Chapter 143: The Joke Was Me All Along

Ming Yexin sighed with deep emotion. He knew full well that if the small village remained untouched by even a drop of blood rain, it could only mean one thing: such blood rain was utterly insignificant to the village. His own body was frantically devouring the blood of the Profound Immortals before him, yet his heart was filled with envy as he looked toward the village. How wonderful it must be to live in that small village.

...

As the melody came to an end, Ruofeng was drenched in sweat. She caught her breath and steadied her mind. Suddenly, a subtle change seemed to wash over her—a presence both gentle and imbued with a heroic spirit. If the old Ruofeng had been as fluid and yielding as water, she was now like a celestial maiden from the heavens, an existence beyond reach.

Everyone present was stunned, left completely speechless. They had witnessed the entire event with their own eyes. The ten figures above the firmament were Profound Immortals, yet not one of them had survived. The very person who had annihilated ten Profound Immortals was right beside them—their own senior sister.

Huanyue’s eyes widened in disbelief. She looked toward Ruofeng, utterly astonished. "Sister, have you broken through to the Profound Immortal realm?"

Hearing this, the crowd was even more amazed. In such a short time, Ruofeng had ascended from a mere Immortal to a Profound Immortal! And all it took was the playing of a single song. To reach the realm of a Profound Immortal so effortlessly was something no one in the outside world would ever believe. Yet, it had happened right before their eyes. It was truly terrifying. Had they not seen it themselves, they never would have believed it.

Xinjing blinked her large, adorable eyes, still reeling from the shock. One song had claimed the lives of ten Profound Immortals. What surprised her even more was that Ruofeng had barely moved, only tapping her fingers on the table a few times. With no other effort, she had ascended from an Immortal to a Profound Immortal. Xinjing drew a sharp breath; she realized this was a powerful patron she absolutely needed to stay close to.

Ruofeng stood up and bowed deeply to Zhu Xiaoyuan. "Thank you, Master. My cultivation is far stronger than it was before."

Zhu Xiaoyuan looked up at the brilliant sky outside, a faint smile touching his lips. "No need for thanks. You must play this piece repeatedly until you have mastered it through practice."

Although Ruofeng possessed immense talent, she had only grasped the surface of the melody she had just played; there were deeper layers yet to be unearthed. If she could truly play the piece in its entirety, the effect would be far greater. In that sense, Ruofeng’s current mastery of the piece was still quite lacking.

Ruofeng understood this as well. She had not yet fully comprehended the profound meaning within the music. With this in mind, she asked, "Master, may I know the name of this piece?"

Zhu Xiaoyuan smiled. "Of course."

"This piece is called the Imperial Immortal's Battle-Breaking Melody."

...

The Imperial Immortal's Battle-Breaking Melody! What a magnificent name. The group couldn't help but repeat the title to themselves.

"That name is so domineering. It makes one's blood boil just hearing it! It is truly worthy of a melody that could strike down Profound Immortals," Long Ruxuan exclaimed, his entire body surging with excitement at the mere mention of the name. He felt an urge to charge into battle against a Profound Immortal right then and there, even though he knew he was no match for one.

"The melody is so powerful, as if thousands of troops and horses were galloping past," Hua Nue remarked.

Xinjing was stunned, finding it hard to believe what Zhu Xiaoyuan had said. "Imperial Immortal..." She knew all too well what that title signified. She was keenly aware of the weight carried by those two words. "It seems the identity of this senior is confirmed. He must be an unparalleled existence in the Immortal World—perhaps even one of the legendary Great Immortals!" Xinjing concluded to herself.

At the same time, she felt a sudden surge of envy toward Zhu Xiaoyuan’s disciples, especially Ruofeng, who had the opportunity to learn such formidable arts. If this "Imperial Immortal's Battle-Breaking Melody" were to be leaked, it would surely spark an unprecedented scramble between the Immortal and Demonic realms.

For a moment, Xinjing could no longer remain calm. Her thoughts raced, and her mind overflowed with possibilities. Why was such a powerful senior hiding here? Why take on so many disciples? "Could it be that this is all part of a grand game, and they are all merely his pieces?" Xinjing’s eyes widened. If that were true, the scale of this game was surely enough to shake the heavens and move the earth.

...

Meanwhile, the yellow clouds billowed. A group of True Immortals stood by the edge of the cloud sea, unable to believe what they were seeing. They stood frozen for a long, long time. The sky over Nanyi had long since returned to calm; the thunder and lightning had vanished. Sunlight poured down, as if the events that had just transpired were nothing more than a dream.

They opened their mouths, unable to utter a word.

"Dead... everyone... they are all dead," one True Immortal stammered, his legs trembling. "Those weren't ordinary immortals; they were ten Profound Immortals! They were strong enough to sweep through ten lower realms like the Tianwu World!" And yet, all ten of them were dead.

"Did any of you see who did it?" someone asked.

The True Immortals all shook their heads. They had no idea who had been responsible for such a catastrophe.

"At this point, do you still think this was the work of demonic cultivators? Why did I sense an even more terrifying presence just now?" Yang Li asked blankly.

Shen Bing stood beside Yang Li, his body radiating a chill of ice. He was rigid, his heart trembling. His eyes betrayed pure terror. What kind of person could kill ten Profound Immortals so casually? What kind of beings were hidden within the Tianwu World? Shen Bing dared not imagine; beyond the Profound Immortals lay the Celestial and Golden realms... but one thing was clear to him: they had no business acting in the Tianwu World. With their current strength, they were nothing but a joke—they were no match for the true power here.

Shen Bing suddenly realized something, his eyes widening. They had been constantly intruding upon the Tianwu World, repeatedly venturing deep into Nanyi...