Chen Fan paused and turned sharply. Before him stood a withered elder in long black robes. His eyes were deep, his cheekbones protruded, and his gaze was dark. “Yes, you, brat from the Featherlight Sect. Hand over everything you have. Otherwise, don’t blame this old man for being ruthless.” This withered elder emitted intense, nefarious qi. Chen Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. A Void Immortal had set his sights on him. This was trouble. “Hmph, you’re still hesitating. It looks like you don’t intend to hand them over. Since that is the case, don’t blame me.” A vicious glint flashed in the elder’s eyes. He struck in a blur, fingers curled like claws, slashing toward Chen Fan. Laws manifested in space. This elder struck fiercely and ruthlessly. The nefarious qi could even freeze a person’s soul. Naturally, Chen Fan could not sit back and wait for death to come. A powerful aura erupted from him in an instant. A crane’s cry rang from within him, rising to the clouds as he executed his strongest attacks. His fist force transformed into a spirited immortal crane. “Pine Crane Longevity Fist!” But his strike was instantly shattered by the elder’s claws; their strength wasn’t even close. In a flash, the claws landed on Chen Fan’s chest, sparks flying. He spat blood and was sent hurtling back. “Such a powerful physique!” The elder was shocked. His attack could destroy even a Grade-9 treasure, yet it hadn’t pierced Chen Fan’s flesh. That shocked him. However, Chen Fan had sustained considerable internal injuries from the attack. His organs shook violently, wracked with stabbing pain. “Well, well, well. It seems like you are a treasure yourself. After refining you into a blood slave, you’ll become a deadly weapon!” The elder laughed coldly. A wave of freezing, desolate qi burst from him as he lunged again, this time to capture and refine Chen Fan. Suddenly, a deafening shout echoed. A powerful aura swept through the area. A man, strong as a mountain, appeared, wielding a massive axe, and struck at the elder. “What guts you have. How dare you make a move on our Featherlight Sect’s disciple? You’re courting death!” The elder defended himself in shock, but the ax instantly destroyed his attack. The ax continued its descent, landing on the elder mercilessly and splitting him in half on the spot, staining the floor in blood. Chen Fan finally got a good look at his savior: a thick-browed, big-eyed, very muscular man. He looked a little simple and honest. Concerned, he asked, “This Junior Brother, are you alright?” “Many thanks, Senior Brother, for giving a hand. I’m fine, it’s just some light injuries.” Chen Fan hurriedly stood up and expressed his gratitude, “May I know your esteemed name?” The strong man waved his hand and said with a smile, “No need for the formalities. I’m Yue Xiong. What’s your name?” “Oh, you’re that Chen Fan who defeated Gu Xun shortly after joining the sect?” Chen Fan nodded and said, “That’s me.” “Very good. He only dares to be arrogant because of his familial background. Without that, he’s nothing.” Yue Xiong seemed to look down on Gu Xun a lot. “Right, want to team up? Although your middle-stage Greater Legendary realm cultivation is not bad, around here, that’s the bottom tier. It’s dangerous to go alone.” “Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Brother, but I shan’t burden you. I came here to temper myself. Following you might keep me safe, but I’d miss the chance to grow through real-life-or-death trials,” said Chen Fan. Yue Xiong nodded, clearly pleased with Chen Fan’s response. “Hmm, alright, then. Be careful by yourself.” “You too, Senior Brother,” Chen Fan said with a smile. For three whole days, Chen Fan roamed the palace halls. He obtained quite a few treasures during this period and also encountered several difficult battles. Occasionally, others targeted him, but each time, he escaped unscathed. During this time, he also learned a curious tale about the Mystical Gates Immortal Manor. Long ago, the manor had nine craftsmen who were obsessed with refining a king-grade immortal artifact. One day, they resolved to create such a weapon together, an artifact that would become the manor’s greatest treasure. After three years of designing, they decided to refine a king-grade immortal artifact that could be used for both attack and defense, named the Nine Firmament Bell. Once the blueprint was finalized, the manor began making arrangements. Over the next ten years, they spared no effort, gathering rare and powerful materials for the craftsmen. When everything was ready, the nine went into seclusion to begin the crafting process, one that lasted thirty years. When the sound of a bell resounded throughout the Mystical Gates Immortal Manor, the immortals immediately realized that the nine craftsmen maniacs had succeeded in refining the artifact, though they were unsure if the immortal artifact reached king-grade. They waited. Three years passed. Still, the craftsmen didn’t emerge. Thus, the manor master broke into the nine craftsmen’s artifact refining room. Inside, the nine were gone, vanished without a trace. Only the Nine Firmament Bell remained, sitting silently where it had been forged. However, when they activated the Nine Firmament Bell, a shocking truth emerged: within it were nine immortal souls—those of the nine craftsmen maniacs themselves. It turned out that the craftsmen had failed. However, they felt indignant and infused their flesh, blood, and immortal souls into the bell, sacrificing themselves to complete the artifact. Though the resulting bell didn’t reach king-grade, it stood at the peak of high-grade immortal artifacts. When enough energy was channeled into it, the bell could unleash attacks on par with the Immortal King realm. To honor the nine craftsmen, the Mystical Gates Immortal Manor decided to rename the Nine Firmament Bell to the Nine Immortals Bell and declared it their sect’s greatest treasure. In a later crisis, the manor’s immortals activated the bell to strike down an Immortal King realm attacker, dealing heavy damage. From then on, the bell’s fame spread far and wide. Now, within the palace hall, everyone was searching for the legendary treasure of the immortal manor. Whoever obtained the Nine Immortals Bell would no longer fear Immortal Platform realm experts; with the power of the immortal souls within, they could fight evenly against such enemies, becoming the unrivaled powerhouse beneath the immortal realm. With that, they wouldn’t even have to fear an Immortal Platform realm expert, as they could fight using the power of the immortal soul. They would be the absolute strongest under the immortal realm. Naturally, Chen Fan also burned with desire for it. Although the Vicious Suppressor saber was powerful, its energy consumption was too great, and it affected the wielder’s mind. Without a strong will, one risked being overtaken, becoming a puppet of slaughter. The Nine Immortals Bell, however, was different. It offered immense power with far less energy drain, and no threat of mental corruption. It was exactly the kind of treasure he needed at his current stage. However, it was unknown if the legend of the Nine Immortals Bell was true or false. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵