"Pfft..."
The old Hanlin Academician spat out a mist of blood. Unlike ordinary blood, it was crystalline and translucent, like tiny blood-red crystals. At the same time, he opened his mouth, and a seemingly ordinary Talent Qi Ancient Sword flew out.
But a closer look revealed something strange about this Talent Qi Ancient Sword. It bore several streaks of rust, yet these were unlike ordinary iron rust, as though forged from blood and years, condensed from life and time.
Those streaks of rust radiated the brilliance of humanity.
The rust-streaked ancient sword entered the blood mist and swiftly absorbed it.
"Where my body stands, righteousness abides! Let my blood turn to jade; let all my remaining years purchase heaven-and-earth righteous qi!" After the old Hanlin Academician proclaimed these words, his entire body aged at a tremendous speed.
His hair fell out and drifted away, his skin shriveled, his body gradually grew smaller, and his gray robe hung ever looser...
Yet a strange power, invisible but substantial, gathered out of thin air and flowed into his Talent Qi Ancient Sword. Vast and boundless, weighty and solid, it seemed to carry the faint sound of a mighty anthem, along with the hopes and fury of countless living beings.
After absorbing the blood mist, the Talent Qi Ancient Sword shone more brightly. The rust trembled gently, but rather than disappearing, it slowly merged into the blade.
The old Hanlin Academician smiled faintly, his eyes like the moon, while the ancient sword blazed like the sun.
A hundred thousand li of the Demon Realm dimmed, and eight hundred li of Two Worlds Mountain lost their light. This single sword seized all the brilliance of heaven and earth.
"Go, old friend..."
The old Hanlin Academician's gaze gradually dimmed. As though bidding farewell to a friend