Chapter 664: The Four Seasons Bell Rings

The autumn wind swept across the land, stirring the grasses and trees.

Around the so-called "Borrowed Mountain," there had once been several small villages, but now they were all deserted.

The autumn sky was high and clear, a perfect expanse of blue. Only atop Borrowed Mountain, thick white clouds drifted.

“Rumble rumble...”

The wind that had once gently blown across the earth suddenly quickened; the previously swaying grasses abruptly bowed their heads, trees bent low, their branches rustling violently as leaves were torn away by the gusts.

Above, the sound of war drums began to beat again.

The Daoist sitting cross-legged on the mountain peak stood up.

Among the white clouds in the sky, figures still gathered. Almost all famous divine officials and heavenly generals, mainly from the War Division Star Officials and the Fire Division’s main gods. If counted carefully, many of these names might well be recorded in history, and the others likely carried some renown in this world as well. If these gods descended to the mortal realm, even among demons and ghosts, they would be enough to scare off many.

Standing atop the clouds was naturally the Ancient God of Heavenly Bell.

Some heavenly general was beating the war drums with a deafening roar; just hearing the sound alone was overwhelming, making the blood inside one’s body boil.

“

Swoosh

!”

A killing intent that seemed almost tangible surged forward like a tangible force, causing even the pine trees to shed needles.

The Daoist raised his head to meet their gaze.

But in his heart, he thought that years ago, in the north, several northern demon kings had disturbed the mortal realm. Except for the one beneath the mountain here, the others were all wiped out by the celestial gods. Wasn’t the Heavenly Palace’s operation back then carried out with just such a formation?

Now, looking up high, the Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell lowered his brow and eyes, coldly gazing down at the earth. Beside him, divine officials spoke on his behalf, shouting downward, “The current successor of Hidden Dragon Temple blatantly violates heavenly laws, scorns celestial authority. A mere mortal body dares to meddle in the path to the heavens and seek control over the gods. Such heart deserves execution.

“Today, the Great Heavenly Bell Emperor personally leads the Fire Division’s main gods, the War Division’s star officials, and the heavenly generals of the Heavenly Palace to descend to the mortal realm. Surrender now, or be captured!”

The voice echoed unceasingly throughout heaven and earth.

The Daoist leaned on his bamboo staff, paying it no heed at all. At this moment, his eyes were fixed only on the Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell.

The Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell’s gaze was the same.

Compared to the kind-faced, dignified statues full of divine aura and authority found in palaces and temples, this ancient god wore only an old white robe. Though his beard and hair were completely white and his face not old per se, he showed no expression whatsoever.

The two locked eyes for a moment, then the Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell on the clouds beckoned with a hand.

The divine officials beside him immediately understood and looked toward the clouds in the distance.

“Divine officials and heavenly generals, descend to exterminate demons and evil spirits!”

“Rumble rumble...”

The drumbeats never ceased for a moment.

The Fire Division’s main gods, the War Division’s star officials, and the heavenly generals exchanged glances. Then, from a cloud in the east, a sturdy silver-armored heavenly general stepped forward first, holding a silver spear, and pointed distantly downward.

“Whoosh.”

A beam of divine light slanted down from the sky. The divine light landed exactly where the Daoist stood. But the Daoist only flicked his robe’s sleeve.

Before the divine light could touch the ground, it had already dissipated into smoke and clouds. The many divine officials and heavenly generals on the clouds looked at each other again.

The strike from the silver-armored heavenly general just now seemed like a probe at the Daoist, or perhaps a half-hearted attempt under the Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell’s command. After the initial strike, they hesitated.

The Daoist paid them no mind.

Until the Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell withdrew his gaze from below, coldly scanning them before finally speaking, “Is this the kind of cowardly, life-clinging divine officials and heavenly generals that this generation of the Heavenly Palace has raised?”

His voice was old and hoarse. The divine official beside him immediately understood and intensified his tone, “Fire Division’s main gods, War Division’s star officials, heavenly generals, heed the order! Descend to the mortal realm immediately, exterminate demons and evil spirits. Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot!”

“Rumble rumble...”

The war drums suddenly became even heavier and thunderous, and the clouds above began to move.

One by one, the divine officials and heavenly generals stepped to the very edge of the cloud layer, battle intent rising on their faces. Each took out their magical weapons or divine instruments, all fixated on the Daoist below.

Some prepared spells, others stepped down toward the mortal realm.

In an instant, many divine officials and heavenly generals dashed down from the white clouds—some transforming into streaks of light, landing on the mountain; others crashing down with a roar, smashing the ground; or drifting down slowly, hovering midair, forming a surrounding formation to encircle the Daoist, continuously looking up to communicate with the gods above for the right moment.

The gods in the sky nodded slightly. The moment had arrived.

“Kill!”

Without hesitation, the numerous divine officials and heavenly generals surged forward toward the Daoist. Each moved astonishingly fast like lightning, while others unleashed various techniques, divine powers fully displayed, filling the sky with spells and divine light.

At the same time, the Daoist closed his eyes and formed hand seals.

“Boom...”

A torrent of spiritual energy surged forth, instantly transforming into a vast sea of flames that gathered around him. It nearly engulfed the entire mountain.

“This is not good!”

“Danger!”

The many divine officials and heavenly generals fighting on the mortal realm hadn’t yet reached the Daoist before they were hit by a terrifying wave of heat and spiritual energy. Years of experience battling demons and monsters allowed them to sense the danger immediately.

They all forced themselves to halt mid-air, although they had rushed forward with incredible speed, they showed no fierce attack, and now suddenly stopping took every ounce of strength they had.

Some who had a bit more strength even reached out to grab their comrades nearby.

Those who had rushed the fastest or were at the front, unable to stop despite their efforts and ungrabbed by others, did their best to halt while transforming all their divine power into protective divine light.

Still, some touched the flames.

“

Hiss...

”

The protective divine light melted quickly in the fire like snowflakes in warm water.

Those lucky enough to retreat quickly could escape before their protective light was completely consumed. Those less fortunate were burned, their bodies immediately showing wounds.

“

Boom...

”

The flames parted slightly, revealing a spot on the mountain peak where the Daoist stood.

“My name is Song You, the current successor of Hidden Dragon Temple. Because of the presence of immoral gods disturbing the Heavenly Palace, disrupting the Divine Dao and harming the people, I have taken special action to cleanse them. This act aligns with the Heavenly Dao above and the people's will below.

“It is truly a blessing to the gods of the Heavenly Palace and to all living beings of the mortal realm. Fellow gods, if you possess virtue, you must not obstruct this! What I do here concerns none of you!”

The Daoist naturally knew that among these divine officials and heavenly generals, except for a few who rarely went out on campaigns, the rest were seasoned warriors who excelled in fighting and risking their lives on the battlefield during their mortal lives.

After death, they were appointed divine officials and heavenly generals. Over many years as gods, they had frequently descended to the mortal realm to battle demons and spirits. They were truly capable and battle-hardened, far from cowardly or life-clinging.

Their earlier hesitation was mostly not out of cowardice.

The world values loyalty, righteousness, benevolence, and kindness. Those lacking virtue, no matter how talented, would be despised. Only those with impeccable character and ability earned true respect from the world; they were mostly loyal, righteous, benevolent beings. They understood the ways of the world and had a clear sense of judgment in their hearts.

Moreover, since ancient times, except for the Fire Division’s main god who could punish with thunder, these divine officials and heavenly generals usually fought against demons, ghosts, and even other gods, when had they ever laid hands on humans?

That was the first point.

Secondly, they were not fools. They roughly understood the current abilities of Hidden Dragon Temple’s successor. Now that the Heavenly Bell Emperor stood above, ordering them to go first, wasn’t that treating them like cannon fodder?

In life, these were either highly skilled warriors or excellent fighters, all loyal and righteous men who carried great pride. That was how they won their reputations in life. After death, they were revered as gods for countless years, gaining their positions among the immortals, and wielding divine powers feared even by demons and ghosts. Yet now, they were expected to gang up on the current Hidden Dragon Temple’s successor, knowingly facing death, who would willingly accept that?

Therefore, the Daoist was the first to hold back. He paused for a moment, glanced around at them, then continued, “I specialize in fire magic. Though this fire is no match for the Fiery Sun Divine Lord, it is formed from the spiritual resonance of the

Dashu

and

Xiaoshu

solar terms, extremely fierce. I am about to unleash it fully. If any among you still have virtue and integrity, do not assist the Celestial Emperor in defying the heavens. Also, if you do not wish to be harmed by the flames, simply retreat back to the heavens once the fire appears.”

Having said this, he raised his hand.

“Form the formation!” a divine official shouted loudly from above.

They wanted the divine officials and heavenly generals to form a formation to resist the flames.

“Boom!”

Almost simultaneously, the flames suddenly spread out.

The fire radiated from the mountain peak, spreading outward like layers of clouds made of fire, strikingly similar to the handiwork of the Fiery Sun Emperor Lord at that time.

Seeing this, the divine officials and heavenly generals all retreated back to the sky.

The virtuous gods did not wish to fight against it, and the unvirtuous dared not. This overwhelming firepower was real, giving them a perfect excuse to avoid battle. If anyone insisted on standing their ground, this blazing fire might not break their formation, but burning a few gods, especially if only one or two, would be quite easy.

Soon, all the heavenly generals had withdrawn to their original positions.

The war drums thundered as if to shake the sky, while the divine official beside the Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell urged loudly, “Form the formation! Form the formation!”

The divine officials and heavenly generals responded sluggishly.

“...”

The Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell remained expressionless, his brows lowered and eyes cast downward. Then he waved his hand, signaling the divine official beside him not to expect much from this group of divine officials and generals. Then he raised his hand high.

It was a pair of withered hands.

The wide sleeves slipped down, revealing the shriveled arms and the wrinkles on his skin, far older-looking than his face. A faint aura of death seemed to spread.

Then he pressed down toward below.

“

Buzz...

”

Clouds gathered, swirling with grayish-white divine light, converging in the sky to form a gigantic, invisible hand.

Though still high above, just below the clouds, the immense hand was already enormous. It was roughly estimated to be at least ten li wide and long, and it cast a vast shadow over the ground and mountain below.

As soon as it took shape, it followed the Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell’s motion and swiftly swung downward.

“

Whoosh...

”

The great hand stirred up a fierce wind.

In just an instant, the massive hand hovered above the summit of “Borrowed Mountain,” its shadow on the ground growing even larger. The divine light on the hand blazed brilliantly, bringing an immense pressure.

The fiery clouds in the sky were pierced open by it.

“

Crunch...

”

Though the giant hand was still hundreds of feet above, the nearby pine trees had their branches broken off by the powerful wind. The thin grass on the mountain was whipped flat against the ground and quickly ignited from the high heat.

“

Bang

!”

By the time the hand reached the mountaintop, many scattered stones had been pulverized to dust, cracks appeared in the rocks, and the gust of wind blew away all the vegetation, leaving nothing behind.

The Daoist’s robe flapped wildly in the wind, his hair dancing as he extended his hand upward in opposition.

The fire clouds filling the sky suddenly contracted. Under the concentrated firelight, the blaze grew dazzlingly bright. The temperature and spiritual energy within the fire condensed, creating a more overwhelming power that instantly gathered toward the giant hand.

“

Boom

!”

Spiritual power and divine might collided with a tremendous roar.

For a moment, the brightness was like another sun appeared in the sky. Then shockwaves and flames rippled outward, sweeping away the clouds.

Many divine officials and heavenly generals quickly fled to the distance.

“You have some skill,” the Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell said hoarsely, his voice aged yet calm as he looked down at him. “Truly worthy as the successor of the Earth Sage...”

“You flatter me,” the Daoist replied.

“The Four Seasons Rotation Method, and summer spiritual energy...” the Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell narrowed his eyes, “Let’s see if you can surpass your master.”

As his words fell, he flipped his palm, and an ancient bell appeared in his hand.

The bell was small, like a bronze bell. The moment it appeared, it instantly vanished and was replaced by a huge spectral bell looming in the sky.

“

Dong

!”

A long, resounding bell toll echoed between heaven and earth, reaching up beyond the Thirty-Six Heavens, down into the underworld and hell.

All gods in the heavens, all ghosts below, even all demons, spirits, and cultivators in the mortal realm who could sense spiritual energy, heard this bell’s toll.

“

Whoosh

...”

A wind blew across the land again. This time it was a northern cold wind.

Though the flames in the sky had just dispersed, leaving lingering heat in the world, and the scorching spiritual resonance of the

Dashu

and

Xiaoshu

terms still ravaged the land, the temperature had now clearly dropped.

The blazing remnant heat within the fire vanished completely under the bell’s toll and the cold northern wind.