The emperor took a deep breath and heeded the bull’s advice.

“There’s something in there.” Yanbai pointed at the cauldron.

They looked over and knew that the cauldron had black things piling up like charcoal. This seemed reasonable but upon closer inspection, there was something buried beneath. It would just look like a rock from a distance.

Meanwhile, the chanting from the undeads continued and emanated across the city. Each corner of this place reverberated with this creepy sound.

“Poof!” As the chants became clearer and louder, the dark energy coming from them seemed to be pulled in by something within the cauldron. The latter sucked in all the dark energy without holding back with its walls, not its mouth.

The outer walls absorbed the energy like a sponge and finished the process in no time at all.

“Buzz.” The internal furnace turned red almost like molten metal. The carving of the phoenix became animated as well.

Each feather and lines became visible - the awakening of the bird. Next, the charcoal-like items also lit up.

This was akin to someone starting a stove. As the temperature went up, the charcoal began to burn and the cauldron seemed to be activating.

“It’s gathering power.” Holyfrost clearly sensed the cauldron combining the power of heaven and earth accumulated through the ages. A supreme master seemed to be awakening inside.

The cauldron turned out to be a supreme ancestral artifact with wondrous uses.

As the chanting became clearer, the cauldron became brighter. The dead creatures tried even harder by raising their voice and twisting their body violently with increasing vigor.

“Poof!” The charcoal had reached the right level of red and out came a flame.

This flame was still tiny yet it was full of life, capable of incinerating the nine heavens. It was different from other flames and had a hint of black flashing within. The outer layer had a dark hue, seemingly a flame not from the mortal world but rather the depths of hell.

“Poof! Poof! Poof!” The undeads were lit ablaze in unison with the cauldron with the same dark hue, looking like they had just crawled out of hell.

They became more spirited, almost like living people. A while ago, they lacked vitality and vigor but this was no longer the case. They looked ready, almost excited.

The chants from the fiery members became louder. The dance became increasingly twisted and strange.

This ceremony made the flame inside the cauldron even stronger and rose upward as if it had its own sentience.

“It’s happening.” The bull laughed with a fierce glare: “Let’s see what this undead evocation can do.”

Holyfrost stared nervously at the cauldron. This unholy congregation and ceremony should have an overarching goal.

Keep in mind that these creatures didn’t have their own consciousness. They were nothing more than moving puppets. An evil power was clearly controlling them.

This made her wonder about the real culprit hiding in the shadows.

The process continued on with certain things increasing in intensity - the chant, the dancing, the flames in both the cauldron and on the creatures.

The climax was near and suddenly, one could hear the melodies of a guqin.

“Zheng! Zheng! Zheng!” The soundwaves resembled a tsunami of sharp edges.

The flames in the ceremony weakened after this onslaught. This was akin to a gust of wind causing candles to flicker, on the verge of extinguishing.

The group looked over and saw an old guqin in the air, appearing out of nowhere. The entire thing looked beaten by time and gave of an aura of vicissitudes.

It automatically sent out melodies without a player. Each sound contained immense power, enough to scrape away the evil of this world.

“Hmm, this sound is very similar to the tune suppressing the black rock. Maybe the same source?” Holyfrost said.

“Indeed.” Li Qiye focused on the guqin.

The barrage of soundwaves continued raining down on the field. The flames in the ceremony looked like weak candle flames in comparison.

“Master, this guqin is their enemy?” Yanbai curiously asked.

“Yes.” The bull nodded: “This is a contest between two supreme overlords. They might no longer be here or even alive for that matter but their power and will are still contending millions of years later.”

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The drums started beating once more from the ground. A similar type of sound attack rushed upward.

The drummers were the emperors and war riders, the leaders of the undead. They knew exactly what to do despite being dead and continued smashing on the drums.

The waves of drumming served as a means to stop the attack from the guqin.

The latter didn’t relent and sent out stronger waves, wishing to pierce through the drums’ sound waves to extinguish the flames.

The lords beneath knew that if they were to let the guqin break through, all of their efforts prior would be gone in a single second. Thus, they beat the drums as if their lives depend on it.

The drum’s interruption successfully weakened the guqin’s power. Thus, the flames in the cauldron and the undeads became bright and vigorous like before.

The chant was reaching its climax as well. They nearly damaged their throat from shouting so much while doing the crazy dance in order to accelerate the ceremony.