The Regressor of Mount Hua

Chapter 257. The Sound of a Zither, the Sound of a Strike (1)

The murim was rotten.

Despite countless efforts to change the perception of sound arts, nothing had ever changed.

This wasn't a matter of ideals—this was pure discrimination.[1]

Shao Leijin exhaled heavily and gripped the strings of the Literary Martial Strings Zither tightly. Their hands trembled, but the strings remained still.

"So, I decided to change this rotten, decaying murim, which hates acknowledging others even under the threat of death."

Shao Leijin wet their lips with their tongue.

"It was then, right at that moment, they appeared."

For the first time, Zhou Xuchuan reacted.

"The Dark Heavens Association.”

The hidden side of the murim. The dark sky. An invisible force.

“Isn’t it interesting? The fact that it's not of the Righteous Faction, Evil Faction, or even the Demonic Path. I liked what they stood for, and they had the power to back themselves up. So, I readily joined their side and decided to overthrow the murim."

To overthrow, not to conquer.

That was the goal of the Melody Gate Master, the Sound God Shao Leijin.

“But now, I’ve changed my mind a bit.”

Shao Leijin’s expression turned as cold as ice.

"You're the one who ruined the rebellion and killed Twisted Melody, which was why I was curious and wanted to talk to you. However, you converted me."

"Converted?"

"Yes. Even if I were to overthrow the murim with the power of the Dark Heavens Association, the name that would become known isn't the Melody Gate, but the Dark Heavens Association."

The Sound God was right.

“So..."

In Zhou Xuchuan's original timeline, only the name of the Dark Heavens Association had remained.

“It’s not Pure Faith, but I, the Sound God, who will overthrow the murim.”

Shao Leijin had joined their forces under the title of Pure Faith.

Assassination was the art of killing someone without leaving a trace.

As a user of sound arts, Shao Leijin was the perfect fit.

So they're Pure Faith?

Zhou Xuchuan calmed his startled heart.

It wasn’t impossible that Shao Leijin was part of the Dark Heavens Association, but he had never expected them to be Pure Faith, one of its leaders.

Once again, Zhou Xuchuan felt the power of the Dark Heavens Association. Recruiting the Sound God, one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords, was no ordinary feat.

"Now, I, the Sound God, who will become the strongest under the heavens, have a proposal for you. Let's join forces. Don't martial artists also oppress the archery arts? I understand your feelings, suffering, and resentment better than anyone else."

Shao Leijin lowered their hand from the Literary Martial Strings Zither and extended it toward Zhou Xuchuan, as if offering a handshake.

"There won't be any notion of who is superior and who is inferior between you and I. This will be an equal partnership. Why don't we create a murim where non-mainstream martial arts like the sound arts and the archery arts can be recognized?”

“...”

Zhou Xuchuan took the time to consider.

This is an opportunity.

Pure Faith, Shao Leijin, seemed to have a huge misunderstanding.

First of all, the Phantom Bow Swordsman was a fake identity.

While he was a successor of the Archery God, he wasn't the successor. After all, it was impossible for him to reach the Completion Stage of mastery due to the nature of the Ten Thousand Convergence Art.

Above all, his allegiance lay with the Mount Hua Sect, not the Archery God. He held no resentment toward anyone.

All he had in mind when he learned it was the lighthearted thought of, 'Oh, it's the Archery God's divine art. Wouldn't it be useful if I learned it? Hoho!'

Good. Then, I'll take advantage of this situation.

He decided to play along and gather information about the Dark Heavens Association through Shao Leijin.

It seemed Pure Faith had been asked to assassinate the Regional Military Commissioner so that Destructive Soldier wouldn't be caught, so at the very least, Pure Faith would know about Destructive Soldier's identity.

Above all, this could be a chance to uncover the true identities of Blessed Existence, Warped Valor, and the Dark Heavens Association Lord.

Zhou Xuchuan barely held back his laughter and moved to grab the hand Shao Leijin offered him.

"Okay. Then, this rotten murim..."

"But."

Shao Leijin pulled back their hand.

“Why did you drop your bow?”

“...I lost it.”

Zhou Xuchuan’s silence was unusually long.

“Ha..."

Shao Leijin let out a hearty laugh.

“In the end, you’re no different. No, you’re even worse. You call yourself the successor of the Archery God, and you lost your bow?”

The slender fingers grabbed the Literary Martial Strings Zither again.

“Nonsense. You don’t even have the basic respect. If you really had the proper reverence, you wouldn't have used the sword in the first place."

"Ah, damn it."

Zhou Xuchuan scratched his head.

“Enough."

Thrum.

An invisible wave spread around Shao Leijin.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

The bowls of food on the table began trembling violently. They shook as though they might shatter at any moment, the contents flying around chaotically.

Ring.

Shao Leijin carefully plucked the strings of the Literary Martial Strings Zither.

Fortunately, the sound didn’t pierce through walls or cause destruction this time.

Instead, a melody with a beautiful and serene tone began to flow. Just listening to it made Zhou Xuchuan feel oddly calm.

There was a saying that listening to the Sound God's performance was like taking drugs for the ears. It was a saying that Zhou Xuchuan now understood after hearing it himself.

The sound of the plucked strings spread softly, like a flowing stream. It filled the room, circulating gently.

It was the perfect sound to sit back and enjoy, like sitting in a flower garden on a refreshing spring day.

His lips naturally curled into a slight smile as his shoulders swayed slightly.

"Prince Teng's high pavilion looks down on the riverside, as the sound of jade and the sound of bells, the singing and dancing, end."

Teng Wang Gao Ge Lin Jiang Zhu.

Pei Yu Ming Luan Ba Ge Wu.

"In the morning, the painted beams fly on the clouds of the southern shores, and in the evening, the pearl curtain is lifted as we watch the rain over the western mountains."

Hua Dong Zhao Fei Nan Pu Yun.

Zhu Lian Mu Juan Xi Shan Yu.

“The floating clouds are reflected in the water, always moving leisurely, and the world changes as time passes. How many years have passed by?”

Xian Yun Tan Ying Ri You You.

Wu Huan Xing Yi Ji Du Qiu.

“Where is the host of this high pavilion now? Beyond the railing, only the water of the Yangtze flows endlessly.”

Ge Zhong Di Zi Jin He Zai.

Jian Wai Chang Jiang Kong Zi Liu.

“I interpreted the ‘Pavilion of Prince Teng’ by Wang Bo, a poet of the early Tang Dynasty, into a Soul Stealing Tune."

A Soul Stealing Tune was a melody that shook the listener's soul and confused them. While the Immortal Clap paralyzed the body, the Soul Stealing Tune paralyzed the mind.

“Really?”

Zhou Xuchuan’s vision blurred momentarily before it refocused.

“...!”

Shao Leijin’s face distorted horribly.

Actually, there was a reason why the sound arts were treated so poorly.

For example, the Soul Stealing Tune was, at its core, an internal manipulation technique. Hence, it wasn't very effective when the target was a master of internal arts.

While it could completely dominate lower-level martial artists, it was much less effective against higher-level experts or those in the same realm as the performer.

In particular, it was a poor match against martial artists of the Righteous Faction.

While the Soul Stealing Tune was something that clouded the mind, the Righteous Faction's martial arts emphasized mental cultivation, meaning that their resistance to such arts was high.

If a sound art like the Soul Stealing Tune was ineffective against one's enemy, a sound master would be defeated in an instant. This flaw was one of the reasons why sound arts were looked down upon.

"Don't be so naggy just because I lost a bow. Seriously, it's possible to forget sometimes. You really are quite tight-assed for one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords.”

Zhou Xuchuan pulled out an ordinary iron sword instead of Tai'e.

"You dare!!!"

Shao Leijin let out a roar of anger.

ROAR!

The Sound God roared.

It wasn’t an ordinary roar. It was filled with qi.

At first glance, it looked like the Lion Roar, but it was completely different.

While the Lion Roar should have been clear and majestic, the Sound God's roar felt almost creepy and unpleasant.

"The Melody Gate's Roar of Injustice!"

Zhou Xuchuan frowned and stepped back.

"Fine, let's see if you can block this, too."

Shao Leijin was very proud of their sound. Seeing Zhou Xuchuan blocking it casually, their pride was greatly hurt.

Their slender fingers plucked the strings of the Literary Martial Strings Zither with force.

Tang!!

It was different from the tone he had just heard. The moment it reached Zhou Xuchuan’s ears, his mind shook violently. This was a goosebump-forming Aggrieving Tone (騷音).

It sounded like the very air was being torn apart.

The vibrations emanating from the Literary Martial Strings Zither formed visible waves. Soon, those waves rippled outward to devour the enemy before it.

Screech!

The power of the Literary Martial Strings Zither made of Heavenly Silkworm Silk was displayed here.

Ordinary zither strings would break if they were imbued with too much qi. Moreover, they also had the disadvantage of greatly reducing the qi's power.

However, the artifact[2] of the Melody Gate was different. It could withstand the profound qi of the Sound God with ease, converting it into a formidable force and amplifying its waves.

"Ha, really?!" Zhou Xuchuan complained as he stirred his qi.

An invisible aura spread widely around him. This wasn't the usual formless aura that was wrapped around his sword, but aura that emanated directly from his body and surrounded it.

A defensive qi barrier was erected out of Formless Aura and stacked in layers.

The moment the sound waves emanating from the Literary Martial Strings Zither collided with the defensive qi barrier, an explosion erupted, and shock waves poured out.

However, no sound accompanied the explosion.

The sounds that a person could hear were limited. No matter how much one heightened their senses with their qi, there was still a limit.

In other words, if one heard a sound outside of that range, they wouldn't be able to hear anything.

Just as the lack of sound began to feel unsettling, the silent sound wave struck Zhou Xuchuan, shattering his momentary confusion with sheer force.

Boom!!

Although Zhou Xuchuan may not have heard it, the disciples who were holding their breath inside the Pavilion of Prince Teng and the onlookers outside were different.

They were all startled by the sound that came from the third floor. They looked up, wondering if it might have even been a bolt of lightning sent down from the heavens.

"It's a person!"

"W-what is that?!"

The onlookers looked up and shouted.

A person was flying. No, he was falling.

As expected, is this the true strength of the Sound God...?!

Zhou Xuchuan, suspended in the air, was genuinely amazed.

He had used every ounce of his strength to deploy a defensive qi barrier, yet a significant portion of his qi was drained the moment the sound wave struck.

That was how much aura the sound wave contained.

While he had succeeded in blocking it with a barrier made of Formless Aura, he was still unable to overcome its momentum and was pushed back.

Unfortunately, Zhou Xuchuan had been sitting in front of a door rather than a wall.

The door splintered instantly, and he was thrown off the third floor of the Pavilion of Prince Teng.

Just what sort of power is that?

A bead of sweat rolled down Zhou Xuchuan’s forehead.

In the confined space of the room, the sound waves couldn’t spread out in all directions, instead concentrating their force entirely in front of him. This amplification made the attack absurdly powerful.

Had he not layered his defensive qi barriers multiple times, even Zhou Xuchuan, as formidable as he was, might not have survived unscathed.

"Phantom! Bow! Swordsman!"

The voice of the Sound God echoed thunderously.

“Mommy!!"

The people of Nanchang were shocked. It wasn’t just the people around the Pavilion of Prince Teng—everyone in the city heard it.

It wasn't for nothing that Shao Leijin was an Absolute Master. The Sound God’s power defied common sense.

For now, let's get situated first...!

Zhou Xuchuan struggled to keep his balance, and he cursed without realizing it.

"I mean, what the hell?! Did I kill your parents or something??"[3]

From the third floor, Shao Leijin flew after him, moving as if they were running through the air.

Void Steps!

The highest level of lightness technique.

One could kick off the air and momentarily fly through the sky.

However, it was rarely used due to its excessive consumption of qi and the limited distance it could cover.

“Die!”

The Sound God chased after Zhou Xuchuan, still clutching the Literary Martial Strings Zither tightly.

Shao Leijin plucked the string made of Heavenly Silkworm Silk.

Thrum!!

If one used a sword or a saber, even if one used Formless Aura, the base of the attack was still visible.

However, how could there be form in sound? Even if one could see an attack like that, it moved at the speed of sound, meaning that it would be effective even if one only just heard it.

The attack that fell on him from the third floor was followed by a shockwave. A huge wave of sound pressure crashed down from above.[4]

As soon as Zhou Xuchuan saw Shao Leijin plucking the string, he instinctively wrapped himself in layers of defensive qi barriers to protect his entire body.

Bang!

He somehow managed to block it, but it wasn't easy. The barrier formed of Formless Aura shattered with a cracking sound, breaking apart like glass.

Although Zhou Xuchuan tried to regain his balance to land properly, it was futile. The overwhelming sound pressure from above pushed him downward relentlessly.

BOOM!

"Eeeek!"

"Agh!"

The ground trembled as though an earthquake had struck, sending pedestrians scrambling.

A gaping, person-shaped hole marked the spot where Zhou Xuchuan had fallen. Dust billowed into the air, and fragments of rock scattered upward from the impact.

From above, cracks spread like spiderwebs across the ground where he had fallen.

A short distance away, the Sound God, Shao Leijin, landed gracefully.

"Witness me, murim. This is what the sound arts..."

"Getting kicked down the floors really pisses me off."

Zhou Xuchuan jumped up.

TL/N:

It's me, Cyncoco!

The Pavilion of Prince Teng by Wang Bo is a real poem. However, the translation here is a little different from the actual accepted form - instead of copying the actual translation, I assumed that the author intentionally wrote the Korean form (the part in " ") the way that he did and thus translated that directly.

1. This is a hard line to translate. The author changed a character in the word for ideal for the character for aberration, which are homonyms. ☜

2. The author went from calling it a divine treasure to an artifact. ☜

3. Literally, did I make myself into your enemy somehow. But considering he's supposed to be cursing, I thought this was more appropriate. ☜

4. Remember, the word pressure here is a type of qi manipulation technique. Sword pressure, fist pressure, etc exist and have been used before. ☜