Grasping the Evil-Chapter 776: Do You Know Fireworks...
"Can you spare his life? This man and I have some old ties," Ning Fan sighed and spoke.
His relationship with Xuekongzi was shallow, yet the other party had helped him before. Ning Fan couldn’t just stand by and watch Xuekongzi perish without doing anything.
Senluo frowned. He disliked Ning Fan making requests of him repeatedly.
However, considering that he still needed Ning Fan’s help to achieve his wishes, he nodded and agreed to Ning Fan’s request. With a cold face, he conveyed a few instructions into the depths of the stone cave.
Soon, the cursing from Xuekongzi in the depths of the stone cave gradually ceased.
"This time I will make an exception and agree to your request, but there won’t be a next time!"
Having said that, Senluo grabbed with his five fingers, and suddenly, a bloody Primordial Spirit appeared in his hand out of thin air.
Xuekongzi’s Primordial Spirit!
In fact, for the cultivators and demon monarchs sucked into the black hole, their physical bodies would perish instantly, while their Primordial Spirits and Demon Souls would be drawn into the depths of the stone cave, slowly devoured and annihilated as nourishment for reviving the Ancient God Heart.
The Primordial Spirits of Elder Luo and other Divine Void strongholders had long perished, as had the Demon Souls of Chi Lian and other demon monarchs.
If Ning Fan hadn’t spoken up faster, Xuekongzi’s Primordial Spirit would also have perished along with them.
Ning Fan, with his insignificant influence, could barely save Xuekongzi’s life. Saving others was utterly impossible.
Senluo casually tossed Xuekongzi’s Primordial Spirit to Ning Fan, saying coldly, "Follow me!"
Ning Fan caught Xuekongzi’s bloody Primordial Spirit and sighed slightly.
Although Xuekongzi was not dead, he was severely injured. Even if he had the chance to recreate his physical body, his cultivation would likely suffer greatly.
Ning Fan took out a one-million-year-old spiritual herb with the effect of healing Primordial Spirit injuries. Stimulating it with mana, he instantly refined the herb into medicinal liquid and sprinkled it upon Xuekongzi’s Primordial Spirit.
Then he used the Black Star Technique to temporarily seal Xuekongzi’s Primordial Spirit, suppressing all his injuries and putting him into a coma, storing him in a Soul Bag.
At this moment, Ning Fan still had important matters to handle.
Once he fulfilled his agreement with Senluo and left this place, he would lift the seal on Xuekongzi and wake him up.
Xuekongzi helped him once, and he saved Xuekongzi twice. The old favor was already repaid; he owed Xuekongzi nothing.
Collecting the severely damaged Ancient Demon Puppet from the ground, Ning Fan stepped through the flowing blood and followed Senluo deeper into the stone cave.
His spirit sense penetrated through the stone cave walls, extending outward, and his expression gradually showed a faint trace of shock.
This was the Ancient God’s Temporal Cave, located within the Flowing Sand Star Sea.
As of now, the entire Flowing Sand Star Sea had been swallowed into some black hole interface.
The black hole had previously emerged in the direction of the Flowing Sand Star Sea, first consuming the Flowing Sand Star Sea itself and, in an instant, sweeping across the entire Flowing Sand Star Domain, swallowing all humans and demons engaged in battle, along with all beings of the Flowing Sand Star Domain.
Outside the stone cave lay an endless black hole interface, rotating silently counterclockwise, within which floated countless fragments of cultivation stars.
This particular black hole interface was Senluo Immortal King’s Life-bound Minor Thousand Realms, which was very similar to the swirling void realm Ning Fan had created, both being interfaces for using spatial techniques.
The difference was the level of this interface far surpassed that of the swirling void realm, and the Burying Stars River Technique executed through this black hole as a medium had unparalleled power, incomparable to the Swirling Void Technique.
Ning Fan had mastered the Swirling Void Technique but had merely taken the first step into the world of spatial techniques.
Senluo Immortal King’s mastery of spatial techniques was unrivaled throughout the entire Eastern Heaven, beyond Ning Fan’s reach.
The whole Flowing Sand Star Sea floated within the black hole interface, an ocean of golden starlight.
On the surface of the star sea, numerous broken Immortal Mountains floated, once serving as nests for demon hordes, their poisonous mists long dissipated within the black hole world.
Underneath the star sea lay a thick layer of reefs.
In some hidden spot on the reef layer, the Ancient God’s Temporal Cave was concealed.
A high-level illusion array had been set outside this cave, making it impossible for even True Immortals to easily find its location. Back then, Lux Xiner discovered the cave purely by chance.
The star sea vast and boundless, its depths held more than just one Ancient God’s Temporal Cave.
Including the stone cave where Ning Fan currently resided, there were five more such stone caves!
In total, there were six stone caves within the star sea, but only this stone cave had the densest power of time and could be called a Cave of Time.
A subtle connection seemed to exist among the six stone caves.
With each ancient heartbeat, all six stone caves vibrated in unison, accompanied by the entire reef layer and the entire star sea...
"Could it be..." Ning Fan’s spirit sense swept across the positions of the six stone caves, suddenly forming a conjecture. He couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
At that moment, it seemed he understood something and withdrew his spirit sense.
"Did you figure it out? This entire Flowing Sand Star Sea is an illusory manifestation of the Six Apertures Divine Heart of the Flowing Sand Ancestor. He possessed profound mastery over the power of time, preserving his divine heart by petrifying it, thus preserving its divinity and unending heart strength... The six stone caves you see are apertures on his heart... Flowing Sand Ancestor was a Six-Apertures Ancient God, who in life, could seal the temporal flow of the entire Flowing Sand Star Domain with a single finger of Yin Plucking Finger. As an Immortal King, he could erase an Immortal Emperor’s cultivation, causing the Immortal Emperor to tremble in fear!"
Seeing Ning Fan had discerned the essence of the Flowing Sand Star Sea, Senluo explained, his red and glowing eyes filled with fervor.
What he sought was the unparalleled power of time from the Flowing Sand Ancestor. Time serves as Space, and only by mastering both the powers of time and space could he hope to destroy the Heaven Suppressing Bell!
Ning Fan’s eyes narrowed, confirming Senluo’s words with his conjecture.
The entire Flowing Sand Star Sea was a transformation of the Ancient God Heart, and the so-called Ancient God’s Temporal Cave was merely a Divine Aperture opened on the heart by the Flowing Sand Ancestor...
The Cave of Time had three levels.
On the first level, what came into view was a sea of blood, containing the blood of all beings within the Flowing Sand Star Domain!
Floating in the blood sea were numerous fallen Primordial Spirits and Medicine Souls, and sunk within it were countless Demon Cores, magical treasures, and storage pouches, all slowly being devoured by the blood sea.
Mux Tu was solemnly setting up a formation above the blood sea, a formation of such high rank that Ning Fan couldn’t comprehend it.
Apart from Ning Fan, the little demoness, and Xuekongzi, all members of the Flowing Sand Clan, the Alliance of Four Heavens Sect, and the demon horde had perished...
Senluo was ruthless. Had Ning Fan been of no use to him, he would not have spared Xuekongzi, let alone Ning Fan and the little demoness; he would have killed all his enemies without mercy!
Upon seeing Senluo’s arrival, Mux Tu’s expression changed abruptly; he hurried to greet him.
Noticing Ning Fan was still alive, Mux Tu was slightly surprised, but seeing his appearance following closely behind Senluo, he wisely refrained from asking any questions.
"This subordinate greets the master!"
"Hmm. How long until the Sacrificial Heart Formation is completed?" Senluo’s eyes flashed coldly as he coldly regarded Mux Tu, as if he would unhesitatingly kill Mux Tu if it took longer than expected to set up the formation.
Seeing Senluo’s gaze, Mux Tu was filled with dread and immediately replied,
"One more two hours! In two more hours, I will definitely finish setting up the formation!"
"Hmm, very well. Get on with it!"
Apparently satisfied with Mux Tu’s answer, Senluo said no more and led Ning Fan further into the second level of the Cave of Time.
Seeing that Senluo did not punish him, Mux Tu breathed a long sigh of relief, his expression full of terror, with none of the dignity and solemnity he had shown when in the Flowing Sand Clan.
Ning Fan’s gaze swept over Mux Tu and then Senluo, his brows slightly furrowed.
In his perception, Mux Tu was Senluo, yet somehow seemed subtly different...
"He’s my second Primordial Spirit," Senluo explained briefly, then fell silent.
Ning Fan’s expression froze, surprised once again.
It was hard to imagine that Mux Tu, being Senluo’s second Primordial Spirit, would fear Senluo like a tiger.
One could well imagine what a ruthless and cold-hearted person Senluo was, having no affection even for the second Primordial Spirit he cultivated himself.
This man was ruthless to others and even more so to himself...
The second level of the Cave of Time was an endless golden lake.
The lake was filled with extremely dense time power, and several hundred golden lotus flowers bloomed sporadically within it.
Upon seeing these lotus flowers, Ning Fan’s eyes widened in shock!
"Ancient God Heart Lotus!"
He had read about this in some ancient texts.
The growth environment of this item was unknown; it no longer existed in the current four heavens and nine worlds.
The only known attributes were its variable appearance, the name Ancient God Heart Lotus, and its effect of greatly enhancing a cultivator’s Mana!
The only way to distinguish this lotus was by observing the unique Dao patterns upon it.
Picking this lotus requires a stringent condition; it is said that only those who have mastered the Ancient God Technique—Three Flowers Gathering at the Top can pick this lotus!
If one has not cultivated even the first flower to perfection, they are not qualified to pluck it. Should they touch it, the lotus will surely wither!
There are hundreds of Ancient God Heart Lotuses here, over a dozen of which have already withered, as if picked by someone...
According to Ning Fan’s estimation, if he could consume all the Ancient God Heart Lotuses here, his Mana could experience a terrifying boost!
"You want this lotus again?" Senluo frowned, displeased.
He truly despised those who didn’t know when to advance or retreat, continuously making demands.
Seeing Senluo’s displeasure, Ning Fan sighed lightly and shook his head, "Though this lotus is good, it’s not a must-have for me. I won’t make requests I shouldn’t."
Ning Fan didn’t know if Senluo cared about these Ancient God Heart Lotuses and wasn’t prepared to anger him over some lifeless objects, potentially delaying the solution to the little demoness’s poison.
Seeing Ning Fan’s discernment, Senluo’s expression eased slightly, coldly laughing, "This lotus is useless to me but quite useful for you, as it can greatly boost your Mana. Unfortunately, you can’t take it! Unless one is a Master who has cultivated the first flower of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top to perfection, it’s impossible to take this lotus. Touch it, and the lotus withers; consume it, and it backfires. This pointless Divine Skill of Three Flowers Gathering at the Top is something I disdain to cultivate, thus I have no interest in this lotus. Mux Tu and Three Revolution Dan Master have also not reached the first flower’s perfection, and those withered lotuses resulted from their reckless contact. Wanting the lotus but unable to get it! The weak fail to obtain what they wish for!"
"So, this Ancient God Heart Lotus is useless to you, Senior? If I can take them, will you have any objections?" Ning Fan’s eyes flashed with brilliance as he asked.
"If you can take them, it’s your fortune, as long as you don’t expect me to help you take the lotus! With my cultivation, even without practicing Three Flowers Art, I could forcibly pick this lotus, but I don’t want to help you!"
"I don’t need your help, Senior, as long as you don’t blame me for taking the lotus." said Ning Fan. "Ancient God Path, Three Flowers Gathering at the Top! Human Lotus, manifest!"
With those words, Ning Fan’s expression turned solemn. He stomped the ground, and a lead-colored lotus was born, swiftly turning into a million lead-colored lotus shadows, swirling around him.
Then Ning Fan transformed into several afterimages, sweeping towards the surface of the golden still lake, his hands moved like lightning, picking all the Ancient God Heart Lotuses one by one.
A total of 466 Ancient God Heart Lotuses were entirely Ning Fan’s!
"The first flower perfected? To cultivate the first flower to perfection without trillions of Dao Crystals is utterly impossible. You’re only at the Ghost Profound Early Stage, yet you’ve cultivated this art to the first flower’s perfection. Quite remarkable."
Senluo’s expression remained cold, but he uncharacteristically offered praise.
His disposition was indifferent, never caring to commend others, yet unexpectedly, he praised Ning Fan.
It was truly because the Three Flowers Art is too costly, even a major force like Godly Void Pavilion wouldn’t lavishly spend resources to cultivate such an extravagant Divine Skill.
Cultivating the first flower alone requires over trillions of Dao Crystals. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Cultivating the second flower, at least requires hundreds of trillions of Dao Crystals.
Cultivating the third flower... the cost and the rare spiritual medicines required are unknown to anyone.
The first flower perfected means invincibility below the True Immortal.
The second flower perfected implies invincibility below the Eternal.
The third flower perfected... Perhaps one could stand undefeated in the Second Step realm, though no one has attempted it.
Even a force like Godly Void Pavilion could never marshal enough resources and wealth to produce a Master with all three flowers perfected.
If only at the two flowers perfected or one flower perfected, practicing this art is meaningless, entirely incapable of influencing battles above the Eternal.
After collecting all the heart lotuses, Ning Fan soared back to the lakeside, offering a light fist salute to Senluo, expressing his gratitude for the previous praise.
Turning his gaze, he looked at the golden still lake, his mind pondering.
This golden still lake is very special, akin to a Master’s Dantian, able to accommodate and restore Mana.
"This is the ’Heart’s Fountain’ that only a Three Apertures Ancient God can create. Once developed, the Ancient God’s Mana can directly double, while the speed at which the heart’s fountain recovers Mana is unbelievably fast..."
Senluo mused for a moment, not knowing what he was contemplating, suddenly his blood-red eyes flashed, raising a finger to point a scarlet light toward Ning Fan.
Ning Fan had been listening attentively to Senluo’s explanation, but upon seeing him suddenly take action, his eyes narrowed, quickly retreating while preparing to crush the jade scroll in his sleeve to counter.
However, he soon sensed that Senluo’s finger carried no killing intent; instead, it contained strands of blood-colored starlight, intending to heal him with the Demon Starfall technique.
His mind whirled, and Ning Fan ceased his retreat, choosing not to resist, allowing the scarlet light to enter his body.
As soon as the light entered his body, a tearing pain swept across Ning Fan’s entire being, but amidst the pain, his internal injuries were healing at a terrifying speed.
Enveloped in the blood-colored starlight, Ning Fan seemed to transform into a man of blood.
After ten breaths, the injuries inflicted by the Burying Stars River Technique were fully healed, allowing Ning Fan to exhale a breath of turbid air, his limbs and bones filled with an inexhaustible strength.
The blood-colored starlight not only healed Ning Fan’s injuries but also seemed to slightly enhance his physical prowess!
"Thank you, Senior, for taking action to help me with my healing," Ning Fan said, cupping his hands in thanks, though his expression grew more cautious.
He did not believe Senluo would be so kind-hearted as to go to great lengths to help him heal.
Given Senluo’s cold nature, he would not do meaningless things.
"You should know that I would not help you without a reason. I’ve already helped you heal, and I can also aid you in refining all the Ancient God Heart Lotuses within two hours... Without my assistance, you’d spend a great deal of time refining these lotuses, and with your cultivation, you wouldn’t be able to fully absorb their medicinal power."
"For this additional assistance, you need to return the favor by doing something for me. This is not a negotiation but an order, and you have no choice!"
Senluo’s aura was extremely oppressive, not allowing Ning Fan to refuse his words.
Ning Fan frowned. Though he did not know exactly what was required to act as Senluo’s Ancient God Vessel, he knew it was truly dangerous.
If not for the little demoness, Ning Fan would never agree to Senluo’s request to do him this favor.
Now, Senluo was making another request of Ning Fan. Honestly, Ning Fan did not want to agree at all.
However, given the current situation, it seemed there was no other choice but to agree or potentially turn hostile towards Senluo.
Turning hostile, Ning Fan was confident in protecting himself, but not in removing the little demoness’s void poison...
"Senior, perhaps you could say what kind of help you need from me." After pondering for a moment, Ning Fan spoke.
Seeing Ning Fan dare not agree to his request immediately, Senluo’s expression grew terrifyingly cold, and after a long time, he asked in displeasure,
"Junior, do you know what ’fireworks’ are?"
"Fireworks?" Ning Fan was momentarily stunned. He was prepared to deal with Senluo’s difficulties with full alertness.
He never expected that the first thing Senluo would mention was something completely unrelated to the current circumstances.
"You don’t know!" Senluo’s killing intent surged like a tide, as if he was ready to kill if Ning Fan dared to say he didn’t know.
"I know... Fireworks are something made by mortals. When ignited, they are very beautiful. Mortals often set off fireworks during festivals and celebrations..." Though Ning Fan didn’t understand Senluo’s intention, he still answered.
"So it’s something mortals create... No wonder, despite slaughtering 107 cultivation families across star domains back in the day, I never came across such a thing..."
Senluo sighed earnestly. Born as a Master, with an arrogant disposition, he scorned mortals, his peers, the elders, and all conventional rules... What would he care about fireworks?
Upon hearing Senluo’s muttering, Ning Fan’s eyes changed, thinking to himself that Senluo couldn’t have been mad enough to slaughter 107 cultivation families in star domains just to find fireworks!
"She once said she liked fireworks, especially those with lotus patterns... She said she liked those ordinary things, as they were always beautiful in their ordinariness..."
Senluo appeared reminiscent, and a long time afterward, he snapped back to reality, sternly saying to Ning Fan,
"Since you know what fireworks are, I will give you a task. Once you become my Ancient God Vessel, I will arrange a safe place for you and give you ample time to make fireworks! Yes, lotus-patterned fireworks... A celebration, indeed, my return to the Godly Void is a cause for celebration among the Divine Void Cultivators, needing a lot of fireworks to add festivity!"
Senluo wasted no more words with Ning Fan. His expression turned cold as he commanded, "Sit cross-legged, take the Ancient God Heart Lotus, I will help you swiftly refine this lotus! Remember to cooperate a little, don’t waste my time!"
"Understood."
Ning Fan sat cross-legged on the ground, took an Ancient God Heart Lotus, remaining fully alert while rapidly refining the lotus with the help of Senluo, the Immortal King.
He still found it hard to believe regarding Senluo’s request.
The second favor Senluo asked him was to make fireworks...
Ning Fan, having transitioned from mortal to cultivation, naturally knew what fireworks were. With his Divine Skills, making fireworks would be simple.
He just did not understand why someone as cold-blooded and ruthless as Senluo would want a large number of lotus-patterned fireworks for...
The specific reasons, he certainly wouldn’t ask Senluo about them.
After all, this favor was quite simple, and Ning Fan did not mind helping Senluo in exchange for his assistance in refining the Ancient God Heart Lotuses.
Were Ning Fan to refine the heart lotuses with his own Ghost Profound cultivation, it would take much more time and at least seven-tenths of the medicinal power would go to waste.
Having Senluo’s help was naturally very beneficial.
Two hours slowly passed, and with Senluo’s assistance, Ning Fan fully refined all 466 Ancient God Heart Lotuses, advancing to the peak of the Ghost Profound Early Stage!
Just a moderate closed cultivation retreat would smoothly propel Ning Fan to break through to the Ghost Profound Middle Stage!
(A supplementary update, written late into the night until four or five o’clock without success, not in the zone, sorry, this update supplements yesterday’s) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
