The Ancestor of All Demons

Lu Yu and Kuzhu were jointly known as the Two Elders of the Great Wilderness and were ranked among the Cosmic Six Strange, top masters in the Shushan World. To be under the protection of even one of them would provide a stable environment for cultivation, which was not a bad prospect at all.

However, both elders had rather peculiar temperaments, especially Lu Yu, who barely held anyone in regard, except for the disciples of the Emei Sect who could aid her in transcending tribulations. She would not hesitate to belittle even those Immortals whose level was close to hers, delivering sharp and cutting criticisms without offering any face.

Though she provided a safe refuge for those of different kinds, she treated them neither with kind words nor a friendly face; she set many strict rules and would execute anyone who slightly violated them, not shying away from tormenting them with spells, proving herself to be extremely ruthless.

Shi Feiyang considered visiting her as an alternate option, after spending several days hitching a ride on the back of a giant sea turtle, during which he figured out the direction to Great Wilderness Mountain and Lu Yu's birthday and then bade farewell. Before parting, he filled the sea turtle with a stream of Dan Qi as a payment for the ride.

Over the next month, Shi Feiyang traveled while leisurely studying the Cave Spirit Zither during the breaks of his journey.

He had never learned a musical instrument nor knew the theory of music; initially, he had no means to comprehend such a peculiar ancient zither. However, during his studies of mathematical and astronomical theories, he had delved into the "Sixty Jiazi Cycle" and from there, ventured into the study of music.

The ancient Chinese music also originated from the River Map and Luo Book, with the central pitch as "Gong," the west pitch as "Shang," the east pitch as "Jue," the south as "Zhi," and the north as "Yu." These corresponded to the Five Elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

To grasp the essence of these principles, Shi Feiyang had experimented by plucking a fifty-centimeter string for "Gong," a one-meter string representing the lower octave of "Gong," ninety centimeters for "Shang," eighty for "Jue," seventy for "Zhi," and sixty for "Yu," forming an eight-level hierarchy, known as the Five Pure Tones.

The Twelve Musical Scales, namely Huangzhong, Dalu, Taicou, Jiazhong, Guxi, Zhonglu, Ruibin, Linzheng, Yize, Nanlu, Wuyi, and Yingzhong, correspond to the twelve Earthly Branches; odd numbers as Six Yang Laws and even numbers as Six Yin Laws, matching Yin Yang, supplemented with the Ten Heavenly Stems; together known as the Sixty Jiazi, then alternating in the cycle of generation... The so-called "Sword-Edge Gold," "Furnace Fire," and others are called "Na Yin," all derived from these principles.

Now, the Cave Spirit Zither he examined was of an ancient make, with twelve strings, Six Yin and Six Yang, capable of conforming to the heavens and earth, aligning with mathematical and astronomical theories, using sound to return to nature, and establishing a bridge connecting man and the Dao.

The use of the Twelve Equal Temperaments, invented by Zhu Zaiyu in later generations, became global standardization, fixing every musical scale such that not even a piano could play the notes between two keys, locking the framework and confining all musicians to compose within this structured scale.

Indeed, in ancient China, every musician set their own musical scales, each sect to its own and even each individual to his own. Based on the Circulation numbers, they created three hundred sixty musical scales, with each base capable of generating countless splendid musical compositions.

At that time, Shi Feiyang had no significant interest in music, not delving deeply into the study but only grasping the underlying principles. Now, with the Cave Spirit Zither in hand, the knowledge he once acquired resurfaced spontaneously in his mind.

With a casual pluck, the zither's corresponding symbols of the sun, moon, and stars began to shine. Shi Feiyang noted that these symbols had some similarities to the Golden Seal at the base of Dinghu Peak, and they were not invariant; as he played the strings, the figures depicted the rising and setting of the celestial bodies, changing formations and flickering brightly.

He recalled meticulously what he had learned earlier, rearranging the River Map and Luo Book, Yin Yang Five Elements, and harmonizing them with the sounds, plucking the strings one by one and exploring the sensations. When Xie Ying had played this Cave Spirit Zither, the sounds almost scattered his soul. Now, as he played, he discovered the melody's fluctuations held wondrous effects—some resonated with his heart vessels, making his blood surge, some affected his lungs, rendering him breathless, some influenced his three souls, and others his seven spirits...

He didn't know that the Cave Spirit Zither was crafted by an ancient immortal. Even the woodcutter held mastery over only the Six Yang Laws and hadn't fathomed its deeper mysteries. In Cui Wu's hands, only two segments of melody were understood—one wounded the demon beasts' souls, and the other split mountains and rocks, consisting only of a few brief notes that formed no tune.

He excelled in spells and had delved into the origins of Huaxia music, directly starting from the Twelve Musical Scales. He had also obtained the Heavenly Talisman left by the Yellow Emperor, understanding the foundational logic of the Twelve Circulation music, although he never formally learned music. It appeared that he couldn't get started, but given time, he would eventually fully comprehend this treasure and wield it by heart!

He lacked a definite destination, simply walking east, playing and cultivating along the way, sometimes veering north, sometimes south, without concern.

That day, he came across a thousand-year-old clam whose shell alone spanned over twenty feet. Thinking it was about to be eaten, the clam desperately tried to escape.

In terms of cultivation potential, humans were the best, followed by other mammals, then birds, and next reptiles... Shellfish had fragile bases; although this old clam had lived for a millennium, it possessed no divine skills and could only eject water continuously, propelling itself forward with the recoil, and sometimes burrowing into the seabed's sand for camouflage.

Shi Feiyang had discovered the Purple Cloud Palace purely by chasing an old clam that had sheltered the Hui Zhu. Thus, he thought he might find an Immortal Mansion underwater, so he kept chasing the clam for fun, digging it out when it burrowed into the sand, forcing it to continue fleeing.

The clam struggled to escape under the sea, later moving along the seabed's mountain terrain, running from the deep sea to the shallow sea, then from the shallow sea to the beach, and finally arriving at a bay surrounded by coral reefs in the southeast of an island.

Here, the clams, conches, and scallops generally had centuries of lifespans, with over a dozen having lived for more than a millennium. Among them, the most powerful was a colorful pearl clam whose cultivation was the deepest. It could already communicate simply with humans, the shell opening and closing to reveal a Primordial Spirit formed like a human, who timidly said to Shi Feiyang, "Our cultivation is not easy, and our flesh terribly inedible. Only through the long years, accumulating countless pearls over the centuries, can we endure. If you like them, I can offer them to you."

Shi Feiyang instructed the clam to open its shell, revealing a splendid array of treasure beads inside. Most numerous were the silvery-white pearls, large as teacups, small ones surpassing the size of longan fruits, there were also black pearls, their bodies dark as ink, surrounded by colorful halos. Beyond these, there were the luminous bright-night pearls, the water-repelling pearls, and the dust-repelling pearls...

Shi Feiyang had pursued the old clam on a whim, not expecting any gain, but as the creature was quite polite, it felt inappropriate to just take everything. He extended his dragon claws, rummaging inside while asking what each pearl was used for, chatting about the clam's lifespan and whether it had a name.

"I don't recall exactly, but it must have been over two thousand years. Long ago, I saved an injured Sword Immortal who, in gratitude, helped me with a name—I'm called Wu Qingyang (note)," said the clam.

"Ah, I'm almost three thousand years old myself, so you're younger than me," Shi Feiyang chatted idly, then picked out five pearls: the Dust-Repelling Pearl, Fire-Repelling Pearl, Water-Repelling Pearl, Wind Stabilizing Pearl, and Barrier-breaking Pearl.

This Clam Immortal had spent its lengthy cultivation life refining these pearls, relying on them to evade disaster. However, its mana was low, and the pearls it produced were not very powerful; for example, the Fire-Repelling Pearl could only repel mortal fire and couldn't withstand the divine fire emanating from Shi Feiyang's inner core.