"Another one goes mad."

Ning Xunqiu sighed softly, his tone full of helplessness.

Inside this Demon Sword, he was like a solitary shadow, unable to communicate, his senses deprived, and even his own emotions were deeply suppressed by the Sword Demon’s "neither living nor dead" state.

Yet he still yearned for everything that came with being human.

Because of this, his relationship with each sword carrier would always develop a peculiar emotion over the years, but in the face of "parting by life and death," he was powerless to change any of it.

Ah Feng was one; Dongfang Mingyue was another.

This heavy experience is definitely not something those with insufficient "Dao Heart" can bear.

And clearly, he did not belong to that category.

He watched Ah Feng die before his eyes and accompanied Dongfang Mingyue for decades, yet could only helplessly watch her leap into the flames to sacrifice herself.

This sense of powerlessness finally consumed him, making him deeply weary of everything in the world, and the tenderness belonging to mortals gradually dissipated from his heart.

Knowing the ending was bleak, his human instinct made him unwilling to take that step further, as within the Demon Sword, he was moving step by step toward an emotionless abyss.

Ning Xunqiu had a premonition: if he continued this Demon Sword life, he would witness the rise of a world’s ender, rather than a gentleman of refined and graceful demeanor.

Ding dong.

[Congratulations, your turbulent life has been rated as a red life "Sword of Freedom": You are Dongzhou’s rebellion leader Dongfang Mingyue’s sword, the symbol of "Free Will."

You are, apart from the "Seven-Star Divine Sword," the only power capable of contending with the Apocalypse Knight Tianqi’s calamity force.

No one knows that after decades of companionship, for Dongfang Mingyue, you are not only a sword, but also a mentor, a partner in Dao, and her only.]

[You have received a red life achievement reward.]

[Do you wish to claim the red life achievement reward now?]

"Red life, huh..." Ning Xunqiu was slightly surprised, then silently murmured, "Claim."

[Claiming in progress...]

[Congratulations, you have received a red life achievement reward—"Unrivaled Bright Moon Sword - Hidden Star"!]

[Unrivaled Bright Moon Sword - Hidden Star]

A sword with dual souls.

The sword of coexistence between hope and despair.

’Sword of Freedom’ Dongfang Mingyue leaped into the flames to sacrifice herself, activating Hidden Star deep within the True Realm, integrating Hidden Star into the Unrivaled Bright Moon Sword.

...

Swish!

An ancient bronze sword suddenly thrust into the mountaintop, its body covered in cloud patterns, with one side of the hilt engraved with "Unrivaled" and the other with "Bright Moon."

"Hidden Star?"

Ning Xunqiu’s eyes brightened.

He took a deep breath and effortlessly stepped forward to grasp the sword.

Instantly, decades of memories surged like a flood, completely overwhelming Ning Xunqiu.

Initially, he only wanted to survive, to find a way to become human again, to kill Zhuang Xinyao, and as for what to do next...he didn’t care; he lacked a heart.

However.

"Without that sword, we can still win..."

"I’m sorry..."

With a booming sound, Ning Xunqiu looked up to find himself surrounded by endless darkness, unable to see his fingers.

Drip drip...

Reaching out, Ning Xunqiu touched his wet eyes, and then a frenzy voice emerged.

"So noisy!"

"War! War! Endless war! This is the root of all anguish!"

"I want to end all suffering!"

"Let everything return to silence!"

...

"Boom!"

Ning Xunqiu’s eyes were covered in gray, his body suddenly surrounded by fierce golden flames, temporarily suppressing the overwhelming Desperate Will.

"The Desperate Will of the Demon Sword has reached such an extent..."

"I’ve absorbed countless demon spirits within the True Realm, including the strong demon spirit of the Breaking Sky Dragon Whale, almost to my limit..."

Ning Xunqiu hadn’t anticipated the Demon Sword’s influence to be so profound, that frenzied Desperate Will surged from the depths of his Primordial Spirit, seemingly endless.

If it were someone else, these negative emotions, he could easily crush with a single thought.

However, this originated from the depths of his own heart, he and Ning Wushuang were fundamentally of the same source, far from what an outsider could comprehend easily.

Ning Xunqiu, with a thought, entered the Sword Demon’s ’neither living nor dead’ state, yet could only temporarily resist the invasion of this despair.

"Not good, need Master’s help."

Ning Xunqiu’s figure soared into the air, startled to discover he couldn’t escape this dark world, nor shatter the "self" before him. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

As a Seventh Realm Divine Person, he knew that once he fell into madness and lost consciousness, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He sensed life’s enlightenment through the Demon Sword, cultivated through Primordial Spirit Dao Practice, inherently walking on a tightrope. Previously, with Liu Xiu and Ah Feng, he viewed them as a ’spectator’, watching a highly immersive ’movie’, though feeling regret in his heart, he could suppress it.

But this time, it was he himself who fell into the boundless abyss of despair!

"I’m sorry..."

At that moment, a faint call came from ahead.

Ning Xunqiu’s madness instantly softened a few degrees,

"That voice is...Ming Yue? She’s not dead? A sword with dual souls?"

He transformed into a golden stream of light, rushing towards the direction of the voice without hesitation.

Unsure of how long.

When Ning Xunqiu looked up, a massive planet appeared before his eyes, rotating slowly, with an unparalleled beaut enclosed within, curled up, her ink-like long hair hanging down casually, covering her graceful figure.

She seemed to have a nightmare, her long eyelashes gently trembling, her hands tightly holding herself.

"Ming Yue." Ning Xunqiu called softly.

Upon hearing this call, Dongfang Mingyue seemed to sense it, slowly opened her bright eyes, her face instantly blossoming with delight.

"Mr..."

Dongfang Mingyue gently descended, staring at Ning Xunqiu, her body uncovered, yet she remained serene. She was a battle-hardened woman of the world, naturally not a shy little girl.

In an instant, she rushed into his embrace, tightly hugging Ning Xunqiu, her body deeply embedded within his warm chest, as if trying to dispel long-accumulated loneliness and coldness.

Nestled together, their heartbeats resonated, their warmth merged, she softly whispered:

"Waking up from Ming Yue, being able to see Mr. again, it’s truly wonderful."

In that endless dark abyss, the concept of time was long blurred, enduring a long and distant thousands of years for her.

Ning Xunqiu was tightly wrapped by Dongfang Mingyue’s unexpected embrace, he slowly stretched out his hand, gently brushed through her silky smooth hair, the waves in his heart gradually settling into tranquility.

His Dao practice slowly grew to a thousand years.

Just now, he merely absorbed one percent of the essence of "Despair," if he could comprehend all the profound meanings of this Demon Sword life, his Dao practice would surely leap beyond ten thousand years.

After a long while.

Ning Xunqiu gently released Dongfang Mingyue, with a wave of his hand, a garment silently enveloped her body.

...