177: Chapter 177 Seclusion to Refine One's Body and Rebuild the Foundation of One's Innate Sword Dao

Leaving the crumbling and sinking Heavenly Demon Holy City, Ye Qing did not rush to the Demon Emperors Mausoleum. Instead, deep within an ancient mountain range that was even more desolate and sparse in Spiritual Qi, he found an absolutely hidden cavern, set up layers upon layers of concealment and defensive Formation, then sat cross-legged to begin another crucial period of secluded meditation.

He knew clearly that although he had won battle after battle and devoured massive amounts of resources, and his cultivation had broken through to the Late Stage of Soul Transformation, the continuous fighting and looting had also caused his Foundation to become somewhat unstable, leaving a faint sense of stagnation in the circulation of his magic power.

He needed time to completely shatter and refine these looted powers, integrate them into himself, and solidify his Dao Foundation.

He first sank his consciousness into his Cave Heaven World.

The five-million-zhang Cave Heaven World was, at this moment, like a world rejoicing. The earth was thick and substantial, the mountains and rivers magnificent, the sea of stars brilliant, and the Spiritual Qi was so dense it had almost turned into Spiritual rain, drizzling down upon the land.

Those resources devoured from the Heavenly Demon Holy City, including the corpses of twelve Soul Transformation Demon Kings, massive amounts of Top-Grade Spirit Stone, mountains of rare Materials, and the vast knowledge contained within that nine-story Legacy tower, were all poured into this world by him in one go.

Like the most skilled Artifact Refiner, he began to smelt and purify these miscellaneous resources.

The corpses of the twelve Soul Transformation Demon Kings were cast into the ancestral earth vein to be devoured and broken down. The ancestral earth vein, like a hungry giant Dragon, greedily absorbed the vast essence and Law fragments contained within the Demon King remains, emitting low rumbles, becoming more vigorous and substantial, and radiating an even more profound and vast aura.

The massive amounts of Top-Grade Spirit Stone and various rare Ore were cast into the sea of stars. The countless stars within the sea of stars seemed to come alive; as they flickered, they devoured those Spirit Stone and Ore, transforming them into even more brilliant starlight and purer star radiance, which drizzled down to nourish the entire world.

The knowledge and insights gained from the Legacy tower were absorbed, digested, and categorized by him bit by bit, like a sponge soaking up water, and integrated into his own Chaos Dao system. Although most of this knowledge and insight originated from the Yao Race, the profound understanding of the Laws of heaven and earth contained within, along with the experience of exploring higher Realm, still greatly benefited him and broadened his horizons.

After finishing these tasks, he turned his gaze to the hunyuan ruler he had used for a long time.

This iron ruler, obtained from an ancient cultivator's Immortal Cave, had accompanied him through the Nascent Soul Stage and slain countless powerful enemies, rendering meritorious service. However, as his cultivation broke through to Soul Transformation and the enemies he faced grew stronger, the power of the hunyuan ruler gradually could not keep up with his pace. More importantly, this ruler was ultimately someone else's object, not a Lifebound Treasure connected to his own heart and blood, and could not unleash his most Origin power.

He needed a Lifebound Treasure that truly belonged to him, one that could grow alongside him.

He slowly raised his right hand, and in the center of his palm, a speck of silvery-white light quietly emerged like a seed.

That was his true Lifebound Flying Sword—the sword seed of the Hunxu Zhou Tian Star Sword Formation!

When he originally condensed his Nascent Soul, he used the core Sword Intent of the Hunxu Zhou Tian Star Sword Formation as a guide, combined with the Origin power of the Cave Heaven World, to condense this sword seed. It was just that later, after obtaining the hunyuan ruler, he had kept this sword seed nurtured within his Dantian, refining it day and night with Chaos Infant Essence without ever using it.

Now, he felt the time was ripe.

He took a deep breath, sank his consciousness into his Dantian, and guided the Hunxu sword seed, which he had nurtured for a long time, to slowly emerge in his palm.

The sword seed was only about an inch long, entirely silvery-white, like a solidified streak of light. Inside, there were faint visions of countless stars appearing and disappearing, and the Void Realm being born and destroyed, emitting a pure and fierce Sword Intent.

He lowered his head and looked at the tiny sword seed in his palm, a hint of softness appearing in his eyes, as if he were looking at his own child.

"Old friend, I have kept you waiting for a long time. From now on, you will accompany me to conquer the heavens."

As his words fell, he did not hesitate any longer. He opened his mouth and exhaled a mouthful of his Lifebound Chaos Infant Essence, which wrapped around the sword seed like a milky-white flame, and began to re-refine and forge it.

He did not add any rare external Materials because he knew that this sword seed was the most suitable material for him. What he needed to do was to infuse all his latest insights into the Chaos Law, Law of Void, Law of Stars, and even the Law of Dragon Race, as well as the Origin power of his Cave Heaven World, into the sword seed, making it completely merge with himself and his Cave Heaven World.

The process of refining a Lifebound Flying Sword was extremely taxing on his consciousness and magic power.

Ye Qing sat cross-legged, his hands moving like butterflies flitting through flowers, constantly changing incantations, guiding the Chaos Infant Essence like the finest carving knife to engrave profound and mysterious Law patterns onto the tiny sword seed.

These patterns represented Chaos, the Void Realm, the stars, and the Dragon Clan... They intertwined and wrapped around each other, finally forming a perfect whole, as if containing a miniature Chaos Universe.

Time passed day by day in this focused refining.

One month... two months... three months...

When Ye Qing opened his eyes again, the sword seed in his hand had completely changed its appearance.

It was no longer the illusory, streaming light form from before, but had transformed into a physical longsword about three feet and three inches long, entirely presenting a profound Chaos color, as if condensed from the most primitive Chaos Qi.

On the sword body, there were no superfluous patterns or decorations, only a natural, ancient, and profound quality. The blade was not sharp, yet it seemed capable of severing all tangible and intangible existences. At the sword guard, a grain-sized crystal that seemed to contain an endless river of stars was embedded; that was the condensation of the star sea Origin of his Cave Heaven World.

He gently grasped the hilt. Hum—!!!

A feeling of being connected by blood and heart immediately surged into his mind!

He felt as if he could sense this sword's breathing, could sense its heartbeat!

This sword no longer felt like a cold weapon, but a part of his own body, an extension of his will!

"From now on, you shall be my, Ye Qing's, Lifebound sword—Chaos!"

He gently stroked the sword body, giving it a simple yet domineering name.

The chaos sword emitted a clear sword hum, as if responding to him, full of joy and affection.

He stood up, held the chaos sword, and swung it casually. Sshh!

A streak of Chaos-colored sword radiance, condensed to the extreme and seemingly capable of severing the Void Realm, flashed and vanished!

The Void Realm in front of him was silently torn open, creating a spatial rift several zhang long that could not heal for a long time!

"Good sword!" A look of pleasant surprise flashed in Ye Qing's eyes.

Although this newly born chaos sword had only been initially refined, its power already far exceeded that of the previous hunyuan ruler! Moreover, as his cultivation improved and his understanding of the sword Dao deepened, the power of this Lifebound sword would continue to rise!

He put away the chaos sword, took it into his Dantian, and continued to nurture it with Chaos Infant Essence.

Then, he began to set to work, selecting a few pieces from the high-grade Magic Treasure or those with special functions that he had looted from various places, preparing to re-refine them as his backup means.

As for those he could not use or those of lower grade, he threw them all to the Cave Heaven World to devour, using them to reinforce the world's Origin.

After finishing all this, he felt that his state had reached an unprecedented Peak.

His cultivation at the Late Stage of Soul Transformation was completely consolidated. The Lifebound chaos sword had been initially refined. The Cave Heaven World was evolving steadily.

"It is time to go to that Demon Emperors Mausoleum for a trip."

He stood up, his gaze piercing through the cavern, looking toward the even more ancient and mysterious region in the distance, a trace of anticipation and sharp light flashing in his eyes.