Chapter 1044: Cut!
Chapter 1043: Cut!
In the Sword-Watching Pavilion, the Valley Master of Hundred Flowers saw Mo Hua in this state and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her eyes grew moist, and she almost couldn’t breathe.
Inside the Heavenly Pivot Chamber, the Grand Astrologer was equally stunned by Mo Hua’s wild and defiant bearing, a gaze that looked down upon the world. His thoughts scattered in chaos.
He couldn’t tell—who exactly from his youth did Mo Hua resemble at this moment?
Meanwhile, within the Sword Debate Arena.
Mo Hua’s words were exceedingly arrogant, eyes filled with utter disdain for everyone present.
Even Shen Linshu and the other four—proud and aloof by nature—were thoroughly enraged.
Shen Linshu sneered coldly, unable to hold back.
“If you had used this sword strike earlier and killed the five of us, wouldn’t that have been better?”
Mo Hua responded with disdain, “This sword of mine has immense power. Had I used it earlier, I would’ve ended up slaying all the mediocre trash around as well.”
“My sword does not cut down the mediocre. Only you five are worthy of dying by it.”
Shen Linshu felt his blood boil.
Even Duanmu Qing, Xiao Wuchen, Ao Zhan—each of them, provoked by this insult, had eyes tinged red with fury.
“Very well… very well…” Shen Linshu was so enraged he laughed. “Then I’d like to see for myself—how exactly you’ll unleash this so-called sword strike…”
“Let’s see how a formation master without even a sword is going to cut down the five strongest prodigies of Qianxue.”
Mo Hua nodded. “Then keep your eyes wide open. Watch closely. And whatever you do…”
His voice turned strange and sinister,
“…don’t blink.”
Then, without hesitation, his gaze deepened as he slowly raised two fingers and pointed to the space between his brows.
…
Outside the Sword Debate Arena, everyone clearly saw this strange gesture from Mo Hua and furrowed their brows.
“What is Mo Hua doing?”
“What’s he trying to pull?”
“Is he really thinking of fighting one against five? Kill the five Qianxue prodigies?”
“No way. Has he gone mad?”
“His formation’s gone. How’s he going to kill anyone?”
…
All the elders and disciples of the Great Void Sect looked at one another, utterly baffled, unable to make sense of what Mo Hua was doing.
Only Xun Ziyou froze suddenly, as if recalling something. His pupils dilated in shock.
He remembered—this familiar gesture of Mo Hua’s.
And with it, he remembered that moment within the Demon-Refining Mountain, the one where a pig demon at the third-grade Golden Core stage—completely uninjured—suddenly dropped dead right in front of Mo Hua.
Xun Ziyou’s scalp went numb, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
In the Sword-Watching Pavilion, within the Hollow Void Grand Hall—Many Hollow Void ancestors also frowned, equally bewildered.
Though they couldn’t interfere with the sword debate through the fifth-grade grand formation, they could still sense the auras within.
Mo Hua’s body was frail, his spiritual power weak, his sword foundation shallow. He didn’t even possess a hint of sword qi—nor did he hold a single spiritual sword.
What sword technique could such a disciple possibly wield?
What kind of strange trick was this boy trying to pull?
But then, in the next instant—An aura vast and profound like the abyss rose from Mo Hua’s body. A sword intent ancient and deep surged upward.
Sensing this sword intent, all the Hollow Void ancestors were stunned.
“This aura is…”
A few of the sword-cultivating Hollow Void elders, upon careful sensing, immediately changed color, standing up in shock and staring at Venerable Elder Xun in disbelief:
“Is that… the Divine Mind Sword Manifestation of the Great Void Sect?!”
Those words instantly caused all Hollow Void elders present to turn pale with shock.
They were Hollow Void realm experts—who among them hadn’t heard of this world-shaking name?
The Forbidden Sword Technique of the Great Void Sect:
True Art of Divine Mind Sword Manifestation!
This technique Mo Hua was using… it was the near-lost, long-sealed, heaven-defying, ghost-shattering Divine Mind Sword Manifestation from the lineage of the Great Void Sect?!
Impossible!
This sword technique was a profound, sect-defining art.
Difficult to learn. Difficult to master. Dangerous to pass on. A single misstep could lead to divine soul collapse and instant death.
How could a mere Foundation Establishment disciple possibly have learned it?
Who would even dare allow such a disciple to attempt it?
Even these deeply experienced Hollow Void elders couldn’t help but feel a tidal wave of turmoil in their hearts.
Even Venerable Elder Xun furrowed his brows, emotions churning.
His greatest fear had come true.
Mo Hua had truly learned the Divine Mind Sword Manifestation.
Which meant—this technique must have been passed on by that Senior Brother of his—the one who had half-stepped into the Heavenly Demon path, whose fate remained unknown, whose very nature—man or demon—was a mystery.
And not only did Mo Hua receive it—he actually succeeded in mastering it.
He had become the only living heir of the Forbidden Sword Art of the Great Void Sect.
For a moment, Elder Xun felt both dread and awe. He didn’t know whether to mourn or rejoice.
But quickly, some of the elders realized an even more terrifying issue.
One of them suddenly shot up, shouting in horror:
“This is bad! The Fifth-Grade Grand Formation of the Sword Debate Mountain doesn’t defend against divine sense!”
“Stop him—quickly!”
“We absolutely cannot let him release that sword!”
In front of the Divine Mind Sword Manifestation, all flesh and spiritual force were meaningless.
Even those with the strongest roots and bodies—if their Dao heart was unsteady or their divine sense unstable—they could not withstand the obliteration of the Great Void Sword Intent.
In other words—he really could kill people inside the arena.
And the ones he wanted to kill…
All the Hollow Void elders were terrified.
Immediately, several Hollow Void ancestors acted decisively, trying to breach the fifth-grade formation and stop Mo Hua from unleashing that sword strike.
But the moment their Hollow Void power touched the formation, it was instantly dispersed—dissolved by the complex and unfathomable runes fused into the void.
The Fifth-Grade Sword Debate Grand Formation forbade any interference in the duel.
Not even from Hollow Void ancestors.
Inside the arena, as Mo Hua’s sword intent soared—Shen Linshu and the others also instantly sensed danger—an instinctual fear that arose from their bloodline itself.
Something was wrong!
Kill Mo Hua first!
The five of them acted almost reflexively, aiming to strike preemptively and interrupt Mo Hua’s sword art.
But it was already too late.
They had already seen Mo Hua’s eyes.
Those were not human eyes.
They gleamed with golden brilliance, radiating flawless divinity.
Yet within that divinity was compassion for all living things—within that compassion, the cruelty of slaughter.
A blood-red hell of sword intent burned in Mo Hua’s pupils, shaking Shen Linshu and the others to their very souls, paralyzing them with guilt and fear. None dared to move.
Seizing the moment, Mo Hua calmed his heart, clearing all distracting thoughts. Within his Sea of Consciousness, he gathered all his divine sense. The four sword array essences—Broken Gold, Mountain-Splitting, Yin Water, and Departed Fire—flowed through his eyes in endless succession.
The vast and ancient Void Sword Intent merged into it.
A sword intent far beyond the Foundation Establishment realm erupted from Mo Hua’s frail body with terrifying sharpness.
Majestic and unstoppable—like a divine mind storm, sweeping through the unseen world.
Mo Hua’s eyes gleamed ever brighter.
The pure golden divine-sense-forged sword intent surged to its peak, sharp and refined to the extreme.
With two fingers still pressed to his brow, spiritual force coiled at his fingertips. It pierced through the boundary between illusion and reality, guiding the deep and mighty Void Sword Intent—merged with the Five Element Sword Arrays—outward through the method he had discovered himself:
Divine Sense Astral Projection.
The immense God-Slaying Style, with its horrifying sharpness, once again revealed itself to the world.
Mo Hua’s gaze turned icy. His two fingers extended forward—A torrent of sword intent surged from his fingertips.
A massive divine-sense-forged sword swept across the sky.
Slash!
This was a sword formed purely from divine sense.
It was infused with the essence of divinity, a Dao refined into pure gold—an existence that transcended the comprehension of ordinary cultivators. Most Foundation Establishment disciples present could barely see anything; all they noticed was Mo Hua pointing forward, and in the air, a faint, almost illusory golden glimmer, wavering between illusion and reality.
Golden Core cultivators could make out a blurred sword shadow, and on that shadow, occasionally flickering golden strands of sword intent.
Ascension-level cultivators could see a resplendent, glass-like golden sword body.
Only Hollow Void cultivators, however, could see the complete God-Slaying Sword—the swirling Five Elements Laws within the sword intent, the countless sword formations embedded in it, and the ancient, profound sword path of the Great Void Sect.
The higher the realm, the clearer the vision—and the more terrifying it appeared.
And this horrifying sword, before the eyes of all cultivators, like the sunrise breaking the dawn, golden light splitting the heavens and earth—slashed toward the five most elite prodigies of Qianxue.
It ignored flesh and blood, ignored spiritual power, ignored all armor and Dao robes.
It ignored debate talismans and even bypassed the laws of defense within the fifth-grade Sword Debate Grand Formation, directly piercing through their eyes—aiming for their Seas of Consciousness, seeking to obliterate their divine sense.
Shen Linshu and the others—by body, spiritual power, cultivation, Dao techniques—were countless times stronger than Mo Hua.
But their divine sense, their Dao heart, compared to Mo Hua—the being who had become almost godlike—were utterly fragile and unworthy.
In the instant they were struck by the God-Slaying Sword, signs of their Seas of Consciousness collapsing appeared, danger of divine sense annihilation imminent.
Then, suddenly—a layer of golden light descended and shielded them.
On the foreheads of Shen Linshu and the others, a bright, sacred talisman appeared.
Mo Hua was no stranger to this golden light.
Nor was he unfamiliar with this talisman.
Life-Bound Longevity Talisman!
A talisman forged by Hollow Void and higher-level ancestors whose lifespans were nearing their end and who had no further hope of ascending the Dao. They would condense their life essence into a talisman, implant it into the fates of their direct bloodline descendants. In moments of mortal peril, the talisman would activate on its own—slaying all external threats to preserve the junior’s life.
Mo Hua’s God-Slaying Sword had indeed possessed the power to destroy the divine sense of Shen Linshu and his group—it had truly pierced their souls.
And thus, it also shattered the five Life-Bound Longevity Talismans they carried!
And as those talismans broke—they released five…
Hollow Void Dharma Avatars!
In that instant, a thunderous roar shook the heavens.
The world changed color. The earth quaked and mountains trembled.
A torrent of golden light surged skyward—on the peak of Sword Debate Mountain, winds howled and clouds churned. Five mighty Hollow Void Dharma Avatars emerged simultaneously, their spiritual power vast and boundless, covering the sky and earth. The overwhelming pressure struck terror into the hearts of all who witnessed it.
The residual force of that release shook heaven and earth—not just Sword Debate Mountain, but the entire Qianxue Province trembled from the impact.
The five Hollow Void Dharma Avatars erupted together—their might truly earth-shattering. Golden light spread from Sword Debate Mountain, expanding across nearly the entire region.
Across Qianxue, even in distant corners and neighboring minor provinces, cultivators of all levels could see this world-shaking phenomenon.
Even in Lone Mountain City, at Smoky River, and the scattered cultivators of small fishing villages—every single one looked up in awe, their faces stunned, as they saw the golden radiance stretching across the horizon like a blazing sun—and within it, the indistinct silhouettes of five Hollow Void Avatars.
Five Longevity Talismans shattered. Five Hollow Void Dharma Avatars emerged.
It was a spectacle so grand and rare that most cultivators would not witness such a sight in their entire lifetime.
And at the same time, deep within the forbidden areas of the Four Great Sects and Da Luo Sect—Five Hollow Void Patriarchs simultaneously spat out blood.
…
But the storm—was far from over.
Inside the Sword Debate Arena, Mo Hua had unleashed a single sword strike.
One sword shattered five Life-Bound Longevity Talismans.
One sword summoned five Hollow Void Dharma Avatars.
One sword changed the very color of heaven and earth.
One sword caused five Hollow Void Patriarchs to cough up blood.
Mo Hua’s sword was simply too astonishing.
And what followed was a heaven-shaking, earth-rending killing intent, vast as the sea.
The five Hollow Void Dharma Avatars, each one radiating terrifying killing intent, instantly locked onto Mo Hua.
Mo Hua was the one who had attempted to kill their successors.
Mo Hua was the source of this crisis.
He was the original transgressor.
“Die!”
The five Hollow Void Dharma Avatars, radiant with divine gold and solemn expression, killing intent surging—one commanded a flying sword with divine might, one wielded a heavy blade alone, one drew a long sword to cleave the heavens, one punched and transformed into a dragon, one swept with a whisk unleashing myriad techniques—all charged toward the insignificant Foundation Establishment Mo Hua.
They sought to utterly crush this ant—body and soul alike.
Yet Mo Hua simply lifted his head slightly, standing calmly and expressionlessly. His pale face carried no trace of fear.
Just as the five terrifying Hollow Void Avatars were about to close in and annihilate him—
The entire Fifth-Grade Sword Debate Grand Formation suddenly erupted in dazzling light.
Vast spiritual energy, like the Milky Way descending from the Ninth Heaven, surged through the formation’s core and veins, fully activating it like an awakening primordial beast. A tremendous humming echoed through the heavens and earth—the sound of a massive formation consuming spiritual energy in full operation.
The sky above the Debate Mountain rippled, a vast void like a celestial river.
An immense force from the fifth-grade formation descended from the heavens, enveloping Mo Hua’s entire body, shielding him from the onslaught of the five Hollow Void Dharma Avatars.
The Dharma Avatars, drawn from the shattered Life Talismans, existed to protect their clan’s chosen.
Mo Hua tried to kill those chosen.
Therefore, the Dharma Avatars now sought to kill him.
But the Fifth-Grade Sword Debate Formation had been created to protect all disciples participating in the debate.
Mo Hua was a Sword Debate disciple.
Thus, the formation would not allow the five Hollow Void Avatars to harm him within its bounds.
This became a clash of Hollow Void-level forces.
The formation’s power collided violently with the five Hollow Void Dharma Avatars atop the Debate Mountain.
Once again, the world changed color. Celestial starlight and divine golden glow clashed violently. Terrifying waves of spiritual power surged and tangled, churning into a monstrous spiritual tide that flooded in all directions.
In an instant, all Sword Debate arenas on the Debate Mountain were flattened.
Forests, mountains, every venue—turned to ash.
The residual shockwaves couldn’t be contained, battering the edges of the formation, crashing outward like a feral ancient dragon trying to devour all creation.
And yet—this Hollow Void-level clash was still contained within the fifth-grade formation.
Naturally, it was subject to the formation’s limits.
The grand formation roared with piercing spiritual wails, exerting every ounce of its strength to bind the spiritual tide born of this conflict, stopping it from spilling beyond.
Had it failed, the entire Debate Mountain would have been annihilated.
Every cultivator below Hollow Void would have been wiped out—reduced to bones and dust beneath this terrifying collision between formation and Dharma Avatars.
At that moment, all cultivators stood outside the formation—faces pale, eyes filled with horror—as they witnessed this nightmare.
They watched as Hollow Void-level spiritual force—like a heaven-darkening tsunami—crashed toward them, only to be stopped by the formation at the last second.
Their lives hung by a thread.
And they could do nothing.
In the face of such overwhelming force, all life was as insignificant as ants. Whether they lived or died was not up to them.
In the sky above Debate Mountain, half the heavens were void, the other half golden light.
The battle between the fifth-grade formation and the Hollow Void Dharma Avatars raged on.
Wave after wave of spiritual tides rolled across the mountain.
This was the Fifth-Grade State-Level Domain, where Hollow Void cultivators could unleash their full strength—and the Dharma Avatars, born from shattered talismans and seething with hatred, were far from easy to dispel.
As long as the “source of calamity”—Mo Hua—remained alive…
As long as this karmic knot remained unresolved…
The Hollow Void Dharma Avatars would not vanish.
The fifth-grade formation fought to protect Mo Hua, bearing the bombardment of the five Dharma Avatars.
But their killing intent seemed endless.
They would not rest until Mo Hua was dead.
Finally, the Sword Debate Grand Formation itself seemed to “grow angry.”
It would not permit any being or force to violate the rules of the Sword Debate and harm Mo Hua.
A primordial sword cry rose to the heavens.
Atop the Debate Mountain, the White Jade Altar, surrounded by nine sky-reaching stone pillars carved with divine beasts and auspicious clouds, began to stir.
At its center was enshrined a giant white jade ancient sword, over ten zhang long—like a mountain peak in itself.
Its blade glowed with translucent brilliance, exuding a profound and ancient aura.
This sword was the relic of the founding ancestor of Debate Mountain.
Before each Sword Debate, this blade would be ritually worshiped—
The altar opened, offerings were made, blood vows taken, and every Sword Debate disciple would pay respects, praying for the ancestor’s protection.
Now, at this moment—
The divine beast engravings on the pillars gleamed with radiant light.
The ancient white jade sword hummed, its jade-like sword aura soaring to the heavens, resonating with the fifth-grade formation.
In the skies above Debate Mountain, a phantom of an elder slowly manifested.
Formed from the power of the formation, his features were obscured—but his figure stood vast and mighty, as if a titan of the heavens, exuding boundless grandeur like a being carved from the stars.
This elder, a giant, reached out with a hand forged from void force—
And grasped the white jade sword, as if plucking a mountain.
Then, with a mighty sweep—
He slashed across the sky.
The sword aura, like the Silver River of the Ninth Heaven, fell in a sweeping arc—unstoppable and absolute.
And in an instant, the five Hollow Void Dharma Avatars…
Were severed at the waist.
In a single sword strike, the five avatars were annihilated—spiritual force dissolving into nothing.
The elder then returned the sword to the White Jade Altar.
His form slowly faded from the world.
The fifth-grade Sword Debate Grand Formation gradually calmed.
The piercing spiritual wails ceased.
The terrifying tide of spiritual force began to dissipate, then was absorbed and refined completely by the formation.
Heaven and earth returned to silence.
Before the formation, all cultivators—spectators and nobles in the Sword-Watching Pavilion alike—still wore expressions of stunned terror. Their hearts were numb, their minds blank.
In just half a day, they had witnessed scene after scene of indescribable horror.
At some point, they began to wonder…
Were they really watching a Sword Debate of proud geniuses?
Or had they stumbled into a Hollow Void-level war between monsters…?
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/94/d1/d7/94d1d76839df936e1f648e2e6f38042b.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/34/ed/15/34ed15d1629e1505b21fe89cec0a1cb3.jpg
(End of this Chapter)