Chapter 1036: The Traitor
Chapter 1036: The Traitor
Wen Ren Wan couldn't understand why these thoughts suddenly came to her.
It was broad daylight, and the Sword Discussion Conference was in full swing, with a sea of people gathered. The elders of the Shangguan and Wen families, all of whom were powerful cultivators, were present as well.
Why would she have such a bleak and ominous premonition?
She didn't know, but she clung tightly to her precious child, determined not to let anyone take them away...
...
Amidst the cacophony, the Asura War finally began.
On the Heavenly Canvas, colorful shadows spread out, and the landscape took shape, unfolding into a vast tapestry.
This was a complex and rugged mountain range.
It was also the final arena for the Asura War.
Four sects, eight gates, and twelve streams, along with a few hundred Qianxue academies, would compete in this expansive and perilous arena, fighting to the bitter end.
The outcome would determine not just the victor but also the "survivor."
Before the vast and magnificent Heavenly Canvas, all the spectators held their breath, silently watching the battle unfold, witnessing a clash that would decide the fate of many sects.
...
Inside the Lunjian Arena.
Mo Hua led the disciples of the Voidgate Sect into the Asura battlefield. Looking around, the arena was even larger, more expansive, and more complex than he had imagined.
The mountains stretched endlessly, the terrain was intricate, and the landscape was shrouded in mist.
Forests, peaks, slopes, canyons, swamps, ancient woodlands, poisonous grasslands, miasma, ruins... all these terrains were hidden in the mountain fog, making it difficult to discern the real from the illusory.
In the distance, the Heaven-Suspended Peak was visible.
The Heaven-Suspended Peak was the pinnacle of the Lunjian arena.
The Asura War was the trial for advancement to the Heaven rank.
In the past, only those who had survived the Asura War could step onto the Heaven-Suspended Peak.
Now, Mo Hua was about to face a severe "Asura War."
"Little Senior Brother..." Situ Jian whispered, "We're all ready."
"Good."
Mo Hua turned to look at Situ Jian and the familiar, beloved faces of his fellow disciples behind him: Linghu Xiao, Ouyang Xuan, Cheng Mo, Yang Qianjun, Hao Xuan, and the Ouyang Five Brothers...
He saw their solemn expressions and the unwavering trust in their eyes.
Mo Hua nodded. "Follow the plan."
"Come with me..."
Mo Hua extended his divine perception to understand the terrain, then chose a direction and entered the forest.
The disciples of the Voidgate Sect followed him silently.
The group gradually disappeared into the thick fog.
...
Meanwhile, the leading talents of the various sects, facing the vast expanse of mist, issued orders one after another:
"Go, ignore the other sects, find the Voidgate Sect first!"
"Ignore everyone else, find Mo Hua first!"
"Signal with fireworks when you find him."
"Surround and kill him."
"Destroy the Voidgate Sect first!"
"Mo Hua must die!"
"Yes!"
...
In the vast Asura battlefield, shrouded in mist, the disciples of the various sects moved through the forests, streams, and swamps, extending their divine perception to search for the Voidgate Sect, especially Mo Hua.
They shared a tacit understanding.
Kill Mo Hua, destroy the Voidgate Sect.
Of course, this "understanding" didn't apply to all sects.
In the vast Asura battlefield, sporadic skirmishes still erupted, with disciples from different sects "killing" each other.
Apart from the Voidgate Sect and Mo Hua, there were also other sects in Qianxue Prefecture with old grudges and private feuds.
When enemies met, they forgot about the Voidgate Sect and Mo Hua, and immediately drew their weapons to fight.
However, the overall situation was highly unfavorable for Mo Hua.
The majority of the cultivators, especially those holding the "Kill Mo Edict" and who were sworn enemies of Mo Hua, adhered to the "alliance."
They scattered like a net, covering the entire Lunjian Arena, searching for Mo Hua in the mist.
But despite repeated searches, they couldn't find a trace of Mo Hua.
Not even a single disciple of the Voidgate Sect.
They seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Shi Tiangang, the senior disciple of the Diamond Sect, who had been reduced to a "Big Fool" due to the Hidden Art, cursed under his breath:
"Doing this again?"
"Using invisibility?"
Beside him, Qin Cangliu, a sword talent from the Trident Water Sect, pondered for a moment and shook his head:
"That's not right. If he used invisibility alone, it would be one thing, but it's impossible for all the Voidgate Sect disciples to have learned invisibility."
"The Hidden Art isn't that easy to master."
"Even if they did learn it, it would be difficult to perfect it to the point where they wouldn't be detected."
"Invisibility spiritual equipment?"
"The invisibility effect of invisibility spiritual equipment isn't that good, at least not enough to fool our divine perception."
"So, it must be... an invisibility formation?"
An invisibility formation was a high-level second-tier formation with nineteen patterns, and it was a very niche and difficult technique that few formation masters would study.
In the past, the Sword Discussion Conference had never seen the use of a Stealth Formation.
But in Mo Hua's case, it was highly possible.
The mist had yet to dissipate, and the vast Lunjian Arena was treacherous and complex. If Mo Hua, that kid, were to set up a Stealth Formation, the entire Voidgate Sect could hide in a corner, making it extremely difficult to find them.
"Group Stealth..."
"This damn Mo Hua, he really has a lot of tricks up his sleeve."
"Absolutely shameless..."
"What should we do now?"
"Should we not act until we find Mo Hua?"
"This is the Sword Discussion Conference, with so many sect leaders and elders watching. It would be too embarrassing to just drag this out."
"According to the agreement, we should clear the field first..."
"Clear the field while searching for Mo Hua."
"Alright."
"Agreed..."
...
Thus, everyone began the first "field clearing."
Field clearing meant that the four major sects, eight gates, and twelve streams would follow a specific order to conduct an initial "screening."
The Asura Battle, though described as a free-for-all, still had its rules.
This "free-for-all" also adhered to "rules" and "hierarchy."
The weak were eliminated first.
Sects with lower rankings would exit the stage first.
This was the traditional method of the Asura Battle, a long-standing practice.
The field clearing followed the "one strike" principle.
Each major sect, led by their Tianjiao, would "sweep" the area. When they encountered weaker disciples from lower-ranked sects, they would deliver a single strike.
Only one strike.
If the opponent could withstand it, they had the right to stay and continue fighting.
If they couldn't, they would be eliminated.
This way, the weak were cleared out.
It also prevented strong fighters from engaging in premature life-and-death battles, which could allow weaker fighters to exploit the situation.
To some extent, this solidified each sect's ranking.
Clearing the field according to the established rankings prevented significant deviations in the Lunjian rankings.
All sects, including the four strongest, tacitly agreed to this rule.
This was crucial for the sects' Lunjian.
Even the four major sects wouldn't act out of line, to avoid unnecessary complications.
Thus, the Asura Battle began with its first round of simple "culling."
In the forests, by the streams, and in the swamps,
Blades flashed, spells were cast, and fists flew.
But each encounter was brief, a mere test of strength.
When they met the weak, they would swiftly take their lives.
When they met the strong, they would stop after a brief exchange.
Soon, all the disciples from the weaker sects were cleared out.
However, some who were not weak but were implicated by others were also eliminated.
Some disciples who had learned Concealment Arts tried to hide using Stealth techniques.
Staying alive a bit longer, gaining a higher rank, and earning more points was a good thing.
In the past, this had been somewhat effective.
But not now.
Because Mo Hua was exceptionally skilled in Stealth.
So, to hunt down Mo Hua, all the major sects placed great importance on Stealth techniques.
To counter Mo Hua's Stealth, they prepared numerous methods.
Mo Hua had closed off all paths.
So, these people had nowhere to go.
Some disciples with Concealment Arts or Stealth Spiritual Equipment were far less skilled than Mo Hua.
They couldn't hide for long before their movements were detected, and they were pulled out and killed with a single strike.
Moreover, Concealment Arts were highly despised.
Some sect Tianjiao had been "toyed" with by Mo Hua's Concealment Arts and felt deeply humiliated, so they couldn't stand others using Stealth in front of them.
Especially Shi Tiangang.
Seeing someone use Stealth in front of him made him angry.
"Why didn't you learn something else, but you had to learn from Mo Hua?"
During the Asura Battle, he specifically targeted cultivators using Stealth.
Additionally, disciples with good movement techniques also suffered because of Mo Hua.
Feng Zichen, the Tianjiao of the Freeflow Sect, had once tried to slice through Mo Hua's clothes with a sword strike that formed snowflakes, nearly breaking his wrist, but failed to even tear a piece of Mo Hua's clothing. Since then, he couldn't stand others showing off their movement skills in front of him.
During the Asura Battle, if weaker disciples from other sects fought him honestly, Feng Zichen wouldn't have done anything.
But if they tried to run away from him using their movement skills,
It would instantly hit his sore spot.
He would pursue them to the ends of the earth and kill them.
As for the Fireball Spell, it was even more taboo.
The Fireball Spell had become an unwritten "forbidden technique" at the Sword Discussion Conference.
Except for Mo Hua, all disciples were strictly prohibited from using it.
Especially during the Asura Battle.
Whoever dared to cast a Fireball would instantly become a target, surrounded and hacked to death by a group of red-eyed cultivators.
While they cut, they would curse:
"Don't you dare use the Fireball!"
"Think you're so capable?"
"I hate the Fireball more than anything!"
...
In the first round of the purge, Mo Hua didn’t show up.
But it seemed as if his presence was felt everywhere.
After this rapid elimination and “screening,” an hour later, the first round of “cleaning” concluded.
Those who lacked strength, or resembled Mo Hua, were eliminated.
The disciples of the Qianxue Hundred Sects were almost entirely wiped out.
The weaker disciples of the twelve lesser sects were also eliminated in large numbers.
A few from the eight major sects were eliminated.
The four major sects, however, remained intact.
At this point, another question arose:
Continue searching for Mo Hua?
Or continue the competition?
The leading Tianjiao of each sect silently deliberated.
Ye Qingfeng of the Great Law Sect spoke up:
"I suggest that the sects pause the battle and focus on eliminating Mo Hua at all costs."
"After Mo Hua is dead, we can resume our competition."
"Don’t forget, Mo Hua is a significant threat."
"His cultivation might be negligible, but he excels in stealth and agility. In such a vast arena, he has the advantage. If we don’t combine our efforts to eliminate him first, he might survive until the end, and we’ll have no way to deal with him."
The Great Law Sect had two Tianjiao.
One was Ye Zhiyuan, who practiced the Great Law Flying Sword Technique but was killed by Mo Hua with a single sword strike. His status plummeted, and he was once the top sword talent in Qianxue.
The other was Ye Qingfeng, who practiced the Great Law Unity Sword Technique.
Ye Qingfeng was tall and handsome, with profound cultivation, but because he practiced the Unity Sword Technique, his aura was concealed and didn’t attract much attention.
However, those in the know understood that Ye Qingfeng was extremely powerful, almost the top talent among the four Tianjiao.
Like Ye Zhiyuan, he was a seed-level Tianjiao, highly regarded by the Great Law Sect and blessed with a life-prolonging charm by the sect’s founding ancestor.
So far, he hadn’t clashed with Mo Hua and had no personal grudge against him.
Thus, his stance was relatively objective.
He wasn’t driven by personal vendetta but by the fact that Mo Hua’s cunning and elusive survival skills posed a significant threat.
In this battle, if they didn’t act decisively and eliminate Mo Hua early, he might indeed survive until the end.
That would be truly absurd.
As a top Tianjiao of the eight major sects, Ye Qingfeng’s words were easily accepted by the disciples of the eight major sects.
His considerable strength also gave him the authority to negotiate with the Tianjiao of the four major sects.
Thus, his proposal was widely acknowledged.
"Eliminate Mo Hua first!"
"At the very least, find the Voidgate Sect members first…"
"Agreed."
...
The Tianjiao disciples of each sect dispersed, crisscrossing the battlefield like a sieve, searching every blade of grass, every mountain, and every valley.
Divine Perception crisscrossed the area.
Keen eyes scrutinized every detail.
Stealth spiritual equipment was also employed.
But frustratingly, they still couldn’t find Mo Hua.
Nor could they locate the Voidgate Sect.
Everyone cursed under their breath as they continued the search.
Anxiety and frustration began to grow in their hearts.
The stalemate made everyone impatient.
"Damn Mo Hua, where the hell is he hiding?"
"He’s like a ghost…"
"How long is this going to take?"
...
Moreover, this was a battle of life and death, a contest that determined personal futures and the interests of their sects. Prolonging the stalemate naturally made some people restless.
While they wanted to kill Mo Hua, the situation changed if they couldn’t find him.
They hadn’t forgotten that this was the Sword Discussion Conference, where all other sects’ disciples were their enemies.
They couldn’t let a single “Mo Hua” jeopardize their sect’s plans.
The so-called alliance to eliminate Mo Hua was just a verbal agreement, and no one took it seriously, especially when it came to their sect’s interests.
Gradually, some began to have second thoughts.
They could still distinguish between the importance of Mo Hua and their sect’s interests.
Not everyone in the four sects, eight major sects, and twelve lesser sects hated Mo Hua.
Some even had “traitors” who were supported by Mo Hua.
In the Life Sever Sect’s formation.
Song Jian approached the leader of the Life Sever Sect, Song Kui, and said, "Song Kui, let’s start the killings."
Song Kui was taken aback.
He was the strongest disciple of this year’s Life Sever Sect and the leader, but Song Jian had a good background and had performed exceptionally well at the Sword Discussion Conference, earning the admiration of the elders.
Thus, he couldn’t ignore Song Jian’s opinion.
But…
Start the killings?
Who to kill?
Song Kui gradually understood Song Jian’s meaning and frowned. "This… isn’t right."
Song Jian said, "This is a battle of life and death. In critical moments, we must be ruthless and willing to break promises."
"What about Mo Hua…?"
"So many people want to kill Mo Hua. We’re not indispensable in this."
Song Kui was still hesitant.
Song Jian then said, "Don’t forget, our Life Sever Sect is currently the worst among the eight major sects."
"The sects ahead of us won’t give us any leeway."
"Even if we kill Mo Hua and drag the Voidgate Sect down, it won’t change our situation."
"Our true opponents are the sects just ahead of us."
"We need to bring them down to rise ourselves…"
“First, we climb up, and then we’ll consider dealing with the Voidgate Sect and the Mo Hua. If we can’t climb up, everything else is just empty talk…”
Song Kui, a pragmatic person, his eyes lit up at the words, and he nodded.
“Agreed, let’s go!”
Song Kui took the lead, while Song Jian held his spirit sword, and the two of them led the Life Sever Sect disciples, moving forward silently to search for Mo Hua.
After a short while, they encountered the Purple Dusk Gate.
Song Kui stepped forward and exchanged a few pleasantries.
Taking advantage of the Purple Dusk Gate’s lack of vigilance, Song Jian suddenly drew his sword, which glowed with a golden light, and attacked a Purple Dusk Gate disciple.
The other Life Sever Sect disciples also joined in the attack.
Caught off guard, the Purple Dusk Gate disciples were immediately ambushed, resulting in two deaths, three severe injuries, and several more sustaining minor injuries.
The leader of the Purple Dusk Gate, enraged, shouted:
“What are you doing, Life Sever Sect?”
Song Jian sneered, “What else in the Sword Discussion Arena?”
He raised his sword and led his fellow disciples into battle with the Purple Dusk Gate.
Two more Purple Dusk Gate members were killed.
However, the Purple Dusk Gate, being one of the eight major sects, quickly stabilized their formation and engaged the Life Sever Sect in a fierce battle.
The situation became a stalemate.
Seeing no advantage, Song Jian decided not to prolong the fight and called out:
“Retreat!”
The Life Sever Sect disciples withdrew with him.
The Purple Dusk Gate disciples, though furious, dared not pursue due to the casualties they had suffered, and could only watch helplessly as the Life Sever Sect left.
Outside the arena.
The elders of the Purple Dusk Gate cursed the Life Sever Sect for their shamelessness.
However, the elders of the Life Sever Sect nodded approvingly and praised:
“This Song Jian, I haven’t misjudged him. He truly has a decisive streak…”
“Not blinded by hatred, calm and composed, understanding the bigger picture, skilled at seizing opportunities, and ruthless and decisive in action. He’s a valuable asset!”
“This mindset is more important than spiritual roots.”
“The Life Sever Sect is fortunate to have such a disciple!”
…
Inside the Sword Discussion Arena.
The Life Sever Sect’s ambush of the Purple Dusk Gate caused quite a stir, naturally drawing the attention of other sects.
Qin Cangliu of the Trident Water Sect watched the scene unfold, furrowing his brow in deep thought.
At that moment, a disciple of the Trident Water Sect approached and whispered:
“Brother Qin, the Life Sever Sect has started the killing. Perhaps we should do the same…”
He made a slashing gesture with his hand.
Qin Cangliu looked at this seemingly ordinary disciple and recalled his name:
Wang Chen.
Wang Chen, despite his average talent, had extensive connections within the Trident Water Sect and a good network of relationships.
Apparently, after the major reshuffle in the Trident Water Sect due to the Crimson Lip Boat incident, Wang Chen leveraged his connections with Dao Court Si, earning many favors and gradually establishing himself within the sect, earning a respectable position.
With this status, Wang Chen formed a team and managed to enter the Earth Division of the Sword Discussion Arena.
Of course, the Earth Division was tough, and Wang Chen’s team didn’t win many matches. If not for the Asura battles, he wouldn’t have had the chance to show himself.
Qin Cangliu didn’t think much of people like Wang Chen.
But he wasn’t foolish and saw no reason to offend him.
As the saying goes, it’s easier to deal with the king of hell than with a troublesome little demon.
Wang Chen was one of those troublesome “little demons.”
He had a wide network of friends, many connections, and relationships that were hidden in the shadows.
You never knew who such a seemingly insignificant person was secretly connected to.
Once you offended them, they could easily cause you trouble.
But Qin Cangliu also wouldn’t easily trust Wang Chen’s words.
Qin Cangliu remained silent, deep in thought.
Wang Chen’s eyes flickered, and he said, “Brother Qin, Mo Hua’s death is not a loss… but the current situation isn’t much better for us in the Trident Water Sect than for the Life Sever Sect.”
“If the Life Sever Sect advances, we will be at the bottom.”
“We need to act soon. Even if we kill Mo Hua, we won’t gain much if we end up at the bottom of the eight major sects.”
“Moreover…”
Wang Chen pointed upwards and whispered, “Many important figures are watching this Sword Discussion Arena, especially from the Dao Court and Dao Court Si.”
“I’ve heard from reliable sources that Mo Hua has connections with the Gu family of Dao Court Si and even the Dao Court’s inspector.”
“This is the Sword Discussion Arena. If you truly kill Mo Hua, the senior figures won’t say much.”
“But if killing Mo Hua delays our progress and leaves the Trident Water Sect at the bottom of the eight major sects, it could be… troublesome.”
Wang Chen left it unsaid, but Qin Cangliu understood the implications.
Qin Cangliu thought for a moment, then looked at Wang Chen with cold eyes. “What’s your intention?”
Wang Chen bowed respectfully and said, “Brother Qin, one must know one’s place. I have average talent, so I can only build connections and be friendly with others.”
“I’m just trying to curry favor with you and get to know you better.”
“Besides, as fellow disciples of the Trident Water Sect, we share the same fate. I naturally have to consider the best interests of our sect.”
Qin Cangliu’s gaze was sharp as he scrutinized Wang Chen.
Wang Chen’s face wore a humble smile, and his eyes were calm.
Qin Cangliu nodded slightly. “Alright, we’ll start the killing…”
(End of Chapter)
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