Grasping Evil - Chapter 223

Chapter 223: Chapter 223 The Daughter of Xu Family

“So, if Fellow Daoist Zhou has finally decided, just search for me in the ‘Blissful Summit’. As for this item, it’s a keepsake from this old man. If you ever meet troublesome cultivators in this island, just show it to them…I’ll wait for your answer after three days!”

Xu Rushan cupped his fist towards Ning Fan and heaved a light sigh before he left.

In the end, Ning Fan still did not promise to help him. To Xu Rushan, such prudent attitude in handling important matters was praiseworthy. However, after exchanging a few words with him, he felt helpless at how Ning Fan tried to evade responsibility.

Now, the only option he was left with was to wait. He had to wait for Ning Fan to give his word.

Before he comes, I shall inform the elders of the All Pleasure Sect and tell them to make some preparations to cordially treat him.

The black primordial energy shook and Xu Rushan vanished into a cloud of smoke and travelled for more than ten thousands of li away in just an instance.

That was an ability of a Divine Transformation Realm expert – Instant Shift. With that technique, a Divine Transformation Realm expert could travel tens of thousands of li in just a second! It was multiple times faster than teleportation!

Ning Fan held a black jade that Xu Rushan handed to him in his hand in silence.

This is truly a big deal. It will be unwise to make a promise out of recklessness…

Even if he was willing to promise to undertake the task, he would want to wait for another three days. The reason he did not make a decision on the spot was because he wanted to maximize the benefits he could get from helping him. To him, 50 drops of Profound Liquid of Mother Earth was too insignificant to be the extra compensation for such a dangerous task. Ning Fan wanted to find out what Xu Rushan’s bottom line was to stay on friendly terms with him.

After a while, he kept the token and held the arm of the female corpse, disappearing into a flash of black light. He was heading towards the Joint Joyous Immortal Island.

In the Pleasure Devil Seas, there were tens of uninhabited islands. Whenever he passed by any of them, he would keep them into the Yuan Yao World without any hesitation. Thus, it took him quite a while to reach his destination.

At the time he arrived at the Joint Joyous Immortal Island, Yu Long, who had already found a good dwelling place for the female cultivators of Bi Yao Sect to rest, was standing outside of the island, respectfully awaiting Ning Fan’s arrival.

“Greetings to my respected Master!” Yu Long’s attitude was rather courteous.

He was once a Feudal Ranking Elder of the Pleasure Devil Sect but he was given the cold shoulder by the members of the sect. It was why he decided to leave for Peng Lai Immortal Island and joined the Lost World Palace.

To his surprise, when he came to the Joint Joyous Island this time, he was immediately welcomed by a bunch of old monsters including the vice sect master of the sect as soon as he set foot on the island!

Actually it was Xu Rushan’s instructions. Even though Yu Long did not know why the other party was so polite to him, it was not hard for him to guess that they were trying to please his master – Zhou Ming. However, he was not concerned about what the reason behind it was. Instead, the admiration and respect he had towards his master gradually grew deeper in his heart.

Moreover, all the female cultivators who followed him were arranged to stay in the most luxurious palace on the island – Profound Jade Palace!

If he was not Zhou Ming’s servant, he, Yu Long, would never be able to receive such preferential treatment… This palace was known to only accommodate Peak Nascent Soul Realm experts!

“En… Have you found a place for the female cultivators to rest? Besides, how are they doing now?” Ning Fan asked in a solemn tone.

“Reporting to Master, the female cultivators have settled down well. They are currently resting at the Profound Jade Palace. Does Master want to rest or take a stroll within this island?”

“Profound Jade Palace… This palace was said to only be inhabited by Peak Nascent Soul Realm experts… Xu Rushan is really attentive. But a mere courtesy like that is not enough to make me feel touched…” Ning Fan muttered in his heart. He then took out an empty jade slip and imprinted his spirit sense on it before giving it to Yu Long.

“This jade slip contains the seventeen types of ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs that I need. Go to the pharmacy in the island to buy them for me. I am going to need two sets for each of them. As for me, I will take a tour of this island. Afterwards, I will return to the Profound Jade Palace.”

“Ten-thousand-year-old? Yes!” Yu Long sealed his mouth from asking the reason for needing so much spiritual herbs. But he did not leave after receiving the jade slip from Ning Fan.

Ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs were uncommon. Each of them would at least need tens of thousands of immortal jade. The price would even go up to hundreds of thousands of immortal jade for the rare kinds of spiritual herbs.

He, Yu Long, was just a mere Third Revolution Pill Master whose cultivation realm was at the Early Nascent Soul Realm. He did not have a lot of wealth like Ning Fan to purchase spiritual herbs which might cost a fortune.

He was waiting for Ning Fan to pay him…

“Why are you still here? Are you trying to disobey me?!”

“No, Master! This old servant does not have the courage! However… Master… buying things… need money ah. This old servant…does not have so much money…”

“Well, you can go directly to the pharmacy which is run by the subordinates of the Pleasure Devil Sect. I guess they would probably not dare to ignore your request.”

“Wha…What? Master wants this old servant to buy spiritual herbs empty-handed? But…But… this is the territory of Pleasure Devil Sect ah. It is a sect that has a Divine Transformation Realm guardian. Master’s reputation might be strong, but isn’t it a little inappropriate to rob them of spiritual herbs…” Yu Long’s body trembled in fear. He did not dare to disobey Ning Fan’s order but he was also afraid to grab the spiritual herbs without paying in the territory of one of the top ten sects.

“Take this jade with you. I assure you that you will be alright!” Ning Fan impatiently frowned and took out the black jade from the storage pouch.

When Yu Long heard Ning Fan’s words, he was stunned and inwardly curious about what kind of jade that would enable him to ask for free spiritual herbs without getting himself into trouble…

However, as his eyes caught sight of the black jade, his body jolted and his eyes widened in disbelief.

“This…This is…There’s no mistake… It really is the ‘Ancestor Token’ of the Pleasure Devil Sect! It’s the token of Senior Xu Rushan! Why did Master have it?”

“Don’t ask anything that you shouldn’t!”

“Yes!”

Yu Long quickly cupped his fists and left as he was afraid to anger Ning Fan.

However, the degree of admiration towards Ning Fan in his heart rose to its peak.

With that token, it would not be difficult for him to obtain tens of ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs from the pharmacy! But what he could not understand was why this item would be in his Master’s hands.

Xu Rushan was rumored to be unsociable and eccentric. He never associated himself with any cultivators from the External Endless Sea let alone pass his token to others. In spite of that, his Master managed to get it from Xu Rushan. In other words, no matter what his Master does in the island, as long as he does not behave excessively, he would be protected by Xu Rushan!

Making a Divine Transformation Realm old monster to take the initiative in pleasing him…My Master is truly exceptional ah! Being able to follow such a master is really not a bad thing after all. Instead, it is an excellent and fortunate thing!

Yu Long’s heart was filled with immense excitement when he left for the city on the island with the black jade.

Ning Fan gently pinched the skin of the female corpse and his eyes fixed her hands and pondered.

The seventeen types of ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs were actually required for cultivating a Fifth Revolution Pill – Facial Restoration Pill to restore the appearance of the two demonesses…

Instructing Yu Long to ask for spiritual herbs was actually his method to test the bottom line of Xu Rushan. He wanted to see to what extent this person would fulfill his demands.

He could help Xu Rushan but the latter must give him enough benefits!

A life of at least 150 Fake Wild Beasts was not something that could be compensated with just 50 drops of the Profound Liquid of Mother Earth!

Besides, since Xu Rushan was in a state of anxiety, if Ning Fan did not ask for a higher and greater rewards from him, he would be regarded as a fool.

Show me all your pills, magical treasures, immortal jade and even… the Profound Heart of Mother Earth!

For the Profound Core of Mother Earth, for the hope of attaining the Divine Transformation Realm…it’s worth it for me to take the risk. It’s not impossible to kill 150 Fake Wild Beasts after all!

For the moment, let’s see whether Yu Long is able to bring me the herbs smoothly. It will tell me Xu Rushan’s attitude. There are 3 more days to go… 3 days later, only then will I give my answer!

Now, let me roam around this island first.

Joint Joyous Immortal Island belonged to the Pleasure Devil Sect. This island could be considered as a small floating island as its ground was not even seventy thousand li* large. From the surface, it did not look like the territory of one of the top ten sects at all.

But this island had one uniqueness. The entire island was formed by uncommon spiritual minerals!

It was densely covered by mountains of minerals. There was an abundance of gold-element spiritual energy. Cultivating gold-element cultivation method here would be twice as fast as cultivating at Peng Lai.

The Pleasure Devil Seas were famous for its spiritual minerals. Furthermore, the treasures and weapons made here had higher quality compared to other places in the External Endless Sea. In addition, there were quite a lot of rare spiritual irons that could be found here. It has been rumored to occasionally produce spiritual iron at the level of Mortal Void Realm. As for the auction of Peak Nascent Soul Realm cauldrons, it would also sometimes auction spiritual armors at Profound Earth Grade.

The external part of the island occupied one-third of the entire island. It was a place for the foreign cultivators to stop for a rest. As for the internal part of the island, it was the place for the disciples of the Pleasure Devil Sect to stay and cultivate.

On the external part of the island, there were thousands of shops in total, forming a dozen large markets.

Cultivators who came for the auction and the Secret Realm of the Broken World entered the island in a continuous stream of people.

Bathing himself in the sea breeze, he held the female corpse who was more obedient now as compared in the past to linger around the markets.

Among the crowd, most of them were Gold Core Realm cultivators. It was extremely rare to see a Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivator on the streets. However, there were some cultivators at the Vein Opening Realm who came to this island with their seniors to explore.

Both sides of the streets were full of stalls set up by rogue cultivators.

Setting up a temporary stall on the street would only need 10 immortal jade to obtain the approval from the authorities.

“Mid-Grade Pill Cauldron. It is for refining pills below Third Revolution and it’s only sold for 600 immortal jade!”

“Bitter Spiritual Pill. 20 pills in a bottle. 800 immortal jade! Harmonious Spirit Realm Fellow Daoist, come and have a look!”

“Mid-Grade Flying Sword. 200 immortal jade…Er, although it was damaged a little, it is still good enough to use…”

The noisy hawking in the market made Ning Fan forget the bloodbath and also his cultivation realms. It brought back the memories of his childhood when he was still a mortal.

Ten years in the real world were Ning Fan’s three hundred years… Three hundred years… It was enough to make a lot of things fade from his memories.

As the sea breeze gently blew, he spread his spirit sense. Every person, every action and every movement were in his mind.

A sixteen-year-old mortal boy… 2 years of warmth in Yue Country… 300 years of a lonely journey in the cultivation world… He reminisced them all in his heart.

Throughout the journey, he felt that his destiny was being manipulated in the dark.

However, he chose to defy his fate every single time. He was reluctant to see his own master die. He was reluctant to have Ning City destroyed. He was reluctant to allow Suqiu to die in an accident. He was reluctant to cut off Zhihe…

He was not a person who favored killing. If he has the capability, he would rather choose to rewind time and stay forever at Seven Apricot City.

However, if he did not go through what he had in the past, he would not have gotten to where he has today. He would not have felt the warmth in his life.

His hand clutched the female corpse’s and he stood in the middle of the crowd with his eyes closed.

Unknowingly, his state of mind was gradually rising!

The Mid Nascent Soul Realm state of mind was quickly approaching the Late Nascent Soul Realm!

It’s just a hair’s breadth away… It just needs another enlightenment!

Ning Fan was inwardly astonished as he did not expect that his state of mind would increase at this moment and it was going to break through to the Late Nascent Soul Realm!

But it stopped as if he lacked something. No matter what, he could not feel the bottleneck of the next small cultivation realm for his state of mind…

“What am I lacking? What is it?!”

Sweat dampened the hand he used to hold the female corpse. His eyes reflected his anxiety and worries.

The black snow from the sky, the magnetic force of the surroundings and the faint sea mist that filled the air… everything seemed to make him feel even more upset.

His mind recollected every bloody scene he experienced, nearly driving him insane!

All of a sudden, a voice which resembled the Heavenly Dao echoed in his heart and questioned him!

“The path of devils is boundless. Just repent and salvation is at your hands…”

Repent? How to repent?

What is going to happen if I don’t?

Ning Fan opened his eyes but this time, they were filled with emptiness as if his soul was consumed by his Heart’s Devil.

But at this moment, the worried female corpse stretched her hand and stroked Ning Fan’s face. A stuttering but gentle voice rang in his ears.

“Light…Don’t…feel…troubled…”

“Look…flowers…”

As his mind was drowning within the abyss of darkness, he felt as if he heard a voice that was trying to save him.

Is it Weiliang?

The next moment, he regained his consciousness and his eyes turned clear. Inwardly, he was shocked.

I almost got taken over by my Heart’s Devil…

Having my state of mind lagging behind my cultivation level is really a dangerous thing.

He cast a grateful smile at the female corpse and rubbed her head. He was really thankful that the female corpse woke him up when he was in danger.

When his eyes shifted from her face to her fingers, he caught sight of a pot of an orchid plant.

It was white like snow. Each of the flower petals was like the shape of a woman’s lips, curling outwards. As a gust of sea breeze blew against it, the plant gently swayed and emitted a sweet-sounding chime of a bell.

This is… the Bell Orchid!

A single flower of the Bell Orchid contained five white pistils that would give out five notes of the pentatonic scale whenever the wind blew. In fact, it was a rare flower.

Currently, five of them bloomed together and the five notes permeated the air like fairy music. It was truly an uncommon phenomenon.

“Bell Orchid… Zhihe once told me that she wanted a Bell Orchid from the Endless Sea… Zhihe…”

When he thought of Zhihe, his heart gradually calmed down and the corner of his lips curved into a warm smile.

Now, the Heart’s Devil was nothing to be afraid of!

“Since I have chosen my path, why should I look back… My left hand is stained by the blood of my enemies under the heavens while my right hand caused destruction. However, if you are here, I will have no regrets.”

Ning Fan inhaled a deep breath and his eyes became indifferent again. At this moment, his state of mind continued to increase and achieved a breakthrough, attaining the Late Nascent Soul Realm!

When he was at the Early Nascent Soul Realm, he was just like a sharp sword!

When he attained the Mid Nascent Soul Realm, he was like a sharp sword that was hidden within a sheath!

When he achieved the Late Nascent Soul Realm, he was like a sword with no cutting edge!

He looked at one of the Bell Orchids and wore a faint smile.

“How much do you sell for one…”

The owner of the store was just a Harmonious Spirit Realm young girl. Her appearance was common but she looked pure and honest. When her eyes met Ning Fan’s, her little face flushed red.

“One hundred… One hundred immortal jade…”

“Just one hundred?”

“Yes…Yes. This Bell Orchid might just be an ordinary and young spiritual grass, but it is a kind of flower with five flowers blooming together and they emitted music at the same time. A flower like this only appears once in a thousand years… In addition, it has another name called ‘Flying Fairy’… If young master thinks it is expensive, I can just sell you for 95 immortal jade… What about 90?”

The young girl was nervous. 100 immortal jade was sufficient to buy a common Mid-Grade Magical Treasure. Usually, cultivators would never buy flowers, except for those cultivators who love flowers as much as their own lives…

She had set up her stall here for three days. If she still could not sell off this pot of flowers, she would suffer a big loss.

Her nervous gaze made Ning Fan feel funny.

“‘Flying Fairy’? A flying fairy is truly a suitable resemblance to this plant with five tuneful notes. I want this plant. There is 200 immortal jade here. The extra 100 will be considered as my gratitude…”

Gratitude. He was grateful to see this Bell Orchid which made him recall Zhihe, enabling his state of mind to advance into the Late Nascent Soul Realm. However, it would be impossible for the young girl to interpret his meaning of “gratitude”.

Her eyes were filled with delight. Being able to sell a plant of the mortal world at 200 immortal jade was something that rarely happened to her.

But before Ning Fan could take the pot of flowers away, a woman abruptly shouted in surprise from the crowd.

“Well, this orchid has five flowers blooming simultaneously and their sounds could form a melodious music! Besides, it is completely white. Isn’t it the ‘Flying Fairy’? It’s really beyond my expectations to find such uncommon goods in a small market like this!”

When the female’s voice fell, a man immediately replied in a genial and cultured manner.

“Hehe. If Mistress Qiuling likes it, it would be a real honor to the flower…”

The next moment, a man and a lady emerged from the crowd with eight bodyguards. They walked towards the stall of the young girl.

When they appeared, some cultivators immediately recognized them. They shouted in shock and hurriedly scattered in all directions.

“This lady… this lady…This lady is the daughter of the old ancestor of the Pleasure Devil Sect – Xu Qiuling! The person who is walking with her is the son of the vice sect master of the Profound Virtue Sect, which is one of the top ten sects as well… *sucks in cold breath* We shall leave now to avoid getting ourselves into trouble!”

The young man beside her wore a high hat and broad girdles. He had a pair of shoulder-grazing ears. He looked refined and handsome with a face that was as clear as a jade. The light golden robe he wore intensified the nobility within him. As he walked, he was not concerned about the discussions from the other cultivators at all.

When he reached the stall, his gaze landed on Ning Fan’s body and smiled courteously.

“My friend, I am Zhao Zijin from the Profound Virtue Sect. My female partner took a fancy on the orchid plant. I wonder if you are willing to give it up and allow us to have it.”

This person’s aura was concealed. Despite that, Ning Fan could still identify his cultivation realm at first sight. He was a Mid Nascent Soul Realm expert while the lady was just a cultivator at the Peak Gold Core Realm. Among the bodyguards, one of them was at the Early Nascent Soul Realm while the rest of them were all at the same level with the lady.

This person might be speaking in a polite manner, but his intentional use of the name of the Profound Virtue Sect clearly showed his intention of intimidating Ning Fan.

Moreover, his gaze was hard to catch. He actually took a few glances on the female corpse’s body and they were filled with amazement after that….

But his action did not escape from Ning Fan’s keen observation.

Even though his appearance is courteous and impressive, he probably is not a kind person.

“I’m sorry… This flower is a gift that I plan to give to my wife. I can’t let you have it.”

“But you don’t know the value of a ‘Flying Fairy’. It would be unreasonable for you to own a flower since you have no idea about flowers at all. In fact, you are wasting it… If you are willing to let me have it, I will give you 10000 immortal jade. What do you think?!” The yellow-robed lady who was called Xu Qiuling knitted her brows when she tried to persuade Ning Fan.

“It doesn’t matter. No matter what, this flower belongs to me… And I am not short of 10000 immortal jade.”

Ning Fan held the hand of the female corpse and left.

However, the young man in golden robe made a big step forward and stopped them by crossing his arms before them. This time, his face turned gloomy even though he maintained his handsome smile.

“Ten thousand immortal jade is already more than enough! It would be wise for Fellow Daoist to sell it to us!”

“Oh…Interesting. What if I don’t? Do you, a mere Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, dare to attack me?” Ning Fan sneered.

“You call me ‘a mere Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator’? This Fellow Daoist clearly has a big mouth. Aren’t you afraid of having your tongue cut?!”

Zhao Zijin’s gaze became cold.

He was a cultivator at the age of nine hundred. In spite of that, he managed to attain Mid Nascent Soul Realm. A being like him would very likely achieve the Peak Nascent Soul Realm. Furthermore, he was one of the Seven Sons of the External Endless Sea!

Among the seven of them, he was ranked the last. Even so, to ordinary cultivators, his potential and achievements could be considered terrifying.

But the person before him dared to call him “a mere Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator”!

What is his cultivation realm that made him be that wild and arrogant?!

Besides, he still dares to talk back sarcastically to a respectable Nascent Soul Realm expert like me even though I have already lowered myself down when I was speaking to him!

If it was not to maintain his elegant demeanor in front of the beautiful lady, he, Zhao Zijin, would have beaten the proud man before him in order to punish him.

The smile on his face did not subside. However, he spread his spirit sense and secretly planted a seal on Ning Fan’s body as he planned to take his revenge at a later date.

What he did was obvious to Ning Fan. But Ning Fan did not take any actions as he was not worried about it at all.

To him, this Zhao Zijin was courting death!

However, the change of Xu Qiuling’s attitude astonished Ning Fan.

She quickly took a few steps to Ning Fan’s side to quell the built-up tension between the two of them.

“It’s fine, Brother Zhao. The ‘Flying Fairy’ might be a rare flower, but what this young master said is justified. Since he bought it first, it naturally belongs to him. Moreover, father is burdened by an important matter lately. It’s better that we don’t create any troubles.”

As she was speaking, she quietly erased the seal that was planted by Zhao Zijin on Ning Fan’s body.

Although her spirit sense was at the Peak Gold Core Realm, she was capable of erasing a Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator’s seal. That spirit sense was rather special.

Ning Fan was inwardly surprised by the kindness of the lady.

This lady is quite kind. Since she has helped me, I might as well give her face and forget about the conflict.

“Young master. Go quickly. Please be more careful next time when you talk. The Endless Sea is not a peaceful place after all.” Xu Qiuling did not look much highly on Ning Fan. From her perspective, she thought that Ning Fan was just a Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivator.

It’s very dangerous for a cultivator like him to offend a Nascent Soul Realm expert… But how many people are there under the heavens who would be willing to offend a Nascent Soul Realm expert for just a flower? Don’t tell me that this person is also a flower-lover?

“Thank you for this lady’s advice.”

Ning Fan clutched on the female corpse’s hands and walked away. After that, he never took another look back at Xu Qiuling.

What a cool person. He is very different from Zhao Zijin who pretends to be good.

Deep inside, she felt that this man she had just met was rather extraordinary, though he looked otherwise. She was curious to know about his background.

Her eyes flashed in amazement and a faint smile adorned her face. It was just her recognition towards Ning Fan’s tolerance.

Oh yes. Only a noble man who takes care of flowers would be so unrestrained and elegant.

When Zhao Zijin noticed the reaction of Qiuling, his heart turned cold.

“Hmmph! I have been trying to please this lady every single day but she does not even cast a smile to me. On the contrary, that person who just took away her flower was able to make her smile?! Hmmph! She’s such a bitch! Anyhow, her father is a Divine Transformation Realm expert. I shall never fail my father. I must get her attention. In that manner, my father would be promoted to become the official sect master of the Profound Virtue Sect based on the good relationship between our families…”

His elegant demeanor did not leave him, although he spoke in a more indifferent tone.

Just now, he actually noticed that Xu Qiuling erased the seal he planted on Ning Fan. Obviously, she had taken a liking to Ning Fan even though she just met him for the first time.

Because of that, he became even more determined to take his revenge on Ning Fan.

It’s too unacceptable for a mere junior to behave like that in front of a Nascent Soul Realm expert!

“My friend, you don’t dare to tell us your name?!” Zhao Zijin shouted.

“You don’t want to know my name…” Ning Fan did not even turn back when he spoke. However, within his words, there was an inerasable Violent Qi!

After his state of mind improved, he could control his Violent Qi freely and easily. In fact, he only revealed it to Zhao Zijin!

The immense Violent Qi made him widen his eyes in shock. The Nascent Soul within his dantian trembled in fear as if it was going to collapse at any moment!

His expression changed!

Who is this guy?! Such powerful Violent Qi… It’s impossible for him to just be an unrecognized expert in the External Endless Sea!

Perhaps only the strongest among the Seven Sons of the External Endless Sea could rival him!

“Check! Check his background! I want to know who he really is and what makes him be so conceited as to not let us know his name!”

Zhao Zijin ordered his men using telepathy. But after that, he was laughing in his heart.

So what if this person is strong? As long as he does not come from any of the top ten sects, I have many ways to pinch him to death!

Xu Qiuling casted a hateful glance on him and said, “I’m tired. I will return to the ‘Blissful Summit’ to rest… Brother Zhao please help yourself.”

His gaze was as elegant as usual but his heart was blazing with rage.

What a bitch who likes the new and hates the old… One day, I, Zhao Zijin, will have you in my grasp!

Fine, let me investigate the arrogant brat first before I come to you. I suppose his cultivation realm is weak but he must be backed by some powerful force. Maybe he is a young master from some of the second-grade forces of the External Endless Sea.

“So what if you are from a second-grade force?! We shall see when the Seven Sons of the External Endless Sea gather together. Even if this man is backed by a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert, I, Zhao Zijin, would still kill him not to mention he’s just an ant!

Note:

–

Translator Team:

G-Team [Tommy (TL), Roel (Editor)]