THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS

Chapter Fifty-Seven — The Mysterious Young Man

Deep inside the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, Zhuo Fan and Xue Ningxiang crawled through dense undergrowth searching for something hidden beneath the earth.

Xue Ningxiang followed behind him with increasing confusion.

She genuinely could not understand what this man was planning anymore.

Suddenly—

“Found it.”

Zhuo Fan crouched down and yanked a mud-covered root from the soil.

A grin spread across his face instantly.

Xue Ningxiang blinked curiously.

“What is that?”

“And what’s it supposed to do?”

“Fragrant yam.”

Zhuo Fan smiled mysteriously while brushing dirt from the root.

“It’s the favorite food of a first-grade spirit beast…”

“…the Burrowing Mountain Rat.”

Xue Ningxiang froze briefly.

Then her eyes lit up immediately.

“Wait…”

“You want to use a Burrowing Mountain Rat to dig a tunnel beneath the Flowing Gold Spring Pool?”

The Burrowing Mountain Rat possessed almost zero combat ability.

Even Foundation Establishment cultivators could capture one easily.

But when it came to tunneling—

No spirit beast could rival it.

A single tiny Burrowing Mountain Rat could dig through entire mountain ranges stretching thousands of miles in less than half a day.

Zhuo Fan merely smiled faintly without answering directly.

Seeing that expression, Xue Ningxiang’s suspicion only deepened further.

This man always felt impossible to predict.

A short while later, the two set up a concealed fire far from the Flowing Gold Spring Pool.

Zhuo Fan carefully buried the fragrant yam beneath the flames while ensuring the smoke remained hidden from Nether Valley’s scouts.

Soon afterward—

An incredibly strange aroma spread through the forest.

Rich.

Sweet.

Impossible to ignore.

The scent drifted endlessly through the mountains.

Before long, spirit beasts throughout the surrounding forest began emerging cautiously from hiding.

Some slithered through brush.

Others descended from trees.

Several prowled silently between rocks.

All drawn by the same scent.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Fan and Xue Ningxiang hid silently nearby, staring directly toward the fire.

Rustle.

Rustle.

More and more spirit beasts gathered around the fire pit, clawing through the ashes desperately trying to locate the source of the fragrance.

Unfortunately—

No matter how hard they searched—

The fragrant yam itself was already gone.

Zhuo Fan had removed it long ago.

They only needed its scent lingering in the air.

If the actual yam remained, some other spirit beast might steal it and ruin the trap entirely.

Suddenly—

The ground beside the fire bulged upward slightly.

Then again.

A fist-sized mound slowly pushed through the dirt.

Zhuo Fan’s eyes sharpened instantly.

His body lowered slightly like a hunting predator preparing to strike.

Then—

Pop.

A tiny black hole suddenly opened atop the mound.

And a small furry head slowly poked upward from underground.

The little creature circled the fire several times while twitching its nose in confusion.

Its tiny eyes filled with bewilderment.

The scent was everywhere.

But the food itself had vanished.

“That’s it.”

Zhuo Fan’s eyes flashed.

“Move!”

Boom!

He launched forward instantly like a cannonball.

The surrounding spirit beasts scattered in panic from the explosion of movement.

Only the little Burrowing Mountain Rat remained frozen in confusion briefly before instinct finally screamed danger.

It hurriedly dug downward desperately.

Unfortunately—

Too slow.

Just as half its body disappeared underground—

Zhuo Fan grabbed its tail and yanked it back out instantly.

“Chi! Chi! Chi!”

The little spirit beast shrieked frantically while flailing its tiny claws through the air in panic.

Zhuo Fan grinned viciously.

“Trying to run?”

His fingers tightened slightly around the tiny creature.

The Burrowing Mountain Rat shrieked even louder.

Xue Ningxiang immediately frowned and rushed over.

“You’re too rough!”

She snatched the tiny creature away from him instantly before gently hugging it against her chest protectively.

“What if you hurt it?”

“Hurt it?”

Zhuo Fan rolled his eyes.

“Spirit beasts aren’t that fragile.”

“We don’t have time to waste.”

“If we can’t tame it immediately, we’ll miss our chance.”

Xue Ningxiang gently stroked the little spirit beast while glaring at Zhuo Fan.

“There’s no need to bully it.”

“I raised spirit beasts at home before.”

“I never forced them.”

“They still listened to me.”

Then she smiled softly toward the little rat.

“Right, little guy?”

The Burrowing Mountain Rat instantly nodded enthusiastically.

Then it turned toward Zhuo Fan and bared its tiny teeth viciously.

Zhuo Fan’s eyelid twitched slightly.

This little bastard really knew how to take advantage of protection.

For a moment, he genuinely wanted to grab the thing back and “properly educate” it himself.

Unfortunately—

With Xue Ningxiang shielding it, he could not simply act openly.

Then suddenly—

A strange smile spread across his face.

The moment the Burrowing Mountain Rat saw that smile—

It trembled violently and immediately buried itself deeper into Xue Ningxiang’s chest.

“What are you planning now?”

Xue Ningxiang stepped backward warily.

This time, Zhuo Fan’s smile actually looked gentle.

Disturbingly gentle.

With a flash of light, a small gourd appeared in his hand.

“Relax.”

“I’m not hurting it.”

“I just want it to eat something.”

As he spoke, Zhuo Fan slowly removed a blood-red worm from inside the gourd.

The creature wriggled slowly between his fingers.

Xue Ningxiang instantly recoiled in disgust.

“What is that thing?”

“That’s revolting!”

The Burrowing Mountain Rat nearly fainted from fear at the sight of it.

It buried itself completely inside her robes now, refusing to emerge.

The crimson worm was naturally one of Zhuo Fan’s carefully refined Blood Silkworms.

Once consumed—

The parasite would permanently bind itself to the target’s body.

From then onward, the victim would obey Zhuo Fan’s commands completely.

Any betrayal—

And the Blood Curse would activate instantly.

A horrifying death.

Truthfully, Zhuo Fan hated wasting Blood Silkworms on low-level spirit beasts.

But time was limited.

He needed immediate obedience.

“There are only two choices now.”

Zhuo Fan’s voice turned calm and cold.

“Either I spend the next day beating discipline into this thing…”

“…or it eats the worm.”

Xue Ningxiang looked at him silently for several seconds.

Then finally sighed helplessly.

She knew that expression.

Once Zhuo Fan decided something seriously, arguing further was useless.

In the end, she reluctantly pulled the trembling little creature from her chest and gently rubbed its tiny head.

“Little guy…”

“Just eat it.”

“Yes, it looks disgusting…”

“…but it’s still better than falling into his hands.”

She carried the Burrowing Mountain Rat toward Zhuo Fan slowly.

The little spirit beast struggled desperately in panic.

Unfortunately—

Completely useless.

Zhuo Fan grinned darkly while slowly bringing the Blood Silkworm toward its mouth.

The little creature twisted violently.

Its eyes practically filled with despair.

Then suddenly—

Whoosh!

A sharp tearing sound exploded through the forest.

Zhuo Fan’s pupils contracted violently.

Without hesitation, he kicked Xue Ningxiang backward and retreated simultaneously.

“Careful!”

A streak of icy light flashed between them instantly.

Slash!

The Blood Silkworm in Zhuo Fan’s fingers split cleanly into two pieces.

Even after being severed, the parasite continued writhing across the ground.

Cold killing intent still lingered in the air.

Zhuo Fan’s expression darkened immediately.

Then slowly—

He turned around.

Ten meters away stood a tall young man dressed in dark blue robes.

Straight posture.

Sharp features.

Cold eyes like drawn blades.

The Burrowing Mountain Rat instantly leapt from Xue Ningxiang’s arms and rushed toward the newcomer excitedly before climbing comfortably onto his shoulder.

Zhuo Fan’s brows twitched slightly.

“So…”

“This thing actually belongs to someone.”

The young man glanced toward them coldly.

Then spoke with complete disdain.

“You two have quite a bit of courage.”

“You even dared touch my spirit pet.”

Xue Ningxiang hurriedly tried to explain.

“We weren’t trying to—”

But Zhuo Fan suddenly stopped her with one arm.

Then he smiled coldly.

“Whether it has an owner or not…”

“…today, we’re taking it.”

The young man paused briefly.

Then burst into laughter.

“What arrogance.”

His gaze sharpened instantly.

“A fifth-layer Qi Gathering ant.”

“And a fourth-layer Qi Gathering girl.”

“And you dare target me?”

“Fine.”

“Then today…”

“…I’ll bury both of you here.”

“Hmph.”

Zhuo Fan sneered.

“That depends entirely on who kills who first.”

Boom!

He shot forward instantly.

Silver light exploded into his hand.

The Evil Moon Ring.

The moment the young man saw the weapon—

The mockery in his eyes vanished completely.

A third-grade demonic artifact.

That was enough to threaten his life directly.

And since childhood, he had been taught one rule repeatedly:

Even a lion hunting rabbits must attack seriously.

Without hesitation, the young man charged forward as well.

Golden light flashed into existence within his hand.

A radiant golden longsword appeared instantly.

Sword drawn—

The world seemed to freeze.

Everything vanished.

Sky.

Earth.

Forest.

Sound.

Only the sword remained.

Shining endlessly.

“Mystic-Tier Martial Art…”

“Void Cleaving Form.”

Flash!

Zhuo Fan’s body suddenly slowed unnaturally.

As though space itself had frozen around him.

Only the golden sword continued advancing freely toward his chest.

“Mystic-tier martial art…”

“Seventh-layer Bone Tempering…”

“And a fourth-grade spirit weapon.”

For the first time, Zhuo Fan’s expression became truly serious.

This young man was absolutely no ordinary cultivator.

At his age, reaching seventh-layer Bone Tempering already bordered on monstrous talent.

Yet he also possessed a Mystic-tier martial art and a fourth-grade spirit weapon.

Even among the Seven Houses—

Very few younger disciples reached this level.

Which meant the answer became obvious immediately.

This man was almost certainly one of the Seven Houses’ core heirs.

Possibly even a direct successor.

And if that was true—

Then today’s conflict absolutely could not be allowed to continue unresolved.

A naked killing intent slowly rose within Zhuo Fan’s eyes.

The young man noticed instantly.

And froze briefly in confusion.

Right now, he held absolute advantage.

So why was Zhuo Fan looking at him like prey?

Then—

Zhuo Fan moved.

Despite the slowed movement around him, he stepped downward heavily.

Instantly—

Five identical figures split apart around the battlefield simultaneously.

The young man sneered dismissively.

Simple illusion techniques?

Pathetic.

His golden sword instantly transformed into five strikes at once.

Every illusion shattered immediately.

But at that exact moment—

Zhuo Fan’s cold voice suddenly whispered beside his ear.

“Excellent sword.”

“…too bad you met me.”

The young man’s eyes widened violently.

He had absolutely no idea when Zhuo Fan appeared behind him.

At the critical instant, he twisted his sword backward instinctively.

Perfect precision.

Straight toward Zhuo Fan’s chest.

Zhuo Fan secretly praised him inwardly.

Excellent instincts.

Unfortunately—

Too late.

Flash!

Ignoring the incoming blade entirely—

Zhuo Fan slashed directly toward the young man’s waist with the Evil Moon Ring.

If the attacks landed simultaneously—

Zhuo Fan would suffer heavy injury.

But the young man would die.

Trading injury for death.

Worth it.

[End of Chapter Fifty-Seven]

Chapter Fifty-Eight — The Seven Houses, Sword Marquis Manor

Clang!

Zhuo Fan’s Evil Moon Ring slashed downward with full force—

—and rebounded instantly with a piercing metallic shriek.

His pupils contracted violently.

Not good.

This bastard had more than one spirit weapon.

Hidden beneath his robes—

He was also wearing protective spirit armor.

But at this distance, there was no longer time to rethink anything.

The young man’s golden sword already pierced directly toward Zhuo Fan’s chest.

This was no longer a trade of injury for death.

This time—

The opponent would remain unharmed.

And Zhuo Fan would be crippled instantly.

“Damn it…”

Zhuo Fan cursed internally.

Using the recoil force from the shattered slash, he twisted his body desperately to avoid a fatal strike.

Even so—

The realization still shocked him badly.

Even Nether Valley elders rarely possessed more than one demonic artifact.

Yet this kid carried a spirit weapon in his hand and spirit armor on his body simultaneously.

What kind of monstrous background did he have?

Boom!

The Evil Moon Ring finally collided directly against the golden sword.

A terrifying impact exploded outward instantly.

Zhuo Fan felt an overwhelming force slam into him head-on.

His chest churned violently.

Blood sprayed from his mouth midair before he crashed backward through the forest floor.

Crack.

The Evil Moon Ring shattered completely in his hand.

Broken into two useless halves.

For the first time since reincarnating—

Zhuo Fan faced genuine danger.

The opponent stood at seventh-layer Bone Tempering.

Protected by spirit armor.

Armed with a spirit weapon.

And cultivating a Mystic-tier martial art.

Worse—

He was the most troublesome kind of enemy imaginable.

The type who treated every battle seriously.

Even against weaker opponents, this young man attacked with full force from the beginning.

No arrogance.

No openings.

No carelessness.

That made him terrifying.

Meanwhile—

The young man’s shock was no less severe.

His hand holding the golden sword trembled faintly.

Cold sweat slid slowly down his neck.

Ever since childhood, he had been hailed as a monster among geniuses.

A prodigy capable of defeating Bone Tempering peak experts despite being younger than them.

The future heir of his clan.

Someone who had never lost.

And yet just now—

Against a mere fifth-layer Qi Gathering cultivator—

He nearly died instantly.

If not for the hidden spirit armor protecting him—

That silver ring would have cut him cleanly in half.

How could this possibly happen?

A fifth-layer Qi Gathering cultivator nearly killed him?

The thought itself felt absurd.

The young man stared toward Zhuo Fan silently.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Fan stared back.

Both understood the same thing now.

The person standing opposite them…

…was a genuine monster.

Finally, the young man slowly lowered his sword slightly.

“Brother…”

His voice turned unusually serious.

“What’s your name?”

Zhuo Fan paused briefly.

Then calmly answered:

“Zhuo Fan.”

The young man nodded slowly.

“Good.”

“I’ll remember that name.”

Then he sheathed his sword completely and exhaled heavily.

“If there’s another chance in the future…”

“…we’ll finish this properly.”

He turned around calmly with the Burrowing Mountain Rat perched on his shoulder.

Clearly—

He no longer intended to fight.

“Wait.”

Zhuo Fan suddenly called out.

The young man stopped without turning back.

“What now?”

Zhuo Fan narrowed his eyes slightly.

“You came for the Diamond Quicksand too, didn’t you?”

This time, the young man finally looked back.

“So what if I did?”

“And what if I didn’t?”

Zhuo Fan smiled faintly.

“If not…”

“…then we part ways here.”

“But if you did…”

“…perhaps we can cooperate.”

“Cooperate?”

The young man raised an eyebrow.

“Even if the three of us joined forces…”

“…we still couldn’t overpower Nether Valley directly.”

The change in his wording already explained everything.

Earlier, he treated Zhuo Fan and Xue Ningxiang like insects.

Now—

He unconsciously placed Zhuo Fan on equal footing.

Because Zhuo Fan had already proven he possessed the right to stand there.

Zhuo Fan smiled internally.

Good.

Now negotiations could begin properly.

“You brought the Burrowing Mountain Rat here.”

“You clearly never intended to fight them head-on either.”

The young man’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Then he laughed softly.

“Looks like we had the same idea.”

“No wonder you were trying to steal my spirit pet.”

“But the Burrowing Mountain Rat belongs to me.”

“What exactly can you offer for cooperation?”

“The correct way to use it.”

Zhuo Fan’s smile grew deeper.

“Tell me…”

“What was your original plan?”

The young man thought briefly before answering honestly.

“Simple.”

“I planned to let the Burrowing Mountain Rat dig a side tunnel underground.”

“Once the Diamond Quicksand erupts from the spring pool…”

“…part of the flow should divert into my tunnel.”

Xue Ningxiang suddenly clapped excitedly beside them.

“That’s brilliant!”

The young man smiled proudly.

But Zhuo Fan only shook his head.

“If I were you…”

“…that would indeed be the safest option.”

The young man’s gaze sharpened instantly.

“You have a better method?”

“Of course.”

Zhuo Fan chuckled softly.

“Otherwise why would I bother proposing cooperation?”

He slowly stepped closer.

“Your method can steal a small portion of the Diamond Quicksand.”

“But at best?”

“You’d maybe obtain one-thousandth of the total.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“The underground tunnels will absorb most of the Diamond Quicksand into the surrounding soil before it ever reaches you.”

“You’ll lose almost everything.”

The young man’s expression gradually turned serious.

“Then what’s your method?”

A dangerous smile slowly spread across Zhuo Fan’s lips.

“If you trust me…”

“…I can take every single grain.”

“Not one particle left for Nether Valley.”

Silence.

Even Xue Ningxiang stared at him blankly.

Steal all the Diamond Quicksand?

Right under the nose of a Heaven Profound expert?

Impossible.

Yet strangely—

After witnessing everything Zhuo Fan had already done—

Neither of them could dismiss the possibility completely.

The young man stared deeply into Zhuo Fan’s eyes.

Then suddenly—

He laughed.

“Fine.”

“I’ll trust you once.”

“How do we proceed?”

“Simple.”

Zhuo Fan grinned.

“From now on…”

“…you listen to me.”

The young man nodded immediately.

No hesitation.

That alone made Zhuo Fan secretly admire him slightly.

A true genius knew when to lead—

And when to follow.

Not bad.

“Then first…”

Zhuo Fan pointed toward the Burrowing Mountain Rat.

“We need that little thing.”

The spirit beast instantly hid behind the young man’s neck fearfully.

Clearly—

It still remembered Zhuo Fan’s earlier Blood Silkworm incident vividly.

The young man patted it lightly before suddenly asking:

“By the way…”

“What’s your plan exactly?”

Xue Ningxiang also turned toward Zhuo Fan curiously.

She genuinely wanted to know how this lunatic intended stealing everything.

Zhuo Fan smiled mysteriously.

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Then he finally looked toward the young man properly.

“We’re partners now.”

“So…”

“What’s your name?”

The young man inhaled deeply before answering proudly:

“Xie Tianyang.”

Zhuo Fan’s expression froze briefly.

Then his eyes narrowed.

“Xie…”

“…Sword Marquis Manor?”

Xie Tianyang merely smiled without denying it.

But the answer was already obvious.

Xue Ningxiang practically stopped breathing.

The Seven Houses.

One of them stood directly before her.

And not just any member—

A true core heir.

Compared to second-rate families like the Xue Clan, the Seven Houses were practically untouchable heavenly powers.

This was her first time meeting someone from another House besides Nether Valley.

Meanwhile, Xie Tianyang looked toward Zhuo Fan curiously.

“With your strength…”

“You can’t possibly be ordinary either.”

“What family are you from?”

Even Xue Ningxiang immediately stared at Zhuo Fan expectantly.

Honestly—

She had wondered the same thing for a long time already.

A monster capable of fighting Xie Tianyang evenly at fifth-layer Qi Gathering?

There was no way he came from some random background.

But Zhuo Fan only laughed and waved dismissively.

“My origins aren’t impressive.”

“I’m just a small steward from a tiny family in Windforest City.”

“The Luo Clan.”

Silence.

Both Xie Tianyang and Xue Ningxiang froze blankly.

Luo Clan?

Never heard of it.

Seeing their expressions, Zhuo Fan laughed harder.

“It’s normal.”

“We’re barely considered a third-rate family right now.”

This time—

The shock only grew stronger.

A third-rate clan producing someone like Zhuo Fan?

Impossible.

Even the imperial family and Seven Houses rarely produced monsters at this level.

Xie Tianyang stared at Zhuo Fan thoughtfully for a long moment.

Then suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder seriously.

“Brother Zhuo…”

“If your Luo Clan truly lacks backing…”

“…then why not join Sword Marquis Manor?”

“Under our protection, your family could easily rise into a top second-rate power.”

His eyes gleamed sharply.

Naturally, Xie Tianyang was not being charitable.

A monster like Zhuo Fan—

If properly nurtured—

Could become an absolute weapon for Sword Marquis Manor in the future.

Unfortunately—

Zhuo Fan merely smiled dismissively.

“You’re too late.”

“We already signed an alliance contract with Hidden Dragon Pavilion.”

Boom.

The words exploded like thunder.

Xie Tianyang and Xue Ningxiang both stared at him in complete disbelief.

Alliance contract?

With Hidden Dragon Pavilion?

That was impossible.

The Seven Houses never formed equal alliances with weak clans.

Never.

At best, they accepted subordinates.

Yet Zhuo Fan spoke casually—

As though discussing the weather.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Fan only smiled faintly.

Because judging from their expressions—

The bait had already landed perfectly.

[End of Chapter Fifty-Eight]