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Chapter 1024: Micro-Collapse
Chapter 1024: Micro-Collapse
At this moment, higher up on Lundao Mountain.
A peak and a tower, towering into the clouds, stood like two swords pointing to the heavens, facing each other majestically before the towering Lundao Mountain.
This peak is called Heaven-Hanging Peak.
This tower is called Sword-Watching Tower.
Heaven-Hanging Peak is the highest peak on Lundao Mountain, with a commanding view that seems to reach the very top of the world. It serves as the arena for the final battle of the Heaven Rank Sword Debate during the Lun Jian Conference.
After the intense battles of the Earth Rank Sword Debate, the successful Qianxue prodigies gather at the summit of Heaven-Hanging Peak to face the true prodigies in the final showdown, vying for supremacy.
To win the highest honor for their sects.
And to forge even more glorious paths for themselves.
Opposite Heaven-Hanging Peak stands a steep, sword-like, ancient, and magnificent tower that rises high into the clouds.
This is the Sword-Watching Tower.
It is the highest viewing platform for the Qianxue Sword Debate.
Outside the Sword-Watching Tower, invisibility arrays are set up, and various high-level cloud and mist arrays are engraved on the tower, making it invisible and blending into the clouds.
Ordinary people cannot see the Sword-Watching Tower at all.
Even most cultivators are unaware of the existence of the Sword-Watching Tower on Lundao Mountain.
This towering Sword-Watching Tower is reserved for truly esteemed and noble "guests" to watch the Qianxue Sword Debate.
From the heights of the tower, amidst the clouds, one can see the vast Square Heaven Image and the countless cultivators, who look like ants from this vantage point.
Only the truly powerful and noble can enter this tower.
They include the elders of various sects and noble families, the Yu Hua masters, or the heads of fifth-rank families.
The fifth-rank Dao Ting Si masters.
The leaders of powerful cultivation forces across the Nine States.
The core descendants of some of the truly ancient great families from the Dao Prefecture.
The inspectors of the Yu Hua realm and the heads of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
And even the monitors and venerable elders from the power centers of the Seven Cabinets, who are as elusive as dragons showing only their heads.
These are figures that ordinary cultivators would never encounter in their lifetimes.
Inside the Sword-Watching Tower, there is also a strict hierarchy.
Even among the esteemed guests, there are different levels.
Each person can only occupy a height that corresponds to their status.
Moreover, all the rooms in the Sword-Watching Tower are sealed, with dedicated fifth-rank void teleportation arrays. No one knows who enters or leaves the tower.
People outside cannot see the Sword-Watching Tower, nor do they know who resides in the clouds.
Even those who can enter the Sword-Watching Tower are limited to their own rooms.
They do not know who else is present in the tower at any given moment.
Above them, there might be the heir of some ancient family.
The grand elder of a sixth-rank family.
A monitor from the Seven Cabinets, or even a power-wielding elder.
There is even a possibility that a member of the Dao Prefecture's imperial family might be watching the debate.
Of course, it is also possible that no one is there at all.
These truly noble figures, who are at the pinnacle of power in the Nine States, may not all come to watch the Sword Debate.
Even if they do, they may not have the time to watch every single debate.
After all, it is not yet the Heaven Rank Sword Debate, and the truly exciting final battle has not yet begun.
At this moment, in the middle of the Sword-Watching Tower.
The patriarchs of Tai A, Chong Xu, and Tai Xu mountains, who are rarely seen together, are gathered, sipping tea and watching the debate.
The Lun Jian Conference is crucial for their sects' rankings, the distribution of the Qianlong Spirit Mines, and the reform of their sects. As patriarchs, they cannot afford to be indifferent.
Previously, they would not watch every debate.
They would come and go sporadically, with one or two of them attending on different days, and sometimes even none of them would come.
After all, the patriarchs are very busy.
But as the debates progress, they are genuinely starting to feel uneasy.
Fifth place.
This ranking is extremely delicate.
One step forward, and they would be among the Four Great Sects.
If they maintain their position, they would still be the top of the Eight Great Sects.
But one small step backward, and they would lose both the Four Great Sects and the top of the Eight Great Sects.
Moreover, the current debate situation is as challenging as rowing upstream. Once they fall behind, it will be extremely difficult to rise again.
In their positions, they must be concerned with their duties.
They are all patriarchs, and long-serving ones at that. They understand better than anyone the weight of the sect rankings.
The patriarch of a Four Great Sect.
The patriarch of the top of the Eight Great Sects.
The patriarch of an ordinary Eight Great Sect.
The differences among these positions are truly immense.
And these choices are all just "one step away."
One step forward, and they are among the Four Great Sects.
One step steady, and they are the top of the Eight Great Sects.
One step back, and they are an ordinary Eight Great Sect.
Each step is a world apart.
Faced with such a situation, where the difference in fortune is just a hair's breadth, even immortals would find it hard to remain calm.
The three patriarchs, though experienced and composed, show no outward signs of their inner turmoil.
But they have been tormented by the potential gains and losses of this one step, losing countless nights of sleep.
But at this point, there is little they can do to help.
Everything now depends on these young disciples, who must fight their own battles.
They must accept whatever the outcome may be.
Even if they lose, the elders cannot blame them.
These young disciples have already given their all; they have performed far better than expected.
But despite this, the elders still desperately hope that Tai Xu Sect will win.
They say nothing and do not want to pressure Mo Hua and the others.
Yet, deep down, they yearn more than anyone for Mo Hua and his team to triumph.
They want victory by any means necessary, for it could secure their current standing, or even push them further, from fifth to fourth place.
Every victory is precious.
But if they keep losing, they will have nothing left.
The room is quiet, the air thick with the scent of tea.
The three mountain sect leaders sip their tea calmly.
But the calmer they appear on the surface, the more they are suffering inside.
They are even more anxious than all the spectators.
After a while, the leader of Tai A Sect can no longer bear the silence. He coughs and asks slowly:
"Will we... win this round?"
His question makes the leader of Chong Xu Sect and the Tai Xu Sect gatekeeper jump.
The leader of Chong Xu Sect can't help but say:
"Don’t say it! Fortune and misfortune coexist, victory and defeat can change. Sometimes, if you say you will win, you might lose, and if you say you will lose, you might win..."
"The last debate was like that. Everyone thought we would lose, but we won."
"If you say we will win now, we might end up losing..."
The leader of Tai A Sect feels a bit uneasy but maintains his stern expression. "You’re talking about mysticism."
The leader of Chong Xu Sect replies, "The workings of fate are mysterious and hard to fathom. You shouldn’t fully believe in them, but you can’t ignore them either. Sometimes, you just have to believe in the strange..."
The leader of Tai A Sect sighs. "Let’s just pretend I didn’t say anything."
They continue to drink their tea.
But as they sip, the leader of Tai A Sect can't help but ask the Tai Xu Sect gatekeeper again, "Do you think we can win?"
The Tai Xu Sect gatekeeper, already uneasy, becomes even more anxious.
He says helplessly, "It won’t be easy..."
"Are you saying it won’t be easy because of the mysticism, or because it really won’t be easy?" the leader of Tai A Sect asks.
The Tai Xu Sect gatekeeper sighs. "Qian Dao Sect is our opponent, and do we really need to say more about their strength?"
The leader of Tai A Sect frowns.
The Tai Xu Sect gatekeeper continues, "Qian Dao Sect’s strongest disciple is Shen Linshu."
"Though no one admits it openly, Shen Linshu actually outshines Xiao Wuchen, Ao Zhan, and Du Mu Qing."
"He is the strongest among the four Qianxue Prodigies."
"While Shen Linshu isn’t participating in this debate, Shen Cangfeng is."
"Shen Cangfeng is the strongest genius disciple under Shen Linshu in the Shen family."
"Shen Linshu has the blood of a qilin, making him stand out and overshadow the other prodigies."
"Compared to Shen Linshu, Shen Cangfeng’s reputation is less prominent."
"But compared to other sects, Shen Cangfeng is undoubtedly a top-tier prodigy."
"Defeating him won’t be easy."
The Tai Xu Sect gatekeeper speaks slowly.
The leader of Tai A Sect nods slightly.
The Tai Xu Sect gatekeeper, being from a prominent family, has a clear understanding of these prodigy disciples.
But this knowledge only makes him more anxious.
They had managed to win one round, but will this be a fleeting victory? Will they start losing again?
This is truly heart-wrenching.
The leader of Tai A Sect sighs.
Debates are exciting to watch when they involve others, with their intense battles and dramatic turns of events.
But when it concerns your own interests, watching your sect’s disciples in a debate, especially during a losing streak, is truly agonizing, leaving one feeling dead inside.
Not just the leader of Tai A Sect.
The seemingly calm Tai Xu Sect gatekeeper and the leader of Chong Xu Sect, who has started delving into the mysteries of fate, are also feeling the strain.
Their previous differences and calculations are now set aside as they watch Mo Hua and his team’s debate, suddenly feeling a sense of shared purpose and empathy.
Their barriers have lessened, and the atmosphere has become more intimate.
There is a real sense that the three mountains are one, that they rise and fall together, and even their anxieties are shared.
But at this moment, they can do nothing.
They can only sit together, sipping their tea continuously, appearing calm but watching the Fangtian Huayin intently.
...
Meanwhile, on the Fangtian Huayin, Mo Hua has joined forces with Linghuxiao, carrying a high-level array.
The outer city of Qian Dao Sect has already been breached.
This Lunjian tournament format makes it difficult to defend the outer city.
Moreover, with Linghuxiao, a sword genius with formidable Sword Qi, the Qian Dao Sect only symbolically defended the outer city before retreating to the inner city.
The city gate of the inner city is the key.
It is the decisive gate that determines the outcome of the city assault.
However, when Mo Hua reached the city gate of the inner city, he found that there was no one guarding it. Instead, the city gate was glowing with the light of five layers of array formations.
Among the four major sects, the Qian Dao Sect's array formation skills are the best.
The array formations on the city gate, though only of mid-tier Second Rank, are all top-notch defensive formations.
With five layers overlapping, the defensive effect is naturally very strong.
At this moment, five disciples of the Qian Dao Sect were all guarding the inner city.
At the forefront was Shen Cangfeng, a tall figure with a somewhat gloomy demeanor.
He was holding a heavy sword, secretly gathering strength. The powerful spiritual energy surged, and the sharp Sword Qi converged on the sword blade.
The mere threatening aura of his unreleased Sword Qi was no less formidable than that of Xiao Ruhan of the Qian Dao Sect.
The Heaven and Earth Splitting Sword Art of the Qian Dao Sect.
This is a top-notch heavy sword art.
One of the oldest sword arts of the Qian Dao Sect, it is extremely powerful.
However, due to its immense and heavy nature, it is rather niche, so few in the Qian Dao Sect practice this art.
This sword art is very suitable for Shen Cangfeng.
Shen Cangfeng also became the first person in the Shen family and the entire Qian Dao Sect, second only to Shen Linshu, thanks to this Heaven and Earth Splitting Sword Art.
In this Lunjian, although he is the defender,
he does not want to merely defend.
Being too passive and not showing his true strength is not his style.
He wants to turn defense into offense and completely annihilate the five people from the Tai Xu Sect.
By killing the attackers, the city will naturally be defended.
This Lunjian will naturally be won.
Especially Mo Hua...
A fierce look flashed in Shen Cangfeng's eyes.
The Shen family and Mo Hua have a deep-seated grudge. If possible, he would certainly want to slay Mo Hua under his sword.
Therefore, while others are genuinely defending the city,
Shen Cangfeng's intention is to kill.
He wants to reinforce the city gate as "bait" to drain the strength of the Tai Xu Sect.
The Tai Xu Sect has two threats.
One is Linghuxiao's sword techniques, and the other is Mo Hua's array formations.
The city gate is already sturdy, and with the addition of five layers of mid-tier Second Rank array formations, if they want to break through by force, either Linghuxiao needs to use his ultimate moves,
or Mo Hua needs to use all his array formations.
Or both.
Once Linghuxiao uses his ultimate moves, he won't be able to recover in the short term and will no longer be a threat.
Once Mo Hua uses up his array formations, he will essentially be useless.
By then, with his own ultimate moves ready and waiting, he can deal a heavy blow to the Tai Xu Sect as they break through the city gate.
This way, the moment the Tai Xu Sect breaks through the city gate will also be the moment of their annihilation.
Shen Cangfeng's gaze was cold.
...
Outside the city gate, Mo Hua looked at the array formations, sensing the killing intent behind the gate. He had a hunch about Shen Cangfeng's intentions and sighed slightly.
He estimated that in a direct confrontation, their group would not stand a chance against this Shen Cangfeng.
Shen Linshu of the Qian Dao Sect is indeed very strong.
But this Shen Cangfeng is no less formidable.
What is particularly annoying about the four major sects of Qian Xue Prefecture is that they are all like locusts—grab one, and you get a whole bunch, and none of them are small fries.
Moreover, the current situation is that Shen Cangfeng's plan is flawless.
To break through the city gate, they will inevitably have to exert a lot of effort.
Either Xiao Xiao needs to unleash his ultimate moves, or Mo Hua needs to use all his array formations.
In this way, even if the city gate is broken, they won't be able to withstand the Sword Qi attacks from the Qian Dao Sect.
They could also slowly grind it out without using their ultimate moves and array formations.
But the problem is that the Lunjian has a time limit. They must capture the city quickly. If they delay too long, they will be automatically declared the losers when the time runs out.
"This Shen Cangfeng is quite calculating..."
Mo Hua thought to himself.
However, unfortunately, these people still don't know the extent of his mastery of array formations.
Nineteen patterns in Second Rank are not the limit of Second Rank array formations.
There are still many profound array principles beyond nineteen patterns.
"Cover me."
Mo Hua said to Cheng Mo and the others.
Cheng Mo and the others nodded.
Then, Linghuxiao began to channel his Sword Qi, attacking the city gate to put pressure on the Qian Dao Sect disciples.
Ouyang Xuan assisted with the attack from the side.
Situ Jian observed the surroundings, alert for any sneak attacks from the Qian Dao Sect disciples.
Cheng Mo, wielding a large axe, guarded Mo Hua's side.
With the support of his fellow disciples, Mo Hua began to set up array formations on the city wall.
The first formation was the Earth and Stone Formation.
This formation was not intended for attacking the city but for "sealing" it, blocking all Qian Dao Sect disciples inside and preventing them from escaping.
Following that, Mo Hua set up three high-tier second-rank formations, each with nineteen patterns.
One was a Metal Formation, the second a Wood Formation, and the third a Fire Formation.
These three formations, interconnected through the principles of the Five Elements, worked together to enhance their destructive power.
Moreover, these formations had a specific target.
But their target was not the formations set up by the Qian Dao Sect disciples.
Not even the city gates themselves.
Instead, they aimed at the high-tier second-rank formations drawn by the elders of Lundao Mountain inside the "city walls."
In a siege, the target is the city gates.
Because the gates are the weakest point.
On either side of the gates, the "city walls" stretched long and were incredibly sturdy.
The walls were boundaries, and from the start, they were not meant to be the focus of the disciples' attacks.
This was an unwritten rule.
These walls were wide and thick, fortified by the elders of Lundao Mountain with high-tier second-rank formations to protect the city.
They used high-tier second-rank formations because a typical conflict involving Foundation Establishment disciples would not involve forces of the Golden Core level or higher.
Generally, high-tier second-rank formations were sufficient.
No disciple with a clear mind would ignore the weak "city gates" and instead waste time on the thick and hard "city walls."
But that was in the past.
Unfortunately, the walls now faced Mo Hua.
During the previous sword debate, while Mo Hua was crouched behind the wall setting up formations, he inadvertently noticed that the elders of Lundao Mountain had drawn many high-tier formations inside the walls.
This discovery stirred a sense of excitement in Mo Hua.
He really felt a bit "itchy" to do something.
It had been a very long time since he had collapsed a formation.
The last time he did, it was in Tongxian City, where he dismantled a large formation and killed the Great Demon Fengxi.
Of course, Mo Hua did not dare to cause a large-scale "collapse."
First, he had not fully mastered the true second-rank Reversing Spirit Formation.
Second, this was the Sword Debate Conference, and with so many people watching, he did not want to draw too much attention to himself.
Mo Hua's plan was straightforward.
He would trigger the three high-tier killing formations to explode, using the resonance of the Five Elements to destabilize the high-tier formations within the walls, causing their spiritual energy structure to become unstable.
Hidden within these killing formations was a "Reversing Spirit Pattern."
This pattern was not complete.
But it served as a trigger, a spark that could ignite the unstable spiritual energy, causing a chain reaction that would destabilize and explode the many high-tier formations within the walls.
The three killing formations alone would not destroy the walls.
Mo Hua did not expect them to.
These formations were just a ruse, a way to create an opening and plant the spark of the Reversing Spirit Pattern into the explosive mix, triggering a large-scale chain reaction.
Mo Hua had meticulously calculated this entire process.
Once the explosion occurred, the flames would scatter, automatically erasing all traces of his actions.
No one would notice the small trick he had played.
As for the power of the explosion...
Since it was not a true "collapse", but rather a trigger to cause the formations themselves to explode, the power would essentially be that of the high-tier formations.
The exact strength would depend on how many high-tier formations the Reversing Spirit Pattern could destabilize within the walls.
Calculations are one thing, and practice is another.
The outcome was hard to predict.
But Mo Hua believed it would not be weak.
Moreover, this was the only way to win.
If they engaged the Qian Dao Sect disciples in a direct siege, they would likely lose.
Soon, Mo Hua had set up all the formations and said,
"Everyone, move back."
Once Linghuxiao and the others had moved far enough away, Mo Hua began to "light the fire."
Inside the walls, the Qian Dao Sect disciples sensed something amiss.
Some tried to come out, only to find that the city gates were sealed by Mo Hua's formations.
They were trapped inside.
Shen Cangfeng and the other Qian Dao Sect disciples exchanged glances, their expressions darkening.
At that moment, they had no idea what was about to happen.
Neither did the spectators, who were still unaware of the impending event.
Mo Hua's formation setup process had been rather dull, and the two sides had not yet engaged in serious combat.
Most of the audience was still relaxed.
In the Sword-Watching Tower, the three mountain sect leaders were quietly sipping tea.
Then, in an instant, a thunderous explosion echoed like a bolt from the blue.
Everyone felt a sharp pain in their eardrums.
A blinding flash of light filled their vision.
Then, on the Square Heaven Image, flames instantly spread, the explosion's fire blooming like fireworks, densely covering the entire wall, creating a sea of light that almost blinded them.
(End of Chapter)
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