Primordial Era: A brick knocks Hongyun unconscious, and he seizes the throne at the start.

Lu Chen dragged his broken bones and walked through the battlefield ruins for three days and three nights.

Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge—the aftershocks of the Chaos Zhong Daoyun projection's explosion completely disrupted the laws of this area, shattering space like a spider web, causing time to flow erratically, and even breathing was painful.

But he didn't stop.

Because treasures are everywhere.

The fragments of the Chaos Bell replica exploded and scattered across the ruins for tens of thousands of miles. Each of these fragments still retained a trace of the Chaos Bell's Daoist essence, which was highly poisonous to others; touching it would cause them to be corroded by the Daoist essence, resulting in the destruction of both body and soul.

However, Lu Chen was protected by the Chaos Brick, suppressed by the powerful laws, and had a connection with the Morning Bell (although it had a hole in it), so he could safely collect it.

He picked up the pieces one by one, like a diligent ant.

The larger fragments are about the size of a palm, with illusory images of mountains and rivers flowing across their surfaces. These fragments carry the Daoist essence of "suppression" from the Chaos Bell.

The smallest ones are only the size of a fingernail, yet they shimmer with the luster of the sun, moon, and stars, embodying the Daoist principles of "time and space."

Lu Chen didn't even spare those that had shattered into powder, using the Qiankun Diagram as a broom to sweep away each area one by one.

Three days later, the fragments he collected piled up into three small mountains.

"It should be... almost done." Lu Chen wiped his sweat, looking at the three piles of fragments, his eyes flashing with excitement.

But he didn't rush to integrate them.

Because there is something even more important—

The true Chaos Bell.

The genuine bell he had snatched from Taiyi was now lying quietly at the bottom of a deep pit, its surface covered with fine cracks—it had withstood the aftershocks of the Daoist projection explosion, and it was not unscathed either.

But no matter how unpleasant it is, it is still a precious innate treasure.

Lu Chen jumped into the deep pit and walked to the Chaos Bell.

The bell was three zhang tall, its entire body a chaotic color, its surface engraved with scenes of creation and the opening of the world. Inside the bell's mouth, faint shadows of stars moving and the sun and moon alternating could be seen. Although it was covered with cracks, the oppressive aura that suppressed all heavens and established the order of time and space still made it difficult for Lu Chen to breathe.

"From today onwards, you belong to me." He reached out and placed his hand on the clock.

The Chaos Bell trembled, emitting a defiant hum—though it had no spirit, it possessed instinct and was unwilling to be refined by those without Golden Crow bloodline.

"You have no choice." Lu Chen grinned, unleashing the full power of his Law of Force to forcefully suppress!

At the same time, the Morning Bell flew up from the waist and hovered above the Chaos Bell, its mouth pointing downwards, emitting an aura of the same origin.

The Morning Bell is the companion spirit treasure of the Chaos Bell; the two were originally one. At this moment, the resonance of the Morning Bell weakened the resistance of the Chaos Bell by 30%.

Lu Chen seized the opportunity, bit his tongue, and spat out a mouthful of blood essence, which he then sprinkled onto the surface of the Chaos Bell.

The essence and blood merged into the bell and began to be refined.

But at that moment—

"Amitabha."

A Buddhist chant came from the heavens.

The figure of Jieyin and Zhunti slowly descended.

Although the two wore compassionate expressions, they could not hide the greed in their eyes.

"Young friend Lu Chen," Jieyin said gently, his hands clasped together, "this bell is a supreme treasure of the demon race, involving far-reaching implications. Since you are neither a demon nor of the Golden Crow bloodline, forcibly refining it might cause a backlash. It would be better to entrust it to our Buddhist sect for safekeeping, and wait for the future..."

"It will belong to you in the future, right?" Lu Chen didn't even look up, continuing to refine it.

Zhunti's face darkened: "Lu Chen, don't be so stubborn! You can't handle such a priceless treasure!"

"If I can't control it, how can you?" Lu Chen sneered. "Back then at Treasure Distribution Cliff, how many treasures did you plunder? Now you're not even letting go of a broken bell?"

"You..." Zhunti was about to lash out, but was stopped by Jieyin.

Jieyin gave Lu Chen a deep look, then suddenly smiled: "Since you insist, young friend, then so be it. However..."

He changed the subject: "These fragments are probably useless to you, young friend. Why not share some with my Buddhist sect? In return, my Buddhist sect can compensate you with three acquired spiritual treasures."

It turns out the target wasn't just the Chaos Bell, but also its fragments.

Lu Chen sneered inwardly, but outwardly feigned difficulty: "This... isn't this a bit inappropriate? These fragments, though broken, are still from the Chaos Bell and are priceless..."

"Five acquired spiritual treasures." The price for the guide has increased.

"Ten items," Lu Chen demanded exorbitantly.

Jieyin's eye twitched, but he still nodded: "...Okay."

Exchanging ten acquired spiritual treasures for a bunch of "unusable" fragments seems like a loss, but Jieyin's calculations were shrewd—these fragments contain the Daoist essence of the Chaos Bell, which, if brought back to Buddhism for research, might be able to replicate the "Buddhist Golden Bell" to suppress destiny.

"Deal." Lu Chen readily agreed.

But he played a trick—the fragments he handed over were the smallest, with the least Daoist aura. He secretly stored the larger fragments and powder deep within the Qiankun Diagram.

Jieyin and Zhunti didn't investigate further. They collected the fragments, left behind ten acquired spiritual treasures (all inferior imitations from the Treasure Dividing Cliff), and left satisfied.

After the two had walked away, Lu Chen grinned and said, "Two idiots."

He continued refining the Chaos Bell.

This time, no one bothered them.

Seven days later, the cracks on the surface of the Chaos Bell began to slowly heal—not through self-healing, but through Lu Chen's forced repair using the Chaos Brick and the essence of the Morning Bell.

Although it's still a long way from a full recovery, at least it's usable now.

"receive."

The Chaos Bell shrank to the size of a palm and fell into Lu Chen's palm, where he stored it in his dantian to nurture it.

Next, we need to deal with the fragments.

Lu Chen returned to Wuzhuang Temple (Zhen Yuanzi had closed the mountain gates long before the final battle to avoid the calamity) and began his seclusion.

He first took out the morning bell.

The hole in the bell wall needs repair.

"Let's use these fragments." He selected a few fragments containing the Daoist principles of "time and space," melted them with the Three Lights Divine Water, and slowly filled the holes.

With each addition, the aura of the morning bell grows stronger.

When the hole was completely repaired, the Morning Bell's grade... was actually raised to the threshold of a Primordial Treasure!

Although it's just a basic requirement, it's still a treasure!

More importantly, because of the incorporation of fragments of the Chaos Bell, the resonance between the Morning Bell and the Chaos Bell is stronger. When the two work together, their power is comparable to that of the complete Chaos Bell!

"I've made a fortune," Lu Chen grinned.

Next, the remaining fragments.

He took out the Chaos Brick.

This brick had been with him the longest, having been used to strike Pangu's axe and smash the Chaos Bell, but its grade had always been stuck at the peak of the Innate Spiritual Treasure, just one step away from becoming a Supreme Treasure.

"Today, I'll give you a promotion too."

Lu Chen incorporated all the largest fragments containing the Daoist essence of "suppression" into the Chaos Brick.

"Buzz—!"

The Chaos Brick trembled, and the axe marks on its surface became increasingly clear, slowly emanating a pressure that could "suppress all laws and shatter all paths."

As the last fragment merged in, the Chaos Brick erupted with a blinding dark light!

The innate treasure is complete!

Moreover, it is not an ordinary treasure—because it incorporates the "suppression" Daoist essence of the Chaos Bell and retains the "shattering" characteristic of the Heaven-Opening Axe. At this moment, the Chaos Brick, in terms of attack power, is probably even above the Chaos Bell!

"That feels good." Lu Chen weighed the brick in his hand, feeling like he could kill a late-stage Quasi-Saint with a single blow.

Finally, there were the powdery fragments.

These fragments have a thin Daoist essence and are useless individually, but their quantity is enormous.

Lu Chen poured them all into the inner world of the Qiankun Diagram.

The powder dissolved into the earth, transforming into nutrients that nourished the inner world. The small world, originally only ten thousand miles in circumference, began to slowly expand, and the concentration of spiritual energy increased significantly.

"Not bad, making use of waste." Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction.

At this point, the fragments of the Chaos Bell replica were completely digested.

Lu Chen's gains were nothing short of terrifying:

1. The genuine Chaos Bell (authentic, already partially refined).

2. The Morning Bell has been upgraded to meet the threshold for Innate Treasure.

3. The Chaos Brick is upgraded to a Primordial Treasure.

4. The world within the Qiankun Diagram expands, greatly increasing its potential.

5. Ten acquired spiritual treasures (although inferior, they are still spiritual treasures).

6. Most importantly—the eight drops of Ancestral Witch's essence blood are still inside the Qiankun Diagram, waiting for him to comprehend and fuse them.

"I'm the biggest winner in this great calamity," Lu Chen grinned.

But he knew the matter wasn't over yet.

If the sky falls, it needs to be repaired.

The ground has subsided and needs to be filled in.

With the lich defeated and the primordial world in need of a new order.

All of this means... new opportunities, new "trash" to pick up.

"Heal your wounds first, then..."

He looked toward Mount Buzhou, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Let's go see what benefits we can get from Nuwa patching up the sky."