Chapter 654: The Bell Body Has a Flaw

Hongjun's withered palm lay flat.

Above his palm, the Creation Jade Disc fragment rotated slowly.

Three Thousand Dao runes descended from within, transforming into a stretch of clear light that wrapped around Gu Yuan's wisp of Primordial Spirit Fire — so feeble it might extinguish at any moment.

The Donghuang Bell fragments scattered across the Eastern Wasteland battlefield, drawn by an invisible mighty force, tore through the void and flew one after another into the clear light.

The bronze fragments intertwined and smelted under the Power of Creation.

Those ancient patterns of sun, moon, stars, earth, water, fire, and wind on the bell's surface manifested anew.

Hongjun's gaze was calm.

A moment later, his brows furrowed imperceptibly.

The fragments finished piecing together.

The Bronze Bell reformed, yet at the bell's edge, three inconspicuous corners were missing.

"The bell body has a flaw, lost in the spacetime turbulence." Hongjun's voice was dry and shriveled, revealing no emotion. "Still, it retains ninety percent power. To suppress the Heavenly Court's Qi Luck, it is enough."

He lifted his eyes to look at Di Jun.

"His Primordial Origin is nearly dried up; he must be placed in the Chaos Creation Pool within Zixiao Palace, nurtured with Heavenly Dao Primordial Origin — at least three Yuan Hui before his divine intellect can reassemble."

Hongjun's finger flicked slightly; the Donghuang Bell guarding that wisp of Primordial Spirit Fire drifted slowly into his wide sleeve.

"Withdraw. Heaven and Earth's order is already in chaos. You are the Heavenly Emperor; you should know what matters."

Di Jun stood atop the starlight.

His Nine Dragon Imperial Robe was torn in many places, and golden bloodstains still lingered at the corner of his mouth.

Humiliation.

As Heavenly Emperor, he could not even protect his own younger brother, forced to watch helplessly as he became the Ancestor of the Dao's prisoner at the foot of the dais.

But Di Jun did not flare up.

He drew a deep breath, pressing all savagery, killing intent, and regret into the bottom of his heart.

His knees bent, and he performed a half-bow toward Hongjun.

【22】 "Many thanks, Ancestor of the Dao, for saving my uterine brother. Taiyi's safety in Zixiao Palace will then trouble the Ancestor of the Dao."

"Many thanks, Ancestor of the Dao, for saving my younger brother; the safety of Taiyi in Zixiao Palace will then trouble the Ancestor of the Dao."

Di Jun rose; those golden pupils held not a ripple, only absolute coldness and ruthlessness.

"Bai Ze, Ji Meng, Ying Zhao." Di Jun spoke, his voice spreading across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

The surviving Yao Sages, dragging their battered bodies, flew to Di Jun's front and knelt on one knee.

"Your subject is here."

"Proclaim Our Decree." Di Jun drew the Heavenly Emperor Sword, pointing straight at the Great Wasteland earth. "The Wu Clan's Di Jiang is dead; the remaining Ancestral Witches are confined in the Di Fu by the Ancestor of the Dao. From today, the Heavenly Court's armies mobilize fully."

"Any who dare raise the Wu Clan's battle flag upon the Great Wasteland — kill. Any who dare cultivate the Blood Sacrifice method — kill. Any who dare obstruct the Heavenly Court's takeover of the land's mountains and rivers — kill."

"We want this Great Wasteland, heaven above and earth below, to revere the Yao Clan alone."

Di Jun stepped onto the Nine Dragons Sandalwood Palanquin.

Nine Taiyi Golden Immortal realm fire jiaos let out a long cry, pulling the carriage and palanquin to crush the void, heading toward the Thirty-Three Heavens.

He had no time for grief.

Taiyi traded his life for the Wu Clan's confinement.

He must, with the utmost speed, gather all the Great Wasteland's resources and Qi Luck into his grasp.

Only when the Yao Clan is strong enough — strong enough that even the Heavenly Dao cannot discard it — will he have the qualification to stand before Hongjun once more and take his brother back.

Hongjun watched Di Jun's departing back, eyelids lowering slightly.

"He has indeed progressed."

His figure faded, merging into Chaos.

……

This day, the Great Wasteland trembled, all spirits lost their voices.

The Heavenly Disaster of the Ten Suns in the sky had just subsided; hot on its heels came the blood rain of the four Ancestral Witches' fall.

East Sea Shore, beside the Blood Sea, at the foot of Mount Buzhou.

Countless great powers raised their heads to the sky, their eyes holding only deep fear.

Kunlun Mountain, Yuxu Palace.

Yuanshi Tianzun stood before the main hall gates, watching the blood clouds dissipating in the Heavenly Dome, and let out a cold snort.

"This son Di Jun acts ever more without scruple, stirring the Zhou Tian Star Dou to crash down upon the Great Wasteland — karma of this magnitude is enough to doom the Yao Clan to never recover. Master actually still spared his life."

Tongtian Jiaozhu sat to the side wiping the Qingping Sword, not even lifting his head.

"Second Brother, if you had half of Di Jun's resolve, Jiao Sect would not have sunk so low as to still lack a single decent disciple."

"You!" Yuanshi flew into a rage.

"Enough." Taishang Laojun opened his eyes, voice low. "The Yao Clan's Great Trend is already formed. The Wu Clan is trapped in the Di Fu; nominally, this Great Wasteland is now Di Jun's world. Seal the mountain; until the Quantity Calamity ends, Three Purities disciples are not to descend the mountain."

Laozi looked toward the Chaos direction.

What he cared about more was that Donghuang Taiyi who had been taken away by the Ancestor of the Dao.

Withstood a strike from Pangu's phantom and did not die.

Can a Quasi-Sage Early Stage possess such foundation?

Hard to say.

But a mere Golden Immortal blocked it.

Golden Immortal? Quasi-Sage?

Can the Donghuang Bell alone level such a vast gap?

Hard to tell!

……

Di Fu Blood Sea.

Minghe Laozu hid inside the Twelve-Grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus, trembling violently.

He personally watched Di Jiang meet his end, watched Zhu Rong and Gonggong perish together, watched the Ancestor of the Dao personally step in to settle the world.

"Madmen... all of them are madmen!" Minghe gritted his teeth.

He had originally still wanted to take advantage of the chaos to go out and fish for some benefits; now his thoughts were thoroughly extinguished.

"This seat had better continue playing dead!"

He decided: unless the Ancestor of the Dao summoned him, no one's arrival would be of any use!

……

Human Ancestral Land.

Cangjie stood at the mountain peak, the Human Creation Whip hanging at his waist; he looked at the land riddled with scars, his eyes full of compassion and gravity.

"Wen Zu, what should we do?" the tribal leader behind him asked.

Cangjie clenched his fists.

"Recuperate and multiply; the Heavenly Court has no leisure to mind us now. Pass the order to all tribes: migrate toward the East Sea Shore. Stay far from the Wu and Yao battlefield."

Gu Yuan's past words reverberated in his mind.

Without strength, one can only be a chess piece.

The human race must stand up on its own.

……

Zixiao Palace.

The great hall was vast and deathly silent.

Three Thousand Dao runes circulated, arising and perishing above the Celestial Canopy, emitting an eternal Dao rhyme.

Hongjun strode into the rear hall.

There were no Pútuán here, no incense burners.

Only a square water pool ten zhang across.

The pool water was Chaos-colored, viscous like mercury.

A faint layer of Purple Qi floated on the water surface.

This is the core of Zixiao Palace — the Hunyuan Zaohua Chi.

The water in the pool is the Primordial Origin of Chaos remaining from before Kāitiān Pìdì; a single drop weighs more than ten thousand jun.

Hongjun waved his wide sleeve.

The damaged Donghuang Bell flew out, hovering directly above the Zaohua Chi.

Inside the bell body, that wisp of golden Primordial Spirit Fire burned quietly, weak to the utmost extreme.

Hongjun sat cross-legged by the pool. He looked at that cluster of flame; his withered face showed no expression.

"No need to pretend."

Hongjun spoke, his voice echoing in the empty rear hall.

"I know you can hear me; your true spirit is not extinguished. You forcibly took the Pangu's Axe shadow head-on, your flesh body collapsed, but the Law Wave that erupted from you in that instant does not belong to this world."

The flame did not flicker. No reaction whatsoever.

Hongjun's gaze was indifferent.

"An anomaly."

"Heavenly Dao fifty, Heavenly Calculation forty-nine, the one that escapes is the 'one'. You are that escaped 'one'. As for Wen Zu Cangjie, it appears to be you."

"You disturb Heavenly Secrets, sever the Quantity Calamity; if not for you, the Wu and Yao two clans would already have perished together by now. You possess a great secret, but I do not care."

Hongjun slowly raised his hand; a streak of purple nether light lit at his fingertip.

That is the pure Heavenly Dao will.

"Under Heavenly Dao, all things are chess pieces, all are nourishment. Refine you, erase your independent will, merge you into the Heavenly Dao core. Heavenly Dao can then complete the final missing piece, achieve thorough Perfection."

"This is the value of your existence."