“ fèi xū ？ zhè ge wǒ zì rán qīng chǔ 。”
“废墟？这个我自然清楚。”
"Waste? I naturally know about that."
lǐ fán yě shì cóng yún hǎi dǐ cháng kè le 。
李凡也是丛云海底常客了。
Li Fan was a frequent visitor to the Cunyun Sea bottom.
duì yú biàn bù cóng yún hǎi dǐ de fèi xū ， tā yě bù mò shēng 。
对于遍布丛云海底的废墟，他也不陌生。
He wasn't unfamiliar with the ruins scattered throughout the Cunyun Sea.
“ nǐ de yì si shì ？ zhè xiē fèi xū ， jiù shì nà ge shī luò wén míng de ？” lǐ fán wèn dào 。
“你的意思是？这些废墟，就是那个失落文明的？”李凡问道。
"Your meaning is... these ruins belong to that lost civilization?" Li Fan asked.
zhào èr bǎo yáo yáo tóu ：“ bù bù bù ， zhè xiē fèi xū ， dōu shì cóng yún hǎi běn dì ……”
赵二宝摇摇头：“不不不，这些废墟，都是丛云海本地……”
Zhao Erbao shook his head. "No, no, no. These ruins are all from the local Cunyun Sea..."
“ yě bú duì ……”
“也不对……”
"But not entirely."
zhào èr bǎo náo le náo nǎo dài ， shuāng shǒu bǐ huà le gè quān ：“ xiàn rú jīn cóng yún hǎi zhè ge dì fāng ， yuán lái jiù bú shì gè hǎi 。”
赵二宝挠了挠脑袋，双手比划了个圈：“现如今丛云海这个地方，原来就不是个海。”
Zhao Erbao scratched his head and made a circle with both hands: "This place in the Cunyun Sea originally wasn't an ocean."
lǐ fán wēi wēi yí zhèng 。
李凡微微一怔。
Li Fan was slightly taken aback.
zhǐ tīng dào zhào èr bǎo jì xù shuō dào ：“ zhè lǐ ， yuán běn yīng gāi shì kuài lù dì 。 dàn mǒu yī tiān ……”
只听到赵二宝继续说道：“这里，原本应该是块陆地。但某一天……”
He heard Zhao Erbao continue, "Originally, this should have been a piece of land. But one day..."
“ tū rán bèi hǎi shuǐ yān mò le 。”
“突然被海水淹没了。”
"It suddenly got submerged by seawater."
“ cóng yún hǎi dǐ de nà xiē fèi xū ， jiù shì shǔ yú nà xiē yuán běn dì miàn shàng de wén míng 。”
“丛云海底的那些废墟，就是属于那些原本地面上的文明。”
"The ruins at the bottom of the Cunyun Sea belong to those civilizations that were on the surface originally."
“ bèi hǎi shuǐ yān mò ……” wǎng xī zài hǎi dǐ jiàn dào de yí mù mù chǎng jǐng fú xiàn yú lǐ fán nǎo hǎi zhōng 。
“被海水淹没……”往昔在海底见到的一幕幕场景浮现于李凡脑海中。
"Submerged by seawater..." Li Fan's mind flashed back to scenes from his previous visits to the underwater ruins.
dà xuán chū kǒu ， shì hǎi dǐ de yī chù shēn yuān 。
大玄出口，是海底的一处深渊。
The exit to Great Xuan was a deep abyss in the ocean.
lí jiè rù kǒu ， shì hǎi dǐ fèi xū zhōng de yī kǒu jǐng 。
离界入口，是海底废墟中的一口井。
The boundary exit was a well among the ruins at the bottom of the sea.
liàn zhì fēn shēn 、 xún zhǎo tiān jīng líng shā ， yě shì zài yī chù guī mó tǐng dà de hǎi dǐ yí jì zhōng 。
炼制分身、寻找天晶灵砂，也是在一处规模挺大的海底遗迹中。
The process of cultivating an avatar and searching for celestial crystals also took place within a large underwater ruin.
tā céng jīng duō cì mù dǔ guò zhè xiē biàn bù gè chù de hǎi dǐ fèi xū ， zài jiā shàng yòu céng jīng mù dǔ guò cóng yún hǎi gān hé de chǎng jǐng 。
他曾经多次目睹过这些遍布各处的海底废墟，再加上又曾经目睹过丛云海干涸的场景。
He had seen these scattered underwater ruins multiple times, and he had witnessed the Cunyun Sea drying up before.
jì rán zhè lǐ néng cóng hǎi biàn wèi shān ， nà me yǒu méi yǒu kě néng zhè piàn hǎi ， yě céng jīng bú shì hǎi ne ？
既然这里能从海变为山，那么有没有可能这片海，也曾经不是海呢？
Could this ocean have once been land?
lǐ lùn shàng lái jiǎng ， tā shì yīng dāng hěn róng yì jiù fā chū zhè bān yí wèn de 。
理论上来讲，他是应当很容易就发出这般疑问的。
Logically speaking, he should easily come to such a question.
yǒu shén me zài rǎo luàn tā de sī wéi 。
有什么在扰乱他的思维。
Something was disturbing his thoughts, making him unintentionally ignore it.
ràng tā yǒu yì wú yì hū lüè zhè diǎn 。
让他有意无意忽略这点。
Even actively finding other reasons for the formation of underwater ruins, like considering them as remnants of an island destroyed by a wind disaster.
shèn zhì zhǔ dòng wèi hǎi dǐ yí jì de xíng chéng zhǎo qí tā yuán yīn ， bǐ rú bǎ tā kàn zuò shì bèi fēng zāi huǐ miè de dǎo yǔ zào chéng de 。
甚至主动为海底遗迹的形成找其他原因，比如把它看做是被风灾毁灭的岛屿造成的。
Now that he thought about it, these continuous underwater ruins didn't look like they were formed after an island sank.
xiàn zài huí tóu xiǎng xiǎng ， hǎi dǐ zhè me xiē lián mián de yí jì ， kě wán quán bù xiàng shì dǎo yǔ chén mò hòu de yàng zi 。
现在回头想想，海底这么些连绵的遗迹，可完全不像是岛屿沉没后的样子。
"This kind of mind-disturbing technique is very similar to Immortal He. But compared to him, it's slightly weaker. Once you realize this, your perception won't be affected."
“ zhè zhǒng rǎo luàn rén xīn de shǒu duàn ， gēn cháng shēng tiān zūn dǎo shì jí wéi xiāng sì 。 dàn xiāng bǐ qǐ lái ， què shì shāo wēi ruò le yì diǎn 。 yí dàn xǐng wù guò lái ， biàn bú huì zài bèi yǐng xiǎng rèn zhī 。”
“这种扰乱人心的手段，跟长生天尊倒是极为相似。但相比起来，却是稍微弱了一点。一旦醒悟过来，便不会再被影响认知。”
"Beyond the Way, below Eternity..."
“ hé dào zhī shàng ， cháng shēng zhī xià me ……”
“合道之上，长生之下么……”
In a flash, several thoughts crossed Li Fan's mind.
chà nà jiān ， lǐ fán de nǎo hǎi zhōng shǎn guò shù gè niàn tou 。
刹那间，李凡的脑海中闪过数个念头。
Zhao Erbao continued talking.
ér zhào èr bǎo què yī jiù zài wěi wěi ér tán 。
而赵二宝却依旧在娓娓而谈。
"These ancient artifacts I collected all belong to another completely different civilization."
“ ér wǒ sōu jí de zhè xiē gǔ wù ， quán dōu shǔ yú lìng wài yí gè jié rán bù tóng de wén míng 。”
“而我搜集的这些古物，全都属于另外一个截然不同的文明。”
"It just appeared suddenly, like it fell from the sky."
“ tā jiù xiàng cóng tiān shàng diào xià lái de yì bān ， tū rán chū xiàn 。”
“它就像从天上掉下来的一般，突然出现。”
"Just like..."
“ jiù xiàng ……”
“就像……”
Li Fan suddenly spoke up: "Just like this Cunyun Sea?"
lǐ fán tū rán chū shēng ：“ jiù xiàng zhè cóng yún hǎi yī yàng ？”
李凡突然出声：“就像这丛云海一样？”
Zhao Erbao clapped his hands excitedly. "Exactly!"
zhào èr bǎo měng dì yī pāi bā zhǎng ， xīng fèn dào ：“ méi cuò ！”
赵二宝猛地一拍巴掌，兴奋道：“没错！”
"When I first had this doubt, I searched through the entire bottom of the Cunyun Sea and dug everywhere."
“ dāng chū wǒ dài zhe zhè ge yí huò ， biàn xún cóng yún hǎi dǐ ， dào chù wā jué 。”
“当初我带着这个疑惑，遍寻丛云海底，到处挖掘。”
"After studying the fault lines in various sea beds, I made a startling discovery."
“ zài yán jiū le gè dì hǎi chuáng de duàn céng zhī hòu ， wǒ yǒu le jīng rén de fā xiàn 。”
“在研究了各地海床的断层之后，我有了惊人的发现。”
"Remember, mountains and rivers can change, but it's rare. Maybe one day, this vast Cunyun Sea will turn back into land."
“ yào zhī dào ， shān hé yì biàn ， nǎi shì děng xián 。 shuō bù dìng nǎ yī tiān ， zhè hào hàn de cóng yún hǎi ， jiù huì chóng xīn biàn huí lù dì 。”
“要知道，山河易变，乃是等闲。说不定哪一天，这浩瀚的丛云海，就会重新变回陆地。”
"But the process usually takes several or even more than ten years."
“ dàn zhè ge zhuǎn biàn guò chéng ， wǎng wǎng xū yào jǐ nián shèn zhì shí jǐ nián de shí jiān 。”
“但这个转变过程，往往需要几年甚至十几年的时间。”
"But!"
“ dàn shì ！”
“但是！”
Zhao Erbao raised his voice and repeated: "But!"
zhào èr bǎo lā gāo le shēng yīn ， chóng fù shuō dào ：“ dàn shì ！”
赵二宝拉高了声音，重复说道：“但是！”
"At that time, the transformation from land to sea was just a brief moment!"
“ dāng chū zhè lǐ ， yóu lù dì biàn wèi hǎi yáng ， jiù zhǐ shì duǎn duǎn de yī shùn ér yǐ ！”
“当初这里，由陆地变为海洋，就只是短短的一瞬而已！”
As he spoke, Zhao Erbao walked over to the Cunyun Sea miniature model in the room.
zhào èr bǎo yuè shuō yuè jī dòng ， tā zǒu dào fáng jiān zhōng nà ge cóng yún hǎi wēi suō mó xíng páng biān 。
赵二宝越说越激动，他走到房间中那个丛云海微缩模型旁边。
He pointed at it with his hand, and the seawater in the model gathered into a ball, flying to his palm.
shēn shǒu yī zhǐ ， mó xíng zhōng de hǎi shuǐ jù chéng tuán ， fēi dào zhào èr bǎo shǒu xīn 。
伸手一指，模型中的海水聚成团，飞到赵二宝手心。
The sunken model slowly returned to its original shape.
shēn āo xià qù de mó xíng yě huǎn huǎn huī fù yuán zhuàng 。
深凹下去的模型也缓缓恢复原状。
"Just like this!"
“ jiù xiàng zhè yàng ！”
“就像这样！”
With a slap of his hand, he grabbed a ball of water.
tā shǒu zhōng zhuā zhe yī tuán hǎi shuǐ ， suí hòu měng dì yī pāi ér xià 。
他手中抓着一团海水，随后猛地一拍而下。
"Bang!"
“ pēng ！”
“嘭！”
The impact caused the ground to sink deeply, and seawater gushed out from between his fingers, filling the depression instantly.
pāi jī zhī xià ， dà dì shēn xiàn ， hǎi shuǐ cóng zhǐ fèng jiān xiōng yǒng ér chū ， shùn jiān guàn mǎn zhěng piàn wā dì 。
拍击之下，大地深陷，海水从指缝间汹涌而出，瞬间灌满整片洼地。
Tranquil fields turned into vast seas in just one palm!
sāng tián biàn cāng hǎi ， guǒ zhēn zhǐ shì yī zhǎng zhī jiān ！
桑田变沧海，果真只是一掌之间！
Li Fan couldn't help thinking about the topographical map of Cunyun Sea he had seen before.
lǐ fán yòu bù yóu de xiǎng qǐ le zhī qián céng jīng kàn dào de cóng yún hǎi zhōu biān dì xíng tú 。
李凡又不由得想起了之前曾经看到的丛云海周边地形图。
In fact, it wasn’t "as if," but "it was" a gap carved out on the mainland by someone.
yuán lái bú shì “ fǎng fú ”， ér shì “ jiù shì ” bèi rén zài dà lù shàng yìng shēng shēng záo chū gè quē kǒu ！
原来不是“仿佛”，而是“就是”被人在大陆上硬生生凿出个缺口！
"This palm... this palm..."
“ zhè yī zhǎng ， zhè yī zhǎng ……”
“这一掌，这一掌……”
Thinking back to that scene, Li Fan was lost in thought, unable to pull himself together.
lǐ fán xiá xiǎng dāng shí de chǎng jǐng ， shén chí mù xuàn ， bù néng zì yǐ 。
李凡遐想当时的场景，神驰目眩，不能自已。
Zhao Erbao retracted his hand and stared at the newly formed Cunyun Sea model, deep in thought.
zhào èr bǎo yě shōu huí shǒu zhǎng ， zhēng zhēng de kàn zhuó zhòng xīn chéng xíng de cóng yún hǎi mó xíng ， bù zhī dào zài xiǎng xiē shén me 。
赵二宝也收回手掌，怔怔的看着重新成型的丛云海模型，不知道在想些什么。
After a long silence, Zhao Erbao finally continued slowly: "The ancient artifacts I collected should have been carried here by this endless seawater."
chén mò le xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， zhào èr bǎo zhè cái yòu huǎn huǎn chū shēng dào ：“ wǒ sōu jí de zhè xiē gǔ wù ， yīng dāng biàn shì bèi zhè wú qióng hǎi shuǐ guǒ xié zhe ， yì qǐ lái dào zhè lǐ de 。”
沉默了许久之后，赵二宝这才又缓缓出声道：“我搜集的这些古物，应当便是被这无穷海水裹挟着，一起来到这里的。”
Li Fan suddenly recalled seeing two human skeletons from Elder Yin.
lǐ fán hū de yòu xiǎng qǐ le zài yīn shàng rén nà kàn dào de liǎng jù rén lèi shī gǔ 。
李凡忽的又想起了在殷上人那看到的两句人类尸骨。
"Are they not of the same kind?"
“ bú shì tóng yī zhǒng rén me 。”
“不是同一种人么。”
"So it is."
“ yuán lái shì zhè yàng 。”
“原来是这样。”
Although powerful beings above the Way could distort people's minds and hide their traces,
suī rán hé dào zhī shàng de dà néng men ， néng niǔ qū rén men de sī wéi ， zhē yǎn zì jǐ de hén jì 。
虽然合道之上的大能们，能扭曲人们的思维，遮掩自己的痕迹。
there were always various geniuses in the world who could detect what had happened through subtle clues.
dàn tiān dì jiān ， zǒng yǒu gè zhǒng gè yàng de qí cái ， néng gòu tōng guò zhǒng zhǒng zhū sī mǎ jì ， chá jué dào tiān dì jiān céng jīng fā shēng guò de shì qíng 。
但天地间，总有各种各样的奇才，能够通过种种蛛丝马迹，察觉到天地间曾经发生过的事情。
His spiritual perception was becoming more peaceful, so he believed Zhao Erbao hadn't lied.
líng jué yuè fā píng hé ， kàn lái ， zhè zhào èr bǎo yìng dāng méi yǒu shuō huǎng 。
灵觉越发平和，看来，这赵二宝应当没有说谎。
Li Fan thought for a moment and asked again: "The attachments on these ancient artifacts you mentioned—aren't they related to that palm strike?"
lǐ fán chén sī le piàn kè ， yòu kāi kǒu wèn dào ：“ nǐ suǒ shuō de ， zhè xiē gǔ wù shàng de fù zhuó ， mò bú shì yǔ nà yī zhǎng yǒu guān ？”
李凡沉思了片刻，又开口问道：“你所说的，这些古物上的附着，莫不是与那一掌有关？”
Zhao Erbao hesitated for a moment before admitting honestly: "That palm that formed the Cunyun Sea was incredibly powerful, almost reaching the level of Dao."
zhào èr bǎo yóu yù le piàn kè ， zuì zhōng hái shì lǎo shí jiāo dài ：“ dāng chū nà xíng chéng cóng yún hǎi de yī zhǎng ， wēi lì zhī qiáng ， jìn hū yú dào 。”
赵二宝犹豫了片刻，最终还是老实交代：“当初那形成丛云海的一掌，威力之强，近乎于道。”
"The objects carried along with it inevitably absorbed some traces of Dao."
“ bèi qí yī tóng xié dài zhe de zhè xiē wù jiàn ， biàn bù kě bì miǎn de zhān rǎn shàng le yī sī dào yùn 。”
“被其一同携带着的这些物件，便不可避免的沾染上了一丝道韵。”
"Buried deep in the sea, even after thousands of years, these traces still lingered on them."
“ shēn mái hǎi dǐ ， jiù suàn guò qù shù qiān nián ， zhè dào yùn yī rán hái cán cún qí shàng 。”
“深埋海底，就算过去数千年，这道韵依然还残存其上。”
"Only one item had a weak trace that couldn't be perceived.
“ zhǐ shì yī jiàn ， dào yùn wēi ruò ， bù kě chá jué 。
“只是一件，道韵微弱，不可察觉。
"But as more were collected, the residual Dao resonated and became more noticeable."
“ dàn sōu jí de shù liàng yuè duō ， zhè xiē cán liú de dào yùn hù xiāng gòng míng zhī xià ， yě jiù yuè fā míng xiǎn 。”
“但搜集的数量越多，这些残留的道韵互相共鸣之下，也就越发明显。”
"If enough are gathered, they might reassemble the complete trace of Dao."
“ ruò shì dá dào yí gè shù liàng jí ， shuō bù dìng jiù néng chóng xīn fù xiàn chū wán zhěng de dào yùn 。”
“若是达到一个数量级，说不定就能重新复现出完整的道韵。”
"To witness thecharm;风采:风貌;风采:personality (Note: The term can have multiple meanings depending on context)of that palm strike."
“ yī lǎn dāng chū nà zhǎng de fēng cǎi 。”
“一览当初那掌的风采。”
Hearing this, Li Fan's spiritual perception finally faded away.
tīng wén cǐ huà ， lǐ fán xīn zhōng de líng jué tí shì zhōng yú huǎn huǎn xiāo sàn 。
听闻此话，李凡心中的灵觉提示终于缓缓消散。
"Originally, this is my opportunity."
“ yuán lái ， zhè cái shì wǒ de jī yuán suǒ zài 。”
“原来，这才是我的机缘所在。”
"A single palm strike to cover the sea..."
“ fù hǎi yī zhǎng ……”
“覆海一掌……”
Seeing Li Fan remain silent for a long time, Zhao Erbao cautiously continued: "That's why I didn't use a storage ring to transfer these ancient artifacts earlier. Because the residual traces of Dao are extremely fragile."
zhào èr bǎo jiàn lǐ fán jiǔ jiǔ méi yǒu fǎn yìng ， yòu xiǎo xīn yì yì dì jì xù shuō dào ：“ zhī qián wǎn bèi wǒ zhī suǒ yǐ bù yòng chǔ wù jiè zhuǎn yí zhè xiē gǔ wù ， jiù shì yīn wèi zhè xiē cán cún de dào yùn jí qí cuì ruò 。”
赵二宝见李凡久久没有反应，又小心翼翼地继续说道：“之前晚辈我之所以不用储物戒转移这些古物，就是因为这些残存的道韵极其脆弱。”
"If they were stored and then taken out, it might destroy the residual trace of Dao."
“ ruò shì zhuāng jìn qù zài qǔ chū ， hěn kě néng jiù huì bǎ shàng miàn cán liú de dào yùn gěi pò huài diào 。”
“若是装进去再取出，很可能就会把上面残留的道韵给破坏掉。”
"So I had to do it myself."
“ suǒ yǐ zhǐ néng qīn zì dòng shǒu le 。”
“所以只能亲自动手了。”
Li Fan nodded slightly in agreement.
lǐ fán wēi wēi diǎn tóu ， rèn kě le zhè ge shuō fǎ 。
李凡微微点头，认可了这个说法。
"Come on, let me see that trace of the palm strike!"
“ zǒu ， dài wǒ qù jiàn jiàn zhè fù hǎi yī zhǎng de dào yùn ！”
“走，带我去见见这覆海一掌的道韵！”
Zhao Erbao didn't dare refuse. He led Li Fan down the stone pillar stairs to one of the largest storage rooms.
zhào èr bǎo bù gǎn jù jué ， dài zhe lǐ fán ， yán zhe yán zhù de lóu tī wǎng xià ， lái dào le qí zhōng zuì dà de yī jiān chǔ cáng shì 。
赵二宝不敢拒绝，带着李凡，沿着岩柱的楼梯往下，来到了其中最大的一间储藏室。
Inside, there were hundreds of different ancient artifacts arranged.
lǐ miàn ， bǎi fàng zhe zú yǒu shù bǎi jiàn yàng shì bù yī de gǔ wù 。
里面，摆放着足有数百件样式不一的古物。
There were porcelain bottles and bowls, bronze small tripods, even ordinary household items like iron pots and shovels.
yǒu cí píng 、 cí wǎn ， hái yǒu qīng tóng xiǎo dǐng ， shèn zhì hái yǒu xún cháng jiā yòng de tiě guō 、 tiě qiāo zhī lèi 。
有瓷瓶、瓷碗，还有青铜小鼎，甚至还有寻常家用的铁锅、铁锹之类。
Li Fan closed his eyes and sensed.
lǐ fán bì mù gǎn wù 。
李凡闭目感悟。
Indeed, a peculiar rhythm was flowing in this storage room.
zhè chǔ cáng shì nèi ， què shí yǒu yī gǔ qí tè de yùn lǜ zài huǎn huǎn liú dòng 。
这储藏室内，确实有一股奇特的韵律在缓缓流动。
But it was still very weak, making it difficult to perceive any divine power from it.
zhǐ bù guò ， hái shì shí fēn ruò xiǎo ， nán yǐ cóng zhōng wù chū shén me shén tōng 。
只不过，还是十分弱小，难以从中悟出什么神通。
"How many more will be needed before the trace of Dao becomes strong enough for perception?" Li Fan asked.
“ dà gài hái yào duō shǎo jiàn ， cái néng jiāng zhè lǚ dào yùn zhuàng dà dào néng gǎn wù de chéng dù ？” lǐ fán wèn dào 。
“大概还要多少件，才能将这缕道韵壮大到能感悟的程度？”李凡问道。
Zhao Erbao seemed hesitant. "It's hard to say. At least you need several times the number I've collected."
zhào èr bǎo yǒu xiē wéi nán ：“ zhè kě bù hǎo shuō 。 zuì qǐ mǎ hái yào bǐ wǒ mù qián sōu jí de shù liàng ， yào fān gè jǐ bèi cái shì 。”
赵二宝有些为难：“这可不好说。最起码还要比我目前搜集的数量，要翻个几倍才是。”
"These ancient artifacts are scattered throughout the sea, and collecting them alone is extremely difficult."
“ zhè xiē gǔ wù sàn luò hǎi dǐ gè chù ， píng gè rén zhī lì ， sōu jí qǐ lái shí zài shì kùn nán chóng chóng 。”
“这些古物散落海底各处，凭个人之力，搜集起来实在是困难重重。”
"But," he paused, looking at Li Fan, "if that young lady with a spirit body helps, it would be much easier."
“ bù guò 。” tā dùn le dùn ， kàn le yǎn lǐ fán ， dào ：“ ruò shì yǒu nà ge tōng líng bǎo tǐ de xiǎo gū niáng xiāng zhù ， kěn dìng huì qīng sōng bù shǎo 。”
“不过。”他顿了顿，看了眼李凡，道：“若是有那个通灵宝体的小姑娘相助，肯定会轻松不少。”
Li Fan smiled without understanding.
lǐ fán mò míng de xiào le xiào 。
李凡莫名的笑了笑。
"Then you must hurry. You don't have much time left."
“ nà nǐ men kě yào zhuā jǐn le ， liú gěi nǐ men de shí jiān kě bù duō le 。”
“那你们可要抓紧了，留给你们的时间可不多了。”
He pointed his hand at Zhao Erbao's forehead.
tā shēn shǒu yī zhǐ ， diǎn zài zhào èr bǎo méi xīn 。
他伸手一指，点在赵二宝眉心。
"From now on, do things for me."
"Waste? I naturally know about that."
Li Fan was a frequent visitor to the Cunyun Sea bottom.
He wasn't unfamiliar with the ruins scattered throughout the Cunyun Sea.
"Your meaning is... these ruins belong to that lost civilization?" Li Fan asked.
Zhao Erbao shook his head. "No, no, no. These ruins are all from the local Cunyun Sea..."
"But not entirely."
Zhao Erbao scratched his head and made a circle with both hands: "This place in the Cunyun Sea originally wasn't an ocean."
Li Fan was slightly taken aback.
He heard Zhao Erbao continue, "Originally, this should have been a piece of land. But one day..."
"It suddenly got submerged by seawater."
"The ruins at the bottom of the Cunyun Sea belong to those civilizations that were on the surface originally."
"Submerged by seawater..." Li Fan's mind flashed back to scenes from his previous visits to the underwater ruins.
The exit to Great Xuan was a deep abyss in the ocean.
The boundary exit was a well among the ruins at the bottom of the sea.
The process of cultivating an avatar and searching for celestial crystals also took place within a large underwater ruin.
...
He had seen these scattered underwater ruins multiple times, and he had witnessed the Cunyun Sea drying up before.
Could this ocean have once been land?
Logically speaking, he should easily come to such a question.
But...
Something was disturbing his thoughts, making him unintentionally ignore it.
Even actively finding other reasons for the formation of underwater ruins, like considering them as remnants of an island destroyed by a wind disaster.
Now that he thought about it, these continuous underwater ruins didn't look like they were formed after an island sank.
"This kind of mind-disturbing technique is very similar to Immortal He. But compared to him, it's slightly weaker. Once you realize this, your perception won't be affected."
"Beyond the Way, below Eternity..."
In a flash, several thoughts crossed Li Fan's mind.
Zhao Erbao continued talking.
"These ancient artifacts I collected all belong to another completely different civilization."
"It just appeared suddenly, like it fell from the sky."
"Just like..."
Li Fan suddenly spoke up: "Just like this Cunyun Sea?"
Zhao Erbao clapped his hands excitedly. "Exactly!"
"When I first had this doubt, I searched through the entire bottom of the Cunyun Sea and dug everywhere."
"After studying the fault lines in various sea beds, I made a startling discovery."
"Remember, mountains and rivers can change, but it's rare. Maybe one day, this vast Cunyun Sea will turn back into land."
"But the process usually takes several or even more than ten years."
"But!"
Zhao Erbao raised his voice and repeated: "But!"
"At that time, the transformation from land to sea was just a brief moment!"
As he spoke, Zhao Erbao walked over to the Cunyun Sea miniature model in the room.
He pointed at it with his hand, and the seawater in the model gathered into a ball, flying to his palm.
The sunken model slowly returned to its original shape.
"Just like this!"
With a slap of his hand, he grabbed a ball of water.
"Bang!"
The impact caused the ground to sink deeply, and seawater gushed out from between his fingers, filling the depression instantly.
Tranquil fields turned into vast seas in just one palm!
Li Fan couldn't help thinking about the topographical map of Cunyun Sea he had seen before.
In fact, it wasn’t "as if," but "it was" a gap carved out on the mainland by someone.
"This palm... this palm..."
Thinking back to that scene, Li Fan was lost in thought, unable to pull himself together.
Zhao Erbao retracted his hand and stared at the newly formed Cunyun Sea model, deep in thought.
After a long silence, Zhao Erbao finally continued slowly: "The ancient artifacts I collected should have been carried here by this endless seawater."
Li Fan suddenly recalled seeing two human skeletons from Elder Yin.
"Are they not of the same kind?"
"So it is."
Although powerful beings above the Way could distort people's minds and hide their traces,
there were always various geniuses in the world who could detect what had happened through subtle clues.
His spiritual perception was becoming more peaceful, so he believed Zhao Erbao hadn't lied.
Li Fan thought for a moment and asked again: "The attachments on these ancient artifacts you mentioned—aren't they related to that palm strike?"
Zhao Erbao hesitated for a moment before admitting honestly: "That palm that formed the Cunyun Sea was incredibly powerful, almost reaching the level of Dao."
"The objects carried along with it inevitably absorbed some traces of Dao."
"Buried deep in the sea, even after thousands of years, these traces still lingered on them."
"Only one item had a weak trace that couldn't be perceived.
"But as more were collected, the residual Dao resonated and became more noticeable."
"If enough are gathered, they might reassemble the complete trace of Dao."
"To witness thecharm;风采:风貌;风采:personality (Note: The term can have multiple meanings depending on context)of that palm strike."
Hearing this, Li Fan's spiritual perception finally faded away.
"Originally, this is my opportunity."
"A single palm strike to cover the sea..."
Seeing Li Fan remain silent for a long time, Zhao Erbao cautiously continued: "That's why I didn't use a storage ring to transfer these ancient artifacts earlier. Because the residual traces of Dao are extremely fragile."
"If they were stored and then taken out, it might destroy the residual trace of Dao."
"So I had to do it myself."
Li Fan nodded slightly in agreement.
"Come on, let me see that trace of the palm strike!"
Zhao Erbao didn't dare refuse. He led Li Fan down the stone pillar stairs to one of the largest storage rooms.
Inside, there were hundreds of different ancient artifacts arranged.
There were porcelain bottles and bowls, bronze small tripods, even ordinary household items like iron pots and shovels.
Li Fan closed his eyes and sensed.
Indeed, a peculiar rhythm was flowing in this storage room.
But it was still very weak, making it difficult to perceive any divine power from it.
"How many more will be needed before the trace of Dao becomes strong enough for perception?" Li Fan asked.
Zhao Erbao seemed hesitant. "It's hard to say. At least you need several times the number I've collected."
"These ancient artifacts are scattered throughout the sea, and collecting them alone is extremely difficult."
"But," he paused, looking at Li Fan, "if that young lady with a spirit body helps, it would be much easier."
Li Fan smiled without understanding.
"Then you must hurry. You don't have much time left."
He pointed his hand at Zhao Erbao's forehead.
"From now on, do things for me."