As the swirling clouds continued to rotate, they seemed to generate an inexplicable pulling force. The clouds in the sky above the Congyun Sea were slowly being absorbed, merging into the vortex. The scale of the phenomenon grew increasingly vast, occupying the entirety of one's field of vision, creating a suffocating sensation just by looking up. Meanwhile, the frequency of the blue flashes at the center of the vortex also quickened.
Finally, when everything reached a critical point, a sudden explosion of blue light erupted from the center of the vortex. A blue halo formed, continuously expanding outward from the center. The speed of the halo's expansion was astonishing. Initially, the onlookers were still within the swirling clouds, but in the blink of an eye, it swept across all the cultivators present. Their faces had no time to register shock before those swept by the blue light began to vanish like phantoms.
The blue light continued to spread outward. If one could gaze down from ten thousand meters in the air, they would see that this blue halo rapidly expanded from the central sea area to engulf the entire Congyun Sea. It only stopped when it reached the edge of the sea.
Then, it suddenly began to retract, collapsing back to the origin at a speed several times faster than its expansion. In an instant, the blue light became dazzlingly brilliant. The thunderstorm within the swirling clouds ceased. The thick clouds, thousands of meters high and stretching for tens of thousands of miles, seemed to be squeezed and kneaded by an invisible giant hand.
Meanwhile, below in the Congyun Sea, countless blue light points emerged from the surface of the sea, floating and converging. They quickly ascended towards the upper clouds. Gradually, the thick clouds, in their silent movement, began to take on the appearance of interconnected buildings. As the blue light points, filled with misty water vapor, adhered to them, the clouds transformed into a deep blue and translucent form.
This unusual phenomenon lasted for a full quarter of an hour. Ultimately, a massive heavenly palace, formed from the gathering of cloud and water, appeared above the Congyun Sea, existing between reality and illusion, entirely blue and transparent. The Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, sealed for thousands of years, reappeared in the world!
...
"The war ahead is intense, and all major sects have suffered heavy losses. Our Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, as the leader among the sects of the Congyun Sea, is no exception."
"I don't know how many brothers have died on the battlefield."
"The sect leader commanded me to go out and recruit disciples before he left. I cannot let his wishes go unfulfilled."
"Fortunately, this trip has yielded considerable gains."
Li Fan gradually regained consciousness. Looking around, he saw a square where over a hundred cultivators lay scattered in disarray. However, all the cultivators' clothing had transformed into a blue and white pattern, with the words "Cloud Water" faintly visible.
In front of them stood a tall, handsome man in white, with starry brows and sword-like eyes, who was talking to himself. The man appeared quite dashing, but there was an air of nonchalance in his expression.
Li Fan observed the scene and recalled his experiences from his previous life, realizing that he had successfully entered the interior of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. At this moment, he could not act recklessly and needed to wait for the "plot" to unfold. Thus, he restrained his aura and remained still.
Gradually, the cultivators in the square began to awaken. Once they understood their situation, a few of them became agitated.
"What happened? Where is this? I remember we were beside that swirling cloud layer!"
"And what's with this outfit?"
They noticed that only the man in white stood out from the rest. Immediately, someone called out, "Hey! You in white! Did you bring us here? Who are you? What do you want?"
The man in white finally snapped out of his musings. Looking at the gathered cultivators, he revealed a delighted smile. "Ah, you all are finally awake. Next, please remain quiet. I need to explain some important matters to you..."
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by an impatient voice.
"Stop rambling and tell us where we are!"
A smile appeared on the white-clad man's face as he shook his head. "It seems this batch of newcomers doesn't listen very well."
Without any visible movement, he merely cast a glance. A flash of blue light swept past, and the head of the speaking cultivator fell to the ground.
The square, which had been somewhat noisy, fell into an eerie silence. Some cultivators displayed fear, while others looked enlightened.
The white-clad man surveyed the now quiet crowd with satisfaction before leisurely saying, "My name is Qin Tang, and I am the Chief of the Transmission Pavilion of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. You will call me Senior Brother Qin."
"You are all my newly recruited outer disciples. Over the next few months, as long as you can pass my several tests, you will officially join the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace."
"Of course, there are a few points you must remember."
"The first is to show me, Senior Brother Qin, enough respect. You must do as I say. You have already seen the consequences of defiance."
"The second point..."
...
Qin Tang continued to speak endlessly. Below, the cultivators appeared quiet, but they had already begun to communicate with each other using their divine sense.
"Does anyone know what’s going on here?"
"This is bizarre! The Cloud Water Heavenly Palace must be a sect relic shrouded in mystery."
"So what is Qin Tang? Is he a real person or something else?"
"He’s definitely not a living person! Didn’t you see he has no aura at all?"
"Everyone, don’t panic. Mysteries have their own rules. As long as we follow what Qin Tang says, we should be safe for now."
...
Li Fan discreetly glanced at Sikong Yi and Bai Li Chen. Both appeared unfazed, as if they had anticipated encountering something strange.
Or perhaps, even in the face of the bizarre, these two were already prepared?
Li Fan turned his gaze back to the white-clad Qin Tang. Based on the experiences from his previous life, Qin Tang was the first hurdle to entering the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. He was not a living person but rather a being akin to a mystery.
What he said constituted the rules of the mystery. To survive, one must comply. Only by passing his tests could they gain the qualification to explore various areas of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
...
Finally, Qin Tang finished his speech. He clapped his hands. "It’s getting late; I’ll take you to rest. Tomorrow morning, we will officially begin the tests."
"Follow me."
With that, he turned and walked out of the square. The vast majority of the cultivators, including Sikong Yi and Bai Li Chen, obediently followed behind the white-clad Qin Tang.
Li Fan closely trailed after them. Only a very few individuals exchanged glances and did not follow the group, instead flying in the opposite direction, attempting to escape.
Qin Tang seemed oblivious to their actions and showed no reaction.
As these individuals neared their escape, they increased their speed. They failed to notice that as they distanced themselves from Qin Tang, more and more blue light began to seep from their bodies.
Ultimately, after flying a distance away, these individuals all transformed into lifeless corpses, crashing heavily to the ground.
(End of Chapter)