Chapter 243: Reforging the Sword

Meanwhile, on the other side…

“Hey, did you feel that? This guy seems to be acting weird again?”

“I told you not to call me ‘hey.’ But yeah, something’s definitely off.”

The Black Mist spreading across the Void shrouded everyone, nearly making it impossible to see one’s own hand in front of one’s face.

Fortunately, Hong Lingyan was fast—fast enough that even the Demon Grand Duke in his current state couldn’t catch her—so she easily pulled everyone out of the Black Mist.

After bringing out Bai Qiuyin, who had stayed behind to hold the line and cover the others’ retreat, she exchanged a question and answer with Bai Qiuyin.

Bai Qiuyin frowned as she looked at the Black Mist, then examined her own palm. After coming into contact with that Black Mist earlier, she could clearly feel the energy within her body being devoured, as if something was draining it. Fortunately, her resistance was decent—even if her energy were being drained, it would take a long while before she was completely sucked dry.

“Did you feel it? He seems… completely out of control now?”

Hong Lingyan stood off to the side, having her wounds treated by Li Xueman, while she rubbed her chin and spoke with a puzzled expression.

“Losing control is only to be expected, right? After all, he came into contact with that kind of thing.”

Several slender, pale-white arms sprouted from Li Xueman’s back as she healed everyone’s injuries and restored their condition, casually chiming in.

“It’s more like he got dragged into something.”

Hong Lingyan shook her head. There were certainly ways to deal with forced possession.

“If someone could broker a connection for the Imperial Capital Guild President to merge with the Evil God, I refuse to believe that party didn’t take precautions.”

As she spoke, Hong Lingyan’s expression turned somewhat peculiar. “You don’t get it, Xiaoxue. This guy wasn’t possessed willingly, so I find it strange. It’s more like his firewall was bypassed—he got eroded directly from the inside.”

“Although he managed to hold onto some semblance of sanity at first, something must have happened recently that snapped the last straw keeping him rational, and now he’s become this… ghost of his former self.”

“Huh?”

The Old Monk, who had been quietly listening off to the side, was taken aback and scratched his bald head in confusion. “Can something like that happen? Isn’t that just reaping what you sow?”

“Perhaps…”

Bai Qiuyin pondered for a moment, then speculated, “It’s possible something happened in the Real World that we don’t know about.”

“Who knows?”

Hong Lingyan spread her hands. “If this was man-made, then we really ought to thank whoever pushed him to this state. If he hadn’t ended up like this, I doubt we’d actually stand a chance against him.”

“We really should thank them properly once we get back.”

Bai Qiuyin nodded in agreement.

With that, she stood up and pulled the reluctant Hong Lingyan to her feet. “Let’s go. Time to put a period on this incident.”

A fully mindless Demon Grand Duke was far easier to deal with. What made the opponent formidable was that mastery of advanced magic and the combat experience honed through years of battle.

But now his rationality had been zeroed out—even if the Evil God’s influence had made him stronger, he was still infinitely easier to handle than when he was lucid.

“Sigh, fine, fine. I really got dragged into being your pack mule…”

Hong Lingyan let out a light sigh and followed Bai Qiuyin back into the Black Mist. Soon, fierce sounds of battle echoed from within.

“Those two get along pretty well, don’t they?”

The Old Monk watched their retreating figures, feeling that their relationship didn’t seem like one of constant bickering—rather, they appeared quite in sync—so he asked Li Xueman beside him.

“Probably.”

Li Xueman smiled without offering much explanation.

Their efforts were a big help, and they’d also done Bai Qiuyin plenty of favors over there.

Ling Xiaoyou and Bai Shuanglian lay resting on the highly elastic Water Bed, unaware that their own situation had helped Bai Qiuyin’s side considerably.

The relentless string of battles was mentally exhausting. Even Ling Xiaoyou, whose Support abilities were nearly maxed out as a healer, felt worn out from so many high-intensity fights—her mind couldn’t even be bothered to move.

But since there wasn’t much need for combat ahead anyway, all she had to do was keep an eye on the safety of the Earth Vein Heart inside. Probably…

So taking a short rest on the Water Bed was fine.

Well, to be honest, there wasn’t much time to rest anyway. Ling Xiaoyou hadn’t forgotten that there was a batch of Regulatory Division members outside struggling to fend off the Devil’s assault.

They were putting up a hard fight out there, so she could spare a moment to rest, but she still needed to hurry back and lend a hand.

With that thought, Ling Xiaoyou reluctantly sat up from the Water Bed, nudged Bai Shuanglian, and said, “Bai Shuanglian, how about you stay here and keep watch while I go outside to check the situation?”

“No need. I’ll leave my sword here—I’ll go out with you.”

Bai Shuanglian opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Ling Xiaoyou’s head, which looked awfully soft and pattable. She reached out and ruffled it while speaking.

“That works too.”

Ling Xiaoyou naturally had no objections. After all, the biggest BOSS had already been taken down by them—what use would a few more small fry be if they showed up? Bai Shuanglian leaving her sword behind would be more than enough to handle things.

The two rose from the Water Bed. Ling Xiaoyou hugged the soft, springy mass one last time and rubbed against it, then reluctantly dispersed it.

She then looked at Bai Shuanglian, who set her longsword down and tapped lightly on the blade a few times.

The longsword let out a hum, and its presence shifted abruptly—what had once felt like an ordinary weapon now felt like a fierce, dangerous beast.

Even the cracks on the blade seemed to become scars on the beast’s body, giving it a striking and imposing bearing.

Seeing those cracks, Ling Xiaoyou poked Bai Shuanglian, and when the latter looked over, she asked, “Bai Shuanglian, your sword is already cracked. What do you plan to do with it?”

If she intended to replace it, Ling Xiaoyou was ready to persuade her to keep it.

Call it nostalgia, call it sentimentality—Ling Xiaoyou didn’t like throwing away things she’d used for a long time. Even outdated phones or computers, she’d choose to keep and store them.

This sword had witnessed everything between her and Bai Shuanglian from the day they met until now, so Ling Xiaoyou hoped it wouldn’t be discarded.

Fortunately, Bai Shuanglian had no intention of throwing it away.

“Hmm…”

Bai Shuanglian thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll probably take it back, add some materials, and reforged it. After all, it’s been with me for quite a long time.”

“It’s also a companion that’s witnessed our meeting up to now, so of course I’ll keep it.”

With that, Bai Shuanglian looked at Ling Xiaoyou and smiled. “Besides…”