Chapter 293: Chapter 264: The Artifact Spirit of This Blade Is Right Before You

"Ding Jingyi" withdrew his gaze from the sky.

With a single leap, he appeared before Xiao Mo and the others.

Qing Yuan frowned. With a quick incantation, she sent the Cyan Dragon pouncing toward "Ding Jingyi."

"ROAR!"

The Cyan Dragon roared, ready to tear him apart with a single bite!

But in the next moment, "Ding Jingyi" grabbed the Cyan Dragon’s head and ripped it apart with a violent pull.

In an instant, the Cyan Dragon was torn clean in two. It plummeted from the sky, the act as simple as ripping a sheet of paper.

"I used to feast on Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow. What could this puppet of a Cyan Dragon possibly do?"

As his words fell, "Ding Jingyi" swung his longsword, sending a wave of Sword Qi slashing toward Xiao Mo and the others.

Startled, Qing Yuan immediately commanded the Black Tortoise to shield them.

The casual sword strike cracked open the Black Tortoise’s shell.

Seizing the opportunity, Qing Yuan had the Vermilion Bird flee in another direction.

Yet, every time Qing Yuan tried to break through, just as success seemed within reach, "Ding Jingyi" would instantly appear.

"Ding Jingyi" had countless opportunities to kill Xiao Mo and the others with a single strike.

But each time, he never delivered a killing blow.

Xiao Mo and the others naturally understood what "Ding Jingyi" was trying to do.

"Ding Jingyi" was toying with them like a cat with a mouse.

It seemed he would only torture them to death once they had fallen into complete despair.

This game of cat and mouse was entirely because of Xiao Mo.

He wanted to toy with them until the very end, kill the people Xiao Mo cared about one by one before his eyes, and finally, subject Xiao Mo himself to death by a thousand cuts.

But in truth, Xiao Mo had no idea what kind of deep-seated hatred "Ding Jingyi" held for him.

The entity seemed to know him, but Xiao Mo had no clue who he was.

’Could it be that this body’s previous incarnation, or someone from its past, did something to him?’ Xiao Mo mulled it over. It was the only possibility he could think of.

"Qing Yuan, stop struggling. That guy isn’t going to let us leave," the Blood Demon coughed, leaning on Xiao Mo’s shoulder. Her face was pale, her Life Fire growing ever weaker.

Qing Yuan pressed her lips together, her fists clenched tightly.

Qing Yuan knew it too; there was truly no way out for them.

But she refused to surrender without a fight. She had to struggle until the very end.

"Sister Qing Yuan, take the Blood Demon and leave. I’ll buy you time."

Xiao Mo stood up, holding the Spirit-Collecting Blade.

"You brat. In your current state, you can’t even block a single one of his strikes." The Blood Demon shook her head and gave Xiao Mo’s Spirit-Collecting Blade a light flick.

In an instant, the Spirit-Collecting Blade snapped in two...

Qing Yuan’s mouth fell slightly open in astonishment.

The Spirit-Collecting Blade was a Fourth-Grade Magical Artifact, but it was renowned for its resilience. Moreover, Xiao Mo had been constantly nourishing it with Blood Evil Qi, making its durability comparable to that of a First-Grade Magical Artifact.

She never imagined that the heavy blade would actually break!

"Sit down, kid. Your master has a plan," the Blood Demon said, watching as "Ding Jingyi" approached them step by step.

"What plan?" Qing Yuan’s eyes lit up.

The Blood Demon glanced back at "Ding Jingyi" and spoke calmly. "From what I understand, these Ancient Gods all share a common trait: arrogance and complacency.

The way he’s toying with us like a cat proves that their nature never changes, no matter how much time passes or what they experience.

But in truth, his power hasn’t fully recovered. It’s a world away from what it was at his peak.

Right now, he’s only a little stronger than the original Ding Jingyi.

As long as he isn’t in that legendary Lost Second Realm, then we still have a tiny bit of a chance!"

The Blood Demon looked at Qing Yuan and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Go to the Weapon Casting Pool in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion."

"The Weapon Casting Pool?" Qing Yuan faltered. "What for?"

"What else could it be for?" The Blood Demon smiled faintly. "The kid’s blade is broken. Naturally, we’re going to get him a new one that suits him."

"But that weapon..."

Qing Yuan trailed off, suddenly understanding the Blood Demon’s intention.

She stared blankly at the Blood Demon, her gaze asking, ’Are you serious?’

But the Blood Demon just smiled at her.

"I understand..."

Qing Yuan sighed. She knew her best friend’s personality well.

Without further hesitation, Qing Yuan immediately had the Vermilion Bird change direction, flying toward a mountain peak in the center of the Wandao Sect.

"Oh?"

"Ding Jingyi" paused, tilting his head as he watched them, wondering what they were up to.

They had stopped trying to escape and were instead flying deeper into the Sect.

"Ding Jingyi" didn’t stop them. They were a spent force; crushing them would be a trivial matter.

He was curious now, wondering what kind of final struggle they could possibly muster.

Just as "Ding Jingyi" was about to follow them to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, Qing Yuan commanded the White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—all three Mechanical Beasts—to charge at him.

Though it took less than three breaths, "Ding Jingyi" tore Qing Yuan’s three remaining Mechanical Beasts to shreds.

But in that brief window, the three of them passed through an Array and flew into the caverns beneath the Spirit Treasure Pavilion’s mountain.

The Spirit Treasure Pavilion was like the Sect’s vault, housing all of Wandao Sect’s Heavenly and Earthly Treasures and Magical Artifacts. Because of this, it was protected by its own unique Array, its strength second only to the Wandao Sect’s great Sect Protection Array.

Qing Yuan reckoned the Spirit Treasure Pavilion’s Array should be able to hold "Ding Jingyi" off for a short while.

Before long, the three of them reached the bottom of the chasm.

At the bottom lay a vast cavern. In its center flowed scorching Emperor’s Heart Juice.

Countless long weapons were embedded in the molten flow, but the most eye-catching was a long blade as black as ink.

It was plunged into the very center of the Weapon Casting Pool, seemingly suppressing all the other weapons around it.

"This blade is..." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Xiao Mo’s brow furrowed as he stared at the Tang Cross Saber.

Even without getting close, Xiao Mo could feel the domineering aura emanating from the blade.

"Previously, I obtained a scroll leading to the Chaos Secret Realm, and I used that scroll to trade for a piece of Divine Iron."

The Blood Demon smiled, her gaze fixed on the fully-formed Immortal Soldier.

"Afterward, I gathered various Heavenly and Earthly Treasures and, with Qing Yuan’s help, finally forged this blade. In terms of the weapon itself, it was an Immortal Soldier from the moment of its creation."

"But to truly become an Immortal Soldier, it’s missing one crucial component," Qing Yuan added. "An Artifact Spirit. Under normal circumstances, it would take a thousand years for a weapon to birth an Artifact Spirit."

"But now, we don’t need a thousand years..."

The Blood Demon stepped forward and smiled at Xiao Mo, her eyes curving into crescents.

"This blade’s Artifact Spirit... is right in front of you."