Grasping the Evil

Chapter 618: Rootless Wood, Hollow Bamboo

"If the rain does not fail me, I will not fail the rain..." The Rain Emperor stood at the top of the ocean of clouds, looking at the eight large characters etched in iron and silver strokes on the mountain beneath his feet, his expression fluctuating between light and shadow.

These eight characters were carved by Ning Fan with his sword inscription.

The Rain Emperor had been standing here looking at the words for ten days.

Ten days ago, Ning Fan had killed King Lanling and then left comfortably, leaving the Heavenly Cloud Country.

During these ten days, the Rain Emperor had been pondering over Ning Fan’s words, unsure of what to do.

"Should I be an enemy of this child, or turn enemies into friends..."

"This child can kill the Vine Emperor; his threat is no less than that of the Thunder Emperor Bu Zhou back then. As long as he is in the Rain Realm, it will never be completely within my grasp... Indeed, this child should still be eliminated, but..."

The Rain Emperor furrowed his brows and took out a simple bronze token, on which was engraved an ancient beast head.

"But Ning Fan has the Fragment of Five Shards in hand, if I want to kill him, relying on my own strength is definitely not enough. I will certainly need the power of the Divine Beast in the altar, just like when we annihilated the Thunder Emperor back then... Swift!"

The Rain Emperor suddenly played several secret transmission incantations to the ancient beast token, speaking unknown words.

After a long time, the beast token suddenly glowed faintly, and then a transmission came to the Rain Emperor’s ear.

"I am currently in closed practice, at a critical moment, it will be at least a hundred years before I can emerge, do not seek me for matters of killing and silencing!"

Upon hearing this, the Rain Emperor’s face immediately turned ashen.

"A hundred years... must I wait another hundred years before I can kill this child? Humph, no matter, merely a hundred years, I can afford to wait!"

"But as for the matter of retrieving the Feather Ascension Pill from the Immortal Burning Valley, under no circumstances can I entrust it to him, I must find another way... I do have a few friends in the Flame World and the Earth Realm, if I ask them to help me get the pills, the cost will certainly not be small..." the Rain Emperor pondered deeply.

...

In ten days, Ning Fan rode on a giant Ancient Golden Sword, bringing Bright Sparrow, Meichen, and the Mysterious Cloaked Woman back to Yue Country.

He did not linger at the Rain Palace, outsiders did not know that he had already torn face with the Rain Emperor.

He was eager to return to Yue Country for some time to recuperate, and once his dark injuries were healed, he would use the Ice Rain Technique to search for his mother and fulfill his wish.

Bright Sparrow had been pouty all along, ignoring Ning Fan. She originally wanted to eat to her fill in the dan refinement room treasure vault of the Rain Palace, but was forcibly brought back to Yue Country by Ning Fan.

The mysterious cloaked woman said barely a word, only occasionally exchanging looks with Ning Fan, smiling slyly with inexplicable meaning.

Along the way, the only one who could speak with Ning Fan was Meichen.

Meichen was quite speechless, very speechless.

Now that her wounds had healed, and her cultivation had even reached the Shattered Three Realm, she still vaguely could not withstand Ning Fan’s presence.

When speaking to Ning Fan, she always had a strange feeling of being overshadowed.

This feeling was very familiar. When she had fallen to becoming a Little Black sable back then, she was forcibly taken by Ning Fan as a demon pet, and it was the same feeling of being overshadowed.

"This old lady is a grand Broken Third Sky cultivator, and I can’t withstand the aura of this stinking man who has reached the Return to Origin Grand Void Realm, it’s simply inconceivable..."

"Come to think of it, isn’t the training speed of this stinking man a bit too fast? It’s only been a few years since we last met, and he’s already gone from Void Inquiry Stage to Return to Origin Grand Void Realm... If more years, decades, or centuries pass, there’s no way my cultivation will be higher than his."

"At that time, if he wants to forcibly make me a demon pet, I definitely won’t be able to resist... Ultimately I must become his demon pet..."

Meichen wouldn’t want to be someone else’s demon pet at any cost.

But if it was to be Ning Fan’s demon pet, it seemed not to be an unacceptable thing.

While talking, Meichen occasionally looked at Ning Fan with complicated phoenix eyes, seemingly helpless, seemingly contemplating, a mood she herself could not describe.

She was originally quite stunning, and was respected as Princess Mei in the Demon Sinister Forest back then. After recovering from her injuries, she became even more radiant.

At this moment, her eyes were entrancing, adding immeasurable allure, possessing a beauty that could move the soul.

Ning Fan carefully observed Meichen, only feeling that this moment of Meichen was truly beautiful.

Her stunning visage, paired with the cool demeanor of the Yellow Springs Flying Bird, was enough to be described as icy beauty.

"A stunning beauty in this world, with a wasted talent as a sable... being a demon pet, what a pity..." Ning Fan teased lightly, with unintentional words.

"What do you mean... what do you mean by ’being a demon pet, what a pity’..." Meichen’s face turned red instantly.

According to Ning Fan’s tone, he doesn’t want her to be a demon pet anymore, and is deciding to have her serve at his pillowside, offering her beauty?

Beautiful for him then, she hadn’t even decided to become his demon pet yet, and he was already thinking of going further?

Recalling the two times Ning Fan had overwhelmed her, Meichen couldn’t remain calm.

She looked at her curvy body and then at Ning Fan’s amused gaze, feeling inexplicably annoyed.

There is a saying about lecherous individuals in this world, who can seduce women with just a look, with a million fantasies in their divine sense. Could Ning Fan be that kind of person, and was he just now seducing her in spirit?

"Shameless! You’re not allowed to look, let’s see how you fantasize now!"

Swish!

Meichen transformed again, reverting from her human form to the Little Black sable’s body, with a look of disinterest in dealing with Ning Fan.

Ning Fan was taken aback, not thinking much about why Meichen was angry, and upon seeing her transform back into a sable, he was overcome by emotions, holding the small sable in his arms.

"In those days, when I was merely a Harmonious Spirit realm cultivator, I held you like this, fighting through the Demon Sinister Forest. Time flies so fast..."

"I originally sought a high grade Seventh Revolution Healing Pill for you, to help you recover from your injuries, and I didn’t expect you to have healed... But this is good too, seeing you well puts my mind at ease..."

As Ning Fan spoke, he couldn’t help but glance deeply at the mysterious cloaked woman.

The pill for Meichen’s healing was given by the cloaked woman, but Ning Fan to this day did not know why she gave the pill to Meichen.

He was in no rush to ask the cloaked woman’s purpose, at least after confirming her identity, he roughly determined that she held no ill will.

The small sable in his arms was struggling initially, disliking the feeling of being held by Ning Fan.

But upon hearing that Ning Fan actually kept her injury in mind, and even found a high grade Seventh Revolution Healing Pill for her, her heart was in turmoil, so she stopped struggling.

"This stinking man actually went through great lengths to find pills for my healing, this, this..." the small sable was unsettled again.

...

The event of Ning Fan slaying King Lanling shook the entire Rain Realm in just ten days.

As Ning Fan made his way back to Yue Country, every cultivation kingdom that the golden light of his sword passed by, panic ensued.

The prestige of Rain Realm’s Plain Clothes, having been dormant for years, suddenly soared to a brand new height.

The Void Fragmentation realms in the Rain Realm were few and far between, Ning Fan managed to slay even a Void Fragmentation cultivator like King Lanling, and dared to do so, one can imagine how fearsome his reputation was.

What was even more terrifying was that in front of the Rain Emperor, Ning Fan killed a Void Fragmentation of the Rain Realm, and the Rain Emperor did not mete out any punishment...

Those with vested interests speculated whether the Rain Emperor’s behavior was one of protective indulgence, or was it due to fear...

There were also speculations about the eight characters Ning Fan left on the Rain Palace’s mountain, and what deeper meaning they held.

When this news reached the Southeast Continent, apart from Yue Country, the entire continent’s cultivation kingdoms fell into disquiet.

Even some devil cultivators from the Southeastern region, notorious for their killings, would change their countenance at the mention of Ning Fan’s fierce reputation.

Cultivators in Yue Country who heard the news were mostly respectful and not in a state of panic.

Ning Fan, known as the lord of Seven Apricot City, could be regarded as the true master of Yue Country.

The greater Ning Fan’s infamy, the higher the standing of Yue Country.

Previously, Yue Country was merely a lower-ranked cultivation kingdom, but now, Yue Country has annexed over ten cultivation kingdoms, upgrading to a high-level cultivation world, dominating the Southeast Continent.

As Ning Fan’s reputation soared, with many cultivation kingdoms in the Rain Realm, almost none dared to provoke Yue Country.

Being a cultivator of Yue Country has become a matter of pride.

Upon Ning Fan’s return to Seven Apricot City in Yue Country, he found many envoys from foreign countries within the city.

These ambassadors were sent by neighboring countries of Yue Country to bring lavish gifts to Seven Apricot City, hoping to strengthen their alliance with Yue Country.

Additionally, an innumerable number of ambassadors from the Southeastern cultivation countries are still on their way to Yue Country.

Some come to form alliances, while others come to test the waters...

These ambassadors do not even require a meeting with Mistress Qiuling; naturally, the three leaders of Seven Apricot handle them.

Ning Fan naturally does not concern himself with such trivial matters; for him, recuperating from hidden injuries is the top priority.

Of course, there’s a matter that needs to be addressed before healing.

Ning Fan took out countless spoils of war obtained from the battle of the Tree World to replenish the storehouses of Seven Apricot City.

Having overturned the Vine Palace and killed countless Void Fragmentations, the myriad cultivation resources Ning Fan acquired were enough to make any old monster of the Void Fragmentation realm envious.

With these cultivation resources, the Seven Apricot masters can enjoy a lifetime of benefits.

From the expensive pills of the Sixth Revolution and Seventh Revolution, Ning Fan only retained some precious pills.

Those pills temporarily unusable, such as poison pills or unconventional pills, were all given to Bright Sparrow to consume, serving as compensation for forcibly bringing her back to Yue Country.

After taking Ning Fan’s pills, Bright Sparrow instantly turned back jovial, appearing extremely obedient, rendering Ning Fan speechless.

After returning to Seven Apricot, the cloaked woman did not continue traveling with Ning Fan and went alone to the Godly Void Pavilion in Seven Apricot City; Ning Fan did not stop her.

Ning Fan stayed briefly in Seven Apricot before heading to a desolate mountain a thousand miles away to meet Mu Luo, who resided in a thatched cottage alone.

Outside the cottage was a solitary pavilion, where a small-statured old man in a black robe sat drinking alone, none other than a body double of Loose Demon Mu Luo of the crushed Five Nieli.

When Ning Fan appeared outside the solitary pavilion, Mu Luo’s muddy eyes flashed with a glimmer of hope, which was quickly concealed.

"Oh? You’re back? How was the trip to the Tree World... uh, wait. Your cultivation... did you succeed in returning to the origin?!"

Living in seclusion in the desolate mountain and not interacting with external masters, Mu Luo was not aware of Ning Fan’s return to the Rain Immortal World and the slaying of King Lan Ling.

He knew of Ning Fan’s venture into the Tree World and had even asked Ning Fan to seek out Min Luo Race’s whereabouts within.

Seeing Ning Fan return now, naturally, he harbored hopes of learning about Min Luo Race’s well-being.

Yet, upon sensing Ning Fan’s powerful aura of returning to origin, all of Mu Luo’s words became choked in his throat.

At this moment, Ning Fan’s cultivation was undoubtedly in the Return to Origin Grand Void Realm, and the density of his mana astoundingly comparable to an ordinary Broken First Layer Cultivator.

Before Ning Fan entered the Tree World, he was merely at the Void Inquiry Stage...

Mu Luo wanted to know what Ning Fan accomplished within the Tree World, what chance encounters he experienced, allowing him to leap from the Void Inquiry Stage to the Return to Origin Grand Void Realm within just two short years!

A flicker of black light surrounded Mu Luo, instantly disappearing from the pavilion and appearing three zhang before Ning Fan.

He initially wanted to thoroughly inquire about Ning Fan’s return to the origin, but upon seeing the purple seal on Ning Fan’s left face, his gaze flickered with shock.

"This is... an immortal-level seal! How did you end up with such a powerful sealing skill!" Within his words, there was a hint of concern.

This sealing skill was unfathomable, reaching immortal-level grades. Due to its high level, even experts like Rain World couldn’t discern that the purple rune was a seal.

Neither Bright Sparrow nor Princess Mei noticed. If they had seen through the seal’s might, their hearts would have been filled with anxiety long ago.

The cloaked woman was originally the only one who saw through this as an immortal-level seal.

With his cultivation reaching the Loose Demon realm, Mu Luo also saw through this sealing skill’s potency.

Upon one glance, Mu Luo recognized the seal’s difficulty in breaking.

Moreover, he delved deeper, thinking that only someone extraordinary would be capable of casting an immortal-level seal on Ning Fan.

Such a person would neither be found in the Lower Three Worlds nor in the Middle Three Worlds, but possibly in the Upper Three Worlds.

If it wasn’t a scattered Immortal that cast this seal, then it was a cultivator of the Eighth or Ninth shattered layers who, after paying a heavy price, cast this seal!

Mu Luo secretly guessed that Ning Fan must have clashed with an old monster from the Upper Three Worlds and was cursed with a sinister immortal-level seal by the opponent.

"My cultivation has indeed successfully returned to the origin. The details of returning to the origin aren’t worth mentioning. As for the sealing skill on me... the one who cast it has already died at my hands; this matter can wait to be detailed later."

Ning Fan’s tone was extremely calm, but his words shook Mu Luo to the core.

The old monster who cast the seal on Ning Fan had already died at Ning Fan’s hands, a piece of news that deeply shocked Mu Luo.

To be able to cast this seal, at least a Shattered Void Eighth Layer old monster, and it had perished at Ning Fan’s hands...

Mu Luo really wanted to know what Ning Fan had done during his brief two years within the Tree World.

Ning Fan, however, waved his hand, signaling Mu Luo to calm down, then smiled mysteriously at Mu Luo, "Senior, aren’t you concerned about Min Luo Race’s current situation?"

"What? Do you mean..." Mu Luo was overjoyed.

Ning Fan mentioned the ’current situation’ of Min Luo Race, which implied that Min Luo Race had not perished and still continued within the Tree World.

Upon hearing that his clan had not been wiped out due to his absence, Mu Luo naturally was overwhelmed with joy.

"Don’t worry, Senior. On this return to the Rain Immortal World, I brought back another piece of good news. Umbrella World, receive!"

Ning Fan patted his storage pouch, took out a blood-red paper umbrella, and slowly opened it, enveloping Mu Luo’s body double into the Umbrella World.

With his cultivation, he naturally couldn’t take Mu Luo away.

Having long trusted Ning Fan after spending so much time together, Mu Luo allowed Ning Fan to envelop him into the Umbrella World.

Upon entering the Umbrella World, Mu Luo discovered himself on a continent stretching millions of li.

He found himself in a Xiangfei Bamboo Grove, standing before an incredibly robust giant bamboo.

Initially, he didn’t know what the joyous news Ning Fan spoke of was, nor why he was brought into the Umbrella World.

When he spread his divine sense, discovering that countless Min Luo clan members lived amid the bamboo sea, he was immediately overjoyed, though slightly disappointed.

"Young Friend Ning actually brought the entire Min Luo Race back to the Rain Immortal World, haha, that indeed is good news..."

The population of Min Luo Race was already meager, only a hundred thousand, far from its former prosperity.

But to Mu Luo, as long as the Min Luo Race hadn’t been entirely wiped out, it was already the greatest blessing.

That Ning Fan went through so much to bring the entire Min Luo Race back to the Rain Immortal World was undoubtedly joyous news.

Indeed it was good news, yet Mu Luo felt a sense of loss.

He didn’t know what he was expecting; was he hoping Ning Fan could bring him another surprise within the Umbrella World?

About someone who was disappointed two million years ago, a feeling unable to be repaid for eternity...

"Mu... Mu Luo, is that you..."

A trembling woman’s voice suddenly came from within the great bamboo.

A poised and elegantly dressed woman in green slowly emerged from the giant bamboo, gazing blankly at Mu Luo, her heart as if hollowed in an instant, holding her breath, incredulous.

Mu Luo turned abruptly, his expression frozen upon seeing the woman’s face, then tears flowed uncontrollably from his old eyes.

Two million years of solitude, guilt over two million years... and unceasing longing that pierced his heart for two million years.

"Youhuang!"

...

Within the desolate mountain, outside the solitary pavilion, Ning Fan caressed the blood umbrella in his hand, smiling knowingly.

Thus, does it not repay the favor of Mu Luo protecting Yue Country?

Hollow Bamboo, not without heart. Rootless wood, not devoid of passion...

So it seems well. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)