Chapter 1830 — The World-Opening Great Bell

" Zhu Santong's heart went cold. He was already one of the rare masters among the younger generation in all the world: he had mastered the four great Heaven Gates of the Ancestral Court Dao-realm system, the Jade Pool and the Jade Terrace, the God-Slaying Terrace, the Heaven Sea, the Nine Hells Terrace, and every realm besides, and of the five great lodes of the Five Tai realms he had cultivated as far as the Taichu realm; his Dao realm grew ever deeper and loftier, otherwise he would not have stirred the Dao realm of the path of reincarnation the moment he met Shang Jun and awakened a portion of his former life's memories. His cultivation and strength could now stand comparison with the Heavenly Venerables of old, and even at such a level, to enter the Ancestral Court was a road to certain death. How terrible, then, must the fighting in the Ancestral Court be? Shang Jun walked on, and his voice came back from the distance: "On this return of mine, Lord Tu will lead a body of those who stand near to attaining the Dao to the Ancestral Court, to fill the gaps.

Cultivate in peace, and if you can, come and hear me lecture. " "Lord Tu will lead a group of Heavenly Venerables to the Ancestral Court?

" Zhu Santong's eyes rolled this way and that. Dong Yang said, muffled and low, "Santong, do not make mischief. " Zhu Santong answered meekly, but gave it no mind, thinking to himself, "Among the five of us, I awakened first and I am the strongest; none of the others have awakened their former memories yet.

Since I have the arts of a past life, why not go along with Lord Tu and take a look?

" His spirits high, he left Dong Yang and the rest behind, roused his divine powers, opened the Gate of Inheriting Heaven, and entered Youdu.

Youdu. The vast Six Paths of Reincarnation turned of themselves; the Tianyin Realm and Youdu were joined, and countless souls came and went between the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the Tianyin Realm; beneath the Six Paths the karmic fire seethed, and numberless souls struggled within it. Within the Six Paths of Reincarnation, in Lord Tu's mansion, Zhu Santong slipped quietly in and peered about him, craning his neck this way and that.

He saw Heavenly Venerable You, Shen Fengqing, Lady Tianyin, Di Yiyue, Li Zheng, the Blind Elder, Granny Zhu, and the rest seated each in their own place, and the Lord of Heaven, transformed into an elder with white brows, seated among them; they were in council.

"Youdu has Heavenly Venerable You to preside over it, and can be kept safe.

But Xuandu, if the Lord of Heaven departs, who can bear the operation of the heavenly dao? " Shen Fengqing asked, "And the Tianyin Realm, if the Lady goes to the Ancestral Court, who will refine the starveling ghosts? Who will use the black sand of souls to create new souls and oversee the running of the great dao of the Tianyin Realm?

" The Lord of Heaven laid out the fifty supreme treasures of the heavenly dao and said, "Half of the operation of the heavenly dao rests upon these supreme treasures. Di Yiyue is of my line; she can hold the operation of the heavenly dao on my behalf. " Di Yiyue frowned. "I mean to go to the Ancestral Court and temper myself as well.

For one thing, my cultivation has reached its limit, and to advance another step by merely receiving the fruits of Jingping's reforms has grown difficult. For another, I wish to see Kaihuang Shen Ye.

He was a fellow Daoist of old, and besides. .

. " She glanced at the Lord of Heaven and said no more.

Back then the Lord of Heaven and her father had made the decision between them and given her to Kaihuang Shen Ye as a child bride; her relations with Kaihuang Shen Ye were exceedingly delicate, at once teacher and friend. In her early years she had loved Kaihuang Shen Ye unrequited, but he had someone in his heart and refused her; only afterwards was the door of her heart forced by the Yin Sovereign, Yin Chaojin. Yet that first love still lay hidden at the bottom of her heart.

The Lord of Heaven knew well how much he owed her, and in his helplessness could only look to the First Ancestor, the Human Sovereign Shen Wu.

"How is Daoist friend Shen's attainment in the heavenly dao? Could you hold the operation of the heavenly dao for a time? " The First Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, said, "I am still far from attaining the Dao, but I can hold it for a while. " The Lord of Heaven breathed out in relief.

Lady Tianyin said, "King Yama can hold the operation of the Tianyin Realm for the time being.

" King Yama bowed and assented, then said, "And who is that outside the door? " They had long since seen Zhu Santong hiding outside; they had simply not spoken of it.

King Yama was blunt by nature and said it straight out.

Shen Fengqing said, "A fellow who does not fear death.

In my early years my brother and I duped him, and so I did not drive him off.

Zhu Santong, come in.

" At these words Zhu Santong hurried into the hall and cried aloud, "Lord Tu, you owe me! On this trip to the Ancestral Court, I mean to go too!

" The assembly frowned, each in their own way, and looked one after another toward Shen Fengqing. Granny Zhu said, "Santong's abilities are not weak, but they are no more than those of a Yin Sovereign; going there is simply seeking death.

" Shen Fengqing said, "Granny, it was my brother who did wrong and owes the man. Since he wants to go, let him go.

The yellow earth will bury a man anywhere. " Heavenly Venerable You said, "Set your mind at ease, Daoist friend.

On this journey we have the Lord of Heaven, Lord Tu, and Lady Tianyin among us; even if he is beaten to ashes, he can be brought back. So long as he is not beaten into primal chaos.

" Zhu Santong shivered, rather regretting that he meant to go, but he could only stiffen his neck and refuse to show any sign of cowardice. Some days later, when all was prepared, they set out for the Ancestral Court.

Half a year afterward they came to the outside of the Ancestral Court, and saw that it had been refined by Shen Mu into a perfectly square great cauldron, immeasurably vast, like some enormous exotic treasure, with radiant clouds roiling on every side, dazzling to the eye.

Zhu Santong's heart quailed.

"This Ancestral Court is well on its way to being refined into a treasure! Only, who could ever drive this great cauldron?

" Their party was led by the Lord of Heaven and Shen Fengqing; the two stepped forward and each performed seal-form divine powers, and a passage covered in resplendent Hongmeng runes appeared before them, and the company filed in. For how long they walked in that passage, Zhu Santong could not say; he looked at the four walls, where there were not only Hongmeng runes but other, stranger runes, like dreadful creatures of primal chaos, shifting their forms within the walls.

"The Seventh Young Master's seal! " Ahead the way suddenly opened into emptiness; they had come out of the passage at last, and found themselves upon one of the four walls of the great cauldron.

Looking down, they took in the whole vast and magnificent landscape of the Ancestral Court! The most striking thing of all was the World Tree, a spectacle beyond measure! By now, beneath the World Tree, an enormous bell-shaped treasure lay crosswise, running through the sixteen rivers of chaos beyond the World Tree; the great bell was like the cosmos at the moment of its birth, its mouth turned toward the World Tree, and it gave out a bell-note like the cleaving of heaven and earth!

And within the great bell, Kaihuang Shen Ye, Heavenly Venerable Yue, Jiang Baigui, the Dao Ancestor, and the others who guarded the Ancestral Court were fighting desperately!