Chapter 236

“Dang~”

“Dang~”

“Dang~”

The resonant tolling of bells echoed across a vast expanse spanning thousands of miles. These bells possessed a unique attribute, maintaining a consistent volume regardless of proximity. Standing beside them, their sound was as gentle as if heard from a thousand miles away. This extraordinary bell, known as the Returning Origin Bell, graced the main peak of the Returning Origin Sect. It wasn’t merely a bell. It was a powerful magical artifact, revered as the sect’s ultimate treasure for safeguarding its legacy.

When Liu Xinshui and Liu Xinyue were over 1,500 years old, the strongest among them, Liu Xinshui, had only reached the Nascent Soul sixth stage. In comparison, Peak Master Dieyun, who achieved the Refinement stage pinnacle in just 2,500 years, was a true genius. Her accomplishments were enough to evoke envy in countless cultivators. However, the bottleneck had restrained her progress for thousands of years, preventing her from reaching the Refinement stage perfection.

Without overcoming this bottleneck, Peak Master Dieyun saw no way to progress beyond the Refinement stage. Lord Tianluo’s nostalgic comments didn’t resonate with her. Instead, she felt a growing sense of resignation. She had reached the age of 10,000 but still saw no hope of breaking through the bottleneck. If only her spiritual roots were more special, like an Immortal Spirit Root, that would be ideal. Immortal Spirit Roots had no bottlenecks before the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. With an Immortal Spirit Root, as long as one cultivated steadily, avoided inner demons, and refrained from reckless behavior, progress was almost guaranteed. However, with her first-grade Spirit Root, experiencing a bottleneck was extremely painful.

She considered herself fortunate, having seen many Heavenly Spirit Root geniuses face bottlenecks during the Nascent Soul stage or earlier. She recalled a genius with a second-grade Spirit Root who died during the Nascent Soul stage due to a bottleneck, cursing the heavens for granting him a great spiritual root but not luck and insight. There was also a genius with a first-grade Heavenly Spirit Root who rushed too quickly, faced inner demons, and went insane.

The Returning Origin Bell rang once more as more guests in the Refinement stage arrived, including Refinement cultivators from the Western Sea. Some speculated that the Queen of the Western Sea clan’s friendship with Peak Master Dieyun was the reason for their attendance.

As the Returning Origin Sect bustled with activity, Bihai, who had returned from afar, entered the sect. Although he didn’t receive excessive attention, as an Outer Sect Elder, some Foundation Establishment and Nascent Soul stage disciples recognized him and greeted him respectfully. He then made his way to Peak Dieyun.