Chapter 971: The Sun's Musician

East Ghost Island was once an ally of the Seven Blood Eyes. This alliance has become extremely close. Furthermore, with the rise of the Seven Blood Eyes in Feng Hai County and its indirect influence on the Saint Ocean Domain and Black Spirit Domain, East Ghost Island has also achieved a hegemonic status in the Forbidden Sea.

The Elder of East Ghost Island, Yanyan's grandmother, shares a deep personal friendship with Blood Refiner. In fact, over the years, some audacious disciples within the Seven Blood Eyes have occasionally speculated that Patriarch Blood Refiner and the Elder of East Ghost Island, widowed early in life, seem to be developing a relationship that extends beyond mere companionship. This is evident from Blood Refiner’s frequent visits to East Ghost Island over the years, where he often stays for several months at a time.

At this moment, all cultivators on East Ghost Island wore solemn expressions and maintained a high level of vigilance. In the very center of the island, on a tall formation platform, a woman sat cross-legged. Although time had left its mark on her, it was evident in her physical growth and an increasingly enchanting beauty. Her pale complexion, sickly weakness, exquisite beauty, and the black long dress she wore were complemented by the sets of beloved weapons arranged around her. She was Yanyan.

However, she lay with her eyes closed as if asleep, yet her eyelashes occasionally trembled violently. Her expression fluctuated between fierce, terrified, and filled with pain, giving a clear impression of abnormality. But her body was the most unusual. When Xu Qing first met Yanyan years ago, he immediately sensed her uniqueness: she was a rare individual completely free of foreign matter (heterogeneity) within her body. It's important to understand that foreign matter, a divine breath, is ubiquitous on the Wanggu Continent. Only high-level cultivators can expel it from their bodies, making it nearly impossible for low-level cultivators to be free of it. Xu Qing was an exception due to his violet crystal. Yanyan, however, was an exception due to her special, unknown constitution.

But now, a wisp of black mist was forming within her body, which had previously been entirely free of foreign matter. That was foreign matter. Fortunately, the moment this foreign matter appeared, the ground around her glowed with formation light. As a roar echoed, a vast power surged from the formation, purifying and expelling all foreign matter within its bounds. It also descended upon Yanyan, instantly dispelling the black mist growing within her. As the foreign matter vanished, the pain on Yanyan's face disappeared, and her breathing became even, as if she were truly asleep. Seeing this, Blood Refiner and Yanyan's grandmother, who were controlling the formation nearby, each let out a sigh of relief.

"How about that? With just a slight intervention, I nearly resolved this, didn't I? This formation array, with a single word from me, was immediately sent over from Feng Hai County!" Blood Refiner coughed and addressed Yanyan's grandmother, "This array is extraordinary. In the Human Imperial Capital, only families of the Heavenly Marquis level can possess it! Don't worry, my obedient grand-disciple will be here shortly. Once he cooperates with me, this matter will be resolved! It's no big deal. So what if she was gazed upon and targeted by a divine creature? It's easily resolved!" Blood Refiner lifted his chin and spoke nonchalantly.

Yanyan's grandmother, standing nearby, glanced at Blood Refiner, wanting to say something, but ultimately held back and nodded. "Roughly how long will it take?"

Seeing Yanyan's grandmother acknowledge him this way, Blood Refiner's heart swelled with pride. "Don't worry, since I've spoken, this matter is already half-resolved! After all, you know my current status isn't ordinary! My disciple is very likely to be a Summer Immortal! The master of a Summer Immortal, you understand?" Blood Refiner stroked his beard, looking utterly pleased with himself.

Hearing these words, the Elder of East Ghost Island, who had bickered with Blood Refiner for most of her life, simply couldn't hold back. "You really have the gall to claim that!"

At that, Blood Refiner chuckled. "Why wouldn't I have the nerve? I'm still Old Seven's father-in-law! What, don't you want to become his mother-in-law? It's a rare opportunity!" Yanyan's grandmother was speechless at this remark. Blood Refiner was delighted. "Even if you don't acknowledge me as the master of a Summer Immortal, it's a fact that I have two grand-disciples, isn't it? One is the Lord of the Human Race's Heaven-Suppressing King's Second Great Domain, the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, and the future Imperial Tutor. The other is the companion of the Flame Phoenix."

Yanyan's grandmother spoke indifferently. "Aren't there two more?"

Blood Refiner waved his hand. "I don't remember."

"You're truly a wonderful grand-master!" Yanyan's grandmother snorted.

Blood Refiner raised his white eyebrow, about to speak, but the next instant, both of them looked up simultaneously at the sky. At that moment, thunder boomed in the sky, and streaks of lightning snaked from afar, rapidly approaching before instantly exploding over East Ghost Island. Yet, oddly, these explosions were completely silent. This eerie sight shocked the cultivators on East Ghost Island, and even Blood Refiner and the Elder of East Ghost Island felt a tremor in their hearts.

Amidst the silent flashes of lightning, a figure suddenly emerged, taking a single step that brought them directly to the center of the island, just outside the formation platform. The moment he appeared, Xu Qing offered a heartfelt and respectful bow to Blood Refiner and the Elder of East Ghost Island.

"Greetings, Grand-master, and Senior East Ghost!"

After receiving his second senior sister's message, Xu Qing activated the Divine Authority of Sound to arrive more quickly, and the silent thunder earlier was a manifestation of this divine authority's power. Only by doing so could he traverse the Forbidden Sea at the fastest speed; otherwise, it would take a very long time. Therefore, it wasn't done intentionally.

"My good grand-disciple, haha, it's been a long time since your grand-master saw you. Excellent, excellent, your current demeanor is very much like your grand-master's back in the day!" Blood Refiner suppressed his inner shock and burst into laughter, stroking his beard. Xu Qing's reverence brought comfort to his old heart, and he couldn't help but recall the first time he saw Xu Qing years ago. Now, with the passage of time, that young boy had become a marquis.

The Elder of East Ghost Island's heart also churned. After taking a deep breath, she nodded towards Xu Qing. Only then did Xu Qing straighten up, his gaze falling upon Yanyan's figure on the formation platform.

"Grand-master, have you summoned your disciple here because of Yanyan's situation?" Xu Qing saw the anomaly at a glance.

"Precisely. Several months ago, in the dead of night, an unknown divine creature, for reasons unknown, gazed upon Yanyan from the seabed, establishing a connection with her and continuously summoning her. Before you arrived, I used an anomaly-expelling array to purify her. Now that you're here, you can take over." When discussing serious matters, Blood Refiner's voice became more solemn. After all, it concerned Yanyan, the Elder of East Ghost Island's only blood relative.

Hearing this, Xu Qing's expression also grew stern. "I'll go check."

With that, Xu Qing took a step, entering the formation platform and standing before Yanyan. Divine runes flickered in his eyes, and his perception of Yanyan was now different from what he saw with his naked eyes. Streaks of black mist coiled around Yanyan's body. These black mists, like silent phantoms and malevolent spirits, emitted silent roars as they continuously swirled and gathered above Yanyan's head. They formed a cluster of mist that was difficult to discern with the naked eye. Within the mist cluster, under Xu Qing's divine perception, a hand existed. It was a severed hand of a woman. On its palm, there was an eye, currently closed, as if sleeping.

A cold aura rose in Xu Qing's eyes. He raised his right index finger, about to press it against Yanyan's glabella. But at that very moment, perhaps due to his arrival and the aura he emitted, Yanyan, who was extremely familiar with this aura, suddenly awoke from her slumber. Her phoenix-like eyes opened, gazing intently at Xu Qing.

"Brother Xu Qing..."

A murmur escaped Yanyan's lips, and then her entire expression changed, revealing a myriad of emotions: joy, infatuation, dependence, and docility. What made Yanyan's grandmother and Blood Refiner, who were nearby, feel even stranger was that Yanyan's eyes were filled with anticipation, and she actually opened her cherry-like mouth when Xu Qing extended his finger.

Xu Qing fell silent, his finger pausing. Seeing Xu Qing remain silent, Yanyan's expression dimmed, as if a blooming flower had instantly withered. Even her will to survive seemed to diminish, and the black mist surrounding her, invisible to outsiders, instantly turned menacing. Seeing this, Xu Qing sighed and placed his finger beside Yanyan's lips. The moment it touched, a light seemed to emanate from Yanyan. She immediately drew Xu Qing's finger into her mouth, sucking on it while her tongue instinctively moved around his finger. The infatuation on her face deepened.

The Elder of East Ghost Island was silent. Blood Refiner blinked, looked at the Elder of East Ghost Island, and also fell silent.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing allowed Yanyan's actions. His divine perception spread out at that moment, enveloping Yanyan. Through physical contact and the fusion of perceptions, he followed the black mist on Yanyan's destiny, extending it towards the Forbidden Sea. Deeper and deeper.

Until an unknown amount of time passed, deep within the dark seabed, Xu Qing heard a mournful sound, like wailing and howling. It came from malevolent spirits. Not just one, but countless. In the seabed, as perceived by his divine sense, a ruined palace seemed to exist within the mud, like a small part of a vast palace complex. It was now a ruin of time. And on this ruin, countless malevolent spirits were sprawled. Their appearance was grotesque and utterly eerie, but they clearly hadn't noticed Xu Qing. They were screaming on their own, their piercing, soul-shaking cries reverberating endlessly.

This scene made Xu Qing's heart tense. It felt very familiar. The same sounds, the same boundless malevolent spirits—he had seen them years ago on the Forbidden Sea. That was the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade.

The Boundless Sea holds wondrous music, unheard by mortals. It accompanies the Crimson Sun Golden Crow, with a hundred sounds forming a melody, hailed as the sound of nature welcoming the moon. Deities delighted in it, gazing with closed eyes. This turned the Boundless Sea into a forbidden realm and the hundred sounds into an eerie resonance. Xu Qing still remembered these words, recorded in the Sea Annals.

Especially now, in this ruin filled with endless malevolent spirits, his divine perception allowed him to see the divine creature connected to Yanyan. It was a slender, severed hand, clearly belonging to a woman. It was a massive hundred zhang long, resting within the ruins. The eye on its palm was closed, but its fingers were moving. And as its fingers moved... the mournful, piercing wails of the malevolent spirits actually fluctuated. It was as if these sounds from the malevolent spirits were being played by it.

"Could this be the origin of the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade?" Seeing all this through his divine perception, a strange light gleamed in Xu Qing's eyes. He suddenly had a feeling that the Golden Crow Imperial Carriage, which he had been searching for without success, seemed to become a possibility at this very moment.

After a moment of thought, while his divine perception locked onto the severed hand, his body standing on the island's formation platform suddenly spoke. "Grand-master, I don't know much about the legends of the Forbidden Sea. You are so learned and knowledgeable, do you know of any legends concerning a hand and related to the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade? This hand seems capable of controlling the sounds of the hundred ghosts!"

Blood Refiner paused upon hearing this, falling into thought. The Elder of East Ghost Island, beside him, suddenly spoke at this moment. "Regarding the rumors of the Forbidden Sea, this old woman knows a bit more! According to your description, there's a rumor that fits very well! The Hundred Ghosts Night Parade, legend says, originates from the Golden Crow Sun! The legend states that before the Golden Crow fell, it would ride its imperial carriage to the celestial dome every day, transforming into the sun to illuminate Wanggu Continent. At night, it would return to its solar palace, where a musician would play the ethereal music of welcoming the moon, thus summoning the moon to ascend into the sky! When the Half-Face descended and the Golden Crow fell, the Boundless Sea became forbidden, and the hundred sounds turned eerie. The musician who played the ethereal music of welcoming the moon for it also melted, leaving only one hand, which fell into the Forbidden Sea!"

The Elder of East Ghost Island looked towards Xu Qing. "Xu Qing, have you... found that legendary hand?"