Not just ordinary cultivators—none had ever witnessed such a sight.
Even among those on the Sword Observation Pavilion—nobles of Daozhou, high-ranking officials of the Dao Court, direct descendants of ancient aristocratic families, and even some prominent Ascension cultivators—few had ever personally witnessed such a grand event in their lifetimes.
The shattering of a Longevity Talisman was already an unprecedented event, let alone five breaking at once.
This meant that five seed-level direct-line geniuses were now facing life-and-death danger.
It also meant that five Void Refinement ancestors had suffered damage to their very foundations.
Not to mention the battle between a Grade Five grand formation and five Void Refinement Dharma Forms, the manifestation of the Dao Discussion Mountain's old ancestor, or the unsheathing of the Dao Discussion Ancient Sword—each of these was a world-shaking spectacle.
And all of this was caused by Mo Hua, the "culprit," with a single sword strike.
Wen Renwan, Yuer, Murong Caiyun, Hua Qianqian, the disciples of Taixu Sect, and every cultivator who knew Mo Hua were overwhelmed with indescribable shock.
Even Gu Changhuai was dumbfounded.
He had always known that Mo Hua had a knack for causing trouble—big trouble.
From the Bìshān Demon Cavern to the Fire Buddha, the Smoke Water River, the Water Yama, and the Dragon King Temple— incident after incident, as an official of the Dao Court's Sidian Division, he often found himself with unbearable headaches.
But compared to the scene before him, all the "trouble" Mo Hua had caused in the past suddenly seemed trivial—utterly insignificant.
Only now did Gu Changhuai realize that when Mo Hua was "working with him," he had actually been holding back. He hadn't truly stirred up any world-shaking disasters.
If Mo Hua had gone all out like he did today, Gu Changhuai—a mere Golden Core Dao Court official—might not even have survived until now...
At this thought, Gu Changhuai felt a strange sense of gratitude.
Among the crowd, the only one mentally prepared for this was Zhang Lan.
After all, he had known Mo Hua for a long time and had "seen the world."
Back in Tongxian City, Mo Hua had already shattered a great formation, slain a powerful demon, and nearly blew up the entire Great Black Mountain.
But Tongxian City was just a small place.
And the Great Black Mountain was merely a Grade Two mountain range.
What Zhang Lan hadn't expected was that now, in the Qianxue State, at the Dao Discussion Conference, amidst such a grand event in a Grade Five state, Mo Hua could still nearly blow up Dao Discussion Mountain...
Truly, wherever Mo Hua went, trouble followed.
The stronger he became, the bigger the trouble he caused. If he ever reached the Void Refinement stage, he might just poke a hole in the heavens...
Zhang Lan sighed helplessly.
A calamity star of the heavens—there was no denying it...
At this moment, many cultivators in the Dao Discussion Arena had vaguely guessed that this earth-shattering upheaval had been caused by Mo Hua's single finger and sword strike.
But such a guess was too unbelievable for most cultivators to accept.
This was the Dao Discussion Conference, protected by a great Dao Discussion Formation.
Setting aside Mo Hua's frail body and weak spiritual power, even if he could defeat the five greatest geniuses of Qianxue, how could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator break through a Grade Five formation and shatter their Natal Longevity Talismans?
It was simply inconceivable.
Even his sect members and close friends couldn't figure it out.
After all, the Taixu Divine Thought Sword Transformation Art was a forbidden technique of Taixu Sect.
When Patriarch Dugu passed it on to Mo Hua, he had strictly forbidden him from revealing it to anyone.
Mo Hua rarely displayed it, so very few people knew about it. But while he could hide it from most, he couldn't deceive the ancient Void Refinement ancestors of the great sects and noble families—those who had lived for countless years.
At this moment, within the Sword Observation Pavilion, the gathered Void Refinement ancestors were both horrified and furious:
"The Taixu Divine Thought Sword Transformation Art!"
"Your Taixu Sect is truly audacious!"
"Utter lawlessness!"
"Teaching disciples such forbidden arts?!"
"This is a banned technique, explicitly prohibited by the Dao Court! No sect may pass it down, and no disciple may cultivate it!"
"Now, your Taixu Sect has ignored the prohibitions, violated the sacred laws, and caused such a great catastrophe!"
...
A chorus of condemnation erupted from the Void Refinement ancestors, all directed at Taixu Sect—especially at Elder Xun of Taixu Sect.
The gathered Void Refinement ancestors harshly denounced Taixu Sect, with Elder Xun bearing the brunt of their accusations.
There was a reason why forbidden techniques were called "forbidden."
Such Dao arts were taboo.
No sect, no disciple, was allowed to cross the line.
Once that line was crossed, order would collapse. And when order collapsed, chaos would ensue.
Most of the ancestors were truly enraged. But some, deep down, were bleeding inside.
Especially the ancestors of the Four Great Sects and the Grand Luo Sect.
The ones who had lost their geniuses weren't just ordinary disciples—they were true, top-tier bloodline prodigies, the kind that might not emerge even once in centuries.
The Longevity Talismans shattered today weren't just random protective talismans.
They were painstakingly forged by Void Refinement ancestors, consuming their very lifeblood essence through secret techniques that required immense effort, countless resources, and years of dedication.
And yet, with just one sword strike…
All gone.
All destroyed.
It was no different from having their hearts carved out, their guts torn open.
A wound to the flesh was one thing. This was a wound to the soul.
If not for their status as ancestors and their need to maintain their sects' dignity, they would have personally descended onto the battlefield—to hack Mo Hua into a thousand pieces, grind his bones to dust, and annihilate his very soul.
But alas, they were Void Refinement ancestors, figures of power and prestige. They had to consider the bigger picture.
Besides, there was no need for them to dirty their own hands.
Mo Hua had already stepped into the trap himself.
"This Mo Hua..." The Shen Clan's ancestor narrowed his eyes, his voice cold and deliberate.
"To have cultivated the Divine Thought Sword Transformation Art—this is no different from stealing forbidden arts."
"Stealing a forbidden art is a grave crime, one punishable by death—many times over!"
"This is Qianxue's law. Regardless of his origins or talents, anyone who violates this prohibition must not be spared."
"Of course, executing him outright might seem rash." "In my opinion, we should first cripple his cultivation, sever his limbs, seal his divine consciousness, and imprison him in the Dao Prison..."
"His ranking in the Dao Discussion Tournament should also be revoked."
"Even his title as the Array Dao Champion must be stripped away..."
"Only then can we set an example, purge corrupt influences, and uphold Qianxue's righteous order."
The Void Refinement ancestors exchanged glances.
Soon, some of them nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, we cannot allow this precedent to be set."
"If we let a disciple cultivate forbidden techniques and compete in the Dao Discussion Tournament without severe punishment, others will surely follow suit. The consequences would be disastrous."
"To break a taboo in pursuit of fame and glory—such a twisted mindset cannot be tolerated."
"Mo Hua must be punished!"
"His tournament ranking must be annulled!"
"His cultivation must be destroyed. The Divine Thought Sword Transformation Art must never be used again..."
...
Their voices were calm, but their words were ruthless. To them, Mo Hua was now an irredeemable sinner.
The group of elders spoke in a calm tone, but their words were extremely severe, painting Mo Hua as guilty of a grave offense.
As the accusations poured in, the usually silent Elder Xun slowly lifted his gaze and asked indifferently:
"Who told you that he cultivates the Divine Thought Sword Manifestation True Art?"
The crowd was momentarily stunned, and silence fell over the scene. The ancestor from the Heavenly Sword Sect sneered. "With so many of us elders watching, how could we be mistaken? He wields no sword in hand, yet his divine sense harms others. What else could his sword technique be if not your Taixu Sect's Divine Thought Sword Manifestation True Art?"
"My Taixu Sect's Divine Thought Sword Manifestation True Art…" Elder Xun glanced at him and asked, "Have you learned it?"
The Heavenly Sword Sect ancestor was taken aback.
Elder Xun then turned to the others, "Have any of you learned it?"
The gathered Void Fusion elders remained silent.
The Divine Thought Sword Manifestation True Art was the Taixu Sect's most treasured sword art. How could they have learned it?
Moreover, while the technique was famous for its heaven-defying power, using one's own divine sense as a sword meant injuring a thousand enemies at the cost of wounding oneself eight hundred times. Even if they had somehow obtained the sword manual, few would dare to stake their lives to practice it.
Unless they had a death wish.
By now, everyone was well aware of how many of Taixu Sect's prodigies had perished, how many disciples had died from divine sense exhaustion because of this sword art.
These old ancestors knew better than anyone.
If not for the immense drawbacks and brutal backlash, the Taixu Sect would never have been forced to seal away their own sect's ultimate sword art.
Seeing their silence, Elder Xun nodded and said:
"That's exactly it. One must not judge things by their outward appearance alone and jump to conclusions. Especially when it comes to Daoist arts and sword techniques, appearances may be similar, but the inner Daoist principles could be vastly different…"
"Without firsthand experience, do not speak recklessly."
"If none of you have learned the Divine Thought Sword Manifestation True Art, how can you be so certain that what Mo Hua used was that sword art?"
The faces of the elders turned unsightly.
A domineering one-eyed elder sneered.
"Elder Xun, stop twisting words!"
"The truth is clear to everyone. If this brat isn't using a divine thought sword technique, then what is he using? We may not have learned this technique, but we have seen it before! In fact, I was once struck by this very sword from your Taixu Sect!"
"Even if I haven't learned it, do you think I wouldn't recognize it when I've been on the receiving end?"
Elder Xun glanced at the one-eyed elder, his gaze darkening slightly, taking him more seriously.
After a moment of contemplation, Elder Xun calmly asked:
"If you insist that Mo Hua learned the Divine Thought Sword Manifestation True Art, then tell me—who did he learn it from?"
The one-eyed elder frowned.
Elder Xun continued, "That sword art has been completely sealed."
"In the entire Taixu Sect, who could have possibly taught him?"
"I may be a Void Fusion cultivator, but even I do not know this sword art. The other elders do not cultivate divine sense techniques either."
"Below the Void Fusion realm, there is no existing inheritance of it. Even if someone learned it, they wouldn't be able to refine it to proficiency."
"The only person truly proficient in this sword art was…" Elder Xun's gaze turned grave.
"…My senior brother, Du Gu."
The atmosphere suddenly froze. All the elders frowned, feeling a chill in their hearts.
It seemed that none of them wanted to—or even dared—to mention that person's name.
Elder Xun said, "You should all know what happened to my senior brother. You should also know what kind of person he was. With his solitary and proud nature, would he ever teach a mere Foundation Establishment disciple?"
"I do not know the technique, my senior brother would never teach it, and no one else in Taixu Sect has mastered it."
"Are you saying Mo Hua somehow comprehended it on his own?"
"Moreover…"
Elder Xun's expression turned arrogant as he sneered, "Do you think the Divine Thought Sword Manifestation True Art of my Taixu Sect is something so easily learned?"
"Can a mere Foundation Establishment disciple master such a world-shattering sword art?"
"Are you suggesting that my sect's supreme divine thought sword technique, our ancient Daoist heritage, is so insignificant in your eyes?"
His cold gaze swept over the assembled elders, rendering them momentarily speechless.
As they reconsidered, they found his reasoning sound.
The more powerful the sword art, the harder it was to cultivate. It required extraordinary talent in the sword path, a deep foundation, unwavering dedication, and careful guidance from an elder.
Mo Hua had none of these things.
Not to mention, he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't even comprehend Sword Intent, let alone a peak-level sword art like the Divine Thought Sword Manifestation True Art.
Yet, despite this logic, the elders weren't ready to let the matter rest.
A Void Fusion elder pressed further, "This matter must be clarified."
"What sword art exactly did Mo Hua use?"
"Indeed."
"The Taixu Sect must give us an explanation…"
Elder Xun was silent for a moment before sighing. With a hint of helplessness, he said:
"This is… a secret of the Taixu Sect. It should not have been revealed, but since we've come to this point, I won't hide it any longer."
He then solemnly explained, "Although my sect sealed away the Divine Thought Sword Manifestation True Art, we did not wish to lose our sword heritage entirely. Over the years, the sect's elders have been researching a more balanced and stable sword intent technique."
"The sword art Mo Hua practiced is one of these newly developed sword intent techniques—Taixu Shocking Divine Sword Intent."
"This is an orthodox sword intent technique, not a forbidden art. It is not the soul-damaging Divine Thought Sword Manifestation True Art…"
Elder Xun spoke slowly.
The gathered Void Fusion elders gasped, shocked.
They thought—Elder Xun, you are a respected ancestor of the Taixu Sect, yet you dare to shamelessly make up such nonsense in front of everyone?
You just pulled that sword technique's name and history out of thin air?
Do you really think making up a name on the spot will convince us?
Are you trying to fool ghosts?
But before they could object, Elder Xun casually took out a jade slip.
"This sword technique, including its name, fundamental principles, cultivation methods, sword intent condensation techniques, and execution forms… I have already recorded them in this jade slip and submitted them to the Dao Court of Qianxue."
"The Taixu Sect also officially registered it with the Sword Conference before the event."
"These records are enough to prove that the technique Mo Hua used in the Sword Conference is not a forbidden art but rather our sect's newly developed sword intent technique, Taixu Shocking Divine Sword Intent."
The moment he finished speaking, all the elders present felt their hearts sink, realizing the severity of the situation.
Nobody had cared about such "newly created techniques" before, let alone paid attention to the Taixu Sect's sword arts.
But who would have thought that the Taixu Sect had already taken care of the "formalities" behind the scenes?
Legitimacy brings justification.
Their hearts turned cold.
Had Elder Xun anticipated all of this long ago and set up these arrangements in advance?
Was Mo Hua, the Taixu Sect's Formation Dao prodigy, also part of his plan?
Was everything orchestrated by this seemingly unassuming elder?
The gathered elders frowned, looking at Elder Xun with newfound wariness.
They had underestimated him. His scheming ran far deeper than they had imagined.
For a moment, no one dared to speak further.
Elder Xun sighed slightly, his heart bitter.
Only he knew the truth—he was merely here to clean up Mo Hua's mess.
Whatever that boy did, Elder Xun had no way of predicting or controlling it.
Before the Sword Conference, he never imagined Mo Hua would throw such a massive "surprise" his way, nearly giving him a heart attack.
If not for his cautious nature and habit of planning ahead, he wouldn't have been able to deflect this disaster.
For now, the crisis was temporarily handled.
The various sects and clans would not let the matter rest, but that was a problem for later.
For now, the priority was to take Mo Hua back to Taixu Mountain, lock him up in the forbidden grounds, activate the formation, and seal the mountain.
As long as they could keep that child secure, everything else could be dealt with.
Next, as long as Mo Hua can be safely brought back to the Grand Void Mountain, placed in the forbidden grounds at the back, the formation activated, and the mountain gates sealed to isolate everything—securing this child first—everything else won't be a big issue.
At worst, it would just be shameless arguing, blame-shifting, and compensating with some spirit stones. None of that mattered. As long as Mo Hua was fine.
Elder Xun slowly relaxed, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the Fang Tian Mirror, not even blinking. The moment the formation opened and Mo Hua emerged, he was prepared to act immediately—tearing open space and sending the child back to the Grand Void Sect.
Lest some old monster in the Hollow Void stage grew envious upon seeing Mo Hua and couldn't suppress their killing intent.
It wasn't just Elder Xun—many Hollow Void Patriarchs were also staring intently at the Fang Tian Mirror.
The battle of Dharma Forms had erupted within the Asura Battlefield.
When the Dao Discourse Mountain Grand Formation annihilated the five Hollow Void Dharma Forms, in order to prevent a spiritual tide from leaking out and harming innocents, it had automatically sealed off a vast portion of the Asura battlefield.
The formation would only unlock after the Dharma Forms had fully dissipated and the spiritual tide had completely faded, revealing Mo Hua and the others' condition.
After a while, the golden light in the heavens and earth completely faded, and the spiritual tide fully dissipated.
The lingering might of the formation also dispersed.
Only then did everyone clearly see the scene within the formation.
All mountains, rivers, swamps, and valleys—completely flattened. The entire battlefield was barren, leaving behind only sand-like debris, remnants of everything devoured and obliterated by the terrifying spiritual tide.
Aside from that, there were also several figures. Mo Hua, his face pale but expression calm.
And the five figures surrounding him—Shen Linshu and his group—lying on the ground, grievously wounded and barely clinging to life after being struck down by a single sword.
Of course, these five were not dead.
Though their Hollow Void Dharma Forms had been obliterated, the lingering power of their Longevity Talismans still flickered between their brows, preserving a sliver of life.
This outcome was something the Hollow Void Patriarchs had already anticipated, yet seeing it with their own eyes still sent a shudder through their hearts.
One against five.
Mo Hua had truly fought alone, with a single sword, relying on his own strength to "slay" the five strongest prodigies of the Qianxue Prefecture.
Among them, four were even peak Foundation Establishment bloodline geniuses.
This was an unprecedented feat in the history of the Dao Discourse Sword Tournament.
It had never happened before, and likely would never happen again.
This child was truly a monster among monsters… Many Hollow Void Patriarchs secretly sighed in their hearts, while some could barely suppress their growing killing intent.
Elder Xun's gaze was icy, his entire being on high alert, ready to act should any of the Patriarchs make a move against Mo Hua.
His full attention was on Mo Hua—until the next moment, when his expression suddenly stiffened, and he frowned deeply.
It wasn't just him—many Hollow Void experts present also sensed something was wrong. But this anomaly wasn't with Mo Hua.
It was with Shen Linshu and the others.
Within the Asura Battlefield, Shen Linshu and his group lay on the ground, bloodless, their foreheads glowing with the golden light of the Longevity Talismans. But that golden glow was beginning to change color.
A wisp of dark purple and black, tinged with a trace of crimson—dirty, corrupt, like festering pus of flesh and blood—slowly seeped out.
It was as if Mo Hua had severed their Sea of Consciousness, causing this "pus" to leak forth.
This spiritual "pus," though filthy and reeking of blood, carried an extremely high level of divine intent.
Only the Hollow Void Patriarchs present could truly perceive its nature—this was an intent filled with base desires, pure filth, a corruption so absolute it was almost sacred in its defilement.
They watched as this dark purple and black "pus" spread across the ground, blossoming into poppies of wicked intent.
At that moment, every Hollow Void Patriarch's expression changed drastically.
A few sword dao Patriarchs, in particular, turned grim, their eyes flashing with terrifying sharpness.
...
Meanwhile, in the spectator stands.
On the high platform of the Qian Dao Sect, a refined and scholarly middle-aged elder's face suddenly twisted in rage.
With a sinister curse, he growled, "That damned brat ruined my grand plan!"
(End of this Chapter)