Chapter 1040: The Traitor

Wen Ren Wan also did not know why she suddenly remembered these things.

This was clearly the Sword Discussion Assembly.

Blue sky, white sun, mountains of people.

Senior elders from the Shangguan and Wen families, all of high cultivation, were also present.

Why would such a grim nightmare omen arise?

She did not know—she could only clutch her precious child tightly, not letting anyone take it away…

…

Amidst the clamor, the Asura Battle finally began.

On the Fangtian Painting Screen, colorful shadows blurred, then mountains and rivers took shape, unfolding a vast scroll.

This was a vast, complex mountain range.

This was precisely the final arena of the Asura Battle.

The Si Sect, Eight Gates, Twelve Schools, plus a few Ganxue Hundred Schools—over a hundred teams—would fight to the death in this vast, treacherous Asura arena.

It would decide not only victory or defeat, but also "life or death."

Before the vast, majestic Fangtian Painting Screen, all watching cultivators held their breath, silently watching the battle, witnessing this fight that could determine the fate of most sects.

…

Inside the Sword Discussion Arena.

Mo Hua led the Grand Void Gate disciples into the Asura Battlefield; he looked around—the entire arena was larger, wider, more complex.

Mountains stretched endlessly, terrain tangled, clouds and mist obscured everything.

Terrain such as Lin Mu, Shanfeng, slopes, valleys, swamps, ancient forests, poisonous grasslands, miasma, ruins—all were hidden within the mountain fog, intricate and indiscernible, hard to distinguish truth from illusion.

In the distance, Xuantian Peak loomed faintly visible.

Xuantian Peak was the Tian-level Sword Discussion ground.

The Asura Battle was the Tian-level promotion trial.

The two arenas were adjacent; in the past, only those who passed the Asura Battle earned the right to step onto Xuantian Peak.

Now, what Mo Hua must endure is a severe "Asura Battle."

"Young Master…" Sister Situ whispered, "everything is ready."

"Mm."

Mo Hua turned his head, looking at Sister Situ, and behind him—Linghu Xiao, Ouyang Xuan, Cheng Mo, Yang Qianjun, Hao Xuan, the Ouyang five brothers…

…and all those familiar, beloved faces of fellow disciples.

He saw their solemn expressions, and their unwavering trust.

Mo Hua nodded. "Follow the plan."

"Follow me…"

Mo Hua extended his spiritual sense, mapping the terrain, then chose a direction and stepped into the forest.

All Grand Void Gate disciples silently followed behind him.

The group gradually vanished into the thick mist.

…

Meanwhile, the prodigies leading each sect, staring at the vast mist before them, gave orders:

"Go—ignore other sects, find Grand Void Gate first!"

"Ignore everyone else, find Mo Hua!"

"When found, send up smoke signals."

"Surround and kill them."

"Destroy Grand Void Gate first!"

"Mo Hua must die!"

"Yes!"

…

In the vast Asura Battlefield, amid mist-shrouded mountains.

Disciples of every sect moved through forests, streams, swamps, extending their spiritual senses to search for Grand Void Gate—especially Mo Hua's figure.

Between them, there existed an unspoken understanding.

Kill Mo Hua, destroy Grand Void Gate.

Of course, this "understanding" did not include all sects.

In the vast Asura Battlefield, sporadic skirmishes still broke out, sect disciples killing one another.

Except for Grand Void Gate, except for Mo Hua.

In Ganxue Province, other sects also harbored old grudges.

Enemies meeting each other turned red with rage—they didn't care about Grand Void Gate or Mo Hua; as soon as they met, they drew blades and killed.

But overall, the situation remained extremely unfavorable for Mo Hua.

The vast majority of cultivators, especially Ganxue prodigies holding the "Kill Mo Hua Warrant" and sworn to feud with Mo Hua, still upheld the "alliance."

They scattered individually, like a net, covering the entire Sword Discussion Arena, searching through the mist for Mo Hua's trail.

But they searched again and again—still not a single trace of Mo Hua.

Not even a single Grand Void Gate disciple could be seen.

They had vanished as if erased.

Shi Tiangang, the senior brother of the Golden Gate, who had suffered from concealment arts and become a "big fool," muttered inwardly:

"Pulling this trick again?"

"Hiding again?"

Beside Shi Tiangang, the sword-path prodigy of the Guishui Sect, Qin Cangliu, thought for a moment, then shook his head:

"No, if one person were hiding, fine — but surely not every disciple of the Grand Void Gate has learned to hide?"

"Concealment arts aren't that easy to learn."

"And even if they learned them, cultivating them to a passable degree, so they aren't detected, is very hard."

"Concealment spiritual artifacts?"

"The concealment effect of concealment artifacts isn't that good — at least it can't fool the divine sense of you and me."

"Then… a concealment array?"

A concealment array is a high-grade second-tier, nineteen-pattern array, and a very obscure one at that — hard to learn, and basically the sort that almost no array master bothers to study.

In past Sword Debate Tournaments, a concealment array had never once appeared.

But with Mo Hua, that possibility was very real.

At this moment the fog had not yet cleared; the vast Sword Debate grounds were treacherous and labyrinthine. If that kid Mo Hua really did set up a concealment array, the entire Grand Void Gate could just "squat" in some corner — and finding them really wouldn't be easy.

"Group concealment…"

"That damned Mo Hua — his tricks really are fucking endless."

"Simply shameless…"

"What do we do now?"

"We just don't move until we find Mo Hua?"

"This is the Sword Debate Tournament — so many sect leaders and elders are watching. Just dragging it out like this is a bit too embarrassing."

"Per the agreement, let's sweep the field first…"

"Sweep the field while looking for Mo Hua."

"Good."

"Fine…"

……

And so, everyone began the first "sweep."

The so-called sweep was an initial "screening," carried out according to the ranking of the Si Sect, the Eight Gates, and the Twelve Streams.

The Asura Battle was called a free-for-all, but it wasn't actually a chaotic melee without rules.

This kind of "free-for-all" also had "rules," and was divided by "rank."

The weak were killed off first.

The lower-ranked sects withdrew first.

This, too, was the once-"established," customary way of fighting in the Asura Battle.

And this kind of sweep followed the "one sword" principle.

The Geda Sect, led by their prodigies, each "cleared their sector." When they ran into weak disciples from weak, low-ranked sects, they delivered "one sword."

And only one sword.

If the opponent blocked that sword, they earned the right to stay and keep fighting.

If they couldn't block it, they withdrew immediately.

This way, the weak were cleared out.

It also prevented strong cultivators from killing each other off too early, which would let the weak fish in troubled waters — that kind of "own goal."

To a certain extent, this also consolidated each sect's ranking.

Sweeping according to the established rankings kept the Sword Debate rankings from deviating too much.

All the sects, including the strongest Sida Sect, tacitly accepted this rule.

This was crucial to the sect Sword Debate.

Even the Sida Sect wouldn't presume on their strength to do anything out of line, lest they introduce unnecessary variables.

Thus, the Asura Battle saw its first taste of blood, and the first round of simple "slaughter" began.

In the mountains, on the streams, in the marshes.

Blade-light flashed constantly, spells flew in quick succession, and there were also fist-and-foot blasts.

But each side only engaged briefly, probing the other's depth.

When they met the weak, they decisively took their lives.

When they met the strong, they stopped at a touch and each withdrew.

Very quickly, in the entire Asura Battle, all disciples from the bottom-ranked sects whose strength was lacking were completely swept clean.

But there were also some who weren't actually weak, yet got dragged down because of certain people.

Some disciples who had learned concealment arts tried to use concealment to hide themselves.

Being able to linger a bit longer, climb a few more ranks, earn a few more points — that was a good thing.

In the past, this had actually been somewhat useful.

But now it was useless.

Because Mo Hua was simply too skilled at concealment.

So the Geda Sect, in order to kill Mo Hua, all attached extreme importance to arts like "concealment."

To counter Mo Hua's concealment, they had also prepared a great many targeted measures.

Mo Hua had closed off his own path.

For the rest of them, there was no path left to walk.

Some hidden disciples—whether concealment arts or concealment spiritual artifacts—were far inferior to Mo Hua's.

They simply couldn't "hide" for long before their movements were seen through, dragged out, and killed with a single sword.

Moreover, concealment arts drew a lot of hatred.

Because some sect prodigies had been "toyed with" by Mo Hua's concealment arts and felt deeply shamed, so they couldn't stand anyone using concealment in front of them.

Especially Shi Tiangang.

Whenever he saw someone concealing themselves before him, he grew furious.

"Of all the people to learn from, you learn from Mo Hua?"

In the Asura battle, he specifically hunted down and killed concealment cultivators.

Besides this, disciples with good movement techniques also suffered because of Mo Hua.

The Xiaoyao Gate prodigy Feng Zichen, ever since that day when he twirled his sword flourish into snowflakes and nearly broke his wrist without so much as grazing a corner of Mo Hua's robe, could no longer bear to see anyone show off movement techniques before him.

In the Asura battle, if disciples from weaker sects behaved themselves and exchanged a single sword strike with him, Feng Zichen wouldn't do much.

But if you fled before Feng Zichen's face—and fled using movement techniques—

You would instantly hit his sore spot.

No matter what, he would chase you to the ends of the earth to kill you.

As for fireball arts, there was even less need to say.

Nowadays, fireball arts had become an unwritten "forbidden art" of the Sword Discourse Assembly.

Apart from Mo Hua, all disciples were strictly forbidden from using it.

Especially in the Asura battle.

If anyone carelessly tossed a fireball, they would instantly become a target for all, hacked to death by a horde of red-eyed cultivators.

While hacking, they cursed:

"Let you use fireball arts!"

"Just you showing off?"

"I hate fireball arts most in my life!"

……

In the first sweep, Mo Hua didn't appear.

Yet it seemed, his shadow was everywhere.

Just like that, after this rapid killing and "screening," one shichen later, the first "cleansing" ended.

Those whose strength was lacking, and those who resembled Mo Hua, were all eliminated.

Disciples of Qianxue Hundred Gates were almost completely wiped out.

Quite a few bottom-tier disciples of the Twelve Streams were eliminated.

The Eight Great Gates eliminated a scattered few.

The Sida Sect remained untouched.

At this point, another problem arose:

Keep searching for Mo Hua?

Or keep competing like this?

The leading prodigies of each sect were all silently calculating in their hearts.

Ye Qingfeng of the Dalou Gate spoke:

"I suggest all sects cease hostilities first, and at any cost, kill Mo Hua first."

"After Mo Hua dies, we'll decide victory and defeat among ourselves."

"Don't forget, this Mo Hua is an enormous hidden danger."

"His cultivation may be negligible, but he's skilled in concealment, unmatched in movement techniques—in a battlefield this large, he's in his element. If we don't gather our strength to kill him first, once he 'turtles' his way to the end, we won't be able to do anything about him at all."

Dalou Gate had two prodigies in one sect.

One was Ye Zhiyuan—once Qianxue's foremost flying sword genius, who cultivated the Dalou Flying Sky Sword Control Art but was killed by Mo Hua in a single strike, his reputation plummeting.

The other was Ye Qingfeng, who cultivated the Dalou Guiyi Sword Art.

Ye Qingfeng was tall and handsome, with deep cultivation, but because he cultivated the Guiyi Sword Art, his aura was restrained and he didn't draw attention.

But those in the know understood that Ye Qingfeng's cultivation was actually extremely strong—almost the strongest beneath the Four Prodigies.

Moreover, like Ye Zhiyuan, he was a prodigy of "seed" caliber, on whom Dalou Gate placed great hopes, and into whom the Dalou Ancestor had planted a Natal Longevity Talisman.

Up to now in the Sword Discourse, he hadn't fought Mo Hua and held no personal grudge against him.

Therefore, his attitude was relatively objective.

He didn't want to kill Mo Hua out of personal resentment.

Rather, because Mo Hua's bag of tricky, bizarre "turtle" skills was absolutely a great hidden danger.

In an Asura battle like this, if they didn't plan ahead and kill Mo Hua early, he might really be able to "turtle" his way to the end.

That would truly be too absurd.

As a top prodigy of the Eight Great Gates, Ye Qingfeng's words were easily accepted by the Eight Great Gates' people.

And his strength was considerable, giving him the standing to negotiate with the Sida Sect's prodigies.

Therefore, his words could be considered "unanimously accepted."

"Kill Mo Hua first!"

"At the very least, find the people of the Grand Void Gate first…"

"It's agreed."

……

The prodigies of each sect split apart again, interweaving with one another like a "sieve," scouring every blade of grass, every tree, every mountain, every valley of the Bloodfield.

Spiritual senses crisscrossed back and forth.

Gazes pierced even the finest details.

They even used hidden-spirit artifacts.

But strangely, they still could not spot Mo Hua's figure.

Nor could they find any trace of the Grand Void Gate.

The crowd cursed under their breaths as they kept searching.

Frustration began to take root in their hearts.

The stalemate also made them impatient.

"Damn Mo Hua, where the hell are you hiding?"

"Like a ghost…"

"When the hell are we going to find him?"

……

Moreover, this was the Bloodfield Battle—a fight determining personal destiny and sect interests—and such a stalemate naturally made some unwilling to wait.

They certainly wanted to kill Mo Hua.

But if they couldn't kill Mo Hua, the situation changed.

They hadn't forgotten: this was the Sword Discourse. All other sect disciples were enemies.

They could not, for the sake of one "Mo Hua," ruin their sect's grand plan.

The so-called "Alliance to Kill Mo Hua" was merely a verbal pact; no one truly took it to heart.

Especially when real sect interests were at stake.

Gradually, some began to waver.

They still knew well whether Mo Hua or their sect's interests mattered more.

Among the Four Sects, Eight Gates, and Twelve Schools, not everyone hated Mo Hua.

Not to mention, among this group were Mo Hua's own "traitors."

In the ranks of the Break Gold Gate.

Song Jian said to the Break Gold Gate's leader: "Song Kui, let's start killing."

Song Kui froze.

He was the strongest disciple of the Break Gold Gate this year, their team leader, but Song Jian came from a better background and had shone brilliantly in the Sword Discourse, earning great favor from the elders.

Thus, he dared not ignore Song Jian's opinion.

Yet…

Start killing?

Kill whom?

Song Kui slowly understood Song Jian's meaning and frowned: "This… isn't very good."

Song Jian said: "This is the Bloodfield Battle. At critical moments, one must be cold and ruthless, betraying trust and honor."

"But Mo Hua…"

"So many want to kill Mo Hua; we don't need to be the ones."

Song Kui still hesitated.

Song Jian said: "Don't forget—our Break Gold Gate is now last among the Eight Gates."

"The sects ahead won't give us their positions."

"Even if we kill Mo Hua and drag the Grand Void Gate down, it won't change our situation."

"Our real rivals are the sects just ahead of us—first or second."

"Crush them, and we can climb up…"

"Climb up first, then consider targeting the Grand Void Gate, then killing Mo Hua. If we can't climb up, all talk is empty…"

Song Kui was also a pragmatist; upon hearing this, his eyes flashed with cunning, and he nodded:

"Fine, kill!"

Song Kui led the way, while Song Jian gripped his spirit sword; the two led the Break Gold Gate disciples, silently continuing their search for Mo Hua's whereabouts.

Moments later, they encountered the Purple Mist Gate along the way.

Song Kui stepped forward and exchanged pleasantries.

Taking advantage of the Purple Mist Gate's distraction, Song Jian suddenly drew his sword, its blade brimming with Jin Guang, and struck at a Purple Mist Gate disciple.

The other Break Gold Gate disciples followed suit.

The Purple Mist Gate disciples, caught off guard, immediately lost two to treachery, three were severely wounded, and another seven or eight suffered minor injuries.

The Purple Mist Gate's prodigy leader roared in fury:

"Break Gold Gate, what are you doing?"

Song Jian sneered, "What else could we be doing in the Sword Discourse?"

He raised his sword, leading from the front, and charged with his fellow disciples against the Purple Mist Gate disciples.

The Purple Mist Gate lost two more.

But the Purple Mist Gate, as befitting one of the Eight Gates, quickly stabilized their formation and clashed fiercely with the Break Gold Gate.

The situation grew stale.

Seeing no advantage to be gained, Song Jian did not linger—he withdrew while ahead, and ordered:

"Retreat!"

The Duanjin Gate disciples followed him and withdrew together.

The Zixia Gate disciples seethed with rage, but having been ambushed by the Duanjin Gate and suffering heavy losses, they dared not pursue, only watching helplessly as the Duanjin Gate departed.

Outside the arena.

The Zixia Gate elders cursed the Duanjin Gate for their shamelessness.

Yet the Duanjin Gate elders nodded in approval and praised:

"This Song Jian—I didn't misjudge him; he truly has some decisiveness…"

"Not blinded by hatred, his mind is calm, he understands the big picture, knows how to seize opportunities, and acts with ruthless efficiency—no hesitation, no mess. He's worthy of great responsibility!"

"This kind of temperament matters more than spiritual roots."

"The Duanjin Gate is fortunate to have such a disciple!"

…

Inside the discussion arena.

The Duanjin Gate's ambush of the Zixia Gate caused considerable commotion, and naturally, other sects noticed.

Qin Cangliu of the Guishui Gate, watching the scene before him, frowned and fell into thought.

At that moment, a Guishui Gate disciple stepped forward and whispered:

"Brother Qin, the Duanjin Gate has started killing—why don't we…?"

He swept his palm sideways, making a slashing gesture.

Qin Cangliu looked at this seemingly ordinary disciple and remembered his name:

Wang Chen.

This Wang Chen, though his talent was average, had cultivated wide connections and good relationships within the Guishui Gate.

It seemed that after the previous incident involving the Yanzhi Boat, the Guishui Gate underwent a major reshuffle.

This Wang Chen, leveraging his ties to Dao Ting Si, had repaid many favors and gradually established himself within the Guishui Gate, earning recognition.

And with this influence, Wang Chen formed a team and slipped into the Earth-Class Discussion Arena.

Of course, the Earth-Class matches were hard to win; his team had won few bouts, and without the Bloodbath Arena, he would never have had a chance to appear.

Qin Cangliu held little regard for men like Wang Chen.

But he was no fool, nor did he wish to offend Wang Chen.

As the saying goes: the King of Hell is easy to meet; it's the minor demons who are hard to deal with.

Wang Chen was precisely such a troublesome "minor demon."

Well-connected, with extensive networks, his ties hidden in the shadows.

You never knew what powerful figures such seemingly insignificant figures were secretly linking up with.

Once you offended them, you risked being tripped up and sabotaged.

Yet he would not lightly believe Wang Chen's words either.

Qin Cangliu pondered, saying nothing.

Wang Chen's eyes flickered slightly, then said: "Brother Qin, this Mo Hua is unworthy of pity… but the current situation, our Guishui Gate is no better off than the Duanjin Gate."

"If the Duanjin Gate rises, our Guishui Gate will sink to the bottom."

"If we don't act soon, even if we kill Mo Hua, our Guishui Gate will gain nothing."

"Moreover…"

Wang Chen pointed upward with his finger and whispered: "Many nobles are watching this discussion arena—especially Dao Ting, and Dao Ting Si."

"I've heard through whispers that this Mo Hua has connections with the Gu family of Dao Ting Si, and even with the Inspector sent by Dao Ting."

"If you kill Mo Hua in this discussion arena, that's one thing—those great figures won't say a word."

"But if killing Mo Hua delays your opportunity and causes the Guishui Gate to sink to last place among the Eight Gates, then…"

Wang Chen left it unsaid.

But the consequence, Qin Cangliu understood clearly.

Qin Cangliu pondered for a moment, then fixed Wang Chen with a cold gaze: "What are your intentions?"

Wang Chen bowed, head lowered, voice humble: "Brother Qin, one must know oneself. My talent is poor, so I can only cultivate more connections and treat others kindly."

"I say this only to make a good impression on you, to become familiar."

"Besides, you and I are both disciples of the Guishui Gate—our fortunes rise and fall together. Naturally, I must consider our Guishui Gate."

Qin Cangliu stared at Wang Chen with sharp eyes.

Wang Chen wore a humble smile, his gaze calm and open.

Qin Cangliu gave a slight nod: "Fine. We'll start killing too…"