Grasping Evil

Chapter 167(1): Holding Hands

For the past three months of voyage in Wei Country, Ning Fan didn’t cultivate demonic arts. Instead, he used the Burning Blood to refine Burning Blood Pills.

The pills were Three Revolution Pills which could improve the Colossal Bone Secret Arts’ level. They can also raise the Body Refining Realm.

But a side effect existed in consuming pills. The pills would make the one who take it experience agonizing pain or worse, turn them mad.

The madness could only be appeased by killing someone.

After discovering that one had to join forces with Jin Country’s cultivators to eliminate the demons in order to borrow the Teleportation Formation, temptation as well as caution appeared in Ning Fan’s mind.

Involving himself in the killings was a good chance for him to release his pent-up killing intent after consuming the Burning Blood Pills.

However, he was cautious about the man who moved towards their direction with haste.

He was at Mid Nascent Soul Realm and his intentions were unknown.

When he called out Suqiu’s name, he immediately turned into a luminescent spot and glittered in the sky. After a few breaths, he leapt across hundreds of li and landed on the Seven Apricot Voyage Ship.

Ning Fan was incapable of teleporting at such speed.

That man had an appearance of a young man in his twenties, but the age of his bones were approximately seven hundred years. He was doubtlessly an old monster.

His tall and robust physique was covered by a silver robe. A glint of madness that was impossible to miss could be seen within his eyes.

His name was Yun Kuang. He was another of Rain Palace’s divine messengers!

His emergence caused an uproar among the Gold Core Realm old monsters at the boundary of the country.

“It’s him! ‘Night Blade’ Yun Kuang!”

“He achieved Nascent Formation in just five hundred years and broke through the Mid-Nascent Soul Realm within two hundred years. He was ranked top fifty among the divine messengers in the southeastern continent!”

Night Blade… It was said that he always carried out duties assigned by the Rain Palace alone at night. At the arrival of dawn, he would return with the targets’ heads, successfully accomplishing the mission. As such, the name of “Night Blade” began to spread.

He was known for his wild and arrogant character. After receiving the inheritance of the Divine Intent Stone, he not only learned the forged divine intent, but also integrating a wisp of his madness with it.

That incident was regarded as something significant by one of the Revered Elders of Rain Palace in the southeastern continent.

It was truly beyond everyone’s expectations to deliver such an expert to assist Great Jin. Great Jin’s demon tide was utterly fearsome.

Upon meeting him, even the haughty Gold Core Realm expert of Jin bowed his head down and greeted him respectfully.

“Revered messenger!”

“Drop the formalities.”

He waved his hand and stood on the ship, facing Yin Suqiu. A leisurely broad smile formed on his face and his madness receded.

Ning Fan frowned slightly at his appearance.

A person who achieved Nascent Formation in five hundred years and broke through to the Mid Nascent Soul Realm in seven hundred years could only be ranked within the top fifty divine messengers in the southeastern continent.

He was extraordinary but the background of Rain Palace was even more unfathomable.

As his forged divine intent was forged with his madness, his aura of arrogance gave off great pressure as it began to sweep across the surroundings just by standing on the ship.

He deliberately avoided exerting his aura on Suqiu but released it to Ning Fan and Jing Zhuo without any reservations.

Jing Zhuo let out a deep snort and his face reddened. Although he was already at the Half-Step Nascent Soul Realm, he couldn’t withstand such intimidating pressure.

On the other hand, Ning Fan firmly remained on his original posture while facing the pressure.

“Hmm?”

Yun Kuang was inwardly shocked. He then studied Ning Fan with his spirit sense but disregarded him after discovering that he was just a Half-Step Gold Core Realm cultivator.

Originally, his intention of releasing his pressure was to gain awe from Jing Zhuo who was at Half-Step Nascent Soul Realm.

However, he didn’t expect that Jing Zhuo wouldn’t be able withstand his aura and it was Ning Fan who looked fine under his intimidating pressure.

“Hehe! This little friend seems to be blessed by lady luck for having some kind of magical treasure that can withstand my pressure. It’s fine. Since you are Suqiu Xianzi’s junior, I won’t rob you.”

He conceitedly presumed that Ning Fan relied on a magical treasure to evade his pressure. With that assumption in mind, he never looked at Ning Fan anymore. Instead, he turned towards Yin Suqiu and began to express his concern for her.

“Suqiu Xianzi, your beauty never cease to amaze me. Even though we hadn’t met for a hundred years, your beauty still manages to enrapture my heart. That year, I offered a million immortal jade for your smile. However, you rejected my offer. Every time I think of it, I sigh in disappointment. Can it be that your heart is made of stone? Anyway, I didn’t think that we would meet again in this country. Perhaps we are fated to see each other again, what if…”

“I am not fated to be with you…” Suqiu knitted her eyebrows and distanced herself from Yun Kuang, shortening her distance with Ning Fan.

She disliked the wild attitude of this person. His blatant display of pressure made her despise him even more.

As for the incident of exchanging her smile with a million immortal jade that happened a hundred years ago…

It had turned into a story on everybody’s lips in the southeast continent. However, Suqiu didn’t enjoy it. Instead, her hatred for him grew even deeper within her.

She admired Ning Fan more than him.

Ning Fan’s heart was very deep like that of a pool of bottomless water.

He didn’t pretend to act in that manner. In fact, his silence was the result of experiencing great suffering.

The most crucial element was that he and Suqiu shared a similarity, which was their persistent attitude. The things he persisted on were even harder and heavier than hers.

When they were still in Wei Country, Suqiu stayed on the voyage ship and asked about Ning Fan from every Wei cultivator that passed by the ship every single day.

The mysterious Nascent Soul Realm cultivator defeated a female Nascent Soul Realm demon. Suqiu knew clearly that it was Ning Fan’s achievement. She understood that Ning Fan didn’t like fame.

Old Ancestor Zhou Ming returned to Yuanjue and beat the seven sects, surpassing all the others in Wei Country. Suqiu was aware that Old Ancestor Zhou Ming was actually Ning Fan.

Although Suqiu disagreed with the killings and robberies he committed, she knew that Ning Fan did not have any other alternatives but to conduct those misdeeds for reasons that he was unwilling to discuss. He persisted on guarding his own Dao. He had to protect his kin. Therefore, no matter how notorious he became, he didn’t mind and always put on a smile.

Old Ancestor Zhou Ming won against two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators from the Rain Palace. That incident had caused commotions among the Gold Core Realm cultivators of Wei Country. When Suqiu heard about it, she was surprised and at the same time, felt pity for him.

He was just a Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivator. Even though he hadn’t form his Gold Core yet, he always acted stubbornly just like how he forced himself to fight against the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

When Ning Fan returned to the ship, he thought that he would be condemned by Suqiu for all his crimes in Wei Country. Ultimately, Suqiu just quietly played her flute for him and gave him a sweet smile.

“You really are a fool…” Suqiu spoke inwardly.

She finally noticed that he imprinted a deep impression in her heart. However, she wasn’t prepared to tell him about it because she knew that his emotional debt for the others was too heavy. There’s no point in giving him additional trouble to deal with.

Now, Yin Suqiu acted cool and indifferent towards Yun Kuang.

In the past, she would still strike up a conversation with him, considering him as a cultivator of the righteous path even though she hated him.

In the present, she thought that his actions were laughable.

He might be more talented than Ning Fan. His cultivation realm might be much stronger than Ning Fan. But Suqiu had a strong belief that he was still unable to surpass Ning Fan. His Dao wasn’t any better than Ning Fan’s and his heart wasn’t as good as him as well. His action of exchanging her smile with a million immortal jade could never be compared to the bracelet that Ning Fan gave her and the warmth of Ning Fan’s jokes.

He was nothing compared to Ning Fan even if he was a well-known Mid Nascent Soul Realm divine messenger from Rain Palace.

It was then that Yin Suqiu did an action which shocked Ning Fan and at the same time, provoked him.

She gently held Ning Fan’s hand and looked at him, giving him her beautiful smile.

That smile was so rare as if it used up all her happiness throughout the six hundred years of cultivating her Dao to put it up on her face.

Those indifferent Gold Core Realm old monsters who were spying on them using their spirit sense were captivated by that smile.

A single smile could mesmerize all the people in a city. Another smile could even draw in a whole country.

“Yun Kuang, we aren’t destined to be together. I am only destined to be with him.”

I am indeed destined to be with him but fate doesn’t allow us to be together.

We can only hold each other’s hands but we couldn’t grow old together.

That last sentence didn’t come out from her mouth. Instead, she kept those words deep within her heart.