"Could it be that the Chaos Bell doesn’t completely side with East Emperor Taiyi?"
"That’s too tragic."
Li Ping’an said, "Actually, that’s not the case. The Chaos Bell treats Taiyi like an elder looking after a junior. The Chaos Bell genuinely wants to help Taiyi."
The Great Mage countered, "Helping East Emperor Taiyi ans summoning his ancient self to fight you? It ans putting him in an absolutely passive position?"
"That’s not necessarily true," Li Ping’an sighed, "The Chaos Bell actually wants to inspire Taiyi’s fighting spirit, to make him make a decision in ancient tis. If he intended to rebel against his father back then, and the Six Great Masters weren’t bound by the Hongng Purple Qi, there would still be all sorts of variables... It’s just a pity, Taiyi was ultimately too gentle; he was emotionally bound by the Transcender."
"Alas," the Great Mage sighed and exchanged a glance with Li Ping’an, each contemplating how to ’start the conversation’.
In a corner nearby, the Green Ox flicked its tail, its eyes reflecting the images of these two people as if they both had two pairs of fox ears.
They had already begun to ’strategize’ against the Chaos Bell.
Li Ping’an asked, "Can the Chaos Bell communicate with us now?"
"I doubt it. The Bell Spirit of the Chaos Bell is constantly observing the Old Lord refining the elixirs and shows no intention of speaking."
The Great Mage shook his head and took the initiative to ask:
"What do you want to know from her?"
"So things about myself."
"Oh? About you?" This ti, the Great Mage was genuinely interested.
"I want to know how my father and I ca to be," Li Ping’an said calmly, "It’s no longer a secret that my father and I were drawn here from another world. I want to know what happened in between, how it was specifically achieved, and... whether Old Man Wangri is actually my father, Li Dazhi."
"What?"
The Great Mage’s wide-eyed reaction was comparable to that of the Green Ox nearby.
"By Pangu, what nonsense are you talking about? Just your father, ahem, I don’t an it like that, I an, just your father’s appearance as a market vendor... not to ntion..."
Li Ping’an raised his hand to cover his forehead, "Master Uncle, it’s better if you don’t say more."
He hurriedly said:
"I’ve only had so suspicions before. I even guessed that Old Man Wangri might be my mother, but later found it unlikely.
"Taiyi said it; he’s rely my substitute. He wanted to say this long ago in the Lingxiao Palace but held it back. That was actually the main reason why he sought death in ancient tis."
"Nobody wants to be a substitute for soone else."
The Great Mage: ...
Li Ping’an continued, "Taiyi also said that Wangri had two purposes for doing all this: One part of the obsession is to find ; the other is to create an eternal world for to beco the master and have the two children he chose assist . And with this creation, he wants to revive his original world."
The Great Mage looked up at the sky.
Li Ping’an sighed, "There are also two experts that ca with Taiyi, one called Wentian and another called Ziyuan. They are supposedly among the Eight Fiends, subordinates of Wangri, with strength not below that of you, Master Uncle."
"What!"
The Great Mage exclaid, "They have eight experts like that?"
"More than a hundred," Li Ping’an said, "That’s just what Taiyi knows."
"Then why are we still fighting?"
"If we don’t fight, there’s definitely no way out. By fighting, there might be a chance," Li Ping’an added, "I an other than , all living beings have no way out. Even the saints of the Western Sect might be sacrificed... like the hidden stashes that transcendents like my father saw."
The Great Mage raised his hand to cover his forehead, silent for a long ti.
Li Ping’an quietly watched the Great Mage, expecting his assistance in the next move.
Unexpectedly, the Great Mage suddenly said, "Alright, you go find the Chaos Bell. It’s inside; you don’t need to salute or greet the Old Lord while he’s refining elixirs; he can’t hear."
Li Ping’an blinked, "We’re not talking anymore?"
"What else is there to say? This poor Daoist’s Dao Heart is about to collapse."
The Great Mage sighed longingly and said:
"Go ask yourself."
Li Ping’an couldn’t help but squint his eyes and laugh.
The Great Mage’s stress tolerance isn’t very strong indeed.
He casually pinched the few Nine-turn Spiritual Pills, drank his tea, and walked into the alchemy room behind the Great Mage with his hands behind his back.
The Great Mage sat there and sighed dejectedly.
Li Ping’an had suddenly told him so much, making it a bit difficult for him to digest.
"Is it that absurd? A transcendental person is Li Dazhi? However, if this is true, it explains a lot of things."
The Great Mage muttered to himself.
This little courtyard conversation, naturally, wouldn’t be transmitted to other regions.
...
Li Ping’an and the Great Mage’s double act was quite effective.
When he saw the Chaos Bell again, the Bell Spirit of the Chaos Bell had already drifted out in advance, gazing at him with a complicated expression.
The Chaos Bell still maintained its height of just over a foot, floating in the corner of the main hall of the Dou Rate Palace, not far from the giant Eight Trigrams Furnace.
Laojun sat quietly in front of the Eight Trigrams Furnace practicing alchemy, while Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin sat on either side, also concentrating intently on the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
Li Ping’an bowed distantly towards Laojun, received no response, and turned to walk towards the Chaos Bell, pulling a wry smile at it.
"You already know everything," the Bell Spirit said dejectedly, "you are the real one, Taiyi is an illusion, and that’s the core of all the problems."
"That’s not all the problems, it’s just about Taiyi."
Li Ping’an said:
"I think the bigger issue is how to stop the Delusional Sun."
"Why don’t you even call him Teacher anymore?"
"I haven’t decided what to call him next," Li Ping’an said, "I will seek him out to ask clearly, and this ti I might not co back."
"Are you afraid he’ll lock you in there?"
"Yes," Li Ping’an sighed, "but I must go, this matter must be clarified."
"Actually, you already know the truth," the Bell Spirit said, "he is your father Li Dazhi, but not this Li Dazhi, his experiences are complex, he killed so many creatures just to find you and your father."
"I don’t understand!"
"I don’t understand either," the Bell Spirit said, "how exactly this was accomplished, I observed the whole thing, but I can’t comprehend it, I can’t grasp the Great Dao beyond the Avenue of Ti."
Li Ping’an quietly observed the Bell Spirit.
Li Ping’an said: "You want to help Taiyi, don’t you?"
"I am not a living being," the Bell Spirit said, "I don’t need to ponder the aning of life, my essence is just an Artifact Spirit, an Artifact Spirit has only two choices, to whom to serve, to whom to be close."
"You serve your creator, and are close to Taiyi?"
"Mm."
The Bell Spirit nodded gently:
"Just as you said, I watched Taiyi grow up, I don’t want him to suffer too much hardship, but his identity was fated from the beginning, he is just a series of overlapping tragedies.
"The world Taiyi originally belonged to was the previous heavens, destroyed by my master.
"All his family and friends were.
"And he was raised by his mortal enemy, yet harbors no hatred, or rather, was controlled to have no hatred.
"He thought he had his father’s favor, but in reality... it was all just his own fantasy.
"If you want to oppose my master, your father, can you, can you not involve him? Whether you succeed, depends on how much tolerance my master has for you, even your rebellion is part of his plan, he wants you to rebel to gain the reverence of beings.
"But Taiyi... he has nothing left."
Li Ping’an gazed at the Bell Spirit, the Bell Spirit gave a bitter smile and t his gaze.
Li Ping’an suddenly asked: "How can I find your master?"
"Go to Xuan Capital City, then fly ahead from there, look for a wisp of Xuanhuang Qi, that Xuanhuang breath will guide you to the secret realm where he is located."
After finishing, the Bell Spirit of the Chaos Bell pursed her lips tightly.
She frowned at Li Ping’an: "It seems... my task is completed..."
"What?"
"He threw here, seemingly just to guide you," the Bell Spirit raised her hand to her forehead, "seek his forgiveness, now the gap between you and him is still like that between a mortal and a god."
"Doesn’t he have any weaknesses?"
"Look in the mirror, and you will find his weakness, won’t you?"
The Bell Spirit of the Chaos Bell pursed her lips, her voice growing increasingly distant, her figure gradually rging back into the main body of the Chaos Bell.
"I will sleep now.
"Take good care of Taiyi for , try not to involve him in these matters, you will eventually beco my new master, I am the key to opening a new world.
"If you want to find his other weaknesses, you can enter his Stone Coffin, there lies his entire life... the life excluding you."
Li Ping’an’s fingers trembled slightly.
He stood before the Chaos Bell for a long ti, until the loud cry of a Roc Bird echoed outside the Dou Rate Palace.
"Go."
Laojun’s voice carried a gentle sigh:
"Go seek all the answers, this is the only chance in the heavens.
"As long as there is a glimr of hope, the true form of this Poor Daoist will make the choice he should."
Li Ping’an smiled calmly.
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