Chapter 381: Darkness and the Wolf

Wind and sand swept in from somewhere and the cold moon hung in the air. Deep in the dark atrium, Crowley felt that something out of his control was born.

It was fluorescent green light like will-‘o-the-wisps.

One pair, another pair, another pair…

Wolves were coming from the darkness.

Hundreds of silver light arcs lit up. Huge wolves emerged soundlessly, coming from an unknown place like dream monsters. Anyone who saw them would be terrified. Wolf Flute’s scepter had been completely unfurled. None of these wolves were lesser than that one silver wolf. They could only be stronger.

The wolf that had accompanied Wolf Flute all this time was only one of them. It was more like a scout. Under the wild melody that hinted at the start of a hunt, a chilling and powerful howl sounded in the wolf pack. It was the alpha’s command—the hunt was starting!

In an instant, a chill spread from all directions and came whistling with the overlapping light! Crowley’s disdain was wiped away. His expression stern, he clenched his hands.

A hoarse cry burst forth in the darkness. A disorderly piano melody like steel clanging sounded from the dark atrium. The grave singing began. Above him, the abyss opened up. The boundless power from the abyss swallowed Crowley. Under the deep well, he wore the Garment of Original Sin and bathed in the solid darkness. Behind him, a shadow emerged.

It was a giant tree with a human’s face. It was rooted in the decaying soil of the abyss. The hundreds of branches reached out, heavy with fruits—countless rotting skin and fresh organs. The branches held the strange flesh like hands, gathering different strengths.

An eerie pale face grew on the trunk. The left eye was pitch black while the right was covered in countless compound eyes. The tiny pupils swept around. Everything under their gazes turned half-transparent, revealing the skeleton and veins beneath like a skinned specimen.

Being stared at by those compound eyes was not it. The most terrifying was the black left eye. Evil light shot from it. Under its gaze, Ye Qingxuan felt dazed as if his sanity was snatched away.

Seething sin from the abyss was called forth by the hoarse singing. The tree absorbed the will of the darkness. It sprouted with leaves. Strange and eerie, the countless branches grabbed at the silver wolves like arms.

The wilted branches left scratches in the dark air, like the remains of evil thoughts. Under the pressure of the fierce malice, Wolf Flute’s symphony of predestination fell into chaos. It was as if weird static suddenly appeared in a light allegretto melody. Amidst the cold singing, blazing darkness shot out, attacking the foundations of Wolf Flute’s scepter like a tidal wave. It forced the whimsical silver wolves back as well.

The fallen musicians sang an ode to Hyakume—Péchés de vieillesse. Sins of old age. With the hoarse singing, it was as if Hyakume had truly arrived. Even if the god did not speak, the will of the chaotic abyss would restrict all melodies, causing them to collapse onto themselves.

Wolf Flute trembled; his face paled. The wolves flew through the air, endlessly appearing beside Crowley. However, the branches of the giant human-faced tree swept across. Even if they were touched by only a shred of darkness, the wolves would lose control and decay. Finally, they would be pierced by a branch and become fertilizer for the tree.

As they died, Wolf Flute’s expression grew uglier. With every loss, a crack appeared on his flute. They were all parts of his scepter’s territory. The wolves’ deaths were undoubtedly a grave damage to the scepter.

But for Crowley, he had an unlimited supply of power after the Garment opened the well of the abyss. He would cut off the parts tainted by beastly nature without hesitation because they would grow back immediately.

It was a competition to see who would burn out first. Crowley used his years of attainments to force Wolf Flute back.

The younger musician furrowed his brows. The melody of his flute grew more mournful. The wolf at the head suddenly swelled. It gathered all of the scepter’s power and became as wispy as smoke. It pounced at Crowley.

Rather than teleporting, it bolted toward Crowley with incredible speed. Along the way, the branches swept at it but it was as insubstantial as smoke. It broke apart at touch and then regrouped like an untouchable spirit.

In an instant, the silver wolf jumped like a wraith with sharp fangs and pounced at the tree. It gnashed the face and tore it off. The tree cried out like an infant and trembled, having been gravely injured.

However, in the shadows, Crowley sneered. The bait had finally been taken!

The tree branches instantly closed in like thousands of arms going for a hug. It closed around the somewhat imaginary wolf. An enchantment rose from the shattered face and locked all of Wolf Flute’s power within.

Wolf Flute’s face turned white and he spat out blood. In the next moment, he could retract the power forcefully and summon the wolf again. But would Crowley give him the chance?

The answer was…no!

Cackling, Crowley controlled the solid darkness. It transformed into a giant hand that grabbed at Wolf Flute. The Garment’s power sealed the surroundings, blocking all paths of retreat.

Wolf Flute was stuck there with nowhere to run to. His expression froze.

Then the hand of darkness tore through the illusion. The air rippled and Wolf Flute’s figure shattered, disappearing. In his place, within layers of locks and murder, was a white-haired youth. He played Jiu Xiao Huan Pei with his eyes closed.

Sensing Crowley’s blank expression, he looked up and smiled. “Yup, it’s me.” Now, Crowley finally realized that Ye Qingxuan had fused his music score into Wolf Flute’s scepter, entrusted onto the rim of moonlight in the air!

What the f*ck? When did they go into coherence? Crowley thought in shock. He started doubting his eyes. This guy had only just become an official musician! How could a third level musician go into coherence with a scepter? They had worked so well together as if they were one person and totally fooled Crowley. And more importantly…If Ye Qingxuan was here, then where was Wolf Flute?

In that instant, another howl rang out. Under the crescent moon, flanked by a pack of wolves, an aggressive and large figure walked out slowly. The alpha had appeared!

For a moment, Ye Qingxuan could hardly believe his eyes. It was a bare-chested dark youth covered in scars!

Flanked by the wolves, he sat high up on a throne. His eyes shone with green light just like the wolves and radiated with a bloody and cruel aura. His face was like Wolf Flute’s and his flute had transformed into a tooth, hanging at his neck. The scepter’s power had converged in him.

The moonlight was above his head. He looked down at Crowley and sneered like a wolf. He howled, commanding the wolves, and burst forward with silver light.

The fulminations were like wolf howls.

In shock, Crowley forgot about Ye Qingxuan who he could squash easily. Instead, he turned to stop Wolf Flute. The problem was that the Garment’s power was all used to shackle Ye Qingxuan right now. It could not protect Crowley! Without it…he had never been so vulnerable!

Cold silver light rose around Wolf Flute. Then, like a phantom beast, he jumped into the aether world and seemed to teleport. He was so close! He reached out!

Crowley screamed.

Wolf Flute used his bare hands to tear Crowley’s chest apart. As if devoured by a pack of wolves, the internal organs turned into mashed pulp. Then the wolf poison poured into the abyss music theory within him. It imploded and the music theory broke apart!

Flesh fell in chunks. Crowley turned into a skeleton, cutting off connection with the abyss. He opened his mouth and rasped out, “Wait—”

Pop! His skull shattered and his brains flew out. The fire within him extinguished completely.

Crowley was finally dead!

Without its owner, the Garment of Original Sin and dark atrium caved in. They exploded and the endless darkness disappeared. Wolf Flute stumbled back and practically collapsed onto the ground. The scepter’s power retreated and the wolves disappeared. The frail youth changed quickly until he was back to normal.

Ye Qingxuan steadied him but looked at him with troubled eyes. “What just happened? You’re a demon?”

“Ha, you saw it?”

Wolf Flute barked out a laugh. “That…was probably what I looked like before. Don’t worry, I’m not a demon. Just a kid raised by wolves. Mature men all have some dark history. Don’t ask.”

Ye Qingxuan was stunned but he obeyed.

Without the dark atrium’s protection, the dark musicians were forced to use their own symphonies of predestination to fight against Faust’s power. They instantly fell back. Already, two of them died. The victor had been determined. But Ye Qingxuan kept looking at Wolf Flute and their surroundings. He still felt unsettled. “Wolf Flute, are you sure you killed that guy?” he asked quietly.

“Don’t worry. Am I the type to be merciful?” Wolf Flute made a face. “That guy is a failure who relied on a special weapon to upgrade. Without it, he’ll be completely dead in my hands. He can’t even leave an impact. Don’t worry, there’s no way even if their god wants to resurrect him.”

“But…” Ye Qingxuan’s mouth opened. Before he could finish, he felt his hair standing up straight. He pulled Wolf Flute back reflexively.

A dark shadow rose up under their feet and melded into a dark musician’s body. His power exploded and instantly pushed the destructive thunder back. Reaching out, he grasped a grandmaster’s head. His fingers closed and the skull shattered.

The grandmaster from the School of Dragon Rock died instantly and tragically. Then his power was sucked into the dark musician.

Crowley’s sharp laughter rang out, returning from the underworld!

Ye Qingxuan’s face paled and he looked back. “Didn’t you say that he’s totally dead?”

Wolf Flute froze too. He was sure that Crowley had died in his hands, so who was this before him right now?

Solid darkness shrouded this abyss musician’s body. Crowley’s face slowly appeared, totally unharmed. He could not help but laugh when he studied Wolf Flute.

“Mr. Wolf Flute, I agree with what you just said.” He studied the other with a mysterious smile. “A self-made musician is naturally different from failures that rely on special weapons… But sadly, I’m not a failure who used the Garment of Original Sin to enter the scepter level.”

“Wolf Flute…” Ye Qingxuan’s hand trembled. He stared at Crowley. As if seeing through his disguise and seeing his true nature, Ye Qingxuan’s eyes widened in shock. He muttered, “He…is the Garment!”

“That’s right.” Crowley opened his arms. The Garment of Original Sin trembled as he laughed and bellowed, “I am the scepter!”

In Ye Qingxuan’s eyes, the moonlight lit up, illuminating the reality. The moment the Garment and the flesh became one, he finally saw Crowley’s true appearance.

Within the solid darkness, countless tiny music notes connected, constructing an entirely different interval like a vast music score.

At just a glance, Ye Qingxuan knew this music theory was too far beyond him. It contained the School of Modifications, Revelations, Summoning, and even Abstinence… These different theories were combined under one wild rule, transforming into the power of the abyss.

It revealed itself using the aether. This was the true nature of the Garment—a weapon carved with a symphony of predestination and even containing a scepter!

But amidst the complex music theory, within the rising and falling notes, music theory intertwined and countless music sheets twisted together. They vaguely formed a menacing face that changed with Crowley’s expressions. It seemed to cry, laugh; it seemed to be furious or depressed. It was tempting, luring one into its emotions.

Just as the Romulusian alchemists had used a music score’s spirit to replace a man’s will, this music theory had created something comparable to a man’s will.

No, this came from a man’s will!

The moonlight traced the roots and Ye Qingxuan used the interpretation method to find a critical point among the messy music theory. The point was using the way of raising beasts by the School of Summoning to cut a person up psychologically and join the pieces into the music score…

This was where Crowley had come from. He was a beast born from the pieces of a man’s personality and soul! But who could create the Garment while cutting himself apart and joining it at the same time?

Here, Ye Qingxuan’s expression grew bitter. Who else could it be?

“You’re ‘Paganini,’ right?” Studying Crowley, he said haltingly, “You’re made from the pieces of Paganini… He cut out the wildest, darkest part of himself and you were born!”

Crowley studied him in return. He seemed to smile and his eyes changed. Under the menacing mockery, a shred of pleasant shock flashed by. However, it quickly turned into an unnerving murderous glare.

“You must be Ye Qingxuan.” He looked at the young man behind Wolf Flute and lowered his head slightly. “As expected of the genius highly recommended by Naberius. That picky fellow was right.”

“What did he say?” Ye Qingxuan felt a chill.

“For people like you, if you can’t become a right hand man, then one day you would become a scourge!” Crowley narrowed his eyes. “But sadly…you won’t get the chance!”

Wolf Flute’s expression changed. He shoved Ye Qingxuan to the side.

Ye Qingxuan stumbled but silver light flashed before his eyes. The light changed, flitting past countless images in a second. In the last instant, he saw darkness swallow him. The armor of the Blade Dancer instantly rusted as if a millennium had passed.

The moonlight only held on for a moment before breaking down. He spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling his organs fail. During this dizziness, he saw Wolf Flute jump into the aether world with the help of his scepter and land back in the material world. He crossed hundreds of meters in an instant.

Darkness swallowed everything. However, this time, the power was like a blazing sun. It created storms in the aether sea. The darkness rushed into the sky, practically enveloping the entire city. It called for the abyss’s power and activated the huge wind tunnel again.

It was like a ring of darkness. It loomed over the city and pushed down!

At the city’s peak, the Sacred Fire wavered.

“F*ck, is this shirt high on crack? It’s too powerful.” Wolf Flute’s hoarse voice sounded in his ears. “Leave us and run! These guys must’ve planned something. The entire city will sink into the abyss. You have to find that d*mn Romulusian girl!”

“And then?” Ye Qingxuan froze.

“And then you know what to do.”

Wolf Flute’s answer was calm—calm to the point of being chilling. Then the voice disappeared. The moonlight threads snapped. Wolf Flute had cut off the coherence between the two.

Ye Qingxuan could only sense that terrifying changes were happening on the other end.

–

In the darkness, Wolf Flute’s lower body had already been corroded. The silver wolves’ hair were gray and mottled as they continued killing.

“You sent the kid away like that? You might be too confident in him.” Crowley snickered. “Without your protection, he’ll be devoured by the city.”

“No, he doesn’t need my protection,” Wolf Flute said indifferently. “He’s the representative of the School of Royalty and is the future of all of Anglo…”

“Really?” Crowley shook his head in dissatisfaction. Something fierce flashed past his eyes. “Then let’s have the future of Anglo be buried with you!” The plaintive melody sounded. The darkness swallowed everything.

–

At an altitude of thousands of meters above sea level, wild wind raged. Ye Qingxuan thought he was being blown by the wind like a leaf. He had never hated his weak body more than now. Why didn’t he exercise more? Even if he was not a muscular pig, he would at least not be blown by the wind.

Every element in Faust’s world should be frozen. However, Ye Qingxuan still felt aether flooding around him like furious tides in the ocean. Here, the aether and material world overlapped. The ripples of the aether sea had seeped into reality. Inside the large temple, it was as if a thousand ton sluice had opened. The aether formed a hurricane and wind, sweeping in all directions.

The aether density was far beyond a black zone. It was almost solid and within it, Ye Qingxuan was suffocating. He yanked out a steel nail form his damaged armor and anchored him to the steps. He trudged forward like a lonely mountain climber.

The steps spanned thousands of meters. The two sides were filled with delicate yet dark statues—suffering saints, lonely travelers, meditating girls, dying old men, tired merchants, terrified officials, furious kings…

The weakest parts of a human’s heart were presented here, transformed into realistic statues, frozen as beautiful pieces of art. Every statue was flawless and touching. One could feel the hearts of the characters.

At the end of the steps was the temple at the highest point of the city. Ye Qingxuan forged on, going against the aether flood. He approached it step by step but did not dare to make any sound.

In a black zone, a sound slightly too high could create abnormal changes. In a place where the aether was as terrifyingly dense that it was, even a cough could probably cause a chain reaction. The most common being explosions…

He climbed amongst oil that the alchemists had created. The slightest spark could cremate him. When he reached the last step, his armor had crumbled under the aether flood. His revealed clothing weathered until he looked like a beggar.

Thankfully, he could still use the sub-originator. In fact, it worked better than before. The surging aether filled the empty sub-originator, replenishing his energy. Now, his condition was unbelievably good.

At the temple gate, the flood disappeared completely. Like the eye of a storm, there was not a ripple. He could feel the thing burning like a star within the temple, even through the thick doors.

Dumbfounding music theory was being born within the Sacred Fire, creating something awful and awesome that Ye Qingxuan had never seen before.

This was something that was far beyond a symphony of predestination, the Garment of Original Sin, or anything he could imagine. If this thing could still be called a music score, it was undeniably a terrifying power that sat above all knowledge.

However, the larger a music score was, the stronger of a spirit it needed. It was like how a symphony of predestination’s spirit could replace a man’s soul and control him. So where the spirit of the Sacred Flame come from?

He held his breath and gaped. As expected…in the large hall, atop the altar, the Sacred Fire that contained all family flames and the countless souls of Romulus burned. It absorbed the power of both heaven and the abyss, unleashing a grand melody.

Elsa slept within the flames. The Sacred Fire had already become tangible in the crack of her chest. It had transformed into the crystals of a miracle. The crystal came from the fire where countless memories and souls were burning—including herself.

Everything was to create a realistic miracle within the Sacred Fire’s flame.

“Those Romulusians wanted to use this to make a scepter or even a more terrifying thing. It can be called…” The hoarse voice paused to find an apt description. “The core of a natural catastrophe.”

The moment he heard the sound, Ye Qingxuan’s expression changed. The dagger in his remaining leg armor popped out from his movement. The blade was strangely twisted like a snake. It tore through the wind and left a chilling metallic light in its path. Finally, it landed in his hands and spun, stabbing into the front. The movement was crisp and practiced. Ye Qingxuan used up all his remaining strength to be extremely fast.

It was only one moment.

When the dagger pierced through someone’s body and came out the other end, there was no sound. There was no feeling as if he had pierced thin air. But he had not missed.

“Young man, brashness is poison.” The stabbed man shook his head and sighed. “It’s even more poisonous than so-called ‘bravery’.” He reached out, grasping Ye Qingxuan’s wrist, and pushed it out. It was not strong but it was filled with a stability that could not be defied. He gradually pulled the dagger out.

It fell onto the floor with a clink.

Ye Qingxuan was immobilized. For a moment, he was shaken by the sudden prestige. Every inch of him was frozen in horror, not daring to act before the ‘giant object.’ Even his brain was silent and could not move.

There was a frail figure behind Ye Qingxuan. He was covered in a black feather cape and was at least two meters tall but was not muscular. His waist-length hair was like gray ash and his face was colorless. Ye Qingxuan could not tell if he was angry or calm.

Just as being stabbed was an insignificant matter, the young man before him was like dust. He looked down at Ye Qingxuan as if studying an interesting object. There was no frustration or annoyance.

“Who…are you?” Ye Qingxuan forced out.

“Me?” the man replied indifferently. “I’ve had many names but I’m afraid many have been forgotten. Only my least favorite one still survives. You can call me…” He paused and uttered, “Paganini.”

–

Ten minutes ago, the Knights Templar and iron whales were in the center temple. Colt had been called for. He entered quickly and came before the hanging emblem under the priest’s guidance. He lowered his head politely. “I am Colt, representative of the Rock Institute. May I ask what the Sacred City requests?”

“Colt, get ready for coherence.” A hoarse voice rang out. It was familiar and emotionless, just purely issuing an order. “Enter the prayer room in ten minutes and guide the lighthouse’s light.”

Stunned, Colt’s head snapped up. He looked at the holy emblem as if he could see the elder in the distance behind it. “Teacher?” Overjoyed, he said, “I am not yet a grandmaster but I am already qualified to touch the ‘lighthouse’?”

For centuries, all secret keepers passed down the same command to finally construct the scepter of a ‘lighthouse’ in the aether world. From then on, the lighthouse was finally illuminated. It hung in the aether world, transmitting the wishes of generations of secret keepers—to light the Dark World, observe the global environment, and enter the territory of omniscience.

It was difficult to actually operate it, they could not maintain the global environment observation, and there were huge costs but the power was still huge. Throughout history, the secret keepers had worked with the Sacred City closely. They enjoyed high status and became a force within the School of Revelations. This was the reason why they were so highly regarded within Revelations.

To any other Revelations musician, going into coherence with the Lighthouse and guiding the light was a huge honor. Controlling that power was like transforming into an omniscient spirit, able to see through all darkness and secrets.

Even as the current heir to the secret keeper position, the Lighthouse was still a faraway honor to Colt. This was why he was unsettled and scared it was a joke.

Heisenberg’s voice was still indifferent. “Colt, this is your chance,” he said. “Grandmaster Koch has passed. Now, you are the only Revelations musician in Romulus. I am giving you my authority to represent the School of Secret Keepers and become the eye of the Sacred City. You will report straight to the Papal Chamber to supply information for the Cardinals. Do you understand the weight of this responsibility?”

Colt was overjoyed. Forcing down his ecstasy, he lowered his head, answering, “I-I understand, Teacher. Please don’t worry, I won’t disa—”

“Do not forget your place!” The voice, icy as the deep sea, froze Colt. Heisenberg reprimanded coldly, “The way of Revelations lies in focus and calmness. You can only observe the situation by placing yourself out of it. Otherwise, you will lose independence and be blinded. How can you speak of the truth then? After all your years of studying, you still cannot control yourself. Can you not even understand the simplest principles?”

“Teacher, I—”

“No need to explain. Go get ready.” Heisenberg’s voice faded and the holy emblem dimmed. All that remained was an echo, “And still, unable to accomplish anything…”

Colt stared at the emblem dumbly. After a long while, he thought of something and lowered his head. “I understand.”

Ten minutes later, a servant walked over respectfully. “The prayer room has been prepared.”

When Colt looked up, the servant froze and stepped back subconsciously. Those eyes were empty and cold, indescribably so. They were like a vortex in the deep sea. Just glancing at them was asphyxiating.

“P-please follow me…” He did not dare to keep looking.

Colt nodded and followed. On the way, he casually asked, “Excuse me but has the Sacred City called for other musicians before me?”

The man answered. Just as Colt had expected, he heard that name again.

“I see.” He nodded with a smile but his eyes hardened, reflecting the coldness of the tundra.

Fire brewed in the wilderness.

–

The prayer room was in the center of the iron whale temple. With its help, the coherence with the Lighthouse went smoothly. But it was surprising to Colt that he was so calm. He felt no nervousness or excitement. It was as if all his emotions had frozen and there was no longer anything to anticipate. All that remained was deadly stillness.

He closed his eyes. Using the Lighthouse’s light, he looked into the faraway city. There, he saw it. He saw the abyss musicians and the grandmasters fighting them. He saw the immense power and terrifying rhythm contained in the strange city’s Sacred Fire.

And he saw…

The white-haired man at the peak of the city who pushed the door open and approached the fire. It was familiar and coincidental, just as every other time. Colt could only watch his back as he disappeared into the hall.

As if blinded by the white hair, Colt closed his eyes.

“Ye Qingxuan…” he muttered. As if chewing on flesh, he tasted something metallic between his teeth.

“Ye Qingxuan.”

Colt suddenly laughed as if finding a solution within his pain and craze. Illuminated by the Lighthouse, he reached out and instantly saw the boundless information. He wiped away one and connected two different logic lines together.

The result was very different.

Wiping away his smile, his expression turned serious and shocked. Using his authority, he connected with the Sacred City.

“Teacher, the situation is hard to maintain. The abyss is directly controlling the core and the grandmasters…are at risk!”

There was a long, long silence. Then Heisenberg exclaimed, “What did you say?!”

“The abyss is well prepared and has the upper hand now,” Colt answered with a quivering voice. “I’ve sent all the observation data. In a few minutes, everything might fall into the abyss’s control.”

“Colt, do you know what you’re saying?” Heisenberg checked the data sent from the temple. His voice grew hoarse. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Teacher.” Colt’s lips twisted into a sneer. He repeated, “We must act. Please tell the Cardinals to quickly decide! Otherwise…”

The connection cut off.

Colt sneered and counted backwards. Ten, nine, eight, seven… Before he got to ‘three,’ the connection was restored. This time, it was an unfamiliar and serious voice. “Colt, this is the Cardinals. You will temporarily have the authority of a bishop and command Knights Templar on behalf of the Papal Chamber.”

The voice paused and grew resolute. “The Sacred City shall sign the ‘purification document’ and give Knights Templar the activation code for Heaven’s Gate! Even if Auschwitz is wiped from the map, do not allow the abyss to succeed!”

“Understood.”

Colt lowered his head, bowing before the almighty power. And then, he…laughed silently. Only one thought went through his mind.

Goodbye forever, Ye Qingxuan.

Fire burned in the darkness of the hall. Paganini stood before the Sacred Fire. His black shadow covered the youth’s face like an abyss pushing him down. He said, “Ye Qingxuan, I know you.”

Under the extreme pressure, Ye Qingxuan’s face was pale. Sweat trickled down his back. There was no need for any words, movements, or thoughts. The man’s mere existence suffocated Ye Qingxuan.

The Eye of Silence was carved with the words knowing too much may not be a good thing. He had never hated his knowledge of Revelations more than now because he saw the stars under Paganini’s hood. They fluctuated like the original darkness of the universe. He could distort the temperament and reality by merely standing there.

Every word was like a clap of thunder in Ye Qingxuan’s soul, causing his consciousness to shake. If the moonlight had not soothed his terror and psychological wounds, he would have been destroyed.

Now, he forced a smile onto his pale face and rasped, “I’m flattered.”

“Your actions deserve my praise.” Paganini studied him. His voice had an undertone of approval. “I have paid attention to you from the abyss, including everything you’ve done in Anglo. You are the most talented genius I’ve seen this century—second only to your father.”

Ye Qingxuan’s pupils constricted. “My…father?”

“Someone has to remember him, right?” Paganini said indifferently. “Ye Lanzhou’s talents were beyond my—no, everyone’s expectations. He turned his name into a hint and wiped my memories. Thankfully, I have a habit of backing up my memories periodically. That was how I noticed a gap in them.

“I used six years to undo his hint, thus noticing his talent…It is unprecedented. Sadly, someone so talented had to be my enemy due to our different views. It is such a pity.” He looked at Ye Qingxuan and said in a low voice, “What do you think?”

“It’s probably because you did something wrong.”

“Oh?” Paganini laughed. “I only followed my heart and did everything for the path to the Originator. I’m nothing different from the other musicians except for the fact that I found the abyss music theory to suit me better.”

“If you think you’re right then why must you prove your innocence to me?” The more scared Ye Qingxuan was, the more serious he seemed. “If you wish, why don’t you to the Ministry of the Sacred City and appeal for innocence? I’m sure the Sacred City will understand your efforts.” Finished, he closed his eyes, waiting for Paganini to lose his temper and kill him. To be honest, he regretted it but it was useless. His mouth could not be helped.

However, Paganini did not grow furious or even show any embarrassment. Instead, he said as if discussing dinner, “If there’s a chance, I’d go, but not now.”

“So what now?” Ye Qingxuan asked. “What do you want to do now?”

“I want to talk to you,” Paganini said. “I had become one of the dark followers after all these years but I don’t want to put my wishes on sword point. At my level, strength and effectiveness are no longer important. The most important thing is to follow my own way. If possible, I don’t wish to use violent ways to solve problems.”

“Talk?” Ye Qingxuan was bewildered. “About what? Joining you?”

“There are many dark musicians in the world. We don’t need you,” Paganini said lightly. “I will welcome you if you did, but it’s okay if you’re not willing. You can continue being a musician of your kind.

“On the path to the Originator, we are all travelers. If one day, you reach my position and have the same attainments, I will be happy for you as well.”

“Oh…really? Thanks.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled dryly. He was slightly relieved but also disappointed for some reason. It was weird!

“Now, I wish to talk about something else.” Paganini turned to look at the Sacred Fire. Elsa slept within the fire as if she would sleep for thousands of years. “About her.”

“Her?” Stunned, Ye Qingxuan narrowed his eyes. “There’s nothing to talk about. Mr. Paganini, she’s just an average girl. The dark followers are above her.”

“Just an average girl?” Tickled, Paganini burst into laughter. “For hundreds of years, so many people have used all their tricks and gave up everything but no one expected that the first new natural catastrophe would be a little girl. And she even inherited the position of the three wise men…” He paused. Looking at Ye Qingxuan, he raised his voice. “You’re here to take her away, right?”

Ye Qingxuan did not reply. It was not that he was speechless but that words were useless. They knew each other well. Lying would only make him seem laughable.

“Give up,” Paganini stated. “Do you think the Sacred City would allow a natural catastrophe outside of their control to survive? Or do you think that the Romulusians would thank you?

Caligula nurtured her so she could shine one day. After today, she will burn completely and give them strength… She can’t leave with you. She herself will not allow it. Ye Qingxuan, you understand this, yes?”

After a long silence, Ye Qingxuan forced between clenched teeth, “It might not be how you say it is.”

“Really?” Paganini retorted. “Why don’t I think that Wolf Flute thinks so too? He said that you know what to do and you lied to yourself but you don’t actually know what to do, yes?”

He paused. Looking down at Ye Qingxuan’s dagger, his eyes became tinged with mockery. “Otherwise, why did you bring a knife?”

Ye Qingxuan did not reply but Paganini continued.

“You’ve already prepared for the worst scenario—to kill her, yes? I know you, Ye Qingxuan. I’ve seen countless people over thousands of years. Therefore, I know you better than you know yourself.

“People like you seem to be friendly towards everyone. But actually, you’re indifferent to everyone. From the start to now, from Avalon to here, your pain and appeals don’t come from the outside. They come from yourself because you realized that this world is different from what you thought!

“Even if you save her, it’s not to become a hero but because you feel that you owe her and don’t want to feel guilt! You are always living in your own world!”

“Bullsh*t!” Ye Qingxuan roared. He used all his energy but his voice sounded so thin and weak. He hung his head tiredly. Paganini laughed in his face.

“The time for immaturity is over, Ye Qingxuan. Face reality.” He pressed a hand to Ye Qingxuan’s forehead and said seriously, “Since you don’t understand, let me tell you something. Some iron rules and truths of this world.

“In this world, everyone must pay for their choices. The Romulusians abandoned her for power and the Sacred City will abandon you all for that reason…You have no reason to sacrifice yourself for the Sacred City and have no right to take her away because you shouldn’t have come!”

The voice seemed to have invisible weight that crushed Ye Qingxuan’s shoulders. It forced his head down and immobilized him. Unable to fight back, he fell into the abyss of asphyxiation.

“I understand that you are unwilling. You may have experienced so I will give you a satisfactory ‘compensation’.” Paganini rose and murmured in his ears, uttering the secret of a demon, “For example, how Ye Lanzhou died.”

Ye Qingxuan’s expression changed. His head snapped up. He saw Paganini’s eyes and his pale face in the reflection. It was filled with weakness and confusion. After a long while, he looked away weakly. All his power was sapped. He closed his eyes.

“I understand,” Ye Qingxuan murmured. “This is my cost?”

“It seems that you’ve thought it through.” Paganini nodded, appreciation filling his eyes. “It’s the hardest for men to face reality. It is very difficult for you to make such a choice. The road ahead is still long. Wise men do not worry about a moment. I anticipate your development in the future.”

“Thank you, Mr. Paganini, for your guidance.”

Ye Qingxuan bowed politely. Paganini smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but heard the youth’s hoarse voice.

“In return, let me tell you something too!”

Cold moonlight lit up in Ye Qingxuan’s chest. The sub-originator shook. The vast music theory from the Avalonian enchantment forcefully chipped away at Paganini’s restrictions. The gap was only large enough to fit a youth.

Ye Qingxuan moved forward, welcoming the terrifying figure—the abyss’s physical incarnate.

Jiu Xiao Huan Pei hummed at his fingertip. A slender cane shot out, transforming into a sword in his hands. It stabbed to the front! In that moment, thunder rumbled. Complex notes were carved into the cane. Moonlight flowed out like a flood, transforming the blade.

The murderous feeling cut to the bone.

It was the Sword!

Boom!

The blade pierced through Paganini’s body, cutting out a giant hole in his chest! Paganini’s slender body twisted from the sudden attack. He looked up in shock and stared dumbfounded at the youth. Ye Qingxuan’s face was emotionless. There was no confusion in his eyes.

He bent over and uttered the truth, “Your iron rules are bullsh*t!”

With a snap of the finger, the frosty moonlight sword broke out, piercing through Paganini’s body. He was like a broken scarecrow but no blood existed in his chest. Instead, solid music theory was revealed.

In the cleaved darkness, the broken music theories were like broken chains and disordered music scores. They tried to recover but could not connect again under the moonlight.

The abyss music theory fell like a house of cards before the moonlight. This was the purification score that Moon Chant had created for the abyss. It was only a shred of its original but it was not able to be overlooked.

However, even with his body damaged, Paganini still had no reaction. It was like a breeze to him. There was no pain. He just looked at Ye Qingxuan. His eyes changed from shock, confusion, to…scorn!

“That was your last desperate attempt?” He looked at Ye Qingxuan with uncertainty and disdain. “It’s wild, shallow, and completely illogical. I am so dis-disa-” His voice cut off as if frozen. His expression froze as well. Rattling came from his body, rising and falling until a horrible scream came from the thousands of cracks in unison.

“Ah!!!” Countless black feathers flew from his hood like a crow molting right before death. They burned to dust. His body instantly shattered. The peacefulness of the hall was also destroyed.

The copper mirror shattered, transforming into shards of light, revealing the hall tainted by blackness. The entire hall had been corroded by a flesh-like darkness. The pure black color seeped into the stones. The abyss music theory transformed into pulsing veins.

The entire hall had turned into the body of a giant beast. And Ye Qingxuan was inside of it!

In the heart of the darkness, tentacles dropped down. The layers thinned and narrowed, delicately reaching into the Sacred Fire. However, the corrosive music theory did not stimulate the Fire’s counterattack.

The music theory changed nine times and the end of the tentacles were completely different. They grew radiant like fire as if coming from the same place as the Sacred Fire.

This was Paganini’s specialty—Channeling Change.

Otherwise, how could he be undiscovered for dozens of years as a demonic follower until he suddenly dragged half of the Holy Choir into the abyss in one day? That day, he had shaken the world. Hundreds of years later, the human world would once again be shaken.

Within the abyss, Paganini immediately rose to the top of the ‘dark followers.’ His status was even above that of Hyakume’s first daughter, the Eagle Wing Mother.

Before Ye Qingxuan’s arrival, he had already transformed this place into his territory. He used his music theory to imitate the Sacred Fire and quietly meld into the flames. Then he slowly, carefully polluted it until it became part of him! He would then swallow everything and he had almost succeeded!

The outer edge of the Sacred Fire had already blackened. The hardest part was complete but with Elsa sleeping, the Sacred Fire did not even know. Next, he could have gone with the flow, pushing it easily until the Fire was completely swallowed.

But someone had burst through, stirring up a mess without following the rules, respecting authority or manners, and pulled out his sword!

With an unhesitant throw of the sword, he had shattered the body Paganini created and jumped into the Sacred Flame dozens of meters away. Compared to the immense power, the moonlight was nothing.

Ye Qingxuan’s action was like sticking an elephant with a needle.

The problem though, was that he had stuck the elephant when the giant snake was halfway through swallowing it and the elephant reacted…

Countless delicate and complex purification theories solidified into pure moonlight. It stabbed into the fire to disturb the abyss theory.

It was like a drop of water in a pot of oil—it exploded!

The Sacred Fire blazed furiously. Terrifying power converged, destroying all power that dared to invade it. This included the moonlight. It also included Paganini.

When the moonlight clashed with the fire, the fighting only lasted for a moment. The music theory twisted, fought, and rejected, creating thousands of changes in an instant. Ye Qingxuan guided the fight toward the way of Modifications.

He obviously did not have any knowledge of it and was defeated. However, his goal was achieved.

The music theory changed constantly but the abyss theory that had used the Channeling Change could not keep up. The slight disparity was obvious. Even water was divided between pure and murky. Thus, the Sacred Fire began rejecting and purifying!

In an instant, the lively and writhing darkness screamed. It jumped from the fire like black oil splashing out of a well. It was endless. But the oil had already been ignited. The layer of firelight shrieked and could not continue.

Paganini’s hard work had failed!

“From your saint’s position, you abandoned your human body. This must be your body now, right?” Ye Qingxuan stared coldly at the sticky darkness with mockery. “How is it? How does it feel to be burned from the inside out?”

“Wh-why-” the voice rasped. “Why?!”

Paganini’s question was unclear but Ye Qingxuan understood: why would Ye Qingxuan choose to fight a dark follower so far above him?

“Firstly, thank you for lowering yourself to waste so much time talking to me.” Ye Qingxuan bowed in gratitude. “To be honest, I almost believed for a moment that you really just wanted to talk.”

“Why…”

Why didn’t he believe it? “It’s simple. I don’t deserve it.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged. “Someone as powerful as you doesn’t need to waste so much effort on talking. There’s nothing wrong with talking about principles but ants and dust don’t need to know this. Just squashing them is a much better choice. Unless…” Ye Qingxuan paused. His gaze was mysterious. “Unless you’re trying to drag out the time!”

“You’re more difficult than I thought. Ye Qingxuan…you’re beyond my expectations, just like your father.”

Black tar bubbled on the ceiling, the walls, and the ground. Countless bubbles burst with a hoarse laugh.

“Sadly, you don’t know what you missed… You missed the only chance to learn about Ye Lanzhou… You will never, never know how he died.”

Under the strange laugh, the ball of blackness surged. A vague figure slowly emerged. It transformed into a black cape again. A white face reached out of the mud and opened its mouth, exhaling deeply.

A suffocating wind blew through the hall.

Ye Qingxuan paled. He had recovered?

If one wanted to use the Channeling Change to steal the Sacred Fire’s power, he needed to undo all defenses and enter it completely. He should be extremely weak. In addition to being burned and cleansed by the Sacred Fire, he also suffered the abyss music theory’s backlash. It was a fatal wound.

It was as if someone had a third degree burn and his immune system broke down. It was even possible to drop down dead…even though this may be too insignificant to Paganini. But Ye Qingxuan had not expected for him to recover so quickly!

It was too fast. So incredibly fast…

After a few short exchanges, Ye Qingxuan had not even found a weakness to stab but Paganini had quickly extinguished the fire on himself. He had reconstructed the broken music theory and scepter.

He had not recovered fully but he was not weak and defenseless now. For someone as strong as Paganini, who had already become an elite of the scepter level hundreds of years ago, had been a saint, and was a dark follower in the abyss…

He could completely destroy Ye Qingxuan with just a pinky finger!

He could die from the backlash of his music theory breakdown.

He could be tormented to death.

He could have a mental breakdown and go crazy until death.

His body could degenerate and wither until death.

Hundreds of ways to die flashed past his mind. If Paganini was creative, he could probably think of more fun ways.

“Infinite movement,” Paganini suddenly said. He stared at his regenerated hands. They were slender and white. Different from regular humans, each finger had four joints. They were mesmerizing when he stretched them out.

“You must be very confused as to how I could instantly heal a wound that should take decades,” he said. “It’s simple. Back when I became a saint and inherited the name of ‘Paganini,’ the ritual known as ‘infinite movement’ happened.

“After that ritual, I am able to construct music theory thousands of times faster than the average man. That means that, as long as I can withstand it, I can achieve results in the snap of a finger that others need tens of thousands of times more for.

“There are many restrictions for the ritual and the Sacred City’s tastes are very annoying. If not for your reminder today, I would have forgotten all about it. A pity.” With that, Paganini reached out. Blackness came in plumes, weighing down with thousands of tons.

Ye Qingxuan was dragged to the air. He spat out blood but could not move. He could sense that the aether around him was quickly extinguishing as if he had fallen into the abyss. The slightest breath could cause his music theory to fall apart.

On his heart, a crack appeared on the sub-originator. He could barely maintain his heartbeat.

It would collapse at the slightest touch!

“You still won’t give up. You must hold some kind of faith or hope in your mind, right?” Paganini seemed to have made up his mind to torture him to death. “Even to this degree, you still think that someone will come to save you? Stop dreaming, Ye Qingxuan. That little girl has burned down long ago. Do you think she can wake up to call your name again? Or…are you still waiting for him?”

Just as the voice fell, a man was thrown in from outside.

Then, a glow of light flew into Paganini’s body. In an instant, black feathers were flying around. Paganini’s emaciated body was enveloped in a robe. The robe was embroidered with golden silk threads and decorated with stars and roses. The gospels of the Scriptures were depicted on the clothing. After falling into the darkness, the cloth turned dark and gloomy without deducting from its grandeur and mystery.

It was the Garment of Original Sin!

What surprised Ye Qingxuan more than this was the dying young man on the ground. He was on his last breath.

Wolf Flute?

He was almost shocked to death.

Ye Qingxuan had been waiting for him to rescue or to request the Knights Templar for reinforcements! In the blink of an eye however, Wolf Flute was beaten into such a pathetic state.

Come on man? Where is your dignity as a new Scepter? Ye Qingxuan thought.

“Well, those guys are so impudent! I had to fight with six people at the same time…” Wolf Flute spoke embarrassedly with a helpless but angry face. “Shouldn’t it be one-on-one?”

“Why are you so unreliable?” Ye Qingxuan wanted to cry. “From the first time to now, you’ve never come in handy! Man!”

“Who said that?” Wolf Flute became angry. He looked so wronged. “I gave you a whistle!”

Whistle… F*cking whistle! Thinking of the whistle, Ye Qingxuan became furious. “I had blown it earlier. It was useless!”

Hearing him say so, Wolf Flute was overjoyed. “You blew it? That’s good…” In spite of the harsh melody in the dark, he lowered his eyes, calculating the time.

It was about time…

–

“My Lord,” a husky voice sang softly in the still sky. Thus, pious praising melodies sounded above the dozens of large iron whales.

In the clear melody, countless priests closed their eyes and whispered, “Make me your child of peace and see your presence in hatred.” Holy light shone from their bodies, melting into one another. There seemed to be lights from heaven shining above the dark iron whales, countless like the stars in the night sky.

There were stars shining above the burning iron curtain in the sky. The solemn praises of countless people echoed here.

They were praying.

They were chanting.

“Make me your child of peace, and sow thy light in this darkness!”

As if dozens of great silver bells were ringing, the deafening roar spread. In the roar, the lights gathered like an ocean, flooding the sky. At this moment, the sky was like an ocean of light hung upside-down. In the countless ripples, the iron whales hissed, playing the sacred melody.

On the dark scorched earth, the city hung frozen in the sky and sea of light. Many priests worshiped before the emblem, and solemnly praised, “Make me your child of peace and in forgiveness, we shall receive amnesty.”

Between heaven and earth, everything was in silence at that moment.

Only the first husky voice was heard. It informed the whole world of the only truth of the world. “We receive when we give and we will enter eternity in death!”

In that hoarse chanting, the mighty solemn music finally reached the climax. The iron whales’ hissing was heard here and there. It was the sound numerous organs roaring in the steel temple.

In the belly of every iron whale, there was a huge steel temple. The green gold and the black iron emanated with an eternal stillness and solemness.

All priests knelt reverently before the holy emblem and prayed. Under the emblem was a huge organ embedded in the iron wall. The enthusiastic musicians separated into groups of threes and became one with each other. They cooperated with each other, playing the six levels of meters-wide keys. This was just the tip of the iceberg!

Under those nimble fingers, the complex melody was deduced and turned into a complex command. The keys were played, involving countless gears, levers, springs, and precision components. The organ, which occupied hundreds of cubic meters of the iron whale, huffed and puffed with hot steam, hissing. The majestic water vapor and the whale song ejected from the organ’s pipe. It unleashed tides and waves of frenzy in the sea of light.

In the sky, the hanging ocean was slowly changing. Among the dozens of iron whales, inside the vague circle, a lotus blossom bloomed. Countless rays of light overlapped and shone down, stagnating in mid-air. The light loomed over the solidified city.

The bloom of the light lotus was so huge but it looked so peaceful. It was as if all the beauty in the world was gathered here so that all the lost souls could rest in peace.

“Mr. Bann, the Requiem ritual has been completed.” In the middle of the temple, the priest with a sword half knelt before Bann and said seriously, “The power of the Holy Spirit has been assembled in the Sacred City, and Heaven’s Door will open here in your will! Please issue the order.”

Behind Bann, Colt gazed the long sword with a hint of ecstasy.

The Heaven’s Door! It was the Heaven’s Door! It was the artifact cast by three generations of Pope, the sword of all Kings of Yellow throughout history, and the legend that had beheaded one of the seven catastrophic dragons!

According to the prophecy, the sword will open Heaven’s Door on the final battlefield “Armageddon” of human and natural catastrophes, purify six hundred and sixty-six natural catastrophes and annihilate Hyakume completely!

Colt lowered his head, kneeling under this magnificent power, and dared not even gaze at the unadorned sword.

It was the light! To him, it felt like the first light in the world creation myths that had split the chaos. It was enough to pierce one’s eyes, to destroy one’s senses, and to let the mortal man who was born with the original sin evaporate completely at just one glance!

But in everyone’s eyes, what Bann was holding in hand was just a simple sword cast by black iron, without any decorations or any specialty. They couldn’t see its significance and solemn status at all. Now, everything was ready and the melody of the Requiem resounded between heaven and earth.

Heaven’s Door was about to open but Bann remained silent. He looked cold, neither feverish nor excited, and held the sword. As if he had sunk in meditation, he was as motionless as iron.

“Your Excellency.” For a long while, there was no response. The priest with the sword looked up at him in confusion. “Your Excellency, would you issue your order?”

Bann did not speak. He looked up silently, staring the huge city that solidified in sky out of the porthole. There were no emotions in his eyes.

Five minutes left… There were still five minutes to the appointed time he made with Ye Qingxuan. But there was still no sign of success. He only felt the fountain of darkness erupting, about to envelop everything.

Five minutes left…

He retracted his gaze, his voice hoarse. “It is not the time yet.”

Colt was stunned. He looked up at Bann’s back. His eyes changed in an instant and finally, a hint of rage flashed.

“Sir, this is the order of the Sacred City!” Colt stepped forward seriously. “The Cardinals are waiting for your reply.”

“I said, it is not the time yet,” Bann responded indifferently. “I am in charge here. You need not say more.”

“Not the time? This is the last chance!” Colt raised his voice high and glared at him. “Your Excellency, do you want to watch the abyss swallow Auschwitz? Now is not the time for indecision. Please do not delay. Issue your order now. Or…” He paused. A hint of malice showed in his stern expression. “Are you going to sit back and watch the situation deteriorate for some personal reasons?”

“What did you say?” Bann raised his eyes. There seemed to be something in them, cold as iron.

Colt unconsciously stepped back. At that moment, he felt something crush down above his head, like the sword from God’s punishment. But soon, but he revealed a hint of sneer.

“You think I don’t know? Among those who landed there is your adopted son, right?” He grinned and uttered the name as if chewing it between his teeth, “Ye Qingxuan!

“You disregarded the order of the Knights Templar and put a mere musician into the exploration team in order to earn credit and honor for him. Now, the situation deteriorated but you continued blundering, allowing things get out of control. You ignored the overall picture because of your own purpose! Your Excellency, how do you explain this?”

Bann remained silent with an indifferent look. He just looked at Colt. Faint cold light flowed under his sharp eyebrows as if the sword was ringing angrily in the sheath.

Being looked by that pair of eyes, Colt paled. Soon, he clenched the holy emblem in the hand as if the emblem can give him infinite strength. He slowly lifted it. “I command you on behalf of the Pope, Commander Bann! Open the Heaven’s Door now without delay! Otherwise…” He showed a nasty look. “Otherwise, I will now tell the Cardinals to deprive you of your command!”

The emblem hung high before Bann. It felt like tons weighing down on him.

“How dare you?!” All the Knights Templar who guarded the surroundings came forward with swords held in hands. Their eyes glared at Colt.

“Stop!” Bann roared. He pursed his lips, his shoulders trembling as if he was suppressed by the emblem that represented the scriptures

After a long while, he bowed his head and spoke with his voice hoarse. “As His Holiness’s oracle.”

He closed his eyes.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

Little Yezi, I’m sorry.

In his hand, Heaven’s Door slowly lit up and issued a long and low roar. But at that instant, it suddenly trembled as if it sensed the arrival of something. Then, the sea of light set off the waves of fury.

Layers of huge ripples visible to the naked eye spread out of nowhere. Some kind of invisible pressure came down from the sky, tearing the burning red iron curtain. It was falling down.

Just in a second, the vast sea of light was chiseled, exposing a huge hole. Behind the hole was the universe’s original darkness.

There was something descending from heaven!

The stars were falling!

When the blazing object fell, it created a thunderous dragon-like roar. It shook the entire temple. The ground trembled, the walls vibrated, and the air seemed to solidify. Clashes sounded like giant stones rubbing against each other, setting off the acrid smell of something burnt.

“What is that?!” Paganini’s head shot up. His eyes narrowed, trying to distinguish the thing that had fallen before him.

The darkness around him swelled. Layers of music scores emerged; strange melodies overlapped into a grating cacophony. But there was still an odd rhythm and completeness.

It was as if the beast in the darkness had revealed a scale or claw—shocking but unable to see the entirety.

“Haha haha!” Wolf Flute danced, pointing at Paganini excitedly and yelling, “Die, f*cker! You’re dead now!”

Paganini’s face darkened. The surrounding darkness thundered. The falling object was approaching.

From the distance, he could feel the sudden sharpness. It was terrifying. The object tore through the air, causing gales of wind and thunder. It was closer, closer, and closer! And then…under everyone’s dumbfounded gazes, it cut a beautiful arc and fell somewhere on the edge of the city.

Boom! Something exploded in the distance. And then silence.

It missed the target? It f*cking missed?!

Wolf Flute’s smile stiffened.

The silence dragged on.

Paganini looked down at the two with a mocking yet sad smile. “Seems like your savior got lost. And what did you just call me?”

“I-I…” Scratching his head, Wolf Flute chuckled awkwardly. “What did I just say? Maybe you heard incorrectly. I didn’t say anything. Mr. Paganini, you look so nice and merciful. What if you let us go?

“We will do anything to repay your kindness. If others hear of this, it’ll be a great story and reputation for you as well. What do you think?”

Ye Qingxuan almost cried. “This is the help you’re talking about? Bro, where’s your dignity? Can you not just surrender like this?”

Paganini laughed heartily. He gazed at Wolf Flute in satisfaction. “Well said.” He slammed his hand down and darkness surged. “But sadly, it’s meaningless!”

In that moment, there was light.

–

Hundreds of miles away, moonlight illuminated the crater in the barren land. The giant ditch was shocking. The gravel moved and a hand reached out.

“My…old bones…” A raspy voice sighed helplessly. A hand reached out of the dirt but nothing else could be seen. There was only a wrinkled hand covered in age spots moving around, picking out his broken body.

Finally, the dirt was wiped away, revealing half a burnt face. It slowly recovered and regenerated. Looking at the moonlight, he sighed.

“Business trips are seriously difficult. If I knew…I would’ve stayed in the underground palace…watching the door… Getting the principal to say the truth is harder than persuading the natural catastrophes to be good people.”

Trembling, he pieced his body back together. Finally, he was back to normal. There was a rag stuck on his body and a rock embedded into his head. He looked pathetic as if he had just climbed out of his grave.

It was Dominic.

“Seriously old now.” Bending down to look, he coughed violently as he talked to himself. “Sent the package to the wrong place, got too excited and almost crashed when I saw those familiar faces. But how come Paganini still looks like that after all these years? He doesn’t even get some surgery…”

As he rambled, he finally dug a hole in the ditch and used all his energy to drag something out of it. The narrow steel case clanged onto the ground. It buzzed as if something was struggling furiously inside.

“Thankfully the case’s quality is pretty good.” Dominic checked it over and sighed. “If the thing is broken, I’ll probably get tossed into the Queen’s boiler to take a bath.”

With that, he picked up a rock and slammed it down. The lock cracked.

The sleep case shook and was pushed open from the inside. Radiant light shot into the sky like a reversed meteorite. The flash illuminated his withered face.

“Open up, delivery’s here!” He grinned. “Who’ll sign for it?”

–

The light flashed soundlessly. Paganini’s laughter cut off. A few seconds later, the boom exploded belatedly. The terrifying speed that overpowered the air created wild wind pressure. It felt solid and swept in all direction, leaving ghastly cracks on the stone tiles. The temple’s door shattered. The Garment’s enchantment shattered as well.

With a thud, something fell onto the ground. It was a hand…

Paganini looked down dumbly and saw his stub of a wrist. Then he looked ahead at the thing that was sticking out of the floor. It had cut off his hand. Now, it poked out of the tiles, waiting silently as if it had sprouted roots.

Ye Qingxuan gaped at it. He could only hear his heavy breathing. He walked forward involuntarily. His blood had become calm after moonlight was added but now it bubbled. His blood screamed with an indescribably urge. He studied the seemingly familiar thing. Realizing what it was, his eyes almost rolled out of their sockets.

“Why are you…here?” he murmured. He seemed to hear it speak in his ears, “Pull me! Hurry and pull me! Come pull me!”

Wolf Flute laughed, shattering the silence. He literally rolled on the floor laughing. Before coming, Wolf Flute had gotten a seemingly average whistle from the principal. He had fallen silent.

“Mr. Principal, is this truly useful?”

“Yes.” Maxwell had smiled. “You have to know that his blood isn’t just Deva’s blood. Half of it comes from Lancelot and…his mother’s identity is very special.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Lancelot family has always been a pillar of the kingdom with unwavering loyalty to the royalty. The royal family does not stop at rewarding them and pulling them closer either. For example, the simplest way…marriage.”

Maxwell’s smile grew mysterious. “Few people know that his mother’s mother—his grandmother—is the sister of the previous Anglo king. Do you know what this means, Wolf Flute? One-eighth of his blood is royal blood. That means that he is qualified to be the thirty-seventh successor of the throne!

“That is why he has the rights to represent the School of Royalty. That is also why he could be chosen by ‘it’ for his accomplishments in Anglo and have the right to control its power.”

In that moment, understanding flashed past Paganini’s eyes. He finally recognized the thing that had only appeared in legends and fairytales. “Wait!” he roared.

A hand reached out of the crack and pressed down, weaving wild melodies. He wanted to destroy that youth and burn him to dust.

But at the same time, Ye Qingxuan reached out and applied pressure. He pulled out the dusty, average-looking, rusted, and chipped…

Sword in the Stone!

It was as if a sun was stuffed into his body. He burned! His blood boiled. If cold moonlight did not pour into the crazed veins to take away some heat and frenzy, Ye Qingxuan would probably be on fire now.

The ancient sword lit up in his hands. The rust flaked off, the chips were filled in, and it radiated. The vibrations were like a dragon’s roar!

Under the mind-shattering roar, Ye Qingxuan’s chest thrummed. The sub-originator that had replaced the Avalonian enchantment was activated, creating unimaginable changes. Countless melodies were born from the disordered theories and connected to the inside of the Sword. A vast cycle was created.

Ye Qingxuan could feel the aether density of his blood rising rapidly. Ten times higher, one hundred times, one thousand times… The immense power was unleashed from the Sword. It turned the blood into flashes of light until Ye Qingxuan could no longer perceive how much his strength had increased.

He no longer felt pain or discomfort. In an instant, he had become one with the Sword in the Stone. He was no longer out of control. It was just what Maxwell had told Wolf Flute—no one was more qualified to wield this sword than Ye Qingxuan. It was not only due to his bloodline, his certified accomplished, and his recognized merits… There was also the sub-originator in him.

Ever since Arthur built his kingdom hundreds of years ago, the Avalonian enchantment had existed as the Sword’s sheath. Now, hundreds of years later, they became one again because of Ye Qingxuan.

It was as if he had suddenly transformed into a Holy Spirit. Ye Qingxuan felt an explosion of power within him like celestial movements.

He looked up. Blinding light shot from his eyes. A burning halo appeared above his head. He faced the tide of darkness head on. Stepping forward, he hoisted the sword and stabbed the ground.

For a moment, darkness swallowed him. There was a harsh clang of sword against stone in the darkness. Clang!

Blazing light shot into the sky! It was light emitted by the Sword in the Stone. Power from Avalon’s enchantment had fused into it. Thus, the light cut through all obstacles like a sword and rose. Under the illumination, Paganini’s tacky body shuddered and bubbled. He quickly shrank into the darkness under the Garment of Original Sin.

The light illuminated everything. The abyss music theory that had seeped into the temple now evaporated and fell apart. It was replaced by the music theory of Avalon’s enchantment. Its expansion did not stop until it ran into the Garment. Now, half of the temple was in control of the enchantment.

“I see…” Ye Qingxuan had expected this. He looked down at the sword in his hands. The blade was covered in countless interwoven and beautiful music scores. He could make out the ancient carved runes.

It said that the wielder of the sword was the king!

Everything in the Sword’s path became part of Anglo. Both earth and heaven were covered by Avalon’s enchantment. The sub-originator connected and became one with the Sword. The music theory changed instantly, creating dozens of music scores equal to a symphony of predestination. They joined and created the scepter of Heaven on Earth!

“The Sword in the Stone…I see…” Under the Garment, Paganini suddenly laughed. It started gently but lost control until the laugher was grating. “I see… I did not expect it! Fate is as such… If Ye Lanzhou knew, he would probably be rolling in his grave! His son actually…actually…haha…actually teamed up with his killer… This is so ironic!”

“You think I’ll believe you?” Ye Qingxuan glanced at him and walked forward. “Let’s change the topic and end this meaningless talk.”

Under the Garment, a ball of sticky blackness moved. Paganini looked up amidst his crazed laughter. Seeing the youth’s serious face, his eyes changed imperceptibly.

“You’re much more confident now, young man. Is it because there’s hope in defeating me?” He sighed. “But you must know that, even though I came about after Arthur, he would not become one of Hyakume’s dark followers even if he fell into the abyss. What makes you think that a dead man’s broken thing can…beat me?!” He waved his hands and a black violin appeared. The Garment transformed into a bow. Placing it on the violin, a chilling melody burst from the instrument.

When he grasped the violin bow, the sinister menace disappeared from his face. He looked calm and peaceful. His eyes were solemn, full of respect and genuineness as if looking at the truth. His loyalty and desire toward music theory was why his power did not decrease after falling into the abyss. Instead, his power became more pure and more…outrageous!

The Garment instantly began fighting back. It was not even a true music score—it was improvisation! It was like a hearty splash of wine, filled with romance, warmth, and genuine feelings. It was like an honest friend walking towards you and murmuring his secrets in your ear. Under the mournful and gentle melody, the Garment fluttered. The abyss’s power was instantly there.

Modifications, Choir, Mind, Illusion…music theories from all seven schools were combined into one cadenza. It crashed like a tide. Each wave was higher than the last; each time was more powerful than the last. It seemed endless.

It was unbelievable!

The territory of Heaven on Earth passively endured the charges. The shaking traveled down the sub-originator. Each attack rattled Ye Qingxuan until he was pale and unable to continue.

It was so hard to imagine how a casual and improvised performance could shake the Sword and shake the scepter until it was about to fall apart into twelve symphonies of predestination.

No wonder he was Paganini!

Ye Qingxuan coughed out blood and put his all in stabilizing the territory. Thankfully, he had specialized in the ‘way of the territory’ of Abstinence. Using the sturdy principles from the School of Stone Heart, he had the movement Holy from the Requiem and Haydn’s Genesis as reference… He was knowledgeable in composing music theory and territory structures. Otherwise, he could only watch as Heaven on Earth fell apart before his eyes.

Paganini was just using the enchantment to force him down. Improvising did not mean he slighted Ye Qingxuan. In fact, all saints who inherited the title of Paganini were the most talented performers and musicians. They had practiced more etudes than one could count to receive this title.

He specialized in improvisation. Based on the conditions, he could jump past traditional restrictions and create something targeted specifically at the enemy. He used almost godly talent to defeat his enemies.

All saints had composed a total of twenty-four caprices until Paganini became a dark musician. They were all masterpieces composed from the inspiration when facing a powerful enemy.

Ye Qingxuan should count himself lucky for Paganini to use his true talents on him. But now, he really did not have time to wonder about his talent at self-mockery. He could barely hold on anymore.

If Heaven on Earth could fight back, and he could use all twenty-four Chapters of Golden Victory, Ye Qingxuan would not be so powerless. But he just could not do anything!

This was the scepter left behind by King Arthur! Combining all twenty-four Chapters, aided by Avalon’s enchantment, the Heaven on Earth from the golden age was created. When activated, the entirety of Anglo was needed to activate Avalon’s enchantment and supply energy for Heaven on Earth. The Royal Musician Division was needed to help with the music theory changes.

This was undoubtedly a supersized war machine.

He did not have a higher level of resonance, the strength to move the aether sea or any other aid… As a mere official musician, it was already a miracle for Ye Qingxuan to cast a miniature Heaven on Earth with help from Avalon’s enchantment’s music theory. But it was okay. He could resonate now!

Despair flashed past his eyes and he tossed Heaven on Earth to the side. Moonlight threads extended from Jiu Xiao Huan Pei to the Sword. Coherence began! As if riding a wild wind onto the instrument, his mind broke through the shackles of reality and rushed into the aether world.

This time, he used the Sword’s power to find the source.

He instantly jumped past the once-long path and forged along his musician road deep into the aether world. He moved past the strong temptation of Avalon’s Shadow, brushed past the attraction of the abyss, left the radiance of the holy city, avoided the wall of the East, and moved in deeper.

He moved toward the scepter that the Ye family had left behind in the aether world. In a moment, the silent world was before his eyes. Ye Qingxuan was alone with a light amongst the countless tombstones.

“You’re here!” Laughing, he urged the Sword and rushed into it. With the Sword’s help, he already sensed that this was the source he needed to anchor in!

A whimsical dot swam in the nine levels of the aether sea created by countless music theories. To describe it, it was not a solid object but a gap… It was a gap that kept moving, created by the changing music theories.

It was just like how a tiny gap would appear as the countless gears of a complex machine spun; there was always a small dim spot as the stars turned… It was part of the whole yet also separate from the whole.

The Ye family’s scepter relied on that spot. Generations of Ye musicians had put in everything to create this hereditary scepter and captured that source. It was like a giant star pulling a meteorite to become its satellite.

After that, the source dot began to revolve around the scepter and exchange radiance with it. It was only complete if both were combined. Without either part, it could not be whole.

The moment Ye Qingxuan found the spot, he heard Paganini’s furious huff.

Under the Garment of Original Sin, how could Paganini not sense what Ye Qingxuan was doing? When he used his music theory’s fragmented feedback to discover the kid neglected Heaven on Earth to forcefully enter resonance, he burst into anger.

In a duel, a desperate attempt at a breakthrough was hope for the weaker side. But to the enemy, it was pure humiliation!

“You want to enter the Resonance level before me?” Paganini raised his dark eyes. “Where did you get that confidence?!”

The melody instantly rose and screamed from the Garment. Behind him, the abyss’s shadow rose as well while its coordinate in the aether world sank. The huge attractive pull created a vortex in the aether sea.

Pounding streams covered hundreds of thousands of miles in an instant. The equilibrium of the aether sea’s music theory was shattered, transforming into furious waves.

Paganini had used one action to adjust the abyss’s territory, forcefully stirring the aether sea into turbidity. Gales of wind blew, blocking any paths.

Ye Qingxuan’s consciousness was instantly swept by the wild tides and was almost lost in the aether sea. Thankfully, the Sword’s light pulled him back into Heaven on Earth. In the cracked territory, Ye Qingxuan’s pallor was pale and the halo above his head was dim.

“Didn’t know you could do this. So impressive!” Wiping away the blood from his mouth and nose, he asked quietly, “But even for you, it must be tiring to influence the aether sea like this, right?”

There was no fear or panic in his voice. It was as if he had predicted this long ago and everything was in control. He did not look menacing with blood flowing from his nose and mouth. Instead, he smiled brightly.

Paganini frowned. “What are you thinking of now?”

“At any time,” Ye Qingxuan held up two fingers, “you must have a back-up plan, even if you prepared everything and every segment seems flawless. This is something I learned recently from a certain b*stard.” With that, he slowly raised the Sword. Spinning it around, the blade was reversed and aimed at his heart. As Paganini looked on in confusion, he brought the sword down!

Ye Qingxuan screamed in immense pain. Inside the Heaven on Earth, the Sword dug into his heart and came out from behind his back. He had stabbed through his sub-originator! The two were finally one!

Like melting gold, bubbling gold color flowed in all directions from the beating sub-originator, invading Ye Qingxuan’s flesh. In a moment, Ye Qingxuan’s body was about to evaporate under the immense strength.

Paganini gaped. The youth…stabbed himself? What was he trying to do?

Seeing his shock, Ye Qingxuan grinned through the pain. He was not crazy, of course. He stabbed himself because of the relationship between the sub-originator and the Sword. For the time being, before the sub-originator broke down, he would not be destroyed by this power. He just wanted to get rid of something in his body that did not belong to him. It was something in his brain that had accompanied him all these years… The seal!

In an instant, the blade melted into his blood. The radiant light coursed with his blood through his body until, in Ye Qingxuan’s mind, a vague sword appeared and came down on him.

Crack. It was the sound of shackles shattering, stone crashing, and an instrument playing. Deep inside Ye Qingxuan, the layers of hints from Ye Lanzhou that restricted him were cut apart by this aggressive sword!

He had broken through the seal! Now, the Deva’s blood that had been sealed since birth and the sleeping talent was finally awakened!

“For goodness sake!” Outside Auschwitz, Mr. Hu sat in the ruins and kept sighing. There was bright gold burning in his eyes. He could see through all the camouflage. When he saw Ye Qingxuan with the sword and the spirit of musical theory emitting from his body, his face twisted as if he had a toothache.

“Ye Lanzhou…was that guy crazy?” His looked as if he saw someone burn an instrument to make goose stew or kill hens to get the eggs. He almost banged his head with his hands. “If the Ye family still existed, this child would be scheduled to be the next family leader just by virtue of this talent! Ye Lanzhou, what the hell were you thinking?”

That guy had sealed the next family leader and destroyed the hope of the Ye family’s revival. How much did he hate Ye family? Or…how much did he hate the Deva’s blood in his body?

Thinking of this, he became more troubled. It might sound impolite, but because of the late emperor’s dotage…a lot of mistakes were committed.

He sighed. Among the nine dragon bloodlines, other than the Yuan family who chose to live a secluded life for the inheritance of swordsmanship, the remaining eight families were all musicians.

The Modifications of Yunlou family reached a summit. They dominated the sea by virtue of ‘Di Jun’ in hand. The Liu family was known as ‘haunted night stalkers.’ With the inheritance of pipa score ‘Flying Devil,’ they could summon ghosts and beasts and govern deaths. Many grandmasters came from this family.

The Bai family had been annihilated so their achievements in Revelations were cut off. The Zhangsun family was known for its ‘Moon in the Well.’ Blending water and moonlight, they found the essence of Abstinence… The problem though was that there were only seven schools of musicians, but there were eight dragon bloodlines… This was where the Ye family came into play as a variable.

Since ancient times, the Ye family had never been dedicated to one school. What school was chosen or what research was done depended on individual interests. There were also some people who studied multiple schools, but there were also some who never aspired to be musicians. Instead, they were poets, painters, doctors or workers. Someone even became a carpenter…

The family never meddled in their choices on what to learn and what to do. As a result, this family tended to be good at quite weird things.

To be musicians, the most important thing was inheritance. Fickleness was one big taboo. Usually, a single music theory’s development needed generations of musicians to accumulate and research untiringly. How could such a family like the Ye’s compete with others?

Now the most important problem was this: except in ring duels, the Ye family was always able to win the other families when meeting a greater enemy. It was their d*mned talent! It was known as the most shameless, the most undignified, the most unreasonable talent…

“Heaven Ladder!” Mr. Hu gazed at the arc in the sky with a complex expression. “The steps to heaven have disappeared for forty years.”

It was a strange power that only the Ye’s had. Every previous family leaders was gifted with this. The rarity of this was second only to the one and only matchlessness of Ye Lanzhou.

With that talent, the user would be able to cross the seven schools and operate perfectly. No conflict of music theories would happen during their studying. They could even transform all the schools into one, confirming mutually under the united ladders.

If one way was temporarily impassable for them, they just took another one. After the breakthrough, they could go back and make it up. It was like having a meal card to eat in seven canteens and an IOU to get seven loans. They just had six more roads than others…

It was not much. They just started earlier than others and their advancing speed was a little bit faster. To be a genius may sound scary, but there were always one or two of them every 10 years. However, the most shameless part about ‘Heaven Ladder’ was its name… It was the ladder to heaven! It could break the blockade of “Disconnection of Heaven from Earth”. It started from the earth, extending endlessly.

It had neither a destructive power like Zhaodang nor so absolute a domination like Taiyi. It was not like the Nether that could almost bear the infinite beastly nature, nor could it load theories endlessly as the Heaven Book did. It only had ‘distance.’

As of today, no one had measured the extent of its distance. Placed on this land, whether in the east or the west, in the sky or the deep sea, or even in the Dark World, no matter how far away, it could help musicians to carry out coherence with their own people!

You fought the young then the old came.

You fought one then a group came out…

The former Ye musicians practically carried their entire family with them wherever they went.

As long as they had the time and chance, so long as the other party was willing to accept coherence, then the two would be able to be connected by the ‘ladder.’ There would be no energy loss, noise, or interferences. The recipient and senders could even be replaced at any time! In other words, the enemy never knew who they were fighting with…

Perhaps it was Modifications the first moment and then there would be a Mind hint the next moment. Although there were many constraints on the ‘coherence between different schools,’ once the talent was started, the result would be the Ye family beating the others in various ways.

“What a pity that your talent came too late.” Mr. Hu heaved a sigh and lowered his eyes. “You are nineteen years late…”

Sorry, Ye Qingxuan. Nineteen years later, there are no more Ye’s in this world except you. Where can you borrow power from?

You came too late.

–

And just at that moment, his shoulder suddenly shook. He raised his head in shock. Above the sky, a symphony of predestination was played passionately.

“Who is it?!” he gasped.

–

When the seal was broken, Ye Qingxuan’s sight went black. He coughed out blood. The blood evaporated. Soon, some force bloomed within him. As if opening his eyes again after thousands of years, a disappointed sigh came to the ear.

Jiu Xiao Huan Pei suddenly shivered. It turned into fine silver lights that flew into Ye Qingxuan’s body. In an instant, the lights mingled with the path of musicians that was made by four music theories in his consciousness. Then, the imaginary road suddenly soared, rising inch by inch!

Ye Qingxuan stretched straight into the aether sea from where he stood, heedless of the turmoil of chaos, the noise of every corner, and the majestic gravity of the abyss. He went through the aether sea in an instant, fell into the silent cemetery of the aether world, and combined with the scepter that drifted there. The instruments strings seemed to have crossed the aether and physical world. Merely shaking, it created an illusory sound, crisp as glass breaking.

Combined with the music theory from the talent, it could finally detach from the material and restore its original state.

It seemed to be nothing but something; it was misty as fog but connected the world! This was the complete device that Ye’s had been passing down.

The real Jiu Xiao Huan Pei!

Then Ye Qingxuan saw it.

It was the long-lost dream.

It was as if he had arrived in a world where everything was dead. Barrenness and coldness spread all over the tomb and tombstone. In the silence, only the cold wind crossed the forest-like tombstones. The wind was like some kind of soft call, calling for his arrival.

Perhaps this was his long-lost dream, a dream that slept in the heart of every Ye family member. This was the end of his dream.

He finally realized that this was what Ye Lanzhou wanted to leave to him—the Ye family scepter, the dream left by countless dreamers. But those who dreamed the same dream were all dead, so this place was dying, becoming so dilapidated.

But when the cold sound of Jiu Xiao Huan Pei rang out, the extinguished lights suddenly lit up before the countless tombstones. There were one, two, until countless lights illuminated this still and dark world.

The will awoke from in the Scepter now. The will remaining in the dead opened his eyes, gazing at the youth who returned after a hundred years.

A familiar figure appeared.

The figure’s black clothing was decorated with a silver emblem. His white hair was like flowing silver. He was old but young, a man or a woman. He looked like Ye Lanzhou but also like himself, like every man of the Ye family who had once lived in this world. He looked like a giant bred from chaos. That was the spirit, the last power born from the scepter.

As he appeared, countless silent graves and twisted tombs quickly dispersed, leaving behind an empty and gloomy dream.

In that vague dream, he stepped forward. A radiant sun rose from the east, brightening the world. The earth stretched under his feet and stars emerged from the night, creating a starry night. Everything on Earth was aroused!

As he moved on, the world changed, until at last, time shifted and everything rebirthed. Between the heaven and earth, everything existed as they should. The sun was shining and there was no more haze.

The spirit of the scepter, which had gathered all the remaining will, stretched out its fingers onto Ye Qingxuan’s forehead.

So the finally seal came undone. The memories of the past, the longings that had sunk in his brain, and the long-forgotten pains all appeared.

They were not like mist nor water, but angular pillars and stone bricks with the weight that was enough to crush everything. They came together. The huge shadow engulfed the young figure but also penetrated his body and disappeared without trace.

Ye Qing closed his eyes subconsciously, feeling the wind whistle. He opened his eyes but saw thunder and lightning. Countless stone bricks collided with each other, sparking with fiery electric light. That roar could even be heard above the sky.

Layers overlapped before the teenager; countless textures emerged from the strong and long-lasting memories. They were invited to come and materialized under some kind of strong power. They integrated into a white giant tower piercing to the sky.

The giant tower stabbed into the sky, piercing the clouds and the sky, and extended to the horizon… It seemed endless.

“Take the path you chose.” the voice sighed softly.

A stone ladder unfolded under the giant tower, stretching around the tower and coiling up toward the top until it was obscured by clouds and could no longer be seen.

“This way leads to the sky.”

The figure took a final glance at him and dissipated. The dream scepter suspended in the aether world quickly collapsed, contracted, and closed again.

This was the last power that remained in it. Unless Ye Qingxuan advanced to scepter level to awaken it again, the dream might never be activated again.

He opened his eyes. There was no time for melancholy or nostalgia. At that moment, the fragile realms of Heaven on the Earth were finally shattered. In the mournful melody, countless dark movements came roaring like an earthquake.

He took a deep breath and uttered the first call of his life, “Lola, save me!”

The next moment, Ye Qingxuan was pulverized.