Forbidden Great Emperor | Xianxia, System, Fusion

Chapter 3 — Resonance of the Ancient Bell

The stone beneath Lu Chen's fingers cracked.

A violent surge of energy swept through his body, and his back arched against the shattered altar. His teeth clenched as something ancient forced its way through his flesh, indifferent to the limits of his mortal frame.

He could no longer tell whether he was breathing.

The chamber had disappeared behind a veil of darkness. Only the immense presence within his consciousness remained, vast and unfathomable, like an ancient sky pressing down upon a solitary mortal.

Then came another surge.

Lu Chen's bones trembled.

A strand of bronze radiance emerged beneath his skin, traveling from his abdomen toward his chest. It passed through places where no meridian had ever existed, leaving behind a faint warmth that quickly became unbearable.

He tried to guide it.

The energy ignored him.

It moved according to a path older than anything he knew, sweeping through his body like a river returning to a forgotten sea.

The first meridian opened.

A distant resonance echoed through his consciousness.

The second followed.

Lu Chen's fingers tightened against the stone. His body shook, but the ancient energy continued its passage.

The third meridian opened.

Then the fourth.

For a fleeting moment, the darkness before him changed.

He saw mountains suspended above a boundless sea of clouds. Ancient stars burned across a sky without beginning or end. Far beyond them, a colossal bronze bell hung in the void.

Its surface was covered in mysterious patterns.

Some resembled dragons coiling around ancient pillars. Others resembled rivers of stars flowing across an endless night.

Lu Chen could not comprehend what he was seeing.

He only knew that the bell was ancient.

Ancient beyond the mountains, beyond the heavens, perhaps beyond the very world in which he now lived.

A sound descended.

One toll.

It did not travel through the air. It rang within his soul, shaking every trace of consciousness that remained.

The fifth meridian opened.

Then the sixth.

The torrent finally began to subside.

The bronze radiance faded from his skin, and the immense pressure that had filled the chamber receded into silence.

Lu Chen's body collapsed against the floor.

For a long while, he did not move.

When consciousness returned, the chamber was dark.

The torch had fallen near the broken altar. Its flame had nearly died, leaving only a weak red glow beneath the blackened resin.

Lu Chen opened his eyes.

His body felt as though it had been crushed beneath a mountain, yet he could move his fingers. He slowly raised one arm, examined it, and then pushed himself upright.

A faint sound came from his joints.

He looked down at his hands.

They were trembling.

Not from fear, but from the exhaustion left behind by the transformation.

A pale display appeared in his consciousness.

[Primordial Chaos Scripture — Memory Thread acquired]

[Meridian Opening Realm — Early Stage]

[Opened Meridians: 6]

Lu Chen stared at the information.

Meridian Opening.

He had crossed the boundary.

Only hours earlier, he had been a Body Forging cultivator struggling to make progress with an incomplete cultivation method. Now six meridians had opened within his body.

He lowered his gaze.

A quiet current stirred beneath his abdomen.

The energy was unlike anything he had previously encountered. It possessed a strange depth, carrying an ancient quality that made his previous attempts at Qi circulation seem crude and shallow.

Primordial Chaos Qi.

The name surfaced from the memory thread.

Lu Chen closed his eyes and followed its movement.

The current flowed through his six meridians. It was not entirely under his command, but it no longer threatened to tear his body apart. Each circulation brought a faint warmth, gradually easing the exhaustion in his muscles.

He did not attempt to force more energy into his meridians.

The inheritance was still beyond his understanding. He had received a fragment, not the complete Primordial Chaos Scripture. Whatever mysteries lay within it would have to be uncovered gradually.

For now, surviving the transformation was enough.

He opened his eyes and looked at the broken altar.

The black tablet remained where it had fallen.

Its strange markings had returned to darkness.

Lu Chen studied it for a moment, but no new vision appeared. He did not know whether the tablet had exhausted its power or whether the inheritance had already taken everything it intended to give.

He rose carefully and retrieved the torch.

That was when he heard a sound.

A footstep.

Lu Chen turned.

The narrow passage behind him was dark, but the sound came again.

Someone was approaching.

He immediately moved away from the altar, placing himself where he could see the entrance while keeping the broken stone behind him.

A man's voice drifted through the passage.

"Strange. The sound came from somewhere down here."

Another footstep followed.

The torchlight finally revealed a figure entering the chamber.

The newcomer was a lean man in a weather-beaten gray robe. His hair was tied carelessly behind his head, and a short saber hung from his waist. A small pouch rested against his belt.

His eyes moved across the broken altar before settling on Lu Chen.

Surprise appeared on his face.

Then suspicion.

"What are you doing here?"

Lu Chen did not answer immediately.

He studied the man's posture, the weapon at his waist, and the way his gaze repeatedly returned to the altar.

The stranger's eyes were sharp, but his clothes were worn. Dust covered his boots, and a fresh scratch crossed his left cheek.

He had probably been exploring the ridge.

"Passing through," Lu Chen replied.

The man gave a short laugh.

"Passing through? Beneath a mountain?"

His gaze shifted toward the black tablet.

For a moment, greed replaced suspicion.

"That stone. Did you find something?"

"Nothing worth taking."

"Then you won't mind if I look."

The man stepped forward.

Lu Chen remained still.

The stranger noticed his silence and narrowed his eyes.

"Young man, don't misunderstand. I have no interest in causing trouble. Hand over whatever you found, and I'll let you leave."

His gaze moved to Lu Chen's waist.

Then to his pack.

The smile disappeared.

"Actually, leave the pack too."

Lu Chen finally understood.

The man had not entered the chamber seeking answers.

He had heard the disturbance and followed it, hoping to find someone who had discovered a treasure.

Now that he had found a lone young cultivator, he intended to take everything.

"You're asking for a great deal," Lu Chen said.

The man's expression hardened.

"Do you know who you're speaking to?"

"No."

"I'm a cultivator at the peak of Body Forging. I've spent years wandering these mountains. Men like you don't get to refuse me."

He drew his saber a few inches.

The metal whispered against its sheath.

"Put everything down."

Lu Chen looked at him calmly.

A peak Body Forging cultivator.

Before the inheritance, such an opponent would have been dangerous. Even now, after opening six meridians, Lu Chen had no reason to underestimate someone with years of combat experience.

But the difference between their cultivation realms was real.

The stranger was still standing on the threshold that Lu Chen had just crossed.

"You should leave," Lu Chen said.

The man's face twisted.

"You think opening a few meridians makes you someone?"

His saber came free.

The blade caught the torchlight.

"I'll take your belongings first. Then I'll see whether that mouth of yours is worth keeping."

He lunged.

Lu Chen did not retreat.

The ancient bell appeared.

A dark bronze phantom manifested above him, its enormous silhouette filling the chamber. Strange patterns glimmered across its surface, and the surrounding air seemed to fall beneath an invisible weight.

The stranger's saber stopped halfway through its swing.

His eyes widened.

The bell rang.

The sound rolled through the chamber.

It was not loud in the ordinary sense. The stone walls did not shatter, nor did the ceiling collapse. Yet the moment its toll descended, the stranger's expression changed.

His consciousness shook.

His grip loosened, and his saber slipped from its intended path. The man's knees bent as though an unseen hand had pressed down upon his shoulders.

He staggered.

"What—"

His voice broke.

The bell's resonance passed through his soul, leaving his thoughts scattered and his senses in disarray.

Lu Chen watched him.

He had not fully understood the bell's power, but he could feel the distinction between its presence and the energy circulating through his meridians.

The Primordial Chaos Qi belonged to his cultivation.

The bell was something else.

A remnant of an ancient authority.

The stranger tried to regain his footing.

His cultivation was insufficient to withstand the bell's resonance.

Lu Chen raised his hand.

The phantom above him trembled.

A second, deeper resonance passed through the chamber.

The stranger's eyes lost their focus.

His body stiffened.

For an instant, his soul seemed to be pulled away from the world.

Then the man collapsed.

Silence returned.

The bronze phantom faded above Lu Chen's head.

The stranger lay motionless on the stone floor.

Lu Chen approached cautiously.

He checked the man's condition and found no sign of life.

The encounter had ended almost as quickly as it began.

He looked at the fallen saber.

Then at the corpse.

The man had entered the chamber intending to rob and kill him. Lu Chen had given him an opportunity to leave. The stranger had chosen to attack.

There was nothing more to discuss.

Lu Chen retrieved the man's pouch.

Inside were four low-grade physical Spirit Crystals, a small bundle of dried meat, and a few ordinary personal belongings.

He examined the crystals before putting them away.

Four.

Not a fortune, but useful.

He placed the pouch inside his own pack and glanced once more at the corpse.

He would not remain in the chamber.

The disturbance might have attracted other people, and there was no reason to wait for another encounter.

He extinguished the remaining torch, checked his belongings, and left through the narrow passage.

The cold air of Ghost Mist Ridge greeted him when he emerged.

The mist had thickened around the ravine, swallowing the distant trees. Lu Chen stood beneath the rocky ledge and listened.

No footsteps followed him.

He looked toward the hidden place where he had concealed the Iron-Claw Bear.

The stones remained undisturbed.

He could return to the carcass, but his body was still exhausted. The transformation had consumed far more strength than he had expected, and the fight in the chamber had left him with little desire to take another risk.

He needed shelter.

Lu Chen searched the nearby terrain and found a shallow hollow beneath a broad rock formation. Its entrance was partially hidden by hanging roots, and the overhang protected the interior from the mist.

He checked for animal tracks.

None.

He collected dry branches from beneath the rocks and started a small fire.

The flames illuminated the rough walls.

Lu Chen sat beside them, removed his pack, and took out the four Spirit Crystals he had obtained from the dead wanderer.

He placed them in a row.

The crystals held a faint spiritual radiance. They were ordinary resources, useful for cultivation and trade, but he did not immediately convert them.

His attention remained on the System.

He had only recently obtained the Primordial Chaos Scripture's memory thread. There was much to understand, and he did not yet know how the inheritance would change his future cultivation.

He could not afford to waste resources without a purpose.

After returning the crystals to his pouch, he took out the dried meat and ate a small portion.

The taste was unpleasant.

He chewed slowly anyway.

Outside, the forest stirred.

Something moved through the distant undergrowth, followed by a brief cry that echoed between the trees.

Lu Chen looked toward the entrance.

His hand rested on the saber.

The sound faded.

He waited a little longer before returning to his quiet circulation.

The six meridians responded to his thoughts.

Primordial Chaos Qi flowed through them, faint but steady. Each circulation reminded him that he had entered an entirely different stage of cultivation.

He thought of the bell again.

Its appearance had been brief, but its presence remained vivid in his memory. He could still recall the ancient patterns across its surface and the sound that seemed to descend from somewhere beyond the heavens.

He did not know its name.

He did not know why it had appeared.

And he did not yet understand the relationship between the bell and the inheritance.

But he would find out.

Not tonight.

Tonight, he needed rest.

He leaned against the stone wall, allowing the warmth of the fire to settle over his tired body.

Before long, exhaustion pulled him into sleep.

Nearly ten hours passed before Lu Chen awoke.

The fire had burned down to ash.

A pale morning light filtered through the mist outside, illuminating the entrance of the hollow. The air was cold, but his body felt considerably better.

He sat up and stretched.

The soreness had not disappeared entirely, yet the strength that had returned to his limbs was unmistakable.

He examined his meridians.

The current of Primordial Chaos Qi continued to flow.

Lu Chen took a moment to settle his breathing before packing his belongings.

There was still work to do.

He returned to the ravine where the Iron-Claw Bear lay hidden. The stones he had placed over the opening remained where they were, and the carcass had not been disturbed.

He moved the stones aside.

The bear's enormous body emerged from beneath the ledge.

Lu Chen drew his saber.

The work of harvesting the carcass was not pleasant, but he had done enough hunting and gathering to understand the value of a clean cut. He removed the hide carefully, separated the claws, and collected the remaining useful parts.

The bear's blood essence had lost some of its vitality, but enough remained to be worth selling.

He wrapped the materials separately and secured them to his pack.

The additional weight pulled against his shoulders.

Still, the effort would be worthwhile.

He looked once toward the narrow crack in the cliff.

Beyond it lay the ancient chamber, the broken altar, and the black tablet that had changed his fate.

He considered returning.

But he had already taken the inheritance fragment. The tablet had revealed no further secrets, and he had no reason to risk remaining beneath the mountain.

He would return when he was better prepared.

For now, he needed resources.

Lu Chen adjusted his pack and began the descent.

The journey down Ghost Mist Ridge was quiet.

The mist gradually thinned as he moved toward the lower slopes. Birds called from the distant branches, and sunlight began to touch the mountain peaks.

His steps were steadier than before.

The six opened meridians carried their faint current, and his senses seemed sharper than they had been when he first entered the ridge.

Yet he did not mistake his new cultivation for invincibility.

The stranger in the chamber had been only a peak Body Forging cultivator. There were undoubtedly stronger beings in the mountains, and the ancient bell had not yet revealed the limits of its power.

Lu Chen had gained an extraordinary inheritance.

That did not mean the world had become harmless.

He continued down the trail.

By the time the forest began to open, the distant outline of Azure Stone Town had appeared beyond the hills.

He touched the pouch containing the four Spirit Crystals.

His remaining resources were still limited, but he now possessed something far more valuable than a handful of crystals.

A path.

The Primordial Chaos Scripture had opened his meridians and brought him into the world of true cultivation. The ancient bell had answered his call, though its mysteries remained hidden.

Lu Chen looked toward the distant town.

He needed to sell the bear materials, replenish his supplies, and find a safer place to cultivate.

The road ahead would not be easy.

But for the first time since awakening in this world, he was no longer walking blindly.

Behind him, Ghost Mist Ridge disappeared beneath its drifting mist.

Deep within the mountain, the ancient chamber returned to silence.

The black tablet rested upon the broken altar.

Its markings remained dark.

Yet somewhere beyond the reach of mortal perception, an ancient resonance lingered.