Torrential rain poured down, but compared to the cold rain from the sky, Xie Linlang’s heart was even colder.
With trembling hands, he drew a longsword radiating bone-chilling cold from his sleeve.
The sword’s spine originally bore two intertwined red marks, but now only one remained. The other had dispersed to the blade’s edge, on the verge of vanishing completely.
Xie Linlang couldn’t help but spit another mouthful of blood.
Pei Ji was a sword cultivator with a pair of longswords called Dongxuan—immortal-grade spirit swords passed down from their ancestor before their passing, possessing growth potential.
After Xie Linlang established his Foundation and became Pei Ji’s junior brother, Pei Ji had already fully refined the Dongling Sword from the Dongxuan pair, while the Xuanpo Sword was still being tempered.
Later, the two confirmed their bond, and Pei Ji asked Xie Linlang to help refine the Xuanpo Sword together.
They infused a strand of spiritual power, blood, and a wisp of true soul into the Xuanpo Sword, after which Pei Ji gifted it to Xie Linlang.
Carrying the Xuanpo Sword felt like having Pei Ji by his side at all times; Pei Ji could also remotely sense the general location and state of the other sword.
Thus, even when separated for cultivation or training, no distance could sever their connected hearts and souls.
But now, the strand representing Pei Ji—his spiritual power and true soul—was about to dissipate.
Pei Ji was dead.
In the instant he recognized this fact, Xie Linlang felt the world spin. The entire world turned into a deathly silent, icy netherworld.
With trembling hands, he stared fixedly at the fading red mark on the Xuanpo Sword’s edge and finally broke down.
He activated the Treasure Tree Scripture.
“Su-Summon Heavenly Demon Descent…”
The next second, the pale world receded infinitely, like a drop of ink suddenly appearing in pure water. A power that was sometimes chaotic, sometimes pure, manifested before Xie Linlang.
Heavenly Demons were formless and imageless. The moment it appeared, it was drawn by Xie Linlang’s endless greed.
Xie Linlang ignored Pei Ji’s death, greedily craving his life.
To take, first give. The Heavenly Demon yearned to drain Xie Linlang’s essence, vital energy, and spiritual power, so it followed his spiritual guidance into the Xuanpo Sword.
Then, a Sword Demon identical to Pei Ji emerged.
Even if it was merely an illusory delusion, formed by fusing that remnant spiritual power with the Heavenly Demon—a false shadow.
In that moment, it was Xie Linlang’s salvation.
“But I’m already dead, and you’ve long seen through my essence.”
Abruptly, the puppet-like Sword Demon spoke. “You even personally shattered this strand of Heavenly Demon, achieving Penetrating Truth and Illuminating Spirit and advancing further.”
“You know I’m dead, and you’ve long lost the will to live. If so, why resurrect?”
The Sword Demon slowly raised its hand, the hem of its deep green robe swaying gently—just like back then, when they laughed and chatted by the stream amid the flowers, the lively figure darting about.
Xie Linlang stared blankly at the scene.
After a long while, he answered hoarsely, “I don’t know.”
The Sword Demon seemed even more vivid, even reaching out somewhat urgently to grasp Xie Linlang’s wrist.
“If that’s the case, then why not…”
But the next second, Xie Linlang countered with a point of his finger, and the pure white Xuanpo longsword suddenly appeared in his hand.
“Every time I summon a Heavenly Demon, you all try to delude me with Senior Brother’s face. Can’t you just stand there obediently and let me look?”
Xie Linlang’s tone was flat. With a flick of his wrist, the pure white longsword lightly tore through the Heavenly Demon before him, his voice oddly detached.
“Do you think you’re the first one I’ve summoned?”
No way—they really thought donning Senior Brother’s face could blind him, even trick him into softening?
“A perfectly good Heavenly Demon, and it just had to grow a mouth.”
Xie Linlang murmured. The pouring rain around him abruptly stopped. How could he not know his greatest weakness?
Every Heavenly Demon pulled this trick. He…
Sigh, he was still rather happy to see Pei Ji’s face.
The next second, all delusions vanished from sight. Xie Linlang’s Divine Soul hovered in a void of chaos, faintly hearing thumping heartbeats.
“True Spirit Nine Revolutions, returning to origin and reviving.”
Xie Linlang severed the Heavenly Demon that had tried to seduce and tempt him. Its power transformed into pure clear and turbid energies, filling his Divine Soul. As the Crane Bone from within the Nine Revolutions Return to Truth Pill integrated into his newborn body.
Vast spiritual power and Demonic Qi fused into a vortex, surging into the transparent egg.
As the heartbeat within the egg grew stronger, at one instant, a crack suddenly split its shell.
Xie Linlang kicked out fiercely, shattering the seemingly thin but incredibly tough eggshell before him.
His body slumped against the broken shell’s edge, spilling out amid the egg fluids.
Xie Linlang gasped for air in great heaves. He arduously formed a Magic Formula, and the fluids flowing from the shell instantly turned into dense yao demonic qi that rushed into his body.
In just a few breaths, he had re-entered the Qi Refining Stage.
Back then, Xie Linlang had begun cultivating at thirteen, entering Qi Refining, so after revival, his appearance stabilized at that thirteen-year-old boyish look.
But as his cultivation gradually rose, and he fully absorbed the power within the shell, it stabilized at Qi Refining Layer 8—that of his fifteen-year-old self.
Xie Linlang panted lightly. Ignoring his own condition, he let out a low laugh.
The laughter grew louder, fully expressing the joy in his heart.
He had come back to life.
