zhè xiē shī tǐ dōu bèi bīng fēng zài dàn lán sè de tòu míng bīng jīng lǐ 。
这些尸体都被冰封在淡蓝色的透明冰晶里。
These corpses were all encased in translucent ice crystals of a pale blue hue.
tòu guò bīng jīng ， yī xī hái néng kàn dào zhè xiē shī tǐ liǎn shàng shēng qián zuì hòu de biǎo qíng 。
透过冰晶，依稀还能看到这些尸体脸上生前最后的表情。
Through the ice, one could faintly make out the expressions on their faces from their last moments—anger, fear, and confusion. The lifelike expressions seemed as if they had just passed away.
fèn nù 、 kǒng jù 、 yí huò ……
愤怒、恐惧、疑惑……
The dense array of ice crystal coffins filled the entire field, covering the vast expanse of black sea. Even those who had achieved union with dao felt shaken upon seeing this scene. They were left speechless and visibly unsettled by it.
xǔ xǔ rú shēng ， jiù xiàng tā men hái huó zhe yī yàng 。
栩栩如生，就像他们还活着一样。
Shocked into silence, one of them, Zhi Gongchuan, a union-with-dao cultivator, couldn't help but ask, "What... exactly is this place?"
mì mì má má de bīng jīng guān cái ， chōng chì zhe zhěng gè shì yě 、 bù mǎn zhěng piàn hēi sè hǎi yáng 。
密密麻麻的冰晶棺材，充斥着整个视野、布满整片黑色海洋。
His voice was soft to avoid disturbing the sleeping cultivators around him. The fear in his heart was barely concealed.
bié shuō nà jǐ wèi hé dào le ， jiù suàn dài duì de sān míng chuán fǎ zhě ， zài mù dǔ yǎn qián de chǎng jǐng hòu dōu dùn jué máo gǔ sǒng rán 、 jīng hài wú yán 。
别说那几位合道了，就算带队的三名传法者，在目睹眼前的场景后都顿觉毛骨悚然、惊骇无言。
They had seen death before, but never such an overwhelming number of corpses, all gathered together and still retaining their lifelike expressions from when they were alive. The shock was beyond words.
bèi zhè yí mù chǎng jǐng suǒ zhèn hàn ， děng tā men huí guī shén lái de shí hòu ， nà jù gōu yǐn tā men qián lái cǐ chù de zhēn xiān yí hái ， zǎo jiù xiāo shī de wú yǐng wú zōng le ！
被这一幕场景所震撼，等他们回归神来的时候，那具勾引他们前来此处的真仙遗骸，早就消失的无影无踪了！
No one answered Zhi Gongchuan's question. The group silently flew above the dead sea for several hours without finding any end to it.
“ zhè …… zhè lǐ jiū jìng shì shén me guǐ dì fāng ？！”
“这……这里究竟是什么鬼地方？！”
"Based on a rough estimate, there are over two billion corpses here... probably more cultivators and ordinary people living in the current region of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance than this. But what..."
sǐ yì bān de jì jìng zhī hòu ， yī xíng rén zhōng ， míng jiào zhù gōng chuān de hé dào xiū shì rěn bú zhù chū shēng wèn dào 。
死一般的寂静之后，一行人中，名叫祝公川的合道修士忍不住出声问道。
"The people here aren't from Xuanhuang Realm," one of the transmitters, Wei, said slowly. "Or at least, most of them aren't."
wéi kǒng dǎ rǎo chén mián cǐ chù de xiū shì ， zhù gōng chuān de shēng yīn hěn qīng 。 ér qiě yǐn yuē kě yǐ tīng chū ， tā nèi xīn shēn chù de kǒng jù 。
唯恐打扰沉眠此处的修士，祝公川的声音很轻。而且隐约可以听出，他内心深处的恐惧。
"Judging by their attire, these cultivators are likely from different realms. We don't know why they were all frozen like this."
bú shì méi yǒu jiàn guò sǐ rén 。
不是没有见过死人。
"So many corpses hidden within our realm for so long, and we never noticed," another transmitter, Chu, said with a grim face.
dàn rú cǐ duō shù liàng de shī tǐ 、 quán dōu jù jí zài yī chù ， bìng qiě réng rán bǎo cún zhe shēng qián xiān huó de biǎo qíng ……
但如此多数量的尸体、全都聚集在一处，并且仍然保存着生前鲜活的表情……
"Could the True Immortal's remains have led us here to turn us into something like them?"
zhè chǎng miàn suǒ dài lái de zhèn hàn yuǎn fēi yán yǔ néng gòu xíng róng 。
这场面所带来的震撼远非言语能够形容。
"No, not likely. We've been in here for such a long time without any attacks."
méi yǒu rén huí dá zhù gōng chuān de wèn tí 。
没有人回答祝公川的问题。
The group quietly discussed but remained clueless about the ultimate purpose of the True Immortal's remains.
duì wǔ yī xíng qiǎo rán wú shēng de fēi dùn zài sǐ hǎi shàng kōng ， zú zú dà bàn tiān hòu ， yī jiù méi yǒu zhǎo dào jìn tóu 。
队伍一行悄然无声的飞遁在死海上空，足足大半天后，依旧没有找到尽头。
"We should keep searching."
“ chū bù gū suàn ， zhè lǐ de shī tǐ chāo guò èr shí yì le …… kǒng pà mù qián zài wàn xiān méng biǎo zhōu yù shēng huó de xiū shì gēn fán rén jiā qǐ lái ， dōu yuǎn méi yǒu zhè me duō 。 jiū jìng ……”
“初步估算，这里的尸体超过二十亿了……恐怕目前在万仙盟表州域生活的修士跟凡人加起来，都远没有这么多。究竟……”
They flew above the dead sea again for some time until Wei, one of the transmitters, noticed something: "These countless ice-encased corpses seem to form a massive array."
“ zhè xiē rén bú shì xuán huáng jiè de 。 huò zhě shuō ， jué dà duō shù bú shì xuán huáng jiè de 。” chuán fǎ zhě wèi cǐ shí huǎn shēng shuō dào 。
“这些人不是玄黄界的。或者说，绝大多数不是玄黄界的。”传法者卫此时缓声说道。
"An array?"
“ cóng tā men de fú shì fēng gé pàn duàn ， zhè xiē rén yīng gāi dōu shì lái zì bù tóng de xiū xiān jiè 。 què bù zhī yīn wèi shén me yuán yīn ， quán dōu bèi bīng fēng zài cǐ 。”
“从他们的服饰风格判断，这些人应该都是来自不同的修仙界。却不知因为什么原因，全都被冰封在此。”
The group exchanged glances before carefully observing their surroundings.
“ rú cǐ duō de shī tǐ ， yǐn cáng zài wǒ men wàn xiān méng jìng nèi 。 piān piān zhè me zhǎng shí jiān yǐ lái ， wǒ men duì cǐ dōu yī wú suǒ jué 。” lìng wài yī wèi chuán fǎ zhě chǔ liǎn sè yě shì biàn dé nán kàn zhì jí 。
“如此多的尸体，隐藏在我们万仙盟境内。偏偏这么长时间以来，我们对此都一无所觉。”另外一位传法者褚脸色也是变得难看至极。
"A massive array with the power to destroy heaven and earth. Could this be part of the Five Elders' plot to destroy our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance over the years?" Not everyone was an expert in array techniques, so they started speculating.
“ nà zhēn xiān yí hái bǎ wǒ men yǐn yòu dào cǐ ， yòu yǒu hé mù dì ？ nán bù chéng ， yě xiǎng bǎ wǒ men biàn chéng zhè fù mú yàng ？”
“那真仙遗骸把我们引诱到此，又有何目的？难不成，也想把我们变成这副模样？”
"This array is incredibly complex; we can only see a small portion of it. We cannot deduce its true purpose. The most urgent task now is to inform the alliance headquarters about this discovery. Staying here too long gives me an uncomfortable feeling," Chu said solemnly.
“ bú huì 。 wǒ men jìn lái zhè me zhǎng shí jiān le ， què shǐ zhōng méi yǒu zāo dào gōng jī 。”
“不会。我们进来这么长时间了，却始终没有遭到攻击。”
"Fortunately, this array doesn't seem targeted at us. It's not a trap or a killing array; we just need to find the center of the array and should be able to leave." Wei also made his judgment.
……
……
With two transmitters' conclusions, the group felt somewhat relieved.
zhòng rén qiǎo shēng tǎo lùn zhe ， què duì zhēn xiān yí tuì de zuì zhōng mù dì háo wú tóu xù 。
众人悄声讨论着，却对真仙遗蜕的最终目的毫无头绪。
After wandering in the array for several days, they finally found the center. They expected to leave this eerie area but were surprised to find themselves on a completely different sea.
“ zài zhǎo zhǎo kàn ba 。”
“再找找看吧。”
Unlike the dead and frozen black sea, here the salty breeze was refreshing, and birdsong filled their ears. Fish occasionally leaped out of the water or swam in the ocean.
yú shì tā men yòu zài sǐ hǎi shàng kōng fēi dùn le xǔ jiǔ 。
于是他们又在死海上空飞遁了许久。
The scene was full of vitality, making them feel refreshed.
zhōng yú ， chuán fǎ zhě wèi fā xiàn le xiē xǔ duān ní ：“ zhè wú shù jù bīng fēng shī tǐ ， sì hū gòu chéng le yí gè páng dà zhèn fǎ 。”
终于，传法者卫发现了些许端倪：“这无数具冰封尸体，似乎构成了一个庞大阵法。”
After a moment's shock, they quickly scanned their surroundings but found no immediate danger.
“ zhèn fǎ ？”
“阵法？”
The union-with-dao cultivators felt somewhat at ease.
zhòng rén wén yán miàn miàn xiāng qù ， suí hòu zài zǐ xì cháo zhe zhōu wéi wàng qù 。
众人闻言面面相觑，随后再仔细朝着周围望去。
But the three leading transmitters' faces grew increasingly serious. Wei frowned and gazed into the sky, muttering to himself: "Different worlds, two sides of the same coin."
“ zhè me dà guī mó de zhèn fǎ ， pà bú shì yǒu huǐ tiān miè dì de wēi néng 。 nán bù chéng ， zhè lǐ shì wǔ lǎo huì wèi le huǐ miè wǒ men wàn xiān méng ， zài zhè xiē nián lǐ de àn zhōng bù zhì ？”
“这么大规模的阵法，怕不是有毁天灭地的威能。难不成，这里是五老会为了毁灭我们万仙盟，在这些年里的暗中布置？”
"One side for life; one for death."
zài chǎng bìng bú shì suǒ yǒu rén dōu jīng tōng zhèn dào de ， zhuó mó wú guǒ zhī hòu ， tā men rěn bú zhù hú sī luàn xiǎng le qǐ lái 。
在场并不是所有人都精通阵道的，琢磨无果之后，他们忍不住胡思乱想了起来。
Chu interrupted him: "No, death is the source of life, and life is the gathering of death. This..."
“ cǐ zhèn fán fù zhì jí ， kuī jiàn yì yú 、 wèi jiàn quán mào ， bù néng tuī duàn chū qí zhēn zhèng yòng tú 。 dāng wù zhī jí ， shì xiān jiāng zhè lǐ de fā xiàn tōng zhī xiān méng zǒng bù 。 zài zhè lǐ dài jiǔ le ， wǒ xīn zhōng zǒng yǒu xiē bù shū fú de gǎn jué 。” chuán fǎ zhě chǔ chén shēng dào 。
“此阵繁复至极，窥见一隅、未见全貌，不能推断出其真正用途。当务之急，是先将这里的发现通知仙盟总部。在这里待久了，我心中总有些不舒服的感觉。”传法者褚沉声道。
The two exchanged a glance, their faces showing shock.
“ hǎo zài cǐ zhèn bìng méi yǒu zhēn duì wǒ men zhè xiē wài lái zhě de yì si 。 fēi kùn zhèn 、 yì fēi shā zhèn ， zhǐ yào zhǎo dào zhèn yǎn suǒ zài ， yīng gāi jiù néng chū qù 。” chuán fǎ zhě wèi yě zuò le pàn duàn 。
“好在此阵并没有针对我们这些外来者的意思。非困阵、亦非杀阵，只要找到阵眼所在，应该就能出去。”传法者卫也做了判断。
"Reversing life and death?"
yǒu le liǎng wèi chuán fǎ zhě xià jié lùn ， zhòng rén xīn zhōng zhè cái àn àn sōng le kǒu qì 。
有了两位传法者下结论，众人心中这才暗暗松了口气。
They didn't say these four words aloud but instead communicated telepathically.
pái huán zài zhèn zhōng shù rì ， zuì zhōng yī xíng rén zhōng yú zhǎo dào le zhèn yǎn suǒ zài 。 chuān guò zhèn yǎn ， běn yǐ wéi huì jiù cǐ lí kāi cǐ chù guǐ yì wú bǐ de qū yù ， què méi yǒu xiǎng dào ， gēn běn méi yǒu huí dào bái wù zhī nèi 。
徘环在阵中数日，最终一行人终于找到了阵眼所在。穿过阵眼，本以为会就此离开此处诡异无比的区域，却没有想到，根本没有回到白雾之内。
"So this must be the abode of the Transcendent Lord of Rebirth?"
ér shì chū xiàn zài le lìng wài yī chù mò shēng de hǎi yáng zhī shàng 。
而是出现在了另外一处陌生的海洋之上。
"That's right, why did He reverse the laws of heaven and earth so quickly? It was all hidden in this misty realm, using arrays as a base to study life and death thoroughly!"
gēn cǐ qián nà sǐ jì 、 bīng fēng de hēi sè dà hǎi bù tóng ， zhè lǐ xián shī de hǎi fēng wēi xūn ， ěr pàn bù duàn chuán lái fēi niǎo de míng jiào 。
跟此前那死寂、冰封的黑色大海不同，这里咸湿的海风微醺，耳畔不断传来飞鸟的鸣叫。
"Then what is the True Immortal's remains related to?"
bù shí kě yǐ kàn dào yú qún huò yuè chū shuǐ miàn ， huò yú hǎi zhōng bēn yóu 。
不时可以看到鱼群或跃出水面，或于海中奔游。
Unraveling one mystery led to another.
shēng jī bó fā ， lìng rén xīn kuàng shén yí 。
生机勃发，令人心旷神怡。
"Their goals seem different."
zài duǎn zàn de jīng è zhī hòu ， zhòng rén xùn sù sǎo shì zuǒ yòu 、 bìng méi yǒu fā xiàn shén me wēi xiǎn 。
在短暂的惊愕之后，众人迅速扫视左右、并没有发现什么危险。
"They must have discovered this abode long ago and deliberately lured us here to probe the Transcendent Lord of Rebirth's true intentions?"
nà xiē hé dào xiū shì yú shì wēi wēi xīn ān 。
那些合道修士于是微微心安。
They fell into deep thought, but after much contemplation, they reached no conclusion.
dàn lǐng duì de sān wèi chuán fǎ zhě ， miàn sè què shì qián suǒ wèi yǒu de níng zhòng qǐ lái 。
但领队的三位传法者，面色却是前所未有的凝重起来。
"We should find the center of the life realm array and leave from there," one of them said. With their search for information about the Transcendent Lord of Rebirth proving fruitless, the three transmitters decided to return and plan further.
chuán fǎ zhě wèi méi tóu jǐn suǒ ， yáo wàng tiān kōng ， kǒu zhōng nán nán zì yǔ ：“ bù tóng shì jiè 、 yì tǐ liǎng miàn 。”
传法者卫眉头紧锁，遥望天空，口中喃喃自语：“不同世界、一体两面。”
But just as they prepared to leave, Wei's body paused as if he had an epiphany.
“ yī zé wéi shēng ， yī zé wèi sǐ 。”
“一则为生，一则为死。”
"Reversing life and death... reversing life and death..."
chuán fǎ zhě chǔ zé shì bǎ tā de huà dǎ duàn ：“ bú duì ， sǐ nǎi shēng zhī yuán 、 shēng nǎi sǐ zhī jù 。 zhè shì ……”
传法者褚则是把他的话打断：“不对，死乃生之源、生乃死之聚。这是……”
"The array is complete, but these dead cultivators haven't awakened. The true revival must be of the world?"
liǎng rén duì shì yī yǎn ， miàn lù jīng sǒng zhī sè 。
两人对视一眼，面露惊悚之色。
"So, what is the Transcendent Lord of Rebirth's real goal?"
“ nì zhuǎn sǐ shēng ？”
“逆转死生？”
Wei's face turned pale as if struck by lightning.
liǎng rén jù shì shí fēn mò qì de ， méi yǒu bǎ zhè sì gè zì shuō chū kǒu 。
两人俱是十分默契的，没有把这四个字说出口。
"Let's go!" he shouted decisively.
ér shì gǎi yòng chuán yīn jiāo liú 。
而是改用传音交流。
Suddenly, a figure made of white mist appeared before them, blocking their path.
“ yuán lái rú cǐ ， zhè me shuō ， zhè lǐ jiù shì nà wèi wǎng shēng tiān zūn de dào chǎng ？”
“原来如此，这么说，这里就是那位往生天尊的道场？”
The sudden appearance of this enemy, who might be none other than the elusive Transcendent Lord of Rebirth, caused everyone to tense up. The battle was about to begin.
“ wǒ shuō ne ， tā nì zhuǎn tiān dì zhī lǐ 、 zhèng dào tiān zūn de sù dù wèi shén me rú cǐ zhī kuài ， yuán lái zǎo jiù yǐn cáng zài zhè piàn bái wù zhōng 、 yǐ zhèn wèi jī ， bǎ sǐ shēng zhī lǐ yán jiū de wú bǐ tòu chè le ！”
“我说呢，祂逆转天地之理、证道天尊的速度为什么如此之快，原来早就隐藏在这片白雾中、以阵为基，把死生之理研究的无比透彻了！”
Wei stared at the figure for a moment before his eyes showed disbelief.
“ nà zhēn xiān yí hái ， yòu gēn wǎng shēng tiān zūn yǒu shén me guān xì ？”
“那真仙遗骸，又跟往生天尊有什么关系？”
"It is..."
jiě kāi le mí tuán ， suí jí yòu yǒu xīn de yí huò zài tā men xīn zhōng yǒng qǐ 。
解开了谜团，随即又有新的疑惑在他们心中涌起。
Before he could finish, the white mist figure opened its eyes.
“ cóng mù qián de zhuàng kuàng lái kàn ， tā men yīng gāi bú shì yī huǒ de 。”
“从目前的状况来看，他们应该不是一伙的。”
Infinite white mist poured out from it, engulfing the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance group in an instant.
“ zǎo jiù fā xiàn le zhè chù dào chǎng suǒ zài ， suǒ yǐ gù yì yǐn wǒ men lái cǐ ， tàn yī tàn wǎng shēng tiān zūn de dǐ xì ？”
“早就发现了这处道场所在，所以故意引我们来此，探一探往生天尊的底细？”
With such immense power, they had no resistance and vanished into the mist within a blink of an eye.
liǎng rén dùn shí xiàn rù le chén sī 。
两人顿时陷入了沉思。
(End of Chapter)
These corpses were all encased in translucent ice crystals of a pale blue hue.
Through the ice, one could faintly make out the expressions on their faces from their last moments—anger, fear, and confusion. The lifelike expressions seemed as if they had just passed away.
The dense array of ice crystal coffins filled the entire field, covering the vast expanse of black sea. Even those who had achieved union with dao felt shaken upon seeing this scene. They were left speechless and visibly unsettled by it.
Shocked into silence, one of them, Zhi Gongchuan, a union-with-dao cultivator, couldn't help but ask, "What... exactly is this place?"
His voice was soft to avoid disturbing the sleeping cultivators around him. The fear in his heart was barely concealed.
They had seen death before, but never such an overwhelming number of corpses, all gathered together and still retaining their lifelike expressions from when they were alive. The shock was beyond words.
No one answered Zhi Gongchuan's question. The group silently flew above the dead sea for several hours without finding any end to it.
"Based on a rough estimate, there are over two billion corpses here... probably more cultivators and ordinary people living in the current region of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance than this. But what..."
"The people here aren't from Xuanhuang Realm," one of the transmitters, Wei, said slowly. "Or at least, most of them aren't."
"Judging by their attire, these cultivators are likely from different realms. We don't know why they were all frozen like this."
"So many corpses hidden within our realm for so long, and we never noticed," another transmitter, Chu, said with a grim face.
"Could the True Immortal's remains have led us here to turn us into something like them?"
"No, not likely. We've been in here for such a long time without any attacks."
The group quietly discussed but remained clueless about the ultimate purpose of the True Immortal's remains.
"We should keep searching."
They flew above the dead sea again for some time until Wei, one of the transmitters, noticed something: "These countless ice-encased corpses seem to form a massive array."
"An array?"
The group exchanged glances before carefully observing their surroundings.
"A massive array with the power to destroy heaven and earth. Could this be part of the Five Elders' plot to destroy our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance over the years?" Not everyone was an expert in array techniques, so they started speculating.
"This array is incredibly complex; we can only see a small portion of it. We cannot deduce its true purpose. The most urgent task now is to inform the alliance headquarters about this discovery. Staying here too long gives me an uncomfortable feeling," Chu said solemnly.
"Fortunately, this array doesn't seem targeted at us. It's not a trap or a killing array; we just need to find the center of the array and should be able to leave." Wei also made his judgment.
With two transmitters' conclusions, the group felt somewhat relieved.
After wandering in the array for several days, they finally found the center. They expected to leave this eerie area but were surprised to find themselves on a completely different sea.
Unlike the dead and frozen black sea, here the salty breeze was refreshing, and birdsong filled their ears. Fish occasionally leaped out of the water or swam in the ocean.
The scene was full of vitality, making them feel refreshed.
After a moment's shock, they quickly scanned their surroundings but found no immediate danger.
The union-with-dao cultivators felt somewhat at ease.
But the three leading transmitters' faces grew increasingly serious. Wei frowned and gazed into the sky, muttering to himself: "Different worlds, two sides of the same coin."
"One side for life; one for death."
Chu interrupted him: "No, death is the source of life, and life is the gathering of death. This..."
The two exchanged a glance, their faces showing shock.
"Reversing life and death?"
They didn't say these four words aloud but instead communicated telepathically.
"So this must be the abode of the Transcendent Lord of Rebirth?"
"That's right, why did He reverse the laws of heaven and earth so quickly? It was all hidden in this misty realm, using arrays as a base to study life and death thoroughly!"
"Then what is the True Immortal's remains related to?"
Unraveling one mystery led to another.
"Their goals seem different."
"They must have discovered this abode long ago and deliberately lured us here to probe the Transcendent Lord of Rebirth's true intentions?"
They fell into deep thought, but after much contemplation, they reached no conclusion.
"We should find the center of the life realm array and leave from there," one of them said. With their search for information about the Transcendent Lord of Rebirth proving fruitless, the three transmitters decided to return and plan further.
But just as they prepared to leave, Wei's body paused as if he had an epiphany.
"Reversing life and death... reversing life and death..."
"The array is complete, but these dead cultivators haven't awakened. The true revival must be of the world?"
"So, what is the Transcendent Lord of Rebirth's real goal?"
Wei's face turned pale as if struck by lightning.
"Let's go!" he shouted decisively.
Suddenly, a figure made of white mist appeared before them, blocking their path.
The sudden appearance of this enemy, who might be none other than the elusive Transcendent Lord of Rebirth, caused everyone to tense up. The battle was about to begin.
Wei stared at the figure for a moment before his eyes showed disbelief.
"It is..."
Before he could finish, the white mist figure opened its eyes.
Infinite white mist poured out from it, engulfing the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance group in an instant.
With such immense power, they had no resistance and vanished into the mist within a blink of an eye.
(End of Chapter)