Chapter 1790: The Bell of Creation
Shang Jun’s departure from the ancestral court to return to Yankang this time was by Qin Mu’s orders, to go back to the Primordial Realm, pass on his own abilities, and also absorb the achievements of the Yankang reforms. It was not a special trip to visit Zhu Santong and the other four.
He only learned from Qin Mu that Dongyang and the others had already reincarnated just before he set out.
As for Zhu Santong, Dongyang, and the others being reborn and losing their past-life memories, he hadn’t known about it initially, and after finding out, he didn’t take it to heart.
Zhu Santong had recovered some of his memories, feeling his past life was like faint, drifting clouds—seeming like himself, yet not quite himself. But whenever he recalled how Qin Mu had tricked the five of them, he felt a burning resentment.
“If we had our past-life memories, why would we have had to take so many detours?” he complained to Shang Jun.
Shang Jun was usually a man of few words, but seeing these five old acquaintances, he found himself speaking more. “Brother Dao, think back. Are the techniques and divine abilities from your past life still useful in this one?”
Zhu Santong carefully recalled the techniques and divine abilities of his past life, then thought about what he had learned in this life. A wave of confusion washed over his mind.
His former techniques and divine abilities were completely different from the current Yankang cultivation system. With some modifications, the divine abilities could still be used, but they seemed much cruder. As for the techniques, they were utterly useless!
The current Yankang techniques all followed the Great Divine Treasury system, from the Spirit Embryo to the Ancestral Court. Each realm encompassed far more Dao and laws than what he had cultivated in his past life.
The cultivation system was like a basket. The larger the basket the realm-openers built, the more later cultivators could fit inside it.
Some cultivators couldn’t fill the basket, while others could. The latter would go further than the former.
The basket of Yankang’s Ancestral Court Dao Realm system was larger than the one Zhu Santong and the others had in their past lives, allowing them to hold more.
If he had started with his past-life memories, he would have had cognitive obstacles, relying on his previous cultivation experience to train. He wouldn’t have been able to discard the old basket, which would have been detrimental to him instead.
“In truth, Seventh Young Master had good intentions in having you reincarnate. He just feared you wouldn’t accept it, so he didn’t tell you that reincarnation would erase past-life memories.”
Shang Jun said, “I actually envy you. You can cast everything aside and start over. The reason you could reincarnate is that we fought and killed in the ancestral court, buying you the chance to grow. Although I haven’t reincarnated and possess the realm of an ascendant, I’ve increasingly felt my strength limited over these years of struggling in the ancestral court. After I pass on my Dao techniques and divine abilities, if I get the chance, I’ll also reincarnate and start anew.”
He paused for a moment, then said, “After reincarnating, I don’t want to awaken my past-life memories.”
Zhu Santong understood his choice. Shang Jun had lived too bitterly. The memories of the Sixteenth Epoch were a burden to him, with few moments of joy.
If there was a next life, he would choose to live more lightly.
“You’ve returned from the ancestral court. Has the fighting there subsided?” Zhu Santong asked.
Shang Jun shook his head. “It’s grown more intense. The reason I could come back is that the Second Ancestor achieved ascension, greatly reducing my pressure.”
“The Second Ancestor achieved ascension?”
Zhu Santong was puzzled. “Who is the Second Ancestor?”
“The two patriarchs who founded the Ancestral Court Dao Realm system have achieved ascension.”
Shang Jun said, “Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua have ascended. Their combat power surpasses mine, so I could steal some leisure time to return, pass on my Dao techniques and divine abilities, and find disciples. You Tianzun has also ascended. He came back with me and went to the Netherworld.”
Zhu Santong was stunned. The wonders of the Ancestral Court Dao Realm system had left even him in awe. The achievements of these two patriarchs who founded it, now that they had ascended, were terrifying to imagine.
As for You Tianzun, he had only heard legends about him and never met him.
“And Seventh Young Master? Has he ascended?” Zhu Santong pressed.
Shang Jun’s expression turned strange. He shook his head. “His situation is special. If he were to ascend through chaos, he would be the legendary Seventh Young Master. But so far, he hasn’t managed to ascend through chaos.”
“The old scoundrel has finally met his match!”
Zhu Santong laughed heartily, very pleased. Dongyang, Jun Xieyu, and the others didn’t know what they were talking about, but seeing him laugh so happily, they joined in with a few chuckles.
Shang Jun’s expression remained odd. “Although Seventh Young Master hasn’t ascended through chaos, his ascension through the Guixu and the World Tree has grown even deeper.”
Zhu Santong was taken aback.
Shang Jun continued, “His Guixu Lotus Platform has already reached the Sixth Grade of Dao, and the World Tree has bloomed Dao Flowers and borne Dao Fruits—not just one flower or one fruit.”
Zhu Santong was stunned again, scratching the bristles on the back of his head. “That’s not right. The Ancestral Court Dao Realm system isn’t cultivated that way…”
“He’s not in the basket,” Shang Jun said.
Thunder seemed to roar in Zhu Santong’s mind as he suddenly understood Shang Jun’s words.
Those who filled the basket of the Ancestral Court Dao Realm system were geniuses. Those who founded it were patriarchs. But someone who had long since jumped out of the basket couldn’t be measured by it!
Qin Mu was the first to jump out, even before Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, and the new generation of Celestial Venerables had created the basket!
There were many baskets in the world. The ascension method of the Miluo Palace was a basket. The ascension method of the Heaven-Opening Ones was a basket. Wuya Old Man and other prehistoric beings also had their own baskets, big and small. Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua’s Ancestral Court Dao Realm system was also a basket!
But Qin Mu was in none of these baskets!
No basket could contain Qin Mu!
He could ascend through the Guixu method, walk the Dao Realm system of the Miluo Palace, ascend through the World Tree, or even master the Heaven-Opening Ones’ method of opening the heavens.
But none of these paths were the one he wanted to take.
His path was only one: ascending through chaos.
Shang Jun left, saying, “Having seen you, I can rest easy. I’m going to pass on my Dao techniques.”
Zhu Santong quickly caught up to him. “Shang Jun, can I go to the ancestral court?”
Shang Jun stopped and looked him over. “You need to cultivate until you’re one step away from ascension before you can go to the ancestral court. The ancestral court is extremely dangerous right now. With your current strength, going there would be suicide.”
Zhu Santong felt a chill. He was already one of the top young experts in the world. He had cultivated all the realms of the Ancestral Court Dao Realm system—the Four Heavenly Gates, the Jade Pool and Jade Terrace, the God-Beheading Platform, the Heavenly Sea, and the Nine Prisons Platform. Among the Five Primordial Realms, he had even reached the Taichu Realm, and his Dao realm was growing deeper. Otherwise, when he encountered Shang Jun, he wouldn’t have been touched by the Dao realm of the Cycle of Reincarnation and awakened part of his past-life memories.
His cultivation and strength could now rival the Celestial Venerables of the past. Yet even with such power, entering the ancestral court would mean certain death. How terrifying must the fighting there be?
Shang Jun walked far away, his voice drifting back: “When I return this time, Earth Lord will lead a group of cultivators close to ascension to the ancestral court to fill the gaps. Cultivate peacefully. If you can, come to my lectures.”
“Earth Lord will lead a group of Celestial Venerables to the ancestral court?”
Zhu Santong’s eyes darted around. Dongyang said gruffly, “Santong, don’t do anything reckless.”
Zhu Santong mumbled in agreement, but he wasn’t convinced. He thought to himself, “Among the five of us, I awakened the earliest and am the strongest. The others haven’t awakened their past-life memories yet. Since I have my past-life methods, why not go with Earth Lord and take a look?”
Full of enthusiasm, he left Dongyang and the others, activated his divine ability to open the Gate of Bearing Heaven, and entered the Netherworld.
Netherworld.
The massive Six Paths of Reincarnation operated on its own. The Heavenly Yin Realm connected with the Netherworld, with countless souls shuttling back and forth between the Six Paths and the Heavenly Yin Realm. Beneath the Six Paths, karmic fire raged, and countless souls struggled within it.
Inside the Six Paths, at Earth Lord’s mansion, Zhu Santong sneaked in, craning his neck to look around. He saw You Tianzun, Qin Fengqing, Heavenly Yin Empress, Di Yiyue, Village Chief, Blind Man, Granny Si, and others sitting in their respective seats. Heaven Duke, transformed into a white-browed old man, was also seated among them. They were all discussing matters.
“My Netherworld has You Tianzun to oversee it, so it should be safe. But the Celestial Realm—if Heaven Duke leaves, who will take charge of the Heavenly Dao’s operation?”
Qin Fengqing asked, “And the Heavenly Yin Realm—if Empress goes to the ancestral court, who will be responsible for refining the starving ghosts? Who will use the soul black sand to create new souls and manage the Heavenly Yin Realm’s Dao operation?”
Heaven Duke laid out the fifty Heavenly Dao supreme treasures. “Half of the Heavenly Dao’s operation relies on these treasures. Di Yiyue is my descendant; she can temporarily take charge of the Heavenly Dao’s operation in my place.”
Di Yiyue frowned. “I also want to go to the ancestral court to train. First, my cultivation has reached its peak. Relying solely on absorbing the results of the Yankang reforms is no longer enough to advance. Second, I want to see Kaihuang Qin Ye. He was once a Dao companion, and besides…”
She glanced at Heaven Duke but didn’t finish.
Back then, Heaven Duke and her father had decided to give her to Kaihuang Qin Ye as a child bride. Her relationship with Kaihuang Qin Ye was extremely delicate—teacher and friend. In her early years, she had a crush on Kaihuang Qin Ye, but he had someone he loved and rejected her. Later, her heart was taken by the Yin Heavenly Emperor, Yin Chaojin.
But the feelings of first love still lingered in her heart.
Heaven Duke knew he owed her greatly. Helpless, he looked at the First Ancestor of the Human Sovereigns. “Brother Qin Wu, how is your Heavenly Dao attainment? Can you temporarily oversee the Heavenly Dao’s operation?”
The First Ancestor of the Human Sovereigns said, “I am still far from ascension. I can manage it for a time.”
Heaven Duke breathed a sigh of relief.
Heavenly Yin Empress said, “King Yan can temporarily oversee the Heavenly Yin Realm’s operation.”
King Yan bowed in acknowledgment, then said, “Who is that outside the door?”
Everyone had long noticed Zhu Santong hiding outside but hadn’t mentioned it. King Yan, being straightforward, called him out.
Qin Fengqing said, “He’s someone who isn’t afraid of death. In my early years, my younger brother and I tricked him, so I didn’t chase him away. Zhu Santong, come in.”
Hearing this, Zhu Santong quickly entered the hall and declared loudly, “Earth Lord, you owe me! I’m going to the ancestral court this time too!”
The people in the hall frowned, looking at Qin Fengqing. Granny Si said, “Santong’s skills aren’t weak, but he’s only on the level of the Yin Heavenly Emperor. Going there would just be suicide.”
Qin Fengqing said, “Granny, it’s my younger brother’s fault. He wronged him. Since he wants to go, let him. Any patch of earth can bury a man.”
You Tianzun said, “Daoist Si, rest assured. With Heaven Duke, Earth Lord, and Heavenly Yin Empress on this trip, even if he’s beaten to ashes, he can be saved. As long as he isn’t beaten into chaos.”
Zhu Santong shuddered, regretting his decision to go, but he had to steel himself and not show fear.
A few days later, everyone was ready and immediately set out for the ancestral court.
Half a year later, they arrived outside the ancestral court. They saw that Qin Mu had refined the ancestral court into a square, four-sided cauldron, immensely vast, like a giant divine treasure. Colored clouds swirled around it, dazzling to the eye.
Zhu Santong’s heart trembled. “This ancestral court is almost being refined into a treasure! But who could activate such a cauldron?”
Their group was led by Heaven Duke and Qin Fengqing. The two stepped forward, each forming hand seals and divine abilities. A passage covered in magnificent Hongmeng runes appeared before them, and everyone filed in.
They walked through the passage for an unknown time. Zhu Santong looked at the walls around him. The runes here were not only Hongmeng runes but also other strange symbols, like terrifying creatures in chaos, shifting forms on the walls.
“Seventh Young Master’s seals!”
Suddenly, the space ahead opened up. They finally exited the passage and found themselves on one of the cauldron’s four walls. Looking down, they could see the entire majestic landscape of the ancestral court!
The most eye-catching sight was the World Tree, magnificent beyond compare!
At that moment, beneath the World Tree, a massive bell-shaped treasure lay horizontally, spanning the sixteen chaotic rivers outside the World Tree. The bell, shaped like the universe at its birth, faced the World Tree, emitting a bell sound like the creation of heaven and earth!
Inside the bell, Kaihuang Qin Ye, Yue Celestial Venerable, Jiang Baigui, Dao Ancestor, and others were fiercely fighting to defend the ancestral court!
The roots of the World Tree were embedded in the sixteen chaotic rivers, connecting to sixteen cosmic epochs. Prehistoric beings climbed up along the roots in an endless stream, charging at them. Various divine abilities flashed continuously within the giant bell!
Zhu Santong stared blankly at this scene, regretting coming here.
————Zhaizhu dropped a monthly ticket. Brothers, check your accounts to see if it fell into yours?