Heart of Life, True Meaning of Phoenix, Body Becomes Sword Embryo

Li Qinglian returned to his quarters.

He sat down cross-legged.

Only then did he take out the Life Gold once more.

"Life Gold... even ten thousand years later, in the era of Peerless Tang Sect, not many people knew its worth. But the people of Spirit Hall must have realized this metal was extraordinary. Otherwise, they wouldn't have kept it in the treasury."

Li Qinglian studied the Life Gold in his hand.

Life Gold was formed from pure life energy and possessed a life of its own. It was absolutely not something ordinary dead matter could compare to.

The Eye of Life that Huo Yuhao opened through the Life Gold was practically a special organ! This thing was even stronger than an External Spirit Bone!

In the original plot, Tang San's External Spirit Bone, the Eight Spider Lances, evolved into the divine-artifact-like Sea God Eight Wings after Tang San became the Sea God, making him unrivaled in majesty.

But Huo Yuhao's Life Gold first evolved into the Eye of Destiny with the help of the Auspicious Beast, and later, after he became a god, it evolved into the Eye of Eternity.

The level of the Eye of Eternity was already comparable to a super divine artifact!

And a super divine artifact like that, fused with one's own body, had an extremely high compatibility rate, making it even easier to wield in battle!

External Spirit Bones had tremendous growth potential, but they still could not compare to Life Gold.

"Life Gold really is good stuff. If I could also open a special organ of my own like Huo Yuhao did, or perhaps strengthen one of my existing organs, that would be perfect."

"This thing is just too damn tempting."

Li Qinglian muttered to himself.

The moment he thought of how Huo Yuhao's Eye of Life had ultimately evolved into the Eye of Eternity, Li Qinglian could not help feeling wildly envious.

Even as calm as he was, there was no way he could remain composed in the face of such a treasure.

"Actually... if I could also create an Eye of Life like Huo Yuhao did, that wouldn't be bad either. As long as my spirit remained undying and my divine sense endured, I'd have one more way to preserve my life."

"But I'm not a spiritual-type Soul Master. Opening an Eye of Life like Huo Yuhao did would be somewhat wasteful."

Li Qinglian felt a headache coming on.

Huo Yuhao had Electrolux guiding him, but how was he supposed to fuse with the Life Gold?

Li Qinglian hesitated for a few seconds, then pressed the piece of Life Gold against his chest.

Buzz!

A clear, ringing hum sounded.

The piece of Life Gold in his hand was actually vibrating in rhythm with his heartbeat.

"Is this... acknowledging me?"

Li Qinglian froze slightly, then his eyes lit up.

"It wants to enter my heart?"

He did not hesitate for too long.

A few breaths later, he activated his soul power and pressed the Life Gold tightly against the skin over his heart.

The next instant, the cool, warm metal seemed to melt, turning into a wisp of pale-green, gentle liquid suffused with life aura. It silently seeped through the surface of his skin.

In an instant, the entire world fell silent.

Li Qinglian could clearly hear every beat of his own heart.

The sound was steady and powerful, like a war drum that had been carefully tuned, each beat carrying an entirely new rhythm.

The energy of the Life Gold slowly spread through his chest cavity like a fine, warm green net, gently fitting itself against every inch of the inner walls of his ventricles and atria. It merged with his flesh, entwined with his meridians, and gradually became an inseparable part of his body.

All at once, a clear stream surged from the depths of his heart aperture.

It was warm yet edged with sharpness, flowing pure and cold through his blood vessels and throughout his body. Wherever it passed, his internal organs were washed until they seemed bright and translucent.

In that instant, Li Qinglian felt as if his five senses had been completely reorganized.

Behind him, the Phoenix martial soul and the Green Lotus Sword appeared at the same time.

The Fire Phoenix spread its golden-red wings, while the Green Lotus Sword trembled faintly.

At the same time, blue-gold and golden-red light interwove around Li Qinglian's heart.

In a daze, Li Qinglian seemed to see his heart transform into a mass of flame. That was the phoenix's nirvana fire. The next instant, that mass of flame evolved into a sword. It was a Sword Soul constructed from ultimate Sword Intent.

Li Qinglian lowered his head and looked at his chest.

Beneath the skin there, a faint layer of pale-green light could be vaguely seen, branded directly above his heart.

"The Heart of Life?"

Li Qinglian softly spoke the name, finding it exceptionally familiar and warm.

"My phoenix flames seem to have grown a little hotter."

"But more importantly, I can feel that they've changed. Their potential is higher than before."

Li Qinglian snapped his fingers.

A golden-red spark appeared in the center of his palm.

He suddenly realized what had changed.

After swallowing the Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb, his fire had become Ultimate Fire.

And now, from this flame, Li Qinglian sensed a trace of phoenix pressure.

This flame already held a trace of the True Meaning of Phoenix!

"From now on, my flames are finally worthy of being called phoenix flames."

Li Qinglian was overjoyed.

"I have a feeling. Right now, I have a fifty percent chance of completing Phoenix Nirvana." Li Qinglian clenched his fist.

This piece of Life Gold had brought him far too great a surprise.

At the very least, he now had a seventy percent certainty that he could make it to the end.

"I have Qian Renxue to thank for this, too. When the time comes, I'll make sure to help her properly."

The corners of Li Qinglian's lips lifted, and the faint gloom that had weighed on him in the past was swept away.

From this moment on, the Phoenix Evil Fire was no longer a burden to him, but a tremendous opportunity that could allow him to achieve nirvana.

"Right. There's also the Green Lotus Sword."

Li Qinglian activated his Green Lotus Sword Martial Soul.

Inside the room, sword light suddenly flared.

The instant Li Qinglian gripped the sword in reverse, his entire body seemed to be wrapped in a layer of invisible Sword Intent.

His breathing, heartbeat, and the flow of his soul power all synchronized perfectly with the Green Lotus Sword in his hand.

The sword was an extension of him, and he was the sword's destination. Between man and sword, there was no longer any distinction between inside and out.

The sword tip trembled lightly, and a green arc of light swept soundlessly through the room.

Then came the second strike.

The third strike.

The room was not large, yet his figure moved through it with ease, every sword strike honed to the utmost simplicity.

"A fine sword."

As the words fell, an old man had already appeared before Li Qinglian.

He wore white robes as pure as snow, his graying hair tied behind his head. His face was thin and tranquil, yet in those sharp eyes, there clearly burned a flickering flame.

It was the irrepressible excitement that only those of the sword path felt when meeting a kindred spirit.

Chen Xin had originally planned to wait until Li Qinglian emerged from seclusion before coming to visit. But the moment he heard the sound of Li Qinglian swinging his sword, he could no longer hold himself back.

The Seven Kill Sword let out a low hum from within its sheath, as if sensing its master's fighting intent. The blade trembled faintly, shaking loose a scattering of fine golden sword light.

Chen Xin offered no unnecessary greetings.

He gripped the sword hilt and took one step forward.

"Take this strike."

As his snow-white sleeve billowed, the Seven Kill Sword slashed out diagonally, still in its sheath.

The sword had yet to leave its sheath, but that Seven Kill Sword Intent, condensed to the extreme, had already spread out like a tide. Razor-sharp killing intent instantly filled the entire room.

Li Qinglian's pupils contracted, but he did not retreat.

He drew the Green Lotus Sword in a reverse grip and held it horizontally before his chest.

"Good timing."

He said nothing else, not even a single superfluous word.

The sword tip dipped slightly, its Sword Intent drawn in like a deep abyss. Resonating with the green-gold light at his heart, his entire being transformed into a restrained Sword Embryo.