Chapter 3

In the Huahuan Sect, 107 women were slaughtered by Han Laomo alone.

Those who died in the black fire were considered lucky. The ones who died later suffered indescribable torment.

Han Laomo's killings were like a form of performance art. He did not violate a single woman; that was not his style. Moreover, these demonesses did not value their chastity, and violating them might even have given them pleasure.

"Deal with your enemies in the way they fear the most, and kill them!"

This was the first lesson Han Laomo taught Ning Fan.

Flaying, waist-cutting, dismemberment, slow slicing, strangulation, boiling, needle insertion, live burial, poisoning, cudgeling, sawing, spine breaking, lead pouring, scrubbing, playing the lute, gutting...

Every killing technique Han Laomo could think of, he used. By dawn, Mount Lixuan was a mess, with scattered flesh and limbs, even feces and urine.

The little paper crane fainted when Han Laomo killed the first person, but Ning Fan, gritting his teeth, watched from beginning to end. The blood and stench made Ning Fan vomit three times, but he finally adapted to the scene of torture and killing.

Ning Fan had to watch. He was not foolish; he could guess that if he could not bear the killing, if he fainted like the paper crane, Han Laomo would kill him without hesitation!

Han Laomo, the Ghost Sparrow Sect's Han Yuanji, was a true demon.

"Kid, you're really good! When I became a disciple, my master was the same, but I vomited six times..."

Han Laomo looked at Ning Fan, his eyes gleaming.

This boy was resilient and a good seed for cultivating demons.

Han Laomo did not know that Ning Fan was originally the most averse to blood. He did not want to see blood, but he had to, or he would die.

"Come, I'll take you back to the Ghost Sparrow Sect and formally admit you to our sect!"

The old demon carried the paper crane in one hand and Ning Fan in the other, and soared into the sky.

From start to finish, Ning Fan did not say a single extra word to the old demon. Now, he was like a fish on a chopping board, only seeking to survive, knowing that too much talk would lead to mistakes.

The old demon flew extremely fast, and after a day and a night, he flew from the western border of the Yue Kingdom to the northern border, spanning several thousand miles.

Several times, he flew over the skies of orthodox sects, and anyone who dared to block him was killed by the old demon with a single strike.

In the northern region, there was an ice-cast city called Seven Plum City. The entire city was enveloped in an unusual cold, as if it could freeze even the soul.

Seven Plum City had thousands of cultivators, including three Spirit Fusion experts. Sensing the old demon's arrival, the three experts stepped into the sky, and upon seeing the old demon, they all showed respect.

"Pay respects to the City Lord!"

"Exempt from the ceremony, all of you get lost!" Han Laomo dismissed the three, but he looked deeply at Ning Fan.

Ning Fan was on guard against Seven Plum City and the three experts, which was good. When entering a strange place and seeing strangers, being on guard was essential.

"I am the City Lord of Seven Plum City, one of the four venerables of the Ghost Sparrow Sect, 'Han Medicine Venerable'! There are six months until the Ghost Sparrow Sect's grand ceremony for accepting disciples. I give you six months to advance your cultivation to the fifth level of Meridian Opening, or you will die!"

The old demon looked at Seven Plum City below the clouds, and a hint of sorrow flashed in his eyes, which were usually domineering. This sorrow on a killing demon was very strange.

"This is a demon with a story." Ning Fan did not intend to probe Han Laomo's secrets; that would be courting death.

...

Ning Fan, sixteen years old, was the son of a servant in the Hai Ning Ning family. He was betrayed, sold to a demon sect, separated from his brother, and obtained a jade lock, becoming a disciple of a demon venerable, and entered Seven Plum City.

Under the moonlight and in the icy wind, Ning Fan recalled the past, gripping the jade lock even tighter. He had been brought to Seven Plum City for three days.

On the windowsill was a book, *Seven Plum Records*. This book seemed to have been written by a female demon in Seven Plum City and was not a cultivation technique but rather an introduction to cultivation and demon cultivation.

When Han Laomo handed this book to Ning Fan, his eyes looked like they wanted to eat someone.

"I'm giving you this book. If it's damaged within six months, I'll take your life!"

The book contained techniques for opening meridians. Cultivating immortality required absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and absorbing spiritual energy required meridians.

These meridians could not be ordinary human meridians but needed to be immortal meridians.

Immortal meridians were divided into yin and yang. Orthodox cultivation opened yang meridians, while evil cultivation opened yin meridians.

The first realm of cultivation, Meridian Opening, did not require special techniques, and many ordinary people had heard of meridian opening techniques.

But those who successfully opened meridians were one in ten thousand. Those who succeeded were all heaven's chosen ones, with the potential to step into the path of immortality!

Ning Fan closed his eyes, his mind immersed. He felt a warm current flowing in his dantian, following a strange path. That path was his yin meridian.

But faintly, Ning Fan felt that next to the yin meridian, there was a hidden, illusory yang meridian that only he could sense.

This situation, described in *Seven Plum Records*, was called the Ancient Demon Meridian! It was said that in ancient times, there was an Immortal Emperor who cultivated both orthodox and demonic paths and was revered by countless immortals as Emperor Sun. Countless immortals and demons once studied under Emperor Sun!

The method for opening the Ancient Demon Meridian had long been lost. It was said that many powerful ancient techniques required the Ancient Demon Meridian to be performed.

Opening one meridian was the first level of Meridian Opening!

Opening four meridians was the second level of Meridian Opening. By extension, Han Laomo wanted Ning Fan to reach the fifth level of Meridian Opening in six months, which required opening twenty-five meridians.

The Hai Ning Ning family was a cultivation family, but Ning Fan, having only been a servant, had no money for cultivation! Let alone opening the Ancient Demon Meridian!

Ning Fan vaguely understood that the reason he could open the Ancient Demon Meridian was due to the jade lock.

"Paper Crane, I wonder how she is..." Ning Fan held the jade lock, sighing. His survival and the acquisition of this mysterious treasure were all thanks to Paper Crane.

She was a good girl.

After a long time, Ning Fan put aside his thoughts and looked at the jade lock, but remained silent. His body was weak, but his character was resilient, and his mind was sharp. After experiencing a great calamity, his heart became increasingly deep.

He realized a problem. The jade lock could help open the Ancient Demon Meridian, and if others knew he possessed this treasure, it would surely bring him disaster!

"Where should I hide this jade lock..."

Ning Fan was deep in thought when the jade lock emitted a faint red light and a soft female voice came from it.

"Awake, finally awake... My lord, don't worry. Why not hide the jade lock in your dantian?"

The voice faded away, and the jade lock suddenly turned into a red light and shot into Ning Fan's dantian. Instantly, he felt a burning sensation in his lower body, his breath became heavy, and his desire could not be released.

"Who are you? What is this jade lock?"

Ning Fan's face darkened. He could feel the jade lock in his dantian but could not remove it. His body became increasingly hot as the jade lock entered.

"Hehe, this lock is the Yin-Yang Lock, a treasure of the Mystic Yin Realm. If you can recognize it as your own and gain its inheritance, reaching the fifth level of Meridian Opening in six months will be a small matter, let alone breaking through to the Spirit Fusion stage. A mere Ghost Sparrow Sect, the earthly sect of the Sparrow God, cannot harm you."

"Why is my body burning?"

"Why? Didn't I say, the Yin-Yang Lock is recognizing you~ This Yin-Yang Lock is the ultimate demonic treasure. When you absorb it into your dantian, it recognizes you. Recognizing a demonic treasure with insufficient cultivation can lead to demonic possession. You follow the path of lust and demons, so finding a woman to copulate with will help you avoid demonic possession. Otherwise, you will die~"

After saying this, the mysterious woman let out a few joyful giggles and then fell silent.

Ning Fan was in great distress, falling onto the bed, unable to bear the burning desire. Even if he was willing, in Seven Plum City, where demons ruled, there was no woman who would share a bed with him.

"Treasure of the Mystic Yin Realm, Yin-Yang Lock, heaven as wife, earth as concubine, the masses as the cauldron, the path of yin and yang, combined cultivation. Locking the yin of heaven, stabilizing the yang of life, seizing the desires of heaven, transforming into the path of demons. You can copulate, but do not indulge, one bow to Emperor Sun, and you will live forever."

A mysterious voice echoed in his mind, making Ning Fan's body even more unbearable.

His face was flushed, his skin burning, and he was close to death.

In a daze, Ning Fan felt a cool, soft body slip into his arms.

And all his desires seemed to find an outlet.

A night of passion.

In the morning, Ning Fan slowly opened his eyes and looked at the body beside him, his face as calm as water.

Beside him, Paper Crane's small body was covered with marks of his abuse, and the quilt was stained with blood, like seven plums in the snow.

Her face was still tear-streaked, like a pear blossom in the rain, touching and beautiful. Her lips were dry and cracked, and her chest was bruised and swollen.

Her lower body was a mess.

"Ning Fan, Ning Fan, what have you done? She's just a child..." Ning Fan smiled bitterly.

"Big brother, don't die, Paper Crane is here to save you..."

In her sleep, Paper Crane mumbled, unconsciously turning over, causing her wounds to hurt, and she frowned slightly.

This dream would not be sweet.

Ning Fan struggled to get up, looking at Paper Crane with pity, feeling guilty, and reached out to wipe away her tears.

But suddenly, a sharp pain in his head almost made him faint.

"Why is my head hurting again? What kind of demonic possession is this!" He was angry and asked the mysterious woman in the Yin-Yang Lock!

"My lord, don't worry. The Yin-Yang Lock has recognized you and will not cause demonic possession again. This headache is a good thing... The Yin-Yang Lock is an Immortal Emperor's treasure, containing the Immortal Emperor's inheritance. Recognizing it will grant you the inheritance. When I was young and ignorant, I tried to recognize the Yin-Yang Lock but was unprepared and was consumed by heart demons, trapped in the lock. You are lucky, with my help, you have gained the Immortal Emperor's memories..."

"Immortal Emperor's memories! What is an Immortal Emperor!" Ning Fan was shocked. In the Rain Realm where he lived, the highest cultivation was only that of a Void Fragment Elder, but even such elders did not dare to call themselves Immortal Emperors.

What kind of person could be an Immortal Emperor! The inheritance of an Immortal Emperor's memories must far surpass those of Void Fragment Elders!

With the sharp pain in his head, a series of memories imprinted in Ning Fan's mind.

"I am the Great Emperor of the Chaotic Ancient Era, a disciple of Emperor Sun, who taught me the path of yin and yang. I have no children, and at the moment of my transformation, I created this immortal treasure, passing on my three thoughts to future generations! Emperor Sun once said, 'Beyond the first ring of the Heavenly Dao, the art of the Dao cannot be easily transmitted,' so the thoughts I transmit are all within the first ring."

"My first thought records my life's learning. If you obtain it, in the first ring of the Heavenly Dao, there are few as learned as you!"

The memory needles pierced his mind, causing unbearable pain. Even ordinary Spirit Fusion experts might not be able to endure it, but Ning Fan, having experienced great changes, had a mind like a sea of demons and gritted his teeth to endure it. The inheritance he gained made him feel that the pain was worth it.

The content of these memories made Ning Fan shudder.

Medicine, divination, astrology, the classics of a hundred schools, alchemy, artifact refinement, poetry, songs, and verses, both orthodox and demonic, were all included. If this content were to be spread, it would shock the Rain Realm!

Without preparation, the second thought of the inheritance came. This time, the pain was like a steel brush scrubbing his mind, and even a Golden Core expert might not be able to endure it.

Blood flowed from Ning Fan's mouth and nose, and this blood stirred the ferocity in his heart. Gaining the inheritance of an Immortal Emperor would allow him to stand tall in the world, to defy fate, a once-in-a-millennium opportunity he did not want to miss!

"Pain, so what!" He roared and endured it.

"My second thought records the insights of the nine realms of cultivation. If you obtain it, you will be like a fish in water in the nine realms of cultivation, with no bottlenecks!"

These memories recorded ancient cultivation techniques, which were vastly different from the current cultivation system. In ancient times, there were nine realms of cultivation, while now there are only seven. Gaining this inheritance, Ning Fan's cultivation did not increase, but his insights surpassed those of Void Fragment Elders! Before reaching the Void Fragment stage, he would have no bottlenecks!

He wiped the blood from his mouth and nose, his eyes gleaming, and the pain he endured was worth it!

Suddenly, the third batch of memories arrived, and Ning Fan let out a painful cry, almost fainting.

This time, the inheritance of memories was like being cut into a thousand pieces, as if his soul was being shredded. His face was as pale as paper, and his life was in danger, but a glance at the girl's body beside him, with the marks of pain on her face, made his own pain seem insignificant.

"Physical pain, how can it compare to heart pain!" He recalled the humiliation he suffered that night, gritted his teeth, and refused to give in.

After the third thought of the inheritance was complete, he was in such pain that he could not even lift a finger.

"My third thought is called *Yin-Yang Transformation*. This technique is a secret of the Huahuan Sect, for dual cultivation between men and women, enhancing cultivation, and controlling the dragon and phoenix with ease."

This thought contained techniques that complemented the Yin-Yang Lock, along with countless techniques for the bedroom. To some righteous people, this might be insignificant, but to Ning Fan, it was the fastest way to enhance his cultivation.

After the three thoughts of the inheritance were complete, the residual thoughts of the Immortal Emperor in the Yin-Yang Lock slowly dissipated, as if they had never existed.

Ning Fan was exhausted, lying on Paper Crane's body, unable to move, and carefully organizing the inheritance of the Immortal Emperor in his mind.

With this inheritance, his cultivation was still at the first level of Meridian Opening, but his knowledge surpassed even the Void Fragment experts of the Rain Realm!

His eyes gradually calmed, and he knew that he must not let others know about this opportunity. At least, he could not let Han Laomo know, as he could not guarantee that Han Laomo would not kill him if he found out.

At this moment, Ning Fan no longer saw the woman in the lock as mysterious.

"Are you a female cultivator at the peak of the Void Fragment stage? But you seem to be injured. If you recover, your cultivation should be even higher." Ning Fan said calmly.

"How do you know! Could it be that you successfully gained the inheritance of the Immortal Emperor!" The woman in the lock exclaimed in disbelief.

At this moment, Ning Fan no longer seemed like a mere junior to her but rather like a monster who had lived for millions of years.

This was truly strange.

The inheritance of the Immortal Emperor, which ring of the Heavenly Dao was it? How could it be so miraculous, elevating a mere mortal's perspective to that of a Void Fragment expert?

Could it be the legendary third ring of the Heavenly Dao?

(Seeking collections, seeking recommendations. The third chapter has been completely revised, and the writing direction has changed. I'll write it more lightly... Also, those interested in the "first ring of the Heavenly Dao" can read *Rebirth: Wukong's Cultivation Record*.)