Chapter 562

Gao Cuo needed the Firefly Burial Gauze to cultivate a mask, specifically to disguise himself as a dead object, to pass off the fake as genuine, with excellent results.

However, on ordinary days, Quteng Peak's defense was strict, self-contained, and had no flaws.

Therefore, Gao Cuo could only endure bitterly, waiting for an opportunity.

In this great battle, he escaped early, thinking of taking advantage of the situation to make a profit. He then learned the latest battle report that Green Vine Physician's physical body had been destroyed by Shuang Ling.

Gao Cuo quickly discussed it with Sword Elder, changed his original plan, and quickly arrived near Quteng Peak.

After all, such an opportunity was too rare.

"Hmm?" Sword Elder gave a light exclamation.

Gao Cuo didn't notice anything, but soon, he saw the entire Quteng Peak raise its defensive formation, showing its strongest defensive posture.

Gao Cuo's heart stirred, and he immediately realized: "Oh, it must be that Green Vine Physician's Nascent Soul traversed the void and returned to her base camp."

Green Vine Physician was one of the high-level leaders of the Ancient Vine tribe, having been domineering for many years, and her own strength was quite formidable.

But in this great battle, she experienced unprecedented challenges, her physical body was destroyed, and only her Nascent Soul escaped death.

This sudden change caused Green Vine Physician, who had always been pampered, to fall into a certain stress state, fearing any accidents, so as soon as she returned, she activated all defensive formations, making Quteng Peak as solid as a golden fortress.

"However, in doing so, she also exposed key information."

Sword Elder sighed deeply: "Gao Cuo, you also know a lot of intelligence about Green Vine Physician and her cultivation journey."

"She was originally the child of the tribe's high-level officials, born noble, and although she upheld the brave and fierce nature of the barbarian tribe, she almost always relied on her background, her own aptitude, and her cultivation to be arrogant and bully the weak."

"On the surface, there is nothing wrong with this. But when facing major setbacks or life tests, flaws are immediately revealed."

"So, don't look at many Nascent Soul cultivators as being high and powerful; in reality, they are strong on the outside but weak on the inside, and their character is not worth praising."

"Green Vine Physician's correct approach would actually be to remain hidden, keep a low profile, and maintain secrecy. But now, within a radius of hundreds of miles, anyone who sees Quteng Peak making such a fuss knows that something big must have happened. If combined with the latest battle report, it is very easy to infer Green Vine Physician's current predicament."

"If there really were enemies, they would definitely strike at this time!"

"You must know that a Nascent Soul is far weaker than a Primordial Spirit."

Gao Cuo received Sword Elder's guidance and suddenly realized: "Sword

Elder, I understand."

"On one hand, you are saying that although most Nascent Soul cultivators have powerful strength, their character is difficult to evaluate, or perhaps even inferior to mine. This is a path for me to target Nascent Soul cultivators in the future."

"On the other hand, the path of cultivation is not just about the increase in cultivation base, but also the tempering of personal character. Especially during the period of weakness, the pressure given by the outside world is often huge, which can bring about growth in one's heart and character."

"And after this period, once the cultivation reaches a certain height, for example, the Nascent Soul level, it is difficult to feel pressure from the outside world on a daily basis. This is actually detrimental to the cultivator's entire Dao path!"

Sword Elder laughed loudly: "That's right. Therefore, there are often late bloomers."

"Cultivators who are always pampered and do not suffer setbacks and failures will not go far on their path of cultivation."

"So, are the previous two failures really just failures for you?"

"This is also a kind of success."

Gao Cuo had experienced two failures in succession.

The first was the Evil God Bone of Blue Sky Mountain. The second was the Wood-in-Fire in the Ten-Mile Burning Forest.

Both left Gao Cuo empty-handed.

Now is the third time.

He was preparing to steal the Firefly Burial Gauze in Quteng Peak.

Compared to the previous two times, he was clearly much more composed: "Sword Elder, what you said makes a lot of sense. It's just... I still hope to be truly successful."

While speaking, the many green vines on Quteng Peak began to retract, and a large amount of green color quickly faded, forming a surging wave of green light that gathered into the interior of Quteng Peak's mountain body.

Sword Elder murmured: "It has begun."

Gao Cuo nodded slightly, knowing that Green Vine Physician would inevitably consume a massive amount of vitality to reshape her body.

This would seriously affect the entire defense of Quteng Peak, causing flaws in the defense.

And these flaws would be his opportunity.

Sword Elder reminded: "Get ready."

Gao Cuo nodded again and began to activate his cultivation technique.

This time he truly released his full strength, the whole process silent, without a trace of aura leaking out.

Half an incense stick of time later, he transformed into a stone ball—the Old Monster in the Stone!

If Green Vine Physician's Nascent Soul hadn't returned, Gao Cuo wouldn't have used his full strength to disguise himself as the Old Monster in the Stone.

But since her Nascent Soul had returned and was sitting in Quteng Peak, a direct conflict was highly likely to occur if he wanted to obtain the Firefly Burial Gauze.

In this situation, the Soul Transformation-level Old Monster in the Stone could make Green Vine Physician wary.

More importantly, after using this disguise, even the Dragon King Temple side wouldn't want to continue investigating. Because doing so could very likely create an internal conflict between the two great Soul Transformation-level figures in Thousand Peaks Forest: the Tentacle Dragon King and the Old Monster in the Stone.

In the unfavorable situation of facing a great enemy, the Tentacle Dragon King would inevitably be wary and endure for a while.

This was exactly what Gao Cuo and Sword Elder had hoped for.

"Old Monster in the Stone?!" Green Vine Physician's Nascent Soul let out a scream.

Sure enough, when Gao Cuo officially acted, he shocked Green Vine Physician, making her afraid to act rashly and forcing her to seek help immediately.

The request for help was sent to the Dragon King Temple and to Long Ye's hands at a very fast speed.

"Discovered the true body of the Old Monster in the Stone!"

"He has finally appeared!"

"Is it true?"

"Green Vine Physician is absolutely certain!"

"Then act according to the previous arrangements!!"

The Dragon King Temple's reaction was extremely rapid.

Because they had long imagined the Old Monster in the Stone and set up a large number of contingency plans. Some of them had even been rehearsed.

They couldn't help but take it seriously.

Because in their eyes, the Old Monster in the Stone was at the Soul Transformation level and was a key figure affecting the overall situation of the entire Thousand Peaks Forest.

During the period when the Old Monster in the Stone was missing, they searched frantically but found nothing.

Now, the Old Monster in the Stone had finally popped out!

In all the plans, the first thing the Dragon King Temple did was consistent—burn incense and report to the Tentacle Dragon King.

The Dragon King statue received the message, and its eyes immediately shone with brilliance, turning from dead to alive!

A moment later, Long Ye received the latest instructions.

"Old Monster in the Stone?!" He stood up from his seat abruptly.

Upon learning that the Old Monster in the Stone had appeared, the Tentacle Dragon King immediately set out!

Long Ye also received the latest order—attack the Liangzhu State camp with full force, without a moment's delay.

"Everyone, listen to the order, the whole army attacks!!" Long Ye shouted suddenly, his voice spreading across the entire battlefield.

Zhao Xi:?!!

Liangzhu State army:??!

The duel of generals was in full swing, and the Thousand Peaks Forest side was even starting to gain the upper hand, so why did they suddenly launch a full-scale attack?

This was very strange!

It wasn't just the Liangzhu State side that felt this way; the Thousand Peaks Forest coalition was also stunned, looking at Long Ye one after another, not knowing what the other party was doing.

And Long Ye scanned the surroundings with a serious gaze, responding to the many doubts: "The whole army attacks, no mistakes allowed!"

He ordered again.

"Hahaha. That's more like it!" The first to react was not someone else, but the contemporary Elephant King Xiang Yue.

Xiang Yue stopped laughing, abandoned Shuang Ling, and rushed toward the city camp of Liangzhu State.

He was powerful and heavy, breaking through the air, showing an extremely fierce posture, moving forward like a cannonball!

Zhao Xi stood up abruptly and immediately activated the formation.

Azure Moon Flying Shield Formation!

Seven hundred silver shields flew into the sky, moonlight flowing on the shield surfaces, and the Geng metal energy on the surface of the flying shields condensed into materialized light blades, combining offense and defense!

Bang, bang, bang.

Xiang Yue charged head-on, smashing through shield after shield.

"I only like this kind of battle. Hehehehe..."

On the other side, Li Li Jiuqu abandoned Mo Mo Yechen and flew to a higher place.

He grinned and laughed sinisterly, his lips splitting to his ear roots. The moment the Corrupt Immortal Poison Basket tilted, three hundred thousand Corrupt Immortal Maggots flowed over the high sky like an asphalt flood, covering the camp and city from above!

Zhao Xi and the others' expressions changed.

Zhao Xi activated the Azure Moon Flying Shield Formation again, and only after a thousand silver shields were released did they circle and combine with each other, forming a perfect moon wheel above the city.

The Geng metal energy turned into a hurricane of ten thousand blades.

The first group of poisonous insects to rush up collided with the light blades and disintegrated one after another, the sound of their carapaces breaking like hail hitting a jade plate, continuous and unending.

Crack, crack.

In the camp city, the formation disk of the Azure Moon Flying Shield Formation showed cracks, and the cracks grew and spread rapidly; after a few breaths, they extended to the entire disk surface.

"I see it!" In the Thousand Peaks Forest alliance, the Scorpion Cave Master suddenly shot a scorpion tail poison needle.

The poison needle was silent, first mixed in the poisonous insect swarm, successfully approached, and then suddenly erupted, actually piercing through the void in an instant, and when it reappeared, it had accurately pierced the formation disk.

The formation disk shattered with a bang.

The Azure Moon Flying Shield Formation immediately became chaotic, and the obstructed Xiang Yue and the intercepted insect swarm broke through the obstacles, their momentum rising again.

The broken shield pieces shattered into ten thousand star dust, sprinkling onto the battlefield, and the dozen formation masters presiding over the formation died on the spot from the backlash.

The Geng metal energy dissipated like the wind.

Thunder Net Sky-Locking Formation!

The next moment, ten thousand thunder snakes darted out from the cracks in the city wall, and the purple-white electric light intertwined into a hexagonal grid.

The wolf claw patterns on Gu Ya's face glowed with green light, and his muscular right arm suddenly swelled to three times its size.

"Wolf Tooth Break!"

He roared, the wolf tooth club wrapped in green sharpness, hitting the thunder net fiercely.

Boom.

The next moment, the smoke of the explosion engulfed Gu Ya and his surroundings.

The Scorpion Cave Master's purple gauze fluttered lightly as she flew to the battlefield.

Her tail needle outlined a scorpion-shaped talisman very slowly in mid-air.

The next moment, the five formation masters responsible for the Thunder Net Sky-Locking Formation suddenly had black blood gushing from their seven orifices, the formation instrument of the Thunder Net Sky-Locking Formation, the Red Copper Green Dragon Pillar, tilted in response, and the electric light chains twitched like a dying giant python.

Xiang Yue, who had charged to this point, directly tore the electric net apart with both hands, continuing to charge like a prehistoric giant beast!

Li Li Jiuqu's insect swarm was a step slow; just as the electric net was about to recover, it was covered by the insect swarm, and the two formed a fierce consumption.

"Blue Sea Soldier Tide Formation, open!" Zhao Xi's hair crown burst, and his long hair danced in the wind.

He was covered in cold sweat, frantically urging the formation.

Nine streams of water gathered like dragons, rising from the moat, the dragon's roar stirring up hundred-foot angry waves.

The river waves surged to the sky, quickly forming a water curtain barrier.

Just as the barrier was about to close completely, Xiang Yue rushed in with a bang, entering the water curtain a step ahead.

Martial Art—Army-Breaking Momentum!

Xiang Yue continued to charge head-on, the martial art he used specifically countering the army; the nine water dragons intercepted one after another, but their military power was scattered, allowing Xiang Yue to not dodge or avoid, smashing them one by one!

The subsequently arriving insect swarm lay on the water curtain and began to gnaw viciously.

"Shoot arrows, shoot arrows!" A general hurriedly commanded.

Ten thousand arrows were fired simultaneously from the city wall.

Using military tactics, the rain of arrows was extremely dense, almost all of them greeting Xiang Yue.

Divine Ability—Indestructible Vajra!

Xiang Yue's whole body radiated golden light, his defense rising to the limit, hard-headedly resisting the rain of arrows and continuing to charge fiercely.

"This didn't stop him either?!"

On the city wall, the generals changed color one after another, feeling horrified.

Xiang Yue's madness exceeded their imagination.

Just as they were anxious and about to welcome the crashing collision between Xiang Yue and the city wall, a mechanical puppet suddenly appeared in front of Xiang Yue.

Boom!

The two collided, and the mechanical puppet was knocked flying backward.

But soon, it adjusted its posture and stood firmly.

It could be seen that the mechanical puppet's face vaguely resembled Shuang Ling's, but its body was as soft as a snake, covered in gauze, starlight sprinkling, and water vapor permeated the gauze.

Nascent Soul level!

Xiang Yue snorted coldly, exhaling a hot, turbid breath from his nostrils, and launched his charge again.

Bang, bang, bang...

He stepped on the mountain ground, every step leaving deep footprints.

The mechanical puppet walked toward him, like an infant throwing itself into an adult's embrace.

Martial Art—Steel Fist.

Xiang Yue's fist glowed with a silver-black steel color, its hardness soaring, hitting and smashing fiercely.

The mechanical puppet raised its pair of palms, hitting Xiang Yue's steel fist directly.

In an instant, thousands of suspension threads sprayed out from the mechanical palms.

The suspension threads covered the steel fist, combined with the martial art of Soft Palm, forming the mechanical art—Entangling Cloud Hand · Thousand Thread Bind!

Xiang Yue felt his steel fist hit a ball of cotton, and his massive, hard strength was quickly dissipated.

From entering the battlefield until now, he revealed a different look for the first time, looking at the mechanical puppet in front of him again.

"Using softness to overcome hardness! This is the Soft-Boned Mysterious Maiden; it should be Shuang Ling's trump card."

"Three thousand six hundred ring joints, each joint embedded with 'Force-Unloading Rune Patterns', can freely deflect according to the direction of the impact."

"Built-in 'Nine-Bend Corridor' water-liquid spirit mercury, can guide seventy percent of the received force elsewhere."

"The gauze on the outside looks unremarkable, but it is actually woven from star silkworm silk, naturally possessing a force-unloading net structure, and can change the direction and trajectory of external force."

"In this way, the core of this mechanical puppet should be the Mermaid's Tear."

Ning Zhuo's eyes shone with excitement.

Although the Soft-Boned Mysterious Maiden temporarily blocked Xiang Yue, it also involved a lot of Shuang Ling's energy and spiritual sense.

To use softness to overcome hardness, she had to use more exquisite combat techniques.

As a result, the scene that Shuang Ling had worked hard to maintain collapsed.

The Nascent Soul cultivators who had been in a stalemate with Shuang Ling now had freedom one after another and quickly moved away.

Shuang Ling was clearly a tough nut to crack; it was more pragmatic to kill others first and reap the credit and battle achievements.