The Blade Saint lived his entire life for the blade, consumed by its allure. Yet, he delved deeply into the mastery of blade techniques alone, neglecting other pursuits—this, Luli understood well.
It appears that this is not the soul of the Blade Saint; most likely, it is the lingering spirit of the Wicked Demon Dragon.
The Wicked Demon Dragon, an ancient and formidable existence, stood out even among the mighty dragon race. Proficient in illusion arts, it almost ensnared Luli's path upon entering the valley.
Illusions, your pride, are also your fatal flaw.
Luli pondered silently; however, he revealed no hint of his thoughts, presenting a facade of pleasant surprise.
"Senior is truly willing to pass on his blade techniques to me! This... is truly wonderful!"
"Yes, my time is nearing its end, meeting you is fate. Relax your mind, I shall impart all I've learned throughout my life to you!"
While Luli swiftly contemplated, the Wicked Demon Dragon had been coaxing him into the valley and subsequently enticing him to accept its guidance, a process that seemed to enlighten him.
This indicated something significant. The fox demon at the Law Manifestation Realm had forcibly taken possession during the previous encounter, leaving Luli no chance to resist.
This suggested that the Wicked Demon Dragon's spiritual strength was not overwhelmingly formidable. It relied more on deception than sheer power when attempting to seize control.
Now, the question lingered—could the "Luo" character in his Divine Sea withstand the spiritual impact of the Wicked Demon Dragon?
"In reality, there's no other choice. Why hesitate any longer!"
Luli thought to himself, decisively choosing the path into the unknown. Allowing the Wicked Demon Dragon to take possession might still offer him a chance. If he resisted, he harbored no doubt that he would immediately become a lifeless corpse in this place, and the death would be exceedingly miserable.
One road led to death, the other to the unknown. Naturally, he chose the path of the unknown.
"Very well, Senior!"
Luli chuckled inwardly, and the dragon soul hovering in the valley echoed with manic laughter.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered in Luli's Divine Sea, followed by a dragon silhouette charging directly towards the core of his soul.
This dragon silhouette differed from the one in his memories—it appeared more robust. The dragons depicted in texts and drawings had slender, serpentine bodies, akin to the totemic dragons of Earth's ancient Chinese culture.
However, this dragon's belly resembled that of a pregnant woman, its body noticeably rounder. Instead of dragon horns, a pair of pointed ears extended from where the horns should be, thin and elongated, accompanied by the original dragon ears, totaling four in number.
The dragon silhouette moved astonishingly fast, affording Luli no time to critique its appearance.
Its goal was clear—to obliterate Luli's soul. Once successful, the Wicked Demon Dragon would seize control of his body.
As the dragon silhouette twisted and turned, eerie laughter echoed in Luli's Divine Sea. After countless ages of waiting, it finally found a suitable host. How could the Wicked Demon Dragon not revel in laughter?
Just as the dragon silhouette surged towards the core of Luli's soul, a "Luo" character in his Divine Sea suddenly radiated a brilliant light, illuminating every corner of his spiritual realm.
The divine light seemed to emanate from the holiest of sanctuaries, resembling celestial spears that pierced through the dragon silhouette in an instant.
"Why is this thing inside your body?"
The dragon silhouette emitted a terrifying roar, its voice reverberating in Luli's Divine Sea.
As the light continued to assail it, the dragon silhouette writhed in agony within Luli's Divine Sea.
"Young one, stop! Withdraw this 'Luo' character!"
"Senior, I cannot control this character!"
While Luli couldn't manifest a form within his Divine Sea, he could make his voice heard by the Wicked Demon Dragon.
Seeing the Wicked Demon Dragon in pain and struggle brought immense satisfaction to Luli. This was payback for attempting to deceive him.
The fox demon had assumed he was already a lifeless corpse, unaware of the potential ferocity of the ancient Wicked Demon Dragon's soul. Now, the dragon desired mutual destruction.
All of Luli's focus concentrated on the "Luo" character, and the Wicked Demon Dragon transformed into a dragon shape again. Its rotund belly expanded rapidly, seemingly about to burst open, signaling a simultaneous demise.
In this life-or-death moment, a radiant light illuminated Luli's Divine Sea. The light was incredibly dazzling, sharp, and formidable.
Luli felt as if the light had imprinted itself onto his Divine Sea. The sharpness of the light caused a tremendous headache, as if a sharp blade were slicing through his nerves.
Unable to endure, Luli clutched his head. His body, unsupported, sank to the ground.
"Blade light, such formidable blade light!"
A ray of sword light appeared in Luli's Divine Sea, aiming directly at the body of the Wicked Demon Dragon, on the verge of bursting. In the blade light, the Wicked Demon Dragon wailed in agony before returning to calm.
"This is not the original 'Luo' character; it's just a mark!"
Suddenly, a voice echoed in Luli's Divine Sea, belonging to the person who released the blade light—an immensely terrifying and formidable figure.
"Who are you?"
"A wielder of the blade, young one. How did this character appear in your Divine Sea?"
"A wielder of the blade, young one." The way this person referred to himself matched the title of the Blade Saint as described in the records of the Transcendent Venerable. Unlike others who bestowed titles upon him, the Blade Saint had never introduced himself this way.
"A wielder of the blade, young one." Considering the appearance of the blade light, it undoubtedly belonged to the Transcendent Venerable.
Luli hadn't expected that his encounter with the soul of the Wicked Demon Dragon would ultimately be saved by the remnants of this blade-wielding figure. The blade light was condensed through spiritual intent.
"I also don't know how this character came into my Divine Sea. Are you the Transcendent Venerable, the Blade Saint?"
"You may address me as such. I didn't expect to be so preoccupied with this character, even nearing the end of my life. It's quite shameful!"
"Senior, what is the origin of this character?"
Luli couldn't reveal where the character came from, as Xiao Zhao was his most important person. As long as it could threaten Xiao Zhao, Luli would not disclose any information.
However, Luli was also curious about the true identity of the "Luo" character. A sigh echoed in Luli's Divine Sea!