Martial Saint with Passives

"It’s... it’s you! The Shadow Demon, Mo Wuhen! You... you actually came in person!"

"Oh? I didn’t expect an old servant of the You Family to recognize me." Mo Wuhen seemed slightly surprised, then chuckled. "If that’s the case, you should know that resistance is futile. Hand over the Rebirth Bell and spare yourself the suffering."

You Honglang’s heart pounded. ’The Shadow Demon, Mo Wuhen! This is a Supreme Elder of the Shadow Prison Sect, second in status only to the Sect Leader!’

’This man was already an infamous arch-demon sixty years ago! He’s still not dead? Just how old is he?!’

’Faced with such a terrifying existence, they didn’t even stand a chance to resist!’

’In that case...’

You Honglang abruptly raised the Rebirth Bell, roaring at Mo Wuhen, "You want this? Then come and get it!"

Mo Wuhen’s gaze was instantly drawn to the simple, ancient Small Bronze Bell, and his eyes blazed with greed. "So it’s true! Give it to me!"

His body flickered, reaching for the Rebirth Bell in You Honglang’s hand as if teleporting.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the body of the bell!

You Honglang desperately poured every last bit of his Strength into the Rebirth Bell!

BUZZ!

The Rebirth Bell suddenly erupted with an incomparably brilliant golden light!

The light instantly enveloped You Honglang and You Zhong.

Mo Wuhen, blinded by the radiance, couldn’t see a thing and instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes.

When he looked again, the two had vanished!

"Where did they go?!" Mo Wuhen was utterly shocked.

Within his Perception, the auras of You Honglang and You Zhong had completely vanished the very instant the light erupted.

They hadn’t fled to a distance, nor had they concealed themselves.

They had well and truly vanished from this world without a trace.

Mo Wuhen abruptly unleashed his Divine Sense. The immense Perception Power of the Sixth Layer of True Master Realm swept like a tidal wave over every inch of land for miles around.

Yet, he found nothing.

"How is this possible?!" he growled, his voice cracking with shock. Beneath his hood, his face was a mask of disbelief and suspicion.

’Is this the power of the Rebirth Bell? Concealment? No... this feeling is different...’

He vaguely sensed that this was no simple concealment.

It was a stranger, more fundamental sort of... disappearance.

In truth, the Rebirth Bell was not, as he had previously told Xie Songnian, a treasure shared among the three sects of the Demon Sect.

The Rebirth Bell had always been an ancestral treasure of the You Family.

According to legend, the Rebirth Bell could help one attain the Path of True Mastery.

Nearing the end of his lifespan, with even the Longevity Divine Medicine, the Golden Spirit Pill, having lost its effect on him, he desperately yearned to reach a higher peak and extend his life.

Thus, he had set his sights on the Rebirth Bell.

However, even Mo Wuhen wasn’t certain what the Rebirth Bell’s specific effects were.

Just then, he could faintly hear the sounds of disciples from the Three Great Sects drawing near.

Not wishing to reveal his presence, Mo Wuhen decided not to linger.

He cast one last, deep look at the spot where the two had vanished, then his figure melted into the shadows and silently withdrew, leaving no trace.

...

You Honglang and You Zhong felt their vision fill with an endless golden light, which was then plunged into darkness.

When they could see again, they found themselves still standing before the dense forest.

The surrounding scenery seemed unchanged, yet at the same time... completely transformed.

The trees were still the same trees, but their trunks now resembled the writhing, slime-covered, grayish-white bodies of giant worms.

The branches and leaves looked like long, black, twisted mandibles, constantly opening and closing.

The stones on the ground had become balls of flesh covered in bizarre fuzz, pulsing faintly.

The sky was no longer a familiar blue.

It was a disturbing crimson, as if soaked in blood.

There was no sun, no clouds—only an oppressive, scarlet expanse.

The air was thick with an indescribable odor—a mixture of rust, rot, and a cloyingly sweet, foul stench.

"Wh-where is this?" You Zhong’s voice was hoarse, filled with terror.

You Honglang’s face was also deathly pale. He gripped the Rebirth Bell tightly.

He discovered the Rebirth Bell was emitting a faint golden halo, which formed a thin barrier of light that enveloped them both.

Just then, a bizarre object drifted toward them.

It appeared to be a human head.

Its complexion was ashen, its eyes hollow sockets, and a long, barbed tongue lolled out of its mouth.

More terrifying still, its eyeballs had extended from their sockets like two gray tentacles, writhing slowly in the air as if searching for something.

The grotesque head drifted near, seemed to sense something, and slowly turned toward them.

The eyeball-tentacles immediately began to probe toward them!

You Honglang and You Zhong wanted to run but found themselves locked in place by an invisible force, their bodies rigid and their legs refusing to move.

But when the eyeball-tentacles touched the golden barrier emanating from the Rebirth Bell, they shot back as if scalded!

The head paused, seemingly perplexed, then slowly turned and drifted elsewhere.

Only after the monster disappeared did the force binding them vanish, allowing their limbs to move again.

The two let out a long sigh of relief, their backs drenched in cold sweat.

"The... the True Realm..." You Honglang suddenly recalled the fragmented records about the Rebirth Bell in his family’s ancient texts, his voice trembling. "The Rebirth Bell... it can take people from our Mortal Realm into a deeper layer... the ’True Realm’... This place is filled with bizarre and dangerous things beyond our comprehension... Only a Great Power at the True Mastery Realm can even begin to glimpse this place..."

Hearing this, all the color drained from You Zhong’s face. He had lived for sixty years, yet this was the first time he had ever heard of such a grotesque matter.

"Hurry!" You Honglang suppressed the terror in his heart. "The Rebirth Bell can’t protect us forever! While its power lasts, we have to get away from the manor! Once we’re completely safe, we can return to the Mortal Realm!"

Activating the Rebirth Bell to enter the True Realm had been an act of desperation.

He knew that even if they returned to the Mortal Realm, having been tainted by the aura of the True Realm, they would now be more likely to attract the bizarre entities that occasionally seeped into the mortal world.

But for now, it was their only way to escape Mo Wuhen’s pursuit.

Not daring to look at the hair-raising, bizarre scenery around them, the two stumbled away as fast as they could, relying on the protection of the Rebirth Bell’s barrier of light.

...

「Within the Cangyun Sect’s expeditionary force.」

Jiang Che, Tang Qiaoqiao, Liu Qing, and Su Wan had formed a team.

Tang Qiaoqiao was pouting, her face a picture of reluctance.

But she remembered her mother, Ye Lianzhen, saying, "If you don’t behave, I’ll have Jiang Che knock you out and drag you back."

In the end, she didn’t dare make a scene, merely glaring at Jiang Che from time to time.

Up ahead, the various academy deans and Elders led the charge into You Manor.

Battle cries instantly thundered across the sky as disciples from the Three Sects poured in like a tidal wave.

The scene descended into chaos. Everyone’s eyes were bloodshot with greed, afraid they’d miss out on the spoils if they were a step too slow.

Jiang Che, however, moved against the tide of people to find a solemn-faced Elder who was one of the leaders of the expedition.

"Elder Fang," Jiang Che said, cupping his fist in a salute, his tone calm. "The four of us request to remain in the rear to patrol the perimeter, to prevent any You Family remnants from escaping in the chaos."

Elder Fang raised his eyebrows in surprise. He sized up Jiang Che and the three female disciples behind him, asking with a slight smirk:

"Oh? Everyone else is fighting tooth and nail to get in, yet you want to stand guard outside? The opportunities and treasures inside won’t wait for you!"

Jiang Che’s expression remained unchanged. "Our cultivation is weak. We wouldn’t be able to compete with the others if we went inside and would likely just get in the way. It’s better for us to contribute what we can out here. That way, we’re still serving the Sect."

Hearing this, the Elder’s estimation of Jiang Che rose slightly. He nodded. "It’s good that you know your own limits. Very well. Your request is approved. Go patrol the woods behind the manor. If you find anything unusual, act as you see fit. If you encounter danger, send a distress signal immediately!"

"Thank you, Elder." Jiang Che bowed, then turned and led the three young women away.

The moment they were out of the Elder’s line of sight, Tang Qiaoqiao couldn’t hold back any longer. She stamped her foot and snapped, "Jiang Che! What was that all about? Staying out here? There are so many treasures inside, and we won’t get a single thing! Did we come all this way for nothing?"

Liu Qing gently tugged her arm. "Qiaoqiao, Junior Brother Jiang is just thinking about our safety."

"Safety, safety! That’s all you ever think about!" Tang Qiaoqiao shook off her hand, complaining at Jiang Che’s retreating back. "I think you’re just a coward!"