THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS
Chapter Fifty-Five — Phantom Trace Mirage Step

For a brief moment, neither side moved.

Zhuo Fan stared toward Xue Wanlong calmly, already calculating how to break through his defenses.

Meanwhile, Xue Wanlong watched Zhuo Fan with growing unease.

What disturbed him most was not the Evil Moon Ring.

Not the strange crimson creature.

Not even Zhuo Fan’s terrifying combat instincts.

It was his eyes.

There was no hesitation in them.

No fear.

Only naked predatory aggression.

That was not the gaze a Qi Gathering cultivator should have when facing a peak Bone Tempering expert.

It felt more like a starving beast studying prey.

The sensation made Xue Wanlong deeply uncomfortable.

No matter what—

He was still a peak Bone Tempering cultivator.

And yet tonight, a mere Qi Gathering junior had forced him into a defensive posture repeatedly.

Humiliating.

Finally, he made up his mind.

No matter what happened next—

He needed to attack first and regain control of the fight.

But before he could move—

Zhuo Fan already charged toward him again.

“Second move!”

Xue Wanlong’s heart jumped violently.

For a split second, he actually felt startled by Zhuo Fan’s sudden attack.

Then he immediately calmed himself again.

At the very least, he could not allow himself to appear timid before a Qi Gathering brat.

Besides—

The only thing truly threatening him was the Evil Moon Ring.

As long as he watched the ring carefully, surviving ten exchanges should not be difficult.

If outsiders heard those thoughts, they would probably faint on the spot.

A peak Bone Tempering expert—

Trying desperately to survive ten moves against a Qi Gathering cultivator.

Completely absurd.

But Xue Wanlong had no time to care about embarrassment anymore.

As Zhuo Fan transformed into a streak of silver light rushing toward him, Xue Wanlong immediately exploded backward at full speed.

He did not even dare counterattack.

The Evil Moon Ring was simply too dangerous.

Xue Lin, who had finally climbed back to his feet nearby, stared blankly before shouting loudly:

“Father!”

“You said you’d let him survive ten moves from you!”

“Not that you’d survive ten moves from him!”

Xue Wanlong’s face instantly stiffened.

He genuinely wanted to kick this idiot son unconscious right now.

Can’t you see that terrifying weapon in his hand?

If I lose my head here because of your nonsense, are you planning to laugh at my corpse afterward?

Unfortunately, Xue Lin remained completely oblivious.

He continued shouting encouragement proudly from the side while Xue Wanlong’s expression became uglier and uglier.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Fan’s lips slowly curled upward.

Five moves passed.

And although he still had not touched Xue Wanlong’s clothing—

He could already see the problem clearly.

Xue Wanlong was retreating intentionally.

He was scared.

Which meant…

Zhuo Fan could press even harder.

“Sixth move!”

Boom!

Zhuo Fan suddenly accelerated.

His body flashed forward instantly.

Xue Wanlong remained calm and prepared to retreat again—

But this time—

Everything changed.

Step.

Zhuo Fan’s foot landed softly against the ground.

Then instantly—

Three identical figures split apart around Xue Wanlong simultaneously.

Three streaks of silver light slashed toward him from different directions.

Xue Wanlong’s pupils contracted violently.

He never expected Zhuo Fan to conceal another killing move like this.

Still—

He was a peak Bone Tempering cultivator after all.

With a violent stomp, the ground beneath him exploded apart instantly.

Using the force of the eruption, he launched himself backward at full speed, attempting to escape the three-way encirclement.

And he almost succeeded.

Almost.

Because at that exact moment—

Zhuo Fan smiled coldly.

Then stepped once more.

Whoosh.

Every illusion vanished instantly.

But directly behind Xue Wanlong—

Zhuo Fan suddenly appeared like a ghost.

A silver streak flashed past Xue Wanlong’s ear.

Silence.

The two separated once more.

Zhuo Fan stood three meters away calmly while lightly spinning the Evil Moon Ring around one finger.

“Low-grade Spirit-tier movement technique…”

“…Phantom Trace Mirage Step.”

His satisfied murmur echoed softly through the forest.

Meanwhile—

Xue Wanlong remained frozen stiff.

A lock of black hair slowly drifted downward beside him.

“I…”

His throat moved painfully.

“…lost.”

Disbelief filled his eyes completely.

Originally, the ten-move agreement was merely meant to test Zhuo Fan’s strength.

But now—

Only six moves had passed.

And he had already lost thoroughly.

Because during that final instant—

When Zhuo Fan suddenly appeared behind him—

He noticed absolutely nothing.

Nothing.

If Zhuo Fan had wanted to kill him, his head would already be rolling across the ground.

Instead—

Zhuo Fan intentionally spared him and only cut a few strands of hair.

Mercy.

That single action alone made Xue Wanlong admit defeat completely.

“Impossible!”

Both Xue Lin and the little beggar cried out simultaneously in shock.

Neither could believe what they had just witnessed.

The mighty Xue Wanlong—

Peak Bone Tempering expert—

Lost within six moves against someone their own age?

“Father…”

Xue Lin rushed over desperately.

“You must’ve gone easy on him, right?”

“Right?”

Xue Wanlong laughed bitterly without answering.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Fan glanced toward the father and son coldly.

“Clan Head Xue truly didn’t fight seriously.”

“He never carried killing intent toward me.”

“See?!”

Xue Lin immediately straightened proudly again.

“If Father really fought seriously, you’d already be dead!”

But Zhuo Fan only sneered.

“You misunderstand.”

“Your father indeed held back.”

“But if he had truly gone all out…”

“…his corpse would already be lying on the ground.”

His words were not arrogance.

After the Blood Infant lost effectiveness earlier, Zhuo Fan did indeed lose his fastest assassination method.

But that did not mean he lacked killing opportunities.

The answer was speed.

Compared to Heaven Profound experts, Bone Tempering cultivators lacked one critical thing:

Explosive movement speed.

With the Evil Moon Ring enhancing him, Zhuo Fan’s short-range acceleration already rivaled Bone Tempering experts directly.

Which meant all he needed—

Was a fatal opening.

If he were still only at fourth-layer Qi Gathering, perhaps this would have been impossible.

But after advancing into fifth-layer Qi Gathering—

He could finally begin cultivating true Spirit-tier martial techniques.

And the first Spirit-tier technique he mastered…

…was this movement art.

Phantom Trace Mirage Step.

Unlike ordinary movement arts, this technique carried hidden formation principles within it.

The illusions themselves were meaningless.

Simple bait.

The true killing move lay within the word “Trace.”

As long as the technique activated, Zhuo Fan could perform short-range instantaneous directional movement inside a confined space.

Essentially—

Micro-teleportation.

Earlier, Xue Wanlong focused entirely on the illusions surrounding him.

Which was exactly why he failed to notice Zhuo Fan suddenly appearing behind him.

If Zhuo Fan truly intended to kill him—

That final slash would have removed his head cleanly.

Xue Wanlong understood this perfectly.

Which was why he admitted defeat without resistance.

“Zhuo Fan.”

After a long silence, Xue Wanlong finally spoke seriously.

“You’re the most terrifying young man I’ve ever seen.”

Then he looked toward the little beggar nearby.

“From today onward…”

“…Ning’er is yours.”

“Don’t ever betray her.”

Zhuo Fan blinked blankly.

What?

Before he could understand what Xue Wanlong meant—

The clan head already walked toward the little beggar and pulled him tightly into his arms.

“Ning’er…”

His voice softened completely.

“Go.”

“Don’t come back anymore.”

“Live the life you truly want.”

“Father…”

The little beggar burst into tears instantly.

Zhuo Fan stared at the scene in complete confusion.

Father?

What father?

Then suddenly—

His eyes widened.

“Wait…”

He pointed toward the crying little beggar in disbelief.

“You’re…”

“…Xue Ningxiang?”

The little beggar lowered his head immediately, face burning red.

Xue Wanlong rolled his eyes helplessly toward Zhuo Fan.

“You only realized now?”

“I thought you were smarter than this.”

Then he patted Zhuo Fan’s shoulder heavily.

“You already said earlier she belongs to you.”

“So I’m leaving my daughter with you.”

“If I ever discover you mistreated her…”

“…I’ll fight you to the death myself.”

“No, wait—”

Zhuo Fan genuinely looked stunned now.

“What exactly is going on?”

He suddenly realized something horrifying.

This entire time—

The person he fought desperately to protect…

…was the Xue Clan’s third young miss.

No wonder she kept glaring at him every time he attacked the Xue family.

Meanwhile, Xue Wanlong simply sighed softly without explaining further.

After taking one final look at his crying daughter, he turned and left alongside Xue Lin.

But before disappearing into the forest, Xue Lin’s worried voice echoed faintly:

“Father…”

“If we don’t bring Ning’er back…”

“…how are we supposed to explain this to Nether Valley?”

“Shut up!”

Xue Wanlong roared immediately.

“I’ll handle it myself!”

Only after they disappeared completely did Zhuo Fan slowly walk toward Xue Ningxiang.

Then without warning—

Smack!

He knocked the filthy beggar cap off her head.

Long black hair instantly spilled downward like a waterfall.

Xue Ningxiang cried out softly and hurriedly covered herself in embarrassment.

Her face burned bright crimson as she avoided Zhuo Fan’s gaze completely.

“Third Miss Xue.”

Zhuo Fan crossed his arms coldly.

“You really played me well.”

“I almost slaughtered your entire family trying to help you vent your anger.”

“And in the end…”

“…I’m somehow the villain instead.”

Xue Ningxiang lowered her head pitifully.

“Big Brother Zhuo…”

“Don’t be angry.”

“Anyway, you wanted to enter the mountain range…”

“And I wanted to leave the city…”

“Now both our goals are accomplished.”

“You didn’t lose anything.”

Zhuo Fan froze slightly.

Then after thinking carefully—

She actually had a point.

As long as his objective succeeded, why should he care whether she was enemy or family?

Since when had he, Zhuo Fan, started becoming emotional over something this meaningless?

That realization suddenly struck him hard.

Slowly—

His expression changed.

After reincarnating and spending so much time beside the Luo Clan, he unconsciously found himself caring more and more about the people around him.

Too much.

Far too much.

This was dangerous.

A Demon Emperor could not afford useless emotions.

Absolutely not.

Zhuo Fan silently warned himself over and over until his expression gradually returned to complete indifference once more.

Cold.

Emotionless.

Like before.

“Xue Ningxiang.”

He pointed toward the cave entrance flatly.

“Get moving.”

“Once I finish my business inside the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range…”

“…I’ll take you safely out of Qingming City.”

“After that…”

“Our transaction ends.”

Xue Ningxiang froze slightly.

Then she quietly looked at him for a long time before nodding softly.

Without another word, she bent down and entered the cave first.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Fan stood outside silently.

His expression remained calm.

But somewhere deep inside—

Something felt strangely unsettled.

[End of Chapter Fifty-Five]

 

Chapter Fifty-Six — The Flowing Gold Spring Pool

The Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range stretched endlessly beneath a sea of towering ancient trees that blotted out the sky itself.

Inside a remote patch of overgrown brush, a rabbit happily chewed fresh grass beneath the shade.

Then—

Rustle.

The rabbit’s ears twitched violently.

A second later, it bolted away in terror.

Silence returned briefly before—

A filthy black hand suddenly burst from the ground.

Then another.

Finally, a thin beggar-like figure crawled upward from beneath the earth with tremendous difficulty.

But just as half the body emerged—

Boom!

A loud shout echoed from below as the figure was suddenly kicked completely out of the hole.

“Move your ass already!”

Zhuo Fan climbed out right behind her with a deeply irritated expression.

Both he and Xue Ningxiang were covered head-to-toe in mud and filth. They looked less like cultivators and more like coal workers dragged straight out of a furnace.

The tunnel had twisted endlessly beneath the ground for over a mile.

Worse—

It was wet.

Dark.

Rotten.

The smell inside nearly rivaled corpse pits.

Zhuo Fan genuinely could not understand how the Xue siblings enjoyed sneaking into this place as children.

Xue Ningxiang rubbed her sore backside angrily before glaring at him.

“You’re horrible!”

“I guided you the whole way and you still kicked me out of the tunnel!”

“Yes.”

Zhuo Fan dusted dirt from his sleeves indifferently.

“I’m horrible.”

Without bothering to argue further, he carefully inspected the surrounding terrain instead.

Spirit beast roars echoed faintly through the distant mountains.

Good.

They were officially inside the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range now.

Then Zhuo Fan looked down at his own body.

Mud.

Rotten water.

Filth.

The smell alone nearly made him want to kill something.

He turned toward Xue Ningxiang immediately.

“Is there a river nearby?”

Xue Ningxiang rolled her eyes before walking forward.

“Follow me.”

Zhuo Fan chuckled softly and followed behind her.

About a minute later, the sound of flowing water echoed through the forest.

Zhuo Fan’s eyes lit up instantly.

Soon afterward, a crystal-clear stream appeared before them.

Tiny fish swam visibly beneath the shallow water while sunlight reflected beautifully across the riverbed stones.

Without hesitation—

Zhuo Fan jumped straight into the river.

Splash!

Then immediately—

His outer robes flew through the air.

Xue Ningxiang froze completely.

A second later, her entire face exploded crimson red.

“You shameless bastard!”

She instantly spun around and shouted furiously:

“What are you doing?!”

Zhuo Fan snorted.

“What does it look like?”

“Bathing.”

He scrubbed mud from his hair lazily without even glancing at her.

“I’ll finish quickly.”

“If you want, you can join me.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Who wants to bathe with you?!”

Xue Ningxiang shouted furiously while keeping her back turned completely.

“Pervert!”

Zhuo Fan heard every word clearly.

But he truly did not care.

If Demon Path cultivators valued dignity that much, what exactly would righteous cultivators even have left to brag about?

One minute later, Zhuo Fan finally finished washing himself clean.

He stepped out of the stream casually, pulled a fresh black robe from his spatial ring, and changed immediately beside her.

Then he walked over and tapped her shoulder lightly.

“Let’s go.”

“Where does the Diamond Quicksand appear?”

Xue Ningxiang froze awkwardly.

Then stood there fidgeting nervously without moving.

Zhuo Fan frowned.

“What now?”

“Didn’t we already agree on this?”

“I-I still haven’t washed yet…”

Her voice became softer and softer until it almost disappeared completely.

Zhuo Fan paused briefly.

Then suddenly smiled meaningfully.

“I told you to bathe earlier.”

“You refused.”

“If you stay dirty, I won’t discriminate against you.”

Xue Ningxiang’s face turned even redder.

“But…”

“…but…”

Truthfully, she disguised herself as a beggar only to avoid being recognized while escaping the city.

But regardless—

She was still a girl.

And girls naturally cared about appearance.

How could she tolerate remaining covered in mud like this?

Of course Zhuo Fan understood perfectly.

He was simply teasing her intentionally for lying to him earlier.

Watching her struggle anxiously like an ant trapped on a burning pan, Zhuo Fan’s smile widened slightly.

Finally, Xue Ningxiang realized she was being played.

In embarrassment and anger, she grabbed her hat and threw it directly at Zhuo Fan’s face before storming toward the river.

But after taking only a few steps—

She suddenly stopped again.

Then turned around cautiously.

“You…”

“You’re going into the forest.”

“And don’t peek!”

Zhuo Fan laughed disdainfully while turning away immediately.

“An unripe fruit.”

“I’m not interested.”

Unripe?

Xue Ningxiang froze briefly.

Then she subconsciously looked down at her chest before puffing it outward angrily.

“What exactly is unripe?!”

Unfortunately, Zhuo Fan had already disappeared into the forest without answering.

Xue Ningxiang pouted bitterly before finally entering the stream alone.

Half an hour later—

Zhuo Fan lounged lazily inside the forest grass chewing a blade of fresh grass while mentally planning his next moves.

Then suddenly—

The bushes shifted softly.

Zhuo Fan glanced over casually and smiled.

“So you finally finished.”

“Can we leave now, little girl?”

“O-okay…”

A timid voice answered softly.

The forest branches slowly parted.

Then a girl dressed in flowing white robes stepped out quietly.

For a brief moment—

Even Zhuo Fan froze.

Xue Ningxiang was not overwhelmingly seductive like some great beauty capable of shaking kingdoms.

But she carried something far rarer.

Purity.

Natural purity untouched by filth or scheming.

Like a white orchid blooming quietly beneath moonlight.

Simple.

Clean.

Beautiful.

Compared to the filthy little beggar from earlier—

The difference felt almost unreal.

Even Zhuo Fan stared blankly for several seconds.

Xue Ningxiang noticed his gaze immediately.

A blush spread across her face as she coughed lightly in embarrassment.

Only then did Zhuo Fan realize he had lost composure.

“Ahem…”

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Miss Xue…”

“Please lead the way.”

Even Zhuo Fan himself nearly wanted to laugh.

Earlier he called her “little beggar.”

Now after seeing her properly—

Even his form of address changed instantly.

Absolutely shameless.

Still—

Traveling beside a beautiful girl truly did improve one’s mood considerably.

A while later, Xue Ningxiang finally guided Zhuo Fan onto a small mountain ridge.

Zhuo Fan frowned slightly.

“If Diamond Quicksand is about to emerge…”

“…shouldn’t there be crowds guarding the area?”

“Why is nobody here?”

Xue Ningxiang blinked before laughing softly.

“Big Brother Zhuo…”

“I thought you were smart.”

“How’d you suddenly become stupid?”

Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow.

Xue Ningxiang rolled her eyes before pointing toward the distant valley below.

“If we walked there openly…”

“…we’d already be discovered.”

“That’s why I brought you here first.”

She pulled Zhuo Fan carefully toward the mountain edge.

Then pointed into the distance.

“There.”

“That’s where the Diamond Quicksand will appear.”

Following her finger, Zhuo Fan immediately saw over fifty figures gathered around a steaming spring pool deep below.

The spring released endless white mist into the air.

At the center of the pool rose a protruding stone platform.

And seated calmly atop that stone—

Was an old man in gray robes.

The steam surrounding him vanished instantly before even touching his body.

Not a single trace of moisture reached him.

Zhuo Fan’s pupils contracted slightly.

“What powerful cultivation…”

“Is that a Heaven Profound expert?”

Almost instantly—

The old man’s eyes snapped open.

Two sharp beams of light shot directly toward Zhuo Fan’s location.

“Damn it!”

Zhuo Fan immediately dragged Xue Ningxiang down behind the rocks.

Cold sweat appeared across his forehead.

“What terrifying perception…”

“That old bastard’s definitely Heaven Profound.”

Xue Ningxiang nodded seriously.

“That’s Nether Valley’s Seventh Elder.”

“He’s guarded Qingming City for over ten years.”

“Last month, a Flowing Gold Tide erupted from the spring pool and small amounts of Diamond Quicksand appeared.”

“So ever since then…”

“…he’s stationed himself there permanently.”

“And those fifty men…”

“…are all Bone Tempering experts.”

Zhuo Fan nodded silently.

Now everything made sense.

Before Diamond Quicksand fully emerged, the Flowing Gold Spring Pool would periodically release small amounts during tidal surges.

But roughly three months later—

A true eruption would occur.

At that point, massive quantities of Diamond Quicksand would surface together.

Which explained why Nether Valley stationed forces here early.

Who knew exactly when the next surge might happen?

After thinking silently for a while, Zhuo Fan’s brows slowly furrowed.

With his current strength—

Stealing Diamond Quicksand from a Heaven Profound expert plus fifty Bone Tempering cultivators head-on was impossible.

Unless…

A strange glint flashed through his eyes.

Without another word, Zhuo Fan pulled Xue Ningxiang away from the mountain ridge.

“You thought of something?” she asked curiously.

Zhuo Fan nodded slightly.

“If brute force doesn’t work…”

“…then we use brains instead.”

Then he smiled faintly.

“First…”

“…let’s go find you a little pet.”

Xue Ningxiang blinked blankly.

A pet?

What did spirit beasts have to do with stealing Diamond Quicksand?

Meanwhile—

Far below at the Flowing Gold Spring Pool—

The gray-robed elder slowly withdrew his gaze.

Confusion flickered briefly through his eyes.

“Was that…”

“…just my imagination?”

At the same time—

Back inside Qingming City’s Xue Clan residence—

Xue Wanlong and Xue Lin finally returned looking utterly miserable.

At the center of the main hall sat an old man over eighty years old.

The moment he saw them return, he immediately stood up.

“Well?”

“Did you bring Ning’er back?”

“And what about the brat who injured Gang’er?”

Xue Wanlong sighed heavily.

Then slowly shook his head.

“Father…”

“I let them go.”

“The boy’s not bad.”

“Ning’er can entrust her future to him.”

“As for Gang’er…”

“He acted out of ignorance.”

“As long as he treats Ning’er well in the future…”

“…I won’t pursue the matter.”

“What?!”

The old man froze completely.

“That brat and Ning’er…”

Xue Wanlong nodded silently.

“The boy himself admitted Ning’er belongs to him.”

“And Ning’er didn’t deny it.”

“It’s probably true.”

Boom!

The old man slammed his palm against the table violently.

“Foolish!”

“Wanlong, it doesn’t matter who that boy is!”

“Even if we ignore Gang’er’s injuries…”

“…Ning’er absolutely cannot leave!”

His voice gradually filled with bitterness.

“You know perfectly well what happens to the Xue Clan once she disappears…”

Xue Wanlong’s expression became extremely painful.

Then slowly—

His eyes hardened with resolve.

“Father.”

“Let Ning’er go.”

“I’ll take responsibility for everything.”

“Responsibility?”

The old man roared furiously.

“You think you can carry responsibility for the entire Xue Clan?!”

He closed his eyes painfully.

“How could I not love that girl too?”

“But the Xue Clan…”

He sighed heavily.

Then suddenly looked up again.

“Where did they go?”

Xue Wanlong hesitated briefly.

Then finally answered quietly:

“The Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range.”

Whoosh.

The old man vanished instantly.

[End of Chapter Fifty-Six]