Soul Bell Resonance

Chapter One: Resonating Soul Bell

Chaos.

It was not an empty void, but the kind of "chaos" before primordial existence had been divided, before yin and yang had separated. Consciousness was like a drop of ink falling into thick slurry, slowly spreading out, trying to take shape, only to be suppressed by something older and heavier.

I am—

The thought had barely surfaced before it was crushed to pieces.

Then, the bell rang.

"Clang—"

The sound did not enter through his ears. It exploded directly at the root of his consciousness, savage, desolate, and so heavy it was as though all of Buzhou Mountain had been forged into a single deafening peal. His consciousness trembled violently within the sound wave and was instantly torn into countless fragments.

Pain.

Yet before the pain came a tidal wave of memory fragments.

Golden palaces floated above seas of clouds, and ten thousand demons bowed their heads. Within a sea of scorching light so intense it warped even sight itself, a Divine Tree towering between heaven and earth held up ten great suns. A face seven or eight parts similar to his own, yet burdened with deeper worry between the brows, heavily patted his shoulder. "Taiyi, you and I are brothers. We must hold up this sky for the Demon Race."

Taiyi?

That name was like a tempered key, violently thrust into the tightly shut door at the deepest part of his consciousness.

More memories burst through everything like a collapsed dam—

Eastern Emperor Taiyi. An Innate Deity born from the Sun Star. Born a Grand Unity Golden Immortal. His companion supreme treasure was the Chaos Bell. Younger brother of the Heavenly Emperor Di Jun. A pillar supporting the Demon Race. Mortal enemy of the Witch Race. He had listened to the Dao Ancestor preach three times in Zixiao Palace. And there was also... the calamity.

That final word was like a needle tempered in the frozen ice of the Nine Netherworlds, stabbing hard enough to make even his soul convulse.

Calamity. The Witch-Demon Calamity. Destiny decreed that... he would fall.

Fuck, I transmigrated?!

At that instant, his consciousness completely awakened. Absurdity mixed with the terror of ice water being poured over his head, making him—now certain that he was a man—want to laugh out loud and curse viciously at the same time. A moment ago, he had been staying up late in front of his computer revising a proposal. His name was Lin Yuan, ordinary enough to vanish into any crowd. The next moment, he had become the famed and spectacularly unlucky Eastern Emperor Taiyi from Great Wilderness mythology—a man born a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, wielding an Innate Supreme Treasure, yet fated to perish alongside his elder brother and the entire Demon Race in that heaven-and-earth slaughter calamity, unable even to keep the Chaos Bell. What kind of tragic character was that?

Chaos Bell...

He suddenly realized where he was.

His consciousness cautiously reached outward and immediately struck a barrier that was warm-cool and heavy, engraved with endlessly profound patterns. Those patterns seemed alive, slowly circulating to a rhythm older than breathing itself. Every ripple stirred the thick chaotic qi around them. This was nowhere else—it was the internal space of the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Bell.

And he was now this bell's master... or rather, a lonely soul from another world occupying its master's body?

Two sets of memories began violently colliding, tearing, and merging. The part belonging to "Eastern Emperor Taiyi" was vast as a star, scorching and overbearing, filled with combat instincts, cultivation insights, and an understanding of the laws of heaven and earth—an accumulation belonging to an Innate Deity born a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, one who had overlooked the Great Wilderness through countless ages. The part belonging to "Lin Yuan" was tiny yet stubborn, like a stone coated in wet mud beside a star. Within it were more than twenty years of knowledge, thought patterns, and survival wisdom accumulated in modern society.

The pain nearly split his consciousness apart.

I am Lin Yuan, and I am Taiyi.

No, Lin Yuan was already dead. Taiyi was the one who had survived.

But I don't want to die! Why should I follow a script destined for death the moment I come back to life?!

Panic, resentment, fury, and the ruthlessness forced out by desperation all tangled together. In his previous life, he had never been someone willing to accept fate easily. Otherwise, he would not have clawed his way from a small town into a major city, even if he had ultimately worked himself to death... Damn it, so he really had transmigrated after dying from overwork?

"Clang—"

The Chaos Bell rang on its own for the third time.

This bell chime was completely different. It no longer simply shook everything with brute force. Instead, it was like an invisible, gentle hand sorting through the memories and soul fragments tangled into a chaotic knot. Eastern Emperor Taiyi's combat experience, understanding of the Great Dao, and innate methods for controlling the Chaos Bell were gently separated and imprinted into him as though they had always belonged to him. Lin Yuan's modern knowledge, ways of thinking, and emotional patterns were carefully wrapped up, settled, and sunk into the depths of his consciousness, yet remained clearly perceptible.

It was as though... something unseen was helping him.

Before the bell's lingering echoes faded, a voice suddenly sounded at the deepest point of his "mind" without warning:

[Abnormal soul fluctuations detected... Compatibility matching in progress...]

The voice was neither male nor female. It carried a strange reverberation, as though countless ancient echoes had layered over one another. It was cold and lifeless, yet suppressed a hatred that seemed almost carved into its bones.

[Match complete. Binding target: Eastern Emperor Taiyi (soul aberration).]

[Forbidden Sign-in System activated.]

A system? So the transmigrator standard package had arrived late after all? Taiyi—he decided to use that name, since he had no other choice—instinctively mocked it in his heart, though he was far more wary. Where the hell had this thing come from?

[This system originated from the gathered residual wills left behind after the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods perished before chaos was opened.] The voice seemed able to sense his thoughts and explained calmly. Yet beneath that calmness, Taiyi heard a cold hatred toward all things—especially toward a certain "order." [Its purpose is to seek out "variables," verify whether "constants" can be overturned, and take revenge upon predetermined destiny...]

Revenge? Against whom? The Heavenly Dao? Hongjun? Taiyi's thoughts raced.

[Novice guidance begins.] The system gave him no more time to think. [Core rule: Complete sign-ins at designated locations to obtain rewards. Sign-in evaluations are based on two factors: first, the danger level of the location itself; second, the degree to which the host's actions defy the world's established trajectory. The product of the two determines the reward tier.]

[Reward sources: Forbidden Relic remnants that truly exist within the Great Wilderness, traces left by chaos, and fragments of Karma Reversal. The system does not create them; it merely guides their acquisition.]

[Warning: The host's identity is special. You are both the Eastern Emperor of the Heavenly Court and a key figure in the calamity, as well as a "constant" under the Heavenly Dao's close observation. Excessive deviation will accumulate Anomaly Value, drawing the Heavenly Dao's direct attention and inviting erasure. How to maintain a balance between perfectly playing "Eastern Emperor Taiyi" and secretly carrying out "Forbidden Sign-in" is the key to the host's survival.]

Playing a role... and balance.

Taiyi pondered those two words. The arrogant, domineering Eastern Emperor Taiyi who looked down on all else was his best camouflage and the most reasonable excuse for all his unusual actions. The system was his only lever for prying open the seemingly unbreakable fate of certain death. He was walking a tightrope, and it hung above a bottomless abyss. On one side, he had to recklessly court death beneath the Heavenly Dao's very eyes. On the other, he had to make it all seem perfectly reasonable—entirely in line with Eastern Emperor Taiyi's outrageously arrogant persona.

He had not been an actor in his previous life, but who in the workplace did not live behind a mask? He had to smile at clients, act humble before superiors, and maintain superficial harmony with colleagues. All that had changed was the set. It was a higher-class production, and he was playing a far more impressive role.

Only this time, the price of a bad performance was his life.

[The first sign-in location has been unlocked.] The system's voice cut through his thoughts. [Heavenly Court, Lingxiao Treasure Hall. Sign-in requirement: At the next Demon Race court assembly, publicly make an outrageous statement consistent with the logic of "Eastern Emperor Taiyi's" identity and shock the gathered demons. Reward preview: Chaos Demon God's Blood of Ferocity—one drop.]

The blood of a Chaos Demon God? Just hearing the name told him it was no gentle thing. But the system had said that all rewards were real "Forbidden Relics"... This thing had to be useful. The next step after the peak of Grand Unity Golden Immortal was Quasi-Saint, which required severing the Three Corpses and comprehending one's own Dao. This Chaos Demon God remnant might offer a path... beyond the "Heavenly Dao."

How outrageous should he be? What should he say?

In his memories, Eastern Emperor Taiyi was arrogant, but not a brainless brute. Especially when his elder brother Di Jun was present, he usually served more as a display of martial deterrence, and his words were instead concise. To "publicly make an outrageous statement" while remaining consistent with his identity... he needed to think this through carefully.

As he pondered, a gentle yet irresistible pulling force came from outside the Chaos Bell. At the same time, a memory from the original owner surfaced at just the right moment: today was the date of the Heavenly Court's regular assembly. As the Eastern Emperor, he had to attend.

It was time to go out.

His consciousness completely sank into the body that had just finished merging. In an instant, his senses were violently ignited—

The first thing he felt was the terrifying power surging through his limbs, bones, meridians, and acupoints, as vast as a sea of stars and as blazing as a true sun! The sound of blood flowing was like a roaring river of magma. Each slow, heavy beat of his heart was like the breathing of a prehistoric beast, shaking the space around him until it faintly warped. His bones were dense as jade, while his muscle fibers contained enough immense strength to crush mountains with ease. His Primordial Spirit sat high within the Purple Mansion like a miniature sun, illuminating the myriad worlds. With the slightest extension of his divine sense, he could envelop rivers and mountains stretching ten thousand miles and perceive the tiniest details.

This was... the power of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal?

No. Taiyi keenly noticed that this body's foundation seemed even stronger than that of an ordinary peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Was it because of the innate foundation nurtured by the Sun Star's origin? Or the Chaos Bell's nourishment over countless years? Or perhaps... the original owner had already stepped halfway through the threshold of Quasi-Saint, only to become stuck at the final step of severing the Three Corpses and comprehending his Dao?

Compared to Lin Yuan's unhealthy body in his previous life, this innate divine body was like a firefly before the blazing sun, dust before the stars.

He "opened" his eyes.

He did not see through his physical eyes. Rather, his Primordial Spirit's perception spread like spilled mercury, instantly covering the entire palace. He "saw" himself seated cross-legged in the middle of an incomparably magnificent golden hall. Beneath him was a meditation cushion carved from Innate Warm Jade, while strands of Solar Essence automatically flowed into his body. The palace walls seemed forged from solidified True Sun Fire and indestructible divine metal, flowing with eternal flames and imperial majesty. This was his residence in the Heavenly Court—the Sun Palace, one of the hubs of the Great Wilderness's supreme yang power.

In the void before him, a simple bronze bell quietly floated. Its body was only the size of a palm, yet chaos qi coiled around its surface. The four innate elements of earth, water, fire, and wind cycled through birth and destruction within it, as though it supported a miniature, unopened primordial world. Its mere presence stabilized the surrounding space-time so thoroughly that no law could invade.

The Chaos Bell. A treasure from the opening of heaven. His foundation for remaining invincible.

With a thought, Taiyi tried to communicate with it.

"Buzz—"

The little bell trembled softly, releasing an almost joyful hum. A close connection, like mingling water and milk or shared bloodlines, formed instantly. He clearly sensed the nearly infinite chaotic space within the bell, along with the terrifying power capable of suppressing primordial chaos and reversing space-time. At the same time, an extremely faint yet incomparably pure spiritual intent came from the deepest part of the bell, affectionately brushing against his Primordial Spirit.

That spirituality seemed to notice the subtle "foreignness" deep within the core of his Primordial Spirit, but it did not reject him. Instead, it conveyed an even deeper sense of attachment and protection. Was it because the third bell chime had sorted everything out and made the fusion more perfect? Or was the Chaos Bell, a supreme treasure of such caliber, already beyond the understanding of ordinary artifacts? Perhaps what it acknowledged was not merely a soul imprint, but the essence and destiny of the existence known as "Eastern Emperor Taiyi"?

Whatever the case, his greatest trump card was fine. Taiyi felt somewhat reassured.

He rose to his feet. His nine-foot body stood tall as a pine, while a dark-gold imperial robe naturally fell around him. The Three-legged Golden Crow embroidered upon it seemed to slowly move. His long hair was bound by a simple golden crown, with a few strands falling over his forehead, adding a touch of unruliness.

He walked to the enormous True-Insight Glazed Mirror in the hall—another rare treasure, capable of reflecting a living being's true Primordial Spirit form and the flow of its fortune.

The man in the mirror had sword-like brows slanting into his temples, eyes like cold stars, and two clusters of eternal Golden Sun Flames burning deep within his pupils. His nose was high, his lips thin and sharp, and his entire face seemed sculpted by heaven itself. His beauty carried an inviolable majesty and... an almost instinctive pride that looked down upon all living beings.

This was Eastern Emperor Taiyi.

Taiyi took a deep breath, knowing that the test had arrived. From now on, every expression, every movement, even the rhythm of his breathing had to match what "Eastern Emperor Taiyi" should be. Acting? No, this was survival.

Facing the mirror, he began to summon and imitate the memories and temperament belonging to the original owner.

How should he raise his brows to appear casual yet faintly threatening? He tried recalling how the original owner looked when displeased—not the way mortals frowned, but with the slightest lift at the tips of his brows, paired with half-lidded eyes, forming an indifferent pressure that said, "You actually dare make me waste thought on you?" He practiced three times before the mirror. The first was too fierce, the second too fake, and the third... Well, that had a bit of the right feeling.

At what angle should he lift his chin to appear noble rather than arrogant? The original owner habitually tightened his jawline into a cold, hard curve, while keeping the area around his Adam's apple relaxed. It created the posture of, "I need not deliberately raise my head. You should naturally look up at me." It required exquisite control over the muscles in his neck. Taiyi practiced five times before finally finding that subtle point of balance.

How should his gaze shift to hold both the blazing intensity of the sun and the indifference of ice sealing countless ages? This was the hardest part. He tried adjusting the brightness of the Golden Sun Flames deep within his pupils—dimming them by thirty percent while thinking, suddenly flaring them bright when sweeping his gaze around, and letting them become entirely vacant when looking at something insignificant, as though that thing simply did not exist in his awareness. This required precise control of Primordial Spirit power. After more than ten attempts, he could barely make it look acceptable.

How did Eastern Emperor Taiyi stand? In his memories, the original owner rarely stood truly "relaxed." Either he stood with his hands behind his back, straight as a pine, carrying a condensed force that seemed ready at any moment to draw a sword and cleave apart the heavens; or he leaned lazily against a jade throne, appearing relaxed while every angle of his body remained flawless, ready to erupt with a thunderous strike at any time.

Taiyi tried placing his hands behind his back. His shoulders had to sink, not hunch; his back had to remain straight without becoming stiff; the angle of his slightly tilted head had to be just right, allowing sunlight to cast cold, hard shadows along the contours of his face. He adjusted himself seven or eight times before finally assuming a pose that appeared natural, though every muscle was actually positioned for optimal force.

Then came walking. The original owner's steps had a unique rhythm, neither fast nor slow, each stride exactly the same length. When his feet touched down, it was as though he did not step upon the ground—the entire world simply sent the ground beneath his feet. Taiyi paced back and forth a few times before the mirror. At first, he looked like a child learning to walk, but gradually he found the feeling of "walking upon the Dao."

A Grand Unity Golden Immortal, especially the Eastern Emperor who controlled the Sun Star's origin, ought to be surrounded by a natural field of blazing, magnificent presence that others would not dare stare at directly. It could not be too intense, or he would seem impatient and falsely imposing. It could not be too concealed, or he would lose his majesty.

Taiyi tried drawing out a trace of True Sun Fire within his body. Rather than releasing it outside, he allowed its aura to naturally diffuse, forming an invisible "corona" within three feet around him. The temperature had to be controlled so that those below Golden Immortal would feel a slight burning pain, Golden Immortals would feel pressure, and Taiyi Golden Immortals would feel a warning. It required the utmost control over his power. He failed more than ten times before barely maintaining a stable level consistent with his memories.

Finally came overall coordination.

Before the mirror, he combined every microexpression, posture, and aura. The reflection gradually came "alive"—the faintly raised brows, the cold hard jawline, the gaze that hid blazing flames within emptiness, the posture of standing with hands behind his back as though the entire Sun Palace lay beneath his feet, and the invisible solar majesty that filled the air and made hearts tremble.

He was seventy or eighty percent similar.

No, not enough. Something was missing. Taiyi frowned and thought. Right. He lacked that bone-deep sense of "of course." The original owner's every word and action seemed natural because he truly believed that he was the supreme Eastern Emperor, and that the heavens and earth of the Great Wilderness should naturally be ruled by the Demon Race. It was a belief, an instinct.

And he did not have it. He was merely imitating it.

"So I need to fool myself first." Taiyi murmured softly to the mirror. How had he acted in the workplace? Whenever he took over a terrible project, did he not first hypnotize himself into believing, This project has great prospects? He only needed to raise the level of self-hypnosis by a few dimensions.

I am Eastern Emperor Taiyi. Born a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, wielder of the Chaos Bell. One of the Demon Race's twin emperors. Destiny is mine.

He repeated it over and over in his heart, trying to completely suppress Lin Yuan's consciousness and let the Eastern Emperor's understanding cover the surface of his thoughts. At first, it felt terribly awkward, like wearing an ill-fitting costume. But gradually, an instinct belonging to this body awakened. Muscle memory began taking over part of his control. The reflection's eyes slowly gained a trace of genuine indifference and certainty that even he himself did not notice.

He was ninety percent similar.

That would do. For his first appearance on stage, this level was sufficient. He could explain the remaining flaws with, "I have gained a little insight from recent cultivation, so my aura has changed slightly." As for the deeper differences... he would slowly adapt. Time was pressing.

He performed one final check. Were his sleeves smooth? Was his golden crown crooked? Good.

"Your Majesty." A respectful female voice called from beyond the hall. It was clear as an icy spring, yet steady as a mountain. "The third quarter of the hour of the dragon is approaching, and the court assembly is about to begin. His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor has already sent an envoy to ask whether you will proceed to Lingxiao Palace together."

It was Shang Yang. One of the Demon Saints under his command, one of the few guards qualified to enter the inner hall of the Sun Palace directly, and a commander of his personal guard whose cultivation had already reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

Taiyi took a deep breath and completely pressed the last remnants of Lin Yuan's confusion, snark, and unfamiliarity with "acting" into the deepest part of his Primordial Spirit, sealing them tightly with True Sun Fire. In that instant, the expression in the mirror became the flawless, coldly proud mask Eastern Emperor Taiyi should possess.

From this moment onward, he was Eastern Emperor Taiyi. The Eastern Emperor born a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, wielder of the Chaos Bell, convinced that the Demon Race's destiny belonged to him, so arrogant that he might not even give a saint enough face!

With a sweep of his sleeve, thick and pure Zenith Heaven Dharma Power surged forth, and the heavy doors of the Sun Palace silently opened.

Outside the doors, a female general in dark blue-green battle armor knelt on one knee, her head bowed in wait. Her posture was straight, and her aura was condensed like an unsheathed sword. It was Shang Yang. Behind her stretched a vast boundless sea of clouds, as well as golden palace complexes floating above the Nine-Layered Heavenly Palace and extending for countless tens of thousands of miles. Billions of stars seemed close enough to touch, scattering cold starlight. Far beyond, an incomparably enormous Sun Star burned eternally, bestowing endless light and heat upon this Holy Sky City belonging to the Demon Race.

The Heavenly Court. Lingxiao Treasure Hall. His first sign-in. And that drop of Chaos Demon God's Blood of Ferocity, which sounded drenched in murderous aura.

"Go."

Taiyi spoke the word in the deep, cold voice he deliberately imitated from the original owner, carrying decisive and unquestionable authority. He strode from the Sun Palace toward the heavenly stairs amid the rolling sea of clouds, toward the Lingxiao Treasure Hall where the Demon Race's elites gathered, and toward the predetermined "destiny" that he was fated to tear open with his own hands.

Shang Yang rose and silently followed three steps behind him, just as she had for countless years, like the most loyal shadow.

Yet when she raised her eyes and glanced at that tall figure ahead, a trace of nearly imperceptible doubt flashed through her cold, beautiful eyes. His Majesty's steps today... seemed ever so slightly more sluggish than usual? And deep within the vast, ocean-like aura of True Sun Fire surrounding him, there seemed to be... an extremely obscure, unfamiliar presence that instinctively made her uneasy?

Was it an illusion?

She lowered her head, buried her doubts in her heart, and followed close behind.

The sea of clouds automatically parted beneath their feet, laying down a golden road that led directly to the most towering and magnificent Lingxiao Treasure Hall at the heart of the Heavenly Court.

Inside the hall, the gathered demons had arrived.

Outside the hall, the sign-in was about to begin.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi's "performance" was about to begin. And the River of Fate of the Great Wilderness would begin to ripple with its first nearly imperceptible circle of waves because of this "variable" from another world—ripples that would one day sweep across heaven and earth.