Chen Tian decided to spare the Demonic Sword Xue Luo. If the Demonic Sword Xue Luo could regain its full strength in the current situation, Chen Tian believed it would help him fight the Evil Spirit race. As a being of this world, it would not refuse. Moreover, Chen Tian had spared Xue Luo's life and allowed it to recover its body; Xue Luo would not forget such kindness. This was Chen Tian's plan, though the ultimate choice rested with Xue Luo. Xue Luo stared at Chen Tian, scarcely believing he intended to spare its life.
"There are conditions, aren't there?" Xue Luo spoke slowly, its words shattering Chen Tian's subtle intentions. A thousand-year-old monster like Xue Luo could easily guess Chen Tian's thoughts. Chen Tian replied plainly, "Yes. If you agree to let me help you recover your body, you must then assist me and never harm the innocent."
"I agree," Xue Luo said directly. It had no choice but life or death. Why would it not choose life? Chen Tian waved his hand, and a contract materialized between them. A pale, spectral figure of an old man floated out from Xue Luo. This was Xue Luo's true form, its soul sealed within the demonic sword.
"You know the Heavenly Contract? Hasn't the Heavenly Dao fallen into slumber? Kid, are you perhaps a guardian of the Heavenly Dao?" Xue Luo looked at the contract before Chen Tian. It was a Heavenly Dao contract, and Chen Tian was cautious. Once signed, Xue Luo would be bound by its terms. Violation would result in expulsion from the entire world, even the removal of its origin. Without an origin, it would be a non-entity, stripped of the right to exist—equivalent to death.
Xue Luo glanced at the contract's content and asked, "What exactly is the condition regarding the Evil Spirit race? Can they be killed?"
"You don't know about the Evil Spirit race? Thousands of years ago, the world was engulfed in a great war. Weren't you around then?"
"No, I fell into slumber when the world first opened to light. That was a long time ago. Tens of thousands of years ago, this place wasn't called the Divine Realm. The world then was far more prosperous than it is now. At that time, I was a weak child, abandoned by my family. I crossed mountains and rivers and finally forged myself into a demonic sword, controlling countless demonic spirits and shrouding the entire world.
"The world chose to forget me. When I returned, no one remembered my origin or my past. Even my family had forgotten my existence. I was forgotten, and I hated this world. I cast darkness over the entire world, and under its embrace, the world slowly lost its vitality.
"But as the world was about to perish, a ray of light illuminated the entire sky. I was severely wounded by that light and fell into a deep slumber, a slumber that lasted tens of thousands of years. If humans hadn't found me and broken the seal, I would still be asleep."
"I see," Chen Tian murmured. He was curious about what the ancient deities were like. Chen Tian asked Xue Luo, but it didn't answer, as if fearing some entity.
"Then what is the origin of this Evil Spirit race? I cannot kill others, yet the contract states I can kill them. I am very curious. Why has this world become this way? Why has the Heavenly Dao fallen into slumber? Why did the guardian of the Heavenly Dao fail to protect the world? Isn't that your responsibility?"
Chen Tian sighed at Xue Luo's questioning. "What you see in me is not my true self. My true duty and responsibility are to save the three realms."
Chen Tian touched his finger to Xue Luo's forehead, and a surge of memories entered its mind. Xue Luo experienced them as if it were there. It was a battlefield, and the entire world was a battlefield. Deities fought against darkness, and strange creatures clashed with human gods. This had lasted for thousands of years.
When the memories were fully implanted, Xue Luo reacted, its face contorted with rage. "The Evil Spirit race... so that's how it is. Don't worry, I will slay every last one of them, leaving none alive."
"I will sign this contract. I was once a being of this world, and I have an obligation to protect those who deserve protection."
Xue Luo decisively signed its name to the contract. The parchment flew into the sky, heading towards the Heavenly Dao. Chen Tian nodded and waved his hand. Numerous materials began to glow, their radiance illuminating the heavens. Chen Tian declared, "With these materials as a foundation, I will help you recover your body and enhance your demonic sword simultaneously."
These materials were top-tier resources from both the Divine Realm and the Cultivation Realm. Chen Tian was curious about the kind of body that could be created from such components. Xue Luo gazed at the materials in the sky, some of which were of higher quality than its own demonic sword. A body forged from these would make it stronger than ever before, possibly surpassing its past might.
"Thank you!"
"Don't rush. Creating a body takes time. Envelop these materials with your soul, and I will help you fuse with your body."
"Alright."
Creating a body requires a significant amount of time, and the materials Chen Tian possessed were top-tier. For Xue Luo to regain a body would take a long time. Chen Tian decided to use the most efficient method.
Xue Luo enveloped the materials in the sky with its soul. Chen Tian took a deep breath and asked, "Are you ready?"
Xue Luo appeared serious and replied calmly, "I am ready. Let's begin."
Chen Tian directly accessed the game interface and clicked on the "Fusion" option. This function had not disappeared after the interface update. Chen Tian used the fusion function to merge Xue Luo's soul, these materials, and the demonic sword into a single body.
"Ding, Fusing..."
Chen Tian heard a system notification suddenly appear. This system had been silent for so long and was only now making its presence known. Chen Tian observed the fusion progress; it appeared to require three days. Chen Tian summoned his keyboard and restored the city to its original state, grumbling, "This kind of thing is better left to the higher-ups. I'm not suited for repairing data. It's too tiring."
As Chen Tian was about to leave, a glow emanated from the stone beneath his feet. Chen Tian paused. This light, and the system voice in his mind... Chen Tian dug away the stone and found a tear-shaped necklace. The necklace was now radiating starlight. Chen Tian exclaimed, "No wonder I couldn't find any news about the Tear of Starlight. So this was the trigger condition."
The tear-shaped necklace in Chen Tian's hand was the Tear of Starlight. Only one more item was needed: the Sword of Floating Dust. The next destination was the Dark World. Chen Tian's figure vanished from the city.
In the highest echelons of the game, several individuals watched Chen Tian's progress. One of them complained slightly, "What are we going to do? Over a hundred people have vanished. How can we explain this?"
"Suppress it. Wait until everything is over."
"But boss, if we keep suppressing it, there will be trouble. The previous incident hasn't been resolved, and now people are in a panic. And there's the looming war. These things can't be hidden."
"We must hide them even if we can't. This is our battle. There's no need to involve mortals from another world. Hurry up and go!"
The entire high command fell silent. They slowly faded from the room.
"May hope exist."
The last elder vanished. They still had to guard the front lines and had no time to waste here. As for this matter, it would be suppressed if possible.
Chen Tian arrived at Fierce Dragon City, a city in the Dragon race world. After the worlds merged, passages formed between them, allowing players to freely enter any world. The Dragon race world needed no further explanation; it was populated by Dragon race players and even Dragon race beings. It was a world where dragons were the primary focus.
Dragon Subjugation City was a human gathering place. Most of the Dragon race cities were for Dragon race players. Only Dragon race players could enter Dragon race cities. This city, however, was for human players. Every world had different cities to accommodate different racial or class players.
The game "Epoch of Time" truly achieved balance. Chen Tian arrived at Dragon Subjugation City. The city was named so because human players who came here were to hunt giant dragons. The materials from giant dragons were extremely precious. Dragons, being legendary beings, were naturally not easy for ordinary people to contend with.
Most players in the city chose to form teams to hunt giant dragons. Chen Tian wasn't interested in this. In his past life in the Divine Realm, he had slain countless dragon race beings. At feasts, the Four Sacred Beasts would gather and converse.
"Brother, I'm short one person on my team. Want to team up?" a young man standing near Chen Tian asked. Chen Tian initially intended to ignore him, but the young man spoke again, "You can take the rewards first. If that's not acceptable, you can choose a drop of Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood."
After the young man finished speaking, Chen Tian's steps halted. Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood? How could it appear here? The Ancestral Dragon was the origin of all dragon races, the leader of all dragons. Chen Tian, who had once possessed Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood, knew its power.
Now, another drop of Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood had appeared. Could it be that Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood had been divided into countless drops?
"Ding, congratulations to the host for triggering a quest: Collect five drops of Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood to become a complete Ancestral Dragon. Quest reward: Ancestral Dragon Bloodline, Ancestral Dragon Physique, Ancestral Dragon Dominion."
Chen Tian was surprised that this could trigger a quest. For the sake of the quest, Chen Tian turned back and said, "Alright."