Keyboard Immortal

Chapter 2449: Worse Than Death

“She used to be my teacher…” Zu An reminisced about the first time he saw her at a gazebo outside the academy. 

He had just transmigrated into that world then. Not only was he snubbed due to his low standing, but he also had all kinds of restrictions imposed on him. It was as good as starting a game in hell mode.

The other party’s appearance was like a breath of fresh air to him.

“A teacher-student relationship?” The Mermaid Queen’s breathing hastened. 

Zu An had barely begun the story, but she could already fill in the blanks about the incredible romance that happened afterward. There must have been many obstacles in their pursuit of love. She was also curious to know what kind of woman was worthy of being his teacher. 

In the days they spent together, she concluded that Zu An might be the strongest, most mysterious, and most knowledgeable man she knew. She couldn’t imagine anyone teaching such an outstanding student, and to think that person was a descendant of the Mermaid race!

“Is my descendant that formidable?” the Mermaid Queen asked doubtfully. 

Zu An could tell from her expression what she was thinking, and he smiled. “It’s not what you’re thinking. She teaches me music. We became acquainted over a song.”

Now that he was in another spacetime, surrounded by a white fog, he felt a wave of loneliness and homesickness. So, he took out the flute he always carried with him and played ‘Scenery of Home’.

The surrounding grayish-white death energy seemed to tone down under the melody’s influence, as they morphed into white clouds. 

The wistful yet sorrowful melody left the Mermaid Queen feeling hoarse for a good few minutes.

When the melody finally concluded, Zu An said, “This is the melody that brought us together.”

“No wonder she fell in love with you. This melody must have won her heart,” the Mermaid Queen remarked. 

Zu An was taken aback. “How do you know I played this melody for her?”

The Mermaid Queen smiled. “While this melody is highly reminiscent of our Mermaid race’s music style, it is novel as well. I don’t think it would have come from her.”

“My queen is indeed well-versed in music,” Zu An complimented. Mermaids were born musicians, be they Shang Liuyu, Shang Hongyu, or Gong Suyin. They were all music prodigies.

Looking into Zu An’s eyes, the Mermaid Queen suddenly asked, “Does that woman resemble me a lot?”

Feeling her burning, expectant gaze, Zu An couldn’t bear to ignore her. “Yes, the two of you share similar appearances.”

After spending more time together, he could see many subtle differences between them. He could only say both of them had their charms. 

The Mermaid Queen had guessed as much, but the confirmation still left her both happy and sad. She was happy that she resembled his lover, but their similarity also suggested that they might have blood ties. 

Noooo!

The Mermaid Queen’s heart sank.

“What’s her…”

She was about to ask about her name when Zu Zn suddenly cast his gaze downward, having noticed something. 

She looked down as well and saw a tattered formation. It must have been one of the key formations the Ocean races used to suppress the Eye of the Ocean. 

It was already worn down to a third of its original size, emanating just a faint light. It looked like it would collapse at any moment. 

But what surprised the two of them more were the pained monsters lying in the formation’s vicinity. Unlike the ones that invaded the ocean earlier, these monsters resembled dragons and lizards. They grabbed their heads while howling in agony. Some of them even rolled around the ground. 

“What are those monsters?” The Mermaid Queen was taken aback. There were all kinds of monsters in the Eye of the Ocean, and they had no idea what abilities they had. Should they escape, it might spell a calamity for the world.

“They aren’t monsters,” Zu An said with conflicted eyes. “If I’m not mistaken, they are the garrison troops who entered the ditch earlier.”

“What?!” The Mermaid Queen took a closer look. Only then did she notice the tattered armor and clothes on those monsters—those were indeed what the garrison troops were wearing.

“What happened to them?” The Mermaid Queen teared up. She felt awful to see those stalwart warriors being reduced to such a state. 

“This formation is only holding on thanks to them.” Zu An assessed the surroundings and quickly came to a judgment. “They are burning their life force and faith to neutralize the death energy while repairing the formation to seal off the Eye of the Ocean. Unfortunately, their life force and faith are limited, whereas the death energy here is infinite. Under the influx of death energy, they slowly lost themselves. They didn’t die, but the death energy reconstructed their bodies and slowly turned them into monsters.”

He only recognized them because he saw them in the future. Such stone sculptures lined the sides of the Tomb of Ten Thousand Dragons’ hall. Upon sensing invaders, the stone sculptures broke apart, and these dragon-lizard monsters emerged from within. 

Back then, he thought that the Ancient Dragon race voluntarily used a secret art to turn themselves into stone sculptures to protect the Tomb of Ten Thousand Dragons, but who could have thought that this was the true reason? 

“I have to save them.” The Mermaid Queen took out her Deep Sea Harp and played a healing melody. 

To her shock, that only worsened the garrison troops’ pain. Some of them even lurched furiously at the Mermaid Queen.

Zu An pulled the Mermaid Queen behind him and retreated, thus dodging their attacks. 

“Why did that happen?” The Mermaid Queen was astounded.

“The death energy has turned them into monsters. Your melody heals the living, but it is poison to them,” Zu An said as he channeled his primordial ki to cleanse the nearby garrison troops.

As death energy was siphoned away from them, the rampaging garrison troops slowly calmed down. However, their bodies began to decompose at a visible pace too. 

“This won’t do!” Zu An quickly retracted his primordial ki. “They are now sustained by death energy. That is what is keeping them alive. If we remove their death energy, they will be reduced to dust.” 

The thought of the brave garrison troops meeting with such a tragic plight made the Mermaid Queen’s eyes redden. “Is there a way to save them?”

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