Zither Emperor

[C81] ZE Chapter 21.1

Chapter 21 – Eastern Dragon Sect of Painting (I)

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Zi closed his eyes, his resolute face displaying a relaxed expression. He didn’t bother watching. At this very moment, his two hands clasped over his heart. A layer of light violet crystal was already beginning to form. Ye Yin Zhu’s body released a light yellow magic, which quietly invaded his body.

In the Equal Life Contract, if one’s strengths fundamentally changed and evolved, the other would also benefit immensely.

“Ah——!” A bloodcurdling screech suddenly rang from the sky, marring the beautiful artistry of << Flock of Geese on the Shore >>.

Nesta had also become completely immersed in << Flock of Geese on the Shore >>, but that sudden intense and heavy sound had woken him up. To his immense horror, he discovered that he and his Red Dragon were no longer flying, instead falling at a steep dive towards the ground.

<< Flock of Geese on the Shore >> was one of the famous nine great songs of the Zither Sect. Its effect: Forbidden Sky.

Unless one were three levels higher than the musician, all creatures with flight capability would inevitably drop from the sky upon hearing this song. With Ye Yin Zhu’s current magic rank, Primary Level Cyan Rank, flying creatures of lower abilities fell under the influence of this song. As one of the famed nine great songs of the Zither Sect, << Flock of Geese on the Shore >> required his heart and soul to be in harmony in order to perform it. With Zi by his side, Ye Yin Zhu could now bring out the full might of the song and stay unaffected by its power.

“Zi—save them.” << Flock of Geese on the Shore >> hadn’t stopped playing, yet Ye Yin Zhu had suddenly raised his head to look up at the falling Nesta in the sky.

Absorbed in the zither song, Zi’s brows furrowed slightly, but he still dashed forward. His right leg abruptly pushed off against the ground, leaving an impression about a meter deep. His body, with the help of the tremendous force he exerted from the ground, flew directly upward, arriving beneath the falling Red Dragon in the blink of an eye. His two hands formed a circular support arrangement just as the Red Dragon fell onto it. Zi let loose a low roar as he propped up the dragon and started pushing it in the opposite direction. A powerful force dispersed its gravitational acceleration. He then flung Nesta and his Red Dragon Degas away.

The Red Dragon’s gigantic body rolled as it hit the ground, stopping 10 meters away from Ye Yin Zhu. At this moment, Nesta’s heavy armor had already cracked open. If his right hand hadn’t held firmly onto his Red Dragon Degas’s back scales, then he would have already been thrown away.

Ye Yin Zhu’s eight fingers quietly concluded << Flock of Geese on the Shore >>, with its three upward, three downward strum rhythm. His gaze was full of adoration as he looked at Zi, who had returned to his side. His handsome, graceful face held a trace of a heartfelt smile.

Zi nodded to Yin Zhu. “There are a lot of people here; I’ll leave first. I’ll find you later.”

Milky white and violet rays of light shone from their bodies, and Zi once again became an illusionary figure. He merged with Ye Yin Zhu’s body, disappearing.

The Blood Soul Spear stabbed into the ground as Nesta gasped heavily for air. “Ye Yin Zhu, you win.” After he said that, his gaze become abnormally cold. “But I don’t understand why you deceived me; was it in order to catch me off guard?”

“Deceive you? I didn’t!” Ye Yin Zhu looked at him, surprised.

Nesta snorted coldly. “I told you to summon your magical beast earlier and you replied that you didn’t have one. Who was that just now? Only a rank 9 magical beast or Netherworld Spirit magical beast can take human form.”

Ye Yin Zhu shook his head and said, “I really didn’t deceive you. Zi isn’t my magical beast; he is my friend, my partner.”

“Degas is also my partner. Do your words hold any meaning?” Nesta snarled. Originally, Ye Yin Zhu’s formidable strength had already gained his respect, but at this very moment, his opponent’s deception had caused him to change his attitude and view of Ye Yin Zhu.

“No, he didn’t deceive you. He spoke the truth.” A faint violet radiance swirled down. The two of them didn’t know when, but President Ferguson had already arrived beside them.

Nesta looked at him and curtly asked, “What?”

Ferguson explained, “His definition of partner is different from yours. Perhaps you view your Red Dragon as your partner, but the two of you are still in a Master-Slave Contract. Ye Yin Zhu and his partner, however, are actually in an Equal Contract. On this point, you cannot rebuke his qualifications of using the word ‘partner’. This match is indisputable. Ye Yin Zhu hasn’t violated any competition rules, and you have already lost the ability to fight. I declare that today’s battle is the Divine Music division’s victory.”

All of the students of the Martial Arts Department watching the battle were silent. Meanwhile, the side of the Magic Department burst into earth-shattering applause. They knew that this Freshman Competition Championship would belong to the Magic Department once more. Although the other semifinal match had yet to begin, the Summon division’s freshmen were exceedingly powerful. By no means would the Martial Arts Department’s second ranked Heavy Sword division be capable of defeating them.

Nesta’s gaze towards Ye Yin Zhu changed. Naturally, he didn’t harbor even the slightest of suspicions about Ferguson’s words. He bitterly laughed. “I’m sorry. Maybe because I’m somewhat unwilling to accept my defeat, but I tried to find some reason against it. This is your victory. When I believe I can once again challenge your strength, I will come find you.”

Nesta’s honesty made Ye Yin Zhu smile. “Alright. I will wait for you. As you said, you will only become more powerful when you continuously challenge those stronger than you. Just a moment ago, I have proven this point.”

Nesta looked at Ye Yin Zhu’s clear eyes before laughing boisterously. “Good. Not only have we become rivals, we’ve also become friends as well. I am Nesta, and here’s a new friend.”

“Good!”

At this moment, Ferguson abruptly interrupted with a serene look, “Ye Yin Zhu, follow me. I need to ask you something.”

The first semifinal match concluded. The Divine Music division, the dark horse of the Freshman Competition, had advanced once more, depending solely on Ye Yin Zhu’s strength. In an unanimously acclaimed and impossible situation, they had violently fought their way to the finals. Instantly, the title of Divine Music mage had become the most popular topic in the Milan Institution for Magic and Martial Arts. In addition, Ye Yin Zhu had also become the most talked about person in the institution.

Ye Yin Zhu followed Ferguson, arriving at his residence—the Presidential Pagoda.

“Ye Yin Zhu, tell me why your Red Rank magic suddenly broke through to the Yellow Rank.” Standing in the center of the room, Ferguson stared at the youth with a strange look.

Ye Yin Zhu blanked out before shaking his head and saying, “I cannot say.” Although he was honest, he also knew that this Zither Sect secret absolutely could not be known by outsiders.

Ferguson laughed. “Little boy, you are indeed honest and lovable. You do not know, however, that today’s events have given you a lot of trouble.”

“Trouble? Why?”

Ferguson explained, “All cultivators are bound within the Rainbow Ranking’s restricted regulations. As such, transcending beyond this regulation is considered heresy. I must report this to the Blue Dias Seven Pagoda and allow them to handle it. Today, your magic rank suddenly leapt past the three levels of the Orange Rank. Tell me; should I send you off to the Blue Dias Seven Pagoda?”

“Blue Dias Seven Pagoda? No, I don’t want to go. Grandfather told me that it is a very dangerous place.” Ye Yin Zhu immediately shook his head. He clearly recalled every discussion his two grandfathers had of the Blue Dias Seven Pagoda. His appearance became very unsightly. Although they hadn’t elaborated on what kind of place the Blue Dias Seven Pagoda was, it was unlikely to be a good place.

Ferguson countered, “Many people have witnessed today’s match, however. If you don’t want to go to the Blue Dias Seven Pagoda, then I will need good justification from you in order to resolve this matter. Are you aware of how many mouths I must silence?”

Ye Yin Zhu scratched his head. “I, I also don’t know.”