novelraw Chapter 1076: A True Villain
Chapter 1076: A True Villain
After cultivating the Divine Spirit Wasted Body, what Ning Fan gained wasn’t entirely beneficial. The vast improvement in the quality of his Spirit, divine sense, and physical defense also brought him some frustration.
Ning Fan is a Three Apertures Ancient God, theoretically able to obtain eight times the effectiveness of consuming expensive pills. Yet for some reason, after cultivating the Divine Spirit Wasted Body, the effectiveness of a few pills was greatly reduced.
Among a hundred kinds of expensive pills, there will generally be one or two kinds whose effectiveness is significantly diminished.
Normally, when Ning Fan consumes one pill, it equates to eight times the effect for a regular person. But if he encounters those few types where effectiveness is reduced, Ning Fan often needs to consume several or even dozens of pills to match the effect of just one pill for a regular person...
The reason why the effectiveness of those very few pills is reduced seems to be because their ingredients contain beneficial materials for the Divine Spirit Wasted Body.
Golden Marrow Polygonatum, Taiyu Immortal Ginseng, Silver-leaf Yin Zhi, Ten-Leaf Purple Essence, Hundred Tribulation Star Herb...
So far, Ning Fan has identified more than ten types of materials, such that whenever the consumed expensive pills contain any of these, over ninety percent of the effectiveness will be directly absorbed by the Divine Spirit Wasted Body for its long and uncertain evolution.
The Divine Spirit Wasted Body is quite capricious.
It doesn’t care if the pill is being consumed for healing or cultivation. As long as the pill is beneficial to it, it will devour, seize, and snatch, using it to advance the cultivation progress of the wasted body...
Because the pills with diminished effectiveness only account for one percent, Ning Fan previously could seek alternative pills when healing or cultivating if he encountered one. Although the process was more troublesome, it generally didn’t greatly affect the healing or cultivation.
Unfortunately, the Immeasurable Pill used to break through the timeless bottleneck contains precisely the Ten-Leaf Purple Essence ingredient. And such an Immeasurable Pill is hard to find a substitute for, as it is the most commonly used cultivation method for Eternal Cultivators. Thus, each time Ning Fan consumes the Immeasurable Pill for cultivation, over ninety percent of the pill’s effectiveness is taken by the Divine Spirit Wasted Body.
If lucky, Ning Fan could salvage about ten percent of the pill’s effectiveness from the Divine Spirit Wasted Body to use for the timeless realm cultivation.
In unlucky times, Ning Fan might not absorb even half of the pill’s effectiveness, and sometimes, even less than one percent...
All of it is being capriciously taken by the Divine Spirit Wasted Body!
If there was an excess of Immeasurable Pills, Ning Fan wouldn’t mind spending most of the pill’s effectiveness advancing the Divine Spirit Wasted Body, leaving only a small portion for cultivating Divine Demon cultivation.
Regrettably, Ning Fan has a very limited amount of Immeasurable Pills, and under such diminished effectiveness, the progress in cultivating Divine Demon is very slow.
Upon destroying the Hex Family, Ning Fan obtained five thousand Immeasurable Pills.
Upon defeating the Meng Family, Ning Fan acquired a thousand seven hundred Immeasurable Pills.
The Hex Family had slightly more Immeasurable Pills because they were renowned for dan refinement, not that their overall force surpassed the Meng Family; they were essentially equivalent in power.
Immeasurable Pills come in three grades.
Most widely circulated in the Land of Dreams are the low-grade Immeasurable Pills, belonging to the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill level, with middle and high grades belonging to the Nine-Turn Emperor Elixir and Ten Revolutions Ancestor Pill, extremely rare, and the refinement recipes even more so secret.
One low-grade Immeasurable Pill can aid a Master at the Shattered Thought Peak to transform a calamity’s worth of mana; if used for a newly ascended Immortal Venerable’s cultivation, two pills are needed to increase a calamity of mana; if for a First Calamity Immortal Sovereign, it doubles, requiring four pills to grow a calamity of mana; for a Second Calamity Immortal Lord, the number needed doubles again...
Ning Fan accumulated six thousand seven hundred Immeasurable Pills, all low grade. What concept is this quantity?
Ordinary Shattered Thought Peak Masters absorbing five hundred Immeasurable Pills could transform five hundred calamities worth of mana and become newly ascended Immortal Venerables.
Six thousand seven hundred pills could cultivate thirteen newly ascended Immortal Venerables like with Hex Family and Meng Family.
However, because the Divine Spirit Wasted Body is too capricious, such an amount of Immeasurable Pill for Ning Fan only transformed about 100 calamities worth of mana for his Divine Demon cultivation.
The three cultivation realms are still far from five hundred calamities...
At this rate, he still needs twenty-six thousand seven hundred more Immeasurable Pills to enable all three cultivation realms to break through to the timeless realm.
Twenty-six thousand seven hundred Immeasurable Pills, hehe...
Like the Hex Family, forces with large reserves of Immeasurable Pills are few; most Immortal Emperor’s Power store Immeasurable Pills at Meng Family levels.
If destroying one Immortal Emperor’s Power could obtain a thousand seven hundred Immeasurable Pills, Ning Fan would still need to destroy sixteen more Immortal Emperor’s Powers to collect enough pills for comprehensive breakthrough of Yin Yang Transformation cultivation...
Destroying sixteen Immortal Emperor’s Powers...
This is nothing short of a pipe dream. Do you really think Immortal Emperor’s Powers are like cabbages scattered around?
"If not for the Divine Spirit Wasted Body acting so capriciously, my Divine Demon cultivation breakthrough to timeless would not be so difficult. How can I obtain such a number of pills..."
"Overthrowing an Immortal Emperor’s Power is just impractical. Should I search for materials and refine Immeasurable Pills myself?"
Ning Fan frowned deeper.
Immeasurable Pills are treasures for timeless cultivation, strategic resources that few Eternal Cultivators sell; most Eternal Cultivators immediately refine and consume them upon acquisition without stockpiling. Only Immortal Emperor’s Power keep a reserve in warehouses for strategic purposes. Of course, they don’t store too many as each tribe’s Immortal Emperor cultivation likewise requires a large consumption of Immeasurable Pills.
Immeasurable Pills belong to the Ninth Revolution Golden Pill, there are plenty of Ninth Revolution Golden Pill Alchemists among the Dazu Tribe that facilitates substantial pill storage among tribes, thus Eternal Cultivators greatly outnumber the Four Heavens.
In the Four Heavens, the Immeasurable Pill reserve among Immortal Emperor’s Powers is even less than Meng Family. Due to the scarcity of Immeasurable Pills, breaking timeless or subsequent cultivation is more difficult for Masters from the Four Heavens compared to Dazu Tribe’s Masters.
Four Heavens Masters aiming to break through to Immortal Lord can hardly rely on their sect’s powers, instead relying solely on chance to accumulate enough Immeasurable Pills. Or else find materials and beseech one of Four Heavens’ rare few Ninth Revolution Golden Pill Alchemists to refine pills; or explore Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansions, occasionally discovering some Immeasurable Pills...
Precisely because Ninth Revolution Golden Pill Alchemists can refine Immeasurable Pills, they possess unimaginable influence over the eternal entities. Back then, The Sect Master of the Pill Sect could organize a massive Anti-Ning Alliance with just True Immortal Realm, serving as proof of such influence.
Ning Fan has the dan refinement though.
Tongtian Sect doesn’t sell the dan refinement of Immeasurable Pills to Masters of the Dreamland Realm, fortunately Ning Fan acquired the low-grade Immeasurable Pill dan refinement when subjugating the Hex Family, thus doesn’t lack this.
Regarding Alchemy, Ning Fan isn’t quite able to refine Ninth Revolution Golden Pills, but there is no shortage of Alchemists in Dazu Tribe. He can capture a Gold Cold expert Alchemist to refine for him.
Materials are the most troublesome aspect.
Refining one Immeasurable Pill requires hundreds of five million-year Spiritual Medicines as auxiliary ingredients, and four kinds of Innate Spiritual Medicines as the main ingredients.
The four main ingredients are Ten-Leaf Purple Essence, Mysterious Elemental Earth Yellow, Five Glows Penetrating Cloud Dew, and Eight Hundred Million Years Yin Chen Wood.
Other materials can be discussed, rare as they might be, some can still be found; only Eight Hundred Million Years Yin Chen Wood is the hardest to locate.
As the name suggests, Eight Hundred Million Years Yin Chen Wood forms after over eight hundred million years, only at this age can it achieve Innate medicine potency, becoming the main ingredient for Immeasurable Pills.
The eight hundred million years long growth makes it imaginable as extraordinarily rare. Whenever such Yin Chen Wood is unearthed in the cultivation world, regardless of size, it fetches astronomical prices, provoking mad grabs among Immortal Lords, Immortal Kings, Immortal Emperors. If slightly large blocks of Eight Hundred Million Years Yin Chen Wood appear, they are enough to instigate wars among some Immortal Emperor’s Powers...
Refining dan on my own seems quite difficult too...
It appears achieving comprehensive breakthrough to timeless realm for Divine Demon cultivation can’t be rushed...
Several days later, Southern Frontier Steppe, Tamu Clan.
Ning Fan’s incredible exploits in committing three major crimes consecutively in Wood Flame, Vacant Flame, Stone Flame have not only shocked the Sanyan Continent but spread throughout the Dabei Grassland, causing immense fear towards the ghost-faced turmoil brewing in Sanyan Continent.
Terrified that someday, the ghost-faced cultivator who wreaked havoc in Sanyan will leave it and run amok in Dabei Grassland.
It’s important to know, the rumored ghost-faced cultivator first killed True Person Bailu in Dabei Grassland before moving to Sanyan to destroy Hex Zu and Meng Zu, two Great Emperors. Who can assure that ghost-faced cultivator won’t cause further havoc on the grasslands?
Excluding the Immortal Emperor of the Holy Mountain, the grasslands only have the Central Continent Five Emperors and occasional hidden Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperors.
Not saying one of the Central Continent Five Emperors was beaten almost to death by Emperor Butcher, even the fully intact Immortal Emperor of the Holy Mountain still bears considerable apprehension towards the ghost-face cultivator.
Able to kill Immortal Emperors, and also slew two consecutively, where is such challenge found!
Are Immortal Emperors so easy to obliterate!
It should be known that even for a Seventh or Eighth Tribulation Immortal Emperor, killing a Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor is extremely difficult. Immortal Emperors are renowned for being hard to kill; even if they are defeated, they can still escape. However, Ning Fan was able to kill two Immortal Emperors in succession. Is his true cultivation level really only at the realm of the Immortal Venerable, as the rumors say? Many powerful figures expressed doubt, clearly not believing in this matter.
They were more inclined to believe that Ning Fan was an Immortal Emperor at the peak of the Eighth Tribulation, or even at the Ninth Tribulation level, which is why he could move freely in the Sanyan Continent, make the three Flame Masters helpless against him, leave two Immortal Emperors without even the chance to escape but to die.
This demon could move freely within the Sanyan, thus he could also come and go freely in the Holy Mountain! After all, the overall strength of the Holy Mountain and the Sanyan is roughly equal.
The Saint Mountain Immortal Emperors, who had long lived in comfort, began to panic, and countless Holy Mountain Tomb Guardians were dispatched to secretly gather all intelligence on the Ghost-Faced Cultivator to prepare for the unexpected...
However, the panic was mostly concentrated within the circles of the major powers. In small places like the Southern Frontier, where being at the Shattered Thought Peak is already the peak, people had little understanding of the terror of the Ghost-Faced Cultivator.
The existence of eons was too far from their daily lives. No one believed that a terrifying being like the Ghost-Faced Cultivator would target trivial small forces in the Southern Frontier.
Would an eagle prey on ants on the ground?
Hehe...
All the Southern Frontier tribes had returned to normal life after the end of the first round of the Mausoleum Seizure, with the second and third rounds having basically nothing to do with them.
The strict precautions against the Ghost-Faced Cultivator were also unrelated to these small tribes.
Eat when it’s time to eat, drink when it’s time to drink; why bother with such mundane matters.
With that leisure time, it’s better to hurry up and complete each tribe’s lightning sacrificial quota and refine the thunder to hand over to the Holy Envoys who come to each tribe to collect it.
A storm swept through the entire Grand Abjection, yet it didn’t affect the lives of those small tribes.
The Southern Frontier tribes continued to live generally peaceful, occasionally contentious days; the only tribe whose days were not as easygoing was probably the Tamu tribe, plagued by bad luck.
The once Tamu tribe had offended Emperor Lou Tuo and was bullied by the joint forces of various tribes.
Later, when an external cultivator arrived at Tamu, it unexpectedly rose, showing a trend of becoming the number one force in the Southern Frontier.
Unfortunately, before long, that external cultivator destroyed the Punishing Ring privately, became a criminal, and colluded with the Blood Martial Master, launching a killing spree outside Zhongzhou Liuli City, heavily wounding several Immortal Emperors, and killing many Immortal Venerable Immortal Kings...
Ning Fan ran away.
The Blood Martial Master was caught.
The Tamu tribe became Ning Fan’s scapegoat.
Since the incident with Ning Fan, the Tamu tribe has been condemned by various factions, accused of being accomplices of that evil foreign cultivator, and that this tribe should suffer the same severe punishment as the Blood Martial Master.
A squad of Holy Mountain cultivators even came angrily to sentence the Tamu tribe, but at the moment the decree was being read, an unexpected Immortal Emperor arrived at Tamu. Under his protection, the Tamu tribe did not suffer a sentence from the Holy Mountain, only receiving a verbal warning from the Holy Mountain envoys, thus removing the charge.
The Immortal Emperor who stepped forward to protect the Tamu tribe turned out to be... Emperor Lou Tuo!
Of the Zhongzhou Five Emperors, Heaven Capital, Hundred Flowers, Bone Spirit, and Foqi were all heavily injured by the Blood Martial Master while pursuing Ning Fan; only Emperor Lou Tuo had wisely left Liuli City early to avoid disaster.
Everyone knew that Emperor Lou Tuo had been suppressing the Tamu tribe for years.
No one expected that when disaster loomed over the Tamu tribe, it would be Emperor Lou Tuo who would step forward, negotiating with those Holy Mountain envoys and saving the Tamu tribe.
The simple and honest people of Tamu quickly forgot the previous bullying by Emperor Lou Tuo and began to thank him for his life-saving grace.
Outsiders secretly speculated that this unreasonable action by Emperor Lou Tuo must have some ulterior motive, but what that motive was, no one knew. In any case, no one believed that Emperor Lou Tuo, who had oppressed the Tamu tribe for years, would suddenly have a change of heart and become their guardian spirit.
In sum, under Emperor Lou Tuo’s protection, although the Tamu people faced condemnation in public opinion, they did not suffer major disasters.
Not far from the Tamu tribe lay dozens of low hills.
Atop one central low hill, Emperor Lou Tuo sat cross-legged, comprehending the mysterious laws of heaven and earth among the mountains, and others were not allowed to ascend this hill.
Since protecting the Tamu tribe, Emperor Lou Tuo had stayed here, meditating day and night, not meeting with anyone, and no one dared disturb his secluded cultivation.
Some said that Emperor Lou Tuo was playing a large game of chess, intending to deeply calculate the Tamu people, which is why he stayed here.
There were also rumors that Emperor Lou Tuo was merely waiting for someone among these hills.
Today, an unexpected guest arrived among the hills not far from Tamu, disregarding Emperor Lou Tuo’s prohibition and ascending the peak.
This was a silver-haired cultivator with a ghost face. As he reached the summit, Emperor Lou Tuo opened his eyes, slowly stood up, and slightly cupped his hands to the ghost-faced cultivator.
Regarding the various deeds of the Ghost-Faced Cultivator, he had heard much recently and could not be unaware.
Others might not know who the Ghost-Faced Cultivator was, but being adept at calculations, he had some guesses...
"Daoist friend, you have finally arrived. In just a few months, you have already become famous in both regions, making countless eons-old monsters in the Sanyan and Holy Mountain uneasy day and night. I had early anticipated that your methods were extraordinary, yet I still underestimated you. Your means are not merely extraordinary; they are truly astonishing! If I’m not mistaken, your current strength should already be above mine..."
Emperor Lou Tuo squinted slightly, smiling as he spoke.
Deep inside, however, he was not as calm as he appeared, as waves of shock surged within him.
From the current Ning Fan, he felt an extremely heavy sense of oppression...
"You knew I would come?" Ning Fan looked at Emperor Lou Tuo with profound significance.
He was just passing by Tamu and wanted to check if this force, somewhat connected with him by fate, had suffered any penalties due to his involvement.
Unexpectedly, he encountered Emperor Lou Tuo here.
"I wasn’t entirely sure if you would come. I was merely trying my luck, hoping to encounter the recently renowned Ghost-Faced Cultivator here; that’s why I stayed in Tamu. I wish to apologize to you and request your forgiveness," Emperor Lou Tuo said with a smile.
"Forgiveness? Heh, you used me to get rid of that troublesome disciple of yours and caused me to become entangled with Death Emperor — this isn’t a debt that can be settled with a mere apology, is it?" Ning Fan asked with deep meaning.
"You’re joking, Daoist friend. Of course, I don’t expect to be forgiven with just a few words. But if I give this to you, will it be enough?"
Emperor Lou Tuo turned his hand to produce a jade box exuding fiery energy and handed it to Ning Fan.
Ning Fan’s eyes revealed a dispassionate expression as he received the jade box; with a sweep of his divine sense, he was slightly taken aback.
It was four complete Innate Fire Spirits!
These were not flawed Fire Spirits stripped from Emperor Lou Tuo’s own cultivation but newly formed Fire Spirits that Lou Tuo had refined for countless years yet hadn’t swallowed or refined!
Having previously swallowed one Innate Fire Spirit, if Ning Fan swallowed these four, his demonic fire level would likely advance from the Twelvefold Darkness level to the realm of Innate Demon Fire!
This old Emperor Lou Tuo was indeed being generous in seeking his forgiveness...
"Not enough!" Ning Fan coldly replied.
Emperor Lou Tuo’s eyes narrowed slightly, then he laughed heartily, "I merely borrowed a knife to kill someone and calculated you a little. You do have a big appetite indeed. Fine, if you still find it insufficient, there are other compensations I can offer you. Adding this, will it suffice?"
He produced another jade box and handed it to Ning Fan.
With a sweep of his divine sense, Ning Fan found that this second jade box contained a seal of fifty middle-ranked Immeasurable Pills!
Middle-ranked Immeasurable Pills, of the Nine-Turn Emperor Elixir grade; the medicinal power of one is equivalent to a hundred low-grade Immeasurable Pills!
The price of fifty middle-ranked Immeasurable Pills equals the total of five thousand low-grade Immeasurable Pills, and even slightly higher!
For any of the eternal powers, this item is an invaluable treasure, capable of creating ten newly ascended Immortal Venerables! It is also useful for Ning Fan nowadays, but trying to use this thing to erase the schemes from that day is still not enough!
"Once? No, you schemed against me three times in total, using a borrowed knife to kill three times. Killing Sha Bailou was only one of them..."
"The first time you used a borrowed knife was when I first arrived, and you made difficulties for me in Tami. At that time, you insisted on taking off my Burying Moon’s veil and made things difficult for me regarding the punishment issue. To others, it appeared that you, disregarding your status, bullied a junior and harassed a weak Tami, showing narrow-mindedness and hatred towards foreign cultivators. But in truth, that was just your disguise. Your tolerance is much larger than others imagined, and your scheming is much deeper. This was your first disguise, and while scheming against me, you were also scheming against Emperor Bone Spirit. I don’t know why you wanted to draw Emperor Bone Spirit into the matter as a mediator, perhaps you simply wanted the words ’Five-Color Medicine Soul’ to come from Emperor Bone Spirit’s mouth to achieve some unknown purpose..."
Lou Tuo looked surprised, seemingly not expecting Ning Fan to see through so much.
"...Your second time using a borrowed knife was during the first round of the literary test when I was seizing the mausoleum. First, you destroyed my exam results, and then suppressed me with the Stone Flame Volcano. At the time, I just thought you were making ruthless difficulties for me, mainly targeting me. Later I understood. In scheming against me, you were probably also setting a trap for Heaven’s Capital Emperor. You knew Heaven’s Capital Emperor was seeking someone who had reached completion, so you destroyed my results. Because of my zero exam results, others paid little attention to my completion. The only one who cared was the Heaven’s Capital Emperor, who believed himself deeply hidden... You also gave me an Innate Fire Spirit, which seemed like a deadly trap, but perhaps there was an intentional chance of escape... I don’t know what you were scheming against Heaven’s Capital Emperor. Without your plot, Heaven’s Capital Emperor likely wouldn’t have sent me an invitation to the Ancient Buddha Assembly, perhaps with your secret push... I guess there were some of your calculations at the Ancient Buddha Assembly, calculating not me, but Heaven’s Capital. Unfortunately, I missed the Ancient Buddha Assembly due to other important matters, seemingly thwarting some of your unknown plans...
Lou Tuo slightly gasped, not expecting Ning Fan to guess his layout for Heaven’s Capital.
"...And then for the third time, you borrowed my hand to eliminate Sha Bailou. You continuously inflated my reputation to spark Sha Bailou’s interest in killing me, but that foolish person never knew until his death that it was all part of your borrowed knife plot... It was a big plan to rid yourself of the cause and effect with Death Emperor’s Transmigration Spirit Body... I don’t know how you got entangled with Death Emperor, only that you dragged me into the matter and transferred your cause and effect onto me. Perhaps, what you feared wasn’t Death Emperor’s scheme, but the... Ancestor Flame inside Death Emperor!"
Lou Tuo frowned slightly but did not refute. After a long pause, he smiled bitterly, "Indeed, nothing can be hidden from you, Daoist friend... You are right; I have used a borrowed knife not once, but thrice. Since you know everything, my further sophistry would only make me lose face."
"Compared to other Grand Abjection Supremes, you seem to fear Ancestor Flame the most," Ning Fan said with deep meaning.
"Haha, how could I not fear him? Having such an existence as Ancestor Flame staring at you, no matter how many lives you have, they wouldn’t be enough," Lou Tuo laughed heartily, sidestepping the topic.
"Could it be that being crippled by Burying Moon Immortal Concubine back then was also a result you intentionally created? Preferring self-destruction of cultivation to avoid Ancestor Flame’s scheme... Truly a ruthless person, to be so cruel even to yourself."
"...Haha. Rather than becoming part of someone else’s Transmigration Spirit Body, I would rather remain a free and unfettered Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor. Perhaps one day I’ll die from the Heavenly Tribulation due to stagnated cultivation, but this kind of end, dying naturally, is better than being a puppet all one’s life like Death Emperor and Bright Buddha. Is their cultivation truly theirs? Haha... If I wished, Ancestor Flame wouldn’t have chosen Death Emperor as his vessel back then; the current Vacant Flame Lord might have been me. But I didn’t want to lose my freedom, so I used Burying Moon Immortal Concubine a little, destroyed my foundation, and later engaged in numerous schemes throughout the years, just to survive in the cracks of this grassland. Person is the knife, I am the fish, what can be done? Such a state of mind, Daoist friend, if you’ve been schemed by an overwhelming power before, you might somewhat empathize. Besides, you seem to be a part of some Grand Abjection Supreme’s scheme, don’t you? This Dabei Grassland, this Holy Mountain, these Three Flames, this Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, are full of schemes between people, so pathetic, so lamentable..."
"Do you know, among the Five Great Lowly Honored Ones, there is one named Afeng, who works as a songstress and delights in manipulating people’s sorrows and joys. Do you know, above this Dabei Grassland, how many are mere illusions created by her, not knowing they aren’t real! Do you know, Blood Martial Master, once renowned in his generation and as famous as Death Emperor and Bright Buddha, was merely one of her illusory arts! And do you know, she had been watching you since the moment you set foot in the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain! Ten Bees Supreme, not a kind one!"
"...Among the Five Great Lowly Honored Ones, there’s another called Niu Gui, who occupies himself with making jars, blending into the marketplace, but the real purpose is to comprehend the Dao of Reincarnation from the circular mouth of the jars! If he were just sensing the creation of heavens and earth himself, he might not harm others, but he’s no benevolent person! Daoist friend, you seem to have a disciple from the Southern Frontier, right? That disciple witnessed his mother die under Stone Flame Volcano at a young age, held immense hatred for Stone Flame, and, due to hatred for his own weakness, developed a split personality... Do you know, this was actually the result of Supreme Ox Demon’s deliberate planning! Your disciple will one day achieve the Dao, only to be harvested for his Dao Fruit by Niu Gui, resulting in death, isn’t it tragic!"
"...And one more among the Five Great Lowly Honored Ones, who contemplates universal salvation and is known as the Medicine Master, spends his life dispensing medicine and alms, respected by countless Grand Abjection people, offered incense for generations as custom here. However, this facade of kindness veils maliciousness, unworthy of being a Saint Good Corpse. Bright Buddha was merely his Transmigration Spirit Body, a stepping stone for his return to the cultivation world. You might have heard this tale: when Burying Moon Immortal Concubine entered the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, she once severely wounded a novice Bright Buddha. Although Bright Buddha bore no resentment after the fact, instead, developing love for the malicious woman as he cultivated Buddhism, when that malicious woman fell with the Heavenly Court, he sorrowfully rushed out of the Holy Mountain, becoming a momentary legend... There are poems praising Bright Buddha: ’How to find a twofold path on earth that does not fail both Buddha and beloved.’ Yet, alas, alas, so-called infatuation with Burying Moon was merely a facade, simply coveting the unique cultivation technique of Burying Moon. After Burying Moon’s death, the scheme fell through, naturally leading to despondency, never stepping the Holy Mountain Mausoleum again. But this despondency, it has nothing to do with any profound affection!"
"...Among the Five Great Lowly Honored Ones, there is one person who plots the Fire Soul Clan sealed underground; on the surface, he schemes for the sword ancestor buried in Vacant Flame Corpse Bone Mountain. The Death Emperor is his puppet, Sanyan is his plaything, and countless talents who obtained the Flame Ancestor’s Golden Palm Command fell into his calculations. His reach extends beyond Sanyan and into the grasslands. In his quest to become a saint, he betrayed Saint Nan Yao in the past, and after Saint Nan Yao fell unexpectedly, he made a wager with Medicine Master Buddha. Together, they divided the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, creating the current factions of Sanyan and Holy Mountain. What a pity, what a pity, he schemed against me, yet I deftly avoided it, forcing him to settle for possessing the Death Emperor instead; he schemed against the sword ancestor, but the sword ancestor was sent off by you, rendering his plan to acquire the supreme Dao of the sword ancestor a failure. Truly satisfying, truly satisfying! The Flame Ancestor’s most humiliating miscalculations occurred with you and me, is it not grand!"
"Whether it’s Sanyan or the Holy Mountain, they are merely pawns on the chessboard of the Four Supremes. They compete, they fight, each vying to be the one to obtain the relics of Saint Nan Yao, to be the first to transcend into an ancient great cultivator, and further... to become a saint! Alas, alas, these four remain within the calculations of Saint Nan Yao. Saint Nan Yao died, and died miserably. The historical records of the Great Humble Ones do not contain this story, but through certain means, I learned the cause of Saint Nan Yao’s death! Saint Nan Yao was from the True Realm Primordial Ancient Immortal Domain, sent as an emissary to retrieve the remains of the first Immortal Emperor of the ancient realm — the sword ancestor! Unfortunately, Saint Nan Yao failed to recover the sword ancestor’s remains, and instead was severely wounded by the sword ancestor. In his weakened state, he was betrayed by an evil corpse, leading to the collapse of Dao Mountain. Even the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain he established was lost in the Dreamland Realm of the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign. But how could Old Man Nan Yao resign himself to fate? Thus, he laid his plans and calculations, seeking revenge. If the Flame Ancestor opts to live ignominiously, he’ll leave it be, but if he’s greedy to become a saint, one day... he will surely fall victim to Old Man Nan Yao’s arrangements made before his death!"
"Cultivation, cultivation, what is ’truth’ after all? Each of these hypocritical individuals calculates the heavens and the earth—is it really possible to cultivate the genuine truth? I don’t believe so, yet I have no right to accuse them, because I too am one among these hypocrites, an unscrupulous rogue who clings to life."
"Now that I have shared so many secrets with you, I trust they will be of assistance to you. Could this be considered the old man’s third compensation to you, Daoist?"
Emperor Lou Tuo said no more, but instead gazed deeply at Ning Fan, awaiting Ning Fan’s response.
Ning Fan’s expression remained unchanged, but inside, waves surged. Previously, he felt that a layer of mist shrouded the Great Humble Ones, obscured and inscrutable. But with Emperor Lou Tuo’s insights, he immediately understood the origins of this mist.
So that’s how it is...
So the entire Great Humble Ones, in every grass and wood, is filled with the calculations of the Great Humble Saint, Quasi-Saint!
Such intricate scheming, such intricate human hearts, truly a terrifying place.
Ning Fan suddenly felt a bit disinterested.
For Lou Tuo, this candid rogue, he surprisingly found it hard to harbor hatred.
Though Emperor Lou Tuo utilized him, he always maintained boundaries, never once crossing Ning Fan’s bottom line. Now, revealing the truth, his hardships, and offering compensation, further unraveling the many mysteries before Ning Fan’s eyes. With Ning Fan’s manner of action, he was already too weary to make a move against Lou Tuo.
This person’s intellect is like a demon, even predicting his character with great clarity...
This person is also adept at seeking fortune and avoiding calamity, to survive from ancient times to today amidst the schemes of many Supremes, sufficiently proving his capability.
This person is ruthless and decisive, willing to destroy his own cultivation foundation for self-preservation, like a warrior severing his wrist—such courage, uncommon among people.
This person is undoubtedly the foremost talent beneath the many Supremes, and in Ning Fan’s view, his potential exceeds even that of the Bright Buddha and the Death Emperor.
"I’ve definitely received your compensation. However, your actions in guiding me near the end imply some ulterior motive—using my hand against certain Supremes, don’t they... Though your Dao foundation has been destroyed, your ambition to vie for power with those Supreme beings still remains intact... You truly are despicable."
Emperor Lou Tuo laughed heartily, undisturbed by Ning Fan’s assertion of his despicable nature.
"From today onwards, let our grievances be written off, but if you scheme against me once more, I won’t guarantee that I’ll let you live!" Ning Fan stated expressionlessly.
"Ha-ha, I can’t make that promise. However, I can assure you that even if I scheme again in the future involving fellow Daoist, I will make sure the consequences never escalate to a point causing enmity with you."
"I hope you can fulfill this promise."
"If Daoist has time, you are welcome to visit my Imperial Peak, and I shall greet you warmly. Ha-ha, conversing with Daoist has been incredibly refreshing for me."
"A visit would be fine, as long as you’re not afraid of being implicated by my outsider status. However, should I come to visit your Imperial Peak, I hope you can meet me with your true self, rather than another spirit sense clone."
Ning Fan deeply glanced at Emperor Lou Tuo and with a flicker, departed.
He has already confirmed the safety of Tamu and resolved the issues with Emperor Lou Tuo; staying here is no longer beneficial.
After his departure, a long time passed before Emperor Lou Tuo let out a slight sigh of relief and then smiled wryly, "This child possesses such terrifying insight, able to see through my Flame Ancestor’s spirit sense clone technique. Alas, I feared this child too much, to the extent that I only dared to come here with the clone, afraid that he might stubbornly ignore my reparation, and relentlessly kill me. Looking back now, all my precautions were perhaps excessive, this child is indeed clear on cause and effect, if not exceeding his bottom line, he is not beyond reconciliation..."
"...Able to consecutively slay two Supreme Emperors, even among ancient Immortal Lords, such formidable courage emerges once every hundred generations... Such an aura, indeed, exudes a commanding pressure, causing my spirit clone to break out in cold sweat. Inheritor of Ancient Chaos, truly extraordinary. Descendants of Fierce Origin Sect, genuinely terrifying..."
"Resolving past misdeeds with this child was indeed the wisest course of action. Now, let’s watch the chessboard of the Holy Domain, whether his skills prevail, or that of the hidden singer... The child misspoke, the one I fear most in life is not the Flame Ancestor, but that singer..."
Bang!
With a loud explosion, Emperor Lou Tuo’s body shattered into ribbons of firelight, dissolving into the heavens and earth.
At the same time, far away in Central State, Lou Tuo’s true form received the memories of reconciliation from the spirit sense clone, breathing a sigh of relief.
He is the most covert among the Central State’s Five Emperors and the most astute.
The shrewdness of the other four Emperors could not compare to his; they would never think that the Ghost-Faced cultivator who shook the world would be Ning Fan. Nor would they know that failure to reconcile with Ning Fan now, to resolve karma, would bring disaster on another day...
"Let’s see which Great Emperor of Central State the child will target first, ha-ha, those four buffoons all once pursued that ominous star. Particularly that fool of Hundred Flowers, despite having an alliance with the ominous star, foolishly broke the agreement... My choice was indeed correct, had I not avoided the upheaval in Liuli City, and similarly made a move against this child, reconciliation today would be utterly impossible given his ruthless nature."
Nightfall descends upon Central State.
In the darkness, a ghost-faced silver-haired figure arrives at the border of Central State.
Not immediately seeking trouble with the Great Emperors of Central State but diving underground, searching for the Hundred-li Stone Dragon abandoned deep beneath the earth.
This is Demon Seed Meng Zhen’s Demonic Beast.
This pitiful servant beast was once forcibly controlled by Ning Fan’s illusion, forced to kill its own master.
Now, the Hundred-li Stone Dragon has not escaped Ning Fan’s illusion control; every moment, it suffers, wishing to follow its master in death, longing to avenge its master and destroy Ning Fan. Yet, deeply under illusions, it cannot perish with its master, nor avenge him, forced to comply with the enemy’s commands due to the illusion’s influence.
Unable to live, unable to die!
Ning Fan sinks beneath the earth, reaching the Hundred-li Stone Dragon, having mastered communication with all things; he can easily hear the creature’s inner cries of sorrow.
"Do you still hate me? Hate me for killing your former master Meng Zhen?"
Moo!
The Hundred-li Stone Dragon’s inner roar, its resistance to the term ’former master’!
It has no concept of an old or new master. Ning Fan cannot be its new master!
In this life, it only acknowledges Meng Zhen as its master! In its heart, there is only Meng Zhen as the king!
Ning Fan sighed softly, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were cold, "I have some news to tell you. Not only did I kill the demon child Meng Zhen, but I also killed the Immortal Emperor of the Meng family and imprisoned all Meng family members as incense slaves. Do you hate me even more now?"
Moo!
The Hundred-li Stone Dragon roared louder in grief! That roar carried deep emotions for the Meng family.
And for Ning Fan... intense hatred!
"Unfortunately, cultivation is such a cruel thing. Since you made the first move against me, intending to kill me, you must pay the price for it. You are very loyal, causing me to admire you greatly, but this admiration is not enough to make you serve me. I rarely engage in deep conversations with others, let alone with a beast that doesn’t understand human language. I can control you with illusions for life and drive you forever, but I prefer to give you two other choices to free you from this endless pain. Either forget your old master and acknowledge me as your new master, or... I give you the opportunity to accompany your master in death."
For the first time since Ning Fan controlled the Hundred-li Stone Dragon, he released it from the illusion.
The moment the illusion on the Hundred-li Stone Dragon was lifted, as it regained its freedom, the first thing it did was use its massive body, spanning a hundred li, exerting all its strength to crash towards Ning Fan with a determination that insisted on killing him!
Its intentions could be seen even without the need for communication with all things.
It did not choose the first path, but the latter...
It was just a beast that couldn’t speak human language, yet it had more integrity than many in the cultivation world.
Even though the two were in opposition, never to rest until one’s death, Ning Fan could not hide his admiration for this beast.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t let it go due to admiration.
If he were lenient, it would lead to this beast’s relentless revenge...
If he ultimately failed to subdue this beast, he would give it a dignified release.
He did not retaliate nor did he raise any defenses, allowing the Hundred-li Stone Dragon to recklessly crash into him amidst the underground collapse, remaining unmoved.
Unharmed.
The impact force of the Hundred-li Stone Dragon, comparable to that of a Triple Calamity Immortal King, did not harm Ning Fan in the slightest.
This left the Hundred-li Stone Dragon shocked, bitter, and sorrowful.
It could not rival Ning Fan, could not avenge its master, it had no... possibilities...
Meng Zhen was dead, the Meng family was destroyed, its home was already gone...
Moo!
Suddenly, the Hundred-li Stone Dragon ceased its attack on Ning Fan. And for the first time since being controlled by Ning Fan, it lowered its enormous head towards Ning Fan, letting out a low roar.
This lowering of its head was still not a submission out of fear for Ning Fan.
It was merely a gesture of gratitude for Ning Fan’s mercy, willing to let it die with dignity rather than be painfully controlled by illusions.
Ning Fan slowly closed his eyes.
Then suddenly, around him, came the roar of countless layers collapsing!
The Hundred-li Stone Dragon shattered its own demon core! Dispersed all its cultivation! And with a mortal body that lost its cultivation, it finally crashed to its death against the subterranean rock layers!
Accompanying its master in death...
Never to yield...
At this moment, the entire Middle State experienced a strong earthquake, alarming many of the people living on the borderline nearby. But the earthquake quickly subsided, with no one knowing the reason behind it.
However, due to an earthquake, beyond the borders of the Middle State, the ground stretching for hundreds of li collapsed, subsiding thousands of zhang, seemingly as a result of massive subterranean layers collapsing.
Some cultivators from the cultivation world patrolling the borders at night attempted to investigate underground, but they simply couldn’t penetrate the depths of the collapsed rock layers and had to give up.
No one knew that deep underground, there was an infamous Ghost-Faced Cultivator secretly pouring wine to pay respects for a fallen beast within the layers of darkness.
Then, Ning Fan spat out a mouthful of black flames, burning away the massive corpse of the Hundred-li Stone Dragon deep underground, using fire for burial, the smoke dispersing the remains of the Hundred-li Stone Dragon.
Afterwards, the Fu Li Spirit Wheels opened, seizing something from between heaven and earth, collecting it within the spirit wheels.
"If there is an afterlife, find a wise master."
"Speaking of which, with my Ancient Demon Cultivation, I already qualify to practice the second spirit wheel technique from the Five Spirit Wheel Technique. Unfortunately, I have not found a suitable place to practice... The environment needed for practicing the second spirit wheel is very demanding..."
Ning Fan’s figure wavered, leaving the underground.
The night grew deeper.
The clouds on Bone Spirit Peak covered the moonlight in the sky, as a ghost-faced figure, hidden, quietly infiltrated.
Concealed so brazenly, the Chaos World Purple Rosy Light disrupted the heavy restrictions of Bone Spirit Peak, easily allowing infiltration into the depths.
Throughout Bone Spirit Peak, only the Bone Age Emperor sensed the intruder’s arrival!
Inside the stone chamber forbidden ground of Bone Spirit Peak, with its physical body destroyed and only the spirit left, the Bone Spirit Emperor trembled slightly, then with a hint of fear, turned back.
Behind it, at an unknown time, there appeared a ghost-faced, silver-haired cultivator!
"Ghost... Ghost-Faced Cultivator!"
At this moment, having lost its physical body and with its spirit heavily damaged, the Bone Spirit Emperor could only exert a cultivation equivalent to an ordinary Five Tribulations Immortal King.
The other party, however, was that Ghost-Faced Cultivator who had consecutively slain two emperors and shook the world!
"Two choices: become my incense slave or die!"
Ning Fan’s gaze contained no trace of warmth, and he spoke ruthlessly.
He had no hesitation towards the Bone Age Emperor, who had decisively pursued and killed him that day. Merely offering the chance to become an incense slave was already an act of grace!
"I... I have a condition. If you can withstand one attack from me, I will agree to become your incense slave. If you cannot do this, then even in death, I will never submit!"
The Bone Spirit Emperor’s spirit was terrified, but it forcibly suppressed the fear in its heart, striving to maintain the dignity of an Immortal Emperor, eyes calculating, seemingly seeking a glimmer of hope for survival from within.
"That’s acceptable."
Ning Fan’s tone remained ruthless.
But his eyes, flashing slightly with azure light, in an instant, penetrated all the secrets of the Bone Spirit Emperor.
"Heaven... Heaven Separation Practitioner!"
The Bone Spirit’s small face trembled, its apprehension towards the Ghost-Faced Cultivator escalating to an unprecedented height...