Grasping Evil

The Great Brightness Temple may not be the oldest ancient temple in Liuli City, but it is undoubtedly the most prosperous in incense offering, simply because this temple produced a remarkably talented individual – the Bright Buddha, regarded by the world as the strongest figure of the Holy Mountain!

This is the Dao ground of the Bright Buddha, where the supreme golden body of the Bright Buddha is enshrined. If there is ever a change in Liuli City, the Bright Buddha can always rely on this golden body to send his spirit sense here!

The Tomb-Snatching Battle was chosen to be held here, so naturally, no one would dare cause trouble in this place. At the center of the ten-thousand-feet square stands the giant golden body statue of the Bright Buddha. Its expression is solemn with lowered eyes, and although it is merely a statue, it seems to constantly watch over Liuli City.

At midday, the scorching sun is high, and the stone grounds of the square are so hot they bake, yet countless devout believers are unafraid of the heat, bowing piously on the square to the golden body of the Bright Buddha, chanting scriptures and offering prayers.

Gradually, martial monks from the temple began dispersing the believers to clear the site for the Tomb-Snatching Battle. Once the square was empty, countless rays of glow suddenly descended from the sky. Within the glow were illusions, vaguely revealing structures that gradually took form over time. By the time the glow dissipated, the previously open square had gained many white jade high platforms, adorned with fruits and fine wines, and already occupied by immortal Buddhas, each possessing strong auras, with few below the True Immortal Realm!

At the forefront of the immortals sat naturally the most esteemed Central Continent’s Five Emperors! Great Emperor Tiandu at the head, Emperor Foqi next, Baihua Great Emperor third, Emperor Lou Tuo fourth, and Emperor Bone Spirit last.

The appearance of the Five Emperors immediately brought countless cheers to the square.

"Under the Five Emperors, all immortals bow! The second round of the Tomb-Snatching Battle is about to begin!"

"Hiss! All Five Emperors of the Central Continent are here! Even the seriously injured and secluded Baihua Great Emperor has come!"

"Rumor has it that Baihua Emperor was gravely injured and near death. Clearly, rumors cannot be trusted. Look, Baihua Emperor’s Yang energy is faint but restrained, and his Yin energy is scattered but not chaotic. It seems he has recovered significantly, and perhaps not long from now, he will fully heal!"

"Most of the disciples of the Five Emperors have also arrived!"

"Eh, there seem to be a few unfamiliar faces beside Baihua Emperor..."

A few noticed the unfamiliar faces sitting beside Baihua Emperor and felt very curious.

If Ning Fan were present, he would find that sitting beside Baihua Emperor were Ouyang Nuan and Burying Moon!

"Are these two women not companions of that Ning Fan brat...? And that veiled female cultivator I’m concerned about has also come. The outside world rumors that Ning Fan and his group received Baihua’s hospitality as a reward for curing Baihua’s injuries, but now it seems it’s not merely for healing that they receive such hospitality..."

Emperor Lou Tuo glanced subtly in Baihua Emperor’s direction, his expression becoming sinister. However, this sinister gaze was largely directed at the veiled Burying Moon.

If when he first went to the Tamu Clan and saw Burying Moon, he merely felt a sense of familiarity and dislike, today, he was nearly seventy percent certain that this veiled woman was the foreign cultivator he resented the most!

Burying Moon Immortal Consort!

Back then, Burying Moon nearly killed him, damaging his foundation. Although he never clearly saw Burying Moon’s appearance, he distinctly remembered Burying Moon Immortal Consort having an acquaintance with Baihua Emperor!

No, back then, Baihua Emperor had yet to take the helm of Baihua Peak, possessing Immortal Emperor cultivation but not bearing the title of Baihua, instead using the name Ji Shiling!

Ji Shiling, Burying Moon!

That day, Burying Moon Immortal Consort visited the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain once again to gather herbs. Newly enthroned as an emperor and full of arrogance, he naturally couldn’t tolerate a foreign cultivator rampaging in the Dabei Clan’s domain and went to stop her.

He was naturally no match for Burying Moon Immortal Consort; this, he knew well. Thus, he invited Ji Shiling to join him in stopping Burying Moon, but Ji Shiling refused on the grounds of acquaintance with Burying Moon.

Ultimately, he went alone to stop Burying Moon Immortal Consort.

Arrogant as he was, he spoke recklessly, convinced that since this was the Dabei Clan’s land, Burying Moon Immortal Consort wouldn’t dare harm him despite his brashness.

Who would have thought Burying Moon Immortal Consort had such a temper? Calm, she was fine, but once angered, she struck severely, nearly killing him and damaging his foundation. Since then, he has never broken through the shackles of the Eternal Sixth Calamity to the Seventh Tribulation...

Recalling the past, Emperor Lou Tuo felt some regret, but his predominant emotion was resentment - resentment towards Burying Moon for harming him and even more towards Ji Shiling for not assisting him!

Had Ji Shiling assisted with her Dao of formations cultivation, he might not have been so gravely injured, even if he hadn’t been a match for Burying Moon!

"After the Heavenly Court’s downfall, I once killed some foreign cultivators who entered the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, searching their memories for information about Burying Moon Immortal Consort. What I discovered was that Burying Moon Immortal Consort got involved in the turmoil of the ancient Heavenly Court and perished within it. With time’s passage, the name of Burying Moon Immortal Consort has already vanished into oblivion, with few external cultivators having heard of this name. Unexpectedly, she isn’t dead and dares to sit openly with Ji Shiling here! But it seems she and Ji Shiling both are half-dead..."

Emperor Lou Tuo’s eyes flashed fiercely, almost driven by the impulse to immediately expose and kill Burying Moon.

But glimpsing at the golden body of the Bright Buddha in the square’s center, he suddenly felt deeply apprehensive, gritting his teeth, suppressing the impulse to kill Burying Moon for the time being.

Noticing Emperor Lou Tuo’s change in expression, Burying Moon immediately felt a bit uneasy, transmitting to Baihua Emperor, "Is it really safe for me to be here, sitting so close to that Lou Tuo brat? He seems to have recognized me. Indeed, I shouldn’t have listened to you to come and watch this Tomb-Snatching Battle."

"Why is Sister acting so timid; this isn’t like the you of the past at all. Moreover, do you really think no one knows about your entry into my clan? Lou Tuo might be slow in realizing it, but as far as I know, Emperor Bone Spirit was the first to know and yet didn’t dare expose you - probably because of a large shadow behind you. No wonder Emperor Bone Spirit was in such a hurry to follow Lou Tuo to the Southern Frontier’s inconspicuous place that day, eager to curry favor with you. Sadly, you seem unaware of his intent. Or maybe Emperor Bone Spirit was just afraid, hehe. If Lou Tuo had acted on his impulse back then, not knowing if a certain big Buddha would get angry over you, it’s possible that’s his real concern..." Baihua Emperor chuckled, her eyes also glancing meaningfully at the enormous statue of the golden body in the center of the square.

Burying Moon was no longer anxious but instead had her forehead lined with black threads, "I only met your Bright Buddha once, and we ended up in a fight without any personal feelings involved. Do you think anyone would dread me or curry favor with me because of the Bright Buddha?"

"Sister, you certainly have no personal feelings for Bright Buddha, but he may not feel the same. What Sister doesn’t know is that after the Dao became, Bright Buddha, who rarely left the Holy Mountain, once left after the fall of the ancient Heavenly Court. Disregarding the prohibition of the Saint Ancestor, he ventured outside the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain. No one knew whom he sought. Upon returning, his expression turned distraught and insane, going on a rampage in the unpopulated places of the Central Continent, destroying countless mountains and rivers with his divine skills. After calming down, he sealed himself in the Sacred Tomb, studying those discovered Ancient Holy Stone Thrones, never leaving again... Occasionally, he would summon people for meetings, asking about certain information..."

"Bright Buddha once summoned me as well, and what he asked about was Sister’s news. Back then, I was certain Sister was dead, and thus, naturally, I couldn’t provide Bright Buddha with any information. He seemed dead-faced... According to rumors, the reason Bright Buddha disregarded the prohibition, venturing outside during a time of great chaos, was to search for Sister at the ruins of the ancient Heavenly Court. His frenzy was likely due to learning of Sister’s death..."

Burying Moon’s brow was further covered with black lines, "How come I didn’t hear about any of this..."

"Because you’re dead."

"..."

"..."

Burying Moon was speechless for a long time, then shook her head and said, "I don’t have that kind of relationship with your Bright Buddha. Many things are just your speculation. That Bright Buddha’s madness might have another reason."

"Really?" The Baihua Great Emperor looked at Burying Moon with disbelief.

"Really."

"Haha, if you don’t want to admit it, let’s just say you have nothing to do with Bright Buddha."

The Baihua Great Emperor’s face was kind and amiable, but inwardly sneering.

She didn’t believe that Burying Moon and Bright Buddha had no affair. Bright Buddha’s infatuated demeanor wasn’t fake. Having seen countless men, she could firmly believe that Bright Buddha deeply loved the Burying Moon Immortal Concubine.

The supposedly chaste Burying Moon Immortal Concubine and the Bright Buddha with his Buddhist name couldn’t possibly have a simple relationship. They must have been entangled countless times! Burying Moon’s attempt to cover it up was simply drawing more attention...

Burying Moon knew that the Baihua Great Emperor didn’t believe her, but she couldn’t be bothered to explain further, slightly frowning.

If in the past she had genuinely considered the Baihua Great Emperor a friend, it was no longer the case now. Time had changed, and the Baihua Great Emperor had become unrecognizable, like a completely different person.

Their relationship had dwindled to just a business partnership...

As for the issue about Bright Buddha mentioned by the Baihua Great Emperor, Burying Moon truly had no knowledge of it.

"There’s no reason for Baihua to lie. Could Bright Buddha really have feelings for me? But why? We’ve only met once, and that meeting started with a fight. We didn’t even say three words to each other. How could he be infatuated with me?"

Burying Moon strained to recall past events. Her impression of Bright Buddha was quite vague.

That year, she was still the lively Nine Tribulations Peak Immortal Emperor, and Bright Buddha seemed to not have broken through to the Quasi-Saint realm, appearing to have just reached the Nine Tribulations...

Like always, she ran rampant in the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, only for an ugly, bearded monk to come out, chanting Namo Amitabha towards her.

’You’re the first woman I’ve seen since opening my eyes, which is fate. I won’t kill you, so leave and remember not to cause trouble in the Dabei territory in the future!’

Look, such arrogant words! A mere newly advanced Nine Tribulations Immortal Emperor dared to speak like this to her, a Nine Tribulations Peak! How could she bear it?

So, without further ado, she turned that bearded monk into a punching bag and continued her rampant behavior.

The bearded monk lasted no more than three seconds before failing to maintain his pretense...

It was only afterward that she learned the bearded monk she had beaten up was called Bright Buddha. This seemed to be her only meeting with Bright Buddha...

Burying Moon pondered repeatedly but couldn’t understand why Bright Buddha would like her and remained unconvinced of this matter.

If malice were to be involved, perhaps Bright Buddha liked to be beaten up, which was why he liked her? Or maybe it was because she was the only woman he’d ever seen?

The first woman he’d ever seen... Tsk, tsk, tsk, being a monk must be tough. Chanting and reciting scriptures, never even having seen a woman, and upon suddenly encountering her, such a captivating woman, he immediately fell for her? Ah, well, I suppose it makes sense...

Burying Moon, in a moment of whimsical pride, stroked the delicate face beneath her veil, thinking to herself that her face still had some charm. Although she never captivated the aloof little scoundrel Ning Fan, she inadvertently charmed the Great Humble Clan’s Bright Buddha. Tsk, tsk, tsk, the little scoundrel clearly had worse taste compared to Bright Buddha. Unfortunately, Bright Buddha was somewhat unattractive, in that regard, he seemed no match for the little scoundrel...

Meanwhile, the Baihua Great Emperor was conversing via transmission with Burying Moon.

At the side, the Great Emperor Tiandu was resting with his eyes closed, while the Great Emperor Foqi was chatting and laughing with the Bone Spirit Great Emperor.

"I didn’t expect Daoist Baihua to come and watch the competition. It seems her injuries are no longer a concern." The Great Emperor Foqi chuckled mischievously.

"For us Immortal Emperors, it’s not so easy to fall. Rumors outside abound, saying that Daoist Baihua’s injuries were critical, but I’ve never believed it. Seeing her today confirms it." The Bone Spirit Great Emperor chuckled, glancing slyly at the Baihua Great Emperor, though his gaze eventually settled imperceptibly on Burying Moon.

He also had seventy to eighty percent certainty now!

Indeed, this veiled woman appeared to share a close relationship with the Baihua Great Emperor, she must be the Burying Moon Immortal Concubine from the rumors.

It wasn’t in vain that he traveled to the Southern Frontier that day, found an excuse to prevent the rashness of the Lou Tuo Great Emperor, and thus established a favorable connection with this woman...

Unfortunately, this woman seemed to have a close relationship with that foreign cultivator named Ning Fan, apparently even being Dao partners, tsk, tsk, tsk, who knows what attitude Bright Buddha will have when he finds out...

"Oh? Is Daoist Bone Spirit very interested in that veiled woman? But let me advise you, this woman should not be touched..." The Great Emperor Foqi kindly advised.

"Haha, thank you for the advice, Daoist. I understand."

"Hehe, let’s not talk about her. What do you think of the current competition in the Middle State? This time, there are three teams with Immortal Venerable powerhouses participating. These are geniuses encountered once in millions of years. Who do you think will win this competition, Daoist Bone Spirit?" The Great Emperor Foqi asked.

Emperor Bone Spirit pondered briefly and replied,

"The Witch of the Sea Witch Sect, Wuxx Yan, has a First Tribulation cultivation level, and it’s been forty thousand years since she ascended to Immortal Venerable. Her hopes of winning are slim, but she is almost certain to secure a top-three spot. I’ve heard she’s made a deal with Daoist Baihua, and she’s after the South Sea Spring Water award for the top three, so she wouldn’t risk pursuing first place; Master Hongzang from the Crimson Peak Clan—he recently ascended to Immortal Venerable and is not skilled in dueling. His chances of winning are low, but his Buddhist insights are exceptionally pure; He’s certainly a good candidate. As for Stone of Seabed from the Shiren Sect—he’s just broke through the Second Calamity cultivation level, and his physical defense is extremely strong. There’s a good chance he could claim the top spot this time!"

"Daoist, you’re mistaken; though Stone used to be impressive, he once was defeated by the treasured disciple of Fellow Lou Tuo and nearly died at the hands of Sha Bailou during the Eternity’s First Tribulation..."

"But Stone is no longer the Stone of yesteryears. Now with a Second Calamity cultivation level, perhaps he won’t lose to Sha Bailou again. Sha Bailou has been stubborn, stuck at the Immortal Venerable bottleneck for so many years. He hasn’t triggered the Tribulation of Measure for breakthrough—it’s unclear whether he’s unwilling, fearful, or incapable..." Emperor Bone Spirit remarked sarcastically.

He was always at odds with Lou Tuo, and thus wouldn’t hesitate to seize any chance to mock Lou Tuo.

Emperor Lou Tuo responded to Bone Spirit’s mockery with just a cold snort, refraining from argument, though inwardly he sneered incessantly.

His disciple, Sha Bailou, could have broken through to Immortal Venerable long ago and has touched the bottleneck of the First and Second Tribulations.

That disciple is proud, desiring not to break through casually but rather to reap the greatest benefits from a well-prepared breakthrough. If he finishes his breakthrough, he wouldn’t just be a Newly Ascended Immortal Venerable but would likely transcend multiple Tribulations of Measure, becoming an Immortal Venerable at the Second Calamity.

Indeed, his disciple is the most popular contender for the throne battle this time! Stone of Seabed will merely become his disciple’s prey!

It’s not just Stone; given his disciple’s menacing nature, few participants in this competition would likely survive to the end!

As for Ning Fan, he’s certainly doomed!

Bong—

A distant bell sound suddenly rang from the direction of the Great Brightness Temple’s bell tower, signaling the official start of the second round of the throne battle! Just as the bell rang, Ning Fan arrived outside the square—neither too early nor too late.

Trailing behind Ning Fan was Wu Laoba, evidently there to cheer him on.

Upon arriving, Ning Fan noticed the five Central Continent Emperors seated high above, particularly focusing on Ouyang Nuan and Burying Moon beneath Baihua Great Emperor’s throne. Silently bemused, hadn’t they said they wouldn’t come, yet here they were...

The two women likewise noticed Ning Fan; Ouyang Nuan’s beautiful eyes lit up, gracing Ning Fan with a radiant smile, while Burying Moon glanced at Ning Fan with a touch of sympathy.

Sympathy, yes, it was sympathy! For Ning Fan’s poor judgment in failing to notice her beauty and soulful charm.

The Bright Buddha clearly had discerning eyes; that sly debauchee was far lacking!

Ning Fan, puzzled by the unwarranted sympathy, glanced at Burying Moon before diverting his gaze, not planning to delve into whatever strange thoughts might be in her head. This woman was often capricious, not worth heeding.

As Ning Fan scanned around, he found Xianyu Chun amongst the crowd outside the square, still donning the Ox Horn Mask with a ’stay away from strangers’ demeanor, standing alone in a corner.

When Ning Fan’s gaze swept over, Xianyu Chun met eyes with Ning Fan and felt Ning Fan’s gaze was so holy and intense that it was unbearable, promptly removing the mask, breaking into hearty laughter, and unfurling an enormous banner:

[Punching Southern Tigers, Kicking Northern Jiaolong, Nightly conquering ten women without falling, Stalwart spear in countless battles, still red with ardor]!

With it was a badly crafted, colossal painting of Ning Fan himself, in nothing but underpants, showing off his chest, facing the sea, standing atop rocks, with a sword aimed at the sky, long hair wildly fluttering in the wind!

Evidently painted by Xianyu Chun himself! And not by the intelligent Xianyu Chun, but by his other foolish half!

"Master, I’m here to cheer you on! hahaha!"

"Master, go for it! Southern Frontier, go for it! Tamu, go for it!"

"Master is invincible worldwide! Sure to claim first! All passerby ladies, if unmarried, consider my master, be his little wife hahaha!"

It instantly drew bemused reactions from the surrounding audience, many wondering if Xianyu Chun was a fool; such a banner and painting were so embarrassing and crude.

Ning Fan, slowly realizing, found that the intelligent Xianyu Chun he knew had vanished, replaced unknowingly by the foolish Xianyu Chun once more.

Xianyu Chun came to cheer him on, a gesture indeed appreciated, but what was with the shameful painting...

Could he tear that painting down?

Wu Laoba stared in disbelief at the painting.

A talent, a talent indeed! The lad with the banner was absolutely talented, depicting the star of misfortune in such a shameful manner as no other!

"Master, I worked all night painting this, revising it multiple times! Do you like it haha!" Xianyu Chun with a ’quickly praise me’ expression shouted across to Ning Fan.

Huush!

A sudden gust of wind blew the banner down.

Ning Fan tucked his hands in his sleeves, disavowing any involvement. Surely, he showed restraint, not outright destroying the banner, given it was Xianyu Chun’s heartfelt effort...

Xianyu Chun hurriedly and anxiously went to support the banner. It was a portrait of his master and couldn’t fall to the ground, that would be inauspicious.

As Ning Fan blew again, the banner fell; Xianyu Chun supported it repeatedly...

Forget it...

Ning Fan, disinclined to pay attention to the equally scatterbrained Xianyu Chun, let his gaze sweep over the others, searching yet not finding Duolan. He couldn’t help recalling the words of the two maids before he left, saying that Duolan was tied up with something and couldn’t make it...

No matter if she couldn’t come; resolving the troubles of the Chu Lie lineage was also a good thing.

At this moment, the teams dispatched by various grassland factions had gathered outside the square, awaiting the start of the grand competition.

Ning Fan’s gaze swept over each participant team. Most teams consisted of twenty people, while some had insufficient numbers, with sixteen or seventeen members. Teams with fewer than ten were rare, and only two competed alone.

One was Ning Fan himself, who couldn’t be bothered to rely on the weaklings of the Tamu Clan; the other was Sha Bailou. According to the rules, teams from the Middle State traditionally had only one member.

As Ning Fan’s gaze swept over, the battle intent in Sha Bailou’s eyes instantly surged. Among the competitors in this grand competition, the only one to excite him was Ning Fan, no one else!

He wanted to devour Ning Fan’s flesh and blood. He wanted to claim Ning Fan’s life to prove his own existence!

Just as he was about to exchange some harsh words with Ning Fan like before, unfortunately, Ning Fan’s gaze merely glanced over him and then moved away, making Sha Bailou feel ignored, infuriated and ashamed.

Fine, very fine! Dare to ignore him, Sha Bailou, surely he was tired of living!

The murderous intent became even more intense!

Some nearby spectators noticed Sha Bailou’s exposed killing intent and immediately looked towards Ning Fan, the other party involved.

The focus of this grand competition was indeed on the confrontation between Sha Bailou and the foreign cultivator Ning Fan. Many were already eager to know who would walk out of the competition alive.

Indifferent to this attention, Ning Fan chose not to care. He paid attention to Sha Bailou and even more so to the three Immortal Venerables participating from the Sea Witch Sect, Stone Man Sect, and Crimson Peak Clan.

Sea Witch Sect’s Witch Wuxx Yan, Stone Man Sect’s Stone Dang, Crimson Peak Clan’s Master Hongzang... according to the intelligence from Wu Laoba, these three also required caution.

However, among all the participants, the one Ning Fan cared about most was far from being Wuxx Yan, Stone Dang, Hongzang, or Sha Bailou...

It was a contestant from the Huanhai Clan.

The Huanhai Clan was not a strong tribe of the Dabei Clan, with only fourteen tribesmen participating in the competition. Among them were thirteen men and one woman, with the strongest being a mid-phase Shattered Thought scar-faced man.

The only woman was what caught Ning Fan’s attention.

She was a young girl carrying a paper kite, dressed in cyan clothes, and even the kite behind her was cyan. Listening to the conversations of the Huanhai Clan members, it seemed her name was Qingling, a regular clanswoman of the Huanhai Clan...

Judging by her cultivation level, this girl was only at the Half-Step Shed Sky Stage, definitely not considered powerful.

But, for some reason, Ning Fan sensed a hint of danger from her.

He carefully tasted her aura; it was so elusive, as if hidden by an illusory art... when he tore away that layer of disguise, he was suddenly shocked.

This was no Half-Step Shed Sky girl...

This was clearly... the Half-Step Quasi-Saint Emperor Butcher!

"Oh, discovering me so quickly. In this entire arena, it seems only you can manage that."

Qingling seemed to feel something, casting a meaningful smile in Ning Fan’s direction.

"Qingling! You are my Dao partner, how dare you smile at another man!"

In the Huanhai Clan, a rugged-looking scar-faced man noticed Qingling’s smile and his expression instantly turned cold.

Qingling quickly restrained her smile, lowered her head, and did not dare to smile at Ning Fan again, feeling somewhat speechless inside.

How did her subordinates design this identity for her, such a poor identity, even making her someone’s Dao partner...

Seeing Qingling obedient, the scar-faced man didn’t act up and simply glared fiercely in Ning Fan’s direction, listing Ning Fan as his number one enemy to beat.

Bang—

Another bell sounded, abruptly silencing everything around.

Then a gigantic door of flames appeared in the center of the square, out of which came a giant entirely rotten, dragging heavy chains and making an eerie clashing sound...