novelraw Chapter 642: Constantly Rising Rankings
Chapter 642: Constantly Rising Rankings
Ascension Tower, 98th floor.
Above the ocean of clouds, outside a cloud-cave mansion, three Return to Origin Grand Void experts were exerting their abilities, competing for ownership of this mansion.
The three were locked in a fierce battle, when suddenly, a powerful aura of Void Fragmentation descended from the heavens.
Under this overwhelming aura, the faces of the three Return to Origin Grand Void experts changed simultaneously, "Old monsters of the Void Fragmentation realm!"
They only saw that the Void Fragmentation figure was roughly a white-clad youth, and before they could see his exact face, they were already swept away by the gust from the white-clad youth’s sleeve.
"Bai Mou wishes to take a look at this floor’s mansion, those unrelated, step aside!"
Ascension Tower, 74th floor.
At the bottom of a certain Earth Abyss, there lies a top-grade cave mansion.
Above the Earth Abyss, a fierce-looking, scale-covered elder sits upon a gigantic Fire Bull, gazing coldly at two Return to Origin Sword Cultivators below.
"I have the Crimson Beast assisting me, even if you two attack together, you won’t be my match!"
The scale-covered elder sneered and was about to make a move against the two below, when suddenly, a powerful aura of Void Fragmentation fiercely pressed down.
Under this aura, the flying swords in the hands of the two Return to Origin Sword Cultivators began to tremble.
The Fire Bull, initially filled with a ferocious gaze, showed a look of fear in an instant, prostrating on the ground.
As for the scale-covered elder, his smile froze instantly on his face, and he gazed with extreme dread towards the white-clad youth walking step by step through the sky.
"Bai Mou wishes to take a look at this floor’s mansion, those unrelated, step aside!"
"Bai... Bai Mu! This person is actually an old monster of the Void Fragmentation realm! The First Heavenly Layer... Fight! If I team up with the Crimson Beast, I can barely hold my ground against some old monsters of the First Realm... It’s not so easy for this person to take my mansion!"
The scale-covered elder, with a grim expression, was about to use a secret technique to forcibly compel the Fire Bull to attack the white-clad youth.
At this moment, the white-clad youth raised a finger and pointed from the air,
Though it was a casual finger point, and separated by tens of thousands of feet, it felt as if that finger directly pressed on the elder’s chest!
The elder’s expression changed dramatically, and suddenly he spewed blood and flew backward, falling off the bull’s back, fainting away.
Before losing consciousness, countless astonishing waves surged in the elder’s heart.
Bai Mu’s strength far surpassed any First Heavenly Layer old monster he had seen!
Ascension Tower, 51st floor.
This floor’s mansion is built in the center of a sea of lightning, within the mansion sits a Return to Origin Thunder Cultivator.
Relying on his Dao of Lightning divine powers, he defeated several equal-level old monsters and seized the mansion, feeling quite proud.
While he was indulging in his triumph, the sea of lightning outside the mansion suddenly began to boil, with thunderous flashes running amok.
Moments later, the sea of lightning gradually calmed down again.
The Return to Origin Thunder Cultivator probed with his spirit sense, immediately showing an astonished expression.
He saw a white-clad youth seemingly indifferent to the might of the lightning sea, calmly walking towards the mansion.
In front of the youth, the lightning itself divided to form a silver light path.
This scene seemed as if the sea of lightning was welcoming the youth.
The young man’s pace was not quick, but with each step, ripples of lightning spread from the place he stepped.
Every step seemed to tread on the Thunder Cultivator’s spirit sense, causing his nearly completely thunder-transformed Demon Soul to tremble!
"A... old monster of the Void Fragmentation realm! And this old monster’s Dao of Lightning divine powers far exceed my understanding! He is almost like the emperor of thunder in the midst of lightning!"
The Return to Origin Thunder Cultivator knew that the old monster crossing the sea of lightning was, of course, here for the mansion.
Seeing the old monster’s immense power, he didn’t hesitate to surrender the mansion and left using his escape light.
He didn’t dare to fight with this old monster at all.
Ning Fan was unaware that as he entered the hundredth-floor mansion, he gradually attracted the attention of most cultivators outside the Ascension Tower.
Numerous old monsters of the Yuan Hall set up a massive demon stele outside the Ascension Tower, which recorded only the names of those who seized mansions among the first hundred floors.
Old monsters entering the Ascension Tower carry a dark jade order medal issued by the Yuan Hall, which serves as personal identity proof.
Those carrying the jade order, if they enter the first hundred-floor mansions, their names will appear on the demon stele, ranked from first to hundred, in sequence.
Ranked first on the demon stele is an old monster from the Central Domain Demon Sea, nicknamed Tan Longzi,
He possesses the ninth heavenly layer of Void Fragmentation realm, being the highest cultivations in the tower this time, justifying his occupation of the first floor mansion.
The demon stele ranks second to fifth are Void Fragmentation level five experts famous in the Demon World.
If placed in the Three Lower Worlds, these individuals would surely be emperors in charge, yet in the Demon World, they are not the strongest.
Ranked sixth is the mysterious Hex Shixiu, mysterious to others, his identity remains a taboo even to Moksha emperor-level old monsters.
Ranks seven to twelve belong to six old monsters of the Void Fragmentation fourth layer.
Ranks thirteen to twenty are all old monsters of the Void Fragmentation third layer.
Beyond the twentieth rank, there are still two old monsters of the third layer, but they cannot seize the mansions within the top twenty, and ultimately had to give up.
Possessors of the first twenty-floor mansions have only altered a few times, and then no more changes occurred.
In the first forty-six floors, battles between old monsters of the Void Fragmentation realm gradually ceased.
The hundredth-floor mansion is overseen by the Yuan Hall’s Elder Zhou Nan, naturally, no one can seize the mansion from him.
Between the forty-seventh and hundredth floors, contests between Void Refinement Realm experts and Return to Origin Grand Void Realm experts become more and more fierce.
Numerous Void Refinement Realm experts, Return to Origin Grand Void experts contend over the first hundred-floor mansions. Initially, the mansions seized by Void Refinement Realm experts barely get warmed by their seats before being snatched away by Return to Origin Grand Void experts.
After rounds of fierce battles, the owners of the first hundred-floor mansions gradually cease to change.
It’s already the dead of night, with less than four hours remaining until the conclusion of the grand competition.
Some cultivators close their eyes in feigned sleep, waiting for the final results of the contest. Meanwhile, others excitedly keep an eye on the demon tablet, commenting each time they notice a change in ownership among the top hundred level cave mansions.
"Look, the cave mansion on the fifty-fourth level has changed ownership! Master Xiling from the West Demon Sea defeated the Clan Leader of the Shuiyao Clan, taking over that level’s cave mansion!"
"Oh dear, the cave mansion on the sixty-ninth level has changed hands! It’s the Sea-Splitting Demon King from the Eastern Demon Sea who seized that level’s cave mansion!"
"Oh? Just look, the cave mansion on the seventy-first level has changed hands twice in succession; it seems there’s a fierce battle going on over that level."
The ones who make such a fuss are generally low-level masters, with unstable mental states.
True old monsters, understand a truth: until the final moment, any change in cave mansion ownership is merely temporary.
The Yuan Emperor and the other Moksha Emperors keep their eyes closed, not paying attention to the battles beyond the forty-sixth level.
For strength of their caliber, only struggles of Void Fragmentation level can catch their attention.
"Strange... That Baimu was able to withstand my blow and destroy my spirit sense. With his strength, he should have been able to capture a cave mansion among the top hundred... Why has he yet to appear on the demon tablet..."
Yuan Tong frowned grimly.
It wasn’t that he cared about Ning Fan; he was just puzzled.
"Baimu, mere ants! In another four hours, the competition for the Ascension Tower will end, and everyone will leave the tower. By then, this Master will repay you with interest for your affronts! Don’t dwell on the matters of Baimu any longer; quickly follow the formula given by me as your teacher to repair your spirit sense!" the Ape Emperor coldly snorted in dissatisfaction.
"Yes..." Yuan Tong dared not continue with his reckless thoughts, immediately shut his eyes, cleared his mind of distractions, circulated his mana, and recited the formula transmitted by the Ape Emperor.
At the moment, someone suddenly exclaimed.
"How... How is this possible! The cave mansion on the one-hundredth level... has changed hands!"
Suddenly, the spirit sense of all the cultivators atop the four jade platforms swept toward the demon tablet.
Even the emperors like the Ape Emperor slightly altered their expressions and looked toward the demon tablet.
The cave mansion on the hundredth level was supposed to be the most inconspicuous among the top hundred cave mansions.
However, because it was occupied by the Grand Elder of the Yuan Hall, it drew everyone’s attention.
Everyone with understanding speculated that Elder Zhou Nan was merely embarrassed to compete for the top twenty cave mansions, thus remaining on the hundredth level.
No one doubted Zhou Nan possessed the strength to push into the top twenty.
No one anticipated Zhou Nan’s cave mansion would be taken away.
But at this moment on the demon tablet, Zhou Nan’s name at the hundredth position was indeed becoming blurred and disappearing!
"Who is it, who took the cave mansion from Senior Zhou Nan’s hands!"
Zhou Nan’s name gradually disappeared from the demon tablet.
The name that appeared afterward shocked everyone.
Baimu!
"How is it possible! Baimu, a mere Void Inquiry cultivator, how does he have the strength to snatch the cave mansion from Elder Zhou Nan!"
A tumultuous wave churned in the hearts of countless old monsters. It seemed impossible, yet it happened!
"Could it be that Elder Zhou Nan voluntarily gave the cave mansion to Baimu..." an old monster suddenly questioned and glanced toward the Yuan Emperor.
This voice of doubt reminded all the old monsters present, who similarly gazed toward the Yuan Emperor.
Yes, it must be like this.
Baimu likely has some association with the Yuan Hall, hence Zhou Nan conceded the cave mansion.
Baimu absolutely couldn’t have defeated Zhou Nan!
Several old monsters recalled that previously, when the Ape Emperor wanted to enter the Ascension Tower to capture Baimu, he was stopped by the Yuan Emperor.
Initially, these old monsters thought the Yuan Emperor was fair in preventing attendees from being bullied.
Now it seemed, indeed, Baimu genuinely has some relationship with the Yuan Hall.
The Yuan Emperor furrowed his brows, but did not explain.
He internally believed the same, assuming Zhou Nan intentionally granted the cave mansion.
After all, he was aware Zhou Nan entered the Ascension Tower solely for Baimu.
"Did Zhou Nan concede the cave mansion at Purple Cuckoo’s behest... Does she truly favor Baimu so much, as to urge Zhou Nan to snatch a top hundred cave mansion and gift it to Baimu..."
Just as everyone speculated, the name Baimu gradually faded from the demon tablet once again.
Then, the hundredth position on the demon tablet no longer displayed any name, the hundredth level cave mansion astonishingly empty!
"The cave mansion is ownerless, what’s going on!"
"Could it be someone else fought Baimu for the cave mansion, both ended in mutual ruin, leaving neither with success?"
It’s hard for cultivators outside to imagine Ning Fan himself walked out of the cave mansion.
Ning Fan wasn’t coveting the hundredth level cave mansion, nor planned to linger there, but outsiders were unaware.
All they knew was that capturing the hundredth level cave mansion earned a Shattered Void Pill reward.
That’s a Shattered Void Pill, able to boost Void Fragmentation success rate by half a percent! For Ning Fan, at the Void Inquiry Stage, should it not be a great temptation?
"What on earth happened on the hundredth level tower!"
As a huge question mark rose in everyone’s hearts, next, the cave mansion on the ninety-ninth level changed hands!
When the name Baimu appeared at ninety-ninth place on the demon tablet, countless old monsters’ eyes shook!
"Baimu! Why is it Baimu again!"
"Old me understands! This Baimu abandoned the hundredth level cave mansion and went to seize the ninety-ninth level cave mansion instead! Yet old me can’t comprehend, how does Baimu, a mere Void Inquiry Stage cultivator, have the strength to capture the ninety-ninth level..."
"Could it be Zhou Nan is aiding him!"
At this moment, countless cultivators turned their gaze toward the Yuan Emperor’s location.
The owner of the 99th layer cave mansion is an old monster from Dongyao Sea’s Fang Wolf Hall. He is proficient in the Remnant Appearance Formula, invincible among his peers, and impossible for Ning Fan, who is at the Void Inquiry stage, to defeat.
So, could it be Zhou Nan who defeated this Return to Origin Elder Fiend and seized the cave mansion?
Is it Zhou Nan who seized the 99th layer cave mansion and handed it over to Ning Fan?
Is Zhou Nan, as the Grand Elder of Yuan Hall, deliberately undermining the fairness of this competition just to support Ning Fan?
"Impossible! The Grand Elder is not that kind of person. He is the host of this competition and even if he enters the Ascension Tower, he will not favor anyone!" A Yuan Hall Void Fragmentation cultivator defended loudly.
"Yes! Senior Zhou has always acted honorably. Who in the entire Northern Demon Sea doesn’t know this? He would never disrupt the fairness of this competition just to support a Baimu!" Some lower-level cultivators began to defend Zhou Nan.
The Yuan Emperor did not say much, slowly stood up, and took a soul plate from his storage pouch.
He must give an explanation to all cultivators, to avoid the perception of unfairness in this competition. After all, he is preparing to make connections with Demon World experts through this Dragon Fishing Congress.
That soul plate belongs to Zhou Nan!
The Yuan Emperor closed his eyes and transmitted a few words to the soul plate.
A moment later, seemingly receiving Zhou Nan’s response, he opened his eyes and said calmly to everyone,
"Zhou Nan did not make a move; it was Baimu who seized the cave mansion with his own strength!"
The Yuan Emperor’s explanation naturally satisfied most of the old monsters.
But some people were skeptical, saying, "Baimu is only at the Void Inquiry stage, how could he defeat a Return to Origin Grand Void..."
This voice naturally could not escape the spirit sense of the Yuan Emperor.
The Yuan Emperor’s expression appeared complex. Zhou Nan’s words made him somewhat incredulous. But now, he must tell everyone and appease all the cultivators.
"He is not at the Void Inquiry stage! He is... Void Fragmentation!"
"Baimu’s cultivation is at the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm!"
What!
The Yuan Emperor’s words caused countless old monsters’ expressions to change dramatically.
Void Fragmentation, Void Fragmentation... Who would have thought the obscure Baimu is actually a dignified Void Fragmentation cultivator!
The one who was once expelled by the White Feather Clan as a waste has now become an old monster of the Void Fragmentation realm!
"Baimu is Void Fragmentation? How is that possible! This can’t be!" Yuan Tong’s spirit sense was repairing at a critical moment when he suddenly heard this news, and his expression immediately turned sour.
He never believed Ning Fan could be a Void Inquiry cultivator. No Void Inquiry cultivator could defeat him.
But he even more refused to believe that Ning Fan could be an old monster of the Void Fragmentation realm!
Although there are several hundred Void Fragmentation cultivators in the Demon World, which one of them isn’t a renowned figure?
He is a Return to Origin cultivator, merely a step away from Void Fragmentation, but this step is extremely difficult for him to cross.
Void Fragmentation is a towering mountain that cultivators below it can only hope but cannot reach! It’s insurmountable!
There are tens of thousands of Void Refinement Realm experts in the entire Demon World, but only those few hundred have managed to break through to Void Fragmentation.
"How could Baimu have Void Fragmentation cultivation? I don’t believe it!"
Yuan Tong is not the only one who doesn’t believe it; many cultivators remain skeptical and disbelieving.
But what happened next left them with no choice but to believe.
The 98th layer cave mansion changed ownership, and the new owner is Baimu!
The 97th layer cave mansion changed ownership, and the new owner is Baimu!
The 96th layer cave mansion changed ownership, and the new owner is Baimu!
...
Baimu’s name continued to appear on the demon tablet, replacing the original owners of the cave mansions, then disappearing and reappearing to replace the next one.
His name continued to appear until the 47th position, where it temporarily stopped and no longer disappeared.
In a short period, he fought from the 100th layer to the 47th layer, defeating all the Return to Origin cultivators.
At this moment, no one doubts that Ning Fan possesses the cultivation of the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm!
Without such formidable cultivation, who could defeat all the Return to Origin experts from the top hundred layers?
"Oh? I hadn’t expected a hidden expert like this in this competition... Baimu, is it." The Fox Emperor smiled charmingly.
"Oh? The cauldron furnace I had my eyes on is Baimu? He is a Void Fragmentation cultivator? Hehe, even better now!" The Serpent Emperor’s almond eyes flashed with a cold gleam as she looked to her side.
In the direction beside her, someone was taking out a jade slip with Ning Fan’s current appearance imprinted on it.
That person crushed the jade slip, presenting light images in the air, showing Ning Fan’s appearance to everyone.
"Baimu, is it... It’s said that this person’s bone age is less than ten thousand years..." Emperor Qing held a jade slip containing intelligence, which had just been gathered by his subordinates.
When Ning Fan took the Yixiang Dan, he disguised his bone age as twenty thousand years.
When disguising his cultivation as Void Inquiry, he slightly modified it to six thousand years. After all, no Void Inquiry cultivator can live for twenty thousand years.
Emperor Qing’s words immediately caused countless people to be shocked.
"White Feather’s bone age is less than ten thousand years, yet he has cultivated to the Void Fragmentation realm... How is this even possible? Could it be that he is not the rumored waste from the White Feather Clan, but rather a once-in-a-ten-thousand-year genius of the Demon World!"
"Nonsense! Those capable of cultivating to the Void Fragmentation realm, how could they be wastes! Perhaps Baimu’s past infamy and weakness were just his way of keeping a low profile! And his expulsion from the White Feather Clan might have been intentional! To fade from the public eye, secretly advancing to Void Fragmentation, perhaps..."
Though the six-thousand-year bone age is false, Ning Fan’s sky-defying talent is not fake.
Ning Fan’s true bone age is only a thousand years, even less than six thousand.
With his own hands, he seized countless opportunities, making the legend of a thousand-year Void Fragmentation become reality!
This is something outsiders could never know; if they knew, they would be even more astonished.
The Yuan Emperor’s gaze flickered repeatedly, and his view of Ning Fan gradually began to change.
He originally thought that Ning Fan was notorious and not a suitable match for his daughter.
But now it seems that Ning Fan’s notoriety and weakness might just be a disguise.
"Perhaps, letting Baimu be Zixun’s Dao companion might be a good choice?" Yuan Emperor pondered to himself.
Beside him, Yuan Tong, upon confirming that Ning Fan was a Void Fragmentation cultivator, spat out a mouthful of reverse blood, causing his slightly repaired spirit sense to shatter again.
"He is... Void Fragmentation..."
A strong sense of defeat rose up in Yuan Tong’s heart.
Without the help of his master, he had no qualification to be enemies with Ning Fan.
"Tong’er, do not self-destruct your spirit sense! Remember, Baimu is not that extraordinary. Even if he is Void Fragmentation, and surpasses you in every way, there’s one thing in which he cannot compare to you!"
"Remember! Your master is the first among this generation’s Moksha Emperors! You may not be his opponent, but as your master, I can help you eliminate him!"
The Ape Emperor’s gaze flashed with a hint of murderous intent.
He continuously belittled Ning Fan, not because he looked down on him, but to help Yuan Tong rebuild his confidence through this method.
All the divine skills of the Ape Palace are based on a battle spirit.
If one loses confidence, they lose the courage to challenge, and how could there be a battle spirit! The great path would self-destruct!
Yuan Tong is the disciple most favored by the Ape Emperor. Yuan Tong is arrogant, domineering, and self-important — the most suitable person to practice the Ape Palace cultivation technique.
If Yuan Tong had not encountered Ning Fan, he could have continued to fight and win arrogantly and dominantly all the way through.
And his achievements in this life would not be below that of the successive Ape Emperors.
"No matter what, I will help you claim this person’s life. As long as he is alive, your spirit sense cannot be repaired for a day, and his shadow will linger!"
"Baimu, huh! No matter who strikes first, anyone who harms my disciple deserves to die!" The Ape Emperor revealed an extremely domineering expression.
Right now, he only wants to do one thing, which is to wait, wait for the competition to end, wait for Ning Fan to come out, and then kill him!
The Ape Emperor closed his eyes, no longer intending to pay attention to the demon tablet.
In his view, even if Ning Fan has the cultivation of the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm, he will ultimately stop at the forty-seventh layer.
Beyond that, the top-grade cave mansions are guarded by Void Fragmentation experts.
Ning Fan is just a First Layer, which is the lowest in the Void Fragmentation ninth heavenly layers. He would most likely not be so senseless as to continue challenging other Void Fragmentation cultivators.
"No need to watch anymore, this child will surely stop at the forty-seventh layer."
As soon as the Ape Emperor finished speaking, he suddenly opened his eyes in disbelief.
He saw the words Baimu on the demon tablet gradually fading away, until they were no longer visible.
A moment later, at the position of the forty-sixth layer, the name of the Loose Cultivator of the Northern Demon Sea, Jinguangzi, was replaced by the words Baimu!
In just a moment, Ning Fan defeated Jinguangzi, who was also at the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm, and seized the cave mansion...how is this possible!
Forty-five layers, forty-four layers, forty-three layers... all the way to the thirtieth layer!
Not a single old monster of the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm could withstand a single bout against Ning Fan and were all instantly defeated!
And Ning Fan’s name kept replacing positions, rising all the way to thirtieth on the demon tablet!
"Senior Baimu actually possesses invincible strength at the First Layer realm!" countless low-level cultivators exclaimed.
...
Ascension Tower, thirtieth layer.
Ning Fan put away Emperor Xia’s Sword and stepped into the cave mansion of the thirtieth layer, not immediately comprehending anything, but first consuming some expensive pills to meditate and attempt to recover some mana.
For him, continuously defeating Returned Origin cultivators was easy, and continuously defeating cultivators of the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm was not difficult, but it did consume a lot of mana.
With Emperor Xia’s Sword in hand, Ning Fan only needed to wield a third of its golden sword light to scare off any First Layer old monsters guarding the cave mansion.
Below the thirtieth layer, the seating arrangements are all occupied by old monsters of the Second Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm, and they cannot be underestimated.
If Ning Fan wants to go all the way up, he cannot be careless; he must first meditate and recover properly.
He did not know that the outside world was in an uproar because of him alone.
He also did not know that along the way, layer by layer, the old monsters sighed in frustration and were severely impacted.
Starting from the five hundredth layer down to the thirty-first layer, those old monsters whose mansions were taken found that since Ning Fan didn’t intend to stay long, they eventually slunk back in disgrace and quietly reclaimed their mansions.
But being defeated by Ning Fan is something they could never get over in their lifetime.
Especially those high-minded First Layer old monsters, being defeated by Ning Fan with a single sword strike, inevitably left a shadow in their hearts.
With the same First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm cultivation, they were unexpectedly much weaker than Ning Fan...
"Can’t compare, can’t compare! Who said this Baimu was useless? That sword clearly was not his full strength; if he used it fully, I’m afraid even a Second Layer old monster wouldn’t withstand it!"
In the forty-sixth layer of the Ascension Tower, Jinguangzi returned to his cave mansion, meditating and sighing repeatedly.
Many others continued sighing like him.
Zhou Nan followed behind Ning Fan, his gaze increasingly shocked.
When Ning Fan was holding Emperor Xia’s Sword, even he, with cultivation at the fourth heavenly layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm, felt a slight threat from the sword light.
"This child’s strength seems to be above this old man’s expectations, perhaps he won’t stop at the thirtieth layer either..."
Just as Zhou Nan thought this, he saw Ning Fan finishing his meditation inside the cave mansion, completing his comprehension, and then moving toward the twenty-ninth layer.
"Indeed, he is going to challenge the Second Realm cultivators!" Zhou Nan’s eyes lit up.
The Void Fragmentation realm is strictly hierarchical, except for a few who defy the heavens, very few can win across levels.
Even if one is invincible within the First Layer, it is still hard to defeat an ordinary Second Realm cultivator.
Zhou Nan was eager to see if Ning Fan could continue sweeping the Ascension Tower with his cultivation of the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm... (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)