"A Great Vehicle realm expert, a Sage Ruler, how could she act like this?"
"Young friend Fan Li's performance was unexpected. He seemed to have a good chance of winning."
"Alas! He is simply outmatched… Sage Ruler Miaoyin is utterly unreasonable!"
Among all those present, Yu Shenzi had the clearest understanding of the situation.
He hadn't expected Fan Li, with just a simple erhu, to stand his ground against Sage Ruler Miaoyin. Seeing a glimmer of hope for saving the Azure Cloud Sect, Yu Shenzi's heart swelled with excitement.
But Miaoyin's cheating had caught him completely off guard.
"Boy, what will it be? Do you dare to continue?" Sage Ruler Miaoyin sneered.
Seeing that Fan Li hadn't produced another instrument, she assumed victory was within her grasp.
She was right. Fan Li's storage box indeed held no other erhu.
"If you cannot continue, you lose this wager," she pressed on.
Shameless!
She had clearly cheated, yet she acted as if she were the rightful victor.
As a woman, Lu Fubao felt a surge of disdain for Miaoyin's behavior. She glanced at Fan Li.
"I never would have imagined he understood music so well. That Iron-Blooded Loyalty piece was truly moving. I felt an urge to gallop across the northern plains with him. It's such a shame that Miaoyin destroyed his erhu."
Lost in her thoughts, she was startled to see Fan Li produce another object with a casual air.
Her eyes widened as she realized it was a musical instrument, but one she had never seen before. It was a peculiar contraption. Its copper front flared outward like a morning glory flower. The middle section was made of wood with eight holes, and the narrow end resembled a whistle.
"This instrument looks so strange. And it doesn't seem to possess any spiritual energy. It's probably just a mundane object. What if Miaoyin resorts to trickery again? What then?"
Fan Li voiced the same concern to the system.
"Rest assured, Host. To ensure the smooth progression of the wager, the system will provide additional protection, ensuring the instrument is not damaged during the competition."
With the system's reassurance, Fan Li felt at ease.
"We were unable to finish properly earlier, so let's start anew. Unfortunately, Sage Ruler broke my erhu, so I have to use a different instrument. I trust you won't mind?" he said, his voice clear and confident, establishing the fact that Miaoyin had destroyed his instrument. He didn't want her using his change of instrument as an excuse to object again.
Yu Shenzi, quick-witted as always, chimed in, "The Sage Ruler didn't intentionally damage your instrument. Why dwell on such a trivial matter? Just bring out your new instrument. Surely the Sage Ruler wouldn't quibble with a mere junior like you."
Both of them were careful to choose their words wisely. They might be pushing back against Miaoyin, but they didn't dare be too aggressive.
There was no other way. Sage Ruler Miaoyin, at the fifth rank of the Great Vehicle realm, was too powerful. No one present could challenge her.
"Hmph!"
Miaoyin, knowing she was in the wrong, couldn't refuse. But she was not one to take a loss lightly.
'My Minor Paradise was actually inferior to this boy's Iron-Blooded Loyalty? Unacceptable! I must change my piece!'
"Boy," she said coldly, "since you request to change your instrument, I also have a request – we change the music. Performing the same piece twice would be quite dull."
Her excuse was flimsy.
Everyone knew Minor Paradise hadn't measured up to Iron-Blooded Loyalty.
But who dared to contradict her?
Yu Shenzi fumed silently, his resentment towards Miaoyin growing. He hoped Fan Li would win.
"Alright," Fan Li agreed readily, surprising everyone.
In truth, he also welcomed the change. Iron-Blooded Loyalty wasn't suitable for his new instrument anyway.
Seeing his willingness, Miaoyin frowned and asked, "What is the name of this instrument?"
One after another, he brought out instruments she had never seen before.
"A suona."
A smile spread across Fan Li's face.
"In my hometown, there's a saying – 'No soul can escape a suona's call.'"
Miaoyin was slightly taken aback. She scrutinized the suona.
No spiritual energy!
It was indeed a mundane object!
This couldn't possibly be a soul-snatching treasure. Was the boy trying to scare her?
"Hmph! Let me witness its power then!"
Despite her words, her hands flew across the zither strings, determined to seize the initiative.
The energy field of intent enveloped them once more. This time, however, it wasn't a mesmerizing purple, but a blood red.
The air crackled with murderous intent.
"Sage Ruler, show mercy!" Yu Shenzi, sensing something was wrong, cried out.
He might be a medical cultivator, unskilled in combat, but he was adept at healing wounds caused by violence. He could tell from the first few notes that this was a melody of death and destruction, targeting not the body, but the soul.
Sage Ruler Miaoyin, however, seemed deaf to his pleas.
She smiled cruelly. "Boy, listen closely to my Broken Heartstrings. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!"
Enjoy it?
Fan Li rolled his eyes.
He was at the heart of the energy field, fully exposed to the murderous intent contained within the zither's music.
Thankfully, the Immovable Wisdom King protected him. His soul was as unyielding as stone. The zither's attack couldn't even scratch him.
If Miaoyin relied solely on her music, even if her cultivation reached the ninth rank of the Great Vehicle realm, he would be invincible before her.
Of course, the effect would only last for twelve hours.
"Impossible! How is he still alive?"
Seeing that Fan Li was unharmed, Miaoyin was horrified.
Could he be something other than an Azure Cloud Sect disciple? Has Yu Shenzi brought in reinforcements to target me? No, that's impossible. How could Yu Shenzi have known I would come today?
But Broken Heartstrings can even injure the souls of Great Vehicle realm cultivators. Those below the Unity realm die instantly upon hearing it! How can a mere Foundation Building cultivator withstand it?'
Fan Li slowly raised the suona to his lips.
"First Minor Paradise, now Broken Heartstrings. It seems you cultivate not music, but the demonic path."
Sage Ruler Miaoyin was enraged.
Who dared to criticize her music?
Even her elder sister, Yao Guang, had praised her on numerous occasions, acknowledging her as the undisputed greatest musician in the world.
"To vanquish demons and uphold righteousness, there's no better piece than this. It's a shame you won't have the chance to appreciate the classic A Chinese Ghost Story. Today, I shall show you what it means for Buddha to emerge and silence all demons. Witness the dawning of Buddha's Light!"
The suona's sound resonated – a long, drawn-out note, as if emanating from a pure land millions of miles away. It was a vast and encompassing sound, dwarfing the mortal world, reducing it to a speck of dust in the grand scheme of the universe.
It was a sound of compassion, guiding all living beings towards enlightenment, freeing them from greed, anger, ignorance, doubt, and delusion.
It was a sound of vanquishing demons, illuminating the world with Buddha's light, repelling all evil spirits and monstrous beings.
As the suona's notes soared higher, a boundless golden light emanated from Fan Li.
The light wasn't blinding; it was gentle and serene.
The six hundred members of the Azure Cloud Sect, their eyes fixed on Fan Li, felt an overwhelming urge to bow in worship.
Sage Ruler Miaoyin, however, looked up in terror.
She saw a colossal golden Buddha, majestic and divine, standing atop a twelve-petaled lotus, glaring at her with wrathful eyes.
Her body froze, her hands trembled, unable to touch the zither strings.
Unconsciously, she clasped her hands together, bent her knees, and prostrated herself on the ground.
"Great Buddha, have mercy… spare my life…"