"Perhaps that True Immortal has already silently lurked near us..." As soon as Dao Yuan said this, everyone grew somewhat tense, instantly jolting awake from the ethereal, distant legends of seeking refuge.
Unlike the earlier trials, this was their first time truly facing a True Immortal.
People could die.
Driven by the life-or-death crisis, the newly inducted Immortal Hunters moved swiftly, coordinating with one another and making preparations. Though it was their first time—and they had only transmitted guidelines without any on-site supervision—they were all the cream of the crop among cultivators in the Shuoxing Sea, so everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
When Immortal Hunters captured an immortal, the very first task was to bolster the power of the Dao Net here, then use the Dao Net to conceal themselves.
If the entire Dao Net was pinned to the Great Dao of heaven and earth by an invisible giant hand along with four pillars of support, then in these frontier reaches of the Shuoxing Sea where the Dao Net was fragile, the Immortal Hunters had to serve as nails themselves, anchoring and stabilizing the Dao Net further so that it could draw upon even more power in the upcoming battle.
It was said that veteran Immortal Hunters of the organization operated with seamless coordination; within a single breath, they could reinforce and seal off the Dao Net across an entire region. By comparison, this group of novices appeared somewhat clumsy and frantic.
In particular, a dispute arose over who would serve as the temporary "nails."
Under normal circumstances, purely for efficiency, one would naturally choose those with the deepest grasp of the Dao Net. But they had only just met and knew little about one another. The earlier published rankings were merely final scores synthesizing multiple performances in Dao, Combat, Survival, and other trials—not a standalone measure of their understanding of the Dao Net.
Furthermore, by relying on everyone's combined strength to personally merge into the Dao Net, one would be like someone bathing and immersing themselves in the Great Dao of heaven and earth, reaping boundless benefits. Therefore, anyone with ambition was unwilling to yield.
Even Dao Yuan, who ranked first, could only claim a spot for himself; if he wished to dictate every candidate, it was utterly impossible.
However, not much preparation time remained for the new Immortal Hunters. With every passing minute, the tension in their hearts grew a fraction heavier.
In the end, someone chose to concede.
"Ma Tiande" cupped his hands, saying with a serene expression, "Fellow cultivators, as the saying goes, he who knows others is wise, and he who knows himself is enlightened. The only reason I placed fifth was largely due to my performance in the Combat trial. I will not contest with you all for this!"
With an easy grace, he gave up a spot as a "nail."
Looking at the "noble and magnanimous" Li Fan, everyone's expressions shifted somewhat. Inspired by Li Fan's gesture, several other cultivators stepped forward one after another to voluntarily yield.
Very quickly, the eight candidates to serve as nails were finalized.
To Li Fan's surprise, the purple-robed female cultivator who ranked second among the new Immortal Hunters and fought with three longswords had also voluntarily given up this opportunity to become a Dao Nail.
The purple-robed cultivator was named Jin Changyue. Keeping her eyes tightly shut as before, she said indifferently, "What I care about more is using these three swords of mine to cut down a True Immortal with my own hands."
In accompaniment to Jin Changyue's words, the three longswords emitted continuous chimes of sword hums.
Now that the personnel was settled, everyone assumed solemn expressions and quickly combined their efforts, reinforcing the local Dao Net in accordance with what they had learned.
Eight figures formed a circle facing inward.
The remaining Immortal Hunters encircled them, repeatedly casting Dao Net commands.
Every command seemed to spur the tightening of the Dao strings.
The eight figures gradually grew faint, appearing to blend into this realm of heaven and earth.
Yet everyone could sense the inexplicable transformation quietly unfolding in this space. A few dark, immensely potent shadows had emerged.
Though concealed to the utmost degree, they resonated in secret harmony with the Dao Net commands cast by the crowd.
The entire process of reinforcing and linking the Dao Net lasted for ninety-nine breaths. Strictly speaking, it barely met the passing standard for novices attempting it for the first time.
The eight cultivators serving as Dao Nails also regained their normal physical appearance.
However, all of them wore dazed expressions mingled with a touch of pleasant surprise, seemingly still immersed in the sensation of having just merged physically into the Dao Net.
Li Fan looked at the eight of them, noticing that they were distinctly different from before.
Within this small pocket of heaven and earth, the Dao Net power these eight can draw upon is practically equivalent to a True Immortal for each of them. Eight True Immortals joining hands...
It seems that incoming Immortal 'Yi' is in for a grim fate.
Li Fan quietly evaluated these Dao Nails before him.
Although they wielded power rivaling that of a True Immortal, sensory-wise they possessed none of the overwhelming oppression that a true True Immortal exerted.
At their core, they remain mortals. The height of their Momentum has not changed in the slightest. It is merely that a corner of the Great Dao floating in the heavens has drooped down and been seized by their hands.
The eight Dao Nails served as the main force in hunting the True Immortal; the others served as auxiliary support and reinforcements.
Now that the battlefield was ready, the next step was to erect the enclosure so that the True Immortal could enter but never leave.
With the cooperation of the Dao Net, this was also remarkably simple.
What seemed like ordinary void was, in reality, a space whose boundaries could vanish at any moment. Just like the High Wall that hemmed in the Pitch-Black Star Sea, once the concept of "forward" vanished, the path ahead naturally ceased to exist.
This is one of the most vital trump cards of the Immortal Hunt organization. It deserves much of the credit for their repeated successes in hunting True Immortals. It is known as the Immortal-Mending Cage.
The direct erasure of existence and concepts... perhaps the inspiration came precisely from the Dao Annihilation Tribulation...
Li Fan coordinated seamlessly with the others, casting command after command to generate the Immortal-Mending Cage, while privately memorizing the subtle fluctuations produced within the Dao Net.
To others, the fluctuations of the Dao Net were imperceptible and vastly intricate.
Even when personally acting as one of the casters involved, committing them to memory in a single attempt was virtually impossible.
Strictly speaking, the so-called "fluctuations" were merely ripple-like minute variations produced by the natural operation of the Great Dao of heaven and earth, only originating from the Dao Net. Only those with an exceedingly profound comprehension of the Dao could sense their presence at close quarters.
Furthermore, Dao Net commands were fundamentally composed of countless Dao Element glyphs. As the Immortal Hunters present coordinated with one another, countless commands were fired off every single breath. With such an enormous volume of data, even if a Nameless True Immortal came in person, they might not be able to comprehend it all at a single glance.
Yet Li Fan had no need to analyze or memorize it piece by piece.
The miniature Dao Net within his divine sense was like a mirror, flawlessly reflecting the fluctuations within the Dao Net at this moment.
Even though Li Fan could not yet fully decipher the principles behind these fluctuations, that did not stop him from first copying and pasting them.
This is precisely the formidable strength of Mind-Thought Soul Formation reflecting the Great Dao.
Capable of doing what even Nameless cannot do.
Having stolen a divine ability, Li Fan felt secretly pleased with himself, looking forward all the more to his upcoming undercover journey within the Immortal Hunt.
A grand hunting net had been quietly cast.
The newly inducted Immortal Hunters had finished all preliminary preparations. All of them concealed themselves around the counterfeit World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin, simply waiting for Immortal Yi to walk right into the trap.
Everyone's minds were linked within the Dao Net, communicating telepathically.
"Everyone, look! What is that sign?"
In physical void, there was not the slightest disturbance.
However, the reinforced Dao Net spanning this starry void had warped without cause.
What was more, this distortion was rushing rapidly toward the World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin!
"Though looked at but not seen, it inevitably leaves footprints in the Great Dao of heaven and earth! Just like an invisible beast leaving tracks in the snow. Brothers, the True Immortal has taken the bait!"
Everyone grew excited, though inevitably tinged with tension.
"Do we strike now?"
"No rush. Wait a bit longer. Wait until he reveals his true form completely. In any case, there is no way he can haul this World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin away. He can only obediently lie inside following the rumored method of entering the coffin to avoid disaster," Dao Yuan said in a deep voice, carrying the demeanor of a commander.
The others nodded in agreement.
The distorting force traveling through the Dao Net quickly reached the vicinity of the mysterious coffin. After circling and observing the coffin, it seemed to attempt to haul it away.
However, though this mysterious coffin was forged by the Shuoxing Sea, it still possessed certain miraculous traits of the authentic coffin. As if it did not exist in this world at all, any force exerted upon it was like drawing water with a wicker basket—completely falling through.
The mysterious coffin remained utterly motionless.
Though the distorting force's attempt ended in failure, it was delighted rather than angered.
Remaining still in place, an even greater distorted fluctuation rushed toward it from afar at high speed.
"Wait! This force—it's not one True Immortal, but two?"
Judging from their path through the Dao Net and the degree of distortion bending the Dao strings, the new Immortal Hunters quickly deduced that besides Immortal Yi, another True Immortal had entered the net!
They accompanied each other, virtually merging into one.
Through ordinary means, one might not detect them even if they were right before one's eyes. Only through the traces left in the Dao Net could their presence be discerned.
"Don't panic, everyone! This is wonderful! Capturing one is a catch; capturing two is a catch just the same. Who would have thought that right upon joining the Immortal Hunt, we'd achieve such tremendous merit!" The speaker was Jiang Yuming, who ranked third.
Empowered by the strength of the Dao Net, he overflowed with confidence, showing no fear even when faced with two unexpected True Immortals.
Dao Yuan spoke as well: "Still, we must not let down our guard. Even though this was previously an area where the Dao Net was weak, the fact that they managed to deceive the Dao Net's perception is proof enough of how extraordinary these two are."
"'Looked at but not seen, listened to but not heard.' I suspect the other one has mastered the Dao of 'Xi.' Only through the mutual completion of Xi and Yi could they fool the Dao Net."
Though an unexpected variable had emerged, the crowd was startled but not panicked. After conferring in secret and making a few tactical adjustments, they waited for the two True Immortals to crawl into the coffin.
Under watchful eyes, the lid of the mysterious coffin moved in response.
Like a bronze gate sealed in dust for ages, it let out a heavy, decayed groan.
The bent Dao strings snapped back to normal in an instant.
At the same time, the new Immortal Hunters received notification that two individuals had indeed crawled into the mysterious coffin acting as bait.
"Strike!"
Just as Dao Yuan gave the order, another voice rang out, interrupting him.
"Wait!"
The one speaking was none other than "Ma Tiande"!
Seeing someone oppose him, Dao Yuan could not help but frown slightly.
Yet Li Fan quickly explained with a solemn expression, "Brother Dao mentioned earlier that the mysterious coffin requires a specific method to activate. Why not wait a moment longer?"
"Perhaps they are bait as well."
Once Li Fan said this, the others realized something was indeed amiss and turned their eyes back toward the mysterious coffin one after another.
Sure enough, after that fluctuation entered the mysterious coffin, not a sound followed.
It seemed to be waiting for something as well.
"There truly is something strange here."
"If it were truly the authentic Immortals Xi and Yi coming to escape calamity, the instant they entered the mysterious coffin they should have impatiently begun testing it. How could there still be no movement at all..." Jin Changyue said in a deep voice.
"Could there be a flaw exposed inside the mysterious coffin? If Immortals Xi and Yi see through the forgery, won't they be spooked away?"
"Rest assured. Though the coffin is a fake, it is true to the original. Aside from being unable to ferry across worlds, it is practically indistinguishable from the real mysterious coffin." The speaker was a cultivator who had not uttered a word until now. His name was Nangong Hongzhao, and the others knew little of his background.
Yet speaking with such certainty, he surely had grounds for his claim.
Now was not the time to pry into details.
Everyone held their breath and waited.
Just then, Nangong Hongzhao spoke again: "It is said that each time the mysterious coffin initiates a world-crossing, its location shifts. That is why Immortals Xi and Yi are merely probing right now, hesitating to trigger it for real."
"It can be confirmed that what is inside the coffin right now is merely bait. They would never be willing to waste such a golden opportunity."
As if proving Nangong Hongzhao's words right.
Not far away, another cluster of distorted fluctuations manifested within the Dao Net.
The degree to which it bent the Dao strings when rolling past was identical to the previous one.
As though replaying the scene, they slipped into the mysterious coffin once again.
The moment they entered the coffin, an exceedingly profound sound resonated from within.
It sounded like a faint, distant song, yet also like some solemn, sacred chanting.
"Strike!" Dao Yuan barked once more.
The coffin lid slammed shut.
Meanwhile, the Immortal-Mending Cage had descended silently without a trace, completely locking down this tract of the star sea.
Those inside the mysterious coffin did not seem to notice the disturbance outside, assuming that the lid snapping shut was merely normal operation.
The chanting continued unabated.
Listening intently, Li Fan committed all the shifting syllables to memory. At the same time, his heart stirred: This cadence... strangely shares a few resemblances with the Disaster-Avoiding Immortal Scripture taught by the Archmage.
Could it be that the phantom figure beside the Archmage has some origin connected to the Nameless True Immortals who forged the World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin back then?
Li Fan suddenly thought to himself.
Back then, the obscure Xuanhuang cultivators had listened beside the phantom figure, giving rise to what later became the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao. The Archmage was already in the half-immortal realm, yet he remained seated beside the phantom figure all along, refusing to step away even half a pace. Even his words and deeds bore unmistakable signs of imitating that sermon-preaching phantom.
Could it be that this phantom was left behind by one of the Nameless True Immortals who departed back then?
Originally, it might have possessed other forms of sentience and divine abilities. But the Nameless True Immortal had already journeyed to other possibilities via the mysterious coffin. Therefore, what remains now is merely an empty shell of light and shadow.
Just as Li Fan's thoughts surged, an exceedingly bizarre change occurred on the field.
With Immortals Xi and Yi hiding inside the mysterious coffin and refusing to emerge, the hunters could hardly breach the coffin to force their way in. They intended to wait until the immortals discovered the coffin was inert, then encircle and attack them once they came out.
Yet no one could have anticipated...
As the chanting inside the coffin grew louder and louder, the mysterious coffin burst forth with mesmerizing waves of rainbow halos.
The halos were elusive and unpredictable, yet once arisen, they showed no sign of fading.
Just as the Immortal Hunters grew increasingly alarmed and unsettled...
The rainbow halo erupted violently, completely swallowing the mysterious coffin.
When everyone looked again...
The counterfeit World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin, carrying Immortals Xi and Yi, had vanished into thin air!
Chapter 1448