Chapter 1298: Mount Wansheng, Fuchen Honored One
Chapter 1298: Chapter 1298: Mount Wansheng, Fuchen Honored One
The Enlightenment Tree Consciousness Realm, from inside to outside, is divided into the Nine Reversed Realms, the Eight Hundred Withered Realms, and the One Hundred and Eight Thousand Path Realms.
Within the various Path Realms, there are further divisions into small-thousand, middle-thousand, and grand-thousand worlds.
One day, for some unknown reason, a certain Grand Thousandfold Dao Realm was destroyed, shocking all the Saints!
Because the destroyed Dao Realm belonged to Hongjun Territory and involved Immortal Spirit inheritance, this matter even alarmed Ancestor Hongjun, who had been dreaming in the Primordial Era, causing him to briefly awaken from the Dao Spirit World.
Yet under the isolation of The Unknown, even the Ancestor could not fully divine the karma within.
Fortunately, the Ancestor did not pursue the matter deeply, only saying to his disciples, "This realm was destined to meet a tribulation; there is no need to overthink. Reincarnation has its own variables; as long as the fixed numbers do not change, there will be no harm to the reincarnation sequence..."
That said, the Three Realms were still rife with speculation: at first glance, this looked like some Reverse Saint declaring war on Ancestor Hongjun; on deeper thought, it seemed more like several Reverse Saints conspiring together, wanting to lure the Ancestor into damaging the Dust Tribulation...
Fortunately, the Ancestor, mindful of the greater picture and unwilling to see the beings of the Three Realms plunged into slaughter, ultimately endured this matter and did not investigate further... after all, once the Reverse Saints go to war, the Dust Tribulation will descend; countless Immortals and Saints will be drawn into the flames of war and reduced to calamity ash...
The Ancestor understands righteousness in the deepest sense, placing the Three Realms above all in every matter, worthy of the title Ancestral Power Talisman!
For a time, all the Immortals chanted of the Ancestral Power Talisman’s merit, and Hongjun’s incense offerings grew ever more prosperous.
...
Nanke the Old Immortal felt deeply helpless.
When you invite a friend as a guest, and that friend deletes an important chunk of data from your database, are you angry or not?
But can this be blamed on Ning Fan? Who was it that invited Ning Fan to connect to the Enlightenment Tree? Oh, that was me...
And who was it that invited the Liangyi Saint to drink Niyue Wine to his heart’s content? Oh, that was still me...
The result:
Master secretly set his sights on the Ancient Celestial Whale—and actually succeeded!
Disciple, at the slightest disagreement, turned on his cheats and blew up a Grand Thousandfold Dao Realm—and this brat even won the favor of the Immortal Ancestor Kingdom, able to have that kingdom heed his summons; it is truly beyond belief!
Though there were some losses, the outcome was still not bad.
This child, though he triggered many coincidences and variables, within those many variables, managed to complete, together with Han Yuanji, a meeting that should have been impossible.
For Han Yuanji, the great circle he had been seeking should have had its final stroke drawn in this encounter.
For Ning Fan, this encounter allowed his understanding of Taiji Life and Death and of King Nixing’s National Defender Unbeatable to go a step further; the benefits were immense.
Master and disciple both gained something, while only Nanke and those fish that got wiped out could silently weep...
Well then, a mere Dao Realm is but something external to the body; of course he would choose to forgive them.
As the good-natured Nanke, he sighed softly and very quickly figured it through.
When he saw Ning Fan again, Nanke not only showed no intention of blaming him, he did not even mention the destruction of the Dao Realm.
He even encouraged Ning Fan with words like "your becoming a Great Emperor is close at hand, work hard" and "the Nine-Five Tribulation is the pinnacle of the immortal’s path and must not be taken lightly," and so on.
He also gifted Ning Fan many items needed for becoming a Great Emperor...
For a time, Ning Fan could not even tell what stance Nanke actually had toward the destruction of the Dao Realm...
"Could it be that what I did actually fits exactly with Senior Nan Ke’s wishes..."
"When Senior invited me to connect to the Enlightenment Tree, did he already intend to borrow my hand to destroy the Consciousness Realm..."
"Only... if this was the Senior’s desire, why did he not speak plainly beforehand... Is it because he bears the identity of the Enlightenment Tree Ancestor? Because of many constraints, he cannot voice his true thoughts and can only have others grasp them by implication..."
"What a pity. Had I known earlier that Senior had this wish, even if I lacked the ability to destroy all the Dao Realms, I would surely have blown up a few more, so as to be worthy of the sentiment behind all those Enlightenment Tea Fruits..."
Almost at the same time that Ning Fan formed these suspicions, certain karmic fragments regarding Nanke and the Enlightenment Consciousness Realm appeared in his mind.
In those karmic scenes, becoming the Enlightenment Tree Ancestor was, for Nanke, actually a long and painful affair; it was a conspiracy by the saints and Reverse Saints together, to use Nanke alone as nourishment to feed all the Enlightenment Tree branches of the world, to maintain the operation of all Enlightenment Consciousness Realms... in the end, harming one man to benefit the world.
"As expected, my guess was right. Becoming the Enlightenment Tree Ancestor was a great calamity, so Senior Nan Ke tried to borrow my hand to break his shackles. Unfortunately, with my current strength, I still do not have the power to destroy all Enlightenment Consciousness Realms..."
Ning Fan felt deeply ashamed.
In the unseen, a subtle yet reasonable misunderstanding was born.
...
Because Ning Fan caused the three-way collision of the Immortal Ancestor Kingdom, the Enlightenment Consciousness Realm, and the Ancient Celestial Whale, Yu Fu, Tai Ku, and the Two Saints of the Big Dipper were all blown to death and failed to properly disconnect from the link.
When connecting to the Enlightenment Tree, only by properly severing the connection can one bring back the gains of that trip. The Four Saints died unnatural deaths; the Yin and Yang Qi each had painstakingly refined were all knocked into the fissure of the Dao Realm, neither taken away nor seized by Ning Fan.
Ziwei Demon Monarch was different; he was executed by a single spear from Ning Fan, and all the Yin and Yang Qi he cultivated on this trip was obtained by Ning Fan.
And when Ning Fan severed the connection, the Ancient Celestial Whale gifted him a great many strands of Yin-Yang Qi—these were all things the Four Saints had scattered into the Dao Realm fissure, yet they were easily retrieved by the Ancient Celestial Whale.
In this way, the Yin and Yang Qi within Ning Fan’s body instantly reached four million six hundred thousand strands!
As for the Immortal Spirit Remnant Pages he possessed, they also increased from the initial five to twenty-two—those four holy demons and Zi Wei also had some remnant pages earned through bitter cultivation, which in the end all fell into Ning Fan’s hands.
Up to this point, only Ning Fan had completely finished clearing the Enlightenment Journey.
But more precious than the Yin-Yang Qi was his encounter with Old Monster Han. In this encounter, Old Monster Han’s earnest teachings, every word and line, all contained the very essence of Taiji Life and Death.
This was the true inheritance of the Liangyi Saint!
Only at this moment could Ning Fan be said to have truly obtained the Liangyi True Inheritance, thus completing this strand of master-disciple karma!
"Perhaps, Master had already calculated that one day I would be trapped by the Heart Demon of Becoming an Emperor, and so, by means of countless ’coincidences’, in an unknowable space-time, borrowed the mouth of the Immortal Whale to help me unravel my Heart Demon..."
Master...
Scenes of the All Pleasure Sect from the past once again surfaced before Ning Fan’s eyes.
There, he met the paper crane and obtained the Yin Yang Locket.
Also there, he met Old Monster Han and was forcibly accepted as the latter’s disciple...
"From my perspective, that time was merely my first encounter with Master; but from Master’s perspective, he should have seen me much earlier—he once fished with me in a dream, once conversed with me through the Immortal Whale, and very likely had even more intersections with me... Reincarnation weaves countless unequal space-times together; the tangled karmas will sometimes present completely opposite states depending on the vantage point. And within the vast cycles of reincarnation, those who have always been searching for me, saving me, perhaps are not only the sword ancestor alone, but also, Master..."
Strands of warmth surged into his heart, finally transforming into an unbreakable will of the Dao Heart.
At this moment, Ning Fan’s Dao Heart no longer held any anxiety; an unprecedented calm spread through him. One of the great difficulties on the path of becoming an Emperor was quietly lessened without him even trying.
The Third Gate of Tianren also seemed to be seen more deeply now. Even with his eyes closed, he could glimpse faint lights within reincarnation, and by relying on those tiny gleams, peer into even deeper layers of cause and effect...
Furthermore, with a single thought from Ning Fan, all the mountains and seas of the Northern Barbarians Kingdom produced a strange resonance: when Ning Fan tried to comprehend the subtle principle of Taiji Life and Death, countless ancient Dao Insights related to Yin-Yang Life and Death surged into his mind; when he tried to grasp the Nine-Five Tribulation of becoming an Emperor, countless Emperor-attaining insights welled forth—it was extremely wondrous.
But this was no longer related to Unity of Heaven and Man; it was the result of another kind of power.
This was the authority of a clan’s Barbarian God, the extremity of the Shanhai Curse—[Nature’s Law], by which one could directly comprehend the Grand Dao from the myriad forms of nature!
[The Barbarians are the forefathers of nature, the grand sect of the myriad domains. Barbarians are born in mountains and seas, attain the Dao in nature; after death, their heroic souls return to the mountains and seas. In the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas of One Realm, Heaven and Earth, reincarnation begins in the palm.]
This was the spell-chant of the Shanhai Curse. By relying on the Shanhai Curse, even ordinary Pluck could sense the soul of the mountains and seas.
The Barbarian God stands above billions of Pluck; his Nature’s Law authority naturally can enter into a far deeper communion with the soul of the mountains and seas.
After death, Barbarians return to the mountains and seas, attain the Dao in nature; when their Dao perishes, they also return to nature, merging into the soul of the mountains and seas in the form of heroic spirits.
Therefore, upon the lands of the Barbarian Clan, every flower and leaf, every blade of grass and tree, all bear the Daoist Thought and Dao Enlightenment of ancient Pluck who died a hundred times yet were undying.
If the Barbarian God harbors a wish in his heart, those ancient Barbarian heroic spirits will heed the call, offer up their respective Dao Enlightenment, and assist the Barbarian God’s cultivation!
Yet in the Northern Barbarians Kingdom, Nature’s Law should have been an authority possessed only by the successive Northern Barbarian Gods.
Though Ning Fan was a Barbarian God, he was the Tenth Generation Barbarian God of the Dao Man Shan lineage, a god of a foreign country, and had no prior subordinate connection with the Northern Barbarians Kingdom.
But now, the Barbarian God of the Northern Barbarians Kingdom was severely wounded and in slumber, and Ning Fan, as a Barbarian God from another world, spared no effort to save the Northern Barbarians Kingdom.
Ning Fan’s actions had won the recognition of the Northern Barbarians Kingdom. Even though Ning Fan was not the true deity of the Northern Barbarians Kingdom, the endless heroic spirits who slept within the Northern Barbarian Mountains and Seas were still willing to respond.
This was gratitude!
Gratitude that Ning Fan had not abandoned the Northern Barbarians Kingdom, which was falling into the Immeasurable Ruin.
Still more, gratitude that Ning Fan was willing to save their Northern Barbarian God!
The only pity was that the mountains and seas of the Northern Barbarians Kingdom had now been grievously damaged by the Immeasurable Catastrophe; on the scarred land, countless plants and living beings had been annihilated, even the eternal snows that had endured since antiquity were forcibly melted... Between the mountains and seas, most of the Northern Barbarian heroic spirits had been destroyed; those who could respond to Ning Fan were already very few.
"These Dao Enlightenments that appear from nowhere—are they Unity of Heaven and Man..."
"No, they are not..."
"So that’s how it is—this is the Nature’s Law authority that only a Barbarian God of a nation can use..."
Ning Fan understood this matter.
Through the authority of Nature’s Law, he also gained more conjectures regarding the Saint-ranks and the Nine Reversals’ desire to annihilate the Northern Barbarians Kingdom.
After death, Barbarians return to the mountains and seas; hence, far too many ancient taboos are buried within the mountains and seas.
Perhaps, one of the reasons why the Northern Barbarians Kingdom was sentenced to the Immeasurable Catastrophe was that someone wished to destroy the taboos hidden within the mountains and seas...
But I have come; in this cycle of reincarnation, something must be changed.
[I, the Ying Barbarian God General, Ying Lingxiu, heed the call and come! I am willing to offer the Emperor-attaining insights of my former life to the Barbarian Sovereign!]
An ancient voice rang out in Ning Fan’s heart.
Immediately, endless insights on becoming an Emperor surged into Ning Fan’s mind. In that instant, he seemed to have become that ancient Barbarian cultivator named Ying Lingxiu, and in a single moment, lived through Ying Lingxiu’s six million five hundred thousand years of secluded cultivation to become an Emperor...
Nine attempts at becoming an Emperor, nine failures, yet on the tenth attempt, he severed the mountain of Dao and finally ascended to the peak of the mountain of Dao, becoming an Immortal Emperor...
"Six million five hundred thousand years of memory inheritance... this authority of ’Nature’s Law’ really is a bit terrifying..."
Ning Fan had already obtained a memory inheritance when he first embarked on the path of cultivation, but that was only the Ancient Chaos inheritance for the first step of cultivation.
The memory inheritance he had now gained out of nowhere, however, did not stop at the first step of cultivation; it actually involved enlightenment on becoming an Emperor!
Even with Ning Fan’s divine sense sea being so solid, after six million five hundred thousand years of an Immortal Emperor’s memories appeared out of thin air, he still felt his divine sense sea swell slightly.
But the gains were even more immense!
No, this could no longer even be called a gain! This was completely like toggling on a cheat! And it was a cheat exclusively belonging to the Barbarian God of this country!
Of course, as the Barbarian God, Ning Fan could have refused to fuse this memory, but he naturally would not foolishly refuse and instead sank into contemplation.
At this moment, Ning Fan recalled the words he had heard when he first obtained the Ancient Chaos inheritance.
Outside the Heavenly Dao’s first cycle, the Dao of Arts must not be lightly passed on! The meaning was that anything beyond the first step of cultivation could not be directly poured into another’s mind.
As his cultivations slowly increased, Ning Fan had long since understood the drawbacks in this.
If, in his youth, he had directly obtained the complete memory inheritance of the Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor, could his divine sense sea have withstood the impact of a complete Immortal Emperor’s memories?
In a youth’s divine sense sea, his own memories only span a decade or so; if he abruptly gained the vast memories of an Immortal Emperor’s endless years, then whose memories would hold dominance thereafter, and would the youth still be himself?
Even if the youth’s spirit sense remained firm and he maintained his true self, directly acquiring such vast knowledge would cause him to lose the process of learning, to lose countless thoughts and understandings that should have been his own; whether in the end he gained more than he lost would be hard to say.
After opening the Third Gate of Tianren, Ning Fan understood even more clearly the taboo hidden behind this matter: Fate Reincarnation does not like mortals ascending in a single step, and all cause and effect in this world has fixed numbers. To bear the lifetime enlightenment of an Immortal Emperor, one must also bear his vast causality; only thus can balance be maintained...
Yet the Barbarian Clan’s ’Nature’s Law’ authority ignored the taboos of reincarnation.
Only the Barbarian God could use this authority. Those who could become the Barbarian God were inevitably among the strongest in the country, and would not be unable to endure an Immortal Emperor’s memories.
As for the taboos within Fate Reincarnation, the Barbarian Clan simply did not care at all... thus, the reasons for Fate Reincarnation to target them had, imperceptibly, increased by one more.
"But at this moment I am already opposing the Immeasurable Catastrophe, already standing on the opposite side of Fate Reincarnation, so committing a few more of these taboos is no harm!"
Saving the Northern Barbarians Kingdom was the responsibility of the Northern Barbarian God. Ning Fan, having taken on the vast causality for the Northern Barbarian God, suddenly discovered that he could actually borrow some of the Northern Barbarian God’s privileges, and he was in no way going to be polite about it—ever since he opened the Third Gate of Tianren, he had stopped treating himself as an outsider.
Of course, considering that his own memory storage had its limits, although Ning Fan accepted Ying Lingxiu’s enlightenment on becoming an Emperor, he deleted from his mind the vast majority of memories that were of little use.
In the end, the six million five hundred thousand years of immense memory were instantly edited by Ning Fan down to only ten years; his divine sense sea immediately felt at ease.
"My thanks." Ning Fan thanked that ancient heroic spirit named Ying Lingxiu.
[Fan Barbarian God General Fan Wuyang, answers the summon...]
Another voice rang out.
This ancient existence not only presented the fourteen million years of memories from when he became an Emperor, but as though sensing that Ning Fan was now the Patriarch Fan Barbarian, he also offered around five million years’ worth of comprehension on the Fan Man Yang God Technique.
"My thanks," Ning Fan said.
In an instant, he cut the nineteen million years of memories down to only nineteen years of essence.
After that.
[Dao Man Sin General Dao Shelan, answers the summon...]
A segment of Dao Enlightenment regarding Yin and Yang, life and death, surged into his mind, with a memory capacity of a full fifty million years.
In the end, Ning Fan retained only twenty-five years of essence.
[Fire Barbarian Priest Chi Songshi, answers the summon...]
There was even enlightenment on attempting to become a Saint in seclusion, though it was left behind by one who had failed to become a Saint.
Though it was the experience of failure, it still contained many subtleties; the memory capacity reached as much as two hundred and seventy million years... Ning Fan finally retained two hundred years of it.
[Thirty-eighth Generation Northern Barbarian God Bai Jiufeng, answers the summon...]
A segment of cultivation enlightenment regarding the snow throne appeared in Ning Fan’s mind.
There was no need to edit it, for this segment of memory lasted only a brief hundred years. It was a woman’s memory. In a hundred years of Dao enlightenment at the foot of North Pole Mountain, she advanced from Immortal King to Immortal Emperor of the Control Positions Realm, and somehow resonated with the Ancient Phoenix Blood Trace upon the Enlightenment Tree atop North Pole Mountain, directly becoming the Mountain Lord of North Pole Mountain.
Even the Northern Barbarian Gods of successive generations had been unable to accomplish this!
Landao Feng, the Savage Saint of the Ten Nations, was astonished by this woman’s aptitude. After careful consideration, he finally chose this woman as the Thirty-eighth Generation Barbarian God of the Northern Barbarians Kingdom.
People of that time did not understand, and even Bai Jiufeng herself did not understand.
For at that time, the Northern Barbarians Kingdom had only just passed down to the Thirty-fifth Generation Barbarian God, yet the Barbarian Saint had skipped over the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Generations and directly chosen the candidate for the Thirty-eighth Generation; it was truly unreasonable.
"This is a destined number that cannot be altered; only thus will you have a sliver of chance to live..." the Barbarian Saint said to Bai Jiufeng.
Bai Jiufeng...
This woman looks exactly the same as Bai Ling...
Only after a barbarian dies will their heroic spirit return to the Mountains and Seas. Did the previous-generation Barbarian God, Bai Jiufeng, die in the Northern Barbarians Kingdom...
Bai Jiufeng was the Thirty-Eighth Generation Barbarian God, while Hongling was the Forty-Second Generation Barbarian God.
Is everything but a destined number in fate... Ning Fan’s gaze grew somewhat deep for a moment.
But he had already resolved his Heart Demon, so he would no longer let unchangeable karma disturb his state of mind.
In the end, of these hundred years of comprehension, Ning Fan did not cut off even a single second; he preserved all of it...
[Yi Clan God General Yichun, summoned and present...]
There were actually memories related to playing chess.
[True Thunder Nation surrendered general Lei Shiyi, summoned and present...]
Lei Shiyi? This name sounds a bit familiar...
This man defected from the Dust Realm and joined the Northern Barbarians Kingdom to become a God General; the comprehensions he offered were all related to the Art of Calamity Spirits...
[Twenty-Ninth Generation Northern Barbarian God, Su Zijing, summoned and present...]
[Dao Changgong’s guilty servant, Xingshou, summoned and present...]
[Thirty-Fifth Generation Northern Barbarian God, Shi Poling, summoned and present...]
[Sha Clan God General Sha Baihua, summoned and present...]
[Zhan Clan God General Zhan Konglie, summoned and present...]
More and more comprehensions continued to surge forth.
In the end, Ning Fan obtained a total of twelve portions of Quasi-Saint comprehension, fifty-eight Immortal Emperor comprehensions, and as for comprehensions beneath Immortal King, they were simply innumerable.
These comprehensions did not appear out of nowhere, but came in response to the Daoist Thought in his heart; thus every single one was closely related to what he currently needed.
Regrettably, Ning Fan’s divine sense sea was limited and could not completely retain all of the comprehensions. He could only prune away the excess and keep the most important essence.
Moreover, the Mountains and Seas of the Northern Barbarians Kingdom were already broken; otherwise, Ning Fan could have profited even more.
Or perhaps, if this place were not the Northern Barbarians Kingdom but the Ancient Barbarian Realm created by Dao Barbarian Mountain, then even Saint comprehensions, Ning Fan might have obtained many portions, and might even have acquired Senior Dao Barbarian Mountain’s Desolate Saint comprehension...
The Barbarian God Authority—so terrifying!
...
The heavenly materials and earthly treasures needed to become emperor, Nanke had given him many.
The experience of becoming emperor, Ning Fan had freeloaded quite a bit from the Northern Barbarian Mountains and Seas.
The Heart Demon of becoming emperor had already been resolved; what was still lacking was Mana Purity and Emperor.
But among the many emperor-ascension comprehensions that Ning Fan had obtained, there was no lack of methods to raise Mana Purity; even the Taiji Life and Death true transmission he had just comprehended had miraculous effects in purifying Mana.
As for Emperor...
To become emperor one needs at least a thousand strands of Emperor, yet Ning Fan had only one—though that single strand surpassed three hundred strands of others’ Emperor.
But it was still not enough.
Even Shenkong the Great Emperor of the Godly Void Pavilion had cultivated three thousand strands of Emperor. Ning Fan felt that he ought to cultivate at least three thousand himself in order not to be weaker than others.
After gaining so many comprehensions on emperor-ascension, Ning Fan now had far too many ways to raise his Emperor.
And among all these methods, the most suitable for the current situation was to directly refine Yin and Yang Qi to increase Emperor.
When others became emperors, those without conditions would spend a long, long time swallowing the essence of sun and moon; those with conditions would seek places where Yin and Yang converged—both for the sake of pushing their Emperor a step further.
Yin and Yang are the illusory image of the sun and moon; the sun and moon are the concrete form of Yin and Yang.
Any Immortal Emperor must use his own Emperor to swallow and spit out Yin and Yang, thereby leaping out of the Five Elements, and then severing the Five Decays of Heaven and Man to achieve the Great Luo Golden Body.
The reason the Golden Sky Black Earth Painting of antiquity had the reputation of greatly aiding one to become emperor was precisely because the painting contained the Yin Yang Grand Dao.
Now, Ning Fan possessed four million six hundred thousand strands of Yin-Yang Qi; he could completely take out a portion to cultivate Emperor—or, he could imitate the Golden Talisman Palace Ancestor and draw a Golden Sky Black Earth Painting to assist his emperor-ascension.
The Golden Talisman Palace Ancestor had witnessed the Yin-Yang Dao traces within the Enlightenment Tree and thus was able to draw the Golden Sky Black Earth Painting. Ning Fan felt that his own Dao Enlightenment should not be weaker than the other; perhaps he could also... forget it. His drawing skills were mediocre; in this respect he could by no means compare to the Golden Talisman Palace Ancestor. Even if his Dao Enlightenment was sufficient, he would most likely still be unable to draw it.
Even without the Golden Sky Black Earth Painting, for Ning Fan, there no longer existed any true bottleneck in becoming emperor. He only needed to seek out a paradise of green hills and fresh water, go into seclusion for a long span of years, and stepping into emperorhood would be almost a matter of course.
The problem lay in the fact that Ning Fan did not have that kind of leisure to shut himself away in bitter cultivation to become emperor.
He did not have several thousand or tens of thousands of years of uninterrupted time to go into seclusion and comprehend the Dao, because the Immeasurable Catastrophe Clouds had always been locking the skies over the Northern Barbarians Kingdom, day and night without pause.
Fortunately, among the emperor-ascension experiences Ning Fan had obtained, there were also methods to become emperor without going into seclusion.
Among the Barbarian Clan, the Killing Clan and Battle Clan barbarian cultivators often rely on war and slaughter to break through bottlenecks; within the blood filled cultivation world, they can directly advance their cultivations through battle, even attaining the Great Emperor realm with utter ease amid the carnage.
These experiences of becoming Great Emperor, imperceptibly, secretly resonated with Ning Fan’s Slaughter Yin-Yang and War Yin and Yang, and were perfectly suited to the current grand situation of resisting the Immeasurable Catastrophe.
Of course, to attain the Great Emperor realm through Slaughter Yin-Yang and War Yin and Yang is far more difficult than doing so through Rain Yin Yang and Wood Yin-Yang—those are where Ning Fan’s true strengths lie. But since the grand situation is as it is, being able to become an emperor at all is already a blessing; where would he find the luxury to pick and choose.
Perfect emperor, imperfect emperor—Ning Fan simply did not care; this was his greatest difference from the Ziwei Demon Monarch.
...
Thus, a few days later.
The onslaught of the Immeasurable Catastrophe arrived once more.
This time, as many as thirty-two Calamity Spirits came, and every last one of them was a new face.
Even more terrifying was that among the thirty-two Calamity Spirits, not a single one was below True Blood Seven Stars; there were even three of the Nine Stars—Nine Stars Immeasurable Lion Camel, Nine Stars Immeasurable Town Ming Elephant, and Nine Stars Five-Colored Sparrow.
These three Nine-Star Calamity Spirits were in no way weaker than Ancient Great Cultivators!
Moreover, after the thirty-two Calamity Spirits appeared, even more tribulation clouds manifested in the sky. Upon those clouds, densely packed, stood Calamity Soldiers and Calamity Generals, numbering over a hundred thousand, all of them experts above the True Immortal level.
It seemed that Ning Fan’s repeated repelling of invading Calamity Spirits had finally angered the Immeasurable Catastrophe; the other side was about to get serious!
All the killing intent of the Calamity Spirits completely bypassed the Northern Barbarians Kingdom itself and locked onto Ning Fan—there was no need to mobilize such an army just to annihilate a Northern Barbarians Kingdom; they were clearly coming for Ning Fan!
At this moment, Ning Fan had only just relied on his comprehension of Nature’s Law to break through to True Blood Five Stars; in the eyes of the various Calamity Spirits, he was pitifully weak, utterly insignificant.
All the Calamity Spirits’ eyes were scarlet, their spirit awareness incomplete; only the Immeasurable Lion Camel, whose cultivation was the strongest, retained sufficient clarity of mind—after all, he was the bearer of the decree on this trip.
"By the mandate of Heaven and the Immeasurable, the decree is as follows: The criminal cultivator Lu Bei has repeatedly violated the Heavenly statutes, and now disrupts the Immeasurable Blade and Soldier Tribulation, thereby committing the Tenth Great Crime of the Real Realms, [Greedily Seizing the Immeasurable]. According to the law, he is to suffer the punishment of the Saint-Falling Pill!"
"Also, for ambushing and slaying the messenger of the Heavenly Dao, he has committed the Ninth Great Crime, [Slaying One’s Superiors in Defiance]. According to the law, he is to suffer the punishment of the Sundering of the Sun Chariot!"
"Without the permission of the Wu Shanhai Department, he has spied upon the secrets of the Nine Reversed Realms, trespassed into the Unattainable Realm, and, without decree, seized the Yin-Yang Life and Death, thereby committing the Eighth Great Crime, [Stealing Fairy Machine]. According to the law, he is to suffer the punishment of Crippling and Casting Down into the Netherworld!"
"Without the permission of the Heaven-opening List, he has privately possessed a secondary Heaven-Opening Artifact, thereby committing the Seventh Great Crime, [Presumptuously Wielding Weapon Calamity]. According to the law, he is to suffer the punishment of Beheading Immortals and Severing the Head at the Gallows!"
"Originally, the four crimes should be punished together, but in consideration of his being born of Zong Ze, the net shall be opened a crack; his spirit awareness shall be stripped, his spiritual roots abolished, his Blood Lightning preserved, and he shall forever sink as a Calamity Spirit."
"Criminal cultivator Lu Bei, you may kneel and receive the decree and give thanks for this grace."
The Immeasurable Lion Camel stood atop the high clouds, looking down indifferently at the insignificant Ning Fan below.
Ning Fan, however, wore a completely unconcerned expression. The other party had rattled off a long list—Greedily Seizing the Immeasurable, Slaying One’s Superiors in Defiance, Stealing Fairy Machine, Presumptuously Wielding Weapon Calamity... he simply did not understand a thing.
He was not a True Realm Cultivator and was unfamiliar with the Ten Great Crimes of the Real Realms.
Fortunately, under the Unity of Heaven and Man, Ning Fan instantly comprehended what the Ten Great Crimes of the Real Realms were.
"This is the Immeasurable Edict; do not bring ruin upon yourself! If you do not accept the decree, you will also be committing the Sixth Great Crime, [Refusing to Accept Heaven’s Mandate]. According to the law, you are to suffer the punishment of Five-prison Mountain!"
Ning Fan felt that the Immeasurable Calamity Spirits that had come this time were overly long-winded; he subconsciously wanted to summon the Reverse Sea Sword and cleave apart the edict with a single stroke, beginning the battle directly.
But then he recalled that he could not act rashly. According to his plan, to oppose Fate Reincarnation, he had to play the role of the Riddle Man well, to give the world an impression of unfathomable profundity.
If one’s martial strength is insufficient, one cannot simply charge head-on; one has to deceive, has to launch sneak attacks... he had to make those eyes high above believe that behind the Immeasurable Catastrophe upon the Northern Barbarians Kingdom, there lay an even greater karma, a far deeper conspiracy, something more deserving of destruction than the Northern Barbarians Kingdom itself...
"We meet again, Brother Lion Camel..." Ning Fan closed his eyes, as if sinking into some sort of recollection. When he opened them again, his gaze was already empty and devoid of anything, as if nothing in this world was worthy of his attention; only when his eyes fell upon the Immeasurable Lion Camel did a trace of emotion appear.
"Uh..." The Immeasurable Lion Camel froze; a development he had never once envisioned appeared without warning, leaving him caught off guard, not knowing what to do.
Wait! This fellow called Lu Bei knows me? Why is he speaking to me with such a familiar tone?
Why do I not know him? Could it be that he was an old friend from before I fell and became a Calamity Spirit? What a pity, all my past affairs I have completely cast aside and no longer remember. Even if you and I had ties in the past, I could not possibly show favor and let you off. I am an Immeasurable Calamity Spirit! I recognize neither kin nor friend! What I love most is to slaughter my own kin and annihilate my friends! Not knowing you were my old friend was one thing; now that I do know you are my old friend, the more miserable you are, the more delighted I am, the happier I am! Hahahahaha!
"Do not try to cozy up to this seat! Today you have only two choices! Either accept the decree and return with us to Immeasurable Mountain to atone, sinking as a Calamity Spirit; or resist the decree in defiance—then the five crimes shall all be punished together, and by that time..." The Immeasurable Lion Camel wanted to continue issuing threats, but Ning Fan cut him off with a sigh.
"Brother Lion Camel, it seems you no longer remember; how could what I have committed be merely five crimes. First crime, Against the Gods; second crime, Seeking Demon; third crime, Greedily Sinking into the Netherworld; fourth crime, cultivating Attachment; fifth crime, shapeshift... If you count them carefully, I have already committed all Ten Crimes, long since having no path of retreat..." In Ning Fan’s empty eyes, a look of recollection seemed to surface; at this moment, the forty-three lifetimes of suffering he had experienced in the Sea of Bitterness seemed to become his true experiences. Endless suffering and the aura of karmic sin emerged within Ning Fan’s gaze.
The auras of Ancient Deity and devil spirits remained hidden and did not erupt, yet they made Ning Fan seem all the more unfathomable.
Countless cultivation insights he had freeloaded from amid the Northern Barbarian Mountains and Seas also converged upon Ning Fan at this moment, making him seem unlike someone who had lived but a single life, but rather someone who had lived through a thousand, ten thousand long years.
The Immeasurable Lion Camel’s heart trembled violently: Who exactly is this person? He is definitely not Lu Bei! Could it be that some ancient existence performed Corpse Seizing Sect on Lu Bei, causing him to commit so many rebellious acts!
"You... who exactly are you! And why are you interfering with the Immeasurable Calamity!" The Immeasurable Lion Camel forcibly steadied his spirit sense and asked in an icy voice.
"Back then, when you asked me this question, I could not answer it; now that you have fallen into a Calamity Spirit, I fear the true answer to this question can never again be found. ’Heaven and earth are the inn where all things lodge; time is the traveler of a hundred generations. Fleeting life is like a dream; life and death, true or false. Extinction is like the moon, with phases of shadow and fullness. All things begin in the vastness and end in the Primordial Chaos; born as spirit, dead as god. Yet life and death are but the lie I left to the world. Those who know me deem me lost in confusion; those who do not know me deem me god.’"
"Speak human words! I don’t understand! I don’t understand a damn thing! Kill him, kill him!" Although the Immeasurable Lion Camel did not understand what Ning Fan was saying, he faintly sensed from between the lines a great terror, a great karma. He must not be entangled, must not! He was merely a little errand boy delivering a decree! He had no interest in the Great Secret of Heaven and Earth! How could he possibly be qualified to know such karma! Even if... even if this Lu Bei was once my old friend, he still must die today! I hold absolutely no divided heart toward Heaven and Earth. My lords, please, by all means, do not take me to be in collusion with this man!
When the various Calamity Spirits saw the Lion Camel issue the order to kill, all were somewhat puzzled, yet still chose to obey.
Puzzled, because although the other party had been rambling endlessly, he had not actually explicitly declared that he refused to accept the decree, had he? How could they just kill him outright? It didn’t seem very proper.
Obedience was only because, if it’s against the rules then so be it; killing is such joy! Kill kill kill, kill kill kill!
Seeing that the great battle was still bound to erupt, Ning Fan let out a slight sigh, his eyes returning to their previous emptiness.
At this moment, four million six hundred thousand streams of Yin and Yang Qi turned into Yin-Yang Fish, circling and swimming around his body.
In an instant, he stepped into the Beginning Realm of Taiji Life and Death!
Having cultivated a million strands of Yin-Yang Qi, he could踏入 the Beginning Realm of Taiji Life and Death; even an Initial Saint would find it hard to inflict any effective damage upon him.
Above the Beginning Realm, there were still the Nirvana Realm and Wilderness Realm. At this moment, Ning Fan had only just learned Taiji Life and Death and was far from capable of such profound maneuvers.
But to deal with a group of Immeasurable Tribulation Spirits who weren’t even Saints, the Beginning Realm was already enough.
Roar!
The Immeasurable Lion Camel let out an enraged roar; soundwaves interwoven in gold and crimson instantly pierced through heaven and earth, crashing down toward Ning Fan. At the same time, endless phantoms of the tribulation populace of an ancient Lion Nation spread across the world, chanting an archaic Calamity Scripture.
The moment this Calamity Scripture resounded, Ning Fan felt boundless qi of the Five Declines of Heaven and Man surge forth within his body. His flesh instantly began to decay, turning into ghastly white bones, his blood and vitality plummeting.
This was Illusory Art!
Though it was illusion, truth and falsehood were but a single thought apart. If one could not see through it, all the decay would become reality, and killing a person would take but an instant.
Ning Fan merely let a flash of azure light pass through his eyes, and in a blink shattered the Lion Camel’s illusion. He even rebounded a portion of the illusion, sending it back to the Immeasurable Lion Camel.
But the attacks of the other tribulation spirits had already fallen before him.
There was five-colored radiance that could sweep away all things.
There was the power of Town-Ming that could shatter mountains and rivers.
There were the crimson flashes of ten thousand Calamity Soldiers and Calamity Generals spreading across heaven and earth, turning into a Saint Pattern Formation that sealed heaven and locked earth, intending to bury Ning Fan together with the entire Northern Barbarians Kingdom utterly within the Immeasurable Ruin!
Moreover, a thirty-third tribulation spirit suddenly tore open space, launching a sneak attack from behind Ning Fan!
It was an Immeasurable Earth Giant, likewise possessing spirit awareness, its tribulation blood infinitely close to the royal grade. Its ghastly giant maw bit down, the teeth of the Earth Giant emanating the laws of a Devastation Dao. Even if an Initial Saint was caught unawares, a chunk of flesh and blood would be bitten off!
With this single strike, even the Merit Umbrella would find it hard to block everything, not to mention that countless combined strikes of tribulation spirits were all crashing down as well!
As it attacked Ning Fan, a trace of scarlet and sinister gloom flickered in the eyes of the Immeasurable Earth Giant, almost imperceptibly glancing toward the Lion Camel.
"As a tribulation spirit, you actually held back your hand against an old acquaintance... this must be reported!"
The Immeasurable Earth Giant was deeply aware of how formidable the Lion Camel’s Illusory Art was. Below Saints, there was basically no one who could shatter that illusion with a single glance. It simply assumed that the Lion Camel, mindful of old ties, had refrained from striking a ’friend’ with a killing blow.
Truly a disgrace among tribulation spirits!
Facing the all-encompassing attacks, Ning Fan made no attempt to respond. It was as if he stood at the boundary between life and death, at the intersection of the legendary Nine Reversed Realms.
The world in his eyes was no longer as it once was; only black and white remained, intertwining.
A step forward, and he could tread into a world of vast white mist, into endless life.
A step backward, and he could return to the world of the eternal long night, to eternal annihilation.
Yet Ning Fan neither stepped forward nor backward, merely lowering his head to gaze at the unfathomable sea of Abyssal Miasma beneath his feet.
Then, he let his body sink fiercely toward that sea of Abyssal Miasma that was colorless, formless, soundless, and lawless.
This was an extremely idealistic scene, but precisely because it was idealistic, it faintly glimpsed a sliver of the world’s essence.
And from within the essence of the world, he vaguely perceived nine worlds transcending destiny and reincarnation.
[Nine Reversed Realms]!
Those were worlds that only a Reverse Saint could perfectly merge with. Ning Fan did not have the qualifications to fuse with the Nine Reversed Realms; he was but a passerby, arriving briefly, and would soon depart.
The unspeakable was Dao; the unattainable was destiny. And the direction in which Ning Fan sank was toward an Unattainable World guarded by countless Primordial ancient beasts.
Those Primordial ancient beasts seemed sunk in long slumber, but if they sensed an intruder, they would awaken from their slumber. Yet under the influence of Taiji Life and Death, Ning Fan did not arouse the beasts’ awareness and sank into the Unattainable World with ease.
This was his third time sinking into this world.
The first two times, he had activated National Defender Unbeatable to enter, whereas this time, he had arrived by means of Taiji Life and Death.
Only two kinds of people would not be attacked by the Primordial ancient beasts of the Unattainable Realm.
Either their existence shone to the extreme, like a sun god too sacred to look upon... beings such as these the ancient beasts dared not provoke.
Or, the person no longer existed in this world, already erased by the world itself; thus the beasts could not see one who did not exist and naturally would not obstruct them.
At this moment, Ning Fan naturally could not make himself shine like a Reverse Saint.
Therefore, he could only retreat and choose the next best option: step into the Annihilation Realm, briefly erasing his own existence. In this way, he could, by another method, come into fleeting contact with this world.
Time had no meaning.
From the moment he activated Taiji Life and Death and completely sank into the Unattainable World, Ning Fan felt that the time he experienced was even longer than forty‑three eras of reincarnation in the Sea of Bitterness.
Yet in the eyes of all the Immeasurable Tribulation Spirits, Ning Fan seemed to switch between life and death countless times in just a single instant.
Thus, all attacks passed straight through Ning Fan’s body without causing him the slightest harm.
Even the Saint Pattern Formation that the hundred thousand Calamity Soldiers forcibly operated failed to injure Ning Fan in the least!
Those attacks that hit nothing were like stray bullets, instantly causing no small amount of damage among the Tribulation Spirits, yet they could not even touch a single corner of Ning Fan’s robe.
"Not good! This brat is once again skillfully using the Nine Reversal Forbidden Technique! And this time, his Life Lantern is unscathed, his aura is long‑lasting yet utterly deathly..."
The Immeasurable Earth Giant was shaken beyond words. The man before him was clearly only at True Blood Five Stars, so how could his Divine Skills be so boundless!
And when Ning Fan unfolded Chiwei Daoism, and used the Life Realm to push Chiwei Daoism to the extreme, a gigantic being capable of devouring the starry sky instantly appeared within the Northern Barbarians Kingdom.
Ning Fan sat upright upon the Chiwei Flower, his gaze indifferent and cold as he looked at the Tribulation Spirits, as if watching ants.
"This Immeasurable Catastrophe is the struggle for sainthood between Zi Wei and me. Whoever blocks me shall be the lifelong enemy of my Chiwei Daoism!"
What!
Zi Wei, Chiwei... what in the world is going on here...
For a moment, not to mention the Immeasurable Earth Giant and the Lion Camel being astonished, even among the many Saints and various rebels secretly watching the Northern Barbarians Kingdom, quite a few felt shocked and surprised.
But the Earth Giant, the Lion Camel, and the other Tribulation Spirits naturally would not retreat because of this.
Thus, the great battle continued, and in the end it was Ning Fan who, with his strength alone, turned all the Tribulation Spirits into a Chiwei Blood Sea...
...
"I’ll fry your master!"
Chiwei, who was observing in secret, instantly had his expression darken and started cursing furiously.
He finally understood how this brat planned to resist Fate Reincarnation—this brat intended to steal the old man’s identity to lord it over others, using the old man to shoulder the colossal karma of the Northern Barbarians Kingdom and to intimidate the many Saints and rebels!
"When did the old man ever allow you, brat, to steal my identity and form karma with the many Saints and rebels!" Chiwei’s voice instantly transmitted into Ning Fan’s ears.
Chiwei was numb!
Although he was not afraid of forming karma with the many Saints and rebels—in fact, he was even eager for Ning Fan to stir things up as big as possible... that did not mean he permitted others to steal his identity!
Even the best of friends have things they cannot share, alright! If the other party goes out wearing your name to go on a spree, and when it’s over the bill gets sent to you, could you accept that! Who could accept that!
"Ah? When did this junior ever steal Senior’s identity?" Ning Fan sounded completely innocent.
"How did you not steal it! You stole it in every possible way!"
"Senior, please recall carefully. Did I not merely say, ’This Immeasurable Catastrophe is the struggle for sainthood between Zi Wei and me. Whoever blocks me shall be the lifelong enemy of my Chiwei Daoism!’ I indeed plan to borrow Zi Wei’s Immeasurable Catastrophe to achieve sainthood for myself; there isn’t the slightest lie in those words. If anyone blocks me, I will use Chiwei Daoism to deal with them viciously—this is only stating a fact. I never uttered a single word claiming that I myself am Chiwei, did I? So how could this be called stealing an identity..."
Holy shit!
What this brat said actually makes perfect sense; if I were an idiot I might really believe him!
Chiwei was speechless to the extreme. No matter what, this stinky kid was the successor he and Purple Dou had painstakingly cultivated. Not to mention that Ning Fan was merely playing word games with his name—even if he really stole his identity to run wild, he could only swallow it!
Back when he first met Ning Fan, he had already seen that someone had set a Dao Fate Tribulation upon Ning Fan—he was born with a life of screwing over his master. So no matter what, he would never admit this brat as his disciple, at most only as a half‑disciple. Yet he never expected that even as just a half‑disciple, he would still get screwed. Dao Fate Tribulations were truly terrifying...
But no matter what, this child was prime material for a cultivator of the Yin Yang Transformation; his judgment would not be wrong.
Using any means necessary—that is what it means to be a demoness. If you have a powerful identity and don’t use it to intimidate others by borrowing its prestige, that’s what makes you an idiot, no? If you act while worrying about gains and losses, swallowing every grievance, you might as well shave your head and become a monk—what kind of evil cultivators would you be mixing in!
This demon was a good demon, but if he could at least inform his elders before hacking their account, that would be even more perfect...
If you clearly said you wanted to hack my account, the old man wouldn’t refuse you.
This Immeasurable Catastrophe is Zi Wei’s Immeasurable Catastrophe for attaining sainthood. If you parade under my Chiwei name and in the end turn Zi Wei’s Immeasurable Catastrophe upside down, leaving flaws in his path to sainthood—hahahaha, I really want to see Zi Wei’s expression of bitter regret then!
If he hadn’t already had the idea of using Chiwei Daoism to properly compete with Zi Wei, he would not have gone through such roundabout methods to transmit Chiwei Daoism to Ning Fan.
But there were some bottom lines and lower limits that could not be violated.
Chiwei: "You may use the old man’s name to kill and cause trouble, but you are absolutely not allowed to use the old man’s identity to go plagiarize umbrellas and mushrooms or toilet paper and rocks... those ethically depraved things—do them under your own name; they must not be written under the old man’s!"
Ning Fan: "..."
He very much wanted to retort, "Senior, I’m not that kind of person you think I am," but for some reason he had no confidence, so he could only fall silent.
...
Mountain and Sea Realm, Mount Wansheng.
Mount Wansheng was located at the source of the River of Time. This place was not constrained by time and space and had long been in a sealed‑mountain state.
But if a new Immeasurable Catastrophe appears within reincarnation, this mountain will open, and a Dao Fruit Assembly of the True Spirit Races will be held within it.
The joys and sorrows of the world do not communicate. What is a cruel death to pigs and dogs is often a drinking feast to another crowd.
A so‑called world‑destroying Immeasurable Catastrophe for the tribulation’s target is, more often than not, merely a matter of the True Spirit Races and the Holy Sect carving up benefits.
The karmic balance within reincarnation has a limit to what it can contain.
The authority of the three thousand Great Daos also has its predetermined number.
When one person attains sainthood, an equal amount of karma must be erased from the world; only thus can reincarnation remain forever in a state of balance.
Just the oil and water that leak from between the fingers of an Immeasurable Catastrophe are enough for innumerable Immortals and Saints to feast till their pots and bowls overflow.
Whether out of public duty or private interest, the Dao Fruit Assembly of the True Spirit Races has its justification for being held.
At this moment on Mount Wansheng, a Dao Fruit Assembly concerning the interests of the True Spirit Races and the Holy Sect was once again being convened.
Countless immortal cultivators came from afar just to get a share of the soup, yet only after arriving did they learn that this time’s Dao Fruit Assembly was somewhat out of the ordinary.
It was not that a new tribulation had appeared, but that an old tribulation long since decided and settled in dust had been fished out from the Immeasurable Ruin to be renegotiated.
There was simply no oil or water to skim here; if one spoke out of turn and got dragged into it, one might instead end up losing both wife and soldiers.
At once quite a number of unrelated people departed, unwilling to be drawn into this affair.
Yet many former vested interests could no longer sit still.
At the foot of Mount Wansheng, the Lion Camel Sage stared at the mountain path that seemed to connect straight into the heavens, but for a long time did not set foot upon it. His expression flickered between hesitation and shock, his fingers ceaselessly flying as though attempting to divine something—yet he could divine nothing.
A few disciples followed behind the Lion Camel Sage, not understanding what their master was worrying about, yet not daring to open their mouths to ask.
Perhaps his mind was simply too chaotic, for the Lion Camel Sage did not even sense someone approaching from behind. Only when that person patted his shoulder did he jolt, guiltily whipping his head back—only to meet a similarly worry‑lined elephant face.
"So it’s Brother Zhenming. I didn’t expect you to come as well..." Seeing it was an acquaintance, the Lion Camel let out a slight breath of relief.
"With a matter this great, how could I not show myself? It’s just that, like you, my heart is all in turmoil right now. I truly don’t dare ascend Mount Wansheng to see what’s what..." The Zhenming Honored One likewise hesitated at the mountain’s base, not moving forward.
"Since Brother Zhenming is here, I suppose Brother Kong Guang should be arriving soon as well..." the Lion Camel said.
"You don’t know yet? Kong Guang is dead. I heard that he was visiting a friend along the River of Time when an Immeasurable Blood‑Light suddenly appeared and swept him in. That堂堂 Third Order Quasi‑Saint actually fell on the spot..." The Zhenming Honored One spoke sorrowfully.
"What! Kong Guang was slain by Immeasurable Blood‑Light?" The Lion Camel’s face changed drastically.
Disasters of such blood‑light only appear when reincarnation’s karma is being redetermined.
Could it be that someone truly intends to overturn the verdict on some long‑settled Immeasurable Catastrophe!
"Senior Lion Camel, Senior Zhenming! Please hurry up the mountain, my master, the Primal Saint, has matters to consult with you..." Suddenly, a Dao practitioner flew down from the mountain, coming to invite the two up.
Hearing that it was the Primal Saint himself inviting them, the Lion Camel and Zhenming no longer dared tarry at the foot of the mountain and immediately flew upward.
Yet just then, boundless blood‑light suddenly appeared along the mountain path and in an instant surged toward the Lion Camel.
"My life is forfeit!" The Lion Camel’s face went deathly pale. He was no Saint—how could he withstand the karmic retribution of the Immeasurable Mountain.
The Lion Camel thought this time he was surely doomed, but a horsetail whisk abruptly appeared. With a light flick, it swept away all the blood‑light around him.
Thus the Lion Camel preserved his life, but Zhenming was not saved. Swept up by the blood‑light, he instantly dissolved into nothingness, as though forcibly erased from the world.
"This horsetail whisk—could it be that the one who saved me was Elder Fuchen Honored One!"
Having escaped with his life, the Lion Camel immediately showered the whisk with boundless gratitude.
"No need to thank me. Back in the Northern Barbarians Kingdom, your killing karma was not heavy. After you shed your identity as an Immeasurable Calamity Envoy and were re‑sealed onto the Immortal Ranking, you did not reap much benefit from this matter either. Even if the Immeasurable karmic retribution were to settle upon you, at most you would be heavily injured. Whether I saved you or not, you wouldn’t have died."
A phantom scarlet figure suddenly appeared, raising his hand in a beckoning motion. The horsetail whisk flew into his grasp.
This man’s Dao title was Fuchen Honored One. While possessing the cultivations of a Desolate Saint, he was also the third of the four great Dust Kings of the Dust Realm, personally appointed by the Calamity Master.
The Fuchen Honored One had likewise come to Mount Wansheng, for he too had once been entangled in the Immeasurable karma of the Northern Barbarians Kingdom; yet this was not his true body, merely a single strand of spirit sense that had descended.
In the end, this matter was nothing more than someone trying to overturn the verdict on a former Immeasurable Catastrophe. But how could such a case be so easily reversed? And even if it truly were reversed, what loss would it be to him?
He originally had no interest in this affair and couldn’t even be bothered to send down a single strand of spirit sense, but after hearing certain bits of news, he could not help but pay it some attention.
"A struggle between Chiwei and Zi Wei... In an age when Zi Wei no longer exists, has Chiwei once more returned to reincarnation... Mere Chiwei—back then I could have Zi Wei cut you down; now I can just as easily bury you in the Immeasurable Ruin... It’s only a pity. I had thought that after all these years, even if you failed to step into reversal, you would at least have become some sort of Initial Saint or Nirvana Saint. Yet now you still have to borrow a formless tribulation to seek a path to sainthood? Have I overestimated you, or are you deliberately hiding your true cultivations, sheathing your sharp edge, plotting something else..." The Fuchen Honored One pondered inwardly, but his face remained as calm as ever as he led the ever‑grateful Lion Camel Sage up Mount Wansheng.
...
Her heart‑blood suddenly surged, as though she felt someone hurling curses at her.
Chiwei pinched her fingers to divine, then fell silent.
"So it’s that brat Fuchen cursing me—he actually thinks I’m some junior who hasn’t yet become a Saint, and still dreams of flipping his hand to suppress me into the Immeasurable Ruin? Heh, a mere Desolate Saint, what grand tone. If I get the chance, I’ll stand right there without moving and see just how you plan to beat me into the Immeasurable Ruin!"