Limitless Evolution: I Have Infinite Potential.

Nangong Changfeng first stroked his beard and sneered, but as the music continued, his expression shifted. His brows furrowed in disbelief, and eventually, panic took hold—he plucked out his own beard in shock, left completely stunned.

The Crown Prince felt his heart jolt, blood surging wildly, breath catching in his throat.

Li Wujie's face flushed deep red, his chest pounding like a war drum.

This wasn't just excitement—it was pure, unfiltered exhilaration!

Ye Junlin was fully absorbed in the performance. His fingers blurred across the strings, leaving streaks of light behind. His silver-white hair whipped around him, his eyes flashing with divine brilliance, and his skin gleamed like carved jade.

In that moment, everyone in the hall felt as though they were witnessing an ancient god-king playing a celestial melody.

"How is this possible?" Hong Qianye's eyes widened in disbelief. "This level of skill... even in the Central Region, it would be considered top-tier! No one would dare challenge him!"

He could feel the profound Dao hidden within the music, recalling his glorious days as a powerhouse in the Central Region. The melody stirred old memories, bringing about fresh insights.

Boom!

Hong Qianye's cultivation suddenly surged, leaping from early to mid, late, then peak Great Ascension Stage—reaching the very edge of the Tribulation Stage.

Li Wujie stood motionless, completely entranced. His mind entered a state of enlightenment.

Crack!

The bottleneck shattered. His realm broke through from Fusion to Great Ascension, and his aura intensified a hundredfold. His black hair whipped around him, his eyes sharp as lightning.

He looked to Ye Junlin with unwavering reverence.

Boom!!

At that moment, an immense wave of power burst from Ye Junlin.

The Crown Prince gasped. "Mid Tribulation Stage! He... he's a Virtual Immortal!"

With his cultivation soaring and his qin technique at its peak, Ye Junlin continued to play Authority Over All, every note as if guided by divine will.

Zheng, zheng, zheng…!!!

Resonant waves rippled outward, echoing with the Dao itself, spreading across mountains and rivers.

All over the land, the people bathed in the music's glow.

The sick and bedridden, long resigned to their fate, suddenly sat up rejuvenated. Old wounds vanished. They leaped from their beds and ran outside, laughing with joy.

Great Zhou soldiers and cultivators from various sects felt waves of insight wash over them, many experiencing spontaneous breakthroughs in their cultivation.

"This is a miracle! A miracle!!"

"Heaven is blessing Great Zhou!"

The masses were overwhelmed, their gratitude pouring out in waves of praise.

Buzz buzz buzz~

Unseen to most, Great Zhou's national fortune surged skyward.

—

In the Xuan Zheng Hall

The Great Zhou Emperor sat surrounded by a luminous white glow. His eyes snapped open as he sensed the dramatic rise in national fortune and the resonance of profound Dao insights.

Drawing upon decades of accumulation, he broke through his final barrier.

From that day forth, the Great Zhou Emperor stepped into the Tribulation Stage, becoming the first Virtual Immortal among all the monarchs of Cangzhou's immortal dynasties.

"Who is bestowing such a gift upon our Great Zhou? That music… it's coming from Tianhe Hall!"

The Emperor's breath caught. "Could it be…?"

His heart trembled in awe.

—

Meanwhile

The ghost army, led by the Horned Demon King, surged toward the capital, filled with murderous intent.

But then, everything changed.

The soaring notes of the qin swept across the sky, each infused with immense, mysterious power.

To humans, Ye Junlin's music was healing and enlightening—but to the creatures of the Underworld Abyss, it was deadly.

"ARGHHH!"

Agonized screams pierced the misty skies.

White smoke hissed off countless ghost creatures as their bodies began to dissolve, the flesh peeling away.

Their magical defenses were useless.

The music struck them like a divine curse.

"Lord! Save us, please!"

The ghosts howled in torment, writhing and collapsing one after another.

The Horned Demon King was both stunned and enraged. A thunderous, storm-like aura exploded from him as he roared toward the heavens.

"Who dares to strike us?! Show yourself! Hiding like a coward means nothing!"

His voice shattered mountaintops. The sky trembled from the force.

Yet, the music did not stop.

In mere moments, nearly all of his two-hundred-thousand-strong army was reduced to ash. Only a handful of ghosts remained.

The surviving Ghost Commanders struggled to hold on, their spiritual forms flickering, nearly melted by the divine melody. They managed to send out fading messages:

"King… retreat… the humans… they have a powerhouse…"

One by one, they vanished.

"No!!"

The Horned Demon King's eyes turned bloodshot as he screamed, his body riddled with wounds, soaked in ghostly ichor.

Only his early Tribulation Stage cultivation allowed him to endure—but even then, the pain was unbearable.

"This is agony! WHO IS DOING THIS?!"

He howled into the void, refusing to fall back. He couldn't.

He had led a million troops to Great Zhou, only to see them wiped out. Returning like this meant certain death.

White smoke rose from his flesh as his body broke down, the pain digging deep into his bones and soul.

"I won't survive this at this rate…"

He clenched his jaw, pulled out a sinister purple pill—the Underworld Yuan Pill, given to him by the emissary—and swallowed it.

No hesitation.

"I don't care what happens to me. I'll find whoever's behind this and rip them apart!"

The pill took effect instantly. Dark purple light blazed in his eyes.

His power surged, his cultivation breaking through to the mid Tribulation Stage.

Boom boom boom…

His aura became overwhelming, dark purple energy cloaking his body as he transformed into a comet of destruction, hurtling toward the capital.

People below screamed in terror as he passed, powerless to resist the dreadful pressure.

With the surge in power, the music's harmful effect weakened—but he knew it wouldn't last.

There would be a price for using that pill. A terrible one. But he had no other choice.

He had to complete the mission, no matter the cost.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

His crimson eyes gleamed with madness.

As long as he could move, he would storm the capital and butcher everyone he found. His rage had become an obsession.

Zheng zheng zheng~!!!

The music reached its climax. The mysterious power hidden within it grew even more intense.

All across Great Zhou, strange phenomena unfolded.

The moon shone brighter over the sea.

Mountains and rivers gleamed like paintings.

Stars sparkled in a clear sky.

Sun and moon rose together.

Dragons and phoenixes circled in harmony.

…

The people erupted in awe. Their cheers shook the heavens.

"What?!"

The Horned Demon King recoiled in horror. His body was struck by invisible force and slammed to the ground, leaving a massive crater.

"ARGHHH!" he screamed, thrashing like a dying beast, his body unraveling.

His skin peeled away, exposing bone. Even his bones fractured, webbed with cracks like porcelain ready to shatter.

"WHO IS DOING THIS?! Who?! Come out and face me!"

He was breaking apart—mind, body, and soul. Yet he still yearned to see the one behind the music.

Even dying, he wanted to know.

But he never got the chance.

"The humans… they've birthed a monster…"

His face froze with terror.

He couldn't accept it.

A proud Tribulation Stage Ghost King—reduced to nothing without even knowing his killer's identity.

What a cruel, pitiful death.

In the end, his body crumbled into dust. His consciousness faded into eternal darkness.

—

Back at Tianhe Hall

Ye Junlin's fingers finally slowed. The powerful momentum that had filled the hall now gently receded.

After a while, Authority Over All came to its grand conclusion.

Silence blanketed the room.

Not a single soul dared speak.

You could hear a pin drop.

"Phew…" Ye Junlin exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow.

The performance had taken him into a transcendent state. It felt incredible.

Authority Over All was truly divine.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating the ghost army. Reward: Immortal-grade Five Elements Spiritual Root (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water)!]

The system's voice rang out playfully in his mind.

Ye Junlin blinked. "???"

---