Emperor of the Mysterious Heavens

Chapter 76: Chapter 048 Playing the piano

To scale the highest peak, one can view all the surrounding mountains as mere foothills!

Yao Tianshang stood atop the pinnacle of the Forbidden Palace, his gaze coldly fixed on the distant Immortal Palace to the south.

"Wang Zhu," Yao Tianshang sneered.

The yellow-haired man sitting cross-legged nearby immediately nodded. "Yes, my lord!"

With that, his hands gently rested on the ancient zither, poised as if ready to play.

In Pingshan Tower, Wen Ruo had just departed, leaving Jiu Jian Sheng and the others gathered once more.

"Eight fingers?" Jiu Jian Sheng's face turned to shock as he glanced at the yellow-haired man stroking the zither in the distance.

"He's a spider demon," Yan Chuan said gravely.

"A spider demon? A powerful demon from the Void Realm?" Jiu Jian Sheng's expression shifted dramatically.

Indeed, it was the Void Realm. Yet, what concerned Yan Chuan more was Yao Tianshang. The spider demon's subservient posture spoke volumes of his complete submission to Yao Tianshang.

With a mere flick of his wrists, Wang Zhu's hands swept over the zither, and an urgent, piercing melody echoed instantly.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The sound, sharp as needles, rang throughout Liangjing in an instant.

"Ah!"

"My ears!"

"I can't hear anything!"

...

Countless citizens fell to the ground, writhing in agony.

In the Immortal Palace, a rooftop suddenly exploded.

"Boom!"

From every corner of the palace, cultivators soared into the sky, their faces filled with shock as they looked towards the Forbidden Palace's peak. None could believe someone would dare provoke the Son of Heaven so boldly.

"This is... a sound attack?" Jiu Jian Sheng murmured in astonishment.

From the Immortal Palace, about two hundred cultivators ascended, drawing their swords with grim faces.

Atop the grandest palace stood ten figures. Seven of them sat cross-legged with zithers resting on their knees, while the central three held commanding positions.

At the forefront was a man robed in gold, a crane-shaped golden crown perched on his head. His eyes were as cold as ice, and his demeanor carried the air of someone who viewed the world beneath him as insignificant. His presence was overwhelming, flanked by two subordinates in purple robes.

"Yao Tianshang! You dare come here?" the man in the golden crown asked, his voice deep and cold.

At the peak of the Forbidden Palace, Yao Tianshang's face flashed with pride. "Why wouldn't I dare? Gu Yue, this time, I've come to offer you merit!"

"Merit?" The Son of Heaven, Gu Yue, replied with a frigid tone.

"Indeed. Wang Zhu, begin!" Yao Tianshang ordered.

"Yes!" A wicked smile crept across Wang Zhu's face.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Wang Zhu's hands danced across the zither, sending powerful sound waves rolling through the air like massive white waves, sweeping towards the Immortal Palace.

"Rumble!"

Layer after layer of sound waves swept through the sky, unleashing an unprecedented storm upon Liangjing. Under the zither's influence, countless buildings collapsed.

"Ah!"

"My head hurts!"

"It's unbearable!"

...

Unable to withstand the overwhelming sound, people screamed in agony, rolling on the ground.

"Seven Zither Servants!" Gu Yue commanded.

"At once!" The seven zither masters immediately began plucking their strings.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The seven zithers played in unison, generating sound waves that clashed with Wang Zhu's assaulting melody.

"Boom!"

When the opposing waves met, they collided with a deafening roar, forming a massive storm at the point of impact. The resulting shockwave swept across the city, its fury shaking everything in its path.

"Rumble!"

The entire city of Yan collapsed, even Pingshan Tower trembled as screens within fell over. Terrified patrons fled the building in panic.

"Is this all the famed Seven Zither Servants can do? Ha! Let me, Wang Zhu, show you what real music is!" Wang Zhu sneered.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

With a sudden shift in tone, Wang Zhu's melody surged, amplifying the force of his sound waves tenfold. His zither notes overpowered the combined efforts of the Seven Zither Servants.

Amid Wang Zhu's sound waves, bright streaks of light began to appear.

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

...

From the overwhelming sound came the manifestation of gleaming blades, numbering in the millions. These ethereal blades swiftly converged and surged towards the Immortal Palace.

"Go! Let the storm rage on! Hahaha!" Wang Zhu laughed maniacally.

"Rumble!"

The ocean of blades, formed from zither notes, swept forward like an unstoppable storm, crashing towards its target.

The blades cut through the air, their sound sharp and unbearable.

"Shriek!"

Countless people, their hearing destroyed, clutched their heads in agony. Even the cultivators who had taken to the skies earlier now fell, vomiting blood as they plummeted back to the ground.

"Clang... clang..."

The zither's sound reverberated through every corner of Liangjing, encompassing the entire city in its deadly embrace.

"Ah!"

From the rear courtyard where Yan Chuan stood, came the anguished cries of the Jinyi Army.

Three thousand soldiers, their ears ringing in pain, writhed on the ground.

"My ears! It's unbearable!" the Three Sword Masters screamed in agony.

"Covering them does no good; the sound bypasses the ears and penetrates the mind!" Yan Chuan said, his face grim.

"Your Majesty, I can't take it any longer!" Liu Jin collapsed to the ground in agony.

"The Indestructible Ming Wang Seal—use the Heart Seal!" Yan Chuan commanded.

"Yes!" Liu Jin struggled to form the seal, his body trembling as beads of sweat rolled down his face. But once the seal was completed, his suffering eased slightly, though the pain remained intense.

"Your Majesty!"

Huo Guang, leading three thousand Jinyi soldiers, painfully stumbled in front of Pingshan Tower.

"Use the Indestructible Ming Wang Seal, Heart Seal!" Yan Chuan repeated.

"Yes!"

Huo Guang and the soldiers quickly formed the seals, struggling to suppress the demonic sound.

"Help! Save us!"

"My ears!"

...

In Liangjing, it wasn't only the common folk who suffered. Countless cultivators clutched their ears in unbearable pain.

The million-blade storm created by Wang Zhu's zither melody swept across Yan, surging toward the Immortal Palace.

The Seven Zither Servants looked terrified, their fingers frantically playing faster and faster.

"Buzz!"

Their combined melody created a massive, semi-spherical barrier, shielding the palace from the onslaught.

"Rumble!"

The storm of blades clashed with the barrier, generating a thunderous impact that shook the heavens and overwhelmed everything in its path.

The sheer force of the clash reverberated across the city. Citizens lay on the verge of death, Void Realm cultivators writhed on the ground, and even Qi Realm cultivators were overwhelmed with pain, desperate to escape but unable to find refuge. Escaping into the sky only brought more intense waves crashing down upon them, forcing many to fall to the ground, blood streaming from their mouths.

"Spurt!"

"Spurt!"

...

One by one, the Seven Zither Servants spat out blood onto their instruments, clearly reaching their limits.

"Hahaha! I've yet to show you my true power, and you still dare call yourselves Zither Servants?" Wang Zhu's laughter rang out, full of arrogance.

At that moment, Wen Ruo arrived at the Immortal Palace.

"Wen Ruo, play!" Gu Yue ordered.

Although Gu Yue himself was unaffected by the zither's sound, this was a battle between his subordinates, and his attention remained fixed on Yao Tianshang. He had no time to intervene directly.

"Your Highness, I am not proficient with the zither, but I will do my best," Wen Ruo replied with a wry smile.

Seating himself cross-legged, Wen Ruo took out a zither of his own.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

As Wen Ruo's melody began, the Seven Zither Servants seemed to be infused with newfound strength. The situation, once dire, now saw a slight turn for the better.

With Wen Ruo's playing, the protective barrier around the palace grew stronger, but it remained purely defensive.

"Ah!"

Jiu Jian Sheng and the others continued to writhe in agony.

"Like Huo Guang, use the Indestructible Ming Wang Seal!" Yan Chuan instructed.

"Understood!" The Seven Sword Masters and Jiu Jian Sheng quickly followed Huo Guang's example, forming the seals in an attempt to resist the demonic sound.

Yan Chuan's mind, strengthened by his past life's imperial will, allowed him to resist the invasive sound without much difficulty.

Meanwhile, Pingshan Tower shook violently, though strangely, it grew more stable with each passing moment.

Curious, Yan Chuan scanned the surroundings, noticing something out of place.

"The zither melody!" Yan Chuan muttered. "It's resonating with the dragon veins beneath the earth!"

With a sudden realization, Yan Chuan took off towards the tower's rooftop.

To be continued...