My Longevity Simulation Chapter 1099: Stealing Darkness to Seek a Chance for Survival

"Begging more often for the power of darkness only widens the cracks it forms. This raises the odds of the darkness breaking through even higher."

Li Fan methodically broke down the traits of the power of darkness.

It's easy to picture that without the hidden force holding back the ocean of darkness, the entire Xuanhuang Realm would have been riddled with countless breaches from this surging dark tide long before now.

"The Immortal Ruins' emergence birthed the ocean of darkness. So what unseen force quietly dissolves this looming disaster without drawing any attention?"

Reflecting deeper on Mo Rubin's frantic push into the Dark Realm, Li Fan grew nearly convinced that traces tied to the Xuantian King lingered within.

Maybe just echoes of his lingering might.

Or possibly...

The man himself.

From the You Clan, Li Fan picked out three youthful members and instructed them to pass on the ceremonies for linking with the power of darkness, each in their own way.

Next, Li Fan brought the You Clan leader along with over a dozen robust clansmen, departing the Spiritwood Realm.

Since the dark tide's presence invites assaults from the power of darkness, Li Fan naturally avoided performing the ritual right in his own territory.

Luckily, he was aware of plenty of deserted minor realms.

After half a day, Li Fan chose an appropriate one and slipped in undetected.

This minor realm lacked any ground level.

Instead, it featured vast subterranean tunnels without end. Faint illumination came solely from sporadic luminescent fungi clinging to the tunnel walls.

It proved fairly ideal as a dwelling for the You Clan.

With Fang Zaiji's prompting, the You Clan leader commenced the ceremony to unlock the gateway to the Dark Realm.

Once done, Li Fan commanded him to guide the path ahead.

Li Fan trailed right after, joined hand-in-hand by Tianyang, Master Qiaogong, Liu Ruchen, and Fang Zaiji—the five of them gripping firmly and staying close.

They plunged back into the vast, shadowy domain.

Li Fan had grown somewhat accustomed by now.

Yet Master Qiaogong and his companions displayed clear signs of strain and dread radiating from their forms.

Despite prior warnings and thorough mental readiness.

Plunging fully into the experience still proved tough to endure without those feelings stirring.

United as a single chain, the team exchanged thoughts through divine sense.

"Do you detect any trace of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance folks in this place?"

Li Fan questioned the You Clan leader.

He responded in the negative.

"The power of darkness runs too deep. Even we who've dwelled here ages struggle to perceive our surroundings. On top of that, I've been away from home for quite some time. Give me a moment to readjust, Lord Emissary..."

At those words, Li Fan fixed him with a sharp, suspicious glare.

Thankfully, it turned out to be mere paranoia on his part.

Soon enough, the You Clan leader pinpointed a general bearing.

"Stick with me. Just up ahead lies our old settlement. If the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance has planted their base here, they'd pick that spot without question."

Through the gloom, they pressed on for an indefinite stretch.

The You Clan leader came to an abrupt halt.

"Sure enough, intruders are present—and not a small number. The sea of darkness stirs with wild ripples because of it." He informed Li Fan and the rest, his voice thick with resentment.

That's when Li Fan realized.

The strange throbbing he'd picked up from Mo Rubin's remains during their last visit had faded away.

And overhead in the blackness, no sense of orientation was possible at all.

"Looks like our only option is to probe for hints at the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance's outpost."

Li Fan mused inwardly.

"Any idea on the count of people in there?"

The You Clan leader probed briefly.

"Around five, I'd say. Their power levels match this one's..."

He meant Liu Ruchen from their midst.

"You can really gauge our cultivation levels?" Fang Zaiji inquired, intrigued.

"Out in the open, no way. But here in the sea of darkness, it's child's play for us You Clan folk." The You Clan leader replied, a touch of arrogance in his voice.

"Think of it like varying weights of items displacing water differently. He must pick it up that way." Master Qiaogong stared out into the infinite shadows encircling them and clarified.

Fang Zaiji got it then.

"Can you make out what those Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance cultivators are up to?" Li Fan pressed, brow furrowed.

"We'd need to edge a little nearer."

After a brief consideration, Li Fan consented: "Don't push too hard. This isn't the moment to square off head-on against the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance."

Having clashed with the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance in the past, the You Clan leader grasped full well the dread of their prowess.

He nodded in agreement, then crept forward gradually toward the activity ahead.

"This is..."

"How dare they!"

The You Clan leader's feelings surged wildly all of a sudden.

Good thing they were deep in the Dark Sea, keeping them hidden from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance group.

The You Clan leader relayed the vision he perceived.

A handful of pale figures arranged in a ring.

At the heart of their formation swirled a tiny whirlpool of shadowy essence.

The whirlpool stayed minuscule, barely shy of palm-sized.

Its shape struck as odd too, with the core tilting skyward, bucking the norm of typical vortices encountered daily.

Still, the cluster of Dao Integration cultivators from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance watching over it appeared wound tight with alert.

"What exactly is that?" Fang Zaiji wondered aloud, puzzled.

"They're plundering the mighty power of darkness!" the You Clan leader spat through clenched jaws.

Li Fan and his allies all jolted at the revelation.

"Despite the Dark Sea's own barriers, these vile pilferers can't be held back!" The You Clan leader burned to charge in right then and halt the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance's scheme.

Thankfully, sanity held him back, limiting it to words rather than rash moves.

"What are your views on this?"

Gazing at the mental image, Li Fan sought input from the team.

"The darkness power strays from the Immortal Ruins. It's obvious the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance craves more than the scant leaks during tides; they're after bulk extraction of dark power."

"Looks like they couldn't hold back from chasing a way out of the Immortal Ruins after all."

Liu Ruchen, absorbing the relayed info from Li Fan, let out a quiet sigh.

"I'm just unsure what trick they pulled to form that vortex. No way they fed it a whole minor realm to lure the darkness power, right..." Fang Zaiji remarked offhand.

The moment the words left him, he froze in realization.

"Wouldn't rule it out. A minor realm holds no real worth anyway. If sacrificing it pulls in this much darkness power, it's a bargain," Master Qiaogong stated assuredly.

"Lord Emissary, why not mirror the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance's approach?" He went as far as proposing Li Fan try it too.

"I've got a hunch that blending this darkness power with source power essence on immortal puppets could elevate them to genuine True Immortal Puppets." Master Qiaogong's words dripped with zealous excitement.

Though Li Fan harbored akin ideas, he held off on endorsing it outright.

Instead, he queried the You Clan leader about detecting any leftover traces of fallen cultivators' bodies nearby.

"Eh? If Lord Emissary hadn't brought it up, it'd have slipped my notice."

"Though this doesn't feel like a full corpse."

"More akin to a hollow husk."