novelraw Chapter 737: Innate Spirit Equipment, Silver Ghost Mask!
Chapter 737: Innate Spirit Equipment, Silver Ghost Mask!
Almost everyone saw the beam of treasure light, yet aside from Minghai Celestial King, no one else could discern what the light encompassed.
Others couldn’t even sense the grade of the treasure and could only vaguely guess that Ning Fan had illuminated ten million crystals on the stele and obtained some kind of additional reward.
"The item this child has obtained is likely a treasure of no low grade, at least a pinnacle immortal treasure, and might even be among the twelve Nirvana postnatal treasures at the low Nirvana level..." some old monsters speculated.
Ning Fan withdrew his hand and stood quietly in front of the stele, his expression still as calm as an ancient well, yet his heart was in an uproar!
Walking down from the altar, leaving it for others to use, soon all the participants had completed their comparisons.
Standing below the altar, Ning Fan swept his spirit sense across the storage pouch and his heart remained restless. The beam of treasure light that shot into the pouch turned out to be a formidable item!
It was a silver mask, with a ferocious visage, resembling an evil ghost.
The mask contained vast power and boundless divine skills!
This was a piece of spirit equipment, an innate spirit equipment!
This is a spirit equipment nurtured by heaven and earth, beyond what man can forge!
Only Immortal King cultivators of the Eternity Realm have the qualification to refine this into their bodies! Each piece of innate spirit equipment possesses astonishing divine skills!
Innate spirit equipment is even rarer than innate magical treasures and naturally much rarer than the innate Purple Gourd of the Xuan Yin Treasure.
If this item were exposed to the eyes of the Old Monsters of East Heaven, Ning Fan could imagine how many Immortal King cultivators would come for this spirit equipment...
Spirit equipment has two advantages over magical treasures and one defect.
The defect is that spirit equipment is mainly used for support, and rarely does any spirit equipment possess strong destructive power.
As for advantages, firstly, using spirit equipment does not require any mana.
Secondly, when spirit equipment reaches a certain high level and recognizes its master, refining it into the body makes it impossible to seize. When the master dies, the spirit equipment perishes along with them, which shows greater loyalty compared to magical treasures that can change owners after the master’s death.
Obtaining this innate ghost mask for free, Ning Fan felt mixed emotions.
The joy lies in this treasure being innate, and if refined, it would surely increase his power substantially.
The worry lies in acquiring this item publicly, with numerous powerful individuals present, uncertain how many might have recognized the ghost mask as innate spirit equipment.
"If someone realizes that the item I acquired is an innate spirit equipment, it won’t take long before calamity arrives..."
Ning Fan frowned deeply; if someone had seen the item, Ning Fan would rather hand it over to save himself from trouble than incite countless Old Monsters of East Heaven over this piece of innate spirit equipment.
Naturally, if he managed to refine the spirit equipment into his body before any Immortal King cultivators arrived, he could dispel others’ thoughts of coveting it.
After all, high-grade spirit equipment that has acknowledged a master cannot be seized.
However, this is a piece of innate spirit equipment, and although Ning Fan is the Demon Ancestor of the Fu Li race and carries a spirit within, it’s very difficult for such high-grade spirit equipment to recognize him as a master.
In the midst of his thoughts, an aged yet gentle voice suddenly reached Ning Fan’s ear; it was Minghai Celestial King’s voice.
"Young friend, do not worry. Only I can see the innate ghost mask here. In fact, when the treasure appeared, not even an Immortal Emperor could see what it truly was. With my cultivation, I could only barely glimpse a trace of the innate ghost mask’s outline. Rest assured, since you have obtained this ghost mask, it’s your opportunity. I will not take your ghost mask nor allow others to take it. You can confidently refine it; the fourth round is your chance to refine the ghost mask."
Ning Fan’s expression subtly changed, looking in Minghai Celestial King’s direction and meeting his satisfied smile.
This time, he even clearly saw Minghai Celestial King’s face, he appeared as a handsome white-haired youth! Naturally, this is just his appearance, not Minghai Celestial King’s true age...
Minghai Celestial King was willing to let Ning Fan see his face, giving Ning Fan the qualification to see.
"With Minghai Celestial King’s cultivation, if he wants to take my innate spirit equipment, there’s no need to say so much nonsense and forcibly intervene; I would have no choice. Since he said he won’t take my ghost mask, he surely won’t. Besides, this person is the Grand Elder of Slaughter Hall, cultivating at the level of an Immortal King. He might even possess an innate ghost mask and thus dismiss mine..."
Ning Fan thought back to Wu Chen and several ghost-faced assassins, considering that most elders in Slaughter Hall probably had their own ghost masks.
A strong cultivator like Minghai Celestial King likely has an innate ghost mask.
This time, Ning Fan was wrong.
In Slaughter Hall, cultivators above the Shedding Void Stage all possess ghost masks, and most Crossing Truth Realm cultivators possess ghost-faced spirit equipment.
Yet, besides the Slaughter Emperor throughout history, no one holds an innate ghost mask!
This innate ghost mask is a secret treasure and a symbol of identity!
This point, the Minghai Celestial King did not tell Ning Fan, and Ning Fan was not aware of it for the time being.
The Minghai Celestial King did not tell Ning Fan that the last time someone gained the recognition of the Blood Sea Altar and was bestowed with innate spirit armor was over six million years ago.
At that time, in the Slaughter Hall, there was an elder named Fu Linglong who accidentally gained the altar’s recognition and obtained the Innate Ghost Mask.
Later, Fu Linglong fell, and her Innate Ghost Mask self-destructed at the time of her fall, and her elder token was lost...
Fu Linglong was once the hope for the existence of the Slaughter Hall, yet she failed to break through to the Eternity Realm and then perished...
"Six million years, at last, a Young Emperor emerges... Yet this Young Emperor has come too late. The Great Emperor has little time left. It is uncertain whether this Blood Realm catastrophe can be avoided... Whether we Northern Dipper descendants can survive..."
With a worry in his heart, the Minghai Celestial King withdrew his smile, slowly stood up, revealing a solemn look, and said,
"The third round of competition is over, quickly record the results, one hour later, the fourth round of competition will begin! The location for the competition is changed to the Blood Prison! The 10 participants will choose a cell in the Blood Prison for seclusion, and for each day spent inside, their score will increase by one hundred thousand points! This round’s score has a limit, with a maximum of only three million points!"
"All elders, quickly follow me to seal the Blood Sea Altar and unseal the Blood Prison!"
After speaking, the Minghai Celestial King immediately led the other 22 elders to reseal the Blood Sea Altar and hurried to a blood valley not far from Slaughter City.
In that blood valley, there was nothing, an overwhelming bloody mist, and outside, countless strongmen of the Slaughter Hall guarded it solemnly.
The Minghai Celestial King brought people here, and together they acted, gradually unsealing from the empty blood valley an elliptical blood-colored light gate out of thin air.
That light gate, leads straight to the Blood Prison!
"Unexpectedly, the fourth round of competition is held in the Blood Prison, and the interval between the fourth and third rounds is only one hour."
"The Blood Prison... It is the place of detention for the rebels of the Slaughter Hall throughout the ages. The heavy Evil Qi there is not something ordinary people can withstand. Even some Crossing Truth Realm True Immortals of the Slaughter Hall do not dare to stay inside for more than ten days. As for the Slaughter Hall Fate Immortals, they can’t even endure a day inside... Void Fragmentation, hehe, they probably can’t even enter the Blood Prison’s gate..."
Ning Fan swept over the blood stele with his spirit sense, his score was already at 24,270,000 points, and he couldn’t be bothered to look at the insignificant digits.
Casually sitting cross-legged on the ground, he calmed the rampant Evil Qi within his body.
Having experienced the slaughter in the Yao Zong Star Region, his Evil Qi was sufficient to intimidate the Ghost Profound Peak-Stage.
Now that the Evil Qi has surged tenfold, even Crossing Truth Realm cultivators in the middle or late stages would be slightly shaken by Ning Fan’s Evil Qi.
As for ordinary Human Profound, they probably couldn’t withstand even a glance from Ning Fan.
One hour passed quickly, and such a short time was only enough for Ning Fan to slightly stabilize his Evil Qi.
Qiantuzi and others received the Minghai Celestial King’s order to escort Ning Fan and the other ten participants to the blood valley where the Blood Prison is located.
The Old Monsters of East Heaven, who came to watch the competition, rushed to the outside of the blood valley, not daring to venture inside, only observing from afar.
The Blood Prison is the heart of the Slaughter Hall, and without the Slaughter Hall’s permission, outsiders cannot step into the blood valley, let alone enter the Blood Prison, otherwise, they shall be killed without mercy.
Among the ten participants, apart from Ning Fan, Chi Zhen, and Ning Fan, the rest were all Immortals, and the kind that could battle Human Profound Initial Stage Immortals.
The rules had been personally announced by the Minghai Celestial King and were set in stone, requiring no reiteration by Qiantuzi.
However, regarding the specific circumstances inside the Blood Prison, Qiantuzi still had to remind them.
Looking at the ten participants, Qiantuzi showed an unprecedentedly serious expression and said, "The Blood Prison is considered a heavy place with seven layers, some cells confining Slaughter Hall rebels are sealed tightly, and you all cannot enter or peek. Any attempt to peek, you will bear the consequences! As for the empty cells, you may choose them freely for seclusion."
"Enter the Blood Prison!"
With Qiantuzi’s command, Ning Fan and the other ten people stepped into the elliptical light gate.
Inside the light gate, it was the first level of the Blood Prison, where Evil Qi surged skyward, even the Human Profound Initial Stage could not bear it.
Among the ten, five people were immediately invaded by the Evil Qi and fainted outside the light gate.
"Carry them away!"
With Qiantuzi’s order, the Slaughter Hall cultivators carried the five unconscious ones away.
These five people naturally did not have any results in this round.
"Strive to refine the Ghost Mask within the Blood Prison!" As Ning Fan walked inside the first level of the Blood Prison, the Minghai Celestial King’s transmitted voice echoed in his divine sense.
Dark and damp stone road, with the occasional dripping water sound.
On both sides were blood jade cells, some were empty, while others were tightly sealed, imprisoning the Slaughter Hall’s prisoners.
Ning Fan had no intention of spying on these prisoners; he did not want extra trouble and only sought a place filled with intense evil Qi to refine the Ghost-Faced Spirit Attire.
This Ghost-Faced Spirit Attire was ranked Innate and was filled with intense evil Qi.
The reason the Minghai Celestial King changed the location of the fourth round of the competition to the Blood Prison was to use the boundless evil Qi of the Blood Prison to aid Ning Fan in refining the Ghost Face.
Ning Fan didn’t believe that the Minghai Celestial King would be so kind as to go to great lengths to help a mere Void Fragmentation junior.
He believed there must be some other purpose for the Minghai Celestial King to help him refine the Ghost Face.
As for what the Minghai Celestial King’s purpose was, it wasn’t something Ning Fan could know.
For Ning Fan, refining the Ghost Face was indeed better.
He had repeatedly checked with his spirit sense, and the Ghost Face hadn’t been tampered with.
Thus, refining a piece of Innate Spirit Armor for Ning Fan had only benefits, no harm.
For now, he could only take things one step at a time, first refining the Spirit Armor and then increasing his strength.
There was just one thing Ning Fan still couldn’t understand.
How did the Minghai Celestial King conclude that he, a mere Void Fragmentation, could refine Innate Spirit Armor...
Wasn’t Innate Spirit Armor something only an Eternity Realm Master could refine...
"Could it be that the Minghai Celestial King has already seen that I have a spirit within me, allowing me to refine Spirit Armor across levels!"
Ning Fan’s eyes sharpened.
After all, he was only at the first step of cultivations, while the Minghai Celestial King was an Immortal King of the fifth Eternal Calamity. Before Minghai, Ning Fan seemed to have no secrets at all.
Fu Li Demon Blood, Moluo Ancestral Blood, Rain Vein Divine Blood... perhaps all his secrets had long been exposed in front of the Minghai Celestial King.
The Ghost-Faced Spirit Attire was a piece of spirit equipment that could conceal one’s aura, shield perception, and block the Rebellion of Heaven’s prediction.
The power of the Innate Ghost Mask was even more formidable, perhaps enough to block the divination and surveillance of even an Immortal King or Great Emperor.
With this in mind, Ning Fan’s determination to refine the Innate Ghost Mask grew even stronger.
He carried many secrets, and there were too many powerful beings in the Eastern Heaven. Today, it was the Minghai Celestial King who saw through all his secrets; who knew who might see through them in the future.
If he could refine the Innate Ghost Mask, traveling among the Four Heavens would be much safer.
As he had a spirit within him, he was qualified to refine the Innate Ghost Mask, but to truly refine it, he needed to find a place with intense evil Qi to suppress and contain the evil, reducing the difficulty of the refinement.
On the first level of the Blood Prison, all the prisoners held were Master cultivators of the first step, and the evil Qi there was only enough to frighten ordinary Human Profound cultivators, not nearly enough to help Ning Fan refine the Innate Ghost Mask.
Ning Fan walked towards the end of the Blood Prison, where there was a staircase leading underground, presumably to the second level of the Blood Prison.
"Cough, cough, cough... Brother Ning, are you going to the second level of the Blood Prison?"
Chi Zhen and his companions, who had been following Ning Fan, looked at him with a wry smile.
Even just standing at the entrance of the stairs, they could feel the astonishing evil Qi of the second level of the Blood Prison.
The evil Qi of the second level was not something Chi Zhen dared to touch lightly.
"Yes. You four, stay on the first level."
Ning Fan was quite indifferent to the four competitors behind him and descended the stairs into the second level of the Blood Prison.
The evil Qi of the second level was something even an ordinary Ghost Profound Early Stage couldn’t endure, yet it was far from enough to shake Ning Fan.
Chi Zhen and Wu Chen exchanged glances, shook their heads self-deprecatingly, and each found an empty cell in the first level to go into seclusion.
The other two Immortals endured the pain of the evil Qi gnawing at their bodies and gritted their teeth, finding a vacant cell on the first level.
These two only lasted in seclusion for about two hours before they could no longer endure the evil Qi and had to leave the Blood Prison, giving up the fourth round of the competition.
Wu Chen persisted for a day in the first level, while Chi Zhen held out for two days. In the end, everyone left the Blood Prison except Ning Fan.
Only Ning Fan lingered in the Blood Prison, not yet leaving...
...
The third level of the Blood Prison was not a place where even an ordinary Crossing Truth Realm would dare to go.
The evil Qi here still wasn’t enough to shake Ning Fan’s mind and body.
The fourth level of the Blood Prison had evil Qi so strong it could intimidate a regular Shedding Void Stage Master!
The evil Qi here was even fiercer than Yao Qingyun’s fierce aura!
The evil Qi here was something even Ning Fan found difficult to withstand!
On the day he first entered Blood Sea Star, Ning Fan had been easily overpowered by Yao Qingyun’s evil Qi.
Now, although his own evil Qi had greatly increased, although still inferior to Yao Qingyun’s, the gap was no longer as vast as before.
A tinge of blood-red rose in Ning Fan’s eyes, and he bit the tip of his tongue, forcibly suppressing the evil Qi invading his body and maintaining a clear mind.
He did not continue downward; the evil Qi of the fourth level was already so intense that the fifth level’s evil Qi was definitely beyond what he could withstand!
He found a cell on the fourth level of the Blood Prison and sat cross-legged on the ground, lightly tapped his storage pouch, and took out the Silver Ghost Mask.
The Ghost Mask felt icy to the touch, an intense cold that pierced the bones.
At the moment he grasped the Ghost Mask, his palm began to freeze, covered in crimson ice crystals.
"Such an extremely cold evil Qi!"
Ning Fan tried to melt the crimson ice crystals with Yin and Yang fire, but found that he couldn’t!
This crimson ice was not Water Element ice and couldn’t be melted with Five Elements power.
"I can only counter it with evil Qi..."
Ning Fan closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and modulated the strands of evil Qi throughout his body to his right arm.
Gradually, his frozen right arm began to thaw.
Exhaling softly, Ning Fan looked at the Silver Ghost Mask, his gaze growing increasingly solemn.
Just coming into contact with this spirit equipment required all his strength.
The difficulty of refining this spirit equipment was likely far beyond his expectations.
The purple star in his left eye flashed, and a vast, demon ancestor’s aura emanated from Ning Fan’s body.
He had the Fu li Ancestor Bloodline, and his bloodline contained spirit!
At the instant this Fu li ancestral might spread, the Innate Ghost Mask lightly trembled, its chill reduced significantly, apparently becoming much more docile.
Ning Fan took a deep breath, taking advantage of the suppression of the Ghost Mask by the evil Qi of the fourth level and his Fu li Bloodline, and abruptly raised his hand to wear the Ghost Mask on his face!
In an instant, an unimaginable blood-red chill emanated from around Ning Fan, spreading across the entire fourth level of the Blood Prison!
The fourth level of the Blood Prison turned into an Ice World in an instant, everywhere sealed in blood-red ice!
Those imprisoned in the fourth level of the Blood Prison were Crossing Truth Realm True Immortals from the Slaughter Hall, who had committed severe crimes and whose cultivation had been abolished.
Even with their cultivation abolished, their evil Qi remained.
Although seal after seal guarded their cells, they still vaguely felt an extremely terrifying evil Qi outside their cells, icy cold and unmatched!
"What sort of person possesses such frigid evil Qi! It can penetrate the seals of the Blood Prison and stab into the cell!"
One by one, True Immortal prisoners shackled by blood-red chains, their faces drastically changed.
Such terrifying evil Qi was something they had never seen in their lives!
Maybe, perhaps... only Lord Slaughter Emperor could possess such a terrifying evil Qi!
At the moment he wore the Ghost Mask, Ning Fan’s gaze turned into blood pupils in an instant, and he stood up abruptly, his black hair wildly dancing!
That wildly dancing black hair, as the evil Qi spread, ultimately transformed into dazzling silver threads! (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) and vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is the biggest motivation for me. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)