My Longevity Simulation Chapter 1098: Surge of the Dark Tide

Observing the strange reactions of the You Clan members in front of him, Li Fan stayed calm and unruffled. He disregarded their overwhelming dread and compelled them to finish the initiation oath right before the statue of the Faceless True Immortal.

It was only once they had settled down that Li Fan asked about the source of their fright.

The You Clan leader shook as he replied. After quite some time, he finally articulated: “We’ve never been lucky enough to gaze upon the True Immortal statue until now. Yet the instant we did, every one of our clansmen felt an overwhelming terror deep in our instincts.”

“We dwell in endless night all year, and our forms have grown accustomed to that peculiar setting. We can withstand regular daylight for a brief period, but when facing the True Immortal statue...”

“It’s akin to a blazing light erupting in total void, a thousandfold more intense than the sun overhead, bursting forth without warning.”

Though the You Clan leader’s explanation stuttered along, Li Fan grasped what he meant.

Much like how ordinary folks would tremble in horror at the brink of a chasm, the You Clan folks experienced sheer panic upon beholding the Faceless True Immortal statue, as though confronting an imminent peril.

However, the True Immortal’s network remained shapeless and elusive. Even Li Fan, serving as the Faceless True Immortal’s representative in the Xuanhuang Realm, might not perceive it without direct ties.

In stark opposition, every single You Clan individual here, including the infants, without fail, detected the True Immortal’s influence.

“This must tie directly to the darkness power they command.”

Afterward, Li Fan drew from the You Clan leader their insights into the darkness.

The You Clan folks were once ordinary humans too.

From the old tales handed down in their group, back in antiquity, their realm boasted clear blue heavens, fluffy white clouds, and radiant sunbeams.

Then one fateful day, the sun dipped below the horizon and failed to return.

Desperate cries echoed through the gloom, but no salvation arrived.

Most souls faded away into the eternal dark.

The survivors, every last one, had been chosen by the darkness power.

As the darkness power wore away and reshaped them, their bodies underwent profound shifts.

They turned into headless abominations, their senses shoved onto their torsos.

In reality, the You Clan didn’t grasp the true nature of the dark power. They revered it merely as their only lifeline, a fearsome deity of ruin that doomed the everyday realm, sending forth chants and supplications.

And this dark power, as though grasping their pleas, would genuinely answer and aid them.

The You Clan believed they hadn’t conquered the dark power; instead, it stemmed from the benevolence of the mighty God of Darkness.

...

The account from the You Clan leader clashed with the briefing from Dharma-Transmitter Zhou.

These You Clan members were plainly born in the Dark Realm, but Dharma-Transmitter Zhou described them as just a unique band who’d uncovered and harnessed the Dark Realm’s power.

On a small point like this, Dharma-Transmitter Zhou had no motive to mislead him.

“Evidently, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s unearthing of the Dark Realm wasn’t as straightforward as she made it seem.”

A sharp chill gleamed in Li Fan’s eyes.

Following that, he mulled over how this darkness power took shape.

“Through prayer, followed by waiting for a reply?”

“That explains why the ceremony to breach the Dark Realm passage includes chants and movements.”

Li Fan’s eyes shimmered briefly.

He was quite familiar with forces that echoed a cultivator’s inner desires in such a manner.

The golden Source Power Essence: the leftover might cast off by True Immortals in their quest for the Dao’s origin. It went by the name of the Flower of the Dao.

“Given that they resonate with one another, a link must exist between them.”

Based on the You Clan leader’s description, while the darkness power only solidifies in their native land, it pervades the whole Xuanhuang Realm everywhere. It just lacks a fixed shape, eluding detection by most. Still, via unique rituals of prayer and summoning, barriers across minor realms can be bridged to draw its strength.

With Li Fan watching closely, the You Clan leader adopted a pious look and murmured ancient verses softly.

He directed an assault at a savage creature up ahead, a mix of lion and tiger in form.

This lion-tiger hybrid was a fresh creation from the empire’s breeding: its body tough as iron. A maximum blow from a typical Foundation Establishment cultivator could barely scratch it.

But a truly uncanny sight emerged.

Out of nowhere, the mighty lion-tiger beast toppled over, its legs buckling as it hit the earth.

Terror filled its gaze; it flailed futilely to stand.

Yet under it, an unseen swamp appeared to hold it fast. Innumerable grasps from the sludge yanked at it without mercy.

Before Li Fan’s very eyes, the lion-tiger beast sank gradually into the shadows.

Not a single bone was left behind.

Throughout the ordeal, Li Fan never truly “perceived” the darkness’s form.

But the lion-tiger beast had unquestionably disappeared in plain view.

Li Fan scrutinized the spot where the darkness had struck: no remnants of energy remained.

“It arrives and departs traceless, utterly unpredictable.” Li Fan rubbed his jaw, sinking into contemplation.

At the same time, the You Clan group shut their eyes once more in unified reverence, beseeching.

“Evidently, only they can provoke a reaction from the darkness via this prayer. Regular folks, even copying the motions exactly, fail to call forth the dark power.”

“That tracks. Only after pledging to our Federation of All Worlds, vowing before the True Immortal Image, and weaving into the True Immortal’s web can I sense their prayer. Likely, the darkness power has its own hidden mesh.”

Li Fan mused quietly: “Thus, the crux is finding a way to connect to this web without getting consumed by the darkness.”

In the Dark Realm, the odd condition of Mo Su’s remains lingered vividly in memory. Simple touch had wrought such havoc. It was tough to fathom enduring if one’s flesh and spirit plunged fully into the gloom.

Then, Li Fan commanded his loyal deathsworn to try mimicking the dark communion, verifying his theory.

They dissolved silently, devoured by the darkness: neither life nor death left behind.

Furthermore, calling the darkness power often in quick succession appeared to spark faint alterations.

As ruler of the Spiritwood Realm, Li Fan vaguely felt the whole domain darken for a split second.

After checking with the You Clan leader, Li Fan realized it wasn’t his imagination.

Indeed, the darkness was beginning to drift toward this location.

Li Fan promptly stopped the tests for now.

Through extended talks with diverse You Clan members, Li Fan at last pieced together a broad picture of the darkness power’s status in the Xuanhuang Realm.

It resembled a vast sea of shadow amassed on the “far side” of the Xuanhuang.

Though anchored by some enigmatic spatial bind, the darkness’s natural tendency to spread let it leak now and then through any “gaps,” infiltrating the Xuanhuang and sundry minor realms alike.

Such breaches would eventually flow back to the Dark Realm.

This endless loop created patterns like “ebbs and flows.”