Chapter 1038: The Three Mountains

Mo Hua's gaze grew distant, then gradually sharpened again.

He discarded distractions, focused his mind, and began studying the rules of the Demon War.

The Demon War was once the final showdown of the Qianxue Sword Debate, where Earth-ranked debaters advanced to Heaven-ranked debate.

Contesting disciples would battle, kill, flee, and survive within a vast, complex debate arena, grouped by sects into small teams.

Rankings were determined by elimination order.

Sect victory points were awarded based on disciple rankings.

As a former Heaven-ranked promotion match, the Demon War carried massive victory points.

The longer one survived, the more victory points they earned.

These victory points could alter the previous sect debate rankings.

This contained immense opportunity.

Naturally, it also held great risk.

This meant that with outstanding performance in the Demon War, a sect might still rise further.

If performance was poor, a sect's ranking could sink further.

Of course, this disparity ultimately rested on the prior debate rankings.

The Demon War was, after all, merely a sword debate.

No matter how high its weight, it could not lift a bottom-tier Eight Great Sect to the rank of the Four Great Sects.

Under normal circumstances, it only caused fluctuations of three or four places.

This meant little to ordinary sects.

Especially to the Twelve Streams and the Qianxue Hundred Sects.

A rise or fall of three or four ranks mattered little.

But for the Eight Great Sects—especially those near the top, and for the Four Great Sects—this ranking was critical.

Even moving up one or two places could trigger a qualitative change in a sect's status.

Likewise, falling one or two places could inflict massive losses on a sect's interests.

Moreover, the Demon War was extremely difficult to win.

Its difficulty was likely several times greater than ordinary debates.

Because this was a sect-wide free-for-all.

The stronger the sect, the greater its advantage.

Especially the Four Great Sects: their disciples had superior talent, greater strength, more teams qualifying for Earth-ranked debate, and were led by a peerless top prodigy.

They were on an entirely different scale compared to ordinary sects—or even the Eight Great Sects.

And there were exactly four such "titans."

These titan sects, led by peerless prodigies, outnumbered others, boasted higher average cultivation, and possessed overwhelming strength—they could begin "clearing the map" outright in the Demon War.

Other sects stood no chance against them.

Though it seemed possible to rise further, the actual chance was vanishingly small.

In a five-member team debate, if one could not defeat prodigies like Xiao Wuchen or Shen Linshu,

then in a larger free-for-all with more participants, there was not a single hope.

But most sects' goals were not aimed at the Four Great Sects.

Their targets were instead the sects ranked just one or two places above them.

By toppling them, they could climb up a little.

In the Sword Debate, any rise in sect ranking was beneficial—it meant greater shares of Qianlong Spirit Mines, and vast quantities of spirit stones, as good as real gold and silver.

Thus, they did not reach for the stars.

But Mo Hua was different—he had greater ambition.

He sought to ascend at once to the highest position, and before him stood the Four Great Sects, four great mountains.

Not just those: besides the Four Great Sects, there were seven other sects among the Eight Great Sects—seven more mountains.

Together, eleven mountains.

Additionally, among the Twelve Streams, there were some smaller mountains with whom he had grudges.

Thinking this way, the Demon War presented Taixu Gate with countless hardships and obstacles—it was impossible to win.

It seemed there was a faint chance.

But that chance was so faint it was nearly invisible.

So much so that in Mo Hua's heart, hope had barely arisen before despair returned…

Mo Hua took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

In moments of great importance, one must remain composed.

The more one desires something, the more one fears losing it, the more one must remain calm and level-headed.

Mo Hua took out a thick stack of array papers and began listing all his "enemies."

He meticulously analyzed every disciple's information gathered since the Sword Debate began.

He enumerated every difficulty.

He calculated every possible cause, every potential battle scenario.

Then he considered solutions for each.

The Demon War's battlefield unfolded in Mo Hua's mind through pre-simulation and deduction…

Leveraging his vast spiritual sense, meticulous thought, powerful Heavenly Mechanism calculation, and deep understanding and control of reality, he sought to penetrate the Heavenly Mechanism, deduce cause and effect, and find that sliver of victory—nearly impossible—amidst the most desperate, treacherous path…

…

Mo Hua was calculating, planning.

Across the Qiandao State, the abbots and elders of every sect, along with countless high-ranking cultivators, were likewise deliberating and scheming.

Some sects with longstanding ties even exchanged letters, keeping each other informed.

How exactly should the Xiu Luo War be fought?

Gradually, a consensus formed among them:

"Unite to set a trap, and first destroy the Tai Xu Sect."

Naturally, part of this stemmed from old grudges.

The Tai A Sect had once been the top of the Eight Major Sects, long coveting a position among the Sida Sect, and had clashed repeatedly with the Sida Sect over interests.

And because it held the top rank among the Eight Major Sects, it had also drawn the envy of the other Eight Major Sects.

The Chong Xu Sect maintained a detached demeanor, but shared close ties with the Tai Xu Sect, offering mutual support—so it, too, was disliked.

As for the Tai Xu Sect, it needed no further explanation.

Among the Sida Sect, especially the Qiandao Sect, where the Shen family resided, hatred for the Tai Xu Sect ran nearly fatal.

Among the newly risen Eight Major Sects:

The Duan Jin Sect held a grudge against the Tai Xu Sect.

The Gui Shui Sect had grievances with the Tai Xu Sect.

These enmities all originated with Mo Hua, but the blame would surely fall on the Tai Xu Sect.

Many sects were themselves "subordinate" to the Qiandao Sect, following its lead.

Other sects were "brother" sects to the Duan Jin and Gui Shui Sects, bound by shared interests.

These allied forces also had poor relations with the Tai Xu Sect.

Now, the Tai A, Chong Xu, and Tai Xu Sects had merged into one.

All these karmic grudges had thus converged into one place.

The Tai Xu Sect had naturally become the "target of all arrows."

These sect rivalries were only one aspect.

The other aspect was the Tai Xu Sect's current position.

Being the top of the Eight Major Sects was, in truth, a hot potato.

If it advanced further, it would threaten the Sida Sect—making it the "thorn in the eye" of the Sida Sect.

If it retreated, every other sect among the Eight Major Sects would vie for the top rank—and the Tai Xu Sect's current position would become the "fat meat" in everyone's eyes.

If the Eight Major Sects wished to advance, their first target was the Tai Xu Sect, which held the top rank.

If the Sida Sect wished to avoid decline, their foremost threat was likewise the Tai Xu Sect, which stood just one step away.

For all these reasons, the Tai Xu Sect naturally found itself at the eye of the storm.

Not to mention that within the Tai Xu Sect was Mo Hua.

Disciples participating in the Sword Debate, due to their losses, bore grudges against Mo Hua.

Outside the arena, the elders—especially the Dao Law Elders—also secretly marked Mo Hua down in their hearts.

Now, on the sect's grand scale, the Tai Xu Sect was the target of all arrows.

Among the disciples, Mo Hua was the public "arch-enemy"…

So much so that many disciples looked forward to the Xiu Luo War with eager anticipation.

…

Within the Tu Mo Decree, voices buzzed with discussion.

I am at war with Fireball Technique:

"I don't know why this Xiu Luo War suddenly appeared, but I can only say—it came at the perfect time!"

"No matter how cunningly Mo Hua hides, no matter how skilled his body technique, can he evade a five-man squad's pursuit? Can he evade dozens of squads from a single sect, let alone over a hundred squads from the Four Sects, Eight Major Sects, and Twelve Schools combined?"

"If he still survives this, I'll kneel and call him Father right here!"

Da Shazi: "Exactly! This Xiu Luo format is excellent. I was just worried I'd never get another chance to face Mo Hua in the Sword Debate and crush him with one punch to wash away my humiliation."

"Now this opportunity has suddenly arrived."

"Like rain after a long drought."

"I'm not well-read, but I don't know where this Xiu Luo War even came from…"

Yizhi Canglang Jian: "They say it was a format left behind by the Laozu Sect, accidentally unearthed by the Lun Dao Tian Yi…"

The Wind-like Youth sincerely agreed:

"The Laozu Sect's creations are truly excellent."

A crowd chimed in: "The Laozu Sect is wise."

"The Laozu Sect foresaw this clearly…"

"Mo Hua is cunning; without this Xiu Luo War, it would've been hard to kill him."

"It's our luck—the final round happened to be the Xiu Luo War."

"Probably because Mo Hua the brat has committed too many evils—the gods of heaven and earth could no longer bear it, so they intervened in fate, causing the Lun Dao Tian Yi to deduce the 'Xiu Luo War' and give us a chance to avenge ourselves…"

"The world isn't just full of good people—it's full of good gods too…"

"Let us make three pledges: in the Xiu Luo War, unite to kill Mo Hua, and let him experience the nightmare of a Xiu Luo…"

"The one who succeeds in killing 'Mo' shall be our alliance leader!"

"To purge 'Mo' and defend the Dao, to wash away our past humiliations—this battle shall do it!"

"We may lose the Sword Debate—but Mo Hua must die!"

A crowd echoed in unison:

"Eradicate the 'Mo' and uphold the Dao!"

"Avenge our past disgrace!"

"The Sword Debate can be lost, but Mo Hua must die!"

……

Grand Void Gate, great hall.

The Sanshan Sect Master and the elders had also gathered together, talking by candlelight deep into the night, deliberating for the better part of a day.

Once the night grew deep, the elders dispersed.

Only the three Sect Masters remained in the hall.

The Tai'a Mountain Sect Master pondered for a moment, his face solemn, and said:

"This is troublesome. I had no idea our Grand Void Gate had so many 'enemies.'"

"And that child Mo Hua, to actually be hated this much? Clearly, looking at him, he seemed quite likable…"

The Chongxu Mountain Sect Master sighed: "This Asura Battle looks like it's going to be tough…"

No matter how high the Asura Battle's weight, no matter how great the score gap, normally it only fluctuates up or down by three or four ranks.

But Grand Void Gate was a bit different.

The current Grand Void Gate had become a target that "everyone had the right to punish."

Once the opening move resulted in being "ganged up on" and wiped out, there was truly no telling how far the ranking would plummet.

All the previous efforts would have been entirely in vain.

And they would basically be cut off from the "Heaven" character Sword Debate as well.

All hopes would become a fleeting dream, shattered in an instant.

"We have to think of something."

"The Qianxue Sword Debate is a Sword Debate for prodigies; everything depends entirely on the disciples' own efforts. Though we are Sect Masters, there's nothing more we can do."

"Even if there were something we could do, it would have to be before the Sword Debate—patiently preparing, pouring in resources, training disciples, laying the foundation for their Sword Debate…"

"No effort in ordinary days, panic at the Sword Debate."

"At this point, they can only rely on themselves; we can't be of much help."

The Chongxu Sect Master sighed softly, his tone heavy.

"Still, we have to do something."

"Do what?"

The Tai'a Sect Master pondered for a moment, then said: "Should I go ask Mo Hua again?"

"What for?"

"Ask whether he has any confidence."

"Is that something he can be confident about?" the Chongxu Sect Master frowned. "The Asura Battle—facing the Si Sect, Ba Men, Shi Er Liu, the targeting of the vast majority of sects, and the hostility of most disciples—no matter how capable he is, what confidence could he possibly have?"

"It's not as if you didn't watch the previous Sword Debates."

"Setting everything else aside, just those top prodigies of the Sida Sect alone are four insurmountable chasms."

"Not to mention, the prodigies of the other sects are by no means inferior."

The Chongxu Sect Master sighed. "To be fair, this child Mo Hua is already very outstanding, but no matter how outstanding, there is a limit."

"If we truly let him lead Grand Void Gate to be 'at odds with the whole world,' contending against the Si Sect, Ba Men, Shi Er Liu and all those sects—even if Mo Hua has that boldness, we still need the foundation to back it up…"

"The disciples of Grand Void Gate, with this bit of strength, how could they possibly compete?"

"This is a dead end to begin with."

"If you go find Mo Hua, how would you even bring it up?"

"We three Sect Masters can't possibly be so thick-skinned as to pile such a heavy responsibility onto that small frame of his, can we?"

All three fell somewhat silent.

The Grand Void Sect Master, who had not spoken all this while, his gaze flickering slightly, slowly sighed:

"Though that's true, we can't truly sit and wait for death."

"Since the Sword Debate began, Mo Hua's abilities—you've all seen them. In terms of cultivation and combat power, he's not among the very best."

"But when it comes to formations, methods, and intellect, this child is truly among the very best."

"Not to mention, he is Grand Void Gate's universally praised 'Little Senior Brother,' with high prestige and the disciples' wholehearted trust."

"Therefore, the Asura Sword Debate ultimately still depends on Mo Hua."

"As Little Senior Brother, this responsibility is his, with no one else to share it."

"He should be clear about this in his own heart, so we as Sect Masters needn't say much. But when it comes to concrete matters, we absolutely cannot be stingy."

"I propose…" the Grand Void Sect Master's gaze sharpened, and he said in a deep voice:

"To prepare for battle, open the inheritances of the three branches—Grand Void, Tai'a, and Chongxu—to this child Mo Hua!"

"Whatever in each branch's inheritance can be used, let him pick for himself, use it as he sees fit, and arrange it himself."

"Everything is for the Sword Debate Assembly!"

"Pooling the strength of one Sect's three branches, let us plan this final Earth-character Asura Battle!"

The Grand Void Sect Master spoke with great fervor.

Yet the expressions of the Tai'a Sect Master and the Chongxu Sect Master were somewhat subtle.

Having all served as Sect Masters for so many years, how could they fail to see through such a bit of scheming?

"Isn't this a bit too Tang Tu?" the Chongxu Sect Master hesitated.

The Grand Void Sect Master slowly sighed: "Just how important this Sword Debate is before us—you and I both know perfectly well."

"If we don't steel our hearts now and make this decision, once the Asura Battle fails, any regret afterward will be too late."

"By then, if Grand Void Gate suffers a crushing defeat, what use would it be to produce your legacy?"

"Then... what if we lose?"

The Grand Void Sect Leader spoke calmly: "If we lose, we lose. What can we do?"

"You..."

The Grand Void Sect Leader said solemnly:

"What great interests are at stake in the Sword Forum? Across the entire Qianxue Continent, every major sect, no matter how weak, will spare no effort to seize even the slimmest chance."

"In this world, is there anything guaranteed to succeed?"

"Success is always won through struggle. A sliver of opportunity—others seize it, and may succeed, or may fail."

"But if you do not struggle, if you hesitate and fear loss, you are doomed to fail."

The Converging Void Sect Leader was stunned, then nodded, deeply agreeing—but his expression turned peculiar as he asked the Grand Void Sect Leader:

"This... doesn't sound like something you'd say."

It was well known that the Grand Void Sect Leader was Buddhist in nature, always cultivating inner peace and detached from worldly matters—how could he ever speak of "struggle," "fight," or "if you don't fight, you're bound to fail"?

The Grand Void Sect Leader sighed deeply. "Circumstances force us. There is no choice."

If he were alone, he could remain detached from worldly things.

If the sect were unthreatened, he could live in harmony with the world.

But now it is different: the entire sect's interests are entangled; every advance or retreat affects the futures of ten thousand cultivators.

If he still clung to detachment now, it would be selfish and foolish.

No matter how exhausting or disheveled, he must hold on to the end.

Every step upward on Grand Void Gate's staircase is better than none.

The Converging Void Sect Leader and the Tai'o Sect Leader both looked at the Grand Void Sect Leader with new respect.

When poor, cultivate oneself; when prosperous, benefit all.

Be aloof when one should be aloof; when one must lower oneself, one can enter the world to fight for fame and gain.

The Tai'o Sect Leader pondered a moment, then nodded first:

"To give is to receive; only by letting go can one gain."

"I'll speak to the Ancestor. If he has no objection, I'll open the Tai'o legacy for Mo Hua. Let him choose—see if anything suits him for the Asura War."

"The fire is at the door—when else to fight but now?"

The Converging Void Sect Leader also nodded. "I'll speak to my Ancestor too..."

As Converging Void Sect Leader, his actual authority was limited; many decisions, especially regarding sect legacy, still rested with the Ancestor.

The Grand Void Sect Leader bowed, grateful:

"Thank you both for your great wisdom."

After bidding farewell to the Grand Void Sect Leader and leaving Grand Void Mountain, the Tai'o Sect Leader and the Converging Void Sect Leader traveled together in a carriage.

"Are you truly going to open the legacy?"

The Converging Void Sect Leader still hesitated.

The Tai'o Sect Leader glanced at him, then declared firmly:

"Open it! Not just the ordinary legacy—according to me, you should also send Mo Hua a copy of your Converging Void sect's core sword technique..."

The Converging Void Sect Leader frowned. "He doesn't practice sword arts—he's not a swordsman. Why send him sword techniques?"

The Tai'o Sect Leader said: "Don't worry whether he learns swords or can use them. Send it first. How can you know he won't use it if you don't send it?"

The Converging Void Sect Leader pondered a moment, then slowly understood, sighing:

"Grand Void origin, trained in Tai'o's sword formation, now receiving my Converging Void's sword qi... This boy truly becomes the 'Crown Prince' of all three sects' supreme legacies."

"Is this... Master Xun's intention?"

"Didn't your Tai'o Mountain Ancestor also agree?"

The Tai'o Sect Leader shook his head. "I don't know my Ancestor's thoughts. I care only about the Sword Forum."

"What others say, I ignore. I only care about preserving my sect's ranking."

"If this boy truly helps Grand Void Gate preserve its Sword Forum ranking, then without doubt, he is the Crown Prince of Grand Void's three lineages!"

The Tai'o Sect Leader spoke plainly.

The Converging Void Sect Leader was stunned, then slowly sighed and nodded, murmuring:

"Let him be Crown Prince. Other sects would beg to have this Crown Prince..."