CHAPTER 512: 402

「Five days later.」

In the Southern Border Divine Continent, LuoYing City.

Early spring, the bustling LuoYing City was extraordinarily lively. Carriages of all sizes passed quickly through the city gates. The varying cries of vendors selling their goods rang out in the streets and alleys. Everywhere, one could see the busy figures of hawkers carrying their loads on shoulder poles.

At this time, an elegant and refined scholar entered the city gates, heading towards the core area in the center of the city.

His figure was tall and slender, his face handsome and clear-cut. Clad in a blue robe with one hand behind his back, he exuded an air of calm indifference, without the sharp aggressiveness typical of Sword Cultivators.

Bo Qing... or rather, Sword Tao Hong Yuan!

TAP... TAP...

Hong Yuan walked slowly on Greenstone Avenue, his demeanor calm, with no trace of the fierce battles he had experienced just days before, slaying many Martial Saints.

While blending into life among the mortal world, he reflected on how he now differed from his past self.

The first and most obvious change was that his Sword Body had advanced from the rank of a sixth-order Saint to that of a seventh-order Saint. This heralded a transformation as drastic as the sky flipping and the earth turning.

A sixth-order Saint could not be compared with a seventh-order Saint, not just in terms of strength, but also in terms of status.

A seventh-order Saint could hold a prominent position within major forces and was considered a core strength. In the Five Great God Continents and the Endless Sea Area, they were regarded as significant figures!

Previously, some people from the Ji Clan might have had reservations about Hong Yuan because his Sword Body was only a sixth-order Saint, thinking he was not worthy of the Butterfly Sword Martial Saint.

But now that he had become a seventh-order Saint, especially after his brilliance in the recent battles, anyone who saw him with the Butterfly Sword Martial Saint had to admit they were a match made in heaven. Indeed, this was one of the reasons Hong Yuan needed his Sword Body to break through to a seventh-order Saint quickly!

The second change was the transformation of the Heavenly River Blessed Land’s Immortal Aperture Origin. It had shifted from producing Green Grapes Immortal Nuance to the even higher Red Date Immortal Nuance.

Activating Divine Powers and Holy Artifacts with Red Date Immortal Nuance was dozens of times more powerful than using Green Grapes Immortal Nuance. This was also a major reason Saints found it difficult to challenge those of higher orders.

Moreover, with the transformation of the Heavenly River Blessed Land’s Immortal Aperture Origin, the flow of time there had jumped from 1:70 to 1:150.

Though not as impressive as the 1:600 after the transformation of the Destiny Demon Realm, this was still quite remarkable.

A myriad of thoughts rapidly flowed and settled in Hong Yuan’s mind.

After a while, he compared the Sword Body and the Demonic Body, feeding all their data into the "Dream Meditation Fight" space and made them combat each other.

A devastating defeat!

The Sword Body was brutally beaten by the Demonic Body, lasting little more than a quarter of an hour.

Everything had been fine at first, especially after the Sword Body deployed the "Reversed River Protective Dream Robe" and the "Five Finger Fist Dream Sword," managing to initially dominate the Demonic Body.

But once the Demonic Body activated the Immortal Cave, the tide of battle instantaneously reversed!

"The gap is quite significant," Hong Yuan murmured.

The Destiny status is a major reason, but the Sword Body not carving out its own path is also a big problem.

Hong Yuan’s eyes narrowed as sparks of thought twinkled within.

He smoothly navigated through the crowd and streets as he proceeded towards the inner city of the Ji Clan.

Comparing the Sword Body to the Demonic Body, Hong Yuan had invested much more effort into the Demonic Body. He knew all too well that it was the foundation of Great Taoism, while the Sword Body was merely a method for protecting the path.

Therefore, the exploration into the Demonic Body was far more profound!

The recent rapid progress of the Sword Body was due to the Original Body’s need for the Dream Tao to achieve sainthood.

That’s why the Sword Body was significantly inferior to the Demonic Body, and this discrepancy did not disturb Hong Yuan.

Right now, the Sword Body was facing a crisis: Life Span!

Alas, who would have thought that it was Phoenix Creek Great Saint who struck me that day. What an unfortunate case of allies turning on each other; a truly helpless situation... Hong Yuan sighed lightly, peering inwardly at the Blue Primordial Treasure Lotus within his blessed land, which was on its last breath.

That day, to save his life, he had recklessly activated the Sword Body’s "Heavenly Demon Dismantling," temporarily reaching the level of an eighth-order Saint.

But as only the Demonic Body was connected to the Original Body’s Life Span, the Sword Body’s reckless use of "Heavenly Demon Dismantling" immediately caused grave issues.

The Sword Body’s Life Span was now reduced to just over a hundred years, and the Blue Primordial Treasure Lotus was nearly depleted.

If he wanted to recover the Life Span of the Sword Body, he would first have to rescue the Blue Primordial Treasure Lotus.

As Hong Yuan was lost in heavy contemplation, he reached the inner city of the Ji Clan.

Just then, in the Colorful Butterfly Garden, where the Butterfly Sword Martial Saint was teaching sword techniques to Hua Menghuang, she sensed something and suddenly looked up.

...

The sunshine was dazzling, the spring breeze was cooling, the flowers were beginning to bloom, and fragrance filled the air.

Within the Colorful Butterfly Garden, streaks of purple flashed by, mist surged at the edge of the Formation, and occasionally red divine lights streaked across.

Under the expectant gaze of the Butterfly Sword Martial Saint, a figure emerged within the thick white mist, appearing and disappearing as they approached.

They grew closer.

The figure came nearer and nearer.

THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP.

An odd thumping of the heart echoed. The Butterfly Sword Martial Saint put down the pristine white jade book in her hands, quickly got up, and blankly stared into the thick white mist at the figure she had yearned for in her dreams.

Finally, as the fog dispersed, Hong Yuan’s handsome visage was revealed.

"Limin, I have returned..."

Before Hong Yuan could finish speaking, the Butterfly Sword Martial Saint flung herself at him, like a swallow returning to its nest, tightly embracing him.

Feeling the fragrant breath of the beauty in his arms, Hong Yuan said no more. Gently stroking the Butterfly Sword Martial Saint’s hair, his face was tender.

「Behind them.」

With a grace unmatched, like a Moon Fairy descending to earth, Hua Menghuang watched her two masters embrace each other tenderly, and hurriedly covered her face with her hands.