Chapter Seventy-One: The Silence of Guangling

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The fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Southeastern sea.

The battle for the Defense of Heaven and Earth was on the brink of eruption. Though night had not yet fallen, the bright moon hung high above.

At this moment, the entire Academy of the Way of Arts had already soared far above the sea level, rising ever higher with the wind whistling past their ears. Facing the imminent battle in the stratosphere, thirty thousand disciples and immortal masters of the academy were arrayed in strict formation, ready for war.

The Young Lord Supreme stood upon the academy’s land, gazing at the luminous moon, softly reciting Su Shi’s “Prelude to Water Melody.”

“This is indeed a way to ease one’s mind,” commented the Immortal Master Jueguang beside him.

Though Jueguang led only a small number of disciples, his renown was widespread. Thus, as the vanguard of the formation, he was the spearhead in this great battle of the Defense of Heaven and Earth. The eight thousand disciples under his command were all top talents in the immortal arts, handpicked by him. Though they made up only thirty percent of the academy’s disciples, their strength accounted for over sixty percent of the academy’s offensive power.

The Young Lord Supreme understood that as the vanguard, Jueguang’s squad would be the first to encounter the enemy. The combined might of Mingyou and the Black Tortoise Spirit Serpent was formidable—one could guess as much from the way the Spirit Serpent held its own against the Star Lord of Dao at the Black Tortoise Festival. Moreover, on Mid-Autumn night, the Spirit Serpent’s power increased and it could wield the moon-control technique.

Tonight promised to be long.

Whether the “Conical Golden Light Formation” formed by Jueguang’s prized disciples could withstand Mingyou, no one could say before the battle truly commenced.

The sky was not yet fully dark. The vast academy slowly pierced through thick layers of clouds, finally reaching the cloudless stratosphere. With temperatures plummeting to minus twenty degrees, the lake on the academy grounds blossomed with frost. Such cold was of no consequence to those skilled in immortal arts. The two human teams, “BRAVE” and “HOPE,” had inscribed talismans on their garments to ward off the thin oxygen and extreme chill.

As the academy stabilized its formation in the stratosphere, glowing sky lanterns began to appear amidst the clouds below. The tiny orange flames drifted thousands of meters upward, reaching the tranquil heights of the stratosphere for the first time. The Young Lord Supreme knew that the team led by Tianji had established a massive immortal barrier in the troposphere, ensuring the lanterns would not be swept away or destroyed by strong winds, allowing them to arrive safely.

From ten thousand meters above, the city lights below resembled the Milky Way in the night sky, and the sky lanterns rose from that river of stars like little sparks of hope. These small flames illuminated the stratosphere as it slowly slipped into darkness.

The willow leaves beside “Lake of Intoxicated Heart” swayed to and fro, resembling the soothing autumn night.

Were it not for the rapidly growing moon, distinguishable even with the naked eye, all would seem peaceful and serene. The moon’s transformation proved the Young Lord Supreme’s accuracy in warning the academy. Everyone knew this was the calm before the storm.

The Star Lord of Dao led forty-nine immortal masters of the academy, dispersed throughout the Black Tortoise Sacred Mountain, laying down the “Heaven Covering and Earth Supporting Formation.” Standing within the formation, the Star Lord of Dao held a long sword, silently recited immortal incantations, and called out, “Formation, rise!”

As the words faded, the Black Tortoise Sacred Mountain instantly glowed with scattered red lights, which then formed a massive beam shooting toward the moon. As soon as the red light struck the moon, the academy emitted the thunderous roar of warships mooring at the shore. The red beam was like a giant jack, halting the moon as it descended.

The rumbling had not ceased when, amid the moonlight above, a plume of black smoke appeared, within which a vague human figure and a serpent’s shadow could be seen. Mingyou and the Black Tortoise Spirit Serpent had arrived.

Immortal Master Jueguang leaped atop the Qixian Pavilion, shouting upward, “Mingyou, what grievance do you hold against the masses? To bring such calamity upon the world—is this not what demons do?”

Mingyou, within the black smoke, was unafraid, replying, “Immortal Master Jueguang, I have not come to exterminate the world. If you stop me, that is when hell will descend upon earth.”

“Utter nonsense! What venomous heart is this, speaking of earthly hell! Are you here to save all beings?”

The serpent’s shadow hissed, and from the smoke stepped a man in black. He declared, “Why waste words with this old fool? I, the Black Tortoise Spirit Serpent, will obliterate him with but a single move!”

Mingyou raised a hand to halt the man, continuing, “Immortal Master, I do not argue for the sake of argument. Times have changed; the boundary between mortals and immortals is no longer what it was in the early days of Saint Peace’s establishment. The mortal world advances apace, and if we stand idle, not only will the world fall, but even Saint Peace will eventually be lost. I, Mingyou, come from a millennium hence—had I not seen with my own eyes, why would I mobilize such forces? Besides, there are days of teacher-student ties between us; I do not wish to harm the academy.”

“You insolent fiend!” Jueguang brandished his sword. “Who taught you to bring such disaster upon the world?”

Mingyou did not answer but slowly drifted from the black smoke.

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Upon seeing Mingyou’s true form, Immortal Master Jueguang’s expression changed dramatically.

A stir swept through the thousands of academy disciples standing atop lanterns.

Mingyou was clad in flowing black robes, with long sleeves and trailing sashes. The bright moonlight revealed her face as she stepped from the smoke, illuminating her deep silver hair.

This was a face known to almost every disciple of the academy.

“Weiyu!? You…” Jueguang was shocked. “You are Mingyou?!”

Mingyou said, “Since you have uncovered my identity, you know I do not wish to battle fellow disciples. Please, Master, withdraw your forces.”

“Silence!” Jueguang rebuked angrily.

“Weiyu!”

The voice of the Young Lord Supreme called from behind. Jueguang turned to see him flying onto the roof of the Hui Xian Pavilion.

Upon seeing Mingyou’s true form, the Young Lord Supreme was even more stunned than those present. Only days before, he and Huasheng had searched for her tirelessly, yet now she stood before them of her own accord. The person who was once the ‘abducted’ had now become the ‘attacker’!

Mingyou was Weiyu.

Weiyu was Mingyou.

The Young Lord Supreme realized that if even he was so surprised, Huasheng, upon learning the truth, would be utterly speechless.

He wasted no time and landed atop the pavilion, calling out to Mingyou: “Weiyu, I do not understand your intentions, but must you pit kin against kin? Even if not for us, think of Huasheng. He risked everything to save you, yet now you would turn friend into foe and meet him blade to blade?”

Mingyou stood silent for a moment, then spoke: “Young Lord Supreme, Immortal Master Jueguang, and fellow disciples! I have deceived you, and am guilty, but today my resolve is set. The flood cannot be reversed—please stay out of this. I will act with restraint and will not annihilate all mortals. I am here only to break the moon-blocking formation; whether you fight or not is your choice.”

She retreated into the black smoke, saying, “Spirit Serpent, remove all who stand in our way.”

The man in black’s eyes lit up. “At last, I can slaughter freely!” He raised his hand, and at once, countless fireballs appeared in the night sky.

The immortal masters of the academy realized these were not fireballs but millions of monstrous creatures—Gu Diao, Qiong Qi, Tiger Jiao—descending from the heavens! The fireballs were the result of their passage through the atmosphere, their bodies protected by spells against the flames, allowing them to enter the stratosphere directly.

It was as if millions of meteors were falling toward the earth!

First, the outer atmospheric layers—exosphere, thermosphere, and mesosphere—were breached. The monstrous army, like rolling black clouds, blotted out the moon as they rushed toward the academy.

Above, flames raged; below, the sea boiled with the moon’s shifting gravity. In the troposphere and stratosphere, tens of thousands of disciples drew their magical implements, bracing for battle.

At the frontline, Immortal Master Jueguang called out, “Conical Golden Light Formation! Assemble!”

The Young Lord Supreme leaped back, hundreds of celestial cranes already bearing disciples, hovering in the air. He shouted, “Crane Wing Absolute Formation, prepare for battle!”

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As he traversed the lanterns, the Young Lord Supreme suddenly thought, “This is terrible! I must tell Huasheng who he will face!”

As Immortal Master Jueguang and the Young Lord Supreme split and flew in their respective directions, two orange formations appeared on either side at the foot of the mountain. The teams “BRAVE” and “HOPE,” led by their captains Jin Fanyin and Sun Xiaoming, had taken their positions.

At this moment, the academy’s forces formed a three-layered battle line in the stratosphere. The first layer, the vanguard, was the Conical Golden Light Formation of Jueguang and his eight thousand disciples, stationed at the topmost edge.

The second layer was the main force. At the center was the Heaven Covering and Earth Supporting Formation led by the academy’s head, Star Lord of Dao, and forty-nine immortal masters, designed to repel the moon’s attack but lacking offensive or defensive capability. Below and to the left was the “BRAVE” team’s Six Ding Six Jia Formation, led by Jin Fanyin. Above and to the left was the Blazing Spear Formation led by Master Huolei and six thousand disciples. Below and to the right was the “HOPE” team’s Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation led by Sun Xiaoming. Above and to the right was the Fish Scale Ice Formation led by Master Yuran and six thousand disciples.

The third layer was the Xuanxiang Wind Roar Formation led by Master Tianji and five thousand disciples. Its main purpose was to deliver lanterns to the stratosphere and eliminate the monsters breaching the stratosphere. As the battle line stretched a thousand miles in the air, disciples found it hard to support one another. Thus, the third layer was the final shield. If the core formation of the second layer was breached, flooding would become inevitable.

Thus, the seven formations—the Conical Golden Light, Heaven Covering and Earth Supporting, Blazing Spear, Fish Scale Ice, Six Ding Six Jia, Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams, and Xuanxiang Wind Roar—formed the celestial canopy, arrayed in the sky above.

Between the three layers, the Crane Wing Absolute Formation led by the Young Lord Supreme and five thousand disciples acted as a mobile force—a “meteor” outside the Big Dipper, ready to reinforce any formation.

Although the Conical Golden Light Formation was the frontmost, the first to attack the monsters with “heavy artillery” was actually Jin Fanyin’s Six Ding Six Jia Formation.

The Six Ding Six Jia, as described in the “Three Talents Illustrated,” includes six Ding gods: Ding Mao, Sima Qing; Ding Chou, Zhao Ziyu; Ding Hai, Zhang Wentong; Ding You, Zang Wengong; Ding Wei, Shi Shutong; Ding Si, Cui Juqing. The Six Jia gods: Jiazi, Wang Wenqin; Jiaxu, Zhan Zijang; Jiashen, Hu Wenchang; Jiawu, Wei Chenyu; Jiashen, Meng Feiyin; Jiayin, Ming Yizhang.

The Six Ding Six Jia Formation was an attack formation, a sword hidden within a zither, the melody being the ancient “Guangling Melody.”

“Guangling Melody,” also known as “Guangling’s End,” was an ancient zither tune depicting legends from the Warring States period.

According to the “Records of the Grand Historian – Biographies of Assassins,” Nie Zheng’s father forged swords for the King of Han but was killed for missing a deadline. Nie Zheng, grown, vowed revenge, entered the palace to assassinate, failed, and escaped. In the mountains, he met an immortal who taught him zither. Not wishing to implicate his family, he disguised himself, changed his voice, studied seven years, preparing to assassinate. Meeting his wife, who recognized him by his teeth, he smashed his teeth and studied three more years, perfecting his craft. He then played the zither before the palace, astonishing passersby. The King of Han summoned him, and while playing, Nie Zheng stabbed him with a sword hidden in the zither. To hide his identity, he flayed his own face and died. The palace wanted to know who he was; his sister, for the sake of their father, revealed his identity, spread his name, and took her own life.

However, the story of “Guangling Melody” did not end there. According to “Taiping Guangji,” Ji Kang of the Wei-Jin era, famed as the leader of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, was a master of the zither. One night, sleepless at Yuehua Pavilion, he played so beautifully that a spirit taught him the “Guangling Melody,” with the caveat that it must not be taught to others. In 263 AD, Ji Kang was killed by Sima Zhao. Before dying, he lamented, “Yuan Xiaoni once asked to learn this tune; I refused. Now ‘Guangling Melody’ is lost to the world!”

The youths of “BRAVE” stood tall in white robes at their formation. Captain Jin Fanyin, carrying a zither, approached the center of the Six Ding Six Jia Formation, at the heart of the four great pavilions, placed the zither on the table, took out an incense box, lit a fire, and ignited the agarwood within. He bowed to the zither and sat.

He burned incense. He strummed the strings.

A single Guangling Melody, sword hidden in zither, shook heaven and earth!

The melody rose with the breeze.

Jin Fanyin concentrated, eyes closed, fully immersed in the zither. Sleeves danced, the elegant sound wafted through the world; the ground of the academy resonated with the strings, leaves swayed with the notes.

Master Yuran commented, “People say this generation is lost, but how could lazy souls perform with such spirit? It shows that elders have never trusted or empowered them, nor accepted their self-expression. The Chinese spirit, passed down for millennia, is in their blood. Today, I see the youths still remember; as long as they remember, the true ‘Guangling’s End’ will live and echo through heaven and earth.”

As long as the young have proud bones, can resist, and know how to fight, no one can ever truly defeat them.

With the zither’s sound, countless silver swords appeared at the center of the formation, swirling like a storm. The young members recited sword-control incantations, and the silver swords became a torrent, sweeping toward the monstrous army descending from the sky!