Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

And something that did not exist could not continue to attack.

  The bronze arrow suddenly lost its target. It fell limply and disappeared into the air.

  The Silent Sword Movement!

  That’s right, it could do that!

  It was not empty boasting to say that the Yuan family’s sword movement was the best way to kill.

  With it, you could kill others and naturally also kill yourself. You could even seek life in the midst of death, tempering your will and transforming yourself.

  This move would be a deathblow for others. For the musicians of the Yuan family, it was nothing more than a painless drizzle.

  Among the Nine Families of the Dragon Bloodline, theirs was the most unusual. Things were out of their proper order: their swords were like people and their people like swords.

  The Yuan family cultivated their music theory to the end. Before they could use it on others, they had to first slay themselves and experience the arcane truth of the line between life and death. At least one out of every three would die at this critical juncture.

  At least 90% of the sword and the music theory had been lost in the recent transformation, but this was no trouble for the Yuan family.

  This was their true talent.

  These madmen believed that the purer the power, the better. They often pursued a higher realm of art. When it came to power, there was no difference between level one and level 100. A small weapon was enough to kill someone, especially if it was wielded by a member of the Yuan family.

  The Yuan family was obviously annoyed that their background had been revealed by a junior member of the clan, but for the time being, they were forced to cooperate with him.

  But what had happened next had made the main part of the clan far to the east so upset they could have vomited blood.

  He had come up to the top, but then… Ye Qingxuan ran away! He seized this rare opportunity, and then retreated hundreds of meters, escaping without hesitation to a safe distance.

  And then the head of the Yuan family was caught by the White Knight and violently attacked. He was in the same situation as Ye Qingxuan, or possibly even worse.

  Shameless!

  “Ye Qingxuan, what are you doing?” screamed the head of the Yuan family.

  “Come on, elder! Believe in yourself, you’ve got this!” Ye Qingxuan waved the sword at him in a gesture of thanks. “Just hold on! I’ll go get reinforcements from the Anglo Kingdom and come save you!”

  Screw the reinforcements! If he waited for the reinforcements to come, it’d be too late! Even if he came with the Knights of the Round Table, what the h*ll would be the use?

  Despite the fact that the sight of that sword made him want to cover his eyes, Ye Qingxuan lowered his protective barrier, used the Sickle of God’s Wrath to prop himself up. He closed his eyes as if beginning a spiritual journey.

  His consciousness ran along the Heaven Ladder, instantly jumping up hundreds of rungs, traveling hundreds of miles to the Kingdom of Heaven and Earth.

  An illusory figure appeared In the throne hall of the reflected city of Avalon. He shouted until his throat was hoarse as if his teacher was being dragged away by a demon, “Save me, Your Highness!”

  Mary, who had been sleeping in the throne room, was awakened by this. She opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

  Ye Qingxuan had no time to explain, instead directly asking, “I remember that we had already started repairing the things in Stein’s Chamber number nine before I left. Has there been any progress?”

  Mary frowned and thought for a moment, and her expression became helpless. “Lucky you remembered. That researcher who you ruined has gone crazy, as I complained to you several times. Over the past few days, he prepared the basic alchemy arrays, but it will take some time to install the main parts.”

  “It’s good enough! It’s good enough!” Ye Qingxuan sighed with relief. “Let me borrow it, if I could trouble you to confer another title upon me?”

  Mary looked at Ye Qingxuan’s roguish look and couldn’t help but glare at him. “Then come present yourself before me.”

  Ye Qingxuan half kneeled. Mary drew her sword and placed it on the projection’s shoulder. “In my name, I bestow upon Ye Qingxuan, the Prince of Avalon, the title of my personal knight. At ease, you can stand up now.”

  Ye Qingxuan couldn’t help but smile at her temper. He was about to leave, but he heard Mary’s voice. “Is everything going well?”

  Seeing the faint worry on Mary’s face, Ye Qingxuan grinned. “There have been some twists and turns, but they won’t stop us.”

  “I’ve given you the sword and armor of a knight.” She reached out and lightly touched the projection’s cheek. “I look forward to your triumphant return,” she whispered.

  The knight nodded. “I won’t let you down, Your Highness.”

  685 Is It So?

  It seemed as if only a moment had passed.

  Ye Qingxuan opened his eyes again, pulled out the Sickle of God’s Wrath from the ground, and stepped forward.

  As soon as he was less than 100 meters away, the sword of qi engaged in combat with the white knight already sensed his return. The phantom in gleam of the sword turned back and cast him a look, his expression strange.

  Back?

  The little asshole actually came back?

  Did he get stung by his conscience?

  Or is some goddamn idea brewing up in his treacherous mind?

  The head of House Yuan withdrew his gaze, and the sword of qi changed, separating into two wisps. It was as if two swordsmen were attacking at the same time, cooperating with one another, one attacking and one defending, in harmony and without conflict

  He had made up his mind to stabilize the situation first. If the little devil is really here to help, then all is well. If he still attempts to use any sinister tricks, then don’t blame me for being mean.

  Although striking such an undead monster was somewhat constraining, the art of killing that was the actual forte of House Yuan wasn’t to be taken lightly.

  But soon, he began to doubt his perception.

  It was because Ye Qingxuan’s unhurried voice sounded.

  “Senior, may I trouble you to keep a distance later?”

  Ye Qingxuan suggested to the gleam of the sword from afar. “Both of us are of the Deva bloodline, it’ll be a pity if I accidentally injure you.”

  The head of House Yuan was momentarily shocked and laughed.

  He laughed out of anger.

  Accidentally injure me?

  Even the head of House Bai, who is generally recognized as the strongest among the previous generation, dare not talk to me like that when he is standing in front of me. Where is the confidence of this junior who is not even 30 years old coming from?

  At the moment, such a considerate reminder seemed more like ridicule.

  “Alright, then I’ll stop.” The old man in the gleam of sword snickered. “Go on, if you’re as good as you claim to be.”

  Upon saying so, the sword of qi divided itself, in a moment, it split from two to four, from four to eight, and in the end, the metallic gleam sliding around was gone, only leaving countless dust-like specks of starlight floating around in nothingness.

  They couldn’t be touched, nor could they be caught.

  They had turned incorporeal.

  — The Alkaid Sword Movement.

  Like the stars hanging high above the skies, it adhered to a strict order and was invincible. Obeying the controller’s will, the incorporeal stars in the sky could materialize any time, and the stars would gather together and strike a thunderous blow.

  The sword could strike a catastrophe, and naturally it could strike people too.

  “That would be great, senior, please be on standby.”

  As if he didn’t sense a chill vaguely entangling him, Ye Qingxuan waved and smiled, his tone unceremonious. In fact, he was one step short of asking the old man to cheer and wave his banner for him, and his a
ttitude made the expression of the head of House Yuan even colder.

  “Kid, don’t brag too much, or you might twist your tongue in the wind,” said the old man.

  Bang!

  What answered him was the sound of Firebird scraping against the air.

  The crown of light hovering on top of Ye Qingxuan’s head corresponded with the sweeping Firebird according to his will. A massive amount of golden brilliance gathered, covering him. But it completed a qualitative change in midair, inducting from ‘fixed’ to ‘changing’, as if it had changed from stone to fire.

  Dragon’s breath!

  After incorporating the power of nature interference, the Firebird had evolved into destructive dragon’s breath.

  Horrifying dragon’s breath fell on flesh and blood, but it did not damage the body in the slightest bit. Countless strands of music theory were cast into it, letting the power of the dragon’s breath smelt them, just like metals cast into a furnace.

  As the sword of qi dissipated, the White Knight cast an indifferent gaze towards where Ye Qingxuan was located. The three heads and six arms covered in cracks quickly recovered. The arrows of wind and swords of fire emerged again from the six arms, aiming at Ye Qingxuan from afar, and a murderous intent rose.

  Ye Qingxuan’s footsteps did not stop.

  He was moving forward.

  Without any defenses, he entered into the forbidden area of death step by step.

  Every step he took, a low sound of steel scraping against each other burst forth from the Firebird. In the flames of the Firebird, music theory tumbled angrily, colliding. The electricity seemed to condense into tangible matter in the flames, displaying the coldness of iron.

  An incorporeal alchemy array descended from the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, projecting itself on Ye Qingxuan’s body. As he welcomed the tempering of the Firebird’s fire and the irrigation of aether, it was as if he was being reborn in the strange alchemical process.

  “As above, so below, so all things have their birth… Boss, presenting alchemy in the form of music theory and musical movements is your actual forte, right?” In a trance-like state, Ye Qingxuan seemed to realize it.

  He felt that only then did he truly understand Hermes’ background, but immediately changed his mind and thought that it was just Hermes’ cover.

  That guy had always been mysterious. Up till the moment he died, he never answered anyone’s question. As for whether the secret is true or false, who knows?

  Ye Qingxuan no longer pondered over the deceased’s jokes in bad taste, instead he looked up at the White Knight preparing to go in for the kill in one strike, and smiled. “However, compared to difficult fellas like him, creatures like you are too easy to deal with.”

  At the moment, the rumble of steel scraping against each other burst forth from the dragon’s breath.

  The initially incorporeal projection of the alchemy array materialized. The aether crystal proliferated wildly within and covered the array. Under the power of nature interference, it emitted a cold brilliance.

  The burning dragon’s breath dissipated, and in its place was a huge body of steel.

  The body was constructed with Firebird and aether, the essence was formed with music theory and the projection of the alchemy array. It was propelled by the power of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, and in the blink of an eye, a miracle almost like that of creation was created.

  The heavy power armor covered Ye Qingxuan, and as he moved forward, the sound of metal colliding was heard.

  Under the cold helmet, Ye Qingxuan lowered his head and looked at his five fingers wrapped in steel, but he still had a real sense of touch. The alchemy array connected to his spine had turned the heavy steel into part of his flesh.

  He breath seemed to disappear, his heartbeat seemed to disappear, and his pulse as well.

  Instead, they were replaced by silence, calmness and coldness, as if he was submerged in a cold pond.

  He had been freed from the fragile human body.

  He had turned into iron, and had no more weaknesses.

  Even though he faced a monster that humans could hardly compare to, he did not waver for the slightest bit. Although death was close at hand, but in the heart that seemed like icy iron… an indescribable joy rose.

  The opponent only put on a layer of iron, but the White Knight felt a threat rapidly climbing in intensity.

  On the horse, the lance of thunder gleamed. The elements of the various kings were attached on it, bestowing the ability to destroy upon the gun.

  At the moment, the two were thirty steps apart. Ye Qingxuan had already set foot upon the boundaries of a forbidden zone which promised death, and could no longer dodge as layers of murderous intent locked his body.

  On the blade of the lance, countless strands of music theory were entangled, distorting the physical world. Wherever the blade passed, reality seemed to have been cut open, leaving a forbidding crack.

  Beyond the crack was a strange world of the grotesque and bizarre.

  As if he was holding a mighty sovereignty that dominated everything, the White Knight held the lance high, the glorious flares igniting the world.

  The king of the earth at the moment, White Knight, the catastrophe, overlooked Ye Qingxuan from the horse, solemnly announcing a decree that must not be violated. “— Death to all rebels!”

  “Is it so?” At the very moment, a cold light lit up from the eyes of the armored knight.

  Lancelot, the knight of the round table, opened his eyes!

  686 Trial

  The fire has been lit. Observing the world through a lens, the old musician stared dully at the cold Ultimate. An overwhelming sense of fear has seeped into his consciousness.

  “… What is this?”

  Even his voice seemed to become denser and heavier in the air, but the sound of metal against metal remained as sharp as ever. The Sickle of God’s Wrath was raised towards the sky.

  “Deus-vult…” The old musician muttered under his breath.

  The sickle was lit with flames. The elements brought down the power from the Originator as they embedded themselves into the sickle to subdue all sorts of poison, disaster and rebellion in the world.

  This was judgment. This was the conclusion. This was what the Gods wanted!

  An irresistible destruction appeared in Ye Qingxuan’s hands. He moved forward one step at a time as his black armor turned red from all the friction with the rock-like air particles. He was burning. He could feel incredible pain in the depth of his bones but he could also feel a sense of consciousness and relief that he had never felt before. It was as if he had suddenly realized that life was as such. His body was burning and being tortured by the flames, yet his soul was freer than ever to soar up to the skies.

  With the Sickle of God’s Wrath in hand, Ye Qingxuan bashed through the dust and crack that was in his way, leaving behind a trail that seemed to be made by a blade and was pointed in the direction of the white knight.

  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The white knight’s armor trembled as he let out a roar of fury. His stiff body trembled as he tried to escape the grasp of time. Flames shot out of his raised staff, distorting the boundaries of the physical world and forcing back the effects of time.

  Bathed and shrouded in flames, he howled and screamed as the long spear shredded the physical world. Countless music theories were entangled because of his roar. With a boost from the abyss, a grand image of darkness appeared behind the white knght.

  The bell of darkness tolled.

  In the south, in the north, in the World of Dark and even in the Sacred City… tens of dark ministers opened their eyes to answer the call. They pumped all their powers into the illusion of the abyss as the ancient illusion became more concrete and more realistic. It was as if the future has suddenly been revealed at this very moment.

  In that instant, the staff clashed with the Sickle of God’s Wrath. Both were in flames as they were each trying their very best to finish of
f the other and turn the other into nothingness.

  In that single instant, the staff and the Sickle of God’s Wrath clashed more than a thousand times.

  The sickle continued to burn as fiercely as ever but the flame on the staff was beginning to dim, until it broke down and its elements were completely cracked. But in the next moment, it was filled with the catastrophe’s flames of fury and a power, that was capable of turning the world into darkness, emerged from within.

  This was the element of the white knight. It represented the fate of the world after it has been taken over by catastrophes and demons; it represented the heyday of the Originator in darkness. Ancient darkness of the abyss!

  “Kneel, rebel, and prepare to die!” The white knight roared in the darkness, “You are but a mere dust particle. You should have known to be respectful and fearful! I am the ruler of the world! I am the king of all!”

  “No, you are not.” A hoarse voice replied. Beneath the cracked faceguard, Ye Qingxuan looked up. His face was still burning even as he stared at him with indifference, “Everything that you have are all stolen items and you are just an empty shell with a crown!”

  Boom!

  The flaming sickle struck. Countless streaks of lightning were accompanied with a roar as the melody of Day of God’s Fury played.

  The element of Ancient Darkness suddenly cracked, followed by the white knight’s crown. Next, the war horse’s head was hacked off. The sickle changed direction and struck sideways, tearing apart his armor. Then, his arm and his chest were also torn open.

  Even as time stood still, only the sickle gleamed with every strike.

  Nothing could survive God’s punishment. When the moment, that time stood still, passed, it was followed with booms throughout the entire Ultimate. Oceans shook and islands trembled. The stake grew out from beneath the ground as everything was covered in flames.

  The abyss was broken down and there was a roar of despair. As the flames burnt, the white knight fell from the broken war horse. His entire body was covered with terrible wounds and was almost on the verge of breaking apart. The white flames in his eyes dimmed. He was about to die.