Second Young Master Zhao shivered and instinctively thought about resisting.
But considering the unfathomable strength of the other party, he chose to surrender.
Feeling the cold gaze scanning him, Second Young Master Zhao put on a mournful face and said, "Alright, senior!"
Then, he performed a technique.
The rock pillar rumbled and rose from the sea, and Second Young Master Zhao, hanging his head, said dispiritedly, "Senior, please!"
After saying that, he walked into the rock pillar through the central staircase embedded within.
Li Fan swept his divine sense around.
After studying the jade slip for over a year, he was no longer ignorant of formations.
Inside the rock pillar, there were only a few simple water and dust-cleansing formations, with no traces of attack formations.
However, Li Fan did not lower his guard and activated a protective talisman, following Second Young Master Zhao inside.
It was clear that Li Fan was overly cautious.
The rock pillar could be described as quite rudimentary.
Most of it was storage rooms for the collected items.
Leading Li Fan, Second Young Master Zhao came to a relatively spacious room.
In the middle was a large table with what seemed to be a miniature model of the Cong Yun Sea.
"Senior, please sit."
Stammering, Second Young Master Zhao said with difficulty.
Li Fan calmly sat down, looking at Second Young Master Zhao's pale face, and said, "Should I ask one question at a time, or will you honestly confess?"
Second Young Master Zhao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but could only force out a smile uglier than crying. "Senior, I don't know what I need to confess!"
Li Fan snorted coldly, and the Insect Binding Technique was activated again.
Second Young Master Zhao was immediately restrained.
Controlling the Azure Flame Illusionary Spirit, a visible cold air spread from the ground, like an icy blue snake, slowly crawling onto Second Young Master Zhao.
In an instant, Second Young Master Zhao's lower body was frozen into blue ice crystals.
"I wonder, with your cultivation, can your body recover after being shattered into ice shards?" Li Fan said with some curiosity.
Fear flashed in Second Young Master Zhao's eyes, but soon, he forcibly suppressed it.
There was no sign of pleading, with a somewhat defiant attitude, as if preferring death over submission.
Li Fan also realized that Second Young Master Zhao didn't seem to be pretending.
"Interesting." Li Fan smiled, captured Second Young Master Zhao, and came to the adjacent storage room.
Second Young Master Zhao's eyes suddenly showed fear.
"Oh, the things here seem really good. You must have spent a lot of effort collecting them," Li Fan lightly traced his hand over some items that looked quite old.
"Bang!"
However, while touching a porcelain bowl, he accidentally dropped it to the ground.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I'm really sorry. I wasn't paying attention, and it broke." Li Fan expressed regret.
"Bang!"
Another piece of porcelain shattered.
Fire of anger surged in Second Young Master Zhao's eyes, glaring at Li Fan.
It seemed like he wanted to tear him to pieces.
However, as fragile antiques continued to be destroyed, Second Young Master Zhao's gaze gradually changed from ferocious to painful and then anxious.
Li Fan, on the other hand, continued without any intention of stopping.
With him leading Second Young Master Zhao through every room in the rock pillar, he destroyed all the collected items in an instant, right in front of Second Young Master Zhao.
Seeing the fragments scattered all over the floor, Second Young Master Zhao's eyes were filled with despair.
His body slackened, and control over his body was restored. Second Young Master Zhao rushed forward, sobbing uncontrollably.
The crying echoed through the sky, his heartbroken appearance making it difficult for people to bear witness.
Second Young Master Zhao cried but suddenly found that the fragments in his hands were gone.
He was still being controlled, back in the original room.
It turned out that everything that just happened was just an illusion! Emotions flipped drastically, going from extreme joy to deep sorrow, and Second Young Master Zhao almost couldn't handle it in one breath.
The restraints on his body disappeared, and Second Young Master Zhao fell to the ground.
Feeling weak all over, he struggled and ran to the adjacent storage room, seeing that his beloved collection was still intact.
Unable to hold back his joy, he cried even more miserably.
In Second Young Master Zhao's eyes, the illusion just now was ten thousand times more terrifying than the most dreadful nightmare.
He never wanted to experience that again!
"Now, do you know what you should confess?" A nightmare-like voice sounded beside his ear, making Second Young Master Zhao tremble all over. He felt that the other party's tricks of manipulating the human heart were truly terrifying!
"I'll talk, I'll talk!" He shivered and said repeatedly, fearing that Li Fan would actually destroy his entire collection.
The two returned one after the other, with Li Fan sitting and Second Young Master Zhao obediently standing on the side.
Second Young Master Zhao opened his mouth, wanting to speak but hesitating.
After a long time, Second Young Master Zhao nervously began, "Junior Zhao Erbao, a local cultivator from the Cong Yun Sea. Sixty-eight years old this year..."
Li Fan's face darkened, and he quickly interrupted, "Who asked you to confess this? I'm asking you, what's the use of the things you've collected? Where is the place you mentioned?"
"Why don't you use a storage ring for transportation and insist on using a flying boat to move things personally?"
With each question, Zhao Erbao's body trembled.
After Li Fan finished asking, Zhao Erbao, with a bitter face, said, "Senior is truly formidable; nothing can be hidden from you."
He paused, seeming to organize his words.
After a moment, he hesitated and said, "The reason why this junior has spent a lifetime collecting these antiques is that, when I was still just a mortal, I discovered a secret."
"A secret?" Li Fan looked at Zhao Erbao with interest, waiting for him to continue.
Zhao Erbao nodded. "The Zhao family, generation after generation, has been in the antique business. Influenced since childhood, I've always been interested in these relics salvaged from the deep sea."
"Perhaps due to natural talent, I can easily distinguish between genuine antiques and imitations."
"So, the family gradually entrusted me with all the identification work. I could also come into contact with numerous relics every day."
"Therefore, I gradually discovered a secret hidden in the dust of history."
"The Cong Yun Sea seems to have once harbored a lost civilization."
Zhao Erbao's expression became serious, and his eyes narrowed as if he were recalling something.
"This civilization has an extremely distinctive style, markedly different from other eras in the Cong Yun Sea."
"All the relics stored in this base belong to this civilization."
Li Fan nodded slowly. "What's special about this civilization? Although these items have some age, they seem to be just ordinary things. They shouldn't be of much use to you, a Qi Condensation cultivator."
"These items themselves are indeed not very valuable. The real treasures lie in what they carry," Zhao Erbao said.
"Do you know, senior, that the bottom of the Cong Yun Sea is littered with ruins of buildings?"
Turning the conversation abruptly, Zhao Erbao suddenly asked.