ASER - Chapter 230
Chapter 230: Objective
After the tremors in the Demon Lair, the Demon Kings were naturally unwilling to let matters rest. Kunlun's three incursions into the Demon Lair, fighting his way in and out, had severely damaged the morale of the Demonic Spirit clan and caused the Demon Kings to lose face. Later, the Great Demon Kings united to besiege Kunlun, and ultimately...
They lost even more face.
Because Kunlun had forcefully killed several Great Demon Kings and then left alive once more.
It was an utter humiliation.
So, was it truly Kunlun or not?
The Demon Kings naturally had to investigate. Fortunately, several Demon Kings were already on their way. Three hours after A'Diao slipped away, three dark figures first found the place where Bai Yun had met his demise, but they could find no traces. Afterward, they reached the cavern, only to see it empty. The dungeon inside was deserted; even the Demonic Spirits were gone.
How could this be possible?
"If there had been a battle, this place should be littered with the corpses of our Demonic Spirit clan."
"Strange."
"Those humans are also gone."
Both locations seemingly bore no traces, but not long after these three Demon Kings reported the matter, someone arrived. Upon seeing this individual, the three Demon Kings bowed in unison.
Could it be a Great Demon King?
Not quite. The Great Demon Kings had suffered heavy casualties in that battle back then and had yet to recover their strength. However, the 24 Minor Demon Kings were also ruthless figures. Bai Yun ranked among the top five, but this newcomer was number one.
The Demonic Spirit clan didn't observe as many courtesies as humans, but their etiquette when facing the strong was more direct than that of humans – they knelt.
They were all Minor Demon Kings, yet the one before them was clearly far more terrifying.
"Lord Gong Shang."
Gong Shang, of the orthodox Great Dragon lineage, whose ancestors were the most powerful Great Demon Kings. He was the foremost among the Minor Demon Kings, considered a super-elite of the Demonic Spirit clan. After Gong Shang's arrival, his methods proved far superior to theirs.
He found the most hidden secret cell – the place where A'Diao had been imprisoned.
"This is?"
It was visibly apparent that this place had been set up to imprison important individuals, and this blood prison had been used very recently.
Gong Shang raised his hand, drew a thread of blood from the blood pool, sniffed it at the tip of his nose, and raised an eyebrow.
"It's Chen A'Diao."
This name now resounded like thunder throughout the entire Demon Lair; after all, they had conducted investigations into the human race.
The other three Demon Kings exchanged glances upon hearing this.
This place was managed by Dantai Ye and Yin Yi, yet these two had not reported capturing Chen A'Diao.
Evidently, there was some concealment involved.
At this moment, Gong Shang spread his hands, and a third eye appeared between his brows. This third eye detached from his body, transforming into a ruby-like blood pupil. It scanned every corner of the secret cell, and soon... there was no aura.
Apart from the scent of blood emanating from the blood pool, no other aura remained.
"It's been cleaned."
"If even Lord Gong Shang cannot find an aura, it has naturally been cleaned."
"Strange. If Chen A'Diao was responsible, why would she bother with this? She had already escaped. With the blood pool present, her presence would inevitably be exposed. Why take such an unnecessary step?"
The Demon Kings' intellect was already comparable to that of elite human geniuses; they quickly identified the suspicious points. Gong Shang, however, remained silent. He manipulated the blood pupil, causing it to absorb something, then nurture it, capture it, and then... rewind time!
The three Demon Kings were secretly astonished upon witnessing this scene.
Gong Shang was growing stronger and stronger.
He could actually manipulate the rewinding of real time?
"You're overthinking it. It's merely channeling through Yin Yi's Demon King senses, viewing events from his perspective."
"If I could directly rewind time, I would have long since advanced to the rank of Great Demon King."
"Besides, this matter is of no small consequence. Notify the other Demon Kings in the Demon King Palace to convene, and also preserve the evidence."
Gong Shang's tone was casual and indifferent, yet the other three sensed something amiss. If it were merely Kunlun's intrusion, it would be a matter for the Great Demon Kings. If it involved Chen A'Diao, then it concerned them, the Minor Demon Kings.
The nature of the trouble and the responsible parties were different, and thus, the responsibilities they needed to bear would also differ.
And if it concerned the Minor Demon Kings, Gong Shang, as the number one Minor Demon King who managed the affairs of the Demon Lair in the absence of the Great Demon Kings, would be responsible. Therefore, to demonstrate impartiality, he needed to announce his findings to all Minor Demon Kings.
The three Minor Demon Kings then activated secret techniques to contact the other Minor Demon Kings. One by one, water mirrors opened, a process that took some time. After all, the density of the Demon Lair was far greater than that of the human realm; otherwise, when Yin Yi and the other one had died, they wouldn't have been unable to even send a message back.
Four Minor Demon Kings were present at the scene. Two (Yin Yi and Bai Yun) had perished. This left 18 other Minor Demon Kings (to be contacted from across the Demon Lair).
The 18 Demon Kings, located in various parts of the Demon Lair, all manifested. They were already aware of the situation and knew of Gong Shang's methods, so they all awaited the results of the time-rewind.
As they watched the dungeon, devoid of any aura, gradually reveal temporal changes, these Minor Demon Kings secretly found Gong Shang terrifying – terrifying to the point of...
Huh?
Soon, very soon, they saw the results of the rewind: Chen A'Diao, half-suspended in bloody water, and a person pouncing on her, licking and biting.
This person looked somewhat familiar.
The Demon Kings: "?"
All the Minor Demon Kings subconsciously looked towards Gong Shang.
Gong Shang: "..."
The person revealed by the rewind was him, looking exactly like him.
Fawning like a devoted admirer.
The atmosphere in the dungeon instantly became awkward and bizarre. These Demon Kings almost believed it was Gong Shang who had committed this act, but on second thought, it didn't seem right. Was this truly Gong Shang?
This person was a natural nine-clawed blood dragon; this fawning demeanor, however, somewhat resembled another individual.
For example...
Gong Shang's expression was stern. He raised his hand to manipulate the blood pupil, adjusted the temporal focus, and made the rewound images even clearer.
Indeed, they then saw fragmented images: Yin Yi, after being incited by a few words from Chen A'Diao, had transformed to look like Gong Shang.
Damn it! It really was that scoundrel!
Idiot.
"That Yin Yi, courting death!"
"Fool!"
"To be so unable to restrain himself... Could it be he intended to devour Chen A'Diao and thus concealed it from us?"
"If it were him alone, it might be understandable. But I feel he couldn't have captured Chen A'Diao by himself. While his strength might be sufficient, his intellect is lacking. Was Dantai Ye involved in this?"
Through a water mirror, a red-haired female Demon King spoke, her voice sharp and shrill, her words subtly betraying a degree of distrust towards Dantai Ye.
Some of the other Demon Kings remained silent, while others offered a few words in Dantai Ye's defense, yet it was vaguely apparent that they harbored an indescribable apprehension towards him.
Gong Shang glanced at the assembly and said calmly, "Dantai Ye is a Human-Demon, a crucial core of our Demonic Spirit clan's current strategic arrangements. Do not make baseless speculations."
No sooner had he finished speaking than they witnessed chaotic temporal fragments showing Dantai Ye suddenly appearing and forcefully killing Yin Yi.
The atmosphere instantly grew frigid.
Immediately following this was his forceful, domineering-CEO-style confession to A'Diao...
The human concept of "forced love" was rather potent; watching it, the Minor Demon Kings each looked like a "wronged party" meme, finding it both unbelievable and unbearable.
What the hell!!!
There had to be something fishy! And if so, it meant they were being set up!
However, soon these Demon Kings uncovered more clues. After carefully piecing them together, they began to feel that what seemed most improbable was, in fact, the only possibility.
Because the more improbable something seemed, if all possibilities of it being false were eliminated, then it had to be true.
Besides, there were clues to corroborate this.
1. The images rewound from Yin Yi's perspective before his death directly implicated Dantai Ye.
2. Demonic energy was found at the site of Bai Yun's death, proving that his killer possessed, at the very least, Demonic Spirit power.
3. All the human captives and Demonic Spirits in the cavern area had vanished, with no traces of energy dissipation indicative of a slaughter. Could they have been transported away together through dimensional travel? The difficulty of such a feat was immense; even Great Demon Kings couldn't manage it, given the sheer number of humans and Demonic Spirits. This meant they must have been placed into a living storage space and taken away. The question then arose: the more spiritually potent the beings, the larger the living space required. For so many experts and high-level Demonic Spirits, how vast would such a living space need to be? Such a treasure was unheard of. Even if one existed, it would consume a massive amount of the user's own energy. This person must have had nothing better to do than to expend such effort, taking even those Demonic Spirits and other powerful demonic beings, as if scraping the land bare – unless these Demonic Spirits and powerful demonic beings were, in fact, his own subordinates.
4. Dantai Ye's peculiar attitude towards Chen A'Diao had historical precedents.
The red-haired female Demon King, Chi Ling, sneered, "Do you know why I never approved of this Human-Demon project from the very beginning? If it were merely a matter of planting a demonic seed, that would be one thing. But don't forget, this demonic seed was nurtured in the human world, deeply influenced by human civilization from a young age. While it might be controlled by the demonic nature of our Demonic Spirit clan, it ultimately possesses a human aspect as well. And what is this human aspect? It is greed, cowardice, and an obsession with trivial affections – just look at the debacles of the first generation to understand."
"They inherently inherit the weak and contemptible aspects of humanity, and being raised in the human world, they are utterly devoid of loyalty, prone to duplicity and treachery. This Dantai Ye was already quite ambitious and difficult to control, and he repeatedly displayed favoritism towards that Chen A'Diao. You must remember, we initially proposed to eliminate Chen A'Diao preemptively. It was he who vehemently opposed the consensus, claiming she could be used in the Guixu plan. And what happened? Such a well-laid plan failed! Ridiculously, not only did Chen A'Diao survive, but her strength also advanced by leaps and bounds – no living being can experience such a sudden surge in power unless they have obtained immense benefits."
The evidence at hand was clear, and Chi Ling's suspicions were well-founded. This also touched upon the pure-blooded Minor Demon Kings' underlying concerns and probing regarding the secrets of the Human-Demons, especially since... they had just heard Dantai Ye, during his "confession," refer to himself as the King of Human-Demons.
Incidentally, the Demon Kings currently embedded within the human race were indeed coordinated and contacted by him; for instance, that old eunuch was one of them. The Demon Lair's control over these agents was rather indirect.
This made the situation very delicate.
Gong Shang's expression was somber. Instead of delving into these clues, he focused on another critical point. "Regardless of whether Dantai Ye was involved, it is certain that Yin Yi did participate and did capture Chen A'Diao. Why did he fail to report it on multiple occasions, and why did he insist on imprisoning Chen A'Diao here, seemingly with the intent to interrogate her?"
Chi Ling asked, "You cannot rewind to the content of their prior interrogation?"
Gong Shang replied, "No. I was able to rewind to this point only because Yin Yi's emotional fluctuations were particularly strong at that time. I cannot access anything prior to that."
As everyone observed, the image indeed grew blurry, and the figures conjured by the rewind began to dissipate.
As the Minor Demon Kings remained silent, Gong Shang's slender fingers tapped the air. He then said, "They intended to interrogate Chen A'Diao to monopolize some benefit, a benefit so immense that they were unwilling to share it with us other Demon Kings."
"I believe this must be related to the secret behind Chen A'Diao's meteoric rise in strength."
"Investigate this place thoroughly!"
"This place... it must be a secret location meticulously designed by Dantai Ye."
An hour later, several other Demon Kings arrived with a large army of Demonic Spirits and began excavating, digging deep into the earth...
By this time, A'Diao had already returned to the human realm. She hadn't released Qing Zan and the others, nor had she appeared before anyone. Instead, she had made her way to the former hideout of the two Qu sisters, Qu Xia'er and her sibling.
Before long, Qu Jiangnan arrived. Qu Xia'er did not come, as she was in closed-door cultivation.
Seeing A'Diao's furtive demeanor, Qu Jiangnan asked about the situation.
A'Diao replied, "The process is somewhat... indescribable, but the outcome is cause for great celebration."
With that, she took out ten Sun-phase Ellipsoids and gave them to her.
Qu Jiangnan was stunned.
So many!
Qu Jiangnan had been instructing Song Ling recently and knew full well that the latter's progress was intimately linked to the Sun-phase Material and the mutated substances A'Diao controlled.
She understood perfectly well what so many ellipsoids signified, as the three of them had largely achieved their rapid advancements in strength thanks to them.
She wanted to inquire about the details, but the current situation was pressing; it was likely not the time for a thorough inquiry.
A'Diao wasn't one to readily distribute resources. If she did, it meant she hoped they could provide assistance in what was to come.
Perhaps, she was about to start a war.
And she and her sister Qu Xia'er were high-level combat assets whom A'Diao tacitly trusted and who could genuinely assist her.
A'Diao didn't even place this much trust in Yu Xuanji, knowing that he belonged to Lushan Academy. Only these two sisters would stand behind her unconditionally, for they were a community bound by shared interests.
"When?" Qu Jiangnan asked directly.
"It depends on the circumstances, but I guess it won't be more than seven days. Also, this is for you – it's the operational manual for the mental network..." A'Diao unhesitatingly handed over this top-secret technology, just as Qu Jiangnan had once unreservedly shared her knowledge with A'Diao.
Qu Jiangnan wasted no words and took the items directly, though she ventured a guess, "You went to the Demon Lair? And you confronted that Human-Demon, or perhaps a Minor Demon King?"
"Mm-hm."
"It seems you didn't come out at a disadvantage. But you've certainly set something in motion. Are you certain they will counterattack within seven days?"
"More or less. I left a little something for them. They'll likely be furious."
Qu Jiangnan's curiosity was piqued, and she couldn't help but ask, "What was it?"
A'Diao crooked a finger at her, beckoning her closer, and then whispered to her.
Such a little brat, showing no respect for seniority, Qu Jiangnan thought.
Nevertheless, Qu Jiangnan leaned in. A'Diao then breathed warmly into her ear, her breath fragrant as an orchid, "A big treasure, oh, a very, very big treasure."
Qu Jiangnan: "..."
Her expression composed, she turned aside, preparing to teleport away, leaving only a single sentence behind.
"I know why you're becoming increasingly good-looking."
A'Diao: "Huh?"
Qu Jiangnan: "To avoid getting beaten up."
She could understand why her stern-natured sister had, on several occasions, found this child to be mischievous, ill-behaved, and overly presumptuous, wanting to discipline her but ultimately unable to bring herself to do so.
Qu Jiangnan departed, but Toilet grew curious.
"What big treasure? When did you plant it?"
A'Diao smiled faintly, a benevolent expression on her face, yet her gaze turned towards the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.
Crown Prince brother, you must be striving to act as if nothing has happened right now, mustn't you?
However, A'Diao still answered Toilet's question.
"It's nothing much."
"Just a Sun-phase plus particle-light-body fusion bomb that Chen Xun and I jointly developed some time ago."
Toilet: "?"
In the Demon Lair, the assembly of Minor Demon Kings, leading a large contingent of Demonic Spirit subordinates, toiled diligently and painstakingly. Finally, after three hours, they located their target.
Indeed, there was a hidden space!
That Dantai Ye was indeed up to something!
The group of Demon Kings, excited and curious, combined their efforts and opened it...
BOOM!!!
It exploded.
It wasn't an overwhelmingly terrifying explosion, merely one that caused the foremost Minor Demon Kings to vomit blood in unison and instantly annihilated all Demonic Spirits within a ten-li radius.
After the wave of destructive light, only ruins remained.
Gong Shang, completely unscathed, stood expressionlessly upon the devastated ground. He raised a hand, sensing the temporal signature of this space, confirming it was the result of many years of design. Furthermore, after the explosion, powerful Sun-phase elements emanated from within. If the mere residue was so immense, how terrifying must the originally concealed Sun-phase resources have been?
The Demon Kings present all felt their scalps tingle with apprehension.
In that moment, the entire chain of cause and effect became glaringly obvious.
"Chen A'Diao has mastered the mutation technology for Sun-phase material. While useless to us Demon Kings, it is critically important for Human-Demons, as they cannot directly absorb Sun-phase material. He must have acquired this batch of resources long ago and hidden them here. Subsequently, he targeted Chen A'Diao for this very technology. This shameless, calculating scheming, it's likely just like how Chen Gui deceived the Celestial Maiden – all for personal gain! And now, with Chen A'Diao in his possession and the Sun-phase resources also in his hands, he naturally had to eliminate Yin Yi, whom he had long ago persuaded to conspire with him, and then kill the approaching Bai Yun, to erase all traces."
"Even if he were exposed later, he and the other Human-Demons are all within the human realm. Having mastered such terrifying methods of empowerment, they would no longer require the control of our Demonic Spirit clan. With such advantages at his disposal, those Human-Demons would naturally revere him as their sovereign, and he would, just as he claimed, become the King of Human-Demons."
"Heh, what a calculating mind!"
Many Minor Demon Kings were incensed, but a few cautious individuals harbored slight suspicions. "Could it be that Chen A'Diao orchestrated all of this? Deliberately inducing us to turn against Dantai Ye? To sabotage our Human-Demon project?"
Yet, this didn't quite add up.
"She doesn't even know Dantai Ye's identity. If she did, what immense courage and strength would it require for her to venture into the Demon Lair? Moreover, the biggest question remains: do you all acknowledge that Dantai Ye possesses such ambitions? That even Yin Yi betrayed the interests of our Demon King Palace?"
This statement was the decisive blow.
Not a single Demon King responded, for it was a fact – an iron-clad fact. The more they investigated, the more real it would seem.
Gong Shang's eyes were crimson, as if dripping blood. He seemed to be exercising restraint, but ultimately found it unbearable. Ruby-like dragon scales abruptly manifested inch by inch upon his body, and then his enormous draconic form soared into the sky.
"Investigate all Human-Demons."
"And also, prepare for war!"
From his perspective, whether it was a scheme by Kunlun or Chen A'Diao, neither was as terrifying as a scheme by Dantai Ye. The former two could only strengthen themselves and would ultimately have to clash head-on with the Demonic Spirit clan. Dantai Ye, however, was different. He was a Human-Demon, possessing half of the Demonic Spirit clan's heritage. If he were to rise beyond the Demon Kings' control, it would pose the gravest threat to the Demonic Spirit clan's dominion.
And this threat was far more terrifying than any posed by Chen A'Diao or Kunlun.
At this point, A'Diao was about to enter a state of dormant, intensive cultivation. Toilet was still somewhat worried and asked if she needed to do anything else.
Her true self definitely could not appear again, as her substitute was still in Dantai Ye's hands and must not be exposed. Furthermore, she needed to create an illusion for the Demon Kings: that Chen A'Diao was being kept by Dantai Ye in a hidden love nest, tricked by him into surrendering the Sun-phase technology, and thus would naturally not appear in public.
But Toilet still feared some oversight or error might occur.
"It's not necessary."
"Actually, I've always found their concepts rather outdated. In truth, whether it's the Human Clan, the Demonic Spirit Clan, or even the Celestial Clan, they're all quite similar – I'm referring to the fundamental nature of living beings. It's intrinsically tied to desire, and desire is fundamentally linked to benefits; it's merely a question of degree. Humans undoubtedly have the most flaws, lacking restraint, but the Demon Clan is hardly superior, merely possessing an additional layer of race-level innate loyalty. Coincidentally, this is precisely what humans lack most, and also what the Demon Clan despises in humans. This brings us to the issue: Human-Demons, while seemingly the Demon Clan's most prized hidden asset, actually possess a massive flaw – a BUG."
And she exploited this BUG, then interwove truths and falsehoods into her current scheme, essentially handing a knife to those Demon Kings who were traditional to the core and prided themselves on their orthodoxy.
She also conveniently exploited Dantai Ye's cunning, somber, and calculating nature, using his clandestine hoarding of Sun-phase resources and his secret capture of her as the fuse...
The so-called pretense of intimacy with her was merely to add a touch of human-like characteristics to him, thereby making those Demon Kings distrust him even more.
Indirectly... her true objective extended beyond just Dantai Ye.
Toilet: "What is it then?"
A'Diao directly split into seven avatars and dispatched them.
"I believe the Demonic Spirit Clan now harbors a profound sense of crisis regarding these Human-Demons. Consequently, on one hand, they are wary of Dantai Ye, fearing that if he assimilates the Sun-phase resources, he will become too powerful and uncontrollable, potentially leading other Human-Demons to also break free from their control. They will be eager to initiate a war from the Demon Lair, dispatching Minor Demon Kings to monitor Dantai Ye, or using this war as a pretext to demand his participation as a show of loyalty. If any impropriety is detected, they will assassinate him directly. This is also to temporarily keep him in check, preventing him from hiding like a startled bird before the Demon Kings can reach the human realm. After eliminating Dantai Ye, the Demon King Palace will immediately assume control of the other Human-Demons. However, the prerequisite for this is that they must now simultaneously investigate all other Human-Demons, learning everything about them."
Toilet suddenly understood. "Holy heck! You intend to follow their leads to locate all those dormant Human-Demons?!!!"
These Human-Demons are a major hidden threat; she plans to follow the clues and eliminate them all in one fell swoop!
A'Diao denied this. "No, I don't know where their tendrils in the human realm are; that would be too difficult to ascertain. However – Dantai Ye is cunning and has always been farsighted. Right now, on one hand, he believes he hasn't exposed his clandestine hoarding of Sun-phase resources and can still lay low for a while. On the other hand, he will also be making preparations for self-preservation. In that case, the other Human-Demons are his foundation. He will naturally gather and conceal them to facilitate a complete withdrawal if necessary. After all, he currently holds an advantage: he and the other Human-Demons are all in the human realm. Even if the Demonic Spirit Clan discovers his duplicity, they cannot directly emerge to eliminate him."
She didn't know the whereabouts of the minions those Demon Kings had hidden in the human realm, but she knew Dantai Ye's identity. All she needed to do next was to keep a close watch on him.
Toilet: "You're not killing him now, just for this reason?"
A'Diao: "More or less."
More or less? That meant there were other reasons as well.
Toilet felt this scheme was too profound. A'Diao's objectives were intricate and numerous; one couldn't be certain of her true, ultimate target.
But overall... at present, everyone else was merely a plaything in the palm of her hand.
Including Dantai Ye, including those Minor Demon Kings.
And the most crucial point she exploited was merely the very source of humanity's success in the primordial era: forget nations, forget racial interests – none of it was as damn appealing as the power held in one's own hands.
Whether it was the humans of the Three Kingdoms or the Demon King Palace of the Demonic Spirit Clan, once their own core interests were involved, even if they were aware of some suspicious aspects, they would most likely handle the situation according to the principle of "it's not the certainty one fears, but the unlikely possibility" – essentially, preparing for the worst-case scenario.
This was the mindset of those in power.
And A'Diao understood this all too well. She was a devil who peered into the shadowed depths of a living being's psyche.
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