The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

Li Ping composed himself and his gaze fell on the bronze door.

The gate is about two zhang tall, dark blue in color, and covered with verdigris, making it clear at a glance that it is quite old.

The door had no door knocker and no gaps; it was a single, seamless piece, as if cast from a single piece of bronze.

He took two steps forward, his gaze carefully sweeping over the storefront.

The bronze is mottled with rust, and some engravings can be faintly seen.

Li Ping frowned slightly, raised his hand and waved it in front of the door, the airflow generated by his magic power blowing away some of the surface dust.

The outline of the engraving became slightly clearer, with a vertical column of text on each side.

The characters are ancient and simple, with an indescribable charm in the turns of the strokes, completely different from any other characters Li Ping has ever seen.

He stared at the words for a long time, but couldn't recognize a single one.

"Tie Fuhai, do you recognize these characters?" Li Ping asked, tilting his head.

Upon hearing this, Tie Fuhai leaned forward and stared at the words on the door for a while before saying in a muffled voice, "Master, I haven't even learned all the human characters, let alone these scribbles."

Li Ping nodded, not surprised.

He took two steps back, taking in the two columns of text on the left and right, trying to deduce some clues from the structure of the characters.

Although the strokes of these characters are archaic, they are arranged neatly, one on the left and one on the right, with the same number of characters, clearly indicating that they are in the format of a couplet.

The first character has complex strokes, resembling both cloud patterns and water ripples, making it completely incomprehensible.

The second character was still a mystery, while the third character had a slightly simpler structure, with a horizontal stroke similar to "一" at the top and some kind of curved line at the bottom.

Li Ping frowned, patiently reading through them one by one.

When he saw the fifth character, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

The strokes of this character have a vaguely familiar feel to them.

He stared at it for a long time, comparing it over and over in his mind, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him.

The structure of this character is somewhat similar to that of the character "天" (sky).

Although the strokes are more archaic, the basic structure can be roughly matched.

Li Ping suppressed his thoughts and turned to the column of text on the right.

The first character was equally complex and difficult to decipher, and the second and third characters were equally perplexing.

He paused again on the fourth one.

The structure of this character has some subtle similarities to the character "运".

"Heaven? Fate?"

Li Ping pondered the matter carefully, his mind racing with thoughts.

These two characters are quite fitting on the couplet at the entrance of a celestial abode.

Those who cultivate immortality value the laws of heaven and destiny; using these two words as a couplet for their gates doesn't seem like the style of evil or heretical sects.

Thinking of this, Li Ping felt a little more at ease.

But that's about it.

Two words alone are far from sufficient to determine the situation inside the cave.

Who is the owner? Are there any restrictions in the cave? Will entering trigger any killing formations? These are all unknowns.

In the immortal's cave, opportunities and dangers always coexist.

Sometimes, places that seem harmless can be places where you never come out alive once you step inside.

Li Ping withdrew his gaze, pondered for a moment, and did not rashly attempt to open the door.

He turned and walked toward the white wall, then reached out and touched it.

The moment my fingertips touched the wall, a slight suction came from it, and everything went black. When I came back to light, I was standing outside the big rock.

The dim light of the seabed enveloped the surroundings, and the jagged rocks stood silently, everything as usual.

Without pausing, Li Ping turned around and crashed into the large rock again.

His vision blurred with darkness and then light, and he was back in the cave.

I went in and out three times in this way, and each time it was smooth and unobstructed.

Now that we have a safe way out, we can be a little bolder.

Li Ping made up his mind, then raised his right hand and began to circulate the Han Shui Jing.

The magic power flowed through his meridians, and a jet of water as thick as a bowl condensed in his palm, shooting towards the gate.

With a hiss, the water jet hit the door, and a piece of copper sheet fell off, revealing the dark blue copper surface underneath.

Upon seeing this, Li Ping frowned.

The copper plating peeling off wasn't a big deal, but the lettering on the door changed.

The previously mottled marks became clearer in that instant, then quickly faded, and finally disappeared completely.

The two columns of text on the left and right are gone just like that.

Li Ping paused for a moment, then shook his head and sighed.

I was hoping to find some more clues from the couplets, but now, instead of finding any clues, I've also lost what I already had.

Fortunately, I had already memorized the words when I read them earlier.

Then, Li Ping retreated to the white wall and called out.

Tie Fuhai quickly swam over, its enormous head close to his side: "Master, what are your orders?"

"I'll try to open the door in a bit. If anything happens, you immediately drive me out. Be quick, understand?"

Seeing his serious expression, Tie Fuhai dared not be negligent and nodded heavily.

It moved closer to Li Ping, almost touching him, as if that would make it easier to take him away at any time.

Seeing that it was ready, Li Ping nodded slightly and turned back to face the bronze gate.

He took a deep breath, circulated the Water Concentration Sutra to its maximum, and the magical power in his dantian surged out like a tide, pushing both palms forward simultaneously.

Two jets of water, each as thick as a bowl, shot out, a full circle thicker and several times more powerful than the previous one.

The water jet slammed against the bronze gate with a dull whistling sound.

Bang.

A muffled thud echoed through the cave, but the door remained completely still.

Li Ping frowned slightly, but instead of stopping, he channeled his magic power to make the water column even thicker.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

With a hum, a beam of light suddenly shone from the center of the gate.

It was a circular halo, about three feet in size, with four ancient beast patterns appearing around its edge, each occupying one of the four directions.

The four illustrations are incredibly lifelike, and the eyes of the ancient beasts seem to sparkle with spiritual light.

In the very center of the aperture, several small characters appeared, the font of which was exactly the same as the couplet on the door, ancient and difficult to distinguish.

The water jet hit the aperture without creating a single splash.

The halo began to rotate slowly, and with the continuous impact of the water column, it spun faster and faster, even gradually growing larger.

"Is it absorbing the spiritual energy from the water column?"

Li Ping's expression changed, and he withdrew his palms, causing the water column to instantly dissipate.

At the same time, the aperture stopped rotating and then disappeared silently, like a candle flame that had been blown out.

The gate was restored to its original appearance, rusted and seamless, as if nothing had ever happened.

Li Ping stood still, staring at the door, his gaze shifting uncertainly.

He had already brushed up on his knowledge of formations when he dealt with the Hong family's Eclipse Formation on Pingyue Island.

While I wouldn't call myself an expert, I do have basic eyesight.

That halo just now was clearly a manifestation of some kind of restriction or formation.

Judging from the pattern of the ancient beast and the style of the small characters in the center, the method of this restriction was extremely sophisticated, more exquisite than any formation he had ever seen before.

If this restriction cannot be broken, it is unlikely that this door can be opened.

"It seems we won't be able to get in today."

Li Ping sighed inwardly, and did not try again, nor did he rashly touch the door.

The reason I used the water jet to test him was because even if the restriction was triggered, it wouldn't harm him.

If you try to push it with your hands, and the restriction has some malicious methods, the consequences could be unimaginable.

Li Ping silently memorized the shape of the halo, then looked around and, seeing nothing amiss, flipped over and sat on Tie Fuhai's back.

"Walk."

Tie Fuhai had been on high alert for a long time. Upon hearing the command, it swung its tail violently and carried Li Ping toward the white wall.

Suddenly everything went dark, then it lit up again in an instant.

The man and the beast had returned to the outside of the large rock.

The jagged rocks stand silently, with the dim light from the seabed shining down from above, surrounded only by drifting algae.

Li Ping glanced back at the large rock.

Its surface is rough, and it looks like an ordinary rock.

If you didn't see it with your own eyes, you would never imagine that there was a cave inside.

He silently estimated the time in his mind.

It has been about half an hour since we entered the cave.

During this time, no one approached this sea area, and there were no unusual fluctuations in energy.

"No one has discovered this place for so long, so there shouldn't be any problems in the short term," Li Ping thought to himself. "However, it's always good to be safe."

He turned to Tie Fuhai and said, "From now on, don't send any more fish to this place."

Tie Fuhai blinked, waiting for him to continue.

"Just assign a few of the smarter ones to keep watch from a distance on the perimeter."

"If there is any unusual activity, send me a message immediately."

Tie Fuhai nodded: "Don't worry, Master, I'll pick a few of the sharpest eyes to guard the area."

Li Ping patted its forehead, signaling it to leave.

With a flick of its tail, Tie Fu Hai's massive body nimbly changed direction in the water, carrying Li Ping back the way they came.

Half an hour later, the color of the seawater lightened, the light overhead grew brighter, and the surface of the water was not far away.

Splash!

Tie Fuhai carried Li Ping out of the water, splashing a white wave on the surface.

Li Ping wiped the seawater off his face and patted Tie Fuhai's head: "Go back and rest first. I'll send you the pills in a couple of days."

Tie Fuhai grinned: "Take care, Master."

Li Ping leaped into the water and walked on it, reaching the shore in a few bounds.

He used his magic to evaporate the seawater from his body, straightened his robes, and then walked slowly toward the market.