Chapter 510: Playing a Melody for a Ferocious Beast

The Soul Canon is the supreme sacred scripture of the Soul Clan.

This tome details the secret origins and lineage inheritance of the Nine Nether Soul Clan, while also encompassing various basic universal soul techniques.

In terms of status, it is the spiritual cornerstone revered by the Soul Clan; in terms of rarity, however, it is as common as an everyday book, existing as something every Soul Clansman possesses.

Otherwise, it would not have fallen into another's hands so easily.

After Hua Changxi could construct a vast and stable 'Soul Domain' with a wave of her hand, she picked up the Soul Canon again to browse, hoping to find a few more soul techniques cultivable by humans to learn.

"Soul Ballad..."

The Soul Ballad is a soul melody; its score spans only three lines, and it can be played on any instrument.

This melody possesses the effects of soothing, purifying, and sublimating the soul; its sound resembles a clear spring from the depths of the Nine Nethers, capable of washing away agitation and impurities within the souls of all races, allowing weary spirits to return to tranquility and dust-covered souls to regain their brilliance.

Thus, this soul melody is not only beloved by the Soul Clan but also a heavenly sound pursued jointly by other races possessing souls.

Even the various Nine Nether races, whose daily lives revolve around slaughter and plunder, can find resonance within the melody of the Soul Ballad, feeling comfort and nourishment emanating from the depths of their souls.

Although this melody appears simple, being merely one of the most basic introductory soul techniques, the difficulty of cultivating it surpasses that of various profound secret arts.

Precisely because of this, few among the Soul Clan can actually play the Soul Ballad.

In order to hear this heavenly sound, other races of the Nine Nethers, and even some Nine Nether experts, have attempted to cultivate it, yet alas, almost none have succeeded.

As to where exactly the difficulty of playing the Soul Ballad lies, not only are the various Nine Nether races baffled, but even the Soul Clan has never truly fathomed it.

"Is it really that difficult?"

Isn't it just three lines of musical notation?

Seeing that the first soul technique recorded in the Soul Canon was described as so hard to practice, Hua Changxi immediately felt a surge of defiance and suspicion.

Having cultivated the Soul Seizing Melody and mastered it in a short time, she now felt extremely confident in her musical talents; sitting cross-legged amidst a grove of soul bamboo, she simply reached out, plucked a bamboo leaf, and placed it against her lips.

"Hoo~"

Only the sound of blowing air emerged.

"No, I cannot blow it like this; this is a soul melody, I must use soul power to play it."

Hua Changxi mobilized her soul power, surging it toward her lips, and as her lips exerted force, she injected the soul power into the bamboo leaf.

In the next instant, a clear and ethereal soul sound drifted forth leisurely, as if coming from the depths of nothingness, gentle yet piercing straight into the divine soul.

Hua Changxi's eyes suddenly brightened, and she could not help but cheer in her heart: "I truly am a musical genius!"

Thinking thus, she became even more immersed in her playing.

Yet she remained completely unaware that as she mobilized her soul power, faint golden threads, nearly invisible to the naked eye, flowed along with the soul power and were injected into the bamboo leaf.

The Soul Ballad echoing through the valley was clear, melodious, and lingering.

Even Hua Changxi herself, listening to the melody, felt a gentle warmth within the music slowly cleansing her mind and spirit, as if her very soul was being washed and nourished again and again, leaving her entire body feeling comfortable and at ease.

The most shocking discovery for her, however, was yet to come.

Since stepping into the fifth layer of the Nine Nethers, the black flame perched upon her Nascent Soul had become increasingly frenzied.

Whether chanting the Clear Heart Mantra silently or forcibly circulating her energy to suppress it, the black flame remained unsteady, exuding an aura suggesting it could surge out of control at any moment.

But as the melody of the Soul Ballad circulated, that originally rampaging black flame strangely came to a halt.

It no longer danced wildly; instead, as if smoothed by some invisible force, its agitation subsided, and it crouched docilely around her Nascent Soul.

In just a short while, the various negative emotions accumulated in her heart seemed to be doused by a basin of cool, clear water, washed away completely, leaving behind only clarity and lucidity.

Gaining a method to control the black flame, Hua Changxi was truly overjoyed.

"It truly is a heavenly sound..."

Thinking of the soul bamboo leaf used to play the Soul Ballad, Hua Changxi hurried forward to gather more.

"Hmm?"

While collecting soul bamboo leaves, Hua Changxi noticed that the white mist deep within the soul bamboo grove had thinned considerably.

In the memories of Lady Chi Yan, there were places within the Soul Nightmare Valley she could not go, and one of them was the depths of the soul bamboo grove.

Looking at the soul bamboo grove where the white mist had dissipated, Hua Changxi hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

In areas where the white mist was thin, she felt no discomfort upon entering, but once she stepped into regions where the mist was thick, Hua Changxi immediately felt all five senses vanish, frightening her into retreating quickly.

"Why has this white mist dispersed?"

The dispersal of the white mist seemed to coincide with her playing the Soul Ballad; thinking of this, Hua Changxi took out another soul bamboo leaf and began to play the Soul Ballad once more.

As soon as the soul melody rang out, Hua Changxi's eyes widened abruptly.

She saw that the thick, dense, sky-obscuring vast white mist was actually dispersing layer by layer at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Although surprised, Hua Changxi continued playing the Soul Ballad while walking deeper into the white mist.

The soul melody was clear, gentle, and melodious, circling leisurely within the secluded valley, seemingly resonating subtly with the soul power inside the valley, blending and giving rise to one another.

Suddenly, the soul melody ceased abruptly.

At the same time, Hua Changxi also halted her steps sharply, her entire aura instantly tensing as her gaze locked firmly onto a huge, looming shadow that appeared and disappeared within the white mist ahead.

An elephant's trunk, a rhinoceros's eyes, an ox's tail, a tiger's feet...

With just one glance, two words floated into Hua Changxi's mind—Nightmare Tapir.

The Nightmare Tapir is one of the top ten ferocious beasts of the Nine Nethers, specializing in devouring the souls and dreams of others; due to its innate divine ability of invisibility, it often devours souls before the victim even realizes it.

She had previously thought that Nine Nether experts dared not seize the Soul Nightmare Valley out of fear for Lady Chi Yan, but now she understood that what Nine Nether experts truly feared was this creature before her, a Nightmare Tapir of unknown realm, be it King or Emperor.

The Nightmare Tapir fully revealed itself, staring straight at Hua Changxi.

Under its gaze, Hua Changxi felt her scalp go numb, ready at any moment to summon her black broken blade for either a decisive battle or an escape.

"Thump~"

The Nightmare Tapir moved, but not to attack; instead, it flung a fruit emitting a holy white glow to the ground beside Hua Changxi's feet.

Upon seeing the fruit, Hua Changxi's pupils trembled once again.

The Nine-Aperture Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit!

This fruit resembled a miniature, crystal-clear heart in shape, with nine naturally formed spiral patterns on its surface that pulsed slightly like blood vessels, emitting a soft and holy soul light.

It was no ordinary plant; it did not take root in soil but could only be born by absorbing the essence of soul power accumulated over hundreds of millions of years in the depths of the Soul River.

Rarely seen even once in ten thousand years, or perhaps even longer, its scarcity had long surpassed the word "precious," making it a supreme holy artifact in the realm of soul plants that existed only in legends.

As for its effects, they were truly miraculous.

Whoever consumed it could trigger a qualitative transformation of their Yuan Shen (soul body).

First, the Nine Orifices Become Clear.

The nine patterns on the fruit corresponded to the nine orifices of the divine soul. After consumption, these nine barriers could be opened one by one, increasing the perception of the divine soul several times over; even the most subtle fluctuations of soul power, utterly imperceptible to ordinary people, could be discerned with perfect clarity, effectively opening a heavenly eye in the path of soul power.

Second, the Soul Body Becomes Solid.

Ordinary soul bodies were inherently weak and feared yang energy, scattering at the slightest carelessness.

But after consuming the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit, the soul body would become incredibly solid, its toughness greatly enhanced; even if struck by heavenly thunder, it would not easily collapse.

For the Soul Race, consuming this fruit meant their soul body's defensive power would rival other races possessing innate advantages such as physical bodies, ghost bodies, demon bodies, or nether bodies within the same realm, no longer constrained everywhere by the fragility of their soul bodies.

For human cultivators, its effects were also remarkably prominent.

A human Yuan Shen usually required cultivation to the Soul Departure realm; only when the Yuan Shen grew strong enough could it leave the body to roam spiritually.

However, if one consumed the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit, as soon as the Yuan Shen successfully condensed, one could ignore realm restrictions and depart the body immediately!

Hua Changxi looked at the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit by her feet, swallowed hard, and then raised her eyes to look at the Yanmo.

Seeing her remain motionless, the Yanmo let out a "bang" and threw another Nine-Orifice Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit at her.

Hua Changxi's eyelids twitched violently, her throat dry.

Seeing she still did not move, the Yanmo threw another one over.

Hua Changxi: "......"

Having offered three Nine-Orifice Exquisite Soul Heart Fruits without receiving a response, the Yanmo grew angry: "Human, you are too greedy."

Startled by the word "Human," Hua Changxi's heart pounded; looking at the Yanmo, which had still not launched an attack, and then at the fruits by her feet, she asked uncertainly, "Senior, do you wish to hear the 'Soul Ballad'?"

The Yanmo snorted: "What else?"

If it were not for the extreme rarity of those capable of playing the "Soul Ballad," it would have long ago swallowed this human's soul in one bite.

Receiving a confirmed answer, Hua Changxi quickly picked up the three Nine-Orifice Exquisite Soul Heart Fruits, took one, and began to eat it right before the Yanmo's astonished gaze.

Without bothering to taste it or sense the changes in her soul body, Hua Changxi finished one Nine-Orifice Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit in a few bites, then said, "Senior gave me three Nine-Orifice Exquisite Soul Heart Fruits, so I will play three songs of the 'Soul Ballad' for you."

The Yanmo glanced at Hua Changxi, snorted again as if too lazy to waste words with her, flicked its front paw, and a funnel as tall as a person appeared before Hua Changxi: "Three times."

Seeing the Yanmo looking as though it would fly into a rage if she refused, Hua Changxi wisely picked up the soul bamboo leaf and began to play.

As soon as the "Soul Ballad" sounded, the Yanmo's fierce expression immediately became serene; then, it comfortably closed its eyes, immersed in the melody.