Chapter 1246: Endless Melodies of the Zither

The Small Valley of the Zither Sect.
The sound of zither music lingered in the air…
Dozens of men and women, their chests adorned with the emblem of the Splendid Rivers and Mountains, stood solemnly at the entrance of the valley, armed with swords and knives, walking back and forth.
From time to time, someone would lift their head to look outside the valley.
Occasionally, the sound of hooves could be heard, and everyone would rise to watch as people rode swiftly along the road outside the forest.
“Why hasn’t the boss arrived yet?”
“It’s been half a day already.” Some murmured while waiting.
“Take your time, no need to rush.”
“How can we not rush? Our men are already ahead… What if we encounter the Wild Wolves Organization first?”
Before the words faded, someone shot the speaker a disapproving look: “Worrying for nothing. The boss said this cross-border confrontation is crucial, with so many people involved. We’ll cross over later and meet in Yan Town to wait for a day!”
“Who knows if the Wild Wolves will give us a chance to unite?”
“Don’t worry. The Evil Emperor isn’t foolish. Though he has mastered the ‘Great Art of Planting Demons in the Heart,’ he still needs time to adapt and won’t act rashly.”
“That’s right!”
A familiar face stepped forward from the crowd, explaining calmly, “Deputy Sect Master Bai Xiaosheng also said this. After achieving success, the Evil Emperor will return to the Western Regions immediately. His men are concentrated in Shiva City in Persia, preparing to suppress the Emperor…”
As soon as this person spoke, many objections in the crowd subsided.
Xiao Yue!
It was Xiao Yue, the one who had first shown his talent in the Splendid Rivers and Mountains Competition and possessed the token. His sharp intelligence and tactical skills were well-known in that region.
It was precisely because of Xiao Yue’s cleverness that Happy had temporarily assigned him to the Small Valley of the Zither Sect to welcome and protect Feng Ling and Xu Yao.
Looking at his comrades, Xiao Yue continued, “One reason the Evil Emperor needs time to adapt to his new powers is to suppress the Emperor, but the main reason he stays in Shiva City in Persia is that someone has already spread word to the Wild Wolves, inviting them to a great battle.”
“A great battle?”
Many in the crowd showed shock. “When did that happen?”
“It was a message sent by the Sect Master himself. Under the pretense of congratulating the Evil Emperor on mastering the ‘Great Art of Planting Demons in the Heart,’ he issued the challenge. The Evil Emperor has no choice but to stay in Persia to fight!” Xiao Yue replied.
“…”
The crowd looked enlightened after hearing this.
Challenged under the guise of congratulations, the Evil Emperor had no choice but to agree!

Now that the Evil Emperor has mastered the “Great Art of Planting Demons in the Heart of the Dao” to its ultimate level, his power is unprecedentedly strong. Refusing in front of all the heroes in the world would only dull his fighting spirit. But if he truly wants to engage in a life-or-death battle with Happy, the Evil Emperor, who has suffered two humiliating defeats, must take it seriously—cleaning up his reputation head-on and openly. After Xiao Yue said this, everyone understood. “But…” At that moment, the companion who had been nagging nonstop frowned and pointed toward the valley with his chin: “We know the battle in the Western Regions is important, but what about the people inside? Is it really reasonable to waste time staying behind to protect those two? After all, we’re considered top experts.” “Damn you, big-headed idiot!” Xiao Yue glared. “They are disciples of the Six-Fingered Qin Demon. Even if it were just you, it’s doubtful even all of us together could match her.” “Yeah, yeah, it’s the Nine-Yin Cut-off Veins… Just like in the battle against Meng Yun—typical home-field advantage, useless away from home…” “Exactly.” “That makes sense. What if something happens to Feng Ling in the Western Regions? Who will be responsible? It’s better not to send so many of us to protect her.” Many in the crowd showed disdain. Although Feng Ling’s strength was widely recognized, the constraints of the Nine-Yin Cut-off Veins made many think it was reckless and dangerous to send her to the Western Regions. “The sect leader must have his own reasons.” Though Xiao Yue also found it puzzling to send Feng Ling to the Western Regions, thinking of Happy’s meticulous plans before every mission, she chose to trust Happy wholeheartedly. But this explanation couldn’t convince the others! Moreover… Among those to be protected this time was also a woman who had remained in the background all along—reportedly Happy’s girlfriend from long ago—which made the group even more skeptical. They felt it was excessive to assign a group of top experts to protect two women instead of allowing them to fully focus on the battle in the Western Regions. “…” After repeating her words several times, Xiao Yue also seemed powerless in the face of everyone’s discussions. Her voice faintly reached the valley, reaching Feng Ling and Xu Yao’s ears. Unexpectedly, the two women showed no reaction and continued playing the zither. Mastering the art of the zither required an excellent state of mind—a detachment from worldly distractions to achieve mastery. This was the wisdom Feng Ling had passed on to Xu Yao. Additionally…

Xu Yao was also well aware of her own situation and understood the pride and dissatisfaction of those people. This allowed her to comprehend their feelings and turn the pressure into motivation, working even harder to practice: even if not for herself, for Happy Bell’s sake, she wouldn’t waste time sulking.
Seeing Xu Yao maintain such calmness, a glimmer of admiration flashed in Happy Bell’s eyes.
With her hands moving swiftly, she continuously performed gestures of “wrapping around,” “plucking,” “strumming,” “vibrating,” “spinning,” “pressing,” and “lifting.” Her fingers fluttered like butterflies dancing and intertwining across the strings.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
From time to time, several sound waves too fast for the naked eye turned into invisible arrows. With a slight tremor, they detached from the strings and silently shot toward the opponent.
Every time they rushed within five meters of Xu Yao, they were like drops of water hitting gentle waves—instantly absorbed without causing the slightest disturbance.
The Six-Fingered Piano Demon’s deadly piano techniques were highly aggressive and devastating. The sound blades created by Happy Bell usually overwhelmed enemies with sheer quantity and pressure!
But after learning something from the sect master of the Piano Sect, Happy Bell had grasped a clever technique:
Endearing affection!
A continuous flow of piano emotions…
This technique described how piano sounds could lower an enemy’s guard during emotional moments, allowing silent attacks with great power, making it impossible to defend against.
The several sound waves just now were an example of this technique.
However, Xu Yao practiced Piano Strength, a defensive technique that could counteract Endearing Affection. Although it consumed some internal energy, the techniques of the Piano Sect were designed to quickly restore both internal energy and mental state while playing the piano.
Despite sustaining heavy attacks, Xu Yao was still able to recover some energy in a short time, keeping Piano Strength active and handling the situation effortlessly.
“Good!”
Happy Bell hadn’t been very confident that Xu Yao could protect herself, but seeing her calmly withstand her strongest moves, she couldn’t help but glance over with interest. She warned, “From now on, I’ll gradually intensify my attacks!”
“…”
Xu Yao didn’t respond, only nodding while continuing to play the piano to show she understood.
Clang!!!
Happy Bell’s aura shifted dramatically. The piano music suddenly changed from a gentle tune to a bold and intense one! Her sharp gaze and murderous aura filled the valley, instantly turning it into a battlefield of fierce combat.
The sect master of the Piano Sect, who was fertilizing and watering the garden plots, stopped what he was doing upon hearing the noise and glanced over in their direction.

Although the techniques he taught Wind Chime could enhance her strength, when it came to sustained explosive power, the set of skills from the Six-Fingered Music Demon was still superior—after all, those were musical notes born for killing. The continuous sounds of slaughter, accumulated over time, demanded serious attention even from the most skilled masters of the Way of Heaven! Not only the sect leader of the Music Sect but also top experts like Taniuchi Kyoetsu quickly sensed the changes within the valley… Upon detecting Wind Chime’s unhidden intent to attack Xu Yao, everyone’s expression turned grim! “What’s going on?” “Wasn’t the Happy Gate’s sect leader’s girlfriend just back in the martial world not long ago?” “Judging from Wind Chime’s stance, it seems… it seems she’s going all out in this duel!” “Hiss…” Hearing the exclamations of his companions, Kyoetsu frowned deeply, staring in disbelief at Wind Chime and Xu Yao in the distance. Yet he said nothing, instead focusing intently on their expressions, observing quietly… … A majestic river of sound blades rapidly separated from Wind Chime’s musical notes, expanding suddenly into a stream over ten meters wide. With an overwhelming presence, it surged into the sky above the valley, sweeping down at Xu Yao from above. “…” Xu Yao’s expression was solemn. Yet her movements didn’t stop. The speed of her fingers moved slower than before… Each pluck of the strings carried a deep tremor! The moment the river of sound blades reached within five meters, a half-meter-thick, silver-white, crystal-clear disc appeared in front of her. The Music Fortress appeared! In an instant, countless fierce sound blades crashed continuously against the Music Fortress! Shattering! Shattering!! Each sound blade, like a tangible weapon, shattered against the Music Fortress with a shrill noise. Ten! Twenty! Thirty!! In the blink of an eye, a third of the sound blade river had been shattered against the Music Fortress… As time passed and more sound blades shattered, Wind Chime’s expression became increasingly complex and strange—both happy and melancholic. She hadn’t held back in her attack! Although she hadn’t used the Golden Needle Acupoint Puncture technique, with her full effort, each attack was on par with those of a peak master of the Wuwei Realm. Even an ordinary top expert would surely be forced to spit blood and suffer internal injuries from facing ten such attacks… Yet a successor to the Music Sect leader, who had only practiced for a few days, had transformed from an unknown nobody into someone capable of withstanding half of the damage from that river of sound blades in such a short time.

Watching Xu Yao, who had gradually stopped moving with her hands on the strings, along with the silver-white musical energy field in front of her covered in cracks, Wind Chime knew she had almost reached her limit. Just as she was about to withdraw and use the remaining half of her attack, she saw Xu Yao suddenly perform a move that seemed extremely familiar to her! Bang! One of the strings was suddenly tightened by Xu Yao! Wind Chime was shocked. Boom!!! With a loud noise, the cracked silver-white musical energy field in front of her burst apart! The musical energy field, as if it were a tangible entity, exploded outward, turning into countless sharp sounds that unleashed astonishing power, shattering the remaining streams of sound blades effortlessly.