Chapter 878: Chapter 878: The Trial

The black snow lightly descends, like crow feathers scattering, the warmth of the ground full of corpses gradually turning cold and rigid, the blood beginning to coagulate.

Whether beast or Black Barbarian Monk, the blood is black and murky, evil. Ning Fan looks at the ground soaked in black blood, deep in thought.

Countless barbarian men of Heavenly Barbarian City climb to the walls, looking at Ning Fan with fear.

They are already certain that Ning Fan is a different race cultivator. Compared to beasts suppressed by the Barbarian image, a different race cultivator unaffected by it strikes fear into the hearts of the barbarians even more.

If a different race cultivator wanted to slaughter the Barbarian City, almost no one could stop them!

“Everyone, don’t be afraid, he is not the enemy.”

Zhao Die’er’s cold voice spreads in the wind and snow, reaching the ears of every barbarian.

The expressions of the barbarians turn doubtful; it is hard for them to believe that someone like Ning Fan, a feared star, is not an enemy.

As if to affirm Zhao Die’er’s words, Ning Fan, Liu Yan, and Xian Luoli transform into streams of light, flying up the city walls, appearing in front of Zhao Die’er, smiling without hostility.

This somewhat reduces the fear among the barbarians, but they still do not dare to breathe deeply.

Ning Fan’s appearance, after Enlightenment, has returned to youthful, showing no signs of age, even younger than in Zhao Die’er’s memories.

Zhao Die’er looks at Ning Fan in a daze, fifty years of trials, fifty years of waiting, finally seeing the person she longed to meet, yet her eyes are blurred with tears, choked with emotions.

Ning Fan looks at Zhao Die’er, accomplished in Barbarian Techniques, showing a comforting smile, his expression gentle, like an elder viewing a junior.

However, as his spirit sense sweeps over Heavenly Barbarian City, Ning Fan’s gaze turns dark, letting out a small sigh.

With the strength of his spirit sense, he easily finds Zhao Residence within the city, but to his regret, within Zhao Residence, there is no presence of Zhao Boyang and his wife; only their memorial tablets are enshrined…

Friends from years past, now vanished… a missed chance…

“Will you take me to pay respects to Brother Boyang?” Ning Fan sighs, reaching out to caress Zhao Die’er’s satin-like hair, a touch of sadness in his eyes.

“Mm…” Zhao Die’er’s gaze also turns dark, nodding silently.

That night, Ning Fan sits alone before Zhao Boyang’s grave, drinking in solitude, sitting until daybreak.

Zhao Boyang was a mortal friend he met during his transformation; after fifty years apart, they never met again, leaving Ning Fan with some regrets.

He is indifferent to life and death, not overly sorrowful, but regrets losing a mortal friend to share wine and discourse.

In this world, every moment someone dies, but those who can leave regrets on Ning Fan’s mind are few…

The snow falls heavier, the night as dark as ink, like an inescapable nightmare.

Xian Luoli, under Liu Yan’s care, has long fallen asleep, while Ning Fan occasionally raises the wine gourd, taking a deep drink before looking up at the night, lost in thought.

Seeing old friends pass stirs a bit of nostalgia, reminding him once more of the distant hometown in Rain Immortal World.

The War God Art has broken through the fourth transformation, his goal in the wilderness achieved and incidentally reaching the mid-stage Enlightenment.

It’s time to return to Eastern Heaven to awaken Wang Xiao…

Liu Yan has also completed her Stellar Disk Spirit Integration task. As soon as Ning Fan returns to Eastern Heaven, he can visit the True Lightning World anytime; it’s time to fulfill the legacy of Lightning Emperor Tai Su…

After that, accompany Ouyang Nuan on a journey to the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain; and where should he go after that…

Should he go home for a look… It seems he can’t return to Rain Immortal World from Eastern Heaven, he must go through Northern and Southern Heaven… who asks him to give up the Immortal Seed to become an Immortal.

Gazing at a red plum tree beside the grave, Ning Fan’s eyes show further distraction. He misses the snow of Seven Apricot City.

“Ever since starting cultivation, breaking life and death, and understanding truth and void, I have reached today’s cultivation level. My master was only Enlightenment, the Sovereign Xia comparable to Enlightenment, and I am Enlightenment… In the past, the white-boned devil, Moksha Emperor, and Thunder Sovereign’s cultivation was like mountains towering over me, making it hard to breathe, but now, Void Fragmentation is trivial to me…”

“In ancient Heavenly Court, I once was hunted by Fate Immortal, but now, Fate Immortal appears before me, a mere fleeting bloom…”

“The Sect Master of the Pill Sect, also Enlightenment, was my feared enemy, but now just a fish in the barrel, if time allows, I can obliterate the Pill Sect without expending all my trump cards, venting anger for Bright Sparrow. The Pill Sect, a decaying skeleton!”

“My cultivation grows higher, yet home feels farther away…”

“Has the mistress awakened yet, Mother, have you awakened, does Father still love drinking…”

“How many plum blossoms in Si Fan Palace of Seven Apricot City bloomed this year… Ning Gu, what reincarnation cycle are you on…”

Glug, glug…

In the deep of night, only the sound of the wind and Ning Fan’s fervent drinking of spiritual wine could be heard.

His cultivation had reached such a high level, yet he could not stop; he had to keep moving forward.

“Does this path of cultivation have an end… I do not know, the only thing I can do is continue walking this path, for there are still strong enemies behind me who will not allow me to halt!”

“Moro the Great Emperor, Ancestor Dulong, the Love Wielding Immortal Emperor, and that silver-haired Immortal Emperor who once plotted against my parents… there are still many strong foes!”

Ning Fan suddenly slapped his storage pouch and retrieved a cloak puppet from it.

This cloak puppet was something he seized from the Thousand-Eyed Elder during a battle in the Dongfu Realm of the Six Desires Immortal King, it was a Desire Puppet that needed the Six Desire Puppet Threads to operate.

After that battle, Ning Fan obtained two Desire Puppets, one was an Initiate Realm of Shekong Ancient Demon Puppet, and the other was this puppet.

This puppet held a mighty aura comparable to the Mid-Phase Shattered Thought!

If Ning Fan could control this puppet, those Shedding Void Realm old monsters would be nothing! He could nearly kill as many as they came!

“I once lacked the cultivation to control this puppet, but now I can try!”

With a thought, Ning Fan unsealed the powers of Rain Yin Yang and War Yin Yang, and his aura immediately surged to the level close to the Shedding Void Stage.

Activating the Fourth Transformation of the Battle Art, his Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor cultivation soared to the Fourth Nirvana of Heavenly Demon!

He then performed the Soul Extraction Technique, and with the Dual Cultivation of his mana and body, Ning Fan’s aura broke through the barrier of Shedding Void, reaching the Initiate Realm of Shekong!

Driving the power of the Six Desires Bone within him to its limit, countless invisible Desire Puppet Threads flew from Ning Fan’s fingers, entering the cloak puppet’s body.

The moment the threads entered the body, the cloak puppet’s eyes emitted a ghostly green light, releasing a powerful aura akin to a giant dragon awakening.

Ning Fan carefully controlled that aura, confining it within the tomb’s vicinity, preventing it from spreading too far and scaring the barbarians in Tianman City.

To energize the Fragmented Thought Puppet, Ning Fan’s mana was consumed at a nearly terrifying rate. Under his full control, the puppet finally began to move!

“I can control this puppet, but it’s quite challenging; after all, I’m not a true Shekong Cultivator yet, my mana is still lacking…”

Ning Fan cut off the mana supply and resealed the Rain and War Yin Yangs; the ghostly green in the puppet’s eyes vanished, leaving its gaze empty.

After putting away the puppet, Ning Fan stood alone in the night, sipping spiritual wine, his thoughts unknown to anyone.

Zhao Die’er stood quietly by the dim lights, watching Ning Fan’s silhouette without interrupting, as she watched through the entire night.

After fifty years of waiting, after all, she finally awaited Ning Fan’s return. Her heart was filled with emotions, but she kept it all inside as a secret, unspoken.

The snow fell heavier and Zhao Die’er’s thoughts drifted back to many years ago with the falling snowflakes.

Then, she was still young, always coaxing Ning Fan to build snowmen and pick plum blossoms…

“Want to return to Bianliang for a look?” Ning Fan’s voice suddenly sounded in her ear, startling her.

“I do… but Bianliang is too far…”

“It’s not. I also want to visit Bianliang, you should accompany me once; we’ll be back before dawn, how about it?”

Zhao Die’er hadn’t even reacted when she suddenly let out a soft cry, her face turning red with shame.

Her body became lighter, as Ning Fan wrapped her waist and transformed into a golden light, soaring into the sky.

That night was not yet over when Ning Fan, bringing along Zhao Die’er, used the Vertical Golden Light technique to soar directly from Tianman City back to Bianliang City.

Because of the black snow, Bianliang frequently suffered attacks from barbarian beasts, resulting now in a place where only one out of ten rooms is occupied, a city already in ruins. The stillness of the deep night made it appear even more desolate.

Zhao Die’er had not returned to Bianliang for fifty years, and this desolate barbarian city made her hesitant to recognize it. She couldn’t imagine that this was once the bustling Bianliang.

Fifty years had passed, and Bianliang City had changed greatly, yet the waters of the Bian River remained as they were that year.

It was still bitterly cold winter weather; red plums still bloomed along the riverbanks, but the snowflakes were no longer pure white, turning pitch black, contrasting starkly with the red plums…

This scene of things changing while people remained, made her want to cry, but she was choked with emotion, unable to shed tears.

The most heartless thing in this world is time; once it passes, it never returns…

“Don’t cry, Die’er. The plum blossoms are still here, and although the snow is as black as ink and not the pure white of years past, it can still be used to make snowmen.”

Ning Fan casually plucked a red plum blossom, placed it in Zhao Die’er’s hair by her cheek, smiled faintly, and turned to begin building a snowman.

Zhao Die’er suddenly recalled her childhood memories. Back then, she begged Ning Fan to build five snowmen and assigned each a role.

“This is father, this is mother, this is Sister Siya, this is Die’er, and this is uncle. We all live happily together, carefree and joyful…”

“Uncle made snowmen for Die’er. When Die’er grows up, she will definitely marry uncle and have him make snowmen for me every day!”

Zhao Die’er’s eyes reddened, blurred with tears.

The five snowmen from those years had long since disappeared, with only Ning Fan and her left among the living…

“Don’t cry. In this world, you still have uncle as a family member.”

Ning Fan patted Zhao Die’er’s head. This time, he only made two snowmen, one big and one small.

He looked at Zhao Die’er like a younger generation, like family. His gaze was somewhat blinding, yet it made Zhao Die’er dependent.

“Uncle, the books say that foreign clan cultivators who become immortals can live for a hundred thousand, even a million years. Is it true?”

“Yes.”

“Can uncle also live that long?”

“If I don’t die in the path of cultivation, I should be able to live that long…” Ning Fan replied somewhat uncertainly.

“It’s a pity, though. Die’er can’t live that long. Even if Die’er becomes a powerful barbarian monk, she can only live for a few hundred years. After a few hundred years, when uncle returns to the wilderness, he won’t see Die’er again… unless Die’er becomes like a Barbarian Ancestor, otherwise…” Zhao Die’er lowered her head.

This was the main reason she didn’t have the courage to confess to Ning Fan… Her lifespan was too different from Ning Fan’s…

“Die’er…” Ning Fan sighed slightly, not knowing what to say to comfort Zhao Die’er.

Since the Seventh Generation Barbarian Ancestor’s blood sacrifice in the wilderness, barbarians have been unable to gain longevity due to certain reasons.

Even though Ning Fan had given Zhao Die’er many pills, they could only slightly prolong her life, not allow her to live forever…

“Uncle, don’t show this expression. Die’er is not used to it… To meet uncle in this lifetime, Die’er is already content…”

With all her courage, Zhao Die’er blushed fiercely and reached out to hold Ning Fan’s hand.

But before she could touch Ning Fan, her movement was interrupted by an old man’s laughter.

“Haha, my young friend has finally returned to Bianliang. I’ve been waiting so long! If another half a year passed and you still hadn’t returned, I would have had to set out with other Daoists to seek that chance… Huh? My young friend has successfully attained the Enlightenment stage! In fifty years, you’ve reached the Mid Stage Enlightenment!”

Under the night of Bian River, a painted boat suddenly arrived, with only one elder on it, standing with hands behind his back on the river snow, smiling.

This elder was none other than Sparrow God Kidd, whom Ning Fan had met here fifty years ago!

“Oh? I didn’t expect to revisit the old place and meet Senior once again.”

Ning Fan rolled up his sleeves, taking Zhao Die’er up onto Sparrow God Kidd’s boat.

“Hmm? Who might this be…” Sparrow God Kidd glanced at Zhao Die’er, slightly surprised.

“An old acquaintance from my mortal days, a descendant of an old friend.”

“Haha, I see… The opportunity I mentioned back then will appear in half a year. How about it? Would you like to join me in exploring the Northern Territory and seek that opportunity?” Sparrow God Kidd shifted the conversation, not overly focused on Zhao Die’er. Though a barbarian monk, she was too weak to draw his attention.

Zhao Die’er quietly refrained from speaking. She could see that Sparrow God Kidd’s cultivation was terrifying, marking him as a mighty figure of a different race.

“The opportunity Senior speaks of, could it be the Dust Tree?” Ning Fan smiled.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sparrow God Kidd’s expression changed in disbelief as he looked at Ning Fan.

After a long time, he revealed a look of admiration, laughing heartily, “My young friend is indeed extraordinary, knowing that the opportunity I speak of is the Dust Tree! In the Four Heavens, not many cultivators know of the Dust Tree. I wonder where my young friend learned of its origins…”

“Senior should tell me how dangerous the journey to the Northern Territory will be. How many helpers have you invited besides me?”

“Oh? My young friend is willing to assist me in going to the Northern Territory to seek the Dust Tree?” Sparrow God Kidd’s eyes lit up.

“I want to hear Senior’s answer first before making my decision.”

“Haha, my young friend is truly cautious… Well, to win you, a Heavenly Immortal Practitioner’s assistance, I shall detail this journey to you!”

With that, Sparrow God Kidd produced a jade scroll, inscribing something within it before handing it to Ning Fan.

Ning Fan swept his spirit sense over the jade scroll, his expression changing slightly, and after several breaths, he returned the scroll to Sparrow God Kidd, falling into contemplation.

The demon race in the wilderness has occupied seven major barbarian domains. The Dust Tree is located in the ’Yellow River Snow Valley’ on the outskirts of these domains, sealed in a secret place, guarded by a small number of demon race experts.

Now, the wilderness is in chaos. The demon race experts have emerged in full force, striving to unseal the residual formation without leaving many experts to guard their headquarters.

If one were to sneak into the Yellow River Snow Valley to steal the Dust Tree and Dust Flower at this time, the danger would not be great.

Should one obtain the Dust Tree and Dust Flower, the cultivators of the Heaven’s First Gate have hope of opening the Heaven’s Second Gate. For Ning Fan, the Dust Flower indeed holds considerable allure.

The passage to leave the ancient wilderness opens once every ten years, with the next opening two years away.

Before leaving the ancient wilderness, Ning Fan wouldn’t mind taking a trip to the Yellow River Snow Valley to steal the Dust Tree and Dust Flower…

“Besides me on this journey, there are four other Daoists, all at least at the Peak Crossing Truth Realm, all experts from the Northern Heaven Immortal World, each possessing divine skills that would aid in the picking of the Dust Flower. Should you join us, there would be a total of six on this journey. How about it, would you like to join me in retrieving the Dust Flower?” Sparrow God Kidd asked expectantly.

Ning Fan’s cultivation may not warrant significant attention from Sparrow God Kidd. Yet, as a Heaven’s Unity cultivator, he can offer unique assistance in retrieving the Dust Flower.

“Very well, I too am quite interested in the Dust Flower and shall accompany the seniors to retrieve it, why not? Just wondering, how will the Dust Flowers be distributed once obtained…”

“Haha, naturally, whoever picks a Dust Flower keeps it! If possible, I will try my best to help you pick some Dust Flowers, but as for the others, I can’t guarantee assistance.” Sparrow God Kidd laughed slyly. Though they operated as a team, obtaining the flowers required personal capability…

“I see…” Ning Fan showed a thoughtful expression.

At that moment, four escape rainbows suddenly appeared in the night sky above the Bian River, three men and one woman, all human cultivators.

Of the four, the woman’s cultivation was the highest; she was a beautiful woman in blue with mid-stage Shedding Void Realm cultivation, her frosty gaze exuding an aura of icy aloofness.

The other three included a midget with initial-stage Shedding Void Realm cultivation and a headscarf-wearing man also at the initial-stage Shedding Void Realm.

The last man had four eyes, possessing only Peak Crossing Truth Realm cultivation, yet shrouded in an eerie aura.

These four flew directly to the painting boat of Sparrow God Kidd—his other helpers.

The blue-clothed beau glanced at Ning Fan indifferently, then haughtily looked away, evidently uninterested in Ning Fan, though she did raise an eyebrow at the barbarian monk Zhao Die’er.

The headscarf man laughed heartily upon boarding, exuding an incredibly strong vitality, clearly a physique refinement cultivator.

After a quick glance at Ning Fan, his eyes lit up and then slightly shook, seemingly regretting that Ning Fan’s body refinement was only at the First Nirvana of Heavenly Demon.

The four-eyed man, like a zombie, remained silent.

The midget, standing only waist-height to Ning Fan, appeared arrogant and defiant.

Upon boarding, he gave Ning Fan a quick glance and immediately asked Sparrow God Kidd,

“Sparrow God Kidd, is he the support you mentioned? At Guixuan Level, what use can he be! I don’t want to carry a burden in picking Dust Flower!” The midget coldly huffed, apparently unaware of Ning Fan being a Heaven’s Unity cultivator, a matter Sparrow God Kidd found too critical to divulge.

“Haha, Earth Comrade was mistaken; this Ning Daoist is now at Mid Stage Enlightenment, not Guixuan Level.” Sparrow God Kidd smiled meaningfully.

“Mid Stage Enlightenment! He broke through Crossing Truth and reached the mid-stage, in only fifty years?!” The midget exclaimed, with the others also casting surprised looks at Ning Fan.

Thereafter, the midget examined Ning Fan’s expression with slight curiosity, smiling to reveal a mouth of sharp white teeth, and asked,

“Would you like to join us in retrieving the Dust Flower?”

“Yes.”

“You can join the team, provided you pass my test!” The midget’s eyes swept over Ning Fan like a senior appraising a junior, exuding arrogance.

“What test?” Ning Fan asked emotionlessly.

“Give it your all against me; if you can make me move even half a step on this boat, I’ll acknowledge your strength and allow you to join us in finding the Dust Flower!”

The midget coldly sneered, skeptical of Ning Fan’s ability to move him even half a step!

“Are you sure?” Ning Fan looked at the midget expressionlessly, inexplicably instilling a sense of fear in the midget.

“How strange! Though this person is merely a Crossing Truth junior, a single glance causes my heart to tremble with fear…”

Unbeknownst to the midget, Ning Fan possesses the fierce strength to vanquish even mid-stage Shedding Void cultivators, which is exactly why he feels apprehensive.

“Haha, I’m certain! Strike now, and if you budge me half a step, I’ll be generous and allow you to join the team!”

(The second update was delayed and went all night without completing, so wash up and get some rest now.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep