Grasping Evil

The Elderly Man Acts

From the Void Refinement Realm to the Void Fragmentation Realm, one has to keep improving their comprehension on their intent realms to grasp the meaning of a single word: void. Logically speaking, Void Inquiry was a process that could only be done by cultivators who had already attained the Early Void Refinement Realm because if one succeeds in the process, they would then be able to control the power of the Void!

Nascent Soul Realm cultivators cultivate the Primordial Power; Divine Transformation Realm cultivators cultivate the Heavenly Spiritual Power while Void Refinement Realm experts cultivate the power of the Void!

Cultivators at the Divine Transformation Realm were unable to perform Void Inquiry. Besides, if they are affected by a tiny amount of Void Power, they would be injured or even killed, let alone comprehend or master that power.

“Can you succeed in Void Inquiry?!” The elderly man uttered in a serious tone.

Silence filled his ears. There was only the sound of blowing wind.

Ning Fan felt that his state of mind seemed to have sunk into the portrait hanging above the sky, becoming one with the purple-robed young man within it.

It was as if he had returned to the time when he was sixteen years old, to Seven Apricot City, to the particular plum tree which he always saw.

All of a sudden, he had a wrong impression, as if the current him was looking back to his previous life at the current moment.

But at the next moment, he felt as if the person within the portrait was true while the outside world was fake.

The seed of samsara power gradually filled his heart and began to sprout and grow roots.

Ning Fan had once seen his past through the Bell of Samsara but he… had yet to take a glimpse into his future!

“What is true? What is fake? What is real? What is void?”

“The ‘me’ in the Star Island. The ‘me’ in the purple portrait. The ‘me’ in the illusory realm. The ‘me’ in the medicinal garden of the Celestial Emperor… Which one is the true ‘me’?!”

Void Inquiry!

The First Step in cultivation was divided into seven stages. From the beginning till the end of these seven steps, the cultivators were still in the process of comprehending the meaning of void. If one was unable to differentiate what was true and what was fake or what was real and what was void, then they would never be able to master the power of the Void!

“Void, what is it?!”

Ning Fan soared into the sky and roared, as if he was in a state of madness. He stretched out one of his fingers and the tiny amount of Void Power which revolved around the tip of his finger entered the purple portrait, turning into black snowflakes and fell upon the trees.

“Yes…. Yes…”

“I’m real and the portrait is void!”

“This void isn’t completely fake. I have indeed stood below that plum tree and thought about my future. There is no absolute for what’s fake and what’s real. If I look at my past from my current point of view, the past would be virtual and illusory. If right now my future self is looking at me right now, it would also become virtual…”

“When I was in the illusory realm, I stood on the seven million zhang* tall mountain, trying to comprehend the purple technique in order to leave the illusory realm. However, Immortal Sovereign Zi Dou said that the illusory realm may not necessarily be fake. During that time, I could not understand what he meant. But now, I feel that I have a slight understanding of his words… It doesn’t matter what’s fake… In Immortal Sovereign Zi Dou’s eyes, if he wills the illusory realm to be real, it will then be real; if he wills the Four Heavens and Nine Worlds to be fake, everything will then just be an illusion… He has already transcended beyond the boundaries of reality and illusion. He is in a much higher level where he could rewrite history with just a single thought… And that is samsara!”

Samsara!

Ning Fan’s eyes became clearer and brighter than before. At this moment, the virtual presence of Ning Fan within the purple portrait which was condensed using his Fu Li demon intent suddenly turned his head and gazed at the direction of the Star Island, looking at Ning Fan directly!

It was as if the past and the future had interlocked. What caused the two sides to overlap was samsara!

“I got it!”

Ning Fan made a step forward. The purple portrait crumbled and the sky was shrouded with sand!

His eyes were shut tightly but his aura rose drastically.

It was not because of the improvement of his cultivation that caused his aura to surge. Instead, it was because of the refinement of his intent realms which caused his aura to sublime!

The power from the three types of intent realms gradually merged into one.

After the fusion, a new intent realm was produced. It was composed of the color purple, black and dark red!

Furthermore, this intent realm had already surpassed the First Grade!

At this moment, Ning Fan’s intent realm had achieved Large Accomplishment!

He suddenly reopened his eyes and lifted both of his palms into the sky.

A purple tornado emerged on his left hand while black snowflakes appeared on his right.

“My left hand is wind while my right hand is snow. The snow buries my past and the wind will move my current life. Calling the wind with magic power and summoning the snow with the power of the Void, fusing the both of them into one. This is what samsara is!”

At the moment when his two palms met, a rising purple qi encircled hi body. All of a sudden, a black ancient tree with nearly one thousand blood-red plum blossoms on top appeared behind him.

With a flick of his finger, the purple breeze flowed out from his fingertips, carrying black snowflakes which were crystal-clear yet terrifying.

Gently, the snowy breeze flew into the air in front of him and stopped, as if it had clutched onto something. By exerting a little strength, it actually tore the sky within the vicinity of one thousand li* apart as easily as tearing off a piece of paper. The sky was split into half just like that!

The black bear’s countenance experience a great change. Even though he was a Half-Step Void Refinement Realm expert, there was no way he could break the sky so easily!

However, Ning Fan did it with ease by using that finger of wind and snow!

“Smoke and wind… That is the Immortal Sovereign’s Dao. Snow and wind… That is my Dao… His smoke and wind fills the air but my snow and wind makes one feel lonely… It does not mean that my snow and wind are stronger than Immortal Sovereign’s smoke and wind. It’s just that the snow and wind suit me the most… This is the snow of Seven Apricot City; this is the snow in my hometown…

Clearing off his intent realms and dispersing his wind and snow, Ning Fan closed his eyes and gently lifted his palms. Suddenly, he felt surprised.

As his fingertips moved, a trace of Void Power was immediately drawn out by them.

Although the Void Power was still not strong enough, it was clearly something that should not be held by any Divine Transformation Realm cultivators.

In the past, Ning Fan had to depend on his Eastern Ocean Bell in order to remain in the Void Realm. Today, however, he felt that travelling in the Void Realm would no longer be life-threatening to him as long as it was not too long.

It was because he had already succeeded in Void Inquiry and learnt the main concept of wielding the power of the Void.

In the process of comprehending his intent realms, the insights he had towards the two words: real and void had increased. Because of the new understandings he obtained, he grasped the methods of using Void Power, just like the saying goes: where water flows, a canal is formed!

I have perfected my Wind Mist Finger by transforming it into the technique of Wind and Snow. After fusing the three types of intent realms, my intent realm became the snowy scene at the Seven Apricot City and eventually achieved Large Accomplishment. Perhaps naming the intent realm as Seven Apricot is the most appropriate. Other than the two benefits, I have also found the threshold of wielding the power of the Void… If Old Ancestor Dong Xu were to experience what I had experienced just once, he would have broken through to the Void Refinement Realm!

This trace of Void Power indeed carries a significant message!

Above the sky, the black-robed elderly man who was sitting up straight on his jade-green wine gourd sighed with emotion, feeling extremely amazed.

“He’s succeeded… This young man actually succeeded in Void Inquiry and comprehended a trace of Void Power… It can’t be wrong. The qi he exposed when he condensed his intent realms at first and when he dispersed his magic power in the end certainly resembles that of Old Man Han’s cultivation method… This young man must be Old Man Han’s disciple.”

However, a moment later, the elderly man’s eyes were suddenly filled with shock.

“It’s bad. I almost forgot about it! Young man, be careful!”

The elderly man suddenly recalled that the Void Realm that was broken open by Ning Fan had yet to recover!

The sky that was torn apart by his wind and snow did not close up!

If the sky were to be shattered by the collision between the magic power of the Divine Transformation Realm cultivators, it would not take long for it to recover. This time, however, it was not torn apart by his magic power. Instead, it was deliberately torn apart by him after comprehending Void Power. Unless the person who tore apart the sky commands it to close, the Void Realm would not recover by itself.

But if the Void Realm was left opened for a certain period of time, there might be an unexpected life-threatening danger…

The windstorm of the Void Realm!

When the Void Realm within the vicinity of one thousand li* had been broken open, it would certainly cause a windstorm which would be more than enough to wipe out an entire mid-ranked cultivation country!

If the windstorm spreads throughout the Star Island, other than a minority of strong experts, every last one of the living creatures would die!

The elderly man was unsure whether Ning Fan would die in the windstorm. He just knew that he must immediately take action and rescue him because he was Old Man Han’s disciple!

“Be careful!”

The black-robed elderly man loudly shouted and instantly revealed his presence.

His shout greatly surprised the black bear. Even Ning Fan was also quite surprised too.

There are other experts hiding in this place? Besides, is he just an Early Divine Transformation Realm cultivator?

Who is he?!

Before he had the time to contemplate that question, traces of Void Power congealed into wind within the Void Realm. The wind kept growing stronger and eventually, a black windstorm gushed out from the sky like a typhoon!

Facing the incoming windstorm, even the black bear felt his scalp tingle. In contrast, Ning Fan was not afraid of the windstorm because he had the Eastern Ocean Bell. However, the two women within the abode did not have such a protective item. If the windstorm strikes, the two of them would surely die!

This is not good!

Ning Fan’s eyes flashed with resolution. Immediately, he rushed into the abode to protect the two females.

But at the same moment, the black-robed elderly man who shouted to warn him stepped on his jade-green wine gourd and appeared before the windstorm, pressing his finger on it.

“Shatter!”

As he uttered that single word, the black windstorm was completely dispersed!

“Fragmenting the void with just a single word! This man is a… Void Fragmentation Realm expert?!” Ning Fan’s eyes sparkled.

But if a Void Fragmentation Realm expert enters the Third World, it would definitely collapse! The Third World of the Land of Slumber can at most allow experts of the Void Refinement Realm to enter. It’s impossible to have a Void Fragmentation Realm expert here!

Who is this man exactly?!

“I was once the brother of Han Yuanji. However, now, I think I am no longer fit to be called as his brother anymore… I harbor no hostility towards you. You can be rest assured.” The elderly man said as if he had noticed that look of vigilance on Ning Fan’s face. He let out a deep sigh and then flicked his sleeve to cover up the crack in the sky.

“You were once my master’s brother?!” Ning Fan did not know whether the man’s words were true or fake.

But if he truly was the Old Devil’s friend, judging by his cultivation level, could he be from the Four Heavens? The strongest friends whom the Old Devil had in the nine worlds were at most at the level of people like Qui Qiaozi’s. As far as I know, none of his friends in the nine worlds is so powerful that he could neutralize the windstorm of the Void Realm with just a finger.

While his mind was filled with suspicions and doubts, the black bear’s facial expression was already filled with absolute amazement.

“That Divine Transformation Realm young man actually has a Void Fragmentation Realm expert as his backer?! Lucky me! Luckily I didn’t encounter him earlier, otherwise…”

Otherwise, even if the black bear has one hundred guts, every one of them would be crushed by the black-robed elderly man.

This man is terrifyingly strong…

As for the two ugly women who had enmity with Ning Fan, they no longer revealed any hint of haughtiness towards him.

“That man actually knows a Void Fragmentation Realm expert… Should we approach him and greet the senior?”

As soon as those words escaped from their mouths, it was as if the black-robed man who was faraway had heard them and he coldly roared.

“If you don’t get lost within three breaths, you shall die!”

This time, the message he delivered was much mightier than Ning Fan’s in the past.

Without hesitation, the black bear carried his two ugly wives and ran for his life. What he witnessed and heard today was a little overly frightening.

His face was filled with bitterness as he kept sighing dispiritedly…

Since that Void Fragmentation Realm expert has no evil intention towards that man, obviously he has kind intentions towards him… Hai… That is truly his backer!

Since he has such a powerful backer, if he requests for the Star Tempering Purple Zoysia, should I give it to him or not…

“Can I provoke a Void Fragmentation Realm? Hai… What kind of bloody choice do I have? Hai… Of course I’m going to give it to him. If I don’t, my insignificant life would then be gone!”

The black bear was completely unaware that the current Ning Fan was not even moved by the Star Tempering Purple Zoysia.

Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel