Grasping the Evil

Unfortunately, trying to find the whereabouts of two intruders in a vast mountain range with countless forks and dangers at every step is not an easy task.

Stone Master, with a confident demeanor, led thousands of people in pursuit of Ning Fan and his companion, but after chasing through several mountains, they completely lost track of them.

A seemingly unstoppable chase ended in vain.

...

With Long Sanchui guiding the way, Ning Fan easily evaded the pursuit of Stone Master and his group.

Long Sanchui was indeed very familiar with the geography of the Bone Mountain Range and was able to lead Ning Fan through without trouble, avoiding many mazes, forks, and territories of fierce beasts, greatly reducing travel time and moving quickly.

Though "quick" is relative to the usual arduous travels within the Bone Mountain Range.

Even with Long Sanchui as a guide, Ning Fan could not dash swiftly through the mountains. Evading Stone Master and his men, however, was achievable.

Within the mountain range, ancient trees towered into the sky.

These ancient trees stretched endlessly, having withered for countless millennia. The smallest needed a hundred people to embrace; the larger ones each took up several acres.

The growth of these ancient trees followed a hidden pattern, forming diverging paths between them. Each path was dragon-shaped and winding, connecting numerous detours, seemingly like ten thousand dragons coiling. Ordinary people might not perceive it, but Ning Fan, having mastered the Momentum Character Secret, felt overwhelming power upon seeing this layout.

And from this complex geographic layout, he sensed a perilous presence, causing his hair to stand on end involuntarily.

His instincts were never wrong! This Bone Mountain Range was a place of great danger!

Every grass and tree within this range seemed ordinary, but none could be disturbed carelessly.

Ning Fan’s gaze was extremely grave.

Just moments ago, he accidentally touched one of the ancient trees here, instantly triggering a minute change in the power of the place.

Immediately, countless gray sword threads, as fine as a woman’s long hair, shot out from the tree, the power from which sent Ning Fan and Long Sanchui flying!

Ning Fan, having been on guard, promptly activated the God-Slaying Giant’s Yang blood rust, instantly transforming into the complete form of the God-Slaying Giant. Although blown away by the gray sword threads, he remained uninjured.

Long Sanchui was much worse off; he managed to defend himself with black dragon scales at the critical moment, yet he was still bloodied and injured.

Amusingly, as Long Sanchui was sent flying, vomiting blood, he didn’t forget his duty as a Nightmare Dragon veteran, intending to protect Ning Fan with all his heart.

His massive black dragon wings spread open, shielding Ning Fan, wiping the blood from his mouth, he turned his head, gave a thumbs up, a bright smile flashing with his brilliant teeth, looking overly passionate.

"Be careful, little friend! Don’t touch any grass or trees here, come under my dragon wings, let me protect you! Don’t be afraid, and don’t panic, as long as I’m here..."

But upon turning back, Long Sanchui saw Ning Fan unharmed, the God-Slaying Giant form dissipated.

After one strike, the gray sword threads dispersed.

Suddenly, a few crows flew by in the ancient forest...

Awkward.

Nothing but awkward.

Long Sanchui, full of senior airs, never expected that even he, a Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor, was injured by the sword threads here, while Ning Fan was completely unharmed...

Ning Fan suddenly found it amusing.

This Long Sanchui seemed to be quite a character, his thinking seemed somewhat dull. Though most beast cultivators tend to be somewhat straightforward, the extent of this old fellow’s straightforwardness seemed a bit beyond normal limits.

The more you talk to him, you find that he’s purely an idiot.

But for some reason, compared to traveling with those deeply scheming old monsters, Ning Fan quite enjoyed accompanying this fool, at least he didn’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back.

With his ability to communicate with all things, he could easily obtain such information, affirming that Long Sanchui’s passionate foolishness was not an act.

Long Sanchui’s clothes: "I am the clothes, the clothes! Master is an idiot, an idiot!"

Long Sanchui’s shoes: "I am the shoes! I am the shoes! Master is an idiot, an idiot!"

Long Sanchui’s eye gunk: "I am the eye gunk! Eye gunk! Master is an idiot, an idiot!"

Long Sanchui’s...

In short, this was a somewhat pitiful Nightmare Dragon Immortal Emperor, even his bodily "pieces" mocked him for being an idiot...

If it weren’t for such convenient intelligence abilities, Ning Fan would never have easily trusted someone like Long Sanchui, whom he had just met.

Ning Fan raised a hand, tossing a bottle of expensive pills to Long Sanchui, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

Long Sanchui caught the pills, his spirit sense scanned them, and he was suddenly stunned, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Nine-Turn Emperor Elixir! Little friend, you’re so generous, giving away such a high-level healing pill casually! I’m truly touched!"

"...Take it and heal. I’ll stand guard for you. After all, it was me recklessly touching an ancient tree here that triggered this sword thread attack, getting you injured. Compensating you with some pills is only right." Ning Fan said lightly.

"Great kindness requires no thanks! Meeting is fate; from today on, I, Long, recognize you as a friend from the heart. If you have any requests, through fire and water, I, Long, will not refuse!"

Long Sanchui laughed heartily, sat down cross-legged, and refined the pills.

The momentary hearty laughter suddenly brought Ning Fan a feeling of inexplicable familiarity.

Familiar yet unfamiliar.

Refining the power of the expensive pills for healing requires some time.

Initially, Long Sanchui was focused on healing, but later he got a bit bored and started chatting with Ning Fan without much to say.

Unlike Long Sanchui who had a tendency to chatter, Ning Fan was not a talkative person. In Long Sanchui’s eyes, he was the type who wouldn’t utter a word even if poked, extremely uninteresting.

Eventually, Long Sanchui had to give up trying to make conversation with Ning Fan and instead licked his lips and asked.

"Got any wine?"

His addiction to wine was showing.

"...You’re an Immortal Emperor, don’t you have Spiritual Wine?" Ning Fan was speechless.

"Hey! Don’t sweat the small stuff. Frankly speaking, my own wine, haha, I finished it long ago. I finally saw a fellow, so, so..."

"...So you traveled with me just to trick me out of some wine?" Ning Fan felt a headache coming on.

"Haha, you can’t say that. It’s not that I must drink wine; I just feel a sense of familiarity with you, as if this isn’t our first meeting. It makes me more inclined to share a drink with you. Meeting by chance among cultivators, having shared interests, if we can’t sit on a high tower and drink a real good wine, it would be a bit regrettable."

"..."

Ning Fan fell into a slight silence.

A sense of familiarity...

He seemed to also have a peculiar feeling, familiar yet unfamiliar with Long Sanchui.

And Long Sanchui’s words, for unknown reasons, gave him a sense of familiarity as if he had heard similar words somewhere else.

Now he remembered...

Back then, he first assumed the name Lu Bei, to fulfill a request from the Honorable Demon General Lu Daochen, to rescue a Heavenly Court general—Lu Wu.

Before Lu Wu disappeared, he seemed to have said similar words.

[Thank you, thank you! I am entering reincarnation again! Thank you!]

[A promise kept, a task fulfilled, nothing more. The elder need not thank me. To send one on their journey, without wine, would be a regret!]

[Well said! Well said about sending one on their journey! All fear death, all dread reincarnation, yet you liken death to a journey! Such gallantry, I cannot match; I will drink this wine, and if in the next cycle of reincarnation we meet by chance, I will sit with you on a high tower and drink a real good wine!]

Sitting with you on a high tower, drinking real good wine...

Ning Fan suddenly felt a spiritual shock, an abrupt insight, and probed into Long Sanchui.

Upon probing, his gaze flickered in astonishment, seeming to validate something, but there was also something inexplicable, unfathomable mixed within.

This somewhat foolish, somewhat righteous, somewhat gallant Long Sanchui seemed to be the Lu Wu he had a promise to drink wine with...

If you carefully discern the aura of the two, due to the changes of reincarnation, their auras are significantly different, but within that difference, there remains...an innate trait that reincarnation cannot erase.

Could Long Sanchui indeed be Lu Wu’s next life? Is this feeling of familiarity merely a fulfillment of an unrealized promise to drink?

However, there are aspects that don’t add up.

Lu Wu has just entered reincarnation for a mere few years...

Long Sanchui’s bone age clearly indicates he lived from ancient times to the present as a Great Emperor.

It’s impossible for him to be a reincarnation.

So, could the aura resembling Lu Wu just be, an illusion...

Or perhaps reincarnation is something beyond the grasp of regular time logic...

Ning Fan’s eyes flickered with azure spikes, feeling confused, his insights into reincarnation surging within his mind.

Two voices in his mind argued whether Long Sanchui was Lu Wu, one voice insisting that the feeling couldn’t be wrong, while the other constantly using time logic to refute the idea.

For a long, long time...

Ning Fan finally returned to a composed expression, exhaling deeply.

He couldn’t understand.

Couldn’t see clearly.

Reincarnation, it turns out, is a profoundly perplexing matter.

If immersed within, using one’s time logic to comprehend, it seems...tough to see the truth.

Unable to understand, Ning Fan decided not to dwell on it further, he simply tapped his storage pouch, took out two jars of Spiritual Wine, tossed one to Long Sanchui, and after breaking the clay seal, gulped it down.

As if wanting to drink all the inner confusion into his belly, tossing it behind.

Long Sanchui was first taken aback, then laughed heartily, similarly breaking the seal and drank eagerly.

After drinking, the two exchanged no more words, Long Sanchui soon refined the medicinal power and returned to his peak state.

However, something had indeed changed.

Previously, Long Sanchui traveled with Ning Fan out of a sense of goodwill for protecting a kin of the younger generation.

As for Ning Fan, he merely wanted to utilize Long Sanchui’s understanding of the Bone Mountain Range.

At this moment, things were different. There seemed to be some camaraderie between the two, as if accumulated over many years, as if this first drink was Ning Fan’s first but not Long Sanchui’s.

Ning Fan’s gaze slightly narrowed, confirming one thing—that was Long Sanchui’s physical defense was formidable, the injuries healed very quickly, perhaps even without the expensive pills he had given, he could recover on his own in no time.

"Hey! After all these days traveling together, I realize I haven’t asked for your name, which is quite rude. How should I address you?"

"You may call me Ning Fan, or by the alias Lu Bei..."

"Lu Bei? This name seems familiar... Indeed, Younger Brother Ning gives me a sense of familiar acquaintance! Haha!"

"Familiar acquaintance... Reincarnation as strangers, perhaps also as reunions..."

Ning Fan murmured to himself, his words left Long Sanchui in a moment of bewilderment.

Just found Ning Fan’s insights in Dao Enlightenment surpassed his understanding. It seems he had underestimated this young man all along.

"Younger Brother Ning’s defensive prowess is truly crafted from heaven and earth, to defend against the attack of the Saint’s Sword Array here with just an Immortal Venerable cultivation level is truly impressive! I initially thought of helping you, but instead, you bestowed me a favor, haha, ashamed, ashamed," Long Sanchui laughed joyfully.

"Without certain methods, I wouldn’t dare come here. As for the Saint’s Sword Array... I see, no wonder the Threads Transformation Sword earlier had such terrifying power, prompting my instinct to activate full defense in an instant; it turns out this grand layout forms an Absolute Kill Sword Formation, hence the peril..." Ning Fan’s expression remained indifferent, but his heart trembled slightly.

No wonder he couldn’t discern the trajectory of the grand layout here with his Momentum Character Secret skills...

This place indeed was not a kind land!

"It’s said that Dabei Holy Ancestor once forged a supreme kill sword formation here by using the mountain’s formations as a sword and heaven and earth as a sheath. After his death, this place somehow became the Land of Slumber for the White Bone Lady. Alas, though I am known as [Three Flames First Source Master], even I do not fully understand the secrets within. Anyways, as you and I move through this woodland, we must be cautious and not disrupt the layout here. As for the Offering Vessel you seek... Alas, such a thing is crucial to this layout; if moved... Enough, knowing each other by chance, if the layout becomes perilous, I shall lend you a helping hand!"

With that said, the recovered Long Sanchui once again led Ning Fan through the perilous atmosphere and ancient tree crossroads, advancing smoothly.

Ancient and powerful creature auras occasionally emerged from either side of the forest path, each possessing at least Immortal Venerable cultivation levels; many held Immortal Emperor cultivation levels.

Three Flames is the most dangerous place in the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, and the Bone Mountain Range is the most perilous within Three Flames, with so many strong auras lurking—this did not surprise Ning Fan.

He did not deliberately probe what species those auras belonged to.

It seemed that not actively investigating those ancient creatures would avoid aggression.

At the places where two mountain ranges intersect, formations often isolated the area to prevent outsiders from randomly intruding the inner mountain regions.

Self-proclaimed [Three Flames First Source Master], Long Sanchui, had average skills in the Dao of formations, and breaking these formations was quite strenuous. Fortunately, every time, Ning Fan would seek the Yin formations and muddle the formation’s forces with methods Long Sanchui couldn’t understand, allowing continued advancement.

The various oddities in Ning Fan constantly refreshed Long Sanchui’s comprehension, gradually making him realize that Ning Fan was the Ghost Faced Cultivator who annihilated the Hex Family and killed Hex Zu.

Of course, he hadn’t realized that Ning Fan wasn’t a Nightmare Dragon kin yet.

Ning Fan advanced while memorizing the formation layout here, gradually clarifying the real and illusionary transformations within the entire Bone Mountain Range in his heart.

The undulating peaks of the Bone Mountain Range were no less than a thousand, but among them, the vast majority were illusory positions of formations, with only three hundred and five peaks in real positions.

The arrangement of real peaks was bizarrely abnormal; without an eye discerning real and illusory forces, one absolutely could not see this point. Here, the three hundred and five real peaks stood tall on the earth; if viewed from the sky, it would resemble a giant with bones as mountains, limbs stretched, slumbering on the earth!

Three hundred and five bones were not the number in an adult skeleton but coincidentally matched the approximate number in an infant’s skeleton...

"This place’s layout leaves me with a greatly uncomfortable feeling, not merely a sense of crisis, but a pure dislike..."

"Our route seems to enter from the foot of this sleeping infant formation, progressing toward the head position..."

"At the head of this sleeping infant formation, it seems something incredibly powerful is sealed, such power... seems more terrifying than the Supreme Ox Demon, could it be the legendary first of the Five Great Lowly Honored Ones... the White Bone Lady?"

"Back when I learned Sword Finger, Heaven Breaker from Little Dugu, that Sword Dao inheritance seems to resonate with some kind of Sword Dao power here..."

"Speaking of which, at that time Heaven Capital Emperor conspired against me, trying to deceive me into the most secret place of Vacant Flame to learn the Supreme Sword Dao... Could it be that the place Heaven Capital Emperor conspired was this Bone Mountain Range? If true, it would indeed be a coincidence."

Ning Fan continued to advance while his mind raced.

Two days later, finally, under Long Sanchui’s free guidance, he reached the head position of the sleeping infant formation here!

The first sight was the Tianhuang Giant Gate towering above the dense forest!

"The Tianhuang Giant Gate is the road to the Real Realms left by the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign to the descendants of Purple Astral Immortal Cultivator. There are also rumors that a Tianhuang Stone Gate exists within the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain’s interior; unexpectedly, it’s true! Moreover, this Tianhuang Stone Gate is located in the most dangerous Bone Mountain Range of the Three Flames!

"I was previously puzzled; since I can discover a Tianhuang Stone Gate hidden here, why haven’t the humans and demon races plotted for this stone gate, but instead set sights on the primitive and wild one... Now I understand, definitely because the true foundation of the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain is too strong, and the location of this stone gate is too dicey. With the base of the Last Law Illusion Dream Realm’s Four Heavens and the demon race, trying to tamper with this stone gate under the eyes of the Five Great Lowly Honored Ones, the success probability is almost zero. So outwardly, the primitive and wild one appears easier to acquire..."

"Peculiar... this Tianhuang Stone Gate is actually... calling to me..."

If it were the previous Ning Fan, he wouldn’t hear this calling.

But now, as a Crippled Divine Spirit, and a spirit with awakened Communication with All Things ability, he can hear the heart voice of this Tianhuang Stone Gate, which others cannot!

"It’s the sensing of the key... in your hand, no mistake about it. Disciple of Chaotic Ancient, do you wish... to open me, enter through me, step into the Sky Desolate Ancient Realm, enter... the Real Realms!"

It’s Tianhuang Stone Gate’s gentle call!

Following that, Ning Fan felt as if the last layer of door beyond the secret behind this door gifted by the Ancient Chaos was being activated bit by bit.

The door he could never open!

The voice claiming ’You do not recognize your beloved’!

[I am your key, yet you have forgotten me... You do not recognize your beloved...]

With a loud boom, the door of the Scriptures Tower opened!

Then, a streak of gray light shot out from the Heavenly Court Scriptures Tower, and was taken by Ning Fan, falling into his palm.

It was a tear.

A gray tear, condensed into an illusory key.

[I am your key, the key to opening the Tianhuang Stone Gates and returning to the Real Realms.] This was the voice of that gray tear.

[With the key, open me, then you will be qualified to return to the Real Realms, back to your... Butterfly’s homeland, leading the Purple Dou Immortal Cultivator descendants back to the Real Realms, all depends on you.] So called the Tianhuang Giant Gate again.

Ning Fan never expected such a situation to occur in the Bone Mountain Range. Given his temperament, he couldn’t help but feel a hint of confusion at this moment.

Keys, Tianhuang Stone Gates, it was all too sudden... He needed to sort it out.

Especially that key.

The sound of that key, blocked by reincarnation, made it difficult for Ning Fan to hear its tone clearly.

But at this close distance, touching this gray tear key, he distinctly felt a sense of familiarity that this key brought to him.

The aura within this key was clearly... consistent with the sword ancestor.

So that’s it, no wonder this key repeatedly told him he didn’t recognize his wife.

Indeed.

In the fourth Shekong Heart Tribulation, Ning Fan saw some causality, he was originally the butterfly from the homeland of butterflies, taken away by the sword ancestor, entering the mortal world.

The sword ancestor must have known him, but due to the remnant of reincarnation, he had long forgotten the encounter when he was a butterfly.

Jingle jingle!

The gray tear key in Ning Fan’s hand suddenly shone and rang.

At the same time, the sound of chains clashing incessantly came from within a certain gray mountain peak not far away.

To be precise, that sound came from within a gigantic cave on the gray mountain peak.

Ning Fan furrowed his brow deeply.

From within that cave, Ning Fan detected a terrifying aura comparable to an ancient great cultivator!

That aura was fleeting and indeterminate, sometimes near, sometimes extremely far, making it difficult for others to accurately perceive the aura state of that ancient great cultivator.

But it’s easy to guess, since this place suddenly has an ancient great cultivator, most likely it is the infamous White Bone Lady, the supreme of Dabei.

The White Bone Lady inside the cave seemed to be in a slumbering state, rather than being awake. If one listened closely, they would hear the sound of the wind in this world evenly like the breathing of a woman in deep sleep... It must be the breath of the White Bone Lady without a doubt.

"The Jiuli Ritual Vessel I am looking for seems to be inside that cave..." Ning Fan said as though facing a great enemy.

"Rumored White Bone Lady, appears to be slumbering inside that cave. Gasp! How terrifying is her aura, even more than I imagined! One misstep, and it’s certain death! No way, Younger Brother Ning, you wait here, I’ll go into the cave to see if there’s the ritual vessel you’re looking for! With your cultivation level, don’t risk it!"

Long Sanchui’s teeth began to chatter, it was his body’s instinct fearing the dangers inside the cave, rather than him feeling fear inside.

He could sense the terror of the White Bone Lady in the cave, but if he had to risk once, being generous as he was, he gladly agreed to replace Ning Fan and take this risk.

"No need. Senior brought me all the way here, I am already very grateful, naturally I can’t let him take the risk for me. I didn’t expect the aura of the White Bone Lady to be comparable to an ancient great cultivator, it seems that this Jiuli Ritual Vessel is really not easy to obtain, one small mistake in this venture, not only would I die here, but it could also lead the senior to death. How about this, Senior leave now, I will enter the cave after the senior leaves the Bone Mountain Range! That way, even if some changes are triggered, it won’t implicate the senior." Ning Fan said expressionlessly.

"Impossible! Since I brought you, how could I leave you alone..."

"Senior, don’t worry, if I’m alone, it would be easier to escape."

"Haha, are you indirectly saying that I, a dignified Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor, am a burden to you, an Immortal Venerable junior!"

Long Sanchui just laughed heartily, but his attitude showed that under no circumstances would he leave early.

Ning Fan felt a headache instantly, having such loyal friends is sometimes also quite helpless.

Forget it...

If things are indeed serious enough to require escaping, then he’ll do everything possible to take Long Sanchui and leave together.

Whether it’s Lu Wu or Long Sanchui, he accepted this friendship.

"Well then, go quickly to get the ritual vessel you need. Due to my previous delay in healing, it seems the people from the Stone Master are also approaching this place... When you go find things, I’ll be outside stopping the Stone Master’s men for you!"

Long Sanchui’s single eye suddenly narrowed.

In the distant dense forest, many Three Flames Cultivators were approaching this place.

Right at this moment, with a sweep of his big hand, he sent out a gust of wind, sending Ning Fan flying to the entrance of the cave.

Then, standing with hands behind his back, he stood before the cave, ready for a big battle with those pursuers.

Ning Fan said nothing more, he cupped his fist towards Long Sanchui from afar, then quickly entered the cave.

The farther he went inside the cave, the more he could feel the vast aura within, like spanning across an entire cycle of reincarnation.

About several hundred steps into the cave, suddenly, a gray sword light with a chaotic luster slashed out from an empty sword sheath hanging on the cave wall...