Chapter 1802: Playing a Tune on the Zither

Several figures flew out from Fire Cloud Peak, each one panicked and at a loss.

Qianye, Yi Qingxiang, Jiang Xueyan, and the others were now all in tattered clothes, like beggars.

Song Ting, Duan Qinghong, Zhong Hanlin, and others looked even more miserable, severely injured and on the verge of death.

Under the siege of the three great ferocious beasts, this group had narrowly broken through the encirclement, but the price they paid was extremely heavy.

Qianye's face was ashen, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Damn it! Fifth-rank ferocious beasts are all extremely proud; how could they possibly join forces with others?"

Jiang Xueyan no longer had any trace of a fairy maiden's demeanor; she looked more like a madwoman.

Hearing Qianye's words, she panted heavily and said, "These three ferocious beasts should be the overlords of Fire Cloud Peak; how could they appear in the same area at the same time?"

Chiba snorted coldly and said, "Forget about him. Since those three ferocious beasts all appeared in the same area, that kid must be dead, not even a scrap left."

The others heard this and nodded in agreement.

Although they were very puzzled, they no longer wanted to come to Fire Cloud Peak.

Anyway, judging from the traces, Ye Yuan had definitely entered that area, and there could only be one outcome awaiting him.

Having confirmed Ye Yuan was dead, they naturally had no interest in what was strange about this remote place.

Yi Qingxiang cursed angrily, "That kid is dead, but he made us suffer such injuries. He really deserves to die!"

Jiang Xueyan said coldly, "Enough, stop the nonsense! If that kid hadn't died, he would have been too great a threat to our three factions! Hurry up and take those two back, or they'll really die!"

Chiba and Yi Qingxiang's expressions changed, and with a cold snort, they flew toward Tianying Peak.

……

A few years later, a strikingly elegant figure arrived at Tianying Peak, immediately drawing sidelong glances.

“Hey, isn’t that Bai Liqingyan from Tianpeng Peak? Why would she come to our Tianying Peak?”

“She’s truly beautiful! What’s more, her talent is terrifying—I heard she’s already broken through to Half-God in just a few years since joining.”

“What a prodigy! The sect is now pouring all its resources into training her, planning to have her participate in the upcoming Huangling Tournament.”

……

In recent years, Bai Liqingyan had been unmatched in fame within the Shadow Moon Sect.

Her talent completely overshadowed her peers, and even some veteran genius disciples were firmly outshone by her.

The requirements for participating in the Huangling Tournament were extremely strict: bone age must not exceed two thousand years, and one must be a Heavenly God realm cultivator.

In the entire Shadow Moon Sect, only a handful met these conditions.

Jiang Xueyan, Chiba, and the like were all strong contenders for the spots in this Huangling Tournament.

Yet compared to Bai Liqingyan, their talents still fell short.

Bai Liqingyan’s stunning performance during the entrance examination, combined with the formidable strength of the Yao Chi faction, led the sect to allocate a vast amount of resources to her.

With talent and resources combined, Bai Liqingyan’s strength advanced by leaps and bounds, showing a clear trend of overtaking from behind.

In just a few years, Bai Liqingyan was already on the verge of breaking through to the Heavenly God realm.

For ordinary disciples, this step, though not an insurmountable chasm, was absolutely impossible to achieve in such a short time.

“Junior brother, where is Ye Yuan?”

Baili Qingyan stopped a disciple of the Divine Lord Ninth Heaven Sect, and that disciple immediately felt dizzy, his chest filled with a sense of happiness.

But as for this question, he clearly did not know the answer.

After asking several people in a row, no one knew who Ye Yuan was, which made Baili Qingyan puzzled.

"Impossible! With his talent, how could he be unknown in Tianying Peak?"

With doubts, Baili Qingyan found the disciple in charge of assigning caves.

"Junior brother, I am Baili Qingyan from Tianpeng Peak. I want to check Ye Yuan's residence."

By now, Baili Qingyan had gradually developed an air of authority.

When speaking with ordinary disciples, she was like a fairy in the clouds, making people dare not look directly at her.

But only toward Ye Yuan, she still couldn't let go.

Wang Quan was dead, so the disciple here had naturally been replaced. However, even if Baili Qingyan didn't introduce herself, he recognized her and naturally wouldn't refuse.

He checked and soon saw Ye Yuan's name. His expression changed, and he said, "Junior Brother Ye was sent to Huoyun Peak. I'm afraid..."

Baili Qingyan's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately had a bad feeling. She urged, "Afraid of what?"

The disciple said, "Huoyun Peak has not been developed. It's full of fierce beasts, including many fifth-rank ones. No disciple sent to open caves there has ever returned alive. Junior Brother Ye has had no news for several years. I'm afraid... he has already perished on Huoyun Peak."

Baili Qingyan's expression changed, and she said coldly, "Nonsense! With Ye Yuan's strength, how could he die at the hands of fierce beasts?"

She knew where Ye Yuan had been before; how could he be dead?

Seeing Baili Qingyan lose her temper, the disciple didn't dare to breathe, stammering and unable to speak.

At the same time, he was very curious about who Ye Yuan was, that he could make the goddess so concerned.

Seeing the disciple silent, Baili Qingyan bit her lip, turned and left Tianying Peak, and went to find Jiang Xueyan.

"Senior Sister, was Ye Yuan's matter arranged by you?" Baili Qingyan asked, her face cold as frost.

Jiang Xueyan knew she couldn't hide it for long and smiled, "It has nothing to do with me. It was all arranged by Qianye. If you want revenge, you can go find him."

Baili Qingyan's expression changed, and she said in shock, "Revenge? Is Ye Yuan really... really dead?"

Jiang Xueyan smiled and recounted what happened that day. Baili Qingyan's face turned pale, and a wave of grief surged in her heart.

"What... what's wrong with me? I clearly... clearly hated him! But why... do I feel like crying?"

Seeing this, Jiang Xueyan couldn't help but sigh, "That kid was too arrogant and didn't know how to restrain himself. In Yingyue Sect, he would have died sooner or later. Now that he's dead, it's good. You can focus on cultivation and strive to break through to the Divine Realm early, preparing for the Huangling Martial Meet."

Baili Qingyan ignored her and left dejectedly.

A few days later, Baili Qingyan, dressed in plain clothes, appeared at the summit of Huoyun Peak.

Without makeup, Baili Qingyan, lightly adorned, seemed like a fairy untouched by worldly affairs.

Before her lay a zither.

"You frivolous lecher, I, Baili Qingyan, only play my zither for the one I love! Yet you used this as a threat to make me enter the Yingyue Mountains with you. I hate you! Now that we are separated by life and death, the promise of that day can no longer be fulfilled. Today, I play this tune here, hoping that you, in the underworld, will hear my music."

Her ten fingers moved lightly, and the zither's melody drifted, spreading across the entire Huoyun Peak.

A lonely grave a thousand miles away, nowhere to express desolation.

The music was filled with tenderness and sorrow.

When the tune ended, Baili Qingyan was already in tears.

"So, my zither strings were already plucked by you." Baili Qingyan sobbed.