Chapter 1215: The Scouring of the Gloomy Sea
"If that day ever comes, Senior, don't forget to bring me along," Sun Erlang quipped with a smile after a moment.
"That shouldn't be a problem," Yi Shu replied, glancing at Sun Erlang and nodding in agreement.
Sun Erlang was momentarily stunned.
"Your master... he hasn't been in the Great Qi small world recently, has he? I can no longer sense his presence," Yi Shu said, deftly changing the subject.
Sun Erlang frowned. "That's right. I have no idea where he's gone. As far as I can remember, this is the first time he has ever left the Sacred Dynasty."
Yi Shu gazed at the Sacred Emperor's throne, which seemed to loom ever higher, and for a fleeting moment, countless images flickered within his eyes.
Beneath the Sacred Emperor's throne, in a secret chamber where the You Clan were raised in captivity.
Over a thousand members of the You Clan formed concentric circles, dancing wildly as they performed a mysterious ritual.
At the center of their rings stood an imposing, pitch-black doorway that seemed to devour all light.
And the Sacred Emperor, Li Ping, was there at this very moment.
He was not alone; Master Yin was with him.
Within the Gloomy Sea of Darkness, sight, sound, and even spiritual sense were rendered useless.
Yet Li Fan could still perceive Master Yin's whispers right beside his ear.
It was as if some strange power adhered directly to his skin, allowing them to communicate at close range.
Here in the Gloomy Sea, he was cut off from the destiny of the Sacred Dynasty.
Li Ping's current power was so diminished that any Soul Transformation cultivator from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance could likely have slain him with ease.
Yet the Sacred Emperor, the Mandate of Heaven, felt not a sliver of fear as he stood in this strange, dark realm.
For within his body flowed a latent power, imperceptible to ordinary cultivators.
A vast, golden force that bordered on transcending the mortal coil.
The program to cultivate the You Clan was progressing smoothly.
It had even bypassed the physical growth process; upon birth, each was a mature individual with their bodily functions already at their peak.
The drawback, however, was a drastically reduced lifespan, with an expectation of only three to five years.
But as long as the flesh factories maintained their ceaseless production, the Sacred Dynasty could guarantee the size of its captive You Clan population, all of whom prayed loyally to the Sacred Emperor.
Once the You Clan's population surpassed one thousand, the amount of Source Power Essence generated daily reached a considerable level.
Under Li Ping's deliberate manipulation, this power had been woven into a colossal golden web within his body, centered around his heart.
With Source Power Essence surging like a great river, the Sacred Emperor Li Ping could now unleash incredible divine abilities with the slightest gesture, even without drawing upon his own cultivation.
For instance, with a single thought, he could trace the Source Power Essence back to its origin and instantly return to the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty from anywhere in the Xuanhuang Realm. Even with external interference, his return could only be slowed, never completely prevented.
Furthermore, if he were ever attacked, the great web of Source Power Essence would spontaneously defend him and retaliate.
Given the current scale of the golden web's power within his body, Sacred Emperor Li Ping was confident that not even a Longevity cultivator of the Xuanhuang Realm could hold him captive.
The Dharma Spreader, of course, was another matter entirely.
This was the source of his confidence, allowing him to personally venture into the treacherous Gloomy Sea of Darkness.
Through the power of Master Yin's World Ghost, the two of them conversed.
"Don't you sense how strange this place is?" Master Yin's voice came in fits and starts; his physical body was nowhere to be seen.
"It's completely dark," Sacred Emperor Li Ping replied in a low voice. "Other than that, there's nothing."
"Ah, that's right. You're not like me, so it's normal you can't hear them. The faint whispers of countless figures from every era of the Xuanhuang Realm... they all rise and fall here in the Gloomy Sea of Darkness..."
With Master Yin's explanation, Li Ping finally understood what he had meant by "strange."
The Gloomy Realm was an amalgamation of forces from the Xuanhuang Realm that repelled the Immortal Ruins.
These remnants, originally part of the Xuanhuang Realm, were drawn into the Gloomy Realm for unknown reasons, and in the process, they brought "information" with them—perhaps a fragment of sound, perhaps a few images.
It could even be a complete strand of spiritual thought.
Over time, suppressed by the power of this place, they all sank into the depths of the Gloomy Sea of Darkness.
"So, the Gloomy Sea of Darkness is actually quite a lively place," Li Ping mused.
"You can't quite put it that way. The very nature of this place forces all information into silence. I can only access these fragments of time through absorption. Weren't you asking why the You Clan have such a peculiar constitution? I believe I've found the answer."
As he spoke, Li Ping felt the darkness behind him surge violently.
It was Master Yin, who had suddenly materialized.
He seemed utterly out of place in the surrounding gloom, his form marked by a disturbance akin to a tiny vortex in the sea, which allowed Li Fan to "see" him clearly.
"If we think of the power of the Immortal Ruins as an attractive force, then the power that sustains the Gloomy Realm can be seen as a repulsive one," Master Yin explained. "This repulsive force isn't constant like the pull of the Immortal Ruins. Instead, it emerges and recedes in regular patterns, like the tides, scouring everything in its path. The cumulative effect of this scouring over vast stretches of time is what formed this strange place within the Xuanhuang Realm."
Master Yin's tone was filled with wonder.
Although he had been vaguely aware of this region's existence before, he had never studied it systematically.
This deep dive had left him utterly captivated by the mysteries of the Gloomy Sea of Darkness.
"The attractive force comes from beyond the Xuanhuang Realm, while the repulsive force originates from within it. Yet, it does not come from the world itself..."
Master Yin fell silent for a moment, seemingly calculating something.
"If my guess is correct, this periodic, self-generating repulsive force must originate from the ancient Xuantian Sect's Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation!"
At the mention of this formation, Master Yin's tone turned strangely subtle.
It was as though some unpleasant memories had surfaced in his mind.
He quickly suppressed this emotion, which stemmed from his inherent nature, and continued his analysis.
"So that's how it is. 'Floating'... if the formation couldn't counteract the gravitational pull of the Immortal Ruins that created the Darkest Star Sea, how could it possibly float in the boundless void?"
"In comparison, the golden chains used to capture other worlds seem more like a means of salvaging resources to strengthen itself—a secondary function, really."
"It was truly a monumental formation, the likes of which the Xuanhuang Realm has never seen before or since. A pity it's damaged now. And if I'm not mistaken, each activation of this repulsive force also consumes a part of the Xuanhuang Realm itself. In the past, the world could capture other realms to offset this cost."
"But times are different now. Forget powering the repulsive force; the Xuanhuang Realm can barely sustain itself."
For once, a rare note of malicious glee crept into Master Yin's voice.
Comments