Chapter 28

"Boss, this isn't right," Sun Zhang said, somewhat heartbroken. "That courtyard was bought at a high price, intended to bribe Mr. Qian. How can we just give it to this kid so easily?"

"Even if we really want to give it to him, we should wait until he helps us take over the fleet," Sun Zhang added.

The woman in yellow gave Sun Zhang a stern look: "If you're told to go, just go. If we wait until then, it might not be just a small courtyard that can settle the matter."

Sun Zhang muttered a few words to himself but ultimately dared not defy his boss's order. He obediently delivered the deed to Li Fan.

Li Fan did not refuse and, with nothing to pack, moved into the small courtyard on East Street that very day.

Compared to the slums outside the city, the environment around the courtyard was much better.

There were officials from the Liuli Mansion on duty at the alley entrance, responsible for maintaining security; the small courtyard was also much more spacious than his previous house, with three main rooms and two side rooms on each side. Although it wasn't very large, it was enough for Li Fan to live in.

After declining several maids sent by the Tianbao Tower, Li Fan settled down there, quietly waiting for the fleet's next voyage.

Originally, Li Fan thought it wouldn't take long, but an unexpected event made the voyage seem far off.

A wind disaster came!

Previously, Li Fan had heard about wind disasters many times in conversations on Liuli Island, but he hadn't paid much attention.

He thought it would be like the typhoons and hurricanes he had seen before, just a bigger storm.

But when the wind disaster really came, Li Fan realized he was terribly wrong!

That day, Li Fan was practicing the "Xuanhuang Qingxin Spell" at home as usual when he suddenly heard a series of urgent sounds from outside.

Strange and sharp sounds hovered over the island, quickly spreading throughout Liuli Island.

"Get home quickly! The wind disaster is coming!"

"May the Immortal Master protect us, may the Immortal Master protect us!"

"Mother, where are you! Get home quickly!"

...

The island was instantly in chaos, with panicked and fearful cries everywhere. Li Fan was momentarily confused.

Suddenly, he saw a blue light barrier appear in the sky over Liuli Island.

The light barrier, like an inverted giant bowl, spanned the entire island, enveloping everything inside.

"The island protection array has been activated, no need to panic! Stay at home, do not go out!" A clear female voice accompanied the light barrier, instantly spreading across the island.

"May the Immortal Master be merciful!"

Hearing the cries from all around, Li Fan raised his head and carefully observed the island protection array.

Blue light flowed, isolating the inside and outside of the island.

Unfamiliar characters occasionally appeared on the light barrier, looking mysterious and extraordinary.

The howling sound, like the wailing of ghosts, gradually grew louder as the wind arrived!

Ripples spread across the light barrier, blocking the strong wind.

Inside the light barrier, there was not a single gust of wind, very peaceful.

The sky began to pour with rain.

Dense raindrops almost formed a line, hitting the light barrier.

Ripples spread across the light barrier, completely blocking the torrential rain.

Outside was a storm, but inside the light barrier, it was calm.

"Is this the power of the immortals?"

Li Fan marveled inwardly.

Although he had seen the destructive power of Kou Hong and Daoxuanzi, who could destroy a city, seeing the island protection array still made Li Fan yearn and admire.

The strong wind and heavy rain lasted for about half an hour.

The rain gradually stopped, and the wind slowly subsided.

Just as Li Fan thought the wind disaster was about to pass, he suddenly noticed something was wrong.

The sky did not clear up but became even darker.

Countless dark clouds appeared from nowhere, layer upon layer, as if never-ending, pressing down from above.

In an instant, the world turned pitch black.

The thick dark clouds seemed within reach.

The dark clouds seemed to be brewing something, and the island fell into a brief silence.

The silence was soon broken.

"Boom!"

A thunderous sound exploded in Li Fan's ears.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunderous sounds echoed from all directions, continuous and unending.

Like an endless symphony, it constantly reverberated in the sky and earth.

In the midst of this overwhelming sound, Li Fan felt dizzy, his eyes blurred, and his chest felt as if pressed by a huge stone, making it hard to breathe. When he touched his nose, fresh blood kept flowing out.

Li Fan was startled and wanted to run back to his house for shelter, but suddenly felt the ground beneath him shake violently.

Dizzy and disoriented, Li Fan quickly lost his balance and fell to the ground.

It felt as if something was constantly hitting him, and the ground kept trembling.

Li Fan looked up and saw a scene that made his breath almost stop.

A wall of water, taller than he could see, filled his entire field of vision. Driven by the strong wind, it came down with overwhelming force, towering over Liuli Island, ready to crush everything below!

The towering waves were about to fall, burying everything below.

Li Fan instinctively raised his hand to shield himself.

"Boom!"

The waves crashed against the blue light barrier.

The light barrier distorted, seemingly about to shatter.

But after a blue light flashed, the light barrier returned to normal.

Like a rock by the sea, it stood firm against the waves.

Unable to engulf Liuli Island, the sea seemed to be enraged.

Wave after wave, one after another, continued to assault the island.

Liuli Island, like a small sapling in a storm, seemed about to be torn apart at any moment.

At many moments, Liuli Island was completely submerged in seawater.

Li Fan almost felt that the world was about to end.

Fortunately, the island protection array was more reliable than he imagined, and it held firm without breaking.

The towering waves kept crashing, never stopping.

This apocalyptic scene almost made Li Fan lose his senses.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the waves gradually calmed down.

But it was only a slight calm.

The wind disaster came quickly but left slowly.

In the wind and rain, day and night were indistinguishable.

Li Fan felt it had been two or three days before the wind disaster finally subsided.

"Thank the Immortal Master!"

The surviving islanders knelt on the ground, sobbing.

In the midst of the islanders' chatter, Li Fan learned a piece of news that shocked him even more.

The wind disaster that Liuli Island had experienced this time was relatively small.

Fifteen years ago, the wind disaster was several times more powerful.

At that time, the island protection array almost couldn't hold, and it had to reduce its protective range.

After the wind disaster, the areas not protected by the array were completely destroyed.

The area of Liuli Island was reduced to one-third of its original size.

It took over ten years for Liuli Island to recover its vitality by gathering the survivors.

"Wind disaster, so this is what a wind disaster is..."

Li Fan was deeply shaken.

The power of nature was truly terrifying!