The silhouette of the Ginseng Whisker Dragon King completely overshadowed Gao Cuo.
Compared to the Dragon King, Gao Cuo was like an ant beside an elephant.
Tiny and weak!
And that was indeed the case.
The starlight sword qi merely grazed the Dragon King's skin, while the azure lotus sword qi was consecutively shattered by the sweeping motion of the ginseng whiskers.
The Sword Elder's voice was extremely heavy: "Little Gao, the enemy is strong, and we are weak. We must retreat now. Soon, I will use my most prideful sword technique. You must observe and comprehend it well! It has helped me numerous times during tribulations. Now, using it will consume a great amount of energy and time to recover, possibly several years."
Upon hearing this, Gao Cuo's spirit was invigorated.
Swordsmanship—Vitality Transfer!
The Sword Elder controlled Gao Cuo's body, pointing his fingers like a sword. As his hand pointed downward, sword qi condensed at his fingertips, becoming almost tangible.
The sword's edge radiated a halo of ripples, and dew-like drops fell from the tip, as if it had just brushed past a cold pond.
On the sword's spine, the array map of the Southern Dipper Star emerged, with sword qi bursting forth, transforming the surrounding energy into thriving vitality.
"It is said that the Northern Star governs death, while the Southern Star governs life!"
The Sword Elder explained to Gao Cuo at the crucial moment: "In my lifetime, I once encountered a rare opportunity when I entered the Heavenly Track Mansion. After passing a trial, I gained the chance to read the Heavenly Destiny Book!"
"From it, I comprehended this sword technique."
"The destiny threads of all things are like silk, intertwining to form an immeasurable net of tribulations. Every intersection is a crucial point of cause and effect."
"Once this swordsmanship is mastered, it enables the practitioner to see the crisscrossing lines of fate in an instant, using sword intent as the weaver and the Nascent Soul as the guide."
At this point, the Sword Elder's eyes widened abruptly.
In that instant, his eyes shone with brilliance as the vision transformed dramatically.
The physical world became illusory and blurred, including the Dragon King. Lines of fate appeared, colored in shades of pale green, withered yellow, and sapphire blue, clearly intertwined.
Some were paths of death intertwined with blood, some were tribulations bound by karmic fire, and some were life-and-death lines woven in black and white.
"Gao Cuo! Look carefully, find our path to survival!" The Sword Elder's guidance continued even at the critical moment.
Gao Cuo strained to observe, only to see life-and-death lines everywhere; all seemed like paths of death, all were tribulations!
In panic, Gao Cuo cried out: "Sword Elder, I—I can't see it, I can't find it, I haven't found the path to survival."
The Sword Elder paused for a moment before saying: "Neither have I."
Gao Cuo: ??!!
Swordmanship—Vitality Transfer, failed!
Pfft.
With the failure of casting the spell, the backlash was immediate.
Gao Cuo spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, as numerous thoughts in his Divine Sea scattered like bubbles swept away by a storm. His spirit weakened, and he nearly fainted.
The Ginseng Whisker Dragon King, previously seeing Gao Cuo—a strange and intricate energy flow around him—was vigilant and prepared, not daring to act rashly.
However, Gao Cuo's failure revealed a major vulnerability, which the Dragon King seized firmly!
Demonic Art—Dragon Whisker Binding Heaven.
In an instant, countless ginseng whiskers extended wildly, their tips penetrating space, deeply rooting in the void.
The void, with the power to grind and dissipate all matter, affected the ginseng whiskers of the Dragon King, causing quick consumption and damage.
Nonetheless, the life force within the Dragon King was as vast as the sea. For every ginseng whisker broken, life force flowed in to replace it, countering the void's destruction with terrifying regenerative ability.
Thus, the Dragon King controlled the entire space firmly, preventing any Nascent Soul from escaping.
With this done, it continued its attack.
Countless ginseng whiskers surged from all directions, like a horde of dragons hunting, working in perfect harmony, giving Gao Cuo no chance to flee.
One by one, the ginseng whiskers wrapped around Gao Cuo's body, quickly binding him tightly.
Captured alive Gao Cuo (Sword Elder)!
"A residual soul of a Nascent Soul level Sword Cultivator... Now, tell me, who sent you to impersonate the Stone Ancestor and deceive me?!" The Dragon King's divine sense forcefully flooded into Gao Cuo's Divine Sea.
Vast thoughts occupied the major part of his Divine Sea, coalescing into the enormous form of the Dragon King.
Gao Cuo: …
Sword Elder: …
After a while, Gao Cuo responded within his own Divine Sea: "It was our own plan."
The Dragon King laughed in anger: "Hahaha! Even after falling into my hands, you remain stubborn. Very well, I admire your courage."
"But do you think I lack severe interrogation methods?"
"Take them back, and I'll deal with you slowly."
The Sword Elder sighed: "Your Excellency, you are mistaken. What we've said is the truth; there is no need to hide."
The Dragon King ignored them, binding and sealing them tightly, even closing the eyes of its divine image in Gao Cuo's Divine Sea.
In despair, Gao Cuo shouted: "Dragon King, you are really mistaken!!"
"Still so stubborn, huh." The Dragon King sneered inwardly, anger growing despite his level-headedness.
This time, he was deceived by the false Stone Ancestor, abandoning the front line.
Because the Stone Ancestor was exceedingly significant to the Dragon King's control over the Thousand Peak Forest.
"If I and Du Tiechuan suffer mutual destruction again... The Stone Ancestor, having now ascended to Transformation Spirit, won't need to search for my true form to battle me. He merely needs to refine the Earth Vein of the Thousand Peak Forest to uproot my foundation for his own use!"
The Dragon King had invested heavily in the Earth Vein of the Thousand Peak Forest.
The Stone Ancestor, being born from a ten-thousand-year-old earth essence, was inherently skilled in controlling earth veins.
Initially, when Lu Hongtu and the Stone Ancestor attempted to map the Earth Vein of the Thousand Peak Forest, the Dragon King had to suppress them with full force.
"Strange."
"During my initial duel with the Stone Ancestor, I had already gauged his depth and potential; there was no way he could ascend to the Transformation Spirit level."