Chapter 1023: The Gift of the Hunyuan Bell

How did you figure that out?

The silent Primordial Bell, hearing Chen Mobai’s words, finally couldn’t help but speak again.

“My artifact forging skills are passable,” Chen Mobai replied modestly.

However, as the supreme treasure refined by True Monarch Yiyuan just before his ascension, the Primordial Bell’s knowledge of artifact forging was arguably unrivaled in the Yiyuan Dao Palace.

“Is that so? Then let me test you…”

The Primordial Bell couldn’t resist asking a few questions about artifact forging, questions that generally only a true fifth-tier artifact master could answer.

Chen Mobai happened to be one, and furthermore, he was a fifth-tier artifact master from the Immortal Gate, whose caliber surpassed those in the Tianhe Realm by a significant margin.

He pondered for a moment. Just as the Primordial Bell thought he couldn’t answer, he provided a solution from a perspective it had never heard before.

These answers even required the Primordial Bell to ponder for a while before it could match them to its own questions.

This was because the answers were better than what the Primordial Bell itself had conceived.

“Your talent in artifact forging is probably no less than that of my master,” the Primordial Bell exclaimed involuntarily.

“Not at all, not at all. Grandmaster was able to refine a sixth-tier supreme treasure like you, Senior. My greatest masterpiece so far is only a fifth-tier artifact…” Chen Mobai continued to be modest, but at this point, the Primordial Bell took the initiative to speak again, asking him about cultivation and artifact forging techniques.

“Before Master ascended, he left me behind not only to protect his legacy as a guardian treasure, but also to serve as a last resort should the Dao Palace undergo changes and its lineage be severed…”

After the Primordial Bell confirmed that Chen Mobai was a successor of the Yiyuan Dao lineage from the Eastern Desolate, it opened up the conversation. It knew this because True Monarch Yiyuan had taken it with him to subdue the Yellow Dragon before his ascension. After suppressing the Yellow Dragon, True Monarch Yiyuan also reminisced in the Eastern Desolate about the arduous years of his youth as a pioneering cultivator, reflecting on past hardships and present comforts.

It was precisely because of this that when Li Zhongji came to Yiyuan Dao Palace, the Primordial Bell, rarely awakening, even became close to him and imparted many secret techniques of the legacy left by True Monarch Yiyuan.

“I see. It seems that if it weren’t for you, Senior, Grandmaster Li Zhongji probably wouldn’t have been able to leave Five Emperors Mountain so easily back then…” Chen Mobai immediately used Li Zhongji as an excuse to interject. It made no sense for Li Zhongji to receive the Primordial Bell’s favor while he couldn’t. He definitely coveted this supreme treasure that guarded Five Emperors Mountain.

“It was a bit of a pity for Li Zhongji. If the Dao Palace hadn’t already chosen its Dao Child and Saintess at that time, with his aptitude and my support, he would certainly have become a Dao Child. Later, Wuming wanted to cultivate him to be the next Elder of Earth Virtue, but Li Zhongji was too proud and unwilling. Wuming also gave me face by inviting Shenxi from the Morality Sect to refine a furnace of Nascent Soul Pills for him…” Once it could communicate, the Primordial Bell began to speak volubly to Chen Mobai about the hidden reasons behind Li Zhongji’s departure from Five Emperors Mountain to establish a branch sect and courtyard in the Eastern Desolate.

The Dao Child and Saintess at that time had both been raised and trained by Yiyuan Dao Palace since childhood. Wuming would certainly not remove their own people for an outsider like Li Zhongji. If it were Chen Mobai, he would have made the same choice.

As the two chatted, the conversation returned to the Primordial Bell itself.

“When Master ascended, he brought me through seven layers of heavenly tribulation. During the eighth layer, I couldn’t bear it and developed cracks. Master then cast me down, and I landed back on Five Emperors Mountain. At that time, I had just reached the middle stage of the sixth-tier. Although enduring the tribulation severely injured me, it also allowed me to undergo various heavenly tribulations’ baptism. With Master’s help, I absorbed a lot of innate qi, so over the thousands of years on Five Emperors Mountain, I not only recovered from my injuries but also advanced further, reaching my current peak of the middle stage of the sixth-tier. However, taking the next step here in the Tianhe Realm is extremely difficult. Firstly, the spiritual energy is insufficient. Secondly, I need a new master who can truly refine me, or a sixth-tier artifact master…” After confirming Chen Mobai’s artifact forging proficiency, a hint of expectation seemed to emerge in the Primordial Bell’s words.

“That would be me, then. In the entire Tianhe Realm, only I can meet all these requirements simultaneously,” Chen Mobai transmitted, taking credit without hesitation.

“To completely refine me, even with my cooperation, you would at least need to reach the Soul Transformation realm. Additionally, you would need to cultivate Master’s Yiyuan Dao Scripture or refine the Primordial Dao Fruit…” But the Primordial Bell pointed out the difficulties.

“I’ll examine the Yiyuan Dao Scripture later. If it also involves cultivating Primordial True Qi, I can take a path to perfection that doesn’t originate from the earth element, as left by Grandmaster Yiyuan. I believe that with my talent, I can certainly succeed, even reaching Soul Transformation,” Chen Mobai stated confidently. Actually, the best method would certainly be to refine the Primordial Dao Fruit, but that can only happen when Elder Earth Virtue dies. If Elder Earth Virtue remained hidden on Five Emperors Mountain, it would be difficult for Chen Mobai to act. After all, no matter how hands-off the Primordial Bell was, if he dared to kill the refiner of the Primordial Dao Fruit right there on Five Emperors Mountain, it wouldn’t stand idly by, neither by reason nor by sentiment. So, he could only display his extraordinary and outstanding talent.

“Actually, that’s not the biggest problem. After all, besides Master, there have been other Soul Transformation True Monarchs in the Yiyuan Dao Palace throughout the generations. Do you know why they didn’t help me upgrade my grade?” the Primordial Bell asked, reminding him again.

Chen Mobai immediately thought of the first condition it had mentioned earlier. “Insufficient spiritual energy? But Five Emperors Mountain has a sixth-tier spiritual vein. Is that still not enough?”

“That’s right. Although I’ve accumulated a considerable amount of spiritual energy over thousands of years, to directly ascend to the upper stage of the sixth-tier, I would need to absorb most of Five Emperors Mountain’s sixth-tier spiritual vein. By my estimate, it would likely degrade into an ordinary fifth-tier spiritual vein…” After the Primordial Bell finished speaking, Chen Mobai finally understood why successive Soul Transformation cultivators of the Yiyuan Dao Palace had never helped the Primordial Bell advance. After all, if it came at the cost of a sixth-tier spiritual vein, no one would be willing. Even for Soul Transformation cultivation, spiritual energy was necessary. If the Yiyuan Dao Palace were to deplete its resources by providing the sixth-tier spiritual vein to the Primordial Bell for its upgrade, the Soul Transformation cultivators of the Yiyuan Dao Palace would face extremely difficult times in the future.

“Actually, I am very willing to use Five Emperors Mountain’s spiritual vein to help Senior advance.” But Chen Mobai was different. After all, the sixth-tier spiritual vein of Five Emperors Mountain did not belong to him yet. If he could use this to win over the Primordial Bell, Chen Mobai wouldn’t hesitate at all. In the future, his main base would still be the Eastern Desolate. After conquering Five Emperors Mountain, it would at most be developed into a branch sect or courtyard of the Five Elements Sect. Since it would be a branch sect, there was no need for such an excellent spiritual vein.

“Alright, alright, I’ll remember your words. If you can truly reach Soul Transformation in the future, I am willing to be refined by you.” The Primordial Bell was also pleased by the promise Chen Mobai painted for it. However, its sentience was already no weaker than a human’s, so it was very rational and would only commit once Chen Mobai reached Soul Transformation.

“Please rest assured, Senior, in less than a century, I will come to Five Emperors Mountain to take you to the Eastern Desolate,” Chen Mobai spoke with full confidence. He already regarded the Primordial Bell as good as his own.

After their conversation concluded, the Primordial Bell injected a ray of spiritual light into Chen Mobai’s Sea of Consciousness within his Violet Palace. Upon refining it, he discovered it contained information about the Yiyuan Secret Realm in the Eastern Desolate.

“This contains the methods Master used to establish and transform the Yiyuan Secret Realm, as well as his insights on refining the Five Elements Spiritual Tree to achieve Soul Transformation. With this, you can completely obtain the legacy he left in the Eastern Desolate.” The Primordial Bell had also given this information to Li Zhongji back then. Unfortunately, Li Zhongji was constrained by the lack of resources in the Eastern Desolate and eventually passed away in meditation.

“Thank you, Senior,” Chen Mobai said with a joyous expression after he finished refining the information. All of this was extremely useful to him. The former would allow him to fully control the Yiyuan Secret Realm, enabling him to use his own domain to completely absorb and refine the secret realm, laying the foundation for his Dharma Realm. Furthermore, it contained the secret methods for controlling the five Altar Platforms, allowing Chen Mobai to integrate True Monarch Yiyuan’s Five Elements Grand Dao entirely into his own domain.

However, Chen Mobai was quite cautious, fearing that True Monarch Yiyuan might have left some contingencies within. Thus, he did not plan to move the five Altar Platforms into his own domain. After refining the secret realm, he would transfer them out, and they would then serve as a sacred heritage site for the Five Elements Sect, giving outstanding talented disciples within the sect the opportunity to compare and comprehend True Monarch Yiyuan’s Five Elements Grand Dao. The requirements for this could be set higher, for example, limiting it to the sect’s top ten true disciples, or Core Formation cultivators.

The latter, on the other hand, held the secrets of True Monarch Yiyuan’s Soul Transformation. Back then, he had refined and absorbed the Five Elements Spiritual Tree from the fifth-tier down to the fourth-tier before his Five Elements Grand Dao was perfected, leading to his Soul Transformation and the condensation of the Primordial Dao Fruit. The Primordial Bell giving Chen Mobai these insights was practically equivalent to bestowing upon him True Monarch Yiyuan’s complete experience in achieving Soul Transformation. This was akin to the treatment received by the Grand Elder and Palace Master of the Yiyuan Dao Palace.

“Cultivate well,” the Primordial Bell’s artifact spirit said finally, before falling back into slumber. As a sixth-tier magical artifact, it consumed a vast amount of spiritual energy every moment it was awake. Therefore, it usually remained in slumber to maintain minimal consumption and prevent excessive depletion of Five Emperors Mountain’s spiritual vein.

Chen Mobai understood this perfectly. After all, this was how most immortal sect artifacts operated. However, the Primordial Bell had witnessed grand spectacles. Having followed True Monarch Yiyuan through seven layers of heavenly tribulation, artifacts with such experience were few and far between in the entire Tianhe Realm. Thus, it wouldn’t be swayed by minor favors; it only recognized true talent. Chen Mobai’s performance before it was precisely that. Therefore, just like with Li Zhongji, it offered him the opportunity for Soul Transformation. After receiving these unexpected surprises, Chen Mobai felt that coming to Five Emperors Mountain had been absolutely the right decision.

“Junior Grandmaster, all the legacies have been copied and packed. Please take a look.” At this moment, Chen Lingming also flew into the Yiyuan Hall, holding up a large storage bag with both hands and presenting it to Chen Mobai.

“You’ve worked hard.” Chen Mobai took it and saw that it was filled with countless jade slips. After scanning all their contents with the Heavenly Computing Bead, he put them away.

Since Elder Earth Virtue was still in secluded cultivation and recuperating, Chen Mobai could only bid farewell to the Mountain Lords of Water Virtue and Wood Virtue. However, these two seemed to have little affection for him. They merely responded with cold faces and then opened the mountain-guarding formation.

“Gentlemen, until next time,” Chen Mobai said, leaving that message. Then he descended the mountain with Chen Lingming.

In Yiyuan Immortal City.

The three, Lianshui and his companions, who had already learned the truth—that Jin De was a demonic traitor and that everything Elder Earth Virtue did was to clear the demonic influences within the Dao Palace—had very complicated expressions when they saw Chen Mobai. Chen Mobai also didn't communicate much with Lianshui and the other two. After all, the thousands of years of prestige of the Yiyuan Dao Palace would not easily make these Nascent Soul cultivators submit, especially while he had not yet achieved Soul Transformation.

“The teleportation array has been activated. Please proceed.” Lianshui personally adjusted the teleportation array, then spoke to Chen Mobai, seemingly wanting to send him away as quickly as possible.

“This immortal city is quite good. It’s almost comparable to my Beiyuan City,” Chen Mobai remarked to Chen Lingming beside him before leaving. The latter nodded lightly.

“This was originally an immortal city of the Eastern Land Imperial Court, and with thousands of years of management by the Dao Palace, it has accumulated over ten millennia of development history and foundation. However, compared to Beiyuan City, the Pearl of the Eastern Desolate, it is still slightly inferior,” Chen Lingming stated truthfully. Chen Lingming was speaking honestly, but to Lianshui and the other two, it sounded like sarcasm. If Chen Mobai hadn't already stepped into the teleportation array and departed, they would probably have been unable to resist retorting.

“Those people from the Eastern Desolate countryside are truly impolite,” Elder Xuanhui, Lianshui’s sister, couldn’t help but spit, annoyed. Both siblings had formed Nascent Souls, which was considered a fine tale in the Eastern Land. It was just a pity they were in the Yiyuan Dao Palace. As long as Mountain Lord Water Virtue was still present, the siblings could only operate in the outer sect, managing Yiyuan Immortal City. However, they still felt a strong sense of belonging to the Dao Palace.

“This person’s fire-attribute cultivation method has reached its peak, attaining a realm unprecedented for the Dao Palace’s fire lineage,” Elder Yanhuo said with a solemn expression after Chen Mobai left. As a cultivator who had formed a Nascent Soul through fire-attribute cultivation, he should have been promoted to Five Emperors Mountain to become the new Mountain Lord of Fire Virtue after the previous one perished in the righteous-demonic war. However, because Elder Earth Virtue wanted to first clear out the mountain, his promotion was temporarily postponed.

But as fellow disciples who had known each other for hundreds of years, Lianshui and Xuanhui were very clear about Yanhuo’s cultivation. He had reached the peak of the middle Nascent Soul stage a long time ago, and having refined a fifth-tier True Fire within the Dao Palace, he was extraordinarily formidable in both artifact forging and fire-attribute techniques. Yet, facing Chen Mobai twice, he hadn’t dared to utter a single word. Because only those who also cultivated fire techniques truly knew how terrifying Chen Mobai’s cultivation realm was. It was the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, just one step away from Soul Transformation.

“Could it be that this young man can truly forge a Soul Transformation path that doesn’t originate from the earth element?” After hearing Yanhuo’s words, the Lianshui siblings recalled how quickly Chen Mobai had risen, and knowing that he had obtained all the Yiyuan legacy on Five Emperors Mountain this time, thereby filling the Five Elements Sect’s gaps regarding cultivation beyond the Nascent Soul stage, they increasingly felt this was possible. If he truly achieved Soul Transformation, would their attitude during these two encounters with him seem a bit too unenthusiastic?