# 1715
Chapter 1715
Lin Qiye took out a white piece from his embrace and placed it in front of Lingbao Tianzun.
"What is this?"
"Something that can conceal Your Highness's existence in the future... and also a token of the pact between us."
"A token? How interesting." Lingbao Tianzun examined the white piece, seemingly sensing the causal的气息 (aura) within, and his brow lifted slightly.
"She must be Jialan, yes?" Lingbao Tianzun lifted his teacup, took a careful sip, and his gaze fell upon the乖巧 (docile) Jialan beside him. "You fed her the Immortal Pill... so she is also one of your chess pieces?"
"Your Highness is jesting. How could I possibly have the capability to make the two of you into chess pieces? I am merely one piece on the board myself..." Lin Qiye hastened to correct himself, but after a moment's hesitation, he still added vaguely, "Though, she... perhaps will become my wife in the future."
Jialan did not notice the difference in tone between "chess piece" and "wife," but Lingbao Tianzun's expression subtly shifted. He glanced between the two of them and chuckled softly.
"You are a Hongmeng Spirit Embryo, your lifespan equal to heaven's. And she has swallowed the Immortal Pill... The two of you are quite a match."
Upon hearing these words, Jialan froze for a moment, then her entire face flushed crimson!
She glanced shyly at Lin Qiye. When she saw him laughing openly without the slightest hint of denial, the blush on her face grew even more pronounced.
Could... could he actually like me??
Jialan's inexperienced and not-so-sharp mind instantly turned into a chaotic mess, her every thought written plainly across her face. Lingbao Tianzun's smile grew ever more satisfied.
"Your Highness, you just said... my lifespan equals heaven's?" Lin Qiye asked, bewildered.
"Indeed. You are a Hongmeng Spirit Embryo." Lingbao Tianzun spoke as if it were only natural. "Since the dawn of heaven and earth, the Hongmeng Spirit Embryo has existed. Now that you use it as your physical form, your lifespan is naturally equal to heaven's."
A flash of thought pierced through Lin Qiye's mind like lightning. He furrowed his brow and fell into deep contemplation.
"What's wrong?" Lingbao Tianzun, seeing Lin Qiye's sudden change, asked with some confusion.
"Your Highness... I heard that Heavenly Court has a place called the Spirit Abyss, which can absolutely seal living beings—even rendering them unaware of time's passage. If an ordinary person were sealed within, could they also achieve immortality?"
"No." Lingbao Tianzun shook his head. "What the Spirit Abyss seals is a person's thoughts—their perception of time's passage. It does not actually seal time itself. Even if a person is sealed within the Spirit Abyss, they will still die of old age."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiye let out a long sigh:
"Then in this world, is there truly no way for an ordinary person to become immune to the passage of time and achieve immortality?"
Lingbao Tianzun contemplated for a moment, then slowly spoke:
"There is, actually..."
He reached into his sleeve and grasped at the air. A bronze bell appeared in his palm. With a gentle shake, it transformed into a streak of cyan light that rapidly expanded in the storm, eventually becoming an ancient and magnificent bronze bell that settled in the courtyard.
Seeing this massive bell, Lin Qiye's eyes filled with puzzlement:
"This is..."
"One of my treasured possessions—the Eastern Emperor Bell." Lingbao Tianzun spoke unhurriedly. "The Eastern Emperor Bell, like the Kunlun Mirror, is a Supreme God artifact of our Heavenly Court. It possesses the power to suppress all things. When its chime rings, the sound can travel like thunder across the four seas and eight lands in an instant... Within the thick bell walls, even time and space can be suppressed.
If a person is trapped inside the bell wall, time's passage can be suppressed, achieving immortality within that confined space."
"The chime rings, the sound travels like thunder across the four seas and eight lands..."
A thunderous bell chime that echoed through heaven and earth—Lin Qiye's mind suddenly回荡 (reverberated) with the memory from before his穿越 (dimensional travel)!
So that was the sound of the Eastern Emperor Bell?!
Lin Qiye's eyes lit up instantly: "Your Highness, may I borrow this Eastern Emperor Bell?"
"Is this also for this grand game of chess?"
"Yes."
Lingbao Tianzun glanced at the Eastern Emperor Bell in the courtyard. An expression of heartache flickered across his face, but after a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth, retracted it into the form of the bell, and presented it before Lin Qiye.
"Since this concerns the fate of all living things in the world, take it... but remember to return it to贫道 (this humble daoist) after you've used it."
"That goes without saying."
Lin Qiye hung the bell, now transformed into a tiny bell, gently at his waist. A smile curved his lips.
With this Eastern Emperor Bell, the greatest obstacle at hand was solved—a welcome surprise!
After exchanging a few more words with Lingbao Tianzun, Lin Qiye rose and took his hurried leave.
Watching the one cyan and one blue figure vanish into the wind and snow, Lingbao Tianzun lowered his gaze to the white piece in his hand and carefully placed it back into his sleeve. Then he transformed into a 流光 (streak of light) and returned to Heavenly Court.
"Lingbao, did you meet that person?"
Seeing Lingbao Tianzun return, the Moral Heavenly Lord asked with curiosity. "How was it?"
Lingbao Tianzun opened his mouth, but remembering Lin Qiye's instructions, he simply smiled mysteriously. "For now, I'll keep it secret."
Now that the因果 (karma/causality) involving this game of chess was at stake, the fewer people who knew, the better. It was best if Lin Qiye's existence became a secret of this era—only then could he be better concealed.
"Secret?"
Hearing this response, even the Primordial Heavenly Lord was somewhat astonished. Hearing those two words from Lingbao Tianzun was a first... This only made them more curious about what background the mysterious person who met with him could possibly have.
"Oh, right." Lingbao Tianzun seemed to recall something. "In a few days,贫道 (I) will be entering the 'True Self Reincarnation.' The various matters of Heavenly Court will be left to you two."
"You're entering 'True Self Reincarnation'?" The Moral Heavenly Lord exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't that merely one possibility you were deducing? Entering reincarnation so quickly is far too risky."
"Rest assured, I know my limits."
The Primordial Heavenly Lord contemplated for a moment, then asked, "How long will it take for you to return from reincarnation?"
"Approximately... over two thousand years?"
Over two thousand years...
The Primordial Heavenly Lord nodded and offered no further dissuasion. He knew Lingbao Tianzun's temperament well—once he decided something, no one could change it.
"This wouldn't also be inspiration from that person, would it?" The Moral Heavenly Lord asked tentatively.
"One could say that."
"A mere human, yet able to influence you so profoundly?"
Lingbao Tianzun smiled. "Oh, and by the way, I also gave away the Eastern Emperor Bell."
The two Heavenly Lords: ???
"The Eastern Emperor Bell?! That's a Supreme God artifact of our Heavenly Court! You just gave it away?!" The Moral Heavenly Lord's eyes went wide. "You you you..."
"I suppose 'gave' isn't quite accurate... I lent it out, let's say."
"Then how long before he returns it?"
"Approximately... also over two thousand years?"
The Moral Heavenly Lord: o(▼皿▼メ;)o