A flood of vow power surged in, filling the last new channel.
Seven brand-new vow power channels took shape inside Little Stone, running from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet and forming a complete circuit.
"Feed in the sword qi."
Zhou Xuan freed his right hand and drew the Ancestral Sword Talisman from Little Stone's robes.
Sensing the change in its bearer, the talisman let out a clear chime of its own accord.
Pure sword intent poured from the talisman and, guided by Zhou Xuan, flowed into the new vow power channels inside Little Stone.
Sword qi and vow power circulated side by side within the partitions formed by the Supreme One's imprint.
Rather than clashing, the two forces began resonating at a rapid frequency.
The metallic sheen on Little Stone's body swiftly deepened from pale Metal to dark Metal, finally solidifying over the surface of his bones.
Ye Changqing abruptly released his Hand Seal and slumped against the foot of the wall, gasping for breath.
Silence settled over the Secret Chamber for several breaths.
Little Stone lay on the stone platform, the cracks across his chest already gone. In their place, dark-Metal patterns spread along his ribs and into his limbs, lending his body an indestructible quality.
Little Stone's breathing steadied, his heartbeat strong.
Zhou Xuan stepped back and shook out his numb fingers. He had consumed nearly forty percent of his taiyi divine power, and the old wound on his left shoulder had reopened, dripping blood.
Little Stone's eyelids twitched.
Then they opened.
A dark-Metal gleam flashed through his eyes before they returned to normal.
Little Stone sat up, looked down at his hands, and flexed his fingers.
He clenched his fists, then released them.
Little Stone sensed the change.
Seven brand-new channels