Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2231 Chapter 1036: Traitor (3)

During the entire Sword Discussion, he never clashed with Mo Hua and held no grudge against him personally.

Thus, his perspective remained fairly impartial.

The desire to eliminate Mo Hua stemmed not from any private animosity.

Rather, it arose because Mo Hua's sly and peculiar 'survival' abilities posed a significant threat lurking in the shadows.

On this brutal Asura Battlefield, failing to act decisively and take out Mo Hua now could allow him to truly 'endure' all the way to the finish.

Such an outcome would be completely absurd.

As a premier Heavenly Pride Disciple among the Eight Great Gates, Ye Qingfeng's statements were readily embraced by his fellow Eight Gates members.

His own power granted him the standing to bargain with the Heavenly Pride talents from the Four Great Sects.

As a result, his views gained 'universal consensus.'

'Kill Mo Hua first!'

'At minimum, locate the Taixu Gate folks before anything else...'

'Agreed.'

...

The elite disciples from various sects scattered and intersected like a 'net,' scouring every inch of the Asura Battlefield—from the tiniest blade of grass to every mound and ravine.

Divine Sense swept across repeatedly.

Their stares pierced with eerie accuracy.

They even deployed concealed Spiritual Artifacts.

Yet, oddly, no glimpse of Mo Hua appeared.

Not even a hint of the Taixu Gate turned up.

While pressing on with the hunt, everyone muttered curses under their breath.

Restlessness started brewing in the group.

The deadlock fueled mounting frustration among them.

'Where on earth is Mo Hua concealed?'

'Slipping around like some specter...'

'How much longer will this drag on?'

Besides, this Asura Battlefield decided personal destinies and the stakes for entire sects. In the face of such a deadlock, some naturally grew restless.

They did yearn to slay Mo Hua.

However, should slaying Mo Hua prove impossible, things shifted.

Don't forget, this remained a sword discussion where disciples from other sects were foes.

They couldn't derail their sect's major strategy just for a single 'Mo Hua.'

The famed Tu Mo 'alliance' was merely a 'loose pact,' and hardly anyone regarded it as binding.

Particularly when real sect benefits hung in the balance.

Slowly, doubts crept in for a few.

Balancing Mo Hua against sect gains, they knew which mattered more.

Across the Four Sects, Eight Gates, and Twelve Streams, not all despised Mo Hua equally.

Furthermore, hidden among these folks lurked 'insiders' backed by Mo Hua.

In the ranks of the Sever Gold Sect.

Song Jian addressed the lead Sever Gold Sect disciple, 'Song Kui, time to start the kills.'

Song Kui froze for a second.

He ranked as the top disciple this round from the Sever Gold Sect, serving as leader. Still, Song Jian boasted solid backing and had dazzled at the Sword Discussion Conference, winning elder approval.

Hence, he couldn't brush off Song Jian's input.

But...

Start killing?

Target who?

As Song Kui pieced together Song Jian's intent, he knit his brows, 'This...doesn't feel proper.'

Song Jian replied, 'On the Asura Battlefield, when the stakes are high, you must strike without mercy or restraint.'

'Yet Mo Hua...'

'With so many gunning for Mo Hua, missing one from Sever Gold Sect won't matter.'

Song Kui lingered in doubt.

Song Jian added, 'Remember, our Sever Gold Sect sits at the bottom of the Eight Gates now.'

'The leading sects won't yield their spots to us.'

'Even taking out Mo Hua and pulling Taixu Gate down won't alter our position.'

'The true rivals are those sects just one or two ranks above us.'

'We need to crush them to rise...

'Rise first, then deal with Taixu Gate, then think about Mo Hua. Without climbing, it's all pointless...'

Song Kui, ever the pragmatist, saw a fierce glint in his eyes at these words and gave a firm nod:

'Fine, let's kill!'

Leading the way, Song Kui gripped his Spirit Sword alongside Song Jian, guiding the Sever Gold Sect disciples in a stealthy probe for Mo Hua's location.

Shortly after, they bumped into the Purple Mist Sect en route.

Song Kui approached and traded greetings.

As Purple Mist Sect lowered their guard, Song Jian abruptly unsheathed his sword, which flared with golden radiance, striking at a Purple Mist Sect disciple.

The rest of the Sever Gold Sect disciples piled on the assault.

Caught unprepared, the Purple Mist Sect suffered two instant deaths from the surprise attack, three severe wounds, and seven or eight minor ones. The Purple Mist Sect's Heavenly Pride leader raged and bellowed:

'Sever Gold Sect, what treachery is this?'

Song Jian smirked, 'It's a sword discussion—what else?'

Wielding his blade, he rallied his comrades into a fierce exchange with the Purple Mist Sect fighters.

Two more from Purple Mist Sect fell.

But as one of the Eight Gates, Purple Mist Sect swiftly reformed their lines and countered Sever Gold Sect in combat.

Tension escalated rapidly.

Realizing the odds turned against them, Song Jian avoided a drawn-out skirmish, pulled back swiftly, and commanded:

'Fall back!'

The Sever Gold Sect group withdrew alongside him.

Fuming with rage, the Purple Mist Sect disciples held off pursuit after the ambush losses, merely glaring as Sever Gold Sect vanished.

Beyond the battlefield.

Purple Mist Sect elders lambasted Sever Gold Sect's despicableness.

In contrast, Sever Gold Sect elders smiled in satisfaction, commending:

'I didn't err about Song Jian; he truly possesses that resolve...'

'Unswayed by vengeance, clear-headed, focused on the broader scheme, adept at grabbing chances, brutal yet swift without lingering—he's invaluable!'

'Such a temperament outweighs even Spiritual Root.'

'Sever Gold Sect is blessed to claim him!'

Back within the sword discussion arena.

The Sever Gold Sect's raid on Purple Mist Sect sparked widespread buzz and pulled eyes from other sects.

Qin Cangliu from Gui Water Sect observed the chaos, furrowing his brow in thought.

At that instant, a Gui Water Sect disciple approached and murmured:

'Senior Brother Qin, with Sever Gold Sect starting the slaughter, maybe we ought to...'

He sliced the air horizontally with his hand.

Qin Cangliu eyed this unremarkable-looking disciple and remembered his identity:

Wang Chen.

Wang Chen possessed middling aptitude, yet his ties ran deep, weaving a strong web inside Gui Water Sect.

Apparently, Gui Water Sect faced a massive shakeup after the Rouge Boat affair.

Leveraging Taoist Court links, Wang Chen doled out favors, steadily carving out a place in Gui Water Sect and earning respect.

Buoyed by this standing, Wang Chen assembled a squad and squeezed into the Earth-tier sword discussion.

Truth be told, Earth-tier proved tough; Wang Chen's group notched scant victories, and without the Asura Battlefield, he wouldn't have surfaced.

Qin Cangliu held little regard for Wang Chen.

Yet he wasn't daft enough to cross him.

As the proverb warns, facing the king of hell is simpler than handling imps.

Wang Chen embodied that vexing 'imp.'

Well-linked, with covert alliances.

You can never gauge who these low-key figures connect with behind closed doors.

Angering them invites mishaps and derailments.

Still, he wouldn't blindly heed Wang Chen's counsel.

Qin Cangliu mulled quietly.

Wang Chen's gaze shifted as he continued: 'Senior Brother Qin, Mo Hua's a despicable sort who merits death...but in this setup, Gui Water Sect fares no better than Sever Gold Sect.'

'Should Sever Gold Sect surge ahead, we'll sink to the Eight Gates' depths.'

'Act now, or even slaying Mo Hua won't aid Gui Water Sect.'

'And furthermore...'

Wang Chen tilted his head skyward, murmuring: 'This sword discussion draws crowds of high officials, particularly from the Taoist Court and its envoys.'

'Word has it Mo Hua ties into the Gu Family of the Taoist Court and even a Taoist Court overseer.'

'In a sword discussion, if Senior Brother Qin nails killing Mo Hua, those powerhouses won't bat an eye.'

'But delaying the main goal over Mo Hua and letting Gui Water Sect plummet to last in the Eight Gates—that's risky...'

Wang Chen trailed off.

Qin Cangliu grasped the implications full well.

After a brief reflection, his eyes hardened; he shot Wang Chen a look:

'What's your aim here?'

Wang Chen clasped his hands deferentially: 'Senior Qin, self-awareness is key; lacking top talent, I focus on building bonds and fostering ties.'

'I'm sharing this to offer a gesture of goodwill and get to know you.'

'Plus, as Gui Water Sect brethren, your success is mine—we rise or fall together; I naturally care for the sect.'

Qin Cangliu's stare pierced sharply at Wang Chen, who maintained a modest grin, composure steady.

Qin Cangliu gave a slight nod: 'Good, then we'll launch the kills as well...'