Deep within the Immortal Spirit Valley, in that same quiet courtyard, orchids released their subtle fragrance while spiritual springs trickled softly.
Chen Chang'an, dressed in simple robes, sat leisurely on a bluestone, holding a jade slip that shimmered with faint light.
Within the jade slip was a secret report transmitted through special channels by Xiao Chen, crossing domain barriers, concerning the Central Continent's "Clear Calamity" operation.
It detailed record after record of the horrifying human tragedies and twisted madness caused by the strange karmic force within sects and noble families—among them the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, the Wang family, the Blazing Sun Sect, the Clear Sound Pavilion, and the Wei family.
Chen Chang'an's gaze swept across line after line.
His initially calm expression gradually furrowed into a deep, heavy sigh.
"Sigh... it has eroded to this extent already..."
He set down the jade slip and gazed into the void, his eyes growing deep and grave.
These cases were no isolated incidents—they were merely the tip of the iceberg.
The remnant power from the great tribulation of the upper realm, its corruption and twisting of human hearts, its speed and depth of spread, was far more severe and terrifying than he had initially anticipated!
"No wonder..." he murmured to himself, as if suddenly understanding a crucial point. "No wonder the upper realm's spiritual energy is as abundant as an ocean, its resources a hundred times richer than the lower realm, and its immortal path inheritances more complete and profound. Yet for ten thousand years, those who have publicly achieved the Immortal Venerable fruit have remained at only nine..."
"It is not that upper realm cultivators lack talent, nor that resources are insufficient. Rather... this omnipresent, all-pervading 'karmic force' has long since merged with the upper realm's heaven and earth spiritual energy and laws! When cultivators breathe in spiritual energy and comprehend laws, they unknowingly absorb and bear this karmic force!"
"For those of lower cultivation, the effects may not show. But as one's realm rises, especially when charging toward the great barriers of the immortal path, the karmic force accumulated within erupts violently, transforming into endless heart demons and external tribulations, twisting cognition and amplifying obsessions and evil thoughts... One in ten thousand can pass! This is no longer something talent and resources can compensate for—it is more like a curse and filter targeting the entire upper realm's cultivation system."
Having understood this, Chen Chang'an compared it to the lower realm, and everything became clear.
"Conversely, in the lower realm, though spiritual energy is thin, resources are scarce, and inheritances have gaps—cultivation is slow... the heavenly environment is relatively 'clean.' When cultivators break through, it depends more on their own accumulation, insight, and a bit of fortune and opportunity. Those who achieve it naturally are the majority, and rarely does one encounter that kind of bizarre tribulation from the fundamental level that twists the dao heart..."
"Blessings hide within misfortune, and misfortune lurks within blessings. The upper realm is a 'rich and fertile dead end,' while the lower realm is instead a 'barren pure land'..."
Yet now, even this final "pure land" was being corrupted by the karmic force seeping through the cracks of Mount Buzhou.
What happened in the Central Continent was the most dangerous signal.
"The Xuanying Continent is now unified. The Heavenly Alliance's fortune is tightly linked to the Immortal Spirit Sacred Land—rising together, falling together." Chen Chang'an pondered. "The future of billions of living beings in the lower realm depends on this place. We must find a way to stabilize the situation, isolate or purify the karmic force, and fight for a thread of survival for all beings."
His gaze fell upon the courtyard corner.
There, an unadorned bronze bell, its surface etched with images of sun, moon, stars, earth, water, fire, and wind, floated quietly in midair, slowly rotating.
It emanated an ancient, primordial atmosphere—chaotic and undefined, yet encompassing all things.
The Chaos Bell!
This was the most mysterious and highest-ranked treasure in his possession.
Rumor said it possessed the power to suppress the primordial world, reverse the heavens and spacetime, evolve the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, and refine earth, water, fire, and wind.
Yet its specific abilities, how to activate it—even with Chen Chang'an's current realm, he had not fully comprehended it.
"Now, perhaps only by borrowing this treasure's power can we suppress the entire Xuanying Continent's fortune, stabilize the laws of heaven and earth, and temporarily resist or even purify this all-pervading karmic corruption..."
But doubts remained in his heart.
This treasure's origins were unclear, its connection to the upper realm deep.
That lofty existence had contacted him several times, yet never mentioned this bell.
Was it unaware? Or... was this bell itself part of that one's scheme? Even a trap?
Chen Chang'an extended his finger and pointed at the void.
Hmmm...
The Chaos Bell let out a low, profound hum.
The bell body trembled slightly, sending out layers of invisible ripples, yet remained ancient and silent, showing no unusual response.
He closed his eyes.
His divine sense, like the finest net, slowly wrapped around the Chaos Bell, examining every inch—every pattern, every trace of qi—inch by inch, seeking its deepest original imprint.
Time slowly passed.
The courtyard was silent, save for the trickling of the spiritual spring.
After a long while, Chen Chang'an slowly opened his eyes, a trace of surprise and confusion within them.
"Surprisingly... truly no imprint?"
The examination's result exceeded his expectations.
Inside this Chaos Bell was vast as a star sea, ancient and boundless, yet pure as a newborn universe—without any trace of human refinement or spiritual brand.
It was like a naturally born, innate object from chaos, never truly owned by any being.
"Am I overthinking? Or... has the other's realm reached such heights that they can completely erase all traces, leaving me unable to detect anything?"
Both possibilities existed.
But matters had reached this point—the lower realm's situation was precarious as a pile of eggs.
He no longer had more time or choices to hesitate.
"Never mind. Even if it is a trap, I must first break through. At least for now, this treasure is the only hope to quickly stabilize the situation."
Chen Chang'an's gaze hardened.
He no longer hesitated.
His hands formed seals, dao rhythms flowing around him.
A vast, boundless, yet condensed-as-one Sacred Realm divine sense, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, slowly poured into the Chaos Bell!
DONG—!!
A bell toll that seemed to herald creation itself suddenly rang from the depths of the Immortal Spirit Valley, instantly spreading throughout the entire Sacred Land, and even further into the distant heavens and earth!
The bell sound was not loud, yet carried an indescribable weight, ancientness, and majesty!
As if ringing from primordial antiquity, crossing endless spacetime to reappear in the world!
All spiritual plants in the valley swayed without wind toward the direction of the bell sound, as if in worship.
The spiritual springs boiled.
Spiritual energy, as if summoned by some supreme power, began to orderly gather and flow.
Every cultivator in the Immortal Spirit Sacred Land felt something at this moment, involuntarily stopping what they were doing, gazing toward the valley.
In their hearts rose an indescribable sense of peace, awe, and belonging.
Chen Chang'an's divine sense, like a gentle stream, slowly permeated every inch of the Chaos Bell's "body," slowly merging with its ancient origin.
No rejection, no resistance—the process was surprisingly smooth.
As if this bell had been waiting for his arrival all along.
Time passed—perhaps an instant, perhaps ten thousand years.
Chen Chang'an slowly opened his eyes.
In his pupils, images of sun, moon, and stars being born and destroyed seemed to flash, along with visions of chaos opening.
His mind shifted slightly.
The floating Chaos Bell quietly vanished, appearing in the next moment in the sky above the center of the Immortal Spirit Valley!
The bell body grew with the wind, transforming into a hundred-zhang giant bell.
On its ancient bronze surface, the images of sun, moon, and stars glowed with flowing light, while earth, water, fire, and wind circled around it.
It radiated supreme power capable of suppressing the heavens and stabilizing the universe!
The giant bell slowly rotated.
Streams of chaotic qi descended like jeweled canopies, enveloping the entire Immortal Spirit Valley.
Then in a profound manner, it connected with the entire Xuanying Continent's ley lines, spiritual veins, and even the unseen fortune!
In this moment, the spiritual energy flow across the entire Xuanying Continent became more orderly and stable.
The eerie fluctuations coming from Mount Buzhou, which made hearts restless, seemed weakened and isolated by an invisible barrier.
Across the continent, all cultivators of profound realm felt something—noticing their minds had calmed somewhat, and their cultivation seemed to flow more smoothly.
Chaos Bell—Suppress!
Chen Chang'an stood with hands behind his back in the courtyard, looking up at the giant bell phantom in the valley center that seemed to hold up heaven and earth.
Feeling the lower realm's fortune gradually stabilizing, he felt no joy—only a growing heaviness.
"The bell is suspended, the tribulation temporarily slowed."
"Yet... the great curtain has only just been drawn."
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