Grasping the Evil

Chapter 1200: Saint’s Rampage, Blood Spilled to Become a Demon!

The Ant Clan reveres the matriarch and values women highly. As a member of the Ant Clan, the Light Ant Clan also adheres to this tradition, with all major power within the tribe controlled by women.

The High Priest Yin Mu, General Honglian, the Deposed Emperor Hua Zhao, Princess Huahuo... Within the Light Ant Clan, these four women hold supreme authority, and no one dares to challenge them. Having enjoyed years of privilege and comfort, all four have developed an air of superiority, with General Honglian being the most arrogant of them all.

Honglian has her reasons for pride: Her mana exceeds 14,000 calamities, putting her cultivation in the middle ranks among the Quasi-Saints of the Era of Decline; she has been acknowledged by the Ancestral Founder of the Ant Clan, and if she unleashes the ancestral power of ants within her, even the clan’s High Priest must tread carefully around her; in her youth, she had great fortune and consumed a magical treasure, allowing her to summon the fabled Karma Fire of the Buddhist Sect to harm her enemies; she is also a rare individual who has achieved the Second Stage True Body in the Era of Decline, rendering her nearly invincible among First Order Quasi-Saints...

With such formidable power, Honglian naturally looked down on Ning Fan and his group, not feeling that these intruders posed any threat to her.

Though Ning Fan’s display of mana was astonishing, its purity was too low, and he was gravely injured, able to exert only 70-80% of his strength, leaving her unimpressed. She had heard of Ancestor Leize’s reputation, but Ancestor Leize was even more injured than Ning Fan, barely able to stand, posing nearly no threat. As for Aflo, Black Evil Sect, Destroying Path Thunder Infant, Ancestral Thunder Sparrow, and the other "small fry," since they weren’t even Quasi-Saints, they were even less worthy of Honglian’s consideration...

This area is isolated from the Twelfth Layer of the Earth Abyss, so Honglian was unaware of Ning Fan’s various exploits. If she knew of Ning Fan’s capture of Huahuo and his explosion that killed the Corpse Puppet King, she definitely wouldn’t underestimate Ning Fan, but unfortunately, she did not know.

"To dare invade the Thirteenth Spine with so few people, I really don’t know whether to commend your courage or laugh at your ignorance..."

Dao-Soul Dark Smoke, Heaven Sealing Soul Lock!

Seeing Ning Fan actually dare to charge at her, Honglian looked on with disdain, halted her charge, and with a lotus step, surged forward a thick black smoke towards Ning Fan. Wherever the smoke passed, even the sky was stained with an indelible eerie black. As part of the Myriad Dao-Soul Clans, this black smoke was condensed by Honglian using her internal Light Ant soul power, capable of locking the enemy’s soul, causing anything from dizziness and impaired combat ability to dizzy spells and even fainting outright.

From the very start of combat, Honglian showed no mercy. Seeing the strange black smoke approach, Ning Fan didn’t hesitate, activating the Eternal True Body, trying to withstand the impact of the black smoke’s charge, but was still left feeling dizzy, his forward momentum stalled, wobbling unsteadily in the air.

This black smoke seemed to exert infinite resistance, trapping Ning Fan within its confines, unable to break free from its range.

"What kind of smoke is this? With the firmness of my Divine Spirit Sea of Consciousness, I’m feeling dizzy from it. Though my injuries play a part, this smoke is indeed extraordinary..." Ning Fan was quite surprised. Were it someone with a weaker Sea of Consciousness, they might be felled by this smoke in one strike. With his sharp eyes, Ning Fan discerned that this smoke targets the soul and not the flesh. The technique itself wasn’t particularly profound, but its way of inducing dizziness intrigued him.

A smoke specializing in harming the soul, this technique is quite suitable for a cultivator skilled in bewitching techniques like me...

"Do not harm my master!" Black Evil Sect, upon seeing Ning Fan struck by the black smoke, panicked, wanting to lend his aid. How could he not be anxious? From the aura alone, the enemy seemed strong, yet Ning Fan was injured, significantly weakening his strength...

"Stand down! It’s just some soul smoke, not difficult to dispel!" Ning Fan’s voice came from within the rolling black smoke, halting Black Evil Sect’s attempt to assist.

Seriously! In such a Quasi-Saint battle, how could Ning Fan dare let Black Evil Sect assist? Though Black Evil Sect’s Royal Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline was formidable, his realm was limited, and being drawn into such combat would be perilous.

As a master, to be worried over by a pet, it was a sign of failure on his part...

"Some soul smoke, not difficult to dispel? You damn man! How dare you belittle my black smoke! Fine, you brought this upon yourself!" Honglian’s eyes narrowed coldly, feeling quite vexed at being underestimated.

Great Soul Smoke!

With a pinch of her fingers indicating a spirit sense, the dizziness effect of the black smoke multiplied several times over. Ning Fan’s Divine Spirit Sea of Consciousness felt a pain, and caught off guard, his vision swam, and it seemed as though the very world before his eyes had taken on afterimages.

"How peculiar... Even a lesser Quasi-Saint would suffer injury to their Sea of Consciousness and cough blood facing my Great Soul Smoke. Yet this child withstands it unscathed!" Honglian was finally somewhat surprised.

Naturally, Ning Fan couldn’t just let the black smoke attack him continuously without counterattack. Since he couldn’t break free from the black smoke’s entrapment, he might as well slice through this boundless black smoke!

The giant hand of the Eternal True Body turned back, grasping the Reverse Sea Sword and slashing out, causing arcs of magatama-shaped sword light to explode within the black smoke!

Boom boom boom!

Each burst of sword light would cause the black smoke to fade a bit, and after hundreds of slices, the all-covering black smoke was ultimately obliterated by Ning Fan.

"This Dao Weapon, could it be the Hunkun Holy Sect’s disciple sword! I see, no wonder this mere Dao Weapon can disperse my Great Soul Smoke. So you’re a Hunkun disciple? Even better, I’ve long taken displeasure with Hunkun disciples, now I’ve another reason to kill you! It seems I need to be a bit more serious!" Honglian appeared angered by the Reverse Sea Sword’s Hunkun reputation, her expression sharpening considerably, and with a gentle flex of her palm, two flaming halberds suddenly appeared in her hands.

Dao Weapon, Lotus Halberd!

This is a double halberd-type Dao Weapon, emanating a formidable aura not inferior to an Innate Mid-grade Treasure. Evidently, Honglian was also an unconventional cultivator, forging her Dao Weapon to be extraordinarily powerful. Purple Qi coursed across the halberds, yielding to a significant consumption of Heavenly Dao Purple Qi in its forging.

To a proud person like Honglian, being willing to use a Dao Weapon in combat was already showing Ning Fan some respect. The respect wasn’t for Ning Fan personally, but for his status as a "Hunkun disciple."

Yet Ning Fan still felt underestimated.

Having long since activated the Eternal True Body, Honglian contemptuously refused to use her true self, adopting a stance like "I can crush your true self in my normal state," if this wasn’t looking down on someone, what was? Her arrogance was evident.

Of course, considering the disparity in strength between enemy and ally, Ning Fan didn’t mind being underestimated by Honglian. The more she underestimated him, the higher his chances of successfully using bewitching techniques to ambush her...

This woman’s quick temper seems to have its uses... She seems convinced that he is a disciple of the Hunkun Holy Sect. Well then, let her continue to misunderstand...

"The Saint Ant Sect is nothing much, your Dao Weapon is no match for mine! If we engage in close combat, clash with weapons, I will shatter your great halberd within ten moves! Alas, you don’t dare!" Ning Fan calculated internally and suddenly provoked verbally.

Using the bewitching technique for a sneak attack naturally requires some degree of close proximity. If he could provoke this woman into actively engaging him in close combat, it would certainly save him the trouble. Sneak attacks are indeed despicable, but so what, does a member of the Evil Sect need to uphold so many principles!

"Hmph! Your Hunkun lineage only knows how to boast! Shatter my Dao Weapon in ten moves? Truly arrogant! With the current Hongjun in power, the disciples of the Saint Ant Sub-sect will make you understand today, do not belittle our fame!" Red Lotus was easily enraged by Ning Fan, and actually charged over for close combat with Ning Fan.

With the current Hongjun in power...

Saint Ant Sub-sect...

Red Lotus’ words revealed quite a few clues, but Ning Fan had no interest in such information.

He was only interested in capturing the Cauldron Furnace! Seeing Red Lotus approach him, Ning Fan wielded his Golden Body and struck a sword blow with Red Lotus’ dual halberds, and within dozens of breaths, the two exchanged several hundred blows.

In the battle of Dao Weapons, Ning Fan was confident, but the result shocked him; his Reverse Sea Sword actually fell behind in the exchange! Clearly, the Reverse Sea Sword’s rank was superior to the Lotus Halberd, yet for some unknown reason, Red Lotus seemed to possess a mysterious power that could diminish much of the Reverse Sea Sword’s might... This was too abnormal!

Luckily, Ning Fan never expected to defeat Red Lotus solely with the Reverse Sea Sword; his previous boasting was merely to provoke. The bewitching technique was his ace in the hole, to ensure a one-hit success against Red Lotus!

"You scoundrel! Didn’t you say you’d shatter my Dao Weapon in ten moves! It’s been six hundred moves, and my Dao Weapon hasn’t shattered, but your Dao Weapon seems unable to hold on." Red Lotus laughed proudly.

Six hundred moves!

Seven hundred moves!

Eight hundred moves!

At the eight hundredth move, accompanied by Red Lotus’ smug laughter, the Reverse Sea Sword emitted a weary wail!

Snap, snap!

The sword was trembling, the body unstable, seemingly about to shatter!

This trend of breaking was highly irregular; it wasn’t the Lotus Halberd wounding the Reverse Sea Sword directly, rather some force emanating from Red Lotus was causing significant harm and suppression to the Reverse Sea Sword!

"The Reverse Sea Sword being so suppressed is unprecedented; what could this mysterious power on the woman be, and why can it suppress my Dao Weapon... Well, I’ll capture her, then I’ll know everything!"

The Cross Halo suddenly activated, and the thousand-zhang radius around Ning Fan was instantly locked by the Cross Halo!

The black cross halo appeared like two orbiting rings around the Cultivation Star, with Ning Fan as the Cultivation Star encircled by the stellar rings!

The halo could autonomously launch Divine Skills attacks, releasing Heaven Sealing Arts dozens of times per breath from the halo, immobilizing Red Lotus on the spot, rendering her nearly dead!

Red Lotus’ once smug smile instantly froze on her face, transforming into deep trepidation! She... she was unable to move!

"Saint... Saint’s Ring! No, it’s not the Saint’s Ring! This is the Reincarnation-Fixing Technique! No, it isn’t! What did you do! Damn it! So you had such means all along, deliberately provoking me, making me engage in close combat! I actually fell for your trick!" She was somewhat incoherent!

She was just quick-tempered, not a fool; how could she not see she’d been played by Ning Fan!

Fury! Furious beyond measure! Furious with shame!

Red Lotus hesitated not a bit and launched the power of the Ant Ancestry! Although the Cross Halo’s Body Locking was formidable, she had the capability to forcibly break free!

But would Ning Fan give her time to use her means? A single bewitching technique, promptly hit Red Lotus, forming countless bewitching technique seals within her body.

"Darn, darn it! You actually used the bewitching technique to ambush! Truly shameless!" Red Lotus’ expression drastically changed, not too afraid of the Heaven Sealing Art, knowing even if immobilized she wouldn’t be easily killed by Ning Fan, after all, she was a Quasi-Saint, how could she be instantly slain? She had absolute confidence to break free using ancestral power before Ning Fan could kill her.

But unexpectedly, Ning Fan used the despicable bewitching technique, which couldn’t kill or harm her but could seal her Mana flow and ancestral power!

Ancestral power activation, failed!

Under the heavy seals of the bewitching technique, she seemingly had no strength left to defy Ning Fan for capture!

"You are defeated. From today onwards, you will be my Cauldron Furnace," Ning Fan said with a heartless demeanor.

"Cauldron Furnace! So that’s your plan! Fine, very fine! Ning Fan! Ning Fan!! Ning Fan!!! I won’t forget this name! The humiliation of today, I will return soon enough!" Red Lotus gritted her silver teeth in hatred, as if trying to crush and swallow Ning Fan’s name!

"..." Ning Fan had no intention of wasting words with Red Lotus and raised his hand to plant more bewitching technique seals on her.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!

Without any warning, an unprecedented sense of crisis surged in Ning Fan’s heart. His expression changed drastically as he detected something.

"You discovered it after all? Unfortunately, it’s too late! Lotus Seed Avatar, explode!"

Boom!

Boom!!

Boom!!!

Red Lotus’s body suddenly self-destructed. A Quasi-Saint’s self-destruction is utterly terrifying. Just having escaped the explosion of the Corpse Puppet King, Ning Fan’s group was once again caught in the blast...

Logically, a woman restrained by a bewitching technique shouldn’t be able to circulate mana at all, let alone self-destruct, yet here was such an anomaly with Red Lotus. She could self-detonate her body without circulating any mana!

The heavens crumbled, the earth split! The fleshy world before their eyes was ravaged by the Quasi-Saint’s self-detonation!

This explosion lasted a long while before it subsided. After the explosion ended, the vast fleshly world was utterly destroyed beyond recognition.

To what extent had it been ruined?

The rock layers here were exceptionally hard. Ning Fan, with the Reverse Sea Sword, could only dig through three hundred zhang deep, below which even the Reverse Sea Sword couldn’t break. Yet, with this Quasi-Saint’s self-detonation, many places had their rock layers blasted five to six hundred zhang deep; in some places with concentrated explosions, even a thousand zhang deep...

In several locations, because the rock layers had been blasted too extensively, underground water seeped out.

No, that wasn’t just underground water!

On the surface, its clarity was evident, but if viewed with Heaven Separation level eyesight, one would find an indescribably faint trace of red hidden in that clear underground water.

It was the red of blood, blood diluted to an unimaginable degree of Saint’s Blood!

The underground water here actually contained minute traces of Saint’s Blood components! The Netherworld Ghost Flower wasn’t lying!

"I was careless! I didn’t realize the one fighting me wasn’t the real Red Lotus, but a Tree Demon Avatar or some virtual existence, hence its willingness to self-detonate without hesitation! That this woman’s avatar, even when sealed with a bewitching technique, could still self-destruct, is an impressive skill! If I hadn’t reacted in time, I’m afraid I would have been gravely injured again... Looking back at our previous encounters, this woman only used dark smoke and Dao Weapons; initially, I thought this was arrogance, but if the one I faced was merely one of her avatars, it now makes more sense. Her avatar seems unable to master many types of Divine Skills... It was my first mistake in this battle for not deducing this from the details... As for the second mistake, it was my over-reliance on the bewitching technique..."

High above a ruined land, a gigantic teleportation door suddenly appeared, and then Ning Fan, with his squad, walked out from it.

His face did not look good; he had thought he successfully captured a second Quasi-Saint Cauldron Furnace, only to encounter such an unexpected twist, ultimately failing in the end.

What he had captured wasn’t Red Lotus’s true self but an avatar cultivated by her!

It felt as if a warning bell rang in his heart! All along, he seemed to rely too much on the power of the bewitching technique, yet in reality, both the Yin Yang Transformation and Chaos Ring Decision were creations of the Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor. The Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor could be undefeated in the second step and intimidated many Saints in the third step, but ultimately... it is not the strongest in the world.

The bewitching technique created by Ancient Chaos could not be invincible or without solution either... Throughout his cultivation, he never considered the possibility of the bewitching technique being broken; he trusted too much in its ability to subdue women. Thus, overconfidence wasn’t just Red Lotus’s fault but his own as well!

Fortunately, fortunately... his experience in escaping explosions was growing richer. This time, he not only escaped the explosion again with his squad but even managed to take the Slime Monster in the prison cart.

As for the other prisoners and the ordinary Light Ant Clan strong warriors escorting the carts, they were all killed in the explosion. Apologies, but Ning Fan didn’t have spare time to save others, nor would he randomly become a do-gooder to save the enemies of the Light Ant Clan...

"Cough cough cough! Younger Brother Ning, I submit, I truly submit! Wherever I go with you, there’s nothing but explosions! One day sooner or later, this old man will blow up alongside you!" Ancestor Leize’s injuries from the last explosion hadn’t healed when he encountered another terrifying explosion. His heart almost jumped out of his throat; what a damned thrill, he was nearly scared to death!

"Master, are you alright?"

"Brother Ning, are you okay?"

"Great Hero, are you fine?"

It’s the concerned voices of Black Evil Sect, Aflo, and Slime Monster over Ning Fan; they won’t be like Ancestor Leize and complain about Ning Fan. Ning Fan’s affinity with women is always better than with old men.

Ning Fan is absolutely fine!

He glared at Ancestor Leize with annoyance. This scoundrel was saved by him once again, and instead of saying thank you, he dared to complain about him. Indeed, Little Kitten and the others are more considerate.

"Younger Brother Ning, what do we do next? If I’m not mistaken, the one who self-destructed earlier might just have been a type of split body of the red lotus. Although her split body was destroyed, her true self remains... we must be cautious." Ancestor Leize, after being glared at, immediately closed his mouth and stopped complaining.

He didn’t know that Ning Fan had stealthily attacked a female cultivator with his bewitching technique. He only knew that within hundreds of moves, Ning Fan had defeated another "Quasi-Saint" — well, Ning Fan actually defeated just a split body of the red lotus, not a true Quasi-Saint. Killing that split body didn’t even increase the slightest bit of Ning Fan’s Evil Qi... but that was already enough to demonstrate Ning Fan’s prowess!

This child’s glorious achievements have gained another tale! He truly has a bit of reverence for Ning Fan!

"Indeed, we must be cautious..." Ning Fan sighed.

Ancestor Leize casually mentioned being cautious, but at this point, he had blind confidence in Ning Fan’s strength. Even if the true red lotus attacked, he wasn’t very worried, just casually reminding.

However, Ning Fan was genuinely a bit worried.

He was uncertain if in their next encounter, the red lotus would be vigilant against his bewitching technique. Some split bodies that are killed may not transmit their dying memories to the true self, while others do... If she becomes vigilant next time, the bewitching technique might not work effectively...

"Hmm? So many underground waters have been blasted out!"

Ning Fan suddenly noticed that many nearby areas had their rock layers blasted open, and from the shattered layers, groundwater seeped with traces of blood!

This blood was so minimal that even someone like Ancestor Leize couldn’t detect it, yet it couldn’t escape Ning Fan’s eyesight at the Second Realm of Tianren.

Could it be... these traces of blood are Saint’s Blood!

With this Saint’s Blood, could the Netherworld Ghost Flower heal? This really was a lucky accident! He couldn’t break open the underground rock layers no matter how he tried, yet they were blasted open by the red lotus’s split body technique. Should he express gratitude for the red lotus’ "righteous assistance"? Haha.

"Master! I feel a furious aura coming from a distant place, heading here, similar to the aura that attacked you before!" Black Evil Sect reported.

"Yes, even the scattered light rain I sent out sensed it. It’s undoubtedly the true red lotus; it seems her true self has indeed received the news and is coming to avenge her split body." Ning Fan frowned, thinking that the true red lotus most likely knew about his formidable bewitching technique.

"So should we leave or fight again? Please give your order, Master!"

"Of course, we won’t leave! Based on my Ice Rain Technique explorations, even if the true red lotus arrives here, it will take more than two hours; she’s too far away! Two hours is enough time for me to do many things!"

Ning Fan walked to a rock layer crack and summoned the Netherworld Ghost Flower.

Earlier, Ning Fan communicated with the Netherworld Ghost Flower; if low-level flesh was used to heal the Netherworld Ghost Flower, it would take ten years for it to heal; but by using Saint’s Blood, it would take a single incense stick time at most for the Netherworld Ghost Flower to fully recover. As long as the nourishment is sufficient, its regeneration speed is astonishingly fast!

Once the Netherworld Ghost Flower heals, even if the true red lotus attacks, what then! Even if by then the red lotus is wary of his bewitching technique, he can rely on the ghosts to besiege the red lotus!

[Saint’s Blood! Saint’s Blood!] It was the excited voice of the Netherworld Ghost Flower, only Ning Fan could hear it.

"Drink, have a hearty drink! Heal your injuries quickly!" Ning Fan said with a smile.

[You drink too! You drink too!] said the Netherworld Ghost Flower.

"Uh, I better not. I know well the level of Saint’s Blood. Even though the Saint’s Blood in the groundwater here is nearly negligible, it’s not something a cultivator at the second step can safely consume. If I consume it directly, even if I don’t die, it’ll certainly harm my foundation, not worth it... Of course, collecting some extra Saint’s Blood still has its uses." Ning Fan lamented. Unless it’s someone like the Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor, attempting to directly consume Saint’s Blood is a death wish for second-step cultivators!

[I can help you! I can help you! The Saint goes berserk, bleeding into a demon, you are an ancient demon, I can help you, you can directly drink it!]

"You can help me? But what does that have to do with me being an ancient demon..." Ning Fan was surprised.

As he engaged in deeper conversation with the Netherworld Ghost Flower, Ning Fan’s gaze gradually grew solemn.

...

Ancestor Leize looked kindly at the scene of Ning Fan talking to the plant, thinking Ning Fan must be having another bout of madness. Going mad is great! Madness is a proud tradition of Liangyi Sect; without madness, how can one be a true descendant of the Liangyi Sage! Without obsession, there’s no life! Seeing Ning Fan carry forward this proud tradition makes him very happy! Very satisfied! This is the heir of the Liangyi Sect’s legacy he wanted to protect indeed! His decision was not wrong; even if one day he gets blown up because of Ning Fan, it would be worth it!