The part of the stone pillar that appeared to have vanished had not entirely dissipated.
Instead, power from the Dao Net continuously replenished it, like regenerating flesh and blood. Yet the force within this Myriad Stars Tomb that digested flesh and blood clung like rot to the bone, refusing to disperse.
Thus, an extremely eerie spectacle unfolded before everyone: a section of the massive pillar rapidly alternated between the states of "existence" and "nonexistence," taking on a shaded, translucent appearance.
Qian Ruochang carefully retrieved the pillar from the Myriad Stars Graveyard.
At the same time, he issued an order to the novice Immortal Hunters watching the spectacle: "Create a local Daoyuan array isolated from the Dao Net to serve as an incubator for cultivating the power of World Demise."
Hearing this, the crowd froze in unison.
Clearly, Daoyuan commands of such complexity were beyond their ability. Ever since joining the Immortal Hunters, they had either been running missions or forced on vacation; they had not received formal training yet.
Fortunately, Qian Ruochang had not lost his senses.
Before his voice finished echoing, ripples emanated from the void beyond the Myriad Stars Graveyard.
A rainbow halo of light traveled swiftly through the Dao Net from the Shuoxing Sea, blazing with brilliance and enveloping everyone within.
Inside the halo lay a vast sea composed entirely of Daoyuan symbols. As if in response to Qian Ruochang's words, tens of millions of symbols surged forward like a roaring tide, crashing toward the cultivators at the center.
The remaining Daoyuan symbols suddenly turned transparent and faded, as though they had never existed at all.
Caught off guard, everyone was thoroughly drenched by this "tide."
Each received an equal share.
At the same time, the method for executing the technique of Dao Beyond Dao surfaced in all their minds.
Dao Beyond Dao: open a new, nascent Dao Net domain at the border of the Dao Net. This domain was like a miniature replica of the Dao Net; aside from its reduced range and weakened potency, it was identical in every other respect. All existing Dao Net commands functioned within it.
If used for territorial expansion, this nascent domain could drastically lower the cost of extending the Dao Net's coverage.
It could also be used to conduct extremely dangerous experiments, achieving identical experimental conditions to the Dao Net without endangering the Dao Net itself.
To ensure the absolute security of the Dao Net, a newly opened Dao Beyond Dao zone could only be linked to the Dao Net if the three Chief Directors of the Governing Council joined hands. Prior to that, the nascent domain would remain in absolute isolation.
***
Accompanying the commands was extensive information regarding the Dao Beyond Dao domain.
Even though the complexity of the commands was unprecedented in their lives, under the illumination of that strange halo of light, they understood everything instantly and mastered it effortlessly, completely bypassing the normal process of studying, memorizing, and practicing.
Under Qian Ruochang's direction, everyone pooled their efforts. As command after command was constructed, a nascent Dao Net domain was thus "created."
Though the construction of this "miniature Dao Net" had been accomplished so simply, this group of novice Immortal Hunters could not comprehend the profound mystery of the process.
To them, it felt like before: commands were generated, and the Dao Net responded.
Only Li Fan saw a spectacle invisible to the others.
The instant the technique of Dao Beyond Dao was unleashed, the entire Dao Net seemed to freeze in stillness, and then appeared to dim, allowing rays of light from beyond the outer perimeter of the Dao Net—from the true Great Dao of heaven and earth—to pass through.
And cast down the shadow of the Dao Net.
"If the Dao Net is tracing paper meant to copy and cover," Li Fan mused, "then this nascent domain we created just now is the Dao Net's shadow."
The cultivators remained enveloped within the strange halo of light.
The stone pillar wrapped in the power of World Demise was cast into the nascent Dao Net.
As the miniature Dao Net continuously fed it with Great Dao laws, the formless power of World Demise was nurtured, growing increasingly potent.
Even standing outside the boundary, everyone felt an inexplicable wave of unease.
Right then, the half-eaten stone pillar within the domain suddenly transformed into a giant hand.
It began manipulating and shaping the surrounding power of World Demise.
Though the giant hand was constantly corroded and destroyed, it was replenished in kind by the miniature Dao Net's power.
After shaping and tempering for a long time, a black arrow was finally forged by the giant hand.
When the first World Demise Black Arrow was finished, the scenery within the domain shifted again, dividing into three distinct sectors:
The first was for cultivating the power of World Demise, the second for forging the black arrows, and the third for storing them.
Upon each black arrow, a human face emerged.
They corresponded exactly to the novice Immortal Hunters present!
"Are these... weapons for us?" Dao Yuan asked in considerable shock.
Qian Ruochang smiled. "Not yet. Only when your trap is truly laid and Immortal Wu enters the net will they truly belong to you.
"Contact with the power of World Demise subjects one to its constant corrosion. Without the Dao Net's support, even I would be drained to powder in an instant. Therefore, you must only use them while connected to the Dao Net.
"Let's go!"
Qian Ruochang glanced back once more at the boundless, utterly dead Myriad Stars Graveyard, then led the group sweeping away.
"This nascent domain will accompany us throughout this immortal hunt. Regardless of whether the mission succeeds or fails, we must disperse it. We cannot allow the power of World Demise to run wild in the true Dao Net."
Leaving the dark graveyard behind and returning to the living expanse of the Shuoxing Sea, Qian Ruochang pointed at the halo of light around everyone and explained:
"This halo is here to prevent accidents. If we are completely wiped out, it will be responsible for recovering everything we leave behind."
Hearing this, everyone's expressions turned rather subtle.
"With you leading us, Boss Qian, plus such formidable weapons as the World Demise Black Arrows, and fighting on our home ground within the Dao Net... even if we lose, could we really be completely wiped out?" Jiang Yuming asked with a frown, sounding skeptical.
The faint smile on Qian Ruochang's face vanished instantly. "The roles of hunter and prey have always inverted in the blink of an eye.
"Though our odds of victory are relatively high, our opponent is an 'Immortal.'
"And a True Immortal who has managed to survive all the way from the ancient catastrophe through the relentless hunts of the Immortal Hunters down to this very day..."
Qian Ruochang cast a cold glance at Jiang Yuming.
Jiang Yuming could not help but lower his head and say repeatedly, "This junior stands corrected."
"You still know far too little about immortals. Next, I will take you to truly get to know what a True Immortal is.
"And along the way, find a suitable bait."
The light and shadows around everyone shifted rapidly.
At this speed, they could have crossed the Shuoxing Sea several times over. Yet for some reason, they plunged onward with no end in sight.
The vibrant brightness grew gloomy once again.
It did not vanish completely, but instead seemed to drift slowly above their heads, circling and suspended like stars overhead.
They were delving deeper into an unknown realm.
"The place we are heading is the Deep Net. It is also where the Shuoxing Sea imprisons the immortals.
"The so-called Deep Net is the deep core of the Dao Net," Qian Ruochang said, offering only this brief description, seemingly unwilling to elaborate.
"The Deep Net is top secret. Ordinary people do not know of its existence, much less have the privilege of entering.
"Even I could not come and go freely without the duty of hunting a True Immortal."
During their downward traversal, countless tiny specks of light flickered ceaselessly across Qian Ruochang and the novice Immortal Hunters.
They seemed to be verifying their identities.
When the stars of vitality above their heads vanished completely,
their journey finally came to a halt.
It was as if they had arrived in a vast, dark void, surrounded entirely by nothingness.
Before Qian Ruochang, countless symbols seemed to surge at once.
A thread suddenly lit up the darkness.
To the left and right of the thread lay one square box after another.
They resembled cages, yet also resembled worlds.
The borders of these boxes were extraordinarily thick, as if sworn to isolate the imprisoned occupants completely from the outside world.
And within these boxes...
The prisoners held inside were shockingly people!
Or rather, Immortals!
Some were in deep slumber.
Others remained awake, their cold, murderous gazes vigilantly scanning the surroundings as they flew through the void, seemingly searching for a way to break free.
Still others were in a state of complete madness, constantly unleashing immortal arts and bombarding everything in existence—even though nothing else existed in their cages besides themselves.
All of these imprisoned True Immortals shared a common trait:
Their bodies were pierced with threads of diverse colors. These colored threads extended from their bodies, connecting them to the outside world.
Yet they did not touch the "borders" of the cages, vanishing midway into the void.
Evidently, the imprisoned True Immortals could not perceive the existence of these threads on their bodies. Only outside observers like Li Fan and his companions could see them clearly.
"These... are immortals?"
After the initial shock, the awe and reverence for immortals in everyone's hearts completely evaporated.
After all, anyone who saw True Immortals—who had previously existed only in legends and imaginations—reduced to such a state in reality would undergo a drastic shift in attitude.
"Separated by immortal cages, of course you cannot feel the terror of a True Immortal.
"If I threw you inside to experience it firsthand, you would understand what 'the might of a True Immortal' means," Qian Ruochang said with a sneer, seeing through the contempt budding in their hearts.
His gaze swept across the group as if he were truly picking someone.
Shaken to the core, everyone hastily straightened their expressions, daring not display any odd reaction.
Instead, they began observing with utmost gravity.
"Boss Qian, these True Immortals have probably been imprisoned for a very long time. Why do they all still appear so spirited and healthy?
"Why is there not the slightest sign of the haggard weakness that comes from long confinement?"
Amid the silence, someone suddenly spoke up.
Qian Ruochang looked toward the speaker, "Ma Tiande," and could not help but nod in approval. "I didn't expect you to see the core of the matter so quickly.
"Very good!
"It isn't that we supply energy to these True Immortals after capturing them. Rather, as True Immortals, their own energy is inherently infinite!" Qian Ruochang said emphatically.
Clearly, the infinite nature of a True Immortal's power was not known to everyone.
Once Qian Ruochang said this, eight or nine out of ten present were astonished.
"Infinite? How is that possible?"
Evidently, the concept of infinity ran completely contrary to everything they had learned and known since childhood.
"A True Immortal's infinite immortal spiritual power originates from an unfathomable region known as the Infinite Sea.
"It exists even beyond the Great Dao. Therefore, not even the core power of the Dao Net can sever the connection between a True Immortal and the Infinite Sea.
"Being able to freely channel the power of the Infinite Sea is precisely what makes True Immortals truly terrifying."
Qian Ruochang pointed to a man sitting cross-legged with closed eyes inside one of the boxes.
"This immortal was among the earliest batch we captured. He has been imprisoned for nearly fifty thousand years.
"Yet his mind remains resolute, without showing the slightest flaw. Although these cages are places of Dao severance where one cannot cultivate or advance realms, this immortal has relied solely on inner comprehension to steadily increase his strength over the years. By now, no one knows just what level he has reached," Qian Ruochang sighed softly.
His tone held both helplessness and admiration.
"Why not simply kill them all!" Jin Changyue, who had mostly remained silent, suddenly spoke up, his killing intent and craving unabashed.
"Heh heh..." Qian Ruochang did not answer, merely letting out an inscrutable laugh.
Li Fan noticed that when Qian Ruochang laughed, his eyes inadvertently drifted toward the multicolored threads piercing the True Immortals.
Recalling the four Nameless True Immortals who served as living foundation stakes, Li Fan thought thoughtfully: *Perhaps the establishment and stability of the Dao Net are inextricably linked to these imprisoned True Immortals as well.*
Li Fan turned to look around.
Clearly, what he saw before him was by no means the entirety of the True Immortals imprisoned within the Dao Net.
In the unseen darkness, countless more "boxes" undoubtedly existed.
"They cannot be killed, nor can their energy supply be cut off...
"If we just let them cultivate like this, might they break out of these cages one day?" Dao Yuan frowned deeply.
A flicker of worry and dread also passed through the eyes of the rest.
These True Immortals had been hunted and captured one after another over time.
If so many imprisoned True Immortals were to lose control simultaneously...
That would truly be an unimaginably horrific catastrophe.
"You need not worry about that.
"Even if they take another step forward, the prison of the Deep Net is not something they can leave whenever they wish." Qian Ruochang was exceedingly confident in the sturdiness of the cages.
"Though I cannot actually let you inside, I can allow you to feel the might of a True Immortal more tangibly and directly.
"Now, whom should I pick..."
Qian Ruochang looked around and browsed, finally selecting an imprisoned True Immortal who appeared completely unthreatening, doing nothing all day but sleeping soundly.
With a gentle wave of his hand, multicolored threads appeared out of thin air before Qian Ruochang, seemingly connected to the inside of the cage.
"Who wants to try?" Qian Ruochang looked at the group.
"I will," Dao Yuan said with full confidence.
Without a word, Qian Ruochang directly attached the multicolored threads to Dao Yuan.
The next moment...
This Shuoxing Sea prodigy began trembling violently, completely unable to control himself.
Chapter 1454