"Ruins? Of course I'm familiar with them." Li Fan was a frequent visitor to the depths of the Congyun Sea. He was no stranger to the ruins scattered across the seafloor.
"Are you suggesting these ruins belong to that lost civilization?" Li Fan asked.
Zhao'er Bao shook his head. "No, no. These ruins are all local to Congyun...That's not quite right either..."
Zhao'er Bao scratched his head, then gestured with his hands, forming a circle. "The place we now call the Congyun Sea wasn't originally a sea at all."
Li Fan paused, taken aback.
Zhao'er Bao continued, "This area was originally land. But one day, it was suddenly submerged under the sea. Those ruins on the seabed belong to the civilizations that existed on that original land."
Submerged under the sea... Scenes Li Fan had witnessed beneath the waves surfaced in his mind.
Great Xuan’s exit was an abyss on the seafloor. The Li World’s entrance was a well within a sunken ruin. Skycrystal Spirit Sand, a material required for crafting his avatar, was found within a massive underwater relic site.
He had seen these ubiquitous seafloor ruins many times, and he had also witnessed the Congyun Sea run completely dry.
If this area could transform from sea to mountains, wasn't it equally possible that this sea hadn't always been a sea?
Theoretically, he should have easily come up with this hypothesis. But something had been interfering with his thoughts, making him overlook this point, intentionally or not.
He would even actively come up with alternative explanations for the existence of these ruins, such as attributing them to islands destroyed by stormfloods.
Looking back now, the vast, continuous stretches of ruins on the seafloor looked nothing like the remains of sunken islands.
This method of clouding minds is extremely similar to that Eternal Heavenly Venerable’s method. But compared to Theirs, it's slightly weaker. Once someone becomes aware of it, it can no longer affect their perception.
Above Dao Unity, but below Eternal... In an instant, numerous thoughts flashed through Li Fan's mind.
Meanwhile, Zhao’er Bao continued speaking, his account flowing without pause.
"And the ancient artifacts I've collected all belong to a completely different civilization. It appeared suddenly, as if it fell from the sky. Just like..."
Li Fan suddenly interjected, "Just like the Congyun Sea itself?"
Zhao'er Bao slapped his thigh excitedly. "Exactly!
"Back then, driven by this question, I searched the entire Congyun Sea floor, excavating site after site."
"After studying the stratigraphic layers across the seabed, I made a startling discovery.
"You see, the transformation of mountains and rivers is a common occurrence. Who's to say the vast Congyun Sea won't revert to land one day? Such a transformation usually takes years, even decades. But!"
Zhao'er Bao raised his voice, repeating emphatically, "But! When this place transformed from land to sea, it happened in just an instant!"
Zhao'er Bao grew more animated as he spoke.
He walked over to the miniature model of the Congyun Sea in the room. Pointing at it, the water in the model gathered into a sphere and flew into his palm. The deeply depressed model slowly returned to its original, level state.
"Just like this!" He held the sphere of water in his hand, then slammed it down violently.
Boom!
As it struck the ground, the earth sank deeply. Seawater burst out, instantly flooding the entire depression.
Mulberry fields transforming into vast seas; truly, it could happen in the span of a single palm strike!
Li Fan couldn't help but recall the Atlas of the Geographical Areas Surrounding the Congyun Sea .
So it wasn't “as if”—someone had forcibly carved a gap into the continent!
This palm strike, this palm strike...
Li Fan's mind wandered, imagining the scene at that time. He felt dazzled and overwhelmed, unable to control his awe.
Zhao'er Bao also withdrew his hand, staring blankly at the reformed model of the Congyun Sea, lost in thought.
After a long silence, Zhao'er Bao finally spoke again, his voice slow and measured. "These artifacts I've collected... they must have been carried here by that massive surge of seawater."
Li Fan suddenly remembered the two human skeletons he had seen at Yin Shangren's place.
So that's how it was. They weren't the same kind of people after all.
Although powerhouses at the Dao Unity realm and above could subtly alter the people’s thoughts while leaving no trace of interference behind, the world always produced all kinds of extraordinary talents who could perceive events that had occurred in the past through various clues.
His spiritual sense began to calm down. It seemed Zhao'er Bao was not lying.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan asked, "The residual power on these artifacts you mentioned—could it be related to that palm strike?"
Zhao'er Bao hesitated briefly before answering honestly, "The power of that palm strike, the one that formed the Congyun Sea, was so immense it nearly embodied the Dao itself.
"These objects, carried along by it, inevitably became tainted with a wisp of Dao resonance. Buried deep beneath the sea, even after thousands of years, this Dao resonance still lingers on them.
"A single artifact carries a resonance too faint to detect. But the more we gather, the more these residual resonances harmonize with each other, growing increasingly noticeable."
"If we reach a certain threshold, we might even be able to reconstruct the complete Dao resonance and witness the grandeur of that palm strike firsthand."
Hearing this, the prompting from Li Fan's spiritual sense finally faded away.
So this is where my opportunity lies. The sea-overturning palm strike...
Seeing that Li Fan remained silent for a long time, Zhao'er Bao cautiously continued, "The reason I didn't use a storage ring to transport these artifacts earlier is precisely that the residual Dao resonance is extremely fragile.
"Placing them inside and taking them out again would likely destroy the lingering resonance. That's why I had to move them myself."
Li Fan gave a slight nod, accepting this explanation.
"Take me to see this Dao resonance of the sea-overturning palm strike."
Zhao'er Bao didn't dare refuse. He led Li Fan down the stone pillar's staircase to the largest storeroom.
Inside, hundreds of artifacts were displayed. There were porcelain vases, porcelain bowls, small bronze cauldrons, and even everyday items like iron pots and shovels.
Li Fan closed his eyes to meditate.
Within the storeroom, a peculiar resonance flowed slowly throughout the space. Yet it remained exceedingly faint, making it difficult to comprehend any divine abilities from it.
"Roughly how many more artifacts would we need to strengthen this wisp of Dao resonance to a level where it can be comprehended?" Li Fan asked.
Zhao'er Bao looked somewhat troubled. "It's hard to say for certain. At the very least, we'd need several times more than what I've collected so far.
"These artifacts are scattered all across the seabed. Gathering them by myself is incredibly difficult.
"However," he paused, glancing at Li Fan, "if we had the help of that girl with the treasure-attuned body, it would surely be much easier."
Li Fan smiled faintly, his expression inscrutable.
"Then you'd better hurry. Time is not on your side."
He reached out, pressing a finger to Zhao'er Bao's forehead.
"From this day onward, you will work for me."