"If there's nothing else, I'd like to pay Weird Grandpa a visit first!"
The Sacrificial Spirit was actually in very poor condition.
No matter how much Ageless Spring it drank, it could only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.
This was the greatest crisis facing the entire Heaven Mending Pavilion.
So if Shi Xiu wanted to turn back the raging tide, he absolutely could not pin all his hopes on the Sacrificial Spirit.
Weird Grandpa, on the other hand, seemed to have more potential to tap.
He had previously promised that founder of the Heaven Mending Pavilion that he would recover the Broken Sword.
Now it was time to return it to its rightful owner.
"C-can I come along and take a look?"
He had not expected Yun Xi to be so clingy.
She had none of Huo Ling'er's haughty coyness.
But seeing her rival take such initiative,
the Fire Kingdom Princess, who had yet to marry him, grew anxious too.
"I want to pay my respects to the senior too!"
And so a solo trip became an outing for three.
One man and two women, to be precise.
But Weird Grandpa had no idea what embarrassment meant.
The moment the Broken Sword came out, the old fellow appeared as if by magic.
"My sword!"
Seeing its rightful owner, Shi Xiu immediately sent the Broken Sword flying over.
After inspecting it all over, Weird Grandpa suddenly fixed his gaze on the gemstone.
"Th-this isn't mine. This thing carries tremendous karma!"
As expected of Weird Grandpa, he spotted the difference at a glance.
"Yes, it's a treasure I obtained in the Hundred Broken Mountains. It contains a little world of its own!"
"Good! Good lad, good fortune!"
Just how highly did Weird Grandpa regard Shi Xiu?
He had actually said "good" three times in a row.
The founder of the Heaven Mending Pavilion had never been this easy to talk to before.
And the old senior seemed quite happy.
If one looked closely,
the energy radiating from the Double Pupils on the Broken Sword could actually connect with Weird Grandpa.
Weird Grandpa had died a very long time ago.
What stood before them was merely a lingering remnant of his consciousness.
He could not maintain this state forever.
But if he could be placed inside the Double Pupils world and continuously nourished,
he could remain in his current state.
At least, he could remain lucid.
"You want me to serve as your sword spirit?"
Weird Grandpa sounded somewhat reluctant.
"Not at all, not at all. I merely wish to give you a good home, Grand Ancestor, so you can protect the Heaven Mending Pavilion forever!"
"You have a silver tongue, brat. That's a good proposal too, but you mustn't use my sword lightly from now on!"
Interesting.
Had the old man agreed?
On the surface, Shi Xiu seemed to be taking a small loss.
But on closer thought, he was getting an enormous bargain.
Who was Weird Grandpa?
This Broken Sword had always been the perfect match for him!
What the old senior meant was that whenever a battle broke out, Shi Xiu could release him.
Then he could simply switch to automatic combat.
And Shi Xiu would have his hands completely free to do other things.
This was a good thing!
Why wouldn't he gladly do it?
"I agree. Then congratulations, Grand Ancestor-you'll be traveling with me!"
"You little brat, you're getting quite a bargain! Are these two young ladies your Dao Companions?"
Back in his day, Weird Grandpa had met his downfall because of the woman he pursued.
So when he saw someone with two Dao Companions,
the old fellow still seemed to harbor some lingering resentment.
But I'll avenge you in the future!
"Hehe, nothing escapes your eyes, Grand Ancestor!"
"Naturally. And don't waste that Ageless Spring. The old vine can't use much!"
Although the Heaven Mending Pavilion now had a new Pavilion Master,
every blade of grass, every tree, and the circulation of energy here remained inseparable from the old senior before them.
He was the true mastermind behind the scenes!
The old man waved toward the Sacrificial Spirit.
The Ageless Spring that had not been fully absorbed transformed into a golden dragon and flew over.
The old vine seemed to sense something too.
It manifested a golden branch that swiftly moved toward them.
"You... you're back?"
"Hehe, I didn't expect you to still be here. You really didn't have to..."
Looking at the branch before him,
Weird Grandpa seemed to recall something.
His voice filled with sorrow.
The Sacrificial Spirit was even more overcome with emotion.
"You planted me with your own hands back then and gave me life. I promised you I would always stand guard!"
Wonderful.
Was this a heartfelt confession?
But the Sacrificial Spirit also sounded like an old man.
The bond between the two was probably that of master and servant!
Seeing the Ageless Spring fly over,
the Pu Demon Tree followed its scent all the way there.
"Give me some, give me some! If the Sacrificial Spirit can't use it all, you can give it to me!"
This fellow was a plant too.
It seemed the Ageless Spring was a supreme tonic for all of them.
"Then I'll give you some. I'm taking the rest to my first wife!"
As a thin stream of golden liquid was portioned out, the Pu Demon Tree went wild with joy.
That tiny amount of Ageless Spring was not to be underestimated.
If absorbed properly, it could definitely advance its cultivation considerably!
But that was not the point.
Weird Grandpa did not care about any of that.
Now it was time for gossip.
"What? You have a first wife too, brat?"
"Of course. I'm talking about our village's Sacrificial Spirit, the Willow Deity!"
In truth, Shi Xiu had been wrestling with a decision all this time.
Should he make a trip back to Stone Village?
Should he ask the Willow Deity's opinion?
After all, the Willow Deity's power was something everyone could attest to.
And as long as he obtained a single willow branch,
the Willow Deity could manifest an avatar to resolve the crisis before him, even from ten thousand miles away.
To truly defend the Heaven Mending Pavilion, he might indeed need to seek the Willow Deity's help.
Even a little verbal guidance would be good.
But while he was deliberating,
new trouble kept coming!
This time, it came from the Divine Monkey King and Furball.
These two fellows were, by rights, of the same kind.
Yet they fought the moment they met.
"Chitter, chitter, chitter!"
"Roar!"
And sure enough,
the two monkeys, one large and one small, fought and tussled their way over to the Sacrificial Spirit.
Furball might have been small,
but once he returned to his true form, he was a golden-furred Zhu Yan.
If he really cut loose, even the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow probably would not be a match for Furball!
So the Divine Monkey King was actually utterly helpless against this little monkey covered from head to toe in golden fur.
"You little brat, stop right there! Of all the monkeys in the Heaven Mending Pavilion, I'm the boss!"
The Divine Monkey King probably lacked fiery eyes that could see the truth.
Otherwise, he certainly would not have dared challenge a Primordial Ferocious Beast like this!
Seeing the commotion before him,
Weird Grandpa simply decided to wash his hands of it.
He plunged straight into the Broken Sword.
And the sword once again landed steadily in Shi Xiu's hand.
How awkward!
But just as Shi Xiu was feeling battered and overwhelmed,
the long-absent system Check-In notification sounded again.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on obtaining a great opportunity. Would you like to Check-In?]
"Confirmed. What great opportunity is it this time?"
As the number of Check-Ins increased,
Shi Xiu had gradually become familiar with the system's temperament.
Whenever something significant happened around him,
the system's Check-In prompt would appear.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Order Black Chains.]
Good heavens.
The fewer the words, the bigger the matter!
This Check-In reward was actually...
If I remember correctly, this should be the Great Demon God's ultimate technique.
That man was Shi Hao's own grandfather.
Because he had gone out to seek opportunities for his grandson,
Shi Hao had ended up having his Supreme Bone dug out by his eldest aunt!
[Ding! Rest assured, all acquired techniques are unique. This is the most authentic power of order.]
According to the system's explanation,
the Order Black Chains Shi Xiu had obtained were far more refined than the Great Demon God's version.
They could attack not only ordinary cultivators,
but even Supremes would be unable to escape these terrifying chains.
In a certain sense,
only in the Desolate Region Tribulation that would arrive before long
might a similar power of order be found!
This was truly wonderful.
The power of spatial laws was forever a pinnacle that only a tiny few in this world could master.
He had never expected to obtain it this time without lifting a finger!
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