Chapter 461: Chapter 461
The Pavilion Trembles
The forbidden bell reverberated through Verdant Bamboo Pavilion, its resonance rattling beams and lanterns. Dragon script shimmered across the walls, glowing and fading like smoke. The Pavilion groaned, its age-old wards straining against their binds.
Li Shenwu, Li Tianyuan, and the elders burst from their quarters. Their robes were hastily thrown over their shoulders. Their faces were pale with alarm. Disciples scrambled behind them, weapons half-drawn, unsure whether to defend or flee. The air thickened, charged with qi so dense it pressed against their lungs.
The Carp’s Warning Realised
At the pond, the Golden Spirit Carp leapt again. Its scales blazed brighter than before. The ripples it cast no longer shimmered with mystery — they pulsed with urgency. The fleeting dragon script it formed was jagged and fractured, as if warning of imbalance.
Lily clutched Ren’s arm, her voice trembling as her eyes filled with dread. "It’s not a riddle anymore... It’s a warning."
Ren’s needles throbbed painfully, resonating with the carp’s glow. She whispered, face pale, and lips pressed thin in anxiety, "The portal is stirring. It’s already reaching for us."
Fatty dropped his snack, forgotten, his eyes wide. "We’re not ready for this..."
Shun’s jaw tightened as he traced the fading script with his qi, his voice low and grim, brows drawn in grim concentration. "The portal doesn’t wait for dawn. It answers to chaos."
Deep within his chamber, Shensei sat cross-legged. His staff rested across his knees. For hours, he had been in meditation, his breath steady and his mind anchored. But as the bell’s resonance shook the Pavilion, his eyes snapped open.
A faint glow radiated from his skin, his aura calm yet immense. He whispered to himself, voice carrying like a prayer:
"The storm has begun. The carp speaks truth. Sacrifice and truth must walk together — or all will break."
He rose, staff in hand, and stepped into the trembling corridors. His presence steadied disciples who faltered. His calm gaze cut through panic. Yet even he could not deny the dread: the Hidden Portal’s power was accelerating, and destiny was no longer waiting for ceremony.
The elders rushed toward the forbidden bell chamber, their voices clashing.
"We must maintain discipline!" shouted Elder Meiyun, her voice cutting through the rising tension. "Any rash actions could doom us all!" Yet Elder Han countered with urgency, "Delay and indecision will only give the portal more time to unravel! We must act swiftly!" Their arguments echoed through the hall, mirroring the portal’s dual nature and the clash of caution and haste.
Mushu and the Seven Shah tightened their guard around the twins, who now looked more frightened than mischievous, realising their prank had awakened something far beyond them.
Ling Li, in her chamber, pressed a hand to her belly as the vibrations rippled through her body. Her eyes narrowed, whispering, "The portal stirs before its time. Tomorrow may already be too late."
The Hidden Portal Stirs
Ling Li, assisted by Four Eyes, moved with deliberate calm as they stepped out of their chamber. Four Eyes kept a close watch, scanning the surroundings vigilantly. The night air was heavy with the metallic tang of charged particles. A strange vibration hummed against their skin. Ling Li’s heart, however, betrayed her composed exterior; it pounded swiftly, and her quickened thrum echoed her unspoken anxiety. Each step on the gravel path released a crunch, one that seemed to echo with foreboding.
On the way to the pond, they encountered Shensei. He gripped his staff tightly, his eyes already glowing faintly with awareness. Without words, the three walked together. Their footsteps were steady, as if bracing themselves against the unseen storm.
At the pond, Lily and Ren knelt with Shun and Fatty. The Spirit Golden Carps thrashed restlessly, their golden scales flashing like sparks beneath the moonlight. The water rippled violently, as though the pond itself was trembling in anticipation. According to ancient teachings, these carps were known to reflect the qi imbalances in their environment — signalling disturbances with their agitated movements. Ling Li and Shensei exchanged a glance, both calm, yet their silence carried the weight of recognition. The portal was no longer waiting.
The Forbidden Bell Quiets
At the same time, Li Shenwu and Li Tianyuan, flanked by elders, stormed into the Pavilion’s forbidden bell chamber. They raced to prevent the catastrophe that the bell’s resonance threatened to unleash upon the clan. Their eyes widened at the sight of the twins clinging to the forbidden relic. Its resonance shook the very foundations of the Pavilion. As Li Shenwu’s gaze locked onto them, a fleeting memory surfaced: the day he had held his own children for the first time. He remembered the faint scent of newborn skin, a powdery warmth mingled with innocence and promise. It wasn’t just frustration that tightened his jaw — the unspoken fear of witnessing innocence teetering on the brink of profound consequences added to the tension.
With a swift motion, Li Shenwu’s spiritual qi surged from his outstretched hands, scooping the twins from the bell. His vivid azure qi shimmered and emitted a flute-like melody, filling the air with a fresh mint aroma — his mark of rank. The twins hovered, their frightened cries echoing above the crowd, before Li Shenwu guided them into Mushu’s arms. Mushu shifted to catch them, shielding the twins and pulling them from the crowd, jaw tight with relief and anger.
The twins’ laughter vanished, replaced by wide-eyed terror. They clutched Mushu’s robes, trembling as they realised the enormity of their mistake. Around them, disciples and elders stood rigid, pale-faced, barely containing their agitation.
Li Shenwu released a final surge of qi to silence the forbidden bell. The resonance faltered, then ceased. The Pavilion groaned as if exhaling. The effort cost Li Shenwu dearly. He spat blood, staggering while Li Tianyuan and several elders rushed to support him. Gasps rippled through the chamber. An ordinary disciple, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment, fell to his knees in silent prayer. His hands trembled with the weight of the unfolding events. This brief pause gave the scene a sense of gravity, emphasising the enormity of silencing the bell.
Some elders clenched their fists, faces twisted with frustration. They knew the twins were the matriarch’s daughters, but patience wore thin. One elder’s hand trembled, gripping a worn talisman. Beneath his mutter, ’This recklessness has endangered us all,’ lay unspoken clan division.