Chapter 245(1) - Ask the Heavens Who is More Mighty!
Grasping Evil
Chapter 245(1)– Ask the Heavens Who is More Mighty!
Ning Fan’s pace was slow and steady. Because each of his steps landing heavily on the ground, the Ming Yu Building started to shake.
The view from his back was calm but dignified. At that very moment, none of the demons dared to underestimate Ning Fan.
Even Young Master Hao Chen who originally harbored resentment towards Ning Fan felt his blood curdling. At the view of Ning Fan’s back, the grudges within his heart diminished, making him no longer dare to oppose him.
“Lu Bei! So this is Lu Bei! A person that must not be provoked!”
Everything that happened within their minds was out of Ning Fan’s knowledge. From the moment he entered the Ming Yu Building, his ears were muffled, muting every noise in the atmosphere, including the sound of the wind!
No one knew that Ning Fan’s mind was immersed in self-reflection.
The quiet Eastern Ocean Bell which was in his storage pouch began to ring loudly within his mind, forming a faint golden halo!
The ring of the bell was originally equipped with the ability to immobilize a person. But when it rang in his heart, he felt that even his thoughts were nearly frozen by it.
“Eastern Ocean Bell!”
Ning Fan’s eyes widened but he did not stop moving!
I wonder what’s the relation between the Eastern Ocean Bell and the Eastern Ocean Heaven of the Four Heavens[1]…
Is it also related to the demon race?
This Ming Yu Building was a building that was skillfully designed. The person who built it had placed the Deterrent Formation[2] of the ancient demon tower on the fifth floor and above. That formation was rumored to be created by the Demon Ancestor himself. It was a formation used to intimidate their enemies.
But what did the Eastern Ocean Bell have to do with it?!
At first, Ning Fan merely intended to climb up to the tenth floor and obtain fifty thousand battle points. However, another thought struck him. He wanted to try finding out the secrets behind the Eastern Ocean Bell using this opportunity.
He gritted his teeth and climbed up to the sixth floor. Then he stopped.
However, as soon as he stopped moving, the ringing of the bell started to fade away, as if it were showing signs of going quiet.
He felt perturbed and stared pensively at the next flight of jade stairs. Without uttering any words, he held Mu Xiao Huan’s hand and ascended to the seventh floor.
Just as he began to move, the sound of the bell resumed within his mind!
*Dong — Dong — Dong*
Every ring of the bell pounded on Ning Fan’s chest. In the meantime, Ning Fan discovered that all the red Violent Qi he accumulated from his previous killing sprees was uncontrollably released from his body against his own will. They revolved around him and glowed in red, as if they were reacting to the sound of the bell!
Aside from that, under the effect of the sound of the bell, the Violent Qi seemed to be showing signs of transformation.
Aura force was intangible in nature.
But Ning Fan could feel that the aura force he was unleashing was gradually being filled with a blackish-red tinge and glowed in a color akin to blood.
After the integration of the blood light into his aura force, it got stronger!
Before this, his demon power might be comparable to that of a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert but his aura force was still slightly weaker than that of a Half-Step Nascent Soul Realm expert who had 5000 units of demon power.
Now, however, the strength of his aura force was slowly evolving into the level of a Half-Step Nascent Soul Realm expert.
Ning Fan’s eyes flashed with surprise. This Eastern Ocean Bell could actually condense the Violent Qi and increase the intensity of one’s aura force!
To be honest, with the inheritance of the Yin Yang Locket, Ning Fan wasn’t afraid of any form of aura force below the Void Fragmentation Realm. Even if he faces Void Fragmentation Realm level aura force, he would also be able to endure for a moment.
Of course, he would not be able to stand a chance against the aura force of a True Immortal.
After all, the aura force of the Yin Yang Locket belonged to the Ancient Chaos Emperor and not Ning Fan himself. The pressure of his Violent Qi, however, was step by step being cultivated and gathered and became his own. In other words, it had unlimited potential for improvement!
“If this Eastern Ocean Bell can condense one’s Violent Qi to improve their aura force, it may be possible for me to even possess an aura force which is equivalent to that of a True Immortal when I am still at the Nascent Soul Realm!”
“But I don’t understand why. All this time, this Eastern Ocean Bell was quiet and still. Why does it ring now? Perhaps the ancient demon prose engraved on the bell recorded the technique to improve one’s aura force while the Aura Force Formation established in this building is identical to the method of protecting the treasure as per the records in the ancient demon prose and coincidentally awakened the ‘Aura Force Cultivation’ ability of the bell!”
“Allowing one to traverse the Void Realm, the Heaven Sealing Technique, raising one’s aura force… The secrets of the Eastern Ocean Bell are truly astonishing! It’s definitely not just any ordinary Offering Vessel of the Ancient Demon!”
If it was in the past, Ning Fan would not have cared about showing the Eastern Ocean Bell in public. But after witnessing the unique abilities of the bell, he deeply knew that it was inappropriate to take out such an item right under the ancient demons’ nose!
“After this, I shall visit the Scripture Tower in the Demon City and study the ancient demon characters to decipher the true method of using this bell. In the future, I will then have the means to raise my aura force…For now, I shall go up to the tenth floor!”
Ning Fan put that thought aside and climbed up another flight of stairs!
The pressure of the seventh floor was equal to that of a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert. Even so, it did not manage to stop Ning Fan from moving forward. As he continued to move, the ringing of the bell continued to echo within him.
*Dong, Dong, Dong —*
When he arrived at the eight floor, every last bit of his Violent Qi had fused into his aura force. At this moment, Ning Fan’s body was encircled with a trace of overbearing, red, glowing aura. When it spread throughout the building, most of the demons on the fifth floor were brought to their knees, incapacitate them of their ability to move!
“Spirit Severing Realm aura force!” The black-armored Demon General’s expression was filled with shock.
In his eyes, Ning Fan’s demon power was without a doubt at the Early Nascent Soul Realm. Although his pressure was strong earlier, it was only on a par with a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert. However, the higher he moved, the stronger his aura force became. After he set foot on the eight floor, his aura force had even attained to the level of Early Spirit Severing Realm!
Besides, speaking of aura force, Ning Fan’s had gotten slightly stronger than the Demon General Lu Sheng himself by now!
“This kid indeed conceals a lot about himself… If it wasn’t because of Yao Yuan’s recommendation, I will never know this Lu Bei is actually a fierce being who has killed countless enemies. Furthermore, he fused his Violent Qi into his aura force in order to strengthen it. I have never really heard of such a technique before!”
“However, after his aura force has improved to the level of the Early Spirit Severing Realm, his Violent Qi has all been expended. I suppose there is no more room for his aura force to improve for now. He has reached his limit. He can enter the ninth floor himself. But with the girl by his side, he can’t!”
The black-armored Demon General felt pity for him.
To him, this Lu Bei was indeed a rare talent. If he manages to achieve Bloodline Awakening, maybe he might be able to climb up to the tenth floor by himself. But for now, it would be impossible for him to do that…
“You can come down now. Even if you have yet to reach the tenth floor, you have successfully broadened my horizon. The fifty thousand battle points that I’ve promised earlier, I will record it down for you now!”
Lu Sheng wore a smile while he spoke. After all, he had accomplished his objective of testing out Ning Fan’s true capabilities.
As a matter of fact, the battle points was just bait. Even if Ning Fan was unable to climb up to the tenth floor, as long as he proved himself to be a talented person, Lu Sheng would still give it to him to show his sincerity in recruiting Ning Fan.
As a Demon General, one would need capable and competent Demon Soldiers to guard a domain. Among the seven hundred Demon Soldiers in the Luo Yun Tribe, perhaps Ning Fan would be regarded as one of the top cultivators! Therefore, a person like him was definitely worth it for Lu Sheng to lower himself and befriend him.
The words uttered by the Demon General struck awe into each and every one of the demons who prostrated on the ground due to the immense pressure.
Lu Sheng’s words showed his intention of befriending Ning Fan. At the same time, this also served as a warning to the rest of the demons at the scene – If anyone dares to offend Ning Fan in Northern Desert City, it merely implies that they’re not giving him face, the Demon General!
But when his words echoed into Ning Fan’s ears, they were not able to move his heart.
He silently stood at the eight floor, clutching Xiao Huan’s hands while sensing the Violent Qi within his body with his eyes closed.
All of his Violent Qi had already fused into his aura force, making it advance into the Early Spirit Severing Realm. To him, it was an unexpected gain. But he could no longer depend on his Violent Qi to raise his aura force…
Violent Qi was obtained from killing Nascent Souls of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators as killing them would disrupt the harmony of the primordial qi of heaven and earth.
Baleful Qi was obtained from killing Primordial Spirits of Spirit Severing Realm experts. It was because killing them meant defying the will of the Heavens which would in turn enrage the Heavens, leaving such qi in the killer’s body.
“Baleful Qi! Yes. In order to raise my pressure to the Mid Spirit Severing Realm, I must possess Baleful Qi. In other words, I must at the very least kill one Spirit Severing Realm being to obtain Baleful Qi and only then could my aura force break through to the Mid Spirit Severing Realm…Spirit Severing Realm expert. Apparently, I haven’t really killed one myself. But today, he will be the first one I kill! I will depend on the Baleful Qi of that person to break through to the next level!”
Ning Fan slapped on his storage pouch and took out a jade bottle. Without hesitation, he crushed it with his hand.
The single Primordial Spirit which was sealed within the jade bottle fell into his hand and immediately swallowed it down!
It was the Primordial Spirit of the vice sect master of the Black Buddha Sect, Evil Light!
Instantly, Ning Fan’s body began to be filled with a trace of ferocious Baleful Qi for the first time! Then, he continued to climb the next flight of stairs which would lead him to the ninth floor!
No one in the fifth floor had any idea of what had Ning Fan eaten!
However, the trace of Baleful Qi which came out from nowhere caused Lu Sheng to feel chills running down his back.
“Baleful Qi?! This kid is just an Early Nascent Soul Realm being. How can he possibly kill a Spirit Severing Realm being? Why does he have Baleful Qi in him?! A qi like that can even make me dreadful. If it isn’t Baleful Qi, then what else could it be?!”
Originally, Lu Sheng presumed that Ning Fan would not be capable of climbing up to the ninth floor.
However, his assumption was shattered by Ning Fan step by step!
*Dong, Dong, Dong —*
The ringing of the bell resounded loudly!
On the ninth floor, the aura force which was equivalent to the Mid Spirit Severing Realm went towards Ning Fan, causing pain to his Sea of Consciousness. Blood began to flow out from the corners of his mouth.
After the Nascent Soul Realm, the difference between every small realm was worlds apart.
When one attains the Spirit Severing Realm, the gap in power between every small realm was even wider.
Mid Spirit Severing Realm aura force. If Lu Sheng tries to withstand it at such close distance without caution, he might even be sent flying away by it. However, instead of being sent away by the aura force, Ning Fan only bled upon facing that tremendous aura force.
Lu Sheng’s brows knitted tightly together. He started to feel that the more he studied this insignificant winged-demon, Lu Bei, the more he could not see through him.
In the fifth floor, each of the demons of the Luo Yun Tribe held their breaths, not daring to make a single noise. They were afraid that they might disturb Ning Fan’s focus in climbing the stairs.
In the meantime, the shadow of Ning Fan’s back became even more imposing. Under that shadow, each of the demons felt that they were as insignificant as ants.
Whereas Ning Fan was like a star in the sky, which was high up and beyond their grasp!
One step. It’s just one step away from the ninth floor.
Ning Fan’s eyes shone with determination. When he made the last step to the ninth floor, Ming Yu Building creaked. The tables and chairs trembled violently and the building began to sway, as if it was on the verge of collapsing!
The Baleful Qi which he obtained after engulfing Evil Light’s Primordial Spirit rapidly fused into his aura force.
A mighty aura force which was as massive as a giant dragon spread throughout the building. Under such an aura force, even the Demon General, Lu Sheng, who lifted his hand to shield his sister Lu Wan’er had to retreat a few steps to offset it. His eyes widened in amazement.
“Mid Spirit Severing Realm! This kid’s aura force has actually attained the Spirit Severing Realm while his demon power is just at the Early Nascent Soul Realm!”
In the entire territory of the Luo Yun Tribe which was a billion li* large, only the Honorable Demon General, the Cloud General, Lu Daochen, possessed Mid Spirit Severing Realm aura force!
“This kid is certainly the most outstanding being in my Luo Yun Tribe in ten thousand years. He must be treated with lavish gifts and no one shall do harm to him! If Lu Zongyun dares to play tricks on him when he is in the Bloodline Pool, I will definitely annihilate Lu Zongyun’s whole family!”
Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel
Note:
- Pressure Force Formation has been changed to Aura Force Formation
- “Pressure”, a force exerted on the opponent, is changed to the term called “aura force”.
*Some of the names are changed for more precise meaning.
This translation originated from Liberspark.
If a mistake or mistakes were found in this chapter, feel free to comment below.
Some terms are subject to change when better suggestions are selected.
All the internal monologues will be in italic form.
Footnotes
- ^ 1. Back in chapter 207(1), the Four Heavens, which are also known as the Four Ocean Immortal Worlds consist ofi. The Drifting Heaven in the Northern Ocean [Northern Ocean Heaven]ii. The Emperor Heaven in the Southern Ocean [Southern Ocean Heaven]iii. The Brahma Heaven in the Western Ocean, and [Western Ocean Heaven]iv. The Void Heaven in the Eastern Ocean [Eastern Ocean Heaven]
- ^ 2. Deterrent Formation here refers to the Aura Force Formation. I believe the author uses this name here is to introduce the function of the formation to the ancient demons. If I interpret correctly, it is uses to intimidate the enemies with massive aura force, tricking them to think that a powerful expert existing in the tower while no one is there.