novelraw Chapter 628: Ning Emperor? Yue Emperor? Black Emperor!
Chapter 628: Ning Emperor? Yue Emperor? Black Emperor!
"The Rain Emperor has fallen! The Rain Emperor has fallen!" As soon as this news spread, countless cultivators began to panic.
"It must be Ning Fan who killed the Rain Emperor! He deserves to die!" Some die-hard supporters of the Rain Emperor roared in anger.
"Could it be that the corpse beast in the restricted area injured the Rain Emperor..." Some speculated.
"Impossible! There is no Void Fragmentation among the corpse beasts, it is impossible for them to mortally wound the Rain Emperor. It must be Ning Fan who killed the Divine Emperor Rain!"
"Even if the White Marquis killed the Rain Emperor, so what! Henceforth, the Rain Immortal World has no ruler. We might as well support the White Marquis as our new Rain World’s Heavenly King, to unify the Rain Immortal World!" Some demonesses sneered coldly.
"Nonsense! Our Rain Palace’s orthodoxy lies in the righteous Xuan cultivators. How can we allow a demoness to be emperor!"
Debate arose from all directions, mostly from low-level cultivators whose minds were unstable.
Those truly deep-minded old monsters, even if shocked, wouldn’t easily express their opinions.
If the Rain Emperor wasn’t killed by Ning Fan and they slander him, they would just be courting death.
If the Rain Emperor was indeed slain by Ning Fan, the matter is even more serious.
The Rain Emperor was the strongest cultivator of the Rain Immortal World. If Ning Fan could kill and dared to kill even the Rain Emperor, it would be even more unwise to offend him.
To offend a demoness who dares and can kill an emperor is just toying with death. Misfortune is born out of the mouth, a wrong word could lead to the extermination of one’s family.
The fifth prince Yun Zhongyan and the seventh prince Yun Jinghong were in meditation healing their injuries when they heard of the Rain Emperor’s downfall, they were stunned on the spot.
There was no sorrow in their eyes, only fear and trepidation.
Yun Xiaoxiang’s eyes showed a bit of gloominess, but after a moment, he sighed again. He confessed to himself that he is no match for Ning Fan, and if Ning Fan truly killed the Rain Emperor, he would not dare to harbor a thought of revenge for the rest of his life...
Yun Youmu thought a step further and was quite certain that the Rain Emperor fell at Ning Fan’s hands.
He remembered Ning Fan’s words, "If the Rain doesn’t wrong me, I shall not wrong the Rain."
Before Ning Fan entered the forbidden area, he probably hadn’t intended to kill the Rain Emperor.
Most likely, the Rain Emperor did something within the forbidden area that touched Ning Fan’s bottom line, leading to his doom...
"Father, you were too obsessed with becoming an immortal, thus clouding your vision... You shouldn’t have offended Ning Fan."
The four princes had different attitudes toward Ning Fan.
But one thing they all did equally was not feeling sad about the Rain Emperor’s downfall, as if they were mere spectators.
The Rain Emperor lived a cold and thin life. In his quest for immortality, he gave up many things.
The sons he raised were also mostly indifferent fellows, not worth a smile.
The only one saddened by the Rain Emperor’s death was Yun Bushu.
He wasn’t the Rain Emperor’s blood son, but after all those years together, suddenly hearing the news of the Rain Emperor’s death still left him a bit dejected.
But he surely wouldn’t blame Ning Fan for killing the Rain Emperor. He knew the Rain Emperor made many mistakes in this lifetime, and his death was well-deserved.
"Oh, it’s just a pity that the Rain Immortal World had only one emperor. With the loss of this emperor, the Rain Immortal World will descend into chaos..." Yun Daoku sighed, his eyes quickly rolling with a hint of excitement.
With no emperor in the Rain Immortal World, a new emperor must be chosen. He had the notion to vie for the throne.
Of course, if the competitor were Ning Fan, he absolutely wouldn’t dare to contend. He was already deeply afraid of Ning Fan.
"Has the Rain Immortal World lost another emperor..." Yun Qingge sighed gently, not for Yun Zongxuan but in memory of her father—the former Rain Emperor, Hongyun.
"Regicide... Haha, I wonder what the future of the Rain Immortal World will turn into." Chu Changan chuckled lightly, not caring about the fate of the Rain Palace.
He was a demon dragon, subdued by the former Rain Emperor, Hongyun.
He only pledged loyalty to Hongyun and by extension to the Rain Palace under Hongyun’s rule.
He had no fondness for Yun Zongxuan, even a touch of distaste. Yun Zongxuan’s death brought him much satisfaction.
The Pill Emperor showed a worried face, concerned both about the future of the Rain Immortal World and about Ning Fan, who had yet to return.
There was little doubt that Ning Fan had killed the Rain Emperor.
But had the Rain Emperor also desperately injured Ning Fan...
If Ning Fan wasn’t hurt or dead, why hadn’t he emerged from the forbidden area yet?
"I hope the boy is safe and sound... Otherwise, how could this old man face Han Yuanji?" The Pill Emperor recalled his friendship with the old monster and sighed deeply.
Amidst the sighs of the crowd, an old Golden Core cultivator suddenly clapped his hands, expressing mournful joy, "Haha, Yun Zongxuan that old scoundrel is dead, it’s good he’s dead! That year, he captured seven hundred people of my clan, causing their deaths. Now he perished in the forbidden area, what fitting retribution it is!"
"What this Daoist friend said is absolutely right! Many of my sect’s disciples were also captured by the Rain Emperor and all were killed. I didn’t dare mention this before for fear of the Rain Emperor’s prestige. Now the Rain Emperor is dead; what do I have to fear!" Another Nascent Soul cultivator wept tears of joy.
"In my home country, 3413 cultivators in total were captured and harmed by the Rain Emperor, along with tens of thousands of ordinary people!"
"Half of my disciples were captured and harmed by the Rain Emperor!"
"This old man..."
"..."
Gradually, in Heaven Controlling Realm, many cultivators began to disclose the Rain Emperor’s crimes.
Many old monsters were aware of these things, but no one dared to discuss them openly.
But now, with the Rain Emperor dead, many who suffered were celebrating, and reviewing, those grieving for the Rain Emperor were in the minority, while those delighted were in the majority.
"How dare you! Just a mere ant-like cultivator, daring to slander the Divine Emperor!" Revered Sage was a die-hard loyalist to the Rain Emperor, he would not allow anyone to casually disparage the Rain Emperor, even if he was dead.
In his anger, he almost wanted to strike and kill those who were disparaging.
At this moment, a stream of light shot out from beneath the ground of Heaven Controlling City, transforming into the figure of a young man in white, standing on a massive Nie Li behemoth, descending to the ground. It was Ning Fan.
As soon as Ning Fan arrived, the discussions of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators present fell silent in an instant, the scene was as quiet as if a pin dropped.
At this moment, no one dared to speak, not only unwilling to utter a word but also not daring to breathe recklessly.
It wasn’t only out of fear of Ning Fan’s terrifying might but also out of awe towards the Nie Li’s formidable presence!
The presence of the Nie Li was stronger than that of the Rain Emperor!
Ning Fan, standing on the Nie Li, gave people an aura of unapproachable dominance!
Only Revered Sage and several hundred of the Rain Emperor’s loyalists dared to step out of the crowd, glaring angrily at Ning Fan, "Where is the Rain Emperor!"
"He died by my hand!" Ning Fan declared loudly without any intention of denying it.
The person was killed by him. If killed, so be it. Why hide it unnecessarily.
"You deserve to die!"
Revered Sage and several hundred loyalist cultivators were all furious, rushing towards Ning Fan like moths to a flame.
Ning Fan glanced indifferently at Revered Sage and others, then looked at Yun Xiaoxiang, Yun Zhongyan, Yun Youmu, Yun Jinghong, and the other four princes with a slightly surprised expression.
Ning Fan speculated in his heart that the news of the Rain Emperor’s death had likely already spread throughout Heaven Controlling Realm.
But the four sons of the Rain Emperor showed no sadness, instead fearing him, dreading him, wanting to ingratiate themselves with him... This made him scornful of the four princes’ characters.
In contrast, towards Revered Sage and these loyalists, Ning Fan had a bit of appreciation.
These people, though not wise, were not without righteousness.
Of course, this is others’ righteousness and has nothing to do with Ning Fan.
From a standpoint, Revered Sage and others were all enemies. When traced back, the one who pursued Ning Fan with magic was Reverend Sage.
The one who harbored ill intentions against Ning Fan in the Four Confines was also Reverend Sage.
Enemies must die; otherwise, the repercussions would be endless.
Yet for these people, killing them in this life is enough, as a testament to their loyalty and courage.
"Next life, choose the right master." Ning Fan pointed, and all the cultivators, including Revered Sage, had their physical bodies shattered into a bloody mist and died.
Their bodies might have perished, but Ning Fan did not extinguish their souls, waving a sleeve, sending out waves of golden purple smoke, sending these people into reincarnation.
Enemies must all be eradicated.
But Yun Jinghong and the other princes may not need to be killed.
Upon seeing Ning Fan raise his hand to annihilate Revered Sage and the others without a moment’s hesitation, and even openly admit to killing the Rain Emperor, many old monsters suddenly felt a shiver run down their spines.
Ning Fan was a true demoness, never hesitating to kill those who deserved it, and not deigning to deny it after committing murder.
He took down the Rain Emperor, and the next course of action would likely be to cleanse the Rain Palace.
The fate of Revered Sage and the others might very well be their fate.
Most of the cultivators present belonged to the Rain Palace, and although most could not be counted as die-hard loyalists to the Rain Emperor, they were still under his command.
No one knew to what extent Ning Fan’s cleansing would go.
Even those old monsters, usually as composed as stone, were trembling at this moment.
No one doubted Ning Fan’s ability to slaughter all the cultivators here.
Just facing that Nie Li robbed them of any courage to resist.
The faces of Yun Jinghong and the other three princes changed drastically.
Because Ning Fan suddenly stepped on Nie Li and flew towards the four of them.
All four were seriously injured, completely lacking the strength to fight again.
Even at their peak, they would admit they’re no match for Nie Li!
The four of them all showed looks of despair, believing they were going to die at Ning Fan’s hands.
But this time, Ning Fan didn’t strike, merely said coldly, "I killed the Rain Emperor; you are his sons, I don’t trust you."
A very straightforward sentence, without any embellishment.
Because you are the sons of the Rain Emperor, I don’t trust you.
Yun Jinghong and Yun Zhongyan turned pale, thinking that after such words, Ning Fan would surely kill them all.
But Yun Youmu and Yun Xiaoxiang were extremely wise, hearing the implied meaning in Ning Fan’s words.
As long as they could convince Ning Fan that they would never seek revenge against him in this lifetime, their lives could be spared.
"If White Marquis is willing, you can place a restriction on us. We dare not resist," Yun Xiaoxiang was the first to express this, without any previous arrogance of a heaven’s chosen.
"I can allow you to place a restriction or even strip away my cultivation," Yun Youmu spoke even more decisively.
If placing a restriction isn’t reassuring, then just take away my cultivation. With it gone, you can be at ease, right?
Yun Jinghong and Yun Zhongyan came to their senses, parroting, "As long as White Marquis spares our lives, we will accept any disposition without objection."
Nonsense, any objection means certain death.
The actions of these four princes made many Rain Palace cultivators sigh, but none mocked them.
As cultivators, surrendering to a strong enemy for self-preservation is a common practice and not shameful.
Ning Fan saw that the four princes weren’t foolish and knew how to adapt, so he didn’t plan to kill them.
Enemies must be eradicated.
But these four might not be enemies.
Perhaps they could be useful footmen.
"What do you think is the best way for me, Ning Fan, to deal with these four princes?"
Ning Fan asked, lightly glancing over the crowd.
One old monster after another was either as silent as cicadas in winter, their heads lowered, or, if they were about to speak, they were immediately reminded by those beside them, hesitating to continue.
No one directly answered Ning Fan’s question, all prepared to watch from the sidelines.
The Pill Emperor and others were already on Ning Fan’s side, so they wouldn’t interfere.
"No one has anything to say... In truth, my grudge was with the Rain Emperor, and he’s dead. I don’t want to cause more slaughter and weaken the Rain Realm. If you four die, the Rain Realm will be weakened, which is not what I want to see."
Because the Rain Realm is weak, the Moksha Emperor dared to descend upon the Rain Realm so brazenly and invade Seven Apricot.
If the Rain Realm becomes weaker, strongmen from other realms might rampage here even more recklessly.
"I don’t trust you, and will place a Restrictive Spell on you, so you can’t betray me for the rest of your lives. Are you willing?"
Ning Fan’s gaze swept over the four princes.
Hearing of the Restrictive Spell, Yun Xiaoxiang sighed with complexity, and Yun Youmu was slightly disappointed but dared not defy.
"The two of us are willing..."
As for Yun Jinghong and Yun Zhongyan, hearing they wouldn’t be killed made them overjoyed, gratefully saying to Ning Fan, "Please, White Marquis, place the restriction on us!"
Ning Fan saw they had no objections, didn’t say more, and released his spirit sense, invading their divine senses.
The four cooperated fully, dared not resist, and soon Ning Fan had planted the demon seal in them.
"Demon Seal?!" None of them expected that Ning Fan would use a demon seal instead of a human Restrictive Spell...
Although surprised, they didn’t dare waste words.
"The restrictions are in place; now I trust you. There is something I want you to do."
"May we ask, White Marquis, what would you have us do?" The four princes inquired without neglect, standing up.
"You are the sons of the Rain Emperor, you should know who among these are the Rain Emperor’s loyalists... Find them and tell me, I will place restrictions on all of them for control."
"That is easy." The four princes initially thought Ning Fan would kill all those he found, but hearing that they wouldn’t be killed, just bound, they immediately agreed.
"And one more thing. From today onwards, I am the Rain Emperor."
Ning Fan’s words were calm, yet as they spread, everyone’s expressions shifted.
Indeed, Ning Fan intends to become Emperor...
"However, the Divine Emperor of the Rain Realm is not just Ning Fan alone. I, Ning Fan, know my limits; a life of wandering means I cannot stay long in the Rain Realm, and the future is unpredictable. Therefore, I’d like to invite Senior Li to reign jointly with me. I’ll handle the killings, and you’ll govern the Rain. What do you think?"
Ning Fan’s gaze held a hint of entreaty as it fell on the Pill Emperor.
With the Rain Emperor dead, the person with the highest prestige in the Rain Realm was none other than the Pill Emperor; his identity as a Seventh Revolution Alchemist commanded everyone’s respect.
Governance of the Rain Realm required the Pill Emperor. Ning Fan wasn’t suited for it; he even left Seven Apricot City’s management to Xu Qiuling and others.
He made it clear he was only there to kill, nothing more, and that was enough.
As for involving his wives and concubines in the Rain Realm’s affairs, that was not his wish.
He just wanted to offer those women a peaceful life, not drag them into conflicts.
With the Pill Emperor, it’s enough; he deserves trust and Ning Fan’s reliance on him with life.
"Alright, this old man shall join you as Rain Emperor. From today, the Rain Realm has two emperors: Sovereign Li and you, brat?"
The Pill Emperor, devoted to alchemy, had no desire to rule the Rain Realm.
But seeing Ning Fan’s request, he relented.
Even though he agreed to Ning Fan’s request, he was somewhat reluctant.
Look around, the Rain Emperor was always wary and concerned about anyone competing for his throne.
It seems being the Rain Emperor is not the coveted position everyone desires.
Then the Pill Emperor posited a question of what Ning Fan’s title should be.
In the Pill Emperor’s view, as Ning Fan hailed from Yue Country, it would be fitting for him to be called Yue Emperor.
Or, perhaps, from the Black Demon Sect, then Black Emperor?
Or directly like him, with his surname, Ning Emperor?
"Nie Emperor... sin and transgression are my burden," Ning Fan sighed.
His path littered with countless transgressions, though untroubled by it, sin remains indelible.
This word, ’Nie’, served as a reminder to himself not to lose his way in the blood-filled cultivation world and not to commit unforgivable sins for transient gains.
"Nie Emperor? Sounds much like the Moksha Emperor of the Demon World; perhaps someone might mistake it," the Pill Emperor quipped, having learned of Ning Fan’s grudge with the Moksha Emperor from the old monster.
"No matter; the Moksha Emperor of the Demon World will ultimately fall to my hand. No one will dare to mistake this Nie Emperor."
The Nie Li beneath Ning Fan’s feet seemed quite delighted.
To her, the ’Nie’ in Nie Emperor wasn’t the mark of sin, but rather, it symbolized her kind, the Nie Li.
Nie Emperor, monarch of Nie Li.
Yes, such a fitting title.
Only he, as the Demon Ancestor of the Fu Li race, could be rightfully called Nie Emperor, ruler of all Nie Li.
But, but... why isn’t it Li Emperor? Generations of Fu Li monarchs have borne that name.
She wanted to tell Ning Fan that Li Emperor sounded better, but all she could do was chirp softly, unable to speak.
Seems like Ning Fan could only be called Nie Emperor, and she couldn’t stop it...
(The Black Emperor is a dog’s name, how could it suit Little Fan Fan, the Eternal Emperor would be speechless)(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote for recommendation or monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)