"Oh, really? Ning Fan? Black Evil´s Master? How funny, only Harmonious Spirit yet you still dare to wear the 'Black Evil' mantle; you truly do not know the immensity of the heaven and earth…"
Inside the Orchid Temple, the Nascent Soul demoness dryly smiled and didn't put Ning Fan within her eyes at all.
If the old monster came to cause trouble, then she would be somewhat dreadful because she — for some reason —knew the origin of the old monster. Ning Fan ah… Each year there were so many juniors that did not discern life from death and came to the Orchid Temple to court death… Wasn't this also the case?
Since when could a Harmonious Spirit cultivator be considered as the Black Evil Master… Black Evil, was it no longer worth anything….
This boy's appearance was actually very handsome and might not make a bad dual cauldron… But to come and destroy sects, this was too early.
'This boy is lucky be meeting me. If he met other people, most likely… he would be captured and trained as a slave...'
The demoness thought this but immediately changed her expression the next moment.
She looked at the night sky above and saw Ning Fan's body forming a Black Flame made from ice and fire. Yin and Yang fire runes appeared on his sword like a bright light in the tranquil night sky.
"This is… Yin Yang harmonization… Earth Vein Demonic Flame — Black Evil Flames, but it is fused with ice energy… how strange…" The demoness' eyes were a bit startled. Ning Fan's fire and ice sword's power was not strong and only fatal at the Harmonious Spirit realm, but it was very mysterious and far beyond the realm of Void Fragmentation…
Amongst them was a strange power that was able to fuse ice and fire…
This power was beyond her comprehension… This was the mysteriousness of the Yin Yang Locket that she was unaware of.
She subtly glanced and had some interest in Ning Fan. She actually wanted to see what amusing things this boy could do.
Suddenly, she saw Ning Fan slightly move his sword and a fiery awe-inspiring sword energy rushed forward as the light illuminated the moon, dragon roars broke the night-sky.
Harmonious Spirit sword intent, the first sword intent of Dugu, Fire Transformation Sword!
The power of this sword was not enough to move the demoness, but this sword's origin… was too great!
"Fire Transformation Sword of the Sword World…'Sword King's secret sword'!"
Her blossom lips slightly parted in secret astonishment. This sword was absolutely the secret sword of the Sword World's Godking, there was no mistake… Forty years ago, the girl who followed behind the old monster was also a person who knew this sword, and they were from the Sword World. But why does this boy know this sword…
On top of that, this sword's origin was too great and shouldn't be used recklessly like this…
With her other identity, she knew a little bit about the secrets of the Sword World so she was naturally surprised. If it was someone else, they wouldn't have been so alarmed.
Ning Fan, with an emotionless expression, clearly tracked the movements of the tens of thousands of dried vines that pierced forward like blades.
He slightly moved his sword, and the wind also followed. The fiery sword slashed forward black crescent shaped sword energies and rendered the dried vines into ash the moment they met, just like the wind blowing apart something rotten.
The demoness was amazed. She was a dryad who was afraid of fire. She only used ten percent of her power, but it was not something that could be destroyed by someone of Ning Fan's level.
This person was not bad with only a Harmonious Spirit cultivation even if she was showing mercy.
"You are able to block one attack from me, maybe ordinary intermediate-stage Harmonious Spirit cultivators are not your match…'Dan Transference'..."
The demoness let out a breath of her Nascent Soul energy and activated the Dan Transference technique. Only Gold Core cultivators were able to learn this technique by using dan energy to double the power of techniques.
She did not use a Nascent Soul level attack because she noticed that beating Ning Fan, who was only at Harmonious Spirit, only required Gold Core level magic.
The burnt vines all reappeared in the night sky after she released her Nascent Soul breath and twisted together to form a one hundred zhang tall evil tree with hundreds of branches and one thousand poisonous vines along with ten thousand thorns. The evil tree took root in the mountain. As its branches shook, the mountain fibrillated as well with falling rocks everywhere.
After performing the technique, the demoness changed her mind and removed some magic since she did not want to take Ning Fan's life. She only wanted to test him because she became a bit curious.
However, the evil tree was formed from a spell and it already had a bit of spirit awareness.
At this moment, Ning Fan was facing the evil tree who resembled a Gold Core old devil. However, the evil tree seemed to prioritize defense against the flames. It would be difficult to garner some advantage with just fire power…
There was no hope of victory, but by utilizing the Snow Treading Art, Ning Fan wouldn't necessarily lose.
He activated the Snow Treading Art and his body turned into an elegant ice brilliance that danced in the night curtain.
One move traveled one thousand zhang away. This speed was not less than the evil tree. Plus, the evil tree's body was gigantic so it had an even harder time chasing Ning Fan.
Gracefully soaring fast in the sky like a Roaming Dragon, Ning Fan appeared like the crescent moon and escaped by stomping on the snow… Sometimes, Ning Fan even destroyed the evil tree's attack with his Fire Transformation Sword.
His cultivation was greatly below that of the evil tree, but his sword was both sharp and precise.
As it began to clearly see Ning Fan's sword angle, there were a few times when the evil tree could hurt Ning Fan, but the demoness secretly stopped its attack and offset its direction.
One person along with his one sword perplexed the demoness as she continued to watch. In her eyes appeared a Sword God wearing a white robe. The other person also fluttered like an Immortal and was a bit similar to Ning Fan…
She was suddenly startled; could this boy in front be….
'But, how can there be such a coincidence… how can…'
Inside the Orchid Temple, the demoness lightly sighed as if she was whispering. The evil tree was also recovered by the demoness. She was afraid of hurting Ning Fan and didn't want to offend the old monster either.
"Your name is Ning Fan? Do you know the Heavenly Cloud Art…?
The demoness suspiciously asked.
"I don't know…" Ning Fan lightly spoke.
"Is that so, then I have thought too much… You can go. I won't pursue the matter today. However, your cultivation is not enough to call yourself Black Evil, and not enough to rob treasures either. Leave…"
This demoness normally killed people heartlessly, but today she opened a merciful escape path in the net.
It was not because of mercy, but she only faintly felt that she didn't want to hurt Ning Fan.
"..."
Ning Fan was silent. In fact, after the life and death fight earlier, he saw the gigantic gap between him and the demoness. The demoness did not even use one percent of her magical power while he used all of his. If the demoness did not show mercy, then he wouldn't even be able to block this little evil tree´s magic.
'Not to mention killing Nascent Soul, I can't even slash Gold Core. Weak, my time spent cultivating the evil art is too weak and I have too few means…'
'Killing a Gold Core realm being is as easy as crushing an ant to a Nascent Soul Realm being while killing me is most likely extremely easy as well to a Gold Core Realm being…'
'Even with the Immortal Emperor's memories, if my cultivation doesn't rise, then I am still a weakling — a mere ant. When will I be able to destroy the Heaven Separation Sect and save Ning Gu?'
Ning Fan lifted his head and noticed that the old monster was also looking at him.
"Little Ning, play dirty — do you know how? If you can trick Yun Ruowei, your father will take you to… the Heaven Separation Sect... If there is an opportunity, I will help you save your little brother, I am a bit sure of it…" The old monster solemnly said.
"To the Heaven Separation Sect?" Ning Fan's voice became excited. If I can save Ning Gu, if I can…
"Little Ning, don't misunderstand. Your father does want to bring you to destroy the Heaven Separation Sect, but your father's cultivation is crippled and I can't destroy it unless I regain my cultivation… The Heaven Separation Sect, the water is very deep there. The so-called 'Sect Master Wuxie' does have some background, and his background is even bigger than mine… To tell you the truth, unless there is no other way, your father really does not want to offend this person…" The old monster pursed his lips as if he would suffer heavy losses by bringing Ning Fan to the Heaven Separation Sect.
Ning Fan's heart was very warm. He had considered the old monster as an outsider all along and never relied on the old monster to help him save his brother. However, this old monster took his little brother's matter to heart.
'I have no father and mother. I was always a servant of the Ning Clan since my earliest memories and accepted all types of abuse and contempt, but today, I actually have a master who cares for me like this.'
The old monster was truly good to him, better than anyone else before…
"Thank you 'teacher'…"(1)
"Don't call me 'teacher'... Your father doesn't like this term…" The old monster's gaze became cold with a flashing hatred, but he suddenly withdrew it back to normal.
This hatred, there must be an old story behind it…
Meanwhile, Ning Fan was contemplating how to trick and scheme against the demoness.
Play dirty… The old monster can't be telling me to defeat the demoness, can he? This is an impossible matter. The old monster wants me to learn how to use treacherous schemes when I cannot defeat the enemy…
Black Evil can have a carefree do-as-one-pleases character, but our thoughts must be meticulous and secretive… We absolutely have to know how to scheme against people in order to protect ourselves.
Under normal conditions and no matter the means, a Harmonious Spirit cultivator couldn't defeat a Nascent Soul master… However, the old monster faintly felt that Ning Fan was hiding something sinister that could trick the demoness.
In the end, Ning Fan had secrets that even the old monster couldn't see through.
'Can he do it or not… If he can, then…' A little anticipation was rising in his heart. This anticipation was about a different matter, a very important matter.
Play dirty…
Then, I just have to play dirty then…
When I can't win head-on, then I have to take the curved path, and if the curved path doesn't work, then I have to play dirty tricks…
"Yin Yang Transformation," the bewitching technique! Can this be effective against this woman?!
After reaching the Harmonious Spirit realm, Ning Fan was able to perform a type of technique named "Yin Plucking Finger!"
The Yin Plucking Finger was a magic used to provoke woman's sexuality. Using a Harmonious Spirit magical power can make a Harmonious Spirit female cultivator lose her mind and let others trample on her however they want. Even a Nascent Soul female cultivator's mind would momentarily freeze when struck by this finger.
This moment of absence will be enough.
This move was somewhat dirty, but… There were too many things in this world that might be despicable, but it couldn't be helped. The old monster wanted to teach Ning Fan this principle...
"I, am about to do it…"
Ning Fan determinedly stepped into the sky with a sword behind his back without any fear while looking at the Orchid Temple below.
The Yin Yang Locket in his dantian gently shook, this was the thing he relied on the most.
Note:
(1) He had always called the old monster 'master (shi zun)', as a distinction of veneration and respect, but now he called him 'teacher (shi fu)' instead, and it had a much closer sensation. The difference of one word encompassed two entirely different meanings
Credit: (the former team)
Bao (TL)
Nahct (E)
Lace1010 (TLC)
Wayfinder (E)