Chapter 263: Merging with the Dark Dragon

At this moment, Rod focused all his energy on merging with and absorbing the spirit of the Dark Dragon Sword.
The sword spirit is a sentient being formed over millions of years from a divine weapon through countless transformations! It can be said to be the purest form of energy in the world. Of course, different experiences give rise to different sword spirits, who serve as guardians of their respective weapons. Each sword spirit possesses unique energy.
For example, the spirit of the Dark Dragon Sword before him might embody the purest forms of killing intent and demonic energy in existence. To others, merging with it might be impossible, but Rod was different—he was even the perfect candidate! This was because Rod’s own fighting energy already contained these two types of energy, making him the ideal complement.
As time passed, Rod finally managed to control the Dark Dragon Sword spirit and began to absorb it. It was only then that the Dark Dragon seemed to realize something was wrong—its energy was being consumed by a more dominant force that was merging with and suppressing it. In that moment, it became utterly panicked.
No matter how hard it struggled, it was useless. Realizing what had happened, it finally understood: from the beginning, it had not been in control but had fallen victim to someone else’s scheme.
At the mention of Rod’s name, fear seized its heart. Now it understood why he had gone to such lengths to help it break free from its seal—he was acting entirely in his own interest.
If it helped Rod break free and it failed to resist, signing a contract with him, it would become a powerful asset, helping him conquer the world and achieve greatness. But if it resisted, he wouldn’t hesitate, as he had a way to deal with it—this very method.
Realizing everything, its expression changed drastically. Unable to struggle or resist, it could only shout loudly, “Damn you! Stop it now! Do you know what you’re doing? Absorbing me won’t benefit you at all! Don’t you want the Dark Dragon? Without it, I’m nothing but an ordinary sword. It would take millions of years to create another sword spirit—do you have that much time?”
With its last glimmer of hope, the Dark Dragon Sword spirit no longer wanted to oppose Rod. It only wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, away from this devilish man. If necessary, it wasn’t even averse to signing a contract and becoming his sword spirit to fight for him.

But it seemed as though Rod hadn’t heard a word of what he said at all—he paid no attention, merely casting a brief glance before intensifying his efforts to merge them.
That strange combat energy—something even the Dark Dragon, which had survived for tens of millions of years, couldn’t determine the nature of—was utterly bizarre. It contained killing intent, malevolent energy, and demonic aura. How on earth had this guy done that? Didn’t he know what all those things meant to a cultivator? Damn it, was he seeking death?
“Rod, I beg you, stop! Please halt now. You don’t want me to disappear, do you? I can help you—I can do so much for you. I can become your sword spirit and sign a contract with you, turning the Dark Dragon into the most supreme artifact on the continent, unmatched by anyone. What do you say? Just stop, and we’ll sign the contract right away!” Seeing that Rod showed no sign of stopping, the Dark Dragon became utterly desperate and cried out.
Damn it! He had just broken free from his seal—how could he die like this? After being sealed for a thousand years, he was about to sacrifice himself just now that the seal was broken. If he had known this, he would have preferred to remain sealed.
If only he had known Rod was such a pervert—he would never have done such a thing. His first choice would definitely be to flee, or at the very least sign a contract to save his life. He wouldn’t end up in this tragic situation of facing destruction.
“Do you think I’d believe you?” This time, Rod spoke, but it was a cold and sarcastic reply.
“Please believe me, my noble master. I’m willing to risk my essence—I will never break my word!” In his desperation, the Dark Dragon didn’t care about anything else and spoke fiercely, as if determined to the extreme.
“Hehe, this guy seems ready to sacrifice his very essence this time! The essence of a sword spirit is its soul. By offering the flame of the soul, the master can utterly erase it from this world with a single thought. How dare this guy agree to such a contract? It seems he’s truly scared!” Xuanyuan, who had somehow appeared beside Rod, heard this and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
Of course, only Rod could see Xuanyuan; the Dark Dragon couldn’t.
“Will he agree?” Hearing this, Rod couldn’t help but feel tempted and asked.
“It’s best to devour him—the benefits to you are immeasurable! As for the Dark Dragon? Heh, there’s a way!” With a mysterious expression, the Sword Spirit of Xuanyuan replied calmly.

Damn it, what’s there to say? There’s no need to consider it further. Only a fool would refuse to do something that’s beneficial to oneself without any loss. Once again, Gary absorbed everything, completely ignoring any requests or conditions from the Dark Dragon. Rod’s power was absorbed and merged with it. To his surprise, the energy of this guy was incredibly pure and vast. By now, Rod could clearly feel that his combat energy had improved somewhat, and more importantly, the core of his combat energy had changed! The core of combat energy is the life of a warrior—it’s extremely fragile. For ordinary warriors, their combat energy cores can be easily damaged. Even for god-tier warriors, if their combat energy cores are injured, they’re basically done for. Rod was no exception; his combat energy core was like a glass ball, unable to withstand much stress. But now, Rod unexpectedly found that his combat energy core was changing in a positive direction. If it was glass before, now Rod’s combat energy core was gradually turning into a stone, becoming countless times stronger. This achievement was immeasurable. Finally, he understood what the Spirit of the Xuanyuan Sword meant. Indeed, a Dark Dragon that could strengthen one’s combat energy core was truly worth it. Moreover, his own combat energy had improved! It was even at the advanced stage of the god tier, a stage often described as extremely difficult to progress in. Yet his combat energy had improved! It was as if he had taken a step forward toward the Yin Huang realm. Thinking of this, Rod became excited. After all, he had only absorbed less than half of the energy from the Spirit of the Dark Dragon Sword. What would happen once he absorbed it all? He grew excited just by thinking about it. This time, the Dark Dragon’s screams were completely silenced. As its voice became increasingly faint, its figure also gradually blurred and turned transparent. With the dissipation of its energy, it was on the verge of disappearing. Even if Rod spared it now, it would likely take 100 to 200 years for it to recover. Finally, with the screams ceasing abruptly, everything returned to calm. Rod completely integrated the Spirit of the Dark Dragon Sword into his own combat energy. Upon further observation, he saw that his combat energy now had a hint of deep red, filled with murderous intent, overshadowing its original nature. His combat energy was strange, something Rod had known all along. He also knew that no amount of research would reveal the reason, so he simply ignored it and focused his attention on the core of his combat energy. By now, the core of his combat energy had reached the size of a table tennis ball, completely red with streaks of gray-blue. Its texture had completely changed, becoming as hard as a diamond.

This is the greatest gain. Before Rod could rejoice, he discovered something even more surprising—he saw a vague silhouette on the surface of his Qi Core. It was blurry, but upon closer inspection, it became clear: it was the form of a Dark Dragon, the Sword Spirit of the Dark Dragon! How could it appear in his own Qi Core? Could it be because he had absorbed it?

The mist surrounding the Qi Core grew denser, turning blood red, creating a terrifying and eerie atmosphere.

“What’s going on?” With so many questions swirling in his mind, Rod couldn’t help but ask Xuan Yuan.

“Hehe, do you feel the benefits already? This is something I’ve been researching over the years—strengthening the Qi Core. The warriors in this world are extremely strong, truly so. At least with your current strength, you’d rank among the top three on Earth. Even my master wasn’t any better. But in this world, you’re just a warrior at the peak. There are many others who are far stronger than you, like that Melon. Did you notice him?”

“But your Qi Cores are fragile—your greatest weakness. Once your dantian is damaged and your Qi Core is affected, you’re doomed. So, only by strengthening your Qi Core can you truly become a strong warrior. The true power of the Sword Spirit’s essence can help enhance your Qi. With my guidance, success is guaranteed! More importantly, your Qi is unique, and the spirit body it requires is also special. The Dark Dragon fits you perfectly, which is why I decided to let you absorb it. That’s how its true value can be realized, right?”

“That vague figure you saw was indeed the Dark Dragon. It hasn’t disappeared; it’s merged into your core, integrating once again as its guardian. Once it grows stronger, your Qi Core will reach perfection. Then, it will be like a container with its own soul—no one in the world will be able to compare to you!” Xuan Yuan replied simply to Rod’s questions.

These simple words brought Rod immense shock and excitement. It seemed he had gained a lot this time.

“What about the Dark Dragon…” Rod hesitated before speaking, mainly because Xuan Yuan had said he had a solution. Hehe, he couldn’t miss this opportunity. Rod even had a vague idea of what that solution might be.