Chapter 34: The Immortal of the Zither

The Thousand Dragon Dao was already a Heaven-ranked sect. As for the son of its sect master, that was no small matter.

“With the revelation of the Demon Emperor’s Tomb, it truly is a gathering of heroes. Who would have thought that even the young master of the Thousand Dragon Dao would come to this Ten-Thousand Great Mountains, coveting the treasures within the Demon Emperor’s Tomb,” Old Mu, who accompanied Bing Miaoguo, sighed softly.

“Senior, to say I ‘covet’ it is putting it too strongly,” Zuo Xiangyu shook his head and spoke unhurriedly, “The Demon Emperor was a great power from an eternity ago. There must be great fortune hidden in his imperial tomb. I’m merely here to join the excitement and see if I might gain a share of the spoils.”

He glanced at Bing Miaoguo with a meaningful, faint smile. “Today’s true protagonist is actually the Grand Princess.”

At these words, both Bing Miaoguo and Old Mu were taken aback. Clearly, he had already seen through the upheaval surrounding the Demon Emperor’s Tomb—it was orchestrated by the Southern Domain’s Duke from behind the scenes.

Bing Miaoguo let out a light breath before replying, “An imperial tomb such as that of the Demon Emperor, with its great fortune, will naturally fall to the fated. There is no true protagonist to speak of. Since Young Master Zuo wishes to travel together, I have no objection.”

“Thank you, Grand Princess!” Zuo Xiangyu saluted with scholarly grace.

He channeled his arcane power into his legs, urging his dragon-prow flying vessel to accelerate, traveling alongside Bing Miaoguo’s magnificent luxury ark.

“In the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains, ferocious beasts abound and dangers lurk at every turn. With Young Master Zuo as a companion, our journey will be much safer,” Bing Miaoguo said, her gaze fixed forward. An air of nobility radiated from her, commanding and aloof.

“Grand Princess, just now I happened to catch a hint of zither music. The melody was exquisite and enchanting—its magic calmed my heart the moment I heard it,” Zuo Xiangyu said. “There must be a master of music who has also entered the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains, using their zither playing to soothe the savage beasts below.”

“To calm the beasts with music?” Old Mu was astonished and exclaimed, “These beasts are abnormally vicious—anyone capable of pacifying them with zither must have attained the highest mastery. To call such a one a Zither Immortal would not be an exaggeration. Grand Princess, if we could find this Zither Immortal, we might avoid a bitter struggle.”

“Not only do you think so, Senior—surely everyone who has entered the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains now wishes to find this Zither Immortal. Whoever finds them can enter the heart of the mountains unimpeded,” Zuo Xiangyu replied with a light smile. “I know roughly where this Zither Immortal is. Grand Princess, please follow me.”

Soon, the beautiful strains of the zither indeed drifted faintly to their ears. Instantly, everyone’s mood grew calm, as if an invisible, enchanting hand was soothing their souls.

“This music is truly sublime!” Bing Miaoguo exclaimed in delight. “Who would have thought that the Southern Domain would harbor such a Zither Immortal? I must meet them for myself.”

The group hurried forward, excitement in their hearts.

But when another equally grand and luxurious flying vessel came into view, Bing Miaoguo froze. “That Zither Immortal is on that wretched girl’s ark!”

Standing on the deck, Bing Mu’er was an arresting vision, impossible to overlook. The Zither Immortal sat cross-legged beside her, playing the guqin. Besides them, there were four others.

Everyone else was shocked into silence—after all, the Grand Princess and the Little Princess were sworn rivals. Now, the Zither Immortal was with the Little Princess.

“Old Mu, I have no wish to see that wretch. Let’s go!” Bing Miaoguo suddenly barked, her face darkening with fury. Now that the Zither Immortal was with Bing Mu’er, how could she possibly beg for their help to enter the heart of the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains? She would lose all dignity.

“Grand Princess, please do not act on impulse,” Old Mu pleaded urgently. “The Ten-Thousand Great Mountains are truly a place of utmost danger. We have no idea what fearsome beasts we may yet encounter. At a time like this, safety comes first—everything else can wait.”

“Old Mu is absolutely right, Grand Princess. Don’t be rash,” Zuo Xiangyu added, shaking his head. “The deeper you go, the stronger the beasts become. If you force your way through, your chances of surviving to reach your goal are slim.”

The Ten-Thousand Great Mountains were an ancient forbidden zone, rarely entered by humans. This time, the Southern Domain’s Duke had announced the discovery of the Demon Emperor’s Tomb at its heart, drawing heroes from all around.

Only upon arrival did they realize the place teemed with powerful and terrifying beasts—a true land of calamity.

“Hmph!” Bing Miaoguo snorted heavily, her cheeks burning. That she now had to rely on the Little Princess—that wretched girl—to safely reach the heart of the mountains was utterly humiliating.

Damn it—how had that wretch gained such fortune as to befriend a Zither Immortal? It was infuriating!

There was no doubt—the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains were the Demon Emperor’s own grand arena, saturated with demonic energy that birthed countless vicious beasts. This was clearly meant to defend his imperial tomb; anyone who dared seek it risked being slain by the beasts. The power of the Demon Emperor was terrifying indeed—countless ages after his death, he could still manipulate hordes of monsters to guard his tomb.

Boom! Boom! …

From all directions in the mountains, the sounds of fierce battle echoed ceaselessly. The entire Ten-Thousand Great Mountains was thrown into chaos. Enormous beasts charged out, attacking cultivators passing overhead. The air quickly grew thick with the stench of blood. Smelling it, the beasts below became even more frenzied.

Before even reaching the heart of the mountains, many cultivators had already lost their lives there.

In contrast to the carnage elsewhere, the area bathed in Huangfu Meng’s zither music was a haven of tranquility. Wherever her music reached, the beasts below fell perfectly calm, showing no agitation.

Bing Mu’er, Elder Hua, Mu Wanqing, Bai Li Song, and Nangong Ba listened to the endless sounds of battle all around them, all wearing pale faces. Yet secretly, they were deeply grateful—thanks to Young Master Chen’s foresight and his extraordinary command, he had swiftly guided Huangfu Meng to become a Zither Immortal. Otherwise, their fate on this journey would have been grim indeed.

Young Master Chen—he was truly a being touched by the gods!

“Damn it—these Ten-Thousand Great Mountains are nothing short of a living hell!” Somewhere, an old man, covered in blood, had just slain a beast.

A roar erupted—a massive blood-red python shot up like a streak of crimson lightning, jaws wide, and bit down on him.

“Ah! Damn it, save the Grand Elder!” The people on the flying vessel cried out in anguish, their eyes reddened, unleashing a desperate barrage of attacks against the blood python.