Celestial Secret Mountain spans a circumference of seven hundred and twenty li.

Thousands of Celestial Venerables entered it, immediately like grains of sand scattered into water, vanishing without a trace in an instant. How much harder is it, then, to find a bell within it?

Isn’t that akin to looking for a needle in the sea?

Luofu was quite lucky.

She soon found a copper bell after entering Celestial Secret Mountain. Initially, she planned to hide with the copper bell right away but didn’t expect that the moment she touched the bell, it started ringing directly.

It was a sound that could penetrate all objects, resounding in the minds of cultivators.

Almost immediately.

Seven or eight Celestial Venerable cultivators nearby were drawn to the sound.

However.

Luofu managed to forcefully repel the assault of these seven Celestial Venerables with her Celestial Venerable Seventh Layer cultivation.

"It’s not that easy to snatch the copper bell from my hands!"

Luofu leaned against a big tree, blood continuously dripped from the corner of her mouth, but her face was full of confident expression. She was absolutely confident she could hold onto this copper bell until the election ended.

While daydreaming, Luofu suddenly felt a wave of danger sweeping in crazily from behind, every hair on her body stood on end involuntarily, like a startled rabbit leaping seven or eight zhang away, and then she turned back at once.

In her previous position.

Stood two men and one woman.

The woman was dressed in fiery red clothes like flames, valiant and heroic. One of the men wore splendid clothing, exhibiting a noble and graceful demeanor. But the one that terrified Luofu the most was the leading youth dressed in green, with a jade gourd on his waist and a three-tailed fox lying on his shoulder.

It was Ye Qingchen and his group!

"Ye Qingchen!"

Luofu’s teeth chattered madly; she never imagined she’d run into this fierce god. Back then, she witnessed the entire process from not far away when Ye Qingchen slew Zhang Muyun and confronted Zhang Nanxuan!

Indeed.

Facing this youth, Luofu felt as if she were facing a prehistoric Tyrannosaurus, incapable of even moving a little finger.

"What do you want to do?" Luofu swallowed her saliva, trembling all over.

"So it’s the copper bell..." Ye Qingchen didn’t answer; he glanced at the bell in Luofu’s hand, showing a trace of disappointment and turned away, "Let’s go elsewhere!"

After speaking.

Ye Qingchen ignored the bell in Luofu’s hand and directly turned to leave, heading towards the depths of Celestial Secret Mountain.

Luofu’s legs went weak and she collapsed on the ground, staring in horror at Ye Qingchen’s departing figure, drenched in cold sweat. Her delicate body trembled slightly, her heart filled with the relief of narrowly escaping death!

...

Meanwhile, as Ye Qingchen searched for the Golden Bell.

Inside Celestial Secret Mountain.

Almost every moment, several, or even dozens of battles broke out simultaneously.

Those Celestial Venerables initially thought capturing a bell would mean certain victory. Yet, who would have guessed that almost the instant the bell was obtained, it would emit a heaven-shocking sound?

The higher the bell’s level, the louder the sound, the wider the spread, attracting more Celestial Venerables.

"This is too difficult!"

"A copper bell attracts at least dozens of Celestial Venerables’ attacks. A silver bell attracts hundreds... Doesn’t the copper bell face two thousand six hundred Celestial Venerables?"

Until this moment.

The competing Celestial Venerables realized that this election was by no means as simple as they imagined.

On the plaza.

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the screen.

Since the participating Celestial Venerables entered Celestial Secret Mountain, battles had never ceased. Fighting occurred everywhere, sometimes in the blink of an eye, with bells changing hands.

Among them.

The copper bell was the most contested, while the silver bell saw fiercer competition.

Those qualified and capable of fighting for the silver bell must reach at least Celestial Venerable Sixth Layer or even Seventh Layer cultivation. So, although the silver bell was less numerous, whenever it was seized, its momentum was far beyond that of the copper bell!

"Ninety copper bells have appeared! Nine silver bells have appeared too! Resoundingly, that one Golden Bell has yet to appear!"

"Who will be the first to find the Golden Bell?"

For a moment.

Everyone kept speculating.

...

"It’s not the Golden Bell! Another trip in vain!"

Ye Qingchen held the bell in hand, paying no mind to the dozen or so Celestial Venerable cultivators lying around, unable to contain his disappointment.

Earlier.

He dashed toward the sound the moment he heard it, only to discover ten or more cultivators struggling over a bell. Among them, there were several Celestial Venerable Seventh Layer experts!

Who could have thought, when Ye Qingchen snatched the bell, it turned out to be only a silver bell.

"Give the bell back!"

One fallen cultivator, seeing the bell they struggled to get directly seized by Ye Qingchen, flew into a rage, issuing a roar and charging fiercely.

"Scram!"

Ye Qingchen merely waved his hand lightly, and the Celestial Venerable Seventh Layer cultivator seemed to have been struck by lightning, spitting a mouthful of blood, using a speed even faster than before, flying backward.

"Lin Shifei, this silver bell is yours!"

Ye Qingchen casually tossed the silver bell to Lin Shifei behind him.

"Thank you, Mr. Ye..." If it were someone else, they’d probably be ecstatic, but Lin Shifei was riddled with mixed feelings.

During the half-hour since entering the mountain, Ye Qingchen had already seized eleven copper bells and three silver bells. Ye Qingchen didn’t keep any; he divided them all between him and Lu Yanwu. Almost every moment, someone jumped out to attack them!

"Let’s go!"

Ye Qingchen slowly retracted his right hand, walking away.

A moment later.

The group arrived at a gorge.

This was a gorge resembling an open-mouthed vicious wolf; the shape of the mountain was like a giant wolf in slumber. Though peculiar outside, the valley itself was quite ordinary.

The valley was covered in withered grass, almost with nothing to hide it, allowing clear sight of its interior.

Yet in the center of the valley hovered a ball of golden light; within it was a small golden bell floating in midair. Endless spiritual Qi halos spread around the Golden Bell.

"Golden Bell!"

"Mr. Ye, it’s the Golden Bell!"

"Finally found it!"

Upon seeing this Golden Bell, Lu Yanwu and Lin Shifei immediately widened their eyes and couldn’t help but shout excitedly.

"Hmm!"

Ye Qingchen nodded, his gaze fixed intently on the Golden Bell in the valley.

"Whoever obtains this Golden Bell and holds onto it until the end of the allocated time will be the winner of this grand selection! I didn’t expect that I would be the first to find it!"

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Ye Qingchen took step by step towards the Golden Bell.

At this moment.

Lu Yanwu and Lin Shifei came back to their senses from the joy of finding the Golden Bell. Lin Shifei worriedly said, "If Mr. Ye obtains this Golden Bell, all the Celestial Venerables participating in the selection will know! Shouldn’t we make some preparations?"

"Indeed, with two thousand six hundred Celestial Venerables sweeping in, no matter how strong Mr. Ye is, he won’t be able to withstand them..." Lu Yanwu pondered for a moment, "We should set up a few Grand Arrays in front of the valley to delay as much as we can!"

The two agreed and immediately began to set up the formations.

In Ye Qingchen’s view.

These two were merely engaging in futile efforts, but he didn’t stop them and instead directly continued towards the Golden Bell. This Golden Bell was just palm-sized, crafted with unmatched skill and beauty.

"Ding ding ding!"

Almost the moment his fingers touched the Golden Bell.

A crisp ringing sound transformed into invisible sound waves, spreading across the entire Celestial Secret Mountain in a fleeting instant.

"Golden Bell!"

Wu Xingyun’s eyes gleamed.

"Didn’t expect someone to beat me to it!"

Tuoba Ye had a cold sneer on his face.

Throughout the Celestial Secret Mountain.

Lin Tianlai, Tang Lifei, Sun Wuming, He Zhiyuan, Sea of Jiang, and others suddenly looked up, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"What’s that ringing?"

"Golden Bell?"

"Someone has already found the Golden Bell!"

"It’s over there!"

Swish!

In an instant.

Numerous Celestial Venerable Cultivators, whether fighting, searching, clashing, or waiting, all simultaneously looked towards the position of the valley.

Boom!

The next moment.

Countless figures, like a vast tide, rushed wildly towards the valley without any hesitation!

The sudden movement of many cultivators.

Also startled the observers in the plaza, who suddenly looked up towards the light screen above.

"Someone found the Golden Bell!"

"It’s Ye Qingchen!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"I wonder, what’s he going to do? Run away? Hide? But he has the Golden Bell, he can’t hide..."

"What’s he planning?"

"He’s not going anywhere, just sitting right there?"

Voices of astonishment arose.

Under the stunned gazes of everyone, after Ye Qingchen obtained the Golden Bell, he didn’t go anywhere but directly sat on the spot!

It is known.

Previously, whoever got the bell would choose to run away or quickly hide. However, Ye Qingchen was openly sitting there! Sitting in the valley!

"Why isn’t he hiding?" an Elder on the clouds couldn’t help but ask.

"Because he knows he simply can’t hide!" Su Moran said indifferently, "With the Golden Bell in hand, no matter where he hides, the sound will immediately reveal his location throughout the Celestial Secret Mountain."

"Hmph!"

Beside him, Zhang Nanxuan snorted coldly, his face growing even more grim.

And at this time.

In the valley.

Lu Yanwu and Lin Shifei had already set up the formations, but even so, they did not relax at all. Because they could already feel powerful forces approaching the valley at lightning speed.

Even closer, drawing nearer!

The Celestial Venerable Cultivators sweeping in from all over the Celestial Secret Mountain, at this moment, converged like waves crashing fiercely into the valley.

"Boom!"

A violent explosion sounded.

Amidst swirling dust, the carefully arranged formations by Lu Yanwu and Lin Shifei couldn’t withstand even an instant under the onslaught of hundreds of Celestial Venerables, crumbling on the spot!

And at the same time.

Silhouettes streaked in like a gale, stepping into the valley.

Upon seeing the Golden Bell, these people exclaimed with joy and excitement:

"The Golden Bell, it really is the Golden Bell!"

"I didn’t expect the Golden Bell was hidden in this valley all along!"

"Haha, the Golden Bell is mine! No one should dare snatch it!"

These people completely ignored Ye Qingchen, Lu Yanwu, and Lin Shifei, their eyes fervently fixated on the golden bell floating mid-air, emitting a faint glow!

At this moment.

Lu Yanwu and Lin Shifei, faces tense and unprecedentedly grave, walked to Ye Qingchen’s side.

Ye Qingchen also slowly looked up.

But.

Before he could speak, dozens of Celestial Venerables, reckless and headlong, charged towards Ye Qingchen’s position, shouting:

"Hand over the Golden Bell!"