: I'm Really Not the Old Monster in the Stone!

"I never thought I'd ultimately be brought down by this little brat!" The Lord of Demon Heart Cave was filled with rage and hatred.

His heart brimmed with resentment. If he hadn't been struck by the supernatural ability "Red Heart Goose Arrow" first, if he hadn't been exhausted from the fierce battle earlier, how could Ning Zhuo have possibly exploited his weakness?

But the facts were ironclad. No matter how unwilling the Lord of Demon Heart Cave was, he could only flee by releasing his Nascent Soul, escaping through the air.

"Ning Zhuo! Our enmity is irreconcilable! Just you wait!" Before leaving, the Lord's Nascent Soul let out a sharp, ear-piercing shriek.

Ning Zhuo sighed deeply.

He very much wanted to keep the Lord's Nascent Soul but had no means to do so.

Sun Lingtong exclaimed with admiration, "This man has his methods. He actually housed his Nascent Soul within his heart, creating a unique death-substitution technique."

"Thus, it's as if he has multiple lives. That's why he survived even after being hit by the supernatural ability 'Red Heart Goose Arrow'."

The Lord of Demon Heart Cave's combat power wasn't as strong as Long Ye's, but his life-preserving methods were exceptionally formidable, surpassing the latter.

No matter how powerful Long Ye was, he only had one life.

At the edge of the battlefield, Lin Bufan, who was hiding himself, wore a strange expression: "Ning Zhuo, this kid, actually killed a Nascent Soul cultivator."

"Although it was just the final blow, if he hadn't acted promptly, the Lord of Demon Heart Cave might have caught his breath and regrouped!"

"By then, it would be General Mu Lan who, unable to unleash her supernatural ability a second time, would inevitably fall into an absolutely disadvantageous position!"

"Ning Zhuo is only at the Foundation Establishment stage! With this achievement, he can be justifiably proud."

The scene of Ning Zhuo slaying the Lord of Demon Heart Cave was deeply imprinted in Lin Bufan's mind, completely altering his impression of Ning Zhuo.

Due to the gap in their cultivation levels, he had always felt superior to Ning Zhuo.

Now, having witnessed the Lord's fate, Lin Bufan's underlying attitude towards Ning Zhuo underwent a fundamental change.

"Ning Zhuo, this kid, is indeed worthy of being recognized by the Southern Bean Royal Family." Lin Bufan sighed sincerely, his gaze shifting to Zhu Xuanji beside him.

Zhu Xuanji nodded slightly, thinking: "He is the Child of Calamity, after all."

"Having just begun his travels, merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, he's already caused such a stir."

"Still in his teens, and already has the life of a Nascent Soul-level cultivator on his hands."

"Truly..."

From this perspective, Zhu Xuanji also felt far inferior to Ning Zhuo.

"What?! The Lord of Demon Heart Cave has fallen!"

"He was killed by Ning Zhuo? Damn it!"

"Retreat, retreat now!"

Although the Lord's Nascent Soul escaped, the fact of his defeat and death had a widespread impact.

Many cultivators who witnessed this scene, already low in morale, now completely lost their will to fight and turned to flee.

A proper allied force would have overseers at this point to severely punish or even execute deserters.

But firstly, the Thousand Peaks Forest alliance was newly formed, its structure incomplete. Secondly, the core leadership was mired in the central combat zone, unable to extricate themselves, let alone attend to other matters.

One deserter appeared, quickly followed by others—a second, a third...

Like a plague, the number of deserters swelled.

Ning Zhuo's feat of slaying the Lord of Demon Heart Cave caused a qualitative shift in morale, triggering the collapse of the Thousand Peaks Forest alliance.

Seeing the enemy scattering in flight, the morale of the Two-Pillar Kingdom's army soared, and they cheered repeatedly!

On the Thousand Peaks Forest side, some Nascent Soul cultivators tried to salvage the situation, shouting loudly. But in such a vast battlefield, even Nascent Soul cultivators seemed relatively insignificant.

They might kill hundreds or thousands, but changing the hearts of tens of thousands was exceedingly difficult.

"The tide has turned!"

"The situation is lost..."

"Damn it, who can turn the tide?"

Like a receding wave, the core forces still holding the battlefield stood out. They were determined to fight to the death, while also crying out inwardly: "Where is the Dragon King? Why hasn't Lord Whiskered Dragon King made a move yet?!"

In such a dire situation, only the God Transformation-level Whiskered Dragon King personally entering the fray could reverse the battle.

Deep underground.

Dragon King's Secret Temple.

A sacrificial ceremony had reached its climax.

Incense smoke curled, offerings were piled like mountains, and several Dragon King temple priests chanted in unison.

"Behold, as heaven and earth were divided, vegetation gained spirit. Thousand Peaks nurtured excellence, nine orifices contained essence. Cultivating dragon whiskers to bear the earth's veins, taking human form to rule the mountain domain. Whiskers stir, altering rivers' courses; ginseng leaves shake, changing stars' paths..."

"Revered Deity, Whiskered Dragon King: inheriting the profound virtue of Earth, embodying the true form of Wood. Roots delve into the netherworld, connecting the Yellow Springs; canopy supports the Purple Star, reaching the Jade Purity. Drinking morning dew to cleanse the world's miasma; absorbing moonlight to pacify the four seas' demon stars..."

"Now evil miasma blots the sun, demon flames burn the forests. Tiger specters split the land, snake mothers devour the clouds. The old monster in the stone steals high positions and demon hearts; outsiders cook mountain gods into soup. Three rivers' spiritual springs dry, five-colored soil turns foul. Foxes mourn bones on cliffs, cranes weep over ice in ravines. Beasts lose their dens, grasses sever their roots..."

"Devoutly pray the Dragon King extends his coiled whiskers to sweep the world, waves his ginseng leaves to stabilize the universe. Where roots rise, split the old monster's demon body; where ginseng fragrance passes, awaken the deluded souls of external evils..."

"Restore the peach woods of the eastern peaks to bloom, warm the spiritual springs of the western valleys again. Return crane shadows to the southern abyss, anchor clouds to the northern cliffs..."

"Reverently offering thousand-year fleeceflower root as candles, ten-thousand-year poria cocos frost as wine. Present three pairs of tiger eyes to forge divine sight like lightning; offer nine eagle feathers to transform into demon-slaying blades. Further take the heart's blood of an innocent child to write the sacrificial text for the mountains and rivers!"

"Humbly wish the revered deity displays the power of creation, exhales the primordial ginseng breath. Return our Thousand Peaks forest sea to emerald green, restore this heaven and earth, renew the sun and moon!"

"Kowtowing a hundred times, reporting with tearful blood."

Blood sacrifice!

As the sacrificial chant concluded, a large number of living offerings were simultaneously harvested.

The surging vitality, mixed with the massive divine power provided by numerous deities, formed an extremely vast torrent that plunged downward, deep into the earth—reaching the earth veins!

Since the first major battle, the Whiskered Dragon King, severely wounded, had been hiding within the earth veins to recuperate.

A dragon's roar echoed faintly from the earth veins. As the earth's energy surged, it coalesced into a vague dragon shape.

This was no ordinary sign!

The Whiskered Dragon King had painstakingly managed, using his own essence blood, dragon energy, and immeasurable divine power to continuously refine the earth veins, already shaping them into a faint dragon form.

Once the form and spirit were fully realized, this vast earth vein beneath Thousand Peaks Forest would advance into a dragon vein!

And the Whiskered Dragon King, mastering the dragon vein, would possess the preliminary qualification to establish a cultivation nation!

Now, having received the massive nourishment from the blood sacrifice, the Whiskered Dragon King's aura surged dramatically.

He slowly opened his eyes, thoughts rising in his divine sea: "It is time to move."

Demonic Art—Earth Vein Travel!

Twelve green vine waterfalls cascaded down successively, while the mountain body spiraled upward. In the swamp, large expanses of fluorescent fungal carpets floated, intermingled with fireflies and eerie green will-o'-the-wisps.

This was Vine Coil Peak.

The originally quiet swamp was now exceptionally "lively."

Will-o'-the-wisps blazed, forming a green sea of fire. Fireflies flitted about in countless numbers.

The cause of this commotion was Gao Cuo.

At the moment, he was casting a spell to retrieve the "Shroud of Firefly Burial" buried in the swamp mud.

At the bottom of Vine Coil Peak's putrid swamp, countless decaying corpses and the dead roots of innumerable green vines provided the breeding and living ground for fireflies.

Through their various life activities, the countless fireflies also influenced their life-sustaining bed, unconsciously transforming it.

A thin layer of shroud covered the surface of hundreds of millions of decaying corpses, providing a habitat for the fireflies.

The shroud represented the boundary between life and death, containing the profound Dao charm of life and death intermingled.

Large sheets of the shroud covered nearly ten acres, almost transparent. Under the glow of the fluorescent light, it alternately displayed shifting patterns of black and white.

Gao Cuo continuously extracted the shroud, storing it away.

"Success!"

"Our strategy was correct. After impersonating the Old Monster in the Stone, Green Vine Physician indeed didn't dare act lightly."

"Us taking the Shroud of Firefly Burial is equivalent to extracting the foundation and essence of Vine Coil Peak. But this Nascent Soul cultivator could only watch helplessly, holed up deep in her lair."

Gao Cuo was extremely excited.

This treasure material was quite important to him. With proper handling, he could disguise himself as an inanimate object, greatly expanding his survival options and significantly enhancing his combat ability.

"After failing the first two times, my luck has finally turned this time, haha." Gao Cuo was very pleased.

From the moment he truly started until now, everything had gone smoothly.

"After taking this section, we should leave. Leave a patch or two of swamp for Green Vine Physician. Pushing her to the point of anger and making her attack would be counterproductive!" The Sword Elder's reminder sounded in Gao Cuo's mind.

Gao Cuo nodded: "Sword Elder, you're right. I was thinking the same. No need to drive her to desperation. If Green Vine Physician gets enraged and strikes, that would be going too far..."

While they were conversing, the earth shook and the mountains trembled!

"What's happening?!" Gao Cuo was shocked. "Is Green Vine Physician making a move?!"

"No, it's not her!" the Sword Elder firmly denied.

The next moment, the green vine waterfall beside him trembled violently, emitting bursts of dragon roars.

Powerful dragon energy eroded and filled the area, instantly transforming countless green vines into vine dragons that pounced towards the stone sphere Gao Cuo was disguised as.

Gao Cuo's heart lurched. He quickly maintained his impersonation of the Old Monster in the Stone, attempting to roll into the mountain body and escape using earth遁.

"Stop! There's something big underground!" the Sword Elder promptly warned.

Gao Cuo was startled again. Maintaining his disguise spell, he hastily flew upward.

But in the next instant, surging earth energy erupted from the swamp, instantly suppressing the sea of will-o'-the-wisps and generating an immensely powerful suction force.

Gao Cuo, already mid-air, was firmly gripped by this force and pulled back down to the ground.

"Who on earth is ambushing..." Gao Cuo's eyes suddenly widened, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints, trembling violently!

"Whiskered Dragon King?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

He never expected that the one ambushing him was the strongest existence in Thousand Peaks Forest, the de facto leader of the Thousand Peaks Forest alliance!

"Whiskered Dragon King!"

"God Transformation level?!"

"Specifically here to capture me?"

"Is Green Vine Physician the Whiskered Dragon King's lover?!"

For a moment, Gao Cuo almost cursed out loud.

This was utterly absurd!

The mighty Whiskered Dragon King, ignoring the ongoing major battle, went to the great expense of suddenly teleporting to Vine Coil Peak just to deal with Gao Cuo alone.

"What have I done to deserve this?!!"

If he had known he'd receive such "treatment," Gao Cuo would never have come to Vine Coil Peak.

He forced himself to stay calm, comforting himself: "Fortunately, I'm currently disguised as the Old Monster in the Stone..."

The next moment, the Whiskered Dragon King sent a mental message: "Old Monster in the Stone, you were defeated by me in the past, and it will be the same today. Even if you've reached the God Transformation stage, you stand no chance. Surrender quickly, join me in surrounding and killing Du Tiechuan, and I promise you the position of second-in-command in Thousand Peaks Forest."

Hearing this, Gao Cuo felt utterly wretched!

The Sword Elder was also extremely speechless.

So, it turned out it wasn't because of them, nor because of Green Vine Physician, but the identity of the "Old Monster in the Stone" that had attracted the Whiskered Dragon King!

Gao Cuo desperately wanted to shout: "Lord Dragon King, you've made a mistake! The 'Old Monster in the Stone' before you is fake, it's fake!"

But he only dared to scream it in his heart.

He wouldn't dare tell the truth even if beaten to death!

If he told the truth... think about it: the Whiskered Dragon King teleported here for him, abandoned the major battle, sacrificed so much, paid such a price!

And the result was a fake!

Would the Whiskered Dragon King, a dignified God Transformation level being, go easy on Gao Cuo?

Wishful thinking!

Spell—Mirage Seal!

The phantom of a giant clam appeared. The vine dragons穿梭ing through the mirage were confused, tangling and fighting amongst themselves, causing most of the offensive to be consumed internally.

However, Gao Cuo's all-out spellcasting was still insufficient to intercept all the vines.

Hundreds of vines were about to pierce the "stone sphere." The Sword Elder acted decisively.

Sword Art—Thousand Sword Thrusts.

Sword energy surged forth, condensing into countless sword tips that thrust thousands of times in an instant. The sword tips formed a dense barrier, using offense as defense, piercing and annihilating all the attacking vines.

The Whiskered Dragon King was enraged: "You are not the Old Monster in the Stone!"

His low roar echoed throughout Giant Wood Mountain.

In just the first exchange, the Whiskered Dragon King saw through the facade and detected the truth.

After all, he had fought the Old Monster in the Stone before.

Gao Cuo's face instantly turned as pale as paper.

He was filled with extreme regret,恨不得 slapping himself several times: "Why did I impersonate the Old Monster in the Stone? Why, why did I do it?!"

Having discovered the truth, the Whiskered Dragon King roared again: "A clever scheme! Du Tiechuan employs a clever scheme. And you have quite the nerve! Actually undertaking such a dangerous mission regardless of your life. Then this deity shall grant your wish!!"

"Don't, please don't..." Gao Cuo was inwardly weeping rivers of tears, "I wasn't sent by Du Tiechuan, I really wasn't."

The Sword Elder shouted: "Xiao Gao, it's time to fight for our lives!"

Gao Cuo was jolted alert, his face turning solemn. The pressure of death made him abandon all illusions: "I know, Sword Elder, possess me!"

The next instant, Gao Cuo lost control of his body. The Sword Elder took complete command.

Sword Art—Starry River Shatters Dreams!

Sword energy crisscrossed, drawing upon the radiance of the surrounding stars. Streaks of sword energy emitted azule starlight, transforming into a fragmented river of stars.

Sword Art—Green Lotus Transforms Calamity!

Sword energy swirled back, forming numerous green lotus shapes that surrounded Gao Cuo, providing all-around protection.

One sword art attacked, the other defended. The Sword Elder unleashed his combat power to the utmost.

Rumble...

The mountain rocks split open, and Vine Coil Peak tilted rapidly to one side.

The massive true form of the Whiskered Dragon King emerged from the mountain body, its enormous shadow enveloping a large area of the mountainous land. Gao Cuo looked up, feeling as if the entire sky was blotted out by the Whiskered Dragon King!

Even the Sword Elder was momentarily stunned, awed by the Dragon King's divine might.

(End of )