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Chapter 1020: Ao Zhan
Chapter 1020: Ao Zhan
The Lunjian format for the match between Ao Zhan of the Longding Gate and the Tai Xu Gate disciples is Monster Hunting.
The disciples from both sides compete to hunt and kill a high-level second-rank beast. Whoever kills the beast and extracts its core wins.
During the Lunjian, cultivators not only hunt monsters but also deal with their human opponents.
They can use the beast to weaken their rivals, but they might also be betrayed and fall victim to the beast’s attacks.
The competition around the beast can lead to various tactics, with countless changes in the battle situation, making the outcome even harder to predict.
However, the Longding Gate disciples opted for a more direct approach.
They didn’t hunt the beast; instead, they hunted people.
Led by Ao Zhan, they abandoned the beast and charged directly at the five Tai Xu Gate disciples, planning to kill them first before dealing with the beast.
This was an extremely confident strategy.
It meant they were confident enough to crush the five Tai Xu Gate disciples in a short time and still have the strength to hunt the high-level second-rank beast afterward.
Clearly, they didn’t take Mo Hua and his team seriously.
In fact, it was almost a form of humiliation.
But the reality was that they indeed had the strength and the right to do so.
As soon as the battle began, the five Longding Gate disciples unleashed their dragon power, charging at Mo Hua and his team like tigers out of a cage, their momentum terrifying.
Mo Hua had previously fought with second-tier disciples from the Longding Gate and experienced the power of the Dragon Tiger Body Cultivation Technique.
But those disciples were no match for the five before him, especially Ao Zhan.
Ao Zhan, who had mastered the Zhu Ji Feng Jian technique, was fierce and imposing, radiating an aura of authority and power.
A phantom image of a blue cauldron dragon coiled around him, and the faint sound of dragon roars echoed as his blood surged.
For a moment, he seemed to possess the same dignity as the leader of the Demon Sect, the Third Prince of Dahuang, Shen Tu Ao, who had once wielded the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Formation in the Isolated Mountain Temple.
When the two sides met, the strongest fighters engaged first.
Ao Zhan roared and unleashed a dragon-like punch, engaging in a fierce battle with Ling Hu Xiao.
Xiao Wuchen was the top disciple of the Tianjian Gate, while Ao Zhan was the top disciple of the Longding Gate. Their reputations and strengths were evenly matched.
However, Ao Zhan was a powerful body cultivator with both offensive and defensive capabilities. His blood surged, and his dragon power surged, making him nearly unstoppable once he got close. His punches and kicks were wide and powerful, making it difficult to resist.
In this regard, he was more effective against Ling Hu Xiao, a long-range sword cultivator, than Xiao Wuchen.
Ao Zhan’s close-range combat was fierce, fast, and powerful, with dragon images swirling around him, splitting mountains and rocks.
Ling Hu Xiao was continuously suppressed, unable to even get a chance to strike back, and was forced to retreat continuously.
Compared to his battle with Xiao Wuchen, this defeat seemed more thorough and helpless.
The spectators shook their heads, and some elders from Chongxu Mountain wore worried expressions, sighing continuously.
With Ling Hu Xiao at a disadvantage, the other Tai Xu Gate disciples were also overwhelmed and struggling to breathe.
They couldn’t even support Ling Hu Xiao or create opportunities for him to use his sword. Just surviving the onslaught from the Longding Gate disciples was a formidable challenge.
Mo Hua wasn’t faring any better.
A tall Longding Gate disciple was chasing him, and Mo Hua could only use his Shenfa to evade as much as possible.
This Longding Gate disciple couldn’t break through Mo Hua’s Shishuibu and kill him, and Mo Hua couldn’t use his Shenfa to kill him either.
This was Mo Hua’s second Arena Lunjian.
The format and opponents were different from the first, but the development of the battle was similar.
Soon, Ling Hu Xiao, exhausted, was killed by Ao Zhan’s punch, marking his defeat.
The situation rapidly deteriorated.
Situ Jian, Ou Yang Xuan, and Cheng Mo also fell one after another.
Mo Hua was left alone, using his Shenfa to struggle futilely.
Five against one.
But this time, the five Longding Gate Tianjiao didn’t show the same courtesy as the Tianjian Gate disciples.
They acted without honor, attacking together. Two of them chased Mo Hua with punches and kicks, while the other two blocked his movements.
Ao Zhan, with sharp eyes, stared intently at Mo Hua, his fists brimming with dragon-like blood energy, ready to unleash a deadly move.
Xiao Wuchen pretended to be noble and wouldn’t attack a fallen opponent.
But Ao Zhan was different.
Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.
He was determined to kill Mo Hua with his own hands!
With the five Longding Gate Tianjiao surrounding him and their killing intent locked onto him, Mo Hua felt a jolt of fear.
If he didn’t escape now, he would truly die at Ao Zhan’s hands.
Mo Hua immediately used Shishuibu to create some distance and touched his forehead, preparing to shatter the Lun Dao Jade once again.
Ao Zhan sneered, as if he had anticipated this move, and immediately gathered his energy, roaring loudly from his chest.
The roar was truly like a dragon’s.
It split the air, and a white wave of sound, carrying the impact of the dragon’s cry, surged into Mo Hua’s eardrums.
The dragon’s cry pierced through his eardrums, penetrating his mind, shaking his divine perception.
But then nothing happened...
Mo Hua’s divine perception was unshakable, like a golden statue, immovable as a mountain.
The dragon's roar, which could deafen and terrify anyone, sounded to Mo Hua like a gentle breeze, causing no fear at all.
He had consumed a dragon soul.
Why would he be afraid of a mere human imitation of a dragon's roar?
This roar could not intimidate him in the slightest.
Mo Hua simply blinked, and without any hesitation, he shattered the Dao Discussion Jade with a flick of his finger, disappearing once again.
The moment Mo Hua vanished, a dragon-shaped fist wind howled through, shattering the ground and rocks where he had stood.
The force spread out, and the entire ground cracked like a spider web.
The dragon roar's intimidation, combined with the dragon fist's lethal strike.
This was almost a guaranteed killing blow, yet it missed.
Ao Zhan slowly retracted his fist, straightened his body, and looked at the ground shattered by his punch. His cold expression grew more stern.
"... Didn't scare him?"
How could this be...
Meanwhile, outside the Dao Discussion Arena.
Seeing Mo Hua shatter the Dao Discussion Jade and escape once more, everyone let out a chorus of boos:
"Shameless, he's running away again!"
"Cowardly retreat, he's a complete coward!"
"Without a shred of integrity, utterly despicable!"
Some sighed in regret:
"Too bad, Ao Zhan's punch was just a little off... If it had been a bit faster, he could have turned Mo Hua into ashes..."
"If he hadn't roared, Mo Hua might have been killed..."
"What 'roar'? You don't know anything. That's the Tiger Roar Dragon Roar Technique of the Longding Gate."
"This is an extraordinary and extremely difficult Dao technique of the Longding Gate..."
"Ordinary disciples learn the tiger roar, while the elite can master the dragon roar."
"During combat, the tiger roar and dragon roar are used to intimidate the opponent."
"If the opponent is intimidated, a solid strike from the Dragon Cauldron Punch will either kill them or leave them half-dead."
"Ao Zhan hasn't used this technique in previous Dao discussions, so using it on Mo Hua can be seen as giving him some respect."
"He probably guessed that Mo Hua, the sneak, would flee when things turned against him, so he tried to use the dragon roar to keep him in place and then strike him down with a single punch."
"Too bad, he was just a bit too slow..."
"Mo Hua is as cunning as a 'ghost'..."
"Even ghosts aren't as cunning as him..."
...
Outside the arena, the crowd was abuzz with discussion. Inside, Ao Zhan, having failed to kill Mo Hua, looked cold and clearly angry. He swung his fist to vent his frustration, shattering a large area of forest and rocks, before turning and coldly ordered:
"Kill the beast."
"Yes!"
The other four Tianjiao of the Longding Gate responded.
Then, the five of them worked together, using only their physical strength, and in a dozen rounds, they slaughtered a high-tier second-rank bear beast, severing its limbs and cutting open its chest to extract its core.
With this, the Dao discussion ended, and the Longding Gate emerged victorious.
Mo Hua and his team, on the other hand, suffered another defeat.
Zhang Lan, Wenren Wan, Gu Changhuai, Murong Caiyun, and all the cultivators who silently supported and cared for Mo Hua, remained silent, their expressions somber.
Yu'er pouted, her little face showing signs of sadness.
...
Afterward, other sects began their Dao discussions.
Inside the inner arena of the Dao Discussion Mountain.
Mo Hua, Ling Hu Xiao, and the others, who had been defeated and left the arena, were packing their storage bags, preparing to return to their sect.
Cheng Mo and Situ Jian looked dejected, not saying a word.
Ou Yang Xuan's face was even more sour, with a hint of lingering resentment.
Ling Hu Xiao's expression was cold, but beneath it, there was more confusion, solemnity, and heaviness, like a cloud of gloom.
"Xiao Xiao", Mo Hua called out to him.
Ling Hu Xiao was taken aback, looking up at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua sighed, a hint of regret in his voice: "We lost this one again."
Ling Hu Xiao nodded, remaining silent.
He had lost more completely.
Under Xiao Wuchen and Ao Zhan, he had no room to fight back, being suppressed throughout the match, and ultimately, he was personally executed.
The more elite a Tianjiao, the prouder their spirit, and the less they could tolerate failure.
Especially in the Qianxue Lunjian Conference, being publicly executed by another Tianjiao in front of everyone...
Ling Hu Xiao was in deep pain and torment.
Although Mo Hua had previously told him that true strength is forged through failure, the confusion and pain in his heart almost consumed all his self-respect and confidence in the sword path.
Ling Hu Xiao fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly:
"Little Senior Brother, I..."
Mo Hua understood his thoughts, placing a hand on his shoulder and saying:
"Don't think too much. No matter how strong your enemy is, no matter how dire the situation, just focus on one thing, and only one thing..."
Mo Hua paused, his gaze clear and bright:
"Believe in your sword, give it your all, embody your sword path, and unleash your Sword Qi..."
"As for whether this strike wins or loses, whether it kills or is killed, don't worry about it."
"The purer your mind, the stronger your sword will be."
"Worrying will only weaken your sword."
While Mo Hua's cultivation in Dao discussion techniques and sword arts might not match Ling Hu Xiao's, when it came to the embodiment of sword intent and the understanding of the sword path, few in his generation could rival Mo Hua, who had cultivated the Taixu Divine Mind Sword Technique and integrated the God-Cleaving Sword Style.
Ling Hu Xiao was taken aback, his thoughts swirling, gradually becoming enlightened, and his gaze brightening.
"Understood, Little Senior Brother."
Ling Hu Xiao nodded, and a sense of indomitable resilience shone through him.
Like steel refined through countless hammer blows, the more it is tempered, the stronger it becomes.
Mo Hua nodded.
To achieve great things, one must follow the path of resilience. Sometimes, perseverance is more important than talent.
No matter how gifted one is, if they break at the first setback, it’s all for naught.
Only those with resilience can endure and overcome.
After everyone packed their storage bags, they returned to the sect.
Within Tai Xu Gate, they practiced tactics and studied their opponents. As the night deepened, they parted ways.
Ling Hu Xiao, a disciple of Chongxu Mountain, returned to Chongxu Mountain.
Ou Yang Xuan, a disciple of Tai'e Mountain, returned to Tai'e Mountain.
Cheng Mo and Situ Jian, like Mo Hua, lived on Tai Xu Mountain and in the same disciple quarters.
After a meal together, it was getting late, so they decided to return to their rooms.
Before parting, Mo Hua reminded them to rest well and then prepared to leave.
Situ Jian, who had been holding back, finally spoke up, "Little Senior Brother..."
Mo Hua turned to look at him.
Situ Jian hesitated for a moment, then sighed and voiced his confusion:
"Little Senior Brother, can we... still win?"
Cheng Mo also looked at Mo Hua, clearly lacking confidence.
Cheng Mo and Situ Jian were different from Ling Hu Xiao and Ou Yang Xuan.
They weren’t the truly outstanding Tianjiao, lacking the high spirits and pride.
Their opponents were the top disciples of Tianjian Gate and Longding Gate. Even if they lost, they felt a sense of helplessness, but there was nothing they could do.
Qianxue Prefecture was vast, with countless Tianjiao, many of whom were stronger than them.
They had long known this.
But they were disciples of Tai Xu Gate, deeply connected to their sect.
They wanted to win.
Even if the glory wasn’t theirs, even if they were just sent to “sacrifice” themselves, they would do so without hesitation to contribute to the victory of the Lunjian.
Moreover, they were on the same team as Mo Hua, sharing in the glory and the losses.
But the problem was, they couldn’t see any hope of winning.
This was just the Di Character Division.
They had only fought two matches.
Yet, deep down, they already felt a sense of despair.
The spectators only watched from the sidelines, but they, the Lunjian disciples, were the ones truly on the field.
They understood better than anyone the strength of the Four Great Sects.
They knew the near-despairing sense of powerlessness when facing top-tier Tianjiao like Xiao Wuchen from Tianjian Gate and Ao Zhan from Longding Gate.
They trusted their Little Senior Brother.
But at this moment, they couldn’t help feeling a mix of confusion and torment.
These doubts, they didn’t want to voice, but they couldn’t hold back anymore.
Mo Hua looked at Situ Jian and Cheng Mo, paused for a moment, and then smiled warmly, "We can win, but it depends on the situation."
"The situation?"
Situ Jian was taken aback, and Cheng Mo was even more confused.
Mo Hua nodded and said, "Don’t be intimidated. Not every Di Character Division Lunjian is filled with top-tier Tianjiao like Xiao Wuchen and Ao Zhan."
"Besides them, there are many other Tianjiao from the Eight Great Sects and first-rate disciples from the Four Great Sects. There are still many such teams."
"Encountering Xiao Wuchen and Ao Zhan one after another was just bad luck."
"But against other teams, we can still fight and have a chance to win."
"It all depends on the specific situation, the specific rules of the Lunjian, and the specific opponents. We need to plan accordingly..."
"Of course, a bit of luck helps too..."
The Di Character Division Lunjian is different from the Xuan Character Division.
The Xuan Character Division Lunjian list is determined all at once by the Celestial Instrument of Dao.
But the Di Character Division is different.
The Di Character Division Lunjian is fought match by match. After each match, the Celestial Instrument of Dao determines the next Lunjian list.
Before that, no one knows who will face whom next.
This tests the disciples’ ability to adapt to unexpected situations and their strategic thinking.
It also preserves some of the suspense for the spectators.
At the same time, it prevents some cultivators from knowing the list in advance and engaging in underhanded activities.
The Di Character Division is more significant, with more Tianjiao participating, and the Lunjian is more exciting. The format is more formal, and any interference from outside is strictly prohibited.
Thus, during the Lunjian, no one knows who their next opponent will be.
Mo Hua was also in the dark.
He couldn’t plan everything from start to finish but had to feel his way forward, step by step.
He could only think of strategies after the Celestial Instrument of Dao “dealt the cards.”
Therefore, it required timing and a bit of luck.
The Celestial Instrument of Dao operates on cause and effect.
Luck can’t always be bad.
Mo Hua smiled, "Don’t worry, we will win."
Situ Jian pondered for a moment and nodded.
Cheng Mo, though not entirely understanding, was reassured by Mo Hua’s confident demeanor and nodded as well.
They had been fellow disciples for nine years and knew each other well.
Often, they might not trust themselves, but they instinctively trusted their Little Senior Brother, Mo Hua.
Even in the face of adversity, following Little Senior Brother brought them a sense of peace and assurance.
Situ Jian’s gaze softened as he bowed, "Little Senior Brother, rest well."
Cheng Mo also nodded in agreement.
Mo Hua smiled, "Rest well."
...
Thereafter, the Lunjian continued amidst tight preparations and a tense atmosphere.
Tai Xu Gate wasn't just struggling with Mo Hua; other disciples were also suffering one defeat after another.
The situation was getting worse.
Anxiety spread among the hearts of all Tai Xu Gate cultivators.
In such a dire state, every victory was precious.
Mo Hua, however, remained calm, waiting for the Lun Dao Celestial Instrument to "deal the cards."
He was also waiting for the right moment and a bit of "luck."
Two days later, the opponent for Mo Hua's third Lun Jian Arena match was decided.
It was the Wanxiao Sect.
Mo Hua's luck was slightly better this time. The opponent was not the strongest disciple or the top team of the Wanxiao Sect but a slightly weaker first-rate team.
Everyone thought that Tai Xu Gate could finally have a decent match this time.
But they still lost.
Not only that, but Mo Hua also completely exposed the flaws in his lineage during this Lun Jian.
His spirit energy was low, and he couldn't keep up with the others.
His Shenfa was good, but it was useless in this situation.
Low-grade spells could only annoy the opponents.
He lacked the ability to deal decisive blows.
Once his teammates faltered, he was utterly useless.
Faced with the spell bombardment from five elite Wanxiao Sect magic cultivators, Mo Hua couldn't do a thing.
What seemed to be a match they could fight ended in another loss.
Many hearts turned cold.
Especially those who had once been hopeful about Tai Xu Gate felt stifled, sighing at their helplessness and anger at their lack of effort.
"Fine, they couldn't win against the top Tianjiao, but losing to a first-rate team from one of the Four Great Sects?"
"Is the gap between the Eight Great Gates and the Four Great Sects really that big?"
"What can you do with Mo Hua?"
"In the end, he can only annoy people. In a real Tianjiao showdown, he's no help at all..."
"His Shenfa is decent, but if he can't kill, what good is it?"
"In the end, he's just a low-level magic cultivator."
"No matter how well he uses low-level spells, they're still low-level spells."
"His spirit energy is too low..."
"All he can do is 'take shortcuts.' His tricks were already figured out in the Xuan Character Division, and now they're useless, completely wasted..."
"If this continues, his team won't go far."
"Not just his team, but Tai Xu Gate won't go far either..."
...
Outside the Lun Jian Arena, countless cultivators were criticizing.
After this round, the situation truly worsened.
Tai Xu Gate suffered numerous defeats, and their ranking plummeted, falling out of the top four to fifth place.
They had lost the possibility of ranking among the "Four Great Sects."
From the current situation, it seemed they had completely lost the chance to compete for that title...
The mood within the sect was low, and morale was dampened.
The elders sighed in regret.
Even the sect leader and several elders couldn't help but sigh.
For countless sects in Qianxue Prefecture, the "Four Great Sects" was like an unattainable dream.
Tai Xu Gate had dreamed of this.
But now, this dream was shattered once again, as expected.
Of course, at this point, Tai Xu Gate had gradually come to their senses and no longer entertained other hopes.
They only wished to stabilize their current ranking and stop the slide.
Even a few more victories would be good.
And this hope naturally fell on Tai Xu Gate's strongest team, the one led by Ling Hu Xiao and Mo Hua.
They desperately hoped that Mo Hua and his team could win at least one match.
Just one.
Even if it couldn't stop the bleeding or save Tai Xu Gate's precarious ranking, it would at least boost morale.
The hearts of everyone in Tai Xu Gate were filled with both anticipation and tension.
They even hoped for an "easy target" for Mo Hua and his team to face, at least to accumulate some victory points.
Under this tense and oppressive atmosphere, the opponent for Mo Hua's fourth Lun Jian Arena match was determined by the Lun Dao Celestial Instrument.
But when everyone saw the result, their hearts sank even further.
It was another one of the Four Great Sects, an "old friend":
Tianjian Gate.
Not an easy target.
Although it wasn't the strongest team led by Xiao Wuchen, it was still a Tianjian Gate team, second only to Xiao Wuchen's.
A very strong first-rate Lun Jian team.
Even stronger than the Wanxiao Sect team that Mo Hua and his team had lost to previously.
This wasn't the most daunting part.
The most daunting part was the format of the match:
It was an Attack and Defense Match.
Tianjian Gate would attack, and Tai Xu Gate would defend.
Five Tianjian Gate Tianjiao, with formidable Sword Qi and deadly combat skills, would attack, while Tai Xu Gate would defend.
Anyone who had watched a Lun Jian match could see the outcome.
It was almost certain death.
There was no chance of winning.
In a sense, this match was as dire as the one against Xiao Wuchen's team.
The Four Great Sects, the Eight Great Gates, and other cultivators following the Lun Jian Conference glanced at the match-up and shook their heads, thinking Tai Xu Gate was truly unfortunate.
Cultivators who cared about Tai Xu Gate were truly disheartened.
Only Mo Hua, looking at the Lun Jian list, had his eyes growing brighter, and a faint smile even crept onto his lips, unnoticed by anyone...
(End of Chapter)
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