366: Bell of Sumeru

At the same time, in another area of the Immortal Island, deep within an ancient Banyan Forest.

Ximen Yun was covered in wounds and his clothes were in tatters, but his eyes flickered with the light of excitement and ecstasy.

He was half-kneeling before an altar-like structure formed by countless massive banyan aerial roots, holding an object in his hands.

It was a bell.

Only the size of a baby's fist, its entire body presented a simple and warm dark gold color.

Neither metal nor jade, it seemed like wood yet was not stone.

The surface of the bell was covered in whorls.

These whorls were not static, but seemed as if they possessed life.

They shifted and transformed extremely slowly, emitting a strange Daoist rhythm that seemed capable of containing Sumeru.

The inside of the bell was completely empty, lacking the hammer of an ordinary bell.

But when Ximen Yun injected a faint wisp of magic power into it, the bell naturally and silently vibrated once.

Buzz... No sound was made, but with the bell as the center...

The space within a radius of about ten feet rippled like the surface of water, producing faint ripples barely perceptible to the naked eye.

The leaves falling through the air and even the flowing Spiritual Qi experienced an extremely brief stagnation at this moment.

The sumeru bell!

This was the treasure Ximen Yun had found after enduring many hardships, following the vague guidance of 'Li', the artifact spirit of the nine-layered immortal pagoda within his Sea of Consciousness.

He had evaded several waves of powerful ancient wood guardians and natural Restrictions.

Finally, he found it at the core of this ancient altar.

Inside the immortal pagoda, Li's voice carried a hint of rare excitement.

"Correct, it is indeed this item. Although not directly refined by the Buddha Venerable, the Sumeru Daoist Markings and the Zen Intent of Empty Stillness engraved upon it share the same origin as the Legacy of the Buddha Venerable's lineage!"

"This bell contains the wonders of space and sealing. Furthermore, it can help you initially trigger the power of the immortal pagoda, accelerating the opening of Restrictions on higher floors!"

Ximen Yun was ecstatic, almost wanting to howl at the sky.

Since his Rebirth, he had been struggling on the edge of life and death. Though he had found Opportunities...

This was the first time he had obtained a supreme treasure of such obviously high grade and such perfect compatibility with the nine-layered immortal pagoda as the sumeru bell.

With this item's help, his strength would surely experience a leap. In the future, when facing Qin Zun, he might even have the power to fight.

However, extreme joy begets sorrow.

Just as Ximen Yun held the sumeru bell in his hands, before he had time to carefully study and refine it...

Three sounds of breaking air rang out almost simultaneously, and three powerful Auras descended instantly, surrounding him in a triangular Formation!

It was precisely Savage Mountain, Moon Without Flaw, and Zhuge Ming!

After the three of them landed on the island, they had chosen different directions to explore.

But this Immortal Island was neither too large nor too small. Under the Divine Thought and sensing of Spiritual Qi fluctuations of high-level Cultivators...

Ximen Yun's triggering of the altar's Restriction and the faint spatial ripples when the sumeru bell emerged had ultimately attracted some attention.

And the three of them happened to be the closest. Wary of each other, they had followed the trail simultaneously.

Savage Mountain's eyes, large as copper bells, stared fixedly at the dark golden bell in Ximen Yun's hand.

Although he didn't understand Sumeru Daoist Markings, the ethereal Daoist rhythm emitted by the bell and the fleeting sense of spatial stagnation just now made him instinctively realize this object was extraordinary.

It was definitely a rare and exotic treasure.

Moon Without Flaw's cold gaze also fell upon the bell, a strange light flashing in her eyes that shimmered with moonlight.

She cultivated the Power of Taiyin and was quite sensitive to changes; she could feel the peculiar power contained within that bell.

Zhuge Ming's eyes flashed even more brilliantly. The feeling this bell gave him was extraordinary; it was definitely a supreme treasure.

"Kid! Hand over the thing in your hand!"

Savage Mountain was the first to lose patience, his voice like muffled thunder.

His massive body took a step forward, making the ground tremble slightly as his violent Aura pressed down on Ximen Yun.

He didn't take Ximen Yun, whose Aura seemed ordinary, seriously at all.

Moon Without Flaw did not speak, but the moonlight around her quietly spread out, blocking Ximen Yun's path of retreat on one side.

The meaning was self-evident.

Zhuge Ming shook his folding fan, a gentle smile returning to his face, but his eyes carried an unquestionable intent.

"Fellow Daoist, those who see it deserve a share. This item is quite miraculous. Why not bring it out and let us examine it together? To avoid ruining the harmony."

Faced with the blockade and undisguised greed of three top Prodigies...

Ximen Yun's heart sank.

He knew that with his current strength, confronting any one of them head-on would be extremely difficult.

Let alone the three of them joined together.

But having just obtained the sumeru bell, how could he easily hand it over?

Moreover, this item was related to his hopes for future revenge and rise!

He took a deep breath, suppressing the panic and anger in his heart.

He gripped the sumeru bell tightly in his hand.

Feeling the cool, smooth touch and the faint spatial fluctuations, an inexplicable sense of confidence surged in his heart.

The artifact spirit Li had said this item could help him initially trigger the power of the immortal pagoda.

"You three, this item was obtained by my luck and has nothing to do with you. Please move aside."

Ximen Yun's voice was raspy, yet it carried a hint of determination.

"Courting death!"

Seeing that Ximen Yun dared to refuse, Savage Mountain was instantly enraged.

He had no patience to begin with, and a giant axe appeared in his hand instantly.

Carrying a terrifying momentum capable of splitting mountains and cracking stones, it cleaved down toward Ximen Yun's head.

The axe wind surged, tearing apart the surrounding ancient banyan aerial roots.

Moon Without Flaw struck almost simultaneously, her jade hand waving lightly.

A beam of moonlight, bone-chillingly cold as if it could freeze the Soul, shot silently toward Ximen Yun's right arm holding the bell, intending to force him to let go or directly cripple him.

Zhuge Ming closed his folding fan and pointed at the ground beneath Ximen Yun's feet.

Immediately, the green grass and vines on the ground grew wildly, coiling around Ximen Yun's legs like countless venomous snakes.

They contained the Formation power of binding and imprisonment.

The three cooperated tacitly, clearly determined to instantly subdue Ximen Yun and seize the treasure.

Facing this near-certain death situation, Ximen Yun's pupils contracted, and the hair on his body stood on end.

At the critical moment of life and death, he held nothing back, frantically circulating all the magic power in his body.

At the same time, he sank his mind into his Sea of Consciousness, communicating with the nine-layered immortal pagoda and the sumeru bell in his hand.

"sumeru bell, help me!"

Buzz!

The dark golden bell in his hand shook violently!

This time, it was not silent, but emitted an extremely faint yet crisp bell sound that seemed to ring directly in the depths of the Soul.

Ding-ling~

The moment the bell rang, with Ximen Yun as the center, the space within a three-fathom radius underwent a bizarre transformation.

The space seemed to turn into a piece of amber slightly solidified by an invisible hand.

Savage Mountain's heavy, mountain-splitting giant axe, upon entering this three-fathom range, had its speed reduced by more than ten times instantly.

It was as if it had cleaved into incredibly thick glue, and the violent Protective Aura on the axe blade was also rapidly worn away and delayed!

Moon Without Flaw's icy moonlight beam similarly became slow and stagnant, its light rapidly dimming.

The vines Zhuge Ming had triggered, upon touching the edge of this solidified space, were like hitting an invisible wall; they could no longer advance an inch and even began to wither and crumble.

Sumeru Space!

"What?!" The expressions of Savage Mountain and the other two changed drastically at the same time.

This guy had blocked the killing moves of all three of them just by relying on a bell?!

However, the range and intensity of this stagnation were limited; for Prodigies of their level, it was not completely impossible to break through.

But this sudden turn of events caught them off guard and made their greed for the sumeru bell even stronger.