Ning Fan did not sleep deeply. It should be said that it was impossible for him to sleep deeply in a place like this that was full of danger.
In his blurry dream, he vaguely felt a pair of ice-cold lips pressing against his. Subconsciously, he reacted to the kiss.
He only thought that it was just an erotic dream. However, he did not expect that after the pair of lips left his, he would begin to feel an immense heat rising within his body.
After a bloody battle, he had lost a huge amount of blood essence. Even though he had the Black Star Healing Technique, it would take quite a long time for him to completely recover.
However, he was surprised to feel that a drop of hot golden blood, which had come out of nowhere, slid into his throat while he was asleep. When it flowed into his dantian, it immediately transformed into a rush of hot current.
The blood essence he lost in the battle was being replenished incredibly fast.
As for the devil marks on his back, they also became blazing hot. In fact, they were actually absorbing power from this drop of golden blood.
That drop of golden blood contained a massive amount of magic power. If it is completely assimilated, it could raise one’s magic power by at least ten thousand units.
Unfortunately, Ning Fan was currently in a state of inactivity. Thus, he was unable to control the assimilation of the golden blood as he wished. He could only watch his devil marks taking in the golden blood.
To his surprise, they advanced to the next level after that!
The devil marks were originally Soldier Rank devil marks which were the most basic Stone Warrior Devil Marks.
With Stone Warrior’s help in the inscription of his devil marks, the marks eventually advanced to the general rank and became the Profound Earth Devil Marks. Other than that, Ning Fan had been strengthening and cultivating his body refining realm along his journey. Now, it was already at the peak of the Third Level of the Jade Life Realm.
It was only a hair’s breadth away from attaining the Fourth Level of Jade Life Realm. All he needed to realize that was just an opportunity.
And this drop of golden blood was none other than the opportunity that he needed!
Ning Fan could feel the devil marks on his back heating up. To a certain extent, it felt like they were being burned with flames.
Above the evil mountain on his back which was shrouded with thick clouds, a devilish eye gradually emerged!
That eye remained close.
Even so, just as that frightening eye appeared, Ning Fan’s body refining realm broke through to the Fourth Level of Jade Life Realm effortlessly!
Taking into account the capabilities of his corpse devil body, although the strength of his current physical body might be inferior to cultivators with the Golden Body Refining Realm, he was slightly better than ordinary cultivators with the Peak Level of Jade Life Body Refining Realm!
It was even possible that the Venerated Giant who had the strongest physical body among the seven venerated beings of the Internal Endless Sea was a bit weaker than Ning Fan.
Ning Fan did not know what to say about this discovery. He actually achieved a breakthrough in his body refining realm during his sleep and he had no idea where that drop of golden blood came from.
What he was particularly concerned about was the emergence of the devilish eye in the portrait of the evil mountain on his back.
That eye which appeared in the form of a closed slit gave Ning Fan an extremely strange and evil feeling. Ning Fan had thought that his cultivation level in the Devil Dao was already quite deep.
However, when he discovered that devilish eye, he still found it difficult to retain his composure. The devil qi within the eye was too powerful and evil.
Moreover, Ning Fan had an intuition that when he achieves a breakthrough from the Peak Level of Jade Life Realm to the Golden Body Refining Realm, that devilish eye would certainly open. When that time comes, his devil marks would advance into the marshal rank and would experience a qualitative change once more.
Ning Fan could not be sure whether the qualitative transformation of his devil marks would be good or bad. Instead, he only had a faint feeling about this. If he does not place importance on this advancement of his devil marks, he would very likely be taken over by the tremendous devil qi of his devil marks. Then, he would lose his sanity and completely sink into the abyss of the Devil Dao.
If that’s the case, I guess I must pay a visit to the Giant Devil Sect. I shall find out about what ‘Evil Luo’ means exactly.”
Ning Fan secretly made up his mind.
After the golden blood spread across his system, his blood essence was replenished. Thus, his injuries were healing at a much faster speed.
Another day passed. After the bruises and swelling on his immortal veins were gone, only then did Ning Fan open his eyes and wake up from his sleep.
The first thing he did after waking up was consume a Divine Injury Pill and meticulously digest it. The reason why he did that was to treat all of his hidden internal injuries and avoid leaving any future problems.
The inside of the cave was slightly dim. There was not a candle or a lamp there. The only source of light came from a few moonstones embedded on the stone wall. They gave off a soft and gentle light in the dark.
While Ning Fan was digesting the medicinal power, his eyes were scanning the surroundings. Then, he noticed Yu Chong’er who was lying on the ground on the opposite side. She curled up her body and hugged her knees tightly looking like she was feeling cold. Her complexion was a little pale, as if she had lost some blood.
Ning Fan pondered for a while and suddenly revealed a look of surprise.
Could it be that she was the one who gave me that drop of mysterious golden blood…?
When he looked at Yu Chong’er’s lips which were slightly swollen, he could imagine how that young little lady passed that blood into him.
He then touched his lips and his expression turned weird.
It seems I had been forcibly kissed by this little lady while I was asleep without my consent.
“Yu Chong’er…”
Ning Fan muttered to himself. He rose to his feet and flicked his sleeve to sprinkle traces of black starlight on her. The black starlight then coiled around her, helping her heal her injuries.
After that, he patted his storage pouch, taking out a set of white robes and changed his bloodstained clothes. Then, he took out a coat which was made of the fur of a Divine Transformation Realm fox demon and draped it over Yu Chong’er’s body.
Afterwards, he continued consuming the Divine Injury Pills and Spirit Recovering Pills to regulate his qi and adjust his condition. Gradually, he was returning to his peak form.
Quite some time later, Yu Chong’er let out a gentle moan and woke up.
She gently moved her body and the fur coat slid down from her. When she noticed that coat, her cheeks flushed red.
She knew that she certainly did not possess a fur coat, much less cover herself after passing out…
“Thank you.” Yu Chong’er was not a fool. She naturally knew that it was Ning Fan’s doing. Therefore, she expressed her thanks to him with an embarrassed expression.
“Just expressing your thanks verbally?” Ning Fan’s lips suddenly curved into a mysterious smile.
After all, what this little lady owed Ning Fan was a lot more than just saying words of gratitude.
“W-What else do you want? What you did was just put a fox fur coat over me while I was sleeping. Are you seriously thinking that I have to devote my life to you because of that?!”
Yu Chong’er seemed to be somewhat nervous as she was intentionally avoiding eye contact with Ning Fan.
“No. I’ve saved your life. Aren’t you going to repay me?” Ning Fan teased her on purpose.
“Zhou Ming! Who would ask for rewards from the person who he had just saved? You are really a person who lacks generosity!”
Yu Chong’er rolled her eyes at Ning Fan.
“Generosity? Since I have saved you, you will have to repay me. That’s a matter of course. What does it have to do with generosity? Or does it mean that Miss Yu Chong’er is being ungrateful and thinks that it’s my obligation to save you?”
“I didn’t think like that. In fact, I have already repaid…” Yu Chong’er suddenly stopped halfway when she spoke. Her face instantly turned red and she swallowed back her words.
The way she repaid Ning Fan was a little embarrassing. It was perfectly fine for her to give him the blood of the Insect Sovereign. The problem was the method of how she delivered it. She forced a kiss on him. How was she supposed to tell him that?
“You have already repaid me? How did you repay me? Why didn’t I know about it?”
“No. I haven’t repaid you and please stop asking about it…”
Yu Chong’er felt very annoyed. It seemed like that drop of golden blood was going to Ning Fan had saved her life and it was equivalent to saving her mother’s be a free gift to Ning Fan. It did not account for anything at all.
Fine.
Ning Fan had saved her life and it was actually equivalent to saving her mother’s life as well. So in a way, he had saved her twice.
Even if she had to repay Ning Fan twice, it was still appropriate. So long as she does not need to give herself to him, it didn’t matter if she had to repay him once more.
“How do you want me to repay you? I also have a few types of High Grade Fifth Revolution Pills with me. Even if you want the cultivation method of my Yu Family, I can also give it to you secretly…”
“I am not lacking High Grade Fifth Revolution Pills. As for the cultivation method of your Yu Family, do you really think I will set my eyes on that?” Ning Fan raised one of his eyebrows and his eyes fell on her curvaceous body. Then, he pointed his finger at her ample bosoms.
“I want this!”
“Z-Zhou Ming, don’t be too excessive! You’re a scoundrel, an extremely shameless man!”
Yu Chong’er covered her upper body defensively. His words sent chills down her spine and a feeling of disgust filled her. She would rather die than give him her body.
The grin on Ning Fan’s face grew wider, making him look even more malicious. He kept on getting closer to Yu Chong’er step by step without speaking another word until he drove her into a corner.
She wore a helpless and frightened expression. With an anxious tone, she asked.
“W-What are you trying to do?”
“I’m trying to get my reward for saving your life.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he reached out one of the tips of his fingers towards Yu Chong’er’s neck. She was so scared that she immediately shut her eyes. She knew deep inside that she would never be able to resist him.
At the next moment, she felt the button of her cloak behind her neck became undone. Her cloak slid down from her body. Only then did she realize that Ning Fan was actually taking her clothes off.
She was thoroughly embarrassed. She really wanted to unsheathe her sword and cut him into pieces. However, she knew very well that she could never put up a fight against him no matter what she did.
On the other hand, a part of her was looking forward to what was going to happen next despite being panic-stricken. It seemed like she could also not fully grasp her own thoughts.
However, she did not expect that Ning Fan would not do what was in her imagination after taking off her cloak. He only stared at her with some interest, just like he was studying a frightened fawn.
“What are you so afraid of?” Ning Fan deliberately asked.
“I am obviously afraid that you will…” As she sensed that Ning Fan was not doing anything bad to her, she gathered her courage and opened her eyes. Her cheeks were bright red.
After Ning Fan unbuttoned her cloak which was a spiritual equipment, he was slowly moving backwards. He did not seem to have any intention of violating her.
“Why did you take off my cloak…?” She asked with a puzzled look, even though she already had some guesses in her mind.
“I have told you. This cloak will be my reward. It’s a Profound Divinity Spiritual Equipment, right? This is something that only Void Fragmentation Realm old monsters would be qualified to use. Did your master give you this?”
“What?! Are you saying that the reward you want is not me but this cloak instead?” Yu Chong’er gently let out a sigh. But her expression became rather troubled.
Compared to losing her virginity, losing the cloak was certainly a small matter in comparison.
However, this cloak was a Profound Divinity Spiritual Equipment, a gift from her master who was one of the four greatest Void Fragmentation Realm experts . It was not something that she could randomly give to anyone, no matter what.
If her master ever asks her about it, she has no idea how she would explain to him.
Usually, Divine Transformation Realm cultivators would use Profound Earth Spiritual Equipment whereas Void Refinement Realm experts would use Profound Heaven Spiritual Equipment. Only Void Fragmentation Realm experts would use spiritual equipment of the Profound Divinity Grade.
The price of this cloak was somewhat expensive.
“Are you unwilling to give it to me as a reward? Or do you think that your life is not worth as much as a cloak?” Ning Fan asked provocatively.
“My life is naturally more valuable than this Heaven Deceiving Cloak! Hmph! If you want it, just take it then. However, after you take this item, both of us no longer owe each other anything.”
“Very well!”
Ning Fan promised her without hesitation. He liked this cloak very much.
The function of this Heaven Deceiving Cloak allows the wearer to conceal his presence. If he could refine this spiritual equipment and make it yield to him, he could even block the spirit sense of Void Fragmentation Realm experts when he puts it on.
Yu Chong’er’s current cultivation base was still incapable of refining this spiritual equipment. However, it was already enough to let her survive for a few days in the second layer even though she just draped it over her shoulders. Evidently, it showed how strong this spiritual equipment was.
In order to save Yu Chong’er’s life, Ning Fan had lost a spiritual puppet and caused a few of his puppets to be badly damaged. However, he had gained quite a lot of dragon blood from the battle and he even got a drop of golden blood and a Profound Divinity Spiritual Equipment. These gains were enough to make up for his losses.
However, when he straightforwardly promised Yu Chong’er, he didn’t notice that her eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment.
“We don’t owe each other anymore… Is he really that delighted that both of us no longer owe each other anything…?” A young lady’s thoughts were always very complex.
She gently shook her head and cast aside her thoughts. Hesitantly, she asked.
“Should we return to the first layer…?”
She was a little afraid. After all, she was the one who enraged the beast king as she stole the Blood Dragon Moss. Because of her reckless and selfish actions, she brought trouble to her brother and the other revered elders. She was afraid that they would never let her off easily when she returns.
“Are you scared? Speaking of which, why did you want to enter the forest of the beast king to steal a spiritual herb? Did you know that your actions nearly got your brother killed?” Ning Fan asked with curiosity. He only thought that this spoiled little lady who acted rashly without much consideration would also feel scared after making a mistake.
“I didn’t know. At first, I thought that I wouldn’t be spotted by the beast king as long as I was cautious enough with the help of the Heaven Deceiving Cloak… This is the Blood Dragon Moss. It’s something that can cure my mother’s illness. We, the Yu Family, have been searching for this for hundreds of years now but we haven’t managed to find even a tuft after so many years. I didn’t expect that I would find it in a place like this. At that time, I didn’t think about it too much. The only thought I had in my mind was the need to get this spiritual herb… Zhou Ming, is my brother extremely angry at me?”
She lowered her head. Her face could not be seen clearly. Her fragrant shoulders began to tremble gently. She knew that she had made a huge mistake. However, if she could do it all over again, she would still take the risk again… for her mother.
Ning Fan remained silent.
This Yu Chong’er might be a little immature, but her nature isn’t bad.
“Don’t worry. All of them are still alive since I rescued them. If we return to the first layer, they will never dare to accuse you as a way of giving me some face. However, there are still 19 days before the day comes when we exit this dragon pool. In these 19 days, I intend to continue staying in the second layer and see if I can hunt some more beasts. It is pointless for me to return to the first layer.”
“You are insane! The second layer is so dangerous…” Yu Chong’er was extremely angered and shocked.
Is his brain made of wood? Isn’t he aware of how dangerous this place is? Doesn’t he know how scary it was seeing how his white robes were entirely soaked with blood?
“There’s no problem. I have my ways to protect myself. Besides, if I refine this Heaven Deceiving Cloak, I can even explore the third layer.” Ning Fan did not sound like he was joking. If he manages to refine the Heaven Deceiving Cloak, he would be able to conceal himself from the spirit sense of Void Fragmentation Realm beings. He could then sneak around in the entire Blood Dragon Pool without being spotted by any beasts.
Furthermore, if he fails in refining the cloak, he still has the Blood Dragon Demon Sword. With the sword, he was still capable of roaming freely around the second layer.
Thus, there was completely no need to be worried about his own safety.
However, he would certainly not explain to Yu Chong’er about the Blood Dragon Demon Sword.
“Heaven Deceiving Cloak? This is a Profound Divinity Spiritual Equipment. Only Void Fragmentation Realm beings are able to refine it into their bodies…” Yu Chong’er doubtfully stared at Ning Fan. She did not think that Ning Fan would be able to refine a Profound Divinity Spiritual Equipment.
“Void Fragmentation Realm beings, huh? Well, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I am unable to do it.”
Ning Fan’s eyes were filled with confidence. He had already comprehended the three divine abilities of the Void Fragmentation Realm. Besides, of all the things he had done, which one was not shocking and unbelievable? It would probably be difficult to refine this spiritual equipment, but it did not mean that he could not succeed at all.
At least, it was worth a try!
When Yu Chong’er saw his confident eyes, she immediately avoided eye contact.
Arrogance would make one appear to be wild and crazy but self-confidence would make one look excessively charming.
At this very moment, Ning Fan’s eyes would stir the hearts of almost everyone.
“Perhaps he really is able to do it…” Unconsciously, Yu Chong’er was lost in her thoughts.
Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel.
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