Silent Crown

Chapter 391 It’s All a Trick

Chapter 391 It’s All a Trick

Burn to death, drown to death, freeze to death.

Flatten into a pancake, twist into a braid, burn into dust.

Turn into a demon, cremate into cinders, dig out his own eyes and heart while laughing crazily, die from a broken neck, die naturally, die from a curse, die when poisonous algae grows on his body, die from heart failure, die from high blood pressure, die from music theory breakdown, die from psychosis…

Die, die, die.

For a moment, Ye Qingxuan experienced dozens of ways to die. The hallucinations flashed past his eyes but the pain crashed fully onto his body. They were not hallucinations; they were real. The only unreal thing was Ye Qingxuan.

For a moment, he could not separate real from illusion. The difference was blurred. Seeing dozens of himself die horrible deaths, Ye Qingxuan's mind went numb. How many times did Paganini want to kill him?

"How long are you going to be shocked for?" a furious voice rose in his mind. "Do you know how much it takes for one 'illusion wipe'? Going into coherence without even asking, messing everything up and making me wipe your *ss, do you really think I'm a cheap relative?"

It was obviously Lola's voice. To be honest, Ye Qingxuan had felt hopeless when he realized how much of a scam his talent was. However, at the same time, he realized that although he was the only true Ye, there was still a 'distant relative!'

She was Ye Lanzhou's inheritor in Anglo, the moon spirit with the same music theory and path as him, the criminal mastermind of downtown, the professor of sinner cram schools—Lola!

The application goal of Heaven Ladder was the Deva blood of the Ye family. However, Deva's blood was just an inheritable product from combining music theory structure and blood. The Ye's were born with it, but that did not mean others could not achieve it.

Lola had been taught personally by Ye Lanzhou and had tailored lessons. Other than Moonlight, which was too destructive for dark tribes, she was able to absorb everything else. No music scores or theories were hidden from her. Ye Lanzhou had treated her better than his own son. Now, Lola had no other flaws except for her surname.

If this could not work, then Ye Qingxuan would have to surrender and give up his neck. Thankfully, the result was just as Ye Qingxuan had guessed. Lola had reacted quickly and instantly accepted the coherence, successfully saving everything. Ye Qingxuan had lost count how many times she had saved him.

"Aha," Ye Qingxuan laughed shyly. "You're so good to me. I'm almost in love with you!"

"I'm old enough to be your grandma! Kid, your taste is quite wild." Lola was used to Ye Qingxuan's 'flirtatious' words. She scoffed. "That's your talent?"

"Yeah, isn't it powerful?"

"What are you proud over? You're even better at making messes but I've never seen you feel bad! What are you facing this time?"

"Uh, how do I say it? This enemy's pretty significant. He has a high status and has been around for a while. I guess he's a senior. Lola, you should be prepared mentally. Don't get too excited."

"Spit it out!"

"Ha, uh, it's Paganini." After Ye Qingxuan replied, the line seemed to have cut off. Lola had no reaction and everything was still. So he added, "Yeah, the one who fell two-hundred years ago and became a dark follower."

"Ye Qingxuan!!" He could feel an eruption of fury from the other end of the Heaven Ladder. It was like an explosion. Lola screamed without any grace or ladylike manners, "Do you want to die?! If you want to die, then go hang yourself with a rope! Why are you making more trouble? You know what you're doing? Get ten of me from my strongest time and I couldn't even defeat his finger? Are you f*cking crazy?

"You're cool, huh? You just keep making bigger messes! First the Parliament, then Avalon's Shadow, and now you just go and challenge dark followers! I haven't seen you in a bit, and you go and get yourself killed…"

Ye Qingxuan listened quietly until she finished cursing and spitting out her thousand-word rant. Then he asked, "So are you going to help?"

Lola fell silent and Ye Qingxuan smiled. "Thanks, Lola. I owe you." Sensing the power sent by the other end, he opened his eyes. "Now, give me a hand!"

-

Twelve thoughts was one instant. Twenty instants was a moment. Minds could communicate back and forth countless times but it would only be one moment in reality. When Ye Qingxuan opened his eyes, he sensed his horrible situation.

Countless strands of abyss music theory had invaded him, turning his body into a demon's lair. Bugs scurried through his organs, gnawing away at him to replace him with wax so he would turn into a humanoid beehive.

This was a very creative way to die.

Light flashed and the dead Ye Qingxuan disappeared like a hallucination. An unharmed one appeared in its place. This time, he raised the Sword in the Stone. Blazing light glowed on the blade, creating golden ripples on the ground. This time, a heavy bell rang out. Wind blew from the sea, filling the temple with water vapor and smell of fish.

Waves crashed and the shadow of a pure white city rose behind Ye Qingxuan. It was Avalon from tens of thousands of miles away, hanging in the sky like the sun. In the reflection on the sea surface, the city's shadow was dark. Countless demons rested there. In the blur, an eerie and bloody moon appeared.

"As commanded by the king." Ye Qingxuan held the Sword upside down and dug it into the soil. "This is the sacred soil of the Kingdom of Anglo. Heaven will descend here!" Thus, Lola brought her broken scepter down. Heaven on Earth returned!

A cold voice rang out, dissipating the darkness. "Impossible! I already shattered Heaven on Earth! Impossible! Impossible!" Screams of disbelief came from the Garment but quickly turned into a scoff.

"You thought I would say that? Let me see… You got a broken scepter from somewhere to pair with the dead guy's weapon? From a certain aspect, it's a great match! But you think using the same trick twice will have an effect?"

In that moment, Ye Qingxuan's expression froze. He forgot about the Channeling Change. Paganini was the best at music theory changes. He could combine Modifications, Abstinence, and Illusion to create power in the abyss! He was the creator of the 'faceless actors,' the strongest man who could be disguised as a saint for decades.

Once he understood the structure and music theory and grasped the pattern of change, he could change himself flawlessly and enter into it. It was just like the countless musicians who had been invaded by the jumping music theories and fell into the abyss with him.

Avalon's image started shaking and falling apart as soon as it began solidifying. Paganini's music theory had somehow fused into Heaven on Earth until the differences were undetectable. Like a leech, it sucked on the Sword's power, turning it into its own power.

Avalon's enchantment inside Heaven on Earth and countless music theories instantly became infected. They weakened and became dull. Ye Qingxuan was powerless. He could only watch as they were corroded.

"This situation is so familiar."

He suddenly sighed and looked up at Paganini. "Thinking closely, I realized that I had experienced this before. Avalon's enchantment had a bunch of demons inside and was attacked by enemies on the outside. This situation is so familiar…" It was like déjà vu of the war in Avalon's Shadow.

"How was it solved back then?" Ye Qingxuan pretended to think for a bit. He suddenly smiled, giving Paganini a bad feeling. "Oh right…"

He paused and declared, "Let there be light!"

Boom! The Heaven on Earth shook. All music theories at the core were swept into a wild vortex. Deep inside, countless theories changed, creating an empty turbidity. An ancient scroll emerged out of thin air. It moved on the water like majestic strength even though the surface was dark.

Thus, the empty murkiness was opened. Light appeared. All was singing for the arrival of the miracle. It was the creation of the world!

"It is here," a hoarse voice said from the scroll. "It shall be here eternally!"

The countless abyss music theories froze. An uncontrolled roar burst out. "Genesis!" Paganini shook. He glared at Ye Qingxuan, yelling, "Haydn! It's you! I see. It's a trap, as expected…"

He seemed to finally understand. This was a trap the Sacred City created to capture him. They suffered extreme losses to lure him out while the saints hidden in the darkness bided the time. He instantly grew cautious. Aether waves rolled off of him crazily. All strength was put into defense. He reactivated the ritual of 'Infinite Movement,' instantly putting hundreds of shields around him, constructing an aether citadel.

But nothing happened.

Within Heaven on Earth, the power of Genesis continued running to the climax and then…it disappeared.

Paganini blanched. The light, the murkiness, the miraculous scroll, and the terrifying aura of life all disappeared like a hallucination. It was as if an actor attended a ceremony as an emperor. No matter how many gold accessories and glamorous robes he wore, he was still nothing inside. There was no need for anyone to test him. He would be found out as soon as he opened his mouth.

It was fake.

Everything was just a trick. There was no sincerity.

Under the fading light, Ye Qingxuan grinned creepily. "I don't even believe that I can create the Genesis. How come you believed me?"