Silent Crown

Following Ye Qingxuan’s orders, stars of flame and iron fell from the sky.

Under the sixth drive, the main armament of the Petitioner erupted in overload. Waterfall-like torrents of aether gushed out, containing horrifying heat and purifying music theory within. They tore through layers of barriers and descended upon the top of the king of hell’s head in a flash.

Then only did an inkling of the gleam of iron hidden in the fire appear faintly.

It was steel that was burnt until a scorching red in the terrifying high temperature up to thousands of degrees — horrifying flares spewed from the stakes, bringing the path of redemption which would turn all sinners to ashes.

‘Mary’ lifted her red eyes. Under the guidance of the crown of hell, the red Firebird materialized as an actual hand and grabbed at the strong light.

The first to be heard was the bang of steel colliding. Ghastly white waves of air were stirred up from within and propelled the sharp noise of gold and iron scrapping against each other to sweep across the entire Avalon.

The big bell resembling the wrath of god was struck.

— Doomsday would come.

In the dissipating flares, the stake had fallen apart.

Walking out of the flares was the king of hell, a crystal crown on its head, donning blood-colored garments. The terrifying aura radiating from it and the gigantic sun that the palace had turned into echoed each other.

After consuming a small half of Avalon, the scepter that was once heavily damaged had been repaired completely. The element of hell operated within the horrifying and majestic melody, and the actual scene of hell unfolded.

The Dark Sovereign had returned once more!

Behind the domain of Holy, Ye Qingxuan sighed softly.

From then on, what he had to face was no longer only Mary who was controlled by the cursed blood… but also the king of hell in his prime!

No one was beside him to help keep the Dark Sovereign in check, and Ye Qingxuan had no chance to wander about the battlefield at an unhurried pace and seek opportunities to strike through the catastrophe’s defenses.

It was a face-to-face confrontation, an undodgeable battle.

“It’s getting somewhat troublesome…” He murmured softly.

At the moment, the hem of Mary’s scarlet skirt fluttered in the wind.

The gigantic sun of darkness advanced forward, and the ghastly red Firebird gushed towards him like a river. In a flash, Mary had lifted a pale, slender arm, the index finger tapping gently on the wall of Holy.

The next moment, a horrifying bang erupted.

Struck by innumerable invisible knives and axes, the wall of Holy fell apart.

After penetrating the layers of defense, the finger pierced through Ye Qingxuan’s chest mercilessly, emerging from behind, as if it was crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood.

Then, countless strands of Firebird erupted from it. Like wandering blades, they attempted to scrape all his flesh and blood off, strip away all his skin and internal organs, and pluck off all his muscles and tendons in a flash, leaving only a clean, white skeleton behind.

However, nothing happened.

Ye Qingxuan was still intact.

Only then did the low noise coming from Jiu Xiao Huan Pei rang out belatedly. The strange melody resembling the sound of metal scraping against each other lingered in the Dark Sovereign’s ear and refused to dissipate, like ridicule.

In the vague, strange noise, a hoarse voice rang out faintly, as it sang fanatically, “— Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani!”

The movement of hell, which was operating magnificently, paused momentarily, and the Dark Sovereign immediately understood what was going on.

Passion cantata!

Like what Abraham did back then when fighting against the saint, Ye Qingxuan had used nature interference to advance himself to the extremity of the state of vacuum, performing the movement Abraham had passed down to him to the very best of his ability.

It was like how a knife couldn’t cut the light apart, and how iron couldn’t kill water.

In accordance with the nature of the enemy, one’s own form was changed, turning oneself into relative nothingness.

Even though one was clearly in sight, one was beyond reach.

“Another of your little tricks!” The phantom of the Dark Sovereign emerged and sneered as it looked at him. “Do you think such trivial cleverness will be of use?”

As he finished his words, Ye Qingxuan’s face turned pale, a trace of purple-black blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Firebird was an extension of the dragon blood — It controls aether directly with the tenacity of the host, bestowing physical forms to the tenacity and turning it into knives, swords, or metal.

In essence, it was still an existence similar to music theory.

Meanwhile, after consuming Leviathan’s blood, Mary had already tapped on her own potential, which could be considered bottomless. It could be deemed as terrifying in terms of its nature and intensity.

Although the power of the Firebird did not tear Ye Qingxuan’s physical form apart, the music theory contained within still shook his form, almost knocking him down from his state of vacuum — If the aether circulation stopped, the only end awaiting him upon returning to his mortal body would be disintegration.

Facing the Dark Sovereign’s ridicule, Ye Qingxuan could not help but sigh. “It’s just that I’m not capable enough.”

He reached out and made a cut-throat gesture towards the projection that was close at hand. “If my teacher was here, at that moment just now, he would definitely have already cut off your good-for-nothing head in one blow!”

What could be said for certain was that for centuries, no one had ever dared to be so impudent and offensive in front of the Dark Sovereign. Although cutting off his head had zero effect on him, it was undoubtedly an insult that could be considered wildly arrogant.

The Dark Sovereign merely sneered and said no more.

On the top of Mary’s head, the crystal crown suddenly released a horrifying light. The movement of hell roared, and the scepter slowly rose into the sky. The terrifying gravitational pull contained within the music theory erupted from it, tugging at the fragments of the shadow of Avalon.

The old king had died.

The touring new king would regain control of its territory.

The Dark Sovereign was madly consuming the city in the shadows to mend the cracks on the scepter of hell — When the shadow of Avalon was thoroughly disintegrated, the King of Hell would be completely reborn!

Ye Qingxuan had no time to stop him.

It was because Mary’s red eyes had neared him.

At the moment, in the sky, the Mountain of Nomadism sprinkled down metallic gleams that resembled stars.

In a flash, hundreds of dots of light flew out from the projectile tracks and shot in Ye Qingxuan’s direction. They stirred up a whistling hurricane, which sounded like an iron whale singing freely before its death.

They crossed the long distance, then smashed onto the ground.

Loud bangs rumbled.

Amid countless specks of flying dust, heavily armored knights walked out, assembled into arrays, blocking Mary’s path, and pulled out their chainswords.

— Whale fall!

“Ahaha, haven’t we arrived somewhat timely, Grand Inquisitor?” Shi Dong’s voice sounded in his ear. “Your faithful subordinates are here to help.”

“Isn’t it considered to be within your responsibilities?” Ye Qingxuan responded coldly. “If subordinates couldn’t relieve their superior of his burdens, what would be the difference between them and idiots?”

“So, what’s the order this time round?” Shi Dong’s voice took on a pondering tone. “Kill? Purify? Or destroy?”

“Obstruct, or preferably capture her alive.”

Ye Qingxuan ordered, “The enemy you all are fighting against is the queen of Anglo, even if she kills all of you, she must not be hurt in the slightest manner.”

“I knew it would be like this.” Shi Dong sighed. “But what about the one living on her?”

“Get all the purification musicians ready.” Ye Qingxuan said, “I’ll take care of it.”

At the moment, the clothes of original sin shook, and a huge gravitational pull erupted from it, distorting the surrounding matter.

The Symphony of Predestination operated within his body. The first part awakened, as did the second part, then the third… In a flash, the soaring force that had increased by more than four times almost went out of his control.

In the faint sound of tides, the moon of pure white rose out of nowhere, against the huge pressure from the scepter of hell, and confronted the gigantic sun of darkness from a distance, hanging high above the night sky.

Although he had yet to create a legend, master elements, and form a scepter, the Symphony of Predestination so vast that it had never been preceded still sufficed to shock others.

Innumerable perception threads of moonlight that had blended into the celestial body extended from it, connecting themselves to the alchemy array of the Mountain of Nomadism, and was instantly connected to hundreds of aether waves in standby.

Resonance!

With Ye Qingxuan’s tenacity as the central theme, the Heaven Ladder stretched across the seven systems, mastering countless changes in music theory, and integrated the sound of heart movements of the purification musicians into one.

Hundreds of aether waves merged into the moon of pure white. Ye Qingxuan did not hesitate to allocate most of the changes in music theory to them, letting they help him maintain such a vast Symphony of Predestination.

In the end, Jiu Xiao Huan Pei was formally connected to the core of the Mountain of Nomadism — the pool of aether!

The silver pool of liquid in which the heart was being soaked in suddenly boiled. Countless streams of flowing light operated within, and the huge heart started pulsing wildly. Like an iron drum being beaten, every beat brought a low echo with it.

The larger the body, the more horrifying the pressure it could withstand.

At the moment, the Mountain of Nomadism replaced Ye Qingxuan to withstand the tremendous pressure, extracting an amount of aether which was so massive that it was beyond the imagination of ordinary musicians from the realm of aether through itself.

A power that could be considered similar to torrents from a waterfall gushed into the moon of pure white.

The Symphony of Predestination, the purification musicians, and the Mountain of Nomadism were integrated as one at the moment, connected by the music theory of the Heaven Ladder. Clear notes rang out from Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, and a dragon’s whistle burst forth.

As many purification musicians controlled the resonance, massive amounts of aether were drawn from the pool of aether of the Mountain of Nomadism. The aether coursed through the Heaven Ladder, and finally gushed into the Symphony of Predestination. After experiencing countless times of creation and destruction, as well as transformations by music theory, it had become a pale white glow beyond the control of humans.

Just by existing, the cold moonlight distorted the rules of matter — If one looked into its roots, one would see that it originated from the purification element that was condensed from the essence of innumerable musical movements of the Religious Court of Inquiry.

Comparing in terms of the extent of purity, it was even better than the movements!

After all, other than Ye Qingxuan, no one else could ever master the music theory of the quiet moon.

In only an instant, the movement of the moon had developed to the limit.

Moonlight flowed on Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, contracting according to Ye Qingxuan’s will, until it turned into a fleeting and vague blade in the end.

It was as if the blade consisted of faint light and shadow, not even possessing substantial material. But even so, it was already radiating a bone-chilling coldness.

Wherever the blade passed, faint rifts emerged in the air.

It was powerful because it was pure.

It was a pure sword of purification.

And as Ye Qingxuan waved it, even the red tide of Firebird was torn apart, unable to piece itself back, and revealed the girl’s figure within.

The long dress that was once pure white had long since been dyed red by the blood, but Mary, who was bathed in blood, showed a seductive beauty completely different from the past.

The bestiality in her blood had dominated her consciousness.

The one controlling her body at the moment was the demon born from the dragon blood, a total monster.

But as she advanced, a grand melody was suddenly played loudly. A mighty and magnificent aura emerged from the red bloodiness, proclaiming the majesty of the empress and guarding the new ruler as she toured.

Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1!

The god of the abyss bestowed the crown upon the bloody princess, crowning her as queen!

The magical power originating from the scepter of the abyss operated within her body, causing the Firebird to burn like a flame, its attacks unstoppable. In the air, the taste of blood became thicker and thicker, and the pungent, sickly sweet smell lingered.

But amid the mighty melody, ambiguous moans mixed in inappropriately, as if amid alluring carnal desires flowing in the air, a laid-back beauty exposed her fair shoulders, exhaling seductively from her lips.

In Mary’s eyes, bloody streaks lingered in the slender pupils of bestiality, making her eyes look more and more lively. When she looked at Ye Qingxuan, her eyes contained greedy lust and undisguised murderous intent.

“Why not pledge allegiance to me, Ye Qingxuan?” ‘Mary’ put on an enchanting smile, a voice with a tinge of hoarseness and temptation sounding from her throat, but it was completely different from her voice in the past. “Don’t you think that I am more suitable as an empress than that sick, mysophobic, and weak woman?”

Firebird tore apart the weapons of dozens of armored knights. She stepped on the viscous blood and walked towards him slowly, her fair body vaguely visible under the blood-colored tulle dress. “You can’t possibly like boring women who don’t know how to have fun like her? She only knows how to act like a saint all day, even though she is always missing you so badly that it drives her crazy, she won’t let you get close, not a chance…”

What she received in response was the sword of moonlight striking towards her and an indifferent pair of eyes.

“Shut up, c*nt.” Ye Qingxuan interrupted her words. “Before you open your mouth, you must be clear of what you are!”

The sword of purification tore the Firebird apart, scraping her cheek, and almost slashed a deep wound in her blushing and enchanting face.

It was still merciless, without any signs of hesitation and weakness, but as compared to the sword, what enraged ‘Mary’ more was Ye Qingxuan’s words.

The seductive lust was replaced by fury, rage and grotesqueness emerging in the red eyes of bestiality.

Countless strands of Firebird struck like knives and axes, tearing the brilliance around Ye Qingxuan apart. She fixed Ye Qingxuan with a death stare and roared in rage, “What did you just… call me?”

“Did I not make myself clear?” Ye Qingxuan snickered. The sword of purification in his hands struck, slashing away the frenzied Firebird, and pressed towards the face that was as delicate as an artwork. “— The queen I serve shall not be a wh*re who only knows how to moan on the throne all day long!”

…

“… Oh my.” On the deck of the Mountain of Nomadism, Shi Dong couldn’t help but cover his face, as he couldn’t bear to look at the scene anymore.

Only at the moment did he fully grasp just how good his Grand Inquisitor was at cutting people to the quick, how bitchy he was, and how offensive his words could be. Even though the opponent is a demon, but the words you spoke… are really too mean!

For some reason unknown, Shi Dong suddenly had a notion in his heart that as compared to the attainments in music theory, maybe Ye Qingxuan was even more talented in verbal fights.

Soon, seemingly mad roars and screams sounded from the shadow of Avalon. “Ye Qingxuan!!!”

At the moment, the queen had fallen into a completely frenzied rage, due to Ye Qingxuan’s words. “I’m going to cut your corpse up into ten thousand pieces!”

Scales resembling red hot iron emerged from her fair skin. As if a giant dragon was screaming, frenzied Firebird erupted from her body, skyrocketing and spreading in all directions.

In only an instant, it tore countless buildings apart, destroyed all the wreckage, and left rows of cracks in the wall of tower shields held up by the knights, making it fall apart.

In the blood-like Firebird, under the strengtening of the Pomp and Circumstance March, she had already completely ignited the bestiality in the dragon blood. The phantom of the red dragon emerged from the back of the queen regnant of blood and breathed out dragon fire that was almost tangible towards Ye Qingxuan.