Dissecting a True Immortal Corpse Alive

Dao Yuan looked as though he had plunged into an utterly horrific nightmare, his face deathly pale and cold sweat drenching his body. Fortunately, Qian Ruochang did not force Dao Yuan to endure the might of a True Immortal for too long. After just a few breaths, he pulled the threads away. Even so, Dao Yuan's expression remained stricken with terror and his eyes wild with dread; it took quite a while before he recovered his wits. "Could it really be that bad...?" muttered many under their breath upon witnessing this. Yet once Qian Ruochang connected the threads to each of their bodies in turn, not a single person doubted it anymore. Dao Yuan had at least managed to hold his ground, which was already among the best performances of the lot. Those less resilient collapsed limply to the floor on the spot, trembling uncontrollably. Not a few suffered complete mental breakdowns, weeping and wailing for their parents. Seeing these so-called prodigies behave so disgracefully, Qian Ruochang showed no surprise or annoyance. In fact, he had deliberately selected one of the "dangerous elements" among the imprisoned True Immortals specifically to give these newcomers a proper fright. Unlike the others' genuine reactions, Li Fan's performance was naturally faked. Never mind a True Immortal; Li Fan had witnessed with his own eyes mighty existences capable of spanning across possibilities. Naturally, he would not be frightened into losing his composure. However, the slumbering True Immortal Qian Ruochang had forced the novice Immortal Hunters to face was indeed somewhat peculiar. He seemed capable of sensing the multicolored threads inserted into his body, and through them, peering out into the world beyond. Consequently, when the novice Immortal Hunters connected to the threads, the first thing they confronted was the True Immortal's gaze. A pair of cold, indifferent eyes looked down from on high. It felt as if they could see through everything deep within one's divine soul, leaving no secret hidden in the innermost depths of the heart. Even one's life and death seemed to rest entirely in the hands of the eyes' master. *No wonder they reacted like this. This wasn't merely facing a True Immortal; it was being subjected to the minute scrutiny of a True Immortal, a higher-order life-form, at every single moment...* *Still, aren't they afraid that the prisoner might glean a way to escape from the minds of those outside?* Li Fan subtly glanced toward Qian Ruochang. Yet Qian Ruochang maintained the look of someone enjoying a good show, utterly devoid of any such worry. Li Fan then turned his gaze toward the square containing the True Immortal—the cage known as the "Place of Dao Extinction." Although the imprisoned True Immortals in the squares appeared to be in the same space as the crowd, what manifested before their eyes was clearly just an image representing the cages' existence. *The only places in the mortal world truly worthy of being called Dao-extinct are the Annihilation Lands baptized by the Dao Annihilation Tribulation. Could it be that the Shuoxing Sea Immortal Hunters actually use the Annihilation Lands as cages? But how do these threads pass through the Annihilation Lands?* Within the core of the Deep Net lay far too many unknown, classified secrets. All Qian Ruochang permitted them to see was this single shimmering thread and the countless square cages attached around it. Li Fan could glean no further information. In the dim Deep Net, time lost all meaning. Everyone was forced through various exercises to confront one imprisoned True Immortal after another. No matter how vast the disparity, after enduring such relentless baptism, everyone gradually grew somewhat numb. Only those True Immortals with the most perilous auras could still stir a faint trace of dread within them. As for ordinary True Immortals, they could treat them with relative composure. Qian Ruochang seemed quite satisfied with their rate of progress. On this day, he finally halted the game of constantly plugging and unplugging the threads. "Very good. It seems you've all finally grown barely accustomed to the existence of 'immortals.'" "Next is the final test in this place." "Pass it, and we can officially begin weaving the net to catch an immortal." That meaningful smile reappeared on Qian Ruochang's face once more. Every Immortal Hunter present felt their heart skip a beat. And Qian Ruochang's following words left them with expressions of utter disbelief. "The test of this final stage is to dissect the corpse of a True Immortal with your own hands!" His voice fell upon their ears like a crack of thunder. The threads connecting the numerous squares faded into the darkness. A few breaths later, light emerged once more. Accompanying it was a tall, towering figure standing upright. The abyssal, sea-like aura emanating from the figure made everyone's breath catch in their throats, leaving them unprepared and terrified to make the slightest move. When they looked around, Qian Ruochang, who had been right beside them all along, had vanished without a trace at some unknown moment! Only then did they recall the test Qian Ruochang had spoken of. Dissecting a True Immortal corpse alive... The area fell into an eerie silence. Even though they understood the objective, no one dared—or was easily able—to make a move! The figure standing before them was called a corpse, but in truth, it was barely distinguishable from the imprisoned True Immortals they had previously faced. The True Immortal's face was impossible to see clearly, yet everyone present felt the figure quietly gazing at them. Even just that faint gaze weighing upon them felt as heavy as a mountain! Getting used to the existence of a True Immortal, and retaining the ability to move freely under a True Immortal's gaze—let alone drawing a blade against one—were two completely different things. The True Immortal's corpse stood right there. Who among them dared draw a blade to dissect it? Li Fan naturally had the courage, but he had no intention of being the bird that stuck its neck out. After a long, deathly silence, someone finally gritted their teeth and snapped, "No matter how strong it was in life, in death it's nothing more than a corpse! What is there to fear?!" With that, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he charged straight at the True Immortal's corpse. Li Fan narrowed his eyes, offering a silent moment of grief in advance for this cultivator named Feng Zengyuan. A True Immortal's corpse was fundamentally different from an ordinary corpse in the mortal sense. Even the mere will to survive of a True Immortal had been enough to instantly slaughter several Longevity realm experts of the Xuanhuang Realm, let alone an intact True Immortal corpse. Sure enough. Before Feng Zengyuan could even reach the True Immortal's side, the towering shadow seemed to violently expand several times over. After swallowing Feng Zengyuan whole, it returned to its original form in the blink of an eye. The True Immortal's corpse still stood there silently and majestically. Yet Feng Zengyuan was nowhere to be seen. A chill ran down everyone's spines, and they instinctively shot backward. "Isn't he dead?! How can he still lash out and harm people?!" "Look, didn't that figure become clearer? Doesn't it look a bit like Feng Zengyuan?" "What's going on?! We've clearly retreated so far back, so why hasn't the distance between us and the True Immortal corpse grown? It's actually getting closer?!" ... Panic spread through the crowd. Even though they had undergone "adaptation" and theoretical instruction, now that they were stripped of Qian Ruochang's protection and faced with a True Immortal corpse capable of harming them at any second, they inevitably fell into disarray. However, there were standouts among them who remained undaunted in the face of peril. "We can't keep stalling like this. Otherwise, there's no telling who will end up being dissected!" Jiang Yuming said in a deep voice. "We are destined to slaughter True Immortals in the future. What fear is there in a mere corpse?" Jin Changyue finally opened her tightly shut eyes. To be precise, they were triple pupils. At this moment, it was as if three distinct personalities resided within Jin Changyue's body. One was enraged, one was sorrowful, and one was empty. The three swords behind her unsheathed with a resounding ring. Three dazzling sword lights illuminated the dim space. The previously indistinct corpse of the True Immortal was revealed in full. Its pale face looked completely identical to Qian Ruochang, who had brought them here! Even the sinister, charming smile plastered across its face was a mirror image. The two smiles overlapped seamlessly in everyone's minds. "What's going on? Could Boss Qian have met with misfortune?" The smile Qian Ruochang had left behind before vanishing caused everyone's minds to spin with uncontrollable speculation, throwing their spirits into total turmoil. "Playing trickster spirits!" Jin Changyue barked sharply, her fury rising rather than abating. The three sword lights merged into one. And plunged into the center of the True Immortal's brow. A single drop of blood seeped from between its brows. The furious Jin Changyue moved to execute another sword technique, but a flash of radiance enveloped her body, and she vanished without a trace. After a moment of stunned silence, Dao Yuan, Jiang Yuming, and Nangong Hongzhao came to their senses and unleashed their strongest divine abilities toward the True Immortal's corpse. Li Fan did the same. However, even as he drew upon the power of the Dao Net to conjure a dagger, he did not forget to call out in a loud voice, "Brothers, do not panic! Jin Changyue must have completed the test and been safely teleported out! All we need to do is leave a wound on the True Immortal corpse!" The illusory dagger struck first despite being launched later, appearing directly before the face of the True Immortal's corpse. Slashing horizontally, it cut open along the corner of the mouth. The smile—identical to the suggestive grin Qian Ruochang had left behind—was instantly ruined by Li Fan. Freed from the psychological barrier in their hearts, the crowd snapped awake as if from a dream and unleashed everything they had. Having completed the dissection of the True Immortal corpse, Li Fan was teleported out a step ahead of the rest. Ranking second only to Jin Changyue. Shortly after, the figures of Dao Yuan, Nangong, and the others materialized one by one. "Brother Ma, how were you able to channel the power of the Dao Net just now?" Dao Yuan asked, deeply perplexed. "None of us could sense the presence of the Dao Net in there, which forced us to use our own divine abilities to dissect the corpse." Jiang Yuming's brow was also tightly furrowed as he stared intently at Li Fan. Hearing this, Li Fan expressed endless astonishment. "What are you two talking about? We are right at the core of the Dao Net. How could there be no power of the Dao Net around us?" This counter-question left both of them speechless. They wanted to say more, but as more and more people completed the test and were teleported out, it was no longer appropriate to continue. Li Fan had called out to remind everyone earlier and had even ruined the terrifying visage of the True Immortal corpse. He had clearly done the latecomers a tremendous favor. One after another, they expressed their gratitude to Li Fan. This commotion was only broken when Qian Ruochang reappeared. "You, you, you..." "You performed quite well. As for the rest, you barely passed," Qian Ruochang said, pointing to the first five who had emerged—Jin Changyue, Li Fan, Dao Yuan, and the others. "I hope that when you hunt the True Immortal, you can maintain such tacit understanding and mutual assistance." These words were directed straight at Li Fan. Li Fan maintained a solemn expression and cupped his hands. "This junior shall keep it firmly in mind." Qian Ruochang gave a cold snort. Around everyone, light and shadow shifted continuously. It felt like swimming rapidly up to shore from deep waters; in an instant, they returned from the Deep Net to the normal territory of the Shuoxing Sea. "I have already selected the bait." "Now, I will take you to set the trap." Traveling at high speed with the aid of the Dao Net, the group arrived at the border of the Shuoxing Sea in the blink of an eye. Before them, what everyone saw was an expanse of darkness. A place utterly bereft of life. It was precisely the direction from which Li Fan had come—the Annihilation Lands! They traveled along a narrow stellar region of vitality for nearly half a day until they completely left the area covered by the Dao Net, reemerging in physical reality. "Boss Qian, are we making our move here?" Even Jin Changyue, normally brimming with confidence, was filled with doubt. Qian Ruochang pointed ahead. "No, no. Even further out!" "Without the Dao Net, how could we possibly be a match for Immortal Wu?!" The crowd grew frantic. "Who said there is no Dao Net? Aren't we carrying the Dao Beyond Dao with us?" Reminded by Qian Ruochang, everyone finally realized. Looking back the way they had come, Li Fan indeed saw a faint, shimmering mini Dao Net. It was as though the refraction of the projected light had shifted, infinitely stretching the shadow of this Dao Net. Extending all the way out past the reach of the true Dao Net. Connected to the true Dao Net by only a single Dao string. "This Immortal Wu is cunning and deceitful. Trying to capture him within the Dao Net is truly difficult beyond measure." "However, outside the Dao Net, on ground that originally belongs to True Immortals, his guard will be lowered considerably." "Let's move. We need to go in deeper, to a place where he will feel completely safe." As Qian Ruochang spoke, he continued leading everyone deeper into the Annihilation Lands. Within the Annihilation Lands, places where vitality still lingered were few and far between. The route was virtually identical to the path leading to the High Wall of the Pitch-Black Star Sea. It was so similar that Li Fan even began to suspect their destination lay within the High Wall itself. Fortunately, Qian Ruochang did not seem to know of the High Wall's existence. He bypassed the location of the High Wall and continued pressing deeper into the Annihilation Lands. Only when they reached a cramped, circular stellar region of vitality did he finally stop. Three-quarters of this region's perimeter had already been baptized by the Dao Annihilation Tribulation. It remained connected to the outside world solely via a narrow passageway spanning the remaining quarter. Qian Ruochang seemed quite familiar with this place. Within this stellar region, he actually located an expanse of adrift, wandering ruins. "Let me see... this should be the place, no mistake." Qian Ruochang drew several pieces of gravel from the ground into his hand, examined them closely, and muttered under his breath. "First, deploy the Dao Beyond Dao." He turned and ordered, then continued scouring the ruined ground for more such stones. Li Fan appeared to be carrying out the Dao Net's instructions with utmost seriousness and focus, just like everyone else. In truth, his attention trailed Qian Ruochang, wandering across these ruins. He was not using the consciousness of this body belonging to Ma Tiande. Rather, he employed the power of the Dream Paradise present in this stellar region. This place lay close to the Pitch-Black Star Sea, Li Fan's current base of operations. Naturally, it fell under the coverage of the Dream Paradise. *These are just ordinary ruins. What mystery could they possibly hold to attract Immortal He Gan?* Li Fan felt a twinge of doubt. Yet Qian Ruochang soon provided the answer. For when Qian Ruochang returned from making a circuit, he scattered a pile of gravel onto the ground. The faint aura emanating from the stones struck Li Fan as somewhat familiar. *Is this... the Immortal Realm's Immortal Ascension Platform?* *Not the one in the Immortal Ruins above the Xuanhuang Realm.* *Rather, it survived from another stellar region.* Qian Ruochang slammed both hands violently down upon the pile of gravel before him. In an instant, the stones turned to fine powder. Then, shrouded in radiant light, the powder transformed and evolved into an octagonal, four-sided pavilion.