Grasping Evil – Chapter 5: Immortal Emperor’s Killing Intent
The sunshine was warm yet the Seven Apricot City was still chilling.
Ning Fan in his distinctive black and white clothing leisurely walked out of the Si Fan Palace. Zhihe walked two steps behind him. Her hair was now tied with the style of a young woman as she wore a thick fox coat, her little hands were still red from the coldness.
“Brother Ning, are you not cold, why are you wearing such thin clothing?”
Zhihe rubbed her hands together and asked with concern.
“Cold, but when you asked me like this, I am no longer cold. It is quite strange.”
Ning Fan turned around to tease her, causing Zhihe to blush.
Taking the opportunity to create the antidote, Ning Fan left the Si Fan Palace, and took Zhihe along. They needed to groom their feelings, since they were already husband and wife.
Otherwise, when Ning Fan truly dual cultivate with Zhihe, it would be hard for him to make a move.
Handsome young man along with the shy girl was a really good atmosphere, but it was spoiled by the old monster.
The old monster walked in front and led the way for these two. Along the way, all of the evil cultivators viewed Ning Fan as a plague, and quickly escaped in a hurry.
“Haha, you two can continue your intimate talks, just pretend I don’t exist. Young people, sigh, when the flower has bloomed, you need to pick it right away, before it becomes withered… Haha…”
The old monster was excited instead of his usual gloomy face in the past. He was smiling like a chrysanthemum flower. Why? Because there was a chance for him to heal his veins completely.
All of the other evil cultivators were escaping when they saw his smiles. From their impression in the past, whenever he frown was when he was actually happy. When he laughed, this was when he wanted to kill.
“Sigh, this boy is the new disciple of the city lord? It is over, he is dead for sure, he must have done something to make the city lord mad.”
Everyone was sympathetic and pitied Ning Fan.
Seven Apricot City’s southern part was a market. It sold many different dans, treasures, and spirit equipments. The northern area was the treasury and medicinal courtyard of the old monster.
This medicinal courtyard was named Apricot Mansion. It used fires as bricks and built in all four directions. The life essences for these medicinal grasses were always rich throughout the four seasons. On top was a formation array, and people couldn’t enter but sunlight was free to shine down. Outside of the Apricot Mansion was a black army, around four hundred people. Their armor shoulders had seven bloody apricot flowers embroidered.
The leader of the black army was a man around two zhang tall, with a Harmonious Spirit cultivation. Ning Fan had met this guy when they greeted the old monster a few days ago.
The man seeing the arrival of the old monster, he suddenly bowed while the rest of the four hundred black guards immediately kneeled down.
“Apricot Guard’s leader Yuchi, greet the city lord! Greet the … young lord…”
All the guards were not willing to kneel down in front of Ning Fan.
“No need for formality, all scram for me,… Wait, today I am in a good mood, you guys don’t need to scram. Come over here, so that my disciple can take a loot.”
The old man laughed. This laugh in the eyes of the four hundred guards caused their spines to chill. But they didn’t dare to go against the old monster’s order, and quickly gathered into a circular and orderly formation with restless hearts.
It is over! The city lord is laughing! He wants to kill people! Could he be blaming us for not protecting the Apricot Mansion well!
This circular pattern was named the “Heaven and Earth Apricot Formation”. They took a few breaths and neatly went into the formation just like their training.
This scene caused the old monster’s expression to be fill with pride, something that he hadn’t shown for the last forty years.
“Little brat Ning, look at it, this is the Apricot Guard, one of the my three guards! One Harmonious Spirit and four hundred fifth level Opening Vein cultivators. They could easilyy destroy a mortal country and destroy a second rate righteous sect. Little brat Ning, go ahead and give an evaluation for my Apricot Guard!”
The chrysanthemum face of the old monster carried a showing off expression. He didn’t know why he wanted to hear the praise of Ning Fan.
But Yuchi and the four hundred apricot guards hearing the praises of this old monster, they were scared from being too loved. One had to know that they had went into numerous dangers for this old man in the last forty years, but he never praised them before.
They stopped shaking and being afraid and started to stand upright. They noticed that this old monster wanted to brag about his power to his new disciple. Since the old monster wanted some face, as his underlings, they have to help him gain some face!
Regarding the evaluation of Ning Fan, they didn’t care at all.
Mighty? Strong? Ruthless? Evil? In the end, these were all praises. They didn’t think that a first level Opening Vein cultivator like Ning Fan, in front of four hundred experts and the old monster, would say some harsh words.
“Since master told me to evaluate you guys, I will say some simple words then…”
Ning Fan calmly spoke, but his incoming words would shock the old monsters and the apricot guards.
“These four hundred apricot guards, they could be considered elites in the righteous faction, but for our evil faction, they could only be considered as … a simple mob!”
The four hundred experts immediately changed their expressions, and angrily wanted to annihilate Ning Fan on the spot. This was only a junior, yet still dare to bluster!
As for the old monster, he was angry at first, but after some thinking, he knew that Ning Fan’s words had another meaning, so he revealed a wistful look.
“Little brat Ning, go on, why are they just a mob? I also want to hear…”
If other masters said this about the Apricot Guard, the old monster would certain turn against them, because he was very protective of his underlings’ shortcomings.
But since it was Ning Fan, the old monster knew that Ning Fan was not someone who enjoyed rowdiness or fake praises.
“There are three reasons. First, they are evil cultivators, yet their killing intents are lacking.”
“What? Killing intents are lacking? Haha? Bullshit!”
“Forty years ago, when I was killing people, you still haven’t left your mother’s womb!”
The Apricot Guard became clamorous, and even drew their weapons, as if they wanted to make a move against Ning Fan. Xiao Zhihe was scared so she started pulling on Ning Fan’s sleeve while the old monster was indifferent without a word.
As for Ning Fan, facing four hundred murderous apricot guards, he closed his eyes and only coldly smiled.
“Other people provoked you with one phrase, yet you all are unable to remain calm, this is proof that your killing intents are lacking. True evil cultivators use killing intent to calm the heart, and their hearts are are fortified as stones even when facing a mountain of corpses and a river of blood. You all cannot do this. Forty years ago, you all could probably have been considered as elite evil cultivators, but forty years later, all of you have been enjoying peace in the Seven Apricot City, and lost your evil heart along with all your killing intents. Weak, too weak.”
The voice of Ning Fan was not loud, but it was calm and clear. Hearing these words, these evil cultivators were flushed with anger, and slowly lowered their weapon at a loss for words.
It was irrefutable, Ning Fan was right, too right!
Forty years ago, the Apricot Guard followed the old monster, with the name “Black Evil Three Godly Armies”, and fought against the righteous factions of the Yue Country, and their evil name was widespread. But forty years ago, the old monster disbanded the Black Evil Sect and joined the Sinister Sparrow School, and the Apricot Guard also followed him to the Seven Apricot City. They only guarded the medicinal courtyard and didn’t perform any killing task.
They did occasionally kill people, but those were just little thieves. That year, under the leadership of the old monster, their Apricot Guard dared to directly attack the number one righteous sect of the Yue Country.
They never stopped thinking about returning to the evil dao, and smilingly traversed the Yue Country again and rampaged the Rain World. Unfortunately, they couldn’t, because the old monster was wounded. He had to hide in order to heal his wound, and they had to hide their killing hearts and throw away their killing intent so that they wouldn’t cause any trouble for the old monster.
They didn’t expect a first level Opening Vein little brat to see through their unwillingness, this brat had such sharp eyes.
Even though they didn’t like being insulted by Ning Fan, but Yuchi along with the four hundred apricot guards did not dispute.
They knew Ning Fan was right, but they still looked down on him.
“Little brat, what do you know! It is not as if we don’t want to kill! We are only here in seclusion because we are truly loyal!”
The old monster remained silent. He closed his eyes, revealing a hint of shame.
Ning Fan continued:
“You all are not convinced, even when I am right. Do you all really feel that because of loyalty, you threw away your killing intent, then one day coming back to the battlefield, the killing intents would come back, and all of you would turn into devil again? You guys got it all wrong…”
“Killing intent, is not only about murdering, but it is also an aura, an evil aura. Like an evil sword still in its scabbard, yet still causing others to be fearful. There are devils who grow flowers and play with fishes in carefreeness, but their killing intents never lessen. They simply hide their sharp edges, and became even more deep and profound. Once utilized, their evil aura would become even stronger. Master left you all to protect the Apricot Mansion was probably so that each of you could learn to hide your auras. But all of you, did not understand the intention of master. Gradually, all you knew how to do was to watch the mansion. At this moment, do you even dare to go kill the Great Void Sect?”
Nin Fang’s continuous comments made the entire place silent.
“What do you think about my killing intent? My killing intent and evil aura is countless times stronger than you.”
Ning Fan smiled.
All four hundred looked up and stared at Ning Fan, then shook their heads.
They agreed with Ning Fan’s evaluation, but they didn’t think that Ning Fan had any killing intent or evil aura on his body.
Ning Fan was a junior of the first level Opening Vein realm. Even though his foresight was original and sharp, but he was still too young and his cultivation too shallow, most likely never killed anyone before. He also didn’t have the chance to immerse in the evil dao, how could he have any killing intent or evil aura?
“Do you guys not believe that my killing intent and evil aura far exceed all of you?”
“Do not believe!”
Yuchi frowned and answered.
“Then I will immediately show you a little of my killing intent.”
At this moment, Ning Fan slowly closed his eyes. In his head, the memories of the Ancient Chaotic Grand Emperor’s killing appeared.
Within the void, countless experts greatly exceeded the Void Fragmentation realm were destroyed by the Immortal Emperor’s one palm.
In a celestial domain, one after another, immortal cities were crushed by him.
Ancient Chaotic Grand Emperor had killed more people than the entire population of the Rain World!
Ning Fan’s killing intent was not high, but he could borrow Ancient Chaotic Grand Emperor’s murderous aura. Even if it was just a glance, it was not something that someone like Yuchi could imagine!
At this moment, Ning Fan suddenly opened his eyes, carrying the killing intent of Ancient Chaotic’s whole life.
In this very second, a prehistoric ferocious beast aura emerged from the body of Ning Fan.
Under his gaze, the four hundred apricot guards all changed their expressions, as if they were not staring at Ning Fan, but an Immortal Emperor!
Fear, overwhelm, helplessness, appall were all the sensations that lingered in their hearts. No one dared to look at Ning Fan even once!
“This is the killing intent of the young lord. How many people did he killed!?”
Yunchi, a Harmonious Spirit realm, could not maintain his composure.
Beneath this aura, he felt humble like an ant!