Chapter 1043: Chapter One Thousand and Thirty-Nine: The Five Elements Origin Armor

To ordinary cultivators, Mo Hua's spiritual ink before him curled like silk, writhing autonomously like venomous snakes as it formed array patterns.

This no longer resembled an array—it was more like "demonic art."

This method of summoning arrays without brush or paper, commanding ink with the mind, was something they had never seen or heard of.

The elders of Wanzhen Gate were equally stunned and uncomposed.

Their reaction was far greater than that of ordinary cultivators.

Because they were an array sect, array elders.

As array elders of the Twelve Streams Array Sect, having devoted their lives to array study, they knew better than anyone the weight behind the eight characters: "Spiritual Insight Commands Ink, Draws Array Upon Ground."

This array technique could not be learned merely through innate talent.

It truly contained profound comprehension and application of the Dao.

Learning it was hard; mastering it effortlessly was harder.

Not to mention executing such a complex, large-scale, high-difficulty ink-commanding array with lightning speed at this critical juncture of the Bloodfield Battle.

Simply… miraculous…

"How could a mere Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator possibly have learned such a godlike array technique…?"

This doubt surfaced simultaneously in the hearts of all array elders.

And Mo Hua's spectacle of spiritual insight commanding ink was also displayed before every "noble" in the Sword-Observing Tower.

All sect leaders stared in shock.

Some elders and direct heirs from the Seven Pavilions of the Dao Court and ancient clans were visibly moved.

Even the head of Sanshan in Grand Void Gate was momentarily dazed.

None of them had known Mo Hua possessed such a technique.

And within the Sword-Observing Hall.

Some elder ancestors who had been meditating, their spirits wandering beyond the world, indifferent to all, opened their eyes, specifically glancing at the Sky-Projection, then toward Master Xun.

One elder ancestor asked in astonishment:

"Communicating with Earth's Veins, drawing arrays upon the ground?"

"When did your Grand Void Gate acquire the Earth Sect's legacy?"

Master Xun's gaze was deep, silent.

His silence was an attitude—indicating he had nothing to say.

Seeing this, the other Void-Perceiving elder ancestors wisely refrained from pressing further.

Sect legacies were each sect's secrets.

Even if Grand Void Gate truly had acquired the Earth Sect's legacy and knew how to communicate with Earth's Veins, they had no obligation to reveal it.

Moreover, the Earth Sect was powerful and rigidly traditional.

Acquiring their legacy might not be beneficial; Grand Void Gate would never admit to it.

Inside the hall, no one dared probe further.

Master Xun remained impassive, secretly exhaling a breath of relief.

He didn't even know how to answer this question…

…

At this moment, among the spectator seats, people's emotions surged as they continued to chatter.

Not only these external spectators were shaken.

Within the Dueling Arena, the Sida Sect's Seven Gates prodigies, whose attacks had been abruptly cut off by Mo Hua's array, all turned pale, eyes wide with shock.

The spectators outside watched through the Sky-Projection.

But they, personally present, had witnessed with their own eyes Mo Hua commanding nearly a hundred strands of spiritual ink, like demons, drawing arrays out of thin air.

He looked like an "array monster."

No one could remain unshaken by this sight—so much so that after being separated by the array, they stood frozen for a long while before regaining their wits.

Soon, they realized they were trapped within Mo Hua's array.

"Quick, break the array!"

Someone shouted.

The prodigies of the Sida Sect's Seven Gates inside the valley, and those outside, all launched attacks toward Mo Hua's array.

Blade glows, sword shadows, water and fire spells poured upward.

But this array fused seamlessly with the mountains and earth, absorbing all magical attacks, fading only slightly.

"Second-rank high-grade… Compound Array?"

Everyone drew a sharp breath.

And not just any compound array—it was a second-rank high-grade compound array perfectly aligned with the Eight Trigrams' Gen Mountain and the Five Elements' Earth.

Was this the true array prowess of Mo Hua, the Array Sovereign?

No paper, no medium—instantly forming a second-rank high-grade compound array?!

All prodigies found it unbelievable.

In such confined terrain, forcibly breaking this array would require tremendous effort.

It was impossible to breach it in a moment.

And they had not forgotten—the Grand Void Gate disciples behind them still watched them with predatory intent.

The situation fell instantly silent.

Inside the valley, over a hundred prodigies from the Sida Sect's Seven Gates, led by Jin Gang Men's Shi Tiangang, Gui Shui Men's Qin Cangliu, Duan Jin Men's Song Kui, and others, stood in standoff with Grand Void Gate.

Outside the valley, the true main forces of the Four Sects and some of the Seven Gates' prodigies were temporarily isolated by Mo Hua's second-rank "Earth-Wood Sealing Mountain Compound Array."

Out of fear of Mo Hua, no one dared to act rashly.

The scene hung in a delicate balance, yet was suffused with tension and solemnity.

Outside the arena, all watching cultivators closely observed the situation through the Fangtian Painting Shadows.

Their hearts, too, were uneasy.

But soon, someone noticed the problem.

The disciples of Wan Zhen Men whispered among themselves:

"Isn't Mo Hua using this formation incorrectly?"

"Why is he using a confinement formation instead of a killing formation?"

"A killing formation, once triggered, in such a narrow valley, could inflict massive casualties and kill many."

"There are too many prodigies from the Si Sect and Seven Gates—even with a killing formation, you couldn't kill many."

"Then isn't the confinement formation even more useless?"

"Using a confinement formation only seals off Shankou…"

"Outside Shankou, there are over a hundred prodigies from the Si Sect and Seven Gates."

"Inside Shankou, there are also over a hundred."

"And Tai Xu Men, at most, has only thirty people."

"Sealing the mountain with a confinement formation may cut off the enemy, but they still have to face over a hundred prodigies from the Si Sect and Seven Gates."

"Thirty versus over a hundred—this is no contest."

"Mo Hua's formation technique looks flashy and intimidating, but it seems… useless?"

"Probably just a desperate, last-resort move."

"That makes sense…"

This discussion reached the ears of Wan Zhen Men's elders.

The elders said nothing, but internally they too felt puzzled.

On one hand, they felt Mo Hua's formation was indeed flawed.

On the other hand, they couldn't shake the feeling that Mo Hua's deployment of these formations held some hidden intent—far from as simple as it appeared.

Though young, Mo Hua radiated an air of unfathomable depth.

What is his true intent?

Even as formation elders who had studied formations for decades, they had no clue.

…

In the Sword Debate Arena, Shi Tiangang, Qin Cangliu, and others were equally uneasy.

Their fear of Mo Hua was genuine.

Thus, even though Mo Hua had merely deployed a confinement formation, trapping them inside the valley,

even though their numbers were three times those of Tai Xu Men, within Mo Hua's formation, they dared not move.

Mo Hua, the Formation Prodigy, is no ordinary Formation Prodigy.

No one could imagine what he might accomplish with his formations.

Therefore, everyone extended their spiritual senses, scanning the valley again and again, until they confirmed there were no other formations besides the mountain-sealing confinement formation—and only then did they relax.

Mo Hua's strength lies in formations; Tai Xu Men's strength lies in formations.

Only with formations are they strong.

Without formations, Tai Xu Men is like a tiger with its teeth pulled—strong on the outside, weak within, not worth fearing.

Since only the confinement formation seals the mountain and no other formations lie in ambush, a hundred versus thirty—Tai Xu Men has no chance of victory.

"Can we kill?"

Every heart stirred with thought.

At that moment, one stepped forward, face filled with hatred, staring directly at Mo Hua—it was Ye Zhiyuan of Da Luo Men.

As Da Luo Men's sword-prodigy, he had been slain by Mo Hua's flying sword and reduced to a laughingstock; now, with his enemy before him, his rage burned fiercely.

Ye Zhiyuan pointed at Mo Hua and spat:

"Mo Hua, brat! Since my last defeat, I've slept on brushwood and tasted gall, training Da Luo Flying Sword relentlessly. Today, in this battle, I shall wipe away my shame and cut off your head with a single sword!"

These words stirred the hatred in everyone's hearts.

All of them were renowned prodigies of the Imperial Academy—who hadn't been "humiliated" by Mo Hua's fireballs, water prisons, stealth techniques, movement arts, formations…?

Instantly, tempers flared, swords and blades rang out, all aimed at Mo Hua.

"Kill Mo Hua."

"Whoever slays Mo Hua shall be the alliance leader!"

Amid the clamor, a flying sword shot through the air, carving a blade of qi straight toward Mo Hua's head.

It was Ye Zhiyuan who unleashed the Da Luo Flying Sword.

Just as the flying sword neared Mo Hua's body, five giant men appeared, their massive swords sweeping in unison, intercepting the blade with overwhelming force.

The flying sword failed to kill Mo Hua, but the war had already ignited.

The prodigies of the Si Sect and Seven Gates drew swords, condensed spells, or charged forward with their Vajra bodies, all surging toward Tai Xu Men.

Over a hundred prodigies struck at once—spiritual energy surged, their momentum like a tidal wave, terrifying to behold.

Tai Xu Men's side stood solemn, prepared for battle.

Mo Hua's expression remained calm; as he watched the tide of enemies rush toward him, a cold, sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.

Even facing the prodigies of the Si Sect and Seven Gates, his goal had never been defense.

Defense cannot win first place.

He intended to kill everyone.

"Kill!"

Mo Hua said calmly and indifferently.

That single word "kill" was like a valve, opening the ancient, long-hidden array he had obtained from the Wuxing Sect:

Wuxing Source Array, activate!

Simultaneously, the armor and robes of the Grand Void Gate disciples glowed with five-colored Wuxing light—magnificent and blinding.

The array, controlled by Mo Hua, infused spiritual awareness, merging with the blood qi and spiritual power of the Grand Void disciples.

Using spiritual awareness as a catalyst, it amplified the Five Elements.

The Grand Void Gate disciples felt their blood qi and spiritual power boiling.

An unimaginably immense force descended upon them, stimulating their meridians, scorching their spiritual power, granting them the feeling of divine aid.

"Kill!"

In an instant, the Grand Void Gate's battle fury surged, their killing intent like a rainbow stretching across the sky.

The Tai'e Five Brothers led the vanguard, while Cheng Mo, Ouyang Xuan, and Sister Situ followed in ambush.

Yang Qianjun and the others formed a Dao-Bing formation to support.

Linghu Xiao held the rear, gathering the True Secret of Chongxu's Sword-Dispelling.

All of them, following their prearranged tactics, formed a battle line and met head-on the fierce assault of the Si Sect's seven gates and over a hundred prodigies.

The frontal clash between both sides was like heaven's thunder igniting earth's fire, unleashing astonishing ripples.

But this direct confrontation lasted only an instant.

What followed was even more astonishing.

The Si Sect's seven gates, despite their numerical superiority, shattered instantly upon contact with the Grand Void Gate.

The Grand Void disciples, their bodies shimmering with Wuxing light, crushed the prodigies' assault like dry grass before a storm.

The once mighty Tai'e Five Brothers, empowered by the Five Elements, saw their aura explode—like demonic gods—their massive swords becoming blades from hell, each swing claiming the lives of any Si Sect prodigy who erred.

Linghu Xiao's robe glowed with crystalline, boiling water-colored light.

This was the Wuxing Water-Moon Source Robe, custom-made by Mo Hua after obtaining the True Secret of Chongxu's Sword-Dispelling from Chongxu Mountain, refined according to the sword secret's essence.

Tailor-made for Linghu Xiao, this robe amplified his sword qi to an even more terrifying degree.

The full might of the True Secret of Chongxu's Sword-Dispelling was unleashed to its utmost.

With a single strike, Linghu Xiao's sword qi flowed like ethereal water shadows, like a full moon hanging in the sky, sweeping forward with unstoppable force—slaying over twenty prodigies at once, horrifying all who witnessed it.

The others—Yang Qianjun, Cheng Mo, Ouyang Xuan—also saw their strength surge dramatically under the Wuxing Source Armor, forming battle formations and pressing forward with unstoppable momentum.

Among the eight gates' top prodigies—Shi Tiangang, Feng Zichen, Qin Cangliu, Ye Zhiyuan—only they could barely hold their ground, relying on their formidable cultivation and strength.

But those weaker in power could not withstand it at all.

Ordinary prodigies were no match whatsoever.

Once the Tai'e Five Brothers closed in, their colossal swords, wielding unmatched force, would strike down—death immediate.

Or they would be wounded by Linghu Xiao's spreading sword qi—dead or maimed.

In a single exchange, the Si Sect's seven gates, three times the number of the Grand Void Gate, were utterly shattered in direct combat—overwhelmed and slaughtered in turn by the Grand Void Gate's terrifying sword blades.

Outside the Sword Arena.

The watching cultivators erupted in chaos.

The clamor filled heaven and earth.

A moment ago, they had been stunned by Mo Hua's godlike array-crafting; the next, they witnessed this unbelievable frontal clash.

Over a hundred prodigies from the Si Sect's seven gates—strong in power, outnumbering the enemy—were so easily crushed by only thirty Grand Void disciples?

"What happened?!"

"Why did the Grand Void disciples' strength suddenly surge so much?"

"Insane!"

"Because… their armor and robes?"

At the Wan Zhen Sect's viewing platform.

Most of the array disciples, though stunned, were utterly baffled.

They guessed the Grand Void's sudden power surge came from the array inscribed on the armor—but what kind of array, they had no idea.

Only the oldest, most experienced among them, their clouded eyes, flickered with a sliver of sharp light.

On the Sword Viewing Tower, many sect leaders of the Si Sect's seven gates rose in fury, slamming their tables:

"What is this?!"

"Are these armors allowed in the Sword Arena?!"

"This is cheating."

"Absurd!"

"No one's going to stop this?!"

"Will the Dao Mountain tolerate this?!"

These sect leaders, seeing their disciples shattered, were filled with righteous fury.

But they only cursed aloud—none dared confront the Dao Mountain directly.

Because the Dao Mountain elders always followed the rules—every spiritual artifact entering the arena had been inspected and verified.

At this moment, inside the Dao Mountain elders' chamber.

The Dao Mountain elders seated in a circle, sipping tea, watched the scene before them with calm expressions—not surprised at all.

When Mo Hua brought these armors and robes into the Sword Arena, they had seen them—if they were to be shocked, they had already been shocked long ago.

Now, all of this, in their eyes, was only natural.

"These disciples of the Si Sect and Seven Gates didn't lose unfairly…"

"That kid Mo Hua is truly unbelievable—he knows every array, yet gives not the slightest hint…"

……

And within the Cave Void Hall.

More and more Cave Void Laozu had been stirred.

Especially those Cave Void experts skilled in arrays, now all turned toward Mr. Xun, their expressions shaken, saying:

"Did your Grand Void Gate obtain the Wuxing Sect's heritage?"

Mr. Xun's scalp prickled slightly.

Could the Wuxing Sect's heritage be anything simple?

The heritage of a top-tier array sect was something that could drive even Cave Void Laozu to madness—no one, not even them, could remain unmoved.

Especially those Cave Void cultivators who walked the path of arrays.

What Wuxing Sect heritage could the Grand Void Gate possibly have…?

The inheritance on that kid Mo Hua's person is truly a bottomless pit.

When had he learned the Wuxing Sect's ultimate arrays? How had I not noticed…?

But there was no choice—this child Mo Hua had dug a hole, and as his Laozu, he could only pick it up.

"It's hardly even a 'heritage,'" Mr. Xun said calmly, slowly, "by chance, I acquired a few fragments—just a child playing around with them…"

A child… playing around with them…

These words were deeply offensive.

The Wuxing Sect's heritage, an ultimate array that amplifies spiritual power—how many had labored endlessly without grasping its essence? Could this be something a child merely "played" with?

After so many years, how had this once rigid and austere old man from the Grand Void Gate learned to show off?

The gathering of Cave Void Laozu fell silent.

Yet since he admitted it—and even dared to display it—it must not be the complete heritage.

The true Wuxing Sect heritage could hardly have fallen into the Grand Void Gate's hands.

Others might not know, but how could these Laozu not know?

The Wuxing Sect rose because of it, fell because of it—in the end, it was destroyed by its own "heritage."

That "heritage," though outwardly derived from the Five Elements, was in truth deeply sinister—perhaps even a source of some strange calamity.

Mr. Xun's heart could not possibly be so bold as to take on the very "origin" of the Wuxing Sect's destruction.

Some heritages appear glorious, drawing in ordinary cultivators like moths to flame.

But we, who have glimpsed the Dao's realm, avoid them at all costs.

The matter was thus brushed aside; the Laozu no longer mentioned it.

Of course, this calm was only on the surface. Who knew what schemes some Laozu might have secretly stirred?

Only the Laozu of the Daluo Sect sneered:

"Again, the Earth Sect? Again, the Wuxing Sect…"

"Once, how glorious was your Grand Void Gate? Now your sword path has declined, you've thrown away your Laozu's legacy, and now you only scavenge others' arrays to survive?"

This was harsh.

Several sword-path Laozu glanced sideways, their gazes toward Mr. Xun now tinged with contempt.

But Mr. Xun paid no heed, as if accepting it silently.

Only in his eyes flickered a suspicion he himself scarcely dared to believe: Gu Caiyi.

……

Within the Sword Arena.

With the amplification of the Five Element Source Armor, the Grand Void Gate's forces surged forward like a flood, shattering the Si Sect and Seven Gates' lines with ease.

They then pressed their advantage, pursuing and slaughtering, killing nearly half of the Si Sect and Seven Gates' prodigies.

Yet the prodigies of the Si Sect and Seven Gates were no mere fools; after their initial shock and panic, they gradually regained their composure.

Though half had fallen, most of their elites had survived.

Moreover, though half had died, space had been freed.

The valley was no longer crowded; they no longer trampled each other, and instead gained room to maneuver against the Grand Void Gate, gradually stabilizing their lines under the leadership of Shi Tiangang, Qin Cangliu, and Feng Zichen.

With the Five Element Source Armor's amplification, the Grand Void Gate disciples' strength surged.

Thus, they dared not engage directly, only constantly harassing and wearing them down.

Hardness cannot last—this has been true since ancient times.

Though the Five Element Source Armor's amplification was powerful, its consumption was immense; after the initial burst, it began to weaken. If they held on, they still had a chance.

The outcome proved exactly as they expected.

The situation then eased slightly, and both sides fell into brief stalemate.

But the stalemate lasted only moments before Shi Tiangang and the others felt a sudden chill, their bodies trembling.

They sensed the aura of an array.

Mo Hua!

That Mo Hua—he was drawing another array again!

Shi Tiangang's peripheral vision caught it: spiritual ink slithered like venomous snakes across the ground, forming arrays beneath their feet—then vines sprouted from grass and trees, stones hardened into prisons, trapping them one by one.

Linghu Xiao immediately unleashed his Chong Xu Sword Qi.

The Five Tai'o brothers, like ferocious demons, swung their massive swords, cutting down a swath.

Even Shi Tiangang, who had cultivated the Diamond Indestructible Body, could not withstand this entrapment and killing.

He had first been pierced by Linghu Xiao's sword, then cut down by the Five Brothers of Tai'e; cracks now appeared, fine but numerous, upon his Diamond Body.

Shi Tiangang ignored his wounds and roared loudly: "Kill Mo Hua!"

"Don't let him continue drawing the array! Or we'll all die!"

These words jolted everyone awake.

All the prodigy disciples abandoned all caution, charging at Mo Hua like madmen…