Standing on the platform, all I could see was a calm sea in the distance. The thick fog and the reefs were nowhere to be seen; it was as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
There were several white plants beside the platform, their branches pointing straight towards the sky. Li Qiang squatted down and touched the silvery-white ground, finding it extremely cold, like a huge sheet of ice.
Many crew members and merchants kept jumping to keep warm, and many of them were covered in dampness. After standing on the platform for a while, a layer of ice crystals formed on their bodies.
Just as they were feeling unbearably cold, the pillars on the platform suddenly began to glow, startling everyone into a state of stunned silence.
Li Qiang stood up and said, "It's alright, it seems to be for everyone to keep warm, there's no indication of any malice."
Zegu asked curiously, "How did you know?"
Li Qiang pointed and said, "It gets warmer towards the center. Go try it if you don't believe me."
Before Li Qiang could explain, everyone crowded towards the center of the platform.
Zegu also went over and indeed felt very warm; the ice shards on his body melted away. Wisps of mist rose from everyone, and they cheered in unison. Some even took off their fur robes, exposing their upper bodies to let the light shine directly on them.
Suddenly, the pillar began to rotate. Li Qiang was slightly startled and strode to the edge of the crowd.
The pillars began to emit a bright white light. Li Qiang was the only one who could clearly see the changes in the pillars. He discovered that the pillars were arranged in a simple teleportation array. He shouted, "Everyone, don't move! Relax your bodies..."
A flash of white light, and everyone was moved away.
This is a strange place. It is still cold, and everywhere are white plants—silver-white, milky-white, gray-white, and so on. Their shapes are also bizarre; some hang down as finely and densely as hair, while others pierce the sky like spears and halberds. Some branches are like coiled dragons, with various kinds of fruit on them. The fruit shapes are also strange and bizarre, and their colors are colorful, making them quite beautiful.
The place where they stood was similar to the white platform they had just been Sea of Wronged Souls was no longer visible; instead, tall, dense white plants surrounded them, and the faint sound of ocean waves could be heard, indicating that they were very close to the Sea of Wronged Souls. It was the first time anyone had experienced a teleportation array, and everyone was bewildered and at a loss. After a long while, Zegu finally spoke, "Where is this place? How did we get here? Does anyone know?"
Li Qiang chuckled softly behind him, "Never mind how you got here. Now get ready to deal with the owners here. They'll be here soon. Remember, I'm just a passenger on the Arrow Boat."
Zegu was a man who had been venturing into the Sea of Wronged Souls for many years. Although he was nervous because he didn't know what was going on, he was willing to risk everything. He couldn't just ignore so many passengers.
A white path silently appeared amidst the dense white vegetation all around, at the same time, melodious music began to play.
Li Qiang had never heard such peculiar music before. It was melodious and gentle, with a touch of languor, making it very comfortable and relaxing to listen to. The tense mood of everyone immediately eased, and they all looked towards the white path.
A colorful cloud of smoke rose, and a group of people slowly flew in from above the white path.
Li Qiang thought to himself, "What's going on? All this bragging and pretending to be a god to scare people. There are actually people like this in the Cultivation Realm? That's strange."
Everyone was stunned. The group of people gracefully and slowly landed on the platform from the air.
Li Qiang was slightly taken aback. The group of people's attire looked very much like the clothing of ancient China people, but he couldn't tell which dynasty it belonged to. The colors were all shimmering silver-white, like the clothing of immortals in a fairyland. The silver ribbons on their bodies would float in the air, and their hair was combed high at the back of their heads. Their faces were the same as his own, standard yellow race, but their figures were very tall and burly.
There were more than a dozen people who came, including five or six girls and nearly ten young men.
The most striking person among them was a beautiful woman in a light blue dress. She seemed to hold the highest status in the group, as everyone else was dressed in silver-white, making her stand out from the crowd.
Li Qiang could tell at a glance that they were all cultivators. What surprised him most was that all of the dozen or so people who came seemed to have reached the Nascent Soul Realm, and many of them were at least at the mid-stage. He couldn't help but become wary.
The girl in the light blue dress scanned the crowd.
The merchants, sailors, and raiders were all awestruck, and couldn't help but feel a sense of amazement.
Li Qiang didn't care; he knew that it was very easy for cultivators to become beautiful. He quietly Zegu, signaling him to step forward and answer.
Zegu was stunned; he had never seen anything so bizarre.
Li Qiang glanced around discreetly and saw that everyone had different expressions. Some had their mouths agape, some were at a loss, and some had their eyes wide open. What was even funnier was that those who had taken off their fur coats and were shirtless were all holding their coats up in front of them, as if they were afraid of disrespecting the beautiful women in front of them.
Li Qiang chuckled inwardly. There was nothing he could do; the allure of a cultivator was simply too great for ordinary mortals to resist. He pinched Zegu hard, signaling him to step forward and speak.
Zegu was in a daze when Li Qiang suddenly pinched him awake. He instinctively cried out, "Ouch... it hurts, um... this..." He then came to his senses and hurriedly stepped out of the crowd, saying, "This... madam... oh, young lady, hello, I... I am Zegu, the commander of the Arrow Boat..." He was so nervous that he could not speak clearly, and he did not dare to lift his head, but just stared at his toes.
Seeing Zegu's embarrassment, the girl burst into laughter. Her clear and melodious laughter made everyone dizzy, as if it possessed a magical power, making people's hearts flutter with joy.
Li Qiang was secretly astonished: Amazing! This seems to be a variation of sonic attack. Recalling the drum sounds and strange noises he heard in the Sea of Wronged Souls, he concluded that the owner of this place must be proficient in music and skilled in sonic attacks.
Zegu blushed from her laughter, muttering something unintelligible.
The girl smiled and said, "Welcome everyone to the City of Heavenly Music."
Zegu stammered, "Tian... Heavenly Melody City... not Piled Bones Shoal?"
The girl seemed to enjoy the atmosphere. Looking at the group of trembling people, she said happily, "You've already crossed the Piled Bones Shoal. Alright, let me clarify first, Heavenly Melody City has no ill intentions towards you. Everyone, follow us." Without saying anything more, she waved her hand and flew up, slowly heading back the way they came, and the music started again.
Zegu looked at Li Qiang pleadingly and whispered, "Big brother, what do we do?"
Li Qiang hadn't sensed any danger yet, so he quietly said, "Follow along and see how things go." Zegu loudly directed the group as they walked onto the white path.
As you walk along the path, a faint, cool fragrance still lingers in the air. After a few turns, the view opens up slightly, and a clear stream appears before you. The babbling of the water gives you a sense of tranquility. A small white bridge spans the stream, appearing exceptionally serene against the backdrop of white plants all around.
This group of merchants considered themselves well-traveled and knowledgeable, but upon arriving here, they could only marvel and admire, feeling that this was the pure land of their dreams. They walked cautiously, afraid of desecrating the beauty of this place.
As soon as the group stepped onto the small bridge, a melodious tune began to play beneath their feet, startling everyone into stopping. The music abruptly ceased, and they realized that their own footsteps had caused the commotion.
Li Qiang, however, kept wondering why the owner of this place had brought so many people. He had previously thought that the owner must be very evil, but what he saw before him did not seem to be the case. The group of men and women he had just met did not have a trace of evil in their demeanor, and people who cultivate through music should, in theory, be hard to be evil.
He was completely baffled and developed a strong sense of curiosity.
Seeing the group of people ahead flying far away, Zegu hurriedly said, "Everyone, hurry up and catch up with them." He then whispered to Li Qiang, "Brother, do you think there's any danger? I... I feel very uneasy... I don't know if we can still get these people to the Western Continent." His voice was full of guilt.
Li Qiang whispered, "There doesn't seem to be any danger right now, we can only wait and see. Be smart... Tell everyone to obey the master here, and absolutely do not try to resist. The people here are not someone you can handle."
He guessed that the cultivators here must be highly skilled. These dozen or so people in front of him had already entered the true realm of cultivation, so one could imagine the master of Heavenly Melody City. If the people on the Arrow Boat were to resist, they might not even know how they died.
After walking for a while, the view suddenly opened up before them, and everyone exclaimed in unison, "Wow!" Even Li Qiang was no exception and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement as well.
Li Qiang was amazed because the scene before him was so familiar. It was a unique palace-style building. Although he couldn't say which dynasty of ancient China it was from, he could clearly feel the essence of palace-style architecture. However, all the buildings here were as crystal clear and lovely as ice sculptures and snow sculptures. It was truly a pure white world.
A tall archway stood before the crowd, its inscription surprisingly in large seal script.
Li Qiang was half-doubting and half-guessing, but it seemed to be the words " Sound of Heavenly Melody," and he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. He knew that the owner of this place must have some kind of connection with Earth.
Behind the archway is a flat "white grass". The so-called white grass is a kind of plant that looks like curly silver threads. It is very fine and soft, and it shimmers with a silvery light, giving people the feeling of a huge silver-white carpet.
The group that had been leading the way landed, and one of the men took out a strangely shaped silver whistle. With a melodious sound, the huge archway lit up.
Li Qiang suddenly realized that this place was not a place to enter or leave at will; it seemed to be protected by an invisible array. The sound he had just heard was probably the key to activating the array.
With a flash of light, two people suddenly appeared in front of the archway. Li Qiang's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head.
The woman standing in front of the two was also a young woman. To Li Qiang's surprise, she looked very much like Hua Meiniang and was also wearing a pink dress.
The girl in the light blue dress stepped forward with a smile and bowed, "Senior sister, I've brought everyone... I didn't expect so many people this time, hehe, what brings Elder Wen here too?"
The two who emerged were both experts, having already reached the Nascent Soul Late Stage. Under their scrutinizing gazes, Li Qiang tried his best to control himself, concealing all his power to avoid being detected by them.
Since Li Qiang entered the Leaving the Body Realm, he has been considered a top-tier expert in the Cultivation Realm. Fortunately, the cultivation levels of these two people were a level lower than Li Qiang's, and they were not deliberately searching, so they did not discover that there was actually a cultivation expert among this group of people.
Old Wen said with a smile, "You little rascal, you insisted on running out. A few servants could have easily brought these people over. Were you feeling bored again?"
The girl in pink laughed and said, "Don't say that Junior Sister is bored. I also want to go out and have some fun, but unfortunately Master just won't agree."
Zegu and his group were completely baffled, not understanding a word. Li Qiang, however, was extremely excited. They were speaking their native language, and he thought to himself, "It's certain that the people here came from Earth, but I wonder which dynasty they came from."
Elder Wen walked up to the crowd and said in the language of the Tanbang Continent, "Hello everyone, welcome to the City of Heavenly Music. I am an elder here. Hehe, my name is Wen Qiuli, you can just call me Elder Wen."
Zegu and his group remained silent.
Wen Qiuli continued, "Let me introduce everyone. This is the city lord's eldest disciple, Senior Sister Piao Yuan, and this is Junior Sister Lan Xin. From now on, when you see her, you should all show her the respect due to a disciple, understand?"
Although no one spoke, everyone cheered inwardly. With such a beautiful elder, even if they dared not have any improper thoughts, just looking at her was a pleasure. Their fear began to lessen slightly.
Piao Yuan and Lan Xin smiled slightly, especially Lan Xin, who looked smug and seemed very happy to be an elder. Zegu asked tremblingly, "Mr. Wen... this... Mr. Wen, may I ask... when can we... leave..." He was the most clear-headed person, and this was the key point.
Wen Qiuli smiled slightly and said, "We invited everyone here today because Heavenly Melody City is short-staffed for a task. Hehe, once this task is completed, you can stay or leave as you wish."
Li Qiang pondered the credibility of these words and finally concluded that the old man was not being sincere.
Zegu breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him repeatedly.
Wen Qiuli asked, "What's your name?"
As Zegu Gu relaxed, he spoke much more fluently, "Elder Wen, my name is Zegu, and I am the commander of the Arrow Boat. Please take good care of me, Elder Wen and the seniors."
Lan Xin interjected, "I didn't realize you were so clever. Alright, everyone, let's go into town."
Piao Yuan laughed, "Junior Sister is just too impatient. Everyone, be careful when you go in. Don't run around on Silver Grass Slope; it'll be dangerous. Stay with us. Alright, Elder Wen, let's go."
The crowd followed closely behind, afraid of encountering any danger.
The City of Heavenly Music is built in the valley of that white mountain, surrounded by the white mountain on three sides.
The complex is divided into three parts. The main building is built up the mountain, which reminded Li Qiang of the Forbidden City. Although it is not exactly the same and is slightly less imposing, it is more exquisite and elegant. There are two building complexes on the left and right sides, which are hidden among the white plants, making them appear mysterious.
Zegu and his group followed Elder Wen into the building complex on the left. Once inside the courtyard, they discovered a completely different world inside.
It was a complex of buildings consisting of large courtyards, each with an open space the size of a basketball court, all with white surfaces. What was particularly unusual was that each of the four corners of the courtyard had numerous pillars of varying lengths, seemingly part of a defensive array. Li Qiang was puzzled as to why this place placed such emphasis on defense, wondering what else in the Sea of Wronged Souls could threaten it. Suddenly, a thought struck him: perhaps there were other cultivators who were their enemies.
After passing through several courtyards, we arrived at the last large courtyard. The houses here were no longer the lovely white houses, but low, gray bungalows. It was clear at a glance that this was where servants and men lived.
Piao Yuan and Lan Xin had already left with their men; only Wen Qiuli arrived with his group, followed by several burly men in silver robes.
Upon entering the courtyard, the looters exclaimed in surprise. The courtyard was already crowded with people, making it quite lively. The looters were the first to notice that their own men were there, and they immediately gathered around to inquire about the situation.
Li Qiang secretly decided that if these people were not in any danger, he would leave quietly. The people in charge of the courtyard seemed to be waiting for Wen Qiuli's arrival. When they saw him walk in, they immediately ordered everyone to assemble.
The courtyard was filled with noise as the rabble, under the shouts of the silver-clad man, haphazardly formed several large lines.
Li Qiang and Zegu stood together, Zegu whispered, "I wonder what they're up to?"
Li Qiang said, "We'll know soon enough. Let's wait for their announcement." He was also very curious.
A burly man in silver robes, carrying a soft bag, called out the heads of each line and instructed them to distribute the contents of the bag. When it reached Li Qiang, he found a small jade talisman inside. After a brief examination, he realized it was a protective jade talisman and was quite curious. "What's going on? Are we being taken to some dangerous place? But it doesn't seem like it. Strange."
Seeing that everyone had received their jade talismans, Wen Qiuli said loudly, "Don't be surprised, everyone. This is just a small test. I'll let you listen to a piece of music soon. If you can't stand it, please crush the jade talisman in your hand, and nothing will happen... Also, if you can bear it, don't crush the jade talisman. Hehe, this involves your status and position in Heavenly Melody City. Alright, everyone, sit down."
Li Qiang sat behind Zegu and whispered, "Hold on as long as you can, I'll help you."
Although Zegu did not understand Li Qiang's meaning, he still nodded obediently.
Wen Qiuli waved his hand, beckoning a burly man in silver, and said, "Let's begin, starting with single notes."
The burly man pulled at his belt, and a foot-long silver three-pronged fork appeared in his hand. Li Qiang knew at a glance that he had a storage belt. He held the silver fork horizontally across his chest, then suddenly raised his hand, and a loud, resounding clang echoed outwards. Everyone sitting on the ground was startled and jumped almost simultaneously, and some of them cried out in surprise.
Then, one single note after another exploded, booming and rumbling, growing louder and more urgent. The sound was like a surging wave, like lightning and thunder, like waves surging endlessly.
Soon, some people could no longer bear it. A flash of blue light appeared in the crowd, and those who had crushed the jade talismans immediately calmed down. Zegu could still endure it, but his face was very pale. After a while, the resounding noise abruptly stopped.
Li Qiang estimated that it would only take about three minutes before nearly half of the people crushed the jade talisman.
Wen Qiuli seemed quite satisfied, and had a burly man take away those who couldn't take it anymore. He smiled and said, "Hmm, very good. Everyone, take a short rest, and we'll listen to the second piece in a bit."
Li Qiang noticed that those who couldn't withstand the first wave were almost all the merchants, while most of the raiders and crew members were able to hold on.
This time, another burly man in silver armor came up. Li Qiang noticed that this man's arm guards were different from the previous one; although both were silver, the patterns were different. He thought to himself that their skill levels were probably different.
The burly man in silver pulled out a long, emerald-green blade with many holes. He bowed slightly to Wen Qiuli, then slowly turned around, letting out a low whimper. Zegu was actually terrified, but he forced himself not to crush the jade talisman. Li Qiang was ready to help Zegu at any moment; he also needed someone to cover him.
The whimpers gradually grew louder, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, finding them less frightening than before. Li Qiang, however, was an expert and quietly transmitted a message to Zegu Gu: "Be careful, something powerful is coming soon."
Zegu was startled and immediately focused his mind. The whimpering sound suddenly turned into a piercing shriek. Those who had relaxed were shaken by the shriek, their heads spinning and their bodies trembling. Some couldn't help but vomit. A blue light flashed repeatedly in the ranks. Zegu couldn't bear it any longer and was about to crush the jade talisman when suddenly he couldn't hear anything anymore.
Li Qiang gently touched his lower back from behind, Zegu understood that Li Qiang had helped him, so he loosened his grip on the jade talisman.
This time, only about twenty people remained sitting on the ground; the rest did not survive.
Wen Qiuli was very satisfied and said, "Hmm, very good. You can all get up now. In a little while, go to the ' Sparse Sound Hall ' for the final test. You can rest now; someone will bring you food." Wen Qiuli instructed that each of the remaining people be given a name tag before turning to leave.
Zegu put the tag around his neck and said with a wry smile, "What exactly are they trying to do? Sigh, brother, I feel like I'll never be able to leave here."
Li Qiang thought to himself, "You're probably right. Judging from this situation, leaving... will be difficult." But he comforted himself, saying, "Not necessarily. So far, they haven't shown any hostility. Let's wait and see." Actually, he was even more anxious, wondering where Princess Lanqiu and the others were.
Those who had just left the courtyard were called back. Several men in silver robes, carrying soft bags, gave each of them a fist-sized blue fruit, saying, "These are Ice Hunger Fruit; eating them will ward off the cold and hunger."
In the midst of the chaos, someone walked up to Li Qiang and said, "How come it's you?"
Li Qiang was startled and turned to look, his face filled with a mixture of surprise and delight.