The massive attack descended, shaking the entire Tai Shan. Taiyi Shengzi frowned, realizing Ye Qiu’s figure had disappeared. While puzzled, Luo Fu, the Demon Lord, and the Beast God finally saw clearly that Ye Qiu had actually dodged and was standing in mid-air. Both the Beast God and Luo Fu shouted loudly. The Artifact Spirit elder had previously mentioned that flying up to Tai Shan would invoke the punishment of a Heavenly Tribulation. The previous giant eagle was the best proof of this, and given the circumstances, Ye Qiu still dared to fly up. Wasn’t he courting death? "So, you’re here." Only then did Taiyi Shengzi notice that Ye Qiu had already moved above his head. "You wanted to blast me down, but it seems you’re a step too late," Ye Qiu said indifferently, his figure flashing as he directly landed on the boulder at the mountain’s peak. No Heavenly Tribulation, no danger whatsoever; Ye Qiu was safe and sound. Right after Taiyi Shengzi, he reached the mountain summit. Luo Fu and the Beast God both breathed a sigh of relief. "Why wasn’t he punished by the Heavenly Tribulation?" the Demon Lord Holy Son was puzzled, and Taiyi Shengzi also furrowed his brow, wondering why the tribulation hadn’t descended to incinerate Ye Qiu to ashes for flying so high. The Beast God pondered for a moment and then broke into a smile as he understood: "Ye Zi had effectively reached the top when the attack descended, even though he hadn’t landed. Therefore, even if he flew, he wouldn’t suffer the punishment of the Heavenly Tribulation, because he was above the mountain peak, which didn’t violate the rules." When Taiyi Shengzi’s attack suddenly came, Ye Qiu had no choice but to leap and evade; otherwise, he’d be blasted down the mountain, making it impossible to reach the summit again. With Taiyi Shengzi there, he wouldn’t let anyone easily climb up to compete for the treasure. Chapters fırst released on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝙣𝙚𝙩 Left with no other option, Ye Qiu had to jump, preparing himself to withstand the punishment of the Heavenly Tribulation. However, after waiting for a while with nothing happening, Ye Qiu realized he was indeed on top of Tai Shan, just not grounded. Now with both Taiyi Shengzi and Ye Qiu on the mountain peak, virtually reaching it at the same time, the result was beyond anyone’s expectations. Neither the Demon Lord Holy Son nor the Beast God or Luo Fu imagined Ye Qiu would catch up so quickly and stand alongside Taiyi Shengzi on the summit. Most surprised was the Artifact Spirit elder, who had almost concluded that Taiyi Shengzi would inherit the master’s legacy. However, Ye Qiu’s sudden rise was truly eye-catching. "A guy I hadn’t really noticed suddenly reached the summit all at once, such a surprise," the Artifact Spirit elder looked at Ye Qiu with a newfound interest. Ye Qiu and Taiyi Shengzi faced each other, standing atop Tai Shan as the cold wind howled, ruffling their clothes and hair. Their gazes collided, as if a battle could reignite at any moment. The Artifact Spirit elder appeared between them, breaking the tense atmosphere. Looking at them, the elder said: "You both have performed well, but merely reaching the summit isn’t enough. To gain my true recognition, you must pass the upcoming Illusion Array." "Whoever can pass the Illusion Array will inherit the master’s legacy and receive my acknowledgement." Ye Qiu’s eyes flashed with determination; he was bent on obtaining the Taihuang bell, and he had some confidence in passing the Illusion Array. After all, he understood formations, which gave him a considerable advantage. Taiyi Shengzi stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying: "Senior, as long as we pass through this Illusion Array, will the Taihuang bell have its master?" "Pass through it, and you’ll earn my recognition; I won’t deceive you in this matter," said the Artifact Spirit elder. Taiyi Shengzi nodded and thanked him with a couple of phrases. Just as he straightened up, suddenly, a streak of light shot from his sleeve. This streak of light entangled the Artifact Spirit elder, whose face changed drastically as he yelled, "What are you trying to do?" Taiyi Shengzi’s respectful demeanor turned into a smirk: "I’ve come this far, I don’t have the time to go through some Illusion Array; I don’t need your recognition to get the Taihuang bell." "To reach this point, and more so to trap you, I’ve specially prepared this Binding Spirit Rope. Even if you are an Artifact Spirit of divine weaponry, you cannot escape its grasp." Taiyi Shengzi laughed heartily; he wasn’t here to be Ge Tian’s successor, he only wanted the Taihuang bell and Ge Tian’s cultivation technique. As for accepting some challenge, Taiyi Shengzi had no need; an Artifact Spirit had no right to make him undergo trials. When climbing Tai Shan, he was just putting up an appearance. Now, without needing to cover up, he seized the Artifact Spirit first, ensuring the Taihuang bell would be his. That said, Taiyi Shengzi gestured, grabbing the Artifact Spirit elder in his hand, then glanced at the Taihuang bell hovering in the sky and immediately flew towards it. The abrupt change was significant; with the Artifact Spirit captured by Taiyi Shengzi, why would Ye Qiu remain? "I mustn’t let him get it." Ye Qiu immediately gave chase; he couldn’t allow the Taihuang bell to fall into Taiyi Shengzi’s hands. Taiyi Shengzi brought the Artifact Spirit before the Taihuang bell, ordering: "Take the Taihuang bell." The Artifact Spirit elder was unwilling to comply. Taiyi Shengzi sneered and muttered a spell, causing the Binding Spirit Rope to tighten instantly, making the Artifact Spirit elder cry out in pain. "I’ll do it, I’ll do it!" Subsequently, under Taiyi Shengzi’s threat, the Artifact Spirit elder shrank the Taihuang bell to the size of a small bell, an astonishingly divine object. "The Taihuang bell is yours now, can you let me go?" the Artifact Spirit elder pleaded. Taiyi Shengzi sneered: "Let you go? You’re just a newly formed Artifact Spirit pretending to be an elder. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?" "If I release you, you’d hide inside the Taihuang bell and use it to attack me, how could I defend against that? So, you’d better die." Taiyi Shengzi twisted his hand, directly snapping the Artifact Spirit elder’s neck, revealing its true form as a child’s likeness, its body gradually dissipating. The reason Taiyi Shengzi knew the Artifact Spirit elder’s identity was because more than a thousand years ago, the Taihuang bell had killed many powerful beings, suffering significant damage itself. The last of those strongmen poisoned the Artifact Spirit. Taiyi Shengzi knew the Taihuang bell would lose its Artifact Spirit, yet after traversing the prehistoric world, the Artifact Spirit reappeared. Taiyi Shengzi understood it was a newly born spirit, weak, its apparent strength merely an illusion to deceive them. "An ownerless Taihuang bell is the safest; only by nurturing an Artifact Spirit that obeys me by my side is the correct approach," having killed the Artifact Spirit, Taiyi Shengzi went to retrieve the bell-sized Taihuang bell hovering in the air. At that moment, a long hand reached out and grabbed the Taihuang bell directly from Taiyi Shengzi’s front. Taiyi Shengzi was instantly furious, only then remembering Ye Qiu was still there. "Damn native, give me back the Taihuang bell!" Seeing the opportunity lost, Taiyi Shengzi couldn’t contain his anger and threw the Binding Spirit Rope at once. Ye Qiu had seen the power of the Binding Spirit Rope, capable of easily binding the Artifact Spirit. He feared he couldn’t escape as a mere human in the King Realm. With a quick glance, he looked towards the Illusion Array not far away, and without turning back, he rushed in. At the same time, Ye Qiu’s voice came back: "If you want the Taihuang bell, come in and defeat me!"