Chapter 6121 Imitation Heavenly Devil Zither
Just as Long Chen departed, the voice of the Earth Cauldron echoed in his mind.
“That was a zither string.”
“Senior, you’re awake?” Long Chen asked, pleasantly surprised.
“Yes. I have finally finished refining the sacred aspect within the faith energy. When you used me to block the zither string, I woke up,” said the Earth Cauldron.
“Was that really a zither string?” Long Chen asked, his heart trembling. “If just one string holds such power... could it rival even you?”
“That zither string possessed the aura of the Heavenly Devil Zither, but it was not authentic,” the Earth Cauldron replied gravely. “If I have to guess, it was a replica of the Heavenly Devil Zither, much like the Demon Moon Cauldron. It mimics the original but lacks its soul.”
Long Chen’s expression darkened. “Then... the Zither Sect is attempting to forge a new Heavenly Devil Zither?”
At the mention of the Heavenly Devil Zither, Long Chen’s thought immediately drifted to Zi Yan. During their brief reunion, she said that she had already formed a spiritual contract with the true Heavenly Devil Zither.
However, that contract was unlike the Earth Cauldron’s acknowledgment of a master. Even the Earth Cauldron could not divine the exact nature of the pact between her and the zither.
“That string was likely buried beneath the city to absorb fear,” the Earth Cauldron said quietly.
Long Chen’s eyes narrowed. “The seven strings relate to the seven emotions... joy, anger, worry, longing, sorrow, fear, and shock. So, they lured in the devil creatures and severed reinforcements, driving the city’s defenders into despair. Then they refined that despair and terror into the string itself? How vicious.”
Long Chen gritted his teeth. He had once held the Zither Sect in high regard. After all, it was one of the four immemorial sects, a symbol of transcendence above worldly struggles. But this? This was rot beneath a mask of sanctity.
They had victory well within their grasp, yet still, they hid behind masks. In other words, they dared to commit atrocities but not take responsibility. Their actions filled Long Chen with disgust.
“The Zither Sect’s methods are truly shocking. If a single string possesses such power, then the entire zither would be even more terrifying,” said Long Chen.
The Earth Cauldron explained, “The previous master of the Heavenly Devil Zither was the ancestor of the Zither Sect. Thus, the Zither Sect knows all its runes. For them to be capable of creating a replica isn’t surprising.
“After the primal chaos war, the ten great primal chaos divine items suffered devastating damage and fell into slumber. But the Heavenly Devil Zither was different. Its injuries weren’t too bad, and it never truly slept. At some point, it escaped the Zither Sect’s control and vanished without a trace.”
“No one knows why,” the Earth Cauldron continued, “but I suspect the Zither Sect seeks to recreate the zither... Not only to preserve their karmic fortune but also to track down the original zither.”
Long Chen’s thoughts churned.
“To find the original... could it be...?”
He recalled a report from the human counteroffensive against the ten thousand races. Many human heroes had risen then. Among them was a masked woman who fought with an ancient zither.
At the time, Long Chen had assumed the masked woman was Liao Yuhuang of the Zither Sect. But something didn’t feel right for him. Later, he came to suspect it was Zi Yan.
Was it because of her appearance in that battle that the Zither Sect was now moving so frantically? Had they sensed the Heavenly Devil Zither’s aura? Was that why they were so desperate to forge this zither string?
Long Chen’s chest tightened.
“In that case, Zi Yan is in danger... Damn Zither Sect!”
Long Chen clenched his fists. He had the urge to charge right over the Zither Sect and smash it to pieces.
However, with his power, there was no way he could contend against such a powerful existence.
The four immemorial sects were all extremely low-key. Throughout the years, they continued to secretly grow. No one knew how strong they had grown.
Just to refine a single imitation zither string, they had dispatched two third Heavenstage Sovereign Lords. That alone spoke volumes of their terrifying strength.
And now, as ancient existences from the primal chaos era awakened in this new world of resurgent spiritual qi and fully restored laws of heaven and earth, their strength would only grow more monstrous.
Before figuring out their true power, Long Chen couldn’t just rashly charge over. It would only put him and his allies in even more danger.
“Long Chen, don’t be hasty,” the Earth Cauldron advised. “Take it one step at a time. Now that I’m awake, it’s time to start refining Human Emperor Pills to help you advance your realm. Increasing your realm as you train your physical body is the most efficient path forward.”
Long Chen nodded.
The world was in chaos, with flowing dark undercurrents. And he had no control over this chaos—yet.
Long Chen needed to grow stronger fast. After all, not only did he have to contend with ancient monsters awakening from their slumber but also the rising stars of his own generation.
After he had found a secluded place, he sat down with the Earth Cauldron floating in the air.
With a flick of his sleeve, medicinal ingredients surged out from the primal chaos space, each one glowing with spiritual light.
A flame ignited.
Long Chen formed hand seals, and his vast Spiritual Strength surged forth as he started refining pills.
Human Emperor Pills.
They required over 3,600 ingredients—nineteen of which were core components: one ruler and eighteen ministers.
It was like an empire of over three thousand subjects, each with its defined role. Balance, timing, and harmony were everything. Even the slightest misstep could turn the entire refinement into dust.
Even Long Chen—with his alchemy techniques, Huo Linger’s powerful flame, and the Earth Cauldron’s cooperation—was being extra careful and couldn’t be distracted.
The initial phase of refinement was the most crucial. Long Chen, Huo Linger, and the Earth Cauldron had to move in perfect sync—each responding to the others instinctively, without the need for words.
As they refined more furnaces together, their coordination would deepen. Eventually, Huo Linger could have full control of the refinement.
Once she reached that level, Long Chen would step aside and allow her to refine the pills with the Earth Cauldron. Later on, even Huo Linger’s main body would retreat, leaving a clone behind to handle the refinements.
That way, both Long Chen and Huo Linger could focus on cultivation and battle instead of wasting precious time on pill production.
But the beginning was always the hardest.
They refined over ten furnaces, and each try only resulted in top-grade pills—a remarkable feat by ordinary standards, but not enough for Long Chen.
After all, the gap between top-grade and peerless-grade was like the difference between mortals and immortals.
He needed peerless-grade pills.
On the third day, the Earth Cauldron suddenly rumbled. Rippling energy filled the air, and a wave of pill fragrance burst out, thick and intoxicating.
They had finally refined their first batch of peerless-grade Human Emperor Pills.
With that breakthrough, the process became smoother. Long Chen refined over a dozen more furnaces of pills at the same level, then stepped back—allowing Huo Linger to continue refining with the Earth Cauldron.
Long Chen now had over a hundred peerless-grade pills. At a glance, they looked completely ordinary. After all, their power was sealed beneath a pill cloth—a veil that hid them from the perception of the Heavenly Daos.
Without that concealment, the will of heavens would descend and destroy them, sparing only one. That was the cruel rule behind the name peerless.
After taking a deep breath, Long Chen said, “Time to begin.”
Long Chen took one pill and swallowed it without hesitation.
As long as he reached the second Heavenstage, his power would definitely soar to a new level.
Once he reached the second Heavenstage, his strength would take a massive leap forward. At that point, he would finally be able to activate the weight runes of both silver rods simultaneously and keep the Life Gate open.
“Zi Yan, wait for me!”