Mo Wen knew that they could not allow the Corpse Puppet to ring the Cries of Hades Bell, or the consequences would be dire.
Immediately, a Soul attack was performed, closing all distance and colliding directly with the Corpse Puppet.
However, Mo Wen giving it his all was still insufficient. Everything had happened too late. The power of the Corpse Puppet had been akin to that of a grandmaster all along. Its Soul power was far stronger than Mo Wen's. Mo Wen's Soul attack did not even really affect the Corpse Puppet. The body of the Corpse Puppet simply wavered, before it continued ringing the Cries of Hades Bell.
A piercing bright light was suddenly emitted from the Cries of Hades Bell. It was like a piece of amethyst, shining bright on its own.
Mo Wen laughed bitterly. Without hesitating at all, he retreated in a flash. Since his body had been hurt by the Cold Qi from before, his speed of retreat had become substantially slower.
However, he was still in a better position than many of the others. Pavilion Leader Ye Rong and Bu Zhangkun were already fallen to the ground. They were paralyzed by the cold and it was difficult for them to even move.
Grandmother Hui Ling and He Xiangyu did not hesitate to retreat as well. The two of them clearly knew how destructive the moment the Corpse Puppet rang the Cries of Hades Bell would be. The Purple Bottle Gourd was not a profound level weapon but the moment Grandmother Hui Ling gave it her all, she had almost been able to kill the Corpse Puppet.
Meanwhile, the Cries of Hades Bell was a true-blue profound level weapon. If the Corpse Puppet was the one activating it, it was unthinkable just how frightening it would be.
Grandmother Hui Ling and He Xiangyu had not forgotten the two Sect Leaders from their own sects. When they retreated simultaneously, the two of them extended their hands to attract the black quartz package, which landed in both the hands of Grandmother Hui Ling and He Xiangyu.
However, because of that, the speed of their retreat had also been affected. There was thus still a distance between them and Mo Wen who had retreated earlier. Pavilion Leader Ye Rong and Bu Zhangkun were the Sect Leaders of Purple Qi Pavilion and Five Beasts Sect respectively. They were of utmost importance and were the pillars of support in their sects. Hence, the two of them could not leave without the two sect leaders.
A bloodied light weaved into the small purple bell. The radiance of the purple bell intensified and the Corpse Puppet left out an earth-shattering roar. An invisible ripple of waves immediately spread all around him. Then, in the blink of an eye, the soundwave had covered the entire great hall, even spreading to the outside.
The Cries of Hades Bell flew out of the Corpse Puppet's hand. When it was in mid-air, it suddenly grew to three meters tall and two meters wide, making it look like a giant bell.
The angry roar of the Corpse Puppet seemed to be a product of the giant bell, and it caused a tremor across the Cries of Hades Bell. Then, it let out a crisp, resounding gong.
Although the sound was clear, it sounded like a demonic sound from hell. The cornett used to harvest the souls has centered itself at the Cries of Hades Bell. The bricks paving the ground in the great hall began to rise into the air, flying backward with a roaring sound.
An invisible sound wave immediately engulfed the entire diameter of a thousand meters. All the stones on the walls and ground were shattered.
As he retreated through the air, Mo Wen felt as if he had been dealt a blow. His body trembled as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His eyes rolled back into his head and the whites could be seen. His vision went dark. Immediately, he fell to the ground. He felt dizzy and the world spun around him, as he was on the verge of fainting.
Grandmother Hui Ling and He Xiangyu were much closer in proximity to the Cries of Hades Bell than Mo Wen was. They were thus dealt an even greater blow. The frightening sound wave had attacked their souls directly. Even with their abilities, such an attack caused them to continuously cough up blood. Their souls had been dealt a serious blow. Their eyes also rolled backward and they both fainted.
The Cries of Hades Bell was clearly a profound level weapon that could perform soul attacks. The attack it had just launched seemed to be too fierce to withstand. The souls of the five people in the great hall had all been affected greatly.
Suddenly, half of the Corpse Puppet's body collapsed. It fell onto the ground with a roaring crash. It could no longer get up once again, and all signs of life within it were gone.
The entire great hall fell silent. Everyone had collapsed onto the ground. Only the two treasures, the Dark Soul Pearl and Cries of Hades Bell, were still floating in mid-air and emitting soft rays of light.
Outside the great hall, a thousand meters away, those ancient martial art practitioners who could not bear to leave and were still loitering around had also felt the ripples from the attack. Two of the ancient martial art practitioners of the beginning stage of the Golden Elixir realm who were closer to the area had directly been struck with the remnant ripples. Their bodies had shattered into pieces, killing them instantly.
Although the ancient martial art practitioners that were slightly further away had not received any fatal blows, a large number of them had also fainted. Only those ancient martial art practitioners with at least the intermediate stage of the Golden Elixir realm did not faint because of their higher Cultivation and since they were slightly further away. However, their souls had still been affected.
A single attack by the Cries of Hades Bell was incredibly strong. It simply had the power to destroy anything.
The ancient martial art practitioners outside the cave looked inside the cave in shock. Nobody knew what had happened within the cave, nor did they know what the source of the earth-shattering attack was.
However, not a single one of the ancient martial art practitioners outside dared to return to check on what had happened. The terrifying strength had already thoroughly scared the wits out of the Golden Elixir realm ancient martial art practitioners. The ripples could be felt and, even from a distance, were so powerful. If anyone had dared to go back, it was akin to digging their own grave!
After an unknown period of time, Mo Wen's body jerked a little before he gradually regained consciousness. He climbed up from the ground with much effort. Looking at the chaotic scene before him, he could only laugh bitterly.
He examined his body to find that his internal organs had been shifted and his vital Qi passages had been clogged, in turn blocking the flow of his vital Qi. Ever since he had gotten his memory back, he had not been so seriously injured. Moreover, other than the physical wounds, his soul had also been affected. This damage to his soul was much more worrying than the physical injuries he had suffered.
His soul Cultivation was at a level where even Golden Elixir realm ancient martial art practitioners could not compare. Other than a grandmaster, nobody could match up to his soul power. After all, his soul power had far surpassed the level that the average ancient martial art practitioner possessed, and was already approaching the soul shielding function. In essence, although a grandmaster could outperform him, basically no one could defeat him in a contest of the quality of the soul.
Yet his soul had been so badly injured. The Cries of Hades Bell was a really special profound level weapon that could attack the soul. Such a weapon was very rare and its preciousness gave it a top ranking amongst all the profound level weapons.
"The power of a profound level weapon is frightening indeed." Mo Wen inhaled deeply. If he had not retreated fast enough, or if his soul had not been strong enough, it was possible that he could have actually died in the great hall.
Grandmother Hui Ling and He Xiangyu, as well as the other two Sect leaders, were still unconscious. He knew even without having to be told that it was because their Soul powers were not as strong as his. Moreover, they were closer in proximity to the Cries of Hades Bell. Hence, their injuries were definitely even more serious than his.
If it had just been an average ancient martial art practitioner attacking with the Cries of Hades Bell, the effect would probably not have been as terrifying. However, the Corpse Puppet's Cultivation was comparable to that of a grandmaster. One could just imagine how powerful its last blow would be when it gave its all.
It was fortunate that the Corpse Puppet had already been injured. This had inevitably reduced its power. Hence, it had been unable to unleash the full potential of the Cries of Hades Bell. If it had been able to do so, there may not have been a single person left alive in the great hall.
Mo Wen retrieved a Heart Nourishing Pill from the Medicine Spiritual Ring. At once, he swallowed two pills. Immediately, his complexion became a few shades brighter. The Heart Nourishing Pill was a sacred medicine for healing. It could allow the complete recovery of internal injuries within a very short period of time. However, the Heart Nourishing Pill could not do anything for injuries to the soul.
After resting for a moment, Mo Wen's gaze drifted to the Dark Soul Pearl and Cries of Hades Bell that were still levitating in the air. Then, his lips turned up into a smile. The Corpse Puppet was already dead. Grandmother Hui Ling, He Xiangyu, and the others were still unconscious from the injuries they had sustained. He had the treasures in front of him and nobody was around to fight him for them.
Mo Wen walked towards the two rare treasures and held them in his palm. The cold Qi traveled from his palm into his body. The Dark Soul Pearl and the Cries of Hades Bell were equally dark and cold.
Mo Wen had also discovered that when the two treasures were together, they seemed to have a very mild connection. Such a connection was very odd. It seemed as though they were of the same origin, as though they were brothers related by blood.
Such a situation was unusual. The only possible explanation was that the two items had some sort of link that had been maintained for a very long time.
"Dark Soul Pearl… Cries of Hades Bell… Could it be…"
Mo Wen's gaze morphed from initial confusion to a gradual understanding. The Cries of Hades Bell had always been a profound level weapon belonging to the underworld. Meanwhile, the Dark Soul Pearl originated from the underworld ghost cultivators. Perhaps, the Cries of Hades Bell had originally been the most favored treasure of the Dark Soul Pearl's owner. Through prolonged devotion and after years had passed, he had finally been able to establish a connection between the Dark Soul Pearl and the Cries of Hades Bell.
The Dark Soul Pearl was the masterpiece that a ghost cultivator had spent his entire life working on. To a certain degree, it was also the legacy of that particular ghost cultivator. If the Cries of Hades Bell was really the most favored treasure of that ghost cultivator, the pieces of the puzzle would fit into place.
Evidently, these two treasures from Luofeng Sect had originated from the same person. Moreover, it was also an Immortal Cultivator that was at least of the Primordial Soul realm. It either had to be that the ghost cultivator was somehow related to Luofeng Sect, or Luofeng Sect had unintentionally chanced upon this ghost cultivator's historical abode and obtained the two treasures from there.
This would also explain why Luofeng Sect had so many treasures belonging to Immortal Cultivators. Many of the items had probably been left behind by the ghost cultivator. Even in the Immortal Cultivator world, profound level weapons were considered very precious resources. Naturally, Huatian Palace would not have allowed for the outflow of profound level weapons into the world of ancient martial arts. An ancient martial art practitioner could only rely on luck if they wanted to obtain a profound level weapon.
Mo Wen placed the two treasures in his storage ring. Then, he turned around to walk out of the great hall. Just before he left, he looked over at the Purple Bottle Gourd and Five Beasts Hoop that had fallen to the ground for a moment. After a moment of hesitation, he decided not to take it.
After all, they were the heritage items of Five Beasts Sect and Purple Qi Pavilion. If he took them, it would create an enmity between them that could only be settled with death. Personally, he did not mind that. However, as Intentionless Sect was based in the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension, they would have to bear the brunt of the two sects making trouble for them.
At the moment, he still did not have the ability to completely disregard the threats from ancient martial art practitioners in the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension. Hence, he tried his best not to offend them.
However, something very unexpected happened. Just as Mo Wen walked out the door, the Purple Bottle Gourd simply flashed brightly, before flying up. It moved in an arc and gently landed in Mo Wen's palm.
"This…" Mo Wen looked at the Purple Bottle Gourd that had landed in his hand of its own accord. For a moment, he was rendered speechless. What exactly was going on? The treasure had delivered itself to him. Such a situation was simply too odd to be true. If he told others, nobody would have believed it.
Could it be that his character was just too great? A weird thought flashed through Mo Wen's mind.
Carefully, he placed the Purple Bottle Gourd onto the ground. Then, he took two steps back and turned around to leave.
However, the Purple Bottle Gourd seemed to be bent on following him. It jumped twice on the ground before flying upwards and landing on Mo Wen's shoulder.
Mo Wen was utterly speechless. What exactly was going on? The Purple Bottle Gourd was actually following him!