Grasping the Evil

"You can’t escape!"

The Grey-robed Immortal Emperor said gloomily, raising his finger to point, his fingertip glimmering with grey light, as if a great divine power was about to be unleashed. The formidable aura of a half-step Quasi-Saint was shaking the heavens and sweeping across all directions.

In the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor’s view, the fact that he didn’t subdue Ning Fan in three consecutive moves earlier was merely a result of underestimating him. At this moment, going all out, capturing Ning Fan was, naturally, a matter of certainty.

Under the pointing of the finger light, the surrounding dozens of continents instantly lost their color, and the surrounding scenery was all painted in grey.

In the very moment when the color of heaven and earth changed, the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor seemed to directly replace the Heavenly Dao of the grey world he was in, as if within this grey domain, he was the absolute king!

"This is... the Power of Palm Position!"

Ning Fan’s gaze trembled. It wasn’t the first time he had seen the Palm Position Immortal Emperor; he had even previously seen the Eye Orb Monster, Daoist Wood Pine’s palatial void. But this Grey-robed Immortal Emperor in front of him, who directly altered the color of the surrounding world with the Power of Palm Position, creating a domain exclusive to himself, was a situation Ning Fan was encountering for the first time.

Dangerous, extremely dangerous!

The sense of crisis the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor in front of him brought was no less than the sense of crisis that the presence of Bright Buddha brought him that day.

Considering the aura of this person’s half-step Quasi-Saint status, his identity was becoming apparent...

"Could this person be the Vacant Flame Lord... the strongest among the Sanyan, who is renowned alongside Bright Buddha?!"

"This person’s Power of Palm Position seems somewhat unique, with the trajectory of the Dao being unclear and obscured in grey mist, making it difficult to discern what kind of Dao power it is..."

"Moreover, if this person really is the Vacant Flame Dead Emperor, according to what the Thunder Sparrow Heavenly Dao Soul mentioned earlier, this person’s body should also bear the remnant soul of the Yan Ancestor, ranked second among the Five Great Lowly Honored Ones! There is no mistake; the feeling this Grey-robed Immortal Emperor gives me is already extremely dangerous. His body seems to contain an even more terrifying aura... the powerful aura of a Second-Grade Quasi-Saint!"

"This person is not someone I can defeat!"

In the surrounding grey world, countless grey Palm Position lines suddenly erupted, entwining around Ning Fan’s limbs, fastening the galloping Ning Fan tightly in the air, binding him like a captive.

Ning Fan’s body began to disobey, and even the simplest lift of a finger required tremendous strength. The grey Palm Position lines cut into the flesh, transmitting a faint pain. The Grey-robed Immortal Emperor’s mocking gaze, despite the distance of several continents, locked onto Ning Fan as if watching a struggling ant nearing death.

"I told you, you can’t escape!"

The mocking voice echoed through the heaven and earth, with each reverberation stirring up Ning Fan’s blood and qi.

Ning Fan’s heart sank to the bottom.

Under the bindings of these Palm Position lines, the body-protecting golden light of his God-Extinguishing Shield within him was being suppressed, hard to manifest.

This was indeed the first time he encountered such a situation since acquiring the God-Extinguishing Shield!

The fragment of the God-Extinguishing Shield he possessed was, after all, merely one of the six fragments, not the complete God-Extinguishing Shield.

The power that a single fragment could wield was limited, and moreover, Ning Fan, who wielded this fragment, had not remotely reached the level of an Immortal Emperor. Against an ordinary Immortal Emperor, Ning Fan might still manage to hold his own with the power of the God-Extinguishing Shield, but facing a half-step Quasi-Saint monster, a fragment of the God-Extinguishing Shield was not enough...

This situation could be described as hopeless! But even in despair, so what! Vacant Flame Dead Emperor, so what!

The inexplicable intervention, this account, Ning Fan would remember!

"Manifestation of the Reverse Sea!"

Ning Fan’s body was immobile, so he no longer attempted to break away from the Palm Position lines, but instead, gave a deep shout. With one word of command, sea breezes suddenly blew through the surrounding heaven and earth. Within the salty sea breeze, a water-blue sword light abruptly appeared, imbued with the power of the Severing Dao Divine Sword, giving a sense of the unfathomable.

It was precisely Ning Fan’s Ancient Map Daoist Weapon—the Reverse Sea Sword!

The Sword Control Technique is a basic skill for masters, and it was impossible for Ning Fan not to know it. Since Ning Fan’s physical body was immobilized, this didn’t stop him from controlling the weapon with his spirit sense. However, because the Reverse Sea Sword was too heavy, Ning Fan generally used his physical strength to wield this sword, and being forced to use his spirit sense to control the sword was a first for him.

The Reverse Sea Sword was excessively heavy, and manipulating it with spirit sense required tremendous burden on Ning Fan, but at this moment, he couldn’t care about the burden. Under his spirit sense control, just a few Severing Dao sword lights from the Reverse Sea Sword were enough to cleave all the Palm Position Dao traces binding him, and in the incredulous gaze of the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor, Ning Fan, withstood tremendous Palm Position Power, regained his mobility.

In the instant when he regained his mobility, Ning Fan flipped his hand to summon a strangely shaped black cloud, stepping onto it, his figure shot towards the other side of the sky. In a moment, he fled beyond the range of dozens of continents covered by the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor’s Palm Position Power.

What rapid speed!

For the first time in his life, Ning Fan achieved such a degree of speed relying solely on his own cultivation.

"This boy has many tricks, do not underestimate him! Quickly chase him, do not let this boy escape!" A dissatisfied, old voice promptly emerged from within the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor.

"Rest assured, Great Ancestor Yan, no matter how many tricks this boy has, he’s just an Immortal Venerable. To escape beneath my eyes is pure delusion!"

Despite his words, the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor, deep within, was faintly in shock.

He had even used the Palm Position Power, yet could not restrain a mere junior! The opponent first wielded the Dao Weapon using the Sword Control Technique, then displayed a strange swordsmanship with the Dao Weapon, severing his Palm Position Dao traces!

If such a thing happened among half-step Quasi-Saints of the same level, the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor would not be too surprised. But for a young Immortal Venerable to accomplish it, it was somewhat unacceptable to him.

A mere Immortal Venerable child actually had the ability to resist his Palm Position Power! This matter...

After severing the Palm Position restraint, the opponent directly chose to ride the Immortal Clouds to escape. Who knows what Immortal Cloud this child was using, his speed was simply inconceivable, as he leapt directly beyond the interference region of the Palm Position Power!

It was a distance spanning numerous continents!

Even ordinary True Immortals would need several months to traverse these continents, yet this child managed to cross such a distance in a single leap!

Hmm! Quite capable!

The Grey-robed Immortal Emperor narrowed his eyes, determined the direction Ning Fan was escaping, and with a shake of his body, transformed into a grey light that pierced through the heavens, pursuing Ning Fan’s path.

His Escape Technique has always been his advantage, giving him considerable confidence in chasing Ning Fan!

He was beneath the Great Humble Five Honored Ones, the fastest practitioner of the Dabei Clan!

With a single leap, he could similarly fly over fifty to sixty Fiendish Domain continents, not much slower than the terrifying speed Ning Fan just exhibited!

Getting closer! Getting closer! Closer!

The distance between the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor and Ning Fan continually decreased; initially, they were separated by sixty to seventy continents. After a stick of incense’s time, they were only separated by forty to fifty continents.

The Grey-robed Immortal Emperor formed a spirit sense with his fingers, causing his speed to increase slightly once more. Half a stick of incense later, there were only sixteen to seventeen continents between him and Ning Fan.

Seeing that he would soon catch up with Ning Fan and capture him, suddenly, Ning Fan’s speed inexplicably surged as well!

Gradually, Ning Fan’s speed matched that of the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor.

Gradually, Ning Fan’s speed began to surpass that of the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor, and the distance between them started to increase!

Twenty-seven continents...

Forty-nine continents...

Sixty-six continents...

Ninety-one continents...

One hundred and forty-seven continents...

After chasing for half an hour, the distance between the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor and Ning Fan extended beyond three hundred continents!

Another half an hour of pursuit, and Ning Fan was completely out of his spirit sense’s range, entirely losing track...

The Grey-robed Immortal Emperor’s face was so gloomy it could drip water.

After losing Ning Fan, he searched around for a long time but could not find any trace of Ning Fan, completely unable to determine which direction Ning Fan had fled.

Reluctantly, he had to admit that as the Vacant Flame Dead Emperor, he had lost track chasing after an external cultivator of mere Immortal Venerable cultivation...

The Fiendish Domain was vast and sparsely populated, with countless low-level and mid-level continents numbering in the millions. Ning Fan had already escaped his spirit sense lock, and now, as long as he hid within those endless continents and shielded himself from causality perception, he would never be able to find Ning Fan’s whereabouts.

No matter how supernatural his methods were, he could not accomplish finding a needle in a haystack!

"Hmm! To be outrun by a mere Immortal Venerable child! Your cultivation must have gone to the dogs!" the elderly voice inside the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor angrily scolded.

Accustomed to a high position, the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor was displeased to be insulted, yet he dared not retaliate against the elder, instead calmly saying,

"This child’s escape speed was simply unimaginable; with Great Ancestor Yan’s eye, it’s impossible not to see that the rapid increase in speed at the last moment of the youth was not much slower than that of a true first-order Quasi-Saint! Not only was I unable to catch up with him, even if a true first-order Quasi-Saint were to pursue him, it is doubtful that they could capture this child. That must have been a world-rare flying escape-type Innate Treasure. This child’s methods are entirely unlike those of an Immortal Venerable child. I suspect that this child is also akin to a Transmigration Spiritual Body, possessing the attachment of some Quasi-Saint Monster..."

"Failing is failing; do not make excuses! As Saint’s Evil Corpse, my eyes will absolutely not be mistaken; this child has not lost his original self and is not some Transmigration Spiritual Body! He is different from you!" the old voice snorted coldly and said.

"Not a Transmigration Spiritual Body, yet possessing such a myriad of means..." the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor’s expression darkened, then he asked, "Based on the elder’s perception, is it possible this child carries the Ancient Kingdom Two Formation?"

"It cannot be ruled out, but the possibility isn’t high. The Ancient Kingdom Two Formation is an absolute secret, even I have only seen Elder Nan Yao use the Ancient Kingdom Trade Formation, and I don’t understand its specific structure. How likely is it for a mere external Immortal Venerable cultivator to know such a great secret of heaven and earth? Judging from the formation fluctuations he triggered, this child was likely only researching the Ancient Kingdom Two Formation. Hmph! Overlook within my clan are many old things secretly researching the Ancient Kingdom Two Formation, but how many can actually produce results? Not this child! On the other hand, some kind of power on this child intrigues me quite a bit... Forget it, I was just passing by, felt the sensation, and came here to check. Since this child has run away, there’s no need to pursue further. If I haven’t sensed incorrectly, the next few days you and I might be busy. Just now, that madwoman slumbering in the Corpse Bone Mountain Range, for some unknown reason, has shown signs of awakening again! You and I must immediately return to Vacant Flame, go to the Corpse Bone Mountain Range to strengthen the seal. If delayed, and that madwoman awakens, you should understand the consequences!"

"What! The White Bone Lady is about to awaken again; how many years has it been since the last awakening?"

When mentioning the White Bone Lady, a trace of fear was almost imperceptibly visible in the eyes of the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor. Such an expression appearing on the face of such an existence was truly uncanny.

"Immediately return to Vacant Flame!"

"... Yes."

...

On a certain desolate continent, Ning Fan reclaimed the Wuxian Cloud, landing on the ground, his mana exhausted.

After a difficult escape, he finally evaded the Grey-robed Immortal Emperor’s pursuit, leaving the man behind.

After escaping, even Ning Fan himself found it somewhat unbelievable, never having expected that he could actually succeed in fleeing this time.

After all, if his guess was correct, the opponent was indeed the mightiest of the Three Flames, possessed by the second-ranked supreme of the Five Great Supremes.

A presence even more dangerous than the Bright Buddha!

While the Emperor Butcher had been captured while facing the Bright Buddha, Ning Fan managed to escape the Death Emperor. Does this not mean, purely in terms of escapability, Ning Fan currently exceeds the Emperor Butcher?

Heh heh...

Having a strong ability to flee is hardly something to be proud of... After all, running away is, in essence, a form of disgrace. Yet, reality is so helpless, under the overwhelming power of the opponent, Ning Fan can only choose to temporarily avoid the danger...

For other Eternal Immortal Venerables, escaping from the hands of a dignified half-step Quasi-Saint would surely be a source of pride, marking this as one of life’s most glorious achievements.

Such feats are not uncommon in the cultivation world. Instances such as a Crossing Truth Realm Master withstanding a move from a Shekong Cultivator, a Shekong Cultivator escaping relentless pursuit from a Thought-Shattering Cultivator, or a Thought-Shattering Cultivator managing to nick a piece of the robe of an Eternal Immortal Venerable...

Many would boast about these feats beyond their level.

But Ning Fan would only feel dissatisfied, and... angry!

Ning Fan’s gaze turned cold as he was inexplicably pursued by the Death Emperor, which would surely rouse some anger in anyone.

Recalling the scenes after encountering the Death Emperor, Ning Fan could judge that the Death Emperor’s sudden appearance was likely just a coincidence.

The opponent seemed to have followed the Ancient Kingdom Two Formation’s signal to investigate...

"When I set up the Ancient Kingdom Trading Array, I clearly established auxiliary formations around to isolate the array’s fluctuations, yet it still attracted others’ prying... The opponent seems to have some special means to specifically sense the Ancient Kingdom Two Formation."

"However, during my first setup of the Ancient Kingdom Two Formation, the opponent did not appear. This time, they did. This sensing method should not be absolutely effective but has certain limitations. These limitations might be related to timing and geographical advantages... Geographical advantage being the distance; the closer one is to the target, the more intense the sensing. Timing involves wind... During my last array setup, the wind was chaotic and confusing; today, the wind is calm and clear for deduction..."

Ning Fan muttered to himself, recalling the words Chongming Phoenix Emperor had once said to him.

"The will of heaven is like the wind, formless and bodiless, without trace, rootless as duckweed, but even the wind, has sound. There are places that can be pondered."

"The wind arises silently, sounds arise when it meets objects; the larger the object, the greater the sound, the smaller the object, the smaller the sound. With resistance, there is conflict; without resistance, silence ensues, responded to calmly, this is wind chime."

The term ’wind chime’ is the essence of all worldly deductions...

Those ancient beings proficient in deducing the ways of heaven often could hear the winds from all things.

Not the literal winds of nature, but... the sound of the Heavenly Dao operating!

Ning Fan consumed a few expensive pills, sitting cross-legged on the ground, refining their power, recovering nearly depleted mana.

His eyes slowly closed.

At this moment, the desolate continent where Ning Fan sat cross-legged to recover was a desert continent, with windstorms around him being quite fierce and loud.

But the wind Ning Fan wanted to listen to was not that kind, his mind set in meditation; gradually, the surroundings grew quieter, completely void of the desert storm’s sounds.

Gradually, in Ning Fan’s ears... came the sound of wind rubbing against the great Dao of heaven and earth.

That was the sound of the Heavenly Dao operating.

The sound that Ning Fan could barely hear... For, after receiving guidance from Chongming Phoenix Emperor, he had only just begun to learn the art of deduction.

This little deduction skill cannot unearth the more secretive matters of the world, nor those related to great cultivators.

At this moment, Ning Fan was not deducing but confirming his suspicions.

Indeed, today the Heavenly Dao was exceptionally calm, under such conditions, cultivators adept in deduction could deduce more accurately.

It seems that using the Ancient Kingdom Trading Array should not have been conducted on such a calm and sunny day...

Had it been set up on a day with chaotic winds and a tumultuous Heavenly Dao, or in areas further from the Tenth-grade Fierce Realm Continent, the Death Emperor might not have sensed it...

Today’s events serve as a lesson. Next time I set up a formation, I need to carefully choose the time and place...

After a while, Ning Fan finally restored his Mana to a full state, exhaling a deep breath as he stood up.

Being chased by the Death Emperor this time was a lesson for him. The only thing that delighted him was that the power of the Wuxian Cloud was even stronger than he had imagined.

This was the first time he used the cloud after purchasing it, and the effect was remarkable!

By relying on the speed advantage of this cloud, he managed to shake off the Death Emperor!

"Without this cloud’s boost, my speed could at most compare to that of a First-Level Immortal King. Using this cloud, I could actually escape from the hands of a Half-Step Quasi-Saint! This Wuxian Cloud, originally priced at three hundred taels of Heavenly Dao Gold, indeed lives up to its expensive reputation!"

"This time, I managed to shake off the Death Emperor with this cloud. Next time, can I also use this cloud to leave the Bright Buddha behind... With this cloud, I finally have some confidence to venture into the execution grounds."

"It’s a pity that it was my first time using this cloud, and my cloud-handling technique is still a bit crude; there’s room for improvement. Otherwise, the speed at which I control the cloud could be even faster!"

"But, it’s still not enough. Right now, facing the likes of the Death Emperor and the Bright Buddha, I find myself powerless to resist, and even the God-Extinguishing Shield falls short in defense... It’s not that the shield isn’t strong, but rather, the person using it is too weak..."

Ning Fan gently touched the bloodhole in the middle of his brow, the gray Palm Position Path traces above the bloodhole had already been severed by Ning Fan using the power of the Severing Dao Divine Sword. The wound was gradually regenerating under Ning Fan’s strong physical recovery ability.

Before long, the wound healed completely without leaving a trace of a scar.

However, Ning Fan felt a sense of caution growing in his heart.

The scene of the Death Emperor piercing through the defense of his God-Extinguishing Shield with one finger, and leaving a bloodhole on his brow was still fresh in his memory, hard to erase.

On that day, when the Eye Orb Monster used the God-Extinguishing Shield, it was enough to stand against the ancient cultivator Yin Mo, yet he couldn’t fully defend against an attack from even a Half-Step Quasi-Saint...

"With the Wuxian Cloud, I now have a more comprehensive plan for rescuing the Emperor Butcher... The only thing missing is the power to push this plan forward..."

"First, I need to break through the limitations of the Shekong Heart Tribulation in a short time, allowing my Divine and Demon cultivations to fully step into the Shattered Thought Realm! If the Divine Demon cultivation can all step into the Shattered Thought Realm, my four bloodlines might undergo a qualitative transformation of millions of streams converging into a sea..."

After much consideration, Ning Fan did not waste the Saint’s Will in the Pig Face Treasure Box to accelerate the refinement of medicinal power. Instead, after a brief rest, his figure flickered, entering the Xuan Yin Treasure, and used a Millennium Age Tower.

When he emerged from the Xuan Yin Treasure, there were still 23 Millennium Age Towers left.

Ning Fan’s Medicine Soul level was forcibly raised to Nine Revolutions Silver Pill under the accumulation of countless natural treasures, though it left his Medicine Soul rather unstable, requiring a large quantity of Alchemy to solidify it.

He also delved into the Pig Face Treasure Box, gaining more understanding and gradually acquiring some insights on its usage.

This item could become another major reliance for him when facing strong enemies in the future!

Now that the Medicine Soul has been forcibly raised to the Nine Revolutions Silver Pill level under the accumulation of many natural treasures, it’s enough to refine the Heart Inquiry Pill.

The refinement of the Heart Inquiry Pill has several requirements: First, it requires a Medicine Soul of Nine Revolutions Silver Pill grading; Second, it requires the Alchemist to have experienced at least one Shekong Heart Tribulation; Third, it must be refined in a dried-up ancient sea.

There is no shortage of herbs, the only thing missing is finding a dried-up ancient sea to refine the Heart Inquiry Pill.

[Several times the Eastern Sea turned to mulberry fields, yet the South Sea withered into purple bamboo. No one buried the mulberry fields, the purple bamboo stone fish had its heart withered.]

These are the words written in the dan refinement by the ancient cultivator who created the Heart Inquiry Pill.

From the literal meaning, the refinement of the Heart Inquiry Pill requires finding a dried-up ancient sea, seemingly to borrow the ambiance of such historical changes to refine the pill.

In the cultivation world, years mean little; even the most expansive sea might dry up one day, sea lands turning into mountains, deserts submerging into the sea... changing with time and shifting stars.

Ning Fan felt he was coming to understand the concept behind the Heart Inquiry Pill.

Finding a dried-up ancient sea wouldn’t be too difficult, Ning Fan directly took out the Treasure-searching Compass, thinking in his heart about the dried-up ancient sea, reciting the incantation aloud.

Soon, fourteen light spots appeared on the Treasure-searching Compass, indicating places within the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain where ancient seas once existed.

Ning Fan took out the Dabei Map for comparison.

Meanwhile, six light spots were located in Seventh-Level and above Fierce Domain Continents, entering those areas required special means to break through the Seventh-Level Fierce Domain barrier, which Ning Fan couldn’t access, nor did he plan to go there for the time being.

Eight light spots were distributed in the Dabei Grassland outside the Fierce Domain, with the largest light spot located on the Gulang Grassland.

Gulang Grassland is a place where Medicine Soul Stones circulate, and gold and silver currency is rare. Thus, Ning Fan did not go to this grassland when he previously stole Dabei’s gold and silver.

Now it seems, he must make a trip to the Gulang Grassland.

Ning Fan called upon the Ghost Eye Clan, stepping on the Wuxian Cloud, and an hour later, flew to the border of a Third-Level Danger Zone and the Gulang Grassland.

Arriving here, Ning Fan did not continue using the Wuxian Cloud but instead stored it away and quietly entered the prairie.

The noise of the Wuxian Cloud was too loud, and Ning Fan worried it might alert the local cultivators.

The Ancient Sea Prairie was unlike other prairies; it wasn’t just an ordinary prairie as every mountain was covered in purple bamboo, forming a lush forest.

Following the compass’s guidance, Ning Fan made his way to the center of this prairie, which was once the center of the ancient sea.

A large tribe bustling with cattle, sheep, and travelers was established at the heart of this ancient sea.

When Ning Fan arrived with his ghost mask and silver hair, the patrolling cultivators of the tribe were a bit surprised.

Astonished at Ning Fan’s ghost mask and silver hair appearance.

After arriving here, Ning Fan no longer wore the eye-catching foreign cultivator attire but changed into the common nomadic clothing of the Dabei Prairie.

Therefore, based on attire alone, ordinary people wouldn’t associate him with foreign cultivators or Holy Mountain Tomb Guardians.

What these patrolling cultivators were concerned about was Ning Fan’s secretive behavior.

Intentionally wearing a mask to cover his appearance, along with eye-catching silver hair, could it be...

Is the silver hair because of premature graying?

Does he wear a mask because he thinks he’s too ugly to show his real face?

The limited intelligence of these patrolling cultivators immediately filled in the reason for Ning Fan’s ghost mask and silver hair.

Some patrolling cultivators even directly addressed Ning Fan as "ugly man" in their conversation.

"Ugly man? Is this your first time at our Sea Witch Tribe? Are you here to buy our unique fossilized fish? Do you need a guide introduced by me?"

"..." Ning Fan, referred to as the ugly man.

"Ugly brother, I’m a hawker selling hair oil from the Sea Witch Tribe. With my hair oil, your white hair can instantly turn black. It’s twenty stone coins per bottle, want to buy one?"

"..." Ning Fan, being marketed hair dye and called ugly brother.

"Ugly young master..."

"Ugly elder brother..."

"Ugly Big Man..."

"Eh, you’re not surnamed Ugly? I thought everyone called you that, so I assumed your last name was Ugly..."

Haha, can’t seem to break away from the word ugly, huh...

Who said those who wear masks are ugly... Ning Fan found this logic hard to understand.

Regarding his own appearance, Ning Fan didn’t really mind much.

But being privately imagined as an ugly man by a group of low IQ Dabei people was somewhat speechless.

He even regretted wearing the ghost mask upon arriving here...

But he had to wear the ghost mask because it was an innate item that could help Ning Fan conceal his aura.

Who knows, after arriving here, if he might encounter another Immortal Emperor like before?

The third round of the Tomb-Snatching Battle seemed to be ongoing with great fervor. Of course, the third round of the Tomb-Snatching Battle was no longer relevant to Ning Fan.

The tomb that opens once a millennium on the Holy Mountain had long since fully opened. Many honored Immortals, Immortal Kings, and Immortal Emperors who were diligently cultivating on the Holy Mountain have emerged into the outside world.

Occasionally, the escape light of an eternal cultivator would whistle past from the sky. This kind of ancient escape light used to appear only once every few months, but after the tomb opened, it could be seen more than a dozen times in a single day.

The Dabei Tribe is now in a special period with the tomb opening, filled with countless powerful figures, forcing one to be more cautious in action.

Ning Fan did not expect the ancient sea center of the Gulang Grassland to be the location of the Sea Witch Tribe.

The Sea Witch Tribe was not unfamiliar to Ning Fan, as he had several interactions with the witch of the Sea Witch Tribe...

It seems the Sea Witch Tribe witch still owed him a favor that hasn’t been repaid.

[If Brother Ning helps me out of this predicament today, it will count as me owing Brother Ning a favor. When Brother Ning comes to my Sea Witch Tribe in the future, be it coveting some precious treasure of mine or seeking my assistance, I will not refuse Brother Ning’s request. I pledge with a Restrictive Spell that I will never break this promise!]

Ning Fan recalled the scene when Wuxx Yan made a Restrictive Spell vow.

He never loses out, and since Wuxx Yan owed him a compensation yet to be given, he will naturally use this compensation when necessary.

However, at this moment, Ning Fan hadn’t decided what request to make of Wuxx Yan.

The task he had at hand wasn’t something Wuxx Yan could assist with...

"Back then, I was framed by the Thunder Sound Lineage and didn’t get the reward for the second round, but Wuxx Yan should have obtained it. I wonder if she handed all the South Sea Spring Water to the Baihua Great Emperor or kept some for personal use... If so, I could ask her for some South Sea Spring Water. Not to fulfill the promise to the Baihua Great Emperor, but to bring some back for the use of the Slaughter Emperor and Master Luangu..."

"Baihua..."

Recalling the scene where the Baihua Great Emperor publicly broke the agreement and attacked him, a cold glint appeared in Ning Fan’s eyes.

When the situation turned, the Baihua Great Emperor immediately betrayed their alliance and attacked him, even attempting to take Nuan’er and Burying Moon hostage to threaten him...

Ha, if it wasn’t to handle business for the Baihua Great Emperor, why would he bother with such trouble and join the Tomb-Snatching Battle?

In the end, the Baihua Great Emperor betrayed trust, was the first to attack him, and even targeted Nuan’er and others!

The score will be settled eventually!

Collecting his thoughts, Ning Fan spent some Medicine Soul Stones to rent a tent in the Sea Witch Tribe’s market to settle down.

He had no leisure to wander around the market aimlessly.

Nor did he immediately rush to find the witch of the Sea Witch Tribe.

Inside the tent, Ning Fan released the Medicine Soul of his Nine Revolutions Silver Grade, forming a medicine cauldron, then breathed out black magic fire and directly began refining the Heart Inquiry Pill.

His Medicine Soul was unrealized, his experience in refining Nine Revolutions Pills lacked... These were unfavorable factors that would greatly reduce the success rate of pill refining, but Ning Fan didn’t care.

Refining a Nine Revolutions Silver Pill required consuming a large amount of time; a gentle fire had a higher success rate, but a furnace might take hundreds of years to complete. Most Ninth Revolution Pill Refinement Masters would often have their disciples watch the furnace and use a long gentle fire to refine the pills.

Martial fire, or intense fire, had a lower success rate but a quick pill completion time. Ning Fan’s black magic fire was of a high level, and when fully unleashed, refining Heart Inquiry Pill wouldn’t take too long, though the success rate would plummet to an alarming degree.

Fortunately, Ning Fan had plenty of money and directly bought a thousand sets of ingredients for Heart Inquiry Pill.

Not fearing failure, nor worrying about the success rate.

He only wanted to refine the Heart Inquiry Pill as quickly as possible, to directly cross the Shekong Heart Tribulation and enhance his strength once more!

The first furnace failed...

The second furnace failed...

The third furnace failed...

...

By the end of the first day, Ning Fan had failed forty-two furnaces of ingredients in total, and the tent he was staying in constantly echoed with the sound of pill refining explosions, making some neighboring travelers have a new impression of this ugly man, Ning Fan.

Not only was his appearance lacking, but his pill-refining skills were also incredibly trashy...

Otherwise, how could he fail forty-four furnaces of ingredients in one day... Everyone in the Dabei Clan is a pill refiner, but even the most incompetent pill refiner wouldn’t fail as consistently.

On the second day, Ning Fan failed fifty-three furnaces of ingredients.

The consecutive two days of cauldron explosion noises made Ning Fan’s reputation for being a poor pill refiner a laughing stock among the surrounding travelers.

On the third day, Ning Fan continued to fail consistently...

Fourth day, fifth day, sixth day.

The continuous pill refining for six days slightly consolidated Ning Fan’s initially unrealized Medicine Soul.

He summarized a lot of insights from refining the Nine Revolutions Pills.

And gained extensive experience in refining the Heart Inquiry Pill.

But he still kept failing...

It wasn’t a problem of technique; no matter how poor the technique is, it shouldn’t fail hundreds of times without success.

On the seventh day, Ning Fan stopped refining pills.

He faintly felt that even if he made thousands of attempts, if he couldn’t find the key to refining the Heart Inquiry Pill, all efforts would end in failure.

This isn’t simply a matter that can be solved by spending money...

He decided to think carefully about the key to the Heart Inquiry Pill.

Still avoiding aimless wandering, Ning Fan stayed in the tent for meditation and reflection.

On the eighth day, Ning Fan did not step outside.

Ninth day...

Tenth day...

On the eleventh day, suddenly a small hand lifted Ning Fan’s tent flap.

"Big brother, buy, buy, buy the stone fish fossil..."

A timid voice was speaking outside the tent door, holding a small bamboo basket and inquiring.

Ning Fan immediately interrupted his meditation, opened his eyes, and his expression turned somewhat cold.

He should have informed the tent’s owner not to let anyone disturb him while he cultivated.

This little girl selling fossils dared to intrude into his tent.

Luckily, Ning Fan was only meditating these days and wasn’t refining pills.

If he were refining crucial Nine Revolutions Elixirs at that moment, being disturbed by a little girl like this could cause the Dan Fragmentation Cauldron to explode, potentially injuring Ning Fan severely.

Given such a situation, Ning Fan wouldn’t treat those intruding into his tent kindly.

He had also set up some secretive formations near the tent.

Though mindful of the fact that this land belongs to the Sea Witch Sect and dared not set the formations’ level too high to avoid attracting attention, the formations Ning Fan casually laid were impressive.

Those below the True Immortal realm can’t enter his tent.

Is this little girl with radish-like appearance possibly a True Immortal?

No, that’s not right...

This little girl is only at the first step of cultivation, but the pendant on her neck is extraordinary.

It seems a character at the level of Eternal Immortal Venerable made her a protective magic artifact, its power isn’t tremendous but can ignore True Immortal level formations.

"I won’t buy your stone fish fossil. You should leave."

Ning Fan’s tone was originally indifferent, but noticing the little girl’s tattered clothes, his eyebrows relaxed, and his tone softened.

Probably a child from a poor family, forced by circumstance, bravely intruding into his tent to sell fossils. Given his own bone age of sixty thousand years, there’s no need to quarrel with a girl of eleven or twelve...

"Ugly brother, just buy one, just one. Others sell their stone fish fossil for several stone currencies each, but mine is just one stone currency..." The little girl was almost in tears, frightened by Ning Fan’s icy aura, yet relentlessly trying to sell to him.

"I don’t need this." The so-called ugly brother, Ning Fan’s mouth twitched under the mask.

"Ugly brother, buy one, just one, would you?"

"I don’t..."

"Ugly brother..."

"..."

"Ugly brother, please. You are a good person."

"..." Being spontaneously awarded the good person card, Ning Fan felt a bit of a headache.

In fact, he could easily use his cultivation to drive away this pestering little girl.

However, since cultivating, he never randomly acted against innocent people. With a slight sigh, he finally gave in.

"Alright, I’ll buy one stone fish fossil. However, I don’t have stone currency, only Medicine Soul Stones. Do you accept Medicine Soul Stones?"

A Medicine Soul Stone is approximately equivalent to a stone currency in value, though considering processing fees, its value is slightly lower than stone currency.

If using Medicine Soul Stones instead of stone currency, the little girl would earn slightly less.

"Yes, definitely." The little girl was relieved at finally making a sale, not caring about the value difference, nodding eagerly like a chicken pecking rice, fearing Ning Fan might retract and not buy her fossil. Her gaze towards Ning Fan was no longer full of initial fear.

Eventually, the transaction was successful.

Ning Fan lost one Medicine Soul Stone and gained one stone fish fossil.

"Now that you’ve sold your fossil, you can leave." Ning Fan took a sip of the mare’s milk tea on the table, offering refreshment to guests.

The little girl still appeared quite enthusiastic.

"Thank you, big brother! You are my first customer this month. Others dared not buy my fossil... Big brother, you truly are a good person. My name is Wuxx Na... what’s your name, big brother?"

"..." Ning Fan paused his teacup, frowned slightly.

No one else dared buy the little girl’s fossil?

And he did?

Could he be caught up in some strange trouble again...

Wuxx Na misunderstood Ning Fan’s silence as unwillingness to disclose his name. She bit her lip politely bid farewell to Ning Fan before leaving.

Ning Fan, before Wuxx Na left, secretly launched the Mind Reading Technique.

He immediately saw the little girl’s thought before departure from deep in her heart.

[My sister got involved with that person and was taken away... The jail head said it would take a hundred stone currencies to visit, Wuxx Na earned one stone currency today, Wuxx Na previously saved twenty-six stone currencies, still short of seventy-seven...]

[Nobody dares to buy my things, fearing being implicated...]

[Ugly brother is truly a good person, but I don’t know his name...]

[Ugly brother is a good person, why doesn’t he tell me his name..?]

[How ugly can ugly brother be, his alchemy is said to be poor... Poor guy... someone worse than me in alchemy...]

The little girl’s mind was quite simple.

Mind Reading Technique observes people’s thoughts but not their memories, so Ning Fan could only extract these from the girl’s deep thoughts.

Aside from knowing some trouble seems to exist with this little girl, he received one good person card after another.

The power of rumors is frightening.

It seems that in the Sea Witch Sect’s marketplace, word of his ugly face and poor dan refinement skills has spread widely...

Forget it.

No matter what troubles the little girl holds, could it be worse than the troubles he’s facing now?

He’s being hunted by the entire Dabei, even if the little girl has some troubles in the Sea Witch Sect, it shouldn’t be too severe.

Just buying one stone fish fossil, what disaster could it bring...

Ning Fan shook his head, intending to set aside the stone fish fossil and resume meditation.

Suddenly, his hand stalled in mid-air, eyes intensely fixed on the stone fish fossil.

For reasons unknown, as he carefully inspected this stone fish fossil, he seemed to discover some missing elements within his Heart Inquiry Pill refinement...

The fish fossil, it harbors a sort of dao insight...

That dao insight, is called transformation...