Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

A thick, bloated, rotting, ghastly green foot stepped onto the ground next to a black cauldron, bent down to pick up the simple-looking pot.

Gently patting the bottom of the pot, the figure sighed affectionately, "So rough..."

...

Having left the company of the Feng sisters, Yue Ying, Bai E recalled that there seemed to be a group of souls still needing attention.

Last time, when facing the full might of the unclean Sogros, she had achieved a breakthrough to the third tier of Spiritual Energy with the help of those wandering souls, and for the first time, realized that her skill 'Soul Black Hole' indeed harbored a bunch of homeless souls.

But back then, with a formidable enemy ahead, she had no time to communicate with them.

Now that she had a moment to spare, it would be possible to ask how these souls were faring in the space created by 'Soul Black Hole'?

Bai E returned to her room, sat cross-legged, and concentrated in silence.

In an instant, her consciousness shifted from the material world to the space within her personal 'Soul Black Hole'.

The initial perspective was like watching over all living creatures from high above, where each soul resembled tiny ants scurrying around in this endless and pale space.

Among them, one group stood out. While other souls ran around aimlessly, only those heading in that direction were like a dense army of marching ants, moving in an orderly fashion, seemingly with some purpose.

From this perspective, Bai E herself did not manifest.

The souls below also seemed unaware that Bai E had once again arrived in their world.

With a single thought, Bai E, who was closely connected to this space, locked onto the targets she wished to contact—

Glatis and Feier Ade were together, and just happened to be en route with that dense procession.

Bai E did not want to draw the attention of all the souls every time she descended, so she quietly landed on an uninhabited patch of ground, while using her Spiritual Energy to transmit her thoughts to the two girls.

"Lord, have you come?!"

"Lord..."

The two girls received the message and came before Bai E. Feier Ade's face lit up with joy, while Glatis bowed her head softly in greeting.

"Yes..." Bai E nodded, glancing around, "How is it going here for you?"

"Not bad," Feier Ade replied, tilting her face, identical to Nova's, with a hint of pride, "Much more comfortable than the life before."

Living a daily routine of seeking out demons to fight was far more exhilarating than the past.

Glatis pursed her lips and responded while looking down, "We found a one-way path to a higher-dimensional space in that direction, and we occasionally head out to try to clear some demons."

"A higher-dimensional space?" Bai E was taken aback and looked towards the direction of the marching souls, surprise flickering in her eyes, "It actually leads to a higher-dimensional space?"

However, with Glatis' comprehensive explanation, Bai E wasn't worried for the safety of these souls.

"But have any of you been injured when venturing out?"

Glatis nodded almost imperceptibly, "As it is combat, injuries are inevitable. But if demons are humanity's enemies, then those of us who can no longer return should find something to do..."

'Even if it means dying at the hands of demons.'

Bai E frowned slightly, looking at the girl before her who was shorter than herself and unwilling to meet her gaze, "Your future may not be without hope."

If this kind of thinking was mainstream in this space, Bai E didn't want them to adopt a defeatist attitude toward fighting demons.

Finally, the girl lifted her gaze and looked earnestly into Bai E's eyes, "Lord, even if we continue as humans, we must find ways to do something for humanity. Demons are humanity's enemy, and each demon we slay reduces the likelihood of them encroaching upon reality. And now, since we possess an essence similar to those demons, we should all the more use this special ability to fulfill our duties as humans! This is not pessimism regarding the future, and you need not feel sorrow for our current situation. Lord... You have far too much to bear."

"..." Bai E pursed her lips.

Realizing that these soul bodies all possessed their own souls, their own thoughts, and were living beings, they still maintained their human pride, which continued to drive their actions, despite only their spirits remaining.

Given that...

Bai E extended a hand, and a familiar longsword instantly appeared in the palm of his right hand.

The past nobility's ornate longsword, with repeated nourishment and elevation from demonic essence, now bore a tinge of malevolence on its blade.

Even without being unsheathed, there existed some sort of soul-piercing shriek within it.

Blade of Lawful Heart.

"This sword, from now on, I entrust to you," he said.

[Blade of Lawful Heart Authority Transfer: Glatis.]

Unlike the initial authority transfer to Yue Ying, Bai E's intention back then was purely to free Yue Ying from a state corroded by the demon of desire.

But now... Bai E genuinely entrusted the Blade of Lawful Heart itself to this unwavering girl.

From life to death, her demeanor had proven her to be a trustworthy leader.

Moreover, her life now consisted solely of battling demons, and possessing this sword would enable her to better combat those demons wielding various powers and authorities.

Additionally, an understanding he had previously reached with the Spirit of Wind was that the demons of high-dimensional space must be regularly purged to slightly reduce the threat they posed to all living beings.

He couldn't constantly take the entire city's Spiritual Energy wielders on risky ventures, perhaps these soul bodies within the soul black hole could persist in doing so.

As for himself, having given away the Blade of Lawful Heart...

What he had entrusted was merely the object itself, not the ability to enchant an ordinary longsword into the "Blade of Lawful Heart" on a whim.

Not to mention, compared to his own divided attention, entrusting the Blade of Lawful Heart to these souls, whose lives revolved around fighting demons, would probably accelerate the sword's upgrading process.

By the time, the Blade of Lawful Heart he would call forth would always be an "enhanced version," constantly on the path of upgrade.

After having players initate character leveling, Bai E had found another path to leveling up weapons through proxies.

Of course, no matter his underlying rationale, acknowledging the intrinsic nature of Glatis remained the indispensable core of his decision.

Looking at Bai E handing over the longsword sideways, Glatis was slightly taken aback.

Having absorbed a trace of "eternal" Divine Power, she was capable to a certain extent of sensing the might of the sword before her.

It was a powerful Divine Artifact, nourished by the slaying of countless demons.

And now... such a Divine Artifact was being entrusted to her by the trust of her superior?

Glatis bit her lip, stepping forward respectfully, and held her hands high over her bowed head to cautiously receive the longsword that would from then on be more precious than her own life.

"This sword will provide a considerable boost in fighting demons, and it will also protect the warriors under your command from several types of demonic corruption. It is currently more effective against demons of the 'desire' and 'eternal' kinds; however, when facing demons of other authorities, you need to be extra careful," Bai E gently cautioned, as if he was explaining trivial usage details.

Glatis just held the sword tightly to her chest, silently observing all the advice coming from the superior, and finally lifted her eyes. For the first time, that typically soft gaze held an unwavering resolve, "I shall not fail in the trust you have bestowed upon me!"

Watching as Bai E's figure slowly faded from before her eyes, Glatis gripped the sword's hilt and raised it high towards the sky.

Her thoughts swept through all the soul bodies in the space, and Glatis's voice echoed in the heart of each one.

"Today, under this sword we must swear our oath!"

"We shall not return until the demons are vanquished!"

"We are known as the 'Holy Oath Army'!"