Chapter 765: A Zither Sound from Unknown Origins
The deputy general from the Songshan Military Prefecture, propping up his severely wounded body, stumbled and scrambled to stand before Chen Changsheng and Zhi Zhi, blocking the aftershock of the incoming energy, before crashing heavily into the courtyard wall and collapsing amidst the rubble. An Hua, ignoring the young formation master on the stretcher, crawled behind Chen Changsheng and Zhi Zhi, grabbed their collars, and with all her strength, dragged them backward, desperate to put as much distance as possible between them and that terrifying figure on the wooden bridge.
Countless ice beads shattered into flocculent wisps, dancing through the courtyard like willow catkins, as if they had truly arrived in the south—except that an endless chill permeated the air. The terrifying figure of Lord Haidi walked over from the bridge, and the sky-filling ice fluff scattered away, not daring to touch him.
Gazing at Chen Changsheng lying on the lakeshore, Haidi's expression remained indifferent, yet deep within his emerald-green pupils, it seemed as if ghostly flames were burning. He was a great figure of the Demon race, having experienced countless momentous events in his life, but even he could not suppress a hint of tension and overwhelming excitement at the thought that in the next moment, the Human race's Pope would die by his hand.
The thin mist that had shrouded the lake garden had been replaced by surging demonic energy, as if sensing the turmoil in his heart, it too began to churn, transforming into a biting wind.
If one observed closely, they might notice that most of the biting wind emanated from the weapon in his hand, which resembled a broken stele.
An Hua's pale face was filled with a look of utter resolve. She lowered her head, refusing to look at the invincible, terrifying enemy, and continued dragging Chen Changsheng and Zhi Zhi behind the courtyard wall.
Suddenly, she felt Chen Changsheng's body grow much heavier, impossible for her to move any further. Then, a hand—very clean, very warm, very steady—gently patted her arm twice. At the same time, a voice—very clean, very warm, very steady—rang out.
"I can still go on."
The speaker was Chen Changsheng.
He rose to his feet and looked toward the bridge, his hand already gripping the sword sheath.
The sword was named Wugou, the sheath called Cangfeng. Within it were hidden countless world-renowned swords, as well as his most powerful trump card.
The moment he reached out and grasped the sheath, a string of stone beads appeared on his wrist.
These stone beads looked plain and unadorned, even somewhat crude, and emitted no fluctuation of energy.
But the moment Zhi Zhi's gaze fell upon them, she felt her heartbeat race uncontrollably.
She was the highest-order lifeform in the world; even if she couldn't see through the true nature of these stone beads, at such close range, she was naturally sensitive to them.
What exactly were these stone beads that struck her with such awe?
An Hua's cultivation level was insufficient to perceive the uniqueness of these stone beads, but her single-minded devotion to the Dao and her exceptionally clear Dao heart allowed her to sense another aura even earlier.
That aura also came from those stone beads, but not from the beads themselves—it originated from a very distant other world hidden behind one of them.
Countless primal, wild, barbaric, even bloody auras seemed to be rushing forth from there.
...
...
Chen Changsheng had given one of the stone beads from his wrist to Luoluo, and split half with Xu Yourong. Now only a few remained, strung together on a red cord, yet they did not appear sparse. These beads were the Heavenly Book Monoliths he had obtained from the Zhou Garden, possessing indescribable marvels.
The wild, bloody auras that An Hua sensed also came from the Zhou Garden.
Though even now he had not fully comprehended the secrets of these Heavenly Book Monoliths, and the companions in the Zhou Garden might not be able to overturn heaven and earth, this was still his most powerful means. Of course, aside from this, he also had a letter he had never opened.
With these methods, he believed that even if he couldn't defeat Haidi, he could at least hold out for a while.
But if he used all these methods and still couldn't change the course of the battle, what then?
Before tonight, he hadn't considered this question. He had experience fighting Haidi, and with prior preparation, he thought these methods would be enough to defeat him. However, he hadn't expected that compared to last year, Haidi had grown even more powerful and terrifying.
His gaze fell on the broken stele in Haidi's hand.
The change was due to this object; otherwise, Zhi Zhi should have been able to hold out longer, giving him enough time to kill all the Demon experts in the Snow Valley.
This broken stele probably wasn't Haidi's usual weapon—at least, he hadn't seen it last year on the snowy plains.
"No matter how many tricks you have, you will die by my hand tonight."
Haidi stood on the bridge, looking at him with an indifferent expression. "With a divine artifact in hand, who can resist?"
Was he referring to this broken stele?
Earlier, this broken stele had cracked the Green Leaf in Zhi Zhi's hand. Though the crack was very fine, it still shocked both her and Chen Changsheng like never before.
Because the Green Leaf was a world.
An object that could contend with a world, even subtly break its objective reality, could only be a divine artifact.
Chen Changsheng naturally recalled a scene from that night at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum years ago.
The Green Leaf of his master, the Pope, drifted through the night to stand before the Heavenly Sea Holy Maiden.
The Heavenly Sea Holy Maiden reached into the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, took out some object, and smashed it over with utter disregard for reason.
Though the power of that night's battle and tonight's differed greatly, they were remarkably similar.
The more he thought along these lines, the more familiar the broken stele in Haidi's hand seemed to Chen Changsheng, even evoking a sense of kinship.
Could it really be that lost Heavenly Book Monolith?
This seemed to be the only conclusion, but Chen Changsheng still couldn't figure out one thing.
If Haidi truly held that Heavenly Book Monolith, which had vanished for years, with his terrifying cultivation, if he struck with full force, he and Zhi Zhi would likely have no chance to resist—not even the opportunity to grasp the sword sheath and prepare to use all their final means.
Why hadn't Haidi done so? Why was he still talking on the bridge? Was he wary of the Li Palace's treasures, or waiting for some change?
Just then, the change truly occurred.
The sky-filling ice fluff floating in the courtyard suddenly vanished without a trace.
Because a supremely clear and cold zither sound filled every corner of heaven and earth.
For the Demon race, the chance to kill the Human Pope was not to be missed, even at the cost of countless lives.
At this moment, Haidi was still over ten zhang away from this historic event that would shake the world—a distance he could cover in a single breath.
Logically, even if the White Emperor or Shang Xingzhou arrived in person, they couldn't stop his advance, even if he might be killed afterward.
Yet, with the sound of that clear zither, Haidi stopped.
The zither sound was extremely clear and cold, carrying a bone-piercing chill, perhaps reflecting the mood of the player.
As the zither sound faded, a thin layer of frost covered the bridge, making it slippery and difficult to cross.
Haidi's body was also covered in a layer of frost, as if he had turned into an ice sculpture.
He turned slowly, his movements exceptionally difficult.
He looked toward the source of the zither sound, and deep within his emerald-green pupils surged an immensely complex emotion.
It was bewilderment, shock, and fear.