Chapter 236: First Toll of the Mystic Bell

“Jiang, how long are you planning to stay on Blue Star this time?”

At the dining table, Jiang Yan sat opposite Old Wang.

“Nothing much going on lately, so I’ll probably stay a while longer.”

“Look at you, holed up in your room practicing all day. Now that you’re famous, you should go out more. Didn’t you love showing off the most?”

“Nonsense. I, Jiang, am the epitome of low-key. Even if I were to show off, it’d only be fun doing it in front of you.”

Jiang Yan glanced out the window when suddenly, a ripple passed through his Spirit Platform, causing him to pause briefly.

He stood up and flew toward the windowsill.

“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing, suddenly running off in the middle of a meal?”

“Old Wang, something’s come up. Take your time and finish eating.”

With that, Jiang Yan vanished from the windowsill.

High above the sky.

Jiang Yan took out a piece of white jade.

This jade had been given to him by Celestial Master Zhang back then. Jiang Yan had kept it with him all this time but had nearly forgotten about it recently, having paid it little attention.

However, just moments ago, his keen senses detected the jade flickering faintly—a fleeting, ancient, weathered aura that vanished in an instant.

That trace of aura was too profound, and Jiang Yan realized it instantly.

“This is likely no ordinary object.”

“Moreover, it’s still emitting some kind of signal even now. Why is that?”

As Jiang Yan pondered, his expression suddenly changed.

“Not good!”

He swiftly flew into the cosmic Starry Sky, not daring to remain on Blue Star any longer.

…

At the very top and center of the Galactic Domain.

A massive bronze bell stood above all living beings.

Ancient and worn, covered in rust, yet heavy and vast, like a roc that blotted out the sky, overshadowing the world’s brilliance.

It rested quietly in the Starry Sky, rootless and boundless.

An invisible force struck the great bell, and ochre-yellow ripples gently spread out, caressing every space and every crevice in the Universe.

Deep within the darkness, pairs of eyes that had slumbered for who knows how long slowly opened.

Within a crimson star, comparable to Blue Star in size by millions of times.

A black bird slowly opened its golden eyes, light swirling within them. In moments, it transformed into a human form.

Covered entirely in black feathers, its aura deeply restrained, dazzling magma churned around its body, leaping and pulsing like toys.

The black-feathered figure stretched lazily, and the surrounding magma retreated as if possessing intelligence, forming a vacuum zone.

The man slowly stepped out of the crimson star, covering thousands of miles with each stride.

A hoarse, aged voice whispered softly.

“The bell has rung once.”

“Heh, who knows how many will die this time…”

Within a certain massive star.

Sky Demon wiped the meat residue from the corner of his mouth with a sinister grin, his gaze fixed deep into the Starry Sky.

“It’s coming so soon. I wonder if that Xiao fellow has obtained the two keys.”

“And that human…”

At this thought, Sky Demon’s expression twisted gradually, his black knuckles cracking audibly.

“If you fall into my hands, you’re in for a world of suffering~”

Deep within the Starry Sky.

Xiao Chunwei stood atop a Formation, green Law power forming a cage. His indifferent eyes calmly watched the struggling figure below.

“Hand over the Four Directions Boundary Stone, or die!”

“Dream on! We’d rather die than let you succeed!”

The struggling figure could be considered a mighty expert anywhere else, but before Xiao Chunwei at this moment, they were nothing but an ant.

“Heh, amusing.”

Xiao Chunwei clenched his hand, and the Ninth Rank Peak expert within the Formation instantly turned to dust.

A piece of jade drifted into his hand.

“Finally, it’s mine.”

With that, Xiao Chunwei vanished from this world.

Moreover, similar events were occurring in many regions across the Starry Sky.

A stone reacted to the toll of a bell.

Unable to conceal itself, it became a death warrant, claiming countless lives.

Outside Blue Star.

“That aura is moving at high speed—let’s chase it!”

Two Insect Race Transcendents transformed into streaks of light, pursuing the direction sensed by their Spirit Platforms.

“Hahahaha, who would have thought I’d encounter the possessor of the Four Directions Boundary Stone in such a backwater place? Heaven truly aids me!”

“Hurry, the aura is about to disappear!”

The two streaks of light abruptly accelerated.

Jiang Yan soared through the Starry Sky, having already enveloped the jade stone with the Chaotic Void Ancestral Spirit. However, it seemed that due to the influence of some rule-based force, the unknown signal emitted by the jade stone still could not be blocked.

Jiang Yan frowned.

The Chaotic Void Ancestral Spirit, which had never failed before—even capable of deceiving the Sky Demon and Tenth Rank Martial Gods—had actually lost its effect!

What kind of treasure was this jade stone?

Jiang Yan boarded the Bu Chen and left Blue Star’s vicinity at the fastest speed possible.

Regardless of what signal the jade stone emitted, Jiang Yan was certain that he was not the only one who could perceive it.

If other Transcendent Creatures also detected the signal, what would they do?

Looking at it from another perspective.

If Jiang Yan detected a mysterious signal emanating from somewhere, what would he do?

“I would go and investigate.”

“If I can win, I’ll seize it; if not, I’ll flee.”

Opportunities in the vast world belong to the capable—there is no right or wrong in this.

Seeing that the Chaotic Void Ancestral Spirit could not contain the mysterious signal emitted by the Four Directions Boundary Stone, Jiang Yan simply withdrew it and stored the jade stone back into his Spatial Ring.

“Fortunately, the signal is weakening, and there are no God Tier existences nearby.”

Realizing that the signal was gradually weakening until it would disappear, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

He still struggled somewhat against Ninth Rank Transcendents. If the jade stone’s signal did not dissipate, Jiang Yan might have chosen to discard it.

No matter what treasure the jade stone was, if it posed too great a threat to Jiang Yan, he would not keep it on him.

“The jade stone is a Legacy item of the Heavenly Dao Gate. If that Heavenly Master didn’t lie to me, this thing should have come from the so-called Ancestral Master of the Dao.”

“What could it be?”

Jiang Yan was already far from Blue Star and didn’t have to worry about this matter involving Old Wang and the others.

However, there was still one trouble to resolve.

Jiang Yan’s expression turned cold as he looked at the two dark figures chasing from behind, as if viewing the dead.

“Seeking death.”

Jiang Yan stepped off the flying shuttle. “It seems the Four Directions Boundary Stone really attracts some flies. I’m truly looking forward to discovering its true purpose.”

Jiang Yan wielded a saber dozens of meters long, its tip trailing a dazzling river of stars, appearing overwhelmingly majestic.

“Kid, hand over the treasure and we’ll spare your life!”

“Finality.”

The great saber rose into the sky and cleaved downward vertically, like the heavens collapsing, shattering all resilience.

“How dare you fight back!”

The two were no pushovers either, having reached the Peak of Eighth Rank.

And then.

They died miserably.

Jiang Yan incinerated the corpses and returned to board the flying shuttle.

“I struck too hard—I forgot to ask if they knew the origins of the Four Directions Boundary Stone.”

But for now, the Four Directions Boundary Stone was still emitting a faint signal, though its range had diminished further.

Jiang Yan’s Tide Realm Spiritual Power sensed that many powerful auras were heading in his direction.

Jiang Yan, shrouded in Spirit Ink, did his best to conceal his true appearance.

This Boundary Stone could prove to be a major trouble—it was better not to draw attention.

“Hah, quite a crowd here. Someone should know its origins, right?”

With that, he activated his flying shuttle and headed toward an uninhabited planet.