Grasping the Evil

Chapter 1046: The Illusion of the Six Paths Netherworld

"Throughout this journey, the lady has given me many benefits, so I will naturally do my best in this matter," Ning Fan replied.

"No, those benefits are actually nothing much, and at most, can only count as part of the transaction reward between us. You helping me enter the Six Paths Yellow Springs carries no small risk, therefore irrespective of the outcome, I will give you an additional gift as a thank you. When this matter is settled, I will send this item to you."

The Emperor Butcher slightly opened his mouth, revealing the heavily sealed Saint’s Will Secret Treasure.

Upon hearing this, Ning Fan was immediately moved.

This secret treasure is secretly sealed, and although Ning Fan hasn’t figured out its real appearance yet, he knows well that its origin is no small matter.

A secret treasure that can emit the power of a Saint’s Will is definitely not an ordinary item!

The Emperor Butcher regards this item so highly and has tightly sealed it, there must be other divine skills that this item can showcase. Of course, even if this secret treasure only has the ability to emit the Saint’s Will, it is enough to tempt Ning Fan. Throughout this journey, he relied on the overwhelming Saint Will pressure to refine the medicinal power, saving an unknown amount of time. If he could truly obtain this treasure, it would undoubtedly be a major aid in his cultivation.

"The value of this treasure is likely enough to tempt someone at the Quasi-Saint level..." Ning Fan paused for a moment and asked.

"Indeed. I exchanged this treasure at a great cost from the Supreme Ox Demon. I’m not hiding anything from you, this treasure is actually a half-damaged Innate Treasure, almost without a possibility for repair. Although it contains a vast amount of Saint’s Will, it cannot be used indefinitely, the more you use it, the less it becomes... Once the Saint’s Will is completely used up, this treasure will be considered as waste."

"The real purpose of this treasure is not to release the Saint’s Will and accelerate the refinement of medicinal power, but to enable... time to reverse!"

"Time reversal, what do you mean?" Ning Fan’s gaze slightly changed, asking, perhaps wouldn’t it be as he guessed.

"The literal meaning... If this treasure was intact, if you possessed the cultivation of the Third Step, this treasure could allow an entire Great Thousand World to reverse time back to the past!"

"Able to return to the past! That’s impossible!"

"Hehe, why is that impossible. Do you know what the Third Step of power is?"

"... The Power of Reincarnation?" Ning Fan thought for a moment and asked.

"How much do you understand about reincarnation?"

"Very little."

"I once witnessed true realms in dreams, and not just once, personally attending the Saint’s dojo in dreams, listening to a genuine Saint’s lecture. The most profound impression left upon me was by the Ancient Moon Saint from Jing Sect. This Saint once told disciples that reincarnation is like a book, if the book is turned forward, the characters in it move to the future, if turned backward, they return to the past. The characters believe they are moving from the past to the future, thinking that the passage of time is the alternation of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, but this is not the case. Time is static, but this static state is invisible to the characters in the book, only those who turn the book are aware..."

Reincarnation is like a book! Time is static! But this static state is invisible to the characters in the book, only those who turn the book are aware!

Ning Fan was instantly enlightened, as if he had understood countless profound mysteries from this sentence, yet completely understood nothing at all.

Even more astonishing was hearing such profound insights of reincarnation from the mouth of the Emperor Butcher. Such insights might not be understood even by Quasi-Saints, yet the Emperor Butcher knows...

Dreaming of listening to a Saint’s lecture, such chance encounters are things others cannot even imagine...

"...Theoretically, if this treasure were completely repaired and used by a Saint, it could cause the entire Great Thousand World to reverse time. What concept is an entire Great Thousand World? The four heavens and nine worlds, Immortal Demon World, Ancient Demon Abyss, where you foreign cultivators reside, along with our Great Humble Ones’ Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, they’re all just parts of the Great Thousand World. If the treasure’s power is fully unleashed, it could cause all the above-mentioned planes to reverse time! But that is only theoretically possible, even the Supreme Ox Demon cannot repair this treasure. Whether there still exists someone in this world who can repair this item is uncertain. Moreover, even if it were repaired, you won’t possess Saint Cultivation, naturally, it’s impossible to reverse the time of an entire Great Thousand World..."

"In its half-destroyed state, this treasure can still cause a very small range of time to slightly reverse. Once you reach the Six Paths Yellow Springs, I’ll unseal this item and give it to you, then you’ll have a greater chance of survival. If you’re unfortunately killed, this treasure will help you reverse back to the time before you died..."

Ning Fan was somewhat shocked by the heaven-defying nature of this treasure. In its perfect state, reversing the time of an entire Great Thousand World... In its half-destroyed state, this treasure is still enough to resurrect the dead back to the point before they died...

A treasure so heaven-defying is actually just of Innate Rank, not a Heaven-Opening Artifact...

Or perhaps, in the eyes of those Saints, reversing time might not be an inconceivable thing, and such divine skill isn’t enough to be classified as Heaven-Opening Grade...

On the twenty-seventh day, Ning Fan and the Emperor Butcher arrived at a vast plains.

This plains is covered with dandelions, when Ning Fan stepped in, the grassland suddenly felt the wind movement, then tens of thousands of dandelions soared with the wind, the white mist-like form instantly obscuring the sky, redirecting the vision, concealing everything.

Under normal circumstances, Ning Fan would just need to blow a breath to turn into a gust and easily scatter this sky full of dandelions.

Yet at this moment, he was shocked to discover that because of the overwhelming dandelions, his body for some reason was unable to move.

Another illusion technique...

Nowadays, ordinary inferior Taixuan Illusion Technique can no longer constrain him in the slightest, even middle-grade Taixuan Illusion he cannot break, but can still discern a trace.

However, the current dandelion illusion technique is one he cannot detect even a trace of, seemingly this technique is likely to be the best among middle-grade Taixuan Illusions, possibly... reaching the high-grade Taixuan level!

"Wake up!"

A sweet shout in his ear directly woke Ning Fan from the illusory art, and then the vast expanse of white dandelions dissipated like wind-swept clouds.

It was the Emperor Butcher who broke the illusion from the side and awakened Ning Fan.

"Thank you. I didn’t expect there to be such a high level of illusion here; I was slightly careless..." Ning Fan said gratefully.

"I made things too difficult for you. The illusion here is almost at the high-grade Tai Xuan level; it’s still too strong for you. Even an ordinary Immortal Emperor would struggle against such an illusion here," the Emperor Butcher replied nonchalantly, then requested Ning Fan to put her down.

"We’re not moving forward anymore?" Ning Fan asked.

"We’ve arrived. The Six Paths Yellow Springs is just above this plain!"

"In the sky?" Ning Fan was slightly stunned, lifting his head to gaze at the sky.

He saw amidst the clouds a patch of pure white, with one spot where the clouds condensed into an oily yellow ice crystal, and the airflow there seemed colder than elsewhere.

In that patch of cloud, it seemed there was an entrance to some kind of secret place... After the Emperor Butcher’s reminder, Ning Fan could vaguely see something.

He secretly thought that particular cloud might actually be the entrance to the Six Paths Yellow Springs? This was quite different from Ning Fan’s imagination of the Six Paths Yellow Springs.

Many books mentioned the Six Paths Yellow Springs, especially Buddhist texts, which are most descriptive of such things. Buddhism emphasizes cause and effect, the past life and this life. In Buddhist scriptures, the Six Paths Yellow Springs is part of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. It’s said that after death, souls enter the Yellow Springs and are reborn there, reincarnated into a new life. The life they are sent to is greatly related to the merits of their past life.

However, throughout his cultivation journey, Ning Fan had never personally witnessed reincarnation and had always been skeptical about the existence of the Yama Hell and Six Paths of Reincarnation described in Buddhist scriptures.

Of course, none of the texts described the Six Paths Yellow Springs as being above the earth, seeming as if no book ever placed the Six Paths Yellow Springs in the sky.

"That cloud is too high. The power of the Breaking Illusion Bead is exhausted. I can’t restore my cultivation and thus can’t contend with the forbidden force here to fly to such heights. How do we get up there?"

Ning Fan frowned. Flying was out of the question, and jumping, under the suppression of the forbidden force, would only allow him to jump a hundred feet high no matter how strong he was, which was far from reaching the cloud.

"Wait until this place turns to night, and we’ll have a way to fly up," the Emperor Butcher replied.

Then she stretched lazily and lay directly on the green grassy ground, assuming an extremely comfortable position... and fell asleep!

Just wait until nightfall then...

Ning Fan was unfamiliar with the environment of this sixth level. Although the Emperor Butcher could rely on her cultivation to sleep on the grass, Ning Fan did not dare. He hadn’t forgotten the Emperor Butcher’s advice, that even a slight distraction here might lead to being killed by some illusion...

Even while waiting, he remained extremely vigilant, not daring to relax even a little.

The sky gradually darkened. There was no moon and stars here, and the night was darker than any other, as if this darkness itself was a rather high-grade illusion technique.

Fortunately, Ning Fan himself had cultivated a similar Dark Night Illusion Technique and was naturally not afraid of this illusion; yet, in this pitch-black environment, he couldn’t help but worry about the woman sleeping soundly beside him.

There wasn’t a trace of light, and even if any light was lit, it would be swallowed by the night’s darkness.

The naked eye and spirit sense could not perceive in this darkness; Ning Fan could only rely on his ears to confirm the Emperor Butcher’s state.

In the first half of the night, the Emperor Butcher’s breathing was very steady.

At a certain moment in the latter half of the night, the Emperor Butcher’s breathing suddenly vanished...

Then, in the darkness, the sound of a beast tearing and devouring fresh meat was emitted!

Ning Fan’s first reaction was to wonder if something had happened to the Emperor Butcher. He immediately frowned. In the darkness, relying on memory, he walked to where the Emperor Butcher was sleeping, reaching out to touch the grass, and fortunately, the Emperor Butcher was still there, not eaten by some unknown beast...

The blame lay in Ning Fan’s total unfamiliarity with this sixth layer, so upon hearing the sound of a beast eating meat, he worried that the utterly cultivation-less Emperor Butcher had been eaten by some beast...

"Get your hand off!"

In the darkness, the Emperor Butcher’s somewhat mortified voice rang out.

Hearing this, Ning Fan realized that his hand seemed to be grasping a certain extremely ample and soft part of the Emperor Butcher’s body. As his fingers moved slightly, it was still incredibly elastic...

Previously worried about the Emperor Butcher’s safety, Ning Fan hadn’t noticed what part of the Emperor Butcher he had touched. Now with worry gone, he noticed the part he held was exceptionally plump and soft, with enticing elasticity...

Oh, it seems he accidentally groped her chest. But unexpectedly, despite the Emperor Butcher’s seemingly slender build, she was surprisingly well-endowed...

"Three breaths! If you don’t remove your hand, I’ll chop it off and feed it to the dogs!"

The Emperor Butcher’s voice carried an extremely terrifying murderous intent, without any hint of joking.

Ning Fan finally withdrew his hand, shook his head, and smiled wryly, but was too lazy to explain further, so he just asked,

"What is that sound?" He was naturally asking about the sound of a beast tearing into raw flesh.

"It’s the sound of a Heavenly Dog eating meat!" Emperor Butcher answered coldly, as her good mood was entirely ruined by Ning Fan’s earlier actions.

"Heavenly Dog?" Ning Fan was taken aback. The Heavenly Dog seemed to be a mythical beast that only existed in ancient legends, but could it be that such a creature still existed in today’s cultivation world?

In ancient times, there was Yin Mountain, from which turbid waters flowed southward to Fanze. It was abundant with Wenbei clams and boasted a beast resembling a raccoon, yet with a white head, called the Heavenly Dog...

As these ancient texts echoed in Ning Fan’s mind, two fierce, lightning-like gazes suddenly swept over from the darkness ahead.

The surrounding darkness was instantly dispelled by the beast’s gaze!

It was a strange beast the size of a water buffalo, resembling a giant lynx with gray fur, except for its snow-white head. A crack ran down its forehead.

Even though the beast did not have a large form, its Divine Skills were quite formidable. Ning Fan admitted he couldn’t disperse the local Dark Illusion Technique, yet this beast dispersed the darkness with a mere glare, brightening the surroundings!

This must be the Heavenly Dog, the mythical beast Emperor Butcher mentioned!

Under this faint glow, Ning Fan saw that Emperor Butcher was not lying on the ground sleeping as he had assumed, but crouched low, feeding meat to the Heavenly Dog. And the meat wasn’t from beasts or birds—it was... human flesh!

"Where did the human flesh come from..." Ning Fan asked with a frown.

"The Heavenly Dog is a creature from the vicinity of the Six Paths Yellow Springs. At night, it leaves the Yellow Springs to hunt outside. It won’t eat anything but human flesh, and if it does eat human flesh, it must be the flesh of an Immortal Emperor..." Emperor Butcher explained while feeding the Heavenly Dog meat.

Only then did Ning Fan notice that Emperor Butcher seemed a bit weak, her complexion pale, and there were bloodstains on her skirt.

"Did you use your own flesh to feed it?" Ning Fan’s frown deepened.

"What else? Should I use your flesh? Heh, it might not like yours. Once it’s full, the Heavenly Dog will fly back to the Six Paths Yellow Springs. It ate my flesh, so it agreed to take us there." Emperor Butcher replied irritably, still upset over Ning Fan’s earlier behavior.

"Is the wound serious..."

Ning Fan frowned as he looked toward Emperor Butcher’s chest, causing her to blush and coldly retort,

"What are you looking at? It’s not from there! The wound’s on my thigh!"

"...Should I help you heal it?" Ning Fan asked curiously, looking down between her legs.

"No need! I’ve taken a blood-boosting pill, and the flesh will regenerate quickly! It’s almost done eating, let’s quickly ride on its back and follow it to the Six Paths Yellow Springs!"

With that, Emperor Butcher gritted her teeth, trying to climb onto the Heavenly Dog’s back, but she couldn’t manage it.

Each time she lifted her leg, excruciating pain tore through her left leg; after all, cutting off such a large piece of flesh was bound to hurt.

Ning Fan silently picked Emperor Butcher up and placed her on the Heavenly Dog’s back, then climbed on himself, with her in front and him behind.

The Heavenly Dog, having finished eating, let out a thunderous belch. Then it shook its head, ridding itself of fleas, and with a sudden leap, it took to the air, treating the forbidden force here as child’s play.

"Hold on tight! No matter what happens, don’t look back!"

Emperor Butcher reminded Ning Fan coldly. The embrace was clearly not for intimacy but for Ning Fan’s safety.

Entering the Six Paths Yellow Springs would expose them to superior-grade Tai Xuan Illusion Technique, and only by holding on tight to her would Ning Fan have a chance of survival!

Ning Fan nodded, grabbing the Heavenly Dog’s mane with his left hand and the waist of Emperor Butcher with his right.

Emperor Butcher shivered slightly, her expression remaining calm without saying another word.

But her calm did not last long, turning into shameful anger when Ning Fan’s right hand, unintentionally, slid down from her waist between her legs!

Just as she was about to teach Ning Fan a lesson, his hand stopped before reaching a critical spot and began channeling the Demon Starfall at the wound on her left leg, healing her.

Emperor Butcher’s anger dissipated instantly. The missing flesh soon regrew, just as good as new...

After finishing, Ning Fan moved his hand back to her waist obediently, his expression clear and devoid of any mischief.

Though familiar with romances, Ning Fan had long since become indifferent, free from unnecessary desires.

He knew well that the Six Paths Yellow Springs was no haven, likely more dangerous than outside, allowing for no distractions.

He certainly wouldn’t take advantage of Emperor Butcher at such a critical moment.

The Heavenly Dog leaped into the clouds, heading toward a strange cloud.

A gust of wind blew against them. Then Ning Fan felt a dazzling, bright light that forced him to close his eyes, as he transitioned from one realm to another...

After the blinding light, Ning Fan finally saw the landscape before him, starkly different from the outside world.

The sky was full of fractures and wounds!

The ground was a sea formed by the surging Yellow Springs!

The severely fractured skies also housed oily yellow ice clouds, serving as a passage connecting to the outside.

The sea was eerily still, without wind or waves, and the air was extremely cold, with exhaled breath freezing instantly into crystals.

There were no islands, only six ancient floating mountains that lacked the ethereal mist of typical Immortal Mountains, exuding a sense of desolation.

One of the ancient mountains emitted a crimson glow, giving an ominous vibe, causing Ning Fan’s heart to race at just a glance!

Emperor Butcher mentioned that one mountain in the Six Paths Yellow Springs was particularly dangerous; could it be that one...

While he pondered, a voice of a young girl was suddenly heard from the sky behind.

"Eh, Aliang, look, why is there such a strange big dog flying in the sky? Look, there are two people on its back."

"Where? Let me see? Oh my, once again Paper Crane wasn’t lying! It’s true, such a big dog entering our Six Paths Reincarnation, but... why did you say there are two people on its back? I can see only one..."

"Huh, weird, I thought it was two just now, but now... it’s only one..."

Ning Fan was instantly alarmed!

The voices were unmistakably familiar to him, one belonging to Mu Weiliang, and the other to Paper Crane...

Involuntarily, he wanted to turn around, to see why they were here. But Ning Fan quickly composed himself!

He remembered Emperor Butcher’s warning and ultimately did not turn to look for the source of the voices. He could faintly sense an immense Illusory Art power behind him, far surpassing his own strength, and should he look back, death may await him!

Ning Fan did not turn back.

The voices behind soon fell silent.

But not long after, an aged, authoritative shout burst from behind. The shout was so powerful that Ning Fan involuntarily coughed up blood, suffering intense chest pain and... severe injury!

These injuries weren’t solely from the shout, but largely seemed to stem from pre-existing wounds.

In profound pain, Ning Fan struggled to maintain his seat atop the Heavenly Dog, his body pitching forward as he was about to crash into Emperor Butcher’s back.

But, he collided with empty air!

Ning Fan looked up, shocked to find that the Emperor Butcher, clearly seated in front of him, was somehow... gone!

And the Heavenly Dog beneath him, though still a Heavenly Dog, was larger and exuded a much stronger presence than the previous Heavenly Dog!

If the prior Heavenly Dog had spirit sense level cultivation, then this one’s power was ten thousand, a million times greater... a Heavenly Dog of the Firstly, pierce the body with the pin and draw the marks cultivation!

What is happening!

The Emperor Butcher has vanished!

The Heavenly Dog is different!

Could it be... that he fell into an Illusionary Trap!

"Nifan, how dare you! The Three Great Realms are hunting you down, yet you dare to run to my Six Paths Reincarnation seeking death. Do you really think my Ancient Holy Sect is weak and easy to bully! Humph! Today will be your end!"

The figure of an elderly man chasing after the Heavenly Dog shouted fiercely, causing the whole world to shrink as if it was a living creature...