Chapter 114: The Premiere of "The Great God Pangu"!

With the opening track "Return of the King" and the takeoff anthem "Imperial Guard" having warmed up the crowd, the atmosphere reached a fever pitch. Combined with the appearance of the sun at this very moment, one could say that for the many sensitive souls in the audience, the fire was lit the moment Le Xiaotian declared, "Let the performance begin!" It was an explosive, soul-stirring sensation that even brought some to tears.

Gathering the million elites of the Fama Empire and consuming vast material wealth and resources, alongside the immense mental effort of Le Xiaotian, the long-awaited "Immortal" finally premiered. This was the flicker of hope lingering in everyone’s hearts since the incident at the Suppressing Star Tower; this battle performance was tied to the very fate of Fama.

"Put on your headphones!"
"Headphones on, 519!"
"Headphones on, 32578!"
"Headphones on, 7654321!"
"Headphones on, 123456780!"

As the show began, everyone donned the headphones paired with their multifunctional holographic glasses. Even those who couldn't afford the 998 Dance Coin glasses were not left out; this was a matter for all of Fama. The Royal Square provided them as a benefit, allowing everyone to watch the blockbuster together and contribute their part to the final battle. Beyond these, others simply listened with their ears, as the performance was being played by a million elites.

When the high-pitched erhu melody emerged, accompanied by the violin section’s sweeping harmony, accented by wind chimes and the resonant rim-shots of Chinese drums, the audience was utterly enchanted. Although performed by a million musicians and amplified by a vast array of outdoor surround-sound speakers, the grandeur was not piercing; it was like being in a disco, where you could feel the vibrations throughout your entire body. It was like an unprecedented live concert, with such an intense sense of presence that every fiber of the audience's being was fully engaged.

When the figures of the performers were spotted in Yanjing, Beihai, Yunluo, Dalan, Wuchuan, Hangzhou, and other places, many erupted in excitement.

"My god, the Empress is truly giving Teacher Xiaotian her full support! That’s our most famous Wuchuan Philharmonic!"
"Wait, isn't that our Dalan First Symphony Orchestra? Their conductor has even successfully performed in the kingdoms of the Merfolk and the Winged Ones!"
"No way, the First Conductor of the Royal Orchestra is here in person, acting as a supporting player for Teacher Xiaotian!"

Compared to these astonished onlookers, even more people were focused on the film. On screen, a dazzling, deep, and infinite starry sky appeared, vast and mysterious. Then, the golden, embossed character "Xian" (Immortal) appeared. It faded in and out, surrounded by billions of golden rays of sunlight, its scale so immense that stars floated within the contours of its strokes. Because the multifunctional holographic glasses provided a full, 360-degree, dead-angle-free field of vision, it was far more immersive than any 3D or giant-screen cinema on Earth.

To put it simply, it felt like being there in person! In an instant, the audience was electrified.

"Man, this is a massive production! Just the way this character flickers must have cost 8 billion Dance Coins."
"Absolutely. What other movie could compare to this? You can tell if it's good just by the opening."
"Yeah, I heard from the promos that Teacher Xiaotian set the runtime for this film at nine hours!"
"How did I miss that? Nine hours? How much did that cost? Watching this one movie could set Fama back a hundred years."
"Hey, why are you talking like that? What kind of times are we in? Even if it drains the national treasury, it has to be filmed!"
"Exactly. If we don't win this war, we’ll become a conquered people. Your parents, siblings, wives, and children will be humiliated. Is that what you want?"
"Stop it, I want to listen to the music."
"They can't hear us talking anyway."
"I can see it!"

As the backdrop shifted, the audience noticed that Le Xiaotian had disappeared, and the entire scene transformed. It was a black-and-white world, chaotic and indistinguishable, a vast, blurry expanse of white. Aside from the melodious sound of a Chinese bamboo flute, there was no other noise. Soon, a curled-up figure appeared on screen, resembling a fetus in a womb, though its mother was nature itself. At the same time, a line of introductory text appeared:

"The universe was in chaos, and Pangu was born within it. He transformed nine times a day, divine in heaven, holy on earth, and master of both. The sky grew one zhang higher each day, the earth one zhang thicker, and Pangu grew one zhang taller. This continued for eighteen thousand years, until the heaven and earth were separated."

As the visuals progressed, a vernacular explanation followed:
"Many, many years ago, heaven and earth were not yet separated, and the universe was just a chaotic mass. The creator, Pangu, this incomparably massive giant, was gestating within this chaos. He grew and matured, sleeping for eighteen thousand years. One day, he suddenly awoke. He opened his eyes, but alas, he could see nothing; everything before him was a blur, and he felt stifled and restless. Irritated by this, he grabbed a massive axe from nowhere and swung it with all his might at the chaos. With a thunderous boom, the great chaos suddenly shattered."

When they saw that the name "Pangu" was a combination of symbols and characters from a special civilization, the two billion people of Fama gained a clearer impression and began their own reflections.

"So, this Great God Pangu is like an infant—an infant of nature, born before heaven and earth. I wonder what the world-building in Teacher Xiaotian’s film is like. Do they also call it nature or the universe? What do they call the origin of this universe? Is it linked to the Three Primes of Hongmeng?"

"No, that’s not right. This is equivalent to a chaotic primeval god in a small universe, without the higher-level concepts. Not to mention the Eighth-Level Universe, the Six Emperors of the Heavenly Ranking, the Eight Primordial Venerables, or the Three Primes of Hongmeng."

"Teacher Xiaotian must have read 'Water Has No Name,' the first code of the Hongkun Heavenly Realm, but surely even he couldn't comprehend the giant work of Tianzi. No one among the myriad races, from water witches to gods, immortals, demons, and monsters in the 'Records of the Myriad Races in the Chaotic Water,' can fully understand it. Let’s just treat this as watching the birth of a Bronze Universe."

"Exactly. This is the product of a civilization we don't know; only Teacher Xiaotian knows it."

"Listen to the music. Why hasn't Teacher Xiaotian shown up yet? The Great God Pangu has already split the heavens."
"Look, Teacher Xiaotian is here!"
"Teacher Xiaotian is here!"

By fusing visual and auditory arts, Le Xiaotian kept the film as silent as possible, as this was the only way to perfectly express Chinese civilization without personal bias. Therefore, aside from necessary textual introductions, the entire film relied on action.

At the first climax of "Immortal," accompanied by the heaven-shaking sound of the suona, the nimble collective violin bowing, glorious horns, and thunderous drums, a silver dragon broke through the void.

*Whoosh!*

Tearing through the sky at high speed, Le Xiaotian pushed the Silver Dragon fighter jet to its top speed—eighteen times the speed of sound! Amidst music that made every cell in their bodies tremble, the two billion people could not help but tap their feet in rhythm.

The true impact was revealed. Even while flying at eighteen times the speed of sound, the Silver Dragon looked slow; it was right beneath the feet of the Great God Pangu, and its speed seemed slower than a snail's. This was the effect of contrast. Soon, the stars joined the comparison; billions of stars floated by, yet they were not even a billionth of Pangu’s size, let alone the Silver Dragon. If not for the close-up shots, the Silver Dragon would have been invisible!

It was this filming technique that brought the two billion people of Fama to their first great climax; they longed to fly and to gaze upon the Great God Pangu from up close! He was so damn majestic!

*Dear readers, this is a work by the Finnish musician... another gentle reminder: listen with headphones! The correct way to wear them is to loop the wires behind your ears, with the violin sounds in the left ear; it is absolutely mind-blowing to listen while imagining the scenes in the book! Of course, if you don't like it, I won't force you. In the following chapters, until the performance ends, this song "Immortal" will be on infinite loop!*