Grasping Evil

The two girls welcomed Ning Fan through the main gate. Once inside, he saw two neat rows of dozens of old and young people kneeling, saying things like ’Thank you for saving our Chulie Holy Maiden’ and ’Great kindness cannot be repaid.’

These people were also wearing shackles.

Ning Fan’s expression was calm, but he felt somewhat awkward inside. He was not truly the benefactor of the Chulie sect. On the contrary, he still bore the blood debt of the Chulie disciple Pi Xiong and had captured the Chulie Holy Maiden as a soul-locked slave, hardly deserving such grand ceremonies.

With a wave of his sleeve, he caused a gust of wind that helped everyone up, saying, "I don’t like others kneeling to me. Please refrain from doing so in the future."

"Understood, understood," all the old and young people nodded in agreement.

An elderly man standing at the front row asked, "Lord Duolan and Leader Luo are in the main hall discussing matters and instructed us to treat Lord Ning well and not neglect any details. We have already arranged a courtyard for Lord Ning and prepared the dan refinement room, meditation room, and study. We have also added some new items. Lord Ning might want to take a look first, and if you’re not satisfied, I’ll have it all replaced immediately..."

"No need to trouble yourselves, I can live anywhere," Ning Fan replied, scanning the shabby clothing of the people around him.

This place was called the 47th Prison, and these people, all wearing shackles, were most likely prisoners. Yet, there was a trace of bloodline connection between all of them and Duolan, either distant or close...

"Lord Duolan instructed me to tell Lord Ning that you may act freely here. As for matters concerning the Chu Lie lineage, you need not worry and need only prepare fully for the second round of the tomb fight," the old man continued.

Ning Fan nodded, it seemed Duolan could handle the trouble here, so he need not worry about it.

As it was already late, the old man sent someone to escort Ning Fan and Wu Laoba to their quarters. The room’s furnishings weren’t luxurious, but it was evident that a lot of thought had gone into it, with many new additions.

The two women who had previously welcomed Ning Fan stayed behind to serve him.

The two stood by the screen, slightly hesitant, occasionally glancing fearfully at Wu Laoba’s mischievous expression; whereas with Ning Fan, they were at ease, without fear, and sometimes even blushed at his gaze.

This left Wu Laoba feeling rather aggrieved. He considered himself quite handsome and charming, but these young girls didn’t appreciate it, only favoring Ning Fan’s gentle and scholarly appearance. Ah, the taste of these young girls these days is utterly lacking...

"Are you speaking ill of me in your mind again?" Ning Fan gave Wu Laoba a deep look, causing Wu Laoba to shudder, wondering if the star of misfortune could read his mind. Just as he was about to defend himself, Ning Fan continued,

"I told you earlier there would be punishment for today’s events, have you mentally prepared yourself?"

"Yes... I am ready. Little Ba is willing to accept any punishment, just please, master, don’t sell off Little Ba, don’t make Little Ba serve others with his charms," Wu Laoba still remembered the incident at the slave market.

Pfft.

The two serving girls couldn’t help but laugh, drawing an angry glare from Wu Laoba that scared them pale.

Faced with someone like Wu Laoba, Ning Fan truly felt at a loss, unable to decide between scolding or not, fingers tapping on the table as he pondered how best to punish him. Alas, he had no experience in this area, struggling to come up with a fitting punishment.

The purpose of punishment is for Wu Laoba to learn a lesson, but this fellow seemed to be the sort who’d fall into the same trap a dozen times and still do it again... So then, what use is a punishment?

But if he doesn’t punish him at all, who knows how arrogant this guy might become, so a light warning is necessary...

After a long while, Ning Fan finally made a decision and said to Wu Laoba, "Your punishment is to inquire about the Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine, how does that sound?"

Since he couldn’t think of a punishment, Ning Fan might as well employ Wu Laoba’s specialty to some effect...

"Just inquiring for information? That’s too lenient; the master must be reluctant to punish Little Ba. Truly, the master’s heart is soft, warm, merciful..."

"It’s not merely about inquiring. If there are spiritual medicines you can obtain, under the right circumstances, you must secure them!"

"This... that’s a bit difficult. Although Innate-level spiritual medicines are not uncommon to us who’ve lived through eons, they’re not as common as ordinary vegetables. If it’s just inquiring, Little Ba can put in some effort, but obtaining them, well..."

Wu Laoba looked bitter. After being saved by Ning Fan, his inner resolve had slightly changed. He was determined not to refuse Ning Fan’s requests anymore, planning to repay the life-saving debt somehow. However, due to this incident, Wu Laoba had developed a fear of the foolish members of the Dabei clan, worried that the next fool he encountered might be another formidable Quasi-Saint, which made him hesitant, no longer daring to act with impunity, relying on his Black Fortune, within the Dabei clan.

"Don’t worry; I’m only asking you to acquire them through normal means. Innate spiritual medicines still have a price. At worst, it’s just a trade. If the things you have can cover it, trade them. If not, come find me, and I’ll figure something out."

"If it’s just a simple trade, Little Ba is willing to share the master’s burdens!"

"Good, you may rest now."

"Yes, Little Ba will leave immediately and not disturb the master’s important affairs!"

Wu Laoba gave Ning Fan and the two girls a mischievous glance, chuckled, and exited.

Ning Fan had heard such jokes many times before and naturally paid them no mind, but the two girls turned crimson with embarrassment.

They were only sent here as regular maidservants, not for any intimate services... How could that ugly old man say such things about them? Clearly, judging people by appearances, that Wu-surnamed elder was no good person.

Unaware of being silently criticized, Wu Laoba let out a sneeze in the corridor, baffled.

"It’s getting late. I wonder if Lord Ning has a habit of bathing. If so, I’ll go and prepare hot water for you," asked the two girls respectfully after Wu Laoba left, feeling more at ease with Ning Fan.

Bathing... ahem ahem ahem...

Ning Fan felt somewhat embarrassed to admit that since becoming a cultivator, he often went decades without bathing, as his mana could cleanse him instantly. Many habits from his mortal days had long been abandoned.

Meditating for months or years at a time—if you still hold on to the habit of bathing, can you even continue pursuing the Dao...?

However, the Dabei kept many mortal habits, so Ning Fan told himself it was best to adapt to the local customs.

"Very well, but let’s hold off on heating the water. I have some questions for you first. Could you tell me your names and your relationship with Miss Duolan?"

"My name is Chunjun, and she’s Shadow Carrier. We, along with the other prisoners here, are blood relatives within three generations of the former Chulie Emperor and are considered true clansmen of the Chulie Holy Maiden," answered one of the slightly older women.

"I see."

Ning Fan nodded, inwardly noting that these people were indeed related by blood to Duolan and couldn’t be judged merely as ordinary disciples of the Chulie lineage.

At the same time, Ning Fan was intrigued by the names of these two women. Chunjun and Shadow Carrier both appeared to be names of ancient swords. Such sharp-edged names given to women were rather unusual.

"You two are named after ancient swords, yet you don’t seem to have practiced the Sword Dao?"

"Sir, you might not know this, but it was our uncle—the former Chulie Emperor—who named us. He was obsessed with swords, not us. We are better at herding sheep and planting herbs but practicing swordsmanship is beyond us. In our Dabei, not everyone is required to cultivate. Our uncle—the former Chulie Emperor—also taught us: if there’s no desire, don’t tread the Dao. Hence, the punished living here are mostly not of high cultivations; there is only Leader Luo Shi among us at the Peak of Shekong. But because we are not of high cultivations, we can keep our lives..."

If there’s no desire, don’t tread the Dao...

Ning Fan muttered these words, feeling a surprising alignment with the former Chulie Emperor’s thoughts. Cultivation is not necessarily a beautiful thing; it would be better to live an ordinary life. If not for the many strong foes, compelling him to enhance his cultivations, Ning Fan would prefer indulging in nature and lead a simple life instead of living amidst such bloodshed and turmoil.

But there is no choice...

"Tell me, what is this 47th Prison, and why are you all wearing shackles like prisoners?" Ning Fan asked again.

The two women were slightly surprised, "Sir doesn’t know? It’s no wonder; Sir is a foreign cultivator, so it’s not surprising you don’t know. In our Dabei, the rule is that if an Immortal Emperor commits a grave crime, it implicates their relatives, but the implication extends only for three generations. Yet, it’s not a direct implication; instead of execution, our lives are spared to atone as slaves. We were implicated due to the former Chulie Emperor’s matter. We are unsellable slaves residing in Liuli City’s prison, working for Liuli City. Once the sentence is served, we can shed our slave status and live as ordinary people there. Leader Luo Shi and a few clansmen completed their sentences earliest, but we still have some time, hence still in this prisoner guise. It’s not too bad, merely because of the interference from the Spirit Sect lineage... Ah!"

The woman named Shadow Carrier was in the middle of explaining when Chunjun abruptly covered her mouth and signaled her with a look: The Lord Duolan instructed us not to reveal this to Lord Ning Fan!

Not revealing it, does that mean Ning Fan wouldn’t know?

With his Mind Reading Technique, Ning Fan already saw the master behind the Chu Lie disciples’ plight and furrowed his brow slightly.

Judging from their hearts, Duolan handled the matter reasonably well so far. Well since Duolan asked him not to intervene, Ning Fan refrained.

After asking the two women a few more questions, Ning Fan had them boil water.

Then he dismissed the women and, like a commoner, took a long-awaited bath after decades...

The next day, he awoke without seeing Duolan, as she seemed to be out on business. As for Wu Laoba, he was out probing for news on the Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine.

Ning Fan didn’t wander around Liuli City but stayed in the house meditating, continuing to organize the insights he gained at Baihua Peak. While he made some progress on the Ancient Demon Annihilation Dao, understanding reincarnation seemed elusive.

Three days passed quickly, and on the fourth day, at 5:45 AM, Ning Fan notified Chunjun and Shadow Carrier and set out. At 11:15 AM, the Blood Martial ranking battle would begin!

The ranking battle, as the name suggests, aims to determine one hundred ranks. The top hundred strong contenders can become Guest Elders of Blood Martial Arena, enjoying corresponding privileges. Naturally, the higher the rank, the better the benefits.

Moreover, each ranking battle offers generous rewards, attracting countless participants every time it’s held, though the number of those reaching Arena Number One is limited.

Tickets for the ranking battle were sold at exorbitant prices by Blood Martial Arena, with even the worst seats costing two hundred thousand Stone Currency. Two hundred thousand Stone Currency is roughly equivalent to two hundred thousand Medicine Soul Stones...

There was an exchange place for Medicine Soul Stones to Stone Currency, of course, but Ning Fan didn’t need to exchange Stones to buy a ticket. He was there to compete directly.

By the time allocated, Ning Fan had long arrived timely at Arena Number One of the Blood Martial Arena. Like other participants, he stayed in an independent lounge before entering, and was requested to wear a mask and special armor to conceal identity.

All participants were given a mask, ranging from animal shapes to ghostly forms; Ning Fan even saw a mask identical to Xianyu Chun’s with ox horns among them.

Ning Fan also received a mask, a fire fox mask.

Upon close examination, Ning Fan realized these masks were exceptionally adept at concealing one’s aura, although not as effective as his Innate Ghost Mask, the difference was minimal. These masks seemed to have limited use, roughly usable four or five times before becoming ineffective, not a lasting item.

It’s understandable though; with over a thousand participants in today’s ranking battle, of course, they couldn’t issue truly good items to each.

"Everyone participating in this battle, remember to follow the rules of Blood Martial Arena. Once you enter the battle, you’re no longer your former self but a warrior, a warrior who cannot pursue retribution even unto death! There are three major prohibitions here; anyone who violates them will be executed without pardon! First, during battle, do not reveal your identity openly here! Second, do not identify others’ identities during the competition! Third, do not attack the Adjudicator!"

Before entering the arena, all participants heard this transmission; Ning Fan was no exception.

In the pre-competition lounge, there were dozens of robes and armor, all custom-made by Blood Martial Arena, and Ning Fan could choose one to wear. He was not allowed to wear his own clothes in the competition.

There were types of armor Ning Fan hadn’t seen before, as well as the familiar Four Heavens attire.

Ning Fan’s fox face mask was bright red, so he easily chose a fire-red battle armor, which wasn’t a full body armor, but had little decorative plate protection, with pathetic defense, purely for appearance.

This ensured fairness, for if Blood Martial Arena armors were of high defense, it might affect competition outcomes, which is impermissible.

Interestingly, the moment he wore the armor, the mask, and armor seemed to harmonize, activating a restriction between the two, transmitting a message to Ning Fan.

It turned out while masks might seem similar, the armor was unique, with different combinations giving distinct codes. In Blood Martial Arena, Ning Fan’s name held no meaning; only the armor’s code was known to the audience!

"Remember your code—Slaughter Fox!"

Slaughter Fox... Ning Fan wore the fox mask, yet the code was Slaughter Fox, seemingly ominous, but Ning Fan wouldn’t bother with such trivialities.

Once in the arena, he found many shared similar name collisions.

For instance, someone wore a ghost head mask but their code was Ghost Slayer.

Someone wears the Emperor’s mask, but the code name is Emperor Butcher...

Hmm?

Not sure if it was an illusion, but amidst the crowd entering, the contestant named Emperor Butcher seemed to glance in his direction, with a gaze as cold as ice, giving Ning Fan a sense of danger.

That coldness bore no malice, simply indifferent from wading too much through the bloody mist. Such a deeply demonic gaze was rarely seen in Ning Fan’s life, even he felt a bit of awe! It seemed the Blood Martial Rank Battle truly gathered hidden talents, making the endeavor to win the Innate Spiritual Medicine not easy, and Emperor Butcher required some caution...

Never mind, it’s worth a try!

Presiding over the rank battle was an elder in a red long dress, with the cultivation of the Shattered Thought Early Stage, known in the Blood Martial Arena as the Adjudicator.

The Adjudicator could not be attacked, and this prohibition was added because in previous years, someone managed to kill all other contestants single-handedly, and unsatisfied, even killed the Adjudicator, angering the Blood Martial Arena. They wanted to kill him, but he left the Blood Martial Arena alive, truly remarkable in spirit skills.

Time slowly ticked by, and gradually almost all contestants donned masks and armor upon entering the arena, with only a few absent, either late or withdrawing.

The Adjudicator looked at the time and closed the door to the resting room, officially ending the entry. A roar and cheers suddenly erupted above the circular arena.

Gradually, the cheers unified into a single, synchronized word.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Whoever seized the first place, the audience didn’t care, what they wanted to see was slaughter, was blood splattering everywhere!

Of course, some people came to gamble, betting on the first place of the rank battle, top ten, top hundred, all as a form of entertainment.

"Everyone seems impatient, so I shall not waste words. The format of the rank battle is the same every session. This session has one thousand one hundred and forty-two registrants and one thousand and sixty-six in attendance, thus requiring a total of five hundred and thirty-three life and death stages..."

The Adjudicator clapped his hands, and a rumbling noise came from the ground beneath the arena, as unexpectedly, five hundred and thirty-three cylindrical stone platforms rose from the floor like mechanisms.

Each cylindrical stone platform is ten zhang wide; within that space, life and death must be decided.

A giant, mirror-smooth stone screen also rose from the ground, displaying over a thousand names. Frontmost are winners from past rank battles, while the rest are in random order, mostly those who never scored before. As people improve their records, the rankings will continue to change.

Every contestant receives an identity token before the match, used for entry and for competing.

The initial rounds adopt continuous bouts, first with duels in pairs. This stage requires no life or death outcomes. The five hundred and thirty-three life and death stages have numbers, and contestants’ identity tokens indicate which stage to ascend, pairing them randomly, with a decision required within an incense’s burn duration, or both counted as 1 loss.

If a decision is made, the victor receives 1 win, the defeated 1 loss.

If a life stage must appear within ten breaths and still unascended, it also counts as 1 loss.

This random pair dueling continues, during which ten losses result in disqualification. Death equally results in disqualification.

Elimination continues until fewer than one hundred contestants remain, ending the paired duels.

Then comes the most thrilling chaotic battle, finally determining the top hundred ranking.

Not all in the top hundred survive... And to win the Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine—Night Spirit Ganoderma, first place must be achieved.

"Rank battle, begin!"

With the Adjudicator’s word, the text on each contestant’s identity token flashed instantly.

A number appeared on Ning Fan’s identity token, [117], and upon seeing this, Ning Fan leaped several times to the corresponding life and death stage.

His opponent also appeared, a burly man like a mountain of flesh with a wild boar mask, his battle attire couldn’t conceal the fat covering him.

This man looked uncouth, with a weak cultivation of Late Stage Enlightenment!

Seeing this weak opponent, Ning Fan scanned other places with his spirit sense and quickly found Xianyu Chun at Life and Death Stage #74.

Xianyu Chun went by the code name Plodding Bull, fitting well as a name, for though clumsy, could carry heavy loads over miles.

"Heh heh, facing me, Swine Emperor, and still looking around is asking for death!"

The burly man grinned with menace, flicking his sleeves to unleash dozens of magical treasures shining with spiritual light towards Ning Fan, some surpassing Acquired Five Nirvana treasures.

Such full force would throw even an Initiate Realm of Shekong into disarray, likely aiming to finish Ning Fan quickly. Unexpectedly, Ning Fan waved his sleeve, collecting all his magical treasures, then punched, making the burly man unable to see the punch’s shadow before he felt all his bones shatter, spewing blood while being hurled out of the ring.

Swine Emperor, 0 wins 1 loss!

Slaughter Fox, 1 win 0 loss!

Hiss!

Some audience members immediately noticed the instant win on this life and death stage. Such a quick victory over a Late Stage Enlightenment opponent marked the contestant named Slaughter Fox as formidable!

However, when people realized Slaughter Fox spared the Swine Emperor’s life, dissatisfaction arose.

They wanted to see blood, wanted slaughter! If only a serious injury, it was tolerable, but Slaughter Fox clearly had the strength to kill the Swine Emperor in one hit, yet showed mercy, causing some discontent!

But alas, what did these people’s dissatisfaction have to do with Ning Fan?

He’s here for the Night Spirit Ganoderma, not to be a sideshow. Though this place is a life-and-death arena, there is no deep-seated enmity between the participants, and everything is in a state of life or death. Even if he spares the life of the Swine Emperor, he won’t need others to chime in!

"Noisy!"

Ning Fan’s voice was filled with demonic energy, and the overwhelming Evil Qi immediately startled many of the jeering audience, causing some to break out in a cold sweat, no longer daring to speak rashly.

Of course, most people were not focused on Ning Fan’s life-and-death platform but were watching other events.

"The 97th life-and-death platform features a duel between the Bronze Sparrow Immortal and the Ape Disciple. That Ape Disciple is not weak, ranking 49th in the previous ranking battle, but it’s unfortunate he’s facing the former top-ranked Bronze Sparrow Immortal—terrible luck indeed!"

"On the 280th life-and-death platform, there’s the Sword Corpse! This person ranked fourth several years ago and disappeared for a while due to some reasons but now reappears! With his return, he might challenge the Bronze Sparrow Immortal for the top spot!"

"These two are nothing. I heard the Pagoda Master from the Shuitian Division personally entered the ranking battle for the Night Spirit Ganoderma. That’s a Half-step Immortal Lord’s cultivation. I just don’t know which one is Pagoda Master as I haven’t seen the symbol of the Mysterious Spirit Pagoda. Seems Pagoda Master is intentionally hiding his identity..."

"Heard the Holy Mountain Tomb Guardians are also here to compete..."

Simultaneously conducting 533 matches, there are indeed too many places to watch. Ning Fan has never revealed his fame, so even though some people noticed him, they were very few.

He ended his match early and simply watched others battle from his platform. Many matches ended quickly, with some fighting to death and others with equal power striving to decide a winner within a stick of incense, often resulting in mutual destruction...

After a stick of incense, 402 life-and-death platforms concluded their fights, while the rest ended in draws, each getting 1 loss.

Only one round resulted in over thirty deaths and more than a hundred severe injuries, unable to continue fighting; after such a selection, only 905 can continue.

Then the arrangement for the second round appeared; Ning Fan’s number was 392.

With a few leaps, Ning Fan appeared on the corresponding life-and-death platform. His opponent was at the Peak Crossing Truth Realm; needless to say, he sent him flying with one punch.

Another instant victory!

Slaughter Fox, 2 wins 0 losses.

After the second round ended, Ning Fan’s record was over 300; not many can win two matches in succession.

Then in the third round, the opponent was at Mid Stage of Shekong, and he won again!

Fourth round, fifth round, sixth round...

Slaughter Fox’s results soared; here, few could trouble Ning Fan. After ten rounds, he had 10 wins and 0 losses, ranking up to 55.

This finally drew some attention.

"Slaughter Fox? Never heard of him, is he a first-time competitor?"

"This person won ten consecutive matches—all instantly! Could he be the dark horse of this ranking battle!"

After ten rounds, only over 400 competitors remained.

Eleventh round, twelfth round, thirteenth round... twentieth round.

Ning Fan continued nearly instant victories; even those at the Peak of Shekong couldn’t withstand his Ancient Demon Annihilation punch. His record was ranked ninth!

Alongside him, eight others kept winning streaks; these eight also took note of Ning Fan!

Strangely, the initial threat Ning Fan felt from the Emperor Butcher didn’t maintain a winning streak. 19 wins and 1 loss, the only loss was against the previous top-ranked Bronze Sparrow Immortal.

"Bronze Sparrow Immortal is at Shattered Thought Later Stage, did the Emperor Butcher lose because he was inferior or on purpose..."

This match carried on till the twenty-ninth round; there were finally only a hundred participants left, not more, not less.

Ning Fan’s record was still ninth, maintaining a perfect win streak, but others ahead were also undefeated. Nonetheless, the name Slaughter Fox had earned quite a following.

Though Ning Fan hadn’t killed anyone, his style of instant victories made quite a spectacle.

Xianyu Chun 22 wins 7 losses, ranked seventy-fifth.

As for the Emperor Butcher... 21 wins and 8 losses, each loss against top eight, considered by many as bad luck.

Curiously, Ning Fan always sensed the Emperor Butcher’s gaze intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over him.

That chilling sensation... could not be a mistake! This person couldn’t possibly be weak enough to keep losing, but if deliberate, what was the reason...

"Have you seen the Supreme Ox Demon, right?"

Suddenly, a voice transmitted to Ning Fan’s ear; remarkably, it was the Emperor Butcher speaking!

"Supreme Ox Demon, what’s that?" Ning Fan’s expression sharpened, transmitting a reply, guessing this Supreme Ox Demon must be the venerable bull quasi-saint from Nan Yao Temple?

"Hehe, interesting..."

Seeing Ning Fan speak of the Supreme Ox Demon without confusion or forgetfulness, the Emperor Butcher’s eyes gleamed momentarily but ceased interactions with Ning Fan.

Inwardly he mused, this foreign cultivator indeed has prowess; able to ignore the ubiquitous Five Finger Illusion throughout the Great Humble Ones, his talent in Illusory Art is truly astounding. After all, even some Immortal Emperors don’t have the ability to remember the five supremes...