Chapter 1088: Dark Surging Tide

## Chapter 1098: The Surging Dark Tide

Li Fan observed the unusual behavior of the Specter Tribe members before him, remaining expressionless. He ignored their extreme fear, compelling them to complete the initiation oath before the Faceless True Immortal statue.

Only after they had finally calmed down did Li Fan inquire about the reason for their intense fear.

The Specter Tribe leader's body trembled. After a long pause, he finally managed to explain: "We had never had the fortune of seeing the True Immortal statue before. But the moment we saw it, our people instinctively felt boundless terror."

"We have lived in the darkness for many years, and our bodies have adapted to its unique environment. Under normal sunlight, we can barely endure for a while, but in front of the True Immortal statue..."

"It was like a light source, thousands of times brighter than the sun in the sky, suddenly appearing in absolute darkness."

The Specter Tribe leader spoke haltingly, but Li Fan understood his meaning.

Just as mortals feel dread when facing an abyss, the Specter Tribe felt extreme fear upon seeing the Faceless True Immortal statue, sensing a mortal threat.

However, the True Immortal's Web was formless and invisible. Even Li Fan, were he not the Faceless True Immortal's agent in the Xuanhuang Realm, would likely not have detected its presence.

In contrast, every single Specter Tribe member, even recently born children, had without exception sensed the True Immortal's power.

"It seems inextricably linked to the power of darkness they wield."

Next, Li Fan learned about their understanding of darkness from the Specter Tribe leader.

The Specter Tribe, in fact, were originally humans.

According to ancient legends passed down within their tribe, in primordial times, their world still had blue skies, white clouds, and bright sunlight.

But suddenly one day, after the sun set, it never rose again.

People desperately pleaded in the darkness, but no miracle came.

Most people subsequently vanished forever into the darkness.

Those who survived, without exception, were all blessed by the power of darkness.

Under the erosion and transformation of this dark power, their bodies slowly changed.

They became grotesque beings with no heads, their facial features clustered on their chests.

In truth, the Specter Tribe did not comprehend the essence of the dark power. They merely worshipped and prayed to it as their only lifeline, a terrifying evil god that brought destruction to the normal world.

Yet, this dark power seemed to understand their words. It would actually respond and could be used by them.

The Specter Tribe did not believe they had mastered the dark power themselves, but rather that it was a gift from a great God of Darkness.

What the Specter Tribe leader said, however, differed from the information provided by Preacher Zhou.

While the Specter Tribe were clearly native inhabitants of the Nether Realm, Preacher Zhou had claimed they were merely a special tribe that had discovered and utilized the Nether Realm's power.

Preacher Zhou would have no reason to deceive him about such a minor detail.

"It seems the Myriad Immortals Alliance's discovery of the Nether Realm was not as simple as he briefly suggested," Li Fan mused, a cold glint in his eyes.

Next, he pondered the manifestation of this dark power.

"Pray, then await a response?"

"No wonder the passage to the Nether Realm's entrance also involved song and dance rituals."

Li Fan was no stranger to powers that responded to a cultivator's inner stirrings.

The golden Essence of Origin, for instance, was a power residue discarded by True Immortals in their pursuit of the Root of Dao, an existence known as the Flower of Dao.

"Given their ability to respond to internal stimuli, there might be a connection between these two."

According to the Specter Tribe leader, although the power of darkness only manifested concretely in their homeland, it was in fact ubiquitous throughout the Xuanhuang Realm. It simply wasn't visibly condensed, making it imperceptible to ordinary people. However, if one prayed or called upon it through special methods, its power could be invoked, transcending the barriers between minor worlds.

With Li Fan observing, the Specter Tribe leader assumed a devout expression and chanted incantations.

He then launched an attack towards a ferocious lion-tiger-like beast in front of them.

This lion-tiger beast was a new breed recently cultivated by the Empire, with a body as hard as steel. Even a full-force strike from a typical Foundation Establishment cultivator would barely harm it.

However, an extremely bizarre scene unfolded.

Without any warning, the once majestic lion-tiger beast suddenly went limp, its limbs collapsing, and fell to the ground.

Its eyes were filled with terror as it helplessly tried to struggle back to its feet.

But beneath it, there seemed to be an invisible mire. Countless hands in the mire appeared to be ceaselessly dragging it down.

Under Li Fan's gaze, the lion-tiger beast was slowly engulfed by the darkness.

Nothing remained of it.

From beginning to end, Li Fan did not "see" the presence of darkness.

Yet, the lion-tiger beast had indeed vanished right before his eyes.

Li Fan carefully examined the ground where the darkness had descended, but found no residual power.

"It comes and goes without a trace, impossible to guard against," Li Fan murmured, stroking his chin as he fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, the Specter Tribe members collectively closed their eyes and began to pray devoutly once more.

"It seems only they can evoke a response from the darkness through such prayers. Ordinary humans, no matter how similar their appearance, cannot summon the power of darkness."

"It's also easy to understand," he continued. "Only by joining our Myriad Worlds United Association, swearing an oath before the True Immortal statue, and becoming part of the True Immortal's Web, can their prayers be sensed by me. It stands to reason that the power of darkness also possesses such an invisible web."

Li Fan mused to himself, "The crucial point, then, is how to join this web without being swallowed by the darkness."

The bizarre state of Mo Ruibin's remains in the Nether Realm was still vivid in his memory. Merely physical contact had led to such an outcome. It was hard to imagine surviving if one's entire body and soul were consumed by the darkness.

Furthermore, Li Fan's subsequent command for his loyal subordinates to attempt to emulate the communication with darkness further confirmed his conjecture.

They were silently engulfed by the darkness, vanishing without a trace; neither their living forms nor their corpses were ever seen.

Moreover, frequently invoking the power of darkness within a short period seemed to cause certain subtle changes.

As the ruler of the Spiritwood Realm, Li Fan faintly perceived the entire world growing darker for a brief instant.

After confirming with the Specter Tribe leader, Li Fan knew this was no illusion.

The darkness was indeed tending to flow towards this location.

Li Fan decisively halted the experiments for the time being.

After questioning various Specter Tribe members for a long time, Li Fan finally gained a general understanding of the current state of the dark power in the Xuanhuang Realm.

It was like an ocean of darkness concentrated on the "reverse side" of Xuanhuang.

Although its location was fixed by some mysterious power, the pervasive nature of darkness meant it would sometimes invade Xuanhuang and various minor worlds along any possible "cracks."

It would invade, and ultimately return to the Nether Realm.

This cyclical movement formed something akin to a "tide."

End of Chapter.