At CloudSoaring City, there lay a youth who had determination evident on his face, he was in a secluded mountain range, there weren't any rare resources here so it was heavily ignored by most people.
He came to this Mountain Range to collect herbs, after all, going to CloudSoaring Mountain Range would be admitting he had a death wish, although he wasn't fazed by the mountain range, if he died, who would look after his mother?
He originally used the paltry sums he had gained from many miscellaneous jobs he had taken up over the years to buy the herbs he needed from the different factions in the city, however, Yang Fan had ruined that life.
All the valuable resource points had been scraped clean by Yang Fan who didn't know when he would get a chance like this again, Yang Fan had ruined many lives in such a manner and many had immense hatred towards him but couldn't do anything.
Even if they managed to find him, all they could do was run, this fact was about to change for Lu Wei Yin, he stumbled down a random mountain path road and slammed into the ground that had miraculously changed from coarse and rough to soft elegant.
Throughout the process he was crying tears and screaming "Aaaaaack! Mother! Save me!" although he acted like he only lived for his mother, that was just his fake reality, he got up cautiously then examined the area, "Is this one of those fortuitous encounters them beggars are always talking about?"
His expression of confusion then turned to glee! He paraded around the land that looked like an entrance and said with conviction, "Divine Thief Who?" he joyfully laughed then regained clarity and ran towards the massive door that was tens of times his size.
Similar situations were happening across the continent, of course, they weren't hostile towards Yang Fan, they probably didn't even know him! However, as escapees of the circulation of life, Yang Fan would have to deal with them.
At the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the master of the two envoys, an Inner sect elder, was furious, "The result of those two brats' investigation will decide whether or not I become a core elder! And those two have the guts to play around with some whores!" he screamed.
Although he cared for his disciples, this position was too important! There were only 15 core elders in the sect to supervise the 100 core disciples and they were the cream of the crop! He normally wouldn't have a chance to leave the ranks of the 100 inner elders no matter how good he was as there could only be a set 15 elders at the time but a Core elder was stepping down!
Even after he stressed the importance of their success they were still so nonchalant! He knew deep down that it was because he hadn't mentioned any sorts of increased benefits towards them that made them enticed enough to work hard.
He was firm in his stance though, he wanted those resources for himself! Although he had raised them since young to Nascent Soul, he had great knowledge towards their personalities, Qin Feng was basically the boss adn Qin Bai Sheng was subservient to him despite their equal position.
This was because Qin Feng had gained 60% of the inheritance that they received while Qin Bai Sheng only received 40% This morphed his personality, and while he was disappointed, he didn't bother with their affairs.
This inheritance was the only reasons he recruited them, after all why would ordinary people catch the attention of one of the top 5 inner elders in the sect! They could use a combination move that would greatly increase their strength and when they used it, their strength would increase from Nascent Soul 1st stage, to 4th stage!
Each stage in Nascent Soul was a huge leap! Yang Fan would take much more time in that realm as he had to form his soul, although he had a great advantage, he couldn't joke around with the process or his foundation would be weak, the inner elder was sending his disciples to gain experience as they had reached Nascent Soul at 40 years old.
This was a quite alright talent in the sect but core disciples were simply monsters, they could reach Nascent Soul stage at 25 years old! There were even more monstrous existences throughout the continent! The Elder just sighed at this.
Meanwhile, Yang Fan was currently fighting his own battles, the woman he faced was very dangerous even in her berserk state, she seemed to be exchanging her intelligence for strength, Yang Fan was analysing her moves, he did this with every opponent, if he faced someone who used skills similar to Shadow King, he could ensure that they would be killed within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Yang Fan had many deep gashes on his body and blood seemed to mix in with his red clothes, his bones could also be seen from a multitude of his wounds, there was even a pool of blood on the secluded rocky area. He couldn't be blamed however, Zi Shan Wei had the speed, strength and toughness as an incomplete Nascent Soul beast!
She even had a bit of intellect remaining, she had sacrificed most of it to 'power up' This was the most terrifying part! If Demonic Beasts all had intelligence, the human race could theoretically be finished in a matter of months!
At the beginning of time, Demonic Beasts ruled the world, humans were treated as slaves and were terrified of their existence. Humans were never truly wiped out as the high tier beasts who had some form of intelligence, thought that humans should reproduce so that they had a consistent food source.
The Human Ancestor, Qi Ziang, spent all his life force to create cultivation for the whole world, he was revered as the human ancestor, even though they started becoming stronger, it was a tough battle and humans suffered a lot under the Demonic Beasts, this explains why Demonic Beasts were repeatedly farmed for resources.
Humans completely ignored that part of their history and proudly proclaimed themselves as the rulers of the world, when fights took place between high level beasts and powerful humans, the humans would constantly be taunted by them to gain an advantage.
That history was omitted from textbooks, but anyone with significant background will be informed of the transgressions they previously faced, there were many sects and factions dedicated to serving Qi Ziang, and Spiritual Qi was named after him.
From his efforts many other paths were derived from his work which resulted in the countless techniques available today. Zi Shan Wei may have been strong but she was very stupid, even before berserk started to eat away at her intelligence, Yang Fan knew that he could have manipulated her quite easily to beat her, but he had advanced in cultivation recently and was looking for a sparring partner.
Yang Fan was analysing her and after 15 mins of getting pummeled, he decided to go on a counterattack, he dove through her openings and struck the weak points he had noticed, Zi Shan Wei, on the other hand was getting infuriated!
This Divine Thief was as slippery as a snake! He dogded through her attacks effortlessly and she was quickly on the losing side, instead of keeping calm and analysing her former actions, she went mad with rage and attacked even more ferociously.
She only had a few objectives, destroy everyone involved with her brother's death, then kill herself so she could join him! She was just a simple servant who grew confident after getting strong, if Yang Fan didn't kill her now, she would surely die by the Heavenly Devil Sect, the method she used could only take her to Nascent Soul.
Was she planning to beat Soul Formation cultivators with just that, or even the mysterious Soul Condensation cultivator? In the end she hadn't broadened her horizons and was simply a frog in a well.
Yang Fan was roughing her up through a series of sneak attacks and soon, she was in an even worse state than him, moreover, his body had been modified by the ring and he was mostly healed by now.
This explains the terror his meridians could cause. Yang Fan was having it easy and was a bit disappointed by how everyone he faced was too weak until he saw Zi Shan Wei's aura steadily rising as blood poured out from her 7 orifices, he was mildly suprised but didn't show it on his face.
He was even excited, with battle intent clearly visible on his face, after he came to this world, he sometimes thought he wasn't suited to being a thief but disregarded that foolish thought when he remembered the red faces of those he stole from and the beautiful, glittering valuables that was his real, 'one true love.'
Zi Shan Wei only had one thought one her mind, 'KILL THE DIVINE THIEF!!!' and she acted on it, she forcefully raised her cultivation to Nascent Soul and now she would never be able to reach there again.
The benefits however, were immediately evident, she gained the upper hand and Yang Fan was forced to flee like a dog, this was expected, as Zi Shan Wei could probably fight against a Nascent Soul 3rd Realm with ease.
He could have won if he could analyse her erratic movements but there was no point as he wouldn't be fast enough to do anything anyway, Yang Fan tried many possible methods and had to resort to his domain as everything he used basically bounced off her.
There was an immediate effect as Yang Fan could clearly see how Zi Shan Wei was moving and he retreated into a passive state and used many methods to obstruct her. After the process, she was significantly weakened and Yang Fan used a phantom blade from a long range to attack her.
He wasn't suprised when she revealed that she actually had a bit of strength left and ran with ultimate speed towards him while dodging the attack. He clarified that she regained some of her clarity as beasts in Nascent Soul are more intelligent as they had fortified their soul which correlated with their mental prowess.
Yang Fan stood calmly with his hands clasped behind his back like an expert while laughing inwardly at how cliche he probably looked. If someone was watching the scene, they would be suprised, did he not fear death?
Their surprise would turn to shock as Zi Shan Wei's momentum slowed down until she collapsed right at his feet, he devoured her soul then gazed up at the sky, digesting what he saw. Zi Shan Wei was originally pushing her limits to break through to Nascent Soul, even if for a short time.
So when she suppressed her injuries to deal one final blow, she was wishing Yang Fan came to face her head on so that she could use the last of her strength to kill him. She was still quite stupid however, as she didn't bother to conceal her aura that was constantly weakening and Yang Fan used that to show off.
'A real badass' he muttered, then with record speed, cleaned up the whole area, covered his tracks, then made his way back in a clean outfit after taking a dip at the nearby stream and blended in with the crowd while waiting in anticipation, he knew many of the details of the Envoys as they publicised their achievements in order to scare the 'sinners' which basically means they were showing off.