prynovel Chapter 1184: Feed Dao Immortal Grain
Chapter 1184: Feed Dao Immortal Grain
As you walk on the road, rain suddenly begins to fall.
You might complain that the rain came too suddenly, but you know the sky will always rain.
So it’s hard to tell whether the rain was unexpected or timely.
Life is like rain; you don’t know if meeting someone at this moment is accidental or destined, or perhaps there’s no difference between the two.
"Uncle, are you going to teach me the Way of Rain..." Que Jiuniang asked weakly.
Upon realizing Ning Fan’s profound and unfathomable cultivation, if she couldn’t see this small matter, then she truly doesn’t need to practice anymore.
Ning Fan nodded and said, "Let me see your Rain Intent."
"Yes."
Que Jiuniang took a deep breath, calmed her heart, and then presented the Rain Intent she realized throughout her life to Ning Fan.
Born in the Sinister Sparrow Sect, in the Ancient Rain Star Sea where rain falls all year round, Que Jiuniang, like the vast majority of upper realms’ Sinister Sparrow disciples, is a rain practitioner.
Though all are rain practitioners, the rain understood by each person is different, just as there are countless raindrops in the world, none identical.
Que Jiuniang’s Rain Intent is a rain of longing.
The sound of the parasol tree leaves in autumn, the point of banana leaves creating sorrow, dreams returning at midnight. Fallen chess pieces with flowers yet to be picked, lamenting being stuck alone in Xin Feng’s solitary inn. Matters of the past decade upon the pillow, the worries of two elders in Jiangnan all come to mind.
"I see, when you were young, Sparrow God Kidd wasn’t by your side, thus your Rain Intent contains longing, longing for your old father far in the lower realm... This is good, Divine Intent may have levels, but it doesn’t have superiority or inferiority. Your Divine Intent is your heart, blended with your emotions and sentiments. In just this aspect, you surpass countless who imitate others’ Rain Intent," Ning Fan nodded slightly, praising.
"I, I’m not as great as Uncle says... I just got used to watching the rain every day, waiting for father to return, and over time, unintentionally my Rain Intent took shape..." Que Jiuniang blushed, seldom praised by elders.
"Unintentionally, Rain Intent formed... seems your aptitude is higher than I imagined, where at silent moments, Tao resides in heart. Many Immortals and Buddhas in the world, seeking the great freedom of Taoist methods, all seek but fail... They are less than you, as when they have the desire to seek Tao, the more they yearn, the farther they are from great freedom..."
"Little Jiu is dull, cannot understand this..." Que Jiuniang sweated in embarrassment, she didn’t grasp a word of what Ning Fan’s great freedom in Taoist methods meant, she truly felt foolish.
"It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. Your advantage is in not understanding, in ignorance, as you are a blank canvas closer to Tao. Initially, I wanted to pass you the Sparrow God Kidd’s past enlightenment, but now I’ve changed my mind. Your Rain Intent should not be carved by me, nor interfered by Sparrow God Kidd’s Rain Intent. You are you, naturally a complete circle, just need to tread along and refine slowly, someday your achievements will surpass all cultivators in the Era of Decline... But I am different, my circle needs me to draw step by step..."
Ning Fan’s words were incomprehensible to Que Jiuniang.
Ning Fan’s gaze was unfathomable to Que Jiuniang.
Ning Fan’s gaze fell on the rain, his heart returned to the vast past, back to the times of rain falling in Dark Sparrow’s Grave.
Walking from Dark Sparrow’s Grave to Sinister Sparrow Sect, then back, this is a complete circle.
This is not the fulfillment of Ning Fan’s Taoist life, merely a fulfillment of his Rain Intent, a cycle.
This circle of rain was only halfway formed, hence it’s just a... half-circle!
Ordinary people cannot see this half-circle, but Ning Fan has experienced too much, realized too much, he can see this half-circle!
"Little Jiu, wait a moment for Uncle, later, Uncle will show you the true rain." Ning Fan’s brow flashed with Yin Yang Rain stars, his eyes revealed unimaginable vast Rain Dao Principles!
"Oh..."
Que Jiuniang weakly responded, she didn’t even fully hear what Ning Fan said.
She was already overwhelmed by Ning Fan’s gaze at this moment!
She seemed to see through Ning Fan’s eyes countless torrents of rain, a chronicle of Ning Fan’s life and death experiences; also seemed to see countless Jiangnan drizzle, all the warmth Ning Fan encountered in his life.
She seemed to glimpse through Ning Fan’s eyes, Ning Fan’s lifetime of blood mist, yet also seemed to see merely an ordinary young lord on a leisurely outing.
This is an... indescribable gaze!
Que Jiuniang didn’t know, only those who comprehend Control Position through completeness possess such a gaze!
Pasts like tides! All Ning Fan’s comprehension of rain in his life at this moment, recalled!
Ning Fan closed his eyes, seemingly returning to the Rain Immortal World, back to Dark Sparrow’s Grave, as if the Sparrow God Kidd’s near yet distant enlightenment echoed beside!
[Rain, born from the sky, dies upon the earth, the flow in between is the life of rain...]
[The sky divides into four seas, the earth into nine worlds, in between the Rain Immortal World, endless rain. Rain born from the sky, dies upon the earth... This death of rain is not physical, but a death of heart... Its body will transform into cloud vapor, return to the heavens. Yet its heart, upon falling into mortal realm shatters... When shattered raindrops re-coalesce, can they still be the same? A rain, billions of raindrops, seemingly alike, yet each raindrop carries its unique flavor... Though body is same, Tao ultimately differs. Sever billions of rains, transform into my enlightenment scene...]
[Rain unfallen, forms presence... Mountain unmove, thus has presence... Hidden dragon has the propensity to soar... Green caterpillar forms cocoon, has the propensity to become butterfly... Human king abstains from killing, has authority to subdue... Heaven and earth uncontent, has the presence to overturn...]
[Cultivating Tao eventually becomes solitary... Kin may sorrow, others sing, where death goes, body entrusts to mountain ridge... This solitude like rain, remains, like autumn, disturbs heart... But without this process of solitude, Tao cannot be cultivated. Rain not solitary, yet my heart solitary, thus rain, too, solitary. This constitutes, Rain of Divine Intent...]
[What is rain? I turn palms to cloud, reverse palms to rain!]
[With heart move to kill, with kill transform sword, with sword form rain, with rain kill...]
[Thunder arises on flat land, heaven to rain, I to kill!]
[This self desires rain, born on earth, fights in heavens, eternally undying!]
[I shall command the rain to fall... This, is an order!]
...
Ning Fan closed his eyes, raised his finger, and made a swipe in the air.
With this swipe, the Ancient Rain Star Sea suddenly witnessed an inconceivable scene; the rain on the sea seemed as if time-space frozen, stationary amidst sea and sky!
Que Jiuniang gasped in astonishment!
All rain practitioners who come to this star sea for cultivation, all Sinister Sparrow sect cultivators, at this moment marveled at the transformation between sea and sky!
"Is there a cultivator with great divine power here comprehending Rain Intent! Note that the extent of this star sea is almost as vast as the Mid-Level Star Domain, to freeze an ocean of rain with a thought, this person must be at the late Shedding Void stage, no, certainly a Peak Shedding Void stage old monster!"
Everyone raised their heads to the sky, to the rain, hoping to personally observe this unknown senior exhibiting Divine Skills, hoping to attain great enlightenment and fortune from it.
Ning Fan cared nothing for the surroundings, focused solely on drawing his own rain half-circle.
More memories appeared, he seemed to return to the year of cultivating Ice Rain Technique, as if becoming the infamous Rain Realm White Marquis again, White clothes venture out—mourning across the realm...
He seemed to return to the four stages of tests of rain ancestors, seemingly once again accepting rain ancestor’s trials.
[Nine Heavens bear rain, thoughts connect a world, clouds become my eyes, rain becomes my thoughts, heaven and earth merge in my heart, this is the Heaven Prying Rain...]
[I do not drink wine, but rain.]
...
Ning Fan had already drawn a quarter of a circle.
At this moment, the rain intent over the sea began to transcend and transform into strands of Daoist thoughts.
That was Ning Fan’s thought!
It seemed as if every drop of rain had become the embodiment of Ning Fan’s Daoist thoughts!
This scene was very similar to the Heaven Prying Rain Technique, but also different!
The difference was, these rain thoughts were not used for perception but for destruction; every drop of rain carrying the Daoist thought was strong enough to kill a Fate Immortal!
Witnessing this scene, the entire Ancient Rain Star Sea echoed with sounds of gasps.
Those rain masters observing initially thought the person comprehending on the sea had Shedding Void Stage cultivations, but now it seemed clear this person was not Shedding Void, but Shattered Thought!
And not just ordinary Shattered Thought, but the kind that had cultivated to late stage, peak level Shattered Thought, where thought arises and the Dao manifests, terrifying to the extreme!
"It is Fragmented Thought Senior! We are fortunate to observe the comprehension of Fragmented Thought Senior! If we can gain the slightest enlightenment from it, the fortune is boundless!"
"Fortune? Better worry about our own safety first! On this sea, every drop of rain has become the Daoist thought of that mysterious senior; if he were ruthless, he could extinguish us with this rain of Daoist thoughts!"
"Heh heh, you’re truly foolish with cultivation; this is Northern Heaven, not Eastern Heaven, which elder monster would dare violate celestial law by wantonly killing innocents, you and I can just safely comprehend this heavenly bestowed opportunity!"
"You have a point, the more profound one’s cultivation, the more reluctant to violate celestial laws..."
...
Ning Fan continued tracing back, as if returning to the days of joining the Slaughter Hall, as if once again experiencing Northern Dipper questioning Dao.
As if once again entering the wild, slaughtering all directions.
As if once again breaking into the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, opposing a world.
He peeled off the comprehension of rain into his experiences, merged it into his fingertips, and painted them within the rain.
The rain thoughts over the sea once again transcended, transforming into powerful beyond compare Way of Rain traces!
Within the Way of Rain traces, there was even a hint of Palm Position Power, transcending, nearing completeness!
"It’s actually the power of traces!"
"Not Shattered Thought! This mysterious senior is not Shattered Thought, but an Immortal Venerable, no, Immortal King!"
"I can’t understand! I completely cannot understand what this senior wants to comprehend!"
"Incomprehensible! I have never seen such eerily uncanny rain!"
Countless rain cultivators were shocked by this scene.
Amidst this shock, Ning Fan drew a half-circle of rain in mid-air, from the starting point Rain Immortal World Dark Sparrow’s Grave rain to the endpoint Northern Heaven Sinister Sparrow Sect’s rain.
Only lacking the drop of the last stroke, then this half-circle would truly be completed!
Only this last stroke away from completion, Ning Fan could elevate the power of Rain Yin Yang to Palm Position Level, and truly become a Rain Position Cultivator!
However, it was extremely difficult to drop this last stroke.
This was Ning Fan’s first attempt at the method of completeness, it was not at all strange to not succeed in one try.
After trying repeatedly a few times, Ning Fan seemed to understand something, withdrew his hand, and erased the half-circle he drew from heaven and earth, sighing.
"Wanting to breakthrough once to Rain Position, truly impossible. However, having experienced this sense of completion, my Rain Yin Yang power has elevated to the threshold of Palm Position, only one step away from truly gaining Palm Position. This last step cannot be forcibly broken through by power or resources, but to wait... wait for a life and death crisis, or wait for some fortuitous enlightenment..."
"Unexpectedly, coming to Northern Heaven Sinister Sparrow Sect this time, I could enlighten to the method of completeness for cultivating Palm Position. If I draw the last stroke of the half-circle of rain, I can cultivate to Palm Position Level; if I complete the full circle, I can achieve complete rain intent, Palm Position mastery..."
As Ning Fan’s thoughts scattered, the rainwater over the entire ocean of stars reverted to its original state.
Yet Que Jiuniang remained engulfed within Ning Fan’s colossal Way of Rain traces, unable to extricate, unable to be clear-headed, seeming entranced, seeming lost.
"Xiaojiu, wake up!"
When Ning Fan called her out from her daze, she realized how impolite she had been.
"I’m sorry, uncle, Xiaojiu was a bit distracted and didn’t hear you calling me..." Que Jiuniang blushed.
"Don’t be deceived by my power of traces, what I want to show you is not these. Traces, such things, once your realm reaches, will naturally be grasped. What I want to show you is something else... not just to see. If it were me before enlightenment, I might only be able to show you with eyes; but at this moment, I can do more, I can transform you into wind and rain..."
Ning Fan held Que Jiuniang’s hand, causing her face to redden even more.
But Ning Fan harbored no mixed thoughts, nor did Que Jiuniang have any amorous notions.
Held by Ning Fan, she only felt warmth, only felt... as if she were being held by an elder.
Father had never held her.
She often imagined, what it felt like for a little girl in a mortal family being held by her father, going to the street to buy candy figurines.
Now she understood.
It was probably the feeling right now...
"Transform into rain..."
As Ning Fan’s voice fell, the next instant, he brought Que Jiuniang, transformed into cloud breath, ascended to the sky, and then turned into rain droplets, sprinkling towards the sea!
Que Jiuniang’s whole being was shocked!
She knew about Void Fragmentation Transformation, which could let masters transform into all things, it was a highly advanced transformation technique. If Ning Fan merely took her to transform into rain, she would definitely not be so shocked!
But now it was different!
She’s really become the rain!
All her life’s cultivation has dissipated! She lost her form, lost the chance to transform back into a human, lost her spirit sense, lost her language!
She’s just the rain!
She’s truly become the rain!
And so, for the following half month, she lingered as rain water, wandering back and forth between the ocean and sky of the starlit sea.
At times she fell as rain upon the ocean surface, and at times she rose as cloud vapor, returning to the heavens.
The rain’s perception of time differs from humans’.
For humans, rain falling from the sky onto the sea takes only tens of breaths.
For the rain, that’s a long lifetime.
From start to finish, Ning Fan never enlightened Que Jiuniang with a single word, nor did he directly impart his Rain Intent to her.
He merely gave her an opportunity... to transform into rain!
He simply helped Que Jiuniang experience dozens of rain’s lifetimes over the course of half a month!
Half a month later, Ning Fan lifted the power of the Rain Control Position, transforming Que Jiuniang back into a human.
Upon regaining human consciousness after experiencing dozens of rain’s lifetimes, Que Jiuniang had forgotten the countless reincarnations before she was human.
Thus, when she returned to her human form, she did something incredibly foolish.
She stripped off her clothes and, with a splash, jumped into the sea from mid-air, like a drop of rain landing in the ocean.
Then, she leapt out of the sea like a mermaid, soared towards the sky, trying to return to the clouds and jump again...
She still believed she was rain!
She had entirely forgotten that she was a person!
"Xiaojiu, wake up!" Ning Fan’s mouth twitched.
He could tell that Que Jiuniang had gained tremendous Rain Intent comprehension over the past half month, even forgetting herself, truly transforming into rain from deep within.
The aptitude of this woman was extraordinary, making Ning Fan amazed; should he say she was indeed the daughter of the Sparrow God Kidd?
Yet, she confused things too easily, flying around naked made the scene awkward for Ning Fan...
However, Ning Fan, having seen countless beautiful skeletons, didn’t easily entertain thoughts upon seeing a young girl’s body and called out to awaken Que Jiuniang with a few shouts.
Thus, Que Jiuniang awoke from her mystical experience of transforming into rain.
As a human again, she sobbed as she dressed herself, crying because she felt utterly embarrassed to have behaved such in front of Uncle Ning, no less...
"Alright, don’t cry! Your uncle saw nothing!" Ning Fan comforted.
"Really?" Que Jiuniang wiped her tears, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She actually believed Ning Fan’s words!
"Definitely!" Ning Fan was speechless; this girl was so gullible, her intelligence and emotional quotient not far behind the Paper Crane Squad.
"Oh, then I feel relieved..."
After her shyness, Que Jiuniang was surprised to discover a massive change within herself!
Her cultivation hadn’t changed!
Her realm hadn’t changed!
But the Rain Intent within her had increased by dozens of times, unbelievably, she even cultivated Rain Dao Thought in Crossing Truth Realm!
Dao Thought is the power of Shattered Thought realm! Yet she grasped it in the initial stage of Crossing Truth!
With the elevation of her Rain Intent, the Crossing Truth bottleneck seemed to loosen considerably!
Que Jiuniang felt that if she entered seclusion right now, she could break through the Crossing Truth mid-stage bottleneck which blocked her for years.
"Many thanks for Uncle’s teaching grace!" Que Jiuniang was immensely grateful.
"Why thank me, if your aptitude wasn’t high enough, even if I gave you an opportunity to transform into rain, you wouldn’t benefit much from it. Your aptitude is really impressive..."
"Uncle praises me again..." Que Jiuniang spoke humbly, yet felt utterly joyous inside.
She had never experienced elder’s care, never been praised by an elder before.
Ning Fan was the first, each praise made her find the lost childhood.
"Alright, everything I wanted to give you has been given to you. I have other matters, won’t linger here for long, don’t tell others about us meeting; if you encounter difficulties later, crush this jade token and seek my help..."
The jade token was condensed with Ning Fan’s spirit sense, containing Ning Fan’s Rain Mind at the critical point of the Control Positions.
As long as Ning Fan was in Northern Heaven, no matter where he was, he could sense the jade token.
"Uncle is leaving then..." Que Jiuniang really wanted to keep Ning Fan, but she knew Ning Fan had much to do, couldn’t stay by her side.
"Yes, these expensive pills are for you, they will greatly assist you in breaking through to the mid-stage of Crossing Truth."
Ning Fan reached out, habitually wanting to pat Que Jiuniang’s head. But recalling Que Jiuniang’s earlier protest, his hand hung midair, stopped.
And then...
Que Jiuniang blushingly, moved her head closer to Ning Fan’s hand.
Ning Fan was stunned, then smiled, pats Que Jiuniang’s head, then left.
"This girl has truly acknowledged me as an elder deep in her heart..."
After laughing, Ning Fan fell somewhat silent again.
He left a recording jade scroll in the storage pouch given to Que Jiuniang.
The jade scroll contained some audio messages.
Regarding the matter that Sparrow God Kidd had once been possessed, Ning Fan did not intend to hide it from Que Jiuniang. Who knows what kind of mood she would be in after she learns the truth...
...
Long after Ning Fan’s departure, Que Jiuniang still stood on the sea, standing in the rain, blankly staring in the direction that Ning Fan had left.
It was not easy to have an elder who cared for her, yet now he was gone...
Que Jiuniang sighed softly and returned to the sect.
It was only after returning to the sect that she had the leisure to look through the storage pouch Ning Fan had given her.
After reviewing it, Que Jiuniang was completely moved to tears!
The pills Ning Fan left behind were not only enough to aid her cultivation to the Mid Stage of Crossing Truth but could allow her to reach the Shedding Void Stage!
Inside the storage pouch, Ning Fan also left some insights he had during his Crossing Truth cultivation, which proved even more helpful to Que Jiuniang!
For the first time in her life, Que Jiuniang was treated so well by someone other than her father, how could she not be moved?
After becoming emotional, Que Jiuniang suddenly discovered an unusual jade scroll.
She opened the jade scroll.
She listened to the recording inside.
Then, with tears streaming down her face, she put down the storage pouch and picked up her father’s urn.
She had learned the truth, and finally understood why her father had such a drastic change after his trip to the Barbaric Wilderness...
It turned out that her father had died many years ago. Yet she never knew...
"Dad... Xiaojiu misses you..."
...
Upon returning to the Black Demon Sect, Ning Fan saw a highly anxious Han Shiqi standing outside his cave dwelling at Barbaric Wilderness Mountain.
"Daoist Ning, so you had gone out! I had thought you were in trouble in Barbaric Wilderness Mountain, I almost dug three feet into the ground searching for your bones..." Han Shiqi couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing Ning Fan return safely.
Then his face sank, and he said angrily, "Daoist, if you have matters to attend to outside, at least let the old man know. I’ve been worrying about you having problems during closed-door cultivation at Barbaric Wilderness Mountain, if you disappear for no reason, everyone would think you’ve been burned to ashes by the origin fire here. Next time you go out, must inform the old man, so he doesn’t worry needlessly!"
This Han Shiqi truly has quite a temper!
However, Ning Fan rarely got angry, as he could tell that Han Shiqi genuinely was a warm-hearted person worrying about his safety.
"Apologies for worrying, Daoist Han. Next time I leave, I will inform Daoist Han." Ning Fan replied apologetically.
"Alright, alright, as long as you’re safe, Daoist. I’m a straight-talker, I speak my mind, what I said was only out of concern, Daoist shouldn’t apologize for such a trivial matter. By the way, part of the reason I’ve come today, besides checking on your safety, is to inform you. Three months later, the North Heaven sect competition officially starts, the first match is the regional battle, during which our Black Demon Sect will face around a hundred sects from surrounding star domains. You should prepare; if you need pills or magical treasures, feel free to ask the old man, and I’ll take you to the sect’s vault for supplies..."
...
After sending Han Shiqi away, Ning Fan returned to his cave dwelling, earthbound all the way to the sect leader’s secret chamber inside the belly of Barbaric Wilderness Mountain.
Compared to the reckless North Heaven sect competition, Ning Fan was more concerned about the hidden dangers of the Immeasurable Pill.
The Multi-Layer Soul Sealing Technique was already in hand; next, it was time to eliminate the cultivation hidden dangers within him.
Fortunately, most of the Immeasurable Pills he consumed along the Eastern Boundary River were sourced from the Little Mountain Realm.
Unfortunately, he also consumed a significant number of Immeasurable Pills with hidden dangers...
After extensive research, Ning Fan discovered that this Multi-Layer Soul Sealing Technique could only be cultivated by cultivators with the bloodlines of Fiendgods, ancient demons, and Ancient Chaos Grand Emperor simultaneously!
This was a form of sealing technique.
The sealing technique’s formula was very straightforward; in essence, a Nascent Soul cultivator could learn it with a glance.
But the simpler a thing in this world, the stranger, the more extraordinary it often is.
After more than ten days of research, Ning Fan was startled to find that this sealing technique formula was actually incredibly profound!
Those who perceived this technique thought the method was simple only because they saw the yang seal exposed externally.
In truth, the formula also contained a terrifying yin seal that even Ning Fan could barely perceive the traces of its existence. It was not surprising that Sparrow God Kidd and those disciples from the Sinister Sparrow Sect couldn’t see the existence of the yin seal.
In the following days, Ning Fan attempted to cultivate this technique.
He was unaware until he started cultivating that he indeed found hidden cultivation issues!
Using this technique, Ning Fan surprisingly forced out grain-like tiny particles from the depths of his Mana!
These grain-like objects seemed both real and unreal; attempting to touch them was impossible, as they would immediately dissipate once expelled from the body!
Initially, Ning Fan thought the grains within his Mana were remnant from consuming God-Returning Rice Grain.
But this was not the truth!
After purchasing some True Realm classics from the Ancient Kingdom Trade Array, Ning Fan discovered their true name!
[Feed Dao Immortal Grain]
The True Realm had a sect of Feed Dao Practitioners, using the human body as soil to feed the Dao, cultivating Immortal Grain! Immortal Grain cannot leave the body, once out of the body it vanishes into thin air, thus when the Immortal Grain reaches maturity, the cultivator used as soil will be eaten along with the grain!
This method of feeding the Dao was utterly cruel, treating those being cultivated like livestock!
"Who is it! Who dares treat us descendants of Zidou as livestock for cultivation! Was it because the Nangong Divine Master achieved the standard for mature Immortal Grain that he was eaten?"
Ning Fan was shocked!
For the first time, he felt that the world left by Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign was far from safe, rather it was full of crises!
The person using all descendants of Zidou as soil for the Dao, who could it be! Could it be the great enemy of Purple Dou Immortal Domain from back in the day?