Book 5: Chapter 12: Gong Tian
Book 5: Chapter 12: Gong Tian
Six Fingers flew to Gu Hai and Yun Mo.
“Mister Six Fingers?” Yun Mo showed a faint smile, wanting to thank Six Fingers.
Six Fingers ignored Yun Mo. Instead, he looked at Gu Hai. “‘A Hundred Birds’ Homage to the Phoenix’ is pretty good!”
“I have embarrassed myself. Even without me, Mister Six Fingers would have made your move long ago, right?” Gu Hai said with a smile.
“I wouldn’t have,” Six Fingers said indifferently.
“Oh?” Gu Hai appeared slightly surprised.
Six Fingers looked at Yun Mo. “Were you going to commit suicide earlier?”
“Yes.” Yun Mo’s expression turned stiff.
“Weak!” Six Fingers shouted coldly.
“However, at that time…this humble one’s music Dao could not compete with the Supreme Ascendant Dao’s zitherists,” Yun Mo said bitterly.
“What do the city’s life and death have to do with you? You are the descendant of Teacher Yinyue. Your survival is sufficient. Commit suicide? Haha! How could Teacher Yinyue have such a soft and weak descendant like you?” Six Fingers reprimanded coldly.
After Six Fingers spoke, Yun Mo’s thoughts of thanking him all vanished.
“The previous manor lord taught me that Silver Moon City is my home. The citizens are my family. There is no such thing as who deserves to die more. They got into trouble because they tried to save me. Why shouldn’t I save them?” Yun Mo retorted somewhat angrily.
“Haha! The previous manor lord? He was a weakling teaching someone who is even weaker. At the very least, he was talented in the music Dao. However, you don’t even have that. To think that you couldn’t deal with even one Feng Tonglao? Ignorant!” Six Fingers scoffed.
“I cannot agree with your ideals. However, I still have to thank you for today, no matter what. You saved us, saved the entire Silver Moon City,” Yun Mo said sullenly.
“I only did it to save you. You are Teacher Yinyue’s descendant. Alright. Enough of this nonsense. No one is staying in the restricted area’s Heart Nurturing Hall, right? I’ll stay there in the future,” Six Fingers said indifferently.
“The Heart Nurturing Hall? You will be staying in the Silver Moon Mountain Manor?” Yun Mo raised his eyebrows.
“The music Dao experts of the world will be coming to the Qian Nation. The Silver Moon Mountain Manor will attract many problems. Teacher Yinyue has passed on already, but no one must disturb his peace. Humph! Rely on you? If not for my return, someone would have dug up Teacher Yinyue’s body already!” Six Fingers said coldly.
Yun Mo’s expression turned stiff; he could not refute Six Fingers.
“If you are staying in the Silver Moon Mountain Manor, what about your master? Will he agree?” Yun Mo asked worriedly.
“My master? Hah! Don’t you know that they call me Zither Demon?” Six Fingers said with a sarcastic smile.
“Huh?” Yun Mo appeared confused.
“My master? I killed him,” Six Fingers said indifferently.
The Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples appeared horrified. He killed his master? He regained his freedom? This Six Fingers’s nature is overly demonic!
Six Fingers then ignored everyone, flying straight to the restricted area and entering the Heart Nurturing Hall in the blink of an eye.
Gu Hai remained silent for a while before looking at Yun Mo.
Yun Mo smiled bitterly and said, “The previous manor lord once told me that if Six Fingers were to return someday, to let him stay anywhere he wanted.”
Gu Hai frowned slightly as he nodded. Since the previous manor lord already gave this instruction, Gu Hai would not interfere with the Silver Moon Mountain Manor’s matter.
However, this excited the Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples. At the very least, no one would dare to casually offend the Silver Moon Mountain Manor with Six Fingers around.
“Mister Gu, you mentioned that you were seeking me out to discuss something? Please, come in,” Yun Mo said.
Gu Hai nodded. Naturally, there would be people to deal with the mess, so his group followed Yun Mo into a large hall. Everyone took a seat, and someone served premium tea.
“Can you activate a sound isolation barrier?” Gu Hai asked seriously.
Yun Mo nodded as his expression changed. Then, he waved his hand, and a barrier of light covered the hall’s surroundings.
“Mister Gu, are you trying to find Shangguan Hen?” Yun Mo asked, guessing what the matter was about.
Gu Hai nodded. “I heard Mu Chenfeng mention that the Azure Emperor was here too? They are in your Silver Moon Mountain Manor’s territory, the Silver Moon Sea. Furthermore, I found a vast fog over the Silver Moon Sea. What happened recently?”
“The Azure Emperor? The Azure Emperor already left.” Yun Mo shook his head.
“Oh?”
Yun Mo remained silent for a while before eventually smiling bitterly. “Never mind. I will not hide it from Mister Gu. Silver Moon Sea is my Silver Moon Mountain Manor’s territory and lies within a humongous music Dao ritual array. As long as I want to, I can clearly hear all sounds within the ritual array.”
“What did you hear?”
“The Azure Emperor has already gone north, heading to Heavenly Court City. Only some subordinates remained to lay a ritual array in the Silver Moon Sea to trap Shangguan Hen and a group of black tortoises,” Yun Mo said seriously.
“Trap Shangguan Hen? Why? Why did the Azure Emperor not make a move himself?”
“I heard that the previous Black Tortoise Prime’s evil consciousness is in Shangguan Hen’s body. Is that right? I seemed to have heard that the evil consciousness had been sealed in a snake head. Perhaps…,” Yun Mo recalled.
“A snake head?” Gu Hai immediately remembered it.
Indeed, the Silver Moon Sea had had a snake head. Duke Lu Yang had tried to use it to unseal the zither puppets. After Shangguan Hen consumed that snake head, his cultivation had soared remarkably, reaching the Nascent Soul Realm.
“The previous Black Tortoise Prime suffered from heaven’s wrath and was ripped apart, scattered all over the place. The Black Tortoise Prime knew about his impending death, so he condensed all his energy into a Black Tortoise Pearl and tossed it out, hoping that a black tortoise would find it and revitalize the black tortoise race. When he died, the sealed evil consciousness occupied the snake head, chased the Black Tortoise Pearl, and fell into the Silver Moon Sea. Unfortunately, the evil consciousness could not refine that Black Tortoise Pearl, so it entered a deep sleep. Later on, some sort of energy in Shangguan Hen’s body nourished it, allowing it to wake up,” Yun Mo recalled.
Energy from Shangguan Hen’s body? That should be the energy from the Black Tortoise Deity.
Gu Hai frowned as he asked, “Since the Black Tortoise Pearl is in the Silver Moon Sea, did Shangguan Hen come here to find the Black Tortoise Pearl? Is the Azure Emperor not tempted by it?”
Yun Mo shook his head and replied, “Naturally, he was tempted. However, the Black Tortoise Pearl is very exclusive; only the black tortoise race can touch it. The Azure Emperor could not do anything about it, especially when Shangguan Hen had bound it.”
“What is the Azure Emperor trying to do?” Gu Hai asked.
“He wants to recruit the Black Tortoise Prime,” Yun Mo said.
“Recruit?” Gu Hai raised his eyebrows.
“Yes. Unfortunately, Shangguan Hen’s consciousness and the evil Black Tortoise Prime’s consciousness clashed, so the Azure Emperor did not receive a definitive answer. It seemed like there was something urgent in Heavenly Court City; the Azure Emperor had to leave first. He left some of his subordinates behind to lay a ritual array,” Yun Mo said.
“Lay a ritual array?”
“Yes. Lay a ritual array to trap Shangguan Hen and wait for the Azure Emperor to return from the Ten Thousand Sages Convention and slowly subdue him,” Yun Mo explained.
“Hah! Trap Shangguan Hen, then subdue him after returning? What big words! To think he is that confident of trapping Shangguan Hen,” Gu Hai said.
“After the Azure Emperor left and their ritual array activated, I could no longer hear the sounds in there,” Yun Mo said with a bitter smile.
“Oh?” Gu Hai said.
“The person who laid the ritual array is called Gong Tian, the best ritualist under the Azure Emperor. The ritual array formed an independent world. While Shangguan Hen has obtained the black tortoises’ inheritance, it will still take him a long time to succeed it, so…,” Yun Mo explained.
“Gong Tian? Have you seen him before?” Gu Hai asked.
“He looks like this.” Yun Mo extended his hands and used his energy to manifest the appearance of a purple-clad man.
“It’s him?” Gu Hai’s pupils suddenly constricted.
“Mister Gu, do you know him?” Yun Mo asked.
“Hah! Hahahaha! I do!” Gu Hai guffawed.
Although Gu Hai did not show it on his face, he felt an extreme hatred in his heart.
When the Azure Emperor led over a group of people and killed Chen Xianer, this person—Gong Tian—had been there.
“Mister Gu, I’ve already told you everything that I should. I don’t know anything more,” Yun Mo said while shaking his head.
“It’s enough. This much is enough,” Gu Hai said with slightly narrowed eyes.
“Your Majesty, that Seven Kills is also the Azure Emperor’s man,” Bing Ji said.
“Oh?” Gu Hai’s expression turned serious.
“He should be one of the Azure Emperor’s trusted men. As I used to be a part of the Solar Divine Palace, I learned of it by chance,” Bing Ji explained.
“We got it.” Gu Hai gently tapped the armrest with his finger.
“Your Majesty, are you planning to deal with Gong Tian? What should we officials do?” Mo Yike asked with a frown.
“You don’t have to do anything. Mister Mo, Bing Ji, there is no need for you to remain here. Take the invitation to the Ten Thousand Sages Convention and bring a group of officials following us along. Immediately head to Heavenly Court City. We need you to bring glory to the Han Royal Dynasty. We have to let everyone know that the Han Royal Dynasty is there to participate in the Ten Thousand Sages Convention,” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Then…then, what about Your Majesty?” Bing Ji asked worriedly.
“Just do as I say,” Gu Hai said.
“Your Majesty, that Gong Tian is a Middle Heavenly Palace Realm expert. How about we leave Qin Zibai behind to help you? Mister Mo, what do you think?” Bing Ji suggested worriedly.
Before Mo Yike could say anything, Gu Hai shook his head and said, “There’s no need. You can go first. Qin Zibai should protect Mo Yike. Nothing must go wrong.”
At the side, Qin Zibai frowned slightly as he nodded.
Bing Ji still felt worried about Gu Hai. However, Gu Hai just shook his head and bade them do as he instructed.
After leaving the hall, Gu Hai sent off Mo Yike, Bing Ji, and the others. Then, he turned his head to look in the Silver Moon Sea’s direction.
“Mister Gu, why did you let them go first?” Yun Mo asked.
“Mister Mo and the others are the most precious people of the Han Nation. Seven Kills has astonishing hearing, so they cannot remain here. Furthermore, my Han Royal Dynasty needs to spread its name during this Ten Thousand Sages Convention,” Gu Hai explained in a heavy voice.
Yun Mo frowned, not really understanding.
“That’s right. To thank Mister Gu for today, Yun Mo has a gift for Mister Gu.” Yun Mo smiled.
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“Oh?”
“Mister Gu, this way, please!” Yun Mo invited.
Gu Hai appeared puzzled as he followed Yun Mo further into the mountain manor. They entered an underground room, which had many sound isolation ritual arrays in the surroundings. Soon, they reached the lowest level of that underground area: an open space.
At this moment, one hundred bronze statues stood in this open space.
“Zither puppets?” Gu Hai felt slightly startled.
When Gu Hai approached and saw the bronze statues’ appearance, his expression changed. “The heaven-grade zither Army Breaker?”
“Army Breaker already died. Back then, Mister Gu gave me his shattered body. These are the zither puppets I made based on that construct. They are still far from being heaven-grade zithers. However, they are no inferior to ordinary zither puppets.” Yun Mo smiled.