Chapter 160: The Sword of That Year

A grand bell descended from the nine heavens, vast and mighty.

The bell was earth-yellow in color, primitive yet overwhelmingly majestic, covered in intricate, crisscrossing patterns that radiated solemnity and divine awe.

This bell originally bore the name "Chaos," though very few in the universe knew of it. However, the moment Taiyi used it to overawe all living beings at the summit of Buzhou Mountain, the Pillar of Heaven, its terrifying renown spread instantly across the world. Afterwards, when Taiyi assumed the title of the Eastern Emperor, he renamed the bell the Eastern Emperor Bell.

Ever since the Eastern Emperor Taiyi displayed the strength of the undisputed strongest being in the world upon Buzhou Mountain, and subsequently suppressed the four Ancestral Witches, a saying spread throughout the realm: "Heavenly might is blindingly brilliant, all living beings tremble in fear, upon Buzhou stands the Eastern Emperor..."

Since the time he encountered Gonggong blocking his path during a patrol of the heavens, which led to a battle where the four Ancestral Witches arrayed their formations, the Eastern Emperor had not been seen making a move again. Yet, not a single person had forgotten the resounding, heaven-shaking tolls of that bell.

The Eastern Emperor Bell rang nine consecutive times.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang..."

Each chime grew deeper than the last, each reverberation more oppressive than the one before. The peals seemed to stack and multiply upon each other, and the space beneath the bell instantly shattered and annihilated, dissolving into a state of primordial chaos.

Within that chaos, Xuanming, Beiling, the Samsara Brush, and Shebi were instantly swallowed and obliterated...

High above the nine heavens, the Eastern Emperor Bell hung like a firmament, acting like a black hole devouring all living things.

A woman in a pink dress emerged from the chaotic void beneath the Eastern Emperor Bell, her palms as flawless and translucent as snow, gently striking the surface of the bell. There was no sound of impact, or perhaps all sound was swallowed by the peals of the bell. Only the pink-draped figure was seen instantly tumbling backward, plummeting toward the earth like petals stripped from their branches by a violent gale.

The Eastern Emperor Bell painted by the Samsara Brush began to vibrate in unison with the resonant tolls, emitting echoing chimes of its own in an attempt to fend off the true Eastern Emperor Bell's peals. Yet, amidst the final few tolls, it shattered and dissolved into the void... The Samsara Brush revealed its form within the empty expanse, plummeting straight toward the earth below.

Amidst the rolling waves of bell chimes, Shebi transformed into a tempest of wind and rain, surging upward. Though battered and swaying unsteadily in the sound waves, the tempest still managed to sweep beneath the Eastern Emperor Bell. The wind and rain lashed against the bell, stirring up mists and sprays, but once the nine tolls concluded, her divine powers were shattered, and she was cast out from the void, plunging headlong toward the earth.

Among all these figures, the most overpowering aura belonged to the sea of blood commanded by Beiling. Endless and surging, the roar of the churning blood waves was hardly masked by the bell's tolls, and the shrieks of various demonic entities within the blood sea, though suppressed by the divine sound, still pierced the air in waves of demonic clamor...

The sea of blood surged toward the Eastern Emperor Bell amidst the peals. Seen from afar, it resembled a crimson robe wrapping tightly around the bell. The chimes did not weaken by even a fraction; the nine tolls converged into a single roar that shook heaven and earth. The crimson robe shattered, transforming into a torrential downpour of blood and a reversing flood that cascaded downward. Beiling tumbled out from the sea of blood. While still airborne, she beckoned with her hand, and the widespread waters instantly morphed back into a blood-red robe that wrapped around her.

All of this transpired in the span of a single breath. Nanluo, who struck last, hit the Eastern Emperor Bell almost simultaneously with the others.

When the Eastern Emperor Bell appeared, heaven and earth quaked. Suspended high in the nine heavens, its majesty awed the world...

Even ordinary mortals could clearly see the giant bell, and witnessed several figures suddenly appear beneath it, seemingly making contact with the colossus before being knocked tumbling down from the nine heavens. Among them, a sea of blood had enveloped the giant bell, making countless onlookers believe the battle was drawing to a close, only for that very sea of blood to disintegrate under the final toll.

The instant these figures struck the Eastern Emperor Bell, the sound of a sword's cry pierced through the bell's peals, traveling an immense distance.

Immediately following, a brilliant flash of white light flickered and vanished beneath the Eastern Emperor Bell. The light lasted for a mere fraction of a moment, yet it sent an inexplicable chill through the hearts of many, causing them to involuntarily close their eyes... When they hastily reopened them, they saw a figure in green robes wielding a longsword, tumbling downward from the nine heavens just like the others.

Those forced to close their eyes by the blinding brilliance were merely mortals with low cultivation or none at all. Truly powerful cultivators, however, shielded their eyes with layers of spiritual light the moment the flash occurred, allowing them to see the scene with even greater clarity.

They beheld a green-robed figure who had inexplicably appeared beneath the Eastern Emperor Bell. This person was entirely different from the heaven-shaking auras projected by the Ancestral Witches and the sea of blood; he appeared utterly tranquil amidst the roaring peals... Before his form had even fully materialized, a blinding white light erupted from the sword at his waist. Although it lasted for only an instant, it unleashed a killing intent that shook the heavens. The moment that murderous aura surged upward, even the Eastern Emperor Bell seemed to grow dim in comparison.

That boundless killing intent within a single sword strike seemed to embody the endless Great Dao.

The sword traced a path of white light, piercing an actual fissure into the void where the bell's tolls had annihilated everything else.

The void froze momentarily, and faintly, the Eastern Emperor Bell itself seemed to lock in place for a split second, its resounding tolls abruptly cut off. Immediately afterward, the Eastern Emperor Bell erupted with an even more violent roar, and the green-robed figure was sent tumbling backward...

These individuals had struck the Eastern Emperor Bell almost simultaneously, but Nanluo's final sword strike exhibited a mastery of momentum and timing that reached absolute perfection. It effectively detonated the accumulated kinetic energy of all the preceding attacks through that single thrust.

The very moment Nanluo's sword struck, the figures previously tumbling toward the ground instantly vanished into the void, escaping the domain of the bell's tolls. At the same time, Meng Ziyi suddenly made a grasping motion in the empty air, and the seven-colored soul whip materialized in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, she lashed the pale white cliff. The elusive and ephemeral Wujie Mountain instantly faded and dissolved into the void.

One sword strike executed, all companions retreated; only Nanluo remained, subjected to the backlash of the Eastern Emperor Bell, helpless as he tumbled down toward the earth...

An angry roar echoed from within the Eastern Emperor Bell. The sound was like thunder, striking terror into the hearts of all living beings.

Abandoning all the others, the Eastern Emperor Bell pursued Nanluo, descending with crushing intent to suppress him.

High above the nine heavens, the giant bell plunged downward with overwhelming, surging momentum, as if determined to annihilate every living creature beneath it. Below the colossus, a seemingly minuscule figure tumbled through the air, struggling desperately as the sword in his hand blossomed like smoke and mist. Endless radiance flickered around his body... yet it was shattered time and time again beneath the mighty tolls of the bell.

In this universe, who would dare claim they could escape unscathed from the Eastern Emperor Bell of the Eastern Emperor Taiyi? Remaining conscious and keeping one's mind from going blank under those chimes was already an immense challenge. To clash head-on with the Eastern Emperor Bell and retreat completely unharmed was something that had never happened before.

This was the second time Nanluo had drawn his sword against the Eastern Emperor Bell. The first time was when he had first entered the Heavenly Court, serving as its nominal foremost Star Monarch, and Kong Xuan had sought him out alone. Although Zhurong had appeared later, Nanluo was certain that, given Kong Xuan's temperament, he would never have allowed Zhurong to join forces in the attack.

That day had been an exceptionally unusual one for Nanluo. Yet, even then, he had drawn his sword with fierce resolve, doing so with absolute decisiveness.

Ever since the day he was abducted by the Third Prince Eagle, Nanluo had found himself trapped in a situation where death could claim him at any moment. He had thought he was finally escaping in those mountains, only to be recaptured and ultimately brought by Kong Xuan into the Undying Palace.

He harbored resentment toward the Undying Palace of Fengniao Mountain. Had the palace not been recruiting attendants—and strictly demanding human ones at that—he never would have been seized by Eagle Three. Later, upon learning that many of those who were rejected had been put to death, his hatred extended to the entire Undying Palace. Of course, his feelings toward Kong Xuan were complex. On one hand, Kong Xuan belonged to that same palace; on the other hand, deep down, he felt that Kong Xuan had saved his life. He certainly did not believe his past self would have necessarily been chosen, and thus, in his heart, Kong Xuan owed him a debt of gratitude for saving his life.

A debt of gratitude had to be repaid precisely when the other party was in the gravest danger. If the benefactor lived a peaceful life, one could remain aloof and uninvolved; but the moment trouble struck, one was obligated to render aid promptly. If one were to weigh one's own abilities at such a moment to decide whether or not to act, that would be hesitation, betraying a mind shackled by calculations of gain and loss.

This was his second time, but it was his first head-on collision with the Eastern Emperor Bell. The first time, he had possessed no power of resistance whatsoever; but this time, he faced the unbridled fury of the Eastern Emperor's wrathful strike.

The bell plummeted from the nine heavens, its peals bursting forth within the domain enclosed by the bell, reducing the void into fragments of primordial chaos.