Broken Sword

Demon Mountain was vast and majestic. Walking along it, one could not see its peak or its end.

Huge rocks sprawled across the mountain, forming a strange landscape. But this was no Pure Land. Bands of Black Mist swirled through the air, and the whole world was dim. From time to time, massive skeletons came into view, all that remained of ancient geniuses who had died here.

This small world opened once every few hundred years. No one knew how many young heroes from ages past had been buried here.

After dealing with the troublemakers, Bai Yixin began slowly climbing the mountain. Along the way, he discovered all kinds of bones, each as hard as iron or stone.

The mountain was dim, and the higher he climbed, the thicker the mist became. Bai Yixin stayed alert, because the mountain was dangerous. The corpses scattered across it were proof enough that too many powerful beings had died here in the past.

Though Bai Yixin was confident he could take on any being who entered, who knew what dangers might still be hidden in this Demon Soil?

The mountain was immense, and the higher he climbed, the more people he encountered. Over the next few days, Bai Yixin struck several times, killing a number of greedy beings with ill intentions.

Along the way, he saw many bodies. They had not been dead long, and their bodies were still warm. Bai Yixin picked them up one by one and put them into his Universe Bag.

He treated nonhumanoid bodies as ingredients for meat and blood medicines, while he kept the humanoid ones to trade with Huo Ling'er for something good.

And it was precisely because Bai Yixin was so brazen, swaggering through the battlefield and picking up corpses, that people attacked him.

Who would want their friends and comrades to be mistreated after they died?

But even being surrounded posed no threat to Bai Yixin. He welcomed anyone who came for him. Not one of those who attacked him escaped; Bai Yixin caught up to each one and rewarded them with a sword strike.

Perhaps because Bai Yixin was so vicious, he even earned himself a nickname: Corpse Collector. Wherever he went, no one dared aim an attack in his direction.

Whenever Bai Yixin showed up to watch, the people fighting would even stop and leave in unison, so they would not become corpses for him to collect.

Treasure-Dividing Cliff was vast. Whenever a spiritual treasure appeared, bloodshed was sure to follow, so battles raged everywhere. Only the places Bai Yixin passed through were peaceful.

That was the fearsome reputation Bai Yixin had made for himself.

"Another freebie. This is great." Bai Yixin put away a spiritual treasure, then swept up a pile of corpses and stuffed them into his Universe Bag. Most of them had been left behind by kindhearted people who refused to give up.

Mm, they had made sure to leave themselves behind so Bai Yixin's efforts wouldn't go to waste. They were certain of it (͡°͜ʖ͡°)✧.

The mountain loomed high, and the closer one came to the summit, the greater the danger. After all, those who made it this far were surely among the strongest. Bai Yixin climbed on foot and finally reached the peak, entering the true Treasure-Dividing Cliff.

The summit was vast, like a highland. It was no small patch of land. Huge rocks of all shapes and sizes lay scattered everywhere, as though all kinds of treasures had turned to stone.

Legend had it that in ancient times, the sages had wept and bled here. After many of them perished, their weapons had been arrayed upon the Treasure-Dividing Rock, creating this very sight.

An ancient stone stele stood there, inscribed with several lines of text. It warned people not to make a racket and disturb the sages' slumber, and not to damage the place or destroy the Treasure-Dividing Cliff.

Clearly, it was a warning to those who came here: this was a place where weapons were forbidden, and no one was allowed to fight.

Bai Yixin glanced into the distance. A huge vicious spirit had refused to believe in the rules and provoked them. Now it lay on the ground, reduced to a pool of blood, with only a few fragments of bone left, gleaming with a pale luster. It had died a truly gruesome death.

"Better to believe the warning than not. Without enough strength, challenging rules laid down by the strong is like looking for shit in a toilet. What else could it be?" Bai Yixin shook his head and walked into the Stone Forest.

The mountaintop opened into a broad expanse of land. Huge rocks sprawled everywhere. Once he reached the deepest part of the Stone Forest, Bai Yixin could not help but marvel. Many of the rocks bore lifelike patterns: a Golden Crow chasing lightning, Qiuniu treading the sea, Kunpeng spreading its wings... all in different shapes.

It was said that quite a few weapons were hidden inside the boulders.

And someone had indeed found something: a War Spear, crystalline and scarlet as blood, less than a foot long, yet dazzling beyond measure. Runes swirled around it, and it rumbled like thunder, its aura terrifying.

Though it was damaged, its spearhead had broken off, leaving only a section of shaft. Even so, it was enough to shock the world. It seethed with killing intent and could rival some of the sect-protecting treasures outside.

Bai Yixin silently memorized the man's appearance and aura, planning to have a good talk with him once they got out.

As he wandered through the Stone Forest, Bai Yixin tried communicating with the boulders using Runes, to see if any other ancient artifacts might be willing to leave with him.

At the same time, Bai Yixin did not forget what he had mainly come here for.

"Ghost Master, where's your sword? Give me a hint. I can't just smash through the stone in here to see what's inside."

Suddenly, the chilly voice sounded beside Bai Yixin's ear again.

"My sword... my sword..."

A string of black characters appeared on Bai Yixin's forehead. Wisps of Black Mist rose and curled around his ears, faintly pointing toward a certain place.

Following the guidance, Bai Yixin walked over to a battered rock.

Then the mere two-foot-long broken rock began to exude black smoke. Cracks spread across it with a series of sharp snaps, until at last it split open.

Hearing the noise, quite a few people looked over in surprise. Someone had found another treasure. They were unbearably envious.

But when they saw the battered rock, they all froze. Then they noticed that no dazzling light was shining from it—instead, it was belching black smoke. Their mouths all twisted.

Bai Yixin curled his lip slightly. If he had not known that the Broken Sword was incredibly powerful, he might have been fooled by the sight of this piece of junk.

When the black smoke dispersed, it revealed a broken piece of iron, ugly as could be, mottled with rust and so corroded it was almost falling apart.

Only a close look revealed that it was a sword. The ornaments on its hilt had rotted away, leaving only the sword's spine, barely enough to grip.

Bai Yixin wrinkled his nose. The smell was a bit intense. He gripped the hilt with his right hand and pulled hard, but at that very moment, a monstrous killing intent swept over him and surged into his body.

In an instant, he saw mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the land awash with bodies, and countless beings wiped out.

The aura was terrifying enough to shatter a genius. Even Bai Yixin's formidable body trembled for an instant.

The killing intent had come too suddenly, and Bai Yixin had not expected it. That was why he had been caught off guard.

Bai Yixin's response was: I was careless. I didn't dodge.

Though the killing intent was astonishing, it could not shake Bai Yixin's spirit in the slightest.

Cultivators like Bai Yixin, who sought immortality through the Dao, placed the greatest importance on tempering their Dao hearts. Though the killing intent was fearsome, Bai Yixin had fought his way out of the Great Wilderness, through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He feared none of it, and his heart did not waver. The killing intent washed over his powerful body without harming it; instead, his body seemed to grow a little stronger. Unfortunately, the killing intent did not last long, so the effect was barely noticeable.

Bai Yixin, who did not rush but instead honed himself little by little at every realm, constantly questioned his own heart and strengthened his resolve. As he tempered his body, he never forgot to deliberately train his state of mind, too.

Just as he was doing now, he did not let this opportunity pass him by. As the killing intent honed his spirit, Bai Yixin lost some of his gentleness and gained a trace of sharpness. His deep eyes seemed to hold a little more killing intent, so piercing that they stung to look at.

Without changing expression, Bai Yixin slowly drew the sword. With a clear clang, the ancient sword came free of the rotten stone and appeared in his hand.

"Pfft."

Many people burst out laughing. The sword was just too battered; it barely even looked like a sword anymore. It was covered in rust and only a foot long, since most of it had broken off and been lost.

Even the remaining section had once broken and been pieced back together. The seam was obvious, and the sword's surface was full of pits and dents, almost rotted through.

Bai Yixin glanced at the onlookers who had gathered around. A single look silenced them all, and their instincts began screaming that disaster was about to strike.

Only after Bai Yixin turned his gaze back to the Broken Sword did the crowd begin whispering among themselves.

"That's the Corpse Collector. Watch yourselves!"

"Exactly. Be careful he doesn't pick 'you' up after he leaves. That fiend kills wherever he goes, as long as you get in his way."

"Right, right. How could something that caught this vicious man's eye be worthless? Maybe we were wrong about it."

The ancient sword had no edge. Its unrusted parts were black, with faint, blurry patterns. Its blade was cold, and it looked as if it were about to fall apart. But once in his hand, it weighed tens of thousands of pounds.

Only someone with a body as terrifying as Bai Yixin's could hold it in one hand like a bundle of straw. He turned it this way and that, inspecting it.

"It's a fine sword. If it were intact, I could probably rampage through this small world with it," Bai Yixin thought.

Of course, he meant the native beings, not outsiders. Against outsiders, Bai Yixin could already rampage using his own cultivation. He was confident no one could stand against him.

"Huo Ling'er is here too. Perfect. I can say hello and hand over the goods while I'm at it. Whether I can return to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion smoothly depends on her... and her old man, too?"

Another group entered the Stone Forest, led by a young woman. Her hair was jet-black, her forehead smooth and full, her chin slightly pointed, and her eyes bright and teeth pearly white. She was strikingly beautiful, with a lively air about her.

She was the Fire Kingdom Princess. Though only fifteen or sixteen, she had a graceful figure and nearly perfect curves. Her eyes shimmered as she swayed toward them. Her neck was fair, her bosom full, her waist slender enough to fit in one hand, and her legs long and straight. Every step was graceful.

Behind the Fire Kingdom Princess were several people in cloaks. They were clearly Sealers—the very ones who had broken into the Divine Grotto and brought out the descendants of the gods. They were tremendously powerful, and their injuries had long since healed.

The five geniuses from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion were following them as well. None had perished.

Bai Yixin had a way to leave on his own: he could use a Space Teleportation Talisman. But it was not worth it. The talismans were simply too expensive—ten million each—and even inside this small world, one could teleport straight back to Stone Village.

Bai Yixin was not so extravagant that he would use his trump card on a whim. Using this little pile of junk to build a good relationship with Huo Ling'er and trade for a few things was a pretty good deal.

"Hey, junior sister. Need your senior brother to watch over you?" Bai Yixin slung the Broken Sword over his back and walked toward Huo Ling'er and her group. No one dared linger where he passed; they all scattered and kept their distance.

"You think I need you to protect me?!" The Fire Kingdom Princess's black-gem eyes were full of doubt. "But you... what did you do to make them so afraid of you?"

Why did it feel like one Bai Yixin was more frightening than their whole group put together?

"I didn't do anything. Everyone's been so nice to me. Along the way, they haven't fought me for a single thing; they even left me plenty of local specialties." Bai Yixin greeted the Heaven-Mending Pavilion seniors who had come with her, then spoke with an utterly harmless expression.

The onlookers and the souls who had died beneath his fists all thought: Yeah, right. I believe that for a second!

"Local specialties? What are they?" A glint flashed in Huo Ling'er's beautiful eyes as she asked curiously.

"Here." Bai Yixin opened the Universe Bag slung behind him and poured out a human-shaped mountain of bodies.

"Hiss!"

Everyone was horrified. Good grief, there had to be at least seventy or eighty in that pile, if not a hundred—and those were only the humanoids. If you added the nonhumanoids, plus all the ones he had already eaten, wouldn't the total be even more terrifying?

Just how many people had fallen into this fiend's clutches?!

"You killed all of them?!" Huo Ling'er's cherry-red mouth hung open wide enough to fit something inside as she stared at him in shock.

"Who else?" Bai Yixin smiled faintly, quite pleased with their reaction.

"Here. These are yours now. Make sure you give me something of equal value in return." Looking at the stunned Huo Ling'er, Bai Yixin could not resist reaching out and patting her head.

"Ah!" Huo Ling'er came back to her senses and glared at Bai Yixin. Given this pile of goods, she let his wandering hands slide.

"Aren't you afraid I'll renege?" Huo Ling'er could hardly believe that anyone could trust her so much. They had only met once or twice, yet he was willing to hand over so many valuable things. Could it be that...

A faint light gleamed in Huo Ling'er's eyes. The spirited young man before her seemed to shine. The corner of her mouth lifted, revealing a little dimple.

"I'm not afraid. Your family's Sacrificial Spirit is on good terms with our village." Bai Yixin produced a Crimson Feather. It gave off a special fiery glow. Its essence was not especially abundant, but its aura was enough to make one's heart tremble.

The feather was as red as blood. The aura it gave off made Huo Ling'er's heart quiver. It was so familiar, so deeply etched in her memory—it was exactly the same as the aura of the Fire Kingdom's Sacrificial Spirit, the Vermilion Bird.

"This is the Sacrificial Spirit's feather! Where did you get it?" Huo Ling'er was stunned. She could hardly believe Bai Yixin had pulled out one of their own Sacrificial Spirit Vermilion Bird's feathers.

The Fire Kingdom's Sacrificial Spirit Vermilion Bird was an incredibly powerful Venerable, and it was on good terms with their village...

Then it made sense that a monster like Bai Yixin could come from their village. They called it a village, but it was probably some terrifying ancestral land hidden in the Great Wilderness.

The several Sealers accompanying Huo Ling'er were moved as well. After they calmed down, their attitude toward Bai Yixin grew noticeably warmer.

"This is a token left by the... ahem, Lord Vermilion Bird. It was specially prepared." Bai Yixin thought that asking Little One for it had been worth it. The effect was excellent.

"It really is the Sacrificial Spirit's feather." Huo Ling'er examined it for a while, then handed the Crimson Feather back to Bai Yixin. She would tell her father about it once they got out.

"Call me senior brother. I'll watch over you and treat you to something tasty," Bai Yixin said with a smile as he flipped the Vermilion Bird's feather out of sight.

"S-senior brother!" Huo Ling'er's cheeks reddened. She bit her lip and weighed the pros and cons. With the Sacrificial Spirit's feather, Bai Yixin could be considered one of their own. Given how vicious he was, having him around would greatly improve her chances of staying safe in this small world. And the food he made was pretty tasty, too...

"There you go, junior sister~" Bai Yixin smiled happily. It felt pretty good.

"Brother Little White!" A familiar voice came from afar.