Chapter 10: The Primordial Coffin Nail of Demon Slaughter

Lu Wu surveyed his surroundings. “Be careful, someone’s coming.”

Ziyu turned her head and saw a young female disciple approaching.

“So, you must be Sister Ziyu?” The girl smiled warmly. “From now on, we’re disciples under the same sect.”

Ziyu replied cautiously, “Greetings, Senior Sister.”

With a gentle smile, the girl introduced herself, “My name is Zhao Yi.”

Ziyu asked, “Senior Sister Zhao Yi, aren’t you going to look for a sword?”

Zhao Yi’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “Before I came, my mother told me that many years ago, one of our ancestors left a sword named Phoenix Song on the summit of the Great Void. That sword is of the fire attribute, which suits me very well. I don’t need to search for a sword; I just need to retrieve Phoenix Song.”

A hint of envy flashed in Ziyu’s eyes. “How fortunate. I don’t even know what I should be looking for.”

Zhao Yi pointed in a certain direction, still smiling. “I’ve heard the best swords are to the west.”

Ziyu quickly bowed in gratitude. “Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister.”

After Zhao Yi left, Ziyu turned westward.

Lu Wu asked, “Do you really believe her?”

Ziyu paused. “Senior, is there something wrong?”

Lu Wu’s Book of Knowledge was constantly scanning the swords nearby. All the swords at their current location were third-grade; heading east would lead to fourth-grade swords, and in the distance, there were faint traces of fifth-grade sword blanks. To the west, however, lay second-grade swords, and further still, first-grade ones, and even beyond, swords without any grade at all.

Lu Wu explained, “Have you prepared yourself for entering the Sword Mound? Which sword is better—first-grade or fifth-grade?”

Ziyu answered, “Of course, fifth-grade. Sword blanks are ranked from first to ninth grade, with higher grades being superior. There are even legendary grades above that.”

Lu Wu nodded. “Oh really? Then let me tell you, westward lies only second-grade swords, with first-grade and even ungraded ones further out. To the east are fourth-grade swords, and in the distance, fifth-grade.”

Ziyu was stunned. “Why would she lie to me? What have I done to offend her?”

Ordinary novices have no way of distinguishing the grade of sword blanks. If she had believed Zhao Yi, she would have entered the Great Void Summit in vain and come away with a worthless sword.

Lu Wu sighed, “Naïve. Go east.”

Ziyu fell silent, feeling unsettled. She started toward the east, with Lu Wu guiding her. “Head up,” he directed.

Ziyu began to climb the mountain.

“Huh?” Lu Wu was surprised to discover that the arrangement of the swords was not as simple as it appeared. If he connected the sword blanks he had observed so far, they formed a line—a pattern.

Having found this pattern, Lu Wu changed his scanning method. “Now go down.”

“Head east.”

“Up.”

“West.”

“South.”

With each scan, the situation became stranger. At first, a whole area seemed filled with fine swords, but as he chose the path leading toward the highest-quality blades, the scenery around them changed dramatically and unpredictably.

Was this normal? Or was this the legendary art of Qimen Dunjia? Or perhaps something even more advanced?

Lu Wu had no idea he was already unraveling the secret of the Great Void Summit.

The Great Void Sword Array!

A woman’s voice echoed in his mind: “Since you’ve uncovered the secret of the Great Void Sword Array, you must remember its arrangement.”

Lu Wu was startled, uncertain how to respond. Even transmitting thoughts from his soul would require finding the other soul first.

The woman said, “Just transmit your thoughts toward your left front wing.”

Lu Wu responded immediately, “The Great Void Sword Array? What is it for? Does arranging the sword blanks this way enhance their quality?”

The woman answered, “The Great Void Sword Array is a sword formation of immense offensive power. If the Great Void Palace were to activate it, even saints would struggle to withstand its might.

“You’ve managed to discern the pattern of the Great Void Sword Array, which shows you have a rare gift for both swordsmanship and formations—talents I lack, so I cannot guide you further.”

Lu Wu had to memorize the route by himself. After the conversation, he realized this was indeed a sword array. Standing outside the array, all one saw were ordinary swords. Only by following the pattern into the core could the finest swords be found.

As for Zhao Yi, even if she had a method for finding a sword, it would be limited to a single blade. But by following the sword array, Lu Wu could lead Ziyu to all the best sword blanks at the summit.

Venturing deeper, Ziyu suddenly shuddered as her gaze fell upon a purple sword blank.

Lu Wu asked, “You feel something?”

“This sword is so powerful!” Ziyu replied. “I can sense it calling to me!”

Lu Wu observed, “An eighth-grade sword blank—no wonder it’s strong. You can draw it now, or you can continue forward. But a wise horse will not graze on old grass. If you pass it by and later return after trying for other swords but are not chosen, it may no longer respond to you.”

Ziyu hesitated.

An eighth-grade sword blank—in comparison, the ones she’d seen earlier were only third-grade. This sword was resonating with her. If she didn’t choose it, perhaps no other sword would choose her.

She wavered. “Senior, do you think I should draw this sword?”

Lu Wu replied, “I won’t be drawing a sword here. I want to see what a ninth-grade sword looks like, and what lies beyond even that.”

Taking heart from his words, Ziyu made up her mind. “Then I won’t draw it either!”

…

At the foot of the mountain, Li Daoyun asked, “Elder Chen, how do you think the new inner disciples will fare this time?”

Elder Chen replied, “Xiang Hong might be able to retrieve an eighth-grade sword. As for Ziyu, if she’s lucky, a sixth, seventh, or even an eighth-grade sword blank isn’t out of the question.”

Li Daoyun fell silent. “Are these disciples lacking in talent?”

Elder Chen shook his head. “It’s mainly because the fathers of this year’s inner disciples are all peripheral members of the Great Void Palace. There aren’t many direct descendants of elder-level cultivators, and the only one—Tian Bugui—is…”

Li Daoyun sighed, visibly troubled. “We’ll deal with Bugui’s matter in due time. I’ll personally forge a sword blank for him.”

…

On the mountain, Ziyu stood firm, refusing to draw the sword. “Elder Chen said that cultivating the Way is to defy the heavens. If I can’t become the strongest, what is the point of cultivation?”

Lu Wu quipped, “That’s not quite right. There’s a place in the world for those who fall behind as well.”

Without the underachievers, the top students would become the new underachievers. Even if the top students were gone, the geniuses would be demoted to underachievers anyway.

A youthful smile appeared on Ziyu’s face. “Senior, you don’t need to test me anymore. I’ve made up my mind—let’s keep going!”

Test? Who’s testing you…

Lu Wu said, “This time, we won’t go forward. We turn back.”

Worthy of a sword formation—when moving forward, the sword blanks improved in quality, but now, the better ones were behind them.

What was the principle? Lu Wu didn’t know, nor did he need to. He trusted his Book of Knowledge, which continued scanning.

Standing on Ziyu’s shoulder, Lu Wu guided her along. Gradually, he realized that whether he led her east, west, north, south, up, or down, as long as they followed the sword array’s path, they drew ever closer to the summit. Now, they were nearly at the peak.

At the summit of the Great Void, countless rays of light burst forth.

Outside the Sword Mound, Li Daoyun suddenly sensed something and looked up.

Ahead, a pillar of light pierced the heavens, shattering the perpetual clouds and shaking the sky.

The elders saw the light and exclaimed, “Someone has deciphered the Great Void Sword Array?!”

“Impossible! None of these disciples possess such talent in the way of the sword!”

Li Daoyun pondered aloud, “Could it be one of the four new disciples?”

Elder Chen, who oversaw the selection, mused, “Among the four, Xiang Hong is the most gifted. Could it be him? Or perhaps Ziyu?”

A smile appeared on Li Daoyun’s face. “No matter who it is, after this, they will be a candidate for the Palace Master for the next three centuries. Elder Chen, you’ve done very well.”

Elder Chen replied humbly, “It’s all thanks to your leadership, Palace Master.”

At the summit, Lu Wu felt as though every sword was calling out for him to draw it.

“Damn, am I the chosen one? The fated sword-bearer? No, I’m a mosquito.”

Ziyu, too, felt the summons of the swords around her. All these nearby were sword blanks of a grade surpassing the ninth!

At that moment, atop the summit, a figure appeared out of thin air, radiating golden light.

“To break through the sword formation is truly extraordinary talent. Whoever you are, as long as you are a disciple of the Great Void Palace, you may draw one supreme sword blank as your core sword.”

“Draw your sword.”

Feeling the call, Ziyu found the sword with the strongest resonance—a sword blank of interwoven purple and blue, entwined like dragon and phoenix.

As she approached, the sword blank erupted in a pillar of light, the twin colors swirling upward like entwined dragons and phoenixes, piercing the sky.

Outside the mountain, Li Daoyun was astonished. “Phoenix and dragon! It’s a female disciple!”

Elder Chen was equally shocked. “It really is Ziyu?!”

At the summit, Lu Wu searched carefully, but none of the swords seemed to call to him especially. As he flew about, he spotted a rusty iron sword deeply embedded in the earth, only its tip visible like a nail.

The thick scent of blood upon it drove Lu Wu wild with excitement.

“This is it! Could this be the First Slaughter Sword of the Great Void Palace? Such a murderous aura! How wicked you are—and yet I like it!”

He had found his sword. Though it looked nothing like a conventional sword blank, the heavy scent of blood was perfect for his mosquito body.

Lu Wu moved in and pulled with all his might.

“Huh? It doesn’t budge?”

“Damn, you’re forcing me to use my strength! Convert soul energy to blood force—power of eight men!”

Boom!

The three-inch nail was wrenched free, and a surge of blood-red light shot into the sky, far surpassing the purple and blue pillar of the Phoenix Dragon Sword!

Lu Wu laughed gleefully, “As expected, the most unassuming things are often the strongest—the great Dao lies in simplicity! This sword is powerful! Who cares if it’s ugly? Its pillar of light is eight times brighter than the purple-blue treasure sword!”

The woman’s voice resounded in his mind, “Still marveling? Hurry and leave—fly east as fast as you can!”

Lu Wu was baffled. “???”

Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, Li Daoyun—still inwardly praising Ziyu—watched in disbelief as a pillar of blood-red light shot skyward before him.

“What the—!!! Who just pulled up the coffin nail of the Ancient Demon of Slaughter?!”

A roar shook the heavens atop the Great Void Summit.

Across all corners of the Great Void Palace, hidden experts instantly converged on the outer mountain.

“The Ancient Demon of Slaughter has revived? Damn it! Who pulled out the core of the Great Void Sword Array?!”