A technologically powerful nation: The national treasure is actually myself.

Lin Yang quickened his pace and headed toward the source of the calling.

One day later.

He tried again to condense a ball of light to attract the same kind of creature on the back of the strange thing.

However, the result was still terrible.

It did not attract other similar products.

"I've deliberately increased my travel speed. At my current pace, a day is enough to cover a great distance. Haven't I left the territory of this thing I'm carrying yet?"

Lin Yang thought to himself, and increased his speed even further.

One day, two days...

One week, two weeks...

Time passed day by day.

Unbeknownst to him, Lin Yang had been advancing through this strange area for two months.

He would condense a ball of light every day, but he gained nothing.

In any case, it never attracted a second being like the strange thing on its back.

This made Lin Yang begin to suspect that the creature on his back might be the only one of its kind here, and that there were no other similar creatures.

His previous guesses may have been wrong.

Of course, it's also possible that carrying this thing on one's back is so powerful that other creatures dare not approach.

But this possibility is really slim.

Because if such a thing really existed, even if one dared not approach it, one would certainly observe it from afar.

Lin Yang would definitely be able to sense that.

But along the way, I didn't sense any other kind of spying.

This basically suggests that the thing on his back may indeed not have any other of its kind.

In fact, apart from the thing on his back and the calling voice, Lin Yang did not sense the existence of a third thing along the way.

The situation is far from optimistic.

His original idea was to attract more of these strange creatures, perhaps so that he could find a chance to escape amidst the chaos.

But now, the plan has fallen through.

The only slightly better news is that, so far, he has not gotten close to the source of the call.

The thing on its back did not change or move further.

He should be able to live a little longer.

This only made Lin Yang feel that something was not quite right.

Logically speaking, given his speed, the distance he covered in two months is astonishing.

But they still hadn't reached the source of the call.

How big must this area be?

Or is it that he has actually been operating within a certain range all along?
Lin Yang wasn't sure.

It's possible that the calling voice initially appeared only to confuse him and keep him there, and that it didn't actually have a real source.

Now, even if he wanted to quit, it was too late.

As for why they kept him, that remains unknown.

It's possible that some special force lingers in this area, preventing him, or rather, anyone who enters this area, from leaving alive.

They want to trap people here.

There are many possibilities.

A variety of thoughts swirled in my mind.

Finally, Lin Yang exhaled a breath of stale air, his eyes hardening.

Since things have come to this, there's no point in thinking about it anymore, and there's no way out.

The only thing we can do right now is to keep moving in the direction of the call.

In the darkness, Lin Yang's figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

He seemed to have become a solitary traveler, heading towards the unknown distance.

Year after year.

Tireless.

……

Darkness descended like ink.

Unbeknownst to him, Lin Yang had been traveling in this strange region for 30,000 years.

A full 30,000 years.

On this day, something different finally appeared before him.

On the desolate and lifeless earth, a dilapidated platform stood in front of Lin Yang, blocking his path.

Lin Yang stopped and looked up.

His face looked somewhat weathered.

Thirty thousand years is not a long time; if one goes into seclusion, it will only be a blink of an eye.

But I've been walking here for a full 30,000 years.

They were constantly influenced by that call, and their surroundings were endlessly identical.

If one's will is even slightly weak, one might think that one is going in circles and thus lose one's way.

Fortunately, he persevered.

And finally, I witnessed this different scene.

"The source of the call is here."

Lin Yang's gaze fell on the dilapidated platform.

The source of the voice that has called him for 30,000 years is right here!
"I originally thought we wouldn't be able to find the source at all, but we found it anyway."

Lin Yang stared intently at the platform, without relaxing his gaze in the slightest.

Although we have now successfully found the source of the call, there is nothing else on the platform.

The sight of a dilapidated platform beckoning to him was all the more alarming.

Just as he saw the stage, the voice that had been calling in his ears abruptly stopped.

Lin Yang glanced around but found nothing unusual. He then carefully examined the dilapidated platform.

This stage looks a bit like... a theatrical stage.

Yes, that's right.

It looks like a stage.

A dilapidated stage that has been neglected for years and weathered many storms.

On the pillars on both sides of the stage, you can even see some mottled traces of red paint.

There are still some writings on the pillar, but they have all peeled off so badly that it is difficult to make out what they say.

However, a few characters can still be vaguely recognized on the plaque in the middle.

"Living...people...playing...heaven...not...living...people"

Lin Yang read it aloud, somewhat confused.

Some words are missing, making the text disjointed.

Overall, this stage looks just like an ancient stage. If Lin Yang hadn't seen it in such a place, he might have felt a sense of nostalgia.

In the past, in Lanxing's hometown, some older people would often watch and listen to operas.

He had seen a few performances with his elders when he was a child, but he was too young to appreciate opera at the time.

But seeing such a dilapidated stage in this eerie place made him feel a little uneasy, and he couldn't feel any nostalgia.

What is the purpose of calling him here on stage?
Lin Yang remained vigilant.

The calling had stopped.

He could have turned and left, but for some reason he was a little hesitant to move.

To be precise, they can't leave.

An invisible force was pressing down on his body in front of the stage, where he was standing.

There was no attack, but it was a form of confinement.

He couldn't move, let alone walk.

"What are they trying to do?"

Lin Yang frowned.

To be honest, the situation he was facing was somewhat unexpected.

Before this, he had never expected that the source of his call would be such a dilapidated stage.

And they were prepared to be attacked once they reached the source of the call.

But now, the strange stage remained silent, merely restraining him without attacking or even posing any danger.

All of this surprised and puzzled Lin Yang.

Even the thing on his back hasn't made a sound so far.

Everything is strange.

suddenly.

Just as Lin Yang was wondering...

A visible ripple suddenly appeared in the center of the stage.

It was as if someone had plucked the strings of a musical instrument, and ripples spread out in layers.

Then, nothing appeared, but a sound rang out from the stage.

“Eee…ya…”

Lin Yang was taken aback when he heard the voice; it was the tone of traditional Chinese opera.

It was a female voice.

As the opening notes were uttered, a long, drawn-out operatic melody followed.

Lin Yang couldn't quite hear what was being sung on stage.

He tried hard to recall the various types of opera, but found it difficult to match them with the tunes on stage.

It was clearly a play, but not any kind of opera he remembered.

If we had to find something similar, it would be something like a traditional opera tune from the Central Plains region.

As for the content, it was even harder to understand.

I don't know if it was intentional on the part of the "actors" performing on stage, or what.

In short, he couldn't understand the words very clearly. After listening for a while, he could vaguely make out that it seemed to be a story about a farmer who worked hard but eventually starved to death.

"Heavens...don't...live...people..."

Of all the words I listened to, only these few were the clearest.

The song ended after about twenty minutes.

The sound on the stage disappeared.

Lin Yang discovered that the force that had been binding him was still there.

"Am I supposed to just sit here and listen to the opera forever?"

Lin Yang seemed to be deep in thought.

It makes sense that a stage would call him to come and let him watch a play.

He thought so.

A new song immediately followed on the stage.

Judging from the voice, it's still the same female voice.

This time, Lin Yang listened more carefully.

The second piece seems to tell a story of people struggling to survive in a certain environment.

This piece lasted nearly twenty minutes before it ended.

Then the stage was quiet for a short while.

The third song started immediately.

This time, the song seems to tell the story of a woman who was separated from her family and wandered from place to place.

The third piece was a bit short, lasting only about ten minutes before it ended.

Immediately afterwards, the fourth movement began.

This song seems to tell the story of a woman who loves her sweetheart but ultimately cannot be together.

The fourth song was even shorter, lasting less than ten minutes.

Then comes the fifth track.

The fifth song tells the story of a woman who joined the army and rose to the rank of marshal.

Then comes the sixth piece.

This song tells the story of a woman's spiritual journey.

This piece is even shorter, only three minutes long.

Then comes the seventh movement.

The seventh song tells a story of someone dying on the battlefield, but Lin Yang couldn't tell who died in battle.

Or perhaps, it doesn't refer to any specific person.

After the seventh song, the stage fell silent.

The interval between the previous seven songs would not exceed one minute.

This time, however, it lasted for twenty minutes before the eighth song began.

The eighth piece was a bit strange. Lin Yang couldn't make out the content at all; he could only listen to the melody. Sometimes it was resentment, sometimes hatred, sometimes sorrow, and sometimes sigh.

Unfortunately, this piece is quite long.

It took almost an hour to finish.

After the eight songs, the stage seemed to fall completely silent.

It took almost half a day before the ninth song began.

The ninth song sent a chill down Lin Yang's spine from the very beginning.

Because a person appeared on the stage.

A woman dressed in a red theatrical costume.

She wore a red phoenix crown, a red theatrical robe, and red embroidered shoes.

Her face was somewhat obscured, but Lin Yang could sense that the woman was looking at him.

Watching him perform.

The scene was somewhat eerie.

Lin Yang couldn't make out a single word of what the ninth song was about.

All that could be seen was the red figure on the stage moving with the sound.

His vision went completely red, and he began to feel disoriented.

Lin Yang didn't know when the ninth song ended.

He only felt that his body was a little lightheaded.

When I came to my senses, I was surprised to find myself on the stage.

He was now dressed in a striking red theatrical costume.

The red was blinding.

It even had a slightly fishy smell.

It looks like a costume stained with blood.

"No, that's not right, this blood... is from my own body."

Lin Yang quickly realized that he had developed many fine wounds on his body, all of which were oozing blood.

But he was completely unaware.

He tried to repair the wound, but to no avail.

The woman in the red costume who had been performing on the stage was now staring at him.

The faces that were previously difficult to see from below the stage are now somewhat clearer.

She's unbelievably beautiful, with skin so white it practically glows.

It's simply breathtaking.

He was still smiling.

The smile wasn't cold.

However, the chill emanating from him was even more terrifying to Lin Yang than the chill that the ghost had brought when it appeared.

"Senior..."

Lin Yang immediately looked away, wanting to try to communicate.

But before he could finish speaking, he could no longer utter a word.

He was completely suppressed.

The strange woman on the stage seemed unwilling to communicate with him, much less listen to him speak.

Lin Yang felt somewhat helpless.

They didn't even give him a chance to speak; they were trying to kill him.

He could feel his wounds multiplying and the blood seeping out faster and faster.

The stage beneath his own feet was already stained red with blood.

Although he wouldn't die from excessive blood loss given his cultivation level, he wouldn't fare much better if all the blood in his body were lost.

Because his power is currently suppressed and sealed by this strange opera singer, he cannot reshape his flesh and blood.

The consequences were predictable.

"boundary……"

Lin Yang was unable to move his body and could only try to communicate with the [boundary] through his soul.

I want to see if [the boundary] can be of any help.

However, the [boundary] did not react at all.

Lin Yang was helpless.

He could only watch helplessly as his blood continued to flow, staining the stage.

The woman in the red opera costume in front of them suddenly started singing again.

As the opera resumed, Lin Yang felt his blood flow faster, as if a strange force was pulling his blood towards the entire stage.

He started to feel a little dizzy.

It wasn't because of excessive blood loss, but because that strange force was constantly assaulting his consciousness.

Lin Yang felt that he might be going to die here this time.

suddenly.

A nearly inaudible voice rang in his ear:

"Sing!"

唱？
What song is it?

What should we sing?
Lin Yang was somewhat bewildered.

"Sing the opera!"

The voice rang out again.

Suddenly, Lin Yang had a sudden realization and immediately understood.

This is to make him sing along with the opera!

but……

He can't!

I had heard of it before when I was on Earth, but that was all I knew.

He really can't sing.

And at that moment, he realized that the voice speaking in his ear was from the thing on his back.

Let's put aside the question of whether they can sing opera or not.

Can this stuff be trusted?
Lin Yang hesitated.

However, this hesitation lasted only a fraction of a second before he decided to give it a try.

Anyway, there's no better way right now.

If death is inevitable either way, it's good to have more options to try.

It's just opera...

Lin Yang imitated the tone of the woman in the red opera costume before each performance and forced himself to start singing.

“Eee…ya…”

……

P.S.: Updates are back! Thank you all for your patience and support! I am deeply grateful! (End of Chapter)