Noxis lowered his head and looked at Wu Ling. The soul flames in his eyes flickered slightly, carrying a trace of tension, uncertainty, and longing for life. All living beings feared death by instinct, no matter how strong they were.
Noxis was even more like that. As a sacred giant dragon, he had been heavily wounded in battle and eventually died from his injuries. But to keep himself "alive," he had done everything possible to preserve his spiritual mark, leaving himself in a state between life and death rather than dying completely.
Only when he fully died in the original story, and when his consciousness was erased like the other dragon souls here, did a new sacred giant dragon appear among the Seven Dragon Cities.
Because he feared death, Noxis treasured every chance to "live." Now he also worried that Wu Ling would go back on his word.
Wu Ling looked up at Noxis and accurately caught the strange flicker inside the dragon's weakened soul flame. He glanced at the essence of the Dragon Soul mother tree, then asked, "This Dragon Soul Wood has become extremely hard after refinement. I imagine you have a way to cut and reshape it, yes?"
It was not that Wu Ling had no way to handle it himself. But when one was away from home, saving a little was still saving. Besides, he was rather interested in the things on a sacred giant dragon's body.
Noxis did not know what Wu Ling was thinking. The question landed exactly where he wanted it to. Just like what he had said to Ye Yinzhu in the original work, even artifact-grade weapons from the outside world could not break the powerful dragon-soul protection inside Dragon Soul Wood. If one wanted to cut it, only one thing could do the job.
A vast milky-white light lit up again. This time, it was not Noxis's soul flame. From some unknown place, he took out an object, and it slowly floated down in front of Wu Ling. It was a long horn, roughly two meters in length.
The horn carried a special aura. It did not belong to any single magical element, yet it was connected to all magical elements in the Qin Emperor universe. It seemed as if it had been condensed from magical elements itself. Its dragon-soul aura was not as vast as the Dragon Soul Wood's, but it was far purer.
"This is my former horn. When I died, it had already fallen off. Only a weapon made from my sacred giant dragon horn can break the dragon-soul protection of this top-grade Dragon Soul Wood."
Noxis continued, "My soul power is already low, but I should still be able to help refine it into a weapon. What kind of weapon do you require?"
Noxis appeared extremely respectful, as if he had chosen to lower himself completely for the sake of survival. He was humble to the point of ugliness, nothing like the dignity expected from a sacred giant dragon.
Wu Ling thought for a moment before answering, "The material of this dragon horn is precious. It does not need excessive refinement. Just change its shape slightly. Make it into a dragon-soul blade."
"Very well."
Noxis nodded without hesitation. "It is my honor to serve you. This is also a mark I can leave behind in this world."
As Noxis spoke, his soul flame flickered again. This time, the pale-gold point of light appeared directly, quietly merging into the two-meter horn. It was the original spiritual mark of the Sacred Giant Dragon Noxis, and also his final power.
Under the pale-gold light, the sacred giant dragon horn began to condense and transform. It shrank by a full circle, and during that process, it took on the shape of a long blade.
The hilt appeared first. It was about thirty centimeters long, but calling it a hilt was not quite right, because it was entirely shaped like a dragon. Crystal-white dragon scales, a long and flawless body, even the smallest lines on the dragon claws, every detail was vivid.
There was no need to ask. This was Noxis's appearance when he had been alive.
A vast dragon-soul aura seemed ready to rush out of the weapon, but under Noxis's spiritual mark, the sacred giant dragon's soul power gradually withdrew. The tail of the dragon formed the end of the hilt. The entire dragon body formed the grip, while the slightly exaggerated dragon head lifted upward. The dragon's mouth opened, and the blade extended outward as if spat from that mouth.
The blade and the hilt were made from the same material. The whole weapon was clear and crystalline, with milky-white halos flowing across it as if it were half alive. Strange magical fluctuations lay hidden inside it, and light pulsed in and out. A mist seemed to cling to the edge of the blade, a mist formed from magical elements.
Once the warblade was complete, it slowly fell before Wu Ling. Noxis, having finished the work, looked exhausted. His aura fluctuated unsteadily.
"This really is a fine blade. You put thought into it."
Inside the Dragon Domain, Wu Ling looked at the dragon-soul blade before him with satisfaction. This warblade had been forged entirely from the sacred giant dragon horn. In terms of material alone, it was absolutely top-tier. It did not need flexibility. It possessed only hardness, a hardness that seemed able to cut through anything.
"My horn can be considered a blessing of nature. It contains the most essential part of me. Because it was influenced by the dragon-soul essence in my mind, it contains much of my dragon-soul aura," Noxis said again. "This blade is an all-element magical weapon. A true all-element weapon, including the dark element. Its sharpness can almost ignore all magical defenses and physical defenses. Its power is immense."
Wu Ling nodded in satisfaction. After leaving this world, the "anti-magic" quality would most likely disappear, but by then he could simply forge it again.
The soul flames in Noxis's eyes flickered gently, and his voice carried emotion.
"This may be the last useful thing I leave behind. It was made from my horn. Your Excellency, may it be named after me? Let it leave some trace of me in this world."
"Blade of Noxis. That is not a bad name."
Wu Ling raised his hand slightly. The Blade of Noxis immediately moved and flew into his palm on its own.
When the warblade entered his hand, Wu Ling felt a pure elemental energy surge into his body through his fingers and wrist.
For a moment, the dragon-soul blade seemed to fit perfectly into his hand. Cool sensations flowed through his body, indescribably comfortable.
He waved it lightly. A milky-white light like an illusion flashed. The warblade was large, but it seemed weightless. A line of silver light crossed the sky. Wu Ling had not actively driven the weapon, yet blade aura had already shot three feet outward. A clear dragon cry pierced the air, shaking the soul.
As Wu Ling held the Blade of Noxis, a current of energy suddenly entered his body. Milky-white light flashed and vanished. The blade seemed to come alive, turning into a slender white dragon that circled around his hand.
A burst of white light shot into the sky, pointing toward the dark night. The slender white dragon coiled around his right hand, continuously releasing milky-white divine light.
A new and pure emotion appeared in Wu Ling's mind. It was leaping with joy and greeting him affectionately.
That was right. It was a new soul, a strange and unusual soul.
Noxis quietly watched from the side. The already weakened soul flames in his eyes fluctuated violently, revealing a trace of gloom.
The white light finally began to withdraw. In Wu Ling's right palm appeared a small dragon, swimming and changing posture according to his will. Its moist milky-white color was not dazzling, but the two silver stars that formed its eyes made it seem vividly alive.
Noxis explained, "Your Excellency, this divine artifact has just been born, and you are the first life aura it encountered. It will naturally attach itself to you and recognize you as its master. From now on, no one besides you can use it, unless you die. Since you can already control so many transformations, I assume you have mastered its use."
Wu Ling flipped his hand casually. The small silver-white dragon turned into a tiny dagger at once. With another slight thought, it changed into a different form. It transformed according to his will, truly worthy of being called a wish-fulfilling divine weapon.