When the erhu joined the mix, Zhao Yunxiao could swear that he heard the roar of a mighty beast coming from atop the lava fall.
A sense of fear filled his heart, as though he were mere prey exposed directly to his natural predator. With that, the desire to retreat instantly became multiple times greater than before.
By now, it was not just Lu Zhiying who had succumbed. Gu Qiansi, Bo Fei, and Huang An all looked peaceful as they entered a similar state of deep sleep. Among the members of the Flying Shell Performance Group, Zhao Yunxiao was the only one left awake.
Apart from them, other members of the audience were also falling one after another.
One by one, previously activated defensive techniques lost their effects as their users drifted off into dreamland. Seeing this, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but feel inspired.
To think that music could be used this way as well. Rather than a performance, it was more like a large-scale attack capable of incapacitating thousands of enemies at once!
Hopefully, there would come a day when he would be able to do the same against others with his flute in hand!
Then again, it was not entirely without its limitations as well.
For example, this kind of attack seemed to be rather ineffective against those with just slightly better mental fortitude, as could be seen from its low impact on him.
Now that the erhu had joined in, the resulting spiritual pressure was definitely impressive. However, the resolve needed to resist the temptation to drift off to sleep was still not all that huge. In comparison, it was probably more difficult to move a single chess piece on the Benevolent Wave Chessboard.
That said, the inner disciples seemed to be a little... disappointing?
At this point, Zhao Yunxiao was the only Essence Gathering realm cultivator who remained awake. All other outer disciples, including Hua Sheng, had fallen asleep.
In fact, even the Essence Gathering realm inner disciples, such as Leng Huiqi, had all failed to last this long against the special lullaby of the Sentient Light Performance Group.
The only ones left awake were core disciples and inner disciples at the Essence Physique realm and above, as well as Zhao Yunxiao.
And then both vocals joined in at the same time.
Boom-!
In Zhao Yunxiao's mind, the plunge pool, which had long since been transformed into a lava lake, suddenly erupted, dousing his entirety in molten lava. Overwhelming heat washed over him, threatening to reduce him to nothing but ashes.
The pressure on him skyrocketed. While no physical injuries appeared on his actual body, the imaginary setting in his mind had fully convinced him that he was being submerged into a pool of lava. Pain and agony constricted around his heart, threatening to squeeze tight should he do nothing to resolve the situation.
Zhao Yunxiao gritted his teeth, enduring this sudden increase in pain level.
Yet at the same time, he also understood that this pain was nothing but an illusion. It was an imaginary setting meant to trick his mind into believing that everything was real when it actually was not. And the moment he fell to this illusion, that would mark the end of his consciousness.
Once that was clear, things became much simpler.
Since he did not have to worry about physical injuries, all he had to do was force himself to endure the pain. And truth be told, Zhao Yunxiao felt rather confident about it if this was the level that he had to face.
Compared to the pain of death that he had felt each time he lost a piece on the Benevolent Wave Chessboard against Cha...
Compared to the mental agony that he had experienced when resisting the Soul Devil's power of corruption on the Zodiac General...
And especially when compared to the nigh insurmountable pressure that he had to endure in the separate space that contained the ancient tome through the Untethered Sage...
This level of pain was nothing special!
Zhao Yunxiao slowly opened his eyes. Controlling his expression, he looked around to see that not a single one of the Essence Physique realm cultivators remained. With the inclusion of the vocals, all of them had been wiped out in one fell swoop.
Furthermore, even some of the Origin Core realm disciples were beginning to falter.
Seeing this caused a faint smile to appear on his face.
He was well aware that his mental fortitude had already far surpassed his peers, but it would appear that his recent experiences had allowed him to refine it even further!
What Zhao Yunxiao did not realise was that while he was silently taking pride in his own personal milestone, he had already drawn the attention of various people in the Monolith Square.
Members of the Sentient Light Performance Group could not help but narrow their eyes, never expecting that someone apart from Kang Fuping and the other core disciples would actually end up smiling in the face of their music suppression. As expected, the Black Tortoise Sect was not to be underestimated!
At the same time, the disciples seated at the very front also exchanged meaningful glances.
These were none other than Kang Fuping and the three other core disciples.
None of them turned around to look behind them, but that did not matter. Even without doing so, they had still been observing every single member of the audience right from the very start.
Therefore, Zhao Yunxiao had attracted their attention the moment he opened his eyes. This was especially considering his identity – both as an outer disciple and as a cultivator at the Essence Gathering realm. And when he let out a smile, that truly caught them off guard.
Smiled?
He actually smiled?
Was he forcing it, or was he really feeling that relaxed?
They had not sensed any strong energy fluctuations coming from Zhao Yunxiao, so it was unlikely that he had used some special defensive technique for assistance.
In that case, did he possess an unnaturally strong innate mental fortitude? Or did he possess some special treasure that was able to help him resist this spiritual pressure?
Regardless, if he were able to continue building upon this strength of his, he might actually become someone of great use to the sect in the future!
Zhao Yunxiao of the Flying Shell Performance Group, eh?
While none of them had really spoken much to Zhao Yunxiao in the past, their impeccable memory allowed them to remember just about every single person they had ever come across. Naturally, they would also be able to remember the members of the Flying Shell Performance Group that had given a rather eye-catching performance during the recent New Year celebrations.
Huu-!
Zhao Yunxiao let out a deep breath as he tried to regulate his breathing.
While he could easily endure this level of pressure and pain, that did not mean he did not feel a thing. It would appear that he still had a ways to go before reaching a stage where he could completely ignore something of this level.
Just as he was thinking that, the pressure on him suddenly vanished.
Surprised, he looked up to see that the song had finally come to an end. Not just that, but by doing so, he accidentally matched gazes with Mushan Zi, who promptly followed up with a polite nod of acknowledgement.
Not wanting to embarrass the sect, the flustered Zhao Yunxiao made sure not to let his true emotions show, merely giving a faint smile as he returned the nod.
What he did not realise was that this little interaction between the two would end up having a far more lasting effect than he could have ever expected.
"Brother Kang, the song has come to an end," Mushan Zi said.
"It's been an honour. Thank you for your wondrous performance, as always," Kang Fuping slowly got to his feet. "Fellow disciples, if you are still awake, stand up and join me in thanking our guests."
He spoke in his usual calm voice, his tone sounding no different from casual remarks made over a meal. However, nobody dared to disobey his words.
The core disciples – Duan Lei, Han Xing, and Zhang Xi – were the first to stand.
Next, the surviving inner disciples stood up in unison. Almost all of them were familiar faces to Zhao Yunxiao – prominent inner disciples whose reputations resounded throughout both the inner and outer sects.
Finally, Zhao Yunxiao awkwardly got to his feet as the only surviving outer disciple.
At this moment, those standing among the audience could not help but take notice of one another. In their eyes, the survivors might not necessarily be those with the strongest mental fortitude, but they were certainly the ones who had been most prepared and equipped to deal with a mental attack that came in the form of music.
In this aspect, they were all elite disciples who had differentiated themselves from the rest.
And while everyone took notice of one another, the majority of the attention actually fell upon Zhao Yunxiao.
Nobody was surprised that the core disciples were still awake. Similarly, the prominent inner disciples had already made a name for themselves, so their survival was nothing unexpected.
But an outer disciple lasting through the entire song, when even some Origin Core realm inner disciples had failed to do so?
That was definitely something new!
It was just a pity that Zhao Yunxiao had not executed any defensive technique to protect himself earlier. Otherwise, that would directly expose his cultivation level that was only at the Advanced Essence Gathering realm, creating a far greater level of shock and disbelief for these proud inner disciples!
Zhao Yunxiao could feel the attention falling upon himself, and could not help but scratch his cheek in embarrassment. Nevertheless, he did not cower.
He might not be used to being the focus of attention, but that did not mean he was ashamed of his strengths. Standing all the way at the back of the Monolith Square, he nodded politely towards anyone who turned around to look towards him.
This strange interaction was naturally noticed by members of the Sentient Light Performance Group. However, not only were they unaware of Zhao Yunxiao's cultivation level, but they also did not know that he was just an outer disciple. So, they naturally did not truly understand the significance of him standing among the sleeping inner disciples.
All they thought was that Zhao Yunxiao must be a promising young elite of the Black Tortoise Sect!
"You are too courteous, Brother Kang. We are the ones who are honoured to be given this opportunity to perform for the illustrious Black Tortoise Sect," Mushan Zi responded to Kang Fuping.
"Regardless, I still have to thank you for doing me this favour," Kang Fuping replied with a smile. "Come, let me see you out."
"Farewell, everyone. It's been a pleasure," Mushan Zi addressed the audience this time.
Eh?
Zhao Yunxiao could not help but be surprised.
They were already leaving?
Did the Sentient Light Performance Group come all the way to Purple Plum Mountain just to perform two songs?
Moreover, the majority of the audience were still sleeping at the moment. If Sentient Light were to leave just like that, wouldn't these people not even get the chance to catch a final glimpse of them?
Zhao Yunxiao glanced over at the sleeping Gu Qiansi beside him.
Perhaps he should wake them up.
"Don't."
Zhao Yunxiao was startled as Kang Fuping's words suddenly rang out in his head. He turned his attention forward, only to see Kang Fuping looking directly at him. Thankfully, the prime disciple's gaze did not seem to bear any form of hostility or reprimand.
"You are free to stay here if you wish, but do not wake those who have fallen asleep. They shall be left to awaken by themselves," Kang Fuping emphasised with a smile, this time directing his message to everyone present. "Let this be a reminder to them that the world is greater than they thought, and that it would be best not to be too full of themselves."
Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch.
Thankfully, he had managed to resist the music suppression. Otherwise, who knew how much time he would end up wasting by sleeping out here in the open?
That said, this incident would probably give him sufficient bragging rights in front of Gu Qiansi for years to come!