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Chapter 667: Stagnation and Progression
🕑 Added 2025-12-08 14:00:18 +0000 UTCOn the second day, a portal appeared in front of all the ticket holders once more. With the experience of the previous day, the attendees confidently stepped through them. The number of people had actually increased compared to the previous day.
This wasn’t because Tianyi or Daoyi decided to release last-minute tickets, but because the people who did not dare to enter the portal the previous day had mustered up the courage to do so. It wasn’t that they had steeled themselves, but that they had heard about the experiences of the concert-goers.
Upon seeing that people had actually gone and returned without any issue, everyone felt more confident. In fact, if a strange portal appeared, few people would dare to go in, even if they were told what was on the other side. The reason so many people had on the first day spoke of the immense trust the Heavenly Immortal Court had instilled in all beings of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System.
The mortals had some slight regret for missing out on the goodies, but the cultivators were truly regretful. The ones most regretful were the true immortals. Although many of them wanted to hide their gains, it didn’t stop a few boastful immortals from revealing the rare materials and immortal fruits they received just for attending.
The intestines of those high and mighty immortals, who had disdained the event, turned green with regret. Even if they had won it through the lottery, a few of them weren’t interested and transferred it to their favored descendant or disciple. Even if they wanted to get it back now, it was impossible. Once the concert officially began, the tickets were no longer transferable.
That didn’t stop a few immortals from trying. The true immortal who revealed this information had an immortal monarch elder, and he belonged to a powerful force, so no one bothered him. After all, the souvenirs they got were only attractive to true immortals. And the other true immortals were much more careful in their conduct, like Mi Fengsi.
Still, it was debatable whether it would be worth it to form a deadly feud just for those goodies. So these greedy true immortals set their sights on the weaker ticket holders. They were much less careful than the true immortals, especially the ordinary mortals.
Naturally, they failed. After their failure, the assailants disappeared without a trace. Their actions were extremely covert, and unless someone skilled in investigation, like a practitioner of the Law of Time, came in person, their identities would remain forever buried in anonymity.
However, that was just a minor episode in the greater world. Few people realized what had happened, so no one came forward to denounce the concert and besmirch Tianyi and Daoyi’s reputation.
Like on the first day, the mortals and cultivators below the Immortal Realm appeared on the first and second levels, respectively. Those who had already ascended to the Immortal Realm walked into their private boxes.
The immortals who had met already greeted each other in their own ways. To their surprise, puppet servants came again. The surprise wasn’t directed at the complementary fruit platter, but at the second round of goods. It was still the same set composed of the head tie, badge, coat, and glow stick, but the theme had changed. Yesterday featured Sovereign Thrallsong’s image, but although she was still on each good, she was now surrounded by the Eighteen Flower Fairies.
Most of the immortals rejoiced at this profit. If this continued, wouldn’t it mean that they could reap benefits for the next five days?
Contrary to these pragmatic individuals, the fans were actually thinking about the implications of the changed souvenirs. Did this mean the second day would be more focused on guests instead of primarily on Sovereign Thrallsong?
Although many guests did appear during the first day of the concert, most of them only performed once before Sovereign Thrallsong took over the entire stage again.
These fans’ speculation was correct.
The first song of the second day was performed by Sovereign Thrallsong and the Eighteen Flower Fairies. The second performance was a solo one by the Eighteen Flower Fairies, highlighting their status as the deuteragonists of the second day.
From there, Sovereign Thrallsong and the Eighteen Flower Fairies took turns performing. That didn’t mean no guests were featured, but this time, they also performed with the Eighteen Flower Fairies instead of just with Sovereign Thrallsong like on the first day.
Sovereign Thrallsong and the Eighteen Flower Fairies had greatly differing styles. Most of Sovereign Thrallsong’s songs and performances were short, ranging from two and a half minutes at the shortest to ten minutes at the longest. In stark contrast, the shortest songs performed alone by the Eighteen Flower Fairies were thirty minutes long!
It wasn’t just Sovereign Thrallsong and the Eighteen Flower Fairies. In fact, this was the same with Sovereign Thrallsong and all the traditional performers of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System. Compared to the fast and quick songs of modern Earth, the performances of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System catered to long banquets. To prevent the guests from growing weary of waiting, the performers had to minimize the downtime between each performance, causing the length of the show to grow. Some troupes even strung and incorporated different performances into one.
This was only for mortal entertainment. For cultivators who could focus longer and who had a much longer lifespan, the performances naturally lengthened. The complexity also grew, making it difficult for mortal minds to grasp all the intricacies of even a single act or note.
In fact, this was what was happening at this very moment. Forget the mortals; not even cultivators below the Immortal Realm could remain unfazed watching the Eighteen Flower Fairies’ performance. Even some of the true immortals found themselves gawking.
Unlike Sovereign Thrallsong, who only unconsciously imbued her actions with the divine-level Law of Life and Death, the Eighteen Flower Fairies actively incorporated their insights of the worldly laws into their performance. For them, this was their path. Like how warriors turned their mastery of the law into fighting techniques, these dancers and singers elevated their songs and dances.
It was a difficult path with low fighting ability. Although it could exhibit similar powers to soul immortals, the output wasn’t equal to the effort. An immortal monarch dancer might be able to charm a true immortal, but an equal in the same realm? Practically impossible unless they were close to becoming an immortal emperor.
Granted, this was only applicable to pure dancers and singers. In a way, it was similar to the professions of immortal chefs and alchemists. Compared to normal cultivators, most cultivators of these professions could only survive by joining a force.
Though they were disdained, it depended on which force they joined. Even an immortal emperor wouldn’t dare to disparage an immortal chef of the Heavenly Immortal Court—at least not openly.
And so, with a dual performance from Sovereign Thrallsong and the Eighteen Flower Fairies, the second day ended, and everyone left through the portal. When the people returned, they recounted their experiences on the Xiyinet and posted the videos. Most mortals ate dinner and immediately went to sleep.
Although their bodies had been nourished by the spiritual qi and formation engraved by Tianyi, they couldn’t hold back the mental fatigue—especially after listening to the Eighteen Flower Fairies’ performances. These mortals would later discover that their talent for cultivation had increased. It wasn’t much, but it was still a boost.
The ones who noticed the most were naturally the cultivators below the Immortal Realm. Listening to the Eighteen Flower Fairies’ performance had allowed them to be baptized by worldly laws. They would discover that it was easier to absorb spiritual qi, speeding up their cultivation. However, that state would eventually disappear with time.
Only the true geniuses would benefit. When they recalled this experience in the future, they would be able to comprehend the concepts under the worldly laws they had been baptized by.
The next day, a larger audience attended. At this point, everyone who had hesitated because they were wary of the portal entered.
Like on the second day, the goods they received had a new theme. Sovereign Thrallsong was on it, but she shared the focus with another group. This new guest wasn’t a singer or dancer but a pure musician.
The performance on the third day contained no words, only tunes. This lack of words did not stop the audience from appreciating the music. In the early days, music had no words because a person’s voice could not travel as far as a dedicated instrument. That is not to say wordless music was primitive—each had its own merit.
Despite the lack of words, a chorus accompanied each song. They were not sung by Sovereign Thrallsong or her partner. Rather, they were sung by the audience.
Without words to guide them, the music had to rely solely on the notes themselves. Because of this, the emotions that sprung forth from the audience were far more primal. Accompanying these bursting emotions were their words. They spoke in tune with the notes. Although the spoken words were not united and contained countless dialects and meanings, they all seemed to harmoniously merge into a perfect chorus.
Without a single word sung by Sovereign Thrallsong or her partner, the third day of the concert ended. Yet, the audience felt as if they had experienced far more than the previous two days combined. And so, the third day ended.
What followed was the fourth day. Sovereign Thrallsong had different partners throughout all these days. Her style also changed to emulate her partner’s, like the wordless music she weaved or the longer and lengthier traditional songs and dances of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System performed by the Eighteen Flower Fairies.
Finally, Sovereign Thrallsong appeared alone on the seventh day. She had no duets, and she alone stood on the stage. However, the audience did not forget the previous guests because Sovereign Thrallsong had incorporated their styles into her songs.
Like on the first day, the audience couldn’t help but reflect on themselves. They became embroiled in their memories, unable to pull themselves out of the water formed by their past. As they continued to listen, their heads dipped below the water. Whether it was regret, happiness, or other emotions, the audience no longer cared. They closed themselves off from the future and barricaded themselves with the experience of their past.
Just as it seemed that they were about to drown completely in their past, a shimmering light on the surface attracted their attention. They looked up to see an opening in the sea of memories. Instinctively, they reached upward and broke out of their predicament.
The sky wasn’t blue. No, it mirrored the sea of memories. It was filled with images of themselves and people they knew—and even those they didn’t. Their reflections sometimes carried a smile. Other times, they had a furious expression, as if they were King Emma reborn.
The sky was not formed from their memories but from their possible futures. If they continued to advance, a brighter future awaited them. However, it was just as likely for them to fall off their path and plummet into the abyss of despair far greater than any pain they had experienced before.
Most of the audience wanted to advance, believing that a better future awaited them. However, they froze, trapped between their past and possible futures. It took only one small step, yet they couldn’t take it.
They didn’t know how long this state lasted. The longer they remained, the blurrier their thoughts became. They wavered between rising and falling, yearning for the future and drowning in their memories. Caught between stagnation and progression, they could only remain trapped.
Just as it seemed an eternity had passed, a bell-like voice carrying the softness of a whisper broke them out. The voice was carried in a soft and gentle light. Drawn by it, all of them rose into the sky, choosing the possible future over being chained by the past.
The audience awoke to hear Sovereign Thrallsong finish her last song. The memories of being trapped vanished from their minds, replaced by the performance on the last and seventh day. Before they could ponder it, they were attracted by Sovereign Thrallsong’s parting words.
“Everyone, thank you for coming,” Sovereign Thrallsong said, her voice filling the entire venue and addressing each one. “Thanks to you, I figured out everything.”
No one, not even the true immortals, noticed anything amiss. No one except Tianyi.
When Daoyi’s last performance trapped everyone in their minds, he was ready to take action and wake them up. He didn’t know why Daoyi had suddenly done this, but he knew the consequences if the audience were to suffer injuries or death because of it.
Thankfully, nothing happened, but Tianyi still couldn’t help but wonder why Daoyi had committed this act. So when she walked backstage, he asked.
Daoyi didn’t answer. Instead, she smiled, her eyes filled with radiance. “Tianyi, I really like performing on stage. Let’s hold another concert.”
