This voice rang out in everyone’s ears, sounding both like a bird and the tinkling of bells. Just hearing that voice could make a person feel like they were floating in the clouds.
Everyone hastily turned to see that at some unknown point, a large stage had appeared at the front of the hall.
There was a zither rest on the stage, and on it was a simple and unadorned zither. A woman in a white veil and white robes was sitting beside the zither. She appeared like a lotus blooming out of the water, untouched by the dust of the mortal world. That voice had come from her.
“You’re all very fortunate. Elder sister Zi Yan is our Immortal Intoxication Building’s top expert in the Music Dao. Even we don’t normally get a chance to listen to her play,” said Yu Tong.
When Zi Yan appeared, Yin Wushang’s pupils shrunk. He sensed a strange aura from her body. He and Yin Qing found a place to sit, temporarily putting aside their grudge with Long Chen.
“The sun and moon are not whole; heaven and earth are imperfect. What is the point of struggling back and forth? I will be so bold as to play a song for everyone. I hope everyone can properly reflect on it!”
Zi Yan slowly extended her hands, brushing gently upon the zither.
Twang! Long Chen felt his own heart jump slightly along with that zither sound.
Three more notes rang out. Long Chen suddenly felt as if he was being drawn into that beautiful music.
“What a terrifying control! A single note from her zither can probe a person’s pulse, and from that, she adjusts the rhythm to draw you in. This woman is much more profound than Yu Tong.”
As Zi Yan played her zither, even Long Chen, who didn’t know the slightest thing about music, felt incomparably comfortable. This was a kind of musical meditation that delighted the heart.
As the music played, Long Chen saw a scene before him: mountains spreading into the distance, crystal-clear water flowing to and fro, birds singing in trees. That beautiful scene was something a person couldn’t have the heart to destroy.
In this scene, Long Chen felt a rare pleasure and peace within him. At that moment, he forgot all his vexation, all his fury. He immersed himself in this world.
Peace, warmth, not the slightest struggle. Everything was tranquil and harmonious, comforting and natural. It was a wonderland without the struggles of the mundane world. Long Chen immersed himself within a green field, enjoying the feeling.
Suddenly, the birds flew away in a panic. Countless fierce Magical Beasts appeared and charged in Long Chen’s direction. Looking at those Magical Beasts, Long Chen didn’t feel the slightest panic. He allowed them to run past his side.
He knew this was all an illusion, just an artistic realm this white-robed woman was showing him.
Once those Magical Beasts rushed past his side, the scene changed again. Those Magical Beasts appeared in a human city, crazily attacking people.
The city’s army was defending as best as they could, but these Magical Beasts were too fierce. Blood and flesh flew through the air. Countless miserable screams and wails came from the city.
Long Chen stood on the city wall, watching this bloody scene. For some unknown reason, this scene gradually began to transform into Phoenix Cry’s capital.
Long Chen even saw Shi Feng, fatty Yu, and Shou Hou’s figures. They were brandishing their weapons. Even in the face of these Magical Beasts they had no chance of defeating, they still fought.
“Even knowing this is all fake, I still can’t bring myself to just watch you all die in front of me.”
Long Chen took out a saber. With a single slash, those Magical Beasts were all killed and disappeared.
“Chen-er, you’ve returned! Thank goodness. Otherwise, the capital wouldn’t have been able to hold on.” Long Tianxiao looked at Long Chen with gratification.
Seeing these figures before him, Long Chen felt a burst of warmth within him. After being parted for so long, he didn’t know how his father and mother were now.
“Chen-er, where are you? Are you still alive? Mom and dad miss you…” Suddenly, a voice rang out in Long Chen’s mind.
“That’s enough! Stop before you go too far!”
Long Chen coldly shouted and smashed a fist forward. The space around him broke, and the entire scene disappeared.
Twang!
A strange sound rang out, and the zither music came to a sudden halt. Only now did everyone wake up. Some people were completely shocked, not knowing what had happened. They felt as if they had been dreaming.
But in that dream, they had seen many things, things that were related to them. They hastily looked over to Zi Yan.
They saw her motionless, her hand holding a zither string that had snapped.
“My skills are still not refined enough. I’ve caused everyone to laugh,” she apologized.
“Many thanks for this great favor! It felt like I had lived through my life again, and I’ve benefited greatly! I am truly endlessly grateful.” Quite a few people stood up to thank her. Long Chen didn’t know what they had seen, but it seemed they had comprehended many things.
“Everyone is too courteous. Right now, I feel a bit unwell, so I’ll take my leave first.” After saying that, she turned and disappeared behind the zither stage.
When that woman returned to the private room, before the pavilion master could say a word, she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Zi Yan!” cried the pavilion master.
Zi Yan’s veil fell from her face, revealing her incredibly beautiful complexion. She had picturesque eyebrows, a jasper nose, cherry lips, and a face that was like fine jade. However, her face was now slightly pale.
“Pavilion master, I’m fine. I just suffered a slight backlash,” explained Zi Yan.
“A backlash?”
“Yes. When I played the Heart Reincarnation Song, everyone entered that reincarnation realm. Only Long Chen stayed at the edge the entire time, unwilling to enter.
“I focused my spiritual music energy on him, but I didn’t expect his heart to be so firm. When I tried to draw him into the reincarnation, it seemed to have touched upon something that deeply aggrieved him.
“He actually forcibly escaped from my realm, and being caught off guard, my mind received a heavy shock. The backlash also snapped one of my strings.” Zi Yan was still shocked.
“Did you see his secrets?” asked the pavilion master.
“No. I didn’t deliberately try to pry. I just wanted to draw him into the reincarnation, letting him relive his life. But he had only just begun to enter that realm when he forcibly escaped. It seems his heart is hiding many things that he doesn’t want others to know about,” said Zi Yan.
Although she hadn’t deliberately pried, she could still sense that at that time, she had touched something that pained Long Chen greatly. When playing that song, she had connected her mind to Long Chen’s. The change in Long Chen’s emotions was something she had clearly experienced.
“This Long Chen is a dangerous person. Zi Yan, you should stay away from him as much as possible to avoid having your Dao-heart influenced,” sighed the pavilion master.
“Pavilion master, do you still remember what my master said when she told my fortune? She said I would run into a devil star in my lifetime, and that would change my entire fate. One thought might turn me into a god, and another thought might turn me into a devil. It is all predestined.” Zi Yan looked at the image on the wall.
“Then you mean…”
“I’m not sure. But when I touched Long Chen’s inner heart just now, my mental realm also became chaotic, and I was unable to maintain a peaceful heart. I bitterly focus my cultivation on my mental realm, and even my master said that my mental realm is something rarely seen. However, with just one brief interaction with Long Chen, my mental realm was broken. It really is hard to believe…” said Zi Yan.
“Could you have made a mistake? How could Long Chen be your devil star? Don’t deceive yourself,” said the pavilion master.
“Master’s cultivation base has reached Heaven Merging. Her Music Dao can peer into the Heavenly Daos, and with her all-encompassing perception, she rarely makes a mistake. However, whether or not my devil star is Long Chen is unknown for now. I need to wait and see,” said Zi Yan.
“How about I go kill Long Chen? Then it won’t influence you.” The pavilion master clenched her teeth.
“You can’t. You know that if Long Chen really is my devil star, killing him will invoke karma. You’ll be consigned to eternal damnation.” Zi Yan shook her head.
“Zi Yan, you are a peerless genius. I couldn’t bear to see him ruin you. This little sacrifice is worth it,” said the pavilion master determinedly.
“Thank you for the thought, but this matter has to be handled by me. When master said one thought could turn me into a god, and one thought could turn me into a devil, she meant that the choice was in my own hands.
“If I kill my devil star, I will become a god. If I can’t kill my devil star, I will end up sinking with my devil star onto the devil path.
“In any case, the initiative is in my hands. Right now, it’s still unknown whether Long Chen is my devil star. I can’t act rashly. After I can confirm it, I will personally kill him and continue cultivating my Music Dao. Then my future will be an unobstructed path!”
The pavilion master looked from Zi Yan to Long Chen’s image reflected on the wall. A trace of unease appeared in her eyes, but she could only watch. This was Zi Yan’s own fate.
Once Zi Yan left, Long Chen felt a strange emotion arise in his heart. It was very odd, and he was unable to tell what that emotion was.
“It’s getting late. Many thanks miss Yu Tong for your warm hospitality. We’ll say our goodbyes now.” Long Chen felt that it was about time, and he had already stood up to leave.
That stunned Yu Tong and the others. It seemed this was the first time anyone took the initiative to say goodbye to them. For others, saying even an extra sentence to them was precious. It was only Long Chen who didn’t feel reluctant to leave this place.
However, Yu Tong didn’t display that. She magnanimously said, “You’re welcome to visit again.”
“Hehe, I don’t really know how to talk that well. Today, my words were a bit contrary. I hope miss Yu Tong will forgive me. I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.” Long Chen cupped his fists to Yu Tong. After all, releasing his fury on her had been a bit too much.
After saying goodbye, Long Chen began walking towards the exit. When he walked past Yin Wushang’s table, Yin Wushang suddenly said, “Long Chen, properly enjoy your final moments.”
Long Chen didn’t even glance at him, nor did he slow down. He lightly threw out, “If you want to die, you can come find me at any time. I will quickly, conveniently, and painlessly send you to another world.”
Yin Wushang immediately felt like he had been slapped in the face. Killing intent erupted from him, but he still endured.
“It’s Yin Wushang, right?” Mo Nian suddenly paused by Yin Wushang’s side.
“What is it?”
“Ah, nothing. I just want to say, if you want to die, you can go find him at any time. He will quickly, conveniently, and painlessly send you to another world. I was just afraid you didn’t hear, so I helped repeat it for you. There’s no need to thank me!”
Mo Nian followed Long Chen away. Mu Xue and the others hastily kept up, leaving behind a black-faced Yin Wushang.
“Hehe, Long Chen, I feel like you really have talent when it comes to pissing people off.” Once they were out of the Immortal Intoxication Building, Mo Nian patted Long Chen’s shoulders and gave him a thumbs-up.
Long Chen was about to say that he was overpraising him when a familiar figure suddenly appeared in the distance. A powerful force abruptly pushed him, and Long Chen involuntarily flew towards that person.