Feeling the ambient temperature rise steadily, Ye Jingyu’s brow furrowed deeper. He knew if this continued, he would eventually be burned to ash, even though he had already reached the Sixth Level.
No, he absolutely could not just sit here and wait for death...
Ye Jingyu placed the Heaven Venerable Saber back onto his spine and slowly stood up, gathering all his strength into his right fist. The true essence within his body, even his psychic power, converged entirely onto that one fist. Following this, he struck the bell wall with his full might...
This punch contained his strongest current power, a combination of Martial Way and soul force, making it even more potent than the Thunder Light Fist he had used previously...
With a thunderous "Boom!", Ye Jingyu slammed his fist heavily against the bell wall. The massive golden bell immediately let out a loud clang, and the wall itself bore the imprint of his fist...
Outside, Xiao Geng, witnessing Ye Jingyu unleash such terrifying power, was startled. However, only after seeing the fist mark on the bell wall slowly dissipate did he relax...
And the minds of the onlookers trembled along with that single, massive sound...
Inside the golden bell, Ye Jingyu unleashed another punch. The immense force once again drove the bell wall inward, yet it still proved impossible to break through...
He delivered dozens of punches in succession. The massive bell body vibrated intensely but showed no sign of cracking. This scene nearly plunged Ye Jingyu into despair.
The onlookers outside were equally gripped by anxiety. Some feared Ye Jingyu might actually smash the Golden Bell, while others desperately wished he could shatter it with a single blow.
But in the end, the golden bell remained completely unharmed, gradually settling back into silence.
"Third Brother, will Little Ye..." Looking at the now quiet golden bell, Luo Ling'er anxiously asked her brother.
"Don't worry. Even when the Bai family captured him back then, he was fine, wasn't he? He won't be harmed!" Before Luo Ling'er could finish, Luo Ruofeng interjected, unsure if he was comforting her or himself.
This Xiao Geng, whose strength seemed unfathomably deep, possessed so many treasures? Had he encountered some extraordinary fortune? There wasn't a single Soul Master in the entire Xiao family!
The Crown Prince, Qin Yunxiao, and the others let out subtle sighs of relief, faint smiles gradually appearing on their faces. It would be best if Ye Jingyu perished right now, saving them further scheming.
Outside the bell, Xiao Geng continued chanting incantations, his hands rapidly forming various seals, pouring wave after wave of soul force into the Golden Bell.
The Profound Heaven Blazing Flames inside grew larger and hotter. Ye Jingyu was drenched in sweat, gazing somewhat helplessly at the sturdy bell wall.
"Damn it, I don't believe I can't smash you!" Thinking of Luo Ling'er waiting for him outside, Ye Jingyu began to gather his strength again, preparing to strike the golden bell, but a hand stopped him.
"This bell is forged from Blazing Gold; it is the softest material. Even if your power increased tenfold, you would struggle to breach it!" A faint voice drifted out, and immediately, Ye Jingyu saw a pale-faced Liang Xiaoke appear beside him.
"Big Brother, how did you get in here?" Seeing Liang Xiaoke, joy filled Ye Jingyu's face.
"By drilling in, naturally!" Liang Xiaoke retorted with an eye roll.
"Heh heh, then do you know how to break this massive bell?" Ye Jingyu asked.
"Simple. With my current strength, one punch is enough to shatter it. But don't you think that would be too boring?" Liang Xiaoke’s face twisted into a sinister smile.
"Hm?" Ye Jingyu paused, his eyes clouded with doubt.
"Heh heh, while this fire isn't Innate Fire, it's definitely a top-tier Extraterrestrial Fire. I wonder who forged this golden bell? To collect so much Extraterrestrial Fire. But now it's perfect—it benefits me, heh heh..." Liang Xiaoke ignored Ye Jingyu's confusion, murmuring softly as he opened his mouth and spat out a black bead—his Corpse Pill.
The moment the black bead appeared, the surrounding temperature immediately dropped. Ye Jingyu even felt a subtle chill in his body, while the surrounding so-called Profound Heaven Blazing Flames were rapidly absorbed by the black bead. Black wisps of flame began to appear on the surface of the black bead...
"Damn it, why is this fire getting weaker? That bastard probably thought you were about to die, so he slowed down the process. Come on, throw a few more punches so I can completely absorb all the Extraterrestrial Fire inside this bell," Liang Xiaoke said abruptly as the surrounding flames diminished.
"Hmph, you want to absorb it? Do it yourself!" Ye Jingyu had already sat cross-legged, beginning his meditation, completely disregarding Liang Xiaoke's instructions.
"Hey, I came here to save you!" Liang Xiaoke complained, sounding highly dissatisfied.
"I don't care. Who told you to be the Big Brother? Saving me is your inherent duty!" Ye Jingyu spoke while remaining completely still.
"..." Liang Xiaoke rolled his eyes but cautiously struck out a punch, making the great bell tremble again. Outside, Xiao Geng, seeing that Ye Jingyu hadn't been burned to death, was startled and once again amplified the release of his soul force.
The flames inside the bell roared back to life, and the speed at which Liang Xiaoke's Corpse Pill absorbed the Extraterrestrial Fire grew even faster.
When the flames were about to extinguish, Liang Xiaoke would strike the bell, and Xiao Geng would desperately push the golden bell harder.
After a full three hours, when Liang Xiaoke felt his Corpse Pill had nearly consumed all the Extraterrestrial Fire contained within the bell, he finally swallowed the pill back with immense satisfaction, even letting out a full burp. Only then did he say to Ye Jingyu, "Alright, that's enough. I've completely devoured the Extraterrestrial Fire within this golden bell. This bell is essentially useless now; without that fire, the Blazing Gold's defensive power has weakened by at least tens of times. If you don't want to stay here, get moving. I'm leaving!" With that, Liang Xiaoke tunneled straight into the earth, showing no concern for Ye Jingyu's fate.
Seeing the mercurial Liang Xiaoke, Ye Jingyu inwardly scoffed, but he slowly stood up and began stretching his limbs.
Outside the great bell, many people had lost patience and wandered off to rest nearby. Only Luo Ling'er, Xiyue, Luo Ruofeng, and a few others remained standing frozen, their eyes filled with worry...
So much time had passed, and the great bell had been silent for so long. Had Ye Jingyu truly died?
A faint smile touched Xiao Geng's face as he wiped the sweat from his brow. Just as he was about to retract the golden bell, he suddenly heard a tremendous crash...