A surge of joy shot through Nie Kong’s heart. If he was going to make a move, he first needed to confirm the Dragon Ancestor’s current condition, or at least ascertain whether the Dragon Taming Grass possessed the ability to instantly shatter the Dragon Ancestor’s soul. He had sent Xiangxiang out of the Spiritual Numinous Aperture, creeping stealthily toward the giant dragon’s head, precisely for this purpose.
Once the little fellow had concealed itself, under Nie Kong’s instruction, it separated a portion of its life-essence medicinal power and probed deep into the giant dragon's brain. It was then that Nie Kong discovered the gigantic dragon head was thoroughly crisscrossed by the Dragon Taming Grass’s roots, which had almost completely occupied the cranial space.
Fortunately, the little creature emitted no aura fluctuations; otherwise, the moment it entered the dragon’s head, the Gold Taming Dragon would have detected it instantly.
By engaging in combat and conversation, Nie Kong successfully diverted the Gold Taming Dragon’s attention. Simultaneously, the little one’s life-essence medicinal power meticulously searched within. Finally, in the upper jaw area of the massive head, untouched by the grass’s roots, it located a somewhat dim golden shimmer.
That familiar aura made Nie Kong feel that the Dragon Ancestor’s soul must still reside within that golden light.
Originally, Nie Kong was still contemplating how to establish contact with the Dragon Ancestor. He hadn't expected that the moment the little creature’s medicinal power brushed against the golden mass, the Dragon Ancestor reacted. Then, using the medicinal power as a medium, the thought transmission was relayed directly into the deepest recesses of Nie Kong’s mind.
Having received this information, Nie Kong was entirely free of any lingering apprehension.
“What a pity, what a pity!” In a flash of thought, Nie Kong suddenly sighed with emotion. “Fish, I desire; bear’s paw, I also desire. Fish and bear’s paw…”
“What do you mean?” Before Nie Kong could finish, the Gold Taming Dragon frowned and interrupted.
“What I mean is, I desire the Dragon Ancestor’s divine power, and I also desire this Dragon Taming Grass of yours. So, when all is said and done, it ultimately comes down to…”
“Fighting for it!”
The instant this final word left his lips, the tone skyrocketed manifold, echoing like a shattering thunderclap throughout the Dragon Pearl Space. Immediately following this, three colossal golden glows shot out from Nie Kong’s body, almost overlapping as they slammed toward the Gold Taming Dragon opposite him.
“Triple Overlap Seal!”
The Gold Taming Dragon had not expected Nie Kong to strike so abruptly; its expression changed drastically. However, upon witnessing the technique Nie Kong unleashed, it couldn't help but let out a cold sneer. Its body instantly dissolved into a plume of golden vapor and retreated into the Dragon Taming Grass itself, which was situated atop the giant dragon’s head. Then, the thick stalk shook violently.
“Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!” Four massive, broad leaves expelled four razor-sharp giant claws, tearing through the void as they lunged upward toward the ‘War God Star Seal.’
“Boom!”
An instant later, the brilliant golden light burst apart explosively. The four giant claws shredded the overlapping ‘War God Star Seal’ into pieces, but the power unleashed by the ‘Triple Overlap Seal’ simultaneously blasted the purely golden giant claws into dust, which dissipated into specks of golden luminescence in the void.
Nie Kong let out a grim chuckle, taking a step forward. Each stride covered dozens of meters, rapidly shrinking the distance between him and the giant dragon.
“Oh?”
The Gold Taming Dragon seemed somewhat surprised by this outcome. Seeing Nie Kong charging forward with swift, powerful steps, its reaction was exceptionally fast. The Dragon Taming Grass stalk stretched wildly to dozens of meters long, then suddenly trembled, trailing vast swathes of afterimages in the void, spiraling around and falling to envelop Nie Kong.
Seeing this, Nie Kong did not attempt to evade in the slightest.
“Whoosh!”
The Dragon Taming Grass swiftly coiled around Nie Kong’s abnormally robust body. The tips of the dragon-claw-like leaves descended like sharp golden hooks, aiming for Nie Kong’s chest and back.
Nie Kong did not halt his advance, but suddenly, a blood-red, eye-shaped flower emerged from his chest—it was Tai Yan, who had suddenly reverted to its true form, climbing out from under Nie Kong’s clothing.
“Ah!”
Seemingly recalling the bizarre scene where its long whip had been swallowed previously, the Gold Taming Dragon shrieked in panic, and the Dragon Taming Grass wrapped around Nie Kong’s body hastily recoiled.
It did not realize that Tai Yan could only unleash terrifying power when subjected to an attack; in its current state, it posed no real threat.
Nie Kong’s enormous, fan-like palm shot out, seizing the golden fruit at the tip of the Dragon Taming Grass. However, in the very next moment, the fruit exploded, dissolving into a plume of golden vapor that drifted away from Nie Kong’s hand. In an instant, it reformed at the tip of the Dragon Taming Grass stalk.
“Interesting.”
Nie Kong paused for a moment, a faint smile soon spreading across his face. He stomped forward several more steps, reducing the distance to the dragon to just over ten meters, and his right hand lunged again toward the recoiling Dragon Taming Grass.
The Dragon Taming Grass writhed frantically in the air. A moment later, the thick stalk unnervingly burrowed between Nie Kong’s legs. One broad, dragon-claw-like leaf curled slightly, sweeping upward. The sharp, golden hook-tip faintly radiated a chilling, cold light.
“!”
Nie Kong felt a sudden pang in his groin. He quickly yanked his right hand down, but Tai Yan was faster. A flash of red light erupted, and the gazing flower intercepted the path of the golden hook. Even though Nie Kong had activated his ‘Crimson Star Battle Form,’ making his skin as thick as a city wall, Tai Yan’s actions still caused his aging face to feel a slight flush of heat.
However, Tai Yan’s presence was undeniably intimidating; as soon as she appeared, the Dragon Taming Grass leaves immediately retreated.
“Whoosh!”
In the next instant, Nie Kong’s palm seized the stalk of the Dragon Taming Grass. Alas, the result was the same as the previous attempt: once grasped, the entire section, including the fruit and a leaf, transformed into golden essence, drifting free of Nie Kong’s grasp before successfully rejoining the lower portion of the Dragon Taming Grass.
Following this, the Dragon Taming Grass and Nie Kong clashed several more times.
Yet, Tai Yan’s presence kept the Dragon Taming Grass constrained. Although Nie Kong couldn't inflict any actual harm upon the grass, the grass equally failed to halt his advance.
“Whoosh!”
In the blink of an eye, Nie Kong was less than three meters from the giant dragon’s head. His arm shot out once more with blinding speed, this time reaching directly for the section of the Dragon Taming Grass closest to the dragon’s skull.
“Nie Kong, don’t push it too far!” The Gold Taming Dragon’s shrill voice pierced Nie Kong’s ears like a sharp awl; the tone was clearly flustered and enraged.
“Damn right I’m going to push it too far! What are you going to do about it?”
Sensing the Gold Taming Dragon’s frustration, Nie Kong stretched his mouth wide and laughed arrogantly. There was no hesitation in his right palm’s movement. The Dragon Taming Grass, utterly helpless, rapidly contracted its stalk and leaves, managing to slip entirely inside the dragon’s head in a flash, causing Nie Kong’s grasp to close on empty air.
“Nie Kong, you win this round!”
A deep, sinister hum resonated from the dragon’s head. The Gold Taming Dragon’s voice carried both deep resentment and an almost unconcealed smugness. “I can’t do anything to you, but you won’t manage to do anything to me either. If you have the guts, go ahead and slice open this old fellow’s head to take a look!”
…… ……RO