The Duel of the Undying Bell

The Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell hung in the void, dreamlike and ethereal, radiant with auspicious light. Though it was entirely golden, its walls were nearly transparent, like polished gold crystal. Half a War Sword had pierced through the bell's shell—a glaring, breathtaking sight, brilliant as a rainbow.

Wu Ming could scarcely believe his eyes. The Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell was a supreme defensive treasure, famed as indestructible—and now it had been pierced. Shock flooded his face.

With a sharp hiss, a beam of light shot from the sword, racing toward Wu Ming's shoulder. At this range, he had no chance to dodge.

Blood burst forth. The beam had punched through his shoulder joint, blood flowing freely, and within his body came the sound of shattering porcelain—the two spirit treasures fused into his shoulder were destroyed, their artifact spirits extinguished with them.

Wu Ming moved like a ghost, retreating a hundred zhang in an instant. The Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell above his head blazed with intensified light, its chime ringing without pause.

The War Sword embedded in the bell gleamed, and though shaken free by the bell's resonance, its momentum only grew. It transformed into a rainbow, soaring across the sky, dazzling and radiant.

The bell truly lived up to its name: Indestructible. The pierced section mended like a healing wound, light condensing, golden brilliance flowing over it—in a breath, it was whole again.

“Our cooperation has yet to begin, and you already want to kill me?” Wu Ming's voice was icy as he fixed his gaze on Xiao Chen.

“Same thoughts as you. A pure test of skill.”

“You may not have the power to kill me.” Wu Ming shot into the sky, golden light rippling around him like water. The divine bell melted, merging with his body. In that moment, it was impossible to tell where the bell ended and Wu Ming began.

A golden rainbow split the sky, blindingly bright, illuminating the heavens as it streaked toward Xiao Chen. It carried the deafening chime of the bell and the fury of ten thousand bolts of purple lightning.

Yes—within that golden rainbow was the Heavenly Thunder Hammer. Two half-ancestor treasures fused together, their power unmatched! Where they passed, holes tore open in space, devouring everything around them.

“Weng!” “Duo!”

Xiao Chen's eyes flickered with surprise, but he showed no fear. Divine light blazed across his body as mysterious runic patterns surfaced. The War Sword in the distance turned into a rainbow, hurtling toward Wu Ming.

The War Sword clashed with the Heavenly Thunder Hammer. Brilliant sparks burst across the sky like countless thunderbolts, purple lightning and rainbow light interweaving, radiating an overwhelming pressure.

Even high above, the Taihang Mountains below were caught in the blast. In this duel of heavenly kings, dozens of peaks were reduced to ashes.

With a sharp ring, the War Sword—unyielding and invincible—struck the Heavenly Thunder Hammer free from the golden light, leaving a trail of deep sword scars on its surface.

Any onlooker would have been stunned. The Heavenly Thunder Hammer was an indestructible supreme treasure of the Cultivation World, peerless in attack power—yet it was now being completely suppressed, in danger of being shattered.

With a thunderous crash, the Heavenly Thunder Hammer broke through the blockade and suddenly flew toward Xiao Chen. Purple qi surged from the east—no aura at all, only the killing intent of a cold abyss!

Wu Ming had merged with the divine bell into a mass of golden light, trapping the War Sword. The Imperial Heaven Divine Bell was called Indestructible, and when Wu Ming fused with it, he became virtually immortal, his life force swelling to its peak. He gambled on intercepting the War Sword.

The Heavenly Thunder Hammer, wreathed in purple light, struck. Purple clouds blotted out the sun; divine might stole the soul.

Xiao Chen remained calm as still water, standing in the void. In that moment, his soul trembled, and a heavenly sound emerged from his lips.

In an instant, dozens of Weng and Duo characters burst forth in the void, as if cast from molten iron, manifesting as solid entities.

Dozens of Weng and Duo characters flew like shooting stars around Xiao Chen—each one crystal clear, brilliant. They traced graceful arcs, forming an impenetrable net of light, shielding him within.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Heavenly Thunder Hammer slammed against the shooting stars, shaking heaven and earth, but could not breach the wall of light.

Not only that—the Weng and Duo characters grew ever brighter, like miniature suns, slowly pressing down on the scarred Heavenly Thunder Hammer, suppressing it.

When the Duo sound had been mastered, the power of the Weng sound had risen alongside it, several times stronger than before. With both sounds unleashed together, he could now stand against supreme treasures.

If all eight sounds were used together… the scene was unimaginable.

With a thunderous roar, the dozens of Weng and Duo characters blazed like stars, enough to scatter souls. Gradually, they drove back the Heavenly Thunder Hammer, seeking to seal it.

Wu Ming's face changed. He had split his two supreme treasures—using the fused life force of the bell to delay the War Sword while the divine hammer attacked, hoping to grind Xiao Chen down.

But he had never expected Xiao Chen to so calmly receive the Heavenly Thunder Hammer and even begin to suppress it. Over time, the hammer would surely be taken.

The majestic heavenly sound filled the world. The star-like solid characters gleamed, and if this continued, the hammer would indeed be lost.

In that moment, Wu Ming was in agony. Though fused with the Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell, his body nearly immortal, the unstoppable War Sword carved into the bell again and again, sending waves of searing pain through him. He felt the torment of being torn apart, cut to pieces.

“Stop! We are allies—there's no need for a death struggle!” Wu Ming shouted.

Xiao Chen paid him no heed, attacking even more ferociously.

The rainbow sword darted through the golden light, puncturing the bell like a fishing net, threading through it a dozen times.

“Heavenly Hammer, return!”

Wu Ming roared. The Heavenly Thunder Hammer, enveloped in purple light, broke through the resistance of the Duo and Weng sounds, flying back to Wu Ming and merging into the golden glow.

Now Xiao Chen had the upper hand, pressing Wu Ming relentlessly. His body was surrounded by dozens of star-like characters, while the War Sword hacked at Wu Ming from the front.

The Heavenly Thunder Hammer was covered in scars, struck dozens of times. The Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell was repeatedly pierced and reformed. Wu Ming's entire body screamed in agony—fused with the bell, he was the bell itself, experiencing every torment firsthand.

A merciless beating!

Yes, in the moments that followed, Xiao Chen charged forward and rained blows on the golden mass, battering it so hard the sky shook.

Wu Ming felt as if he were being thrashed. Though fused with the bell, his senses remained. He clearly felt the heavy kick to his abdomen—it nearly knocked the breath out of him.

Smack! Another heavy palm to the head. A clear handprint appeared on the golden bell. Wu Ming felt as if his skull had split.

Thump! A vicious kick to the chest. Wu Ming wanted to vomit blood. This was no longer a duel—this was a beating.

How many years since he had felt this? Since he rose to fame, he had never suffered such humiliation. Just thinking about it made him burn with rage.

Divine fire blazed. The Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell seemed to ignite, its body turning into a blinding ball of gold, the Heavenly Thunder Hammer wrapped within, charging furiously at Xiao Chen.

But the divine bell's fire and purple light could not trap Xiao Chen. The War Sword, unyielding and invincible, carved a path through the golden flames, slashing its way free.

With a heavy thud, a Killing Hand struck down. A phantom of a Heavenly Stele pressed onto the golden light. Wu Ming felt as if a mountain had rolled over his body, shattering his flesh apart. Though he reformed, the pain would never be forgotten.

A dignified heavenly king, beaten like a dog—it would make anyone laugh and rage.

He knew he could not overcome Xiao Chen. To continue fighting would only bring more suffering. A flash of blood-red light, and he used a blood escape technique, reappearing miles away. He then tore open space and fled back to the Cultivation World.

“Stop! Enough fighting!” Xiao Chen laughed heartily. “Now, let's talk about how we can work together.”

The Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell appeared in the void, and Wu Ming slowly emerged, his face livid. He wanted nothing more than to curse.

Cooperation my ass—that's what he wanted to say. But he forced his emotions down, glaring coldly at Xiao Chen.

If Xiao Chen had been certain he could wipe out Wu Ming, he would not have let him go. But Wu Ming had truly merged with the divine bell, not like Ye Tian's half-merger. Even if three War Swords came out together and shattered the bell, Wu Ming's soul imprint would likely escape with the indestructible bell. Without a doubt, the Half-Ancestor would reconstruct his body, making the kill meaningless.

If he had four or five War Swords, he could seal space and destroy the bell's soul, erasing all traces of Wu Ming and nullifying the Half-Ancestor's promise.

But with only three War Swords, he couldn't form a sword formation. The Imperial Heaven Divine Bell could break free if it fled, so knowing this outcome, he decided to beat Wu Ming to his heart's content instead.

“Do you think we can still cooperate now?” Wu Ming's voice came coldly from the distant sky, staring at Xiao Chen.

“Exceptional people need exceptional boldness.” Xiao Chen stood in the void, the War Sword already sheathed. “You wanted to kill me just now too, right? Only through true life-and-death combat can we accurately assess each other's real strength. Otherwise, how can we cooperate? As you said, we'll join hands to eliminate the Five Element Heavenly Kings, and then you and I will fight to the death.”

Wu Ming was full of resentment, but in the end, he held it in.

With a light ring, Xiao Chen flicked a golden thread into the air. A small bell flew toward Wu Ming.

Wu Ming caught it and shook it gently. A young girl flew out—his own niece.

“Uncle… you…” As soon as the girl saw Wu Ming, she was astonished.

At that moment, his face was bruised and swollen, clearly beaten. It was simply unbelievable.

Wu Ming's face darkened. “Return to Yan Capital. Say nothing.”

The girl flew off in confusion. It was only when she spotted Xiao Chen a few miles away that she understood—and felt a thrill of fear. This man had defeated her invincible uncle… terrifying.

Wu Ming and Xiao Chen held a secret conference in the Taihang Mountains, known to no one.

Days later, word spread in Yan Capital that Wu Ming had fought a mysterious master and returned gravely wounded.

The news shook the four quarters.

While Wu Ming and Xiao Chen were setting their trap to destroy the Five Element Heavenly Kings, those very kings—Gold, Wood, Sea, and Fire—were also scheming.

“Xiao Chen has been missing for over a decade. Where is he now?”

“The White Tiger family has finally gotten serious. They mean to lure him out and kill him in one strike.”

“Toss out that woman. Xiao Chen, even knowing he'll die, will go to save her.”

“But that woman is long dead. How can she possibly reappear in this world?”

“Wasn't Ye Tian also dead? Yet he reappeared.”