Chapter 551

Chapter 551: Enlightenment Through the Guqin

The ten-zhang flood dragon surged instantly, unfurling midair to block the white divine rainbow.

The flood dragon sealed within the Transformation Dragon Sword had broken free. Driven by the Immortal artifact’s power, the Dragon’s Soul merged with true qi, transforming into an overwhelming serpentine force.

The beast roared, Dragon Chants reverberating. Had it fully evolved into a divine dragon, this soul might’ve pierced the heavens. Divine dragons represented supreme beings—their appearance throughout human history always heralded great tribulations. Thus cultivators for millennia shaped their techniques into dragon-like forms. Though true qi dragons didn’t enhance power, their divine majesty inspired awe.

This flood dragon soul remained far inferior to true divine dragons. Given another thousand years, it might’ve grown five claws and ascended as a cloud-rending stormbringer. Now trapped in the sword with only sixty percent of its peak strength and no physical form, its power dwindled further.

Yet even diminished, Golden Core cultivators stood no chance. Yin Suxin, at peak Golden Core stage, could normally challenge Second or Third Level Nascent Soul Ancestors. Against this beast, she faced certain doom.

The flood dragon lunged, crushing the white divine rainbow between its jaws. With violent thrashing, the rainbow shattered into fragments that dissolved into nothingness. A faint light returned to Yin Suxin’s hand—her tattered white scarf, once an Immortal artifact, now hung full of holes.

As the serpentine shadow wheeled toward Yin Suxin, Cheng Yuweng barked a command. The ten-zhang beast dove, maw agape.

"You dare?!" Yan Rushui’s figure blurred as she moved to intercept.

Cheng Yuweng waved his arm, erecting a translucent true qi barrier. Though the wall lasted less than breath, it delayed Yan Rushui just enough. The flood dragon reached its target.

"Yan Rushui!" Cheng Yuweng thundered. "Interfere and forfeit!" His true aim wasn’t mere victory—crippling Divine Grace Palace’s second-ranked disciple would weaken their Saint’s Secret Vault prospects.

"Tian Yunzi!" Yan Rushui begged the watching man. "Save her! I’ll owe anything!"

Tian Yunzi chuckled. "Patience. Look."

The flood dragon froze mid-strike. Above Yin Suxin hovered a one-zhang guqin, its vibrating strings releasing celestial notes.

"Golden Core Buddha-like projection?" Yan Rushui gaped. She’d never seen Yin Suxin manifest this.

Divine Grace Palace Master Yu Qingzhi smiled in astonishment. "Music-based enlightenment? Extraordinary!"

Yan Rushui trembled. She’d always scorned her disciple’s devotion to guqin, chess, calligraphy, and painting—frivolities compared to cultivation. Yet this "frivolity" now stayed death itself. The realization kindled shame… then fury.

Yan Rushui believed that if Yin Suxin hadn’t wasted years studying guqin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, her current cultivation level could rival experts at the Fourth Level of the Nascent Soul stage, perhaps even the Fifth Level. She would’ve undoubtedly surpassed Shu Anshi as the top disciple among Divine Grace Palace’s younger generation.

Yet she’d squandered her time on trivial arts. Though she’d formed a Buddha-like projection of the Golden Core through music, this was putting the cart before the horse. Her cultivation path would grow thornier, widening the gap with Shu Anshi. Soon, even Tian Yunzi’s other disciples might outpace her.

Yan Rushui’s glare turned icy, though she held her tongue—the duel between the two wasn’t finished.

“Interfere again, Yan Rushui, and I’ll take action,” Cheng Yuweng’s voice hissed in her ear.

Like water splashing into boiling oil, her pent-up fury erupted. “You dare threaten me, Cheng Yuweng? Think I fear the Misty Sect’s Vice Sect Leader? Let’s see whether you leave Divine Grace Palace alive today!”

She stepped forward, sword gleaming blue in her hand, eyes blazing.

Cheng Yuweng stiffened, then flushed with rage. As Misty Sect’s Vice Sect Leader, he couldn’t back down after her interference and provocation—his reputation in the Great Qin Empire hung in the balance. “You mean to fight?”

“Draw your blades!” Yan Rushui snapped. A metallic chime rang as her sword materialized.

Cheng Yuweng responded by summoning twin war sabers amid swirling light.

“Enough!”

Divine Grace Palace Master Yu Qingzhi’s voice thundered. Crushing pressure pinned both fighters like mountains. Yan Rushui and Cheng Yuweng froze, panic rising as they realized their error—this seemingly mild-mannered leader radiated power matching Tian Yunzi himself.

Yu Qingzhi’s cultivation had reached the Seventh Level of the Nascent Soul stage, bordering the Earth Immortal realm. Cold sweat drenched Cheng Yuweng’s back. Even Misty Sect’s elders rarely exuded such might.

The two rivals retreated, shamefaced, as attention returned to the duel.

“A Golden Core projection… through music?” Cang Ye scoffed, his sword trembling. The ten-zhang Illusory Shadow of the Flood Dragon roared overhead.

“Let’s call this a draw,” Yin Suxin said gently, her guqin hovering.

“Draw?” Cang Ye smirked, directing the dragon to coil menacingly. “Can your tunes match my blade?”

“Your dragon’s a soul-shadow. My music pierces souls.” Her fingers brushed invisible strings. “Test me, and regret it.”

Cang Ye studied his flickering dragon, then sighed. “No victory for either. A draw it is.”

Yin Suxin nodded, dispersing her guqin. “Wise choice, Junior Brother.” She bowed to Yu Qingzhi. “Palace Master, we—”

“Treacherous worm!” Yu Qingzhi suddenly roared.

Cang Ye’s dragon had lunged at Yin Suxin’s undefended back.

The crowd erupted. A coward’s strike!