Apotheosis

Not far off, the gigantic sword was impaled deep into the ground.

Although the exquisite blade was buried to the hilt, under the earth's surface the sword stood about ten feet in all, and it was one foot wide. Aside from the dark coloring, there were ruby red lines along the length of the metal masterpiece.

Even buried deeply in the ground, as it was, the giant sword was imposing and gave the impression that it was an aggressive beast of prey.

Above ground, the hilt stood as tall as Zen, and seemed impossible for any man to wield!

"It's the sword of Blood Fiend Emperor," said Tia smoothly when she caught a glimpse of the sword. As far as she was concerned, this sword wasn't suitable for her, although it would be precious to most of the male warriors.

Since the sword was buried at the Cloud Road's exit, Tia had seen it many times before, as any disciple who had already passed the test.

Over the years, many members from Cloud Hall had unsuccessfully tried to pull the sword from the ground. Even the disciples who possessed superman strength couldn't budge it!

One of the many reasons no one had been able to retrieve the sword was its weight. Still, since disciples refining at the Illuminating Soul Realm lifted things much heavier than the sword, there must be another reason no one had pulled it out. It turned out that an enchanted barrier safeguarded the blade, and unless it was shattered, no one would be able to get the sword!

Because the burial place for the sword now was the heart of the plaza, the enchanted barrier protecting it vanished.

"I would think that the Blood Fiend Emperor was a human too, but, how was he able to wield such a colossal sword?" questioned Zen as he stared at it curiously.

Although Blood Fiend Emperor might found it not difficult to wield such a sword, it was still too long for any regular man. So, how could anyone battle enemies using it? It would be cumbersome, and when Zen visualized it, he was confused.

A brooding expression crossed Tia's face, and she added, "Well, of course, it belonged to the Blood Fiend Emperor. But, why would you think he wielded it himself? Couldn't his sword-spirit have been the one using it? After all, if his sword-spirit was immense or if the emperor infused the two, it would've been a tremendous help to him."

"Sword-spirit?" echoed Zen questioningly. What Tia was saying intrigued Zen.

Since a puppet had ripped the Streamer Sword to pieces, Zen had been using the Blood Drinking Sword, which meant he didn't have a sword for his sword spirit, Lily.

As Zen had been looking at the giant sword, he'd been contemplating giving it to Lily.

However, it crossed his mind that even though Lily was slim and much taller than Tia, she might not be strong enough to wield it.

Seeing Zen's eyes light up in interest, Tia smirked and proposed, "Let me guess, you have a sword spirit too?" Sword intent and sword-spirit were entirely different things, and even though Tia had seen Zen's sword intent previously, she found it hard to believe that anyone at the nature level could possess a sword-spirit.

Even before Tia finished speaking

the sky's light dimmed, blocked by something falling to the earth.

Masses of meteorites and dark steels which were used to refine weapons were dropping from the air. Eventually, a verdant garden revealed itself, guided by the light. When the garden landed in a corner, Tia raised her eyebrow and hurried to it.

Effective herbs required a very long time to grow, and no one felt obliged to tend to them since the demise of the Blood Fiend Emperor. Thus, thousands of years had passed while the herbs grew, untended. They would be priceless on the market as long as they were intact with the changeable and severe weather.

"This is the herbal garden???" Before Zen finished his sentence, Tia turned, grabbed hold of Zen's hand, led him to the exit and threw him, muttering, "The herbal garden will never be yours! Wash up!"

Zen felt his body lift off the ground, and he sailed through the air. After the unusual flight, he landed in the dragon blood pool, and within a few seconds, Zen felt his skin burning.

He hadn't expected the dragon blood to be that hot.

Since Zen's body was designed for weapon refinery, he could endure regular fire, easily. However, blood of a dragon was far hotter than any regular fire. The experience was extremely strange for Zen.

However, the strange feeling only lasted a short time. As his body adjusted to the high temperature, he felt more comfortable, and it felt more like he were taking a hot spring bath.

All over him, Zen's pores opened as he soaked in the blood bath. As he soaked, he absorbed the nutrients contained in it. Relaxing, his eyes closed and he started to practice his martial arts. However, his mind opened, as he meditated.

Seeing Zen's eyes closed, Tia scowled as she began to gather herbs. To recover her strength fully, she still needed several essential herbs, and she hoped to find them amongst the herbs in the garden.

Approximately an hour later, Zen's eyes shot open, and his lower abdomen shook slightly. Life vitality flowed through him. Soaking in the dragon blood bath had inadvertently led to a breakthrough.