Purifying the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife

After returning to Shrek Academy, the two went straight back to the Inner Court.

Although Zhang Lexuan was a teaching assistant in the Inner Court, her cultivation surpassed that of many of its teachers. Naturally, the academy would never burden such a talented Soul Master with a heavy teaching load. She spent most of her time either cultivating or carrying out academy missions, and only a small portion helping the Inner Court teachers with their classes.

Chen Tianyuan had not built a separate house in the Inner Court, so he moved into Zhang Lexuan's three-story home. He stayed on the second floor, while she lived on the third.

When he pushed open the door that had remained shut for so long, a cloud of dust greeted him, along with a damp, moldy smell. After tidying and cleaning the room, Chen Tianyuan settled back in.

His enrollment in the Outer Court was naturally transferred to the Inner Court as well. The two courts were essentially independent systems.

After locking the door from inside and placing the wooden box containing the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife on his desk, Chen Tianyuan reached out to Electrolux in his mind.

"Elder Yi, when do we start?"

The dark gray ball of light took on a human silhouette, and Electrolux's voice rang out. "I need to use your body to purify the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife. Do not resist."

Chen Tianyuan nodded. "Go ahead. I'm ready."

He then opened his mind and allowed Electrolux to take control of his body.

If Electrolux had wanted to seize his body at that moment, it would have been effortless-even easier than breathing.

Of course, Chen Tianyuan did not believe Electrolux would do such a thing. The strong had their own dignity, and Electrolux would never stoop to it. If he truly did seize his body, Chen Tianyuan would accept his fate.

Once Electrolux took over, Chen Tianyuan's entire presence changed dramatically. Vast, surging spiritual power emanated from his body, but rather than spreading outward, it continually condensed within the room, gradually turning from intangible to tangible.

At the same time, Electrolux enveloped the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife with his divine sense.

The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife began to tremble violently.

Chen Tianyuan seemed to hear countless piercing wails and roars coming from the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife.

The wails and roars did not last long, soon fading into nothing.

But Chen Tianyuan knew this was merely the appetizer. The real main course was still to come.

Sure enough, an almost endless stream of black vapor poured from the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife. Nearly condensed into liquid, it relentlessly battered Chen Tianyuan-or, more precisely, Electrolux.

Although Chen Tianyuan was not facing it himself, he could still feel how terrifying the black vapor was. Once it invaded someone's mind, they would fall and become an Evil Soul Master...

Even though Electrolux was now only a fragment of divine sense, these malevolent thoughts were nowhere near his league.

A dozen or so minutes later, the previously unending stream of malevolent thoughts began to thin...

Another half hour passed. Under the dissolving force of Electrolux's immense spiritual power and powerful divine sense, all the malevolent thoughts lodged within the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife finally dissipated. Next came removing its curse and purifying the gold of life.

Electrolux's originally gray divine sense turned white in an instant. Purifying light enveloped the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, steadily wearing away the vicious curse within.

Enveloped in the purifying light, the curse hidden deep within the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife began to fight back.

An unknown amount of time passed.

The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife began to change, as though its cocoon were being unraveled thread by thread.

The pitch-black, vicious blade changed little by little, revealing its true colors.

As he absorbed the pure life energy spilling from the gold of life, even Electrolux's fragment of divine sense grew somewhat stronger.

"Infusing gold of life with malevolent thoughts and curses-the culprit certainly had quite an imagination."

"He sensed only the immense energy within it, yet had no idea how to use it."

"Be purified! Gold of life, reveal your true form!"

Dazzling purifying light burst forth, and the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife fully regained its original appearance.

With that done, Electrolux logged off, and Chen Tianyuan regained control of his body.

Feeling the gentle warmth coming from his hand, he instinctively looked down.

The pitch-black, vicious Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife was gone. In its place was a small knife, blue-gold throughout, with a crystalline texture.

It could no longer be called the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife. It should now be called the Blade of Life.

Just as Chen Tianyuan was carefully examining the Blade of Life's appearance, Electrolux's voice sounded in his mind.

"I originally intended to use the gold of life to open a second sea of consciousness for you, but your spiritual power is insufficient to support such a procedure."

"As things stand, you have only the second option."

"What option?"

"Fuse with the gold of life and elevate your life to a higher level."

Chen Tianyuan's eyes widened. "Elder Yi, won't fusing with the gold of life make me burst?"

Electrolux chuckled.

"If anyone else dared to fuse with gold of life, the immense vitality within it would certainly make them burst."

"But if the rate at which that vitality is released is controlled, gold of life becomes the finest miraculous elixir in the world."

Chen Tianyuan hesitated at those words, his gaze turning toward the Blade of Life.

Before Chen Tianyuan could speak, Electrolux said, "You want Mu En to absorb its vitality and extend his lifespan?"

Chen Tianyuan stared at Electrolux in shock. His lips parted, but no words came out.

"Mu En is a powerful man. I can sense his strength, but he is already far too old."

"All his organs are failing. He cannot possibly withstand the baptism of pure vitality within the gold of life. It would instead have the opposite effect."

Chen Tianyuan could not accept it. "Then is there really no way at all?"

Electrolux shook his head and sighed. "Not everyone wishes to live forever. A person's soul does not grow old. Only the body ages."

"When a young soul is trapped in a body in its twilight years, death is a choice worth considering."

After a long silence, Chen Tianyuan finally spoke again.

"Elder Yi, what should I do?"

"It is simple. Just stab it into your heart."

"Huh?"

Electrolux sounded utterly confident. "With this fragment of my divine sense here, you can rest assured."

Chen Tianyuan took off his shirt and held the Blade of Life in both hands, pointing it at his chest. After several deep breaths, he finally made up his mind.

With a wet puncture, the Blade of Life pierced his heart.

An indescribably excruciating pain instantly swept through his entire body. A few seconds later, Chen Tianyuan began struggling to breathe. He could feel his vitality draining rapidly. At this rate, he would die in less than a minute.

Electrolux acted. His divine sense enveloped the Blade of Life, controlling it as it slowly released vitality. A warm current instantly filled all the meridians in Chen Tianyuan's body.

Then, under Electrolux's control, the Blade of Life actually sank completely into Chen Tianyuan's heart. A moment later, the torn flesh over his heart rapidly healed, returning to its original state in the blink of an eye.