by Feng Yue
Ye Qingxuan knew this very well. From the beginning, Ye Qingxuan had been watching this happening but he couldn’t stop it. Nature disturbance was the core skill of Abstinence School. For so long, he had thought he had mastered it at its best—igniting fire on stone or turning iron into a stream was as easy as turning his hand over. But now, he was defeated by the same nature disturbance. The enemy’s attainments in Abstinence were several times his own!
In just a few seconds, the two sides had started warring fiercely on attainments of Abstinence. Music theory intrusion, field protection, nature disturbance and fine control… As a result, Ye Qingxuan was totally defeated.
The other’s seed of destruction penetrated his shield like a parasite in his music theory. It blossomed and ignited flames… It had reached the summit!
Ye Qingxuan could only defend passively and repress forcibly. He couldn’t fight back. Every move was controlled by the other. Within a few short snaps, six counterattacks were put out before they were conceived completely.
Fortunately…Ye Qingxuan clenched his teeth and reached to his heart. A blazing glow of fire was yanked from his chest and fell on the ground, burning vigorously on the corpse.
If others did this, their bodies would be burnt out in seconds and the heart would completely turn into ashes. But Ye Qingxuan had no scruples. His heart had been sublimated with the Philosopher’s Stone and entered into the aether world in advance.
At this moment, what was beating in his chest was just an illusion. Even if it was ignited, it would have no fuel. Even so, Ye Qingxuan still felt dizzy and became drowsy. If there was any delay, he would probably have been boiled to death by his own blood!
It took only a few seconds from the beginning to now.
Before he could react, he realized that his defense had been shattered. The purple-eyed griffin just waved and metallic scrapes spread like a blade. The violent music theory contained in the sound destroyed layers of barriers.
It was more than just sound…
In that shrill sound, there was a mournful whistle!
It was the sound of blade breaking through the air.
It was a dagger!
How could it be a dagger?!
When the purple-eyed griffin waved his hand, a knife with dark blade slid out of his sleeve and stabbed at Ye Qingxuan. The purple-eyed griffin moved smoothly and skillfully. He didn’t look like a musician at all but like a warrior who had killed countless people. That knife moved incredibly fast like an arrow projected from a steel machinery crossbow. Its dark blade was hidden in the night, flying a strange arc and attacking from his right. If not for the refraction of the moonlight, Ye Qingxuan might not even know why he had died! Even so, the knife was already in his sight when he realized.
For a short moment, a continual muffled sound rang out. That was the sound of strings from the void being cut. At the last moment, a black iron cane popped up from Ye Qingxuan’s hand again and blocked before him.
Boom! Steel collided, sparks projected, and the mournful sound rang.
Ye Qingxuan was forced back by that vigorous power and slid back several meters. His face twitched slightly. He was not frightened but angry. He felt so wronged.
When had he ever fought in such a sullen way?
The other had taken the lead since the very beginning. He had to follow the other’s rhythm and spend all his strength in coping. He had no time to change tactics. He had never been in such a humiliating situation since his debut.
With the cane waving in his hands, suddenly there was the sound of the strings projecting in the mist. He thought, You’re familiar with Western music theory, right? Let’s play another game!
The Heaven Ladder was unfolded!
He pounded the cane and music rang. Endless water vapor seemed to converge from all directions into the mist, agitated and restless. In the fog, thunder brewed an. The storm was set off.
In a flash, the storm rolled the water vapor, forming a huge vortex and absorbing more and more water vapor in. Finally, a dark iron cloud was formed. Mournful lightning projected out of it. Lighting and storms burst forward. Then, rain poured down and lightning streaked out of the iron cloud.
Thunder Primer!
This was the “Thunder Primer,” which was superimposed sixteen times at the same time. This movement came from the east. The musical theories ran in the thundercloud and were combined with the spirit of Indrah’s wrath. Endless thunder projected from the water vapor’s friction.
Blazing light descended from the sky and struck seventeen times in quick succession. Where the blaze passed, the rain and water were vaporized and the soil was charred. The residual electric light diffused, pricking one’s skin.
At the same time, wind wrapped around rain and hail descended from the sky with extreme coldness in which one could hardly walk in. Lightning as wide as buckets soared in the rainstorm between the sky and earth like angry dragons roaring in the music.
Here and now, they were in the Scared City, but seemed to have come to a boundless ocean because of the shadow of the storm.
The music was like chimes but also the roaring of a dragon!
Even Mr. Hu might not have thought about how terrible it was to combine the Thunder Primer with Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, the so-called true dragon remains. Even though Ye Qingxuan was never good at Modifications music theory, his power was inspired to an appalling degree with the guide of the Ladder. Crossing seven schools, he had no rival! Moreover, it also contained the spirituality of Indrah, the King of Thunder.
Facing such power, even the unfathomable purple-eyed griffin had to retreat. He retreated swiftly at an inhuman speed, suddenly turning into a phantom to scurry away. However, no matter how fast he was, he was still slower than the lightning of destruction unless he reached the Scepter level of the Modifications, the state of elemental incarnation and lightning galloping.
The purple-eyed griffin was swallowed by the lightning in a snap.
Ye Qingxuan did not relax. Instead, he kept squeezing the power of the thundercloud vapor in the clouds and constantly brewing raging thunder. The thunder dragon roared so loudly that it could be heard even hundred miles away. In an instant, there were dozens of lightning striking on the purple-eyed griffin.
But then, the next moment, the purple-eyed griffin broke free from it. He shot out dozens of pieces of iron light. They were Scared City’s silver coins. The silver coins deflected the electricity and he managed to duck away. His whole body was steaming and flowing. The aftermath of thunder and lightning chopped in his body but most of the power melted into the water vapor as if the thunder was its clothing.
Racing, the purple-eyed griffin whisked over the ruins and waved again in the air. Two reverse-curved knives split toward Ye Qingxuan again. In a wisp of wailing, raindrops flew out. The two curved knives left an eerie arc in the air, breaking through the rain. One stabbed into Ye Qingxuan’s chest while the other split his neck.
Ye Qingxuan trembled for a moment, and then immediately collapsed into water vapor. It was an illusion with the water vapor as the fulcrum! Not far behind the purple-eyed griffin, Ye Qingxuan, concealed by the water vapor, approached and hummed coldly. He reached out and thunder stroke. Countless lighting chopped down!
The purple-eyed griffin swirled strangely in the air. The music theory in his body repelled against and resonated with the aether sea. With the center of gravity shifting, he swirled in the air and pounced toward Ye Qingxuan in the void.
Once one reached the resonance level, he was able to communicate with the aether sea with movements, controlling the huge power so that he could soar in the sky. What the purple-eyed griffin had performed was his resonance with the external materials by means of his perfect music theory which had been thoroughly tempered. With the nature disturbance, it was immediately like two poles of a magnetic field getting closer. Repulsion and gravity were produced in the void so that his potential energy was completely ignored. The power turned direction and strangely project
ed toward Ye Qingxuan.
Such means could only be used when the music theory in body and the sound of heart movement were strong enough to distort the material realms. The normal musicians could only use external forces.
In just a flash, the purple-eyed griffin had fallen from the sky and rushed to Ye Qingxuan. The dark robe smashed the storm and the lightning, fluttering like a griffin’s wings and descending like a predator. Fierce murderous intention was in the pair of strange purple pupils.
He wanted to do it head-on?
Ye Qingxuan roared and thrust the cane toward the purple-eyed griffin. In an instant, endless thunder and lightning descended from the sky and converged into Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, plating a layer of strong light on the iron cane. In the fierce light, the moonlight was building. Wind, thunder, and the moon converged in this sword.
With the thrust, the spirituality of the movement appeared and evolved into the tragic illusion of a blazing sun. In an instant, the two men passed by each other. The purple-eyed griffin collapsed into strands of haze.
Ye Qingxuan was stunned. This was fake!
Where was the real one?
Suddenly he turned and looked behind the carriage. The real purple-eyed griffin descended silently from the sky, pulling a serpentine sword from the inside of the robe and stabbed toward the unconscious Constantine on the ground!
Constantine! From the beginning, his target was Constantine!
He pretended to fight with Ye Qingxuan in order to distract him so that Ye Qingxuan would not be aware of this. Constantine knew too much and saw too much. If he was alive, he would definitely be a scourge for Gaius, especially since he was in the Sacred City now! Since four crooked musicians were not enough to complete this task, it was the time for the most powerful elite lurking in the Sacred City to act.
A sword like a snake descended from the sky!
460 Reques
The long sword descended from the sky like a snake!
‘Like a snake’ did not mean that it looked like a snake. Rather, it meant that it had truly turned into a snake! This was a shadow snake with a blade!
Ye Qingxuan had never noticed that this guy had such a crazy thing on him! This was a creature that existed in the aether world and was frozen in the Shadow of Natural Catastrophe. He did not know how it was made but by nature, it was neither living nor a demon. It was the solidification of a type of spirit.
Musicians had caught it by coincidence. After bought by an alchemist, it was fused into a sword, creating a secret weapon that contained the mysteries of aether—the Shadow Snake Sword. This was extreme sharpness and poison. Anyone touched by it would die!
In an instant, it pierced downward silently. The alchemy equipment on Constantine shattered one after another. It could not even delay the sword. It was a sudden turn of events. Ye Qingxuan had no time to save it.
Thankfully…he had expected this!
The next moment, radiant light shot out from Constantine’s body. The power hidden on him had been activated. Music theory was created, dividing the territories. The heavenly light cut into the world, enveloping him.
It was Holy!
Now, Ye Qingxuan finally had complete control over the music score inherited from the School of Stone Heart. Before he arrived, he had already finished erecting it. He knew how precious Constantine was. He would not let down his guard until Wolf Flute or other saints arrived. He must keep Constantine in one piece, without even a hair touched. Otherwise, how could he negotiate with the Silent Authority for them to release Charles? If he missed one shot, the opportunity would be gone.
In the near distance, a fighting Distortion level musician was completely forced back and sealed into a statue. By fighting fire with fire, the Silent Authority musicians were also lightly wounded.
Thankfully, with Ye Qingxuan’s delay, it did not get out of hand. These four musicians were all of the best assassins of the Revolutionaries. Not only did they have amazing technique and music scores, they also had the brains. After squeezing out all of their memory, they could still enter ‘Armageddon’ and become a true ‘hell musician.’ Every bit of them was useful!
Seeing that he was unsuccessful, the purple-eyed griffin angrily slammed a fist on the territory of Holy. Unfortunately, even an Abstinence grandmaster needed to focus for a long time to break through the music theory of Holy… Ye Qingxuan would not give him this chance.
Without hesitating, the griffin turned after realizing he had lost his chance and flew off. Fog appeared, crowding around his figure, and he was instantly far away.
“Trying to run?” Ye Qingxuan went after him but behind him, Charles used all his energy to rasp out, “Don’t chase him!”
Ye Qingxuan stopped reflexively. He sensed a shred of murderous intent from the fog. Soon, there was a sigh from the fog. The murderous feeling disappeared and the fog dissipated. The figure vanished.
He was gone.
Ye Qingxuan stood in place silently. After a long while, he finally went back. Sitting beside the carriage’s skeleton, he watched the four Silent Authority musicians. They wanted to take Constantine away too but were powerless against Ye Qingxuan’s Holy.
“Mr. Ye, you…”
“Contact your uppers. Get someone over here who can really handle matters.” Ye Qingxuan lit his cigarette and inhaled. “Don’t tell me about the big picture and don’t tell me that sacrifices must be made for the Sacred City.
“I caught the man, my senior was the spy, I stopped the enemy, and I saved Constantine, so I deserve this result. It completely meets the Musician Recruitment Bill. Even the Sacred Court will protect my rights.” He paused, blowing out blue-purple smoke. His cold expression darkened under the smoke.
“If you want Constantine alive, give me a suitable price.”
-
One hour later, there were no more stars in the deep night sky. After fifteen minutes, snow began to fall under the cold wind. The Sacred City’s sharp metallic light was covered. The defined edges and features softened under the white snow. Layers of walls away, Ye Qingxuan raised his head. He heard the sound of snow falling onto the earth above him. He sat on a bench in the hallway and waited quietly. Finally, the lift opened slowly and Wolf Flute walked out. His uniform was covered with a thick layer of snow. Knocking off the snow, he pulled a document out and gave it to Ye Qingxuan. “Here’s what you wanted.”
“Thanks.” Ye Qingxuan’s lifted his eyes and accepted the document packet. He opened it and saw the pardon written by the six cardinals of the Papal Church. Charles had achieved a great feat for the Sacred City and proved his innocence and devoutness under God’s witness. His crime was pardoned. From now on, he was no longer a criminal.
Ye Qingxuan re-read it a few times in silence and carefully put into his pocket to be saved. Checking the time, he could not help but sigh.
“Forty minutes? Should I sigh because of the Sacred City’s efficiency or that Constantine is heavy bait?”
Wolf Flute lit his cigarette and glanced at him in annoyance. “It only took five minutes on the road,” he said. “The Papal Church argued over whether Constantine should live or die for thirty minutes and then only hesitated about Charles for five seconds. The rest…heh, they spent five minutes yelling at you.”
“Let me guess.” Ye Qingxuan asked, “Don’t know my own place?”
“Disregards the big picture, unable to shoulder great responsibilities…stuff like that.” Wolf Flute shrugged. He sighed and patted Ye Qingxuan’s shoulder. “Next time, don’t negotiate with those big figures. Even if it works out, you might not like it.”
Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “I think my price was cheap.”
“Idiot.” Wolf Flute looked and shook his head. “The cheapest is getting it for free.”
Understanding what he meant, Ye Qingxuan stopped talking. Soon, the metal gate at the end of the hall opened. Charles walked out. The guard undid his handcuffs and the metal dropped to the ground.
“Regaining freedom feel
s great.” Charles rolled his neck and did some gymnastic moves. Finding the prisoner’s uniform an eyesore, Ye Qingxuan gave Charles his jacket.
“The Silent Authority gives great treatment, huh.” With the jacket on, Charles could not help but whistle while feeling the wool. “Such good material. This set is probably at least two thousand pounds, right? And there’s so much alchemy in between…is this ritual clothing? I heard your Governor was destroyed. How about I add a new metal skeleton into this for you some other day?”
Ye Qingxuan smiled helplessly. “Go rest first and we’ll talk after sleeping. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the best restaurant in the Sacred City. Eat your fill.”
Charles instantly became spirited. “Juniors are the apples of the senior’s eye. The proverb is right.”
“What kind of weird proverb is that?!” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. But then he realized that Charles was still standing there, not about to leave with him. “What’s wrong?”
Charles hesitated and looked back. “How is Mr. Constantine? Is he awake?”
“He woke up a long while ago.” Wolf Flute shrugged. “But he’s still unwilling to speak or cooperate. He won’t even answer questions. Other than his first request, he hasn’t responded to anything.”
“What request?”
After a short pause, Wolf Flute sighed. “He wants to see Charles.”
461 Solution
In the interrogation room, Charles saw Constantine sitting behind the one-way glass. He sat under the ghastly white light and on a chair without any armrests or back. His back was straight and he would not answer no matter what the interrogator asked. He just closed his eyes and waited silently.
“The old guy refuses to talk.” Someone asked, “Should we try a Mind score?”
Ye Qingxuan could not help but scoff. Mind scores had shocking control over people but it was not all-powerful. It depended heavily on timing. Constantine’s rejection would be the strongest in somewhere like an interrogation room. He would not give anyone the chance to plant a hint. And even if the planting was successful, Ye Qingxuan knew at least a dozen ways to fight against it.