"Old Lin, Old Song, are you really just giving me this Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife?" Zhu Ziyang said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "But I'm not a Soul Engineer, so this engraving knife isn't of much use to me."
"Aren't you being short-sighted?" Old Lin laughed. "Although you aren't a Soul Engineer, you'll certainly have Soul Engineers under your command in the future. This engraving knife is the perfect gift to bestow. It's best to purify it in front of them; that way, you'll gain their gratitude and loyalty to the greatest extent!"
"Alright!" Zhu Ziyang nodded upon hearing this. "Then I'll accept it."
"That's right!" Old Lin and Old Song smiled, handing the brocade pouch containing the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife to Zhu Ziyang, and said, "This brocade pouch is a level six spirit tool, and together with that golden nanmu box, it can temporarily suppress this Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife. When you have time, just clean its malevolent aura a bit, and it will quiet down."
"I understand," Zhu Ziyang nodded and said.
"In that case, we'll take our leave first," Old Lin said, then he and Old Song left Zhu Ziyang's room one after the other.
After the two elders left, Zhu Ziyang looked at the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife in the wooden box before him, wanting to reach out and pick it up. However, before his hand even touched the blade, a cold, dark aura seeped through his fingers and into his senses.
"It truly is a malevolent blade!" Zhu Ziyang sighed, then allowed the knife's malevolent aura to corrode his palm, gripping its hilt firmly.
After grasping the hilt of the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife, an even more wicked, tyrannical, and fierce malevolent aura emanated from it. Zhu Ziyang scoffed, and Ultimate Light instantly enveloped his palm. Upon sensing Zhu Ziyang's Ultimate Light, the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife's evil aura immediately receded, shrinking into the blade, making the already pitch-black blade appear even more ink-like.
It seems this malevolent aura is also one to bully the weak and fear the strong, Zhu Ziyang's face showed a sneer.
Electrolux and Second Shuang emerged from the Sea of Consciousness. Second Shuang was as lively as ever, looking at the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife in Zhu Ziyang's hand with great curiosity, while Electrolux's face held a hint of doubt and surprise, his gaze fixed on the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife.
Zhu Ziyang observed Electrolux's expression, his heart stirring, and asked, "Teacher, have you noticed anything about this Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife?"
"Mhm!" Electrolux nodded and said, "Ziyang, purify this blade now!"
"Oh! Alright!" Zhu Ziyang suppressed the doubt in his heart, his gaze turning to the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife, a few more traces of solemnity in his eyes.
His other hand also moved, placing itself above the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife. A rich aura of light immediately blossomed, Zhu Ziyang's eyes emitted a brilliant golden glow, and the palm above the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife instantly turned a brilliant gold. A pure white, jade-like source of light converged from his palm; this was the purest light of evolution from Ultimate Light.
With the appearance of the light of evolution, the originally docile Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife immediately trembled. Wisps of black energy, representing malevolent power, frantically emerged from the blade. This was the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife's resistance, but it was meaningless.
This level of malevolent power, to Zhu Ziyang, who possessed Ultimate Light, was like the difference between a child and an adult. Those wisps of sizzling black energy were captured by the light of purification without a single trace remaining, and then, like ice and snow meeting the morning sun, they melted at a visible speed.
As the malevolent power was purified, the appearance of the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife also underwent a dramatic transformation, changing from an unremarkable, pitch-black cleaver into a precious blade as emerald green as jade, as crystal clear as crystal, and as exquisite as a work of art. At the same time, with the change of the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife, a rich vitality filled Zhu Ziyang's room, and this vitality actually emanated from the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife itself.
Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but gape, Second Shuang showed an intoxicated expression, while Electrolux wore a look of ecstasy mixed with self-reproach.
"It really is the gold of life!" Electrolux exclaimed. "I thought it was an illusion back then, but I never imagined it truly was the gold of life! What a stroke of luck that this blade has returned to our hands, otherwise I would regret it to death! I didn't expect that this World also contains the gold of life!"
Zhu Ziyang was quite confused by Electrolux's reaction and asked, "Teacher, what level of treasure is this gold of life that it makes you say 'truly' three times!"
"The gold of life," Electrolux couldn't help but exclaim again, then said, "It's a metal by name, but in reality, it's a pure energy crystal, a supreme treasure of heaven and earth formed from the purest life energy! The blade of this engraving knife is actually carved from a single piece of gold of life. Such a piece of gold of life would require the accumulated vitality of an entire World for tens of thousands of years to condense!"
"It seems that although the Douluo World is not as advanced as my original World, its foundation is indeed very profound!"
"Teacher, so, this gold of life contains immense vitality, right?" Zhu Ziyang grasped the essence of the matter, a look of pleasant surprise on his face as he spoke.
"Yes!" Electrolux nodded, a look of excitement also on his face as he said, "I already know how to use this piece of gold of life! Come, let's go to the Undead Demiplane!"
"Alright!" Although Zhu Ziyang didn't understand how Electrolux would utilize this piece of gold of life, he had unconditional trust in Electrolux. After all, their interests were the same, and Electrolux was the person least likely to betray him.
Zhu Ziyang reached out and pulled open a dimensional gate, and he and Electrolux stepped directly inside. Second Shuang, filled with curiosity, also followed them in.
"Is this the Undead Demiplane?" Second Shuang looked around the environment of the Undead Demiplane with wide eyes, a hint of disappointment inevitably showing in them as she spoke.
At this moment, the Undead Demiplane hadn't changed much. The black sun in the sky still had a golden speck, like a solar flare, and the environment within the Demiplane remained cold and gloomy. Although the owner had become Zhu Ziyang, this was still an Undead Demiplane after all.
"Teacher, what do we do?" Zhu Ziyang ignored Second Shuang and directly asked Electrolux. He could tell that Electrolux was preparing to apply this piece of gold of life to this Undead Demiplane.
"Simple," Electrolux said with a faint smile. "You take out the Demiplane core, then place the gold of life on the Demiplane core, and drip a drop of vital blood on it. That's all."
"No problem!" Zhu Ziyang didn't hesitate, immediately summoning the Undead Demiplane's Demiplane core, that crescent-shaped jade. Then he immediately placed the gold of life on top of the jade. Just as he was about to offer his vital blood, Electrolux called out to him.
"After the vital blood is dripped, this piece of gold of life will merge into the Demiplane core, completing the missing life laws for this Undead Demiplane. However, according to my estimate, this piece of gold of life can at most complete half of the life laws. If you want the Undead Demiplane to obtain complete life laws, it will probably require another piece of gold of life of the same size!" Electrolux said. "So, think it over. Once the vital blood is dripped, you will lose this engraving knife made of the gold of life."
"Complete the life laws?" Zhu Ziyang pondered, then asked, "Teacher, if the life laws are completed, what kind of changes will this Undead Demiplane undergo?"
"It will become an embryonic World, or rather, a Demiplane. Although it still won't be able to become a World Demiplane that can spontaneously conceive life, all existing creatures within it will transform into true life, not undead," Electrolux said. "If other elemental laws can be gradually completed in the future, then the Demiplane can advance to a true Demiplane!"
"Teacher, did you have such an ambition when you first created this Undead Demiplane?" Zhu Ziyang asked, very surprised and with a hint of admiration.
"Yes!" Electrolux said, a look of helplessness on his face. "Unfortunately, Teacher was unlucky and only found one piece of gold of life. I used that piece of gold of life to open this Undead Demiplane, but I couldn't find any more gold of life."
"Teacher, I understand!" Zhu Ziyang had already made his decision and said, "There's nothing to hesitate about. Isn't it just finding another piece of gold of life? We'll have plenty of time to search in the future!"
Zhu Ziyang didn't hesitate at all, directly offering his vital blood and dripping it onto the gold of life.
As the vital blood fell upon the gold of life, the emerald green gold of life and the grayish-white crescent-shaped jade simultaneously erupted with dazzling brilliance. Immediately after, under the slightly surprised and expectant gazes of Zhu Ziyang and the others, the gold of life began to gradually melt. A rich, almost liquid, life force instantly filled the space around Zhu Ziyang, and the emerald green liquid fused into the crescent jade.
An indescribable yet real change was quietly occurring within this Undead Demiplane. As the Lord of the Demiplane, Zhu Ziyang also received the feedback of this change synchronously. He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, diligently comprehending and feeling the changes and transformation of this Demiplane.