At the east city gate tower of Silver Moon City:
Mu Chenfeng stood at the top of the city gate tower with two subordinates, looking at the distant sea.
“I wonder, how is the zither bestowal event going?” one of Mu Chenfeng’s subordinates said with a frown.
“Division Master, you made a wise decision. Since there are sin dragons causing trouble there, holding the zither bestowal event there would be very dangerous. I heard that they even sealed off the Silver Moon Sea. The people in there cannot come out.”
“Indeed, Milord. Although that Gu Hai is quite capable, what can he do against the sin dragons? The current hall master is nowhere comparable to the previous hall master. If Milord had gone, what if…,” the other subordinate said.
Mu Chenfeng looked into the distance and remained silent for a while before saying, “I’m starting to regret.”
“Huh?”
“I should have entered with the hall master. Hah!” Mu Chenfeng sighed.
——
Silver Moon Sea:
One hundred bronze statues frantically chased Gu Hai’s flying ship, not resting for even a moment. They managed to surround Gu Hai several times, but he managed to escape, having close brushes.
“This can’t go on like this. The flying ship will eventually run out of energy, and I will be tired as well. The flying ship also cannot endure many more intense impacts.” Gu Hai frowned as he fled.
One million fighter jets chasing after him. If he dragged this out, it would just be seeking trouble.
Enter the sea? What a joke! If Gu Hai did that, he would not be as fast as the bronze statues. Furthermore, he discovered that the bronze statues did not track him with their eyes but by their senses.
The bronze statues could sense Ensnaring Performance’s soul, so hiding would be useless.
Set up a ritual array for defense? The earlier ritual array on the island was very strong. Even so, the bronze statues had broken it. What ritual array could withstand them?
However, Gu Hai could not flee. Perhaps he could break the barrier sealing the sea. However, would the bronze statues give him time to do that?
“Huh? The barrier? I have an idea!” Gu Hai’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“What? What idea? Do you really have an idea?” Ensnaring Performance’s soul stared at Gu Hai with an expression of pleasant surprise.
Gu Hai responded with a look of disdain.
“Don’t shun me. I do sing very well. Do you have an idea? Do you really have an idea? Can I help with anything?” Ensnaring Performance’s soul said excitedly.
“Just shut up, and that will already be of great help,” Gu Hai said coldly.
After thinking of this idea, Gu Hai stopped avoiding the bronze statues.
The countless cultivators in the surrounding islands noticed that Gu Hai’s method of fleeing changed.
“Why is Gu Hai heading to the place with many bronze statues?”
“Indeed. There are no bronze statues over there. Why is he not going there?”
“Something’s not right. Look, the number of bronze statues around Gu Hai is increasing.”
“Indeed. Is he seeking his death? He seems to be gathering the bronze statues?”
This scene confused countless cultivators. Previously, Gu Hai fled all over the place. Now, he remained in one spot, seeming to be waiting for the bronze statues to congregate there.
More bronze statues gathered. Their number reached hundreds of thousands in mere moments.
“Go!”
Suddenly, Gu Hai controlled the flying ship to head in the direction with the most bronze statues.
That scene had countless cultivators goggling.
“Are you crazy? Heavens, are you crazy?!” Ensnaring Performance’s soul cried out in startlement.
Is he seeking death?
Who charges like that? There are more and more bronze statues. How are you going to flee now?
Rumble…!
Indeed, the flying ship crashed into the highest number of bronze statues so far.
Previously, the flying ship only crashed into ten-odd at most before it fled.
This time, the flying ship crashed into eight hundred. Heavy damage appeared on the flying ship’s ritual arrays.
Boom!
The flying ship finally barged out. However, this maneuver significantly damaged the ritual arrays on the flying ship.
The flying ship immediately slowed down.
“It’s over! What should I do? I’m still very young, only one year old. I don’t want to die!” Ensnaring Performance’s soul cried sorrowfully.
“Shut up!” Gu Hai barked with a dark expression.
Whoosh!
The flying ship continued flying.
However, after the last crash, all the bronze statues were now behind Gu Hai.
Previously, the bronze statues were everywhere.
Now, all of them followed behind Gu Hai, covering the sky and looking like a dense cloud as they jostled against each other.
“This is?” Countless cultivators appeared confused.
They saw the flying ship flying straight for the barrier.
“I got it! I got it! Gu Hai wants to use the bronze statues to break the barrier?”
“He gathered all the bronze statues to crash into the barrier together?”
“When one thousand bronze statues crashed into the barrier, the barrier only shook slightly. This time, one million bronze statues will crash into the barrier together?”
Countless cultivators looked at the sky in shock.
Indeed. Gu Hai’s flying ship could not move very fast, resulting in the bronze statues catching up. The barrier was right in front.
“Down!” Gu Hai roared, and the flying ship suddenly veered down towards the sea. However, the flying ship’s inertia caused it to rub against the barrier.
As the bronze statues were too close and did not expect the flying ship to change direction suddenly, they crashed into the barrier.
One million bronze statues crashed into the barrier at an extreme speed—like one million meteors crashing into a spot in an instant.
Rumble…!
Crack!
A loud sound echoed throughout the Silver Moon Sea, and towering waves surged up in the surrounding waters once more.
A three-kilometer-wide hole appeared at the point of impact.
“It broke! It broke!”
“Look! Gu Hai’s flying ship is flying out!”
“He really broke the barrier?”
Countless cultivators exclaimed. Gu Hai’s flying ship immediately shot out, flying into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
“Roar!”
The one million bronze statues continued in relentless pursuit, roaring as they flew.
“Damn! Big Brother, you are very ferocious. I guessed it long ago; you are boundlessly wise, and I knew that you would have a good idea. Fortunately, I was smart!” Ensnaring Performance’s soul said excitedly.
Phew! Gu Hai let out a drawn-out breath.
“What should we do now? It looks like your flying ship can’t move as quickly any longer. They will be catching up soon?” Ensnaring Performance’s soul said.
“Enter Silver Moon City. Hopefully, the city’s protective ritual array there can defend against this group of bronze statues. Furthermore, the spirit stones powering the flying ships are almost drained. We need to replenish them quickly,” Gu Hai said after taking a deep breath.
“Great minds think alike. I was thinking the same thing. You are as smart as me!” Ensnaring Performance’s soul said excitedly.
Gu Hai gave the yellow fairy another look of disdain.
——
In the Silver Moon Sea:
From an island, Fairy Waner looked at the large hole in the barrier with an unsightly expression as she said, “Humph! You are only capable of small tricks. What is incredible about that? Fraud!”
However, Fairy Waner’s expression suddenly changed. “What? What’s going on?”
Whoosh!
An extremely fine thread suddenly appeared around Fairy Waner, binding her into immobility, causing her body to curl up.
“This is Ensnaring Performance’s artistic conception thread? The manor lord? He tricked us?” Fairy Waner’s expression changed.
——
It was not just Fairy Waner. Sima Changkong, who was on a distant island, also changed. A fine thread appeared around his body and bound him.
“Milord, what happened to you?” one of Sima Changkong’s subordinates exclaimed.
Sima Changkong’s expression changed. “Oh no! Is it Yun Mo? When he used Ensnaring Performance’s artistic conception to wind zither strings around the six hundred zitherists, he said it was so we could catch Ensnaring Performance’s soul. So, he planned this long ago?
“Ah? Why did he do this?”
Sima Changkong’s expression changed suddenly. “Oh no! Could Yun Mo be doing that heaven-defying thing?”
——
On another island:
Lu An fled in fear while bringing Fang Minghou and hid on this island.
The waves in the distance and the one million bronze statues that appeared horrified Lu An further. He cursed Gu Hai in his heart but could not do anything.
“Fang Minghou, wake up!” Lu An looked at Fang Minghou.
Now, countless bloody boils covered Fang Minghou. Just a while ago, he had stopped breathing.
Gasp! “He died?” Lu An had goosebumps.
Just as Lu An was terrified from this, a zither string suddenly appeared around his body and bound him.
“What’s going on? What’s going on? Grandfather, save me!” Lu An immediately cried in horror.
Aside from Gu Hai, who escaped the barrier, zither strings bound all of the zitherists invited to the zither bestowal event.
Buzz!
There seemed to be hundreds of transparent zither strings connecting all the zitherists to Silver Moon Island.
Bang!
The transparent zither strings suddenly turned taut.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The zither strings pulled all the zitherists in the Silver Moon Sea, hauling them to Silver Moon Island.
The zitherists were like large fish hooked by a fishing line as they flew towards Silver Moon Island.
“Ah!”
Many zitherists cried out in horror.
——
A ritual array activated on Silver Moon Island. Fog now covered the place, obscuring the sight of those outside.
The many zitherists were pulled over to the plaza where Ensnaring Performance’s body was.
“No! Yun Mo, what are you doing?”
“I can’t move! Silver Moon Mountain Manor, what are you trying to do?”
“Argh! That hurts!”
The many cultivators pulled back glared at Yun Mo.
At this moment, Yun Mo had a hand on Ensnaring Performance. Ensnaring Performance extended his hand and played the strings in the air. Music rang out as the strings continued to pull zitherists over.
“Cough! Cough! Cough! You evil thing, what are you doing?” the manor lord coughed as he looked at Yun Mo in shock and rage.
At this moment, a golden zither string bound the manor lord.
The Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples stood around, naked determination on their faces.
“Manor Lord, I cannot watch you die. In my ancestor’s zither workshop, there was a heaven-grade zither soul-changing technique. These here are all the best zitherists. Use their bodies and swap in the manor lord’s soul. After changing bodies, Manor Lord can continue living!” Yun Mo said with bloodshot eyes.
“You evil thing, that is a forbidden technique, something that only lifespan cultivators do. That goes against heaven. Don’t do it. Yun Mo, just let me go. Don’t make a big mistake!” the manor lord called out bitterly.
