Chapter 1321: Watching Immortal Clouds Rise
Chapter 1321: Chapter 1321: Watching Immortal Clouds Rise
Matters in this world often cannot withstand scrutiny; upon scrutiny, each one holds hidden grievances.
Birth, aging, illness, death, parting from loved ones, meeting with loathed ones, seeking but never obtaining, five burning aggregates... the eight sufferings of the red dust, cycles of reincarnation, no one is not wronged, all are tormented, all beings suffer.
However, human grief and joy do not connect, only feeling the noise of those involved.
To Manzhi, the world is like an endless sea of suffering with no way to turn back: Manzhi understands the wisdom of not entering the river of love, yet still steps in, tasting the bitter fruit on his own.
To Ning Fan, the world is like a grand stage, with the only truth hidden behind the fall of the curtain.
Reincarnation is too heavy, forgetting was originally liberation.
When mortals cross the Naihe Bridge, they must drink a bowl of Meng Po’s Soup, only because the wounds in their hearts cannot be healed by medicine; so-called forgetting is originally redemption.
Monks slay the heart demon, abandon the mortal world, extinguish obsessions, practice venerated indifference, also out of helplessness: not everyone has the ability to walk the path of demon cultivation forward, life holds too much of an unbearable weight. Let go when weak, pick it up when strong, is also a kind of life wisdom.
Those who open the Third Gate of Tianren can know their past and future in all cycles of reincarnation and will bear the suffering of all lifetimes.
The wise let go of most of their past after weighing it. When the heart has no obstructions, there is no fear, hence the spirit sense is undamaged.
The ignorant refuse to forget, refuse to turn back, thus causing their spirit sense to grow thorns, covered in scars, walking the path ahead all is damage, and will also lose all happiness.
Ning Fan plays the role of a revenger deep in suffering and bitterness, it is his character that determines his fate.
But Manzhi feels that Ning Fan is still hiding something: suffering might just be a facade, the real situation is yet to be determined.
One must lift a corner of the curtain to glimpse Ning Fan’s reality!
He must do so!
He holds great expectations for the butterfly! But the butterfly’s various actions have diverged from his expectations, making him uneasy!
There are many variables in the world, but few are as elusive as the butterfly.
Purple Dou tried to inherit the butterfly’s ideals, but ultimately did not achieve complete success.
Chiwei attempted to guide the butterfly away from the Five Spirits’ strife, but ended up led astray by the butterfly, stirring a fighting spirit with participation, casting doubt on the future...
Liyan wanted to intimidate the butterfly into giving up obsessions, but underestimated the butterfly’s stubbornness.
Archaic intended to burn away the butterfly’s will with Third Yang, but couldn’t extinguish one generation after another of the butterfly’s strong obsessions.
Now, an even more astonishing truth surfaces!
The butterfly actually awakened the Fourth Throne, gaining the possibility of becoming the Fourth Divine King!
Even the Fourth Throne could not make the butterfly submit.
The inheritance of the Sequential Divine King cannot be compared to the Ten Ancient Kings. In the history of ancient countries, there have been ten of the Ancient King level, but only three Sequential Divine Kings!
To succeed as a regular ancient king, only the blessings of twenty-four Ancestor Gods are needed; however, to become a Sequential Divine King, there is a stricter requirement, needing one of the Three Kings to step down.
Thrones don’t appear out of thin air, behind this event, there must be the setup of a certain Divine King’s abdication.
Even with just toes to think with, Manzhi could guess which Divine King has designs on the butterfly: who else other than Niyue!
Niku is a fool, without such a mind. She has opened up the Saint Road for all beings, firmly believes in the goodness of human nature. More than scheming, she prefers to establish a heart for the world and a purpose for the people while preserving knowledge of saints and opening peace for all epochs, hence the saying of sun for saint.
Nijun is a quiet jar, most averse to intrigue. He pioneered the Demon Spirit Road, believes in the evil nature of humanity, that all beings are demons, always causing conflict, truth exists only in power, hence the saying of star for fiendgods.
Only the Third Divine King, Niyue, most delights in power schemes and balances, with countless inscrutable actions, so cunning that even the Five Spirits Chessboard cannot account for his entirety!
The Five Spirits Chessboard was created by him to potentially interfere with destiny.
Puppet Technique was originally a mental iron mindset intended to control all beings with this art.
The greatest Riddle Man in ancient kingdoms could only be Niyue.
Even when passing down divine skills to Purple Dou in the past, Niyue wouldn’t say it directly, had to take a ruler and tap Purple Dou on the skull three times to get the disciple to contemplate what this meant, naming it insight by enlightenment...
If the disciple was a bit less perceptive, they couldn’t guess it implied attending class at midnight.
Niyue believes a Divine King is a father, and all beings are children, planning ahead for children is a duty, it’s within the children’s duty to follow the parents’ will, hence the establishment of empire paths and imperial systems, giving birth to the saying of moon as emperor.
If it weren’t for Niyue’s instigation, Nikang and Nijun might not have aspired to be Divine Kings. He wasn’t the strongest among the Three Kings, yet he was indispensable in maintaining the Three Kings system.
Though Nikang was strong, he acted somewhat capriciously; Nijun was wise, yet preferred to meditate on the Dao in reclusion, spending his years engrossed in classics, detached from worldly matters.
Thus, the administrative and taxing affairs could only fall to Niyue. In ancient times, it was said that the kings who struggled for a thousand years would lose a day, referring precisely to Niyue.
The later Earth Giant Clan Monarchs could only take a day of rest every four years, also imitating the old practices of the Divine Kings.
Decadent kings could revel every night, while wise rulers only burned the midnight oil working overtime.
Niyue wished to use the Three Divine Kings to balance the Ten Ancient Kings, to balance the myriad races and spirits with the Ten Continents and Three Islands, to unite the power of all races to resist the formidable enemies from beyond the domain.
If all beings were mere puppets and chess pieces, the world might truly operate as he desired, in an orderly fashion. However, all beings have their own will and are not true puppets. When the First and Second Divine Kings passed away one after another, one cornerstone of balance collapsed completely, and the situation spun out of control, no longer something that Niyue could balance...
He wanted to reopen the Five Spirits Chessboard, to reclaim destiny, but failed repeatedly.
He wished to pass the throne to Purple Dou, to recreate another invincible Nikang, but Purple Dou had other plans, unwilling to sacrifice his mentor, nor willing to become a Divine King...
In the end, with no alternatives, Niyue could only take his seven daughters to seek other possibilities beyond the vastness, but not before leaving numerous contingency plans behind.
No one knows how many contingencies this Riddle Man ancestor left before departing from the vastness.
No one knows if Niyue, who went on a long journey, will return, or with what cultivation level he will return. Everything about him is unknown, thus the several Niks harbor immense dread toward everything about Niyue, more so than they did towards Nikang and Nijun!
They frantically erased everything Niyue left behind: whether it was Sumeru Mountain, Princess Qimei, or Princess Yuezhong, all became sacrifices...
Purple Dou awaits the return of Niyue, also contemplating the worst outcome, secretly planning something.
He guards the edge of the Lost World Palace, single-handedly fending off the attacks of beings from beyond the domain while simultaneously spreading the flame of the path and guiding the souls of the deceased...
The Reverse Saints pride themselves on having severed Purple Dou’s reversal path, yet didn’t anticipate that Purple Dou, dead, would be more troublesome and unfathomable than when he was alive.
Some speculate that Purple Dou may have already unified the Mountain and Sea and is even beginning to transform towards the Fifth Step, intending to gather the flames of all beings and solidify the path of the Fifth Step...
There is the formidable foe Life Monarch beyond the domain, and within the domain, there is the concern of Niyue’s return and Purple Dou’s lamplighting, thus the Reverse Saints naturally will not prioritize addressing Butterfly.
The main storyline of the world is not the Butterfly, but the contest between the Reverse and Purple Dou, Niyue, the tumult between the vastness and the outer domain, the struggle between survival and annihilation!
The story should never have been a romantic cultivation drama...
If Butterfly hadn’t meddled, Niyue’s youngest daughter should have long since been eliminated, yet she remains trapped in a cycle of suffering through reincarnation, precisely the change Butterfly brought!
Butterfly did not come too late, nor did he do nothing! To all the Saints Reverse, time holds no sequence; from the moment a person develops a delusional thought, the past and future already begin to extend in all directions.
Butterfly’s actions disrupted the layouts of the Reverse and upset Purple Dou’s plans as well.
Because he exists, no one can play chess properly, as both the enemy and ally face the possibility of miscalculation...
What is meant by one person operating while nine others are tense, this is it...
Butterfly’s capacity is too small, only enough to contain a few fruits, unable to encompass the entire world.
Yet his courage is excessively large! Where his heart leads, he will not compromise!
He has resisted countless times, unable to tolerate the slightest speck of dust in his eyes; thus he has destroyed countless times, self-inflicted, in a pitiful state...
But some people can be destroyed but not defeated! When will transcends the boundary of life and death, even a particle can undergo metamorphosis, breaking through the limits of materialization amid gathering and dispersing!
The arrogant do not wish to believe in the possibility of a mortal killing an immortal, yet Purple Dou has never underestimated the threat level of Butterfly.
He had long seen Butterfly, even in a past life before he became the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign... so he does not wish, like the other Reverse, to arrogantly deny Butterfly’s future. He attempted to guide Butterfly to become a comrade, both mentor and apprentice, but did not succeed...
On the surface, it seemed Purple Dou was paving the way for Butterfly, allowing his smooth journey to the present.
But in reality, Purple Dou was merely worried that without guidance, Butterfly would evolve into another Kumei, posing a threat to all beings, doing everything to avoid the worst outcome.
Mortal Spirits are weak, weak in the level of life, strength, and Daoist conduct, yet not weak in the realm of will. Whether an individual’s will is sturdy need not be a gift from the gods, it can be determined by oneself! In a world where believing is existing, will can rewrite destiny, can redefine the foundation of creation! Believe in science for scientific growth, believe in metaphysics for metaphysical survival! In this vast world, all observations are variables, all objectivity is subjectivity, the difference lies in who holds sway!
On this point alone, Butterfly is exceedingly terrifying.
No one can extinguish his obsession, any failure and death will only accumulate his anger and grief.
Momentary stupidity appears laughable.
Countless generations of foolishness can be truly terrifying!
Without the Purple Dou, the butterfly will still be a butterfly, even if in this world it faces defeat and forever loses what it loves, it may still truly erupt in a distant era, burning everything to ashes.
With the Purple Dou, the butterfly will have numerous shackles, countless weaknesses and vulnerabilities: being attached, the butterfly can never become another Kumei, unable to destroy everything with abandon; having weaknesses, anyone can easily plot against the butterfly, causing it to never truly be free.
The greatest plot of the Purple Dou against the butterfly was to bind it with a golden hoop of kindness and affection, granting the butterfly the warmth of life as a human being: fate cannot restrict the lawless butterfly, but love can; the butterfly’s fierce flames would be too wasteful to destroy the world, it would be better to turn them into lanterns of radiant brightness.
Unable to let the butterfly inherit the ideal of salvation was the regret of the Purple Dou.
But being able to avoid the butterfly becoming another Kumei also counts as a blessing for all beings.
As strong as the Purple Dou is, all it can do is seek compromise with the butterfly.
What about Niyue?
The butterfly being able to awaken the throne’s inheritance must be the handiwork of Niyue!
Sadly, the butterfly ultimately made a choice similar to the Purple Dou, failing to fulfill Niyue’s wish.
Thinking that even Niyue could not deal with the butterfly, Manzhi felt both comforted and regretful.
However, considering the butterfly already had a tendency towards becoming the Riddle Man, Manzhi was somewhat skeptical: did the butterfly truly refuse the throne?
This butterfly always loves deceiving others! It certainly did not truly refuse the fourth throne!
You cannot truly reject it, deceive others if you must, but do not actually do this! I am waiting for you to become the Fourth Divine King and send me home!
Let those old veterans fight to the death in the vast world, let’s just take our wives and split the belongings and escape, isn’t that beautiful?
That’s right! It must be this way! No one understands the butterfly better than I do!
I will uncover all the truths you hide!
"Heaven and earth spirits, heed my command!"
"Ancient Moment Divine Words, [Tidings]!"
Though Manzhi was not a ghost spirit, lighting a Yellow Spring Yin Talisman depicting exotic beasts, he forcibly activated a ghost spirit divine skill.
Ghost spirits are one of the god, demon, monster, immortal, ghost five clans, which symbolize the five eternal forms pursued by ancient country ancestors.
God spirits attest to eternal will: existing because of belief, immortal through inheritance, valuing rituals and sacred flame faith, known as warriors of faith.
Demon spirits attest to personal immortality: truth lies only in the fists and feet, valuing valor and advocating martial prowess.
Monster spirits attest to return through reincarnation: all things in mountains and seas can bury souls, Nirvana cycles endlessly, heroic spirits eternally dwell, reborn through flames.
Immortal spirits attest to unity with Dao and dust: long-lasting with heaven and earth, shining with sun and moon, Dao aligns with destiny. Follow the will of heaven, defy earth to become immortal, adhere to the practice of cultivation.
Ghost spirits attest to the extinction of the spirit platform: ghosts return. Life is a journey, embrace death as home. People die as ghosts, ghosts die as na, na dies as xi, xi dies as yi, yi dies as wei. Wei, Wei, why not return...
Ghost spirit divine skills focus on causality and rules system, because their activation conditions and use mechanisms are complex.
For example, the Tidings skill Manzhi used at this moment, it has many conditions and limitations.
This skill can summon ancient ghost spirit [Tidings] for possession, observing all causality one wishes to observe.
Ghost skill: Tidings.
Effect: Can observe all causality beneath Mountain and Sea Unity.
Activation conditions: For each observation, pay a price based on the size of the causality observed, price random and uncontrollable.
Restrictions: The content observed appears randomly, uncontrollable.
Once the divine skill is activated, Manzhi seemed as if possessed by a ghost, twitching uncontrollably, his body began to change: half remained normal, the other mutated to a tiger’s head, single horn, dog’s ear, dragon’s body, lion’s tail, Qilin’s foot, half-human half-dog, shrouded in ghostly aura.
"What does the Daoist wish to observe..." asked the half-ghost body.
"The fourth throne... the butterfly..." half of Manzhi’s face turned green, speaking with difficulty. He was not a genuine ghost spirit, borrowing a technique to activate the ghost spirit divine skill appeared strenuous.
"The contract is complete, this is the first observation..." the half-ghost body spoke indifferently, enunciating with icy mechanical precision.
At the same time, Manzhi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his crotch and forever lost something, his face becoming increasingly unsightly.
What a loss!
This time, using the Tidings skill, he was so unlucky, beginning by losing Little Manzhi!
It’s known that the body organs sacrificed as a contract price cannot be repaired using normal methods...
No matter!
Later I’ll fit a mechanical copper bird to manage...
First, see what causality regarding the butterfly was observed after paying such a price...
Observation result: [The butterfly truly refused the fourth throne, factually confirmed.]
After sacrificing Little Manzhi, only acquiring a short sentence, it showed how costly observing anything related to the butterfly’s contact with the fourth throne truly is.
"Impossible! How could you truly refuse! If you won’t become the Fourth Divine King, who will send me home! No--------" Manzhi felt heartbroken.
Though the Tidings skill is costly, it is costly for a reason, ensuring absolute authenticity.
The butterfly actually rejected the throne...
Why is this!!!
Without getting to the bottom of this, Manzhi refuses to be reconciled! He staked everything, falling from a proud Reverse Saint to his current Nine Epoch cultivation, how could he merely concede!
There must still be a chance, still hidden matters!
"Continue with observation!" Manzhi spoke hoarsely.
"The contract is complete, this is the second observation..."
Suddenly, Manzhi felt his footing falter, inexplicably losing one epoch cultivation, downgrading from Nine Epoch Initial Saint to Eight Epoch.
For some, losing an epoch cultivation is heartbreaking.
But for Manzhi, a mere loss of an epoch of cultivation is far less significant than losing Little Manzhi, this time belonged to the fortune reversal.
Observation result: [The butterfly is not satisfied with the harsh requirements of the Divine King trial, thus rejected the trial.]
An epoch of cultivation, exchanging for just one sentence.
Yet, Manzhi saw a glimmer of hope.
Refused the trial? Because the trial requirements are too harsh?
Which means the butterfly did not refuse to become the Fourth Divine King, simply does not want to undergo the trial.
Perhaps it’s possible that the butterfly does not need to participate in the trial, can claim the fourth throne through other means, he has methods like Communication with All Things and Ownership of All Things, what he cannot obtain, he can seize. Although the throne’s level is too high, difficult to seize, but at least there’s a slight possibility...
"I knew it! The butterfly would absolutely not enter a treasure mountain and leave empty-handed!" Manzhi’s heart slightly settled.
Immediately, opened a third observation.
There was still hope!
He must see if the butterfly really seized the throne...
So recommenced the third observation at a cost.
This time, half of Manzhi’s Unbreakable power within him was lost.
Considering Ning Fan’s Unbreakable power quantity as one, Manzhi lost five amounts, which is heavy damage indeed...
This further complicated matters for Manzhi, who already had dwindling Unbreakable power in decline.
What left him speechless was that his intention to verify whether Ning Fan seized the fourth throne was unrelated to the observation result.
Observation result: [Partial content of the butterfly’s twelve trials.]
Observation is a variable affecting the outcome, different individuals succeeding the fourth throne trigger distinctive trial tasks.
Sure, here is the translation:
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The Twelve Trials that Purple Dou triggered in the past are unknown.
The Twelve Trials that Ning Fan triggered were observed in the first three by Manzhi.
First Trial: The Divine King is selfless and neutral, reversing emptiness begins by severing Dual Cultivation roots.
Second Trial: Obtain the horn of the Taishi Qilin.
Third Trial: Strip the skin off the Nine Realms Deer.
"No way! I gave up half of my Unbreakable power, and that’s all the useless information I get? Knowing that the butterfly refused the Twelve Trials, what’s the point of knowing these things? Such a loss, a huge loss! But still, observing a part gives some understanding of why the butterfly felt the trial contents were harsh."
Would you not find them harsh?
Whether it’s the Taishi Qilin or the Nine Realms Deer, they are all Heaven-Opening spirits comparable to the Ancient Celestial Whale!
If the butterfly truly had such skills to strip the skin and cut the horns of the Heaven-Opening spirits, would he still need to become a Divine King? Isn’t that putting the cart before the horse!
It’s because he needs power that he wants to become a Divine King.
The result for wanting to become a Divine King is first to have power, come on!
And these are just the first three tasks! Besides the first being a giveaway, the second and third tasks are already Heaven-Opening difficulty, it’s unimaginable how tricky and dangerous the tasks afterward might be, no wonder the butterfly would refuse to participate in the trials!
The content of the Twelve Trials varies from person to person and has randomness.
As strong as Divine King Niyue, he could only offer Ning Fan the chance to become Nikong, being able to seize it depends on Ning Fan’s compatibility with Nikong Road.
The higher the compatibility, the lower the trial difficulty, and vice versa.
Although unclear specifically, Purple Dou certainly didn’t trigger such high difficulty tasks back then, no one would be more suited to becoming Nikong Divine King than him.
As for the butterfly... even if his compatibility isn’t as high as Purple Dou, it shouldn’t be this low...
Wait, hold on!
Though it seems absurd, but... did the butterfly truly refuse the trials because the Taishi Qilin and the Nine Realms Deer are difficult to deal with, not wanting to mess with cause and effect?
Is it possible... that the butterfly got stuck on the first task...
Self-castration, while a giveaway for me, is it really that hard for the butterfly?
No way?
No way someone wouldn’t be willing to self-castrate, right?
Fine then...
Now, even I am starting to savor it, if there’s reluctance, it’s understandable...
No no no, I must have thought wrong! I might feel some reluctance, but certainly not the butterfly! He is someone who does great things, one who achieves does not fear death, he must think the other trials are harsh! No one understands the butterfly better than me!
Having failed to find the intel I wanted, I’ll have to continue the risky observation...
So, he conducted a fourth observation.
Once again losing a generation’s cultivation, falling to Seven Epoch Primordial Saint.
Observation result: [Congratulations, you guessed it right, the butterfly is stuck on the first.]
Manzhi: "?"
No way!
Though one epoch’s cultivation isn’t heartaching, but is that all the useless stuff you observed, playing with me?
Sighs.
After sighing, life must continue.
So, a fifth observation was conducted.
Secretly thinking this time, after concluding the butterfly’s cause and effect, I won’t touch the Tidings skill again, although useful, it tends to drain one’s resources and soul...
In this observation, Manzhi lost the Dao Weapon [Nine Pillar Nail Rake], suffering great losses.
Observation result: [Part of the butterfly’s cultivation information.]
Manzhi still couldn’t figure out if Ning Fan captured the Fourth Throne.
But he did uncover the true cultivation that the butterfly kept hidden, unable to tell if it’s a gain or loss in a moment.
Name: Ning Fan
Former Names: Yun Fan, White Fan, Mo Ning, Zhou Ming, Lu Bei, Zhao Jian, Zhang Dao, Nifan, Lord of the Clouds...
Realm: Human King Great Perfection. (Claiming to be Emperor is false)
Mana: Ten Thousand Tribulations. (The limit of one epoch’s reincarnation)
Innate Roots: Mortal Butterfly (Mortal Lower Grade Butterfly)
Acquired Constitution: Founding Primordial Spirit Body (Four out of Five Spirits obtained)
Five Spirit Attributes: Divine (Postnatal Young God Stage), Demon (Unknown), Monster (Ruined Body), Immortal (Ruined Body), Ghost (Failed to ruin seventeen times)
First Dao Weapon: Reversed Sea Desolate Sword (Already forged, sworn on this sword with wine, still forging claim is false)
Second Dao Weapon: Fuyao Merit Umbrella (Regenerated from Buzhou Virtue Umbrella, fused with Heaven-opening Jade Scroll, can gather Heaven’s merit)
Third Dao Weapon: Yin Yang Infinite Lock (Regenerated from Yin Yang Lock, in which Mysterious Yin World has evolved into the second realm. Truth: Butterfly currently possesses two realms)
Fourth Dao Weapon: Thousand People Dao Fruit (Forged from overflow Dao Fruit power, shaped like a Ginseng Fruit, with a Purple Wei Human Face on it)
Divine Talent: Communication with All Things, Ownership of All Things, All-Things Gathering.
Demon Talent: Unknown.
Monster Talent: Fuli Swallowing (Nine times used, invalid thereafter, currently used 0)
Immortal Talent: Materialization Freedom Technique
"How is this possible! This butterfly merely killed a Purple Wei, and has gotten so much stronger!"
Even though Manzhi lost Nine Pillar Nail Rake, his luck exploded, calculating extremely important intel!
He discovered Ning Fan’s cultivation details!
These were the things Ning Fan lied about and deliberately hid, but were uncovered by Manzhi!
Now, perhaps Ning Fan will get angry...
Better to run fast!
Right now, it’s definitely not suitable to contact Ning Fan! Better wait until he calms down!
But can’t leave immediately! Having tried now, it will be much harder to calculate the butterfly’s cause and effect outside the Taiyi Dream.
So be it! Wait until it’s clear whether this butterfly had forcefully taken the Fourth Throne, then leave immediately without staying!
With luck exploding, the desired results should be calculated soon...
So, he conducted a sixth observation.
Three hundred colors of fortune directly dropped to one hundred fifty colors.
Observation result: [The butterfly is watching you from the throne.]
Manzhi: "?!"
Cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
Almost simultaneously as Manzhi received the observation result.
Within the Divine God Hall.
Atop the Fourth Throne.
A figure slowly emerged, frowning, not knowing how long they had been sitting on the throne.
It’s none other than Ning Fan, who else could it be!
But how is this possible!
At this time, Ning Fan should be pretending to refine the Reversed Sea Heaven Desolate Sword on Mount Buzhou, so why has his true self descended here!
His true self should be participating in the Saint trial in Ziwei Beiji Palace, triggering a Northern Barbarian reversal after a matryoshka strategy, continuing to battle Dao thoughts with Jichen using a matryoshka strategy, then observing the chaos of Taiyi Dream’s cause and effect with the matryoshka strategy amidst the Ancient Starry Sky, and finally leaving his true self to pretend in the Water Curtain Cave of Mount Buzhou!
Why is he appearing here!
This presence is not merely a fragment of spirit division! Nor is it a clone, second Primordial Spirit, or an illusory projection! This is the only true self amidst the River of Time, yet at the same moment, it is appearing in different locations!
One person, one body, can simultaneously exist in different timespaces, unrestricted by common sense, but any observer can only observe one form at the same time! Even different observers may see Ning Fan doing entirely different things...
Neither true nor false, neither master nor secondary, only one.
To achieve this, there is only one explanation...
"Could it be that your understanding of materialization has already reached its peak!" Manzhi exclaimed incredulously.
It’s unreasonable! This is irrational!
Even Reverse Saints struggle to perfect materialization, how could an unascended butterfly achieve this!
"That’s not right!"
"You borrowed the power of external objects to temporarily accomplish this!"
"With your current unimaginable proficiency, even if you could trick a weak Initial Saint, it shouldn’t escape my eyes or allow you to successfully hide here!"
"Considering your detestation towards me and the value you place on your own information, you should not honestly sit aside, coldly watching as I observe you six times!"
"The answer is self-evident! It is the power of the Fourth Throne bestowed upon you, briefly elevating your materialization Taoist practice to its highest realm! You are not passively spectating me from the throne but are compelled due to some reason, unable to rise!"
"Almost scared me to death! I almost thought you would rise from the throne and tear me apart alive..."
With this thought, Manzhi breathed a sigh of relief, stabilizing his unsettled heart while starting to analyze Ning Fan’s situation.
If Ning Fan was still at his previous level of Taoist practice, Manzhi might have a bit of confidence to contend with him.
Currently, Ning Fan has slew Ziwei and devoured over a thousand Dao Fruits of the old practitioners, causing his Taoist practice to increase exponentially; whereas Manzhi suffered great damage in Taoist practice due to overuse of the Tidings Technique, thus he is reluctant to engage in a direct confrontation with Ning Fan.
"Daoist friend has guessed some of it, but not entirely right. I am not unable to rise, but there are priorities at hand preventing me from acting, choosing to let you be for now..." Ning Fan relaxed his brows, stating calmly.
Though reluctant to expose true information, once it’s unveiled, he could only let it be.
Who would have thought Manzhi would appear at such a crucial time...
Though he wanted to rise at once and chop Manzhi a thousand and one times, because someone even more deserving of chopping urgently needs handling, Manzhi is temporarily set aside.
"Oh? May I ask what Daoist friend is currently busy with? Something indeed more significant than chopping me a thousand and one times!" Manzhi felt somewhat jealous.
He, the Jiang Shui Taoist everyone yearns to mince into meat paste, and you have been calculated by me repeatedly, upon seeing me, why not chop!
Even with your current Daoist advancement, don’t belittle me so much, truly treating me like a sick cat?
"Aren’t you proficient in Tidings Technique, Daoist friend? Observing directly might reveal what I’m currently up to." Ning Fan advised.
"Something you could tell me in one sentence, yet urging me to sacrifice my life to calculate?" Manzhi was deeply speechless.
But nonetheless, he still obediently sacrificed his life to calculate.
No choice but to do it!
Since knowing Ning Fan has such capability, able to sit on the throne while flying messily, being up to things in the River of Time, Manzhi felt a bit anxious.
Afraid Ning Fan is busy sneaking into [Mao Erjie’s Tomb] and going this way with his beloved little bunny, Mountain and Sea Shadow...
Or perhaps Ning Fan flew into his realm with the Against-Fate Thunder Technique and went this way with his recently found bunny pig, this happened given Ning Fan marked his world, now enhanced by Throne’s power truly enabling this...
Or maybe Ning Fan returned to Rain Immortal World, relying on his status as Seven Apricot City’s lord, to threaten the Wei Chi family’s bunny pig... "Madam, you wouldn’t want Wei Chi to be treated like this by me..."
Not————
At the mere thought of the existence of Minotaurs, Manzhi felt enveloped by dark clouds.
His weakness had already been exposed in front of Ning Fan. If the other party wanted to harm him, there was no reason not to target his weakness—didn’t he aim a Deciphering Seal at Ning Fan’s weak spot once before? At that time, he was convinced that Ning Fan would shield Ji Fuyao from the attack; he and Niyue had some rapport and would never truly harm the other’s daughter... But a scheme was still a scheme, and there was no escaping it... Butterflies hold grudges!
Thus, he sacrificed one Epoch of cultivation and forcefully transformed himself into the Six Epochs Initial Saint.
He was no longer observing whether Ning Fan was encroaching upon the Fourth Throne, but rather what Ning Fan was doing right now.
Observation result: [Ning Fan is currently hunting Fate Wielding, but consistently failing to kill him, due to a Reverse Saint secretly drawing on Zhou Heaven’s fate to protect Fate Wielding, unwilling for him to be killed...]
Manzhi let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness! The Daoist did not do such a thing! The Daoist must be considerate of the Mountain and Sea Shadow of my niece, Yuezhong, within the Divine Tomb, unwilling to act as a Minotaur before my niece! Thank Yuezhong! Praise Yuezhong!" Manzhi shouted loudly, seemingly trying to remind Ning Fan that he had old ties with Yuezhong, and Yuezhong’s Mountain and Sea Shadow was in the tomb, so he should not commit an act that brings pain to loved ones and joy to enemies.
Feeling it was still not sufficiently secure, he added: "Daoist isn’t eager to chop me because there is someone more deserving to be chopped. That makes sense! How can chopping me compare to the pleasure of chopping the murderer of one’s father! Compared to that Fate Wielding junior, my Jiang Shui definitely counts as one of the few good people in the world, my morality second only to the Daoist! If I cause harm, I must be saving; if I kill, there must be karma; if I intervene in an affair, it must be due to the bitter pleas of all beings! I am the kindest, unable to bear the suffering of humanity; but that scoundrel is a true scourge, deserving a thousand cuts! Yet, that scoundrel was a pawn cast into the Purple Mountain Dou Sea by a Reverse Saint, making it challenging to kill him. If the Daoist requires assistance, I will wholeheartedly support, and when you and I laugh off grudges as brothers, there will be nowhere in the world we cannot go! Pig Butterfly together, our advantage slices through gold! Even if protected by Zhou Heaven’s Fate, Fate Wielding must be slain in an instant!"
Ning Fan: "You’re too noisy!"
Manzhi: "Sorry, sorry, brother, I’ll quiet down. Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve paid respects to my niece Yuezhong, I’ll go light incense for her..."
Having finished speaking, he dispelled the Tidings Skill, intending to flee temporarily.
Yet Ning Fan on the throne pointed with a Reincarnation-Fixing Technique to immobilize him.
Ning Fan was just temporarily unable to get up, not unable to take action.
"Oh my, this Divine Skill shouldn’t be used recklessly, careful not to be scooped up by some old scoundrel someday..." Seeing Ning Fan unwilling to let him leave, Manzhi felt slightly embarrassed but did not forcefully break free of the Reincarnation-Fixing Technique.
Fix it then! Fix it!
Happy as you are! After all, you’re the big shot here!
"Enough! Enough! It seems without being cut a thousand times by the Daoist, you won’t truly reconcile with me, so let the Daoist chop enough then! I won’t leave, nor dodge, just wait until the Daoist is done being busy then chop away! If I lay a hand, then it’s as if I’m the Daoist’s grandson!"
This was trying to take advantage!
If he became Ning Fan’s grandson, wouldn’t he become family with Ning Fan? The other side surely wouldn’t harm his granddaughter-in-law then!
Ning Fan: "..."
Ning Fan had encountered many shameless people, but Manzhi could truly redefine his understanding of brazenness; should it be said that as a former Reverse Saint, his Heaven-Opening level of cheek is indeed unbeatable in the world...
...
At the same time, in North Heaven.
A certain Man-Eating Gourd was using every means possible, frantically fleeing for his life!
Behind him was a crimson shadow, whose face was unclear, chasing relentlessly. With just a casual release of Evil Qi, he faced the collapse of his Spirit, and any casual strike was enough to kill him thousands upon thousands of times!
What kind of overwhelming force was this—Saints might not possess such force! Why was there such a terrifying existence within the Dreamland Realm!
"Who exactly is the one pursuing me!"
"And who is secretly deploying Zhou Heaven’s Fate to protect me!"
"The one protecting me is not the Dreamland’s Zhou Heaven’s Fate, but Real Realms fate! Without fate’s protection, I wouldn’t survive even a moment!"
"It’s not my master taking action! My master’s Fate Wielding doesn’t have the authority to mobilize Real Realms fate, even Real Realms Saints wouldn’t misuse such authority!"
"What level of causal vortex am I caught in? Third step, or fourth step!"
"Senior, please don’t kill me! I’m willing to be a slave to the senior, I’m willing to betray my master!"
"I don’t want to die, I mustn’t die yet! I haven’t devoured the Stone Warriors of the Eight Formations’ eternity yet! I haven’t rebuilt the Heavenly Gourd Clan yet, I haven’t..."
The Man-Eating Gourd was in despair, suddenly seeing countless escape lights approaching from afar, each North Heaven dignitary among them, including Tablet Master Immortal Emperor, Meng Xuanzi, and several Great Emperors.
Desperately seeking help in crisis, he rushed towards the group of North Heaven Great Emperors and called for rescue: "I am the Heaven-devouring Demon Gourd under the South Heaven Emperor of Fate’s seat, pleading with fellow Daoists for salvation, if spared from this tribulation, I offer ten billion Heavenly Fortune Pearls in gratitude!"