Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  At the moment, hearing Paganini’s praise, Ye Qingxuan could not help but snicker.

  “Since I am so impressive, why don’t you show some appreciation for my talent and order them to capture me alive?”

  “Do you still have the mood to joke at such a time?” Paganini waved his baton, attacking ferociously. “With people like you, I can only feel at ease when you are dead — Even if you only have one breath left, I can neither sleep nor eat well.”

  “Relax, friend, you hold me in such high regards that even I feel scared.” Ye Qingxuan waved, and countless knives and axes flew out, crushing the figures into pieces, but the shadow behind him suddenly fluctuated. A dark shadow flew out of it, entangling Ye Qingxuan, swelled up, and detonated its Symphony of Predestination…

  Ye Qingxuan’s figure flickered. He turned into a bolt of lightning and broke free of his restraints, but still spat out dark blood in the explosion of music theory.

  Paganini also wasn’t feeling good.

  The illusory projection suddenly paused, and a crack suddenly appeared on his chest, but no blood spewed out.

  Innumerable wisps of mist lingered in it, trying to repair the crack, but they were annihilated by the moonlight and electricity on the wound.

  It was the sword of the moonlight, the technique of which he grasped during the battle with Lancelot.

  It was pure light and pure speed.

  In the past, it still had a weakness of a lack of lethality, but since the qualitative change of aether was completed, the weakness had totally disappeared as well. The only downside was probably the short and potentially deadly interspace before it was cast.

  “See, what did I just say?” Paganini looked down and stroked the crack in his chest, revealing a self-mocking smile.

  His body had been hidden in a small interlayer between the physical world and the realm of aether all this while, and was projected in front of Ye Qingxuan via changing music theory. But at that moment just now, through the projection, Ye Qingxuan’s power surprisingly hurt his actual body.

  In just a few minutes, even though he was disadvantaged, Ye Qingxuan actually found the correct direction to attack amid the changes of the changing music theory…

  Even with an absolute advantage in the comparison of both quantity and quality, Ye Qingxuan still felt like a hedgehog to him. He couldn’t lay his hands on the young man, and the slightest bit of carelessness would result in a hole being poked in him.

  As his gaze grew colder and colder, the melody sounded stranger and stranger.

  It was as if the tens of thousands of melodies had been superposed, but the countless notes were compressed within the same instant. In the blink of an eye, as if countless movements were contained in it, they evolved and unfolded.

  In just a moment, a small point expanded from Paganini’s fingertips, and turned into a fleeting figure behind him.

  Moto Perpetuo!

  It was a terrifying technique that compressed countless changes of music theory in a moment, a horrifying power that could twist time around one’s little finger. It would take only a moment to complete a movement of a few hours long.

  At the moment, as the orchestra played, what relied on the technique of Moto Perpetuo to form was the core of the scepter, the movement that had once forcibly withstood the complete form of the Gate of Heaven.

  — The Witches’ Dance!

  The act of using the word ‘witch’ as its name in itself contained an intention to tarnish and revolt against the music theory of the Sacred City. It cast aside the original idea of distinguishing between good and evil, and demonstrated its power with pure beauty.

  He had slightly detached himself from the music theory of the Holy Cauldron and the abyss, and was no longer bound by common sense, but instead formed a path that only belonged to him.

  It was a path that seeked to plunder external power constantly via changing music theory to achieve success for oneself, and he seeked to achieve the position of god with his own path!

  At the moment, the perfect body he created abruptly changed as the phantom attached itself to it, and it became blurred and huge, as if countless stars had gathered. Hundreds and thousands of hands unfolded, his figure lithe and graceful.

  In the silence, it seemed like someone was dancing and twirling.

  It was breathtaking.

  Just by reaching out, the incorporeal hand held the moon in its palm and abruptly tightened.

  Bang!

  Countless metals wailed forlornly, and the electricity dissipated.

  The anomalous phenomenon formed by Ye Qingxuan’s Symphony of Predestination shattered completely. Then, the changing music theory advanced straight forward, fully controlling Ye Qingxuan’s domain. In the end, the horrifying power abruptly converged.

  Just the pure collision of music theory formed the ultimate destruction pursued by the school of modifications — the annihilation singularity.

  The black vortex instantly ripped Ye Qingxuan’s figure apart and devoured him.

  But in the whirlpool of annihilation, a hoarse laughter rang out.

  Abruptly, a glaring electric light erupted, and countless strands of music theory evolved from it, gathered together, and turned into an incorporeal blade. It compressed, compressed, compressed, and compressed itself further.

  In the end, the blade that seemed to be condensed from black zones had no more color on it, but instead it returned to its original clear and transparent appearance.

  However, the murderous intent contained therein had skyrocketed by hundreds of times.

  What Paganini found to be even more terrifying was the kind of power preserved within that… sufficed to really hurt him.

  He was stunned.

  In the sensing of the changing music theory, he finally understood thoroughly the true essence of Ye Qingxuan’s Symphony of Predestination, the actual core of the strange electricity, Ye Qingxuan’s true desire.

  It was a wildfire-like will and rage that was hidden in the deepest part of him.

  — A desire to negate everything in the past, destroy everything in the past, and bury everything in the past!

  Destroy completely everything old, decaying, and rotting, punish them with thunder and lightning, ignite them with flames, ending them with destruction, and then sprinkle new seeds on them, open up a new world, and establish a new order…

  It was a total negation of all existing music theory.

  It was…

  “Reformation?” Paganini couldn’t help but exclaim.

  The next moment, the sword of reformation whistled as it soared towards him.

  As compared to the Witches’ Dance and the scepter of Paganini, the blade that the Symphony of Predestination had transformed into was as small as a dust particle, but at the moment, the dust tore the layers of palms apart, stubbornly negating all the music theories of the past, completely wiping out everything wherever it passed.

  It traced back to where Paganini was actually located, burning itself, piercing through the layers of the sea of aether, and finally thrusted towards his body!

  Paganini’s eyes widened. He reached out, clenching the blade firmly.

  A sharp noise sounded.

  The blade was smashed, and countless flashes of electricity erupted. From within, Ye Qingxuan’s figure appeared.

  Then, he gave a wave of his hand.

  Smack!

  The echo was loud and clear.

  At the very moment, Sylvaine, Mabel, Chopin, Auden…

  The Ultimate, the sea, underwater, in the sky, on the fleet, on the Stronghold on Sea.

  Anglo, Burgundy, Asgard and even the Sacred City.

  Musicians, saints, demons, catastrophes, oddities…

  Countless beings watching the battle from afar were stunned, and they looked at the red print appearing on Paganini’s face with surprise, going in shock like Paganini.

  It was a… slap in the face?

  In front of the whole world, Ye Qingxuan deftly lifted h
is hand, and just like the countless times he had done so in the past, he gave the enemy a heavy slap in the face.

  Smack!

  The slap that sufficed to crush stone and iron only made a red print on Paganini’s face, leaving clear finger marks, but it smashed Paganini’s dignity and will into pieces.

  In a flash, Paganini reached out and tore all the defenses of Ye Qingxuan apart. He tugged on the incorporeal electricity, and his five fingers balled up, crushing the electricity and returning Ye Qingxuan to his original state. Paganini firmly clutched the young man’s throat.

  Both of Paganini’s eyes were bright red.

  They were like the fire of purgatory.

  “Ye Qingxuan…” he bellowed.

  677 Ultimate Skill

  “My apologies, I didn’t manage to control myself.” Ye Qingxuan’s face turned green as he was barely able to continue, “When I saw your face that looked like neither man or woman, I could not help but…”

  With that, he whistled and sighed contentedly, “How satisfying.”

  “I treated you as my equal by giving you the respect you deserved, yet… this is how you repay me?” Paganini’s face was solemn. The projection of the Witches’ Dance tightened its grip on Ye Qingxuan, so that his music theory and bones were gradually crushed.

  “With your powers, you could have escaped in the first place but now, you are going to lose your life because you have chosen a moment of satisfaction.” Paganini muttered, “You will never understand the bigger picture.”

  “Bigger picture?” Ye Qingxuan was trying to control the tremor of aether as he questioned in a muffled voice, “And you are telling me that you understand it?”

  In that instant, Paganini was stunned and he began to frown. Then, he saw a smile on Ye Qingxuan’s face. That fellow was smiling so widely even as the broken bones have pierced into his lungs and blood was gushing freely out of his wounds.

  Realization suddenly dawned on Paganini. “You have been tricking me?”

  “Ha! Indeed!” Ye Qingxuan laughed, “Someone must be dictating your every move.”

  “What?” Paganini remained composed. “Whatever gave you such an idea?”

  “Do you even have to ask?” Ye Qingxuan shook his head slowly in the cage, as his eyes were filled with disappointment. “Paganini, music theories reflect the user. I understand the Changing Music Theory and I understand you. Changing Music Theory may be very powerful but it will always rely on the circumstances. You can never be the main body. You will always be like a vine that needs to rely on something else for nutrients. This is your biggest weakness.”

  As Paganini’s face became more and more awful, Ye Qingxuan pushed even more, “In other words, this is your pattern. If not for the fact that Hyakume’s death has given you a glimmer of hope of replacing him, you would probably have sought another master on the very same day the abyss fell. Someone must be telling you what to do. He is stoking your ambitions, in hope that you will gain control of the abyss one day and go against the Sacred City. However, this person probably has other ideas as well. You are too narrow-minded and you do not have the ability to control the abyss. Therefore, the moment you gain the abyss is the moment that person will turn you into his puppet and the abyss will become his tool!”

  Smack!

  Ye Qingxuan was stopped suddenly as Paganini drew back his palm slowly. “You may be right, but you will not live to see that day.”

  Ye Qingxuan looked down and could not help but sigh. “Haven’t you realized what is my forte?”

  What was his forte? Without question, it was the ultimate skill of the Ye family – seek help in times of greatest need!

  In that instant, the ring on his finger shimmered. Far away, on the surface of the sea, a beam of golden light was being summoned! It was Firebird! Countless illusions appeared from the Firebird as they sang in praise together, “I give my life to the great and mighty Emperor. May Heaven protect the kingdom and may the Emperor protect me!”

  ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ was played on this foreign land once again as the melody that has been crowned by the Emperor could be heard above the Ultimate. The Chapter of the Golden Victory appeared within the Firebird and the silhouette of the Dragon of Gold could gradually be seen.

  “Firebird? That’s impossible…” Paganini was stunned as he looked at the Firebird that was fast approaching. He knew Ye Qingxuan’s background better than anyone, so naturally, he had also done his research on matters related to Anglo.

  Although there were still some secrets and discrepancies, he could more or less hazard a guess that since Anglo’s homeland defense front could defeat Leviathan, it would definitely be able to go against catastrophe as well. With the addition of the Firebird, Ye Qingxuan would be like a demi god.

  But the homeland defense front has its own weaknesses. A formidable system that relied on the terrain meant that the latter would also be a limitation. The homeland defense front was everywhere on Anglo land but beyond those lands, the prowess of the former would be drastically reduced.

  This was definitely nowhere near Anglo lands. In fact, it was more than a thousand miles away!

  And yet, the power of Firebird was capable of reaching all the way here? Could it be that for the past few centuries, the Anglos have been expanding their lands in secret?

  But very soon, his gaze landed on the surface of the sea and realization dawned on him. Right in the middle of the Royal Navy, above the Sovereign, blinding light shot out of the instruments of harmonious melody and the gigantic machine. It was like a pillar that was supporting and extending into the sky. No wonder!

  “Heaven Ladder!” His face was contorted as he could barely force out those words through gritted teeth.

  –

  At this very moment, it was late at night in Avalon and the entire city was asleep. But the reflection of the city in the sea showed that it was fully lit up like a sun. The bright Firebird spread out like waves, such that the entire surface of the sea was a shimmering golden color. It was the hall of the throne. On the throne, a teenage girl who had been sleeping lightly, opened her eyes as if in response to a call from far away. She held onto the scepter and nodded slightly, “Granted.”

  With that, a booming melody could be heard from the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The Golden Chapter of Victory played with great passion. The illusion of the Beast of Gold appeared from behind her out of thin air. It growled once before turning into light and rose from the surface of the sea with the Firebird. With the long tail of the Firebird trailing behind, it looked like a meteor as it shot towards the Ultimate.

  In the blink of an eye, the homeland defense was right there. But the Beast of Gold did not slow down and increased its speed instead. At the same time, the old and broken fishing boat above the homeland defense suddenly burst open. Beneath the body of the boat, a gigantic structure of instruments of harmonious melody rose gradually. The mysterious instruments of harmonious melody were like a lighthouse that floated on the sea. The only difference was that this lighthouse was sending out deep melodies instead of light!

  It was the repeater of the Net of Aether!

  At this very moment, it was the Ye’s Heaven Ladder music theory that was in operation!

  With Ye Qingxuan’s design, the music theory that has been hibernating in the Ye bloodline for all these years has finally been embedded in the alchemy formations of the Net of Aether to become its main body.

  At this moment, under the influence of the resonating Heaven Ladder, the Beast of Gold blew past with Firebird and leapt towards the next platform.

  A hundred miles away, the merchant ship that has deviated away from its route was slowly getting into its position. New instruments of harmonious melody rose from the cargo ship of East India trading company. They were calling out for the Beast of Gold and transporting the power of catastrophe for him. Hundreds of boats were already in position. The music theory of the Net of Aether extended outwards from the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth as they pa
ssed through one endpoint after another to head towards the Ultimate. Each endpoint was also a resonance.

  The Firebird was like a golden river of light as it passed through the repeater instruments of harmonious melody. The river of light tore through the night as it transported incredible power towards a destination that was far away.

  All the repeaters that the Royal Institute of Research had rushed out in a month were fully used on this region of sea. They guided the Firebird forward, until it dove into the bridge of the Sovereign.

  In that instant, flames shot out and into the embrace of Ye Qingxuan. His aether waves rose steadily as they broke through the level of Master and into the region of Scepter. They did not stop there. They continued rising again and again until finally, they reached the region of catastrophe.

  A blinding halo appeared above Ye Qingxuan’s head, like the crown made from the sun. The figure of the golden hound became more and more concrete, even as it looked down coolly at the Ultimate from the vault of heaven. Ye Qingxuan smiled and stretched out his hand to point at Paganini, “Old Phil, get him!”

  678 The Right Time

  “Get him, Old Phil!” At Ye Qingxuan’s voice, a roar that shook the heavens and the earth rang out.

  A dragon’s roar.

  The golden retriever leapt forward, stepping into the void. His form began to swell, and after three steps he had transformed into a giant gold dragon. A pair of giant wings swept out from his back, breaking through the many layers of The Witches’ Dance’s illusion before picking up Ye Qingxuan’s.

  He turned his head and the dragon’s breath burst out.

  Black fire spewed from the dragon’s mouth. What looked like flames was actually the accumulated essence of destruction. Even light was disintegrated by his chaotic will. All matter and music theory were destroyed by his violent bestial nature and ground into dust.

  After the dragon breathed, the projection of The Witches’ Dance seemed to crawl out of the furnace. It screamed viciously as its flesh began to wriggle as it repaired itself.

  Behind the dragon, Ye Qingxuan’s flesh was rapidly recovering, and his body was whole again.