Elven cultivators

I don't know how much time passed.

Sefilas's struggles gradually weakened.

The blue aura around his body had long since dissipated, revealing the scarred scales beneath.

The charred burn marks and deep cracks that revealed the bone crisscrossed, like a piece of porcelain that had been shattered and barely pieced back together.

Anton stood outside the formation with his hands behind his back, his face calm as still water, but his eyes never left the movements inside the formation.

Seeing that Sefilas was at his last gasp, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he finally made a move.

The 256 sword lights in the void instantly converged, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, into a meter-long black gold sword light.

The sword light was clear and pure, untouched by any dust.

It simply hangs there quietly, yet it possesses a sharpness that makes the heavens and earth pale in comparison.

The next instant, the sword light silently disappeared into the Six Ding Six Jia Formation, so fast that it seemed to transcend the limitations of space.

Sephira instinctively sensed the deadly danger and tried to dodge, but his severely injured body was no longer under his control, and he was ultimately a step too late.

laugh!

The sword light pierced through Sefilas's head, exiting from the back of his skull and bringing with it a spray of scorching dragon blood.

Sefilas's body suddenly stiffened.

The light in his vertical pupils dimmed rapidly, like a candle flame blown out by the wind.

He opened his mouth wide, trying to make a final sound, but only exhaled a breath of foul air mixed with blood and foam.

The enormous dragon body swayed a few times in mid-air, and then crashed down like a collapsing mountain.

The sword light suddenly trembled, transforming once again into more than two hundred beams of dark gold light, which enveloped Sefilas's body, which had not yet fallen.

The secret techniques of the Soul Devouring Path were operating at full power at this moment.

Scales, flesh, bones... everything disintegrated, peeled away, and restored under the strangulation of the sword light, transforming into the most primitive form of essence.

Thick crimson blood mist erupted from the dragon's body, churning in mid-air like a volcanic eruption.

Within the blood mist, the phantom of a Stormwing Dragon struggled and writhed.

That was the remaining soul and will of Sefilas, making a final stand.

However, the sword light, like a maggot clinging to a bone, tightly coiled around the illusory figure, gradually devouring and eroding it.

The phantom's struggle grew weaker and weaker, its outline more and more blurred, until it finally collapsed completely with a silent wail, turning into countless tiny specks of light, along with the surrounding blood mist, which was swept away by the sword light.

When the last wisp of blood mist dissipated, Sefilas's body had completely vanished.

Only a ring remained, left in the air, swaying gently in the night breeze.

Anton raised his hand and the ring fell into his palm.

The entire ring is dark gold, with fine dragon patterns engraved on the surface, and a faint light flows between the patterns, clearly indicating that it is not an ordinary object.

I'd estimate that at the very least, it's an ancient-grade magical item.

Anton, however, didn't bother to check the ring at this moment. He casually put it away and kept his eyes fixed on the sword pellet floating in mid-air.

The sword pellet, which had absorbed the essence of an entire Saintly Stormwing Dragon, was now blazing with mysterious light, flickering like flames.

With each beat, the color becomes a little brighter.

The originally dark gold gradually became blazing, as if lava was flowing inside the pill, radiating dazzling light and heat through the thin shell.

Anton could clearly sense a powerful spiritual energy being nurtured and surging within the sword pellet.

Like a dormant embryo, the moment has finally come for it to hatch.

The sword pellet trembled violently, emitting a clear and melodious sword cry.

Like the sound of a bell coming from a very distant place, it is deep and resonant, carrying a kind of ethereal quality that cleanses the soul.

The light shone brightest at that moment, illuminating the entire night sky as if it were daytime.

Even Anton narrowed his eyes slightly.

As the light gradually faded, the shape of the sword pellet had undergone a significant change.

The once flickering, flame-like light has vanished, replaced by fine lines imprinted on the surface of the pill.

The patterns are intricate and profound, like some kind of ancient script, with each stroke conveying a mysterious and profound meaning.

Anton stared at the sword pellet, and could clearly sense an aura within it that was completely different from before.

It is no longer the vague instinctive reaction of the past, but a clearer "existence" with self-awareness.

He could feel that the sword was "watching" him.

Anton's expression shifted, and the sword pellet trembled slightly before transforming into a streak of light, swirling and dancing in the void.

No longer needing his control, the sword light itself drew graceful arcs across the night sky.

Suddenly, it moves like a fish playing in the water, graceful and free.

Suddenly, it moved like a shooting star chasing the moon, faster than lightning.

Every acceleration and change of direction was accompanied by an unprecedented agility.

It was as if it were no longer a weapon, but a bird that had been released into the sky, spreading its wings and enjoying the joy of freedom.

Anton could even clearly feel the joyful emotion conveyed by the sword ball.

He smiled slightly and beckoned with his hand.

The sword pellet landed steadily in his palm like a bird returning to its nest, trembled slightly a few times, and then quieted down, like a child waiting for praise.

Anton smiled with satisfaction.

This is a magical artifact.

The critical stage in the transformation of magical artifacts from "objects" to "living beings".

If the "fuzzy consciousness" of a mystical artifact is an instinct, like a plant growing towards light or a mimosa shrinking when touched, then a spiritual artifact already possesses true self-awareness.

It can sense, understand, and communicate with its owner's thoughts.

Like a newborn animal, though still naive, it already possesses its own mind.

The sword pellet had just broken through to the next level and was only a low-grade spiritual weapon; its spirit's consciousness was equivalent to that of a toddler.

Even so, it has already been able to establish a preliminary mental connection with Anton and can sense its master's basic emotions.

This mysterious connection is far beyond what any magical artifact can compare to.

Outwardly, this manifests as a significant improvement in the speed at which the sword pellet responds to Andon's commands.

Previously, Anton needed to use his divine sense to activate the sword pellet, which was quite sensitive, but ultimately there was still a layer between them.

But now it has become one with Anton's ideas, inseparable from each other.

The thought arises, the sword moves; the sword follows the heart.

In addition, magical artifacts have another significant advantage.

That is, the ability to autonomously absorb energy.

While the Xuanqi Sword Pills of the past would also absorb free-floating energy from heaven and earth, it was mostly passive.

The magical sword pellet can actively absorb energy to replenish its own consumption and reduce the user's mana burden.

Its absorption efficiency far surpasses that of the mysterious artifact.

The combination of self-awareness and the ability to actively absorb energy means that even if Anton's magic power is exhausted or he loses consciousness, the sword ball can continue to fight and protect its master.

This is something that mystical artifacts cannot do.

However, these are not the real strengths of magical artifacts.

Compared to Xuan weapons, the most fundamental qualitative change of spirit weapons lies in the enhancement of the power of laws.

The fine lines imprinted on the surface of the pills are not merely decorations, but rather the manifestation of the spirit's laws and authority.

When Anton unleashes his sword techniques, these patterns will automatically activate, integrating the power of the laws into the sword light, greatly increasing its power.

It's equivalent to a law amplifier.

This means that when Anton uses the "One Sword Transforms into Myriad Techniques" technique in the future, its power will be significantly greater than before.

This is the true power of a magical artifact.

If mystical artifacts are tools, then spiritual artifacts are combat partners.

It is no longer a cold, external object, but a living companion that can understand its owner's heart.

As the grade of the artifact increases, the consciousness of the artifact spirit will gradually strengthen.

From toddler to child, and then to teenager.

In the end, it can even condense into a phantom.

Once an artifact is upgraded to a true artifact, its spirit can take form, possess a physical body, and cultivate like a cultivator.

At that point, there's not much difference between artifact spirits and intelligent beings.

Anton pulled his wandering thoughts back, a slight thought stirring within him.

The sword pellet leaped from the palm of the hand and suddenly split apart in mid-air.

Two hundred and fifty-six sword lights, like an inverted Milky Way, spread out in the night sky.

Each sword light carried a faint, hazy yellow glow, as solid as a mountain and as sharp as a blade.

Anton raised his hand and pointed, and a sword light suddenly shot out, like a meteor falling to the ground, crashing onto the distant sea.

The sea surface was as if it had been slammed down by an invisible giant hand, creating a huge crater hundreds of meters in diameter, with waves splashing and water mist billowing everywhere.

Deep within the crater, the seawater roared under immense pressure, unable to close up for a long time.

Seeing this, Anton nodded in satisfaction.

The power of the sword light has increased by at least 50% compared to before.

The enhancement of his strength by the magical artifact was greater than he had expected.

Now, if he were to face that Stormwing Dragon again, he would be confident of killing it even without the help of the Six Ding Six Jia Divine Generals.

"Once I condense the true seal of my magical power, I may still have a chance of winning even against a saint in his prime."

Anton's smile deepened.

The breakthrough in sword pellets has brought his combat power to a new level.

But this is just the beginning.

Above spiritual artifacts are true artifacts and Dao artifacts, and the cultivation of swordsmanship is far from over.

Moreover, if the sword pellet wants to continue to improve, it needs to absorb more dragon essence.

However, the dragon race has already been wiped out.

Finding another holy dragon like Sephira is easier said than done.

Thinking of this, Anton turned his gaze to the distance, landing on the giant dragons that had been standing still since the start of the battle.

The dragons were still reeling from the shock of Sephira's death.

They never expected that Lord Sefilas, a Saint-level Stormwing Dragon, would die at the hands of a Legendary-level Elf.

Countless chaotic thoughts exploded in the dragons' minds, leaving them frozen in place, their vertical pupils filled with horror and bewilderment.

It wasn't until Anton's gaze swept over them that they felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over their heads, and they all shivered.

Fear surged through them like a tidal wave, making the scales on their bodies stand on end.

Just when they were filled with despair, thinking that they would suffer the same fate as Sefilas, Anton did not make a move as they had expected.

He simply raised his hand and gestured.

In an instant, the spatial rings hidden beneath the dragons' scales and carried close to their bodies flew out simultaneously, drawing countless arcs in the air before disappearing into Anton's sleeves.

"From now on, you will have to stay in the Nether Trench."

Anton gazed indifferently at the group of dragons.

"Anyone who dares to leave will be killed without mercy."

The dragons were stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening.

This elf... is planning to keep them as pets!