Chapter 426
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Chapter 426: The Sword of the Origin Bell
"This is…" Xu Fan examined the sword’s material, but despite his years of artifact crafting, he couldn’t identify what it was made of.
Xu Fan flicked the sword with a powerful force.
‘Clang~~’
A strange sound echoed, like a sigh or a moan.
Xu Fan listened intently to the sound coming from the sword.
"Judging by the emotion in this sound, it seems like it’s been freed?" Xu Fan said uncertainly.
"Tweet tweet~" (Let me go~) the Cloud Flower Deer cried out.
Xu Fan turned to the Cloud Flower Deer and asked, "Where did you find this sword?"
He flicked the sword again.
"Tweet tweet tweet~~" (I found it in a sealed palace~) the Cloud Flower Deer swayed its body, clearly annoyed by Xu Fan using his spiritual energy to hold it.
"I knew it; asking was pointless," Xu Fan said, waving his hand to let the Cloud Flower Deer go off to play.
"Never mind. I’ll just store it in the treasury. If even I can’t figure it out, it must be something extraordinary," Xu Fan said as he set the sword aside and took out the time crystal ball to continue his usual routine.
At that moment, the time crystal ball suddenly shattered into crystal sand, which then merged with the sword.
A faint golden light emerged from the previously gray-black blade of the spiritual sword.
In an instant, it released an overwhelming suction force, like a black hole, pulling everything within a radius of several dozen miles, including Xu Fan, into the sword.
"Warning! Warning! The master is under an immeasurable attack. Emergency plan activated," Grape’s voice announced.
Immediately, all of Xu Fan’s disciples received the message.
From various points on Hidden Spirit Island, five beams of light shot up rapidly toward Xu Fan’s last known location.
Soon, Xu Gang, Xu Yuexian, Wang Xiangchi, Li Xingci, and Zhou Kailing gathered around the floating spiritual sword.
"What happened to Master?" Xu Gang asked urgently.
Xu Yuexian and the others waited anxiously for an answer.
A light curtain appeared before them, showing the scene of Xu Fan being drawn into the sword.
"Where are the First Clone and the Second Clone?" Li Xingci asked quickly.
"They’re in the underground space, currently in a state of chaos, which signifies a complete break in the causal connection. It’s impossible to determine the master’s lives and deaths at this time," Grape replied, its voice tinged with sorrow.
"If we can’t determine lives and deaths, then Master must still be alive! Maybe there’s a secret realm hidden inside this sword that’s trapped him," Xu Yuexian suggested.
"What should we do now?" Wang Xiangchi asked, staring at the spiritual sword in the sky that held their master.
Xu Gang looked at the sword with determination and said, "We’ll wait. If Master doesn’t return within a month, we’ll take this sword to the Elder Council and seek help from the stars in the Extreme Void Domain."
"Leave this to me," Li Xingci said.
At that moment, a phantom of Xu Fan appeared.
"Master!!"
"Don’t panic. If you’re seeing this light shadow technique, it means I’m trapped in a secret realm and can’t escape. My clones are also cut off from contact."
"Don’t worry about me now. Just go and do what you need to do," Xu Fan’s voice echoed softly.
"In a moment, Grape will give each of you your inheritance jade butterflies. Inside, you’ll find the ultimate version of the Five Elements Technique and the divine abilities that go with it. It’s enough to take you all the way to the Great Ascension stage."
"When I vanish, the beast clan master craftsmen in the sect’s underground space will start crafting the full set of tools I designed for you."
"You’re all grown up now. I can only help you so much."
"If I don’t return before you ascend, don’t wait for me. As long as I’m alive, we’ll meet again in the Thousand Worlds."
"The only thing I regret is not being able to make a celestial tool for each of you before you ascend," Xu Fan’s phantom sighed.
Tears streamed down Xu Gang’s and the others’ faces, each regretting not spending more time with their master.
"Let Grape handle the sect’s affairs as usual. You’ll take turns being the sect leader—it’s mostly ceremonial."
"If I’m not back in ten years, Grape will release the second version of my light shadow image," Xu Fan’s phantom said before fading away.
"Grape, what are you bound to?" Xu Gang suddenly asked.
"I’ve been tied to the sect’s fortune from the start. The master has the first authority, you have the second, and the leader of the Hidden Spirit Sect has the third by default," Grape explained honestly.
"I see," Xu Gang replied.
"We’ll take turns guarding this place, five years each," Xu Gang declared.
"Agreed."
But even after they spoke, no one left. They stayed, hoping Xu Fan would reappear at any moment.
In an unknown space, Xu Fan stared at the shadow before him, his right eye twitching.
"After so many millennia, someone has finally come to keep me company," an ancient, weathered voice said, as if a statue dormant for millions of years had spoken, each word heavy with the weight of time.
"But it doesn’t matter now. Just now, when the Sword of the Origin Bell opened, I felt the formation sealing me disappear."
"In another hundred years, I’ll break this cursed sword," the shadow said, taking a deep breath and looking at Xu Fan.
"Do you know? Inside this Sword of the Origin Bell, time flows differently. One year outside is a hundred years here."
"Trying to wear down my intelligence with time? Ridiculous. I, Ancient Demon Tianlu, will never bow to mere tens of millions of years of shadows!" the shadow roared.
"I, Ancient Demon Tianlu, am eternal and indestructible!" it bellowed.
"Being alone for so long has made him a bit unhinged," Xu Fan thought, smiling slightly. Still, the time difference was intriguing.
"Alright, human, I’ve said my piece. You can die now," the shadow sneered at Xu Fan.
"Don’t worry, I’ll take my time tormenting you. After all, there are still hundreds of years to go."
"Are you sure you have hundreds of years?"
"Feel it for yourself. Just now, the Sword of the Origin Bell absorbed one of my time treasures. It should extend your time by several thousand years," Xu Fan said calmly.
The shadow froze, then a strange wave of Demonic Energy swept through the space.
"The sealing time power has grown stronger!" the shadow shouted, its form twisting into bizarre shapes, growing more erratic and eerie.
"I still have four thousand years to break the seal," the shadow muttered, despair creeping in as its patience neared its end, its sanity on the verge of crumbling.
The shadow began to shift and roll into various forms.
In moments, the entire space was filled with its phantom.
