Su Yan leaned toward Yuan Qi. "Seventh Lord, Bull Lords — I think Xu Fu's got a few screws loose. Different paths, no room for negotiation. We should get out while we can."
He glanced at the great bell hovering behind him. "Bell Lord, can we make it?"
The bell didn't answer. It shot toward Xu Fu like a bronze thunderbolt.
"Let's find out! I'll hold him — you run!"
Su Yan and Yuan Qi froze. Since when had the bell grown a spine?
They didn't know the full story. Six months had passed since Su Yan's second sealing. For three of those months, Zhu Chanchan had pounded the bell with her fists whenever she felt bored. Old wounds healed. For the next three months, the bell had siphoned qi and blood from Yuan Qi, Zhu Chanchan, and Su Yan himself. It wasn't back to peak condition, but ninety percent was nothing to scoff at.
This was the first time the bell had entered a fight with a full tank. It would have charged a heavenly demon without hesitation. A scar-faced cultivator? Easy pickings.
The bell swelled to a hundred times its normal size, its mouth gaping wide enough to swallow a mountain peak. Its bronze surface blazed with ancient runes. The very air shuddered.
This was no ordinary hall. It was a ascension-stage treasure, reinforced with countless techniques. The internal space expanded desperately, trying to contain the bell's fury.
It couldn't keep up. Walls cracked. Ceiling tiles rained down. Stone pillars groaned and snapped.
And this was the bell holding back.
Sound waves piled atop each other, compressing space itself into visible ridges. The bell drove forward, spinning, its rim carving a trench of molten rock through the floor. Lava swirled in its wake.
Xu Fu didn't move. He didn't even blink.
The bell struck.
The impact flattened the hall. Shockwaves tore through the remaining walls. Su Yan and Yuan Qi tumbled through the shattered doorway, thrown a hundred yards by the recoil.
They hit the ground rolling. Su Yan scrambled up, grabbed Yuan Qi's tail, and sprinted.
"Seventh Lord, move!"
The bell's voice drifted from the wreckage, small and embarrassed. "Lord Ying... wait."
Su Yan stopped. He turned back.
The bell wasn't flying out to join them. Instead, it hung in the air, docile as a wind chime, pinched between the thumb and forefinger of a golden Primordial Spirit.
Xu Fu's Spirit loomed behind him, vast as a mountain. The bronze bell dangled from its hand like a toy.
The bell's voice turned cheerful. "Lord Ying, maybe we should surrender. Old Ancestor Xu isn't a bad guy. I lost fair and square."
Su Yan's jaw tightened. He walked back into the ruined hall, forcing a bright smile. "Old Ancestor Xu wants to restore the glory of qi cultivation. As a fellow cultivator, how could I refuse? Whatever you need, just say the word."
Yuan Qi puffed out his chest. "Old Ancestor Xu carries the heart of a hero! This serpent cultivator, Yuan Qi, pledges his full support!"
Su Yan shot him an approving look. Seventh Lord had a way with words.
Xu Fu's Primordial Spirit released the bell. It shrank instantly and zipped to Su Yan's side, whispering frantically in his ear. "A-Ying, that scarred freak's even nastier than I thought! He grabbed my crown like it was nothing — I couldn't dodge, couldn't break free!"
Fear leaked through its bravado. Nine-tenths of peak power, and Xu Fu hadn't budged an inch.
Xu Fu smiled, serene as ever. "That technique was called Universe in Hand. You once praised it yourself, Lord Xu. Called it the ultimate art."
Su Yan bowed deeply. "A move worthy of the gods. The ghosts weep, the heavens pale — unmatched in five thousand years."
Yuan Qi leaned in. "Is it really that incredible?"
"I was running for my life," Su Yan murmured. "Didn't see a thing. But everyone loves flattery."
Xu Fu did love flattery. Especially Su Yan's. He beamed.
"First, I need you to restore the cultivation techniques we've collected. Our heritage has been shattered. Only Lord Xu can decipher and complete what remains."
Su Yan nodded solemnly. This part, at least, he meant sincerely. Cultivators had suffered through the Zhou dynasty's elixir theft and the Han dynasty's Heaven-Man Resonance catastrophe. Ancient texts lay scattered and broken. He wanted to help piece them back together.
"Second," Xu Fu continued, "we resurrect the First Emperor, and restore our legacy. We'll travel to the underworld soon to welcome him back."
"And third?" Su Yan asked. "Weren't you planning to transcend? When's your tribulation?"
Xu Fu shook his head. "Zhou Qiyun wanted transcendence at any cost. For me, it's a personal matter, not my life's goal. I won't ask you to help me ascend. But I do have a third task."
"I'm listening."
"Complete the first two, and I'll tell you the third."
Xu Fu gestured. Avia entered — the little phoenix girl, feathers still sprouting from her hair. "Escort Lord Xu to his quarters. Watch him closely. Don't let him slip away."
Avia bowed. Su Yan caught Yuan Qi's eye. They followed her out, hearts pounding.
They had bought time. But not much.