Silent Crown

“What is this?” He looked at all the Masters in front of him in shock. There was a sense of foreboding that made his heart go cold.

“What’s happening?” Auden looked at him with a confused look on his face. “Are we in such bad shape? Hey, don’t tell me that you think we are too much trouble for you and you are trying to lie your way out of this?”

“How can that be?” Ye Qingxuan shook his head and took a deep breath. “Hang on.” All of a sudden, there was a deep sound coming from his body that resembled a thunderous heartbeat that was beating at a fixed rhythm. The Stone of Sage glowed brightly with heat within his chest. Electricity shot out from within and pierced the air. All sorts of sounds were stacked on top of one another, creating a mysterious and strange melody. Both of his eyes reflected the shape of the moon that was created by streaks of electricity. The moon rose from the blackness in his eyes and shone light from within as if the light could pierce through Auden’s body and reveal the aether. It allowed a peek into the complexity of music theory.

Auden could not help but shiver. There was nowhere for his Symphony of Predestination to hide under those pair of eyes. This implied that any transformation of power could be clearly seen by those eyes. No secrets could be hidden. The Symphony of Predestination was damaged by the turbulence of Ye Qingxuan’s music theory but this was not the only problem…

Ye Qingxuan turned back and looked at every single one of them. That pair of eyes that were charged with electricity looked strange and creepy. Some of them inadvertently took a step back as they thought that Ye Qingxuan might be thinking of attacking them. But Ye Qingxuan gathered his gaze very quickly. He looked at Mable and frowned. Apparently, there was something wrong, even with Mable…

“Mable, could you come over?” He waved and gestured for Mable to come over. Mable was taken aback before stepping forward. Ye Qingxuan stared at her so intently that she felt uneasy. “Hey, Your Highness, surely you can’t be interested in an old lady like me?”

“Stop kidding.” Ye Qingxuan stretched out his hand and grabbed her wrist. “I’m sorry. Please bear with this for a while. I hope I’m wrong.”

Electricity shot out from his fingers immediately after he finished speaking. This time around, everyone saw it. How could that be electricity? It was light that had been created by the endless transformation of music theory and was completely different from the characteristics of electricity.

In an instant, Mable was trembling as the turbulent music theory entered her body and into her Symphony of Predestination directly. They seeped into every single music note before delving even deeper. Soon after, Mable let out a terrible cry. It was the cry of a little girl screaming in pain from the torture of electricity.

The changing music theory transformed into the blade of a knife and cut deeply into her Symphony of Predestination before dismantling some of the structures within. Without a doubt, her consciousness was being tampered with. Even the most resilient consciousness would not be able to bear with such pain. It was so torturous that one would rather die. All the other Masters could not help but tremble with fear. What exactly had Mable done that she deserved to be tortured in this way by Ye Qingxuan?

Very quickly, the electricity dissipated. Ye Qingxuan relaxed his grip and Mable knelt on the ground. She began to cough very violently before vomiting. Mucus and tears were flowing freely. Soon after, a black fog began to rise from the contents of her vomit, and it seemed to be trying to find its way back into Mable’s body again.

Electricity suddenly shot out to take the shape of a cage. The black fog was electrocuted by the electricity and incredibly, it let out a cry that resembled a human’s. It kept trying to escape the cage but there was no way out. After realizing this, it decided to try to fuse into Ye Qingxuan’s music theory but was continuously being shredded by the electricity until it grew thinner by each time. In the end, it turned into a white snake and hissed at Ye Qingxuan across the cage. Everyone gasped when they saw something as hideous as this had emerged from Mable’s body.

“What is this?”

“What else can it be?” Ye Qingxuan was solemn and he continued through gritted teeth, “Changing Music Theory.” He turned back and looked at everyone else. No secrets could remain hidden beneath those electricity-charged eyes. At this point in time, he firmly believed that more than three-quarters of them have been infected with Changing Music Theory! Even the old nun was no exception!

“Mable, check our food and water. Immediately.” Ye Qingxuan ordered. “My apologies, everyone. I think some people among us have been working for the Dark Musician and have been spreading Paganini’s Changing Music Theory within us…”

Very quickly, Mable came back and reported that there was nothing wrong with their food and water. Everyone also managed to prove their innocence after being put through the inspection process of the Religious Court of Inquiry. No one was working for the abyss?

Ye Qingxuan was stunned. “What have all of you done? Why were all of you infected?”

Everyone did not know what to say.

“We didn’t do anything.” The crippled musician, who was the unluckiest of them all, said, “Ever since I entered the Ultimate, people have been after my life. After that, I was recruited by the Chief Inquisitor and have been following you ever since. You can check my memories and consciousness. I guarantee that you will not find any problems.” He was one of the few that was not infected and was fully confident in his innocence.

“You haven’t done anything?” Something crossed Ye Qingxuan’s mind suddenly. He turned back and looked at everyone else. “All those who have killed someone in the Ultimate, step forward.”

Very quickly, most of them stepped forward. They were the ones that had been infected…

Ye Qingxuan took a deep breath. He felt a chill go down his spine. He focused on retrieving the shard of the Ultimate’s core and held the broken stone plate. He closed his eyes and electricity shot out and into those objects. This time around, he was no longer just trying to observe from the outside, but to transform into music theory and diving deep within. He has placed his consciousness onto the music theory and in an instant, he has delved into the core of the Ultimate. Amidst the countless complex turbulences, he saw the iron law that had been inscribed onto the core.

Under the witness of all kings.

This time around, he has finally taken a good look. This was indeed something left behind by all the kings centuries ago, but now only a short opening was all that remained. The law that should follow the opening had been completely wiped out! Someone was up to no good!

In the next instant, within the countless elements, black fog suddenly appeared and turned into the image of a genderless person. It smiled at Ye Qingxuan.

“Finally, I have been waiting for you…”

Paganini!

In the blink of an eye, the electricity around Ye Qingxuan stopped abruptly before withdrawing at hundred times its original speed. Amidst the chaos in the Ultimate, waves of black fog suddenly appeared on all four sides.