ASER - Chapter 193
Chapter 193: Sizzle Sizzle Sizzle
A'Diao was a typical woman of action. Especially when driven by strong motivation or a powerful sense of crisis, her efficiency was astonishing. What had previously been just a nascent idea, a conceptual model, she refined and brought to fruition as she worked, and indeed, after three hours, she had actually created it.
However, upon examining her remaining resources, A'Diao's face suddenly lit up with joy. "Huh, it seems I can also tackle the Star Realm while I'm at it."
Mainly, she had earned far too much this time around.
The Grandmasters from the Imperial Clan and Nan Jin combined had yielded twenty million Star Coins and ten million skeletal remains.
The Demon Sound Sect Master was even more astounding. Perhaps in this era, those running villainous organizations, killing and plundering everywhere, truly amassed considerable assets. This single individual's legacy surpassed that of two Grandmasters combined.
However, what A'Diao valued most were the Dao Tablets these individuals possessed.
Twelve in total.
She estimated they had all survived from three hundred years ago. In that era, after millennia of accumulated spiritual cultivation, many were capable of creating Dao Tablets (unlike modern cultivators, whose cultivation was mostly fast-tracked and lacked a deep Dao lineage and foundation). Thus, cultivators at the Grandmaster level and above often each possessed a Dao Tablet.
Ten Dao Tablets! Although they were all Grandmaster-level, for A'Diao, this was the greatest fortune, far surpassing these Star Coins and skeletal remains.
This was awesome! Instant riches!
Toilet: "Usually, when you get your hopes up about something, things go wrong. Promise me, babe, prepare for the worst next time."
A'Diao: "..."
"Are you trying to jinx me? Get lost!"
After being scolded, Toilet became serious. "What kind of Star Realm are you planning to achieve? Logically, even if you do nothing special, you're guaranteed an Extreme Star Realm. But with such a good foundation, you'll surely aim for something better. The key to the Star Realm is the Star Body. An Extreme Star Realm, under the tempering of spiritual path rules, can achieve a Star Body with over 30% purity—meaning a physique comparable to 30% star intensity. Above that is the Transcendent Star Body with over 60% purity, and the Perfect Star Body with over 90% purity."
A'Diao was calculating her energy system, frowning. "If it weren't for this bloodline issue, I would probably aim for the Perfect Star Body. My innate talent isn't primarily in physique. However, having just integrated the Seven-Clawed Yinglong, my overall aptitude now meets the standard, the spiritual path acknowledges it and will assist, and I have enough resources to push hard for it. But now, with the bloodline reconstruction, although theoretically I can preserve my cultivation foundation, it's still a reshaping process. My body will be somewhat weaker, so I definitely won't be able to achieve the Perfect Star Body. That means I can only aim for Transcendent."
To say she could "only" aim for Transcendent—such words would have gotten her beaten to death in the dazzling era of the First Generation, with its multitude of brilliant talents.
However, Toilet didn't find her statement exaggerated. "That does carry some risk. When will you do it?"
"Now."
A'Diao had already arranged everything.
It wasn't as complicated as creating the Yinglong bloodline; this time, it was much simpler. One array plate would handle the bloodline, and another would protect her breakthrough to the Star Realm. It all depended on the foundation she had already laid—either it would succeed, or it wouldn't.
She began.
"Sigh, the most incredible treasure of the First Generation must be this Book of Civilization. Back then, the Thousand-Hand Guanyin statue definitely incorporated some functions of a time-related Book of Civilization; otherwise, it couldn't have manipulated time. There's a reason Lushan and the Dantai Imperial Clan are so formidable. The latter's bloodline awakens as a Book of Civilization from birth. Combined with their profound heritage, the Imperial Clan probably has many hidden masters."
A'Diao used to think Dao Tablets were incredibly awesome. Now, with over a dozen in hand, as she toyed with the Book of the Yellow Springs, she felt that this item was the truly rare treasure.
The function of the Book of the Yellow Springs lay in time. A'Diao infused her spiritual body into it and also dripped her essence blood.
Binding. Activation.
It began.
Om... A mystical temporal fluctuation occurred, rippling only around her.
Time regressed, adjusting her genes to their most primal state... Then, the operation began.
A massive array plate, shaped like a three-tiered serrated wheel, activated. Around A'Diao, who sat within it, floated over a dozen top-tier treasures. The most crucial among them were the Book of the Yellow Springs, the Nirvana Pill, and the mysterious liquid substance.
She controlled the Book of the Yellow Springs, consumed the Nirvana Pill, and also absorbed the mysterious substance into her body.
The array plate's function was to prevent her original body from collapsing and to facilitate its rapid reconstruction. This process required a vast amount of resources; right now, it was already burning skeletal remains and spirit cores.
Was this burning money? No, it was burning the equivalent of countless Glimmer Realm and Star Realm cultivators!
Every so often, enough resources to nurture a Glimmer or Star Realm cultivator were consumed.
One moment it burned one, the next moment, another.
In Toilet's view, A'Diao was currently a veritable crematorium.
But she was in great pain. Carefully stripping away her original bloodline was an extremely dangerous and terrifying task. Her body ached, and her spiritual body was taut with tension.
Time passed, minute by minute, second by second. When she proactively reached the bloodline material that the curse was most fixated on, the curse suddenly trembled slightly.
With just that one tremor, A'Diao's original body began to crack and decay. At this very moment, the Nirvana Pill ignited within her. Dragon scales started to fall from her body, only to regrow. Faintly, an energy flow resembling a nascent phoenix climbed and spread across her, forming a dynamic energy field, while the array plate supplied enormous resources to aid her recovery.
Time seemed to pass very quickly, and yet very slowly.
A drop of water seemed to freeze into ice in an instant, and a shard of ice seemed to vaporize into steam just as fast.
It was so slow.
So slow that... Toilet watched nervously, finally seeing A'Diao dismantle the last and most core segment of her bloodline genes.
Everything related to Chen Gui... was it finally about to leave her?
Just then, Dong!
Both Toilet and A'Diao sensed an unusual fluctuation.
A'Diao's face paled slightly. She subconsciously looked up towards the exit in the cliff wall above.
If her gaze could penetrate the winding, convoluted space, she could probably trace it back to the entrance of this maze—the cave she had initially entered.
There was a problem over there.
A'Diao and Toilet's first thought was—someone had come, and they had broken the barrier that isolated the specks of light.
Who?
It couldn't be that damn Lesser Spirit King who stunned me earlier!
At this moment, outside the cave entrance, a middle-aged man in black robes wore a sinister expression. He was relying on his Spirit King's energy domain to block contact with the specks of light. However, upon fleeing here, he had immediately discovered the presence of Sun Image Ray residue. Startled, he had hastily activated his domain to protect himself.
Domains consumed an enormous amount of energy, much like burning money, so he didn't have much time. He had only planned to hide inside for a moment before escaping. But then he suddenly noticed that A'Diao's body was nowhere nearby, and he instantly realized she wasn't dead.
Still not dead after all that?
Is she some kind of cockroach spirit?!
The Lesser Spirit King expert's composure was somewhat shattered. He immediately seized the moment to search everywhere and eventually found this cave. At his Spirit King level, how could he fail to recognize it as a sealing technique? Believing A'Diao was hiding inside, he instantly broke it. However, he saw no trace of A'Diao, though he did sense an extremely deep and mysterious world below.
If it were any other place, a Spirit King could enter at will. But this was the Orchid Water Abyss. Just looking at the terrifying specks of light currently bombarding his domain made him somewhat cautious.
What if there was a whole swarm of them inside...
A Lesser Spirit King who could survive to old age and maintain such power was never a simple character. A thought struck him, and his cunning, treacherous nature surfaced. He took out a living puppet from his storage ring, injected some of his own essence blood and energy into it, and then activated its spirituality.
The specks of light immediately took interest, swarming towards it. But he controlled the puppet to take flight, sending it swiftly into the cave. He used the puppet to track A'Diao's residual blood aura to find the path, all while luring the specks of light.
However, as it passed a certain section, he perceived something through the puppet's senses. With a remote flick of his fingers, he instantly destroyed a surveillance 'eye' A'Diao had specifically placed on the path.
At this, he gave a cold smile and continued the pursuit.
"Indeed, she's not dead, and her condition seems good. Since we're in the Orchid Water Abyss, this place is mysterious enough that Lushan will have little chance of discovering the truth. However, another Lesser Spirit King might be on my tail soon. I must end this quickly."
Letting her die by these Sun Image specks would be perfect!
Having decided to eliminate A'Diao, he was naturally ruthless. Now, with a flick of his fingertips, he created one puppet after another. They dispersed into the dense forest and began to attract an ever-increasing number of light specks.
Densely packed, innumerable.
"Come, come! Ensure that Chen A'Diao dies without a shadow of a doubt!"
Meanwhile, ever since her surveillance 'eye' had been destroyed, A'Diao's heart had been gripped by tension.
Damn it, this persistent pest!!
Faster, faster, faster!
A'Diao had no choice but to accelerate her actions... But the ever-increasing number of light specks were moving too quickly, soon following the puppet in a frenzied flight...
Finally.
They were here?
When it was still two corridors away from A'Diao, the puppet made a turn, took several detours, and swiftly continued its search. But as the pursuit continued, the villain controlling it suddenly sensed something was amiss.
Wrong. These were deliberately left traces by Chen A'Diao—a contingency. She wasn't in this direction.
Moreover, this area was a dense, treacherous, and unpredictable maze. Traces of her aura were everywhere, making it impossible to discern her actual location.
As expected of Chen A'Diao, truly cunning!
However, the man sneered and directly opened nine 'true eyes' on the puppet's body.
Perceive!
Found her!
Swoosh!! The puppet shot forward at extreme speed, and all the specks of light rustled as they followed suit...
Toilet also sensed it. "They're here!"
"Let me out! After I materialize, I can block them for a while..."
"It's no use! You must stay inside me. If you're destroyed out there, I'll truly have no trump cards left."
A'Diao's mind raced, frantically accelerating the stripping process. A single misstep in this procedure was like defusing a bomb—she would be blown to bits. Yet, if she didn't speed up, she would also die once those specks of light arrived!
Damn it all!
A'Diao's head felt like it was about to explode, cold sweat streamed down her forehead, but her eyes grew increasingly icy...
Suddenly, she heard an explosion.
The puppet had exploded.
Huh?
BOOM!!!
The man had a premonition when his puppet was destroyed. After all, they were both Lesser Spirit Kings; the instant Qing Zan arrived, he had sensed her. But a Lesser Spirit King's attack was too swift and fierce, leaving no time to dodge.
He endured the backlash, but the connection controlling the puppet was severed.
"It's you!" He stared at Qing Zan, his gaze cold and ruthless.
Qing Zan looked at him, an eyebrow on her beautiful face twitching slightly. Setting down her book, she finally revealed some of the crisp efficiency and nonchalant grace common to martial artists. "And you are?" she asked lightly.
"Courting death!"
He had originally intended to lure more specks of light inside to trap and kill Chen A'Diao. Now that Qing Zan had arrived, he had to stay and hold her back, preventing her from entering to save A'Diao. However, Qing Zan was exceptionally intelligent and had already discerned his plan.
So, she charged directly towards the cave entrance.
BOOM!!!
The two Lesser Spirit Kings instantly clashed!
But on the other side... A'Diao continued her frantic work, her scalp tingling with dread. She sensed that although the puppet had exploded, the specks of light seemed to be lingering near that cave entrance, as if hesitating.
Would they come?
They would... come...
They came.
Whoosh! A swarm of light specks came whistling through.
Moreover, they curved and detoured, flying towards A'Diao.
It's over! There's still this final wave I can't handle!!
A'Diao's head felt like it would explode. Escape? Where could she possibly escape?
Suddenly, a thought flickered in A'Diao's mind. She decisively released a vast number of mental threads, and before the specks of light could reach her, she swiftly directed them to plunge into that lake.
This lake. Yes, this lake—the source of that fragrance.
Why had they hesitated to enter just now?
Why had they taken a detour?
What were they detouring around?
It was that lake!
A'Diao decisively plunged a large number of her mental threads to the bottom of the lake.
And at this moment, the swarm of light specks burst in.
With a great rush, they plunged into the array plate, surrounding A'Diao. Instantly, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...
A'Diao, who had been maintained in a perfect equilibrium by the Nirvana Pill, the array plate, the mysterious substance, and the Book of the Yellow Springs, was like a terminally ill patient undergoing a flawless surgery. Just as it reached the final, critical stage, the ceiling suddenly burst open, and a bucket of hot oil poured down.
And then came the sizzling.
Chen A'Diao, you were glowing.
Was she about to be destroyed?
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