Grasping the Evil

Chapter 1011: Boundary Seal Between Two Realms

Upon hearing that the hundreds of War Soul Masters before him were all Soul Cultivators, Ning Fan immediately dismissed his underestimating thoughts.

In the cultivation world, the cultivation of the Spirit is regarded as orthodox, Body Refinement is considered unconventional, while Soul Cultivation is deemed entirely eccentric. The demon race is viewed as anomalous because they cultivate souls. These people before him exclusively cultivate Medicine Souls, which is even more eccentric than the demon race.

But this does not mean that these people can be underestimated, even if they all are merely at the Enlightenment, Shedding Void cultivation levels!

Ning Fan could feel the immense soul power within the bodies of this group of War Soul Masters; almost every one of them has reached the Golden Core Level Ninth Turn Medicinal Soul tier! Of course, this does not mean each one of them is a Ninth Turn Golden Core Alchemist.

Though their Medicine Soul is formidable, it has been forcibly enhanced through special methods, resulting in significant flaws—it can only be used in battle to display War Spirit Techniques but cannot be employed for Alchemy or the identification of Spiritual Medicines.

"Hand over Chulie Duolan! Otherwise, die!"

A hundred War Soul Masters roared in unison, and immediately the entire soul power of heaven and earth surged; that pressure didn’t sway wind and clouds nor startle the heavens and earth, but directly assaulted each person’s soul, comparable to the might of an Immortal Venerable’s shout!

Duolan and the surviving cultivators here couldn’t bear such pressure, vomiting blood under its force; the disparity in strength is too great! Only Ning Fan remained unchanged, ignoring the threats from the War Soul Masters; he calmly raised his hand, extinguishing the eons of momentum, and said to those behind him,

"Hide here; I will handle matters here alone!"

Having said this, he drew a line on the ground. Instantly, a golden line appeared, resembling a serpent, moving continuously along with Ning Fan’s finger, forming a great circle that encompassed all the surviving cultivators behind Ning Fan. Although it appeared slow, it was completed in the blink of an eye. This golden light circle immediately caused a change in the great momentum of heaven and earth, responding to the heavens and invoking the earth as momentum, becoming a mighty Earth-element defensive formation!

Upon closer inspection, one would find the Earth Movement Great Formation resembling many formation arrays of Ancient Cultivators’ Holy Domain Grotto Mansions, clearly a mimicry after Ning Fan’s repeated observations.

Numerous Shattered Thought Fire Souls, under the control of War Soul Masters, attempted to charge into the golden circle to capture Duolan but were blocked by vast formation power; despite having Fragmented Thought Cultivation, they couldn’t breach it by even half a step!

Duolan was greatly surprised by this; he didn’t expect Ning Fan would protect him, even if it meant risking conflict with Sanyan Guard.

"Oh? This man sets formations not using external materials but uses land as the formation, and his set formation is extremely powerful. It seems his understanding of great momentum has reached a high level indeed. For not every Eternal Immortal Venerable in the Dabei can achieve forming a layout with land..." said the white-haired stalwart man underground, gravely.

Ning Fan’s act of forming a layout with land likewise caused many exclamations above ground, which he ignored, only ordering people to keep watch over the formation, maintaining its operation. Since the formation wasn’t meticulously arranged, it lacked Dao Crystals for upkeep, requiring communal mana to sustain its consumption. Despite appearing awe-inspiring, it was highly flawed and immensely challenging; its powers would be greatly reduced. Without mastering the Momentum Character Secret, Ning Fan could never have achieved this act given his current cultivation ability. And if not for the urgency, he wouldn’t have employed such unconventional means.

Seeing that Ning Fan not only refused to hand people over but also set up a great formation to protect Duolan, the faces of the War Soul Masters turned sinister, filled with killing intent.

"Since you refuse to hand her over, we shall kill you too! Soul Technique, Act of Sealing!"

A hundred War Soul Masters simultaneously initiated techniques, and instantly a force of soul binding encased Ning Fan.

Ning Fan’s expression slightly changed, he found himself encased by their soul power; his steps felt heavy as if cast in lead, unable to move an inch! This was also due to his limited cultivation, making movement impossible, but he estimated that even if his cultivation were intact, his speed would be severely impaired by such overwhelming soul power.

"Soul Technique, Seal of Thought!"

Ning Fan’s unfailing spirit sense from his Ice Rain Technique was sealed, unable to disperse from his divine sense!

"Soul Technique, Extinguish Fire!"

The twelvefold darkness evil fire within him began to show signs of extinguishing!

"Soul Technique, Extreme Darkness!"

The scenery before him grew darker, gradually losing his sight!

All this occurred in an instant; with a hundred War Soul Masters simultaneously casting spells, Ning Fan was inflicted with nearly a hundred negative statuses!

Before he could engage with these War Soul Masters, he lost the ability to act, his spirit sense capability was sealed, and his mana circulation became unprecedentedly sluggish; his resistance to Five Elements drastically weakened, and every few breaths suffered an attack from Illusory Art...

Such peculiar duel experiences were undoubtedly the first time Ning Fan had ever encountered in his cultivation journey; barely engaging, he was completely suppressed, entirely defenseless!

More than a hundred War Spirit Techniques followed, each with colossal destructive power, fiercely struck towards Ning Fan!

Ning Fan couldn’t see the enemies assaulting him from all directions; his sight was sealed. He couldn’t hear any sound, but the persistent chill radiating from behind reminded him that after adding negative statuses on him, the enemies launched their attacks. Standing idle would only turn him into a target, slain by these not highly cultivated but incomparably strong soul-powered foes!

Ning Fan secretly activated the Extinction Shield within him, embracing the Body-protecting Golden Light to its fullest. Though unable to move, under the protective golden light, he stood like a mighty tree in the wind, unmoved and unscathed.

"What kind of golden light is this? Such defense—is that something that a restricted Immortal Venerable could exhibit?!" The underground white-haired stalwart man frowned heavily.

The War Soul Masters’ various soul techniques, each no less than the power of a Shattered Thought strike, could not be endured even by an Eternal Immortal Venerable without harm; yet Ning Fan, despite bearing various negative statuses, stood undefeated merely through his Body-protecting Golden Light, to the astonishment of the War Soul Masters!

Ning Fan also discovered that upon activating the Body-protecting Golden Light, he not only defended against enemies’ attacks but gradually rendered the negative statuses diminishing in effect!

Vision slowly returned! Spirit sense gradually normalized! The heaviness of his steps dissipated! All reduced attributes replenished!

So this is how it is!

Ning Fan discovered how to defend against the Soul Fusion Technique.

Soul Fusion Technique diminishes others, provided one’s soul power is affixed to the target; if the opposing soul power is strong enough, it could directly eliminate some negative statuses. If there are special defensive means, it can isolate any negative soul power.

Ning Fan’s Medicine Soul wasn’t strong enough, but fortunately, he possessed the Extinction Shield—a Heaven-Opening Artifact—to defend against the Soul Fusion Technique from a group of Shattered Thought Rank experts effortlessly. However, this meant when facing these War Soul Masters, he must continuously maintain the state of the Body-protecting Golden Light, not neglecting it for even a moment.

Duolan and the others are protected by the formation he laid, only needing to maintain the formation diligently. For a short period, there will be no immediate danger to their lives. There are other stranded cultivators on the prairie, but Ning Fan is too lazy to rescue them. With the body-protecting golden light activated, he rushes straight towards hundreds of War Soul Masters. Having suffered a minor loss earlier, he naturally intends to reclaim it!

These War Soul Masters form the formation together, unwilling to separate, for a reason! With Ning Fan’s intelligence, he easily sees through the key signs.

Although these people possess strong soul power, when you set aside the soul power, at the end of the day, they are merely a group at the Enlightenment and Shedding Void Stage. Theoretically, each of them can wield powerful soul techniques comparable to a Shattered Thought attack, with impeccable offensive capabilities that can intimidate even the Eternal Immortal Venerables in group combat. However, their defense isn’t high, and their cultivation speed isn’t fast. If isolated, they are extremely difficult to protect. Hence, they gather together in one place! If the enemy closes in, they also face mortal danger, as any single Shedding Void Divine Skill can take their life. This is why they maintain their distance and carefully guard against close proximity!

Now seeing Ning Fan rushing towards them head-on, the War Soul Masters are all shocked, frantically using soul techniques to block him, but how can they stop Ning Fan with his body-protecting golden light?

Ning Fan’s Ancient Demon body is already exceptionally strong, and now with the body-protecting golden light defense, he faces the Divine Skills coming his way head-on without dodging or evading, almost aggressively charging forward. He breaks through magical techniques with force, crashing into the powerful Divine Skills directly, easily breaking into the War Soul Masters’ formation. With a great wave of his Ancient Demon palm, he kills a War Soul Master, and with a swift point of his devilish finger, another War Soul Master perishes. Manipulating the Thirty Million Sword Sea like a flurry of pear blossom rain, he causes a large number of War Soul Masters to suffer casualties.

Killing these War Soul Masters is as easy as exterminating youthful Enlightenment cultivators!

In less than ten breaths, more than forty War Soul Masters have died at Ning Fan’s hands, while the remaining are horrified, retreating in succession and continually shouting strange words Ning Fan cannot understand, causing the surrounding Fire Souls besieging the formation to suddenly give up their line of assault, turning to surround Ning Fan instead.

Why would Ning Fan fear these Shattered Thought Fire Souls? Thirty Million Flying Swords sweep through, with several Shattered Thought Early and Intermediate Stage Fire Souls falling dead. Even those Half-Step Eternity Shattered Thought Fire Souls, fearing the terror of the Thirty Million Sword Sea, instinctively retreat slightly, not daring to rush in directly; if caught within, even if not killed, they would still suffer injuries!

In terms of defense, Ning Fan’s mana is abundant, almost placing him in a position of innate invincibility. Even that day’s Immortal King Firebird was stopped, so what would he fear from these terrifying War Soul Masters and Fire Souls?

In terms of attack, Ning Fan’s thirty million flying swords to these Shattered Thought beings are practically an insurmountable method, potent even in battles between Immortal Sovereigns, causing many Immortal Sovereigns to see it and lose their courage.

A white-haired burly man under the ground could no longer sit still. It was one thing for the Fire Souls, but these War Soul Masters were the elite among his many subordinates; under this situation, the longer it dragged on, the more likely Ning Fan would wipe them out clean, which was something he could not tolerate.

"I thought it’d be a sure thing, but who knew this person would cause trouble? Hundred-li Stone Dragon, swallow this person!" The white-haired man said viciously.

Moo!

The response the white-haired man received was a strange roar akin to an ox or elephant.

Then, a massive object rose continuously from the depths of the earth; moments ago, it was in the absolute darkness underground, and in the next instance, it surged to the surface, suddenly thrusting out a giant head from the earth!

It was a head as huge as a small city, remarkably similar to a pangolin’s, yet different from ordinary pangolins; its scales were blue-gray, with a pair of strange sharp horns growing on its head, a massive nose ring locked on its nose, and eyes unable to open, seemingly degenerating due to long-term underground living.

"Not good! It’s the Hundred-li Stone Dragon!"

Many surviving cultivators exclaimed in astonishment, but before their cries could spread, everyone sensed the darkening of the sky, and even the land below them was ferociously swallowed by the mighty beast.

With just one bite, the giant beast devoured several dozen miles of the prairie, leaving behind an empty pit thousands of zhang deep and tens of miles wide, and then timidly burrowing back underground!

Ning Fan, the War Soul Masters, countless Fire Souls, as well as Duolan and the cultivators hidden within the formation, were all swallowed!

Even the Thirty Million Sword Sea filling the sky and the Four Emperors Arhat Pine at its center were swallowed clean!

Ning Fan’s expression was somewhat astonished.

He was aware of the beast rising from the depths, but before he could respond, he was already swallowed into its belly. It’s undeniable that the beast’s speed of emerging from the ground defied understanding, completely contrary to its enormous size, and thus Ning Fan was caught off guard!

"It’s over. We’re all doomed! The belly of a Hundred-li Stone Dragon is incredibly firm; even if an Immortal King is swallowed, it’s difficult to cut open to escape, leaving only the fate of being trapped!"

"A Hundred-li Stone Dragon from the Stone Flame Sect at least holds the title of Demon Child or higher; there must be a Stone Flame Demon Child hidden inside this dragon’s belly!"

"This dragon is here for the Chulie Holy Maiden, and now that it has succeeded, it surely intends to return to Stone Flame! With the burrowing speed of the Hundred-li Stone Dragon, in no more than three days, it must return to Stone Flame; are we to be captured and taken back to Stone Flame?"

"If merely captured alive, it might not be such a bad thing; at least there’s a chance to defect to Stone Flame and preserve our lives. The fear is that the Demon Child will simply disregard us, directly eliminating us on the way..."

Some Southern Frontier cultivators, seeing the situation as a lost cause, even contemplate defecting to Stone Flame!

The Sanyan Guard cannot freely enter and exit the Fierce Realm, a rule set by the Saint before his death, but there are two types of people among them who can move freely! One type comprises the very few cultivators who’ve passed the Ancestor Flame Trial, gaining the chance for free passage; the other type includes those who are not of Sanyan Guard’s bloodline but are Prairie Cultivators who have defected from Dabei to join Sanyan. These individuals are not restricted by the Fierce Realm’s rules and can move freely.

Conflicts and clashes abound between the Sanyan Guard and the Dabei Clan, often resulting in Dabei cultivators being alive captured by the Sanyan, among whom some highly talented individuals are regularly recruited by the Sanyan, as defecting to Sanyan guarantees preserving their lives.

However, defecting to Sanyan also requires qualification; at least among the many cultivators here, those qualified enough to spark Sanyan’s interest are exceedingly rare.

"Never did I expect, in my lifetime, to be captured by the Stone Flame sect a second time!" Xianyu Chun closed his eyes with an unwillingness; he would rather die than defect to Sanyan, simply because there is a deep vengeance of bloody mist between him and the Sanyan, as his mother died by their hands!

"Can’t escape!" Duolan turned pale; she knew if they were here for the secret, then even if she confessed, she’d still be silenced; after all, the matter involves great significance, and the fewer people who know, the better.

"Where have those Fire Souls, War Soul Masters gone, and even the Four Emperors Arhat Pine isn’t here..." Ning Fan ignored the varied expressions of the people, instead furrowing his brows, observing his surroundings.

Here in the belly of the Hundred-li Stone Dragon, considering its massive body, its interior is naturally extremely spacious.

Ning Fan and the others were swallowed along with the War Soul Masters, yet apart from them, he cannot see any traces of the War Soul Masters here. It appears the Hundred-li Stone Dragon makes distinctions when swallowing; likely upon swallowing those people, distances were directly manipulated, causing them to appear elsewhere.

This also explains the disappearance of the Four Emperors Arhat Pine!

Probably his Thirty Million Flying Swords and the Four Emperors Arhat Pine were forcibly taken away by someone the moment they were swallowed into the dragon’s belly.

The Hundred-li Stone Dragon greatly restrains spirit sense; within its belly, Ning Fan can’t freely spread his spirit sense. Once spread, the spirit sense would unexpectedly ignite without flame, getting burned away strangely, hindering Ning Fan from searching the dragon’s belly expansively.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard from afar.

Gradually, a group of people emerged from the darkness, led by a white-haired strongman, whose aura was quite formidable, just barely reaching the Timeless Realm, seemingly having just broken through to the Eternal Immortal Venerable.

Behind the white-haired strongman, followed more than sixty War Soul Masters, the remaining group after Ning Fan had killed, each one looking at Ning Fan with hatred and fear.

Further back, a neatly arranged group of over one hundred and thirty Shattered Thought Fire Souls followed, originally one hundred and seventy-five, those not present here had been killed by Ning Fan, turning into exam scores. These Fire Souls were not very intelligent, but their gaze toward Ning Fan also bore instinctive fear.

Ning Fan’s gaze briefly passed over the white-haired strongman and fell upon the object in the man’s hand, his expression suddenly darkened.

His Four Emperors Arhat Pine was now being played with by the white-haired strongman, completely intact, seemingly forcibly taken by this person!

"So, it’s him! Stone Flame Seventh Fiend, Meng Zhen!" As soon as the white-haired strongman appeared, many Southern Frontier cultivators recognized him, their despondency intensified.

This was a Stone Flame Demon Child with Immortal Venerable’s cultivation! With such a formidable enemy surrounding them, everyone was trapped inside the Stone Dragon’s belly, truly without hope of surviving.

Many Southern Frontier cultivators showed expressions of fighting to the death, while some entertained different thoughts.

Zhaofeng Sect’s Nan Zhilong gritted his teeth and suddenly walked out from behind Ning Fan, kneeling before the white-haired strongman. Among those acting similarly, there were not fewer than fifty people, including the White Ghost Sect’s White Ghost Sorcerer, Heishan Sect’s Sorcerer Heishan... many old monsters who had oppressed the Tamo Clan were among them!

This was hardly surprising; those who constantly sought to step on others would naturally not be good people. When such people faced life and death, betrayal was only to be expected.

"Ah, it’s Lord Meng Zhen, my apologies! We fell into Lord Meng Zhen’s hands due to our inferior skills, and we humbly ask Lord Meng Zhen to show mercy, allowing us to join Stone Flame and serve the Stone Flame Clan!"

Ning Fan frowned, never having much patience for such spineless beggars.

The white-haired strongman known as Meng Zhen laughed heartily, and after a laugh, he struck suddenly with lightning speed, and in the next moment, Nan Zhilong and the more than fifty others all had their bodies explode, dying miserably.

"Thinking of joining Stone Flame? Without weighing your own strength!" Meng Zhen’s gaze swept over the sea of corpses, speaking disdainfully.

Among the Southern Frontier cultivators, some faces showed horror, others felt compassion, and some secretly rejoiced; those who rejoiced evidently despised Nan Zhilong and others’ behavior of switch sides.

Meng Zhen’s gaze scanned over Ning Fan and the others, pausing slightly on Xianyu Chun, Sorcerer Minghai, and Duolan, finally resting on Ning Fan, with a faint smile, raising the Four Emperors Arhat Pine in his hand.

"A fine magical treasure, it’s a pity the user’s cultivation was sealed, otherwise, even with a Hundred-li Stone Dragon, I couldn’t have taken this treasure so easily..."

His gaze carried three parts unease, yet seven parts inherent arrogance. Arrogance, because he was a dignified Stone Flame Demon Child, while the other was merely a foreign cultivator. Unease, because of the mysterious body-protecting golden light.

In Meng Zhen’s life journey, those who made him feel uneasy were few!

In Meng Zhen’s understanding, Ning Fan was an Eternal Immortal Venerable whose cultivation was sealed, limited by Dabei’s rules, Ning Fan would certainly not destroy the Punishing Ring, but if pushed, one could not say for sure.

For an ordinary Eternal Immortal Venerable, Meng Zhen wouldn’t be concerned; if they dared to resist, they would just be killed. But Ning Fan’s body-protecting golden light truly left Meng Zhen uneasy. With that light, even restrained, he faced hundreds of War Soul Masters and Shattered Thought Fire Souls unharmed; if he broke the Punishing Ring and regained full strength, boasting the divine skills of the protective golden light, the Hundred-li Stone Dragon would likely be unable to suppress him!

According to the task, he must search Chu Lie Duolan’s memory, find that secret, and then kill Duolan to keep his silence, but evidently Ning Fan harbored a protective sentiment towards Chu Lie Duolan, making the job difficult; to complete the task, he must first find a way to take down Ning Fan...

"Do you wish for death or survival?" Meng Zhen inwardly chanted spells, yet outwardly narrowed his eyes, abruptly asking.

In this place, those qualified to be addressed as "Excellency" by a Timeless Realm expert like him were naturally only Ning Fan!

"And what if I wish for death, and what if I wish for life?" Ning Fan asked expressionlessly, yet inwardly he suddenly let out a soft "Oh," glancing imperceptibly at the soil beneath him.

"If you wish to live, you hand over Chu Lie Duolan, and obediently submit to Sanyan, becoming my Stone Flame slave. Once Meng plants the restraint, I’ll open the Stone Dragon’s mouth, granting you a path to survival; even that Four Emperors Pine could be returned to you! If you wish for death, well, Meng can fulfill your wish now! Even with that strange protective golden light, Meng has considerable confidence in killing you, whether you believe it or not!" Meng Zhen spoke highly confidently, paused, and continued,

"Perhaps you think you can destroy the Punishing Ring and escape with your original cultivation, but be aware, if you truly destroy the Punishing Ring, even if there’s a one in ten thousand chance of escaping Meng’s grasp, you can’t escape the pursuit of the Da Bi Celestial Emperor. Those old things won’t ask why you destroyed the Punishing Ring, nor will they give any foreign cultivator respect or understanding; they’ll simply pursue you for this matter endlessly. With your strength, can you survive the chase by the Celestial Emperor!"

"And Meng doesn’t shy away from telling you, you won’t even have a one in ten thousand chance of fleeing! Do you know, Meng’s Hundred-li Stone Dragon’s belly has been tempered with countless treasures, capable of trapping even an Immortal King! And do you know where this Hundred-li Stone Dragon is headed? Not directly back to Stone Flame, but first going to the Two Realm’s Seal to return the borrowed Shattered Thought Fire Souls. Tell me, isn’t the Two Realm’s Seal terrifying? If you go there, even if your divine skills are powerful, Meng killing you would be easy as pie, needing only for the Stone Dragon to spit you into the Two Realm’s Seal, can you survive!"

Meng Zhen slightly smirked, wanting to see fear in Ning Fan’s eyes; pity Ning Fan’s expression remained calm, as he had no understanding of the so-called Two Realm’s Seal, naturally without fear.

Rather, those Southern Frontier cultivators showed drastic changes in expression upon hearing the name Two Realm’s Seal.

"It seems you don’t know what land the Two Realm’s Seal is? Fine, Meng doesn’t mind explaining in detail..."

Yet as Meng Zhen was about to speak more, he suddenly noticed Ning Fan’s lips curving into a mocking smile, his face growing immediately darker, "Ah, didn’t expect you to discover it! Truly let Meng’s efforts all go to waste!"

"Won’t Excellency continue explaining the Two Realm’s Seal..."

Ning Fan looked at Meng Zhen with slight sarcasm, his Spirit suddenly emerging from beneath the ground, along with eighteen flame-enveloped skeleton puppets, already annihilated by Ning Fan’s Spirit!

Nine large and nine small, the large are adult female skeletons, the small ones are boy and girl skeletons!

"Mother-Child United Heart Puppet!" A few of the Southern Frontier cultivators recognized the origin of the puppets, slightly exclaiming in fear, glancing fearfully at Meng Zhen. This Mother-Child United Heart Puppet was extremely sinister stuff; even the Timeless Realm experts would suffer immensely if taken by surprise!

Most people were still in the dark, completely unaware when Ning Fan’s Spirit departed his body and burrowed underground, nor did they understand the underlying scheming in Meng Zhen and Ning Fan’s conversation, much less why there were eighteen skeleton puppets underground.

Meng Zhen, however, had no more desire to waste words with Ning Fan! He himself wasn’t one to enjoy banter, the previous exchange with Ning Fan was merely an attempt to stall while dividing Ning Fan’s attention so that the Mother-Child United Heart Puppets could stealthily move beneath Ning Fan and the others, then launch a sneak attack. Situated inside the Stone Dragon’s belly, outsiders couldn’t expand spirit sense, granting Meng Zhen the chance to launch a sneak attack.

The blame lay on Ning Fan’s protective golden light being too formidable, making Meng Zhen, feeling uneasy, choose to resort to underhanded methods.

Unexpectedly, Ning Fan saw through it all, failed the calculation, and even wasted eighteen Mother-Child United Heart Puppets!

"Hmph! Since the schemes have failed, I, Meng Zhen, will personally take your life!"

Meng Zhen never intended to let Ning Fan live from the beginning. Now that the words were revealed, he immediately displayed a murderous intent, put away the Four Emperors Arhat Pine in his hand, and his figure flickered as he charged straight towards Ning Fan.

The numerous War Soul Masters behind him simultaneously cast spells, bestowing augmentation states on the white-haired strong man.

Meng Zhen is a body cultivator, and with the enhancement of numerous War Soul Masters, his strength surged by thirty percent. Facing this person, Ning Fan dared not be careless. He once again pointed to form an array on the land, protecting Duolan and the others, then activated the body-protecting golden light, and met Meng Zhen head-on.

The two engaged in a direct confrontation, colliding with pure body force!

At the collision, Ning Fan was sent flying backward. In terms of sheer physical strength, the gap between him and this white-haired strong man was substantial. Fortunately, with the body-protecting golden light, he did not suffer any injuries, but the three-zhang protective golden light was indented by half a zhang by the white-haired strong man!

Ning Fan’s expression grew more serious.

Meng Zhen’s gaze became even more sinister. It should be known that even among the old-generation First Calamity Immortal Sovereigns, few could withstand this frontal collision, yet it was not enough to completely breach Ning Fan’s three-zhang protective golden light. This indicated that the defensive capability of this golden light was far beyond his expectations!

"Your thirty million flying swords are already in my possession. No matter how remarkable your defense is, so what! Nine-Breath Subjugation Technique, First Breath Fire Subjugation!"

Meng Zhen muttered incantations and suddenly flipped his hand to take out a fiery crystal core. With a rub of his palm, it turned to powder and was scattered to the sky, instantly transforming into a boundless sea of fire.

The crystal core looked identical to the Fire Crystal that Ning Fan acquired from slaying a Fire Soul, differing only in the fiery power contained within.

Meng Zhen inhaled fiercely towards the sea of fire, instantly absorbing nearly one-third of it, then inhaled another third, reaching what seemed like a limit and unable to absorb more, causing the sea of fire to disperse.

With each fire breath, Meng Zhen’s body swelled, becoming more robust and filled with explosive power.

Meng Zhen’s form charged out and again clashed with Ning Fan. Ning Fan could clearly feel that after Meng Zhen used the nine-breath subjugation Secret Technique, his physical prowess had significantly increased, now able to breach nearly a zhang of the protective golden light!

"Unfortunately, my comprehension is limited. I can only manage a two-breath subjugation. If I could achieve over six breaths, it would probably be enough to break this kid’s golden light..."

After exchanging hundreds of blows, Meng Zhen still couldn’t take Ning Fan down. His gaze grew even more somber as he flipped out two more Fire Crystals, crushed them into powder, and used them to perform a divine skill.

Without any visible change in Meng Zhen’s gestures, flames burst from his hands, and from within the fire, a three-foot-long fiery Precept Blade appeared, with black Immortal runes flowing over it.

The Precept Blade was a Buddhist item, yet the Precept Blade summoned by Meng Zhen possessed no Buddhist essence, instead exuding a demonic aura!

This blade was not a magical treasure but a manifestation of a divine skill, entwined with extremely pure Fire Traces. Without seeing how the white-haired strong man acted, it seemed as if he merely controlled it with spirit sense, then the fiery Precept Blade vanished abruptly, moving so fast that its trace was indistinguishable. Then, an immense jolt of energy was transmitted from Ning Fan’s left shoulder. The fiery blade had reached his left shoulder but was blocked by the protective golden light.

Even with the fiery blade blocked, Ning Fan’s protective golden light was breached over two zhàng, incredibly sharp indeed!

"How could this person’s defense be this strong!" Meng Zhen’s confidence was greatly shaken.

This fiery Precept Blade was one of his trump cards, and after using this technique, his already pale complexion became much paler, showing significant exhaustion. This art was the eleventh technique of the Twelve Stones of the Ancestor Flame, and with his yet-to-stabilize cultivation, he could hardly use it several times, as even once was the limit. Previously, using it caused severe injuries to a First Calamity Immortal Sovereign, yet it could not even break through Ning Fan’s protective golden light!

This is with Ning Fan’s cultivation suppressed. If he were at full cultivation, Meng Zhen would probably be completely outmatched before Ning Fan!

After hundreds of more rounds, as more techniques were exhausted, Meng Zhen felt increasingly frustrated, the pride of the Seventh Fiend diminishing more and more. He had to admit, Ning Fan’s turtle shell was too hard, and his mana seemed endless, inexhaustible, making it impossible to deplete his opponent’s mana. Instead, Meng Zhen’s mana was heavily consumed, fearing great losses if the battle continued...

"Are you truly determined to protect Chulie and Duolan, opposing our Stone Flame in doing so!" Meng Zhen said gloomily.

Ning Fan could hardly be bothered to respond to Meng Zhen, leaving Meng Zhen feeling vain and choosing not to exchange further words with Ning Fan.

Suddenly, the ground within the Stone Dragon’s belly quaked violently, as if the swiftly moving Hundred-li Stone Dragon had collided with something and came to a sudden stop.

Perceiving this tremor, Meng Zhen suddenly sneered. After exchanging one more blow with Ning Fan, he suddenly disappeared with the War Soul Masters and Shattered Thought Fire Souls from Ning Fan’s sight.

They had exited directly from within the Stone Dragon to the outside world!

"The Two Realms Seal has arrived. I, Meng, cannot break your protective golden light, but I do not believe the power of the Sage of the Two Realms Seal cannot kill you!"

Meng Zhen, taking along a group of his subordinates, appeared in the dark underground exterior.

This underground location harbored a large area of space without soil, such that even the massive form of the Hundred-li Stone Dragon could move freely within.

In the near distance, there lay a chasm of flaming abyss, its depths unseeable, with an unknowable connection, exuding an enormous power that prevented anyone from investigating nearby the abyss and capable of obliterating anyone entering!

"Oh? Has Meng Zhen Demon Child returned? But I wonder if Chulie Duolan has been captured?"

From within the abyss, four ghostly green flames suddenly shot forth, landing outside it and transforming into four figures: some elderly, some burly, all were specters rather than corporeal forms.

Although not physically present, from their aura, it could be discerned that the original bodies of these four were at least Immortal Emperor cultivation!

These were phantoms of four Immortal Emperors, stationed at this location! Moreover, judging by their appearance and aura, the true bodies of these four belonged to the Fire Soul Clan, unquestionably powerful figures of the Fire Soul Clan!

"Pleased to report success, though the secret from Chulie and Duolan’s mouth has yet to be extracted. Currently, there’s a trouble inside the Hundred-li Stone Dragon’s body hindering me..." Speaking of Ning Fan, Meng Zhen found himself troubled as well.

"A trouble? Meng, my young friend should know that we of the Fire Soul Clan cannot cross the Two Realms Seal and descend externally without the fire talisman’s summons. Even if you bring this trouble to us, do not expect us to help you slay this intruder!" Upon hearing Meng Zhen had not completed his task, the four Immortal Emperor phantoms promptly expressed displeasure.