Bei Xiaoman was completely at a loss for words.
She really wanted to find a reason that would allow her to threaten Ning Fan. She really wanted to take back her protector, Grandpa Stone Warrior. She wished that she could retrieve her Yuan Yao Jade too. She could not stop thinking of the time when she would finally defeat him and would no longer need to see his villainous smile again.
After she had attained the Divine Transformation Realm, she once thought that she could beat Ning Fan and teach him a lesson.
However, it was a fact that Ning Fan’s combat power had improved so much and he was now way stronger than Bei Xiaoman after twenty years.
At the first time they met, Bei Xiaoman was a cultivator who was half a step away from attaining the Divine Transformation Realm while Ning Fan was just a Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivator whom she would never even dart a glance at.
After Ning Fan attained the Nascent Soul Realm, he managed to subdue Bei Xiaoman by using his Yin Yang Transformation while she was on her period. That defeat made Bei Xiaoman feel really dissatisfied.
After Ning Fan seized her Yuan Yao Jade which was supposed to be a token of love, abducted Stone Warrior and played with her private part, Bei Xiaoman thought that she would hate Ning Fan to the core.
However, when she was in the midst of attaining the Divine Transformation Realm in the Sea of Clouds, she could not help but praise Ning Fan after hearing her sister and mother praising a genius respectively.
She thought that she deeply hated Ning Fan and eagerly wished that he would be killed by Revered Flame.
However, when Ning Fan was really in danger, she did not know why she was especially anxious and felt the urge to help him.
Why would I be like this?
Bei Xiaoman had never thought about that. Currently, when she saw the pleased smile on Ning Fan’s face, her mind went blank and she even felt her heart skip a beat…
This smile is really charming.
But why does the owner of this smile always bully me…
Why would the owner of this smile rather help an unfamiliar woman and avenge her by killing the bad guys than treating me a little better?
Her expression turned grim. She felt kind of sour and bitter. After that, she blurted out words which seemed to be the doings of ghosts and gods.
“Please give me back my Grandpa Stone Warrior… If not… I will definitely not forgive you… DEFINITELY!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Bei Xiaoman was stunned. What right did she have to not forgive Ning Fan? Who was she to Ning Fan?
Ning Fan was also slightly surprised. He originally thought that Bei Xiaoman would shout, yell and threaten him in a harsh way like saying how she would get revenge on him. It was really beyond his expectations that the way she would threaten him was by telling him that she would not forgive him.
Ning Fan heaved a sigh inwardly. The current version of Bei Xiaoman left him with no desire to bully her.
He produced a puppet made of stone from his storage pouch and blew a mouthful of breath at it. As soon as the wind touched it, it started to grow and eventually turned into Stone Warrior which she had not met for a long time.
“I gave Stone Warrior my word in the past that I will let him return to the Lost World Palace someday in the future. Today is that day and I shall now return him to you!”
*Thud*
Bei Xiaoman’s heart experienced waves of ripples like those on the surface of a lake when a cobblestone was dropped into it.
The words she said earlier about not forgiving Ning Fan were just something she blurted out subconsciously. She did not expect that her words would change Ning Fan’s mind.
She also didn’t believe that Ning Fan who mingled with both the righteous and evil paths and gained the titles of Venerated Eighth in the Internal Endless Sea as well as a revered being in the Rain Palace would care about whether she would forgive him or not.
However, after she had said those words, Ning Fan returned Stone Warrior to her without any hesitation. It… it just didn’t make any sense!
“Is this a dream?” Bei Xiaoman’s cheeks flushed red and she was at a loss for words.
“Just pinch your face and you’ll know…” Ning Fan casually lifted his hand and pinched her cheek. Then, a corner of his lips curved upwards and formed into a mischievous smile. “Does it hurt? If you feel the pain, then it means that you aren’t dreaming.”
“It’s so painful! Zhou Ming, you have gone too far in bullying me! Y-Y-You!”
Bei Xiaoman blew her top once again. The favorable impression that she just had of Ning Fan immediately vanished like drifting smoke. She fiercely stomped on the ground and ran out from the southern tower while covering the part of her cheek which turned reddish after being pinched.
At this moment, there were only Lu Qing, Stone Warrior and Ya Lan left inside the southern tower.
Everyone including Stone Warrior were at a loss for words… Well, they were dumbstruck by the fact that Ning Fan really dared to pinch Bei Xiaoman’s face who was actually the Fourth Mistress of the Northern Heaven…
Looking at Bei Xiaoman’s figure who was running away from embarrassment, Ning Fan’s eyes shone. He suddenly realized that it was fun to bully that silly little girl.
“Big Brother Zhou, thank you so much for your help. If it wasn’t for you, Ya Lan would probably have already…” Ya Lan’s words broke the silence in the hall.
“You’re welcome, it’s just a trivial matter. It has been two decades since the last time we met and Miss Ya Lan has already attained the Gold Core Realm. Your natural talent is actually quite extraordinary.”
After listening to Ning Fan’s praise, Ya Lan’s face immediately turned red. She had naturally made use of the power of the Lost World Tower to achieve the Gold Core Realm within twenty years. Even so, it was enough to prove that she had extraordinary potential.
As a matter of fact, there were many cultivators who had complimented her before. Moreover, there were also a lot of admirers pursuing her. However, none of their praises could ever put a smile on her face.
When Ning Fan just gave her a small compliment, she became so happy and she felt that her hard work in the past two decades was not in vain.
“Miss Ya Lan, your complexion doesn’t seem to be very good…”
Ning Fan took a glance at Ya Lan’s delicate face and noticed her complexion was slightly pale. It seemed like she was affected by Gu Zhen’s attack and was slightly injured. There was also a streak of blood on her cheek. It was a cut that was left by the broken pieces of the teacup that was flung towards her.
A trace of black starlight revolved around Ning Fan’s fingertip which he directed at Ya Lan’s cheek. Within a second, the wound on her charming face healed without leaving any scars.
“Here are some pills and Dao Fruits which are enough to aid you in stabilizing your Gold Core Realm cultivation base and can even help you break through the middle and late stages. With Miss Ya Lan’s natural talent, it won’t be too difficult for you to attain the Nascent Soul Realm in your lifetime. It may not necessarily be hopeless for you to break through to the Divine Transformation Realm. The elders of your family were really short-sighted. I suppose they will certainly regret giving you to Gu Zhen after you attain the Divine Transformation Realm thousands of years later.”
Ning Fan praised her in a generous manner and gave Ya Lan a small pouch.
After Ning Fan praised her again, her heart was filled with joy and shyness. When she checked the pouch using her spirit sense, her facial expression was immediately filled with shock.
“There are so many pills here and there are even Gold Core Realm Dao Fruits in it! They are too precious. I can’t take this!”
“Just keep it.”
Ning Fan casually waved his hands in response. A few bottles of Third Revolution pills and a few Gold Core Realm Dao fruits were actually nothing to him who had almost one hundred thousand Gold Core Realm Dao Fruits.
“Big Brother Zhou, I can’t repay you for these precious gifts…”
“It’s fine. For now, you should take the pills and get some rest to prevent leaving any internal injuries. I still have something to talk to Fellow Daoist Lu Qing and Stone Warrior.”
“Mm.” Ya Lan obediently nodded her head. She knew who Old Ancestor Lu Qing was as he was the Divine Transformation Realm expert who was guarding the Lost World Palace. As for Old Ancestor Stone Warrior, even though she did not know him, she occasionally heard some rumors about him.
These Divine Transformation Realm old ancestors were beings that she wouldn’t be able to usually get in touch with because of her identity. However, because of Ning Fan, she could actually stand in the same place with them.
This is really like a dream.
Ya Lan returned to her room to rest as she was told but Ning Fan’s words kept echoing in her mind. She never believed that she would have any hope of attaining the Nascent Soul Realm, much less the Divine Transformation Realm. However, after Ning Fan praised her for her extraordinary natural talent and reassured her, confidence suddenly rose within her.
Yes, I must practice hard. When I attain the Divine Transformation Realm someday in the future, I wonder whether or not he will refuse me again if I offer to be his partner once again.
“What nonsense am I thinking of!” Ya Lan awkwardly patted her reddish face.
Inside the southern tower, the atmosphere became silent again after Bei Xiaoman and Ya Lan left.
Ning Fan looked at Lu Qing and Stone Warrior with interest. Currently, Lu Qing’s face looked like he was completely bewildered while Stone Warrior looked rather surprised.
While Ning Fan was dealing with Bei Xiaoman and Ya Lan, the two of them were also having a little conversation.
Lu Qing looked extremely puzzled because he only found out now that Stone Warrior hadn’t been guarding by the mistress’s side at all in the past twenty years. It was just too horrible! He, Lu Qing, did not have the slightest idea when Stone Warrior was abducted by Ning Fan!
Stone Warrior felt surprised because he had just heard that Ning Fan killed Revered Flame and was granted the title of a revered being of the Rain Palace. Every single time he showed up, Ning Fan would definitely give him a bigger surprise than before. He suddenly realized that the current Ning Fan was already standing at the pinnacle of power in the Endless Sea!
“Fellow Daoist Stone, I have already returned you to the Lost World Palace as promised. Do you have anything that you want to tell me?” Ning Fan hinted.
“*Cough* Please excuse me.”
It was only then that Stone Warrior recovered from his surprise. After all those incidents that he had gone through together with Ning Fan, he was finally released back to his original place twenty years later.
He knew that what Ning Fan wanted to hear from him wasn’t words of appreciation, but a promise.
Stone Warrior had been by Ning Fan’s side for a very long time and the secrets he knew were, of course, a lot. If any of those secrets were to be leaked out, especially the Heaven Sealing Technique and Grievance Technique, there would be countless True Immortals from the Four Heavens of the Immortal World coming to hunt Ning Fan down.
“I’m willing to vow before Revered Ming that I will never disclose anything that has happened in the past twenty years to anyone. If I go against my vow…”
Before Stone Warrior could finish his oath, Ning Fan interrupted him.
“Enough. You don’t have to make an oath of death. After all, death doesn’t matter to you, does it? You have my trust!”
After spending twenty years with each other, Ning Fan had a deep understanding of Stone Warrior. He was a courageous being who didn’t fear death and wouldn’t utter any nonsense. If he promised not to divulge a secret, he would certainly carry the secret to the grave.
“In the future, please protect Bei Xiaoman with utmost care. Don’t ever let her create any more troubles. Now, my relationship with the Lost World Palace is not as distant as before. I should really help her take care of Bei Xiaoman.” Ning Fan’s eyes seemed to be recollecting old memories. In his mind, he recalled a woman whom he had a few trysts with.
“Her?” Stone Warrior certainly had no idea which woman Ning Fan was referring to.
Ignoring Stone Warrior’s question, Ning Fan turned around and spoke to Lu Qing.
“Fellow Daoist Lu, I need a huge number of spiritual medicines that can nourish one’s primordial spirit. I wonder if I can get some from the Lost World Palace?”
“What!? Fellow Daoist Zhou’s primordial spirit is injured!?” Lu Qing and Stone Warrior were shocked. The both of them immediately thought that Ning Fan only managed to eliminate Revered Flame by suffering grievous injuries.
“Mm, there are some injuries. Can I get those medicines?” Ning Fan didn’t reveal anything about Luo You’s existence.
“By all means! Fellow Daoist is the tower master of the eastern, western and northern towers of the Lost World Palace in the first place. It’s certainly within your right to take those medicines.” Lu Qing said without qualms. Compared to roping Ning Fan in for the Lost World Palace, mere spiritual medicines were nothing.
“Oh? Fellow Daoist sure is straightforward. Aside from that, I also wish to enter the Lost World Tower for training… I wonder how much it will cost me to enter the seventh floor of the tower?”
“The seventh floor?” Lu Qing was startled for a second and explained right afterwards. “With Fellow Daoist’s Divine Transformation Realm cultivation base, you can at most enter the fifth floor. Even though we, the Lost World Palace, give preferential treatment to pill masters, the most we can do is help those Fifth Revolution Pill Masters who have yet to attain the Divine Transformation Realm to enter the fifth floor. As for the higher floors, there are stricter limitations on the cultivation base of the cultivators…”
“I got it.” Ning Fan didn’t insist on entering the seventh floor. This time, he wanted to enter the tower just to improve his magic power to the Divine Transformation Realm. With the experience he gained from attaining the Divine Transformation Realm twice in the past, the third time would now be a piece of cake for him. It would not take up too much time. The time within the fifth floor flowed at a rate of one-thirty-second of the time in the outside world while the time on the seventh floor was even four times slower than that.
However, be it the fifth floor or the seventh floor, he was going to spend around one and a half years within. The difference was not huge.
“By the way, before the mistress angrily ran away, she once gave me an order that if Fellow Daoist Zhou wants to use the Lost World Tower, Fellow Daoist does not need to pay at all as the total sum of the fee will all be shouldered by the mistress.”
“Oh? Bei Xiaoman is being that good to me and refuses to charge me any fees?” Ning Fan was surprised.
“Mm, the mistress also requested me to tell Fellow Daoist something… *Cough* The following words are the original words that were said by the mistress and they are not what I meant…”
Lu Qing smiled awkwardly and imitated Bei Xiaoman’s tone to speak to Ning Fan.
“Stinky Zhou Ming! Don’t worry! You don’t need to pay anything for cultivating inside the Lost World Tower. You can take it as being my kept man!”
“Haha!”
Ning Fan shook his head and laughed heartily. This Bei Xiaoman actually tried to keep him as her consort…
“Fellow Daoist, please don’t get angry over this matter. Those were the words the mistress uttered out of her anger…” Lu Qing was afraid that Ning Fan would feel that his pride was humiliated.
“Angry? Why would I be angry? I am Bei Xiaoman’s kept man? Great. Now, I can take anything I like from the Lost World Palace, right?”
Ning Fan curved his lips which formed into a mischievous grin. A fictitious name like that didn’t matter to him at all.
After all, it was great to be kept as Bei Xiaoman’s consort, wasn’t it? Now, he had all the excuses to empty everything in the storage of the Lost World Palace.
Improving my pill refining techniques will require a large amount of medicinal ingredients which will cost a huge sum of money. Mm, I shall burn the resources of the Lost World Palace first.
One day later, Ning Fan had almost emptied the spiritual herbs in the reserves of the four pill towers of the Lost World Palace.
On the second day, Ning Fan officially started his secluded meditation in the Lost World Tower.
In the boudoir located at the top of the southern tower, Bei Xiaoman was lazily chewing melon seeds while listening to the reports of her maidservants. She could not help but feel pleased with herself.
According to their information, Ning Fan actually didn’t deny his identity as her kept man.
“Hmph! Devil Lord Zhou, aren’t you very proud and arrogant?Didn’t you still end up being my kept man?” Bei Xiaoman let out a gentle snort yet her eyes were filled with glee. She only thought that Ning Fan had become her follower and she can now simply boss him around.
However, she did not seem to realize at all the true disaster of making Ning Fan her kept man.
“Reporting to Mistress… Young Master Zhou h-he… he has taken away almost all of the spiritual herbs with one thousand years of age and above from the four pill towers. Many feudal ranking pill masters who want to concoct pills are left with no medicinal ingredients at all…”
“W-What… What did you say…”
Bei Xiaoman froze and her jaws stopped chewing the melon seeds. She realized that she had just suffered a tremendous loss.
The spiritual ingredients stockpiled inside the four pill towers were bought at exorbitant prices. All of them are worth at least one billion immortal jade! He just took everything away like this?
Those ingredients were supposed to be supplied to hundreds of Third Revolution and dozens of Fourth Revolution Pill Masters for concocting pills!
“Zhou Ming! You’re a big bully! You’re a shameless person!”
Bei Xiaoman dashed out from her boudoir in the southern tower and ran to the silver tower located at the center of Penglai. She then pointed at the tower shining in silver under the bright sun and cursed.
If she had known that Ning Fan would take away all of her spiritual medicines, she certainly wouldn’t have said anything like keeping him as her kept man to satisfy her urge to humiliate him.
Currently, only a seven-letter word occupied her mind – revenge. She must get revenge for her loss!
Right! Didn’t he admit to be my kept man. Since that’s the case, I will wait until the day he walks out of the Lost World Tower and then give him a lesson. I will let him know who is the follower and who is the master!
“Speaking of which, what should I make him do for me? Should I ask him to give me a leg massage or a shoulder massage?”
She still had yet to realize that keeping a ‘kept man’ would require her to sacrifice her chastity.
…
At the fifth floor of Lost World Tower, Ning Fan stood in the midst of mountains and rivers. He was in no rush to build his own abode.
He raised his head and silently looked at the sky. He seemed to be absorbed in his own thoughts.
The Lost World Palace in the mortal world was at the silver grade. It only had seven floors which correspond to the seven cultivation realms.
The fifth floor was still not difficult to enter, but the sixth and seventh floors had strict restrictions on a cultivator’s cultivation base. Those who had yet to attain the Divine Transformation Realm were definitely forbidden to enter.
There were countless separated spaces on every floor for cultivators to practice. Currently, Ning Fan was inside the fifth floor.
Under the spatial barrier beneath his legs was the fourth floor.
If he goes beyond the spatial barrier above, he would then be able to enter the sixth floor.
For ordinary cultivators, no one would be able to enter the sixth floor without a Void Refinement Realm cultivation base. However, was Ning Fan an ordinary cultivator?
In a flash, Ning Fan disappeared from his original position and reappeared at the peak of the sky in the next second.
A trace of golden purple mist coiled around his palm. As he waved his palm at the spatial barrier, sizzling noises were heard as if something was being corroded by acid. The spatial barrier which was affected by the golden purple mist was slowly disintegrating.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a hole was created on the barrier. Ning Fan leapt and went into the sixth floor!
There were no green mountains and clear rivers on the sixth floor. Instead, it was a piece of a vast starry space!
The place where Ning Fan landed was a star with a radius of one hundred thousand li* (500m per li)!
A rush of void power pressed against his body, nearly squeezing the life out of him.
At the same time, a trace of void power emanated from his body which neutralized the external void power. In any case, Ning Fan was a cultivator who had gone through the Void Inquiry Stage. He, of course, would not be afraid of such intensity of void power.
As he was feeling the time on this floor which flowed sixty-four times slower than the time in the outside world, he seemed to have acquired some new insights.
“No wonder Lu Qing said that one must not enter the sixth floor and the seventh floor without an adequate cultivation base. These two floors are completely different from the fifth floor. I wonder whether or not I can withstand the void space of the seventh floor with my current void power!”
Ning Fan’s eyes shone with determination. He bent his knees and propelled himself upward. When he reached the peak of the void space of the sixth floor, he mustered his golden purple mist once again and broke a hole on the barrier, entering the seventh floor.
The time on the seventh floor flowed 128 times slower than in the outside world!
The void power of the space in this floor gave Ning Fan an immense sense of dread. Even experts at the Void Refinement Realm would be unable to withstand the intensity of void power in this void space!
Aside from that, Ning Fan could not even move a single inch using his teleportation technique while in this void space!
Without any hesitation, Ning Fan patted his storage pouch and took out two magical treasures.
The first one was the Eastern Ocean Bell. When he hung this item over his neck, the void power within this void space parted for him. With this item, he was protected from the void power that could threaten his life.
The second item was the Star Compass which Tablet Master Immortal Emperor of the Black Tortoise Star gave him. It was a supreme treasure which aided cultivators in travelling in the void space.
With Ning Fan’s current understanding, the void spaces would probably also have different grades. For void spaces with weaker void power, Void Refinement Realm experts would be able to leisurely travel within them whereas Divine Transformation Realm cultivators might not instantly perish if they enter these void spaces.
As for void spaces with more intense void power, any cultivators below the Void Fragmentation Realm would certainly die immediately after entering them.
Teleportation techniques were not applicable in these spaces and one would only be able to travel with the help of the Star Compass.
Ning Fan held the compass in his hand and the palm-sized compass instantly grew into a huge land that was ten thousand zhang* (3.33 m per zhang) wide.
He jumped onto it and performed a series of hand seals. Then, the land began to move across the void space at an incredible speed.
Moreover, its speed was even faster than ordinary Void Refinement Realm experts. It was at least equivalent to that of a Mid Void Refinement Realm expert!
“This Star Compass is indeed an excellent treasure…”
As Ning Fan travelled across the void space of the seventh floor, he discovered an enormous star with a radius of one million li* (500m per li) and decided to land on it.
Its surface was uneven and there were no signs of life. However, Ning Fan did not mind the environment at all. He exuded a sharp sword qi through his fingertip and created an abode beneath the ground he descended upon.
“I shall begin my practice here…”
Ning Fan then walked towards his abode. Just as he entered his newly-built practice ground, he had a strange feeling. He then lifted his head and looked above, his eyes filled with doubts. Then, the purple star in his left eye twinkled.
“Why do I feel that there’s an eighth floor in this Lost World Tower?”
“Is it an illusion…?”
Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel.
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