ASER - Chapter 135
Chapter 135: Young Girl
The name Dongguo Yunmiao wasn't familiar to A'Diao, as she'd never encountered him. However, she had a good memory and had heard people gossip about him a few times, especially when Dongguo Yaoyun had appeared, boasting and blustering. Others couldn't help but mention Dongguo Yaoyun's genius older brother. Coincidentally, A'Diao also knew that the former top student of Linzhou Academy was Gu Yuntang, who was now disguised as Gu Tang. This situation with the old and new top students was somewhat dramatic, so she had paid a little more attention, but that was all.
Perhaps because Qingzhou's Three Prodigies hadn't appeared, A'Diao had encountered the current highest-caliber students from the Five Prefectures' Academies, like Han Zhuo and Song Erhu. Since she had already crushed them, why bother caring? Yet, she hadn't expected to be so arbitrary.
These days, once there are too many people playing the pig to eat the tiger, naturally, more high-level strategic players emerge.
It's a matter of probability.
A'Diao felt that someone like her, from a small place, truly lacked perspective. Look at this figure from Linzhou's dominant family—hiding his identity, using an alias, silently grinding and developing—what was that in comparison?
When he made a move, it was as a cult leader colluding with demonic spirits to meddle in the Five Prefectures, and his identity was hidden so deeply. If it weren't for Toilet's bug, she would never have guessed.
His caliber was probably even higher than Qingzhou's top three; he had been lying low for far too long. If Qingzhou's top three were also at this level, she truly felt she needed to work even harder to fleece more sheep.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have the capital to PK with them at all.
A'Diao: "Compared to this person, I suddenly feel a sense of shame. While he was engaged in his grand scheme, plotting for the Five Prefectures, what was I doing?"
Toilet: "Can't remember. You were probably either plotting to blow up the Tongzhou latrines or the Jinling latrines. You hadn't even ventured beyond the Five Prefectures yet."
A'Diao: "..."
So ashamed, so ashamed.
Though ashamed, A'Diao didn't waste any time. Taking advantage of the moment his fire resistance was damaged from being burned, A'Diao once again threw the 'Uncontrollable Emotions' curse at him.
The 'Uncontrollable Emotions' curse was perhaps more direct because it was a control-type. Dongguo Yunmiao, after all, was a super genius and had long been on guard. He didn't fall to his knees with a thud like those Snow Demons.
He resisted it and attempted to counterattack. His thinking was also very sharp; he realized that this Zhao Ritian's strongest ability was likely mental curses, so he had to use mental power to strike him!
And mental power attacks were also the most difficult to dodge and resist.
This wave of mental power indeed arrived.
A'Diao was at a disadvantage as she lacked direct offensive capabilities in this area, but... fortunately, the opponent's mental attack wasn't particularly high-level either.
The formless and intangible attack reached her mindscape but was largely blocked by the Whale Mental Net. Although the remainder injured her spiritual body, it still couldn't prevent her from launching a powerful assault!
She blocked it and simultaneously threw twenty to thirty... Level 6 energy talismans at Dongguo Yunmiao!
Holy crap!
The expression on Dongguo Yunmiao's face under the mask changed, but he had no time to retreat.
There were too many talismans, and the blast radius was too wide; there was nowhere to hide, so he could only endure it.
The dense halo of explosions swept across the ice layer, instantly shattering countless ice blocks. Steam hissed and roiled from the water's surface... Dongguo Yunmiao, having deployed all his armored defenses, was about to try and lock onto A'Diao's position again when he discovered... Fuck!
Uncontrollable Emotions came again!
Her curse skill activated so quickly? No need for charging, preheating, or incantation preparation?
Dongguo Yunmiao had no choice but to continue focusing his spiritual body on resisting the curse, while his physical body had to focus on enduring the explosions. Nevertheless, he still opened his Heavenly Eye...
There!!!
After Dongguo Yunmiao locked onto A'Diao's figure, he discovered this rascal had indeed snuck in.
He immediately threw a crystal sphere at her.
As both a Cult Leader and a super genius of the Dongguo Clan, how could he be short on resources? This crystal sphere was a Forbidden Item, and a one-time use B-grade bomb.
It exploded with a boom, adding another layer to the shockwave from the previous talisman explosions. However, Dongguo Yunmiao couldn't detect any fluctuations of blood and qi indicating Zhao Ritian was severely injured; instead, he caught the aura of a shattered talisman...
A Puppet Talisman!
Meanwhile, the real A'Diao had already raised her Yuan Staff amidst the explosions!
Directly unleashing her Mental Power and Spiritual Power, fully amplified, where the Yuan Staff pointed, the lightning elements in a three-li radius ricocheted into strands of light, forming a watermelon-sized ball of lightning in a swirling vortex.
Formed with a point, detonated with a touch!
A high-level explosive lightning technique, Lightning Burst.
Sensing the powerful energy fluctuations, Dongguo Yunmiao, now able to extricate himself, thought 'not good' and swiftly dodged, simultaneously summoning a Spirit Carrier from within his body.
The aura of this thing was a bit like the Soaring Serpent; anyway, when A'Diao sensed it, it released such an agile aura. But after being summoned, it wasn't for attack or support, nor did it have a function similar to the Soaring Serpent or Bifang. Instead... Buzz!
It quickly transformed into something resembling a tortoise shell.
Forbidden Item A-123, the Black Tortoise?
BOOM!!!
When the Black Tortoise Shell enveloped Dongguo Yunmiao, A'Diao saw the shell, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
Damn dog, he even has a life-protecting treasure!
A'Diao reacted extremely quickly. Seeing he had the tortoise shell, she swiftly unleashed a second instant attack.
RUMBLE!
When the Black Tortoise Shell took the second consecutive hit, Dongguo Yunmiao panicked. Instant cast? An attack with Glimmer Middle Rank destructive power, this Zhao Ritian could actually cast it instantly?
Moreover, this wasn't just a single instant-cast Lightning Burst, but a continuous, repetitive sequence from two consecutive curses to the instant-cast Lightning Burst, coupled with the powerful bombardment of talismans. The attack frequency was no longer just one after another, but simultaneous, high-frequency, and overlapping, pummeling Dongguo Yunmiao so much that he had no chance to counterattack and was controlled the entire time!
And to achieve such an instant-cast aptitude, how strong must her Meridians and Spiritual Core be? Conversely, how strong must her aptitude and spiritual body be?
At least 400 or above on average.
Terrifying!
How could such a person be in the Five Prefectures? Wasn't having one like himself in the Five Prefectures enough?!
Dongguo Yunmiao realized he had kicked an iron plate. A glint flashed in his eyes, and a talisman seal appeared in his palm under his sleeve as he feigned turning to flee.
Seeing his act, A'Diao decisively boosted her spatial stealth speed and quickly latched onto him from behind. Just as she was about to strike again, she suddenly sensed a spatial aura emanating from Dongguo Yunmiao.
Not good, it's a Teleportation Talisman!
Is he trying to escape? No, this damn dog is summoning someone over.
A'Diao's spiritual body was incredibly strong; her 5555 and Mental Threads twisted, signaling a warning. This indicated the opponent was definitely not someone she could contend with.
And this person was currently teleporting over.
A'Diao's heart grew cold. She realized the opponent's upper limit of strength might not be much stronger than the Snow Demon King, because her Mental Threads were only warning her, not showing fear.
Star Rank?
Probably not. Peak Glimmer Upper Rank or Half-step Star Rank. They shouldn't be stronger than Xiao Mieluo; otherwise, they would have long since ambushed and assassinated Xiao Mieluo or Xiao Jin.
But it was enough to kill her. Not to mention her current strength was less than a tenth of her peak; even at her peak, she couldn't withstand it. After all, the difference in rank was too great.
Even defying the heavens wouldn't work anymore.
However, according to the senses of her Mental Threads, the opponent was likely far away, and there would be a time delay for them to teleport over.
A'Diao gritted her teeth and made a decision almost without hesitation.
After the Teleportation Talisman was crushed, a spatial vortex began to tear open, and a figure was fluctuating into existence. Dongguo Yunmiao had thought his life was saved; after all, this Zhao Ritian was formidable and should decisively choose to flee upon realizing a strong expert was arriving.
Indeed, this person's aura vanished.
Just as Dongguo Yunmiao's heart relaxed... he flew forward.
But very suddenly.
Within the halo of explosions, a large number of Lightning Soldiers had apparently already infiltrated this area. They leaped up as a group, their long spears connecting into an electric net, sizzling as they paralyzed the unprepared Dongguo Yunmiao in the core area.
In the extreme halo of light, the formidable Black Tortoise Shell on Dongguo Yunmiao continuously released its power to resist the terrifying voltage, but he also suddenly realized a terrible danger...
She was still here!
Within the electric current, hundreds of Mental Threads clung to the current, leaped onto the Black Tortoise Shell, and then stabbed towards his head.
This is? How is this possible! Wasn't the opponent a freakish curse-user? How could they control such a precise and insidious mental attack?
In that instant, his head was pierced from all 360 degrees by densely packed Mental Threads.
His pupils trembled. Dongguo Yunmiao's spiritual body activated its self-protection mechanism in that instant, but it still suffered severe damage.
Cowering, trembling, distorting.
The Black Tortoise Spirit Plant Body trembled, and the tortoise shell vanished for an instant.
However, Dongguo Yunmiao's reflex was also fast; he held a Level 7 talisman between his fingertips.
At this moment, A'Diao flashed out from spatial concealment, Yuan Staff in hand, locking onto Dongguo Yunmiao. But she also sensed that she herself was locked onto by another person, who was rushing over!
Timing!
Let's see who strikes faster and more ruthlessly.
She silently chanted in her heart: Dongguo Yunmiao, turn into a pig!
Why not call out his name directly?
Because she was cautious.
She couldn't explain how she knew he was Dongguo Yunmiao. What if other cultivators nearby heard... How would she explain it to the officials later? Moreover, the person backing him was about to arrive.
Unless she could take down Dongguo Yunmiao directly, which would be ironclad evidence, then whether she called out his identity or not wouldn't matter.
Conversely, if she couldn't take him down and let him escape, there would be endless future troubles!
However, when she used the 'turn into a pig' move, she already had the intent to kill, merely being cautiously conservative to maintain her bottom line.
Dongguo Yunmiao was already a spent arrow. The instant the Black Tortoise Shell disappeared, he was enveloped by an insidious power...
BANG!!!
Dongguo Yunmiao's full body armor disintegrated. The moment his body turned into a pig, all his equipment scattered from his original form, leaving only the Black Tortoise Shell and other protections. But his original body had already turned into a pig.
He widened his pig pupils, incredulous yet terrified, wanting to cry out for help...
But A'Diao was ruthless and decisive. With a direct spatial blink, her body flashed behind him.
The sharp deboning knife in her hand was quite distinctive.
This was a classic version of a pig-slaughtering knife; butchers in countryside markets would have several of them.
It was particularly handy for her. A direct, vicious backstab—instant kill!
The blade edge broke through armor, pierced flesh and bone. The force was formidable, even carrying blade qi that pierced through and shattered ice blocks four to five meters away.
Simultaneously, she also swiftly collected all the equipment and storage treasures that had disintegrated from his body.
From stealth to kill, it was all done in one smooth motion.
She couldn't possibly let this damn dog leave alive; otherwise, with his aptitude and the Dongguo Clan's resources, he would be too great a threat to her.
One must know, she wanted to use the identity of Zhao Ritian to gain some privileges.
Therefore, he had to die.
The dignified Cult Leader of the Five Elements Cult, who had caused bodies to litter the Southern Sea Region of the Five Prefectures, a figure who had nearly usurped the authority of several dominant families in the Five Prefectures, a prodigy who, as a third-year high school student, had hidden his strength and built an incredibly successful undertaking—he probably never imagined, even in death, that he would be turned into a pig and then directly backstabbed to death with a pig-slaughtering knife.
This was no ordinary pig-slaughtering knife.
It was transformed from Toilet. To break the Black Tortoise Shell, nothing less than a powerful weapon would do.
Was he really going to die just like that?
Dongguo Yunmiao's eyes were filled with hatred.
Gurgle.
His throat twitched, his heart constricted... After cowering and distorting, the aura and Spiritual Power throughout his body began to disperse, masterless.
The sharp glint in his eyes remained, his ambition remained, but life is fleeting.
However, the talisman in his hand ignited.
Explode!!!
Level 7 energy talisman, explode!
A'Diao's expression changed slightly, but she reacted swiftly. As the blast wave damaged most of her skin, she hurriedly retreated into the 303, which she had already repaired with Mental Power.
The intense light of the explosion slammed into 303.
303 was on the verge of collapse, but outside, Dongguo Yunmiao had not yet fallen.
He was clinging to his last breath...
A'Diao saw him looking towards a distant spot, a hint of hope still in his eyes. Could he still be expecting someone to bring him back from the dead?
Dream on!
A'Diao didn't care anymore. She had already activated the Soaring Serpent teleportation, whose cooldown was over... As she teleported away, she also exited 303, intending to grab Dongguo Yunmiao's corpse on her way out.
Two golden rays shot over from different directions.
303 was blasted into smithereens by one golden ray, and simultaneously, Dongguo Yunmiao was ground into dust by the other golden ray...
From Dongguo Yunmiao +787878!
From Dongguo Jiaoqing +999999!
Fuck!
This person was also from the Dongguo Clan! But so decisive, to directly destroy Dongguo Yunmiao's corpse, cutting off all paths of survival for him. It was clearly to cover up Dongguo Yunmiao's identity and prevent his body from falling into A'Diao's hands to become evidence against the Dongguo Clan.
So ruthless.
But to have such strong emotional fluctuations while destroying Dongguo Yunmiao's corpse showed that the turmoil in his heart was not light. Conversely, his hatred for A'Diao was bone-deep.
A close relative? His father or his grandfather? Surely not his great-grandfather.
A'Diao was quite frightened and decisively merged into the teleportation, but she didn't forget to sweep away the Forbidden Item, the Black Tortoise, left behind after the corpse was destroyed.
This shadowy figure, Dongguo Jiaoqing, having ruthlessly destroyed the corpse to eliminate traces, how could he let A'Diao go? He actually raised his hand and sent a spatial dimensional blade... chasing after A'Diao.
Swish!
As A'Diao disappeared, the dimensional blade also slammed into her back.
Flesh and blood splattered onto the icy sea surface.
The man in black raised his hand, and the flesh and blood were swept away by him, but he sensed A'Diao's aura.
Random teleportation, but her luck was bad; she hadn't teleported far.
So, he immediately stepped onto his flying sword and streaked across the sky in hot pursuit.
Swish!
A'Diao emerged from the random teleportation and landed on the ice surface, immediately coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
Part of this blood-vomiting was due to her anger at the Soaring Serpent.
Fuck, that damned Soaring Serpent, what the hell is this thing! Every random teleportation stuck to the absolute minimum distance.
What, don't I deserve to escape further?!
The originally perfectly calculated plan—Xiao Jin, you failed me!
A'Diao was furious. The wind and snow were bitingly cold. She fled into the snowflakes, clutching the bloody hole in her chest, and roared at the Soaring Serpent, "Grand Governor, Grand Governor! Come save me! Holy crap, a Glimmer Upper Rank is hunting me down!"
"Big Sister Qu, Sister, where are you people!"
Before A'Diao could finish shouting, her hairs suddenly stood on end. She decisively rolled over and jumped into the icy sea waters beside her.
Water splashed up.
The next second, hundreds of flying swords rained down, densely and rapidly piercing downwards.
A thousand-meter diameter area of the water's ice surface was blasted into a sieve by the powerful metallic attack.
Moreover, the swarm of flying swords that fell into the water didn't dissipate. Instead, under the control of Dongguo Jiaoqing, who was piloting a flying device in the sky, they darted through the cold currents like sword-bodied water snakes, chasing after A'Diao.
The killing intent was terrifying. A'Diao was scared witless, fleeing rapidly... The sword-bodies were about to catch up to her.
A'Diao moved quickly, swiftly taking out the Black Tortoise while fleeing for her life.
Refine, acknowledge master.
Quick, quick, quick!
Dongguo Jiaoqing, flying in pursuit above, probably also noticed A'Diao trying to bind with the Black Tortoise to save her life. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly increased his spiritual energy output, his main body plummeting downwards...
Underwater, the accelerated golden snake sword swarm caught up to A'Diao in the blink of an eye, about to pierce her into a sieve.
Buzz!
The Sky Round Shield was instantly blasted apart, and then... Activate!
The complete Black Tortoise Shell barely blocked this terrifying wave of piercing attacks.
The attack power was too strong. A'Diao controlled the Black Tortoise Shell but found her Spiritual Power being massively consumed. Seeing she couldn't last much longer, she looked up and saw, above the thick ice layer, Dongguo Jiaoqing wielding a seven-zhang golden-edged sword, executing a sky-supporting leap-stab...
When the sword's edge pierced the ice, the two-meter-thick ice surface was like a thin membrane, instantly cracking and shattering. Waves of water were parted and sliced open.
The sharp point aimed directly at A'Diao, a hundred meters below in the center of the water.
Today, he would definitely kill this person.
At that moment, A'Diao experienced the temperature of death up close.
It had been a long time since she felt this way.
At this moment, what were her thoughts?
Just one thought—Kill me? Fuck, you think your sneaky Dongguo Clan, a bunch of traitors, are worthy?!
A'Diao was too unwilling. An unwilling person would risk everything to fight tigers and leopards, only stopping at death!
So A'Diao exhausted everything in one go, forcibly mobilizing 5555 Mental Threads to gather power.
This was an unrehearsed attempt, a desperate act.
You give me your seven-zhang golden edge; I'll take it, and I can definitely withstand it.
But don't let me survive. If I survive...
CLANG!!! The golden edge struck the Black Tortoise Shell. It trembled, resisted for about a second, and by the second second, A'Diao's Spiritual Power was completely exhausted.
Clang... The Black Tortoise Shell broke.
But A'Diao instantly dived into the Space Spirit Plant Body.
The Space Spirit Plant Body was pierced through in turn.
A'Diao emerged from the other side of the completely shattered Space Spirit Plant Body and, using the last second she had bought, activated the Black Cloud Seal within her body.
Black cloud elements howled out... A'Diao's mindscape also entered a state of near explosion.
Her mind went completely dark.
Her body was also enveloped by black clouds.
In the icy sea region, a realm of black clouds, but a giant golden-edged sword broke through the ice... A'Diao faced the terrifyingly powerful golden-edged sword with both hands, releasing all her Mental Threads into the black clouds, then frantically manipulated the black clouds to entangle it.
Hold it back, I must hold it back!!!
The black clouds were fluid, more suitable for the distribution of Mental Threads. They were seen being stitched together by the Mental Threads into two pitch-black, large hands, forcibly gripping the giant sword.
"Get the hell away from me!"
When it was a hair's breadth from piercing A'Diao's body, A'Diao's will to survive reached its peak, and her mindscape exploded.
All her Mental Threads also erupted, crazily infiltrating the energy body of the golden-edged sword, swiftly occupying and reversing control from within.
Get lost!
BOOM!!!
The golden-edged sword was forcibly pulled away and shot back in reverse.
When the golden sword was reversed, Dongguo Jiaoqing on the sea surface suffered a backlash, his head throbbing with a dull pain. It was only a light injury, but he was extremely incredulous, and even more so, terrified.
If this child is not killed today, the future troubles will be endless!
Seeing the person in the black clouds faintly visible but with blood gushing wildly, apparently having fainted, Dongguo Jiaoqing was about to rush underwater to deliver a finishing blow, but at this very moment.
The Snow Demon King's miserable shriek came from afar.
Dongguo Jiaoqing's expression changed. The next second, two ranged attacks, one from the front and one from behind, powerfully assailed him!
BANG!!! Dongguo Jiaoqing barely defended, but the two were too strong. The defensive shield on his body trembled and shattered. He felt his spiritual body being locked onto, and seeing a golden bracelet flying towards him from the front, he turned to flee.
But Xiao Mieluo's lightning blade still pierced him from behind.
A kill?
No, he crushed a Teleportation Talisman and fled without even leaving a drop of blood behind.
The next second, Xiao Mieluo and Qu Jiangnan arrived one after the other. The former dived into the deep sea, chasing after the person sinking into the depths beneath the black clouds, while Qu Jiangnan seized the time to collect this person's aura.
Unfortunately, there was no blood.
But it was definitely someone from within the Five Prefectures; otherwise, this person wouldn't be so frenzied as to recklessly hunt down this Zhao Ritian when both Xiao Mieluo and she were nearby.
However, after the two of them heard Zhao Ritian's call for help, they had just wanted to disengage and rescue him, but unfortunately, the Snow Demon King had accumulated some mental power and launched a wave of Extreme Cold Confinement, causing them to be delayed. In the end, they could only combine their mental attacks to blast its brain core.
Only then could they rush over.
But it seemed they were too late; it was uncertain if Zhao Ritian could survive.
But that Cult Leader was definitely dead.
His aura had vanished.
So... the identity of this Cult Leader was key.
As Qu Jiangnan pondered, she looked down into the water. What was going on? At a depth of several hundred meters, it should only take one or two breaths to retrieve someone. Why wasn't he out yet?
Qu Jiangnan normally didn't like to meddle in other people's affairs. This incident on the southern coast primarily targeted the Five Prefectures, especially Qingzhou, and didn't have much to do with her. But thinking of the strange feeling Zhao Ritian gave her, she became pensive and was about to go down to take a look.
Beneath the deep sea, three hundred meters down, Xiao Mieluo, being of the lightning attribute and a blade cultivator, was naturally extremely fast. He soon saw the man in shorts falling a couple of meters below him.
He was just about to scoop the person up.
But he saw the 30-year-old man's body change in an instant.
Good heavens! Due to weakness and being near death, layers of disguise—a disguise technique, an armor disguise, a talisman disguise, and even a strange, energy-less disguise that might be talent-based—peeled away like infinite nesting dolls, revealing the true form within.
In just three or four seconds, Xiao Mieluo saw the man in shorts and a floral shirt transform into a girl with skin as white as pale snow and delicate, handsome features.
Probably seventeen or eighteen years old.
She had long legs and a slender figure. Even at a height of 1.7 meters, the shorts and floral shirt suddenly looked too large, as if about to fall off her. The hem of the shirt billowed in the current, revealing a slender, soft, snow-white waist, its line curving inwards, exposing an exquisite section of her midriff.
There was spiritual frost in the vast sea; it clung to her body, spreading inch by inch, shining with a faint silver fluorescent halo, as if wanting to invade this clear, handsome-boned form and claim it as its own.
But she was unaware, exceptionally quiet.
Her seaweed-like black hair drifted with the cold current, disheveled yet enchanting. The blood flowing from her body was diluted by the dark blue icy water, yet it congealed into crimson threads.
This ocean was so vast.
It carried her, yet also wished to engulf her, to keep her here forever.
But she had blossomed, like an exceptionally pure white magnolia, noble and refined, deserving to be kept high on a shelf, delicately nurtured and revered; otherwise, she would be fragile, annihilated, and buried in the deep sea.
But was this her? No!
Zhao Ritian was a white magnolia? A camellia? A rapeseed flower? A foxtail grass flower?
A corpse-scented demon arum?
In that instant, Grand Governor Xiao, who since his youth had learned to wield great authority in Qingzhou and even the Five Prefectures, spending his days contending with powerful clans, his own family, the Imperial Court, and everyone else, was stunned by this scene. His mind still buzzed with the sound of a certain Young Master Zhao's incessantly chattering mouth from before.
Every time he wailed and shouted, there was always a deeper meaning.
Come quickly, come quickly!!! (Save me!)
Don't come, don't come!! (Scram!)
Come quickly, come quickly! (Still not coming to save me! Fuck!)
His temper changed faster than anything, his acting skills were better than anyone's, and his calculations of benefits and situations were nearly perfect, completely matching his and his sister's preference for not discussing emotions with people.
Such a man... where was the man?!
From Xiao Mieluo +1000001!
However, as someone who saw his sister's peerless beauty every day, Xiao Mieluo wasn't captivated by a little girl's appearance for long. The main reason for the fluctuations in his thoughts was his surprise that the person who had accomplished all these things, before and after, was such a young girl.
A third-year high school student or a university student?
At her age, he was far inferior to her.
Whether in cunning or methods.
After looking deeply at A'Diao for a while, Xiao Mieluo looked away and simply reached out his hand... At this moment, Toilet was somewhat nervous.
Those in power are most wary of the emergence of prodigies not within their control.
The more terrifying A'Diao was, the less beneficial it was for the Xiao Clan's rule. Even if she had sided with the Xiao Clan throughout and helped the two siblings a great deal, humans, after all, prioritize benefits by nature. Who could tell?
Just as Toilet was extremely nervous, Xiao Mieluo gently took A'Diao's arm, barely even touching her, just loosely holding and supporting her. His fingertip touched the point between her eyebrows.
Killed her?
Qu Jiangnan was just about to go down when she suddenly saw a shadow fly up from underwater. She watched with cold eyes as Xiao Mieluo came up, carrying a person.
Qu Jiangnan subconsciously looked closely. It was Zhao Ritian; his appearance hadn't changed, just that he was barely breathing, hanging on by a thread.
"Still alive." Qu Jiangnan also inexplicably sighed in relief, but then she suddenly noticed something and asked faintly, "Is the Grand Governor very familiar with Mr. Zhao?"
"Not familiar, but this person's merits are immense."
"No wonder you're giving him a princess carry."
"..."
A 1.89-meter Grand Governor princess-carrying a Zhao Ritian who was over 1.7 meters tall?
The atmosphere suddenly became... strange.
For the first time, Xiao Mieluo understood why people in Kyoto said that Qu Jiangnan of the Qu Family had an exquisite mind but was two-faced, inwardly hiding a knife.
"Mm, then I'll leave him to Miss Qu."
Qu Jiangnan had keenly sensed that Xiao Mieluo seemed to be intentionally hiding something from her and had intended to probe. But she hadn't expected Xiao Mieluo to put her on the spot so quickly, directly entrusting the man Zhao Ritian to her.
But she had no choice but to accept, because something had happened in the sea region.
The great army of demonic spirits from A Zone was coming over.
The ABCD Zones had finally formed an alliance. The crisis of the Five Prefectures was not yet resolved; they had to return to defend immediately.
However, Qu Jiangnan glanced at Xiao Mieluo's back, then at Zhao Ritian.
That Xiao had used some technique on Zhao Ritian.
But she wasn't sure what kind of technique.
Out of her upright moral character, she didn't probe, merely feeling slightly puzzled. Generally, when a cultivator was severely injured, external and internal injuries weren't critical as long as there was still a breath left in the fatal spot and the spiritual body was undamaged; the rest were minor matters.
So, if Xiao Mieluo said this person was severely injured, his spiritual body should be weak, chaotic, and dissipating. But this person... not at all, not even a hint of his spiritual aura had leaked out.
There were two possibilities: first, this person wasn't injured at all and was playing dead; second, this person's spiritual body was independent and was currently self-sealing and processing, and others couldn't interfere.
No wonder Xiao Mieluo wasn't intervening.
Toilet: "..."
Toilet: "Now you're being all upright? This is your disciple! That man almost saw her slender waist, and you didn't even hold her! Still maintaining a posture as if you're pensively researching something."
Big Sister Qu, you've lost out, you've absolutely lost out!
The bugle call for a general offensive sounded along the coastline.
Qu Jiangnan certainly couldn't carry a man in her arms, so she used her spiritual essence to transport his body back to the coastline at the fastest speed.
The people Xiao Mieluo had brought out earlier had already intercepted the large group of enemies brought by the Snow Demon King and the Cult Leader. With both leaders dead, many of these forces had scattered and fled, but as the demonic spirits from the ABCD Zones converged, they also regrouped.
Naturally, the Five Prefectures' military forces also quickly returned to defend and prepare for battle.
The coastline was orderly, not chaotic, but for this battle, everyone didn't have much confidence.
But despite such a critical situation, everyone still subconsciously looked at the person Qu Jiangnan had brought back.
Zhao Ritian?
The commotion earlier had been extraordinarily large.
This Zhao Ritian was terrifying.
Among the capable individuals here, Xiao Mieluo was unsurpassed, followed by the principals and Qu Jiangnan. But this Zhao Ritian's merits far surpassed everyone else's.
Too strong.
In front of everyone, Xiao Mieluo contacted Xiao Jin.
"Zhao Ritian fainted. Coming over?"
"Mm."
Never mind the people from the Five Prefectures looking like they'd seen a ghost, even Qu Jiangnan was surprised and looked at Zhao Ritian again.
The Principal couldn't help but send her a message to gossip: "Hey, is this Zhao Ritian Xiao Jin's lover?"
Qu Jiangnan: "Don't talk nonsense."
Principal: "I was just asking casually. Why did you react so quickly? It seems you're paying attention to him too, otherwise you definitely wouldn't have replied to me."
Qu Jiangnan: "..."
She was really annoyed to death by this old man.
After A'Diao was sent by the Dark Army Commander into the main tent to be cared for, the great battle also began.
The momentum of the allied demonic spirit forces was too great. Even though they had eliminated quite a few, they still looked somewhat stronger in numbers than their side.
Moreover, the enemy side had three Level 9 entities.
"A Level 8 Fishman advanced in A Zone, just recently advanced."
The Qingzhou Academy Principal glanced into the distance, "This situation is not good. Haven't the people below in the Lair come out yet?"
"Not yet. There are still many Snow Demons below. They want to keep these Snow Demons contained down there; otherwise, if these Snow Demons gather and use Extreme Cold Confinement on the surface, it will also affect us."
"The reasoning is correct, but the Level 9 demonic spirits from the sea region have surely already dispatched a vanguard to support the Snow Demons. It's too dangerous for them down there."
Xiao Mieluo also decisively ordered them to come out first.
Qu Jiangnan: "I'll go down to get them."
From her observation, the Xiao siblings were confident about this situation. They wouldn't lose this battle; they probably had some trump card. So, her presence or absence here wouldn't make much difference.
The principals here all knew her background and had confidence in her strength; after all, she was someone who could coordinate with Xiao Mieluo to kill the Snow Demon King. Thus, they all politely entrusted her with helping.
So Qu Jiangnan quickly flew down into the Lair.
However, just as Qu Jiangnan reached the bottom of the Lair, she suddenly sensed fluctuations from the Sacrificial Altar. She was startled—what was happening?!!!
On the coast, the two great armies had already clashed and begun fighting.
During this wave of fighting, Xiao Jin was already seated on an airship. She wasn't nervous at all, currently flipping through a book while receiving reports and intelligence probes from all levels of the Imperial Court.
Just two main points.
1. What's going on with your Qingzhou? The southern coast is in this state!
2. If you can't handle it, let our Imperial Court send troops. Our army is ready and on its way! I'm really going to send them!
Xiao Jin shelved these reports. She also had her trusted subordinates intentionally intercept and destroy all official documents from the Imperial Court's Grand Secretariat, using the excuse that they were ambushed and secretly destroyed by enemy agents, thus claiming not to have received them.
Fingertips flipping through the book, after a while, a subordinate came to report: "Director, the coastline is currently holding steady. The armies of the three neighboring prefectures are being contacted by people from the Imperial Clan, seemingly wanting to enter under the pretext of Linzhou's security."
Xiao Jin: "Then let them enter. Send them the combat locations in the coastal areas, lest they can't find the place."
Her tone was very casual, indifferent to how many people would lose their lives on the front lines.
As for the people from the three prefectures.
She rested her chin on her hand, looking at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, thinking to herself: If the Imperial Court and the Imperial Clan knew that the three neighboring prefectures had already formed a secret alliance with their Qingzhou, they would surely be very agitated.
Spiritual Energy was reviving; the whole world was becoming more and more exciting.
Her pale and sickly fingertips landed on a line of text in the novel.
—Night fell, the streets silenced their clamor. I walked at night, carrying a lamp; a furtive figure with a knife followed in my shadow.
The night watchman at the alley corner struck his gong once; this person's knife was at my neck.
The second strike, his head rolled off, silently dissipating heat, the moss stained crimson.
The night watchman passed by, casually kicked it down the steps; the round skull rolled into the surging river along the willow bank, bobbing past the small bridge and flowing water.
And I, my lamp still shone, the road ahead remained vast and uncertain, but I also walked, treading on blood.
"The world's transformation, a feast of power." She sighed softly, closed the book, and looked again at the monitored energy distribution map of the southern coast on the screen.
The forces from the three prefectures had arrived.
The southern coast, the dust has settled.
Next would be the reckoning.
In the study, she picked up her pen.
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