ASER - Chapter 243
Chapter 243: Era
To the Chen family, the Old Grandmother had always been an enigmatic presence. Her visibility was low, yet deep within everyone's heart lay an even more subtle habit – they would always consider her attitude.
Xu Zhaoyin would always meticulously handle all of the Chen family's affairs, not because she was domineering, but because she wouldn't disturb the Old Grandmother with such matters.
No matter how arrogant, pretentious, hypocritical, and manipulative Xie Yuqing was, apart from mustering the courage to ask for a child when she was younger, she never dared to step into that enigmatic old courtyard at any other time.
Chen Xun was the family's exceptionally talented eldest legitimate grandson with a boundless future. Whether in a family bound by feudal customs or a modern one, he was the most important person aside from Chen Ran. Yet, he always seemed to be looking down towards a certain direction, and since childhood, he never did anything rebellious. In truth, he could have, and flawlessly so, but he didn't. Furthermore, his early enlightenment didn't come from Chen Ran – Chen Ran provided some, but it was too rudimentary; Chen Xun's enlightenment came from the Old Grandmother.
As for Chen Ran, he was raised by his old mother since childhood. Witnessing her single-handedly support the family, an ambition to support the Chen family, to continuously climb higher, and to strive for the family's prosperity sprouted in his young heart. For this, everything else had to take a backseat.
As for Chen Yang, he probably had only one thought: Grandmother is terrifying; Grandmother doesn't like anyone.
And now, such an enigmatic presence was suddenly brought before so many powerful individuals. The atmosphere couldn't be called awkward, but it was definitely very tense.
Everyone was anxious about A'Diao's reaction, but A'Diao herself was looking at her Grandmother.
The Old Grandmother was probably scared to death.
No, she was just stunned for a moment. Then she spoke, her voice hoarse, not gentle, even bordering on cold. Without looking at anyone else, she sized A'Diao up and down and her first words were, "Who are you?"
A'Diao: "???"
Grandmother was also smart. She probably figured it out quickly from the others' reactions. She frowned slightly, thoughtfully asking, "A'Diao? Had plastic surgery?"
???
A'Diao's face darkened, and she grumbled, "No."
Grandmother, with a cold face, said indifferently, "Then let's just say you didn't."
In reality, it meant she believed A'Diao had plastic surgery.
Damn!
A'Diao almost couldn't hold back. Perhaps fearing A'Diao would be the first to strike and kill her own grandmother, Dantai Lingyao raised a hand, a secret technique faintly visible in his palm.
A secret technique for drawing blood and bone marrow.
Others didn't know, but at that moment, the expressions of Baiyue Qinggu and Daoguang Luoshen, who were of the same level, changed.
They sided with A'Diao, but not blindly; they would assess the situation. The current situation was something they didn't want to see. Investigations were fine, but harming A'Diao's relatives was not, because from their delicate female perspective – this Old Grandmother had a great influence on A'Diao.
So they wished to intervene.
As for people like Taihao Qiankun, their hesitation was purely due to apprehension – if the investigation yielded results that served their purpose, they could naturally deal with A'Diao. But before the results were out, what if it wasn't the case? Rashly offending Chen A'Diao to the point of no return would leave no room for maneuver.
But they were a step too slow. The Old Grandmother's body was controlled, and streaks of blood were drawn from her pores, mouth, and nose.
At that moment, everyone's heart pounded in terror as the temperature instantly plummeted below freezing. A'Diao didn't interrupt the technique but instead locked her gaze on Dantai Lingyao.
She said nothing, but her killing intent was palpable in that instant. Everyone, including Dantai Lingyao himself, knew that if he truly acted ruthlessly, then regardless of A'Diao's origins, she would undoubtedly try to kill him.
Most importantly, no one knew the extent of Chen A'Diao's current strength.
Dantai Lingyao was accustomed to being a ruler and had rarely been constrained by others in his life. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be threatened, especially when the other party hadn't even made a move – it was just a look.
Yet, at that moment, his heart still jolted. This stemmed from his understanding of A'Diao (her personality) and also from his lack of understanding of her (her strength).
What if her strength had surged dramatically, and she now had the ability to kill him? Even if she couldn't kill him, she could severely injure him.
Should he, in a fit of pique, kill her grandmother and ruin A'Diao's reputation, or should he focus on uncovering the truth while controlling the extent of his actions to ensure his own safety?
Even a tyrant possesses the instinct to assess self-interest. Thus, in that instant, Dantai Lingyao, who had initially intended to draw all the Old Grandmother's blood and bone marrow in one go, had to subtly control himself, extracting only a portion.
It was extracted. And then what?
Dantai Lingyao glanced at A'Diao. She showed no particular reaction, neither relaxing her killing intent because he had pulled back at the last moment, nor displaying any excessive emotion. Instead, she watched coldly to see what tricks they would pull next.
Her calmness, paradoxically, made people feel uneasy.
But this event today had naturally been discussed internally by the Imperial Families of the Three Nations. There was a certain orchestrated process – naturally, the most important step was to test whether the Old Grandmother was truly a Celestial Maiden, or a descendant of one.
How to test it?
"We have the blood of Shengang, the Celestial Clan Leader from back then. We just need to compare it. Everyone, please look."
Everyone's gaze focused on this. At this moment, A'Diao was actually far from as calm as she appeared on the surface. Toilet was also panicking, "They won't actually detect something, will they? Why do I feel like they're so confident? Maybe they secretly took the Old Grandmother's blood and tested it long ago, and this is just a recheck."
A'Diao: "Probably not. Since they guessed I had set up a clone in the Imperial Palace to monitor the Imperial Family's movements, they must have also left surveillance on the Chen family. If they rashly acted against the Old Grandmother and I found out, I would have hidden and not attended today's event, rendering their efforts futile. This should be the first time. However, deep down, they strongly believe in this possibility – because this discovery was originally announced by the Arbitration Council. They believe in the Arbitration Council's methods and its strength."
Toilet: "You mean the Arbitration Council is spying on all this?"
A'Diao remained silent, but Ji Sichen took out a bottle of golden liquid.
The Imperial Families of the Three Nations possessing Celestial Clan remains was almost confirmed. However, it was possible this bottle of liquid was given by the Arbitration Council, because the Celestial Clan Leader Shengang's status was extraordinary; his remains wouldn't have been left to the Imperial Families of the Three Nations in the mortal realm.
But Ji Sichen had already begun to manipulate the golden liquid, using a bloodline secret technique to make the two liquids analyze each other. Once genetic compatibility was achieved, the twin-winged totem of the bloodline secret technique would light up.
Everyone was watching intently.
A'Diao was also watching intently, but in her mind, she was thinking – what to do if it was confirmed.
To the naked eye, everyone saw the two types of blood begin to merge. The substances related to their genetic chains seemed to undergo a chemical reaction, and the bloodline totem appeared to...
A thought flashed through A'Diao's mind: Damn it, really? Is she a Celestial Maiden of the Celestial Clan? But that's not right. If she were a Celestial Maiden, she wouldn't have been captured so obediently. The Old Daoist is on her side; he definitely has the ability to save her.
Yet, she was still captured, and they even successfully drew her blood for testing.
A'Diao narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping over Ji Sichen and the others. Just by looking at the surface, she definitely couldn't tell anything. These old fogeys were all hypocritical and pretentious; having premeditated this, they wouldn't reveal any flaws, unless… she used the Eye of the Yellow Springs to observe. She found that neither Ji Sichen nor Dantai Lingyao had any issues, and there were no traces of the totem secret technique being manipulated.
However, she soon discovered something fishy. Her mind worked extremely fast, and she quickly understood why Dantai Lingyao and the others were so confident in confirming her identity today.
Damn!
Everyone's eyes widened. Because they all mastered bloodline secret arts, they could tell at a glance that the Old Grandmother's blood truly matched Shengang's blood.
One second, two seconds, three seconds!
Hum! The moment the bloodline totem fully manifested.
Oh my god, this Old Grandmother really has Celestial Clan bloodline! Then Chen A'Diao must also be a descendant of the Celestial Clan. No wonder her talent is so terrifying.
The people from Wu Mountain and the Heavenly Spirit Clan were stunned, and many of them wavered slightly.
Regardless of whether they knew the Celestial Clan had been framed back then, it was ultimately a feud of clan annihilation. How could the Celestial Clan spare the Human Clan? If A'Diao was a descendant of the Celestial Clan, then… wouldn't they be implicated and retaliated against?
Perhaps even the people of Lushan Academy couldn't guarantee otherwise.
At this moment, the people from the Imperial Families of the Three Nations became agitated. They turned and locked onto A'Diao, about to angrily denounce her as truly being a descendant of the Celestial Clan, calling for everyone to surround and kill her, and so on.
It was precisely at that moment.
A'Diao suddenly struck first. Her finger pointed directly at Shengang's blood, while she reached out to manipulate material molecules, analyzing and separating all molecules within the space. Under such conditions, everyone's spiritual power was revealed, everything laid bare.
This move was nothing short of peerless.
While everyone was astonished, their gazes snapped towards the spiritual power that had been secretly revealed. By following it, they could directly find the culprit.
A'Diao preemptively curbed Dantai Lingyao and the others before they could speak, saying calmly, "Don't be so quick to say I'm trying to kill to silence or acting out of desperation. First, you will definitely argue that there's no problem with the Old Grandmother's blood. In public, of course, there's no problem; it's freshly drawn blood, very fresh indeed. However, this blood of Shengang has a problem. Second, neither you nor Ji Sichen indeed manipulated this secret technique, but he did."
Everyone looked at Shengang's blood, then at Ying Shen, whose spiritual power had been exposed as guiding the bloodline secret technique. Their reactions were momentarily strange.
Baiyue Qinggu interrupted Moluo Changsong and others who were about to start quibbling, and asked A'Diao directly, "What do you mean by that? Ying Shen manipulated this bloodline totem?"
Ji Sichen: "Chen A'Diao, you're just quibbling. I advise you not to…"
A'Diao smiled, suddenly releasing the corpse of a Demonic Spirit Demon King and drawing its blood right in front of everyone. "The Human-Demon technique is a double-edged sword. Regardless of whether you monarchs researched it yourselves or obtained the technology through others' funding, it's two-sided. On one hand, it can implant the core genes of the Celestial Clan or the Demonic Spirit Race into a human body. On the other hand, it also means changing the genes of the Celestial Clan and the Demonic Spirit Race. Anyway, I don't have any Celestial Clan blood on hand, but I do have Demonic Spirit Race blood here. I wonder which monarch dares to offer their blood for me to try? I can make you acknowledge a Demon King as your father within a minute."
Where her gaze fell, the true form of that Demonic Spirit Demon King was a 500-ton long-haired pig demon.
Ji Sichen, Dantai Lingyao, and the others were horrified. They didn't understand how A'Diao had seen through their deception and turned the tables on them. Their expressions changed slightly, and their eyes flickered. For a moment, no one dared to respond. Instead, they all righteously proclaimed that A'Diao was merely making a last-ditch struggle, urging everyone not to be deceived.
However, the others were not easily fooled. Besides, many people already stood by A'Diao's side, and the power gap between the two factions was not overwhelming. Additionally, most independent powerful cultivators sided with the Imperial Families for resources but didn't want to get involved in such matters. Thus, the atmosphere became very strange.
But A'Diao wouldn't stop her experiment because of their evasion. With practiced ease, she applied the demonic seed technique to the pig demon's demonic blood. Tens of thousands of spiritual threads operated synchronously, and in no time, she had separated it. Then, she took out a Human-Demon's demonic seed and began to re-nurture it. Soon, human blood and demonic blood merged. She then separated the human blood and demonic blood again to re-attune it to this pig demon's bloodline totem.
Hum.
It manifested.
Exactly the same as the previous experiment.
Everyone suddenly understood. A'Diao smiled and looked at the people of the Three Imperial Families. "Now you have two choices. First, stubbornly insist that the Celestial Clan and the Demonic Spirit Race are different, that they cannot be manipulated, and that it's impossible for the experiment to be faked. In that case, let me use Celestial Clan blood alone with your blood for verification. I can do it on the spot, and you can judge on the spot. Second, admit that this is all a misunderstanding, that you had no malicious intent, and that you only pestered me relentlessly and tried to exterminate me out of concern for the safety of the Human Clan and to prevent the revival of the Celestial Clan."
"If it's the second, you can apologize now. If it's the first, are my, Chen A'Diao's, contributions to the Human Clan not enough to warrant a counter-verification?"
"How you choose is up to you."
"I'll only give you one minute to consider."
After A'Diao finished speaking, everyone from Lushan Academy drew their weapons and counter-locked onto the people of the Three Imperial Families. Wu Mountain and the Heavenly Spirit Clan, with the tacit approval of their own Old Ancestors, also stood with the people of Lushan. A great battle seemed on the verge of erupting.
The atmosphere became deadlocked. The lies of the Three Imperial Families had been exposed, and for a moment, they were in a difficult predicament. Fortunately, today's events weren't being globally live-streamed; otherwise, they would have been utterly humiliated.
At that time, the Three Imperial Families had considered calling upon the power of the Six Cauldrons to confirm this matter and execute Chen A'Diao. However, the other Three Cauldrons would certainly resist. Because of mutual dependence, Baiyue Qinggu and Daoguang Luoshen, despite being women, were actually strong-willed and far-sighted; they would not allow themselves to be captured without a fight. Thus, the final result would be the destruction of more than half of the Nine Cauldrons within the Human Clan, with less than twenty percent remaining.
How to choose?
Dantai Lingyao observed A'Diao and felt that her current stance was not as overwhelmingly assertive as in the past; it seemed more like she was wary of something.
In truth, she also didn't want to completely fall out with them.
After all, everyone shared a mortal enmity with the Demonic Spirit Race. An internal collapse of the Human Clan would benefit no one; it would only be a matter of differing gains and losses, strengths and weaknesses.
Amidst the standoff between these peerless experts, the only one not caught up in the tension was the Old Grandmother. She was still stroking a wooden fish, observing everyone.
About ten or twenty seconds later, just as Dantai Lingyao was gritting his teeth and preparing to concede, the sky above their heads tore apart.
A magnificent, vast hand descended from the sky, its diameter spanning roughly three thousand meters. It was heavy, profound, and vast, like the Buddha Tathagata striking Sun Wukong with his palm.
A'Diao looked up and saw countless ancient totems coiling around the huge palm.
This was an expert from the Primordial Era, a peak Great Spirit King, the kind who was once on the same level as Lord Changting and Kunlun.
And this palm strike was earth-shattering, descending from above to exterminate a great figure.
A'Diao was the great figure about to be exterminated.
Baiyue Qinggu, as a former founder of the Three Great Sects, had only awakened for a short period and hadn't yet recovered to her peak state. She had assumed everyone was in a similar condition, but the palm strike appearing before her made her realize her judgment was wrong – the opponent was at their peak, perhaps even much stronger than they had been in the Primordial Era.
They were too late to block or rescue; they could only watch helplessly as A'Diao was about to be slapped to death by that one palm.
Suddenly!
Baiyue Xiangsi, perhaps out of instinct, subconsciously looked behind A'Diao.
Space fluctuated, and a person appeared behind her.
This one was familiar; Yu Xuanji and the others had seen him before, but this time was a bit different. It wasn't a plump, tall panda, but a man a head taller than A'Diao.
It is said that in cultivation, the higher the talent and the deeper the cultivation base, the more the individual and their descendants undergo a process of genetic evolution.
Genetic evolution also implies an evolution in appearance.
Therefore, in higher-end cultivation circles, handsome men and beautiful women are countless. People like Cang Wu are representatives, and individuals like Song Ling and Shen Huajing are representatives of the later, new generation.
As one of the three most famous gentlemen of the Primordial Era, Lord Changting, who navigated between the Celestial Clan and the Human Clan, was well-known to the world. Chen Gui, skilled in social maneuvering, was highly renowned among the human scholars.
These two were known to all.
Only Kunlun, who rose from a beggar's background to later achieve peerless fame throughout the land, was rarely seen. Perhaps the Demonic Spirit Race had seen him the most.
So when he appeared before, transformed into a giant panda, the impact on many people wasn't actually that great, because they had never seen his true appearance before.
Only hearing his voice, not seeing his person.
That was still acceptable.
Not hearing his voice, but suddenly seeing his person.
Then everyone was stunned. Whether it was those in power like Baiyue Qinggu who had seen him before, or those from the Primordial Era or the current era who had never seen him, all lost their focus in an instant.
What appeared now was Kunlun's true appearance, though the body was naturally not comparable to his true body from the Primordial Era, but the face was identical.
On a bright moonlit night, among the mortal men and women of the world, if not a god, how could one distinguish male from female?
Many people didn't understand how a peerless woman of a later generation like Baiyue Xiangsi, who was close to the level of an Old Ancestor, could be so love-struck. But having truly seen the source, they had an epiphany: it seems understandable; if it were me, I'd be captivated too.
This person possessed peerless elegance and was untainted by worldly concerns.
The peerlessly elegant Kunlun thus appeared behind A'Diao, one hand gently protecting her head, the other raised upwards.
His movements were supremely gentle yet supremely firm, his white lapels and black robe fluttering in the wind. Baiyue Xiangsi looked at this person, at his protective gesture, and felt not a trace of jealousy or pain in her heart, but rather, boundless joy.
He had not fallen; this was the most joyous event in the mortal world.
Kunlun was aloof by nature, uninterested in others like Daoguang Luoshen, and disliked superfluous emotional entanglements. So, he didn't spare anyone else a glance, only looking up slightly at the vast sky, his exquisite and sharply defined jawline like the mountain ridges of an ice peak in winter.
His slender fingers seemed pale and weak, but they invisibly crushed space. His fingertips came together, and a sword pierced the sky. With a casual slash, the giant palm was split apart.
Like tearing silk, a waterfall flowed.
The sundered space released powerful air currents, countless substances mixing and flowing, as if at this moment, only this sword and other forces remained in the space.
The clouds dispersed, and the figure hidden in space who had launched the giant palm was also revealed, meeting Kunlun's gaze across the void.
"Kunlun, you're not dead yet."
Kunlun's voice was soft as he asked, "Who is it?"
A'Diao muttered under her breath, "Ying Si."
It was that Arbitration Council expert who had chased her in the universe and almost found and killed her.
Kunlun: "Oh."
Then he glanced at the Old Grandmother. The Old Grandmother was looking at him.
He vaguely felt that this old human woman… was looking at him rather strangely.
She didn't like him.
Disliked him greatly.
Perhaps as an elder, she felt he was being too impolite?
Thus, Kunlun, who had always been polite and restrained, gently pushed A'Diao away. Just as Ying Si was about to speak again, Kunlun directly transformed into a longsword – seven parts ice-blue, three parts transparent – and shot into the sky.
Unwilling to waste more words, he charged straight over.
That Ying Si, as A'Diao had expected, was reluctant to directly enter the mortal realm, hiding in the first interlayer dimensional space to launch his attack. So Kunlun charged directly in as well.
However, this was also within A'Diao's expectations – she never did good deeds for nothing. She had expended so much effort and resources, doing her utmost to create a top-tier body for Kunlun, not merely because she found him pleasing to the eye and good for her appetite, but because of his value.
His value in fighting for her; the stronger the vessel, the more maximized that value.
Through the final layer of spatial barrier and clouds, everyone could see the extreme attacks shaking the heavens, and the air currents within the space were also affected.
This was similar to when the Great Demon King was about to revive, and the world's celestial phenomena were affected at that time.
A'Diao also had no time to use the Eye of the Yellow Springs to observe their battle, because the Arbitration Council already had an absolute killing intent towards her. Having been exposed, they had struck. So, what about the Imperial Families of the Three Nations and the others?
A'Diao reached out and with a turn of her hand, the place where the Old Grandmother was – along with the Buddha statue, prayer mat, and all – was directly taken into her living space.
This directly deprived Dantai Lingyao and the others of their hostage. However, Dantai Lingyao and his cohorts had suffered from arguing with A'Diao before and absolutely dared not make the same mistake again. But to sway the Six Cauldrons and some of the less resolute among the other Three Cauldrons, Moluo Changsong still shouted, "Everyone, the Arbitration Council is the orthodoxy of our Human Clan! Since the Primordial Era, they have exterminated the Celestial Clan and suppressed the Demonic Spirit Race. They are truly the beacon of our Human Clan! Only by following the beacon's guidance can the Human Clan have hope! If the beacon wants to kill her, then she…"
Before the words "deserves to die" could be uttered, A'Diao struck first, slapping him directly across the face.
Slap!!!
This slap was powerful! It was so hard it forced out Moluo Changsong's bloodline true form. The head of a perfectly hypocritical and harsh old man was beaten into that of an old, large dog.
It was too sudden.
The dog demon was slapped back into its original form, so to speak.
At that moment, the expression on old Moluo Changsong's dog head was like that of an old, scheming woman who had been plotting for centuries: You hit me, you actually hit me, I...sob...
A'Diao's expression, however, was exceptionally cold, ruthless, and unreasonable: So what if I hit you? Does Lao Niang need to pick a time?
Everyone: "…"
This was also a moment of extreme stutter in the otherwise tense atmosphere, followed by the explosive outbreak of slaughter!
Before the Moluo Clan could react, Lushan Academy had already made its move, their first target being the people of the Lie Qin Imperial Family. Wu Mountain targeted the Tang Song Imperial Family, and the Heavenly Spirit Clan targeted the Nan Jin Imperial Family.
This way, neither side violated their own founding principles, nor were they suspected of siding with A'Diao to attack their own nations. Everything was for the internal stability of the Human Clan; they were resolving a dispute. Perfect!
War erupted between the two sides. The mid-to-high-level experts fought fiercely, but the core was always A'Diao's side. Moluo Changsong, who had been beaten into a dog-headed form, simply transformed into a three-headed giant hound and, together with Dantai Lingyao, Taihao Qiankun, Ying Shen, Tong Qinghuang, and Ji Sichen – six of them – locked onto A'Diao.
Locking on, supplemented by immobilization and spiritual attacks, bloodline totems and Dao steles, and so on – all the top-tier powers you might have expected to see in the Primordial Era were on full display at this moment.
Of course, A'Diao first saw the massive Eastern Emperor Bell enveloping her as its center.
Immobilize, trap, suppress!
Not far away, Tong Qinghuang began chanting, and the Eastern Emperor Bell emitted an ancient chime, accompanied by a spiritual assault.
It was a very coordinated six-on-one gang-up. None of these six individuals harbored any illusions of luck; they had long ago planned to eliminate her quickly, ruthlessly, and precisely, allowing for no accidents.
And after killing A'Diao, they could directly stabilize the situation. Apart from the certain destruction of Lushan Academy, Wu Mountain and the Heavenly Spirit Clan could still be preserved, so as not to damage the overall strength of the Human Clan. They believed Baiyue Qinggu and Daoguang Luoshen would also be sensible.
This was their plan.
Simultaneously, within the dimensional space, Ying Si also launched a fierce offensive against Kunlun – to prevent him from going out to save Chen A'Diao.
A layer of spatial membrane, with slaughter both inside and out.
Amidst the terrifying energy tides stirred by the clash of experts, Ling Zan, Duanmu Bie Xue, and others saw A'Diao enveloped by 360 degrees of light and fire beneath the Eastern Emperor Bell.
At that moment, they didn't even dare to hope she could survive. Their only desperate wish was – she was so cunning, she must have known the dangers of today, and seemed to have known about the Arbitration Council's existence, yet she still came. She must have a trump card, right? Could her trump card be just one Kunlun?
No, absolutely not. Even those like Baiyue Qinggu, who were meeting A'Diao for the first time, didn't think A'Diao was someone who would pin her hopes on others.
Even if that person was Kunlun.
So… after the tremors, the light dispersed like heavenly radiance.
The faint echoes of the Eastern Emperor Bell seemed to have cleansed the impurities of this world.
Perhaps to the "grand trend" and "orthodoxy" of this world, she had always been an impurity not accepted by the mainstream.
Impurities needed to be cleansed.
Within the spatial interlayer, Ying Si coldly watched Kunlun being forced back by his sword strike and laughed, "Kunlun, times have changed! Even if you are still at your peak from back then, you never imagined that I am no longer who I once was. Prepare to die!"
A new type of power erupted from the core of his body.
Kunlun saw it and was momentarily stunned.
This was… Celestial Clan power?
His cool pupils transformed into black and white dual pupils. As they rotated, he saw that this former defeated opponent now wielded a much higher and more terrifying form of energy, and the source of this energy was… a seed.
He saw that seed.
The Celestial Seed.
Ying Si erupted with full power, his true form transforming into a light sphere as radiant as a blazing sun, directly engulfing Kunlun. At that moment, Kunlun failed to dodge.
Outside, A'Diao also failed to dodge.
As A'Diao and Kunlun were simultaneously engulfed, far beyond Mount Qi, those who had been relocated to the county town for marriage proposals saw their homeland, Mount Qi, seemingly melt under the sun.
It emitted a dazzling light that illuminated ten thousand li, shaking the vast wilderness.
"It's over, Mount Qi."
"Is our Mount Qi finished?"
"No, please no."
They didn't know what the world was, what the bigger picture was, or what factions were. Their only thought was of their homeland, their old home.
However, they soon saw the ball of light that seemed to want to devour Mount Qi dissipate.
Because something had blocked it.
A forbidden dragon scale shield, formed from restrictions and reorganized molecules, had blocked it.
It was terrifying. She wasn't killed instantly, but A'Diao vomited blood. This time, she wasn't faking it. The dragon scale shield was densely covered with restrictions and had absorbed a massive amount of power, yet some still entered her body. Thus, she vomited blood from the first wave, and several of her hand bones fractured.
"She has indeed improved tremendously."
"Is she already comparable to a peak Great Spirit King? Damn it, none of us are her match alone! Not even two against one!"
"She must be a descendant of the Celestial Clan, otherwise how could she be so powerful."
"Never mind that, don't hold back, go all out!!!"
Dantai Lingyao and the others, without a second word, intensified their attacks. The second wave struck, and A'Diao was blasted down from the sky, creating a deep pit upon landing. She almost knelt on the ground, her kneecaps shattered, flesh and bone fragments mixing into a viscous pool of blood that quickly seeped into the soil.
This scene was too tragic. Watching it filled everyone's hearts with anger and pain. Even Baiyue Lingxi couldn't help but feel enraged – at this moment, who could remember this person's past odiousness? She only felt extreme distress.
Such a person, was she to be besieged and killed here by so many?
Like Lord Changting back then?
The world did not tolerate her.
But this was war.
On the Arbitration Council's side, other experts were en route through the spatial interlayer, also monitoring the situation.
"Chen A'Diao is within the plan, she's about to die."
"Where is that Qu Xia'er? Will she appear to save her?"
"No, after she left the Demon Cave, she was trapped by us in an outer star domain and is currently being hunted. She has no time to return for a rescue."
"What about the Dragon Vein Karmic Luck?"
"Our people can't get in, but all three nations have made arrangements. For example, on the Tang Song side, Dantai Lingyao specially dispatched Tianshu to guard it. However, even if unguarded, even if Chen A'Diao knows our Arbitration Council's weakness and deliberately attacks the National Vein, she won't succeed. After all, the National Vein concerns a nation's karmic luck, which is different from ordinary karmic luck dragon veins. As long as she attacks the National Vein, she will suffer a backlash, since she herself is a person of Tang Song. Back then, Kunlun refused to let Lushan's people get involved precisely because of this concern."
The backlash from the National Vein was the Imperial Family's strongest protective barrier. As long as the National Vein existed, the Imperial Families of the Three Nations would have an endless source of protection.
"Very good. Next, fully blockade Kunlun's side. Kunlun must die!"
Two experts of the same level as Ying Si had already received news of Ying Si's battle against Kunlun. Although they felt Ying Si wouldn't lose, the Arbitration Council never did things they weren't sure of. Today's primary targets were A'Diao and Kunlun.
Anyone the Arbitration Council wanted dead, must die!
This plan was all-encompassing.
In the mortal realm, to prevent A'Diao from escaping, Tong Qinghuang controlled the Eastern Emperor Bell to descend tightly upon her, still pinning her down. The six attackers also continued to divide their attention to seal the space, preventing her escape. Then, the third wave!
This wave was meant to kill her. Dantai Lingyao even began to burn his essence blood.
The three nations were separate, but under the Arbitration Council's command, they could only unite and fight with all their might.
So…
"Go die with your family!"
Dantai Lingyao had previously seen A'Diao protecting the Old Grandmother and realized that she still cared about her family. So he deliberately said this to disturb her state of mind and make her falter.
And this sentence indeed seemed to touch her. Covered in blood, she raised her head, blood streaming down her cheeks, her eyes… shimmering.
The others also heard it and reacted at that moment – if the three nations were now tearing off all pretenses to kill A'Diao, it meant the Chen family far away in Kyoto was definitely also under attack.
Finally, the third wave of fierce attacks. Even other experts, secretly contacted by Dantai Lingyao and his group, temporarily abandoned Yu Xuanji and the others, instead combining their power to strike the dragon scale shield.
This was the final blow.
It landed. The dragon scale shield trembled. Her hands and body, in an instant… cracked! Disintegrated! Destroyed?
However, people far away in Kyoto were unaware of the peerless battle on the other side of the mountains and seas.
Kyoto was as prosperous as ever.
In the Chen family's old residence, after the Old Grandmother, along with her Buddha statue, had been snatched away, the Chen family members didn't know. After all, few people usually went to the old courtyard, and the servants were mostly outside. So, at this moment, Chen Yang was still practicing the piano, accompanied by Xie Yuqing.
To be fair, young master Yangyang's intelligence wasn't great, but he seemed to possess artistic talent, likely inherited from his mother, who was skilled in both looks and arts, and hadn't caught Chen Ran's eye back then solely based on her appearance.
Chen Yang played well, but Xie Yuqing was also matching his level, playing a duet with him. Not far away, Xu Zhaoyin was practicing calligraphy. After a while, she looked up at the mother and son, noticing Xie Yuqing glance at the coffee cup placed nearby, which was unfortunately empty.
Xie Yuqing retracted her gaze. After finishing a piece, just as she was about to instruct a servant, a steaming cup of coffee was handed to her. Looking up, she saw Xu Zhaoyin leaning against the piano.
"Not poisoned?"
"No, I spat in it."
"Hah!" Xie Yuqing rolled her eyes. "Am I afraid of your saliva?"
She drank it, but after some thought, she still asked, "How has A'Diao been lately? Is the situation bad?"
She wasn't blind; seeing that Chen Xun hadn't gone to work recently, she knew something must have happened.
"When has the situation ever been good?" Xu Zhaoyin didn't coddle her like a child but responded with a rhetorical question, then looked outside.
It was actually thundering outside, and it had started to rain.
A torrential downpour.
The heavy rain splashed into the garden, banana leaves rustling loudly. Falling raindrops quickly soaked the ground. Chen Xun, rarely taking a day off, witnessed the Old Grandmother in the Buddhist hall of the opposite old courtyard being abducted on this very day.
His expression then was the same as his expression now.
Then, he saw a dark shadow appear in the sky amidst the torrential rain.
People from the Imperial Family.
The moment the Imperial Family members appeared, the attack descended.
The entire Chen family was within their attack range.
At that moment, whether it was him drinking tea, his family members practicing the piano in the leisure hall, or anyone in the Chen family, their lives hung in the balance.
But Chen Xun merely curled his lip in a slightly mocking way.
This hint of mockery was seen by the Imperial Family members. Surprised, they then saw their attack being blocked by a massive, thin membrane.
The commotion was not small. People in the nearby streets saw it and fled in terror to seek shelter.
For a time, a small-scale disturbance arose in Kyoto. The various noble families and dignitaries were shocked but didn't know how to react.
However, it seemed the Chen family was unharmed?
This layer of restrictive membrane was very strange. It absorbed all the attacks, directly dissipating them, as if their attacks were like mud oxen entering the sea, disappearing without a trace.
"Not good, Chen A'Diao was prepared long ago!"
The entire Chen family old residence was covered by a semi-circular transparent shield. It didn't even tremble as it completely absorbed the attack. This greatly alarmed the Tang Song Imperial Family members, but soon, the Imperial Family's Old Sixth summoned reinforcements.
Chen Xun saw a dozen or so mysterious black-robed figures. He had a sudden realization. If the information A'Diao had given him was correct, then these people should be – Tianshu.
The Tianshu experts were not comparable to the likes of the Imperial Family's Old Sixth. They glanced at the shield, and a group of them attacked in unison, their combined power comparable to two or three mid-level Spirit Kings.
Impressive, very impressive.
All this just to kill these ordinary members of the Chen family? No, it was mainly for Chen Xun.
Whether within the Imperial Family or the Arbitration Council, their assessment was that both Chen Xun and A'Diao were grave threats; neither could be left alive.
So they deployed Tianshu, who were originally meant to protect the Imperial Family.
Against Tianshu, how long could this restriction last?
Probably… Boom!!!
The restriction was forcefully struck, emitting a dull tremor. Even the ground in Kyoto trembled slightly. Then, light waves were released and dispersed. Finally… Tianshu and the Imperial Family members were stunned, because the restriction was still intact. Instead, a large amount of energy on it mysteriously flowed along the restriction's ripples, and in the next second.
Rumble!!!
They heard a loud explosion from far behind them.
The Imperial Palace had collapsed.
Tianshu and the Celestial Clan members were somewhat dazed. Turning to look, they only saw the Dantai Imperial Family's strongest foundation, also this country's most important National Vein… blown up.
For a moment, the National Vein's karmic luck surged magnificently. Amidst tiger roars and dragon cries, a heavenly pillar shot up into the sky.
The Dantai Imperial Family members' heads were buzzing.
And all those with royal blood felt a terrifying impact surge through their hearts, both physically and mentally. In the unseen realm, they personally felt a protective shield around their clan being shattered.
"Quick!!" A Tianshu expert finally reacted, losing his composure and screaming in a high-pitched, duck-like voice, "Quick, go back and protect the National Vein!"
Terrified, truly terrified.
As one of the Tianshu experts was teleporting towards the Imperial Palace at lightning speed, he glanced back at the Chen family's restriction and vaguely thought of something.
But before he could figure it out, he teleported to the deep trench where the Imperial Palace had collapsed. Seeing the National Vein pillar soaring into the sky from the dilapidated ancestral temple, just as he was about to do something, a spinning white bone sawblade swept across his
throat, whirring, entangling, and piercing through his entire body.
In his dying moments, he saw a Corpse King, white as snow, appear. It easily slew him and simultaneously slaughtered everyone else who rushed over.
It should be said, everyone who tried to stop this.
Only in death did they truly understand – today was a setup, a massive setup.
And Qu Xia'er was a co-conspirator, one of the executors.
She stood high above, expressionlessly slaughtering these Dantai Imperial Family combatants, just as the Qu family had done to her maternal clan, to her and her sister, back then.
Not far away, zither music drifted. Qu Jiangnan, playing the zither, instantly formed a massive celestial domain with his music, encompassing the Dantai Imperial Palace. And as Qu Xia'er killed, the corpses of these Dantai Imperial Family experts floated, their spiritual energy, spiritual blood, and so on, extracted from their bodies – digesting their bodies on the spot while they were still fresh.
Everything extracted flowed like myriad streams of blood into the array disc below.
Within the array disc, Song Ling and others, who had been in seclusion and disappeared for a long time, were present.
At this moment, they were absorbing these immense powers, relying on their recently transformed aptitudes from a massive amount of mutated substances. Energy + aptitude = their current selves.
What were they going to do?
They looked towards the National Vein ahead.
They vividly remembered being imprisoned some time ago, directly placed under a enslavement. A person walked out from the shadows and said one sentence to them.
"Do you know what a spare tire is? It means when I need to use you, you must hit the road."
She wouldn't be good to people for no reason. Giving them such great benefits, cultivating them, was all for this very moment today.
At that time, Shen Huajing and the others watched her walk out of the shadows, revealing a beautiful and extraordinary young face.
She smiled faintly, her eyes cunningly cold and filled with ambition.
And this same young face, with the exact same expression, also appeared on Mount Qi. A'Diao, almost engulfed by the third wave of attacks, had not yet given Dantai Lingyao and the others the joy of her demise.
In fact, they were still trying to determine if she was truly at the end of her rope, or if, like an unkillable cockroach, she would always reveal an even stronger trump card to survive a desperate situation. Fortunately, after three rounds of fierce attacks, although she had displayed unimaginable talent and strength and hadn't died, she was definitely not at a level where she could fight one against six.
This was true; she wasn't faking it.
So the current question was whether she would die in this wave, or if they would need to expend their remaining strength for a fourth or fifth wave…
But other joys came unexpectedly.
When Tang Song's National Vein was blown up, Dantai Lingyao and other Tang Song Imperial Family members were the first to feel it, as their own bloodlines were affected. The others were all high-level cultivators; how could they not detect such a major event as the National Vein's destruction?
At that moment, they were all stunned.
"The National Vein?"
"It seems to be Tang Song's National Vein, not ours."
"That's not right. The National Vein is usually affected only when national strength declines or the country weakens, for example, if it's attacked and destroyed by the Demonic Spirit Race. It wouldn't normally be blown up like this. Could the Demonic Spirit Race have fought their way to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto? That shouldn't be possible."
The Imperial Families of the Three Nations were collaborating this time and had been reminded by the Arbitration Council to protect their National Veins, so they knew each other's situations. This sudden turn of events shocked and bewildered them.
But they soon received intelligence.
Including the attack on the Chen family and Qu Xia'er's actions…
At that time, the Arbitration Council had also received the news, as they were affected by the karmic luck. Countless Imperial Family experts also suffered corresponding backlash, and in the Arbitration Council's secret central location, one of three crucial pillars was instantly extinguished.
This was undoubtedly disastrous news for the Arbitration Council; various research projects and core institutions were paralyzed.
And the experts… countless suffered severe backlash and injuries.
Especially the Imperial Family experts under Tang Song.
After all, there were countless wise individuals. Under such a blow, they quickly pieced together the information and arrived at the truth.
"That Chen family's restriction was set up in advance. It wasn't a simple defensive shield, but a transfer restriction array that absorbed energy. It was modified not only to absorb and transfer, but it was also secretly channeled to where the National Vein was – damn it, I understand now! That Chen A'Diao arranged for a clone in the Imperial Palace not to monitor Dantai Ye at all! She probably even figured out the details of the National Vein. She had a plan long ago!"
And Chen A'Diao's plan was naturally superior to their Arbitration Council's plan, laid out in response to their arrangements.
"She indeed cannot forcefully attack the National Vein, but she can guide the Dantai Imperial Family to attack their own National Vein! As long as the Dantai Imperial Family themselves blow up the National Vein, the people she arranged will have a chance to steal it. That restrictive shield was specially researched by her – and those contemporary geniuses of Tang Song, the ones from Lushan, were specifically arranged by her to be there. So the Qu Xia'er appearing there now is the real one, and the Qu Xia'er in the Demon Cave world was fake, just Chen A'Diao's clone, to hide Qu Xia'er's role!"
"Quick, go kill Chen A'Diao! She must have a purpose for seizing the National Vein's karmic luck!"
The Arbitration Council reacted incredibly fast. Two orders were issued: one for the two experts on their way to besiege Kunlun to divert and kill A'Diao, and another for the Tang Song experts in the mortal realm to kill Song Ling and the others to stop the National Vein transfer.
Unfortunately, no matter how fast they reacted, they were still a step too slow.
The experts on the outskirts of Kyoto, as well as the troops outside the Imperial Palace, were all blocked outside Qu Jiangnan's zither music domain. Meanwhile, Qu Xia'er continued her slaughter, constantly nourishing Song Ling and the others with the lives of the Dantai clan's experts. It was truly brutal and merciless, but Song Ling and the others also absorbed the vast National Vein at a terrifying speed.
They didn't need to absorb all of it; absorbing one-third was enough for them to move it.
Because there was an array formation beneath their feet, an array formation made by A'Diao.
"Transfer!!!" The array formation was magnificent, its light illuminating the nine heavens.
The National Vein's heavenly pillar quickly moved with this group's transfer. Qu Xia'er escorted them from within, and Qu Jiangnan put away her long zither and flew in. From their appearance to their disappearance, it took merely three minutes.
Three minutes later, the Dantai Imperial Palace was a scene of devastation, with countless dead and injured, a truly horrible sight to behold.
Dantai Sheng and others were among the barely surviving bodies, watching the radiance of the heavenly pillar begin to fade. At that moment, the light in their eyes also dimmed.
The world's greatest upheaval had finally begun.
In the Eldest Princess's residence in Kyoto, Dantai Zhuying clutched her chest and smiled bitterly, "Is the era about to end?"
She gritted her teeth and still rushed into the Imperial Palace.
Her old mother wasn't dead, was she?
Dantai Lingyao and the others actually realized they were a step too slow, but they were, after all, super-strong experts. They had already blocked the space, and now they were using all their might to set up a one-way teleportation block, trying to stop the impending teleportation of Qu Xia'er and her group, while simultaneously launching a fourth attack.
Unfortunately, some sharp-eyed individuals had already spotted a blind spot – logically, the third attack should have been enough to kill her. Since Qu Xia'er and the others hadn't yet delivered the National Vein, why wasn't she dead yet? Did they need a fourth supplementary attack?
Unless, she had already…
Before they could confirm their suspicions, they saw A'Diao's body release a terrifying pressure, and vast karmic luck descended upon her.
Even before Qu Xia'er and the others had transferred it over, A'Diao had already obtained a portion of the National Vein's karmic luck.
Why?
Because… Song Ling and all these people had been enslaved by her.
The value of them "hitting the road" was to steal the National Vein.
Why choose them specifically?
Because they were the greatest karmic luck bearers of Tang Song's generation, second only to A'Diao, and thus should be more favored by the National Vein than those old fogeys from the Primordial Era.
Since they had value, they could naturally be used.
According to the rules of the spiritual path, they were her slaves. Everything they had was hers. Naturally, when they absorbed the National Vein's karmic luck, it was as if they were absorbing it for her. The lion's share was on her, even if it hadn't been completely transferred yet, through the rules of slavery, she was already enjoying it.
So this person's calculations were too ruthless, one link connected to another, each step encompassing several objectives.
Ah, karmic luck descended upon her, like a parched person in the desert falling into an oasis.
That feeling… A'Diao looked up and smiled faintly at Dantai Lingyao and the others.
This smile was like a song of the undead, just short of a suona playing a dirge for Dantai Lingyao and his group.
Boom!! The fourth wave of attacks descended, but her body was already madly repairing itself…
"Quick!!"
Dantai Lingyao and the others were terrified and continuously increased their attack power, hoping for a miracle, hoping to completely kill her.
She was too terrifying, truly too terrifying.
If they didn't kill her, then… could they escape? Could they?
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