Chapter 51: A Mysterious, Damaged Immortal Bell

Just as Su Chun was preparing to leave Yun Village and head toward the Yunmeng Mountain Range, the Chaos Power within her body fluctuated violently without warning.

It seemed to be drawn by some kind of force.

She instinctively released her Divine Sense to follow the sensation, her gaze eventually landing on a rather ancient-looking building in the center of the village.

It was a low-lying ancestral hall with green tiles and stone walls.

It appeared weathered by time and stood out starkly against the surrounding mud-brick houses.

The gates of the ancestral hall were tightly closed.

A faded plaque hung above the lintel, engraved with four blurred characters: “Yun Family Ancestral Hall.”

The resonance from her Chaos Power was coming from inside this hall, and the source did not seem weak.

‘Strange, why would something in a mortal village’s ancestral hall trigger my Chaos Power?’

Su Chun was filled with doubt.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally decided to investigate.

After all, this was the first time she had sensed such a distinct energy fluctuation since arriving in the Sky-Prison Realm.

Su Chun suppressed her aura and silently circled to the back of the hall.

With a slight flicker of her body, she leaped over the wall and landed in the backyard.

The backyard was simple, containing only an old well and several ancient trees.

She could clearly feel that the mysterious power fluctuation was coming from the main hall.

Lightening her steps, Su Chun cautiously approached the side window of the main hall and peered through a crack.

The interior of the hall was dimly lit.

In the center stood a massive memorial tablet dedicated to the ancestors of the Yun family.

On the offering table before the tablet sat simple offerings of fruit and three burning incense sticks.

Hanging prominently above the offering table was an ancient bronze bell.

The bell was about half a person tall, its entire body a greenish-bronze color covered in rust and cracks.

It looked battered and broken, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

The surface of the bell was densely packed with ancient runes.

Most were blurred and unrecognizable, yet Su Chun could faintly sense a trace of extremely weak but incredibly pure Chaos Power flowing over them.

‘The aura of Chaos Power?’

Su Chun’s pupils contracted as a wave of shock crashed through her heart.

Could a bronze bell containing Chaos Power be an ordinary object?

She was almost certain that this seemingly mundane, broken bell was no ordinary thing.

It was highly likely an Immortal Artifact that possessed Chaos Power.

‘An Immortal Artifact is being worshipped in a mortal village’s ancestral hall? And one that contains Chaos Power at that? What on earth is going on?’

Su Chun’s curiosity was piqued.

A voice in her heart told her that she had stumbled upon a grand opportunity.

She observed the bronze bell carefully, trying to sense more information from it.

However, the bell seemed to have been dormant for countless ages.

Aside from that faint trace of Chaos aura and the attraction it held for her own energy, there was no other movement.

‘Could it be a damaged Immortal Artifact that has lost its spirituality?’

Su Chun speculated.

She opened the window, climbed inside, and walked up to the bell.

Several pieces were missing from the bell’s body.

She spent a long time studying it from all sides before finally reaching out a hand to tentatively touch it.

The moment she made contact, something unexpected happened.

The previously dormant, broken bell suddenly began to vibrate violently without any warning.

*Buzz…!*

A low, distant tolling sound, like something from the Immortal Ancient era, instantly echoed throughout the ancestral hall.

The sound was not piercing, but it carried an indescribable sense of majesty and desolation, as if it could freeze time and space itself.

“It’s absorbing my Chaos Power?”

Su Chun found her hand stuck to the metal.

The Chaos Power within her body was flowing uncontrollably into the bell.

After absorbing her energy, the rust on the bell’s surface began to peel off at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing the golden body underneath.

Those blurred ancient runes seemed to come to life, emitting a faint golden light.

*Crackle, crackle…*

It didn’t stop there.

The cracks on the bell began to heal slowly, though the missing fragments remained lost.

“Is this… the revival of an Immortal Artifact?”

Su Chun’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She could feel the aura emanating from the bell growing stronger, even showing signs of surpassing her own understanding.

However, just as the bell’s aura reached its peak and was about to break free of its shackles to unleash an earth-shattering power, it suddenly paused.

It transformed into a brilliant streak of blue-gold light and shot toward Su Chun.

“Oh no!”

Su Chun was startled.

Thinking the bell was attacking her, she instinctively circulated her Chaos Power to defend herself.

To her surprise, the light did not attack.

Instead, as if guided by something, it dove straight into her body and vanished into her Dantian’s Spirit Sea.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Su Chun instinctively touched her abdomen.

She quickly looked inward and saw the broken bell floating quietly in the middle of her Chaotic Spiritual Sea.

The runes on its body flickered rhythmically, emitting a soft blue-gold light.

Even more shocking was that with the integration of the bell, her Chaotic Spiritual Sea seemed to have been stimulated.

It began to churn violently.

Her Chaos Power acted like boiling water, surging frantically toward the bell.

The bronze bell was like a bottomless pit, greedily absorbing Su Chun’s strength.

Su Chun felt her power being drained rapidly.

Her entire being suddenly became listless, as if her very essence had been sucked dry.

“Hey, what are you? Are you trying to kill me?”

Su Chun yelped.

But at that moment, an ethereal yet majestic voice, tinged with a hint of laziness and confusion, suddenly echoed in her mind.

‘I… how long have I been asleep? 10,000 years? Or 1,000,000? The scent of Chaos… so familiar, so welcoming.’

The voice was like heavenly music, yet it also carried a haunting quality that made Su Chun’s soul tremble.

‘Who? Who is speaking?’

Su Chun called out in her mind.

‘Who am I?’

The voice carried a hint of perplexity.

‘I cannot remember clearly. I think my surname was Dong… as for my name, I do not recall. Oh, I am the spirit of this bell. Yes, the Artifact Spirit.’

Hearing this, Su Chun’s heart stirred.

She quickly submerged her consciousness into her Chaotic Spiritual Sea and cautiously approached the floating bell.

Inside the bell, light and shadow shifted, revealing a floating entity.

It was an extremely handsome yet beautiful figure.

Their features were such that it was impossible to discern their gender.

They were dressed in magnificent, ancient robes with long golden hair, and they were surrounded by a faint mist of Chaos.

They exuded a sense of majesty that looked down upon all living things, as if they were a Heavenly Emperor.

The figure was extraordinarily beautiful and strikingly handsome, transcending the boundaries of gender to reach a state of ultimate harmony and perfection.

‘You… you are the Artifact Spirit of this bell?’

Su Chun asked tentatively.

The figure slowly opened their eyes.

Their gaze fell upon Su Chun’s consciousness, and a flash of surprise and curiosity crossed their eyes.

“A Primal Chaos Body? No wonder you were able to wake me.”

‘You can tell I have a Primal Chaos Body at a single glance?’

Su Chun was shaken.

“Mmm, it seems… there are records of the Primal Chaos Body in my memories. I feel as though I have seen someone with the same constitution as you before.”

The spirit’s voice remained somewhat dazed, clearly showing that their memories had not fully recovered.

‘Seen a Primal Chaos Body? The last one was born at the end of the Immortal Ancient era, millions of years ago. If that’s the case, this thing really is an Immortal Artifact from that time,’ Su Chun thought, feeling both shocked and excited.

“Little one, it seems you and I share a fate. I likely will not leave your body for a short while. I need your Chaos Power to recover my state.”

Su Chun was more than happy to have the other party stay in her body.

As for the Chaos Power, they could take what they needed; it would recover slowly anyway.

“No problem. You can stay in my body in peace, Senior. My name is Tantai Chun. Do you really not remember your name? What is the origin of this bell?”

The spirit shook their head, a look of distress appearing on their face.

“I really cannot remember. I have lost most of my memories.”

Su Chun remained silent.

It seemed this spirit had slept for too long, causing severe damage to their memory.

She observed the bell in her Chaotic Spiritual Sea.

The Chaos aura on its body had become even denser, resonating faintly with her own sea of energy.

“Since you don’t remember your name and this bell contains Chaos Power, why don’t we call it the Chaos Bell?” Su Chun suggested.

A glint appeared in the spirit’s eyes upon hearing this.

They seemed satisfied with the name.

“Chaos Bell? A good name. Then let it be called the Chaos Bell.”

Seeing that the spirit was pleased, Su Chun’s eyes darted around before she offered another suggestion.

“Senior, although you are my elder, we will likely be spending a lot of time together in the future. How about I give you a name? It would be quite awkward to keep calling you ‘Senior’ all the time.”

Su Chun began to try and close the distance with the bell spirit.

The spirit did not seem to object.

“True. You may choose a name. Anything is fine.”

Su Chun smiled triumphantly.

She scrutinized the spirit once more.

Although their gender was indistinguishable, they were a true beauty, and she happened to be quite fond of beauties.

“You said earlier that your surname seemed to be Dong. Then I shall name you Dongfang Zhongling. How about I call you Sister Zhongling?”

Zhongling thought about it and seemed to have no issue.

“As you wish. It matters not to me. Tell me about the state of this world; perhaps it will help me recover my lost memories.”

Su Chun immediately began to relay everything she knew about the Immortal Ancient era, as well as the current state of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

Zhongling listened very seriously, eyes filled with contemplation and reminiscence.

As for Su Chun, she quickly prepared to make her escape.

Before leaving, however, she left a large amount of gold and silver in the ancestral hall.

No matter how good the item was, it had belonged to someone else.

Taking it for nothing was wrong.

But for mortals, the treasures of cultivators were useless; worldly wealth was the most valuable thing to them.

She left behind almost all the money she had on her.

These funds had been prepared by Tantai Xuan and the others, suggesting they were well aware of the conditions within the Sky-Prison Realm.

After leaving Yun Village, Su Chun raised her hand and drew in the air.

She manifested a massive eagle, leaped onto its back, and flew toward the Yunmeng Mountain Range.