Grasping Evil

A hundred zhang* tall golden statue stood in the middle of the second palace. It was a statue of a six-legged silver beast!

Ning Fan glanced at the demon statue and felt a bit surprised. This statue of a six-legged silver beast was made with its wings spread while its head looked down from high above as if looking down upon everything. That look was very much alike to the image of the Demon Ancestor from the Eastern Ocean Bell.

From all the readings he did in the Scripture Tower, he recognized that this six-legged silver beast was the manifestation of the Immemorial Golden Crow!

Ordinary golden crow demons only had three legs. Those which were more heaven-defying could grow a fourth leg, making them into golden crow demons of the royal clan. However, ever since the ancient times and up until now, there was only one golden crow demon with six legs in the world!

When Ning Fan faced that demon statue, he felt his demon blood trembling.

After he had learnt the mental spell and engulfed the golden light back in the Ming Yu Building, he faintly felt an extra trace of golden blood within his demon blood.

That golden trace should be the golden sense of the Demon Ancestor! It was why it resonated with the demon statue at the moment!

“So this is an Immemorial Golden Crow…”

Hundreds of thoughts ran through Ning Fan’s mind.

Relying on the golden sense of the Demon Ancestor, I might be able to get rid of the body of a winged demon and evolve into the body of a golden crow. With the knowledge I’ve gathered, I will certainly succeed. However, with just the incomplete golden sense, the most I will be able to achieve in the Second Bloodline Awakening is to awaken the Incomplete Immemorial Demon Bloodline. Even so, after the Third Bloodline Awakening, the incomplete bloodline will at most attain the level of the common golden crow bloodline. If that’s the case, the potential of my demon bloodline might sound great outside in the Nine Worlds just like Li Ban’s as we possess the bloodlines of the True Spirits, but in the Land of Demons, having thin True Spirit bloodlines would only be considered mediocre…

Ning Fan frowned. The outcome of the Bloodline Awakening was unpredictable, but it might also be affected by a person’s will.

Should I take a leap of faith or should I play safe by awakening the Incomplete Immemorial Demon Bloodline ?

As the flamen of the Bloodline Pool, Lu Zongyun stood before the demon statue and began to apply demon blood on its face. After that, he burnt some incense and prayed. However, he shot Ning Fan a worried look and said, “Commanding Officer Lu, please don’t take this as a joke…If worse comes to worst, please attest that this humble servant did not try to harm you…”

“Don’t worry. Regardless of the outcome, I will never drag you through the mud!”

Ning Fan nodded. Without continuing the conversation, he walked into the third palace alone.

This palace was one thousand zhang* large. Its floor was built with black golden metals and it was designed with complicated flutings which were as peculiar as the marks on a demon formation. They were all primed with the blood of Gold Core Realm demon beasts.

In the centre of the palace, there was a one hundred zhang* deep pool of blood. It was concentrated with the power of green demon blood.

“So I’m going to be awakening my demon bloodline in this pool. I think I can still contemplate whether or not awaken the bloodline of the golden crow. After all, I have two hundred thousand battle points which will give me two chances of Bloodline Awakening. If I fail during the first time, it doesn’t really matter. What Lu Zongyun said was right. Bloodline Awakening is not a joke. One has to be extra cautious in the process. To me, however, I have to be cautious, not because I want to succeed in the first attempt, but because I need to think over how to awaken the best potential from my thin winged demon bloodline!”

Ning Fan took out his battle points plate and swiped on its surface with his fingertips.

Two hundred thousand battle points was immediately reduced to one hundred thousand.

In the meantime, the green blood pool began to roil and bubble as if it was boiling from below. Hot steam and a bloody stench filled the air.

It was time for Ning Fan to enter the pool!

“Wait!”

Before Ning Fan set his foot into the pool, a soft female voice echoed in his ears.

A woman clad in purple robes walked into the third palace while bashfully smiling towards Ning Fan.

“My brother asked Wan’er to serve Commanding Officer Lu in changing clothes and to watch over you to prevent Lu Zongyun from playing tricks in secret… As for this Fifth Revolution Pill, it’s called the Blood Awakening Pill. It was given by the Honorable Demon General. Originally, there are two of them. However, the first pill was consumed by my brother for his Third Bloodline Awakening. This pill was meant for Wan’er to use when it’s my turn for the Third Bloodline Awakening. But I think it is more useful to you now…”

Ning Fan was slightly stunned and his gaze deeply affixed to Lu Wan’er’s eyes for a while.

This woman is going to serve me in changing my clothes? In that manner, isn’t her purity going to be destroyed in my hands?

Is this truly Lu Sheng’s intention or did this woman decide this on her own?

Staring at the golden pill which was packed with massive amounts of energy, Ning Fan asked, “Is this the Demon General’s intention or yours?”

“Er…Of course… it’s Brother’s intention… You don’t have to worry about it…” Her expression reddened, behaving rather unnaturally.

Ning Fan sighed.

A Fifth Revolution Pill that is helpful to Spirit Severing Realm Demon Generals in their Third Bloodline Awakening… According to Lu Sheng’s attitude, it is impossible that he would neglect his own sister and use her sister’s pill to please me.

Up until now, Lu Sheng has certainly showed his sincerity to befriend me. However, I am only viewed as a person who has an equal status as him.

Such action that causes damage to one’s relatives for the benefit of others does not fit Lu Sheng’s style!

With Ning Fan’s observation, he clearly knew that Lu Wan’er was lying.

It must be her own decision to personally come here to watch over me and give me this pill…The reason, I suppose, is probably because she is in love with me.

But perhaps because she knew that my ambition is not limited to within the boundaries of the Northern Desert City and it will be impossible for me to stay here for her, so that’s why she does not want to express her feelings for me.

“Debt of love is hard to repay…”

Ning Fan’s muttered quietly to himself and looked squarely in her eyes with a smile.

“I once heard that the women of the demon race are frank and bold. They dare to love and never fear to hate, just like the love story between the white fox and the human scholar. Famous stories like that were too many to recount… Today, Mistress Wan’er gives me such a precious pill as a present without letting your brother know. Is it possible that Mistress Wan’er wants me to be the human scholar of the story while Mistress Wan’er wants to be the white fox?”

As a matter of fact, Lu Wan’er indeed possessed the demon bloodline of the white fox!

After hearing his teasing, the underlying meanings within his words made Lu Wan’er’s face go red like a tomato. Discontentedly, she rolled her eyes at him.

“Since you knew, then why did you have to make it so obvious?! Besides, who else wants to secretly fall in love with a ruthless devil lord like you?! This pill, you can just treat it as compensation from me as I had thought your haughty pride should have been hurt by those cool remarks I used to brush you off from pestering me in the past…”

Ning Fan’s smile faded and let out a faint sigh.

So that’s how it is.

This woman does not just like me for no reason at all. It’s because of the shadow of the true Lu Bei. He always harassed her in the past and planted a bad image of himself in her mind. Then, when I replaced him, making him appear to undergo a 180 degrees change, the bad impression she had of Lu Bei turned into a deeper, favorable impression.

In a way, the affectionate feelings that Lu Wan’er harbored towards him were mixed with guilt due to the hate she had for him in the past. Even so, her love would definitely come to fruition if Ning Fan was Lu Bei in the first place.

Unfortunately, Ning Fan was not Lu Bei.

“You are trying to love the wrong person…” Ning Fan said.

“Yea. I know…” Lu Wan’er sighed. She misunderstood what Ning Fan meant. She thought Ning Fan was just saying that he did not like her and it would be impossible for them to be together.

“But this pill is too precious. If I take this pill, please consider that I owe you a favor. If you need me in the future, I will help you once…” Ning Fan continued.

“Ha. Really?” Lu Wan’er smiled while her hands started to help Ning Fan undress his clothes.

Her hands came into contact with Ning Fan’s body as she helped him undress his clothes. It was her first time helping a man in taking off his clothes.

To women of the demon race, helping a man take off his clothes was actually no different than pledging to marry that man.

With only his storage pouch, Ning Fan entered the blood pool.

From beside the pool, Lu Wan’er looked at Ning Fan as he gradually went into the pool, feeling a hint of dizziness. The redness on her cheeks spread throughout her whole face. She had never imagined that a tyrannical killer like Ning Fan would have such a thin and fair body.

He really does look like a scholar… 

“The white fox and the human scholar…”

Lu Wan’er seemed absorbed in her own thoughts.

“Lu Bei, I wish you will have an infinitely bright future… Even if you forget about me in the future, it doesn’t matter…” She murmured to herself.

In the blood pool, Ning Fan plunged to the bottom like a rapid torpedo. Immersing himself in the viscous liquid, Ning Fan gradually opened his eyes and consumed the Mid-Grade Fifth Revolution Pill, Blood Awakening Pill!

The demon blood surrounding his body was boiling!

However, because of the Blood Awakening Pill, he felt particularly cool and serene.

This pill was specifically meant to be used by Demon Generals in their Third Bloodline Awakening. Using it in the Second Bloodline Awakening would be wasteful. Therefore, Lu Wan’er chose to keep it during her Second Bloodline Awakening. However, she did not think it would go to waste if Ning Fan consumes it.

She heard from her brother that after the Second Bloodline Awakening, he would recommend Ning Fan to participate the test for Demon Generals in the Luo Yun Province. If he succeeds, he might even have the chance to attain the Spirit Severing Realm. When the time comes, Ning Fan would become a significant person who stands above thousands of demons. As for his future, he might have a chance to go out of the Luo Yun Tribe, quell the disputes between the nine divisions and even ascend to the Land of Demons…

This will probably be the last chance for me to meet him.

It was why she decided to give him the Blood Awakening Pill.

It was why she decided to help this winged demon to condense the best pair of wings before he leaves the Northern Desert City and fly to a higher place.

Women of the demon race were beings with the most unreasonable passion. Once they fall for someone, they would never turn their head back.

However, Lu Wan’er would never know Ning Fan was not the true Lu Bei.

In fact, he was not a true demon of the demon race…

“Thank you…”

Ning Fan muttered. His vision was gradually being shrouded by a faint purple qi.

At this moment, his sense towards his own bloodlines became multiple times sharper than before.

Vividly, he noticed the traces of demon blood within his body breathing.

He could even vaguely see the 17 green demon bloodlines concealed within him.

Those are my winged demon bloodlines!

Absorbing the power of the blood pool was actually helping him increase the number of green bloodlines within in order to increase the concentration of his demon bloodline!

“Absorb!”

From the 17 demon bloodlines, Ning Fan had congealed 17 green feathers each of which transforming into a green vortex that began to absorb the blood of the pool before Lu Zongyun had started to kowtow to the demon statue!

This process was as painful as burning one’s blood veins. To Ning Fan, however, such pain was considered normal.

After all, he was a “monster” who could endure one hundred inscriptions of devil marks!

Almost in an instant, he congealed the eighteenth vortex!

Whether it was Lu Zongyun or Demon General Lu Sheng who was standing under the Wall of Demon Shadow, all of them were shocked!

What kind of people could absorb the demon blood without the prestige of the Demon Ancestor’s demon statue?!

Unless the person consumes the Blood Awakening Pill. But only the Honorable Demon General possess those pills which are only given to the Demon Generals. An ordinary Demon Soldier would never be able to get any of them!

“Is it Wan’er? She said she wanted to watch over him but unexpectedly, she even gave her only Blood Awakening Pill to him… She really is a silly girl. Is it even worth the trouble…” Lu Sheng sighed, thinking that his own sister had fallen for a person whom she shouldn’t have.

Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel

Note:

Measurements :
a. li(里) = 500 m
b. zhang(丈) = 3.13 m
c. chi(尺) = 30.7 cm