novelraw Chapter 1071: The Fall of Hex Zu
Chapter 1071: The Fall of Hex Zu
After those provocateurs had left, Ning Fan remained in his room, sitting cross-legged in meditation, without interacting with anyone.
The night gradually crept up the window sill.
At the Chou hour, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared inside Ning Fan’s room.
This person was wearing black armor, with a helmet that exposed only his eyes, which glowed green like those of a beast. His skin, bandaged beneath his armor, was completely hidden. Despite there being no visible sign of cultivation on him, Ning Fan, as an Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor, could sense the immense physical power lying dormant within this person.
At least comparable to the Late Stage of Enlightenment.
Ning Fan knew that this armored man had come to monitor his testing of the expensive pills, a routine duty that every He Family Medicine Slave must perform.
Upon arriving, the man exchanged no words with Ning Fan, instead taking out three snow-white jade boxes, placing them on the table, and said coldly,
"Take one and swallow it!"
Inside each of the three jade boxes lay an unknown pill. Given Ning Fan’s Medicine Soul level, he could easily detect the pills’ flaws, each carrying some degree of toxicity.
The three pills were of the Eight Transformations Low Grade, Medium Grade, and High Grade, respectively, with higher-grade pills being more toxic.
Such Eight Transformation poison pills could undoubtedly kill a weak Fate Immortal within ten breaths, and even if someone in the Crossing Truth Realm were to take them, it would still cause some bodily harm...
"These pills are not toxic enough! Bring me the most poisonous pill within your authority to give!" Ning Fan said indifferently.
"Are you sure? The more toxic the pill, the higher the rewards, but if you die, you get nothing!" The armored man sneered sinisterly.
He had seen many medicine slaves like Ning Fan, who lost their lives to greed, and felt no sympathy for such reckless individuals.
With a wave of his hand, he retrieved the three white jade boxes, then slapped his storage pouch, producing a dark cyan jade box, which he placed on the table.
This dark cyan jade box contained a Nine Transformations Lead Grade poison pill!
A blue poisonous mist swirled on the surface of the pill, forming a strange circular pattern, extremely eerie. With Ning Fan’s Medicine Soul insight, he could easily gauge the potency of this pill’s poison.
It could undoubtedly kill any Fate Immortal upon contact with blood and even harm someone in the Crossing Truth Realm if they consumed it, unless at the Peak Crossing Truth Realm; otherwise, there’s a good chance of severe injury or even death!
"Survive this pill, and you may be promoted from Centurion to Centurion Commander!"
The armored man looked mockingly at Ning Fan, as if ridiculing him for making a foolish choice.
Ning Fan, however, didn’t respond to the armored man. He simply drew the pill over from the table with a gesture, took it in hand without a glance, and swallowed it whole!
The poison, deadly enough to kill with a touch, spread in his body, attempting to wreak havoc inside Ning Fan, yet it couldn’t even touch his Divine Spirit Wasted Body in the slightest. After ingesting the pill, Ning Fan ignored the armored man and continued meditating with his eyes closed.
"He hasn’t died instantly?"
The armored man was slightly surprised, then showed a meaningful smile, saying, "If you’re still alive by noon tomorrow, I’ll take you to the residence of the Centurion Commanders in the First Region..."
"No need. I wish to ascend directly to the Second Region." Ning Fan said lightly without even opening his eyes.
"Haha, reckless youth unafraid of tigers... very well, very well... I can help you apply for this with the higher-ups; your constitution seems quite special..." The armored man collected the empty box and left with a strange smile.
By noon the next day, as expected, a He Family Cultivator arrived to take Ning Fan to the Second Region.
Another armored man escorted Ning Fan, also wearing a helmet that only exposed the eyes, with his body bandaged beneath the black armor.
Unlike the previous armored man, this one’s aura was even stronger, comparable to the Mid Stage of Shekong.
Upon entering the Second Region, Ning Fan immediately felt over a thousand spirit senses scanning him, but once they realized he was only at the Crossing Truth Realm level, they withdrew unimpressed, one by one.
These were mostly the Medicine Slaves of the Second Region inspecting Ning Fan.
In this area, most of the Medicine Slaves were at the Shekong Cultivation Level, with only a few being at the Late Stage and Peak Enlightenment.
The accompanying armored man remained silent throughout, leading Ning Fan to a dusty empty room and then leaving.
Ning Fan also refrained from asking questions, waved away the dust in the room, and sat cross-legged in meditation.
Identities such as Centurion Commander are only valid in the First Region; in the Second Region, these titles no longer apply to Medicine Slaves.
The only criterion for division is the time spent as a He Family Medicine Slave.
Within thirty years, one is a lower-ranking Medicine Slave, three hundred years for mid-ranking, and three thousand years for upper-ranking. Like Ning Fan, who had been a Medicine Slave with the He Family for only one day, he belonged to the lowest rank, thus could only enjoy corresponding treatment, living in a remote room with no servants.
But if one were a mid-ranking or upper-ranking Medicine Slave, they could enjoy VIP treatment in the Second Region, where the He Family would provide a certain share of the pills and Cauldron Furnace needed for their cultivation, as long as they tested pills for the He Family.
It’s precisely these generous perks that drove many cultivators to scramble into the He Family to test medicine, exchanging life for rewards.
Testing medicine is nothing but a scam.
Providing cultivation resources for mid and upper-ranking Medicine Slaves is also just a scam.
It’s simply livestock being raised...
Ning Fan silently awaited the arrival of night. As soon as the Chou hour struck, indeed, an armored man came to deliver medicine to Ning Fan—five dark cyan jade boxes, five kinds of expensive pills, available for Ning Fan to choose from.
"Take one and swallow it!" It was still that indifferent, emotionless tone, as if speaking to livestock.
Ning Fan cast his gaze over the five pills and found that all of them were Nine Transformations Lead Pills. The weakest among them had a stronger toxic power than the one consumed in the first region. The poison patterns on the pills ranged from two to six lines, seemingly the more patterns, the more domineering the poison of the pill.
"Not enough! Take out the highest level of poison pill within your authority!" Ning Fan said expressionlessly.
"Heheheh, I heard a new special physique person arrived yesterday and was promoted to the second region in just one day. I originally didn’t believe it, but now it seems you might indeed have some reliance, very good, very good..."
The armored man retrieved the five pills and then took out a deep purple jade box, within which was a Nine Revolutions Silver Pill!
The pill bore eleven poison lines, radiating a toxic force enough to shock most Shedding Void cultivators into dismay.
Ning Fan’s face still showed no expression as he grabbed the pill, swallowed it in one gulp, and continued meditating in a cross-legged position, his face unchanged.
The armored man’s eyes twinkled, he chuckled coldly, gathered up the jade box, and left.
At noon the next day, without Ning Fan needing to ask, a designated person came to escort Ning Fan to his accommodations in the third region.
Even though he had only tried the He Family’s pills twice, according to the armored man, someone from above had specially approved him, promoting him extraordinarily to an upper-ranking Medicine Slave.
In the third region, one could enjoy great authority!
The He Family assigned twelve maids to serve Ning Fan, and a designated person brought a large amount of expensive pills and Dao Fruit for Ning Fan’s cultivation needs.
Unfortunately, these were only things that helped elevate the Truth-Transcending cultivation, in which Ning Fan was not very interested.
Several authorities of the He Family even came to visit Ning Fan specifically.
The visitors were a few young masters of the He Family. During the conversation, Ning Fan learned that they held rather high status within the family, mostly being direct descendants of the He Family elders.
They were extremely enthusiastic towards Ning Fan, generously offering their cultivation techniques for Ning Fan to practice.
Ning Fan had an expressionless chat with the He Family’s young masters and, after they left, dismissed all the maids to continue meditating.
Inwardly, he sneered.
Those He Family young masters, who outwardly seemed warm, were probably just here to inspect his body... as for the techniques they offered, haha...
The He Family seemed very satisfied with his body, suggesting his death date was not far off...
The third region had only about one hundred and thirty medicine slaves, all possessing special traits with extreme resistance to poison pills, both men and women. Their cultivation level was at least Shedding Void, someone like Ning Fan, who entered the third region from Truth-Transcending, was the first.
This was Ning Fan’s third day at the He Family.
Once the Chou hour arrived, indeed, another armored man came to deliver medicine to Ning Fan. Oddly, this time it wasn’t poison but all nourishing pills.
It seemed they were trying to tune Ning Fan’s body to its optimum state...
Under the armored man’s surveillance, Ning Fan consumed all the nourishing pills, and only then did the armored man pack up and leave.
On the fourth day, it was still nourishing pills.
The fifth day, the same.
On the sixth day, suddenly a special agent came to take Ning Fan into the fourth region.
Many medicine slaves in the third region felt envious of Ning Fan’s rapid promotion to the fourth region.
Many had been medicine slaves for the He Family for thousands of years and never advanced to the fourth region. Ning Fan managed to achieve this in just six days, clearly having a different level of importance to the He Family.
They didn’t know that so-called promotion to the fourth region was not a stroke of luck but misfortune. Entering the fourth region was equivalent to stepping into the gateway of hell...
Ning Fan, however, understood this.
He had already gathered this much intelligence from tables and chairs, so there were no surprises, merely using the He Family medicine slave’s ploys to infiltrate the fourth region instead.
There was no living medicine slave in the fourth region, only hundreds of ancient mountains exuding a deathly aura.
Ning Fan was led by a squad of Shattered Thought Armored Warriors to one of the ancient mountains and entered a cave on the mountain.
The cave was spacious, with thousands of coffins hanging from above, a few of which were empty, but most held corpses.
Below the countless suspended coffins was an altar where mercury flowed, and in the center of the altar, the He Family young masters who had visited Ning Fan earlier been waiting for quite some time.
Upon seeing Ning Fan again, the He Family young masters did not bother to disguise their former enthusiasm, instead showing a cold smile reserved for livestock.
"What a perfect body, able to endure the poison of the Nine Revolutions Silver Pill at Mid Stage Enlightenment without harm. I will claim this body! It’s just right for refining into a second primordial spirit body!" One of the He Family young masters said.
"Third Brother, you mustn’t fight with me over this. I yielded the last body for you to conduct corpse seizing; you should let me have this one. The current body I’m in has reached its limit and needs replacing!" Another chimed in.
"I’m short of puppet material anyway, this person will do nicely, and I won’t let you take him!" said a fat young master.
"Hmph! Start competing for this body now, it’s a bit rushed. Kill him first, and test the compatibility of his corpse with our needs before deciding who’s it best suits! Do it, kill him, and ensure the process is perfect without damaging the body an inch!" said a young master with an icy look.
At his command, the Shattered Thought Armored Warriors immediately sealed the space around Ning Fan, blocking his escape route. One of the warriors took off his helmet, unwrapped the bandages on his head, revealing a beast face completely different from a human’s, opened its bloody maw, and extended a long tongue flying towards Ning Fan’s face.
The long tongue was covered with barbs, and purple venom flowed over its surface, occasionally dripping to the ground, creating a large pit due to corrosion.
The long tongue flew all the way, aiming to shoot into Ning Fan’s mouth, to invade his body, silently killing him with poison.
In the eyes of the Hex Family cultivators, Ning Fan, with his mere Mid Stage Enlightenment cultivation, seemed helpless, trapped by over ten Shattered Thought spells, unable to even muster mana, and could only await death.
But unfortunately, Ning Fan was not some Mid Stage Enlightenment cultivator.
The extremely repulsive long tongue hadn’t even reached Ning Fan’s mouth before getting shattered by a finger ray from Ning Fan.
All Hex Family cultivators were shocked, clearly not expecting Ning Fan to have the ability to resist against over ten Shattered Thoughts.
Having successfully infiltrated the fourth region, Ning Fan certainly didn’t plan to play the weakling, nor let that disgusting tongue reach his mouth.
In a flash, Ning Fan transformed into red light, causing over ten Shattered Thought armored men of Hex Family to collapse silently and without notice, with a bloody hole at their Dantian, and their Primordial Spirit hollowed out...
Under the terrified gazes of several Hex Family scions, holding handfuls of fresh blood, Ning Fan crushed the Primordial Spirit of each Hex Family cultivator and transformed into red light, approaching the Hex Family underlings.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Outside the space, in the Hex Family building where soul plates were kept, nineteen soul plates shattered simultaneously.
The Hex Family cultivator guarding the soul plates was shocked, causing a commotion that required time to reach Ning Fan in the fourth region.
Transmitting to the ears of the Immortal Emperor in secluded meditation in the fourth region would need even more time.
During this time, Ning Fan could accomplish many things, casually collecting the unfortunate cultivators’ storage pouches, before scanning the cave’s stored corpses with his spirit sense.
Over seven hundred bodies, ranging from Crossing Truth to Shedding Void, all excellent corpses indeed.
All... the Hex Family’s Medicine Slaves from ancient times to the present.
Ning Fan did not touch these corpses; he discovered that there were extremely subtle alarm prohibitions on the coffins here, which, if stolen, would immediately alert the Immortal Emperor here.
If confronted with an Immortal Emperor before finding a suitable flesh for Burying Moon, things would become complicated.
Ning Fan flickered and vanished from the place, then stealthily infiltrating the ancient mountains storing bodies.
Each ancient mountain was guarded by armored men, but they were mostly True Immortal cultivators; Ning Fan’s innate Ghost Mask invisibility surely could not be noticed by mere armored men.
As an Ancient Deity, he had long since had no restrictions in using the innate Ghost Mask, allowing him to remain invisible at any time. Thus, mountain after mountain was searched by Ning Fan, and he found numerous Immortal Venerable and Immortal King bodies.
Yet he stubbornly failed to find any corpse above the Immortal Emperor level.
"Not in these ancient mountains..."
Left with no choice, Ning Fan took out the Treasure-searching Compass, activated it with a thought, and instantly, it displayed hundreds of brilliant spots concentrated at the same location.
Precisely the Immortal Emperor’s retreat in the fourth region!
Hundreds of spots represented bodies above the Immortal Venerable level, and even several Immortal Emperor level corpses!
Looks like there’s no way to take away Immortal Emperor level corpses without fighting that Immortal Emperor...
As Ning Fan put away the Treasure-searching Compass, an immense spirit sense suddenly descended like shadows, enveloping Ning Fan!
"Who dares to trespass in the Hex Family corpse storage place, courting death!"
The news of the Hex Family cultivators’ soul plates breaking hadn’t reached this Immortal Emperor’s ears, but Ning Fan’s use of the Treasure-searching Compass at such close range was still detected by him.
Ning Fan sighed helplessly; this was the reason he didn’t use the Treasure-searching Compass initially—too close to the Immortal Emperor, and a targeted search would likely arouse his awareness...
Well, if detected, so be it! There’s going to be a battle anyway!
Ning Fan shed his scholarly young man disguise, flickered, and appeared a thousand miles away, hovering high above, overlooking a golden mountain below.
This mountain, where the Hex Family Immortal Emperor was in secluded meditation!
No longer disguising his appearance, such level of disguise wouldn’t deceive an Immortal Emperor’s eyes, thus making it unnecessary.
"Hmph! Knowing that I discovered you, not only do you not flee, but you come to my dwelling courting death? Brave, yet extremely foolish!"
Purple light suddenly burst from the mountain, followed immediately by a fist ray carrying purple toxic gas aiming to punch Ning Fan.
This was an Immortal Emperor’s strike!
Yet having already slain the pinnacle Immortal King, Ning Fan showed no fear facing the Immortal Emperor.
The opponent’s fist approached, Ning Fan responded with his own, although his strength was weaker, causing him to be sent flying by the Hex Family Immortal Emperor’s fist. But alas, the opponent’s fist ray failed to cause any injury to Ning Fan’s Spirit Wasted Body.
While being flung away, Ning Fan forcibly stabilized his body, realizing after a brief test that the opponent was an Immortal Emperor skilled in body refinement, thus he opted against blindly relying on brute force, choosing instead to point mid-air, and instantly, a sea-blue sword ray appeared, imbued with six Dao Principles’ colors, breaking through towards the Hex Family Immortal Emperor.
It was the Reverse Sea Sword!
The Hex Family Immortal Emperor’s gaze trembled.
He hadn’t anticipated that the opponent, with his mere Eternal Six Tribulations cultivation level, could withstand his full-force punch unharmed!
He never expected that his opponent’s casual sword strike would actually entwine six types of Dao principles, even making him, a Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor, sense a slight crisis from that flying sword.
Even though he’s proficient in Body Refinement, this He Family Immortal Emperor didn’t dare to rashly use his physical body to intercept the Reverse Sea Sword. Instead, he retreated slightly, and in the process of retreating, summoned twenty-four Poison Banners in succession, directly trapping the Reverse Sea Sword mid-air.
These twenty-four Poison Banners are the innate treasures he has cultivated for many years!
If it were ordinary treasures, once trapped by his Poison Banners, they would likely have their connection to the host’s heart severed and subsequently be seized by him.
But unfortunately, the Reverse Sea Sword is not a treasure; rather, it is a Dao Weapon. Dao Weapons might not possess the formidable power of treasures of the same rank, but they have the advantage of being summoned at will. Even if separated far from the master, they can return to the master with just a call.
Therefore, Ning Fan merely needed to focus his mind, and the trapped Reverse Sea Sword immediately flashed out of the Poison Banners’ encirclement, once again slashing toward the He Family Immortal Emperor with undiminished momentum.
"Ignoring the encirclement, is it... It’s actually a Dao Weapon."
The He Family Immortal Emperor’s gaze narrowed slightly, evidently not expecting a mere Dao Weapon to also give him a sense of crisis. With a pinch of his fingers in a spirit gesture, a large amount of toxic mist emerged from the Poison Banners and transformed into dozens of poison swords swirling with purple light, engaging the Reverse Sea Sword in battle.
Each of these poison swords possesses the power of Twelve Nirvana, and even when blasted apart by the Reverse Sea Sword, they can repeatedly regenerate. For a time, the Reverse Sea Sword was unable to break through the layers of poison swords’ blockade to reach the He Family Immortal Emperor.
The He Family Immortal Emperor pinched another spirit gesture, releasing a large amount of toxic mist from the Poison Banners, which this time formed into a mighty Purple Poison Dragon, charging fiercely at Ning Fan.
This kind of vicious poison made Ning Fan’s Divine Spirit Wasted Body feel a hint of danger; it wasn’t possible to use his physical body to resist it directly.
He didn’t consider using the God-Extinguishing Shield for defense. Raising a hand, Ning Fan conjured a small seven-colored tree about a foot long, focusing his mind, the tree immediately grew to the length of a sword, fitting Ning Fan perfectly.
Without a word, Ning Fan wielded the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree and gave it a brush. The majestic Purple Poison Dragon was instantly severed with a brush, exploding with a boom.
The energy contained within that Purple Poison Dragon was so enormous that the explosion it triggered directly alarmed the entire restricted space!
The explosion’s gusts swept through the entire restricted space!
Purple poison liquid splattered with the gusts, transforming into a toxic rain that fell throughout the restricted space.
Countless houses melted under the toxic rain, emitting sizzling corrosion sounds.
Numerous He Family cultivators and Medicine Slaves with inadequate cultivation were drenched by the toxic rain, dying with screams of misery.
The He Family Immortal Emperor frowned, not expecting that his divine powers would inadvertently cause so many deaths.
Of course, such a quantity of lives was merely a trivial matter to an existence like him. What truly shocked him was the terrifying power of the seven-colored tree in Ning Fan’s hand, which unexpectedly surpassed levels to sever his poison dragon...
"Is it the legendary Buddhist treasure, the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree? It seems it hasn’t yet advanced to the innate stage, but it possesses power not inferior to ordinary innate treasures. It appears it’s not far from becoming innate. Killing you, and this treasure will be mine!"
A trace of greed emerged in the He Family Immortal Emperor’s eyes as he suddenly pinched a spirit gesture, transforming the toxic mist into a giant axe, slashing toward Ning Fan.
The axe against the tree signifies the concept of Metal overcoming Wood, but unfortunately, in the face of the absolute might of the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree, such Five Elements interactions don’t hold.
The Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree brushed again, and the giant axe was similarly severed with a brush!
"Useless, it seems that the poisonous illusionary power of the Five Poison Banners can’t rival your Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree. In that case... I’ve dedicated my life to refining poisons, painstakingly cultivating three drops of Primordial Poison Marrow. Here’s one!"
The He Family Immortal Emperor suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a purple light.
It’s unclear what that purple light is, but upon its appearance, it immediately shot toward Ning Fan. Ning Fan used the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree to brush it, splitting the purple light into two, but then the two divided lights simultaneously converged again toward Ning Fan.
With another brush, two became four.
Another brush, four became eight.
Ning Fan came to a realization; it seemed the item used by the He Family Immortal Emperor was quite resistant to the power of the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree, and it multiplied upon brushing, its power increasing with each brush. Continuing to use the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree wasn’t suitable.
Immediately, he sent the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree into the air, shielding the direction of the Tian Ling, while his ten fingers formed spirit gestures. Then he spat out Black Dragon evil fire, which transformed into hundreds and thousands of Fire Phoenixes, rushing toward those purple rays.
"Trying to burn my toxic fluid with flames, the method is correct, but alas, your flames lack enough power!"
Fizz! Fizz! Fizz!
One by one, Fire Phoenixes were poisoned by the purple light, scattering as they extinguished.
Subsequently, the eight purple rays surrounded on all sides, shooting explosively toward the center position of Ning Fan!
"An Immortal Emperor’s techniques are indeed extraordinary, incomparable to a peak Immortal King in any way..."
Ning Fan sighed inwardly, realizing that while he could destroy Bai Lu with the techniques he had, it seemed insufficient to kill this He Family Immortal Emperor using the same techniques from before.
Amidst the purple rays’ assault, finally appeared a giant entirely engulfed in golden flames!
That purple light’s poison was terrifyingly strong, but breaking through the defense of the God-Slaying Giant wasn’t nearly enough; it collided with the golden body time and again but couldn’t break through.
"What divine skill is this, to have such incredible defense!"
The He Family Immortal Emperor inhaled sharply.
With his gaze deepening, he spat out another purple glow from his mouth, and the attacking purple rays suddenly increased more than twice in strength.
But unfortunately, they still couldn’t break the God-Slaying Giant’s defense!
"Two drops of Primordial Poison Marrow aren’t enough? In that case... then let’s try three drops!"
Another purple light burst forth!
The purple light attacking the God-Slaying Giant immediately grew incredibly strong, but it still wasn’t enough to break Ning Fan’s defense!
"How is this possible! A Last Law Immortal Venerable with such defensive power! If it were an Ancient Immortal Lord, that might be possible..."
The He Family Immortal Emperor was both shocked and enraged. Enraged because he, a distinguished Immortal Emperor, couldn’t do anything against a single Eternal Immortal Venerable. If this news got out, he wouldn’t be able to stay in the Wood Flame any longer!
Without holding back, he unleashed his Eternal True Body, and his aura soared to the pinnacle of the Eternal Six Tribulations!
A hundred-zhang toad emitting purple poison appeared on the other side of the sky!
The toad’s back was covered in bulging sacs that spewed venom, emanating unimaginable toxic power—power already reaching the potency of Dao traces and cultivated to a highly advanced level!
"Going all out, are we..." Ning Fan’s gaze grew slightly serious.
From the He Family Immortal Emperor’s Eternal True Body, he felt a sense of crisis, far greater than the crisis he felt from True Person Bailu’s Incense Flame Sword.
Ning Fan simultaneously defended against the continuous attacks of the purple light and cautiously prepared for any strange techniques the toad might use...
Though he was careful, Ning Fan still got caught!
Hidden within the God-Slaying Giant, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of purple poisonous blood without warning, his expression shaken!
Despite the God-Slaying Giant’s defense against the He Family Immortal Emperor’s poison attack, he was still... poisoned!
So that’s how it is...
He mastered the Dao Principle of Wood and could continuously absorb the mighty force to replenish his mana!
Using various Divine Skills required him to constantly borrow power from the heavens.
The God-Slaying Giant could defend against enemy attacks, but if Ning Fan actively drew mighty force from the heavens, the God-Extinguishing Shield wouldn’t hinder this act.
The mighty force in this space... had all been tainted by the He Family Immortal Emperor’s Eternal True Body, becoming extremely poisonous!
Such tyranny in the Eternal True Body!
Such tyranny in the Dao traces of poison!
This ability to poison the mighty force had perhaps even touched the cusp of control positions! The He Family Immortal Emperor’s skills were truly impressive!
"Hehe! I never expected that transforming into my Eternal True Body could defeat your Golden Body directly, but if I poison the mighty force of a realm and slowly take you down, that’s another matter! I’ll see how much your Immortal Venerable’s meager mana can withstand without the replenishing force!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The purple light attacked the God-Slaying Giant with unstoppable ferocity; though it couldn’t break through the giant’s defense frontally, it kept depleting Ning Fan’s mana.
Defending requires mana!
Especially with a magical treasure like the God-Extinguishing Shield, the mana consumption is naturally enormous!
Before, Ning Fan had the advantage of Wood Yin-Yang, enabling him to replenish mana rapidly, allowing him to keep the God-Extinguishing Shield up for extended periods and duke it out with enemies.
But unfortunately, the He Family Immortal Emperor was an anomaly, an enemy capable of cutting off Ning Fan’s mana restoration.
This means a war of attrition wouldn’t work...
If he relied solely on the methods he used against True Person Bailu, Ning Fan would inevitably lose!
"A mere Immortal Venerable actually compelled me to wield a touch of control-position poison power! That’s enough to make you proud! As a reward, after you die, I’ll ensure your body is preserved well; hehe, under an Immortal Emperor, no flesh compares to yours, it will certainly fetch a good price!"
The purple poison toad spoke with a tone of certainty, sneering.
Ning Fan’s body was corroded by poison, and while it was hard to remove, he knew that he couldn’t delay any longer. His expression turned fierce, and he pointed to the sky. A massive lightning diagram appeared in the air.
A sparrow’s cry followed, and a giant sparrow surrounded by lightning flew out, charging aggressively at the toad.
"A Lightning Beast with the power of a Five Tribulations Immortal King, hmm..."
The toad’s gaze contracted before it sneered coldly and sprayed purple mist, forcing the sparrow back into the lightning diagram.
In the instant the toad was distracted, a spatial crack suddenly appeared behind it, and a pink fist emerged from within the space, striking the toad’s back powerfully.
Though the toad’s physical defense was strong, it was caught off guard and injured slightly, letting out a muffled grunt and spitting blood. Its beast eyes darkened.
What attacked him wasn’t an ordinary being, but a girl looking about twelve or thirteen, with a delicate appearance and an innocent smile, yet the power of her punch was comparable to Quasi-Emperor might!
Not a living being... simply a puppet!
"A Quasi-Emperor Puppet, huh? I didn’t dare to hope for something so valuable, but a mere Immortal Venerable like you possesses it, hehe. Once I kill you, it shall belong to me!"
The toad opened its mouth wide and swallowed the expressionless Quasi-Emperor Puppet whole, letting out a satisfied belch.
Then, with a mocking tone, it addressed Ning Fan, who was struggling to defend against the purple light’s attacks, "Show me whatever Divine Skills you’ve got, all of them! Bug!"
"A bug, huh... Then let’s show you what a bug can do!"
With a knowing smile from Ning Fan, a sudden severe pain emerged from within the toad’s belly. After checking his inner self, he was instantly shocked. There were actually billions of ants inside his body, gnawing at his organs, devouring his primordial spirit!
"What kind of ants are these! When did they enter my body! They’re able to bite into my Immortal Emperor Divine Spirit, could it be the legendary Primordial Spirit Insect... Gold-Eating Ants?! In such numbers, could any Immortal Emperor resist so many Gold-Eating Ants?! But how could this kid have so many of them... wait, something’s wrong!"
The toad, who was initially horrified, suddenly realized something and sneered, chanting, "Release!"
The illusion of being devoured by ants inside vanished in an instant!
The scene of ants devouring his body, it turned out, was just a mere illusory art!
To think that he, a dignified Immortal Emperor, would fall for such a trivial trick; the opponent’s proficiency in illusory arts was indeed high.
On the surface, the toad sneered, but deep down, there was a trace of fear lingering.
The opponent seemingly didn’t understand illusory arts that could kill with a single strike, fortunately for him. Luckily, he was under merely a simple confusing illusion. Had it been a highly damaging illusory art, being caught so deeply he might have suffered serious injuries...
It’s a pity that such a level of illusory art can’t pose a fatal threat to him, at most it could only confuse him slightly.
Truly, this boy is full of interesting tricks!
Six Dao Principles, Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree, Five Tribulations Immortal King’s Spirit Beast, Quasi-Emperor Puppet, the giant’s golden body that even Immortal Emperors can’t defeat, illusory arts capable of confusing Immortal Emperors...
Not to mention in the Era of Decline, even during the prime Immortal cultivation era, such capable Immortal Venerables were few.
To annihilate a genius of such aptitude, the toad’s heart twisted in excitement!
"Kid, your illusory arts can’t affect this old man. Show your last resort quickly! Don’t dream of escaping from this realm, for this realm is space refined through the stomach space of my Eternal True Body. Unless I consent, you can’t escape!"
"Escape? Why would I escape."
Ning Fan’s voice carried an eternally frigid chill that suddenly descended from above.
Whether it was the Ancestral Thunder Sparrow of the Five Tribulations Immortal King or the Quasi-Emperor Puppet, all served only as bait for attack. Ning Fan wasn’t relying solely on these means to annihilate the Immortal Emperor.
Ning Fan aimed for an ambush, a strike!
The He Family Immortal Emperor, injured after an ambush, would certainly experience a slight disturbance of mind. And during this momentary disturbance, it was the perfect time for Ning Fan to launch an illusory art sneak attack.
But illusory arts weren’t the ultimate goal.
They were only used to buy time for the final strike from the Flooding Realm Bottle.
Ning Fan’s killing intent surged; he intended to undertake the mad act of assassinating the Immortal Emperor here in the He Family, utilizing the full power of Three Waters from the Flooding Bottle!
Once the power of Three Waters was unleashed, it was enough to annihilate an Immortal Emperor, but it had a prerequisite that the Immortal Emperor couldn’t escape beforehand.
As powerful as Emperor Shuiyan, he too sealed the heavens and locked the earth before drowning seven rogue Immortal Emperors.
Without such preparation, even if someone couldn’t defend against the power of the Flooding Bottle, they could easily escape. Even if an Immortal Emperor departed at all costs, no amount of power from the Flooding Bottle could hit the target...
Ning Fan didn’t want this He Family Immortal Emperor to escape, during the illusion confusion, Ning Fan had already activated the Momentum Character Secret to completely seal this forbidden area’s space!
The toad, who was still mocking, finally awakened thoroughly from the illusion. As soon as his five senses fully recovered, he smelled the salty sea breeze and heard the sound of waves.
The toad suddenly lifted his head, and afterward, he couldn’t laugh anymore!
All expressions left him with only utter terror!
The sky of this realm’s space had vanished, replaced by a vast, suspended ocean above the sky!
What kind of sea...?
A drop of seawater fell from above, landing on his body, directly making him cough up a trace of fresh blood!
Just a single drop of seawater, possessing such terrifying power; if the entire ocean fell...
The toad’s heart raced uncontrollably! He indeed felt the horror of the vast ocean overhead! Felt the constantly released aura of powerful treasure from the multi-colored vitrified bottle in Ning Fan’s hand.
To think it was... an Innate Mid-grade Treasure! A treasure not even Quasi-Saints would necessarily possess!
How could this boy... have such a terrifying trump card!
If he didn’t flee, he’d surely perish under this sea, becoming a soul lost to the ocean!
"Poisonous Ten-Thousand Mile Technique!"
Suddenly, the poison sac on the toad’s back wildly sprayed poison liquid, while his body shook, activating full speed in an attempt to escape using the poisonous haze.
Regrettably, after shaking his form, he still remained in place, failing to escape a single bit. Only then did he realize in horror that the space here had now been completely filled with golden seals, preventing any escape!
Even if this was his stomach space, he couldn’t freely enter or exit!
Could it be... the boy’s illusion was just to gain time for Heaven-Sealing Earth-Locking!
Damned, damned!
If time was ample, such sealing could be completely broken within moments, yet now, he’s running out of time to break these seals.
The ocean suspended upside down in the sky seemed like a deadly soul, instantly overturning and crashing down from the heavens, deadly waves surging, flooding an entire realm!
In this realm... there is no corner that is safe! Everywhere is under the assault of the vast ocean!
At the moment of submersion, the toad was heavily injured, unable to escape the weight of the massive waves, and it cried out in horror.
"Wait, wait! Little friend, please don’t, spare me... ah!"
A piercing scream erupted from within the He Clan’s forbidden grounds, beneath the waves, it was the sound of the toad struggling desperately.
After all, it was an Immortal Emperor, even submerged beneath the waters of the Nether Dust Sea, it wouldn’t perish immediately, the golden primordial spirit could still hold on for a while.
But even this struggling was just a matter of time, a futile endeavor.
Four hours later, a loud explosion of the primordial spirit resounded from the ocean’s depths.
And then, the struggling beneath the waves completely ceased.
On the calm, tranquil sea, Ning Fan stood atop a giant glazed bottle, drifting with the waves.
Beneath the waves, there was an unresolvable soaring resentment, constantly pouring out!
The Emperor’s Death Resentment!
At twelve thousand years of age, for the first time in his life, Ning Fan had killed an Immortal Emperor!
Even with Ning Fan’s usually unflappable demeanor, his emotions were stirred at this moment.
Because being able to kill an Immortal Emperor meant that he now truly stood at the pinnacle of the Cultivation Realm of Decline!
Of course, the backlash from using the Water-Flooding Bottle’s Three Waters Power, even a Divine Spirit Wasted Body couldn’t completely ignore it, and coupled with the severe poison corroding inside, even though Ning Fan had slain an Immortal Emperor, his internal injuries were significant...
...
Outside the He Clan’s forbidden ground, more and more armored men gathered. They initially intended to enter the forbidden ground to investigate the shattering of numerous soul plates in the Life Token Pavilion, but at this moment, they dared not enter due to the terrifying tremors continually emanating from the space of the forbidden ground.
Their Immortal Emperor ancestor seemed to be in some kind of duel, entering the forbidden ground now would mean getting caught in such terrifying waves, certain death.
From the situation at the Life Token Pavilion, it seemed that all the He Clan cultivators guarding the forbidden ground had perished, enough to show the terrifying extent of the battle within.
"It seems this intruder into our He Clan is no ordinary being, for the ancestor to have been fighting for so long and not being able to take down the opponent!"
"But ultimately, the victor will surely be the ancestor! After all, the ancestor has been cultivating day and night with the Saint Ancestor’s poisonous remains; his poisonous techniques are extraordinary. Among Immortal Emperors of the same rank, though the ancestor isn’t the strongest, he has never been defeated, at worst he could tie with the opponent with his toxic skills."
"From the occasional aura leaks from the intruder, it seems they’re not an Immortal Emperor, just an Eternal Immortal Venerable..."
"Impossible! How could a mere Immortal Venerable hold out for so long against the ancestor! You must be sensing it wrong!"
"Haven’t you heard? Over at the Dabei Grassland, a few days ago, there was an Immortal Venerable cultivator who killed a Pinnacle Immortal King, it’s said that this formidable Immortal Venerable is a mysterious, masked cultivator..."
"Hiss! If such a formidable Immortal Venerable truly existed, there would be reason for the ancestor taking longer to prevail. Could the intruder into our He Clan be that masked Immortal Venerable who committed crimes at the Dabei Grassland?"
"Shouldn’t be the same person, our Sanyan Barrier wouldn’t allow prairie cultivators to just stroll in. But if the rogue masked cultivator at the Dabei Grassland was originally one of our Sanyan members, or perhaps had a passage permit, it’s possible they are the intruder..."
Four hours later, the discussions suddenly fell silent.
Because the continuous battling tremors from the space of the forbidden ground, which lasted four hours, finally ceased.
"Looks like the ancestor has subdued that intruder."
The He Clan cultivators cheered joyfully, and some began to open the entrance to the forbidden ground, intending to go inside for the ancestor to clean up the battlefield ruins.
However, after the forbidden ground’s space was opened, it was not their mighty ancestor who emerged from within.
But a strange masked cultivator!
The masked, silver-haired cultivator was enveloped by a bizarre, blood-colored aura, exuding an indescribable, terrifying malice!
Behind the masked cultivator, a hundred-zhang-tall toad carcass was dragged along with threads of Dao principles!
"A... masked cultivator! It’s really the masked cultivator, the one who committed those deeds in the grassland!"
"That toad... isn’t that the ancestor’s Eternal True Body! How is the masked cultivator still alive, where’s the ancestor, where did he go."
"The ancestor... is dead! The ancestor is truly dead! Heaven has doomed my He Clan! Everyone, flee quickly!"
It was a He Clan elder guarding the Life Token Pavilion, who suddenly turned deathly pale, hurried over, and informed the He Clan members of this most dreadful news.
Immediately, the entire He Clan fell silent, some resolutely refused to believe it, but most chose to accept it, in the face of the overwhelming malice emanating from Ning Fan, even some Eternal Immortal Venerables found it hard to act calmly, gritting their teeth, they finally began a panicked, disorganized retreat!
If a clan’s bloodline produced an Immortal Emperor, the entire clan would experience some kind of enhancement in their lineage.
But at this moment, that kinship enhancement had distinctly vanished...
The ancestor may truly... have perished!
Killed by this mysterious masked cultivator!
The notion of an Eternal Immortal Venerable slaying an Immortal Emperor sounds utterly absurd, but if it is true...
then every He Family cultivator must flee! Otherwise, they might be utterly exterminated by this Ghost-Faced Cultivator, eradicated down to their roots!
Damn, damn, damn! When did the He Family offend such a harbinger of doom? Could it be that among the Medicine Slaves they secretly harmed, there was a descendant of a calamity star? Damn, damn, damn! Had they foreseen such dire retribution, they absolutely wouldn’t have harmed those Medicine Slaves!
"For those who dare to fight, barely one in ten survives...?"
Ning Fan’s expression bore a deep fatigue, as he forcibly suppressed the poison and injuries within him, waving his hand to toss aside the giant toad corpse behind him. Then, with a flicker, he turned into a red glow and vanished without a trace.
Wherever the bizarre red glow shimmered, He Family cultivators were helplessly pierced through by it, their screams of agony echoing as they succumbed to violent deaths one after another.
The He Family was not a virtuous clan. Engaged in sordid dealings, they betrayed and killed countless Medicine Slaves. Killing a He Family ancestor is just one death; annihilating the entire family is the same. With the killing already initiated, Ning Fan wouldn’t hold back against a scourge like the He Family, as he might have with the Sea Witch Sect!
Half an hour later, the He Family lay in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
A day later, an earth-shattering piece of news spread throughout the entire Three Flames, even reaching the other side of the Dabei Grassland!
From the He Family Immortal Emperor to ordinary armored men, a total of thirty thousand cultivators were slaughtered to nothing!
According to some witnesses who happened to pass by, the murderer was a Ghost-Faced Cultivator with silver hair!
Those with a keen interest, upon comparison, realized that this Ghost-Faced Cultivator was the same person who, a few days ago, killed the True Person Bailu of the Dabei Grassland!
Countless powerful figures from various factions set out in frenzied investigations to gather intelligence on that Ghost-Faced Cultivator.
They had to be cautious!
This time it was the He Family that was wiped out, and next time, who knows which family might meet the same fate!
Someone who could prevent the He Family ancestor from fleeing was enough to make most Three Flames Immortal Emperors feel their scalps going numb!
They must uncover this person’s identity, and purpose!
Countless forces in the Three Flames elevated their internal defense to the highest state of emergency!
The Three Flames’ Masters, who hadn’t met for years, finally gathered again at the Bone Mountain Range after countless years, solely to discuss the extermination of the He Family...
Vacant Flame Continent, Bone Mountain Range.
At this moment, the Empty Flame Death Emperor, the Stone Flame Lingshan Emperor, and the Wood Flame’s Master Thousand Hands Emperor were all gathered together, their expressions heavy.
The subordinate officials serving from various continents below were all on edge, afraid that during the fury of the Three Flame Masters, a single wrong word could cost them their lives...
"Did this person take away all the corpses left by the Saint Ancestor?"
"The Immortal Venerable and Immortal King corpses aside, but those of the Immortal Emperors must not fall into this cultivator’s hands! Furthermore, there’s even a Quasi-Saint corpse among them! We had agreed previously that whoever truly steps into that level could use the Quasi-Saint corpse to advance their cultivation... now with the corpse taken, doesn’t it turn our agreement into an empty promise?"
"Though the Quasi-Saint corpse is a female’s body, if it benefits my cultivation, what regret is there in transforming from male to female! Detestable, detestable!"
"This child must die!"
"If I find out his whereabouts, I will smash him to pieces!"
Lingshan Emperor and Thousand Hands Emperor hurled curses at Ning Fan, raining abuse upon him.
Only the Death Emperor sat with a gloomy expression, silent for a long time before interjecting,
"My causal search finds nothing on this child’s whereabouts!"
"What?!"
"Impossible!"
"It’s not impossible; this child can isolate himself from causal tracing, which reminds me of someone..."
"Does the Zen Master Xuan Kong know who that person is?"
"Hmm, I have a guess. If you two are willing to guard the Bone Mountain Range for a while, I can personally take action to try and capture this child and retrieve the Quasi-Saint female corpse."
"Haha, excellent! With Zen Master Xuan Kong taking action, this matter will surely be easily resolved! If that’s the case, the Wood Master and I shall await Zen Master Xuan Kong’s good news here in the Bone Mountain Range."
"Good news? Don’t get your hopes too high. That kid managed to escape me once before. I’m not sure if I can track his movements again, and even if I do, my chances of capturing him aren’t more than twenty percent..."
"What! This child actually managed to escape from Zen Master Xuan Kong! Isn’t he just an Eternal Immortal Venerable?"
The Stone Master and the Wood Master were both shocked.
The Death Emperor cast an intriguingly sly glance at the Stone Master.
Searching for a needle in a haystack might not locate the child, but waiting for the rabbit might...
An interesting child, let’s see if you can escape from this emperor’s hands a second time! Don’t think that just because you killed a He Family Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor, you have the qualifications to stand equal to the true strong among Immortal Emperors!
You... are still too green!