Chapter 1256: Stealing the Power of Darkness

Li Fan, with no other choice, had to temporarily stop operating the Boundless Mirror.

He threw out another ball of essence of origin energy, pulling the Boundless Mirror Spirit back from the brink of death. The essence of origin energy stored on him was generated by the continuous prayers of the hundred Nether race members in the Sun family's underground blood pool chamber. A portion had been used to lure out the Calamity Wind of Annihilation lurking within the Boundless Mirror. Previously, some was also consumed to repair the Boundless Mirror's damage and to sustain Li Fan's own split consciousness. Not much was left.

Li Fan estimated the consumption rate of the essence of origin energy: "Just enough. No need to go back for more."

"However..." Li Fan casually glanced towards the center of this desolate small world. The appearance of the essence of origin energy seemed to have attracted the attention of the hidden golden skull there. A peculiar sensation, as if being watched by a monster, arose in his heart.

"Hmph, no matter your mighty origins in life, now you're just a skull. How dare you act presumptuously before me..." Li Fan stood with his hands behind his back. With a slight thought, a trapping formation instantly appeared. It locked onto the space where the golden skull was located, sealing it. "I'll deal with you in your next life."

Li Fan had no intention of investigating the golden skull further this time. His immediate priority was to fully understand the world-protecting formation here, then return to the Xuanhuang Realm and, working backward from the effects, locate the hidden grand world-protecting formation.

Under the influence of the essence of origin energy, Sun Luyao slowly regained consciousness from his stupor.

"Rest, then continue." Li Fan's calm words struck him like lightning. Yet, he harbored no thought of defiance. Sun Luyao knew that the Boundless Mirror's survival hinged on Li Fan's whim. Indeed, it wasn't impossible for Li Fan to simply erase his mirror spirit and find another cultivator's consciousness to replace him.

"Although this process is somewhat painful for you, it's more of a tempering," Li Fan said in a deep voice. "As the saying goes, a thousand refinements make iron, ten thousand make steel. You are but a mortal who, by chance, became the Boundless Mirror Spirit. You've seen how the Boundless Mirror performs now. It struggles to analyze anything without nearly dying. How can it be called an immortal artifact then?" He added, "Even though the Boundless Mirror is damaged and not complete, much of its weakness is due to your frail mirror spirit."

These words left Sun Luyao deeply ashamed.

"Even an Immortal Cultivator would covet this essence of origin energy. Using it on you could truly be considered a waste," Li Fan said faintly. "But I did it anyway..."

"Between life and death, there is great terror, but also great opportunity. Comprehend it well!" With that, Li Fan once again manipulated the Boundless Mirror, resuming the analysis of the formation remnants hidden beneath the world's ruins.

Sun Luyao felt himself rapidly weakening again, but emboldened by Li Fan's earlier encouragement, he strained to rally his spirits and maintain his consciousness.

"I must not let Senior down!"

Scenes from his interactions with Li Fan since their first encounter flashed through Sun Luyao's mind. Li Fan's help throughout their journey was undeniable, yet Sun Luyao felt he had never truly contributed. Now, finally presented with an opportunity to repay him, Sun Luyao was determined not to disappoint Li Fan.

Moreover, Sun Luyao knew Li Fan's words were true. Through each trial of life and death, his core consciousness had grown stronger. The progress he had made in these few days surpassed decades spent hiding in the Sun family's secret chamber.

As Sun Luyao's mind surged with emotion, the flickering spectral light, which had been somewhat unstable, solidified once more. Li Fan observed this and nodded slightly.

The Sacred Dynasty was fully operational.

Li Ping, seated on the Sacred Emperor's throne, had completed the replication and implantation of ten masses of Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao aura. However, due to prolonged, uninterrupted work, Mao Bao's mood had collapsed, and it had gone on strike. Even with more essence of origin energy as enticement, Mao Bao pretended not to see it and continued to sleep soundly. The Sacred Emperor, left with no choice, had to temporarily halt the process.

He looked towards the four central states of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. "Is the Myriad Immortals Alliance's World-Departing Rainbow Light ready?"

Due to the previous gains from the true essence of the Star Sea, the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao consciousness, having tasted its sweetness, became eager for more. It instinctively wanted to attach itself again and hitch another ride. However, Li Ping had dissuaded it.

The Sacred Emperor's intuition told him that the Myriad Immortals Alliance's expedition would not be as smooth as his own had been. Besides the Sacred Emperor's foresight regarding the dangers of the journey, which the Myriad Immortals Alliance couldn't replicate, a more crucial reason was that all the members organized by the Immortal Alliance for this Star Sea exploration were cultivators of the Dao Integration Realm. Yet, none possessed the power to truly command respect or suppress dissent. While in the Xuanhuang Realm and the Myriad Immortals Alliance, rank dictated authority, in the Star Sea, especially under desperate circumstances, it would be hard to say who would obey whom.

"Lan Yu of Daoyuan State." "Jin Ri of Liuguang State." The list of Dao Integration cultivators participating in this journey was not a secret. As the Sacred Emperor looked at each name, he couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Dozens of Dao Integration cultivators perishing would undoubtedly be a good thing for both the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao and the Sacred Dynasty." "It's just a pity..." Despite his regret, the Sacred Emperor would certainly not be soft-hearted or intervene to stop this. He merely waited quietly for their departure.

Besides, perhaps some among them possessed extraordinary destiny. Who knew if they might survive the numerous perils of the Star Sea and ultimately achieve enlightenment? Even if the Sacred Emperor were to stop them, he would only be seen as obstructing their path to Dao, leading to an endless feud.

Five days later, a seven-colored rainbow light slowly ascended from the firmament under the gaze of all Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators. Compared to the previous time, this departure seemed much more practiced. The different colors sequentially separated, finally vanishing into a supremely dark Star Sea. Li Ping watched them leave, observing a moment of silence for them in his heart.

Seven days later, the Sacred Emperor's expression shifted. He instantly appeared in the secret space where the Nether race resided.

Under the Sacred Dynasty's rule, the Nether race could broadly be divided into three groups with different missions. The most numerous group, from birth to death, had one singular and essential daily task: to chant the Sacred Emperor's benevolence. These individuals were cultivated by integrating with exotic beasts, resulting in extremely short lifespans and reproductive cycles. They truly were like chives, harvested generation after generation, endlessly regenerating.

The second category consisted of a medium number of Nether race members, whose treatment was significantly better. They had ample rest time each day and could even read various books. As native Nether race individuals, some of them were selected to participate in population optimization experiments.

As for the third category, they were the fewest in number and the most unique. They could be considered the purest, most primitive Nether race members, still believing in the great Sea of Shadows and maintaining their long-standing traditions. However, since they lived under the Sacred Dynasty, they naturally had to obey Li Fan's commands. Even within their community, a consensus had been reached on the question of who was greater, the Sacred Emperor or the Sea of Shadows: The Sacred Emperor was the embodiment of the Sea of Shadows' will. The Sacred Emperor, the Sea of Shadows, and the Nether race's ancient ancestor were a trinity, inseparable. Although the theory was a bit rough, it effectively resolved the potential conflicts caused by Li Ping's involvement, bringing complete stability to the race.

"Greetings, Sacred Emperor." Upon seeing Li Ping, the Nether race chief immediately knelt and prostrated himself. Before this, Li Ping had not enforced such a requirement, so these Nether race members did not need to prostrate themselves before him. However, since the emergence of the new theory, various standard protocols had developed within the Nether community, which even the chief had to observe. Li Ping simply let them be.

"Open the Netherworld passage," Li Ping commanded coldly, looking at the kneeling Nether race members. The Nether race members rose, and to the sound of mysterious and ancient chants, a door slowly opened. Li Ping was the first to fly into it.

Upon entering, he was instantly swallowed by endless gloom. But Li Ping didn't hesitate for a moment, speeding towards the direction of his sensation. Silently, he drew closer and closer.

The object of his sensation was, naturally, the profound technique previously revealed to the Myriad Immortals Alliance through his identity as the leader of the Spirit Essence Sect, a technique capable of greatly increasing cultivators' output of origin energy. In terms of exploitation, the Myriad Immortals Alliance's efficiency was unexpectedly high. Li Ping could already perceive a large quantity of marked origin energy, in a condensed and compressed state, surging into this Sea of Shadows.

Counterintuitively, such immense and terrifying energy failed to stir even the slightest energy ripple here. It was unclear whether the Sea of Shadows itself was simply too vast, or if something within it was silently absorbing these ripples.

As he drew very close, Li Ping couldn't help but slow down. Even with absolute confidence in his own strength, caution was still paramount. He concealed his presence and approached stealthily.

Within the Sea of Shadows, where sound should not propagate and silence ought to reign, there appeared regular, intermittent thudding sounds. They resembled the forceful beating of a large drum, causing the Sacred Emperor's heart to involuntarily throb. Li Ping's expression grew serious.

His entire being, his qi and blood, were now perfectly integrated, as if formed by nature itself. Even an attack from an Immortal realm cultivator might not be able to shake him. Yet, he was stirred by these simple thudding sounds...

"This isn't caused by external forces. It's the very rhythm of the Sea of Shadows itself," the Sacred Emperor quickly concluded. Instead of resisting the thudding, Li Ping stood still for a moment, synchronizing his heartbeat with the Sea of Shadows' rhythm until they were perfectly aligned. As if completely merging with the darkness, his own discomfort vanished. Only then did Li Ping continue forward.

Soon, he "saw" — or rather, perceived — the source of the thudding sound.

It was like a punctured balloon, or perhaps the Great Inter-Realm Vortex of the Xuanhuang Realm. A "small opening" had appeared in the Sea of Shadows ahead. Surging compressed origin energy violently poured in through this breach. Under the natural repulsion of the Sea of Shadows' own power, a small amount of dark energy was drawn out through the channel formed by the confrontation of the two forces.

Li Ping stopped at a distance to observe, his solemnity deepening. "Coincidence," he remarked after a moment.

The power of the Sea of Shadows and the compressed, surging origin energy had achieved a perfect state of balance. The origin energy hadn't truly infiltrated the Sea of Shadows, nor had the Sea of Shadows' counterattack been fully triggered. In this strange equilibrium, an exchange between origin energy and dark energy was taking place.

One must understand that the Sea of Shadows constantly ebbed and flowed. This meant the Myriad Immortals Alliance's origin energy output had to correspondingly change and adjust. If the equilibrium were broken, the Sea of Shadows would instantly retaliate with tumultuous waves. The Myriad Immortals Alliance must have maintained this apparatus for a considerable time, indicating their research into the Sea of Shadows had reached a masterful level.

"The Myriad Immortals Alliance truly has capable individuals," Li Ping couldn't help but exclaim. After all, ruling half of the Xuanhuang Realm for thousands of years, it was not surprising for them to possess such hidden cards.

"Compared to the dark energy that typically overflows into various parts of the Xuanhuang Realm, this extracted dark energy is much more benign." "And also easier to utilize."

After observing for a while longer, Li Ping also noticed the subtle details. "I just wonder why the Myriad Immortals Alliance is going to such great lengths to extract this benign dark energy."

However, the unknown did not impede Li Ping's actions. As the Sea of Shadows was crucial for maintaining the Xuanhuang Realm's stability, the Myriad Immortals Alliance drawing its power was surely an act against heaven. As the "embodiment of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao," Li Ping naturally could not stand idly by.

But he did not act hastily. Firstly, breaking this perfect equilibrium might cause even greater turmoil in the Sea of Shadows. Secondly, merely stopping this extraction would only be a temporary solution, not a fundamental one. Li Ping sought a permanent method to eliminate the Myriad Immortals Alliance's thievery once and for all.

The Sacred Emperor possessed ample patience. After observing the situation here for over a month, he first returned to the Sacred Dynasty. He then brought nearly a hundred original Nether race members to this location.

"Fools! What blasphemy!" The Sacred Emperor discerned the Nether race chief's inner fury from his frantic gestures. Other beast-kin, witnessing their beloved Sea of Shadows being pilfered by thieves, also felt extreme hatred. Were it not for Li Ping's concealment, such intense emotional fluctuations would likely have already erupted into a furious outburst.

"I came here to resolve this matter," Li Ping's thoughts conveyed to the minds of the Nether race members. "The blasphemers shall be punished." Instantly, the Nether race members knelt en masse once more, their faces etched with a resolute willingness to sacrifice their lives.

In a corner undetected by the Myriad Immortals Alliance, these Nether race members began an ancient ritual. It was a method passed down through generations for communicating with the Sea of Shadows.

What Li Ping wanted them to do was to attract the attention of the Sea of Shadows' fundamental essence. Although there was significant activity here, relative to the vast Sea of Shadows, it was merely like a small hole poked in its body. As long as the equilibrium wasn't disturbed, it wouldn't even notice. This was precisely why the Myriad Immortals Alliance could continuously steal dark energy.

However, with the Nether race's ritual acting as a guide, things would be different. Even if it didn't immediately expel the Myriad Immortals Alliance, the sudden change in repulsive force would be enough to disrupt the balance. And because it would be a change originating from the Sea of Shadows itself, with such a colossal entity as its foundation, any minor turbulence would be insignificant.

As the ritual progressed, Li Ping sensed subtle ripples appearing in the Sea of Shadows. Instinctively, he concealed his aura as much as possible, hiding himself.