With waves of people entering, the sound of reading inside the house became louder. Li Fan strained his ears and could faintly make out a few sentences.
"Heavenly laws are strict, honor the rules and regulations."
"...I have learned the law today, and spread it to all living beings."
"Heavenly laws must not be violated."
"Heavenly laws..." Li Fan recalled his past experiences but couldn't find any related information. He wondered about the connection between this place and the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
The reason Li Fan chose not to enter was twofold. First, as he had mentioned before, the opportunity here was not particularly useful for him at his late Qi Condensation stage. Second, he still had some concerns.
He couldn't believe that such an enigmatic place would be completely devoid of danger and would simply grant benefits to those who entered.
He intended to let these people try it first. If it was indeed as beneficial as it appeared, he could come back in the next lifetime. Li Fan planned for a hundred lives in the future, not for the present life. The concept of missing an opportunity didn't exist for him.
As the sound of reading filled the air, another day passed. On the second day, when all the cultivators woke up from the ground, they had all advanced by one minor realm without exception. They were overjoyed, as one night had equaled the effort of many years of cultivation.
Following the previous six individuals, they contacted their friends and brought them to this place.
Gradually, more people learned about this opportunity, and they came and went with joyful expressions. Li Fan continued to observe silently.
Before the blue ox cart reached its destination, Li Fan made a rough estimate. There were about two Nascent Soul cultivators, six Golden Core cultivators, nineteen Foundation Establishment cultivators, and numerous Qi Condensation cultivators who had entered the thatched cottage.
Even the liveliest gatherings must eventually come to an end.
One month later, the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, suspended in the sky, loomed in the distance. The blue ox cart had finally reached its destination.
Li Fan and other cultivators chose to stay far away from the cart, observing from a distance.
"Moo!"
The blue ox let out a cry and, with its hooves in the air, ascended from the sea level into the sky. It pulled the two-wheeled cart, advancing slowly.
It then crashed headlong towards the azure, transparent Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
The lights intersected and rose to a blinding intensity.
Without any sound, the ox cart quietly disappeared into the sea of clouds.
The cultivators present all let out sighs of regret.
There were a dozen or so cultivators, perhaps they were bold, perhaps because they had once broken into the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace before.
Driven by curiosity, they also followed and flew in.
Li Fan used his Formless Killing Intent and locked onto one of them.
Following him, the perspective changed to the long-lost Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
In front of the towering gate, the blue ox shrunk to its normal size.
As it passed the statue of Qin Tang, the cart suddenly stopped.
The door of the thatched cottage burst open, and a scroll of bamboo slips flew out. A nearly transparent figure emerged from the bamboo slip. The figure appeared somewhat elderly, and their face was indistinct.
"Qin Tang..."
They stared at the stone statue that had been pierced through the heart, falling into silence for a long while before slowly speaking.
The Qin Tang statue seemed to suddenly move, and then it creaked, tilting its head at an odd angle.
Staring at the elderly figure before it, a faint and barely audible voice emerged from the Qin Tang statue.
"Master..."
"Master..."
Although the voices were small, they were like a thunderclap, instantly spreading throughout the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
"Master..."
"Master..."
"Master..."
The different voices expressed pain, confusion, relief, and contentment. The voices came from various directions, echoing continuously. Interweaving, they were like a symphony from hell resonating within the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
Li Fan observed that deep within the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, in the location of the Taiyi Hall, the tortoise-snake Patriarch Taiyi seemed to be waking from its slumber, revealing its monstrous form.
However, a broken sword phantom suddenly appeared. This broken sword was deeply inserted into Taiyi's body, with only a short section protruding outside. It was pitch black and exuded a malevolent aura. The broken sword trembled slightly, producing an ear-piercing noise as if it were being sharpened on a whetstone.
In the void, numerous sword phantoms fell like rain, fiercely piercing the monstrous creature's body.
"Pain..."
Taiyi howled in madness and had to retract its body back into the Taiyi Hall.
Watching this scene, Li Fan's heart was deeply shaken. The broken sword embedded in Taiyi's body seemed to be the same as the hilt he had encountered before during his battle with the Green Wind.
They belonged to the same sword!
The transparent figure of the master standing before the Qin Tang statue looked in the direction of the Taiyi Hall, heaved a long sigh and then reached out to grip the bamboo slips. Afterward, the figure's hands were placed behind their back as they gazed up at the sky.
Taking a deep breath, the figure of the master instantly swelled. In just a moment, he stood tall like a giant supporting the sky. His hair flew wildly as he glared forward and shouted angrily.
"Heavenly!"
"Doctor!"
The master's furious roars echoed throughout the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace in the blink of an eye.
Following the master's roar, silence enveloped various parts of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. Then, one by one, the voices of resentment and despair surged to the sky.
"Heavenly Doctor!"
"Heavenly Doctor!"
"Heavenly Doctor!"
...
The cries were relentless, filled with despair and hatred, making Li Fan, who was outside the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, shudder involuntarily.
The cries of despair resonated throughout the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, causing the massive structure to shake and tremble incessantly.
The white mist that had previously shrouded every building in the palace began to roll like boiling water. It was as if all the tormented entities within it wanted to break free.
In the high sky of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, the master's colossal figure stood in front. A small white jade statue suddenly appeared. With his appearance, all the anomalies within the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace broke out completely.
The angry and desperate roars were like surging river waters, unceasing.
Cracks appeared on the ground, and the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Palace was on the verge of collapse amidst this turmoil.
High in the sky of Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, in front of the master's huge body.
A small white jade statue suddenly appeared.
And with his appearance, the bizarre beings within the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace all completely rioted.
Angry and despairing cries were as endless as a river.
A crack appeared from the ground, and the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Palace was about to be torn apart in this strange movement.
The white jade statue emitted a faint light and instantly transformed into a human-sized figure. He had a kind and gentle face with silver-white hair.
It was the mysterious old man that Li Fan had encountered before, who had a brief encounter with his clone, Fan Lin.
Ignoring the thunderous roars that sounded like turbulent waves from below, the Heavenly Doctor smiled slightly and said, "Everyone."
"It's been a while."
The master's towering figure trembled all over. His face was filled with hatred, and he clenched his teeth, wanting to say something. But in the end, the only word that came out of his mouth was, "Die!"
The sky seemed to grow dark as if an endless killing intent was gathering.
Fine lines appeared on the Heavenly Doctor's body, but he simply patted himself, and those lines vanished in an instant as if they had never appeared.
The Heavenly Doctor smiled as he looked at the master and said, "Why so angry for a little fight?"
His smile suddenly disappeared, and his expression turned extremely cold.
"Getting angry is a disease."
"It's a disease..."
"And diseases need to be treated."
Outside the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, Li Fan's expression changed dramatically. He immediately activated all the defensive talismans on his body, accelerated to the maximum speed, and fled backward.
A shockwave erupted from the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, sweeping through the entire Cong Yun Sea in an instant. Then, its remaining force continued to spread towards the surrounding regions.
For a moment, the entire cultivation world sensed the events occurring in the Cong Yun Sea, and it seemed that several colossal consciousnesses communicated with each other.
Subsequently, silence descended upon them all.