It was at this very moment that, as if responding to the sound of the golden ancient bell, the cyan ancient bell within Ye Jingyu’s Sea of Consciousness began to hum faintly. However, aside from Ye Jingyu, no one else could hear it, and streaks of cyan light spilled outward…
At this point, Fang Jiuyou finally came to his senses. Seeing Ye Jingyu emerge unscathed, his punch returned to him having accomplished nothing, a ferocious grin spread across his face…
“So what if your strength surpasses mine? So what if you shattered the Seven Fiends Pagoda? The Imperial Heaven Divine Bell is a Heaven-grade defensive magical treasure gifted to me by my grandfather, and a top-tier one at that. Unless you reach the Sixth Heaven of the Martial God realm, you cannot harm me… Ye Jingyu, I will remember you. Just wait for my revenge! Hahahaha…” With that, Fang Jiuyou turned and bolted backward…
He was already injured, and more than half of his magical treasures had been destroyed. He knew that if the fight continued, his chances of winning were slim. In that case, why stay here to court death?
By now, he naturally understood that this was a scheme laid out by the opponent, but he had gravely underestimated their power…
The Seven Fiends Pagoda was also a Heaven-grade magical treasure—how could he have shattered it?
“Trying to run? Not so easily…” Just as Fang Jiuyou was consumed by doubt, Ye Jingyu’s voice drifted from behind him. The next instant, Fang Jiuyou saw a fist-sized cyan ancient bell materialize above his head. Immediately, the bell began to expand rapidly, growing over ten feet high in the blink of an eye, slamming down fiercely towards Fang Jiuyou…
Seeing the bell’s ancient, almost ragged exterior, and the faint, negligible ebb of its energy aura, a look of disdain crossed Fang Jiuyou’s lips: “It’s just some broken bell you picked up anywhere…” He only managed to utter half the sentence before he froze completely, shock blooming across his face, his eyes nearly bulging out…
The reason was simple: the cyan ancient bell collided directly with his Imperial Heaven Divine Bell, and not only did it fail to shatter, but without making a sound, it completely swallowed his entire Imperial Heaven Divine Bell…
Yes, swallowed it. Just as effortlessly as a python devouring a mouse, without exerting any effort whatsoever…
How was this possible? Was he dreaming? Or was this merely an illusion? Extreme shock etched itself onto Fang Jiuyou’s face. Only when the connection between the Imperial Heaven Divine Bell and his mind snapped did he fully realize this was no dream?
After absorbing the Imperial Heaven Divine Bell, the large cyan bell did not immediately strike Fang Jiuyou. Instead, with a mere rotation, it flew back towards Ye Jingyu and reintegrated itself into his Sea of Consciousness…
Fang Jiuyou was stunned. He seemed to sense an emotion emanating from the cyan ancient bell—a feeling of disdain. Disdainful of killing him? How could that be? A mere ancient bell, even if it were a high-grade or even an ultimate Spirit Artifact, could not possess its own emotions and thoughts?
Never mind Fang Jiuyou’s bewilderment; even Ye Jingyu was puzzled. He had no way to command this cyan ancient bell. Yet, ever since it absorbed that minuscule trace of spiritual energy from the Seven Fiends Pagoda, the cyan bell had been circling within his Sea of Consciousness. Now, it had actively attacked, directly devouring the impenetrable Imperial Heaven Divine Bell, which had been capable of withstanding his full-power punch…
What kind of treasure was this? How could it be so powerful? Though shocked, Ye Jingyu quickly recovered. Their objective this time was to slay Fang Jiuyou. Now that the protection of the Imperial Heaven Divine Bell was gone, he certainly wouldn't let him escape…
His figure flashed, appearing instantly before Fang Jiuyou. His fist radiated brilliant golden light as another Heaven Shattering Fist smashed out, crashing heavily into Fang Jiuyou’s chest…
Caught in stunned disbelief, Fang Jiuyou could not possibly withstand Ye Jingyu’s mighty punch. A searing pain shot through him, his sternum instantly fractured, and the muscles across his chest exploded outward…
Before he could mount a second reaction, Ye Jingyu slapped out again, directly striking his shoulder bone and shattering it to pieces…
Fang Jiuyou roared. Since birth, he had never suffered such grievous injuries. He tried to beg for mercy, but his mouth was muffled and incoherent. Ye Jingyu seemed unwilling to grant him a chance to plead; after heavily wounding him, he seized the crown of his head and directly employed the Soul Hooking and Spirit Seizing technique…
Streams of memories poured into Ye Jingyu’s mind as Fang Jiuyou’s eyes gradually glazed over, finally becoming utterly vacant…
With a final palm strike, Fang Jiuyou’s body was pulverized, his remains suspended in mid-air as Ye Jingyu quietly absorbed the vast influx of memories…
At that moment, Liang Xiaoke, Gongsun Lu, Huangfu Buyue, and even Little Tao Tao rushed over, surrounding Ye Jingyu. No words were exchanged; they quietly focused on regulating their breathing to recover from their injuries, merely waiting silently for Ye Jingyu…
However, a look of sheer astonishment flickered repeatedly in Liang Xiaoke’s eyes as she kept replaying the image of the ancient cyan bell that had shot out from Ye Jingyu’s body…
What kind of object could directly devour a Heaven-grade magical treasure? Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow—Heaven-grade was already the pinnacle of magical treasures. Could that ancient bell actually be an Immortal Artifact?
Liang Xiaoke shook her head. This world was populated by Soul Immortals; where would one find an Immortal Artifact? She must be overthinking things.
Just then, Ye Jingyu’s tightly closed eyes slowly opened, but his brow was deeply furrowed…
“How is it? What did you gain?” Liang Xiaoke asked.
“If I told you that we, including everyone in this world, are merely a collection of lab rats, would you believe me?” Ye Jingyu let out a heavy sigh, the words escaping his lips…
The faces of Liang Xiaoke and Huangfu Buyue shifted simultaneously; one with horror, the other with confusion—confusion over what a “lab rat” was…