Chapter 264: The Appearance of Xuanyuan

“What about the Dark Dragon?” Rod asked eagerly, looking at Xuanyuan. Though he had a vague guess in mind, it seemed so unreal, so he needed to hear what this guy had to say firsthand.
“Xuanyuan now only has a sword blade left. Without its sword spirit, it can at most be considered a sharp weapon. But after all, it was once a super divine weapon, so it still can’t be underestimated. All it needs is a sword spirit to return to its former peak—or even surpass it.
Naturally, this is also related to the sword spirit; its strength determines Xuanyuan’s level at that time! But for it to develop its own sword spirit on its own, it would take thousands of years, so the only option is to find one! As for the sword spirit…” Xuanyuan didn’t continue, but Rod was already filled with excitement.
He was sure his guess might actually come true—finding a powerful sword spirit. And wasn’t Xuanyuan right in front of him the best choice?
The strength of the Dark Dragon was undeniable, and he had seen firsthand just how powerful its sword spirit was. Where else could one find such a powerful sword spirit? Even the spirits of the so-called ten divine weapons probably couldn’t compare. To restore the Dark Dragon to its peak—or even surpass it—only Xuanyuan’s sword spirit would suffice.
“You… you mean…” Rod asked hesitantly, as if in a dream, his voice trembling slightly.
“Yes, that’s right. It’s me. I happen to need a body, and you need a sword spirit. It’s a win-win situation. We’ve also signed a contract, ready for your use!” This time, Xuanyuan’s sword spirit didn’t keep things vague and spoke plainly.
“Is it really possible? The Dark Dragon has slaughtered countless lives—how can your ‘righteous sword’ really merge with it? Are you willing? Won’t there be any problems?” Rod asked anxiously.
“Without a sword spirit, the Dark Dragon is just a decent container. Without its former murderous aura and bloodshed, everything vanishes along with the sword spirit. A sword is born with a fate of killing—how can a sword without blood be considered a good one? I’ll shape its internal world. Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems. If there were, would I still say this?”
Xuanyuan’s sword spirit felt somewhat amused by Rod’s worries. How could this guy be so hesitant at such a critical moment? It wasn’t like him at all. His personality shouldn’t be like this.

Perhaps this is the mindset of being in the midst of things—excessive concern means taking care of too many things. He knew Rod was worried about him, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit touched.
However, there was one thing he didn’t say: blood? Come on, hadn’t there been countless people who died at his hands over the millennia? Although Xuan Yuan was called the righteous path, it was stained with blood—even more so than the Dark Dragon, though the Dark Dragon was simply darker.
“What do I have to do?” Suppressing his excitement, Rod tried to control his emotions as he asked.
“Release my sword spirit, enter the Dark Dragon, and use your lifeblood to help me create an internal world. Leave the rest to me! You don’t need to worry—it’s very simple!” Now that he had returned to his peak strength, creating a world didn’t require much effort. All he needed was enough blood from Rod, and everything else would be straightforward.
Muttering under his breath, Rod thought, “More blood? Am I turning into a blood seller?” He forced a wry smile but had no choice but to agree, for his own sake and for Xuan Yuan’s.
He felt grateful—this was a huge win, a win-win situation. Not only had he broken the seal on the Dark Dragon and successfully absorbed it to strengthen his power, but he would also gain a sword no less powerful than the Dark Dragon. More importantly, Xuan Yuan was about to return—just imagine. He was genuinely happy about Xuan Yuan’s return. Hadn’t it been waiting for this opportunity all these years? Now that it was finally here, he naturally wanted to celebrate.
After giving some instructions, Rod withdrew his mental energy from the sea of consciousness and returned to his body.
Looking down, he saw the Dark Dragon lying quietly beside him. At first glance, it seemed unchanged from before, but upon closer inspection, he could tell there was a qualitative difference—there was no longer that lively sense, no longer that connection between body and spirit! It used to be a living being, but now it was just a dead object.
Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand over the wound that had just healed, allowing his lifeblood to flow out. His face gradually turned pale, and he wore a wry smile. It seemed he would need some time to recover properly after this.
After storing enough lifeblood, he began to restore his body. Fortunately, he had brought enough tonics, so he wouldn’t lack the means to recover.

Integrating Xuanyuan into the sword body was not difficult; the hardest part was the thunder calamity that followed once Xuanyuan was successfully integrated. Such a treasure could not be tolerated by heaven and earth, and heaven would surely be jealous, using the Nine Heavens Dark Thunder to destroy it. Failure to withstand it would mean all efforts went to waste, while success would give birth to an unparalleled sword. Moreover, the stronger the sword, the more intense the thunder calamity it would attract. It was easy to imagine how terrifying such a calamity would be for someone like Xuanyuan.

With a day of rest and the help of spiritual herbs, Rod had recovered to about 70-80% of his strength. At this point, he stopped practicing and picked up the Dark Dragon at his side, once again immersing his mind in the sea of consciousness.

“Are you ready?” Xuanyuan, who had been waiting, asked anxiously upon seeing Rod return.

“Yeah, I’m ready!” Rod nodded and replied in a deep voice.

“Then let’s begin. Pour your life essence onto the sword body, and leave the rest to me. You just prepare to withstand the thunder calamity,” Xuanyuan said after some thought. The thunder calamity was also what worried him the most, but at this moment, he was more excited. After thousands of years of waiting, today had finally arrived, and his emotions were in turmoil.

Following Xuanyuan’s instructions, Rod poured his life essence into the Dark Dragon sword body, then calmly focused his energy, guarding beside it and preparing to face the thunder calamity. He felt a bit hopeful, wondering if the lightningattribute energy in his body could help him, if it could enable him to devour those lightning bolts!

As his life essence flowed into the Dark Dragon sword body, Rod felt a disturbance in his mind, as if something was missing, causing a sense of distress. He knew that Xuanyuan had left him and begun acting.

Time passed slowly and monotonously as Rod waited quietly. He clearly saw the lost glow on the Dark Dragon sword body begin to move, wildly, like a vortex that kept changing. The aura grew stronger, and a sense of connection returned to him.

It seemed as though the sword had once again become part of his body.

The Dark Dragon was leaping lightly, emitting a low hum. Its initial struggles gradually turned into submission as it accepted the transformation.

Soon, Rod witnessed an unforgettable scene: the sword body of the Dark Dragon began to change slowly. The originally transparent and bright sword body started to turn into a simple green color, and its shape also gradually changed! This must have been a result of Xuanyuan transforming the internal world of the Dark Dragon—something he hadn’t expected to have this effect.

Time seemed to pass unnoticed. Rod felt the Dark Dragon becoming increasingly calm, its form stabilizing. Combining Xuan Yuan’s simplicity with the Dark Dragon’s boldness, it exuded an indescribable charm that captivated everyone’s heart. Retaining some of the Dark Dragon’s flair and boldness while also maintaining Xuan Yuan’s stability and simplicity, a brand-new sword appeared before Rod’s eyes. It was no longer the Dark Dragon, but Xuan Yuan—a brand-new Xuan Yuan.

Inside the underground cave, Rod watched as the Dark Dragon transformed and Xuan Yuan took its place. Meanwhile, outside, the once pitch-black night sky was now filled with fierce winds that ravaged the surrounding forests without reason. Dark clouds covered the sky, making it even darker than before.

A powerful aura spread outward, causing the surrounding magical beasts to tremble and flee from the area. The dark clouds gathered and rotated, with lightning flashing within them!

All these changes even caught the attention of Melon, who was dozens of miles away. Even the powerful warriors in Dark Moon City, hundreds of miles distant, sensed the changes. Everyone was shocked—who could possibly be causing such a phenomenon? Could someone be about to reach the Yin Huang realm? This was the heavenly calamity that only appeared when a god-tier warrior broke through to the Yin Huang realm!

Why were there so few people in the Yin Huang realm? It wasn’t that everyone lacked talent; rather, reaching that realm required surviving a thunder calamity. Cultivators defied nature, and when they grew too powerful for heaven to tolerate, heaven would destroy them—that was the thunder calamity. Countless people died in it, perhaps seven or eight out of ten. Only one or two lucky ones could survive and reach the revered Yin Huang realm.

Wasn’t the scene over there exactly like the thunder calamity required to enter the Yin Huang realm? The aura was no less intense. Could it be that some reclusive expert was about to ascend to that level? Though curious, no one dared approach.

“Rod, damn it! Could it be that guy? But he… it’s impossible. He’s only been at the later stage of the god tier for a few days—how could he do this?” Melon, who was dozens of miles away, first thought of Rod, as that was the direction he had left in. But he quickly dismissed his guess. No matter how extraordinary that guy’s talent was, he couldn’t have reached such a level so quickly. He still had a long way to go before reaching the Yin Huang realm.

Beneath the cave, Rod knew nothing about everything and quietly observed the changes in Xuanyuan. By now, its shape had stabilized and would no longer change; what remained was the internal transformation. With an excited smile on his face, Rod waited quietly.