Chapter 173: Astonishing Desire!

  Although it was early morning, the rain was heavy, the sky was hazy, dark clouds were dense and thick, pressing down on the ground, covering up what should have been a bright sunlight, making the earth not completely dark but gray.

  Inside the third floor of Handan City, there were even fewer pedestrians. The shops in the rain were hit by raindrops on the eaves and tiles, making a loud noise, flowing down along both sides like a stream, merging with the accumulated water on the ground, and it was impossible to distinguish between new and old.

  The shopkeepers in those shops were either dozing off or sitting cross-legged, meditating. Only a few individuals stood at the door, gazing out at the rain, lost in thought.

  Su Ming walked quietly in the rain, breathing in the damp morning air, on the third layer of streets in Handan City. His appearance was invisible to outsiders, only his slightly lonely figure could be seen in the rain. He passed by shop after shop without drawing too much attention, except for occasional glances from people watching the rain, perhaps interrupting their reverie and attracting some gazes.

  Perhaps, with just a sweep, no one would notice, nor could anyone imagine what this lone figure in the rain was about to do, and what kind of shocking change he would bring to this quiet morning in Handan City.

  Su Ming walked silently along the small path until he reached the entrance to the second floor. As he looked around, he found that he was the only one present and couldn't see any other figures.

  The entrance of the second floor is also a large gate, and only those who can enter are originally the Kaifeng family, but now that the three branches have dispersed the Kaifeng family, only Kaifeng can enter this place.

  The entire Handan City, excluding the three tribes, there are only five people who can reach the second floor.

  On the right side of this entrance, a huge ancient bell stands upright, its entire body is purple and red, with intricate patterns, giving off an air of vicissitudes of life, as if it has been placed here for a very, very long time.

  The surface of the ancient bell is carved with three strange and ferocious beasts, one is a dragon-headed clam, one is a turtle with a mountain on its back, and the last one is blurred due to the passage of time, but this beast is obviously in the lead, from the height, the dragon-headed clam and the turtle with a mountain on its back are all below it, as if following.

  The rain is pouring down on this ancient bell, and the water is overflowing from the top. The raindrops are falling onto it with a loud patter, and the water is flowing along the edges.

  Su Ming stood beside the stone gate leading to the second layer, gazing at the massive ancient bell in front of him. The eyes under his conical hat gradually shone with a bright light. Previously, he had been walking at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow, but every step he took was extremely stable, as if gathering his own breath, from the foot of the mountain, from the fourth layer of Yan Mountain City, step by step, like accumulating momentum, like sharpening a precious sword.

  Now, this momentum is about to be released, this sword has been sharpened to its peak, only waiting for the momentum to shock the heavens, only waiting for the sword to rise with a cold light!

  "The method of breaking through the Huan Shan chain, apart from seeking help from the three tribespeople like Han Fengzi and entering the top of Huan Shan, there is another method. This method faces all the barbarians who come to Huan Shan City... that is, ringing this ancient bell!"

  The sound of the bell spread in all directions, announcing the matter of the Shanlian... Su Ming gazed silently at the drum, and the light in his eyes grew brighter. He had asked about the Shanlian long ago, and he knew that this ancient bell was not something that could be moved by ordinary means.

  This is also to prevent those who are not good enough from rushing into Mount Hengshan and getting themselves killed, wasting each other's time, and desecrating the majesty of Mount Hengshan.

  "The ninth bell rings, and only then can one qualify to enter the Huashan Chain... I must choose to leave a shocking scene behind, in order to prepare for entering the Tiangong Sect. It's unavoidable, I have to make a big show of it!" Su Ming muttered to himself, his figure suddenly changing from calmness as an astonishing aura burst out from within him, like a sword half-out of its scabbard, like a momentum rising from one side!

  As its momentum rose, the sky seemed to be in harmony, and a muffled thunderstorm passed by, a flash of lightning hidden in the daytime suddenly flashed.

  Under the lightning, Su Ming's right hand rose, he gazed at the huge ancient clock in front of him, took a deep breath, and his right hand slammed onto the ancient clock.

  Come...

  The bell's sound is like a flood, carrying a sense of oppression, containing the vicissitudes of life, as if it had come from the distant past, a ripple that is hard to see with the naked eye suddenly spreads out from this ancient bell, following its sound, and disappears into the eight directions.

  That wave was invisible, but it caused Su Ming's clothes to flutter, making his body seem as if a great force had suddenly struck him, as if he was about to be bounced away from the ancient bell.

  It was almost as if the sound of the bell had spread throughout the entire city of Handan, and even reached the peaks of Mount Sanbo in an instant. This quiet and peaceful morning in the rain suddenly startled countless people who were meditating:

  "Hanshan Temple Bell Rings!!"

  "Some people want to rush into Mount Huan's chain! I said so, the closer they get to Tianhan Sect, the more lively Huan Mountain City becomes!"

  "Hey, it's just a bell ringing, the bell rings nine times, and you'll be qualified, otherwise, you need to get the approval of the three departments, and then you can go straight to the top of the mountain."

  "Don't worry too much, this bell has rung several times in the past few months, but no one can ring it more than six times... and in the days to come, such a toll will still exist. After all, joining the Tian Han Sect is enough to make people go all out."

  Inside the city of Handan, there was a commotion, with many people rushing out to take a look at the place where the third layer of the Handan Bell was located in the rain. However, due to the heavy rain, these people would often take a glance and then hurry back to their homes.

  In the second floor of this Huan Mountain City, several powerful beings who resided here, including Nan Tian and Ke Jiu Si, heard the bell sound but did not go out to take a look. Nan Tian smiled slightly, seemingly indifferent.

  Ke Jiuxi didn't even open his eyes, quietly staying in his residence, completely ignoring the bell ringing.

  Xuan Lun, and the other two powerful beings who opened the dust, were mostly like this. To say nothing of ringing the bell once, even if it rang six or seven times, they couldn't get them to pay much attention.

  As for the three mountain passes around Handan City, they were all quiet in the rain, as if there was no change due to the bell's ringing. In fact, it was indeed the case, and the people of Sanbu tribe didn't pay attention after hearing it.

  Including Yan Luan, the three leaders, even Fang Shen, just opened their eyes from meditation and then closed them again, immersing themselves in sitting meditation.

  Only Han Feizi stood by the window of her residence, looking at the sky and earth outside connected by rainwater, the blurry Handan City in the distance, with a flicker in her eyes.

  Apart from her, there was actually another woman. This brew silently gazed at the rain-soaked Mount Huan, she was Han Cangzi.

  The first bell rings, just like a small stone that has been thrown into the water, stirring up a few ripples that will soon calm down. Even after half a day's time, I'm afraid very few people will pay attention to the previous bell ringing.

  Su Ming's expression remained calm, and the shockwave generated by the ancient bell dissipated instantly as it merged into his body without affecting him in the slightest. The bell's residual sound still lingered, but except for this echo and the patter of rainwater, there was no other sound around. Not only did no one rush out to see who was ringing the bell despite the rain, but even the owners of the nearby shops on the third floor didn't come out halfway.

  Everything is still quiet.

  Su Ming's right hand lifted off the ancient clock, his heart without a ripple, and then put it back down again.

  Come...

  The second bell rang out, but just as it was about to fade away, Su Ming's eyes gleamed like a sharp sword being unsheathed, and his right hand fell heavily on the giant ancient bell once again.

  Come... come... come... come...

  The continuous four tolls of the bell, combined with the previous two, made a total of six tolls. The sound that carried the vicissitudes and conveyed the sense of years was almost connected into one voice, shaking the heart and soul, even replacing the thunder in the sky, becoming the only sound surrounding the city of Handan, diffusing among the three peaks of Mount Hengshan!

  Handan City is shaken!

  Those who had already returned to their homes, upon hearing the fusion of the several bell tolls, one by one changed their expressions. Even in the shops on the third layer of Mount Huan, the owners' families were all shocked and some people walked out, gazing intently at the entrance leading to the second layer where the ancient bell was located.

  Even if it's the second layer, people like Nantian have a solemn expression, and the sound of knocking is integrated into one, which is completely different. The force of anti-shock that can be withstood is also extremely large!

  Three mountain peaks also had a loud noise due to the reverberation of the bell ringing.

  But just at this moment, the seventh bell rang out majestically. In an instant, the eighth and ninth bells also tolled, with a gentle breeze sweeping away the remaining clouds, and a mighty torrent of water surging across the sky. From the ancient bell tower on Mount Huan, the sound reverberated, shaking heaven and earth.

  The shock caused the entire city of Handan to react only after a moment's delay, with one voice after another erupting like a ferocious beast suddenly awakened from its slumber.

  "The ninth bell rings... this is the ninth one? It's too sudden!"

  "This is not just nine strokes of the bell, but also nine times almost merged together. This person... this person is by no means an ordinary person. The way he breaks through the chain must be seen!"

  "Who is this person? Could he be one of the five strongest in the world?"

  A large number of people from Handan suddenly rushed out of their houses, and in the rain, they all looked up at the third floor. Some had already rushed over to see who was the one who had been knocked down nine times!

  At the same time, on the second floor of Mount Huan, Nan Tian and others suddenly stood up one by one, turned around and left their respective houses, staring at the exit leading to the third floor. Behind that stone gate was where the big bell was located, where the person who rang the bell was working.

  Yan Chi Department mountain peak, Yan stood up, her expression calm, walked out of the residence and looked at the rain-soaked Handan City. With her cultivation, she could vaguely see layers of ripples spreading from within Handan City, driving the rainwater, making this moment... Handan... rainless!

  Finally, a decent adventurer has appeared. Let it be known that this adventurer will be given a pass to the top of Mount Huan... Her words were calm and composed, as if even if someone rang the nine o'clock bell, she wouldn't be startled in the least.

  However, before she could finish speaking, a voice came from inside Handan City that made her expression change for the first time!

  Come... come... come...

  Eleventh and twelfth strokes of the bell ringing, suddenly turning around!

  At the same time, above the city of Hanyang, amidst the dense dark clouds and thunderous roars, a beast's roar shook the sky. Following the roar, a gigantic ferocious beast with the body of a dragon and the shell of a turtle appeared in the sky, its illusory figure manifesting before everyone's eyes!

  "What kind of cultivation does this person have, to actually stir up the Twelve Tones and summon the shadow of the Huan Mountain Sealed Beast!" Yan Lian's breathing was slightly hurried, his eyes revealing a bright gleam.