Grasping the Evil-Chapter 967: Jianmu’s Essence
Xiang Mingzi was called away by Mu Song, seemingly busy preparing for the trial in ten days.
That night, Ning Fan stayed in the guest room of the ancient temple’s meditation courtyard, waiting for the trial ten days later.
He wasn’t waiting idly. As soon as Ning Fan had some free time, he entered the Xuan Yin Treasure to deal with the three treasures he obtained from Wu Laoba.
The Heaven-Opening Stone, Four Emperors Luohan Pine, and the Liangyi Square Seal.
In the Western Xuanyin Realm, above the cave mansion Ning Fan established, a vast void had been newly opened, within which a sprawling grove of bronze towers floated.
If examined closely, it would be discovered that these bronze towers were the batch of Time Sealing Towers from the Immortal Void of the Eye Orb Monsters.
Ning Fan originally planned to take these Time Towers after defeating Yin Mo, but before departure, the Eye Orb Monster changed its mind and handed these towers to Ning Fan in advance.
Millennium Towers. 9 Ten-thousand-year Towers.
With these Time Towers, whenever Ning Fan needed to undertake something time-consuming, he could directly use the sealed time within the towers to save a great deal of time.
Using the Barbaric God’s Punishment Force, Ning Fan bypassed the tower’s seal and directly entered one of the Millennium Time Towers.
Upon entering the tower, the first thing he did was use the Heaven-Opening Stone to repair the God-Extinguishing Shield.
This Heaven-Opening Stone was refined by Wu Laoba using the Dark Luck Secret Technique. Others would need to handle this stone with extreme caution, but Ning Fan wasn’t afraid of the dark luck within the stone. He used the Fuli Force to wipe away the dark luck with a single sweep of his hand.
Then he opened his mouth and released the God-Extinguishing Shield from his body, looking at the ferocious cracks on the shield, the battle with Yin Mo still vividly remembered.
With Ning Fan’s current cultivation, using this shield was enough to defend against the attacks of an Eight Tribulations Celestial Emperor. If he could repair the God-Extinguishing Shield, Ning Fan would undoubtedly have a significant trump card when traversing the Eastern Heaven.
The repair method for the Heaven-Opening Artifact is quite simple; it can self-repair as long as it is nourished by the power of the Heaven-Opening Stone.
The only troublesome part is the slow self-repair speed of the Heaven-Opening Artifact. Fortunately, Ning Fan had an abundance of Time Sealing Towers, so there was no fear of wasting time.
In the space of the bronze tower, Ning Fan found a place rich in Spiritual Energy and placed the God-Extinguishing Shield and the Heaven-Opening Stone together to let them self-repair there.
Afterward, he planned to stay in the tower for a thousand years, waiting for the shield to repair. During this time, he decided to handle the other two treasures.
The first treasure Ning Fan dealt with was the Four Emperors Luohan Pine. It’s an extremely rare pine tree, and its needles can all be used as flying swords!
Currently, this pine sapling had grown thirty million pine needle swords, among which nine pine needle swords had reached the level of Acquired Twelve Nirvana!
Any of these Nine Twelve Nirvana Pine Needle Swords could be used as a superb magical treasure for duels at the Immortal Venerable level.
If Ning Fan, like Wu Laoba, could wield the entire Four Emperors Luohan Pine to slay enemies with all thirty million flying swords, even an Immortal King would find it hard to withstand such an attack!
These thirty million pine needle swords could be released en masse or used individually as a magical treasure. This pine’s acquisition undoubtedly resolved Ning Fan’s urgent lack of magical treasures.
Moreover, the Four Emperors Luohan Pine has another formidable feature: it is a living entity and can continue to grow.
Like the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree, this pine tree requires Daoquan irrigation to keep growing. The more it grows, the higher the grade of the pine needle swords on its crown.
Theoretically, as long as Ning Fan has enough Daoquan for irrigation, it could elevate all thirty million flying swords to the innate level!
At that time, if Ning Fan unleashed the Four Emperors Luohan Pine, wielding three million innate flying swords to slay foes, even the Initial Saint would retreat upon witnessing such a scene...
Of course, such an idea is quite unrealistic. The growth of the Four Emperors Luohan Pine requires countless Daoquan. To grow even one innate flying sword, vast amounts of Daoquan would be required. The entire Phantom Dreamland’s Daoquan wouldn’t suffice for thirty million innate flying swords.
"Speaking of which, if I have the leisure, I should actually acquire some Daoquan to nourish the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree. As it grows, it bears fruit that aids in my cultivation. Compared to that, the growth of the Four Emperors Luohan Pine is not as important."
Cultivation is, of course, more critical than a magical treasure.
If there is Daoquan, Ning Fan would choose to water the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree first and only then water the Four Emperors Luohan Pine.
Ning Fan refined all thirty million pine needle swords. So in future duels, he could use the pine needle swords for attack any time.
After refining the pine needle swords, Ning Fan took out the Liangyi Square Seal and examined it carefully.
This was the third treasure offered to him by Wu Laoba, and it had three transformations, each more powerful than the last.
Among them, Wu Laoba only used the first transformation of this seal to send Ning Fan flying five times, forcing him into a bitter struggle.
If not for Ning Fan understanding the reverse-heaven divine skill of the Severing Dao Divine Sword, severing the seal’s Dao Source operation, he would most likely have been defeated by Wu Laoba.
The destructive power of this seal is stronger than the Obliteration Technique and thirty million flying swords. After a ritual sacrifice, it could become Ning Fan’s first offensive innate magical treasure!
"Previously, I struck this seal with four swords, injuring the Yin Phoenix within the seal. To use this treasure, I must first repair it."
The Liangyi Square Seal is not a Heaven-Opening Artifact and cannot repair itself. Repairing it also does not require using such reverse-heaven items like Heaven-Opening Stone.
In the Bronze Tower Space, within a millennium, Ning Fan spent ten years repeatedly forging this seal using the Eleven-Flavors True Fire in his body, supplemented by countless immortal ores, until he repaired the seal.
For the subsequent nine hundred and ninety years, Ning Fan only did one thing: refining this seal and comprehending the three transformations contained within it.
The first transformation of this seal is named [Yin Seal Phoenix Freeze Heaven]. Even with Wu Laoba’s cultivation level, he would need to summon the Eternal True Body to perform this transformation. Ning Fan’s Calamity Blood cultivation is insufficient to perform the first transformation; only after merging with the Black Cat Dao Soul could he barely achieve it.
The second transformation of this seal is called [Yang Seal Dragon Striking Fire]. Even after merging with the Black Cat Dao Soul, Ning Fan’s cultivation level couldn’t use the second transformation.
Ning Fan couldn’t comprehend the third transformation of this seal, seemingly due to insufficient cultivation.
A millennium passed in the blink of an eye, and the God-Extinguishing Shield absorbed all the power of the Heaven-Opening Stone, thoroughly repairing.
Ning Fan retrieved the God-Extinguishing Shield back into his body. From this moment, even being chased by the Eight Tribulations Celestial Emperor, he now had the power to protect himself!
After the collapse of the Bronze Tower Space, Ning Fan returned to the Western Xuanyin Realm, temporarily planting the Four Emperors Luohan Pine beside the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree to use when needed.
Then he returned to his guest room and rested for the night.
Early the next morning, Wu Laoba came to wait outside Ning Fan’s chamber, seemingly to report some matter, but fearing to disturb Ning Fan’s rest, dared not push the door open and enter.
"Come in, you need not be so restrained in front of me," Ning Fan said courteously.
Upon hearing Ning Fan’s call, Wu Laoba finally opened the door and entered with eagerness.
"I have an important issue to report to the master, regarding the [Anti-Ning Alliance]!", Wu Laoba said with a face full of self-satisfaction, repeatedly calling him master in a very smooth manner.
"Tell me in detail, what is this Anti-Ning Alliance all about?"
Ning Fan had seen some fragments in Wu Laoba’s memory, but still wanted Wu Laoba to explain the whole story fully.
Wu Laoba had just acknowledged Ning Fan as his master and was eager to make some contributions, quickly telling everything he knew to Ning Fan.
The leader of this Anti-Ning Alliance is the Sect Master of the Pill Sect. The alliance has not yet been truly established and is still in the preparation stage. After all, Ning Fan had just returned to the Eastern Heaven for a few days, and the Pill Sect had only recently decided to establish an Anti-Ning Alliance specifically to deal with Ning Fan.
"Master mustn’t underestimate this Dan Old Monster due to his not-so-high cultivation. His alchemy skills are extraordinary, having advanced to the Ninth Revolution Golden Pill’s refinement level decades ago. Even more astonishingly, not long after reaching the Golden Core refinement level, he somehow reached the bottleneck of Emperor Elixir Grade refinement!"
"Currently, Golden Core level Alchemists in the Four Heavens are few, and it’s uncertain if there are any Emperor Elixir Grade Alchemists. His alchemy skills could form a huge rallying force, and because the Dark Clan is coveting the master, quite a few old monsters responded to Dan Old Monster’s call, deciding to join the Anti-Ning Alliance to trouble the master. Among them are strong Immortal Venerables, and this small man knows three Immortal Venerables by name, all famous for many years in the Eastern Heaven Immortal World..."
Upon hearing this, Ning Fan’s brows furrowed slightly; it seems that the Sect Master of the Pill Sect should not be underestimated.
"Are there any Immortal Kings among the alliance?"
"There are none. After all, Dan Old Monster has not truly stepped into the Emperor Elixir Grade dan refinement realm, and the master’s teacher, the Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor, has not truly perished. Immortal King old monsters are cautious and won’t easily get involved in such turmoil," Wu Laoba recalled and answered earnestly.
"So no Immortal Kings, huh..." Ning Fan’s gaze flickered, pondering with some undefined thoughts.
"Master need not worry; the alliance is still in the preparation stage. After three months, a [Anti-Ning Conference] will be held at the Pill Sect to discuss the formation of the alliance."
"Three months later, huh..."
Ning Fan’s eyes flashed with coldness. His enmity with the Sect Master of the Pill Sect had been long-standing; it’s time for a resolution!
Three months later, all who wish to oppose him will gather at the Pill Sect for a grand Anti-Ning Conference.
If Ning Fan arrives at the Pill Sect three months later, could he entrap all those malicious cultivators in Eastern Heaven?
Facing Ning Fan’s sharp and cold gaze, Wu Laoba felt an inexplicable chill in his heart, thinking to himself that this star of misfortune might unleash a massacre at the Pill Sect three months later!
It seemed that a mere one night not seeing Ning Fan gave Wu Laoba an illusion. Overnight, Ning Fan’s cultivation hadn’t increased, but the sense of oppression transmitted seemed to have grown stronger.
The reason, naturally, is because Ning Fan had repaired the God-Extinguishing Shield, which invisibly placed a heavier pressure on Wu Laoba.
But Wu Laoba didn’t realize this; he only thought that Ning Fan, who had previously defeated him, still had spare strength unused, and so his apprehension towards this convenient master increased significantly.
"What a hardship, what a hardship. Old Monster Han, Old Monster Han, you’ve provoked such a star of misfortune, it’s better to fend for yourself this time. This time, this poor Daoist cannot stand by you. Perhaps, this poor Daoist may have to help his master to destroy your Pill Sect. After all, there’s no karma between us, killing you won’t have any negative impact on me," Wu Laoba shamelessly cast the Pill Sect Master, whom he had a sort of drinking buddy relationship with, directly to the opposing side.
"By the way, I have another question to ask you. Where did your Heiyun Sect’s Nieli Ancestral Corpse come from?" Ning Fan suddenly asked.
"In reply to my master, it was found by chance by my master Ancestor Heiyun during his travels in the Heavenly Demon." Wu Laoba’s heart was shaken, secretly wondering how Ning Fan knew about this matter, but he still truthfully answered the question.
Ning Fan pondered slightly.
From Wu Laoba’s memory, Ning Fan saw many things, and even saw the existence of the Nieli Ancestral Corpse deep within Wu Laoba’s memory.
The Heiyun Sect is located in the Northern Heaven Immortal World, hidden deep in the stars, where a Nieli Ancestor’s corpse is sealed!
Both Wu Laoba and his master, Ancestor Heiyun, required absorbing the dark fortune of the Nieli Ancestor’s corpse while cultivating to gradually cultivate the powerful black fortune that shook the Four Heavens.
In Wu Laoba’s memory, there is also a hierarchy for the black fortune; Ancestor Heiyun divided the dark fortune into nine levels, corresponding to the levels of the Nine Colors of Immortal Fate.
Ancestor Heiyun himself has the cultivation of an Immortal Emperor, yet only possesses a level seven black fortune, while Wu Laoba seems to have already reached level eight.
Level eight black fortune corresponds to the eighth color of Immortal Fate; anyone with fortune levels lower than Wu Laoba would be influenced by his black fortune!
But it’s just an influence; for masters like Xiang Mingzi, although they haven’t cultivated the eighth color of Immortal Fate, they wouldn’t fear Wu Laoba, only hold some reservation at most.
In Xiang Mingzi’s cultivation, if he were to seize Wu Laoba’s belongings or kill him, it might cause some trouble, but there would be no mortal danger.
"The level eight black fortune of Wu Laoba could be used to create some trouble for the Dark Clan, but relying on this method to deal with them is insufficient. Ultimately, improving my own cultivation is fundamental. Only by becoming strong myself can I prevent the Dark Clan from daring to offend me and others from daring to insult me!"
Ning Fan’s Fiendgod and ancient demon cultivation is stuck at the Shedding Void Stage, but his ancient demon cultivation still has room for improvement.
Currently, he has four main methods to improve his cultivation.
Firstly, consuming expensive pills, Dao Fruits, and other heavenly treasures, secondly, cultivating twenty-seven types of Yin and Yang, each of which significantly enhances cultivations.
Thirdly, watering the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree and consuming the fruits it yields; fourthly, enhancing the cultivation of female cultivators with the Zi Relic, which in turn elevates his own cultivation with the Mother Relic.
"On this Wood Island, the Dao Principle of Wood is indeed abundant. Anyway, I need to stay on Wood Island for ten more days, so I might as well go out and comprehend it a great deal."
Just as Ning Fan had this thought, a visitor arrived—it was the Big Ear Sramanera whom Ning Fan had defeated earlier.
After some pleasantries, Ning Fan learned that this person was the second disciple of Daoist Wood Pine, with the Dharma name Songguo. He came under the order of his master Daoist Wood Pine to guide Ning Fan around Wood Island.
"My master has ordered that since Daoist Ning is the inheritor of Ancient Chaos, he would likely be interested in the Dao Principle of Wood on Wood Island. So, he ordered me to guide Daoist Ning to visit the seven forbidden areas on Wood Island. If luck is gained from them, it is considered Daoist’s skill!"
Songguo Chan Master’s tone was very courteous; though he lost to Ning Fan once, there wasn’t a bit of resentment in him, reflecting his well-cultivated mind.
"The seven forbidden regions, is it..."
Ning Fan’s gaze slightly condensed. According to his perception, there are seven places on this Wood Island where the power of the Dao Principle of Wood is the strongest—these must be the seven forbidden regions mentioned by Songguo.
He intended to comprehend the Dao Principle of Wood on Wood Island, so naturally, he wouldn’t refuse Songguo Chan Master’s suggestion.
Consequently, Songguo Chan Master led Ning Fan and Wu Laoba out of the ancient temple and toward a towering ancient pine deep in the island’s forest.
It was an ancient pine with slightly purple bark, faintly exuding a terrifying pressure that created a vacuum within a hundred steps, allowing no one to approach it!
The soil beneath the pine tree was damp, and the earth’s surface occasionally rolled slightly, as if something alive was moving beneath the ground.
Upon sensing Ning Fan’s arrival, twelve mudmen immediately emerged from the ground, their killer intent squarely locked onto Ning Fan and Wu Laoba.
Each mudman possessed the cultivation level of a Newly Ascended Immortal Venerable, specifically guarding this place and protecting this pine!
But after Songguo Chan Master’s shout of ’retreat,’ the twelve Immortal Venerable mudmen each burrowed back into the ground.
"Within this pine, there echoes a bell sound, personally planted by my master. If you step within a hundred steps away, you can hear the bell, but its sound is intermittent and grows stronger the closer you get to the pine. Without the Eternal Immortal Venerable cultivation, it is impossible to cross these hundred steps. This is the first of Wood Island’s seven forbidden regions and the weakest among them."
With that said, Songguo Chan Master took the lead, being the first to step within a hundred steps of the ancient pine, his figure swaying as he advanced directly to ninety steps away from the pine.
As he stepped within a hundred steps, a bell sound suddenly echoed between heaven and earth, seemingly both distant and close.
The bell sound seemed to emerge from within the old pine tree, yet also appeared to originate from the endless void of a faraway place. Ning Fan, standing nearby, could not determine where the bell sound actually came from!
It was as if the sound could originate from anywhere in this world, or perhaps, the sound never existed, and it was all just an illusion, leaving no trace to be found.
At the sound of the bell, Monk Songguo, having crossed into the hundred steps distance, turned pale, groaned, as if injured, and without hesitation, summoned his mana to resist the bell sound. Despite the severe consumption of mana, he was forced to retreat five steps, barely able to stabilize his stance.
He took a deep breath and, shimmering once more, advanced ten steps toward the old pine, yet another bell sound struck him back five steps.
He continued this dance of retreat and advance, taking a total of one hundred forty-nine breaths to reach beneath the old pine.
Upon arriving under the old pine tree, he found his mana almost entirely exhausted, consumed in the struggle against the bell sound!
Then, a miraculous scene unfolded.
Monk Songguo, without using any mana recovery technique, was enveloped in a layer of green light from the old pine, rapidly restoring his mana.
"This is... the power of the Dao Principle of Wood!" Ning Fan’s eyes glistened.
The cultivation of Dao Principles endows practitioners with many abilities.
For instance, the cultivation of the Rain Dao Principle enhances Ning Fan’s perception; the War Dao Principle strengthens Ning Fan’s willpower; the Darkness Dao Principle increases Ning Fan’s illusory art strength.
The Dao Principle of Wood grants practitioners a certain ability, that ability being the endless regeneration of mana.
Immortal Venerables who cultivated the Dao Principle of Wood restore mana at twice the speed of those cultivating other Dao Principles.
Of course, in terms of offensive power, the Dao Principle of Wood is not as strong as many other Dao Principles. Where there are advantages, there are also drawbacks, as it is not an aggressive principle.
"Hehe, Daoist Ning, Daoist Wu, why don’t you two try as well? See how many breaths it takes to reach under this pine," Monk Songguo suggested, sitting cross-legged in the shade of the pine, addressing Ning Fan and Wu Laoba.
Hearing this, Wu Laoba showed eagerness.
He had lingered on Mu Island for over a month, yearning to enter the seven forbidden grounds of Mu Island to perceive the Dao Principle of Wood. Unfortunately, Daoist Wood Pine, despite gifting him three treasures, did not permit him to enter any forbidden ground on Mu Island.
This time, thanks to Ning Fan’s influence, the people of Mu Island allowed him to approach the old pine and perceive the Dao Principle of Wood. Such a rare opportunity couldn’t be missed.
Heh, serving Ning Fan does have its perks, after all.
"It’s said that when Daoist Wood Pine was young, he obtained three drops of Jianmu’s Essence. He used one himself, achieving the title of Emperor Wood Controller. The second, gifted to his student Emperor Cang, which allowed Cang to grasp some understanding of the Dao Principle of Wood, though he never fully comprehended the true power of Control Positions. The third drop, Wood Pine divided into seven portions, sealed within the seven ancient pines on Mu Island, endowing each pine with divine skills, turning them into the seven forbidden grounds of Mu Island..."
Wu Laoba was elated, as he now had the chance to perceive Jianmu’s Essence within the old pine. Should he be fortunate in obtaining some understanding of the Dao Principle of Wood, his power would surely increase significantly!
His cultivation was one tribulation higher than Monk Songguo’s. With a single leap, he moved to a position eighty steps from the old pine. Despite being struck by the bell sound, he retreated only four steps. In this manner, he reached the old pine with only five retreats, taking merely twenty-six breaths, much more effortlessly than Monk Songguo.
"As expected of a senior Immortal Venerable of Eternity’s First Tribulation, traversing the hundred steps in only twenty-six breaths."
Monk Songguo was very impressed with Wu Laoba, and his expectations for Ning Fan’s performance heightened even more.
Ning Fan’s strength surpassed Wu Laoba’s, so he should take even less time.
Upon reaching the shade of the pine, Wu Laoba immediately sat cross-legged and relished the green Buddha Light descending from the old pine. This Buddha Light carried the scent of Jianmu’s Essence, embodying the supreme Dao of Wood. To grasp even a wisp of it would be an unparalleled opportunity. He breathed in the light wood aroma greedily, afraid to miss even a trace.
Seeing Wu Laoba’s actions, Ning Fan shook his head speechlessly. Taking a deep breath, he also shimmered and stepped within a hundred steps.
Despite his formidable combat power, Ning Fan’s actual cultivation was somewhat inferior to Wu Laoba’s. With a single leap, he reached a position eighty-two steps from the old pine.
Then came the bell sound again. While Wu Laoba, with his cultivation, had to step back four steps to withstand it, Ning Fan merely swayed gently, with gold light flashing around him, without retreating even half a step.
"Hiss! To stand unfazed in the face of the first forbidden ground, only a Second Calamity Immortal Lord can do so. Yet this Rain Monarch did not even use that peculiar black cat, which did not elevate his cultivation to the Second Calamity level. How did he manage this?"
Monk Songguo’s eyes were filled with disbelief, realizing the Rain Immortal Monarch was far more profound than he had anticipated, defying ordinary logic.
Wu Laoba was now even more convinced that the pressure he felt from Ning Fan earlier was no mere illusion.
After just one night, Ning Fan seemed to have undergone a seismic transformation, giving Wu Laoba the sense that this current Ning Fan could not be defeated no matter what...
(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
