cháng shēng dān de yào lì zhèng zài bèi huǎn huǎn xī shōu ， huáng fǔ sōng de liǎn sè yě màn màn huī fù rú chū 。
长生丹的药力正在被缓缓吸收，皇甫松的脸色也慢慢恢复如初。
The life force of the Elixir of Immortality was slowly being absorbed, and Huangfu Song's face gradually returned to its normal color.
tā huán shì zhōu wéi mì jí de bīng fēng guān cái ， chén yín piàn kè ， dá dào ：“ suī rán zhè xiē bīng jīng pái liè zá luàn wú xù 、 zhǐ shì dān chún duī dié ， kàn shì háo wú guī lǜ kě yán 。 dàn yǐ wǒ duō nián gēn zhèn fǎ dǎ jiāo dào de jīng yàn kàn ， cǐ chù huò xǔ ……”
他环视周围密集的冰封棺材，沉吟片刻，答道：“虽然这些冰晶排列杂乱无序、只是单纯堆叠，看似毫无规律可言。但以我多年跟阵法打交道的经验看，此处或许……”
He scanned the densely packed ice-sealed coffins around him, pondering for a moment before replying, "Although these ice crystals are arranged in a chaotic manner, merely stacked on top of each other with no apparent pattern, based on my years of experience dealing with array formations, there might be..."
shuō zhe ， tā qǔ chū yī tào pò zhèn yù pán ， zài zhòng rén miàn qián tóu shè chū guāng mù ， dāng chǎng yǎn suàn qǐ lái 。
说着，他取出一套破阵玉盘，在众人面前投射出光幕，当场衍算起来。
As he spoke, he took out a set of anti-array jade plates and projected a light screen in front of everyone. He began to derive and calculate the layout.
guāng mù zhōng ， xiān qián jiàn dào guò de wú shù bīng guān jìn shù huà zuò yí gè gè hēi diǎn ， bèi dìng wèi 、 jì lù 。 ér hòu huà miàn de shì jiǎo bù duàn shàng shēng ， hēi diǎn chū xiàn de shù liàng yǔ sù dù dōu zài xùn sù zēng jiā 。
光幕中，先前见到过的无数冰棺尽数化作一个个黑点，被定位、记录。而后画面的视角不断上升，黑点出现的数量与速度都在迅速增加。
In the light screen, countless ice coffins that had been seen earlier transformed into black dots, being located and recorded. The perspective of the scene then gradually rose, with the number and speed of these black dots increasing rapidly.
yǐn yuē kě yǐ cóng guāng mù zhōng kàn chū ， zhè xiē bīng guān bìng bú shì quán dōu jǐ zài yī chù ， ér shì dí què bèi mǒu zhǒng lì liàng shù fù zhe 、 àn zhào wèi zhī de guī lǜ pái liè 。
隐约可以从光幕中看出，这些冰棺并不是全都挤在一处，而是的确被某种力量束缚着、按照未知的规律排列。
One could faintly discern from the light screen that not all the ice coffins were tightly packed together but indeed bound by some force, arranged according to an unknown pattern.
“ xiàn zài hái wèi néng dé jiàn quán mào ， huò xǔ zhǐ néng jiāng zhè lǐ quán dōu tàn suǒ wán bì ， cái néng kàn chū lǒng zhào zhè chù mí yù de jiū jìng shì shén me zhèn fǎ 。” huáng fǔ sōng duān xiáng zhe guāng mù ， xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， yáo yáo tóu yǒu xiē yí hàn dì shuō dào 。
“现在还未能得见全貌，或许只能将这里全都探索完毕，才能看出笼罩这处迷域的究竟是什么阵法。”皇甫松端详着光幕，许久之后，摇摇头有些遗憾地说道。
"Now we cannot see the full picture yet. Perhaps only after thoroughly exploring this area can we determine what kind of array formation is covering this maze," Huangfu Song said, examining the light screen for a long time before shaking his head regretfully.
】
】
"Then let's not stand around and get moving. The longer we stay here, the more bizarre things might happen," Dongfang Yaohuo called out as the three continued their exploration of the unknown regions.
“ nà me jiù bié lèng zhe le ， gǎn jǐn chū fā ba 。 zài zhè lǐ dài jiǔ le ， bù zhī dào hái huì yù dào shén me guǐ yì de shì 。” dōng fāng yào zhāo hū zhe ， sān rén jì xù cháo zhe shèng xià de wèi zhī qū yù tàn suǒ 。
“那么就别愣着了，赶紧出发吧。在这里待久了，不知道还会遇到什么诡异的事。”东方曜招呼着，三人继续朝着剩下的未知区域探索。
After an indeterminate amount of time,
yòu guò le bù zhī duō jiǔ 。
又过了不知多久。
"Dongfang Brother, stop!" Dongfang Yaohuo suddenly raised his hand to halt their progress.
“ tíng tíng ！” dōng fāng yào hū de jǔ qǐ le shǒu ， lán zhù le jì xù qián xíng de dào lù 。
“停停！”东方曜忽的举起了手，拦住了继续前行的道路。
"Brother Dongfang, what did you find?" Li Fan surveyed the surroundings but didn't notice anything amiss.
“ dōng fāng xiōng ， fā xiàn le shén me ？” lǐ fán dǎ liàng zhōu wéi ， bìng méi yǒu fā xiàn shén me bú duì jìn de dì fāng 。
“东方兄，发现了什么？”李凡打量周围，并没有发现什么不对劲的地方。
Dongfang Yaohuo's face showed confusion as if he was listening intently and trying to discern something.
dōng fāng yào miàn lù yí huò ， shì shì zài cè ěr qīng tīng 、 fēn biàn zhe xiē shén me 。
东方曜面露疑惑，似是在侧耳倾听、分辨着些什么。
After a moment, his gaze locked onto the black, silent sea below.
piàn kè zhī hòu ， tā shì xiàn suǒ dìng hēi sè sǐ jì zhī hǎi de xià fāng 。
片刻之后，他视线锁定黑色死寂之海的下方。
"There seems to be some living thing in this sea. It looks like..."
“ zhè hǎi lǐ ， sì hū yǒu shén me huó de dōng xī 。 xiàng shì ……”
“这海里，似乎有什么活的东西。像是……”
"Perhaps some kind of demon beast?" Dongfang Yaohuo said uncertainly.
“ mǒu zhǒng yāo shòu ？” dōng fāng yào yǒu xiē bù què dìng dào 。
“某种妖兽？”东方曜有些不确定道。
Hearing this, Huangfu Song was startled: "That's impossible. This seawater is entirely composed of dead air; even ordinary demon beasts couldn't survive for long here, let alone us cultivators who might be tainted by the dead qi."
huáng fǔ sōng wén yán ， dùn shí sǒng rán ：“ bù kě néng ba ， zhè hǎi shuǐ wán quán shì yóu sǐ jì zhī qì gòu chéng ， bié shuō shì xún cháng yāo shòu le ， jiù lián wǒ men xiū shì bù shèn luò rù qí zhōng 、 bèi sǐ qì zhān rǎn ， yě jiān chí bù liǎo duō jiǔ 。”
皇甫松闻言，顿时悚然：“不可能吧，这海水完全是由死寂之气构成，别说是寻常妖兽了，就连我们修士不慎落入其中、被死气沾染，也坚持不了多久。”
Li Fan also looked at the calm black sea surface thoughtfully: "The extreme of death and then rebirth..."
lǐ fán zé shì tóng yàng kàn zhe píng jìng wú bǐ de hēi sè hǎi miàn ， ruò yǒu suǒ sī ：“ sǐ zhī jí ， ér fù shēng ……”
李凡则是同样看着平静无比的黑色海面，若有所思：“死之极，而复生……”
"I believe Brother Dongfang's judgment," he suggested. "If there really is a living sea beast that has survived in this place for so long, our hope of escaping might be tied to it. Brother Dongfang, you can communicate with demon beasts; why don't you try talking to it?"
“ wǒ xiāng xìn dōng fāng xiōng de pàn duàn 。” tā kāi kǒu dào jiàn yì dào ，“ ruò shì zhēn yǒu sǐ hǎi yì shòu ， cháng nián shēng cún yú cǐ ， shuō bù dìng wǒ děng tuō kùn de xī wàng ， jiù yào jì tuō zài tā de shēn shàng 。 dōng fāng xiōng ， nǐ tōng yāo shòu zhī yǔ ， bù rú shì zhe gēn tā jìn xíng gōu tōng ？”
“我相信东方兄的判断。”他开口道建议道，“若是真有死海异兽，常年生存于此，说不定我等脱困的希望，就要寄托在它的身上。东方兄，你通妖兽之语，不如试着跟它进行沟通？”
Dongfang Yaohuo hesitated but ultimately nodded. A strange sound emerged from his throat, rising and falling like a genuine ancient beast's roar.
dōng fāng yào yǒu xiē chí yí ， bù guò zuì zhōng hái shì diǎn diǎn tóu 。 hóu lóng lǐ fā chū yī dào qí guài de xiǎng shēng ， yì yáng dùn cuò 。 jiù xiàng zhēn de yī tóu shàng gǔ yāo shòu zài sī hǒu yì bān 。
东方曜有些迟疑，不过最终还是点点头。喉咙里发出一道奇怪的响声，抑扬顿挫。就像真的一头上古妖兽在嘶吼一般。
Soon, the seemingly unchanging sea surface suddenly rippled.
bù duō shí ， shì wàn nián bù biàn de hǎi miàn shàng ， hū de dàng qǐ yī zhèn lián yī 。
不多时，似万年不变的海面上，忽的荡起一阵涟漪。
"Really? There is something alive!" Huangfu Song exclaimed in surprise.
“ jìng rán zhēn de yǒu huó wù ？！” huáng fǔ sōng miàn lù jīng róng 。
“竟然真的有活物？！”皇甫松面露惊容。
Dongfang Yaohuo cursed under his breath: "Damn it, this thing didn't understand my words; instead, it was scared and ran away!"
dōng fāng yào què shì àn mà yī shēng ：“ tā niáng de ， zhè guǐ dōng xī tīng bù dǒng wǒ de huà ， fǎn ér bèi xià pǎo le ！”
东方曜却是暗骂一声：“他娘的，这鬼东西听不懂我的话，反而被吓跑了！”
"It doesn't matter. We just follow it," Li Fan said sternly.
“ wú fáng ， wǒ men gēn zhe tā jiù xíng 。 dōng fāng xiōng dài lù ！” lǐ fán chén shēng dīng zhǔ dào 。
“无妨，我们跟着它就行。东方兄带路！”李凡沉声叮嘱道。
Dongfang Yaohuo immediately understood and hurried to track the movements of the demon beast below the black sea, flying after it.
dōng fāng yào dùn shí fǎn yìng guò lái ， lián máng biàn bié zhe hēi hǎi zhī xià de yì shòu dòng jìng ， fēi shēn zhuī qù 。
东方曜顿时反应过来，连忙辨别着黑海之下的异兽动静，飞身追去。
Li Fan and Huangfu Song followed closely behind.
lǐ fán yǔ huáng fǔ sōng jǐn suí qí hòu 。
李凡与皇甫松紧随其后。
The unknown demon beast's speed was not fast, but the three kept following at a steady pace.
zhè wèi zhī yì shòu de sù dù dǎo shì bù kuài ， sān rén bù jǐn bù màn dì yì zhí wěi suí zhe 。
这未知异兽的速度倒是不快，三人不紧不慢地一直尾随着。
During their pursuit, Li Fan could almost feel with his eyes that the number of ice coffins around them seemed to be decreasing.
zhuī zhú guò chéng zhōng ， jī hū guāng píng ròu yǎn ， lǐ fán jiù kě yǐ gǎn jué dào zhōu wéi bīng guān de shù liàng sì hū zài zhú jiàn jiǎn shǎo 。
追逐过程中，几乎光凭肉眼，李凡就可以感觉到周围冰棺的数量似乎在逐渐减少。
"It must have disappeared here!" Dongfang Yaohuo suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Li Fan and the others.
“ jiù zài zhè lǐ ， tā hū rán bú jiàn le ！” hū de ， dōng fāng yào zhǐ zhù shēn xíng ， huí tóu kàn xiàng lǐ fán liǎng rén 。
“就在这里，它忽然不见了！”忽的，东方曜止住身形，回头看向李凡两人。
Li Fan flew up for a distance before looking around.
lǐ fán xiàng shàng fēi le yī duàn jù lí hòu ， cháo zhe zhōu wéi yuǎn tiào 。
李凡向上飞了一段距离后，朝着周围远眺。
Countless small ice coffins formed lines like black dragons, stretching from the horizon.
wú shù xíng rú xiǎo diǎn de bīng guān ， zǔ chéng dào dào xiàn tiáo ， rú hēi sè cāng lóng ， zì tiān biān mián gèn ér lái 。
无数形如小点的冰棺，组成道道线条，如黑色苍龙，自天边绵亘而来。
From all directions, they converged here.
sì miàn bā fāng ， huì jù yú cǐ 。
四面八方，汇聚于此。
These lines were like underground veins, channeling and gathering the dead qi of this maze area.
zhè xiē xiàn tiáo jiù xiàng shì dì mài yī yàng ， jiāng cǐ chù mí yù de sǐ qì jìn shù liú zhuǎn 、 jù jí yú cǐ 。
这些线条就像是地脉一样，将此处迷域的死气尽数流转、聚集于此。
The concentration was so intense that it seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation.
nóng yù zhì jí ， yǐn yǐn fā shēng zhì biàn 。
浓郁至极，隐隐发生质变。
Huangfu Song also flew up beside Li Fan. After careful observation, he noticed something.
huáng fǔ sōng yě fēi shēn lái dào lǐ fán shēn biān ， zǐ xì guān chá hòu ， fā xiàn le xiē xǔ duān ní 。
皇甫松也飞身来到李凡身边，仔细观察后，发现了些许端倪。
"This seems to be where the main point of this vast array is located," his face filled with gravity.
“ zhè lǐ ， sì hū jiù shì zhè piàn lǒng zhào mí yù de dà zhèn zhèn yǎn suǒ zài 。” tā de liǎn shàng ， mǎn shì níng zhòng 。
“这里，似乎就是这片笼罩迷域的大阵阵眼所在。”他的脸上，满是凝重。
"Main point? That means we can escape from here?" Dongfang Yaohuo exclaimed happily.
“ zhèn yǎn ， nà qǐ bù shì shuō ， wǒ men jiù néng cóng cǐ chù chū qù le ？” dōng fāng yào dà xǐ dào 。
“阵眼，那岂不是说，我们就能从此处出去了？”东方曜大喜道。
But Huangfu Song shook his head: "We still don't fully understand the entire array. We can't make a definitive conclusion. It might be possible to escape, or..."
huáng fǔ sōng zé shì yáo yáo tóu ：“ shàng bù liǎo jiě dà zhèn quán mào ， hái bù néng xià dìng jié lùn 。 yǒu kě néng zì cǐ tuō kùn ér chū ， yě yǒu kě néng ……”
皇甫松则是摇摇头：“尚不了解大阵全貌，还不能下定结论。有可能自此脱困而出，也有可能……”
"It could trigger the array's self-defense mechanism," Li Fan continued Huangfu Song's words. "The scale of this array is unprecedented in the world. Especially its vague connection with life and death, making it extremely bizarre. Even a Great Dao cultivator might not survive an attack from such an array."
“ jī fā dà zhèn zì wǒ fǎn jī 。” lǐ fán jiē zhe huáng fǔ sōng de huà shuō dào ，“ cǐ chù zhèn fǎ guī mó ， shì suǒ hǎn jiàn 。 yóu qí hái yǐn yuē gēn shēng sǐ zhī dào chě shàng guān lián ， guǐ yì zhì jí 。 kǒng pà jiù suàn shì hé dào qiáng zhě ， yě wèi bì néng zài dà zhèn gōng jī xià huó xià lái 。”
“激发大阵自我反击。”李凡接着皇甫松的话说道，“此处阵法规模，世所罕见。尤其还隐约跟生死之道扯上关联，诡异至极。恐怕就算是合道强者，也未必能在大阵攻击下活下来。”
Huangfu Song examined Li Fan, his eyes flashing with surprise: "Brother Li, did you also know about arrays?"
huáng fǔ sōng dǎ liàng zhe lǐ fán ， yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī chà yì ：“ lǐ xiōng yuán lái yě shú zhī zhèn fǎ ？”
皇甫松打量着李凡，眼中闪过一丝诧异：“李兄原来也熟知阵法？”
"Just a little," Li Fan nodded slightly.
“ lüè dǒng ér yǐ 。” lǐ fán wēi wēi diǎn tóu ， suàn shì chéng rèn le 。
“略懂而已。”李凡微微点头，算是承认了。
"Now what? Just sit here and wait? I feel the dead qi affecting me; my vitality is gradually fading. I even feel back pain." Dongfang Yaohuo muttered, hesitated for a moment before taking an Elixir of Immortality and swallowing it.
“ nà xiàn zài zěn me bàn ， jiù zài zhè lǐ gàn hào zhe ma 。 wǒ gǎn jué wǒ yě shòu dào le sǐ qì yǐng xiǎng ， shēng jī zài bù duàn liú shì le 。 jū rán huì gǎn dào yāo suān bèi tòng 。” dōng fāng yào zuǐ lǐ dōu nāng zhe ， chóu chú le piàn kè ， hái shì qǔ chū yī méi cháng shēng dān fú xià 。
“那现在怎么办，就在这里干耗着嘛。我感觉我也受到了死气影响，生机在不断流逝了。居然会感到腰酸背痛。”东方曜嘴里都囔着，踌躇了片刻，还是取出一枚长生丹服下。
"Damn it, that feels much better," he said, his absorption of the life force far faster than Huangfu Song's, quickly regaining his vitality.
“ tā niáng de ， zhè xià hǎo duō le 。” tā xī shōu yào lì de sù dù bǐ qǐ huáng fǔ sòng yào kuài shàng xǔ duō ， shùn jiān yòu chóng xīn shēng lóng huó hǔ qǐ lái 。
“他娘的，这下好多了。”他吸收药力的速度比起皇甫宋要快上许多，瞬间又重新生龙活虎起来。
"We still need to fully understand the array's layout," Li Fan and Huangfu Song looked at each other, ultimately agreeing.
“ hái shì yào jiāng zhèn fǎ quán mào nòng qīng chǔ cái xíng 。” lǐ fán yǔ huáng fǔ sōng duì shì yī yǎn ， zuì zhōng bù móu ér hé dào 。
“还是要将阵法全貌弄清楚才行。”李凡与皇甫松对视一眼，最终不谋而合道。
"We need to speed up our actions." As Huangfu Song spoke, he coughed lightly. His face darkened as he reluctantly took another Elixir of Immortality to delay the loss of vitality.
“ yào jiā kuài dòng zuò le 。” huáng fǔ sōng zhèng shuō zhe ， yòu qīng qīng ké sòu le yī shēng 。 miàn sè yīn chén ， wú nài yòu chī xià cháng shēng dān ， yán huǎn shēng jī liú shì 。
“要加快动作了。”皇甫松正说着，又轻轻咳嗽了一声。面色阴沉，无奈又吃下长生丹，延缓生机流逝。
Having not encountered any dangers besides the consumption of life force for a long time in this maze and with the Elixirs of Immortality running low, the three finally let loose their efforts, flying as fast as they could.
zhǎng shí jiān méi yǒu zài mí yù zhōng fā xiàn chú le shēng jī bèi tūn shì yǐ wài de wēi xiǎn ， jiā zhī cháng shēng dān yǐ jīng suǒ shèng bù duō 。 suǒ yǐ sān rén jiē xià lái suàn shì fàng kāi le shǒu jiǎo ， jié lì fēi dùn 。
长时间没有在迷域中发现除了生机被吞噬以外的危险，加之长生丹已经所剩不多。所以三人接下来算是放开了手脚，竭力飞遁。
After Huangfu Song swallowed his last pill, they completed the full mapping of the array.
zài huáng fǔ sōng jiāng zuì hòu yī lì dān yào tūn xià zhī hòu ， tā men zhōng yú wán chéng le cǐ chù dà zhèn de wán zhěng cè huì 。
在皇甫松将最后一粒丹药吞下之后，他们终于完成了此处大阵的完整测绘。
"An inspired stroke, an inspired stroke."
“ shén lái zhī bǐ ， shén lái zhī bǐ 。”
“神来之笔，神来之笔。”
Huangfu Song stared at the light screen projected by the anti-array jade plates, muttering to himself in admiration.
huáng fǔ sōng dīng zhe pò zhèn yù pán tóu shè guāng mù shàng de huà miàn ， qíng bù zì jīn 、 nán nán zì yǔ dào 。
皇甫松盯着破阵玉盘投射光幕上的画面，情不自禁、喃喃自语道。
Even Li Fan was drawn into the complexity and ingenuity of this unknown array.
lián lǐ fán yě bù yóu bèi zhè bù zhī míng dà zhèn de jīng miào xī yǐn le xīn shén 。
连李凡也不由被这不知名大阵的精妙吸引了心神。
According to common sense, with Huangfu Song's knowledge of arrays, he should have been able to determine the basic function of the array and even derive its remaining parts without seeing the full picture.
àn zhào cháng lǐ lái jiǎng ， yǐ huáng fǔ sōng gēn tā de zhèn fǎ zào yì ， gēn běn yòng bù zhe jiàn dào quán mào ， jiù néng pàn duàn chū zhèn fǎ de jī běn yòng chǔ 、 shèn zhì tuī yǎn chū zhèn fǎ de shèng yú bù fèn 。
按照常理来讲，以皇甫松跟他的阵法造诣，根本用不着见到全貌，就能判断出阵法的基本用处、甚至推衍出阵法的剩余部分。
But...
dàn shì ……
但是……
In front of this vast array composed of more than a billion sealed cultivators as materials, their knowledge and experience were rendered useless.
zài zhè yǐ shàng bǎi yì bīng fēng xiū shì wèi bù zhèn cái liào de kuàng shì qí zhèn miàn qián ， tā men de suǒ xué 、 jīng yàn ， quán dōu shī qù le yòng tú 。
在这以上百亿冰封修士为布阵材料的旷世奇阵面前，他们的所学、经验，全都失去了用途。
Before fully understanding the complete array diagram, this large array was like a hidden dragon in the depths of the forest, shrouded by swirling clouds. Only a few scales or claws could be seen, making it impossible to determine what one saw without prior knowledge of "the dragon's" existence.
zài méi yǒu jiàn dào wán zhěng de zhèn tú zhī qián ， cǐ chù dà zhèn jiù xiàng shì yī tiáo yǐn cáng zhe shān lín shēn chù 、 bèi liáo rào yún wù zhē yǎn de shén lóng 。 lù chū zhǐ lín bàn zhǎo ， ruò shì shì qián bù zhī “ lóng ” de cún zài ， gēn běn wú fǎ pàn duàn suǒ jiàn jiū jìng shì hé 。
在没有见到完整的阵图之前，此处大阵就像是一条隐藏着山林深处、被缭绕云雾遮掩的神龙。露出只鳞半爪，若是事前不知“龙”的存在，根本无法判断所见究竟是何。
Only when the final sequence of the array appeared before them did everything they had seen connect instantly, like adding the finishing touch to a dragon, giving the array its divine completeness and wholeness.
zhí dào zhèn fǎ de zuì hòu yī chù fú xiàn zài tā men yǎn qián 。
直到阵法的最后一处浮现在他们眼前。
This array was truly ingenious, beyond description.
nà zuì zhōng de zhèn fǎ xù liè ， shùn jiān jiāng cǐ qián suǒ jiàn lián tōng 。 rú huà lóng diǎn jīng ， shǐ dà zhèn dé shén 、 wán zhěng 。
那最终的阵法序列，瞬间将此前所见联通。如画龙点睛，使大阵得神、完整。
It seemed to contain the wonders of heaven and earth, reversing the laws of life and death.
cǐ zhèn jué miào ， shí nǎi nán yǐ yòng yán yǔ xíng róng 。
此阵绝妙，实乃难以用言语形容。
Li Fan and Huangfu Song stood in front of the sketched array diagram for a long time, speechless.
shì bāo hán tiān dì zhī qí ， néng nì shēng sǐ zhī lǐ 。
似包含天地之奇，能逆生死之理。
Could they escape through the center of the array?
lǐ fán yǔ huáng fǔ sōng zài gōu lè chū de zhèn fǎ cǎo tú miàn qián ， jiǔ jiǔ shī shén ， bù néng zì yǔ 。
李凡与皇甫松在勾勒出的阵法草图面前，久久失神，不能自语。
They were not sure.
The life force of the Elixir of Immortality was slowly being absorbed, and Huangfu Song's face gradually returned to its normal color.
He scanned the densely packed ice-sealed coffins around him, pondering for a moment before replying, "Although these ice crystals are arranged in a chaotic manner, merely stacked on top of each other with no apparent pattern, based on my years of experience dealing with array formations, there might be..."
As he spoke, he took out a set of anti-array jade plates and projected a light screen in front of everyone. He began to derive and calculate the layout.
In the light screen, countless ice coffins that had been seen earlier transformed into black dots, being located and recorded. The perspective of the scene then gradually rose, with the number and speed of these black dots increasing rapidly.
One could faintly discern from the light screen that not all the ice coffins were tightly packed together but indeed bound by some force, arranged according to an unknown pattern.
"Now we cannot see the full picture yet. Perhaps only after thoroughly exploring this area can we determine what kind of array formation is covering this maze," Huangfu Song said, examining the light screen for a long time before shaking his head regretfully.
"Then let's not stand around and get moving. The longer we stay here, the more bizarre things might happen," Dongfang Yaohuo called out as the three continued their exploration of the unknown regions.
After an indeterminate amount of time,
"Dongfang Brother, stop!" Dongfang Yaohuo suddenly raised his hand to halt their progress.
"Brother Dongfang, what did you find?" Li Fan surveyed the surroundings but didn't notice anything amiss.
Dongfang Yaohuo's face showed confusion as if he was listening intently and trying to discern something.
After a moment, his gaze locked onto the black, silent sea below.
"There seems to be some living thing in this sea. It looks like..."
"Perhaps some kind of demon beast?" Dongfang Yaohuo said uncertainly.
Hearing this, Huangfu Song was startled: "That's impossible. This seawater is entirely composed of dead air; even ordinary demon beasts couldn't survive for long here, let alone us cultivators who might be tainted by the dead qi."
Li Fan also looked at the calm black sea surface thoughtfully: "The extreme of death and then rebirth..."
"I believe Brother Dongfang's judgment," he suggested. "If there really is a living sea beast that has survived in this place for so long, our hope of escaping might be tied to it. Brother Dongfang, you can communicate with demon beasts; why don't you try talking to it?"
Dongfang Yaohuo hesitated but ultimately nodded. A strange sound emerged from his throat, rising and falling like a genuine ancient beast's roar.
Soon, the seemingly unchanging sea surface suddenly rippled.
"Really? There is something alive!" Huangfu Song exclaimed in surprise.
Dongfang Yaohuo cursed under his breath: "Damn it, this thing didn't understand my words; instead, it was scared and ran away!"
"It doesn't matter. We just follow it," Li Fan said sternly.
Dongfang Yaohuo immediately understood and hurried to track the movements of the demon beast below the black sea, flying after it.
Li Fan and Huangfu Song followed closely behind.
The unknown demon beast's speed was not fast, but the three kept following at a steady pace.
During their pursuit, Li Fan could almost feel with his eyes that the number of ice coffins around them seemed to be decreasing.
"It must have disappeared here!" Dongfang Yaohuo suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Li Fan and the others.
Li Fan flew up for a distance before looking around.
Countless small ice coffins formed lines like black dragons, stretching from the horizon.
From all directions, they converged here.
These lines were like underground veins, channeling and gathering the dead qi of this maze area.
The concentration was so intense that it seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation.
Huangfu Song also flew up beside Li Fan. After careful observation, he noticed something.
"This seems to be where the main point of this vast array is located," his face filled with gravity.
"Main point? That means we can escape from here?" Dongfang Yaohuo exclaimed happily.
But Huangfu Song shook his head: "We still don't fully understand the entire array. We can't make a definitive conclusion. It might be possible to escape, or..."
"It could trigger the array's self-defense mechanism," Li Fan continued Huangfu Song's words. "The scale of this array is unprecedented in the world. Especially its vague connection with life and death, making it extremely bizarre. Even a Great Dao cultivator might not survive an attack from such an array."
Huangfu Song examined Li Fan, his eyes flashing with surprise: "Brother Li, did you also know about arrays?"
"Just a little," Li Fan nodded slightly.
"Now what? Just sit here and wait? I feel the dead qi affecting me; my vitality is gradually fading. I even feel back pain." Dongfang Yaohuo muttered, hesitated for a moment before taking an Elixir of Immortality and swallowing it.
"Damn it, that feels much better," he said, his absorption of the life force far faster than Huangfu Song's, quickly regaining his vitality.
"We still need to fully understand the array's layout," Li Fan and Huangfu Song looked at each other, ultimately agreeing.
"We need to speed up our actions." As Huangfu Song spoke, he coughed lightly. His face darkened as he reluctantly took another Elixir of Immortality to delay the loss of vitality.
Having not encountered any dangers besides the consumption of life force for a long time in this maze and with the Elixirs of Immortality running low, the three finally let loose their efforts, flying as fast as they could.
After Huangfu Song swallowed his last pill, they completed the full mapping of the array.
"An inspired stroke, an inspired stroke."
Huangfu Song stared at the light screen projected by the anti-array jade plates, muttering to himself in admiration.
Even Li Fan was drawn into the complexity and ingenuity of this unknown array.
According to common sense, with Huangfu Song's knowledge of arrays, he should have been able to determine the basic function of the array and even derive its remaining parts without seeing the full picture.
But...
In front of this vast array composed of more than a billion sealed cultivators as materials, their knowledge and experience were rendered useless.
Before fully understanding the complete array diagram, this large array was like a hidden dragon in the depths of the forest, shrouded by swirling clouds. Only a few scales or claws could be seen, making it impossible to determine what one saw without prior knowledge of "the dragon's" existence.
Only when the final sequence of the array appeared before them did everything they had seen connect instantly, like adding the finishing touch to a dragon, giving the array its divine completeness and wholeness.
This array was truly ingenious, beyond description.
It seemed to contain the wonders of heaven and earth, reversing the laws of life and death.
Li Fan and Huangfu Song stood in front of the sketched array diagram for a long time, speechless.
Could they escape through the center of the array?
They were not sure.