Silent Crown Chapter 121

Miller wanted to speak but hesitated.

Baro grabbed Ye Qingxuan’s shoulder. “Don’t go. Who knows what they’re planning?”

“Don’t worry.” Ye Qingxuan glanced at Colt and smiled. “Mr. Colt isn’t like that, right?”

Colt smiled without replying. Coldness was hidden inside his emerald eyes.

“Stay here. I’ll be back soon,” Ye Qingxuan said to Sam. “If there are any problems, don’t worry about me. Kill Colt first.”

Sam nodded.

Putting down his bags, Ye Qingxuan walked toward the five musicians. Colt watched as he moved forward step-by-step with an unchanging expression. In the silence, Ye Qingxuan’s footsteps suddenly stopped. He stared at Colt; Colt stared back at him. They exchanged meaningful gazes.

In the short pause, faint animosity appeared in everyone’s eyes and the atmosphere tensed. However, Ye Qingxuan’s smile did not change in that suffocating moment. In the end, Colt sighed regretfully and took a step back. There was a faint sound in the air as if something had disappeared.

Ye Qingxuan continued forward as if nothing had happened. He walked past the two musicians with challenging gazes without a care in the world.

“What a pity,” he whispered as he walked past Colt. “If I were you and was fifty percent sure, I’d act.”

“Revelations musicians never gamble.” Colt’s expression was still cold. “Ye Qingxuan, you still lack too much.”

“No, what I meant was that a fifty percent chance becomes success in my hands.” Ye Qingxuan smiled and looked away. “But not for you.”

Colt seemed to not have heard anything. He did not look back at the youth either. However, his lips pursed and veins bulged on the hand that gripped the cane. His emerald eyes were still cold.

Fearless against those cold eyes, Ye Qingxuan gazed the door behind him. The Eye of Silence scanned every inch. He trailed a finger down the veins of the door. As if studying a precious treasure, he did not overlook any detail. After a long while, he rose and went back.

The three did not relax until Ye Qingxuan returned to the range of Sam’s sound of heart.

“What’s the situation?” Sam asked.

Ye Qingxuan pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the dust on his hands. He looked up and said, “There’s trouble.”

–

Ten minutes later, Ye Qingxuan said, “So basically, there’s only one road ahead of us now. According to the trend of this underground palace, all the tunnels will reach here. In a while, after everyone else is here, it’ll be even more fun before the door.

“The problem we’ll all face is that, compared to the poor civilians and soldiers, the ones behind the door are probably rich and powerful nobles. They won’t be buried so simply, you know?”

Miller reacted first. “Is it an enchantment or a seal?”

“The problem is that it’s both.” Ye Qingxuan jutted his chin at the large stone door. “In Romulusian legends, there’s something called the Hades’ Door. It’s over-reaching like an enchantment and independent like a seal. It should be the specialty of some school. There are signs of at least five Abstinence musicians working together.”

“Can you do it?”

“No.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head resolutely. “I might have some chance if I reach the Scepter level. Colt probably can’t either. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here.”

“Should we try digging a hole?”

“Do you really want to dig a hole on an active volcano?” Ye Qingxuan used a metaphor. “If you dig a hole without undoing the alchemy array, you won’t be better off than that guy. Remember the Romulusian formation? That was just an appetizer. Once Hades’ Door is activated, it’ll activate all the protective measures in the first floor too. Then the main course will come…” Ye Qingxuan gazed at the vast palace. It was enough for hundreds of people to come out and fight. He said with a mocking smile, “Let’s not look too far but how many clay puppets do you think can fit here?”

Baro’s face twitched and he cursed. “I knew it was bad news for Romulusians to make such a big place!”

“So what do we do now?”

“Eat some food?” Ye Qingxuan shrugged. “There are three solutions. One, we stay here and see if anyone else can figure out a plan. That’ll waste time though. Two, we go up and try another path. It probably won’t work though…”

“What about three?”

“Three?” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. Checking his watch, he said, “It’s getting late and there’s no point in waiting. Why don’t we go back, sleep, and come back when we’re refreshed?”

Everyone thought that he was joking, but seeing his serious expression, they did not know what to say. In the end, the three were convinced. They packed their bags to leave.

The group on the other side seemed panicked. Shock flashed past Colt’s eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but saw the mockery in Ye Qingxuan’s eyes.

Boom! Ye Qingxuan slammed his cane on the ground, tipped his hat, bowed politely, and got the h*ll out of there. He did not know what Colt had planned, but he would not fall into any traps if he did unpredictable things. After all, the relic would stay there for a while. If they wanted to stay there, they could. Ye Qingxuan’s group would go sleep. The four of them actually left just like that.

However, Baro suddenly froze while climbing the steps and grabbed Ye Qingxuan. His eyes had turned into the beastly vertical pupils at some point. The hair on his hands stood straight up like a beast about to go wild. His aura was already wild as if he had met his natural enemy.

“Something crazy’s coming.” Gritting his teeth, he stared into the distance. “Really strong beastly nature, really strong…”

Ye Qingxuan was stunned. How strong must the beastly nature be for the inheritor of the School of Dragon Rock to be so affected? Ye Qingxuan had become desensitized to phantom beasts after seeing the great king earthworm. It was hard to imagine something even more shocking.

Footsteps quickly sounded on the spiral staircase. There were two pairs of feet, one after another. Whenever the person in front took a step, the person behind him would step as well. It was orderly as if the latter was earnestly stepping into the former’s footprints.

“Casper…Casper Hauser.” Baro gouged the wall with his sharp fingernails; sand fell to the ground. His body tensed. “It’s the Hauser brothers. Torre Haiser and his freak brother.”

Just as he finished, a gray and a black shadow appeared before them. The one clad in gray stood up straight. His features were coldly handsome and serious. In the dimness, his eyes were like amber.

The slouched figure behind him was like a monkey. His old black clothes were dirty and ragged. His features were unclear because his face was covered with cloth. His greasy waist-length hair was stuck together into locks like a wild beast. For some reason, his eyes did not contain the beastly nature representative of Summoning musicians. They were just blank.

Casper. Casper Hauser. This was the legendary musician raised by Summoning musicians according to the optimization theory. He was the beast of beasts.

The atmosphere stagnated when the two parties met. Then the elder brother, Torres, nodded slightly. Without giving a greeting, he moved aside. After a short pause, they ‘brushed shoulders’ against each other on the not-very-narrow staircase.

The stairs were at least five meters wide but right now, it felt too, too narrow. It was narrow to the point of suffocating. When he passed by, Ye Qingxuan’s peripheral vision fell onto the faint designs on Casper’s black poncho. The design was faded from the years of wear and tear. It was the emblem of a black hound. It hid in the darkness of the long robe, its silhouette faintly revealed. It was grinding its teeth and drinking blood, preparing to kill.

–

It was a fleeting interaction but Ye Qingxuan could still hear Baro’s pounding heart after they had walked for a while. He was panting heavily as if they had fought a war. Baro’s eyes were dark. He chewed on his nails subconsciously, making annoyed cracking sounds.

“Is the rumor true?” Miller asked. “He completed the inheritance of the beastly nature?”

“Most likely,” Baro muttered. “I was doubtful before I saw him but now I’m pretty sure it’s true. Compared to that kind of result, the research of my school has fallen behind.”

“Inheritance of the beastly nature? What’s that?”

“Heresy!” Baro spat and looked back at Ye Qingxuan. “You know how the hound was created?”

How was the breed of the hound created? Of course it was done by looking through thousands of dogs and choosing the most aggressive, most violent, fastest, and strongest one. Then, by interbreeding the best bloodlines, they would observe the children and choose the strongest to continue training, developing, strengthening, and breeding. Finally, the bloodlines of countless strong ancestors would be joined in one powerful hound. Aggressive, strong, fast, violent yet obedient…all the positive traits were combined, creating a new hound.

“Some schools believe that we can breed hounds like that, so why not Summoning musicians? After all, aren’t humans just a more advanced type of beast?” Here, Baro stopped talking.

After a long silence, Ye Qingxuan looked into the darkness behind him. The darkness shook as if a large black hound had once walked past it. This was a Summoning musician created by Summoning musicians. A beast of beasts.

“I see.”

Leaving the underground palace was not as hard as they had imagined. Most musicians were rational. They would not fight if there was no definite reward. Small tussles happened continuously but real fighting never happened. However, when they were going up toward the exit, they realized that the path they had first used had collapsed. The surprise they had left had probably been given to the owner. It must have been very interesting.

When they left, the musicians were still exploring enthusiastically, but there had been no real breakthroughs. It was as if they had run into an obstacle in the aether ball games. However, no one expected that they would be stuck for days.

–

During these few days, Ye Qingxuan had gone to the palace every day. When he saw that the musicians before the door still had no solutions, he would go back and sunbathe happily. Yes, sunbathe.

While everyone was racking their brains trying to solve the problem, this *ss would lay in the Romulusian market and sell the swords that no one wanted to buy while sunbathing on a ratty chair. He would read when he was bored, eat when he was hungry, and drink juice when he was thirsty. The afternoon sunlight was warm and bright. He was relaxed as if he were on vacation.

Musicians that passed by him would practically break their teeth from grinding them too hard. They wished they could drag this guy over and beat him up. He must be so lazy that not even the Angloian musician could stand him. He needed to clean out his student!

But actually, they were overthinking. The Angloian musician, the mysterious ‘big guy,’ had never appeared again after that first day! According to Ye Qingxuan, he just ate and slept, ate and slept in his room. He was even lazier than Ye Qingxuan! Since the teacher was like that, the student should not be blamed. Ye Qingxuan irresponsibly stirred up the serious trial.

During this, Mr. Hu brought his students around the city. Sometimes, they would go over to say hi to Ye Qingxuan, talking about Eastern culture and specialties or discussing their thoughts on interpretation and ancient history.

In the beginning, the stars of the Imperial College felt competitive against the white-haired boy of the same race. However, they were disappointed by his indifference and unprogressive style. They murmured, “The environment changes people” and decided to ignore him. If someone this lazy was in the Imperial College, he would have been expelled early on!

However, Ye Qingxuan quickly discovered that his happy days were over. What was the phrase? The villain had his own devils.

Just as Ye Qingxuan was sprawled on his chaise, sleeping and drooling, he felt a shadow fall over him. Opening his eyes, he saw a familiar map and Elsa’s gleeful face.

“Sir, would you—” Before she could finish, Ye Qingxuan shot up from the chair in fright. “I bought the map! Please let me go!”

“Oh…” Elsa instantly grew dejected. “Do I know you?”

“Uh…” Ye Qingxuan looked around to see the Romulusians around him. Their faces said, ‘try bullying her and you’ll get it.’ Face twitching, he answered honestly, “Kind…of?”

Elsa nodded. Seeming to have some thoughts, she circled his chair in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“Sunbathing.”

“Oh.” Elsa was instantly satisfied. But instead of leaving, she…lied down! She actually lied down!

Ye Qingxuan’s head promptly started hurting. He watched as the girl lay down beside him and copied him. She squinted and started sunbathing.

Girl, you can’t do this! Ye Qingxuan felt the shocked eyes on him. Complaints stuck in his throat, his grew both sad and furious. If you keep doing this, I’m going to have to call you ‘dad!’ Having bad memory doesn’t mean you can extort people like this!

Thankfully, Elsa climbed up after a short while. She stared at Ye Qingxuan blankly. “What am I doing?”

Ye Qingxuan’s headache grew worse. He answered weakly, “You’re…probably sunbathing?”

“Oh, I like to sunbathe? No wonder I’m so tan.” At this realization, Elsa looked at her bronze skin and started laughing happily for some reason. Ye Qingxuan had never seen someone so happy just from sitting under the sun. She seemed to have made this her home turf. She sat down while humming and took everything out of her bulging bag. Then she used a dirty handkerchief to wipe each item ‘clean’ before returning it. The objects formed a small mountain. Small pencils, small hair clips, small lids, small dolls…

“What’s this?” Ye Qingxuan looked at a small bottle that had rolled to his feet. Picking it up, he asked in confusion, “A toy?”

“I think it’s something I like.” Elsa scratched her head. “I have bad memory so I keep everything I like with me. Look at this, isn’t it pretty? And this—oh, and this!” She excitedly showed Ye Qingxuan her collection—the hair clips, dolls and…the dead white mouse.

Seeing the dead rat so close to his face, Ye Qingxuan’s face twitched. He tried to scoot back. “You like this?”

“Yeah. I don’t remember it, but I bet I liked it a lot before!” Elsa started petting the little mouse in her hand. She said gently, “If only it liked me too.”

Ye Qingxuan fell silent. He reached out and petted her head. “Don’t worry. It likes you too.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Elsa became happy again. She spun around him for a while before suddenly taking a notebook out for him to sign.

“What’s this?” Confused, Ye Qingxuan accepted the notebook. The crooked title on the cover read Elsa’s friends.

The notebook was almost filled completely with messy handwriting but the content seemed to be repeated. Some names had been written four or five times. The newest page had an inked paw print, for some reason. The ink was still wet and it looked like graffiti.

Beside it, Elsa had scrawled, Big dog can’t write. Ye Qingxuan really did not know what her friends actually were. Sighing and chuckling, he wrote down his name. After all, she would forget after a few minutes. He should just make her happy for now.

Seeing his signature, Elsa cheered. She grabbed the notebook and started flipping through. As her hair moved, the faint words on her neck were revealed. Ye Qingxuan gazed at them curiously.

“What’s this?”

“This?” Elsa felt around. She found a mirror and answered with assurance, “I think it’s my name? And my address! Oh, this way people can bring me back home. Wow, no wonder everyone knows me.”

Ye Qingxuan made a face but he was unable to reply.

Elsa suddenly reached out to pet his hand. “Good luck to you too. Your family must be looking for you too.”

He turned stiffly. “Huh?”

Elsa looked at him in confusion. “Didn’t you forget where your home is too?”

“No.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head expressionlessly.

“Liar.” Elsa pouted. “Everyone thinks I’m pitiful when they look at me. But when you look at me, you look sad, like you can’t find your home. You must have a bad memory too, right? That’s why you got lost and can’t find where your home is.”

Ye Qingxuan looked at her for a long time before glancing away. He replied nonchalantly, “No, you’re overthinking.”

“No, I’m right.” Elsa glared at him angrily but her expression soon turned to sympathy. She got onto her toes to touch his white hair. “It’s okay. Pat, pat. I know this place really well and everyone’s nice. Maybe someone will find you one day and take you back home!”

Ye Qingxuan did not know what to say, or whether to be angry or chuckle dryly. He stared at the little girl for a long time. Staring at the amber-like eyes, he suddenly felt scared for some reason. She could see through him. She could see through his lies. It was not because of her instincts or any other reason. It was solely because…she thought Ye Qingxuan was like her. The creepy thing was that she was right. She was f*cking right!

“My home…isn’t here.” Ye Qingxuan broke the staring contest and avoided her eyes. “You don’t have to worry.”

Elsa seemed to understand and not understand at the same time. “Did you…forget too?” she asked with uncertainty.

Ye Qingxuan pushed down the anger that had risen for some reason and said nonchalantly, “You’re overthinking. I’m not to the point of forgetting where my home is.”

“Where is it?”

Ye Qingxuan opened his mouth to answer but he was stuck. Yeah, where was his home? In the East? In Anglo? In the burned wooden cabin where he had been banished to? The music history department of the Royal Academy of Music? Or the luxurious mansion on Queen’s Avenue?

“You’re right.” Ye Qingxuan laughed at himself and looked down. “I forgot.” He had had no home since he was ten years old.

A small hand pressed onto his forehead. “Pat, pat. It’s okay, don’t be sad.” Elsa tiptoed and petted his hair. Her eyes were gentle and quiet, pure like the sky. “I’ll make you a straw doll, okay? That’s the only thing my mom taught me that I didn’t forget. My mom said it can protect me. It’ll help you find your home too.”

Ye Qingxuan gaped at her. He squeezed out a smile. “I hope so.”

Elsa soon cleaned up her collection. She waved goodbye and ran off somewhere. When she left, her expression was determined and serious as if she was going on an unknown adventure. Perhaps everything in this world was new and unknown to her. Perhaps living without any worries was not as painful as Ye Qingxuan had thought. After all, she was much happier than him.

“Make a straw doll?” Ye Qingxuan chuckled softly as he stared at her receding back. Hopefully she’ll remember.

In the evening, crazy Elsa was caught at the fair by the Caligula’s servants and taken home to bathe. “Bye, big dog!” said Elsa, sitting on the man’s shoulder, reluctantly saying goodbye to the friend she had just met today.

The dirty boy, known as ‘big dog,’ copied her and waved. When he giggled, his nose streamed and his voice became vague and hoarse. He squatted on the ground and watched the girl fade away. His eyes grew sad and he whined.

Someone pressed onto his shoulder, pulled out a handkerchief, and carefully wiped his snot. “Casper, having fun?” Torre squatted down to look at him. Together, they watched as the girl left. He took Casper’s hand. “Let’s go back. We can come to her next time, alright?”

Casper looked at him, puzzled. Then he laughed happily as if he understood what Torre had just said. He followed behind his brother, and they disappeared in the crowd.

–

Just before closing, the guest that Ye Qingxuan had been waiting for finally arrived.

“Hey.” Ye Qingxuan, lying on the couch, raised his eyes. “This is just the third day and you’re here? You’re less patient than I thought.”

Colt sat opposite him with no expression. They looked at each other across the unorganized swords on the stall. Their eyes were cold like steel and clashed when they exchanged glances.

“How long are you going to stare like this?” Colt asked coldly.

“If you’re okay with it, I can keep looking at you until the trial is over.” Ye Qingxuan whistled. “Anyway, I’m here because an unreliable guy scammed me. At first, I didn’t think that I must get the Emperor’s blessing. The ancient information here is enough for me to study for a couple of years and get five or six awards and medals from the Sacred City. As a scholar, what else am I unsatisfied with?”

“I’m right.” Hearing him say so, Colt frowned. “Caligula did give you the information. That guy! I spent so many resources and money to finally see him but he told me that the ancient information about Romulus’s history is lost…”

“Sometimes, we have to believe in fate.” Ye Qingxuan smiled. “What else are you here for? I’m going to close my stall if there’s nothing else.”

The boy’s words darkened Colt’s face again. “Well, there’s nothing to hide now.” He decided to be straightforward. “Let’s work together temporarily, what do you think? This is mutually beneficial.”

“Other than the word ‘temporarily’, you seemed to have just repeated what you said earlier.” Ye crossed his legs, looking indifferent. “Although you just added a word, you seem more genuine this time. But do you really think that if we two work together, we’ll really be able to to crack the prohibition of Hades’ Door?”

“Hades’ Door is strong but it was built hundreds of years ago. Its theory is outdated now. As long as everyone cooperates, there may be the possibility to crack it.”

“Everyone?”

“Yes, everyone,” Colt said lightly. “All the candidates now understand that the battles are meaningless if we can’t open the gate, so we decided to join hands temporarily.”

Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “You know, the number of people doesn’t matter in the excavation of ancient ruins. Only few are actually useful. There are not many Revelations musicians here in Romulus. Only you and I are good at interpreting. Hades’ Door is a piece of work that spans a number of schools. It’s a strategic defensive facility by itself. With the two of us, we can’t even break the shell and access the alchemy matrix. We might even lose our lives.”

Hearing his words, Colt just smiled and pulled out a dagger from his pockets to show Ye Qingxuan the music scores engraved on it. “What if we have this?”

Ye Qingxuan looked at his dagger. His pupils could not help but contract.

“Anti-tune?”

“Yes, Anti-tune.” Colt stroked the blade of the dagger and tapped the ridge. The sword quivered with a shrill noise. This was the “probe” of the ancient School of Revelations for the large enchantment of the ruins. It looked like a dagger but it was actually rare alchemy equipment for interpretation.

The anti-tune could destroy the music theory and directly break down any defensive matrix to make the musician’s induction directly get to the core. The casting method was lost and only six of the anti-tune swords remained. And this was one of them.

Ye Qingxuan mused for a moment and shook his head. “It can help us damage the outer defense but just the two of us aren’t enough.”

“What if I join?” A voice sounded behind Ye Qingxuan. He finally realized that someone was coming towards him. The newcomer, looking unprovocative, stopped five paces away from him.

“Torre?” Ye Qingxuan recognized the musician who he once met in the underground palace. He knew it the moment he sensed Torre’s body. “So you’re a discipline musician?”

Torre nodded slightly.

Ye Qingxuan finally understood why Colt had so much confidence. Among the seven schools, Abstinence was best at controlling music theory while Torre was a discipline musician, the branch of Abstinence most adept in playing against music scores. With the three of them working together, coupled with the rest, they may be able to crack the gate.

Looking at Ye Qingxuan thinking, Colt nodded. “What do you think?

“What’s the success rate if us three work together?” Ye Qingxuan raised his head and asked. “You must have calculated it.”

“Fifty percent,” Colt answered nonchalantly. “In the worst case, Hades’ Door will self-destruct and we’ll be annihilated.”

Stunned, Ye Qingxuan narrowed his eyes. “Have you told the others?”

Colt looked up at him and smiled.

Ye Qingxuan understood what he meant and gasped. “Don’t you hate gambling?”

“Even the sanest people occasionally long to hear the sound of the dice. And I have a reason to gamble anyway.” Colt gazed at him. His dark eyes were like two deep caves. “Ye Qingxuan, this is the first time in my life I’m asking someone for help and it’s also the last time, so don’t let me down. If you really will get definite success from a fifty percent chance as you said, then why hesitate?”

“Hesitate? I’m good at betting on life so I never have to hesitate. I just need to value it.” Ye Qingxuan paused and stared at him, smiling meaningfully.

“Colt, since you’re willing to bet, what’s the price you’re willing to pay in order to get the ‘definite success’ from me?”

–

The following morning, Colt stood silently in front of the rift outside the mine, gazing down at the darkness below. He seemed to be lost in thought but rather than staring blankly, he stared directly and firmly into the darkness. Under his eyes, the darkness was disturbed and the vague contours behind were revealed.

There, his sound of heart beat. All disguises were revealed slowly and certainly; there were no more mysteries.

Light danced, faintly weaving out the shape of the huge mine and palace. However, the sharp corners of the underground palace were just the tip of the iceberg. Most were still stubbornly hidden in the darkness. Hades’ Gate cut off all the detections and obstructions.

After attempting for a long time, Colt withdrew his gaze with disappointment, no longer wasting his efforts. Behind him, a burly man clad in armor approached slowly.

Countless notes were engraved on that hideous armor. When the notes collided against each other, a low and sonorous sound burst forth. Only the man’s face was exposed. It was also engraved with a strange tattoo which looked gloomy and ferocious. His eyes were full of anger and anxiety. The dust around him was ignited, turning into sparks of fire, illuminating the dark streets before dawn.

“It’s rare that you’re up so early, Glen.” Colt looked back at his teammate calmly. “What’s the matter?”

Glen asked directly with a gloomy face, “Did you give that Eastern kid the priority to explore?”

“Yes.” Colt nodded. “After Hades’ Door is open, they’ll have the right to select three pieces from the underground palace first.”

“Why?!” Glen stepped forward, suppressing his anger. He loomed over Colt and gritted out, “I need an explanation, Colt.”

Colt looked at him indifferently. “I said before that I make the decisions in the team. I know a lot of people are dissatisfied with this matter but there’s no room for negotiation.”

“Is it fair that we’re working our *sses off but he gets to pick first?”

“Because your efforts will mean nothing without him.” Colt glanced at him and advised, “Glen, there are so many people struggling all over the world but few reach the goal. Those who are able to reap what they sow are favored by the gods. All the geniuses of the west are gathered here so why should you be rewarded for your efforts?”

Glen ground his teeth and uttered with a hoarse metallic voice, “What the h*ll is he without us?”

“You care what you can get from it but he doesn’t,” Colt said lightly. “From how he behaved before, we know he was selling his ability. The longer the delay, the more benefits he can gain. There is an Eastern idiom that says, ‘those who are willing take the bait.’ Everyone who wants to win the emperor’s crown all need him to help them open the gate.”

Glen’s eyes narrowed. A sharp gleam flashed by. “He’ll be useless when the door opens, right?”

“I advise you not to entertain the wrong idea.” Colt glanced at him and sneered. “Do you think you can compare yourself to Gavin?”

To Modifications musicians like Glen, his biggest enemy was no doubt the School of Anglo that specialized in both Modifications and Summoning. As the rising star of the School of Anglo, Gavin had become everyone’s enemy at the start of the trial. However, he never appeared for some reason. He was replaced by a Revelations musician that had just entered the academy one and a half years ago. No one knew who he was. It was as if Anglo had no interest in the future Three Kings and had just sent someone over patronizingly. In other words, he was here to court death.

No one was sure if the position of a future saint and the crown that represented authority were unable to tempt Gavin? Or had that guy gone crazy?

“What do you mean?” Glen muttered after a pause. “Be straightforward. I hate going in circles.”

“Do you know why Gavin didn’t represent the Royal Academy of Music?” Colt stared at him coldly. “I received the news yesterday that the pride of the School of Royalty, the one that everyone had thought would be the next grandmaster, Gavin, had disappeared right before the trial. He just vanished.

“All evidence points to Ye Qingxuan. If I’m not wrong, Ye Qingxuan probably killed him. Even the Royal Musician Division doesn’t dare collect Gavin’s body. I also received a list of all Avalonian musicians that had died this year. I suspect more than half of them are connected to him.

“If we’re talking about qualifications, you can’t even get into top ten! Do you understand, Glen? Don’t get any dangerous ideas. The deaths he’s suspected of can fill up the entire Queen’s Avenue. Adding you in would just mean a few more inches of land. He probably won’t feel too bad. After all, it’s just this much.”

Colt reached out and drew a small circle in the air, marking Glen’s future burial spot for him. The circle was merely enough to place a box of ashes. Glen stepped back involuntarily, shivering.

“I’ll verify it myself.” Glen’s features twitched. In order to hide his anxiety, he turned to leave without arguing any further.

Colt watched him leave. Scoffing, he turned to side. “You’ve been watching all this time. Anything to say?”

A figure had appeared beside him at some time. “If I have to say something…I must say the rumors are really exaggerated. Don’t believe them,” the white-haired youth said sincerely with a pipe in his mouth. “I’m good friends with Gavin, seriously. Honestly, don’t trust those rumors. And Queen’s Avenue is so big. I can kill until my hand goes numb and it wouldn’t be enough.”

“Mr. Ye, stop joking around.” Colt shot a meaningful glance at him. “I’ve experienced the nature of your danger.”

Ye Qingxuan chuckled. He looked down at the embers burning in his pipe. “The nature…of my danger?”

–

Only footsteps sounded in the silent palace. Dozens of musicians stood quietly in the large expanse. Compared to this vast area, humanity’s existence was so insignificant. Even everyone put together would not be as thick as a pillar here.

Now, it was as if they had entered a heavenly realm. Hymns floated from the stone door before them, catching the attention of gods. Unfortunately, this was not in the sky but in the underworld. Rather than heaven, it was Hades behind the door. It was a tomb that had been buried for centuries.

The musicians willing to work together and break the seal had come here long ago. It was more than half of the participants. Anyone with common sense understood that a single person was too insignificant in this large-scale relic. If they did not know that beforehand, they had all understood after the clay puppets taught them a lesson.

The loose union was built on the foundation of breaking Hades’ Door. They had agreed to work together but everyone was still guarded. They did not get close to each other or make any conversations.

Within the crowd, before the door, Miller tugged Ye Qingxuan over and asked quietly, “Are you sure you can undo this thing?”

“Nope,” Ye Qingxuan said casually. “How can I? I’m not even at the Resonance level. It’d be weird if I have confidence.”

Miller’s face practically turned green.

On the team, Sam did not care about anything other than formulas and music scores and Baro’s stubborn brain did not work that well. The only one who thought was Miller from the School of Choir. After all, being the doctor required technique and he was more careful. However, he never imagined that asking a question out of curiosity would get him such crazy news. He yelped but quickly covered his mouth. “But you—”

“There’s nothing bad about agreeing.” Ye Qingxuan whistled. Patting Miller’s shoulder, he murmured, “If you see things going bad or see my signal, just run. Otherwise, thing will probably get worse.”

“Worse?” Miller froze. “How bad?”

“On the lighter end, the enchantment will self-implode, bringing down the entire palace to bury us.”

Miller’s face was stark white. “That’s light?!”

“Of course,” Ye Qingxuan said. “Hades’ Door is a battle-scale object created by more than five grandmasters. It absorbs strength from the aether world through music theories. If we fail even more at undoing the seal, the disrupted music theory might get dragged directly into the aether world. Then it’ll be strange if you don’t get pulverized in the aether sea…”

Miller’s features twisted. He shivered, imagining himself getting assimilated by aether and drowning in the aether sea, or falling into the strange yet famous aether world. However, he soon snapped out of it. “What will you do if we run?”

“Don’t worry.” Ye Qingxuan patted his shoulder and smiled proudly. “I don’t know about other stuff but no one’s better than me at running away. No one.”

–

Torre, clad in gray, soon walked through the crowd and gave Ye Qingxuan a sheepskin scroll. “This is the official agreement. Sign it if there aren’t any problems.”

The agreement ensured that everyone could work together without concern. They would not attack each other during the union. The terms were concise and detailed; the intervals and music theory within the music score were compact as well. Ye Qingxuan could not find any problems.

“As expected of discipline musicians.” Ye Qingxuan nodded and signed his name, allowing the music theory within the agreement to flow into his body. Soon, he felt something cool against the back of his neck. It was like a blade.

This was an agreement from the School of Abstinence. If he went against the agreement, he would suffer from the backlash of the aether within his body. According to the terms, the aether would transform into iron and pierce through his neck.

In other words, he would be beheaded. This way, everyone could let down their guards and truly work together.

Ye Qingxuan was also an official Abstinence musician. However, the School of Stone Heart that he had inherited specialized in the construction of the sub-originator and territorial enchantments. That was in the ‘field’ category. He only had basic knowledge of the ‘discipline’ category of countering and agreements.

Torre just chuckled at Ye Qingxuan’s compliment.

“You flatter me. It’s nothing compared to your ‘aether furnace.’ We can discuss techniques in the future.” He casually glanced at Ye Qingxuan’s chest while speaking as if he could sense the immense aether and Abstinence music theory there. However, he had mistaken the sub-originator as the ‘aether furnace’ that could strengthen music scores.

Ye Qingxuan did not correct him.

After leaving the limitless supply of the Avalonian enchantment, the sub-originator could only provide him fifteen minutes of resonance. After that, he would need twenty-four hours to recharge. This was both his strongest and weakest point. Of course he would let others guess incorrectly.

–

Torre left soon after he signed the agreement. The man was still wearing the faded gray clothing and he did not have any alchemy equipment on him. He looked inflexible and strict.

Each step was thirty-five millimeters, not a millimeter less or a millimeter more. His steps seemed to be measured with a ruler and his speed was shockingly balanced. He breathed once every five seconds and blinked once every seven seconds—never a millisecond late.

An invisible rule board seemed to box him in, covering every detail. Every move, from how he walked to how he breathed to how his heart beat, was made with extremely fine precision.

This was the cost of becoming a discipline musician. It quantified everything, extending rules and music theory into every crevice of his life.

Casper, who followed behind him, emanated a wild aura. His bloodshot eyes seemed to be searching for someone to eat. One brother was like a wooden puppet. The other was a beast. Both were abnormal.

Ye Qingxuan quickly looked away and returned to staring at the stone door.

“Have you started interpreting?” Colt asked beside him. “How are you going to start?”

Ye Qingxuan was trying to find an ‘entrance point’ amongst all the strands of music theory within Hades’ Door so he could start interpreting. This was the most important preparation step. All he did was take out a marker and draw two straight lines on the door. They intersected at the bottom right and was marked with a small dot.

“How about here?” He drew a circle around the dot casually as if doodling. “It’s a seam that the alchemists had made while working together. It should be enough buffer.”

Colt gaped at him. “You’ve already calculated before?”

“It’s just preparation.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. “When do you prepare to start?”

“We shouldn’t wait any longer.” After a moment of thinking, Colt checked over all the preparation work. He pulled the ‘anti-tune’ sword. Slowly but surely, he stabbed it toward the door.

Three inches away, the door started shuddering and dust flew.

Boom!

Boom! Booms sounded constantly as the sword advanced. The levels of transparent shields seemed to be breaking apart under the anti-tune. Every boom created tidal waves in the aether sea.

Standing in the center of the tides, Ye Qingxuan felt his body shaking. It was suffocating.

Something flashed past Colt’s eyes. He stepped forward.

The blade entered the door. The underground palace shuddered abruptly as rumbles continued sounding. Brilliant light shone from the door. Countless precise yet wild music notes were overlapping with one another, forming intervals and music theories. They formed an ivy-like formation, snaking across the door. They covered every inch.

As the anti-tune entered, a circuit was cut apart, creating a scalp-numbing shriek. This was the melody of the interpretation completely turning the music theory and notes around. This was fatal poison to Hades’ Door!

The protection on the door instantly fell apart. Wild waves of aether shot out. The underground palace shook with a giant boom. Countless sounds crashed and converged, pouring out under the pushing of the immense air pressure. Finally, a tsunami-like ‘wave’ erupted out of the mine and into the sky. The chilling sound was like the earth cracking apart.

The grandmasters in the sky looked down in unison. Realization flashed past their eyes when they saw the mine. It had finally begun.

–

Deep inside the underground palace, Ye Qingxuan, Colt, and Torre had all stepped forward the moment the roaring began. They forcefully pushed back the suffocating aether tide. Pressing against the door, they connected with the complex and vast music theory. Connection was completed. The interpretation would begin now!

–

At the same time, all musicians waited and looked in all directions. The sound of a rushing river had appeared out of nowhere. It echoed throughout the grave palace like a flood. The guarded musicians looked around but could not find any changes. Until something sticky fell onto someone’s face.

“Rain?” Someone touched his face. Seeing the sticky mud, he was stunned. He looked up and saw that mud was pouring endlessly from the crevices of the stone ceiling.

“The ground!” someone yelled. “The ground too!”

As mud seeped from the ground, a crack appeared in the wall. A beastly head floated out. It opened its mouth and mud shot out like a tide.

“Wh-what is this?” Inside the crowd, Miller looked at the mud that was now over his feet. It felt wrong but could not pinpoint why. He could see that it was not poisonous or anything special. It was just…mud.

“Are the Romulusians trying to drown us in mud?” Someone laughed involuntarily but was quickly cut off.

Sam raised his hand. The Copper Mountain roared and Foehn wind heaved. A heat wave spread instantly, practically igniting everyone’s hair. Screams sounded throughout the crowd.

“Sam, are you crazy?!”

The next moment, the boiled mud dried and evaporated. Faint shadows left the mud. Roaring angrily, they dissipated with the water vapor. However, even more shadows rose up from the mud. One, two, four, eight… The mud fell off, revealing the metallic porcelain-like texture of the burly bodies, as well as large shields, heavy spears, and lances. They were the clay warriors that everyone had struggled against!

As they started climbing up, everyone was stunned. They now stared at the mud in terror. This was not mud anymore. This was the raw material for making the clay puppets! In other words, they could make a limitless clay puppet army if they wanted!

The musicians struggled to keep them back. Puppets rose from the mud and fell apart back into the mud. Finally, the first ten-man group stood together with the second ten-man group. The musicians’ pressure doubled!

When the first hundred-man group was formed, the musicians started truly struggling. This was the protective alchemy array that had been hidden since the construction of the underground palace. It represented the peak of Romulus’ artistic technology. Clay warriors could be created at any time, any place. This kind of protection was comparable to the secret defense of larger schools. Faced with these guys that would continue to multiply and be born as long as the underground palace existed, the easiest solution would be to destroy the palace but…who would do that?! And who could actually do that?

The musicians’ attacks slowed but the clay puppets did not! In the blink of an eye, the battalion had become four-hundred-men strong. They advanced forward, tossing the exploding lances and spears without caring about expenses, forcing the musicians back.

However, the scariest was that musician assassins were hidden within them. They would jump out from the mud without the musicians realizing. They moved like ghosts and caused bloodshed with a mere jump.

Glen had used his Modifications formulas to move freely within the formation. However, he was hit by a hidden assassin and almost died. Drenched in cold sweat, he retreated back to the shield in cold sweat. His armor was practically covered in cleaved traces.

Thankfully, many smaller groups worked together well. They went into coherence and performed symphonies to block the clay puppets. Otherwise, the musicians would be forced to fend for themselves.

On the battlefield, small enemies were was easy to pick off as small morsels of desserts. Faced with these extremely powerful enemies, everyone used all their strength to maintain the completion of the shield ring.

Many musicians with fast reaction speed had started to attack the root of the problem by getting rid of the mud under their feet. However, the supply of mud was limitless. Even if they used all their tricks, they still could not clean a large enough area.

As a choir musician, Miller walked around the circle, singing hymns and healing the gravely wounded musicians. He supported the musicians. In a large-scale battle, a choir musician was like an angel. However, he was spread too thin as well. If he let his guard down for a moment, he would be beheaded by an assassin from the sky. Right now, enemies could attack from everywhere and anywhere. If not for Baro’s Sycle, he would probably be headless by now.

“Where’s your giant worm? Your snake of the atrium?” Miller shook Baro. “Get rid of the mud!”

Baro practically spat out blood. “I have limited chances! Even if I’m the future inheritor, I can’t keep dragging them out of the aether world. If they get pissed and slap their tails out of the aether world, we’ll all die!”

“Then what do we do?”

Miller suddenly discovered that the defense ring had contracted. They had been in the safe zone but now they were left behind. Within the moment of inattentiveness, they were discovered by the clay warriors. Countless spears and swords were about to come for their blood… Sam, the best fighter, was far away and could not come help.

Miller’s expression grew bitter. He really regretted choosing ‘physical resistance’ as his specialization. The only thing he could do was make diseases and viruses. He was powerless against clay and wooden statues.

“Do you have any solution?” He looked at Baro with teary eyes. “Anything that can save us.”

Being looked at like that, Baro gritted his teeth in determination. “That’s what you said so don’t regret it!” As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled out a really weird chant consumable. It was a white dress embroidered with roses using silver thread. It looked extremely elegant and luxurious. It even had a faint fragrance. However, it just felt wrong in Baro’s hands. He was like a pervert who had stolen a dress at night and was planning on doing something weird to it.

Sensing everyone’s gazes, he forced his tears back. This was a strange Summoning score from a lost school that he had found in an exploration years ago. It did not require much energy but had explosive power which suited this situation. Baro had sworn to never touch this again after using it once because it was so embarrassing. But now…

He could not keep this hidden anymore. Surviving was more important than keeping his dignity.

Under the ethereal and graceful melody, the white dress suddenly floated up. The spirit born from the music score had emerged, transforming into a beautiful girl. From her side profile, one could see her skin as white as snow, hair as black as coal, and lips as red as blood. She was beautiful and her voice was otherworldly. With a tinge of sweetness, she was pure as a fairy. Countless musicians were attracted by the song. They turned to look and practically drooled.

Under those enthusiastic gazes, the girl slowly turned around, revealing her sexy beard, straight and big nose, and a giant mouth. In the halo of spirituality, even the knife scar looked charming. Her eyes were flirty and she was ugly to the point that it was impressive.

It was Baro’s own face!

“F*ck!” All the anticipating musicians choked at the same time and wished they could gouge their eyes out.

Amidst the retching sounds, Baro’s face darkened. Covering his face, he muttered, “I was forced to, I was forced to, I was forced to…”

The moment the girl turned around, the tiles started shaking. Seven holes appeared on the ground and seven dwarves jumped out. “To fight for you, my princess!” the seven muscular and bearded dwarves yelled in unison.

Waving hammers, axes, flails, and swords larger than themselves, they rushed into the Romulusian formation. The giant shield formation crumbled under their attacks. The dwarves jumped up and down around the clay warriors, deftly shattering the metallic porcelain armor.

Their speed and strength were both incredible and unbelievable. They were extremely agile as well. None of them slacked off, and they all worked together, one kicking and the other hacking away…

These were not summoned objects! They were practically seven top-class knights! Everything in their paths was destroyed. They had no enemies! Within ten minutes, the hundred-man clay battalion was forced back. Finally, the dwarves disappeared along with the white dress.

Baro and Miller had also returned to the protective ring and even gotten the upper hand temporarily. There were no problems other than being embarrassed.

Many of the musicians stared at Baro, hoping he could do that again. Some girls were even willing to give him their dresses…

“Don’t even think about it!” Baro roared with a red face. “I’d rather die than humiliate myself again!”

“Psh…” Many pursed their lips and looked away in disappointment.

Pained cries sounded again. However, this was from a musician rather than the wildly advancing clay warriors. A man with half his chest ripped apart was brought over. Blood flowed like a river and he was on his last breath. Miller and two other choir musicians rushed over without hesitation.

Many of the musicians looked into the distance while fighting. They were in the side wing and, other than the few united groups, someone else was fighting against the Romulusian formation.

One person was at the very front. The dirty and pathetic-looking young man squatted on the ground with his sharp teeth bared. He roared and his wild aura spread in all directions. He was not singing a melody but was roaring like a wild beast. The thundering melody had a crazed beauty. The music notes played like a group of beasts growling while killing.

It was fierce, crude, and shockingly pure.

Countless strange apparitions flashed in his vicinity as the melody changed. Wild beasts appeared one after another. It was enough to destroy one’s mind but the deathly wild beastly nature had no effect on him. Instead, they worked reverently to his roars.

He did not clean the mud under his feet. Instead, he let the clay warriors emerge, tearing them apart immediately after. Countless invisible mouths were hidden around him.

The being squatted obediently in the area Casper had marked for it. Anything, even teammates, that dared to approach were ripped to shreds. It was like a rabid guard dog or wild wolves supervising their territory—it was a pure beast.

Casper Hauser.

Even while interpreting, Ye Qingxuan could feel the strange wolf-like aura that rose to the sky like smoke. Turning around involuntarily, he saw the hunched yet wild figure with shocked eyes. He had never seen alienation to this extent!

“What’s wrong?” Colt’s thin voice floated into his ears. “Curious?”

Ye Qingxuan looked away. He knew it was wrong to ask about others’ personal matters but he could not help it. “What’s wrong with him?”

“You really don’t know?” Colt’s tone was meaningful. “He was born as the result of the inheritance of beastly nature. As a natural-born musician, he carries the anticipation of his ancestors.

“His father wanted to isolate him from other influences, so he was locked in a cellar until he became a Resonance musician at age fifteen. He’s a true genius with incredible talent, but he doesn’t know how to talk. He doesn’t have any common sense and doesn’t know how to socialize. He doesn’t understand others either and can’t communicate at all. To him, human language is meaningless, like empty music notes.”

Stunned, Ye Qingxuan almost lost control of the interval in his hands. “Is he still human?”

“His father had wanted to turn him into a beast since the beginning—a pure beast.” Colt’s voice was indifferent. “That’s the only way for him to completely fuse with the beastly nature and enter deep into the aether world to complete the transformation. Then he could become a phantom beast in a human’s body.”

After a long silence, Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “His family is too cruel.”

“Aren’t musicians all like this?” Colt chuckled. “The way to the Originator is long and hard. It’s already passed the realm of ethics. Sometimes, you have to throw away some things to go further. Ye Qingxuan, don’t be shocked. You’ll do this one day if you keep going along this path.”

Ye Qingxuan did not answer. He focused entirely on interpreting. The complex and vast array on the stone door before him shook. About half of the flowing veins of light were extinguished. This was the masterpiece of ancient Abstinence musicians, but it was still something centuries removed from current technology. After the anti-tune had let them close in the gap, the three were able to chip away at the seal slowly but surely. It was just a matter of time, but the problem was, how much time did they need?

Ye Qingxuan had viewed this as a big job and planned to fervently work six hours per day for seven days. But for some reason, the progress this time was…too fast! Everything went on unbelievably fast. Of course, he was responsible for half of that.

After all, the core of Abraham’s interpretation method was ‘fast.’ Its goal was to interpret the enemy’s next move in battle so it must be fast. He had to overlook the details and focus on the big picture to solve the core problem. He did not care about anything else.

Ye Qingxuan performed the interpretation method smoothly and expertly. He was as fast as a rabid dog freed from its leash. When he ran into harder parts, he would toss it to Torre. The latter was responsible for forcefully undoing the unavoidable obstacles in the music theory. In other words, he stormed the obstacles.

This was their first time working together, but they cooperated well after the run-in period. After all, Ye Qingxuan’s interpretation method was Abstinence music theory disguised as Revelations. He had also inherited theory from the School of Stone Heart. This collaboration made things easier for him.

He did not lack anything on the aspect of theories but had some shortcomings for real-life application. This opportunity allowed him to see how the School of Abstinence worked. He was able to copy Torre and secretly learn everything.

With them decoding in the front, Colt had undone a good portion of Hades’ Door’s prohibition. His speed was increasing too. His understanding and investigation of music theory was beyond Ye Qingxuan’s expectations. He was not like a twenty-five-year-old at all.

Sometimes, Ye Qingxuan would get the misconception that there was a grandmaster beside him. He did not agree with Heisenberg’s character but the Rock Institute’s ‘secret bearer’ inheritance lived up to its reputation. Working with someone like Colt cut down on the worry and effort. However, for some reason, Ye Qingxuan felt like he had overlooked something as he continued.

He even had time to turn around at times to check on the others. The clay warriors grew back as soon as they were destroyed and were getting stronger but the musicians had started standing their ground after the earlier panic.

The overall situation was good. Not just a bit good but very good. Yet he felt something was wrong. It was so successful that he felt sorry for the Hades’ Door and such a large alchemy array.

Ye Qingxuan was confident in his abilities, but he did not think he was good enough to tear through Hades’ Door as if it was a counterfeit good.

Were ancient Romulusians all fools? There must be a plot twist hidden somewhere he would never think of. While he was distracted and thinking through the Romulusian history he had read, trying to find something he had missed, he felt the pressure decrease.

The music notes flashing on Hades’ Door had suddenly started extinguishing. It was as if they had been poking holes into rock for a long time and finally pierced through the surface layer. He thought the next step would be even more difficult but then he realized that the stone was hollow…

“Is it actually low-quality?”

Ye Qingxuan froze in place. He gaped at Hades’ Door. It seemed that no one had been regularly maintaining it through the centuries. The music theory array within it had actually eroded by itself and fell apart quickly with their outside pressure. The speed was unbelievable. As Hades’ Door broke down, mournful cracking sounds began one after another. The wildly advancing clay puppet battalion froze in place. They quickly began to melt and cave in, returning to the mud and disappearing.

“It’s over?”

“We won!”

“They’re outdated puppets. They have a lot of tricks but they’re all too rigid. They’re not threatening anymore once you understand the pattern, no matter how large the quantity is.”

“Is the Underground Palace open?”

Everyone started talking at once. They surged to the door, rubbing their hands in anticipation to start exploring again.

“Wait! Don’t rush.” Ye Qingxuan stopped them, still not feeling exactly right. “Don’t you guys think something’s wrong?” Amidst the noise, some grew serious and started pondering. Others thought that Ye Qingxuan was just scaring them and started interrogating him. He could not reply either. He did not know what the problem was. Even the bad premonition was just a strange feeling.

The door opened gradually amidst rumbles. Dust fell down in clumps onto his hair, shocking him from his thoughts. Stunned, Ye Qingxuan turned around and furrowed his brows. “Who opened the door?”

No one replied.

Before the door, Colt and Torre stared back at each other. They exchanged glances. Suddenly understanding something, their faces changed dramatically, turning stark white. No one had opened the door. This meant that someone had pushed the door open from the other side!

“Oh, Tityrus,” someone sang hoarsely from the solid darkness behind the door.

A foul miasma spread out. A tall withered figure limped forward. The shackles on his legs dragged on the ground with grating clanks. The chains seemed to be red-hot. Sparks flew as they scraped against the ground.

“Tityrus!” the pained voice sang hoarsely. “You, ‘neath a broad beech-canopy reclining, on the slender oat rehearse your silvan ditties.”

In the darkness, the hunched figure slowly straightened up. The creaking of joints sounded painful like cracked wood. He stepped into the palace outside the door. Firelight shone and illuminated his face. The shackles on his feet were still singing painfully.

“Look,” they sang. “I from my sweet fields, and home’s familiar bounds, even now depart. Exiled from home am I; while, Tityrus, you sit careless in the shade!”

When the dim flickering firelight illuminated the figure’s face, everyone shivered. It was a withered skeleton. It walked through the darkness and crossed Hades’ Door, stepping into the grave palace. The bone-dry skeleton still wore a pure white robe. The silver thread tattoos had broken down but he was still abnormally solemn. Even if he was now a shackled prisoner.

Now, everyone realized that there was nothing on his neck. He was holding his skull in his right hand. Someone had poured melted gold into his mouth, twisting his face into something menacing and ugly. However, his lips were still open, chewing on the dark gold and singing The Eclogues.

He gripped a sacred and solemn scepter in his left hand. The scepter thudded on the ground with a sonorous sound like a whip cracking in everyone’s hearts. Waves crashed in the aether sea the moment he stepped from Hades’ Door and shook along with his hoarse singing.

It finally dawned on Ye Qingxuan why it was so easy to break Hades’ Door. The power source was connected to this skeleton!

He could see through the Eye of Silence that countless strands of gold light extended from the entire Underground Palace and wrapped around the skeleton. That was the music theory that should have been on Hades’ Door. Now, this skeleton was the core of the array and the controller of Hades’ Door!

It did not even have reinforcement but it was terrifying enough. It was a complete…

“A saint’s remains!” someone yelped and stumbled back, finally recognizing it. “Those maniacs! Those Romulusians-they…they turned a saint’s remains…into that thing!”

This saint’s remains that had been sealed for centuries now dragged his shackles forward. The skull singing in his hand seemed to smirk. Flames of fury burned in his eyes. He opened his mouth and roared soundlessly. The scepter slammed down.

Boom! There was a rumble like a mountain crashing down. Mud fell to the ground like an endless waterfall. Under the sound of mud bubbling and boiling, countless burly clay warriors walked out again. The hundreds upon thousands of clay warriors held square shields and spears. Like soldiers from Hell, they knelt in the palace and bowed to the ‘prisoner’ who had walked out of Hades’ Door, offering him pure respect. They were welcoming their ruler back!

“Their ruler…I see!” As if struck by lightning, Ye Qingxuan’s muddled thoughts suddenly cleared. He finally realized what was wrong.

The Romulusian formation contained everything they needed, from lancers, javelin-wielders, warriors with shields and swords, to chariots. Only one thing was missing. This entire time, they had used set processes and modes to chase away invaders but they lacked their leader and commander. How could an army without a commander fight to their full strength?

Now, Ye Qingxuan finally realized why it was so easy to decode Hades’ Door.

This was probably a trick the dead Romulusians had designed! When the core of Hades’ Door decided pure defense was unable to fight off the invaders, the music theory would break off and guide all the power into the saint’s remains behind the door.

Next, the invaders would be celebrating ecstatically, thinking they had succeeded. At that time, the saint’s remains would walk through and lead the endless Romulusian formation into a massacre! It was all a trick! The deceit was pure evil!

Ye Qingxuan felt numb. Those dead Romulusians had really put everything into keeping their dead safe from outsiders. But what should they do now?

Those that could be acknowledged as a saint were undoubtedly powerful musicians who were influential in the material world and had status in the aether world. Their power in the material world would dissipate once a saint had fallen but their scepter would still remain in the aether world.

This meant that this corpse before them was at least a Scepter grandmaster! He had also covered this underground palace with an alchemy array, continuously supplying Hades’ Door with inexhaustible power.

In Ye Qingxuan’s eyes, this skeleton was a giant vortex. Other than the skull shining like the sun in his right hand, the ‘scepter’ in his left hand was also covered in complex music theory. This was his symphony of predestination! This was the unique music score the saint had used all his soul and will to write before his death!

Under everyone’s stares, the saint straightened and slowly raised the cracked scepter. A majestic horn sounded out of thin air. A holy realm was about to descend.

At that moment, Ye Qingxuan slammed his cane down. Jiu Xiao Huan Pei rang with a cold and sharp sound. Dozens of silver nails shot out of his bag. Countless shackles wove together in the air, forming a net and tightening. It locked the saint in place.

Cracks appeared on the shackles instantly. Ye Qingxuan felt as if he was restricting an active volcano rather than a dead object. The strength of the anti-shock was enough to make his vision go black. Blood seeped from the corner of his lips. The silver nails shooting toward the saint pulverized silently; the shackles fell apart.

Ye Qingxuan was not trying to restrain a mere body. He was fighting against the entire realm that had descended from the aether wall—the miraculous power that had been called forth by the symphony of predestination.

It was light fighting against the entire Avalon’s Shadow…

It was as laughable and incredulous as an ant trying to stop a car.

At this moment, everyone finally realized what they were facing. There was no need for hesitation. There was no need for yelling. There was no need for communication.

At this moment, everyone awakened their instruments in unison and cast their most destructive music scores at the skeleton! If they were still in a daze and allowed this guy to finish expanding his scepter, it would be a massacre… They could imagine hundreds of ways to die!

For a third or fourth level musician to fight against a saint in his territory was as useless as a chicken trying to fight the butcher on the chopping board. No matter how quickly the chicken waved its claws, it was nothing against the butcher’s knife. So if they wanted a chance to live, they had to do it before getting placed on the chopping board!

Frantic music scores sounded continuously in an instant. Fierce melodies collided, resonating with the aether sea, and performing the blazing light of destruction.

The earth spat out fire, lightning cracked… Countless streams of liquid fire descended from the sky amidst the rumbling, enveloping the eerie saint.

Ye Qingxuan observed the aether sea and saw countless wild waves. Rays of light shot out like ripples in a starry sky. They rose, exploded, extinguished, and formed an unobservable black territory. The explosions were swallowed by the darkness. All sound became unclear and strange. However, a speck of light appeared. Someone sang The Eclogues hoarsely, “O traveler from afar, ’twas a god vouchsafed this ease to us…”

Amidst the clanking of chains, the burning skull was lifted. Its mouth was filled with melted gold but it continued to sing loudly in the darkness. “See how it totters-the world’s orbed might; Earth and wide ocean, and the vault profound; All, see, enraptured of the coming time!”

Thus, the aether sea was in turmoil. The radiant song that had recorded years of glory awoke the power sleeping within the aether world. It passed through the nine levels of the aether sea and fell upon the material world. A blazing sun ascended. It shone with boundless radiance. This was the Romulusian Empire’s light of glory!

Darkness shattered the moment his scepter was ignited. The aether sea was no longer in upheaval. All chaos returned to serenity; all aether was singing for the empire’s radiant glory!

All other music scores stopped abruptly. The musicians who had reached the Resonance level paled, their organs close to failing. Their sound of hearts had been hit by the Romulusian saint’s symphony of predestination and almost shattered.

It was worse for the official musicians who had not finished the sublimation of their heart of sounds. Just the aftershock was enough to completely break them down. Black blood seeped from the noses and mouths of those who were still standing. They suffered grave internal injuries.

In reality, those who had not collapsed from directly facing a Scepter were already considered elites of the group. Amongst them, Ye Qingxuan was in the best state. He was only an official musician, but his heart was the sub-originator created by the Avalonian enchantment. He had made the sub-originator independent from the outside world after understanding natural interference. Thus, he was affected the least.

However, the situation at hand was worse than worse. Ye Qingxuan did not know who the saint was but he was definitely a fervent protector of Romulus to sing of Romulus’s former glory in his symphony of predestination.

Blessed by the territory, everything that had fallen now regained their luster. The most obvious were the clay puppet warriors… Under the light, they upgraded from dead objects and transformed into giants. They were covered in dragon scale armor and held weapons shrouded in lightning and fire. They seemed to be blessed by a god.

Countless breaths overlapped. Like the muffled wind before a thunderstorm, the destructive power of wind and lightning brewed within. Under the light, they became god’s messengers and an immortal army.

As the saint raised the scepter, the almost-legendary army under the dazzling light yelled in the ancient language and advanced toward the invaders.

The survivors paled considerably. This army was enough to kill all of them, let alone the skeleton in the center. Under the symphony of predestination’s pressure, the majority of them could no longer fight. If they could not orchestrate a decent attack, it was only a matter of time before they were defeated.

The gears in Ye Qingxuan’s brain spun as his expression darkened. Originally, his worst case scenario was the entire underground palace being pulled into the aether world. However, this situation was not much better. Territory from the aether world covered the material world, changing the rules and physics. They were reduced to ants under the scepter.

Scepter…scepter…wait, why did the supervising grandmasters not come out yet? Were they waiting for these young elite musicians to all die and be buried in this palace before they came and avenged their deaths? Or did they think the musicians could solve this crisis? If that was the case…

Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows. He pushed back against the heavy light with difficulty and looked back at Colt. The man’s expression was calm under the heavy pressure. He did not seem to feel any fear.

Sensing Ye Qingxuan’s gaze, he smiled mysteriously. Twisting his ring, he quietly put several layers of shields on Ye Qingxuan. Then he stepped back soundlessly and hid into the crowd. Before Ye Qingxuan could react, there was a mind-numbing wail.

Spears! Spears from the Romulusian formation!

Countless spears fell from the sky. Like lightning striking a tree, they crashed down toward the musicians. They grouped in the sky and, in the end, created a terrifying shadow.

The shadow was shirtless. His muscles knotted and he slammed the long spear made of countless lightning streaks toward the ground! This was the Father of Lightning from Romulusian legends.

Scholars had verified long ago that all Romulusian gods were idols created by average people and priests. Their gods did not exist but when the shadow appeared in the palace, it still brought about the tremendous pressure of a god’s descent.

Ye Qingxuan felt like he was getting struck by lightning even before the electric spears fell. His hair stood up straight and his skin stung; he was almost losing control.

Supported by both Hades’ Door and the Scepter of Glory, the Romulusian formation had become a true battle machine. The mere throwing of spears could evaporate all obstacles. They could even destroy city walls so what were flesh bodies to them?

That instant, Ye Qingxuan lifted the brim of his hat, preparing to activate Holy. However, the next instant, he felt a large vortex open abruptly in the calm aether sea. The source of the vortex was amongst the musicians. Right before the tip of the lightning spear, a musician clad in a scarlet robe lifted the amber ring on his hand and quietly chanted a spell.

Next, a black hole opened in thin air.

Strength also from the depths of the aether world was called forth, forming a giant vortex in the air. It instantly swallowed the boundless electricity. However, it did not dissipate after the electricity disappeared. The vortex remained in the air, radiating with wild attraction, swallowing everything it could touch and transforming them to nothingness.

Ye Qingxuan could not tell what the thing was made of even with his Eye of Silence. He could only feel that there was another large hole in the aether sea but it was distorted, shattered, and dragged in by the music theory in the vortex. It was neither warm nor cruel; it was like a natural occurrence but everything that it touched was sucked into the blackness.

It dawned on Ye Qingxuan and coldness spread through his body.

This was the Hole of Destruction from Modifications! It was known as the product closest to total destruction! It was a destructive music score that imitated the signs of the end of the world created by Modifications musicians—the dark vortex that covered the world and swallowed all.

How courageous must one be to put this thing in one’s ring and take it around everywhere? The slightest careless mistake could destroy a city! And how irresponsible must a senior be to give something like that to a student for protection and let him bring it to a trial?

Ye Qingxuan had not expected for such talents to be hidden within this group of musicians. His scalp tingled as he tried to keep his body in place, resisting the attraction of the expanding dark vortex.

The vortex was not caring about the musicians under it either. It was battling against the glorious scepter. Boundless light fought with the blackness, creating murky waves in the aether sea.

At the center of the formation, the saint stood on a chariot. His eyes were bloody red. Raising his scepter, countless music theories were interwoven, creating dazzling light and pushing back the Hole of Destruction.

Boom! With a soft sound, the cracked scepter cracked once again. The glorious territory shook violently; the light flickered. In his other hand, the singing skull suddenly opened its eyes. The dark eye sockets stared forward with a soundless command.

The godly army roared. Unsheathing their swords, they charged! The earth shook.

In the crowd, the musician controlled the Hole of Destruction with all his might. His face had turned red and was almost swept into the terrifying shaking. “The Hole of Destruction can only exist for one minute! What are you waiting for? To die?!”

Before he finished, the anxious Sam let out a long breath. “I don’t care anymore!” Gritting his teeth, he decided to ignore his senior’s warnings and pressed down on the Copper Mountain. “Let me have a good time!”

The Foehn wind whistled. Sam’s body shook and lit up with a halo of light. A ball of light bright as the sun emerged in his chest. Replacing his heart, it sent lava through his veins. Half of his body cracked like a turtle’s shell. One could see his fiery blood through the cracks.

Behind his head, a red halo gradually solidified into a menacing shadow. It was Agni, the spirit of fire!

The Copper Mountain roared and the Foehn wind billowed. The earth began to shake instantly as countless flames rose from the earth like an abruptly appearing forest. The blue flames transformed into solid spears and instantly swallowed the formation, piercing through it, evaporating it…The scalding temperature scattered with the wild wind, turning the place into a true hell.

Sam walked forward within the forest of fire. Flames licked around him like a throne of molten iron.

He was the incarnate of the spirit!

Miller yelped as he gaped at Sam’s figure. “That guy’s able to bond with Agni like that?!”

Baro had not expected for Sam to be this powerful and be acknowledged and deeply bonded with a spirit merely at the Resonance level!

The skull in the saint’s hand slowly swept its gaze to Sam. Its song became mournful.

The two warriors manning the chariots beside him suddenly shifted. Mud surged and their bodies reformed. This time, they were two priests with unclear features, war drums, and horns.

Shocking waves of aether shot through. One of the priests beat the war drum. The drumbeats were desolate and bleak. The quagmire bubbled and six heads gradually rose from it. It was a giant six-headed snake. Dozens of meters tall, it was covered in dark green scales. It emanated coldness and pounced toward Sam.

The other priest blew a horn. The blare was deafening and seemed to contain tangible malice and murderous intent. With the help of the horn, the clay warriors instantly sped up and strengthened. They attacked the musicians with crazed strength.

The horn sound contained Mind music theory. At the same time, it eroded at the musicians’ will to fight. It magnified their fear to thousands times the original, causing them to panic.

Within a few seconds, dozens were torn apart by the soldiers. They did not even have a complete body. No one had expected for there to be musicians hidden within the clay warrior battalion to provide large-scale help.

The saint regained his upper hand. He raised the scepter. Though cracked, it radiated. Under the pressure of the scepter territory and the collision of music theories, the Hole of Destruction had contracted to half of its original size. It only knew how to swallow matter rather than defending itself. Its structure began falling apart and was close to collapsing.

The skull in the saint’s other hand continued to chew on gold and sing hoarsely. Electric light shot out of its black eye sockets without stop. The lightning jumped through the crowd. Each flash evaporated an enemy.

The lightning seemed to have a special sensory as well. It targeted those that it deemed musicians of special threats. Within a few seconds, six musicians had been swallowed by electricity.

Only two survived. One flickered in and out like a bubble but was unharmed. He had clearly used a special defense score. The other was worse off. He crawled out of his burnt shell like a shedding snake. He was a bloody mess but quickly recovered with the help of a Choir music score.

These two were clearly from famous schools and had many life-saving objects. Their instruments were above average as well. By going all out rather than hiding their true ability, they were able to push back the immense pressure and save many people.

The skull in the saint’s hand slowly turned, locking onto those two. Electricity brewed in its eye sockets, ready to shoot out. A beam of light cut in diagonally.

Crack! The electric chain of hundreds of meters long cracked across the skull’s face. The temperature was hot enough to reduce on to ashes but it did not damage the skull at all. This type of electricity was more like humiliation to the skull rather than an attack. It was as if someone had waited for its moment of carelessness and ran over to slap it across its face. The electricity winding in its eye sockets rose and looked into the distance, locking onto a figure in the crowd.

There, the youth with a cane waved excitedly at the skull as if saying “hey, look here!”

In that moment, moonlight guide lines extended from the wound in his fingertip. They floated in the wind. The real yet unreal moonlight gently wrapped around the saint’s skeleton. Next, an invisible river of imageries emerged from Ye Qingxuan’s mind. They traveled down the moonlight lines, whistling and invading the saint’s consciousness.

If it still had a consciousness. Technically, even a miraculous saint could not retain his consciousness after death. At most, he would leave it with the aether and sublimate into a holy spirit to be enshrined in the Sacred City.

Corpses of regular people would decay completely within two to three years but saints were not the same. Transformed by their symphonies of predestination, their bodies could be preserved for thousands of years. Their bodies would still contain their original strength and were unmatchable treasures, such as the Indrah’s Eye that Ye Qingxuan had.

In addition, this complete corpse had been modified by alchemists. It was connected with the music theory of the entire underground palace and could even awaken the fallen scepter.

Ye Qingxuan suspected that something else was hidden in the corpse! He instantly felt that he had jumped into a dazzling glow. The boundless light swallowed his senses and practically burned him to ashes. It felt as if he had walked into the sun. Nothing was able to hide before the light.

It was the symphony of predestination!

Ye Qingxuan’s vision went black. He had almost evaporated but thankfully, the ‘invisible river’ was tiny and existed between real and unreal so it was not destroyed by that instant.

He had not expected that the symphony of predestination’s spirit was supporting the skeleton. The music score sang of Romulus’ glory. Its spirit was like the blazing sun as well, majestic and aggressively shining in all directions.

Even more shocking was that the Romulusians had carved the music score directly onto the saint’s body, turning him into a puppet through alchemy. This explained why a dead person could have a musician’s scepter and awaken the territory. It was unmatchable alchemy equipment by itself! It was just made from a saint’s relic.

Musicians often said that excellent music scores contained a spirit which was the score’s soul. However, it was too weird to use a music score’s soul to replace a human’s soul.

Ye Qingxuan was going crazy. How many messed up studies had the Romulusians done? Didn’t they say they wanted to respect the dead, let them rest in peace, and worship their ancestors?

The remaining bit of the symphony of predestination was almost beyond his limits, let alone the saint’s consciousness! He struggled at shrinking the invisible river to the extreme, reducing the speed of evaporation. His vision flickered. Soon, a sliver of moonlight rose in the river.

“I can interpret it if it’s a music score, right?” He guided the moonlight to meld into the sunlight and began to decipher the music theory of the symphony. Blood poured from his nose. The extreme expenditure sapped him of his energy.

Unable to care about anything else, he drained a bottle of medicine, forcefully maintaining his connection with the saint’s body.

He had not delved too deep into the School of Mind. It was much harder to try interpreting a music score in someone else’s mind. He could only do his best and ignore everything else.

The saint had not perceived Ye Qingxuan as a threat but it felt the connection. Disturbances of its music theory structure had clearly been classified as an alert. The skull quickly locked onto Ye Qingxuan. Its eyes burned with electric light and it shot out without warning.

In the last instant, a white lion jumped from Ye Qingxuan’s side. It absorbed the lightning. Its metallic body was burned red-hot, almost melting.

Behind the iron lion, Baro wiped at his sweat and glanced at Ye Qingxuan. “You’re spacing out here? You wanna die?!”

“Forget about all that and shield me!” Ye Qingxuan did not even have the time to wipe his blood away. Gritting his teeth, he grasped Jiu Xiao Huan Pei and put all his effort into deciphering the symphony. “Done shortly!”

–

Shortly? No one knew how long ‘shortly’ was. As mindsets changed, even an instant could seem like eternity.

Ye Qingxuan transformed his consciousness into moonlight and assimilated it into the music score’s spirit. He worked at interpreting the structure but felt his own insignificance when he realized what this immense entity was. He did not know what the symphony of predestination was called but it undoubtedly included music theories from Modifications, Choir, Summoning, and Abstinence. Countless music notes had intertwined to create something as vast as the sun.

It had dimmed and broken through the passage of time but it was still beyond Ye Qingxuan’s abilities. Merely observing it used up all his strength. Compared to the huge music theory system, Ye Qingxuan was even smaller than dust. There was no way he could use it to his advantage and attack it.

In the black consciousness, the spirit of the music score hung in the air like the sun. Its radiance was like Romulus’ past glory. It rotated as the scepter territory changed, transforming into layers of light. The music theory scraped past each other, creating a majestic melody. It was incomplete and unable to fully operate but it still resisted the musicians’ attacks and maintained the territory.

Wait… A bizarre idea flashed past Ye Qingxuan’s mind. Deciding upon it, he grasped something invisible and closed his fist.

Boom! The faint sound of a bell spread out. The faraway and eternal ringing hid within the chaos and quickly disappeared. However, moonlight shone in Ye Qingxuan’s eyes. He had activated the sub-originator!

As if he had broken free from the restrictions of his body and received unparalleled freedom, Ye Qingxuan felt unprecedented closeness to the aether. His strength was exploding as well.

This was his first time experiencing Resonance-level power in a red zone. He had not expected for his power to raise this much… The sub-originator reinforced it. The higher the density of aether, the more strength it supplied. He only had fifteen minutes but it was more than enough.

In the space of his consciousness, Ye Qingxuan smiled. He transformed into moonlight and flew into the ball of light!

Boom!

Everyone saw it in an instant. Light continued to burst from the scepter. If it shone like the sun before, now they had entered a holy realm. Burning light was everywhere. All mundanes were about to be purified to nothingness! The saint’s hoarse singing resounded on the ground as if it was in the sky. The air was filled with the majestic praises of Romulus.

“Ye Qingxuan…” Colt turned around in shock.

He saw Ye Qingxuan’s faintly discernible connection to the saint, as well as Ye Qingxuan’s explosive waves of aether. Colt sensed an immense cold shadow emerge from the youth’s chest and then disappear. Like a sliver of moonlight amongst the black clouds, it was distant and untouchable.

However, the saint seemed to have taken a tonic or something. It instantly went all out, singing the symphony of predestination powerfully. The glorious territory was completely activated! Everyone was at the brink of defeat…

Colt knew without thinking that Ye Qingxuan was messing around. “*sshole! What are you doing?!” But he had no time to care about Ye Qingxuan. He felt the light burn above his head like a tidal wave. Something was coming. The Eclogues resounded throughout the palace.

Under everyone’s stares, the saint rose into the air. The cracked scepter transformed into the blazing sun, illuminating everything under it. Countless shadows emerged from the light, looking down like deities.

The ground shook. Covered by the light, the silent palace erupted into cheers. Layers of stone steps suddenly appeared on the walls. Countless shadows in white robes appeared on the steps. They watched the musicians fight against the Romulusian military, dancing and cheering.

This moment and location under the scepter’s territory was no longer the quiet and empty palace. It had transformed into the location of the sacred battle that the Romulusians had built in legends. It was the Romulusian Arena!

From its construction to after it was destroyed by natural catastrophes, countless gladiators, beasts, and musicians had fought and killed in competition. Countless men had either died under the eyes of the audience or seized victory and sat onto the throne.

This was a sacred place to all Romulusians. It was a paradise for warriors and competitors.

However, under the cheers and praises of the audience, the clay warriors now threw their heads back and yelled, raising their swords and spears. Their already-muscular bodies expanded again. Their hair burned like fire and they walked across the earth, banging on their shields with the swords and roaring in unison.

The shadows of a bull and eagle appeared above the formation. According to legends, the Romulusians were descendants of gods. However, these clay soldiers seemed to have truly transformed into the descendants of gods now. Their roars were like thunder, their movements like wind. Their power had more than doubled.

They instantly destroyed dozens of musician shields. The faltering defense line was practically washed away. If some musicians had not taken out their strongest defense music scores, they would have been completely defeated.

The scepter’s glorious territory was still rising… It would be much more powerful if the symphony completely unfolded. If the territory was completely constructed, the audience would also contain priests, nobles, and the emperor. At that time, the duelists would also have to fight against giants, phantom beasts, and even true spirits that walked off the altars to battle against the mortals!

But at that moment, everything stopped. It should not have stopped.

A fatal crack appeared in the singing. It was as if someone had suddenly clamped around its throat. A horrible hole appeared in the music theory. A new crack appeared in the already-cracked scepter in the saint’s hand! The light flickered and the territory shook.

If the army had seemed to be drugged and abnormal before, they were even more drugged up now. The drugs changed but quickly went back to normal. It was so fast it was imperceptible but the changes could not escape Colt’s eyes.

“That’s how it is…” Finally dawning on him, he understood what Ye Qingxuan was trying to do.

That guy was not trying to damage the symphony of predestination. Fighting against a saint’s symphony was laughable. The backlash from touching the music theory’s structure could break down his mind and implode.

Rather than damaging it, Ye Qingxuan was fixing it…

Right now, the territory was like an ancient clock from Hermes’s shop. After thousands of years, many of its pieces had stopped working due to the lack of maintenance. It was able to operate now and then, but if it had to keep operating without changing its parts, there would be problems sooner or later.

Ye Qingxuan had somehow assimilated into the symphony and purposely used very crappy and crude ways to fix the holes and damages that he saw. There would definitely be many side effects in the future but now, he pushed the music theory to move and perform the climax of the music piece!

There would not be any problems in the meantime. In fact, it might even feel smooth but once the symphony reached the climax, various problems would arise in the vast music theory system.

It was okay to make an old guy take a walk. However, it would be interesting if one made the old guy put on knee pads, take some stimulants, and go run a marathon!

Crack! Another jagged crack appeared on the scepter but the strength of the territory increased again. The soldiers shone with tangible light. They had all seemed to turn into gold like in Middle Eastern legends.

God’s power operated on the earth. There would be horrible after-effects, but the power now was undeniable. Colt practically broke his teeth while clenching his jaw. Ye Qingxuan was gambling everyone’s lives! It was like a bunch of amateur athletes had to survive until the old decathlon winner died!

This time, Colt was not even fifty percent sure. While his expression changed, the symphony rose to another level.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Three cracks appeared on the scepter at once but the sea of light was unfaltering! Even the sun was on the brink of falling…

All the musicians trembled. Their gut instincts told them to bow down. This was beyond the Distortion level—the scepter was brewing true godly power!

“We really can’t avoid it?” At the front, Torre gazed at the aggressive sunlight and sighed. Looking toward his brother, he waved lightly. “Casper, come here.”

Enshrouded by layers of beastly mouths, Casper seemed to hear him. He twisted around and scampered over on all limbs like a black wolf.

Torre reached out and he stopped. Torre placed his hand on his forehead. “I’m sorry, Casper,” he murmured with eyes lowered.

Thin rings of music notes appeared on Torre’s wrist. They spun and fastened until they meandered to Casper’s face. Chains of music notes dove into Casper’s features until they reached his bones. There, they connected into a music theory and the aether transformed into a key.

Torre closed his eyes and the ‘key’ began to rotate.

[Surface humanity seal – Unlocked]

Casper stiffened but his limbs began convulsing. The light in his eyes dimmed bit by bit until it sank into darkness. In the last moment, he stared at Torre. His lips opened as if he was speaking. His thin and unclear voice called, “Brother…” When he opened his eyes again, they were startling red.

Overlapping roars sounded from the empty air around him. Countless mournful wails appeared without stop as if thousands and thousands of beasts were killing each other. This was the elegy of beasts dying and demons being reborn!

Countless beasts continued to die but the beastly nature were reborn in Casper’s body, controlling him with the humanity’s seal. Fiery red shadows appeared in the aether sea.

Strong resonance shot out from Casper’s body and stirred the aether sea as he roared. The resonance reflected upon the fiery shadow which then covered his body. The frail youth expanded, changed, and burst with lava-like firelight.

The destructive firelight blinded all who saw. The slovenly youth had vanished, replaced with a ball of fire that shot to the sky. Amongst the flames, a giant dragon-like tail swept across. Black hair flowing with lava followed. The hairs writhed like venomous snakes.

Next, three giant heads spitting sulfur rose from the fire. Black venom dripped from their mouths, falling onto the ground and eroding the tiles with crackles. The poisonous aura spread. The Romulusian warriors eroded and quickly lost the strength from the legend, returning back to normal…

Four eyes on the skull searched around. When its gaze reached there, it froze and stiffened.

The firelight expanded and transformed into the gates to hell. The manmade demon that resulted from centuries of Summoning musicians’ work walked out of the fire. It roared!

This was beastly nature that no human could control. Merely looking at it would make one cave in and tremble from fear.

It was the Hellhound!