Grasping Evil

Ning Fan gently inhaled. Standing in front of him was Lightning Lord Tai Yue who was an expert at the Second Level of the Golden Body Realm. His very presence made his breathing heavy.

With his body at the Peak Level of the Jade Life Body Refining Realm and adding up the strength of his corpse devil body, he still ended up being a little weaker than Tai Yue.

The body of this burly man which was tall like a black tower glowed with pure golden light. His physical body seemed to have turned into the body of gold. Aside from that, his body was filled with different marks.

He stood there like an insurmountable mountain. Even Lei Shiyi would not be able to take a single punch from him without suffering grievous injuries!

As for Chu Nanfeng and the others, Lightning Lord Tai Yue’s aura force made them directly fall back tens of steps before they could regain their balance. They could not resist Tai Yue’s domineering aura force at all.

“This man is not only a body cultivator at the Golden Body Realm but he has even attained the Second Level… He really is strong! His blood qi has a tinge of gold and gave me a bit of enlightenment… The Dao of Body Refinement begins with the ten levels of the Silver Light Realm. Then, it’s the Silver Bone Realm which is all about tempering the bones. After that, it’s the Jade Life Realm which focuses on tempering one’s life and soul. When one attains the Golden Body Realm, is it about tempering blood qi… Blood qi, huh…?”

Ning Fan muttered inwardly. He also took a step forward without any fear in his eyes.

Every trace of Lightning Lord Tai Yue’s qi could suppress mountains and rivers and freeze the vast skies.

However, when Ning Fan clawed at the air with his five fingers, fragments of the Golden Body Realm aura force shattered like glass. It was nullified just like that.

“Fine. I will withstand a single punch from you! If I remain uninjured, I want a drop of Golden Blood from you!”

“Golden Blood? That’s for sure, provided that you can survive my punch.”

Seeing Ning Fan break his aura force so easily and agree to withstand a fist from him fearlessly, Tai Yue’s eyes flashed with approval. He then stared deeply into Ning Fan’s eyes.

He had seen through Ning Fan’s true body refinement realm which was only at the Peak Level of the Jade Life Realm. He was still far away from attaining the Golden Body Realm. However, with his strange corpse devil physique, he could battle against a cultivator with a body at the true First Level of Golden Body Realm.

The reason why Ning Fan asked for his blood was naturally to comprehend the difference between the Golden Body Realm and the Jade Life Realm.

If Ning Fan’s strength proved satisfactory, there was no harm in giving him just a single drop of his blood to help him comprehend the Golden Body Realm!

“Be prepared to take my attack!”

Tai Yue took a step forward. At this moment, his aura force reached its peak, becoming as sharp as a razor-sharp sword. As soon as his aura force spread to all directions, countless undead spirits, be it the enemies or Ning Fan’s allies, hurriedly retreated and went out of the battlefield!

Countless summits of mountains were pressed by his powerful aura force and broke into half as if a razor-sharp axe had split them in the middle. Gigantic mountain ranges crumbled and even river currents were cut off, as if the area was flattened by a large divine hammer.

A scarlet ferocious light flashed in Tai Yue’s eyes. His body turned golden as if he became a man made of gold, his qi permeating the air. As he swung his fist, it emitted an earth-shattering crumbling sound.

A ray of pure golden fist light flashed past the sky, crushing layers upon layers of clouds. The hollow space was immediately pulverized and then a violent tremor spread across the earth as if it was about to crumble to pieces.

It was only a matter of seconds before that ray of fist light reached Ning Fan. He took a step forward with eyes filled with immense battle intent.

This attack is very strong! It can even defeat Lei Shiyi!

So this is the strength of a being who is nearly invincible among all Void Inquiry Stage experts in this lightning tower, huh?!

“Lightning armor, appear!”

All of a sudden, lightning armor with golden lightning marks covered Ning Fan’s body. When that golden armor covered his white robes, he looked like a divine general.

At this moment, the defense of his physical body had instantly increased to a terrifying level.

The lightning armor which was already at the third level of the gold grade could withstand a single strike at the Void Pierce Stage. Throughout his journey in the 22 levels, he had already obtained one hundred thousand traces of primordial lightning for free. Hence, his lightning armor was already halfway towards the fourth level.

This level of defense could even disregard attacks from ordinary Void Pierce Stage old monsters. Thus, attacks from those at the Void Inquiry Stage would not be able to break his defense at all!

When that ray of fist light which could restrain Lei Shiyi landed on his lightning armor, a frightening loud bang echoed across the air as if the world was being destroyed.

Wind and lightning moved in reverse. As the force of that punch spread across the vast land, it filled the area with desolation and bleakness. However, Ning Fan who was standing at the center of the impact did not suffer an injury at all. He seemed to be invincible!

With the help of countless traces of primordial lightning, his defense had reached a frightening level!

After a while, the force of the punch dissipated. Ning Fan dismissed his lightning armor and faintly said.

“I have already withstood your punch. You should fulfill your promise!”

*Hiss*

Even Tai Yue could not help but suck in a cold breath in surprise. All the other experts who witnessed that scene were also stunned.

They were aware of how strong Tai Yue’s punch was given it was strong enough to instantly kill any Void Glimpse Stage experts and it would also be able to restrain Void Inquiry Stage experts at Lei Shiyi’s level.

Despite facing such a powerful attack, Ning Fan was actually able to withstand it uninjured with his lightning armor!

Those who had discerning eyes could tell that that lightning armor was not a magic treasure but some kind of magic technique which condensed primordial lightning into armor that could increase the user’s defense!

They finally understood why Ning Fan was gathering primordial lightning everywhere. Without a doubt, his goal was related to this mysterious magic technique!

A massive sense of frustration filled Lightning Lord Tai Yue’s heart. He closed his eyes and remained silent.

He had used all of his strength to deliver that attack without using any body techniques.

However, judging from the impact, he would still not be able to break that lightning armor even if he displays his strong body techniques.

The defense of the lightning armor was absolutely heaven-defying. Even an expert of the Void Pierce Stage would find it troublesome to deal with.

“You can go to the twenty-third floor!”

Tai Yue reopened his eyes which carried a hint of reluctance and disappointment. After that, he made a cut on his arm with his finger which was sharp like the edge of a sword and kept a drop of his golden blood into a jade bottle. He passed that bottle and the gifts he had prepared beforehand to Ning Fan.

The golden blood only flowed through the tiny blood capillaries beneath the skin.

With Tai Yue’s current body refinement realm, he had only managed to condense no more than five hundred drops of golden blood.

Ning Fan nodded his head. Even though the way Tai Yue dealt with things was domineering, he was still a person who was willing to accept failure or defeat.

Ning Fan kept the gifts, swallowed the primordial spirit and briefly scanned the golden blood in the jade bottle. Then, without uttering any words, he moved towards the teleportation formation to the twenty-third floor.

“Fellow Daoist Zhou has widened this old man’s horizon again… The defense of that primordial lightning armor is really heaven-defying. Since this Tai Yue could not break it, perhaps Ying Long will also be unable to do it as well. I suppose Fellow Daoist is already incapable of losing in the final battle against Ying Long.”

“I can only guarantee that I won’t be defeated… Ying Long might be unable to harm me but I might not necessarily be able to hurt him too. Just like Lightning Lord Tai Yue, I can defend against his attacks but I may not be able to hurt him. Even if I display the sword of sovereign qi, I might not even be capable of breaking his physical body’s defense. At the end of the day, I am still limited to my cultivation base… If I really want to eliminate Tai Yue, perhaps I can only use the ‘Third Finger’…”

“The ‘Third Finger’? What is that?” Lei Shiyi asked doubtfully.

“It’s nothing. We are going to meet the lightning lord of the final floor, aren’t we? The floor after that, it will be where Ying Long is…”

Ning Fan and the others came to a halt. Heavy lines of defense which comprised countless undead spirits was vaguely visible in front of them.

As soon as they noticed Ning Fan and his group, they immediately yelled.

“Please stop moving forward! Lightning Lord Mo Lei has ordered that if Fellow Daoist Zhou Ming wishes to use the teleportation formation, you must answer one question from the lightning lord. Whether your answer can satisfy the lightning lord or not, all of you will still be allowed to pass through the teleportation formation as long as you give an answer!”

As soon as that voice fell, more than one thousand Divine Transformation Realm cultivators who were clad in armor and holding halberds in their hands heavily surrounded Ning Fan and his group. Those who took the lead were 20 Void Glimpse Stage experts and 1 Void Inquiry Stage expert.

The person who said those words just now was none other than the Void Inquiry Stage expert of the lightning palace on the twenty-third floor. Even though this person had a Void Inquiry Stage cultivation base, he was not Lightning Lord Mo Lei but a general under him.

“Answer a question? Are they going to play tricks on us and turn it into a fight?!” Lei Shiyi bared his yellow teeth and made a wretched smile. His eyes, however, were filled with intent to battle.

Ning Fan did not say a single word. He just indifferently scanned across the cultivators who had surrounded them and waved his hand to stop Lei Shiyi who was getting ready for a fight.

“What question do I need to answer?” Ning Fan said to the general.

“Fetch the lightning lord’s personal order, the gifts, a pen and some ink!”

With a solemn expression, the general commanded his men to bring forward countless items.

The items they brought included the dark golden bamboo leaf, some primordial lightning, silver grade and gold grade lightning jades. These items were, of course, their gifts to Ning Fan.

Other than these, there was even an expert who approached Ning Fan and knelt before him while holding a wooden plate. On the plate, there was a pen and an inkstone, an inkstick and a piece of paper.

Aside from these, there was also the question from the lightning lord which was written on the paper. It was just a single word…

Lei (雷,literally means ‘lightning’)!

“What f**king question is this?!” Lei Shiyi curled his lips. Even though he behaved frivolously, his eyes had a hint of solemnity as if he had noticed the difficulty behind this question.

“I’m sorry. The lightning lord is currently in secluded meditation. He only said that he had something he wanted to ask Fellow Daoist Zhou Ming and then left this word to us without telling us in detail what he wanted to ask.” The general said apologetically.

“Never mind. I understand what he means.”

The purple star in Ning Fan’s left eye flickered. His enhanced vision could nearly see through all the traces of magic power in the character ‘Lei’.

Each of the strokes which formed the character ‘Lei’ had retained some magic power. Each stroke contained the Dao of Lightning of Lightning Lord Mo Lei.

However, the character that he had written using his lightning power was not smooth and round. There was a lack of elegance and smoothness in the strokes that formed that character, making each of them unable to integrate with each other to form a perfect character.

The reason why Mo Lei could not perfect his lightning power was because he had yet to advance to the Void Pierce Stage and was still a Void Inquiry Stage expert.

This single character was a question.

Mo Lei wanted to ask Ning Fan what he should do in order to break the shackle of his Dao of Lightning and reach the bottleneck of the Void Pierce Stage!

“Interesting.”

Ning Fan did not write anything. He simply picked up the paper which contained the character ‘Lei’ and suddenly tore it into pieces.

“Impudent!”

The general’s eyes were suddenly filled with rage, thinking of Ning Fan’s behavior as reckless and arrogant.

Lightning Lord Mo Lei had already prepared expensive gifts for Ning Fan and was even willing to freely let him go to the twenty-fourth floor. All he wanted in exchange was an answer to his question. Besides, regardless of Ning Fan’s answer being satisfactory or not, he would still let him pass in the end. His request was not excessive at all.

However, Ning Fan ignored Mo Lei’s request and openly tore the paper that contained the question. Undeniably, it was a slap to Mo Lei’s face.

A scholar would prefer death to humiliation. Despite knowing how strong Ning Fan was, the general still steeled himself to fight against him.

It was at this moment that a sigh escaped from a person who had achieved deep comprehension echoed from the lightning palace situated far from them. His indifferent tone was like a ray of lightning that flashed past the sky.

“Gong Bo, stop! I am very satisfied with this little friend’s answer… He’s right…”

The person who spoke was none other than Lightning Lord Mo Lei. Just as his voice fell, an old man who gave out a whiff of divine wind emerged ethereally. He sighed with emotion faintly.

“Little Friend’s Dao Comprehension is certainly extraordinary… Your future will certainly be bright!” The elderly man cupped his fists with eyes filled with gratitude.

“It’s also my pleasure to be of help to you, Lightning Lord Mo Lei.” Ning Fan cupped his fists to reciprocate the greeting. The words he spoke had confused countless experts.

“Er… Why is the lightning lord not angry but instead thanking that young man after he tore the lightning lord’s question…? What answer exactly did that young man give to the lightning lord?”

The general was at a loss. There were also innumerable experts who were in the same situation.

Of all the experts present, only that despicable-looking Lei Shiyi understood a bit of what was going on.

Lei Shiyi could vaguely see through Mo Lei’s true intentions in raising that question to Ning Fan. He could tell that what Mo Lei was asking was how to comprehend his Dao of Lightning to achieve the Void Pierce Stage.

However, Lei Shiyi could not understand Ning Fan’s answer. He did not know what he meant by tearing that piece of paper.

It was as if Ning Fan and Mo Lei were doing a riddle. Only the two of them knew the answer.

After that, under Mo Lei’s command, all of the experts of the lightning palace escorted Ning Fan and his group to the teleportation formation with utmost politeness.

Before leaving, however, Ning Fan suddenly stared at a certain direction with a meaningful smile. Then, he muttered to himself.

“Interesting. Are we going to have two more helpers on this trip…?”

When everyone had left, the general who was filled with confusion and doubts began to ask questions.

“Can I ask the Lightning Lord what question exactly did you ask Fellow Daoist Zhou? And what was his answer?”

“I asked him how I can achieve a breakthrough to the Void Pierce Stage.” Despite standing in front of his subordinates, Mo Lei really told them the truth without feeling embarrassed.

“W-What?! Lightning Lord is a dignified Void Inquiry Stage expert and you are an expert that is nearly without equal among all Void Inquiry Stage experts. Why did you ask a junior who has yet to attain the Void Refinement Realm this question?! He is just a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. How could he even know about breaking through to the Void Pierce Stage?” The general felt even more confused.

“Even though that young man’s cultivation base is just at the Divine Transformation Realm, his understanding of the void is already beyond the Void Inquiry Stage. With your current Dao Comprehension, you are unable to notice it… Besides, what matters to me the most is his comprehension towards the Dao of Lightning. The biggest hurdle that I have encountered in my desire to attain the Void Pierce Stage is not comprehension about the void but understanding of the Dao of Lightning. My Dao of Lightning is still imperfect. I have heard that this young man has learned the secret technique of Lightning Emperor Tai Su. Therefore, I tried to test him by asking him this question without having much hope for his answer. However, his answer really surprised me… Despite cultivating the Dao of Lightning for ten thousand years, I managed to only gain enlightenment today!”

“But what I saw was just Fellow Daoist tearing the Lightning Lord’s question. When did he give an answer?”

“That was the best answer… I have written down my doubts on that piece of paper. That character ‘Lei’ represents all of my Lightning Dao. As for that paper, it symbolizes the Heavenly Dao… My lightning is situated within the Heavenly Dao. However, under the Heavenly Dao, I am just an undead spirit. No matter how much I study and improve my Dao of Lightning, there will still be a hint of incompleteness. Thus, I will never be able to rival a living being. This is the will of the Heavenly Dao. It is unchangeable and inevitable… This incompleteness cannot be filled in reality unless I enter the cycle of rebirth and begin my cultivation once again. I am aware of all of this… Hence, no matter what Fellow Daoist Zhou wrote on the paper, it will still be unable to help me as it is trapped within the Heavenly Dao… Hence, he tore the paper. He tore my Lightning Dao as well as the Heavenly Dao!”

“T-This…” The general seemed to have gained a little understanding but he felt confused at the next moment. He just felt that the principle contained in that insignificant action which was just tearing a piece of paper was too unorthodox!

“He only gave me one answer! ‘If the Dao hinders me, I will then abandon the Dao! If Heaven stops me, I will then tear Heaven!’ This is his answer! After cultivating the Dao of Lightning for ten thousand years, I only gained this enlightenment today. I have been too stubborn with my identity as an undead spirit. I have been too stubborn with the Dao of Lightning and the Heavenly Dao… In actual fact, I can abandon my stubbornness on those aspects! What I should be determined at is the will of breaking through to the Void Pierce Stage!”

As soon as Mo Lei finished speaking, a vast and boundless aura force gradually rose.

He was not that far off from attaining the Void Pierce Stage!

“My subordinates, prepare for battle! We shall now get ready to attack Ying Long!” Mo Lei suddenly commanded. His command had shocked countless experts.

“W-What?! Is Lightning Lord trying to reinforce Zhou Ming by attacking Ying Long?!” The general asked in great surprise.

“Exactly. This young man has solved my doubts. Thus, I shall repay his favor.”

“Then, why didn’t the Lightning Lord directly join him earlier…?”

“If I joined him earlier, then I would be the same with that Lei Shiyi who has yielded to him… Even though I want to help him, I am not his subordinate. I have my own pride! Are you having the same thoughts as me… Tai Yue?!”

When Mo Lei’s voice fell, his eyes suddenly turned stern and he turned to look at a concealed hollow space.

All of a sudden, a burly man who looked like a black tower revealed himself and let out a hearty laughter. It was none other than Lightning Lord Tai Yue.

“Haha! Old Man Mo’s eyesight is still sharp, I see. You actually noticed that I have been hiding here all this time!”

“It’s not only me who has keen eyes. That Fellow Daoist Zhou probably has also noticed your presence. I suppose the words he spoke before leaving were referring to you and me.”

Mo Lei sighed. He really could not understand why Ning Fan’s Dao Comprehension and intelligence were so terrifying even though his bone age was just actually five hundred years old. He could even see through their intentions of lending him a hand. It can even be said that he also understood the reason why they did not openly suggest to help him because they could not set aside their pride as they were afraid to be recognized as his subordinates.

After all, not every old monster could behave as shameless as Lei Shiyi who was not afraid of what others say about him.

“The reason why I decided to help him is to repay his favor. What’s your reason for deciding to help him? If you harbor evil intentions towards him, don’t blame me for being merciless and fighting against you!” Mo Lei questioned with a cold tone.

“Fight against me? Haha. Old Man Mo, I can’t win against you and you also can’t defeat me! I merely want to help him. Besides, I also want to kill Ying Long. This is the reason why I want to lend him a hand. Whether you believe it or not, it’s up to you! Haha. Anyway, I have to get going!”

Tai Yue leaned back and laughed. All alone, he went into the teleportation formation leading to the twenty-fourth floor.

Mo Lei’s expression turned weird. He sighed and shook his head. Then, he also led his men into the teleportation formation.

Even though it had already been many years, he was still unable to understand Tai Yue. This man was too strange and laid-back. If he wants to challenge you, he would dare to do so even if you are an emperor or a mighty being. If he wants to help you, he would not care about having a proper reason to do so.

However, with Ning Fan’s strength added with his andTai Yue’s help, Mo Lei expected that they would not lose the battle on the twenty-fourth floor.

“I wonder if that Ying Long is already too agitated to sit or stand still right now…” Mo Lei indifferently muttered to himself, as if he was unconcerned of Ying Long’s life and death at all.

…

In Ying Long’s lightning palace on the twenty-fourth floor.

In a deep and secluded marshland, the eyes of a winged yellow dragon glowed with rage after hearing the reports of his subordinates. His dragon roar shattered pieces of the skies.

“Impossible! How is it possible for that brat to break through the lines of defense on the twenty-third floor and come to my twenty-fourth floor in such a short period of time?! This is truly impossible!”

Before his rage had dissipated, a few traces of message-transmitting flying swords arrived at his palace. Each of them carried voices requesting for reinforcements.

“King Long¹, please save us. The situation in the Water Gate is urgent!”

“The Water Gate has been breached. The Iron Dragon City is surrounded. King Long, please help!”

“Mount Li has been flattened…”

“Divine Cloud Valley has been breached…”

All of the reports from the message-transmitting flying swords were the bad news of his forces being slaughtered and annihilated.

King Ying Long’s anger grew worse. In the past, he was the only one who pursued others. Since when did a person he pursued become so fierce and arrogant to the extent that he would come to his territory and kill his subordinates?!

“My subordinates, I am personally going to take action and kill this brat here on the twenty-fourth floor!”

The yellow dragon flapped his wings and soared into the sky. A ray of yellow light flashed and a burly man in yellow robes appeared. His face was grim.

However, before he could get out of the lightning palace, a black-colored flying sword flew into the dragon pond and exploded. A cold voice echoed throughout the area.

It was not a battle report from his subordinates but… Ning Fan’s voice!

“Ying Longzi, the day for your death has come!”

“Such an arrogant brat, how dare you?!”

King Ying Long blew his top. He could not tolerate the fact that he was being challenged by a Divine Transformation Realm junior.

Just as he had lost his temper, the sounds of battle from the outside of the dragon pond had come closer.

Ning Fan had arrived!

Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel