ignite the intangible and ethereal moonlight.

On the thirty-first day, Ning Fan suddenly opened his eyes and raised his hand to summon the devil flame. The devil flame immediately turned into a fire ring that was seemingly fake which spread into the surroundings.

When the fire ring ignited, even the hollow space in the sky would burn away, exposing the dark void space underneath.

"To ignite the intangible moonlight, the first step is to improve one's fire control technique to the Void Flame Realm. Now, I've accomplished the first step. The second step, however, requires the use of some power that has a higher grade than 'void' to increase the flame's power in order to ignite the moonlight, ignite the void, and ignite everything…"

Originally, Ning Fan thought of fusing a trace of samsara power into this technique. After giving it some thought, however, he shook his head and gave up on that idea.

His comprehension of samsara was too shallow. If he used his current samsara power, the technique he would create would not be strong enough to inflict a ton of damage to high-level cultivators. It also might not necessarily be able to ignite the moonlight…

He remembered his past slaughters, the seas of blood he had created and the butterfly he once was in his previous life…

Suddenly, he smiled and said, "I know how I should ignite the moonlight!"

…

In the night sky outside the Giant Devil Clan, a skinny old man arrived with a gloomy expression. He held the imperial seal of the Rain World's Divine Sovereign and proudly stood in midair.

His arrival had alarmed the entire Giant Devil Clan.

His name was Yun Daoku and he was one of the Great Four Void Fragmentation Realm experts of the Rain World. He ruled the Complete Heaven Palace which was one of the nine great divisions of the Rain Palace.

He was a cautious and timid man. Throughout the several ten thousand years of cultivating Dao, he had never done anything dangerous that could provoke the Void Fragmentation Realm experts at the same level as him.

The way he did things was old-fashioned. He was unkind and stingy and was especially good at holding grudges. King Chi Yao was someone he secretly supported. However, he never expected that he would die in Ning Fan's hands…

Whenever he thought of his death, Yun Daoku's eyes would be filled with a hint of anger. He wished that he could immediately teach Ning Fan a lesson.

Since Ning Fan was useful to the Rain Sovereign, he naturally would not dare to kill him. However, if he were only going to teach him how to behave properly, the Rain Sovereign would certainly not be angered by his actions.

"Where is Zhou Ming?!"

Yun Daoku spread his spirit sense, covering the entire vicinity of one million li* (500m per li) at one glance. In a matter of seconds, he discovered Ning Fan's whereabouts.

When he found Ning Fan treating his wounds in his room, he smiled coldly.

"I heard that boy, Zhou Ming, has consumed a Seventh Revolution Pill during that battle which temporarily gave him Void Fragmentation Realm power, enabling him to crush everything. At first, I was still a bit afraid of him. However, judging from his current condition, he seems to have suffered quite a heavy backlash from the pill. That's right. It would be reasonable if he did not suffer a heavy backlash after eating such a heaven-defying pill."

"I don't even need to personally teach him a lesson since he is already so seriously injured. If I interrupt him in his recovery, his condition will certainly worsen. Perhaps his foundation of Dao Cultivation will be ruined in just a moment, preventing him from improving his cultivation base for the rest of his life…"

Yun Daoku smiled maliciously. With a single step, he travelled across countless distances, directly passing countless gates of the Northern Cold Country and descended upon the country's province.

When he was young, he had been inflicted with cold and fire poison which left him with a permanent illness that made him afraid of the cold and heat.

Just as he arrived at the province, he immediately waved his hand in the air and said,"Disperse, insignificant wind and snow!"

No one knew what kind of ability he had used but the wind and snow of the Northern Cold Country that had never once stopped in the past tens of thousands of years disappeared as soon as Yun Daoku flicked his sleeve.

Ju Qing led a group of cultivators of the Giant Devil Clan to welcome his arrival. When they saw his ability which make wind and snow disappear, all of them were shocked.

"We are the cultivators of the Giant Devil Clan. Greetings to Spiritual Master Daoku!"

"Humph!"

Yun Daoku snorted coldly without even sparing a glance at the group of people who had come to greet him. In an extremely impolite manner, he made a step forward and vanished without a trace, heading straight toward Ning Fan's mansion.

"This man is really rude…" A young cultivator of the Giant Devil Clan said with a low voice.

At the next instant, this young cultivator wailed in pain and collapsed to the ground. His flesh and blood shrunk, leaving only the skin covering his bones. He had been turned into a horrifying mummy!

"You must be really tired of living to talk about me behind my back! You all are lowly insignificant ants with your trashy cultivation bases. If any one of you dares to gossip about me once again, I'll wipe out your Giant Devil Clan to make you regret your actions!"

Without doubt, the person who murdered that young man was Yun Daoku. However, no one could clearly see how he acted…

When they heard of his domineering tone, who else would still dare to offend him…?

"This man is cruel. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Zhou will be able to handle this…" Ju Qing sighed.

Yun Daoku directly traversed countless distances, crossing countless defense layers and arrived at the courtyard outside of Ning Fan's house. He stood there with both of his hands clasped behind his back.

In a set of gray robes, his smile was as evil as a snake. Then, he shouted with a cold tone.

"Zhou Ming! This old man is asking you to come out! Are you deaf?! Why haven't you come out yet?!"

Yun Daoku's tone was unfriendly. Everyone would be able to tell that he was hostile toward Ning Fan.

Some of the devil guards of the Giant Devil Clan tried to stop him. However, when Yun Daoku cast them a look that was as cold as a snake, all of them trembled in fear and fell to the ground without being able to move a single muscle!

Ordinary cultivators did not even have the right to stand in front of a Void Fragmentation Realm expert!

This was the aura force of a true Void Fragmentation Realm expert. When someone that powerful gets angry, who could stop them even when one million corpses were lying around them?!

Yue Lingkong and the other women were looking after Ning Fan's safety beside his courtyard. As soon as they saw Yun Daoku who arrived with malicious intentions, their expressions were filled with surprise. They hurriedly showed themselves and stood in front of him.

As for Hong Yi who was hiding in a place that no one knew, she also appeared with cold blood-red eyes when she saw Yun Daoku arrive. Her eyes actually contained a trace of fear when he looked at him.

Yun Daoku is actually the one who came here!? This man's 'Three Withering Three Flourishing Technique' is extremely powerful. With the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm power that I have just regained, it won't be an easy task to defeat him! However, Zhou Ming is of great use to me. If this man dares to harm Zhou Ming in front of me, I will keep him safe even if it means being grievously injured!"

Yun Daoku casually glanced sideways at the group of ladies.

Even though these ladies had excellent innate potential, the strongest among them was only at the Void Inquiry Stage. None of them could stop him from advancing further.

Originally, he wanted to get past these women directly and go straight into Ning Fan's room and vent out his dissatisfaction. However, when his eyes fell upon Hong Yi, he could not help but feel chills running down his spine and stopped at the courtyard.

The cultivation base Hong Yi displayed outwardly was only at the Void Glimpse Stage. However, Yun Daoku felt a sense of danger from her.

This lady… Who is she?!

Yun Daoku stared at Hong Yi while recalling all the individuals whom he must never offend in his mind. However, even though he had already wracked his brain, he could not remember anyone terrifying who was a lady in red robes.

He had always been cautious in his entire life. Thus, he did not dare to mess with Hong Yi recklessly. However, he also did not plan on giving up the idea of teaching Ning Fan a lesson.

He stood outside the courtyard and coldly stared at the few ladies while uttering with a deep voice.

"I came under the Rain Sovereign's orders. Ask Zhou Ming to come out here to see me at once. Hurry up and don't make any mistakes!"

"Big Brother is treating his wounds. He isn't in the best condition to be meeting guests at the moment…" Xu Qiuling explained with a frown. She did not like Yun Daoku's arrogant tone. However, she knew that she must not offend him for no reason as it would make Ning Fan another strong enemy.

Before she could finish her words, Yun Daoku interrupted her impatiently.

"I am not asking for an excuse! No matter what, I came under the orders that were given to me. Zhou Ming must come out here and see me immediately! I don't have the time to wait for him. After I'm done conveying the Rain Sovereign's decree to him, I still have to return to the Vicissitude Valley to continue researching my 'Divine Void Technique'. I don't have time to waste here! I'll only count to three. If this Zhou Ming still won't reveal himself, I will force my way in. I guess none of you juniors will be able to stop me!"

"What?! You cannot go in there by force…" Xu Qiuling's expression was filled with anxiety. She was worried that Yue Daoku would disturb Ning Fan's recovery if he went in there forcefully.

Yun Daoku began counting indifferently, ignoring the expressions on the ladies' faces.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

Yun Daoku's expression was domineering and cold. He was not going to give anyone face.

After counting to three, he took a large step forward and directly dashed toward Ning Fan's room. He raised his hand and sent out a gust of strong wind at the room. Judging from his actions, he was trying to destroy the entire place as well as Ning Fan.

Even though it was only a random attack which Yun Daoku delivered by casually flicking his sleeve, its power was much stronger than common Void Pierce Stage attacks.

The ladies were terrified. Ning Fan could not withstand such a frightening attack easily even when he was at his best, much less his current condition.

This Yun Daoku's intention was really vicious and sinister. He was clearly trying to harm Ning Fan while he was injured to aggravate his injuries!

Hong Yi's blood eyes flashed with a hint of cold light. The moment Yun Daoku set foot upon Ning Fan's courtyard, she had already decided to withstand his attack and gave him an unforgettable lesson.

She was not going to watch him hurt Ning Fan without doing anything!

However, she did not expect that an extremely terrifying aura force of a magic technique would suddenly spread across the entire Northern Cold Country before she had even acted!

That aura force came from Ning Fan's room and it was rushing toward Yun Daoku. Its appearance had surprised everyone in the courtyard!

All they could see was a strange black fire ring which flickered in the air and burned the whole courtyard into ashes. Not even a piece of tile remained intact.

The fire ring was still spreading. The vast land, the mountains and rivers, the wind and snow… Everything that was blocking its path turned to ashes and disappeared into nothingness!

Amidst the wind and falling snowflakes, Ning Fan quietly stood at the ruins of the courtyard. His feet were stepping on a massive black fire formation diagram.

The formation diagram was burning with black flames that looked real but intangible. The frightening fire power caused the entire space to crackle.

He looked just like a king of flames when he stood on the formation of a black sea of flames.

His entire body became extremely faint in an instant, as if he was about to vanish from this world. Countless butterflies produced by the black flames were floating around him.

His eyes were still closed while his separated soul was still comprehending the magic technique in the Sovereign Tomb. When his body sensed danger, it instinctively acted and displayed the Void Ignition Technique that he had just learned.

Ning Fan was unaware that he was confronting a Void Fragmentation Realm expert. With his black hair flying wildly in the air, he lifted his finger and pointed at Yun Daoku. His body emanated immense devil qi!

There was certainly no one below the Void Fragmentation Realm who had devil qi as intense as that of his finger!

As soon as Ning Fan pointed his finger at his opponent, the sea of black flames beneath him suddenly produced one million black butterflies.

The butterflies combined into one, turning into a ten thousand zhang* (3.33m per zhang) tall gigantic black fire butterfly. It flew proudly in the night sky.

A glowing black halo could also be seen on the wings of the fire butterfly.

That black halo was actually the ring shadow of the Heavenly Dao's ring!

"When the butterfly moves, the void ignites!" Ning Fan coldly muttered.

All of a sudden, the gigantic butterfly violently flapped its wings. Not a spark of flame could be seen. However, everything that was standing in the way of the butterfly's wings were all reduced to ashes without exception!

Be it the mountains and rivers or the black dark sky or the glowing moonlight!

Yue Lingkong covered her small mouth in surprise. What she cultivated was the power of moonlight but she had never seen a magic technique that could ignite the moonlight!

Hong Yi's blood eyes widened slightly. Her eyes fell upon the gigantic butterfly, finding it difficult to believe that Ning Fan could actually display such a powerful magic technique.

As for Yun Daoku, his old face that had never flinched at anything in the world was filled with nervousness for the very first time.

Then, that massive black fire butterfly aimed its wings at Yun Daoku and flapped them forcefully.

In an instant, Yun Daoku, the dignified Void Fragmentation Realm expert, let out a cry of agony.

Hong Yi had already transported all the ladies and the other cultivators of the Giant Devil Clan beyond the vicinity of ten thousand li* (500m per li) upon seeing the situation that was turning dangerous to them.

Only Yun Daoku was still within the massive butterfly's range of attack and was unable to escape.

The night sky was ignited. The moonlight was incinerated!

The area of ten thousand li* (500m per li) where Yun Daoku was standing clearly had no burning flame at all. But still, everything was burned to ashes!

The physical body of Yun Daoku who possessed a mighty Void Fragmentation Realm cultivation base was much stronger than a body cultivator at the Fourth Level of the Golden Body Refining Realm. However, columns of black flames engulfed him without warning, putting him under intense searing pain. The injuries he got gradually became more severe!

What Yun Daoku never expected was that his primordial spirit that had turned into void was also being affected by the black flames. The flames were burning him aggressively, nearly making him vanish into ashes!

He used up all of his might in trying to extinguish the mysterious black flames. However, he realized that these flames were actually void flames. They could not be extinguished at all using common means!

He was not good at handling the abilities of the fire and ice element in the first place. When he was attacked by the massive black fire butterfly at this moment, it nearly scared him to death!

The first time the black butterfly flapped its wings, Yun Daoku coughed out blood and moved three steps backward.

When the black butterfly flapped its wings a second time, he spurted out blood and retreated ten steps.

The third time it flapped its wings, he was sent fifty steps backward and was on the verge of losing his balance!

He actually could not withstand a magic technique from Ning Fan!

If Ning Fan does not stop this magic technique and let the massive butterfly flap its wings ten times or more, Yun Daoku would probably die in his hands!

How was this possible?! How could this be possible?!

A Void Fragmentation Realm expert was about to die in Ning Fan's hands while the latter was just displaying this magic technique instinctively in an unconscious state!

"I-Immortal technique! Even if this technique isn't an immortal technique, it's extremely close to that standard! It could even ignite my primordial spirit which has turned into void!"

"Too terrifying! This is just too terrifying! A mere Void Inquiry Stage cultivator can actually display an immortal technique! Who would dare to provoke him?!'

All of a sudden, Yun Daoku was completely scared and felt regretful.

He only thought that the reason why Ning Fan displayed this technique was to make him pay for trying to destroy his courtyard earlier.

Seeing the large black fire butterfly that was going to flap its wings a fourth time, Yun Daoku forcibly swallowed a mouthful of fresh blood and put on an aggressive look.

No way! I can't! No matter what, I cannot die here! I cannot die from this frightening immortal technique!

To Yun Daoku, he wanted to preserve his life even if he had to sacrifice his physical body and leave with only his primordial spirit!

"This is bad! Yun Daoku is trying to detonate himself!" Hong Yi's eyes were filled with amazement. She never thought that Ning Fan would be able to display such a powerful immortal technique that would force a Void Fragmentation Realm expert to sacrifice his physical body.

At the critical moment when Yun Daoku was prepared to "commit suicide", Ning Fan suddenly coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood and woke up.

When he withdrew his magic power, the black fire butterfly and the formation diagram of the black sea of flames beneath his feet disappeared.

"Hmm. The grade of this Void Ignition Technique seems to be far too high. Unless my cultivation base improves, I would not be powerful enough to completely master it. If I use this technique recklessly, I will either be affected by the backlash and cough out blood or lose control of it. I might even get myself killed… Huh? Senior, who are you? Why are you spurting out blood in my courtyard? Speaking of which, where is my courtyard?"

Ning Fan's eyes looked hazy and perplexed. He felt confused upon seeing Yun Daoku whose expression was filled with terror.

Is it possible that I have done something terrifying while I was unconscious? Otherwise, why would this Void Fragmentation Realm expert look so scared of me?

Why did the rivers, mountains, and houses in all directions turn into ashes?

"Erm… May I ask who you are, senior? What brought you to the Giant Devil Clan? Can I help you with something?"

Even though Ning Fan did not know Yun Daoku, he could detect his Void Fragmentation Realm qi. Thus, he was very polite to him.

However, he did not imagine that Yun Daoku would quickly retreat a few steps like he was avoiding a plague when he took one step toward him. Yun Daoku was trying to get away from him, fearing that he would be too close to him.

"Get away from me! Don't come here! You must never come here! We can talk about things calmly… I am the Rain Sovereign's subordinate. You cannot kill me!" Yun Daoku was still in a state of extreme fear.

He had never been a courageous person in the first place. He had always been wary and cautious all his life. Moreover, he had led a leisure and peaceful life of being a Void Fragmentation Realm old ancestor for so many years. How could he expect himself to nearly die in Ning Fan's hands? That near-death experience really scared him half to death…

Now, in his mind, he would no longer mention getting revenge for King Chi Yao anymore. Even if Ning Fan kills his own father, he would definitely not be bold enough to seek revenge!

Even if he was given ten more guts, he would still not be brave enough to mess with Ning Fan!

To him, Ning Fan was just too scary! He nearly killed him instantly with an immortal technique. Because of him, A Void Fragmentation Realm expert like him almost died without good reason in the Northern Cold Country!

Countless thoughts ran across Ning Fan's mind. He stared at the traces of battle around the ruins. Then, he shifted his eyes toward Su Yan, Xu Qiuling and the others and saw them giving him meaningful glances. Inwardly, he had a rough idea of what had happened.

"Could it be that I accidentally used the Void Ignition Technique while I was unconscious and grievously injured this Void Fragmentation Realm expert?"

*Chuckle*

Ming Que was the first one to laugh.

Her Brother Biscuit was really too talented. Even when he was unconscious, he could still use a magic technique that could beat Yun Daoku half to death.

Perhaps no one was going to buy it when this news was to spread to the outside world.

"If you are fine, I'm leaving. He is Yun Daoku. He was trying to hurt you just now. You don't have to be polite to him." Hong Yi said coldly and turned around, vanishing into thin air.

After hearing Hong Yi's words, the way Ning Fan looked at Yun Daoku began to contain a hint of coldness.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Yun. I'm sorry for my rudeness. As one of the Great Four Void Fragmentation Realm experts of the Rain World, you are an expert whose name is widely-known. I wonder if you wanted to give me any advice by coming to a remote place like my Giant Devil Clan!"

When Yun Daoku met Ning Fan's cold piercing eyes, he felt chills running down his spine. Instantly, he smiled apologetically.

"Fellow Daoist can even display an immortal technique. How would I be bold enough to give you any advice? Hehe. It's just a misunderstanding. Misunderstanding… I was under the Rain Sovereign's orders to come to the Giant Devil Clan and grant you a title. The Rain Sovereign is wondering whether you want to be conferred the title of 'King Ming' or 'Marquis White Robe'."

"King Ming? Marquis White Robe?" Ning Fan was slightly surprised.

Am I going to get a title of nobility already?

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