Wu Tao's expression was grim. The more dangerous the situation, the calmer his state of mind became, exuding a cool charisma.
Wielding the Chu Xi sword, he stood poised, facing the thousand-zhang-tall Xiu Dis, creating a powerful visual impact that resonated deep within the soul, a shock like it came from the very essence of one's being.
Xue Shuangjiao, though appearing nonchalant on the surface, could not hide the slight tremor in her pupils.
...
Her gaze was fixed on Wu Tao.
Though Wu Tao appeared immensely powerful, possessing the aura of a sword immortal, Xue Shuangjiao, having fought him multiple times, knew that his current imposing facade was merely a paper tiger.
At this moment, Wu Tao was in an extremely weakened state; otherwise, with his personality, he would have attacked long ago, not waited until now.
For some inexplicable reason, Xue Shuangjiao, without the slightest hesitation, felt a sudden surge of blood mist envelop her.
This was her auxiliary "Third-Rank Divine Ability – Blood Mist Augmentation," evolved from her own vital essence.
...
In the next instant, this blood mist appeared upon Wu Tao.
Empowered by the blood mist, Wu Tao's spiritual energy suddenly surged, unleashing an incredibly dominant aura. The tip of the Chu Xi sword blazed with an astonishingly brilliant cold light.
A thousand-zhang-tall, five-colored, heaven-shattering sword energy stood horizontally between heaven and earth.
The very moment the "sword energy" condensed and amplified, the thousand-zhang-tall Xiu Dis charged directly at Wu Tao.
...
The thousand-zhang-tall, five-colored, heaven-shattering sword energy descended upon Xiu Dis at the same instant, tearing countless spatial rifts.
"Roar!"
Xiu Dis roared, and then, brandishing the also colossal Slaughter Luo Sha Spear, imbued with a powerful aura of the netherworld, he ferociously struck towards the thousand-zhang-tall, five-colored, heaven-shattering sword energy.
As the thousand-zhang-tall, five-colored, heaven-shattering sword energy neared, the Slaughter Luo Sha Spear suddenly expanded tenfold!
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
With resounding, earth-shattering booms, the Slaughter Luo Sha Spear in Xiu Dis's hand shattered.
...
Connected to the Slaughter Luo Sha Spear by spirit, Xiu Dis suffered unprecedented damage to his consciousness, and his entire body began to shrink.
Wu Tao was faring no better. Had it not been for absorbing that previous burst of blood mist, he would have already fallen.
...
Frowning slightly, Wu Tao instantly appeared above Xiu Dis.
Light flashed, and Wu Tao's sword intent, seemingly the epitome of the Way of the Sword, surged forth, unleashing a terrifying power that threatened to shake the entire world.
A blinding beam of light suddenly appeared, and Wu Tao himself transformed into a celestial sword.
In Xue Shuangjiao's perception, it was as if the world split in two, and she involuntarily closed her eyes...
When Xue Shuangjiao opened her eyes again, the thousand-zhang-tall Xiu Dis suddenly crashed to the ground, causing the earth to tremble violently...
Having dealt with Xiu Dis, Wu Tao, though appearing outwardly unchanged, was essentially empty within.
The spiritual energy he had recovered while meditating was long gone.
Xue Shuangjiao, on the other hand, still possessed sufficient spiritual energy.
Wu Tao's heart sank. He watched as Xue Shuangjiao, with an ill-intentioned smile, slowly walked towards him.
...
Wu Tao held the Chu Xi sword, pointing its tip at Xue Shuangjiao.
Xue Shuangjiao was immediately intimidated by Wu Tao, involuntarily stepping back half a pace.
Sensing something was amiss, Xue Shuangjiao felt greatly ashamed and annoyed.
She had been scared by a human male cultivator who could collapse at any moment.
Alas, how embarrassing.
...
With a wicked smile, Xue Shuangjiao taunted Wu Tao with a sardonic tone: "Oh my, what are you pretending for? It's useless no matter how well you act..."
"Today, no matter what, you can't escape my grasp. Just surrender obediently..."
Xue Shuangjiao possessed keen eyesight. The more she looked at Wu Tao's condition, the more suspicious she became.
After such consecutive battles, even an iron man would have fallen.
If he were truly at his limit, it would be a good opportunity to capture him and make him her blood slave.
...
Her previous blood slaves had all been consumed due to a troublesome enemy.
As long as she turned this human male cultivator into her blood slave, her trip to the Ten Thousand Ore Mountains would not be a loss.
Despite Wu Tao's efforts to conceal it, the fact that he was at his limit, like a gust of wind could topple him, remained evident.
At this moment, Wu Tao's mind was solely focused on how to frighten and deceive Xue Shuangjiao.
However, after racking his brain, he couldn't come up with any way to make Xue Shuangjiao retreat.
The situation became a stalemate.
Yet, as time passed, Wu Tao felt his vision darken, his body weaken, and with a mental cry of "Bad!", he collapsed.
Wu Tao would not have lost consciousness so quickly, but firstly, forcing himself to maintain his spirits was like pulling up shoots to help them grow, and secondly, in his desperate attempt to scare off Xue Shuangjiao, he had further overextended himself.
Thus, after the prolonged confrontation, Wu Tao felt he could no longer sustain himself and fell.
Before losing consciousness, Wu Tao felt himself being carried, then a rush of movement, and finally, even this sliver of self-awareness was gone.
Night.
In a pungent and foul-smelling cave dwelling, Xue Shuangjiao, having cast the Blood Gu technique, held her breath, her heart pounding with anxiety.
Wu Tao lay motionless on a large stone, his body covered in blood, his eyes flashing red, and his throat involuntarily emitting hoarse sounds.
His skin shimmered with fluctuating blood-red light, indicating the Blood Gu was corroding his body.
Witnessing this, she knew the Blood Gu had successfully infiltrated his meridians.
Nodding with satisfaction, Xue Shuangjiao raised her left hand, and the Blood Soul Bell in her grasp chimed.
Her lips moved rapidly, chanting incantations that, along with the Blood Soul Bell, produced a sinister and terrifying demonic sound.
Wu Tao, his nature controlled by the Blood Gu, roared upon hearing the incantations and the bell, rising like a phantom.
Wu Tao glared fiercely at her, a savage glint in his eyes, and then, baring his teeth, he laughed madly.
Xue Shuangjiao calmly said, "Shut up, you're too noisy!"
His body trembled, and Wu Tao's entire being pulsed as if something was trying to control him.
Wu Tao's face contorted with ferocity, and he suddenly roared, "I'll kill you, I'll kill you!"
His body alternated between blood and gold hues, dazzling and vibrant. Wu Tao's head rapidly enlarged, his eyeballs bulging, and all his bones began to crack.
Seeing this, Xue Shuangjiao inwardly cried out, sensing something was wrong. Her heart pounded, and a flicker of fear and panic crossed her eyes.
"Rumble!"
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck, and the entire cave seemed on the verge of collapse.
Innumerable streams of spiritual energy crisscrossed Wu Tao's body. He raised his arms and roared, his cries like thunder and lightning, reverberating through the mountain.
Countless tiny Blood Gu erupted from Wu Tao's body like sharp arrows.
In an instant, more than half of the Blood Gu were expelled by Wu Tao.
Realizing the predicament, Xue Shuangjiao rapidly retreated, her eyes a complex mix of shock, fear, and anger.
A cold, wicked voice echoed again. Wu Tao suddenly fell to the ground, clutching his head and rolling about in distress.
Seeing the effect, Xue Shuangjiao accelerated her incantations. After a while, Wu Tao slowly fell asleep.
"How could the Blood Gu technique not work on this brat? How could he suddenly break free from its control..."
Unable to comprehend it, Xue Shuangjiao decided to employ another control Gu technique, one that carried greater risk but yielded better results.
Despite the inherent danger, she was determined to use it for Wu Tao, this exceptional blood slave.
In the Blood Race, there were three nefarious Gu techniques for creating blood slaves and blood beasts: "Blood Gu Technique," "Gu Artifact Technique," and "Primordial Spirit Gu Artifact Technique."
The difference lay in the medium used to control the blood slaves and blood beasts.
The "Blood Gu Technique" involved the caster using Gu worms nurtured with their own vital essence as the medium to control the actions of blood slaves and blood beasts.
The "Gu Artifact Technique" used artifacts as the medium, with various refinement methods employed to control the actions of blood slaves and blood beasts.
The "Primordial Spirit Gu Artifact Technique" directly split one's divine soul through secret arts, thereby controlling the actions of blood slaves and blood beasts.
Among these three techniques, the "Primordial Spirit Gu Artifact Technique" was the most effective but also the most perilous.
Few blood race members would employ this technique.
This was because the "Primordial Spirit Gu Artifact Technique" involved the soul, the most crucial aspect of intelligent beings. Even a slight mistake during the splitting process could result in severe energy depletion or even death.
Gazing at the unconscious Wu Tao, Xue Shuangjiao murmured, "You human male, you are truly troublesome..."
"Even when unconscious and defenseless, it's this troublesome to control you..."
As she spoke, Xue Shuangjiao approached Wu Tao.
Sitting cross-legged, Xue Shuangjiao adjusted herself to her optimal state and began to perform the secret art of splitting her soul to create primordial spirit Gu insects.
Her face suddenly turned pale as she split off a wisp of her divine soul.
A small white worm emerged from Xue Shuangjiao's sea of consciousness and advanced towards Wu Tao's soul.
Having witnessed Wu Tao's combat prowess, Xue Shuangjiao was both awed and covetous of his abilities.
Therefore, she had specifically employed two Gu techniques, the "Blood Gu Technique" and the "Gu Artifact Technique," attempting a pincer attack to subdue Wu Tao.