Feng Qi slowly raised his right hand. The black liquid in his palm surged and stretched.
A dark blade, etched with domineering patterns, began to take shape.
Its initial form resembled a Tang-style saber, about 60 centimeters long, with black mist swirling around its body. As the weapon solidified, the engravings on its surface became clearer.
Just when Feng Qi thought the Demon Blade had finalized its shape, it kept growing.
The blade gained a slight curve. Together with the handle, its length reached more than 1.5 meters.
This time, the form resembled a Miaodao—slender, elegant, and razor-sharp.
But the transformation wasn't over. The blade continued to elongate.
When the change finally stabilized, it had reached 1.7 meters in length.
Boom!
The surrounding black mist ignited into dark flames that clung to the blade, refining it with final bursts of heat.
Violent blade energy shot skyward. Centered on Feng Qi, a swirling tornado of blade aura erupted. Crisscrossing gashes formed in the ground around him.
Seeing Feng Qi holding the Demon Blade upright, the Mist Lord and the surrounding personnel instinctively stepped back, fearing they might be struck by the surging energy.
At that moment, a strange feeling rose in Feng Qi's heart.
It was as if the Demon Blade had become an extension of his own body.
His gaze moved slowly from the hilt to the tip. Suddenly, he lifted the weapon high—instantly summoning a vortex of fierce blade energy.
Just as he was about to try a test swing, he suddenly felt a tremendous force from his right arm.
His arm dropped heavily—he couldn't resist it.
The Demon Blade slipped from his grasp.
Boom!
The moment it touched the ground, a long fissure shot outward like a massive serpent slithering across the earth. Cracks split the terrain, and faint black light flickered within them.
"So heavy!"
Feng Qi stared at the blade embedded in the earth, stunned.
He found he couldn't even lift it. The Demon Blade's sudden surge in weight far exceeded the limit of what he could physically raise.
Then, the Demon Blade's laughter echoed in his mind.
"How amusing… Really amusing. You actually created a weapon you yourself can't even lift."
"What's going on?" Feng Qi asked immediately.
The Demon Blade's aged voice continued:
"During our fusion, I adapted based on your memories, personality, inner desires, and other traits to form the most suitable weapon for you. This current form and its attributes are all reflections of you."
Hearing this, Feng Qi quickly pieced things together.
According to the Demon Blade, its properties were shaped by his state of mind.
And his fighting style had long been set—pursuing overwhelming strength, using unrelenting force to crush his enemies.
This mindset was deeply influenced by the Narrator and had become his signature approach in battle.
But because he shaped the blade with the mindset of his main timeline self, his current body in the sacrifice timeline didn't possess the strength to match.
With this realization, Feng Qi was dumbfounded.
"Bro Blade… what do I do now?"
"Train and grow stronger until you can wield me properly. For now, I'll place five seals on myself. As your strength improves, each seal will gradually lift—until you can handle me at full power."
As soon as the words fell, black flames flared across the blade, and more patterns emerged. These blade marks twisted into five seals, etched along the hilt.
The blade trembled. The surrounding black mist visibly diminished, and its sharpness was also suppressed.
Feng Qi stepped forward and gripped the hilt again. With a strong tug, he pulled the blade from the ground.
This time, the Demon Blade's weight had significantly decreased—just enough for him to lift.
But even then, it was still a strain.
Even though his body had undergone an initial transformation, enhancing his physical stats, the blade's weight remained a serious burden.
Just then, the Mist Lord appeared beside him with a frown.
"What's going on? You don't seem able to control it."
"I can manage it for now… barely. Just need some time to adjust and get stronger."
"Want to test its power?" The Mist Lord blinked his violet eyes, curiosity lighting up his face.
"You sure?"
Rather than answering, the Mist Lord drifted off to the side and turned half of his body into mist—his way of saying bring it on.
Seeing this challenge, Feng Qi decided to humor him. He turned and slowly raised the Demon Blade toward the Mist Lord.
In his mind, countless blade techniques tied to the Demon Blade flickered by.
But Feng Qi didn't use any of them.
At this stage, even lifting the blade was hard enough. His body simply wasn't strong enough to support using its techniques.
Instead, he swung it directly at the Mist Lord.
The Mist Lord didn't dodge. His misty body formed two large hands that shot up to block.
The blade clashed with the mist. For a moment, the mist was pressed downward but quickly rebounded, neutralizing the pressure from the strike.
The Mist Lord's face emerged from the fog, looking at Feng Qi with a taunting smirk.
"This weapon you value so much… is that all it's got?"
Right after he spoke, Feng Qi noticed three of the five seals on the hilt had disappeared.
Boom!
The blade's weight surged, instantly slicing through the Mist Lord's foggy form.
"Damn!"
Sensing the sudden danger, the Mist Lord flickered away in retreat.
The Demon Blade fell again.
Boom!
The ground trembled violently, as if the entire world had quaked.
Cracks radiated from where the blade struck, spreading rapidly. Black light followed these fractures, and the ground shifted like disjointed puzzle pieces.
"Enough!"
Feng Qi shouted, and the three missing seals reappeared on the blade. With all five seals active again, the weapon fell back under his control.
He looked around.
The battlefield was a mess. The once-flat plain had turned into jagged, broken terrain.
"What a heavy weapon," the Mist Lord murmured as he floated over, his face still stunned.
"This is why I can't fully control the Demon Blade. In its fully unsealed state, it's just way too heavy—far beyond what I can handle."
The Mist Lord nodded in realization.
Then the aged voice of the Demon Blade echoed in Feng Qi's mind.
"Kid, take this as a lesson. If you provoke me again, next time I'll slice you down."
Unfazed by the threat, the Mist Lord smiled calmly.
"Old relic, you'd better help my brother reach his goal soon. Or someday in the future, I'll be the one to break you."
As the two continued their back-and-forth, Feng Qi quickly cut in.
"Enough. Let's head back to Star City."
He hoisted the Demon Blade onto his right shoulder and turned toward Star City.
As he walked, a thought crossed Feng Qi's mind.
The Demon Blade was 1.7 meters long. Carrying it on his back was clearly impractical—it'd get in the way during movement. From now on, he might have no choice but to carry it on his shoulder.
He asked the Demon Blade about this.
The blade replied that, if absolutely necessary, it could return to its liquid state and merge into his body. But ideally, it should remain in its blade form, as that would help him develop greater mastery over it.
Hearing this, Feng Qi gave up on the idea of hiding the weapon.
In this sacrifice timeline, he was walking the Demon Blade path. His top priority was cultivation and growth.
Sure, carrying a black mist-wreathed blade around drew attention.
But if he worried too much about appearances or tried to stay low-key, he might as well give up cultivating altogether. This path demanded sharpness, unrelenting challenges, and a will forged in fire.
The Demon Blade didn't need a sheath.
Carrying it on his shoulder, his mood lightened. Feng Qi strode toward Star City in high spirits.
Once back, he began preparing for his long journey.
Over the course of a month, he further refined Star City's future development blueprint.
On the night he finished the blueprint, Feng Qi took out his communicator, tuned it to the city's leadership channel, and delivered his farewell to all his comrades in Star City.
He didn't need a grand send-off. The blessings and well-wishes pouring through the communicator were more than enough.
He couldn't stay to oversee Star City's future personally anymore.
On this sacrifice line, he would devote himself to the blade, stepping forward without turning back—onto a road of endless bloodshed and war.
At 1 a.m., Feng Qi's figure appeared at the northern gate of Star City, Demon Blade on his shoulder.
The gate guards, having been notified in advance, spotted him and didn't stop him.
They saluted him with ∠(°ゝ°), then opened the gates.
Feng Qi nodded back with a bright smile and stepped outside, heading west.
After he disappeared into the distance, a swirl of mist took shape atop the wall, forming the familiar figure of the Mist Lord, with purple hair and violet eyes.
Under the moonlight, he watched the silhouette carrying the Demon Blade fade farther away. A smile crept across his face. Once Feng Qi vanished from sight, the Mist Lord's body slowly dispersed as well.
From this point on, he too would begin striving for the rise of the Mist Clan.
...
A few days later.
To the northwest of Star City—
Feng Qi was panting heavily, Demon Blade still slung over his shoulder.
Even with all five seals active, the blade was oppressively heavy. After traveling nonstop for several days, the weight was beginning to push his body to the brink.
He lifted his gaze toward the distance. Far ahead, an ink-green domain field barrier stretched all the way into the sky.
As his first step in cultivation, Feng Qi had chosen to head northwest. He planned to clear out threats in advance for Star City's future western supply zone.
If the journey went smoothly, he intended to cross the entire Eastern Region and head into the central region of the human world—to see if there were still other surviving human forces outside the East.
Sweat rolled down his cheeks. After a short rest, Feng Qi resumed his walk toward the ink-green domain barrier.
Traveling on foot with such a heavy weapon was physically brutal.
But over the past few days, he had clearly felt his body improving. The constant heavy load was also increasing his control over the Demon Blade.
That visible improvement meant more to him than any fatigue.
Since he hadn't brought food, he had to hunt to survive.
Hunting while carrying the Demon Blade was extremely difficult—but that too became a form of cultivation for Feng Qi.
When he reached the ink-green domain barrier, he didn't hesitate and stepped right through.
This domain field wasn't unfamiliar to him.
In the previous sacrifice line, once the western supply zone of Star City was completed, this ink-green domain field had been one of their initial objectives for expansion.
Back then, this domain was named "Dengying Domain Field." It was home to many domain beasts, with the dominant species being the Dengying Clan—a race of intelligent, plant-type domain creatures.
As he crossed the barrier, his vision suddenly cleared.
A new world unfolded before him.
The sky overhead looked as though it were veiled by a transparent black curtain. Countless softly glowing orbs floated silently in the air.
Ahead of him lay a dense forest. Within the trees, numerous plants emitted faint, ghostly lights, turning the woods into an almost magical realm. If you listened carefully, you could hear domain beasts roaring from deep within the forest.
The ground beneath his feet was a deep green soil, speckled with small, round stones.
The Dengying Domain Field pulsed with life. Everything here was thriving.
Feng Qi had already marked the Dengying Clan as his first target.
With his current strength, it was impossible to take on top-tier enemies. What he needed was real, grinding battle to sharpen himself.
Shouldering the Demon Blade, he stepped into the glowing forest.
Along the way, some of the plants seemed almost sentient. Sensing his presence, the glowing green fruits dimmed suddenly, as if extinguishing themselves in fear.
Eventually, Feng Qi arrived at a lake deep within the forest.
The water in the lake was a translucent green. Looking beneath the surface, he could see fish-like domain creatures of various shapes and sizes swimming about.
His stomach growled.
Without hesitation, Feng Qi raised the Demon Blade and dove straight into the water.
The moment the Demon Blade crashed down, a huge splash erupted across the lake. Several fish-like lifeforms flailed and were flung ashore in the burst of water stirred up by Feng Qi.
He didn't stop. The Demon Blade in his hand swung again, sending violent currents crashing toward the school of fish.
Those hit directly by the blade exploded into a mist of blood, instantly absorbed by the Demon Blade. Others only grazed by the force were knocked out cold, flying in the direction of Feng Qi's swings and landing on the shore.
After several strikes, a massive swell surged from the center of the lake—something huge had been disturbed and was rising.
"A big one's coming. Get ready, kid. Since you've chosen the path of the god-ascension trials, don't expect me to help in battle," said the Demon Blade coldly.
"Don't need it," Feng Qi replied.
He stared toward the center of the lake as a large bulge of water came charging at him.
He held the blade horizontally, then suddenly smashed it downward at the oncoming behemoth.
The bulging water split apart.
A massive fish-like shadow, mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, burst through the spray and dove at him.
Feng Qi twisted his body left, waist and spine driving the motion. The Demon Blade in his right hand slashed horizontally from right to left.
Boom!
The blade struck the monster square in the face. Its jaw twisted violently, teeth shattering under the force. The creature, nearly 10 meters long, was sent flying by the blow, skipping twice across the water before a towering splash signaled its crash landing.
Even sealed, the Demon Blade hadn't been sharpened yet. But relying on sheer weight alone, its power was terrifying.
That one hit knocked the beast out cold. Its limp body soon floated to the surface.
Staring at the monster's snow-white belly, Feng Qi's stomach growled in protest.
A while later, he had dragged the creature ashore.
At the lakeside, he lit a bonfire. Shirtless, muscles taut and dripping sweat, Feng Qi hoisted the Demon Blade and used it to skewer the giant fish, slowly roasting it over the flames.
The Demon Blade didn't say anything about being used like a cooking tool.
It only had one rule—don't stop training.
Holding the heavy blade horizontally, the starving Feng Qi stared at the sizzling fish in the fire, eyes burning with hunger. His trembling right arm showed he was nearing his physical limit.
"Tired?" the Demon Blade suddenly asked.
"This? This is nothing. If I can't even handle this, how am I supposed to kill Jian Ji?" Feng Qi replied.
"Hahaha! Aside from your strength being pathetic, I'm pretty satisfied with your willpower and personality."
"Knife bro, between the two of us… who's really the master here?" Feng Qi asked with a grin.
"Doesn't matter who's the master. I've only got one goal—kill Jian Ji, crush the Miracle."
As they chatted, the roasted fish began releasing a rich aroma.
Feng Qi didn't wait anymore. He stabbed the blade's hilt into the ground, reached out, and peeled off the curled, crispy skin. Underneath was white, tender meat with beautiful marbling.
He grabbed a chunk and, ignoring the heat, shoved it into his mouth.
Juicy and tender, the meat burst with flavor as he chewed. Steam shot from his nose as he exhaled.
The taste ignited his hunger completely. He tore off another chunk and stuffed it in.
As he devoured the fish, he clearly felt the Demon Blade helping him digest and absorb the nutrients.
At the same time, fine threads of pure blood energy surged from the Demon Blade into his body. His tired flesh, like parched soil, greedily drank in the vitality.
This was one of the many benefits of their symbiosis.
The Demon Blade absorbed the blood energy of slain lifeforms, and a portion of that would be converted into pure flesh energy, strengthening Feng Qi's body and bloodline potential.
While it couldn't compare to the special physique he had in the main timeline—where he could extract innate talents from kills—the effect was still potent.
The efficiency with which a race converted resources was one of the clearest gaps between the strong and the weak.
With the Demon Blade, Feng Qi had gained that same efficiency and growth potential.
He ate for a long time—his first truly satisfying meal since leaving Star City.
When he was finally full, he felt reborn. The exhaustion vanished.
After dousing the fire, he gave the blade a firm shake.
A flash of black mist flickered across the blade's surface. The fish bones stuck to it instantly crumbled into dust and scattered like ash.
After cleaning the blade, Feng Qi stood up and slung it back over his right shoulder.
It was time to push deeper into the Dengying Forest and start hunting the Dengying Clan.
There was no real distinction between day and night within the Dengying Domain Field.
The sky remained perpetually dim. Wandering through the forest felt like swimming in the deep sea. Bioluminescent plants and creatures dotted the surroundings.
One could hear the soft rustling of branches stretching and coiling, as well as chirps and roars from small beasts... countless sounds layered together, creating the thriving symphony of this tiny world.
Suddenly, Feng Qi's eyes locked onto something ahead.
An ancient, towering tree abruptly pulled itself from the ground as he approached. Thick arms lashed downward toward his head.
He stepped back, narrowly avoiding the strike.
The tree's trunk lit up with a faintly visible face, letting out a roar.
Behind it, rows of giant trees began to tremble, as if reacting in a chain. One by one, they tore their roots free, howling in unison to intimidate the intruder.
Feng Qi responded by thrusting his right shoulder forward. The Demon Blade dropped into position.
He stood with the blade across his body, battle intent blazing in his eyes.
After a short breath, he twisted his body, stepping into a basic upward slash—one of the fundamental techniques in blade practice.
The heavy Demon Blade tore through the dark green soil as it swept upward.
Boom!
The strike was devastating. The giant wooden club in the tree's hand exploded into shards. The force carried through, smashing its vine-formed arm and knocking the whole tree back several steps before it crashed down with a thunderous thud.
Just after finishing his meal and feeling his whole body brimming with strength, Feng Qi suddenly leapt into the air.
The 1.7-meter-long Demon Blade crashed down like a falling mountain. Already heavy, the blade became even more domineering as Feng Qi added force to the swing, slamming it into the tree-type domain lifeform's trunk.
Boom!
The tree creature didn't even have time to resist. Its body instantly exploded into fragments.
The Demon Blade trembled slightly. The faint green life energy drifting from the shattered tree slowly gathered toward it. The engravings on the blade lit up, turning into glowing green patterns. Only after absorbing all the tree creature's released life force did the markings return to their original black.
As the Demon Blade trembled again, the refined life energy poured into Feng Qi's body.
A refreshing chill surged through him. He slung the blade back onto his shoulder and looked toward the next wave of charging tree creatures, a bright grin spreading across his face.
His aura surged upward.
Taking a deep breath, the veins in his right arm bulged as black mist poured out from the blade, quickly enveloping him.
When the mist dissipated, a weakened version of the overbearing black armor had formed over Feng Qi's body.
This armor was also part of the Demon Blade, and its strength would gradually increase as the blade's seals were lifted.
With no hesitation, he charged toward the incoming horde of tree creatures.
Leaping forward, he brought the Demon Blade down like a massive battle axe, instantly crushing the tree in the lead.
Just then, the Demon Blade's voice rang out in his mind:
"You're the first wielder who's used me as a blunt weapon to bash enemies."
"Until I can fully control your power, your edge is sealed. If I don't use you as a blunt weapon, what else am I supposed to do?"
"…Fine. As long as you're happy."
The Demon Blade sounded a bit helpless, clearly choosing not to argue anymore.
Feng Qi entered a state of total focus. His figure weaved through the enemy horde.
He didn't dodge incoming attacks. If a tree creature tried to smash him directly, he simply swung the Demon Blade full force to meet it head-on.
This was the kind of combat he yearned for.
And the Demon Blade in his hand had taken shape precisely according to that desire.
With its massive weight, the Demon Blade moved with fierce momentum. Each strike was like a speeding train crashing through. It didn't need blade aura or sharp edges—just sheer mass was enough to obliterate the tree creatures on contact.
But these full-powered swings also put immense strain on his body.
Every strike pushed his muscles to their limit. Repeated swings quickly pushed him toward exhaustion.
His body hit its threshold in this high-intensity battle.
Just like hitting a runner's wall in a marathon, the moment he broke through it, he could feel the fatigue fading.
Then he pushed past that limit again… and again. Second breakthrough, third breakthrough...
Feng Qi kept pushing his physical endurance further. The Demon Blade in his hand began to feel as heavy as a mountain. His grip trembled under the strain.
Thankfully, the Demon Blade was continuously absorbing the life energy of slain tree creatures, supplying his body with the nutrients it needed.
When the final tree creature fell before him, Feng Qi couldn't hold on any longer. He collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.
At that moment, the Demon Blade slowly floated into the air.
It hovered above Feng Qi's unconscious body, trembling as thin threads of blood energy flowed into him, healing his depleted body.
The pained look on his face gradually softened under the blade's nourishment.
...
Three days later.
Feng Qi's figure appeared in the central zone of the Dengying Forest.
Dense mist cloaked the area ahead. With just a light breath, he could tell the mist had a mild paralytic toxin.
But this level of toxicity was still within his tolerance range.
This mist-covered zone at the heart of the forest was the habitat of Dengying lifeforms.
The mist was a secreted byproduct of the Dengying species, laced with their signature paralytic toxins.
Over the past few days—
He'd fought in more than ten battles, big and small.
Especially the one against the tree horde—it had left him badly injured, but the gains were undeniable.
Through constant killing and fighting, his physical strength had more than doubled. The burden of carrying the Demon Blade had lessened significantly.
Still, he was far from being able to lift the first seal.
He had to treat every opponent as a whetstone—to sharpen himself through combat.
The Dengying Clan would be his next grindstone and challenge.
Feng Qi was fully aware that with his current power, he couldn't defeat the Dengying species. Not unless the Demon Blade lifted its seal and actively helped him.
But he wouldn't choose that route. And the Demon Blade wouldn't offer help either.
This was his path of blood and hardship. If he couldn't even get through the early stages, how could he ever wield the Demon Blade fully and challenge the god-ascension path?
With those thoughts, Feng Qi stepped into the mist with the Demon Blade slung over his shoulder.
His vision was instantly obscured. He could barely see more than a meter ahead. Faint green lights flickered in the distance through the haze.
Those dim green glows belonged to his targets—Dengying lifeforms.
Without hesitation, Feng Qi sped up.
Soon, a Dengying creature appeared before him.
It resembled a giant mushroom, but with thick limbs that allowed it to walk freely. A bright green stalk rose from the center of its head, ending in a glowing lantern-like fruit that dangled down.
That light was the source of the flickers in the mist.
In the previous sacrifice timeline, the fruit atop Dengying heads was called a Fluorescent Fruit. It contained highly concentrated spirit energy and was a high-quality spiritual plant unique to Star City's western supply zone—extremely valuable.
Dengying lifeforms also possessed higher intelligence than regular domain beasts. Though their combat style was brutish, they had incredibly durable bodies infused with natural elements. Their strength was immense, and they could emit purifying mists laced with paralytic toxins as an attack.
The Dengying creature spotted Feng Qi but didn't attack right away. Instead, it stepped back several times and grabbed a massive dark green stone pillar behind it.
These dark green stone pillars were the weapons of the Dengying lifeforms.
They were a special type of natural ore found only within the Dengying Domain Field, extremely hard. Combined with the Dengying lifeforms' immense strength, they caused considerable trouble for many battle squads in the previous sacrifice timeline.
Feng Qi shrugged his shoulder, and the Demon Blade slid into his hand.
"Jili!"
The Dengying creature let out a strange cry and sprayed a thick cloud of mist at him as it lunged forward with the cover of the mist.
Feng Qi didn't retreat. He gripped the Demon Blade tightly as black mist surged out, wrapping around his body.
Once the imposing black armor formed over his skin, he swung the Demon Blade forward. The heavy blade aura sliced the mist in half and collided with the dark green stone pillar.
The Demon Blade hadn't recovered from its injuries yet, but its hardness clearly surpassed that of the ore.
A sharp crack echoed—the pillar shattered into fragments, and the Demon Blade, still carrying momentum, smashed down on the bowl-shaped head of the Dengying lifeform.
The immense force caused its head to cave in instantly, and both sides of its body bulged like balloons.
Pop!
Dark green fluid sprayed in all directions. With just one strike, Feng Qi had killed the Dengying creature.
The surface of the Demon Blade flickered with light, absorbing the scattered green liquid and filtering out the impurities.
A small portion of the energy was used to repair the Demon Blade's wounds, while the majority flowed into Feng Qi's body. He could clearly feel a cool current circulating within him before dispersing, slightly boosting his physical stats once more.
His gaze turned toward the depths of the mist.
At that moment, his pupils turned pitch-black, with no whites remaining. His focused gaze pierced the fog, revealing a swarm of Dengying creatures wielding dark green stone pillars charging toward him.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied the blade with both hands.
The Demon Blade resembled a thickened version of the Miaodao. It could be wielded single-handedly or two-handed.
Unlike the tree creatures, Dengying lifeforms had an organized combat method. Underestimating them could easily mean death.
In his mind, a corresponding blade technique flashed—
Heavy Blade Style: Mountain Collapse.
His figure soared, and he brought the Demon Blade down like Mount Tai crashing from above, targeting the frontmost Dengying lifeform.
Black flames surged around the Demon Blade.
The strike was unstoppable, cleaving through the green stone pillar and instantly killing the Dengying creature. The blade continued downward, slamming into the ground.
Boom!
Like a meteor impact, the massive force poured into the earth. Sand and soil blasted outward, and the shockwave rippled in all directions like a hurricane.
As he lifted the blade again, another Dengying creature approached from his left.
Feng Qi twisted his body without hesitation and swung horizontally like a baseball batter, slamming the Demon Blade into the creature's head.
Bang!
That Dengying creature shot through the air like a snapped kite, spewing dark green liquid from its mouth. It was dead before it even hit the ground.
Seeing more and more Dengying creatures swarming toward him, Feng Qi raised the Demon Blade high. The fighting spirit in his heart blazed fiercely.
"Demon Blade, if I pass out again, will you save me?"
"Change wielder. No saving. If you can't win, learn to run. Stubbornness isn't courage—it's stupidity. Your blade momentum is relentless, but you still need to read the situation. Retreat when it's time."
"Alright!"
After smashing another Dengying creature into the air, Feng Qi slung the Demon Blade over his shoulder and turned to flee without a second glance.
He knew exactly what would happen if he got surrounded by Dengying creatures.
Thinking about it, even this iron-headed Demon Blade was pretty good at running.
It had fought Jian Ji for over a thousand years. No matter how firm its resolve to kill Jian Ji and shatter Miracle, every time it lost, it still ran without hesitation.
So situation and mindset were two different things.
Behind the horde of Dengying creatures, Feng Qi could faintly make out towering silhouettes. Dengying lifeforms had long lifespans, and he could judge their strength by size.
He could easily take down the smaller Dengying creatures.
But against the Dengying Kings standing over ten meters, or even dozens of meters tall, his power was far from enough.
Unless the Demon Blade self-unsealed during the fight—then sheer weight alone might be enough to crush a Dengying King to death.
But clearly, the Demon Blade wasn't going to do that.
This wasn't just training he had chosen for himself—it was also a trial from the Demon Blade.
Though it shared a symbiotic relationship with him, that state was entirely under the Demon Blade's control.
If it wanted to end the bond and leave, it could do so at any time. Feng Qi had no way to stop it.
So when it was time to chicken out, he had to chicken out.
Faced with more and more enemies, Feng Qi broke into a sprint and quickly escaped the mist zone.
But he didn't stop until he turned around and could no longer see the Dengying creatures behind him.
Breathing heavily, the black armor on his body receded like a tide, reabsorbed by the Demon Blade.
Sweat dripped down from his brow, but a bright grin spread across his face.
Compared to scheming and calculating, it was still the blood-pumping battles that he longed for most.
He couldn't even remember the last time he fought like this. In the previous sacrifice timelines, he'd spent most of his time studying and making strategic preparations, rarely getting to fight.
And even when he did, there were always a lot of concerns.
After all, borrowing innate talents from the main timeline—especially Blood Source abilities—placed a massive strain on the body. It was a way of fighting that consumed his life force.
As for the dream realm in the future, his combat power was hardly worth mentioning.
Aside from bullying a few domain beasts or small weak tribes in limited areas, he couldn't even touch stronger enemies—like the Divine Lord of the Rift Heaven Divine Clan.
Sitting on the ground, Feng Qi rested, catching his breath and thinking about the next stage of his training.
...
For the next month, Feng Qi chose to settle by a lake in the Dengying Forest.
When hungry, he foraged for fruits in the forest or dived into the lake to catch aquatic domain lifeforms for food.
Aside from sword training and sleeping, he spent the rest of his time heading to the forest's central zone to challenge the Dengying lifeforms.
At his most miserable, Feng Qi had been chased for a full day and night and almost got ambushed by a trap set by the Dengying tribe.
But all that real combat brought a huge boost to his strength.
His physical toughness had increased more than fivefold compared to when he first completed the initial body enhancement using the Demon Blade.
The once-heavy Demon Blade no longer felt difficult to wield. Basic swings were no longer taxing.
Now, beside the lake in the Dengying Forest—
Feng Qi stood shirtless, his muscular torso exposed. He closed his eyes, gripping the blade with both hands and repeatedly performing horizontal slashes through the air.
When swinging, Feng Qi didn't just rely on arm strength. He used his entire body, shifting his weight cleanly and quickly from his rear foot to his front foot.
The arms and blade simply maintained structure through the motion. Once the force transmitted up through his torso, the arms guided the blade to follow through.
The Demon Blade was like an extension of his body, so he could easily grasp its power mechanics.
Through days of blade training, his control over the Demon Blade had improved again.
Whoosh!
After one thousand swings, Feng Qi let out a long breath and hoisted the Demon Blade onto his shoulder.
Now that the blade's weight had become manageable, he started seriously considering unlocking the first seal.
If it worked, he'd soon challenge the Dengying King.
Just then, the Demon Blade's voice echoed in his mind:
"You sure you want to break the first seal? If you do, I'm not applying another one."
"You think I can handle it?" Feng Qi asked right away.
"You can. Barely. But it'll seriously affect your movements."
"As long as I can take it. Go ahead, Blade Bro—unlock the first seal."
"As you wish."
The moment the Demon Blade spoke, the lowest of the five seals on its hilt turned translucent, then shattered into glowing particles and vanished.
Feng Qi, still smiling, instantly felt a crushing force slam into his shoulder. His body sank, his calves buried into the dirt, his back bent under the blade's weight.
"This... this is way too heavy!"
"This is just the first seal. The other four get heavier with each level. You picked this road."
Hearing that, Feng Qi took a deep breath, eyes filled with determination.
His bent body slowly straightened. He dragged his left leg free from the soft, dark green mud. But as soon as he stepped forward, he sank again.
The Demon Blade's weight wasn't just hard to bear—it was clearly slowing him down too.
But Feng Qi didn't give up. He started walking with the blade across his shoulder, pacing the lakeside.
The blade was heavier now, but its power had also multiplied.
Hard to swing? Then train until your body can handle it. He would keep working until he could fully master the Demon Blade in its first unsealed state.
Over the next few days, Feng Qi focused entirely on adapting to the unsealed blade.
His daily three thousand swings dropped to just one hundred. Carrying the Demon Blade was like dragging a small mountain. It left him gasping for air.
Often, he couldn't even walk far before being drenched in sweat.
But the results showed. His body gradually got used to the weight. His physical strength steadily improved through the training.
Except for necessary rest, Feng Qi threw himself nonstop into endurance training. Occasionally, he would hunt domain beasts near the lake.
During this process, the Demon Blade absorbed the slain beasts' life force and fed it back to Feng Qi's body.
At this time, the Demon Blade wasn't focused on healing its own injuries—it was focused on nurturing Feng Qi.
In its words: "Once your power's high enough, you'll be able to hunt a ton of creatures with ease, or snatch huge amounts of spirit ores. Then, recovering my injuries will be way faster than now."
By comparison, the current 'small fry' didn't offer enough energy to help repair it.
Time passed.
Another month went by.
Feng Qi returned once again to the Dengying tribe's habitat.
He had barely taken a few steps when a terrifying figure—over twenty meters tall, towering like a small mountain—appeared.
It was the Dengying King.
Over the past month, Feng Qi had killed large numbers of Dengying lifeforms. He'd clearly provoked this king.
A month ago, he'd fought this very Dengying King.
He'd nearly died in that battle. Only barely escaped the mist zone alive.
Now, standing once more before this massive creature radiating terrifying pressure, Feng Qi grinned brightly.
Roar!
The Dengying King let out an enraged bellow and charged at him, making the ground tremble.
Its huge dark green stone pillar smashed downward.
Faced with the overwhelming pressure, Feng Qi's body was wrapped in black battle armor. He stepped back with his right leg, and the Demon Blade appeared in his hand.
Heavy Blade Style – Fangs!
With Feng Qi's roar, black flames ignited across the blade's surface. It looked like a pitch-black dragon lunging up to bite the sky.
The Dengying King was ecstatic. This cunning foe was once again meeting strength with strength.
It was slower than Feng Qi, but in terms of raw power—it had absolute dominance.
But when the pillar met the Demon Blade, the Dengying King felt an unimaginable force slam into its arms, like colliding with a mountain.
The dark green stone pillar snapped in half on impact.
The black-flamed Demon Blade grew rapidly in its vision.
Through the cracks in Feng Qi's helmet, the Dengying King saw pitch-black pupils—and what looked like a vicious grin on that mysterious enemy's face.
"Die!"
With a roar, Feng Qi's long hair whipped in the wind as the Demon Blade hacked down at the Dengying King's jaw.
Boom!
The strike caused a sonic boom. The terrifying power blasted the mountain-sized Dengying King into the air.
As it crashed to the ground in the distance, Feng Qi rested the Demon Blade on his shoulder. He looked across the field at the fallen king.
Then he raised his left hand.
Thumbs up—
Then turned it down:
"Weak."