Grasping Evil

Enter the Dragon Pond and Ascend the Sea of Clouds!

It took three months for Ning Fan to consume the golden blood.

During that time, Ning Fan did not move nor speak. He sat still in deep meditation as a faint golden light began to radiate from his body. At the same time, there were blue flames blazing within him, gradually refining the golden light.

His demon power increased bit by bit, slowly advancing into the realm of the Divine Transformation Realm.

When the last strand of golden blood was fully assimilated, his demon power had increased to 10147 units!

As his demon power broke through ten thousand units, he also broke through to the borderline of the Divine Transformation Realm. At this very moment, Ning Fan suddenly opened his eyes. With a single thought, he condensed all the golden light and the blue flames into his body, finalizing the refining process.

“My demon power has already reached 10000 units… It’s time to begin condensing the demon power and crush the bottleneck of the Divine Transformation Realm…”

With a slap on his storage pouch, he pulled out the General Breaking Pill, the Profound Blood Pill and the Separation and Reunion Pill. Other than the three pills, he also took out the fourth pill – Cloud Forming Pill.

The Cloud Forming Pill was a secret prescription of Lu Daochen. It would be able to raise the chances of success in achieving the breakthrough by 10%.

Consuming the four pellets in front of him would be able to increase 35% of his chances of success. With his demon power which was already more than 10000 units and the two types of intents that he had comprehended in the past, if he still failed in attaining the Divine Transformation Realm, it would be a total humiliation for him.

Within four months, Lu Wan’er had already succeeded in making the phoenix wings. She stood at the side of the Dragon Pond, patiently waiting for the moment when Ning Fan completes his advancement.

Within four months, the demon concubine would occasionally come to pay a visit. Her concern was still of course just about the map of the World Passage.

Within four months, Lu Daochen held a luopan1 in his hand, displaying a secret art to determine how deep Ning Fan had dived below.

When the luopan showed that Ning Fan was thirty thousand zhang* deep below the yellow spring, Lu Daochen’s face was filled with astonishment.

He had no idea what means Ning Fan had that enabled him to dive under such depth. The ferocity of the dark beasts at that level was enough to make him feel dread. It was impossible that he would dare to dive to that level…

“This man’s capabilities are still beyond my anticipation… The younger generation is truly fearsome, as the saying goes: the young generation should be feared! Attaining the Divine Transformation Realm within 10 years… I suppose he will really be able to achieve it…”

The first year went by, the second year went by and the third…

When the seventh year came by, within the territory of the Pure Flame Tribe, millions of li were stained with blood. Hundreds of thousands of demons were massacred. The passage connecting the Demon World was opened for the second time!

On the eighth year, a ray of dazzling sunlight shone down from the sky above the Luo Yun Province. A beautiful woman clad in purple robes was leading at least ten delicate and pretty Divine Transformation Realm female demons arrived at the province!

On the ninth year, the flames of war rose within the Land of Slumber. The prince of the Demon Sovereign had launched attacks towards three demon tribes while the Demon Concubine Zi had stormed two, seizing all their maps. Other than the Second Tribe and the Third Tribe which were not being assaulted and still managed to keep their maps with them, the rest of the tribes had all lost theirs.

Under the protection of Demon Concubine Wu Yan, Demon Concubine Zi did not wrest the maps in Ning Fan and Lu Daochen’s possession for the time being.

But on the tenth year, the Pure Flame Tribe’s target had shifted to the Luo Yun Tribe.

A period of ten years flew by like clouds in the sky.

After ten years of bitter cultivation, Ning Fan’s demon power became dense and concentrated. For every second that passed by, he became closer to breaking through.

Throughout the ten years, Ning Fan had not opened his eyes even once. All his focus was completely in advancing through the bottleneck of the Divine Transformation Realm.

In the same year, he finally breached the invisible barrier. His state of mind sank into the Heavenly Dao, appearing in a domain of clouds.

On top of the sea of clouds, there were three gigantic tablets made of stone.

The three massive tablets seemed to have been carved with all the names of the cultivators who had achieved the Divine Transformation Realm throughout the ages. The height of each of the tablets was immeasurably tall, seemingly endless.

Below the tablets stood a Daoist child who was holding a fly-whisk in his hand. As he caught sight of Ning Fan approaching step by step, he uttered with an indifferent tone, “Hmm? A cultivator from the Rain World… ‘Sever your mortal coil in the sea of clouds, transform as a deity and ascend the heavens’. This place is the Sea of Clouds. The three stone tablets before your eyes are the Three Tablets of Heavenly Dao. The purple stele is for demon cultivators; the green stele is for divine cultivators while the one in black is for devil cultivators. The Heavenly Dao will only be in harmony when the three tablets coincide with each other. You, the cultivator from the Rain World, will only need to complete the three steps of severing your mortal coil and carve your name on the tablets. Then, you will complete your Divine Transformation…”

As the Daoist child finished speaking, he closed his eyes, holding his head high arrogantly and remained silent. Apparently, he did not intend to converse any further with Ning Fan.

As for the three steps of severing one’s mortal coil, he did not give any explanation at all.

“The Divine Tablets of Heavenly Dao. The three steps of severing one’s mortal coil… Did I just enter into the Heavenly Dao?”

As Ning Fan inched forward to the tablets and scanned through the three gigantic monuments with his eyes, he was inwardly surprised by the quantity of the names engraved unto them.

There are actually so many Divine Transformation Realm cultivators who once existed in heaven and earth…

If he carves his name unto the stele, he would then obtain the recognition from the Heavenly Dao and become a true Divine Transformation Realm demon cultivator!

If he does not carve his name, he would never be able to complete his Divine Transformation, let alone proceed to Devil Transformation…

“What was Dong Xu trying to tell me in the past… How should I achieve Devil Transformation?”

When he got closer to the steles, he felt like the vast and boundless aura emanated by the steles was going to melt him away.

As his eyes were perusing the tablets, he suddenly noticed that each and every one of the unfamiliar names were actually glowing in different colors.

Red, orange, yellow, emerald green, jade green, blue and purple. Each of the color represented one’s luck at the end of their cultivation paths. Most of them were glowing in red, orange, yellow, emerald green and jade green. There were only a minority of the names shone in blue color whereas the names gleaming in purple were extremely rare…

What Ning Fan was truly concerned about were not the purple names but a black name that was mixed up in the list.

He was not interested in it at first but when he took a closer look at it, his expression changed drastically.

Yin Yang Star, Han Yuanji!

“Master! His name is also on the Divine Tablet! It can’t be wrong. This name carries Master’s unique aura. There is no way I can be wrong!”

“However, why is it black in color? Why is the color of Master’s name different from the rest? Don’t tell me this is the key to Devil Transformation?!”

His eyes glanced through the three giant tablets again, from the bottom to the top. Occasionally, there would be one black name appearing among ten thousands of names. He shifted his gaze unto the haughty Daoist child. He might look young but his bone age was already more than one thousand years old and his presence radiated Late Divine Transformation Realm aura.

Ning Fan brought his eyes back to focus and cupped his fists.

“Your Excellency, may I ask why the names on the Divine Tablets are glowing in different colors?”

“Huh?! You are able to notice the difference of color of the names?!”

The Daoist child’s eyes widened in amazement.

It was because the colors were the representations of luck. Ordinary cultivators would not be able to notice them at all. Generally speaking, only True Immortals were able to spot them. In the Immortal Mansion that the Daoist child was assigned to, the probability of a Void Fragmentation Realm cultivator to notice luck was pretty low. It could be said that out of ten of them, no one would be able to see it. As for the cultivators who had yet to achieve the Divine Transformation Realm, the probability was even lower. The ratio was nearly zero to ten thousand!

Immediately, the arrogant demeanor of the Daoist child dissipated and he cupped his fists towards Ning Fan as an act of courtesy.

“Fellow Daoist really has an unprecedentedly sharp observation. You’re truly extraordinary! I am a subordinate to the Black Tortoise Star of the Void Realm of the Northern Ocean, acting as a tablet protector of the Tablets Master Immortal Emperor. My Daoist name is Yi Qing2. May I know what’s Fellow Daoist’s name?!”

With just a bone age of a thousand years old, this Daoist child, Yi Qing had already attained the Late Divine Transformation Realm. His innate potential was truly outstanding. Even in the Black Tortoise Star, his reputation was also not weak. Among the great talents of the Black Tortoise Star, those whom Yi Qing could place in his eyes were few. But today, Ning Fan had caused that Daoist child’s eyes to light up with interest.

This man is already able to read the color of luck even though he has yet to completely achieve the Divine Transformation. He certainly is unique.

This kind of talented being is definitely worthwhile for me to befriend!

“I’m Ning Fan!”

Ning Fan replied with his fists cupped. Before the Divine Tablets, it would be meaningless to conceal his true name.

There was no way he could hide his identity if he has to go through the three steps of severing his mortal coil and eventually engrave his name on the tablet.

Up until now, no one among the cultivators who came could cause the Daoist child to cast a second glance at them… Ning Fan was the first one!

‘Fellow Daoist is able to recognize one’s luck. I’m afraid when Fellow Daoist carves your name on the tablet, you will need the help of Senior Sister Bei Li to congeal the pen of luck…”

The Daoist child took out a green talisman and muttered a few words.

Thirteen years. For the past thirteen years, no cultivators at the Divine Transformation Realm could identify luck.

The Daoist child had a feeling that the entire Sea of Cloud would be shaken by Ning Fan.

Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel

Note: 

Luopan (Chinese: 罗盘, pinyin: luópán) or the geomantic compass is a Chinese magnetic compass, also known as a Feng Shui Compass. It is used by a Feng Shui practitioner to determine the precise direction of a structure or other item. (Click here for picture)

Yi Qing (Chinese: 一清, pinyin: yī qīng). Yi means one, Qing means pure.