Chapter 5

The sun was warm, but the air in the Ice City of Seven Plum was slightly cold.

Ning Fan, dressed in white with a black cloak, leisurely left the Si Fan Palace. Two steps behind him, Zhehe followed quietly, her hair now styled in a young woman’s bun, wrapped in a thick fox fur coat, her small hands still frozen red.

"Brother Fan… aren’t you cold, wearing so little?" Zhehe asked, rubbing her hands, concerned.

"Cold, but when you ask, I’m not cold anymore. It’s really strange," Ning Fan turned back and teased, making Zhehe blush inexplicably.

Taking the opportunity to gather the antidote, Ning Fan left the Si Fan Palace and took Zhehe out for a walk. The two needed to cultivate their feelings, after all, they had already become a married couple in name.

Otherwise, when Ning Fan truly practiced dual cultivation with Zhehe, he might hesitate.

The young man was handsome, and the young woman was shy, creating a wonderful atmosphere, but it was ruined by the old demon.

The old demon walked casually in front of them, leading the way. The demon cultivators on the road looked at Ning Fan as if he were a plague, hurriedly avoiding him.

"Haha, you two lovebirds, just pretend I don’t exist and continue," the old demon said happily, his usually gloomy face now smiling like a chrysanthemum. Why? Because there was hope for his meridians to be cured.

When the demon cultivators saw the old demon smiling, they hurriedly avoided him. In their impression, the old demon frowning actually meant he was happy, while the old demon smiling usually meant he was about to kill someone.

"Oh dear, that young man is the new disciple of the City Lord? Finished, he’s doomed, he must have angered the City Lord." The crowd sympathized with Ning Fan.

The southern part of Seven Plum City was a market, selling various elixirs, magical treasures, and spirit equipment, while the northern part was the old demon’s treasury and medicinal garden.

The medicinal garden was called Plum Manor, built with bricks of fire, forming a four-dimensional structure. The center was always spring-like, with spirit herbs thriving. The sky was covered by an array light curtain, allowing sunlight to shine through. Outside Plum Manor, a black-armored army of about four hundred people was stationed, each with seven blood plum blossoms embroidered on their shoulders.

The commander of the black-armored army was a two-zhang-tall iron man, a Spirit Fusion cultivator. He had welcomed the old demon into the city on the day of his arrival, and Ning Fan had seen him once.

As soon as the iron man saw the old demon, he bowed deeply, and the four hundred black guards all knelt down.

"Commander Wei Chi of the Plum Guards, paying respects to the City Lord! Paying respects to... Young Master..." The four hundred Plum Guards knelt to Ning Fan, but they were all unwilling.

"Rise, all of you... wait, today I’m in a good mood, so you don’t have to roll away. Come over, let me show my disciple a look."

The old demon laughed, and this laugh made the four hundred Plum Guards shiver. However, they dared not disobey the old demon’s command and quickly gathered in a circular formation, their hearts filled with unease.

Finished! The City Lord is smiling! The City Lord is going to kill someone! Could it be because we didn’t guard Plum Manor well!

This circular formation was called the 'Two Instruments Chaotic Plum Array.' In a few breaths, they formed the array neatly, showing their well-trained discipline.

Seeing this, the old demon’s face beamed with pride, an expression he hadn’t shown in forty years.

"Ning boy, take a look. This is one of my 'Three Guards,' the Plum Guards! One Spirit Fusion, four hundred at the fifth layer of Meridian Opening. Dragged out, they can easily destroy a mortal kingdom, and kick a minor orthodox sect to pieces. Ning boy, give me some comments, how are my Plum Guards!"

The old demon’s face, like a chrysanthemum, was filled with pride. For some reason, he particularly wanted to hear Ning Fan’s praise.

And Wei Chi, as well as the four hundred Plum Guards, were all pleasantly surprised to hear the old demon’s praise. After all, they had risked their lives for the old demon for forty years and had never been praised!

They no longer trembled, no longer feared, standing straight and tall. In their view, the old demon was showing off his power to his new disciple. The old demon wanted to save face, and they, as subordinates, had to help the old demon save face.

They didn’t care about Ning Fan’s comments.

Majestic? Powerful? Or ruthless? Fierce? Anyway, it should all be praise. They didn’t think Ning Fan, at the first layer of Meridian Opening, would dare to say anything unpleasant in front of four hundred experts and the old demon.

"Master asked me to comment on you, so I’ll say a few words..." Ning Fan’s tone was calm, but his words made the old demon and the Plum Guards’ faces change.

"These four hundred Plum Guards might be elite in the orthodox world, but in the demon path, they are just... a mob!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the four hundred experts’ faces turned red with anger, wishing to kill Ning Fan on the spot. A mere junior, daring to speak such arrogance!

But the old demon, after hearing Ning Fan, was first angry, but then, thinking about Ning Fan’s words, he showed a thoughtful expression.

"Ning boy, explain why they are a mob. I want to hear it..."

If other experts said this about the Plum Guards, the old demon would definitely turn against them, as he was protective of his subordinates.

But Ning Fan, the old demon knew, was not someone who sought to please the crowd.

"Three reasons. First, as demon cultivators, they lack killing intent."

"What? Lack killing intent? Haha! Nonsense!"

"Forty years ago, when I was killing people, you weren’t even born!"

The Plum Guards were noisy, some even drawing their weapons, seemingly ready to attack Ning Fan. Little Zhehe was scared and pulled on Ning Fan’s sleeve, but the old demon remained silent.

Ning Fan, facing the four hundred Plum Guards with surging killing intent, closed his eyes and only sneered.

"Someone provokes you, and you lose your composure. This is proof of lacking killing intent. True demon cultivators stabilize their hearts with killing intent, their hearts as hard as iron, unshaken by mountains of corpses and seas of blood. You, cannot do this. Forty years ago, you might have been elite demon cultivators, but now, in the comfort of Seven Plum City, you have lost your demon hearts and killing intent, becoming weak, too weak."

Ning Fan’s voice was not loud, but gradually, the demon cultivators who heard his words all turned red-faced, slowly putting away their weapons.

Unrebuttable, Ning Fan was right, too right.

Forty years ago, they, the Plum Guards, followed the old demon, known as the 'Black Demon Three Divine Armies,' and fought against the orthodox world of Yue Kingdom, spreading their demon names far and wide. But forty years ago, the old demon disbanded the Black Demon Sect and joined the Ghost Sparrow Sect, and the Plum Guards, along with the old demon, retired to Seven Plum City, only completing the task of guarding the medicinal garden, without any more killing.

Even if they occasionally killed, it was just some petty thieves. Back then, under the old demon’s leadership, they, the Plum Guards, dared to directly attack the first orthodox sect of Yue Kingdom.

How could they not want to return to the demon path, to once again dominate Yue Kingdom and traverse the Rain Realm? But unfortunately, they couldn’t. Because the old demon was injured, in seclusion, and they had hidden their killing hearts and lost their killing intent, just to avoid causing trouble for the old demon.

They never expected that a mere junior at the first layer of Meridian Opening could see through their helplessness at a glance. This junior had a keen eye.

Although they were unhappy with Ning Fan’s insults, neither Wei Chi nor the four hundred Plum Guards spoke up to argue.

They knew Ning Fan was right, but they still looked down on him.

"This kid, what does he know! We just don’t want to kill enemies! We are just in seclusion, being loyal!"

The old demon remained silent, slowly closing his eyes, with a hint of shame.

But Ning Fan continued.

"You, are not convinced, even if I am right, you still don’t believe. You think you are just being loyal to your master, losing your killing intent, and that once you return to the battlefield, you can regain your killing intent and become demons again. You are wrong..."

"Killing intent is not just the aura of killing, but a kind of power, a demonic power. Like an unsheathed demon sword, it makes people dare not look directly. Some demon lords grow flowers, raise fish, and enjoy leisurely reading, but their killing intent has not diminished; instead, it has become more profound, and when used, the demonic power is even stronger. Master let you guard Plum Manor, perhaps to teach you to收敛锐气. But you, did not understand Master’s intention. Gradually, you really only know how to guard the manor. If now, you were asked to attack the Tai Xu Sect, would you dare?"

Ning Fan’s words left the entire scene silent.

"You think, how is my killing intent? My killing intent and demonic power are countless times stronger than yours." Ning Fan smiled.

Wei Chi and the four hundred Plum Guards all looked up at Ning Fan, shaking their heads.

They agreed with Ning Fan’s point, but they did not believe that Ning Fan had any killing intent or demonic power.

Ning Fan was just a junior at the first layer of Meridian Opening, perhaps with unique insights and keen eyes, but too young and too weak, impossible to have killed anyone, and his understanding of the demon path could not be deep, how could he have killing intent, how could he have demonic power?

"You don’t believe my killing intent and demonic power far exceed yours?"

"I don’t believe it," Wei Chi frowned.

"Then, I will show you my killing intent."

At this moment, Ning Fan closed his eyes, recalling the life of the Ancient Chaos Emperor, whose memories he possessed.

In the void, countless experts far surpassing the Void Shattering stage were killed by the Ancient Chaos Emperor with a single palm.

In the star domain, one by one, immortal palaces were crushed by the Ancient Chaos Emperor with a single finger.

The number of people the Ancient Chaos Emperor killed in his lifetime was probably more than the entire population of the Rain Realm!

At this moment, Ning Fan suddenly opened his eyes, filled with the killing intent of the Ancient Chaos Emperor.

At this moment, a momentum like a prehistoric beast emerged from Ning Fan.

Under his gaze, the four hundred Plum Guards all changed their expressions, as if they were not looking at Ning Fan but an Immortal Emperor!

Chilled to the bone, disoriented, helpless, and fearful, these emotions echoed in their hearts, and no one dared to look Ning Fan in the eye!

"This is the Young Master’s killing intent. How many people has the Young Master killed!"

Wei Chi, a mighty Spirit Fusion expert, could no longer remain calm.