Lin Li had left.
No matter how much of a stir his killing of the Prince of Changlin and the Prefecture Overseer of Nanping caused in the peaceful Da Jing Dynasty—a dynasty that hadn't seen the unexpected deaths of high-ranking officials for over a hundred years—it no longer concerned him.
As the court of Da Jing was thrown into turmoil, Lin Li had already regained his composure. With his goals fulfilled and seeking to avoid further trouble, he used the combined powers of air-walking and Like a Fish in Water to transform into a golden streak of light and swiftly flew away from the Da Jing Dynasty.
A week later.
At the southern edge of the Da Jing Dynasty, on the Hulna Grassland, north of Zhao Kingdom!
Here lay a dormant volcano that had been inactive for thousands of years.
At the rim of the volcano.
A golden streak of light descended!
Lin Li stood at the edge of the volcano, drawing out his Soul-Devouring Spirit Sword and gently stroking it. "Demon sword... demon sword... all these years, you've always been by my side."
"If it weren't for you, I might have already perished in some nameless corner, never achieving what I have today."
"Unfortunately..."
"I don't want to become a crazed killer obsessed with slaughter and breakthroughs."
"I have a family, children... and now, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, I have over a thousand years of lifespan."
"After killing Mo Wentian, the curse on me has been lifted."
"Today is the day I say farewell to you."
"I will bury you here and hope you won't feel too lonely."
"From now on, I will return to Hailan Kingdom using the ancient teleportation array, destroy the array, and live a peaceful and tranquil life."
"Demon sword... farewell."
Even now, Lin Li didn't know that the sword in his hand had its own consciousness.
Despite this, feeling sentimental, he still "talked" to the sword for a long time.
Then, Lin Li flew into the volcano's crater and chiseled out a stone chamber in the mountainside, placing Ye Fan inside and sealing the chamber with rocks.
Hovering beside the rocky wall where he buried Ye Fan, Lin Li muttered to himself, "This way, this mysterious demon sword shouldn't be found by anyone, and no more people will die because of it."
"Sigh, farewell!"
After a brief moment of melancholy, Lin Li soared into the sky!
However, without Ye Fan, Lin Li's strength was no longer as overwhelming as before, now only slightly stronger than an ordinary Nascent Soul stage level five cultivator.
...
Inside the stone chamber.
Ye Fan also had mixed feelings.
"Who would've thought that Lin Li could resist my temptation."
Ye Fan muttered to himself, "But... this might be for the best!"
"Lin Li was truly a good sword master. He had guts, a fierce spirit, and was willing to risk everything. He actively sought out enemies, yet he never lost his humanity and maintained a kind heart."
"Now that he's killed Mo Wentian and lifted his curse, my own curse will no longer affect him."
"Even if he hadn't buried me here, if he had continued to wield me, he would have been plagued by misfortune due to my curse, which would not only bring disaster to him but also harm his wife, the Ninth Princess, and his child, Lin Zheng."
"As the most powerful individual in the Sixth Kingdom of Baixing, with a lifespan of over a thousand years, he now has plenty of time to enjoy life, care for his family, and develop Hailan Kingdom."
"For Lin Li, this is probably the best possible ending."
After spending decades with Lin Li, it would be a lie to say Ye Fan hadn't developed some feelings for him.
However, Ye Fan also had his own goals: to evolve, ascend to the immortal realm, and seek revenge on the immortal sage who had destroyed Earth!
After reminiscing about Lin Li for a while, Ye Fan shifted his focus back to his own objectives.
"Open system panel!"
Host: Ye Fan
Soul-Devouring Spirit Sword
Grade: Lower-grade Spiritual Treasure
Description: This is a lower-grade spiritual treasure that has slain Nascent Soul cultivators! The blade is infused with poison that can kill on contact and possesses several unique abilities. Its most fearsome feature is its Soul-Extinguishing effect, which can devour a person's soul!
Passive Skills:
Bloodlust: Absorbs blood to nourish the blade and transfers part of the energy to the host.
Curse: The sword carries immense resentment. Those who wield it without sufficient power will be plagued by misfortune.
Poison: The sword is infused with lethal poison. Anyone who touches it and is weaker than the sword's master will die instantly. Those of equal strength will perish within a week without help. Even those stronger than the sword's master will suffer significantly reduced combat ability due to the poison.
Air-walking: The wielder can fly through the air, and movement speed is greatly increased.
Soul-Extinguishing: The sword can annihilate souls! Once it destroys a body, it eradicates the soul, leaving no chance for reincarnation or body possession. This is a lethal threat to Nascent Soul stage cultivators!
Soul-Devouring: Upon killing a Nascent Soul stage or higher cultivator, the sword can devour the opponent's Nascent Soul, greatly enhancing the wielder's own Nascent Soul!
Active Skills:
Slaughter: Enter a slaughter state, unleashing devastating area attacks with each move. The slaughter state continuously consumes the wielder's spiritual energy.
Like a Fish in Water: Greatly enhances the wielder's speed, agility, reaction time, and movement during use.
Evolution Points: 2.36 million / 6 million
Energy: 1.97 million
"This world's cultivation levels are divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Out-of-Body, Spirit Reflection, Return to Origin, Great Ascension, and Tribulation!" Ye Fan thought. "Lin Li's cultivation is only at Nascent Soul. The evolution points he brought me still aren't enough."
"The stages of Baixing Kingdom and Zhao Kingdom are too small. Da Jing! That should be a place with true powerhouses. If there were immortals there once, there should be plenty of powerful cultivators as well. Going there should help me evolve faster!"
"In this world, weapons like me evolve from mortal weapons, to magical weapons, to treasures, and finally to spiritual treasures!"
"I've heard that in ancient times, there were innate spiritual treasures, but none have appeared for thousands of years."
"I am now a lower-grade spiritual treasure. If I find a suitable sword master and kill a few more Nascent Soul cultivators, I'll easily reach the top-grade spiritual treasure level."
"As for becoming an innate spiritual treasure... we'll see about that later!"
"Once I evolve into an innate spiritual treasure, my transformation and journey to the immortal realm shouldn't be far off!"
"But for now, I need to leave here and find a sword master who can help me evolve quickly!"
With that thought, Ye Fan finally began using the vast amount of energy he had accumulated!
For years, Ye Fan had refrained from using any of his energy. As a result, he had accumulated 1.97 million energy points!
Using just a few hundred energy points, Ye Fan broke free from his stone chamber, slashing through the boulders that had sealed him in, and shot into the sky!
Flying out of the volcanic crater, Ye Fan sped toward the Da Jing Dynasty, searching for a new sword master!