680 Quenching Thirst with Poison (2/2)

Amidst the 24 illusional realms, Paganini was destroying one fulcrum after another slowly and steadily. He was in no hurry to break through. Instead, he was giving Ye Qingxuan tremendous pressure by forcing him to maintain the integrity of the cage with all his power. Otherwise, Ye Qingxuan would have to be prepared to accept the worst outcome. No way to advance nor retreat. It would be like quenching thirst with poison.

”…” Ye Qingxuan could not help but curse. His expression was solemn as he raised the Staff of Fate slowly to prepare to receive the next blow. At the very least, he must figure what exactly that thing was…

But in that very instant, deep sounds of drums could be heard from the seas far away. They might be weak but they eventually made their way to Ye Qingxuan. It was as if an invisible arm was pulling at him gently and was trying to drag him to somewhere else. He turned back to glance at the place where the drums could be heard. It was Asgard's stronghold on the sea.

The Second Prince spoke to him, ”Ye Qingxuan, we need to talk.”

Ye Qingxuan hesitated for a moment. Soon after, his music theory connected to the pulling of the drums. In the next instant, he felt as if time had stopped. No, time in the outside world had not stopped, only in the place where he was.

In that instant, between the realm of aether and the physical world, a narrow interlayer was gradually being widened. This narrow interlayer, which was hidden within the chaotic turbulence, was pulling his consciousness in. No physical objects existed here, only perception and senses.

Through the interlayer, he was able to observe the world that was stagnating now. It was like looking at a gigantic piece of painting on the wall. You could see every detail in one glance. Shortly after, a Symphony of Predestination that had been embedded with divinity came and transformed into the form of the Second Prince. However, at this moment, he did not seem to be in good shape. His only remaining eye was already rotting, while only the divine flame in his left eye was still burning furiously.

”The situation is out of control, Ye Qingxuan.” The figure of the Second Prince appeared beside Ye Qingxuan and suggested, ”We can work together. Asgard and Anglo and split the Ultimate evenly and develop together.”

”Why should we split it evenly?” Ye Qingxuan countered, ”Based on the current situation, I should be getting more, shouldn't I?”

The Second Prince frowned. ”But the risks and dangers that you are facing are immense. With the stronghold on the sea, we can easily escape unscathed, but what about you?”

”I can give all these to the Sacred City. Don't forget, I also hold the title of Archbishop.” Ye Qingxuan refused to give in. ”But if you choose to leave, then don't expect to gain anything out of this. In other words, you would have taken the blow of that arrow for nothing. Besides, if I have guessed correctly, there must be elements of revenge in your catastrophe weapon. If you do not seek revenge, it will be difficult for the compatibility between both of you to increase further. For all you know, it may even decrease.”

The Second Prince's face contorted slightly as if he had been lightly jabbed at the sides. His tone became cold. ”With the attitude that you have right now, I think it will be difficult for us to negotiate.”

”You are the ones that want to negotiate, not me, right?” Ye Qingxuan sought an exorbitant price, yet did not wish to force the Second Prince into a corner either. He decided to change the topic. ”We are running out of time. Let's just speak frankly with each other. Why don't we let the friend who has been watching us all this while join in?”

The Second Prince stayed silent for a moment as if he was listening for something. Shortly after, another figure appeared out of nowhere. It was an old man who was holding a mud block. The mud block was filled with wedge-shaped music notes. This figure was surrounded by complex music theories. They extended into the void and connected with the entire fault as one body. Perhaps, he was the one controlling all these after all.

”This 'lens' is your scepter?” Ye Qingxuan sighed lightly. ”Not a bad idea.”

”The Chief Inquisitor is indeed sharp.” The old man laughed bitterly. He did not expect to be figured out so quickly.

If Ye Qingxuan was right; there was no way the lens could contain any physical objects. The lens could only allow for consciousness to be projected into the fault of aether and could be used to observe reality.

This old musician, who was of the School of Revelation, had given up all his powers and even molded his scepter into its current state. He was not like the other musicians, who tried to ensure that their scepters were in the depths of the realm of aether in order to get closer to the Originator. It was unbelievable how deviated his ways were. He had chosen to sacrifice the revelation he had received from the Originator and the opportunity to peek into the future in exchange for the formidable observation skills of the 'present.'