Chapter 1085: Dark Devouring Law King

Chapter 1095King of Shadow Devourers

“From now on, we are one.”“If anyone spots the three who fell behind trying to return, report it immediately. Then, everyone will work together to eliminate them.”“Remember, do not trust anyone who returns from the nether. Not even if they were once your closest companion.”

As they cautiously proceeded, the Immortal Alliance members reiterated the prohibition. Meanwhile, through his conversation with Transmitter Zhou, Li Fan learned about the origin of this Nether Expanse.

Due to the existence of the Immortal Ruins, the Xuanhuang Realm is constantly subjected to an immensely powerful suction. Logically speaking, if not prevented, everything in the Xuanhuang Realm would slowly fall into the Immortal Ruins. The cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Alliance once believed this. However, the discovery of the Nether Expanse shattered this understanding.

The Nether Expanse is a collection of worldly matter that moves away from the Immortal Ruins. Although still a part of the Xuanhuang Realm, it possesses its own unique rules. Besides what was mentioned earlier, where spiritual sense and sound cannot leave the body, lost cultivators have their consciousness seized by unknown entities within the nether, transforming them into something else. Yet, the individual themselves remains unaware.

“This… seems somewhat similar to Mo Rubin’s soul-seizing technique?” Li Fan thought, his heart stirring.

“Indeed. But it’s only a similarity in characteristics. It doesn’t prove anything.” Transmitter Zhou seemed to deliberately avoid the topic, continuing, “Ever since this place was discovered, the Immortal Alliance has attached great importance to it. Because of the nether’s characteristic of moving away from the Immortal Ruins, we might be able to find a way to escape the Immortal Ruins by studying it. However, previously only a few core Transmitters knew about it.”

“That Nether Heaven Sect King once occupied the bodies of Chen and others, thus learning of this place’s existence. The Nether Race does not live within the Nether Expanse. Rather, they were the first to discover how to open the Nether Expanse and master the method of utilizing nether power. We only uncovered this secret while conquering the minor worlds inhabited by the Nether Race and engaging them in battle.”

“Nether power? Could it be completely different from Immortal Spirit Energy?” Li Fan mused, asking.

“Not exactly. Through our observations over the years, nether power indeed possesses certain characteristics of Immortal Spirit Energy. But…” Transmitter Zhou paused, seemingly searching for the right words to describe it. “Immortal Spirit Energy and nether power are like a person and their shadow. Originally, these two should have been indistinguishable, blending together. But due to the existence of the Immortal Ruins, nether power was forcibly stripped away from it.”

Upon hearing this, Li Fan vaguely understood. It was like a centrifuge separating different components in a liquid. Because of its characteristic of moving away from the Immortal Ruins, as the entire Xuanhuang Realm gradually fell into the Immortal Ruins, nether power all converged in the opposite direction.

“The suction of the Immortal Ruins is due to the presence of the Hunger Character.”“So what exactly is this nether power? How can it resist the power of True Immortal Seal Script?” Li Fan felt a pang of doubt.

“We have already thoroughly explored the entire Nether Expanse. That’s why, when Mo Rubin infiltrated and caused an anomaly this time, we were able to detect it immediately.”“If you observe carefully, you should be able to sense it too,” Transmitter Zhou reminded him.

“Oh?” Upon hearing this, Li Fan immediately frowned and sensed the surrounding nether. After a long while… “Are you referring to this regular, wave-like pulsation?” Li Fan asked.

“Precisely. We detected Mo Rubin’s aura at the source of this pulsation. However…” Transmitter Zhou’s tone became somewhat uncertain: “He has been here for about ten days now, yet he hasn’t changed his position. It’s as if he’s severely injured and unconscious.”

“Could it be a trap?” Li Fan couldn't help but ask.

“No,” Transmitter Zhou stated emphatically. “Even if it were a trap… we have so many people here. We have nothing to fear from a mere Ancient Longevity cultivator.”

Seeing Transmitter Zhou’s confidence, Li Fan did not voice any further objections.

With no one speaking, the surroundings once again fell into a terrifying silence. “Be careful and stay alert. We’re almost there.” After an unknown amount of time, Transmitter Zhou’s alert came. Having remotely locked onto the direction of the pulsation, the Immortal Alliance members followed instructions, forming a perimeter. They surrounded Mo Rubin, who was hidden in the nether, awaiting a command to launch a collective attack. Meanwhile, Li Fan also received continuous warnings from the Ya Zi Formation.

“It really is Mo Rubin?” Li Fan couldn't help but feel a little surprised. “Strange…” Although still harboring doubts, Li Fan did not act rashly on his own. He merely followed the actions of the Immortal Alliance members, gradually narrowing the hunting circle with them. Everyone held their breath, but Mo Rubin showed no reaction whatsoever. He seemed completely unaware of the approaching enemies. This remained true even when the Immortal Alliance cultivators finally reached him.

“Alert dismissed.”“He seems to be dead.” Transmitter Zhou’s voice, tinged with disbelief, came.

“Hmm?” A chill suddenly surged in Li Fan’s heart. Following the Immortal Alliance cultivators, he made his way to the very center. The moment he touched Mo Rubin’s body, his spiritual sense also perceived his current state. Mo Rubin’s face had vanished. Only a mass of nether constantly separated and merged, surging on his head. This scene was indescribably bizarre, but what chilled Li Fan even more was Mo Rubin’s body. One half was still a human body, but the other half seemed to have been taken over by the surrounding nether. It continuously transformed back and forth between nether and solid form.

Under the probing of the Immortal Alliance’s black-clad death soldiers, it was confirmed that the nether consuming half of Mo Rubin’s body was not an illusion. Instead, his physical body was genuinely disappearing and reappearing in a continuous transformation. When the nether appeared and one reached out to touch it, what was felt was emptiness. But after a short while, when half of his body reappeared, the nether suddenly vanished. And along with it, the death soldier’s hand that had been extended into the nether also disappeared. The nether seemed to be able to spread through contact, as the black-clad death soldier couldn't even utter a sound. He was engulfed by the nether that surged from his own hand. Fortunately, Transmitter Zhou acted decisively, severing his connection with the death soldier immediately and ordering everyone to swiftly eliminate him. This prevented the spread of the nether among the Immortal Alliance members.

“Fellow Daoist, what are your thoughts?” Transmitter Zhou asked, his tone heavy.

Li Fan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, “The nether on Mo Rubin’s body seems different from the nether in the Nether Expanse. The one on the body is contagious, while the one in the surrounding environment is not. Until we understand the true nature of this place, it’s best to avoid touching anything.”