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"So, what was the purpose of that dead Pope unsealing it?"

"To awaken this ‘Soul-Devouring Sword.’ After all, it was a weapon I took from the humans. Before that, it had been in the possession of the Temple, and they understood it better than I did. Their calculations were precise. The crack they opened allowed only a sliver of Bato’s essence to escape. Normally, this essence would have dissipated quickly, but at that time, I was at Saint Spirit Mountain, and the ‘Soul-Devouring Sword’ still contained a half-finished demonic core from the Great Demon King. Without my knowledge, that sliver of essence secretly seeped into the core and took control of its power. When I finished battling the human Sword Saints and was exhausted, it struck, intending to take over my body and resurrect the Great Demon King. Once the ‘Soul-Devouring Sword’ recognizes its master, the connection cannot be severed. So even if I discarded this cursed sword, I couldn’t rid myself of the corruption. Fortunately, my mental fortitude is strong, and that sliver of essence was quite limited in intelligence. I managed to endure the conflict, but I was too drained to continue fighting and had to return to the Orc Alliance. Outsiders thought I was afraid of the combined threat of the human Sword Saints and forbidden spell casters. But if not for the burden of this cursed sword, hmph, I would not have feared any enemy."

"In the century that followed, I spent most of my time battling the demonic essence inside the ‘Soul-Devouring Sword.’ While it held me back, it also sharpened my mental fortitude, so it wasn’t all for nothing. Besides, I serendipitously obtained the secret manual of the Sword God Realm and, with the help of the divine technique ‘Soul Shackle’ bestowed upon me by the Great Shamans of the War God Temple, I gradually gained the upper hand. I no longer have to constantly worry about being controlled by the demonic essence. However, this menace still needs to be eliminated. If I were to die, the demonic essence would seize control, and with the combined power of my Sword Saint abilities and the Great Demon King’s magic, no one in the world would stand a chance. That day, I entered the ‘Six-Star Demon-Slaying Formation’ of my own accord to use the power of the stars to push my cultivation close to the ‘Sword God’ realm and refine the demonic essence. It was a helpless decision. After a century of struggle, the demonic essence had intertwined with my own soul and was no longer confined to that blood-red core. Otherwise, when I learned you had obtained the divine sword ‘God's Punishment Thunder,’ I would have asked you to help shatter it."

"So, what is your situation now, Senior?" I asked cautiously.

"It can be considered half successful. Although I haven’t completely eradicated the demonic essence, I have succeeded in expelling it from my body. The ‘Soul-Devouring Sword’ is now damaged, and the connection of divine weapons recognizing their master has been severed. However, to ensure this thing doesn’t continue to exist, it still needs a final resolution."

"So, do you mean for me to use the ‘God's Punishment Sword’ to forfeit it?"

"Not necessarily. After all, the energy inside is equivalent to half the cultivation of the Great Demon King, surpassing the power of the Abyssal Dragon King’s dragon crystal. If it’s destroyed, it will definitely cause an explosion. Although we have ways to resist it, such a valuable thing—don’t you think it should be put to good use, young Xuanfeng?" Leimen suddenly said with a smile.

I roughly understood Leimen’s intention and asked, "Senior, do you mean the ‘Amber Soul Blade’?"

"Yes, exactly. This gem is ultimately an energy body, and the drastically weakened demonic essence is not much different from the intent left in a demon’s crystal core. Logically speaking, your ‘Amber Soul Blade’ should be able to absorb it. You’ve mentioned before how that blade grows. I believe this core is the most suitable thing for you. If successful, the ‘Amber Soul Blade’ will immediately replace the ‘Soul-Devouring Sword’ and even surpass the ‘Doom Axe’ to become the greatest divine weapon of the orcs. Even if it fails, it’s not a big deal. We can still use the ‘God's Punishment Sword’."

How could I refuse such an opportunity? Clearly, Leimen, my mentor and longtime friend, cared for me even more than he did for Samantha and Katherine. I immediately drew the golden-yellow ‘Amber Soul Blade’ from behind and began absorbing the remnants of the ‘Soul-Devouring Sword.’ However, things didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped. The demonic essence entrenched in the red crystal core launched an extremely fierce counterattack, even attempting to cause a backlash against me, its master. Fortunately, my Nine Yin True Qi has the unique ability to enhance divine weapons, and after cultivating the Heaven and Earth volumes of the Nine Yin Manual and being strengthened by the power of the stars, my true qi cultivation had greatly improved. With Leimen’s assistance, I successfully absorbed the Great Demon King’s energy core without any major issues. The ‘Amber Demon Blade,’ infused with the new power, turned a magnificent purple and caused ripples in the atmosphere.

"It seems the power of the Great Demon King is even greater than I imagined. However, young Xuanfeng, you’ll need to explore the intricacies of this power to fully utilize it… Well, at least this has resolved a lingering concern of mine. I thank you for that." After the ‘Soul-Devouring Sword’ was completely destroyed, Leimen appeared more weary but remained in good spirits.

"It was all thanks to your guidance, Senior. Is there anything else I can do for you?" I asked, feeling somewhat uneasy about the great debt I owed Leimen.

"No, there isn’t. Katherine and Siegfried are doing well by your side, and I have no complaints. The future will be handled by the heroes of the future, so there’s no need for Leimen to worry about it. You may go. I want to be alone to think about some things." Leimen said slowly, closing his eyes and speaking calmly.

"Yes..." I bowed deeply and silently turned away, unable to look back, knowing this was the last time I would see this revered elder, who had been both a teacher and a friend.

What was once idle talk of future affairs has now come to pass.

War God Year 1402, Twin Departure Month.

Holy City, Thousand Seas Ice Pavilion.

The first orc Sword Saint and an unparalleled warrior.

"War Saint"

Leimen Snowfang Rhyne passed away.