Grasping Evil

"Did something happen to the disciples left in Liuli City?"

Upon hearing the words of the red-haired man, Duolan furrowed her brows slightly, as if she had some suspicions. She instinctively wanted to ask more, but on second thought, she was accompanying Ning Fan to the comparison this time. If she caused trouble for Ning Fan again, it wouldn’t be right, so she hesitated and swallowed the words that were about to slip out.

"Whatever it is, let’s wait until I’ve settled down in Liuli City before discussing it."

"It’s a neglect on my part. Someone, please escort the Saintess to a place in the city for her accommodation!" The red-haired man was taken aback, glancing thoughtfully at the carriage, seemingly exchanging a brief glance with Ning Fan inside the carriage, and then gave the order."

"No need, we can enter the city on our own," Duolan responded coldly.

The Spirit Beast Carriage stopped at the stables outside Liuli City. Duolan, along with Ning Fan and Wu Laoba, walked into the city. Vehicles were not permitted inside the city; whether Immortal Emperor or commoner, everyone received the same treatment. This was because Liuli City had another layer of significance—it’s the Buddha Capital of Middle State, the sacred site in the hearts of countless Buddha cultivators.

It certainly should not be desecrated.

Liuli City is the largest city in Middle State, with no less than a thousand temples, and six major city gates. Walking from one city gate to another at ordinary speed would take several days. Therefore, the city has numerous outposts with teleport formations for free movement within the city.

Glazed Glass is one of the seven treasures of Buddhism, characterized by its azure color and translucent glow. Ordinary buildings in Liuli City are rather mundane, but any temple is almost entirely constructed with top-grade Glazed Glass, the azure treasure light reaching skyward as if Buddhist Law covers the heavens, imparting an incredibly sacred feeling.

There are many plazas in the city, often frequented by famous monks lecturing, and Ning Fan encountered several high monks expounding teachings after walking only two stone streets.

The audience was quite numerous.

There are no ordinary people in the Dabei clan. Almost everyone is born with a Medicine Soul, naturally making them masters, but most have relatively low cultivations and aren’t particularly enthusiastic about cultivation. Thus, their lives in the forbidden space of Middle State aren’t too different from common people.

Masons, stonecutters, carpenters, painters... After observing a bit, Ning Fan noticed that the civilians living in Liuli City were mostly artisans, primarily serving the temples. There were also various merchants running inns and selling daily necessities, providing for the Buddha cultivators who came to a pilgrimage in Liuli City without charging a penny.

Considering the Dabei people’s eagerness for gold and silver, this accommodating act towards monks was indeed rare.

"The customs here are truly interesting..." Ning Fan remarked with a smile.

"Yes, this place is really interesting. I claimed to be a Buddha cultivator, coming to Liuli City for a pilgrimage, and those fools wouldn’t charge me anything; everything was free to eat, drink, and take. Later, they noticed my attire wasn’t quite right—not the usual robe of a Buddha cultivator, nor the typical nomadic garb of the Dabei people—so I said I was a Holy Mountain Tomb Guardian, and they became even more reverent, with some wealthy merchants generously gifting me gold and silver, hoping I’d contribute to the Medicine Master Buddha’s sanctuary... Haha, why should I go and donate to some laborious Medicine Master Buddha? Just by wandering around, I managed to swindle over two thousand taels of gold, hahaha..."

Wu Laoba was boasting incessantly; whenever Ning Fan stopped to observe the local customs, he ran into the community to con the residents of Liuli City.

"Does tricking these people give you a sense of accomplishment? Speaking of which, why are you becoming more like the Dabei people, so eager for gold? What use does it have for us path cultivators?" Ning Fan asked, baffled.

"No use at all, but fooling these idiots is fun. It’s amusing and satisfying!"

"..." Ning Fan was speechless.

"..." Duolan was at a loss for words.

"Senior and Mr. Wu, if you’re interested in the customs of Liuli City, why not walk around the city for a while longer while I go ahead and arrange our accommodations?" Duolan seemed preoccupied.

"Very well, you go and arrange the accommodations first; I want to look around a bit more."

Ning Fan understood that Duolan was concerned about the words spoken by the red-haired man and knew she chose not to confront him directly to avoid causing more trouble for himself.

Thinking about this, he couldn’t help but add, "If you have something to handle in this city, don’t worry about me, feel free to do it."

Duolan was taken aback, then she smiled with pursed lips, "But what if I do trouble you, Senior?"

"Then try not to cause me trouble..." Ning Fan replied, speechless.

"Yes, I will definitely not cause you trouble, Senior!"

Duolan looked at Ning Fan gratefully, found an outpost on the street, and teleported directly toward a location in the city.

Ning Fan did not question where Duolan would find accommodation. With his spirit sense, he could easily locate Duolan in the city, and naturally, Duolan would likely contact him actively anyway.

It could not be denied; he gradually developed a slight trust in Duolan, no longer as wary as in the beginning.

Wu Laoba didn’t understand the verbal sparring between Ning Fan and Duolan, nor did he care. On the surface, Ning Fan looked at the surrounding scenery and culture, while he continued to deceive and fool the local residents. However, secretly, he often took out the Treasure-Seeking Turtle and searched for something in the city, his expressions becoming increasingly peculiar.

Strange, it’s strange! Clearly, I sensed another piece of the Imperial Jade Fortune Set from within Liuli City, but after entering the city, I can’t sense it anymore.

Could it be... because the distance is too close, it led the holder of the Imperial Jade Fortune Set to notice my search and thus hide it?

Hmph, I’ll search every single house in the city with the star of misfortune and see where that holder is hiding...

Hmm? Got a signal!

Wu Laoba’s mung bean-like small eyes sparkled with brilliance, yet he concealed his excitement well. Just as he was about to find an excuse to slip away, he suddenly experienced a sharp stomach pain and told Ning Fan, "Oh dear, master, bad news! Little Ba just ate something from those merchants, and I think it upset my stomach; I need to find a place to relieve myself, so I won’t accompany you in the city..."

Strange, he, Wu Laoba, hadn’t had stomach issues for tens of millions of years. Could this be due to someone’s trap? However, it could serve as a good excuse to slip away.

"Having an upset stomach, are you joking..." Ning Fan said, speechless, suspecting Wu Laoba was treating him like a Dabei person now, believing such a lie?

Master cultivators with indestructible organs, having stomach trouble?

Pfffft!

It seemed to verify his words, Wu Laoba let out a foul-smelling fart, which sounded as if there was a leakage.

It turned out he really had an upset stomach... As an Immortal Venerable Master, having practiced fasting for years, he actually ate something that upset his stomach...

Ning Fan was speechless while secretly focusing his gaze, an Azure Spike flashed imperceptibly as he glanced around the marketplace, instantly feeling secretly alarmed.

There were quite a number of hidden masters living in seclusion here, including Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings, each concealing their aura with great skill. Even with Ning Fan’s sharpness, without using the Tianren Eye Power, he couldn’t instantly see through them!

Among them, there were a few auras that seemed to have stepped into the realm of Immortal Emperor, yet absolutely didn’t belong to the Five Emperors of Middle State but were those reclusive masters...

No wonder Wu Laoba fell for it. He probably tricked some fool among them, perhaps even one of those Immortal Venerables or Emperors was pretending to be foolish, putting him in a tough spot. The Buddhist disciples refrain from slaughter, and many of these powerful entities, willing to live in seclusion, are true Buddha cultivators with pure Buddhist Law and nearly zero Evil Qi, hence only giving him a small punishment, making him have a stomach upset...

"If you have matters to attend to in Liuli City, you can go ahead, no need to find excuses. Of course, act carefully, don’t cause trouble for me. Liuli City is not as full of fools as you think..."

"Yes, yes, yes, Little Ba will remember, Little Ba won’t cause trouble for the master..."

Feeling like he was granted amnesty, Wu Laoba covered his rear end and waddled off towards a small alley piled with trash, seemingly intending to resolve his issue on the spot instead of finding a latrine...

Some passing residents began to point at the alley...

Ning Fan pretended not to know him and started wandering around the city alone.

Without Duolan and Wu Laoba following him around, he could properly sort through his insights gained on Baihua Peak.

Ancient Demon Annihilation Dao... this kind of Ancient Demon Dao seemed utterly incompatible with the Buddhist atmosphere here, as if there’s an impulse urging Ning Fan to tear this Liuli City apart, to destroy all the solemnity of Buddhist Law.

This is the hatred of the Ancient Demons towards Buddhist Law.

But it isn’t Ning Fan’s hatred for the Buddhist disciples.

This shows that Ning Fan hasn’t truly mastered the essence of the Ancient Demons yet, unable to control that annihilating will of Ancient Demons easily. In this place where temple bells are constantly heard, it’s an opportunity to temper his mind.

He needs to suppress the urge of the Ancient Demon Bloodline to destroy the Buddhist disciples at all times!

On the other hand, he also gained a thread of reincarnation insight on Baihua Peak that belongs to him.

Reincarnation feels unfamiliar, not because it has been encountered for the first time, but because of forgetfulness, because it cannot be remembered, because heaven does not allow it...

Is there anything strange about being unfamiliar with each other after reincarnation?

Is it truly not worth finding strange to be unfamiliar with each other after reincarnation?

Just like why flowers bloom, why rain falls, why leaves fall from trees... all are very common things, yet upon deep reflection, each contains profound truths. Buddhist Law precisely observes the microscopic to know the grand.

Being accustomed to everything around leads to not feeling strange anymore. But losing the heart for inquiry means many fleeting insights will indeed slip away.

"In the Era of Decline, the Daos of Ancient Demons, ancient demons, and Fiendgods are mostly lost, only the Ancient Buddha seems to be preserved completely till today. Buddha flourishes in the Western Heaven among the Four Heavens, a place I’ve never set foot in. The flourishing of Buddhism here is perhaps no less impressive than the Western Heaven..."

"Buddhism studies the reincarnation of all things. The bell tones of this city are piercing, comprising thousands of temple bells, collectively slightly resonating with my reincarnation insights, though tracing them finely reveals nothing..."

"On the one hand, my Ancient Demon Bloodline repels this place, on the other hand, my reincarnation insights yearn for this place... Whether it’s repulsion or yearning, neither are my true intention; this proves my inability to completely control these powers yet."

"As for the Eight Execution Rings within me... they seem to yearn for this place as well, truly bizarre..."

After walking for an unknown amount of time, there suddenly was a bustling commotion up ahead, with people seemingly discussing something about an ’Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine’, something about a ’Blood Martial Arena’, and something about a ’Soul Supplementing Treasure’.

Three boorish men suddenly squeezed out of the crowd, almost tyrannically knocking everyone out of the way as if rushing somewhere.

All three boorish men had the formidable cultivation level of Mid Stage of Shekong, though they held back, would the ordinary residents of Liuli City stand any chance? In a matter of seconds, they knocked down about sixteen or seventeen people.

Unfortunately, Ning Fan stood right in the path of the three robust men. They didn’t look where they were going and directly collided with Ning Fan. However, instead of the expected scene of Ning Fan being knocked away, one of the robust men stumbled back from the impact and fell to the ground.

"Damn it, do you walk without eyes!" The sturdy man was about to curse when he suddenly noticed Ning Fan’s attire, his expression immediately changed.

Guardians of the Holy Mountain!

His face unexpectedly showed respect and he said awkwardly,

"Forgive me, sir, I didn’t see where I was going and bumped into you. Please, sir, don’t hold it against me." There was no trace of their previous rudeness toward ordinary citizens.

Ning Fan didn’t clarify his identity, just looked deeply at the three robust men, and asked, "What happened here? I think I heard someone talking about Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine."

He certainly hadn’t forgotten one of his purposes for entering the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain—collecting Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine for the daughter of Chongming Phoenix Emperor.

"Uh? Aren’t you a Guardian of the Holy Mountain, sir? How could you not know about this... Oh, you must be one of those who just came out of long seclusion, it’s no surprise you don’t know about the Blood Martial Arena."

"What is the Blood Martial Arena?"

"Uh, sir, as a Guardian of the Holy Mountain, you don’t know about the Blood Martial Arena? Damn, I got it, you’re not a Guardian of the Holy Mountain, you’re a foreign cultivator. Ugh, I hit a foreign cultivator, scared the hell out of me!"

Realizing Ning Fan was a foreign cultivator, the three boorish men showed no further respect, cursing as they turned to leave.

Ning Fan, however, slightly flicked his sleeve, a golden light swept over the three sturdy men, rendering them immobile.

This is the application of the Momentum Character Secret, and the Momentum Character Secret, just like the Secret Art of Prestige, is an inseparable part of the Heaven Sealing Art. By dissolving the walking momentum of the three people with the Momentum Character Secret, once the momentum is gone, naturally they are unable to move.

It must be said that Ning Fan’s understanding of the momentum and prestige of the Heaven Sealing Art is becoming more profound with each passing day.

Hiss!

The three people were all taken aback, knowing well that although Ning Fan is a foreign cultivator, he is one with unfathomable divine skills; otherwise, how could he have used such unprecedented means to immobilize the three of them?

If earlier they were respectful, mistaking Ning Fan for one of the Holy Mountain Tomb Guardians, now they were truly astonished.

"Don’t rush off, you three. Tell me about the Blood Martial Arena, how about that?" Ning Fan smiled, but the three burly men felt a chill creeping up their spine. Unconsciously intimidated, they told Ning Fan everything they knew, only to be released afterward.

The Blood Martial Arena is an underground arena in Liuli City.

Where there’s light, there’s shadow, there’s darkness. If Liuli City above ground is bright like a holy domain, then beneath it is a bloody purgatory.

The Blood Martial Arena is a place where cultivators are free to kill.

Those who enter the arena must wear a Blood Martial Mask to conceal their true identity, thus absolving them of any responsibilities as they kill.

Some come here to kill for fun, some to train through slaughter, while others watch the strong battle as a pastime.

To watch fights in the Blood Martial Arena, one must purchase tickets, the price varying according to the scale of the battle.

Those who fight and survive until the end can earn rewards, of course, rewards that must be exchanged with their lives.

Interestingly enough, the Blood Martial Master recently acquired an Innate Spiritual Medicine from the Fiendish Domain Continent. Since it’s a soul-nourishing medicine, not one that enhances cultivation, the Blood Martial Master doesn’t value it much, so he has offered it as a reward for the ranking battle in the Blood Martial Arena.

The ranking battle is a grand event held once in several decades at the Blood Martial Arena.

The Blood Martial Master may not value this item, but others certainly do, especially those in the Dabei Clan with their veterans wounded to the soul. Therefore, this Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine has attracted many to participate in the ranking battle.

Night Spirit Ganoderma is something Ning Fan has never obtained, but could be used to heal the daughter of the Phoenix Emperor, making it quite alluring to him.

According to the three burly men, the ranking battle in the Blood Martial Arena is not finished in one go, but rather involves hundreds, if not thousands, advancing through one-on-one duels until the ultimate champion emerges.

There is risk, but as long as you are strong enough, even if you don’t win, you can still emerge unscathed, as long as you aren’t immediately killed...

Ning Fan doesn’t dare claim he can certainly win the championship in the Blood Martial Arena, but he’s confident that even if he faces an Immortal Emperor and is outmatched, he can escape.

Thus, the Blood Martial Arena poses nearly no risk to him, and he might as well try for the reward of the Night Spirit Ganoderma.

The only thing that concerns Ning Fan is the timing of the Blood Martial Arena.

"The ordinary arena battles at Blood Martial Arena happen daily, but the ranking battles are only held once in several decades. This time, the registration deadline for the ranking battle is three nights from now at midnight, with the start time four days from now at 11:15 AM... The timing of the ranking battle is not fixed; it is solely decided by the Blood Martial Master. It’s curious that the ranking battle happens to begin close to the second round of the Tomb Seizing, isn’t it..."

"There are seven days until the second round begins in Middle State, and the Blood Martial ranking battle starts three days before the second round of the Tomb Seizing. If some of the Blood Martial Arena participants are also those in the second round, their injuries or deaths could severely impact their performance in the Tomb Seizing... Or perhaps, the timing of the Blood Martial Arena intentionally attracts those from the second round..."

These thoughts quickly passed but didn’t affect Ning Fan’s decision.

He went to a certain inn on the street, paid a small amount of gold and silver, and used the city teleportation formation within the inn to transport himself directly to the underground world of Liuli City.

Blood Martial Arena!

This place resembles a subterranean city built amidst piles of rock, with thousands of stone houses clustered together and several hundred circular arenas of varying sizes at its center.

Dark, damp, reeking of blood, the arenas constantly echo with the loud shouts of men; on the roadside, occasionally men and women openly engage in primitive activities in the alleyway...

Ning Fan walked out of one of the underground teleportation formations, sweeping his spirit sense over the place, slightly frowning.

He doesn’t like the chaos here.

The solid stone ground beneath his feet feels cold and hard. He remembers that underneath Middle State all is hard stone, crafted to be impregnable, in which even the powerful Hundred-li Stone Dragon cannot earth travel.

Yet someone managed to carve out such an underground city in the stubborn rock of Middle State, quite impressive indeed.

Just as Ning Fan stepped out of the teleportation formation, an alluringly dressed woman approached him, giggling,

"Are you here to watch the arena battles, sir? There’s a fight today between a Shattered Thought Later Stage Master and an adult Grand Destiny True Dragon. It’s today’s most anticipated battle, tickets cost five hundred stone currency each. Would you care for one? If you buy ten at once, there’s a special service I offer..."

Stone currency only circulates in Liuli City and some areas of the Dabei, crafted from Medicine Soul Stone, roughly equivalent to Dao Crystal.

The seductive woman threw a flirtatious look at Ning Fan.

But Ning Fan merely gave a dismissive glance, coolly saying, "I’m not here for the arena battles. I’m here to register for the Blood Martial ranking battle. Can you tell me where the registration place is?"

"Register for the ranking battle, tsk tsk tsk, sir, looking as handsome as you are, why go to the ranking battle and throw your life away? Perhaps you’re out of money and thinking of risking your life in the ranking battle for it? Giggle, with your looks, if you really lack funds, I’ve got some connections. Tonight, come to me, and I’ll tell you how to make money well."

The seductive woman laughed coquettishly, but Ning Fan’s reply was icy cold, "Where’s the registration place?"

"So unromantic..." The woman wasn’t offended, laughed challengingly, guided Ning Fan where to go, and invited him for a night of pleasure.

Ning Fan naturally ignored her and headed straight for the registration place of the ranking battle.

This is one of the many arenas used for the qualification tests, and there are no spectators at the venue where over a hundred people are currently undergoing assessments.

A lot of people want to participate in the ranking battle, but not everyone qualifies; one must undergo a test to earn the right to participate.

The assessment involves only one task — withstand one attack from the examiner.

The examiner is a muscle-bound scarred old man who seems to be a Body Cultivator at the Peak of Shedding Void Stage. Among the hundred or so people here, only seven or eight successfully passed the test, though not without sustaining minor injuries, and are now adjusting their conditions on the spot; the remaining ones are either waiting to be tested or failed to withstand the old man’s attack yet still refuse to give up, wanting to try again.

"Are you here to register for the Blood Martial ranking battle too?" The scarred old man glanced at Ning Fan, shaking his head.

So skinny, unlike a Body Cultivator, not being a Body Cultivator would make it hard to withstand his attack, and be disadvantaged in the Blood Martial Arena.

"Yes." Ning Fan responded indifferently.

"Then go line up at the back."

Ning Fan nodded, went to the end of the line, and glanced at each of the examinees.

The weaker examinees only have Void Refinement, Void Fragmentation realms, while the stronger ones mostly have Life Immortal Realm, rarely True Immortal.

Among the examinees here, the highest cultivation belongs to three extremely familiar individuals.

Those three rough men who bumped into him previously!

"As expected of the Sea Witch Triad, their fame is well deserved! To think they can withstand Ancestor Kuang’s tenth Demonic Punch! You know, those who could force Ancestor Kuang to unleash the tenth punch have always been Late Stage of Shekong elites! Three Daoists must have already half-stepped into Late Stage of Shekong, truly enviable!"

"Hahaha, if you train for another few tens of thousands of years, you might get the rudimentary skills of me and my brothers, no need to be overly envious!"

"With the power of three Daoists, there is a great chance to rank in the top hundred in the ranking battle!"

"Hahaha, naturally, my three brothers are the elite of Sea Witch, entering the top hundred is a piece of cake, too bad it’s not a team battle, otherwise with our combination, we could retreat unscathed from Shattered Thought Early Stage, below Shattered Thought, we could sweep the field!"

"Tsk, under three Daoists’ collective force, to retreat unscathed from Shattered Thought Early Stage, truly impressive!"

"Hahaha, it’s because my three brothers are just that awesome."

As the three rough men were basking in the crowd’s praise, suddenly a chuckle came from behind, immediately infuriating them.

Damn, who’s laughing!

The three turned angrily to see Ning Fan’s half-smiling expression.

"Ah, what a coincidence, you’re here for the Guardian Ranking Battle too?" The tone is unexpectedly polite, with deep apprehension hidden within.

"Mm."

Ning Fan replied calmly and ignored the Sea Witch Triad; people with this level of cultivation weren’t worth his attention.

As for those gazes gathered upon him due to his foreign cultivator outfit, he disregarded and offered no explanation.

More than just the Sea Witch Triad, there’s another person here who feels familiar to Ning Fan.

A young man in an Ox Horn Mask, face unseen. From the back view, familiar, the aura hidden by the mask... not a trace exposed.

Only the eyes under the Ox Horn Mask seem familiar, giving a somewhat dull, hollow feeling.

These eyes...

They’re Xianyu Chun’s!

"What are you doing here?" Ning Fan approached the Ox Horn Mask young man, frowned and asked.

"You, who are you? Seems familiar..." The Ox Horn Mask young man, with a tone extremely familiar to Ning Fan, spoke words of near estrangement.

The tone lacks the usual silliness of Xianyu Chun, replaced with a sharp, piercing sensation.

"You don’t recognize me... interesting, is it the mask affecting you?"

Ning Fan, without wasting words with the Ox Horn Mask man, his hands moved like lightning, palm already pressing on the man’s mask before he reacted.

Intending to rip off the mask in one swift motion, upon contact, an indescribable strong force from the mask jolted him away. Luckily, the Body-protecting Golden Light emerged simultaneously, neutralizing the terrifying force repelling Ning Fan.

Face now serious.

The powerful force attached to the mask, comparable to an Immortal Venerable Strike... is there an Immortal Venerable level figure, yet Xianyu Chun wore this mask...

Moreover, in that fleeting touch, he seemed to sense... a trace of reincarnation aura from the mask.

Reincarnation, as foreign...

Is it the Power of Reincarnation causing Xianyu Chun, with the mask on, to regard him as unfamiliar... what is the mask’s origin?