ASER - Chapter 169
Chapter 169: True and False
Chen A'Diao's pretentious display might not have been literature, but it was certainly pretentious. It managed to provoke Dantai Ke and Nie Yuanyuan into generating several million more Mental Power points, which somewhat consoled her again-depleted Mental Power reserves.
However, their surge of Mental Power wasn't entirely due to her pretentiousness, but rather her showing off while carrying that tombstone.
Holy crap!!!
A Lesser Spirit King Dao Tablet?!!
Dantai Ke, in his shock, suddenly realized: She was prepared all along!
Nie Yuanyuan also had a realization: Even if I had restrained her, as long as she brought out the Dao Tablet and launched such a terrifying mental attack, she could have severely damaged my Mental Body and escaped. With her combined methods, she wasn't afraid of any Star Realm cultivator. But her goal was—to kill Dantai Yu.
Because her and Dantai Ke's Mental Bodies were far stronger than Dantai Yu's, the difficulty of killing them was much higher than killing the latter. Therefore, Chen A'Diao targeted Dantai Yu.
But she couldn't afford to be interrupted, so she also schemed to lure the Little Demon King here.
Severely wound their core team, use the Little Demon King to injure them, then kill Dantai Yu, intimidate everyone present, and then escape... Look, her points have already climbed to first place.
Of course, this wasn't solely from Dantai Yu, but from others who, seeing the situation turn bad in the recent group battle, withdrew to save their lives. Under the examination system's calculations, she naturally received the majority of the points.
Perfectly justifiable.
One scheme interlocked with another. Now that all her objectives were achieved, wouldn't she escape?
Fierce, cunning, and ruthless.
Yet, she managed it.
A peak Transcendent Realm cultivator killing a low-grade Star Realm one.
Even if it was by relying on a treasure like the Lesser Spirit King Dao Tablet, which provided an overwhelming advantage, it was still a kill.
A heaven-defying act.
But where did this thing come from?!!!
At this moment, the Imperial Clan members shot a look, and the Imperial Clan members were all enraged, questioning the people from Lushan in the spectator stands.
"What is the meaning of this! To suppress our Imperial Clan and Imperial Clan, Lushan actually made an exception to gift her such a treasure? What's the point of such an unfair competition?!!!"
"Exactly, this is too much!"
Seeing this, many dukes, marquises, and other nobles chimed in, and the ordinary spectators also began to discuss animatedly.
As it turned out, the people from Lushan had already been instructed by the Mountain Head. One of the teachers said with a smile, "The six individuals who climbed to the seventh level in the aptitude assessment all received Dao Tablet inheritances. However, they only gained the qualification to comprehend them. Among them, the first place comprehended a Lesser Spirit King level Dao Tablet, the second and third places comprehended Peak Grandmaster Dao Tablets, and those below received Dao Tablets of outstanding Masters. But, comprehension is one thing; if one is recognized by the Dao Tablet itself and is qualified to take it away, Lushan Academy will absolutely not obstruct them. And Chen A'Diao achieved this. We have a backup recording here, please take a look."
"Oh, and she wasn't the only one to take a Dao Tablet, but as it concerns the examinees' secrets, we won't reveal the others. We'll only show you Chen A'Diao's."
So, everyone saw... a coal miner being struck by lightning.
No, that's not right. It was a perversely skilled grave robber.
Being struck by lightning while digging a grave.
The Lushan teacher even explained gently, "Actually, that lightning isn't too terrifying. It's just Mental Tribulation Lightning. The Mountain Head calculated that with the Mental Bodies of the two Imperial Clan princes and that Imperial Clan scion, the strongest among them would have their soul annihilated after at most 15 strikes."
"Of course, he didn't obtain the Lesser Spirit King Dao Tablet, so there's no such possibility. Everyone, please don't overthink it."
How sarcastic of you.
Yet, it was well-reasoned and delivered gently.
You earned your own prestige in the exam! You relied on your abilities to get rewards! You relied on your abilities to dig graves!
Who dares to complain?!
At this moment, the spectator stands were deathly silent.
The Imperial Clan members looked as if they had eaten shit, and the Imperial Clan members were also speechless.
As for the others, they were shocked by those lightning strikes...
Chen A'Diao, an unparalleled ruthless individual, rarely seen in the world.
Xiao Jin picked up her Tengshe and repeatedly edited something.
The purpose was, well, you know...
The Head of the Baili family looked at his dumbfounded son and daughter amidst the chaotic crowd... Alas, even marrying into her family felt like they wouldn't be worthy.
Just wait and prepare apologies to ease relations—if this Chen A'Diao doesn't die.
The Baili family head glanced at the Lushan people and had a sudden realization: Lushan absolutely must have Chen A'Diao; even the Imperial Clan can't stop them!
Those inside the examination grounds still didn't know that Chen A'Diao had become a national hot topic, taking center stage, by enduring lightning strikes.
While the Emerald-Eyed Demon King was stunned by the oppressive might of the Lesser Spirit King Dao Tablet, Xia Yuanyuan and Dantai Ke, without a word, pursued Chen A'Diao with all their might.
This person was too terrifying. Once she reached the Glimmer Realm, she would undoubtedly be able to slaughter them.
In an era like this, why did such a monstrous talent have to appear?
If one did appear, and she didn't die, how could they survive?!!
The two were frantically chasing... A'Diao had only fled a hundred meters and teleported when, suddenly, a hidden shadow in the bamboo forest below launched a surprise attack!
Taking advantage of the moment when A'Diao's Mental Body was mostly exhausted from instantly killing Dantai Yu, this person erupted.
He had lain in wait for a long time, just for this moment.
Radiant Pierce.
A killing blow.
Danger, danger, danger!
Amidst the instantaneous alarm bells ringing in her mind... A'Diao looked down and saw a familiar face.
Buzz!!
Flesh and blood pierced.
This sword strike pierced through A'Diao's body.
With all her armor and defenses weakened, she naturally couldn't withstand this strike.
What a perfect assassination.
This person is terrifying.
Who is it?
The pursuers behind, as well as Song Ling and the others, were all shocked by this sight.
The spectators were also shocked.
The Seventh Prince, Dantai Sheng!
The turn of events was so sudden. She had just killed a Star Realm cultivator, hadn't even looked cool for three seconds, and was assassinated by someone not yet at the Star Realm.
No, this person was also at the Star Realm.
But Dantai Sheng was definitely not at the Star Realm before; Xiao Jin and others were certain of this. So, he must have piled up resources to forcefully break through.
For someone stuck at a bottleneck, a forceful breakthrough isn't unheard of. However, the foundation for the Star Realm is crucial. If his pre-breakthrough foundation could have reached 100 points, but he impetuously broke through to the Star Realm at the 80-point stage, then he was following Dantai Yu's old path.
The latter had no choice, because without being at the Star Realm, it would be very difficult for him to rise in the Lushan assessment.
Dantai Sheng, with his status as a prince, shouldn't have needed to be as anxious as Dantai Yu, yet he still rushed.
This anxiety wasn't externally imposed; even Chen A'Diao couldn't have put such immense pressure on him—it was Dantai Ke.
Dantai Ke, his Ninth Brother, had suddenly risen, stepping over him to advance. Whether it was anger, unwillingness, or a desire to compete for a ranking in the Lushan assessment, he chose this path.
But his approach was very covert—lie in wait, launch a surprise attack, kill Chen A'Diao.
Killing Chen A'Diao actually offered him no huge practical benefits at this point, as he wasn't the Imperial Clan's overt candidate for hope. Perhaps it was due to a grudge between them, aiming to eliminate her completely?
No, no, no, he saw another supreme benefit.
The Lesser Spirit King Dao Tablet!
Dantai Sheng's eyes turned red with ruthlessness. Seeing the light sword pierce A'Diao's body, he was about to move to snatch the corpse.
But then... the body and the Dao Tablet vanished, though a lot of blood remained.
He was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized she wasn't dead!
She had avoided vital points, so...
Swoosh! Dantai Sheng mounted his flying artifact and gave frantic chase.
Dantai Ke, behind him, glanced at him and pursued at an even faster speed...
Currently, three Star Realm cultivators were in relentless pursuit. Cao Juanzhi and the others were cunning; seeing A'Diao severely injured and near death, those who were about to flee immediately turned back.
Chase!
Although on the surface their "leader" was chasing, that was a Lesser Spirit King Dao Tablet! Look at its impressive aura, look at how Chen A'Diao used it to instantly kill Dantai Yu.
Too awesome.
"If I become rich and noble, I will not forget you?"
No, no, no, only my own wealth and nobility are true wealth and nobility. Otherwise, if even brothers and sisters don't count, what about a group of examinees with conflicting interests?
These geniuses, whose average intellects were top-tier in the human world, simultaneously mounted their flying artifacts, transforming into streaks of light, whizzing as they flew across the sky.
Chase Chen A'Diao!
Song Ling and the others were also among them.
The Emerald-Eyed Demon King had sobered up by now. Its demonic eyes glinted strangely. It had also wanted to give chase, but it saw the direction of the severely injured person's spatial teleportation and felt some apprehension.
That big bird's territory? No way, not going.
It could swallow me in one gulp.
On the way, Shen Huajing explained to Cao Juanzhi and the others.
"Sorry, I was fighting monsters in the lake. For some reason, many Dragon Carp Demons suddenly emerged from underwater. The two of us were focused on attacking them when, not long after, that Demon King's demonic aura appeared. With our cultivation levels, we couldn't possibly match it. We were targeted and, out of desperation, had no choice but to run towards your direction..."
It was an understandable human reaction, but one listen and they knew they had been used by Chen A'Diao.
The screen specifically focused on the expressions of Yan Fengbai and Xiong Chumo.
The two: "..."
Tricked. This damn A'Diao's schemes are a thousand layers deep.
What allies? She just screwed over Shen Huajing and Xiong Chumo, forcing them to lure the Demon King over.
But theoretically, it wasn't wrong. Shen Huajing did indeed help them, because she had no other choice.
If she didn't help, she would die.
A'Diao fled with extreme speed. The Lesser Spirit King Dao Tablet had already been absorbed into her body. While running, she consumed elixirs to recover from her injuries. However, those chasing her were Star Realm cultivators. In her weakened state, even though she was skilled in escape arts, she was being overtaken.
She was getting closer and closer to their attack range.
Ahead lay a vast, lush, and fragrant garden. Rockeries and flowing water created an ethereal and simple scene. Amidst the lingering white mist, tall, giant ornamental red maples and various beautiful flowers and plants came into view.
This area was already close to the rear mountain waterfall area. The water vapor from there surged over, forming such a dense white mist.
At this moment, the distance was just right. Attack!
Dantai Ke, flying at the very front, raised his hand and a sword descended.
Whoosh!
She plunged into the haze. The sword light barely grazed past her, but it also slowed her for a second. Dantai Ke behind her performed a secret technique, locking onto her aura, then executed a spatial jump, instantly teleporting to her side and striking towards her head with his palm.
Golden light emanated from his palm, extremely violent.
He feared she might suddenly choose to withdraw to save her life, but he also felt that with her pride and arrogance, she naturally wouldn't be willing to leave just like that. Although her points were first, if she withdrew, it would still be easy for the few of them to catch up.
Therefore, Chen A'Diao would definitely not withdraw from the competition unless it was a last resort. But he also had to kill her in one blow with the fastest speed possible.
She was weak now; the opportunity was not to be missed.
The hazy white mist was stirred by such intense gold element energy and dispersed slightly. A'Diao hastily dodged the golden palm strike, only to see that this person had already gathered power for a fourth sword strike!!!
This person's energy reserves were too abundant!
Four ultimate moves, just like that!
Just then... Dantai Ke suddenly saw A'Diao give him a mysterious smile.
Not only did he see it, but the audience also saw it, and Nie Yuanyuan, Dantai Sheng, and the others who were catching up from behind also saw it.
Once bitten by a snake, one fears well ropes for ten years.
They had been "bitten" countless times; this Chen A'Diao was more than just a venomous snake!
Everyone instantly got it. Holy crap, she still had tricks up her sleeve!!
Before they could react, they heard dense rustling sounds, and then it seemed as if a massive flock of birds was flying towards them from a distance.
In the rear mountain garden, there was a Level 12 Demon King, the Radiant Emerald Phoenix. Birds mostly live in flocks, so it naturally had a massive flock under its command. Therefore, among the five areas, the rear mountain garden was actually the most dangerous; even the Emerald-Eyed Demon King dared not come here.
Firstly, it dominated the airspace.
Secondly, it had many birds.
And at this very moment, they saw that dense black mass getting closer and closer.
The flock of green birds was extremely fast, perhaps...
They all instantly thought of the previous barnacle swarm.
They also remembered that Chen A'Diao actually had a secret technique that even the Imperial Clan was extremely wary of—controlling barnacles without enslaving them.
First, there were the barnacles, then the Emerald-Eyed Demon King was branded and bewitched.
No one dared to question Chen A'Diao's schemes.
So, she had deliberately lured them here to catch them all in one net again.
Flee, flee, flee, quick, flee!
Due to the trauma of being controlled by the barnacle swarm before, Baili Xianyun and the others turned pale with fright and were about to turn and run. Dantai Ke and his group, however, were more resolute; naturally prioritizing their lives, they no longer cared about A'Diao. Their decision was ruthless, and without hesitation, they turned and flew outwards.
A dense crowd of people all fled.
After escaping the white mist, they were just about to heave a sigh of relief.
Nie Yuanyuan suddenly said, "Something's not right."
Dantai Ke also realized, "The frequency of these bird calls is repeating in a loop."
Fuck, it's a recording!
Whoosh! When they rushed back in, they indeed saw that the dense shadow was actually a patch of dark cloud gas far away on the horizon, obviously A'Diao's doing. And they were chasing A'Diao's aura...
They soon reached the central area of the rear mountain garden, and Dantai Ke spotted a recording device placed on a rockery.
Chen A'Diao, you're really something!
Fortunately, Dantai Ke and his group reacted quickly, soon noticed the trickery, and chased back. Now they saw Chen A'Diao sneakily about to use spatial teleportation.
"Still trying to escape? Dream on!"
Numerous attacks blasted towards her.
But they never would have expected that before Chen A'Diao was hit by these attacks, the dense white mist behind her surged, as if swallowing and sucking, yet with whooshing green light.
In place in one second.
Swallowed in one second.
It swallowed her whole, along with a ring of water vapor.
Everyone: "!!!"
No time to be shocked, run! Because the Level 12 Demon King, the Radiant Emerald Phoenix, had appeared.
But there was no escape.
The dense flock of green birds had truly surrounded them.
Everyone: "???"
Audience: "???"
True and false, illusory and real.
The wolf is coming, the wolf isn't coming, and then it really came. And the Boss, the Big Bad Wolf, came too.
Very well, now the question arose: Was this an accidental event, with this Chen A'Diao being "poisonous" and dragging them down with her, or was this also a scheme within her scheme?
"It's her scheme!"
Dantai Ke almost had an epiphany. He realized that Song Ling and the others had initially been following, after all, they were supposed to fight alongside Chen A'Diao. But after they were scared off that one time, they hadn't come back in.
Only their group had come back in.
Moreover, he had just analyzed the bird calls from the recording device. Because they were dense and overlapping, he hadn't distinguished them before. Now, listening fucking carefully...
Cao Juanzhi: "Let me translate. In bird language, it's: 'Brothers and sisters, come quickly! A group of human scumbags are chasing me! Come quick, come quick, surround them!'"
Human scumbags.
Very good. Well played, Chen A'Diao!
She can even curse us while talking to a flock of birds!
Fuck!!!
Everyone watched as they were surrounded by this dense flock of Level 6 green birds, and then saw the massive Level 12 Radiant Emerald Phoenix Demon King circling high above, launching a fierce attack on them...
This big bird, with its wings spread, was a full thirty meters long. It might not have blotted out the sky and sun, but its demonic wind was incredibly powerful, much stronger than that Emerald-Eyed Demon King.
They suddenly understood why the Emerald-Eyed Demon King had refused to pursue them further.
It couldn't beat this bird.
But they were trapped and had to fight these creatures to the death, or else withdraw!
Schemed against again.
They clearly had a tacit understanding before the martial exam: when facing Chen A'Diao, they must be extremely cautious, no nonsense, just act, and not give her any opportunity to play tricks.
But...
Nie Yuanyuan and Dantai Ke felt an impulse of disgust from within.
Bleargh!!!
However, the only good thing was that she was also swallowed?
Could it be intentional?
What on earth was she plotting?
Dantai Ke felt a sense of unease and immediately intensified his attacks, trying to escape as quickly as possible.
And at this point... they could no longer hold back their trump cards.
Dantai Ke took out a Dao Tablet.
A Grandmaster-level Dao Tablet, a Sword Dao Tablet.
Magnificent sword intent, kill!
Song Ling and her group were on the periphery; they had run away long ago.
Someone still hadn't quite reacted, "Aren't we... aren't we going in?"
"No, let's go earn points. Many places are now uncontested. Pick the easy targets."
Song Ling had directly contacted A'Diao to conspire and naturally made plans to maximize their benefits.
Only then did everyone suddenly realize.
This was like playing a game, fighting monsters to level up. But the easy-to-fight monsters were all occupied by more powerful groups. Being weaker, they could only fight in less favorable areas with fewer monsters, so their point accumulation was naturally slow.
And A'Diao, whenever she used others to do things, if it was malicious exploitation, she would naturally skin them, pull out their tendons, and swallow them whole, bones and all. But if it was effective utilization without a conflict of interest, she would always reasonably exchange certain benefits.
Even some benefits you wouldn't expect.
For example, during the previous battle, she herself was the main damage dealer (MVP) and controlled the field throughout. Their role was to help her with damage output, provide support, and blockade, but they had already received their benefits.
People they originally couldn't defeat were beaten to half health or critical health, allowing them to naturally reap a large number of points.
This was the most direct return of benefits.
What Song Ling proposed now was an additional benefit.
Duanmu Qingyang sighed inwardly: This was why she chose this person. Although despicable, cunning, and ruthless, at least she always kept her word.
Those who achieve great things rely not on ignoring trivialities, but on ensuring their actions succeed and always keeping their word.
Otherwise, why would others follow you and take risks?
So, Chen A'Diao was actually quite a decent person.
At least, Xie San and the others also thought so now.
"Hey, Shen Huajing and her group don't seem to have come out, nor have Yan Fengbai and Wen Shaoyao's group."
Song Ling frowned but said nothing.
Towards A'Diao, she had a confidence that had been imprinted from the very beginning.
Since this person had schemed it, she could definitely handle the situation.
Song Ling didn't know that Chen A'Diao had been eaten by a Level 12 Demon King. If she knew, she probably wouldn't be so calm.
Inside the Radiant Emerald Phoenix's stomach, after being swallowed, A'Diao once again experienced what it felt like to be in stomach acid.
But could a Level 7 Great Whale compare to this?
It was like comparing a firefly to the moon!
Even a Star Realm cultivator's Star Body wouldn't last long inside. Anyway, the screen suddenly, out of "kindness," locked onto a scene for the audience—after being sucked in, she plopped into a swirling stomach pool.
Then, in an instant, her beautiful skin and appearance were corroded beyond recognition.
Terrifying, horrifying, it looked painful just watching. Yet, this person didn't make a single sound. Instead, with her terrifying flesh sizzling and corroding, she dived deeper.
Was she crazy!!! What on earth was she trying to do?
The spectator stands were in an uproar. Xie Yuqing and Chen Yang were both crying.
Xu Zhaoyin frowned and suddenly sighed.
There's no such thing as an unparalleled monstrous talent.
Just the desperate ruthlessness born from a life-or-death situation.
At this moment, Xie Jingyu suddenly fell silent. She had now roughly figured things out and understood the ruthlessness and helplessness behind Qu Jiangnan's decision.
She lowered her head, her eyes somewhat red.
"You were always good at judging people."
"This child, deep down, is somewhat like you—able to endure. But you are not enough like her. If only you were more like her."
More ruthless—ruthless to oneself, and even more ruthless to others.
But Qu Jiangnan was too upright; she couldn't let go of her sense of responsibility.
Just like when they first entered university. Although they were roommates, and even though Xie Jingyu, unaware of the Qu family's internal situation, was cold to her purely because she couldn't stand the Qu family, Qu Jiangnan didn't mind. During an unexpected assassination attempt, she still risked her life to protect her.
Later, when asked why.
She said: "Even though you clearly disliked me, you didn't use your power to deal with me. You're quite good."
Just because she hadn't been dealt with, Qu Jiangnan thought she was quite good.
This only showed how deeply disappointed she was in human nature, and how little kindness she had received.
Such a person, why was she still so upright internally?
It seemed she was destined to be destroyed by this world.
At the bottom of the stomach pool, A'Diao's main body was weak, with no defenses, relying entirely on her basic resistance. But she had calculated this. After diving to the core of the stomach, she took out something and threw it in.
The Fruit of Proliferation.
The reason she went to the core was because the digestion rate was fastest here, the source of the stomach acid vortex. Then, she used her re-accumulated Mental Power to repair "303," which had passed its cooldown time, opened it, and hid inside.
Oh my god, she had finally left that terrifying stomach pool.
When A'Diao lay on the ground, her entire body was a bloody mess, unable to even lift a hand. It was Xiao Yuanbao, with red eyes, who fed her fruits for recovery and energy replenishment. Then, she began to enter a state of recovery.
So tired. Now, it was just a matter of waiting.
However, A'Diao hadn't even caught her breath when... Boom!!! The Radiant Emerald Phoenix's body suddenly jolted violently, and she was jolted along with it.
Holy crap, were Dantai Ke and his group that formidable?
A'Diao had long guessed that Dantai Ke and Nie Yuanyuan were only superficially united while being estranged at heart, harboring strong vigilance towards each other. Even if they cooperated to kill her, their greatest threatening opponent, frankly, there wasn't much trust between them. She estimated that once she was dealt with, the two sides would turn on each other.
Therefore, their ultimate trump cards definitely hadn't been played.
Because there were still two "Fish Kings" that were like a bone stuck in their throats. They weren't fools; they wouldn't expose everything at once, only to end up doing all the hard work for someone else's benefit.
But now they had no choice; a Level 12 Radiant Emerald Phoenix Demon King had pushed them into a desperate situation.
Their most hidden treasures were all brought out.
A'Diao observed coldly while activating Toilet and all other means to restore Spiritual Energy, frantically absorbing Star Coins, spirit cores, and other resources to recover.
Visibly, her body was rapidly repairing. Her two spirit cores and meridians were also refilling.
The two "Fish Kings" she suspected were probably among them. She wanted to see if this scheme she had set up could force them to reveal everything.
If not, she would add more fuel to the fire later.
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