That clear, crisp chime seemed to cross both time and death, echoing in everyone's sea of consciousness.
It carried sorrow, telling of a lovestruck woman's lonely vigil over the past several hundred years.
And it carried hope, calling out to the one she had protected with her life.
"It's the Joyous Union Bell!"
Zhang Xiaofan's body trembled violently. Looking at the enormous amber, he wept hot tears.
He could feel the severed connection between himself and the green-clad girl inside the amber miraculously reconnecting.
Though the connection was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, it existed once more.
Li Xiaoyu and the others were also stunned by this turn of events.
They turned their eyes toward the enormous amber.
Deep within it, a Golden Bell on the green-clad girl's wrist was giving off a soft glow.
The light was faint, yet it seemed to be the only thing eternal in this chaotic Turbulence of Time and Space.
It formed a protective barrier, sheltering Bi Yao's body and that wisp of her fading soul.
With difficulty, it resisted the erosion of the wild forces of time and space around them.
It was the Joyous Union Bell.
A devoted treasure bearing all of Bi Yao's feelings and memories.
Even after its owner's soul had scattered, it had stayed by her side, using every last trace of its spiritual power to protect the final spark of life within her.
"Bi Yao..."
Zhang Xiaofan stared at the faintly glowing Golden Bell and the green-clad girl sleeping beneath its protection. His heart was full of tenderness and guilt.
He hated his own powerlessness.
He hated that he had left her alone in this cold Land of Exile, waiting for hundreds of years.
He also hated his own weakness.
He hated that he