The Quest for Immortality

In the small grove.

Cheng Mo, clad in triple-layer heavy armor and wielding twin axes, stood sternly, exuding an intimidating aura.

Mo Hua entered the grove and respectfully said, ”Big Brother, I’ve brought the man to you.”

Cheng Mo froze for a moment, then quickly caught on when Mo Hua gave him a subtle signal. He nodded grandly and replied with imposing confidence:

”Alright!”

Song Jian, upon seeing Cheng Mo’s commanding demeanor, thought to himself that it confirmed his speculations.

So this kid leading the way was merely a ”little follower.”

This commanding giant was indeed the true lead ”Big Brother” among Taixu Sect’s disciples this year.

Song Jian promptly ignored Mo Hua and focused all his attention on Cheng Mo, staring him down intently.

Cheng Mo let out a cold chuckle, showing not a trace of fear.

This was exactly what Mo Hua had instructed him beforehand—to exude an air of unshaken arrogance.

Their confrontation began.

Mo Hua pointed at the grove and announced solemnly:

”The duel will take place right here. No techniques are off-limits, only victory or defeat matters. This isn’t a fight to the death. If someone admits defeat or cannot get up within ten breaths after falling, they lose.”

”Whoever loses must honor their promise...”

Mo Hua glanced at Song Jian and said, ”If Taixu Sect loses, we’ll return your Sever Gold Sword. But if you lose, you cannot cause further trouble to Taixu disciples here in Refining Demon Mountain.”

Mo Hua confirmed again, ”No issues, right?”

Song Jian responded, ”I keep my word.”

Cheng Mo echoed, ”It’s a deal.”

Both sides nodded, reaching an agreement.

Only Xun Ziyou, observing from afar, remained puzzled and bewildered, thinking to himself:

”What’s with these kids? Playing games out of the blue... What’s the point?”

A duel?

What’s the use of that?

Don’t they have better things to do...

Xun Ziyou didn’t get it.

Ever since Elder Master Xun had spoken seriously to him, clarifying that one strand of Mo Hua’s hair equaled the exchange value of one of his arms,

He had now become Mo Hua’s dedicated ”bodyguard” in Refining Demon Mountain.

He didn’t care about Taixu Sect, but as long as Mo Hua was in Refining Demon Mountain, he had to keep an eye on him.

If anything happened to Mo Hua, the patriarch wouldn’t spare him.

As for Mo Hua stealing Song Jian’s Sever Gold Sword, Xun Ziyou did know about it, as he had witnessed it himself.

But what happened after Mo Hua took the sword, he wasn’t sure.

What perplexed him even more was why this child, Mo Hua, had gone and stolen someone else’s Spirit Sword and now concocted this bizarre duel...

Xun Ziyou furrowed his brow slightly.

What was this kid planning?

He couldn’t quite figure it out.

Still, as long as Mo Hua didn’t get hurt, he wouldn’t bother with the rest.

Moreover, it wasn’t the frail Mo Hua who would fight, but rather Cheng Mo and Song Jian—two disciples who didn’t matter to him. As long as they didn’t cause any fatalities, he’d let it be.

Meanwhile, the duel was on the verge of eruption.

In no time, Cheng Mo and Song Jian had engaged in fierce combat.

Clad in armor, Cheng Mo radiated vigorous Blood Qi, wielding his massive axes with a ferocity akin to roaring winds, his spiritual power surging.

Song Jian maneuvered agilely using the Escape Gold Body Skill, darting around while manipulating the Sever Gold Sword, unleashing brilliant golden Sword Qi, clashing against Cheng Mo.

His original top-grade Sever Gold Sword had been snatched by Mo Hua.

And now, the Spirit Sword he temporarily wielded, though also top-grade and similar in design, was still inferior to his previous sword.

But as his cultivation wasn’t weak and he had mastered the orthodox Sever Gold Sword Jue, combined with the top-grade Sever Gold Sword, he managed not to lose ground in a one-on-one match against Cheng Mo when unimpeded by Mo Hua’s schemes.

However, Mo Hua’s intention was not for them to truly duel and determine a winner.

After fighting dozens of rounds, Cheng Mo, following Mo Hua’s instructions, began to feign weakness, assuming a defensive posture without counterattacking.

Song Jian noticed Cheng Mo’s spiritual power begin to dwindle, his strength falter, and didn’t suspect anything. He merely thought his swordsmanship was overpowering Cheng Mo, leaving him unable to cope. Growing increasingly arrogant, he sneered:

”Taixu Sect disciples this year? What a joke!”

With that, his attacks became even more ferocious.

The Sever Gold Sword Jue was pushed to its limit, harnessing the Spirit Sword’s power to unleash dazzling golden sword light that relentlessly slashed at Cheng Mo.

He sought to overcome Cheng Mo in one vigorous burst, reclaim his Sever Gold Sword,

And thoroughly humiliate this group of Taixu disciples, washing away his disgrace.

Cheng Mo’s armor began to show sword marks.

As Mo Hua anticipated, despite the triple-layer armor made of Gold-breaking material, soft silk, and refined iron, its defensive capabilities were insufficient against the sharp Sever Gold Sword Qi.

Taking a few more hits from the Sword Qi, the armor was now starting to crack.

Cheng Mo could only retreat and evade, relying on his robust physique and abundant Blood Qi to endure the sword energy, resulting in a rather bedraggled appearance.

Nonetheless, he maintained an expression of scorn and, in his coarse voice, shouted the lines Mo Hua had taught him at full volume:

”Just this level of Sever Gold Sword Qi?!”

”The Sever Gold Sect’s Sect Sword Technique isn’t much!”

”Cutting me feels like a tickle—can’t even call this a scrape!”

”Come on! Put some strength into it, pretty boy! Didn’t you eat today, or what?”

Song Jian, enraged, swung his Spirit Sword with unrelenting force, bombarding Cheng Mo with Sword Qi like an inescapable net, wishing to hack Cheng Mo into pieces.

He truly despised being called ”pretty boy.”

Thus, Cheng Mo ended up looking even more wretched.

Xun Ziyou, watching from the sidelines, shook his head repeatedly.

What was this nonsense? Stubbornly taking hits for no reason?

Why were Taixu Sect disciples engaging in such brainless acts...

Xun Ziyou sighed, feeling somewhat disheartened.

Since the division among the Three Sects, which continued to this day, Taixu Sect’s legacy had gradually declined, even the Sect-protecting Forbidden Technique, ”Taixu Divine Thought Transforming Sword True Jue,” had been rendered a banned technique that could no longer be passed on...

The sect’s current state was far from its former glory.

In contrast, Tai’a Sect had claimed first place among the Eight Great Gates at the last Dao Conference.