Chapter 875: Slashing the Divine
Chapter 875: Slashing the Divine
Elder Dugu frowned slightly, "Cultivating the sword path should be a gradual process. Don't aim too high too soon."
Mo Hua nodded, "I understand, Elder. However, you've also said that the sword path should have a beginning and an end. Only with a clear start and finish can one have a direction."
"Every day, I cultivate sword qi, which is the beginning of the sword path. The sword techniques formed by divine consciousness are the end. With a clear start and finish, I have a direction to strive for."
Elder Dugu was taken aback.
This child spoke with clarity and confidence, presenting one argument after another.
He was different from all the sword disciples Elder Dugu had taught before.
This child had a pure Dao heart, was sincere in his interactions, and had a natural demeanor. Although he respected Elder Dugu, he was not timid or overly restrained like the other disciples.
Even Xuan, who had been one of his best disciples, had always feared him, the venerable elder, and seldom dared to speak much during their lessons.
Let alone someone like Mo Hua, who would ask a myriad of peculiar questions and occasionally make small requests...
But what he said was true. While building a solid foundation in the sword path was crucial, having a clear goal and direction was equally important.
Ultimately, he needed to know why he was learning.
Elder Dugu nodded, "Very well, I will explain briefly."
Mo Hua's spirits lifted, and he quickly said, "Thank you, Elder!"
He then sat up straight and listened attentively.
Elder Dugu pondered for a moment and slowly began, "From sword artifacts to sword qi, then to sword intent, and finally to divine consciousness sword techniques."
"There are currently four techniques in divine consciousness sword techniques: Forming the Sword, Startling the Divine, Shattering the Divine, and Slashing the Divine. These four techniques are not independent but progress from simple to complex..."
"Forming the Sword is the foundation and the entry point. It further manifests sword intent, shaping the sword's form, transforming the tangible into the intangible, and then the intangible back into the tangible."
"This technique may seem basic, but it carries profound sword path implications. From this point, the intangible 'sword intent' gains a tangible 'sword form.'"
"However, this 'tangible' sword form is essentially still 'intangible' sword intent."
"The interplay of the tangible and intangible, both real and illusory, is something you will understand in the future..."
Elder Dugu paused, suddenly realizing he hadn't taught foundational disciples in a long time and had inadvertently gone too far into advanced concepts.
The principles of the tangible and intangible were insights from the Void Realm. It was too early to discuss these with the child...
But when he looked over, he saw Mo Hua's eyes shining with interest, listening intently. He couldn't tell if Mo Hua truly understood or was just pretending to understand.
"These concepts... you will understand them when your cultivation reaches a certain level."
Elder Dugu continued, "Forming the Sword is the foundation and the entry point, but it is too weak. Even after forming the sword, it still needs careful nurturing and should not be used lightly, much less to kill..."
"Thus, for practical combat, you should use the next level technique, Startling the Divine."
Mo Hua was taken aback.
When he first comprehended "Forming the Sword," he had eagerly used it to slay countless foes.
To date, he had killed numerous demons and evil spirits with "Forming the Sword," even slaying evil gods.
Now, Elder Dugu was telling him that "Forming the Sword" wasn't meant for slaying...
It was merely a "seed" that needed careful nurturing...
Mo Hua's feelings were suddenly complex.
Unaware of Mo Hua's thoughts, Elder Dugu continued, "Startling the Divine involves integrating the fierce sword intent cultivated over decades or even centuries into 'Forming the Sword.' Then, through the divine soul, attempt 'out-of-body' projection."
"As long as your sword intent is strong enough and sufficiently honed, the more powerful it is when projected, the more terrifying its impact on others."
"Even a pure-hearted cultivator who has mastered 'Startling the Divine' can, during combat, reveal a mere sliver of sword intent and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies, making them flee in terror without a fight."
"Sword intent concealed, sword revealed, spirits and demons alike are startled."
...
This was the proper method for practicing "Startling the Divine."
Mo Hua nodded.
Despite the name "divine consciousness," the essence of all techniques still begins with the "sword," entering the Dao, and using powerful sword intent to intimidate opponents.
His own "Startling the Divine" technique seemed a bit like a shortcut.
His sword path was weak, so he had borrowed the "cultivating evil" methods from the Water Prison Sect, adapting them for use. When he used his eye technique to intimidate enemies, it wasn't just the sword intent but also the Dao prison heart image and the pain of the prison, instilling fear in the hearts of his foes.
He couldn't say which method was superior.
But his eye technique was definitely "unorthodox."
However, he had already learned it and couldn't just abandon it halfway.
Moreover, the orthodox "Startling the Divine" technique did not conflict with his seven souls "sword eye" technique.
On the contrary, if he mastered the orthodox "Startling the Divine," his eye technique would become even stronger.
Mo Hua had a rough idea of how to advance his "Startling the Divine" technique in the future.
Having understood the "Forming the Sword" and "Startling the Divine" techniques, Mo Hua asked, "Elder, what about the 'Shattering the Divine' technique?"
Elder Dugu said solemnly, "The 'Shattering the Divine' and 'Slashing the Divine' techniques are vastly different. 'Forming the Sword' is the entry point, 'Startling the Divine' is the awakening, and reaching 'Shattering the Divine' marks a minor accomplishment in divine consciousness sword techniques. Reaching 'Slashing the Divine' signifies a major accomplishment, allowing one to slay demons and purge evil."
"Ah!" Mo Hua's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Elder Dugu's gaze sharpened, "The 'Shattering the Divine' technique gathers sword intent into a single point, with moderate damage but strong penetration."
"Some demons and evil spirits have innate abilities, with evil thoughts and evil auras forming armor, making their outer skin as hard as iron."
"To harm their souls, you must first break their armor."
"Conversely, if you can't break their armor, no amount of sword qi will harm them."
"When mastered, the 'Shattering the Divine' technique can break through any demonic armor."
Mo Hua was slightly taken aback.
"Shattering the Divine"... breaking armor?
Do demons actually have armor?
He recalled briefly and remembered that among the countless demons he had slain, a few indeed had "armor."
This "armor" looked quite primitive.
Some of these "armors" felt like ordinary coarse iron, while others more closely resembled the hair and scales of the demons themselves.
When he strangled these demons, the "armor" did indeed feel quite hard.
But in the Path of Divine Consciousness, he could "break all with one force."
No matter how hard the demon armor, after a few more punches, it would be completely shattered.
If it weren't for the mention by the Ancestor, he wouldn't have realized that this "armor" had another name.
The intricacies of the Path of Divine Consciousness were indeed quite numerous...
At this moment, the Ancestor Dugu finally spoke of the last technique.
"Divine-Slaying Sword..."
A sharp edge gleamed in Dugu Ancestor's eyes. "It is the culmination of the Grand Dao of Divine Consciousness Transformed into Sword, and it is also the most powerful technique..."
Mo Hua's spirit was immediately invigorated, his ears perking up.
Dugu Ancestor continued, "It is the most powerful, but also the hardest to learn."
"To slay people, demons, and gods with the Divine-Slaying Sword, one must first slay oneself."
"Use the intent of the sword to continuously refine your life soul until they eventually merge into one."
"The sword is life, and it is also the soul."
"Thus, the divine soul will take the form of a sword, capable of slaying all things of divine consciousness."
"This is the process by which a sword cultivator merges their sword, their Dao, their life, and their soul into one."
"This process will be extremely painful and requires extraordinary caution."
"Especially during the process of refining the soul with the sword, the damage to the divine soul from the sword intent will be immense. Any slight mistake could result in the Divine-Slaying Technique not being learned, and instead, your own divine soul being destroyed..."
Dugu Ancestor's expression was extremely solemn.
Clearly, such cases of cultivators failing to learn the Divine-Slaying Technique and instead destroying their own divine souls were not rare in the history of the Great Void Sect.
Mo Hua's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but ask:
"Ancestor, how exactly does one refine the soul with the sword and avoid destroying one's own divine soul?"
Dugu Ancestor remained silent for a moment and said, "This is the highest secret of the Divine Consciousness Transformed into Sword. I cannot tell you now, and doing so would be harmful to you."
Mo Hua was unwilling to give up. After some thought, he asked, "Will you teach me in the future?"
Dugu Ancestor pondered for a moment and slowly nodded.
Since he had promised to teach Mo Hua the Divine Consciousness Transformed into Sword, he would not go back on his word.
Under the right conditions, he would teach him.
Even though the Divine Consciousness Transformed into Sword is now a forbidden technique of the Great Void Sect, and the "refining the soul with the sword" method of the Divine-Slaying Technique is the most "taboo" of all.
"So, you will teach me eventually, right?" Mo Hua asked again.
Dugu Ancestor thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes."
"Since that's the case," Mo Hua said, "why not tell me now so I can be mentally prepared?"
Dugu Ancestor frowned, "What kind of mental preparation?"
Mo Hua replied, "The mental preparation to eventually learn the Divine-Slaying Technique!"
Dugu Ancestor was speechless.
This child, who can't even crawl, is already thinking about flying.
"You have weak sword qi and a poor foundation. You are far from being able to learn the Divine-Slaying Sword. I cannot teach you now," Dugu Ancestor firmly refused.
Mo Hua tried his best to persuade, but no matter what he said, Dugu Ancestor remained unmoved.
Mo Hua sighed, his expression somewhat dejected.
Seeing Mo Hua's dejected state, Dugu Ancestor felt a twinge of guilt.
Mo Hua, despite his poor sword talent, was very hardworking and had a strong thirst for knowledge. He was currently the only one in the Great Void Sect still practicing the Divine Consciousness Transformed into Sword.
He shouldn't overly discourage his enthusiasm.
Dugu Ancestor's tone, though he didn't realize it, became slightly more gentle:
"You are still young, and it's too early for you to learn this. There's no need to rush. Refining the soul with the sword is too dangerous and too profound, not something you can learn now."
Mo Hua, seeing Dugu Ancestor's softer tone, immediately said, "I won't learn it; I just want to study it."
"Study?" Dugu Ancestor was taken aback.
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded, "I'm learning sword qi too slowly. At this rate, who knows when I'll be able to truly learn the Divine Consciousness Transformed into Sword. There's no shortcut for learning sword techniques, but..."
"My foundation in sword techniques is weak, but my foundation in divine consciousness is strong."
"Since that's the case, I might as well study the principles of the Divine Consciousness Transformed into Sword from the perspective of divine consciousness."
"This way, I can make progress in both sword qi and divine consciousness without one hindering the other."
"By the time my sword qi improves, I will have a certain understanding of the changes in divine consciousness within the Divine Consciousness Transformed into Sword, making it easier to learn..."
Mo Hua spoke with conviction.
Dugu Ancestor was silent.
Mo Hua's words were not without merit...
Moreover, this reminded him.
The reason he was willing to teach Mo Hua the Divine Consciousness Transformed into Sword, apart from the karmic ties with Xuan'er, was mainly because Mo Hua had strong divine consciousness and was on the path of "divine consciousness enlightenment."
Weak in sword techniques but strong in divine consciousness.
Thus, perhaps he couldn't teach him in the conventional, step-by-step manner.
Letting him get a head start on some of the divine consciousness sword techniques might not be a bad thing.
But...
Dugu Ancestor looked at Mo Hua, "You really just want to study, not practice?"
Mo Hua nodded vigorously, "Definitely! I'm not a fool; I wouldn't practice it now."
"Besides, I haven't even cultivated sword intent or learned the basic sword transformation technique. Even if I wanted to practice more advanced techniques, I couldn't..."
Mo Hua's eyes flickered slightly.
Dugu Ancestor immediately frowned.
By instinct, he felt there was something off about Mo Hua's words, but what exactly was it?
If his words were false, it would mean he had cultivated sword intent and learned the "sword transformation technique," and he could learn more advanced divine consciousness sword techniques?
That was even more impossible.
Dugu Ancestor looked at Mo Hua and finally nodded slowly, "Alright, if you just want to study, I can give you the secret manual of the Divine-Slaying Technique."
"Can I have the God-Slaying Technique?"
"Only the God-Breaking Technique is available. The God-Slaying Technique is too difficult, too powerful, and too deadly."
Muhua asked in a low voice, "Can I have all of them?"
Dugu Laozu was almost amused to the point of laughter.
"What are you thinking?"
"But I want the God-Slaying Technique!" Muhua insisted.
The God-Breaking Technique, a move that relies on surprising the opponent, wasn't really what he needed in his path of divine consciousness. What he needed was a technique that could sever all with a single strike. Whether it was demons, evil spirits, or any other malevolent entities, he wanted to cut them all down with one sword!
Since Laozu had finally opened up, Muhua was determined to push his luck.
After all, if he missed this opportunity, he might never get another chance.
"I want the God-Slaying Sword!"
Dugu Laozu, seeing Muhua's stubbornness, had no choice but to concede, "Fine... God-Slaying it is."
It didn’t matter much whether it was God-Breaking or God-Slaying, since he was already giving it to him.
Muhua was overjoyed.
Dugu Laozu drew a line with his finger, splitting the void, and retrieved three bamboo slips. After a moment of thought, he put two back and only handed the first one to Muhua.
"This is the method for refining your soul with a sword."
Muhua's expression turned solemn as he took the bamboo slip. To his surprise, it was blank, except for a simple, ancient sword etched on it.
Muhua was puzzled, "Laozu, what does this mean?"
Dugu Laozu replied, "The path of God-Slaying lies within. You must understand it on your own. If you can grasp it, you will. If you can't, then you're not ready yet."
Muhua felt a chill run down his spine.
True to form, Laozu’s words were as cryptic as ever...
But as he pondered, he realized there might be some truth to it. If he could understand it, he would. If he couldn’t, it meant he wasn’t ready, and he should focus on the basics of sword qi.
But...
Muhua asked again, "Laozu, weren’t there three bamboo slips?"
He had noticed that Dugu Laozu had taken out three slips from the void.
Dugu Laozu’s face darkened, "There’s only one."
Muhua stared at him.
Dugu Laozu’s expression was as stern as ever.
Fine, one slip it is...
He shouldn’t be greedy after receiving such a great blessing. Dugu Laozu giving him even one slip was a tremendous favor.
"Thank you, Laozu!" Muhua said gratefully.
Dugu Laozu seemed to relax slightly.
"Remember what I told you. You can look and think, but don’t practice."
He then added, "And keep this slip safe. Don’t let anyone else see it, and don’t lose it. Return it when you’re done."
Muhua nodded eagerly, "Don’t worry, Laozu, I’ll remember!"
It was getting late, so Dugu Laozu sent Muhua back to the disciples’ quarters.
Back in his quarters, Muhua couldn’t sleep. Almost immediately, he took out the bamboo slip that Dugu Laozu had given—no, lent—to him.
The slip was rough, as if someone had picked up a piece of bamboo and casually shaved it down.
Yet, in its simplicity, it exuded a sense of natural and profound essence.
On the slip, a single, ancient sword was etched, full of character and charm.
Muhua gazed at the sword etching.
For a long while, he saw nothing.
Transforming divine consciousness into a sword was not only difficult to learn but also shrouded in obscurity.
Muhua shook his head.
But no matter how difficult, it was a matter of the mind. And when it came to the mind, Muhua had the confidence and experience to gradually decipher and study it.
After a couple of days of intense focus, Muhua finally began to understand.
This sword technique bamboo slip was, in essence, similar to the “Water Prison Forbidden Box” of the Kui Water Sect.
It was a kind of “near” visualization diagram.
Although it wasn’t a visualization diagram, it used an image to impart knowledge. Cultivators gained the technique through visualization.
"Should I try learning it?"
Muhua was a bit conflicted.
The God-Slaying Technique was powerful, but refining the soul with a sword and severing the soul itself carried great risks.
Moreover, he was essentially “skipping levels.”
He was bypassing the orthodox “Spirit-Stunning Sword” of the Great Void, the “Spirit-Breaking Sword” that shattered evil, and directly learning the ultimate “God-Slaying Sword.”
But not learning it wasn’t an option either.
The evil fetus was lodged in his soul, like a splinter in his back, a bone in his throat.
Muhua couldn’t bear it any longer.
"Let’s try it..."
At midnight, Muhua burned incense, bathed, and meditated, calming his mind. He then took out the bamboo slip and prepared to refine his soul with the sword, practicing the God-Slaying Sword Technique.
He focused his eyes on the slip, visualizing the ancient sword etching.
At first, nothing happened.
Muhua felt nothing.
But gradually, as his mind grew calmer and his visualization time increased, the sword etching began to change.
The etching seemed to transform into a sword.
This sword was intangible and formless, carrying a hint of ancient, overwhelming sword intent. It seemed to divide yin and yang, and the Great Void revolved around it.
Muhua's divine consciousness connected with the sword, and the sword’s tip pointed at him.
Muhua was startled, then his expression cleared.
His gaze turned cold, and he gritted his teeth, determined. In his mind, he silently commanded:
"Sever!"
The sword intent instantly broke through the air, entering his mind through his eyes, and struck at his soul.
An intense pain surged through him.
A piercing scream echoed.
The scream came from Muhua’s mouth, but it wasn’t him who screamed.
At the same time, Muhua’s face turned pitch black and sinister, transforming into the evil infant, who shrieked:
"Stupid brat! What are you doing? Do you want to die?!"
(End of Chapter)
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