ASER - Chapter 206
Chapter 206: Guixu Ruins
Toilet was used to A'Diao's irreverence, but it also knew she had a purpose in everything she did, including acknowledging a "father."
But this Langya Kunlun was different. Would he get angry?
He already disliked Chen Gui's descendants; if A'Diao "acted up," she might very well be eliminated by him.
After all, he was a ruthless and decisive formidable figure from the Primordial Era.
While Toilet was nervous, A'Diao's face was earnest, until Langya Kunlun's smoky eyes seemed to faintly fix upon her.
The silhouette in his pupils was like clouds and mist.
"Are you afraid that the grudge between Chen Gui and me will become known to the people of Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain, who would then use it to drive a wedge between Lushan Academy and you? Is that why you want to establish a more stable relationship with me, to silence the public?"
He's a formidable figure, indeed, truly perceptive.
And he had seen that she already knew about the grudge between their two families.
A'Diao, having been seen through, showed no flaw in her gaze. Instead, she calmly said, "Mainly, it's because I like you. It might be a bit outrageous, but the first time I saw you, I felt close to you, as if we were meant to be the closest of kin."
One might have heard of forcefully striking up a conversation, but never of forcefully claiming kinship.
Kunlun's emotions remained calm. He didn't send any more Mental Power. Instead, he said lightly, "In less than a year, four Masters, two fathers, one father-in-law, one great aunt, countless 'spares,' you've also acknowledged the Empress Dowager, and even received the title of godfather before the Emperor. You have quite a few 'closest kin'."
Toilet: "..."
A'Diao hadn't expected Kunlun to be so clear about her affairs. Her heart skipped a beat, but she quickly said, "But, none of them are you."
Kunlun put down the book and sat obliquely on a soft cushion to the side. His wide robes were slightly open, revealing an ethereal beauty, hazy and indistinct. He said, "I am not good, and you cannot be my offspring."
A'Diao thought he disliked her and was thinking of trying harder. After all, she truly didn't want this matter to be exploited by Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain, ruining the situation she had worked so hard to achieve.
"Old Ancestor, am I not good enough?"
"I am an anomaly among humans, born without gender, let alone offspring."
"..."
A'Diao was stunned for a good while. Langya Kunlun, however, was as calm and natural as if he were Little Dragon Maiden publicly mentioning her defilement. "Do you know why the first power I created was Yin-Yang? It's simply because my original form is like this."
Born an anomaly, loneliness had seeped into the very depths of his soul. If he had any obsessions, they would surely be difficult to change.
Langya Kunlun saw A'Diao fall into deep thought and didn't disturb her. Just as he was about to leave, she lunged forward and grabbed his sleeve.
He was a Soul Body; she had to condense spiritual threads to form a hand just to tug at his sleeve.
Talk about each other's dark pasts? Talk about the hardships and pain of their youth?
What was there to talk about?
Langya Kunlun turned and looked down at her. He saw her say, "Old Ancestor, that's even more reason for you to acknowledge me! First, Heaven gave you such a perfect, flawless body, preventing you from being disturbed by worldly entanglements, allowing you to focus on cultivation. This was originally excellent. But a little treasure you were destined not to have—hey, suddenly she appears! What does this mean? It means you're fated to have me in your life!"
A skilled talker could describe a chamber pot as an ornate, universe-encompassing, glazed treasure vase. Chen A'Diao was spouting utter nonsense, yet it somehow stayed on track. The terrifying part was that she genuinely believed it.
Toilet felt that she genuinely found Langya Kunlun's origins enviable.
It seemed plausible. To look like that, and possess such aptitude—no matter what hardships he had endured, he was inherently blessed, like having a cheat code. If you asked online, how many people would want to trade places?
Countless!
So what if he couldn't procreate? He could effortlessly gain a peerlessly beautiful little treasure.
Langya Kunlun had long known she was an oddball, but he hadn't expected her to be this... "And the second reason?"
"Second, to infuriate Chen Gui, infuriate Chen Gui, infuriate Chen Gui..."
"..."
Now that Chen Gui was truly mentioned, Langya Kunlun, contrary to leaving, pulled back his sleeve, sat down again, and asked her, "How much do you know about Chen Gui?"
"Not much. I'm not sure about the good things, but I know all the bad ones."
A watertight answer.
"Then pretend you know nothing. If you're not a beneficiary, why get entangled in the karma?" Although Langya Kunlun didn't elaborate on Chen Gui, A'Diao became even more certain that he truly detested Chen Gui.
"Since you're afraid of being affected by this matter, you should know that only true power can allow you to transcend these things."
A'Diao's eyes lit up. "I think so too, so..."
Langya Kunlun glanced at her sideways. "So, wanting to be my daughter was a pretense. Your goal is for me to teach you something that can truly make you stronger—at least enough to kill a Lesser Spirit King."
A'Diao said honestly, "That's not entirely it. I genuinely want to be your daughter. My desire to latch onto someone powerful is real, very real every time."
Langya Kunlun could actually see her sincerity and was momentarily speechless.
She wasn't like him, truly not. Chen Gui was merely insidious, not this shameless. And her shamelessness was so refreshingly unconventional, so matter-of-fact.
But perhaps because she was genuinely a young and beautiful girl, she looked... not unlikeable?
And she was full of vitality, always striving to improve.
"You give people a certain feeling."
"Huh?"
"When I was young, I wandered through many places. I once saw an old woman in the mountains carrying a bucket of swill towards a pigsty. The pigs in the sty were just like you are now—clinging to the railings, jumping excitedly, oinking and grunting, their eyes shining with a green light. Really, I had that feeling the first time I saw you."
Damn you!
A'Diao: "..."
You're not my dad now, you can't run me down like this! Fuck!
If it weren't for your good looks and the fact that I can't beat you, I'd hang you up and give you a thrashing!
A'Diao's features scrunched up, but she didn't dare show her displeasure. She just grabbed the milk tea beside her and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Seeing her like this, Kunlun's lips curved into a slight smile. In that instant, his beauty outshone a thousand crabapple blossoms, surpassing the fairest in the land.
A'Diao was stunned.
Doomed. This person was harder to deal with than Old Man Yu and the others. Looking like that, if he bullied her, she might not even want to resist—of course, she'd forgive him!
Kunlun, however, was oblivious. "Don't you want to become stronger? Come here."
A'Diao immediately followed. Kunlun led her to a bookshelf and opened a secret room.
"After Yin-Yang, I used that as a foundation to research space and time. By a fortunate coincidence, I obtained a Spacetime Annihilation Stone and created this cultivation space. The time ratio inside is thirty times that of the outside: one day outside is thirty days inside. Moreover, it has counteracting forces that exceed gravitational influence, but it is a completely sealed, dark space."
"True, terrifying confinement is darkness and solitude."
"Do you dare to enter?"
A'Diao's eyes lit up. "Spacetime Annihilation Stone, is it the Spacetime Annihilation Stone ranked number one among cosmic material ores?"
Langya Kunlun hummed in affirmation. "It's quite rare; I only obtained a small amount. However, places like Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain also have some, given their deep foundations."
"Then wouldn't their people cultivate incredibly fast!"
"Perhaps. But mediocre talents have their limits; giving them more time won't change that. Besides, their spiritual bodies and physiques might not be able to withstand it. Do you know about cosmic spacetime tunnels? Even a Lesser Spirit King wouldn't survive long in one without protection."
A'Diao could tell from his tone—Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain didn't have as much Spacetime Annihilation Stone as he did.
The time ratio was definitely different too.
"How long can this be maintained? Does it depend on my own condition?"
"As long as you can endure it, it can be kept open for as long as you want."
"Then, does it consume resources? Old Ancestor, you..."
Kunlun was taken aback for a moment. He glanced at A'Diao, and their eyes met.
A'Diao suddenly had an epiphany: Holy shit, his original intention wasn't for him to bear all the resource costs, was it? But I assumed I had to bear them, and he was surprised, so did I just remind him?
No!
A'Diao opened her mouth to add something, but it was too late.
Pa! Kunlun, through his sleeve, covered her mouth—a mouth-sealing secret art!
"As long as you and your resources can endure it, it can be kept open for as long as you want."
A'Diao: "Mmph mmph mmph!"
"Your lack of objection means you agree. This child is teachable."
"Mmph!"
No, I don't want to!
A'Diao was about to grab his sleeve and beg, but Kunlun vanished with a whoosh.
A'Diao stomped her foot in anger. "Ah!"
Loose-lipped, serves you right for being loose-lipped!!
A'Diao slapped her own face, regretting it immensely.
After A'Diao entered the secret room, the door closed.
Kunlun reappeared, went to the spot where A'Diao had been nestled, glanced at the table full of snacks and milk tea, then looked at Yuanbao, who was helping her tidy up. He sat down and flipped through her previous drafts.
Yuanbao cautiously peeked at him.
In Kunlun's era, there were no such high-intelligence robots. He looked back at it.
Yuanbao blushed, scratched its head with its chubby tail, and asked if he wanted to watch some drama to pass the time.
"I have no interest in that. No need."
Yuanbao thought for a moment, then took out a cup of milk tea. "Diaodiao said this is the way to treat guests."
Kunlun: "?"
If I recall correctly, this is my territory.
However, he didn't say anything. While flipping through the drafts, he thought—this A'Diao wasn't even in a hurry to go to the ruins to fight for resources. Moreover, her recent cultivation core was clearly comprehension and creation, yet her innate physical aptitude had advanced by leaps and bounds. She evidently had other hidden methods.
She harbored a huge secret.
Moreover, the feeling she gave him was that even though their cultivation levels and strength were vastly different, she had never felt any pressure from him.
She probably hadn't even noticed this herself; otherwise, she would definitely have feigned it.
But the genetic limit of human beings was there. To improve, one could only rely on raising one's cultivation level. Her cultivation level was evident, and even her total spiritual energy was weaker than his. Why could she be so unaffected?
Unless... her biological classification was not human.
And she knew this, which was why she used Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain as a pretext... Were her origins unacceptable to the world?
Kunlun directly thought of the Celestial Clan.
The Divine Maiden and Chen Gui?
Was it possible?
Kunlun pressed the space between his eyebrows, a hint of confusion on his face.
After A'Diao entered the secret space, she indeed felt a terrifying change in the environment. The effects of the formulated elixirs she had taken outside over the past three months were mostly suppressed within her body, as they were too vast to be fully absorbed. But in this environment, her physique was subjected to terrifying pressure, causing the conversion rate to increase dozens of times, naturally promoting refinement.
Of course, A'Diao knew that the most important thing here was "time."
She needed time.
Three months were merely groundwork. She had long reached the peak of the Star realm, but she suppressed her cultivation from breaking through, precisely to complete forging her own Dao system before reaching the Grandmaster realm.
Hum. A'Diao summoned the Yinglong, the Book of the Yellow Springs, and the Yin-Yang Twin Cores.
"The Book of the Yellow Springs signifies time, but it is external. It doesn't mean I can control external time. Although it can be used to cultivate myself, it's ultimately not ideal. I must refine it into my own being."
"During this period, with the consumption of resources for formulations and various aspects, the Yinglong has already reached eight claws, just one step away from nine. This step is too difficult; it requires external impetus. I need the Spiritual Dao to assist me. To manifest the Spiritual Dao, I either break through to Grandmaster or invite the Spiritual Dao to descend when creating a Dao Tablet. Grandmaster is out for now; my grasp of 'Intent' is insufficient. Advancing would be rather muddled. So, I can only take the path of creating a Dao Tablet, like Kunlun, creating my first natal Dao Tablet in the Star realm."
"Then, the refinement of the Book of the Yellow Springs... the Yin-Yang Twin Cores need to..."
A'Diao had spent three months honing her foundation in the Star realm, each step exceedingly stable. Although she was eager to kill the Lesser Spirit King, she wouldn't rashly break through to Great Grandmaster just to achieve an increase in spiritual power.
Toilet: "Those people definitely think you'll break through to Grandmaster soon. In fact, you could. Three months and so many resources are enough for you to reach the peak of Great Grandmaster. But you didn't. Is it for this?"
The three most high-end trump cards A'Diao currently possessed were these three. It wasn't strange that she wanted to merge them into one to achieve a qualitative transformation, but the difficulty was considerable; otherwise, she wouldn't have dragged it out for three months without completion.
"It's not three trump cards. In fact, my biggest trump card now is actually the most fundamental: my physical body and mental domain. My physique has consumed so many mutated substances, but it still hasn't mutated, only improved, like a Taotie. My inherent defensive power is already comparable to a Lesser Spirit King. If this continues, all resources will be poured into my physique, while other methods stagnate. This won't do; it will lead to an unstable system, and I'll become a pure 'tank'."
In cultivation, if you don't advance, you regress. What's the use of becoming a tank, just letting others be unable to hurt you?
A'Diao had never imagined that her previously weakest physique would now become her strongest trait, even overshadowing methods like the Yinglong. While this was a good thing, she didn't have more Sun Image Light Spots or Moon Image Orchid Spirits to feed it to its peak and induce another mutation. Being stuck in an awkward middle position in the future wouldn't be good either; it would mean the resource effectiveness was lacking.
Therefore, she was thinking of unifying them. For this reason, she also wanted to latch onto Kunlun's powerful support to get some help.
Before this matter was settled, the opportunities at the ruins could be set aside.
Indeed, Kunlun's "thigh" was incredibly supportive; a single secret space had A'Diao as excited as a piglet in a sty.
After entering, A'Diao directly took out resources to feed the array disc. Its appetite was indeed huge. A'Diao calculated that the inheritance from two Spirit Kings, plus the benefits she had obtained in the border region, plus the assets allocated due to her royal noble status, could only keep this space open for 10 days.
"It's even more like a Taotie than I am, but it's worth it."
That converted to 300 days outside.
Thinking about the possibility of unifying her Dao system, A'Diao felt as if she had already tasted the swill, extremely excited. She immediately poured all her resources in and, of course, also controlled two clones to head out.
Toilet: "The direction you're heading doesn't seem to be towards the ruins?"
"Who's going to the ruins? Did you forget I have another 'bug,' and it's related to you."
Toilet: "?"
Even if she wasn't going to the ruins, she wouldn't suffer a loss. Once the ruins appeared, cultivators from the three kingdoms under heaven would all gather there, and so would the demonic spirits. Then, those immovable spirit gates within the Demon Caves would be... hehehe.
She still had a very awesome 'bug' trump card she hadn't used yet.
That was devouring spirit gates.
Toilet suddenly understood, sighing with emotion at how truly shrewd and decisive A'Diao was, always able to maximize benefits in the shortest amount of time.
So-called resources, in the end, weren't they just "Spiritual Energy"? They were energy sources, and spirit gates were energy sources.
Previously, attacking spirit gates basically required clearing an entire Demon Cave. Now, it wasn't necessary.
A'Diao's ambition was great—her biggest gap with a Lesser Spirit King wasn't anything else but the strength of her spiritual power. No matter how powerful her trump cards like the Yinglong were, they consumed a lot of spiritual power. A few attacks and she couldn't sustain them. That's why when fighting Great Grandmasters, she basically relied on a surprise attack burst to win in one go. She couldn't handle a protracted battle, let alone against a Lesser Spirit King.
To change this situation, she still had to rely on spirit gates.
However, just as A'Diao was about to start cultivating, she suddenly saw a wave of Mental Power burst forth.
Strange. Why were Shen Huajing and these people inexplicably sending her Mental Power?
Toilet: "A while ago, they were all secretly trying to curry favor with you, and you ignored them. Have they developed feelings from being 'abused' now?"
A'Diao: "Masochists, probably."
After Song Ling and the others returned to the border region, while being received by the commander in the main city to discuss upcoming troop deployments, they saw Chen Xun at the meeting.
Had this person transferred from Blood Abandonment Main City to this border region's main city?
But after listening to the meeting's content for a while, they learned that he had been promoted to Minister of Works three months ago, in charge of the Ministry of Works. This time, he was leading people from the Ministry of Works and the Research Institute to inspect border fortifications and implement offensive and defensive upgrades.
Just an official who couldn't cultivate. Ordinary cultivators wouldn't usually pay much attention to such a person, even if he was a high official. But in the current world situation, a powerful department like the Ministry of Works, linked to national defense, and with him being a ministry head, his status in the Tang Song imperial court was imaginable.
Song Ling and the others even saw a "courteous" attitude from this commander towards him.
However, although he had no cultivation aptitude, having two peak Great Grandmaster bodyguards was quite an impressive display.
Chen Xun wasn't very talkative, only mentioning general matters. Later, upon hearing that everyone was planning to return to Lushan Academy first to await deployment, he took the initiative to give them some things after the meeting ended.
"Is this considered currying favor with us?"
"Don't know. Let's see what it is."
Opening their storage rings to take a look, apart from some technological products, one book was particularly conspicuous.
Xia Sanlu: "Let me see, the title is—The Self-Cultivation of a Spare Tire."
Everyone got one; it was like a wholesale distribution.
This Chen Xun was something else, wasn't he?
Li Che and the others had subtle expressions. A critical hit of Mental Power.
Shen Huajing flipped through the book but looked at Song Ling and sent a voice transmission, "Can you help pass on a message, or can you make the decision? Am I worthy of being her spare tire?"
Song Ling: "..."
After everyone returned to Lushan Academy, they wanted to find A'Diao to ask about the "spare tire" matter, but the Lesser Spirit King seniors of Lushan Academy already had results from their survey of the ruins.
"It is ruins, and on a very large scale. Otherwise, it wouldn't have attracted demonic spirits from all three kingdoms. But these ruins are very strange."
The Qian and Kun classes, along with Li Cangxue and other elites of Lushan's younger generation, were all gathered in the conference hall. Elders, Grandmaster guards, and others were also present. Bailu was one of those who had gone out to investigate; he possessed clairvoyance and could record some images.
"The source of the ruins is located outside the three kingdoms, but closer to Lie Qin Nation and Nan Jin Nation, off the east coast where their territories meet. Although it doesn't belong to either nation's territory, their troop deployments there are very strong. Look, this is Nan Jin's Gu Poison Dense Forest, and over here is Lie Qin's White Bone Wasteland. The great canyon coast sandwiched in between is the source of the recent changes—a giant island has appeared there."
"This island emanates the aura of ancient ruins. It has drawn away all the poisonous insects, plants, demonic spirits, and so on from the Gu Poison Dense Forest, and also the overlord of the White Bone Wasteland, the White Bone Clan. When I went there, I almost clashed with that White Bone Demon King."
The White Bone Demon King was a level 23 Spirit King-level demon king, basically an overlord of a region, controlling the White Bone Clan. Even Bailu had to avoid a direct confrontation with it.
"So, going early isn't necessarily a bad thing. Right now, it's mostly experts at the Great Grandmaster level and above from various factions who are exploring and attacking. You little ones will have to wait until the frontline troops advance before you go take a look. Don't be too curious, or don't come crying if you die there. Previously, a group from Lie Qin Nation had several students die on the periphery. I heard Bai Xiangshou was even punished for it."
Bailu was mild-tempered and spoke humorously, but this was also a reminder to everyone.
Qing Zan looked at Old Man Yu. "Mountain Head, do you have any impression of these ruins?"
They had all survived the slaughter of the Primordial Era, and they felt that the appearance of these ruins was too mysterious.
The source of ruins was usually a battlefield. They were clear about the large-scale battles that occurred throughout the Primordial Era, but they couldn't recall any battle happening here.
Old Man Yu was already pondering. Later, he said thoughtfully, "Three hundred years ago, in that final year, we did indeed sense some activity from this region. But when we went to investigate at that time, we found no traces left behind. We only knew that there was originally an island there, which later disappeared."
"It was suspected to have sunk."
"And that island was originally named—Guixu."
As he said this, his expression became somewhat grave.
"It is said that it was once the residence bestowed upon Lord Changting by the Celestial Clan Divine Maiden. At that time, Lord Changting was the representative of the Celestial Clan, and it was said that he controlled a Human Clan Karmic Luck Dragon Vein in Guixu."
"Lord Changting fell, and Guixu sank into the deep sea."
So, does the reappearance of Guixu now mean that Lord Changting has returned?
On the Tang Song Imperial Family's side, the NO1 Great Elder's expression was gloomy, and the eyes of the others flickered. Previously, when targeting A'Diao, these people had discussed it heatedly, wishing they could use all thirty-six stratagems to eliminate her. Now that Lord Changting was involved, they felt more dread and panic.
"Lord Changting clearly fell. How could he reappear in the mortal world? Could it be that the Langya Clan lineage is making a comeback?"
"Recently, I've heard some news about that Chen A'Diao..."
The Great Elder waved his hand. "This matter was definitely orchestrated by Lie Qin and Nan Jin. They want to destroy Lushan Academy. Moreover, Chen A'Diao might even suspect we did it, further promoting division within our Tang Song. But this is not in our interests. As for these ruins... I always feel someone is pulling strings from behind the scenes."
"There's likely something treacherous about these ruins. But after the Langya Clan was exterminated back then, their treasures disappeared without a trace. I've observed for so many years and feel that no one obtained them. So, I'm not sure if these ruins are controlled by someone or appeared unexpectedly. Therefore, even if there are risks, we must participate."
"Pay close attention to the movements of Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain."
Guixu hiding a Human Clan Karmic Luck Dragon Vein was not an empty claim. In the Primordial Era, they all knew and had even confirmed the truth of this matter.
Unfortunately, they failed to obtain it back then.
The world was divided into three, and each of the three kingdoms possessed only one Human Clan Karmic Luck Dragon Vein. One could imagine how important the one in Guixu was.
It was enough to change the entire world's political landscape.
After a moment of silence, the Great Elder suddenly said, "Activate them ahead of schedule. What must be fought for, must be fought for."
The others were startled. "This will consume too many resources, and it will damage the foundation! Those are the most elite bloodlines of our Dantai Clan."
The Great Elder narrowed his eyes and sneered, "If the Human Clan Karmic Luck Dragon Vein is taken by others, our Tang Song's situation will be the most dismal. We will definitely be the first to be swallowed."
"Remember, activate the second-generation golden bloodlines first. Those from the primordial generation... absolutely do not disturb them."
Everyone immediately fell silent.
The second-generation golden bloodlines were generally younger than them and still controllable. However, the terrifying talent of some individuals was no weaker than the current Chen A'Diao. Releasing them would be tantamount to interfering with the current karmic luck, suppressing the rebellious spirit of the younger generation, and helping to reclaim the imperial family's karmic luck.
But the primordial, or first-generation, old monarchs absolutely could not be awakened. They were their direct ancestors, and they couldn't afford to offend a single one.
If they wanted to maintain their current good days of wielding immense power and influence, they couldn't do that.
Chen A'Diao was completely unaware of how terrifying the three imperial families of the three kingdoms were.
Kyoto, in a hidden place. An old man stood behind a window, slightly bowed, and said in a low voice, "The plan is complete. They will go there soon..."
"It hasn't succeeded yet. What's there to talk about completion?"
Behind the window, an indistinct figure, back turned, was teasing a caged bird with a feather. Their voice was hoarse. "Guixu, ah. A burial ground from three hundred years ago. Three hundred years later, there's no hope of returning alive."
It seemed they chuckled softly.
The caged bird trembled.
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