Under the azure luminescence of the "Pearl of the Bay Leaf," the dragon's colossal head remained utterly still, seemingly still ensnared by the control of the Dragon Taming Grass.
In thought, Nie Kong gently placed his palm against the massive head, allowing a thread of Spiritual Treasure essence to seep in. Indeed, although the dense network of roots from the Dragon Suppressing Grass had withdrawn, the Dragon Ancestor’s skull was instantly saturated with a dense, cold, and grim golden aura, which immediately repelled Nie Kong’s infiltrating essence.
Sighing inwardly, Nie Kong retracted his right hand, his gaze falling upon Yu Longxi, who was still desperately pleading and begging Tai Yan, his cries as piercing and wretched as a cuckoo’s blood-spitting lament. Unfortunately, Tai Yan kept a vigilant watch on him, clearly fearful that Yu Longxi might suddenly attack Nie Kong. No matter how sincerely the Golden Suppressing Dragon called him "sister," his words could not sway Tai Yan in the slightest.
After a few more minutes passed with Tai Yan remaining unmoved, the Golden Suppressing Dragon finally cursed in utter despair: “Nie Kong, may you die a terrible death! And you two dead Medicine Spirits, one day you will all be completely absorbed by his little pet. I hope you won't regret it then…”
As he spoke, the gaunt face materialized from the golden fruit stared venomously at Nie Kong, as if wishing to tear him into a thousand pieces.
“Trying to sow discord?”
Nie Kong let out a wry laugh. “Little Golden Suppressing Dragon, you may rest easy now. However, you can be relieved; perhaps you are the only Dragon Taming Grass on the entire Tian Ling Continent now, and I won't wipe you out entirely. After all, you are a rare medicinal herb comparable to the Fire Tree Silver Flower, the Everbright Sky, the Fluttering Jade Butterfly, the Spring Harmony, and the God Devouring Flower. Later, I will have Xiangxiang leave a few of your roots to cultivate new seedling Dragon Suppressing Grass. Perhaps in a few thousand years, they can become Medicine Spirits again. I wonder if the Medicine Spirit of the Dragon Taming Grass will still retain your memories by then.”
“You… you… how can such a shameless human exist in this world…”
The Golden Suppressing Dragon wailed helplessly, his voice growing progressively weaker. As the last word left his lips, his face reverted to the golden fruit; the thick Dragon Suppressing Grass plummeted from several meters in the air to the ground, motionless. By this time, about half of its medicinal power had been absorbed by Xiangxiang, making it impossible to maintain its human form.
Time slipped quietly away as the little creature absorbed faster and faster; the golden luminescence emanating from the Dragon Taming Grass dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
No sound echoed within the Dragon Pearl space; it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Nie Kong also exited the state of the "Scarlet Star Battle Body," reverting to his original form. Watching the rapidly depleting Dragon Taming Grass, Nie Kong quickly sent a thought to the little one. Although he disliked the Golden Dragon Taming spirit, he certainly did not wish to see such a miraculous herb become extinct in his possession.
The fact that the Golden Suppressing Dragon could generate an entire Dragon Suppressing Grass plant from such minute roots—even if it was an illusion—indicated that as long as the roots remained, the herb would not perish. If the little one left a few roots rich in medicinal power, nurturing them with vitality should allow for the cultivation of seedling Dragon Suppressing Grass, which might retain the memory of the herb.
Nothing could change the course of events now.
Nie Kong was quite puzzled: how could a Dragon Taming Grass, possessing only Tian Ling realm strength, manage to control and nearly destroy the Dragon Ancestor, whose soul power had reached the Ling Shen realm?
It was rumored that the scent emitted by the Dragon Taming Grass was the bane of Dragon-line spirit beasts.
The reason the Dragon Taming Grass was included in the grouping of the “Fire Tree Silver Flower, Everbright Sky, Dragon Suppressing, God Devouring, Fluttering Harmony” was precisely due to this peculiar medicinal efficacy.
Although the Dragon Ancestor’s true body was that of a Dragon-line spirit beast, upon cultivating to the Ling Shen realm, he had transcended the category of a mere spirit beast. Even if the Dragon Taming Grass could restrain him, the Dragon Ancestor should not have been so easily tricked. Since discovering that the Dragon Suppressing Grass hidden in the Dragon Temple passage was the culprit, Nie Kong had harbored this question.
He supposed the answer would only come once the Dragon Ancestor had completely broken free from the grass's suppression.
“Aiya ya!”
After a long pause, the little creature’s innate medicinal energy, which had enveloped the Dragon Suppressing Grass roots, receded into its body like a tide. It then cried out contentedly, floated over to Nie Kong, tilted its little flower bud up, and presented a vibrant root of the Dragon Suppressing Grass to Nie Kong, held between two of its leaves, as if offering a great treasure.
“Only one?”
Nie Kong’s face darkened slightly; he had clearly instructed the little one to leave several roots.
“Aiya ya, aiyah ya…” The little creature chirped a few times, sounding somewhat guilty. Seeing Nie Kong staring intently, it immediately lowered its little bud, one leaf drooping, and carefully rolled one Dragon Suppressing Grass root from its cluster toward Nie Kong.
“More!” Nie Kong’s expression grew even more severe, though he was internally suppressing a mix of exasperation and amusement; this little thing had actually learned to hoard food.
“Aiyah ya—” After much hesitant stalling, another Dragon Suppressing Grass root became visible to Nie Kong.
“…”
Several minutes later, the pile of Dragon Suppressing Grass roots in Nie Kong’s hand had increased to six. The little creature was now huddled into a ball, its stems and leaves radiating dejection. Its small flower bud looked up at Nie Kong pitifully; it had only managed to hide five roots initially, and now all of them had been confiscated by Nie Kong.
Seeing its pathetic state, Nie Kong almost burst out laughing.
“Brother, Xiangxiang is so pitiful, just let him keep those five roots. One is enough for us. Besides,” Tai Yan shook Nie Kong’s arm sympathetically, “doesn't Qing Yue know how to separate medicinal herbs? Once the Dragon Suppressing Grass is cultivated, we can have her separate it a few more times.”
“Is a rare herb like Dragon Suppressing Grass easy to separate? Alas, grandma, I am destined to be an old ox plowing the fields—a life born to hard labor!” Qing Yue, perched on Nie Kong’s shoulder, burst into laughter at Tai Yan’s words, but her face instantly turned pale upon hearing them, and she sighed dejectedly.
“Every nation has its laws, and every family has its rules; without rules, how can things take shape?” Nie Kong stifled his laughter, maintaining a stern face, and recited this to Tai Yan seriously. Then, he turned his eyes to the little creature and said, “Xiangxiang, one must be honest as a person, and honest as an herb too, do you understand?”
“Aiya ya, aiyah ya…” The little flower bud nodded like a chicken pecking rice, but it kept tilting its head toward the Dragon Suppressing Grass roots in Nie Kong’s hand.
“Very good, you can have these three!”
Seeing Xiangxiang’s charmingly simple expression, Nie Kong could no longer hold back his amusement. He stopped teasing it and pulled out three roots to hand over. The little creature, surprised by this turn of events, chirped with overwhelming delight, immediately snatched the roots, and sucked them clean in a frenzy, seemingly afraid Nie Kong might change his mind.
Tossing aside the withered roots, the little creature darted into the Ling Shen Acupoint.
Nie Kong tucked the three roots, still possessing vitality and medicinal power, into his pet storage bag, instructing the little one to nourish them well with its innate energy. He then summoned the Dragon Suppressing Grass from a few meters away, which floated into his palm; this stalk now held no sign of life.
Now, the Dragon Ancestor should finally be free from control! Nie Kong’s eyes flickered, his gaze settling back on the giant dragon’s head—