Seeing the old man about to fall into an emo state again, seemingly on the verge of madness, Xue Dili said, "You mentioned before that you could send me to your world?"
The old man seemed to recover a bit, nodding his head as he said, "It was only two days after I arrived that I managed to make brief contact with my true form..."
With his explanation, Xue Dili understood the principle.
For some reason, the true form of the old Undead remained sealed beneath the Great Cathedral of the Empire, while only his soul resided within Xue Dili's body.
After relentless efforts, the old Undead finally established some contact with his true form and could attempt to use his soul as a medium to transfer Xue Dili through dreams.
Just like how Xue Dili entered the Consciousness Space through dreams.
Previously, using the Death Knight and cane to train Xue Dili was to provide him with basic survival skills in the Empire.
"Let's go. I'm ready," Xue Dili said.
Although he held great resentment towards the old man for drawing him into the Consciousness Space for dozens of days of special training, he was still considered half his master.
Moreover, the old man was genuinely unreserved, teaching him all the martial arts and Divine Arts he knew.
Although his Imperial Swordsmanship could only be considered somewhat accomplished, and he knew just one Holy Light Technique, this extraordinary knowledge was invaluable to him as a mortal.
It seemed the old man didn't have many days left. Xue Dili decided to help him fulfill his last wishes in the final three days, as a reward for the extraordinary knowledge.
"Old man, let's make sure of all the tasks we need to do this time," Xue Dili began speaking to the old man within him.
"First is targeting the royal family, second target is Julia's family. Anything else?" Xue Dili continued, "The Church and the Undead Scourge? They're your enemies too, right."
Xue Dili knew that it was the Church that sealed the old man, and resolving the Undead Scourge was his lifelong dream.
Even though he knew it was impossible for him to accomplish these two tasks, he still asked.
"No need. The Church defeated me fair and square, and I even killed one of their Popes. I don't hate them," the old Undead said. "As for the Undead Scourge, it's not something you can solve, so I won't force you."
Afterwards, they discussed the details of their plan.
Until late at night, Xue Dili made all preparations and said, "Let's set off."
...
In the Eastern Cathedral's underground Heretic Purification Institute of the Holy Norton Empire.
Xue Dili appeared within a hundred meters underground, where the surroundings were eerily quiet yet brightly lit.
The entire scene resembled an underground tomb, with a massive bone sword firmly planted at the center. Surrounding it were unidentified statues, each illuminated by Holy Light shining upon the bone sword.
The bone sword was covered in flesh and veins, which would naturally be immensely evil, but for some reason, it exuded a sacred feeling.
This bone Demon Sword was the true form of the old man within him.
"Old man, I get the feeling the Church doesn't really want to kill you, but rather wants to purify you?" Xue Dili said as he looked at the sword that merged evil and sacredness, noticing its resemblance to a Holy Sword intended for future heroes.
Perhaps the Church simply wanted to erase the old man and retain the sword's original power, as losing a Pope without gaining anything would be a huge loss.
So they chose to keep the old man as a Demon Sword, hoping to purify its evil, thus preserving living strength.
If the plan succeeded, the Church would gain a Holy Sword, which could become a force that could be passed down through the generations.
Xue Dili's mind quickly pieced together a nearly complete scenario.
He approached the Demon Sword and grasped the hilt.
A familiar feeling washed over him, as if the sword were part of him, even calling out to him.
"What should I do? Just pull the sword out?" Xue Dili asked.
"Yes, pull out the sword, and we can become one, akin to Da Gu and Tiga," the old Undead said.
Xue Dili: "..."
He regretted letting the old man watch tokusatsu shows.
Xue Dili reached out again, gripping the hilt, the cool sensation crawling up his arm. Without any hesitation, he prepared to pull the sword out with all his might.
At that moment, the old Undead watching everything was stunned by Xue Dili's reaction, seemingly unable to believe he trusted his words so easily.
"Wait a minute, do you really trust me this much? Aren't you afraid I'll seize the opportunity to escape, kill you, and take over your body?" the old Undead couldn't help but ask, seeing Xue Dili's reckless trust.
"Don't worry; I trust you, old man," Xue Dili said, seemingly without any defenses.
However, within the Consciousness Space, the skeletal demon glared at Xue Dili, emanating inexplicable loneliness and insecurity, which caused the chains to tremble.
Xue Dili knew the old man was traumatized and didn't trust anyone, believing everyone would betray him.
Xue Dili simply went along with his words, as he could control the Consciousness Space, and if push came to shove, he could perish together with the old man.
But the old man seemed deeply touched by this unhidden trust. Perhaps recalling that this child came from such a wonderful world, having once become a light-being...
"Is this why I'll never become like Da Gu?" the old Undead introspectively questioned himself.
He might have realized that when compared to his ideal person, he fell short.
He lost... in every aspect...
Even under such circumstances, he still schemed like this?
The old Undead seemed to reveal a tinge of shame and regret, immediately saying, "Let go, don't try to use brute force. Drip your blood onto the guard, then try pulling it out again."
The old Undead set aside his misgivings, fully believing in Xue Dili this time. The loneliness and insecurity dissipated, and he seemed to smile with relief.
He thought of how this child originally lived in an incomparably beautiful, peaceful world and took a risk coming to this rotten-to-the-core Empire just for him.
Accompanying him to this accursed world!
There was no need for any wariness anymore.
A child capable of becoming light would never betray him!
Xue Dili followed suit, and as his blood stained the sword guard, a monstrous eye at the connection with the handguard suddenly opened.
The eyeball on the guard spun incessantly, narrowing to a slit when it locked eyes with Xue Dili.
"Crack..."
The ground began to fracture.
Xue Dili immediately gripped the hilt, pulling upward with all his strength.
The entire earth seemed to tremble, with debris falling from the ceiling. Statues beneath the surface toppled, cracks widened and deepened, seeming to want to bury him alive underground.
Meanwhile, the Holy Light Cathedral remained tranquil and harmonious, with countless refugees praying at its entrance. After reciting the teachings, monks brought out entire carts of local specialty millet porridge.
Anyone could receive porridge, provided they could recite the teachings by heart.
The refugees thanked God for his grace, continuously reciting the teachings.
Throughout the whole Empire, only the Church still cared for their lives and deaths.
But at that moment, inside the Church, the opulently dressed Female Pope looked at the intelligence report handed to her by a subordinate, instantly boiling with rage.
"In Wind Snow City, encountering the Undead Knight army, terrifying charges as strong as demons, even General Julia couldn't defeat them despite fighting with all her might," a messenger delivered the frontline news.
"The Crusaders were completely annihilated, the Imperial Knight Order completely annihilated, and the Undead Army is only three hundred miles from the Imperial Capital!" Each sentence the Female Pope read aloud made the hall grow colder.
Everyone held their breath, not daring to speak, even the most rigid Heretic Knights refraining from provoking the Pope's ire.