ASER - Chapter 208
Chapter 208: Tong Que
Guixu, being an island resurfaced from the deep sea, naturally possessed the characteristics of a maritime mystic realm. It was damp everywhere, with lush vegetation—perhaps too lush. Poisonous flowers, toxic grasses, and various venomous insects and demonic spirits from the Gu Sorcery Forest were like a plague, spreading everywhere. Due to the unique environment and abundant spiritual energy, there were over a dozen exceptionally large spirit gates on the island alone. However, these were now like claimed territories, occupied by various demon kings, the most notorious among them being the White Bone Demon King.
Although experts from various factions had already arrived on the island and had essentially clashed with these demon kings, they had also cleared paths for some cultivators to ascend the island. These paths were like official roads, offering much higher safety. Even so, the island remained exceedingly dangerous due to the convergence of demonic spirits from all sides.
The people from Lushan Academy had anticipated being targeted by those from Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain. After all, with A'Diao around, Lushan was viewed with apprehension. And with A'Diao in secluded, arduous cultivation, these individuals became soft targets.
Avoiding them was a must, so they banded together.
Even Luo Guang, Yu Chisu, and others spontaneously joined forces with Handan Jidao's group. They took a route that skirted the Gu Sorcery Forest, avoiding the spheres of influence of both Nan Jin and Lie Qin. After much difficulty, they managed to land on the island, cautiously lying low and gathering resources, progressing step by step.
However, news soon spread that Lushan's Song Ling had killed Fan Ling of Bronze Mountain. For a time, Lushan's reputation soared, while Bronze Mountain was left humiliated.
It seemed like a good thing, but it quickly led to Lushan disciples being targeted by various groups. Even people from Tang Song were affected, and ambushes became commonplace.
This was like fan circles in the entertainment industry. Initially, everyone was more or less on the same level, maintaining a balance. But then, suddenly, a balance-disrupting Chen A'Diao appeared, muddying the waters of the entire pond, and all sorts of unsavory characters emerged. Originally, due to A'Diao's dominance, too many who tried to stand out were eliminated, which, for a time, managed to curb this trend.
But now, with Song Ling's sudden rise, everyone thought of Chen A'Diao.
Many people panicked and began to attack them collectively, fanning flames, praising to kill, subtly demeaning, and highlighting their threat, ultimately creating a difficult situation for the Lushan disciples.
An era might allow one extraordinary prodigy to suppress the stars, but it couldn't permit a group of prodigies from the same camp to dominate the entire field. Cultivators from Lie Qin and Nan Jin had already recognized the crisis.
So, they tacitly united to attack Tang Song, especially targeting Lushan.
However, at this juncture, footage of Fan Ling and Bai Xiangshou's group attacking suddenly appeared online. When Fan Ling was killed, Bai Xiangshou was a step behind. Later, he pursued to retrieve Fan Ling's body, and then decisively led his people to retreat...
The video was complete, unedited, and authentic.
Using truth to reflect the true nature of people's hearts.
In truth, from the perspective of the situation at the time, Bai Xiangshou's choice wasn't wrong. However, human nature often leans towards the darker side of assumptions. Just as these people besieged Lushan for their own interests, now that a flaw appeared in Bronze Mountain's Bai Xiangshou, ordinary people, especially the citizens of the three nations living online, naturally spun conspiracy theories, instantly turning Bai Xiangshou into a schemer who "used Fan Ling as a shield, borrowed a knife to kill, and then besieged Lushan."
The waters of this pond became even murkier, and Bai Xiangshou's reputation suffered. After all, Bronze Mountain wasn't a monolithic entity.
Simultaneously, Lushan, on the other hand, started spreading rumors like, "Song Ling is just awesome, taking on a whole group by herself, comparable to Chen A'Diao." This reverse propaganda, hyping Lushan's prowess, left many bewildered. However, some vaguely suspected this was Bronze Mountain's counterattack, aiming to put Song Ling in the hot seat.
"Impossible, right? Her innate talent and foundation are what they are. Chen A'Diao isn't a god; how could she make Song Ling so formidable all of a sudden?"
"Exactly, the more I hear, the more far-fetched it sounds. It seems more like Bronze Mountain is doing this deliberately."
"Bai Xiangshou's position in Bronze Mountain is much better than Chen A'Diao's. The Bai family is also a leading powerful family in Lie Qin. He fought tooth and nail with Fan Ling and the others. To say that as a chief, he had no trump cards and truly couldn't save Fan Ling at that time, I don't believe it. Conversely, if you say Chen A'Diao would sacrifice her own interests to fully help Song Ling progress so quickly, even to the point of threatening her own position, I believe it even less. Is there such a saint in this world?"
"Chen A'Diao, a saint? Hahaha."
"To the poster above, I'd rather admit she's holy than admit she's human. By the way, I'm from Tang Song."
The tide of public opinion shifted, turning into discussions of "Bai Xiangshou is not human" and "Chen A'Diao is a saint," with the popularity rivaling the number one trending topic across the three nations' networks.
Chen A'Diao's ruthlessness and ferocity were acknowledged by all three nations. The more clamorous this news became, the more detrimental it was to her, highlighting the falsehood behind it, and causing the hype to backfire. In any case, Bronze Mountain's Bai Xiangshou was cursed to hell and back, his reputation plummeting.
And this idea, naturally, came from Song Ling.
As the storm of controversy reversed, on a part of the island, at one end of a mountain gorge, the cliffs on either side were separated by seven or eight meters. The turbulent wind, however, concealed the auras of the few people on both sides.
At this moment, on the left cliff, stood a line of figures in red robes. The leader had a crescent scimitar hanging from his waist and a golden collar floating around his neck. This attire seemed somewhat flamboyant, but beneath his distinctive Western Regions features, it exuded a wild and uncanny nature. His azure pupils were fixed on the black-robed, gold-patterned man on the opposite cliff. "Is this all Bronze Mountain is capable of? That Bai Xiangshou is nothing special. Your Excellency Tong Que, aren't you going to kill him and be done with it?"
Tong Que sat on a rock, arms crossed, his dark hair falling slightly. He smiled, "Young people, they always make mistakes. We weren't necessarily much better than these kids back in our day. Why be so harsh? However, Lord Holy Son has come in person. I wonder if Her Highness Saintess has arrived? There are some matters I'd prefer to discuss directly with Her Highness Saintess."
Wu Mountain valued its female lineage; in the way of Gu sorcery, female Gu were especially potent. For generations, the Saintess had been the Mountain Head, and the so-called Holy Sons were mostly secondary.
Tong Que's words carried a hint of provocation.
The Wushan Holy Son gripped his scimitar with one hand, dissatisfaction flickering in his eyes, but he said in a low voice, "Chen A'Diao hasn't even appeared, yet Your Excellency Tong Que already feels it necessary to exhaust the combined strength of Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain just to deal with those from Lushan?"
"Everyone knows Lushan suffered heavy losses three hundred years ago and doesn't have many talents left."
Tong Que: "It's better to be cautious. However, since Her Highness Saintess isn't here, talking to you is the same—I've already found their hiding place. Prepare yourselves."
After the two groups left, a woman in a red robe appeared where the Holy Son had been standing. She pulled down the hood of her robe, sat down, and took out a thermos... taking a sip of goji berry water.
Her veteran cadre demeanor was quite pronounced.
A Dharma protector beside her whispered, "This Tong Que is a direct descendant of Bronze Mountain's founder. He cannot be underestimated. He was just searching the vicinity, looking for traces of Your Highness."
"I know. This Tong Que has always had such a profound and reserved demeanor. But when it comes to generational prodigies in Bronze Mountain, the strongest have all come from the Tong clan. However, Tong Que isn't quite second only to the founder."
"Is Your Highness referring to Tong Que's seventh uncle, Tong Huang?"
"Precisely him. His talent was rumored to rival that of Langya Kunlun back then. He was incredibly arrogant and fierce. But later, somehow, he was beaten to death by the then newly risen Corpse King Yan Xi, who was at the peak of the Lesser Spirit King realm. Although Bronze Mountain's founder appeared in a critical moment to save him, his life couldn't be saved. If he hadn't died, with Lushan's talents withered at the time, and my Wu Mountain lineage's aunt then troubled by love, self-imprisoned in the Gu Cave for three hundred years and still unwilling to emerge, I'm afraid the three sacred lands would have long been unified by Bronze Mountain."
The Saintess lowered her eyes, twisted the cap of her thermos, and said softly, "It was also because of this that Yan Xi was hunted by Bronze Mountain, beginning a history of rising while on the run."
"Speaking of which, the Chen A'Diao they just mentioned, capable of fighting a Grandmaster head-on at the Star realm, is indeed on their level. No wonder Tong Que is so cautious."
The Dharma protector: "Then, will Your Highness participate?"
Since this Saintess awakened, all contemporary Saintesses had their titles removed. Wu Mountain did not need a second Saintess.
And this one, back in her day, had also killed Grandmasters at the Star realm, and even fought Lesser Spirit Kings head-on without defeat.
Thus, there was a legend from the primordial era: Wu Mountain only had three Saintesses. The first generation was the founder, the second was her aunt, and the third was her.
To say Wu Mountain was inferior to Bronze Mountain was an overstatement of modesty.
"If she's a genius who can be eliminated by a trap of this level, then she's not a true genius. However, I awakened late. Is that Chen A'Diao really that formidable?"
In her view, Tong Que seemed to be aiming to eliminate Song Ling and the others to sever Lushan's future, but in reality, his sword was still pointed at Chen A'Diao.
As geniuses revived from three hundred years ago, they desperately needed the karmic luck of the current era, and slaying contemporary prodigies was the most direct way to obtain it.
"Yes, an unparalleled prodigy," the Dharma protector stated decisively.
To still underestimate Chen A'Diao at this point was courting death. Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain were not overreacting, just as the Tang Song Imperial Family's desire to kill Chen A'Diao was not shortsighted.
"Tang Song, ah, I've never liked this place. Back then, those Three Gentlemen... Aunt was terribly harmed by that Kunlun. Love at first sight, deeply rooted affection, yet she had no choice but to be his enemy. To this day, the elders advise successive Saintesses never to be captivated by the superficial appearances of Tang Song's scoundrel men. They are all banes."
The Dharma protector looked awkward but obediently cursed a few times, "That's indeed true. Whether it was Lord Changting, Chen Gui, or Kunlun, they all relied on their good looks to deceive young girls. Truly scumbags. Fortunately, this Chen A'Diao is a woman."
In reality, both Lord Changting and Kunlun avoided women. But, well, the more they avoided, the more alluring they became. The fame of the Three Gentlemen spread like wildfire back then, harming countless people, even many male cultivators fell into their trap. So, there were historical reasons why Lushan was targeted with such gnashing teeth by Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain.
The Saintess put away her thermos and said softly, "Whether she is male or female is of no consequence. I will absolutely not follow in the footsteps of my aunt and the others."
Adding "and the others" after "aunt" showed that Wu Mountain had suffered considerably.
Truly old grudges.
At this moment, a group of people was hiding in an earthen cave created by elemental controllers like Nie Yuanyuan and Xia Sanlu, to avoid the recent endless assassinations. They hadn't expected Song Ling's reverse maneuver to defuse the crisis.
Actually, when A'Diao first emerged, her alignment with Song Ling was always very clear; the latter never even tried to hide it. Later, Xu Ye, Duanmu Qingyang, Xie San, and others were also part of it. Because Song Ling had a low-key style, was taciturn and cautious, and not as conspicuous as the others, she was gradually overlooked.
But, you would discover there was a reason why this person could become Chen A'Diao's only acknowledged friend to date. Seemingly different in style, they shared a common trait—plan before acting, and act with thunderous force.
For example, when dealing with the siege by Bai Xiangshou and others earlier, Song Ling knew about it but didn't warn anyone. She merely lay in wait and launched a surprise attack, resolving the crisis and establishing her position among the Lushan students. The deeper reasons behind this, clever individuals like Handan Jidao and his group understood clearly.
But this was an overt scheme.
At this moment, this was also her overt scheme. It seemed as if this person's image had suddenly been established in Lushan.
In fact, some of the news online wasn't wrong—in a sense, Song Ling did seem to be replacing Chen A'Diao.
But at this time, Shen Huajing privately asked Song Ling by the side of a hidden underground river, "With such methods, although the immediate crisis is resolved, there are also hidden dangers. Could it be..."
Song Ling didn't deny it, instead asking, "You've seen through it and still ask me? Aren't you going to flee? Being a pawn carries risks."
Shen Huajing, however, smiled. "Teacher once mentioned the generation of Lushan's founder. The founder was powerful and ruthless, his style identical to A'Diao's. But he always protected those who followed him and always exterminated those who resisted or betrayed him. Among those who followed him, some were not without those who had fought him and lost, yet he never held grudges or secretly harmed them. His resolve was unshakeable. This was how he founded and developed Lushan under the pressure of Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain, even once powerfully suppressing both. Later, when the founder became an enemy of the Imperial Family, to avoid implicating Lushan, he separated himself from Lushan. Yet, Lushan still followed him entirely, fighting alongside him, falling for him without regret."
"Do you think those prodigies who followed the founder in that generation were foolish? Did they regret it?"
Song Ling: "I am not them, and A'Diao is not the founder."
Shen Huajing: "Indeed, she is not. But I have a premonition that she will be even stronger than the founder."
Song Ling was somewhat surprised. Her confidence in A'Diao stemmed from witnessing the methods A'Diao displayed even at her weakest, but this Shen Huajing was a bit strange.
"People who study art are generally perceptive, so we can understand people's emotions. Even the founder, in my opinion, had moments when his emotions were uncontrollable, and this uncontrollability even affected the rest of his life. Admittedly, this is also a manifestation of his strength and determination, but I feel that someone like A'Diao possesses more... of an emperor's disposition."
Emperor's disposition—these four words seemed to reveal a certain secret.
Song Ling narrowed her eyes. She indeed had an unspoken understanding with A'Diao. It was because she saw through A'Diao's schemes that she began to rally support around herself. But Shen Huajing, this poetic painter, was the second person—most people believed A'Diao was passively enduring the Imperial Family's malice; currently, only the two of them knew that both sides had long since taken the initiative.
An emperor—ruthlessness supreme, allowing no flaws.
"Our mental secret arts can complement each other. You've seen their power. My mental art emphasizes 'Realm,' yours emphasizes 'Intent.' Combined, they form the strongest 'Intent-Realm Annihilation Dao' of the mental type, capable of deterring Lesser Grandmasters even when outleveled. If utilized well, besieging and killing a Lesser Grandmaster is not out of the question. Consider this my pledge of allegiance."
Shen Huajing sat on a rock by the river, her green robe as before, but her smile was fresh.
"But I'm not pledging to the Junior Sect Master, but to you."
"The Junior Sect Master is ruthless and has no need for affection towards subordinates; it's merely a matter of interest-based factions. But Miss Song, your character and strength, I admire greatly."
Song Ling nodded slightly, signifying her agreement. It was also at this moment that the model combination, later hailed as the dominant force in the mental arts among the three cultivation factions, was thus formed.
However, just as the two reached an understanding, the earthen cave was bombed.
They're here.
When Song Ling and the others emerged from the earthen cave, to their left was a mountain forest, to their right a sea of bamboo, with a mountain stream separating them. It was originally an extremely beautiful place, but it became terrifying once fighting broke out.
Bai Xiangshou and other Bronze Mountain experts, along with people from Wu Mountain, had surrounded this place, forming a massive, inescapable net. However, they also feared attracting the attention of some terrifying demonic spirits on the island, so they used a Transcendent Mid-grade treasure to seal off their auras.
They were all chiefs; they didn't lack such treasures.
And Bai Xiangshou, having suffered such a huge loss online and been cursed to hell and back, showed considerable restraint by not berating Song Ling and the others at this moment. He didn't want to create further complications. Moreover, he knew that with their current strength, using Song Ling's group to lure Chen A'Diao for a clean sweep was wishful thinking. The real plan was to quickly eliminate one wave and then retreat. As for whether the elders of Bronze Mountain had arranged for people to ambush Chen A'Diao, that was someone else's business.
A Lesser Grandmaster, even a chief, wouldn't dare to slay a great dragon.
Therefore, Bai Xiangshou's objective was clear, and his actions were decisive. He launched a direct, powerful assault. On the other side, the people from Wu Mountain, who had reached an understanding, did much the same.
One wave to take them all out.
Both sides came prepared. Song Ling's group numbered several dozen, but they were ultimately no match for the enemy's superior numbers and strength. In an instant, their collective defenses were completely shattered.
Under the suppression of energy...
At that moment, Song Ling looked up and saw the descending points of explosive light.
At that moment, Tong Que, hidden in the bamboo sea, and the Holy Son, hidden in the mountain forest, both locked onto that space.
Tong Que detected the teleportation signal emanating from Song Ling.
She was crushing a teleportation talisman, summoning Chen A'Diao.
Let her come?
No, sever it. Because Song Ling and these people must die. Tong Que brought his fingertips together and, using a spatial secret art, severed Song Ling's summoning teleportation frequency from the void. Simultaneously... in the mountain forest, the Holy Son crossed his hands, his eyes profound, muttering incantations. From his body, an eight-tentacled spatial spirit Gu spider was released. It was transparent, grasping space, and countless spiderwebs permeated the spatial interlayers, invading Song Ling's teleportation frequency, and counter-entangling her with a synchronized frequency.
Crash!
Space tore apart, and a dark figure was forcibly dragged out of space, falling to the ground. Instantly, the attacks of both the Holy Son and Tong Que blasted towards it.
Keng!!!
It exploded.
Yes, it exploded.
It was an "it."
After it exploded, a large amount of unknown liquid burst out, and then a mysterious gas entered the air like a plague... Everyone was stunned for a second.
This wasn't Chen A'Diao, it was a vat of pickled vegetables and stinky tofu sauce? And a super-sublimated version at that.
Then they went mad.
Ah!!
It's poisonous! It stinks!!
The Holy Son and the others from Wu Mountain were the first to suffer, wilting instantly. In a moment of panic, they all released the various Gu insects they nurtured. The Holy Son even called for the spatial spider to teleport him away, only to find the spatial spider's body had materialized, fallen to the ground, its limbs trembling, vomiting uncontrollably.
This toxin... was terrifying to the extreme.
Retch~~
Leaning against a tree and vomiting violently, the Holy Son's face turned green. He tried to release other powerful Gu insects from his body, but these Gu insects would rather hide desperately in their Gu-nurturing space than come out.
Too terrifying, too terrifying!
We're not going out, absolutely not!
In the dense forest area where they were, the vegetation withered at an alarming rate, while the demonic spirit groups living in that area screamed, beasts stampeded, and birds flew away in panic...
Running and vomiting, flying and vomiting.
The awesome Wu Mountain geniuses were poisoned by a stinky tofu vat. Seeing this scene in the dense forest, Tong Que frowned and decisively wanted to retreat and evade. At the same time, he also sent out a signal.
"Retreat!"
But after the signal was sent, a voice suddenly sounded behind him, like a charming and beautiful woman breathing out a fragrant whisper.
"Since you're already here, why retreat?"
Keng!
A silver vase suddenly shattered, water and pulp bursting forth—bursting forth with the ultimate pickled vegetable stinky tofu poison gas.
Qiang!!!
Iron cavalry charged forth, sabers and spears clanging—clanging with a piercing, dragon-shaped thunderbolt.
The dense forest over there withered, demonic spirits howled and fled.
In the bamboo forest here, clumps of bamboo were pulverized, and lightning spread out—an area-of-effect attack, half light, half destruction.
Both sides wiped out?
It's Chen A'Diao, it must be Chen A'Diao!
Over here, Bai Xiangshou saw the lightning in the bamboo forest, his expression changing slightly. Just as everyone was about to flee, they heard a cold voice.
"Continue your killing."
Bai Xiangshou was stunned, suddenly realizing that a real group of people had appeared by the lake.
Called "real" because Tong Que and the Holy Son hadn't actually split into two groups. Their true bodies were hidden beneath the lake, while those separated in the dense forest and bamboo forest were puppets? Avatars? Or something else?
Anyway, Chen A'Diao clearly hadn't seen through it.
Bai Xiangshou suddenly thought of a treasure—the True-False Bronze Mirror.
This was a Transcendent High-grade treasure from Bronze Mountain, capable of confusing the perception of an ordinary Lesser Spirit King. Tong Que never fought battles he wasn't confident of winning, just as many said he was inferior to Tong Huang, yet the latter died, and he did not.
So he coldly watched the bamboo forest, watching the double blockade above it, jointly controlled by him and the Wushan Holy Son.
Wu Mountain's Quenched Jade Gauze Net and Bronze Mountain's Overturning Bell.
Chen A'Diao had no escape.
And after Tong Que's reminder, Bai Xiangshou felt the terror of his opponent, but he complied, gritted his teeth, and continued to lead his men in a fierce attack on Song Ling and the others.
Handan Jidao and the others, while fending off attacks, looked towards the bamboo forest. Had Chen A'Diao fallen into a trap just like that?
It seemed... hard to accept.
Just then, from within the blockaded bamboo forest, a dark figure, treading on the piercing lightning that crawled across the ground, slowly walked out. Through the blockade's barrier, she faced Tong Que and the others on the lake.
Because the lightning was too brilliant, no one could see her features clearly. They only knew that beneath her feet was lightning, and streaks of lightning, like silken threads, climbed and roamed around her, resembling strands of hair held in a deity's palm.
"I'd like to ask, these Transcendent treasures you have, were they all given to you by your Mountain Heads?"
A'Diao's voice was a bit strange, tinged with sourness, as if she was very concerned about this.
Tong Que frowned, didn't answer, and directly signaled the Holy Son to begin.
The two activated their treasures and launched a combined attack... Both were at the peak of the Grandmaster realm. Combined with their treasures, their power could definitely kill Chen A'Diao—she was only at the Star realm; one person's limit could not surpass the human race's boundary.
As long as they hit her... she would surely die!
Wu Mountain had a secret art, refining myriad poisons into Gu. Countless tiny venomous insects crawled within thousands of blood streams, flying through space, surrounding and approaching A'Diao.
Tong Que, on the other hand, summoned a bloodline totem.
It was a bronze bell. Its chime resounded, shaking souls.
The latter could trigger the venomous insects in these Gu streams to erupt, transforming into even more terrifying toxins to destroy Chen A'Diao's body in an instant.
This was a joint assassination attempt.
The entire space was seized by a powerful force...
Then, eruption!
Boom!!!
The bell chimed, myriad poisons erupted.
Countless toxins exploded into dense threads, surrounding and invading the lightning filaments around A'Diao, attempting to penetrate her body.
As a result, A'Diao remained motionless.
This stillness made Tong Que and the Holy Son inexplicably uneasy, and then... those toxin threads suddenly twisted, abruptly reversing.
"Not good, she's controlling them!"
As Tong Que was shocked, he immediately spun and transformed into a spatial goshawk, shooting into the spatial interlayer. But the others weren't fast enough. After the poison threads here were reverse-controlled by spiritual attachment and shot back, the Holy Son and others tried to flee, only to find that the area behind them was already occupied by the poisonous gas surging out from the dense forest.
She controlled everything, including everything of theirs.
Terrifying.
When the Holy Son was counter-eroded by the toxins, he tried to crush the teleportation talisman on his body, but his wrist was invaded by poison threads, his meridians corroded. He couldn't exert any force and could only watch helplessly as the teleportation talisman fell to the ground. He too collapsed, watching in convulsions as their corpses were swept away by a gust of black wind.
The black wind howled.
A'Diao pursued Tong Que, not leaving a single word for Handan Jidao and the others.
Bai Xiangshou almost couldn't believe he had escaped death. But as his scalp tingled, he suddenly felt...
When he was ambushed from behind by a companion, his heart pierced, everyone except Song Ling was shocked.
The Bronze Mountain disciple behind him revealed his true face.
Mo Yuwo's eyes held a mysterious glint as he met Song Ling's gaze.
A'Diao had always allowed Song Ling to develop on her own, because she wouldn't control her friends. But she would sharpen her own blade.
And this blade had to be sharp.
So, Mo Yuwo became a Lesser Grandmaster.
From the very beginning, this was a decisive blow against Bronze Mountain and Wu Mountain.
But compared to the Holy Son's secondary position in Wu Mountain, Tong Que, the true heir of Bronze Mountain and possessor of countless treasures, was A'Diao's real target.
This person was already stuck at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, ready to break through to Lesser Spirit King at any time.
She was hunting him down!
However, Song Ling was thinking: Why did he flee? His strength shouldn't be limited to this, so...
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