Little butterfly...
Little butterfly...
Little butterfly...
Every word and sentence spoken by the Emperor Butcher contained these three words. She did not know why she was rambling at this moment, nor did she know what the three words "little butterfly" represented. All she knew was that she was very angry now, angrier than she had ever been since birth!
If Ning Fanâs anger over the destruction of the Punishing Ring by the Silver Robe Immortal Emperor was one, then hers was ten, even a hundred!
Ning Fan would often consider the worst possible outcome in his actions, so when his Punishing Ring was destroyed today, he was slightly angry but quickly accepted the fact and contemplated his next move.
But not the Emperor Butcher!
She was fiercely protective of her own, and in her eyes, anyone working for Ning Fan was considered her own! Anyone who dared touch her people would have to pay a bloody price!
But today, her protective instincts were excessively heightened... almost over the top, such that her killing intent was, for the first time in her life, so intense that it spiraled out of control!
Let it spiral out of control then!
Who cares about the Scruffy Immortal Emperor of the Leiyin lineage from the Holy Mountain! Who cares about the four Scruffy Immortal Emperors from the Middle State! Who cares about the pursuit by the entire Dabei Clan!
This time, even if the Bright Buddha himself came, even if two of the Five Supremes acted, she would allow no one to harm Ning Fan one bit!
They cannot touch her people!
The Emperor Butcher rose slowly from the God-Slaying Giantâs shoulder, turned around slowly, and with her one open right eye, exuded a coldness that had persisted for eons, staring coldly at the pursuers in the distance.
Then, she leapt lightly, jumping off the God-Slaying Giantâs shoulder, riding the wind, stepping on the clouds, walking step by step toward the back. The sky above her, in her moment of anger, was bombarded by myriad thunders. Those thunderous roars resembled the ancient giantsâ angry howls, deafening; those flashes of thunder resembled the ancient deitiesâ wrathful eyes, penetrating everything.
Step by step, the Emperor Butcherâs gaze grew colder, like eternal ice.
Step by step, her aura grew stronger, yet her delicate body brought a world-shattering oppressive force.
For every increment in momentum, her internal injuries worsened by a degree!
But she did not care!
"Why is she constantly mentioning the word âbutterflyâ!"
"Is she planning to battle five Immortal Emperors by herself! Her injury..."
Ning Fan frowned as he reined in the momentum of the God-Slaying Giant, pausing in mid-air.
If the Emperor Butcher was uninjured, Ning Fan wouldnât worry about her half-step Quasi-Saint cultivation against five Six Calamities and Seven Calamities Celestial Emperors. But one must know, the Emperor Butcherâs injuries were absolutely severe at this moment; when entering the Netherworld, Ning Fan had almost perished in the Illusory Art, and it was the Emperor Butcher who paid a great price to save him. In truth, her injuries were so severe that she was on the verge of falling from her realm!
An ordinary person would first enter seclusion to heal such wounds.
But the Emperor Butcher, despite her severe injuries, was risking everything to help him...
Facing the impending pursuit of five Immortal Emperors with injuries severe enough to drop her cultivation level, and soon, the Bright Buddha might well pursue them here! Would such a heavily injured body not hinder?
"Donât stop here! Go! Fly far away, leave Dabei! In at most twenty more breaths, the Bright Buddha can descend upon Liuli City in pursuit. Iâm heavily injured now and canât hold back the Bright Buddha for long! But warding off these riffraffs shouldnât be too hard!"
These were the transmitted words from the Emperor Butcher, urging Ning Fan to leave!
Leave...
Leave the Dabei Clan in such a sorry state...
Indeed, once the Punishing Ring is destroyed, it would incur the endless pursuit of the entire Dabei Clan; only by leaving the Dabei Clan, leaving the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, would such a pursuit stop because the dabei clansmen wouldnât leave the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain and rarely ventured beyond its outer regions.
But, many of his purposes on this trip were yet to be accomplished; how could he willingly leave in such disgrace!
Ning Fanâs God-Slaying Giant stood in mid-air, motionless, in hesitation, and in unwillingness.
Clearly, he thought he adhered to the rules of the Dabei Clan, yet his Punishing Ring was destroyed by an ambush. Clearly, he didnât intend to antagonize the Dabei Clan yet faced their full-scale pursuit...
All his hard work and sacrifices led to results where the South Sea Spring Water was not obtained, the Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine was not fully gathered, the Burying Moonâs needed Corpse Seizing Flesh was not found, and the Baihua Great Emperor reneged on their agreement, refusing to reveal the whereabouts of the Jiuli Ritual Vessel...
This expedition to the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain was indeed full of misfortunes and achieved nothing!
Especially in the second round of the tomb seizure battle, where everything seemed smooth one moment, then collapsed the next, with the Punishing Ring being destroyed by surprise, leading to the failure of the entire plan, forcing him into enmity with the entire Dabei Clan...
He should have no grievance with the Silver Robe Immortal Emperor of the Thunder Sound lineage, so why does the latter go to great lengths to destroy his Punishing Ring! Could there be someone behind the Silver Robe Immortal Emperor secretly driving all this...
And then thereâs Emperor Butcher... Emperor Butcher suffered such severe injuries, is it really okay to leave her here to cover his retreat?
"If I leave, what about you? My Punishing Ring was inexplicably destroyed, inexplicably making me a criminal; youâre helping a criminal, standing against the Dabei Clan, is it really alright?"
"Donât worry, the Five Supreme Beings donât meddle in worldly affairs; the strongest in this realm are only the Death Emperor and Bright Buddha. Your crime regarding the Punishing Ring might at most cause Bright Buddha to act, but that damn bald-headed thief alone cannot do anything to this lady!"
"But your injuries... and your left eye..."
"So tedious, endless babbling! Go now, Iâm suddenly a bit annoyed with you and donât want to see you anymore!"
Emperor Butcherâs tone seemed very impatient; with a big wave of her hand, a fierce wind suddenly arose around, instantly sweeping away the God-Slaying Giant, rendering it vanished without a trace.
After sending Ning Fan away, Emperor Butcher finally barely showed a gentle smile she hadnât even realized herself.
That boy refuses to flee, is it because heâs concerned about her injuries... hehe, what an interesting kid, how she likes him indeed.
Itâs a pity, this bit of gentleness was soon replaced by the subsequent chill.
Because those pursuing Ning Fan were closing in!
Before her, a pursuit team consisting of five Immortal Emperors and over twenty Immortal Venerable Immortal Kingsâonly they could ignore the Central State Forbidden Sky, flying and hunting Ning Fan, only they could chase to Liuli Cityâs perimeter, within a hundred miles!
Toward these people, Emperor Butcher naturally couldnât show any gentleness, only near-brutal killing intent!
This killing intent was so astounding that the originally confident pursuers suddenly felt scared, stopping in mid-air, too afraid to advance further, standing at a hundred feetâs distance from Emperor Butcher!
No one wasnât shocked!
Above this delicate womanâs head, a myriad of thunder descended, this kind of Emperorâs Wrathful Thunder Greeting is seen only when an Immortal Emperor gets angry!
Who is this woman! This increasingly intense aura... so powerful! She is undoubtedly an Immortal Emperor!
Strange, strange indeed, this woman seems to be a member of the Huanhai Clan and previously walked out of the Fire Soul Tower with Ning Fan...
This womanâs identity within the Huanhai Clan is certainly false, but her true identity, who exactly is she... Does the Dabei Clan have an Immortal Emperor like this...
"Everyone hold on, let me first ask about this womanâs background before we make any moves!"
The Silver Robe Immortal Emperor with his Seven Tribulations cultivation felt a certain amount of fear towards Emperor Butcherâs aura and couldnât perceive Emperor Butcherâs specific cultivation level, secretly astonished, naturally afraid to act rashly, he intended to probe into Emperor Butcherâs depth first. After taking a deep breath, he barely steadied his heart spirit, and then slowly asked.
"Dare I ask which sect Daoist fellow comes from, are you a secluded Immortal of the Holy Mountain, or from the Three Flames, and why do you stand blocking us from pursuing the criminal foreign cultivatorâs path! Are you indeed with that criminal foreign cultivator! You must know, this child privately destroyed the Punishing Ring, openly violating our clanâs commandments, guilty of death! Although you are an Immortal Emperor, you cannot protect this child. If you insist on keeping your hands in this matter, donât blame us for being disrespectful to you!"
The Silver Robe Immortal Emperorâs words were spoken neither humble nor arrogant, sonorous and forceful. Unfortunately, as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, his face turned pale, and then let out a scream.
It was Emperor Butcher standing a hundred feet away, while he was speaking, her delicate body slightly swayed, as if moved or perhaps not at all, yet in that extremely short instant, there appeared a bloody severed arm in Emperor Butcherâs hand!
That arm was clearly torn off from the Silver Robe Immortal Emperorâs body!
A piercing pain came from the broken right shoulder, causing Silver Robe Immortal Emperor to grimace in pain, his face paled, moreover... fear!
He is a dignified Seven Tribulations Immortal Emperor!
His physical defense had undergone the refinement of the Thunder Sound Body-Refining Secret Art from the Thunder Sound lineage, a strong physical defense even within the Seven Tribulations!
Yet, the delicate woman in front of him tore off his arm with her bare hands!
And the womanâs speed was absurdly fast, he couldnât even see clearly the process of his arm being torn off!
What is this womanâs cultivation level! Absolutely not an ordinary Immortal Emperor! Even being an Eight Tribulations wouldnât be possible... Could she be a Nine Tribulations Immortal Emperor!
A thick atmosphere of terror instantly rose from this place, not only was the Silver Robe Immortal Emperor terrified facing Emperor Butcher, every one of the pursuers stared at Emperor Butcherâs relatively small frame, their foreheads cold with sweat!
"I am Lei Cang, fourth patriarch of the Thunder Sound lineage, you tore off my arm, youâre openly being an enemy against my Thunder Sound lineage! Such audacity, who are you, who exactly are you! Whether itâs the Holy Mountain or the Three Flames, among the famous Immortal Emperors, thereâs definitely no such figure as you! Could it be youâve come from outside..."
"Stop guessing randomly, itâs fine to tell you all, I come from... Middle State underground Blood Martial Arts!"
"What, actually the Blood Martial Master! Bad, leave now! Itâs that legend, the madman!"
"You harmed my little butterfly, and still want to leave, wishful thinking!"
Sounds of screams came from up in the sky.
...
The fierce wind swept the God-Slaying Giant, flying across countless distances, out of Middle State, over one grassland after another, and eventually to the outskirts of the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain.
It was an act of Emperor Butcherâs divine skill, sending Ning Fan away. This distance would take considerable time to cover even at full flight under the forbidden force, yet was directly crossed through the Emperor Butcherâs divine skill!
This is the power of a Half-Step Quasi-Saint!
Emperor Butcher has the ability to send the God-Slaying Giant away with a single move, and equally can break its powerful defense with ease. Ning Fanâs defense is insignificant before Emperor Butcher.
Judging from his aura, the Bright Buddha seems even stronger than Emperor Butcher... Does it mean that even the strongest defense of the God-Extinguishing Shield may not be able to withstand the Bright Buddhaâs divine skills?
Ning Fanâs heart sank slightly.
Merely relying on the God-Extinguishing Shield, it is indeed impossible to protect oneself before such a formidable foe as the Bright Buddha.
Could it be that Emperor Butcher sent him away, considering heâs far from being the Bright Buddhaâs match...
At this moment, Ning Fan, heavily wounded, could not maintain the God-Slaying Giant for long. Since theyâve already moved away from Middle State and escaped the pursuit, he dismantled the defense of the God-Slaying Giant, landing on the ground with Ouyang Nuan and others.
Both Ning Fan and Ouyang Nuan and the others were unhappy, clearly not expecting things to escalate so suddenly.
"Husband, what should we do now... Should we go to the space node on the outskirts of the Sacred Domain and leave..." Ouyang Nuan sighed softly, asking.
She understands that Ning Fan has many major tasks to undertake and is certainly unwilling to leave, but staying in Dabei doesnât seem wise either.
This time the pursuit was thwarted by Emperor Butcher, but what about next time, and the time after next?
"Letâs go to the space node first..."
Ning Fan sighed slightly. He is certainly unwilling to leave, having no fear facing endless pursuits.
But he must consider the safety of Ouyang Nuan and the others; perhaps he could first go to the outer space node and send Ouyang Nuan and the others away, while he stays alone within the Dabei clan to continue the mission...
"Husband intends to go to the space node first, send Nuanâer, Sister Burying Moon, and Mister Wu out to the outside world, right? Husband doesnât plan to leave, intending to stay here despite the Dabei clanâs pursuit, is that so?" Ouyang Nuan asked.
"Indeed, nothing can be hidden from Nuanâer. Yes, thatâs my plan. Now that Iâm pursued by the entire Dabei clan, this matter will surely implicate all of you. Iâm confident to tangle with those immortal emperor-level pursuers, but I have no confidence to protect you in the face of those pursuers."
"Iâm sorry, Nuanâer is too weak, only becoming my husbandâs burden." Ouyang Nuan slightly bit her lip, saying.
"No, itâs not your fault, itâs me who is weak. If only I had the cultivation of an Immortal King, surely I wouldnât be conned or have the Punishing Ring destroyed... If I had the cultivation of an Immortal Emperor, I wouldnât even question any Dabei rules, Iâd just roam freely... Anyway, since things have happened already, talking about them holds no meaning. I donât know if the Dabei clan has special means to track criminals who secretly destroy the Punishing Ring. If they do, even having escaped to such a distance, itâs still unsafe. Letâs go to the space node sooner so I can send you out...
"Nuanâer wonât go!"
"I wonât go!"
"Little Ba wonât go!"
Ning Fan was a bit surprised, looking towards Burying Moon and Wu Laoba.
Ouyang Nuan unwilling to leave, wanting to stay by his side and help despite the danger, he certainly understood that intention.
But for Burying Moon and Wu Laoba to not want to leave was somewhat unexpected for Ning Fan...
From Ning Fanâs knowledge, Burying Moon is the most fearful of death, and Wu Laoba is someone who would rather betray friends than sacrifice himself. Now in such dire circumstances, according to their personalities, it would be wise for them to leave the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain early, so why would they want to cling to his side now?
Is it because he planted Slave Restraints on them? After all, with Slave Restraints intact, if the master dies, the servants also perish...
No, it seems like thatâs not it...
Ning Fan was extremely surprised to find that Burying Moon and Wu Laoba were both showing unabashed anger on their faces!
Itâs not an act, but genuine anger!
Are they angry on his behalf because he was conned? With their personalities, is this possible... Ning Fan had his doubts.
Yet despite his doubts, at this moment, Burying Moon and Wu Laoba were truly furious with the Silver Robe Immortal Emperor, standing up for Ning Fan!
"Iâm not leaving! This cannot end just like this, a mere Seventh Tribulation Immortal Emperor dare to con my master, huh! The Thunder Sound Lineage is so high and mighty? Back in my peak days, I once violently thrashed the highest cultivation Eight Tribulation Immortal Emperor of the Thunder Sound Lineage! What nonsense Thunder Sound Secret Technique, Iâll teach you a way that ensures to restrain the opponentâs sound attack!" Burying Moon said indignantly.
"Mistress is right! Master, we canât leave in such disgrace, this isnât Little Baâs style! We shouldnât do anything that would cause loss! If the master gets bullied, then let Little Ba help the master get even! What kind of nonsense Immortal Emperor of the Holy Mountain, once I unleash my Black Fortune, Iâll ensure that the Thunder Sound Lineage has no return!" Wu Laoba said through gritted teeth, even going further by directly destroying the Punishing Ring, fully restoring his cultivation, black mist surrounding him, this was his Black Fortune stirred by anger.
"Little rogue, quickly help me find a physical body, Iâll help you flatten the Thunder Sound Lineage!"
"Master, I need to set up an Ancient Altar, I must cast a spell, I have to curse the Thunder Sound Lineage! Just give me the materials, and Iâll definitely make the Thunder Sound Lineage pay!"
"Little rogue! I have another plan, it requires Nuan sisterâs aid, letâs first find a new place to land, as a base, to launch revenge against the Thunder Sound Lineage..."
"Master! Little Ba has one more plan, requiring Nuanâer to exert some effort, surely it will make the Thunder Sound Lineage wail in agony..."
These two were genuinely and sincerely contributing ideas for Ning Fan!
Ning Fanâs anger, originally stirred by the schemes of the Thunder Sound Lineage, calmed down, replaced by a smile.
In his heart, for some reason, he felt threads of warmth...
First the Emperor Butcher, then Ouyang Nuan, Burying Moon, Wu Laoba... People say adversity reveals true feelings, at this moment he faces great danger, even in the next moment, he may be hunted by the Dabei Clan, yet there are people truly caring for him.
Ouyang Nuan was expected, but the Emperor Butcher, Burying Moon, and Wu Laoba were unexpected...
Interesting, since you are unwilling to abandon me and leave, we shall face the pursuit of the entire Dabei Clan together, what does it matter!
Just a mere Dabei Clan, soldiers will block, and water will cover it!
Ning Fan is never one to silently suffer loss, having suffered this time, naturally, he would repay ten or a hundredfold!
Of course, the first thing to solve is how to evade tracking...
Wu Laoba angrily destroyed the Punishing Ring, and though it was satisfying, this destruction seemed to generate some kind of sensing, causing the Middle State direction from afar to have a slight causal sensing towards Wu Laoba...
Wu Laoba couldnât see this causality, but Ning Fan waved his five fingers, and pulled out this thread of causality from the heavens and earth, and understood it.
Interesting...
People from the Holy Mountain use causal sensing to track those who privately destroy the Punishing Ring, and execute their pursuit?
If one could sever the causality, could they still track down!
Slice!
Ning Fan flicked a few streams of light from his fingertips, slicing through the air. No one knew what he cut, but at this moment, the Holy Mountain lost its sensing of Ning Fanâs tracking!
And the sensing generated by Wu Laobaâs recent destruction of the Punishing Ring also disappeared...
Then Ning Fan swept his sleeve robe in a wave, the Vertical Golden Light flickered briefly, and he, along with Ouyang Nuan and others, vanished.
Time passed, suddenly at the place Ning Fan left, space flickered, and out walked an old monk with a face full of white stubble.
This old monk carried a bloodstained burlap sack on his back, the bloodstains still fresh, with something inside the sack struggling to break free, but unable to escape.
"Stop struggling, Ji Qingling, with your severely injured body, you canât escape my [Creation Bag], if you were at peak condition, then there would be a five percent chance. Had you not sheltered the sinnerâs escape and used Illusory Art to cover, I would not have spent so long chasing here. Causal sensing has been severed. Either that person has left the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, or his abilities are heaven-defying enough to sever causality... Hmm, it shouldnât be the latter, even I canât achieve that, he should also be unable to."
"The sinner has escaped, someone must bear todayâs dire consequences. Eleven Immortal Venerables fell, five Immortal Kings fell, my Daoist friend from the Heavensâ Spirit was gravely injured, his cultivation fell from the Immortal Emperor Realm, Spirit Bones, one hundred types of flowers, Emperor Foqi, these three Daoist friends had their physical bodies destroyed, only their Spirits escaped, the Thunder Sound Lineageâs four ancestors, Lei Cangâs form and spirit were utterly destroyed... look at your handiwork. I know you have the protection of the Supreme Ox Demon, and are deeply entangled in causality with the Ten Bees Supreme, but this crime is too great, I cannot let you off easily. Death can be extinguished, life cannot escape, I will gather a quantity of thunderous force, refine a [Primordial Realm Peeling Whip], and enact the Path-Extermination punishment on you, donât blame me for being harsh, this is your due, your cultivation should be abolished..."
If any strong presence from the Holy Mountain were here, they would surely recognize that this stubbled old monk is none other than the strongest presence of the Holy Mountain... Bright Buddha!
Not the rumored Half-Step Quasi-Saint cultivation, but rather a peculiar aura, sometimes Half-Step Quasi-Saint, sometimes Second-Grade Quasi-Saint! That Second-Grade Quasi-Saint aura doesnât seem to belong to the old monk, but the power it contains can be utilized by him.
The old monk released a spirit sense, meticulously searching the perimeter of the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, eventually concluding that Ning Fan had left, subtly silent, flickered his form, and departed from this place.
Days later, a shocking message spread at an astonishing speed through all the Dabei grasslands, even reaching the Sanyan Continent!
The strong presence of the Dazu Clan in legend, the Blood Martial Arenaâs mastermind, a few days ago committed heinous acts outside Liuli City, heavy with slaughter, furthermore for sheltering a criminalâs escape, was finally captured by the Holy Mountainâs Bright Buddha!
Issued a notice to all the Dabei clans, within ten years, by all means, gather adequate thunderous force, enough quantity to allow Bright Buddha to refine punitive instruments, to punish the Blood Martial Master, without fail!
Among numerous Fierce Realm Continents, on an unremarkable Sixth-Level Fierce Realm Continent, in a desolate city, this intelligence was conveyed.
In the cityâs tavern, several tables of Sanyan sentinels in black armor, were drinking while discussing this matter.
Itâs rare for such cities to be established on Fierce Realm Continents, only those with extremely important geographical positions have Sanyan cultivators stationed there. Most Fierce Realm Continents are deserted and barren.
Nearby the window seat in the tavern, sat an old man in black armor, dressed identically to other Sanyan cultivators, drinking with an indifferent manner, while eavesdropping on the Sanyan cultivatorsâ discussions, his little mung bean eyes occasionally darting around.
"Ji Qingling, Blood Martial Master... they must be talking about the powerful Immortal Emperor who covered the retreat of the star of misfortune back then. This is trouble, real trouble. That woman, just by looking, one can tell sheâs intimately connected with the star of misfortune, most likely one of his many companions, otherwise, how could she selflessly protect the star of misfortuneâs escape. If the star of misfortune finds out his companion was captured by Bright Buddha while trying to save him, he will surely go mad, might even charge to wreak havoc at the Holy Mountain in anger... but Bright Buddha is really formidable, were it not for the Blood Martial Masterâs rescue, the one captured would be the star of misfortune... Hmm, should this bad news be reported to the convalescing star of misfortune..."
The elderâs face exhibited a few degrees of unease.
Upon closer inspection, this old man disguised as a Sanyan sentinel, secretly gathering intelligence, who else could it be but Wu Laoba?
Wu Laoba, in his flight from Middle State, fled to the absolute forbidden land of the Dabei people... the Fierce Realm Continent!