Chapter 1014: Shi Tiangang

Within the sword-discussion arena, the forest was dense with trees.

Shi Tiangang was chasing, Mo Hua was fleeing.

Mo Hua fled in haste, his silhouette panicked, like a small deer whose life hung by a thread, darting in all directions.

Shi Tiangang, meanwhile, wore a cold sneer, his expression stern; his Vajra-built frame towered, mighty and imposing, his strides swift as wind, like a tiger hunting its prey.

Countless spectators outside the arena watched this scene, their spirits uplifted.

"Hateful Mo Hua, you've finally met your comeuppance."

"Good and evil always receive their due; it's not that retribution doesn't come—it's just not yet time."

They could all see that as soon as Shi Tiangang closed the distance to Mo Hua, a single pinch would crush him to death.

And what they all eagerly awaited was precisely this moment.

In the mountain forest.

Shi Tiangang was indeed closing in on Mo Hua step by step; he was a body cultivator forged through countless trials, his movement clearly faster than Mo Hua's.

But Shi Tiangang did not grow careless.

He knew Mo Hua was far from as simple as he appeared, and certainly would not surrender passively.

Moreover, Mo Hua was the master of array arts.

Even though in the Sword Discourse Assembly he relied on "spellcraft," he must have retained some array techniques.

Indeed, after only a short distance, the ground rose in boulders and sank into pits, forming a trap that trapped Shi Tiangang.

Second-rank mid-tier array: Flowing Sand Mountain Lock Array.

Shi Tiangang paid it no mind.

He swung his arm horizontally, shattering chains of rock, his footstep vibrating with blood qi, scattering the quicksand, leaping upward—he broke free from the array trap.

The Sword Discourse Assembly imposed array restrictions; even Mo Hua could not unleash much of his array power.

A second-rank mid-tier array could not hold Shi Tiangang long.

But the delay caused by the array allowed Mo Hua to put more distance between them.

Shi Tiangang continued chasing, his strides like falling stars, a few flashes later, he closed in on Mo Hua again.

Mo Hua was terrified, pushing his movement technique to its limit.

He used a water-element movement technique, his footwork refined, his speed formidable; as he fled, streams of water coiled around him.

The origin of this technique was instantly recognizable to Shi Tiangang and the many Dao-art elders watching outside.

Flowing Water Step.

It was a movement art that, though rare, was not particularly advanced.

It perfectly suited Mo Hua's low-rank Five Elements, all-technique mastery approach.

Moreover, Mo Hua wielded this technique with great proficiency.

But Shi Tiangang, watching, sneered inwardly.

How could such a basic Five Elements movement technique compare to his Vajra Sect's Metal Step?

Shi Tiangang strode forward relentlessly; along the way, there were more arrays, roadblocks, talismans—petty tricks—but none could stop him.

Soon, Mo Hua had exhausted all his tricks.

His arrays and talismans were spent; low-rank spells were useless.

He had used up all his methods.

Mo Hua had no choice but to run for his life. But his only remaining movement technique could not match Shi Tiangang's.

His thin silhouette radiated despair.

Spectators outside the arena clapped and cheered, pounding their tables in delight.

And soon, the moment they had longed for arrived.

Shi Tiangang closed in on Mo Hua, his gaze sharp, his body like a tiger-wolf, his palm brimming with Vajra energy, as if the Buddha himself had descended to seize a villain—he reached out to grab Mo Hua.

Everyone held their breath in tension.

But in the next instant, a flicker of water-light flashed—and Shi Tiangang's grasp caught only air.

Shi Tiangang stared closely and saw Mo Hua stumble flat to the ground, dodging his Vajra palm, rolling smoothly into the nearby bushes, using the thick shrubbery to vanish from sight.

Shi Tiangang did not hesitate—he immediately punched forward.

The punch's wind plowed through the earth, shattering rocks and reducing vegetation to dust.

But behind the shrubs, there was nothing—no trace of Mo Hua.

Shi Tiangang frowned.

He swept his spiritual sense—and suddenly turned his head backward, seeing not far off, Mo Hua leapt again like a small deer from the forest, panicked, fleeing farther away.

Shi Tiangang immediately gave chase; when he neared, he punched again, Vajra light spreading.

But Mo Hua seemed to have sensed it in advance, dodging with preternatural foresight, slipping past the punch, then diving back into the shrubs.

Shi Tiangang stamped his foot; Vajra force spread from his soles, cracking a fissure that snaked toward the shrubs.

Then the entire patch of shrubbery was blasted into the air.

Rocks, mud, and wood chips rained down everywhere.

But still, no sign of Mo Hua.

A faint breath came from behind—Shi Tiangang spun around and saw another furtive figure fleeing into the distance.

It was Mo Hua.

Shi Tiangang gritted his teeth and chased again; as he nearly caught up, Mo Hua dove behind a large boulder.

Shi Tiangang punched—shattering the boulder into fragments—but behind the rock, Mo Hua was gone again.

Not even a trace of his aura remained.

Then, after a moment, Mo Hua jumped out from nowhere, glanced at Shi Tiangang, and sprinted off.

Even though Shi Tiangang was composed by nature, he was now furious with Mo Hua.

His eyes blazed like a vajra; with each breath, a tiger's roar echoed as he drew spiritual energy from his qi sea, pushing the Vajra Indestructible Power to its peak and channeling it entirely into the three yang meridians of his feet.

Then he stomped hard—the ground cracked, golden light exploded—and Shi Tiangang shot forward like a cannonball straight at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's steps were light as he dodged behind a large tree.

In the next instant, the entire tree was shattered into powder by a colossal Golden Body.

But there was still no sign of Mo Hua behind the tree.

Shi Tiangang turned his head and saw that Mo Hua had reappeared behind him, moving with the Flowing Step, fleeing toward the distance.

Shi Tiangang finally sensed something was wrong, his heart shocked:

"This kid is elusive, his movements bizarre… what kind of strange body technique is he using?"

Shi Tiangang, caught in the midst of it, was blind to the truth.

But the onlookers saw clearly.

Outside the Sword Arena, atop the Sky Painting Mirror, nearly every watching cultivator saw it plainly.

Mo Hua wasn't using any advanced body technique at all.

His body technique had always been the most basic Flowing Step.

He had merely added concealment art to the Flowing Step.

Shi Tiangang chased; Mo Hua fled. Whenever escape seemed impossible, Mo Hua would dart into shrubs, hide behind boulders, or vanish behind trees.

Using rocks, trees, and woods to block sight, he activated concealment art silently and invisibly, vanishing right under Shi Tiangang's nose, strolling leisurely in a circle, and reappearing behind him.

Then he would dismiss concealment, reveal his form, and continue luring Shi Tiangang farther away.

In truth, it wasn't clever at all.

Just the basic Flowing Step, plus sneaky concealment art.

The spectators outside could see it at a glance.

But Shi Tiangang, trapped within the situation, was like a leaf blocking his view—spinning like a headless fly, utterly unable to see through Mo Hua's trick.

The audience grew anxious for him.

"Concealment art!"

"Such a simple trick—how can Shi Tiangang not see it?"

"Chasing him in circles because of concealment art—such a huge figure, he's just a golden-glowing idiot…"

Most cultivators were both frustrated and angry.

Angry at Mo Hua's cunning, exasperated at Shi Tiangang's incompetence.

But some Dao Law elders watching the battle furrowed their brows.

Especially those elders from various sects who had studied, practiced, and deeply researched concealment art—after a moment's thought, their expressions turned solemn.

They knew the matter was far from simple.

It wasn't that Shi Tiangang couldn't think of it—it was that Mo Hua's concealment art was used in a way utterly outside convention.

Normal cultivators, when activating concealment art—whether "entering concealment" or "exiting concealment"—required time to cast and a gradual fading process.

But Mo Hua was different.

His concealment was too fast; the fading process was nearly imperceptible—in the blink of an eye, he vanished completely.

Added to this, each time he concealed himself, he used trees and rocks to block sight.

His concealment art left absolutely no trace.

Shi Tiangang failing to see through it was only natural.

Had it not been for the Sky Painting Mirror, which rendered every move of Mo Hua with perfect clarity, even some Dao Law elders present might not have discerned Mo Hua's peculiar little trick in a hurry.

"This boy's application of arts is truly… miraculous…"

"Yes, his mind is sharp, his comprehension high—a natural talent for Dao arts."

"Fortunately his elemental roots are poor and his spiritual power shallow—otherwise, if he ever mastered even one or two supreme Dao arts, paired with his absurd spiritual awareness and this innate talent for applying techniques, he'd be truly terrifying…"

"Indeed…"

The Dao Law elders exchanged silent whispers, secretly astonished.

One Dao Law elder said:

"But shouldn't Shi Tiangang have noticed something was off by now…?"

"Even if concealment art is used cleverly, it's still concealment art. Mo Hua, hiding and darting around, must leave some trace."

"Not noticing at first is understandable."

"After playing hide-and-seek this long and still not figuring it out—that's just unreasonable…"

Or is it… that the Vajra Sect's body cultivators are strong-limbed but simple-minded?

Of course, this thought could only remain in one's mind—uttering it aloud would offend someone.

The Vajra Sect's body cultivators were all burly brutes with fists bigger than mortar pots—no one dared provoke them.

And within the Sword Arena:

Shi Tiangang's mind still hadn't caught on.

Because there was one thing most Dao Law elders watching from the Sky Painting Mirror had not noticed in the short time—

That Mo Hua's concealment art was not ordinary concealment art.

It was the Minor Five Elements Concealment Technique.

Minor Five Elements Concealment blends with the Five Elements, hides within heaven and earth—it was the secret art of the Five Concealment Sect, once one of the Hundred Schools of Qian Xue.

But the Five Concealment Sect had long declined; centuries ago, the entire sect relocated beyond the Qian Xue region, vanished without a trace, and perhaps even lost its lineage entirely.

The only heir, Yin Laoer, was caught by Mo Hua for committing crimes.

Mo Hua smashed his teeth to extract this concealment technique.

And Mo Hua, blessed by heaven, his Minor Five Elements Concealment Art may be several times more refined than that of the Five Hidden Sect's core disciples.

His spiritual sense is strong, he possesses Minor Five Elements roots, masters Five Elements arrays, uses the heavens' and earth's Five Elements to mask his own aura, and has honed his concealment skills through countless close calls and narrow escapes from Hukou.

Shi Tiangang could never detect him.

Even if a beginner Jin Dan cultivator were to replace him, it would still be unlikely to pierce Mo Hua's concealment.

If Mo Hua truly wished to flee, he could simply vanish—Shi Tiangang would never find him.

The reason he occasionally shows himself is to tie down Shi Tiangang, luring him to chase after himself.

Only by teasing him like this could he kill the other disciples of the Golden Diamond Sect.

The two chased and fled through the mountains and forests.

After several more rounds, Shi Tiangang still failed to uncover Mo Hua's concealment—even he didn't realize Mo Hua was using a concealment technique.

But he sensed something was wrong.

This Mo Hua moved with bizarre unpredictability, appearing suddenly ahead, behind, left, or right.

And whenever his aura vanished.

This was not like any movement technique—it was more like a "trick."

And he was the one being fooled.

Shi Tiangang's heart burned with rage.

He abandoned chasing Mo Hua entirely, instead adopting a "clear the land and fortify the walls" strategy: his surrounding Jin Guang transformed into armor, his blood qi vibrated like golden threads, obliterating every rock, tree, and shrub along the path, hoping to force Mo Hua out.

But this backfired.

The mountains and forests collapsed; the Five Elements' earth and wood energies mixed together, providing Mo Hua's Minor Five Elements Concealment Art with even richer concealment cues.

Mo Hua concealed himself nearby, silently watching Shi Tiangang wreak havoc through the forest.

When Shi Tiangang finished his rampage, Mo Hua would briefly reveal himself, say a few words, and provoke him into anger again.

Shi Tiangang's power surged, each punch and kick wrapped in a dark-gold blood qi, steeped in murderous intent, unmatched in destructive force.

Just a brush of his fist's wind could crush Mo Hua to death.

But infuriatingly, he could never land a hit on Mo Hua.

He didn't even know where Mo Hua was.

This powerful senior disciple of the Golden Diamond Sect now felt like he was wielding a cannon to shoot mosquitoes.

His strength was immense, yet he could do nothing against Mo Hua.

They continued this dance for a while longer.

Overcome by fury, Shi Tiangang suddenly realized something was wrong.

He had wasted too much time on Mo Hua—Linghu Xiao's fellow disciples must be under immense pressure; the situation was surely dire.

At this thought, Shi Tiangang abandoned his hatred for Mo Hua and turned to leave.

Mo Hua tried to stop him with a few spells, but their effect was negligible, so he stopped bothering.

Shi Tiangang left the forest and arrived at the battlefield, where the situation was exactly as he feared: the Golden Diamond Sect had already lost one disciple.

Now, Linghu Xiao and his three companions were overpowering three Golden Diamond Sect disciples.

The situation was critical.

Shi Tiangang roared and charged in, joining the fray.

As soon as he engaged, he sensed something odd.

Except for Linghu Xiao, every single disciple of the Grand Void Gate was wielding spiritual weapons specifically designed to "counter metal" and "break armor."

The spiritual weapons shimmered with deep luster—this was the spiritual glow of special arrays.

Shi Tiangang instantly knew who had crafted these arrays.

Mo Hua.

The Grand Void Gate's array master.

In swordplay and spell duels, both sides are always scheming.

While he was scheming against Mo Hua, Mo Hua was scheming against him.

These metal-counteracting, armor-breaking spiritual weapons were deliberately prepared by Mo Hua.

The key now was whether he would kill Mo Hua first, or whether Linghu Xiao would kill his comrades first.

Now it was clear—he had fallen into Mo Hua's trap.

Shi Tiangang gritted his teeth.

Mo Hua, this junior senior disciple of the Grand Void Gate, was far more treacherous and elusive than he had ever imagined.

And he had many hidden cards.

At that very moment, Mo Hua arrived as well—the situation was exactly as he expected: the Golden Diamond Sect had lost one man; now the Grand Void Gate had five against four.

This gave them a decisive advantage.

Mo Hua began using Five Elements spells to support them.

The Golden Diamond Sect disciples all cultivated the "Indestructible Golden Body"—Mo Hua's spells alone had little effect.

But this was a team battle.

His spells could create openings, amplify weaknesses, harass enemies, and grant Linghu Xiao and the others space to strike.

Just a little space was enough.

Soon, the Golden Diamond Sect disciples were eliminated one by one by Linghu Xiao's sword qi.

In the end, only Shi Tiangang remained.

At Grand Void Gate, Cheng Mo and Sister Situ, having expended too much blood qi and spiritual energy restraining the Golden Diamond Sect disciples, were seized upon by Shi Tiangang, who smashed their Discourse Jade with a single punch each, forcing them to retreat.

On the field, only Mo Hua, Linghu Xiao, Ouyang Xuan, and the Golden Diamond Sect's senior disciple, Shi Tiangang, remained.

Three against one.

Mo Hua had thought victory was assured.

But he never expected that the real "hard battle" was just beginning.

This "Shi Tiangang" was the hardest to fight.

Mo Hua truly witnessed for the first time what it meant to be indestructible, impervious to blades and spears, immune to fire and water.

Shi Tiangang pushed his Golden Diamond Body to its peak, and in direct confrontation, single-handedly overwhelmed Linghu Xiao, Ouyang Xuan, and Mo Hua—all three at once.

His cultivation neared the peak of Foundation Establishment, his blood qi was extraordinarily abundant, and his innate physique was extraordinary.

The Golden Diamond Body Art had already reached the third level, "Golden Skin and Iron Bones," while still in the Foundation Establishment realm.

This was unprecedented among Golden Diamond Sect disciples in nearly a century.

Sword qi that harmed the body was blocked by iron bones.

Magical erosion was nullified by golden skin.

Shi Tiangang stepped with Golden Path Footwork, clenched his fists like Golden Diamond, each strike and motion surging with blood qi, concealing golden force—Ouyang Xuan was driven back step by step.

Linghu Xiao could only counter with sword qi in direct clashes.

Mo Hua could only cast spells from afar.

Though it was three against one, Shi Tiangang somehow made it feel like one man suppressing three.

This battle was truly chaotic and fiercely intense.

It was the longest Discourse Sword fight Mo Hua had ever endured.

Mo Hua was even forced to consider abandoning his plan and activating other "trump cards."

In the end, thanks to Linghu Xiao's breakthrough under pressure, after a grueling effort from all three, they finally killed Shi Tiangang in direct combat.

Shi Tiangang was a genius.

Linghu Xiao was one too.

Through Mo Hua's arrangement, Linghu Xiao had been honing himself through one Discourse Sword fight after another.

This sword prodigy was gradually growing stronger, gradually "sharpening."

In this Discourse Sword fight, Shi Tiangang had imposed immense pressure on him.

Linghu Xiao, too, unleashed extraordinary combat power.

Of course, Linghu Xiao alone could not have done it.

Ouyang Xuan, though silent, had held firm under immense pressure using the Tai'e Sect's sword techniques, providing crucial aid.

And then there was Mo Hua.

He used "Fire Bright Art," "Golden Flash Art," "Earth Collapse Art," "Golden Chime Art," and numerous other minor spells—harmless in direct damage but capable of "blinding," "deafening," "scorching the eyes," and "trapping the ground"—to restrain Shi Tiangang, provoking his rage and exposing multiple openings.

Shi Tiangang's pre-battle assessment had been correct.

Not killing Mo Hua would indeed lead to being tricked to death.

Even if not tricked to death, he would be driven mad by annoyance.

Thus, the three combined forces, after countless rounds, exhausted Mo Hua's spiritual energy and pushed Ouyang Xuan to his limits, finally wearing down Shi Tiangang's "Golden Diamond Body" and breaking his defense.

Only then did Linghu Xiao, clinging to his last breath, unleash the powerful Void-Cutting Sword Scripture with a desperate stance, severing Shi Tiangang.

Grand Void Gate won.

After retreating, Mo Hua exhaled deeply, exhausted to the point of collapse.

He never imagined the Golden Diamond Sect's senior disciple could be this powerful.

A top-tier talent, a body cultivator with balanced offense and defense—truly terrifying.

Shi Tiangang had already reached this level of toughness while still in Foundation Establishment; if he one day advanced to Jin Dan, or even Liu Yuhua, and further refined the Golden Diamond Body Art to higher realms, how strong would his body become? Mo Hua dared not imagine.

He might stand still and let others kill him—and they still wouldn't succeed.

"This Shi Tiangang… will surely become an extraordinary figure…"

Mo Hua nodded, deeply acknowledging Shi Tiangang's strength.

But this Discourse Sword fight dragged on too long; while Mo Hua struggled inside, the spectators outside felt only fatigue.

They recognized Shi Tiangang was indeed powerful.

At the final moment, one against three, he held his ground, even displaying a faint aura of "one defeating three"—even in defeat, he inspired awe.

But unfortunately, his earlier "hide-and-seek" ordeal in the small grove, where Mo Hua had toyed with him using concealment art, looked utterly foolish from the spectators' perspective.

How could someone be this stupid?

Couldn't he even detect concealment art?

The Golden Diamond Sect's body cultivators were indeed strong-limbed but simple-minded…

Everyone deepened this stereotype.

Their subconscious perception of Shi Tiangang shifted from the steady, powerful senior disciple of the Golden Diamond Sect to a…

Glittering, golden fool.

(End of Chapter)