Grasping Evil

How much persistence does it take to be obsessed with a game of chess.

Chess pieces like mountains, the board like the sea. Seated at either end, one is a butterfly from another world, the other a lonely Chess Soul.

Fan Xuanji’s eyes showed a nostalgic look, at this moment he was not seeing "Lu Bei" but an old acquaintance in Ning Fan.

On the warm wine stove, a pot of Reed Flower Wine was being heated.

This wine is brewed from the millennial Reed Flowers of the Nanliang Kingdom: in the sea of Nanliang’s Reed Flowers, the reeds bloom once every thousand years, blooming and wilting in an instant. Harvesting the flowers is extremely difficult, brewing the wine even more so, hence Nanliang regards the Reed Flower as its national wine, not to be drunk by anyone but the Emperor and Immortals.

The heating of Reed Flower Wine also has its intricacies, with the fire in the stove not being ordinary charcoal, but derived from the spirit threads drawn from the reed stalks, embodying the meaning of original fire warming original wine.

Legend has it that when Reed Flower Charcoal burns, its flame has five colors, changing according to the onlooker’s heart; but there is also a legend that someone has seen all five colors at once and another who saw the shadow of a Goddess dancing in the fire.

Pouring the wine, Fan Xuanji filled a cup for Ning Fan and one for himself. The Heavenly Dao of the Northern Barbarians is severe and cold like the icy cold reincarnation journey, but this cup of Reed Flower Wine brought a moment of warmth to Fan Xuanji’s heart, cold as stone.

Fan Xuanji: Brother Zhang, do you remember this wine?

Ning Fan: I don’t remember.

Fan Xuanji: What a pity. It seems that, to me, this wine signifies the past, but to Brother Zhang, it perhaps signifies the future.

Memories wafted with the wine’s aroma, like the scattered rain of the mortal world returning to the skies, or Reed Flowers dispersed on the ground returning to the coast.

However, the warmth lasted but a moment, giving way to more memories, leading Fan Xuanji to sigh with exhaustion in the end.

...

First life.

[Xuanji, my disciple, I wasn’t lying.]

A black Buddha holding an Inextinguishable Ancient Lamp spoke thus.

In that life, he fell incredulously before the lotus seat of his mentor, his bones refined into multiple pieces of Bone Chess and cast into the Sea of Reincarnation...

...

[Want revenge, do you? Nine lives’ worth of vengeance, still can be avenged. The question is, what are you willing to pay?] A giant holding a book of Spring and Autumn spoke thus.

In the ninth life, he borrowed the Gongyang Sword, yet the flames of vengeance within the sword ultimately devoured him...

...

[You wish to save your kin. I can assist, but your destiny in this life must be used for my Third Mountain.] A Sage of the Eastern Desolation holding the Scroll of Destiny spoke thus.

In the fifteenth life, he willingly gave up his life and destiny, but the one who took his destiny did not fulfill the promise...

...

[If you take refuge in the Dust Realm, the Infinite Catastrophes will not fall upon your own people. Do you agree?] A King Blood Calamity Spirit awakened from the Calamity Thought spoke thus.

In the twenty-ninth life, he sacrificed himself into the Dust, only to be dismissed by the master of the horsetail whisk with a chuckle, discarded like a speck of dust...

...

[The Buddhist Law and Dao Technique have their limits; the Five Spirit Cultivators are omnipotent. You and I are destined. Would you like to glimpse the Five Spirits with me?] A Buddha shrouded in Five Aggregates Treasure Light spoke thus.

In the forty-third life, he, as a Divine General, once again fell to being a pawn of others...

Haha, who in this world can be trusted? The extinction of a clan is indeed irrevocable...

Fan Xuanji chuckled self-deprecatingly and downed another cup.

"Your memories seem heavy." Ning Fan’s Third Realm eyes could vaguely perceive some of Fan Xuanji’s causal fragments.

"There are also memories not so heavy."

Fan Xuanji looked into his cup of Reed Flower Wine, appearing to travel back to forty-three lifetimes ago, to the day he first met "Lu Bei."

It was a day with a gentle sea breeze, nearing the millennial blooming time of the Nanliang Reed Flowers, each evening on the Reed Flower Sea hosts gatherings of the immortals, waiting for the fine wine to brew.

Buddhist Law and Chess culture thrived in Nanliang; thus, during the immortals’ gatherings, they either exchange Buddhist Law or play and discuss chess.

At that time, Fan Xuanji was still young, merely passing through this country on a visit to a friend, and, coincidentally, caught the bustle, and decided to stay for the fun.

He was a Pluck, not familiar with Buddhist Law, but his chess prowess had reached Ninth Grade, able to stand his ground against some renowned Chess Masters.

Hence, he gained fame, elevated by some as a Go prodigy once in a millennium, becoming smug with pride.

Yet among the immortals, there was one who never participated in the accolades, nor spared him a glance...

It was a black-clad youth, out of tune with the clamor and hubbub, sitting alone where the lights dim. He ignored the feast, the sky full of fireworks, the joyous crowds, his gaze vacant as if nothing existed; only when looking at the reed poised to bloom did some expression flicker in his eyes...

Fan Xuanji: You seem quite idle. Do you have time for a game with me!

Black-clad youth: [Oh? So it’s you...]

Fan Xuanji: You know me?

Black-clad youth: [I know you, yet I don’t. That person has passed, leaving only an echo in the reincarnation, but that’s my perspective, should the perspective change, then everything will be different.]

Fan Xuanji: ???

Fan Xuanji: Stop speaking in riddles! Just say, dare you play a game with me!

Black-clad youth: [I see, this is the source of your forty-three lifetimes’ obsession...Well, there’s still some time before the great battle, and I do need to submerge myself in the Unattainable depths beneath, this is a good time to play a game to calm the mind...]

Fan Xuanji: ???

Great battle? What great battle? Nanliang Kingdom sings and dances, where is this war? What is he talking about? Does he not speak human?

What Fan Xuanji couldn’t accept even more, was this person’s high and mighty attitude!

To him, playing chess with a genius youth like me is but a trivial pastime for calming the mind!

Daring to... underestimate me!

Fan Xuanji: I am Fan Xuanji, born of the Ninth Branch of the Fan Barbarians! May I know your name!

Black-clad youth: [Before the battle ends, I cannot reveal my name easily, but if you can win this game, exceptions can be made.]

What happened later...

Later, Fan Xuanji assumed the upper hand, letting the opponent go first; however, the black-clad youth was not polite, placing the first piece at the center above the Heavenly Primordial Pill.

For an ordinary Chess Master, starting with the Heavenly Primordial Pill often means a slight disadvantage in winning rate, because regular people’s calculation skills are simply not enough to unleash the true power of this move.

But what if someone could calculate everything...

That day, Fan Xuanji saw the form of a deity for the first time!

The deity sat on the Heavenly Primordial Pill, without sorrow or joy; beneath the Heavenly Primordial Pill, were the beings who struggled futilely within their destined fates. No matter how he chased, how he resisted, the deity remained an impassable sky, forever out of reach.

His own attacks were ignored by the opponent, who neither fought nor competed—elusive yet seamless, giving an overwhelming sense of suffocation. The entire chess game was like quicksand, gradually engulfing, dragging one step by step into a deep abyss of despair...

"Impossible! This is impossible! I clearly did not take a wrong step, yet... I still lost! And I don’t even know where I lost..." The young man’s face turned pale, his expression vacant, his worldview shattered.

[As long as one exists within the rules, there will always be a preordained winning, losing, or drawing method for everything. To rewrite it all, one must comprehend destiny and break the rules, this is the heavy burden the reverse traveler faces...]the man in black expressed regret.

It’s unclear if he regretted that he would again lose to fate, or regretted that the youth named Xuanji would continue to encounter deception in the many reincarnations to follow.

"You are so strong already, and yet there are opponents too heavy to defeat..." The young man felt a chill of fear within his heart! The person before him was already as strong as a deity, so what could the appearance be of one whom such a person could not defeat!

[Indeed, the opponent is strong, impossible to defeat, yet I cannot retreat, nor can I compromise...]

[All the world waits for Reed Flower Wine, but what I await is a bloom. Fate is like a cage, blocking observation; in the cage, myriad spirits coexist in life and death. The one who sets the rules must also fear breaking them; the authority to decide reincarnation lies always in the hands of the reverse traveler...]

[No matter how many times the lights go out, there’s always a beam of light piercing through the eons of night, shining upon her return...]

...

"Back then, your words were like riddles, but after enduring the suffering and deceit of forty-three lifetimes, I now gradually understand your reluctance..."

Fan Xuanji put down the wine cup, twirled a chess piece, and began with the Heavenly Primordial Pill.

"Some words are too complicated, hence cannot be articulated, right? Then words are unnecessary! You have your persistence, and I have my obsession! A single chess piece surpasses a thousand words! Just give it everything for this final match! But this time, you must be careful. I am no longer the me of the past, and you are no longer the you of the future. Perhaps this time, I’ll emerge victorious!"

The experience of human-bone chess across forty-three lifetimes left Fan Xuanji not only pain, but his chess skills honed over forty-three lifetimes!

Taken alone, his chess skills fall between second grade and first grade, but if the second grade of forty-three lifetimes stacks together, he has confidence to contend with any first-grade expert!

...

When the Chess Soul aligns with heaven and earth to the extreme, it can summon wind and thunder.

It was clearly just a chess game, yet each of Fan Xuanji’s moves invoked lightning and thunder; and a brilliant move could even create a cataclysmic force of heaven and earth collapsing.

The Fan Family Cultivators observing the game were all amazed by the familiar yet ever-changing situation: both sides had extremely high chess skills, and many ingenious moves were beyond their comprehension, only coming to understand them dozens of moves later.

But this did not stop them from being here, cheering and supporting the old ancestor!

During the great calamity, the former old ancestor abandoned all clansmen and fled alone, while the only strong figure to stand up was Fan Xuanji who fought the Calamity Spirits and saved a few clansmen.

This is why the Fan Family Cultivators chose Fan Xuanji as the new old ancestor, even though everyone knew that Fan Xuanji had not much time left to live.

Having gone through the tragedy of Soul-Seizing Chess, Fan Xuanji already had little time left.

After battling the Infinite Tribulation Spirits, Fan Xuanji further burned out the flame of his Life Lantern.

Fortunately, with the rescue of Nanke the Old Immortal, Fan Xuanji managed to hold on until now, but his weakened body was already like the charred ashes after dry wood burns out, with only a faint spark left, easily extinguished at a touch...

In such a condition, it was not suitable to exhaust himself in a game of chess, yet knowing the hopelessness, Fan Xuanji still pushed his Chess Soul to full power, elevating his calculation skills to the extreme.

Every move blurred his consciousness a little more!

Every brilliant move rapidly dissipated his life force!

This was... the moment of dissipation!

But we Fan Barbarians are meant to burn till the end in the flames, rather die loud than remain silent!

"So intense! Is this a first grade divine match!"

"Both sides’ Black Dragons are exchanged so casually! Who’s leading now? I can’t calculate it! Impossible to calculate it!"

"The calamity has begun! This calamity struggle will determine the final outcome!"

"Don’t lose! Come on, old ancestor!"

The elder Fan family cultivators were all stirred up by the chess match.

But the younger children could not yet comprehend the old ancestor’s persistence. Dao Man Shan was among them.

In truth, with how he was now, he could no longer be considered a Fan Barbarian Cultivator, but was forcibly turned into a Dao Man by Landao Feng; yet when Fan Xuanji saved people, he saved him too...

"Why! It’s just a chess game, is it really worth the old ancestor burning the last of his life!" Dao Man Shan saw the old ancestor he viewed as a benefactor gradually dissipating, and felt his eyes sting, wanting to cry.

"No crying! This is the old ancestor’s last game! Remember earnestly how the old ancestor fought till the end!" reprimanded the child’s grandpa, Fan Shiyun, yet truthfully, Fan Shiyun felt the same sadness in his heart.

The surviving Fan Barbarians here all owe their lives to Fan Xuanji, but just as they were about to repay, they had to bid farewell to the old ancestor - who could remain truly calm in that situation?

But tears cannot be used for farewell!

Rather than mourning with tears, Barbarians prefer to send their tribe members back to the mountains and seas with fierce fires and dances!

"So strong, is this Fan Xuanji’s true chess skill after forty-three lifetimes... This calamity struggle, is my burden heavier... the situation is unfavorable to me, but I can still play!" Ning Fan looked deeply at Fan Xuanji, seemingly intending to remember the man burning to the last.

Irrespective of good or evil, irrespective of cause and effect, any life lived with unwavering persistence is worthy of respect.

"Just a bit more, I need to invest more spirit to calculate to the end..."

"Damn, can’t sustain my spirit power already..."

"Consciousness is beginning to cloud..."

Fan Xuanji felt a growing weakness of spirit, this game, he really couldn’t hold on any longer.

But when he raised his head, seeing Ning Fan’s earnest and respectful gaze, he couldn’t bring himself to speak any words of giving up.

This man, forty-two lifetimes ago, only had eyes for the reed flowers about to blossom; but now, he is earnestly observing the chess game I am most devoted to!

This person does not love chess, I can feel that; yet he still respects my little obsession...

How can I betray Brother Daoist’s goodwill!

"Fan Barbarian Inverse Wilt Technique, Yang Spirit!"

As the feeble voice faded, Fan Xuanji’s weakened body suddenly burst into flames, the reincarnation flame of forty-three lifetimes all converging at this moment!

Before turning to ashes, he could... continue to burn!

At this moment, he activated the Fan Barbarian Inverse Wilt Technique, bit by bit transforming his flame into the fruit of the Niku Dao Fruit.

The Niku Dao Fruit was something he promised to Ning Fan.

The transformation process allowed him to temporarily sustain his consciousness through the burning, enabling him to persist a moment longer in this difficult match.

"No matter the outcome, after this match, I have no regrets!" Fan Xuanji laughed heartily.

This journey of no return, sent off by clansmen, playing against friends, with fine wine to savor—this life is not in vain!

In the fiercely burning flames, Fan Xuanji resembled the twilight after sunset, no longer radiant, but his heart remained fervent!

He infused all his obsessions into the chess pieces, presenting them on the board.

Ning Fan also responded, exerting everything in the struggle for victory.

No one cared about the outcome of this match anymore!

But, destiny still played a joke...

Even turning himself into a blazing sun, Fan Xuanji’s consciousness still could not sustain for long.

He clearly saw a chance for victory, just about to place his piece, but a sudden wave of exhaustion crushed him entirely.

With darkness before his eyes, as he placed the piece, it was slightly off, placed in the wrong position...

This was the match for which he was willing to burn everything! He no longer cared about winning or losing, yet it ended abruptly due to a very basic mistake...

Hard to accept!

Impossible to accept!

But, had to accept...

"This move wasn’t your true intention, was it? If you wish to take back your move, I don’t mind at all..." Ning Fan was not actually a Chess Master, he wasn’t concerned if his opponent wanted to retract the move.

"Thank you, Brother Zhang, for your kind offer, but... no regrets once a piece is placed..." Fan Xuanji shook his head and refused because... he was a true Chess Master.

"As it is, it’s a pity..." Ning Fan sighed.

"Indeed, it’s such a pity..." Under the heavy blow, Fan Xuanji could no longer sustain his consciousness.

Unable to win this match, thus unqualified to know the opponent’s name...

Ha, it was a long life. On that day, I saw the shadow of the God of Go, yet even by the end of the forty-third life, I still didn’t know the true name of the deity...

In the raging flames, Fan Xuanji slowly transformed into a Niku Dao Fruit...

But in the final moment before his consciousness dissipated, Ning Fan suddenly spoke.

"Ning Fan." In the dying firelight, Ning Fan uttered his name.

He was a demoness; when there was no need to hide, he did not shy from revealing his true name.

He hadn’t said it before only because, even if he did, to those of another world, it would all be heard as "Lu Bei".

Indeed, all the Fan Barbarians Masters hearing Ning Fan’s name all heard it as Lu Bei.

But perhaps because his obsession was too deep, Fan Xuanji actually heard the two words he had waited forty-three lives for!

Only, he couldn’t hear them clearly, as countless disturbances muddled it amidst the reincarnation.

Was he saying Lifan, or Ningfan, or perhaps Nifan... unclear, but... this could somewhat be considered knowing the deity’s true name, right...

"Thank you... the Ninth Branch of the Fan Barbarians, I’ll entrust it to you, Lord Nifan..."

...

Within the Thousand Trees Formation, a ceremony to send off the barbarians was quietly taking place, as the Fan Family Cultivators bid farewell to the traveling ancestor.

The Fan Barbarian Inverse Wilt Technique was a great secret of the tribe, only Quasi-Saint Cultivators were eligible to learn and understand it. Thus, these Fan Family Cultivators did not know the price the ancestor paid, coalescing the Niku Dao Fruit.

For the Stone Warriors, though life and death were significant, they were merely temporary partings. Once dead, the souls returned to the Mountains and Seas. If predestined, during midnight dreams, they could still see the ancestor’s soul returning.

So, the Fan Family Cultivators were sad but no one cried, instead, they used bonfires and barbaric dance to bless the ancestor’s peace after death.

On this day, the Ninth Branch of the Fan Barbarians once again lost an ancestor.

But at the same time, they embraced a new ancestor.

Ning Fan was revered by the Fan Family Cultivators as the new ancestor, fulfilling Fan Xuanji’s last wish.

In the dark, it seemed that cause and effect had long been predestined.

Looking at Dao Barbarian Mountain, still a mere child, also joining the crowd in calling him ancestor, Ning Fan truly did not know how to respond.

Clearly, I should be calling you Dao Man Shan Senior, yet now, you revere me as ancestor... reincarnation, indeed, is chaotic and unordered.

No matter what, the Fan Family’s Divine Consciousness Grinding Disc was finally in hand.

Fan Xuanji’s promised Niku Dao Fruit was also in hand: the energy contained within this Dao Fruit was far greater than ordinary Quasi-Saint Dao Fruits; it felt boiling hot upon holding, like grasping not a Dao Fruit, but fiercely burning obsession...

There was one more thing, also falling into Ning Fan’s hand—it was another Five Aggregates Treasure Light.

Jiumo Saint controlled Soul-Seizing Chess, used two Five Aggregates Treasure Lights, one targeting Fan Xuanji, the other targeting Ning Fan.

The treasure light aimed at Ning Fan had already been subdued by Ning Fan.

The treasure light aimed at Fan Xuanji attempted to escape when Fan Xuanji perished but was captured and seized by Ning Fan instead.

After numerous recognizing master seals were cast, Ning Fan ultimately came to possess the second Five Aggregates Treasure Light, merging the two treasure lights into one, greatly enhancing its power.

The treasure light that attacked Ning Fan took Jiumo Saint three reincarnations to nurture.

The treasure light that conspired against Fan Xuanji was formidable, taking Jiumo Saint six reincarnations to nurture.

Thus, after the two treasure lights merged into one, the newly born Five Aggregates Treasure Light possessed the power of nine reincarnations. Before this treasure light, the mighty Ant Lord, a Decemcentennial Saint, would surely find it formidable...

Ant Lord: Find another to measure, I beg you!

Ning Fan: Next time, for sure.

The Divine Consciousness Grinding Disc held by the Fan Family was only at the level of Nine Reversal Seventy-One Desiccations.

Though the level wasn’t high, Ning Fan’s Ancient Country’s four artifacts were finally assembled, albeit temporarily unusable, needing to be handed to Nanke the Old Immortal for the salvation of the Northern Barbarian God.

With the Ancient Country’s four artifacts in hand, Nanke the Old Immortal can use the Primordial Inverse Moon Formation to draw down the moonlight of the Ancient Country to heal the Northern Barbarian God.

"The Primordial Inverse Moon Formation..." The name of this formation sounds very similar to the Primordial Inversion Dust Formation used by the Taicang Calamity Spirit to blood sacrifice living beings, but its power and effect are entirely different.

Inverse Dust, Inverse Moon... I find myself increasingly entangled in the great secret of Heaven and Earth; even without causality, in attempting to defy destiny, I long ago lost any retreat...

Born as a demoness, I must always wear the mantle of a villain!

"Treating Hongling will require quite a bit of time. During this period, I’m unable to divert my focus to fend off the attack of the Immeasurable Tribulation on the Thousand Trees Formation, so I must entrust the task of combating the Immeasurable Tribulation to you, my young friend," Nanke the Old Immortal requested.

"Rest assured, Senior, I won’t let the Immeasurable Tribulation interfere with Hongling’s treatment," Ning Fan nodded and walked out of the formation.

"Big Brother Fan... Is Senior Brother going out to do something dangerous again? Is there any place where I can help..." Bai Ling murmured softly.

"..." Ning Fan paused, looking back at Bai Ling, who is so frail that even a gentle breeze could knock her down; he really couldn’t bring himself to utter hurtful words like "You’re too inexperienced to help me" or "The Immeasurable Tribulation Spirit could make you cry twice with just one punch".

"Can you... cook?" he asked after pondering for a while.

"Ah?" Bai Ling was stunned. Masters have all mastered fasting, no need for food, and naturally, there was no requirement to cook. Besides, she used to be unable to see or speak and dedicated herself entirely to playing chess; cooking wasn’t something she knew how to do...

But if Big Brother Fan wants to eat, she would try her best!

"You remain within the formation and help me gather some food. I’m different from ordinary people; if I continue to fight, I’ll feel hungry..." He didn’t elaborate on the Divine Spirit Physique, clearly not wanting Bai Ling to delve too deeply into great secrets.

"Rest assured, Senior Brother! With me here, I’ll ensure Senior Brother doesn’t go hungry!" Bai Ling suddenly remembered that after being rescued and brought to the Thousand Trees Formation, first healed by Senior Nanke, she’d often experience strange dreams thereafter.

In that dream-world grew a giant sycamore tree with a human face, revered by dream-world creatures as Grandpa Tree; from Grandpa Tree, numerous high-grade Dao Fruits sprouted. Once, while chatting with Grandpa Tree in a dream, he delightedly gifted her some fruit. Upon awakening, the fruit truly lay by her pillow, magical and indistinguishable between dream and reality...

If I ask Grandpa Tree for more fruit in the dream, it should be ample for Big Brother Fan to eat, right? Although I’m unsure if Grandpa Tree would be willing to give more...

"Heh, is this a woman’s heart turned outward?" Nanke the Old Immortal smiled wryly, seemingly seeing through Bai Ling’s thoughts.

He has those fruits hidden away in dreams, and if he is unwilling, even the Inverse Moon Bloody Gourd of the First Reversal can’t easily steal them... But if Bai Ling requests, indeed he can only yield, right? After all, both Hongling and Bai Ling sprouted from my tree’s Five Spirit Enlightenment Flowers, they are both little sisters... A little sister’s request is hard for an elder brother to refuse...

Whatever, if little sister needs Enlightenment Fruits, then some shall be granted...

...

The Immeasurable Tribulation will not cease until the tribulation-crossers succeed or abandon their attempts.

During this period, the tribulation-crossers cannot escape the Immeasurable Tribulation’s lock, and the site of tribulation will similarly be affected, continually enduring tribulation until it’s concluded.

Ziwei Demon Monarch triggered the Immeasurable Tribulation in the Northern Barbarians Kingdom and then retreated into his realm to cross the tribulation and become a Saint within.

After all, nowhere is safer or more shielded from external influence than one’s realm.

Ordinarily, Saints first attain sainthood and then progressively cultivate Mountain and Sea, understanding their realm.

Yet, extraordinary talents like Ziwei see Mountain and Sea and find a realm before entering the Third Realm, naturally gaining a significant advantage on the path to sainthood compared to others.

A realm exists beyond any temporal cycle of reincarnation and is disconnected from the worldly truth and illusion; as long as Ziwei does not step out of his realm, those outside nearly have no chance to track his whereabouts or disrupt his tribulation.

"One hundred twenty-seven thousand six hundred years..." Outside the Thousand Trees Formation, Ning Fan gazed at the endless tribulation clouds above, perceiving through his Third Realm eyes how long this catastrophe would continue.

This duration precisely equates to one Yuanhui, no more, no less—set as the period for Ziwei Demon Monarch’s tribulation.

Even with Ziwei Demon Monarch’s methods, encompassing the entire Yuanhui is necessary to perfectly pass through the Immeasurable Tribulation.

He is one who pursues perfection to the extreme, disinclined to risk any margin of error. If he dared rely on brute force to cross the tribulation, he could certainly become a Saint in a shorter time, yet the path to sainthood would bear imperfections, hindering its perfection. Hence, Ziwei elongated the tribulation time, seeking the optimal solution to become a Saint...

But it inflicts suffering on the Northern Barbarians Kingdom!

As long as Ziwei Demon Monarch doesn’t become a Saint, or gives up, the Immeasurable Tribulation over the Northern Barbarians Kingdom will henceforth never come to an end!

Even if survivors evade the initial slaughter of Immeasurable Tribulation, they still endure the tribulation spirit’s hunt throughout an entire Yuanhui. Without Nanke the Old Immortal’s protection, after a Yuanhui, surely not a single blade of grass would remain in the Northern Barbarians Kingdom...

"It’s unfortunate for you; your path to sainthood is doomed to be imperfect with me here. Once Senior Nanke heals Hongling, our causality will be reckoned!"

Screech!

A sudden furious cry resounded from afar.

Followed by an Immeasurable Mingque, once slain by Ning Fan but now reborn under the power of Immeasurable Mountain, charging in fury!

Having witnessed Ning Fan’s prowess, the Immeasurable Mingque lacked confidence to fight Ning Fan alone.

This time, it returned with many companions to besiege Ning Fan!

The fourteen calamity spirits previously killed by Ning Fan all resurrected, returning for revenge!

However, they aren’t the most daunting aspect; along with fourteen calamity spirits, countless Pluck cultivators who perished in the Immeasurable Tribulation were assimilated into calamity spirits and joined the assault. Among them was a former ancestor of the Fan Family, Fan Lianhai!

While alive, Fan Lianhai was a Second-Grade Quasi-Saint, fleeing alone during the Immeasurable Tribulation, only to be killed by calamity spirits; but now, Fan Lianhai revived as a calamity spirit, with all spirit awareness erased, leaving only the thought of slaughter! Moreover, his aura no longer fell short of that of the Ancient Great Cultivator!

He has become a calamity spirit with Genuine Blood of Nine Stars!

"Fan Barbarian Inverse Wilt Technique, Yang Spirit!"

Fan Lianhai raised a single hand, lifting the Immeasurable Raven as vast as Cultivation Star above his head, then employing the unique Dao Technique of the Fan Barbarians to ignite the Raven!

In an instant, golden flames engulfed the Immeasurable Raven, eventually consumed by a sea of fire, transforming into a genuine sun, glaring and brilliant! Within the sun, countless Crane Shadows appeared, and then the sun descended, scorching waves surging from the heavens, instantly melting the eternally fixed ice of the Northern Barbarians Kingdom!

Ning Fan’s expression changed.

The mere explosion of the Raven can annihilate thirty-three Fans; with the support of the Fan Barbarian Inverse Wilt Technique, the sunlight from the Raven’s Yang Spirit, once detonated, may well obliterate three hundred Fans entirely!

The Immeasurable Tribulation is truly intent on annihilating me!

Very well, let me die once, for your self-imposed killings!

Zengzhang Infinite... Open!

National Defender Unbeatable... Open!

With Ning Fan secretly activating the power of Duowen Wushuang, in an instant, his jet-black hair turned snow-white, while his white robes turned black...

At this moment, he gazed upon the world’s Heaven and Earth as if inverted!

In this moment... his blood and Qi increased a hundredfold, and so long as he treads on the land, he is unbeatable!

"Mere fireflies, fade away with the Northern Barbarians as one!"

At the next instant, Fan Lianhai’s bloodshot eyes glared, his demonic laughter ringing as he fully ignited the Raven’s Yang Spirit.

Blazing golden flames, in a single moment, engulfed the entire Northern Barbarians Kingdom, veiling the entire world in piercing brilliance...