Chapter Eighty-One: The Heart Demon Awakened by the Zither, A Duel of Dao Between Water and Moon

As the woman played her zither, Wood felt a tumult of emotions swirling within him. Memories he thought lost surged forth, each a vivid echo of his most intense experiences since childhood. Yet those memories were bitter, ones he would rather forget, now drawn forth by the haunting melody. Old grievances, past sorrows—his usually calm temperament was suddenly shaken, a reckless impulse rising within him.

“Enough!” Wood uttered in a low voice, sensing the woman’s strange gaze upon him. Still, she did not pause, and the music continued. Wood felt as if a thousand-pound weight pressed upon his chest, old burdens he had thought laid to rest returning with force. With a furious shout, he formed a sigil with one hand, swept the breeze before him, and sent it spinning into a violent whirlwind toward the woman.

Her zither’s melody soared. With a subtle change of note, the incoming whirlwind dissolved into a gentle breeze and vanished without a trace. Wood was taken aback; he suddenly realized her seven-stringed zither was a magical instrument, and that for the first time since arriving in this cultivation realm, he was dueling someone with a magic artifact.

Wood swept his hands in rapid succession, conjuring countless fierce winds that buffeted the zither-playing woman from all directions. His agitation drove him to attack indiscriminately. Yet the woman, wielding her seven-stringed zither, was formidable. Seeing Wood’s fierce assault, she allowed the zither to float before her, removed her hands from the strings, and played with invisible gestures. The music never ceased; faint silvery light emanated from her, and none of the whirlwinds could touch her.

“You scoundrel! How dare you spy on the resting quarters of our female disciples!” As she spoke, a flash of cyan light shot forth like a whip, aimed directly at Wood. Engaged in the fight and emboldened by anger, Wood summoned his sword “Azure Mist” with a shout, sending it to clash with the cyan streak.

The cyan light was a flying sword. Observing its technique and radiance, Wood judged its wielder’s skill to be on par with Shu Yu from the Supreme Void Sect. He resolved to shatter the opponent’s sword with his own.

“Senior sister, be careful!” the zither-playing woman called out, recognizing the power in Wood’s strike. As her music rang out, Wood felt his sword hesitate, as if caught by invisible cords. Even so, when the cyan light met “Azure Mist,” its wielder’s spirit was unsettled, secretly amazed: “Where has this man come from? He’s formidable!”

“Sister, I’ll help you!” A clear male voice rang out. Another streak of swordlight soared from beyond the grove. Wood snorted, unafraid, and danced with “Azure Mist,” fighting three opponents at once. The two newcomers were as skilled as Shu Yu; had it not been for the zither-playing woman’s interference, Wood could have dispatched several of them with ease.

Wood marveled inwardly: “This zither player is truly remarkable! Not only does she disturb one’s state of mind with her music, but she uses her instrument to counter my techniques as well. Of my full strength, she’s absorbed nearly seventy percent!”

Within the small grove, zither melodies intertwined with dazzling swordlights. The four fought fiercely; the zither woman remained seated, serene, while the other man and woman grew increasingly anxious, their moves becoming disordered. In contrast, the man surrounded in the center maintained his composure, his steps steady, summoning thunder and wild winds that forced his opponents to leap and scramble.

Unnoticed, a circle of people had formed around the grove. At their head was Shui Wufeng, the leader of the Water Moon Sect. Her face was grim—her three prized disciples were struggling against a lone disciple from Supreme Void’s Boundless Peak. If word spread, her sect’s reputation would suffer greatly.

“Sister, who is that man? He doesn’t seem to be a seasoned cultivator! To move so freely under Xin Yi’s triple-layered zither melody, and fend off Yan Ruo’er and Shui Wufeng together—could he be the rumored disciple from the Lingyun Sect?” The speaker was a beautiful woman beside Shui Wufeng, slightly less striking but with a refined air and bright, spirited eyes, clearly a fellow sect elder.

Shui Wufeng did not answer, murmuring, “Someone’s coming!” She turned to another woman nearby. “Sister, go separate them!” The woman nodded, let out a clear whistle, and sent a streak of silver light rushing into the fray.

Though battling three opponents, Wood remained alert. Seeing the silver light, he was startled—surely this newcomer was a formidable senior cultivator. Normally, his cautious nature would have urged him to retreat and reassess, but now, caught in turmoil, he sought only a fierce battle. Channeling his true energy, he prepared to contest the silver light head-on.

Just then, two voices cried out from outside the grove:

“Boundless Heavenly Venerable!”

“Immortal, please show mercy!”

These were the voices of Supreme Void’s leader, Master Zheng Yi, and Wood’s master, Wanderer. Yet their warnings came too late. Wood formed seals with both hands: his left countered the zither-woman, his right repelled the Water Moon Sect’s man and woman. “Azure Mist” flew from his grasp, colliding with the silver light.

A month ago, Wood could have matched Elder Evergreen; now, having studied the “Supreme Purity Method,” his cultivation was even greater. As the two swords met, Wood’s expression turned solemn—this opponent was deeply skilled, not inferior to Elder Evergreen. With a thought, he withdrew.

At that moment, Master Zheng Yi and Wanderer arrived. Wood suppressed his agitation and greeted the two elders respectfully.

Wanderer asked anxiously, “Wood, why are you fighting with the Water Moon Sect’s disciples?”

Before Wood could reply, the woman who had just attacked him coldly retorted, “Hmph! Zheng Yi, are you deliberately allowing your disciple to probe the secrets of our Water Moon Sect?”

Zheng Yi hurriedly said, “Boundless Heavenly Venerable. Forgetful Immortal, Sect Leader Shui, this must be a misunderstanding. Our Supreme Void Sect and Water Moon Sect have always been allies; we would never do such a thing!” He turned to Wood, his voice stern. “Wood, explain what happened to the Water Moon Sect elders!”

In truth, both Zheng Yi and Wanderer were puzzled by Wood’s actions and wanted to understand the cause.

The situation had arisen inexplicably, so Wood recounted honestly: “Just now, when thunder struck, I happened to hear a gentle and alluring zither melody in the grove. Without realizing, I walked over. But... for some reason, I felt extremely restless, old memories stirred, and my emotions flared. Unable to resist, I attacked the young lady.”

He gestured toward the zither-playing woman.

Hearing this, Zheng Yi and Wanderer were alarmed and quickly checked his pulse. Wanderer remarked, “This is a sign of inner turmoil—did you force your cultivation too quickly?”

The thought startled Wood, but Zheng Yi examined his pulse closely and frowned. “No, Wood’s pulse is calm, nothing amiss, but his energy is surging. His mental state seems...”

Zheng Yi was unsure how to articulate it, when a bell-like voice rang out: “Honored elders, the fault may be mine. I saw this senior brother enter quietly, and without warnings from Yan Senior Sister or Shui Senior Brother, I assumed he was a stranger. I used my zither to strike, and the triple-layered melody must have triggered his inner demons, causing this misunderstanding!”

The mention of the zither melody stirring inner demons made Wood anxious. “Seven-string zither, nine-fold melody—ordinary mortals retreat three steps! Are you the famed zither disciple of Water Moon Sect with celestial grace?”

The woman rose and bowed. “Senior brother flatters me. I am Yaxin Yi. The rumors are mere exaggerations. But you, senior brother, withstood the triple-layered melody, experiencing seven emotions without illusion, and still held your own against two of my fellow disciples. Your cultivation is extraordinary.”

Wood returned the bow. “I am Chen Mu of Supreme Void’s Boundless Peak. Hearing your elegant zither, reminiscent of the phoenix’s song on Mount Kun, I was drawn in, unable to resist. Forgive me for disturbing your peace.”

Yaxin Yi replied calmly, “Thank you for your praise, senior brother.”

As her words ceased, Shui Wufeng barked, “Yan Ruo’er, Shui Wufeng, you were on guard today—how did you fail to notice a Supreme Void peer arriving?”

The two who had fought Wood blushed, knelt before Shui Wufeng, and remained silent. The Water Moon Sect members knew the truth: the two were lovers, and had seized the chance to be alone together.

Shui Wufeng scolded, “It’s fortunate this was a Supreme Void peer. What if an enemy or demonic infiltrator had entered?”

The two knelt, saying in unison, “Please punish us, master!”

“Boundless Heavenly Venerable!” said Master Zheng Yi. “This was indeed a misunderstanding. Sect Leader Shui, please don’t take it to heart. My disciple has only recently entered the sect and is not yet familiar with the customs of the cultivation world. He didn’t know this was your disciples’ resting place. If he offended, please forgive him.”

Shui Wufeng smiled, “Master Zheng Yi, you’re too polite. Our sects have a thousand years of friendship; such a minor incident is nothing. It’s my disciples who abandoned their posts, causing this misunderstanding.”

Zheng Yi said, “In that case, we’ll take our leave. Please don’t punish your disciples on our account, since it was my disciple who caused this trouble. I feel responsible.”

With that, he bowed and departed.

Now, only the Water Moon Sect members remained in the grove. Watching Master Zheng Yi leave, Shui Wufeng’s expression darkened. After a moment, she asked, “Sister, what do you think of his cultivation?”

Forgetful Immortal knew whom her leader meant. After some hesitation, she replied, “In terms of cultivation alone, I seem to be superior.”

But the woman standing beside Shui Wufeng disagreed. “Not so. His magical skills are exceptional. When he fought Yaxin Yi and the others, he displayed techniques of five different elements—water, fire, earth, and more. Could he have already reached the stage of unifying the five elements and reversing yin and yang?”

“Unifying the five elements, reversing yin and yang? That’s impossible!” Shui Wufeng exclaimed. “Only a handful of cultivators in the entire realm have attained the immortal stage required for such feats. How could a young man possibly achieve it?”

Let me advertise myself: The Law of Plane Transactions has formed a group—thanks to Qingye for helping Wood set it up. Readers are welcome to join!