Chapter 219: Not Returning Empty‑handed

Zhou Yi saw the situation and was about to bring up the old matter of the demon master Great Peng Bird, when Tongtian Jiaozhu, already in a low‑spirited mood, waved his hand: "The Chaos Sea is fraught with danger; with your current cultivation you'd better return early."

Before the words fell, he and his disciple turned into a flash of light and vanished, leaving Zhou Yi staring at the horizon with a wry smile; this Saint truly acted on impulse, his joy and anger plainly written on his face, far more genuine than those pretentious immortals.

Yet this straightforward attitude also indirectly proves that, at this moment, he cannot get into a Saint's good graces.

Zhou Yi watched the direction where the Chaos Bell fled, clenching his fist; to truly stand equal with these mighty beings of heaven and earth, he must still wait for the opportunity of the sealing‑god calamity.

The Chaos Bell now darted through the Chaos Sea like a startled fish, its golden surface swirling with five‑colored divine light that churned the Chaos Qi into endless turbulence.

Zhou Yi's forehead sweated as he chased; several times he nearly lost the target, and only after the golden giant bell confirmed safety and slowed did he manage to close the distance.

"Following me this long, a Human Race kid wants to be my master?" The deep, resonant bell of Chaos boomed, and ten‑thousands of strands of Chaos Qi coiled around Zhou Yi's robes like living things.

The young man, who had anticipated this, stood calmly, a spark of eager challenge lighting his eyes.

The top‑tier artifacts from the dawn of heaven and earth possess their own spirit; the power of the Chaos Bell is terrifyingly great— even a Saint cannot forcefully subdue it, far beyond any ordinary object.

Although Zhou Yi had secretly tampered with the Chaos Bell, for a treasure of this caliber such tricks are like a mere itch.

If he truly pressed the issue, a single thought from the Chaos Bell could render all those arrangements useless; now he simply doesn't bother because he's too lazy to deal with it.

Yet, on the other hand, the Chaos Bell's refusal to clear those arrangements seems to leave Zhou Yi a lingering thought, perhaps a chance to eventually claim it for himself.

It's not surprising that top‑tier artifacts can speak; many lower‑grade spirit treasures have already cultivated Spiritual Intelligence, let alone an ancient relic like the Chaos Bell.

"I've chased you for a few hundred years, clashed seven or eight times, and I'm truly humbled; only now have I reached the Chaos Sea to truly see you." Zhou Yi shouted at the top of his lungs.

The Chaos Bell buzzed: "You youngster are slick‑tongued; I am a primordial treasure from the very first opening of heaven and earth, unshaken even by Saints in the Chaos Sea. Last time Tongtian old man tried to claim me? He didn't even bother to pee on me."

Zhou Yi saw through it; the Chaos Bell despises Tongtian Jiaozhu, likely because of the Jie Sect's rotten mess. Back then Taiyi took it but couldn't quell the Demon Race's qi‑flow; with the Jie Sect's karmic burden, the bell would have been blackened, wouldn't it?

"You even dare to defy Saints; such boldness truly opens one's eyes." Zhou Yi continued, stroking the bell's mane.

The Chaos Bell suddenly shifted tone: "Stop flattering me; although Taiyi's era wasn't directly ended by you, you're still linked. Believe it or not, I could crush you to the sea floor right now." Though it said so, the bell's tone clearly brimmed with smug confidence.

Zhou Yi quickly replied: "Taiyi's fool lacked insight, insisting on defying Heaven. A big‑shot like you should just lie back and enjoy peace; no need to meddle in such petty affairs."

The Chaos Bell spun three times in mid‑air: "Your words make sense; I can indeed anchor qi‑flow but I have no duty to be a shield. Since you're to my liking, I'll let it pass this time. You've chased me for a hundred‑plus years just to have me mingle with you? Use any tricks you have."

Zhou Yi smirked; this ancient relic may sound fierce, but if he truly wanted to argue he'd act first. In short, his own strength is enough to make the Chaos Bell deem him worthy of sitting down to negotiate terms.

The surrounding waters of the Chaos Sea.

Even though Zhou Yi now stands at the threshold of the quasi‑saint Great Perfection, to a being like the Chaos Bell he is merely a drifting mayfly. If he were to act, this ancient divine bell could, with a flick of its finger, suppress him to the sea floor.

"Bell Elder, you have no master now; wandering the Chaos Sea is indeed carefree, but staying too long will let the Chaos Qi slowly corrode you, won't it?"

Zhou Yi rubbed his hands and laughed, "Now the Human Race is the world's protagonist; if you follow me, you won't have to bear karmic retribution and can freely ride the Human Race's fortune."

That wasn't wrong; as the current co‑ruler of the Human Race and head of Fire‑Cloud Cave, the flow of fortune he leans on is indeed tempting.

It should be known that the Chaos Bell once followed Taiyi among the Demon Race and the Heavenly Court, outwardly a ruler‑subject relationship but actually each serving their own needs: Taiyi used it to suppress the Demon Race's qi‑flow, while it fed on that qi to nurture its Spiritual Intelligence. Later, the war between demons and the Heavenly Court collapsed, and the bell endured the backlash of the Heavenly Dao, preventing it from shattering into fragments.

"Human Race's fortune is indeed dripping with oil…" the Chaos Bell rumbled like a low thunder, "but your frail body isn't even a Saint. If I recognize you now, the Three Pure Ones could crush you into mush and take the bell—do you think I'm a fool?"

Zhou Yi touched his chin and said nothing. The bell's words were reasonable; now that Saints dominate the Vast Wilderness World, his quasi‑saint Great Perfection lets him walk among ordinary cultivators, but before a Saint he's no different from a naked runner.

This time Zhou Yi came to the Chaos Sea seeking the Chaos Bell, essentially to boost his own presence early and lay hidden moves for future schemes.

"My Dao practice is indeed shallow now, but who knows what the future holds." Zhou Yi smiled, touching his chin.

"Hah! Such bold words from a mere Human Race—what's this? Still hoping to achieve sainthood in this waning‑law Honghuang?" the Chaos Bell's spirit sneered.

It's not that it's deliberately antagonistic; since the Six Saints returned to their seats, anyone in the world trying to attain the mixed‑origin fruit of enlightenment is essentially chasing a dream.

Back then, the Dao Ancestor of Purple‑Sky Palace plainly stated that the Heavenly Dao's destiny should produce seven Saints.

The Three Pure Ones, Nüwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti occupied six seats; the final mysterious purple qi of Hongmeng remains unsolved.

It's odd—Purple‑Sky Palace clearly set six cushions, yet the Dao Ancestor granted seven paths to sainthood. Today, apart from Wan Huo Ancestor's missing purple qi, the other recipients have long ascended to Sainthood.

Zhou Yi actually holds the seventh purple qi in his hand, but he never intended to walk the old path of slaying three bodies; the Heavenly Dao and Hongyuan cannot easily allow him to become a Saint.

"The Great Dao leaves fifty paths, one of which can be hidden; cutting bodies to prove the Dao is blocked, but there may be other ways." Zhou Yi lightly tapped the bell's bronze surface, sending ripples across its pattern.

The Chaos Bell buzzed: "Interesting, so many great beings fail to obtain what they seek, yet you speak of it as easily as drinking water. Very well! If you truly become a Saint, I could even accept you as my master."

"Then I'll take your auspicious words; when I finally achieve the Dao, I'll come to the Chaos Sea to bring you out of the mountain." Zhou Yi bowed, his dark robe fluttering without wind.

"Hmph, I am a truly innate treasure; my words are naturally binding." The Chaos Bell suddenly let its deep resonance ring out, "Since you respect my temper, I'll grant you a smooth ride."

Before Zhou Yi could react, the Chaos Sea's tide exploded. When he opened his eyes again, the towering outline of Mount Buzhou, standing like a pillar of heaven and earth, floated at the far end of the sea of clouds.

This is the Chaos Bell's defying‑heaven power; even deep within the Chaos Sea it can cleave the turbulent spacetime currents, carrying Zhou Yi straight to the edge of the Vast Wilderness World's heavens.

Although this trip to the Chaos Sea did not yield the expected opportunity, it was not a return empty‑handed.