After exiting the Black Lightning Realm, they arrived at the Golden Lightning Heavenly Dwelling. Here, Hong Yi handed a sachet to Ning Fan.
That sachet was a high-grade storage pouch that was loved by many high-grade female cultivators. It contained a lot of golden lightning bamboo leaves.
She did not stop Ning Fan from erasing all the spirit sense imprints on the bamboo leaves. She understood that Ning Fan did that to prevent her from destroying the bamboo leaves.
Compared to Hong Yi's calmness, Ning Fan was much more cautious.
He only handed seven dark bamboo leaves to Hong Yi. Seven bamboo leaves was the agreement they had made earlier.
Later on, Ning Fan promised to give her twelve bamboo leaves. As for the remaining five bamboo leaves, he said that he would give her the same amount after obtaining the one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs.
Hong Yi's blood-red eyes were calm. She did not feel that there was anything wrong with what Ning Fan did.
There was nothing wrong with being a gentleman before being a villain in the world.
If Ning Fan deceives her, she would make him pay.
If Ning Fan keeps his promise, she would also fulfill her promise and trade with him normally. She would give him the one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs and order the Zhou Clan to back him up in the internal sea.
Hong Yi never took advantage of others nor would she suffer losses. She was quite similar to Ning Fan.
"Miss Hong Yi, you kept your promise and gave me the golden lightning bamboo leaves. I really admire you for that."
Ning Fan kept the golden lightning bamboo leaves and cupped his fists to express his gratitude. With these bamboo leaves, Yue Lingkong's injuries would no longer be a problem.
"Humph. Do you really think that I will break the Great Oath of Heart Devil for some golden lightning bamboo leaves?"
Hong Yi glanced at Ning Fan coldly. When she remembered that Ning Fan had forced her to use her Great Oath of Heart Devil, she felt a little displeased.
"Hehe. Miss, you must be joking … Hmm? You don't look well. Are you feeling unwell? "
Ning Fan changed the topic to avoid angering Hong Yi.
After leaving the Black Lightning Realm, Ning Fan finally had the mood to observe Hong Yi carefully. Only then did he notice that her face was a little pale and weak.
Ten days ago, she definitely did not have such a feeling of weakness.
"I'm just a primordial spirit. The reason why I look so pale is because my primordial spirit is weak. It's not a big deal. Humph! You are the first man who has the guts to complain about my pale face. However, seeing that you're still useful to me, I can forgive you for your offense! "
Hong Yi frowned. Even though she did not care about her looks, she was still a little displeased when Ning Fan said that her face was pale.
Moreover, the reason why her expression turned sour was because of Ning Fan.
According to the original plan, Hong Yi could only stay in the Black Lightning Realm for seven days at most.
After seven days, regardless of whether she obtained the Dark Lightning Bamboo Leaf or not, she must first return to the outside world and meet up with the Third Elder and the others.
He had to consume a certain amount of nourishing medicine to strengthen his soul. Otherwise, his soul would become weak and damaged.
It took a total of ten days for Ning Fan to head to the cloud realm in the upper layer. During these ten days, Hong Yi had been guarding the teleportation formation at the lower layer to prevent the lightning beasts from destroying it and trapping Ning Fan in the cloud realm forever.
Therefore, Hong Yi did not leave the Black Lightning Realm on time, so her primordial spirit naturally showed signs of weakness.
She did not tell Ning Fan about this because it was unnecessary.
Ning Fan, on the other hand, felt rather speechless. He was just concerned about Hong Yi's complexion. He did not have the intention to humiliate her by saying that her appearance was ugly. He could only say that Hong Yi's temperament was just too strange.
Hong Yi's complexion was not good, but her appearance was definitely not bad.
Her hair was as black as ink, her skin was as white as snow, and her eyes were as red as rubies. Her eyelashes were long and curly, and her lips were moist and sparkling. She was an absolute beauty.
She looked seventy to eighty percent similar to the Ning Honghong in Ning Fan's memory. However, she had an additional mature charm and a hint of arrogance and coldness.
Her crimson dress was long enough to touch the ground. It looked like a red lotus and a blazing flame. The hem of the dress was decorated with several diamonds. It was luxurious and scorching.
Ning Fan secretly observed Hong Yi's appearance. Gradually, he felt that something was amiss.
What Ning Fan was especially concerned about were the three blood-red lightning stars on her glabella. Among them, only two-thirds of the third lightning star was solid while the remaining one-third was illusory.
Tai Su Lightning Star, huh …?
In the past, Ning Fan could not see through the profoundness of the lightning stars. However, now that he had completely condensed the Tai Su Lightning Star, he could see some of its mysteries.
"This lady's lightning star is only two-thirds solid. It's the same as what I guessed earlier."
"Have you seen enough?"
The corner of Hong Yi's mouth curved into a cold smile. Ning Fan was very bold. Extremely bold. He actually dared to look at her appearance like this.
According to her temperament, if anyone dares to look at her face directly like this, she would certainly kill him to vent her anger.
"… I'm sorry."
Ning Fan shifted his gaze away. He could feel that Hong Yi was very repulsed by men.
She was the daughter of the lightning sovereign. He did not plan to have any relationship with her.
"I have an agreement with the third elder that I will only stay in the Black Lightning Realm for seven days. Now that I'm late by three days, I'm afraid the third elder has already brought some people to guard the bamboo forest. When they see you traveling with me later, I'm afraid they will be wary of you. However, you don't have to worry. You are useful to me. With me protecting you, no one in the internal sea will dare to hurt you! Follow closely behind me! "
Hong Yi's tone suddenly became domineering, giving Ning Fan an illusion that the current Hong Yi had the same aura as Yun Tianjue.
After opening the exit of the Golden Lightning Heavenly Dwelling, Hong Yi and Ning Fan walked out side by side. As soon as they appeared in the outside world, Ning Fan immediately noticed that there were four extremely strong experts guarding the bamboo forest outside.
Each of them was a Void Refinement Realm old monster who had lived in seclusion in the internal sea!
Three of them were Void Glimpse Stage experts and one of them was a Void Inquiry Stage expert!
That Void Inquiry Stage old monster wore a linen robe. His hair was white and his beard was white like a halberd. His eyes were like blazing flames. He was carrying an ancient and large sword case on his back. His aura force was extremely strong. It was not any weaker than King Ying Long!
As soon as the four of them saw Hong Yi, they heaved a sigh of relief.
However, when they saw Ning Fan following beside Hong Yi, each of their expressions turned into one of rage.
"It's you, Zhou Ming! I didn't expect you to leave the Lightning Bamboo Island that day. It was just a camouflage and you actually came back! You're courting death! "
"Even if you are a revered elder of the Rain Palace and have Yun Tianjue's protection, you still treat the Zhou Clan of the internal sea as nothing. Today, this old man will come and have a taste of your skills. I want to see what kind of strength you are relying on to have the guts to provoke my Zhou Clan!"
"Master, this brat is audacious and presumptuous. He trespassed the Golden Lightning Heavenly Dwelling with the intention of harming you. He should be sentenced to death!"
The three Void Glimpse Stage old monsters shouted angrily. Each of them stared at Ning Fan with eyes that seemed to be able to spit fire.
Only the old man carrying the sword had extremely sharp eyesight even though he had an unyielding character.
He could vaguely see that Ning Fan and Hong Yi were standing side by side. Judging from Hong Yi's attitude, she did not harbor any hostility towards Ning Fan.
He waved his hand to stop the three Void Glimpse Stage old monsters from shouting. Then, he cupped his fists and said to Hong Yi.
"May I ask Master why are you traveling with this person? Why did you only leave the Black Lightning Realm after three days? Did something unexpected happen?"
The old man's question was very tactful. If something unexpected happened to the Black Lightning Realm, it was very likely that Ning Fan had done something to it. If that was the case, he would definitely kill Ning Fan with his own hands.
"Don't worry, Third Elder. I am the dignified daughter of the lightning sovereign. How could I cause any trouble because of a Divine Transformation Realm junior? Besides, it was because of this young man's help that I managed to obtain a sufficient amount of bamboo leaves in the Black Lightning Realm this time. Even though the time was slightly delayed, the amount of bamboo leaves I obtained was beyond my expectations. Now, all the important matters can be carried out step by step. "Hong Yi explained coldly.
"The daughter of the lightning sovereign?" One of the Void Glimpse Stage old monsters sounded doubtful. However, the old man immediately glared at him and he hurriedly shut his mouth.
"Mistress … It's really a joyous occasion for Mistress to obtain a sufficient amount of bamboo leaves. Since Little Friend Zhou has contributed, he is not considered as an enemy anymore. This is not a good place to talk. Mistress, please move to the Thunder Court Pavilion! Little Friend Zhou, come with us! "
The old man's tone was respectful to Hong Yi. However, his words to Ning Fan left no room for refusal.
When the other three Void Glimpse Stage old men heard that Ning Fan was a friend and not an enemy, they also concealed their killing intent. However, there was still a lot of vigilance between their brows.
Ning Fan did not say much and did not give any explanation. With Hong Yi explaining for him, he naturally did not need to speak. All he needed to do was to follow behind her.
His eyes looked at the three Void Glimpse Stage old monsters thoughtfully. He had never heard of these three Void Glimpse Stage old monsters in the Endless Sea. They were probably the hidden experts of the Zhou Clan.
If it was before he entered the Thunder Bamboo Island, Ning Fan would still be a little afraid of Void Glimpse Stage old monsters. However, after the trip to the Black Lightning Tower, Ning Fan's strength had skyrocketed. There were already tens of Void Glimpse Stage old monsters who died in his hands. Moreover, these three Void Glimpse Stage old monsters were lightning cultivators of the Zhou Clan. Thus, he naturally would not put them in his eyes.
However, the old man carrying the sword was different. He gave Ning Fan an extremely strong sense of danger.
The Zhou Clan was famous for their lightning cultivators. Even though this old man was an expert of the Zhou Clan, he was not a lightning cultivator. Instead, he was a sword cultivator. Ning Fan's Tai Su Lightning Star could not restrain him at all.
The strength of this old man was not weaker than King Ying Long. Moreover, he was not restrained by Lei Xing. If he fights against Ning Fan, he would probably be much more difficult to deal with than King Ying Long.
Currently, the devil qi in Ning Fan's primordial spirit had yet to dissipate. Thus, he could not transform into his devil form for the time being. Even if he were to transform into his devil form, he might not necessarily be able to defeat this elderly man.
In terms of strength, Ning Fan was not as strong as the elderly man. However, in terms of trump cards, Ning Fan had the Stele of Sun and Moon and the Heaven Deceiving Cloak. Thus, he was not afraid of this elderly man.
From Hong Yi's address, this old man with a sword on his back was the Third Elder of the Zhou Clan.
A trace of memory entered his mind. Ning Fan vaguely remembered that when he killed Revered Flame, he had heard the name of the third elder of the Zhou Clan from the two Void Refinement Realm palace masters of the Rain Palace.
"The third elder of the Zhou Clan is named Zhou Chen. He is at the Void Inquiry Stage. Rumor has it that he is only a step away from attaining the Void Pierce Stage. He has an unyielding character and kills people like scything flax … If I'm not mistaken, this elderly man with a sword on his back is Zhou Chen. Zhou Chen is the same as the other old monsters of the Zhou Clan. All of them are servants of Thunder Sovereign Bu Zhou. They will only serve the thunder sovereign as their master. However, he addressed Hong Yi as his master previously and then changed his way of addressing her … When the Void Glimpse Stage old man first heard that Hong Yi was the daughter of the thunder sovereign, he seemed to be a little surprised … Could it be that there's something wrong with Hong Yi's identity? She's not the daughter of the thunder sovereign but … the thunder sovereign?! "
Ning Fan's eyes turned slightly solemn. If it's as he had guessed, some of the things that he could not figure out before could be solved.
However, rumor has it that the thunder sovereign cannot leave the Sovereign's Tomb. Moreover, there has never been any information that says that the thunder sovereign is a woman … My guess seems to be a little arbitrary.
"Are you doubting my identity?" Hong Yi who was walking beside him suddenly revealed a cold smile and transmitted her voice to him.
"Who you are has nothing to do with me." Ning Fan said resolutely and decisively. After Hong Yi questioned him, he was almost ninety percent sure that Hong Yi was not the daughter of the thunder sovereign.
However, if Hong Yi is the thunder sovereign, he still did not have much confidence and he was not interested in making such a guess.
Just like what he had said, he did not want to know Hong Yi's identity nor was he willing to interfere.
Thunder Sovereign Bu Zhou and the Rain Palace seemed to have a lot of complicated grudges. He did not want to get involved in those grudges.
"Well said! Don't get involved in unrelated matters. If you don't have any proof, don't say too much. This is the way to protect yourself. "
Hong Yi's expression turned calm. No one could tell whether she was happy or angry.
Ning Fan calmed himself down and followed Hong Yi and the others into the Thunder Official Pavilion.
The location of the Thunder Official Pavilion was also a forbidden area on the Thunder Bamboo Island. It was extremely secluded and a supreme grand formation was set up. However, there were no cultivators guarding the place.
Ning Fan vaguely guessed that the reason why there were no cultivators guarding this place was probably because Zhou Chen and the others were afraid that someone would see Hong Yi.
Apparently, even if Hong Yi was not the thunder sovereign, her identity was also quite troublesome and could not be revealed to others.
After entering the pavilion, everyone took their seats. Hong Yi sat on the main seat while the four experts guarded her like a myriad of stars surrounding the moon. As for Ning Fan, he sat at the corner.
Zhou Chen and the others reported something to Hong Yi one after another. All of them used code words and they even transmitted their voices to Ning Fan during crucial moments. Ning Fan could not understand any of them.
Then, they talked about their trip to the Black Lightning Realm. Hong Yi briefly told her about how she met Ning Fan and also described his contributions.
When they heard that Ning Fan had obtained 24 dark bamboo leaves with his Half-Step Void Refinement Realm cultivation base, the three Void Glimpse Stage experts sucked in a cold breath at the same time. It was impossible for them to not be shocked.
Even if the three of them had heaven-defying concealment abilities that allowed them to hide from the ferocious beasts that guarded the Black Lightning Realm and enter the Black Lightning Tower, none of them could move freely on the tenth floor, let alone kill a Void Inquiry Stage expert and obtain the dark bamboo leaves that were above the eleventh floor.
When they heard that Ning Fan was proficient in a mysterious Wind Mist Magic Technique that could erase some special marks, even Zhou Chen who was at the Void Inquiry Stage could not sit still anymore.
The four of them finally understood why Hong Yi who had always been cold-blooded would look up to Ning Fan.
It turned out that Ning Fan's Wind Mist Magical Technique could contribute a lot to that important matter!
"Third Elder, I have an agreement with this young man. He found me seven pieces of dark lightning bamboo leaves and I will give him all of the golden lightning bamboo leaves. Moreover, I will teach him a magic technique and ask the Zhou Clan to protect him. I have already made the Heart Devil Great Matter. From today onwards, the Zhou Clan of the Endless Sea must treat Zhou Ming as our distinguished guest. No force is allowed to attack Zhou Ming in the internal sea. Those who disobey will be killed by Void Refinement Realm experts!"
Hong Yi followed the agreement and gave Zhou Chen and the others an order to protect Ning Fan. Moreover, the level of protection she gave them was quite high. She could send Void Refinement Realm experts of the Zhou Clan to protect Ning Fan.
Immediately, the expressions of the three Void Glimpse Stage experts changed and they advised.
"What?! All the Void Refinement Realm experts of the Zhou Clan have an agreement with the Rain Palace that we are not allowed to act openly … Rumor has it that this Zhou Ming is especially good at stirring up trouble. If he causes a great calamity, our Zhou Clan may have to expose our hidden trump cards in order to protect him … "
"Shut up! Didn't you hear that the Young Miss had already made a Heart Demon Oath? No matter what, we must complete the Young Miss's order. We cannot let the Young Miss violate the Heart Demon Oath! "
Without waiting for Hong Yi to speak, Zhou Chen directly shouted at the three of them and immediately cupped his fists at her.
"Young Miss, please calm down. The three of them have just attained the Void Refinement Realm in the past five thousand years. They don't understand the Young Miss's temperament. Please forgive them!"
Zhou Chen understood Hong Yi's temperament very well. Hong Yi did not like anyone to refute her. In the past, if the three of them dared to question her orders, she would certainly kill them immediately.
These three Void Glimpse Stage experts did not understand Hong Yi's temperament. They did not know how dangerous it was to contradict her.
That was why Zhou Chen hurriedly tried to smooth things over. He was afraid that the three of them would offend Hong Yi and die in vain.
Zhou Chen, on the other hand, was puzzled. In his memory, Hong Yi had never made an oath to anyone, let alone the Heart Demon Oath.
He glanced at Ning Fan from the corner of his eyes and thought to himself. Ning Fan must have some extraordinary means to make Hong Yi swear an oath.
Since he was able to obtain 24 dark bamboo leaves from the Black Lightning Tower, he must have killed his way up to the 24th floor. Even Zhou Chen would find it difficult to enter that floor. Moreover, Zhou Chen could not break through the defense of the ferocious beasts at the entrance of the Black Lightning Realm at all.
"Humph. This time, Zhou Chen has pleaded for you. Next time, I don't want anyone to question my orders!"
Hong Yi's beautiful blood-red eyes suddenly flashed with a terrifying ray of lightning.
That ray of lightning was too fast. In just a flash, it was impossible to see its trajectory clearly. However, the three Void Glimpse Stage old men felt a sharp pain in their Sea of Consciousness as if it was about to shatter. If it wasn't for Hong Yi's mercy, the three of them would certainly die!
The three of them immediately broke out in a cold sweat. They hurriedly cupped their fists to apologize and no longer dared to disobey Hong Yi.
Ning Fan's expression remained unchanged but he was inwardly speechless.
"This woman has such a cold temperament …"
Hong Yi was only cold to him but she was cold to the others.
Compared to that, Hong Yi's indifferent attitude towards him was already extremely polite.
He did not interfere. That was the Zhou Clan's internal matter. It had nothing to do with him.
What made Ning Fan happy was that with Hong Yi's order, the Zhou Clan of the internal sea would become his backing from today onwards.
Ning Fan did not expect the Void Refinement Realm Zhou Clan to come and help him when he gets into trouble.
However, just the prestige of the Zhou Clan alone was already enough for him to benefit a lot.
A revered elder of the Rain Palace and a distinguished guest of the Zhou Clan. This time, Ning Fan could be said to have the upper hand in the Endless Sea.
"Third Elder, how many one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs do you still have?" Hong Yi suddenly asked.
"Don't worry, my lady. I still have one hundred tufts of spiritual herbs with me. All of them were painstakingly collected by me for ten thousand years. Each of them can be used as supplementary herbs to harmonize the dark lightning bamboo leaves." Zhou Chen said respectfully.
"Only one hundred tufts? The lightning power of the dark lightning bamboo leaves is extremely strong. Each bamboo leaf needs at least five tufts of one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs to harmonize … In other words, if I take sixty tufts of them, there will only be forty left … Fine. Zhou Chen, take forty tufts of one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs and give them to Zhou Ming! "Hong Yi said in an irrefutable manner.
"W-What?!" This time, even Zhou Chen was shocked. He had the urge to refute Hong Yi.
One hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs were required to concoct Seventh Revolution Pills. Each tuft of them was extremely expensive. Even though there were no Seventh Revolution Pill Masters in the Rain World, one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs could also be used to concoct Sixth Revolution Pills.
It would be difficult for even Void Fragmentation Realm old monsters to obtain one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs. As the third elder of the Zhou Clan and a Void Inquiry Stage expert, Zhou Chen only managed to find a hundred tufts of them after spending ten thousand years. Each tuft of spiritual herbs contained Zhou Chen's painstaking efforts. How could he simply give away such precious items?!
It was not that he was reluctant to give them away but these spiritual herbs were necessary for Hong Yi to ascend to the peak again!
"How dare you disobey my order?" Hong Yi's eyes turned cold.
"The sun and moon can bear witness to this old servant's loyalty … Other than healing the injuries of your primordial spirit, these spiritual herbs also need to be used in the 'important matter' in the future … If you lose these spiritual herbs, I'm afraid it will take a long time for you to recover your cultivation base …"
"You don't have to worry about this. Zhou Ming's Wind Mist Finger is of great help to me. It can exempt me from the medicinal bath of those one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs. Go, take forty tufts of one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs and give them to Zhou Ming! "
“...”
Zhou Chen gritted his teeth. Everything he did was for his master. He could run around for ten thousand years just to accomplish his master's important matter. He could wear out his ruthlessness and he would never disobey any of his master's orders.
However, this was a serious matter. He did not dare to act recklessly.
Zhou Chen looked at Ning Fan's direction. The hesitation in his eyes turned into determination. Then, he rose to his feet.
"Miss, this old servant needs to personally verify whether he has the strength to help you accomplish your important matter! This old servant understands. This old servant has violated Miss's rules and I deserve to die for my crime. However, Miss, please allow me to sever one of my arms to atone for my crime on account of my past contributions! "
"Zhou Ming, if you want one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs, then receive a sword attack from me. If you receive this sword attack, you can take the medicine!"
* Chi *
Zhou Chen's white hair fluttered in the wind. A strong aura force was emitted from the sword case on his back along with the sound of a sword hum.
All of a sudden, heaven and earth changed color. The sword qi was like a dragon!
"Do you dare to receive a sword attack from me?!"
"Why wouldn't I dare?!"
Ning Fan suddenly rose to his feet. He knew that if he could not receive a sword attack from Zhou Chen, he would certainly not be able to take the medicine.
He did not know what secret Hong Yi and the others were talking about. However, just for Luo You's sake, he must obtain one hundred thousand years old spiritual herbs to harmonize the dark golden bamboo leaves and cure her.
Luo You was injured because of him. He would never abandon her!
"If I receive a sword attack from the Third Elder, please give me the medicine!"
A terrifying baleful qi spread out from Ning Fan's body, causing everyone in the hall to be shocked.
It was the baleful qi left behind by tens of thousands of Divine Transformation Realm and Void Refinement Realm experts after their deaths!
Ning Fan had killed more than ten thousand Divine Transformation Realm experts along the way and there were countless of them whose cultivation bases were lower than his!
Even Zhou Chen felt his mind being in a mess when facing this baleful qi.
Hong Yi raised her beautiful eyes. Her face was filled with surprise. She had been surprised by Ning Fan too many times.
"In the Rain World, the strength of this young man's baleful qi can be ranked first among those below the Void Fragmentation Realm!"
(2/5) (To be continued)
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