Chapter 130: Ancient Relics Carry the Charm of Way

"Ruins? I'm certainly aware of those."

Li Fan was a frequent visitor to the depths of Congyun Sea and was no stranger to the ruins scattered across its seabed.

"Are you suggesting these ruins belong to that lost civilization?" Li Fan asked.

Zhao Erbao shook his head. "No, no, no. These ruins are indigenous to Congyun Sea... Actually, no..."

Zhao Erbao scratched his head, making a circling gesture with his hands. "The place that is now Congyun Sea wasn't originally a sea."

Li Fan was slightly taken aback.

Zhao Erbao continued, "This place should have been land. But one day... it was suddenly submerged by seawater. The ruins on the seabed of Congyun Sea belong to civilizations that originally existed on this land."

'Submerged by seawater...' Scenes from his past experiences on the seabed resurfaced in Li Fan's mind. The exit to Da Xuan was a deep abyss on the seabed. The entrance to the Separate Realm was a well in the underwater ruins. He had also refined avatars and searched for Celestial Crystal Essence Sand in a fairly large underwater relic.

He had witnessed these widespread underwater ruins multiple times and had also seen Congyun Sea dry up. Since this place could transform from sea into mountains, was it possible that this very sea hadn't always been a sea? Theoretically, he should have easily raised such a question.

But... something was disturbing his thoughts, making him ignore this point, consciously or unconsciously. He even actively sought other reasons for the formation of the underwater relics, such as attributing them to islands destroyed by wind disasters. Looking back now, the continuous stretch of relics on the seabed didn't resemble sunken islands at all.

'This method of disturbing the mind is very similar to that of the Immortal Venerable. However, it's slightly weaker in comparison. Once one realizes it, their perception will no longer be affected.'

'Above Dao Integration, but below Immortality...'

In an instant, several thoughts flashed through Li Fan's mind. Zhao Erbao, meanwhile, continued to speak slowly and deliberately.

"And all these ancient artifacts I've collected belong to a completely different civilization. It appeared suddenly, as if it had fallen from the sky. Just like..."

Li Fan suddenly spoke up, "Just like this Congyun Sea?"

Zhao Erbao clapped his hands together excitedly. "Exactly! Driven by this question, I searched and excavated everywhere across the seabed of Congyun Sea. After studying the faults in the seabed in various locations, I made an astonishing discovery."

"You see, the transformation of mountains and rivers is a common occurrence. Perhaps one day, this vast Congyun Sea will revert to land again. But this transformation process usually takes several years, or even more than a decade. But!" Zhao Erbao raised his voice, repeating, "But! Back then, the change from land to ocean here happened in just a brief instant!"

Zhao Erbao grew more agitated as he spoke, walking over to the miniature model of Congyun Sea in the room. He pointed a finger, and the water in the model gathered into a sphere, flying into Zhao Erbao's palm. The deeply indented model slowly returned to its original state.

"Just like this!" He held a ball of water in his hand, then slammed it down. "Bang!"

Under the impact, the ground deeply caved in, and water surged out from between his fingers, instantly filling the entire depression. A land transformed into a sea, indeed, with just a single palm!

Li Fan couldn't help but recall the topographical map of the Congyun Sea region he had seen previously. It wasn't 'as if', but 'it was' that someone had literally carved a gaping hole in the continent!

'That palm, that palm...' Li Fan imagined the scene at that moment, captivated and mesmerized, unable to compose himself.

Zhao Erbao also withdrew his hand, staring blankly at the re-formed Congyun Sea model, lost in thought. After a long silence, Zhao Erbao slowly spoke again, "These ancient artifacts I've collected must have been swept along by that boundless seawater and brought here with it."

Li Fan suddenly remembered the two human skeletons he had seen at Elder Yin's place. 'They aren't the same type of people, are they?'

'So that's how it is.' Although mighty cultivators above Dao Integration could distort people's thoughts and conceal their tracks, there were always various prodigies in the world who could discern events that had once transpired through various clues.

His spiritual perception became increasingly calm. It seemed Zhao Erbao was not lying. Li Fan pondered for a moment, then asked, "Are the attachments you mentioned on these ancient artifacts related to that palm strike?"

Zhao Erbao hesitated for a moment, but finally confessed honestly, "The palm strike that formed Congyun Sea back then was so powerful it was almost akin to the Great Dao itself. The objects carried along with it inevitably became imbued with a trace of Dao charm. Even after thousands of years buried deep beneath the sea, this Dao charm still lingered on them. With just one piece, the Dao charm is too faint to be perceived. But the more pieces collected, the more noticeable these residual Dao charms become as they resonate with each other. If a sufficient quantity is reached, it might be possible to fully reproduce the complete Dao charm, allowing one to witness the grandeur of that original palm strike."

Upon hearing this, the spiritual prompt in Li Fan's heart finally slowly dissipated.

'So this is where my opportunity lies.'

'The Palm that Overturned the Sea...'

Seeing Li Fan remain silent for a long time, Zhao Erbao cautiously continued, "The reason I, your junior, didn't use storage rings to transfer these ancient artifacts before, is because these residual Dao charms are extremely fragile. If they were put in and then taken out, the remaining Dao charm on them would very likely be destroyed. That's why I had to handle them personally."

Li Fan nodded slightly, acknowledging this explanation.

"Come, lead me to experience the Dao charm of the Palm that Overturned the Sea!"

Zhao Erbao dared not refuse. He led Li Fan down the stairs of the rock pillar to one of the largest storage rooms. Inside, hundreds of ancient artifacts of various styles were displayed. There were porcelain vases, porcelain bowls, small bronze cauldrons, and even common household items like iron pots and shovels.

Li Fan closed his eyes to perceive. Indeed, a peculiar rhythm was slowly flowing within the storage room. However, it was still very weak, making it difficult to comprehend any divine abilities from it.

"Approximately how many more pieces are needed to amplify this wisp of Dao charm to a perceivable level?" Li Fan asked.

Zhao Erbao seemed troubled. "That's hard to say. At the very least, several times the quantity I've collected so far would be needed. These artifacts are scattered all over the seabed, and collecting them by oneself is incredibly difficult. However," he paused, glancing at Li Fan, "if that little girl with the Spirit-Communing Treasure Body assists, it would certainly be much easier."

Li Fan smiled, a hint of amusement in his expression. "Then you'd better hurry; you don't have much time left."

He extended a finger and tapped Zhao Erbao's glabella. "From now on, you will work for me."