This beauty was breathtaking, her allure soul-stirring and captivating. Her delicate fingers danced across the strings, producing enchanting melodies, while her voice, clear and poignant, sang of heartache and longing.
Chen Guo's gaze settled on her, noting that she bore no hint of malice or demonic presence. To the casual observer, she seemed like any ordinary person.
Yet, no ordinary person would play the zither and sing in such a haunted locale. She had to be either a demon or a ghost. But this creature was of such a high caliber that she appeared to be nothing more than a young lady of exceptional beauty and talent, making it difficult to discern her true nature.
Thankfully, Chen Guo possessed Divine Insight. Activating it, he took a closer look:
"Hua Kui Lin Xinru, Level 11 Rare Elite, with a combat strength of 4,300, excels in musical attacks!"
"Hua Kui Lin Xinru was once the most celebrated courtesan of Glow Building. Unwilling to succumb to her grim destiny, she pinned all her hopes on a scholar, bestowing upon him her life savings in hopes he would buy her freedom."
"But when the day of their agreement arrived, the scholar vanished, proving himself faithless. Heartbroken, Lin Xinru opened an ancestral painting, summoned the demon within, and merged with it, massacring everyone in Glow Building."
"Now, empowered by malevolent forces, Lin Xinru has grown even more formidable. Yet, your Divine Insight has uncovered her vulnerability: she harbors an obsessive loathing for songs of love and sorrow. Sing a mournful tune, and she will be plunged into chaos and bewilderment."
Chen Guo found Lin Xinru's tale unremarkable—such stories were all too common. What did astonish him, however, was that Divine Insight revealed the monsters' Achilles' heels—a most advantageous tool against formidable foes.
"Wang Lang, have you finally come? How could you be so cruel..." In the midst of her lament, Lin Xinru turned to Chen Guo with a look of deep resentment.
"I'm not Old Wang, I'm Old Chen," Chen Guo chuckled, "My dear, you've mistaken me for someone else."
Lin Xinru retorted, "Indeed, you are not Wang Lang... Ha, just another pleasure-seeking scoundrel!"
Chen Guo countered, "Sure, I'm a man, but I'm meticulous about cleanliness, so I definitely don't stink!"
"You men are all the same—faithless and heartless," Lin Xinru seethed. "I'll kill you and spare the girls of this world one less disaster!"
Chen Guo shot back, "Your ranting is even more over-the-top than a fairy's. If you were on Weibo, you'd probably outdo them all!"
Lin Xinru didn't catch the sarcasm in Chen Guo's words. She was essentially talking to herself, lost in her own emotions, not really engaging with Chen Guo.
At that moment, Lin Xinru's face was a mask of murderous rage, her eyes blazing as she struck her zither strings. A silver filament shot toward Chen Guo with deadly speed and precision!
"Lin Xinru has unleashed the Five Sound Attack! The note targeting you is Shang!"
Chen Guo swiftly sidestepped, and the filament impaled a nearby pillar, boring straight through it.
With a grave look, Chen Guo pulled out a talisman and initiated his Divine Insight, transforming the simple sheet of paper into a sturdy suit of armor that he donned in an instant.
"Lin Xinru has launched another Five Sound Attack, this time with the Gong note!"
Chen Guo stood his ground. The filament struck her armor, leaving only a faint impression, unable to penetrate its defense.
"Impressive indeed!" Chen Guo exclaimed, drawing the Shadowless Sword. He manipulated it with electromagnetic force, sending it slicing through the air toward Lin Xinru.
"Lin Xinru has deflected your Shadowless Sword with the power of the Jiao note!"
"Lin Xinru has attacked you again with the Five Sound Attack, this time with the Yu note!"
"Lin Xinru has countered your Five-Element Thunder Magic with the power of the Zhi note!"
Chen Guo was taken aback, realizing that Lin Xinru was far more formidable than the Ghost King Sun Chengzong. With a mere fighting capacity of 4,300, she was managing to hold her own in this intense exchange.
With each pluck of her zither strings, Lin Xinru could conjure a musical note, using the melody as both shield and weapon.
Chen Guo wondered if he should start referring to her as the Five Finger Zither Witch.
But the most astonishing revelation was yet to come.
Lin Xinru harnessed the power of the five musical notes—palace, merchant, horn, string, and feather—to create a Five Note Bewildering Formation. "Unless you harmonize with the five notes, you won't be able to approach Lin Xinru!" they warned.
A vast array of silken threads formed a large formation between Chen Guo and Lin Xinru, the ground resembling a zither from which mournful melodies emerged.
Chen Guo attempted to advance.
Ding!
Upon stepping into the maze, Chen Guo inadvertently struck the zither note "Palace"!
"You've hit the wrong note, now scram!" Lin Xinru commanded.
A formidable surge of the five notes' power repelled Chen Guo.
Waves of the five notes' energy soared towards Chen Guo.
"This little lady, I'm not in the mood for your musical charades. Do you honestly believe this simple Five Note Maze can halt my progress?" Chen Guo scoffed.
With a mere thought, Chen Guo activated the Flying Thunder God Art, instantly materializing behind Lin Xinru. The Vajra Handprint struck with precision, while his Shadowless Sword attacked from the front, leaving Lin Xinru with no room to dodge or escape.
"Farewell, Madame of the Glow Building!" Chen Guo exclaimed triumphantly.
But as Chen Guo's Vajra Handprint made contact with Lin Xinru's back, it was as if striking thin air—Lin Xinru disintegrated into ash.
"Lin Xinru has employed the Demon Painter's talent to blend into the painting!"
Across the way, the ashes reformed into a portrait of a stunning woman—Lin Xinru herself. She gracefully emerged from the canvas and resumed her seat on the ground, continuing to play the zither.
Once more, the five notes' power lunged at Chen Guo, leaving him at a loss for words.
Lin Xinru's combat prowess was no match for Chen Guo's, and her attacks barely posed a threat. The five notes' force either missed Chen Guo entirely or were deflected by his evasive magic.
Even if Chen Guo's protective magic were to fade, the five notes' assaults would only inflict minor injuries, thanks to Old Master Zhang's robust constitution.
The crux of the matter was Lin Xinru's flashy skills and talents, which made her resemble a nimble, long-range spellcaster, avoiding direct confrontation with Chen Guo altogether.
Chen Guo pondered for a moment, deciding to exploit Lin Xinru's vulnerability.
While exchanging blows with Lin Xinru, Chen Guo's mind wandered to a tune he had once heard. In a flash of inspiration, he began to sing:
"Ten miles of flat lake where frost blankets the heavens, strands of hair laden with sorrow through the years. Gazing at the moon's reflection, longing only for the union of lovers, not the envy of immortals..."
In an instant, Lin Xinru was spellbound. Her fingers strayed across the zither strings, echoing the verse involuntarily, "Ten miles of flat lake where frost blankets the heavens..."
At that moment, Lin Xinru seemed to be either recalling a past life or lost in deep contemplation, so immersed in her reverie that she forgot to continue her assault.
"Wow, she's a literary type, the perfect target. This is the ideal opportunity!"
With a thought, Chen Guo once again unleashed the Flying Thunder God Art, materializing behind Lin Xinru!
Mystic Handprint of the Secret Sect!
Chen Guo's palm slammed into Lin Xinru's back, forcing blood from her lips. Seizing the moment, he grasped her Shadowless Sword—
"Singularity of the Sword!"