Bao Pu

Overview

Bao Pu (抱朴) is a natal flying sword belonging to the great sword immortal Lu Zhi (陆芝). Highly lethal and inextricably linked to her combat prowess, the flying sword is renowned for possessing two distinct innate abilities (本命神通) that systematically destroy a cultivator's foundation by directly targeting their Yin Spirit (阴神) and Yang Spirit avatar (阳神身外身).

Innate Abilities and Combat Application

The true terror of Bao Pu lies in the synergy of its dual abilities, which force an opponent into an immediate and devastating dilemma on the battlefield. Its attacks act like an inescapable embrace (如怀抱), following the enemy like a shadow.

• Shadow Binding (First Ability): The flying sword possesses the ability to instantly imprison a cultivator's shadow, which immediately injures and pins down their Yin Spirit. The Yin Spirit's reflection becomes nailed in place like a black cloth. If the trapped cultivator attempts to move or shift positions to evade further attacks, they are forced to tear their own Yin Spirit apart.
• Yang Spirit Shredding (Second Ability): If the cultivator hesitates to be decisive—unwilling to ruthlessly abandon their trapped Yin Spirit—they immediately trigger the flying sword's second innate ability. Described as "exhausting its subtlety, stripping silk from a cocoon" (穷其精微、抽丝剥茧), this ability uses a barrage of pure sword intent to directly strike and severely damage the opponent's Yang Spirit avatar.

Because both the Yin and Yang Spirits involve the very root of a cultivator's Great Dao (大道根本), Bao Pu creates a lose-lose scenario. During high-level combat, opponents are forced to either permanently mutilate their own soul to escape or suffer catastrophic damage to their primary avatars.

References

• 剑来33：城头刻新字，第七章 — 二三事: Confirms Bao Pu as Lu Zhi's flying sword and details its two innate abilities: pinning the cultivator's shadow to freeze and tear the Yin Spirit, and using pure sword intent to heavily damage the Yang Spirit avatar if the opponent hesitates.