My hands actually started trembling as I held the Ancient Divine Skill Scroll in my hands. The SSS Rank Ancient Divine Skill "Xuanyuan Slash" could only be described as the dream skill of millions and millions of Chinese players. It increased the user’s Attack by 180% and summoned the ancient Xuanyuan Sword to deal Xuanyuan Battle Soul Strike to all targets within 35 yards in front of the user. Those who were hit would lose 90% Defense for 12 seconds, and there was a 25% chance they would be killed instantly.

Even if the target managed to withstand the +180% Attack Xuanyuan Slash that ignored Guard and invincibility skills, and they were lucky enough to avoid the instant kill effect, their Defense was still reduced by 90% for 12 seconds. There was no chance anyone would be able to withstand the follow-up attack. This Ancient Divine Skill was practically a perfect match with my Attack!

Holding the scroll and standing next to the Sacred Beast Tianyuan, I laughed so hard that I was shivering with every exertion. Right after I planted the Purple Ying Sword on the ground, a red-colored evil spirit suddenly gathered next to the Sacred Beast’s body. It took the form of a violent-looking ancient god and pointed a gigantic palm at me as if it would smite me where I stood.

"You dare kill my host, brat? You will pay the price of your transgressions! I will be back!"

His light faded, and the Evil Spirit of Chiyou slowly faded into nothingness. His soul had been severely damaged during his final battle against Xuan Nu, and now that he lost his host as well he had lost all available means to continue evil. It would be a very long time before he returned to this world.

……

I carefully placed the Ancient Divine Scroll at the top of my bag so I could use it at a moment’s notice. I didn’t want to learn Xuanyuan Slash now because ascending to the Heavenly River Realm would result in me being teleported out of the map 10 minutes later. For one, I hadn’t turned in my quest to Xuan Nu yet. Two, it felt incredibly irresponsible to just leave. Three, it was almost time for He Yi, Lian Xin, Beiming Xue, Xu Yang and everyone else to enter the Sky Vortex. They could use my help to fend off the enemies and find an Ancient Divine Skill.

I picked up the three pieces of equipment dropped by the Sacred Beast Tianyuan and… nope. They were still a disappointment. Most of them were Heaven-grade or Earth-grade, and the best one among them was a pair of Immortal-grade leather-armor wristguards I couldn’t wear. I planned to sell them when Sky City reopened.

I took out a dagger, stabbed it into the Sacred Beast’s skull, and searched inside its brain for a bit. A while later, I pulled out, I found a burning hot inner dan that was about the size of an apple. Good, I found the quest item. Once I return to Xuan Nu, I will be able to free her from her eternal prison. Speaking of which, it still feels unreal to think that I got to help the daughter of the Huang Emperor himself!

I put the Sacred Beast Inner Core in my bag and checked the battlefield again. The pieces of equipment the Tianyuan had dropped were unimpressive, but the gems it dropped were a different story. The Rank 15 and 16 gems it dropped were so rare that they were practically unseen in Sky City. Even my Purple Ying Sword was only Rank 15. I planned to slot them into my Fire God Helmet and Ghost Spirit War Boots later. The stat difference between 0-gem equipment and 16-gem equipment was like night and day; almost 50% to be exact. Therefore, there was absolutely every reason to use them.

……

And so, the Phantom Wolf King and I returned to the system of caves that the Sacred Beast Tianyuan and I had half-destroyed and made our way back toward the abode. It was so bad some of them were starting to collapse.

The moment I emerged back at the heart of the abode, I saw Xuan Nu kneeling on the ground and staring at me. Joy sprang to her features, and she tried to climb to her feet when she realized that I had returned. Unfortunately, she quickly found herself unable to do so because the red chains were still immobilizing her.

I strode toward Xuan Nu and dropped to one knee. Then, I said, "Xuan Nu, I have carried out your quest. I have killed the Sacred Beast Tianyuan, and the Evil Spirit of Chiyou has dissipated into smoke. Now, what should I do to unlock this mysterious seal for you?"

Xuan Nu’s eyes widened. "You really killed the Evil Spirit of Chiyou?"

"I think so. The Tianyuan is certainly as dead as it could be."

"Okay. Please crush the Sacred Beast Inner Core and scatter the powder around the sealing formation. It will dispel the evil power that is keeping this formation going and free me for this suffering…"

"Got it!"

I rose to my feet, took out the Sacred Beast Inner Core, and gave it a tight squeeze. It turned into powder just as Xuan Nu said it would. I then walked around the sealing formation and scattered the powder bit by bit. Wherever the powder landed, the hellish flames that empowered the sealing formation immediately extinguished. A minute later, the entire sealing formation fell silent completely.

Clang!

The first set of chains wrapped around Xuan Nu fell heavily against the ground. When all of the chains had fallen to the ground, they melted into red molten iron and seeped into the ground, vanishing.

"Ugh…"

Xuan Nu moaned as she gripped a nearby rock to steady herself. Her expression was tired, and she was lying half-prone on the ground. Since there was no such thing as a bra in the ancient times, her thin clothing just barely managed to keep the most important bits of her body concealed. Still, her curves and natural beauty were enough to make a lesser man feel the beginnings of a nose bleed.

I returned to her and dropped to one knee again. Seeing how weakened she looked, I asked her, "Can you hang on, Xuan Nu? More importantly, what is your plan now? Do you want to stay here to recover your strength, or head out? I must warn you that countless cultivators are currently roaming the Ruins of the Gods though. If you head out carelessly, you might find yourself in trouble…"

However, Xuan Nu smiled and shook her head. "You may have noticed it already, but the tens of thousands of years of imprisonment have exhausted all of my true energy. I was already wounded from the final battle against the Evil Spirit of Chiyou, and today I no longer even have the strength to summon the Xuanyuan Sword. I am aware… that I have reached the end of my road…"

I shuddered and grabbed her shoulders. "What are you talking about? You look fine. You can’t have reached the end of your road yet. I have an idea. Come for me, and I’ll seek out Xinran. She’ll help you ascend to the divine realm and find your father, Xuanyuan. He’ll definitely be able to save your life."

"No, it’s okay…"

Xuan Nu shot me a faint smile before exhaling suddenly. "My job is to protect the Xuanyuan Sword and prevent it from falling into Chiyou’s hands. And now, my duty is complete. I’m sure father won’t blame me for… taking a well-deserved rest. And truthfully… I’m so, so tired…"

"Will you rest here?" I asked her.

She nodded.

"It’s too dangerous though…" I said in a troubled tone.

It was at this moment Xuan Nu saw the Purple Ying Sword and perked up. "What a rare divine weapon you have here. This is the Purple Ying Sword, right? I recognize it. Even better, it’s one that can absorb an origin spirit!"

She then looked at me and said, "If you don’t mind me asking, will you like to be together with me forever, young man?"

"I’m sorry?" I was completely flabbergasted by her question. "What are you saying, Xuan Nu?"

She pursed her lips and explained slowly, "Seventy thousand years ago, the Xuanyuan Sword became one with me, and my origin spirit became the guardian spirit of the Xuanyuan Sword. The Purple Ying Sword you’re wielding is an ancient divine weapon just like the Xuanyuan Sword, so it is capable of bearing the Xuanyuan Sword’s power. I think… that I and the Xuanyuan Sword can fuse together with your Purple Ying Sword. If the process is successful, I will fall aslumber in the new sword. I may awaken one day, or I may never. But… it is still a better fate than dying alone in this forsaken place, right?"

Still stunned, all I could say was, "You want to fuse yourself and the Xuanyuan Sword with my Purple Ying Sword? But that’s…"

"What’s wrong? Don’t you want the power of the Xuanyuan Sword?"

"Of course I do. But if it comes at the price of your life, then I would rather not have it."

"Haha…"

Xuan Nu let out a chuckle before pressing her cheek to my arm, whispering, "My soul is already starting to fall apart. If you don’t want me, I will become just another wisp of spirit energy of the world. Can you really bear to see me disappear into nothing?"

Me: "..."

Suddenly, Xuan Nu let out an exclamation of surprise and looked at her own two feet.

Swhoosh swhoosh!

Her legs were rapidly dissolving into a shower of golden light. Holy shit, it wasn’t a lie! She really was fading away like she said she would!

I blurted, "Xuan Nu, you?!"

She looked at me and asked, "You really don’t want me?"

My heart shuddered, and I finally made up my mind. "Of course I do! Now get into the Purple Ying Sword already! Before it’s too late!"

"Very well. I promise I will protect you forever!"

……

Those were her final words before she held the Purple Ying Sword in her hands and cut her finger on its blade. The next moment, her entire person scattered into a shower of golden light and seeped into the Purple Ying Sword. The transformation wasn’t over though. The golden light started turning into symbols of the Xuanyuan Sword. The ancient divine weapon, the Xuanyuan Sword, really was merging together with the Purple Ying Sword!

For a while, I couldn’t say anything. The Purple Ying Sword shook violently in my hands before it abruptly pulled itself out of my grasp and floated in the air. It kept absorbing the Xuanyuan Sword’s power until the blade itself started undergoing minor changes. Oracle bone scripts started to appear on its body, and it suddenly became so cold that snow appeared out of nowhere and spun around the sword. Not only that, whirlpool-like images started appearing around the oracle bone scripts. One one side, I saw mountains, rivers, cows and goats. On the other, I saw stars, Purgatory, and devils. Finally, sharp, tiny blades started growing on both edges of the sword until the center looked like a bright, round moon that was illuminated by the stars.

Ding~!

System Notice: Congratulations, your weapon "Purple Ying Sword" has merged together with the Xuanyuan Sword Spirit and transformed into a new ancient divine weapon, “Jiuzhou Han”!

……

"Jiuzhou Han…"

I whispered as I stared at my new weapon. The sword was surrounded by a cold chill, but it also brimmed with the righteous, golden energy of the Xuanyuan Sword. After the transformation was complete, the weapon dropped down from the sky and sank about halfway into the rock in front of me. Its icy energy caused the room temperature to fall a couple of degrees almost instantly.

Pa!

I gripped the handle of my new sword and shuddered involuntarily. Images of mountains, flowers, birds, animals, people, livestocks and many more representations of life flashed across my eyes. A pause later, images of darkened lands, sundering thunder, roaming devils and whirlpools of death hanging ominously in the sky flashed across my eyes as well. In that moment, I grew certain that the Jiuzhou Han would become a weapon that controlled both the energies of life and death. If not now, then certainly in the future.