Chapter 105, Song of the Witch Immortal
The sacrificial ceremony began with Venerable Xuanji of the Purple Evolution Divine Palace and the Immortal Alliance leading the entire cultivation world in paying homage to Heaven and Earth from the Hall of Heroes and Martyrs, thus beginning the ritual to honor the spirits of the fallen heroes. This procedure was not complicated and was completed in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, accompanied by the melodious sounds of celestial music emanating from the Hall of Heroes and Martyrs.
Then everyone took their seats. Next came the shamanic songs and dances to commemorate the spirits of the fallen heroes.
Song Chi naturally retreated to the main hall with Mo Shubai and took their seats. At that moment, she felt all eyes on them like fish swimming in water, especially scrutinizing their clothing. She thought to herself, "Today, all the musicians present are dressed in soft, white lotus-patterned jade brocade, so why are they all staring at me and Mo Shubai?"
But whatever, she was used to being the center of attention wherever she went. So she calmly took her seat.
The entire sacrificial ceremony, especially the initial stage in the Hall of Heroes, was exceptionally solemn and tense. It was rumored that even the slightest mistake would prevent the powerful heroes from suppressing the evil spirits.
Therefore, even before the heroic dance began, many of the musicians in the side hall were quietly taking deep breaths in nervous tension. Including the dancers on the quietly flowing River of Heroes, even though they were all wearing masks, one could still see the tense and solemn feeling in their chests as they took deep breaths from time to time.
Song Chi couldn't help but sniffle. How to put it? In this tense situation where not a single mistake could be made, she had to add something to the unchanged Witch Immortal Melody that hadn't changed for 100,000 years... This was still a mission, and she had no choice but to do it.
Others might not understand her. At this moment, she needed to rely on her master's current status. Although many righteous cultivators had reached the Ascension Realm in the past ten years, apart from Daoist Qingchenzi whose divine essence was relatively stable, none of them possessed the profound and serene state of her master at this moment. There was no doubt that her master was the most powerful being in the entire cultivation world.
So, Master, you must help me calm down the surging anger of the crowd later.
As Venerable Xueqiao sat down, he noticed Song Chi's pitiful gaze across from him. He couldn't help but feel speechless; he'd never seen this girl afraid of anything before. Just last night, in front of everyone, she presented pink lotuses to all the handsome men without the slightest bit of embarrassment, yet now she was afraid.
Even so, he still gave her a gentle look. Play well! Song Chi's zither playing skills were naturally outstanding, and recently, with his heart growing stronger, his emotions had also become richer. Venerable Xueqiao believed that in the cultivation world today, there were very few who could match Song Chi's zither playing. So, what was there to be nervous about?
When Song Chi met her master's gaze, she knew that her master had misunderstood something completely wrong. Oh well, the ascended beings wouldn't make her the target of everyone's criticism.
Soon, the first piece of piano music was completed smoothly.
When the actor portraying the black-clad evil spirit with a ferocious mask appears in the arena, the second segment is where the main character needs to shine. It also depicts the appearance of the Immortal Lord Qiongyu, bravely battling the Evil King.
As the drums beat rapidly, everyone present held their breath, awaiting the sign of the miracle. And indeed, as recorded in the annals, the ethereal beauty of Immortal Lady Qiongyu appeared in the center of the River of Heroes. Even in the solemn atmosphere of the sacrificial ceremony, many couldn't help but murmur in astonishment. After all, the sacrificial ceremony was only presided over once every ten thousand years, and such a miracle could only occur once every ten thousand years. The name of Immortal Lady Qiongyu has illuminated the cultivation world for millions of years, and people's worship of her has never ceased.
Moreover, she possesses such divine beauty. How can one not be amazed and moved?
Just then, a melody from a zither, like oil splashing on water, suddenly exploded in the arena. The pure white figure of the Jade Immortal Lord, revealed on the lotus leaf, trembled like mist in an instant, and its radiance dimmed considerably.
At that moment, everyone's eyes suddenly rushed to the main hall. After catching the culprit, most of them couldn't help but cast indignant glances at Venerable Xueqiao.
Venerable Xueqiao: "..." You brat! So that pitiful look you were looking at just now was for this.
To cause trouble at a time like this—! Ouch! Venerable Xueqiao was so angry that his chest ached, and he almost fainted. Disrupting the sacrificial ceremony was a serious crime, and even he probably couldn't protect this brat.
Song Chi's face twitched visibly, yet she dared to continue. She then deftly struck the second note.
Venerable Xueqiao was so angry that he almost raised his hand to strike. But then he suddenly looked towards the River of Heroes, and in fact, everyone else quickly turned their gazes in that direction as well.
As the second note of the zither sounded, the figure of the Jade Immortal Lord, which had been almost dissipating, emitted a fierce celestial light, and then her whole being became much clearer, even revealing her heroic bearing and demeanor.
As a result, everyone's gaze became suspicious, especially the Venerables, who were now unsure whether to reprimand or encourage them.
But then Song Chi... stopped making a move. "Look at you... trying out another note of music now wouldn't be a bad idea!" everyone thought.
Just then, the sound of a zither from the side hall suddenly merged into the main hall, and Song Chi and Mo Shubai began to play the original melody. They were extremely meticulous.
Actually, a little more change at this point... wouldn't be out of the question. Clearly, the spiritual power of Immortal Lord Qiongyu manifested much more intensely under the two notes of the zither than historical records suggest. But it's likely their reproachful gazes were too obvious, frightening Song Chi.
She was incredibly serious right now. It was a difficult topic for others to bring up. After all, if they brought it up in the wrong way and ruined the sacrificial ceremony, they couldn't afford the consequences.
However, the Venerables soon discovered that this girl was bold, as the chilling and eerie screams of the evil spirits spilled from the mouth of the actor playing the Evil King. This section was actually accompanied only by drumbeats and had little accompaniment from the zither, but Song Chi still managed to weave in zither music like an undercurrent, adding a suffocating sense of impending doom to the scene.
This made the heroic bearing of Immortal Lord Qiongyu even more apparent, and even the actor playing the Evil King seemed to exude a chilling and terrifying aura. Clearly, this was a good thing!
None of the Venerable Ones dared to look at Song Chi at this moment, fearing that the girl might not dare to continue her impromptu performance. They noticed that Venerable Xueqiao was so angry that he kept closing his eyes, which they couldn't help but find a little funny. Ever since Venerable Xueqiao took Song Chi as his disciple, his otherworldly demeanor had been frequently eroded by anger.
As the music reached its peak, Song Chi couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat. These ascendants really didn't seem to care if they didn't scare her to death. The very first note almost shattered the manifestation of Immortal Lord Qiongyu, and she was nearly torn apart by the angry gazes of those powerful figures in the cultivation world... Fortunately, things gradually became more reliable later on.
The second stage, the witch's song and dance, was quickly completed as Immortal Lord Qiongyu's figure was almost perfectly presented before everyone. At this point, the Golden Scroll's task of suppressing evil was finished. The evil king's actor, in any case, had had most of his chilling, malevolent aura cleaved away by Immortal Lord Qiongyu's sword.
Moving on to the third stage, the main hall only requires some auxiliary music, making it quite easy. In this third stage, a chosen one will be selected from among the disciples to fight alongside Immortal Lord Qiongyu. A group of truly evil spirits will appear behind the actor playing the Evil King to assist him. Of course, the actor playing the Evil King will likely have some kind of magical aid to prevent him from being injured.
The selection of this chosen one is inevitably by the destined person and their protector. In the book, those chosen are Cui Xue Ruo, Ye Qing Yu, Mo Shu Bai, Xue Rong Zhan, and Wen Yu Jiu. Those chosen will naturally be bestowed with glory and recorded in the annals of history and immortal records for eternity.
These things were none of her concern, so Song Chi was very relaxed. She was even ready to conjure up two more instruments, a zither and a pipa, to fill in for Mo Shubai at any time.
But just as the ancient horn, calling forth heroes from all over the world, sounded, countless white lotus flowers surged from the Hall of Heroes and Martyrs into the River of Heroes and Martyrs, and then rushed wildly onto the stands. Especially on Song Chi's side, the main hall was covered with white lotus flowers from his feet to the front of the zither, as if he were in a sea of white lotus flowers.
"Helping the son of the Immortal Lotus manifest the soul of the White Lotus Jade Lord will benefit the eventual restoration of the Azure String Zither's earthly spiritual power." The golden scroll then gave this hint, adding a small note that completion was optional.
It seems they weren't even using the ultimate goal of restoring the earth's spiritual energy to the mortal realm to complete her mission. However, even someone as capable as Immortal Lord Qiongyu said that because of a lack of emotion… she ultimately failed. Her situation is probably quite precarious as well.
But if the spiritual energy cannot be restored to the mortal realm, a delicate immortal-demon like Mo Shubai might develop immortal-demon syndrome, ultimately withering away and dying… Well, she decided she still had to try her best to save her. What if she could succeed?
After all, she... should have some feelings now. Although she still felt disgusted thinking about it, Song Chi secretly glared at Mo Shubai, then picked up her pipa. This time, she didn't use the zither prepared in the main hall, but her own.
As for Jin Juan's mention of incorporating the new melody into the third section of the Witch Immortal Melody, she had actually figured out a version of it while playing the zither every day. It was still the third piece of the game, "Mad Zither Kills Snow." Song Chi had reason to suspect that there must be a transmigrator by Qiongyu Immortal Lord's side, and that they had played the same game as her and must have learned music... Otherwise, how could these three sections of the Witch Immortal Melody blend so perfectly with the background music of the Zither Demon's attack?
As for coordinating with Mo Shubai… that requires someone who can compose. So, she should play first, and Mo Shubai can then accompany her.
However, the moment she picked up the pipa, her master's face twitched violently, his eyes flashing with a stern look that forbade her from continuing her mischief. But... Master, you don't understand anything, really. I'm working hard for the entire cultivation world, and even more so for the immortal and demon race. Otherwise, Mo Shubai's future children might very well suffer from immortal-demon syndrome... Anyway, I've gone off on a tangent.
Seeing Song Chi's actions, many of the other Venerables quietly withdrew their gazes, not daring to rebuke her. Look at her previous actions; not only did she successfully summon back the spirit of Immortal Lord Qiongyu, but she even activated the Water and Wood Life-Giving Technique of Immortal Lord Bailian Yujun. Perhaps if she were to continue with some unique new melody, it would have even more incredible effects.
Historical records state that if the soul of the White Lotus Jade Lord could be awakened, the cultivation world would usher in a true golden age. Of course, this is merely a legend; in reality, no one capable of achieving this has appeared for a full million years.
Whether it will work or not is another matter, but we should at least give it a try. If it doesn't work, what's wrong with having to do the witch's song and dance again? There's no record of it saying that if it doesn't work the first time, it can't be done a second time.
Therefore, a few Venerable Ones secretly gave Song Chi encouraging glances, though very discreetly.
Song Chi was too busy to pay attention to all this commotion. She had to match the music and drumbeats in the side hall, while also incorporating her metal and water spiritual roots. And as she played her zither, she also gave Mo Shubai a provocative look, as if to say, "Are you in or not?"
Mo Shubai smiled slightly at her gaze, and then took out his pipa from his sleeve.
Then, Song Chi couldn't help but twitch her nose. She noticed that Mo Shubai's slender fingers immediately followed with the piano music, perfectly matching her own. In fact, the pitches were identical.
She did indeed play this piece in the courtyard of the guild hall, but she only played it casually by the lotus pond, adding spiritual roots as an arrangement. She didn't break the seal during that leisurely time after dinner. Mo Shubai probably overheard her.
The problem was that she had only played the intense parts of the zither, not the full range. Yet Mo Shubai had perfectly complemented the interplay of real and ethereal notes. He even deliberately portrayed the chivalrous yet tender nature of the water spirit root to the extreme, then glanced at her with a slight smile.
Yes, yes, yes! You're the most sentimental. But recently, she's started to have feelings too. She doesn't know who the culprit is, but she misses him every day... her mind is filled with Mo Shubai's face, hands, waist, legs, and that perfect figure in blue. Song Chi thought of this, and originally wanted to perfectly integrate his water elemental root to shock Mo Shubai, but in a fit of anger, he directly used his metal elemental root to vent his anger.
Mo Shubai merely smiled slightly, perfectly catching her rushing golden spiritual energy, which transformed into water spiritual energy that poured into his zither music like melting snow. This made Song Chi feel like she had punched cotton. Moreover, this time his zither music changed, no longer playing in sync with her, but instead exhibiting a sense of following her with varying pitches, sometimes appearing to the left and sometimes to the right.
In all honesty, this was a piece brimming with murderous intent. But Mo Shubai's transformation gave it an almost palpable sense of twin butterflies drawn together and entwined. For the first time, Song Chi almost blushed while playing the zither…
At that moment, amidst the gasps of surprise, Cui Xue Ruo was indeed pulled into the arena by spiritual power and stood in the empty space behind Immortal Lord Qiong Yu. There seemed to be six points of light in those empty spaces, but the reason was unknown.
Then Ye Qingyu, Xue Rongzhan, and Wen Yujiu were pulled into the scene almost simultaneously, standing on either side of Cui Xueruo.
Then Mo Shubai was also pulled in by spiritual power. Without thinking, Song Chi immediately conjured up a zither from his side to fill the gap. As they passed each other, she gave Mo Shubai a reproachful look, secretly cursing him for playing the zither too enchantingly, only to receive a perfect, faint smile in return.
When Song Chi took Mo Shubai's place and picked up his zither, she realized... she had actually come in her true form, leaving her illusory body behind. Holding Mo Shubai's zither, which still retained some of his warmth and faint, lingering fragrance... Song Chi almost collapsed to her knees in disbelief. How could she have switched places with her real body? Whether it was the lingering warmth, the overpowering fragrance, or simply the realization that her lecherous intentions had been exposed, Song Chi blushed deeply. If it weren't for everyone's attention being focused on Mo Shubai and the other four chosen ones on the river, she felt she might have suffered a humiliating defeat...
As she concealed her face with spiritual power while playing her zither with intense and continuous melody, perhaps due to the old lecher's slightly agitated emotions, after a string of notes, a mist of spiritual energy rose from the Hall of Heroes and Martyrs. Then, a path paved with lotus flowers floated away like silk ribbons. A graceful and beautiful figure in blue robes, pure and immaculate, emerged from the Hall of Heroes and Martyrs, stepping on white lotus ribbons, her ethereal beauty soaring out.
"White Lotus Jade Lord!"
"Lotus Lord has appeared—!"
At that moment, the Venerables all blurted out their excited, slightly hoarse voices.
Song Chi couldn't help but glance at the arena, instantly captivated by Bai Lian Yu Jun. This person's demeanor was indeed somewhat similar to Mo Shu Bai's, though she appeared even more ethereal and otherworldly. Rumor had it that Bai Lian Yu Jun and Qiong Yu Xian Jun were in love, and ultimately, they were the ones who became a couple. However, there were also rumors that Qiong Yu Xian Jun never found love with anyone, despite having many admirers. Judging from Qiong Yu Xian Jun's demeanor upon seeing her—that carefree and unrestrained air—Song Chi suspected it was more likely the latter.
When Bai Lianyujun arrived, she landed next to Qiongyu Xianjun. The two seemed to exchange a slight smile. Then, one used the Water and Wood Life-Giving Technique to make lotus flowers dance, while the other stepped on the white lotus ribbons and rushed to kill the evil spirits. Their coordination was perfect and full of a beautiful artistry.
Song Chi felt that Mo Shubai, whether intentionally or not, kept blocking her view of Bai Lianyujun, preventing her from properly appreciating the beautiful scenery.
The two of them had almost completely eradicated the evil king's evil aura...
The gold scroll suddenly heated up, prompting a notification.
"Quickly help Xie Lanqing enter the Immortal Demon Exorcism Array. For some reason, he cannot be pulled into the field by the Lotus Lord's spiritual power. He is also a chosen one. If he is not completely purged of evil spirits by this exorcism array, he will not be able to obtain the ancient perfect weapon-refining inheritance."
Then you'll get struck by lightning!
On this point, Song Chi would never hesitate to carry out a mission. She was genuinely afraid of pain.
Xie Lanqing was in a corner of the side hall not far away, leaning against the railing, staring at something, looking hesitant.
Song Chi's divine sense swept over, and the golden scroll lit up. He saw two white lotus ribbons in front of Xie Lanqing, and one of these invisible ribbons was also clearly wrapped around Mo Shubai and the others' arms. It was estimated that they had been pulled into the arena by these ribbons.
Xie Lanqing suspected that some evil spirit was causing trouble ahead, which was why the white lotus ribbon seemed to be rushing towards them but not quite.
And there were two... Song Chi could read Xie Lanqing's expression. First, he feared he wasn't the chosen one, and rushing to grab the white lotus ribbon might be inappropriate. Second, seeing him looking at the two ribbons with such a dilemma... Song Chi was truly speechless. His suspicions were correct; this person appeared perfect on the surface, but look at his indecisiveness—he was probably deeply afflicted with it.
Song Chi now understood the importance of her becoming a qin player, and her foresight in composing new pieces based on the melody "Undercurrent" proved to be remarkable.
At this moment, the zither music was played using the technique of hidden currents, and the dark spiritual power controlled by the Green Leaf Magic Treasure was omnipresent in the space where the music resonated.
She rushed over and kicked Xie Lanqing in the back.
Get off!
Just in time, before Qiongyu Immortal Lord and Bailian Jade Lord could completely freeze the evil king actor in place and dispel his evil aura, they kicked Xie Lanqing into the last spot of light to fill the gap.
There were gasps of surprise from all sides, but then everyone breathed a sigh of relief as a pure, radiant spiritual energy rose around Xie Lanqing. This was the ceremony that the chosen one should undergo, but it was unclear why it was being brought in only now. Perhaps the Immortal Lords had some considerations?
Song Chi then focused intently on playing the zither. She sensed Xie Lanqing's beautiful eyes darting around as she joined Cui Xueruo and the others in their extermination of the illusory evil spirits. She couldn't help but lower her gaze and chuckle inwardly, thinking, "Go ahead and search; you'll never find the mastermind behind this."
Then the chosen ones, working together with the formation, slayed the evil spirits, which took no more than a quarter of an hour. As the zither strings fell silent, bells, drums, and horns sounded in unison, accompanied by melodious and ethereal music that seemed to come from ancient times, emanating from the Hall of Heroes.
"The ceremony is complete!" The announcer from the Purple Palace shouted, pausing in time.
The sacrificial ceremony at the Hall of Heroes has now concluded.
Song Chi hurriedly and scrambled back to his original form in front of his zither. But Mo Shubai returned to the main hall unexpectedly quickly, faster than anyone else.
The zither must still retain her warmth, as Song Chi watched Mo Shubai turn his back and pick up his pipa. She cursed inwardly, worried that Mo Shubai would discover her lecherous behavior. Damn it.
Fortunately, Mo Shubai calmly put away his zither, and then the two of them flew back to their master's side.
The ceremony following the Hall of Heroes and Martyrs involves traveling upstream on painted boats along the River of Heroes and Martyrs to the main hall. This is not a simple matter of playing ritual music and leisurely sailing upstream on a painted boat. Rather, it is a ritual of boats competing to exorcise evil spirits. Apart from the elders, such as the Venerable Ones, who can ride in the largest ceremonial painted boat in front, the remaining six medium-sized painted boats follow.
These six pleasure boats are the real battleground. Each boat is guarded by an evil spirit, and when the cultivators travel upstream in their small boats, they must defeat the evil spirits and board the boats before reaching the main hall.
And it's not just about simply defeating the evil spirits and other pleasure boats; that would actually be the easiest way to alleviate the problem.
As the monks rowed up the river, each carried a sacrificial lamp floating in the water. Only when the participants found the lamp of their chosen person and joined hands to rush aboard the pleasure boat to vanquish the evil spirit did the ceremony count.
However, one of the more ridiculous aspects of this system is that you only need to obtain the offering lantern from the person you love, and then lead them to the pleasure boat.
It all boils down to love and romance, probably a ritual to exorcise evil spirits because they lack emotions. But it seems a bit like they're deliberately using underhanded tactics to steal what they want – is that really going to work?
Song Chi felt she probably didn't need to participate in this process. After all, in the book, Ye Qingyu and the others fought fiercely over Cui Xue Ruo's sacrificial lamp. When they were almost at the main hall, the male protagonist, Su Yu, emerged victorious, obtaining Cui Xue Ruo's lamp and boarding the painted boat, thus ending the story.
Sure enough, a few painted boats emerged from beside the Hall of Heroes and Martyrs. The first one, named "Ascending to Immortality," was as tall as a three-story building and was quite conspicuous on the wide river.
The six painted boats that followed were all conventional, but they were also painted red and carved, making them exceptionally luxurious.
Soon, the deacons of the Purple Evolution Divine Palace distributed the sacrificial lanterns to the disciples. Song Chi received a small peach blossom lantern with a tiny candle flickering inside. As she was still admiring the lantern, she heard her master turn around and give instructions.
"You will come with me to the painted boat in a moment, and your sacrificial lantern will not need to be put into the River of Heroes."
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Author's note: [doge][doge] Update is here!
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