Chapter 1046: Collapse!

Mo Hua softly whispered the word "explode."

In that instant, the entire valley, its countless arrays, as if hearing the "call" of their master Mo Hua, trembled violently and flared with brilliant, even blinding light.

These arrays were all explosives.

They were the arrays Mo Hua had drawn nonstop since his sword debate, one after another, stacked layer upon layer.

A faint glimmer of reverse energy flickered to life.

This was a half-step Reverse Spirit Array that Mo Hua had secretly planted beforehand.

This half-step Reverse Spirit Array acted like a spark, igniting every single array in the valley, all primed and ready to detonate.

A thread of spiritual energy began to reverse, breaking down the Five Elements' spiritual energy into pitch-black dissolution energy.

And this thread of dissolution energy, like the origin of a plague, rapidly spread—along the spiritual pathways Mo Hua had calculated—with lightning speed, engulfing the entire valley like black "poppy" flowers blooming one after another across the valley.

One after another, cluster after cluster, array after array dissolved—until the whole valley was covered, piling into a terrifying force that instantly triggered massive-scale array collapse and explosion.

On the Sky Painting, the entire surface was filled with reversed spiritual energy, collapsing arrays, forming pitch-black, terrifying "poppy" flowers.

The entire Dao Discourse Mountain shook.

Heaven and earth turned pitch black.

Yet not a single sound emerged—as if the dissolutions had swallowed even the noise itself…

Every cultivator in the crowd was stunned into silence.

Terror filled the faces of many cultivators.

Even some Jin Dan cultivators wore expressions of utter horror.

This was a terrifying scene none of these cultivators had ever witnessed in their lives—a massive-scale spiritual reversal, array collapse, and annihilation of all things…

Even the seasoned leaders of the Geda Sects were momentarily stunned into disbelief.

On the Observation Sword Tower, several nobles sipping tea on the upper levels rose abruptly, staring out the windows with utter disbelief.

Inside the Void-Perceiving Hall.

The ancient ancestors, who had sat motionless and meditating with closed eyes, were forced to open their eyes and gaze at the horrifying, pitch-black scene of spiritual collapse on the Sky Painting.

A wave of shock reverberated through the hearts of these unshakable elders.

Finally, all the Void-Perceiving elders' gazes turned, without exception, toward Xun Mr. of the Grand Void Gate.

Their gazes carried confusion, doubt, astonishment, inquiry, and coldness.

Xun Mr. felt immense pressure; his scalp prickled instantly.

His hands inside his sleeves trembled slightly.

The scene before him shook him just as deeply.

At this moment, he truly believed the horrifying "legends" he had once sent people to investigate—that Mo Hua had laid massive arrays, collapsed them, and slain great demons back home—were likely true…

But now, under the silent gaze of so many Void-Perceiving ancestors, Xun Mr. could not show weakness.

He pretended not to notice anything, acting as if it were all trivial, sipping his tea calmly.

As if the spectacle before him were merely a minor affair.

You haven't even seen the bigger ones yet—there's no need to be so astonished…

…

As the arrays collapsed, the Sky Painting turned entirely black with reversed energy.

Heaven and earth remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, the shock constricting everyone's chests slowly dissipated.

The watching cultivators gradually came back to their senses.

Those who had forgotten to breathe now drew deep gasps and murmured:

"What… what was that…?"

"Array explosion?"

"And this… was Mo Hua's doing?"

"So… this Mo Hua, he arranged arrays to trigger such a terrifying explosion—and killed all four Tianjiao of Qian Xue, including the seventy top prodigies from the Sida Sect and Seven Gates, all at once?!"

"Killed them ALL?!"

"Is this even something a human could do?!"

"Utterly defies heaven—terrifying beyond measure."

A chorus of sharp intakes of breath filled the arena.

Some frowned in disbelief and asked: "What kind of array did he use? How could it be so powerful?"

This question was highly advanced.

Most cultivators exchanged uncertain glances.

Among the Ten Thousand Arrays Sect, most disciples and elders also frowned tightly.

Only a few senior, erudite elders murmured in near-disbelief:

"This is spiritual reversal… it's a Reverse Spirit Array."

"Reverse Spirit Array?"

"It's a second-rank, twenty-pattern… ultimate array."

At these words, the entire hall was stunned; all elders changed expression, voices trembling:

"Twenty patterns?!"

"Did this Mo Hua form his spiritual core in his mind?"

"What are you thinking?" an elderly elder with white hair shook his head. "How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator form a spiritual core in his mind?"

"Then how did he—"

"It's not a complete Reverse Qi Array," said the white-haired elder, frowning, "you may have forgotten—the final challenge of the last Array Discussion Assembly was, in fact, a half-step Reverse Qi Array, containing reversed spiritual energy, with nineteen markings above second-rank..."

"If my guess is correct, at that time, Mo Hua learned and drew it on the spot, internalizing and memorizing this array..."

"So this Reverse Qi Array came from the Array Discussion Assembly and was used in the Sword Discussion Assembly. In a way, it's a kind of karmic connection..."

Upon hearing this, the elders all nodded in agreement.

After speaking, the white-haired elder could not help but sigh.

Whether it was learning a half-step Reverse Qi Array with more than nineteen markings on the spot...

Or using this Reverse Qi Array to trigger array collapse and annihilate over fifty of Qianxue's strongest prodigies...

Both were truly absurd feats.

He had lived most of his life, taught array techniques for countless years, seen countless array prodigies, witnessed countless Array Discussion Assemblies, and personally witnessed the birth of many Array Masters.

Every past Array Master had been a prodigy among prodigies.

But Mo Hua was still the most absurd Array Master he had ever seen.

His spiritual sense vastly exceeded his realm, and his foundation was extraordinarily deep.

Yet he could command ink with his spiritual sense, draw arrays upon the ground, and add this mastery of reversed spiritual energy and array collapse...

Others became Array Masters because their strength reached the level of an Array Master.

But Mo Hua became Array Master only because the highest title Qianxue's Array Discussion Assembly could bestow was "Array Master."

He even felt that the four characters "Array Master" were already... inadequate for Mo Hua.

These four characters could not possibly convey the true extent of Mo Hua's mastery in array techniques...

The origin of the "Reverse Qi Array" was also uncovered by many cultivators.

On the Observation Sword Tower.

In a sealed yet luxurious hall.

The array masters of Tianshu Pavilion were whispering among themselves:

"Is this... reversed spiritual energy?"

"The Reverse Qi Ultimate Array?!"

"How is this possible..."

"How could Qianxue Province have a disciple with such an absurdly gifted talent, capable of mastering such an otherworldly array?"

"It was obtained from the last Array Discussion Assembly—not a complete Reverse Qi Array."

"So that's how it is..."

"Even so, it's still extraordinary."

"You don't understand—it's not terrifying to learn the Reverse Qi Array; it's terrifying how exquisitely it was used..."

"His collapse technique was clearly meticulously calculated—the framework of the array, the number of arrays, the connections of spiritual pivots, the collapse points, the flow and diffusion of reversed spiritual energy... all of this, an ordinary array master couldn't even perceive the method..."

"Is this the Derivation Algorithm?"

"Yes... but we don't know what kind of derivation method he used."

"Did he calculate it himself, or was it calculated for him by someone else?"

"Probably someone high-ranking calculated it for him beforehand—if he calculated it himself, that would be downright terrifying..."

"Even if someone high-ranking calculated it for him, the fact that he could construct all these arrays flawlessly during battle is already remarkable."

"He's an exceptional array talent—worthy of admission into Tianshu Pavilion..."

The array masters discussed among themselves.

Above, on the high seat, a middle-aged, noble and refined cultivator sat with deep gaze.

This man was none other than the Supervisor of Tianshu Pavilion.

At this moment, he stared at the Sky Mirror Projection, his expression calm, murmuring silently:

"Mo Hua..."

He always felt this name held many profound karmic implications, yet when he tried to think deeply, his mind went blank.

The Supervisor could not help but frown slightly.

Outside the Observation Sword Tower, the Sky Mirror Projection remained pitch black.

The aftereffects of the explosion continued.

The spectators in the viewing seats still chattered incessantly; the Dao Mountain buzzed with noise. After a long while, someone suddenly froze:

"Wait... why hasn't the Sword Discussion ended?"

"Someone... is still alive?"

Surviving such a terrifying explosion?

Every heart tightened instantly.

All eyes turned at once toward the Sky Mirror Projection; no one spoke.

After a moment, the explosion finally ceased entirely; the aura of reversed spiritual energy gradually faded; the blackness on the screen began to recede.

The heavens, earth, mountains, and rivers regained color.

But the color was dark—everywhere lay black residue, remnants of spiritual energy collapse and annihilation.

Occasionally, faint traces of yellow-green remained—bits of Lin Mu, mountain stones.

And in this desolate landscape, where heaven and earth were ruined and mountains and rivers erased, that slender figure still sat in place.

From beginning to end, he had sat there, unmoving, as prodigies surrounded him to kill him, as arrays collapsed, as mountains and rivers shattered.

"Is it… Mo Hua?!"

All the cultivators in the hall changed expression drastically.

The entire Dao Discourse Mountain erupted in a sudden uproar, voices boiling to the heavens.

"Mo Hua… he didn't die?!"

"Not only did he not die, he didn't even move a single inch?!"

"How is this possible? How could he not die? Under such an explosion, he survived?!"

"This is impossible…"

At the Wan Zhen Gate's viewing platform, the elder with wrinkled face and crane-white hair suddenly widened his eyes and muttered in disbelief:

"Is this… the Life Gate?"

Could this brat Mo Hua really have reached the point of calculating the Life Gate on his own?!

What kind of prodigy is this?

The crane-white elder's pupils trembled; his inner emotions were beyond words.

And atop the Sword-Observing Tower.

The Tian Shu Pavilion's array masters all frowned and sighed:

"He calculated the Life Gate too…"

"Truly, a master must have planned this for him in advance."

"Since entering the valley, he has sat motionless—surely that spot was pre-calculated as the 'Life Gate.'"

"He sat upon the 'Life Gate' to set up the array, triggered all the arrays at once, and the collapsing force annihilated everything—yet only he could survive by leveraging the principle of life and death within the array."

"All things under heaven and earth: where there is death, there must be life."

"Brilliant…"

"He constructed the array step by step, layer upon layer, and in an instant, unleashed all lethal intent—slaughtering all rivals, preserving only his own thread of life."

"I never expected to see such array technique at the Dao Sword Assembly—worth the journey."

"I wonder which master devised this plan."

"Could it be Master Xun of the Tai Xu Sect, the fifth-rank array master?"

"It's the Dong Xu Ancestor…"

"Indeed, this does resemble the 'Ancestor's' methods…"

Everyone marveled in astonishment.

Only the Chief Supervisor seated high above, gazing at the lone figure amid the desolate heavens and earth—seemingly young yet radiating an inexplicable strangeness—narrowed his pupils, his eyes revealing a hint of disbelief.

In an instant, he had a hallucination.

As if a childlike "Weird Daoist" was smiling at him.

…

The great figures of the Tian Shu Pavilion held varied thoughts.

And the entire Dao Discourse Mountain remained in a frenzy, buzzing with discussion.

They may not have known what the Reverse Spirit Array or the Life Gate was—but the fact before their eyes was clear.

Mo Hua triggered a cataclysmic array explosion, indiscriminately erasing every prodigy, leaving only himself alive.

That meant Mo Hua was the first in the Blood Arena.

The champion of the final battle of the Earth-Class Dao Sword Contest!

The Tai Xu Sect, from top to bottom, was utterly stunned.

The three mountain sect leaders also trembled with excitement; no words could describe their shock.

First!

Not just first among the Eight Sects.

Though the exact scores had not yet been tallied, Mo Hua had won the Blood Arena and amassed a vast number of victory points—according to rough estimates, the Tai Xu Sect might very well become…

The top of the Sida Sect!

The champion of the Qian Xue Dao Sword Contest!

This was something they had never dared to dream of before.

Now this reality lay before them; the three mountain sect leaders felt their chests constrict, barely able to breathe.

Qian Xue champion!

In Qian Xue Province, where prodigies gathered and noble families stood tall, this was the very thing countless sects, sect leaders, elders, and disciples spent their entire lives yearning for but never attained.

Even if it was only the Earth-Class Dao Sword champion.

But if Mo Hua strives hard in the Heaven-Class Dao Sword Contest, this first place may not be lost.

Even if he loses first place, the Sida Sect position is surely secured.

A guaranteed Sida Sect spot means he can still vie for first.

The overwhelming joy from such immense fame and fortune nearly destabilized the dao hearts of the three sect leaders, each with centuries of cultivation.

But soon, all three gradually calmed down and frowned.

In their euphoria, they had overlooked everything—but now that they were calm, they realized one problem.

The Dao Sword Contest… hasn't ended yet?

If only Mo Hua remained alive and claimed first, then the Blood Arena would be over.

If it hasn't ended, that means… not only Mo Hua survived?

The earlier euphoria faded; the hearts of the three mountain sect leaders began to grow cold.

And among the spectators, others soon realized this too.

"Anyone else?"

The clamor gradually ceased; all eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Fangtian Painting Shadow.

On the Fangtian Painting Shadow, the dust further dispersed, the Reverse Qi force further dissipated, and the view grew ever clearer.

And amid the mountain-shaped ruin littered with ash and cinders, indeed, several more figures slowly emerged...

Shen Lin, pale as death, his bloodline Golden Scale patterns shattered.

Duanmu Qing, face ashen, his protective jade pendant shattered, his spiritual energy depleted, the Dao technique Wan Xiao Spirit Robe Formula used for defense completely vanished.

Xiao Wuchen's gaze brimmed with malice, his innate Sword Scar defense shattered beyond repair, the Celestial Sword in his hand dimming steadily.

Ao Zhan's face was scorched black, his battle armor blown to fragments, revealing a torso like forged steel, the Dragon Cauldron Body Refinement patterns on his back reduced to bloody pulp.

All four prodigies of Qianxue survived.

And in the distance, another figure slowly rose to his feet. He had borne the heaviest injuries, his aura faint, but the sword Qi around his body had merged into one, shrouding him, clearly still possessing the strength to fight.

It was the senior disciple of the Great Luo Sect, Ye Qingfeng.

A full five people had survived that terrifying explosion.

This caused an even greater stir throughout the arena, sparking an even louder uproar.

"The Four Prodigies of Qianxue!"

"Ye Qingfeng of the Great Luo Sect!"

"These people survived too — inconceivable…"

"Mo Hua survived because he's an array master — the array didn't blast him. But these few survived entirely because they withstood the full might of that terrifying explosion…"

"Truly worthy of being the topmost heaven-gifted talents of the Qianxue state boundary!"

"With such deep cultivation and heaven-reaching Dao techniques, they are truly rare in this world…"

And far away, another figure slowly rose to his feet—he had borne the heaviest injuries, his breath faint, yet his sword qi coalesced into one, enveloping his body, clearly still capable of battle.

It was Ye Qingfeng, the eldest disciple of Daluo Gate.

Five people altogether had survived that terrifying explosion.

The entire arena erupted in shock, triggering a greater uproar.

"Qianxue's Four Prodigies!"

"Daluo Gate's Ye Qingfeng!"

"These people survived too? Unbelievable..."

"Mo Hua survived because he's a Array Master—the array didn't detonate on him. But these five survived entirely because they withstood the power of that horrific explosion..."

"No wonder they're the pinnacle prodigies of Qianxue Province!"

"Their cultivation is profound, their Dao arts heavenly—truly rare in this world..."

"Now the situation has changed again."

The crowd's expressions were filled with awe, their praise unrestrained.

Yet the Grand Void Gate disciples instantly felt as if plunged into an ice cellar, their hearts freezing solid.

Among the crowd, Zhang Lan, Gu Changhuai, Wenren Wan, Mu Rong Caiyun, Hua Qianqian, and others also felt regret, sighing slowly.

On the Observing Sword Tower, the three mountain sect leaders also sighed bitterly:

"This is... fate..."

"Bloodline prodigies, elite among elites, are truly this powerful."

"And the Sida Sect truly stand like four great mountains—impossible to surpass..."

"To reach this level in the Sword Debate is already the limit of limits; if this still fails, then truly..."

"All things are fate; not a single bit is left to human will..."

The three sect leaders looked desolate.

"Cultivation, body arts, spell arts, sword arts—these are the true skills a cultivator uses to fight and kill, the very foundation of a cultivator's standing, and the fundamental basis of the Sword Discourse."

The ancestral elders of Shen Clan, Duanmu Clan, Ao Clan, Xiao Clan of the Sida Sect, along with the ancestral elder of Daluo Gate, all quietly exhaled in relief.

Almost... they had capsized in a ditch.

That Xun Elder of the Grand Void Gate was truly no "good person."

That boy Mo Hua from Grand Void Gate was truly a monster.

He alone had forced their top prodigies to this brink, making even these ancestral elders feel uneasy...

Fortunately, Heaven still favored the Sida Sect.

The Daluo Gate ancestral elder glanced at Elder Xun and snorted:

"Arrays are merely external tools—they're unreliable."

"In the Sword Debate, only one's own strength matters."

"Cultivation, body arts, spellcraft, sword arts—these are the true skills of a cultivator's combat, the foundation of a cultivator's existence, and the essence of the Sword Debate."

"Your Grand Void Gate has taken the wrong path. You came to debate swords, yet your disciples can't even hold a sword, relying entirely on such peripheral arts—what nonsense!"

Elder Xun was mocked, yet he remained silent, his gaze deep, lost in thought.

And within the Sword Debate arena.

Shen Lin and the others, though alive, clearly suffered severe injury, their faces grim.

All of them glared at Mo Hua with murderous intent.

Mo Hua was the only cultivator thus far who had forced these prodigies into such a humiliating state.

The power of that array explosion had been terrifying; even now, they trembled with lingering fear.

Had they not possessed bloodline warnings and superior Dao techniques for defense...

【241】 And had not over fifty prodigies in the arena absorbed the blast with their bodies, diminishing the array's collapse force...

【242】 Otherwise, that explosion would have killed them all.

【243】 Now, all around was desolation—the mountains and rivers reduced to ruins, empty and barren.

【244】 Mo Hua had no array left to use.

【245】 An Array Master without arrays is a waste.

【246】 Now he truly had no way to turn the tide—he was certain to die!

【247】 Shen Lin raised his sword, pointing at Mo Hua; Xiao Wuchen condensed sword qi; Duanmu Qing formed a spell hand seal; Ao Zhan gathered Dragon Cauldron strength; Ye Qingfeng activated the One-Unity Sword.

【248】 The five top prodigies joined forces, every lethal technique aimed squarely at Mo Hua.

【249】 All cultivators outside the arena watched this scene, stunned.

【250】 These were the five strongest prodigies of Qianxue Province—five against one.

Looking across the Si Sect's Eight Gates, Mo Hua was probably the only one with this kind of face.

And faced with the killing moves of the five strongest prodigy disciples of the Ganxue Prefecture realm, Mo Hua's expression remained perfectly calm.

He asked lightly:

"All five of you have been on that ship, haven't you?"

That single line struck like a thunderclap on flat ground, its edge incomparably sharp.

No one answered.

But the expressions of Shen Linshu and the other four all changed.

Their faces all revealed coldness, fury, and even more naked killing intent.

A killing intent that wished it could tear Mo Hua into ten thousand pieces.

Mo Hua sighed softly.

He had anticipated that the "Young Master" should be among these five.

Which one of them was that Young Master, Mo Hua could not guess, but at this point, the question no longer mattered.

The result would be the same anyway…

Mo Hua slowly rose to his feet.

When he was seated, he was a strange array master who controlled the grand scheme, held life and death in his hands, wielded ink like serpents and dragons, used formations like demons and monsters, and wiped out powerful foes with a flip of his hand.

But the moment he stood, his bearing shifted sharply — his brows and eyes grew fierce, his expression turned cold, like a long-sealed treasured sword now unsheathed; in every glance he cast, his aura was stern and imposing, like a proud azure dragon looking down on the world.

Mo Hua spoke with a tone of contempt, utterly overbearing:

"I have one sword. Once I use it, all of you will die."