Grasping the Evil

Chapter 1212: The Ultimate Extreme

Once the All-Knowing Elder regained some sanity, Ning Fan sought him out for another conversation, asking about suppressing the Ant Lord.

The All-Knowing Elder didn’t quite remember why the Ant Lord was suppressed in the first place, but he clearly remembered the method used for the suppression.

This is a suppression technique passed down by the Liangyi Sect, which actually suppresses not the Ant Lord’s physical body or Eternal Soul, but the Ant Lord’s [Existence]!

To suppress the existence of the Ant Lord, a considerable existence is also required, and since this is the Liangyi Sect’s technique, it involves Yin-Yang Dual Seals.

The Male Ant Quasi-Saint of the Light Ant Clan is the Yang Sealing Mark for suppressing the Ant Lord’s existence in the Yang World.

The Female Ant Quasi-Saint of the Light Ant Clan serves as the Yin Sealing Mark for suppressing the Ant Lord’s existence in the Yin World.

"Suppressing existence, huh..."

Ning Fan shook his head, indicating that he could only understand a bit, but couldn’t comprehend the deeper aspects. It’s clear this suppression technique is not something linked to the Second Step but is perhaps the Third or Fourth Step.

"Ah, Young Friend Ning, what can I say to you? Killing a fusion Quasi-Saint of the Light Ant Clan is one thing, but you even killed the Corpse Puppet King, such an important Yang Seal; the four Yin Seals I placed here, you captured two, and their cultivations were completely destroyed. Luckily, you haven’t acted against Yin Mu and Hua Zhao yet, for if the existence of the Ant Lord escaped, I would have a hard time suppressing her again. You know, this suppression is for a Saint, and if she resists, I’m not afraid, but aren’t the residents of your Zidou Illusion Realm afraid? Haven’t you heard the saying, when Immortals fight, it’s the mortals who suffer. Once I re-suppress that wicked woman, hehe, I fear your Zidou Illusion Realm will already be destroyed beyond recognition..."

Ning Fan awkwardly smiled.

Fortunately, he hadn’t really acted against Yin Mu and Hua Zhao, or he might have become the realm-destroying sinner of the Zidou Illusion Realm...

"But in the end, you’ve still destroyed quite a few Yang and Yin Seals, weakening the power of the seals considerably. Now, I have to cultivate new Yang Seals and Yin Seals. You absorb a Quasi-Saint effortlessly, kill a Quasi-Saint lightly, but do you know the amount of effort and time required for me to cultivate a Quasi-Saint? Young Friend Ning, please be kind, and don’t harm these little ants anymore, alright? Can you give me this face?"

"...Okay."

"However, you didn’t do entirely nothing good; you actually moved the Ant Lord’s mountain of Dao away. I was just troubled with handling that mountain, and this move was quite good, quite good! As for the scattered soul of the Ant Lord in your divine sense... sigh, I can only tolerate it for now, until I come up with a new method to try removing her. Before that, don’t try anything rash; otherwise, instead of eliminating the Ant Master’s scattered soul, you might end up damaging your own divine sense."

"Mm."

Concerning the survival of Dreamland Realm, Ning Fan had to abandon the idea of absorbing Yin Mu and Hua Zhao.

Of course, not absorbing doesn’t mean he can’t take action; once he understood the limits of suppressing the Ant Lord, Ning Fan was cautious no more.

That night, he thoroughly punished Yin Mu and Hua Zhao and even planted the Zi Relic in the two women. Even without absorbing, he did obtain the Yin energy of two Quasi-Saints, stabilizing his previously surging mana, and even making slight progress.

Ning Fan returned Hua Zhao and the Red Lotus to the Light Ant Clan, leaving them to be nurtured by the All-Knowing Elder anew. Henceforth, the four ruling women of the Light Ant Clan were all controlled by the Zi Relic, never to harbor harmful intentions towards Ning Fan again.

Several days later.

With the help of the Real Realms’ merits, the curse on the Slime Monster was successfully removed; Ning Fan did not witness the exact process. Afterward, when the Slime Monster returned the Heaven-Opening Jade Scroll to him, the merits on it had decreased by six hundred points. Oddly enough, despite the curse removal, the Slime Monster still remained in its mud form, whether intentionally or otherwise.

The Heaven-Opening Jade Scroll still had eleven thousand eight hundred merits remaining.

Ten days later.

Ancestor Leize absorbed all of the Primordial Yin Wind Ning Fan collected, recovering from his injuries while his mana advanced by a hundred tribulations!

He finally emerged from the Wind Pouch, and Ning Fan returned the Wind Pouch.

"Younger Brother Ning, you are truly my lucky star! This time, I’ve broken through the small bottleneck, and won’t be bound by bottlenecks for a long while, entering a new ascension period for cultivation. Hahaha! I really don’t know how to thank you."

Ancestor Leize hadn’t had the chance to properly thank Ning Fan before he saw the All-Knowing Elder beside Ning Fan.

Afterward...

Under Ning Fan’s puzzled gaze, Ancestor Leize first rubbed his eyes, then overwhelmed with joy, he fell to his knees before the All-Knowing Elder, and bowed several loud knocks.

"Uncle-Master Hexx? Is it really you? We were so worried when you mysteriously disappeared years ago! So, you didn’t die, you didn’t die! The Liangyi Sect’s titular apprentice Leize, greets Uncle-Master Hexx!" As it turns out, Ancestor Leize was once received as a titular apprentice by the Nangong Divine Master of the Liangyi Sect. Nangong Divine Master was a peer to All-Knowing, hence Leize calling him Uncle-Master is reasonable.

"Get out of here, who’s your Uncle-Master Hexx! Don’t forge relationships; I don’t recognize any Liangyi Sect or Sanyi Sect! Nor do I recognize any Leize or Yuze!" the All-Knowing Elder expressed disdain.

"Uncle-Master Hexx, you forgot? You were the one who taught me to sniff Master Sister’s undergarments! You are my great benefactor! Those important experiences fighting side by side, have you really forgotten all of them, Elder?" Ancestor Leize exclaimed with saddened urgency.

"Undergarments...underwear..." The All-Knowing Elder’s eyes flashed, as if he remembered something...

"Moreover, you took me, your junior, to visit...the Yihong Tower, to drink and discuss Dao. If not for Uncle-Master Hexx, I wouldn’t understand the many mysteries of a woman’s body now..."

"Yihong Tower...a woman’s...mysteries..." The All-Knowing Elder seemed to recall something, felt warmth at his nose, and suddenly nasal blood ran down his face.

He seemed close to truly recalling those past events.

But ultimately, his fragmented divine sense prevented him from remembering them.

"I...do not recognize you." The All-Knowing Elder sighed.

"Ah, I see, Uncle-Master Hexx’s divine sense has become shattered to this extent, no wonder he doesn’t...remember..."

"Even though I don’t remember you, since you’ve called me uncle-master, you shouldn’t be addressing Young Friend Ning as a brother; you ought to call him little master uncle."

"Uh, calling him master uncle? That’s against the rules, he’s merely a descendant by many generations of my Liangyi Sect, how can a junior call him master uncle? Shouldn’t he be calling me master ancestor instead..."

"I told you to call him, so you just call him! Stop talking nonsense! Aren’t you obeying your uncle-master’s orders?" The All-Knowing Elder’s face hardened, and Leize habitually complied.

"Don’t be angry, uncle-master, I’ll call him, I’ll call him okay! It’s no big deal to have one more master uncle. Elder, please don’t hurt your health in anger."

...

And so, Ning Fan inexplicably gained a disciple nephew.

Ning Fan underestimated the influence the All-Knowing Elder had over Ancestor Leize. He thought Ancestor Leize wouldn’t take the Elder’s mad words seriously.

But he was wrong.

With a single order from the All-Knowing Elder, Ancestor Leize really began to serve Ning Fan as his master uncle.

If Ning Fan stood, Leize dared not sit; if Ning Fan sat, Leize stood by like a child serving. That demeanor, every word deferential, every act respectful, he almost offered to tend to him day and night!

This day, as Ning Fan was casually chatting with Mistress Xiao Man, Ancestor Leize came running again.

"Disciple Leize, I have something to consult with little master uncle!" As soon as he arrived, Ancestor Leize seemed inclined to kneel and offer a grand gesture to Ning Fan. What madness!

Ning Fan almost sprayed out his Spiritual Tea; Mistress Xiao Man to the side was also shocked speechless.

Stone Warrior had just recovered and still needed rest. She had been busy tending to Stone Warrior lately and knew little of Ning Fan and Leize’s affairs. Now seeing Ancestor Leize ready to kneel to Ning Fan directly challenged her worldview.

She had always thought Ning Fan was merely a little Void Refinement Realm cultivator. Who was Ancestor Leize? One of the three Quasi-Saints of the Four Seas Sect, a supreme being in the Northern Heavens.

The honorable Four Seas Sect Quasi-Saint, calling Ning Fan little master uncle repeatedly and even kneeling in reverence upon meeting him, was she dreaming?

Mistress Xiao Man foolishly pinched her cheek in disbelief! It was actually painful, she wasn’t dreaming!

"Don’t be silly, Ancestor Leize is joking with me..." Ning Fan pointed with his sleeve, freezing Leize, who suddenly couldn’t kneel anymore.

Joking? What kind of joke leads a Quasi-Saint to kneel to a young Void Refinement cultivator?

Most wouldn’t buy that.

But Mistress Xiao Man believed! After all, when a woman is in love, her IQ tends to drop to a negative value, trusting every word spoken by the man she admires...

"...If you have something to say, just say it, stop kneeling like that." Ning Fan said helplessly.

"Yes, little master uncle, the Northern Heavenly Sect competition is imminent, as your disciple and Quasi-Saint of Four Seas Sect, I must attend the second round. For now, I cannot serve by your Elder’s side. Please little master uncle, grant permission," Ancestor Leize respectfully replied.

"I’m already troubled enough with one mad All-Knowing Senior, don’t mess things up further. Please, stop calling me master uncle, I’m not used to it..." Ning Fan said with a headache.

"Little Martial Uncle! You’re an elder, how can you turn around and call me a senior! Isn’t that too flattering for your junior nephew? You should call me junior nephew, or just call me by my name!"

"Then, Daoist Leize..."

"You can’t call me Daoist friend! Our Liangyi Sect has strict rules, and you’re an uncle, so you must fulfill your duties and strictly abide by the sect rules! These generations must absolutely not be messed up!"

It’s already messed up, okay? I’m the heir of the Black Evil Sect, just a junior disciple after countless generations in Liangyi Sect, and you elders are the seniors, aren’t you? Yet you turn around and call me uncle...

"Forget it, I’ll just call you Leize..." Ning Fan was too lazy to argue any further.

Uncle is uncle then, it won’t do him any harm anyway...

"So, can martial uncle kindly allow junior nephew to leave for the time being?"

"...Granted, hurry up and leave."

"Thank you, martial uncle! Right, martial uncle, do you want to join in the fun in the second round of the big competition?"

"It seems I can’t go, during my representation of Black Evil Sect in the first round, I violated too many North Heavenly rules, and also broke the big competition rules. According to the rules, the Black Evil Sect seems to be disqualified from the second round..."

"Disqualified? Who dares! You are my Little Martial Uncle from Leize, who dares to disqualify you, I’ll chop their whole family! If Little Martial Uncle wants to participate in the second round, you can certainly come, and I’ll prepare the best seats for Black Evil Sect, welcoming Little Martial Uncle with great honor!"

At this point, it was Bei Xiao Man’s turn to be happy.

"Little Fan Fan, you’re also going to participate in the North Heavenly Tournament? Which sect are you representing? Black Luo Sect? Or Black Mu Sect? I didn’t quite catch it."

"...It’s Black Evil Sect." Ning Fan chuckled, he knew Bei Xiao Man couldn’t figure out his origins, especially since she only recently figured out his real name.

"Black Evil Sect? Sounds familiar, doesn’t seem like any major sect... never mind, that’s not important. Little Fan Fan, during the second round, why don’t you be my ’Chess Soldier’?"

"Chess Soldier? What’s that?"

"You don’t even know about Chess Soldiers? You’re really not concerned about our North Heavenly sect tournament." Seeing Ning Fan’s puzzled face, Bei Xiao Man felt intellectually superior and began explaining the second-round rules of the North Heavenly Sect Tournament to Ning Fan.

Unlike the first-round regional battles, all North Heavenly sects participating in the second round need to find a person among the Yishi Palace cultivators to be their Chess Master, in the role of a Chess Soldier.

The North Heavenly Sect Tournament is also called the Three Palace Battle. From the second round onwards, it becomes an internal war between the Yishi Palace’s Northern Palace, Nangong House, and West Palace.

All sects participating in the North Heavenly Tournament are merely Chess Soldiers of the Yishi Palace, and the disciples of the three Yishi Palace branches will select their Chess Soldiers to assist them in competing for the second-round rankings...

"I don’t understand." Ning Fan had no interest in these complicated rules.

He wasn’t particularly interested in participating in the second round of the competition.

"Never mind if you don’t understand, just discuss it with your Black Evil Sect leader, and come be my Chess Soldier in the second round. Although your Black Evil Sect isn’t a powerful sect, you’re kind of involved with me, right? With your influence, I’ll certainly protect you guys!"

It turned out Bei Xiao Man wanted Ning Fan as her Chess Soldier because she was worried about Ning Fan’s low cultivation level, fearing he’d suffer or get hurt in the second round, hence wanting to use her connections to secretly protect him.

Ning Fan found it laughable, realizing Bei Xiao Man’s misunderstanding of him was getting deeper, "Actually, the current Sect Leader of the Black Evil Sect is me."

"What! Is Black Evil Sect so weak now that a Void Refinement Realm cultivator is the Sect Leader?" Bei Xiao Man was shocked, and then felt even more maternal, tightly grasping Ning Fan’s hand, "But don’t be afraid, you’re my Chess Soldier, my man, if I protect you, even those Enlightenment or Shedding Void Stage experts can’t harm a hair of yours!"

Enlightenment? Shedding Void? Great Experts?

"...Actually, I’m stronger than many Quasi-Saints." Ning Fan explained helplessly.

"I know, I get it! Your skills in bed are indeed unparalleled, but you have to understand, cultivation battles aren’t about playing with women, the second round’s danger far exceeds your imagination... but no matter how dangerous, I’ll protect you! After all, you... are so talented... I can’t bear anything happening to you..." Bei Xiao Man said, blushing.

"..." Fine, Ning Fan didn’t want to explain any further, reality will prove that his strengths compared to ordinary Quasi-Saints are not just limited to skills in bed.

Ning Fan initially wasn’t interested in participating in the second round of the competition, but if he could become Bei Xiao Man’s Chess Soldier and lend some support, then he wouldn’t mind continuing to participate.

Even if he hasn’t figured out what a Chess Soldier really is...

...

The second round of the sect competition is still a few months away, and Ning Fan doesn’t need to head to Yishi Palace early to participate in the competition. Ancestor Leize, however, needs to leave first to oversee the preparations for it.

Bei Xiao Man also needs to leave early, as her identity in the Northern Heaven is somewhat special, making the significance of this sect competition also quite unique, requiring her to be present ahead of time.

For so long, she has yet to be rescued by Ancestor Leize from the Light Ancestor Abyss; Yishi Palace must already be in chaos by now. It’s time for her and Ancestor Leize to return to Yishi Palace.

"Little Fan Fan, take good care of yourself; I’ll be waiting for you at Yishi Palace." Until the last moment, Bei Xiao Man was still worried about Ning Fan’s safety, fearing that he would be in danger if left alone at the Light Ancestor Abyss.

But only her Stone Warrior grandfather and those Stone Warrior puppets she brought along knew the extent of Ning Fan’s absolutely insane strength!

After being modified by the All-Knowing Elder, Stone Warrior now possesses the cultivation of an Immortal King. In Northern Heaven, all Immortal Kings are of ancestor-level existence, yet standing beside Ning Fan, Stone Warrior actually feels his current cultivation gap with Ning Fan is even greater than back in the Rain Immortal World...

"What realm have you reached now?" Stone Warrior mused deeply, asking.

"The same as you, just an Immortal King. It’s true, with the new puppet body, you’re much tougher than before. So, take good care of Mistress Xiao Man in the future." Ning Fan likewise expressed his emotions, smiling as he patted Stone Warrior’s shoulder, encouraging him.

He had once been Stone Warrior’s master for a period, and seeing him restored now brought joy to his heart, though he did not express it overly.

"I heard it was through your efforts that the All-Knowing Elder painstakingly modified my puppet body. Stone Warrior shall never forget this kindness!"

"Hey, Stone Warrior grandfather, I also helped in this matter, didn’t I? Why are you only thanking Little Fan Fan!" Bei Xiao Man pouted.

"...Also, don’t believe him; he’s not exactly an Immortal King. Though his potential is incredibly high, his bone age is still quite young. While he may achieve the status of an Immortal King in the future, for now, he is just a small Void Refinement Realm cultivator. Of course, don’t underestimate him because of that; he’s incredibly strong, invincible in his realm, and likely invincible beyond one level too..." Bei Xiao Man continued.

"...Miss, you’re wrong. Of course, I won’t believe he’s an Immortal King because he’s much stronger than an Immortal King. If I didn’t truly understand his character and past, I’d suspect he hid a Quasi-Saint status back in the Rain Immortal World... Oh well, when the second round starts, you’ll see how mighty your husband is. I fear all of Northern Heaven will be shocked..." Reminiscing about the past made Stone Warrior sigh endlessly.

Back in the days of Nascent Soul cultivation, Ning Fan already dared to capture him. Now, he has become the pinnacle of strength in Northern Heaven. It’s said the new waves of the Yangtze River push the old ones, but Ning Fan–he’s no mere wave. He’s a tsunami, not just pushing but flooding all the lands completely.

The geniuses of his era are truly pitiable; they might never rise to prominence and will forever be under his foot...

...

Even after Bei Xiao Man left, Ning Fan did not depart from the Light Ancestor Abyss.

He remained there to fulfill his promise of allowing the All-Knowing Elder to conduct some experiments on him.

Though called experiments, Ning Fan’s daily life was practically indistinguishable from having fun.

He was constantly attended by the four ants of Yin Mu, entertained by the Slime Monster and Black Demon, living an incredibly leisurely life.

Daily, he consumed vast amounts of spiritual medicine and fruits, which weren’t meant to enhance his cultivation but instead seemed designed to develop his body’s potential.

Ning Fan could sense that his power was increasing day by day, though the Ancient Devil Dao did not grow; it merely solidified more each day.

"All-Knowing Senior, may I ask what experiment you are actually conducting on me right now?" Ning Fan curiously inquired.

"Extreme!" The All-Knowing Elder answered Ning Fan with just one word.

This one word left Ning Fan utterly puzzled.

"Extreme? What does that mean?"

"It’s the Master’s Dao! The Master’s Dao is to return all laws to the source, using every extreme method possible. Extreme has divisions in Yin and Yang and has two distinct development directions of creation and destruction. The experiments you’re currently undergoing are all in preparation for truly attaining ’extreme power.’ Mortal muscles can never use their maximum strength, only one to two percent at most, even Immortals. Whether it’s the physical body, Spirit, or divine sense, out of self-protection, one’s power can never fully erupt; otherwise, it would damage oneself."

"Some Immortal cultivators broke the limitations on themselves and created secret techniques to surge their cultivations for a short period. Those secret techniques don’t actually increase cultivation but merely unlock physical limitations in certain areas. Hence, these secret techniques often have side effects. This kind of limitation lift can usually display about thirty to fifty percent of cultivation."

"Typically, when someone gives up everything and blows up their Spirit, only then can they fully lift the restrictions and unleash one hundred percent of their cultivation. Therefore, the destructive power of self-detonation can often destroy heavens and earth and is used only as a last resort for imminent death."

"The Master’s Extreme isn’t just unlocking physical limitations. Physical limitations account for one hundred percent of one’s cultivation; the Master’s Dao goes beyond that percentage..."

"You should have felt it already; these days, although your strength increases daily, what is meant to come will come, and your strength has already reached a bottleneck. This bottleneck wasn’t set by anyone but is an instinctual creation of your body. This bottleneck is your self-protection mechanism, and what I’m going to do next is conduct experiments to forcibly break this limit for you. Be careful, once the limit is lifted, you will be able to fully exert your cultivation. Hence, you must control your power; if you exert yourself too much, your body will retaliate due to not being able to withstand the power and will directly self-destruct!"