466: Chapter 466 The Responsibility of the Returnees

Yun Xi listened to the zither music, her eyes filled with surprise: "Master, this is more than twice as strong as the original Soul Suppressing Melody of Tianyin Pavilion."

Luo Li shook her head: "It is still not enough. The sound-killing techniques of the Dark Palace are even more bizarre than those of the Charm Clan; our musical defense line still needs to be strengthened."

During this period, although Elder Qingfeng did not participate in the teaching, she secretly observed Luo Li's instruction.

She saw Luo Li immersed in the music room from morning till night every day, patiently guiding every Disciple without ever losing her temper.

She saw Luo Li organizing her own cultivation insights into volumes and transcribing them for every Disciple.

She saw Luo Li sitting in front of the heavenly sound zither for an entire day, just to study the subtle changes of a single note.

Elder Qingfeng did not say anything, but her attitude had clearly softened.

One evening, Elder Qingfeng stood at the entrance of the music room for a long time.

Luo Li was teaching her Disciples, and the zither music curled in the air.

After the Disciples dispersed, Elder Qingfeng walked in and remained silent for a moment.

She said, "Your 'Star Battle Song' is indeed good, but the Foundation of Tianyin Pavilion is the 'Tianyin Secret Tome'."

"If you can Master the ninth level of the 'Tianyin Secret Tome', I will acknowledge you as a member of Tianyin Pavilion."

After saying this, she turned and left.

Elder Mingyue walked out from behind a pillar and sighed as he watched her back.

He said, "Qingfeng has actually acknowledged you long ago; she just can't bring herself to admit it."

"She has been blaming herself all these years, feeling that she did not protect Elder Qin well back then, and she has never forgiven herself."

Luo Li did not say anything; she did not need Elder Qingfeng's acknowledgment, but she would Master the ninth level of the 'Tianyin Secret Tome'.

It was not to prove anything, but because that was the Foundation of Tianyin Pavilion, the life's work of Elder Qin, and she could not let it be lost.

Late at night, Luo Li sat alone on the peak of Tianyin Mountain, gazing at the starry sky.

The heavenly sound zither rested on her lap, its body emitting a faint glow under the moonlight.

Yun Xi walked over quietly, sat down beside her, and asked softly, "Master, what are you thinking about?"

Luo Li was silent for a while and said, "I am thinking of someone."

Yun Xi asked if it was Gao Feng, and Luo Li did not deny it.

She said, "He taught me one thing—protection is not a one-person job; it requires everyone to work together."

Yun Xi held her hand and said, "Master, Tianyin Pavilion is also your home. We will all stay with you."

Luo Li smiled, her eyes slightly moist.

She looked up at the stars in the sky and said that in one year she would return to the War God Pavilion, but during this year, she would teach them everything.

"The musical defense line needs someone to maintain it, the 'Star Battle Song' needs someone to carry on its Legacy, and Tianyin Pavilion needs someone to protect it. You must take up this responsibility."

Yun Xi nodded vigorously.

In the distance, the copper bells of the Lingxiao Sound Hall rang crisply in the night wind.

Luo Li opened the rubbing of the 'Tianyin Secret Tome', and on the first page were written eight characters: "Sound is born from the heart, and the heart moves with the sound."

She closed her eyes, her Divine Sense sinking into those ancient characters, and those musical notes flowed in her Sea of Consciousness.

The heavenly sound zither glowed slightly on her lap, as if the zither spirit was saying: "I will accompany you."

Moonlight like water spilled onto the peak of Tianyin Mountain. Luo Li's figure appeared exceptionally firm under the moonlight.

She had finally returned here; this time, she would not run away again.

Beneath the main peak of Tianyin Mountain, the entrance to an abandoned mine had been blocked by a giant boulder for who knows how many years.

The surface of the giant boulder was carved with dense musical Formation patterns, which remained clearly visible despite the erosion of time, each line glowing faintly, like sleeping eyes.

Luo Li stood before the giant boulder, holding the heavenly sound zither in her arms, and the zither spirit leaped gently within the zither body, as if reminding her of the danger ahead.

Elder Mingyue followed behind her, his face full of worry: "Luo Li, are you really going? The musical Formation in the abandoned mine was left by ancient Cultivators and has been running for thousands of years."

"No one knows what the situation is inside. Back when Tianyin Pavilion was at its peak, an Elder once went in to investigate and never came out."

Luo Li nodded, her tone calm yet firm: "I need the Tianyin Stone. Only by breaking through to the ninth level of the 'Tianyin Secret Tome' can I establish a complete musical defense line in Tianyin Pavilion."

"The sound-killing techniques of the Dark Palace are more bizarre than those of the Charm Clan; we need stronger power to resist them."

Elder Mingyue opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing more.

He took a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it to Luo Li, saying that this was a relic of that Elder from back then, and he had never found an opportunity to put it into the mine; if she encountered her remnant soul, she should return it to her for him.

Luo Li took the jade pendant; it was warm, and a "Moon" character was carved on it. She tucked the jade pendant into her bosom and walked to the giant boulder.

The musical Formation patterns on the giant boulder sensed her approach and began to glow.

The light went from dark red to bright yellow, from bright yellow to silver-white, and finally became blinding.

Luo Li sat cross-legged, placed the heavenly sound zither across her lap, and placed her ten fingers on the strings.

She closed her eyes and played the 'Pure Heart Melody'.

The zither music flowed from her fingertips, resonating with the Formation patterns on the giant boulder.

The light of the Formation patterns pulsed with the zither music, like countless butterflies dancing on the stone surface.

When the song ended, the giant boulder slowly moved aside, revealing a deep, dark passage.

A damp and cold wind surged out from the passage, mixed with the scent of soil and Ore.

Luo Li stood up, held the heavenly sound zither, and stepped into the passage.

Elder Mingyue called out a warning from behind, but she did not turn back, only raising her hand to wave.

The walls on both sides of the passage were carved with musical Formation patterns; with every step she took, the patterns emitted different musical notes.

Some were as pleasant as the flowing of a mountain spring, some as grating as the clashing of swords, some as deafening as a thunderclap, and some were silent yet made one's heart palpitate.

Luo Li constantly adjusted the frequency with the heavenly sound zither to stay in sync with the Formation patterns.

The zither spirit assisted her from within the zither body; whenever the music of the Formation patterns was too intense, the zither spirit would absorb part of the power to share the pressure for her.

She walked for about half an hour.

The passage became wider and wider, the dome higher and higher, and stalactites began to appear on the walls on both sides.

The stalactites shimmered with a silver-white luster in the faint light of the Formation patterns, like countless inverted swords.

At the end of the passage was a huge underground cavern.

The cavern was circular, with a diameter of about two hundred zhang, the dome was covered with stalactites, and the ground was covered with white Ore fragments.

Those fragments emitted a soft glow in the darkness, like moonlight shattered all over the ground.

In the center of the cavern was a huge Tianyin Stone.

It was as tall as a person, entirely silver-white, and its surface flowed with fine patterns, like a solidified galaxy.

It emitted a soft silver-white light, illuminating the entire cavern as if it were daytime.

But standing before the Tianyin Stone was a person.

No, not a person. It was a phantom image.

A woman dressed in white robes, with delicate features and long hair draped over her shoulders, holding a white jade flute in her hand.

Her figure was semi-transparent, and one could see the Tianyin Stone behind her through her.

A faint light surrounded her, a light that was not dazzling but made one feel an indescribable tranquility.

Luo Li stopped, held her zither, and bowed: "Junior Luo Li, Disciple of Tianyin Pavilion, greets Senior."

The phantom of the woman in white spoke, her voice ethereal, as if coming from a very distant place: "Junior of Tianyin Pavilion, that you can walk here shows that your attainments in music are not low."

"But if you want to take away the Tianyin Stone, you need to pass my test."

"I am the third-generation Pavilion Master of Tianyin Pavilion, the Sound Fairy, Bai Zhi."

"This mine was sealed by my own hands, and the Tianyin Stone was also left by me."

"Only by passing my test can you take it away."

Luo Li raised her head and looked at the phantom of Bai Zhi.

The third-generation Pavilion Master—that was a figure from thousands of years ago.

Her remnant soul had guarded this place for thousands of years, just waiting for a Junior qualified to inherit the Tianyin Stone.

"Please, Senior, instruct me."

Bai Zhi nodded, raised the white jade flute, and played a song.

The tune was at times high-pitched like a Dragon's roar, at times low like a Phoenix's cry, at times joyful like a hundred birds paying homage to the Phoenix, and at times sorrowful like a lonely goose separated from its flock.

The flute sound echoed in the cavern, resonating with the stalactites on the dome, producing a humming sound.

When the song ended, Bai Zhi asked: "How many turns are there in this song? What is the emotion of each one?"

Luo Li closed her eyes and listened, breaking down the melody into countless tiny fragments in her mind, every turn, every note clearly distinguishable.

She used the heavenly sound zither to record every detail of the melody, and the zither spirit assisted her in analyzing it from within the zither body.

A moment later, she opened her eyes and replied: "Seven turns. The first is joy, the second is sorrow, the third is anger, the fourth is longing, the fifth is fear, the sixth is shock, and the seventh is... calm."

The phantom of Bai Zhi vibrated slightly, and surprise flashed in her eyes: "Not bad. You can hear that the seventh is 'calm', which shows that your state of mind has reached the Realm of 'not rejoicing in external things, nor sorrowing over one's own plight'. You have passed this test."

Bai Zhi raised the white jade flute and played the 'Soul Suppressing Melody'.

The song was more powerful than any version Luo Li had heard before, the flute sound turning into invisible sound waves that pierced directly into Luo Li's Sea of Consciousness.

Wherever the sound waves passed, the stalactites in the cavern fell one after another, smashing to pieces on the ground.

Luo Li felt her heart and spirit trembling violently, and illusions began to appear before her eyes—she saw the face of Elder Qin before he died, saw the tragic state of Tianyin Pavilion when it was invaded by the Charm Clan, and saw her own back as she fled Tianyin Pavilion in panic.

She gritted her teeth and played the 'Star Battle Song' with the heavenly sound zither to resist.

The two melodies collided in the air, causing the walls of the cavern to hum.

Bai Zhi's 'Soul Suppressing Melody' was an ancient version, its power far exceeding any musical Spell Luo Li had ever seen.

Although Luo Li's 'Star Battle Song' was exquisite, it was at a disadvantage in terms of pure power.

She was suppressed and forced to retreat step by step, and the strings of the heavenly sound zither began to tremble.

The zither spirit leaped anxiously within the zither body, its thoughts transmitting into Luo Li's Sea of Consciousness—Master, I cannot hold on.

Luo Li gritted her teeth. She could not lose; she could not lose here.

She remembered Gao Feng's words—combat is not a one-person job.

Her Divine Sense connected with the zither spirit of the heavenly sound zither, letting the zither spirit share the pressure.

At the same time, she used the 'Star Battle Song' as the core, incorporated some techniques from the 'Tianyin Secret Tome', and fused the essence of the two songs together.

The power of the zither spirit surged into her Meridians, causing her spiritual power to skyrocket by a large margin.

She injected this power into the strings and played a new melody.

Star Soul Suppressing Melody.

As soon as the new song was played, Bai Zhi's 'Soul Suppressing Melody' was countered.

Sound waves surged from Luo Li's strings, collided with Bai Zhi's flute sound, and neutralized Bai Zhi's offensive one by one.

The phantom of Bai Zhi took a step back, her eyes filled with surprise: "You... actually created a new song in the middle of battle?"