Chapter 196 - The Auction in the Pill Cauldron Gate
Chapter 196: The Auction in the Pill Cauldron Gate
After killing the first elder brother, three wisps of grey demonic seals emerged within Ning Fan’s body.
But after the death of the Eagle Crane Elder, the three of them vanished and was replaced by a purple demonic seal.
The grey demonic seals were breakable by Ning Fan since they were planted by the Eagle Crane Elder. The purple one, however, was beyond his capability.
According to his observation, it was most probably planted by a Spirit Severing Realm expert. Evidently, I’ve really gotten myself into trouble with the Demon Sealing Sect. That expert would most likely pursue me by tracking the location of the seal.
This was what normally happens in the cultivation world. Everyone would hold grudges against each other, giving rise to an endless loop of vengeance, unless Ning Fan completely flattens the Demon Sealing Sect!
“Although I’m still not capable of dispelling this seal, it would currently be impossible for that expert to catch me.”
He forced the purple demonic seal into the All-Heaven Relic, concealing its presence and making the expert lose his trail.
The people who knew that I’ve killed the second and third elder brother are only the first elder brother and the Eagle Crane Elder. However, they’re now dead.
The person who knows that I’m the one who offed them is none other than Bei Xiaoman.
Her hostility towards me is still unclear and unpredictable. But at the end of the day, she would never go against the rules of the Lost World Palace and leak any information about me. As such, the only information about me that the Demon Sealing Sect possess would be my surname, Zhou. They may not even recognize my appearance.
As for the Nascent Soul Realm experts who watched their battle, Ning Fan held no sympathy for them.
Even though they were perfectly aware of his and the Eagle Crane Elder’s strength, they still chose to stay. Although they were already injured, they still took the risk. They were no fools. Their true intentions were to obtain some benefits when the two powerful experts become wounded after the fierce battle.
If Ning Fan and the Eagle Crane Elder were to suffer great injuries during the battle, they would have immediately killed both of them regardless of their identities and take their storage pouches!
This was the survival of the fittest of the Endless Sea. Therefore, there was no point in being merciful on them.
Acquiring enough magic power units in order to level up through bitter cultivation alone was an impossible task. Ten thousand units of magic power was needed to become a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator. In other words, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator would need to cultivate bitterly for six hundred thousand years to obtain that much magic power. Unfortunately, the maximum lifespan of a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator was only five thousand years… That is to say, almost every Spirit Severing Realm cultivator became who they were today through endless killing and bloodbath. Of course, it only applied to rogue cultivators, not the disciples who came from sects with powerful backgrounds.
To rogue cultivators, if they want something that they don’t have, they would have to rob them from others. If they can’t get it through robbing, they would need to kill!
If Ning Fan who was a Fifth Revolution Pill Master obediently stuck to creating cultivating pills, he would be able to sell Fourth Revolution or Fifth Revolution Pills and earned quite a lot of money. But it would still be slower than plundering them from other cultivators.
In the clear sky above the Peng Lai Immortal Island, Ning Fan flew freely without any restrictions. According to the rules of the island, only Nascent Soul Realm experts were allowed to fly overhead. When he first arrived, he did not have the right to do that. Though he had it now.
A few breaths later, his shadow landed within Jing Zhuo’s room in the inn.
Jing Zhuo’s lips curved into a broad smile upon Ning Fan’s appearance.
Evidently, Ning Fan was victorious in his battle against the Eagle Crane Elder, though it is still uncertain whether his opponent died or not…
A moment later, the smile on his face was replaced by an astounded look as he sensed the Violent Qi from Ning Fan’s body!
Whenever a cultivator killed someone, he or she would be stained with Blood Qi. Only the killer of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator would have Violent(戾) Qi as the killer destroyed the connection between the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator’s primordial qi and heaven and earth. As for killers of Spirit Severing Realm experts, he or she would have Baleful（煞） Qi because only ferocious devils were able to do that!
If he only killed a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, the Violent Qi on his body should have been blown away by the wind since the current time coincides with the sea breeze season.
But the Violent Qi still lingered around his body. Doubtlessly… he did not just kill a Nascent Soul Realm expert in the short period of time he went out.
“Fellow Daoist Ning… The Violent Qi on your body is… heavy”
“Yes. The lives of eight Nascent Soul Realm experts indeed left a concentrated amount of Violent Qi on my body.”
“What?!! Eight Nascent Soul Realm experts?!” Jing Zhuo lost his composure.
He just went out for a short while. But in that brief moment, he had killed eight Nascent Soul Realm cultivators! EIGHT Nascent Soul Realm cultivators!
Jing Zhuo was born in a low-rank cultivation country – Yue Country. In that country, Nascent Soul Realm cultivators were considered as supreme beings.
Along the journey he spent with Ning Fan, he witnessed how Ning Fan killed the corpse devil. It was a hard-fought battle.
This time, even after killing 8 Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, Ning Fan was unscathed and he still had plenty of his magic power unused. It undoubtedly showed that those Nascent Soul Realm cultivators did not have any chance at all to counterattack!
The Eagle Crane Elder is most likely dead…
To Ning Fan, killing 8 cultivators at his cultivation realm or higher was nothing special to him. Instead, his eyes were calm, showing no other emotions. This indifferent demeanor raised confusion within Jing Zhuo. It made him feel unfamiliar with the man before him but at the same time, he realized that he had seen that look before. Only those powerful Nascent Soul Realm devil lords in the middle-rank cultivation country would wear that look!
“This man is no longer a junior who just joined the cultivation path… Regardless of his age or cultivation realm, he now has the qualities of top devil cultivators. Besides, this man is not only cautious and thoughtful but also full of craftiness and cunning. If he were born in a middle-rank cultivation country, he might have become a powerful overlord. Even the king of Great Jin could not compete with him. *Sigh* Thankfully, I asked the old oracle to foretell a little more about this man which prevented me from offending him . If not…”
The consequences of offending Ning Fan was quite obvious in Jing Zhuo’s mind. If he does not end up like Old Monster Purple Yin, then he would have suffered the same fate as the Eagle Crane Elder.
“Fellow Daoist Jing Zhuo, I think you should return to Yue Country as soon as possible. I seem to have offended the entire Demon Sealing Sect. I’m afraid that the External Endless Sea would be plunged into chaos because of me!”
“Hehe. Actually, I’m also unwilling to stay here any longer even without you mentioning it. The longer I stay, the more likely I will die here.”
“Yes. Keep this storage pouch with you. Can you do me a favor once you return to Yue Country? Kill everyone who offended my loved ones!”
He simply threw one of the storage pouches that he collected from the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators he killed to Jing Zhuo. There was a Low Supreme Grade magical treasure and a few Peak High Grade magical treasures within it.
After Jing Zhuo spread his spirit sense and studied the bag, he was pleased by this unexpected gift. He kept the pouch cautiously and solemnly vowed, “Don’t worry Fellow Daoist Ning! As long as I’m in Yue Country, there won’t be forces like the Heavenly Dao Sect to behave ruthlessly in the country!”
Jing Zhuo knew what Ning Fan, as someone who had accepted the Path of Defiance, needed and it was a promise after giving him gifts.
Having heard Jing Zhuo’s promise, Ning Fan nodded in agreement. Suddenly, his facial expression became tense as if he suddenly remembered something that he forgot.
“I recall that Fellow Daoist Jing owns the ‘lesser flame’ of the Green Phoenix Flame…”
“Precisely! I found this flame by accident during my travels to a few countries when I was still a Gold Core Realm cultivator. If Fellow Daoist Ning needs it, I can expel it by force and give it to you!”
Expelling the ‘lesser flame’ would definitely cost a huge amount of magic power. However, Jing Zhuo would not be so brave to refuse Ning Fan’s request.
To his surprise, Ning Fan gently shook his head. Pondering for a moment, he flicked his finger, summoning the ‘lesser flame’ of the Black Devil Flame.
The Green Phoenix Flame was ranked 8th among the Earth Vein Demonic Flames while the Black Devil Flame was ranked 7th!
He gave it to Jing Zhuo to restore his cultivation realm that was lost after expelling the ‘lesser flame’ of the Green Phoenix Flame. Aside from that, there was a much deeper reason.
“After you take this ‘lesser flame’ of the Black Devil Flame, make a declaration in Yue Country that the Honorable Alchemist Han of Sinister Sparrow Sect, Han Yuanji, only possessed the ‘lesser flame’ of the Black Devil Flame. And that there is no other Earth Vein Demonic Flames in Yue Country.”
“This?! Okay!”
Just as Jing Zhuo received the flame, he instantly understood Ning Fan’s plan.
When they were in Great Jin, the Spirit Severing Realm Demon General had sent the Flower Demon to search for the Black Devil Flame to use for his Dragon Transformation. Earth Vein Demonic Flames were all fifth grade flames. That time, the young Ning Fan was still unaware of the importance of the flame he possessed. Now, he understood that he must never simply display it before any Spirit Severing Realm expert. Otherwise, he would be preyed upon by them.
As a matter of fact, Earth Vein Demonic Flames were not the greatest spiritual flames in the Rain World… There were sixth grade flames and even seventh grade flames!
To avoid any Nascent Soul Realm or Spirit Severing Realm expert who want to intrude Yue Country in search of the flame whenever he isn’t present in the country, he planned to deceive them with news of the ‘lesser flame’. Their interests would never be sparked by a mere ‘lesser flame’.
For Jing Zhuo, however, this exchange would benefit him.
Ning Fan wanting the ‘lesser flame’ of the Green Phoenix Flame was not because he wanted to devour it. On the contrary, he was interested to obtain the ‘greater flame’ of the Green Phoenix Flame that was kept within the Lost World Palace!
Besides, he might need to use this ‘lesser flame’ in the future. Anyway, it would not affect him much even if he did not use it.
Jing Zhuo then left the island.
Ning Fan stood alone in the inn and let out a deep sigh. In his hand, he held a jade that contained a black flame.
The day he achieved the Nascent Soul Realm, he refined the Black Devil Flame again and discovered that a droplet of Blood Essence, imbued with divine intent, was hidden within the flame.
The droplet of Blood Essence was left there by his master, the Old Devil. Within the blood, a warning was concealed within the divine intent. Whenever a Spirit Severing Realm expert tries to sense this flame, the message would be displayed and amplified within their hearts…
Ning Fan finally understood why Revered Snow cared about him so much when they were in Great Jin. It was this message that prevented Revered Snow from seizing the Cold Pine Essence from him.
“Get lost!”
That voice was faint.
The aura, however, belonged to a True Immortal.
The silent shield given by the Old Devil warmed Ning Fan’s heart.
A faint smile finally formed on his icy cold expression.
“Master, it has been more than 10 years. I wonder if you are doing fine in the Sword World…”
He never had parents in his life. The Old Devil was like a father to him who guided him to the path of being a devil.
Back in Seven Apricot City, he had a master and a wife. Although the weather of the city was always frigid, his heart felt warm.
But that warmth was ruined by… Emperor Moksha!
“Han Nietian! I’ve finally achieved Nascent Soul Realm! After this, I’ll achieve the Spirit Severing Realm, then Void Refinement Realm and finally Void Fragmentation Realm! There are still 90 years more. Very soon… I’ll let you taste the punishment of betraying my master!”
…
Inside the inn of Qin Family. It was the place where Ning Fan chose to stay temporarily.
It cost him a hundred immortal jade per day. To Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, it was just a small amount.
Before he achieves Peak Nascent Soul Realm, entering the Lost World Tower for cultivation would be an act of foolishness. It was impossible to achieve the Spirit Severing Realm by merely relying on the absorption of the primordial power of heaven and earth and bitter cultivation, unless he was in a place that had the most concentrated spiritual qi and he possessed heaven-defying potential.
In order to obtain ten thousand units of magic power, it would require him six hundred thousand years of bitter cultivation. Only with pills, inheritances, secret arts and other methods could he shorten the time needed to achieve Spirit Severing Realm.
And in order to achieve that realm in the shortest time possible, he needed to adopt shameless means!
Before he left the Lost World Tower, he had thought of a plan to achieve the next realm. It was to catch all the female rogue cultivators of the External Endless Sea.
The rogue cultivators present in the Endless Sea were mostly cultivators from different countries who wanted to try their luck. As to what ‘luck’ entailed, it was clearly to rob others by force.
Those who do not want bloodshed, they would join a sect and carry out their missions. But the possibility of achieving the Spirit Severing Realm was slim since the resources of all the sects in the Endless Sea were limited.
It was why most of the rogue cultivators in the External Endless Sea carried malicious intentions. Besides, the Endless Sea was not bound by the restrictions of the Rain Palace’s World Law. There were no faults in killing others!
The only hindrance to his plan was that there were only a few female cultivators among the rogue cultivators. In his current state, plucking a Nascent Soul Realm female cultivator would only be equivalent to consuming a Nascent Soul Realm Dao Fruit, which could increase 20 units of his magic power. Mid Nascent Soul Realm female cultivators would provide him more magic power than those of the Early Nascent Soul Realm; while Late Nascent Soul Realm female cultivators would naturally grant him more than that of a Mid Nascent Soul Realm female cultivator. But the difference was miniscule. Even if he completely plucks a Peak Nascent Soul Realm female, emptying her magic power, he would only gain nearly 30 units of magic power. That was the maximum effectiveness he could get from plucking female cultivators with the help of the Yin Yang Transformation.
For ordinary cultivators who practiced plucking, they would only obtain 10 units of magic power from plucking a Nascent Soul Realm female. To them, that much effectiveness was good enough already.
A Nascent Soul Realm Dao Fruit that can increase 20 units of magic power would at the very least cost five million immortal jade. If it were to be auctioned, the price would undeniably go higher. As for Nascent Soul Realm human cauldrons, a single one would cost you three million immortal jade…
In his Cauldron Ring, he already had Bing Ling, Yue Ling and a few others including the Flower Demon and the Wind Demon who were at Nascent Soul Realm.
Ning Fan was unsure whether plucking the female demons would increase his magic power or demon power. If the effect of plucking them would only increase his demon power, he would be unable to break through to the Mid Nascent Soul Realm.
I now have 93 units of magic power. I need 7 more to break through to the next level!
I must really spend the 20 million immortal jade wisely!
Let’s not think about the spiritual wine in the Green Bamboo Palace. Although I heard that there are a few Nascent Soul Realm human cauldrons on sale in the Pill Cauldron Gate. Moreover, an auction will be held there a few days later. Not only human cauldrons were on sale but also other items…
The Pill Cauldron Gate had the best human cauldrons. The human cauldrons were cultivated to achieve Nascent Soul Realm using secret medicines. Even if they had formed their Nascent Souls, they were still being controlled under some kind of seal, which makes them unable to resist.
Purchasing human cauldrons was the most favorable means among cultivators. Each and every one of the human cauldrons were virgins. As long as the cultivator do not kill them after plucking them, the human cauldrons won’t feel disgusted and might act according to the cultivator’s will.
I guess I will not pluck the two demons for the meantime and only do so until after I buy the human cauldrons in the auction.
Before that, I have to handle the Nascent Soul of the Eagle Crane Elder and absorb the corpse qi from the Nascent Soul Realm corpses. If I consume their flesh, it would help in increasing my demon power using the ‘secret art of blood and flesh’.
He smacked his storage pouch, making the Eagle Crane Elder’s Nascent Soul come out. His expression turned cold and he delivered a hit on the Nascent Soul’s head!
Soul Memory Searching Technique!
From his memories, I could not only know the true method of using the Offering Vessel of an Ancient Demon – Phoenix Summoning Art, but also the secrets of the Demon Sealing Sect.
The third brother’s memories were vague to Ning Fan because of his status in the sect. He only knew certain things about the sect which he was allowed to know.
As for the Eagle Crane Elder, he was different. He was the Seventh Elder of the sect after all.
Note :
Measurements :
a. li(里) = 500 m
b. zhang(丈) = 3.13 m
c. chi(尺) = 30.7 cm