Chapter 85: Heavenly Sound Palace

The passage opened up by the sound of the piano was bizarre and colorful, with colorful rays of light and broken musical notes flowing around it, as if one were stepping on a bridge built by melodies.

Everyone held their breath and followed carefully behind the Jiao Wei Guqin, which was still swirling around Fang Li.

In a short while, the view ahead suddenly opened up!

A pure Daoist aura swept over me, causing every pore on my body to open involuntarily, and my soul to be refreshed.

The sight that came into view made everyone hold their breath!

They were standing above an endless sea of ​​colorful clouds! The clouds were billowing and shimmering with light, a breathtaking sight.

And in the middle of that sea of ​​clouds, a cluster of undulating palaces floated in the air!

The palace was decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, with flying eaves and brackets, and was grand in scale and magnificent in appearance.

Although signs of decay are visible everywhere—broken jade pillars, collapsed palace walls, and dusty glazed tiles are ubiquitous, exuding an inescapable sense of decline and desolation—it still cannot conceal its former supreme glory and celestial grandeur.

A faint aura of ethereal beauty swirled around it like a thin veil, adding to its mystery and ethereal quality.

"Wow..." Ji Qianqiu opened his mouth wide and let out an unconscious exclamation.

Xie Chen's hand, which was fanning himself, faltered slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Shen Yunzhou's fingers, gripping his sword, tightened slightly as he warily scanned his surroundings. Chu Yunfan was so stunned by the idyllic scene that he was speechless.

Fang Li was also stunned. Her gaze swept over the magnificent yet dilapidated buildings, finally settling on the main gate of the tallest palace directly in front of her.

Hanging there was a huge plaque, made of neither gold nor jade, yet riddled with cracks and its edges worn. Three ancient characters were carved upon it, still faintly discernible despite the ravages of time—

Heaven! Sound! Palace!

The handwriting seemed to contain some profound truth; just one glance was enough to make one's soul tremble and one could almost hear ethereal music.

"Tianyin Palace?" Fang Li murmured the three words, her heart skipping a beat. "This name... what does it have to do with the Tianyin Sect outside? It sounds more like the place where the big shots at headquarters stay! System, this place looks so high-class! I feel like even a brick from the ground could be sold for a lot of spirit stones!"

The system was incredibly excited in her mind: [“Host! Stay calm! This is definitely the core area of ​​the secret realm! Look at this spectacle! Look at this spiritual energy! We've struck it rich! But it's also dangerous! This system has detected that the spatial rules here are extremely ancient and stable, and the energy level is extremely high! Explore carefully! Don't touch anything!"]

Outside the secret realm, when the water mirror focused on the three ancient characters "Tianyin Que"...

The entrance to the secret realm fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an even bigger uproar!

"Tianyin Palace?! The legendary ancestral home of the Tianyin Sect?!"

"Wasn't it supposed to have been extinct in ancient times? It actually exists! And it's still in this secret realm!"

"No wonder...no wonder the scorched-tail zither led us here!"

All eyes instantly focused on the flying boat where the Tianyin Sect members were located.

Yun Miaomiao was struck as if by lightning, suddenly waking up from her dazed state. She was so excited that her whole body trembled violently, her fingers clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms and drew blood, but she didn't even notice!

“Tianyin Palace! It’s Tianyin Palace! The legendary ancestral court! The place of origin recorded in the sect’s ancient books! It…it really exists!!” Her voice was hoarse, filled with almost frenzied fervor and awe, and her eyes blazed with an unprecedented light.

But then she remembered that the person standing in front of the Heavenly Sound Gate was Fang Li, whom she had just belittled, who was carrying her sect's sacred artifact. Her feelings became extremely complicated and hard to describe. She felt both ecstatic about the appearance of the ancestral court and bitterness and resentment that the sacred artifact had been controlled by an "outsider" and brought into the ancestral court.

Master Qingxuan stroked his beard, a smug look on his face: "Look! I told you my disciple was lucky! He even managed to find such a good place!"

On the flying boat, Ye Wuyang's gaze pierced through the water mirror and landed on the plaque of "Tianyin Que". A sense of reminiscence and tenderness immediately surfaced in his eyes.

Tianyin Palace...

She used to love playing the zither here the most...

His gaze pierced through the layers of palaces and saw the figure of a girl looking up curiously into the water mirror.

That innocent yet vibrant appearance slowly overlapped with a blurry silhouette deep in my memory.

Inside the ancient temple at the bottom of the lake, the Jiaowei Guqin seemed to have returned to its homeland. The music became even softer and more cheerful, circling around Fang Li once before gently drifting forward, as if guiding the way.

"It lets us in?" Fang Li looked at the people around her.

"Since we're already here!" Ji Qianqiu rubbed his hands together, eager to get started, and was the first to follow.

Shen Yunzhou and Xie Chen exchanged a glance and stepped forward. Chu Yunfan followed closely behind.

The closer one gets to the main hall, the stronger the pure Daoist aura and the decaying immortal energy become. The broken jade steps and the fractured balustrades seem to silently recount the past glory and calamities.

Just as they stepped onto the spacious white jade square in front of the main hall, a sound that seemed to be a duet of qin and xiao drifted out from within.

The clear and melodious sound of the zither and the distant and melodious sound of the flute intertwine together, creating a perfect harmony, as if containing the highest principles of the universe and some profound emotions.

Fang Li stopped and listened intently: "Did you hear that? It sounds like...music?"

The others also stopped and looked on in surprise.

Ji Qianqiu scratched his head: "It seems like...it's coming from inside?"

The sounds of the zither and flute were ethereal and unpredictable, yet they seemed to possess a magical power, compelling one to follow the sound and explore the deepest part of the celestial palace.

Upon hearing the music, the Jiaowei Guqin trembled violently, emitting a strong resonance, and was about to fly towards the source of the music!

At the same time, Ye Wuyang's fingers, which were resting on the armrest of the cloud seat, curled up slightly without his noticing.

That melody…

It is an excerpt from "Farewell to the Crane".

The piece he and she most often played together here back then.

My emotions, unseen by anyone, stirred up waves.

Within the Heavenly Sound Palace, the ethereal and melodious duet of the qin and xiao is like an invisible thread, drawing people's hearts and leading them deeper into the palace.

The celestial music grew clearer and clearer, even transforming into tangible golden runes that swirled and collided in the air, producing melodious sounds that contained profound truths of the Dao.

Each note seems to expound the mysteries of music, captivating the listener while concealing hidden dangers.

Those with insufficient cultivation or weak will are easily lost in this vast Dao sound, suffering damage to their soul at best, and having their Dao heart stolen at worst.

As soon as Fang Li and the others stepped into this place, they immediately felt an invisible pressure.

The celestial music was all-pervasive, penetrating directly into their consciousness, attempting to entice their minds.

"Guard your mind!" Xie Chen shouted in a low voice, unfolding his jade fan, and clearing runes lit up to protect everyone.

Shen Yunzhou restrained his sword intent, freezing his heart to resist external temptations. Ji Qianqiu bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain keeping him awake. Chu Yunfan silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra, a soft green light enveloping the surroundings.

Fang Li felt that the celestial music made her mind clear and she even gained a vague understanding of the way of music.

"This music... sounds like a powerful tonic?" She was a little confused.

[Host! This music contains the power of rules. It's a bewitching and demonic sound for others, but for you it seems to be... a nutritional drink?] The system was also shocked.

Outside the secret realm, the elders of various sects before the water mirror were all astonished by the countless golden musical runes and the vast Daoist charm within them, marveling at their wonder.

Outside the secret realm, Yun Miaomiao had completely lost her composure.

The celestial music emanating from the water mirror resonated subtly with the core inheritance of her Heavenly Sound Sect, causing her blood to boil! Coupled with the impact of the "Heavenly Sound Palace" ancestral court, the string of reason in her heart snapped!

“It’s mine…that’s my path! My destiny!!” Her eyes were bloodshot, her breathing rapid, and she stared intently at the ruins of the celestial palace floating in the clouds in the water mirror, uttering near-mad whispers, “I must go in! I must get it!”

She abruptly pushed away the disciple who was supporting her, and her hands rapidly formed an ancient and obscure hand seal.

The spiritual energy around him surged violently, even burning his life essence to transform into a powerful and sharp divine power that forcefully broke through his body, attempting to cross the void, penetrate the barrier of the secret realm, and directly descend into the Heavenly Sound Palace!

She was determined to forcefully project her divine sense into it, even if it was just a wisp, to touch that inheritance first!

"Elder Yun! No!" The other Heavenly Sound Sect elders beside her were shocked and hurriedly tried to stop her. The elders from other sects were also horrified, never expecting Yun Miaomiao to be so crazy!

Master Qingxuan frowned and scoffed, "Alas, fool... has she gone mad? Does she think she can just force her way through ancient restrictions?"

However, it was too late.

Yun Miaomiao's divine sense, which embodied her life's cultivation and mad obsession, was like the sharpest drill, crashing hard into the illusory celestial palace scene in the water mirror, trying to find a crack to squeeze into.

Just as her divine sense was about to touch Tianyin Que—

Buzz!

The image reflected in the water suddenly trembled violently! Some supreme rule had been violated!

An overwhelming backlash, seemingly originating from the primordial era, pierced through endless time and space, crashing back fiercely along the wisp of divine thought that Yun Miaomiao had forcibly extended!

"puff--!"

Yun Miaomiao's body was struck as if by a heavy hammer, and she was thrown backward, the blood spurting from her mouth drawing a dazzling arc in the air.

She fell heavily to the ground, her face ashen, her breath instantly weakened to the extreme, her eyes unfocused, and only endless pain, disbelief, and even more twisted madness remained deep in her pupils.

Her soul suffered an unimaginable blow at that moment, and it would be extremely difficult for her to recover without decades of rest and recuperation.

"Elder!"

The disciples of the Tianyin Sect were immediately thrown into chaos, rushing around in a panic.

The other sect elders exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with shock and lingering fear. Master Qingxuan shook his head, saying nothing more, but his gaze swept over the water mirror, his expression becoming more solemn.

Ye Wuyang's divine sense remained firmly locked on Fang Li in the water mirror from beginning to end.

Only after confirming that she was safe and sound, and even that she had benefited from the misfortune and her spiritual energy was flowing more smoothly, did Ye Wuyang's invisible concern relax slightly.

Inside the Heavenly Sound Palace, Fang Li and the others were completely unaware of the tragedy that had occurred outside the secret realm. Following the increasingly clear celestial music, they bypassed numerous palace ruins and finally arrived at an extremely open area.

A vast white jade plaza. The plaza's surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the flowing, colorful clouds. Although there were many cracks and damages along the edges, it was generally well-preserved and exuded a solemn and sacred atmosphere.

At the very center of the square stand two lifelike jade statues.

A statue depicts a woman, slender and graceful, seated on a cloud platform, her brows lowered and her fingers lightly caressing the strings of an ancient zither resting on her lap. Her face is sculpted with exquisite beauty, possessing an ethereal and otherworldly quality, and a faint smile playing on her lips, a smile that embodies the joys and sorrows of ages past.

The other statue is of a man, tall and upright, standing beside the woman, holding a bamboo flute, his lips slightly parted, playing it. His face is handsome, yet his brows hold a deep focus and… an unyielding loneliness, but the more Fang Li looks at him, the more he seems like a celestial being…

The enchanting and moving sounds of the zither and flute duet emanated from these two statues.

In front of the two statues, three feet above the ground, two things floated silently.

A plain-looking, understated blue jade slip.

And a xiao (vertical bamboo flute) that is entirely emerald green with naturally formed cloud patterns around its holes.

Fang Li looked at the jade statue of the woman playing the zither, and for some reason, she suddenly felt a strange pang of sadness, but it quickly disappeared.

She shook her head, her attention drawn more to the floating jade slip and flute: "Master, aren't those two... more valuable?"

Ye Wuyang's gaze pierced through the water mirror, catching a glimpse of the jade statue playing the zither. Though the face was blurred, the unique posture and aura, along with the incredibly familiar melody of "Farewell to the Crane," were unmistakable...

The last vestige of doubt in his mind about the connection between this place and her vanished completely.

…As expected, it was you who left this place of inheritance for yourself.

His divine sense gently swept over the image of the girl in the water mirror, who was looking up at the statue with a face full of surprise and admiration. He couldn't help but smile slightly, his head swayed involuntarily, and his eyes were full of laughter.

Time flows like water, and when he revisits the old place, hears the old tunes again, and sees the old people... he finds them standing before the old objects in completely new forms, and he suddenly finds the whole thing rather amusing.