Grasping the Evil

Chapter 1043: Heaven Locking Finger Severs the Enemy’s Soul!

"Why do you all gather here?"

A thousand masters had been gathered at this place, the noise of battle deafening, but with the arrival of Ning Fan, the scene suddenly fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Ning Fan carried the Emperor Butcher, advancing as if no one were around. The masters had previously surrounded Wuxx Yan’s party tightly, but with Ning Fan’s approach, his overwhelming presence swept across, prompting those ahead of him to instinctively fear him, and they gradually retreated. In no time, the large crowd parted to form a path for him to pass.

Ning Fan walked right into the center of the encirclement, put down the Emperor Butcher, and looked calmly at Wuxx Yan, awaiting his answer.

Wuxx Yan was quite eloquent, as within just a brief few breaths, he had informed Ning Fan of the occurrences here one by one.

"Brother Ning, I am in trouble this time, you must help me!"

Wuxx Yan pleaded softly.

After the initial surprise, Wuxx Yan somewhat realized that Ning Fan seemed to have plans to stand by idly, causing him to panic secretly. The adversaries were two Eternal Immortal Venerables, and without Ning Fan as formidable support, Wuxx Yan would lack the confidence to preserve the map.

To move Ning Fan’s hardened heart, Wuxx Yan even infused his speech with a hint of a bewitching technique. Unfortunately, such a level of bewitching technique did not affect Ning Fan’s heart in the slightest, as he replied expressionlessly.

"Why should I help you!"

Why should I help you!

On what grounds should I help you!

Wuxx Yan sensed the rejection in Ning Fan’s words, and his face suddenly turned cold, but more behind this was regret.

Indeed, upon entering the Fire Soul Tower, he chose not to involve himself in Ning Fan and Sha Bailou’s dispute to avoid getting entangled with Ning Fan, thus leading to their agreement of ’personal vendettas do not affect helping each other.’

Now facing a predicament and thinking of Ning Fan, it was natural Ning Fan would not show him a pleasant countenance. This he could understand.

Were the roles reversed, with Ning Fan facing danger, Wuxx Yan knew there would be no way he would assist Ning Fan.

Of course, understanding is understanding. The situation was now as fragile as an egg, with Ning Fan being the only lifeline amidst drowning; no matter how indifferent Ning Fan’s attitude was, he could not abandon this sole hope of preserving the map!

"What will it take for you to help me? As long as you agree to join hands with me to handle this matter, any price, I am willing to pay!"

Wuxx Yan no longer smiled warmly or acted, but similarly put on a cold expression, asking in a cool voice.

"Any price...is that so..."

Ning Fan’s gaze swept over Wuxx Yan’s delicate body seemingly unintentionally, which caused Wuxx Yan to tremble internally, thinking the price Ning Fan wanted would be her body...

Unfortunately, she seemed to have overestimated her own beauty.

While Wuxx Yan was indeed ravishing, the number of beauties surrounding Ning Fan was numerous, and he had no interest in Wuxx Yan’s beauty whatsoever.

"What exactly do you want..." Wuxx Yan deliberately put on a stern face but lacked some confidence.

"What I want, I haven’t decided yet, but if I ever make up my mind one day, I will come to the Sea Witch Sect to collect it from you!"

Having glanced at Wuxx Yan’s empty storage pouch, Ning Fan suppressed the idea of instantly asking for his reward.

A reward must be received, but earlier Ning Fan had collected numerous storage pouches, including Sha Bailou’s, none of which contained anything valuable. After all, participants in the second round of the tomb-seizing competition would surely consider possible risks en route, such as being ambushed or having pouches stolen, thus they rarely carried valuable items.

Considering this moment to ask for a reward, it was expected Wuxx Yan would fail to produce anything worthy, hence it was better to wait till there was time in the future to ask.

"Alright! Should Brother Ning assist me out of danger today, then consider it a favor I owe to Brother Ning. When you visit my Sea Witch Sect someday, whether it’s seeking a heavy treasure from me or asking for assistance, I shall not refuse your request—this promise, I will swear under the Restrictive Spell, never to betray!"

Wuxx Yan fell silent for a moment before making his vow firmly word by word.

He was known to be selfish and profit-oriented, yet when making a promise, he would surely adhere to it.

Ning Fan was unexpectedly surprised to see Wuxx Yan solemnly take his oath, though his expression didn’t reveal it.

On one hand, Ning Fan, following the old monster’s teachings, was negotiating for recompense without suffering losses with Wuxx Yan.

On the other hand, Stone of Seabed and Hongcang were engaged in some conversation too. But unlike Ning Fan’s forthrightness, the two were communicating secretly.

"Stone Daoist, with the power of the two of us, we could have easily secured Wuxx Yan... but now there’s this newcomer meddling, what should be done?"

"Let’s observe the changes and do not act hastily; this foreign cultivator is tough to handle. If he doesn’t interfere, then all the better! But if he does, then matters would become problematic..."

"Hehe, could it be that Stone Daoist really fears this foreign cultivator! Indeed, his trial scores are quite impressive, but in my view, his top rank score was merely because he understood some secret technique that restored physical strength. This strength trial tests lasting power, allowing him to win by taking advantage. If strength trial based on the sheer power, then winning it would be impossible for him! During the test against the Corpse, each hit’s strength was actually far inferior to ours. After all, he’s merely an Eternal Immortal Venerable suppressed by the Punishing Ring, wielding limited power—I never thought Stone Daoist would fear an Eternal Immortal Venerable with restricted strength, hehe...it’s really amusing."

"Hmph! Not because I’m afraid of him, but rather unwilling to get involved in unnecessary trouble. Your coaxing is unnecessary; per our agreement, I’m only helping you snatch the map from Wuxx Yan, nothing more—engaging this newcomer is beyond our arrangement!"

"Oh really...you know, the task given by that person isn’t just about stealing Wuxx Yan’s map, but includes this newcomer’s map too!"

"That’s your task from that person, not mine! Our agreement only involves Wuxx Yan’s map, as for Ning Fan, if you wish to handle him, go ahead yourself, I won’t assist." Mentioning ’that person,’ Stone of Seabed, who usually was rebellious, was filled with reverence, suggesting ’that person’ wasn’t ordinary—likely an Immortal King or even... an Immortal Emperor!

"What if I offer you twice the number of Ancient Buddha Dao Fruits?"

"Hmm..." Stone of Seabed’s eyes lit up, yet he pretended to hesitate.

"And I’ll add one million-year-old Xuanhai Yellow Ginseng, nothing more!" Hongcang spoke begrudgingly.

"Deal!"

Stone of Seabed laughed heartily, taking money to resolve troubles for others! Were it not for these rewards, he wouldn’t bother entangling with someone like Hongcang!

He was here to partake in the tomb-seizing battle to settle grudges with Sha Bailou from years past, of course, if he could gain rewards alongside, he wouldn’t refuse.

Not planning to waste time any longer, he immediately shouted in the direction of Ning Fan and Wuxx Yan.

"Wuxx Yan! Could it be that you think just because you have some help, you can escape from our hands? Hand over the map quickly, or you’ll only bring harm upon yourself! As for Ning Fan! Since you’ve come to get involved in this muddle, don’t blame Stone of Seabed for taking both you and the map! You have ten breaths to surrender the map, or don’t blame me for showing no mercy!"

With that said, Stone of Seabed stepped out from the crowd, standing with his hands behind his back in front of over a thousand strong fighters. The devastating momentum of the Second Calamity of the Eons transformed into a fierce wind, wildly sweeping this place.

Those who witnessed it were shocked!

Stone of Seabed gave Ning Fan ten breaths to surrender the map, but Ning Fan, of course, would never hand it over.

Not only did he not intend to surrender the map, but he made a decision within. If he could snatch the maps of Stone of Seabed and Hongcang right here and now, no one would challenge his results in this illusory trial! With powerful figures like Sha Bailou, Stone of Seabed, and Hongcang all gone, getting first place in the second round of the Tomb Seizing was no difficulty at all!

Ning Fan equally unleashed his momentum, once again utilizing the power of the Illusory Night Pearl, completely unleashing his cultivation!

In terms of momentum alone, he was actually on par with Stone of Seabed, showing no weakness!

"Impossible! You actually unsealed the Punishing Ring! This aura is not much weaker than mine, just a silk thread away from entering the Second Calamity..."

Stone of Seabed’s expression changed immediately, as did Hongcang and the thousands of strong fighters behind him.

If before, with Ning Fan’s cultivation sealed, he only elicited dread; now, this Ning Fan felt like a wild beast unleashed from a cage, with devilish thoughts overwhelming and evil qi reaching the sky, distinctly the image of a peerless evil sect leader!

And this method of unsealing the Punishing Ring did not seem like destruction, but a way to temporarily restore cultivation...

"If after ten breaths I still don’t hand over the map, how do you plan to show no mercy?" Ning Fan said expressionlessly.

"Hmph! If you refuse to hand over the map, what awaits you will be my iron fist! Stone of Seabed will first destroy your physical defense, then consume your spirit; ha ha, you must know, this illusory trial does not restrict masters from fighting each other!" Stone of Seabed coldly snorted, his killing intent surging forth like an overwhelming tide.

Yet this killing intent only earned a cold smile from Ning Fan.

"Just what I wanted!"

In a flicker, Ning Fan transformed into a red light and vanished.

Almost simultaneously, he appeared before Stone of Seabed, transformed the Nightmare Dragon Claw into a talon, directly grasping five fingers towards Stone of Seabed’s head!

Stone of Seabed was startled, not expecting Ning Fan to strike first. In his haste, he barely blocked Ning Fan’s claw attack, but his face was still scratched with five bloody marks by Ning Fan!

Instant anger followed!

So what if he’s the first in strength trials!

So what if he restores his cultivation!

Even if he is valued by Sha Bailou...so what!

In the end, he’s just a foreign cultivator, a mere foreign cultivator, daring to injure him, daring to injure him, the elder of the Shiren Sect...

"Courting death!"

Stone of Seabed took a step forward, suddenly wielding a dark cyan giant axe in his hand, shouting as he charged toward Ning Fan.

Ning Fan, eyes cold, flipped his hand to take out the Reverse Sea Sword, meeting Stone of Seabed’s axe light with a single sword strike!

With just one sword, Stone of Seabed’s giant axe collapsed directly, and he himself groaned, retreating a hundred steps on the ground before stabilizing, his expression finally showing horror!

The shockwave from the axe-sword clash swept out in all directions, threatening to destroy everything. The gathered masters quickly disregarded keeping their encirclement, retreating hastily in fear of being caught in the shockwave and perishing!

Just a single sword strike from Ning Fan made everyone present show a look of astonishment, with Stone of Seabed being the most shocked!

Heavy, unimaginably heavy!

Ning Fan’s sword material was unknown, yet this sword, without using divine skills or spells, suppressed him merely with its unmatched weight!

Stone of Seabed was most proud of his physical strength and, owning a Twelve Nirvana level giant axe, had exceptionally high power at the same level. Yet such physical power, such a Twelve Nirvana giant axe, could not withstand a single strike from Ning Fan’s sword...

What kind of sword is this! Could it be a Dao Weapon, but could a Dao Weapon achieve such levels of power!

No time to ponder, Stone of Seabed only saw a flash of red light, with the heavy wind pressure of a second sword already descending three feet upon his Heaven Spirits!

Roar!

In the nick of time, Stone of Seabed roared, an axe-shaped mark appearing on his forehead, where a dark red axe light shot out, booming to halt Ning Fan’s Reverse Sea Dao Sword midair.

"Using blood qi to form an axe, is it? This strike, is higher in power than your Twelve Nirvana magical treasure, but, it’s futile!"

Ning Fan’s Dao Sword pressed downward, splitting open the dark red axe light immediately.

Seeing the situation go wrong, Stone of Seabed withdrew, retreating whilst feeling shocked. His Twelve Nirvana magical treasure was destroyed in one encounter, and his blood qi axe trump card divine skill was effortlessly dismantled by Ning Fan. How could a mere foreign cultivator, Ning Fan, be so strong!

Yet as he retreated, suddenly, it felt as if he was nailed in place, and he could no longer move back!

Stone of Seabed suddenly felt a sense of souls lost, finding in this life-and-death moment, his body inexplicably fixed, unable to move.

It was Ning Fan who used the Heaven Sealing Art on Stone of Seabed!

The Heaven Sealing Art is the most powerful technique of the Ancestral Emperor from Eastern Heaven, its essence lies in the Secret Art of Prestige and the Momentum Character Secret.

The Secret Art of Prestige, to deter with might, to immobilize with might.

The Momentum Character Secret, in controlling overall momentum, to fix with momentum.

Now, Ning Fan’s comprehension of these secrets had reached a certain level, his use of the Heaven Sealing Art wielding far greater power than before.

At this moment, with his cultivation fully unleashed, his level comparable to Stone of Seabed’s, just a single finger fixed Stone of Seabed in place, unable to move!

After all, my cultivation is not as good as the Stone of Seabed, this time, I can only seal for about a tenth of a breath...

But in the battle of the Immortal Venerables, this little time is already enough to do many things, such as the current Ning Fan, the moment his left hand immobilized Stone of Seabed, his right hand swung the Reverse Sea Sword to slash at the waist.

The third sword!

This sword forcibly chopped Stone of Seabed’s body, hard as a magical treasure, in half! Only his spirit narrowly escaped with its life, yet there was no relief from surviving on its tiny face, only fear!

Three swords! Ning Fan used only three swords to destroy his body! One must know that even the infamous Sha Bailou back then couldn’t defeat him in three moves, yet Ning Fan easily accomplished this, this power, seriously inconsistent with his current cultivation level, exceeding by far!

"You actually dare destroy my body, you as a foreign cultivator, you as a..."

Stone of Seabed’s spirit stammered, unable to speak clearly; no matter how many great storms he has seen, facing such terrifying and angry scenes, how could he remain calm.

"Destroying your body, so what, killing you, so what, is there a rule against killing in this illusory trial!"

Ning Fan’s lips curled into a cold arc, replying with Stone of Seabed’s previous words.

If his skills are inferior, he would be robbed of maps, or forced to resist to death, have his body destroyed, and his spirit consumed by Stone of Seabed... Ha, Stone of Seabed would never show him mercy, and he certainly won’t do so either!

"This person is a lunatic, he is a foreign cultivator, just a foreign cultivator, he actually dares to kill me! Even if this does not violate the illusory trial rules, isn’t he afraid of offending my Shiren Sect! Lunatic, lunatic! My Shiren Sect has a Five Tribulations Immortal King, what benefit is there for you to kill me!"

By this time, all Stone of Seabed had left facing Ning Fan was fear; indeed, he even felt that being defeated by Sha Bailou back then, being spared and merely humiliated, was actually very merciful.

It’s naturally impossible to wait for Ning Fan to kill him, Stone of Seabed called out ’Hongcang, save me’ while frantically performing spirit escape techniques to flee this place.

Unfortunately, Hongcang was already scared out of his wits by Stone of Seabed’s swift defeat, along with the thousand people he brought, already fled far away.

No more robbing maps!

Whatever mission the master laid down doesn’t matter!

Preserving life is paramount!

With this, all Stone of Seabed could rely on was his severely limited spirit escape speed.

Theoretically, a master when their spirit leaves their body, in the absence of a physical form, can be faster than when possessing a body.

But this is the Fire Soul Tower, where the forbidden force defies the heavens within the Fire Soul Tower! Here, the spirits of Immortal Venerables can barely manage to fly, but under the suppression of forbidden force, the speed cannot be too fast!

Otherwise, with the speed of an Immortal Venerable’s spirit leaving the body, flying around the entire Middle State wouldn’t take much time; in a blink, one could fly across all six floors of the Fire Soul Tower, rendering the illusory trial unnecessary.

Stone of Seabed couldn’t fly fast, couldn’t escape quickly, and what brought him further despair was that Ning Fan merely raised a finger to immobilize him in mid-air, then with a gesture, captured his spirit alive.

With a grasp, he directly crushed his spirit and inhaled the blood mist after the crush, swallowing it!

Consuming spirit alive!

Many masters fleeing to the distance heard Stone of Seabed’s death throes and felt a chill down their spines.

Who is Stone of Seabed! An honorable Second Calamity Immortal Sovereign, before Ning Fan, was utterly powerless; if masters of their level fell into Ning Fan’s hands, there was no chance of surviving!

What chilled the crowd further was Ning Fan’s act of consuming the spirit alive!

Consuming spirit alive, this is an evil sect’s act! Stone of Seabed spoke such harsh words more as intimidation, truly capturing Ning Fan’s spirit wouldn’t necessarily result in consumption, mostly just killing outright.

But Ning Fan, indeed ate!

Hongcang felt his scalp go numb, desperately fleeing, fearing not enough speed, not hesitating to spit several mouthfuls of essential blood, enveloping himself in blood light, using secret techniques to boost escape speed!

Amusingly, he previously mocked Stone of Seabed for cowardice, mocked him for holding back, fearing mere foreign cultivators...

Now, he only regrets not heeding Stone of Seabed’s advice, patiently observing the situation!

If he had known Ning Fan was so formidable, he would never have lured Stone of Seabed to oppose Ning Fan. But there are no regrets for sale in the world; the malevolent star is already offended; the only thing he can do is flee, immediately and swiftly! Flee from here, flee from the Fire Soul Tower, forget about illusory trial results, but this life must be preserved!

Once his life is preserved... there will be opportunities to seek revenge!

A trace of ruthlessness flickered in Hongcang’s eyes, but in the next moment, it became terror.

His body suddenly couldn’t move, forcibly immobilized!

Not just superficially immobilized; his cultivation is inferior to Stone of Seabed’s, and his situation is entirely different from Stone of Seabed! Stone of Seabed was immobilized physically, could still let the spirit escape, but he, even his spirit inside was immobilized, unable to leave the body, even his mana seemed solidified, unable to circulate at all.

In the next instant, excruciating pain came from the Tian Ling, Hongcang screamed, split into two by a vertical slash from Ning Fan catching up behind, dying!

Another Immortal Sovereign slain!

More than a thousand fleeing masters suddenly ceased fleeing.

Because Ning Fan killed Hongcang who was ahead, Ning Fan had long since reached them, blocking their path.

Some chose to turn back and flee again, some chose to fight to death, yet all with the same result.

Seal!

Seal!

Seal!

This seemingly dull word, once sounded, would immobilize a master in place, like a statue, waiting for Ning Fan’s lethal sword!

After a stick of burning incense, only a hillside of corpses remained, walking upon a blood-stained path was the cold and merciless Ning Fan!

After arriving at the Dabei Clan, Ning Fan was tolerant everywhere, but in this illusion trial, he need not hold back. If someone tries to take his life, he will return the favor in blood, that’s all!

With Ning Fan’s strength, it’s understandable to easily kill Hongcang, after all, Hongcang was just a newly ascended Immortal Venerable, relying on the terrifying power of the Reverse Sea Sword, he was not difficult to kill.

But Stone of Seabed was somewhat tricky.

If Ning Fan didn’t possess such a Heaven-defying divine skill as the Heaven Sealing Art, the task of killing Stone of Seabed would never have been so easy.

This art became the strongest divine skill of the Ancestral Emperor from the Eastern Heaven, so it naturally couldn’t be a mere name. It could fix one person, kill one person! Fix two people, kill two people! Unlike the Water-Flooding Realm Bottle, which targets entire realms, it kills one person at a time. Yet, its effect is similarly terrifying.

It fixes the physical defense, Spirit, mana operation, and spirit sense diffusion...

As long as the opponent’s cultivation is not far ahead of Ning Fan, this technique can easily become a Heaven-defying means to kill opponents instantly, once fixed, death is almost guaranteed!

Of course, this might also be the only weakness of the Heaven Sealing Art... If Stone of Seabed’s cultivation were slightly higher, reaching the Eternal Third Calamity, Ning Fan would find it difficult to fix him, let alone kill him instantly.

Ning Fan calmly collected the storage pouches from the corpses in the bloody mist, and occasionally picked up Dao Fruits dropped from dead bodies.

Emperor Butcher watched Ning Fan from afar, her beautiful eyes filled with emotion.

She had really underestimated Ning Fan. With Ning Fan’s current power, unless encountering someone at the peak of the Second Calamity, this Heaven Sealing Art alone can instantly kill most Immortal Venerables of the Second Calamity!

Those of the First Calamity or newly ascended Immortal Venerables have even slimmer chances of survival...

And this is now, where Ning Fan’s strength is slightly lacking to reach the Second Calamity of the Eternals.

What if Ning Fan’s strength truly reaches the Second Calamity of the Eternals?

What if he ascends to become an Immortal King, or an Immortal Emperor?

Will he then be able to instantly kill Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors of the same level?

"This technique should be from the Ancestral Emperor of the Eastern Heaven in the Land of Dreams, right? If it really is this technique, then this kid is strong, yet he might not escape the greater danger of this technique... Should I give him some advice?"

Emperor Butcher quietly contemplated.

Beside her, whether it was Wuxx Yan or the scar-faced man, they all wore expressions of fear.

Even an old hand like Wuxx Yan, an Immortal Venerable of the First Calamity, couldn’t remain calm! Ning Fan’s display of power made even her, a teammate, feel terrified!

Suddenly, she felt grateful for choosing Ning Fan as a teammate; otherwise, Ning Fan would become her great enemy in this illusion trial, or perhaps she would unknowingly provoke Ning Fan and end up as a skeleton beneath his foot...

Or, had she not been lucky enough to team up with Ning Fan, she might have been robbed of the map by Stone of Seabed and others...

Compared to these small bits of luck, owing Ning Fan a life-saving debt was not necessarily a bad thing.

But when Ning Fan returned with a bounty of spoils, she found herself unable to act coyly as before.

She feared Ning Fan!

So much so that Ning Fan merely asked her a question casually, and she became flustered and tongue-tied, despite usually being articulate.

"How much do you know about the Ancient Buddha Dao Fruits?" Ning Fan asked Wuxx Yan in a peculiar tone.

"I-I-I... haven’t eaten them..."

"I’m not asking whether you’ve eaten them. I’m asking... forget it, I’m not asking you anymore."

Feeling a bit disdainful, Ning Fan glanced at Wuxx Yan and turned to Emperor Butcher to ask the same question.

Emperor Butcher didn’t answer directly; instead, her eyes sparkled, and she licked her lips, "Is there more good stuff to eat?"

"You want to eat too?" Ning Fan said helplessly. This was his trophy. But considering how Emperor Butcher helped him improve his Medicine Soul level, perhaps he could share some.

"Which unlucky fellow did you get it from?" Emperor Butcher asked with a smile.

Given the mutual understanding between them over these days, even without directly answering, many questions had clear answers.

On the other hand, Wuxx Yan and others appeared as mere backgrounds, not daring to speak, silently listening to Ning Fan and Emperor Butcher’s verbal sparring.

Ning Fan was quite troubled.

Had he known he’d get such good stuff, he would’ve definitely spared Stone of Seabed and Hongcang’s Spirit instead of outright obliterating them.

Unlike the treatment given to Sha Bailou’s Spirit, the Spirit of these two held no interest for Ning Fan, and so he annihilated them directly.

This caused a problem: Ning Fan recovered something called the Ancient Buddha Dao Fruits from Hongcang’s storage pouch but didn’t understand how to consume it.

These were delicacies only available at the Ancient Buddha Assembly of Middle State!

Because of the Blood Martial Arena, Ning Fan missed the Ancient Buddha Assembly, but unexpectedly got some Ancient Buddha Dao Fruits here. Somehow, destiny seemed to have its course, as if he was destined to encounter them finally.

However, Ancient Buddha Dao Fruits differ from ordinary Dao Fruits. If consumed improperly, much of their potency is lost. But then again, Ning Fan thought he might be worrying needlessly.

With the omnipotent Emperor Butcher around, it seems there’s no need to worry about these things...

"How about a forty-sixty split?" Emperor Butcher squinted her beautiful eyes and smiled.

"You get sixty?"

"You get sixty. I wouldn’t dare take more from your spoils."