187: The terrifying Spring and Autumn Sword

Facing the mockery of the two, the youth did not get angry.

He remained standing there quietly, his wooden sword pointing obliquely at the ground.

His washed-out cyan scholar's robe fluttered slightly in the sea breeze.

A faint smile always hung on his face.

That kind of smile was very clean.

It was just like a teacher in a private school looking at two unawakened naughty children—both tolerant and carrying a hint of... pity.

"A good person! Truly a great person!"

The Dragon twisted its restored body, even deliberately exposing its vital parts.

"Come, come, come, little scholar."

"That sword strike just now wasn't satisfying enough."

"Give me a few more strikes!"

"Slash here!"

"Let this Seat enjoy it once more!"

The Dragon did everything it could to provoke him.

In its view, although this youth had a special Physique, he clearly didn't know how to use it at all.

Or perhaps he had suffered a Qi Deviation and practiced the wrong path.

Since the opponent's attack was buffing its state, what was there to be afraid of?

Listening to the Dragon's extremely arrogant demands, the youth finally moved.

He slowly raised his hand and gently brushed off a speck of dust on his cuff.

His movements were elegant and composed, without a trace of worldly Aura.

"Since you want to know."

The youth's voice was warm and jade-like, clearly echoing in everyone's ears.

"Then this student shall resolve your confusion."

He raised his head, his clear eyes calmly gazing at the haughty Dragon.

"That sword strike just now was called Spring-Autumn."

The Dragon sneered: "What kind of bullshit Spring-Autumn? It's more like a Rejuvenation Technique!"

The youth ignored its interruption and continued to speak to himself:

"Spring grows and summer thrives; autumn harvests and winter stores."

"This is the cycle of the Heavenly Dao, the ultimate truth of all things."

"The so-called spring represents prosperity."

"All things recover, life force flourishes; this is giving."

Speaking to this point, the youth paused, the smile at the corners of his mouth becoming somewhat meaningful.

"And the so-called autumn represents withering."

"Prosperity leads to decline, fallen leaves return to their roots; this is... taking."

As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on Earth Guard's face stiffened slightly.

An inexplicable sense of unease suddenly rose from the bottom of his heart.

The tone in which the youth spoke was too calm.

So calm that it made one's heart crawl.

"What prosperity or withering? Stop quoting books at this Seat!"

The Dragon impatiently spat out a breath of dragon fire and roared: "This Seat only knows that right now, this Seat is terrifyingly strong!"

"Since you refuse to strike again, then go die!"

After saying this, the Dragon grinned viciously, opened its blood-stained maw, and lunged toward the youth again!

This time, its Aura was even more terrifying than before!

After all, it had truly been "healed" to its Peak state by that sword strike!

However, just as it had mobilized its spiritual power and was about to pounce, the unexpected happened!

"After prosperity, comes withering."

The youth's voice was like a judge from the Nine Underworlds, gently placing the final chess piece.

Dong!

It was as if a dull bell toll had suddenly rung deep within the hearts of the Dragon and Earth Guard.

The Dragon's originally aggressive movements suddenly froze in mid-air.

The ecstasy and tyranny in its huge dragon eyes vanished instantly.

Replacing them was an unprecedented terror and confusion.

"What... is going on?"

The Dragon's voice trembled.

It felt that the Life Qi within its body, which had just been incomparably vast, suddenly began to drain away!

No.

It wasn't just draining.

It was collapsing!

It was like a tall building built on sand, crumbling the moment the tide receded!

"My power... my Origin..."

The Dragon screamed in terror.

It clearly felt that an extremely strange power was crazily harvesting inside its body!

That power was formless and invisible, silent and soundless.

It was like the cold wind of late autumn blowing over withered yellow leaves.

There was no need for forceful tearing; the leaves would wither away on their own.

"No! Stop! Quickly stop!"

The Dragon panicked.

It was truly panicked.

Because it discovered that what was draining away wasn't just the Life Qi brought by the Sword Qi earlier.

It was also its original life Origin!

Its newly grown scales were now turning gray and withered at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Its originally lustrous dragon body instantly became like a piece of dead wood that had rotted for ten million years!

That feeling was like someone had opened a huge hole in its Soul.

Its life, its cultivation, its Divine Soul power... were all leaking out crazily through that hole!

"Ahhhh!"

"What kind of evil technique is this?!"

It wasn't just the Dragon.

Earth Guard on the side was screaming repeatedly.

His face, which had been ruddy due to abundant blood and Qi, was instantly covered in wrinkles!

His head of black hair turned into a head of white snow in just two breaths!

His skin sagged and his muscles atrophied.

The whole person was like a fruit instantly drained of its moisture, rapidly shriveling up!

"My Lifespan! My Lifespan is slipping away!"

Earth Guard screamed shrilly, his hands crazily scratching at his body, trying to find the source of that power.

He mobilized all his spiritual power, wanting to seal his Meridians and lock in his Life Qi.

But.

It was useless!

Completely useless!

That power was not in his Meridians, nor was it in his Dantian.

It was as if it were some supreme Law of the world.

It was time.

It was the years.

Even if your cultivation reached the heavens, how could you block the passage of time?

"Is this... Spring-Autumn?"

Earth Guard raised his head in despair, looking at the youth who remained calm and composed.

At this moment, the youth's figure in his eyes was no longer some weak scholar.

Instead, he was a Grim Reaper holding the power of life and death!

First giving you ultimate prosperity, letting you feel the Peak state.

Then, in an instant, taking everything back with interest!

What a cruel sword technique!

What a domineering Sword Intent!

"No... don't..."

The Dragon's roar had turned into a weak whimper.

Its huge body fell heavily from mid-air, crashing onto the ruins of Myriad Spirits Manor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

At this moment, where was there any majesty of an ancient Dragon?

Most of its dragon scales had fallen off, revealing not flesh and blood, but gray, decayed tissue like rotten wood.

The pain of having one's life Origin forcibly stripped away was ten thousand times more terrifying than being sliced by a thousand knives!

Because it brought not only physical pain, but also a deep despair of watching oneself march toward death, yet being powerless to stop it!

"Can't find it..."

"Why can't I find it..."

The Dragon lay on the ground, its huge claws crazily digging at the ground, its eyes full of panic.

It tried to burn it with dragon fire, scan it with Divine Sense, and even wanted to self-amputate its body to block the spread of that power.

But.

That "sword" seemed not to exist in the real world at all.

It struck in the past, struck in the future.

Struck in Karma, struck in fate.

It just wasn't in the present!

"Save... save me..."

Earth Guard had shrunk into a ball, like a dried-out skeleton.

He stretched his withered palm toward the youth, a sound like a bellows hissing from his throat.

Fear.

Boundless fear, like a tide, completely submerged this person and this Dragon.