The music of the earth

Shi Feiyang cultivated in seclusion deep within the cave, refining the Dust-Veiling Banner and Geng Peng's thirty-six Golden Plume Divine Feather Arrows until he could wield them at will, then turned to studying the Dongling Zither.

The Dongling Zither was difficult to fathom. His only foothold remained the three hundred and sixty Golden Seal Heavenly Talismans the Yellow Emperor had left beneath Dinghu Peak.

These Heavenly Talismans were connected to the celestial constellations. When Shi Feiyang first built his cultivation chamber, he had deliberately made it spherical precisely so he could use it to simulate the celestial sphere of the entire universe.

He engraved every constellation he knew upon it, then used their changes over time to deduce the proper way to use the Dongling Zither.

What he did not know was that the Dongling Zither was an extraordinary treasure from remote antiquity, possessed of endless mysteries. Nothing happened when he first plucked it, but later, as he gradually began to make sense of it, his playing brought about an unexpected change.

Beneath Unfixed Island lay an undersea Immortal Mansion left by an Ancient Immortal. Besides the mansion itself, it contained many spiritual medicines and even magical treasures.

One of these treasures was called the Earthfrost Bell. Cast from star sand and Cold Iron, it bore symbols of all the Stars of the Heavens.

Ancestor Hollow Space usually hid away here, refusing to venture outside, and hated visitors coming to disturb him. Not only had he laid layer upon layer of nets and snares across Xiuqiong Plain, but beyond the plain stretched several hundred li of Mystic Ice Road, followed by more than ten thousand li of the Dark Netherworld, all utterly frozen, barren land. He had also set numerous Formations and restrictions along the approach to keep outsiders from disturbing him.

Anyone entering from outside was affected by the restrictions in the air and could not fly freely, having to fly close to the ground or even descend and walk. Only the brothers Geng Kun and Geng Peng were exceptions. They were proficient in the Greater and Lesser Heavens Restriction Arts and were on good terms with Ancestor Hollow Space, so they could fly straight in.

From the Dark Netherworld to Mystic Ice Road and then Xiuqiong Plain, the Central Pivot at the heart of every restriction and Formation was the Earthfrost Bell.

The bell normally stood outside Frostglory Hall. In an emergency, the Wheel-duty disciple would strike it to summon everyone in the Immortal Mansion to gather together.

After Shi Feiyang made a breakthrough, his playing of the Dongling Zither actually caused the Earthfrost Bell to resonate with it.

Shi Feiyang had hidden himself in a cave several hundred zhang deep and sealed it with numerous Spells, believing his precautions foolproof. Indeed, when he refined his magical treasures and practiced his Spells, not the slightest gleam or treasure aura escaped. It was not that his Spells failed to work; rather, the Earthfrost Bell was simply different. Each time he plucked a string, the bell rang once in response, its pitch and resonant frequency matching perfectly.

Hearing the Earthfrost Bell ring, everyone in the Immortal Mansion hurried over, led by Ancestor Hollow Space's eldest disciple, Ling Wei Sou, and his second disciple, Zheng Yuan Gui. They asked the Wheel-duty disciple why he had rung the bell and whether an enemy had arrived.

The Wheel-duty disciple protested his innocence. "I didn't strike the bell! It rang on its own."

Zheng Yuan Gui cursed angrily, "Nonsense! This bell is a wondrous treasure from remote antiquity. How could it ring on its own for no reason? You must have been slacking off, dreaming away on the sidelines while enemies invaded!"

The Wheel-duty disciple knelt to beg forgiveness. "I truly didn't! The bell really did ring on its own."

Zheng Yuan Gui was about to say more, but the kindly Ling Wei Sou stopped him. "Since he denies striking the bell, there must be something strange about this. Otherwise, if he really summoned us all here when nothing had happened, wouldn't he simply be inviting punishment?"

Zheng Yuan Gui said, "Then have him make it ring again for me."

The Wheel-duty disciple stared imploringly at the Earthfrost Bell, hoping it would ring once more. But however long he waited, it made no further sound.

By then, Shi Feiyang had already put away the Dongling Zither and was refining his two Inner Cores.

The Inner Cores had absorbed the Star-Absorbing Orb and the Five Acquired Fires, undergoing inconceivable changes. The water and fire energies between the two cores began to thicken until they were almost gelatinous. Within the cores, numerous glittering nebulae appeared, circling and entwining with one another, making the two cores seem even more like a single whole.

He spent more than ten days refining the cores. When he came back to himself, he resumed refining the Dongling Zither.

"Ding, ding, ding..." Within the cave, the Dongling Zither hovered in midair as Shi Feiyang used his mind to cast spells and play it from a distance.

"Dong, dong, dong..." Outside Frostglory Hall, the Earthfrost Bell rang repeatedly without warning.

Soon, Ancestor Hollow Space's disciples gathered once more to investigate and discovered that the treasure really was ringing incessantly on its own. Ling Wei Sou said worriedly, "An enemy must have invaded. Let's hurry and investigate."

Ling Wei Sou and Zheng Yuan Gui each took a group of disciples with them. First they patrolled Xiuqiong Plain, then passed through the Ninefold Checkpoints into Mystic Ice Road, and traveled outward across ten thousand li of the Dark Netherworld, all the way to the outermost Iron Bar Ridge, which stretched for three thousand six hundred li. After an enormous effort, they found nothing at all.

They returned dejectedly to Hollow Space Island, and the Earthfrost Bell had stopped ringing too. A few days later, it rang again...

Unable to understand what was happening, Ling Wei Sou and the others discussed it among themselves. Some believed an unparalleled expert had come to toy with them deliberately, some believed Ancestor Hollow Space was testing them, and others believed the Earthfrost Bell was broken...

They argued back and forth without reaching any conclusion.

Several dozen more days passed, during which the Earthfrost Bell rang again and again.

Ancestor Hollow Space's rules required them to gather here whenever the bell rang, and then investigate whether an enemy had invaded. His discipline was extremely strict, and he permitted no disobedience. They could only assemble over and over, go out searching, and return utterly exhausted...

Several times, Zheng Yuan Gui lost his temper and threatened to send out his flying sword and chop the Earthfrost Bell apart!

At last, the matter came to Ancestor Hollow Space's attention.

At first, Ancestor Hollow Space did not believe it. After seeing it for himself, surprise appeared on his face. He had a disciple bring him a meditation cushion and sat before the Earthfrost Bell, contemplating it for several days and nights before reaching a conclusion:

"This bell is a treasure bequeathed by an Ancient Immortal, a rare marvel of the celestial palaces. Even I cannot fully fathom its mysteries. From what I can see now, a Purple Abode Gods in the Lingkong Immortal Realm must be playing immortal music. These sounds are truly wondrous. Such music belongs only in heaven; how often could it be heard in the mortal world...? That you can hear it at all is an immense blessing."

After a pause, he continued, "How profound are the immortals of the Lingkong Immortal Realm! Even an ordinary performance contains the ultimate truths of the Heavenly Dao. Since you have been granted this opportunity, do not squander it. Settle your minds, sit properly, and listen carefully. What you ultimately comprehend will depend on each person's insight and destined opportunities."

Meanwhile, Shi Feiyang was playing a Guanghan Formation-Breaking Melody inside his cave.

He had never learned to play an instrument before. After experimenting for many days, he finally found the trick: the Dongling Zither was not played with the body, but with the mind. Or rather, it was not "played" at all.

Zhuangzi spoke of the music of heaven, the Earth Music, and the Human Music.

The Human Music was produced by blowing or plucking instruments. However accomplished the performer, it remained limited by the human mind and the instrument itself, far removed from the Dao.

The Earth Music used mountains, rivers, and all things in the world as its instruments, the changes of the sun, moon, and stars as its essential mechanism, and the mingling and movement of heavenly and earthly energies as its performer. Once set in motion, "ten thousand hollows roared in fury," and heaven and earth changed color.

Shi Feiyang finally understood why the Dongling Zither could subdue Demon Beasts: deep in their bones lay an instinctive reverence for nature. He also understood why it could split rocks and cleave mountains, for once it began to play, the mountains and rocks themselves became instruments...

After comprehending this principle, he grasped many truths of music without a teacher. He no longer needed to deliberately perform; with a single stirring of his thoughts, the Dongling Zither would give voice to his state of mind.

Moreover, although it was a single zither, its twelve strings could change and adjust themselves automatically, producing different timbres like many instruments playing together, as though it were an entire ensemble.

After finishing the Guanghan Formation-Breaking Melody, he still wanted more. He felt he was close to stepping beyond the realm of Human Music and entering the level of Earth Music, so he played a Yinghuo Landing Melody as well.