Shattered Bell Part 2

Ning Huaishan said, "Lord... Young Master, do you remember? Some Evil Demons, they even vomit at the sight of a divine statue."

His face was practically painted with a row of large words—'Guess whether I'll vomit if I hold an immortal treasure or not.'

Wu Xingxue: "..."

'Fine.'

And so, after tormenting everyone in a circle, the Great Demon Lord Wu Xingxue chose to hold the Dream Bell himself after all.

The matter of the "Summoned" in Great Sorrow Valley was now clear, and what they were looking for had been found. For the Immortal Sect disciples and Yi Wusheng, there were no more regrets.

Wu Xingxue, however, was a little curious about what exactly Hua Xin had done back then to preserve a sliver of Yun Hai's remnant life, but even Yun Hai himself didn't know.

Moreover, Xiao Fuxuan had said that when Hua Xin descended to the mortal realm with his sword, he was in the Canglang Northern Domain. By the time he returned to the Immortal Capital, it was much later.

No one in the Immortal Capital knew what Hua Xin had done, only some of the aftermath—like Yun Hai back then, he knelt at Lingtai to receive heavenly punishment and entered seclusion for a hundred days.

After that, aside from becoming even more detached from worldly affairs and more like an Immortal Leader, there was nothing else unusual about him.

They explored around Yun Hai's tomb again but failed to find any clues that could offer a glimpse of the truth, so they had to give up.

When everyone emerged from the underground tomb in Great Sorrow Valley, the east was already brightening.

The three Immortal Sect disciples were putting away their Qiankun Pouches. They had gathered all thirty-three child statues and found all the common people who had been tragically "Summoned." Muttering "Pardon the intrusion," they placed them into the Qiankun Pouches.

"When you return them, remember to tidy them up a bit, at least use some illusionary arts," Yi Wusheng, ever worried, reminded them.

Most of those common people were dismembered, their manner of death horrifying. It would be too cruel to send them home in their original state.

The young disciples bowed. "Senior, rest assured, we will properly perform rites to guide their souls and ensure they are settled appropriately."

Their senior brothers and sisters had come so many times and found nothing. Yet the three of them, new to the world, had brought everyone back at once. This was a major event for their sect, and even for all of Yuyang.

They wanted to invite Xiao Fuxuan and the others back to their sect, but they were politely refused.

Oh, no. Tianxiu wasn't polite, just refusing. He replied with two words: "We won't."

Wu Xingxue, on the other hand, was more tactful. He pointed to his own face and said, "If I were to go to your sect, your Family Head and elders would probably be so happy their faces would turn black and blue."

The young disciples: "..."

Yi Wusheng was the most normal. He said, "I only have a remnant of a soul left and can't last for many days, so I won't impose."

Hearing this, the young disciples naturally didn't dare to hold him up and waste his final days.

They bowed their farewells and headed for Yuyang, carrying the Qiankun Pouches and the thirty-three departed souls.

Wu Xingxue asked Yi Wusheng, "What are your plans, Mister?"

Yi Wusheng touched the black cloth over his mouth and nose. He could actually feel himself getting weaker by the day. In the carriage, he could still check his pulse to probe his spirit, but at the bottom of Great Sorrow Valley, he was powerless in every way. Now, even his five senses were not as clear as before.

He looked at Xiao Fuxuan. "High Immortal, how many more days can this remnant soul of mine last?"

Xiao Fuxuan placed the back of his finger against him, remained silent for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "Four days."

Yi Wusheng nodded calmly. "Alright."

Then he answered Wu Xingxue, "I still have some regrets, things I want to see one last time. I'll probably go to the Jiaming Wilderness first, then head to Peach Blossom Isle. If my luck holds, I should be able to make it home in my final days."

As he spoke, he suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly.

The moment he grabbed Wu Xingxue's robes and asked the other to kill him had been his most decisive. Now that he had a little leeway, he found himself wanting more and more—

At first, he had said that once he understood the reason for the Hua Family's suffering and found the Dream Bell's whereabouts, he could depart in peace. Now that both were done, he had remembered other regrets.

People are always greedy.

After his self-mockery, he gave Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan a gentle, scholarly salute and took his leave.

But after only a few steps, his worrying nature flared up again. He really couldn't help it and walked back to say to Wu Xingxue, "This might be a bit abrupt, but I was wondering..."

He wanted to ask if he still remembered how to use this Dream Bell, how to interpret dreams. He could tell Wu Xingxue had forgotten many things, and the method for using the Dream Bell was likely among them.

But he couldn't bring himself to ask the original owner this question.

Wu Xingxue saw him hesitating, trailing off for a long time, his gaze falling on the Dream Bell hanging at his waist. So he simply hooked a finger, held up the Dream Bell, and said, "You want to ask about this?"

Yi Wusheng nodded. Just as he was choosing his words to speak, his gaze suddenly shook.

He exclaimed in alarm, "Why is this Dream Bell covered in cracks?! It didn't look like this in the tomb earlier."

Wu Xingxue, however, wasn't so surprised. "It already had cracks on the inside, they just hadn't shown on the outside yet. Luckily, it's still mostly whole and hasn't split into eight pieces. I wonder if it can still be used."

"Absolutely not," Yi Wusheng said hastily.

"Why?"

Yi Wusheng: "This is an immortal treasure. The spiritual energy of an immortal treasure is too potent, and it's mixed with an immortal's life essence. There are always taboos and specific methods for using it. The slightest mistake will not only prevent it from working but could also cause one to go astray and fall to the demonic path."

This sounded reasonable, but when it came to immortal treasures, an immortal would naturally be the most knowledgeable.

So Wu Xingxue thought for a moment while holding the white jade bell, then turned his head to look at Xiao Fuxuan.

Xiao Fuxuan: "That is indeed the case."

Actually, Yi Wusheng knew very well in his heart that he had understated the danger. If something truly went wrong, it would be far worse than just going astray and falling to the demonic path. The most troublesome part about an immortal treasure's rarity was not just that it was scarce in the mortal realm, but that it was also an incredibly precious and difficult to replace item for the immortal themself.

Once damaged, it was truly difficult to restore, no matter where one searched, from the heavens to the earth.

But Wu Xingxue was completely unaware of this. He gently shook the bell, a bit lost in thought, and after a moment asked, "Then can it be restored?"

This matter was still something an immortal would know best, so after asking, he again turned his head to look at Xiao Fuxuan.

Xiao Fuxuan: "..."

High Immortal Tianxiu's thin lips moved slightly, as if he was about to let out a "No," but in the end, he didn't make a sound.

He turned his face away slightly, then turned back a moment later and said, "It can."

Yi Wusheng: "..."

He was silent for a long while, then swallowed the word "Impossible" with a gulp.

'Is this what an immortal is like?' he thought. 'Being stared at unblinkingly for a moment can turn 'impossible' into 'possible'?'

He really wanted to see just how it "can" be done...

And so, an hour later, on the carriage heading to the old site of the Fallen Flower Mountain Market, there was an additional Yi Wusheng who had originally "taken his leave."