My career has infinite upgrades.

Chapter 69: Merging with the Fragment of the Accompanying Sacred Artifact, Melisandre's Loyalty Soars! Project Holy Sound!

"Master! This is it! This is the fragment of my companion artifact!"

Melissant's voice resonated in Gu Qing's heart, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Qing quickly headed towards the crystal altar.

Lin Qinghan, standing to the side, looked at Gu Qing with a solemn expression and said, "Be careful. The crystal monster fragments just now formed an altar, and that black mist that condensed into something unknown might be dangerous."

Irina added nervously, "That's right, what if there are some kind of traps up there?"

Gu Qing smiled upon hearing this: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

With that, Gu Qing headed straight for the crystal altar.

Lin Qinghan and Irina were slightly taken aback by Gu Qing's actions, but ultimately chose to believe him.

Gu Qing has brought about far too many miracles.

Gu Qing quickly arrived at the crystal altar and his gaze fell on the fragment.

The fragment is only the size of a palm, and its edges are not regular.

Deep purple veins flowed slowly across the fragment.

Each change in brightness causes a slight tremor in the surrounding air.

Guided by Melissant, Gu Qing grabbed it.

A purple light appeared, and Melissand's power enveloped Gu Qing's palm, instantly landing on the fragment.

Refined in an instant!

The next moment, the fragment disappeared and entered the contract space.

Lin Qinghan and Irina, who were not far away, watched this scene with numb expressions.

From the moment he entered the secret realm, Gu Qing first deciphered the gate of music, then avoided the mechanisms in the passageway, and later accurately found the maze route.

Everything went so smoothly and effortlessly.

Even if Gu Qing told her that he had seen this fragment in an ancient book before, she wouldn't be surprised at all.

It's not about believing.

I'm numb from listening to it.

Within the contract space.

As soon as the fragment appeared, Melissand quickly stepped forward.

Her hands hovered in mid-air, her face, which usually carried a charming smile, now only showed focus.

She had been searching for this piece of evidence for far too long.

When her companion artifact shattered, her essence was also severely damaged, causing her to fall from SS rank to S rank.

The three fragments scattered into the spatial turbulence, their final destinations unknown.

She originally thought that she would have to wait until level 10 to sense the exact location of the first fragment.

Unexpectedly, not long after entering Jinling Academy, Gu Qing led her to one of the sites.

"Take it."

Gu Qing transmitted his voice through a soul contract.

Melissand looked up.

"Master, once this fragment merges with me, it may cause fluctuations in my essence in a short period of time."

"Won't this affect the outside?"

"No, the contract space can isolate the fluctuations."

"You can integrate it without worry."

Gu Qing was also somewhat looking forward to it; after Melissand merged with this fragment, her power should increase.

Melissant looked at the fragments floating in front of her and slowly stretched out her hands.

The moment the fingertip touched the fragment, a deep purple light burst forth!

The entire contract space was bathed in purple light.

A series of musical patterns flew out from the fragments and swirled around Melissand.

With each rotation, her aura rose a notch.

Melissand let out a muffled groan, and the tattered black feathers on her back fully unfurled.

Purple sound waves rippled out from beneath her feet.

The ground remained undamaged, but the black mist in the space was pushed away in concentric circles.

Cecilia stood not far from Melissant, constantly waving her long whip to block the purple sound waves.

This purple sound wave was released unconsciously by Melissand and may affect the contract space, so it's better if it dissipates.

Gu Qing could sense that Melissand's essence was being repaired.

Upon contact with Melissand, the fragment merged into her palm.

The fragment transformed into a surge of energy, flowing from her wrist to her shoulder, and finally converging into Melissant's brow.

Melissand's previously somewhat weak aura of origin instantly solidified.

hum!

A powerful sonic wave was released from Melissand's body, and purple light rose several meters high.

A moment later, the purple light slowly receded and returned to Melissand's body.

The fusion of the accompanying artifact fragments is complete!

At the same time, Gu Qing also heard a notification sound.

[Ding! The fusion of the fragment of Melisandre's companion artifact has been successful!]

[The essence of Melisandre, the Sonic Demon, has been partially restored!]

[Merissard's mental strength increased by 20 points!]

[Mélisande's skill "Abyss Diva" has been enhanced: Skill range increased by 50%, and skill attacks now deal additional physical shock damage!]

Hearing the notification sound in his ear, Gu Qing's eyes revealed a hint of satisfaction.

A 20-point increase in mental strength brings more than just a change to the character's stats for Melisandre, an abyss witch who fights using music.

The increased skill range by half means that her control and mental attacks can cover a larger battlefield.

The addition of physical shock damage further addresses the issue of the original attack method being too limited.

In the future, when facing targets like the Echo Beast, her sound waves will not only affect the mind but also directly vibrate the body.

Such an improvement can be achieved from a single fragment.

If all three fragments are recovered, it's almost certain that Melissant will be restored to SS rank.

Melissand slowly opened her eyes.

A purple light flowed in her eyes, gradually fading away after a few seconds.

She looked down at her hands, felt the restoration of her essence, and her lips parted slightly, but she did not speak immediately.

【Ding! 】

[Mélisande's loyalty has increased!]

Current loyalty: 80!

Gu Qing was somewhat surprised.

Cecilia had previously used a whip to force her into submission, and then maintained her loyalty through the Ancient Music Stone and daily feeding.

Now, having just retrieved the first fragment of the companion artifact, loyalty has already increased to eighty.

Melissand looked up at the mental projection that Gu Qing had left in the contract space.

When she was first summoned, she disliked Gu Qing for being too weak.

If Cecilia hadn't forcibly suppressed her, she would have been prepared to retaliate against the contract.

Later, he was willing to stay, mainly because of the contractual obligations and Cecilia's strength.

But after Gu Qing agreed to find the three fragments for her, he never asked her to do anything about it.

The first fragment is now inside her body.

That promise was no longer just something said casually.

Melissand came to Gu Qing's mental projection and slowly lowered her head.

She didn't act as she usually does, nor did she try to get close to him.

She simply lowered her head, her long purple hair slipping down her shoulders.

"Owner----"

"Thanks."

The sound was very soft.

Gu Qing, however, was able to sense the changes within the contract.

This time, it wasn't because of the contract.

It wasn't a compromise when facing Cecilia.

There was a genuine sense of gratitude in it.

Gu Qing glanced at her.

"Just the first one."

"Once you reach level ten and sense the location of the remaining two pieces, I'll help you retrieve them."

Melissand raised her head, the purple light in her eyes flickering slightly.

Gu Qing withdrew her gaze and turned it to the crystal altar.

After the fragments were lost, the entire crystal altar had lost its luster.

Irina was crouching beside the altar, gently tapping the bottom of the altar with her dagger, listening intently to discern the echoes coming from within.

"Now the area is empty."

Irina looked up at Gu Qing and Lin Qinghan.

"Judging from the echo, there should be more space beneath this altar."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qing's eyes flickered, and he used the black bone scythe in his hand to cut open the altar.

The crystal shattered instantly, revealing a huge crack.

The three of them retreated simultaneously.

With a deafening roar, the altar split open in the middle.

The stone slabs below narrowed to the sides, revealing a downward staircase in front of the three.

There was no lighting on either side of the stairs, and after a dozen or so steps, it was swallowed by darkness, with no end in sight.

Irina approached the edge of the entrance and looked down for a few seconds.

"The Blood Clot Flower might be down there."

They have already turned over the third floor once.

There are no plants here, and no other exits.

Since Isalien's perception was correct, the only place yet to be explored is the hidden space beneath the altar.

Lin Qinghan held the Ice Soul Longsword horizontally in front of him.

"There might be something even more troublesome than the Echo Beast."

Irina did not refute.

The three of them worked together to kill the Echo Beast before it could detonate the main hall.

The consumption is quite high now.

The environment below is unknown, and further exploration would inevitably be risky.

Gu Qing stood at the entrance of the stairs, not in a hurry to move.

Within the contract space, Cecilia closed her eyes, and the black and white power extended underground along the soul contract.

A moment later, she opened her eyes.

"Master, the aura of the Holy See of Light lingers below."

Gu Qing's gaze sharpened as he recalled the combination of "Holy Radiance Lockdown" and "Purification Absorption" runes that remained on the wall earlier.

"Can you determine the time?"

"It's been a long time."

Cecilia sensed it again, and her tone became more certain.

"At least several hundred years."

Gu Qing looked into the depths of the stairs.

The aura of the Holy See from hundreds of years ago appears in this sonic realm.

The "Holy Radiance Lockdown" and "Purification Absorption" rune combinations found in the previous passageway have also been explained.

That wasn't something left behind casually by some light-element array master.

People from the Church of Light have been here before.

"Did you find anything down there?"

Lin Qinghan looked at Gu Qing and asked.

Gu Qing nodded.

"The residual power of light must have existed for quite some time."

Irina gripped her two daggers tightly.

The Blood Clot Flower is related to the curse on her mother.

Having already arrived here, with the Blood Coagulation Flower right below, she couldn't possibly give up.

But nobody knew what dangers lay below.

Just as Irina was about to suggest going down to find the Blood Coagulation Flower herself, Gu Qing said directly, "Get ready to go down. I'll have my undead scout ahead."

Gu Qing immediately released two undead guards to scout ahead.

Gu Qing, Lin Qinghan, and Irina followed closely behind.

Below was a downward-sloping staircase; we descended quickly without encountering any danger.

There were no array patterns or anything like that around.

After climbing more than a hundred steps, a gray-white light finally appeared ahead.

The undead guards were the first to step down the stairs without any danger, and Gu Qing and the other two followed closely behind.

What appeared before Gu Qing and the others was an ancient stone chamber.

The walls were covered with strange and distorted characters.

Within the contract space, Cecilia suddenly stood up.

She stared intently at the distorted characters on the stone chamber wall, her expression first one of shock, then gradually darkening.

A black and white intertwined power emanated from beneath her feet, causing the surrounding contract space to tremble slightly.

"Owner."

Cecilia's voice lacked its usual respect and gentleness.

"This is ancient papal language."

Hearing Cecilia's words, Gu Qing stopped and looked at the words on the wall.

The text on the wall is densely packed, but much of it is blurred, likely due to the erosion of time.

However, a cross emblem, mostly scraped off, can still be clearly seen directly in front of the stone chamber.

The emblem of the Holy See!

Gu Qing frowned slightly and asked Cecilia directly in the contract space.

"What does it say on it?"

Cecilia stared at the first stone wall, trying to decipher each word.

"This is the first laboratory of the Holy See of Light, where the Holy See once conducted an experiment."

"They named the entire experiment Project Holy Sound."

Gu Qing frowned even more deeply.

Project Holy Sound?

Whether it's the Gate of Sound, the Echo Beast, or that altar made of crystal fragments, they are all related to sound.

A bold idea rose in Gu Qing's mind.

Could it be that this secret realm is not a naturally formed musical realm at all?

Is the entire secret realm an experimental field?

Lin Qinghan also noticed the cross marks on the wall.

She gently scraped away the dust with the tip of her sword, revealing several dark, holy light patterns underneath.

"These array patterns are the same as those in the tunnel."

"It's just that this one is bigger."

"But the array patterns here are no longer effective."

Irina also crouched down, her gaze falling on the ground.

There are several circular grooves carved into the ground here, each just large enough to accommodate a person.

Each groove's edge is connected by densely packed rune lines.

Gu Qing glanced at it, then turned her gaze to the other wall.

"Continue translating."

Cecilia, inside the contract space, nodded slightly. She was the first saintess of the Church of Light and was very familiar with these ancient characters.

The more Cecilia looked, the uglier her face became.

"The purpose of Project Holy Sound is to control the will of abyssal creatures using special musical rhythms."

"The Vatican believes that all abyssal creatures with a spiritual core possess an irresistible control frequency."

"Once we find this frequency, we can make the target obey commands."

Melissand, who was still immersed in the joy of the restoration of the original source of the symbiotic artifact fragment, suddenly lost her smile and froze when she heard the words "spiritual core".

Cecilia continued translating.

"To verify this hypothesis, the Vatican captured a large number of members of the Abyssal Melodic Clan as their experimental subjects."

"They locked the experimental target in the Holy Light Sealing Array, and then repeatedly bombarded the spiritual core with holy light at different frequencies, recording the target's reaction."

Gu Qing looked at the circular groove on the floor of the stone chamber.

Those were not ordinary array nodes at all, but rather the locations of fixed experimental subjects.

The runes extending outwards from the side are responsible for transmitting the frequency of holy light into the mental core of the experimental subject.

The previously seen "Holy Radiance Blockade" is responsible for the ban.

"Purification and Absorption" will gradually drain the power of the test subject, ensuring that they have no chance of resistance.

What a good idea!

Melissand, inside the contract space, slowly raised her head, her face filled with shock and numbness.

"The Music Clan —"

She only said three words before her voice stopped.

Cecilia glanced at her and made no attempt to hide anything.

"The experimental records mention that the spiritual core of the Abyssal Melodic Clan is most sensitive to sound, making it the most suitable target for testing frequency control."

"The Vatican repeatedly adjusted the frequency of the Holy Light, continuously bombarding the experimental targets."

"Once the mental core of the experimental target is shattered, it should be discarded directly."

"Those who have lost control of their mental state will continue to be observed."

"Those who remain conscious will proceed to the next round of experiments."

Within the contract space, Melissant's gaze pierced through the space and landed on the last paragraph of the ancient papal text.

She could tell that Cecilia had deliberately omitted this part from the translation.

"Please translate this for me."

Melissand looked up at Cecilia, her eyes pleading.

Cecilia paused for two seconds, then translated the last paragraph.

"Project Holy Sound ultimately failed to find a stable control frequency."

"All the experimental subjects suffered mental breakdowns, fundamental distortions, and loss of control over their rhythms under repeated bombardment."

"The Vatican has ruled that the plan has failed."

Cecilia paused for a moment, then looked at Melissand and continued.

"To prevent the contents of the experiment from being leaked, and to eliminate all those who knew about it, the Holy See carried out a genocide against the Abyss Sound Clan."

As the last two words fell, Melissant's body began to tremble.

She had always believed that the Music Clan had perished in the war.

Her tribe's territory was destroyed, her tribesmen disappeared, and she was forced to flee.

Later, Melissand went back and searched for a long time, but in the end she only found large areas of ruins that had been scorched by the holy light.

She had assumed that her people had fled like her.

But now she realized that her people had been captured and brought here for some kind of ridiculous experiments.

Melissant clenched her fists little by little.

A fingernail pierced the palm, and beads of blood dripped down between the fingers.

Her eyes were fixed on the complete emblem of the Holy See at the bottom of the text projection, and purple sound waves radiated from Melissand's body.

The black mist on the ground was pushed into the distance, and even the contract space emitted a low hum.

Cecilia's long whip had already appeared in her hand, but she did not bring it down.

She was born into the Church of Light.

She was even the first saint of the Holy See.

But in the end, she witnessed the darkest side of the Vatican.

Cecilia's eyes were icy cold, and a mocking smile appeared on her face.

"This is the light they speak of."

Gu Qing did not offer any words of comfort to Melissand.

At this moment, Melissand needs quiet.

Turning her gaze away, Gu Qing noticed that Lin Qinghan and Irina had already begun exploring the stone chamber.

This stone chamber is larger than what you see at the entrance.

On each side of the stone chamber are several areas separated by stone walls, inside which only broken array patterns and collapsed stone platforms remain.

Large amounts of black mist flowed along the cracks in the ground, eventually converging deep into the stone chamber.

"Found it! It's a Blood Coagulation Flower!"

Just then, Irina's surprised voice suddenly came from the right.

Gu Qing and Lin Qinghan rushed over.

At that moment, Irina was crouching behind a collapsed stone wall.

There was a small patch of soil covered by black mist.

In the center of the soil, several dark red flowers grow.

The petals are tightly closed, and the surface is covered with fine, vein-like lines.

A layer of dark red liquid condensed around the rootstock, and a rich life force emanated from the flower's stamen.

It is the Blood Coagulation Flower.

Irina stared at the flowers, her breathing quickening.

"That's it, this is the Blood Coagulation Flower!"

She didn't reach out immediately, but carefully examined the petals and stems before taking out a special container from her storage ring.

"The curse on my mother can finally be suppressed."

Irina excitedly began collecting Blood Clot Flowers.

Lin Qinghan sheathed his longsword and stood aside to shield her from the ever-flowing black mist.

Gu Qing didn't make a sound to disturb them, and instead looked around.

Suddenly, Gu Qing's heart stirred, and his gaze passed over the collapsed stone wall, landing at the deepest part of the stone chamber.

There was a patch of black mist, and behind the mist stood a transparent container completely sealed by runes.

The inside of the container was a blur, making it impossible to see what was sealed inside.

But Gu Qing could clearly sense that a faint aura of holy light was constantly emanating from it.