Immortal Doctor Expert in Urban

Chapter 1287 1286: The Musician of Black Mountain Marsh

At the easternmost edge of Holy Dragon Continent lies a thousand-mile swamp, shrouded in poisonous miasma all year round. Almost no living creatures reside here, except for the fierce beasts adapted to the swamp and venomous fog that lurk in secret.

In the depths of the swamp stands a large black mountain, veiled by haze.

This black mountain has jagged rocks in bizarre and grotesque forms, like the sinister faces of demon fiends.

At the summit of Black Mountain, amidst the clouds and mist, one can see a cluster of palace buildings rising into the sky.

These palace buildings are entirely constructed in somber black, unlike the red walls and green tiles of ordinary palatial architecture found throughout Holy Dragon Continent, which are colorful and aesthetically pleasing.

These somber black palaces have no trace of human habitation, cold and chilling, like the halls and pavilions of the underworld, sending shivers down the spine.

Among these underworld-like palaces, atop a building that towers several dozen stories high, a mysterious figure stands. He wears a black robe, his head covered by a hood, his face obscured by a white mask, only revealing two sharp, blade-like eyes glinting with a piercing aura.

In front of the mysterious figure is a lyre stand, upon which rests an ancient zither.

The mysterious figure extends his hands from his black sleeves, placing them on the strings of the zither. His hands are old, like tree bark, full of wrinkles.

From these bark-like hands, it is evident that this mysterious figure seems to be of advanced age.

The mysterious figure's ten fingers pluck the zither strings, and immediately, an intense, knife-like sound bursts forth, resonating among the somber black palatial buildings.

Amidst the silent Black Mountain, the palace buildings, only the zither music reverberates, making the entire world seem exceptionally vast.

The intense zither music suddenly changes, the sound becomes crisp and sharp, and a surge of unquenchable hatred and murder intent pours forth uninhibited through the music.

As the mysterious figure plays, his eyes gleam with a fearsome edge, tinged with bloodthirsty intent.

At this moment, with a thud, a string suddenly snaps, and the performance halts.

"Yuan Zheng, why have you returned?" The mysterious figure withdraws his hands from the strings, his gaze regains calmness, and he speaks in a hoarse, aged voice.

Meanwhile, a thousand meters down from Black Mountain's peak, a disheveled, pale-faced old man with blood at the corner of his mouth stands on a rock, wearing an exhausted expression.

This old man is Yuan Zheng, who escaped from Thousand Dragon City.

Listening to the voice coming from the mountaintop building, Yuan Zheng's face shows a hint of shame, cupping his fists and looking up at the peak, saying, "Master, disciple Yuan Zheng has disappointed you. I was unfortunately defeated and lost Thousand Dragon City."

"Defeated by whom? Why did you lose Thousand Dragon City?" comes the authoritative inquiry from the mountaintop.

Yuan Zheng hides nothing, narrating in detail how Lin Fei defeated him and took over Thousand Dragon City.

Of course, he did not mention that Lin Fei came to settle accounts with the Yuan family because his sons, Yuan Hong and Yuan Long, captured Lin Fei's woman.

"You were supposed to be an important pawn in Holy Dragon Continent, meant to help expand my influence there, yet you have let me down, unable to seize more cultivation cities for me and losing Thousand Dragon City. You're no longer my disciple, Nangong Sheng's disciple," the mysterious figure's indifferent voice echoes from the summit.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, Yuan Zheng's face trembles involuntarily at these words, quickly pleading, "Master, don't expel me. I'm willing to atone for my mistakes."

"Atonement? If I'm not mistaken, you escaped back here by using forbidden power, and once you use it, your abilities will be completely drained, never to recover," the mysterious figure's cold voice reverberates through the cloudy mountain.

Pain flickers in Yuan Zheng's eyes. It's true; he managed to escape from Lin Fei by using a talisman to activate forbidden power.

But the greatest cost of employing forbidden power is the complete depletion of one's martial prowess.

"Master, I can cultivate again, just give me time, and I can surely restore my original strength," Yuan Zheng looks panic-stricken, gazing towards the summit, full of pleading.

However, the mysterious figure's voice remains cold and unfeeling: "Since you've lost Thousand Dragon City and lost your martial powers, you're of no use to me anymore. You're no longer the Red Scorpion I trained among the Seven Scorpions. Quickly, sail away!"

After saying this, the mysterious figure restrung the broken zither string with a new one.

Then, the zither music dinged again, resonating once more in the fog-drenched sky of Black Mountain.

Below the mountain, Yuan Zheng looks utterly hopeless, realizing that nothing he says will change anything.

Then, he turns and leaves, arriving at a riverbank.

This wide river winds through the thousand-mile swamp, the only road in and out of the miasma-shrouded swamp.

At the riverside is a small boat; Yuan Zheng boards it, takes hold of the oars, and begins to row not even a few dozen meters downstream.

"Caw!~~~" At this moment, a piercing eagle's cry tears through the sky, emanating from the clouds above Black Mountain.

Suddenly, a massive shadow emerges from the mist, like a large dark cloud flying down from the sky.

This isn't just a dark cloud but a giant black eagle.

A Black Eagle with a tuft of white feathers on its head, eyes like lightning, and a golden beak, emanating a strong, fierce avian aura.

The gigantic Black Eagle dives down from the cloud, as if hunting its prey, the whistling break of air causing intense vibrations, the winds stir, and a sprawling killing intent rages across the land.

Rowing away, Yuan Zheng sees the descending Black Eagle and his face changes dramatically, shouting in terror, "No, Master, you can't kill me! Even if I haven't achieved it, I've endured hardship. Master, spare me!"

However, his voice hadn't finished when the descending giant eagle's talon-like steel claws pierced Yuan Zheng's chest.

Amidst his cries, Yuan Zheng was already seized by the Black Eagle's talons and lifted into the air. As soon as he reached mid-air, the eagle's claws tore him into pieces.

Yuan Zheng, torn to shreds, hadn't yet fallen into the river when, with a loud crash, the water roiled. A colossal beast surged out of the river—a giant serpent as thick as a barrel, covered in blood-red scales, opening its gaping maw and swallowing Yuan Zheng's shredded remains whole.

With a splash, the serpent sank back into the river, leaving only rippling waves on the surface.

The giant Black Eagle spread its wings and descended onto the highest rooftop of the building where the mysterious figure was playing the zither, folding its wings like a specter from hell, its piercing gaze surveying the black mountain.

At that moment, the sound of whistling air came forth. A beam of light landed in front of the building, revealing a middle-aged man in black. Kneeling on one knee, he clasped his hands, reporting to the mysterious zither-playing figure, "Master, Cyan Scorpion has sent news from the Holy Dragon Realm, the Celestial Saint Gem is about to surface. The highest ruler of Holy Dragon Realm, Liu Tiandao, has dispatched his eldest son and two elders to the border between Ten Thousand Swords City and Liufeng City, at Dragon Tiger Mountain."

"So the Celestial Saint Gem is at Dragon Tiger Mountain. Silver Scorpion, gather your fellow disciples and hurry to Dragon Tiger Mountain. The Celestial Saint Gem must not fall into Liu Tiandao's hands."

"Yes, Master."