1276 Chapter 1277: A True Immortal Hidden in the Dark Sea 4 months ago

A killing intent so dense it seemed tangible swept toward the Holy Emperor, yet it was dissolved into nothingness by the strands of golden light before him.

Only after Mo Rubin’s fury subsided slightly did Li Ping speak calmly, “I can tell that your anger is not genuine.”

“Still acting in front of me? Or have you played the role so long that even you can no longer tell the difference?”

“Take a look. True anger is like this.”

The Holy Emperor suddenly stepped forward. A powerful force erupted from the tip of his foot and swept outward in all directions. The radiance of the white jade banner pole shook violently like a withered willow in the wind.

Yet once this surging energy left the circle of light and entered the Dark Sea, it rapidly weakened.

Ripples spread across the silent Dark Sea, erasing all disturbances, as if soothing the enraged Holy Emperor.

“I do not need you to teach me. I understand this place better than you!”

Mo Rubin’s figure suddenly appeared behind Li Ping. A shadow lurked beneath the white glow of the jade banner pole like a venomous serpent, baring its fangs at Li Ping’s neck.

Cracks instantly spread across the golden armor on the Holy Emperor’s surface. From the hollow at its center, a black line shot out toward Li Ping’s throat.

Just as it was about to strike, Li Ping raised his hand and blocked it.

Looking at the writhing shadow restrained in his palm, Li Ping said coldly, “Another personality? This one resembles you quite a bit.”

After speaking, he did not crush the ambushing shadow but released it back to Mo Rubin. However, Mo Rubin himself had already abandoned even the white jade banner. Taking advantage of the moment, he vanished from where he stood.

Li Ping shook his head slightly. That earlier kick had not been meaningless. Following the lingering trace of perception, he sped through the Dark Sea in pursuit of Mo Rubin.

Mo Rubin’s direction seemed to be the rift where the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was extracting the power of darkness.

“So you learned some trick and dare to boast in front of me?”

“Do you think I do not know that the Dark Sea contains everything, even a cultivator’s emotions stir ripples and are then swallowed by the darkness?”

“And you claim to see through my heart?”

Dozens of Mo Rubin’s faces floated in the darkness, appearing from time to time, mocking Li Ping.

Their tones differed, but without exception, each dissolved into the Dark Sea after speaking.

Since these demonic faces did not attack, Li Ping ignored them and continued forward at full speed.

The chatter continued.

“What is the real me? I am the number one genius of the Nine Refinements Temple, the one chosen to become an immortal. I am also one of the Twelve Dharma Kings of the Xuantian Sect, assisting Xuanyuan Hong in building the Xuantian Sect and unifying the Xuanhuang Realm.”

“Does that mean I must always show the same face? Must the top genius always be composed? Must a Dharma King always plan before acting?”

“Wrong, wrong, wrong! My laughter and rage are me. My arrogance is me. My unrestrained nature is also me!”

“With an immortal heart commanding demonic faces, I show whatever is needed in the moment.”

“To those acting, I act along. To those in fear, I intimidate. To the wicked, I join them.”

“And for someone like you, a stubborn do-gooder, you deserve to be cursed awake!”

“Who do you think you are? You have not even stepped into the Immortal Realm, yet you dream of saving the world!”

More faces appeared, hurling vicious insults at the Holy Emperor.

Yet his expression did not change at all.

His gaze pierced through layers of darkness. Not far ahead, Mo Rubin’s true face was equally calm.

A surge of the Dark Sea blocked Mo Rubin’s path.

He suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky.

A rift continuously spewed dark power outward in rhythmic bursts, like a heavy heartbeat.

“What a nuisance.”

“With so many parasites dragging things down, how could success ever be achieved?”

Another shadowy face appeared above Li Ping, its tone calm but filled with genuine killing intent.

“I once tried to use the power of the Dark Sea to close that rift, but I was stopped by an eyeball.”

“Does that eyeball belong to the Xuantian King?”

The Holy Emperor stepped beside Mo Rubin and placed a hand on his shoulder, transmitting his voice.

Mo Rubin did not turn around. A face appeared on the back of his head, looking at Li Ping with disdain.

“You think Brother Xuanyuan would do such a thing?”

Li Ping did not react and continued, “Then why can that eyeball control the power of the Dark Sea?”

The face vanished.

“Do you know what the essence of this Dark Sea is?” Mo Rubin asked.

“A formation?” Li Ping answered after a moment of thought.

“How foolish,” Mo Rubin sneered. “The formation is only the surface. What truly creates this gathering of darkness and allows the Xuanhuang Realm to resist the pull from the ruins of the ascension passage is…”

He suddenly paused.

“Do you want to know?” he asked teasingly.

“Yes,” Li Ping replied plainly.

Mo Rubin lost interest and returned to a normal tone.

“Only the power of a True Immortal can oppose a True Immortal.”

“The catastrophe of the Darkest Star Sea was caused by a True Immortal who had attained the Dao. Then the force capable of allowing the Xuanhuang Realm to escape must also come from another True Immortal.”

These words struck like thunder in the Holy Emperor’s mind.

The surrounding darkness seemed to come alive, observing him.

“A True Immortal indeed.”

“But a dead one, correct?” Li Ping calmly asked.

Mo Rubin shrugged. “Talking to smart people is boring.”

“That is right. The entire Dark Sea is formed from the corpse of a True Immortal.”

Li Ping was not surprised.

The Dark Sea could absorb the faith of the You race and convert it into source power essence, yet it did not restrict believers from changing faith.

Once the network of a True Immortal was formed, it existed independently of will. To escape it required power capable of tearing it apart.

The weak You race clearly lacked such strength. The only explanation was that the True Immortal who created it had already died.

“True Immortal,” Li Ping repeated.

“A fallen True Immortal within the Xuanhuang Realm.”

“Remarkable, is it not? A mere lower realm contains the corpse of a True Immortal. Fortunately, it exists, otherwise even Brother Xuanyuan could not have saved the Xuanhuang Realm,” Mo Rubin said with emotion.

Li Ping then explained the existence of the Fallen Immortal Realm.

“Interesting. Someone actually shared the legacy of a True Immortal,” Mo Rubin said, his aura becoming unstable again.

“Hard to imagine someone more foolish than Brother Xuanyuan.”

“He is already dead,” Li Ping added.

Mo Rubin fell silent, then said quietly, “Good. Good that he died…”

Though he said so, there was a trace of sadness.

Li Ping asked, “Is the Xuantian King truly dead?”

Mo Rubin looked at him blankly. “How would I know? Probably not. I am searching for him too.”

He turned away.

“The Dark Sea is built upon the Spirit Gathering Ascension Formation, with the corpse of a True Immortal as its bones and the bloodline of the first Celestial Venerable as its binding.”

“It generates power from nothing, enough to resist a True Immortal.”

“But without a core, it has become nourishment for others.”

“So never die. What if you were a True Immortal in life? After death, even ants can bully you."

Mo Rubin looked toward the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance’s extraction device and sneered.

“Bloodline of the First Great Celestial Venerable?” Li Ping thought of the strange appearance of the You Race and felt a stir in his heart.

“No wonder only these people can communicate with the Dark Sea. However…”

A direct bloodline of a True Immortal, there was no need to think to know how noble it once was. Yet now they had become neither human nor ghost.

Mo Rubin seemed to see through Li Ping’s thoughts and said coldly, “There is no need to pity them. If you had lived in that era and personally experienced how the Great Celestial Venerable bloodline enslaved others…”

“You would probably have been the first to rise in rebellion.”

“If not for Brother Xuanyuan taking action back then and slaughtering all their claws and fangs, these so called superior beings would have continued their tyranny for who knows how long. Becoming what they are now can be considered their karmic retribution.” Mo Rubin sneered coldly.

Li Ping did not continue to argue with him on this matter.

“The Dark Sea is actually formed by relying on the remains of a True Immortal, condensing dark immortal power to resist the Immortal Ruins. Then what exactly is the eye controlled by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance?” he asked softly.

“Immortal Ruins…” Seeming quite dissatisfied with the term, Mo Rubin let out another cold laugh.

However, this time he did not dwell on such details and directly answered Li Ping’s question. “That is merely a magical artifact refined by Brother Xuanyuan back then to control the Dark Sea. After all, he could not watch over this place at all times, and the Dark Sea was too important in the entire escape plan, so he needed us to assist. There were three in total, each entrusted to a different Dharma King.”

“I just do not know whose one the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance currently holds.” A trace of killing intent flashed in Mo Rubin’s words.

Li Ping nodded slightly. “Is there any way to influence that eye artifact’s control over the Dark Sea?”

“If your attainment in formations surpasses even Brother Xuanyuan…”

“Hmm?”

Mo Rubin was about to mock him, but suddenly recalled the level of formation mastery the Holy Emperor had displayed in their previous clash.

The words he was about to say were swallowed back.

“Within the core hub of the Spirit Gathering Ascension Formation, it might be possible to try,” Mo Rubin said.

His gaze moved away from the rift opening in the Dark Sea and turned elsewhere.

Following his gaze, Li Ping said with some admiration, “This formation is indeed extremely mysterious. I consider my formation attainments to be quite high, yet within this darkness I cannot perceive even the slightest trace of formation patterns.”

“That is the effect of the True Immortal corpse,” Mo Rubin bluntly pointed out Li Ping’s mistake. “Without the diffused power of the True Immortal remains, you should be able to.”

The Holy Emperor fell silent.

“Follow me.”

Mo Rubin called out, then after roughly determining the direction, his figure turned into a black line and disappeared into the darkness.

Li Ping followed closely behind.

As they drew closer to the so called core of the Dark Sea, for some unknown reason, a sense of unease suddenly arose in Li Ping’s heart.

Some vague images even flashed through his mind.

Among them was the scene of Mo Rubin reduced to a mere shell, lying quietly within the Dark Sea.

“Wait!”

A chill ran through him, and Li Ping called out to stop Mo Rubin.

“Hm?” Though somewhat dissatisfied, Mo Rubin still paused.

“You had better truly have a reason.”

Ignoring his attitude, Li Ping thought for a moment and then asked, “What kind of power could kill you instantly?”

As if he had heard a very amusing joke, one face after another flew out from Mo Rubin’s body, gathering before Li Ping and shouting noisily.

“Kill me instantly? As long as the demonic heart is not extinguished and the immortal body does not perish, as long as even one personality remains, I will not truly die!”

“Even a True Immortal…”

“A True Immortal should be able to.”

Mo Rubin’s main body suddenly spoke, and all the noisy faces instantly fell silent.

“In fact, with Brother Xuanyuan’s strength, if he struck with preparation against an unprepared target, he could also achieve it.”

Mo Rubin’s main body analyzed calmly.

“I feel that the formation hub ahead is somewhat problematic.”

After hearing Mo Rubin’s conclusion, Li Ping directly voiced his concern. Unexpectedly, Mo Rubin did not refute him this time.

Instead, he said something seemingly unrelated. “The entire Dark Sea is built upon the corpse of a True Immortal.”

“In our era, this place was far less vast than it is now. It seems that over the years, the Great Celestial Venerable bloodline has multiplied quite well.”

“Although recently there is a slight decline, it does not affect the overall situation.”

“Spirit Gathering Ascension, Ascension Gathering Spirit. In fact, this place can also be seen as a masterless True Immortal body that has cultivated on its own for nearly ten thousand years. Inside, it is filled entirely with pure True Immortal power.”

“However, this True Immortal power is cultivated based on the remains of a True Immortal. So in theory, only that deceased True Immortal can use it.”

“In theory.” Mo Rubin repeated the words.

“But there are countless mysterious techniques in this world. Who knows, there might be some method that can break this limitation.”

The Faceless Holy Emperor gazed at the boundless Dark Sea. “Such immense energy. If it could be controlled, it might instantly unleash power comparable to a True Immortal.”

“A child lifting a cauldron will only be crushed to death by it.” Mo Rubin shattered Li Ping’s fantasy.He continued moving toward the core of the Spirit Gathering Ascension Formation.

“I am thinking, is it possible that after being severely injured, Brother Xuanyuan hid here?”

“If there is anyone in the Xuanhuang Realm most likely to absorb the power of this Dark Sea, it would certainly be him.”

It sounded like he was talking to himself, yet also explaining to Li Ping why he insisted on going despite the danger.

“It does not matter. With me here, if we work together, even if we encounter danger, escaping should not be a problem,” Li Ping said calmly as he followed.

“What a fool. That is why good people die early,” Mo Rubin mocked, not appreciating Li Ping’s goodwill.

Li Ping, however, focused his attention on the surroundings.

The darkness here gathered more densely. After learning that this darkness was the power of a True Immortal corpse, Li Ping felt completely different being within it.

What puzzled him, however, was that Cat Treasure, who was usually extremely greedy for immortal level energy, seemed completely unaware of this immense power.

It continued sleeping soundly on his shoulder.

It did not even open its eyes once.

“Interesting.” Li Ping grew more vigilant.

Before long, Mo Rubin stopped.

“This should be the place,” he said while looking around.

“Should be?” Li Ping was puzzled.

Such uncertain words should not come from a Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect.

“Someone has been here. And they have modified the formation.” Mo Rubin’s tone became more serious than ever. Li Ping could even hear a faint trace of anticipation and excitement within it.

However, after circling once, he turned his gaze back toward Li Ping.

"This formation is somewhat complex."

The implication was clear, he wanted the Holy Emperor to help.

Li Ping shook his head slightly. "The power of the True Immortal remains is pervasive. I cannot sense the traces of the formation."

Mo Rubin snorted coldly. "Watch carefully."

A shadowy face suddenly flew out from his body and headed toward Li Ping.

Li Ping did not sense any hostility, so he did not evade.

This shadow demon face of Mo Rubin moved in a rather perverse manner and attached itself onto Li Ping's blank face.

Before he could express his displeasure, Li Ping was already drawn to the magnificent scene that suddenly lit up before his eyes.

The pitch black and silent sea of darkness abruptly shed its mysterious veil.

It revealed its true appearance hidden beneath.

Like thick clouds accumulated in the sky, evolving into various shapes. Clusters of dark power gathered layer upon layer, making Li Ping and Mo Rubin feel as if they were standing high in the heavens within a kingdom of clouds.

These aggregates of dark power drifted slowly yet rapidly. When they drew close to one another, they devoured each other and transformed into new shapes.

At the very center of this sea of darkness, the most ancient dark clouds that had settled for tens of thousands of years emitted an aura that made even Li Ping's heart tremble.

These ancient aggregates resembled terrifying primordial beasts, quietly resting in the depths of the sea of darkness.

"As expected of the power of a True Immortal. The energy contained in each of these clouds, if unleashed, would far exceed a full strike from a Longevity Immortal."

"What immense power." Li Ping exclaimed inwardly.

Li Ping also noticed that the device used by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance to extract dark power was in fact drawing in the drifting clouds scattered throughout the sea.

Moreover, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance seemed able to distinguish the sizes of these clouds, avoiding the larger clusters and targeting mostly the smaller drifting ones.

"Now you see it clearly." Mo Rubin's voice interrupted Li Ping's thoughts.

Li Ping came back to his senses and examined more closely.

Sure enough, he discovered traces of formation patterns around these aggregates.

However, before attempting to break it, Li Ping first asked a question.

"In my previous deduction, the Floating Across Starry Sky Grand Formation consists of four secondary formations."

"The golden chains used to lock onto and capture cultivation worlds beyond the star sea, the Eye of the Heavenly Beast that serves as an observation station, and the Dark Sea used to escape the pull of the Immortal Ruins, also known as the Spirit Gathering Ascension Formation. What is the remaining one?"

With the help of Mo Rubin's demon face, Li Ping stared directly at Mo Rubin's true body.

Mo Rubin shrugged casually. "How would I know?"

"The Floating Across Formation was almost entirely constructed by Brother Xuanyuan. We only had the chance to observe it up close after it was completed. Different Dharma Kings were responsible for different regions. I am only familiar with this area."

Li Ping found no flaws in Mo Rubin's words.

But he did not fully trust him either.

Setting the matter aside, Li Ping focused on analyzing the formation.

After all, he truly wanted to meet the legendary Xuantian King in person.

"This formation has some age. Its style differs somewhat from what is passed down in the Xuanhuang Realm."

"It also shows signs of having been activated. Could there have been a battle here?"

"It can only be considered unusual, not particularly complex. It has not reached the threshold of an immortal level formation."

After observing for a while, Li Ping reached this conclusion.

"Will casting spells here trigger a disturbance in the dark power?" Before breaking the formation, Li Ping cautiously asked.

Mo Rubin sneered. "Have you reached the True Immortal realm? Stop worrying about such things."

"If you could trigger the power of a True Immortal here, the first thing I would do is run."

With that answer, Li Ping had no more concerns.

Hidden formation nodes unfolded before his eyes, interlocking, separating, and recombining.

Before long, Li Fan found the flaw in the formation.

"Go this way."

They entered without triggering any countermeasure.

"That was smooth. You have some skill." Mo Rubin rarely gave praise.

The scene inside the formation appeared no different from before. However, judging by Mo Rubin's expression, they had not gone the wrong way.

"This is the original core hub of the Spirit Gathering Ascension Formation."

Following his words, Li Ping looked around.

The ancient dark power aggregated from outside were absorbed here. They turned into wisps of green smoke and dissipated.

"There is no remaining True Immortal power. The essence lies deeper within the formation." Li Ping pondered.

"Once the power section of the ascension formation is sealed, it cannot be entered again. But the main control area is not sealed."

"Be careful."

Mo Rubin continued inward with familiarity.

Meanwhile, Li Ping moved slowly while observing everything, memorizing every detail of the formation. Although only a small portion was visible, with his current mastery of formations, he could infer the whole from a part.

"Interesting. There are traces of combat."

Mo Rubin suddenly stopped.

He looked toward a corner of the formation. Li Ping also noticed a sword light from the slight damage.

"Longevity Immortal," Li Ping judged, instantly becoming alert.

"And not a weak one," Mo Rubin added.

He then quickened his pace and continued forward.

Visually, their position seemed unchanged.

The ancient aggregates around them remained fixed.

Yet Li Ping clearly felt that, even with the demon face enhancement, the surroundings were growing darker.

"The depths of the Dark Sea."

The familiar suffocating darkness returned.

Compared to the outer region, this darkness was far more oppressive.

Li Ping felt his cultivation being hindered. Even source power essence was affected.

When darkness swallowed the last trace of light and only the demon face allowed faint perception, Li Ping suddenly sensed Mo Rubin stop.

A cold aura spread faintly.

Li Ping approached and saw the reason.

Not far ahead lay a corpse. Or more accurately, an empty shell.

Though it had been dead for an unknown time, its face remained vivid, showing terror and disbelief at the moment of death.

Yet its seemingly intact body was hollow inside.

Nothing remained.

"Longevity Immortal," Mo Rubin communicated.

"And his clothing looks familiar."

Killing intent arose in him.

"Grand Dao Sect, Fang Dingge."

After careful observation, Li Ping identified him from the Genesis Stone Tablet records.

"So this is the place."

His vigilance rose to an unprecedented level.

"Who?" Mo Rubin asked briefly.

"A sect master of the Grand Dao Sect thousands of years after your era, during the great calamity."

"Six Longevity Immortals joined forces to hunt down the Immortal Ancestor, the founder of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. All vanished without a trace. The Immortal Ancestor survived."

"At that time, he was only at Dao Integration."

Li Ping explained briefly.

"Six died here?" Mo Rubin lost his composure.

He stepped back slightly, expression grave.

"I hope it is not what I think," he muttered.

"Did the Immortal Ancestor used power of Spirit Gathering Ascension Formation to kill those six Longevity cultivators?”?" Li Ping asked.

"If that were the case, it would be the best outcome."

Mo Rubin's voice turned low.

“I’m more afraid that the remains of that True Immortal… might come back to life.”