Chapter 130 - 109: A Melody from the Heavens, Rarely Heard on Earth

Chapter 130: Chapter 109: A Melody from the Heavens, Rarely Heard on Earth

"It’s over, it’s over. This Yu Fengxian is just too good. I’m afraid Boss Chen is done for this time!"

"Yeah, Boss Chen is still too young, and he’s performing a new opera. It’ll be tough for him to be a match for that guy."

In a private room on the second floor, Yan Xun held his wine cup and watched the audience below go wild for Yu Fengxian, a triumphant smile on his face.

He could already picture a dejected Chen Ye walking onto the stage, personally offering the tea of defeat and taking down his own sign, utterly humiliated.

Meanwhile, backstage at the Guangle Building, the atmosphere was frozen solid with tension.

Listening to the waves of cheers coming from the opposite stage, the hearts of Deng Ming, Guan Sihai, and the others sank to the floor.

"Master, that man is incredible," Chunyan whispered after returning from scouting the other performance, her face deathly pale. "Brother Chen, he..."

Guan Sihai’s expression was just as grim, but he said nothing, merely turning his gaze toward the back of the room.

He saw Chen Ye sitting there, resting with his eyes closed. He seemed to have turned a deaf ear to all the clamor from outside, like an old monk deep in meditation.

Seeing how calm and composed he was, the tension in Guan Sihai’s heart inexplicably eased, and the other members of the Qingchun Troupe also found themselves calming down without realizing it.

"Bravo!"

On the opposite stage, Yu Fengxian concluded his performance with a graceful backbend.

The entire audience leaped to their feet, applause and cheers merging into an incredibly fervent wave of sound.

Yu Fengxian slowly rose, savoring the moment as all eyes were on him, then shot a glance toward the Guangle Building.

’Now it’s your turn.’

’Let’s see just how you plan to beat me!’

Soon, Chen Ye’s fans began to enter, along with many connoisseur fans from Pingjing. They had come looking for a spectacle, wanting to see who was brave enough to stage a rival performance against Boss Yu.

Once the audience had mostly settled in, a drumbeat suddenly rang out from backstage.

THUMP! THUMP-THUMP!

The sound was utterly different from the enchanting music of the previous performance. It was filled with a desolate, tragic, and somber austerity.

This prelude alone was enough to make the entire hall fall silent instantly.

It felt as if a great stone had been laid upon everyone’s heart—heavy and oppressive.

The great curtain slowly parted.

There were no ornate sets, only a dark expanse symbolizing the fires of war and the black of night.

Chen Ye, dressed in plain robes and holding a sword, walked slowly onto the stage.

Before he had even spoken a word, an aura of grim resolve and sorrow enveloped the entire theater.

The Lady Yu he portrayed had none of the typical feminine charm or plaintive sorrow in her eyes; there was only the loyal devotion and poignant beauty of a hero at the end of their road.

"Seeing the great king sleeping soundly in his armor, I step outside the tent to ease my sorrow..."

Chen Ye began to sing.

His voice was not loud, yet it seemed to carry a power that pierced straight to the heart, reaching every single person’s ears with perfect clarity.

This was not the lament of a grieving woman, but the grim resolve of one prepared to live and die with her hero.

The audience was instantly drawn into the opera. It was as if the stage before them had vanished, replaced by an ancient battlefield, surrounded on all sides, besieged by the enemy.

Then, the Overlord made his entrance, clad in black and gold armor and wielding a long halberd.

Tie Dan, too, was completely in character. He was no longer that simple, honest youth, but the peerless hero who now faced utter defeat at the end of his road!

With just a few dramatic poses and sung verses, his overwhelming, defiant aura, unyielding even in defeat, brought thunderous applause from the entire hall!

"Bravo!"

Someone in the crowd shouted it first, and an instant later, the entire theater erupted in cheers.

Yu Fengxian’s expression grew serious, and he began to listen intently to the lyrics from the rival stage.

Yan Xun, however, was getting antsy. "Boss Yu..."

"Don’t talk."

Yu Fengxian cut him off without even looking up, his focus still entirely on the performance.

Being reprimanded in public, Yan Xun’s face flushed with anger and embarrassment. He was furious but didn’t dare show it, so he could only retreat to the side in shame.

As for Yu Fengxian, he was already completely lost in the performance.

Upon hearing Chen Ye sing the line, "My king’s fighting spirit is gone; how can this lowly one live on?" he completely forgot their rivalry. His eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but shout out loud:

"Bravo!!"

This shout left Yan Xun, who was standing beside him, completely stunned. ’What the hell is going on?’ he thought. ’Aren’t they mortal enemies? Why is he cheering for him?’

Meanwhile, inside the Guangle Building, all the members of the audience realized they were no longer mere spectators.

It was as if they were truly standing on that ancient battlefield.

In their ears was the whistling of the cold wind and the faint sound of Chu songs. Before their eyes were the dying embers of a campfire and the desolation of a hero at the end of his path.

They could clearly feel the Overlord’s towering pride and bitter reluctance to admit defeat, and even more so, Lady Yu’s deep, unwavering devotion, ready to follow him in death without regret.

The opera reached its climax.

Chen Ye began his sword dance.

His swordsmanship had no flashy, performative flair. Instead, it carried a biting, deadly aura and a poignant, resolute beauty.

Every single move seemed to narrate that timeless, tragic song.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the stage.

Finally, as the Overlord let out the sorrowful roar of a hero at his end, the sword in Chen Ye’s hand came to rest against his own neck.

He wore a smile of release.

The movement froze.

The Illusion Realm shattered.

The entire theater was deathly silent.

Thousands of spectators, men and women, old and young, sat stunned in their seats as if their very souls had been drained, submerged in an immense sorrow from which they could not escape.

The silence lasted for more than ten seconds.

CLAP.

Finally, someone was the first to applaud.

The sound seemed to remind everyone.

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!

The applause instantly grew thunderous, eventually swelling into a deafening wave of sound that threatened to blow the roof off the Guangle Building!

"SOB, SOB... That was so moving..."

"My heavens, I’ve never in my life heard an opera that good!"

Many opera fans were weeping as they clapped furiously.

The ladies and young misses in the audience were especially moved, weeping so hard they couldn’t speak, their tears streaking their faces like rain on pear blossoms.

Because the ending was simply too desolate, too tragic, and too beautiful.

As for the connoisseur fans from Pingjing, their faces were flushed red with excitement.

They had originally come looking for a spectacle, perhaps even to laugh at the attempt.

But now, they were utterly conquered.

"Such music belongs only to the heavens; how rarely is it heard in the mortal realm!"

"I’ve been watching opera my whole life, but only today do I understand what it truly is!"

All their previous doubts about Chen Ye had vanished, replaced by heartfelt admiration.

News from the scout quickly arrived. Yan Xun could no longer remain calm, his forehead breaking out in an anxious sweat.

"How could this happen... How could this happen..."

He looked at Yu Fengxian, only to find him unusually calm, slowly removing the greasepaint from his face in front of the mirror.

Far from being discouraged by the first day’s defeat, an unprecedented light had ignited in Yu Fengxian’s narrow, phoenix-like eyes.

It was the excitement of meeting a worthy adversary.

"What a magnificent Chen Ye, and what a magnificent *Farewell My Concubine*!"

"Pass on my orders. Tell them that tomorrow, I will be performing... *Celestial Maiden Scattering Flowers*!"