The Dark Sea Conceals a True Immortal

Palpable killing intent swept toward the Sacred Emperor, only to be dissolved into nothingness by wisps of gold before him. Only after Mo Rubin's fury subsided slightly did Li Ping speak in a calm tone: "I can see that inside, you aren't truly angry. "Are you still trying to act before me? Or have you gotten so into character that even you can no longer tell the difference? "Look. True anger is like this..." The Sacred Emperor took a sudden step forward. Formidable power erupted from his toes, sweeping violently outward. The radiance of the white jade flagpole shook relentlessly, like a battered willow in the wind. Yet once this surging energy passed beyond the perimeter of the light circle and entered the Sea of Gloom, it rapidly dwindled away. The silent Sea of Gloom rippled faintly, erasing all turmoil—almost as if it were soothing the enraged Sacred Emperor. "I don't need your lecturing! I know this place better than you do!" Mo Rubin's figure suddenly flashed behind Li Ping. A shadow lurking beneath the white glow of the white jade flagpole bared venomous fangs at Li Ping's neck like a viper. Cracks instantly appeared across the golden armor encasing the Sacred Emperor. From a hole at its center, a black thread lunged straight for Li Ping's neck. Yet right when it was about to strike, Li Ping extended a palm and caught it. Looking down at the shadow writhing bound in the middle of his palm, Li Ping said coldly, "Another persona? This one... takes quite after you." With that, rather than crushing the sneak attacker outright, he released it back to Mo Rubin. Mo Rubin himself, however, had abandoned even his immortal artifact, the white jade flag. Taking advantage of that brief exchange of words, he had already vanished from the spot. Li Ping shook his head slightly. That kick of his earlier had not been in vain. Following the lingering trace of his perception, he sped through the Sea of Gloom in pursuit of Mo Rubin. Mo Rubin's direction appeared to be the very breach where the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was siphoning the power of gloom. "Just because you picked up some underhanded trick somewhere, you dare spout nonsense before me? "Do you think I don't know that this Sea of Gloom envelops everything—that even a cultivator's emotions cause ripples before gloom smothers them? "And you claim to see through my heart?" Dozens of Mo Rubin's faces lurked within the darkness, drifting over from time to time to sneer and jeer at Li Ping. Their tones varied, but without exception, each dissolved spontaneously into the Sea of Gloom after delivering its line. Since these demonic faces launched no attacks, Li Ping simply ignored them and let them mock him, focusing entirely on closing the distance to Mo Rubin. The babbling of the demonic faces continued. "What even is the real me? I was the foremost genius of the Nine Refinements Abbey, the prime candidate entrusted with the hopes of achieving immortality! I was also one of the Twelve Dharma Kings of the Xuantian Sect, aiding Xuanyuan Hong in forging the great cause of the Xuantian Sect to unify the Xuanhuang Realm! "Even so, does that mean I must wear the same face at all times? Must a prime prodigy always be solemn? Must a Dharma King always plan before moving? "Wrong, wrong, wrong! The laughing, mocking scolder is me! The untamed rebel is me! The wild and reckless rogue is also me! "Guiding demonic faces with an immortal's heart—whatever kind of person I encounter, that is the demeanor I should display! "If someone is acting, I play along. If someone is terrified out of their wits, I intimidate them to the end. If someone is thoroughly wicked, I wallow in the mire right beside them. "And as for a pedantic do-gooder like you, I ought to curse you awake with all my might! "What do you think you are?! You haven't even stepped into the Immortal Realm, yet you dare dream of saving the world?!" Dozens more faces split off around them, unleashing a barrage of vitriol at the Sacred Emperor, spewing the foulest abuses imaginable. Yet the Sacred Emperor did not show the slightest ripple of emotion. His gaze seemed to pierce through layers of darkness. Not far ahead, the expression on Mo Rubin's true self was just as calm as his own. *Huu...* The surges of the Sea of Gloom halted Mo Rubin's advance. He stopped abruptly, lifting his head to gaze at the distant sky. A breach was rhythmically spewing gloom power outward. The intermittent dull thuds sounded like a heavy heartbeat. "Damn them all. "Dragged down by a pack of insects like that, how could anyone ever succeed?" Another shadowy face appeared above Li Ping's head. This time, its words lacked the earlier madness and fury. Yet Li Ping could hear genuine killing intent lurking beneath that calm. "I once tried to channel the power of the Sea of Gloom to close that breach. But an eyeball cut me off..." "Was the owner of that eyeball the King of Xuantian?" the Sacred Emperor asked via voice transmission, coming up beside Mo Rubin and placing a hand on his shoulder. Mo Rubin did not turn around, but a face abruptly materialized on the back of his head, looking at Li Ping with utter contempt. "Big Brother Xuanyuan would do something like that?" Li Ping was not angered, continuing along his line of questioning: "Then why was that eyeball able to mobilize the power of the Sea of Gloom?" The face on the back of Mo Rubin's head disappeared. "Do you know what the Sea of Gloom truly is in essence?" "An array formation?" Li Ping answered after a moment's thought. "Stupid indeed," Mo Rubin sneered. "The formation is merely the surface. What truly caused this darkness to gather, enabling the Xuanhuang Realm to resist the suction from the ruins of the Ascension Passage, is..." At the crucial juncture, Mo Rubin suddenly halted. "Do you want to know?" he asked in a teasing, frivolous tone. "I do," Li Ping replied candidly. Seeing Li Ping so deadpan and serious, Mo Rubin seemed to lose interest. His tone instantly returned to normal. "Only the power of a True Immortal can contend with a True Immortal. "The one who brought about the catastrophe of the Pitch-Black Star Sea was a Dao-Enlightened True Immortal. Thus, what could generate enough propulsion to allow the Xuanhuang Realm to escape... "...is naturally another True Immortal." These words rang out like a thunderbolt in the Faceless Sacred Emperor's mind. The surrounding gloom seemed to come alive in an instant, peering at him from every direction. "A True Immortal indeed. "Except it is a dead True Immortal. Correct?" Yet having suddenly learned such a secret, the Sacred Emperor seemed to have anticipated it, calmly asking in return. Mo Rubin shrugged. "Talking to you clever types is truly boring. "Correct. The very foundation of the entire Sea of Gloom was formed from the remains of a True Immortal." Li Ping was not surprised by this revelation. The Sea of Gloom could absorb the You people's faith and convert it into Source Power Essence, yet it did not care if its believers changed their faith. Once formed, a True Immortal's Web existed tangibly and could not be swayed by mere will. Once trapped in the web, escaping required unleashing enough power to tear through a True Immortal's Web. The feeble You people naturally possessed no such capability. The only plausible explanation was that the master of this True Immortal's Web had already perished. The binding was no more. "A True Immortal," Li Ping repeated. "A fallen True Immortal in the Xuanhuang Realm." "Amazing, isn't it? A mere lower realm, and yet a True Immortal fell here. But it was fortunate that the Xuanhuang Realm concealed a True Immortal's corpse. Otherwise, even the cleverest cook cannot make a meal without rice—Big Brother Xuanyuan wouldn't have had any good options to save the Xuanhuang Realm either," Mo Rubin remarked with sighing emotion. Li Ping, however, informed Mo Rubin about the existence of the Fallen Immortal Realm. "Oh? To think there was actually a successor Heavenly Venerable willing to share those True Immortal remnants with the world." After hearing this, the aura around Mo Rubin became unstable once again. "I can hardly imagine there being anyone in this world stupider than Big Brother Xuanyuan. Truly..." "He perished long ago," Li Ping added. Mo Rubin instantly fell calm again. Only after a long while did he say, "Died well. He died well indeed..." Though he said so with his mouth, Li Ping somehow felt that his expression held a trace of sorrow. Thus, Li Ping asked the question he had long wanted to ask: "Did the King of Xuantian truly die or not?" Mo Rubin turned his head, staring blankly at Li Ping. "You ask me, but who am I supposed to ask? Probably not. I've been looking for him too. Someone as strong as Big Brother Xuanyuan wouldn't lose his life so easily, even if ambushed by treacherous villains." Having said that, without giving Li Ping a chance to continue the exchange, he turned back around. "The Sea of Gloom takes the Spirit-Gathering Ascension Array as its foundation, the remains of a True Immortal as its bones, and the bloodline of the First Great Heavenly Venerable as its binding rope. It birthed from nothing a power capable of contending with the suction of a True Immortal. "Yet in the end, it is merely an inanimate object. Without a core to control it, it actually fell to becoming nourishment for others. "So you see, one must never die. What does it matter if you were a True Immortal in life? Once dead, even ants can bully you." Mo Rubin looked toward the distant device where the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was siphoning the gloom power, his tone dripping with mockery. "The bloodline of the First Great Heavenly Venerable?" Li Ping's mind flashed with the bizarre appearance of the You people, and his heart stirred. *No wonder only these people can commune with the Sea of Gloom. However...* The direct bloodline of a True Immortal was noble beyond question, yet now they had been reduced to such a monstrous state, neither human nor ghost. As if seeing through Li Ping's thoughts, Mo Rubin said coldly, "There is no need to pity them. If you had lived in that era and personally experienced how the Great Heavenly Venerable's bloodline enslaved others... "...you would probably have been the first to raise a banner in rebellion. "If Big Brother Xuanyuan hadn't intervened back then and slaughtered every last one of their lackeys, who knows how much longer these self-styled overlords would have lorded it over everyone. Ending up like this today is their just retribution," Mo Rubin chuckled chillingly. Li Ping did not argue with Mo Rubin further on this matter. "The Sea of Gloom actually utilizes the remains of a True Immortal to condense gloomy immortal power and resist the Immortal Ruins. What, then, is that eye held by the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals?" he asked softly. "Immortal Ruins..." Seeming thoroughly dissatisfied with the term, Mo Rubin sneered once again. Yet this time he did not dwell on such minor details, answering Li Ping's question directly: "That is merely a dharma artifact Big Brother Xuanyuan refined back then to control the Sea of Gloom. After all, he couldn't watch over this place every single moment, and the Sea of Gloom was far too critical to the entire escape plan, so he required our assistance. There were three in total, given to different Dharma Kings. "I just don't know whose artifact ended up in the hands of this Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals." A flicker of murderous intent flashed in Mo Rubin's words. Li Ping nodded slightly. "Is there a way to affect that eye artifact's control over the Sea of Gloom?" "If your mastery of formations exceeds Big Brother Xuanyuan's..." "Hm?" Mo Rubin was about to sneer, but suddenly recalled the level of formation mastery the Sacred Emperor had demonstrated during their earlier clash. The words already on his tongue were swallowed back down. "Inside the central core of the Spirit-Gathering Ascension Array, perhaps it could be attempted," Mo Rubin said. He moved his gaze away from the breach in the Sea of Gloom and turned toward another direction. Li Ping looked along his gaze and said with admiration, "This formation is indeed extraordinarily profound. I pride myself on having exceptional formation mastery, yet in this expanse of gloom, I cannot perceive the slightest trace of an array." "That's the effect of the True Immortal's corpse," Mo Rubin pointed out bluntly. "If not for the pervasive power diffused from the True Immortal's remains, you ought to have been able to." The Sacred Emperor was left speechless. "Follow me." Mo Rubin called out, took a moment to discern his bearings, and transformed into a streak of black, vanishing into the darkness. Li Ping followed closely behind. As they drew closer to the so-called core of the Sea of Gloom, an inexplicable sense of unease suddenly welled up within Li Ping's heart. Vague images even flashed through his mind. Among them, shockingly, was a scene of Mo Rubin reduced to an empty shell, lying quietly within this Sea of Gloom. "Wait!" A shudder ran through him, and Li Ping called Mo Rubin to a halt. "Hm?" Though displeased, Mo Rubin came to a temporary halt. "You had better actually have a good reason." Li Ping paid no heed to his attitude. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "What kind of power could instantly kill you?" As if having heard the most hilarious joke, faces flew out from Mo Rubin's body and swarmed in front of Li Ping, shouting and jeering. "Instantly kill me? The Demon Heart never perishes, the Immortal Body never ends! So long as a single persona remains, I will never truly die!" "Even if it were a True Immortal..." "A True Immortal... probably could." Mo Rubin's true self spoke suddenly, and the noisy faces fell instantly silent. "Actually, with someone of Big Brother Xuanyuan's strength, catching me completely off guard, he could do it as well," Mo Rubin's true self analyzed with utmost rationality. "I feel that something is wrong with the formation core ahead." Hearing Mo Rubin's conclusion, Li Ping directly voiced his concern. Unexpectedly, Mo Rubin did not argue this time. He suddenly said something that seemed completely unrelated: "The entire Sea of Gloom was built upon the remains of a True Immortal. "Back in our era, this place was nowhere near as vast as it is today. It seems the Great Heavenly Venerable's bloodline has multiplied quite well over the years. "Mm... though there's been a trend of decline lately, it doesn't affect the whole. "Gathering spirits to ascend to immortality, ascending to immortality to gather spirits. In truth, this place can also be viewed as an unowned True Immortal shell that has cultivated on its own for nearly ten thousand years. Its interior is filled entirely with pure, authentic True Immortal power. "Except... this True Immortal power was cultivated with the True Immortal's remains as its foundation. Theoretically speaking, only that departed True Immortal could ever wield it." "Theoretically speaking," Mo Rubin repeated those two words. "Yet there are countless miraculous cultivation methods in the world; there might well be some way to break that shackle." The Faceless Sacred Emperor gazed out across the boundless Sea of Gloom. "If one could master such boundless energy, they would likely be able to instantly unleash power rivaling a True Immortal." "A child carrying a cauldron only ends up crushed to death by it," Mo Rubin shattered Li Ping's fancy. He continued walking toward the core of the Spirit-Gathering Ascension Array. "I was thinking, is it possible that after suffering heavy injuries, Big Brother Xuanyuan hid here? "If anyone in the Xuanhuang Realm is most likely to absorb the power of this Sea of Gloom, it is undeniably him." He seemed to be muttering to himself, yet also appeared to be explaining to Li Ping why he insisted on going there regardless of the danger. "No matter. With me at your side, if the two of us join forces, escaping with our lives won't be much of a problem even if we encounter a crisis," Li Ping said frankly, keeping close behind. "What a fool. That's why good people die fast," Mo Rubin mocked, showing no appreciation for Li Ping's goodwill. Li Ping's attention, however, was focused on their surroundings. Darkness converged here, growing ever denser. Knowing that this darkness was essentially the power of a True Immortal's corpse gave Li Ping an entirely different sensation while immersed in it. What struck him as rather strange, though, was that Cat Treasure—normally insatiable when it came to immortal-grade energy—acted as if it couldn't perceive such immense energy at all right now. It remained sound asleep on his shoulder, not opening its eyes even once. *Interesting.* Li Ping heightened his vigilance. Not long after, Mo Rubin stopped. "This... should be the place," he said, looking around. "Should be?" Li Ping was puzzled. Such an ambiguous statement shouldn't have come from a Xuantian Sect Dharma King like Mo Rubin. "Someone has been here. And they modified the formation." Mo Rubin's tone became solemn as never before. Li Ping also caught faint traces of anticipation and excitement in it. Yet after circling the area, he looked back at Li Ping. "This formation is rather complicated." The unspoken implication was asking the Sacred Emperor for help. Li Ping shook his head slightly. "The power of the True Immortal's remains pervades everything; I cannot sense the formation's traces." Mo Rubin snorted. "Watch closely!" A shadow face instantly flew out from his body toward Li Ping. Li Ping felt no malice and did not dodge. With perverse mischief, this shadow demon face of Mo Rubin slithered onto Li Ping's blank face and attached itself. Before he could express his displeasure, Li Ping's attention was captured by the magnificent sight that suddenly lit up before his eyes. The pitch-black, silent Sea of Gloom abruptly cast off its veil of mystery, revealing the true countenance hidden beneath. Like thick cloud layers accumulating in the sky, they evolved into various forms. The power of gloom congregated in patches, making Li Ping and Mo Rubin feel as though they were high above in a kingdom of clouds. The conglomerates of gloom power drifted at a pace that was simultaneously languid and exceedingly swift. When drawing near one another, they swallowed each other up, reshaping into new forms. And at the very center of this Sea of Gloom, the oldest clouds of gloom—having settled for over ten thousand years—emitted an aura that made even Li Ping's heart tremble. These ancient conglomerates were truly like terrifying primeval beasts, quietly dwelling in the depths of the Sea of Gloom. *As expected of a True Immortal's power. If the energy contained within any single cloud here erupted, it would far exceed the full-power strike of a Longevity-realm cultivator.* *What magnificent might!* Li Ping marveled inwardly. Li Ping also noticed that the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' device for siphoning gloom power was actually drawing in the stray clouds drifting throughout the Sea of Gloom. Moreover, the Alliance seemed capable of discerning cloud sizes, refraining from touching the larger conglomerates and mostly targeting the smaller, drifting bodies. "Can you see clearly now?" Mo Rubin's voice broke Li Ping's train of thought. Snapping out of his shock, Li Ping scrutinized the surroundings once more. Sure enough, around these conglomerates, he discovered faint traces of formations. However, before setting about unraveling them, Li Ping asked a question: "According to my earlier deductions, the Grand Star-Crossing Array consists of four sub-arrays. "The golden chains used to lock onto and capture cultivation realms beyond the star sea; the Eye of the Tian Beast serving as an observation station; and the Sea of Gloom, or the Spirit-Gathering Ascension Array, used to break free from the Immortal Ruins' suction. What is the remaining one?" Through Mo Rubin's demon face, Li Ping stared intently at Mo Rubin's true self. Mo Rubin shrugged, answering quite naturally, "How would I know? "The star-crossing array was built almost single-handedly by Big Brother Xuanyuan. We only had the chance to see it up close after he finished constructing it. Different Dharma Kings were responsible for different areas; I'm only somewhat familiar with this place." Li Ping found no flaws in Mo Rubin's words. Still, he did not believe him easily. Setting the matter aside for the moment, Li Ping concentrated on analyzing the array here. After all, he genuinely wished to see the legendary King of Xuantian in person. "The formation is quite old, with some differences from the styles passed down in the Xuanhuang Realm. "There also seem to be traces of it having been triggered. Did a fight break out here? "It can only be considered unorthodox. It isn't particularly complex and doesn't reach the threshold of an immortal-grade formation." After observing for a while, Li Ping arrived at this conclusion. "Will casting spells here trigger a riot of gloom power?" Before breaking the formation, Li Ping cautiously asked Mo Rubin. Unsurprisingly, Mo Rubin sneered, "Could it be you've ascended to the True Immortal realm? Stop worrying about nonsense. "If you could cause a riot of the True Immortal power here, the first thing I would do is flee immediately." With Mo Rubin's response, Li Ping had no more qualms. Hidden formation patterns separated and lined up before his eyes, interlocking, combining, and decomposing. Before long, Li Fan found the formation's flaw. "Go this way." He led the way in without triggering any backlash from the formation. "So swift. You do have some skill," Mo Rubin offered a rare compliment. The scene inside the formation seemed no different from before entering. Yet judging by Mo Rubin's expression, they had not come to the wrong place. "This is where the original central core formation of the Spirit-Gathering Ascension Array resides." Following Mo Rubin's words, Li Ping surveyed their surroundings. Outside, ancient conglomerates of gloom power were being absorbed here, turning into wisps of green smoke and dissipating into nothingness. "No True Immortal power remains here; the essence of the energy lies deeper within the formation," Li Ping murmured thoughtfully. "Once the power section of the ascension array is sealed, it cannot be entered again. But the main control area was never sealed. "Be careful." Familiar with the route, Mo Rubin continued deeper inside. Li Ping walked slowly while observing their flanks, committing every detail of the formation to memory. Though only a small portion of the formation was exposed on the outside, with his current level in formations, he could glimpse the whole from the parts and deduce its origin. "Interesting. Traces of a battle, no less." Mo Rubin, leading the way ahead, suddenly stopped. He looked toward a corner of the formation. Li Ping also discerned the remnant of a sword light from the slight damage to the formation. "A Longevity-realm cultivator," Li Ping judged, his vigilance suddenly spiking. "And a formidable one at that," Mo Rubin added. With that, he picked up the pace and continued traveling inward. Visually, their positions seemed completely unchanged. The ancient conglomerates above, below, and around them remained stationary relative to them. Yet Li Ping could clearly sense that even with the enhancement of Mo Rubin's demon face, their surroundings were growing darker and darker. The depths of the Sea of Gloom. The familiar, all-obscuring blackness pressed in once again. Compared to the murk of the outer edges, here it was even more suffocating. Even Li Ping felt the circulation of his cultivation hindered. Even his Source Power Essence could not escape the suppression. Just as darkness swallowed the last sliver of light, and he could barely sense images of their surroundings through Mo Rubin's demon face, Li Ping felt Mo Rubin abruptly halt ahead. A frigid chill drifted faintly toward him. Li Ping approached with slow steps and discovered the reason for Mo Rubin's stillness. Not far ahead lay a corpse. Or rather, calling it an empty husk was more accurate. No one knew how long he had been dead, yet his features remained lifelike. One could clearly see the look of terror and disbelief etched upon his face before his demise. His seemingly full body was, in reality, completely hollowed out inside. Nothing remained. "Longevity realm," Mo Rubin communicated with Li Ping through the attached demon face. "And the clothing on him looks rather familiar." A surge of killing intent suddenly welled up within Mo Rubin. "Dadao Sect, Fang Dingge." After examining the corpse closely, Li Ping confirmed his identity from the earlier records on the Genesis Stone Slab. "So it was here," Li Ping realized. At the same time, the vigilance in his heart surged to unprecedented heights. "Who is he?" Mo Rubin asked succinctly. "Thousands of years after your era, when the Great Tribulation descended, he was the Sect Master of the Dadao Sect. "To hunt down Chuanfa—the founder of today's Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals—six Longevity-realm experts acted together, only to all vanish without a trace. Neither living people nor dead bodies were ever found. Yet Chuanfa survived. "At that time, Chuanfa was only at the Dao Integration realm," Li Ping briefly recounted the sequence of events to Mo Rubin. "Six Longevity cultivators died here?" Mo Rubin was no longer composed. He took a slight step back, his expression grave. "I hope it isn't what I suspect," Mo Rubin muttered to himself after a long silence. "Did Chuanfa borrow the power of the Spirit-Gathering Ascension Array to slay those six Longevity cultivators?" Li Ping asked. "If that's the case, it would actually be the best outcome," came Mo Rubin's eerie voice. "What I fear is that the True Immortal's remains came back to life."