ASER - Chapter 173
Chapter 173: Top Scorer
When a person dies, everything is gone. The soul scatters, and the body decays completely.
However, some souls with excessively heavy resentment or obsession will linger in the mortal realm for a long time. Even if this damages their spiritual bodies and causes them unbearable pain, their unwillingness to depart remains.
Consequently, their corpses also decay more slowly, showing a tendency towards corpse transformation.
Evidently, the corpse and soul before them were like this. But few knew that her body was fragmented, turned into pieces of a corpse.
As corpse qi swirled and spread, many spectators in the stands had already been scared far away by A'Diao. Thus, only a few spectators and most of the high-level cultivators remained on the platform. Even the headmasters of the Academy Alliance had stood up.
"A Corpse Spirit?"
"No, it's a Corpse Spirit King!!"
"My heavens!"
How terrifying was a Corpse Spirit King? People of later generations, unless they were erudite scholars who studied the First Era, simply wouldn't know because it was too unorthodox, too horrifying.
Among the Ten Great Spirit Kings of the First Era, the strongest was of a heterodox race. The second strongest was a Corpse Spirit King who had entered the path of corpse spirits through vengeance. Then, with the cultivation of a Lesser Spirit King, he continuously devoured ten Lesser Spirit Kings and five Spirit Kings within a month, ultimately achieving the status of a Great Spirit King. This was merely his publicly known battle record. Behind such achievements was the fact that, along with devouring these Spirit Kings, he had also devoured their families.
No fewer than thirty families, encompassing tens of thousands of people.
In the end, all these people turned into Corpse Generals, following him as he razed several provinces across the three nations, fulfilling his endless resentment through widespread slaughter.
Was he finally suppressed and killed? There was no way.
Endless, undying, and indestructible. Unless the strongest Great Spirit King of the heterodox race intervened, it would require several Great Spirit Kings from the human imperial families of the three nations to jointly offer sacrifices to send the entity into purgatory for rebirth. But... why would the heterodox Great Spirit King intervene? As for the sacrifice, no one among the imperial families of the three nations wanted to pay such a price. They hesitated, hoping others would accomplish this task.
With this delay, the cataclysm of the First Era arrived. Spiritual energy was depleted, and naturally, these world-destroying entities also dissipated.
But in terms of history, it was definitely an enormous, indelible shadow cast upon humanity for an era. There should have been many records from that time, but many books were destroyed.
As for why, one would have to ask the imperial families of the three nations.
Jiang Zhou stared in disbelief at the corpse, faintly visible amidst the billowing corpse qi. He hadn't understood at first, but due to Chen A'Diao's reaction and the scene of the entity teleporting out from the blood qi of the Qu family disciples...
"It's bloodline-targeted teleportation?! This person is..."
Several headmasters subconsciously thought it was Qu Jiangnan. But Jiang Zhou, judging by the degree of corpse transformation of the hand, couldn't help but say in a trembling voice, "Are you Xiao Xia'er? Qu Xia'er? Xia'er..."
Tears welled up in his eyes.
He knew their mother and had mourned three women one after another, yet he never knew the true cause of their deaths.
He asked about their mother, but the two daughters wouldn't say.
He asked about the elder sister, but the younger sister wouldn't say.
He asked about the younger sister... there was no one left to tell.
The only one who might know, Chen A'Diao, had entered the examination grounds without saying a word.
No one knew that as he later watched the competition, worried about the exam, his mind was also on the three women, once in the prime of their youth, now with no remains to be found.
It turned out, there were remains after all.
So this was how they died?
"Sister Xia'er?" Xie Jingyu, who had originally acted to prevent the powerful nobles from taking the opportunity to kill A'Diao, was also stunned and couldn't help but call out her name.
Many people were shocked.
Qu Xia'er of the Qu family had once been ranked first among the noble ladies of her generation, unparalleled in talent and intelligence...
If Duanmu Qingyang was the current pearl of the capital, then Qu Xia'er was once the foremost noble lady of Tang Song.
But she had died, and it turned out she had been dismembered.
But their calls had no effect on her.
The corpse hand reached out. Upon seeing the old bastard from the Qu family, its resentment seemed to reach its peak. The terrifying, fragmented corpse instantly rotted, releasing an endless torrent of black corpse fluid... It liquefied, then solidified, abruptly transforming into a terrifying black bone spear a hundred meters long.
Boom!!
Myriad strands of corpse qi crisscrossed, and all the brutal, bloody power of the Corpse Spirit Path was concentrated in this spear.
Old Dog Qu roared angrily. With a casual wave of his hand, he drew a circle, and the vast power of a Lesser Spirit King within him instantly swirled out, coalescing into a massive spiral shield in front of him.
This giant shield was five meters thick and spanned ten meters, completely solidified energy.
BOOM!!! The spear tip pierced the giant shield... A tremendous impact swept out.
The various experts quickly conjured shields and protective barriers in front, employing all sorts of techniques. Jiang Zhou protected some spectators and noticed that A'Diao had already deployed her spatial carrier and Tortoise-Breath Shield, sheltering many innocent onlookers.
This wretched girl...
Turning his head, Jiang Zhou discovered that over a hundred shields and barriers had appeared around the Chen family.
There were more shields protecting the Chen family than there were for the princes and the Grand Princess.
The Duanmu family, the Zhao family, the Xiao siblings, headmasters, powerful nobles, unaffiliated master cultivators... all of them had thrown shields in that direction at the first opportunity.
Among them, many teachers from Lushan had also thrown several shields towards the Chen family.
Oh, and the Grand Princess, despite being protected by experts, had even tossed a Grade A spiritual plant body and a Grade A forbidden object in that direction... a typical act of a sycophant protecting a beauty even when they themselves were in danger.
What was most astonishing was that among those who had originally attacked A'Diao were people from the Cao and Baili families. Yet, just now, some experts from within their own families had silently thrown shields towards Xu Zhaoyin and the other two.
Jiang Zhou: "???"
He guessed that these experts who had acted were definitely ultimate 'face-admirers'.
Hopeless!
While Jiang Zhou grumbled internally, he also tossed a shield towards the Chen family.
DONG!!!
The shield shattered.
The Corpse Spirit King did not disappoint the fearful descriptions in the few surviving ancient texts.
The spear pierced through the giant shield, and after Old Dog Qu let out a terrified cry... BOOM!!!
A single spear impaled him, sending him flying through the air.
The heavily injured Old Dog Qu's body started to fall, attempting to flee. Qu Xia'er transformed, becoming a boundless mountain of corpses and sea of blood...
Whoosh!
It roared as it lunged towards Old Dog Qu below, directly swallowing him.
So what if he was a Lesser Spirit King? Once locked onto by resentment and approached by a Corpse Spirit King of the same level, the outcome was equivalent to... death!
The old bastard was indeed desperate and decisively summoned his bloodline totem.
With a howl, a three-tailed demon fox? It had actually become a six-tailed demon fox!
This old dog must have mastered a secret technique to enhance his own bloodline aptitude.
It released a mental shockwave to dispel the resentment... Then it shrieked. The old bastard tried to break free, but it was no use; boundless resentment had already invaded his body.
Devouring flesh and consuming souls, even his bloodline seemed to be twisting from it.
Too terrifying! Was this the power of a Corpse Spirit King?
As the resentment grew stronger, the dispersing corpse qi formed roiling dark clouds in the sky, twisting into ghoulish faces that seemed about to break free from the clouds and descend to feast on the blood of those below.
"It's over! She's going to create Corpse Ghouls!"
Many people were terrified into a panic, fleeing in all directions.
Meanwhile, at Lushan's side, the Grandmaster Swordsman glanced at a certain point in the void, a glint in his eyes. He knew the Mountain Head had actually been watching all along and must have learned of the situation by now. Even from distant Lushan, it wouldn't be difficult for him to act. Why hadn't he? It meant he was still observing the situation.
He seemed to understand something.
The imperial experts present were only at the Grandmaster level. The Lesser Spirit Kings were far away in the imperial palace and other places; they definitely wouldn't make it in time.
And Corpse Spirit Kings were utterly inhumane; they wouldn't spare any living person. Wherever they went, life was extinguished. Whether you were a prince, a high minister, or anyone else, all would die!!
"Your Highness, leave quickly!"
"Quickly escort His Highness away!"
The various experts wanted to escort the princes, the Grand Princess, and other dukes and high-ranking officials away first.
In this chaos, some fled, while others advanced instead of retreating. Dantai Zhuying saw someone take a few quick steps—one, two, three—and then, thump, kneel down in front of everyone.
As if mourning at a funeral.
"Auntie, Auntie! I know the sorrow in your heart! Back then, because you were unwilling to go along with their insidious plans, you were tortured, killed, and dismembered by them. Even your husband and children couldn't escape! But even your tragic death couldn't stop this Old Dog Qu from slaughtering the women of his clan, taking their flesh and blood for his nefarious research!"
"This old dog is truly formidable! He actually found a way to counteract the demon fox bloodline's trait of strengthening females and weakening males—by using the women of the clan as sustenance! Firstly, to accelerate his own recovery through consumption. Secondly, to use the flesh and blood of Qu family daughters as nourishment to fuse with the males, forcibly creating perverted heterodox beings! What an utterly inhumane act!"
"Furthermore, to ascend to Great Spirit King as quickly as possible, this old dog secretly took your remains from your maternal family's ancestral land, intending to use the wronged souls of your mother's clan to enter the Corpse Spirit King path! His plan was thorough. But because both Master and I had a chance to enter Lushan, this old dog, fearing his plan would fail, prematurely sent some Qu family scoundrels to forcibly awaken you into the Corpse Spirit Path, to use you against Lushan and kill us both! If Master hadn't detected this heaven-defying conspiracy in advance and sacrificed herself to awaken your consciousness, you would have been controlled by this old dog! Then, he would have made you do whatever he wanted—if he wanted you to slaughter the people of Tang Song, you would have slaughtered them! If he wanted you to harm the imperial family, you would have harmed them! This old dog intended to reap the benefits, plotting against the very foundation of our Tang Song!"
"This kind of treason against sovereign power, this old turtle worse than a pig or dog—even if chopped up and fed to dogs, the dogs would find him disgusting! You can kill him however you want, but the people here are innocent! Master was benevolent and sacrificed her life for this. Your disciple is useless, but I still beg you to spare the people here! We will take revenge for our grudges and grievances, but please, please don't harm others! Aaaah!!!"
"Disciple begs you!"
She rattled off these shocking, worldview-shattering words. She wasn't crying, but tears streamed down her face, clearly moved and deeply sorrowful. This scene was witnessed by all the spectators across the nation.
The live broadcast was on.
Everyone knew.
Holy crap!!!
In one second, a hundred billion units of Mental Power exploded forth, and it was still skyrocketing.
Because the entire nation's worldview had been shattered; anger and terror arose from this.
Including those present, even the Third Prince believed it. Because the logic was sound, right? Could you say Old Dog Qu's premature revival was without conspiracy? And how exactly did he revive?
Prematurely reviving by devouring female descendants of the same bloodline wasn't theoretically impossible. Even their family ancestors could revive earlier if nourished by the bloodline of their descendants. It's just that for someone to revive as quickly as Old Dog Qu, auxiliary means like formations would definitely be needed.
But... the Baili family head and others basically agreed that what Chen A'Diao said was true.
Because one fact was obvious.
"When Chen A'Diao just killed those Qu family members, why did the bloodline tracking secret technique she used only target Qu family males? These Qu family women were unharmed? I know this technique too; the one she used had no special design."
"So..."
Everyone simultaneously looked at the panicked Qu family young women. The older and younger ones were all terrified or bewildered at this moment, until Zhao Yi coldly rebuked, "That's because they don't possess the Qu family bloodline at all! They were probably replaced long ago! Because if all Qu family female descendants died or disappeared for a long time, it would definitely arouse our suspicion. So, the Qu family made such arrangements. I'm afraid Qu Jiangnan discovered this secret and subsequently deduced Old Dog Qu's plan!"
He knew the truth was definitely not entirely as A'Diao described, but it was certainly a mix of truth and falsehood. The truth about Old Dog Qu's revival and the secret of the Qu family women were real.
She was capable of designing and successfully creating the first-generation Yinglong bloodline on her own; in this aspect, she was an authority. Even those headmasters and professors wouldn't dare claim to know more than her.
But it was definitely artistically embellished.
The "facts" she presented now were most detrimental to the Qu family and most beneficial to her and the Qu Jiangnan sisters. Moreover, she wasn't saying it for the imperial family and nobles to hear, but for the people of the Tang Song Nation.
She wanted to annihilate the Qu family and also legitimize her and Qu Jiangnan's actions, preventing the imperial family from causing her trouble. Otherwise, it would be very easy for the entire nation to believe the imperial family and the Qu family were birds of a feather...
A'Diao's funeral-like exposé pushed the Qu family into an abyss.
Old Dog Qu alone had been swindled out of a hundred million!
He wanted to furiously curse Chen A'Diao for talking nonsense, but his own condition was dire. He had originally wanted to ask the imperial family and other powerful nobles for help against this Qu Xia'er, but now it seemed impossible.
In a little while... he would probably be devoured by this Qu Xia'er instead.
Suddenly, the old bastard tore his spiritual body, and a small part of it shot towards the kneeling A'Diao.
Ghost possession?
Trying to seize her body and occupy her flesh?
"Audacious!"
"Courting death!"
This wasn't A'Diao's angry shout, but the fury of Lushan's expert. That Grandmaster Swordsman wasn't afraid of Old Dog Qu at all and had previously blocked an attack with his sword.
Now, he touched the space between his eyebrows with his fingertip and summoned a small golden sword made of spiritual energy.
The sword flew out to stab.
Buzz... Although Old Dog Qu was a Lesser Spirit King, he was severely injured, currently being devoured, and his spiritual body was fragmented. After being defeated by this sword strike, his other scattered spiritual fragments could only flee outwards...
A'Diao watched it flee, thinking to herself that Lesser Spirit Kings were indeed formidable; their spiritual bodies could split and escape, and they could possess others so easily.
She had just felt that if the person from Lushan hadn't saved her, she might have really been possessed.
The spiritual body of a Lesser Spirit King seemed different from others'.
But it was also normal.
Every major cultivation realm had its unique advantages.
The Lesser Spirit King level definitely targeted the soul.
However, this old dog was about to escape!
A'Diao hated that her cultivation was too low, but just then.
The mountain of corpses and sea of blood in front descended.
It completely devoured him.
Old Dog Qu was terrified and roared, "Xia'er, Xia'er, you and I are from the same lineage, why must you..."
Qu Xia'er didn't speak, but instead enveloped his spiritual body fragments and merged them into his original body.
Old Dog Qu's body and spiritual body were reunited, but he was trapped within the mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
What was she going to do?
It seemed she had no intention of directly devouring or killing him?
Even A'Diao was a little confused. Everyone watched with trepidation. Soon, they all understood.
Especially A'Diao; her brow twitched as she sensed a certain power.
A curse?
She felt a terrifying curse.
Then they saw a horrifying corpse curse appear on Old Dog Qu's body. His flesh and blood rotted. The reason for the rot was that all his blood was being forced back into his bloodline.
Old Dog Qu was in extreme pain, so much so that he was contorted and howling mentally.
Such howls made everyone's scalp tingle.
Not just him, A'Diao also sensed that with Old Dog Qu as the core, this curse was rooted in the bloodline, and even Qu Xia'er's own body began to rot...
"A bloodline corpse curse? My heavens, this was the most terrifying curse in the First Era... and it's basically genocidal! Ah!! Then all the Qu family disciples in the Qu household, wouldn't they all..."
Naturally, they were all finished.
In an instant, they saw space tear, and thousands of fine streams of blood converged from the direction of the Qu family's Duke Manor in the capital.
It was clear that basically all the male members of the Qu family who possessed the Qu bloodline were...
Exterminated.
These streams of blood flowed into the mountain of corpses and sea of blood. Soon, they saw the sea of blood churn, and amidst the churning, a body reformed at a terrifying speed.
The heavens and earth trembled, and circles of black ripples appeared. The surrounding, true Wanmo Luosha Mountain [萬魔羅剎院 (Wànmó Luóchà Yuàn), Lit: Ten Thousand Demon Rakshasas] also seemed to have a strange aura rising and falling.
This commotion was far more terrifying than A'Diao's breakthrough to the Glimmer realm.
But it was very quiet.
Because it was the true revival of a king of the undead. It should have been silent, inactive, yet it could make all living beings feel fear from the depths of their souls.
So fearful that they didn't even dare to make a move, afraid of attracting her attention and being killed by her.
In but a moment, the mountain of corpses and sea of blood spiraled and was absorbed into a delicate, jade-like palm. When everyone looked up again, their hearts were greatly shaken.
At this moment, the dark clouds and the sea of corpses were gone. The sky was clear and empty, looking beautiful, yet it gave people an even more terrifying feeling.
Black hair fluttered, a red robe like blood, and a barefooted woman hovered in the sky, a vermilion dot between her eyebrows.
Sunset glow on the pavilion, spring moon and willows by the pond, a place of incense and sacrifice, served on tables of bell chimes and feasting cauldrons—she alone was the treasure.
The only female Corpse King in the world was thus born.
But the only thought in many people's minds was—so she was Qu Xia'er. So this was the former First Noble Lady of Tang Song.
If Qu Jiangnan was the type of Jiangnan woman with restrained, dignified talent and elegant composure, with a hidden scheming side, then this woman before them, judging by her appearance alone, was melancholic, pure, and ethereal.
In terms of absolute beauty, only the physical appearances of a few like Chen A'Diao could compare. But A'Diao's inner self... lacked much temperament, giving a sharp, contradictory impression. The moment she opened her mouth or made a move, that perception was shattered.
She was different.
Even if she slaughtered the vast wilderness, the world would still be stunned by the first sight of her.
Her elegance was bone-deep.
But there are no immortals in the world. Women of the mortal realm are trapped in turbid currents. Though scholarly fragrance filled the capital, it was hard to reverse ill fortune.
Fragmented corpse pieces, a tragic beloved—the vermilion dot between her eyebrows seemed to have condensed all the most stunning elegance of her life, but it had also exhausted the last drop of blood in her heart.
Now, all that remained was an inhuman corpse-like sentience.
She tilted her head to look. That one glance, scarlet and cold, made everyone feel as if they were pigs and dogs about to be slaughtered.
Especially when she raised her hand.
The imperial experts were terrified, about to try and intimidate her.
Suddenly.
Thump, someone knelt again.
Kneeling before and below Qu Xia'er.
"Don't attack, don't attack! Let's prioritize peace! Auntie, I beg you, please don't indiscriminately kill the innocent... This is Master's bloodline. Please take it and quickly find a way to save her! How can our worthless lives compare to Master's... As for what you want to do with the souls, bones, and flesh of the Qu family, what can I do? Although it's cruel, they only lost their lives, but the people here are the most precious!"
"Auntie, Auntie, Auntie! Look at your disciple! Can you bear to see your disciple tormented by remorse for the lives of these innocent people, unable to sleep at night or eat?"
"I am Master's favorite disciple! I once gave her three apples, and she was willing to give me two to eat, saving the last one for me the next day! Can't you love me for her sake?!!!!"
Although it was because they were expired, and she disliked them, so she threw them there for her to eat herself.
Everyone: "..."
Three, three apples?
Jiang Zhou: I didn't even get one apple.
Even a Corpse Spirit King like Qu Xia'er was probably annoyed by such an incessantly chattering person. She frowned.
Shua, A'Diao immediately shut up, took out the bloodline box, and offered it.
Qu Xia'er reached out. Blood flowed like tentacles and took the bloodline box. As soon as the box was in her hand, she caressed it with her fingers, feeling it.
"Nan... Nan..."
Her low voice stunned many. No way, could a Corpse Spirit King still retain humanity?
Xie Jingyu's and Jiang Zhou's eyes reddened.
But just then, a terrifying pressure approached from afar, from the direction of the capital.
"Lushan! Since you've witnessed such an evil creature as a Corpse Spirit King, why don't you act?"
A Lesser Spirit King from the capital's imperial family had finally torn through space and arrived.
A golden-haired old man appeared in the sky.
But an aged voice came from Lushan's direction.
"Act? This is the Wanmo Luosha Courtyard. If we act, and she summons the skeletal resentment from beneath the ground, can you suppress it? Not a single person here would survive."
Then, a white-haired old man appeared. Judging by his clothes, he didn't seem to be the Mountain Head, but rather an old cook who tended the fires in a kitchen.
The imperial expert immediately fell silent. Indeed, the biggest 'bug' was this Wanmo Luosha Courtyard.
It was no ordinary place.
"Then can you ensure she retreats now?"
Lushan's expert: "Hasn't she refrained from attacking yet? It means we can still negotiate."
The expert looked at Qu Xia'er, suppressing the killing intent in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Qu Xia'er, what do you intend to do now? If you don't retreat, and dare to slaughter my Tang Song..."
Qu Xia'er turned her head to look at him, the vermilion dot on her brow looking as if it would drip blood. But she said nothing, merely tearing space... As she entered the space, her eyes briefly glanced at A'Diao.
But she left a message for the two experts.
"If my younger sister returns, the past will be forgiven. If she cannot..."
"I will be the next Yan Xi."
Yan Xi, that terrifying Great Corpse King of the First Era.
Who slaughtered hundreds of millions across the three nations.
It turned out she truly still possessed her consciousness, though her tone and voice were still somewhat hoarse and strained.
But the imperial family members' faces changed upon hearing this...
Yan Xi also hated the imperial families the most.
He had killed two generations of Tang Song crown princes in the First Era.
Kill one, then the next one appears.
Qu Xia'er left. Many people's knees went weak, and they leaned on railings, about to sit down. The imperial expert's eyes flickered; he suddenly looked towards a certain spot, about to exert his might.
"Chen A'Diao, you deserve to die! To slaughter as a commoner..."
"You lured the Corpse Spirit King, nearly killing so many people, you..."
These kinds of accusations were still stuck in his throat, not yet uttered. Lushan's experts were also ready to intercept the pressure and protect people.
Unexpectedly, before anything could happen, that person had already turned around as swiftly as a loach and thump, knelt again.
Damn it, she had knelt three times in less than half an hour.
Each kneeling posture was extremely perfect and professional.
But this time, she knelt before an ordinary-looking person in the audience.
Also the person behind her.
Right, A'Diao had specifically run over to protect that area earlier.
Was it for this person?
Many people had thought it was because Chen Xun was also there.
Unexpectedly, it was someone else.
Or rather, it was the only person still sitting calmly in a chair while everyone around them stood on alert.
This person was very ordinary, an ordinary woman.
Completely unremarkable.
But as A'Diao knelt, a shadow flew over from not far away and instantly merged with her.
Lifting her head, male and female merged, transforming into the complete Chen A'Diao, with her as the main body.
Her appearance was stunningly beautiful, but her eyes and brows already held the official authority and cautious temperament of a Governor-General.
"Your subordinate, Chen A'Diao, Governor-General of Qingzhou, acted out of necessity to ensure Your Highness's safety during a crisis, resorting to killing. I have offended Your Highness's esteemed presence and beg Your Highness to mete out punishment!"
She cupped her hands in a salute towards this person, then bowed her head as if to touch the ground.
A hand supported her forehead.
Your Highness? The Third Prince and the other actual Highnesses exchanged glances.
Holy crap, Chen A'Diao, Zhao Ritian?
And this person is?
A "Your Highness" even more esteemed than them? Could it be the Crown Prince disguised as a woman?
It couldn't be their father, right?
Xie Jingyu was also a bit dazed. She looked back and forth at the people, then seemed to understand. Her expression immediately became indescribable, and she glared fiercely at the Xiao siblings.
It was too shocking. Chen A'Diao's identity was now clear, but who was that "Your Highness"?
She even overshadowed the secret of Zhao Ritian's identity.
The imperial expert was also stunned for a moment, but he quickly seemed to realize something and was about to speak.
In the next second, the woman whose plain hand supported A'Diao's forehead spoke, "You say you did it for me."
A'Diao kept her head down, not daring to move.
"Yes. During the assessment, your subordinate saw that Yan Fengbai's bloodline was surprisingly similar to the Qu family's. Coupled with what I had learned about the Qu family's situation from my master, I immediately understood the Qu family's conspiracy. After Qu Xia'er awakened, she would inevitably go berserk. If she used a bloodline technique to locate herself here and went on a killing spree, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, your subordinate withdrew from the competition to come and stop it, intending to kill all Qu family members present, sever their bloodline aura, and prevent Qu Xia'er from teleporting here. Unexpectedly, I was attacked by that Old Dog Qu..."
As she said this, Toilet was summarizing this person's scheming.
First, when she returned from Diannan to the Wanmo Luosha Courtyard, she sent a message to Qu Xia'er. Because she was certain that Qu Jiangnan, having spent so much time by Qu Xia'er's tombstone, must have had a way to imbue her with consciousness. Otherwise, even if Qu Xia'er survived, she wouldn't be the Qu Xia'er of the past, nor would she protect people like them. So, she took the risk and left a message, preparing to annihilate the Qu family.
Second, if she wanted to annihilate the Qu family, it had to be foolproof. She was not Qu Jiangnan; Qu Jiangnan had a dignified inner nature of self-sacrifice. She did not. If she wanted to accomplish something, self-preservation was her highest principle. Therefore, the message she left at that time was ambiguous, only telling Qu Xia'er to wait for news. But as soon as she arrived at the Wanmo Luosha Courtyard, she discovered a godsent opportunity—Chen Xun had arrived.
Third, Chen Xun's return wasn't the issue. The issue was that A'Diao had long guessed that his expulsion from the Central Academy of Sciences was a trick to escape, to take another shortcut. And when she considered recent major events in the capital from Chen Xun's perspective, was there anything bigger than the new Empress-to-be? A powerful external force with no internal foundation—it was perfect for him to seek refuge with them. And according to the Ministry of Rites' regulations, the Empress-to-be needed to be welcomed. The welcoming flying ship would certainly require corresponding high-end technical personnel, and they had to be the absolute best, so as not to diminish Tang Song's national prestige. In terms of aptitude, humans naturally couldn't compare to heterodox races. So, what was humanity's greatest advantage?
It was ever-improving technology. So, if Chen Xun manipulated things behind the scenes, the probability of him being chosen was high. Especially since he had been persecuted and harmed by powerful nobles, had no backing, belonged to the 'clear stream' faction, and wouldn't be manipulated into becoming an internal traitor. Therefore, the Tang Song monarch's advisors would definitely choose him. Since he had come, and yet didn't go to the Chen family's box, it meant the attacked convoy had actually escaped and, avoiding everyone's notice, had come to the Wanmo Luosha Courtyard to watch the competition. Perhaps even the imperial family didn't know, because wasn't it precisely people within the imperial family who wanted to kill this Empress-to-be?
With this deduction, A'Diao knew her chance to retreat unscathed had arrived.
Fourth, the prerequisite for retreating unscathed was also being able to truly annihilate the Qu family. She knew Qu Xia'er had revived and could counterbalance Old Dog Qu. But she wanted to go further. Counterbalance? That wasn't enough. What if Old Dog Qu, in desperation, used those unsavory secret techniques he possessed to ally with the imperial family or other powerful nobles? The unique nature of Qu family women was evident; the imperial family would definitely be interested. This old bastard was capable of anything. She wouldn't allow any more accidents. The best method was to lure this old dog out and kill him. The problem was, the commotion in Diannan was too big. This old dog had managed to lie low so deeply that even the imperial family hadn't noticed, showing he was inherently cautious and afraid of death. How could she lure him out?
Fifth, then she could only make this old dog fear her even more than he feared Qu Xia'er! So, A'Diao revealed her terrifying talent during the assessment. Through Zhao Ritian's observations, she also confirmed that Qu Zhen had been continuously passing information to the old dog, so this old dog must have felt like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat. Thus, A'Diao deliberately used Yan Fengbai's bloodline secret to 'erupt' at the end, going out as if blinded by the desire for revenge for her master, slaughtering the Qu family. Was this to stop Qu Xia'er? Not at all. She had already given Qu Xia'er the geographical coordinates; the other party could have teleported over anyway. It was just a pretense. Slaughtering Qu Zhen and the others was actually to give Old Dog Qu an opportunity—a reasonable chance to kill her.
Sure enough, Old Dog Qu couldn't hold back.
He came, came to die!
But these things couldn't be told to others. Regardless of whether this new Empress-to-be before her knew the truth, A'Diao had the most suitable justification ready.
And based on her speculation about this heterodox Empress-to-be—someone chosen by the Heavenly Spirit Clan to become Empress must be extremely intelligent, capable of maintaining stability in the grand scheme, and they would also be very clear about their weakness in the Tang Song Nation, which was the lack of foundation.
They had already been attacked, showing that this weakness was persistent.
Now, A'Diao was offering them an advantage.
Therefore...
"The creator of the Yinglong bloodline, with such extraordinary talent, would be considered a peerless prodigy even in the First Era, deserving of her own status. Let alone that you acted for a reason, taking such risks to protect me; even if you hadn't, I would not have let you kneel to me."
Her fingers moved down and hooked A'Diao's chin.
"I truly envy the human race; each generation produces such astonishing prodigies."
"However, a scourge who devours their own kin for power, even among my heterodox race, would have their bones ground to dust and ashes scattered. You did very well."
"Await your reward."
Then she withdrew her hand, her figure fading away, transforming into a soaring phoenix.
Brilliant light shone, crimson and gold, an unparalleled radiance filling the sky.
Noble to the extreme.
In an instant, the few guards and maids protecting her all transformed into terrifying, majestic spirit birds, soaring into the sky... and disappearing into space.
Among them, that maid was actually at the Lesser Spirit King level, her true form a Great Jingwei. The few guards were all at the peak Grandmaster level.
The innate combat power of heterodox races was inherently slightly higher than humans, on par with demonic spirits.
Everyone: "!!!"
A'Diao's throat went dry: This person wasn't afraid of Qu Xia'er at all, and had definitely seen through the trickery. No wonder she was so composed. However, the other party indeed needed the support of a nascent internal Tang Song power like her, especially with her Lushan backing, so she tacitly accepted A'Diao's allegiance.
This Daoguang Jingci was quite formidable.
Hopefully, she had latched onto a powerful backer and not new trouble. However, once a person climbed to a certain level, such troubles were inherently present. A'Diao was already mentally prepared for this.
The Third Prince and the others turned pale. This... this was the Heavenly Spirit Clan, one of the three strongest heterodox imperial clans?
A phoenix physique... the aptitude of children born from her... how could they possibly compete?
But all this was finally over.
A'Diao turned her head to look at the imperial expert, seeing him bowing in the direction Daoguang Jingci had departed.
The imperial family: hierarchy and order were paramount.
In this nation, only the monarch, the empress, and their future heir who would inherit everything were the true masters. Everyone else was a subordinate.
After the imperial expert finished his salute, he turned to look at A'Diao, his eyes narrowed, killing intent flickering within.
A'Diao, however, acted as if she hadn't seen it. She bowed respectfully and asked demurely, "Senior, about the reward Her Highness just mentioned, does that mean she's going to give me a reward? When will it be given? What will it be? Should I wait here or go home and wait?"
The imperial expert's blood pressure rose, but he suppressed it and said lightly, "You are very good. Wait slowly; it will come."
At this moment, the old man from Lushan arrived, wearing slippers, and said with a smile, "The imperial family is indeed generous. Hey, A'Diao, why haven't you thanked him yet?"
A'Diao lowered her head, cupped her hands in a salute, and bowed. "Then, thank you, Senior."
With a cold snort, the imperial expert flicked his sleeve and left.
As soon as he left, the Third Prince and the others, still reeling from the series of shocking events, saw that after the imperial expert departed, this Chen A'Diao lowered her hands, straightened her back, and coldly watched the blood flowing down from the spectator stands.
That was the blood of the Qu family.
She turned around. Her original demure, submissive, and even servile demeanor from kneeling three times had vanished without a trace. A cold smile touched the lips on her impactful face, her eyes as icy as frost, even more ruthless than Qu Xia'er's.
This smile, many people saw it. This glance, they also saw it.
Obvious and cruel.
At that moment, everyone deeply felt how terrifying this person was.
She didn't hide it, because this was an overt scheme.
You knew she had calculated it, but there was nothing you could do.
A game, in the end, must be played within the rules. Master the rules, and you can play however you want.
Those who can't play, die!
Dantai Ke and the others finally finished their exams and came out. As soon as they emerged, they found the atmosphere a bit off. It seemed like not many people were paying attention to their exam results.
Damn it, were they only staring at Chen A'Diao?
Weren't second, third, and fourth place important?
But what happened in the spectator stands? How did it end up like this?
Xia Sanlu was a resourceful person. He deliberately ran to A'Diao, who was squatting by the road eating a bun, and quietly asked what had happened.
As if they were close.
A'Diao: "Nothing much. The Qu family was wiped out."
Xia Sanlu was shocked: "By whom?"
It couldn't be you, right!!
A'Diao: "By themselves."
Eating her bun, she glanced at the Lushan assessment leaderboard, which combined all three assessments.
She was overwhelmingly first.
Second, Shen Huajing.
Third, Handan Jidao.
Fourth, Dantai Ke.
Fifth, Li Che.
Sixth, Nie Yuanyuan.
Seventh, Mo Yuwo.
Eighth, Dantai Sheng.
Ninth, Xiong Chumo.
Tenth, Song Ling.
Eleventh, Cao Juanzhi.
Twelfth, Xia Sanlu.
Thirteenth, Zhao Foshou.
After 13th, from 13th to 20th, were Xie San, Duanmu Qingyang, Shi Qing, and others, all in the teens. Xu Ye was 20th.
Everyone was looking at the list, but this list quickly changed.
The list after the 20th position was cut off and became another list, taking the top three hundred.
The top twenty had a separate list.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Lushan elder, rarely so serious and solemn, said in a deep voice, "The top twenty will enter my Lushan Academy. Those ranked from 21st to 300th will be granted three days each month to study and comprehend in my Lushan's outer courtyard, but they will not be granted the scepter of Lushan membership."
"The top twenty will be allocated appropriate benefits according to their different rankings, including your private training grounds, assigned guards, and even instructors."
"As for the first, the Top Scorer (Ànshǒu)."
The Lushan elder smiled at A'Diao and raised his hand.
The Grandmaster expert holding the sword stepped forward and cupped his hands in a salute.
"From today onwards, you are the Mountain Head's sole disciple, and also the Chief (Kuíshǒu) of my Lushan student body. He will be your personal guard."
Such prestige, such prestige! Holy crap!
The elder raised his hand—
"—entering Lushan, you represent the orthodox lineage of spiritual cultivation in our Tang Song. May you draw from the essence accumulated throughout Lushan's long history, become the new generation's leader of our Lushan, lead Tang Song to a wider world, cleanse the demonic spirits, sweep away all evil, and maintain the clarity of this heaven and earth."
When he spoke the last sentence, his expression was a bit strange.
But A'Diao herself damn well believed it. She was very excited and also bowed in salute.
"Okay, okay, I will definitely do it."
Everyone: "..."
Dantai Ke and the others, enduring their stomach discomfort and the strange atmosphere, also bowed in salute according to Lushan tradition.
"As long as Lushan stands, even in the endless night, our Tang Song's mountains and seas will be seen."
"Never to be extinguished."
At that moment, all Lushan teachers also bowed. The soaring spirit of these geniuses, who stood at the peak of Tang Song, finally unified.
Chen Yang only belatedly reacted.
My... sister, she's first.
She's the Top Scorer.
The number one of Lushan's current young generation.
Number one in Tang Song.
From now on, if she dared to call herself a prodigy, no one in the younger generation within Tang Song would dare to boast of being a genius.
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