Stranger Danger

The Earthly Sovereign’s Earthly Sovereign Bell, the Heavenly Sovereign’s Clear Sky Mirror, and the Human Sovereign’s Human Sovereign Sword were known as the Three Sacred Artifacts of Before. They were the greatest artifacts of the way of the ancient humans.

After the Three Sovereigns passed away, the Clear Sky Mirror was controlled by the Clear Sky Clan, a clan descended from the Heavenly Sovereign. It was hidden in the Sky Beyond Sky and used to manage the mysteries of the Heavenly Way. The Human Sovereign Sword was controlled by the Xuanyuan Clan, a clan descended from the Human Sovereign. It was hidden in the Mountain beyond Mountain and used to protect humanity’s destiny.

The Earthly Sovereign Bell was the only sacred artifact that went missing after the Earthly Sovereign perished. Some people claimed that it was buried together with the Earthly Sovereign inside the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin. Some people said that it was possessed in secret by the descendants of the Earthly Sovereign, the Earthly Sovereign Hall. Some people also insisted that the Earthly Sovereign Bell committed suicide and returned to Profound Yellow in honor of its master’s death.

The rumors were countless, but one thing for certain, no one knew the exact truth of the matter.

If the object in front of him really was the Earthly Sovereign Bell, then… Ye Qing didn’t know what to think.

“Nah, it has to be a fake.”

A short while later, Ye Qing snorted and shook his head at himself. It had to be a fake. There was no way the Earthly Sovereign Bell would fall to such a place and become covered in rust, mud, and dust. It just couldn’t.

After taking a moment to recollect himself, Ye Qing reached out to touch the bell once more. As soon as his fingers made contact with the bell, dark yellow light rippled out of it, and five-colored light painted his face for a moment. Then, it vanished all of a sudden.

“Huh?” Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise. What happened? Why did it disappear out of nowhere?

The next moment, his eyes widened, and his jaw slackened with surprise. It was because the bell had reappeared inside his headspace. It was currently suspended above his Heavenly Demon Yin God.

THANG…

The bell shook, and a melodious chime resounded throughout his headspace. His inner world became discolored and shook as if it was beset by an earthquake, and the engravings on the bell brightened almost as if they were about to come to life. At the same time, a five-colored light illuminated the heavens, and the sacred might of Primal Chaos shook the universe.

“... Is it really the Earthly Sovereign Bell?” Ye Qing could not help but question himself despite having concluded that it was a fake just a moment ago.

The next moment, the sun, moon and stars; the earth, water, fire and wind; the mountains and rivers; and the myriad races engraved on the bell transformed into mysterious seal scripts composed of draconic or phoenix lines and combined into a scripture.

When the scripture appeared, the heavens cheered in celebration, and all of creation resonated with the bell chime. The boundless bell chime would ripple out of his headspace and spread across the entire world.

……

Far, far away, there existed a sky where the sun, the moon, and even the stars were missing from its canvas. The one thing that stood in this blank sky was a grand, magnificent-looking palace, lonely and eternal.

Suddenly, the blank sky cast down infinite rays of light like a mirror. It illuminated anything and everything.

“Hmm? Why is the Clear Sky Mirror manifesting on its own? Could it be… has the Earthly Sovereign Bell reappeared?”

A face appeared above the palace. It said, “If the Earthly Sovereign Bell truly has returned, then humanity shall soon fall into chaos. It would seem that it is finally time for the Clear Sky Clan to return.”

The next moment, a voice most profound resounded throughout the world, “This is a mandate. Dispatch our men to the human world and find the Earthly Sovereign Bell immediately.”

“As you command, my lord!”

Dignified voices resounded not just within the palace, but also throughout the blank sky.

……

Far, far away, there was a lone mountain hidden within an infinite expanse of clouds. At the foot of the mountain was a small village.

The village buildings were well-maintained, smoke was rising from kitchen windows, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard from time to time. It was like a hidden slice of paradise-on-earth.

Suddenly, the mountain shook a little before transforming into a giant sword that spanned all the way to the heavens. Its vast light shot through the heavens and into the space beyond, and illusions of a peaceful realm filled with warriors, farmers, workers, merchants and more flickered into existence, albeit faintly. It was a manifestation of the power of the Human Way.

“What’s going on?”

“What’s happening to the Human Sovereign Sword?”

Countless men and women stepped out of their houses and looked up at the giant sword, murmuring among themselves. Among them was an old man with white hair and white beard wearing rags, and he murmured to himself, “If the Human Sovereign Sword chose to show itself, it probably means that the Earthly Sovereign Bell has resurfaced.”

“What should we do if the Earthly Sovereign Bell really has resurfaced?” Someone asked.

“The Earthly Sovereign Bell’s reappearance heralds the emergence of chaos. The Xuanyuan Clan cannot sit by and do nothing.”

The old man thought for a moment before declaring, “Let’s go. To the human world we go.”

“As you command, chief!”

The villagers saluted him and took off to make the preparations.

……

Far, far away, in a space where only an infinite expanse of Primal Chaos and Profound Yellow lay, a dark yellow palace hovered gingerly like a hawk in the sky.

Suddenly, the world shook, and a bell chime resounded throughout the space, grand and magnificent. Such was its sound that some of the Profound Yellow were shattered into pieces.

“That’s the sound of the Earthly Sovereign Bell! The Earthly Sovereign Bell has resurfaced!”

An urgent voice came from within the dark yellow palace, loud as a thunderclap. “The Earthly Sovereign Bell is our clan’s sacred artifact. We must retrieve it no matter what.”

“If anyone dares to stand in your way, kill them!”

“As you command, my lord!”

Countless voices answered the order in perfect unison. Such was their voices that the entire space of Primal Chaos and Profound Yellow were shaking.

……

“Roar…”

Far, far away, inside a world where everything was chaotic, yin and yang were reversed, and the Five Phases were in complete disorder, nine dragons were flying through the sky while pulling a coffin behind them.

Suddenly, the dragons came to a stop and roared at the top of their lungs. Such was their roar that it felt like it would last forever and ever.

Behind them, the crisp, rhythmic sound of woodblocks rang, and a pillar of dark yellow light shot into the sky, bright and all-encompassing.

A few breaths later, after a rattling of chains, the nine dragons pulled the coffin and disappeared into the chaotic horizon.

……

“Earthly Sovereign Scripture…”

Ye Qing had no idea what kind of commotion the Earthly Sovereign Bell had stirred up. He was completely absorbed in the mysterious scripture that suddenly appeared inside his headspace.

The scripture’s name was “Earthly Sovereign Scripture”, and it was a body-tempering martial art that focused on honing the body with the Profound Yellow Mother Qi as the base. At the adept level, the practitioner could forge the Earthly Sovereign True Body. They would attain great virtue, gain the favor of the world, become immune to all evils and tribulations, and attain a physical body rivaling a Sage’s. So long as their feet were planted on the ground, they would gain supernatural strength and become immortal.

The Heavenly Sovereign walked the path of the Heavenly Way and nature, the Human Sovereign walked the path of the Human Way and beneficence, and the Earthly Sovereign walked the way of sagehood via the physical body.

The “Earthly Sovereign Scripture” was the Earthly Sovereign’s main cultivation art. It should not need to be said, but it was a martial art that could transform a practitioner into a Sage and God-On-Earth.

Ye Qing had witnessed with his own eyes how strong the Earthly Sovereign was from the projection. He had transformed into a three-hundred-meter tall giant with infinite strength and stamina. He had singlehandedly annihilated the heretics, slain the Strangers, and even suppressed the Four Evils. He had been invincible, and he was the man who did the impossible and established a longstanding glory that lasted tens of thousands of years.

If he practiced the “Earthly Sovereign Scripture”, he could become like the Earthly Sovereign and forge an Earthly Sovereign True Body as well. He could break through his natural limits and become a Sage via his physical body.

Ye Qing could hardly control his excitement when he thought about this.

Buzz…

It was at this moment the scripture suddenly shone brightly. Then, an old man stepped out of the light.

“S-Senior Earthly Sovereign! It’s an honor to meet you!”

Ye Qing hurriedly bowed to the old man and saluted him, reverent and uncertain. The old man was none other than the Earthly Sovereign.

“Please rise, my young friend. I am not the Earthly Sovereign. I am just a wisp of his spiritual intent,” the Earthly Sovereign’s spiritual intent said kindly.

“Senior…” Ye Qing opened his mouth to say something but found himself speechless. He had so many questions he wanted to ask, and yet he had no idea when to begin.

“I’m well aware that you have a lot of questions. Feel free to ask all of them. Should I know the answer, then I shall share it with you without reservation,” the Earthly Sovereign added.

“Thank you, senior…” Ye Qing saluted him again before starting, “If I may dare ask, senior, is this… the Earthly Sovereign Bell?”

“The one and only.” The Earthly Sovereign nodded.

“I can hardly believe it! But… Why was it languishing in the treasury, Senior Earthly Sovereign?” Ye Qing asked in puzzlement.

“It’s a long story. You are aware of the story of the Four Evils’ suppression, right?”

The Earthly Sovereign’s spiritual intent began, “Born in Primal Chaos, the Four Evils are powerful and immortal. They can be sealed, but they can never be killed.”

“Back then, the Earthly Sovereign managed to seal the Four Evils after defeating them, but it was only a temporary measure. In order to prevent them from escaping and threatening the world once more, he split the origin energy of the Earthly Sovereign Bell in four to suppress the Four Evils indefinitely. As for the Earthly Sovereign Bell itself, it was left behind at the peak of Mount Kunwu of Zhongshan.”

“However, time passes, and the world changes. A few wars were all it took for the Earthly Sovereign Bell to stray from its original location and go through many hands. No one ever found out that the dirty, mundane-looking bell was really the Earthly Sovereign Bell.”

“I see!” Ye Qing asked another question, “Why was I able to trigger a reaction from it when so many others had failed?”

To be honest, he already knew the answer. He just wasn’t completely sure.