Rumor had it that there was a mysterious Heavenly Bell in the Immortal Capital. None of the immortals could see it, but they could occasionally hear the faint sound of its ringing.

Each time the bell rang, it meant another Immortal had fallen back to the Mortal Realm.

Yun Hai had heard it a few times but never knew where the Heavenly Bell was hung.

Until one day, he saw it with his own eyes.

It was a rare long night in the Immortal Capital, with a heavy fog. He was sitting by the window when he suddenly wanted to see Hua Xin.

The thought came without any warning. He was stunned for a moment and was about to close the window and leave the Yao Palace. Just as he touched the window frame, he heard a soft, subtle sound, like ornaments on a waistband or a sword clinking together.

Someone's here?

Yun Hai whirled around and saw the Spirit King.

The other man was wearing a white jade crown and that silver-inlaid mask, wrapped in a cold mist, tall and elegant. Just like their first meeting at the entrance of the Immortal Capital.

But back then, he had been bathed in a layer of light. This time, there was only the deep darkness of night.

Yun Hai looked at him, startled, but said aloud, "Why wear a mask when visiting a friend?"

The Spirit King seemed to let out a very soft sigh. "Do I look like I'm here to visit a friend?"

True.

Not only did he not look like he was visiting a friend, but he hadn't even brought the attendants who usually followed him, nor the sword he was very fond of.

Yun Hai stood frozen. In that instant, there was almost a sense of confrontation between the old friends.

The Spirit King didn't move or speak. For once, there was no trace of a smile in his voice.

In the end, it was Yun Hai who spoke first. "My Lord... you've received a Heavenly Edict."

The Spirit King hummed in affirmation and added, "Since you've guessed it's a Heavenly Edict, then you should also know what I'm here for."

Yun Hai gave a bitter smile. "So, it's my turn to return to the Mortal Realm?"

The Spirit King didn't speak, which was a tacit agreement.

Yun Hai: "I thought just jumping off the Immortal-Deposing Terrace would be enough."

He had always thought that to fall back to the Mortal Realm, one just had to stand on the Immortal-Deposing Terrace and jump, and that would be the end of it. It wasn't until this night, when the Spirit King came with the Heavenly Edict, that he knew it wasn't that simple.

He also had to have his Immortal Essence crippled and sever all ties with the Immortal Capital.

The process was actually very fast, just the blink of an eye, but it was stretched out to infinity by an indescribable pain. In his agony, he vaguely saw the Spirit King's finger hooked around something.

It seemed to be a white jade bell. He couldn't see it clearly, but he heard a faint ringing.

He suddenly understood where the legendary Heavenly Bell of the Immortal Capital was. It wasn't hanging under any eaves but was carried by the Spirit King.

"The Heavenly Bell..." Yun Hai said hoarsely.

The Spirit King shook his head, his voice sounding faint and distant to him. "That's just a rumor spread by the immortals. It's not called the Heavenly Bell, it's the Dream Bell."

The Dream Bell...

Yun Hai curled up, unconsciously repeating the name.

He heard the Spirit King say, "The Mortal Realm is actually not bad. There's a place called the Fallen Flower Mountain Market that's very lively, much more interesting than the Immortal Capital. Ringing this Dream Bell nine times can create a grand dream for you. When you descend from the Immortal-Deposing Terrace, you'll forget the past hundred years as soon as you open your eyes, and it won't be so painful."

Forget the past hundred years upon opening one's eyes.

Was this why the bell would ring before those Immortals were cast down into the Mortal Realm?

Nothing would be remembered.

No one would be remembered.

Without Immortal Essence, a mortal body cannot last long in the Immortal Capital.

Yun Hai was already muddled and unclear, but he still struggled. When the White Jade Bell rang, he gathered the last bit of his remaining immortal power and wagered half his soul to block the sound of the bell for a moment.

He was paranoid his whole life, never turning back until he hit a wall, and even after hitting it, he still wouldn't turn back.

He didn't want to forget.

***

In the first few years after Yun Hai fell back to the Mortal Realm, things were calm and peaceful.

Even though he had blocked it with all his might, the Dream Bell was still effective. He still forgot everything from the past hundred years, only vaguely feeling that he once had a dream. In the dream, his legs were broken and his eyes blinded, and when he was covered in blood and unbearably hungry, an immortal had lifted him onto a deer's back.

He mentioned that dream to many people, but he would always forget the words as soon as he opened his mouth, only able to end it hastily with a single sentence.

Although he couldn't describe any scenes, he was certain that the dream took place on a deep winter night. He was shivering with cold, and the immortal's hand was the only source of warmth in that endless, cold night.

Because of that dream without a beginning or an end, he began to try learning some immortal arts, trying to get a little closer to the immortal in his dream.

He had inquired at many nearby Immortal Sects, but none would formally accept him. They all said he was innately deficient, unable to gather Qi or condense a core, and was truly not material for cultivation.

Later on, the world descended into chaos, and his flimsy skills were not enough to protect himself. He could only hide everywhere, living like a refugee.

One day, late at night, he encountered a foraging Evil Demon. He was no match for it in the ensuing struggle and his body was possessed.

The feeling of his soul being devoured was no different from being blinded or having his legs broken. The pain made him scream hoarsely.

As he curled up on the ground, he suddenly felt that everything seemed familiar.

It seemed he had also curled up like this before, resisting something with all his might. It seemed to be... the sound of a bell.

There was nothing in the world more painful and ironic than this—

On the verge of death, he remembered the forgotten hundred years. He remembered that the immortal and the white deer were not an empty dream; a hundred years ago, there really was such an immortal who had led him out of the cold mountain cave.

He remembered becoming the other's disciple and being praised for his outstanding talent. He remembered that he was once the youngest among those who ascended to immortality, presiding over the most prosperous mortal affairs of mourning and joy.

On his last day in the Immortal Capital, he had wanted to see that person one more time.

He hadn't seen him yet, so how could he die?

***

The later Yun Hai often thought that he was actually quite talented. Otherwise, he wouldn't have turned the tables just because he "didn't want to die," absorbing the Evil Demon that had been devouring him.

The Immortal Sects all said he couldn't gather Qi or condense a core. In fact, that wasn't true. He just couldn't condense Immortal Essence, but he could condense demonic essence.

As he wretchedly and desperately absorbed the demonic energy, a scene from a hundred years ago flashed through his mind—he was hiding in a cave, and Hua Xin arrived with a lantern, illuminating the cold night.

...

From now on, no immortal would ever come to save him again.

He barely survived, but he probably wouldn't dare to see that person again, even until the day he died.

The author has something to say:

Yun Hai's questioning is about done here.