Chapter 1097: Chronicle of Seeking the You Clan
Chapter 1097: Chronicle of Seeking the You Clan
"You're saying... you've gotten dumber?" Daoist Baihua stared blankly at Master Qiaogong.
"I think so..."
Before Master Qiaogong could finish, Daoist Baihua interjected, "I haven't noticed any significant changes in myself since the beginning. Could this just be a problem with you?"
Master Qiaogong was left speechless.
"Endless speculation is pointless. We should go test it ourselves," Fang Zaiji declared, a flicker of eagerness in his eyes.
The group chimed in, each offering their own opinion.
In the end, it was Li Fan who settled the matter. "The return of the Gloom's power is not as simple as you think."
"If we simply absorb it, I'm afraid we'll end up like Mo Rubin, corroded by it instead."
"They're not likely to grant us permission."
Liu Ruchen spoke up, "Didn't the envoy say that the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance can only enter the Gloom Abyss by using a ritual performed by those... [You Clan] people?"
"Do you happen to remember the specifics of that ritual? If we could replicate it, perhaps we could sneak in."
"The Gloom Abyss is pitch-black inside anyway. As long as we're careful, they'll never notice us."
Hearing this, Fang Zaiji chimed in enthusiastically, "An excellent suggestion, Sect Master! It's definitely worth a try!"
Li Fan pondered for a moment before using a water mirror technique to recreate the rather strange ritual scene.
He perfectly replicated everything, down to the very syllables and intonations of the chant.
After selecting a dozen young cultivators to learn and perform it, the ritual failed, just as he expected.
"So it really has to be those... You Clan people?" Fang Zaiji muttered under his breath.
The members of the Federation also shook their heads, a sense of disappointment in the air.
"The You Clan, huh..."
Li Fan had already gathered basic information on all the small worlds within the Xuanhuang Realm.
However, there was no mention of the You Clan among them, which suggested the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had deliberately concealed their existence.
"No matter. We'll just have to eliminate the possibilities one by one."
During the search for Xu Ke, he had already conducted preliminary investigations into most of the small worlds.
Finishing the rest wouldn't take much more time.
At Li Fan's command, countless inconspicuous strange beasts swarmed toward the entrances of the remaining small worlds.
Just half a month later, news arrived.
The final image transmitted back by a beast before its destruction revealed traces of what appeared to be the [You] Clan.
That small world was undoubtedly guarded by members of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
Li Fan personally led Tianyang to infiltrate it.
He was still quite intrigued by the power of the Gloom.
Not only because it might hold the key to escaping the Immortal Ruins, but also because of its connection to the concept of so-called "completeness."
In truth, Li Fan had always been suspicious about Mo Rubin's fall.
That cunning Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect, who had outsmarted him time and again, had died so anticlimactically in the darkness.
Li Fan found it hard to believe.
Especially the reason he had entered the Gloom Abyss in the first place.
Mo Rubin's objective should have remained unchanged from the very beginning.
Find the Xuantian King and leave the Darkest Star Sea.
Even if he hadn't passed the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate's illusion trial, he must have uncovered some clues from it.
"Could it be that the Xuantian King is hiding in the Gloom Abyss?"
"Or perhaps his mysterious disappearance back then was also related to the power of the Gloom?"
With these questions swirling in his mind, Li Fan found the You Clan hidden deep underground.
To Li Fan's surprise, there was no Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance garrison in this small world.
This particular tribe of the You Clan was also quite small, numbering less than a hundred.
Unlike the ones Li Fan had seen before, these people were not strong and healthy.
Every one of them was emaciated, looking as if they could drop dead at any moment.
After some investigation, Li Fan began to understand.
This group of You Clan had fled for their lives from their original homeland.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had been capturing their people, and they had desperately escaped, finding this place to hide.
"Even better."
Li Fan no longer hesitated. Unleashing his full power, he coordinated with Tianyang to suppress the entire group and imprison them within his grotto-heaven.
However, something unexpected happened.
Faced with Li Fan's assault, these You Clan people, who seemed to lack any extraordinary aura, suddenly erupted with a strange and uncanny power.
The elder of the tribe, though startled, remained composed.
He chanted loudly, and a peculiar wave of energy instantly enveloped his people.
Right before his eyes, Li Fan lost all trace of them in an instant.
It wasn't some illusion; his attack had genuinely missed its mark.
"Hm? Interesting."
In that moment, Li Fan clearly felt the fluctuation of the Gloom's power.
"You can run, but you can't hide."
When he first entered this small world, Li Fan had already sealed the entrance and exit completely with an array.
Without his permission, no one could even dream of leaving!
He swept his divine sense across the surroundings, searching the entire small world, yet he still couldn't find the hidden You Clan.
So, Li Fan decided to launch an indiscriminate attack.
A black light filled with devastating power descended from the sky, bombarding every inch of the land.
Countless lives were caught in the devastation.
Li Fan's expression remained unchanged as he scoured every corner of the small world.
Under this wide-scale, no-blind-spot bombardment, the group of You Clan finally revealed a flaw.
Noticing something seemed to have resisted his Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword, a sharp glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
He instantly sealed off the area with layers of arrays.
Forced out, the You Clan finally reappeared.
They huddled together, looking up at Li Fan in the sky.
Fear and hatred filled their eyes.
The elder at the head of the group could no longer remain silent. "Immortal," he called out, "why must you drive us to extinction?"
"The number of our people you previously captured should be more than enough to explore your sacred land."
"I believe there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not with the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. On the contrary, just like you, I share an irreconcilable feud with them," Li Fan announced, his voice ringing out.
"Otherwise, do you think you could have survived my attack with your meager strength?"
As he spoke, Li Fan activated his Soul Ignition technique at full power.
His five great grotto-heavens appeared, bathed in a blood-red light that gave them a sinister, otherworldly glow.
With the added boost from the Tianyang immortal puppet, the power Li Fan now displayed was comparable to that of a Longevity stage cultivator.
The small world he was in, unable to contain such might, began to fracture, with black fissures tearing through the fabric of space.
The very heavens and earth trembled, slowly crumbling apart.
The mere aura he exuded was enough to bring about a scene of apocalypse.
This terrified the You Clan below.
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is currently exploring your sacred land. I intend to use this opportunity to ambush and kill them."
"Are you willing to lend me your aid?"
Li Fan asked, his tone glacial.
They had no other choice. Coupled with their hatred for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the You Clan below quickly chose to submit.
He brought them back to the Spirit Wood Realm without incident. When the time came for them to pay their respects to the Faceless Immortal, as was customary...
...the group of You Clan reacted as if they had seen something utterly terrifying, collapsing to the ground in an instant, trembling uncontrollably.
(End of this chapter)
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