“ kǒng pà jiù suàn wǒ men xiǎng zǒu ， yī shí bàn huì yě zǒu bù liǎo le 。” lǐ fán lěng shēng tí xǐng dào 。
“恐怕就算我们想走，一时半会也走不了了。”李凡冷声提醒道。
"Perhaps we won't be able to leave for a while, even if we want to," Li Fan said coldly.
huáng fǔ sōng zhè shí yě cái xiǎng qǐ lái ， yí dàn jìn rù mí yù zhī zhōng ， wéi yǒu zhǎo dào bìng tōng guò tè shū de wèi zhì ， cái néng lí kāi 。
皇甫松这时也才想起来，一旦进入迷域之中，唯有找到并通过特殊的位置，才能离开。
At this moment, Huafu Song also remembered that once they entered the迷域 (Misty Domain), they could only leave by finding and passing through special positions.
fǒu zé chí chǐ què tiān yá ， suī yī bù zhī gé 、 què yǒng shì wú fǎ kuà yuè 。
否则迟尺却天涯，虽一步之隔、却永世无法跨越。
Otherwise, it would be like being separated by an ocean, though just one step away, forever unable to cross over.
shùn jiān ， yī dī lěng hàn jiù cóng tā de é tóu dī luò 。
瞬间，一滴冷汗就从他的额头滴落。
Instantly, a cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
hái shì dōng fāng yào de dǎn qì zú yì diǎn ， tā pāi le pāi huáng fǔ sōng de jiān bǎng ， ān wèi dào ：“ fàng qīng sōng ， huáng fǔ xiōng 。 zhè lǐ suī rán kàn shàng qù yǒu xiē xié mén ， dàn bì jìng dōu shì xiē sǐ rén 。 yīng gāi méi yǒu shén me wēi xiǎn 。”
还是东方曜的胆气足一点，他拍了拍皇甫松的肩膀，安慰道：“放轻松，皇甫兄。这里虽然看上去有些邪门，但毕竟都是些死人。应该没有什么危险。”
Dongyang Yao's courage was slightly greater. He patted Huafu Song on the shoulder and comforted him: "Relax, Brother Huafu. Although this place looks somewhat sinister, it's just some dead people here. There shouldn't be any danger."
“ nǐ yào shì shí zài hài pà ， jiù duǒ zài wǒ shēn hòu 。 wǒ lái dǎ tóu zhèn 。” tā pāi zhe xiōng fù bǎo zhèng dào 。
“你要是实在害怕，就躲在我身后。我来打头阵。”他拍着胸腹保证道。
"If you're really scared, hide behind me. I'll take point," he assured with a pat on his chest.
huáng fǔ sōng lián lián diǎn tóu ：“ nà jiù jiāo gěi nǐ le 。 bù guò nǐ xiǎo xīn xiē ， zhè lǐ ……”
皇甫松连连点头：“那就交给你了。不过你小心些，这里……”
Huafu Song nodded repeatedly: "Then leave it to you. But be careful. Here..."
tā yóu yù le piàn kè ， dī shēng dào ：“ méi yǒu gǎn dào yī sī sǐ qì 。 zhè xiē xiū shì ， shuō bù dìng hái huó zhe 。”
他犹豫了片刻，低声道：“没有感到一丝死气。这些修士，说不定还活着。”
He hesitated for a moment before whispering: "I can't sense any lingering death energy. These cultivators might still be alive."
tīng dào zhè huà ， dōng fāng yào de shēn tǐ shà shí jiān chàn dǒu le xià 。
听到这话，东方曜的身体霎时间颤抖了下。
Hearing this, Dongyang Yao's body trembled slightly.
“ huáng fǔ xiōng ， bù chū lì jiù suàn le 。 huà kě bié luàn shuō a 。” dōng fāng yào shì xiàn sǎo guò hēi sè hǎi yáng shàng de wú shù bīng guān ， liǎn sè biàn dé shí fēn nán kàn 。
“皇甫兄，不出力就算了。话可别乱说啊。”东方曜视线扫过黑色海洋上的无数冰棺，脸色变得十分难看。
"Brother Huafu, don't say such things if you're not going to help. Be careful with your words," Dongyang Yao said as his gaze swept over the countless ice coffins floating on the black sea, his expression turning grim.
“ bù bì zì jǐ xià zì jǐ 。 jì lái zhī zé ān zhī ， xiān gǎo qīng chǔ qíng kuàng zài shuō 。” xiāng bǐ shēn biān èr rén ， yǒu zhe hái zhēn yì bǎo ， suí shí kě yǐ pǎo lù de lǐ fán jiù xiǎn de zhèn dìng le xǔ duō 。 guān jiàn shí kè zhàn le chū lái ， chén zhuó zhǐ huī dào 。
“不必自己吓自己。既来之则安之，先搞清楚情况再说。”相比身边二人，有着还真异宝，随时可以跑路的李凡就显得镇定了许多。关键时刻站了出来，沉着指挥道。
"There's no need to scare yourself. We'll deal with it when we get there. Let's first figure out what's happening," Li Fan, who had the True Real Artifact and could escape at any moment, remained much more composed than the others. He calmly took charge: "Let's put away the普贤真舟 (True Virtue Magic Boat) and form an array around us to set up a protective barrier. We'll carefully fly over the surface of the sea."
sān rén jiāng pǔ xián zhēn zhōu shōu qǐ ， jù chéng zhèn shì 、 zài zhōu zāo bù xià fáng hù fǎ zhèn 。 yòu jiāng zhǔn bèi de zhū duō fáng yù fǎ bǎo chuān dài zhěng qí ， xiǎo xīn yì yì dì zài hǎi miàn shàng kōng lüè guò 。
三人将普贤真舟收起，聚成阵势、在周遭布下防护法阵。又将准备的诸多防御法宝穿戴整齐，小心翼翼地在海面上空掠过。
The量天鉴 (Heaven Measuring Mirror) emitted flashes of green light, collecting and recording data from the areas they passed.
liàng tiān jiàn qīng guāng shǎn shuò ， shōu jí 、 jì lù lù guò qū yù de shù jù 。
量天鉴青光闪烁，收集、记录路过区域的数据。
They didn't dare get close to the ice-coated cultivators floating on the sea but only observed them from afar.
sān rén bù gǎn kào jìn hǎi miàn shàng piāo fú zhe de bīng fēng xiū shì ， zhǐ shì yuǎn yuǎn zǐ xì dǎ liàng zhe 。
三人不敢靠近海面上漂浮着的冰封修士，只是远远仔细打量着。
"From their attire, these should all be ancient cultivators. We can't sense any energy, so we can't judge their cultivation levels."
“ cóng zhè xiē rén de yī zhuó dǎ bàn lái kàn ， tā men yīng gāi dōu shì shàng gǔ xiū xiān jiè de xiū shì 。 gǎn yìng bú dào qì xī ， wú fǎ pàn duàn tā men de xiū wèi 。”
“从这些人的衣着打扮来看，他们应该都是上古修仙界的修士。感应不到气息，无法判断他们的修为。”
"Strange, it doesn't seem like they're alive. But compared to dead people, there seems to be a difference."
“ qí guài ， bù xiàng shì huó zhe 。 dàn gēn sǐ rén xiāng bǐ ， yòu sì hū yǒu diǎn qū bié 。”
“奇怪，不像是活着。但跟死人相比，又似乎有点区别。”
"I wonder what they saw before being frozen. The expressions on their faces are truly terrifying."
“ bù zhī dào tā men bèi bīng fēng qián ， jiū jìng kàn dào le shén me 。 liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng zhēn de shì tài zhēng níng le 。”
“不知道他们被冰封前，究竟看到了什么。脸上的表情真的是太狰狞了。”
"Who did this? Who could freeze so many cultivators at once? His cultivation level..."
“ yòu shì shuí zuò de zhè yī qiè ？ néng gòu jiāng zhè me duō de shù liàng de xiū shì shùn jiān bīng fēng ， tā de xiū wèi ……”
“又是谁做的这一切？能够将这么多的数量的修士瞬间冰封，他的修为……”
...
】
】
The three constantly exchanged through their divine senses without making any rash moves or attempting to break the ice coffins.
……
……
Indeed, countless ancient artifacts and elixirs carried by the dead seemed very tempting. But no one dared to risk breaking an ice coffin that might trigger unknown consequences.
sān rén bù duàn yòng shén shí hù xiāng jiāo liú zhe ， méi yǒu shuí qīng jǔ wàng dòng 、 shì tú dǎ suì xià fāng de bīng guān 。
三人不断用神识互相交流着，没有谁轻举妄动、试图打碎下方的冰棺。
Moreover, with the blue玄点 (Xuan Points) they had gained from exploring the迷域, as long as they could safely return here, it would be a huge gain.
chéng rán ， wú shù shàng gǔ xiū shì suí shēn xié dài de fǎ bǎo 、 dān yào shèn zhì gōng fǎ kàn shàng qù shí fēn yòu rén 。 dàn shuí yě bù gǎn bǎo zhèng ， dǎ suì bīng guān de jǔ dòng huì bú huì yǐn fā wèi zhī de biàn gù 。
诚然，无数上古修士随身携带的法宝、丹药甚至功法看上去十分诱人。但谁也不敢保证，打碎冰棺的举动会不会引发未知的变故。
With the rewards from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in mind, the ancient cultivators' treasures didn't seem so attractive anymore.
gèng hé kuàng ， yǒu zhe tàn suǒ mí yù huò dé de qīng xuán diǎn ， zhǐ yào tā men néng cóng zhè lǐ ān quán fǎn huí ， jiù yǐ jīng shì dà zhuàn le 。
更何况，有着探索迷域获得的青玄点，只要他们能从这里安全返回，就已经是大赚了。
In the dead black sea, time seemed to have stopped. There was no change of day or night; the sky remained perpetually gray.
yǒu wàn xiān méng de jiǎng lì zhū yù zài qián ， gǔ xiū shì de zhēn cáng yě jiù xiǎn de bù nà me xī yǐn rén le 。
有万仙盟的奖励珠玉在前，古修士的珍藏也就显得不那么吸引人了。
The connection between the量天鉴 and 天玄镜 (Heavenly Mysteries Mirror) appeared to be cut off. The three's rapidly accumulating points were only recorded in an ancient square mirror without synchronization.
sǐ jì hēi hǎi zhōng ， shí jiān dōu fǎng fú xiàn rù le jìng zhǐ 。 méi yǒu rì shēng yuè luò de biàn huà ， tiān kōng yǒng yuǎn huī méng méng yī piàn 。
死寂黑海中，时间都仿佛陷入了静止。没有日升月落的变化，天空永远灰蒙蒙一片。
Huafu Song knew that if they couldn't leave alive, all those Xuan Points would just be meaningless numbers. But if they could successfully escape after completing the exploration, even if no further rewards came later, what they had gained here was enough.
liàng tiān jiàn yǔ tiān xuán jìng de lián xì sì hū yě bèi qiē duàn ， sān rén fēi zhǎng de jiǎng lì diǎn shù zhǐ jì lù zài gǔ piáo fāng jìng zhōng ， bìng méi yǒu wán chéng tóng bù 。
量天鉴与天玄镜的联系似乎也被切断，三人飞涨的奖励点数只记录在古朴方镜中，并没有完成同步。
Thus, they were particularly cautious.
huáng fǔ sōng tā men zhī dào ， rú guǒ bù néng huó zhe chū qù ， shén me qīng xuán diǎn dōu bù guò shì wú fǎ duì xiàn de yī duī shù zì ， háo wú yì yì 。 ér ruò shì cǐ fān néng wán chéng tàn suǒ hòu chéng gōng táo chū ， nǎ pà zài cǐ hòu de xíng dòng zhōng zài méi yǒu shōu huò 。 guāng píng zhè lǐ suǒ de ， yě zú gòu le 。
皇甫松他们知道，如果不能活着出去，什么青玄点都不过是无法兑现的一堆数字，毫无意义。而若是此番能完成探索后成功逃出，哪怕在此后的行动中再没有收获。光凭这里所得，也足够了。
Their perception showed that they had flown for dozens of days but still hadn't reached the end of this black sea.
suǒ yǐ jǐ rén gé wài jǐn shèn 。
所以几人格外谨慎。
What met their eyes were still ice-coated corpses.
tā men de gǎn zhī zhōng ， zú zú fēi xíng le shù shí tiān ， què réng rán méi yǒu fēi dào zhè piàn hēi sè hǎi yù de jìn tóu 。
他们的感知中，足足飞行了数十天，却仍然没有飞到这片黑色海域的尽头。
Even Dongyang Yao knew something was wrong: "Are we going in circles?"
rù mù suǒ jiàn ， réng rán shì yī jù jù bīng fēng de shī tǐ 。
入目所见，仍然是一具具冰封的尸体。
Huafu Song agreed with a nod: "It seems so. Although our path appears to be straight, it's clear that some force here is distorting our perception. Otherwise, the number of corpses we've seen over these days would have reached billions. Even if all ancient cultivators were buried here, there wouldn't be this many."
jiù lián dōng fāng yào ， dōu zhī dào yǒu xiē bú duì le 。
就连东方曜，都知道有些不对了。
Li Fan remained silent.
“ wǒ men shì bú shì zài tóng yī gè dì fāng rào lù le ？”
“我们是不是在同一个地方绕路了？”
He compared and reassembled the images recorded in his Dao Stone.
huáng fǔ sōng diǎn tóu tóng yì dào ：“ xiàn zài kàn lái ， sì hū shì de 。 suī rán wǒ men qián jìn de fāng xiàng kàn shì shì yī tiáo zhí xiàn ， dàn hěn xiǎn rán wǒ men bèi cǐ dì de mǒu zhǒng lì liàng niǔ qū le gǎn zhī 。 fǒu zé ， wǒ men zhè xiē tiān suǒ jiàn de shī tǐ jiā qǐ lái ， yǒu shù shí yì le 。 jiù suàn shàng gǔ xiū xiān jiè de xiū shì quán mái zài zhè lǐ ， yě wèi bì yǒu zhè me duō 。”
皇甫松点头同意道：“现在看来，似乎是的。虽然我们前进的方向看似是一条直线，但很显然我们被此地的某种力量扭曲了感知。否则，我们这些天所见的尸体加起来，有数十亿了。就算上古修仙界的修士全埋在这里，也未必有这么多。”
Blue light flashed as it seemed to reach its peak.
lǐ fán zé shì chén mò bù yǔ 。
李凡则是沉默不语。
Soon, Li Fan discovered a fact that made him extremely nervous: so far, none of the frozen cultivators they had encountered appeared to repeat.
tā jiāng nǎo hǎi zhōng huà dào shí jì lù de huà miàn ， jìn xíng bǐ duì 、 chóng zǔ 。
他将脑海中化道石记录的画面，进行比对、重组。
Or even if there were a few similar-looking ones he had overlooked. But the vast majority of the dead here were indeed unique individuals.
lán sè guāng máng shǎn shuò ， sì hū yǐ jīng yùn zhuàn dào le jí zhì 。
蓝色光芒闪烁，似乎已经运转到了极致。
"There are 267,980,000 cultivators sleeping in peace."
bù jiǔ hòu ， lǐ fán fā xiàn le gè ràng tā wú bǐ dǎn hán de shì shí 。
不久后，李凡发现了个让他无比胆寒的事实。
"This is just what I've seen so far."
shí jì shàng ， mù qián wéi zhǐ ， tā men suǒ zāo yù de bīng fēng xiū shì ， sì hū bìng méi yǒu chóng fù de 。
实际上，目前为止，他们所遭遇的冰封修士，似乎并没有重复的。
Li Fan looked towards the distance; the black ice coffins floated on the sea, still without end.
huò zhě shuō ， jí biàn yǒu shǎo shù xiàng mào yī yàng de bèi tā hū lüè le 。 dàn cǐ chǔ sǐ jì hēi hǎi zhōng ， tā men suǒ jiàn dào de jué dà bù fèn xiū shì ， dōu de dí què què shì dān dú de bù tóng gè tǐ 。
或者说，即便有少数相貌一样的被他忽略了。但此处死寂黑海中，他们所见到的绝大部分修士，都的的确确是单独的不同个体。
"Exactly..."
“ yī gòng yǒu èr shí liù yì qī qiān jiǔ bǎi bā shí wàn xiū shì cháng mián yú cǐ 。”
“一共有二十六亿七千九百八十万修士长眠于此。”
The strangeness of this misty domain was beyond his imagination.
“ zhè hái zhǐ shì mù qián wǒ suǒ jiàn dào de 。”
“这还只是目前我所见到的。”
"We can't keep going like this. We need to find a way out quickly," Huafu Song said, suddenly coughing lightly.
lǐ fán bù yóu xiàng yuǎn fāng wàng qù ， hēi yā yā de bīng guān piāo fú zài hǎi yáng shàng ， réng rán kàn bú dào jìn tóu 。
李凡不由向远方望去，黑压压的冰棺漂浮在海洋上，仍然看不到尽头。
Li Fan and Dongyang Yao were momentarily stunned, then exchanged glances, their faces changing slightly.
“ dào dǐ ……”
“到底……”
"Huafu, are you alright?" Dongyang Yao flew over to Huafu Song's side, grabbing his shoulders to check his condition.
cǐ chù mí yù de guǐ yì ， shí zài chāo chū le tā de xiǎng xiàng 。
此处迷域的诡异，实在超出了他的想象。
A moment later:
“ zhè me xià qù bú shì bàn fǎ ， dé kuài diǎn zhǎo dào chū qù de lù 。” huáng fǔ sōng shuō zhe shuō zhe ， tū rán qīng ké le yī shēng 。
“这么下去不是办法，得快点找到出去的路。”皇甫松说着说着，突然轻咳了一声。
"Strange, there's nothing abnormal. But what was that cough about just now?" Dongyang Yao's expression turned serious.
lǐ fán hé dōng fāng yào xiān shì lèng le lèng ， duì shì le yī yǎn ， miàn sè wēi biàn 。
李凡和东方曜先是愣了愣，对视了一眼，面色微变。
Huafu Song also realized something was wrong; after closing his eyes and carefully sensing, his face darkened: "I feel weaker. It feels like my vitality is gradually fading..."
“ huáng fǔ ， nǐ méi shì ba 。” dōng fāng yào fēi shēn lái dào huáng fǔ sōng shēn biān ， shǒu zhuā zhù tā de jiān bǎng ， chá kàn qǐ tā de shēn tǐ zhuàng kuàng lái 。
“皇甫，你没事吧。”东方曜飞身来到皇甫松身边，手抓住他的肩膀，查看起他的身体状况来。
He looked down at the dead black sea: "This ocean seems to be siphoning our life force."
piàn kè zhī hòu 。
片刻之后。
"Indeed. I'm stronger physically than you, so it hasn't affected me yet," Dongyang Yao paused here.
“ qí guài ， méi yǒu shén me yì cháng 。 dàn nǐ gāng cái nà shēng ké sòu shì zěn me huí shì ？” dōng fāng yào de miàn sè shí fēn níng zhòng 。
“奇怪，没有什么异常。但你刚才那声咳嗽是怎么回事？”东方曜的面色十分凝重。
He turned to Li Fan: "But, Daoist Li, how...?"
huáng fǔ sōng yě yì shí dào le bù tuǒ ， bì yǎn xì xì tǐ wù zhī hòu ， liǎn sè yīn chén ：“ wǒ gǎn jué ， zì jǐ xū ruò le yī xiē 。 jiù xiàng shì ， shēng jī zài bù duàn liú shì yī yàng ……”
皇甫松也意识到了不妥，闭眼细细体悟之后，脸色阴沉：“我感觉，自己虚弱了一些。就像是，生机在不断流逝一样……”
Huafu Song's eyes narrowed as well.
tā cháo zhe xià fāng de sǐ jì hēi hǎi wàng qù ：“ zhè piàn hǎi yáng ， sì hū zhèng zài chōu qǔ wǒ men de shēng jī 。”
他朝着下方的死寂黑海望去：“这片海洋，似乎正在抽取我们的生机。”
After all, it was because of Li Fan's guidance that they had come to this strange misty domain. Huafu Song knew about Dongyang Yao's special constitution.
“ yuán lái rú cǐ 。 wǒ shēn zi gǔ bǐ nǐ zhuàng shí yī xiē ， suǒ yǐ zàn shí hái méi shì 。” shuō dào zhè lǐ ， dōng fāng yào huà yǔ hū de dùn zhù 。
“原来如此。我身子骨比你壮实一些，所以暂时还没事。”说到这里，东方曜话语忽的顿住。
Li Fan only appeared to have元婴 (Nurturing Core) cultivation but seemed more "vibrant" than the cultivator at the化神 (Transformation Divine) stage, able to endure longer on this dead sea...
tā bù yóu kàn xiàng le lǐ fán ：“ bù guò ， lǐ fán dào yǒu ， nǐ zěn me ……”
他不由看向了李凡：“不过，李凡道友，你怎么……”
This made Huafu Song doubt it.
huáng fǔ sōng de yǎn jīng yě mī le qǐ lái 。
皇甫松的眼睛也眯了起来。
Li Fan understood this. He smiled slightly and shook his head: "Brothers need not worry; perhaps my dao realm is of a wood attribute, so life force is more abundant."
bì jìng ， zhèng shì yīn wèi lǐ fán de zhǐ yǐn ， tā men cái lái dào zhè chù guǐ yì mí yù de 。 dōng fāng yào de tǐ zhì tè shū ， huáng fǔ sōng shì qīng chǔ de 。
毕竟，正是因为李凡的指引，他们才来到这处诡异迷域的。东方曜的体质特殊，皇甫松是清楚的。
"In such circumstances, we should unite our efforts and avoid any rifts."
ér lǐ fán biǎo miàn zhǐ yǒu yuán yīng xiū wèi ， què néng bǐ huà shén jìng jiè de huáng fǔ sōng gèng yǒu “ huó lì ” yī xiē ， zài cǐ chǔ sǐ jì zhī hǎi shàng fǎn dào néng jiān chí gèng jiǔ ……
而李凡表面只有元婴修为，却能比化神境界的皇甫松更有“活力”一些，在此处死寂之海上反倒能坚持更久……
"If you take the eternal pill I gave you, Brother Huafu, it might have some effect," he said.
bù yóu de huáng fǔ sōng bù huái yí 。
不由得皇甫松不怀疑。
Seeing Li Fan's坦然 (unflustered attitude), Huafu Song temporarily put his doubts aside. He took out an jade bottle, swallowed the eternal pill, and his expression improved slightly.
lǐ fán zì shì míng bái zhè ge dào lǐ 。 tā wēi wēi yī xiào ， yáo le yáo tóu ：“ liǎng wèi xiōng dì wú xū xīn shēng yí lǜ ， huò xǔ shì wǒ zhī dòng tiān fǎ yù shì mù shǔ xìng 、 suǒ yǐ shēng mìng lì gèng jiāng wàng shèng de yuán gù 。”
李凡自是明白这个道理。他微微一笑，摇了摇头：“两位兄弟无须心生疑虑，或许是我之洞天法域是木属性、所以生命力更将旺盛的缘故。”
"Sure enough, it works. Thank you, Brother Li!" Huafan Song said with a guilty look.
“ cǐ děng qíng kuàng xià ， wǒ děng hái shì yīng dāng qí xīn xié lì 、 wàn bù kě xīn shēng jiàn xì cái shì 。”
“此等情况下，我等还是应当齐心协力、万不可心生间隙才是。”
"It's nothing," Li Fan waved his hand as if not bothered at all.
“ huáng fǔ xiōng nǐ jiāng wǒ zèng yǔ nǐ de cháng shēng dān fú xià ， shuō bù dìng huì yǒu qí xiào 。”
“皇甫兄你将我赠与你的长生丹服下，说不定会有奇效。”
"Do you have any ideas on how to get out, Brother Huafu?" he asked.
"Perhaps we won't be able to leave for a while, even if we want to," Li Fan said coldly.
At this moment, Huafu Song also remembered that once they entered the迷域 (Misty Domain), they could only leave by finding and passing through special positions.
Otherwise, it would be like being separated by an ocean, though just one step away, forever unable to cross over.
Instantly, a cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Ah..."
Dongyang Yao's courage was slightly greater. He patted Huafu Song on the shoulder and comforted him: "Relax, Brother Huafu. Although this place looks somewhat sinister, it's just some dead people here. There shouldn't be any danger."
"If you're really scared, hide behind me. I'll take point," he assured with a pat on his chest.
Huafu Song nodded repeatedly: "Then leave it to you. But be careful. Here..."
He hesitated for a moment before whispering: "I can't sense any lingering death energy. These cultivators might still be alive."
Hearing this, Dongyang Yao's body trembled slightly.
"Brother Huafu, don't say such things if you're not going to help. Be careful with your words," Dongyang Yao said as his gaze swept over the countless ice coffins floating on the black sea, his expression turning grim.
"There's no need to scare yourself. We'll deal with it when we get there. Let's first figure out what's happening," Li Fan, who had the True Real Artifact and could escape at any moment, remained much more composed than the others. He calmly took charge: "Let's put away the普贤真舟 (True Virtue Magic Boat) and form an array around us to set up a protective barrier. We'll carefully fly over the surface of the sea."
The量天鉴 (Heaven Measuring Mirror) emitted flashes of green light, collecting and recording data from the areas they passed.
They didn't dare get close to the ice-coated cultivators floating on the sea but only observed them from afar.
"From their attire, these should all be ancient cultivators. We can't sense any energy, so we can't judge their cultivation levels."
"Strange, it doesn't seem like they're alive. But compared to dead people, there seems to be a difference."
"I wonder what they saw before being frozen. The expressions on their faces are truly terrifying."
"Who did this? Who could freeze so many cultivators at once? His cultivation level..."
...
The three constantly exchanged through their divine senses without making any rash moves or attempting to break the ice coffins.
Indeed, countless ancient artifacts and elixirs carried by the dead seemed very tempting. But no one dared to risk breaking an ice coffin that might trigger unknown consequences.
Moreover, with the blue玄点 (Xuan Points) they had gained from exploring the迷域, as long as they could safely return here, it would be a huge gain.
With the rewards from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in mind, the ancient cultivators' treasures didn't seem so attractive anymore.
In the dead black sea, time seemed to have stopped. There was no change of day or night; the sky remained perpetually gray.
The connection between the量天鉴 and 天玄镜 (Heavenly Mysteries Mirror) appeared to be cut off. The three's rapidly accumulating points were only recorded in an ancient square mirror without synchronization.
Huafu Song knew that if they couldn't leave alive, all those Xuan Points would just be meaningless numbers. But if they could successfully escape after completing the exploration, even if no further rewards came later, what they had gained here was enough.
Thus, they were particularly cautious.
Their perception showed that they had flown for dozens of days but still hadn't reached the end of this black sea.
What met their eyes were still ice-coated corpses.
Even Dongyang Yao knew something was wrong: "Are we going in circles?"
Huafu Song agreed with a nod: "It seems so. Although our path appears to be straight, it's clear that some force here is distorting our perception. Otherwise, the number of corpses we've seen over these days would have reached billions. Even if all ancient cultivators were buried here, there wouldn't be this many."
Li Fan remained silent.
He compared and reassembled the images recorded in his Dao Stone.
Blue light flashed as it seemed to reach its peak.
Soon, Li Fan discovered a fact that made him extremely nervous: so far, none of the frozen cultivators they had encountered appeared to repeat.
Or even if there were a few similar-looking ones he had overlooked. But the vast majority of the dead here were indeed unique individuals.
"There are 267,980,000 cultivators sleeping in peace."
"This is just what I've seen so far."
Li Fan looked towards the distance; the black ice coffins floated on the sea, still without end.
"Exactly..."
The strangeness of this misty domain was beyond his imagination.
"We can't keep going like this. We need to find a way out quickly," Huafu Song said, suddenly coughing lightly.
Li Fan and Dongyang Yao were momentarily stunned, then exchanged glances, their faces changing slightly.
"Huafu, are you alright?" Dongyang Yao flew over to Huafu Song's side, grabbing his shoulders to check his condition.
A moment later:
"Strange, there's nothing abnormal. But what was that cough about just now?" Dongyang Yao's expression turned serious.
Huafu Song also realized something was wrong; after closing his eyes and carefully sensing, his face darkened: "I feel weaker. It feels like my vitality is gradually fading..."
He looked down at the dead black sea: "This ocean seems to be siphoning our life force."
"Indeed. I'm stronger physically than you, so it hasn't affected me yet," Dongyang Yao paused here.
He turned to Li Fan: "But, Daoist Li, how...?"
Huafu Song's eyes narrowed as well.
After all, it was because of Li Fan's guidance that they had come to this strange misty domain. Huafu Song knew about Dongyang Yao's special constitution.
Li Fan only appeared to have元婴 (Nurturing Core) cultivation but seemed more "vibrant" than the cultivator at the化神 (Transformation Divine) stage, able to endure longer on this dead sea...
This made Huafu Song doubt it.
Li Fan understood this. He smiled slightly and shook his head: "Brothers need not worry; perhaps my dao realm is of a wood attribute, so life force is more abundant."
"In such circumstances, we should unite our efforts and avoid any rifts."
"If you take the eternal pill I gave you, Brother Huafu, it might have some effect," he said.
Seeing Li Fan's坦然 (unflustered attitude), Huafu Song temporarily put his doubts aside. He took out an jade bottle, swallowed the eternal pill, and his expression improved slightly.
"Sure enough, it works. Thank you, Brother Li!" Huafan Song said with a guilty look.
"It's nothing," Li Fan waved his hand as if not bothered at all.
"Do you have any ideas on how to get out, Brother Huafu?" he asked.