Chapter 719: Emperor Fu's Unearthed Relics

However, things did not go as planned.

After Li Fan and his two companions had thoroughly explored the entire enchanted domain without finding an exit, they were forced to return to the black sphere.

“It seems we’ll have to figure out a way to get out through this thing,” Huangfu Song said, his expression grim.

“The exit isn’t inside this thing, is it?” Dongfang Yao shivered.

“What exactly is this black sphere? You two are well-traveled and knowledgeable; do you have any ideas?” Li Fan stared at it for a long time before asking.

“I do know of some things that divine sense cannot perceive, but they clearly don’t match this!”

Both Dongfang and Huangfu were at a loss.

After another period of silence, the black talisman light above Li Fan’s head gradually dimmed, its energy depleted.

“Just standing around won’t help. Let’s test its properties first.”

Taking out a new talisman and replacing the old one, Li Fan first flew to a tentacle that had emerged from the black sphere and gently touched it.

Like an illusion, Li Fan’s hand passed right through.

“It feels like it doesn’t exist. But why was it able to stick to the Samantabhadra True Boat?” The three exchanged glances, completely baffled.

After a moment of hesitation, Li Fan protected himself and flew directly towards the enormous black sphere.

Huangfu and Dongfang hesitated for a moment but immediately followed.

The incessantly wriggling, viscous black substance coalesced, filling their entire field of vision and creating an immense sense of oppression.

Suppressing their unease, the three men endured the discomfort and entered the black sphere.

Although they couldn't touch the black substance with either their divine sense or their physical bodies, once they were fully enveloped by it, a strange, distinct sensation emerged.

It felt as if their entire bodies were covered in cold, crawling insects—clammy and nauseating.

Fortunately, apart from this internal “feeling,” the viscous black substance seemed to pose no other harm.

The three advanced slowly towards the central area, treading carefully as if walking through a muddy swamp.

After an unknown period, the black ocean surrounding them finally showed some change.

Ahead, something seemed to be emitting a faint glow.

“Quick! That must be the exit!” Huangfu Song transmitted excitedly with his divine sense.

Just as Li Fan and Dongfang Yao were about to respond, the surrounding black ocean, which had been relatively calm, instantly began to churn violently.

The viscous black substance instantly came alive, surging wildly towards Huangfu Song.

Though they were originally intangible and impervious to physical touch, they now, for some unknown reason, seemed to have found an outlet.

They poured into Huangfu Song’s body through his seven orifices.

A muffled cry of distress escaped him. An expression of extreme horror appeared on his face, and his body gradually inflated like a balloon.

“Save me!”

Unable to speak, Huangfu Song transmitted a plea for help to his two companions with his divine sense.

However, this had the opposite effect; the black substance began to infuse him even more rapidly.

Huangfu Song’s face twisted into a grotesque, pained expression.

Artifacts surged forth from his body, and he even took out the Disintegration Disc, instantly forming an array around himself.

But… it was all in vain!

In a flash, his body had expanded more than tenfold.

Finally, under the horrified gaze of Li Fan and Dongfang Yao, he exploded with a bang!

There was no flesh and blood; instead, a large amount of viscous black substance simply sprayed outwards.

Normally, cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage can instantly revive even if their physical body is destroyed, as long as their spiritual domain remains intact.

But at that moment, something terrifying happened. After waiting for a while, there was still no sign of Huangfu Song’s physical body regenerating.

Instead, they seemed to sense a tiny speck of light pierce through the air and vanish, flying off to an unknown destination.

“Is he… dead?” Li Fan was stunned.

“Huangfu!” Dongfang Yao’s eyes nearly split from rage and grief as he rushed forward, trying to find any trace of Huangfu Song.

But all he found were Huangfu Song's personal items, such as the Heaven-Measuring Mirror and the Disintegration Disc. Besides these, not a single trace of him remained.

As Li Fan replayed the sudden events in his mind, a hypothesis suddenly surfaced.

This viscous black substance, perhaps… was solidified divine sense!

Startled, Li Fan called out, “Brother Dongfang, remember, do not let your divine sense leave your body! Communicate only by speaking!”

Dongfang Yao instantly understood, and his face turned pale.

Li Fan flew to Dongfang Yao’s side and collected Huangfu Song’s belongings.

Then he said in a low voice, “We can’t stay here long. Let’s go!”

He grabbed Dongfang Yao and sped towards the center of the black sphere.

Outside the black sphere earlier, the aggregated divine sense was relatively dispersed. That’s why even when they used their own divine sense to probe, it didn't trigger any particular reaction.

But inside this black sphere, the divine sense was incredibly dense.

Huangfu Song’s rash use of divine sense transmission was like poking a hornet's nest, causing the concentrated divine sense to find an opening.

Without waiting for Huangfu Song's resistance, it poured into his sea of consciousness.

Even with the resilience of a Soul Transformation cultivator’s spirit, it was utterly impossible to withstand such a massive influx of divine sense.

He was instantly burst open, and his soul shattered and dispersed!

While Dongfang Yao was overwhelmed with grief, he was also drenched in a cold sweat of fear.

If he had been the one to let his divine sense leave his body first…

Li Fan guided Dongfang Yao through the central glowing layer and into a relatively empty inner space.

Here, although no tangible black divine sense had formed, numerous transparent faces floated around.

Joy, anger, sorrow, fear.

The expressions on countless faces varied, but none of them had eyes.

They drifted and circled like schools of fish.

Dongfang Yao was greatly disturbed and tried to avoid the transparent faces floating by.

Li Fan, however, reached out, casually drew one of the faces towards him, and absorbed it.

A moment later, a blurry image appeared in his mind.

Wails and cries echoed from all directions.

Under a sky veiled in blood, shadows of death swiftly devoured every living creature they encountered.

But it was as if his eyes were covered; he could only discern the general situation from these images.

When the shadows from the horizon reached him, everything went black, and the images in his mind suddenly shattered.

Li Fan carefully pondered the experience, unsure if his spirit and divine sense had increased in strength.

However, the sudden disappearance of the transparent face was noticed by other entities present.

They seemed to grow restless, circling more and more rapidly.

After a moment of thought, Li Fan decided not to act rashly again.

“Let’s go!”

Li Fan, with Dongfang Yao, found the brightest point at the very top of the space.

There, they found the exit of the enchanted domain.

Their vision blurred for a moment, and then, after a brief instant, they reappeared outside the enchanted domain.

“Brother Huangfu!” Dongfang Yao cried out.

It was only then that Dongfang Yao fully comprehended what had happened, and he broke down into sobs.