Grasping the Evil

Chapter 1015: The Homeland of One Hundred Types of Flowers

The Yellow Turban Warriors responded with a bang and were about to dive underground to apprehend someone, but before they could make a move, Ning Fan’s group had already emerged above ground, while the Hundred-li Stone Dragon remained hidden underground.

The Yellow Turban Warriors immediately became vigilant; it was clear that Ning Fan and his companions were the rogues who had collided with the border formation of Middle State!

Each of the Yellow Turban Warriors flickered their forms, instantly taking advantageous positions, surrounding Ning Fan and the other two, their movements subtly aligning with the principles of coordinated strikes.

Ning Fan felt a bit resigned; he hadn’t expected that as soon as he arrived in Middle State, he would run into trouble before even entering the territory. Was the Hundred-li Stone Dragon intentionally crashing into the border formation? Didn’t it know how to dodge...

The group of Yellow Turban Warriors, with cultivations mostly at the Life Immortal Realm, made Duolan slightly furrow her brow as she released a hint of Shedding Void presence, making them instantly wary; a Shekong Level expert, in any grassland, was not considered weak. This was proof that this group had significant origins!

But so what! After all, they were just a group of outsiders, incomparable to the distinguished Middle State cultivators! The Yellow Turban Warriors turned arrogant, carrying that innate sense of superiority belonging to the people of Middle State, often displaying regional discrimination against other Prairie Cultivators.

Ning Fan was slightly speechless; foreign cultivators would suffer discrimination from the Great Humble Ones, regionally they would also have internal discrimination, while the Holy Mountain Cultivators would further discriminate against ordinary Great Humble Ones...

This was probably a characteristic of the Dabei Clan.

"Which prairie are you three cultivators from, daring to crash into the border formation? Do you not know that such an act violates the Middle State regulations? If you cooperate and submit, accepting punishment, we might be lenient. But if you resist, don’t blame us for harsh treatment!"

The Yellow Turban Warriors wore fierce and intimidating expressions.

"We are Southern Frontier cultivators, here to participate in the Middle State competition! Indeed, crashing into the border formation was our fault. According to Middle State regulations, minor offenses can be redeemed with cattle, sheep, gold, and silver. We are willing to offer gold and silver to atone for our offense." Xianyu Chun adeptly pulled out a pouch filled with gold and silver. It was not his first time in Middle State; he naturally knew what these people desired.

The expressions of the Yellow Turban Warriors immediately softened upon seeing the storage pouch filled with more than a million taels of gold and silver, casting a ’you’re very sensible’ smile at Xianyu Chun.

Ning Fan was slightly speechless; using gold and silver, which were essentially useless items, could actually resolve the current dispute. It made him wonder just how much the Great Humble Ones loved gold and silver...

"Only this amount of redemption silver? It’s hardly enough to exonerate one person of crime; to exonerate all three, it’s not enough!" The burly leader behind the Yellow Turban Warriors coldly remarked.

Xianyu Chun silently cursed the other for greed and pulled out another storage pouch filled with gold and silver, handing it to the burly leader.

Once again, it was a million taels of gold and silver! Greed flashed in the eyes of the burly leader, who still maintained a stern expression, deliberately speaking coldly, "Still not enough!"

Xianyu Chun clenched his teeth and handed over another million taels of redemption silver. The burly leader finally revealed a satisfied smile, patting Xianyu Chun on the shoulder.

"I didn’t expect you to be from the Southern Frontier, with such considerable wealth. Hehe, the matter of crashing into the border formation is thus forgiven, and you may enter Middle State. By the way, do you need a Spirit Beast Carriage? I have a batch of fine Spirit Beast Carriages here, left over from some previous lawbreakers as collateral; I can sell you one cheaply..." Clearly, he had already taken Xianyu Chun as the leader of the three for his lavish spending.

"Thank you for your kind offer, but we intend to buy a Spirit Beast Carriage after crossing the border." Xianyu Chun wore a ’I’ve been taken advantage of many times, don’t deceive me anymore’ expression.

"What a shame..." Unable to make more money off this naive fellow.

The burly leader waved his hand, commanding the Yellow Turban Warriors to let them pass, allowing Ning Fan and his group to smoothly enter Middle State.

Throughout the journey, Xianyu Chun wore a thoroughly frustrated expression, feeling heartache for losing three million taels of gold and silver as soon as he entered Middle State.

Ning Fan naturally felt no pain; to him, gold and silver were nothing more than roadside stones, troubles that could be resolved with gold and silver weren’t truly troubles. He completely couldn’t comprehend why the Great Humble Ones valued gold and silver so much.

Duolan felt a bit bitter.

These guard soldiers didn’t recognize her identity... She was a Holy Mountain Tomb Guardian, a Saintess of the Chu Lie Lineage. If these border soldiers knew her identity, they wouldn’t dare ask for gold and silver from her...

Understandably, she had left the center of power of the Chu Lie Lineage for too long, long enough for the Holy Mountain Cultivators to overlook her, long enough for these guard soldiers to not recognize the dignified Saintess...

Not far past the border was a small frontier town. The three of them walked there, not because they were unwilling to fly, but because the forbidden force in Middle State was too strong; only Ancient Cultivators could fly.

Additionally, the underground in Middle State was filled with formations, making it extremely difficult to earth-skate into Middle State, forcing Ning Fan to leave the Hundred-li Stone Dragon outside Middle State.

The small town ahead spanned only ten li, yet there was a considerable bustle of cultivators coming and going, most of whom purchased Spirit Beast Carriages for journeying here.

"Having seen the nomadic lifestyle of the Southern Frontier people, suddenly seeing towns on the grassland is quite unexpected..." Ning Fan remarked, surprised.

"Middle State Grassland is a unique exception among the Dabei Clan. In terms of vastness, Middle State is ranked first. Here, the people no longer live in tribes with a nomadic lifestyle but reside in towns connected by official roads. Within Middle State, there are tens of thousands of small towns, several hundred middle towns, and only one large city called Liuli City, the Buddha Capital of Middle State. It is a sacred place in the hearts of countless Buddhist disciples and where the Middle State competitions are held." Duolan explained respectfully, transmitting her explanation, of course, as she did not want Xianyu Chun to hear the respectful and servant-like tone.

"Liuli City... I wonder if Nuan’er is waiting for me in Liuli City or elsewhere..." Ning Fan thought with some frustration.

The entire Middle State was shrouded in a highly powerful forbidden force, making it impossible for any Immortal Venerable below Ancient Immortal Sovereign to fly. Thus, in Middle State, sightings of lights flying through the air were scarce. Instead, Spirit Beast Carriages were commonly used for travel.

Moreover, within Middle State, there was a restrictive force limiting the scope of cultivators’ divine sense. Ning Fan tried to activate the Ice Rain Technique but found that it, usually unfaltering, couldn’t cover much distance—at most, ten thousand li. Naturally, the limitations were so severe partly due to his constrained cultivations, but according to Ning Fan’s estimation, even if his cultivations were at full strength, he couldn’t extend his divine sense to cover the entirety of Middle State.

Frustratingly, Zang Yue had arranged to meet him in Middle State without leaving a specific address. As a result, Ning Fan didn’t know where to begin searching for Zang Yue and Ouyang Nuan.

Fortunately, there was a faint resonance between Zi Relic and Mother Relic...

Ning Fan looked north; he could vaguely sense that Ouyang Nuan and Zang Yue were in that general direction.

"Is Liuli City in northern Middle State?" Ning Fan transmitted a question.

"No, Liuli City is located in the extreme west of Middle State; why do you ask, Senior?" Duolan transmitted her answer.

"I need to attend to matters in northern Middle State."

"So, we’re not directly going to Liuli City?"

Xianyu Chun noticed Ning Fan and Duolan’s transmitted conversation and automatically assumed it was part of some eyebrow-raising exchange between the two. He concluded that their transmission was likely some highly affectionate talk they didn’t want him to hear. Alas, he felt muddled, standing here was completely in-between, hindering the progression of his master and mistress’s relationship.

"Having arrived in Middle State, I have an appointment with an elder, and am not on the same path as my master. May I go ahead?" Xianyu Chun gave Ning Fan a wink, in a gesture of ’Brother, I can only help you this much.’

"If your path diverges, you may proceed," Ning Fan nodded, allowing Xianyu Chun to leave. With a gamboling gait, Xianyu Chun headed into the city to purchase a Spirit Beast Carriage and departed, leaving Ning Fan and Duolan alone so that they wouldn’t have to transmit every word.

"It seems, Senior’s student has misunderstood something..." Duolan noticed Xianyu Chun’s wink and, with her astuteness, vaguely guessed Xianyu Chun had some misunderstanding.

How could she and Master Ning be that kind of relationship? She was merely a Soul-Locked Slave...

"Xianyu Chun is not my disciple; you don’t need to pay attention to him, just idle thoughts. Let’s get back to business. I need to head north in Middle State, not quite sure where exactly, but I’ll be able to determine it as we approach. Once we buy a Spirit Beast Carriage, we’ll proceed straight northward," Ning Fan remarked with a serene expression, focusing once again on the matter of their journey.

"To head north in Middle State without knowing the destination..." Duolan thought it strange but had learned to be wiser, refrained from asking further, and respectfully agreed.

There were numerous shops in town selling Spirit Beast Carriages, though most only offered low-grade carriages, drawn by Spirit Beasts at Life Immortal or Enlightenment levels, naturally yielding lesser speed. Ning Fan scouted extensively, only to find one shop selling carriages powered by Spirit Beasts over Shedding Void level.

The shop was named Thunder Sound Pavilion, with an illusionary array outside. If one’s cultivations weren’t strong enough, they couldn’t even approach the building, merely being blocked outside.

Ning Fan, of course, wouldn’t be bothered by such a trivial formation array and calmly took Duolan in with him. Each of his leisurely steps fell precisely on the formation’s intricate patterns.

After three steps, the formation emitted thunderous sounds, which Ning Fan casually pointed at, making the thunder cease.

After seven steps, the thunderclaps sounded again, seemingly with great might, yet were extinguished with a single step from Ning Fan.

After nine steps, the thunderclaps sought to rise once more, but Ning Fan had already taken Duolan through numerous formations, entering the Thunder Sound Pavilion. Just nine steps, yet ultimately the thunderclaps within the formation never gathered, constantly suppressed by him.

This was quite terrifying!

Duolan was secretly shocked, the elder’s mastery of formations was simply too high. This was the Thunder Sound Pavilion’s secret restriction, though this pavilion was merely one of the Thunder Sound Lineage’s branches, and outside there was only a portion of the formation, yet to completely suppress the thunderclaps’ entrance into the formation, even for a famous Ancient Immortal Venerable, would be extremely difficult!

Yet Ning Fan could easily achieve this!

Duolan’s heart couldn’t help but hold a bit more respect for Ning Fan.

As the two entered, the unprepared maids were all horrified, while the shopkeeper within the Thunder Sound Pavilion, who had been lazily pretending to sleep, now opened his eyes with shock.

This was a powerful being at the Shattered Thought Early Stage, yet here serving as a shopkeeper within the Thunder Sound Pavilion! Ning Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering if this person was not one of those old demons lurking in the marketplace, or if the Thunder Sound Pavilion’s background was strong enough to make use of a Shattered Thought cultivator as a shopkeeper...

"Your Excellency has profound mastery in formations, able to ignore the formations and enter the Thunder Sound Pavilion. Pardon my poor eyesight; I don’t think I’ve seen you at the Holy Mountain. Might Your Excellency be a cultivator from the Dabei Clan?" the shopkeeper politely clasped his fist in inquiry, secretly speculating about Ning Fan’s identity.

Such terrifying means, directly suppressing the secret restriction and entering the pavilion, couldn’t belong to someone unknown, why was he so unfamiliar...

His gaze suddenly fell upon Duolan and again showed astonishment, wasn’t this the Chulie Holy Maiden? The forgotten lineage’s fallen Holy Maiden... The shopkeeper retracted his gaze, and the fleeting contempt in his eyes was still caught by Duolan.

Duolan felt slightly bitter but transmitted to Ning Fan, "The Thunder Sound Lineage is the number one branch of the Holy Mountain, with four Immortal Emperors presiding, far surpassing my Chulie Lineage in strength. This Thunder Sound Pavilion is one of Thunder Sound Lineage’s industries. We’ve come here to purchase a Spirit Beast Carriage, we must be very courteous, so as not to offend the Thunder Sound Pavilion..."

Ning Fan’s gaze grew slightly grave. Number one in the Holy Mountain, Thunder Sound Lineage, four Immortal Emperors presiding... No wonder the Thunder Sound Pavilion can use Shattered Thought cultivators as shopkeepers, and it seems the Spirit Beast Carriages they sell are not meant for low-level cultivators...

"I am not a cultivator from the Dabei Clan, but a foreign cultivator, here representing the Southern Frontier Tamu Clan, participating in affairs in the Middle State." Ning Fan answered frankly, not feeling at all inferior due to his foreign cultivator identity.

The shopkeeper, however, immediately furrowed his brows, and his initial courteous attitude towards Ning Fan disappeared. Suppressing the thunderclaps within the secret restriction, so what? Just a foreign cultivator, still not as good as the fallen Chulie!

"Are you here to buy a Spirit Beast Carriage? The Thunder Sound Pavilion differs from external shops; it doesn’t accept gold and silver but only takes items of equivalent value. Are you familiar with these rules?" the shopkeeper asked impatiently.

"It’s the first time hearing of a Dabei Clan shop doing barter transactions." Ning Fan, with his disposition, naturally wouldn’t be angry over a slight lack of courtesy from the other party.

"If a foreign cultivator wants to purchase a Spirit Beast Carriage, the transaction is more stringent. The exchange items must be equivalent pills, other items are not accepted. Heh, although our clan looks down on your foreign cultivators, we attach great importance to your pills. Here is the price list, take a look yourself, once you’ve decided on a carriage, you can exchange it with pills of equivalent value! Also, there are some pills that this pavilion does not accept, the types of pills not accepted are recorded in this scroll, look for yourself."

The shopkeeper casually tossed two scrolls to Ning Fan and ceased paying attention to him, resumed pretending to sleep.

The first scroll detailed all Spirit Beast Carriages available for sale within the Thunder Sound Pavilion, and marked with their prices. The Spirit Beast Carriages depicted on the scroll were not static but animated; the wheels rolled forward occasionally, showing an advancing posture, the beasts pulling the car occasionally raised their heads to cry out to the sky, the sound seemingly even emanating from within the scroll.

Ning Fan took a look at the prices of these Spirit Beast Carriages. Depending on the materials used for the carriage, the type and level of pulling beast, the prices varied greatly. However, one thing was constant, Spirit Beast Carriages at the Abandoning Emptiness Grade must be exchanged with Nine Revolutions Silver Pills, ranging from one silver pill to twenty silver pills.

If others came to the Thunder Sound Pavilion to buy a Spirit Beast Carriage, they could use other items for barter, but Eastern Heaven cultivators coming here must trade with pills.

This was naturally a deliberate means of the Thunder Sound Pavilion to procure Eastern Heaven pills. From ancient times to the present, there were likely countless Eastern Heaven pills that had ended up in the Thunder Sound Pavilion’s possession, for Ning Fan was not the first or only foreign cultivator to purchase Spirit Beast Carriages here. As the pavilion restricted the types of pills, it seemed they sought not the pills themselves, but likely the refinement formulas behind those pills...

Ning Fan glanced at the second scroll which listed the pills that the Thunder Sound Pavilion refused to trade.

According to Ning Fan’s speculation, these pills that were refused for trade were likely types that the Thunder Sound Pavilion had already obtained, researched thoroughly, and acquired refinement formulas, hence were no longer needed.

Excluding the pill types on the scroll, Ning Fan still had plenty of pills in his storage pouch that complied with the Thunder Sound Pavilion’s exchange rules, qualifying for the exchange for a Spirit Beast Carriage.

There’s just one thing that particularly caught Ning Fan’s attention...

On the second scroll, thirteen kinds of Nine Revolutions Silver Pill have been newly added.

The ink is still very fresh, no more than three months old. Aside from these four kinds of expensive pills, the other pill inscriptions look very ancient...

In other words, within these three months, some outer cultivators have used Nine Revolutions Silver Pill to trade for thirteen Spirit Beast Carriages from Thunder Sound Pavilion? Besides him, have other Eastern Heaven Cultivators entered here, or perhaps, the one trading for the Spirit Beast Carriage wasn’t a foreign cultivator, just happened to possess Eastern Heaven’s expensive pills and traded them with the Thunder Sound Pavilion...

But if it truly was a foreign cultivator, it doesn’t seem impossible. Firstly, it’s certain that Ouyang Nuan’s party Burying Moon has arrived in the Middle State, but even including Wu Laoba, it doesn’t seem necessary to use thirteen Spirit Beast Carriages... On the day of entering the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, it wasn’t only Ning Fan who entered, most of the entrants sought medicine on the outskirts of the Sacred Domain, but perhaps there are others who dared to venture into the inner circle...

"You have been staring at the expensive pills scroll for quite some time, could it be that you are short of funds and can’t produce pills other than the ones we’ve refused to accept for trading?" the shopkeeper frowned.

"Expensive pills, I naturally have them. I just wonder, does your esteemed pavilion have any Shattered Thought Rank Spirit Beast Carriages for sale? If you do, I’m willing to trade with an equivalent value of Ninth Revolution Golden Pill." Ning Fan smiled faintly.

"Ninth Revolution Golden Pill! You want to use a Ninth Revolution Golden Pill to trade for a Shattered Thought Rank Spirit Beast Carriage!" The shopkeeper was slightly taken aback and extremely tempted. At the Ninth Revolution Golden Elixir Level, even the strongest of the ancient couldn’t underestimate them. As a mere Shattered Thought Elder, he was naturally moved.

Unfortunately, after a moment, the shopkeeper could only force a smile and say, "Our pavilion has rules, Spirit Beast Carriages above the Shattered Thought Rank cannot be sold to outer cultivators. This rule I dare not break. If it weren’t for this, so many big-spending foreign cultivators earlier wouldn’t have only been able to purchase a Shedding Void Stage Spirit Beast Carriage."

Ning Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly, hearing the shopkeeper’s words, it seems indeed many foreign cultivators came to buy carriages to enter the Middle State...

"Forget it, in that case, I won’t trouble the shopkeeper, I’ll just buy a Shedding Void Stage Spirit Beast Carriage."

In the end, Ning Fan spent twenty Nine Revolutions Silver Pills to buy the best Shedding Void Stage Spirit Beast Carriage and left this small border town.

After Ning Fan’s group left, the shopkeeper relayed information back to his family without another word. The information was only a short segment: The fourteenth batch of foreign cultivators has entered the Middle State, number of people: one, cultivation restricted by eons, no lightning induction in the body, subordinate speculates this person is not here for the Primordial Thunder Cauldron, but still cannot be unguarded...

One incense stick later, Ning Fan, who had long since headed north in his Spirit Beast Carriage, suddenly opened his eyes and withdrew his retained some Ice Rain Technique left in the Thunder Sound Pavilion.

The information the shopkeeper relayed back to his family was still seen by Ning Fan.

"Am I the fourteenth batch of foreign cultivators entering the Middle State? Who were the first thirteen batches? Nuan’er and others must have entered the Middle State together as one batch, besides them, who else could the other foreign cultivators be..."

Flying Thunder Immortal King, Douxi Immortal King, Qin Xian Sha from the Maha Sect, Dark Clan representatives, and those Fragmented Thought Elders renowned in Eastern Heaven... This time, having heard the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain would open for the last time, many respected elders and powerful figures entered, among whom it wouldn’t be surprising if someone aimed straight for the Middle State.

However, what the Thunder Sound Pavilion shopkeeper deliberately mentioned about ’no lightning induction in the body,’ has another meaning...

Ning Fan’s gaze turned slightly serious, reminded of the day the Great Emperor Chong He schemed against him with a mysterious yin thunder.

If on that day, he had greedily taken that yin thunder...perhaps today, those cultivators in Thunder Sound Pavilion might detect the lightning induction in his body.

This possibility cannot be ruled out, if this speculation proves accurate, then the scheming Great Emperor Chong He had calculated even today’s events...

And the "Primordial Thunder Cauldron" mentioned in the intelligence report, what could it be... It seems that what the Thunder Sound Pavilion is guarding against is exactly the foreign cultivators targeting the Primordial Thunder Cauldron...

"Have you heard of the Primordial Thunder Cauldron?" Ning Fan asked while sitting outside the Spirit Beast Carriage, driving it while also talking to Duolan inside through the car curtain.

"The Primordial Thunder Cauldron is one of the cauldrons used by the Saint Ancestor during his lifetime. The Saint Ancestor had nine cauldrons, and the Primordial Thunder Cauldron is the first among them, refined by the Saint Ancestor using the Eastern Mountain Thunder, and further filled with all the materials from the Four Sects Marine Regions, merged with the soul into the cauldron..." Duolan explained.

"What is the Eastern Mountain Thunder, and what are the Four Sects Marine Regions?" Ning Fan asked in surprise, completely at a loss.

"I don’t know either, these words are just from the scriptures, but I’ve heard from my father that the materials used by the Saint Ancestor to refine the cauldron were all sourced from his homeland. My father said it’s a place entirely different from our world, things like the Eastern Mountain Thunder and Four Sects Marine Regions all belong to that world..." Duolan said with a face full of yearning.

She didn’t understand the concept of the Real Realms or Dreamland Realm, but Ning Fan already had some understanding. It seems that this Primordial Thunder Cauldron is a magical treasure refined by a Saint using materials from the Real Realms...

An alchemical cauldron used by a Saint! From Duolan’s words, the Herb-gathering Sage had nine cauldrons in his lifetime, with the Primordial Thunder Cauldron being the first, and there are eight other cauldrons besides it...

The Sect Master of the Pill Sect once obtained the Great Desolate Cauldron in the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain. That Great Desolate Cauldron is so powerful, one wonders if it is one of the Nine Cauldrons of the Saint... Regardless of whether it is or not, the Great Desolate Cauldron has already been destroyed, which is indeed a pity.

Speaking of which, that Supreme Pill Sacred Domain is truly a treasure trove: after the Saint died, his remnants turned into the Holy Mountain, preserving his relics; his flames became the Fire Soul Clan, suppressed beneath the boundary between two realms; the alchemical cauldrons he left behind are rare treasures; and his Medicine Slave’s corpse was precisely Burying Moon’s target for Corpse Seizing Sect...

"Speaking of which, I still don’t know the title of that Herb-gathering Sage. After coming to the Dabei, I have flipped through many ancient texts, but only found titles like ’Extreme Elixir Elder’ or ’Ancestor of Medicine Practitioners’, which seemed fabricated and unreliable... Do you know the title of your Saint Ancestor?" Ning Fan asked casually, not expecting Duolan to know.

But Duolan’s body trembled slightly as if she really knew—or rather, she recalled the moment when her father, with a stern face, took her into the Stone Path Secret Realm, solemnly informing her of the coordinates of seven stone thrones...

Echoing in her ears was the eerie illusory chanting of ten thousand corpses in front of the stone throne.

"Saint Nan Yao..."

"Saint Nan Yao?"

"Yes, it’s Saint Nan Yao. ’Nan Zhan Gu recites Tao spirits’ extinction, one decay into desolation, ten thousand chants into antiquity, a sword comes from the west, splitting reincarnation, forever losing the refuge of Saint Nan Yao’..."

Duolan murmured, with tears suddenly in her eyes, reminded of her father; even though that father rarely offered her warmth or care, and even rarely met.

Back then, she couldn’t understand her father’s guilty, helpless gaze. Now, she understood.

"What you chanted, what is it..." Ning Fan was secretly shocked. The moment Duolan spoke, he felt a slight pain in his divine sense, and multiple illusions appeared before his eyes.

Though he dispelled the illusions with a single thought, it still gave him a sense of unease.

He was quite certain that Duolan inside the carriage did not use any Illusory Art on him, nor did she intentionally channel any Mana. She merely recited a passage, yet it confused him, made him feel ensnared and sinking into it, unable to resist!

These words are by no means simple! How could ordinary words so beguile someone like him, who had undergone the Fu Li...

"I don’t know what these words are either, just know that in the Stone Path Secret Realm, all the corpses chant this, numbly and unfeelingly chant this, it’s terrifying, really terrifying... Father said, this is the Ten Thousand Chants Decay, a forbidden boundary I shouldn’t touch..." Duolan suddenly grew drowsy, immediately leaning against the carriage and falling asleep.

Simply uttering such a sentence seemed to have exhausted all her heart spirit, leaving her utterly weary...

"Ten Thousand Chants Decay..." Ning Fan’s expression grew slightly serious.

Duolan slept for an entire day before waking.

In one day’s time, Ning Fan had already driven the Spirit Beast Carriage a considerable distance northward.

Duolan rubbed her bleary eyes, a bit apologetic for having fallen asleep. She should have been guiding Ning Fan since he wasn’t familiar with Middle State and there were many rules he didn’t quite understand.

It’s crucial to know that Middle State cultivators build cities to live in, and their territorial tenacity is not typical. Ignoring the smaller cities, the City Lords of medium-sized ones tend to delineate territories, not permitting cultivators to approach indiscriminately. Should Ning Fan stumble into any City Lord’s territory on his way north, that would spell trouble, and she should be helping the Senior find the path, not fall asleep...

Moreover, since the Senior was driving, it should have been her role as the Soul-Locked Slave to take the reins...

Why is it so noisy outside, it sounds like many horses and carriages are chasing behind their carriage.

"You’re awake?" Ning Fan’s tone seemed unhappy, could he be blaming her for falling asleep?

Duolan was immediately worried, wanting to explain why she dozed off due to inadvertently chanting that passage, but then the faint sounds of cursing from behind interrupted her thoughts.

"Bold scoundrels! You’ve trespassed on Thousand Armies City’s territory, stop at once, face our punishment!"

"Stop! We, from Golden Thunder City, have been chasing you for a day and a night, continue running and face the consequences of our ruthlessness!"

"Shoot him, quick!"

"Use the Array Flag to stop him!"

"Damn it, we can’t stop him!"

"This person is powerful!"

Arrows rained toward the Spirit Beast Carriage, burned to nothing by the magical fire that Ning Fan spat out with ease.

Array Flags soared into the air, casting formation light to try and delay the Spirit Beast Carriage, only to be extinguished by Ning Fan’s casual gesture.

Unstoppable, unstoppable!

At least twelve Mid City masters were chasing the Spirit Beast Carriage, yet not one could halt its march!

Ning Fan was in a foul mood, driving his carriage peacefully, yet being unjustifiably cursed and pursued, with the pursuers only multiplying, becoming an unrelenting nuisance.

If not for considering that this was Middle State, the territory of the Great Humble Ones, he might not have resorted to a massacre, but he would certainly have imparted some lessons to those behind him.

"Senior, what’s going on with these people?" Duolan felt somewhat speechless, pulling back the curtain to step out, realizing that Ning Fan’s foul mood wasn’t because of her.

"Don’t know, seems like they’re here to cause trouble." Ning Fan replied irritably.

Senior, you misconceive, it’s not them bothering you, it’s you intruding upon their territory, breaching taboos... Duolan wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start, so she could only grin wryly.

"You’re familiar with Middle State, you should know where there’s a sparsely populated deserted place, guide me!"

Duolan’s heart skipped a beat; could it be the Senior was too irked, intending to find a deserted area to massacre these nuisances behind into silence!

She might have surmised correctly...

"Senior, actually, actually... we’re at fault... killing isn’t good..." Duolan cautiously said.

"We’re at fault? What did we do wrong?" Ning Fan was puzzled.

"We trespassed on their territory..."

"I’ve been traveling along the official roads between cities, not entering anyone’s territory." Ning Fan said with a frown.

"Even the official roads are part of these Mid City’s territory, crossing them requires a certain fee in gold and silver..."

"Oh, I see... I don’t have any gold or silver." Ning Fan shrugged indifferently, apparently having several people attempt to stop and demand gold and silver from him along the way, who he flamboyantly ignored.

"I have some..." Duolan smirked bitterly.

"Do we give gold and silver now?"

"If we give it now, it’s too late..." Duolan continued to smile bitterly.

"Then let’s find a secluded place..." A cold gleam flashed in Ning Fan’s eyes, scaring Duolan into quickly waving her hand.

"No, senior, please don’t kill anyone, killing is not good!"

Duolan gritted her teeth. These were her own people; if Ning Fan killed them over something like collecting tolls, it would be too unjust...

Although the behavior of these Middle City cultivators was indeed a bit overbearing and needed a lesson.

"Let me handle this."

Duolan steadied her mind, asked Ning Fan to stop the vehicle, and then resumed her usual aloof demeanor.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, the cars and horses behind caught up, surrounding the spirit beast carriage. Several of the most arrogant Middle City cultivators were preparing to teach Ning Fan a lesson, but suddenly met Ning Fan’s cold gaze, rendering them speechless... What a murderous gaze; it seemed they had hit an iron wall. Unfortunately, they had been chasing from behind all along and hadn’t seen how terrifying Ning Fan driving the carriage was, otherwise they wouldn’t have followed all the way here!

"Do you have something to say to me?" Ning Fan said indifferently.

The few Middle City cultivators immediately retreated, filled with panic.

Caught in a dilemma!

Fortunately, Duolan stepped forward at this moment.

"I am the Chulie Holy Maiden, why are you pursuing my carriage, do you intend to attack me?"

Hiss!

The faces of these Middle City cultivators turned as pale as earth with fright. The driver alone was terrifying enough, but unexpectedly, the woman in the carriage was even more terrifying!

Chulie Holy Maiden, this woman turned out to be the Holy Maiden of the Chulie lineage, a presence that even the Central Continent Five Emperors dare not easily offend. They really had hit an iron plate!

The pursuers, drenched in cold sweat, and the few elder cultivators recognized Duolan’s appearance and immediately confirmed Duolan’s identity, then begged for mercy.

"We dare not! How could we attack the Holy Maiden! We beg the Holy Maiden for forgiveness!"

"Retreat now!" Duolan reprimanded sharply.

A group of terrified pursuers scattered like frightened birds and beasts.

The trouble was effortlessly resolved, and Duolan heaved a sigh of relief, thankful that Ning Fan didn’t get the chance to slaughter the Dabei people.

Ning Fan looked at Duolan somewhat perplexedly, "I didn’t expect you to be so kind-hearted..."

"It’s not me, but senior’s benevolence that allows them to live." Duolan forced a smile, secretly acknowledging that her lying skills were becoming more proficient, as she could even flatter with such insincerity.

Suddenly realizing, perhaps spending more time with Ning Fan had subconsciously eased a bit of her reserve, allowing her to flatter so shamelessly.

If she were still guarded, she should have been cautious with Ning Fan, not daring even to flatter loosely...

Unintentionally, she seemed less afraid of him than at the beginning...

Ning Fan, however, did not probe Duolan’s internal changes. Happy to avoid trouble, he mused, "I didn’t expect your Holy Maiden status to be so useful. If it were me, a foreign cultivator, or Xianyu Chun, a Southern Frontier cultivator, even if these people feared, they wouldn’t retreat so easily..."

"Of course. In front of a senior, my status naturally doesn’t count for much, but in the Central Continent, even the Central Continent Five Emperors wouldn’t dare easily offend the honorable Chulie Holy Maiden, let alone mere Middle City cultivators. But in the Holy Mountain, the status of the Holy Maiden wouldn’t mean much..." In the first half, Duolan spoke with pride, with the latter half tinged with bitterness.

Currently, in the Holy Mountain, she doesn’t count for anything anymore...

"Oh? Even the Central Continent Five Emperors wouldn’t dare easily offend you?" Ning Fan was slightly surprised, feeling that he had underestimated this woman all along.

"On the surface, they wouldn’t dare, but in secret, who knows. After all, they are high and mighty Immortal Emperors, push them, and who can say what might happen. Speaking of which, if there’s any overt trouble for you in the Central Continent, senior, let me handle it for you; helping you is my honor." Not helping you means you might commit wanton killings of the innocent! Duolan thought internally.

"With you stepping forward, things indeed become less troublesome, so thank you." Ning Fan nodded.

Reducing trouble was certainly agreeable to Ning Fan.

And so, the spirit beast carriage continued heading north. Occasionally, when trespassing into other Middle City territories, all Duolan needed to do was reveal her identity, and the opponents would flee in terror, avoiding any disputes.

Another day passed, and Duolan finally sensed something was wrong; Ning Fan’s driving direction was heading toward Baihua Peak in the Central Continent’s Five Finger Peaks!

"Ahead is the Baihua Great Emperor’s territory. With the Baihua Great Emperor still recovering from severe injuries, her territory has long been closed, prohibiting passage..." Duolan explained.

"Baihua Great Emperor?" Ning Fan’s expression was slightly grave. Just moments ago, an extremely powerful yet extremely weak divine sense had brushed over the spirit beast carriage.

Could this be the master of the place, the Baihua Great Emperor?

"I need to find someone here. Your status should allow entry, yes?" Ning Fan inquired.

"Yes, it’s possible. If senior insists on entering, I can go with you, though it might cause some trouble... oh well, it’s nothing major..."

Duolan, a bit hesitant, still bit her lip and nodded.

The spirit beast carriage moved forward a little more before being halted; ahead was the boundary of Baihua Peak.

"By the order of the Baihua Emperor, within a thousand miles of Baihua Peak is forbidden territory, no ordinary person may enter!" A group of Yellow Turban Warriors blocked the way.

"I am Chulie Duolan, here on business." Duolan stepped out of the carriage, speaking calmly.

Instantly, the warriors drew a sharp breath; moments later, laughter erupted.

"Very well, since Saintess Duolan is here, you may certainly enter Baihua Peak! We have been waiting for you for quite some time. But remember, entering Baihua Peak is easy; leaving won’t be so simple!"

"I have already considered that, now make way!"

At Duolan’s sharp command, the warriors promptly cleared a path leading straight to Baihua Peak.

Baihua Peak, one of the Central Continent’s Five Finger Peaks, the location of the Baihua Great Emperor’s abode... Does this count as revisiting an old place?

In her youth, she had been to Baihua Peak; back then, she had accompanied her father to bully others...

That year, she made countless enemies... her domineering father...