The mine tunnel shook, and Yan Yu's bones were crushed by countless divine abilities.
His crimson robe from the Demon Extermination Division was soaked in blood. Yan Yu knew he had to draw his sword now, or he would die immediately.
But even drawing his sword, it was only a third-stage sword. How could a third-stage sword be of any use against enemies that were all fourth-stage Lord Great Demons?
In an instant, Yan Yu lowered his eyes and sighed heavily.
As if making a firm decision, he spoke to the ancient being in his mind:
"I agree."
"So now, please become the soul of my sword!"
As his voice fell, his mind stirred, and he released the restrictions on the Gan Jiang sword.
Then, a cyan-green phantom flew into the sword in the space.
As if a stiff shell had been infused with a soul, the turtle patterns and dragon scales on the sword body vibrated with a hum. Deep blue frost sword energy floated on the surface, like a swirling mist.
However, while the mist was gentle, the cutting and freezing intent contained within this frost startled all the Great Demons who saw it.
The Gan Jiang sword's transformation was entirely due to the newly integrated sword spirit.
Therefore, facing the heavenly divine ability attacks, Yan Yu calmly gripped the sword hilt.
Then, he slashed an arc across the sky from left to right.
That arc was pale blue, with scattered snowflakes drifting around it.
*Clang!*
The sword left its mark, and the snowflakes danced, beautiful and cold, much like the fireworks lit and launched by the merchant guilds during New Year.
But fireworks vanish in an instant, while the snowflakes from this sword seemed eternal.
Because with this one sword strike, he had frozen the entire space.
From left to right, from top to bottom, divine abilities, spiritual techniques, dust, rocks, bricks… everything was cut apart by the sword aura that bloomed from the sword.
The cutting intent within it sliced any object it touched into countless tiny fragments, and the pervasive chill then burrowed in, freezing them.
Thus, it became a world of ice and snow.
Qiong Qi stood at the outermost edge of the mine tunnel wall, sensing the icy sword intent, his fur standing on end. The Samadhi True Fire in his eyes flared uncontrollably, as if needing to maintain his temperature.
With Yan Yu's strike, all the divine abilities were severed and shattered, including the bodies of the Great Demons.
Blood sprayed across the scene, and they couldn't even let out a scream before being frozen, becoming an indispensable part of that icy, snowy painting.
Qiong Qi surveyed the surroundings, then gasped in shock.
Yan Yu's single sword strike had annihilated over a hundred Lords!
"As expected of the friend of Brother Hao Han, he's truly a monster too!"
Under Qiong Qi's stunned gaze, Yan Yu walked slowly towards the Bifan flower, holding his sword.
No Great Demon dared to intercept him anymore, as the snowflakes in the air had yet to dissipate, and they didn't wish to become fragments themselves.
Thus, Yan Yu reached the Bifan flower without any obstruction.
From afar, Qiong Qi stared at the bewitching flower, his fur bristling.
The closer Yan Yu got, the more intense his sense of unease became.
He didn't know where this unease originated from, but a divine beast's senses never erred.
"I still advise you to be careful," he transmitted telepathically to Yan Yu, but the latter was already blinded by obsession.
Yan Yu didn't heed Qiong Qi's warning. He gazed at the Bifan flower beneath his feet, his tired eyes holding a trace of relief and shock.
Years ago, his wife had leaped into the furnace to help him forge his sword.
Since then, he had been searching for the legendary Bifan flower, hoping to resurrect her.
But in his original world, cultivation and longevity were mere legends. Finding the Bifan flower was utter fantasy!
Yan Yu bent down and reached out for the Bifan flower.
A thousand years of obsessive pursuit had finally borne fruit.
He couldn't contain his excitement, his breathing becoming heavy and hot, two streams of white mist shooting out into the air.
But before he could grasp the root of the Bifan flower, he felt a chill in his chest.
"Huh?"
Yan Yu lowered his head in confusion and then saw a tender red pistil on his chest.
The pistil swayed slightly in the air, and blood and pollen drifted from it.
This was a pistil of the Bifan flower.
*Rumble rumble rumble!*
Suddenly, the earth split open, and roots tens of meters thick broke through the soil, growing upwards madly.
The Bifan flower's bud also began to swell. The outwardly turned pistils, hundreds of feet long, writhed wildly, piercing the hearts of one Great Demon after another.
Little Qiong Qi's heart trembled at the sight before him.
He finally understood where that ominous premonition came from.
This flower, revered by all Great Demons and humans as a heavenly boon, was alive. The pollen released earlier and the unusual celestial phenomena were merely to lure demonic beasts here, only to devour them all!
*Pfft!*
Yan Yu spat out a mouthful of blood from his throat. He wanted to control his right hand to use the Gan Jiang sword to sever the pistil, but he couldn't muster any strength.
Even the turtle patterns on the Gan Jiang sword itself were growing dim, as if something was absorbing its energy.
"Run!"
*Rumble rumble rumble!*
The Great Demons struck by the pistils instantly lost their ability to resist.
Their blood hadn't depleted, but it no longer surged. Their life force was being siphoned by the Bifan flower, a form of slow death.
Yan Yu's eyelids twitched wildly. So this was the secret of the Bifan flower, no wonder it could bring people back from the dead!
"You never told me it was alive."
Yan Yu communicated with the Gan Jiang sword through his divine soul. The mysterious being from Blue Star, who had existed countless eons before him, had, as desired, become the sword spirit of this sword.
"All things are alive, let alone a Bifan flower born in the Yellow Springs."
The Gan Jiang sword spirit sighed. He knew the Bifan flower possessed consciousness, but he hadn't expected it to be this powerful, having absorbed the life force of so many Great Demons.
"But this is good."
The sword spirit suddenly smiled sinisterly. The more powerful the Bifan flower, the more beneficial it was to his plan.
"So what do we do now?" Yan Yu's aura had weakened to its absolute limit. He was now utterly incapable of resistance, all his hope resting on the sword spirit; it was his last resort!
The sword spirit's calm voice carried a hint of indifference:
"Don't rush, the flower hasn't bloomed yet."
"The Bifan flower requires sufficient essence of life and essence of death to bloom."
"Only by blooming can it possess the ability to resurrect the dead and pull a person back from the cycle of reincarnation."
Yan Yu's heart sank upon hearing this.
"If that's the case, why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
"Or perhaps… you never intended for me to know?"
His voice turned cold, but the sword spirit did not refute him. Instead, he praised:
"Clever, you understand me best."
"In my plan, you were always meant to die!"