Grasping the Evil-Chapter 951: Heroic Sacrifice
One Great Emperor after another, although they had left Tianque by millions of miles, still trembled incessantly under the oppressive force of the purple light.
The power of purple will continuously emanated from the Immortal Gate, and under the influence of this will, the world was reduced to one single color.
Purple!
A billion purple stars appeared one by one above the purple skies.
Bathed in starlight, a somewhat illusory gigantic shadow, as high as the heavens, appeared outside the Immortal Gate.
The giant shadow wore a purple robe, with hands clasped behind its back, its features indistinct, yet possessing an indescribable grace. Standing there, it seemed to transcend all the world’s principles, as if a single thought could reverse the world’s reincarnation, as if where it stood was the earth, and it...was the sky!
Before this purple-robed giant shadow, even the mighty Tongtian Ancient Emperor and the Chief of the True Dragon Clan, both Quasi-Saints of the First Order, felt insignificant and humble.
Some Immortal Emperors, whose cultivations were insufficient, were unable to maintain their stance before this purple shadow and involuntarily knelt toward it.
"This is, this is..." The Immortal Emperors were shocked in their hearts.
That Immortal Gate... there was no mistake, this was the objective of their journey—the Ancient Passage!
That purple shadow, that aura, that supreme might... there was no mistake! It was exactly as recorded in the scrolls of the great factions.
Could it be... is this the shadow of the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign? Did Yin Mo summon the shadow of the Immortal Sovereign to aid him?!
The Great Emperors present could not see the appearance of the purple-robed figure, simply because their cultivations were insufficient.
The Eye Orb Monster exerted all its effort and managed to barely see the face of that person within the purple shadow, clearly identical to Yin Mo’s, not the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign’s appearance...
So it is! Though this purple shadow bears some of Purple Dou’s oppressive aura, it is merely false pressure! This is not the true shadow of the Immortal Sovereign!
It must be that Yin Mo, through some means, plundered a portion of Purple Dou’s immortal power from the Immortal Gate, thus cultivating such a deceptive purple shadow!
The Eye Orb Monster sighed with slight relief.
If the true shadow of Purple Dou were to descend, even just as a phantom, it could suppress a Saint with a mere wave of its hand, leaving no chance of victory.
Luckily, it is only a false shadow; a battle can still be fought!
"Right Eye! You possess the Heaven-Opening Artifact. Yet I, hold the Immortal Gate. Can you defeat me?"
Yet the purple shadow suddenly raised its right hand, its forefinger drawing across the sky, purple atmosphere instantly sweeping in all directions.
Then, with the forefinger pressing lightly toward heaven and earth, the understated motion seemed capable of crushing the sky and earth, annihilating all beings within a single finger!
Some Immortal Emperors of insufficient cultivation directly spat blood and fell from the sky under this finger’s pressure, their expressions drastically changing.
Even Tongtian Ancient Emperor and the True Dragon Clan Chief gasped, feeling a deathly threat from this finger’s power!
To die! Opposing this finger with a First Order Quasi-Saint’s cultivation would surely lead to death; even Second and Third Order Quasi-Saints could hardly resist the crushing might of this finger!
The force of the finger spread across the entire primal wilderness, making all human and demon race cultivators of lower ranks feel the impending doom.
It was as if, should this finger land, the entire wilderness would be destroyed beneath a single finger!
How could the world possess such terrifying divine arts!
"Unexpectedly, even a false shadow can wield such power. Yet false is false, it can never become real! Watch as I shatter your divine art!"
The Eye Orb Monster shouted, maneuvering the golden-armored giant to charge violently at Yin Mo.
Yin Mo hastily activated his divine skills. The purple shadow giant immediately pressed that finger down completely upon the golden-armored giant, halting its charge.
The world suddenly dimmed as a sky-darkening finger shadow blocked all light, pressing down with a force seemingly from infinite ages ago!
The power of that finger shadow was too great; the mere purple pressure unleashed swept everyone, making it hard for the Immortal Emperors to maintain their footing. However, the golden-armored giant at the center of the pressure remained immovable, raising a golden shield that turned into a golden light, directly colliding with the descending finger shadow!
The entire world was instantly filled with purple and golden light. The violently shattering purple and golden lights were too dazzling for the Immortal Emperors to look at directly, forcing them to close their eyes!
Waves of destruction collided, spreading continuously. These were the two peak forces clashing, evenly matched!
On one side was the false power of the Immortal Sovereign’s sovereign finger; on the other was the incomplete Heaven-Opening Artifact.
Purple and golden energies collided billions of times in an instant, the sound of collapse deafening, nearly bursting the eardrums of the Immortal Emperors. Amidst the collapse, cracking sounds emerged, followed by a loud explosion as the collapse reached its peak.
Amidst the mixed waves of purple and golden destruction, the false Immortal Sovereign shadow finally exploded and shattered. Yin Mo’s expression drastically changed, caught off guard by the backlash from the broken divine art, his body suffered a violent blow, spitting blood as he flew backward.
His aura weakened rapidly due to his serious injuries!
The Eye Orb Monster fared no better, as the golden-armored giant formed by the God-Extinguishing Shield also flew backward, tragically destroyed, with half its golden body obliterated. During its backward flight, it completely exploded, turning into dissipating streams of golden light.
Within Ning Fan’s Dantian, the God-Extinguishing Shield was shockingly rent with a crack, significantly diminishing its power, unusable until repaired!
The only consolation was that the God-Extinguishing Shield ultimately protected Ning Fan’s physical form, preventing him from being harmed. Compared to the severely injured Yin Mo, this blow clearly favored the Eye Orb Monster.
The truth proved that a false shadow of the Immortal Sovereign indeed could not defeat the real Heaven-Opening Artifact!
"Ghost-face Senior actually won! He, he actually withstood the Immortal Sovereign’s finger!" The gaze of each Immortal Emperor turned to Ning Fan, filled with unparalleled shock.
Little did they know it was the false Immortal Sovereign’s finger. Ancient rumors said the Immortal Sovereign’s finger could defeat a billion Immortal Emperors... such a terrifying divine skill was actually withstood!
Can this be something achievable by a cultivator at the second step!
"Impossible! Even if you possess the Heaven-Opening Artifact, you cannot withstand the power of the strongest finger of Nijun! That’s absolutely impossible!"
Yin Mo let out a crazed roar.
In order to execute this finger, he expended over half of his energy, and due to the backlash from breaking his divine skill, he was grievously injured. His strength was reduced to less than ten percent of its former power. Yet, this finger failed to harm the Eye Orb Monster in the slightest, merely damaging its God-Extinguishing Shield... such an outcome was unacceptable to him!
At this moment, with his strength depleted and his injuries worsened, facing the right eye again, his chances of victory were slim. Perhaps... he really might be killed by the right eye!
How could he resign himself to being killed by the right eye? He had yet to avenge himself against the Purple Astral Immortal Cultivator. He was unwilling!
As his gaze shifted to the Ancient Immortal Gate, a mad thought suddenly arose in Yin Mo’s heart.
This insane notion quickly occupied his mind, causing him to reveal a bloodthirsty expression. He flipped his hand and took out a flaming-red crow’s feather.
It appeared to be an ordinary crow feather, without any noticeable immortal power fluctuations, seemingly just an ordinary feather.
However, had a Saint been present, they would have surely recognized the power contained within this crow feather!
Enough, those six sealed Spirits that could not escape are unnecessary, they should be destroyed, consummating this spirit sense!
"In my life, I dared to scheme against my true self with this wicked corpse, dared to defy the Immortal Emperor with a humble body, dared to fight the entire Zi Dou Immortal Domain alone. My deeds do not seek to achieve eternal fame, yet each one is grand and magnificent, worthy of resounding throughout the Three Great Realms. To think that one day, I, the great Yin Mo, would be dominated by a mere right eye, how hateful. How hateful indeed!"
"Right eye, you cannot kill me, you cannot! The six sealed Spirits here, I do not want them anymore! Today, I shall escape with just my spirit sense, returning to the Dust Realm!"
"I have mastered the coordinates of this Dreamland Realm! Once I return to the Dust Realm, I will definitely request my master to dispatch Ten Thousand Tribulations cultivators to cleanse this realm of all life!"
"You, wait and see!"
Gritting his teeth, Yin Mo raised the crow feather high into the air. At the same time, among the Tianque, six strands of scattered Evil Qi emerged—it was the annihilation of the six sealed Spirits of Yin Mo.
This feather, gifted by the Master of Calamity Thought, was a life-saving artifact. It possessed the Fourth-level Traversal Power!
With the protection of this fourth-level Tribulation Feather, he was able, under the Zidou Seal, to send a wisp of spirit sense traversing outward.
This artifact was exceedingly arrogant, beyond what his Calamity Blood Cultivation could ever wield. Yet, by sacrificing the six sealed Spirits, it was different.
Indeed! Yin Mo had gone mad, willing to destroy the sealed six Spirits to achieve vengeance on the Dreamland Realm, all for the sake of a single spirit sense escape!
At this moment, with just a spirit sense... wielding this Tribulation Feather, he could transcend across all lands. Even the unopened Ancient Immortal Gate presented no barrier, traversable without a key!
Once the crow feather soared into the air, it instantly transformed into a beam of red light and wrapped around Yin Mo, propelling him directly toward the Immortal Gate.
The red light emitted an indescribable eeriness...
The stone door on either side of the Immortal Gate, initially sealed, suddenly thundered and opened at Yin Mo’s arrival.
This Ancient Passage opened without the use of a key...
As the Immortal Gate opened, what appeared before everyone’s eyes was not the landscape of the Sky Desolate Ancient Realm but an endless corridor of purple fire.
Shrouded in the red light, Yin Mo rushed straight into the passage, weaving through the blazing purple flames without any harm, swiftly disappearing from sight.
He... he escaped!
"No good! I had always thought that what was given to Yin Mo was merely an ordinary life-saving crow feather... who would have thought it to be a Traversal Feather! An unforeseen discovery, truly unexpected, that Yin Mo could, using the feather’s power, blatantly ignore the rules set by the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign and open the Immortal Gate directly! His intent is to flee to the Sky Desolate Ancient Realm, to return to the Real Realms! He sacrificed his other Spirits, leaving only a spirit sense. He is gambling, gambling on this spirit sense to succeed in its escape!"
The Eye Orb Monster, startled, manipulated Ning Fan’s body, attempting to pursue him into the Immortal Gate, but upon approaching the gate, it was repelled by the purple fire within.
The purple fire was terrifying, seemingly mere flames superficially, but with the vision of a Third Order Quasi-Saint at present, the Eye Orb Monster could discern the immense power it harbored, enough to incinerate an Initial Saint!
Yin Mo took advantage of the Traversal Feather’s strength to escape into the passage, yet the Eye Orb Monster could not enter.
"The Ancient Passage has unexpectedly opened! What does this mean, could someone have used the key!"
"Sky Desolate Ancient Realm! On the other side of the Immortal Gate lies the Sky Desolate Ancient Realm!"
"According to ancient scrolls, the place we reside in is but a Dreamland Realm, while across the Immortal Gate lies the legendary Real Realms!"
"Although we are Purple Astral Immortal Cultivators, should we conceal our identities, survival in the Real Realms is not impossible! There... lies an opportunity for us to become Saints!"
The surviving Immortal Emperors’ eyes burned with fervor, and many immediately dashed forward, entering the Immortal Gate without a second thought.
They had come originally to vie for the Ancient Passage. Following the previous plan, even if they seized the passage, a key would be essential to open the gate. Now, they could proceed directly, eliminating so many hassles, an unexpected boon indeed!
The Immortal Emperors who rushed into the passage noted the purple fire within the gate, but none took it to heart.
For one, with their cultivation levels, they could not perceive the terror of the purple fire.
For another, after Yin Mo entered the Immortal Gate, he seemed to traverse the purple fire blockade with ease. Post-injury, Yin Mo retained only a First Order Quasi-Saint cultivation, no stronger than this crowd of Immortal Emperors.
If Yin Mo could enter the Immortal Gate, if they were cautious, they should manage it too!
Thus, four Immortal Emperors from the Human and Demon races were the first to charge into the Immortal Gate, but immediately, four tragic screams echoed forth.
As these four Immortal Emperors stepped through the Immortal Gate, they were instantly reduced to ashes by the purple fire within, their Spirits (Demon Souls) failing to escape!
This purple fire... was truly terrifying!
"Yin Mo has escaped, what should we do now?" Ning Fan asked in his heart.
"We must not let him escape! This is no longer just my problem. If he escapes back to the Real Realms, the coordinates of this Dreamland Realm will be exposed to the Calamity Spirit Clan..."
The Eye Orb Monster’s heart was extremely heavy at this moment.
This Dreamland Realm was the last sanctuary left by the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign for the Purple Astral Immortal Cultivators. It was able to avoid the Calamity Clan’s pursuit not only because of the powerful seal outside the Dreamland but also due to the extremely secret coordinates of this realm, known to few...
If the Eye Orb Monster were allowed to escape back to the Dust Realm and expose the coordinates to the Calamity Spirit Clan, this realm would be instantly annihilated by the Calamity Cultivators!
At that time, just one Royal Calamity Spirit would be enough to destroy this realm...
The thoughts in the Eye Orb Monster’s mind could not escape Ning Fan’s perception.
Ning Fan’s heart sank immediately: If Yin Mo escapes, the Dreamland Realm will face calamity! Yin Mo must not be allowed to escape!
However, the Violet Flame within the Immortal Gate is too powerful; entering it would mean certain death. He simply has no ability to charge into the passage and hunt down Yin Mo...
Could it be that he can only watch helplessly as Yin Mo escapes, ready to take revenge on the Dreamland Realm?
If the realm is destroyed, everyone he loves will be slaughtered by the Taicang Calamity Spirit... Ning Fan cannot accept this outcome!
"You brat. Don’t be afraid, things haven’t reached that dire state yet. What you’re worried about won’t happen. I will never let Yin Mo escape! Because I... am a Purple Astral Immortal Cultivator!"
"You’ve done enough. This jade box is for you. If I die in the passage, open it after twelve hours, inside is a little gift from me..."
"Ignite!"
The Eye Orb Monster suddenly shouted a word, and instantly, a black fire shot out from Ning Fan’s third eye, directly into the Violet Flame Passage!
The speed of the black fire was too fast. So fast that no Immortal Emperor could see what it was.
Only Ning Fan knew... it was a wretched eyeball engulfed in black fire. Clearly wretched, yet at this moment, it gave Ning Fan a grand feeling.
No one knew that the Eye Orb Monster ignited the Immortal Void left by the Immortal Emperor in exchange for short-term supreme immortal power!
No one knew that the Eye Orb Monster even ignited his own cultivation to gain the power to walk through the Violet Flame!
He was going to risk his life, charging into the boundless sea of fire, to kill one person!
Not only to avenge the Immortal Emperor but also to protect the last Purple Astral Immortal Cultivator of the Dreamland Realm!
That day, Yin Mo knelt before the Immortal Emperor and made a solemn vow, and every word of it, the Eye Orb Monster dared not forget.
As the Purple Astral Immortals stand above, the lower cultivator Yin Mo, born from the Great Emperor’s slaying of evildoers, must inherit the Emperor’s will. Though an evil corpse, he shall conduct himself with integrity, without shame to the heavens or the Purple Dou. Henceforth, live for the Purple Dou, and die for the Purple Dou. If this oath is broken, let heaven and man together punish!
Living for the Purple Dou, and dying, must also be on the path of protecting the Purple Dou Immortal Domain!
No... perhaps he isn’t that great, perhaps he just wanted to hold onto this last piece of homeland for the Immortal Emperor...
Even if he is to be buried in the raging Violet Flame today... he must slay Yin Mo!
Though faced with ten million foes... I shall go forth!
Ning Fan was silent, he never thought that someone as wretched as the Eye Orb Monster would do something so heroic.
The long-dormant hot blood in his heart unknowingly began to warm... due to the Eye Orb Monster’s actions.
This was the real Purple Astral Immortal Cultivator, the group of cultivators regarded as the most spirited in the eyes of the Three Great Realms...
What those Immortal Emperors were doing or saying at this moment, Ning Fan no longer cared.
Before him, in a flash of gray light, transformed into a jade box of intricate seals, landing peacefully in his palm.
This was the item left to him by the Eye Orb Monster...
If the Eye Orb Monster were to die in the Immortal Gate passage, it is to be opened after twelve hours... inside, is a small gift left by the Eye Orb Monster for himself...
Ning Fan tightly clenched the jade box, feeling an indescribable heaviness in his heart.
He didn’t care what the small gift left by the Eye Orb Monster was. His heart was somewhat concerned about the Eye Orb Monster’s safety...
Such a heroic person should not die in silence here. Hopefully, he can kill Yin Mo and return safely.
Time passed little by little, and short or long, it was hard to tell, when suddenly a scream came from within the Immortal Gate passage, it was Yin Mo’s scream, coming from an extremely distant place, filled with endless evil qi.
Has Yin Mo been killed, the Eye Orb Monster should be returning soon.
As time went on, the Immortal Gate that Yin Mo had forcibly opened gradually began to close again.
The surviving two Great Emperors were busy preventing the closure of the Immortal Gate. But it was all in vain. The next time the Immortal Gate opens, it will probably need a key...
Bang!
It was hard to tell how much time had passed when the Immortal Gate closed completely with a loud bang.
Ning Fan closed his eyes slightly, feeling a sense of sadness and desolation.
The wretched, lecherous Eye Orb Monster, until the last moment, never returned... and will never return...
If he is still alive, he will surely return. There is only one reason for not coming back...
He killed Yin Mo, and the price he paid was likely... his life...
Just for an ancient promise, no matter the cost, he had to kill the traitor and protect the Land of Dreams.
Even though those cultivators of the Dreamland Realm are completely unaware that someone died to protect their realm, the Eye Orb Monster still took action...
A feat so heroic!
Ning Fan casually put away the jade box given to him by the Eye Orb Monster and patted his storage pouch. He took out a jar of Spiritual Wine, drank a mouthful, and then poured the rest outside the Immortal Gate.
A hero departs, how can there be no wine to send him off!
"Senior, the Human and demon races have already discussed the issue of the Ancient Passage’s ownership, but we are still unsure of your opinion... Senior..."
At this moment, the Tongtian Ancient Emperor and the Chief of the True Dragon Clan stood cautiously behind Ning Fan, seemingly wanting to thoroughly discuss the ownership of the Ancient Passage with him. They had not yet given up on competing for the Ancient Passage, but dared not clash head-on with Ning Fan, only daring to use a consultative tone.
"Not interested!"
The wine jar was empty. Ning Fan stared at the Immortal Gate that seemed never to have been opened, a wave of agitation raging in his heart.
These Dreamland Realm cultivators were unknowingly protected by others. Someone died fighting for them, yet no one knew of it, nor did anyone commemorate it...
"Senior, you seem to be in a bad mood, is there anything this junior can do..." The voice of the Tribulation Wielding Immortal Emperor suddenly came from beside Ning Fan.
She was not someone who forgets kindness, if not for Ning Fan saving her, she would most likely have been killed by Yin Mo.
However, she didn’t know how to repay the favor. Ning Fan’s revealed cultivation was too high, a dignified Third Order Quasi-Saint; what in her possessions could attract his attention?
Probably nothing, what could a Third Order Quasi-Saint see in her meager possessions...
"No need."
Ning Fan suddenly awakened from his emotional reflection. At this moment, he no longer had the Eye Orb Monster attached to him, and his third eye had returned to its normal state.
With his current cultivation, he was not skilled enough to act superior in front of a group of Immortal Emperors, posing as a senior.
The God-Extinguishing Shield had been damaged and was unusable. If an Immortal Emperor attacks him here, he would be extremely vulnerable!
Ning Fan had not forgotten the deep feud he had with the True Dragon Race...
If the Chief of the True Dragon Clan discovered his true identity, and everyone attacked him, Ning Fan knew he could not escape from a group of Immortal Emperors.
Slaying Immortal Emperors like killing dogs—those were feats accomplished by the Eye Orb Monster and Yin Mo, Ning Fan was just a junior... a junior...
Now was not the time for sorrowful sentiments!
Thinking of this, Ning Fan did not want to linger here any longer; with a flicker of his figure, he intended to leave.
"Please stay, Senior!" The voice of the Chief of the True Dragon Clan suddenly rang out.
Ning Fan paused, secretly vigilant, his expression unchanged, as he turned back to the Chief of the True Dragon Clan, "What is it?"
"Could Senior bestow us with your name? Within this primitive and wild region, transformations are rampant, even to the extent of Yin Mo, this ancient great cultivator, causing turmoil here. Had Senior not acted, far more of us might have perished. Senior has saved us, we wish to repay you, but do not know how. Lest Senior disregards what we can offer..."
The Chief of the True Dragon Clan had changed his usually somber tone, appearing exceptionally cautious before Ning Fan. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
He dared not be presumptuous before an ancient great cultivator.
"No need to repay me, I truly am not interested in your offerings..." Ning Fan could only follow the Chief of the True Dragon Clan’s words, continuing to feign, inwardly wryly smiling.
Any one of these Immortal Emperors’ possessions would make Ning Fan green with envy; he wanted them but feared revealing clues, drawing suspicion and trouble from this group of Immortal Emperors...
"Impossible, we too are Purple Astral Immortal Cultivators; how can we simply ignore the debt of gratitude!" The Chief of the True Dragon Clan’s palm was slightly sweaty; he understood the significance.
At Ning Fan’s level of cultivation, imparting a favor could establish a karmic connection. Such life-saving gratitude carries immense karma, one misstep could doom a person to boundless tribulations...
Who knows if Ning Fan is being duplicitous? Presenting a facade of saving people without seeking rewards, while secretly, possibly calculating everyone into his plans...it’s not impossible!
With the Chief of the True Dragon Clan’s prudence, he certainly wouldn’t act muddle-headed in significant matters, greed for minor advantages surely leads to major losses.
An ancient great cultivator like Ning Fan battled with another great cultivator here, yet not for the Ancient Passage. To presume there was no ulterior motive, the Chief of the True Dragon Clan would never believe!
"Please, Senior, bestow your name. We will surely offer the Fortune Tower to Senior to repay your kindness; this is our heartfelt intention, begging Senior not to refuse!"
Fortune Tower?
Ning Fan was slightly taken aback, then his eyes lit up.
This... is indeed a desirable item!
"So be it, after this battle, my name likely won’t remain secret. Listen well, my name is Zhao Jian! Use that name to offer the Fortune Tower for me! Besides this, I have another request; I hope you will... surely fulfill it!"
Ning Fan’s voice slightly sank, the Chief of the True Dragon Clan quickly startled, hastily replying,
"Senior, whatever the request, speak freely! Even if the True Dragon Race exhausts all resources, we will accomplish Senior’s directive!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
