Chapter 218: Impenetrable Defense

Just mentioning those quasi‑Saint‑level powerhouses is lively enough, let alone that at least four of the six Heavenly Dao Saints are secretly competing. Taiching and Yuan Shi already each wield top‑grade artifacts, so they have little interest in the Chaos Bell.

But the situation for the others is different; Nüwa, though she has merit and no sect of her own, once possessed this treasure as the Demon Race's clan‑protecting gem, so she might take an interest.

The two saints of the Western Sect, so poor their pockets clink, have long coveted this supreme relic that can suppress fortune.

And the Tongtian Jiaozhu, who boasts that ten thousand immortals come to pay homage, whose Exterminating Immortal Sword formation is infamous, yet it cannot be used to suppress a sect's fortune.

His practice of taking disciples without regard to aptitude will inevitably cause chaos, and the later Sealing of the Gods calamity proved it.

The Jie Sect has countless followers, and the Tongtian Saint is a carefree fellow, essentially adopting a hands‑off approach to his juniors.

Over time, eighteen or nineteen out of twenty of his disciples become entangled with karmic debts.

Seeing so many disciples bearing blood debts, when the Heavenly Dao settles accounts in the autumn, the Jie Sect will likely follow the fate of the Wuyao and Undead, ending up scattered like monkeys after a fallen tree.

A turning point would require finding a sect‑stabilizing treasure to steady the fortune. At this critical moment, isn't the Chaos Bell precisely the Tongtian Jiaozhu's prized item? Yet every saint in the circle is a shrewd person, all have their eyes on this world‑opening sacred instrument.

Because the Chaos Sea is a peculiar realm where the Heavenly Dao's laws are out of reach, saints here can still move mountains and fill seas, but cannot calculate the heavenly scheme, which leaves Zhou Yi with a sliver of hope.

Speaking of subduing the Chaos Bell, even saints might not manage it, let alone Zhou Yi, the junior.

His trip to the Chaos Sea is, frankly, a gamble, hoping to test whether the hidden move he buried back then will work.

Back in Honghuang, when he sparred with Taiyi, he first used a celestial bell to tinker with the Chaos Bell, and after several bouts kept reinforcing the seal; now he finally senses a faint ripple across the Chaos Sea.

Following this intermittent resonance, Zhou Yi groped through the Chaos mist for an unknown span of time. Suddenly his chest trembled as the Chaos Bell's echo became unprecedentedly clear. He took a step toward the source of the tremor and heard fighting sounds amid the chaotic currents.

Parting the Chaos mist, he saw a plump‑faced man from the Heavenly Court cheerfully hefting an eight‑edged hammer, with a strikingly beautiful, cold‑elegant female cultivator standing beside him.

The two were surrounded by dozens of extraterritorial heavenly demons, with a three‑headed, six‑armed Chaos Demon God planted in the center.

The stout man, barely having reached the quasi‑Saint threshold, laughed at the peril as if strolling a temple fair, while the female cultivator radiated killing intent, her twin blades whirling densely, blade light pouring like a torrential rain, carving a bloody path through the demon tide.

Although the woman has not yet stepped over the quasi‑Saint threshold, she already stands at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal, just a step away from that realm. The round‑faced man, despite constantly producing artifacts, finds both of them flustered under the onslaught of the Chaos Demon God and the heavenly demons.

The Chaos Demon God knows no Daoist techniques, yet its flesh is abnormally hard; ordinary quasi‑Saints cannot break its defense.

Those heavenly demons are even more insidious, targeting the hearts of mortals.

Fortunately, the round‑faced man carries something like a hundred‑treasure pouch, flinging out seven or eight treasures in succession just enough to fend off the demon god's assault.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi suddenly understood; the identities of the two were about to be revealed. He darted into the fray, laughing, "Our meeting is fate; let me lend a hand."

The pair froze, shocked that a living person existed in the depths of the Chaos Sea. Before they could reply, an ancient bell above Zhou Yi buzzed, ten thousand divine rays poured like a waterfall, Boom— knocking the three‑meter‑tall Chaos Demon God skyward.

Primordial divine light swept the scene, and the heavenly demons instantly turned into blue smoke and vanished.

What truly left them gaping was the He Tu Luo Shu he tossed back; yin and yang energies intertwined in the air forming a chain that instantly pinned the demon god, which had smashed half a mountain, to the ground. The whole sequence flowed like clouds and water, making the two's eyes nearly pop out.

The round‑faced man recovered first, wiped his sweat and bowed, "Jie Sect's Duobao, thanks for the senior's righteous assistance."

The female immortal beside him hurriedly saluted, "Jin Ling thanks you, fellow cultivator, for the life‑saving favor."

"So you're a senior disciple of the Tongtian Saint," Zhou Yi said with a smile and a bow, "I am Zhou Yi of the Human Race; the clash with Taiyi years ago must have made you all laugh."

Duobao inhaled sharply at the words, "You are the Human Race's co‑ruler who boldly challenged Taiyi's bell?" The artifacts in his arms jingled, his spiritual power trembling with surprise.

The tale of Zhou Yi single‑handedly dueling the Demon Emperor on the Human ancestral lands has long been retold in a hundred and eighty versions across Honghuang.

The day the Wuyao War ended, Zhou Yi's bold clash with Taiyi remains a favorite story.

In that battle he displayed half‑step Saint peak cultivation, engraving his name into the memory of all ten thousand races of Honghuang.

Duobao Daoist, as a senior disciple of the Jie Sect, has only just entered the half‑step Saint realm, yet when facing a pinnacle like Zhou Yi, naturally he dares not be lax.

Even the usually composed Jin Ling Holy Mother could not hide her surprise; who would have thought to meet this reclusive master in the Chaos Sea?

"Just an empty name," Zhou Yi waved his hand to change the subject, "How did you two end up in this perilous place?" He had already guessed about seventy‑percent, but the proper dialogue still needed to be spoken.

Duobao Daoist lightly patted the artifact at his waist, "Our master led us into the Chaos Sea to cultivate, then abruptly left. We were ambushed by extraterritorial heavenly demons; fortunately you came to our rescue." He then shifted tone, "I heard you have been in seclusion at Wanhuo Cave for years; why…?"

Zhou Yi's mind was as clear as a mirror. The Tongtian Jiaozhu does not simply bring disciples for training; given this direction is only ten thousand li from the present location of the Chaos Bell, that saint is likely after the primordial treasure.

"I was originally meditating in my cave when I heard the Great Peng Bird old thief might be roaming the Chaos Sea, so I chased after it for luck." Zhou Yi deliberately mentioned the demon master's whereabouts, his peripheral gaze watching their expressions.

"That scoundrel actually hid here?" Duobao Daoist inhaled sharply. After the Wuyao War, the Great Peng Bird vanished without a trace; no one expected it to be hiding in the Chaos Sea.

As the three spoke, sword qi suddenly streaked across the heavens.

The Green‑Robed Daoist shattered the void as he arrived, the Exterminating Immortal Sword in his hand emitting cold light, the Tongtian Saint himself.

"You let the Chaos Bell slip again." Tongtian sheathed his sword, glancing at Zhou Yi with a slight raise of his brow, "The little fellow from Wanhuo Cave ran far enough?"

The words sounded teasing, yet his saintly aura pressed the chaotic currents into stagnation.

Duobao and his companion hurriedly saluted; Zhou Yi also clasped his fists, "Honored to see the Saint." A fleeting glance at the Tongtian's waist caught a lingering bell‑shaped afterimage, confirming his suspicion.

The Tongtian Jiaozhu, initially scowling, heard the saint's words and seemed to have his plan to subdue the Chaos Bell thwarted, his expression darkening further.

Just as he was about to act, his gaze suddenly fell on Zhou Yi, his brow lifting with curiosity.

A saint's thought can pierce all things; Zhou Yi's performance during the Wuyao War was naturally observed by the Jie Sect's master.

However, for a saint who looks down on all beings, even a quasi‑Saint peak warrior is merely a slightly larger ant; the fact that the Tongtian Jiaozhu gave him an extra glance already counts as unprecedented regard.