179: Chapter 179 Intercepting the Demon Emperor's Opportunity! The Primordial Treasure, the Chaos Bell, Recognizes Its Master!

"The structure of that Restriction was a hundred times more precise than the light film at the entrance."

"A Late Stage Mahayana cultivation base had directly branded the bedrock, stripping a small pocket of space from the Laws of Heaven and Earth to Seal it off independently."

You withdrew your Spiritual Qi and stood up.

The golden vision of the Spirit Eyes of Truth-Breaking continued to pierce through the Restriction, magnifying every detail of the artifact inside.

"Half a foot tall. Domed top. Flat bottom. Hollow."

"The entire body was dark yellow with a peculiar material, its surface shimmering with a luster that was neither metal nor jade."

"The outer wall was carved with totems. The Sun, Moon, and Stars, and Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind—four sets of totems arranged counter-clockwise, covering the entire vessel."

"The carvings went deep into the vessel wall, with the ends of the lines connected to form a closed loop."

"Energy flowed within the loop."

"It was not Spiritual Qi."

"This energy had no Five Elements attribute."

"A low-frequency pulse penetrated the Restriction. The Spirit Eyes of Truth-Breaking captured the trajectory."

You stared at the artifact for ten breaths.

Countless records flashed through your mind.

"An Innate Treasure."

"Before the ancient era, when the world first opened and Chaos was undivided. Pangu opened the heavens and earth, his body transforming into all things."

"Among them were several artifacts that carried the Origin power of the creation of the world, known as Innate Treasures."

"They condensed by the Laws of Heaven and Earth themselves, impossible to forge by human hands."

You crouched on the ground and pressed your palm down again.

You probed the Restriction with Spiritual Qi once more.

Searching for a flaw.

"The structure of the Restriction was complete, the brand of a Mahayana stage expert enduring for ten thousand years. But there was an extremely fine channel for Spiritual Qi exchange between the sealed space and the bedrock outside."

"The channel was extremely fine."

You compressed your Spiritual Qi to the limit. An extremely thin line of Spiritual Qi shot out from your palm, drilling into the interior of the Restriction along the channel.

"The resistance was immense."

"The Mahayana stage brand repelled the invading Spiritual Qi. The Spiritual Qi of your Early Nascent Soul Stage was squeezed and diminished within the channel, with less than ten percent remaining after passing through the three-zhang distance."

"Ten percent was enough."

The Spiritual Qi line touched the sealed space inside the Restriction.

The moment of contact.

The artifact reacted.

"The energy flow on the totem loop accelerated. All four sets of totems lit up with a dark yellow glow simultaneously. The body of the vessel vibrated, emitting a low hum."

"The humming pierced through the Restriction, the bedrock, and the three-zhang blue jade floor, reaching your very bones."

"Your bones resonated."

"The Nascent Soul in your Dantian opened its eyes."

"A brand new power surged into your Sea of Consciousness. It was not Spiritual Qi. It was not Yao energy. It was an energy form that transcended your previous understanding."

"Chaos Qi."

"The Chaos Qi poured into your Meridians. It had no attributes. It did not conflict with your Spiritual Qi. It did not fuse."

"Your Meridians were filled to capacity."

"Your Meridians expanded. Your Spiritual Qi nodes were nourished. Your Dantian capacity increased by a tier."

"Your fingers clenched. Your knees pressed against the ground."

"After three breaths, the Chaos Qi dissipated, and your Meridians returned to normal."

"Your Dantian capacity had truly expanded."

"And this was merely the faint aura overflowing when the artifact was triggered."

"An Innate Treasure. Chaos Qi. The Origin of creation."

You lowered your head, your gaze piercing through the floor to lock onto the artifact once more.

"The Chaos Bell."

"You had read this name in an Incomplete Manual in the Tianxuan Sect Scripture Pavilion. The record consisted of only three lines: 'Chaos Bell, an Innate Treasure, bears the Karma of Pangu opening the heavens, excels in both offense and defense, suppresses all things, controls time and space. Current whereabouts unknown.'"

It was right here, three zhang beneath your feet.

"Demon Emperor Lietian had been here and emptied the ruins. Magic Treasures, Spiritual Artifacts, Cultivation Technique Jade Slips, and Materials—he had taken them all."

"Without the Spirit Eyes of Truth-Breaking, his Divine Sense could not penetrate the Mahayana stage Restriction brand. He had not realized that the true core of the ruins was hidden beneath the floor in the corner."

"A dignified Demon Emperor, who had swallowed the remains of an ancient great Yao and stolen the Bloodline of half a body, had left behind the most valuable thing when he departed."

You stood up.

"You clenched your right fist. With the augmentation of Primeval Origin Refinement, Spiritual Qi condensed on your fist."

You aimed at the ground beneath your feet.

One punch smashed through the blue jade floor.

Shattered blue jade tiles splashed in all directions.

"The second punch. You smashed through the layer of the Formation circuit. The circuit snapped, and residual Spiritual Qi sparked."

"The third punch. You smashed through the bedrock."

Your fist made contact with the surface of the Restriction.

"The Mahayana stage brand could not be shaken by a direct brute-force attack."

"The pulse channel of the Restriction had been widened by half a fraction by your Spiritual Qi line. The vibration after the artifact was triggered had created stress cracks on the inner wall of the Restriction."

The Spirit Eyes of Truth-Breaking locked onto the spot where the cracks were densest.

"The fourth punch. It struck that exact crack."

"Dark golden fist force poured into the fissure. The cracks spread. The light film of the Restriction trembled."

"The fifth punch."

"The overall stress of the Restriction exceeded the critical point."

"The light film shattered outward from the crack. The Mahayana stage brand disintegrated under the dual effects of ten thousand years of erosion and the external impact. The fragments turned into dark yellow light spots and dissipated into the air."

The sealed space was exposed.

"A depression the size of a fist."

"The Chaos Bell stood quietly in the center of the depression."

"The dark yellow body of the vessel presented a heavy luster under the white light of the night-luminescent pearls. The totem patterns were lit up, and the light of the four sets of totems—Sun, Moon, and Stars, and Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind—flickered and alternated with the flow of energy."

"Chaos Qi gushed out from the body of the bell."

"The concentration was a hundred times higher than before."

"The Spiritual Qi in the space was suppressed by the Chaos Qi, its concentration dropping sharply. The operation of the ancient Spirit-Gathering Formation became chaotic. The night-luminescent pearls on the dome flickered unsteadily."

You reached out.

You closed your five fingers and took the Chaos Bell out of the depression.

It was in your hand.

"Heavy."

"The half-foot-tall bell body weighed more than a long sword. The vessel wall was warm, and the totem patterns shone even brighter when they touched your palm. Chaos Qi seeped from the vessel wall, wrapping around your entire arm."

"The Meridians in your arm expanded a second time. Your Spiritual Qi was nourished by the Chaos Qi, and its purity increased."

Holding the Chaos Bell, you attempted to drive it with your Spiritual Qi.

"You poured Spiritual Qi into the bell body. It was bounced back."

"You poured again. It bounced back again."

"The bell body did not accept external Spiritual Qi. You could touch it, hold it, and perceive the Chaos Qi, but you could not mobilize its power."

"An Innate Treasure has a spirit. As an ownerless object, it would not be driven."

You looked at the Chaos Bell in your palm.

You brought your right index finger to your mouth.

Your teeth bit the fingertip.

A drop of blood oozed out.

The blood bead landed on the top of the Chaos Bell.

The blood came into contact with the vessel wall.

"The blood bead did not flow. It paused for a breath, then was absorbed by the bell body."

"The totem patterns turned crimson gold."

"All four sets of totems lit up at once. The Sun, Moon, and Stars burst forth with golden light, and Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind stirred up air currents. The Chaos Qi changed from gushing to spraying. The entire space of three miles was filled with Chaos Qi."

"The night-luminescent pearls on the dome all went out."

"The space plunged into darkness."

"The Chaos Bell in your palm became the only light source. The crimson gold light illuminated your face."

"The bell body vibrated. A low hum was emitted."

"The frequency of the low hum matched the pulse of your Nascent Soul Spiritual Qi in your Dantian perfectly."

"The artifact spirit was recognizing its master."

"The humming lasted for three breaths."

"It stopped."

"The crimson gold light receded, returning to dark yellow."

"The totem patterns resumed their flow. The Chaos Qi turned into a gentle infiltration. The night-luminescent pearls on the dome relit."

"A strange sense of connection came from your palm."

"A channel was established between your Divine Sense and the Chaos Bell. No Spiritual Qi drive was needed, no incantation was required to activate it. Your intent could reach the bell body directly."

"The master recognition was successful."

You shifted your intent.

"The Chaos Bell shrank in your palm. Half a foot became three inches. Three inches became one inch. A dark yellow little bell the size of a thumb hung from your fingertip, the totem patterns still clearly visible."

You activated it again.

"The little bell expanded. One inch became one foot. One foot became three feet. A three-foot-tall large bell floated in front of you, the mouth of the bell facing downward, and Chaos Qi overflowed from the inner wall of the bell mouth."

"It could be large or small, as you wished."

You took the Chaos Bell back into your palm, restoring it to its original half-foot size.

You delved your intent deeper, probing toward the deeper parts of the bell body along the Divine Sense channel.

"The capabilities of the Chaos Bell unfolded in your perception, layer by layer."

"First layer: Defense."

"The Chaos Qi constructed a protective barrier, isolating external attacks. Poisons, evil arts, Divine Soul attacks, and the power of Karma. It suppressed time and space around you, temporarily stripping the master from the Laws of Heaven and Earth. Invulnerable to all Laws, it cut off the path of attack at the root."

"Second layer: Time and Space."

"The bell's toll vibrated, interfering with time and space."

"With one strike, time in the target area was frozen, and space was sealed. Within the coverage of the bell's toll, the enemy's body and Spiritual Qi were dual-locked, unable to move or cast spells."

"The duration of the time stop depended on the master's cultivation and the store of Chaos Qi. With your Early Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, it was estimated to last for three breaths. Three breaths were enough to reverse the tide of battle."

"Third layer: Offense."

"Releasing Chaos pressure."

"The Chaos Qi was the source of the Laws. The pressure poured down, directly suppressing the target's Realm, sealing Divine Abilities, and imprisoning Bloodlines and Yao energy."

"The suppression effect on the Yao Race was extremely strong."

"Chaos Qi was the Origin of Heaven and Earth. When Yao Race Bloodlines encountered it, they suffered from a top-down suppression of the Origin."

"Fourth layer: Dao Rhyme."

"Bearing the Karma of the creation of the world."

"The power of Karma stabilized the Dao foundation, suppressed Heart Demons, and assisted in proving the Dao."

"A term flashed through your Sea of Consciousness—Luck value."

"Karma and Luck both belonged to the core elements of the Heavenly Dao. If the Karma of creation linked with your own Luck value, the effect would be promising."

"This treasure would be of great benefit to your system of terms."

You withdrew your Divine Sense.

Standing on the shattered blue jade floor, you looked down at the Chaos Bell in your palm.

"An Innate Treasure. Excelling in both offense and defense. Time and space control. Suppressing all things. Bearing Karma."

You shrank the Chaos Bell to the size of a thumb and put it into the inner pocket of your sleeve. You kept it close to your body.

Your gaze turned to the circular building deep in the space. The remains lay quietly on the stone platform. Silver-white long hair covered the surface of the platform.

"The remains of Lord Lietian. Demon Emperor Lietian had taken half of the body from here."

"But he had missed the Chaos Bell."

"This object did not belong to the Yao Race."

"Ten thousand years ago, a fierce battle between the great experts of the Human Race and the Yao Race erupted here. Two forces intertwined in the scorched area."

"A Human Race great expert had fought fiercely with Lord Lietian here, and both were severely injured."

"The Chaos Bell was carried by the Human Race great expert. During the battle, it was sealed deep in the ruins. The great expert fell, and the treasure was covered in dust."

"Ten thousand years later, Demon Emperor Lietian entered the ruins and took away the items of the Yao Race."

"He had never touched the Human Race's treasure."

You withdrew your gaze.

You turned and walked toward the entrance.

You covered the three-mile space in less than a hundred steps.

You passed through the breach. You squeezed out of the rock layer. You returned to the rift valley.

With Spiritual Qi wrapping your feet, you ascended along the valley wall.

Three hundred zhang. You left the valley.

On the shaded side of the bone peak. The gray-white skyline of the Withered Bone Mountains spanned your field of vision.

In the inner pocket of your sleeve, the Chaos Bell rested against the inside of your forearm. A faint warmth penetrated your skin.

You stood at the mouth of the valley, facing north.

"The territory of Demon Emperor Lietian was due north, less than a thousand miles away."

"Late Stage Soul Transformation. The strongest of the Yao Race. A traitor who was half-human and half-Yao."

"Early Nascent Soul Stage versus Late Stage Soul Transformation; there was a gap of three major Realms. You had no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation."

"But you had one more thing in your sleeve."

"The Bloodline suppression of the Chaos Bell was a suppression of the Origin. The pressure directly sealed Yao energy and Bloodlines. A three-breath time stop was enough to deliver a fatal blow. Its defense, which was invulnerable to all Laws, was difficult for even a Late Stage Soul Transformation expert to break easily."

"You did not have a hundred percent certainty."

"But you already had the power to fight."

"Forty-eight years old. March 18th. The Hour of Shen."

You activated the Void-Escaping Purple Shadow.

Purple light shot into the sky, crossed the gray-white ridge of the Withered Bone Mountains, and turned due south.

You flew your sword directly toward the Tianxuan Sect.