Deciding Life and Death First

In the Great Luo Immortal Domain, towering mountains hung upside down above a sea of clouds, separated from the ground by an immense distance. Like giant swords suspended in the heavens, they were a breathtaking sight. Atop one of those hovering peaks, a group of cultivators listened to a lecture on the Dao.

The lecturer was the Sword God, while his audience consisted entirely of Sword Immortals. Flying swords circled each of them, their auras razor-sharp.

The Sword God concluded his lecture and allowed the Sword Immortals to ask questions freely.

"Senior, Dao Evolution is invading. Can Sword Immortals enter this calamity and seek merit?" a Female Sword Immortal asked first. This was also the question on every other Sword Immortal's mind.

The Sword God answered, "Since this is a calamity of the Immortal Dao, those who step forward naturally earn merit."

Another Sword Immortal followed up, "How much can merit aid the Sword Dao? Is there hope of achieving Great Luo?"

"Great Luo has nothing to do with any particular path. It is a threshold in the essence of life itself. Any path can lead to Great Luo, merit included. But likewise, any path may fail to reach Great Luo."

The Sword God's words carried a sense of fatalism, yet he did not pronounce the destinies of the Sword Immortals present. Thus, they were not discouraged, nor did any of them ask whether they were qualified to attain Great Luo.

Until heaven and earth were decided, they all believed they had hope. They simply did not know which path would be faster.

This question-and-answer session lasted an entire day before the Sword Immortals bowed and departed.

The Sword God leaped from the suspended mountain. Heaven and earth spun around him as he stood proudly above the sea of clouds.