Chapter 1420: One Yuan's Identity

After the Hunyuan Bell came into Chen Mobai's possession, it had already undergone a complete transformation. It had successively refined numerous precious Five-Element spirit materials and even absorbed the bones of the Primordial Black Dragon, bearing almost no resemblance to its original form when Yuan Zhenjun first refined it.

Therefore, when Yuan Zhenjun looked at it, he didn't recognize it at all. He merely wondered why the sound of this bell was so similar to his own previous one.

"Old master, it's me!"

Seeing Yuan Zhenjun's confusion, the Hunyuan Bell immediately revealed its former aura, and its body transformed from white jade back to its original dusty, stone-like appearance.

"Oh?" Yuan Zhenjun's eyes were filled with surprise.

When he underwent his tribulation, he had thrown the Hunyuan Bell down, and it had been severely damaged, barely able to maintain its sixth-tier rank. According to Yuan Zhenjun's estimation, after being nurtured on the spiritual脉 of Mount Five Emperors for a few millennia, the Hunyuan Bell would at most recover to a mid-sixth-tier level. With good luck, it might break through to a high-sixth-tier.

However, the Hunyuan Bell before him was already at the peak of the sixth-tier, with four Great Dao interweaving within its body, faintly showing signs of breaking through to the seventh-tier. As the most outstanding artifact refiner in the Heavenly River Realm for thousands of years, Yuan Zhenjun simply couldn't comprehend what incredible fortune the Hunyuan Bell could have encountered in the Heavenly River Realm to transform into its current state.

"Old master, I've missed you so much! That person is my new master, and also your successor from a later generation..."

After revealing its identity, the Hunyuan Bell flew before the Hunyuan Chicken Seed, expressing to Yuan Zhenjun its longing for him over the past millennia. However, the Hunyuan Bell didn't forget its current status and pointed towards Chen Mobai, who was standing beside Jiutian Dangmo Patriarch in the distance, introducing him.

"My successor?" Yuan Zhenjun looked over with a puzzled gaze, and Chen Mobai nodded with a smile.

"The new master is the junior martial brother of True King Taixu. By a fortunate coincidence, he obtained the secret realm you left behind in the Eastern Wilds..." Having followed Chen Mobai through numerous campaigns, the Hunyuan Bell was most aware of his origins. When Chen Mobai first entered the Grand Void Heaven, he had also brought the bell with him.

"So it's him. It seems I was the one reaching too high!" Yuan Zhenjun uttered these words after listening to the Hunyuan Bell's introduction. When he was still in the Spirit-Void Immortal Realm, he had encountered the master and disciple, Ji Yin and Sui Yu, who inexplicably came to trouble him. From them, he heard about a person named Chen Mobai in the Heavenly River Realm who had inherited his Dao lineage.

At that time, to avoid exposing his Great Dao cultivation, Yuan Zhenjun did not deliver a killing blow but merely repelled the two. Later, when going to the Forbidden Land, Yuan intentionally leaked information, luring Patriarch Ji Yin to call upon friends for an ambush, only for Yuan to casually slaughter them all. At that time, he still thought that this young man, Chen Mobai, was quite good at getting himself into trouble, and if they met, he would definitely give him a good lesson.

But now, having learned his identity and origin, Yuan Zhenjun recalled his reverence for the Water Mother from the Heavenly Venerate's memories, and consequently, treated Chen Mobai as a junior martial uncle. He wouldn't dare to consider Chen Mobai his successor.

Yuan Zhenjun had already taken the step of Dao Integration and could not stop. In what might be the last moment of his life, seeing the familiar object of the Hunyuan Bell, he vaguely glimpsed some tributaries of fate.

"Since you were able to meet Junior Martial Uncle, you are clearly blessed. And you came before me just before my Dao Integration – it seems to be destiny!" With these final words, a brilliant ray of Great Dao spiritual light burst forth from Yuan Zhenjun's pupils, passing through the barrier of the Hunyuan Chicken Seed and merging into the Hunyuan Bell.

After completing this, Yuan Zhenjun completely dissipated, his essence, energy, and spirit all merging into the Hunyuan Great Dao. It was as if he had never existed in the Heavenly River Realm, or even the Spirit-Void Immortal Realm.

Chen Mobai and Jiutian Dangmo Patriarch both wore expressions of anticipation, gazing at that cluster of Hunyuan Chicken Seed. At this moment, the gates of the underworld, one after another across the sky, completely opened. Ming Long and other Great Dao manifestations were still locking the Wheel of Life and Death, awaiting the outcome of Yuan and Heavenly Venerate's Dao integration. If it succeeded, Ming Long and the others would have to find a way to completely purify the traces of the Dao of Life and Death from the Underworld on their bodies, to prevent the Heavenly Venerate from manipulating them at will through the Great Dao after the Three Realms return to their source.

"Senior, do you think it can succeed?" Chen Mobai's expression was worried. Deep down, he felt only gratitude towards Yuan Zhenjun. The Five Elements Sect's rapid growth and strengthening were largely due to inheriting the Dao lineage left by Yuan Zhenjun. Therefore, he hoped Yuan would succeed.

"Although Dao integration here in the Heavenly River Realm is simpler than in the Spirit-Void Immortal Realm, the difficulty merely shifts from a one-in-a-hundred chance of survival to a one-in-ten," Jiutian Dangmo Patriarch stated his opinion. "Moreover, the Hunyuan Great Dao here is incomplete after all. If the Heavenly Venerate truly intends to use it to oppose the Dao of Life and Death, I believe there might be flaws in the Pure Yang realm, leading to failure!"

He was a disciple who had attended the Water Mother's lectures, and upon completing his studies, he had received the "Classic of Taiji and Two Forms," one of the Five Grand Dao scriptures inherited from the Water Mother Palace. As a seventh-tier existence himself, he was most knowledgeable about the difficulty of Dao integration. Even if Yuan Zhenjun was the Heavenly Venerate's main body, integrating with the Innate Hunyuan Dao would be exceedingly difficult. Even the Water Mother's personally instructed senior disciple had failed and became part of the Dao when integrating with the Innate Taiyi.

Jiutian Dangmo Patriarch, capable of integrating with the Two Forms and now sublimating to the Innate Taiji, his cultivation and achievements could be said to rank among the top five disciples of the Water Mother. He believed Yuan's integration with the Hunyuan Dao would be difficult to succeed. Heavenly Venerate integrating with Life and Death, on the other hand, carried a glimmer of hope, as this was personally designated by the Water Mother.

"Alas..." Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai couldn't help but sigh deeply.

At this moment, the Hunyuan Bell also flew back, and its artifact spirit somewhat sheepishly explained to Chen Mobai that it had gotten a bit carried away earlier. Chen Mobai expressed understanding, for this showed that the Hunyuan Bell was sentient and loyal, a truly good treasure. Had it not failed to overcome its inner demon tribulation and instead ascended with Yuan Zhenjun, it might now have had an excellent opportunity to be promoted to a Dao Artifact.

Seeing Chen Mobai's gentleness, the Hunyuan Bell's artifact spirit was deeply moved, stating that from now on, it would always be Chen Mobai's magic artifact, no matter what, even if Yuan Zhenjun returned alive after Dao integration.

"If you have a better opportunity, you should still strive to advance further..." Chen Mobai, however, felt that the Hunyuan Bell didn't need to be so dedicated, as it wasn't his soul-bound artifact. Only the artifacts within his Pure Yang set could ascend to become Dao Artifacts alongside him. Furthermore, after refining the Tortoise Treasure, whether he had the Hunyuan Bell or not was no longer as important to Chen Mobai. He could even accept returning it to Yuan Zhenjun. Both people and magical artifacts should always aspire to greater heights.

Afterwards, Chen Mobai inquired about Yuan Zhenjun's situation. He had communicated with the Hunyuan Bell, which clearly possessed self-awareness. So, was Yuan Zhenjun truly the Heavenly Venerate?

"The old master was indeed the Heavenly Venerate. He revived in the secret realm and then, under the identity of Yuan Zhenjun, traversed the Heavenly River Realm, refining the Hunyuan Great Dao..." As an artifact personally refined by Yuan Zhenjun, the Hunyuan Bell naturally knew his true identity. However, for it as an artifact, the one who refined it was the true master, rather than getting caught up in names.

"No wonder, you said back then that Yuan Zhenjun's identity was extraordinary." Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai nodded in sudden realization. In the past, when he first acquired the Hunyuan Bell, he had asked it about the contents of the seventh-tier Hunyuan Golden Ladle mentioned in the Yuan Dao Scripture. After all, on the surface, Yuan Zhenjun was merely a Void Refinement cultivator. But the Hunyuan Bell had proudly declared that its old master's identity was extraordinary, telling Chen Mobai not to doubt its authenticity.

"However, the old master, by living a new life as Yuan, made up for the flaws in his Dao heart, daring to take the step of Dao integration. So, in this respect, the Heavenly Venerate is also Yuan." Chen Mobai, however, didn't quite agree with this point.

*Beep, beep, beep!*

Just then, Chen Mobai's Heaven-Reaching Instrument suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Qingnu calling, and immediately answered.

"Husband, this is bad! Xuan'er has been taken..." Qingnu's first words were bad news. She recounted what Xuanze had told her.

"How could this be?" Chen Mobai exclaimed, shocked and furious. "Xuan'er has no enmity with the Ghost Mother's nine children. Why would Ming San specifically go to Xuanhai to capture her?"

Qingnu replied, "According to Xuanze, Ming San called Xuan'er 'mother.' He took Xuan'er to immerse her in the Yellow Springs..."

Hearing this, Chen Mobai immediately recalled how Luo Yixuan's consciousness had strangely entered the Underworld when her Immortal Water Spirit Root comprehended the Dao. At the time, he thought it was due to the unpredictable nature of Dao comprehension opportunities, coupled with the Yellow Springs spiritual energy within Luo Yixuan. Now it seemed there were likely other deeper factors.

Ming San was the Ghost Mother's eighth child. If he called Luo Yixuan "mother," could Xuan'er be the reincarnation of a remnant spirit of the Ghost Mother? Or did Xuan'er possess a treasure in which a remnant spirit of the Ghost Mother was lodged? Chen Mobai considered the two most probable scenarios. After all, in ancient times, the Calamity of the Ghost Mother in Eastern Continent was triggered when a minor demonic cultivator obtained an artifact that contained a remnant spirit of the Ghost Mother.

But soon, Chen Mobai realized that since Ming San could ignore the Heaven-Earth Net Formation, he must also be a seventh-tier existence from the Underworld. With such cultivation, if it were the latter scenario, the outcome would surely be that the magical treasure was taken by him, and Luo Yixuan would die.

Regardless, the most important thing now was to rescue Luo Yixuan.

"Leave this matter to me, my lady. Please send another Primordial Spirit avatar to Xuanhai to investigate." After speaking with Qingnu, Chen Mobai put down his Heaven-Reaching Instrument and turned to look at the gates of the underworld in the sky.

"Little friend, where are you going?" Jiutian Dangmo Patriarch was still holding on, not yet fully merged with the Great Dao. Seeing Chen Mobai's figure fly up, he couldn't help but ask.

"To get an explanation from Ming Long!"