It was the Water Dao Sect that struck first against Lingxiao Sect. As the two sides drew close, they launched a surprise attack, using their insidious Water Dao Sword Techniques to claim several lives from Lingxiao Sect.
Such a despicable act naturally enraged Lingxiao Sect.
A fierce battle erupted.
Sensing the unfavorable situation, Water Dao Sect quickly retreated.
After that, Broken Gold Sect and Water Dao Sect took turns launching sinister attacks on the other eight major sects.
Many sects suffered heavy losses.
The fragile balance was shattered—this small conflict was like a spark, igniting the flames of the Shura War.
People couldn't help but curse:
"Damn it, Broken Gold Sect, you have no honor!"
"Water Dao Sect, you are treacherous!"
But the circumstances left them with no choice. They, too, had to resort to underhanded tactics against neighboring sects.
If everyone else was killing, but you weren't, then you'd undoubtedly fall behind.
This was the Sword Assembly. Falling behind meant your sect would fall behind.
If your sect fell behind, it would impact the future and development of thousands of fellow disciples.
The battlefield descended into chaos.
Ambushes and deaths occurred without end.
Some foresighted cultivators grew anxious.
If Mo Hua was left to hide and "endure" like this— or worse, if he dragged things out until he was fully prepared—the consequences would be unthinkable.
But once the flames of war were lit, they spread quickly.
Everyone was too busy scheming, fighting, and seizing whatever advantage they could for their sects.
No one cared about the so-called "big picture."
The disciples with true insight could only grit their teeth in frustration and curse:
"These fools are impossible to reason with!"
"They only see short-term gains—they've fallen right into Mo Hua's trap..."
Yet, despite their frustrations, the chaos did not cease.
Thus, without Mo Hua even making an appearance, the Shura War underwent its second cleansing.
Most of the Twelve Flow Sects were eliminated.
On the surface, the Twelve Flow Sects were considered equal to the Eight Major Sects.
However, the Twelve Flow Sects were specialized sects with a narrow focus, meaning their overall combat strength was lacking.
In the Sword Assembly, where real weapons clashed, they had no advantage.
Their true battlefield was after the Sword Assembly—in the competitions of alchemy, artifact crafting, talisman creation, and array formations.
Meanwhile, the ranks of the Eight Major Sects had also thinned.
Those without sufficient strength had been eliminated through ambushes and skirmishes.
Even among the Four Great Sects, some disciples had been slain or forced out.
Now, those who remained were either deeply cultivated, extremely cunning, or possessed extraordinary skills— they were the true core elites of each sect.
None of them could be easily killed.
Moreover, due to betrayals and schemes fanning the flames, suspicion ran rampant among the Four Sects and Eight Gates.
Everyone remained on high alert, afraid to act recklessly.
Though dark currents surged beneath the surface, open conflicts temporarily subsided.
As time passed, the Shura Battlefield's dense mist gradually faded, revealing mountains, rivers, and clearer terrain.
Suddenly, a signal flare streaked across the sky.
It was the agreed-upon signal.
Everyone's hearts trembled.
"They found him!"
"That wretched Mo Hua!"
The disciples of the Four Sects and Eight Gates exchanged glances.
Just moments ago, they had been fighting to the death—yet now, as if nothing had happened, they shouted in unison:
"Mo Hua must die!"
The vow of the Slaughter Mo Alliance was once again chanted from person to person:
"Eliminate Mo and uphold the Dao— Mo Hua must die!"
The hatred toward Mo Hua had once again "united" the various sect geniuses, who originally had their own agendas.
Disciples from the Four Sects and Eight Schools halted their infighting, burying their grudges deep in their hearts. They activated their movement techniques, transforming into streaks of spiritual light, rushing toward the location of the smoke signal.
In the Asura battlefield, escape lights gathered densely, converging on a single point.
It carried the grand momentum of the Four Sects and Eight Schools uniting their elites to slaughter the greatest villain, Mo Hua.
When the crowd arrived at the source of the smoke signal, they found a sheer cliff towering thousands of feet high, with dense forests on both sides. The area was vast and eerily silent.
Two squads of disciples from the Myriad Formations Sect were nearby.
One of them pointed at the cliff and said:
"There are traces of an array formation here."
"The outer layer is an illusion array, and within it is a concealment array—both are exceptionally rare second-grade high-tier formations."
The Myriad Formations Sect was one of the Twelve Streams, a sect founded on formation arts.
Their formation techniques were unique in style. Even ordinary disciples had remarkable achievements in formations.
These formation traces were only discovered after the mist dissipated, through a mix of formation sensing and a bit of luck.
The formations were extremely sophisticated.
Among all the participants in the Sword Tournament, only Mo Hua possessed such mastery and skill.
"Good work."
Qin Cangliu nodded—then raised his sword and beheaded the disciple who had spoken.
The disciples of the Eight Schools followed suit, slaughtering the remaining Myriad Formations Sect disciples without hesitation.
The Myriad Formations Sect was one of the Twelve Streams.
The only reason their disciples had survived this long was that they were needed to track down Mo Hua, the leader of formation arts.
Now that Mo Hua's traces had been found— The Myriad Formations Sect disciples were no longer needed.
As for breaking the formation?
Though they were formation masters, they couldn't compare to a monstrous talent like Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's formations were beyond their ability to decipher.
If they couldn't break the formations, brute force was the only option.
Thus, these Myriad Formations Sect disciples were useless.
They were mere formation scholars, focused solely on their craft, and were still basking in the achievement of finding Mo Hua's traces—only to be mercilessly slaughtered in an instant.
Outside the battlefield, the elders of the Myriad Formations Sect roared in fury:
"The Four Sects and Eight Schools are all bastards!"
"To hell with you all, ungrateful scum!"
"Using us like donkeys and discarding us afterward?!"
"You show no respect for formation masters—one day, you'll face retribution!"
But all they could do was curse, powerless to intervene. Thus, the Myriad Formations Sect was eliminated.
The participants of the Asura Sword Tournament knew the standings clearly. Each sect kept track of which disciples were still alive, who had been killed, and who had withdrawn.
After all, the tournament rankings were determined by the "Survivors' List."
To win, one had to ensure complete elimination. No one could be left behind. Not even a single one.
After two rounds of cleansing—along with the ungrateful slaughter of the Myriad Formations Sect— The only ones remaining in the Asura War were now purely disciples of the Four Sects and Eight Schools.
At this moment, the disciples from the Four Sects and Seven Schools stood before the cliff, separated by the formation, confronting Mo Hua and the Tai Xu Sect.
The battlefield was vast, and Mo Hua's formations were well-hidden, making them difficult to detect. But once discovered, their principles weren't hard to decipher.
"An outer illusion array, combined with the Asura War's mist, confuses the vision..."
"Inside the illusion array, a concealment array masks all presence..."
"As expected of Mo Hua—always playing these devious tricks."
Someone sneered, "While we fight and bleed outside, the Tai Xu Sect hides in here, hoping to reap the spoils."
"Enough talk. Destroy Tai Xu first, then kill Mo Hua..."
"Destroy Tai Xu, kill Mo Hua..."
The crowd echoed the sentiment—but none actually took action.
Though they ridiculed Mo Hua with their words, none dared to truly underestimate him.
Some, despite their bravado, had already developed a deep-rooted fear of Mo Hua due to past encounters.
Mo Hua had set up formations ahead.
Even if they were only illusion and concealment arrays, they made everyone wary.
If they attacked recklessly, they might fall into Mo Hua's trap.
Moreover, they had just been backstabbing and scheming against one another.
Now, though "united" against Mo Hua, no one fully trusted their so-called allies.
They feared that while fighting Mo Hua, they would be stabbed in the back by their "comrades." The situation remained deadlocked.
No one dared to make the first move.
Finally, two figures stepped forward—Ao Zhen and Shen Cangfeng of the Four Sects.
Shen Cangfeng had previously fought Mo Hua, but his sword had yet to land before he was slain.
Ao Zhen had also fought Mo Hua—only to be fooled into acting like a complete idiot.
Both of them wanted Mo Hua dead more than anything.
"We will establish three rules."
"Before Tai Xu is destroyed and Mo Hua is dead, no one shall attack their allies."
"If any sect breaks this agreement and ambushes their allies, the remaining sects shall band together to wipe them out first."
"Once Tai Xu is destroyed and Mo Hua is dead, this agreement will be void."
"Then we shall settle things with our swords and determine the true victor."
"We shall duel once more and determine the victor."
This agreement carried immense deterrent power. But precisely because of that, it also reassured everyone.
"This is acceptable."
"Agreed..."
"United, we will kill Mo Hua first!"
The crowd was ablaze with fury.
Yet, among them, Song Jian felt a tinge of regret. In such a situation, where everyone was united, he had no room for underhanded maneuvers.
As for Mo Hua, he could only pray for his own survival.
Song Jian drew his Broken Gold Sword, blended into the throng, and wore the same enraged expression as he shouted:
"Mo Hua must die! Kill him first!"
All those present were prodigies from various sects, possessing exceptional cultivation and strength.
With a common goal, their actions became all the more swift and ruthless.
Ao Zhen struck with his fist, collapsing the rock wall.
Shen Cangfeng slashed with his sword, shattering the mountain stone.
Aside from the four great prodigies, including Shen Linshu, the other elites from various sects also made their moves, directly demolishing half of the rock wall.
With the wall destroyed, the foundation of the formation was gone.
The illusion array was broken.vThe concealment array inside also began to fail.
Before their eyes, the shifting lights and shadows of the stone wall crumbled, shattering the illusion and revealing a hidden valley entrance.
The entrance was narrow, like a sliver of sky. Towering cliffs lined both sides, allowing only one person to pass at a time.
Above the entrance, an overwhelming number of high-tier second-grade formations were densely arranged—stretching as far as the eye could see.
Upon seeing this, the crowd's expressions changed drastically:
"This Mo Hua really knows how to pick his hiding spots..."
"To have set up so many formations!"
"Is this a sword tournament or a formation tournament?"
Shen Cangfeng said, "Each sect shall send a team. Body cultivators in the front, sword cultivators in the middle, and spiritual cultivators at the rear. We'll take turns breaking the formations."
"Once the formations are broken, we will charge in together!"
"Agreed!"
Shen Cangfeng took the lead, stepping forward as his sword gathered power, striking at the formations guarding the entrance.
Following suit, the four great sects and seven major clans also made their moves...
A thunderous roar erupted.
...
Outside the battlefield, the spectating cultivators, who had been observing everything through the Fang Tian Mirror, collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
"They finally found it."
"I thought his illusion array combined with the concealment array would hold out a little longer."
"Unfortunate..."
"The Myriad Formations Sect isn't to be underestimated."
"This Shura Battle has practically turned into a siege now."
"The four major sects, along with seven of the eight great clans, are launching a combined assault—this scale is massive."
"Mo Hua's formations won't last much longer. The Taixu Sect won't be able to hold out."
"Once the valley falls, what awaits the Taixu Sect will likely be a massacre..."
"Truly tragic..."
...
Inside the Taixu Sect, including Zhang Lan and all those who cared about Mo Hua and their sect, a heavy weight pressed on their hearts, making it difficult to breathe.
In the Sword Watching Pavilion, the sect leaders of the Three Mountains watched the Fang Tian Mirror intently, not even taking a sip of their tea.
Meanwhile, in the dueling grounds— The formations Mo Hua had set up were being broken one by one.
The disciples of the four sects and seven clans were gradually breaching the narrow passage.
Inside the passage— The disciples of the Taixu Sect were standing in full battle formation.
Mo Hua's expression was solemn as he assessed the situation.
For now, everything was still within his calculations.
The greatest disadvantage of the Taixu Sect in this Shura Battle was their lack of numbers.
Because of that, they had to find a way to eliminate some of the "fodder" first.
Once a full-scale battle broke out, these "fodder" disciples would pose a significant threat to the numerically disadvantaged Taixu Sect.
Thus, avoiding battle whenever possible, sowing discord, and exploiting sectarian conflicts to let them "cleanse" their own ranks first was the best strategy.
Of course, such tricks wouldn't last forever.
The Taixu Sect couldn't hide forever. A true final battle was inevitable.
The Taixu Sect would have to face an all-out siege from the top prodigies of the four great sects and the eight major clans.
No sect had ever survived such an extermination campaign.
And the Taixu Sect was on the verge of becoming the first "sacrifice" among the eight great clans in this Shura Battle.
In the midst of the tense and oppressive atmosphere— Mo Hua said nothing.
Instead, he closed his eyes and entered meditation, calming his mind and restoring his energy.
Setting up all those formations had drained a considerable amount of his divine sense. Now, he had to seize every moment to recover.
Divine sense was the foundation of formations.
And divine sense was also his only chance of survival.
...
Outside, the relentless bombardment continued. Sword qi, spells, and blood essence clashed in a chaotic storm.
Under the combined assault of the prodigies from the four sects and seven clans, the outer formations guarding the narrow passage were finally breached after some time.
One by one, disciples from various sects pushed closer to the entrance of the passage.
The defensive formations were under immense pressure, growing weaker and inching closer to collapse.
At last, with a flash of sword qi, cracks appeared in the barrier at the entrance.
The passage's defenses were completely broken.
The disciples of the various sects lit up with excitement.
"Charge!?"
"Kill!?"
A disciple from the Great Luo Sect was the first to break through the passage and step into the valley where the Taixu Sect had taken refuge.
However, he had barely set foot inside—before he could even steady himself— Five enormous swords came crashing down on him. The overwhelming force instantly drained his Dao Discussion Jade of all its energy.
A flash of blue light—and the Great Luo Sect disciple was gone.
The disciples behind him froze for a brief moment before their gazes locked onto five figures emerging at the mouth of the valley.
These five figures were towering, their bodies exuding an intense, surging blood essence. Clad in heavy armor and wielding massive swords, their gazes were fierce, their faces carved with stern, unyielding expressions—as if cast from the same mold, like five mountain gods standing guard.
At this moment, their massive frames completely blocked the entrance. And the giant swords in their hands, like executioner's blades, gleamed with a ruthless chill—anyone who dared enter would be met with a storm of merciless slashes.
In just a few swings of their colossal swords, another three disciples— one from the Broken Gold Sect, one from the Lingxiao Sect, and another from the Great Luo Sect—were brutally cut down on the spot.
With the five standing guard, the entrance was sealed tight—unyielding, like a fortress that no army could break through.
As the massive swords swung through the air, in just a brief moment, a disciple from the Broken Gold Sect, one from the Lingxiao Sect, and another from the Great Luo Sect were brutally cut down on the spot.
With the five standing guard, they carried an unshakable presence— like an unbreakable fortress that no force could breach.
(End of this Chapter)