Chapter 965: The Demonic Master Playing the Zither
Jiangnan is known as a land of abundance. Its scenery is exceptionally beautiful, with a gentle, intoxicating mist permeating every corner, refreshing the mind and filling one with delight. The lush reed marshes form a verdant ribbon that winds gracefully, creating a serene and uplifting atmosphere. Standing at the front of the narrow bamboo raft, feeling the river breeze and the fresh scent of the reeds, and hearing the sound of the raft cutting through the water, Kai Xin felt an intoxication even greater than that from drinking sorghum wine.
“Captain!”
“What can I do for you, young master?” The captain was an honest man in his fifties, with a physique as strong as that of a young man. He replied while steadily rowing the raft.
Without turning around, Kai Xin pointed ahead and asked, “How far is it to Gusu City?”
“Hehe, you’re really eager. It’s not far from here. Once we reach the Taihu Lake area, it will take less than two hours to reach Gusu City by land,” the captain replied.
“Haha, thank you.”
“You’re too polite, sir. I can’t accept such gratitude.”
Kai Xin said nothing more. Instead, he enjoyed the beautiful scenery while closing his eyes, preparing to enter another world. It had been two days since they set out downstream from the capital. Although they were moving fast, losing two days of cultivation time made him anxious. So, he had spent those two days cultivating in another world…
Of course! Not in a gang’s prison. Having finally gotten the chance to cultivate there, Kai Xin certainly wouldn’t waste it. He asked a master at the Mythical Realm for help, which greatly advanced his skills in the “Immortal Body Technique” and the “Tendon-Transforming Scripture.”
However… Just as Kai Xin was about to be pulled to the other world, a sudden gust of wind blew in from the reed marshes on the left.
Whoosh!
Kai Xin’s calm mind seemed to ripple instantly. The pull failed, and he snapped back to consciousness, opening his bright eyes wide. The captain behind him clearly sensed an astonishing aura emanating from the young man at the front of the raft… The man, who had previously seemed like a refined scholar, now exuded a formidable martial aura—comparable to that of the well-known figures who roamed the Taihu Lake.
“…”
Kai Xin naturally ignored the captain behind him. His eyes scanned the reeds by the shore, which had been bent by the strong wind, and he frowned slightly. There were martial artists in the vicinity!
He activated the “Tendon-Transforming Scripture” at full speed, rapidly expanding his senses in the direction of the wind. A few seconds later, his expression changed.
Amidst the fierce wind, faint intermittent piano notes could be heard… Hearing these notes, her vital energy fluctuated slightly, as if stirred by the mysterious power within them. Prompted by this, Happy without hesitation took out a gold ingot from her bag and threw it to the boatman: “Stop here and wait.” Without giving the boatman a chance to respond, she stepped forward, covering seven or eight meters in an instant, then lightly landed on the calm river surface and reached the shore after just two hops. Whoosh! With the sound of wind and fluttering clothes, the reed marsh bent slightly under the force as a dark figure rushed forward without pause… Watching Happy’s swift figure disappear into the distance, the boatman stared wide-eyed, taking a long time before putting the gold ingot in his arms. “Young master, you must return before dark!” … The reed marsh stretched for miles, forming a vast expanse of soft yellow. But deep within it, the fierce wind swept as three figures moved swiftly, dodging and weaving. Along with the intermittent, shrill piano notes, countless sharp sound blades, carrying a destructive fury, relentlessly pursued the two men behind them. The piano music was fierce and domineering, yet the two opponents were clearly no ordinary martial arts experts. The two men stared coldly, silently fixing their gaze on the woman whose clothes were stained with blood, and effortlessly dodged and shattered the incoming sound blades with their combined swords, closely following behind her. She wore pure white, exuding a cold aura, her brows filled with menace yet shrouded in deep sorrow. “Ambush from all sides!” “Jade Fingers Steering the Stars!!” “Annihilating Gods and Demons!” Despite Wind Chime constantly devising stronger techniques to fend off her enemies, the two men behind her not only had extraordinary strength but also astonishingly advanced equipment. Even when struck by the sound blades while moving, they only produced sparks without even wobbling, showing no signs of injury as they continued to pursue. Maintaining posture! Such a domineering posture maintenance!! “Haha! Wind Chime, your Heavenly Demon Piano Music is indeed impressive, but it’s a pity you’ve run into us two brothers!” “To deal with you, we specially crafted two sets of 4-stage magic weapons that allow for perfect posture maintenance. With our defense and that, you can’t escape our grasp!” As they spoke, the two of them moved skillfully to the left and right, kicking through the grass, and with flashes of swords and knives, they stirred up countless reeds, forming two fierce black wolves that rushed at Wind Chime. Under their attacks, each reed became as sharp as an arrow! Wind Chime immediately found herself in grave danger.
Her expression changed instantly; not daring to delay, she struck the Heavenly Demon Zither!
Clang!!!
The Heavenly Demon Zither spun wildly, its six strings pointing downward!
Wind Bell stood motionless as if possessed by gods and demons, her hands emitting eerie light and shadows. With astonishing speed, her fingers moved like the wind, plucking the strings in a truly bizarre manner…
“Heavenly Demon Slave Zither!!”
“This girl wants to die with us! Be careful! Dodge quickly!!”
Seeing Wind Bell’s resolute stance and momentum, the two’s expressions changed, but since their moves had already been launched, they had no choice but to force themselves to retreat.
They tumbled away in disarray.
But it was too late…
The Heavenly Demon Zither spun rapidly in the air as if held by an invisible giant hand; Wind Bell’s speed was even faster, unbelievably so. Her long hair curled upward without any wind, as if she were a deity. Her fingers performed dazzling techniques, continuously generating waves of sound.
The silent music spread like ripples in the air…
One circle, two circles… ten circles, a hundred circles—the ripples overlapped densely, instantly covering an area of a hundred meters.
Though the two retracted their moves quickly, they couldn’t outrun the speed at which the ripples spread.
“Heavenly Demon Zither Control!”
“Heartless and unforgiving! Kill!!!”
With a cold, judgmental cry from Wind Bell, the sound waves filling the space suddenly erupted with terrifying power!
Thousands of sound blades shot out frantically, as if finding their targets…
Within a hundred meters!
The reeds were instantly cut into hundreds of tiny pieces the moment they were struck!
In less than three seconds, the entire area was submerged in reed powder!
Although the two pursuing Wind Bell had decent defenses, they couldn’t withstand the onslaught of thousands of sound blades. Their bodies were pierced countless times, turning them into bloody, lifeless messes. With eyes filled with terror, they collapsed headfirst.
Puff!!
Reed powder spread everywhere like dust…
The reed fields within a hundred meters sank more than two meters lower! A fierce wind swept in from all directions!
Yet!
Wind Bell, who had done all this, collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.
“Heavenly Demon Zither Control” was the ultimate killing move unleashed from the Heavenly Demon Zither’s music. After using it, she had no remaining vital energy, making her as weak as an ordinary person for a while—easily killable by anyone. It was a forbidden technique of the Heavenly Demon Zither’s music.
A long time ago, Wind Chime had played the instrument once while fighting against the Wild Wolves. If not for the appearance of the Emperor, Wind Chime would have been killed by an injured member of the Wild Wolves long ago.
“Cough!”
“Cough cough…”
A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the reed fields. Pale-faced, Wind Chime didn’t even have the strength to use her mental techniques. She barely managed to pull out a small pill from her pouch, already out of breath.
“I never thought that ordinary members of the Wild Wolves would have reached such a level—unable to be dealt with even without the ‘Heavenly Demon Zither’…”
“And how did they manage to avoid my master Tianji Yan’s predictions?”
A hint of color returned to Wind Chime’s face. But soon, the vitality restored by the pill vanished again. Looking at the faint dark shadows emerging from the reed dust, Wind Chime took a deep breath before sneering bitterly, “I knew it! You Wild Wolves are always meticulous and cautious. How could you send just two people to hunt me down?”
Standing before her was a skilled warrior from the Central Plains with yellow skin and black eyes, but his proud and cold gaze was exactly the same as that of the two men before.
Wild Wolves!
Still the Wild Wolves!
This time, they hadn’t sent two but three people to assassinate her!
“As expected of the disciple of the All-Knowing Man. You do have some skills. We Wild Wolves haven’t suffered any casualties in killing for a long time.”
The man clearly saw that Wind Chime was weak and powerless, unable even to pluck the strings of the Heavenly Demon Zither. He moved very slowly and leisurely, his cold expression growing even colder. “But then again, who made you the disciple of the All-Knowing Man? With his predictions on your side, along with the help of the Xifeng Tower, Yipin Hall, and many top factions from the Central Plains, it’s not easy to kill you.”
“…How did you avoid my master Tianji Yan? He’s always kept track of your movements.”
“Speaking of which, we Wild Wolves put a lot of effort into killing you and dealing a blow to the All-Knowing Man.” The man laughed. “We first went to America, killed hundreds of people there, and used the effects of the ‘Heavenly Killing Stars’ to avoid your master’s surveillance. Then we rushed back to the Central Plains, killing continuously along the way. For this day, we killed tens of thousands… Maintaining the state of the Heavenly Killing Stars for months, we finally waited for you to be alone.”
“…”
Wind Chime’s face turned pale. “To kill a weak woman like me, you’re really willing to invest so much effort!”
“It’s worth it. The Nine Yin Severed Veins—unlike other players, killing you once is enough to destroy both you and the All-Knowing Man…” The man laughed loudly.
“Hahaha…… I know you’re trying to buy time until your accomplices arrive, but sadly, even if they come, they won’t stop me from killing you! Besides, you don’t have that much time left.” With that, he drew his long sword.