On the way back to the Little South Continent, when passing through the Great Li Dynasty, Fan Wubing made a brief stop.

He had some questions about the Heaven Nurturing Cauldron, which went unanswered by Bixi, so he wanted to consult the Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell, which was also an Innate celestial artifact.

Suspended over the Celestial Balance Imperial City, it was nighttime.

This grand city was already incredibly prosperous in the beginning, and now, after becoming an imperial dynasty, it had been refurbished both inside and out, appearing even more magnificent. The brilliant lights were splendid, the streets and buildings were orderly and intricately decorated, showing the evident effort put into its construction. Even at night, the city remained bustling, full of people from all walks of life.

It was currently the best time for an imperial dynasty, with all aspects in a state of growth. This generation of the Great Li People were blessed and nurtured by the prosperous fortune, exuding a spirit of confidence and pride.

Through the Map of All Living Creatures, Fan Wubing could clearly see the entire Great Li Dynasty shining like a radiant sun.

"It seems Ye Yixian is indeed a wise ruler."

Fan Wubing repressed his aura and figure, descending into the Li Palace.

He went straight to the innermost broken temple, where the Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell was located. This place had always been an untouchable area in the Li Palace, so after all these years, it still remained as rundown as before, giving off a feeling of an old man in his twilight years.

Inside the temple, the Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell lay dull and silent, like a giant sleeping palace. It remained like this most of the time, only awakening to ring on significant occasions. In the past twenty years, it had only rung three times: once when the Great Li achieved imperial status, the second when Fan Wubing rectified the name of the Eternal Night Snow Mountain, and the third when Fan Wubing disappeared into the heavens and earth.

Fan Wubing stood beneath the Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell, quietly gazing at it, observing the mottled scars and clustered patterns on its body. The weight of years emanated toward him.

He recalled the Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell mentioning that it once served a towering grand temple alongside the Eternal Immortal Sect’s Cangxuan Tower, watching over the rugged Path to Immortality and witnessing the myriad expressions of various Ascenders.

He extended a finger and gently tapped the air, producing the sound of the Dragon-Soothing.

In the past, it required exhausting effort with Chengming’s immortal-grade Heavy Profound Forging Immortal Hammer to produce the Dragon-Soothing Sound, but now he could achieve it with just his finger.

He felt quite sentimental.

Time didn’t seem to pass quickly, yet in the blink of an eye, the world he saw had undergone several revisions. He had traversed this Immortal Path through multiple stages. From initially having to tread cautiously, he had come to a point where he could go wherever he pleased across the world.

Fan Wubing felt that he had changed, yet also felt he hadn’t changed much.

This feeling was hard to describe.

The Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell was awakened by the Dragon-Soothing Sound. Its massive bell slightly swayed. Then, a venerable and heavy will pressed down on Fan Wubing.

Fan Wubing didn’t resist, allowing this will to envelop him.

A moment later, the voice of the Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell’s will resounded in his mind, "You are still alive."

Fan Wubing smiled, "If I’m not mistaken, elder, it seems you once tolled the death knell for me."

The Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell was silent for a moment before responding, "You are the Knocker of the imperial dynasty. It was my duty to do so."

"In any case, thank you, elder, for remembering me."

"You didn’t come here just to express your gratitude, did you?"

Fan Wubing spread open his right hand, and a green cauldron floated above his palm, slowly rotating, "Do you recognize this cauldron, elder?"

"The Heaven Nurturing Cauldron. It carries the will of all living souls, serving as a bridge between the Heavenly Dao and all beings."

Fan Wubing asked, "Does the Heaven Nurturing Cauldron have no will? Or perhaps it has slumbered, as I can never sense its will."

The Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell was silent again for a while, "The will of the Heavenly Dao is the will of the Heaven Nurturing Cauldron. However, since the Heavenly Dao has long ceased to exist, naturally it is just a cauldron that cannot think."

Fan Wubing furrowed his brows, "If the Heavenly Dao no longer exists, then what is the Heavenly Dao trying to kill me?"

The Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell’s will was somber, "You should understand that dynasties have cycles of rise and fall, as does the Heavenly Dao. What the current ’heaven’ is, no one can say for sure. For us Innate celestial artifacts, our only will is to fulfill the mission of time in our respective positions. The mission propels us forward, and when the mission ends, we cease to exist as well."

"Does that mean the mission of the Heaven Nurturing Cauldron has ended?"

"Perhaps the current Heavenly Dao is no longer composed of the will of all beings."

This is the same as what Bixi said. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Bixi mentioned that the Mortal World had welcomed a new heaven. All of this seemed to have happened twenty thousand years ago, when the Immortal Path collapsed. Since that time, the Cultivation Realm had been madly rushing in a bizarre direction, unable to turn back. The accumulated problems were deep; obsessions manifested into True Demons, and Terminal Daoists occupied the Innate Dao paths, making it difficult for future generations.

The Cultivation Realm today appeared strong and glorious, with every kind of Immortal Path accessible.

Fan Wubing had once thought the same, but after sleeping for the past twenty years and observing through the perspective of all beings, seeing the entire picture, he realized the Cultivation Realm was like a healthy corpse, its soul already lost.

Whether the cultivation system or the myriad schools of thought, everything existing now had already been around for a long time, with hardly anything new. From top to bottom, everything was as rigid as a stone.

After chatting idly with the Dragon-Touching Immortal Bell for a while, Fan Wubing left.

He went to see his old friend, Ye Yixian. This Emperor didn’t seem very happy.

Ye Yixian had just finished reviewing various reports from different departments and regions and returned to his resting place. After a short break, he remembered something and called out, "Tingmin."