Heavenly Melody Elder waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities. The Ziwei Sect and Heavenly Melody Valley are old friends. Now that the Ziwei Sect is in great trouble, Heavenly Melody Valley will naturally not stand idly by. Moreover, if the Underworld's conspiracy succeeds and awakens the ancient evil god, the entire world will be plunged into annihilation, and Heavenly Melody Valley will not be able to remain unscathed. We must unite, gather the fragments of the Emperor Bell, and repair the Emperor Bell to completely stop the Underworld's conspiracy."
"Valley Master is right." Snow Empress nodded. "This junior has come here to find the other fragment of the Emperor Bell, and I humbly request Valley Master's assistance."
The Heavenly Melody Elder pondered for a moment, then said, "Deep within the back mountains of Heavenly Melody Valley lies an ancient secret realm called the ' Qingyin Secret Realm,' a forbidden area of Heavenly Melody Valley. It contains powerful spiritual energy and many ancient treasures. I suspect that the fragments of the Emperor Bell might be within that Qingyin Secret Realm. However, that realm is fraught with danger, not only with powerful restrictions but also with many ancient beasts. Entering it is no easy task."
"No matter how dangerous it is, I must go in," Snow Empress said firmly. "The fragments of the Emperor Bell concern the fate of all people; I cannot back down."
Luo Qingyin also said, "Valley Master, I'll go with Snow Empress. I'm familiar with the terrain of Heavenly Melody Valley, and besides, I have Pure Spirit Physique, so I can sense Yin and evil energy, which might be of help."
Seeing the resolute looks in their eyes, Heavenly Melody Elder nodded. "Very well. Since you've made up your minds, I will grant your wish. This is the token for the Qingyin Secret Realm. With this token, you can enter the secret realm. In addition, I will give you two protective treasures, hoping they will help you find the fragments smoothly and return safely." As he spoke, he took out a white token and two magical artifacts from his robes and handed them to Snow Empress and Luo Qingyin.
Snow Empress and Luo Qingyin accepted the tokens and magical artifacts, and bowed again to Heavenly Melody Elder: "Thank you, Valley Master!"
"Go, and be careful." Heavenly Melody Elder waved his hand, his eyes full of worry. "If you encounter any danger that you cannot overcome, immediately crush the token, and I will rush over to your aid."
"Yes!" Snow Empress and Luo Qingyin responded and turned to walk towards the depths of the back mountain of Heavenly Melody Valley.
The Qingyin Secret Realm is located deep within the back mountains of Heavenly Melody Valley, hidden in a cloud of mist. At the entrance to the secret realm stands a massive stone gate, intricately carved with patterns and surrounded by powerful restrictive energy. Snow Empress and Luo Qingyin took out the token given to them by the Heavenly Melody Elder and affixed it to the stone gate. Instantly, the token glowed with a white light, the restrictive energy on the stone gate gradually weakened, and the stone gate slowly opened, revealing a pitch-black passage.
"Let's go in." Snow Empress glanced at Luo Qingyin and stepped into the passage first. Luo Qingyin followed closely behind, gripping the Autumn Water Sword tightly in her hand, vigilantly observing the surrounding movements.
The spiritual energy within the passage was astonishingly dense, several times denser than that of the Bottomless Abyss Palace. Countless luminous pearls were embedded in the stone walls on both sides of the passage, illuminating the path ahead. After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the space suddenly opened up, revealing a vast valley. Within the valley, the mountains were verdant, the waters clear, and the birds sang sweetly, a stark contrast to the eerie and sinister atmosphere of the outside world, resembling a paradise on earth.
"This is the Qingyin Secret Realm? It truly lives up to its reputation." Luo Qingyin looked at the scene before her, a look of surprise in her eyes.
Snow Empress nodded, her eyes sparkling as she sensed the aura of the fragment of the Emperor Bell: "The aura of the fragment is just ahead, let's hurry over."
The two walked along the path in the valley, encountering many exotic flowers and rare herbs, as well as some docile ancient beasts. These beasts did not attack Snow Empress and Luo Qingyin, but instead obediently avoided them. Clearly, the beasts here had not been corrupted by evil energy and still maintained the purity of ancient times.
After walking for about half an hour, a huge waterfall appeared ahead. Below the waterfall was a clear pool. In the center of the pool was a small island, and on the island stood an ancient stone tablet. Floating on the stone tablet was a purple fragment, which was another piece of the Emperor Bell.
"Found it!" Snow Empress was overjoyed and quickly walked towards the pool. But just then, a huge figure suddenly leaped out of the pool and blocked their way. The figure was a huge Black Water Beast, more than three zhang long, covered with jet-black scales that shimmered with a cold luster. Its huge eyes exuded an aura of majesty, and its cultivation had actually reached the Dragon Transformation Fourth Transformation, a level higher than Snow Empress and Luo Qingyin.
"Humans, how dare you trespass into my territory and steal my treasures! You're courting death!" The Black Water Beast's voice was loud and deep, carrying a powerful pressure as it rushed towards Snow Empress and Luo Qingyin.
Snow Empress's expression hardened. She could sense that this Black Water Beast was not an evil creature, but an ancient beast guarding the Qingyin Secret Realm. What it was guarding was likely the fragment of the Emperor Bell. "Senior Black Water Beast, we did not intentionally trespass into your territory, nor did we intend to steal your treasures. We are only searching for the fragment of the Emperor Bell to fight against the Underworld, prevent the ancient evil god from awakening, and restore peace to the world."
" The Underworld? Ancient evil gods?" A hint of doubt flashed in the Black Water Beast's eyes. "I've guarded this secret realm for thousands of years and have never heard of such things. All I know is that this purple fragment is a treasure left over from ancient times, and I must protect it and not let anyone take it away."
"Senior, you are unaware of this," Luo Qingyin stepped forward and said softly, " The Underworld is an evil force. They want to forge the Ten Thousand Yin Banner to awaken the ancient evil god. Once the ancient evil god awakens, the entire world will be destroyed, and this secret realm, as well as the treasures you are guarding, will all be reduced to nothing. Only by collecting the fragments of the Emperor Bell Emperor Bell and repairing it can their conspiracy be completely stopped."
The Black Water Beast remained silent for a moment, a hint of hesitation flashing in its eyes. It had guarded this secret realm for thousands of years and had long developed a deep affection for this land. It did not want to see this land destroyed. However, it was also unwilling to easily hand over the fragments to outsiders, after all, this was a treasure it had protected for thousands of years.
"Hmph, you make it sound so nice, but how do I know what you're saying is true?" The Black Water Beast sneered, a hint of wariness flashing in its eyes. "Perhaps you're just like those evil forces, here to seize the treasure."
Snow Empress knew that to gain the trust of the Black Water Beast, she had to show sincerity. She took a deep breath and retrieved the Emperor Bell from her dantian. Purple light flowed across the Emperor Bell, exuding an awe-inspiring imperial might. "Senior, this is the Ziwei Emperor Bell, an ancient artifact used to suppress evil spirits and protect the world. This fragment is part of the Emperor Bell. Only by gathering all the fragments and repairing the Emperor Bell can its true power be unleashed to suppress the ancient evil god."
The Black Water Beast looked at the Emperor Bell with a hint of surprise in its eyes. It could sense that the Emperor Bell was radiating a powerful divine energy, completely different from the evil energy. Moreover, the aura of the Emperor Bell resonated strongly with the fragment it was protecting.