Emperor of the Mysterious Heavens

Chapter 77: Chapter 049 Broken Sound Disaster

Yan Chuan gracefully flicked his robe and slowly took a seat. A faint smile appeared as he gazed at the man in the black robe.

Entering the cultivation world this time, Yan Chuan's main purpose was to recruit talent. Although this Feng Shui master had neither spoken nor acted yet, Yan Chuan's keen eye instantly recognized his extraordinary nature.

Eager to gather capable people, Yan Chuan honored those with ability, regardless of their status. However, from the man's words, he sensed a distant and unyielding attitude.

Recruit him now?

Absurd!

What right did a low-level cultivator like him have to ask a powerful Feng Shui master to serve him, especially on a path untraveled by anyone?

Since recruiting him was out of the question, there was no need to mention grand ambitions, only to invite ridicule. An unequal conversation was of no value to Yan Chuan—it was better to remain silent.

Still, Yan Chuan sat down, not to persuade him right away, but to establish goodwill, to plant a seed for the future when his strength would be revealed, and then, slowly, he could convince this powerful figure.

Taking another cup of wine, Yan Chuan drank leisurely while watching the battle unfold outside.

The black-robed man raised an eyebrow in surprise. Moments ago, Yan Chuan had introduced himself three times, seemingly trying to build rapport, yet now that he sat, he said nothing?

Curious, the man glanced at Yan Chuan, but his attention quickly shifted to the fierce battle outside.

Atop the Purple Forbidden Peak, the eerie sound of Wang Zhu's zither filled the air, growing louder and more aggressive as he played. The mournful cries of the city below seemed to fade into the background.

Yao Tianshang, standing beside Wang Zhu, sneered.

"Gu Yue, I'm offering you merit here. The lives of everyone in this city depend on your abilities!" Yao Tianshang taunted.

"In the East, the Holy Land of Da Zhao is supreme. Do you really intend to leave your life here, Yao Tianshang?" Gu Yue Shengzi's voice was deep and grave.

"Leave? Who in this vast world can stop me? The treasures of Feng Yao Mountain belong to my demon clan. Make sure to inform the Dao Lords of your Da Zhao Holy Land that the wrath of the demon clan will leave corpses strewn for miles. This city will serve as an example!" Yao Tianshang replied coldly.

"An example? We shall see!" Gu Yue Shengzi snorted.

"Wang Zhu!" Yao Tianshang commanded.

"Yes!" Wang Zhu responded.

With a sudden twist of his hands, Wang Zhu's zither tones became darker, as though war drums were beating.

The air trembled as phantoms began to materialize within the zither's melody. Initially, there had only been long blades, but now, each blade had an owner.

Armored skeletons, their mouths open in silent roars, gripped their swords and charged toward the Immortal Palace in the distance.

A cacophony of bone-chilling screams filled the heavens, as millions of skeletal soldiers surged forward like an unstoppable tide, crashing against the palace's barrier.

The shield, created by the musical defenses of Master Wen Ruo and the Seven Zither Guardians, wavered under the immense pressure, as if on the verge of shattering.

"Ha ha ha!" Wang Zhu laughed maniacally as he played faster and fiercer.

Boom!

Under the powerful sonic assault, countless citizens in Liangjing exploded where they stood. The sound grew ever more intense, and even cultivators in the Qi Realm screamed in agony, rolling on the ground in pain, their suffering growing more unbearable by the second.

Inside Pingshan Tower, Yan Chuan's elite Jin Yi soldiers, despite holding the Indestructible Ming Wang Seal, could barely endure. Their faces twisted in torment, sweat streaming down their bodies. One soldier even began foaming at the mouth.

The Jin Yi army was on the brink of collapse.

With a sudden burst of resolve, Yan Chuan stood up.

These soldiers were the men he had painstakingly trained—he could not allow them to perish here!

"Tiger Battle Formation!" Yan Chuan shouted.

Though suffering greatly, the Jin Yi soldiers were invigorated by Yan Chuan's command. They struggled to their feet, forming a battle array despite their pain.

Blood spilled from their mouths as a dozen soldiers were injured by the sonic onslaught.

Yan Chuan strode to the front of the formation.

With a tremendous roar, blood energy surged from the soldiers' bodies, coalescing into a massive tiger.

Yan Chuan's own blood energy formed the tiger's fierce eyes.

"Wind from the tiger, roar to the heavens!" Yan Chuan bellowed.

In unison, Yan Chuan and three thousand Jin Yi soldiers let out an earth-shaking roar. The crimson tiger, formed of their combined strength, stomped the ground and let out a deafening bellow toward the Purple Forbidden Peak.

The tiger's roar wasn't melodious like the zither's tune—it was wild, primal, as though it sought to tear the heavens apart with sheer brute force.

The roar surged forward like a tidal wave of sound, slicing through layer upon layer of zither vibrations, heading straight for Wang Zhu, who was caught off guard.

"Hmm?" Wang Zhu's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected sonic attack.

Though it wasn't particularly powerful, under normal circumstances, Wang Zhu wouldn't have even bothered to notice it. But now, with his music focused entirely on the front lines, assaulting the Immortal Palace with his army of skeletons, this sudden attack from the side left him vulnerable.

"Courting death!" Wang Zhu's eyes flashed with anger as he flicked his fingers, sending a powerful wave of zither sound to collide with the tiger's roar.

Boom!

The zither wave clashed with the tiger's roar, creating a storm of sound.

The impact shattered the blood tiger in an instant.

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

Three thousand soldiers were thrown back by the backlash, crashing into Pingshan Tower.

Blood sprayed from their mouths as they collapsed, grievously wounded.

Ding!

From the Purple Forbidden Peak, a sharp sound echoed.

Boom!

The army of skeletons exploded, along with the barrier of zither waves protecting the Immortal Palace.

The Seven Zither Guardians spat blood as they were flung through the air.

Though Master Wen Ruo barely withstood the impact, his face turned red from the internal shock, a flicker of surprise in his eyes as he gazed toward the Purple Forbidden Peak.

There, Wang Zhu stood, his expression dark.

He was unscathed, save for the ancient zither in his hands—one of its strings had snapped.

With the string's break, the destructive sonic assault came to an abrupt halt.

Silence fell, and everyone's gaze turned toward Pingshan Tower.

Amidst the devastation, with countless cultivators still writhing in agony, only Huo Guang managed to stagger to Yan Chuan's side, despite his injuries.

Yan Chuan stood before the tower, coldly staring at the Purple Forbidden Peak.

At that moment, all eyes turned to him, including Yao Tianshang's.

Their gazes met.

Yao Tianshang narrowed his eyes.

Though he was a formidable figure, from Yan Chuan's gaze, he sensed an imposing aura, a fierce authority unlike anything he had ever encountered.

How could a mere Qi Realm cultivator possess such a commanding presence?

Yan Chuan, too, narrowed his eyes.

Pride! Absolute pride! In Yao Tianshang's gaze, Yan Chuan saw a level of arrogance he had never witnessed, not even in his previous life.

Yao Tianshang's standing in Yan Chuan's mind instantly rose.

As they locked eyes, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Yao Tianshang, your zither's melody is broken. Have you forgotten what I told you?" Gu Yue's cold voice echoed.

Yao Tianshang shifted his gaze to the distant Gu Yue Shengzi.

With a cold laugh, Yao Tianshang chose not to respond.

"Wang Zhu, we're leaving," Yao Tianshang said indifferently.

"Yes," Wang Zhu nodded.

Before departing, Yao Tianshang cast another glance at Yan Chuan, his brows furrowed in contemplation, before turning and shooting off toward the northwestern Feng Yao Mountains.

In an instant, both Yao Tianshang and Wang Zhu, two powerful Void Realm cultivators, vanished from sight.

The once bustling city of Liangjing had been reduced to ruins. Countless lives were lost, and those who survived were left in agony, with recovery far out of reach.

As Yao Tianshang and Wang Zhu departed, Gu Yue Shengzi's gaze fell on Yan Chuan.

In a flash, Gu Yue Shengzi appeared before Yan Chuan, accompanied by two purple-robed men, who stood expressionless, like his silent shadows.

One after another, other powerful figures arrived.

Yan Chuan glanced briefly at Pingshan Tower.

The black-robed man had already disappeared.

With a furrowed brow, Yan Chuan sighed inwardly, then turned to face Gu Yue Shengzi.

Gu Yue Shengzi surveyed the scene, his eyes narrowing at the sight of so many writhing in pain, confusion evident on his face.

Swish!

Master Wen Ruo appeared nearby.

"Shengzi, this is Yan Chuan, son of Yan Tao," Master Wen Ruo introduced.

"Yan Tao's son? Ha ha ha, like father, like son!" Gu Yue Shengzi scrutinized Yan Chuan with a piercing gaze.

"Gu Yue Shengzi, your praise is excessive," Yan Chuan responded with a faint smile. "But we all know there are no weaklings in this world, only stronger ones."

Gu Yue Shengzi's expression shifted slightly as he stared into Yan Chuan's calm, unflinching eyes.

He chuckled darkly. "You're an interesting man, Yan Chuan. I'll remember you!"

With those words, Gu Yue Shengzi's gaze hardened before he turned and disappeared into the horizon.

In the devastated Liangjing, all that remained was silence.