Chapter 516: Chapter 516: Snow Willow Devil Sovereign
Ning Fan raised his head and looked at the moon. Then, he lowered his head to stare at the water.
The moon in the night sky was as bright and shiny as usual. Its reflection in the water, however, was unclear due to the ripples of the water created by the cobblestone…
The bright moon in the sky above him remained unmoving at its original spot. That was why it should be real.
The moon’s reflection in the water, however, scattered because of the ripples on the water. Thus, it could only be a shadow, something that was fake and unreal…
As for the reason why the fake moon’s reflection would appear, it was exactly because of the bright moon up in the sky.
“What is void? ‘Void’ is the reflection of ‘true’. It exists because of ‘true’… This is the insight I got from these past few days. By understanding this idea, my comprehension of the word ‘void’ can be considered to have truly reached the standard of the Void Glimpse Stage… But…”
The ripples on the water gradually diminished and the water became calm and tranquil again. Standing on the bridge, Ning Fan lowered his head and stared at the moon’s reflection that had reappeared as well as his own reflection in the flowing water.
When he stared at his own reflection, it was also staring right back at him, then their eyes met.
In just an instant, another enlightenment struck Ning Fan’s mind, causing him to suddenly lift his head. He seemed to have gained new comprehension but he could not fully grasp it yet.
Ning Fan turned around and looked at the area behind him. The color of the moon was clear and bright and was shining down on him with its brilliant light, forming a dark shadow behind him.
The reflection in the water was fake but the shadow behind me truly exists…
“Fake shadow… True shadow…”
He calmed himself down and looked at the night sky above this area. He was no longer in the mood to think. Only a faint blankness filled his eyes.
“What is void…?”
He gently raised this question to himself once again.
This time, however, the meaning he was looking for was completely different from when he had first asked this question.
During the first time he asked himself ‘what is void’, he was trying to understand what was fake and unreal. And the answer Ning Fan came up with was that every reflection produced from a true object was fake.
However, when he noticed his reflection in the water, he was at a loss for a while. When he saw his own shadow behind him, he became even more confused. Thus, he raised the same question for the second time.
In his second attempt at asking this question, the ‘void’ he was trying to understand was not regarding ‘void’ but ‘true’.
When he and his own reflection in the water stared each other in the eye, multiple thoughts instantly surfaced within his heart.
“When you are standing on the bridge and staring at the flowing water, your reflection in the water is also staring back at you. You might think that he is your reflection but he thinks that you are his…”
“While you are thinking whether or not your reflection is fake, your reflection is probably also thinking whether or not you are real.”
“When you cast a cobblestone into the water which disturbs it and causes tiny ripples, the reflection shatters. That’s why you think the reflection is fake.”
“However, from the perspective of the reflection, he also cast a cobblestone into the water that is beneath his feet… In the reflection’s eyes, your figure is also being projected in the lake and scattered by the ripples…”
“Is that reflection truly fake…?”
“As for the world that I am currently in, does it truly exist in reality…?”
“Which is the reflection?!”
“Which is the true body?!”
“Who is the shadow?!”
Standing on the small bridge, Ning Fan gazed into the dark night sky with various feelings welling up within him.
He slowly felt that he could no longer clearly distinguish which truly existed between him and his reflection. However, it was because of this that his comprehension about ‘void’ suddenly increased by a great deal!
Everyone born in this world would without a doubt think themselves as real and true existences while their shadows were all fake.
This was merely prejudice.
However, none have ever thought that they might be the shadow, while the mirror world in the water was the real existence.
Ning Fan’s second question touched upon deep and profound comprehension. It contained the supreme principle of Dao Truth which was not something the current him could grasp.
Ning Fan had unknowingly come into contact with the Heavenly Dao in his second question which was something he could not comprehend at the present…
He recalled the past where he was learning under Immortal Sovereign Zi Dou… At that time, he undoubtedly thought that the realm Immortal Sovereign Zi Dou was in was merely a dream, an illusion, an illusory fake world that does not really exist.
Therefore, he also considered the life he spent there together with his mother and Zhi He as part of a dream.
However, when he thought about it now, he could not help but ask himself: could Zi Dou’s illusory world be the true world while the Four Heavens and the Nine Worlds that I am currently living in are mere illusions…?
Ning Fan sighed softly. He wanted answers for all these questions but he could not make sense of it.
He vaguely understood that the reason why the cultivators at the seven cultivation realms of the First Step of Dao Cultivation pursued longevity and the cultivators of the Second Step who had clearly obtained immortality would still struggle in seeking the Dao Truth…
Cultivators at the First Step of Dao Cultivation desired eternal life.
Cultivators at the Second Step of Dao Cultivation yearned to attain Dao Truth. Perhaps it was the only way they could avoid the fate of becoming a shadow or reflection of someone else!
“In the Void Glimpse Stage, one sees the void as void… In the Void Inquiry Stage, the void that one sees isn’t void…”
Ning Fan muttered to himself. He could not provide an answer to his second question but his void comprehension had truly reached the standard of the Void Inquiry Stage because the void he saw was not truly void. It was truly different from the time where he accidentally unlocked the great gate of the Void Inquiry Stage’s bottleneck in the Star Palace which allowed him to control a void network.
Now, he wanted to use his eyes and heart to feel the void network without relying on any opportunities and chances or pills that could help him sense the void.
At this moment, Ning Fan gazed into the sky of total darkness. His eyes became so deep it was as if he could tear apart the space and see the void space beneath them.
Every trace of void power carried a unique network.
One could freely manipulate void power by sensing the different networks in every different trace of void power.
Then, according to the different void networks, one could connect millions of traces of void power together and form the ocean of void.
If one has sufficient magic power, the moment they stand above the ocean of void and achieve a breakthrough, they would become a Void Pierce Stage cultivator…
“The Void Pierce Stage!” Even though Ning Fan’s comprehension had yet to reach the Void Pierce Stage, he could already see the path leading him to it.
As long as he follows this path to comprehend the void, he could break through to the Void Pierce Stage one day!
“The expression in this brother’s eyes really is excellent. It seems like you have already touched on the Great Dao of the Void Pierce Stage. This younger brother is Liu Haoyue. I come from the Tree World. I wonder how I should address you…?”
It was unknown when a man wearing green robes had appeared behind Ning Fan. His long hair was loosely being held up by a hairpin. His smile was warm like the spring breeze and his demeanor was unrestrained and extraordinary. He cupped his fists toward Ning Fan politely.
Ning Fan stopped immersing himself in his thoughts with his expression changing slightly. He turned around and gently cupped his fists at the green-robed man. Inwardly, he was quite surprised.
He never expected that he would meet a foreign cultivator in the outer region of the Sovereign Tomb.
Furthermore, this cultivator was actually not a member of the Rain World but a cultivator from another world!
“Ning Fan. I’m from the Rain World!”
Ning Fan carefully studied the young man. The latter undeniably also entered the tomb using a trace of his soul and his current cultivation base was also just at the Vein Opening Realm.
However, judging from the way he carried himself and the way he talked, Ning Fan was certain that the cultivation base of this young man’s true body was at the Void Refinement Realm at the very least.
When he inspected his qi, he found out that he clearly was a willow tree that had become a devil creature.
A tree not only could cultivate itself into a tree demon but also into a tree devil. As for this young man, he was a tree devil! And he came from one of the Nine Worlds – the Tree World!
“Oh, so this brother comes from the Rain World. Nice to meet you. I thought that you were the same as me who chanced upon a thunder jade token which enabled me to cross the boundaries between worlds and enter the tomb of the Thunder Sovereign.”
“I see. Brother Liu obtained the thunder jade token by chance… Do you have something that needs my help?” Ning Fan was trying to figure out the young man’s intentions of approaching him.
“I saw Brother Ning stand on the wooden bridge for several consecutive days and then I found out that you were actually comprehending the void. I felt impressed inwardly and thus wanted to befriend you and sit down with you to discuss Dao. To be honest, the reason why I entered the Sovereign Tomb is also to comprehend the void.” Liu Haoyue’s smile was courteous and humble. He was genuinely a modest gentleman.
“Fellow Daoist wants to discuss Dao?”
“What is void?!” Liu Haoyue suddenly raised the question. His eyes gave off a mysterious brilliant radiance like the bright moon in the sky.
When he asked this question, he raised his head and stared at the moon in the sky with a puzzled expression.
Ning Fan learned that what Liu Haoyue was asking was the first question he asked himself – what is fake?
“Void is the shadow of ‘true’. Because of ‘true’, the void appears. Because there is light, there is darkness. Because there is reality, there is illusion. For instance, when I stand above the river, the reflection in the river is my void! As for me, I should be real. This originally was the answer I found after pondering this question for a few days. Now, however, I have a different opinion toward this answer.”
“Oh? May I hear the details?” Liu Haoyue greatly admired Ning Fan’s perspective from the start. It was his first time hearing someone comparing the void to the shadow of ‘true’. Even among the Void Refinement Realm experts in the Tree World, not many people had such a keen opinion about void.
However, when he heard that Ning Fan still had another opinion about it, Liu Haoyue immediately perked up his ears, fearing that he might miss out a word.
“Void is the shadow of ‘true’. However, ‘true’ might also be the shadow of ‘true’. It can’t tell which is the shadow. At least, at my current level, I am still unable to see through it… Brother Liu, try looking at the flowing water beneath your feet. When you look at your own reflection in the water, can you really be sure that you are the true existence while your reflection is fake?”
“It’s hard to actually determine which of them is the shadow?!”
After hearing Ning Fan’s words, Liu Haoyue was completely overwhelmed. He was literally petrified at the edge of the bridge, looking at his reflection in the flowing water beneath his feet. The confusion in his eyes deepened.
When he saw Ning Fan comprehending the void in the beginning, he had the intention of making him his friend.
When he asked him the question, he did not expect Ning Fan’s answer to be so shocking.
Not only had Ning Fan viewed the void as the shadow of ‘true’ but he even said that it was difficult to discern between ‘true’ and the void. It was Liu Haoyue’s first time hearing such an opinion.
He could not help but think according to Ning Fan’s thinking. Would he, Liu Haoyue, be only a mere shadow while the world in the reflection of the water was the true world…?
When he started thinking in this manner, it shook his heart. He felt that his understanding toward the word ‘void’ in his entire life was just empty talk. He had never thought of whether or not he was a fake existence before. Does this possibility truly exist…?
“Fellow Daoist’s perspective is insightful and unique. I really am ashamed of my inferiority. However, I still have a second question… What is void?!” Liu Haoyue cupped his fists and asked the question for a second time. His eyes were filled with genuine respect.
When he asked the second question, his eyes were no longer looking at the bright moon but the flowing water instead.
Ning Fan knew that the second question he asked was the question which he was pondering earlier.
“Brother Liu, the focus of your second question isn’t on the word void but the word ‘true’.”
“Do you have the answer?” Liu Haoyue wore an expectant look, hoping to hear a shocking answer from Ning Fan again.
“I’m sorry. I also don’t know what ‘true’ is. However, I once became a disciple of a strong individual and learned from him. He once said a line: why is there a need to discern ‘true’ and void in the world? What you see may not necessarily be true, what you hear may not necessarily be fake! True and void is just a difference in thoughts!”
When Liu Haoyue heard that Ning Fan did not have an answer for the second question, he sighed dejectedly.
But when he heard the second part of Ning Fan’s answer, his mind and soul suddenly shook as if his head was anointed with the purest cream. He seemed to have gained enlightenment from those words.
“True and void is just a difference in thoughts… Well said! Even though Brother Ning has yet to answer my second question, you’ve given me an excellent reply. But I still have a third question… What is void?!”
When Liu Haoyue raised the third question, he was not looking at the moon nor the flowing water. This time, he was gazing into the boundless night sky with eyes that seemed to have experienced the vicissitudes of life.
Ning Fan maintained his silence. He knew that Liu Haoyue’s third question was not asking about ‘true’ or void but the Great Dao instead…
“Brother Liu has been overly stubborn on its external concept. The Great Dao is vast and boundless. Even those true immortals will have to spend their entire lives exploring it. How can I know the answer? Instead of thinking about the Great Dao which is ethereal like smoke, why don’t you live at the moment. When we turn around and look back when tomorrow’s night falls, the path we travelled will be our Dao!”
“The path we took… is the Great Dao…” Liu Haoyue’s eyes that looked confused gradually regained their clarity. When his gaze drifted to Ning Fan again, he sighed with emotion.
“Brother Ning has great wisdom and intelligence to be able to answer three questions consecutively. I truly admire you. If you come to the Tree World someday in the future, you must really pay the Snow Willow Devil Sect a visit. I will certainly welcome you! This is my ‘Spirit Sense Token’. With this token, you can come in and out of the Snow Willow Devil Sect as you please. No one will stop you! Farewell!”
Liu Haoyue cupped his fists at Ning Fan respectfully once again. With a flash, his separated soul was extracted from the Sovereign Tomb.
Ning Fan looked at his travelling light that was disappearing into the distance deep in thought. Then, he inspected the Spirit Sense Token in his hand.
This token was created by truly capable cultivators using the power of their spirit sense which would serve as their proof of identity.
They were convenient and safe to keep as they could be stored inside one’s Sea of Consciousness. The other benefit was that it could be taken in and out of the Sovereign Tomb.
The token was only engraved with four words but they greatly surprised Ning Fan.
‘Snow Willow Devil Sovereign’!
That young man, Liu Haoyue, was actually one of the three great and famous devil sovereigns of the Tree World… the Snow Willow Devil Sovereign. He was a true Void Fragmentation Realm sovereign being!
“It’s beyond my expectations to have accidentally established a friendship with a Void Fragmentation Realm expert of the Tree World…” Ning Fan shook his head and smiled faintly. When he touched the Spirit Sense Token with one of his fingers, it instantly turned into a ray of light and went into the Sea of Consciousness of his separated soul.
His gaze swept across the night sky. In silence, he got down from the small bridge and travelled across the small town.
The sound of music and drum beats accompanied with laughter could be heard from the boats with black canopies on the banks of the rivers.
The air that had drifted into his nose was moist and light with the fragrance of Canola flowers.
The night went by and dawn broke.
Ning Fan was walking on delicately made thin tiles while looking at the imprints on the green bricks beneath his feet. Then, he shifted his gaze to the duckweed that was floating on the water in the pottery jars of the alleyways.
Holding a Qiang flute in his hands, he walked past a clear lake that was covered in reeds and had a large house with brilliant tiles and clusters of tall bamboos.
One day. Two days. Three days…
Along his journey, Ning Fan bumped into some spirit beasts and demonic creatures. However, he eliminated them with a wave of his hand without affecting his mood.
As the days went by, the cultivation realm of his separated soul also increased gradually.
The Sixth Level of the Vein Opening Realm. The Seventh Level… The Tenth Level.
Ning Fan stood at the peak of a mountain and recalled the time where he broke through to the Harmonious Spirit Realm in the past.
At that time, he attained the Harmonious Spirit Realm by relying on a Gold Core Realm Dao Fruit… Those days in Seven Apricot City were gone forever and would never return…
*Roar*
On the top of the mountain, several huge bears possessing cultivation bases at the Tenth Level of the Vein Opening Realm roared and charged at Ning Fan.
Without even turning his head, Ning Fan merely tossed his Qiang flute casually and took the lives of the beasts.
After eating the Vein Opening Realm thunder fruits those bears produced, his weak separated soul broke through to the Harmonious Spirit Realm!
“I’ve reached the Harmonious Spirit Realm… just like in the past…”
Ning Fan’s eyes were filled with reminiscence. He jumped and flew down from the summit. After achieving the Harmonious Spirit Realm, his separated soul could now fly through the sky.
He used the Snow Treading Art which he had not used for many years now and travelled across the sky with gentle steps like before.
Flying high up in the ninth heavens, he directly headed toward the Central Region. Along the way, he alarmed many ferocious beasts in the outer region that had stayed reclusive from the world.
Among them, there were beasts at the early stage, mid stage, late stage and even peak stage of the Harmonious Spirit Realm. However, as long as they were below the Gold Core Realm, none of them could stop Ning Fan’s Qiang flute from killing them!
*Chi* *Chi* *Chi*
When that flute fell in Ning Fan’s hands, it became a supreme magic treasure.
Ning Fan slaughtered, massacring tens of thousands of Harmonious Spirit Realm ferocious beasts while his cultivation base also increased.
Early Harmonious Spirit Realm, Mid Harmonious Spirit Realm, Late Harmonious Spirit Realm, Peak Harmonious Spirit Realm…
When he was on the verge of breaking through to the Gold Core Realm, he recalled the killings he had committed in the past just to achieve the Gold Core Realm.
He recalled the deep friendship he had with Old Ancestor Fire Cloud, the humiliation he suffered in Great Jin and the massacres he had committed in the External Endless Sea…
He remembered all the brave words he had said in the past!
Don’t ask for longevity. Don’t seek to conquer and rule. Just wish to straighten your reflection!
“I’ve reached the Gold Core Realm…” His eyes shined and his vigorous aura force spread across the area. He had broken through to the Gold Core Realm!
He dashed into the Central Region in a ray of light and his arrival immediately shocked countless undead spirits in that region!
In the Central Region, most of the undead spirits had cultivation bases. Additionally, their cultivation bases were not low. There were undead spirits at the Gold Core Realm, the Nascent Soul Realm and even the Divine Transformation Realm.
Ning Fan deliberately went toward areas with barren hills and unruly waters. Wherever he went, he would be surrounded by the undead spirits there. He obviously wiped out the undead spirits of cultivators in those entire areas!
He could obtain a thunder fruit for every undead spirit he killed…
His cultivation base was rising steadily, reaching the Mid Gold Core Realm, the Late Gold Core Realm, the Peak Gold Core Realm… And once again, he was on the verge of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm!
Under the night sky, Ning Fan trampled upon mountains of corpses and seas of blood and walked out from a valley of undead spirits. He gazed at the bright moon above him and recalled the determination he had when he was forming his nascent soul in the past!
He remembered his weakness of being unwilling to kill Zhi He. He remembered the devil in his heart that had been troubling him for many years.
You are my heart’s devil that I can never sever for my entire life…
“I’ve reached the Nascent Soul Realm…” Ning Fan consumed countless thunder fruits which boosted his cultivation base to the Nascent Soul Realm.
Even though there were Nascent Soul Realm and Divine Transformation Realm undead spirits in the Central Region, they did not exist everywhere.
Ning Fan could not obtain thunder fruits through large-scale massacres like before to advance to the Divine Transformation Realm and Void Refinement Realm…
He directly soared into the sky of the Central Region and no longer committed killings anymore and flew toward the area that was close to the Divine Region.
He did not conceal his baleful qi any longer. All the undead spirits along the way sensed his formidable aura force and trembled in fear. None of them dared to attack him.
Standing outside the Divine Region, Ning Fan sensed the unusual ferocious qi from within and stopped moving forward.
He did not plan to enter that region. If the undead spirit of the Thunder Sovereign really exists in the Divine Region, the consequence of entering that region would be death.
It had already been a few months since he entered the Sovereign Tomb. The injuries on his true body in the outside world should have already recovered to a certain extent.
From the time he entered the Sovereign Tomb with his separated soul, he had travelled from the Outer Region all the way to the Central Region until the external part of the Divine Region. Basically, he had already accomplished his initial objective of exploring the Sovereign Tomb.
Next, it’s time to leave the Sovereign Tomb…
Standing on a mountain’s summit, he stared at the faint light in the sky. His heart was at peace.
Be it ‘true’ or void, he did not bother about them at all.
What he cared about was those people, those things and those beliefs…
When you turn around and look back, mortal life is just as imaginary as smoke. As you learn to let go with a smile, everything including the moonlight will disappear.
His eyes were calmly staring at the moon. His feelings, however, were nearly in sync with the Great Dao.
All of a sudden, he had an impulse to pick up all those memories and ignite that moonlight!
The moonlight was ethereal and difficult to find, much less ignite it…
However, Ning Fan had a strange feeling… He somehow felt that he could really ignite the moonlight as long as he willed it!
Throughout his journey in comprehending the void, he did not gain nothing. At the very least, he obtained enough comprehension and these insights were sufficient for him to invent a magic technique!
Looking at the moonlight that seemed fake, he held his chest up and performed hand seals with his ten fingers.
“Perhaps I can create a technique called ‘Void Burning Technique’ before leaving this place…” Ning Fan smiled faintly. If he fuses all the insights he had gained into this technique, he could ignite the moonlight, ignite the void!
He had yet to realize how terrifying the magic technique he randomly created would be.
And how a Void Fragmentation Realm expert would be nearly scared to death by it…
Outside the Giant Devil Clan, an arrogant-looking old man clad in grey robes suddenly arrived while carrying an imperial order from the Rain Sovereign.
“I am Yun Daoku. I’ve received orders to come here and convey the Rain Sovereign’s decree. Where is Zhou Ming? Quickly come out here and receive the decree!”
His voice was not loud and it was infused with aura force at the First Heavenly Layer of the Void Fragmentation Realm which shook the entire Giant Devil Clan!
Deep within his eyes was a hint of coldness. He had already heard about Ning Fan killing King Chi Yao, the person whom he had personally groomed and supported…
Originally, King Chi Yao was still useful. But now that he’s dead…
It seems like I really need to teach this young man a lesson today!
“Where are you, Zhou Ming?!” Yun Daoku shouted coldly. His voice dispersed the gentle breeze and falling snow of the Northern Cold Country, causing mountains to collapse and rivers to break.
Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel
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