Wait, exactly the same?!
Ling Yan was suddenly jolted awake from her reverie by the music and looked at Gu Zhong beside her.
It's a pity they don't know this song!
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Author's Note:
The novel next door, "After the Villain Killed the Protagonist," will be released next. Please add it to your pre-orders!
Ahhhh, thank you so much, little angel Konghan, for the landmine! Bobo Chicken!
//Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:18:55 and 00:54:18 on November 21, 2021!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Kong Han 1;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 92 Astrologers and Defiant Ones (Part 21)
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Perhaps the intense gazes were too intense, disturbing the musician who was playing with great passion.
The flute music, which was at its climax, paused. Gu Zhong opened his eyes and looked at Ling Yan, calling out in confusion.
"Master? What's wrong?"
The address was still that of a disciple, and the tone was still familiar from this world; there were no unusual changes as Lingyan had hoped.
That's true. Gu Zhong won't come back so easily. What is she expecting in vain?
But the old tunes of old friends always inevitably bring sadness.
"Where did you learn this piece?"
Undeterred, Lingyan couldn't help but ask her a question.
After the Battle of Liding, Gu Zhong traveled with her through the mountains and rivers. During their conversation, they mentioned how fierce the battle was, how rare peace was, and how difficult it was to reunite.
Overwhelmed with emotion, I spontaneously composed a piece and played it for her.
She only played it once—after all, the Goddess of War knows too many tunes, and there are very few that she would play a second time.
Moreover, some emotions only exist at the time; when they are played again after time has passed, they will always feel somewhat dull.
Therefore, logically speaking, only a truly intact Gu Zhong would be able to play this piece.
Seeing the desolate state of Blood Phoenix Mountain now, and thinking of its former liveliness, I can't help but feel a little sad.
On a whim, I played a tune on the wind. I wonder if Master likes it?
The preface seemed to contain a myriad of sorrows, and her current state of mind is indeed similar to that of before.
Later, as if not wanting to fill the space between them with a somber mood, Gu Zhong changed his tone.
She then proudly relaxed her eyebrows and eyes, a smile spreading across them, her sparkling black eyes filled with smug pride, as if seeking praise.
"...It sounds beautiful, I really like it, A-Zhong, could you please continue playing?"
Upon hearing this, Lingyan stared at Gu Zhong for a moment, then smiled, as if sweeping away the gloom and worries that had accumulated over many days.
Even if Gu Zhong is not that person now, he still has those lovable qualities.
Thoughtful and considerate, as always.
She coaxed Gu Zhong to shift his attention away from her and refocus on the vocal music.
The flute music continued, but Lingyan did not appreciate it as attentively as before. Instead, she immersed her thoughts in past memories.
She vaguely remembered that in one of her past lives, Gu Zhong had also done the same thing, unknowingly bringing back the past, as if it were a sign of awakening.
It brought her endless hope, but ultimately led to endless disappointment.
Then again, Lingyan's expectations were too high.
Even if a remnant soul experiences reincarnation again, it cannot completely erase the original memories hidden deep within its soul.
Although they are not entirely the same person, they will always have some similar traits and behaviors.
But even that tiny bit of memory, that tiny bit of similarity, was enough to stir up Lingyan's turmoil.
Time has not faded the past; instead, it has made the longing even more profound. The person deep in one's memory will only become clearer.
As night fades, the sun lazily rises above the horizon, piercing through the misty clouds and casting dappled shadows.
The master and apprentice embarked once again on a journey to find the source of the demonic energy.
No matter how bright the day or how warm the sunlight, it cannot dispel the lingering death aura after the great battle of Blood Phoenix Mountain.
If a timid person comes here alone, they might not be able to withstand the oppressive and ominous atmosphere and go insane on the spot.
Footsteps crunched on the fallen branches, the sound particularly clear in the silent, desolate mountains.
After walking for a while, Lingyan suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable, as if someone was watching them with malice.
She reached out to stop Gu Zhong behind her, and under Gu Zhong's puzzled gaze, she looked around warily.
All that could be seen was a desolate open space. Blood Phoenix Mountain, in its current state as a wild and untamed place, did not seem like a place where people could hide.
—Unless someone's concealment skills are so exceptional that they can deceive even a cultivator undergoing tribulation.
Thinking this, Lingyan immediately activated the Star Chart artifact, releasing a powerful shockwave that rippled outwards from the two of them.
Suppressing the blood rising in her throat, Ling Yan still maintained a relaxed demeanor—forcibly activating her magic power before her injuries had healed was ultimately a bit too much for her.
A muffled groan came from not far behind.
Gu Zhong was always intelligent. He understood Ling Yan's intentions as soon as she attacked and prepared to fight back.
As soon as the sound came, she leaped out and headed straight for the source of the sound.
A moment later, a cultivator was bound hand and foot and thrown in front of Ling Yan.
After the fight, he looked a bit disheveled. After landing, he was stunned for a moment, then immediately knelt down, tears streaming down his face, and began to beg for mercy.
"Spare me! You two great masters, I'm just a penniless rogue cultivator, I have no treasures to offer you!"
His words clearly portrayed the two as villains who had committed murder and robbery.
Lingyan was certain that the two of them had not been followed by anyone along the way, so this person was very likely just someone who happened to run into them at Blood Phoenix Mountain.
Ling Yan did not believe the man's pleas for mercy. How could a mere rogue cultivator dare to use concealment techniques to wander around a stranger who was stronger than him? He must have ulterior motives.
Moreover, the transitions between the events were very disjointed, suggesting that he might know them and was only putting on this act of begging for mercy to save his own life.
The main question now is whether this person leaked the news that the two were at Blood Phoenix Mountain.
"Has the message been sent out?"
Ling Yan gripped his throat, her eyes filled with cold light, the killing intent emanating from them seeming to materialize.
"I...I don't know what you're talking about...Please have mercy on me, sob sob, I have elderly parents and young children to support..."
The man's eyes darted away for a moment, and he repeatedly said he didn't know.
Unable to listen to him any longer, Lingyan struck him unconscious with a palm strike and hastily buried him under a pile of dead branches.
He then cast a concealment spell on the two of them and pulled Gu Zhong toward the place most likely to be the source of the demonic invasion, as calculated by the star chart.
They could no longer afford to be leisurely as if they were on vacation. Judging from the man's expression, news of the two had already spread.
Perhaps it won't be long before they are met with a massive army of annihilation forces covering the mountains and plains.
The closer Ling Yan got to the location calculated by the astrolabe, the more familiar it felt; it seemed to be the place where the Demon King was born...
From the moment she learned that the source of the demonic energy was in Blood Phoenix Mountain, she vaguely sensed that something was amiss.
If the birth of the Demon King is indeed due to the influence of demonic energy, then the scheme involved is far more complex than just a few years.
Moreover, if the demon race has any connection with demonic energy, that would be the most fatal thing.
Demons without consciousness feel no pain, are devoid of emotions, and are capable of trampling and destroying everything in the world, only to perish in their own self-destruction.
If things proceed as they were originally planned, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, this world would ultimately end up like this.
Lingyan searched through her memories and recalled Xia Xiange's unusual behavior and extraordinary attention to the demon race whenever they made strange moves. It was hard not to connect the two.
All these years, has Xia Xiange truly never stepped out of the Star Luo Gate? No one can prove it.
So, is Xia Xiange's true purpose the destruction of the world? Lingyan dared not speculate.
After all, aside from deliberately targeting Gu Zhong, she hadn't done anything world-destroying in the previous worlds.
Why here?
Gu Zhong had the same question. She was also puzzled as to why the demonic energy came from the place where the Demon King descended to earth, and she could vaguely smell a conspiracy in it.
At this moment, several streaks of light flashed across the sky, which should be the messages that the person had sent earlier reaching the various immortal sects.
The people who came landed at varying distances, some even less than 100 meters away.
If Lingyan hadn't activated the invisibility formation beforehand, she would probably have been exposed by now.
"Let's go first, we'll talk about this later."
Seeing that the situation was not good, Lingyan grabbed Gu Zhong and jumped down into the cave where the demon king was born.
Upon entering the cave, one is immediately struck by a stench so strong it seems to be the putrid smell of dead fish and shrimp that have been piled up for ten or fifteen days, making it truly unbearable.
The two quickly shut off their sense of smell, otherwise they might have been overwhelmed by the stench.
Even though they managed to stop the stench from spreading further, the feeling of it shooting straight to their heads lingered in their minds for a long time.
Jumping into the cave, by the faint light shining down from above the entrance, one could vaguely see corpses strewn all over the ground, not only demonic beasts but also human cultivators.
It seems they weren't the first to jump into this cave; all those who came before died here.
These corpses were all gruesome deaths, their bodies as if scraped by something strange, with broken flesh still attached to pale bones, not a single part of their bodies intact.