The silence was deafening!
It was so quiet that only cawing was heard. And even this noise only worked to darken the mood.
“Ning’er!”
Xue Dingtian turned serious as he said, “If what this young master said is true, it’s best if you leave.”
“Grandfather…” Xue Ningxiang looked at him in tears.
Xue Dingtian smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll go back and find out the truth. If it isn’t like what this young master said, then I will come back to get you and proceed with the marriage.”
He ruffled her hair and flew away.
Watching his departing figure, Xue Ningxiang sniffed in tears.
“Big brother Zhuo, will my grandfather be alright?”
Zhuo Fan’s conjectures were always spot on and Xue Ningxiang wished to know her grandfather’s fate.
She wanted him to say her grandfather would be fine, that her clan would be fine. But Zhuo Fan shook his head.
“I’m sorry, if he doesn’t return, your clan still might live for a while. But now, all of them will die.”
Xue Ningxiang was shocked to the core and tears never stopped falling.
Xie Tianyang began cursing to hide his sadness, “Hey, you’re not that damn Insidious Demon’s match in reading people, so how can you say they’ll all die if he returns? I think a Profound Heaven expert would make the Insidious Demon think twice.”
“Humph, that is where you’re wrong. I may not be as sharp as him when it comes to picking up one’s intentions, but we are all humans, and I can tell a thing or two of his actions. First, we offended him, and since he determined the identity of Xue Ningxiang during our fight, he would think that the Xue clan betrayed Hell Valley. He is bound to kill them to the last woman and child. But at that time, old man Xue came to find Ning’er. In this case… “
Zhuo Fan paused then sighed, “Until he knew the whereabouts of the Profound Heaven expert, he would keep them alive to draw your grandfather. Once old man Xue returns, there will be nothing holding him back.”
“Bullshit! A Profound Heaven expert is an elder in the seven houses. I don’t believe he has such nerve to slaughter a Profound Heaven expert’s entire clan.” Xie Tianyang saw Xue Ningxiang’s expression turn darker and darker and roared at Zhuo Fan.
Zhuo Fan shook his head, “Exactly because Xue clan has a Profound Heaven expert he would wait for Xue Dingtian to return before wiping them all off. In addition, you’re wrong about something. A Profound Heaven expert is not strong at all, but a free one is.”
“Why do you think he kneeled before us? He didn’t do it for the two of us, but for the Sword Marquise Abode behind you. He didn’t kneel for himself either, but for the Xue clan. If he were a rogue cultivator, free of responsibility, killing us would be a matter of fact.”
“But…” Xie Tianyang wanted to retort but found nothing to refute him with. He knew of this all too well, but the sorrowful look on Xue Ningxiang pushed him to find her some solace.
But Zhuo Fan’s words stabbed Xue Ningxiang’s frail heart like a dagger.
At this point, Xie Tianyang wanted to punch him. [Can’t you have some sympathy for Ning’er?]
“Alright, stop fighting.”
Xue Ningxiang shouted, “Big brother Zhuo, I know what you said is reasonable. Tell me then, if I go back as a cauldron, can I save my clan?”
Xie Tianyang was appalled, “Ning’er, don’t!”
Zhuo Fan looked her in the eye but all he saw was an unwavering will and nodded, “Even the magnificent and grand seventh elder of Hell Valley has no other way to train in that martial art. From this, it is obvious how much the Hell Valley lacks cauldrons. Doing this is likely to work, but…”
“There is no but as long as it works!”
Xue Ningxiang waved and breathed out as if to get out all the worries off her chest. She was smiling, but the two felt their hearts heavy from the tears flowing down Xue Ningxiang’s cheeks.
“Big brother Zhuo, big brother Tianyang, thank you for taking care of me these past months. We shall part ways, just that…” Xue Ningxiang sniffed, “I’ve never once gone outside the city, never seen Sword Marquise Abode. It’s my only regret.”
She waved with a smile and left.
Xie Tianyang’s eyes were tinted red. They both knew what this girl was about to do.
“Ning’er!”
Xie Tianyang stepped forward, but Xue Ningxiang’s delicate voice reached them before he could take a second, “Please don’t try to use force. I know I am not your match, but I will hate you for all my life and will never listen to you two again.”
Xie Tianyang fell to his knees and watched her distancing figure in pain.
“Hey, Zhuo Fan, Ning’er left. Can she save Xue clan?” He asked gloomily.
“For some time.” Zhuo Fan shook his head, his face serene, “Once Ning’er’s use as cauldron expires, Xue clan would’ve outlived its usefulness.”
“Why did you let her leave then?” Xie Tianyang bit his lip until he drew blood as his words were spoken with an edge.
Zhuo Fan stared him in the eye, “At least… Ning’er will leave this world at peace, believing her clan will be kept safe.”
“Bastard!”
Bam!
Xie Tianyang stood up and punched Zhuo Fan’s face and sent him ten meters flying, “You betrayed Ning’er again.”
Roaring, Xie Tianyang rushed after Xue Ningxiang.
“What are you going to do?” Zhuo Fan wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up.
“I’m going to save her!” Xie Tianyang was dead serious.
“Just you?” Zhuo Fan jabbed, “How can a Bone Tempering cultivator fight against a Profound Heaven expert? You saw what happened just now. You know the difference between the Bone Tempering Stage and Profound Heaven Stage. It’s not just about being unable to fly but also about speed.”
“So what?” Tightening his fists, Xie Tianyang spat, “It’s better than doing nothing like you. We clearly had the chance to end that Insidious Demon last time…”
“Last time we had the element of surprise and an array in place. In an array, no matter how fast he is, we can deal with him. But how will I set an array now? Are you telling me to set one right under his nose, then ask him to kindly step inside?”
Xie Tianyang understood the meaning behind Zhuo Fan’s words but couldn’t accept his manner. Ning’er fought through life and death with them and now Zhuo Fan was just going to sit there and do nothing.
“Zhuo Fan, I always knew there was no worth in trusting you. But as a man, good or bad, they are duty-bound to fulfill their promise. You promised to take Ning’er out, and if you don’t, you’ll be nothing more than a coward!”
Roaring, Xie Tianyang sped up in his rush.
“If you go you can only watch, powerless to do anything!”
“I will still go. I would rather die than be a coward!”
Watching Xie Tianyang chasing Ning’er, Zhuo Fan tightened his fists and muttered, “Who said I’m any different…”
Then he turned around and entered the forest.
In a cave, fifteen minutes later, Zhuo Fan set up a concealing array then drew an odd pattern on the ground and placed spirit stones at key locations. Then he spread Diamond Sand across the entire pattern.
Finally, his hand flashed and a pair of wings with streaks of lightning across them appeared in the center of this pattern.
This was a secret body refining art from the Nine Serenities Secret Records. It would make use of Demon Transformation Art to refine the ingredients and transform one’s flesh into Diamond Body.
This was far crueler than the Wraith Art he gave to Captain Pang. Wraith Art was a cultivation method for humans to refine their body, but this secret art treated the human body as a medium in refining it just like a demonic treasure.
The results were outstanding of course, invincible and tough as steel. But the process was excruciating, a thousand times more miserable than the Wraith Art.
To imagine, this process involved cutting one’s body inch by painful inch if one wanted to refine his body with ingredients suited for demonic treasures. It was so dreadful that one would find death a blessing.
In the past, before he even found the Nine Serenities Secret Records, Zhuo Fan wouldn’t train in Wraith Art even if he had it. Because it was too inhuman, too brutal, despite how much strength it gave back.
And here he was using a method even more excruciating and dangerous.
But this was also the only way he could improve his strength in a short time. If he wasn’t stronger than that cunning and deceitful Insidious Demon, his success wasn’t certain!
With his heart at peace, his eyes filled with resolve, Zhuo Fan made a hand sign.
In an instant, the strange pattern shined brightly and started to churn. As it spun, the Diamond Sand trickled towards a small vortex in the center and entered inside the cross-legged body of Zhuo Fan…