Chapter 1099: Stealing from the Gloom
Chapter 1099: Stealing from the Gloom
"The more frequently one calls upon the power of the Gloom, the more fissures it creates, and the greater the likelihood of an intrusion."
Li Fan calmly analyzed the nature of this power.
He could only imagine what would happen if that mysterious force holding the ocean of Gloom in check did not exist. The Xuanhuang Realm would have long since been devoured by its tides, eroded and riddled with corruption.
"The Immortal Ruins gave birth to this ocean of Gloom," Li Fan mused. "So what is it that neutralizes this threat, all without anyone in the world ever knowing?"
Recalling Mo Rubin's desperate, suicidal push to enter the Gloomy Realm, Li Fan was almost certain. Something connected to the Xuantian King had to be there.
Perhaps a remnant of his power.
Or perhaps...
...the man himself.
Li Fan then departed the Spirit Wood Realm, taking the You Clan chief and a dozen of his strongest clansmen with him.
The Gloom tides brought with them the risk of intrusion. Naturally, Li Fan had no intention of performing the ritual in his own backyard.
Fortunately, he knew of several small, ownerless worlds that would serve the purpose.
A few hours later, Li Fan selected a suitable world and slipped inside.
This small world had no surface.
There were only endless subterranean caverns. The sole source of light came from patches of glowing moss that grew sporadically on the cave walls.
It seemed a rather fitting place for the You Clan.
At Fang Zaiji's urging, the You Clan chief began the ritual to open a passage to the Gloomy Realm.
Once it was open, Li Fan ordered the chief to lead the way.
Li Fan himself, along with Tianyang, Master Qiaogong, Liu Ruchen, and Fang Zaiji, formed a chain, holding hands as they followed close behind.
Once more, they stepped into the boundless world of Gloom.
Li Fan was much more accustomed to it this time.
Master Qiaogong and the others, however, were a different story. Their tension and fear were palpable.
Even though they had been warned and had prepared themselves mentally.
But being there in person... it was impossible to shake the visceral dread.
The linked group communicated through their divine sense.
"Can you sense anyone from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance here?"
Li Fan asked the You Clan chief.
But the chief's reply was negative.
"The power of the Gloom is too profound. Even we who have long dwelt within it find it difficult to perceive our surroundings. Besides, it has been a long time since I've been home. Honored Emissary, please allow me a moment to acclimate..."
Li Fan's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed warily on the chief.
Fortunately, he was just overthinking things.
After a few moments, the You Clan chief finally seemed to get his bearings.
"Follow me," he said. "Our old settlement is not far from here. If the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has a presence here, they would surely have chosen that location as their base."
They moved through the darkness for what felt like an eternity.
Suddenly, the You Clan chief halted.
"There are people, just as I thought. Quite a few of them. Their presence affects the Sea of Gloom, creating chaotic ripples," he explained to Li Fan's group, his voice thick with hatred.
It was only then that Li Fan noticed.
The strange rhythm he had sensed from Mo Rubin's corpse during his last visit had seemingly vanished.
And within the Gloom itself, it was impossible to tell one direction from another.
"It seems our only option is to search for clues at this Alliance outpost."
Li Fan concluded.
"Can you tell how many of them there are?"
The You Clan chief focused his senses for a moment.
"Around five, I believe. As for their strength... it's comparable to his..."
He indicated Liu Ruchen.
"You can actually discern our cultivation levels?" Fang Zaiji asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Outside, of course not. But here, in the Sea of Gloom, it is a simple matter for my people," the chief replied with a hint of pride.
"It's like placing objects of different weights into water; each one creates a different disturbance. He must be discerning it through that principle," Master Qiaogong explained, his gaze sweeping across the endless gloom.
Understanding dawned on Fang Zaiji.
"Can you see what the Alliance members are doing?" Li Fan pressed, his brow furrowed.
"I need to get closer."
After a moment's thought, Li Fan agreed. "Don't push yourself. This isn't the time for a direct confrontation with the Alliance."
Having fought the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance before, the You Clan chief understood all too well how terrifying they were.
He nodded in understanding and began to creep forward, one slow step at a time.
"What is..."
"How dare they!"
A violent surge of emotion emanated from the You Clan chief.
It was only because they were shrouded by the ocean of Gloom that the Alliance members didn't detect him.
The You Clan chief shared the scene he was perceiving.
Several figures cloaked in white stood in a circle.
At their center, a small vortex composed of the Gloom's power swirled into existence.
The vortex was tiny, barely the size of a man's palm.
Its appearance was peculiar, too; the vortex spun upwards from its center, the reverse of a typical whirlpool.
Yet the handful of Dao Integration cultivators from the Alliance who stood guard over it seemed incredibly tense.
"What is that?" Fang Zaiji asked, bewildered.
"They are stealing the sacred power of the Gloom!" the chief hissed through clenched teeth.
Li Fan and the others were stunned.
"Even the natural constraints of the Sea of Gloom cannot stop these despicable thieves!" The chief seemed ready to charge forward that very instant and put a stop to the Alliance's sacrilege.
Fortunately, some shred of reason held him back; his threats remained verbal, and he did not act on them.
"What do you make of this?"
Li Fan asked the others, his mind focused on the image before them.
"The power of the Gloom flows away from the Immortal Ruins. It's clear the Alliance is no longer content with the small amounts that seep out during the tides. They want to extract it on a massive scale."
"It seems the temptation of escaping the Immortal Ruins was too great for them to resist after all."
Liu Ruchen, who had received the intelligence from Li Fan, sighed softly.
"I just wonder what method they're using to create that vortex. Surely they didn't just sacrifice an entire small world to attract the Gloom's power..." Fang Zaiji mused aloud.
The moment the words left his mouth, he froze.
"It's... not impossible," Master Qiaogong said with conviction. "It would just be one small world, one of no particular value. If they could siphon off this much of the Gloom's power, destroying it would be a worthy trade."
"Honored Emissary, perhaps we could do the same," he even suggested, urging Li Fan to follow the Alliance's example.
"I have a feeling," he continued, his voice laced with a fervent zeal, "that if we were to combine this Gloom power with Source Power Essence and apply it to our immortal puppets, we could perhaps take the next step... and create a true Immortal-level puppet."
Although the same thought had crossed Li Fan's mind, he didn't immediately agree.
Instead, he turned to the You Clan chief and asked if he could sense any corpses nearby, the remains of fallen cultivators.
"Hmm? Now that you mention it, Honored Emissary, I almost didn't notice."
"But it doesn't feel like a corpse."
"It feels more like... an empty husk."
(End of Chapter)
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