Volcanic Age

Shao Leijin hated being interrupted while they played. That was why, when they hired craftsmen to renovate the Pavilion of Prince Teng, they specifically requested special attention to soundproofing.

Usually, the occasional drunken singing or loud conversations weren’t an issue—once the sound was blocked, nothing could be heard.

But it was different when someone on the lower floor was making a commotion with all their might. Even through the layers of soundproofing, faint vibrations could still be felt.

However, Shao Leijin had felt such vibrations again today. It took away their excitement as they thought about playing the Seven Strings Zither.

Even though this was the territory of one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords, the Evil Faction had such rough personalities that accidents like this happened often.

Shao Leijin considered how to deal with those who ruined their performance.

"As expected of the Iron Sound Reverberation Wave."

"...!"

Shao Leijin’s head snapped toward the source of the voice like lightning.

"This is impossible…"

"He spoke?"

The Melody Gate disciples who had gathered to clean up were astonished. The crowd was in disbelief.

To think he could free himself from the Gate Master's Immortal Clap!

The Immortal Clap was a type of restraint art. Not only did it restrain one's body, but in severe cases, it could even render one unconscious and inflict internal injuries.

Even the Pure Saber had been reduced to groaning and trembling under its effects, yet this man moved as if nothing had happened.

It was baffling. A sound art so powerful that not even immortals could escape once fully executed… and yet, he had resisted it.

Only then did Shao Leijin finally recognize Zhou Xuchuan.

"...?"

Shao Leijin furrowed their delicate brows. The useless thought of Shao Leijin's frowning appearance being beautiful crossed Zhou Xuchuan's mind.

A brief silence followed. The first to break the strange silence was the Sound God.

Clap!

Shao Leijin clapped their palms together again, making a sound.

To the onlookers, it might have looked like a simple clap, but Zhou Xuchuan saw something entirely different.

Sound arts used sound as a medium. In other words, the sound their flesh made as it clashed was the same as their sword, knife, or spear.

A swordsman imbued force into a sword, and a saber wielder imbued force into a saber. However, a Sound Master imbued force into sound.

However, because a Sound Master worked at the speed of sound, it was difficult to detect. This was especially true when the Sound Master was an Absolute Master of the Coruscant Realm and one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords. R̃ÂＮȫBĚS̩

The vibrations emitted from a sounding body created waves.[1] Those waves were controlled by Shao Leijin's qi.

The vibrations from the sounding body spread in all directions. These waves didn't just sweep over an enemy's body, but the force imbued within it caused an abnormal phenomenon, directly attacking their sense of hearing.

The transmission of sound became an attack, starting from one's internal organs and tying up one's meridians and veins.

This was the Immortal Clap.

However, Zhou Xuchuan reacted as soon as the sound wave reached him.

This wasn’t a reaction of conscious thought but one of instinct. Since he was in the same realm of cultivation, his reaction speed could match the Immortal Clap of Shao Leijin.

The foundational qi of his Violet Haze Divine Art surrounded his body, absorbing the incoming sound wave while neutralizing its force.

In short, this was a battle of qi.

And since his qi quality and reserves were on par with the Sound God’s, Zhou Xuchuan was able to hold on without any problems.

"It's an honor to see the Immortal Clap of the Sound God."

"This is impossible!"

Screams erupted all around.

The Melody Gate disciples were in utter disbelief. This was the most impossible feat they had ever witnessed.

Not even the greatest masters of the world, the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven, could resist the Immortal Clap.

It was only with the Sound God's permission that they would be able to open their mouths.

However, that unwritten rule had just been broken.

W-what's going on?

Jin Ba, who was staring blankly from the side, was also surprised.

Jin Ba was just as dumbfounded. He had assumed the man was a fellow con artist, yet here he was, completely unfazed by the Sound God's Immortal Clap.

A possible hypothesis flashed through Jin Ba's mind. Jin Ba prayed inwardly that the hypothesis would not be true.

"So you're not just some ordinary bastard."

Shao Leijin's expression hardened. This wasn't any sense of excitement when facing a strong enemy. No, their pride was hurt because the Immortal Clap didn't work.

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

Shao Leijin wiggled their index and middle fingers again.

Woosh!

Jin Ba's iron sword, which had been halfway out of its scabbard, shot into the air. But instead of flying toward Zhou Xuchuan, it hurtled toward Shao Leijin. Shao Leijin spun around on their right foot, snatched the flying sword out of the air, and held it strangely.

They held the hilt with their left hand and touched the tip of the blade with their right.

"Move!! It's the Gate Master's Iron Sound Reverberation Wave!"

The Melody Gate disciples noticed the Gate Master's next move and flew away.

No! Save me, too! Jin Ba tried to scream in a pitiful voice, but he couldn't do anything because the effects of the Immortal Clap were still lingering.

His face turned pale, perhaps because Zhou Xuchuan was right next to him.

Clang!!

Shao Leijin bent their fingers, holding the sword, and then flicked the metal.

The sword, which had been flicked by their fingers, rang loudly.

If one looked closely, they would see the blade trembling from the impact.

Thrum!

The sword shook as if dancing, releasing waves. Soon after, countless sound waves, or attacks of sound vibrations, were formed.

The Iron Sound Reverberation Wave.

It was a Melody Gate foundational technique that worked by generating and emitting countless sound waves through the vibrations created when flicking a piece of steel.

Clang!!

There were many types of sound arts.

There were some that were purely damage oriented, some that deceived a person's brain or sensory organs only using sound, and some that used vibrations and the inherent aerodynamics of sound to cause physical destruction, just like what Shao Leijin was using now.

Shao Leijin's Iron Sound Reverberation Wave possessed extraordinary power. The sound waves emitted swept across the floor of the Pavilion of Prince Teng and poured down.

The tremors from the vibrations were so powerful that Jin Ba’s sword shattered, breaking into dozens of fragments that followed the sound waves.

BOOM!

The Iron Sound Reverberation Wave struck at Zhou Xuchuan from the front.

The damage was great, as the Sound God had attacked with all their conviction.

The once pristine floor, polished so thoroughly that one’s reflection could be seen in it, was now torn apart. Holes were gouged into the marble walls, and the pillars that had been caught in the blast were nearly crumbling, their surfaces gnawed away by the force of the sound waves. Lime dust filled the air.

"Eeeeek!!"

Unlike Jin Ba, the eight other sworn brothers, who had been a little lucky, were released from the Immortal Clap due to the shockwave and collapsed on the ground.

The sound of running water could be heard as the trouser legs of Jin Ba's sworn brothers were all soaked yellow.

But no one mocked them.

Everyone was too awestruck to care.

Who would call this a mere sound art? They could only blink at the divine being that had surpassed human limits.

"Hmph."

Shao Leijin dusted off their sleeves as if shaking off something insignificant.

The air was filled with lime powder. No one knew what trick they had used, but Shao Leijin was the only one who was clean except for their sleeves.

"If the body is intact, bring it. If not, search through its clothes to find out who it is. Also, close the first floor for the time being as we make some repairs."

Shao Leijin turned away, considering the matter settled.

The silent disciples who had been standing there in a daze barely managed to come to their senses and follow the Gate Master’s orders.

However…

"Cough, cough. Now, now, come on, let's talk."

Shao Leijin's steps suddenly stopped. For the first time, a look of surprise began to appear on their face.

"J-just who the hell is he?"

"Wasn't he just hit by the Sound God's Iron Sound Reverberation Wave?"

The martial artists who were watching the scene from a distance in the opposite direction screamed in disbelief.

They all unanimously declared that what just happened was impossible. Some outright denied it, claiming it was a dream. Others furiously rubbed their eyes with their sleeves, struggling to comprehend what they had seen.

As the lime powder settled, Zhou Xuchuan appeared from the wreckage with Jin Ba, who was crouching on the floor behind him.

Whew, that really was something.

While Zhou Xuchuan's words had sounded like a joke, the reality was different.

It truly had been dangerous. As soon as he felt the Iron Sound Reverberation Wave cast with the Sound God's full attention touch his skin, he had deployed a defensive qi barrier.

Of course, he erected it using formless aura to avoid being caught.

That was why, to the others, he had appeared helpless.

Is my human face mask still intact?

The craftsman of the Xia Wu Sect must have truly been a master.

Of course, if he hadn't blocked the Sound God's attack with a defensive qi barrier, he never would have managed to keep his identity hidden.

"Who are you?"

Shao Leijin moved as if space was folding around them.

"Just what the hell do you want?"

Shao Leijin's wary eyes turned to Zhou Xuchuan.

He's not a weakling.

Shao Leijin was overly provoked because their playing had been interrupted. That was why they didn't look too closely at Zhou Xuchuan.

However, not now. Shao Leijin’s expression turned cold, their gaze sharpening as their pupils darted, analyzing the unexpected situation.

The Coruscant Realm?

Even after seeing it for themself, they couldn't believe it.

Although the man looked as though he was in his thirties, that didn't really matter. After all, the aging of martial artists was already slow, and once one underwent Bodily Reformation after reaching the Harmony Realm, one would look younger naturally.

Since the man looked to be in his early thirties, he must have been in his fifties or sixties.

The real problem now was his identity.

The man was different from the scoundrels who came to the famed Pavilion of Prince Teng and committed heinous acts, thinking their meager strength was enough to fool around.

No, this man's cultivation was real.

Even if one searched the entire Central Plains murim right at this very moment, there weren't many people who could block their Iron Sound Reverberation Wave.

Doing so wasn't necessarily impossible for a Harmony Realm Master, especially if said master had been consuming elixirs like rice since youth.

However, the sheer amount of qi required was massive. A Harmony Realm Master wouldn't have been able to block it so easily and cleanly without getting exhausted.

Above all, masters could recognize other masters. Alarm bells rang in Shao Leijin's head.

"Phantom Bow Swordsman," Zhou Xuchuan answered curtly.

"I mean, but…?"

The observers all looked at each other.

Why don't they believe me?

Zhou Xuchuan was puzzled. Given the level of cultivation he had just displayed, his claim should have been convincing. However, the expressions around him remained doubtful.

"But there's no bow on your back?"

"Ah."

It was like a light switched on in his mind as he facepalmed.

The Phantom Bow Swordsman, who had been active in the Evil Faction, always alternated between the sword and bow. He was one who never let them escape his grasp.

He wasn't called the Phantom Bow Swordsman for nothing. His bow and sword were symbolic.

Zhou Xuchuan awkwardly shut his mouth before abruptly shouting.

"C-can someone lend me a bow!"

"…"

***

"The Phantom Bow Swordsman has appeared."

The Dark Heavens Association Lord's hand paused.

"Are you referring to that Phantom Bow Swordsman?"

"Yes."

A name that was on the Dark Heavens Association's Slaughter Register.

He had appeared as if falling from the sky during the Four Gates Rebellion, joining the Evil Valley Master's side and helping him suppress the Rebellion in an instant. Above all, one of the executives of the Dark Heavens Association, Twisted Melody, had lost his life at the hands of the Phantom Bow Swordsman.

"We kill the saboteur of the Righteous Faction only for the saboteur of the Evil Faction to run wild."

After that incident, they had investigated to find out who he was, but somehow, he had disappeared into the ground.

Although his active period may have been short, his activities had been so impactful that he had been engraved into the memories of the murim without exception.

"Where is he?"

"The Pavilion of Prince Teng."

"…!"

The Dark Heavens Association Lord's expression darkened.

1. A sounding body is the official term for something that produces sound. ☜

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