After the Dragon Turtle came to a stop, at last, no more new dark fissures appeared. Everything gradually returned to being peaceful. However, in the void space, there was a ruined city floating about.
In the void space around it, the cultivators stood staring at the ruined city. Ancient corpses emerged from the grave one by one as the rhythm played. It seemed to be controlling the movement of the ancient corpses. A few of the powerful ancient corpses were still around, standing in different locations. They stared wide-eyed at the surrounding cultivators. It was as though they themselves were cultivators who were still alive.
These ancient corpses released extremely powerful auras. As the rhythm spread outwards, the ancient corpses began to move. They immediately pounced towards the surrounding cultivators.
The power of each ancient corpse was comparable to that of a giant-level figure.
“We must destroy them right away,” someone said. These ancient corpses were originally lifeless. They could only be stopped by destroying them completely.
“Hmm.” The various cultivators nodded their heads in agreement. This time, the cultivators from three major realms were gathered around here. All of them unleashed auras of the Great Path at the same time. For a moment, the power of the Great Path around them rampaged and was extremely frightening. As Ye Futian, who was standing in the distance and did not attack, watched the situation over here, even he could sense the suffocating pressure sweeping outwards.
There was a gigantic tower that came crashing down while unleashing destructive golden divine halos, flattening and shattering everything. Sword rivers annihilated everything within the space. Long dark spears traversed across the darkness. Divine halos of space tore the space apart. In an instant, the attacks of the various cultivators that burst forth simultaneously blocked out the sky. The entire ruined city was blanketed within these attacks. None of the ancient corpses could escape the range of these attacks.
The rampaging power of these attacks came crashing down like an apocalypse might. Huge rumbling noises could be heard. In an instant, the ancient corpses that were charging towards the cultivators were mostly destroyed. They were buried within the ruined city; they could not charge out even if they wanted to.
Jet black fissures appeared in the chaotic space, not settling for a long while. Once everything returned to normal, many ancient corpses had already disappeared, having been completely annihilated.
Only a few powerful ancient corpses remained standing there. The chaotic, destructive power did not manage to destroy them. These ancient corpses were powerful existences that could stand against figures at the level of Renhuang Chen.
In the grave, a light grew brighter and brighter. The rhythm also grew louder and louder. A loud bang could be heard as the grave burst open. A corpse stood on top of the grave. From within it, the formless rhythm surged nonstop into the corpse. It caused the corpse to be circled by halos of the Great Path. As the corpse stood there, a formless pressure swept out. It caused the various cultivators to stand around the ruined city to sense a terrifying pressure acting on them.
Their gazes gradually became serious. The rhythm contained a unique power. It surged into the corpse that had appeared and caused the aura of the corpse to grow more and more powerful. Divine light actually circled around it, and the lifeless corpse seemed to be reborn into a body that was truly alive. Its hair was black as ink, and its skin became smoother. Its features became more defined, as though it had truly been resurrected.
It was not just its features; from its body, halos of rhythm were released that circled around it and enveloped the other ancient corpses. The other corpses immediately lit up with beams of light. When the surrounding cultivators saw this scene, their expressions turned serious. Was this the corpse king?
It seemed that with him as the center, the surrounding corpses all came back to life. Where was this rhythm coming from? Why did it contain such power?
“It is a long-lost Divine Melody. I think I know who is buried within this grave,” claimed someone. The gazes of the crowd immediately shifted towards the speaker. It was Lord Luo from Outer Violet Heaven, a master of a Divine Melody.
This rhythm was a long-lost Divine Melody?
The hearts of the various cultivators stirred. Divine Melodies were created by Great Emperors. Only the melodies created by deity-like existences such as Great Emperors were qualified to be called Divine Melodies. The Nine Great Divine Melodies were all passed down from ancient times.
That meant to say that, as expected, the master in the grave of the ruined city on the Dragon Turtle’s back was an ancient Great Emperor.
Many people revealed contemplative looks. Some people seemed to have realized this. Their expressions changed instantly. Many people did not know about the mystery behind the Divine Melody. They could not help but ask, “Which Divine Melody is it? Who is buried within the grave?”
“It is the Divine Requiem,” said Lord Luo. “It is the most sorrowful Divine Melody among the Nine Great Divine Melodies. It was composed by a prominent figure in ancient times, Shenyin the Great. Once the Divine Requiem is played, the world will be cast into sorrow. It can control the emotions of others, and they will not be able to break free of its grasp. No wonder the cry of the Dragon Turtle was so sorrowful before this.”
Shenyin the Great.
The hearts of the various cultivators trembled. This Great Emperor was also a figure who made it into the annals of history. In the legends, Shenyin the Great was a person who was true to himself. He was obsessed with the Way of Rhythm his whole life and cultivated it to its utmost limit. During his time, he was the top master of the Way of Rhythm. Otherwise, how could his Divine Requiem claim to cast the world into sorrow when played?
“How can it control these ancient corpses then?” someone asked. These ancient corpses seemed to be controlled by the rhythm.
Lord Luo explained, “It is because this is not the true Divine Requiem. Shenyin the Great was the top master of rhythm of his era. He was terrifyingly proficient in musical techniques. It is not unthinkable that he can control ancient corpses. I am more curious as to whether the grave contains more than just the will of Shenyin the Great.” His expression was stern. The surrounding cultivators also revealed strange expressions. They clearly understood what he meant by this.
If only his will were present in the grave, how was it that it could activate the rhythm and control these corpses?
It also seemed to be doing so as it pleased.
However, if it was not just the will of the Great Emperor in the grave, what else was buried there?
It was an astonishing line of thought.
Lord Luo bowed towards the grave and said, “Great Emperor, we stumbled upon this place in the void, so we wanted to explore it. We had no intention of disturbing you.”
When the surrounding cultivators heard Lord Luo’s words, they were shocked. Lord Luo believed that the Great Emperor was still alive?
How was this possible? If a Great Emperor from eons ago was still alive, why hadn’t he appeared in the world sooner? Why did the Dragon Turtle need to wander in the void? If the Great Emperor was still alive, he could have killed them all with a flick of his hand. Why did he need to act in such a roundabout fashion?
“Lord Luo, I believe you are overthinking things,” someone said. The other cultivators clearly did not believe this legendary figure from the ancient era had survived until the present day.
If that were the case, it would be too astonishing.
Lord Luo continued, “Everyone, you seem to have forgotten the mysterious Master of Four Corner Village. Nothing is impossible. After the collapse of the Heavenly Path, it was claimed that the gods had perished. However, can gods truly perish so easily? It might be that they exist in a different form in the world now.” His words caused many people to frown. They seemed to have recalled something!