Grasping the Evil

Ning Fan looked at the White-clothed Destiny Immortal, silent and speechless.

Unexpectedly, this White-clothed Destiny Immortal was actually the legendary Ancestor She Lan.

According to the little demoness, he was obsessed with the word She, hence became immortal.

But due to possessing the Ancient Fishing Cloak Diagram, it ultimately led to the annihilation of the Shedding Orchid Sect.

The four ancient paintings were not something a sect led by a Fate Immortal could possess.

Ancestor She Lan should have been dead, but unexpectedly, he appeared within the Ancient Fishing Cloak Diagram.

Ning Fan carefully observed Ancestor She Lan, discovering that he was not alive, lacking any life force.

He seemed to be as if drawn, just like the surrounding icy world...

"Before I perished, I painted my residual thoughts into the Ancient Fishing Cloak Diagram. I have an unfulfilled wish which must be resolved before I can rest in peace."

Ancestor She Lan smiled at Ning Fan. As Ning Fan’s expression slightly changed, he knew that Ning Fan had guessed his identity.

"Who is that Black-clothed Destiny Immortal? Why do you insist on killing him, and why does he want to kill you?" Ning Fan asked.

"He is the cultivator who came to seize the painting back then, carrying the lives of countless disciples of She Lan on his hands. He was trapped within the Ancient Fishing Cloak Diagram, dying with hatred, yet his demonic thoughts linger within this painting. He masters a kind of demonic secret technique; if his demonic thoughts do not dissipate, then all the cultivators he killed cannot reincarnate, they will be trapped in the sea of suffering, forever losing their true path..."

Ancestor She Lan took a deep breath, his gaze became sharp,

"Therefore, I must kill his demonic thoughts! With your Dispelling Demons Auxiliary Formation, killing him won’t be difficult!"

There was a persistent madness in the eyes of Ancestor She Lan, determined to return the souls of the fallen disciples of She Lan to reincarnation!

His words were spoken only to Ning Fan, the little demoness, and the woman in the red dress, completely inaudible to Hex Shixiu and others.

Ning Fan’s gaze became solemn, but he did not speak more.

But in his heart, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration for Ancestor She Lan.

The residual thoughts of Ancestor She Lan remained only to ensure his disciples could reincarnate, vowing to sever the demonic thoughts within the Ancient Fishing Cloak Diagram.

Such people are rare in the cultivation realm...

"Young friend, I believe our destinies are intertwined, and would like to make a transaction with you, if you’re interested?"

"What kind of transaction?" Ning Fan furrowed his brows slightly.

"I hold 8 million Dao Crystals and wish to exchange them for a promise from you, to ask you to do something for me. As long as you promise, I will gladly gift these Dao Crystals to you."

After speaking, Ancestor She Lan carefully observed Ning Fan’s every expression.

He noticed that upon hearing about the 8 million Dao Crystals, although Ning Fan’s eyes changed slightly, there was no greed in them, nor did he immediately agree to the request, instead showing a contemplative expression.

"8 million Dao Crystals, nearly enough for this young man to cultivate to the mid-upper range of the Void Fragmentation Realm’s Third Heavenly Layer, quite a temptation. Yet he does not show any covetousness. It seems he is someone who does not make promises lightly, and thus does not break faith with others. I find myself having chosen the right person."

Ancestor She Lan did not disturb Ning Fan’s contemplation, waiting quietly.

The woman in the red dress and the little demoness beside him both showed slight astonishment.

million Dao Crystals is no small amount, just what kind of promise does Ancestor She Lan want Ning Fan to make...

After contemplating briefly, Ning Fan raised his head, his gaze solemnly fixed on Ancestor She Lan, "What request does Senior have? Please speak candidly, if it’s within my abilities, I will naturally give Senior my promise. If it’s beyond my capability, I won’t agree without consideration."

"Heh heh, quite right. I want the young friend to kill someone, this person is the one responsible for the utter destruction of my Shedding Orchid Sect, tyrannically oppressing She Lan..."

"Who is he, and what is his cultivation?"

"The Dao Yi Sect Master of the Western Heaven Immortal World, back then he was a Crossing Truth Realm True Immortal, as for now... if he’s not dead, he might have reached Shedding Void Stage, or..." Ancestor She Lan sighed, this Dao Yi Sect Master is truly formidable...

Ning Fan smiled bitterly, "Such a world-shaking figure is beyond my ability to defeat... I cannot give this promise."

"Young friend need not be hasty to refuse, I’m not asking you to destroy him now... If someday, when your cultivation is sufficient, and you are confident in overcoming him, then you may kill him. If it cannot be done, as long as the young friend earnestly tries, then I will count my life fulfilled."

"To kill him when my cultivation is sufficient..."

After pondering for a long time, Ning Fan finally nodded, "Alright, I agree to this. If one day I have the power to kill him, I will surely go to the Dao Yi Sect and kill him!"

"Heh heh, I trust you. Take these Dao Crystals; when I sever the demonic thoughts of the man in black, it will be the moment my residual thoughts perish, then I’ll have no chance to give you these Dao Crystals."

Ancestor She Lan raised his palm, summoning a storage pouch from thin air and handed it to Ning Fan.

Ning Fan put away the storage pouch without more words.

Everyone was temporarily silent, quietly waiting.

The rogue devil drooped his head in dejection, quietly listening to Ancestor She Lan’s reproaches, not daring to argue.

Afterward, when Ancestor She Lan learned that the rogue devil was nameless, he immediately gave him one.

"I once raised a Spirit Dog named Dato. Well, from today on, you shall be called Dato."

"What! Dato! What kind of ridiculous name is this! I don’t want this name!" the rogue devil protested strongly.

"My mind is made up, you may not be dissatisfied in any way!"

"Uh... yes..."

The rogue devil showed a bitter expression.

He was a peak-level power in the lower realms as a rogue devil, yet he was named ’Dato.’ If others knew, would he still have any dignity...

Wanting to resist Ancestor She Lan, yet not daring to.

He could only pray Ning Fan hadn’t heard the name and wouldn’t call him that in the future.

He turned to gaze at Ning Fan, only to see Ning Fan seriously stroking his chin in contemplation.

After a long time, Ning Fan suddenly smiled and said, "Dato, huh, that’s a good name, much better than calling my sable ’Little Black.’ I’ve never been very good at naming things; let’s call him Dato."

The rogue devil was instantly dumbfounded...

Being planted with a Restrictive Spell was one thing, but being called a large skull?

Today truly was the most tragic day of his life...

Time flew by, three hours elapsed.

At this moment, all the snow between heaven and earth had turned black; in the distance, a black figure was speeding across the sky.

The figure flickered repeatedly in the sky; with each flicker, he traveled thousands of miles.

In no time, he appeared above everyone’s heads, the oppressive force of the Fate Immortal pressed down crazily, and he laughed recklessly.

"She Lan! I’ve come again, today I must kill you! Hmm? There’s a bunch of kids here too, good, good, I’ll kill them all!"

This person’s appearance was ugly, his figure oddly short, his eyes full of evil.

His gaze swept over Ning Fan and the others, all with contempt.

But when he swept past the rogue devil, his gaze suddenly darkened.

"Rogue Devil! Hmph? Unexpectedly, you’ve found a helper! Do you think with another rogue devil aiding you, you can defeat me!"

He locked his murderous intent on the rogue devil, who was scared out of his wits, lacking the usual arrogant demeanor.

Facing the Fate Immortal, how dare he act arrogantly?

Hex Shixiu, Gongyang Zi, Black Fire Ring, Yun Youmu all turned pale, hurriedly hiding behind Ning Fan and the others, fearing they would be caught in the upcoming battle against the Fate Immortal.

"Ming Huo, there’s no need for words, one battle will suffice! Large skull, fight alongside this old man!"

Old Ancestor She Lan’s eyes flashed with sky-reaching murderous intent, leaping into the sky, without a word, transformed a finger into an orchid, pointing at the black-clad Fate Immortal.

The rogue devil gritted his teeth, not daring to defy Old Ancestor She Lan’s order, reluctantly charging towards the black-clad Fate Immortal, with giant fists striking down.

The black-clad Fate Immortal’s gaze darkened, spirit sense shifted, surrounding black flames blazing, splitting into two, respectively rolling towards Old Ancestor She Lan and the rogue devil.

The black fire clashed with the orchid finger, faintly falling behind, after all, the force was divided.

The black fire collided with the rogue devil’s fist glow, directly incinerating it into nothingness.

Remaining flames rolled towards the rogue devil, who was frightened out of his wits, seemingly about to be burned to death by the black fire.

In his despair, he suddenly saw the remaining black fire disappear without a trace.

Looking down, he found Ning Fan had collected it below.

In an instant, the rogue devil’s expression was extremely complex; he had been saved by Ning Fan once again...

"Hmph! A mere brat in the Second Heavenly Layer of Void Fragmentation, dare to interfere in this old man’s affair! Afterwards, this old man will tear you to pieces!" The black-clad Fate Immortal was furious, yet secretly surprised.

Thinking to himself, this brat’s methods truly defy the heavens; his Black Fire Ring, though not Immortal Flames, is quite formidable, yet this child took it away.

Ning Fan borrowed the power of the Stele of Sun and Moon to collect the black fire, looking slightly pale.

This black fire wasn’t as formidable as Immortal Flames, but not far off.

Even with the Stele of Sun and Moon forcibly collecting, it caused Ning Fan quite an injury. But Ning Fan had no choice; at this moment, he couldn’t watch the rogue devil perish as he was a strong fighter, and a great assistance in slaying the black-clad Fate Immortal.

Old Ancestor She Lan glanced at Ning Fan in surprise, then laughed heartily, "Ming Huo, it appears today your evil thoughts must perish! Immortal Technique, Abandon Heaven!"

Old Ancestor She Lan unfolded a Divine Skill, causing the entire world to slowly disappear, seeming to abandon it all!

Wisps of orchid shadow floated around the black-clad Fate Immortal, in an instant, his body began to slowly disappear, seemingly abandoned by Old Ancestor She Lan.

"Immortal Technique, Dark Devouring!"

The black-clad Fate Immortal’s gaze was extremely heavy, he drove all his mana, dark red Ming Huo rose around him, burning away the orchid shadow.

In the moment the orchid shadow disappeared, the vanished world reappeared.

Having barely blocked Old Ancestor She Lan’s attack and not being harmed by the Abandon Heaven technique, suddenly, immense pain shot from the back of the black-clad Fate Immortal; he was sneak-attacked by the rogue devil, hundreds of punches landed on his back!

Each punch was enough to shake the heavens!

Each punch could destroy a mid-ranked cultivation country!

The black-clad Fate Immortal, after all, was only a body of evil thoughts, how could physical prowess match the rogue devil’s might?

With hundreds of punches landed, the black-clad Fate Immortal immediately spat out several mouthfuls of black blood, already suffering some injury.

Eyes burning with rage!

"A mere rogue devil dares to sneak attack me, I’ll kill you!"

His figure flickered, vanishing without a trace, the next moment, he appeared directly before the rogue devil, striking down with a palm!

A massive fifty-thousand-foot Ming Huo palm imprint, instantly struck towards the rogue devil’s Tian Ling, giving the rogue devil a sense of impending doom.

This time Ning Fan’s assistance wasn’t needed; Old Ancestor She Lan appeared beside the rogue devil, spirit sense shifted, countless orchid shadows formed a massive orchid shield, blocking in front of the rogue devil, deflecting all the palm imprint.

The immense impact waves almost overturned the world.

Old Ancestor She Lan then lifted his hand, an orchid shadow sword appeared in it.

"Dao Weapon!" Ning Fan’s eyes flashed; he could recognize this orchid sword, a Dao Weapon, much like his Memory Severing Dao Sword.

Old Ancestor She Lan wasted no words, struck countless times at the black-clad Fate Immortal.

Each slash accompanied by orchid shadow.

Although the sword glow was resolved by the black-clad Fate Immortal one by one, every block greatly reduced his mana.

The black-clad Fate Immortal’s face was ashen; he realized the Dao Weapon’s supernatural power was somewhat peculiar, difficult to counter.

Raising his hand with a gesture, dark red fire condensed into a giant axe; this was also a Dao Weapon!

Axe and sword clashed, yet neither the black-clad Fate Immortal nor Old Ancestor She Lan could harm each other, resulting in a deadlock.

In the heat of battle, suddenly, excruciating pain shot through the back of the black-clad Fate Immortal, enduring hundreds of punches.

He was ambushed by the rogue devil again!

"You court death!"

The black-clad Fate Immortal was enraged, his glare almost deadly enough to kill the rogue devil.

At this moment of distraction, Old Ancestor She Lan advanced swiftly, a blue sword light cutting toward the black-clad Fate Immortal’s neck.

Swoosh!

The black-clad Fate Immortal’s head was severed by a sword, flying high into the sky.

Another sword destroyed the Fate Immortal’s Dantian and Spirit.

"Victory! Senior in White has won; we can escape now!" Hex Shixiu exclaimed with joy.

However, Ning Fan furrowed his brows deeply, feeling an increasing sense of crisis.

No, this isn’t over!

The black-clad Fate Immortal is still alive!

Suddenly, from the decapitated head of the black-clad Fate Immortal, a second Primordial Spirit emerged.

He was skilled in the technique of having a second Primordial Spirit!

This second Primordial Spirit is weaker compared to his first, inferior to Old Ancestor She Lan.

He knew that there was no hope of victory if he continued to fight.

His eyes filled with rage as he looked at the rogue devil, at Ning Fan, and at everyone present!

"She Lan, though my demonic thoughts are dispersing, I shall give you all a painful lesson before my death! I will cause chaos in this place and ensure you all perish here."

"Immortal Technique, Demon’s Grief Domain!"

The black-clad Fate Immortal laughed maniacally, as if deranged.

His second Primordial Spirit suddenly self-destructed, the demon blood turning into black mist, instantly sealing the entire Fish Map Space.

The next moment, countless dark red fire rains descended from the sky, and any patch of the ice-covered earth touched by the fire rain immediately melted into water and mist.

"Young friend, remember your promise to this old man! Self-sacrifice technique!"

Old Ancestor She Lan cast one last look at Ning Fan with a comforting smile before resolutely soaring into the sky, also self-destructing. He turned into countless blue shadows, resisting the fire rain.

Ning Fan sighed gently, watching the final thoughts of Old Ancestor She Lan dissipate.

But shortly after, his eyes revealed a look of shock.

The entire heavens and earth of the Fish Map suddenly shook violently, with life and death intertwined, black and white intermingling.

The blue shadows and fire rain cancelled each other out, yet the tremors of the earth grew increasingly intense, countless strands of life and death energy swept toward Ning Fan and the others...

Under the immense assault of life and death energy, everyone, including Ning Fan himself, coughed up blood and suffered serious injuries.

The upheaval in this place caused by the duel between the two Fate Immortals was likely beyond Old Ancestor She Lan’s expectations.

Suddenly, blue shadows flickered on the ground, tearing open a black crevice. In the sky, countless snow-capped mountains fell.

Ning Fan gazed intently at the ground crevice, then at the collapsing world, gritting his teeth. He reached out, retrieving the rogue devil, swiftly embracing the two women, Red Dress and the little demoness, before leaping into the crevice.

No one knew where this crevice led, but since blue shadows flickered around it, it was likely the escape route pointed out by Old Ancestor She Lan.

Perhaps only by leaping inside could they avoid the life and death catastrophe.

Hex Shixiu and the others lacked Ning Fan’s decisiveness; they didn’t know where the ground crevice led and dared not jump in rashly.

Each activated their spells, shattering the snow-capped mountains crashing down on them.

The snow mountains could be defended against, but the life and death energy permeating the world proved impossible to guard against.

Gradually, they realized that continuing to resist the life and death energy spelled inevitable death, and only by leaping into the ground crevice did they have a slim chance of survival.

When they finally resolved to leap inside, it was too late; the crevice had already closed...

"No, I am doomed!"

Hex Shixiu was greatly alarmed as a half-black, half-white mountain suddenly pressed down upon him.

At the very moment the mountain pressed, his body was eroded by life and death energy, and his flesh began to slowly decay...

Gongyang Zi and the Black Fire were not so fortunate; they were torn to pieces by the life and death energy, rendering their entire Taoist cultivation useless.

Yun Youmu showed a look of despair. Having succumbed to Dao Poison, he originally had a millennium of lifespan remaining. If he died here, wouldn’t it mean even that thousand years were lost...

With a booming sound, a half-black, half-white snow-capped mountain crashed down, crushing Yun Youmu beneath it.

Yun Youmu’s flesh also began to slowly decay; he desperately activated the Life and Death Qi, barely delaying the decay.

But trying to escape from beneath the mountain proved impossible; the mountain was too heavy and contained boundless Dao energy.

"Am I to be trapped here until the Dao Poison takes effect and I perish..." Yun Youmu lamented in despair.

...

In a secluded stone chamber, Ning Fan gradually awakened.

Beside him, Red Dress and the little demoness both lay unconscious and barely alive.

The two women seem to have been more severely harmed by the power of Life and Death.

It’s somewhat peculiar... the little demoness’s comprehension of Life and Death Dao far exceeds his, and the red long dress’s comprehension is not weaker than his.

Though he was injured too, it wasn’t serious, but the two women were critically injured and on the brink of death.

Ning Fan was stunned, recalling a previous scene, seemingly understanding something.

He remembered that when the power of Life and Death struck, the two women seemed to intentionally or otherwise move closer to him.

Did they secretly help Ning Fan by shielding him from the harm of the power of Life and Death...

Ning Fan felt a mixture of emotions, glanced around the stone chamber and saw an ice bed, then carried the two women onto it.

He pondered for a moment, rummaged through the little demoness’s storage pouch, and found two semi-finished Eight-Transformation Healing Pills, administering them to the two women.

Those pills seem to be the kind used to heal Meichen.

Ning Fan did not possess such high-grade healing pills himself, so he could only borrow the little demoness’s pills.

He only took two pills and did not further explore the other items in the little demoness’s storage pouch.

However, with just a hurried glance, he realized the wealth within the little demoness’s storage pouch could probably rival the entire wealth of the Middle Three Worlds...

The little demoness, truly a little rich woman.

After assisting the two women in consuming the pills, their complexions gradually recovered, though how long until they awaken remained uncertain.

Nonetheless, their lives were no longer in danger.

Ning Fan himself consumed a Seventh-Revolution vulnerary, slowly healing his wounds, and once healed, he rose to survey the stone chamber.

This place seems to be an art studio, with many paintings hanging on the walls.

There’s still a faint lingering scent of ink within the room, and there’s an ink brush and paper on the table in the corner.

The stone chamber seems to be a closed space without any exit.

A Great Divine Power exists within the walls, Ning Fan attempted the Wind Mist Finger, yet couldn’t leave a trace on the walls, let alone destroy the wall or leave this place.

This place appears to have been the cave dwelling of a powerful master...

Ning Fan examined all the items in the room but found nothing special.

The only thing slightly special were the paintings on the wall, all landscapes of which there were seven in total.

Ning Fan patted his storage pouch and took out a scroll of portrait paintings, the one he obtained from Lu Daochen’s hand, drawn by a painting immortal for Lu Wu.

The paintings on the wall and Lu Wu’s portrait weren’t by the same person, but all contain a certain charm, as if capable of transforming the illusory into reality...

"Is this the True Immortal’s Divine Skill... capable of turning the depicted into reality." Ning Fan contemplated and stored the seven paintings from the wall in his storage pouch.

Only after removing the seven paintings did he discover a recess behind each one.

In each recess rested a half-black half-white crystal.

The crystal contained an incredibly powerful Life and Death Dao force!

Ning Fan couldn’t help but recall the time crystals on the eighth floor of the Lost World Tower.

These seven crystals might be Lifedeath Crystals.

The time crystals of the lower realm’s Lost World Tower are prepared for lower realm masters, and the energy they contain is far less than what these Lifedeath Crystals hold.

Ning Fan stared dazed at the seven crystals, when suddenly, they transformed into streams of light and flew into Ning Fan’s body, settling within his Dantian.

Additionally, a voice sounded in Ning Fan’s mind:

"If future generations can enter the art studio of Fish Map, they are fated with me. Upon refining all seven crystals, one can leave this stone chamber. This is an opportunity, do not underestimate it."

Ning Fan was slightly stunned, wanting to extract the crystals from his Dantian, but could not do it.

He sat cross-legged, attempting to refine the crystals but found it beyond his current realm’s capability to refine them.

To refine the crystals requires first enhancing his cultivation...

If the crystals aren’t refined, he can never leave the stone chamber.

After absorbing the power of Qingyang, now he can stay in the Xuan Yin Treasure for about three months.

Even if relying on the power of the Xuan Yin Treasure to enhance his cultivation, he didn’t know how many years it would take, not something achievable in a short time...

"I did not expect encountering such an unforeseen event during this retrieval..."

Ning Fan’s gaze fell upon the red long dress and the little demoness, continuing, "Fortunately, they are unharmed. I do not want to witness such an illusion again."

"Given there’s no other way to free ourselves, let’s focus on enhancing cultivation here. Ancient God Incense, Dragon Soul Orbs, Dao Crystal, these things should indeed be refined..."

Ning Fan’s figure flickered, entering the Xuan Yin Treasure.

Above the thatched cottage, Luo You had refined half of the Demon God Pill’s medicinal power, recovering to the Fifth Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm.

Ning Fan found a secluded place on the Barren Continent, established a temporary cave dwelling, took out a large number of Dao Crystals, placing them within the cave, though he did not rush to refine these Dao Crystals.

Outside the cave, he set up a furnace, placing the Ancient Golden Sword inside, along with a Xuan Huang Crystal.

Not knowing how many years he’d have to cultivate here, he might as well enhance the cultivation speed of the Ancient Golden Sword.

Let the ancient sword autonomously devour the Xuan Huang Crystal; Ning Fan had no time to attend to the sword.

He entered the temporary cave dwelling, sat cross-legged, and waved his hand to summon some Dao Crystals, beginning to slowly refine them.

Within the cave dwelling, there were a total of 11.10 million Dao Crystals; if all refined, his cultivation would be terrifyingly enhanced... (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)