Chapter 1030: Duanmu Qing

The situation at Grand Void Gate is dire.

Most sect cultivators, including even the three abbots, have no confidence.

Because they do not know who they will face in the next sword debate, or how the outcome will turn out.

The opponents in the Earth-tier sword debate are determined by the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus.

After each sword debate concludes, the next opponent list is immediately calculated by the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus on the spot.

Before the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus completes its calculation, everything remains unknown.

Mo Hua secretly calculated the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus.

In fact, had it been possible, he had even entertained the thought of using the Art of Heavenly Mechanism to alter the Apparatus's calculated list.

To make minor adjustments, placing all the weaker teams on his own side.

To make Xiao Wuchen, Ao Zhan, Duanmu Qing, and Shen Linshu—these top prodigies—kill each other, fighting for victories until their brains spill out.

In this way, Grand Void Gate could advance easily.

If Shen Linshu and the others fought among themselves, at least half the prodigies would be eliminated in the Earth-tier debate.

To control Heavenly Mechanism, to stir clouds and rain.

To manipulate cause and effect, to use another's blade to kill.

This is the true use of Heavenly Mechanism and Cause-Effect.

Unfortunately, Mo Hua currently lacks the ability entirely.

The Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus is a heavenly treasure left behind by the Founding Ancestor of Dao Discernment Mountain.

The Founding Ancestor of Dao Discernment Mountain is a legendary figure in Qianxue Continent.

Whether this Ancestor was an ordinary Void-Exploration cultivator, a mighty late-stage Void-Exploration master, or an unfathomable cultivator beyond Void-Exploration—no one knows…

Such an unfathomable Ancestor, an ancient and profound treasure, layered with intricate Heavenly Mechanism and Cause-Effect.

It is utterly beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators to observe or alter.

Even Void-Exploration cultivators might not succeed.

Let alone Mo Hua, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Thus, the coming sword debates will largely depend on the "mood" of the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus.

Whatever cards it deals, Mo Hua must accept them.

In the worst-case scenario, if his luck is truly abysmal and he faces nothing but prodigies like "Xiao Wuchen."

Then Mo Hua will likely just have to accept his fate and lose all the way.

One day later, the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus activated, calculating cause and effect.

Mo Hua's next opponent in the sword debate was revealed.

It was Long Ding Sect, one of the Sida Sect.

This time, luck was slightly better—the opponent was not the top prodigy "Ao Zhan."

But this time, luck was not good either, because the opponent was almost certainly Long Ding Sect's strongest disciple after Ao Zhan:

Ao Zheng.

Ao Zheng's abilities were nearly identical to Ao Zhan's, except that his elemental roots, cultivation technique, and Dao methods were just a hair's breadth inferior.

This slight difference was minimal.

But among the sea of prodigies in the Sida Sect, it was the gap between first and second place—a chasm impossible to cross.

Yet this was true only from Long Ding Sect's perspective.

In the sword debate tournament, as opponents, Ao Zhan was strong, and Ao Zheng was equally strong.

Mo Hua pinched his fingers in calculation, frowned, and felt victory was still unlikely.

If they fought normally, he would likely lose again, just as he had in the previous round, to Long Ding Sect.

And coincidentally, the sword debate format was again the Beast Hunt.

In the Beast Hunt, he had already lost to Ao Zhan, and now he would lose again to Ao Zheng.

Mo Hua sighed faintly.

There were few rounds left in the Earth-tier debate.

Now, every victory must be fought for.

Otherwise, if the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus refused to show mercy and dealt him another top prodigy's "card," all would be lost.

But how could he defeat this "Ao Zheng"?

Mo Hua pinched his fingers, stared at the debate terrain map, and mentally devised a plan; finally, his eyes brightened slightly.

But Mo Hua sighed aloud:

"I'm such an upright person—I never wanted to do this. But now, to win, I have no choice…"

Afterwards, Mo Hua arranged the battle strategy.

On the day of the sword debate:

Outside the arena, the crowd was still a sea of people.

Yet inside the inner mountain where the disciples debated, it was far quieter.

Mo Hua arrived early at the inner mountain of Dao Discernment Mountain, bringing Linghu Xiao and the others to guard the mountain pass.

All debating disciples must enter the inner mountain through the mountain pass.

This applied to Grand Void Gate as well as Long Ding Sect.

Linghu Xiao and the others stood in a line, faces grim, guarding the mountain path.

Mo Hua, meanwhile, held a blade of grass between his fingers, idly practicing array patterns on the ground.

As an array master, to advance in array arts, one must practice array patterns anytime, anywhere, never wasting a moment or opportunity.

This is the self-discipline of a formation master.

After practicing for a while, Mo Hua suddenly tossed the grass root aside and looked up. "They're coming."

Linghu Xiao and the others tensed.

After a moment, a group of cultivators indeed walked from the other end of the mountain path—each one tall and muscular, with haughty eyes and faces, clad in luxurious dragon-ding sect robes.

The leader had a square face, an imposing aura, and every gesture exuded condensed blood qi like solid matter, his body cultivation power surging.

This man was Ao Zheng.

Today's Sword Discussion is between the Long Ding Sect and the Grand Void Gate.

The two sides have always been at odds.

Ao Zheng, leading his team, spotted Mo Hua and the others, his gaze instantly sharp, brimming with deep combat intent.

And beneath it, a subtle hint of murderous intent.

As Mo Hua rose to his feet, his expression shifted instantly from warm and relaxed to cold and haughty.

He stood atop the steps, looking down "from above" at Ao Zheng.

Otherwise, with his stature, he'd only reach Ao Zheng's shoulders—and could not intimidate him.

Ao Zheng was indeed "startled."

Mo Hua, the Grand Void Gate's "Formation Master," had always been mysterious, his actions sharp and unpredictable.

Added to which, Mo Hua's face was now icy.

Ao Zheng truly dared not underestimate him.

But Ao Zheng was also a prodigy, a powerful body cultivator, inherently confident and arrogant—he merely sneered, then walked toward the mountain gate.

Ao Zheng said nothing.

He wanted to wipe out this group from the Grand Void Gate. He wanted to kill Mo Hua.

But he scorned to voice such words before battle.

Do it first, then speak.

Only after wiping out the Grand Void Gate's team and killing Mo Hua would he speak his mockery.

This was the manifestation of strength.

To boast without the power to deliver was shallow and incompetent.

On the Sword Discussion arena, only true blades and real blood decided everything.

Ao Zheng ignored Mo Hua and walked on toward the inner mountain, but as he passed him, a clear yet icy voice suddenly reached his ear:

"Your Long Ding Sect's Ao Zhan… offended me last time…"

Ao Zheng froze, turned his head, and looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua tilted his chin slightly, cold, arrogant, and brazen. "In this beast-hunting contest, I will return this debt exactly as it was given."

"The Grand Void Gate is not easy to offend."

"All five of you will die!"

Hearing this, Ao Zheng's heart flared with rage, his face twisting as he glared furiously at Mo Hua.

But when his gaze met Mo Hua's deep and eerie eyes, a shiver of dread surged through him—his mocking words stuck in his throat.

Mo Hua sneered, then, like the Grand Void Gate's "bully," strode away with Linghu Xiao and the others surrounding him.

The other Long Ding Sect disciples, momentarily cowed by Mo Hua's aura, forgot to utter any "threats."

Only after Mo Hua left did they snap back to themselves, their hearts filling with anger.

Ao Zheng's gaze was cold, his brow furrowed, but his mind had grown somewhat calmer.

Mo Hua's words still echoed in his ears.

That gaze—that gaze steeped in killing intent and malevolent qi—was deeply imprinted in his mind.

The killing intent in that gaze was real.

The malevolent qi was extremely intense.

Only those who had endured true slaughter could possess such a gaze.

This Mo Hua was undoubtedly a "heartless and ruthless," "cold-hearted" man.

In that brief moment of eye contact, Ao Zheng had felt it firsthand.

And he said…

He would collect a debt?

Ao Zheng frowned, thinking slowly, recalling…

Last time, during the Sword Discussion between the Grand Void Gate and the Long Ding Sect, Mo Hua's group had been crushed—Ao Zhan first killed their members, then hunted the beasts.

The Grand Void Gate had no resistance at all, losing utterly.

"Is this the debt Mo Hua wants to collect?"

"Does he intend to do what Ao Zhan did—kill all five of us first, then hunt the beasts, to regain face and avenge his humiliation?"

Ao Zheng slowly nodded, then sneered inwardly:

"The Grand Void Gate—what right do they have?"

"Is it because of Linghu Xiao? Or…"

Ao Zheng's heart suddenly leapt.

Formation arts?!

The scene from just days ago—the Grand Void Gate's assault on the Qiandao Sect's city, where the entire metropolis was flattened by a cataclysmic explosion of formation arrays—was still vivid in his mind.

That spectacle had left even a prodigy like Ao Zheng shaken.

Though publicly, the elders of the Sword Discussion Mountain claimed the formation explosion was an "accidental mishap" unrelated to Mo Hua.

But is the truth really so?

This Mo Hua is the undisputed master of formation arts.

No one knows what kind of deadly formation he hides in his hands.

If he uses these formations in this Beast Hunt Competition…

Ao Zheng's heart tightened, his expression also turned solemn, and he ordered:

"Today's Beast Hunt Competition, be cautious of formations."

"Mo Hua is treacherous and cruel, excels at formations, loves ambushes and sneak attacks, and holds grudges—be extremely wary."

"As long as you avoid his formations, Linghu Xiao is isolated and the Grand Void Gate is no threat."

"Yes!" the other Long Ding Sect disciples responded.

…

Within the Discourse Mountain's inner and outer grounds.

"The bully" Mo Hua walked ahead.

Cheng Mo and the others walked behind.

After a while, seeing no one around, Sister Situ could no longer hold back and asked softly:

"Senior Brother, isn't it unwise to provoke the Long Ding Sect like this? Will we really kill them later?"

"We won't fight them," Mo Hua said.

Sister Situ froze; the others were also taken aback.

Mo Hua lowered his voice:

"I was fooling that big idiot…"

"The Long Ding Sect is too strong—we can't beat them. If we can't beat them, why fight them head-on?"

"I threw out threats to make them suspicious. Then we'll move fast."

"This is a Beast Hunt Competition—win by killing the beast quickly. Why care what they do?"

Mo Hua looked perfectly reasonable.

Linghu Xiao and the others looked at Mo Hua, their expressions complicated.

They didn't know whether to praise his brilliance or his cunning.

Mo Hua sighed slightly.

He knew these junior brothers were still too "green."

Their "acting" needed more polishing.

That's why he hadn't explained it earlier.

He feared Linghu Xiao and the others would botch the act and give themselves away.

Mo Hua whispered again:

"Remember, as soon as we enter the arena, I'll signal the beast's location—rush to it immediately and kill it. Every second counts—faster is better!"

Linghu Xiao and the others grew solemn and nodded.

…

Then the Discourse Sword began.

As soon as Mo Hua entered the arena, he scanned the surroundings, unleashing his powerful spiritual sense—within an instant, he located the beast.

It was a second-rank late-stage bear demon.

Mo Hua pointed, "Go!"

Linghu Xiao and the others wasted no time, activating their movement techniques and rushing toward the spot Mo Hua indicated.

Generally, finding the beast is one of the hardest parts of the Beast Hunt Competition.

Locating the beast amid the tangled terrain of the forest, using its habits and hunting traces, takes time.

But unfortunately, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was simply monstrous.

And he was a former Beast Hunter—he knew beasts too well.

Thus, with his spiritual sense unleashed and his experience and instinct, he found the bear demon that would decide the outcome of the Discourse Sword almost instantly.

The Grand Void Gate group immediately charged toward the bear demon.

With their movement techniques fully activated, within fifteen minutes, Mo Hua and the others reached the bear demon's vicinity.

Then came the part everyone loved and knew by heart—the Beast Hunt sequence.

This procedure was second nature to Mo Hua and his team.

Their coordination was flawless.

In the Cultivation Beast Mountain, they had hunted this way countless times.

Set bait, lay traps, deploy formations, lure the beast.

Then trap the beast, detonate the formation, wound it severely.

Linghu Xiao gathered sword qi to further injure the beast.

The others coordinated, restraining it from the sides and adding damage.

Everything unfolded in perfect order, with extreme proficiency—the full display of their Cultivation Beast Mountain training.

This "soldier-like," "procedural" Beast Hunt left the watching cultivators stunned.

The powerful second-rank late-stage bear demon collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Linghu Xiao's sword sliced open the bear demon's chest and abdomen.

Cheng Mo stepped forward, reached in with his hand, pulled out the beast's core, and crushed it outright.

The Discourse Sword ended.

And at this very moment, Ao Zheng, who possessed a powerful cultivation base but nothing else, along with the disciples of the Dragon Cauldron Sect, were still on the road, warily observing their surroundings, guarding against Mo Hua's formations, and pitting their wits against "the air."

Mo Hua wanted to kill him.

He would definitely use formations to kill him first.

Ao Zheng's gaze swept like an eagle's and a wolf's, watching the surroundings, full of suspicion.

Where would the killing opportunity be?

Would the ground ahead be buried with killing formations by Mo Hua?

Would the mountain forest ahead be arranged with an ambush by Mo Hua?

If they encountered demon beasts, should they make a move?

Could this be Mo Hua's "bait"?

The scene of Mo Hua attacking the city and then blowing it up, that shocking sight, kept flashing in Ao Zheng's mind from time to time.

So much so that Ao Zheng looked at the entire mountain forest with some unease in his heart.

He even suspected for a moment that this madman Mo Hua might blow up the entire mountaintop to give them a funeral.

But along the entire way, not a single shadow of a person.

Gradually, Ao Zheng finally sensed something was wrong.

But it was already too late.

Before Ao Zheng and the others could take any action, the bell of the Lun Dao Mountain rang out.

They were forcibly teleported out of the demon-hunting grounds.

The sword debate was over, and the Dragon Cauldron Sect had lost.

Ao Zheng was stunned for a long time.

Afterwards, disciples from outside the arena recorded the process of the sword debate with "Shadow-Imaging Paintings" and showed them to Ao Zheng.

Ao Zheng only felt a surge of fury rising from the depths of his heart, burning through his limbs and bones, making his meridians ache faintly all over.

He wished he could punch this brat Mo Hua, blow by blow, into a pulp of flesh.

Before the battle, with a cold face, saying things like "This debt must be settled."

Saying "All five of you must die."

But the moment the battle began, he shamelessly ran off to kill demon beasts.

And from the looks of it, he hadn't even planned to engage their Dragon Cauldron Sect at all.

For the first time in his life, Ao Zheng deeply experienced Mo Hua's "shamelessness."

Moreover, the things Mo Hua said and did were clearly all premeditated.

Using words to deceive him.

Using gazes to intimidate him.

Using formations to make him wary.

Even exploiting his own imagination to make him hesitate.

"Mo Hua…"

Ao Zheng, his face flushed red, wished he could grind his teeth to dust.

……

In this sword debate, only the disciples inside the arena like Ao Zheng knew of Mo Hua's "sinister and despicable" schemes.

The audience outside saw things a bit more simply.

In their eyes, the Grand Void Gate had clear objectives, strict discipline, raced against time, and hunted demon beasts.

The Dragon Cauldron Sect stopped every three steps, looked left and right, hesitated, and missed the opportunity.

They looked like a bunch of "big fools."

The Dragon Cauldron Sect's reputation suffered, and as expected, Mo Hua's "enemies" list grew by five more.

Another five "Tumo Tokens" found new owners.

The Tumo Alliance's power within the Qianxue State Boundary grew further.

……

On the Grand Void Gate's side, they were considerably more at ease.

They had won another round, and their ranking had stabilized a bit.

The entire sect, overjoyed, also breathed a sigh of relief.

But before they could feel at ease for long, they started worrying again.

Two days later, the next "card" dealt by the Lun Dao Heavenly Instrument arrived.

This time, their luck could be called extremely terrible.

Mo Hua's opponent was Duanmu Qing of the Wan Xiao Sect.

The Wan Xiao Sect was the strongest spell-casting sect among the Sida Sect.

Duanmu Qing was also one of the Four Heavenly Pride of Qianxue, on par with Xiao Wuchen, Ao Zhan, and Shen Linshu.

A true top-tier Heavenly Pride of the Sida Sect.

Moreover, the only female disciple among the top Heavenly Pride.

Not only that, it was said this Duanmu Qing had a beauty that could topple a nation, a cold and elegant temperament, and was one of the foremost great beauties of the Qianxue State Boundary.

Throughout the entire Qianxue State Boundary, the number of male disciples who admired Duanmu Qing of the Wan Xiao Sect was as numerous as those who admired Lu Zhenlong, the foremost beauty of the Zixia Gate, and could line up all the way from Lun Dao Mountain to the Yanshui River…

But unlike Lu Zhenlong, Duanmu Qing's talent was too excellent, her looks too beautiful, her temperament too cold, often making people feel inferior.

The male disciples who admired Duanmu Qing only dared to hide this admiration secretly and deeply in their hearts.

They absolutely would not dare to reveal even a hint of their feelings before Duanmu Qing's breathtakingly beautiful and cold countenance.

Some men didn't even dare to say a single word to Duanmu Qing.

All this information, Mo Hua had deliberately sought out from Hao Xuan.

Last time, he had carelessly used a Fireball Art to blow up the face of the number-one beauty of the Purple Cloud Gate, and had been resented for it for a long time.

Even Uncle Zhang Lan, who had come from afar, had asked him about the incident.

From then on, Mo Hua took it as a serious warning.

Before this Sword Discourse, he had made inquiries in advance about this "Duanmu Qing," to avoid repeating the same mistake and causing unnecessary trouble.

Women are very troublesome.

The more beautiful a woman, the bigger the trouble.

But then again, having gathered the intelligence didn't seem to be of much use either.

Duanmu Qing was not Lu Zhenlong — she was the genuine article, one of the "Four Heavenly Talents of Qianxue."

In a direct magical duel, Mo Hua might not even be able to beat her, let alone blow up her face with a Fireball Art.

Moreover, the strength of this Wan Xiao Sect team was equally absurdly strong.

Mo Hua thought for a long time, but still had no plan at all.

Under the current limited conditions, their odds of winning were very, very small.

The Four Heavenly Talents of Qianxue — four top-tier children of heaven — including Duanmu Qing, were almost all insurmountable hurdles…

Mo Hua sighed.

But the situation being what it was, with no way to avoid it, he could only think of every possible way to fight with all his might.

If he tried, there might still be a chance.

If he didn't try, there really wasn't the slightest chance.

Afterward, Mo Hua went ahead with preparations as usual, arranging tactics.

On the day of the Sword Discourse, Mo Hua followed routine and, taking Linghu Xiao and the others, headed for the inner mountain of Lundao Mountain.

But just as they arrived before the mountain gate of the inner mountain, Mo Hua froze, and looked up.

He saw, in the distance, another team of cultivators just then walking over.

Two men and three women, each with an extraordinary bearing.

The one at the head was a woman whose features were like jade, exquisitely carved, wearing a set of five-colored, five-element Wan Xiao Daoist robe that was both beautiful and noble, her aura cool and aloof, her gaze looking down on all beneath her.

This was precisely today's Sword Discourse opponent.

She was also the only woman among the Four Great Heavenly Talents of Qianxue.

"Duanmu Qing…"

Even Mo Hua, upon their first meeting, was slightly stunned for a moment.

Linghu Xiao and the others were also somewhat spellbound.

Duanmu Qing was indeed exceedingly beautiful, and possessed a proud, cool, outstanding temperament.

Mere beauty alone was nothing special, but when this beauty was blended with strength, it became impossible to ignore.

(End of chapter)