zhōu wéi de hǎi shuǐ cháo zhe hēi dòng bù duàn guàn gài ， què zài pèng dào hēi dòng biān yuán de shí hòu jiù bèi zhēng fā chéng le shuǐ qì 。
周围的海水朝着黑洞不断灌溉，却在碰到黑洞边缘的时候就被蒸发成了水汽。
The surrounding seawater continuously flowed into the black hole, only to evaporate into water vapor upon touching its edge.
hēi dòng shàng kōng yóu yú jí gāo de wēn dù ， kōng qì jìn shù niǔ qū 。
黑洞上空由于极高的温度，空气尽数扭曲。
Above the black hole, due to extremely high temperatures, the air was completely distorted.
zài zhōu wéi bù duàn shēng téng de shuǐ wù lǒng zhào xià ， xíng chéng le yī gǔ hēi bái xiāng jiàn de qí jǐng 。
在周围不断升腾的水雾笼罩下，形成了一股黑白相间的奇景。
Under the constant rising mist, a striking scene of alternating black and white appeared.
lǐ fán jià shǐ zhe tài yǎn zhōu ， zài bàn kōng zhōng kàn zhe zhè yí mù chǎng jǐng ， hū rán bèi wú jìn de kǒng jù suǒ lǒng zhào 。
李凡驾驶着太衍舟，在半空中看着这一幕场景，忽然被无尽的恐惧所笼罩。
Li Fan, piloting the Taiyin Boat in mid-air, suddenly felt an endless sense of fear envelop him.
wàn xiān dǎo …… jiù zhè me méi le ？
万仙岛……就这么没了？
Ten Thousand Immortals Island... is gone?
xī rì zài wàn xiān dǎo de yí mù mù chǎng jǐng kuài sù zài nǎo hǎi zhōng shǎn guò 。
昔日在万仙岛的一幕幕场景快速在脑海中闪过。
Scene after scene from his days on Ten Thousand Immortals Island flashed through his mind rapidly.
nà chù lì zhe wàn zūn diāo xiàng de chuán fǎ guǎng chǎng ， lái wǎng bù jué de wú shù xiū shì ，
那矗立着万尊雕像的传法广场，来往不绝的无数修士，
That vast square where countless statues stood, the ceaseless flow of cultivators...
nǎi zhì dǎo zhōng yāng nà xiē jù shuō zhù zhā le huà shén qī dà néng de huī hóng zhuàng guān de jiàn zhù ……
乃至岛中央那些据说驻扎了化神期大能的恢弘壮观的建筑……
Even those magnificent buildings at the island's center, said to be occupied by Great Daoists of the Transcendent Realm...
jiù zhè me méi le ？
就这么没了？
Is all that gone?
lián céng huī dōu méi néng liú xià 。
连层灰都没能留下。
Not even a speck of ash remained.
shén me yàng de lì liàng néng zuò dào zhè yī qiè ？
什么样的力量能做到这一切？
What kind of force could do this?
tiān dào de è yì me ？
天道的恶意么？
Was it the Malevolence of the Heavenly Way?
lǐ fán bù zhī dào 。
李凡不知道。
Li Fan didn't know. In front of this shockingly impactful scene, his mind was in chaos.
zài zhè jí jù chōng jī xìng de chǎng jǐng miàn qián ， lǐ fán nǎo zhōng zhǐ yǒu yí piàn hùn luàn 。
在这极具冲击性的场景面前，李凡脑中只有一片混乱。
Cultivation, seeking immortality.
xiū xiān ， zhèng cháng shēng 。
修仙，证长生。
This had always been Li Fan's goal, but now it seemed so laughable.
lǐ fán yì zhí yǐ lái de mù biāo ， cǐ shí kàn qǐ lái què shì nà me de kě xiào 。
李凡一直以来的目标，此时看起来却是那么的可笑。
Facing this sudden disaster, cultivators became just like ordinary people—no different from ants.
zhè chǎng tū rú qí lái de zāi nàn miàn qián ， xiū xiān zhě yě biàn dé hé fán rén yì bān ， yǔ lóu yǐ wú yì 。
这场突如其来的灾难面前，修仙者也变得和凡人一般，与蝼蚁无异。
Once fear took root in his heart, he found it impossible to suppress.
xīn zhōng de kǒng jù yí dàn shēng chéng ， jiù zài yě nán yǐ yì zhì 。
心中的恐惧一旦生成，就再也难以抑制。
"Escape! Get out of this damned place!"
“ táo ！ táo lí zhè ge guǐ dì fāng ！”
“逃！逃离这个鬼地方！”
Li Fan's eyes turned red as he drove the Taiyin Boat westward toward Cunyun Sea with all his might.
lǐ fán yǎn jīng biàn dé tōng hóng ， jià shǐ zhe tài yǎn zhōu ， wán mìng shì de táo wǎng wǎng cóng yún hǎi xī fāng 。
李凡眼睛变得通红，驾驶着太衍舟，玩命似的逃往往丛云海西方。
He wanted to flee to land, away from this hellish sea.
tā yào táo wǎng lù dì ， yuǎn lí zhè piàn ruò rú liàn yù de hǎi yù 。
他要逃往陆地，远离这片若如炼狱的海域。
In a daze, Li Fan flew for what felt like an indefinite amount of time.
jiù zhè yàng ， lǐ fán zài dà nǎo yí piàn hùn luàn zhōng bù zhī fēi le duō jiǔ 。
就这样，李凡在大脑一片混乱中不知飞了多久。
"Bang!"
“ hōng ！”
“轰！”
The Taiyin Boat seemed to collide with something and was forced to stop.
tài yǎn zhōu fǎng fú hé shén me dōng xī zhuàng dào le yì qǐ ， bèi pò tíng le xià lái 。
太衍舟仿佛和什么东西撞到了一起，被迫停了下来。
Fortunately, the protective array had prevented a direct disaster.
hái hǎo yǒu zhe fáng hù fǎ zhèn ， méi yǒu zhí jiē zhōu huǐ rén wáng 。
还好有着防护法阵，没有直接舟毁人亡。
Despite being slightly injured by the impact, he gradually calmed down.
jù liè de zhuàng jī xià ， lǐ fán suī rán shòu le diǎn qīng shāng ， dàn yīn cǐ yě zhú jiàn lěng jìng xià lái 。
剧烈的撞击下，李凡虽然受了点轻伤，但因此也逐渐冷静下来。
He looked out from the Taiyin Boat.
tā cháo tài yǎn zhōu wài wàng qù 。
他朝太衍舟外望去。
There was nothing in sight.
shén me dōng xī yě méi yǒu 。
什么东西也没有。
In the distance, the coastline stretched endlessly; they were not far from the mainland anymore.
yuǎn chù shì lián mián de hǎi àn xiàn ， cǐ chù lí dà lù yǐ jīng bù yuǎn le 。
远处是连绵的海岸线，此处离大陆已经不远了。
Li Fan maneuvered the Taiyin Boat to try and fly forward.
lǐ fán cāo zòng zhe tài yǎn zhōu ， shì tú cháo qián fāng fēi xíng 。
李凡操纵着太衍舟，试图朝前方飞行。
"Bang!"
“ hōng ！”
“轰！”
Something blocked his path.
yǒu shén me dōng xī dǎng zài le lǐ fán miàn qián 。
有什么东西挡在了李凡面前。
He kept colliding but made no progress.
lǐ fán yī xià xià zhuàng jī 。
李凡一下下撞击。
Trying other directions yielded the same result.
què shǐ zhōng bù dé cùn jìn 。
却始终不得寸进。
An invisible barrier separated Cunyun Sea from the nearby continent.
lǐ fán shì le shì qí tā fāng xiàng ， dōu shì rú cǐ 。
李凡试了试其他方向，都是如此。
In, out—no.
yī dào wú xíng de hù zhào ， jiāng cóng yún hǎi hé bù yuǎn chù de dà lù gé kāi 。
一道无形的护罩，将丛云海和不远处的大陆隔开。
Li Fan was stunned.
xǔ jìn ， bù xǔ chū 。
许进，不许出。
A thought suddenly struck him: a turtle in a jar.
lǐ fán dāi zhù le 。
李凡呆住了。
After some time, Li Fan laughed.
tā hū rán xiǎng dào le yí gè cí 。
他忽然想到了一个词。
Looking up at the sky, he said, "How ruthless."
wèng zhōng zhī biē 。
瓮中之鳖。
Then his expression turned somewhat dazed. Should he summon [Truly Real] and return to the initial anchor point?
xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， lǐ fán xiào chū le shēng 。
许久之后，李凡笑出了声。
Or should he just keep exploring?
tā tái tóu wàng xiàng tiān kōng 。
他抬头望向天空。
Feeling helpless without a goal, Li Fan piloted the Taiyin Boat aimlessly around Cunyun Sea.
hǎo hěn 。
好狠。
He passed by Night-Long Island, where the end-of-the-world scene continued, with no survivors.
suí hòu biàn dé yǒu xiē máng rán ， yào huàn chū 【 hái zhēn 】， fǎn huí zuì chū máo diǎn me ？
随后变得有些茫然，要唤出【还真】，返回最初锚点么？
He passed Lustrous Isle.
hái shì zài sì chù kàn kàn ba 。
还是再四处看看吧。
The protective array had shattered; He Zhenghao was nowhere to be found. Corpses littered the island, devoid of life.
lǐ fán biàn dé yǒu xiē wú zhù ， shī qù le mù biāo 。
李凡变得有些无助，失去了目标。
Flowing Cloud Island, Mid-Autumn Island...
tā jià shǐ zhe tài yǎn zhōu ， yóu dàng zài zhè cóng yún hǎi shàng 。
他驾驶着太衍舟，游荡在这丛云海上。
All became desolate lands.
tā lù guò le yè lán dǎo ， dǎo shàng hé qí yú dǎo yǔ yī yàng ， yī fù mò shì jǐng xiàng ， wú rén shēng huán 。
他路过了夜阑岛，岛上和其余岛屿一样，一副末世景象，无人生还。
Occasionally, he encountered other survivors like himself, all mad with fear.
tā lù guò le liú lí dǎo 。
他路过了琉璃岛。
They fled at his sight as if encountering a ghost.
hù dǎo dà zhèn pò suì ， hé zhèng hào bù zhī suǒ zōng 。 dǎo shàng shī hái biàn dì ， yě shì méi yǒu le shēng mìng de jì xiàng 。
护岛大阵破碎，何正浩不知所踪。岛上尸骸遍地，也是没有了生命的迹象。
...
liú yún dǎo 、 zhòng qiū dǎo ……
流云岛、仲秋岛……
Finally, for some reason, Li Fan found himself back on Tai'an Island.
quán dōu huà wèi jué dì 。
全都化为绝地。
Here, he felt the long-awaited vitality.
ǒu ěr yù dào gè rú lǐ fán zhè bān xìng cún xià lái de xiū shì ， yě quán dōu biàn dé fēng fēng diān diān 。
偶尔遇到个如李凡这般幸存下来的修士，也全都变得疯疯癫癫。
Perhaps, this was the only place in Cunyun Sea where there were still living people.
jiàn dào lǐ fán jiù gēn yù dào guǐ yì bān ， dà jiào zhe táo zǒu le 。
见到李凡就跟遇到鬼一般，大叫着逃走了。
Walking down the streets of Tai'an Island, Li Fan looked at the ordinary folk.
……
……
They didn't know what had happened beyond their island and still wore smiles of survival.
zuì hòu ， lǐ fán bù zhī zěn de yòu huí dào le tài ān dǎo 。
最后，李凡不知怎的又回到了泰安岛。
Unbeknownst to them, their fate was dire.
zài zhè lǐ ， tā cái gǎn dào le jiǔ wéi de shēng jī 。
在这里，他才感到了久违的生机。
Perhaps ignorance was bliss.
huò xǔ ， zhěng zuò cóng yún hǎi ， jiù shèng xià zhè diǎn huó rén le ba 。
或许，整座丛云海，就剩下这点活人了吧。
Witnessing such apocalyptic scenes would likely haunt them in nightmares every night.
lǐ fán zǒu zài dà jiē shàng ， kàn shàng tài ān dǎo shàng de fán rén 。
李凡走在大街上，看上泰安岛上的凡人。
Li Fan couldn't help but laugh at himself.
tā men hái bù zhī dào tài ān dǎo zhī wài fā shēng le zěn me yàng de biàn gù ， liǎn shàng yī rán hái liú lù zhe jié hòu féng shēng de xiào róng 。
他们还不知道泰安岛之外发生了怎么样的变故，脸上依然还流露着劫后逢生的笑容。
He continued walking when he suddenly heard a series of devout prayers.
shū bù zhī ， děng dài tā men ， shì zài jié nán táo 。
殊不知，等待他们，是在劫难逃。
"Merciful Immortal Master, bless us with favorable weather and bountiful harvests."
bù guò ， huò xǔ wú zhī yě shì yī zhǒng fú 。
不过，或许无知也是一种福。
"Merciful Immortal Master, protect my jade daughter as she grows up safely."
mù dǔ nà zhǒng wǎn ruò miè shì de chǎng miàn ， kǒng pà rì hòu měi tiān wǎn shàng dū huì zuò è mèng ba 。
目睹那种宛若灭世的场面，恐怕日后每天晚上都会做噩梦吧。
...
lǐ fán bù yóu dì zì cháo dào 。
李凡不由地自嘲道。
Li Fan was taken aback, turning to look.
tā jiù zhè me jiē zhe zǒu zhe ， hū rán ， ěr biān chuán lái le zhèn zhèn qián chéng de dǎo gào shēng 。
他就这么接着走着，忽然，耳边传来了阵阵虔诚的祷告声。
Indeed, a temple had been built on Tai'an Island at some point.
“ jiù kǔ jiù nàn xiān shī bǎo yòu ， bǎo yòu rì hòu fēng tiáo yǔ shùn ， nián nián dōu yǒu chī de 。”
“救苦救难仙师保佑，保佑日后风调雨顺，年年都有吃的。”
Inside stood an idol, with plaques before it reading "Merciful Immortal Master."
“ jiù kǔ jiù nàn xiān shī bǎo yòu ， bǎo hù wǒ jiā yù ér píng píng ān ān zhǎng dà 。”
“救苦救难仙师保佑，保护我家玉儿平平安安长大。”
The statue seemed to resemble Li Fan, its gaze downcast, pitying the people kneeling in front of it.
……
……
"Merciful Immortal Master..." Li Fan fell silent for a long time.
lǐ fán yī lèng ， zhuǎn tóu kàn qù 。
李凡一愣，转头看去。
After a while, he sighed deeply.
yuán lái ， tài ān dǎo zhōng bù zhī hé shí jiàn qǐ le yī zuò miào 。
原来，泰安岛中不知何时建起了一座庙。
"Very well. I'll protect you as long as I can."
miào lǐ gòng fèng zhe yī zuò diāo xiàng ， diāo xiàng miàn qián de pái wèi shàng ， hè rán xiě zhe “ jiù kǔ jiù nàn xiān shī ” jǐ gè zì 。
庙里供奉着一座雕像，雕像面前的牌位上，赫然写着“救苦救难仙师”几个字。
...
diāo xiàng kàn shàng qù yǐn yǐn yǔ lǐ fán yǒu xiē shén sì ， shuāng mù wēi chuí ， bēi mǐn de kàn zhe guì zài qián fāng de zhòng rén 。
雕像看上去隐隐与李凡有些神似，双目微垂，悲悯的看着跪在前方的众人。
However, protecting ordinary folk from thethe致命杀机 of heaven and earth was not easy.
“ jiù kǔ jiù nàn xiān shī ……” lǐ fán yī zhèn chén mò 。
“救苦救难仙师……”李凡一阵沉默。
Li Fan had thought this disaster was over.
xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， tā cháng tàn yì kǒu qì 。
许久之后，他长叹一口气。
What he didn't expect was that the real disaster had just begun.
“ bà le ， néng bì yòu nǐ men jǐ shí ， suàn jǐ shí ba 。”
“罢了，能庇佑你们几时，算几时吧。”
One year, two years, three years...
……
……
The sky still showed no signs of rain.
rán ér ， xiǎng yào zài tiān dì de shā jī xià bì yòu fán rén ， xiǎn rán bú shì yī jiàn róng yì de shì qíng 。
然而，想要在天地的杀机下庇佑凡人，显然不是一件容易的事情。
The sea level began to drop; seawater started receding from the islands.
yuán běn lǐ fán yǐ wéi zhè chǎng zāi nàn yǐ jīng guò qù 。
原本李凡以为这场灾难已经过去。
Even with water purification arrays, it became increasingly difficult for ordinary people on Tai'an Island to find water.
tā méi xiǎng dào de shì ， zhēn zhèng zāi nàn qí shí cái gāng gāng kāi shǐ 。
他没想到的是，真正灾难其实才刚刚开始。
They didn't know why heaven had brought such a calamity but feared that Cunyun Sea would eventually dry up completely.
yī nián ， liǎng nián ， sān nián ……
一年，两年，三年……
Thus, they placed statues of Li Fan in their homes and prayed day and night.
tiān yī rán méi yǒu yào xià yǔ de jì xiàng 。
天依然没有要下雨的迹象。
Li Fan was helpless.
hǎi píng miàn kāi shǐ xià jiàng ， hǎi shuǐ kāi shǐ bù duàn yuǎn lí dǎo yǔ 。
海平面开始下降，海水开始不断远离岛屿。
He couldn't contend with the changes in the heavens.
jiù suàn yǒu zhe hǎi shuǐ dàn huà fǎ zhèn ， tài ān dǎo de fán rén men qǔ shuǐ yě yuè lái yuè kùn nán 。
就算有着海水淡化法阵，泰安岛的凡人们取水也越来越困难。
The good news was that over these three years, perhaps because most cultivators in Cunyun Sea had died, the killing intent directed at cultivators gradually dissipated.
měi cì dōu yào zǒu hěn zhǎng hěn zhǎng shí jiān cái néng zhǎo dào shuǐ 。
每次都要走很长很长时间才能找到水。
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Fan regained his middle-stage Qi Refining realm.
tā men bù zhī dào wèi hé shàng tiān yào jiàng xià rú cǐ zāi huò ， dàn shì tā men jù pà cóng yún hǎi zǎo wǎn yě huì chè dǐ gān hé 。
他们不知道为何上天要降下如此灾祸，但是他们惧怕丛云海早晚也会彻底干涸。
Being prayed to by a group of ordinary people day and night was an unusual experience.
yú shì tā men jiā jiā hù hù dōu gòng fèng qǐ le lǐ fán mù xiàng ， rì yè bù tíng dì dǎo gào 。
于是他们家家户户都供奉起了李凡木像，日夜不停地祷告。
He activated "Discerning Fate" and saw the heavy death aura surrounding them. He secretly decided,
lǐ fán yě wú kě nài hé 。
李凡也无可奈何。
"Why is there a hint of white in this black death aura?"
tiān dì jù biàn ， qǐ shì tā néng kàng héng de 。
天地巨变，岂是他能抗衡的。
Li Fan was taken aback.
wéi yī de hǎo xiāo xī shì ， zhè sān nián lǐ ， huò xǔ shì yīn wèi cóng yún hǎi de jué dà bù fèn xiū shì dōu sǐ guāng le de yuán gù ， tiān dì jiān nà zhēn duì xiū xiān zhě de shā jī yě màn màn sàn qù 。
唯一的好消息是，这三年里，或许是因为丛云海的绝大部分修士都死光了的缘故，天地间那针对修仙者的杀机也慢慢散去。
Since his recovery, he had checked Tai'an Island's energy every day.
lǐ fán yě jiè cǐ jī huì chóng xīn xiū liàn dào le liàn qì zhōng qī 。
李凡也借此机会重新修炼到了炼气中期。
This time, for some reason, he discovered something that eluded him before—a glimmer of hope.
“ děng nǐ men nǎ tiān bù bài wǒ le ， wǒ jiù huí guī máo diǎn ba 。” bèi yī zhòng fán rén rì yè dǎo gào què shí shì yī zhǒng qí tè de tǐ yàn 。
“等你们哪天不拜我了，我就回归锚点吧。”被一众凡人日夜祷告确实是一种奇特的体验。
Where did the vitality come from?
tā yùn zhuàn qǐ “ biàn jī ” shén tōng ， kàn zhe fán rén tóu shàng yuè lái yuè nóng zhòng de sǐ qì ， àn zhōng jué dìng dào 。
他运转起“辨机”神通，看着凡人头上越来越浓重的死气，暗中决定道。
Using the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Circle to its limit, Li Fan found that the vitality of everyone on Tai'an Island was centered in himself!
“ děng děng ， wèi hé zhè hēi sè sǐ qì zhōng ， yǐn yǐn àn cáng zhe yī sī bái sè ？”
“等等，为何这黑色死气中，隐隐暗藏着一丝白色？”
He became even more puzzled.
lǐ fán yī lèng 。
李凡一愣。
After triple-checking, he realized that the vitality indeed originated from something on him.
zì cóng xiū wèi huī fù hòu ， lǐ fán měi rì dū huì chá tàn tài ān dǎo de qì jī 。
自从修为恢复后，李凡每日都会查探泰安岛的气机。
Something he had almost forgotten.
zhè cì jū rán bù zhī wèi hé ， fā xiàn le zhī qián yì zhí méi néng chá jué de yī xiàn shēng jī 。
这次居然不知为何，发现了之前一直没能察觉的一线生机。
A celestial treasure: The Sea of Heaven
shēng jī hé lái ？
生机何来？
Due to its unformed state, this Sea of Heaven Pearl was stored in a corner of the Taiyin Boat.
lǐ fán jiāng 《 qiān jī yù huán jīn zhāng 》 yùn zhuàn dào jí xiàn ， fā xiàn tài ān dǎo zhòng rén de shēng jī ， zhèng yīng zài zì jǐ shēn shàng ！
李凡将《千机玉寰金章》运转到极限，发现泰安岛众人的生机，正应在自己身上！
Today, under the energy's reflection, Li Fan remembered it.
yú shì gèng jiā bù jiě 。
于是更加不解。
Unlike when he first saw it years ago, it now shone an intense blue, surrounded by dense mist.
zài sān què rèn zhī hòu ， lǐ fán zhè cái fā xiàn ， shēng jī dí què lái yuán yú zì jǐ 。
再三确认之后，李凡这才发现，生机的确来源于自己。
It seemed as if there was indeed a vast sea within.
dàn bú shì lǐ fán běn shēn ， ér shì tā shēn shàng de yī jiàn wù pǐn 。
但不是李凡本身，而是他身上的一件物品。
"Where there is the flow of heaven, there will be the birth of heaven."
yī jiàn kuài yào bèi tā yí wàng de dōng xī 。
一件快要被他遗忘的东西。
Li Fan stared at his Sea of Heaven Pearl. Suddenly, he recalled something. He raised the Taiyin Boat to ten thousand meters and looked down.
tiān dì qí wù ： cāng hǎi
天地奇物：沧海
Below, Cunyun Sea had dried up due to prolonged drought; vast stretches of seabed were exposed.
yóu yú shàng wèi chéng xíng ， zhè cāng hǎi zhū yì zhí bèi tā fàng zhì yú tài yǎn zhōu zhōng de mǒu gè jiǎo luò zhōng 。
由于尚未成型，这沧海珠一直被他放置于太衍舟中的某个角落中。
Undersea mountain ranges gradually revealed their true forms.
zhí dào jīn tiān ， qì jī yìng zhào zhī xià ， lǐ fán cái xiǎng qǐ tā 。
直到今天，气机映照之下，李凡才想起它。
And those islands in Cunyun Sea turned out to be the peaks of these mountains.
yǔ shí jǐ nián gāng jiàn dào tā shí bù tóng ， cǐ kè tā biàn dé yī piàn zhàn lán ， zhōu shēn yùn cáng zhe nóng yù de shuǐ qì 。
与十几年刚见到它时不同，此刻它变得一片湛蓝，周身蕴藏着浓郁的水汽。
Suddenly, Li Fan's mind flashed back to Kao Hong's enthusiastic face.
fǎng fú zhēn de yǒu yī piàn cāng hǎi yùn yù qí zhōng 。
仿佛真的有一片沧海孕育其中。
He had said, "Fear not. If you leave, come to theAscension Cityin the Cunyun Mountains and find me."
“ yǒu cāng hǎi shì ， zì yǒu cāng hǎi shēng 。”
“有沧海逝，自有沧海生。”
Li Fan laughed.
lǐ fán lèng lèng de kàn zhuó shǒu zhōng de cāng hǎi zhū ， hū rán xiǎng dào le shén me ， tā jià qǐ tài yǎn zhōu ， yì zhí xiàng shàng ， fēi dào wàn mǐ gāo kōng ， xiàng xià wàng qù 。
李凡愣愣的看着手中的沧海珠，忽然想到了什么，他架起太衍舟，一直向上，飞到万米高空，向下望去。
Cunyun Sea.
xià fāng de cóng yún hǎi ， yīn wèi xǔ jiǔ de gān hàn ， dà piàn dà piàn de hǎi chuáng kāi shǐ luǒ lù 。
下方的丛云海，因为许久的干旱，大片大片的海床开始裸露。
Cunyun Mountain.
yī tiáo tiáo hǎi dǐ shān mài ， zhú jiàn xiǎn chū zhēn róng 。
一条条海底山脉，逐渐显出真容。
It was a place after all.
The surrounding seawater continuously flowed into the black hole, only to evaporate into water vapor upon touching its edge.
Above the black hole, due to extremely high temperatures, the air was completely distorted.
Under the constant rising mist, a striking scene of alternating black and white appeared.
Li Fan, piloting the Taiyin Boat in mid-air, suddenly felt an endless sense of fear envelop him.
Ten Thousand Immortals Island... is gone?
Scene after scene from his days on Ten Thousand Immortals Island flashed through his mind rapidly.
That vast square where countless statues stood, the ceaseless flow of cultivators...
Even those magnificent buildings at the island's center, said to be occupied by Great Daoists of the Transcendent Realm...
Is all that gone?
Not even a speck of ash remained.
What kind of force could do this?
Was it the Malevolence of the Heavenly Way?
Li Fan didn't know. In front of this shockingly impactful scene, his mind was in chaos.
Cultivation, seeking immortality.
This had always been Li Fan's goal, but now it seemed so laughable.
Facing this sudden disaster, cultivators became just like ordinary people—no different from ants.
Once fear took root in his heart, he found it impossible to suppress.
"Escape! Get out of this damned place!"
Li Fan's eyes turned red as he drove the Taiyin Boat westward toward Cunyun Sea with all his might.
He wanted to flee to land, away from this hellish sea.
In a daze, Li Fan flew for what felt like an indefinite amount of time.
"Bang!"
The Taiyin Boat seemed to collide with something and was forced to stop.
Fortunately, the protective array had prevented a direct disaster.
Despite being slightly injured by the impact, he gradually calmed down.
He looked out from the Taiyin Boat.
There was nothing in sight.
In the distance, the coastline stretched endlessly; they were not far from the mainland anymore.
Li Fan maneuvered the Taiyin Boat to try and fly forward.
"Bang!"
Something blocked his path.
He kept colliding but made no progress.
Trying other directions yielded the same result.
An invisible barrier separated Cunyun Sea from the nearby continent.
In, out—no.
Li Fan was stunned.
A thought suddenly struck him: a turtle in a jar.
After some time, Li Fan laughed.
Looking up at the sky, he said, "How ruthless."
Then his expression turned somewhat dazed. Should he summon [Truly Real] and return to the initial anchor point?
Or should he just keep exploring?
Feeling helpless without a goal, Li Fan piloted the Taiyin Boat aimlessly around Cunyun Sea.
He passed by Night-Long Island, where the end-of-the-world scene continued, with no survivors.
He passed Lustrous Isle.
The protective array had shattered; He Zhenghao was nowhere to be found. Corpses littered the island, devoid of life.
Flowing Cloud Island, Mid-Autumn Island...
All became desolate lands.
Occasionally, he encountered other survivors like himself, all mad with fear.
They fled at his sight as if encountering a ghost.
...
Finally, for some reason, Li Fan found himself back on Tai'an Island.
Here, he felt the long-awaited vitality.
Perhaps, this was the only place in Cunyun Sea where there were still living people.
Walking down the streets of Tai'an Island, Li Fan looked at the ordinary folk.
They didn't know what had happened beyond their island and still wore smiles of survival.
Unbeknownst to them, their fate was dire.
Perhaps ignorance was bliss.
Witnessing such apocalyptic scenes would likely haunt them in nightmares every night.
Li Fan couldn't help but laugh at himself.
He continued walking when he suddenly heard a series of devout prayers.
"Merciful Immortal Master, bless us with favorable weather and bountiful harvests."
"Merciful Immortal Master, protect my jade daughter as she grows up safely."
...
Li Fan was taken aback, turning to look.
Indeed, a temple had been built on Tai'an Island at some point.
Inside stood an idol, with plaques before it reading "Merciful Immortal Master."
The statue seemed to resemble Li Fan, its gaze downcast, pitying the people kneeling in front of it.
"Merciful Immortal Master..." Li Fan fell silent for a long time.
After a while, he sighed deeply.
"Very well. I'll protect you as long as I can."
...
However, protecting ordinary folk from thethe致命杀机 of heaven and earth was not easy.
Li Fan had thought this disaster was over.
What he didn't expect was that the real disaster had just begun.
One year, two years, three years...
The sky still showed no signs of rain.
The sea level began to drop; seawater started receding from the islands.
Even with water purification arrays, it became increasingly difficult for ordinary people on Tai'an Island to find water.
They didn't know why heaven had brought such a calamity but feared that Cunyun Sea would eventually dry up completely.
Thus, they placed statues of Li Fan in their homes and prayed day and night.
Li Fan was helpless.
He couldn't contend with the changes in the heavens.
The good news was that over these three years, perhaps because most cultivators in Cunyun Sea had died, the killing intent directed at cultivators gradually dissipated.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Fan regained his middle-stage Qi Refining realm.
Being prayed to by a group of ordinary people day and night was an unusual experience.
He activated "Discerning Fate" and saw the heavy death aura surrounding them. He secretly decided,
"Why is there a hint of white in this black death aura?"
Li Fan was taken aback.
Since his recovery, he had checked Tai'an Island's energy every day.
This time, for some reason, he discovered something that eluded him before—a glimmer of hope.
Where did the vitality come from?
Using the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Circle to its limit, Li Fan found that the vitality of everyone on Tai'an Island was centered in himself!
He became even more puzzled.
After triple-checking, he realized that the vitality indeed originated from something on him.
Something he had almost forgotten.
A celestial treasure: The Sea of Heaven
Due to its unformed state, this Sea of Heaven Pearl was stored in a corner of the Taiyin Boat.
Today, under the energy's reflection, Li Fan remembered it.
Unlike when he first saw it years ago, it now shone an intense blue, surrounded by dense mist.
It seemed as if there was indeed a vast sea within.
"Where there is the flow of heaven, there will be the birth of heaven."
Li Fan stared at his Sea of Heaven Pearl. Suddenly, he recalled something. He raised the Taiyin Boat to ten thousand meters and looked down.
Below, Cunyun Sea had dried up due to prolonged drought; vast stretches of seabed were exposed.
Undersea mountain ranges gradually revealed their true forms.
And those islands in Cunyun Sea turned out to be the peaks of these mountains.
Suddenly, Li Fan's mind flashed back to Kao Hong's enthusiastic face.
He had said, "Fear not. If you leave, come to theAscension Cityin the Cunyun Mountains and find me."
Li Fan laughed.
Cunyun Sea.
Cunyun Mountain.
It was a place after all.