Grasping the Evil-Chapter 1004: Tattoo

This... is the Ancient Demon recorded in the Holy Mountain Ancient Texts!

Under this oppressive force, both Pi Xiong and Duolan felt their skin tingle, for Ning Fan’s demonic might was not merely the pressure from the Ancient Demon Bloodline but also included the daunting Evil Qi from his path of killing. Although Pi Xiong and his companion were the proud sons of the Holy Mountain, their experience was limited; how could they have encountered a demon like Ning Fan, who emerged from a mountain of corpses and bloody mist?

Even the less shrewd Pi Xiong sensed the danger from Ning Fan, with cold sweats breaking from his forehead and a strange chill rising from his back.

"Didn’t you say you wanted to teach Ning Fan a lesson? Why haven’t you acted yet!"

Ning Fan looked coldly at Pi Xiong, stepping slightly forward. Instantly, the previously arrogant Pi Xiong retreated in panic, as if startled like cattle and sheep!

That was the instinct of the plains people facing danger!

"Senior is joking, how dare this junior teach a lesson!" Pi Xiong retreated while forcing a laugh with immense pressure on him. He couldn’t understand Ning Fan’s intent. Believing his reckless words might have offended him and recalling what his junior sister had mentioned about silencing by murder, the tension snapped unexpectedly!

Was this person really here to silence someone?

This thought emerged persistently, causing Pi Xiong’s gaze to turn crazed with madness due to extreme fear. In his heart, he thought, "It’s better I strike first if I have to be killed, there’s a chance I might survive!" Forgetting his master’s teachings, he suddenly punched his chest causing his face to turn as pale as paper, and spewed a black beam towards Ning Fan’s face, then fled without waiting for the result, transforming into escape light and darting away.

Ning Fan narrowed his eyes, surprised that Pi Xiong dared strike. He dipped his finger towards the black beam, causing it to transform into a whirling black bead that settled in his palm. This bead seemed ordinary, yet concealed significant might within; had it struck a typical Immortal Venerable whose cultivation had been sealed, they’d likely be severely injured. Only Ning Fan’s adeptness in Divine Skills left him unfazed by it.

Though initially intending to spare Pi Xiong and Duolan, this incident made it clear Pi Xiong couldn’t be left alone. Dare to strike, one must embrace the cost!

With this in mind, Ning Fan flicked his finger, ejecting the freshly acquired black bead. The bead retraced its path, striking Pi Xiong’s back as he fled. Instantly, Pi Xiong felt his bones chilled!

"Save... save me..."

Upon being struck by the black bead, his giant sword first melted into iron in an eerie black light. Then his clothes, blood and flesh on his back, eventually his entire body, bit by bit transformed into blood water in the black light. A putrid smell instantly permeated the area!

The transformation into blood water was a blink of an eye’s work; Pi Xiong, despite being at the Peak of Shekong, couldn’t withstand even one strike from the bead and died instantly.

"This black bead is not weak in might..." Ning Fan casually collected Pi Xiong’s storage pouch and probed it with spirit sense, faintly frowning.

Was he really a Holy Mountain Tomb Guardian? In the memory of the Sanyan Armor Guards, Holy Mountain Tomb Guardians were supposedly extremely wealthy, but this foundation seemed too scant...

"You... you killed my senior brother!" Duolan suddenly felt overwhelmed with sorrow. Though she despised him, even feeling some disgust, witnessing his demise struck a bleak chord within her, causing grief and resentful glances towards Ning Fan.

"Kill him and what of it! He attempted to sneak attack me with that black bead, only to be killed by it in return; it’s simply his own undoing. Had it not been so, I wouldn’t mind sparing him." Ning Fan said expressionlessly. The cultivation world was not a place for reason, had his cultivation been insufficient and gotten killed by Pi Xiong’s black bead, from whom could he seek justice?

"No need for excuses! You killed my senior brother, killed a disciple of Chulie Lineage, I, Duolan will never forgive you!" Duolan said in tears.

"Then, even you need to be silenced..." Ning Fan coldly looked at Duolan, his merciless gaze was like cold water, waking Duolan up abruptly.

She must be crazy! Because of her brother’s fall, she lost her reason! She dared to threaten to kill Ning Fan, whose cultivation level was of Immortal Venerable!

That was a vicious and cunning Ancient Demon; if she angered Ning Fan, she would meet a gruesome end like her brother!

No, until the Chulie Lineage is retrieved, she cannot die!

"Rest assured, you’re a Saintess on the Holy Mountain, killing you would cause much more trouble than with Pi Xiong and be harder to cover up. I won’t kill you. I’ve heard your Dabei Tribe has a rather insidious secret technique..."

Upon hearing Ning Fan’s words, Duolan turned pale with fright.

"How... how do you know about the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique? Wait, you know I’m a Saintess of the Holy Mountain, you know many things, you’ve searched those Sanyan Guards’ memories!"

Duolan panicked and tried to flee, but found herself powerless, soon spinning in dizziness, realizing her cultivation was sealed and that Ning Fan, nearly humiliatingly, hoisted her over his shoulder.

"Let me down! What are you going to do with me? Let me go! I’m the Saintess of Chulie Lineage, I am... mmm mmm mmm..."

Ning Fan summoned the Yin Plucking Finger again, sealing Duolan’s speech.

Originally inheritor of Ancient Chaotic Grand Emperor, with suppressed cultivation, defeating a female cultivator at Peak of Shekong was effortlessly done. Then spitting Black Flame, he thoroughly obliterated traces from the area before carrying the tearful Duolan and flew away on escape light.

Shortly after Ning Fan departed, the space exhibited strange fluctuations. Next, eerie black Skeleton Armored Guards, surrounded by black flames, emerged from spatial fissures. The leading figure, possessing Shattered Thought Early Stage strength, scanned the battlefield and coldly snorted.

"Void Flame seeker is indeed the weakest of our Sanyan, hunting a mere Shekong Saintess, and yet let the opponent escape... If it had been my turn with Stone Flame, I would never fail... Good riddance, good riddance indeed!" The tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.

The suddenly emerging Skeleton Armored Guards soon departed, leaving behind only the scorched land consumed by the fierce flame...

...

Ning Fan departed from the fourth-level continent, wandering into the realm of the third-level continent, finding an extremely secluded space within an Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Abode, and directly tearing open the space to escape into it.

This space was one of his prior treasure-searching locations, already thoroughly scoured by him, entering now was not for any other reason, but to perform the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique on that Duolan.

This technique was retrieved from the memory of the Sanyan Armor Guards; it’s highly common within the Dabei Clan. Most of the Great Humble Ones are adept at it. It’s similar to the Restrictive Spell of the Four Heavens cultivators, yet distinct.

Secret techniques like the Restrictive Spell aim to control the life and death of the opponent, so as to make them submit.

But the Dabei Clan’s Three Yin Soul Locking Technique controls not life and death, but the opponent’s inner thoughts...

Consider this: someone under the Restrictive Spell submits out of fear of death, whereas someone affected by the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique submits from the depth of their heart to the perpetrator’s orders; even their inner thoughts are governed by the perpetrator...

The degree of mystery this technique holds surpasses the Restrictive Spell, but unfortunately, it only affects Dazu Clan cultivators; it has no effect on those outside that clan. It is rumored that it was tailored by the Herb-gathering Sage specifically to govern his Medicine Slaves and disciples...

In such a way, albeit a low-level divine skill, the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique is extraordinary because it was crafted by a Saint.

However, the limitations of the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique are significant. First, the practitioner must possess a certain magnitude of medicine soul and that power cannot be much weaker than the person being affected. Secondly, every activation of this technique erodes the practitioner’s medicine soul foundation, with only one usage allowed per millennium. Using it twice leads to medicine soul collapse, rendering one’s dan refinement skills utterly void...

It’s precisely this second limitation that makes it seldom employed by cultivators across the Dabei Grassland, such a malicious technique that causes harm to both others and oneself.

Yet today, Ning Fan finds himself compelled to use it.

Today he killed the Sanyan Guards and then killed Pi Xiong, the Holy Mountain Tomb Guardians. Present as a witness was Duolan! Duolan, this woman, in the memory of the Sanyan Guards, belongs to the Chulie lineage of the Holy Mountain, distinguished as the Chulie Holy Maiden, a most noble identity. Pi Xiong’s death will be probed by the Holy Mountain, but it may not trace back to Ning Fan. After all, Pi Xiong’s cause of death was his own black orb, a problem tracing back to himself, a result of his own actions. Hence, under deliberate concealment, it would be challenging to trace to Ning Fan. This is precisely why Ning Fan retaliated against Pi Xiong with the black orb.

In the memory of the Sanyan Guards, Pi Xiong was an edge existence among the Holy Mountain Tomb Guardians. With Pi Xiong dead and no other perpetrator traceable, the matter is likely to be forgotten.

But Duolan is different! If the Holy Mountain Maiden dies, then three or more Immortal Emperors will immediately intervene in the investigation...

Of course, that depends on if the Holy Mountain Mausoleum is open. Only then can the Immortal Emperors emerge... According to Ning Fan’s Soul Search, the Holy Mountain is hallowed ground for the Dabei Clan. Each time the Five Emperors of the Central Continent ascend, they enter the Holy Mountain Mausoleum to cultivate. The Immortal Emperors of the Dabei Clan are not limited to just those five from the Central Continent; exactly how many remain unknown, even to the black guards there...

The Holy Mountain Mausoleum opens every millennium, with the opening date following closely after the tribal competitions in the Dabei Clan conclude. The Holy Mountain Mausoleum is currently in its closed phase—those inside cannot come out, and those outside cannot go in...

In the grassland’s tribes, there is a once-in-a-millennium grand competition; similarly, within the Holy Mountain Mausoleum, a grand competition occurs every thousand years. Tomb Guardians who fail in the grand competition are exiled from the Holy Mountain for a millennium, during which they perform inspections over the tribes of the Dabei. To re-enter the Holy Mountain for cultivation, they must achieve distinguished performance in the grand competition held therein...

If Ning Fan’s conjecture is correct, both Duolan and the already deceased Pi Xiong were Tomb Guardians who failed in the last Holy Mountain competition; thus, during the mausoleum’s closure, they linger outside...

"Mmm, mmm, mmm..." Duolan weakly struggles but is restrained by the Yin Plucking Finger, rendering her unable to utter a single word, tears flowing endlessly.

Ning Fan casually throws Duolan onto the stone floor within the Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Abode. The rough stone floor pains Duolan’s behind, as she leans against the stone wall, fearfully watching Ning Fan. She knows Ning Fan will imprint the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique upon her, binding her mind, neither her Saintess status nor as the former Chulie Emperor’s daughter shall save her...

Her terror magnifies as Ning Fan does not immediately perform the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique; instead, he places a chilling hand on her Tian Ling cover!

"He’s... he’s going to search my memory!" Duolan’s face pales all the more.

Destroying this soul remnant is such a brutal divine skill. As a Shekong Cultivator, she’s naturally aware that those undergoing Soul Search often suffer spirit damage, reduced to imbecility!

Yet she fails to understand that with Ning Fan having mastered the True Dragon Reverse Spirit Technique, he can perform a perfect Soul Search with minimal damage inflicted.

A slight pain reverberates from her divine sense causing Duolan to close her eyes in despair, as scene after scene of memories reveals unreservedly to Ning Fan.

Ning Fan’s expression turned immensely peculiar...

The memory of this Chulie Holy Maiden was exceedingly mundane; the first half involved almost entirely her naked, immersed within some kind of mysterious pool...

This pool was exceptionally bizarre, seemingly imbued with great divine power, such that Ning Fan could only glimpse a blur through Duolan’s memory, unable to discern the pool’s true nature...

Occasionally, other similarly unclothed females joined Duolan, soaking in the pool together...

Occasionally, Duolan adorned clothing, leaving the mysterious pool to meet a middle-aged man enveloped in a seven-colored glow.

That was her father, the former Chulie Emperor!

In Doran’s memory, the former Chulie Emperor showed her little care; he spent most of his time engrossed in cultivation.

Later, the former Chulie died in a rebellion led by his disciples...

After that, the new Chulie Emperor ascended to the throne and accepted her as a disciple...

Since her father’s death, she hadn’t indulged herself in that mystical pool for the latter part of her life. Within the new Chulie lineage, she was an outlier, receiving care from her father’s former subordinates but facing exclusion from many others. Even her master, the new Chulie Emperor, did not truly care for her. Consequently, the Chulie Holy Maiden, Doran, had been excluded from more than ten Sacred Mountain competitions, relegated to exile, and prevented from entering the tomb for cultivation...

Ning Fan continuously reviewed Doran’s memory, nearly seeing through all of it. However, there was something peculiar; any memory related to the Sacred Mountain was obscured as if it couldn’t be perceived by cultivators with insufficient cultivation—this wasn’t deliberately done, it was due to the Sacred Mountain’s own majesty.

"What kind of place is this Dabei Clan Sacred Mountain that it has such great power, preventing my Soul Search from succeeding..." Ning Fan was greatly surprised.

The feeling was like when his cultivation was low, unable to discern the appearance under the seven-colored light of the Immortal Emperor. Now, despite his high cultivation, he still couldn’t perceive the Sacred Mountain...

As time passed, the idiotic outcome Doran anticipated did not materialize. She was greatly astonished, her divine sense was slightly painful, but the damage was not severe. This was her first encounter with Soul Searching Technique causing such minimal damage! Even her master couldn’t achieve this, so it seemed like this skill would be considered a very impressive divine skill in the outside world...

Realizing this, Doran’s apprehension towards Ning Fan deepened, her fear intensified. Ning Fan’s Yin Plucking Finger wasn’t strong, and at this moment, Doran had regained some strength. Suddenly, seeing Ning Fan retract his hand as though he had completed the Soul Search, Doran breathed a silent sigh of relief but noticed Ning Fan looking at her with an odd gaze.

"Judging by the time, you should have recovered some strength by now, right? Stand up and take off your clothes!" Ning Fan suddenly commanded.

Doran felt deathly shame and anger!

Why take off her clothes! What could taking off her clothes lead to! This man was not only cold-blooded and murderous but also a perverted, shameless lecher!

She expected to be subjected to the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique but didn’t expect Ning Fan to have more sinister intentions with her!

In this desolate place, if Ning Fan truly wanted to force her, she had no way to resist and could only yield silently, but this compliance was something she would rather die than consent to!

She couldn’t lose her virginal body! At least not now!

The Holy Mountain’s Saintesses were of a uniquely special existence; they would soak in the Maternal Pool from a young age, capable of conceiving Yin Embryos without engaging in a man-woman union!

She had soaked in the Maternal Pool for many years, and her body could condense Yin energy naturally, giving birth to the Yin Embryo. However, she was unwilling to merely be a Saintess proliferating Yin Embryos, so this Yin Embryo had never been born. Instead, she absorbed the accumulated Mother-Yin energy within her body, slowly refining it to enhance her cultivation.

The absorbed Yin energy within her was her only hope to break through to the Immortal Emperor Realm in her lifetime and claim back the Chulie lineage!

But if a man were to forcibly engage her, the Yin energy within her would immediately form a Yin Embryo, and in ten months, transform into a female infant...

With tears in her eyes, Doran struggled to her feet, but she did not follow Ning Fan’s order to undress. Instead, she leaned against the stone wall, retreating step by step.

"I can...allow you to plant the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique, but that other matter...I, Doran, will never comply. If you force me, I would rather die here! Should I die, when the tomb opens, you will incur great trouble! I know your purpose in Daher is significant, so you wouldn’t want to stir up more troubles. If you indeed do that to me, you will surely regret it! I, Doran, vow with my life!"

Doran spoke every word resolutely.

With his mastery of the Mind Reading Technique, Ning Fan could see through Doran’s thoughts and felt speechless.

When did he say he wanted to nourish himself with Doran!

He merely learned from Doran’s memory that many Saintesses of the Sacred Mountain had a very special tattoo on their bodies, which possessed some extraordinarily mystical divine skill, and he wanted to see it for himself.

Indeed, abruptly inspecting a female body was exceedingly discourteous, but unfortunately, Doran had plotted against him first! Given his temperament, not immediately sapping Doran’s vitality for his Cauldron Furnace was already considered mercy, so he certainly wouldn’t have to be courteous to Doran.

"I only want to look at your body, I absolutely won’t nourish myself using you!" Ning Fan retorted with a frown.

"Just want to see my body..." Doran cursed Ning Fan as shameless, and this person wasn’t just shameless, his interests were particularly strange.

Could it be that instead of nourishing himself with women, this person preferred admiring nude women, or perhaps...he had issues in that regard and could only look but not indulge...

"Hurry up and undress! Important parts can be concealed, I have no interest in your body, only in your Saintess tattoo!" Ning Fan snorted coldly.

"So senior wants to see the Saintess tattoo..." Doran breathed a sigh of relief, if it was just that, it wasn’t too bad. Her tattoo was on her back, so she only needed to show Ning Fan her backside, without revealing too much. If it were like some other Saintesses with tattoos on their chests or thighs, today would have been unbearably shameful indeed...

Thus, Duolan only removed the outer garment, leaving an undergarment untouched, but it was enough—her pale back was now exposed before Ning Fan. Duolan was very thin, with no excess flesh on her back. Her skin was exceptionally smooth, yet amidst that smoothness was a single discordant mark.

In the center of her back was an unsightly scar, marring the otherwise flawless back she possessed.

Strangely, upon seeing this shocking scar, Ning Fan suddenly thought of Luo You.

That woman also had such a savage scar on her back... How is she faring these days?

"If Senior wishes to see my tattoo, I fear you will be disappointed. My Saintess tattoo was destroyed by another, hence the power it once contained cannot be displayed to Senior..."

Duolan said with disappointment, while also feeling worried, worried that Ning Fan might kill her out of anger for not seeing the tattoo.

But this worry was clearly unnecessary.

Ning Fan’s interest in Duolan’s Saintess tattoo was mere curiosity, if he couldn’t see it, then so be it.

"That’ll do, put your clothes back on, I will now plant the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique in you, you best cooperate to avoid unnecessary suffering." Ning Fan said with an impassive expression.

Duolan gritted her teeth and nodded obediently.

Compared to being killed, or harvested, merely being planted with the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique was already a fortunate outcome. She could only blame herself foolishly for scheming against Ning Fan, dragging him into this mess, causing Ning Fan to have no choice but to draw his sword against the Sanyan Armor Guards, leading to... If it were her, she might have made the same decision...

"I need your Saintess identity to assist me in my activities within the Holy Domain. If you behave, I will remove this technique when I leave the Holy Domain!"

Ning Fan raised his right hand, extending his index, middle, and ring fingers, silently chanting incantations, and suddenly three strands of Yin flames appeared on the tips of the three fingers, each flame a different color.

As the three flames appeared, Ning Fan pressed his three fingers on Duolan’s forehead, a wave of unbearable pain surged, causing Duolan to cough up blood, yet stubbornly she didn’t cry out.

"Indeed a strong-willed woman..." Ning Fan thought to himself.

Suddenly recalling some matters, Ning Fan asked Duolan, "You and Pi Xiong appeared in the Fourth-level Fierce Realm because of the Six-Star Nie Mother Stone? Do you possess Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine?"

As Ning Fan mentioned her senior brother, Duolan’s expression turned gloomy, then recalling the killer was Ning Fan, she suddenly had no pleasant expression for him, yet dared not offend Ning Fan and replied reluctantly, "Yes, we issued an Earth-rank Mission at the Xieyang Sect, not expecting anyone to take it, but unexpectedly, the task was ultimately undertaken by you. You hadn’t returned for a long time, my senior brother and I thought you had abandoned the mission, so we ventured into the Fierce Realm trying to find the Six-Star Nie Mother Stone ourselves, only to find that hidden vein had been accessed and the entire space devastated as well..."

"Once the space was destroyed, my senior brother and I couldn’t find a spatial entry point, thus couldn’t enter. Fortunately, we sensed the presence of others inside and could only wait outside. Not realizing after a few days, we were discovered by the Sanyan Guards, held captive there for several days..."

Talking about this, rage appeared in Duolan’s beautiful eyes.

The Sanyan Guard normally wouldn’t appear in anything below the seventh-level Fierce Realm! Their appearance couldn’t be a coincidence but rather someone leaked the whereabouts of her and Pi Xiong!

Who leaked the information! Was it a cultivator from the Dabei Clan, the Central Continent Five Emperors, or other Holy Mountain Tomb Guardians...

Unknown, certainly it must be one of her many enemies!

Concerning Duolan’s encounter, Ning Fan was indifferent; he was only interested in the Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine listed as the mission reward.

"The Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine, is it not stored within your senior brother’s storage pouch, but on you?" Ning Fan inquired.

"Replying to Senior, such a precious item, how could I carry it with me, they’re all placed within my Holy Mountain cave abode, only after the clan comparison and the reopening of the Holy Mountain can I retrieve the medicine." Duolan cautiously observed Ning Fan’s expression, naturally perceiving Ning Fan’s interest in the Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine, explaining sensibly.

"Not with you then..." Indeed, if this woman carried the Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine, it wouldn’t escape the detection of the Treasure-searching Compass.

"Forget it, once the Holy Mountain reopens, you will take me to retrieve the medicine!" Ning Fan commanded.

"Yes..." Having been implanted with Ning Fan’s Three Yin Soul Locking Technique, Duolan innately harbored a sense of obedience towards Ning Fan, a peculiar feeling, somewhat akin to Burying Moon’s situation, although highly displeased with Ning Fan internally, unable to bring herself to harm him...

Ning Fan also secretly observed Duolan’s heart; he could see through her inner thoughts, if any disrespect towards him surfaced, it would indicate the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique was inadequate, requiring reconsideration of silencing her...

"Very well, accompany me back to the Southern Frontier Steppe. Regarding the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique, surely you wouldn’t want it disclosed..." Ning Fan said with profound meaning.

"Obviously..." Duolan gritted her teeth, feeling humiliated.

Being a Holy Mountain Tomb Guardian, she was absolutely forbidden from becoming anyone’s soul-locked slave. She, now Ning Fan’s soul-locked slave, if undisclosed, then so be it, if revealed, Ning Fan would pay dearly, and she would undoubtedly face severe punishment, given the tarnishing of the Holy Mountain’s reputation, intolerable by the emperors of the Holy Mountain...