novelraw Chapter 1228: To Become the Moon in the Next Life
Chapter 1228: To Become the Moon in the Next Life
"Hiss! What a slaughter aura! In the land of the Northern Celestial Mysterious Gate, such an Evil Sect actually appeared!"
Facing Ning Fan’s heaven-overturning Evil Qi, the dignified Quasi-Saint cultivator Jiujian Daoist actually felt a strange chill pierce through his body, could not help but retreat dozens of steps, as though avoiding a fierce beast.
But that shock only lasted for a moment. Jiujian Daoist quickly stabilized his heart spirit, thinking to himself, so what if this brat’s aura is intimidating!
This is the Spring Bottom of the Ancestral Moon Soul Spring! This is the territory of his Qinglian Sword Clan!
On this old man’s territory, even if you are a True Dragon, you still have to coil up obediently for this old man!
"Decree!"
With a single command, Jiujian Daoist withdrew the Sword Spirit power that had been protecting Ning Fan’s whole body.
Deprived of the protection of the Qinglian Sword Clan, the Primordial Chaos Qi at the bottom of the spring instantly locked killing intent onto Ning Fan. The mixed yuan concentration here was too high and could already manifest all kinds of Primordial Chaos transformations. Amid thunderous roars, the surrounding Primordial Chaos Qi transformed into illusory shadows of thousands of Primordial Mountains, crashing down with a boom; in the blink of an eye, it turned into a phantom Primordial Sea, surging to drown Ning Fan.
Those Primordial Mountains were enough to smash an Immortal Emperor into vomiting blood! With thousands falling together, even a Quasi-Saint would have to temporarily dodge!
That Primordial Sea was enough to drown the Great Dao of Yin and Yang! Once swept into the sea, one’s entire Daoist Thought would be eternally sunk to the bottom!
But none of this was a reason for Ning Fan to yield!
Qingling’s Qinglian, the Dao Lineage’s Green Lotus, was right behind him. This object, he would not yield to anyone. Don’t say it was just illusory Primordial Mountains and Primordial Seas—even if a Real Realms Immortal Emperor truly suppressed him with primordial mountains and seas, he would never bow his head!
Ning Fan summoned the Reverse Sea Sword, his eyes surging with boundless demonic thoughts!
With one sword, a thousand mountains shattered!
Then he spat out Flame Thunder Fire, and even that Primordial Sea was steamed dry!
Seeing the illusory mountains and seas could not harm Ning Fan, the surrounding Primordial Chaos Qi saw its Ning Fan skyrocket, and began to transform into layer upon layer of mysterious Heavenly Dao patterns. Those patterns gathered more and more, finally condensing into a gigantic palm print!
The palm print descended from the heavens, as if it could tear open Primordial Chaos, its Ning Fan unfathomable.
Many Northern Heavenly Quasi-Saints had once wanted to probe the Spring Bottom of the Soul Spring, only to be beaten back by the palm print formed from Primordial Chaos Qi in the end. This palm print was too terrifying with a single strike; no Second-Grade Quasi-Saint dared take it head-on!
"Humph! Ignorant brat, today I’ll teach you the terror of Primordial Chaos!" Jiujian Daoist was just waiting to see Ning Fan suffer, when his expression suddenly changed drastically.
One hundred swords!
Ning Fan’s Mana erupted fully, and in an instant he slashed a hundred swords at the palm print, actually chopping that Primordial Chaos palm print into dust!
After the Primordial Chaos Qi shattered, it still wanted to attack Ning Fan again, but Ning Fan struck first!
At this moment, Ning Fan was already completely different from when he had just entered the Soul Spring. He had already cultivated the Five Elements Primordial Body, possessing extremely high resistance to Primordial Chaos Qi!
With his Cultivation Technique quietly operating within his body, Ning Fan unexpectedly began to whale-swallow the surrounding Primordial Chaos Qi in great gulps!
"You, you’re insane! This is Primordial Chaos, this is..." Jiujian Daoist was already so shocked he could not even speak coherently.
Even Pure Yang Ancestral Master was startled by Ning Fan’s actions. This was the spring bottom, not the upper layers of the Soul Spring; the concentration of Primordial Chaos here was extraordinary. Even an Ancient Great Cultivator would not dare whale-swallow Primordial Chaos here.
This kid actually dared!
Ning Fan did not even glance at Jiujian Daoist’s shocked face, only focused on doing one thing.
Swallow, swallow, swallow!
His true nature was Demon; his evil cultivators path was to use hardness to subdue hardness!
He wanted to destroy all the Primordial Chaos Qi here, in the most brutal way!
"Stop! Quickly stop! You cannot swallow all the Primordial Chaos here, this is another reliance for my Qinglian Sword Clan’s revival! The old man told you to stop, did you not hear!" Jiujian Daoist flew into a towering rage.
The First Sword finally left its sheath!
This was a Xiantian Inferior Grade Sword; a flying sword of this level was not enough to make Ning Fan take it seriously. But the one controlling the sword happened to be Jiujian Daoist, this Quasi-Saint Sword Spirit.
The treasure sword was weak, but the Sword Spirit was extremely strong, making this sword’s Ning Fan almost invincible among low grade Innate Treasures. One sword rose into the air, and the sword light suddenly turned into a hundred thousand strands of moonlight, pouring down toward Ning Fan.
A very beautiful sword move, yet it contained heaven-overturning killing intent.
Those hundred thousand strands of moonlight were not formed by the dispersal of sword light, but by this sword slashing a hundred thousand times at Ning Fan in a single instant!
To slash one hundred thousand swords in a single instant! At such a slashing speed, even Ning Fan found it somewhat hard to dodge. This sword technique absolutely needed to contain a trace of temporal principle to accomplish such an inconceivable feat.
Chi chi chi chi chi!
In everyone’s gaze, Ning Fan seemed to be pierced like a sieve by those hundred thousand sword lights, but bizarrely, not a single drop of blood flowed out.
"It actually hit! This brat is truly vulnerable!" Jiujian Daoist’s face filled with delight; he had not expected Ning Fan to be so easy to deal with.
Yet he immediately could no longer laugh.
Ning Fan, who had been stabbed a hundred thousand times, actually began to wither. In the end, his color faded, and he turned into a dead withered tree-man.
Then a cold voice suddenly rang out behind him without warning.
"Injuring Ning Fan’s body double makes you this happy..."
Boom!
An unimaginable fist force suddenly slammed over, directly smashing Jiujian Daoist’s face flat, knocking out a mouthful of shattered teeth, spurting blood wildly as he was sent flying!
It was shockingly Ning Fan, who had used a Tree Demon Avatars to evade the hundred thousand slashes, then launched a counterattack with Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike!
Jiujian Daoist flew backward several thousand zhang before he finally managed to stabilize his body with difficulty, staring at Ning Fan in disbelief.
Though he was only an Enlightened Sub-Saint, his Sword Spirit body had been tempered to be no weaker than a Quasi-Saint’s. With the physical defense strength of a Quasi-Saint, to have his face smashed flat by another’s single punch—this man’s fist force was far too terrifying!
"You’re actually a Body Cultivation!" Jiujian Daoist shouted in shock and anger. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt he had spoken nonsense.
Since this brat was an Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor, he was of course a Body Cultivation; it was not surprising in the least that his fist force was shocking!
"Only this level of injury..." Ning Fan spoke on the Heartless Path.
Without opening the Eternal True Body, without unleashing a combo, Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike’s threat to a Quasi-Saint truly was not great; he actually could not heavily injure even an Enlightened Sub-Saint.
Since that was the case, then he might as well open the Eternal True Body!
Eternal True Body, open!
Cross Halo, open!
Without giving Jiujian Daoist any time for astonishment, a torrential downpour of Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strikes was already crashing toward him.
"Not good! Second sword, out of sheath!"
Jiujian Daoist’s first physical sword was characterized by extremely fast slashing speed.
The second sword was a defensive sword; its sword body like a shield, its Sword Qi like walls. In an instant, this sword transformed into three thousand layers of Qi walls, protecting Jiujian Daoist’s whole body without a gap.
It had to be said, the defense of this second sword was indeed formidable. Even eight hundred Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strikes could not punch through its Qi wall defense.
Yet as Ning Fan’s fist momentum grew stronger and stronger, reaching the Ning Fan of three thousand consecutive strikes, this sword’s defense finally began to totter.
Boom boom boom!
The three thousand Qi walls only held for a dozen breaths before being forcibly smashed through by Ning Fan!
Jiujian Daoist’s second physical sword, together with the first physical sword, was completely blasted into powder by Ning Fan!
Even he himself, in the torrential fist lights, was like a fallen leaf in the wind, constantly struck, constantly ravaged.
For him, an Enlightened Sub-Saint, Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike was far too stimulating, alright!
Jiujian Daoist felt his courage turn to ice. If he still did not do something, he would definitely be beaten to death by Ning Fan’s random punches!
"Seven-Star Sword Formation, protect the nine days!"
Jiujian Daoist sacrificed all of his remaining five physical swords, transforming them into a Sword Array that guarded the surroundings, only then barely blocking Ning Fan’s torrential assault.
Unfortunately, he had used this Sword Array too late. At this moment, two physical swords had already been shattered by Ning Fan, leaving only five swords available to form the array. The Ning Fan of the Sword Array had already dropped greatly.
Fortunately, this Sword Array could still increase its Formation defense by absorbing Primordial Chaos Qi.
With the augmentation of the Primordial Chaos Qi, Jiujian Daoist’s Sword Array defense more than doubled, to the point that even eight thousand Ancient Demon Mountain Breaker Strikes could not shatter its formation barrier.
"Huff... that was close, I was almost killed by this brat. Detestable whelp! I’ll let you see how formidable my Sword Array is—this formation is not only for defense, it has over a hundred million variations. As long as I reverse the formation’s eye, it becomes a supreme killing array, and then I can..."
Jiujian Daoist hadn’t finished his nonsense before he was suddenly scared speechless!
It was Ning Fan who, seeing brute force against the Sword Array was useless, immediately withdrew his fists, stepped on golden flames, and walked toward the Sword Array one step at a time!
With every step Ning Fan’s Golden Flame Giant Body took forward, an indelible golden flame footprint was branded upon heaven and earth!
He did not seem to be walking within heaven and earth, but rather walking directly upon the meridians of heaven and earth themselves; every place his foot landed happened to be the vital node of the world’s grand momentum.
Nine steps were taken in an instant, and the whole world began to shake, began to... lose balance!
Bang, bang, bang!
The grand momentum of heaven and earth collapsed beneath Ning Fan’s steps!
The Sword Array, losing the support of the grand momentum, naturally collapsed along with it; how could it remain alone!
That formidable Sword Array that could withstand eight thousand Ancient Demon Mountain Breaker Strikes ultimately could not block Ning Fan’s Momentum Character Secret—Nine Steps to Tread the Heavens!
As the Sword Array collapsed, the five remaining physical swords of Jiujian Daoist shattered along with it! Thus, all seven of Jiujian Daoist’s physical swords were destroyed; the only things he could rely on now were the two Divine Skill Swords.
"Ning Fan, you little cur, this old man is irreconcilable with you!!!"
Jiujian Daoist was driven mad with rage!
He had spent hundreds of millions of years to refine his nine swords—seven real, two illusory—yet Ning Fan had now destroyed seven of his real swords; his Divine Skills were greatly damaged, how could he not hate!
As his fury filled his chest, piling higher and higher, Jiujian Daoist finally met the requirement to activate his Eternal True Body and opened the Eternal True Body he had long left unused!
His Eternal True Body was a special True Body that required specific conditions to activate.
The activation conditions of special True Bodies all differ; Jiujian Daoist needed to reach sufficient rage to open his True Body, and at this moment he had met that condition.
Jiujian Daoist actually cultivated a Buddhist True Body; his True Body was shockingly a Golden Vajra with furious eyes, standing upon a lotus seat!
Within the furious eyes of that True Body, two sword lights like flashing lightning roamed about; those two swords were precisely his remaining two Divine Skill Swords!
"This old man’s Eighth Sword is named Golden Light Fury, containing the anger of my lifetime’s rebellion against Destiny! No matter what, this old man must lead the Qinglian Sword Clan out of this Spring Bottom World. My Qinglian Sword Clan was born in the Primordial Chaos and will die in the Primordial Chaos; if we leave the Primordial Chaos, we are doomed to die. But if we can absorb the power of the Sword Ancestor’s Dao Lineage, then we may have a sliver of chance to live in the outside world! For this alone, I will yield the Sword Ancestor’s Dao Lineage to no one! Even if you, Ning Fan, are stronger, it’s still no!"
Roar!
Jiujian Daoist’s fury surged to the sky; the eighth sword light in his left eye turned into a blazing flame, flying out from his left eye and slashing toward Ning Fan!
This was a sword of wrath!
This sword had accumulated the rage of Jiujian Daoist over hundreds of millions of years; if this sword struck a Quasi-Saint’s Dantian, the flames upon the sword would be enough to annihilate a Quasi-Saint’s Spirit in an instant—extremely dangerous!
Of course, such an astonishing sword naturally had a drawback: it could only be used once; after that one use it would definitely disperse.
Within that wrath, there was also a belief—to lead his own clan to the outside world no matter the cost!
Unfortunately, Jiujian Daoist’s belief could not shake Ning Fan’s determination to fight for the Qinglian Dao Lineage in the slightest.
Jiujian Daoist had his reasons for not retreating; Ning Fan had his as well! For the sake of their respective beliefs, fighting with their lives on the line—this was the Destiny of all Masters!
"Rain Dragon, swallow that sword for me!"
Facing Jiujian Daoist’s Eighth Sword coming on fiercely, Ning Fan suddenly gave an order; the Rain Intent of heaven and earth instantly condensed into a three-zhang-long Rain Dragon.
The Rain Dragon’s body was not large and looked completely without imposing manner; after being summoned by Ning Fan, it lazily yawned, as if it had no interest in anything under heaven, radiating a strong personality.
But when Jiujian Daoist’s wrathful sword light slashed over, the Rain Dragon’s eyes suddenly lit up, fighting intent surging within; then it roared to the heavens and directly opened its mouth, swallowing Jiujian Daoist’s sword of wrath!
The wrath on that sword could annihilate even a Quasi-Saint’s Spirit in an instant, yet that little Rain Dragon actually dared to swallow it—this scene was simply unbelievable.
Such a wrathful sword, with such power, even those giant dragons under the Rain Master, vast as heaven and earth, would not dare swallow; to swallow it would mean certain death.
Strangely, Ning Fan’s three-zhang Rain Dragon, after swallowing such a terrifying sword, did not die; it merely rolled all over the ground, crying out in pain.
That was all.
Its cries and rolling only lasted for a dozen breaths; a dozen breaths later, the agony within the Rain Dragon’s body subsided; it had actually digested Jiujian Daoist’s Eighth Sword, which was formed from the wrath of his lifetime...
Burp.
The Rain Dragon let out a satisfied belch, then happily coiled around Ning Fan’s Golden Flame True Body, circling it as if its master had summoned it out to play again, utterly delighted.
Pure Yang Ancestral Master was so shocked his eyes nearly popped out.
Jiujian Daoist seemed to have taken a tremendous blow and turned to stone on the spot.
Who could have foreseen that such a heaven-shaking sword would be easily blocked by an utterly inconspicuous little dragon—this... was simply like a dream!
"Impossible!" Jiujian Daoist finally let out an unwilling roar!
That three-zhang Rain Dragon—what exactly was it! Why could it so easily swallow the wrath of his lifetime? He refused to believe this was real!
"This is... this is a Source Stream of Dao! A living being transformed from a Source Stream of Dao itself, nearly undying and indestructible, hence it dares to swallow such a terrifying swordsmanship whole! A Source Stream of Dao—he’s actually touched a wisp of the Source Stream of Dao!" After looking closely, Pure Yang Ancestral Master finally saw some clues.
Thus he was deeply shaken, because something like the Source Stream of Dao was too profound; even he had difficulty stepping through its threshold, yet Ning Fan had done it!
But along with his shock, there was also a hint of puzzlement.
What puzzled him was: why did Ning Fan’s Rain Dragon look so much like those dragons raised by Beihai True Lord?
It should just be a coincidence. After all, Beihai True Lord’s Rain Dragons had not touched the level of the Source Stream of Dao and could not swallow Divine Skill Swords of this level.
Pure Yang Ancestral Master naturally had no way of knowing that Ning Fan’s Rain Dragon really had been robbed from Beihai True Lord.
It was just that Ning Fan’s Rain Dragon was far more formidable than Beihai True Lord’s.
Because Beihai True Lord only possessed the power of the Rain Seal Rank, whereas after Ning Fan cultivated the Rain Control Position, he also devoured some of the Rain Seal Rank’s power.
Dominator Seal Number and Seal Rank share the same source but flow differently; when the two combine, they form a Source Stream of Dao.
Divine Skill spirits created by the power of a Dao Source often possess the characteristic of being undying and indestructible; they cannot be harmed by ordinary means. Ning Fan’s Rain Dragon was precisely such a case—its body might be small, but it was far more formidable than Beihai True Lord’s Rain Dragons.
"I refuse to accept this!"
Jiujian Daoist howled madly at the sky.
His entire life of plotting was for the sake of his clan stepping out of the Soul Spring; just as his wish was about to be fulfilled, Ning Fan appeared as an obstacle.
Even his Eighth Sword could not take Ning Fan down—what else could he do? All that remained was his Ninth Sword...
The Eighth Sword was the condensation of the wrath of his life.
The Ninth Sword was the condensation of his entire life itself.
Once this sword was used, he would die! But if his death could kill the outsiders here and win the Sword Ancestor’s Dao Lineage for his clan, then his death would be meaningful.
"This is this old man’s... Ninth Sword! Once this sword is drawn, this old man will surely die! Ning Fan, Daoist Lv, you two are too great an obstruction. Come, descend to the Jiuyou Yellow Spring with this old man!"
In that instant, all of Jiujian Daoist’s vital blood turned green, then with a boom his entire body exploded; flesh and blood burst apart and his Sword Spirit’s body was destroyed!
His entire body of flesh and blood turned into a boundless sea of jade-green blood, which then condensed into a thousand-zhang Giant Sword, its sword edge locking onto both Ning Fan and Pure Yang Ancestral Master.
This was Jiujian Daoist’s life-sacrificing strike—he vowed to slaughter all outsiders here and carve out a future for his clan!
"Clan Leader! Stop at once!"
Countless Qinglian clansmen fell to their knees, weeping in hoarse voices; pitiable and lamentable, yet in the end it was self-inflicted.
Pure Yang Ancestral Master’s expression changed drastically; with a flash he appeared beside Ning Fan, urgently saying, "We underestimated that old thief Jiujian! This man is crazier than you or me. He has turned his life into a sword; the power of this sword can severely injure a Second-Grade Quasi-Saint. We must leave at once!"
Pure Yang Ancestral Master tried to pull Ning Fan away, but Ning Fan had no intention of leaving.
The demonic thoughts in his eyes faded; his expression grew slightly solemn as he watched the sword light formed by Jiujian Daoist’s sacrifice of his life.
Ning Fan disliked Jiujian Daoist’s scheming and nature, yet he had not expected that in the end Jiujian Daoist would do something that earned his recognition; this person could indeed be considered a man.
"As Clan Leader, you dare to sacrifice yourself for the future of your clan; in this regard, you are indeed qualified for the position. Unfortunately, in cultivation there is no right or wrong, only different stances. You and I are fated to be enemies, not friends. The only thing I can do is use my strongest strike to send you off..."
Ning Fan seemed to be muttering to himself, yet also seemed to be speaking with Jiujian Daoist, this enemy.
He would answer Jiujian Daoist’s life‑sacrificing sword with his own strongest strike!
Flee? There was no need.
The Rain Dragon was itching to try, yet somewhat afraid at the same time. It seemed to want to earn merit for Ning Fan by swallowing this sword in his stead, yet vaguely felt that if it swallowed this sword, even its Dao Source Body would be damaged and destroyed.
Ning Fan did not let the Rain Dragon take action, but instead recalled it.
With a tap of his finger, the entire Spring Bottom World was covered by his Rain Void.
With another tap, within the Rain Void countless giant trees sprouted—this was actually the power of the Wood Divine Realm, superimposed upon the Rain Void!
"Daoist Jiujian, you kept getting one thing wrong. This is not your Qinglian Sword Clan’s home ground. So long as I will it, any place can become my, Ning Fan’s, home ground!"
Endless giant trees, nourished by the Rain Void, began to grow madly!
This was not power the original Wood Domain possessed. This was a qualitative change formed after fusing with the Rain Void!
Water begets wood!
Rain and wood were naturally compatible, causing the power of the Wood Domain to increase geometrically!
Within this Wood Domain, Ning Fan was the undisputed emperor. To defeat him within his own domain would be difficult even for a Second-Grade Quasi-Saint!
"Die!"
Jiujian Daoist’s voice of unwillingness echoed between heaven and earth, and then his Ninth Sword transformed into countless green swords, hacking down toward Ning Fan like a raging storm.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless wooden walls rose from the ground, protecting Ning Fan from all directions!
Jiujian Daoist’s life‑sacrificing sword ceaselessly chopped apart the obstructing giant trees here!
Nourished by the rain, the giant trees regrew again and again; they simply could not be killed off.
No one knew how long had passed before Jiujian Daoist’s sword light finally began to wane, began to dissipate.
When all commotion subsided, when the smoke and dust dispersed, Ning Fan stood unharmed atop the ruins of countless giant trees.
Jiujian Daoist’s life‑sacrificing sword still could not do anything to him in the end.
"The Clan Leader has lost...even the Clan Leader’s life‑sacrificing sword could not wound this man in the slightest..." The entire Qinglian Sword Clan was dumbfounded and despondent, falling into despair.
When the nest is overturned, can any eggs remain intact? Once the Clan Leader died, the clansmen like them would mostly be unable to eke out a living.
"He has touched a sliver of Dao Source in the Rain Control Position, as well as the Wood Control Position..." Pure Yang Ancestral Master was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped.
He had never imagined that Ning Fan was actually an exceedingly rare multi‑Position cultivator!
This was even with him failing to recognize the Wood Godhood, mistakenly taking it for a Wood Control Position. If he knew that what Ning Fan possessed was a Godhood three grades higher than the Wood Control Position, he would be even more aghast.
"So this is this child’s full power... I had thought that if I fought him, I might still have thirty percent chance of victory. Now it seems even ten percent would be forced..." Pure Yang Ancestral Master could only smile bitterly.
After the bitter smile, there was also a trace of regret.
Regrettable that only at the very end did he realize that the Jiujian Daoist he had always looked down upon was also a truly formidable man.
He did somewhat admire Jiujian Daoist’s courage, but it was only admiration. On the cultivation road there were too many respectable enemies, yet in the end one still could not avoid a bloody battle.
"That old Jiujian seeks the future of his clan. As for this child... for what does he fight..." Pure Yang Ancestral Master gave Ning Fan a probing look.
Ning Fan did not respond. He simply dispelled all kinds of Divine Skills and walked coldly toward the remaining Qinglian clansmen here.
Seeing Ning Fan approach, all the Qinglian clansmen paled in terror, feeling as though a great calamity was about to befall them.
"So he’s going to cut the weeds and pull up the roots... Ruthlessness is the mark of a real man; in this matter the boy can hardly be blamed for being cruel..." Pure Yang Ancestral Master thought to himself.
Yet the extermination of a clan he imagined did not happen. Ning Fan actually only casually asked the Qinglian clansmen, "I heard that you Qinglian clansmen can never leave this domain for all your lives..."
"Y‑Yes..." The Qinglian clansmen seemed to see a sliver of hope and answered respectfully.
"Then live here well and live on properly for your Clan Leader. You seek only to break the seal that binds this place and go see the outside world, yet you do not know that the blood filled cultivation world outside surpasses this place by hundreds and thousands of times. Compared to the outside, this place is nothing less than a paradise beyond the world. To dwell in blessing yet not know it—that is what is truly pitiable... People are always trying to live better, but what is ’better’..."
Ning Fan rarely spoke so much. Perhaps Jiujian Daoist’s matter had stirred him somehow, so he said a few more words, offering these Qinglian clansmen some pointers.
The Qinglian clansmen wanted to see the world outside, wanted to leave the vast and boundless Soul Spring World and behold the stars beyond.
The Immortal Cultivators of the Dreamland Realm bitterly pursued the Tianhuang Giant Gate, wanting to pass through that gate and behold the Real Realms.
Curiosity in itself was not wrong, wanting to live better was not wrong either, but cherishing what one already had was just as important...
Ning Fan lifted his eyes to the sky, to this Moonlight World. In his weary heart, he deeply envied the simple life of the Qinglian Sword Clan.
He actually had no real interest in longevity or cultivation; he only wanted to stay in Seven Apricot and spend a plain life with his family and friends...
Those who live in slaughter and those who live in simplicity have different systems of value.
This was not a question of right or wrong; it was only because one did not have it that one wanted to obtain it, that a trace of curiosity was born...
Ning Fan let out a long breath and dispelled all random thoughts from his mind. He no longer paid attention to the Qinglian clansmen here and began, on his own, to collect the Qinglian Dao Lineage here.
Naturally no one dared stop him.
Only countless Qinglian clansmen fell to their knees in waves, weeping with joy, thanking Ning Fan for the immense favor of sparing their lives.
There were even some Qinglian clansmen who called him a good man for ten lifetimes, kowtowing three times and nine times again to Ning Fan. They were afraid that if they bowed too few times or were not devout enough, Ning Fan would change his mind and not leave them a path to live.
No wonder these Qinglian clansmen took Ning Fan to be a good man of ten lifetimes.
The Qinglian Sword Clan had schemed against Ning Fan first, yet Ning Fan could still turn a great enmity into a small one and let bygones be bygones. If he were not a good man of ten lifetimes, who could possess such magnanimity? As for the battle between Ning Fan and the Clan Leader, that was only an unavoidable struggle on the cultivation road. Both sides fought openly and uprightly; the victor and the defeated had no cause for shame. Ning Fan could not be blamed.
Even Pure Yang Ancestral Master was somewhat surprised. The world all said Ning Fan was some Moral Sage True Lord, but he had seen through Ning Fan’s demonic nature and knew Ning Fan was a heinous Evil Sect, a so‑called good man my ass.
For such an Evil Sect to have times when he did not kill naturally astonished him.
"Deep in Brother Ning’s heart, does he perhaps... abhor slaughter?" Pure Yang Ancestral Master asked a question he himself hardly believed.
"In this world, is there really someone who likes killing for its own sake... If one delights in slaughter itself, then he is unworthy to be called human... There was once a person who told me a sentence: ’Climb the mountain as an Immortal, descend the mountain as a man.’ Mortals dream of becoming Immortals, yet do not know that Immortalhood means slaughter, means losing control over one’s own life; it is those years of being human that are the happiest..." Ning Fan answered casually while he continued collecting the Dao Lineage Qinglian.
"Climb the mountain as an Immortal, descend the mountain as a man!" Pure Yang Ancestral Master only felt a thunderclap in his ears, as though hearing heavenly music!
This single sentence actually summed up the blood filled cultivation world and laid bare the essence of being an Immortal. He truly wanted to know what kind of stunningly brilliant person had distilled such a line.
Curious, he asked casually.
Ning Fan, however, no longer replied. Matters concerning the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign were a Great Secret of Heaven and Earth; he did not wish to speak of them to others.
At last, the Dao Lineage Qinglian was completely collected by Ning Fan. When he placed the entire Dao Lineage Qinglian into the Shennong Hundred Herbs Garden, the lotus actually transformed directly into a ray of light and flew into the Sword Ancestor Soul Grass.
After that, the Sword Ancestor Soul Grass began to grow continuously and ultimately grew into a blooming green lotus.
When the lotus blossomed, it was as if a woman, crossing time and space, smiled at Ning Fan, making his heart inexplicably ache so that he did not dare look for long.
The lotus, however, wanted to look at Ning Fan a bit more. It swayed cheerfully in the wind, as though dancing.
"What a pity. After absorbing such a quantity of Dao Lineage power, it has only grown from Soul Grass into a lotus flower... The re‑condensation of Qingling Hunpo is still a far, far way off..."
Ning Fan let out a long sigh.
That scene of him using a Dao Lineage to nurture the Soul Grass, though not performed in front of Pure Yang Ancestral Master, was still divined by the latter through the power of ’money can communicate with spirits’!
"Mad, mad, utterly mad! You paid such a price to obtain the Sword Ancestor’s Dao Lineage, and it turns out you only wanted to raise a flower! You are simply the most hopeless flower maniac in this world!" Pure Yang Ancestral Master almost wanted to cry!
He had risked his life accompanying a gentleman; in order to help Ning Fan resurrect the Sword Ancestor’s Dao Lineage, even his Titled Void had shattered.
He had thought Ning Fan had some extraordinary reason for such madness—yet it was merely to raise a flower.
"How did you know what I did..." Ning Fan slightly frowned. He disliked having everything about him divined by others; that would leave him with no sense of security.
But he soon relaxed his brows, smiling and shaking his head, sighing at the unfathomable methods of this Pure Yang Ancestral Master, yet ultimately still not saying much about Qingling.
After all, Pure Yang Ancestral Master had done him a great favor, helping him revive the Qinglian Dao Lineage. Though it was a transaction, it still forged a bit of friendship between him and Pure Yang Ancestral Master.
Since that was so, having this man divine some minor secret, he was too lazy to fuss over it.
"This is the payment we agreed upon."
Ning Fan turned his hand over, and a storage pouch appeared in his palm, which he passed to the Pure Yang Ancestral Master.
The Pure Yang Ancestral Master smilingly took the storage pouch; how could he not know it was filled with Heavenly Dao Gold; but when he saw how much Heavenly Dao Gold was inside, his old face instantly darkened, and he became displeased!
It wasn’t because Ning Fan had given too little Heavenly Dao Gold!
It was because Ning Fan had given too much!
"How come you gave me ten thousand taels!" The Pure Yang Ancestral Master was unhappy; he and Ning Fan had clearly agreed on five thousand taels!
"Uh, Daoist, in order to lend me a hand, you seem to have even shattered your Titled Void. With such a loss, of course you should be compensated somewhat..." Ning Fan said in surprise.
In his impression, the Pure Yang Ancestral Master should be extremely greedy for money; wouldn’t it be good to give him more money? Why would this person get angry.
"Hmph! A gentleman loves wealth, but takes it in the proper way! What this little brother agreed with Brother Daoist was five thousand gold; I can’t take a coin more! As for the Titled Void, although it shattered, with this little brother’s money-can-communicate-with-gods power here, Brother Daoist need not worry too much. This matter can’t even be considered a loss. As long as there is enough money, I can restore it in an instant; that is this little brother’s Titled ability... Take the extra money back!"
The Pure Yang Ancestral Master gave a cold snort, shook his palm, and the storage pouch in his hand split in the golden light into two.
One of the storage pouches separated out a portion of the Heavenly Dao Gold, which he huffily handed back to Ning Fan.
"I did underestimate Daoist..." Ning Fan gave an apologetic smile, feeling sorry for having treated the Pure Yang Ancestral Master as a purely money-grubbing person.
His spirit sense swept over the storage pouch, and his expression suddenly changed in surprise.
With his level of cultivation, his perception was extremely sharp; just a sweep of his spirit sense, and he could know precisely how much Heavenly Dao Gold was in the storage pouch, without an error of even a hair’s breadth.
The Heavenly Dao Gold that the Pure Yang Ancestral Master returned to him was not five thousand taels.
It was four thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine taels!
Short by one tael!
"Heheh, Brother Daoist took this little brother for a greedy sort, so this little brother will be greedy for Brother Daoist to see. This extra one tael of Heavenly Dao Gold that I took counts as a small punishment for Brother Daoist; don’t even think about taking it back..." the Pure Yang Ancestral Master said in triumph.
That pride of his, it was as if getting that extra one tael of Heavenly Dao Gold from Ning Fan was the greatest bargain under heaven.
Ning Fan couldn’t help but laugh, thinking to himself that this Pure Yang Ancestral Master was truly a remarkable person.
Give him an extra five thousand gold, and he would righteously refuse it, insisting on finding some crooked excuse to embezzle that mere one tael of Heavenly Dao Gold...
What’s the point...
Or is it that the difference between that 1 tael and the 4,999 taels is precisely the ratio between this person’s greed and his principles?
This person is greedy, yet has principles, that’s all.
"Hahahaha, now that matters here are done, this little brother will take his leave first. This little brother is different from Brother Daoist; after all, I survive by borrowing the Heaven Evading Coffin and cannot leave it for too long... Farewell, farewell!"
The Pure Yang Ancestral Master seemed afraid that Ning Fan would demand back that extra tael of gold, and actually fled in a hurry, even forgetting completely about pitching those other Refining Purity Mantras to Ning Fan.
"It seems I should be going as well..."
Ning Fan looked at this moonlit world with a faint reluctance; after all, Qingling’s footprints had once been here.
But he was, in the end, going to leave. Perhaps one day, when he was no longer entangled by all manner of affairs, he could return here for a short stay, to listen to the ancient song Qingling used to sing here when the tides rose and the moon grew full.
"Come to think of it, this dead moon is actually a treasure too..."
Ning Fan glanced at the gigantic moon beneath his feet, but did not take it away.
If he took this moon, the four heavens and nine worlds would no longer have moonlight; what a pity that would be...
So he would leave this moon here.
He would not take it, and of course he would not allow others to take it.
"From the tone of that Jiujian Daoist, it seems other Northern Heavenly Quasi-Saints have been here as well. If more Quasi-Saints come in the future, with the Qinglian Sword Clan having lost their Clan Leader to oversee things, this moon might not be safe from being forcibly taken by others. I ought to leave something here..."
What should he leave behind, to intimidate the Northern Heavenly Quasi-Saints?
Right, leave this thing...
Ning Fan smiled, flicked his finger, and the moonlight of the nine days instantly condensed, turning into a gigantic lunar statue, towering at the bottom of the Soul Spring.
It was his own likeness.
This statue even possessed a hint of Divine Skills; if anyone came to violate this place, the statue would certainly issue a warning.
"I’ll just use my identity as an Ancient Great Cultivator to deter others. If anyone dares act rashly with this moon in defiance of my deterrence, then don’t blame me for being ruthless..."
Ning Fan then gave a few more instructions, ordering the Qinglian Sword Clan not to destroy this statue, and then departed.
How would the Qinglian Sword Clan dare destroy this statue? For Masters above the Immortal Emperor realm, as long as they had cultivated the descent arts, they could send a body double down through particular ancient monuments!
The Qinglian Sword Clan simply assumed Ning Fan had sculpted this lunar statue in order to monitor them. The thought that they would henceforth live under Ning Fan’s surveillance left them too terrified to even think of disobedience; there is no need to say more of this matter.
...
Ning Fan turned into a streak of flowing light and kept rising toward the outside world.
All of a sudden, his steps halted, because in the moonlit currents not far away, an item was still slowly sinking.
It was that pouch which the little girl named Fan Xiaoyue had lost earlier.
Ning Fan certainly wouldn’t deliberately help the little girl pick up her pouch, but since he had run into it now anyway, he casually retrieved it.
And so.
When he returned to the surface.
When he handed the pouch back to Fan Xiaoyue.
The countless women of Guanghan Gong were moved to tears!
Fan Xiaoyue even threw her arms around Ning Fan and refused to let go, not even fearing that an "Ancient Great Cultivator" like Ning Fan would be angered.
She seemed... not afraid of Ning Fan from the bones out.
"Do not be rude! Quickly release Senior Zhao!" Several decrepit Eternal Cultivators of Guanghan Gong had long since crawled out of the Heaven Evading Coffin and were waiting here for Ning Fan.
Now, seeing Ning Fan being hugged by Fan Xiaoyue, these old fellows were nearly scared to death on the spot. Is an Ancient Great Cultivator someone ordinary people can just touch? To touch, to make contact, is to be tainted by the mortal dust! What old monsters above Quasi-Saint hate most is the mortal dust; this was simply committing a major taboo!
"Ah! I was too excited! Senior, calm your anger, please calm your anger..." When her reason returned, Fan Xiaoyue was startled as well. How could she have recklessly hugged Ning Fan like that? What would she do if Senior were angered...
"It’s fine, just a small matter. Right, I have a question for you..."
Ning Fan gave Fan Xiaoyue a long, deep look, thinking that this girl truly resembled that Si Yingyue, Su Manyue, and Lin Qingyue.
"If Senior has a question, this junior will certainly answer everything she knows!" Fan Xiaoyue said, blushing. Senior was taking the initiative to speak to her; she was so happy she could die!
"Why are you called Xiaoyue, ’Little Moon’?"
"Because my mother said I was born at the end of the breaking dawn moon. She said the moon is a good omen, and that using it as a name couldn’t be better..."
"So the meaning of ’Xiaoyue’ is that the breaking dawn moon is about to pass... Yingyue, Manyue, Qingyue, Xiaoyue—four moons have already appeared. I wonder how many such moons there will be..." Ning Fan muttered to himself; his words were destined to be something others could not understand.
"My mother also said that if I fail to become an Immortal in this life, and there is a next life, she hopes that in my next life I can become the moon... My mother treats me so well. When I was little..."
Once Fan Xiaoyue opened her chatterbox, she went on and on, not minding Ning Fan’s exalted status in the slightest.
Ning Fan did not mind either, and just as before, quietly left a mark on Fan Xiaoyue’s body, and finally left after all.
He did not know what these little moon girls represented. He only vaguely felt that these moon girls seemed to be closely connected to that dead moon sunk at the bottom of the Soul Spring.
"To become the moon in the next life, huh..."
Out in the starry void, Ning Fan’s murmuring could be heard from time to time.
With all matters concluded, Ning Fan finally felt a hint of weakness in his Demon Seal, and couldn’t help but pause in midair, standing in the void as he took out a palm-sized little wine jar from his storage pouch.
Of course this was a Divine Skill transformation; once the Divine Skill was activated, this wine jar could grow as huge as high mountains. It was precisely the wine jar the Qinglian Sword Clan used to store Ancient Demon Blood Wine.
As it turned out, this blood wine had long ago been quietly taken away by Ning Fan.
"The loss of Demon Seal in this battle was too great; even the ancestral blood is exhausted. I’ll have to rely on this wine to restore my roots..."