ASER - Chapter 103
Chapter 103: Air Disaster
Previously, A'Diao had operated within the Danzhou region, with round trips often taking two to three days for travel. Although it was called the Danzhou coast, which logically implied a direct flight path as seen on a map, after the resurgence of spiritual energy, their curriculum had been updated to include test questions about dangerous airspaces.
These so-called dangerous airspaces were divided into two types: environmental dangers and biological dangers.
Environmental dangers arose because the air contained powerful spiritual energy, leading to changes in the local ecosystem and creating abnormal weather phenomena such as fog or blizzards. Airships and other forms of transport entering these zones would easily lose signal and their sense of direction...
But the most dangerous were biological threats.
Toilet said, "You're really cautious. This area seems to only have level three or four avian demonic spirits, yet you still made a special detour."
After setting off, the closer they got to the coast, the more cautious A'Diao became, constantly checking meteorological data and other information to calculate risks and make various detours.
However, Toilet marveled that they hadn't encountered any danger on this voyage. Spending a few extra days to avoid risks was, in fact, not a loss; after all, it wasn't as if they were rushing to their own funeral.
—A sharp mind was the best asset for avoiding risk.
A'Diao was cultivating in the training room. Hearing this, she rolled her eyes. "A single one isn't scary, of course. But if it's a flock, hundreds or thousands of them, that's terrifying. I'm not taking that risk."
"If I want to hunt monsters for money, isn't the ground perfectly fine? Only an idiot would target resources in the sky."
However, even without the academy's Small Spirit Gate, A'Diao's current cultivation speed was actually faster than before. This was because, during these few days of flight, she maintained a daily regimen of ten sessions with the Tendon-Splitting Bone-Misaligning soup, two applications of the Grade C Formula, and one application of a Grade D Formula.
This "money-burning" style of cultivation, costing over a hundred million each day, caused her aptitude to transform at an ever-increasing rate. The advantage gained from this enhanced aptitude even surpassed the amount of spiritual energy released by the Small Spirit Gate.
Toilet observed, "In another ten days, you should be able to reach double A-rank. But did you come to the Southern Sea Region just to gather resources?"
"Not entirely." A'Diao was splitting her mental threads while her hands practiced the control techniques given by the Principal, applying them to arts like the Blood Bee Art. "Resources can be obtained anywhere; it's just a matter of accumulation. But there are many cultivators here in the Southern Sea Region, and what I lack most is mental power."
Mental power was the true path to her ascent.
A'Diao glanced at her remaining ten thousand-plus mental power points, a bitter feeling in her heart. Nevertheless, she ended her cultivation session and went to the control room to check on the airship systems being managed by Sparrow.
"Are we about to pass the Sea-Mountain Barrier of this region?"
Sparrow, who was at the controls, checked the data. "We're almost there, Master. But something is very strange."
A'Diao glanced at the screen and frowned. "We haven't encountered any other airships? Logically, with the recent turmoil in the Southern Sea Region and the edicts issued by the governments of the five prefectures, there should be many wilderness cultivators from these prefectures and people from various academies. Moreover, these individuals are generally more cautious, have their own wilderness networks, and would surely avoid dangerous airspaces by taking this optimized, established route. Yet, we haven't met any..."
A'Diao narrowed her eyes, mentally analyzing the constantly changing air elemental particle data chart on the screen. A sense of alarm rose within her. She instructed Sparrow to preheat the strongest defense and stability mode. Sparrow complied, and the airship's energy sector immediately began preparing its energy reserves and the spirit core combustion array, ready to unleash power at any moment.
Nearby, Xiao Yuanbao was knitting a sweater. It glanced at the data, scratched its fluffy head with its tail, and asked A'Diao, "Master, are you worried there's danger ahead that caused trouble for those other airships?"
"Better safe than sorry. But why are you knitting a sweater?"
"I'm knitting it for you."
"!!!"
A'Diao was a bit stunned. Xiao Yuanbao, however, quickly finished the edges of the sweater, then held it up against A'Diao. "Here, it's made to your size. The style is very classic, and it's matcha green. It suits you."
It was indeed classic and had an elegant feel. A'Diao's skin was very fair now, and wearing it would certainly enhance her aura—provided she didn't speak.
And matcha green... was that a subtle jab at her?
A'Diao grew curious. "Did you learn this yourself? Or is it built into your programming?"
"It's built-in; it was always there. I can also make hats and many other things. After all, I'm a lifestyle steward." Xiao Yuanbao sat obediently on the chair, took out a new ball of yarn, looking exceptionally well-behaved and adorable.
A'Diao felt as if, through Xiao Yuanbao, she could see Chen Xun, far away in the Kyoto Academy of Sciences. A complex feeling washed over her: My brother... he has so many tricks up his sleeve.
"Then make a hat, a men's style one. And clothes—I need a set of men's attire."
Xiao Yuanbao: "?"
Just as it was about to ask something more, the airship suddenly experienced a slight tremor, very faint. The two intelligent systems possessed non-human senses, but A'Diao was even more perceptive. She immediately ordered Sparrow to change direction, but it was too late.
A layer of gray mist rushed towards the cockpit window. The moment the mist made contact with the airship, it condensed into water droplets, and then... rapidly froze!
The signal also began to flicker.
Was this an environmental hazard airspace?
The airship's system immediately issued a red alert. Fortunately, Sparrow had already preheated the systems... The airship instantly activated its maximum power, its outer hull armor glowing red, instantaneously vaporizing all moisture on its surface. It also accelerated its turn, locking onto the weakest section of the gray fog layer...
With a rumble, the airship broke through the fog layer.
But just as they burst out, A'Diao, Sparrow, and Xiao Yuanbao were startled, because another sizable airship was careening out erratically right towards them.
However, the other vessel was clearly in a state of crashing.
The moment A'Diao saw sparks on the other airship's wing, she had a bad feeling. Fortunately, Sparrow reacted quickly. Although their own airship had lost its signal, A'Diao immediately locked onto biological energy signatures and ordered a precision strike. Dense particle beams shot out from their vessel, targeting the area just behind where the two airships had nearly collided.
The bombardment hit its mark. It turned out there were dense red shadows trailing behind. Upon seeing them, A'Diao frowned slightly.
"It's the level three demonic spirit, Sea Guard Falcon."
Sea Guard Falcons were wide-ranging, flocking birds. Although only level three, their numbers were terrifying. The truly frightening aspect of these avian creatures was their high-altitude impact force.
Judging by the scale of this attack, there were at least a thousand of them, and this was merely the vanguard...
"Descend."
"Understood."
Sparrow controlled the airship into a rapid descent.
If one could observe from afar, they would see a massive airship rumbling downwards, crashing through the dense fog layer. Meanwhile, an agile, ten-plus-meter-long airship dived through the clouds, its wings carving sharp paths through the mist. Its entirely crimson color made it resemble a brutal blood hawk...
But the flock of Sea Guard Falcons diving in pursuit was even more terrifying. They too plunged downwards in a frenzied chase, each bird like a vertically fired bullet. Their beaks, coated in spiritual power, transformed into sharp, piercing points, bombarding the airship relentlessly with terrifying penetrative force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
They attempted to use their penetrative power to pierce the airship's heated armored hull, but vents in several key locations on the vessel suddenly discharged distorted waves of superheated air.
These Sea Guard Falcons, accustomed to living in cold, damp, misty environments, could not withstand such high temperatures. Their ferocious, piercing attacks instantly turned into shrieking retreats as they veered away.
The waterfall-like torrent of piercing attacks disintegrated in an instant. Once they judged the high-temperature airwaves had dissipated, they regrouped and dived again. This time, they were joined by the main force of three thousand birds from behind. They enveloped both the upper and lower airships from the sides and rear, attempting a synchronized breach.
Inside the crashing airship below, the occupants, having just managed to steady themselves, witnessed the perilous scene and were horrified. "Quick, get to the hatches! Otherwise, we'll be pierced and the ship will explode!"
"Quick!"
The group was just about to jump out of the airship and escape on personal flight devices, but just at that moment.
"Heavens, what's that?"
On their screens, they saw not only the other airship and the massive flock of Sea Guard Falcons, but also... a dense fog layer ahead, sealing off the upper and middle airspace.
Boom!
Their airship plunged headfirst into the fog layer. Due to this fog, they couldn't simply fly out; otherwise, they risked being instantly frozen to death by the extremely low temperatures within.
So they could only wait until the airship had penetrated about ten meters or so.
Just as they broke through and were preparing to abandon ship and escape—they saw the fog layer behind them appear as if it were being dragged by two giant hands. During the dense barrage of piercing attacks, the airship that had been diving behind them didn't seem to emerge. Then, they heard a tremendous rumbling from within the thick fog, followed by a terrifying, large-scale explosion. It had a kill radius of nearly three hundred meters and instantly wiped out the flock of Sea Guard Falcons that had been madly pursuing the other vessel.
"Did that airship explode?"
The people in the crashing airship were astounded, but a woman in green attire reacted quickly, shouting, "Quick, activate the emergency landing mechanism! Hurry!"
Those in the crashing airship couldn't afford to worry about the fate of the vessel behind them. After a series of maneuvers, they finally managed a difficult crash landing. Upon landing, they quickly began transferring a batch of supplies from the airship... but just at that moment.
Everyone's expression suddenly changed.
"There's someone outside!"
Just as someone noticed, BOOM!!! A torpedo-shaped spatial projectile struck the cabin.
Half of the airship was blown apart.
The people inside could no longer worry about the precious supplies and could only dart out. But just as they emerged, before they could even launch their attacks.
Hum... Dozens of luminous rings materialized and ensnared them, instantly trapping them.
Damn it! Such a large-scale group-binding Daoist art!
"A-rank cultivator!!!"
Everyone's expression changed... but they were caught off guard. A group of fierce bandits had already emerged from the dense forest.
Ten minutes later, an invisible airship descended from the sky, hovering for a moment above the wreckage of the crashed vessel on the ground.
It remained unrevealed, observing something.
At this moment, A'Diao gazed thoughtfully at the tragic sight of the wrecked airship on her screen.
Just moments ago, she had utilized a combination of lightning and fire, mixing it with the abundant elemental particles within the settled fog layer below to trigger a terrifying chain explosion. This had successfully slaughtered a large number of Sea Guard Falcons. She then had the airship use a suction vortex to draw in their spirit cores. However, many more spirit cores were swept away by the fog layer, transforming into energy particles within it.
It was too dangerous inside for her to venture in and collect them.
Nevertheless, it was already a huge profit.
Xiao Yuanbao happily counted the spoils, beaming with pride at its master's quick-wittedness in instantly seizing the opportunity amidst the crisis, utilizing the fog layer's explosive properties to slaughter those large birds.
No wonder she had ordered the airship to descend! She must have planned all along to lure this flock of Sea Guard Falcons into chasing her, intending to wipe them all out in one go. Hehehe!
Toilet was also delighted because A'Diao had converted 1,000 cores into 100,000 energy points, while another 500 cores were sent to the airship's energy reserves as backup.
It was worth noting that the airship's few offensive and defensive maneuvers this time had already consumed 100 level-three spirit cores—a significant expenditure.
However, any other airship would have been wrecked without the chance for such a powerful burst, much like the vessel below.
"Master," Sparrow reported, "something seems off. The combustion gases released from the wreckage below don't contain many particulate traces indicative of human tissue."
A'Diao's gaze swept over the wilted marks on the treetops of several trees surrounding the downed airship...
"They likely made an emergency landing but were captured."
"Search the vicinity for other airship wreckage. If there is any, and if they've all been looted for resources, it means a strong bandit organization is operating nearby—they've seized the opportunity to lie in wait down there and prey on wilderness cultivators from crashed airships."
Ah, speaking of bandit organizations, 99% of wilderness cultivators would pale at the mere mention. However, Sparrow, Xiao Yuanbao, and Toilet all keenly sensed the excitement hidden beneath their master's composed expression.
An opportunity to strike it rich had arrived!
Her premonition was correct; there was indeed a lot of airship wreckage in the nearby area.
It was a high-incident zone, veritable airship graveyard, and a recently formed one at that.
This group of bandits was formidable, expertly combining opportune timing and geographical advantage to profit from air disasters.
This also proved that the Li Clan of Yunzhou wasn't just taking risks to build their fortune; rather, such activities had become a norm in this world.
Perhaps they thought: When everyone in the world commits evil, how can my actions be called evil?
A'Diao cherished her life. She had dealt with the bandit organization back in Danzhou by manipulating the Cui family in a "dog-eat-dog" scheme, and had even nearly underestimated Li Yuanshu back then. This time, her own strength was vastly improved, but the region she had entered was far more perilous than inland Danzhou.
This place was already near the coast—a truly hazardous environment, teeming with all sorts of characters, both good and bad.
Previously, at an altitude of tens of thousands of feet where signals were lost, the enemy likely couldn't detect her airship. Even if they had, they might have assumed it exploded within the fog layer. However, A'Diao, ever cautious, had made the airship invisible and then retreated to a room... After a short while, she stored Xiao Yuanbao in Toilet's storage space, but the airship itself, she absorbed directly into her body.
Why, you ask?
Because this wasn't an ordinary airship; it was an airship-type forbidden item, worth five hundred million. Otherwise, how could it possess such powerful functions?
Xiao Yuanbao wasn't a living being, so being in the storage space didn't affect it. Besides, A'Diao had already cleared out the resources from there, leaving it quite empty—plenty of room for it to knit sweaters. Sparrow, meanwhile, transformed into a bracelet.
As for A'Diao, she disguised herself, activated the invisibility of her camouflaged Spirit Plant Body, and then applied an additional layer of an invisibility art before finally riding a personal flight device down from the high altitude.
Toilet remarked, "With these multiple layers of concealment, even an ordinary Forbidden Master wouldn't be able to detect you."
That was precisely the effect she wanted. If she could truly be detected, she wouldn't necessarily dare to risk a fight with them.
Who knew if the other party was merely "ordinary."
If they weren't, she would surely die.
A'Diao flew above the forest, examining the still-burning airship wreckage. She confirmed that there were indeed no bodily remains inside, nor any signs of transferred supplies.
This was a standard airship. Judging by its large size, it was likely transporting a significant batch of supplies. If the supplies were taken and there were no bodies, did that mean the people weren't killed, but captured?
A'Diao, standing on her flight device, scanned the surrounding mountain forest. A third eye, the Eye of Insight, opened between her brows. Under its gaze, the residual threads of spiritual energy lingering in the air became clearly visible.
She saw the direction from which the spiritual power had erupted.
South.
Soon, she located the hiding place of the bandits. She calculated the distance, the natural dissipation rate of spiritual power against the currently remaining amount, then factored in the destructive force evident on the airship wreckage, and finally, considering the tenacity of the residual spiritual power, she roughly determined the strength of the cultivator who had initiated the attack.
"A-rank. Their Daoist art proficiency is average."
When she said "average," she meant it was passable in a group setting, but she herself didn't think much of it.
Killable.
But she still needed to ascertain the number of their people and whether a Forbidden Master was present, holding down their fort.
A'Diao shifted her Eye of Insight and spotted a few strands of hair and skin flakes. She brought her fingertips together, silently chanted an incantation, and the hairs flew up, spontaneously combusting into wisps of blue smoke... which then coalesced into a small butterfly.
With her left hand, she ignited a level-four invisibility talisman and applied it to the butterfly, rendering it invisible. Then, with a flick of her right fingertips, she commanded, "Go!"
Shoo!
The invisible butterfly shot out swiftly, covering several hundred meters in the blink of an eye.
A'Diao followed at an unhurried pace, observing the surroundings as she went.
Half an hour later, the butterfly flew into a cave.
A'Diao hid outside, her hands forming seals.
Hum!
The butterfly quickly spread its wings... and two eyeballs sprouted upon them.
The art of dual-technique superposition—this was also one of the core techniques of the Principal's control arts.
A dual fusion of tracking and prying.
But Toilet suddenly had an epiphany. "No wonder I kept feeling something was off! I just realized, that's not a butterfly at all! It's a mottled black-and-gray moth... No wonder it's so ugly."
A'Diao: "..."
"That's not the point! Damn it!"
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