At this moment, Wu Tao's long hair fluttered, his robes rustled, and his entire being exuded an unparalleled sharp aura, the aura of a sword cultivator who could suppress the world.
With one hand cradling Lan Yingxiang and the other holding his broken ancient sword, the sword hung in the air, aiming directly at the Golden Mane Howler.
Roar!!
Waves of low growls echoed.
The Golden Mane Howler roared in place, harnessing the surging powers of wind and thunder. Its claws shot out, grasping at Wu Tao like lightning.
...
Within the gale and lightning, terrifying hidden forces surged madly towards Wu Tao and Lan Yingxiang.
Wu Tao's expression remained unchanged. His body slightly coiled, he held his sword, gathered strength, and then thrust it with all his might.
The golden giant claws collided with the broken ancient sword in mid-air, unleashing chaotic currents of air.
The violent impact sent a tremor through Wu Tao's entire body.
The powerful aftermath repelled Wu Tao and Lan Yingxiang several zhang. Lan Yingxiang spat out a mouthful of blood and fell directly to the ground.
Although Wu Tao was stronger, he could only stand diagonally, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
Despite being heavily injured, Wu Tao did not despair. Instead, he let out a sigh of relief, tightening his grip on the broken ancient sword with his right hand.
If it were truly a Nascent Soul stage Golden Mane Howler, he would have already died, leaving not even a trace.
Had he misjudged earlier? Was this Golden Mane Howler still immature? Wu Tao's thoughts raced.
No! That couldn't be right! Judging by its size, this was a Golden Mane Howler beyond the Nascent Soul stage. However, due to being sealed for a long time and unable to absorb spiritual energy, its strength had degenerated to the point of nearing a fall from the Nascent Soul stage.
Wu Tao deduced the truth almost instantly.
...
This Golden Mane Howler was perhaps sealed here by the eminent monks of the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple in the past.
There was clearly no spiritual energy within the sealed area, forcing the Golden Mane Howler to constantly enter dormancy to minimize its energy consumption.
But after millions of years, no matter how much it conserved, irreversible degeneration had occurred.
From its original state of at least Nascent Soul stage, it had devolved to its current extremely weak condition.
...
With this realization, Wu Tao raised his sword again and charged towards the Golden Mane Howler.
This man and beast once again engaged in a desperate battle.
Holding the broken ancient sword in one hand, Wu Tao suddenly felt a surge of fiery passion, as if every drop of blood in his body was instantly ignited and boiling.
Born for battle, die for battle.
This was a man's life.
This was how a man should be.
Just as Wu Tao seemed lost in his reflections, the Golden Mane Howler suddenly let out a thunderous roar. Its twin claws erupted, descending like Mount Tai crushing down on Wu Tao.
For an ordinary Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, such an imposing pressure would have been terrifying, making it difficult to react!
But Wu Tao was different!
For Wu Tao was a god of slaughter, forged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Just as Lan Yingxiang thought Wu Tao was about to be crushed into a pulp by the descending claws.
Wu Tao suddenly raised his head. A golden glint flashed in his cold eyes.
From Wu Tao's mouth erupted a roar, not inferior to that of the Golden Mane Howler, a roar that shook the heavens.
Accompanying this roar, sword Qi surged in waves, sword intent rising incessantly until it reached its peak.
The torrent of sword Qi, without any fancy maneuvers, struck the colossal, thousand-zhang tall body of the Golden Mane Howler.
Even the Golden Mane Howler, a divine beast guarding Buddhism, could not withstand the terrifying power contained within the myriad sword Qi. It was blasted into the earth, a hundred zhang away.
"Boom!"
The moment the Golden Mane Howler fell, a mountain peak beneath it collapsed and shattered, leaving behind a scene of breathtaking impact.
As the sword Qi dissipated, Wu Tao's tall, yet almost depleted figure was revealed.
After taking a slow, deep breath, he made no pause. Gripping his sword, he charged towards the Golden Mane Howler once more.
The previous clash with the Golden Mane Howler had undoubtedly consumed an astonishing amount of energy from Wu Tao.
Yet, at that moment, Wu Tao experienced an unprecedented sense of exhilaration, feeling as if every drop of blood in his body was truly boiling!
...
Roar!!
A low growl echoed, accompanied by a pained howl.
The Golden Mane Howler's claws had also been severed by the broken ancient sword, leaving it heavily wounded and bleeding golden blood.
At this critical juncture, Wu Tao's face remained calm. His movements shifted, and step by step, he advanced, drawing ever closer to the injured Golden Mane Howler.
Lan Yingxiang had also recovered by this time.
She hurled dozens of talismans, followed by several top-grade magical artifacts, to distract and contain the fearsome Golden Mane Howler from the side.
After a fierce and prolonged battle, Wu Tao seized his opportunity.
With a thud, the broken ancient sword pierced through the Golden Mane Howler's chest cavity, its golden blood flowing continuously.
...
Subsequently, Wu Tao turned around, his body circling backward, and swiftly moved behind the Golden Mane Howler. He raised his arm high and thrust his sword down again.
With a thud, another bloody hole appeared on the Golden Mane Howler's back, and a large amount of golden blood spurted out.
This was not the end. While the Golden Mane Howler was shrieking in pain, Wu Tao threw over a hundred fire-attribute talismans into its mouth.
A series of explosions erupted. The colossal, mountain-like figure of the Golden Mane Howler staggered backward weakly, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Strike while the iron is hot.
The broken ancient sword slashed out fiercely. A towering, immense sword Qi pierced through the Golden Mane Howler's head.
A rain of blood sprinkled down.
Wu Tao pinned the Golden Mane Howler's head, dozens of zhang long, to the ground.
After a long while, when the Golden Mane Howler had completely lost its breath, a vast expanse of golden blood stained the entire land.
...
"This Golden Mane Howler was killed by both of us. Junior Sister Lan, as a puppeteer, you will naturally take its primordial spirit. Then the inner core will be mine, and the body can be split evenly?"
After Wu Tao and Lan Yingxiang jointly killed the Golden Mane Howler, they began to divide the spoils.
Facing Wu Tao's proposal, Lan Yingxiang smiled and said nothing more. However, in the depths of her eyes, a fierce glint suddenly flashed.
Seeing Lan Yingxiang's lack of objection, Wu Tao directly raised his broken ancient sword, preparing to cut apart the Golden Mane Howler's corpse.
But at this moment, an anomaly occurred.
From behind Wu Tao, a powerful spiritual energy erupted. A sharp, top-grade magical artifact, the Silver Dagger of Death, stabbed directly through Wu Tao's body.
A heart-wrenching pain instantly shot through Wu Tao's mind. Drops of bright red blood dripped from the wound on his back.
Wu Tao's expression remained unchanged. He slowly turned around, meeting Lan Yingxiang's gaze directly.
He sighed softly and then said, "Junior Sister Lan, you finally did it."
From his demeanor, it seemed Wu Tao had already anticipated Lan Yingxiang's actions.
...
"I apologize, Senior Brother Wu. This inheritance of the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple is truly important to me. I must ensure it is foolproof."
Looking at Wu Tao, Lan Yingxiang's face showed a hint of apology, and a trace of guilt appeared in her bright eyes.
"Without me, you would have already died in the mouth of the Golden Mane Howler."
Wu Tao spoke calmly, stating a fact.
"I know."
Lan Yingxiang abruptly pulled out the poisoned Silver Dagger of Death and said slowly, "That's why I am so sorry."
"It is of no consequence."
Wu Tao shook his head, his expression still serene.
...
"This place has fine scenery, quite fitting for Junior Sister Lan."
Wu Tao silently turned, gazing at Lan Yingxiang. The spiritual energy in his body gradually rose, reaching its peak.
Lan Yingxiang's face was filled with surprise, her eyes betraying disbelief. She retreated in panic.
As she retreated, she asked, "Impossible! You were poisoned by the Hundred Poisons' Azure Phosphorus Snake Venom. You should be immobilized by now."
Wu Tao's face remained calm. He did not reply, merely glancing at Lan Yingxiang's hand.
At this moment, in Lan Yingxiang's left hand, she held a silver, top-grade magical dagger.
This dagger was not only poisoned but also stained with bright red blood.
Wu Tao shook his head, offering no further explanation. The broken ancient sword moved, and with a flash of sword light, a fierce and domineering sword Qi directly slashed towards Lan Yingxiang.
In an instant, Lan Yingxiang felt a power threatening her life.
Instinctively, she retreated, simultaneously throwing out dozens of talismans that transformed into dozens of five-element spells, summoning dozens of puppet automatons in an attempt to stall for time.
Unfortunately, the sword Qi shot straight into the sky, effortlessly severing and destroying each of the dozens of five-element spells and puppet automatons.
"You..."
Lan Yingxiang's face displayed disbelief. She was about to say something else, but it was too late.
A broken ancient sword, gleaming with cold light, pierced through the air, its tip exuding a bone-chilling killing intent.
The next second, a bloody line appeared on Lan Yingxiang's neck.
Her head was severed, and her beautiful, headless corpse lay in a pool of blood.
...
Picking up the storage bag from Lan Yingxiang's corpse, Wu Tao's divine sense moved. The contents of the storage bag were poured out one by one.
Top-grade magical artifacts appeared before Wu Tao's eyes.
Each artifact emanated a considerable spiritual power, appearing quite dangerous.
Before Wu Tao lay no fewer than five or six such top-grade magical artifacts.
Each of these top-grade magical artifacts was capable of playing a significant role, posing a fatal threat to cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage.
With so many magical artifacts, combined with the element of surprise, it was no wonder Lan Yingxiang had the confidence to attempt to kill Wu Tao.
Besides these artifacts, there was another top-grade magical artifact on the ground – the Silver Dagger of Death that Lan Yingxiang had used earlier.
The Silver Dagger of Death lay on the ground, emanating a strong spiritual power.
Glancing at the dead Lan Yingxiang, Wu Tao shook his head and muttered to himself.
"I had expected you to make a move, but I did not expect it to be so soon. You harbored murderous intent towards me even before seeing the inheritance of the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple."
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