Strangely, the exact losses of the Holy Mountain in this battle remain unclear, as no Holy Mountain Cultivators have clarified the matter.

Even more peculiar is that despite Ning Fan causing such a commotion at the Holy Mountain, no Immortal Emperor of the Holy Mountain pursued him, but instead, they uncharacteristically shut the mausoleum gate and prematurely returned the Holy Mountain, which could have remained in the world for forty-nine years, to the endless void.

Up until now, none of the Prairie Cultivators who went to witness Emperor Butcher’s execution at the Holy Mountain have returned—some perished at the Holy Mountain, while others vanished with the Holy Mountain...

Most of the intelligence on the battle of the Holy Mountain comes from deduction techniques and is hardly precise. Only a few Immortal Venerable Immortal Kings have ventured to the old site at the summit of the Thirty-Three Heavens to investigate the truth, only to confirm that the Holy Mountain has indeed retreated into the endless void, unable to find its presence.

In the location of the Holy Mountain, there is nothing but chaotic traces of heavenly dao, covered by Ancient Chaos Demonic Qi, hinting at the great battle that transpired here.

Upon hearing the news, the entire Supreme Pill Sacred Domain was in upheaval! Throughout the grasslands, countless Tribal Cultivators were inexplicably shocked!

"What exactly transpired on the Holy Mountain!" This was the question on everyone’s mind.

Some Immortal Venerable Immortal Kings gathered remnants of the great battle’s shadows from the heavens and earth and used revival techniques to recreate parts of the Holy Mountain battle!

Thus, people saw Ning Fan commanding the lightning tribulation, thundering throughout the Holy Mountain!

They saw Ning Fan rescuing Emperor Butcher!

They saw Ning Fan, accompanied by Emperor Butcher and Burying Moon, relentlessly pursuing the last five emperors of the Holy Mountain!

They saw the two Eight Tribulations Celestial Emperors from Leiyun Kingdom and Stone Man Emperor, fearing Ning Fan like a tiger or leopard, resorting to the Ten Thousand Chants Decay Illusory Art of the Holy Mountain Mausoleum in an attempt to escape!

They saw countless Holy Mountain Immortal Cultivators being led back to the Holy Mountain Mausoleum by the Ten Thousand Chants Decay technique, narrowly escaping death in a state of unconsciousness; and they saw three Immortal Emperors of Thunder Sound being trapped by Burying Moon’s mysterious means, unable to escape, desperately cursing in anger, ultimately having their Spirit captured by Ning Fan, and turned into Spirit Pills, with ruthless methods!

They witnessed the Holy Mountain’s defeat and retreat, hiding back into the endless void!

They watched Ning Fan tearing through layers of void, attempting to find where the Holy Mountain was hidden, but alas, amidst the vast void, unable to locate it, departing helplessly!

They did not see scenes of the Grand Abjection Supreme, as such illusions cannot stand in the real world, therefore unknown.

Yet, despite this, they were left speechless by the battle they saw at the Holy Mountain!

"The Ghost-Eyed Cultivator, turned out to be that Foreign Cultivator, it’s Ning Fan! He alone blasted apart the entire Holy Mountain, forcing it to hide within the endless void, not daring to come forth!" Some fearing Ning Fan’s overwhelming Demon World shuddered.

"Impossible! I refuse to believe that the Holy Mountain could be defeated by a mere Foreign Cultivator; that’s the Holy Mountain, that’s the Holy Mountain..." Some Prairie Cultivators who regarded the Holy Mountain as a glory heard of the chaos at Thirty-Three Heavens, the sanctuary gone, immediately burst into tears, seemingly losing their faith, losing their home.

"Not good! That Ghost-Eyed Cultivator has driven the Holy Mountain into the endless void, if he runs rampant in the Dabei Grassland, who can stop him! Who can suppress him!" Others began to fear.

"We still have Emperor Lou Tuo! We still have Emperor Lou Tuo!"

"But even Emperor Lou Tuo cannot withstand the Ghost-Eyed Cultivator! Beside the Ghost-Eyed Cultivator is Burying Moon, who has survived from ancient times to now, and he rescued the infamous Blood Martial Master; didn’t you see even the emperors of the Holy Mountain were terrified by them! Emperor Lou Tuo alone cannot shield us!"

"Rumor has it that the Ghost-Eyed Cultivator loves plundering, if he comes to plunder our tribe, we... can only part with our wealth to save our lives... alas..."

"If parting with wealth can save our lives, it’s not too bad, though ultimately we’re still afraid to be killed by the Ghost-Eyed Cultivator, the entire grassland may run red with blood..."

"The Holy Mountain is finished..."

"The Grand Abjection is finished..."

"We’re finished..."

Numerous pessimistic sentiments spread across the grasslands, even the sky sensed this atmosphere, turning from clear skies to constant somber clouds, as if readying for rain.

Following the Holy Mountain battle, Ning Fan did not plunder minor powers on the grasslands. Currently, even the forces of Immortal Venerable Immortal King do not attract his interest, only those of Immortal Emperor can tempt him.

Sadly, with the Holy Mountain hidden in the endless void, the forces of the Central Continent Five Emperors on the grasslands have already been plundered by him except Lou Tuo. And Lou Tuo has already paid the price, settling the karma, so Ning Fan would not bother to seek trouble with Lou Tuo.

In this battle, Burying Moon, despite sustaining discomfort in her physical defense, fought Bright Buddha first, then powerful figures from Leiyun Kingdom, leading to severe backlash, retreating to Xuan Yin Treasure for closed-door healing after the battle.

In this battle, Black Evil Sect cooperated with the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain’s Heavenly Dao Soul, unleashing the lightning tribulation, responding to Ning Fan. Though not the Heavenly Dao Soul of this realm, even after maturing, she can only control a certain area of destiny, but the cost was significant, forcing her to retreat to Xuan Yin Treasure for recovery as well.

In this battle, Ouyang Nuan employed various methods taught by Burying Moon, successfully intercepting the escape of the Thunder Sound Three Emperors at a critical moment, facing considerable backlash, also retreating to recover after the battle.

Even Wu Laoba faced backlash for directly attacking Thunder Sound Immortal Emperor with Black Fortune at a crucial point in the battle...

Ning Fan’s assault on the Holy Mountain may appear glorious, but he also paid a considerable price, such as a staggering number of Nine Revolutions Elixir, and sixty percent of the quantity of Extreme Yang Water.

The results, however, were not as plentiful as expected.

He initially thought that he could seize the opportunity when the five Supreme beings were away to wipe out the foundation of the Holy Mountain’s twenty-three emperors and twelve sects in one fell swoop, to do something grand, yet at a critical moment, he was surprisingly attacked by the mausoleum guardian Illusory Art of Ten Thousand Chants Decay, letting the Holy Mountain’s emperors escape...

The illusion art guarding the tomb, Ten Thousand Chants Decay...

It was the strongest illusion art left by Saint Nan Yao in the Holy Mountain Mausoleum, possessing the slaying power of a Saint! When the Leiyun Kingdom and others released this illusion art, Ning Fan and Burying Moon were both heavily injured by it. Fortunately, Emperor Butcher, an Immortal Emperor proficient in illusions, shielded the two from most of the sorcery, protecting them.

The illusion was enigmatic and profound, drawing all those fallen on the Holy Mountain, including Immortal Emperors and Immortal Cultivators, back into the mausoleum, giving Ning Fan no chance to strike at these unconscious ones, thus inadvertently minimizing the battle results.

The Stone Man Emperor and another Seven Tribulations Celestial Emperor also seized the opportunity of the Ten Thousand Chants Decay, retreating back to the mausoleum, shutting the tomb gates, refusing Ning Fan entry.

The Leiyun Kingdom and the Thunder Sound Three Emperors originally planned to retreat to the mausoleum as well, but were trapped by Ouyang Nuan using a secret technique, specially designed by Burying Moon to bind Thunder Sound cultivators...

In the end, the Stone Man Emperor led the surviving cultivators of the Holy Mountain, along with the entire Holy Mountain, concealing themselves in the endless void.

The three unlucky ones from the Leiyun Kingdom, however, were left alone at the crown of the thirty-three heavens, relentlessly pursued and attacked by Ning Fan and others, ultimately defeated and captured, refusing to be enslaved, and were turned by Ning Fan into a pile of Blood of Ten Thousand Spirits.

Indeed, Immortal Emperors are entities that cannot be easily enslaved...

It is worth noting that Yin Luosha and other Eastern Heaven cultivators were also brought into the mausoleum’s interior, narrowly escaping a calamity. Otherwise, Ning Fan would not mind getting rid of those from the Dark Clan incidentally.

After annihilating the Leiyun Kingdom and the Thunder Sound Three Emperors, Ning Fan attempted to tear open the void at the old site of the Holy Mountain to find where the Holy Mountain had escaped to in the endless void. Unfortunately, the void was vast and indistinct, and he couldn’t even determine which layer of the void the Holy Mountain entered, naturally failing to locate it...

In this battle, aside from rescuing Emperor Butcher, Ning Fan surprisingly did not gain many spoils, which was not in line with Ning Fan’s style.

Of course, it was not entirely without spoils; those rescued by the Holy Mountain left Ning Fan helpless, but those from the Leiyun Kingdom who failed to escape still contributed three storage pouches to Ning Fan.

Four Innate Treasures were acquired!

[Five Thunders Annihilation Cover], this was the life treasure of Lei Cao, the Third Ancestor of the Lei Family.

[Prison Thunder Rope], this was the binding weapon of Lei Jing, the Second Ancestor of the Lei Family.

[Divine Thunder Mirror], this was a treasure of the Leiyun Kingdom, among the more formidable of Innate Inferior Grade treasures.

And one more... [Primordial Thunder Cauldron]!

This was ranked first among the nine cauldrons of Saint Nan Yao’s life!

This was the treasured relic of the Thunder Sound lineage that the Leiyun Kingdom desperately tried to take from the execution ground before escaping!

This was an Innate Mid-grade Treasure!

Due to the Leiyun Kingdom’s failed escape, this treasure naturally ended up in Ning Fan’s possession.

Careful counting, although he had not reached the level of Immortal Emperor, the Innate Treasures he possessed were not ones ordinary Immortal Emperors could compare to.

Xuan Yin Treasure originally had two Innate Treasures—Sun Moon Stele, Star Stele, treasures the former Ning Fan, with his insufficient cultivation, couldn’t use. If the two steles were separated, each would be Innate Inferior Grade, but if combined their power would absolutely reach Innate Mid-grade or even higher. Ning Fan’s cultivation had grown, apparently sufficient to use the Sun Moon Stars Stele now, but some method had not been comprehended yet, rendering temporary inability to use them. Given time, he would research how to wield these two steles.

Besides that, he also had Spirit Gathering Gate, Five Elements Bottle, Treasure-searching Compass, Wuxian Cloud, Refining God Cauldron, Five Poisons Banner, Purification Immortal Cauldron, Wind-Fire Fan, Emperor Jialuo Subduing Demon Bead, Black Mountain Bear Ancestor Kasaya, Five Thunders Annihilation Cover, Prison Thunder Rope, Divine Thunder Mirror... these are Innate Inferior Grade.

Ancient Flame Moon Realm, Eastern Sea Chime Bells, Burning Thunder Incense Burner... these offerings type Innate items were gifted by Ning Fan to the Black Evil Sect, Emperor Puppet, Que Gu.

Water-Flooding Realm Bottle, Primordial Thunder Cauldron... these two treasures are Innate Mid-grade, with tremendous destructive power.

Solely in terms of the number of treasures, Ning Fan would not be inferior to a Quasi-Saint.

Moreover, he has such Heaven-Opening Artifact as the Ancient Kingdom’s God-Destroying Shield...

Beneath the heavens, Ning Fan drove a black cloud forward, standing with hands behind his back, slightly distracted.

Emperor Butcher sat cross-legged on the Wuxian Cloud, taking pills for healing, sighed at Ning Fan controlling the cloud,

"You shouldn’t have leaked the aura of the Heaven-Opening Artifact to those Quasi-Saints. You don’t understand, such level of item holds immense allure for those living legends... Perhaps you don’t truly possess such an artifact, perhaps you only obtained a trace of its aura from somewhere, but those Quasi-Saints won’t care whether you really have it or not. If they enter the spatial turbulence and find merely an empty box, they’ll very likely come back to recalculate against you, coveting the Heaven-Opening Artifact you might possess."

She had already learned the ins and outs from Ning Fan. She was deeply worried about Ning Fan’s future.

She did not heed Ning Fan’s words to enter Xuan Yin Treasure for healing.

She wanted to stay by Ning Fan’s side for healing, to see more of Ning Fan’s back while driving the cloud.

"..." Ning Fan didn’t explain, only smiled and shook his head.

He didn’t care at all about the trouble leaking the Heaven-opening aura might bring.

If not for leaking the Heaven-opening aura, how could it cause those deeply scheming old entities to finally decide to abandon their calculations on Emperor Butcher and head to the spatial turbulence.

If not for the heaven-opening aura, how could the Bright Buddha ignore the survival of the Holy Mountain, abandon it, and instead go treasure hunting...

This might cause trouble for Ning Fan, but hasn’t he had enough trouble already?

After this, he will truly become the public enemy of the entire world in the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain. When those Quasi-Saints return from the spatial turbulence, they will definitely not let him go.

Even if he returns to Eastern Heaven, the Dark Clan will still weigh heavily on him, he will still be the inheritor of Ancient Chaotic Grand Emperor that everyone in Eastern Heaven plots against, the public enemy of the world.

He has so many unbeatable enemies, so many mountains to surpass, his cultivation road has been fraught with danger and challenge from the very beginning.

If he becomes fearful, this path, might as well not be pursued!

If the enemy plots against him, he will retaliate tenfold or a hundredfold!

If the enemy is cunning, he will be ten times or a hundred times more cunning!

If the enemy is ruthless, he will be ten times or a hundred times more ruthless!

If the enemy is tough, he will be ten times or a hundred times tougher!

His path has always been strong, using strength to conquer strength, he would rather break than submit!

Only then can others fear him, rather than... he fears others!

"Luckily, if you leave the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, their hands will no longer reach you. Even if they want to plot against you, it would be beyond their reach. Have you heard, this is the last time the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain will open."

"I’ve heard, it seems like it’s because the boundary beast channel, which serves as the entrance to the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, is about to be destroyed." Ning Fan replied.

"The boundary beast channel is just one reason. The most important reason is that the Will of the Saint in this realm seems to grow like a living creature, becoming increasingly vast, having surpassed the suppression of the Grand Abjection Supreme. Do you know how our Dabei Ancestor, the Saint Nan Yao, perished?"

"I would like to hear the details."

"Nan Yao Saint was severely injured by the top-ranked White Bone Lady of the Grand Abjection Supreme. While healing, he was ambushed and killed by the benevolent and evil corpses..."

"Oh."

Ning Fan replied indifferently; he was actually not concerned about how Nan Yao Saint died. But if Emperor Butcher was willing to tell the story, he was willing to listen leisurely.

"Nan Yao Saint was betrayed and killed by the Medicine Master Buddha and Ancestor Flame. Dying with grievances, his lingering will transformed into the Holy Mountain, and during his life, he laid out his plan, causing the entire Supreme Pill Sacred Domain to be shrouded by the Will of the Saint after his death, becoming a cage as punishment for the benevolent and evil corpses’ betrayal. Imprisoned are the native cultivators of the Dabei Clan. If they wish to walk out of the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain against the Will of the Saint, they must pay a huge price, and surviving in the outside world would mean daily cultivation degradation due to the curse of the Will of the Saint. In our clan’s history, very few native cultivators have gone to the outside world, even for important matters, they wouldn’t linger long. If they linger, their cultivation will fade away and they would die... Speaking of which, before the Bright Buddha led the Holy Mountain, some demon pills and corpse demons who retained self-awareness escaped to the outside, but once the Bright Buddha issued strict orders, no non-cultivator species ever left again."

"Oh."

"This is actually all in the condition where the boundary beast channel hasn’t collapsed, allowing the native cultivators to stay briefly in the outside world. If the boundary beast channel is destroyed, even a temporary stay wouldn’t be possible. Another meaning of the boundary beast channel’s existence is to mitigate the influence of Nan Yao Saint’s Will of the Saint, slowing the cultivation degradation for native cultivators venturing to the outside world. After the boundary beast channel is gone, not only will the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain be cut off from the outside world, but those Grand Abjection Supremes, if they manage to find an unknown channel to the outside world to find you, would suffer the doubled curse of the Will of the Saint, paying severe consequences of cultivation loss and Spirit injury. Being completely obliterated by the unabated Will of the Saint is also a slight possibility. Therefore, after you leave, our clan’s Quasi-Saints would not dare to follow you into the outside world. But that Cloaked Quasi-Saint named Baizu might be an exception. He can move freely in the outside world. If he targets you, remember to be careful..."

"Oh."

"Are you even listening?" Emperor Butcher frowned.

"Oh."

"On purpose?"

"Hmm." Ning Fan smiled.

Emperor Butcher chuckled angrily, she was worrying about Ning Fan, yet he still had the mind to tease her!

This kid, does he think raiding the Holy Mountain execution ground is all fun!

Does he think those Grand Abjection Quasi-Saints won’t seek revenge?

"Are you not worried about your future situation at all!"

"I’m more worried about your situation." Ning Fan stopped smiling, letting out a small sigh.

He had achieved all his purposes in the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain and rescued Emperor Butcher. If he wished, he could now leave through the spatial node.

But Ning Fan was very worried about what would happen to Emperor Butcher once he left.

Would those Quasi-Saints use an excuse to capture Emperor Butcher and take her to the Holy Mountain for execution?

And according to Emperor Butcher, native cultivators suffer the curse of the Will of the Saint upon reaching the outside. Could Emperor Butcher not join him in the outside and escape, as that would also lead to death...

"Why must I leave with you? I want to stay here and avenge my dead subordinates. Hmph, those baldies from the Holy Mountain captured me and killed my subordinates, I won’t let this matter rest! You can leave by yourself. I want to stay here and continue fighting those baldies on the Holy Mountain!" Emperor Butcher’s lips curved into a cruel smile, she, like Ning Fan, also had an indomitable spirit.

"Actually, your subordinates’ souls are still present... I am Fu Li2, and I have used the spirit wheels to conserve their souls. If, one day, I have enough power, I will give them a chance to be reborn. Regarding this, you don’t need to be too sad."

"If that’s the case, then a burden is lifted from my mind. But even so, I will still take revenge on those bald monks of the Holy Mountain, and you cannot stop me."

"Cannot stop you, huh... Or are you just saying this to ease my mind? To keep me from worrying about you?" Ning Fan’s silhouette was silent.

"..." Emperor Butcher was also silent.

Between the two, it seemed there wasn’t any romantic feelings of that sort.

Yet, there was an indescribable bond that made Ning Fan worry about Emperor Butcher’s future, and Emperor Butcher concerned for Ning Fan’s path ahead.

Almost like master and servant, somewhere between kinship, different from romance.

"By the way, those Quasi-Saints schemed against you, seemingly coveting the ’Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Emotion’ within you... Do you know what that is?"

"Who the hell knows what that thing is." Emperor Butcher’s one intact right eye rolled at Ning Fan, irritation flaring up at the mere mention of it.

With her sharp mind, she had figured out at the moment when all the Quasi-Saints of the Holy Mountain gathered, that she had long been played like a fool by them.

How could she be in a good mood?!

The so-called execution was just a pretext, and even without Ning Fan, those Quasi-Saints would have found a way to pin a crime on her and execute her!

She thought she had been all-powerful, but it turned out she was merely a sacrificial lamb in others’ eyes!

"Tell me, if I could somehow remove the ’Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Emotion’ from your body, would those Quasi-Saints stop scheming against you again? After all, if there are no benefits to gain, Quasi-Saints are reluctant to meddle in karma." Ning Fan suddenly thought of something, his eyes lighting up slightly.

"Good idea, then the question arises, what is the ’Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Emotion,’ and how do we extract it?" Emperor Butcher asked nonchalantly, seemingly unconcerned about separating the ’Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Emotion.’

The Bright Buddha’s method of coveting the ’Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Emotion’ within her involved forcibly stripping away her cultivation. And it was not the normal kind of stripping, but one executed with thunder. It even required stirring her emotions during the extraction, or else the mighty Bright Buddha wouldn’t have orchestrated a scene, luring her subordinates to their deaths, merely to stir her emotionally...

"If it required destroying your cultivation to avoid the Quasi-Saints’ scheming, would you agree?" Ning Fan asked with a furrowed brow.

"Absolutely not! A life without cultivation is no different from a salted fish. I’d rather go out in a blaze of glory, fighting those Quasi-Saints to the death." Emperor Butcher shook her head decisively.

"Do you think there might be another way to separate the ’Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Emotion’..."

Ning Fan’s eyes were deep, and he recalled the Sword Ancestor’s skeleton he encountered at the Corpse Bone Mountain. He realized why he felt something special towards Emperor Butcher.

Because Emperor Butcher possessed the ’Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Emotion.’

Because, although Emperor Butcher was an Illusory Art puppet, she was akin to a manifestation of the Sword Ancestor’s Illusory Art, special to him.

At this moment, it was the Sword Ancestor’s emotion talking to him.

At this moment, it was the Sword Ancestor’s emotion bringing him peace within.

A thousand threads of karma were merely his bond with the Sword Ancestor, nothing more.

The Sword Ancestor was dead, but because Emperor Butcher had the ’Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Emotion,’ her existence was akin to yet another life for the Sword Ancestor.

When he was just a low-spirit butterfly, she was the awe-inspiring Sword Ancestor in the Real Realms.

When he reincarnated and gradually rose in the Dreamland Realm, she was left with only bones, with only the Ultimate Emotion transformed into an Illusory Art puppet.

In a daze, Ning Fan remembered what the Sword Ancestor’s skeleton told him before it turned to dust and vanished.

[You can’t find me, and I can’t meet you... If the two lines intersect, it would be a lifetime of meeting followed by a life of separation; if the two lines are parallel, it would be a lifetime of companionship, yet a lifetime of unmet encounters...]

At the time, he didn’t understand.

Now, he understood a bit.

He and the Sword Ancestor were two parallel lines, journeying together from the beginning to the end.

But, they could never truly meet; he dies, she lives, he lives, she dies, from the beginning to the end...

"Why are you sighing, little butterfly? Er, not sure why I called you little butterfly again..." Emperor Butcher awkwardly scratched her head and started rambling.

"Let’s just go with it, it sounds nice."

"No, I still prefer calling you Ning Fan, that name sounds nice."

"Then call me Ning Fan, and stop calling me little guy, little thing."

"And you shouldn’t call me senior, girl, haven’t I already said to call me by my name? My name is Ji Qingling, remember it."

"Ji Qingling, this name... sounds nice, but is this name... real..."

"What did you say?" Emperor Butcher was taken aback.

"The left eye I owe you, I’ll return it now. What you wanted from the past is all there. Your existence seems to be just an illusion puppet, akin to those like Baihua Great Emperor. I hesitated whether to let you know these things, but perhaps, you had already realized it yourself."

Ning Fan sighed, returning Emperor Butcher’s left eye, thereby fulfilling all his promises to her.

Emperor Butcher removed her eye mask, placed the left eye back using a secret technique, closed her eyes, and silently watched the past engraved in her left eye by Ning Fan.

She saw scenes of the Ten Wasps Supreme creating her...

But she did not find the little guy she wanted to search for...

"Indeed, I’m just an illusion puppet, and the little guy I’m looking for cannot be seen from just this past. At the bottom of the Netherworld, there’s no answer I’m looking for..." After a while, Emperor Butcher exhaled softly and smiled indifferently.

The matter of being an illusion puppet, she had long suspected, thus it was not unacceptable.

Though regrettably, she did not see the person she wanted to wait for from the past... but perhaps, Ning Fan was the little guy she wanted to wait for, with no need to search further. She had this feeling.

What will the future hold?

Before the Quasi-Saint trapped in the spatial turbulence returns, probably nothing will change, but once they return, her situation will likely be dire.

But no matter how dire, it can’t be worse than the mutation occurring within her body at this moment...

"Thank you, little butterfly. It’s not for saving me, but for reuniting with me in this identity, this appearance."

Emperor Butcher silently spoke in her heart.

She didn’t understand her inner voice meant, but she felt very happy, happier than when she first formed the Golden Core, happier than when she first manifested her Spirit... Just sitting behind Ning Fan like this, watching clouds fly past beneath her feet, watching Ning Fan’s white clothes and black hair flutter in the wind, watching his back as silent as a mountain, was enough.

Even if she were to die at this moment, she would have no regrets.

Behind Ning Fan, where he couldn’t see, Emperor Butcher quietly covered her chest with her hand, enduring the pain like her heart was shattering, repeatedly swallowing the sweet blood in her throat, forcefully suppressing the burgeoning death energy in her body.

She was nearing her end.

To describe it as death might not be accurate, because she wasn’t truly a living being. Her existence should have ended in her mother’s womb countless years ago. She wasn’t that female infant; she was merely an illusion puppet, a substitute for that female infant.

Initially, she thought being saved by Ning Fan would ensure safety, but it wasn’t so.

The moment she left the execution field, her body inexplicably began to wither and decay!

If she were a living person, a true Immortal Emperor, her longevity should be boundless, and such sudden deterioration would not occur.

But she wasn’t.

She was just an illusion puppet.

Her cultivation was fake.

Her immortality was fake.

Whatever lifespan the Ten Wasps Supreme assigned her, that was how long she could live, unchangeable.

Upon leaving the execution field, she was shocked to find her illusion lifespan was nearly exhausted!

It was as if, countless years ago, the Ten Wasps Supreme had calculated everything, precisely predicting all time!

The Ten Wasps foresaw her execution, foresaw the exact time Ning Fan would save her from the execution field!

And granted her enough lifespan to last until Ning Fan saved her.

Being saved by Ning Fan at this moment, simultaneously, her illusion lifespan was reaching its end...

She was Ten Wasps’ illusion, and no one could interfere with this illusion, no one could extend her life...

Except for Ten Wasps himself, the originator of the illusion!

The lifespan Ten Wasps granted her was precise to the extreme, reaching its endpoint right here!

Ten Wasps had calculated everything, even accounting for Ning Fan’s method of diverting the Quasi-Saint to rescue her, countless years before she was even created!

She understood!

Ten Wasps was different from other Quasi-Saints!

Ning Fan’s series of open plots might have escaped Bright Buddha and others’ calculations, but they were still within Ten Wasps’ scheme, not yet escaped!

Yes, indeed...

Ten Wasps Supreme’s objectives were inherently different from those of the Bright Buddha and others!

Being created by Ten Wasps Supreme, surely even then, Ten Wasps Supreme must have placed Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Affection within her.

The Ten Wasps Supreme already possessed Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Affection, so there was no need to repeat the act, to calculate again. It was certain that her coming to the Holy Mountain was for a different purpose than others’, not for the Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Affection.

For Ten Wasps Supreme, Sword Ancestor’s Ultimate Affection might just be bait, bait to lure Ning Fan into the trap!

"Ten Wasps’ plot... is Ning Fan!" Emperor Butcher was shocked by her own guess, but her face showed no hint, not wanting Ning Fan to know this.

If her guess were true, then at this moment, Ning Fan was still unsafe.

What was Ten Wasps trying to achieve!

Why only give her just the right amount of illusion lifespan?

Was it to let Ning Fan discover her nearing death, to make Ning Fan seek out Ten Wasps for extending her life?

Was it to use this matter to coerce Ning Fan into some objective!

"With Ning Fan’s personality, knowing I am an illusion puppet yet willing to save me, he would likely also seek Ten Wasps Supreme for extending my life, thereby falling into Ten Wasps’ calculations... This is Ten Wasps’ overt plan! Pinning down Ning Fan’s personality, intending to compel him to submit..."

"I can die, after all, I’m just an illusion, but I cannot implicate Ning Fan to fall into any calculations anymore! Cannot implicate... my little butterfly!"

Emperor Butcher was the Great Emperor of Illusions, if she wanted to cover her impending death with illusions, Ning Fan couldn’t possibly see through it.

Moreover, Emperor Butcher was already severely injured, occasionally leaking a trace of death energy would only make Ning Fan think it was due to worsening injuries, without linking to anything else.

In the battle of the Holy Mountain, Ning Fan won, surpassing Bright Buddha, Death Emperor, Niu Gui, Baizu.

In the battle of the Holy Mountain, Ning Fan lost, seemingly having diverted Ten Wasps Supreme away, but in reality, still precisely within Ten Wasps Supreme’s calculations.

That was a calculation starting from countless years ago, with tremendous plots...

Emperor Butcher forced herself to smile and chat with Ning Fan, pretending nothing was amiss, using illusions to paint a blushing face to hide the true paleness.

She didn’t know how much time she had left.

Didn’t know how long she could accompany the little butterfly.

She seemed to understand something, yet simultaneously seemed to remain ignorant.

She seemed to have regained life, become the Sword Ancestor again, yet, still appeared just a fantasy.

"What’s wrong with you, chattering on and on, are you trying to cover up something? When people want to cover something up, they often act abnormally. Your behavior doesn’t match your character." Ning Fan frowned.

Even using the Mind Reading Technique, he saw nothing.

Using Communication with All Things to inquire, it yielded no information.

He always felt Emperor Butcher was hiding something, but after all, his relationship with Emperor Butcher was superficial, seemingly not qualifiable to question others’ concealment.

"Is it abnormal? Then I should shut up. Where are we going now?" Emperor Butcher neither denied nor care about lying, yet she didn’t reveal everything, her long eyes carried a smile, with an indescribable tenderness, looking at Ning Fan.

"To find someone. While several Quasi-Saints are lured into spatial turbulence, I intend to be reckless here in the Dabei Clan."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Chulie Holy Maiden, Duolan."

"Do you intend to snatch the entire Dabei’s reserves of the Heavenly Dao Gold and Silver Mine? If you do, once Bright Buddha and the others return, they will surely go mad."

"If I don’t do this, will they let me go?" Ning Fan laughed.

"That’s true. Cultivation is inherently against the heavens; if we relent in everything, why not just live as mortals? It’s because people refuse to admit, refuse to let go, that they push themselves forward. Since you want to indulge once, I’ll indulge with you."

"Do you really not want to enter my Xuan Yin Treasure to heal in seclusion?" Ning Fan frowned.

The wounded Emperor Butcher seemed weak yet still wanted to indulge... It would be a lie to say he was not worried.

"I can heal while behind you. Aside from Lou Tuo, there are no other Immortal Emperors on the grasslands now. With your skills, even if you fight a life-and-death battle with an Immortal King, you won’t hinder me from healing behind you, right?"

"That’s true."

Ning Fan no longer objected and allowed Emperor Butcher to stay on the Wuxian Cloud, accompanying him.

The Wuxian Cloud flew over the Central State Grassland; whenever it passed a city, it made the cultivators shudder.

Because those people knew that it was the Ghost Eye Clan passing by, and any misstep could result in a city being destroyed!

Only when Ning Fan’s Wuxian Cloud roared away did these people breathe a sigh of relief.

Liuli City had overcast skies, it seemed like rain, yet it couldn’t fall.

At a certain moment, the residents of Liuli City were shocked to see a demonic cloud in the overcast sky!

Many people saw the appearance of the man standing atop the cloud with spirit sense!

Instantly, Liuli City became chaotic due to Ning Fan’s forceful arrival!

"Ghost, ghost, ghost Eye Clan! He, he’s here! We’re going to die, we’re going to die!"

Ning Fan felt slightly annoyed.

He has massacred many sects, but his victims were those with deep karmic ties; he never killed ordinary mortals like the residents of Liuli City.

Of course, these Liuli City residents have Medicine Soul, with a bit of mana, so they aren’t mortals.

However, in Ning Fan’s eyes, mortals are not defined by mana, but whether they engage in cultivation battles.

Obviously, these people live a life disconnected from cultivation battles, like a mortal life of sunrise and sunset.

For such mortals, he didn’t want to randomly disrupt their peaceful lives.

"Everyone calm down, I’m not here to massacre the city!"

Ning Fan comforted, his voice clear to every Liuli City resident, yet it didn’t quell the chaos.

Because the residents didn’t believe him!

In their eyes, the Holy Mountain is sacred, it’s faith, it’s honor.

Ning Fan, who destroyed the Holy Mountain, is heretical, a demon, a murderer.

With the limited intelligence of Liuli City residents, they almost unanimously assumed Ning Fan came to kill and feast... Truly terrifying demon.

Finding it impossible to stop the chaos, Ning Fan was speechless, as some streets were already trampled by the chaotic crowd. Though there were no deaths yet, there were many injured. If this continued, he’d involuntarily harm innocent mortals...

Seeing Ning Fan frown over such triviality, Emperor Butcher laughed.

His little butterfly is indeed interesting, interesting... such a cultivator might be hard to find a second.

"Saying it like that won’t quell the chaos. You should say..."

Emperor Butcher cleared his throat, imitated Ning Fan’s voice, and pretended to fiercely declare to Liuli City,

"Liuli City residents are ordered to return to their homes immediately, no running around the streets, no causing chaos, no loud noises! Violators will be dismembered alive, sliced and cooked! Women will be dishonored a hundred times, no exceptions for the old and young!"

Ssss!

All Liuli City residents gasped, frightened by ’Ning Fan’s’ threat.

No one dared to run chaotically on the streets; they all cautiously moved towards their homes!

No one dared to cause chaos or speak loudly; everyone was silent with fear of ’Devil Lord Ning’s’ punishment.

Did you hear what ’Ning Fan’ said?

Is that something humans say!

It’s the words only a demon could say!

Men who violated the order would be sliced and cooked!

Women would be ravished a hundred times by ’Devil Lord Ning’ with no regard for age!

This ’Devil Lord Ning’ is terrifying, he’ll even harm three-year-old girls and eighty-year-old women; truly a demon!

Seeing Liuli City instantly calm due to Emperor Butcher’s nonsense.

Not only quieted the residents.

Even those with high cultivation were silent.

"My reputation has been ruined by you..." Ning Fan was speechless.

"Are you someone who cares about reputation? As long as the goal is achieved, what does it matter what method you use? As long as your spirit sense is clear," Emperor Butcher grinned.

"Makes sense."

Ning Fan shook his head, not arguing with Emperor Butcher, collected the Wuxian Cloud, and wrapped his arm around Emperor Butcher’s waist, disappearing.

With deliberate concealment, the True Immortal cultivators stationed in Liuli City couldn’t detect where Ning Fan went.

Ning Fan quietly landed in a place within Liuli City called the 47th Prison.

This was where he and Duolan stayed when they first came to Liuli City.

Several maids acquainted with Ning Fan, upon seeing him arrive, were surprisingly unafraid of his infamous name but instead cried tears of joy.

"Lord Demon, please save my lady, she was locked up by the Spirit Sect’s Saint Son and hasn’t been released."

Clearly not afraid, but why do they keep calling him ’Lord Demon’...

What a bizarre title!

Ning Fan didn’t discuss the issue of titles with the maids but frowned and asked, "Duolan was taken by the Spirit Sect’s Saint Son?"

"No, she wasn’t taken, my lady was threatened and willingly left with the Spirit Sect’s Saint Son."

"Threatened?"

Ning Fan was surprised.

He was curious why Duolan didn’t attend his contest during the second round of the Mausoleum Tournament. Now he wondered if she was taken by the Spirit Sect at that time?

"Do you know why the Spirit Sect took Duolan?"

"This..."

The maids blushed, hesitantly said,

"We don’t know the specifics, but apparently the Spirit Sect threatened my lady using Lord Demon, leading her to willingly go. It’s said that the Spirit Sect’s Saint Son reached a crucial point in his cultivation, requiring a Saintess with untouched Yin energy to break through. Previously, the Saint Son overlooked my lady, but this time, he’s quite attentive, treating her well, waiting for the right time to use her for cultivation..."

"Because of me?"

Ning Fan was surprised, unexpected that Duolan being taken had anything to do with him.

Emperor Butcher, laughing slyly, nodded.

Her little butterfly seemed quite popular with women... Before her end, she need not worry about his marriage affair.

So good, so good.

The presence of these women around him, like leaving her smile beside him...

Each woman, is a unique smile, blossoming because of him.