Silent Crown

Only one last figure remained amongst the countless dissipating flames. He looked at Ye Qingxuan quietly. There was comfort in his eyes but very soon, he began to wipe at his nose awkwardly.

“I’m sorry. I have long given you everything.” He opened his arms. “There’s nothing else that I can give you anymore this time around.”

“It’s okay.” Ye Qingxuan stepped forward and embraced him while speaking under his breath, “I’m happy to see you again, father.”

Ye Lanzhou was stunned for a while but recovered very quickly as he laughed and patted his son’s back. “So am I.” The dawn was vanishing rapidly. He smiled and waved goodbye to his successor as he dissipated within the flames and merged with the gigantic and endless Symphony of Predestination. Dream of a Millenium was collapsing.

The dreams and nightmares of countless people and music theories that had been improved over the generations merged with the dreams of Ye Qingxuan as the scepter collapsed. Every bond and sorrow and separation would end at this very moment and from this, a new seed would be planted.

The old dream had been awakened and the new hibernation would soon come. The Dream of a Millenium completely fused into Ye Qingxuan’s Symphony of Predestination, driving forth the arrival of the next huge chapter. It would grow, burn, gather and prosper!

Within the collapsing dream, Ye Qingxuan turned around. He saw that familiar face once again. It was the figure that dwelt at the lowest level of the dream and seemed to be unaffected by time. His face resembled Ye Qingxuan yet was also totally different at the same time. It was like the origin of bloodline, where everything began. It was like when they first met. He looked at Ye Qingxuan with compassion in his eyes.

“Do you regret it?”

“Haven’t we talked about this before already?” Ye Qingxuan looked at him and shook his head. “No, no regrets. Not now, not in the future.”

With that, his eyes seemed to have gained comfort from Ye Qingxuan’s reply. As the figure gradually vanished, the man who had appeared out of nowhere began to say farewell to Ye Qingxuan, “If you ever have the chance in the future, head to the east and to the end of the Path of Dragon’s Blood. I have left something behind for you.” He continued, “You will be able to find the answers to many of your questions there.”

“I will.” Ye Qingxuan nodded and looked at the collapse of the last vault of heaven in the dream.

In his daze, there was the sound of dragon tune from the chords of Jiu Xiao Huan Pei and endless beams of light shot out from the location of the collapse within the Symphony of Predestination. Ye Qingxuan closed his eyes as the light devoured everything else.

…

“He is going to level-up here?”

It was only now that everyone finally understood Ye Qingxuan’s intention but shortly after, the man with the coronet frowned and there was a confused look on his face. “Something is wrong. He is not inheriting the scepter of the Ye family… He is destroying it!”

Instead of fusing his own dreams into the core of the Dream of a Millenium to gain control of the scepter of the Ye family, Ye Qingxuan had chosen to ignite the Dream of a Millenium and burn it for his own usage. This fellow…

“He is going to destroy the heritage of the Ye family!” Yuan Changqing finally realized what was happening. “Stop him!”

Metallic light shot out of nowhere and turned into countless illusions. They crossed one another in the night sky as they brought with them the constellations and countless killing music theories and covered the entire Ultimate within. But someone else was faster than him. A shapeless pair of wings spread open and they were so huge that the entire Ultimate was wrapped within and Ye Qingxuan was now extremely well-protected.

Charles.

“Although I have no idea what you intend to do to my junior, can you please take a few steps back?” Charles stepped in front of Yuan Changqing. He smiled so sincerely that anyone would have been tempted to give him a beating. “Let’s calm down and talk things out.”

“Move aside!” Yuan Changqing grunted. “You have no idea what he is doing!”

Charles did not move. The wing on his back curled slightly and blocked off the glow of the sword, Chun Jun. Countless feathers dropped as a result.

“To be honest, indeed, I don’t really have a good idea what he is doing.” Charles shrugged. “But what has that got to do with you anyway?”

Yuan Changqing was furious but just as he was about to speak, he awkwardly realized that he had no idea what to say. Indeed, the nine families of the dragon bloodline were as one. Back then, the ancestors of the nine families had worked together to develop the first colony and ever since then, it had been built into the incredible aurora.

The relationships between these nine families were complicated and inseparable. Even the core power of aurora, which were the Great Wall and the City in the Sky, was built with the combined efforts of the nine families. The artifacts and scepters passed down in each family were of the utmost importance and could never be replaced. If the Heaven Ladder of the Ye family still existed, they would never have needed so much effort to come over from the east.

If Jiu Xiao Huan Pei could be utilized as a projection for the City in the Sky, any location in the world could be reached in an instant. There would be no need to go to great lengths and utilize Yun Men Da Juan in order to cover such a great distance. Therefore, once Ye Qingxuan completely burnt down the Dream of a Millenium, the shortcoming of the City in the Sky would always be there forever. This was why the masters of the four families were so anxious. But what good would that do?

Back then, it was a collective decision to exile the Ye family. Now that they had been forced to bring them back, what right did they have to interfere? Right now, they felt like they were witnessing the child of a concubine burning up all his inheritance for fun. Besides, it was all going to end up for naught.

“What do you know? He will never succeed!” Yuan Changqing tugged at the sparse white hair on his head and was panicking. “He has not been to the east to pass through the Path of Dragon Blood. He hasn’t even officially inherited the name of the Ye family, nor conferred as a king by the Emperor. Let’s not talk about taking back the element of the Ye family, even the legend of the Ye family has not been fused into his own Symphony of Predestination! Why do you think the Sacred City has always been confident of stopping him? His body is not even strong enough to handle what he is about to do! Now that he is forcefully leveling up, it may seem glorious but actually, he is only heading to his doom. The flames might be burning furiously now but they are actually burning on little fuel! By the time the flames are extinguished, who knows he will still be alive!”

Charles was stunned. After a long time, realization finally dawned on him and he nodded. “Oh.” It was as if he had just been told that the school was not selling any bread for today. He did not seem to care at all, except with a blank look on his face. “And so?”

“So, step aside!” Yuan Changqing was fuming as he continued through his gritted teeth, “Are you just going to watch him die?”

“But if he is so keen to die, as his senior, I should not stand in his way.” Charles sighed. “What a pity. I had even agreed to be the emcee at his wedding ceremony. Now, it seems that that won’t be possible anymore. Perhaps, I can only make up for it by hosting his funeral…” He paused for a while and looked at Yuan Changqing. “Oh, do all of you need invitations? I heard that people of the east are usually quite generous. Surely, all of you won’t just turn up for free food and drinks?”

It took everything that Yuan Changqing could muster to control himself. He was so confused as he looked at Charles. What is becoming of this world? Are you his senior or his enemy? He’s not even dead yet and you are all ready to collect his funeral money!

“Aren’t you the least bit concerned about his life and death?!”

Charles shrugged. “To be honest, I may be worried if it was something else. But for this matter, I have never been concerned. Since even I am not concerned, please do not try to interfere as well.” With that, he raised his palm and a black hole appeared from the emptiness between his fingers. It seemed to lead to a place that was beyond this world and was filled with darkness and despair and screams. There was not a single hint of light at all. The hole was all it took for Yuan Changqing to become extremely fearful.

“The Abyss?”

“Oh? You recognize it? That’s great!” Charles smiled and poked at the small dark hole casually. “This is the first time I’m making this. I’m not too familiar with it so it won’t be nice if I mess it up. So, can I request that you take a small step back? Just a small step will do.” He had only just finished his sentence when there was a roar from within the Ultimate. The Dream of a Millenium had almost been completely burnt. After the flames extinguished, the expected dead silence did not arrive. Instead, there was light.

“What is that…”

Light shot out of the Ultimate. Moonlight flowed in the sky like a stream and covered the entire Ultimate. All traces of destruction vanished and all was calm once again. It was as if eternal peace had come.

The dry lands were growing with green grass. Trees were growing and streams were flowing. There were no longer any conflicts or chaos. In this dream-like land of peace, even the cold and tough world seemed to have softened. Everything that had been on the brink of destruction had been recreated. Everything would receive redemption.

On the other hand, the gigantic Symphony of Predestination had shrunk into a small dot and could barely be detected, yet it still emanated a calm and comfortable glow of moonlight. The majestic tolling of the bell could be heard from the realm of aether as it announced the birth of a new scepter. Everyone was stunned.

“He succeeded?” Yuan Changqing stared at the light and was immersed in it like everyone else. “Wait, is this even one of the signs of the legends? The Heaven Ladder of the Ye family hasn’t appeared and neither has the sacred light of the Holy Bible… Did he become a scepter through an unorthodox path? That’s not right either, because there are traces of Satan or catastrophes…”

Amidst the chaos, an incredible thought appeared in his head and he was stunned. “This is a demonstration!”

There was no need to borrow external music theories or the power of catastrophes or even rely on the legendary element created from the Ye family and the Holy Bible!

He did not depend on unreliable myths, nor rely on the religion of the church, nor rely on the rank of nobility that had been passed down through the Ye family, and much less the conferring of title from aurora. Instead, he chose to rely on himself!

In the instant that he leveled up to a scepter, he declared to the Originator that he would rely only on his own abilities to make a name for himself! He could create a new legend with his own life!

It was like getting a loan from the Originator with everything that he had. In exchange, he obtained substantial power and even managed to obtain the element produced directly from the Originator. But the moment he went back on his words and went against the agreement with the Originator, everything would be taken back by the Originator and interest would have to be paid.

Not only that, but if he could not fulfill his oath, he would be assimilated by the Originator and everything within him would be erased. As such, this was a risky move and while many would wish to do the same, the Originator did not function like a bank.

In actual fact, from the beginning of time, almost no one had ever made any oaths that received the acknowledgment of the Originator, and even fewer had managed to fulfill those oaths. There were countless different ways to become a scepter, and each path led to slightly different outcomes. Instead of taking the path that so many others had taken before, Ye Qingxuan chose to pay a heavy price for a new outcome… No one could tell if this decision would prove to be gutsy or foolish.

But Ye Qingxuan did not care. As the bell of the Originator tolled, pale blue moonlight suddenly revealed itself from the vault in heaven. There was no battle between the Holy Caldron and the abyss but the Quiet Moon shone on Ye Qingxuan. Countless music theories boosted the Symphony of Predestination, which was in its final phase. With that, the oath had been made.

“Please look out for me again in future.” Ye Qingxuan looked at the pale blue moon concealing itself. He could sense the oath completely merging with his Symphony of Predestination and smiled. “In that case…” He raised his palm and declared the existence of this oath. There was a thunderous roar that rang across every corner of the sea of aether. “Scepter—a world where nothing really exists!”

In the next instant, the Symphony of Predestination collapsed completely amidst the majestic tolling of the bell. Everyone could sense a new star rising from the darkness, towards the physical world and through the sea of aether. It reached the lowest depths of the realm of aether and revealed its presence in the upper-tier dimension. On top of Ye Qingxuan, countless beams of light formed the projection of an illusion that resembled a mirage of scenery from a world that was far away.

Scepter!

All it took was one glance and no one else was able to look away after that. This was because the scenery was simply too perfect. Countless images shifted and created a country that was so perfect that it could not possibly exist.

But shortly after, everyone began to frown. No one had ever seen fleeting and illusory scepter. It was just like imagination, so much so that no powers had been embedded within! If not for the fact that everyone did manage to sense the presence of element, they would have thought that this was just an illusion.

However, the King of Red frowned. He had finally sensed the presence of the scepter, but the element within the scepter was so far away, so much so that even within the upper-tier of dimension within the realm of aether, it was beyond the reach of humans and even catastrophes. It was so far away that it would have no effect on reality!

In that instant, he finally understood the nature of scepter.

“This was the oath that you swore to the Originator?” The King of Red looked down at Ye Qingxuan with disappointment in his eyes. “You sacrificed everything in exchange for a blueprint? Ye Qingxuan, I had expected better from you, but you still insist on pursuing those unrealistic dreams of yours!”

“I have no choice.” Ye Qingxuan smiled and shrugged. “After all, it’s hard for a leopard to change its spots.”

Scepter—a world where nothing really exists!

In that instant, he finally revealed the nature of this power to everyone. This was a dream that was created by the Originator and would answer the prayers of everyone! It did not exist in reality and would not rely on physical resources. It was just a blueprint. A utopia. An ideal country that did not exist.

There was no physical nature to speak of, nor did it belong to the present. It was a ‘future’ that was so far away from the current world and reality. An imagination. No, it was more of a joke than an imagination. No one had ever dared to dig their own grave like this before… Musicians would utilize the resonance of elements within scepters to bring forth powers that surpassed the capabilities of humans, but how could one bring forth powers of elements that did not exist? Through the imagination of the future?

It was like turning one’s own scepter into nothingness and sacrificing everything in exchange for an illusion. From the beginning of time, there had always been such lunatics.

It was just like how in the very beginning, the Three Kings prayed to the Holy Caldron and developed the Golden Era of mankind. The ancestors of the nine families built the Great Wall and set the foundation of the aurora empire. This was how the Devas began their rule. It was similar to how, not long ago, the abyss sage modified the Ultimate and hoped to create an era of ancient darkness to be ruled by Hyakume.

But Ye Qingxuan’s madness went far beyond that. He actually swore an oath to the Originator that he would desire neither power nor scepter, and instead, he would sacrifice everything in exchange for an improbable future. A world that only existed in his dreams. Had he gone mad?

But shortly after, the expression on everyone’s faces changed. This was because the gigantic aether wave within the Ultimate had not stopped because of the scepter. Instead, it continued to exist and in fact, it was continuing to climb! From the initial weak tremors to the crashing waves and roars of the Ultimate, until it finally reached a point where the entire vault of the heaven was shaking.

The roar of emptiness burst out through the senses of every musician. It was as if the earth-shattering sound was being cultivated in the Ultimate as the majestic power kept rumbling from all directions and into the Ultimate. Even the elements that had been released by the Wheel of Balance returned to the Ultimate and merged with the huge aether wave. Shortly after, countless streaks of lightning shot out from the Ultimate and up into the sky. The deafening sounds kept coming one after another.

The modified aether, that only Ye Qingxuan possessed, covered the entire Ultimate at this moment as countless ear-piercing sounds disrupted the harmonious melody. They were queer yet immense as if the entire world was a musical instrument. This was a sign that everyone was extremely familiar with.

Within an hour, it had already been shown once, but it resulted in pushing the abyss completely out of the picture. It also resulted in the battle between the King of Red and the Six Royals of the east, thus fortifying Paganini’s position as the pontifex maximas of the Orthodox Church.

But no one dared to believe what they were guessing. This was the sign of the birth of catastrophe!

“Doesn’t the value of the blueprint lie in the fact that it is capable of creating a new existence?” Ye Qingxuan smiled while looking at the expression of shock on everyone’s faces, even as he merged his own scepter within…

It was as if the final piece of the puzzle had finally been placed. With the mounting of the scepter, a new spirituality began to grow within the Ultimate. I will use my own scepter to give this new catastrophe a soul!