CHAPTER 47: 047 CAVE SPIRIT

Outside Shuanghua Palace, in front of the Earth Cold Bell, many white cushions were arranged in a fan shape.

Xiankong Ancestor sat on the foremost one, his two disciples, Ling Weisou and Zheng Yuan Gui, flanked him on the left and right, followed by his transmitted disciples and other attendants of the palace.

The Earth Cold Bell could emit a variety of sounds, at times clear like chimes, at times deep like a drum, at times melodious like a Jade Flute, at times winding like a silk string instrument - various sounds emanated from it, blending together to form a piece of "Celestial Music of Victory," which had started from Guang Han Po Formation and was now at its fifth piece.

With each piece played, Shi Feiyang’s understanding of the Spirit Zither and the Dao of music deepened further.

Initially, it featured the timbres of various instruments, but as it progressed, the sounds of the bell, drum, flute, and shawm all transformed into the sounds of nature—there was the sound of strong winds blowing over mountain passes, of mountain breezes rustling through dense forests, of light winds brushing over fallen leaves, of earth energy stirring up dust, the sounds of flowing water, surging tides, thunder and lightning, cold frost and flying snow... these varied natural sounds interwoven magically to replicate the rhythm of "Celestial Music of Victory."

Xiankong Ancestor, his face flushed with excitement, felt overwhelmed, as if he had grasped something and yet could grasp nothing.

He came from a minor sect, and although the spells he practiced were powerful, his foundational skills were weak. It was difficult for him to become a Heavenly Immortal. The path to immortality was full of twists, with several dangerous tribulations.

Now, hearing the "Supreme Celestial Music," he sensed an epiphany...

However, the "Celestial Music" ceased at that moment.

Unsatisfied, he sat stunned for a long time, sighed, and turned to see that his disciples behind him were intoxicated, as if their divine souls were captivated, all collapsed on the ground as if sleeping, their eyes open but vacant.

He coughed softly, startling his disciples into waking up abruptly; they quickly positioned themselves properly.

"You are indeed unfortunate! To present such Celestial Music to you is like casting pearls before swine!" Xiankong Ancestor looked as though he despised their inability to appreciate, suddenly remembering something urgent, he flew out of Xiankong Island and observed from the sky. Below, he saw various animals floating on the lake surface and on land—Ice Geese, White Bears, Ice Dogs, Cold Marmots, Ice Snakes, Mermaids, and so on, whether ordinary animals or demons with human traits, they all lay stunned and motionless, curled up in groups.

He couldn’t help but admire internally, "The divine music of the Immortal Realm is indeed extraordinarily powerful to have such an effect! I am truly blessed with deep fortune to listen to such sublime sounds. It must be because of my years of dedicated cultivation that Heaven has taken pity on me and bestowed such a significant opportunity."

He called out to awaken the animals and was about to return to the palace to relish the Celestial Music he had just experienced when he suddenly remembered the Black Dragon that Geng Peng had entrusted him with a while ago—he wasn’t sure how it was faring now. Having stayed isolated here for years, he didn’t have many friends. Compared to others, Geng Family’s second son had a better disposition. He could not completely neglect the disciple entrusted to him.

He sent Ling Weisou to find Shi Feiyang, who had just finished playing a piece of Celestial Music of Victory and had reached his own limits in understanding the Earth Sound, also savoring in his realization, caressing the Cave Spirit Zither, his heart deeply unsettled for a long time.

If only he could have used this treasure back then, he wouldn’t have been chased all over by Lady Bao Xiang and Zhuge Jingwo; his master, Geng Peng, wouldn’t have died either.

Unfortunately, he still couldn’t open the second layer of the Heavenly Book Jade Box. All this time, he had tried various methods, but the Jade Box remained firm, seamless, and immovable.

Then sensing someone calling at the door, he stored away his Magical Treasure and went to see who it was, spotting Ling Weisou.

Following Ling Weisou, Shi Feiyang came before the Xiankong Ancestor. The Xiankong Ancestor looked at him, his gaze filled with appreciation, "It is difficult for unusual creatures to follow the Dao. It’s not just about poor roots; fundamentally, it’s because of low spirit, selfish greed, and poisonous nature, filled with anger and ignorance, knowing only to bite and devour each other, or breeding and producing offspring. It’s truly hard for them to achieve greatness. I heard that you’ve been in seclusion in this cave these days without going out. I met you once before, and seeing you today, your divine sense is subdued, your eyes are clear, and your effort has indeed reached a new level."

Shi Feiyang said, "Thank you, Island Master, for your undue praise."

The Xiankong Ancestor pointed towards the distance with his hand, "This Xiankong Island, far from Central Earth, is surrounded by ancient, unchanging ice and snowfields for thousands of miles, and prolonged nights dominate. It is always dim between heaven and earth. But here alone, where yin ends and yang begins, the True Yang Qi flourishes, creating this marvelous realm which has been actually unreachable by immortals and mortals alike since ancient times. Over these past few centuries, I have converted many unusual creatures, but few have succeeded. Hmm, Cold Light, Xuan Yu, come here."

Two young disciples approached from behind, their bodies totally white without a hint of blood, dressed in ice silk shirts and shorts as thin as cicada wings, looking like delicate, charming clouds enveloping their torsos, exquisite and unusually beautiful.

The Xiankong Ancestor asked Shi Feiyang, "What do you think of their cultivation?"

Shi Feiyang, knowing the background of the two boys, answered, "Please forgive my poor vision, I cannot tell."

The Xiankong Ancestor stroked his beard slightly smugly, "They were born from the elite essence of ten thousand years of North Pole ice and snow. They only borrowed bodies with good roots..."

Indeed, these two kids were like Shi Sheng. Shi Sheng was born when his mother absorbed the essence energy of the Earth’s veins and spirit stones. These children’s mothers were impregnated by the essence energy gathered from ice and snow, their bodies as pure as white jade. When they spoke, it was like the tinkling of broken ice in a stream, clear and crisp.

The Xiankong Ancestor said, "Their master was robbed and mortally wounded many years ago, and entrusted them to me with his dying breath. I had already sworn not to take any more disciples, so I let them go under the name of my senior disciple, Ling Weisou, counting them as grand-disciples. Over the years in the palace they have been quietly cultivating and have indeed made great progress."

Having just finished playing the Cave Spirit Zither, Shi Feiyang picked up on the hidden meaning: So the Xiankong Ancestor wants to take me as a disciple? Hmm, not as a disciple, but like Cold Light and Xuan Yu, as a grand-disciple?

In fact, that was indeed what the Xiankong Ancestor meant. He saw that this Black Dragon was promising and seriously considered taking him under his wing.

The Xiankong Ancestor had said so much earlier, and its essence was about the difficulty of cultivation for unusual beings, their lack of restraint, and their inability to control themselves, acting entirely on their animal instincts.

When he first arrived here and obtained the Immortal Mansion, he was in high spirits and harbored the ambition to establish a great Immortal Sect here. He announced that regardless of being human or an unusual being, as long as one is sincere toward the Dao and undaunted by the severe cold and hardships, anyone who could traverse the tens of thousands of miles of icy mountains and snowy seas could become his disciple.

Except for Ling Weisou, who originally discovered the Immortal Mansion with him, basically all of his disciples were taken in this way.

However, it didn’t take long for disciples already in the palace to start secretly helping friends and family bypass the icy winds on their way here, and most of these new recruits had poor qualifications; after learning the Dao, they went out and behaved recklessly.

He then established strict sect rules, but violations persisted. Finally, in a fit of anger, he cleaned up the sect and closed the doors of the Immortal Sect, no longer easily accepting disciples.

An animal, no matter what kind, as long as it can restrain itself and control its animal instincts, then it has the foundation to follow the Dao. Similarly, a person, if unable to control themselves and indulging their animal instincts, that too is a root cause of corruption in the Immortal Dao.

Today, having listened to the "Celestial Music," he was in a good mood and looked favorably upon the Black Dragon before him, thus nurturing the thought of taking a disciple. However, as an unusual being, not quite comparable to humans, he was reluctant to directly take him as a disciple and wanted to place Shi Feiyang under Ling Weisou instead, making him a generation lower.