ASER - Chapter 249

Chapter 249: Descent

While the Celestial Realm was caught in a dog-eat-dog struggle, a great clamor had already erupted in the mortal realm.

The border of Lie Qin had been breached. Song Ling, as a core figure and spiritual strategist within the high-combat legion, remained very calm after seeing the massive national protective barrier emerge from Lie Qin ahead. After consulting with the military command, she quickly decided to set up camp on the spot, preparing to consolidate forces to break through the barrier in a unified assault.

That night, as dawn approached, during the time when everyone was resting, a dark figure silently appeared outside the living space transformed from a forbidden artifact where Song Ling resided.

Not just one. These dark figures, like phantoms, moved through various areas of the vast army encampment, approaching the location where she, Shen Huajing, and others were.

Clearly, their objective was to assassinate these members of the younger generation who could directly participate in the war. They had long anticipated that individuals of Chen A'Diao's cultivation level, wishing to avoid being targeted by the backlash from the nation's Dragon Vein, would definitely not join the battle, merely cherishing their reputation and believing victory was already in their grasp.

But they were different; they were fighting a defensive war. If they didn't fight, not only would their nation be destroyed and their homes lost, but they themselves would likely not survive. Thus, they had to be ruthless.

"Tang Song's national strength was originally declining, but that Chen A'Diao is at the zenith of her power. After taking control of Tang Song, she reversed its situation of internal strife and disunity, unifying all combat forces. Only then did they advance like splitting bamboo. However, splitting forces to deal with two countries simultaneously, while having clear advantages, means that once those advantages are removed, it's very easy for the army to suffer a crushing defeat."

These individuals were Lie Qin's strongest clandestine unit, similar to Tang Song's Tian Shu. If it weren't a matter of national survival, they wouldn't have emerged from their hidden state to join the battle.

Their objective was naturally to assassinate Song Ling and the others. Key high-ranking officials like Chen Xun were also on the assassination list.

First, the speed at which Song Ling and the younger generation were rising far surpassed that of the other two nations, comparable to the extent A'Diao had thrashed them back then. Furthermore, this batch of young geniuses from Tang Song were mostly cunning and shrewd individuals, each more capable of handling pressure than the last, as evident from the Lushan Academy assessment back then.

Second, Tang Song's greatest strength was its technology, especially the Ministry of Works controlled by Chen Xun. After joining forces with the military, their power far surpassed the combined forces of the two nations, terrifying to the extreme.

A general offensive tomorrow, assassinations tonight – perfectly timed.

Just as these individuals were about to make their move... the light flickered dimly, and they felt an immense pressure from above... Then, in the dimness, they saw pairs of eerie, terrifying red eyes.

And their necks were pierced by sharp fangs.

After a while, all members of this secretive assassination squad had vanished, including those who had attempted to assassinate key Tang Song figures on various offensive and defensive lines.

"All cleared. No remnants."

Inside the room, Song Ling, who was cultivating, received a voice transmission from Yan Xi and opened her eyes, only to see a secretive figure furtively moving about in the dim light of the room.

This is what you call no remnants?

She was startled, but quickly... Click. The lights turned on.

A'Diao, who was rummaging through her cabinet for potato chips, turned to look at her.

Potato chips in one hand, otaku happy water in the other.

Song Ling: "..."

She never expected such an entrance.

Toilet grumbled inwardly: This is even less imposing than a flower-picking thief. Look how sneaky she is.

She got up, came over, and casually took out the snacks prepared in the drawer, placing them on the table. While telling A'Diao to eat slowly, she asked, "You've been so busy lately, you even finished all your stored food?"

Busy indeed.

She had stayed in the secret chamber for a long time. Although little time had passed outside, inside, time passed eighty times faster. She was busy with this and that, and had long run out of food.

"You have no idea how hard I've worked... Give me a piece of cake, the chocolate-flavored one."

A'Diao complained to Song Ling while stuffing her face. If it were Baiyue Qinggu and the others, they definitely wouldn't understand the mood – from their perspective, they'd think this rascal was handling things with ease, even having the leisure to tease them.

But Song Ling, ever since she knew A'Diao, had a habit of flattering her. While helping her open the cake box, she smiled and replied, "Yes, yes, it must have been very hard... So, are you here today to oversee the battle? Or has something happened?"

"It's nothing major, just that the Supreme Demon King has revived, invaded the Celestial Realm, and is slaughtering the Arbitration Council. I reckon those hypocrites are on their way here, trying to drag me into this mess."

As she said this, there was still cream on the corner of her mouth.

Both milky and oily, it formed a sharp contrast with her crimson lips.

But was this a small matter?!!

Though alarmed, Song Ling's attention was still drawn to the cream. She had an excellent upbringing since childhood. Previously, when fighting in demon lairs in the wild with A'Diao, Tian Zhongxiang, and others, the others could eat and drink heartily right next to corpses or excrement, but she couldn't; she would at least turn her back to eat.

So, she now resisted the urge to wipe the corner of A'Diao's mouth and said, "Then time is indeed tight. We'll have to let Yan Xi and Senior Qu take action."

Although it wouldn't look good for their reputation, to speed up the process of annexing the two nations, extraordinary measures were indeed necessary.

Of course, A'Diao's reputation wasn't that great to begin with.

After Song Ling agreed, someone knocked on the door. Both knew who it was. Song Ling said nothing, took out a storage ring, and handed it to A'Diao. It was filled with snacks.

Aiya, our A'Ling is still the cutest, she understands me!

A'Diao took the ring and left.

When the door opened, Shen Huajing, Duanmu Qingyang, Tian Zhongxiang, and the others only saw a table full of mess.

The group: "???"

The clever ones had already guessed but said nothing.

However, the not-so-clever ones... Tian Zhongye scratched his head and blurted out: "A'Ling, were you visited by a rat spirit? What a huge rat spirit it must be, eating so much, like a pig demon."

Song Ling remained impassive. "No, I was hungry and just had a late-night snack. Suddenly had a good appetite, is that not allowed?"

Tian Zhongye shivered and didn't dare to press further.

Shen Huajing couldn't help but laugh out loud.

They had come to prepare battle plans. Song Ling knew A'Diao had come merely to inform her that the main forces would soon enter the field, so she should be mentally prepared, and to grab some food on the side. So, there was no need to change their plans, lest it create unnecessary complications.

Thus, after the troops were consolidated and the warships were in position, they attacked directly!

The imperial families of Lie Qin and Nan Jin refused to yield. To this end, they exhausted their national strength to erect a massive barrier because they still held expectations for the Arbitration Council, believing that the Archbishops' promises would surely be fulfilled. As long as they could hold out until experts from the Arbitration Council arrived to rescue them, they would win!

With such expectations, they resisted stubbornly.

However, just as Tang Song's forces were bombarding them relentlessly, countless corpse soldiers emerged from underground in both Lie Qin and Nan Jin, madly attacking the barriers...

On both sides were Yan Xi's corpse soldiers, all forcefully assaulting the two nations.

Seeing these corpse soldiers that blotted out the sky and covered the earth, the soldiers of the two nations were filled with fear, almost despairing.

How could they fight this?!!

The citizens of both nations were also stunned, suddenly realizing they had indeed forgotten the two most terrifying 'bugs' in Chen A'Diao's possession.

When Song Ling saw that the corpse soldiers all belonged to Yan Xi, she knew A'Diao didn't care much about Yan Xi's life or death. Otherwise, she could have had Qu Xia'er also control corpse soldiers to join the battle, but if so, the backlash from the Dragon Vein would also fall upon her.

Favoritism based on closeness – A'Diao played this very clearly.

To A'Diao, Yan Xi was merely a slave.

However, such a vast number of corpse soldiers were clearly bodies obtained when A'Diao previously used the power of the Qishan world to slaughter billions of Demonic Spirits.

She had been planning this all along.

The massive army of corpse soldiers was invincible, and soon, the barriers of the two nations were shattered...

The soldiers of the two nations faced only two choices.

1. Surrender.

2. Die.

Just as they were despairing and struggling, an image suddenly appeared in the sky and on multimedia displays.

Everyone saw it.

It was Chen A'Diao.

This person appeared on the screen, dressed in beautiful clothes, wearing a gentle expression, and rebuked Yan Xi: "Senior Yan Xi, although I know you believe I am the most qualified leader in this world, perhaps willing to do so at any cost, how could you dispatch corpse soldiers to slaughter? Everyone should prioritize peace. Your actions put me in such an awkward position..."

"Oh, and please don't kill children. Children turning into corpse soldiers is so pitiful."

"If you truly remain obstinate, then don't blame me for taking action to save the suffering people of Lie Qin and Nan Jin."

This righteous and noble appearance of hers was also terrifying.

But it also reminded many who clung to the 'Dragon Vein bug,' believing A'Diao wouldn't dare get involved: She indeed shouldn't get involved, but what if she invaded the two nations under the pretext of protecting them?

Such tactics have existed in the art of kingship since ancient times.

First cause chaos, then quell the chaos – a justifiable cause for war.

A'Diao had read such ancient texts since she was young, part of the education she received from the books in her grandmother's old house and the old Daoist temple.

Thinking back now, she had been groomed from the very beginning as a 'rebel and usurper of power'.

And such people do not need a benevolent heart, only an endless pursuit of power, and they must never trust anyone.

"Impossible, she wouldn't dare! Isn't Yan Xi enslaved by her? Otherwise, how could someone as proud and arrogant as him submit to her? If he is enslaved, his actions are her orders, and the Dragon Vein will definitely target her."

"What's impossible about it? Don't forget she has the Undead Sky Lantern. That thing is enough to make Yan Xi completely obedient – just like back then when Yan Xi was used by the Tang Song Imperial Family to attack Guixu. These are lessons from the past."

"It's also possible he was enslaved before, and now the enslavement is resolved. Whatever the case, she has ways to directly intervene in the war."

If Chen A'Diao intervened and they still resisted stubbornly, they would all die.

The members of the imperial families weren't naive enough to think they would survive just by surrendering, but the other nobles and influential families of Lie Qin and Nan Jin were unwilling to take the risk.

This country wasn't theirs alone, so why sacrifice themselves for it?

Even with the Arbitration Council's empty promises dangling before them, the more imminent threat was still Chen A'Diao.

Would she care about the lives of common people?

The more benevolent she appeared, the more terrifying she was – to this day, they remembered the scene of Chen A'Diao using Qishan to devour the experts of the three nations' imperial families and billions of Demonic Spirits.

And if Chen A'Diao were to intervene on the grounds of Yan Xi slaughtering the people of the two nations, the prerequisite was that he truly had to go on a killing spree.

Consider ancient monarchs who, in order to annex a neighboring country with a just cause, deliberately dispatched their own troops disguised as the neighboring country's army to massacre border civilians... thereby provoking war and gaining national approval for it.

You see, this is the statecraft of a ruthless monarch.

Chen A'Diao would only be more so, not less.

Life is like an ant; one should possess a heart of reverence.

Just like that, both the army and the common people lost their will to fight. As soon as the barrier broke, many actively surrendered or turned and fled...

At this moment, the leaders of Wu Mountain and Bronze Mountain proactively stepped forward, adopting a stance of reluctantly negotiating for the safety of their people, demanding that Tang Song not harm the civilians, and if they agreed... Public opinion among the common people immediately shifted, all prioritizing self-preservation. After all, their own imperial families weren't that great anyway. Although Chen A'Diao was ruthless and formidable, at least she didn't have a bloated and vast family tyrannizing others. Besides, apart from being gluttonous, sharp-tongued, deeply scheming, despicable, shameless, and vulgar, she didn't seem to have many other flaws.

But the benefits were also obvious. First, she was strong, capable of protecting the three nations and achieving unification. Second, she was beautiful, truly beautiful.

Looking at the impeccably dressed, exquisitely beautiful Boss Diaodiao on the screen, who had even specially worn earrings and adopted a compassionate demeanor, many people's mental fortitude completely collapsed.

Instantly, deserters and surrendering soldiers became countless.

There was no way a fight could break out.

The people from the Ying family and Ji family were so angry they could spit blood.

Song Ling and the others were speechless. They had spent ages planning how to take down the two nations with minimal casualties, never expecting Chen A'Diao to advance the process so effortlessly with just a few light strokes.

---

Meanwhile, after A'Diao successfully conquered the people of the two nations with her beauty, she made a phone call to Song Ling.

She could have used voice transmission, why insist on a phone call?

Song Ling thought she had something to say to the others, perhaps to reward the troops? Or stabilize morale? Anyway, she directly put it on speaker.

A'Diao: "All settled, Xiao A'Ling. Starting today, you can finally get a good night's sleep."

Song Ling was taken aback, and the others were also stunned for a moment. Although they all knew countless people followed Chen A'Diao, Song Ling was unique.

Did she know I've been unable to sleep lately because I was worried about the Arbitration Council?

Her heart warmed slightly, but Song Ling looked at the sky and said softly, "Mm, after today, all will be peaceful. You too."

A'Diao: "Mm, you all too."

Hearing A'Diao finally mention them, everyone felt somewhat comforted. Then they heard A'Diao add, "Spare tires, only by surviving can you touch my leg..."

"Starting now, advance forward, seize the throne for me, but don't look up."

After saying this, she hung up the phone. Then, tens of thousands of feet high in the sky, space erupted violently.

The people from the Arbitration Council had descended!

That group of ten ultimate experts who had been hunting A'Diao's avatar in the universe had finally descended.

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