Bell-Blood Resonance

On the way back from the Sun Star, Taiyi did not fly quickly.

He drifted along at an easy pace, as if taking a stroll. It was not really slow; he simply was not racing desperately like he had on the way there. As he flew, he pondered what he had seen, heard, and felt within the Sun Star's core. Those fragments of memory still clung to his mind, swaying back and forth—one moment showing the chaos at the birth of the Sun Star, the next showing his own—no, Eastern Emperor Taiyi's—cry as he broke from his shell.

Strange.

Logically speaking, he was a transmigrator. He should have had nothing to do with these ancient relics of the Great Wilderness. Yet when those memories had surged forth, he had actually felt... familiar with them? Like old photographs pulled from a family album, their edges yellowed with age, yet still comforting to look at.

By the time he returned to the Sun Palace, daylight had fully broken.

When he pushed open the door, the sleeping chamber looked the same as ever. That charred hole still lay across the writing desk, staring at him like an eye. Taiyi walked over and touched its edge—the sensation was still hollow, as though something that should have been there had been forcibly gouged away.

He stood there for a while before walking to the bed and sitting down cross-legged.

Time to get to work.

He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his body. Within his dantian, the ball of Chaos True Sun Fire hovered quietly. Its interwoven golden-red halo slowly circulated, looking much more agreeable than before. At the center of the flames, that fragment of the Sun Star Origin Mark shone like a tiny sun, radiating soft yet resilient light.

The Chaos Bell floated nearby.

No, not floated—it was suspended. It hung there steadily, the three newly added rings of sun patterns on its surface still glimmering faintly, flickering like breaths. Taiyi stared at the bell for a moment, then sent out a thought, trying to communicate with it.

No response.

The Chaos Bell remained its old aloof self. Unless he struck it, it ignored him.

Taiyi was in no hurry. He slowly extended his divine sense, gently, as though stroking an ill-tempered cat. The moment his divine sense touched the bell's surface, the bell trembled slightly and released an extremely faint hum—not rejection, but rather... confirmation?

He continued probing.

This time, he was even more careful. His divine sense traveled along the bell's patterns, sensing those ancient, intricate restrictions inch by inch. He had done this before, but it had always felt as if a layer separated him from them, like looking through frosted glass—blurred and indistinct. Today was different. Wherever his divine sense passed, the structure of the restrictions appeared clearly in his mind. The direction of every line and the purpose of every node were perfectly clear.

Was it thanks to the Sun Star Origin Mark? Or was the Chaos Bell itself willing to let him see now?

Taiyi did not know, nor could he be bothered to investigate. Seizing the chance, he sent his divine sense deeper into the bell like strands of silk. The farther in he went, the more complicated the restrictions became, layer upon layer, like an endless maze. He patiently unraveled them one by one, passing through each layer in turn.

Who knew how long passed before his divine sense finally touched the bell's most central region.

A mass of chaotic-colored light hung there.

It was not large, only the size of a fist, but the aura it emitted was terrifyingly ancient. It was not the aura of the Great Wilderness, but one from even earlier—the era of Chaos. The moment Taiyi's divine sense approached, the mass of light shuddered violently, then... split apart.

No, it had not split. It had differentiated.

The chaotic halo divided into two currents. One was pure, heavy black-yellow energy, the origin of the Chaos Bell as an Innate Supreme Treasure. The other was dark red, violent, and baleful energy—the lingering will of a Chaos Demon God left within the vicious blood.

The two auras were clearly distinct, each occupying one side and ignoring the other.

As Taiyi watched, a thought suddenly surfaced in his heart—what if he could knead them together?

Once that thought appeared, he could not suppress it.

He tried to move his divine sense, cautiously reaching toward the two masses of light. He first touched the black-yellow energy. It was docile and weighty, carrying the inclusive feeling of the earth. Then he touched the baleful energy. That proved disastrous. The dark-red mass suddenly exploded, transforming into countless thin threads that lunged at his divine sense like hungry wolves spotting meat.

Taiyi jumped in fright and hastily withdrew his divine sense.

But those threads would not let up and chased after it. Just as they were about to wrap around his divine sense, the Chaos Bell suddenly shook!

Clang—

The bell's chime exploded within his dantian. It was not the outward kind of roar, but an internal, crystalline resonance. The newly added sun patterns on the bell's surface blazed brightly, and golden light surged toward the baleful energy like a tide.

The dark-red threads recoiled sharply as though burned.

But they did not give up. They crashed about inside the bell, trying to find a gap through which to escape. At that moment, the black-yellow energy moved as well. It spread unhurriedly like an endless net, gradually wrapping around and compressing the mass of baleful energy.

Watching this, Taiyi suddenly understood.

The Chaos Bell was... refining the lingering thoughts within the vicious blood? No, not refining them—taming them.

It wanted to forcibly incorporate that violent, chaotic will of the Chaos Demon God into its own system, turning it into part of the bell's restrictions. The method was incredibly domineering, yet somehow seemed perfectly natural—I swallowed you, so you are mine. Whether you accept it or not, you have no choice.

Taiyi was delighted to watch the show.

He simply hovered there, watching the black-yellow energy and True Sun Fire join forces to drive the baleful energy back step by step. The dark-red mass shrank from fist-sized to walnut-sized, then to the size of a peanut. In the end, it completely gave up resisting and turned into a thin dark-red line, obediently merging into the bell's patterns.

That thin line traveled along the paths of the sun patterns. Wherever it passed, a layer of dark-red light appeared around the golden lines. The originally majestic and righteous sun patterns now carried a hint of violent balefulness, making them look... more dangerous.

The Chaos Bell shook again. This resonance was different—deeper, heavier, and carrying an indescribable ferocious majesty. The light on the bell's surface receded, returning it to its ancient black-yellow color, but Taiyi could feel it. This bell had changed.

It had come "alive."

Though it had been powerful before, it had always seemed like an inanimate object. He had to strike it for it to ring. Now, however, vigorous vitality flowed within it, as though a heart were beating, steady and powerful, one beat after another.

Taiyi tried touching the bell with his divine sense.

The bell gave a soft hum, as though responding.

He touched it again.

This time, the chime was clearer, even carrying a hint of... affection? Like a pet dog seeing its owner, wagging its tail in delight.

It worked.

Taiyi relaxed, withdrew his divine sense from his dantian, and opened his eyes.

The sleeping chamber was still the same. Daylight streamed through the lattice window, casting mottled shadows across the floor. He lowered his head and looked at his hands—nothing had changed, but he knew things were different.

The Chaos Bell had truly acknowledged him as its master.

It had not acknowledged the identity of Eastern Emperor Taiyi. It had acknowledged him personally.

At a thought, the phantom of the Chaos Bell appeared at his side, only palm-sized as it quietly hovered there. The bell looked ancient and simple, but upon closer inspection, dark-red light faintly flowed along the edges of its patterns, like blood flowing through veins.

"Shrink." Taiyi tried giving an order.

The Chaos Bell gave a soft tremble and shrank to the size of a walnut.

"Grow."

The bell expanded, growing to over ten feet tall in the blink of an eye, nearly touching the ceiling of the sleeping chamber. The sun patterns upon its surface were clearly visible, every ring seeming to burn.

Taiyi smiled.

It was not the arrogant smile he put on for show, but a genuine smile from the depths of his heart. This feeling... was not bad.

He withdrew the Chaos Bell and closed his eyes again, preparing to continue regulating his breath. But the moment he settled his mind, he sensed movement in his dantian.

It was the Chaos True Sun Fire.

It circled around the Chaos Bell, spinning faster and faster like an excited bird. As it spun, the true fire suddenly separated into a thread as thin as a hair and drifted toward the Chaos Bell. The bell did not resist, allowing that thread of true fire to seep into its body and travel along its patterns.

Wherever the true fire passed, the sun patterns on the bell suddenly lit up.

It was not the gentle light from before, but fierce, blazing radiance. The entire bell seemed to ignite, a thin layer of golden-red flames rising from its surface. The flames were not hot. Instead, they carried a gentle warmth, yet Taiyi could sense it—the fire's power had increased by far more than a single level.

The bell and the fire were resonating.

Taiyi watched quietly without interfering. He could sense the Chaos Bell and Chaos True Sun Fire adapting to each other, strengthening each other. The bell borrowed the fire's might, while the fire borrowed the bell's foundation. They complemented one another like two old partners who had worked together for years.

The resonance continued for roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick.

The flames gradually subsided, and the bell returned to normal. Yet Taiyi knew things had changed. Deep within those sun patterns, every one of them now contained a seed of Chaos True Sun Fire. Whenever he wished, he could summon it.

He opened his eyes and raised his right hand.

With a slight thought, a wisp of flame rose from his palm. It was golden-red, with that dark-red trace at its core more obvious than before, like ink dropped into clear water and spreading out in fine strands. He stared at the flame for a moment, then flicked his finger.

The flame flew out and landed on an unused vase in the corner.

This time, it did not directly "erase" the vase like before.

The flame burned quietly. Golden fire wrapped around the vase, and its body turned red, softened, and finally melted into a pool of flowing glass-like liquid. The liquid churned within the flames, purified itself, then condensed anew—it was no longer a vase, but a three-inch dagger, crimson from end to end, its blade glowing with dark golden light.

Taiyi beckoned, and the dagger flew back into his palm.

It felt warm in his hand, with just the right weight. He could sense pure True Sun Fire flowing through its body. With a casual swing, the dagger's edge sliced through the air, leaving behind a pale golden afterimage that lingered for a long time.

"This is..." He froze.

[Chaos True Sun Fire has resonated with the Chaos Bell, giving rise to a subsidiary ability: Shaping]

The system notification sounded at just the right moment.

"Shaping?"

[Use true fire to refine matter, reshape its form, and grant it some True Sun Fire properties. Current shaping limit: Houtian Spirit Treasure level]

Holding the dagger, a thought suddenly surfaced in Taiyi's heart—this ability was rather interesting.

He walked to the writing desk and looked at that charred hole. Its edge was still the same, hollow and empty. He extended his hand, palm facing the hole, and activated the Chaos True Sun Fire.

Golden flames poured forth, enveloping the entire damaged area.

This time, he did not let the flames destroy anything. Instead, he controlled them, repairing the damage bit by bit. Like the most skillful artisan, the fire pulled apart the melted jade around it, reshaping it and filling the hollow space. The process was slow. Taiyi focused completely, and a fine sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.

About half an hour later, the flames receded.

The writing desk had returned to normal—no, not quite. A pale golden pattern remained where it had been repaired, like a scar. Yet that pattern itself had become part of the jade, utterly seamless.

Taiyi reached out and touched it.

The surface felt warm and smooth, no longer hollow.

He stared at that pattern for a while, then suddenly smiled. This ability could do more than shape things. It could also repair—repair objects damaged by Chaos True Sun Fire.

As he was thinking, a knock sounded from outside.

"Your Majesty. It is Fei Lian."

Taiyi put away the dagger and straightened his robes. "Come in."

The door opened, and Fei Lian entered with a new jade slip in his hands. He first glanced at the writing desk after entering. When he saw the repaired hole, his gaze paused briefly, but he did not ask about it.

"Lord Bai Ze asked me to deliver this." Fei Lian handed over the jade slip. "It contains the detailed arrangements for Zixiao Palace's third lecture, as well as... the accompanying list."

Taiyi accepted the jade slip and opened it.

The first part listed the time, location, and precautions for the lecture, densely filling several pages. At the end was the accompanying list. Di Jun, himself, Fuxi, and Nuwa had long been decided upon. A string of other names followed, all important officials of the Heavenly Court: Bai Ze, Kunpeng, Ji Meng, Ying Zhao...

"So many people?" Taiyi raised an eyebrow.

"Lord Bai Ze said this lecture is no ordinary matter." Fei Lian lowered his eyes. "The Dao Ancestor will speak of the path of the Quasi-Saint, and may even confer Saint positions. The Heavenly Court cannot lose face. Everyone who should attend must attend."

Taiyi nodded and closed the jade slip.

"Understood," he said. "Go make the preparations. We leave in three days."

"Yes."

Fei Lian bowed and withdrew.

The door closed again, and the sleeping chamber fell quiet. Taiyi walked to the window and looked over the sea of clouds outside. The clouds churned, and in the distance he could see the outline of the Sun Star—the star he had just visited, now radiating endless light and heat.

Zixiao Palace's third lecture.

The Dao Ancestor, the path of the Quasi-Saint, Saint positions.

And... the task issued by the system: check in at Zixiao Palace and overturn the meditation cushions.

Taiyi rubbed his brow.

Life was getting more and more exciting.

He turned and returned to the bed, sitting down cross-legged again. The resonance between the Chaos Bell and Chaos True Sun Fire had only just finished, and he still needed to stabilize it. Before closing his eyes, he glanced at the pale golden pattern on the writing desk.

The damage had been repaired, but the mark remained.

Just like him—the shell was Eastern Emperor Taiyi's, but the core was Lin Yuan's. No matter how well he acted or pretended, the traces would always remain. They could not be erased.

But...

If they could not be erased, then so be it.

He closed his eyes, a faint smile curling at his lips.

A few marks made things real.