The Quest for Immortality

The Five Brothers of Tai Ah quickly moved back into formation, blocking in front of Mo Hua, standing like five small mountains, allowing no one to approach.

At the same time, Cheng Mo, Yang Qianjun, Situ Jian, and others also closed in around Mo Hua, tightening their formation.

Feng Zichen, relying on his superior footwork, took the lead and charged toward Mo Hua.

Using Carefree Wind-Stepping, he rapidly closed the distance, and with Eight Trigram Wandering Wind Steps, he weaved between the Tai Xu Sect disciples, his figure turning into a blur of white afterimages. Within just a dozen exchanges, he broke through Tai Xu Sect’s defenses and pushed within twenty zhang (about 66 meters) of Mo Hua—the closest any genius among the Four Sects and Seven Clans had ever gotten to him.

Then, Feng Zichen unleashed his Swift Blade Like the Wind, aiming straight for Mo Hua’s vital point. But just as he stepped within ten zhang (33 meters), the ground beneath him suddenly erupted as rocks rose up, transforming into a cage that blocked his path.

Moments later, the Five Brothers of Tai Ah immediately closed in, surrounding him. Five massive swords came crashing down on Feng Zichen, overwhelming him with relentless, thunderous strikes.

The sheer weight and power of these giant swords were terrifying.

Since Feng Zichen specialized in speed-based swordsmanship, he dared not clash head-on. He had no choice but to temporarily retreat. But just as he took a few steps back, a wisp of spiritual ink seeped into the ground, turning it into flowing sand.

Focused on defending against the Five Brothers of Tai Ah, Feng Zichen was caught off guard. His right foot sank into the quicksand, and though he managed to break free within moments, a chill ran down his spine.

In the chaos of battle, even being restrained for two breaths of time could be fatal. And sure enough, Situ Jian, who had been lying in wait for an opportunity, seized the moment.

He condensed a strike of Blazing Fire Sword Qi and slashed through the air— hitting Feng Zichen square in the back.

Staggering forward, Feng Zichen turned his head, only to see a pair of giant axes swinging toward him.

Cheng Mo, known for his synergy with Situ Jian, seized the opportunity. As soon as Feng Zichen was struck by the Blazing Fire Sword Qi, Cheng Mo followed up immediately with his twin axes.

A solid strike landed—Feng Zichen took a direct hit from Cheng Mo’s axe. Death was imminent.

But at the critical moment, Shi Tiangang swung a fist, intercepting Cheng Mo and giving Feng Zichen a brief reprieve.

Soon after, Song Kui of the Broken Gold Sect, Qin Cangliu of the Water Dao Sect, and numerous geniuses from Purple Mist Sect and Lingxiao Sect all joined the assault, charging toward Mo Hua together. However, none of them possessed Feng Zichen’s agility.

They couldn’t slip past the Tai Xu Sect disciples.

If they launched a frontal assault, they couldn’t break through the Five Brothers of Tai Ah’s iron defense. And even if they did, they wouldn’t survive Linghu Xiao’s terrifying sword aura.

From beginning to end, none of them could even get close to Mo Hua. Meanwhile, Mo Hua, thin and frail, sat motionless atop a distant boulder—serene and unshaken like a mountain. Threads of spiritual ink, either pitch-black or blood-red, slithered in front of him, guided by his divine sense.

Some strands of spiritual ink, like tiny snakes, snaked across the earth. One after another, formations were woven together— perfectly coordinated with the killing strikes of the Tai Xu Sect disciples, reaping lives with every step.

Mo Hua’s expression remained calm, his gaze deep and indifferent.

The spiritual ink danced at his fingertips. Life and death— every lethal move, every fatal moment—seemed to unfold entirely under his control. This eerie and chilling scene sent shivers down the spines of Shi Tiangang, Qin Cangliu, and the others. Never before, in any real battle, had they encountered such an unfathomably powerful array master.

His strength did not stem from personal cultivation.

It was his unfathomable mastery of formations, his profound understanding of the battlefield, his absolute control over the environment, and his manipulation of life and death that made him terrifying beyond reason.

He had to be killed. At any cost, Mo Hua must die.

That thought surfaced in everyone’s mind in an instant.

Throwing caution to the wind, they charged at him once more—yet after multiple attempts, they still failed to break through the Tai Xu Sect’s defenses.

Instead, their allies continued to fall, one after another, perishing within Mo Hua’s formations.

“If close combat won’t work, then we attack from afar,” Qin Cangliu declared. “Ye Zhiyuan, use your sword control.”

“I don’t have a chance.”

Ye Zhiyuan, who was being hounded by several Tai Xu Sect disciples led by Hao Xuan, snapped back in frustration.

Sword Control Techniques required absolute concentration— they were most vulnerable to external disruptions. And unfortunately for him, Hao Xuan was a master of movement techniques and had an annoying habit of sneak-attacking.

Ever since Ye Zhiyuan had attempted to launch his first controlled sword strike at Mo Hua, Hao Xuan had locked onto him. Whenever he tried to distance himself and prepare for another sword control strike, Hao Xuan would find an opening and slam a staff into the back of his head.

Ye Zhiyuan was furious.

In the entire Ganxue Province, among the disciples of the prestigious Eight Great Sects, how could there be someone who didn’t practice swordsmanship and instead wielded a damn staff?

Qin Cangliu cursed Ye Zhiyuan for being useless.

Once, Ye Zhiyuan had been a prodigy of the Great Luo Sect, dazzlingly talented—so arrogant and sharp-tongued that no one dared challenge him. But ever since Mo Hua had killed him with a single sword strike, his aura of invincibility had shattered.

People no longer revered the so-called ”Genius of the Sword Dao.”

Though Qin Cangliu cursed at him, he still rushed over to cover for Ye Zhiyuan, blocking Hao Xuan and the others.

Mo Hua’s formations were too strange. The Tai Xu Sect, empowered by those bizarre armors, was stronger than ever.

If this went on, they would suffer total annihilation. Their only chance at breaking this deadlock was through Ye Zhiyuan’s sword control technique.

”You use your sword control to kill Mo Hua from a distance. Even if you can’t kill him, just keep disrupting him. Don’t let him continue drawing formations...”

Although Qin Cangliu was not a formation master, he had studied formations before. Drawing formations required complete concentration and extreme focus of divine sense.

Controlling spiritual ink with divine sense was undoubtedly more difficult than ordinary formation drawing— it required an even higher level of focus.

As long as Ye Zhiyuan’s flying sword could get close to Mo Hua, even if it couldn’t injure him, it would still interrupt his formation drawing. Without Mo Hua’s formations, they could hold out for a while longer.

If the reinforcements outside could break through the mountain-sealing formation in time, and they gained allies, they could charge forward together and annihilate Tai Xu Sect.

The key lay in Ye Zhiyuan’s sword control. After all, he was once the greatest sword control genius of the Great Luo Sect, and the Great Luo Flying Sword Art he cultivated was no ordinary technique.

Ye Zhiyuan distanced himself and, from 160 zhang (about 528 meters) away, began forming hand seals and controlling his flying sword.

The Great Luo Flying Sword was a specially crafted weapon—three feet seven inches long, with ancient and austere engravings of cloud patterns. It could soar through the sky and dive underground, its chilling radiance heralding death.

Ye Zhiyuan was a prodigy to begin with, exceptionally gifted in sword control. After suffering a crushing defeat at Mo Hua’s hands last time, he had trained even harder, pushing himself to his limits.

Hatred was the best catalyst. His Great Luo Flying Sword Control had improved significantly since before.

This sword was now faster, more precise, and sharper. It streaked across the sky like a beam of light, merging with the clouds before shooting straight at Mo Hua.

Although the Five Brothers of Tai Ah intercepted it in the end, the flying sword had come within ten zhang (33 meters) of Mo Hua.

The explosive force of the sword aura tore through the ground and disturbed the flow of energy, causing a brief interruption in Mo Hua’s divine sense, breaking his concentration and halting his formation drawing.

Qin Cangliu had been right.

Controlling ink with divine sense and inscribing formations on the ground was incredibly difficult and required absolute focus. This sword did not kill Mo Hua, but it successfully stopped him from completing his formation. Without Mo Hua’s eerie formations supporting them, Shi Tiangang and the others immediately felt relieved.

The Tai Xu Sect disciples, empowered by the Five Elements Source Armor, were indeed formidable, but without Mo Hua’s unpredictable formations, they could still be stalled.

Now, at last, Mo Hua’s formations had been suppressed. The geniuses of the Four Sects and Seven Clans all felt a surge of morale.

”Keep going!”

Ye Zhiyuan continued launching flying swords at Mo Hua from a distance. With Mo Hua under constant disruption, he could no longer use divine sense to control ink and construct formations.

The Five Brothers of Tai Ah were also tied up, forced to defend Mo Hua. Hao Xuan and the others had good movement techniques but lacked the cultivation to break through the defenses of the Four Sects and Seven Clans to interfere with Ye Zhiyuan.

Linghu Xiao was entangled with Shi Tiangang and several disciples from the Vajra Sect.

Yang Qianjun and the others kept charging, but they couldn’t breach the defense line fast enough to take down Ye Zhiyuan.

The battle had reversed. Tai Xu Sect’s formation was forced into disarray. The situation was worsening.

At that moment, seated in the rear, Mo Hua’s gaze turned cold.

”You dare interfere with my formation drawing?”

He retrieved a spiritual sword, communicated with a sword formation through his divine sense, and then, with a flick of his fingers, unleashed a golden streak of sword light, shooting toward Ye Zhiyuan.

Sword control against sword control. This sword was faster and sharper. Ye Zhiyuan’s heart tensed as he immediately became alert.

Last time, he had been killed by Mo Hua’s sword control because he never expected a formation master like Mo Hua to wield sword control techniques. Caught off guard, he had been slain in an instant. But now, he was fully prepared and would not make the same mistake again.

Without hesitation, Ye Zhiyuan withdrew, his figure flashing as he retreated thirty to forty zhang (about 100–130 meters). This was far beyond the typical sword control range of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Moreover, he knew that Mo Hua’s unorthodox sword control technique had explosive properties. At this distance, he was well beyond the explosion range. To be even safer, two Vajra Sect body cultivators stood in front of Ye Zhiyuan, holding up massive shields.

Mo Hua’s spiritual sword crashed into the shields and immediately exploded.

The sword formation overloaded, causing the sword to shatter, sending sword energy and shards flying in all directions, stirring up a massive dust cloud.

Within the dust, the two Vajra Sect disciples were caught in the sword aura. Their flesh was cut, and even with their golden shields, they sustained severe injuries. But they had successfully blocked Mo Hua’s sword strike.

Beneath this sword’s impact, Ye Zhiyuan remained completely unharmed.

Standing thirty to forty zhang away from the explosion, Ye Zhiyuan exhaled lightly, feeling the oppressive shadow of Mo Hua fade somewhat.

”So this is all there is to Mo Hua’s sword control?”

”As long as I stay vigilant, he can’t kill me.”

The thought had barely surfaced.

The moment Ye Zhiyuan let his guard down— From within the lingering smoke and dust, another Tai Ah Sword shot out. There was no sword aura, no sword technique, just a simple spiritual sword—yet it carried a terrifying killing intent.

Ye Zhiyuan’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

Two hundred zhang! (about 660 meters)

At this range, how had Mo Hua’s sword reached him?! Had Mo Hua held back the last time he killed him? Had Mo Hua’s true sword control range always been two hundred zhang?

Fear gripped Ye Zhiyuan’s heart. He wanted to retreat— But it was already too late. At one hundred sixty zhang, Ye Zhiyuan had been able to react in time.

Now? He had no chance. Ye Zhiyuan was terrified. He wanted to retreat, but it was already too late.

A flying sword at a hundred and sixty zhang—he had been prepared for it, so it couldn’t kill him. But a flying sword at two hundred zhang—this was beyond Ye Zhiyuan’s understanding.

Moreover, Mo Hua’s first flying sword had pinned down the Vajra Sect’s body cultivators, keeping them too occupied to assist, and its explosion had created a cloud of dust, obscuring vision.

This second flying sword was faster, farther, and even more concealed. There was no one to block the sword for Ye Zhiyuan.

Even the chaotic explosion of sword energy disrupted perception, and the thick smoke completely obstructed his sight. This was a death trap. The Tai’a Sword overloaded and exploded, shattering the sword formation. Sword energy spread in all directions, tearing through everything in its path.

Just like before— Ye Zhiyuan died again. Once more, he was slain by Mo Hua with a single sword. And with Ye Zhiyuan dead, the situation instantly took a drastic turn.

There was no longer anyone who could pose a threat to Mo Hua from afar. No one could interfere with his formation drawing.

Within the valley, the black and red spiritual ink began to slither like venomous serpents once again, and one formation after another emerged like ominous totems demanding life.

Shi Tiangang, Qin Cangliu, and the others felt a chill deep in their hearts. But they were powerless to change the tide. The glow of the Five Elements Source Armor flickered.

Mo Hua infused his divine sense into it, pushing the armor’s augmentation to its peak. Like a divine blessing, immense power descended upon the disciples of the Tai Xu Sect. They understood— Senior Brother was telling them to end this quickly.

Kill!

The five Tai’a brothers roared in unison, their battle intent surging, spiritual power boiling. Like five war gods, they swung their giant swords and began their final slaughter.

Dressed in a robe of flowing water, empowered by the Moonlit Waterforce, Ling Huxiao began to charge up his sword, further amplifying the power of his “Void-Dissolving Sword Slash.”

The other Tai Xu Sect disciples, their morale soaring, launched a coordinated attack. And with Mo Hua’s omnipresent formation weaving seamlessly into the battle— The disciples of the Four Sects and Seven Clans started to fall one after another.

Song Kui of the Broken Gold Sect was stabbed to death by Yang Qianjun’s spear.

Qin Cangliu of the Water Dao Sect perished under Ling Huxiao’s sword aura.

Feng Zichen of the Free Spirit Sect, exhausted from prolonged combat, was cornered by Situ Jian and Cheng Mo, only to be slain by Ouyang Xuan’s sword.

Shi Tiangang of the Vajra Sect met his end beneath the relentless assault of the five Tai’a brothers. With the top elites of the Eight Great Clans dead, the remaining disciples stood no chance.

They were massacred, one after another, like dried grass before a storm. Thus, within the valley, every last disciple of the Four Sects and Seven Clans was wiped out.

The valley was completely cleared. This was the first time Mo Hua’s Five Elements Source Armor had been revealed to the world.

And in this first appearance, in its first battle, it had enabled the Tai Xu Sect to triumph against overwhelming odds, slaughtering over a hundred elite disciples of the Qianxue Alliance.

Outside the Sword Discussion Arena, silence reigned.

All the spectating cultivators felt their hearts pounding in shock.

”They killed them all...”

”The Tai Xu Sect, with only thirty people, completely wiped out over a hundred elites from the Four Sects and Seven Clans— including some of the top-tier geniuses of the Eight Great Clans?!”

This was the Tai Xu Sect?

This was Mo Hua, the undisputed leader of the Formation Dao?!

Ruthless.

The sound of people sucking in sharp breaths echoed intermittently across the field. Only now did they realize—they had completely misjudged this battle from the start.

This was never an “encirclement” of the Tai Xu Sect by the Four Sects and Seven Clans.

It was a counter-encirclement by the Tai Xu Sect!

The Tai Xu Sect’s goal was never to defend. It was to slaughter. And they had proven they had the power to do so.

In this bloody battle, under the augmentation of the Five Elements Source Armor and the support of formations, the Tai Xu Sect, united as one, unleashed an overwhelming destructive force—one that could even rival the Four Great Sects.

All the spectating cultivators were shaken to the core.

Many who had once looked down on the Tai Xu Sect now felt a newfound respect. Those who had previously mocked Mo Hua now found their faces burning with shame.

Meanwhile, within the Tai Xu Sect, whether elders or disciples, watching Mo Hua and the others dominate the battlefield, their hearts swelled with excitement and pride.

Even the Sect Masters of the Three Mountains felt their blood boil.

This battle had won them prestige and glory—it had made them proud beyond words.

In stark contrast, the Sect Masters of the other Seven Great Clans looked as if they had swallowed charcoal, their faces utterly dark and grim.

Some of the clan ancestors even furrowed their brows, their expressions turning displeased…

…

Inside the battlefield, the sword duel continued.

The Void Sect, relying on the Five Elements Source Armor and Mo Hua’s formation techniques, had counter-ambushed the Four Sects and Seven Schools, slaughtering over a hundred elite cultivators.

This slaughter, though seemingly complex, had actually unfolded in less than half an hour.

During this time, the elites inside the valley were relentlessly hunted by the Void Sect.

Meanwhile, the elites outside the valley had been constantly attacking the Mountain-Sealing Restorative Formation that Mo Hua had set up. However, the One-Line Sky Pass was naturally narrow.

This terrain had been reinforced with a Third-Grade Formation by the Elder of Dao Mountain, who had feared Mo Hua would “stir up trouble.” As a result, it was difficult to alter the landscape. Because of this, the pass simply couldn’t accommodate too many people breaking the formation at once.

On top of that, Mo Hua’s Restorative Formation was a Top-Tier Second-Grade Formation, merging seamlessly with the mountains and responding to the land itself.

Without the intervention of Shen Linshu and the other four Qianxue Elites, breaking through was nearly impossible.

Thus, the disciples of the Four Sects and Seven Schools outside the valley found themselves completely cut off by Mo Hua’s formation, forced to watch helplessly as their comrades were massacred by the Void Sect.

To them, the scene was just as brutal and shocking as it was to those inside the valley.

A deep chill crept into their hearts, and none dared to continue trying to break the formation. Even if they did break through—then what?

Would they charge in, only to be slaughtered by Mo Hua and his people next?

They had seen the carnage inside the valley with their own eyes. The Void Sect’s strength at this moment was utterly terrifying.

The five Tai’a Brothers, wielding their greatswords, had butchered countless foes, filling onlookers with dread.

Not to mention the Sword Dao Prodigy, Linghu Xiao, and the Formation Dao Leader, Mo Hua.

Even the top elites of the Seven Schools—Shi Tiangang, Qin Cangliu, and Feng Zichen— had all been cut down one by one.

So what chance did the rest of them stand?

At this moment, the only reason they were still alive was not because they were strong. It was simply because they were lucky enough to be outside the valley when Mo Hua’s formation sealed them off. Had they taken one step inside, they would have been dead too. Realizing this, everyone instinctively took a step back.

The entrance to One-Line Sky Pass, in their eyes, now looked like the Gates of Hell—whoever stepped inside would die. And Mo Hua, to them, was like the Little King of Hell, seated in the depths of the underworld.

The battlefield fell into a strange silence once more. The elites of the Four Sects and Seven Schools outside the valley didn’t dare to act rashly.

Inside the valley, Mo Hua and his allies finally caught their breath. But Mo Hua hadn’t forgotten the most important thing:

”Collect all their storage bags and bring them to me.”

This was the true purpose behind his slaughter of these hundred elites.

He needed their storage bags.

During the Sword Duel Assembly, every elite’s storage bag contained spiritual artifacts, formation materials, pills, spirit stones, and spirit ink. But to Mo Hua, the two most critical resources were spirit stones and spirit ink.

The Assembly imposed strict limitations on how many resources a cultivator could carry.

The Void Sect’s supply of spirit stones and spirit ink was nowhere near enough for Mo Hua’s needs.

If he wanted to set up more formations, he needed more spirit ink. And if he wanted to power those formations, he needed more spirit stones.

The only way to get them was by slaughtering a sufficient number of elite cultivators and seizing large amounts of storage bags.

Only with enough spirit ink and spirit stones could he continue executing his plan—the construction of formations. This was the strategy of war feeding war.

Now, half of his plan had succeeded: he had secured the spirit stones and spirit ink.

Mo Hua was ready to proceed to the next step.

And that step was simple— draw formations. Endlessly draw formations.

He would draw more formations, countless formations, until the entire valley was covered in formations.

Mo Hua meditated briefly, recovering his mental energy, before resuming his formation work.

Streams of colorful spirit ink flowed like living threads under his control, winding through the valley, forming dense and intricate formation patterns…

Meanwhile, outside the valley— The normally detached, indifferent Shen Linshu suddenly felt a trace of unease.

His brows slowly furrowed, and his gaze turned cold.

He had sensed it— A faint, indescribable feeling of dread…