Chapter 1042

The Five Brothers of Tai'e Mountain.

Ouyang Fu, Lu, Shou, Xi, Cai.

These five brothers were originally unknown on Tai'e Mountain, but under Mo Hua's formations, spirit artifacts, and tactical coordination, they formed the "Cleaver Team," and with a relentless, forward-charging momentum, gradually rose to prominence in the Sword Debate Assembly.

Mo Hua received the Sanshan inheritance and refined their cultivation method and sword art for them. He also equipped them with superior armor and massive swords.

The five brothers gained wings like a tiger.

And they were deeply grateful to Mo Hua.

They remembered the kindness of this junior brother.

Without this junior brother giving them the opportunity, equipping them with complete spirit artifacts, formations, and tactics, and instilling in them a single-minded obsession, they could never have shone in the Sword Debate Assembly or earned their sect's recognition.

And now, this junior brother stood right behind them.

The prodigies of the Four Sects and Seven Gates wanted to break through the line and kill their junior brother.

This was utterly unacceptable.

The Five Brothers of Tai'e burned with fury, their eyes deep red, their killing intent intensifying.

"Anyone who wants to kill our junior brother must die!"

At that moment, the five shared a single will.

Normally, against these big brutes, they could have played "kite."

But this was a siege battle; the pass was narrow, and to break through the line, they had to pass through the blades of these five brothers' massive swords.

Five massive swords, like guillotines from hell, swung with crushing force and razor-sharp edges, mercilessly reaping lives.

Spectators outside the arena marveled.

Disciples of the Four Sects and Seven Gates also frowned.

They had forgotten: Grand Void Gate had more than just Mo Hua—other disciples were no pushovers either.

Fighting them individually was one thing, but now they clustered around Mo Hua, under his coordinated command.

Dealing with them had become that much harder.

"Keep pushing!" someone gritted out.

"Body cultivators hold the line, others break through!"

Several disciples of the Golden Steel Sect stepped forward, their muscles hard as Jin Shi; other body cultivators raised long shields to block the cleaver-like massive swords of the Five Brothers of Tai'e.

The massive swords carved deep gashes into the Golden Steel disciples' Golden Steel bodies.

They also cracked the long shields.

The might of the Five Massive Swords of Tai'e sent chills through the heart.

But the swords' momentum was finally halted for an instant.

The others seized the opening and rushed into the valley.

But as soon as they entered, a brilliant blue, ethereal yet razor-sharp Quxu Sword Qi met them head-on.

This sword qi was immensely powerful—it instantly slaughtered every disciple who had entered, including the several Golden Steel Sect disciples.

The sword qi shattered their Golden Steel bodies.

The Five Brothers of Tai'e swung their massive swords in a wild frenzy, finishing them off.

The valley entrance was cleared.

Three more Duanjin Sect disciples stepped forward.

They were wiped out together by the Five Brothers of Tai'e and Linghu Xiao's sword qi.

The remaining disciples, terrified by Grand Void Gate's killing might, hesitated and fell back for now.

And as soon as they retreated,

Hao Xuan and the others, following Mo Hua's orders, immediately began reestablishing the formation at the valley entrance.

The broken formation was restored.

The hated formation glow flared again at the valley entrance.

"Damn it."

"All that work for nothing…"

Disciples of the Four Sects and Seven Gates cursed inwardly.

But regardless, Grand Void Gate had barely held the line in this first assault.

Outside the valley, Qin Cangliu's gaze flickered as he asked the others:

"What now?"

He already had a plan, but had not spoken it aloud.

Too many prodigies were present; though he came from a distinguished background, had ties to Daozhou, and his ancestors had served in the Dao Court for generations, and though his ancestral elder favored him,

none of the others here were insignificant.

The true top prodigies of Qian Xue all had ancestral elders watching over them behind the scenes.

It was not his place to step forward.

The prodigies of the other Four Sects and Seven Gates also remained silent.

Ye Qingfeng of the Great Luo Sect pondered, then stepped forward.

In this setting, only he could say what needed to be said.

The Great Luo Sect was now the strongest among the Eight Gates, second only to Grand Void Gate.

And he was the undisputed top disciple beneath the Four Prodigies of Qian Xue.

Shen Lin, Xiao Wuchen, Ao Zhan, and Duanmu Qing—the four top prodigies—stood above the fray, each burdened with the mission of securing the top rank in the Sword Debate Assembly for their respective sects.

They balanced each other and would never act lightly.

In fact, as the Sida Sect, they would gladly see the Seven Major Sects and the Grand Void Gate destroy each other.

Only after the Grand Void Gate is eradicated will the Blood War truly begin.

Only then will these four of them begin their true slaughter.

But under current circumstances, the Grand Void Gate must be eliminated.

Especially since Mo Hua holds the terrain advantage, reinforces it with arrays, and is joined by Linghu Xiao and the Five Brothers of Tai'e—prodigies of extreme lethality—the Grand Void Gate's strength has become undeniably the number one among the Eight Major Sects.

The Sida Sect may not regard the Grand Void Gate as a threat.

But if the other seven sects wish to rise, they must unite and eliminate this "formidable rival," the Grand Void Gate.

This matter must be led by him. Some unpleasant words can only be spoken by him.

Ye Qingfeng said: "The greatest problem right now is Mo Hua's arrays."

"With his arrays blocking us, the Grand Void Gate can rest and wait for us to tire ourselves out. Even if we break through the arrays momentarily and storm the valley, we will face Linghu Xiao's ambush."

"And once we retreat, Mo Hua will simply reestablish the arrays."

"But…" Ye Qingfeng's gaze sharpened, "within the Grand Void Gate's camp, Mo Hua is the only high-level array master. Only he can draw high-level arrays."

"And drawing high-level arrays is extremely time-consuming and exhausting."

"If our assaults are relentless, forcing Mo Hua to run himself ragged, we will eventually exhaust him to death."

"Once his spiritual sense is depleted, or his array-drawing slows, and the next array fails to connect in time…"

"Then the Grand Void Gate's defense will lose its greatest pillar."

"Without arrays, even if Linghu Xiao and the Five Brothers of Tai'e are strong, they cannot possibly hold us back."

"The Grand Void Gate's annihilation is merely a matter of time."

Some disciples present had already understood this logic long ago.

But many only now suddenly realized it.

They had been too fearful of Mo Hua's title as "Array Master Supreme," their minds shadowed, nearly forgetting this was the Sword Discourse Assembly.

The Sword Discourse Assembly limits arrays to second-grade intermediate level.

Thus, all of Mo Hua's high-level arrays were drawn by him alone, on the spot, individually.

In a battlefield of cultivators, time is limited, and spiritual sense is limited.

Even if he is the Array Master Supreme, how many arrays can one man draw?

No matter how fast he draws, can he keep up with the speed at which we break them?

Understanding this logic is useless—what matters is how we act.

Applying relentless pressure to the Grand Void Gate's defense with "uninterrupted assaults" is no easy task.

The Grand Void Gate's five "executioner swords" are no joke.

Not to mention Linghu Xiao and the others behind them.

This is a hard bone to chew.

To truly pressure them, someone must sacrifice.

In other words, we must continuously expend "lives" to wear them down.

This is a harsh thing to say.

This method also carries the suspicion of betraying fellow sect members, using them as cannon fodder.

But someone must play the villain.

Ye Qingfeng said solemnly: "This sacrifice is necessary for the sect's interests, to eradicate the Grand Void Gate."

The atmosphere grew silent.

At this moment, a disciple from the Daluo Sect stepped forward and said: "Brother Ye, I'll go."

Among all the prodigies, his cultivation was mediocre and his name unknown.

With his strength, even if he survived, he could never reach the final stage—better to volunteer now as "cannon fodder" to give his sect brothers a chance.

It would also leave a favorable impression of "loyalty" before the sect's senior elders.

With him leading, several other ordinary prodigies from the Daluo Sect understood immediately and bowed: "For the sake of our sect, we are ready to face fire and water—no hesitation."

With the Daluo Sect taking the lead, disciples from the other seven sects also responded.

They knew their strength could never compete with true prodigies.

If so, better to volunteer to "sacrifice" for the sect, win favor with the sect master and elders, and prove their worth.

This is only the Sword Discourse Assembly—it's not real death.

If under these circumstances one is unwilling to "sell his life" for the sect, don't expect the elders to value him.

Thus, the seven sects agreed to take turns sending men to assault the mountain.

The Sida Sect also contributed some personnel.

After all, they could not truly stand idly by while attacking the Grand Void Gate.

Moreover, many within the Sida Sect harbored hatred toward Mo Hua.

Just as the situation had calmed, the battle flared up again.

The Si Sect and the seven sects began launching ordinary prodigies as vanguards to storm the valley entrance where the Grand Void Gate hid.

Suddenly, cries of battle erupted.

Array lights flared, swords and spells clashed together.

The Five Brothers of Tai'e guarded the valley entrance; their five giant swords resembled meat grinders—anyone who showed their head was instantly shredded.

Mo Hua's arrays stood like a fence, blocking the valley entrance and slowing the charge of the Si Sect and seven sects' disciples.

Letting them in one by one, so the Five Brothers of Tai'e could slaughter them.

The Blood War was gradually taking on a gruesome appearance.

Mo Hua's formations shattered one by one.

The strength of the Grand Void Gate's mountain-guarding disciples was also being slowly weakened.

Meanwhile, the disciples of the Si Sect and the Seven Gates were being slain one by one.

The valley entrance of Yixiantian had become a "life-siphoning" trap.

The Grand Void Gate was trading formations for lives.

Outside the Forum of Swords, among the spectator seats.

The elders of the Wan Zhen Sect all nodded in satisfaction and said:

"In the chaos of mass cultivation battles, relying on terrain cover and formation enhancements, fellow disciples unite as one to resist powerful foes."

"This is the role of a formation master in cultivation warfare!"

"You expend formations; others lose lives."

"Those disciples of the Sida Sect and the Eight Gates are blind, cutting the bridge after crossing it…"

"Look—now they're suffering because of the formations."

They clearly resented how other sects had slaughtered their Wan Zhen Sect disciples after using them.

Now, seeing Mo Hua turn the tables and use formations to harvest the lives of these sect disciples, their hearts were filled with immense satisfaction.

One Wan Zhen Sect elder pointed at the image of Mo Hua seated in meditation, eyes closed, on the Fang Tian Hua Ying, and said to the disciples behind him:

"This is Mo Hua. This is the leader of Qian Xue Formation Dao."

"Once, he was just one step away from becoming a disciple of our Wan Zhen Sect—your senior brother."

"Unfortunately, our Wan Zhen Sect lacked fortune and destiny, and missed this opportunity."

"Today, you must watch closely and learn well—this is your future example…"

Most disciples nodded.

Some disciples with good memories asked doubtfully:

"Elder, didn't you just say a moment ago that Mo Hua was the target of everyone's ire, and we should kick him while he's down?"

The Wan Zhen Sect elder's face darkened. "Times change. Do not speak those words again."

"Oh…" the disciple replied weakly.

"But…"

Another Wan Zhen Sect elder sighed. "Formations require foresight and prior preparation. Drawing formations mid-battle is far too rushed…"

"This Mo Hua is only one man. A formation drawn by a single man cannot withstand the assault of so many disciples from the Si Sect and the Seven Gates."

The group of formation elders also felt a pang of regret.

Many cultivators in the arena had already realized this.

The Grand Void Gate's formations would soon be exhausted.

After all, Mo Hua had already laid down many formations by now.

The earlier assaults from the Si Sect and the Seven Gates had nearly depleted all the formations he had laid.

The formations he still retained could not hold out much longer.

……

Inside the Forum of Swords, Mo Hua knew this well.

Outside the valley, Dao methods clashed and formations trembled, the boom of explosions rising and falling in succession.

Mo Hua sat calmly atop a large rock within the valley.

This large rock was ordinary, but since entering the valley, Mo Hua had sat upon it without shifting an inch.

Since entering the valley, he had been drawing formations.

Using the time bought by illusion and concealment formations, he rested intermittently and had drawn a total of twenty high-grade formations.

Most of these formations had already been consumed in the earlier assaults.

Now, only three or four remained.

These three or four were still being steadily depleted and could not last long.

The formations were nearly gone; the situation was growing dire.

"If so, then no more hiding…"

Mo Hua calmly took out his brush and ink, laid out the formation medium, and began drawing formations.

This time, he no longer covered himself with a small blanket, nor did he conceal himself.

He would give his all, drawing formations at the fastest speed possible.

Mo Hua's gaze was deep and focused; his spiritual sense poured out, his hand gripping the brush nearly appearing as a blur.

His brush danced like a dragon, intricate formation patterns flowing like water across the paper and jade medium, forming flawless, exquisitely beautiful formations.

This speed was utterly unbelievable.

The cultivators outside the arena, who had been watching Mo Hua without pause, erupted in shock.

"This…"

"Can formations really be drawn this fast?"

"This speed is more than twice as fast as before!"

"So the kid didn't cover himself with a blanket to show off—he was truly pretending to be weak to lure the enemy?"

"How is it even possible to draw this fast?"

"And yet, not a single error? How deeply familiar must he be with these formations?"

The more they thought, the more astonished they became.

The entire Wan Zhen Sect was equally stunned.

A disciple asked softly, "Elder, how do you learn this...?"

The Wan Zhen Men elder stared blankly, speechless.

The entire Tai Xu Men perked up.

Especially those disciples familiar with Mo Hua, their eyes gleamed brightly.

They knew: Little Brother Mo wasn't pretending anymore—he was laying his cards on the table...

In the Discourse Valley.

Mo Hua focused intently, silent, drawing nothing but array patterns.

One after another, high-grade second-rank nineteen-pattern arrays took shape beneath his brush, etched onto array media.

Like a cold, emotionless "array machine."

The arrays he drew were carried by Hao Xuan and several disciples skilled in movement, placed at the valley's entrance.

Outside, lives were being spent to attack.

Mo Hua inside drew arrays to defend.

Gradually, everyone realized: the speed at which Si Sect and the Seven Gates consumed arrays could not keep up with Mo Hua's drawing speed.

And Mo Hua was only one man.

Though the One Sky Pass was narrow and limited in scope, and even with the deterrence of the Tai A Five Brothers, this was still absurd.

Gasps of astonishment rose from the crowd outside.

No one had imagined anyone could draw arrays this fast.

Not even ordinary cultivators, nor elders from array sects or array clans, found it believable.

At this rate, unless top-tier prodigies intervened, Si Sect and the Seven Gates could die to the last man and still not exhaust Mo Hua's arrays.

"This is... the weight of the Qian Xue Array Dao champion..."

All prodigies born of array lineages, who devoted their lives to array arts, felt a crushing weight in their chests, struggling to breathe.

Within Wan Zhen Men,

after initial shock, several elders frowned and sighed:

"Tai Xu Men... cannot hold."

A disciple asked in confusion, "But isn't it holding?"

Mo Hua drew arrays too fast, and Tai Xu Men's defense was tightly held.

The Wan Zhen Men elder shook his head sadly:

"He draws arrays quickly, yes—but the array media is limited. Even a skillful housewife cannot cook without rice. Once the media is gone, no matter how fast he draws, what use is it?"

Mo Hua was dismantling existing arrays to reuse their media.

The Discourse Conference imposed a fixed quota on arrays, meaning Mo Hua's array media was finite.

Tai Xu Men's own arrays, plus dismantled media and captured ones, totaled barely thirty-plus.

Nearly twenty had already been used to set defenses in the valley.

Now, at most, fewer than ten array media remained usable.

Even if Mo Hua's spiritual sense was fully replenished and his drawing speed unmatched, he had almost no media left.

That meant the valley's defense line could not hold much longer.

These array details were familiar to Wan Zhen Men's array elders—they sensed it early.

Other cultivators, dazzled by Mo Hua's speed, had not thought further.

But as the situation unfolded, they all gradually understood.

"Tai Xu Men... is finished."

No matter how fast Mo Hua drew, it was useless.

Indeed, as the siege dragged on, Si Sect and the Seven Gates disciples sacrificed their lives bit by bit—Mo Hua's array media finally ran out.

With no media left, he could draw no more arrays.

Mo Hua's expression remained calm, neither proud nor frustrated, neither discouraged nor weary—he sat cross-legged on the spot, closed his eyes, meditated, and sought to restore his spiritual sense.

As if everything around him meant nothing to him.

Whether the valley entrance could be held, he did not care.

Linghu Xiao and the Tai A Five Brothers still fought desperately, but the situation could not be stopped from worsening.

Finally, Linghu Xiao and the Tai A Five Brothers withdrew, replaced by Yang Qianjun, Ouyang Xuan, and others.

Linghu Xiao and the others also closed their eyes, sat in meditation, restoring their spiritual power.

They too understood: the valley entrance could not be held—they were conserving strength for the coming death battle.

After less than half an hour of back-and-forth fighting, the light at the valley entrance dimmed.

The final array deployed by Tai Xu Men was finally shattered.

The instant the array broke, Ye Qingfeng's gaze turned icy: "Mo Hua has no arrays left—kill!"

The other Si Sect and Seven Gates disciples drew their swords and blades, coldly barking:

"Kill!"

As the Wan Zhen Men elder had said, until now, Mo Hua had spent "arrays," but they had spent "lives."

For these disciples of great sects, this was humiliation.

Every heart held a seething rage.

"Destroy Tai Xu Men!"

"Cut Mo Hua into a thousand pieces!"

"Kill!"

A disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect, relying on his Treading Wind Body Technique, flashed past Yixiantian and rushed into the valley.

Yet in the next instant, he was intercepted by Yang Qianjun's spear, repelled by Ouyang Xuan's sword qi, and promptly sliced to death by Cheng Mo's two massive axes.

But more and more disciples of the Sida Sect and Seven Gates seized the opening, surging into the valley.

With the situation turning dire, the Five Tai'e Brothers, after a brief pause to regroup, swung their giant swords once more and resumed slaughtering.

Two more men were immediately chopped to death.

But without the array's reinforcement, Shankou loosened, its defense weakened; even with their ferocity, the five of them could not hold the pass, forced only to try and intercept.

Just then, Shi Tiangang of the Jin Gang Men, leading the charge, stepped forward to meet the Five Tai'e Brothers.

Their giant swords struck his Golden Indestructible Body; when metal met stone, sparks flew, yet not a single scratch marred him.

Shi Tiangang's body refinement strength, even across the entire Qianxue Province, was among the finest.

The Five Tai'e Brothers, in a single clash, could not possibly break his defense.

And with the time Shi Tiangang bought, more and more prodigies of the Sida Sect and Seven Gates surged into the valley.

Linghu Xiao wanted to draw his sword and attack Shi Tiangang.

But a flash of white light—Feng Zichen of the Xiaoyao Sect, already using Treading Wind Step, stood before him, thrusting a swift blade toward Linghu Xiao's face.

Linghu Xiao had no choice but to retract his attack and defend.

Behind Feng Zichen, Qin Cangliu of the Gui Shui Men, Song Kui of the Duan Jin Men, and prodigies from Lingxiao Men, Zixia Men, and others, steadily charged into the fray.

These were no cannon fodder—they were true, formidable sect prodigies.

Cannon fodder wore down the enemy; prodigies delivered the killing blows.

Behind them, Ye Zhiyuan and Ye Qingfeng of the Dalaomen, and even Ao Zheng of the Long Ding Sect, Shen Cangfeng of the Qiandao Sect, and Xiao Ruohan of the Tianjian Sect—all those with "grudges" against Cheng Mo—each gripped long swords and advanced toward the valley, determined to kill Cheng Mo and eradicate the Grand Void Gate.

The Sida Sect and Seven Gates surged like a tidal wave.

All spectators outside the arena felt their hearts jolt.

"The Grand Void Gate… is finished."

This was a force of terrifying power…

Once all these people flooded into the valley, every single member of the Grand Void Gate would be slaughtered—no one would survive.

The Grand Void Gate's elders instantly felt ice in their hearts.

"We can't hold it…"

But at this moment, they were powerless, forced to watch helplessly as the prodigies of the Sida Sect and Seven Gates poured into the valley like a tide, raising their blades against the Grand Void Gate disciples.

Inside the valley, the prodigies of the Sida Sect and Seven Gates grew ever more numerous…

The situation was about to become utterly irrecoverable.

At that moment, Cheng Mo, who had been sitting with eyes closed, slowly opened them.

His spiritual sense swept across, counted the heads of the Sida Sect and Seven Gates who had entered, and murmured:

"Enough…"

Before him lay dozens of bottles of Spirit Ink.

Cheng Mo narrowed his eyes, concealing the strange black light within, then clasped his hands in the air, pushing his spiritual sense to its limit, summoning the Spirit Ink.

The Spirit Ink seemed to respond to Cheng Mo's "call," forming a faint resonance with his spiritual sense, merging into one, then gradually boiling, rising into the air, and swirling above.

"Go!"

Cheng Mo softly commanded.

Dozens, even hundreds of fine threads of Spirit Ink, as if alive, shot forward, slithering along the ground with unimaginable speed, weaving into a denser array—within mere breaths, the valley entrance was completely sealed.

The array's glow began to flicker once more.

More, stronger, nearly instantaneous arrays now severed the valley entrance.

These arrays resonated with the earth, fused with the mountains and rivers.

The flood of attackers from the Sida Sect and Seven Gates was instantly cut off.

Outside the Discourse Arena.

A wave of shock.

The cultivators who had earlier been stunned by Cheng Mo's rapid array-drawing now, witnessing this sight, felt their scalps prickling, their minds going utterly blank.

The elders of the Wanzhen Sect all leapt to their feet in shock, eyes trembling, exclaiming in disbelief:

"Spiritual Sense Controls Ink!"

"Is this Spiritual Sense Controlling Ink to Form an Array?!"

(End of Chapter)