Chapter 1096-1100 (6k+ words)

"This darkness power may indeed help us escape the Celestial Nexus. However, it should be under the condition that we can safely control it."

"Otherwise..."

Li Fan's expression turned serious. "If the world is corroded by this darkness, the outcome might not be any better than falling into the Celestial Nexus."

While the two were talking, as if receiving some kind of nourishment, the darkness that occupied half of Mo Rubin's body suddenly expanded again, almost completely engulfing the entire corpse.

However, strangely, the rhythmic pulsations emanating from him didn't cease. They became even clearer than before, like the undulating movements of a heart, echoing in this dark forbidden land, giving Li Fan an ominous premonition.

The propagators in the team also sensed that something was amiss. They quickly issued orders to temporarily stay away. Only after retreating to a certain distance did the intense unease in Li Fan's heart gradually disappear.

"My suggestion is to completely seal off this forbidden land. Until we understand the true nature of the darkness power, it's better not to approach Mo Rubin's corpse easily."

"I will report this discovery to the sect when I return. If there's any news, I will inform you immediately."

Seeing Li Fan's caution, Propagator Zhou nodded on the surface but seemed somewhat skeptical in his heart.

"Friend, there's no need to be overly nervous. Regardless, the nature of this darkness power deviating from the Celestial Nexus won't change. This ensures that they won't invade the Xuanhuang Realm."

Li Fan shook his head at the reassurance and didn't say much.

With Mo Rubin dead, Li Fan saw no reason to stay here any longer. Although the revenge journey ended anticlimactically, the discovery of this darkness power was significant.

After bidding farewell to the Immortal Alliance members, Li Fan quickly gathered members from various union departments and told them about the experience in the dark forbidden land.

"Darkness power..."

It was Baihua Daoist who spoke first.

After all, as a figure who had survived since ancient times, although Baihua's strength was not remarkable, he was well-informed.

"I seem to have heard something similar from a friend in the past."

"He personally witnessed his hometown falling into the Celestial Nexus. All things disintegrated, forming a bizarre and distorted light circle."

"According to his description, when the cultivation world disappeared completely into the Celestial Nexus, in the opposite direction, a large amount of substance seemed to spew out."

"Neither the naked eye nor divine sense could perceive it. He was just unfortunate to be grazed by it and was immediately severely injured. Even though he later recovered, he turned into a figure that was neither human nor ghost, with a terrifying image of black wriggling voids covering his face."

Looking at the terrifying image drawn by Daoist Baihua—a figure with a face covered in black wriggling voids—everyone's expressions couldn't help but become solemn.

It seemed that Master Qiaogong also recalled something. "When the power of the Celestial Nexus first shrouded our ancestral remains, we were actually confident in overcoming the calamity."

"Because, according to the strength calculation of our remaining ancestral body at that time, it was sufficient to resist the attraction of the Celestial Nexus. But later, the increasing attraction force of the Celestial Nexus was one aspect..."

Master Qiaogong's face showed a sudden realization. "The fundamental reason was that the strength of our ancestor kept weakening! It's as if some critical thing is constantly draining away, causing the gradual decay of our ancestor's body."

"Now, it seems that what disappeared might very well be this darkness power."

After hearing the words of the two, Li Fan pondered for a moment. "Are you suggesting that the darkness power is actually a part of the cultivation power system for cultivators? It's just that, contrary to the natural nature of the Celestial Nexus's attraction, it was forcibly separated during the process of approaching the Celestial Nexus."

"In other cultivation realms, the darkness power would separate due to this. But in the Xuanhuang Realm, for some unknown reason, it all gathers in one place, still bound to the Xuanhuang Realm."

"If, one day, the Xuanhuang Realm can break free from the Celestial Nexus, the power of darkness should return to the myriad things in the Xuanhuang world."

After hearing Li Fan's analysis, Master Qiaogong and Daoist Baihua both nodded.

At this moment, Yao Wang Zong's Liu Ruchen suddenly spoke, "Although I haven't personally seen this so-called power of darkness, I once came across a legend in an ancient text."

"Passed down among various human tribes, it is about the origin of humanity."

"At first, there were no humans in the world, and there were no various cultivation realms. In absolute nothingness, a few powerful creatures roamed freely. Later, one of them, feeling bored, used himself as raw material to create and open up various worlds."

"Gradually, the void became filled. Other existences were gradually attracted by these strange and bizarre worlds and imitated them. They created various races based on themselves."

"And the ancestors of humans were the ones who initially created all the realms."

This legend was evidently the first time everyone had heard it, and they listened with great interest.

"Although the world became lively, these powerful beings soon discovered anomalies. Because everything they created couldn't be immortal like themselves; they had the so-called limitations of lifespan."

"The liveliness was only temporary, and soon the world returned to silence. Occasionally, they created for their own interests, but if they continued creating like this, it became a burden."

"So, these powerful beings lost interest in the lives they created."

"But there was one who didn't think so. He didn't want to see his creations disappear like that. So, he actually defeated his companions, extracted power from them, and bestowed it upon all the creations in the world."

"As a result, living beings in the world gained the ability to reproduce."

When Liu Ruchen's words reached this point, he suddenly stopped.

Everyone was listening with relish, urging him to continue with their eyes.

Liu Ruchen shrugged, "There's nothing more."

"It's just some rhetoric about thanking the gods for the grace of creation."

"I linked it to the power of darkness because maybe we can find inspiration from it. Researching the impact of gaining or losing the power of darkness on us cultivators."

"If this darkness power originally exists within us, only separating with the appearance of the Celestial Nexus. Doesn't that mean that we..."

"Are incomplete?"

"Compared to cultivators before the appearance of the Celestial Nexus, how are we different?"

Master Qiaogong's expression changed slightly at these words.

"I've been saying that since the calamity of the Celestial Nexus, my insight and creativity seem far inferior to before?"

"Could it be because of this reason?"

"You're saying you've become less intelligent?" Daoist Baihua stared blankly at Craftsman Qiaogong.

"Probably..." Before Qiaogong could finish, Daoist Baihua said, "Comparing to the beginning, I don't see any obvious changes in myself. Could it be your own issue?"

Qiaogong fell silent at these words.

"Speculating won't help. It's better to try it ourselves." Fang Zaiji's eyes gleamed with eagerness.

Various opinions were exchanged among the people.

In the end, Li Fan made a conclusion, "The return of the power of darkness is not as simple as imagined. If it's just pure absorption, it's afraid it will be like Mo Rubin, being corroded in turn. Moreover, the control of the Dark Abyss is currently in the hands of the Wanxian Alliance, and they may not allow us to enter for research."

Liu Ruchen said, "The Supreme Commander said that the Wanxian Alliance also entered the Dark Abyss through some ritual involving the 'Dark Clan.' I wonder if anyone remembers the specific content of that ritual? If we imitate it, maybe we can secretly infiltrate."

"In any case, the Dark Abyss is completely dark. As long as we are careful, we won't be noticed."

Fang Zaiji echoed, "Leader, that's a great suggestion! We should definitely give it a try!"

After pondering for a moment, Li Fan used the Water Mirror Technique to restore the somewhat strange ritual scene, including the chanting syllables and tones, all perfectly restored.

More than ten young cultivators were selected to learn, but as expected, the ritual failed.

"It seems we can't do without those Dark Clan people?" Fang Zaiji cursed in frustration.

Members of the Union also shook their heads, feeling somewhat regretful.

"Dark Clan people..." Li Fan already knew the basic information about the small worlds in the Xuanhuang Realm. However, there was no information about the Dark Clan people, likely deliberately concealed by the Wanxian Alliance.

"No matter, let's eliminate them one by one."

In the process of searching for Xu Ke, preliminary investigations had been carried out on most of the small worlds. Completing the remaining ones wouldn't take much time.

At Li Fan's command, countless inconspicuous exotic beasts swarmed towards the entrances of various small worlds.

Just half a month later, news arrived. In the final images transmitted before being exterminated, traces of what seemed to be Dark Clan people were discovered.

In that small world, there must be people from the Wanxian Alliance watching over.

Li Fan personally led Tianyang to infiltrate it.

He was very interested in that power of darkness, not only because it involved the possibility of leaving the Celestial Nexus but also because of its connection to the so-called "completeness."

Regarding Mo Rubin's fall, Li Fan had always harbored doubts. The cunning and manipulative Sect Master of the Profound Sky School, who had played tricks on him several times, actually died so inexplicably in the darkness.

This made Li Fan somewhat incredulous, especially considering his motives. Mo Rubin's goal should not have changed from beginning to end.

Find King Xuantian, leave the Dark Star Sea.

Even if he hadn't passed the illusionary test of Xuanhuang Dadao, he must have discovered some clues.

"Could it be that King Xuantian is hiding in the Dark Abyss?"

"Or perhaps, his mysterious disappearance back then is also related to the power of darkness?"

With various doubts, Li Fan found the hidden Dark Clan people.

What surprised Li Fan was that there were no Wanxian Alliance troops in this small world.

The number of these Dark Clan people was also very small, less than a hundred.

Unlike the robust and healthy Dark Clan members Li Fan had seen before, everyone here was thin as a skeleton, as if there was a risk of sudden death at any moment.

After probing for a while, Li Fan vaguely understood.

This Dark Clan community in front of him had escaped from their original homeland.

The Wanxian Alliance captured the Dark Clan, but they desperately escaped and found a hiding place.

"Even better."

Li Fan didn't hesitate anymore. With full force and cooperation from Tianyang, he intended to suppress these Dark Clan members and seal them within his own Dao Domain.

However, something unexpected happened.

Facing Li Fan's attack, these seemingly ordinary Dark Clan members suddenly erupted with a mysterious power.

Although the elder in the group looked surprised, he didn't panic.

Chanting loudly, a strange fluctuation instantly enveloped them all.

In front of Li Fan's eyes, he lost track of them in an instant.

It wasn't an illusion, but the attack really missed.

"Interesting."

At that moment, Li Fan keenly felt the fluctuation of the power of darkness.

"You can run, but you can't hide."

When entering this small world, Li Fan had completely sealed the entrance and exit with a formation. Without his permission, no one could leave this world!

His divine sense swept the surroundings, searching the entire small world, but he still couldn't find the hidden Dark Clan members.

Li Fan decided to launch indiscriminate attacks.

Destructive black light rained down from the sky, hitting every inch of the land.

Numerous lives were affected, but Li Fan remained unfazed, clearing every part of this small world.

Under this extensive and thorough cleansing, the Dark Clan finally revealed their flaws.

Sensing that something was blocking his Grand Five Elements Annihilation Sword, Li Fan's eyes gleamed.

Instantly, he used formations to block that area layer by layer.

Under pressure, the Dark Clan members finally showed themselves.

They huddled together, looking up at Li Fan in the sky.

Their eyes held fear and resentment.

The elder in charge couldn't help but speak, "Why must the Immortal take extreme measures?"

"Exploring the Holy Land, the number of our people you captured before is already enough."

"I believe there's a misunderstanding. I'm not with the Wanxian Alliance. On the contrary, like you, I have an irreconcilable hatred with the Wanxian Alliance," Li Fan declared loudly.

"Otherwise, with your meager strength, could you survive under my hands?"

After speaking, Li Fan immediately activated the Soul-Burning Technique.

The five Dao Domains, illuminated in blood red, looked extraordinarily eerie.

With the boost from Tianyang's Immortal Puppet, Li Fan's current strength was comparable to a cultivator in the Eternal Life Realm.

The small world they were in began to crack, unable to contain the force.

The earth trembled, gradually collapsing.

Just the released aura alone created an apocalyptic scene.

This terrified the Dark Clan members below.

"The Wanxian Alliance is currently exploring your Holy Land, and I plan to secretly kill them during the process."

"Are you willing to lend me a hand?"

Li Fan asked with a cold tone.

With no other option and fueled by their hatred for the Wanxian Alliance, the Dark Clan members quickly chose to submit.

As they were smoothly brought back to the Spiritwood Realm, it was time to pay respects to the Faceless True Immortal.

However, this group of Dark Clan members seemed to have seen something extremely horrifying. They all instantly collapsed on the ground, trembling in fear.

Chapter 1098: Dark Tide Surges

Seeing the unusual reaction of the Dark Clan members, Li Fan remained indifferent. Disregarding their extreme fear, he compelled them to take the initiation oath before the Faceless True Immortal statue.

After they finally calmed down, Li Fan inquired about the reason for their intense fear.

Trembling, the leader of the Dark Clan took a long time before he could explain, "The True Immortal statue—we've never had the fortune to see it before. But the moment we laid eyes on it, our people instinctively felt boundless terror."

"We have adapted to the special environment of darkness from living there year-round. We can endure normal sunlight for a while, but in front of the True Immortal statue..."

"It's like a light source that is a thousand times brighter than the sun suddenly appears in pitch darkness."

Though the Dark Clan leader's explanation was disjointed, Li Fan understood their meaning.

Just like how a person would feel fear standing at the edge of an abyss, the Dark Clan members experienced extreme fear in the presence of the Faceless True Immortal statue, sensing a mortal threat.

However, the Web of True Immortals was formless and intangible. Even Li Fan, if he weren't acting as the representative of the Faceless True Immortal in the Xuanhuang Realm, would probably be unable to perceive its existence.

On the other hand, this group of Dark Clan members, even the recently born children among them, all sensed the power of the True Immortal without exception.

"It seems that they are inseparable from the Dark Power they wield."

Next, Li Fan learned from the Dark Clan leader about their understanding of the darkness.

The Dark Clan were originally humans.

According to an ancient legend in their tribe, in ancient times, their world had blue skies, white clouds, and bright sunlight.

But one day, after the sun set, it never rose again.

People desperately pleaded in the darkness, but no miracle occurred.

Most people disappeared forever into the darkness.

The survivors, without exception, were those blessed by the power of darkness.

Under the influence of the dark power, their bodies gradually changed.

They transformed into horrifying figures with no heads, their facial features squeezed onto their chests.

In truth, the Dark Clan didn't understand the essence of the dark power. They merely regarded it as the only straw for survival, a terrifying and evil god that brought destruction to the normal world, which they prayed to.

This dark power seemed to understand their prayers and genuinely responded, becoming a force they could use.

...

The account from the Dark Clan leader contradicted the information provided by the messenger Zhou.

The Dark Clan were clearly the natives of the Dark Realm, but Zhou had said they were just a special group that discovered and harnessed the power of the Dark Realm.

In such trivial matters, Zhou probably had no reason to deceive himself.

"It seems that the Wanxian Alliance's discovery of the Dark Realm is not as simple as he casually mentioned."

A hint of coldness flashed in Li Fan's eyes.

Next, he pondered the manifestation of the dark power.

"Praying and waiting for a response?"

"No wonder the gateways to the Dark Realm are opened through song and dance rituals."

Li Fan's gaze flickered.

He was familiar with forces that could respond to the innermost feelings of cultivators. The golden essence of Source Power, remnants of the power abandoned by True Immortals in their pursuit of the root of the Dao—the so-called Flower of Dao.

"The ability to resonate with each other—perhaps there is a connection between these two."

According to the Dark Clan leader's explanation, although the manifestation of the dark power was only visible in their homeland, it actually pervaded the entire Xuanhuang Realm. It just didn't concretely coalesce, making it difficult for ordinary people to perceive. However, through specific methods of prayer and invocation, it could be summoned, transcending the barriers between small worlds and utilizing its power.

Under Li Fan's witness, the Dark Clan leader appeared devout, chanting prayers. They initiated an attack on a fierce beast resembling a lion and tiger in front of them.

This lion-tiger beast, a newly cultivated species by the empire, had a body as tough as steel. Even a full-force strike from an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't harm it in the slightest.

However, an extremely bizarre scene unfolded. Without warning, the once imposing lion-tiger beast suddenly went limp, collapsing to the ground.

Its eyes were filled with fear, and it struggled helplessly to get up. Yet, beneath its body, it seemed as if an invisible quagmire existed. Countless hands were pulling and tugging at it.

Under Li Fan's gaze, the lion-tiger beast was gradually engulfed by the darkness.

No trace of its bones remained.

Throughout, Li Fan never "saw" the presence of the darkness.

Nevertheless, the lion-tiger beast vanished before his eyes.

Li Fan carefully examined the ground where the darkness descended but found no remnants of its power.

"Elusive and unpredictable. Hard to guard against." Li Fan stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Meanwhile, the Dark Clan members resumed their collective devout prayer with closed eyes.

"It seems that only they can generate a response from the darkness through such prayers. Even if ordinary humans resemble them physically, they cannot evoke the power of the darkness."

"It is also understandable. Only by joining our Multiverse Union, passing the oath of the True Immortal statue, and becoming part of the Web of True Immortals can their prayers be sensed by me. I presume that the power of darkness operates under a similar invisible web."

Li Fan pondered inwardly, "The key is how to join this web without being consumed by the darkness."

The eerie appearance of Mo Rubin's remains in the Dark Realm lingered vividly in Li Fan's memory. Just the physical contact led to such an outcome. It was hard to imagine that throwing both the physical body and soul into the darkness would result in survival.

Subsequently, Li Fan ordered his subordinates, the death soldiers, to attempt to communicate with the darkness, verifying his speculation.

Silently disappearing, swallowed by the darkness. No signs of life or corpses left behind.

Within a short period, frequent manipulation of the power of darkness seemed to cause some subtle changes.

As the master of the Spiritwood Realm, Li Fan faintly sensed the entire world darkening for a brief moment.

After confirming with the Dark Clan leader, Li Fan realized it wasn't just his imagination.

There was indeed a trend of the darkness flowing towards this location.

Li Fan decisively temporarily halted the experiments.

After inquiring about the missing persons from various Dark Clan members for a long time, Li Fan finally roughly understood the current situation of the darkness in the Xuanhuang Realm.

It was like an accumulating dark ocean situated on the "backside" of the Xuanhuang Realm. Though fixed in position by some mysterious force, the pervasive nature of the darkness allowed it to occasionally invade the Xuanhuang Realm and various small worlds through any possible "crack."

Infiltrating, eventually returning to the Dark Realm.

In a cycle, forming a presence akin to "tides."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1099: Seeking Opportunity in the Darkness

"The more frequent the plea for the power of darkness, the more cracks it will cause. The likelihood of the darkness invading increases."

Li Fan calmly analyzed the characteristics of the power of darkness.

It's conceivable that if the mysterious force fixing the dark ocean didn't exist, the Xuanhuang Realm would have long been riddled with holes by the onslaught of this dark tide.

"The existence of the Immortal Ruins creates the dark ocean. So, what is it that conceals this crisis from the world, making it invisible?"

Considering Mo Rubin's desperate attempt to enter the Dark Realm, Li Fan could almost be certain that something related to the Heavenly King of Mystery must exist there. Perhaps it was remnants of his power, or even...

Hence, Li Fan selected three young Dark Clan members to teach them the ceremony for communicating with the power of darkness.

Accompanied by the Dark Clan leader and about a dozen strong members, Li Fan left the Spiritwood Realm.

Given the risk of the darkness invading due to the existence of dark tides, Li Fan naturally wouldn't hold the ceremony in his own realm. Fortunately, he knew of several unclaimed small worlds.

After half a day, Li Fan chose a suitable one and infiltrated it.

This small world lacked a surface; it consisted of continuous underground caves. The only source of light was the occasional luminous moss growing on the cave walls.

It was quite suitable for Dark Clan residents.

Upon the urging of Fang Zaiji, the Dark Clan leader began the ceremony to open the passage to the Dark Realm.

Li Fan then commanded and led the way.

Li Fan himself, along with Tianyang, Qiao Gongjushi, Liu Ruchen, and Fang Zaiji, held hands and followed closely behind.

Entering the boundless dark world again, Li Fan had already adapted to many aspects. However, Qiao Gongjushi and others could clearly sense their nervousness and fear.

Even though they had been informed beforehand and mentally prepared, being in this situation still made it challenging to shake off these emotions.

The united group communicated through divine sense.

"Can you perceive the presence of the members of the Immortal Alliance here?" Li Fan asked the Dark Clan leader.

However, he received a negative response.

"The power of darkness is too profound. Even for us, long-term residents, it's challenging to see things clearly around us. Besides, I haven't been home for a long time. I request that you allow me to adapt again..."

Li Fan stared at him warily, but it turned out to be just his overthinking.

After a while, the Dark Clan leader finally roughly identified the direction.

"Follow me. Not far ahead is where we used to live. If the members of the Immortal Alliance are stationed here, they will definitely choose that place."

Advancing in the darkness for an unknown duration, the Dark Clan leader suddenly stopped.

"Sure enough, there are people, quite a few of them. The influence reached the Dark Ocean, causing chaotic fluctuations." He explained to Li Fan's group with a tone filled with resentment.

Only then did Li Fan notice.

The strange rhythm he felt from Mo Rubin's body during the last visit seemed to have disappeared.

Moreover, above the darkness, positions couldn't be discerned at all.

"It seems that we'll have to search for clues from the Immortal Alliance's base."

With this thought, Li Fan asked, "Can you determine how many people are inside?"

After sensing for a moment, the Dark Clan leader replied, "There should be around five people. In terms of strength, it's similar to this friend here..."

He was referring to Liu Ruchen.

"You can actually distinguish our strength?" Fang Zaiji was curious.

"Outside, it's naturally impossible. But in this dark sea, for us of the Dark Clan, it's an easy task," proudly declared the Dark Clan leader.

"Just like items of different weights causing different reactions when placed in water, he should be discerning through this." Master Qiaogong explained, looking into the endless darkness.

Fang Zaiji suddenly realized, "What are the Immortal Alliance members doing here?" Li Fan frowned and asked.

"It needs to get closer."

After some contemplation, Li Fan agreed to his request, "Don't force it. Now is not the time to directly conflict with the Immortal Alliance."

Having fought against the Immortal Alliance, the Dark Clan leader naturally understood the terrifying strength of the opponents.

Expressing understanding, he gradually approached the front.

"What's this..."

"How dare they!"

The Dark Clan leader's emotions suddenly fluctuated greatly.

Fortunately, being in the dark ocean, they were not discovered by the Immortal Alliance.

The Dark Clan leader shared the images he sensed.

Several white figures surrounded in a circle.

In their center, there seemed to be a small vortex formed by the power of darkness.

The scale of this vortex was very small, just the size of a palm, even smaller.

It looked somewhat strange, with the center of the vortex pointing upward, opposite to what is commonly seen.

However, the several Immortal Alliance cultivators watching it seemed quite nervous.

"What is this?" Fang Zaiji asked with some confusion.

"They are stealing the mighty power of darkness!" The Dark Clan leader gritted his teeth.

Hearing this, Li Fan and the others were shocked.

"Even though there are limitations to the power of the dark ocean, it doesn't stop these shameful thieves!" The Dark Clan leader wished to rush over immediately to stop the Immortal Alliance's actions.

Fortunately, he still had some reason left, just talking and not actually taking action.

"What do you think?"

Watching the images in their minds, Li Fan asked everyone.

"The power of darkness deviates from the Immortal Ruins. Obviously, the Immortal Alliance is not satisfied with the slight infiltration during the tide. They want to extract the power of darkness on a large scale."

"It seems that they couldn't resist the temptation to escape from the Immortal Ruins after all."

Upon receiving Li Fan's shared information, Liu Ruchen couldn't help sighing.

"I just don't know by what method they created this vortex. It can't be that they specifically used a small world to attract the power of darkness, right..." Fang Zaiji casually remarked.

As soon as he finished speaking, he froze.

"Well, it's not impossible. It's just an insignificant small world. If it can attract such a huge power of darkness, it's worth it even if it's destroyed." Master Qiaogong affirmed.

"Your Excellency, maybe we can also emulate the Immortal Alliance." He even suggested to Li Fan.

"I have a feeling that combining this power of darkness with the essence of source force and using it on immortal puppets might take it a step further, creating true immortal puppets." Master Qiaogong's tone even had a hint of fanaticism.

Although Li Fan had the same idea, he didn't immediately agree with him.

Instead, he asked the Dark Clan leader if they could sense the presence of the bodies left behind by fallen cultivators in the surroundings.

"Huh? Your Excellency, if you hadn't mentioned it, I almost couldn't perceive it."

"But it seems like it's not a corpse."

"It's more like an empty shell."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1100: Old Acquaintance as Immortal Puppet

"Even our clansmen, when they die in the Dark Ocean, can't achieve this."

"Too light, too light."

After a series of explanations from the Dark Clan leader, Li Fan suddenly understood.

This was judged by the disturbances caused by being in the Dark Ocean.

The corpse of Mo Rubin did not conform to the normal behavior of ordinary creatures after death.

"It's either just an empty shell used to deceive us, or..."

"It's that this person was deeply favored by the darkness. Most of his spirituality returned to the Dark Ocean the moment he died. Only the decaying part slowly merged into the darkness." The Dark Clan leader suddenly mentioned another possibility.

"However, even the most powerful sacrifices in our clan's history couldn't reach the state after death like him. So, I am more inclined to think that what we see is just an empty shell."

Li Fan's gaze flickered upon hearing this.

Just now, when he heard the Dark Clan leader's words, he was somewhat shocked. But if we connect the darkness here with King Xuan Tian, then the anomaly after Mo Rubin's death can be explained.

"But we can't be careless. The Xuan Tian Sect is mysterious and extraordinary, with various methods. We still need to be careful and vigilant."

"No matter whether he is really dead or not, my plan won't change."

With a flash of thought in his mind, Li Fan asked about the details of Mo Rubin's body again.

Not long ago, the location where Li Fan saw him was obviously not here.

Unexpectedly, the Immortal Alliance found a method to resist the infection of darkness in such a short time and transferred him here.

"If it's really just a worthless empty shell, the Immortal Alliance wouldn't go to such great lengths to transfer it. In my opinion, the Immortal Alliance probably relies on Mo Rubin's body to stabilize the vortex they stole from the darkness." Master Qiaogong expressed his views.

"The nature of this power of darkness is somewhat similar to that of the essence of source force. According to common sense, with the vast scale of the Dark Ocean, if there really is such a small vent, it would definitely form an unimaginable energy vortex. But here, it seems a bit too calm." Master Qiaogong spoke convincingly, leaving the Dark Clan leader stunned.

After careful observation for a while, he said with some amazement, "Your Excellency, what this immortal master said is correct! The originally violent power of darkness has become stable after passing through the filtering influence of that empty shell!"

"Even the darkness can be appeased. What exactly..." The Dark Clan leader's tone was astonished and full of doubt.

Li Fan fell into contemplation upon hearing this.

If, indeed, the Dark Realm is connected to King Xuan Tian, then besides the companions of the Xuan Tian Sect from the past, the only thing that has caught his attention is the statue of the Faceless True Immortal.

However, it is not yet certain how much of a disturbance the appearance of the True Immortal statue in the Dark Realm would cause. So whether or not to do this requires careful consideration by Li Fan.

The main task of this trip is to take the opportunity to study this mysterious power of darkness and gather information about Mo Rubin.

"Can we get closer here and secretly open a portal to connect a small world?" Li Fan asked, "With the role of Mo Rubin's body, the disturbances caused should not be too great."

The Dark Clan leader pondered for a moment and gave an affirmative answer.

"But it's best not to stir too much power of darkness. Otherwise, two vortexes of equal size are likely to gradually approach each other and form a larger whole due to mutual interaction."

"Well, we're just absorbing a little for research. We won't be too greedy."

With Li Fan's approval, the group immediately took action.

The Dark Clan, led by their leader, quietly opened a spatial channel near the Immortal Alliance's base. This place was originally their hometown, and with Li Fan and others displaying their magical abilities, they successfully concealed the disturbances. The operation went smoothly, and the Immortal Alliance didn't detect them from start to finish, possibly due to their full attention being on guarding the massive vortex.

"It's truly marvelous. The surging Dark Ocean unexpectedly becomes calm here," exclaimed the Dark Clan leader, witnessing this mystical scene.

On the other side of the channel, in the underground world, once the dark power left the cage, it swiftly regained its original nature. At an alarming speed, it surged towards the surroundings, swallowing everything.

The last glimmer of light in the underground world quickly vanished, and countless creatures died silently and inexplicably.

Fortunately, the size of this underground small world was not too large. After the dark power quickly filled it, it started flowing back to the Dark Realm, creating a tidal effect.

At the entrance connecting the underground world to the Xuan Yellow Realm, Li Fan keenly noticed the infiltration of darkness. However, since they hadn't opened the channel yet, the process was extremely slow.

"If we have to enter and exit through here, it won't be long before the overflowing darkness is detected by the Immortal Alliance," said Liu Ruchen, frowning.

"I'll find a solution," volunteered Master Qiaogong. "Source force essence and dark power do not mix. Perhaps we can build a buffer zone here. Of course, this may require a large amount of source force essence."

Saying this, Master Qiaogong couldn't help but look at Li Fan.

Li Fan, not interested in the remnants of True Immortal power, pretended to ponder for a while before reluctantly agreeing.

Seeing this, Master Qiaogong was overjoyed and immediately took action, summoning his beloved creation to help. It was an enchanting female immortal puppet who obediently followed Master Qiaogong's commands.

Using the same technique as Tianyang's immortal puppet, it was unclear where Master Qiaogong found the consciousness and personality of this immortal puppet.

While building the "buffer zone," Master Qiaogong, in his boasting, casually mentioned her origin.

"When the [ancestors] collapsed, I fought desperately to survive the calamity and escaped my hometown. However, some fellows were not as lucky as me. Their bodies were destroyed in the disaster, and only the consciousness backup was saved, which I carried with me."

"Don't be fooled by how obedient she is now. She used to scold me a lot! Hahaha!"

"Back when I was in the Heavenly Spirit Sect, I once prepared a puppet body for her. But it was too rigid, and I didn't like it. I lost interest after playing with it for a while and destroyed her."

"Look at her now, almost lifelike, hardly distinguishable from a real person."

(End of this chapter)