Chapter 2331 Fourth Senior Brother, Seeing Me Is Like Seeing the Heavens

From Zhong Qiu's ragged breathing as he sat alone on the mountain peak, it was obvious that he had suffered critical injuries. Despite this, he still exuded a dominating might.

He remained straight like the backbone of heaven and earth, proud and resolute.

Lin Xun tensed up. What was the situation?

He looked around but didn’t see any trace of Heavenly Emperor Shi.

“Master!” shouted Big Yellow.

Zhong Qiu's eyes were shut as there was no response from him at all. An anxious Big Yellow wanted to rush over, but Lin Xun stopped it.

“Second Senior Brother is still alive, so let’s not be rash,” said Lin Xun.

He was then suddenly stunned when he noticed an old, mottled bronze bell next to Zhong Qiu, the surface of which was engraved with obscure dao runes.

It was clearly the Dao Ruleless Bell!

On top of that, it was not a force of will, but the original object itself!

Lin Xun remembered that this bell had been born at Dao Subduer Cliff, and a long time ago, with the help of the Sacred Cangwu Tree, it had accompanied Senior Brother Li Xuanwei to go to the Ancient Wasteland Domain to train.

Speaking of the Dao Ruleless Bell's heritage and power, it could even be on par with the Treasure Refining Origin Furnace!

Just at this moment, the unmoving Dao Ruthless Bell seemed to sense something and woke up from its silence, emitting a hazy voice, “The power of the Treasure Refining Origin Furnace...”

At the same time, an ancient consciousness swept out, instantly capturing the auras of Lin Xun and Big Yellow.

“So it's you, Little Friend,” said the bell with a hint of surprise. “To think that you have incorporated all of Kunlun’s nine Emperor weapons into your own life-bound Emperor weapon. Truly impressive.”

Back then, when Lin Xun first entered the secret realm of Imperial Dragon Mountain in the Kunlun Dominion, he had received pointers from the Dao Ruleless Bell. Therefore, it wasn't surprising that the bell could recognize him.

Lin Xun wasn’t in the mood to reminisce or to exchange pleasantries at the moment. He asked straight away, “Senior, what's going on here?”

The Dao Ruleless Bell’s indistinct voice resounded, “Several years ago, your second senior brother challenged Heavenly Emperor Shi to a duel, and this place was the location. In the end, he suppressed and imprisoned Heavenly Emperor Shi under this mountain, but he also ended up with severe injuries.”

Lin Xun’s and Big Yellow's kept shifting as they listened. Now that they finally knew about the state of Heavenly Emperor Shi, they understood why the latter had summoned so many Emperor experts to attack this divine mountain.

Obviously, that was the only way for Heavenly Emperor Shi to break free!

Lin Xun asked, “How’s my senior brother?”

The Dao Ruleless Bell replied, “He had to go all out to keep Heavenly Emperor Shi suppressed, so he has cut off all interference from the world and merged both his mental and physical states into the power of the Nirvana of Transcendence.

“Even so, it is still impossible to kill off Heavenly Emperor Shi in a short time. Per my estimate, he needs to keep a firm guard here for around a hundred years in order to exterminate this great enemy.”

A hundred years!

Both Lin Xun and Big Yellow were visibly worried.

It was also at this moment that Heavenly Emperor Shi’s indifferent voice rang out again, “That’s quite funny. Can Zhong Qiu hold on for a hundred years with the state he’s in? As far as I can see, his injuries will be so severe that his cultivation will collapse in less than a year. That’s when he will fall into eternal oblivion!”

Big Yellow's eyes instantly bulged out, its fur shooting up in fury as it growled, “So much nonsense for an old bastard who’s been dominated!”

Heavenly Emperor Shi said, “Your anger is useless. I come from the other side of the cosmos and carry the power of immortality. I may be restricted now, but there’ll always be a day I get out!”

After saying that, he returned to silence and never again uttered a sound no matter how much Big Yellow cursed him.

Lin Xun asked, “Senior, is there nothing we can do about Second Senior Brother’s wound?”

“Nothing,” said the Dao Ruleless Bell. “It’s a dao wound. Only your senior brother himself can deal with it. Furthermore, with the current suppression that he’s conducting, outsiders cannot intervene.”

Lin Xun's brows furrowed. He had never thought that the duel that had gathered the attention of the whole nebula would result in such a precarious situation.

“From what I see, Zhong Qiu has great perseverance and wisdom, so he will not let this situation put him in trouble. You need not worry too much, Little Friend,” said the bell.

“How can we not worry when his injuries are this bad?” Big Yellow was burning with anxiety.

Lin Xun also found this very tricky.

If Zhong Qiu could exterminate Heavenly Emperor Shi in a hundred years, then that would naturally be the best outcome.

However, if his injuries flared up to the point they messed up his entire cultivation, then what could even be done?

Lin Xun asked, “Is there really no other way?”

The Dao Ruleless Bell was just about to reply when a wisp of a voice suddenly emerged from the motionless Zhong Qiu.

“Junior Brother, Heavenly Emperor Shi is in an even worse condition than mine. I can kill him once and for all in a hundred years, so neither you nor Big Yellow should worry.”

Zhong Qiu's voice was calm and casual, still as conceited and domineering as ever.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xun’s and Big Yellow's spirits were lifted. Their eyes lit up.

Lin Xun said, “Senior Brother, I...”

Zhong Qiu cut him off, “Let Big Yellow stay here, while you, junior brother, take the Dao Ruleless Bell and head to the ruins of Fangchun Mountain. Find your fourth senior brother there, and then...kill him!”

The last two words were said with conviction.

Lin Xun almost jumped in fright, his mind in turmoil.

Of the fifty disciples of Fangchun Mountain, Eldest Senior Brother Combat Emperor, Third Senior Sister Ruo Su, Fifth Senior Brother Blazing Jun, Eighth Senior Brother Clairvoyant, Eleventh Senior Brother Pu Zhen and many others had long since traveled to the other side of the cosmos after killing the Nameless Esteemed Emperor.

Some others, like Ninth Senior Brother Ge Yupu and Fourteenth Senior Brother Ji Xiu, had passed away.

Lin Xun had once wondered about his fourth senior brother, who was among the first five fellow disciples, but he had never gotten to meet him.

Over the years, no matter which senior brother or sister he had come across, none of them had ever mentioned this person.

Even when Lin Xun had inquired about him, he hadn’t gotten any answers.

Now, however, Second Senior Brother had just told him to find and kill Fourth Senior Brother!

This was downright horrifying!

What was the reason behind this?

Zhong Qiu's voice sounded once again, “The Dao Ruleless Bell can tell you about this matter after you leave.

“The gist is that, our master didn't kill Fourth Junior Brother because he wanted him to repent for his wrongdoings and reshape his dao, but from how things stand, it seems that he has been taken over by obsession and become a demon. He must be gotten rid of.”

There was disappointment and also determination in his voice.

After this, Zhong Qiu fell back into silence. No matter how Lin Xun and Big Yellow tried to communicate further, it was futile.

“Lin Xun, you and the Dao Ruleless Bell should leave. It’ll be alright since I’ll be standing guard here,” finalized Big Yellow as it rushed to the mountain peak and stood protectively in front of Zhong Qiu.

“Little Friend, let's go.” The Dao Ruleless Bell teleported over, shedding an ancient and mottled glow.

After a moment of stupor, Lin Xun sighed softly and nodded, “I'll be back.”

“Wait.” Xi suddenly said, stepping out from Omega Secret-Realm. “He had helped me before, so this time, I'll also stay behind to protect him.”

Lin Xun was dumbfounded, then he nodded, “Alright.”

Back then, after he had entered the Underworld for the first time, Xi had fought the purple-haired woman called Yanxing and sustained heavy injuries. It was Second Senior Brother who had then stepped in and saved her.

Now, it was clear that Xi had chosen to stay behind as a way to repay this favor.

With her and Big Yellow guarding him together, it put Lin Xun’s heart at ease.

“Little remnant, you'd better pray that you won’t die too soon. When I get out of here, I will find you, and I will capture you!” Heavenly Emperor Shi's voice suddenly rang out, permeated with bone-drilling frost.

Lin Xun ignored it. Together with the Dao Ruleless Bell, he left the mountain peak.

......

On the way down, the raging torrent of law power filling the area could no longer affect Lin Xun thanks to the Dao Ruleless Bell leading the way.

Halfway down the divine mountain, Lin Xun couldn't help but turn around and take a look at the top, where he could vaguely see the figures of Xi, Big Yellow, and his second senior brother Zhong Qiu.

He asked, “What is this mountain called?”

“Dao Subduer,” replied the bell. “Where Zhong Qiu is sitting is precisely the Dao Subduer Cliff. Look at all the torrents of law power flooding this area, it’s a gathering of countless great dao origin powers. If they leak out, probably over half of the Kunlun Dominion will be destroyed.”

Lin Xun nodded. “Senior, can you tell me about Fourth Senior Brother now?”

The Dao Ruleless Bell sank into a short silence before it said, “Your fourth senior brother, whose dao name is Ling Xuanzi, had the best aptitude for cultivation among all the disciples of Fangchun Mountain...”

Ling Xuanzi.

He was born with profound wisdom, a heart of nine apertures, a mind that bloomed like a lotus, a talent that defied heavens, unparalleled throughout the ages. He was an one-in-an-eon genius who had become a disciple to the Lord of Fangchun Mountain at a young age.

At the age of nine, he had explored the wonders of Sainthood and stepped into that realm with a noble aspiration.

“No laws in heavens shall escape my eyes. All the daos in existence shall be mine to wield. Every living being who sees me will worship me, for seeing me is like seeing the Heavens!”

Nine years old!

He had crossed the five great cultivation stages and shattered the nine longevity tribulations to break into the Saint Stage at the age of nine! This kind of advancement speed was sheerly appalling and unique throughout history.

What was even more shocking was his noble aspiration of Sainthood:

‘Seeing me is like seeing the Heavens!’

Ten years later, Ling Xuanzi had found the Lord of Fangchun Mountain and said, “Master, I will start breaking through to the Supreme Emperor Stage today. Do you think I have surpassed you?”

The implication was,

‘Master, the dao attainments you had achieved when you broke through to the Emperor Stage weren’t as great as mine now.’

The Lord of Fangchun Mountain hadn’t said a word, only letting out a long sigh.

Sure enough, on that very day, Ling Xuanzi had ushered in the tribulation of Supreme Emperorhood and then became an Emperor in one fell swoop!

This event had stirred up a sensation up and down Fangchun Mountain and amazed all the other disciples. They believed that Ling Xuanzi had the best talent since the beginning of time, and that he was bound to surpass them in his future accomplishments.

However, shortly after Ling Xuanzi became an Emperor, he encountered a sudden calamity in his cultivation. From the deepest part of his heart, a demonic karma had sprouted and grew exponentially, leading him onto an evil path.

At the time, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain had gone out for something. Ling Xuanzi had taken advantage of his absence to declare war on his fellow disciples, wanting to compare their strength through duels.

If they lost, they would have to swear on their dao heart to serve Ling Xuanzi as their master.

If they won, then he, Ling Xuanzi, would demolish his own dao.

This move had been opposed by the other disciples, who had deemed it to be too extreme and deviant. As a result, none of them had agreed to duel him.

However, Ling Xuanzi had refused to leave it at that. He had taken the initiative to attack, forcing them to fight. Proceeding this, he had defeated several other fellow disciples and imprisoned them, saying that they had three days to willingly submit to him.

This completely enraged the other disciples. They then decided to team up to seize Ling Xuanzi.

However, before this infighting could start, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain returned and single-handedly suppressed Ling Xuanzi!