Chapter 1455: Vivisecting the Corpse of a True Immortal
Dao Yuan looked as if he were trapped in a terrifying nightmare, his face pale and his body drenched in cold sweat.
Fortunately, Qian Ruochang did not force Dao Yuan to face the True Immortal's might for long. After a few moments, he swiftly withdrew the thread. Even so, Dao Yuan’s expression remained one of sheer terror, his eyes wide with horror. It took him a long while to recover.
"Was it really that bad?" many of the others wondered silently upon seeing his reaction.
But after Qian Ruochang connected the threads to each of them in turn, not a single one dared to doubt it again.
Dao Yuan, who had managed to endure, was actually among the more resilient of the group. Some, unable to bear it, collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. A fair number broke down completely, wailing for their parents.
Seeing these so-called prodigies in such a pathetic state, Qian Ruochang remained unfazed.
In fact, he had deliberately chosen one of the more "dangerous" of the imprisoned True Immortals precisely to cow this batch of newcomers.
Unlike the genuine outpourings of emotion from the others, Li Fan’s performance was, of course, a calculated act.
However, the slumbering True Immortal that Qian Ruochang had made the new recruits "face" was indeed rather peculiar.
He seemed capable of sensing the various threads piercing his body and, through them, peering into the outside world.
Thus, when the new members of the Immortal Hunt connected to the threads, the first thing they encountered was the True Immortal's gaze.
A pair of cold, indifferent eyes stared down from an impossible height, seeming to penetrate every corner of their souls, stripping away all secrets. In their depths, life and death itself seemed to be at the mercy of the eyes' owner.
"No wonder they're in this state. This is far more than just facing a True Immortal; they're under the constant, minute scrutiny of a higher-order being..."
"But isn't he worried this prisoner will glean a method of escape from the minds of these outsiders?"
Li Fan glanced impassively at Qian Ruochang.
He saw that the man was still enjoying the show, completely untroubled by such concerns.
Li Fan then turned his attention back to the square frames holding the True Immortals—the so-called "Cages of Dao Severance."
Although the True Immortals imprisoned within the frames appeared to be in the same space as them, it was clear that what they saw was merely a representation of the cage's existence.
"The only places in the mortal world that could truly be called Dao-severed are those scoured by the Dao Annihilation Calamity, the Annihilation Zones. Could it be that the Immortal Hunt of Shuo Xinghai actually uses an Annihilation Zone as a prison? But then, how do these threads pass through it?"
The core of the deep web held too many unknown secrets.
Qian Ruochang had only shown them this single, shimmering thread and the countless square cages attached to it.
Li Fan could not glean any more information.
In the dim deep web, time seemed to stand still. The group was forced to face one imprisoned True Immortal after another, each in a different tormenting fashion.
No matter how vast the gap in power, after being subjected to such a relentless barrage, everyone slowly began to grow numb.
Only the True Immortals with the most dangerous auras could still instill a flicker of fear in them.
As for the ordinary True Immortals, they could now be regarded with a degree of composure.
Qian Ruochang seemed quite satisfied with their progress. One day, he finally brought an end to the game of plugging and unplugging threads.
"Very good. It seems you have finally, barely, adapted to the presence of an 'Immortal'."
"Next is the final test here."
"Pass this, and we can officially begin weaving the net to capture an Immortal."
A meaningful smile once again spread across Qian Ruochang’s face.
The hearts of every Immortal Hunt member present skipped a beat.
And Qian Ruochang’s next words made their faces twist in disbelief.
"The final test is to personally... vivisect the corpse of a True Immortal!"
His voice crashed down like thunder upon their ears.
The threads connecting the countless frames faded into the darkness.
A few moments later, light returned.
With it appeared a tall, standing figure.
The figure emanated an aura as vast as an abyss, as boundless as the sea, causing everyone to hold their breath, not daring to make the slightest movement.
Looking around, they realized that Qian Ruochang, who had been with them all along, had vanished without a trace!
Only then did they recall the test he had just mentioned.
Vivisect the corpse of a True Immortal...
An eerie silence fell over the area. Even though they understood the objective, no one dared—or could—make a move!
The figure standing before them was called a corpse.
In truth, it was almost indistinguishable from the imprisoned True Immortals they had just faced.
They couldn't see the True Immortal's face, yet everyone present felt its faint gaze upon them.
This gaze alone pressed down on them, as if shouldering the weight of Mount Tai!
Adapting to the presence of a True Immortal was one thing; being able to move freely under its gaze, let alone draw a weapon against it...
That was a completely different matter.
The True Immortal's corpse was right there. Who would dare to draw their blade and dissect it?
Li Fan, of course, dared. But he had no intention of being the first to stick his neck out.
After a long, dead silence, one man finally spoke, his voice harsh. "No matter how strong he was in life, he's nothing but a corpse now. What's there to be afraid of!"
With that, he shot straight toward the True Immortal's corpse under everyone's watchful eyes.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, offering a silent prayer for the cultivator named Feng Zengyuan.
The corpse of a True Immortal was entirely different from a corpse in the mundane sense. Even the lingering will to survive of a True Immortal could instantly kill several Longevity realm experts in the Xuanhuang Realm. What more a complete, intact body?
Just as he expected.
Before Feng Zengyuan could even get close, the towering shadow seemed to swell violently, expanding several times its size.
After swallowing Feng Zengyuan whole, it returned to its original form in the blink of an eye.
The True Immortal's corpse still stood there, silent and imposing.
But the others could no longer find any trace of Feng Zengyuan.
A chill ran down their spines, and they instinctively retreated.
"Isn't he supposed to be dead? Why did it suddenly attack?"
"Look, is that silhouette getting clearer? Doesn't it look a bit like Feng Zengyuan?"
"What's going on? We've retreated so far, but not only have we not distanced ourselves from the corpse, we're getting closer!"
...
Panic spread through the group.
Even after their "adaptation" and theoretical learning, now that they were without Qian Ruochang's protection and truly facing a True Immortal's corpse that could attack at any moment, chaos was inevitable.
However, among them were a few exceptional individuals who remained fearless in the face of danger.
"We can't just stand here and wait. Otherwise, who knows who will be the one getting dissected!" Jiang Yuming declared grimly.
"We are all destined to slay True Immortals one day. What is there to fear from a mere corpse?" Jin Changyue finally opened her tightly shut eyes.
To be precise, she opened her triple pupils.
At that moment, it was as if three different personalities existed within Jin Changyue's body.
One for wrath, one for pity, one for emptiness.
The three swords on her back unsheathed with a metallic clang.
Three blinding flashes of sword light illuminated the dim space.
The previously indistinct corpse of the True Immortal was revealed in its entirety.
A deathly pale face, whose features were identical to those of Qian Ruochang, the man who had led them here!
Even the wicked smile on its lips was exactly the same.
The two smiles overlapped perfectly in their minds.
"What is this? Could it be that Boss Qian met with some misfortune?"
The smile Qian Ruochang had left them with fueled a storm of uncontrollable speculation in their minds.
Their spirits were in turmoil.
"Cheap theatrics!" Jin Changyue roared, her tone laced with an anger that only intensified.
The three beams of sword light merged into one.
It pierced the True Immortal's brow.
A single drop of fresh blood seeped from the wound.
Seething with rage, Jin Changyue was about to unleash another sword technique when a flash of light enveloped her, and she vanished without a trace.
After a moment of stunned silence, Dao Yuan, Jiang Yuming, and Nangong Hongzhao all came to their senses, unleashing their most powerful divine abilities at the True Immortal's corpse.
Li Fan did the same.
However, as he used the power of the Dao Net to conjure a dagger, he didn't forget to shout a reminder. "Brothers, don't panic! Jin Changyue must have completed the test and been teleported out safely. All we have to do is leave a wound on the corpse!"
The illusory dagger, though summoned later, arrived first. It appeared directly before the True Immortal's face.
With a horizontal slash, it sliced open the corners of the mouth.
The smile, a perfect match for the one Qian Ruochang had left them with, was instantly ruined by Li Fan.
The others, jolted from their inner turmoil as if waking from a dream, unleashed their techniques.
Having completed the vivisection, Li Fan was teleported out a step ahead of them.
He was second only to Jin Changyue.
Not long after, the figures of Dao Yuan, Nangong, and the others appeared one by one.
"Brother Ma, how were you able to use the power of the Dao Net just now?" Dao Yuan asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"None of us could sense the Dao Net's presence, so we were forced to use our own abilities to cut the corpse," Jiang Yuming added, his brows furrowed as he stared intently at Li Fan.
Li Fan feigned surprise at their words. "What are you two talking about? We're in the core of the Dao Net. How could its power not be all around us?"
His counter-question left them both speechless.
They wanted to press further, but more and more people were being teleported out after completing the test, making it an inconvenient time to talk.
Li Fan had not only shouted a reminder but also disfigured the corpse's terrifying appearance.
He had clearly been a great help to those who came after.
One by one, they expressed their gratitude to Li Fan.
The lively atmosphere was broken only when Qian Ruochang reappeared.
"You, you, and you..."
"Your performances were not bad. As for the rest of you, you barely passed." Qian Ruochang pointed to Jin Changyue, Li Fan, Dao Yuan, and the other two who had emerged first.
"I hope you can maintain such mutual and mutual support when you're hunting True Immortals," he said, his words directed at Li Fan.
Li Fan's expression turned solemn as he cupped his hands. "I will remember this, senior."
Qian Ruochang snorted coldly.
The light and shadows around them shifted constantly.
It was as if they were rapidly ascending from the deep sea to the surface. In an instant, they had returned from the deep web to the normal territory of Shuo Xinghai.
"The bait has been chosen."
"Now, I will take you to set the trap."
Using the power of the Dao Net, they traveled at incredible speed, arriving at the edge of Shuo Xinghai in the blink of an eye.
Before them lay a stretch of darkness.
A place devoid of all life.
It was the same direction from which Li Fan had come—the Annihilation Zone!
They followed a narrow corridor of life-sustaining star systems for another half a day until they had completely left the area covered by the Dao Net. Only then did they materialize in reality.
"Boss Qian, are we making our move here?"
Even the ever-confident Jin Changyue was filled with doubt.
Qian Ruochang pointed ahead. "Not here. We need to go further in!"
"But without the Dao Net, how can we possibly be a match for the Nothingness Immortal?" the others asked anxiously.
"Who said there's no Dao Net? Aren't we carrying a Dao Net Projection with us?"
With Qian Ruochang's reminder, they finally understood.
Li Fan looked back and indeed saw a faint, small Dao Net.
It was as if the reflection of light had been distorted, stretching the shadow of this net infinitely.
It had reached a place far beyond the main Dao Net's coverage.
It was connected to the real Dao Net by a single Dao string.
"This Nothingness Immortal is extremely cunning. Capturing him within the Dao Net is a near-impossible task."
"But outside the Dao Net, on what was originally a True Immortal's territory, his guard will be significantly lower."
"Let's go. We need to go deeper, to a place where he will feel completely safe."
With those words, Qian Ruochang continued to lead the group deeper into the Annihilation Zone.
There were not many places within the Annihilation Zone where life could still exist.
The route was almost identical to the path leading to the high wall of the dark star sea.
So much so that Li Fan began to suspect their destination was within the high wall itself.
Fortunately, Qian Ruochang seemed unaware of the high wall's existence.
He passed by its location and continued deeper into the Annihilation Zone.
He finally stopped in a small, circular star system teeming with life.
Three-quarters of this system's border had already been scoured by the Dao Annihilation Calamity.
It was connected to the outside world only by the remaining one-quarter, a narrow corridor.
Qian Ruochang seemed very familiar with this place. Within this star system, he found a patch of floating ruins.
"Let me see, this should be the place."
Qian Ruochang picked up a few pieces of rubble from the ground, examined them, and muttered to himself.
"First, set up the Dao Net Projection."
He turned and gave the order, then continued to search the ruins for more similar rubble.
Li Fan appeared to be diligently carrying out the Dao Net's instructions just like the others.
But his attention followed Qian Ruochang, wandering over the ruins.
He was not using the consciousness of his current body, Ma Tiande.
Instead, he was using the power of the Land of Carefree Joy within this star system.
This place was close to the dark star sea, Li Fan's current base of operations, so it was naturally covered by the Land of Carefree Joy.
"These are just ordinary ruins. What mystery could they possibly hold to attract the He Gan Immortal?"
Li Fan was puzzled.
But soon, Qian Ruochang provided the answer.
After making a full circle, he returned and scattered a pile of rubble on the ground.
The faint aura emanating from it felt somewhat familiar to Li Fan.
"This is... an Ascension Platform of the Immortal Realm?"
"Not the one in the Immortal Ruins above the Xuanhuang Realm."
"But a surviving one from another star system."
Qian Ruochang slammed his hands down on the pile of rubble. The stones instantly turned to dust.
Then, enveloped in a radiant light, the cloud of dust transformed into an octagonal platform.
(End of Chapter)
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