Chapter 1090: Old Friend Becomes an Immortal Puppet

Chapter 1100

An Old Acquaintance Becomes an Immortal Puppet

“Even our own people, if they die in the Sea of Darkness, don't behave this way.”

“It’s too insubstantial, far too insubstantial.”

With the Nether Clan leader's explanation, Li Fan instantly understood.

The assessment was based on the fluctuations caused by the corpse's presence in the Sea of Darkness. Mo Rubing's corpse completely deviated from the normal characteristics of ordinary living beings after death.

“Either it’s just an empty shell used as a decoy, or...”

“...or this person was deeply blessed by the darkness, and upon his death, most of his spiritual essence instantly returned to the Sea of Darkness. Only the decaying parts slowly dissolved into the darkness,” the Nether Clan leader suddenly suggested another possibility.

“However, even the most powerful priest in our clan's history would be far from resembling his state after death. Therefore, I’m more inclined to believe what we saw was just an empty shell.”

Li Fan's eyes glinted at the words. Upon hearing the Nether Clan leader's explanation, he was inwardly startled. But if the power of darkness here was linked to King Xuantian, then the anomaly of Mo Rubing’s post-mortem state could be explained.

“Still, we cannot let our guard down. The Xuantian Sect is extraordinarily devious, employing an endless array of tactics. Vigilance is still required.”

“Whether he’s truly dead or not, my plan will not change because of it.”

A thought flashed through his mind, and Li Fan again inquired about the details of Mo Rubing's corpse. The location where Li Fan had seen him recently was clearly not here. He was surprised that the Myriad Immortals Alliance had managed to find a way to counter the dark contagion and move him here in such a short time.

“If it were truly just a worthless empty shell, the Myriad Immortals Alliance wouldn't go to such great lengths to transfer it. In my opinion, the Myriad Immortals Alliance’s vortex for siphoning darkness is likely stabilized by Mo Rubing's corpse,” Craftsman Ju Shi offered his insight.

“This power of darkness is somewhat similar in nature to primal essence. Logically, given the immense scale of the Sea of Darkness, if such a small outlet were to appear, it would certainly form an energy vortex of unimaginable power. But here, it’s unusually tranquil.”

Craftsman Ju Shi’s assertion stunned the Nether Clan leader. He observed carefully for a long time before saying with some surprise, “My lord, this immortal master is right! The power of darkness, which should have been raging, has actually stabilized after passing through that empty shell and being influenced by it!”

“To calm even the darkness itself, just what is it?” The Nether Clan leader's tone was astonished and uncertain.

Li Fan immediately fell into deep thought upon hearing this. If the Nether Realm truly had a connection with King Xuantian, then what could capture his special attention, apart from his former companions from the Xuantian Sect, would likely be the statue of the Faceless True Immortal.

But it was still unclear what level of disturbance the True Immortal statue would cause if it appeared in the Nether Realm. So, whether to take such a step, Li Fan still needed to consider carefully. The main objective of this trip was to seize the opportunity to research this mysterious power of darkness and to learn more about Mo Rubing.

“Can we just get close to here and secretly create a secret portal to a minor realm?” Li Fan asked. “Thanks to the influence of Mo Rubing’s corpse, the resulting fluctuations shouldn’t be too large.”

The Nether Clan leader pondered for a moment, then gave an affirmative reply.

“But it’s best not to agitate too much of the dark power, otherwise two equally sized vortices could very likely gradually approach each other and merge into a single, larger whole due to their mutual interaction.”

“Understood. We’ll only extract a modest amount for research purposes. We won’t be too greedy.”

With Li Fan’s decision, the group immediately began their work. Led by their chief, the Nether Clan members secretly opened another dimensional rift, almost right next to the Myriad Immortals Alliance’s stronghold.

This was originally their homeland, and coupled with Li Fan and the others' diverse methods of concealing their activities and suppressing disturbances, the process went quite smoothly, completely unnoticed by the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Of course, this might also be because they were entirely preoccupied with guarding the colossal vortex.

“It’s truly wondrous; the raging Sea of Darkness has actually become placid here.” Witnessing this extraordinary sight firsthand, the Nether Clan leader couldn't help but utter a sigh of wonder.

And on the other side of the passage, in the underground world, the moment the power of darkness was freed from its containment, it reclaimed its inherent properties. It surged through its surroundings with terrifying speed, consuming all in its wake.

The last vestiges of light in the underground world quickly vanished. Countless beings perished silently, their demise incomprehensible. Fortunately, the scale of this subterranean minor realm was not too large. After quickly filling it, the power of darkness began to recede back into the Nether Realm, just like a pulsating tide.

And at the entrance connecting the underground world to the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan acutely observed the darkness starting to permeate. However, since they had yet to fully establish the passage, this process was extremely slow.

“If we rely on this point for entry and exit, then it likely won’t be long before the seeping darkness is detected by the Myriad Immortals Alliance,” Liu Ruchen said with a frown.

“I’ll come up with a solution,” Craftsman Ju Shi volunteered. “Primal essence and the power of darkness do not intermingle. Perhaps we can build a buffer zone here. Of course, this might require a large amount of primal essence.”

As Craftsman Ju Shi spoke, he involuntarily looked at Li Fan. Li Fan was completely indifferent to these residual true immortal energies. He had already amassed a substantial quantity of it, finding no specific use for it. However, he still pretended to deliberate for a long time before grudgingly consented.

Seeing this, Craftsman Ju Shi was overjoyed and immediately set to work, summoning his beloved creations to help. An exquisitely beautiful female immortal puppet, utterly compliant to Craftsman Ju Shi, employed the same technology as the Heavenly Sun Immortal Puppet. It was unknown where Craftsman Ju Shi had found the conscious personality for this immortal puppet.

It was only when Craftsman Ju Shi was building the “buffer zone” that he boasted and casually divulged her origins.

“When the Ancestor collapsed back then, I fought for my life to survive the calamity and escaped my homeland. But some individuals weren't as fortunate as I. Their bodies were destroyed in the disaster, with only their consciousness data preserved and kept with me.”

“You might see how obedient she is now; she used to reprimand me endlessly! Hahahaha!”

“During the Heavenly Spirit Sect’s time, I once prepared a puppet body for her. But it was too inflexible, and I didn't like it. I quickly grew bored and dismantled it.”

“Unlike this one now, she's so vibrant and lifelike, almost indistinguishable from a true living being.”