bù guò zhè shén mì de qīng niú lā chē ， xiǎn rán yě shì yī cháng zào huà 。
不过这神秘的青牛拉车，显然也是一场造化。
However, this mysterious ox-drawn cart was clearly a stroke of fortune as well.
tā men yě bù yuàn píng bái wú gù de fēn xiǎng gěi mò shēng rén 。
他们也不愿平白无故的分享给陌生人。
They were unwilling to share their discovery with strangers for no reason.
yú shì jiē xià lái ， tā men zhǐ shì hǎn shàng zì jǐ de hǎo yǒu ， lái tàn suǒ zhè lǐ de ào mì 。
于是接下来，他们只是喊上自己的好友，来探索这里的奥秘。
Thus, they decided that the next step would be to bring in their friends to explore the mystery here.
chén ān jiù shì qí zhōng zhī yī 。
陈安就是其中之一。
Chen An was one of them.
kě shì tàn suǒ de rén suī rán biàn duō le ， jié guǒ què méi biàn 。
可是探索的人虽然变多了，结果却没变。
Although more people joined in the exploration, the result remained unchanged. They were all beaten up with sticks and driven away.
fēn fēn bèi luàn gùn dǎ chū 。
纷纷被乱棍打出。
This continued for over two weeks without any breakthroughs. Clearly, this group wasn't smart enough.
rú cǐ chí xù le dà bàn gè yuè de shí jiān ， hái shì yī chóu mò zhǎn 。
如此持续了大半个月的时间，还是一筹莫展。
The moving white fog inevitably caught the attention of other cultivators outside.
hěn xiǎn rán ， zhè qún rén bù gòu cōng míng 。
很显然，这群人不够聪明。
Every day, new cultivators discovered its secrets and entered it. Although they chose to keep their findings confidential after learning about the situation, more and more people gathered around the ox-drawn cart.
ér yí dòng de bái wù ， bù kě bì miǎn de yǐn qǐ le wài jiè qí yú xiū shì de zhù yì 。
而移动的白雾，不可避免的引起了外界其余修士的注意。
It was clear that if this continued, the news would eventually spread throughout Cunyun Sea.
měi tiān dōu yǒu xīn de xiū shì fā xiàn qí zhōng de ào mì ， jìn rù qí zhōng 。
每天都有新的修士发现其中的奥秘，进入其中。
By then, even if there were any opportunities here, they wouldn't be able to claim them.
suī rán dé zhī le zhè lǐ de zhuàng kuàng hòu ， yě dōu mò qì de xuǎn zé bǎo mì 。
虽然得知了这里的状况后，也都默契的选择保密。
Thus, they decided to seek external assistance—intelligent help.
dàn què wú fǎ zǔ zhǐ qīng niú lā chē wài de rén qún yuè lái yuè duō 。
但却无法阻止青牛拉车外的人群越来越多。
On that day in Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, Li Fan left a deep impression on Chen An. Naturally, he became one of the targets for their external aid.
hěn xiǎn rán ， zài zhè me xià qù ， zhè shì chí zǎo huì nào dé cóng yún hǎi rén jǐn jiē zhī 。
很显然，再这么下去，这事迟早会闹得丛云海人尽皆知。
"If Fellow Daoist is interested, you can come to the nearby Jade Peach Island in Cunyun Sea. We will guide you here."
dàn shí hòu ， jiù suàn zhè lǐ zhēn de yǒu shén me jī yuán ， yě lún bú dào tā men zhè qún rén le 。
但时候，就算这里真的有什么机缘，也轮不到他们这群人了。
"An ox-drawn cart? That's interesting." Li Fan had never heard of this before in his previous life. However, since there was no danger involved and he had nothing better to do, it wouldn't hurt to take a look.
yú shì ， tā men jué dìng xún zhǎo wài yuán 。
于是，他们决定寻找外援。
Prepared accordingly, Li Fan arrived at Jade Peach Island via the teleportation array.
cōng míng de wài yuán 。
聪明的外援。
The island’s guardian noticed him immediately and brightened up.
ér dāng rì zài yún shuǐ tiān gōng zhōng ， gěi chén ān liú xià shēn kè yìn xiàng de lǐ fán ， zì rán yě jiù chéng wéi le wài yuán de duì xiàng zhī yī 。
而当日在云水天宫中，给陈安留下深刻印象的李凡，自然也就成为了外援的对象之一。
"Is this Fellow Daoist Li Fan? I am Zhou Ningchang, Chen An's friend. Please follow me." Without any further ado, he led Li Fan towards the location of the ox-drawn cart.
“ ruò shì dào yǒu yǒu yì ， kě lái cóng yún hǎi yù táng dǎo fù jìn ， dào shí hòu zì huì yǒu rén yǐn dào yǒu qián lái cǐ chù 。”
“若是道友有意，可来丛云海玉棠岛附近，倒时候自会有人引道友前来此处。”
As they flew, Zhou Ningchang briefed Li Fan on their latest developments.
“ qīng niú lā chē me ， yǒu diǎn yì si 。” lǐ fán shàng yī shì què shì méi yǒu tīng shuō guò zhè jiàn shì 。
“青牛拉车么，有点意思。”李凡上一世却是没有听说过这件事。
"Fellow Daoist Li, Mian has already told you about the general situation. The ox moves steadily across the water without stopping. Although its pace is slow, it does make progress."
bù guò zuǒ yòu xián zhe wú shì ， jì rán nà biān méi yǒu xìng mìng wēi xiǎn ， nà me qù kàn yī kàn dào yě wú fáng 。
不过左右闲着无事，既然那边没有性命危险，那么去看一看倒也无妨。
Zhou Ningchang's expression was a bit troubled: "The path of this ox seems to be a straight line, heading towards the center of Cunyun Sea, Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. At the current speed, it will enter the palace in about a month. That place is full of strange and dangerous things. We can't predict what might happen after the ox enters. Therefore, we should find a way to enter the thatched cottage before then."
lǐ fán zhǔn bèi le yī fān hòu ， tōng guò chuán sòng zhèn lái dào le yù táng dǎo 。
李凡准备了一番后，通过传送阵来到了玉棠岛。
"Otherwise, no matter how unwillingly, we'll have to give up," Zhou Ningchang said.
dǎo de zhèn shǒu yī jiàn lǐ fán ， yǎn jīng yī liàng 。
岛的镇守一见李凡，眼睛一亮。
"Cloud Water Heavenly Palace…" Li Fan's gaze sharpened. He hadn’t expected this ox-drawn cart to be connected to a sect that had broken apart thousands of years ago.
“ shì lǐ fán dào yǒu ba ？ zài xià zhōu níng chāng ， shì chén ān de hǎo yǒu 。 qǐng gēn wǒ lái 。” zhè rén yě bù mò jì ， zhí jiē lǐng zhe lǐ fán ， wǎng qīng niú lā chē suǒ zài de wèi zhì fēi qù 。
“是李凡道友吧？在下周宁昌，是陈安的好友。请跟我来。”这人也不墨迹，直接领着李凡，往青牛拉车所在的位置飞去。
After the situation was explained, they didn't say much for the rest of the journey. After flying for several hours, they saw a large white fog moving slowly on the sea surface in the distance.
yī biān fēi xíng ， zhōu níng chāng yī biān xiàng lǐ fán jiè shào zhe mù qián zuì xīn de jìn zhǎn 。
一边飞行，周宁昌一边向李凡介绍着目前最新的进展。
"Here we are!" Zhou Ningchang said and led the way into the fog.
“ lǐ fán dào yǒu ， dà zhì de qíng xíng xiǎng bì chén ān yǐ jīng gēn nǐ shuō guò le 。 zhè qīng niú tà shuǐ ér xíng ， yī kè bù tíng 。 suī rán bù fá bù kuài ， dàn shì zǒng guī shì zài qián jìn de 。”
“李凡道友，大致的情形想必陈安已经跟你说过了。这青牛踏水而行，一刻不停。虽然步伐不快，但是总归是在前进的。”
Li Fan had already used the Formless Killing Mechanism to lock onto Zhou Ningchang's location. With his Heaven-seeing Earth-hearing technique activated, he confirmed there were no hidden dangers before slowly entering the fog.
zhōu níng chāng de miàn sè yǒu diǎn kǔ nǎo ：“ zhè qīng niú de qián jìn lù xiàn ， nǎi shì yī tiáo zhí xiàn 。 gēn jù wǒ men de tuī cè ， sì hū zhí wǎng cóng yún hǎi zhōng yāng de yún shuǐ tiān gōng ér qù 。”
周宁昌的面色有点苦恼：“这青牛的前进路线，乃是一条直线。根据我们的推测，似乎直往丛云海中央的云水天宫而去。”
About seventy people surrounded the ox, most of them bruised and battered.
“ àn zhào qīng niú mù qián de sù dù ， zuì duō hái yào zài guò yí gè yuè ， jiù huì jìn rù yún shuǐ tiān gōng zhī zhōng 。 nà ge guǐ dì fāng ， guǐ yì héng xíng 。 qīng niú jìn rù zhī hòu ， huì fā shēng shén me biàn huà hái zhēn de bù hǎo shuō 。 suǒ yǐ wǒ men zuì hǎo néng zài zhè zhī qián ， zhǎo dào jìn rù máo cǎo wū de bàn fǎ 。”
“按照青牛目前的速度，最多还要再过一个月，就会进入云水天宫之中。那个鬼地方，诡异横行。青牛进入之后，会发生什么变化还真的不好说。所以我们最好能在这之前，找到进入茅草屋的办法。”
They didn't pay much attention when more people arrived and continued their loud discussions.
“ fǒu zé ， jí biàn yǒu zài duō bù gān ， wǒ men yě zhǐ néng fàng qì le 。” zhōu níng chāng shuō dào 。
“否则，即便有再多不甘，我们也只能放弃了。”周宁昌说道。
Chen An waved Li Fan over and explained to him: "That creature without a mouth is easy to guess. It can’t speak or even communicate telepathically; otherwise, it would throw us out."
“ yún shuǐ tiān gōng me ……” lǐ fán mù guāng yī níng ， méi yǒu xiǎng dào ， zhè qīng niú lā chē ， jū rán huì gēn zhè shù qiān nián qián jiù pò miè de zōng mén yǒu guān xì 。
“云水天宫么……”李凡目光一凝，没有想到，这青牛拉车，居然会跟这数千年前就破灭的宗门有关系。
"Exactly. The key is that guy with the stick," someone added.
qíng kuàng jiāo dài wán bì hòu ， èr rén zhī hòu yī lù wú huà 。 fēi xíng le dà bàn tiān de shí jiān ， biàn yuǎn yuǎn kàn jiàn hǎi miàn shàng ， yī dà tuán de bái wù ， zhèng zài huǎn huǎn yí dòng 。
情况交代完毕后，二人之后一路无话。飞行了大半天的时间，便远远看见海面上，一大团的白雾，正在缓缓移动。
"While getting beaten up isn't life-threatening, it really hurts!"
“ dào le ！” zhōu níng chāng shuō zhe ， suí hòu shuài xiān fēi shēn jìn rù bái wù zhī zhōng 。
“到了！”周宁昌说着，随后率先飞身进入白雾之中。
"How many times have you been hit? I've already been beaten over ten times," another replied.
lǐ fán zǎo yǐ tōng guò wú xiāng shā jī suǒ dìng le zhōu níng chāng 。 tiān shì dì tīng zhī shù fā dòng ， kàn qīng le bái wù zhī hòu de qíng jǐng ， què rèn méi yǒu mái fú zhī hòu 。 lǐ fán zhè cái huǎn huǎn fēi rù wù zhōng 。
李凡早已通过无相杀机锁定了周宁昌。天视地听之术发动，看清了白雾之后的情景，确认没有埋伏之后。李凡这才缓缓飞入雾中。
"I agree. If I don’t get hit today, my body feels off."
qīng niú zhōu shēn yǐ jīng jù jí le dà gài qī bā shí rén 。 tā men dà dū bí qīng liǎn zhǒng ， kàn shàng qù pǒ wèi láng bèi 。
青牛周身已经聚集了大概七八十人。他们大都鼻青脸肿，看上去颇为狼狈。
...
jiàn yòu yǒu rén lái ， yě bù yǐ wéi yì 。
见又有人来，也不以为意。
Chen An smiled and explained to Li Fan: "Everyone is just trying to find some amusement since we haven't found a way into the thatched cottage for so long."
jì xù dà shēng tǎo lùn zhe 。
继续大声讨论着。
"Still, it depends on Fellow Daoist."
chén ān dǎo shì zhāo le zhāo shǒu ， shì yì lǐ fán guò qù 。
陈安倒是招了招手，示意李凡过去。
Chen An looked at Li Fan with hopeful eyes.
lǐ fán lái dào chén ān shēn biān ， tīng zhe zhè qún rén de yì lùn 。
李凡来到陈安身边，听着这群人的议论。
Li Fan shook his head. "With so many people struggling for days without finding a solution, how could I be an exception? Fellow Daoist overestimates me."
“ nà ge méi yǒu zuǐ bā de guài wù ， hěn róng yì jiù néng xiǎng dào 。 jiù shì bù néng shuō huà ， lián yòng shén niàn jiāo liú yě bù xíng 。 fǒu zé jiù huì bèi tā rēng chū lái 。”
“那个没有嘴巴的怪物，很容易就能想到。就是不能说话，连用神念交流也不行。否则就会被它扔出来。”
"We can only try and not hold high hopes," he said.
“ méi cuò 。 guān jiàn shì nà ge ná bàng zi de jiā huo 。”
“没错。关键是那个拿棒子的家伙。”
Chen An nodded: "Of course, we understand the limits of our efforts."
“ suī rán bèi dǎ yī dùn méi yǒu shēng mìng wēi xiǎn ， dàn shì zhēn tā niáng de téng a ！”
“虽然被打一顿没有生命危险，但是真他娘的疼啊！”
Li Fan focused on the thatched cottage ahead. Just as someone tried to enter again, Li Fan narrowed his eyes and carefully observed.
“ nǐ cái lái le jǐ tiān ？ wǒ dōu bèi zòu le shí jǐ biàn le 。”
“你才来了几天？我都被揍了十几遍了。”
With the experience shared by everyone, this person moved silently towards the thatched cottage.
“ nǐ bié shuō ， wǒ xiàn zài yī tiān bù bèi zòu yī dùn ， hún shēn hái yǒu diǎn nán shòu 。”
“你别说，我现在一天不被揍一顿，浑身还有点难受。”
Before he could act, the creature with the stick suddenly glared at him. The wooden stick turned into a arc of light and hit him hard.
……
……
The cultivator only managed to cry out before being sent flying without any resistance.
chén ān kǔ xiào zhe xiàng lǐ fán jiě shì dào ：“ tài jiǔ méi yǒu zhǎo chū jìn rù nà máo cǎo wū de fāng fǎ ， dà jiā yě zhǐ néng kǔ zhōng zuò lè le 。”
陈安苦笑着向李凡解释道：“太久没有找出进入那茅草屋的方法，大家也只能苦中作乐了。”
Only after he was outside the ox-drawn cart's range did he manage to stabilize his position.
“ hái shì yào kàn lǐ dào yǒu de 。”
“还是要看李道友的。”
From the look on his face, it seemed quite painful.
chén ān yòng mǎn huái xī wàng de yǎn shén kàn zhe lǐ fán 。
陈安用满怀希望的眼神看着李凡。
"What is his cultivation level?" Li Fan asked.
lǐ fán yáo yáo tóu ：“ zhè me duō rén zhè me duō tiān dōu méi néng xiǎng chū bàn fǎ lái ， wǒ zěn me yòu huì lì wài 。 dào yǒu gāo gū wǒ le 。”
李凡摇摇头：“这么多人这么多天都没能想出办法来，我怎么又会例外。道友高估我了。”
"Late Foundation Establishment," Zhou Ningchang replied.
“ zhǐ néng gū qiě yī shì ， dào yǒu yě bié bào tài dà xī wàng 。”
“只能姑且一试，道友也别报太大希望。”
"There’s also a middle-stage Golden Core cultivator here. But like the Qi Refining cultivators, they can’t resist the wooden stick."
chén ān diǎn diǎn tóu ：“ zhè ge dào lǐ zì rán míng bái 。 jìn rén shì ér yǐ 。”
陈安点点头：“这个道理自然明白。尽人事而已。”
"We dare not invite anyone with higher levels." He added.
lǐ fán suí hòu jiāng zhù yì lì jí zhōng zài qián fāng de máo cǎo wū shàng 。
李凡随后将注意力集中在前方的茅草屋上。
"Regardless of cultivation level, everyone is treated equally," Li Fan narrowed his eyes. This characteristic reminded him of something eerie.
cǐ shí ， zhèng hǎo yǒu xīn lái zhī rén shàng qián cháng shì ， lǐ fán yǎn jīng wēi mī ， zǐ xì guān chá 。
此时，正好有新来之人上前尝试，李凡眼睛微眯，仔细观察。
"Is this place also a strange and dangerous area?" Li Fan wondered aloud.
nà rén yǒu le dà huǒ chuán shòu de jīng yàn ， yī lù wú shēng ， qiāo qiāo zǒu dào máo cǎo wū qián 。
那人有了大伙传授的经验，一路无声，悄悄走到茅草屋前。
"If it is, why doesn’t this strangeness harm people?" Li Fan decided to test it himself.
rán hòu ， hái méi děng tā yǒu suǒ dòng zuò 。 nà ge shǒu chí mù gùn 、 hún shēn jī ròu jǐn gǔ de guài wù ， tū rán duì tā nù mù ér shì 。
然后，还没等他有所动作。那个手持木棍、浑身肌肉紧鼓的怪物，突然对他怒目而视。
He quietly flew closer, landed in front of the thatched cottage, and slowly approached.
shǒu zhōng mù gùn huà zuò yī dào hú guāng ， hěn hěn dì zá zài tā de shēn shàng 。
手中木棍化作一道弧光，狠狠地砸在他的身上。
The creature without a mouth ignored him, but as he got closer, the stick-wielding one became increasingly angry.
nà xiū shì zhǐ lái de jí cǎn jiào yī shēng ， biàn sī háo méi yǒu fǎn kàng zhī lì de bèi jī fēi 。
那修士只来的及惨叫一声，便丝毫没有反抗之力的被击飞。
Li Fan frowned and retreated. The stick-wielding creature's expression gradually returned to normal.
zhí dào fēi chū qīng niú lā chē de fàn wéi zhī wài ， cái láng bèi de wěn zhù shēn xíng 。
直到飞出青牛拉车的范围之外，才狼狈的稳住身形。
Thinking for a moment, Li Fan continued forward. This time, his pace slowed down, but the creature didn't play this game anymore. The wooden stick flew out of its hand and hit Li Fan hard.
zhǐ shì cóng tā liǎn shàng tòng kǔ de biǎo qíng lái kàn ， zhè xià zhe shí bù qīng 。
只是从他脸上痛苦的表情来看，这下着实不轻。
It felt like being kicked in the stomach by someone. The force was so strong that Li Fan was sent flying uncontrollably.
“ zhè rén shì shén me xiū wèi ？” lǐ fán wèn dào 。
“这人是什么修为？”李凡问道。
"Ah..." Li Fan sucked in a breath.
“ zhù jī hòu qī 。” zhōu níng chāng huí dá dào 。
“筑基后期。”周宁昌回答道。
That really hurt.
“ zhè lǐ jīn dān zhōng qī de xiū shì yě yǒu yī wèi ， dàn gēn liàn qì qī yī yàng ， zài nà mù gùn zhī xià ， dōu shì yì diǎn fǎn kàng zhī lì dōu méi yǒu 。”
“这里金丹中期的修士也有一位，但跟炼气期一样，在那木棍之下，都是一点反抗之力都没有。”
Seeing Li Fan's failed attempt, everyone wasn't too concerned but continued discussing how to deal with it tomorrow.
“ zhì yú zài gāo de ， wǒ men què shì bù gǎn qù qǐng le 。” tā jiē zhe bǔ chōng dào 。
“至于再高的，我们却是不敢去请了。”他接着补充道。
Li Fan thought back to what had happened and pondered over it.
“ bù guǎn xiū wèi ， yī shì tóng rén me 。” lǐ fán yǎn jīng wēi mī ， zhè zhǒng tè xìng ， bù yóu de ràng tā lián xiǎng qǐ le guǐ yì 。
“不管修为，一视同仁么。”李凡眼睛微眯，这种特性，不由得让他联想起了诡异。
The next day, people tried again. One after another was sent flying.
“ zhè lǐ ， yě shì yī chù guǐ yì ？” lǐ fán bù jīn fā chū le zhè ge yí wèn 。
“这里，也是一处诡异？”李凡不禁发出了这个疑问。
It was quite comical.
“ ruò shì zhēn de ， nà wèi hé zhè guǐ yì què bù shāng rén ？” xīn xià yí huò de lǐ fán ， jué dìng zì jǐ shì yī shì 。
“若是真的，那为何这诡异却不伤人？”心下疑惑的李凡，决定自己试一试。
When it came to Li Fan, he faced the same fate without exception.
yú shì tā qiǎo shēng fēi jìn ， yú máo cǎo wū qián jiàng luò ， huǎn bù xiàng qián 。
于是他悄声飞近，于茅草屋前降落，缓步向前。
On the third day,
wú zuǐ guài wù duì tā shú shì wú dǔ ， ér nà ge ná zhe mù gùn de ， què suí zhe tā de kào jìn ， liǎn sè biàn dé fèn nù qǐ lái 。
无嘴怪物对他熟视无睹，而那个拿着木棍的，却随着他的靠近，脸色变得愤怒起来。
The result remained unchanged...
lǐ fán zhòu le zhòu méi tou ， wǎng hòu tuì qù 。
李凡皱了皱眉头，往后退去。
As days passed, everyone grew impatient as they got closer to Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. The number of people trying each day decreased significantly.
mù gùn guài wù liǎn sè zhú jiàn huī fù zhèng cháng 。
木棍怪物脸色逐渐恢复正常。
Watching all their methods fail, Li Fan had a hunch about what was happening.
lǐ fán xiǎng le xiǎng ， jì xù xiàng qián 。 zhè cì qián jìn de bù fá yù fā de màn ， dàn shì nà guài wù què bù gēn lǐ fán wán zhè shì tàn de yóu xì le 。
李凡想了想，继续向前。这次前进的步伐愈发的慢，但是那怪物却不跟李凡玩这试探的游戏了。
Thus, when the next day arrived, he called out to everyone: "Any Fellow Daoist at the Qi Refining stage, please expend your cultivation and give it a try."
However, this mysterious ox-drawn cart was clearly a stroke of fortune as well.
They were unwilling to share their discovery with strangers for no reason.
Thus, they decided that the next step would be to bring in their friends to explore the mystery here.
Chen An was one of them.
Although more people joined in the exploration, the result remained unchanged. They were all beaten up with sticks and driven away.
This continued for over two weeks without any breakthroughs. Clearly, this group wasn't smart enough.
The moving white fog inevitably caught the attention of other cultivators outside.
Every day, new cultivators discovered its secrets and entered it. Although they chose to keep their findings confidential after learning about the situation, more and more people gathered around the ox-drawn cart.
It was clear that if this continued, the news would eventually spread throughout Cunyun Sea.
By then, even if there were any opportunities here, they wouldn't be able to claim them.
Thus, they decided to seek external assistance—intelligent help.
On that day in Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, Li Fan left a deep impression on Chen An. Naturally, he became one of the targets for their external aid.
"If Fellow Daoist is interested, you can come to the nearby Jade Peach Island in Cunyun Sea. We will guide you here."
"An ox-drawn cart? That's interesting." Li Fan had never heard of this before in his previous life. However, since there was no danger involved and he had nothing better to do, it wouldn't hurt to take a look.
Prepared accordingly, Li Fan arrived at Jade Peach Island via the teleportation array.
The island’s guardian noticed him immediately and brightened up.
"Is this Fellow Daoist Li Fan? I am Zhou Ningchang, Chen An's friend. Please follow me." Without any further ado, he led Li Fan towards the location of the ox-drawn cart.
As they flew, Zhou Ningchang briefed Li Fan on their latest developments.
"Fellow Daoist Li, Mian has already told you about the general situation. The ox moves steadily across the water without stopping. Although its pace is slow, it does make progress."
Zhou Ningchang's expression was a bit troubled: "The path of this ox seems to be a straight line, heading towards the center of Cunyun Sea, Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. At the current speed, it will enter the palace in about a month. That place is full of strange and dangerous things. We can't predict what might happen after the ox enters. Therefore, we should find a way to enter the thatched cottage before then."
"Otherwise, no matter how unwillingly, we'll have to give up," Zhou Ningchang said.
"Cloud Water Heavenly Palace…" Li Fan's gaze sharpened. He hadn’t expected this ox-drawn cart to be connected to a sect that had broken apart thousands of years ago.
After the situation was explained, they didn't say much for the rest of the journey. After flying for several hours, they saw a large white fog moving slowly on the sea surface in the distance.
"Here we are!" Zhou Ningchang said and led the way into the fog.
Li Fan had already used the Formless Killing Mechanism to lock onto Zhou Ningchang's location. With his Heaven-seeing Earth-hearing technique activated, he confirmed there were no hidden dangers before slowly entering the fog.
About seventy people surrounded the ox, most of them bruised and battered.
They didn't pay much attention when more people arrived and continued their loud discussions.
Chen An waved Li Fan over and explained to him: "That creature without a mouth is easy to guess. It can’t speak or even communicate telepathically; otherwise, it would throw us out."
"Exactly. The key is that guy with the stick," someone added.
"While getting beaten up isn't life-threatening, it really hurts!"
"How many times have you been hit? I've already been beaten over ten times," another replied.
"I agree. If I don’t get hit today, my body feels off."
...
Chen An smiled and explained to Li Fan: "Everyone is just trying to find some amusement since we haven't found a way into the thatched cottage for so long."
"Still, it depends on Fellow Daoist."
Chen An looked at Li Fan with hopeful eyes.
Li Fan shook his head. "With so many people struggling for days without finding a solution, how could I be an exception? Fellow Daoist overestimates me."
"We can only try and not hold high hopes," he said.
Chen An nodded: "Of course, we understand the limits of our efforts."
Li Fan focused on the thatched cottage ahead. Just as someone tried to enter again, Li Fan narrowed his eyes and carefully observed.
With the experience shared by everyone, this person moved silently towards the thatched cottage.
Before he could act, the creature with the stick suddenly glared at him. The wooden stick turned into a arc of light and hit him hard.
The cultivator only managed to cry out before being sent flying without any resistance.
Only after he was outside the ox-drawn cart's range did he manage to stabilize his position.
From the look on his face, it seemed quite painful.
"What is his cultivation level?" Li Fan asked.
"Late Foundation Establishment," Zhou Ningchang replied.
"There’s also a middle-stage Golden Core cultivator here. But like the Qi Refining cultivators, they can’t resist the wooden stick."
"We dare not invite anyone with higher levels." He added.
"Regardless of cultivation level, everyone is treated equally," Li Fan narrowed his eyes. This characteristic reminded him of something eerie.
"Is this place also a strange and dangerous area?" Li Fan wondered aloud.
"If it is, why doesn’t this strangeness harm people?" Li Fan decided to test it himself.
He quietly flew closer, landed in front of the thatched cottage, and slowly approached.
The creature without a mouth ignored him, but as he got closer, the stick-wielding one became increasingly angry.
Li Fan frowned and retreated. The stick-wielding creature's expression gradually returned to normal.
Thinking for a moment, Li Fan continued forward. This time, his pace slowed down, but the creature didn't play this game anymore. The wooden stick flew out of its hand and hit Li Fan hard.
It felt like being kicked in the stomach by someone. The force was so strong that Li Fan was sent flying uncontrollably.
"Ah..." Li Fan sucked in a breath.
That really hurt.
Seeing Li Fan's failed attempt, everyone wasn't too concerned but continued discussing how to deal with it tomorrow.
Li Fan thought back to what had happened and pondered over it.
The next day, people tried again. One after another was sent flying.
It was quite comical.
When it came to Li Fan, he faced the same fate without exception.
On the third day,
The result remained unchanged...
As days passed, everyone grew impatient as they got closer to Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. The number of people trying each day decreased significantly.
Watching all their methods fail, Li Fan had a hunch about what was happening.
Thus, when the next day arrived, he called out to everyone: "Any Fellow Daoist at the Qi Refining stage, please expend your cultivation and give it a try."