ASER - Chapter 130
Chapter 130: Not Human
There are many lairs in the coastal regions; Zones A, B, C, and D combined have no fewer than a hundred, large and small. However, the more dangerous the zone, the fewer the lairs, and the higher their level.
For instance, the Level 8 and even Level 9 lairs in A Zone tied down the strongest combat power of the Five Prefectures, including Grand Governor Xiao Mieluo and several academy principals.
Therefore, no one expected that the safest rear encampment, also the final line of defense—the resort areas on the mainland coast—would collapse. Actually, it wasn't exactly a collapse; to be precise, it was a suction.
The ground beneath it had been hollowed out, and the newly formed lair caused tectonic movement. The suction generated by airflow directly caused the collapse. This is the principle behind the emergence of most lairs, but this time it was too precise.
It was as if the lair's emergence in the Sea-Sky One Hue and other hotel areas was deliberately controlled and precisely targeted.
Well now, there was no need to fight; everyone had fallen directly in.
These people didn't even have time to fly up...
Wait, why couldn't they fly out?!!!
One minute ago, the instant the collapse occurred after the earthquake, all the cultivators present instinctively took flight without needing any reminder.
"Quick, go!"
Song Erhu was among the quickest to react. He stepped onto his flight device, shouting for others to leave, but then he discovered three terrifying facts.
First, the energy system of the flight device under his feet tried to operate, but after a few rotations, it failed to start. So, the flight device rose half a meter and then fell back down.
Second, he tried to use his Spiritual Power to drive the flight device, only to find that his Spiritual Power was also difficult to circulate.
Third, there was a terrifying gravitational pull from below.
If he were to count a fourth discovery, Song Erhu would truly feel utter despair.
Others were in the same situation.
"What's going on!"
"Fuck!"
Everyone was unable to fly, unable to use Daoist arts, and because of the collapse, the building structures were unstable. Various objects flew around, and people couldn't maintain their balance.
Amidst the shouts.
Leaning against the wall, A'Diao kicked Song Erhu, who was rolling over, in the butt, sending him away. Then, with a disdainful slap, she pushed away Yuan Shu who was bumping into her...
Big Brother Zhao was so fierce that everyone dared not approach, desperately trying to avoid her.
But this falling momentum soon stopped because... they were about to hit the bottom!
Someone leaning against the window saw the deep, dark underground world below. "Careful, we're about to hit bottom!! Everyone get out, or we'll be buried alive!!"
This person's scream alerted everyone. They were instantly horrified, and the faster ones had already darted out of the windows...
A'Diao was naturally fast. After exiting the balcony, she pushed off with her legs and jumped onto the rooftop of a sun garden on a lower floor.
Landing there with her were Bao Chong and others. Seeing the situation below, everyone's expression changed.
"What's that?"
"It's poisonous fog!"
Before they could react, everyone, along with the collapsing buildings and everything else, plunged into a layer of thick, viscous poisonous fog.
Unable to activate energy sources or Spiritual Power, they naturally couldn't activate their armor. Without armor, they couldn't use alternative breathing systems. Some, caught unawares, inhaled the poisonous fog; others were prepared but could only hold their breath.
Soon, BOOM!!!
Due to the kinetic energy from the high fall and the effect of gravity, the soil and buildings instantly shattered and disintegrated. The immense impact caused everyone to vomit blood.
Amidst the billowing dust, before everyone could recover from vomiting blood, they saw the blood they spat out land on ice, instantly solidifying into a vivid red. Everyone shivered from the cold.
"So cold."
"Where is this? A lair?"
"Be on guard! This place... Fuck!"
Just as everyone was trying to regroup to face the potential dangers ahead, countless snow-white ghostly figures appeared in the icy world of the frozen inferno before them.
They were surrounded.
Pale or bluish crystalline skin, slender and graceful bodies indistinguishable between male and female, enchanting faces, exuding a bone-chilling cold, yet their eyes were crimson. At first glance, they were beautiful, but a second look made one's heart quail, sensing their ferocity and brutality. Their gaze was like they were looking at a piece of pork about to be deep-fried.
A'Diao carefully examined these demonic spirits surrounding them, her heart sinking slightly: Fuck, no wonder they could cause such a huge mess. They were Snow Demons!
Moreover, because Snow Demons were hermaphroditic and had a unique method of reproduction, their population was always very large. That's why this lair was of such an enormous scale.
Especially since it had emerged on land, and Snow Demons were amphibious, its danger was likely more terrifying than the Level 9 lairs in A Zone.
Most people couldn't recognize these demonic spirits, but in terms of knowledge, the students from the academies were the best.
A few with good academic records recognized them.
"Snow Demons, a Level 6 demonic spirit group, but more terrifying than Level 7 and Level 8 demonic spirit groups. This is because of their high bloodline; they are one of the Ten Blood Demonic Spirit Races of the first generation, ranking first among ice-type spirits. This is solely because they possess a racial talent—Extreme Cold Confinement. Everyone knows that energy is generally activated through dynamic combustion, but their Extreme Cold Confinement can freeze energy. Controlling icy cold air is also inherently their ability."
Duan Fei's expression was somewhat pale as he added, "And when these two abilities are combined, once we enter the extreme cold world they control, we are like ants."
Holy shit! Many wilderness cultivators felt as if struck by lightning. However, some possessed an unyielding will. "But by the same token, they can't use their Spiritual Power either! We have quite a few people on our side, not too different in number from them. If we fight them, we can definitely win!"
"Right!"
"Fight them!"
Some with low Spiritual Power cultivation even thought conversely: Huh, if everyone relies on Spiritual Power for Daoist arts, they're Level 6 demonic spirits, while I'm only B-rank or C-rank. I'd definitely be cannon fodder. But if it's reliable close-quarters combat, then it's not necessarily so, hehehe, maybe I even have an advantage!
Ninety-nine percent of the people here had survived by fighting in the sea region; how could they easily admit defeat? Not to mention the military personnel. Bao Chong sneered and called for the Patrol Army and Black Iron Army members to charge out with him.
"Don't be afraid, there aren't many of them."
Bao Chong shouted.
As soon as he finished speaking, more than ten times the number of Snow Demons swarmed in from the entrance outside, further surrounding them completely. Some Snow Demons even appeared climbing on the icy upper walls.
The initially high-spirited crowd immediately became dejected.
Bao Chong's expression was slightly awkward. He shouted again, "It's okay, each of our warriors is worth ten of them!"
As soon as he said that, one of the Snow Demons suddenly leaped up, drew an ice longsword, and performed a mid-air jumping slash.
Swish! A wave of icy sword qi instantly cut a deep, three-meter-long gash into the ground.
Bao Chong: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Please shut up, thank you.
A'Diao really couldn't take it anymore. "Can we have some positive energy?! Everyone, even if they outnumber us, even if they are physically stronger, we have unyielding hearts! As long as we persevere..."
Thud. Suddenly, someone fainted.
Like a plague, they fainted one after another.
A'Diao: "..."
"It's poison. The previous poisonous fog has taken effect, and there are toxins in the air here too." Song Erhu spat out a mouthful of blood, saw that it had turned black, and propped his longsword on the ground. Looking at Bao Chong, A'Diao, and the others, he shouted, "Aren't you all very powerful? Go on, attack!"
Attack? Attack my ass! It was obvious they couldn't win.
A'Diao weighed their series of actions and their previous goal of human trafficking. She figured that this time, this group of Snow Demons and the people behind Sima Yu wouldn't kill them directly.
The Spiritual Cores and spirit clusters of living people were the most active.
This group just wanted to capture them now.
A glint flashed in her eyes. A'Diao still feigned stubbornness and charged forward with Bao Chong and the others.
But when Bao Chong was ganged up on by a dozen Snow Demons and hacked into mincemeat by their ice blades, she immediately raised her hand. "I surrender!"
"Everyone, surrender quickly!!! Getting hacked by blades really hurts!"
Others: "..."
Big Brother chickened out too quickly! Not a single wound on him, and he already surrendered!
While everyone inwardly despised him, many also quickly raised their hands, especially those Forbidden Masters and A-rank cultivators who believed in A'Diao. They surrendered in an instant.
Song Erhu, Han Zhuo, and the other high-spirited prodigies were furious upon seeing this!
Pah! Zhao Ritian, this cancerous tumor!
But those who followed A'Diao were all thinking: Pah, you rookies don't know shit! This is definitely my Big Brother's tactic! My Big Brother's schemes are unparalleled in the world!
Three minutes later, on the human side, those who surrendered surrendered, and those who collapsed collapsed. Indeed, no one died, but many were severely injured and bleeding. The blood on the ground was enticing, and many Snow Demons bent down to lick it.
A mysterious poisonous gas floated in the air, while other Snow Demons unhurriedly dragged people one by one towards a dark blue, icy tunnel.
One of the tall, Level 7 Snow Demons glanced at Bao Chong and A'Diao's group.
"These people are very strong. Lock them in the No. 1 Zone prison cells with the strongest prodigies from the academies... wait for activation."
"Yes."
Half an hour later, in a vast, labyrinthine prison, everyone was thrown into separate cells.
Bao Chong, A'Diao, and the Glimmer elder from Han Zhuo's family were locked in the same cell.
The elder had a dignified bearing; defeated but not diminished in spirit, covered in blood, he even brushed off the dust on the ground before sitting cross-legged. Such was the demeanor of a strong expert. Song Erhu and the others also endured their pain... until, with a thud, A'Diao and Bao Chong were thrown beside them.
"Ah, it hurts so much!" A'Diao cried out, clutching her arm.
The prodigies and experts in the nearby cells: "..."
The elder had at least heard about this Big Brother Zhao's personality from Han Zhuo, so it wasn't too surprising. His mouth twitched slightly as he said, "Little Brother Zhao, rest for a bit. We still have hope."
A'Diao: "Of course there's hope. I've long heard that Commander Bao Chong is skilled in leading troops and has awesome tactics. He must have had a plan long ago... He's just pretending to be unconscious, right?"
The elder watched as A'Diao reached out and, with one finger... poked into one of Bao Chong's bloody wounds.
From Bao Chong +244444!
"Huh, no reaction?"
She pinched hard again, and blood spurted out with a sizzle.
From Bao Chong +288888!
The elder: "!!!"
He suddenly understood why the Young Marquis both hated and feared this person.
The Young Marquis must have suffered a lot.
The two deputy commanders of the Black Iron Army, imprisoned in the next cell, were furious upon seeing this. But considering the other party's strength and background, they could only meekly beg A'Diao to treat their commander a little better.
After all, they were all grasshoppers on the same boat.
"Don't mention that. Usually, grasshoppers who say such things all die on the same boat."
From the two commanders +200000!
From Elder Han +333333!
From...
From Song Ling +188888!
From Bao Chong +444444!
Damn bastard, to be able to pretend for so long, that's pretty awesome.
A'Diao lowered her eyes, a dark glint flashing within them. She suddenly spoke, "Relying on you all, I might as well hope for my sister-in-law to come save me..."
"Young Master Zhao, does your sister-in-law know something has happened?"
"She dotes on me so much, she naturally keeps me in her heart. I feel that if I encounter danger, she will definitely feel a sharp pain in her heart, then know I'm in trouble, and then travel thousands of miles to save me..."
A'Diao had an attitude of unwavering belief in this. Everyone, probably because she had mentioned her sister-in-law several times and they were tired of hearing it, initially felt it was immoral, then later found it somewhat secretly stimulating. Now that their own lives were at stake... they actually felt a bit moved and expectant.
Sister-in-law, you must come!
"Big Brother, rest assured, your sister-in-law will definitely come."
"Yes, yes, yes, Big Brother is peerless, so deeply devoted. What woman in the world wouldn't love him? Don't you all agree!"
The female cultivators present: "..."
Han Zhuo: Why are you all looking at me!
Song Ling looked at A'Diao with a profound gaze for a while, then slowly said, "From our Mental Power discipline's perspective, given the distance between Kyoto and here, that level of heart-wrenching pain usually requires the stimulus of a loved one's tragic death. Young Master Zhao, you don't need to be so pessimistic."
A'Diao: "..."
Huh, has Little Song Ling realized I'm A'Diao? Otherwise, she wouldn't pay much attention to others, let alone strike up a conversation.
Toilet: "That's unlikely, right?"
A'Diao: "Then is she also into uncle-sister-in-law literature? Trying to deliberately attract my, Zhao Ritian's, attention? So she's this improper?"
Toilet: "..."
You have the nerve to talk about others?
Meanwhile, Song Ling was wondering why she couldn't help but want to retort against this Zhao Ritian.
Because she always felt that this person... was inexplicably familiar?
Strange.
But her intuition was naturally sharp, and recently, due to an accident in her cultivation, she had awakened a talent, making her even more formidable in this aspect. At this moment, she indeed couldn't discern Zhao Ritian's state of mind or the true nature of his spiritual body, but she could vaguely feel—he didn't seem like a normal person.
Although unexpectedly retorted by Song Ling, A'Diao was still satisfied with the over ten million she had harvested after being imprisoned. Then, she curled up in a corner of the cell and rested quietly.
Resting?
Waiting for her sister-in-law to save her, or waiting for those people outside to save her?
No, she never placed her hopes on others.
No one knew that when she lowered her head and her eyes, a dark glint flashed within them, and one hand touched her abdomen... What she sensed was not a Spiritual Core.
But a Level 7 spirit nucleus.
That's right, she was not human.
At this moment, above the collapsed Snow Demon Lair, no cultivators had arrived to provide support because a large area nearby had all collapsed, and everyone below had been dragged away and imprisoned.
And the Snow Demons had already climbed out of the lair entrance, spreading towards the dense forest.
The few cultivators in the dense forest were no match for them... they were basically defeated and dragged down into the icy lair.
And as the Snow Demons slaughtered across the land, it actually began to snow.
On the road from B Zone to the coastal region, when the collapse occurred, Qu Jiangnan hovered in mid-air, frowning at the coastal area. She reached out to catch a snowflake, rubbed it between her fingertips, crushing it, and her Mental Threads pierced into it. Soon, she frowned.
"Snow Demons."
"So that's how it is."
With such a precise design, the coastal region should have already collapsed.
Qu Jiangnan also knew about the Bandit Alliance trafficking cultivators in the coastal region. Considering this series of events, she vaguely felt that Song Ling and the others should still be alive, but probably wouldn't live much longer.
It would still take her two hours to reach the coast. Would she make it in time?
At this time, the Snow Demons were continuously searching the depths of the dense forest, knocking out cultivators and dragging them away. Little did they know that an invisible person on the mountaintop was coldly watching the super-large lair.
This person was also A'Diao.
Identical, but she was the main body, while the one below was a puppet.
As the saying goes, a wise person doesn't stand under a dangerous wall. She couldn't possibly enter the lair below herself; a puppet was enough to uncover some secrets.
Toilet: "As expected, the Level 7 energy puppet talisman made from a Level 7 spirit nucleus is really useful. Although it was hastily made on the road, the effect is very good. It's estimated that even Level 8 demonic spirits wouldn't see through it, but deceiving a Level 9 would be tough. You don't have much time left."
If A'Diao wanted to avoid the risks in this coastal region, she could have just fled after detecting the conspiracy of Sima Yu and others. Originally, no one here could have stopped her. Her staying meant she intended to get involved.
Since she was getting involved, she didn't plan to do it alone, mainly because she couldn't handle it. The enemy's conspiracy was too vast. So, on her way back to the hotel, she chose a collaborator.
Time rewinds to before she rushed back to Sea-Sky One Hue.
At that time, Toilet connected to A'Diao's thoughts: "If you choose a collaborator—because behind this A, there must be a huge interest group. They chose to cooperate with demonic spirits and betray the interests of the Five Prefectures, inevitably for greater benefits. And the Xiao Clan suffers the most from this kind of damage. So, you'll contact Xiao Jin? After all, Xiao Mieluo is in A Zone, you can't reach him."
A'Diao: "She's the head of the Intelligence Bureau. As long as the objective is clear, she should quickly be able to verify A's movements and suspicions—especially if I'm the target, just investigating those who are after me will do. But before that, I need to communicate with her. After all, from the current signs, A is not the main leader; there's someone behind him."
So A'Diao sent out that family letter.
The family letter was intercepted by A. He saw Zhao Ritian's plea for help to the Zhao Clan, but he didn't know that the font and wave frequency used in this family letter belonged to a special encrypted code. Even if A'Diao wasn't originally within the Intelligence Bureau's investigation scope, it would still be detected by the Intelligence Bureau. Thus, the family letter's information was transferred to the Intelligence Bureau and seen by Xiao Jin.
Less than three minutes passed. In the inner courtyard of the Qingzhou Intelligence Bureau, a frail woman in white, seated in a wheelchair, looked at the signal projected on the light brain. Her fingers tapped out the frequencies represented by the disassembled characters, reassembling hundreds of scattered signals without even needing a draft.
"There's a mole, high-level military, teleportation array, icy cold, Sea-Sky One Hue, underground, timing..."
She was Xiao Jin. She sensed the sincerity of the intelligence provided by the sender of this family letter.
"Zhao Ritian?" She mused, but quickly made a decision. She activated her highest authority and, in addition to the medium-level internal military signal line Zhao Ritian already possessed, assigned A'Diao's military contact number a top-tier signal line.
A level higher than even Bao Chong and the others.
Then, beep beep beep, A'Diao's Lieutenant Colonel insignia relayed a call signal.
Xiao Jin contacted her.
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