vstars Chapter 1216: The Final Stroke of the Semicircle!
Chapter 1216: The Final Stroke of the Semicircle!
When Ning Fan refused to help, the All-Knowing Elder had no choice but to personally handle it. It took quite a while for him to throw all the Immortal Materials Ning Fan had snatched back into the waste pile.
Though the All-Knowing Elder seemed to throw them happily, he regretted it shortly afterward.
Half an hour later.
Suddenly, the All-Knowing Elder regained part of his memory. Seeing the Taiyin Divine Sand and other items thrown into the waste pile, he was instantly furious and shouted curses at the sky!
"Who! Who threw all the body-shaping Immortal Materials my junior worked so hard to snatch back into the waste pile? Was it Hongjun again! Wait, why did I say ’again’..."
It should be noted that although Taiyin Divine Sand and other items were not valuable, they were indispensable for his upcoming experiments. The All-Knowing Elder had no choice but to make an effort to pick out the batch of Immortal Materials one by one again, clean them carefully, and strip off the waste impurities attached to them as he cleaned, cursing Hongjun as despicable and shameless.
Finally, after cleaning up all the Immortal Materials, the All-Knowing Elder became dazed again and lost his memory once more.
After losing his memory, the All-Knowing Elder, seeing the pile of ’garbage’ in front of him, suddenly became displeased and was very puzzled.
"Strange! This garbage was clearly thrown into the waste pile by me; why is it still here! Which scoundrel without balls picked these things back up? Could it be Hongjun? Never mind, let’s throw them again..."
Another half an hour passed.
"Who! Who threw these Immortal Materials into the waste pile for the second time! Wait, why did I say ’second time’..."
No choice, pick them up and clean them again...
No choice, clean them and throw them again...
No choice, just keep picking and throwing, throwing and picking...
In this way, the All-Knowing Elder tossed this pile of Immortal Materials back and forth for six or seven days, still picking and throwing, throwing and picking, completely caught in a dead loop, playing with great pleasure...
...
Regarding the All-Knowing Elder’s confused behavior, Ning Fan was already quite immune, so he did not join in the pointless fuss.
He was a normal person with serious matters to attend to.
Previously, when kicking the Sea Sand Sect, Ning Fan accidentally killed an Immortal Emperor Yunsheng Beast. In the Illusory Art World of the Primordial Rainy Night, he interrogated the Immortal Emperor Yunsheng Beast for a hundred years and finally obtained what he wanted from it — the Hidden Cloud Technique of the Yunsheng Beast Clan!
The full name of this technique is the Hidden Sky Cloud Art, the most powerful concealment Divine Skill Ning Fan had obtained so far! Just how powerful is it? With Ning Fan’s heaven-defying perception, even a First Order Quasi-Saint cannot hide right under his nose; but that Yunsheng Beast managed to achieve this feat with just Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor cultivation, isn’t that proof enough?
If a Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor mastered the Transformation Realm Cloud Technique, they could deceive Ning Fan’s perception.
If Ning Fan learned the Transformation Realm Cloud Technique, could he deceive even the perception of a Saint?
Such a powerful concealment Divine Skill naturally piqued Ning Fan’s interest. If he had mastered the Transformation Realm Cloud Technique earlier, he might have been able to evade the Ant Lord’s dream pursuit through concealment...
With Ning Fan’s comprehension, it took only six or seven days to grasp the essence of the Hidden Sky Cloud Art, which was against heaven. Unfortunately, merely understanding this technique won’t suffice for true initiation; meeting various stringent requirements is necessary, and the first requirement is to find a site rich in ancient clouds and absorb sufficient cloud energy.
Clouds are actually transformed water vapor. Water vapor turns into clouds, and clouds become rain. One can say that the essence of clouds is merely a stage of rain.
Clouds are the starting point of rain and the resting place of rain.
Rain is the end of clouds and also the initial phase of clouds.
The lifespan of rain is as short as the lifespan of clouds, but this brevity is not absolute.
Not every drop of rain will fall into the ocean again, so not every cloud will dissipate into rain.
Since there are everlasting rains, there must also be clouds that never dissipate.
Ning Fan needs to find such an ancient cloud, the older, the better. If he absorbs a thousand-year-old cloud, it would take three million years to master the Cloud Technique; a ten-thousand-year-old cloud requires only three hundred years.
On one hand, Ning Fan wants to learn the Hidden Sky Cloud Art, but on the other hand, the big competition of Yishi Palace is impending, and he doesn’t have much time to expend on cloud technique cultivation.
Not to mention three hundred years, not even thirty years, three years, or three months!
"The All-Knowing Elder’s laboratory houses numerous rare Immortal Materials. I wonder if there is an ancient cloud of sufficient age here that can let me master the Cloud Technique in a short time..."
Ning Fan thought of asking the All-Knowing Elder, but the All-Knowing Elder was going crazy, where would he find the time to care for him?
"Does young friend need ancient clouds? Then go to my Cloud Valley and take them yourself! You ask where the Cloud Valley is? Just sense it a bit with your spirit sense and you’ll know, wouldn’t you? Well, don’t disturb me doing serious work now; all your interruptions make me forget whether these hundreds of shovels of Taiyin Divine Sand should be thrown back into the waste pile or picked back up. Let me think about it properly, do not interrupt..."
"..." Ning Fan silently left to find Cloud Valley, leaving the All-Knowing Elder to enjoy his madness alone.
...
Cloud Valley, not elsewhere, is actually the location of the Slime Monster’s cave dwelling.
At this moment, the Slime Monster was happily humming as she bathed in the misty cloud world. She was, of course, not using her mud body to bathe but her... human body!
Ever since her curse was lifted, she could switch freely between mud body and human body. But the problem is she had not revealed her human body before others for too many years, leading to one problem: her sense of shame overflowed!
She lacked sufficient mental preparation!
She dared not reveal her human form in front of others!
She... was too thin-skinned!
For this reason, even after the curse was lifted, she continued using her mud body to interact with Ning Fan.
Only when there were no outsiders around would she dare to release herself truly, unclothed in the ocean of clouds, collecting strands of water vapor and pouring them over her body.
So comfortable...
Like a playful young girl, her toes lightly kicked at the clouds; her long hair was covered with mist, spreading wetly over her back.
The slime monster gently pointed with her soft finger, and the clouds condensed into a water mirror. She gazed at her perfect face in the mirror, utterly enchanted.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all..."
"Feng Zhao, it’s Feng Zhao..." The water mirror, under the influence of the slime monster’s divine skills, reluctantly made a sound, but it wasn’t the mirror speaking; it was the divine skill producing the sound.
Hehe...
The mirror suddenly emitted a mysterious laugh!
No, it wasn’t the mirror laughing!
It was... it was Ning Fan laughing!
In an instant, the slime monster was petrified!
Wait a minute, wait a minute! Wasn’t Cloud Valley sealed off from all entrances by her! How did Ning Fan get in!
And wait a minute, wait a minute! Did Ning Fan see her body?! No no no, it’s not just seeing her body, he saw everything! She wasn’t wearing any clothes, ahhhhh!
A woman’s scream echoed through Cloud Valley!!!
Under Ning Fan’s inexplicable gaze, the slime monster hastily turned into a large lump of mud, tearfully looking at Ning Fan, immensely aggrieved, "You... you cruel, you heartless! You peeked at my bath! Wah wah wah!"
"What if I say I really didn’t know anyone would bathe amid the clouds, would you believe me... You set restrictions around the area blocking spirit sense perception, I only realized it after coming here..." Ning Fan said seriously while talking nonsense.
He actually knew everything.
But he just wanted to come in and take a look.
It wasn’t out of desire for the slime monster’s beauty, he was really curious about what the slime monster’s human form looked like.
He really didn’t expect his little mud to be quite beautiful... Even more unexpected, this lump of mud had such a narcissistic side when alone.
Mirror mirror who’s the fairest? Hehe, truly an amusing lump of mud, it really pleased him...
"I... I don’t care, even if you’re Hero Brother, since you saw me bathing, you have to... have to take responsibility for me!" the slime monster angrily said.
"Taking responsibility just for seeing you bathe? Fine, after taking responsibility for you, I can watch openly." Ning Fan laughed.
"No... no way! I don’t want you to take responsibility anymore! I’ve changed my mind!" The slime monster was shocked by this revelation, if Ning Fan watched her every day she’d die of embarrassment, literally die from embarrassment!
"No need to take responsibility? So seeing you bathe doesn’t come with any consequences? In that case, I’ll watch again next time."
"You, you..." The slime monster was so angry her face puffed up.
Ning Fan’s twisted logic was endless, how could she argue with Ning Fan!
"This silly mud ball, truly entertaining..."
Ning Fan reached out his palm, patting the slime monster’s large forehead, delivering the infamous "head pat killer."
The slime monster’s breath hitched, her heart skipped hundreds of beats! Her muddy face blushed redder than a monkey’s butt! She got "head pat killered" again, what should she do? Feeling a bit happy, what now?
There she was, seeming joy and seeming anger, nervous beyond words. Ning Fan, however, no longer paid her attention, instead, he scanned the surrounding cloud sea estimating the age of the ancient clouds here.
Not bad, very good! These ancient clouds, their minimum age is tens of millions of years, the age of hundreds of millions are countless, and there are even billion-year, ten-billion-year ancient clouds present, though their quantity is sparse.
With such aged ancient clouds here, he wouldn’t need much time to achieve entry level in the Hidden Sky Cloud Art, truly fortunate!
Breathing in a lungful of cloud energy, Ning Fan immediately felt clear-headed and keen-eyed. The scent of these ancient clouds was so unique, like the rings of an ancient tree aging through years, like the ruins of time turned wilderness, more so like the faint fragrance of a girl’s skin...
...
...
Suddenly Ning Fan felt a bit awkward.
The ancient tree rings and ruinous waste were all imagination.
But the girl’s skin’s faint fragrance was real.
"Hero Brother! You can’t breathe it in! These clouds... these clouds are the bathwater I just used..." The slime monster also felt awkward, what should she do.
Was Ning Fan really breathing in the cloud energy?
No, Ming Fan was clearly drinking her bath water!
"...No big deal, I’ve drunk more embarrassing things." Ning Fan seemed to recall some past events with Bei Xiao Man, suddenly dispelling the awkwardness in his heart, taking big gulps of cloud energy.
What’s with the whole bathing water or not, why dwell on it, ancient clouds are ancient clouds, nothing else!
If this muddy lump could bathe with the nature’s spiritual energy of the entire cultivation world, would every cultivator absorbing nature’s spiritual energy be drinking her bathwater? Utter nonsense!
And so...
Under the slime monster’s embarrassed, delighted, stunned gaze, Ning Fan took just three hours to achieve entry level in the Hidden Sky Cloud Art.
The moment he entered the Cloud Technique, Ning Fan’s body was surrounded by a celebratory cloud pattern, seeming to resonate with the Hidden Sky Cloud Art.
The Celebratory Cloud Pattern was obtained by Ning Fan during his time at the Eastern Boundary River when he hunted the Immortal Emperor of the Dragon-Horse Clan. It could transform into a Celebratory Cloud to protect his body, enhancing his defense.
However, because the amount of Celebratory Cloud he gained at the time was too little, its uses were limited, and over time, he had forgotten about it.
Now, with a significant absorption of cloud energy, not only had the Hidden Sky Cloud Art entered the initial stage, but even the power of the Celebratory Cloud that he had absorbed back then had increased considerably.
Both being cloud techniques with the same origin, they now had a trend of resonating within Ning Fan’s body.
Ning Fan suddenly had a bold idea!
Why must he necessarily cultivate the Hidden Sky Cloud Art of the Cloud Beast Clan? Could he not cultivate a more powerful cloud technique that incorporates the defense of the Celebratory Cloud?
"What if I integrate the defense of the Celebratory Cloud into the Hidden Sky Cloud Art? This matter would be difficult for others, but with my Dao Enlightenment of the Second Realm of Tianren, there’s a significant possibility of success. If it fails, it won’t take much effort, but if successful..."
Ning Fan’s gaze was determined, and his eyes shone with azure light, the azure light of the Second Realm of Tianren. Moreover, with the complete opening of Tianren at this moment, he managed to manifest the illusory celestial phenomena of the Giant Gate of Tianren within the ocean of clouds!
Not one Tianren Gate, but two!
"Hero Brother is actually a Master of the Second Realm of Tianren!" The Slime Monster was greatly shocked, so much so that she forgot all about her previous shameful matters, with only worship left in her eyes!
"I see the Hidden Sky Cloud Art as a circle, and the Celebratory Cloud technique as a circle as well..." Ning Fan spoke words that the Slime Monster couldn’t understand, and with a wave of his hand, he drew the entire ocean of clouds into two large circles!
Moreover, he drew numerous strange Dao patterns on the two large circles, their meanings obscure and unclear, beyond the comprehension of the Slime Monster.
The more Dao patterns there were, the more difficult it became to inscribe them as he continued.
When the growth of the Dao patterns reached its limit and could no longer continue, Ning Fan suddenly clasped his hands together, causing the two circular oceans of clouds to viciously collide with each other!
There was no earth-shattering explosion!
There was only the fusion of clouds!
At that moment, another vision appeared! One side of the ocean of clouds emitted a flickering Hidden Sky Cloud light, while the other birthed a thousand feet of Celebratory Cloud!
But as they fused, the boundary between the Hidden Sky Cloud light and the Celebratory Cloud gradually disappeared, becoming truly as one!
From that moment on, there was no longer Hidden Sky Cloud Art within Ning Fan, nor was there Celebratory Cloud Art; both were absent, yet both were present...
"Has it succeeded... The fusion of clouds, like two raindrops merging... Rain, cloud... So that’s how it is, that’s how it should have been. Back when I was drawing the big circle of the Rain Control Position, I was missing a sliver to complete half of it. Perhaps now I can truly draw the half-circle of rain... The final stroke that was missing wasn’t to be drawn with rain, but with a... cloud!"
Ning Fan flicked his finger, and the ocean of clouds in the world suddenly changed, transforming into dark clouds in the sky, followed by a torrential downpour!
This is cloud turning into rain!
The stroke that was missing was this!
Before, he needed just an opportunity to truly step into Control Position, and now, the opportunity had finally come!
"Condense for me..."
With Ning Fan’s command, the rainwater in the world suddenly condensed into a giant semicircle!
That was the true half-circle of rain!
At the moment this half-circle truly condensed, Ning Fan’s Rain Control Position officially stepped into the Middle Realm of Hand Position!
At the same time, he also saw the path needed for great success in the Rain Control Position!
From this moment on, in order to further the Rain Control Position, the key isn’t refining rain, but refining clouds. When Ning Fan cultivates the clouds to be as profound as the rain, when clouds and rain unify and become the source of each other, great success in Control Position can be achieved!
Disperse!
With Ning Fan’s command, the half-circle of rain immediately shattered, turning into countless raindrops.
The countless raindrops then transformed back into clouds, and once more transformed into countless ancient clouds, covering the entire Yellow Cloud Valley.
But everything did not settle into tranquility; old visions dissipated, and new visions suddenly appeared between heaven and earth!
The vision rolled out like a painting in the world, filled with the will of the heavens; the content of the painting depicted an ancient immortal, a being completely formed of rainwater, with eyes like heaven and an aura as vast as mountains and seas!
When the Slime Monster saw the content of the painting, she immediately exclaimed,
"Rain Immortal Father! This is the Position Sky Map! Hero Brother, you’re not joking, right? Just from drinking a few sips of my bathwater, you actually cultivated to the middle realm of Control Position! How is this possible! Could it be that my bathwater is a Spiritual Medicine for cultivating Control Position!" After saying, the Slime Monster took a sip of cloud energy, curious, she also drank the bathwater, yet she couldn’t feel the slightest improvement in Control Position power.
"...You’re overthinking it."
Ning Fan laughed helplessly, patting the Slime Monster’s head, then gravely looked at the giant painting in the sky and earth.
"What do you mean by Rain Immortal Father and Position Sky Map?"
"Hero Brother doesn’t know these? You’ve reached the middle realm of Control Position without knowing anything about it?" The Slime Monster looked at Ning Fan like he was a prodigy, increasingly suspecting it was her bathwater’s miraculous effect that led Ning Fan to stumble into Control Position.
Only upon reaching the middle realm of Control Position is one truly an Immortal Cultivator of Control Position!
"Not very clear, but it doesn’t mean I know nothing about Control Position. I have some understanding of the various ways to achieve Control Position. Just tell me, what do they mean?" Ning Fan asked again.
"As for Immortal Father and Position Sky Map, I only have a half-understanding. After all, I’ve never cultivated Control Position. But I heard in the Real Realms that the Position Sky Map is both an opportunity and a tribulation. Whether one can seize the opportunity depends entirely on oneself, but if one’s strength is insufficient, being overly obsessed might lead to self-destruction; when it’s time to give up, one must let go, as striving will be futile... Moreover, not every Cultivator who attains Control Position can summon the Position Sky Map; the vast majority of those in Control Position never have such an opportunity, only a select few manage to do so..."
"...I don’t understand."
Ning Fan decided it was best not to ask the Slime Monster, anyway. There was a sage right there; why ask the Slime Monster?
"Explain this to me!" Ning Fan commanded the Ant Lord in his divine sense with an almost imperious tone.
His thoughts, the Ant Lord could see plainly!
He didn’t need to elaborate on what should be explained; the Ant Lord knew what he wanted to understand!
"Hmph! Small Ant Ning, what kind of tone is this? Dare to use such a tone when speaking to a Saint, aren’t you afraid of divine retribution—wait! Don’t use the bewitching technique! I’ll explain, just put away your technique!" The Ant Lord initially wanted to hold her ground, but at the sight of Ning Fan about to use the bewitching technique over a disagreement, she gritted her teeth with hatred but dared not to put on airs again and immediately explained to Ning Fan.
In this world, there are many methods to achieve the control position, but only those who attain it through the perfect method can attract the celestial phenomenon of the Position Sky Map.
The Position Sky Map is a celestial reward; the ancient immortals depicted are often the Rain Immortal Fathers of the Immortal Spirit Era, who presided over that position!
Ning Fan attained the control position through the perfect method, not by other clever means, thus attracting the sky map. The ancient immortal depicted in the sky map is the first Rain Immortal Father born during the Immortal Spirit Era, the ancestor of all rain cultivation immortals!
If no other changes occur, next, the Rain Immortal Father in the painting will grant Ning Fan three gifts as a reward.
These three gifts could be magical treasures, expensive pills, Dao Fruit, or even cultivation techniques and secret methods related to that position... it’s possible to give anything; the quality of the blessing depends on one’s luck. The only certainty is that even the worst gift can greatly enhance the strength of someone in the second step of cultivation.
This is the opportunity the Slime Monster spoke of.
As the opportunity arrives, so does danger! Whenever the Position Sky Map appears, cultivators of the same position from the same era can sense it.
These individuals may come across domains, descending in spirit form, to seize the celestial father’s reward!
If Ning Fan’s strength isn’t sufficient to protect his reward, it will be taken by other cultivators of the same position.
"So, cultivators who have also achieved the rain control position are about to descend in spirit to seize my reward?"
Ning Fan’s face suddenly darkened.
"Not just those who have achieved the rain control position, but potentially the Rain Seal Rank cultivators! Though Rain Seal Rank differs by origin, if they wish, they can also descend, albeit with slightly more difficulty; and even cultivators of different positions tied to the water element have some chance to arrive, though it’s even harder for them. You should be grateful you’re not breaking through in the Real Realms. Do you know, every time the Position Sky Map appears in the Real Realms, hundreds, even thousands of same-source cultivators come to compete for the Dao? Even if a celestial father’s reward descends, it rarely goes to the one who has broken through; outsiders mostly seize it. Fortunately, the Real Realms are separated from your Dreamland Realm, so the breaking through of your rain control position won’t be sensed by the Real Realms’ cultivators, and those who come to seize your reward won’t be as terrifyingly numerous, perhaps five at most." The Ant Lord grudgingly explained.
She truly wished to see Ning Fan suffer, robbed by hundreds or thousands of cultivators in the Real Realms. Unfortunately, in the Dreamland Realm where Ning Fan resided, such misfortune wouldn’t befall him.
Rain control position and Rain Seal Rank cultivators are scarce in the Era of Decline, some may come, but definitely not many.
"Rain Seal Rank cultivators might also come..."
Ning Fan’s gaze turned cold.
He thought of a person.
The Water Sect Master who was his enemy! The Second-Grade Quasi-Saint who held the Rain Master Title! If the person really arrived, even if only a sliver of spirit descended, it would be formidable indeed...
Could today mark his first confrontation with that person?
...
At the junction of the Four Dreadful Seas of the Northern Heavens.
The Water Sect Master was in the critical moment of condensing the sixth dragon; logically, at such a crucial time, no external matter should disturb his inner peace.
Yet at this moment, something significant occurred, disturbing his mental state, causing the sixth dragon to condense with slight flaws, forcing a temporary halt.
He opened his eyes incredulously, besides shock, there was a trace of greed.
"It’s the Position Sky Map! The celestial map recorded in ancient texts! I once thought this was just a legend, never imagined it to be real! But why didn’t I have such luck when I obtained my Rain Seal Title! Who is the rain cultivator that has such fortune, to bring forth this legendary phenomenon!"
"Hmph! No matter who they are! I must have a share of the three rewards from this person’s Position Sky Map! Immortal Stone! Watch over my physical defense! I’m entering a trance, using the Rain Master spirit technique! This technique crosses domains, allowing no room for error! If you’re negligent, I won’t forgive you!"
...
Western Heaven, Ice Marsh Kingdom.
There is an ice mountain in the Ice Marsh Kingdom, within which an ancient giant Buddha is frozen.
No one knows how long this giant Buddha has been ice-bound, but today, the ice mountain suddenly cracked open, and the giant Buddha emerged from its frozen state, opening its eyes, and for a moment, Buddha’s radiance shone universally, countless devotees bowing in worship!
"A rain sky map? It doesn’t seem to be in Western Heaven... I wonder which realm’s rain cultivator attracted this. I originally didn’t wish to contact mortals, but if this object has appeared, this spirit descent may be worth an encounter! Though the Four Heavens are sealed, if guided by a sky map imbued with immortal spirit power, linked by a thread, spirit crossing realms might not be impossible, albeit at a significant cost."
...
Ancient Demon Abyss, at the point of suppression under the Third Mountain!
Beneath the suppressing peak, the Emperor Shuiyan’s aura was on the brink, unable to seek death, yet upon sensing the rain sky map, he had a flicker of excitement!
"Opportunity! This is my chance for escape! Though the suppression of emotion control is strong, if guided by the sky map, I can spirit wander briefly! Though unable to truly leave, it’s still a chance! If I could seize a mighty treasure from this person’s sky map, perhaps there’s a slight chance I might shatter the Third Mountain and escape alive! I cannot miss this opportunity! No matter who summoned the sky map, its rewards must belong to me!"
...
Immortal Demon World, True Spirit Myriad Clans, True Martial Clan!
The True Martial Clan’s territory is built on a turtle-shaped continent, with millions of Demonified Cities, billions of Yin Yang Transformation cultivators.
This continent is so vast, no one knows where it came from.
But today, a significant event occurred in the True Martial Clan, one that shook the entire Immortal Demon World, even startling the Demon Clan Spirit King!
The boundless turtle-shaped continent suddenly came to life! With an almost arrogant ancient voice, laughing up at the sky!
"Sky map! I will claim it!"