Mount Yao, Water Serpent, Phoenix Arrival Zither

Ancient Sword World.

Hongya Realm, Mount Yao.

A melodious, elegant zither melody echoed through the mountains.

The beauty of the music intoxicated the grass and tree spirits among the peaks, while its refinement stirred even the Heaven and Earth Laws.

Heaven and Earth spiritual energy mingled with the essence of clouds and water, turning into spiritual mist that drifted on the wind, making the already breathtaking Mount Yao seem even more ethereal and immortal.

At the mountaintop, beneath the Yao Tree.

A gentle, jade-like man in white sat cross-legged, his hands resting upon the zither. His eyes were closed, and he wore a contented expression, as though he was deeply satisfied with the piece he was playing.

Clearly, he had become completely immersed in his own music.

Beside the man in white coiled a black serpent with a ferocious form.

The black serpent was likewise lost in the music, making even its savage and fearsome appearance seem somewhat gentle and refined.

After a long while, the white-clad man finally awoke from his self-absorption. Opening his eyes, he looked at the black serpent beside him.

"Qian Yu, what did you think of my piece?"

The black serpent seemed delighted and nodded repeatedly. A dim black divine light flashed, and the serpent transformed into a youth in black robes.

The black-robed youth sat beside the man in white, propping up his cheek as he gazed at him with his distinctive golden eyes. Smiling, he said, "Changqin, the music you play is always so beautiful."

The white-clad man playing the zither was none other than Prince Changqin.

And this great black serpent—no, more precisely, it was a Water Serpent.

A Water Serpent became a flood dragon after five hundred years; a flood dragon became a dragon after a thousand years; after another five hundred years, it became a Horned Dragon; and after a thousand more years, it became a Winged Dragon.

This Water Serpent was called Qian Yu. He was merely an ordinary Water Serpent from the waters around Mount Yao, but Qian Yu harbored great ambitions and firmly believed that one day, he would cultivate himself into a Winged Dragon capable of reaching the heavens and spanning the earth.

"Changqin, I've never heard this piece before. What is it called?"

Qian Yu looked at Prince Changqin with keen interest.

A smile appeared on Prince Changqin's refined, handsome face. "I composed it on a whim, so I never gave it a name."

He rose and walked to the cliff's edge, looking down over the beautiful scenery of Mount Yao. Then he turned and smiled at Qian Yu.

"How about calling this piece Mount Yao?"

"Mount Yao?"

Qian Yu also rose and walked to Prince Changqin's side, but his gaze fell upon the waters of Mount Yao. His resolute eyes carried a trace of longing.

"Changqin, there are countless Water Serpents in Mount Yao, yet none of them have golden eyes like mine. Does that mean that one day, I might be able to cultivate into a Winged Dragon?"

"A Winged Dragon? Qian Yu, you haven't even become a flood dragon yet, and you're already thinking of becoming a Winged Dragon?" Changqin said with a teasing smile.

Qian Yu rolled his eyes and laughed freely. "Dragon King Zhonggu used to be a Water Serpent too. If he could cultivate into a Winged Dragon, then of course I can as well."

Hearing Qian Yu's innocent words, Changqin smiled and shook his head.

"Dragon King Zhonggu is the son of Candle Dragon, so naturally he is different from ordinary Water Serpents. Qian Yu, I do not think becoming a Winged Dragon is all that important. Even if you only become a Horned Dragon, you can still soar through the heavens and roam freely across the Three Realms."

Though he said that, because of the group owner's spoilers, Prince Changqin knew that Qian Yu would indeed get his wish and become a Winged Dragon.

And he himself would violate the Heavenly Rules because of Qian Yu, be stripped forever from the Immortal Registry, and be fated to loneliness through every rebirth, bereft of family ties and romantic bonds.

That was not all. He would also suffer Soul Separation. Jiao Li would use the forbidden art, the Blood Smear Array, to take his Life Soul and Four Ethereal Souls and forge the Frenzy Sword. It could truly be called too horrible to behold.

Of course, now that he knew the future, he would naturally not repeat the same mistakes. The future had already changed.

Hearing Changqin's words of consolation, Qian Yu did not argue. Instead, he laughed loudly. "Changqin, once I cultivate into a dragon, I'll take you wandering across heaven and earth, soaring ten thousand miles through mountains and rivers. How does that sound?"

"Good."

Changqin smiled and nodded. Then he turned and returned beneath the Yao Tree, sitting cross-legged as his hands gently brushed the zither strings with incomparable tenderness.

"Changqin, I haven't had the chance to ask—why has your Phoenix Arrival Zither changed its appearance?"

Qian Yu leaned close to Changqin, his face filled with confusion and curiosity.

Prince Changqin was the incarnation of the Phoenix Arrival Zither, one of the three zithers created by Zhurong, the God of Fire. Nuwa had used the art of drawing upon a Life Soul to turn him into a complete living being.

The Phoenix Arrival Zither was both Prince Changqin's true body and, in a sense, his innate magical treasure.

Naturally, Qian Yu was exceedingly familiar with the Phoenix Arrival Zither's appearance.

However, today, Qian Yu discovered that the Phoenix Arrival Zither looked vastly different from how it had before. It seemed different, yet he could not say exactly where the difference lay.

"Because this zither will no longer be bound by anything between heaven and earth. Naturally, it is different now."

Changqin gently stroked the strings and spoke softly, as though answering Qian Yu, yet also as though speaking to himself.

Great Thousand Primordial World.

Bai Yu was not paying attention to the Chat Group's messages at the moment. Though he knew how shocked and astonished the many group members were, he did not care.

By now, Bai Yu had obtained the world coordinates of every group member's world. Their worlds had been completely opened to him.

With a wave of Bai Yu's hand, the Bodhi Tree, Ginseng Fruit Tree, Peach Tree of Immortality, Fusang Wood, and Huangzhong Plum appeared before him. Dense five-element essence surged around them as their radiance drew inward, and the five Innate Spiritual Roots began adapting to this world's rules and order.

As the five Innate Spiritual Roots gradually adapted to this world's rules and order, the five-element essence they contained rapidly grew stronger. Bai Yu was also preparing to enter seclusion, adjust his condition, and prepare for a breakthrough.

Before entering seclusion, he glanced at the Chat Group and found it truly lively. The one making the biggest fuss was the group owner who loved posting memes.

Good grief, this girl really had a lot of memes, and none of them were repeats...

[Call Me Group Owner]: Hehe, isn't my Sky Mirror amazing? (smug.jpg)

[Maoshan Heavenly Master]: Too bad it can't be used.

[Call Me Group Owner]: Hmph! Uncle Jiu, you're just jealous! (I see through everything.jpg)

[Maoshan Heavenly Master]: This humble Daoist may be jealous, but... too bad it still can't be used...

[Call Me Group Owner]: ...Ah!!! (going crazy.jpg)

[Call Me Group Owner]: Wuwuwu, why can't it be used?! (tears pouring down.jpg)

High Martial World.

Shi Yaoyao lay sprawled across the table, cupping her adorable doll-like face as she gloomily stared at the Sky Mirror before her, which radiated divine law-light.

She had tried many methods, such as dripping blood to claim it as its master, but there was still no response.

Nor could she control this supreme treasure at all.

The Sky Mirror simply floated before her, with only its eternal divine law-light continuing to shine.

What left her even more helpless and on the verge of collapse was that she could not put the Sky Mirror away.

She could stuff the Sky Mirror into her pocket, but that mysterious divine law-light was far too conspicuous...

Thus, Shi Yaoyao did not dare take the Sky Mirror outside at all. She would probably be robbed the moment she stepped out the door...