As the swirling cloud vortex churned, an inexplicable suction seemed to take shape within it.
The clouds across the entire sky above the Congyun Sea were slowly drawn into its fold, joining the mass.
It grew increasingly vast, swallowing the entire field of view, so immense that merely gazing up at it brought a suffocating weight to the chest.
Meanwhile, the flashes of blue light at the center of the vortex quickened in frequency.
Finally, when everything reached a critical point...
A burst of blue light violently erupted from the center of the vortex.
It formed a ring of blue light that continuously expanded outward from the core.
The ring grew at an astonishing speed.
When the onlookers first caught sight of it, it was still within the swirling clouds.
In the blink of an eye, it swept over every cultivator present.
Before shock could even register on their faces, the cultivators swept by the blue light faded away like phantoms, vanishing on the spot.
The blue light continued outward.
If one could look down from ten thousand meters above, one would see this ring of blue light spread from the central sea across the entire Congyun Sea in an instant.
It did not stop until it reached the very ends of the waters.
And then...
It abruptly snapped back.
At several times the speed of its expansion, it collapsed back into its point of origin.
The blue light instantly turned blindingly brilliant.
The thunderstorms within the cloud vortex died down.
The dense cumulus clouds, thousands of meters thick and stretching for tens of thousands of li, seemed to be squeezed and kneaded by an invisible giant hand.
At the same time, in the Congyun Sea below—
Countless specks of blue light precipitated from the water's surface in all directions, floating upward and converging.
They swiftly surged toward the clouds above.
Gradually, through ceaseless, silent shifts, the dense clouds took the shape of sprawling buildings.
Then, as the rising blue specks—imbued with misty water vapor—adhered to them, the clouds turned azure and translucent.
The phenomenon lasted a full quarter of an hour.
In the end, formed from clouds and water, a massive heavenly palace suspended between illusion and reality, entirely translucent and blue, manifested above the Congyun Sea.
The Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, sealed for thousands of years, had reappeared in the world!
***
"The war at the front is growing fierce, and the major sects have suffered heavy losses. As the leader of the various sects in the Congyun Sea, our Cloud Water Heavenly Palace has suffered even more."
"Who knows how many fellow disciples have fallen on the battlefield."
"Before departing, Sect Master Martial Uncle instructed me to go out and recruit disciples. I cannot fail his trust."
"Fortunately, this trip has yielded quite a harvest."
Li Fan gradually regained consciousness.
Looking around, he saw over a hundred cultivators lying haphazardly across a square.
However, all their clothing had turned into blue-and-white robes, faintly bearing the words "Cloud Water."
In front of the crowd stood a man in white with a straight, tall build, starry brows, and eyes like swords, muttering something to himself.
He looked rather handsome, though a trace of cynicism was discernible in his demeanor.
Taking in the scene and recalling what he had heard in his previous life, Li Fan knew he had successfully entered the interior of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
For now, he could not act rashly; he had to wait quietly for the "plot" to unfold.
So he reined in his aura and stayed put.
Gradually, the cultivators across the square began to awaken.
Once they took in their surroundings, several grew agitated.
"What is going on? Where is this? Weren't we just beside that cloud vortex?"
"And what is with these clothes?"
They noticed that only the white-robed man standing ahead looked completely out of place compared to the rest of them.
At once, someone called out, "Hey! You in the white clothes, did you bring us here? Who are you? What are you after?"
Only then did the white-robed man snap out of his muttering.
Looking at the cultivators before him, a delighted smile appeared on his face. "Ah, you're finally awake. Now, keep quiet. I need to explain a few rules and precautions to you..."
Before he could finish, an impatient voice cut him off.
"Cut the nonsense! Tell us, where is this place?!"
A faint smile touched the corners of the white-robed man's mouth as he shook his head. "It seems this batch of newcomers isn't very obedient."
Without any visible movement on his part, he merely cast a glance.
A flash of blue light streaked by, and the head of the man who had spoken tumbled to the ground.
The previously clamorous square went dead silent in an instant.
Some cultivators looked terrified, while others were struck with sudden realization.
The white-robed man looked at the hushed crowd with satisfaction, then spoke unhurriedly: "I am Qin Tang, head disciple of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace's Dharma Transmission Pavilion. You are to address me as Senior Brother Qin."
"You are all outer disciples I recruited on this excursion. Over the next few months, as long as you pass the series of trials I set, you will formally join our Cloud Water Heavenly Palace."
"Of course, there are a few points you must keep firmly in mind."
"The first is to maintain proper respect toward Senior Brother Qin—meaning me. Whatever I tell you to do, you do. As for the consequences of disobedience, well, you've already seen them."
"The second is..."
***
Qin Tang talked on and on.
Though the cultivators below appeared quiet on the surface, they were already conversing frantically through divine sense.
"Does any fellow daoist know what is going on?"
"It's an anomaly! This Cloud Water Heavenly Palace must be a sect ruin shrouded in an anomaly."
"Is this Qin Tang a real person or what?"
"He definitely isn't a living person! Can't you see he doesn't have a shred of life aura on him?"
"Don't panic, everyone. Anomalies have their own rules. As long as we do as this Qin Tang says, we shouldn't be in any immediate danger."
***
Li Fan cast an unobtrusive glance toward Sikong Yi and Baili Chen.
The two looked completely composed, as if they had known all along that they would encounter an anomaly.
Or perhaps even faced with an anomaly, both were entirely confident?
Li Fan turned his gaze back to Qin Tang in white.
Based on the experiences of those who had explored the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace in his previous life, Qin Tang was the very first hurdle to entering the sect.
He was not a living person, but an existence akin to an anomaly.
His words were the anomaly's rules.
To survive, one had to obey them.
And only by passing his trials could one gain the right to explore the various regions of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
***
Qin Tang finally finished speaking.
He clapped his hands. "It's getting late today. I'll take you to rest first. Tomorrow morning, our trials will officially begin."
"Follow me."
With that, he turned and walked toward the edge of the square.
The vast majority of cultivators, including Sikong Yi and Baili Chen, obediently followed behind the white-robed Qin Tang.
Li Fan stayed close behind as well.
Only a tiny handful exchanged glances and did not follow.
Instead, they sped off in the opposite direction, attempting to escape.
Qin Tang seemed oblivious to their little maneuver and made no reaction whatsoever.
Seeing their escape within reach, those cultivators flew even faster.
They did not notice at all that the farther they got from Qin Tang, the more wisps of blue light poured out of their bodies.
Ultimately, after flying a short distance...
They all turned into mummified corpses and crashed heavily to the ground.
Chapter 79