Chapter 728: An Unexpected Encounter
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 728: An Unexpected Encounter
"Ngh... it hurts so much."
Ariel forced her eyes open.
A searing pain reached deep into her marrow, clawing at her nerves even while she was unconscious. It was fair to say she had been jolted awake by the sheer agony.
However, she quickly adapted to the pain and began to assess her current situation.
"I remember now... that bastard Zagu knocked me off the high tower."
Her surroundings were dim. Looking up, she saw no hole or opening from where she might have fallen.
Normally, even with the physical constitution of a Fourth-Tier Martial Artist, falling from a height of nearly a thousand meters without the protection of Fighting Spirit would turn anyone into a pile of meat paste.
"It seems the way I’ve been tempering your physical body really paid off at the critical moment."
A faint light shimmered from the ring on Ariel’s finger, and a misty female figure slowly rose from it.
"Teacher..."
Ariel tried to turn her head, but every bone in her body screamed in protest. To prevent her injuries from worsening, she was forced to remain still.
"Did you move me here?"
"I did," her teacher replied. "The commotion from your fall would have easily attracted other demons. It would have been far too dangerous if I hadn't moved you immediately."
"If that’s the case, why couldn't you help cushion my fall a bit?"
Ariel winced, her face contorting. Though her entire body throbbed, the worst of it was in her chest and abdomen.
Zagu’s strike had been devastatingly solid. Any ordinary Fourth-Tier expert would have been dead several times over. It was only because every step of her cultivation had involved her teacher’s "hellish training"—giving her a physical constitution far beyond the norm—that she had survived the blow and kept half a life after plummeting a thousand meters.
Wait... speaking of her chest...
Ignoring the risk of reopening her wounds, Ariel forced herself to squirm and move, looking down at her own chest.
Ugh. As expected, it was flat.
No, "flat" was an understatement; it was practically concave. With so many broken ribs, her "altitude" in that region could only be described with negative numbers until she recovered.
Most importantly, her meticulously crafted "S-rank" breasts—which she had poured her life’s magical expertise into to achieve the perfect shape—were completely gone.
Along with them went the beautiful dream she had been carefully weaving for the past half-month.
"Uuu... Damn you, Zagu! I’m adding this to the debt!"
Next time we meet, I’m going to rip your skull off to appease the departed soul of my S-rank! Ariel vowed silently, tears pricking her eyes.
"Sigh, I really had no choice."
Seeing that Ariel’s primary concern wasn't her heavy injuries but the destruction of her magical silicone, her teacher could only press a hand to her forehead in exasperation.
"I wanted to block that hit for you, but under those circumstances, I couldn't afford to reveal myself."
"Why not?"
"Can't you guess?"
"Ah, right. Because of that damn Grand Duke of Bewitchment." Ariel slapped her forehead. Her mind was a bit foggy, and she hadn't realized it immediately.
The heroic sacrifice of her "S-rank" was at least one-third the fault of that damn lesbian Succubus Queen. I’m remembering this grudge, too!
"Indeed. The Grand Duke of Bewitchment is a Crown Bearer, after all. If I had leaked even a sliver of soul power in that situation, she would have sensed it instantly," her teacher said gravely.
Her concealment abilities were top-tier—otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to stay by Ariel’s side for so long without being discovered—but even she didn't dare use her soul power recklessly with a Crown Bearer nearby.
Ariel could fight above her level, but she was still just a Fourth-Tier Martial Artist. To a Crown-level powerhouse, she was nothing more than a slightly larger ant, not even worth a glance. However, if a trace of soul power that didn't belong to her leaked out, it would have immediately drawn the Grand Duke's attention.
Being targeted by a Demon Grand Duke was far more dangerous than taking a hit from Zagu and falling a thousand meters. At the very least, the teacher trusted the hardness of Ariel’s chest... no, her physical constitution, to not die so easily from that much.
Of course, while she claimed she did nothing, she had secretly used a trace of soul power—just enough to go unnoticed—to protect Ariel’s life force, ensuring she wouldn't die at the critical moment.
"Furthermore, it wasn't just the Grand Duke of Bewitchment. At that time, I vaguely felt another gaze watching the scene."
"Who?"
"I don't know." Her teacher shook her head. "But based on my intuition, the owner of that gaze was the truly terrifying one."
"More terrifying than Bewitchment... hiss..."
Ariel sucked in a breath of cold air, marveling at how terrifying the situation was. It was bad enough having the Grand Duke of Bewitchment there, but there was someone even more formidable hiding in the shadows?
What was Miss An’s true objective? Was that ancient artifact called the "Eternal Cycle" really that important?
"The Eternal Cycle... what exactly is it?"
"I'm not sure." The phantom wavered as the teacher turned to look toward the sky she couldn't see, her expression growing more solemn. "In fact, not long ago, several terrifying auras erupted from that high tower. I didn't dare sense them directly, but there were at least four existences beyond the Crown Bearer realm present."
"Four? Hiss—"
Ariel sucked in another breath of cold air, nearly causing global warming.
What on earth happened?
She remembered that when she was still up there, she was just working with Miss An to deal with the so-called First Demon General, Zagu. How did it turn into a chaotic brawl between top-tier powerhouses the moment she left the stage?
"I feel like... I missed out on a good show."
"Forget the 'good show.' You should be glad you escaped with your life. A melee between experts of that level isn't something you can get involved in yet."
Her teacher sighed and gave Ariel a light flick on the forehead. This girl always got fired up whenever she encountered a battle between the strong. But perhaps this yearning for strength was one of the tickets to becoming strong herself; Ariel wouldn't have made it this far without that mindset.
"I fed you a potion to recover your stamina as soon as possible. You should be able to start healing your injuries yourself now."
"Barely... I think."
Ariel braced her hands against the ground, grimacing as she slowly sat up. She hadn't just been chatting with her teacher; from the moment she woke up, she had been silently digesting the medicinal power within her.
A potion personally refined by her teacher was no ordinary thing. If used on a normal martial artist with broken bones, they’d be up singing, dancing, and maybe even rapping by now. But for Ariel, it only gave her enough strength to begin regulating the chaotic flow of mana and Fighting Spirit inside her.
She was indeed severely injured.
Between the initial life-burning clash with Zagu and the subsequent fall from the tower, she had sustained injuries that would have killed a normal person ten times over. The gruesome-looking external scars, the broken bones, the open gashes, and her "negative altitude" chest were actually the least of her problems.
The real issue was deeper, within her core.
"Whew..."
Ariel exhaled slowly. The flow of mana and Fighting Spirit finally began to stabilize. Then, a surge of warmth spread through her. With the help of the potion, she began to repair her heavily damaged internal organs.
Crack, crack...
The sound of bones resetting like popping corn echoed through Ariel’s body. She broke into a cold sweat from the pain, but she endured it, cursing Zagu in her heart all the while.
After a moment, she looked down and finally felt a weight lift from her heart.
Her altitude was no longer negative.
Fortunately, the highly malleable "foundation" hadn't been compromised. From here, it was just a matter of starting over.
Once her internal injuries were mostly stabilized, Ariel stripped off her blood-stained, tattered clothes, revealing her lithe body. Her skin was as white and smooth as mutton-fat jade, her waist was slender, her stomach flat, and her thighs firm and powerful. She was quite the beauty in every respect; if she didn't usually prefer gender-neutral attire, she would be considered a stunning woman.
Except for a certain area that remained as "disappointing" as ever.
After another round of sighing and head-shaking, Ariel pulled some ointment from her ring, applied it to her wounds, and painstakingly wrapped herself in bandages before putting on fresh clothes.
Her mana and Fighting Spirit were nearly bone-dry and were currently recovering. Furthermore, although the immediate crisis seemed over, she was still in the heart of demon territory. She couldn't afford to waste her precious stamina on healing external wounds; she would just have to endure the pain for a while.
"By the way, where exactly are we?"
Ariel used the nearby stone wall to help herself stand. Having dealt with her immediate issues, she finally had the chance to survey her surroundings. There were signs of manual excavation here, but they were sparse; it looked more like a temporary underground tunnel.
"I'm not sure," her teacher said. "I was focused on evading the searching demons, so I don't have a precise grasp of our location."
After all, with the powerhouses clashing atop the tower, she had to remain respectful and keep her aura as suppressed as possible. Currently, she didn't have the qualifications to join that particular fray.
"Since you've recovered enough to move, I need to go into a slumber for a while."
"Slumber? Why—"
Ariel paused. As her body regained mobility, she noticed that her teacher’s figure was looking rather faint. She immediately realized why.
"The potion... did you refine it on the spot, Teacher?"
"It’s dangerous here. You needed to regain basic combat effectiveness as quickly as possible, which required a high-grade potion. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to move right now... This level of exertion is only natural."
Her teacher sighed softly. This was the downside of not having a physical body. Normally, she could borrow Ariel’s body to perform tasks, but with Ariel so heavily injured, she could only accomplish things by consuming her own soul power directly.
The difference in consumption between having a body and not having one was like night and day. Refining a few high-quality healing potions was as taxing for her as fighting a major battle using Ariel’s body.
"Thank you, Teacher... I’ll definitely help you reshape your body as soon as possible!" Ariel clenched her fist, her eyes reddening slightly.
"There's no need for such sentimental words between us. My rest isn't just because of the potion; I need to sleep to recover more strength. I have a feeling the road ahead might be even harder than we imagined."
Her teacher waved a hand dismissively. "You're on your own for a while. Remember to be careful."
"Understood!"
Her teacher nodded with a gratified smile, and her misty figure quickly retracted into the ring.
The surroundings fell silent instantly. It was so quiet that it felt as if Ariel were the only person left in the world.
"Regardless of where this is, I need to find a place to set up a temporary camp and rest."
Ariel let out a long breath, pushing aside the creeping loneliness and bracing her spirits. However, once she finished tending to her wounds, a wave of intense exhaustion washed over her.
Even though she had just been unconscious.
Ariel reflected on the past day and night. Though the time was short, her experience in Gutons Fortress had been a non-stop series of heart-pounding events without a moment of proper rest. It wasn't just physical trauma; her mental exhaustion was severe.
"I wonder how Miss An is doing."
"Uuu... and Miss Muse. I promised her, but I can't go to her right away..."
Given the situation, Miss An’s plan had likely failed. She hoped she was safe. She also hoped Miss Muse hadn't been dragged into this mess and was staying safe somewhere.
Safe until she could escape... and go find her!
"Wait for me, Miss Muse! Miss An! And everyone from the Beautiful Girls squad! I’ll definitely come back to save you!"
Ariel dragged her weary body forward, trudging through the cave. The thought that this was a prime opportunity to "save the beauties" and fill her Crystal Palace gave her a fresh surge of strength.
The cave was dark, but Ariel didn't want to waste precious mana on lighting, which might also attract enemies. Fortunately, the tunnel was clear—not even a bat in sight.
"There's a breeze... that means there's an exit."
"And more importantly... the sound of running water."
Ariel picked herself up. After listening for a moment, her mood brightened. A source of running water was a godsend in her current state. She wouldn't have to waste mana creating water with magic, and it would likely lead her to an exit. Two birds with one stone.
Ariel quickened her pace. Soon, in the dim light, she caught the faint shimmer of an underground river. The river wasn't wide, and the current was gentle. Ariel knelt by the bank and swirled her hand in the water.
"The water is clear and non-toxic. Perfect."
Thirsty for so long, Ariel couldn't help herself. She cupped a handful of clear water and was about to drink when—
"Huh?"
Ariel froze.
In her palm, there wasn't just water. There was a scrap of torn cloth. It had drifted with the current and swirled right into her hand.
"A piece of clothing?"
The presence of clothing scraps in an underground river meant...
Ariel looked up, her gaze following the river upstream. Searching in a dark cave was no easy feat, so she finally spared a tiny bit of mana to illuminate the area.
Finally, deep in the shadows where the underground river curved around a large rock, she saw a figure bobbing in the water.