Ringing the Bell for a Hundred Years, I Became the Sect’s Ancestor – Chapter 128

Chapter 128: Sword Intent Breaks Through to the Celestial Image Level

Zhenwu Temple.

As the ancestral home of the Daoist sect in Great Chang, it boasts over one hundred thousand disciples and followers.

On the road leading to Zhenwu Mountain, an old man riding a donkey backwards sipped from his wine gourd with relish.

Suddenly, he turned the gourd upside down, only to find it empty.

Clicking his tongue in regret, he patted the donkey, which trotted swiftly up the mountain, passing unimpeded. All the Zhenwu Temple disciples seemed to ignore them.

Finally, the old man, still riding backwards, arrived at the Zhenwu Grand Hall.

At that moment, several high-level officials of Zhenwu Temple were discussing important matters inside the hall.

As the donkey clattered into the hall, the officials were overjoyed and hastily rose to greet him. “Greetings, Grandmaster.”

Bray~ Hee-haw~

The donkey brayed.

Everyone present felt a bit awkward.

The old man, still facing backwards, patted the donkey again. The donkey promptly turned around, presenting its rear to the officials, its tail swishing back and forth.

“How did you manage to mess up such a favorable situation?”

The old man snorted coldly.

“Grandmaster, there was a problem on Prince Ning’s side, and we failed to interfere with the national treasure artifact.”

A Supreme Elder of Zhenwu Temple explained.

“Things have come to this, and there’s no better solution. You’re on your own.”

The old man sighed and took out an object from his pocket—a small formation disk.

“Take this. Don’t use it unless absolutely necessary, as the consequences could be dire.”

He tossed the formation disk.

“Yes, Grandmaster.”

The Supreme Elder of Zhenwu Temple caught the disk and recognized its origin. His face turned solemn as he nodded.

If they failed this time, it would likely be a catastrophe for the entire Ram’s Horn Region.

Min River.

There was a huge commotion in Prince Ning’s Residence army camp once again.

Prince Qi’s Residence and Prince Ye’s Residence thought that Prince Ning’s Residence rebel army couldn’t hold back any longer and was finally going to attack again.

However, to their surprise, the rebel army abandoned the camp and retreated in a battle formation.

This scene puzzled both Prince Qi’s Residence and Prince Ye’s Residence, but they were worried about a feint and didn’t immediately cross the river to pursue them.

When a steady stream of news confirmed that the rebel army had truly retreated, the Martial Arts Legions of Prince Ye’s Residence, Prince Qi’s Residence, and Prince Fan’s Residence began to cross the river.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t catch up with the rapidly retreating rebel army.

Moreover, they didn’t intend to pursue them either. They simply occupied the former camp of the rebel army to prevent them from returning.

However, a day later, an order came from the imperial clan, demanding that the Martial Arts Legions of the three Princes pursue the rebel army overnight and prevent them from entering the capital.

This order stunned the three Princes who were personally present on the battlefield.

After retreating, the rebel army was actually planning to attack Jade Capital?

Just as all the Martial Arts Legions of Prince Ning’s Residence gathered and marched towards Jade Capital, a large number of Martial Arts Legions also assembled in the territories of other rebel kings in Great Chang, starting a mighty march towards Jade Capital.

Although the imperial clan mobilized all its forces to block the rebel armies,

a steady stream of rebel armies bypassed checkpoints, leaving no room for retreat. They converged into a torrent, sweeping forward. Even though the imperial clan successively deployed several elite Martial Arts Legions guarding Jade Capital, they couldn’t stop the rebel armies’ advance.

As for the Martial Arts Legions stationed far away on the border, it was too late to recall them.

Moreover, they couldn’t be recalled.

The neighboring Great Xia Dynasty and Dali Kingdom suddenly made a move, sending troops to attack the border passes at this critical juncture.

Time Bell Pavilion.

“Prince Ning’s Residence retreated?”

“Prince Ning’s Residence rebel army is marching on the capital?”

“Rebel kings from all over the empire have assembled their armies and are marching on the capital. Jade Capital is about to be embroiled in a major battle?”

Li Qian received several pieces of news over the past half a month.

He was quite shocked.

The situation was changing too rapidly!

He felt a bit dizzy and couldn’t understand it at all.

There was no way around it. He had too little intelligence and only knew the information on the surface.

“However, it has nothing to do with me for now. The most important thing for me is to break through my Sword Intent to the Celestial Image Level.”

Li Qian shook his head.

He didn’t have the ability to interfere in the grand scheme of things before breaking through to the Celestial Image Level.

Therefore, he didn’t even have the thought of going to Jade Capital to watch the excitement.

He just wanted to stay in his own little corner and quietly cultivate by ringing the bell.

His current cultivation progress was a bit slow. In the early stage of the Celestial Being Realm, his progress was one point every fifteen days.

It would take four years to break through to the middle stage of the Celestial Being Realm.

However, the most important thing was Sword Intent. It was a bit frustrating to be stuck at 99 progress.

His mental consciousness was now touching that membrane more and more frequently, and the sensation was becoming clearer.

He had a feeling that if he could break through this membrane, stepping into the Celestial Image Level would be as easy as flipping his hand.

Outside Jade Capital.

The rebel army camps stretched for hundreds of miles, surrounding Jade Capital tightly.

Millions of rebel Martial Arts Legions gathered, their morale and fighting spirit forming a mighty force like dark clouds pressing down.

Inside Jade Capital, a large number of Martial Arts Legions loyal to the imperial clan also gathered.

Even before the battle began, the terrifying fighting spirit clashed in the air, causing the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi to surge like the arrival of doomsday.

Inside a rebel army camp.

The five rebel kings and the top-tier Celestial Beings from the three great sects gathered here.

“Everyone, this battle is of great importance. We must conquer Jade Capital in one fell swoop. Therefore, the first battle is the decisive battle.”

The King of Yan, the leader of the five rebel kings, said in a deep voice.

He was the leader of the rebel army marching on the capital this time.

For unified command, the Martial Arts Legions of the other rebel kings would be dispatched by the King of Yan.

Next, the King of Yan began to assign combat tasks.

Half a day later.

The millions of rebel soldiers besieging Jade Capital began to move, like a terrifying tidal wave, rapidly spreading towards the city. The vast and surging fighting spirit relentlessly assaulted Jade Capital.

In the sky, over a hundred Celestial Beings flew.

On the city walls of Jade Capital, a large number of defenders were ready, and behind the walls, Martial Arts Legions stood prepared.

Similarly, a large number of Celestial Beings soared in the sky.

As the rebel army charged towards the foot of the city walls, a terrifying rain of arrows fell from the sky.

However, before the arrows could land, they were instantly shattered by the turbulent Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi in the sky.

Many soldiers, clad in armor and wielding weapons, frantically climbed the city walls.

Although the city walls were steep and solid, these vanguard soldiers were all elite warriors above the high-level Postnatal Realm. Their weapons easily left deep gouges on the walls, creating climbing steps for themselves and the subsequent attacking soldiers.

Looking around, countless soldiers were rapidly climbing the walls stretching for hundreds of miles around Jade Capital like ants. When the first group of vanguard soldiers reached the top of the walls, a brutal battle began.

In the sky, the battle between the Celestial Beings also commenced.

This battle lasted for a day and a night.

The rebel army’s attacks never ceased, wave after wave, seemingly endless.

Every soldier swallowed various pills, fighting with reckless abandon.

Inside and outside the city, legion-level battles raged everywhere.

Corpses littered the battlefield.

From time to time, severely injured or dead Celestial Beings fell from the sky, crashing to the ground.

The defenders of Jade Capital gradually lost their hold.

As the outer walls fell, the rebel army’s torrent spread to all areas of Jade Capital, with the imperial clan’s ancestral grounds being the primary target.

The defenders gradually retreated to the vicinity of the ancestral grounds.

At this moment, the imperial clan’s ancestral grounds were shrouded in a doomsday-like darkness, as the rebel army’s fighting spirit completely sealed off the space.

At the rear of the battlefield.

More than a dozen top-tier Celestial Beings from the three sects stood suspended in the air.

Their gazes were fixed on the Candle Dragon Hall.

The real battle was about to begin.

Success or failure hinged on this moment.

“She’s coming out.”

Someone suddenly spoke.

In the depths of the imperial clan’s ancestral grounds, outside the massive Candle Dragon Hall, the tightly closed doors suddenly swung open, and a figure in palace attire walked out.

“Two hundred years ago, you succeeded. This time, I won’t let you have your way!”

The figure in palace attire murmured.

Her voice clearly reached the ears of the dozen top-tier Celestial Beings from the three sects.

The next moment.

A terrifying aura emanated from her body, stirring the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi and forming a terrifying vision.

The dark clouds that had enveloped the ancestral grounds were instantly pushed aside, revealing a giant fox shadow that blotted out the sun, its nine massive tails swaying.

Suddenly.

A giant tail slammed down, causing the earth to crack. A rebel Martial Arts Legion that was attacking the ancestral grounds had its battle formation instantly shattered. Countless soldiers, like ants, were crushed into pulp by the terrifying shockwave.

Only a giant crater with a diameter of several hundred meters remained, and the Martial Arts Legion seemed to have evaporated.

However, after the tail struck, it gradually faded and disappeared,

leaving only eight tails behind.

But the terror of this attack was shocking.

“Under the suppression of the military might, she only has nine Celestial Image Level attacks.”

A top-tier Celestial Being from Zhenwu Temple said in a deep voice, “We must destroy her physical body before the suppression of the military might is lifted and seal her Primordial Spirit.”

A single attack completely destroyed an elite Martial Arts Legion. Whether it was ordinary warriors, Innate Realm warriors, Grandmasters, or even Celestial Beings, they were all instantly annihilated.

If it weren’t for the suppression of the military might and the fact that the Grand Empress Dowager hadn’t solidified her Celestial Image Level, only being able to use nine Celestial Image Level attacks, it would be impossible to fight against her.

Soon, a large number of rebel Martial Arts Legions gathered, their fighting spirit pressing down on the giant fox shadow.

◈◈◈

Suddenly, four more giant tails slammed down towards the location of two Martial Arts Legions.

Without any suspense, four more Martial Arts Legions were completely destroyed.

The giant fox shadow only had four tails left.

Although the rebel army’s fighting spirit had declined significantly after losing five powerful Martial Arts Legions, the fox shadow’s aura had also weakened.

“We can’t afford to lose any more Martial Arts Legions, otherwise, if the military might is insufficient, we’ll be in trouble.”

A monk in a gray robe said.

This was a top-tier Celestial Being from Damo Temple, one of the three great sects.

Without the suppression of the military might, the Grand Empress Dowager’s Celestial Image Level attacks would quickly recover.

There was no way around it. After all, the national treasure artifact was in the hands of the Grand Empress Dowager.

“It’s time for us to make our move.”

A man in black said softly.

This was a top-tier Celestial Being from Shanhai Palace, another of the three great sects.

So, the dozen top-tier Celestial Beings took out their Natal Divinely Forged Weapons and attacked the giant fox shadow in the distance.

Their attacks also stirred the celestial phenomena, gathering the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi into a torrent.

“Hmph, you’re not even at the Celestial Image Level. This is just a pseudo-Celestial Image Level attack.”

The Grand Empress Dowager snorted coldly. A giant tail swept out, instantly shattering their attacks.

The dozen top-tier Celestial Beings were sent flying.

However, they were surrounded by a strange light, which blocked the fatal blow.

The giant tail also disappeared.

Only three tails remained.

“It’s time to end this.”

The Grand Empress Dowager’s voice was icy cold.

The three tails suddenly roared towards them.

Two of them slammed towards two distant Martial Arts Legions, while the other swept towards the dozen top-tier Celestial Beings.

Boom!

The dozen top-tier Celestial Beings joined forces to resist, but were once again sent flying.

Several top-tier Celestial Beings couldn’t withstand the force and their bodies exploded in mid-air.

The remaining strongest top-tier Celestial Beings were also severely injured, coughing up blood.

At the same time, two more rebel Martial Arts Legions were crushed by the tails.

The already weakened fighting spirit of the rebel army loosened further.

However, the massive fox shadow above the Grand Empress Dowager’s head also became extremely dim, as if it would collapse at any moment.

“Hahaha, you can’t stop me.”

The Grand Empress Dowager let out a wind chime-like laugh.

Just as the military might was about to collapse, the dim fox shadow began to recover rapidly.

“Demon Empress, you won’t succeed.”

The Supreme Elder of Zhenwu Temple looked resolute as he took out a formation disk.

The top-tier Celestial Beings from Damo Temple and Shanhai Palace also took out formation disks.

The three top-tier Celestial Beings exchanged glances and infused their Natal Yuan Qi into the disks.

Buzz!

Three beams of light shot up into the sky.

As if guided by the three beams of light, a giant formation diagram shadow appeared in the sky above Jade Capital.

At the same time, the bodies of the three Celestial Beings rapidly aged.

However, under the guidance of the formation diagram, they stepped on the formation disks and stood in three directions, forming the three talents of heaven, earth, and man. The rapidly recovering fox shadow was once again suppressed.

“Hehe, you can’t stop the return of our demon race.”

A strange smile appeared on the Grand Empress Dowager’s face. She held a peculiar bead in her palm.

She gently squeezed the bead, and it shattered.

The next moment, her body exploded, and a white light emerged, merging with the fox shadow. The fox shadow suddenly became solid, its nine tails swaying once more.

Boom!

The nine tails slammed into the ground.

It was like the sky was falling and the earth was splitting.

The nine tails pierced into the ground, connecting the massive fox shadow to the earth like a spider. A strong demonic aura filled the world.

The giant formation diagram shadow in the sky was slowly descending, as if to completely suppress the fox shadow.

Roar!

A sharp roar resounded, and the giant fox shadow abruptly raised its head, opening its mouth wide. A brilliant white light erupted from its mouth, blasting into the giant formation diagram.

The giant formation diagram flickered violently for a few times before collapsing.

At the same time, the three formation disks shattered.

The three top-tier Celestial Beings who were controlling the disks were instantly reduced to ashes.

Countless cracks, like a spiderweb, appeared in the sky, spreading towards the distance.

“Is the Ram’s Horn Region’s barrier collapsing?”

A severely injured top-tier Celestial Being from Zhenwu Temple had retreated to a distance. Looking at this strange scene, fear appeared on his pale face.

However, the spreading cracks didn’t last long. They gradually faded and eventually disappeared completely.

Peace returned to the world.

The surviving top-tier Celestial Beings from the three sects didn’t feel relieved. Instead, their hearts were heavy.

Because they knew that a bigger problem was yet to come.

Great Xia Dynasty.

One of the ten countries in the Ram’s Horn Region, bordering Great Chang.

Its national strength and territory were slightly stronger than Great Chang.

At this moment, in a grand hall deep within the imperial city of the Great Xia Dynasty, a powerful emperor trembled. He looked up at the sky, sensing the cracks that had spread across it.

“I didn’t expect that we still couldn’t escape this calamity.”

The Martial Emperor of Great Xia murmured.

As the Martial Emperor who wielded the national treasure artifact of Great Xia and the only Celestial Image Level Celestial Being, he naturally knew some unknown secrets of heaven and earth.

“Someone, summon the Five Elders to discuss important matters.”

He suddenly shouted.

At the same time, similar situations occurred in other countries in the Ram’s Horn Region.

Time Bell Pavilion.

Li Qian had just finished ringing the bell and was about to practice his swordsmanship.

Suddenly, he felt a jolt in his heart, and the Heartless Sword Intent shadow in his mind shook violently.

As if sensing something, he looked up at the sky. Strange cracks appeared, spreading rapidly before quickly disappearing. The sky became clear and calm, as if what he had just seen was an illusion.

But Li Qian didn’t think it was an illusion.

Moreover, the Heartless Sword Intent in his mind was restless, on the verge of breaking through.

He forcibly suppressed it and then flew off, intending to find a secluded place to make his breakthrough.

He couldn’t wait until night.

He felt that the Heartless Sword Intent was constantly vibrating and he probably wouldn’t be able to suppress it for long.

After leaving Time Bell Pavilion, he soared into the sky, flying towards the distance at high speed.

After more than half an hour of flying at top speed, he had traveled over two hundred miles.

He chose the Tianzhi Mountain Range.

As he flew, he reached a rift valley and landed on a giant boulder. He sat down cross-legged, took a deep breath, and stopped suppressing the restless Heartless Sword Intent.

His mental consciousness touched a membrane.

The membrane seemed to loosen, and his mental consciousness easily penetrated it.

Boom!

His mental consciousness seemed to touch a vast existence in the void, and a trace of strange power flowed back from that existence.

In an instant, his Heartless Sword Intent was sublimated.

As he released the transformed Heartless Sword Intent, all the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi within a radius of several thousand meters seemed to be under his control.

It wasn’t relying on the Great River Sword Qi, but purely on Sword Intent.

Moreover, it was much easier than manipulating the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi with the Great River Sword Qi.

It was as if these Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi were a part of his body.

“Is this Celestial Image Level Sword Intent?”

Li Qian looked up at the sky. Countless Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi gathered, transforming into a giant sword shadow that hung in the sky, forming a terrifying celestial phenomenon.

He could feel the terror of this giant sword shadow. With one strike, it could easily destroy a powerful Celestial Being Martial Arts Legion.

And he felt that such an attack had become normal.

As long as his Heartless Sword Intent wasn’t completely exhausted, he could continuously use such Celestial Image Level attacks.

“Strange, what did I see before? Why did my Sword Intent suddenly break through?”

Li Qian felt the power after his Sword Intent stepped into the Celestial Image Level, but he had more doubts in his heart.

He always felt that this matter wasn’t simple.

Whew!

He let out a long breath, shook his head, and stopped thinking about it. He then summoned the system interface to check the latest information.

Host: Li Qian.

Cultivation Level: Celestial Being Realm （Early Stage 26/100）.

Sacrificial Instrument: Time Bell （Law 6306/10000）.

Martial Arts: Sword-Piercing Fist （Perfection）, Heartless Sword Manual （Perfection）, Immaculate Holy Body （Perfection）, Soul-Chasing Sword Technique （Perfection）, Great River Sword Qi （Second Layer 1/100）.

Martial Intent: Heartless Sword Intent （Celestial Image 1/100）.

Divine Ability: Blood and Qi Sanctuary （Rudimentary Form 67/100）.

Secret Techniques: Myriad Transforming Sword Qi, Blood Burning Technique.

Auxiliary Techniques: Lion Camel Ridge Formation Manual （Mastery 33/100）.

PS: First chapter of the day, 5500 words. The update is a bit late, I’m really sorry. Please vote for the double monthly votes on the last day!!!!