Chapter 125: The Mysterious Bell Toll

The first villager bore a demonic mark around his waist, subtle enough to escape the naked eye, but under spiritual perception, nothing went unnoticed.

Then, a small hole appeared in Xu Cheng’s palm, drawing the demonic mark into it.

“So this is the method of an immortal?” The villagers widened their eyes, watching Xu Cheng absorb the marks one by one into that mysterious black hole.

“Could this tattoo really be the death of someone?” one among them still doubted.

At this, Shopkeeper Chi coldly retorted, “You’re welcome to try and see if you’re still alive in two days!”

The man shrank his neck in response; no one wished to gamble with their life.

“The immortal hasn’t charged a fee and is removing these black lotus marks for you. Stop whining here; anyone who wants to rid themselves of their marks, step forward now!”

Shopkeeper Chi’s spiritual aura flared out faintly, a mere trace, yet it silenced most of the townsfolk. If he unleashed his full might, many would likely suffer injuries or death instantly.

After this brief episode, the people formed a neat line, waiting for Xu Cheng to cleanse their demonic marks.

An entire day passed, and Xu Cheng had removed the marks from thousands in the town.

The boy clutching a bell had waited in line from morning until afternoon, always at the very end. Whenever someone arrived, they would let him step ahead.

Such conduct surely earned him great merit, Xu Cheng thought silently.

Most marks in the town had been cleared, except for those Shopkeeper Chi claimed were immovable.

By evening, it was finally the boy’s turn.

“Are you a cultivator? Why do you let others go ahead?” Xu Cheng, having sat all day without physical fatigue but carrying slight mental weariness, finally spoke without probing the boy’s spiritual state.

“No, I’m just an ordinary person,” the boy softly replied.

“Then what’s so special about that bell you’ve been holding?” Xu Cheng asked, scrutinizing the bell in the boy’s arms.

“Remove the mark first, then I’ll tell you,” the boy said anxiously.

“Alright,” Xu Cheng agreed, opening a small black hole in his palm. After all, the demonic marks would drain one’s vital essence over time, turning people into withered husks.

The boy’s mark was on his arm. He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a lotus-shaped pattern.

Xu Cheng’s palm, with the black hole, approached the mark, which dissolved into black smoke and was completely consumed without a trace.

With the mark removed, the boy made to leave.

Xu Cheng immediately stopped him, urging, “You haven’t told me about the bell yet!”

“You really want to know about the bell?” The boy’s expression flickered in surprise.

“Indeed, I do,” Xu Cheng said. The more mysterious the boy was, the more he wanted to uncover the bell’s secrets.

“Are you sure?” The boy’s once bright eyes suddenly turned frosty.

Xu Cheng thought the boy was being overly cautious—at worst, it was just a magical treasure. He smiled warmly to ease the boy’s guard and nodded emphatically.

“Since you want to know, I’ll tell you,” the boy said calmly. “This bell has been with me for years. At first, it was just a household ornament, but at some point, whenever someone in the town dies, the bell tolls ten times.”

“Do you know? At first, I didn’t understand the sudden ten tolls, but every time the bell rang, there was a funeral the next day! As I grew older, I realized there was a connection. But even knowing this, what good does it do? Some things you can only watch helplessly.”

The boy’s voice grew more intense, and Xu Cheng’s smile stiffened.

Why would the bell’s power be such? A death knell? Shopkeeper Chi hesitated, a feeling of powerlessness rising within.

“Now, whenever the bell tolls, I wonder who has died—myself or someone else. I don’t know. Do you?” The boy turned, eyes bloodshot, staring at Xu Cheng.

A heavy weight pressed on Xu Cheng’s heart; his internal energies felt hindered.

“I don’t know,” Xu Cheng uttered, falling silent.

Just then, the bell in the boy’s arms rang.

“Dong, dong, dong...” exactly ten times.

Xu Cheng swiftly released his spiritual perception and scanned the surroundings, curious if the bell’s toll was truly so precise.

As the sound spread through the town, he finally detected a wraith.

Perhaps stirred by the boy’s words, Xu Cheng’s eyes snapped open. With a clenched fist, several chains of netherfire pierced the void.

He sought to forcibly draw the wraith from the cycle of reincarnation.

Suddenly, like thunder from a clear sky, a crushing blow struck Xu Cheng’s spirit.

Stars flashed before his eyes; his consciousness fragmented, and everything around blurred.

“I told you, some things are futile. You can only watch and be powerless! Why bother?” The boy’s voice was clear amidst the chaos.

“It’s the Heavenly Dao!” Xu Cheng gritted his teeth as he recovered. “The Seal of Past and Present!”

Indeed, that thunderous strike was the Heavenly Dao’s punishment, forbidding him from interfering with the cycle of reincarnation.

The Seal of Past and Present imprinted on him, Xu Cheng’s state stabilized.

Now, fueled by stubborn resolve, he swiftly empowered himself with the Origin Transcendence Immortal Technique.

His spiritual energy surged wildly. Defiantly, he clenched his fists, golden patterns coursing along the netherfire chains as he sought to wrench the wraith from reincarnation.

Above the cycle, razor-sharp swords sliced through Xu Cheng’s chains.

“I don’t believe it!” Xu Cheng roared. More netherfire chains plunged into the void, striving to seize the wraith.

“Messenger of the Underworld! Do not interfere with reincarnation!” A mighty voice thundered down, instantly suppressing him. Xu Cheng collapsed, spirit shattered, all spells vanishing to reveal his skeletal form, wisps of black smoke rising from his head. If the previous strike was a silent warning, now the Underworld had officially intervened.

“Is it worth it?” The boy, though not a cultivator, seemed aware of Xu Cheng’s actions and asked.

“It is!” Xu Cheng gasped, his aura waning.

“What do you want to prove? That you’re powerful enough to defy everything?” the boy pressed.

“No. I want to prove I have the power to change life and death, not just watch helplessly!” Xu Cheng’s spiritual force blazed fiercely as he poured all his merit’s golden light into his spirit, ready for one last desperate fight.