Chapter 745
by fanqienovelChapter 745: The Bell of Inquiry
The value of the Chaos Bead undoubtedly surpasses that of the Qing Qian Kun Mirror.
At the very least, the damaged Qing Qian Kun Mirror cannot compare; a one-for-one exchange would clearly be a great advantage for Wang Chen.
Therefore, it is understandable that Hu Jiao Jiao’s mother became furious.
You must understand that the Chaos Bead is not only essential for comprehending the Dao, but it is also a treasure for refining the realms of true immortals.
The palace-dressed woman gave the Chaos Bead to Hu Jiao Jiao as both a reward and a sign of her expectations.
Wang Chen opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
He couldn’t just accept the favor without some acknowledgment, could he?
That would get him killed!
“Originally, I intended to slap you to death, ending everything.”
The palace-dressed woman said coldly, “But I fear Jiao Jiao would resent me for a lifetime. So, how about this…”
“If you help me accomplish a task, I’ll pretend I didn’t see you two in love, and you can take the Chaos Bead with you. How does that sound?”
Not good at all!
Wang Chen wasn’t foolish; he clearly saw the ill intentions behind her words.
Such generosity likely meant the task would be more challenging than ascending to the heavens, and he might even lose his life in the process.
With a bitter expression, he asked, “Senior, may I refuse?”
“Of course you may.”
The palace-dressed woman nodded, “Just leave the Chaos Bead and your soul behind, and you may leave.”
Leave behind his soul?
Then he would be nothing but a walking corpse!
Wang Chen noticed that at this moment, Hu Jiao Jiao’s eyes were filled with guilt and sorrow.
She shouldn’t have invited Wang Chen to Qingqiu.
The reason was that Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t leave Qingqiu at the moment, fearing she would miss Wang Chen’s opportunity to condense elixirs, which led to this grave mistake!
Wang Chen took a deep breath and bowed, saying, “I am willing to serve you, Senior. Please instruct me.”
“Now that’s more like it.”
The palace-dressed woman was quite satisfied, “I’m not unreasonable, deliberately sending you to your doom. I see you possess great fortune; perhaps you are the one our Qingqiu Fox Clan has been waiting for to untangle this situation!”
As soon as she finished speaking, a fist-sized bell appeared before Wang Chen.
The bell shimmered with a dark golden hue, and upon closer inspection, one could see countless tiny characters intricately carved both inside and out, resembling little twisted tadpoles.
Wang Chen’s mind was shaken.
His eyesight was excellent, allowing him to see the characters clearly.
But he couldn’t recognize a single one!
The problem was that Wang Chen felt a peculiar familiarity with these characters.
Then he recalled the ancient text he had obtained from the opening sealed jade; the words in that book were strikingly similar!
“This is the Inquiry Bell, our Fox Clan’s sacred heirloom…”
According to the palace-dressed woman, this treasure is a key—a key that can unlock a small world.
However, the world connected by this Inquiry Bell has yet to be fully explored; the Qingqiu Fox Clan has possessed it for over a thousand years, but the information they have is extremely limited.
First, only those with cultivation below the transforming into a spirit stage, that is, demons below the beast lord level, can activate the power of the Inquiry Bell.
This allows them to teleport into the connected small world.
But over the past thousand years, the Qingqiu Fox Clan has lost three beast kings and nine great beasts in their attempts to explore and truly possess this small world!
As for how many spirit beasts equivalent to the Purple Palace were lost, the palace-dressed woman did not say, but Wang Chen guessed it was likely far more than that.
Although the Qingqiu Fox Clan is powerful, ranking among the top five clans of the demons, they cannot endure such long-term losses!
Hearing this, Wang Chen could not help but ask, “So, none of them returned alive?”
“Some did.”
The palace-dressed woman replied, “Back then, my Master came out alive but only spoke one sentence before perishing.”
Wang Chen was left speechless.
He forced a smile and said, “So, what does the senior hope for me to do?”
Surely, she didn’t expect him to find the world’s origin?
The world’s origin is the foundation of a small world, and to conquer and occupy this small world, one must find and obtain the world’s origin; otherwise, it cannot be considered true control.
“Very simple.”
The palace-dressed woman said, “Although my Master returned, the Mysterious Fox Order he held was lost inside. All you need to do is go in and retrieve this item, and then I will no longer interfere with your relationship with Jiao Jiao!”
“Of course, you can take the Chaos Bead with you, and our Qingqiu Fox Clan will regard you as a friend.”
Wang Chen remained silent for a moment before nodding and saying, “Alright.”
In truth, he had no other choice; his silence could only be considered a final act of stubbornness and resistance, and even that was very little.
“Don’t say I’m not reasonable.”
The palace-dressed woman’s figure gradually became ethereal, yet her voice still distinctly reached Wang Chen’s ears: “You have one hour to prepare. If you need to pass on anything, you can tell Jiao Jiao.”
The next moment, the voice faded, and only the Inquiry Bell remained quietly suspended in the air.
At the same time, Hu Jiao Jiao’s restraints were lifted.
“I’m sorry.”
This beautiful Fox Clan maiden’s eyes brimmed with glistening tears as she rushed into Wang Chen’s embrace the moment she regained her freedom.
“It’s alright.”
With the warmth of her soft presence, any lingering resentment in Wang Chen’s heart vanished.
Because he truly felt her guilt and sorrow, not just false affection.
Wang Chen comforted her, saying, “It’s okay, I have always been very lucky!”
Hu Jiao Jiao looked up and suddenly leaned in to give him a light kiss.
In the next moment, she stepped back, reaching for the Inquiry Bell and pulling it into her hands.
Wang Chen was instantly alarmed: “No!”
He saw the determination on Hu Jiao Jiao’s charming face and immediately realized what she intended to do.
However, Wang Chen had no time to stop her; at that moment, Hu Jiao Jiao had already activated the Inquiry Bell, which immediately erupted in a brilliant light, engulfing her.
In an instant, Hu Jiao Jiao’s figure disappeared, leaving only the Inquiry Bell still hovering in the air.
Wang Chen did not hesitate at all and grabbed this sacred object of the Fox Clan.
A powerful pulling force radiated from the bell.
Wang Chen did not resist.
His figure also vanished in an instant!
Almost simultaneously, a graceful figure appeared beside the Inquiry Bell.
Her appearance resembled Hu Jiao Jiao’s but with at least seventy percent similarity, possessing a mature charm beyond what Hu Jiao Jiao could reach, utterly stunning!
The palace-dressed woman stared blankly at the Inquiry Bell, which was gradually dimming.
“Oh, foolish child.”
She sighed softly, a hint of confusion appearing in her originally clear eyes.
For someone as strong as the palace-dressed woman, displaying such emotions was extremely rare.
She saw in Hu Jiao Jiao’s selfless act a reflection of herself in her younger years, momentarily losing composure.
The palace-dressed woman even felt regret.
She should not have pressured her beloved daughter so much and severely underestimated Wang Chen’s significance in her daughter’s heart.
However, it was too late for regret now; once the Inquiry Bell was opened, unless one entered immediately, it would take another ten years to reactivate.
At this point, all she could do was wait for the outcome.