The mine shook, and Yan Yu's bones were shattered by countless divine abilities.
The red robe of the Demon Extermination Division was soaked through with blood. Yan Yu knew he had to draw his sword now, or he would die immediately.
But even if he drew his sword, it was only a third-stage sword, and his enemies were all fourth-stage lord-level demon lords. What use could a third-stage sword be?
In an instant, Yan Yu lowered his eyes and sighed heavily.
As if having made a 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 thoughts moved, and he released the restriction on the Gan Jiang sword.
Then, a green ethereal shadow flew into the sword from the void.
As if a rigid shell had been infused with a soul, the dragon scales and tortoise patterns on the sword body trembled like a hum, and a deep blue frost sword energy floated on the surface, like a misty vapor.
However, while 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 merged sword spirit.
Thus, facing the overwhelming divine ability attacks, Yan Yu calmly gripped the hilt of his sword.
Then, he slashed an arc across the sky from left to right.
The arc was pale blue, with specks of snow drifting around it.
*Crack!*
The sword left its mark, and snowflakes danced gracefully, beautiful and cold, much like the fireworks lit for New Year's at the guild hall.
But fireworks vanish in an instant, while the snowflakes from this sword seemed eternal.
For with this strike, he had frozen the entire space.
From left to right, from top to bottom, divine abilities, dust, rock, and brick… everything was severed by the sword light that bloomed from the sword.
The cutting intent within it sliced any object it touched into countless tiny fragments, and the all-pervasive chill penetrated them, freezing them.
Thus, the area became a world of ice and snow.
Qiong Qi stood on the outermost edge of the mine wall, sensing the icy sword intent, his fur standing on end, and the Samadhi true fire in his eyes burning hotter involuntarily, 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 splattered on the scene. They couldn't even let out a cry before they were frozen, becoming an indispensable part of that icy, snowy panorama.
Qiong Qi looked around and then gasped in shock.
Yan Yu's strike had slain over a hundred lords!
"As expected of Brother Hao Han's friend, truly a monster!"
Under Qiong Qi's astonished gaze, Yan Yu, carrying his sword, slowly walked towards the Bi An Hua.
No great demon dared to intercept him anymore, for the snowflakes in the air had not yet dispersed, and they had no desire to become fragments.
Thus, Yan Yu reached the Bi An Hua without any obstruction.
From afar, Qiong Qi stared at the bewitching flower, his fur bristling.
The closer Yan Yu got, the more intense the sense of unease in his heart became.
He didn't know where this unease came from, but a divine beast's perception never erred.
"I still advise you to be careful," he transmitted to Yan Yu, but the latter's mind was already clouded by obsession.
Yan Yu did not heed Qiong Qi's words. He gazed at the Bi An Hua at his feet, a hint of relief and shock in his weary eyes.
Years ago, his wife had thrown herself into the furnace to help him forge his sword.
Since then, he had been searching for the legendary Bi An Hua, hoping to revive her.
But in his original world, cultivation and immortality were mere legends. Finding the Bi An Hua was simply a fool's errand!
Yan Yu bent down and reached for the Bi An Hua.
A thousand years of obsessive pursuit had finally yielded results.
He could not contain his excitement, so much so that his breathing became rough and hot, two plumes of white mist shooting out into the air.
But before he could grasp the roots of the Bi An Hua, 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 gently in the air, and blood and pollen dripped from it.
This was the pistil of the Bi An Hua.
*Rumble!*
Suddenly, the earth split open, and a root stem tens of meters thick burst from the soil, growing upwards wildly.
The bud of the Bi An Hua also continued to swell. The outward-curling pistil, hundreds of feet long, writhed and thrashed, piercing the hearts of great demon after great demon.
Little Qiong Qi trembled inwardly at the scene before him.
He finally understood where that ominous premonition came from.
This flower, considered a heavenly opportunity by all great demons and humans, was alive. The pollen released and the celestial phenomena were merely to lure demonic beasts here, only to devour them all!
"Pfft!"
Yan Yu spat out a mouthful of blood. He wanted to control his right hand to sever the pistil with the Gan Jiang sword, but he couldn't muster any strength.
Even the tortoise patterns on the Gan Jiang sword itself kept dimming, as if something was absorbing its energy.
"Run!"
*Rumble!*
The great demons pierced by the pistil instantly lost their ability to resist.
Their blood did not decrease, but it no longer surged, for their life force had been drained by the Bi An Hua, a form of slow death.
Yan Yu's eyelids twitched. So this was the secret of the Bi An Hua, no wonder it could bring the dead back to life!
"You never told me it was alive."
Yan Yu communicated with the Gan Jiang sword mentally. The mysterious being from Blue Star, born eons before him, had become the sword's spirit as he wished.
"All things have life, especially the Bi An Hua born in the Yellow Springs."
The Gan Jiang sword spirit sighed. He knew the Bi An Hua had consciousness, but he hadn't expected it to be so 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 Bi An Hua, the more beneficial it was to his plan.
"So what should we do now?" Yan Yu's aura was extremely weak. He had no ability to resist at all now, 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 Bi An Hua needs sufficient essence of life and essence of death to bloom."
"Only when it blooms can it revive the dead and pull someone back from the cycle of reincarnation."
Yan Yu heard this and sensed something was wrong:
"Since that's the case, why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
"Or rather… you never intended for me to know?"
Hearing his stern voice, the sword spirit did not refute, but instead praised:
"Clever, you understand me best."
"In my plan, you were meant to die!"