ASER - Chapter 221
Chapter 221: Charcoal
The Shi Jue (stone vessel) in hand, the Human-Demon aligned it with the sealing restriction, like a key entering a keyhole. With a click, countless restriction gears materialized in the void – a square-shaped sealing gear mechanism. Innumerable golden gears were seen activating and turning, clanking and clicking, unlocking piece by piece.
A'Diao was stunned.
What kind of damn masterpiece was this? No wonder the imperial families of the three nations hadn't gained any advantage even after annihilating the Langya Clan back then.
Even a peak Great Spirit King at their limit couldn't open this thing.
Toilet: "This seems to be the Heavenly Craftsmanship Restriction Lock mentioned in that book you read before. It's from human legends, but it's actually something from the Celestial Clan, right?"
Humans have always been vague and obscure about the Celestial Clan, attempting to erase their existence entirely, yet unable to part with the origins of advanced cultivation civilization that came from them. So they cherry-picked, leaving only some knowledge, turning it into some kind of metaphysical human legend.
This Heavenly Craftsmanship Restriction Lock is like something out of mythology.
A'Diao only consciously started collecting this kind of knowledge after learning about the existence of the Celestial Clan.
"It's it, truly amazing. Such a complex thing actually exists."
Although A'Diao currently mastered many techniques, and her level in some aspects was comparable to the Mountain Head – otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to surpass him in comprehending the secret records – she had no understanding of restrictions.
Restrictions were one of the highest expressions of magical arts, encompassing spells, formations, curses, energy mechanics, and so on. They were extremely difficult and formed an independent system, hard to create individually without a lineage.
Anyway, A'Diao could probably figure it out, but she didn't have the time or energy, and naturally wasn't willing to create something from nothing. Besides, there was nowhere to learn it.
Clearly, this Lord Changting was a master in this art.
After the restriction was disarmed, the entire Langya secret vault was about to open. A crack gradually appeared, and the old man's murky, gloomy eyes were filled with anticipation.
The Human-Demon, however, was calm, with only a slight smile in his eyes.
The supremely strong naturally have an innate desire to pursue supreme power.
As long as he obtained the Dragon Vein and the inheritance inside, his subsequent plans would proceed without a hitch.
His grand undertaking was about to succeed.
Toilet was a little anxious: "Aren't you going to do anything? He's about to snatch our stuff!"
Proximity to pigs makes one swinish; proximity to ink makes one black.
Having spent a long time with A'Diao, although it hadn't learned her bad habit of blowing up latrines, its habit of claiming treasures was exactly the same.
Moreover, it subconsciously considered itself and A'Diao as a single entity.
At this moment, Toilet felt the anger and sense of crisis akin to having the radishes in its own vegetable patch rooted up by a wild boar.
A'Diao: "Don't worry, someone is more anxious than we are. After all, for me, it's just a matter of gain or loss, and I'm still confident I can escape."
She reckoned that even if this Human-Demon obtained the inheritance, he wouldn't surpass the genetic limits. After all, what he would get was only what the Celestial Clan gave to Lord Changting. Could it possibly exceed the Celestial Clan's control?
And this person was a human-demon hybrid, while she was a celestial-human hybrid. Everyone was mixed. In any case, the Celestial Clan's bloodline should be nobler and stronger than the Demon Clan's, right? Besides, she had the Toilet BUG, so she still had some confidence.
"But for a certain scoundrel, it's not necessarily the case. He can still hide now, but once this Human-Demon breaks through, he will definitely be able to directly sense his existence and will undoubtedly die. So, this scoundrel will definitely jump out to interfere. I just need to wait for this opportunity."
A'Diao's mind was like a tangled web of a thousand knots, like a spider's web. Toilet felt that what she had explained to it was just the tip of the iceberg.
But it was still placated and calmed down.
On the other hand, the Human-Demon and the old man were extremely agitated... And at this very moment, suddenly!
In the silent space, a mysterious shadow split off from the merged space. Because it was not a living entity, in terms of stealth, no other creature in the world was more like a dead object than a Corpse Spirit King.
This was also what Qu Xia'er had told A'Diao, warning her to be wary of Yan Xi while she was lying low in the secret realm.
However, the ones who should have been wary of Yan Xi were the Human-Demon and this old man.
"Someone's here." The old man reacted slower than the Human-Demon, a step behind. But the Human-Demon's expression turned cold in an instant, and he raised his hand, demonic energy transforming into a rampant demonic claw that lunged towards the appearing Yan Xi.
Actually, the Human-Demon had the ability to kill Yan Xi, but he probably wanted to capture him alive. Because he could use this Yan Xi, continue to control him, and turn him into his own super-strong assistant?
That made sense. This was Yan Xi, whose fierce reputation had shaken the primordial era. Such a super puppet with a terrifying upper limit was not much less valuable than a relic of the Langya Clan.
So the Human-Demon immediately tried to capture Yan Xi. But ever since Yan Xi's original core was shattered by A'Diao and Qu Xia'er, allowing him to break free from control, he had recovered some of his former glory. Even with only half an original core, and despite being severely injured and extremely weak, he still unleashed a tide of grayish-black corpses at this moment.
His corpse body split, transforming into countless undead bats, surging like a tide, like a torrential rain, directly covering a hundred-meter diameter. Each of the densely packed undead bats was him, but only one represented Yan Xi's life – the one with the original core.
But others couldn't see it clearly.
At least A'Diao couldn't discern it this time, and neither could the Human-Demon and the old man.
Previously, A'Diao had been able to see it with Qu Xia'er's help, but this time the situation was different. This Yan Xi had dispersed all his cultivation for a desperate gamble.
Damn it!
The Human-Demon and the old man couldn't distinguish it for a moment. Knowing that Yan Xi's main body must be heading for the crack, in a fit of anger, they also flew over, locking onto the crack area and attacking directly.
A chaotic tide surged, killing intent chilling the air.
The self-twisting space combined with the devouring power of the demonic energy instantly annihilated almost all the undead bats.
And at this moment, the Human-Demon indeed saw an undead bat rushing into the opening of the crack.
The Human-Demon followed closely, intending to trap Yan Xi while accelerating to rush into the crack.
However, just at this moment.
The entire restriction lock suddenly twisted, instantly changing the positions of the gears and keyholes. With a click, it locked from the inside and sealed shut.
"No!"
The Human-Demon was stunned, watching as Yan Xi's presence vanished behind the sealed restriction.
The restriction locked from within, and after changing, it was no longer transparent. The entire thing twisted and turned pitch black, becoming a black box.
Sealed, just like that, it was sealed.
They never expected that Yan Xi would be the one to pluck the peach in the end.
The Human-Demon and the old man: "..."
The old man's expression was unsightly. He looked at his master, only to see the latter was expressionless. "My Lord, can it be opened?"
"If I had the ability to unlock it, I wouldn't have needed to borrow the willpower of this Shi Jue."
"Then this Shi Jue..." The old man looked at the Shi Jue in the Human-Demon's hand, knowing that it would be impossible to escape those human experts again in the short term.
Those people weren't pigs; after this incident, they would surely be on guard.
And even if they could succeed again, there wouldn't be enough time. During this period, Yan Xi would have probably already obtained the benefits inside and easily recovered to the Great Spirit King level. How could they possibly deal with him easily?
The old man: "This Yan Xi is so cunning. He saw through the secret as soon as he revived, used Chen A'Diao and that Qu Xia'er to deliberately shatter his original core to escape, then used us as the oriole, and now it's him instead..."
The Human-Demon said with a wooden face, "It might not necessarily be him. There's something fishy about how this restriction lock sealed."
It's only possible if it was Yan Xi. After all, he's a big shot from the primordial era, knows a lot, and has fought against the Celestial Clan. Maybe he mastered this trick.
"It couldn't possibly be Chen A'Diao. She isn't skilled in this art. Besides, she has already left. If the one outside was a clone, and that clone could defeat Tong Huang, then her main body being here wouldn't need to fear us. If her main body was outside, and a clone left here could evade our perception, then that also..."
In any case, neither possibility was logical.
"Perhaps I'm being too sensitive. This person is truly too unfathomable." The Human-Demon actually also felt he might be overthinking. Chen A'Diao shouldn't be skilled in restrictions; otherwise, she could have seen through the secret realm before. The secret records didn't contain information on restrictions, so she couldn't have learned it.
Since she wasn't skilled before, it's impossible that she learned it instantly just by glancing at the manifested restriction lock matrix, right?
The Human-Demon quickly stopped pursuing this ethereal logic and focused on reality. "Regardless of whether she's here or not, just dealing with Yan Xi alone, I have to handle this matter."
How to handle it?
The Human-Demon's eyes were extremely cold, his temperament decisive as a blade. "Prepare to throw the entire secret realm into the Demonic Abyss Trench."
"I want them to be buried forever in the Demonic Abyss."
"Moreover, this is also the best choice for me to compensate for my losses."
Although it was a pity to give up the great treasure he had schemed for for so many years, the Human-Demon still made the choice most beneficial to him at the moment.
Inside the restriction, Yan Xi, who was resented by the two outside as the damn great oriole, had actually already seen through the secret. As soon as he entered the crack, he flapped his wings, attempting to escape, but a very fat dragon claw appeared before him.
Smack!
The little bat was slapped to the ground, flesh and blood splattering, and then a dragon finger pressed down on its original core.
What did she say?
She said nothing. One dragon finger pressed down, while her other hand rose, and Toilet transformed into a snow-white hammer.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She gave Yan Xi, who was already extremely weak, a violent beating.
A torrential storm, much like pounding premium beef balls.
The essence and dedication were all in the afterimages of this pounding.
Mainly, A'Diao was in a bad mood. She had thought she could bait out the names of the old man and the Human-Demon outside to learn their identities, but unexpectedly, they made no move.
Probably because these two had been on high alert and remained steady.
Villains, after all.
Yan Xi wasn't hanging on by a thread of life; it was a wisp of life's breath.
Even when he fell in the primordial era, he had never been this miserable.
Too terrifying. This Chen A'Diao was a devil.
Bang! The little bat suddenly transformed, turning into an exquisitely handsome young man in a loose, black silk robe, his exposed snow-white skin covered in bruises...
Beaten back into his original form?
Huh?
A'Diao, holding the hammer, was subconsciously stunned: "???"
Yan Xi's appearance had recovered because he was too weak and had reverted to his true form.
Looking at A'Diao, his eyes held killing intent and hatred, yet he was powerless to resist. Instead, he possessed a kind of battle-damaged, exquisite charm.
Lying on his side on the ground, one hand propping himself up like a pitiful, delicate wife domestically abused by a brutal butcher, his jade-like skin was like frost-covered plums stained with blood. Haggard and damaged, he was nevertheless stubbornly unyielding, biting his bright red lips and glaring fiercely at her.
That gaze was so bright and captivating.
As the former super Corpse King who once commanded the winds and clouds, he now resembled a beautiful, strong, yet tragic figure fallen from grace. Even the blood on his tightly bitten lips carried a hint of alluring, □□ frailty.
In terms of beauty, he was naturally far inferior to the peerlessly captivating Old Ancestor Kunlun, or even Lord Changting and Chen Gui. But he was a corpse, evil and ruthless, and suddenly like this... Eh, I really want to □□ him.
A'Diao's heart softened, so much so that Toilet thought A'Diao was about to be seduced by his beauty and let this fellow go.
But with a bang, one hammer strike down, and Yan Xi's skull burst.
Flesh, blood, and brain matter, white and red, all sprayed out in one go.
With a thud, His Highness the Great Corpse King collapsed to the ground, motionless, cold corpse blood gurgling from his forehead.
Toilet: "?"
A'Diao: "As I was hitting him, he transformed. So magical. I was thinking if I hit him again, maybe his clothes would explode off, saving me the trouble of taking them off. Didn't expect this... Miscalculated."
Toilet: "..."
My Diao is always at the forefront of the times, as perverted as can be.
Of course, A'Diao wasn't interested in taking off Yan Xi's clothes.
There were priorities. The most important thing at hand was to collect the benefits!!!
A'Diao swiftly and instantly cast 38 binding and stunning spells on Yan Xi, then tied him up like a rice dumpling and threw him into her living space, before observing this Langya secret vault.
While observing... she eagerly and excitedly scurried inside.
Ah, my treasures, my treasures, I'm here!!!
Inside the Red Pavilion.
A'Diao first entered the main hall and saw a vast number of bookshelves.
The Red Pavilion was actually also a library.
But this space seemed a bit like...
"Uh, isn't this Kunlun's underground library from beneath the tomb? It's exactly the same. Does this Kunlun have a brother complex?"
A'Diao was somewhat surprised. She casually flipped through a few books, and her eyes lit up with a golden gleam.
"Hey, Lord Changting is amazing, such a big tycoon! If only I were Lord Changting's descendant. Look at his inheritance, and then look at that old dog Chen Gui."
A'Diao routinely cursed Chen Gui while her heart pounded with excitement, collecting all these books in one go, like stripping the land bare, not leaving a single one behind.
Knowledge is wealth.
She wanted to be a knowledgeable person.
After collecting these books, A'Diao finally looked towards a certain spot. Sure enough, there was a secret chamber there too.
"Indeed, a brother complex."
A'Diao muttered to herself, then went over and found that the secret chamber was open, with no restrictions set.
After entering the secret chamber.
Indeed, there was also a time setting inside.
A'Diao's eyes lit up. She was excited on the spot, continuing to badmouth Chen Gui while highly praising the reliability of Lord Changting and Kunlun.
However, besides the space-time formation disk, there was also a mat and table in the secret chamber, on which three items were placed.
1. A hovering black jade bow.
2. A letter.
3. A fish-shaped stone talisman.
The longbow carved from black stone exuded a heart-palpitating aura. A'Diao didn't dare to look at it much. As for the fish talisman, which seemed to have no aura at all and looked incredibly ordinary, A'Diao dared to look at it even less. So, she picked up the letter.
The letter was ordinary, made of paper, with only a single phrase written on it, consisting of four characters.
"For you, do as you please."
The calligraphy was the epitome of a gentleman's refined style, dignified to the core, yet the finishing strokes always carried a hint of desolate helplessness and sorrow.
A life that ended hastily?
A'Diao was a wise person with abundant shrewdness who had prematurely buried her abundant emotions. Naturally intelligent, she had long known that wise people do not fall into the river of love, let alone live and die for unrelated worldly beings.
Therefore, she could never understand Lord Changting in her entire life, only feeling, why did this great beauty have to do that?
"If I were him, I'd marry 108 wives when I turned eighteen... Just lie back and enjoy, what else is there to think about."
A'Diao sighed, while deftly picking up the longbow.
"Transcendent High-grade? It looks much more powerful than that Dantai Liaoluo's long shuttle thing." A'Diao could control some molecules and vaguely sensed that the material density of this thing far exceeded other forbidden weapons.
"I don't know its origin, let's refine it first and see..."
A'Diao had just begun refining it when she was startled.
"Transcendent Supreme-grade? This is at the level of the guardian treasures of the three major sects, comparable to the Eastern Emperor Bell! This is a supreme treasure used by founder-level figures."
"Scored big, scored big, hahaha!"
Refining good things took time and effort. Under the time multiplier of the secret chamber, A'Diao actually spent a month.
But it was more than worth it. When the refinement was finally successful, this seemingly ancient, simply and elegantly shaped longbow transformed into a ring spinning on her finger.
On it were two tiny engraved characters: Charcoal.
A'Diao: "?"
Toilet: "..."
Such a plain name.
"No, these strokes don't look like Lord Changting's. The calligraphy level is higher, and it's an ideographic carving."
A'Diao fiddled with the ring. "This should be Xuan Yu Stone, one of the peak material metals in the universe. Its hardness is such that even a peak Great Spirit King cannot damage it. What kind of person could directly carve on it with their spiritual body?"
"Could it be... that goddess?"
Thinking of a dignified goddess fluidly leaving the two words 'Charcoal' on an incredibly awesome super weapon...
A'Diao rolled her eyes and discovered this ring was quite magical.
"It can manifest externally as a bow, but inside, it's an energy storage space. So many energy ores!"
A'Diao saw dozens of types of rare energy ores from the universe stored inside, the quantity comparable to half the stockpile of an alien imperial clan. A'Diao almost suffocated.
"Struck it rich, struck it rich, struck it rich."
With these ores, she could create many, many formations and talismans, and also use them for the Spirit Gate Formation.
However, this was also in line with the assets of the Langya Clan.
But A'Diao reckoned that most of the Langya Clan's wealth was still in their original clan territory, divided up by the imperial families of the three nations.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows, after all.
This Lord Changting couldn't have ostentatiously hidden all his foundations in Guixu. He must have left most of his wealth in his original lair to attract others' attention.
This was a trade-off.
Unfortunately, the secret of Guixu was exposed.
Toilet: "It couldn't be that Chen Gui leaked it again, could it?"
A'Diao: "?"
Uh... brother, your guess is quite inspired.
A'Diao wasn't sure either. Anyway, she was too lazy to think much about it and picked up the fish talisman again.
The fish talisman in the Human-Demon's hand outside looked very similar to this one, but its level was clearly somewhat lower.
That one was a secret record, and this one was too. But A'Diao glanced at it and found there were 20 volumes inside.
The first seven volumes were ones she had comprehended before; the latter 13 volumes contained much larger and more complete content.
A'Diao didn't know what the latter ones contained, but she was extremely delighted anyway.
"Maybe the latter parts contain knowledge about restrictions."
A'Diao was in an excellent mood, giving smacking kisses to the Charcoal bow-ring and the fish talisman one after another.
Treasures!
Toilet wasn't like her. "Stop acting like you've never seen the world. Hurry up and check out the Dragon Vein spring in the backyard, my Diao! That's the real BUG, a hundred times more beneficial than all these treasures combined."
Oh, right.
Only then did A'Diao run out. The backyard of the Red Pavilion was simple and clear: a spring, bamboo fences on one side, a winding stream for floating wine cups that surpassed a thousand sails, and simple vegetation. But the combination of movement and stillness conveyed a profound sense of Zen tranquility.
But A'Diao was still captivated by the carved portrait on the mountain wall.
It was the figure of a woman. Because the carving marks were simple and fluid, her silhouette appeared even more ethereal, but this woman's temperament was indeed ethereal.
On the flat mountain wall, a green pine graced the hillside. She sat leaning on a pine branch, her long, slender legs dangling below. Her robes were simple and loose, her bare feet with slightly exposed ankles lightly touching the void. Her other leg rested against the branch, her back slightly arched, one hand resting on the crook of her knee.
A few strokes formed the silhouette; a few strokes also depicted her profile.
Fluid, ethereal, as if an immortal had descended.
But she was frowning, seemingly worried about something, yet she paid no heed to the Dragon Spring eye not far away.
As if she were in the mortal world, yet indifferent to this mortal world.
This carving did not intend to depict her exquisite beauty, because the lines were very simple. It didn't even intend to portray her feminine grace; rather, it seemed to worship and offer sacrifices to her as if she were a celestial deity.
But he (the carver) undoubtedly spied on and cared about this deity's inner heart.
Admiration and concern – it was actually a very humble kind of emotion.
A'Diao glanced a few times, then rolled her eyes dramatically, muttering something. Toilet listened carefully and also secretly rolled its eyes.
Because A'Diao had just been muttering: They're all damn Celestials! One celestial maiden somehow managed to hook up with Chen Gui, making countless humans jealous and envious. And this goddess, needless to say, also seemed to turn the number one gentleman of the human race, Lord Changting, into a simp. How come it's different when it comes to her? A bunch of scoundrels are yelling to beat and kill her, and even her backup options are only after her benefits.
Aiya.
Can't there be anyone truly captivated by her feminine charm?
Toilet: "Does Fengchu count?"
A'Diao: "..."
Scram!
A'Diao withdrew her gaze from the mural and ran to the Dragon Spring eye to look down.
Since it was a secret vault within a restriction, there was no need for concealment. This Lord Changting wasn't a sneaky person and wouldn't do things that annoyed people. So, beneath this Dragon Spring eye, A'Diao truly saw karmic luck so vast it had solidified into the shape of a Dragon Vein.
A solid Dragon Vein of karmic luck.
A'Diao stared at the Dragon Vein beneath the Dragon Spring eye, her heart almost stopping.
After a good while, she finalized her plan.
"Karmic luck itself is an opportunity. When I first come into contact with it, its influence on me will be greatest. I must seize this chance to maximize its benefits, not absorb it blindly."
A'Diao ran back into the Red Pavilion. She meticulously studied the space-time formation in the secret chamber, then took out various tools and methods... and began to carefully... pry it loose.
The entire secret chamber was pried loose.
Toilet: "?"
No way, have you gotten used to prying open tombs?
Even prying loose a space-time secret chamber.
A'Diao was busy and sweating profusely, like a diligent little bee. While tinkering with the secret chamber, she muttered, "The secret chamber means a time multiplier. I need to use it to comprehend the 20 volumes of secret records. But for records of this level, time alone makes it difficult to achieve breakthroughs at bottlenecks. If I have the help of karmic luck, it will be like divine assistance. Maybe I can comprehend all twenty volumes in one go."
The plan was perfect. Just as A'Diao was about to successfully pry open the secret chamber, suddenly, the entire space shook.
With A'Diao's current level, she naturally sensed the abnormality outside. Both she and Toilet were startled. Suddenly, A'Diao's expression changed.
"Damn it! That bastard Human-Demon outside is opening up the Demonic Abyss Trench!"
How could she not know the other party's objective?
If she were really thrown into the Demonic Abyss Trench, even if she assimilated all the benefits here, she would still die, devoured by the boundless demonic spirits in the Demonic Abyss.
So ruthless! This Human-Demon is a worthy opponent.
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