by Feng Yue
It was a pity that Ye Qingxuan was facing immense pressure at the moment.
In the goddamn place, he was still a musician of the Level of Distortion.
He couldn’t even be considered as prey. At most, he was only a snack that some other musician who had looked on until the end could conveniently snatch and swallow in a gulp without even belching.
“What about you, Master Ye?” Liu Ran looked at him, half-smiling. “With your attainments in music theory, you need not worry about the problem faced by those knock-off scepter musicians actually. It isn’t difficult to advance straight to the Level of Scepter here, is it?”
Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “In any case, I can reclaim what belongs to me rightfully after leaving this place, no?”
Liu Ran asked, “Are you going to give up the power that is at your fingertips?”
“No, I merely dislike following the rules set by a bunch of old *ssholes centuries ago.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head, not in the slightest bit moved. “The items obtained in exchange for corpses will probably have a rotten stench on them, no?”
Liu Ran pursed her lips and smiled.
The rumble from the distance ended.
She gracefully bowed. “Then, allow me to take my leave. Please take good care of yourself, Master Ye, and if you have some time to spare in the future, you may want to return to Aurora for a trip. I’m sure that you will find unexpected gains.”
“Rest assured, I will definitely go there.” Ye Qingxuan waved goodbye and heard her voice from behind him.
“Do pay attention to the stone plate.”
Stone plate?
What stone plate?
Ye Qingxuan was momentarily surprised and turned back, but only saw the figure of Liu Ran gradually dissolving into the darkness of bestiality, as if she had evaporated under the sunlight and left no trace behind.
Ye Qingxuan scratched the back of his head and felt a mild headache.
Pay attention to the stone plate?
What is that?
He had really had enough with people like her who enjoyed putting on a mysterious air and liked to give conversational blue balls. Despite having left, she just had to leave her words hanging like a hook, keeping him hanging in midair, unable to go up or down. It was just like a storyline that a lame author had specially arranged to keep things mysterious.
He soon knew what the stone plate was…
As the first round of cruel showdowns in the city ended, the number of aether waves that could be sensed was directly reduced by one-third. Meanwhile, as the fights came to an end, silence came.
The musicians subdued their respective aether waves and hid into the shadows.
But just as they did so, mighty bell tolls sounded again.
They rang out from the sky.
The phantom image of the Holy Cauldron slowly emerged.
A glistening glow of scarlet rippled within, as if the Holy Cauldron was filled with blood. It was the music theory that the Symphonies of Predestination of the countless deceased in the Ultimate had gathered into, the essence that had remained after undergoing refinement by the Holy Cauldron.
As everyone gazed at it, the blood-colored music theory rose and turned into a mist of rain, sprinkling down from the air. But it passed through each person’s body and fell on the ground on the Ultimate.
It was like a phantom.
The phantom blood sank into the bottommost layer of the Ultimate, irrigating the catastrophe that was being nurtured. Then, the huge city quaked violently.
Innumerable ruins rapidly restored themselves.
It was as if tens of thousands of invisible workers had begun to carry out the process of construction rapidly, The gaps on the broken roads were closed once more, the collapsed walls were re-erected, and the dilapidated buildings were restored to their original shape.
Although they were still covered in the traces left by age, were full of weeds, and looked to be in an unparalleled state of decline, they had taken a step towards restoring themselves to an intact state.
For some reason unknown, the style of design of the post-restoration landscape, the countless buildings, and the huge city… seemed to have gotten closer to that of the Sacred City.
It was probably the infection of the catastrophe by the Holy Cauldron. When the restoration of the city was totally complete and the catastrophe was born, the city would have probably become exactly the same as the Sacred City.
And right in the middle of the city, amid countless broken bricks and tiles, a huge foundation quietly emerged.
It was like the foundation of a great palace.
And in the disorderly foundation, a ray of light rose upwards.
The light paused in the sky, and everyone got to see it clearly.
It was a fragment.
It was as if an ancient sundial was broken and the stone plate had fallen apart. One third of it revealed itself in the sky and hung high above the sky.
Pay attention to the stone plate.
Ye Qingxuan subconsciously remembered the words with no rhyme or reason that Liu Ran had spoken to him, and in a flash, he came to a sudden realization…
— The core of the catastrophe!!!
In an instant, everyone’s eyes had turned green with desire.
Innumerable hidden aether waves suddenly rose upwards, like hundreds and thousands of stars that had suddenly emerged from the night, emitting dazzling light.
Then, a jaw-droppingly bright star appeared from within, and fiery bursts of light spilled down.
A scepter musician!
A scepter musicians had acted!
Huge elements rose from within the city. Countless music theory integrated with each other, the Symphony of Predestination that had combined with the elements was exalted and became a scepter. The scepter composed of music theory showed its corporeal form in the Physical World.
A majestic sun emerged.
Innumerable streaks of lightning and a horrifyingly great amount of heat were emitted from it, a loud rumble sounded, and a ghastly green light radiated from within, illuminating everyone who was nearby and making their hairs stand on end, as if tens of thousands of long needles were poking them.
It was an illumination that resembled the Iron of Decay.
The ghastly green light shrouded over the head of everyone who dared to approach it, as if someone was loudly shouting ‘Of course you should choose to forgive her!’ in their ears [1]. But what emerged in their hearts was not rage, but fear.
Wagon of Burke, the scepter musician!
He was the most talented genius of the school of modifications, a shadow that had been shrouding over countless musicians for centuries. He was widely recognized as the musician with the greatest destructive power, the genius who had combined the element of fission.
It was why the School of Rock and Iron, which he was based in, was crowned as the strongest.
His title was the Wagon of Burke.
— Nora Guy!
Amid the fierce light of destruction, the ghastly green sun rose, and a phantom shadow emerged from within. It reached out and grabbed the fragment of the stone plate.
Just by appearing, he had crushed everyone’s probing attempts. The musicians who were too impatient to wait and flew into the sky melted as a result of being burned by the sun. Before they could even land, they had turned into piles of ashes which were blown away by the wind.
But before the stone plate fell into his hands, a crown of glory appeared out of thin air.
Schubert, the saint.
Amid the music of the mighty movement, everything was frozen, and the cold wind swept across the entire Ultimate in an instant. In the sky, even the air was frozen by the terrifying coldness.
But in the blink of an eye, the cold turned into a furnace once more.
It was the clash between two of the most talented experts of the school of modifications of the current generation. The afterwinds they stirred up swept across the Ultimate.
Despite the suppression of the Ultimate, the scale of the fight was still terrifying. Horrifying cold waves and fiery winds alternated with each other. Without the protection of his shield, Ye Qingxuan would have probably been completely frozen at the very first moment, or had his lungs burn into charcoal.
Then, the third scepter musician joined the battlefield.
The fight intensified once more.
[1] The author is referring to a Chinese saying that literally translates as “wear the green hat”. If one is said to have worn the green hat, it means that one’s significant other has cheated on one. The line ‘Of course you should choose to forgive her!’ is a sarcastic attempt to criticize bystanders who often deal more damage to those who have been betrayed by their significant other with their insensitive words. It has since become fairly well-known among Chinese netizens and can be used in various contexts.
645 Strange Circumstances
The entire sky was like a boiling pot of soup. Countless beams of rainbow streaked across the sky as terrifying booms continued to be heard. In the blink of an eye, the battle has been escalated to a level that ordinary people could no longer be able to participate in. Despite standing at such a long distance away, Ye Qingxuan was still able to sense the earth-shattering clashes through Jiu Xiao Huan Pei. Countless music theories were produced and destroyed rapidly, just like constellations that have extinguished and reborn once again. The movements were stacked in one place while being entangled by countless melodies, as wind and fire were unleashed together seamlessly.
Despite facing the onslaught from two Scepters, Schubert’s rhythm remained steady and unchanged, like the resilient reef hidden within the crashing waves. The situation might seem chaotic, but it was slowly but surely becoming more controlled. When faced with such an enemy, the more one tried to attack, the more one would feel powerless, yet this was the only way. Once the initiative has been lost, one would lose the battle completely. Battles between man against two Scepters were as such.
“That’s really impressive.” Ye Qingxuan sighed softly before turning back, “Why is it that everyone likes to scare people from the back nowadays?”
There was nothing behind him. There was no one on the quiet and empty street either.
“I hate this kind of suspense.” Ye Qingxuan sighed and rubbed his eyebrows impatiently, “Or do you actually think you can really hide yourself from me? Naberius…”
Flames lit up and danced in the pair of eyes, creating a contrast against the fleeting black figure. An awkward laughter could be heard. Black smoke appeared out of thin air, wriggling like a snake. Soon after, the clear sounds of something expanding could be heard as bones and muscles and finally fresh blood appeared. In the end, a naked man walked out of the black smoke and shortly after, grand and majestic clothes grew out from his body before a black top hat appeared at last.
“My dear friend, your most loyal friend, Naberius, is here at your command.” The man smile and used his finger to push up his hat, “I was full of confidence in my Symphony of Predestination, so much so that even the Religious Court of Inquiry should not have been able to find me. Alas, I am still unable to hide from you, even if it has become half-aether. Can you tell me where did I go wrong?”
“No, your movement is fine. Even the Religious Court of Inquiry would not have been able to detect you.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head, “The problem lies with you.”
People with intelligence only needed to be told once. Naberius was stunned for a while before realization dawned on him. He shook his head, “I almost forgot. You are the savior who killed Leviathan personally. This suit of body has usurped the bloodline of Leviathan, so naturally I won’t be able to hide it from you.”
Ye Qingxuan did not respond, except to nod faintly, “It’s a good idea.”
Indeed. Regardless if the Leviathan blood was created from Firebird and the blood of Mordred, or it was used as a foundation for an unknown number of demon bloodlines and music theories, a brand new body was created eventually. Without question, Naberius’ talent was top-notch and his techniques and intelligence were also perfect. Other than the fact that he was a Dark Musician, there were no other problems.
The Chief Inquisitor of the Religious Court of Inquiry and the most talented Dark Musician of the past century have finally met within the Ultimate, yet there was no killing or shouting between them. Both of them stood far apart, keeping a safe distance between each other as they tried to stop themselves from thinking of sneaking an attack on the other. They behaved like long-lost friends who have finally met once more. They asked about each other in a cordial manner.
“It has been so long. You seem to be in good spirits.” Naberius looked at him, “Have you gotten used to the music theory that I gave you previously?”
“Not too bad.” Ye Qingxuan was grateful, “It was a great help when I was combining the music theory of Hyakume.”
“That’s good to hear.” Naberius seemed to genuinely pleased, “I was right all along. You should have become a Dark Musician.”
“Surely we don’t have to go through all this all over again?” Ye Qingxuan replied casually, “But, should you decide to come over to the good side, I can leave a place for you in the Religious Court of Inquiry.”
Naberius seemed tempted, “And if I ask for the title of a ‘Bishop’?”
“It can be considered,” Ye Qingxuan replied with all seriousness.
“That’s all?” Naberius frowned, “That’s not good enough, Mr Ye. If you come over to my side, I can make sure that you are on the same level as me! Can’t you see the difference?”
Ye Qingxuan countered, “Do you think a sane person would rather join the Religious Court of Inquiry or become a Dark Musician?”
Naberius was unmoved, “No, any sane person would probably not consider either of those choices?”
“Oh, you’re right.” Ye Qingxuan smiled with a shrug, “Does that mean that I have been rejected?”
“Don’t come to a conclusion so quickly, my friend.” Naberius smiled, “Let me think for a while more.”
“Then I look forward to hearing from you soon.” Ye Qingxuan smiled, “See you again?”
“See you again.” Naberius bade his farewell.
Ye Qingxuan took two steps back before turning around to leave. Only Naberius was left alone to remain standing on his spot.
After a long time, he sighed softly as a roar could be heard in the sky. He raised his head and looked at the spot that Ye Qingxuan was standing a while ago.
“Why didn’t you strike?”
There was a rolling of mist in the air as a blurry figure appeared. It was a young person wearing a green robe with smooth and white skin. It looked androgynous but there was a strange beauty about it. It was clearly human in form yet it did not feel human.
“He knew I was here.” Paganini, who was previously saint but now a dark minister, calmly said, “He was on his guard against you. When the both of you began to speak, he was on high alert.”
Naberius frowned, “He was able to discover your presence?”
“Impossible.” Paganini was extremely confident. “The problem lies with you.”
Naberius stayed silent for a long time before laughing out of the blue. His laughter was full of self-deprecation.
“It was… probably just a guess?” He finally figured out what was the problem. Before the fall of Hyakume, he had struck an agreement with Ye Qingxuan that he would hand over all the research he has done on the music theory of Hyakume to the him, and in exchange, Ye Qingxuan would lend his Clothes of Original Sin to Naberius to study for a day. Yet when they were talking about the old times just now, Naberius did not seem too concerned about the Clothes of Original Sin nor too interested in the Changing Music Theory. Anyone with a hint of intelligence would know that this was impossible.
There was only one possible conclusion: He no longer needed the Clothes of Original Sin because he has already gotten his hands on Changing Music Theory. This body, w
hich was created from the bloodlines of countless demons, was proof of that. Aside from the Clothes of Original Sin, the only way to obtain the secret of Changing Music Theory was from the hands of its creator, Paganini. Changing Music Theory was such a formidable weapon that even Masters might not be willing to pass it down to disciples. The fact that Naberius has managed to get his hands on Changing Music Theory could only mean that he was on very good terms with Paganini…
“He managed to guess so many things just from a moment of neglect.” Naberius covered his face, before revealing a strange expression on his face. “The Chief Inquisitor has become more and more terrifying. Perhaps, we should have forced him to stay just now.”
“Don’t worry.” Paganini was calm, “One person cannot possible change what was happening around the world. I never thought it would be possible to strike off two names on the list in one go anyway.”
He paused and squinted his eyes in the direction of the core of the battle, “He will be in the second sequence. There is still time. We will get our chance.”
The battle lasted for 10 minutes. The Wagon of Burke was the first casualty. Despite joining forces with another Scepter, they were still unable to go against the movement of Schubert. The outcome of the battle was decided the moment the melody of “Unfinished Symphony” was played. But Schubert did not go after the kill. After defeating the two Scepters and gaining control of one-third of the stone plate, the Scepters remained frozen in mid-air.
Five minutes passed.
10 minutes passed.
Half an hour passed…
Everyone looked at each other. They had no clue what Schubert was thinking. Even Ye Qingxuan could not understand what was going on. But for some reason, he felt uneasy and he has been feeling this way since his encounter with Naberius just now. Even if he ignored the fact that Naberius somehow managed to find his way into the Ultimate, the battle between Scepters was something very rare for musicians and should be something that everyone should be paying undivided attention to.
But Ye Qingxuan noticed that Naberius has been looking at him from the very beginning. He did not seem to care about the battle taking place in the sky, as if he already knew what the outcome would be.