Chapter 636: Fusing the Sword

"It wasn't me... The first to discover Fellow Daoist Yu was Fairy Mo. She was worried you were in seclusion, so she sent a message to me. Only then did I go find you." Duan Yuzai shook his head and said.

"These days, the valley has been unsettled. I had planned to sit in silent meditation for a while, but I couldn't calm my mind. So this morning I went to Clear Wind Cliff again, and there he was lying in the ice and snow, his aura nearly severed. I almost thought he had died." Mo Wuxue sighed and said.

Han Li listened and said nothing more.

He raised his hand, placed it on Yu Ziqi's brow, and examined him again. Then he stood up, went to the edge of Clear Wind Cliff, and looked down, his heart growing more puzzled. Who had sealed his sea of consciousness?

"Fellow Daoist Li, how is he now?" Mo Wuxue asked upon seeing this.

"His physical body and soul are temporarily stabilized, but he is not truly out of danger. Let's take him back to my cave dwelling first. He will need a long period of recuperation before there is a real chance of saving him." Han Li said thoughtfully.

"Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Li..." Mo Wuxue bowed to Han Li and said.

Han Li was momentarily stunned, his gaze shifting between Mo Wuxue and Yu Ziqi for a moment before he caught on, thinking to himself: "Fellow Daoist Yu, oh Fellow Daoist Yu... Could this be a blessing in disguise?"

Composing himself, Han Li waved his sleeve, and a patch of green light lifted Yu Ziqi from beneath, floating him away as they both sped off to Han Li's cave dwelling.

...

More than half a month later.

Jingyang Shangren and Rehuo Zunzhe, who had just returned to the valley, received Han Li's summons and came back one after another. Together with Duan Yuzai and Mo Wuxue, they gathered in Han Li's cave dwelling.

Crab Daoist, like Mo Guang, had been taken into the "Flower Branch" cave heaven by Han Li. Only some puppets and dao soldiers remained in the residence, while Yu Ziqi was placed in the side chamber where Mo Guang had previously stayed.

After this period of recuperation, his aura had stabilized somewhat, but his soul damage was still severe, with no signs of waking.

After Rehuo Zunzhe and Jingyang Shangren examined him, the two, who usually loved to bicker, surprisingly did not argue. They agreed that the one who had attacked Yu Ziqi must be found and annihilated in both body and spirit.

"I told you before, the situation is unstable now, and Carefree Mountain will only become more unsettled. I just didn't expect it to come so quickly..." Jingyang Shangren took a big gulp of wine and sighed.

"Fellow Daoist Jingyang, have you received some news that we don't know about?" Mo Wuxue frowned and asked.

"It's not exactly secret news. If you spend some immortal jade stones, you can buy it in Jukun City." Jingyang Shangren shook his head and said.

"In that case, tell us what you know. After all, we haven't been to Jukun City for a while." Han Li glanced at him and said.

"Yes, at a time like this, don't keep us in suspense." Rehuo Zunzhe also said.

"There's nothing particularly special. You all know about the silver fox strange guest causing havoc in Jukun City, right? There were some follow-up incidents... The Great Palace Master of Black Mountain Immortal Palace, using the pretext that he might have fled into Carefree Mountain, joined forces with the supervising immortal envoy stationed in Jukun City to pressure the rogue cultivator who had set the rules for Carefree Mountain back then, allowing immortal palace cultivators to infiltrate the various valleys of Carefree Mountain for investigation." Jingyang Shangren took another gulp of wine and said.

"Are you saying that the one who attacked Fellow Daoist Yu might be from Black Mountain Immortal Palace?" Rehuo Zunzhe frowned and asked.

"I didn't say that... I only said that some people from Black Mountain Immortal Palace have infiltrated Carefree Mountain and stirred up the waters here. In fact, even more people from the 'Robe Exchange Society' have mixed in. Neither side is easy to deal with." Jingyang Shangren waved his hand and said.

"It's not like people from the Reincarnation Hall have only been here for a day or two. Weren't things always calm before? In my opinion, it's more likely the work of the Immortal Palace." Duan Yuzai shook his head and said.

The Robe Exchange Society, like the Ten Directions Tower and the Unconstant Alliance, were subordinate organizations of the Reincarnation Hall, widely spread across the Immortal Domain.

"Could it be that Fellow Daoist Yu is a member of the Reincarnation Hall?" Han Li suddenly asked.

Rehuo Zunzhe and Duan Yuzai looked at Jingyang Shangren, then at Mo Wuxue.

One of these two was close to Yu Ziqi, and the other was the object of his affection, but both shook their heads, indicating they didn't know.

"Guessing like this is useless. Let's wait until Fellow Daoist Yu wakes up and ask him then." Mo Wuxue said.

"Regardless, from now on, all fellow daoists must be more cautious when acting in the valley..." Jingyang Shangren raised his wine gourd, but didn't drink, and spoke.

After everyone dispersed, Han Li felt increasingly uneasy, thinking that this place was no longer suitable for dwelling.

However, if he left Wild Crane Valley rashly at this time, he might instead attract the attention of the Immortal Palace, which would only cause more trouble. It would be better to stay a while longer and see how things develop.

Moreover, Yu Zigi had not yet recovered from his injuries and still required his long-term care and treatment.

After pondering for a moment, he began to prepare the necessary items for setting up the formation, starting with lifting the restriction on Yu Zigi's nascent soul...

Time passed, and over five years went by.

One morning, Han Li sat quietly in the secret chamber, holding the Heavenvoid Bottle in one hand while flipping his other wrist to produce the emerald green gourd.

He opened the Heavenvoid Bottle, tilted it slightly toward the mouth of the gourd, and let a drop of green liquid fall onto it.

Over the years, through intermittent ripening with the green liquid, the dull area around the gourd's mouth had gradually disappeared, its color becoming almost indistinguishable from the rest of the gourd's surface. Yet Han Li felt that it was still some way from full maturity.

A soft "ding" sounded.

A pleasant noise came from the gourd's mouth. The drop of green liquid that fell onto it was completely absorbed by the gourd without any splashing.

Immediately after, the green gourd burst into an intense emerald radiance, becoming exceedingly bright. Countless emerald runes flickered and danced over its surface, leaping violently like boiling water.

An indescribably powerful law force suddenly emerged, rippling outward in all directions.

Just then, a soft "pop" came from the gourd's mouth.

Han Li was astonished to find that the emerald green gourd had opened by itself, without anyone activating it.

"Is this... fully mature?" Han Li's eyes flickered as he murmured to himself.

As soon as he spoke, a dark green light surged from the mouth of the emerald gourd, transforming into a dark green flame that enveloped the entire gourd, suspending it in midair. The flame churned repeatedly, as if washing it.

After dozens of breaths, the flame suddenly began to shrink and eventually vanished completely. The gourd's surface was now entirely renewed, a translucent emerald like jade, reflecting a glossy luster. When touched, it felt warm and smooth, quite comfortable.

Seeing this, Han Li was overjoyed. But just as he was about to examine it closely, his brow suddenly furrowed as a sharp, burning pain shot through one of his arms.

He quickly pulled up his sleeve and looked down, seeing a faint green sword-shaped mark on his arm, faintly visible—it was none other than the Xuantian Slaying Spirit Sword, which had long since disappeared!

Immediately after, he felt the blood in his arm surge toward the mark. A layer of blood light suddenly spread over it, causing the originally blurry green mark to gradually become clear.

"Could the Slaying Spirit Sword be reviving?" Han Li's heart leaped with surprise and delight.

After all, although the Xuantian Slaying Spirit Sword was an object from the lower realm, it was still a Xuantian treasure containing the power of the laws of the interface. Even in the True Immortal Realm, it could be considered a rare innate immortal artifact, surely containing many mysteries he had yet to discover.

However, before his joy could subside, a sharp pain like a burning fire shot through his arm. The green mark suddenly transformed into a dark green ray of light, piercing out of his skin and darting straight toward the gourd's mouth, instantly vanishing into it.

Startled, Han Li ignored the intense pain in his arm and immediately grabbed the gourd, pressing it against his brow. His divine sense entered the emerald space inside.

Inside the space, emerald light filled the air. A huge green vortex was still spinning leisurely, and seventy-two Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords floated silently within, emitting a gentle, watery green light. Each sword gleamed brilliantly.

Han Li scanned the space but found no trace of the Xuantian Slaying Spirit Sword. So he sank his mind further, entering the second layer of the emerald gourd's space.

As soon as he entered the second layer, Han Li immediately felt dizzy, seeing flashes of green light before his eyes.

When he focused, he saw that the green sphere that had been quietly floating in the space was now pulsing, alternating between brightness and darkness. Layers of green light rings shone out from it, emitting strange fluctuations.

A green sword-shaped pattern had appeared on the sphere—it was the mark of the Xuantian Slaying Spirit Sword.

When he tried to contact it with his divine sense, a dark green ray shot out from the sword mark, exploding in the void, shattering even the divine sense he had projected.

Han Li let out a muffled groan, his eyes snapping open as he gasped for breath.

He felt thunder roaring in his sea of consciousness and a sharp pain in his head. He quickly closed his eyes again to regulate his breathing, and only after a long while did his expression return to normal.

"Though I don't know why this happened, it seems it has merged with the gourd..." After a long pause, he rubbed his still aching brow and murmured to himself.

The Xuantian Slaying Spirit Sword had not truly revived, but the residual power of the law of destruction it contained seemed to have been drawn into the emerald gourd, merging with it—a fitting use for it.

But after these changes, what new powers would the mature Xuantian Gourd possess?