"So, Xi Hezi, you witnessed my battle with the Great Sun Glaze Flame," Yuan Ming laughed and said.

"Of course, here and the Xihe Palace outside are essentially one entity, just separated by the Mirror Image Restriction. That battle was indeed exhilarating, though it's unfortunate that the shrew Great Sun Glaze Flame escaped. Next time you encounter her, I'll assist you. The Illusion Sun True Intent contained within the Xi He Tablet can restrain that Mother Insect perfectly," Xi Hezi said resentfully, showing deep hatred towards Great Sun Glaze Flame.

"Then I'll trouble you, Xi Hezi," Yuan Ming said, secretly delighted.

"Enough talk, my mouth is dry. I'll pass on the Dao Treasure Formula of the Xi He Tablet to you, so you can take it, and then we'll leave," Xi Hezi said, transmitting a piece of the Sacrificial Refining Method into Yuan Ming's Sea of Consciousness.

This Sacrificial Refining Method isn't complex. Yuan Ming merely pondered for a moment and quickly grasped it.

According to the Dao Treasure Formula instructions, each Dao Treasure differs due to the various True Meaning of Dao they contain, making their Dao Treasure Formulas distinctive, which is vastly different from Spiritual Treasures and Magic Treasures.

Yuan Ming stepped forward, pressed his hand on the Xi He Tablet, and began the refining.

"Refining Dao Treasures is much more challenging than refining Spiritual Treasures. Take your time. As long as you refine one rune, you can pick up the Xi He Tablet. The remaining runes can be refined gradually after leaving here," Xi Hezi said with a yawn.

Yuan Ming didn't respond, continuing his casting.

Xi Hezi stretched lazily, preparing to enter the Xi He Tablet for a nap, but her expression suddenly changed, showing disbelief.

As the Artifact Spirit of Xi He Tablet, she could distinctly feel Yuan Ming's refining progress, and the Xi He Tablet was slightly responding to Yuan Ming's Mana, being swiftly refined by him.

Even Mahayana cultivators refining the Xi He Tablet couldn't match this.

"Impossible, how did you do it?" Xi Hezi looked at Yuan Ming wide-eyed.

Yuan Ming smiled and remained silent. After the baptism of the Power of Ten Thousand Wood Origin, his Mana was exceptionally pure, not inferior to Mahayana cultivators. Furthermore, being a Soul Cultivator, his Divine Soul Power was strong. With both combining, refining the Xi He Tablet naturally proceeded swiftly.

Xi Hezi noticed Yuan Ming's Mana was unusual but couldn't have expected his Mana to be so pure, only feeling that this Mana had an extraordinarily strong penetration, assuming it to be some Secret Technique Yuan Ming used.

However, since she had already reached an agreement with Yuan Ming, being refined now didn't evoke any resistance from her.

Yuan Ming refined earnestly, and after half a day, he finally refined one rune of the Xi He Tablet and picked it up.

The treasure was exceptionally heavy. Despite having invoked his Mana, it still felt like he was holding a mountain.

"The Xi He Tablet is crafted by its owner using an entire Meteor Star Core, extremely heavy. When you have refined all thirty-six runes, you'll be able to control it freely," Xi Hezi explained.

Yuan Ming nodded, deciding not to linger here. With a single hand wave, he collected the Xi He Tablet.

Xi Hezi obediently returned to the tablet, entering the Shura Palace along with it.

Soon, Yuan Ming returned outside, glanced once more at the Xihe Palace, and left after confirming there was nothing else worth his attention.

"Haha! Finally out, the sky, the earth, and this vast world—it's so beautiful," an excited voice suddenly exclaimed.

"Xi Hezi?" Yuan Ming looked to his sleeve, the voice originating from there.

"It's me."

A spirit light flashed from a jade button on the sleeve, revealing a thumb-sized Xi Hezi, peering around as if never getting enough of the sights.

"What's this?" Yuan Ming asked with some surprise, stopping his tunneling light.

"This is my Artifact Spirit Clone, temporarily attached to you, to take a proper look at this magnificent landscape outside," Xi Hezi said.

"Aren't an Artifact Spirit and a Spiritual Treasure supposed to be closely linked? Can they attach to other objects at will?" Yuan Ming found it incredible.

"An ordinary Artifact Spirit indeed wouldn't, but I can," Xi Hezi said, hands on her hips and chin up proudly.

Yuan Ming's eyes shimmered, considering that Xi Hezi's method of clone possession was somewhat similar to Soul Cultivators' abilities. Could it be she had practiced a similar Secret Technique? Or perhaps this was a unique ability of Xi Hezi?

No matter the type, Yuan Ming felt that his understanding of this artifact spirit was still too shallow.

He pondered for a moment, flipping his hand to take out an object, which was his Innate Spiritual Treasure—the Soul Destroying Sword, and said, "Xi Hezi, you are an Artifact Refining Master, and an artifact spirit yourself. Can you help me see if there is any problem with this sword?"

This Innate Spiritual Treasure of his was already very powerful, but he still couldn't condense a sword spirit, which worried him greatly.

Xi Hezi glanced at the Soul Destroying Sword a few times, and suddenly a look of surprise appeared on her small face: "Oh! It's the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword! Where did you get the sacrificial refining method for this sword? Wait, this sword only contains three Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword runes, the others are third-rate and patchwork, low in grade and mutually conflicting. What idiot refined this?"

Yuan Ming's face turned embarrassed upon hearing this, "It was me..."

"Oh, no wonder, no wonder..." Xi Hezi looked at Yuan Ming with a knowing expression.

"In Xi Hezi's eyes, I'm just an artifact refiner idiot?" Yuan Ming touched his nose and said with a smile.

"Pretty much, I've already said it very politely, at most you can be called a half-baked on the rune aspect." Xi Hezi replied bluntly.

"I indeed don't know much about artifact refining; this Soul Destroying Sword is my Innate Spiritual Treasure, and it has yet to condense an artifact spirit. Xi Hezi, since you've seen so many issues, is there any solution?" Yuan Ming asked with a slight bitter smile and clasped his hands in inquiry.

"I've already said, no need to be so courteous with me. Your Innate Spiritual Treasure has many problems; the runes are chaotic and disordered, and the source of yin qi in the sword body is very mixed, not properly refined. Most importantly, a part of the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword is also sealed inside. Which fool taught you to refine a treasure in such a way? Knowing only bits about artifact refining and still messing around with ideas—the fragments of the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword are not something an artifact like yours can swallow. It's a miracle this Innate Spiritual Treasure hasn't shattered; how could it possibly nurture an artifact spirit?" Xi Hezi waved her hand first and then gave a caustic evaluation.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming couldn't help but glance at the Stealing Heaven Tripod tattoo on his arm, worried that Void might jump out and fight with Xi Hezi.

Fortunately, Stealing Heaven Tripod had no reaction; Void likely fell asleep again.

"Then what should be done? Or, what can I do?" Yuan Ming asked.

"The yin qi problem is easy to solve; just refine it once. The troublesome issues are the runes and the fragmented Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword sealed inside. There are two solutions: first, remove the fragments of the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword and the three Heavenly Demon Sword runes, and then add new runes. I know several sacrificial refining methods of ancient yin attribute spirit swords that can quickly cultivate an artifact spirit, though its power cannot compare to the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword." Xi Hezi weighed the Soul Destroying Sword and said.

"And the second?" Yuan Ming asked after a moment of silence.

"Naturally, to continue on the path of the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword, refining your sword into the second Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword. However, this would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, as the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword is the First Evil Sword of the ancient Demon World, and its traces vanished long before I was born; I do not know the sacrificial refining method. Fortunately, you have a fragment; if I study it, I should be able to replicate two or three tenths of its power." Xi Hezi shook her head with a slight sway and said.

"The First Evil Sword? Is the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword so malevolent?" Yuan Ming had long heard the name Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword from Void, and judging by its name, he guessed it came from the Demon World. However, he didn't know the specifics, so he couldn't help but pursue further questions.

"Of course! The origin of the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword is unknown; some say it was refined by the ancient Demon World's first artifact refiner, the Red Tears Demon Emperor; others say it's an innate spiritual treasure. The sword first appeared in the hands of the Great Freedom Sky Demon Emperor of the Demon World, thus being called the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword. This sword possesses astonishing divine skills and has claimed the lives of at least ten Mahayana existences beneath its blade. It is said to have once wiped out all life in a small realm with a single sword, which is extremely dreadful." Xi Hezi spoke with a solemn expression, faintly showing some signs of fear.

"Eliminating an entire realm with a single sword truly deserves the title of an evil sword." Yuan Ming involuntarily drew in a sharp breath upon hearing this.

"The dread of the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword is not limited to this; aside from its terrifying power, this sword also harbors a bizarre True Meaning of Dao Treasure. Every time it kills, it absorbs the mana, essence blood, divine soul, and even the comprehended True Meaning of Dao of the slain, utilizing them for itself. The more it kills, the more powerful the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword becomes. It's said that upon reaching the peak, its power might surpass the scope of Dao Treasures." Xi Hezi shook her head and continued.

"The Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword possesses such an ability!" Yuan Ming couldn't help but express his surprise.

"Naturally! Otherwise, how could it be deemed the First Evil Sword?" Xi Hezi giggled and said.

"What happened later with this sword? Why did it break?" Yuan Ming pursued further questions.

"I don't know. When the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword was rampant, the Demon World had not yet invaded our Chuyun Realm. I heard from my master that something major occurred during the Demon World's invasion of the Black Soil Realm, leading to the fall of several Demon Emperors there, including the Great Freedom Sky Demon Emperor. The Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword also vanished accordingly. Many say it was due to the excessive accumulation of True Meaning of Dao by the sword, rendering its power unacceptable by the Heavenly Dao, leading to a divine punishment that destroyed it." Xi Hezi seemed to enjoy chatting after being silent for so long, discussing enthusiastically with Yuan Ming.

Listening to these ancient secrets, Yuan Ming couldn't help but feel astonished, his heart filled with admiration.

"By the way, where did you get the fragments of the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword?" Xi Hezi asked again.

"They were gifted by a senior; as for where he obtained them, I'm not quite sure." Yuan Ming shook his head and said.

Xi Hezi did not pursue further, shifting the topic back: "After talking for so long, you haven't told me yet, how do you intend to deal with this Soul Destroying Sword?"

"Since I'm going to refine a spiritual treasure, I would naturally refine the most powerful one, and continue on the path of the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword." Yuan Ming said decisively without any hesitation.

Given the supernatural abilities of the Great Freedom Sky Demon Sword, being fortunate enough to obtain a fragment compelled him to attempt replicating it. Achieving even two or three tenths of its power would significantly boost his own strength.