Chapter 2294: On Even Footing

This auditory domain resonated with all five senses via sound and ultimately invaded the soul to subdue the enemy.

Of course, it was useless against someone with a heart as steady as a rock. But the others?

Even some of the divine realm cultivators were dazed, their hearts and minds in turmoil.

The momentum of the war shifted immediately to the demons’ side. Xia Tianze and An Kasyapa’s group still held strong inside Winterdraw, but the rest, gods included, were affected, some going berserk.

“Young lord, things are taking a turn for the worse. These soundwaves are a dreadful form of mental attack.” The divine beasts were naturally impervious to its effects, but they’d noticed the changes on the island.

Jiang Chen paled, secretly lamenting this turnabout. His plan to assassinate the demon forefathers was now dead in the water. He shouted, “Fall back to Winterdraw!”

Making a prompt decision, he flew to the island, the divine beasts in tow.

“The four of you go lend a hand against the yin demons while I deal with this sound domain.” Without further ado, he swept a hand through the air. A zither suddenly landed in front of him: the Cloudsurge Zither once stored in the fifth link of his consciousness seal.

He snorted. “You want a battle of music? Let’s see how you measure up to my tune of Cardinal Cloudsurge!”

His fingers danced on the zither’s strings, plucking out majestic sounds that carried to every corner of the island. A mysterious energy soothed the mood of those who’d lost their minds and dissipated their agitation.

One note, two notes...

Every note resounded like the edge of a sword of justice cleaving through the sky. Clouds swirled with the wind from every direction, gathering with cloud-surging momentum.

This zither could kill as easily as it could rouse the spirit, swallow the soul, or bedazzle the heart. Jiang Chen had chosen a rousing melody to create a solemn stage brimming with purity.

Every strike of the chords carried the momentum of a million calvary troops galloping forward. It dispersed with all evil, washed away all filth, and returned brightness to the world.

“Hm?”

Winterdraw’s cultivators felt the music steady their hearts. In disbelief, their now-calm eyes followed the source of the sound. They were greeted with the sight of Jiang Chen sitting high in the sky, playing a zither with both hands. In a display of nature’s myriad manifestations, vortexes had formed around him, spreading outward to eradicate all ills.

“It’s young lord Jiang. He’s always here for us!”

“His zither counters the demons’ soundwaves!”

“Long live the young lord! He’s saved us again. Now that the celestial domain is powerless against us, what excuses do we have not to fight back?”

“Kill the demons, kill them all!”

Other than cleansing evil, the melody could also lift morale and supplement courage. It aided men in fighting more fearlessly for their cause.

The zither pulled humanity back from the precipice of the abyss. Revitalized, the human cultivators began a mad assault on the ghouls and spirits invading the island.

Jiang Chen’s pentacolor crystals had been refined into five thousand weapons. He’d created a specialized regiment, every member equipped with an anti-demon item. They became the bane of the demons the moment they charged out. Crystal-forged blades scythed through the enemy like a hot knife through butter, destroying ghouls and spirits left and right while dispersing the rest.

The four beasts also used their unique abilities to assist the humans.

Their fighting spirit rekindled, the defenders fought with redoubled zeal, dealing blow after mortal blow to the yin demons.

Still strumming the zither, Jiang Chen opened his eyes and observed the battle at large.

Suddenly, he latched onto a cultivator hiding among the ocean of spirits. He’d finally found one of the yin demon forefathers controlling the ghouls from the shadows.

“Hehe, you were indeed hidden deep. But that won’t save you today!”

His music didn’t falter despite his divided attention. His eyes scanned back and forth, emitting a power close to advanced divine realm as it converged into an evil golden beam that sliced through the air and locked onto the yin demon.

Secure in his own concealment, this forefather hadn’t expected to be targeted.

Hence, he reacted belatedly. He tried to sidestep the fearsome beam, but it made a beeline for his eyes and pierced right into his consciousness. Bone-deep chills immediately froze his body; his mind seemed to be one block of solid ice.

His figure discolored at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within a single breath, he’d turned into a stiff statue devoid of breath.

With a cultivation incomparably stronger than in his past self, Jiang Chen’s Evil Golden Eye was naturally also in a completely different league. 

To begin with, the yin demon was at fourth level, lower than the young human. As a result, his doom was inevitable.

His fall threw the battle into chaos. Like balloons full of air, the ghouls and spirits under his command burst open before vanishing. 

Of course, the yin tribe had more than one forefather.

But the others panicked when they witnessed their companion’s fate. They summoned the surrounding spirits to form protective rings around them, afraid they’d follow in their tribesman’s footsteps.

None of them specialized in melee combat. They were in their element when manipulating spirits, but they were sitting ducks once their positions were exposed.

Eerie white flags waving incessantly, they thought of nothing but their own survival. They all prayed not to become Jiang Chen’s next target. 

One of them transmitted, “Forefather Celestial, increase your output! You must keep us safe!”

But Celestial was too busy with the soundwaves to pay heed to this sudden request. He shouted, “What are you panicking for? Victory is right within sight. Our soundwaves will make short work of them. We’ll win without lifting a finger!”

Away from the heart of the melee, he wasn’t yet aware of the changes below. The yin demon wailed, “Forefather Celestial, are you sure your soundwaves are working properly? Why are the humans fighting back more fiercely than ever?”