Chapter 919

Chapter 919: Realm of Darkness

Xu Fan pointed to the area between the two Giant Cities.

Pang Fu looked at where Xu Fan was pointing, glancing left and right, but he couldn’t find anything special about it.

Beside them, Zhang Xueling’s expression shifted slightly.

"Does this place have any unique features, like celestial spirit affinity, location, resources, or even nearby wild cities?" Pang Fu asked.

"Hiding in the most ordinary places makes it harder for others to notice."

"Later, I’ll set up a teleportation formation connecting to Golden City, completely sealing off Hidden Spirit Island’s location," Xu Fan said with a smile.

At that moment, Hidden Spirit Island, which had been sailing smoothly, suddenly trembled and plunged into darkness.

"We are passing through the Realm of Darkness; it will take approximately three days," Grape’s voice announced.

Hidden Spirit Island was now enveloped by a pure black protective formation, ensuring no light from the island escaped.

"Did the higher-ups mention that there are dark celestial beasts here? Is that true?" Xu Fan asked, reviewing the data on the Realm of Darkness.

"When we first entered, we detected traces of celestial beasts in the Realm of Darkness. Should we capture one for you to examine, Master?" Grape suggested.

"No, let’s just hurry and leave this place," Xu Fan shook his head.

Suddenly, a sword light shot out from the darkness and struck the protective shield of Hidden Spirit Island with a heavy blow.

A crack formed under the sword mark, spreading from the point of impact.

"Golden Immortal!" Xu Fan frowned.

A black shadow wielding an Immortal Sword appeared atop the Hidden Spirit Sect’s shield.

"Even a Golden Immortal can be captured by the Realm of Darkness," Xu Fan sighed.

According to the data, the Realm of Darkness was a forbidden zone for true immortals. Those who ventured too deep would eventually become mindless puppets trapped within it.

Only those above true immortals could navigate the Realm of Darkness safely.

The shadow on the shield vanished, and another sword light slashed toward Hidden Spirit Island.

Another crack appeared on the shield.

"Master, there are very few Golden Immortal puppets in the Realm of Darkness; the chances of encountering one are extremely low," Grape whispered.

"So, does that mean we hit the jackpot?" Xu Fan said, eyeing the crack left by the sword light.

Hidden Spirit Island could withstand this level of attack for decades, though it would consume a fair amount of Immortal Jade.

"Speed up, don’t pay it any mind~"

"Understood, Master~"

The sword light continued until Hidden Spirit Island was nearly out of the Realm of Darkness.

However, just as the island was about to fully emerge, another sword light struck.

This time, the attack was powerful enough to shatter the first layer of the shield and strike the third layer.

After the sword light faded, a space ring embedded itself into the defensive array of Hidden Spirit Island.

Xu Fan waved his hand lightly, and the space ring appeared in his palm.

"Is this supposed to be compensation?" Xu Fan chuckled.

He emptied the contents of the space ring.

A glowing jade slip floated in front of Xu Fan as if it had a mind of its own.

He tapped the jade slip gently, and its contents projected into the air.

It turned out that the Golden Immortal who wielded the Immortal Sword had been chased into the Realm of Darkness, severely injured and unconscious, becoming a puppet of the darkness.

But just before becoming a puppet, in a brief moment of clarity, he had set up a contingency plan.

"Wan Sheng Immortal Sect, Sword Peak, 67th generation Senior Brother, Xie Wuhen."

"And a lovely Junior Sister, who traveled through the Immortal Realm and found an opportunity. After obtaining it, she was ambushed and badly injured, then entered the Realm of Darkness."

"All I ask is to deliver his token to the Wan Sheng Immortal Sect and inform them of the situation. Someone will surely reward you generously," Xu Fan said, reading the jade slip.

"Trying to pull tricks like this in front of a great master of formations?"

Xu Fan took the token from Xie Wuhen’s space ring and immediately activated a sealing formation, trapping it inside.

"With such little skill, you still think you can pull off a possession and rebirth?"

The token contained a wisp of true spirit. If the right person touched it, it would trigger divine favor and release the true spirit for possession.

The story about the Wan Sheng Immortal Sect and Xie Wuhen was all fake, just a ploy to lower their guard.

Xu Fan initially thought of storing the token in his treasury.

But then he figured, since he had some free time, why not have a little fun?

Xu Fan stepped forward and entered a small world where Spirit Trees grew.

He tossed 100 Immortal Jade coins at the roots of a Spirit Tree.

"Help me cultivate a body suitable for possession—an asexual body without spirit roots," Xu Fan instructed.

The Spirit Tree swayed gently, and glowing fruits quickly formed, growing larger and larger.

Finally, the fruit split open, and a featureless body fell to the ground.

Xu Fan took the sealed token and guided the wisp of true spirit into the body.

Before long, the body slowly opened its eyes.

It looked around and finally fixed its gaze on Xu Fan.

"Please, friend, spare my life!"

The body shamelessly knelt down and started kowtowing to Xu Fan.

"Spare your life? I’m just bored. Tell me your story."

In the blink of an eye, the world spun, and they appeared in Xu Fan’s courtyard.

The body was now dressed in a plain Dao robe.

"I planned to send the space ring out of the Realm of Darkness, but you ended up finding it," the body said.

"Fate’s a funny thing. Now I’m at your mercy," the body sighed.

"Your plan wasn’t bad; you just had the bad luck of running into me."

"Now, let’s get to the point. Tell me your tragic tale," Xu Fan said, looking at him with a hint of amusement.

"The Wan Sheng Immortal Sect is fake, but my identity as a Golden Immortal is real. I’m Luo Sheng from the Illusionary Immortal Sect," the body admitted.

"My friend and I were chased into the Realm of Darkness. He was badly injured, and in a desperate attempt to survive, I sealed my true spirit in this token," Luo Sheng explained.

"Why were you chased? Was it over some treasure or opportunity?" Xu Fan asked, intrigued.

"We found a secret realm of celestial spirits—the place where the Great Luo Sage fell. Inside, we discovered a postnatal Spiritual Treasure, the Red Feather Bloodlight Map."

"The treasure sealed itself, and we couldn’t break the formation. We had to find a great master of formations from outside to crack it."

"But as soon as we left the secret realm, we ran into our enemies and were chased into the Realm of Darkness," Luo Sheng said, looking defeated.

It was a straightforward story, and Xu Fan couldn’t find any holes in it.

But under Xu Fan’s amused gaze, Luo Sheng began to falter.

"Everything I’ve said is true, friend. I can even tell you the location of the secret realm of celestial spirits," Luo Sheng insisted earnestly.

"This story doesn’t satisfy me."

"Besides, your storytelling skills are lacking. Come back when you’ve thought it through."

Xu Fan sipped his tea, eyeing Luo Sheng.

Luo Sheng was just a Golden Immortal, and his lack of awe when mentioning the postnatal Spiritual Treasure was telling. Even the name sounded uninspired.

So, Xu Fan treated it as nothing more than a little tale to pass the time.