The Sword Pierces the Sky
As Bai Roushuang’s voice calling for the "ultimate move" faded, the group was plunged back into despair.
Someone couldn’t help but glance at Bai Roushuang, thinking this girl was far too naive to place such blind faith in her senior sister.
But at least this life would soon be over. Today, they would all perish in the Ten Thousand Insect Cavern, and in their next life, they could hope for a cleverer rebirth. They tried to console themselves with this bitter thought.
Some watched the approaching swarm with pale faces, others teared up as they contemplated their impending fate, while one suddenly burst into wild laughter: "Come on then! Today, I’ll detonate my golden core and take as many of these bugs with me as I can!"
The others, infected by his fervor, roared in agreement: "Well said! Let’s kill as many as we can before we die!"
Bai Roushuang, seeing someone already pressing a hand to their dantian, hurried to stop them, baffled. I’m summoning the ultimate move here—why are you all suddenly rushing to self-destruct your golden cores?
"Don’t stop us, miss! Even if we explode, we cultivators refuse to be devoured alive by these insects!"
"Wait—"
Just as they clamored to charge into the swarm and detonate themselves, a longsword split the sky, carving a gap through the dark mass of insects.
Light poured through the breach, igniting hope in their eyes.
Every head turned upward, watching as the sword, imbued with overwhelming force, slammed into the ground. Every giant insect between the blade and the earth was skewered effortlessly, as if they were nothing but melons and vegetables.
A flash of cold steel, a trail of crimson.
And the sword’s power was far from spent. The moment it struck the earth, it triggered a seismic shockwave, radiating outward from the point of impact. Nearby insects were pulverized into bloody pulp; those farther away were knocked unconscious, and the rest fled in panic.
The entire secret realm seemed to tremble in response.
This earth-shattering strike was, of course, delivered by Xu Shulou—her first time using the Sword Art of All Living Things in battle, having only recently mastered its first stance.
The first sword of the All Living Things was named Compassion.
To learn the subsequent stances—Slaughter, Bone-Trampling, and others—one had to first master Compassion.
It might seem ironic that a devastating sword technique bore such a gentle name, but according to Teacher Xue, the first stance was the hardest. Once Compassion was mastered, Slaughter could be grasped with surprising ease.
Now, in the Ten Thousand Insect Cavern...
As the sword’s shockwave dissipated, the world fell silent. The swarm lay dead or unconscious, the survivors scattering in terror. Bathed in unobstructed sunlight, the group felt as if they had been reborn.
Xu Shulou remained aloft, floating gracefully in the air. With a slight wave of her hand, she recalled Quexie Sword. This time, no one dared to resent her aloofness.
None present had ever seen the legendary sword immortals of ancient times, said to hold off armies with a single strike, but if such beings had ever existed, they must have looked just like this.
Xu Shulou hovered with ethereal grace, as if ready to ride the wind and vanish into the heavens. The group stared, unwilling to look away—all except Bai Roushuang, who kicked aside insect carcasses and diligently cleared a space, inviting her senior sister to descend.
Xu Shulou gave her an approving glance. Truly, my junior sister is the most considerate.
She descended gracefully, the insect-slaying sword transforming back into a folding fan. A breeze stirred, fluttering the ribbons in her hair as she flicked open the fan with effortless elegance. Standing amidst the carnage, she looked like an immortal untouched by mortal strife.
From the sword that split the sky to the celestial being descending to earth—the group was spellbound, momentarily forgetting even to thank her.
Xu Shulou shattered her own divine aura with her next words. She glanced around, surprised, then quickly averted her gaze: "Not bad. I thought this strike would only stun a small circle, and I’d have to hop around stabbing the ground a few more times to break the swarm’s encirclement."
The image of her hopping about, poking the ground here and there, instantly demolished her lofty, immortal image.
Snapping back to reality, the group rushed forward to express their gratitude. Nothing moved the heart more than salvation in the face of despair, and they felt no thanks could ever be enough.
Someone shot Bai Roushuang a glance. Earlier, they’d thought her foolish—now, they realized they were the fools. If they had a senior sister like this, they’d gladly carry her in a palanquin, let alone follow her lead.
Xu Shulou waved them off. "No need for formalities. Just save me a few multi-eyed giant spiders—I need their silk."
The group immediately scrambled to haul back spider carcasses. Xu Shulou counted roughly a few dozen, storing them in a spare Qiankun bag and tossing it to Bai Roushuang to deliver to Mr. Dan.
As for the other insects’ materials, Xu Shulou had no use for them and let the group take what they wanted. These parts could fetch a fair price in spirit stones, earning her unanimous praise for her generosity.
"What generosity?" Xu Shulou demurred. "I’m just not short on money."
"..." What a humble woman, the cash-strapped group thought, wiping away tears.
With so many carcasses, there was no need to fight over spoils. They gathered valuable materials, finished off the unconscious insects, and only after cleaning up did they pause to rest.
Exchanging names, they learned this "celestial being" was none other than the legendary Xu Shulou of Dustless Island. The burly man with the broadsword gaped at her. Rumors spoke of her prowess, but the Lingxiao Sect had vehemently denied the tale of her cutting through their elders to kill Wei Xuandao—apparently, he’d already been bound and helpless. The man had assumed Xu Shulou was merely the cream of the younger generation, but now, seeing her power, he realized she could rival even the older masters.
The group crowded around her eagerly, pushing Bai Roushuang aside: "Miss Xu, would you like some red bean paste with milk? Or yellow bean paste? Green bean paste?"
"..."
"Who eats yellow or green bean paste?" Bai Roushuang squeezed back in. "Leave the hospitality to a professional."
Hours ago, they’d wanted to steal Bai Roushuang from Xu Shulou; now, they wanted to steal Xu Shulou from Bai Roushuang. One pragmatist cut to the chase: "Does Elder Changyu still take disciples?"
"..."
With Xu Shulou's formidable sword strike serving as a deterrent, the remaining giant insects dared not harass them further. The group exited the Ten Thousand Insect Cavern without further trouble, their harvest so abundant that everyone wore smiles of satisfaction. Before parting ways, they thanked Xu Shulou once more and went their separate paths.
After ensuring someone among them would notify the major sects to repair the cavern's barrier, Xu Shulou and Bai Roushuang set off for the Endless Sea.
———
By the shores of the Endless Sea, Mr. Dan stood in silence, staring at the mountainous pile of giant spiders before him.
Xu Shulou kept her distance, while Bai Roushuang enthusiastically pulled out various giant insects. "Since I have no use for these, Mr. Dan, see if there’s anything you need?"
Mr. Dan had hired cultivators before to gather materials, but this was the first time he’d seen a mission so thoroughly—and excessively—completed, both in variety and quantity.
"You two… what kind of pill recipe do you want in return?"
Without hesitation, Xu Shulou asked, "Do you have a formula that can awaken spiritual veins in mortals?"
Mr. Dan paused, sighing softly. "No. You should know cultivation isn’t about defying the heavens. It all depends on the mortal’s own fate."
"I thought as much," Xu Shulou nodded. "But I had to ask for peace of mind."
Mr. Dan consoled her, "Don’t dwell on it. These things are never absolute. Some mortals might even develop spiritual veins in their seventies or eighties. The future is still unwritten."
"I understand."
"Are you asking for the sake of your junior brother who married a mortal?" Mr. Dan recalled Xu Shulou mentioning Song Ping and Sheng Wuyou’s grand wedding when they first arrived.
"Yes."
"I can’t awaken spiritual veins in mortals, but I do have a medicine that can make your junior brother forget this love entirely." Mr. Dan produced a small porcelain vial.
Xu Shulou shook her head. "If the day comes when he truly needs such a remedy, let him come and ask for it himself."
"Very well. Then what other pill recipe would you like?"
"I have nothing else in mind," Xu Shulou said, turning to Bai Roushuang. "Junior Sister, it’s your turn."
After a brief pause, Bai Roushuang replied, "I’d like a recipe to improve the taste of fasting pills."
Mr. Dan was taken aback. "That’s all?"
"Yes. I want to refine fasting pills so they taste better and spare low-level cultivators from suffering."
"That’s your grand ambition?" Mr. Dan couldn’t help but chuckle.
Bai Roushuang had her reasoning. "If I asked for a pill capable of destroying the world, you wouldn’t give it to me anyway."
Amused, Mr. Dan rose and walked to his desk, where he penned a recipe and handed it to her. "Here. Take it and leave. My little island can’t handle the likes of you two."
As he escorted them out, passing the towering heap of giant spiders, he finally couldn’t resist asking, "Did you two empty out the Ten Thousand Insect Cavern?"
Xu Shulou thought for a moment. "I don’t think I drove the giant spiders to extinction?"
Bai Roushuang added, "I believe you netted the entire swarm. I didn’t see any escapees."
Mr. Dan gave Xu Shulou a complicated look. He had only needed a finger-length strand of spider silk, imagining they’d stealthily pluck some from a web while the spiders were away. Instead, he’d unwittingly sent a force of nature who nearly wiped out the species.
Xu Shulou helpfully reminded him, "So use it sparingly. Who knows if the cavern will ever breed giant spiders again?"
"Spare it? I could wallpaper my home with this and still have enough left for generations!"
"..." Bai Roushuang shrugged. "Well, the spiders are delivered. If your taste runs to living in a cocoon of spider silk, we won’t judge."
Expressionless, Mr. Dan pointed to the lakeshore. "Your boat’s here."
Xu Shulou glanced at the small boat that had been docked there all along and smiled. With a cupped fist, she bid farewell. "Until we meet again, Mr. Dan!"
