Chapter 1422: Mixed Yuan Golden Dou Emerges

Chen Mobai, filled with surprise, quickly recalled that before his ascension, True Monarch Yiyuan had bestowed a wisp of Dao spiritual light upon the Primordial Bell. Although the Primordial Bell hadn't possessed the currently manifest Chaos Bell nose when it returned, this was the only explanation for its sudden appearance.

But what had True Monarch Yiyuan intended by leaving this behind? Why did it suddenly manifest now? Had his ascension to the Primordial Dao been successful?

As Chen Mobai was lost in doubt, the chaotic color of the bell's nose at the top of the Primordial Bell began to spread across the entire white jade surface.

"Master, I sense powerful energy converging upon me..." the spirit of the Primordial Bell communicated, informing Chen Mobai of what was happening to it through a mental link.

Chen Mobai was even more astonished and puzzled by this. As one who commanded the void, he detected no energy flow in the surroundings. So what was this energy surging towards the Primordial Bell? Chen Mobai didn't believe the Primordial Bell would lie; therefore, there was only one possibility. The force orchestrating this was of the seventh-tier. A seventh-tier intervention could potentially be imperceptible at Chen Mobai's current level. But this anchor point clearly had a peak sixth-tier limit?

Just as Chen Mobai found this incomprehensible, the Primordial Bell vibrated eighty-one times in quick succession. With its final, universe-shaking chime, a sigh filled with regret echoed in the ears of every living being in the Celestial River Realm.

*Crack!* A sound like an eggshell cracking reached Chen Mobai's ears. Standing on the chains, he turned to look and saw spiderweb-like cracks appearing on the Primordial Cocoon that had enveloped True Monarch Yiyuan. Streaks of chaotic Dao spiritual light seeped through the fissures. The void, upon contact, melted away layer by layer, like burning talismans.

Chen Mobai, whose body *was* the void, immediately felt his Void Dharma Body vibrate, showing signs of falling from its grand completion state. This greatly astonished him. It was important to note that his realm originated from the Turtle Treasure; theoretically, with sufficient cultivation, he could command the void of all Three Realms. In the Celestial River Realm, with its inherent limitations, he was virtually invincible. Even the Underworld Lord, Dragon of the Netherworld, could not harm him. Yet now, facing these chaotic lights, he couldn't withstand them. This was undoubtedly a seventh-tier power. But if True Monarch Yiyuan had successfully ascended, shouldn't he have been forcibly ascended under the rules of heaven and earth? Could it be that he failed?

"Hmph, as expected, this junior was just putting on a show. Did he really think ascension was so easy?" At that moment, the Dragon of the Netherworld's disdainful voice emerged from behind the Gate of the Underworld. The Waters of the Yellow Springs surged forth, once again forming a dragon's head, gazing coldly at the shattered Primordial Cocoon.

Although Chen Mobai had anticipated this, he couldn't help but sigh upon hearing the Dragon of the Netherworld's words.

"Ultimately, the Great Dao was flawed, the foundation insufficient..." From within the Primordial Cocoon, True Monarch Yiyuan's voice resonated. This already materialized Primordial Dao, after its ascension failed, began to ripple and shatter, slowly fading away.

"Farewell, True Monarch!" Chen Mobai, following ancient custom, straightened his attire and solemnly bowed to the dissipating Primordial Dao.

"Farewell, Fellow Daoist!" In the distance, the Patriarch of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect, who had endured until this moment, also rose and bowed.

Another streak of light flew over—it was Yuan Qingque's primordial spirit. After Chen Mobai purified his worldly karmic flames with the Great Dao of Sagely Virtue, Yuan Qingque, at his realm, broke through the last illusion and awoke midway through Ye Qing's evacuation. Upon learning the situation, Yuan Qingque felt it was too dangerous to leave Chen Mobai alone here. Moreover, since he could now exert his sixth-tier strength, he flew back.

After landing beside the Patriarch of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect and greeting him, Yuan Qingque's expression turned solemn upon learning of True Monarch Yiyuan's failed ascension. He turned and bowed, "Farewell, Senior!"

As a cultivator from Eastern Continent, Yuan Qingque had been instilled with the idea of striving to emulate True Monarch Yiyuan since he began his spiritual cultivation in his family. He eventually succeeded, becoming another ascended cultivator from Eastern Continent after True Monarch Yiyuan. Originally, Yuan Qingque thought he had caught up to his former idol, but now that Yiyuan had taken this step towards ascension, Yuan Qingque understood he was still far behind.

Recalling True Monarch Yiyuan's brilliant life, his meteoric rise in Eastern Continent, and his current fate of dissolving into the Dao, Yuan Qingque couldn't help but compose a gatha for him:

A long river of clouds and dreams severed by a single palm,The Celestial River suspended alone for six thousand years.The Primordial incomplete, heaven and earth shattered,Bell tolls, evening sleet, dust and smoke dissipate.

Yuan Qingque's words were clearly heard by Yiyuan's final will, and a loud laugh resounded: "Yiyuan's path ends here, but the Heavenly Venerate's path still has a way to go. If there's an ending, please help complete it, young friend."

After speaking to Yuan Qingque, True Monarch Yiyuan sent a message to Chen Mobai: "Little Martial Uncle, I am about to dissolve into the Dao and vanish. I still have a little power left and wish to attempt forging an unprecedentedly powerful magical artifact, to verify my ideas on seventh-tier artifact refining." As soon as he finished speaking, True Monarch Yiyuan didn't wait for Chen Mobai's reply; his will had already completely dissolved into the Primordial Dao.

These words made Chen Mobai understand that Yiyuan had indeed made arrangements concerning the Primordial Bell.

With a thunderous roar, the Primordial Cocoon shattered completely at that moment. Freed from the Dao's constraints, the Wheel of Life and Death began to involuntarily fall towards the Underworld.

*Creak!* The Dragon of the Netherworld and the Nine Sons of the Ghost Mother naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. They pulled on chains, attempting to drag the Wheel of Life and Death into the Netherworld.

Seeing this, Chen Mobai was about to intervene when suddenly the Primordial Bell vibrated intensely. Amidst the vibrations, the chaotic color that had spread from the bell's nose now covered the entire white jade bell. Meanwhile, the shattered pieces of the Primordial Cocoon, like eggshells, guided by True Monarch Yiyuan's final will before his dissolution, scattered like meteors onto the Primordial Bell, adhering tightly to its surface.

"Woo... old master..." The spirit of the Primordial Bell felt an endless influx of Primordial Dao, yet its heart was filled with profound sorrow. It understood that this power belonged to its old master. And since it was given to the bell, it meant the old master's ascension had completely failed, and he had vanished!

"This is no time for sadness. True Monarch Yiyuan entrusted his Great Dao to you in the end; you must not betray his hopes." Chen Mobai sensed the Primordial Bell spirit's sorrow and immediately conveyed True Monarch Yiyuan's final words. True Monarch Yiyuan had vanished, but his existence could be perpetuated through the Primordial Bell, flowing eternally through the Three Realms—provided the Primordial Bell could ascend to become a seventh-tier Dao-achieving artifact.

"I will not disappoint my old master." Artifact spirits are generally simple. Upon hearing Chen Mobai's message, the bell spirit immediately suppressed all its sorrow and began actively absorbing the Primordial Dao. The Primordial Dao, which had dissipated due to True Monarch Yiyuan's failed ascension, suddenly re-materialized and solidified around the bell as its center.

*Buzz, buzz, buzz!* After the Primordial Dao, the outer wall of the bell glowed with five-colored radiance—this was the Great Dao of Five Elements. After the Five Elements, the inner wall of the bell sparkled with brilliant silver light like a galaxy—this was the Great Dao of Void. Finally, in the deepest part of the silver galaxy, a gray light flickered, and the power of Doomsday emerged. The four Great Dao powers embedded in the Primordial Bell, though unequal in strength—the Primordial being as strong as the entire Great Dao of the Celestial River Realm, while Doomsday was so weak it would be almost imperceptible without Chen Mobai's acute sense of Sagely Virtue—began to merge and intertwine with the Chaos Bell nose left by True Monarch Yiyuan acting as a pivot.

At the moment of their fusion, the Great Dao of Severing, which would have taken a long time to grasp and embed, was directly drawn out from this anchor point by the Chaos Bell nose, like wisps of golden light, converging towards the bell's nose. Gradually, these golden streams of light formed a long, ruyi-shaped handle, as if the Primordial Bell had extended a handle from its nose. And as this ruyi handle fully formed, the Primordial Bell, which had previously exuded the awe-inspiring aura of a peak sixth-tier artifact, suddenly seemed to vanish from this realm. But in Chen Mobai's eyes, the Primordial Bell was still there; only its aura was no longer perceptible. This was because the Primordial Bell had broken through its acquired limitations and ascended to become the seventh-tier Primordial Golden Cauldron. After reaching the seventh-tier, it was no longer merely a magical artifact, but a Great Dao itself, and one of the foundations of the world.

"Impressive." Chen Mobai had witnessed the entire transformation of the Primordial Bell through the Can Tong Qi. After confirming its ascension to the seventh-tier, he couldn't help but marvel. To forge his own Dao-achieving artifact with his final will and power, even after his ascension failed, and especially within an environment like the Celestial River Realm—True Monarch Yiyuan's artifact refining skills were simply far superior to his own.

It was clear that True Monarch Yiyuan had only thought of leaving this contingency plan when he had just reunited with the Primordial Bell. After all, if his ascension had succeeded, this would certainly not have happened. But if it failed, he could, before dissolving into the Dao, infuse his final Dao fruit into the Primordial Bell, using the previously left imprint as a guide. However, this was extremely perilous, as the Primordial Bell would also fail and be completely shattered if it couldn't withstand the infusion. And the probability of failure was certainly higher than that of success. Given Chen Mobai's cautious nature, had he known beforehand, he would never have agreed to such a risky endeavor. After all, they had fought side-by-side for so many years, developing deep affection. But True Monarch Yiyuan didn't give Chen Mobai a chance to stop him; he had already activated the contingency plan left within the Primordial Bell before his final dissolution announcement. Fortunately, the Primordial Bell was now Chen Mobai's magical artifact and shared in his good fortune, actually succeeding in its ascension. One could only say that in the Celestial River Realm, many cultivators and beings would attempt something even with only a 10-20% chance of success, precisely because of such examples. Chen Mobai only hoped that future generations of cultivators in the Three Realms would not be led astray by this. Whether in cultivation or artifact refining, stability should always be paramount.

"Congratulations, young friend." The Patriarch of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect's voice rang out. He and Yuan Qingque looked with curiosity at the now seventh-tier Primordial Golden Cauldron. For a Dao-achieving artifact to be forged even after the ascension failed, this event was destined to change the landscape of the artifact refining industry in the Three Realms. From now on, all artifact refiners would raise their goals to the seventh-tier.

"With this item in hand," Yuan Qingque said, his face filled with envy and shock as he looked at the Primordial Golden Cauldron, "as long as a True Immortal Dao Lord doesn't intervene, young friend, you are invincible." As fellow sacred lands of the Eastern Land, he had heard about this part of the contents recorded in the Dao Scripture of Yiyuan. However, whether it was the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect, the Daoist Sect, or even the Grand Void Misty Palace, all believed that refining the Primordial Golden Cauldron was a fantasy, absolutely impossible to succeed. Yet, unexpectedly, this magical artifact had now been born right before his eyes.

"True Monarch Yiyuan is truly formidable." As Chen Mobai spoke, he was about to grasp the ruyi handle of the Primordial Golden Cauldron to test the power of this seventh-tier Dao-achieving artifact, but it eluded his hand. This scene caused Chen Mobai's expression to freeze. Had the Primordial Bell become too powerful and no longer recognized him as its master?

Just as Chen Mobai thought this, the Primordial Bell spirit's frantic voice transmission sounded in his ear: "Master, another consciousness is controlling me. I cannot break free."

*Who is it? Had True Monarch Yiyuan not dissolved into the Dao? Or did he, by leveraging the process of refining the Primordial Golden Cauldron, preserve a remnant of his spirit within the artifact, and was now contending with the bell spirit for control?* In an instant, Chen Mobai mentally deduced the most probable answer.

*Creak!* And at that moment, the sound of chains tightening rang out. Earlier, Chen Mobai had been fully focused on the Primordial Bell's ascension and had no time to attend to the Wheel of Life and Death. Coupled with True Monarch Yiyuan's dissolution, the Dragon of the Netherworld and the Ghost Mother's sons had already dragged the Wheel of Life and Death to the Gate of the Underworld.

As half of the wheel was already entering the Netherworld, and Chen Mobai was wondering how to act, a golden light illuminated beside him. The Primordial Golden Cauldron, without anyone controlling it, automatically flew up. As its mouth revolved, an inconspicuous golden light flew out and landed on one of the chains binding the Wheel of Life and Death. Silently, the chain was severed by the golden light.

"Eh?" The Dragon of the Netherworld saw this scene and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

At this point, after testing the power of the Primordial Golden Cauldron, the golden light spun out again. This time, it directly enveloped all the remaining chains that flew out from behind the Gate of the Underworld. The same result appeared in Chen Mobai's eyes. The power of the Great Dao dharma forms projected by seventh-tier existences from the Underworld, such as the Dragon of the Netherworld, were as fragile as tofu before the seventh-tier Primordial Golden Cauldron.

And after all the chains binding the Wheel of Life and Death were severed by the golden light, the Heavenly Venerate's vortex in the sky, which had been silent since True Monarch Yiyuan's failed ascension, once again erupted with incredibly powerful suction. The unconstrained Wheel of Life and Death rotated, swirling out black and white spiritual light, and flew towards the vortex. The Dragon of the Netherworld and the Ghost Mother's sons naturally wouldn't idly watch this. Again, more massive chains burst forth from behind the Gate of the Underworld, attempting to seize the Wheel of Life and Death once more. However, the Primordial Golden Cauldron gently trembled, and a vast expanse of golden light descended, directly sealing all the Gates of the Underworld. The chains, upon striking the golden light, couldn't even exit the gates. They were shorn of their forms, turning into swirling yellow smoke that rolled back into the Netherworld.