Chapter 2462, Emperor Qi Transformation Translator: Silavin & Ashish Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys At this last juncture, Yang Kai braced himself and managed to remain in place. *Hong…* The eighty-first ring came as scheduled and the subsequent violent impact almost tore him into pieces. The corresponding pain reached the depths of his Soul, making him cry like a wounded beast. Blood gushed from his seven orifices, turning his entire face into an appalling sight. Fierce, wild energy ran amok through his body as sounds of bones cracking continuously rang out. Yang Kai felt like he was about to die, and the aura of death made his entire body grow cold while his limbs went numb. He loudly shouted as he pushed his Source Qi madly, desperate to endure. A single breath felt like hundreds of thousands of years to Yang Kai, but when the aftermath of the shock disappeared, Yang Kai’s eyes bloomed with a brilliant gleam. He had done it! After a year and a half, he finally withstood eighty-one tolls from the Mountains and Rivers Bell without withdrawing. He might have looked a little miserable, but he still managed to endure. If Qi Hai’s statement was true, then all his hard work and tenacity would be recognized by the Mountains and Rivers Bell’s Artifact Spirit and he would become the new owner of the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Thinking so, Yang Kai raised his head and stared at the Mountains and Rivers Bell with high expectations. But what entered his sight dumbfounded him. Because the surface of the Mountains and Rivers Bell lit up again, turning Yang Kai’s face pale with shock. He had witnessed this situation countless times over this year and a half. Every time the surface of the Mountains and Rivers Bell shined, it meant that it was about to toll. [Again!?] Yang Kai was suddenly struck with a sense of despair and powerlessness. With his current strength, it took everything he had and more to reach the eighty-first ring; that was already the limit of his limits. If he took another, he would be unable to hold on and might very well lose his life. The very first thought that crossed his mind was to pull back and save his life first. Whether the method mentioned by Qi Hai was invalid or it was recorded wrongly in the ancient books, Yang Kai had already tried his best. He had no regrets even if he failed. Then again, a sliver of unwillingness rose from his heart. He had already worked so hard, and if he gave up now, wouldn’t all his previous efforts have been for nought? Suddenly, a gush of hot blood flooded his chest as Yang Kai let out a war cry. Instead of backing away, he stood firm and pushed his Source Qi madly towards the Mountains and Rivers Bell. But what happened next took him by surprise. His Source Qi smoothly poured into the Mountains and Rivers Bell, something that had never happened before. Over the past year and a half, Yang Kai has tried this every once in a while, but each time, the result was that his Source Qi was bounced back, making him suffer even more damage instead. But this time, his Source Qi was accepted by the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Yang Kai was momentarily stunned, but immediately after, he turned ecstatic. The next moment, a shockwave from the depths of his heart and Soul blasted out and everything went black before his eyes as his mind went blank and he passed out. The Mountains and Rivers Bell, on the other hand, continued shining brightly, streaks of brilliance shooting out from the bell’s surface and shrouding Yang Kai, wrapping him up tightly. A desolate aura permeated into the void as all this occurred, but as time passed by, this phenomenon gradually disappeared. The Mountains and Rivers Bell also slowly shrank, reducing to the size of just a palm before falling beside Yang Kai. After some unknown amount of time, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes. From head to toe, there was no part on his body that was not in pain. Even just a flash of thought brought a world of pain to his head and caused him to groan. He clearly remembered what had transpired before he fell into a coma, so the very moment he woke, he wanted to check the situation of the Mountains and Rivers Bell. He wanted to know whether he had succeeded in subduing this Ancient Exotic Treasure or not. But when he looked up, the towering Mountains and Rivers Bell that should have been right there was nowhere to be found. Yang Kai had no idea where the Ancient Exotic Artifact had gone. Yang Kai’s expression darkened, thinking that the Mountains and Rivers Bell had broken through the void and disappeared. He was immediately struck with a sense of loss. He had worked long and hard in the chaotic Void to get the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but in the end, he gained nothing. No one could easily accept this. But soon, Yang Kai noticed that something was wrong. Because he felt something contacting him through a strange mental connection, making him involuntarily look to one side. There, a small, plain, and unremarkable bell the size of a palm was quietly floating beside him. “Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. The Ancient Exotic Artifact might have shrunk countless times, but Yang Kai recognized it at a glance. Pleasantly surprised, he stretched his hand out and the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew up to his palm. The moment Yang Kai’s hand touched the bell, the vague communication he had been feeling all of sudden became clear. Yang Kai wore an indifferent expression for a moment, but his stoic face soon curled into a grin. Qi Hai had told him the correct method. As long as he could withstand eighty-one tolls from this Ancient Exotic Artifact, he would gain its recognition and become its owner. In the past, the Yuan Ding Great Emperor had succeeded in subduing it, and now, so had Yang Kai. However, the Yuan Ding Great Emperor subdued it when he was a Third-Order Emperor, after which he was able to spy on a higher Martial Dao, helping him advance to the Great Emperor Realm. Yang Kai on the other hand was still just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior, incomparable to the Yuan Ding Great Emperor in cultivation, so it took him a year and a half to succeed. Although it took him a long time, Yang Kai was filled with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. He put the Mountains and Rivers Bell on his palm and played with it a bit. After confirming that he had indeed subdued it, he finally put it away, extremely pleased with himself. But much to Yang Kai’s surprise, he couldn’t withdraw this bell into his body. Yang Kai grew suspicious as he tried to circulate Source Qi to refine the bell, but strangely, he couldn’t. In other words, although the Mountains and Rivers Bell was owned by him now, and he could control its might, he couldn’t refine it and neither could he withdraw it into his body. [Is this a characteristic of Ancient Exotic Artifacts? After all, such artifacts are born from the world itself, not artificially refined. It’s reasonable to say that it is a little different from the artifacts used today.] However, Yang Kai didn’t think too deeply about this. Right now, he was still heavily injured, so it wasn’t the right time to study the Mountains and Rivers Bell. He could slowly familiarize himself with it in the future. After putting away the Mountains and Rivers Bell, Yang Kai finally began to tend his wounds. After five days, he returned to peak condition. Compared to a year and a half ago, Yang Kai’s aura was deeper and more profound. In the process of conquering the Mountains and Rivers Bell, he wasn’t without growth. Instead, every time he withstood the shock of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, his Spiritual Energy became stronger. Not only this, but he had also obtained some nourishment from the wild force that emanated from the Mountains and Rivers Bell. This was a truly ancient force that could make all living beings surrender to it, a complex and mysterious energy. It was hard to imagine just how strong the Yuan Ding Great Emperor, who was the owner of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, was back in his time. But even such a powerful figure was still no match for Heaven Devouring Great Emperor! During the battle of Emperors, a total of four Great Emperors were killed by the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. Throughout the ages, he deserved the title of strongest in the Star Boundary’s history! This reminded Yang Kai of the One-Eyed Great Demon. The One-Eyed Great Demon was also a powerhouse from ancient times, one filled with murderous rage. Countless ancient Masters besieged it, but even then, it had killed countless enemies before finally being killed. Still, even after it died, its giant eye could not be destroyed and, ultimately, it was sealed below Maplewood City by the surviving ancient Masters. Whether it was the One-Eyed Great Demon or the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, both were cruel characters. They regarded all living beings as grass, and the lives of others meant nothing to them. Such wanton slaughter, however, contradicted the Heavenly Way, which eventually brought catastrophe down upon them. Suddenly, a flash of enlightenment struck Yang Kai’s mind, and his future path seemed much clearer to him. The next moment, some mysterious changes started happening to the Source Qi in his body. Emperor Qi transformation! Yang Kai was gleeful as he realized that he had taken another big step towards the Emperor Realm. From the Dao Source Realm to the Emperor Realm, the energy in one’s body would undergo an earth-shaking transformation. Dao Source Realm cultivators cultivated Source Qi, while Emperors cultivated Emperor Qi. There was a huge gap in quality between these two Qis. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 Generally speaking, before a cultivator broke through to the Emperor Realm, the Source Qi in their body had to transform into Emperor Qi, just like when one advanced from the Origin King Realm to the Dao Source Ream. This transformation was a long process. But unlike the Dao Source Realm, where one could take Source Condensing Pills to speed up this transformation process, there was no shortcut to Emperor Qi transformation. Only pure cultivation and accumulation over time could reliably complete this process. Qiu Ze of Sky Illumination Palace, the Emperor Realm Master that Yang Kai had previously killed, had just advanced to the Emperor Realm and his realm hadn’t been consolidated, so his Emperor Qi was still relatively chaotic and unfamiliar to him, making it impossible for him to bring out his full strength. This was a major reason why Yang Kai was able to kill him so easily. Had it been someone like Gao Xue Ting, Yang Kai might not have been able to defeat him with his strength at that time. Gao Xue Ting had broken through to the Emperor Realm many years ago, and her Emperor Qi was rich and pure, incomparable to Qiu Ze’s. And now, the Source Qi in Yang Kai’s body was converting to Emperor Qi, which was the most obvious sign of someone on the verge of breaking through to the Emperor Realm. Perhaps it was a matter of opportunity, or perhaps it was just a matter of time for him to finally get a glimpse of the mysteries of the Emperor Realm. After subduing the Mountains and Rivers Bell, hitting the threshold of the Emperor Realm, and collecting so much Source Strength, along with obtaining a supreme treasure like the Phoenix True Fire, Yang Kai realized that this trip to the Shattered Star Sea was more than worthwhile. He didn’t know how others had fared, but it was really a worthwhile trip for him. For a while, he was very happy and relaxed. He then turned and looked around before he reached out and tore open space to leave the Void after a year and a half. What entered his sight was still the dilapidated, cold, and depressing Shattered Star Sea. But this place was no longer the same place that he was at when he entered the Void. Yang Kai had no idea where he was in the Shattered Star Sea. There was no one in sight, but the seven-pointed Star Seal on the back of his hand could vaguely sense some energy fluctuations coming from the distance. Yang Kai pondered for a moment before his figure flew towards the source of the energy fluctuations. Since someone was there, it meant that there should be something of value too. Yang Kai wasn’t interested in snatching other people’s treasures, but he did need information, so these people would be his best choice. About two hours later, Yang Kai arrived a short distance from a shattered cultivation star. The Star Seal fluctuations were coming from this star.