zhào èr duō suo le yī xià ， xià yì shí de xiǎng fǎn kàng 。
赵二哆嗦了一下，下意识的想反抗。
Zhao Er shivered, instinctively wanting to resist.
dàn shì xiǎng le xiǎng duì fāng nà shēn bù kě cè de shí lì ， hái shì qū fú le 。
但是想了想对方那深不可测的实力，还是屈服了。
But after considering the opponent's formidable strength, he submitted.
gǎn shòu dào bīng lěng de shì xiàn zài zì jǐ shēn shàng yóu dòng ， zhào èr kū sāng zhe liǎn ， shuō dào ：“ hǎo de ， qián bèi ！”
感受到冰冷的视线在自己身上游动，赵二哭丧着脸，说道：“好的，前辈！”
Feeling the cold gaze sweeping over him, Zhao Er's face fell as he said, "Alright, Senior!"
suí hòu qiā le gè fǎ jué 。
随后掐了个法诀。
He then performed a hand seal.
yán zhù hōng lōng lóng de zì hǎi dǐ shēng téng ér qǐ ， zhào èr chuí tóu sàng qì ：“ qián bèi ， qǐng ！”
岩柱轰隆隆的自海底升腾而起，赵二垂头丧气：“前辈，请！”
The rock pillar rose from the seabed with a rumble. Zhao Er hung his head dejectedly and said, "Senior, please."
shuō zhe ， shùn zhe yán zhù zhōng yāng de lóu tī ， zǒu le jìn qù 。
说着，顺着岩柱中央的楼梯，走了进去。
Following this, he walked up the staircase in the center of the pillar.
lǐ fán shén shí sǎo shì le yī quān 。
李凡神识扫视了一圈。
Li Fan scanned the area with his divine sense.
yán dú yù jiǎn yī nián duō ， xiàn zài de tā kě bù zài shì duì zhèn fǎ yī qiào bù tōng le 。
研读玉简一年多，现在的他可不再是对阵法一窍不通了。
After studying the jade slip for over a year, Li Fan was no longer ignorant when it came to阵法.
zhè yán zhù nèi zhǐ yǒu jǐ gè jiǎn dān de yù shuǐ 、 jìng chén fǎ zhèn ， bìng méi yǒu gōng jī xíng fǎ zhèn de hén jì 。
这岩柱内只有几个简单的御水、净尘法阵，并没有攻击型法阵的痕迹。
The rock pillar contained only simple御水 and 净尘 arrays, without any signs of attack-type formations.
bù guò lǐ fán yě méi yǒu jiàng dī jǐng tì xīn ， yī jiù shì jī huó le gè hù tǐ fú lù ， zhè cái gēn zài hòu miàn zǒu le jìn qù 。
不过李凡也没有降低警惕心，依旧是激活了个护体符箓，这才跟在后面走了进去。
However, Li Fan did not lower his guard. He activated a protective talisman before following behind.
hěn xiǎn rán ， shì lǐ fán duō lǜ le 。
很显然，是李凡多虑了。
Clearly, Li Fan had been overly cautious.
zhè yán zhù nèi kě yǐ shuō shì shí fēn jiǎn lòu 。
这岩柱内可以说是十分简陋。
This rock pillar was quite rudimentary, mostly used for storing collected items.
dà bù fèn dōu shì yòng lái bǎi fàng sōu jí pǐn de chǔ cáng shì 。
大部分都是用来摆放搜集品的储藏室。
Leading Li Fan to a more spacious room, Zhao Er said, "Senior, please sit."
zhào èr lǐng zhe lǐ fán ， lái dào le yī chù hái suàn bǐ jiào kuān chǎng de fáng jiān nèi 。
赵二领着李凡，来到了一处还算比较宽敞的房间内。
Li Fan sat down and looked at the pale-faced Zhao Er. He asked, "Do you want me to ask or will you confess?"
zhōng jiān yī zhāng dà zhuō zi ， shàng miàn bǎi fàng zhe de ， sì hū shì cóng yún hǎi de wēi suō mó xíng 。
中间一张大桌子，上面摆放着的，似乎是丛云海的微缩模型。
Zhao Er opened his mouth but only managed a grimace: "Senior, I don't know what to confess about."
“ qián bèi ， zuò 。”
“前辈，坐。”
Li Fan snorted coldly as his insect-binding power reactivated.
zhào èr niè rú zhe ， jiān nán dì shuō dào 。
赵二嗫嚅着，艰难地说道。
Zhao Er was immediately subdued again.
lǐ fán yōu yōu rán zuò xià ， kàn zhe miàn rú tǔ sè de zhào èr ， dào ：“ shì wǒ yí gè gè wèn ， hái shì nǐ zì jǐ lǎo shí jiāo dài ？”
李凡悠悠然坐下，看着面如土色的赵二，道：“是我一个个问，还是你自己老实交代？”
Controlling the blue flame illusory spirit, a visible chill spread from the ground like an icy snake, crawling up Zhao Er's body.
zhào èr zhāng le zhāng zuǐ ， xiǎng yào shuō xiē shén me ， què zhǐ shì lù chū yí gè bǐ kū hái nán kàn de xiào róng ：“ qián bèi ， wǒ bù zhī dào yào jiāo dài shén me a ？”
赵二张了张嘴，想要说些什么，却只是露出一个比哭还难看的笑容：“前辈，我不知道要交代什么啊？”
In an instant, Zhao Er’s lower limbs were frozen in blue ice.
lǐ fán lěng hēng yī shēng ， fù chóng shén tōng chóng xīn fā dòng 。
李凡冷哼一声，缚虫神通重新发动。
"Since your cultivation level is so low, I wonder if you can recover even if your body turns to ice shards," Li Fan said curiously.
zhào èr dùn shí yòu bèi zhì zhù 。
赵二顿时又被制住。
Fear flashed across Zhao Er's eyes but he quickly suppressed it. There was no sign of pleading; he seemed determined not to yield.
kòng zhì zhe lán yán huàn líng ， yī gǔ ròu yǎn kě jiàn de hán qì cóng dì miàn màn yán guò qù ， yóu rú yī tiáo bīng lán de dú shé ， huǎn huǎn pá dào le zhào èr shēn shàng 。
控制着蓝炎幻灵，一股肉眼可见的寒气从地面蔓延过去，犹如一条冰蓝的毒蛇，缓缓爬到了赵二身上。
Li Fan saw that this Zhao Er wasn't just pretending.
qǐng kè jiān ， zhào èr de xià zhī yǐ jīng bèi lán sè bīng jīng dòng zhù 。
顷刻间，赵二的下肢已经被蓝色冰晶冻住。
"Interesting." Li Fan smiled, holding onto Zhao Er as they entered the adjacent storage room.
“ bù zhī dào ， yǐ nǐ de xiū wèi ， shēn tǐ suì chéng bīng zhā hòu ， hái néng bù néng fù yuán 。” lǐ fán yǒu xiē hào qí de shuō dào 。
“不知道，以你的修为，身体碎成冰渣后，还能不能复原。”李凡有些好奇的说道。
Zhao Er’s gaze suddenly turned fearful.
zhào èr yǎn shén zhōng liú lù chū yī sī kǒng jù ， dàn hěn kuài ， jiù bèi tā qiáng xíng yā xià 。
赵二眼神中流露出一丝恐惧，但很快，就被他强行压下。
"Oh, these items seem really good. You must have spent a lot of effort collecting them," Li Fan said, running his hand over some old-looking objects.
yì diǎn qiú ráo de jì xiàng dōu kàn bú dào ， pǒ yǒu diǎn nìng sǐ bù qū de yì wèi 。
一点求饶的迹象都看不到，颇有点宁死不屈的意味。
With a tap on a porcelain bowl, he threw it to the ground.
lǐ fán yě kàn chū lái ， zhè zhào èr yě sì hū dí què bú shì zhuāng de 。
李凡也看出来，这赵二也似乎的确不是装的。
"Oops, I'm so sorry. I accidentally broke it," Li Fan lamented.
“ yǒu qù 。” lǐ fán xiào le xiào ， zhuō ná zhe zhào èr ， yì qǐ lái dào le gé bì de chǔ cáng shì zhōng 。
“有趣。”李凡笑了笑，捉拿着赵二，一起来到了隔壁的储藏室中。
Another piece of porcelain shattered.
zhào èr de yǎn shén hū de biàn dé jīng jù qǐ lái 。
赵二的眼神忽的变得惊惧起来。
Anger flared in Zhao Er’s eyes as he stared at Li Fan with intense hatred.
“ āi yā ， zhè lǐ de dōng xī ， hǎo xiàng zhēn de hěn bú cuò ne 。 nǐ sōu jí qǐ lái ， yí dìng fèi le bù shǎo gōng fu ba 。” lǐ fán shǒu zài zhè xiē kàn shàng qù jiù yǒu xiē nián tóu de wù jiàn shàng qīng qīng huá guò 。
“哎呀，这里的东西，好像真的很不错呢。你搜集起来，一定废了不少功夫吧。”李凡手在这些看上去就有些年头的物件上轻轻划过。
But as more fragile ancient artifacts were destroyed one by one, Zhao Er's gaze softened from anger to panic, then desperation.
“ pēng ！”
“砰！”
Li Fan continued undeterred, destroying his years of collection right before his eyes.
què shì zài mō zhe yī zhī cí wǎn de shí hòu ， jiāng qí rēng zài le dì shàng 。
却是在摸着一只瓷碗的时候，将其扔在了地上。
Seeing the scattered fragments, Zhao Er’s eyes filled with despair. He regained control and lunged forward, sobbing uncontrollably.
“ zé zé zé ， zhēn bù hǎo yì sī 。 yī bù liú shén ， jiù bǎ tā nòng suì le 。” lǐ fán pǒ wèi wǎn xī de shuō dào 。
“啧啧啧，真不好意思。一不留神，就把它弄碎了。”李凡颇为惋惜的说道。
His cries echoed through the room, his anguish heart-wrenching.
“ pēng ！”
“砰！”
Suddenly, he realized that the pieces were gone, still controlled in the same room.
yòu shì yī jiàn cí qì shuāi suì 。
又是一件瓷器摔碎。
Everything just now was but a hallucination!
zhào èr de yǎn zhōng fàn qǐ tāo tiān de nù huǒ ， sǐ sǐ dīng zhe lǐ fán 。
赵二的眼中泛起滔天的怒火，死死盯着李凡。
Emotions swung wildly, from extreme joy to sorrow. Zhao Er nearly fainted with shock.
sì hū yào tā qiān dāo wàn guǎ 。
似乎要他千刀万剐。
With the restraints removed, Zhao Er tumbled to the ground, feeling weak all over. He rushed into the adjacent storage room, finding his beloved treasures intact.
rán ér ， suí zhe fáng jiān lǐ cuì ruò de gǔ wù ， yī jiàn yòu yī jiàn de bèi pò huài diào 。
然而，随着房间里脆弱的古物，一件又一件的被破坏掉。
He burst into tears, even more miserable than before.
zhào èr de yǎn shén yě jiàn jiàn de yóu xiōng hěn biàn dé xīn tòng ， yóu xīn tòng biàn de huāng zhāng 。
赵二的眼神也渐渐的由凶狠变得心痛，由心痛变的慌张。
In Zhao Er’s eyes, this hallucination was a thousand times worse than any nightmare.
zài yóu huāng zhāng biàn dé qiú ráo 。
再由慌张变得求饶。
He never wanted to experience it again!
lǐ fán què yì diǎn méi yǒu tíng xià lái de yì si 。
李凡却一点没有停下来的意思。
The dreamlike voice echoed in his ears as he trembled, realizing how terrifying the manipulation of minds truly was.
dài zhe tā jiāng zhè yán zhù nèi de fáng jiān zǒu biàn ， dāng zhe zhào èr de miàn ， bǎ tā ruò gān nián de shōu cáng zài qǐng kè jiān dōu huǐ huài dài jìn 。
带着他将这岩柱内的房间走遍，当着赵二的面，把他若干年的收藏在顷刻间都毁坏殆尽。
"Tell me now what you need to confess!" he shuddered and cried out.
kàn zhe mǎn dì de suì piàn ， zhào èr de yǎn zhōng mǎn shì jué wàng 。
看着满地的碎片，赵二的眼中满是绝望。
Afraid that Li Fan would destroy everything, they returned. Li Fan sat while Zhao Er stood obediently by.
shēn tǐ yī sōng ， huī fù le shēn tǐ de kòng zhì quán ， zhào èr pū shàng qián qù ， háo táo dà kū 。
身体一松，恢复了身体的控制权，赵二扑上前去，嚎啕大哭。
Zhao Er opened his mouth but hesitated.
kū shēng zhèn tiān ， nà shāng xīn yù jué de yàng zi ， zhēn shì ràng rén bù rěn xīn qù kàn 。
哭声震天，那伤心欲绝的样子，真是让人不忍心去看。
After a long pause, he said timidly, "Junior Zhao Er Bao, local cultivator of Congyunhai. I am sixty-eight years old..."
zhào èr kū zhe kū zhe ， què tū rán fā xiàn shǒu zhōng de suì piàn bú jiàn le 。
赵二哭着哭着，却突然发现手中的碎片不见了。
Li Fan’s face darkened as he interrupted him: "Who asked you to say that? I want to know what use these items are."
zì jǐ yī rán hái shì bèi kòng zhì zhe ， zài yuán lái de fáng jiān lǐ 。
自己依然还是被控制着，在原来的房间里。
"Where is the place you mentioned?"
yuán lái gāng gāng fā shēng de yī qiè ， hè rán dōu zhǐ shì yī cháng huàn jué ！
原来刚刚发生的一切，赫然都只是一场幻觉！
"Why don’t you use a storage ring to transport them instead of moving them by hand with your flying boat?"
qíng xù jí dù fǎn zhuǎn ， dà xǐ dà bēi ， zhào èr yì kǒu qì chà diǎn méi tái shàng lái 。
情绪极度反转，大喜大悲，赵二一口气差点没抬上来。
Each question made Zhao Er Bao shiver.
shēn tǐ de shù fù xiāo shī ， zhào èr shuāi zài dì miàn shàng 。
身体的束缚消失，赵二摔在地面上。
After Li Fan’s questions, Zhao Er Bao said with a pained expression, "Senior, you truly have great powers. Nothing can hide from you."
zhǐ jué de hún shēn fā ruǎn ， dàn tā zhēng zhá zhe fēi bēn dào gé bì de chǔ cáng shì nèi ， kàn dào nà xiē xīn ài de cáng pǐn yī jiù wán zhěng 。
只觉得浑身发软，但他挣扎着飞奔到隔壁的储藏室内，看到那些心爱的藏品依旧完整。
He paused and seemed to gather his thoughts before saying hesitantly, "Junior Zhao Er Bao spent my entire life collecting these ancient items because I discovered a secret when I was just an ordinary person."
bù yóu de xǐ jí ér qì ， què shì kū de gèng cǎn le 。
不由得喜极而泣，却是哭的更惨了。
"Secret?" Li Fan looked interested at Zhao Er Bao.
zài zhào èr yǎn zhōng ， gāng gāng de huàn jué bǐ zuì kě pà de è mèng hái yào kě pà yī wàn bèi 。
在赵二眼中，刚刚的幻觉比最可怕的噩梦还要可怕一万倍。
Zhao Er Bao nodded: "My family has been in the antiques business for generations. Growing up around it, I developed a keen interest in the ancient relics from the deep sea."
tā zài yě bù xiǎng jīng lì le ！
他再也不想经历了！
"Perhaps due to my natural talent, I could easily distinguish genuine antiques from fakes."
“ xiàn zài yào zhī dào jiāo dài shén me le ma ？” mèng yǎn bān de shēng yīn zài ěr páng xiǎng qǐ ， zhào èr hún shēn zhàn lì ， zhǐ jué de duì fāng cāo zòng rén xīn de jì liǎng shí zài tài guò kě pà ！
“现在要知道交代什么了嘛？”梦魇般的声音在耳旁响起，赵二浑身战栗，只觉得对方操纵人心的伎俩实在太过可怕！
"So, gradually, they entrusted me with all the authentication work. I got to handle many ancient items every day."
“ shuō ， wǒ dōu shuō ！” tā dǎ le gè duō suo ， lián shēng shuō dào 。
“说，我都说！”他打了个哆嗦，连声说道。
"Thereby, I began to uncover this hidden secret in history."
shēng pà lǐ fán zhēn de jiāng tā de shōu cáng jìn shù cuī huǐ diào 。
生怕李凡真的将他的收藏尽数摧毁掉。
"The Congyunhai region seems to have once had a lost civilization."
liǎng rén yī qián yī hòu fǎn huí ， lǐ fán zuò zhe ， zhào èr guāi qiǎo de zhàn zài yī páng 。
两人一前一后返回，李凡坐着，赵二乖巧的站在一旁。
Zhao Er Bao's expression turned serious as he narrowed his eyes, recalling something.
zhào èr zhāng zuǐ ， yù yán yòu zhǐ 。
赵二张嘴，欲言又止。
"This civilization’s artifacts are uniquely distinct from those of other periods. The ones stored here belong to that civilization."
guò le bàn tiān ， zhào èr zhè cái zhàn zhàn jīng jīng de kāi kǒu dào ：“ wǎn bèi zhào èr bǎo ， cóng yún hǎi běn dì xiū shì 。 jīn nián liù shí bā suì ……”
过了半天，赵二这才战战兢兢的开口道：“晚辈赵二宝，丛云海本地修士。今年六十八岁……”
Li Fan nodded slowly: "What makes this civilization special? These items may be old but they seem just ordinary objects. They should not be much use to a cultivator like you."
lǐ fán liǎn yī hēi ， lián máng bǎ tā dǎ duàn ：“ shuí yào nǐ jiāo dài zhè ge ？ wǒ shì wèn nǐ ， zhè xiē nǐ sōu jí lái dào dōng xī ， yǒu shén me yòng chǔ 。”
李凡脸一黑，连忙把他打断：“谁要你交代这个？我是问你，这些你搜集来到东西，有什么用处。”
"These items themselves have little value," Zhao Er Bao said. "But the real treasure is what’s attached to them."
“ nǐ shuō de nà ge dì fāng ， yòu shì nǎ lǐ ？”
“你说的那个地方，又是哪里？”
"Do you know that there are ruins everywhere in Congyunhai?" Zhao Er Bao suddenly asked, changing the subject.
Zhao Er shivered, instinctively wanting to resist.
But after considering the opponent's formidable strength, he submitted.
Feeling the cold gaze sweeping over him, Zhao Er's face fell as he said, "Alright, Senior!"
He then performed a hand seal.
The rock pillar rose from the seabed with a rumble. Zhao Er hung his head dejectedly and said, "Senior, please."
Following this, he walked up the staircase in the center of the pillar.
Li Fan scanned the area with his divine sense.
After studying the jade slip for over a year, Li Fan was no longer ignorant when it came to阵法.
The rock pillar contained only simple御水 and 净尘 arrays, without any signs of attack-type formations.
However, Li Fan did not lower his guard. He activated a protective talisman before following behind.
Clearly, Li Fan had been overly cautious.
This rock pillar was quite rudimentary, mostly used for storing collected items.
Leading Li Fan to a more spacious room, Zhao Er said, "Senior, please sit."
Li Fan sat down and looked at the pale-faced Zhao Er. He asked, "Do you want me to ask or will you confess?"
Zhao Er opened his mouth but only managed a grimace: "Senior, I don't know what to confess about."
Li Fan snorted coldly as his insect-binding power reactivated.
Zhao Er was immediately subdued again.
Controlling the blue flame illusory spirit, a visible chill spread from the ground like an icy snake, crawling up Zhao Er's body.
In an instant, Zhao Er’s lower limbs were frozen in blue ice.
"Since your cultivation level is so low, I wonder if you can recover even if your body turns to ice shards," Li Fan said curiously.
Fear flashed across Zhao Er's eyes but he quickly suppressed it. There was no sign of pleading; he seemed determined not to yield.
Li Fan saw that this Zhao Er wasn't just pretending.
"Interesting." Li Fan smiled, holding onto Zhao Er as they entered the adjacent storage room.
Zhao Er’s gaze suddenly turned fearful.
"Oh, these items seem really good. You must have spent a lot of effort collecting them," Li Fan said, running his hand over some old-looking objects.
With a tap on a porcelain bowl, he threw it to the ground.
"Oops, I'm so sorry. I accidentally broke it," Li Fan lamented.
Another piece of porcelain shattered.
Anger flared in Zhao Er’s eyes as he stared at Li Fan with intense hatred.
But as more fragile ancient artifacts were destroyed one by one, Zhao Er's gaze softened from anger to panic, then desperation.
Li Fan continued undeterred, destroying his years of collection right before his eyes.
Seeing the scattered fragments, Zhao Er’s eyes filled with despair. He regained control and lunged forward, sobbing uncontrollably.
His cries echoed through the room, his anguish heart-wrenching.
Suddenly, he realized that the pieces were gone, still controlled in the same room.
Everything just now was but a hallucination!
Emotions swung wildly, from extreme joy to sorrow. Zhao Er nearly fainted with shock.
With the restraints removed, Zhao Er tumbled to the ground, feeling weak all over. He rushed into the adjacent storage room, finding his beloved treasures intact.
He burst into tears, even more miserable than before.
In Zhao Er’s eyes, this hallucination was a thousand times worse than any nightmare.
He never wanted to experience it again!
The dreamlike voice echoed in his ears as he trembled, realizing how terrifying the manipulation of minds truly was.
"Tell me now what you need to confess!" he shuddered and cried out.
Afraid that Li Fan would destroy everything, they returned. Li Fan sat while Zhao Er stood obediently by.
Zhao Er opened his mouth but hesitated.
After a long pause, he said timidly, "Junior Zhao Er Bao, local cultivator of Congyunhai. I am sixty-eight years old..."
Li Fan’s face darkened as he interrupted him: "Who asked you to say that? I want to know what use these items are."
"Where is the place you mentioned?"
"Why don’t you use a storage ring to transport them instead of moving them by hand with your flying boat?"
Each question made Zhao Er Bao shiver.
After Li Fan’s questions, Zhao Er Bao said with a pained expression, "Senior, you truly have great powers. Nothing can hide from you."
He paused and seemed to gather his thoughts before saying hesitantly, "Junior Zhao Er Bao spent my entire life collecting these ancient items because I discovered a secret when I was just an ordinary person."
"Secret?" Li Fan looked interested at Zhao Er Bao.
Zhao Er Bao nodded: "My family has been in the antiques business for generations. Growing up around it, I developed a keen interest in the ancient relics from the deep sea."
"Perhaps due to my natural talent, I could easily distinguish genuine antiques from fakes."
"So, gradually, they entrusted me with all the authentication work. I got to handle many ancient items every day."
"Thereby, I began to uncover this hidden secret in history."
"The Congyunhai region seems to have once had a lost civilization."
Zhao Er Bao's expression turned serious as he narrowed his eyes, recalling something.
"This civilization’s artifacts are uniquely distinct from those of other periods. The ones stored here belong to that civilization."
Li Fan nodded slowly: "What makes this civilization special? These items may be old but they seem just ordinary objects. They should not be much use to a cultivator like you."
"These items themselves have little value," Zhao Er Bao said. "But the real treasure is what’s attached to them."
"Do you know that there are ruins everywhere in Congyunhai?" Zhao Er Bao suddenly asked, changing the subject.