After returning to his own small courtyard, Chu Zhiyuan sat cross-legged on the couch and took stock of his gains.
The gains could be called enormous.
The six statues had made the Golden Sword vastly stronger; it had now completely acquired spirituality.
This spirituality was like that of a one- or two-year-old child. Though it possessed awareness, it was a natural, instinctive awareness.
It felt to him as though he were looking at an infant. It was not yet useful, but it possessed limitless possibilities.
What he needed to do now was continue refining it and further deepen their affinity.
The closer he became to it, the better he could sense the circulation of its aura and unleash its power to a greater extent.
It was still inferior to the Emperor's Sword and the Heavenly Sword, yet it already possessed extraordinary bearing and might.
Besides the Golden Sword, there was also merit.
The golden radiance of merit within the Demon Subduing Divine Palace was growing ever more resplendent.
As the golden light of merit increased, it became sufficiently dense within the Demon Subduing Divine Palace.
The Demon Subduing Divine Tree underwent subtle changes.
He had not noticed this before, because the light of merit had not been dense enough and its effect had been limited.
Now, he discovered that the Demon Subduing Divine Tree had become more robust, and its aura had grown stronger.
He had never expected merit to have such a marvelous use. He had always believed the Demon Subduing Divine Tree was an unchanging Divine Artifact.
Only now did he realize that it used merit as nourishment.
He suddenly understood: no wonder it could absorb and store the light of merit.
While refining the Golden Sword, he pondered whether merit, aside from activating the Ancestral Aperture and