Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2242 Chapter 1040: The Sinister Formation Master (Part 2)

Ye Zhiyuan withdrew, positioning himself one hundred sixty zhang away, where he focused his thoughts and channeled his internal technique to command his flying sword.

The Daluo Flying Sword, a bespoke weapon measuring three chi and seven inches, appeared ancient and weather-beaten. Its surface was etched with intricate cloud patterns, allowing it to streak across the firmament with a frigid, lethal brilliance.

A prodigy with a rare aptitude for Sword Control, Ye Zhiyuan had dedicated himself to grueling training ever since his humiliating defeat at the hands of Mo Hua.

Enduring hatred is a potent catalyst for growth.

Now, Ye Zhiyuan’s Daluo Flying Sword showed significant improvement compared to their previous encounter.

Moving with greater speed, precision, and sharpness, the weapon morphed into a streak of radiance that merged with the distant clouds, hurtling directly toward Mo Hua.

Although the Tai'a Five Brothers eventually intercepted the strike, the blade managed to close within ten zhang of Mo Hua.

The residual energy from the resulting Sword Qi explosion tore through the terrain and disrupted the localized energy, briefly affecting Mo Hua and causing enough of a mental lapse to halt his Formation Painting.

Qin Cangliu’s hypothesis had been correct.

The art of Divine Sense Control Ink, which involved Drawing Ground into Formation, demanded absolute concentration.

While the sword strike failed to end Mo Hua's life, it successfully derailed his concentration.

With Mo Hua’s bizarre formations no longer hindering them, Shi Tiangang and his allies immediately felt a sense of relief.

Though the Taixu Gate disciples were formidable thanks to their Five Elements Source Armor, they would succumb in a protracted war of attrition once Mo Hua’s insidious and unpredictable formations were suppressed.

The elites of the Four Sects and Seven Gates were instantly re-energized.

"Keep it up!"

Ye Zhiyuan continued his long-range assault on Mo Hua.

Disturbed, Mo Hua was unable to maintain the Divine Sense needed to Control Ink and construct his formations.

Meanwhile, the Tai'a Five Brothers found themselves restrained by their efforts to defend him.

Hao Xuan and his comrades possessed impressive footwork but lacked the raw cultivation to pierce the defenses of the rival sects and silence Ye Zhiyuan.

Linghu Xiao remained locked in combat with Shi Tiangang and a gauntlet of Vajra Sect disciples.

Yang Qianjun and the others tried to breach the line, yet they couldn't dismantle the defensive formation around Ye Zhiyuan quickly enough.

The momentum had shifted.

With the Taixu Gate formation forced into disarray, the situation turned dire.

From the rear, Mo Hua’s gaze turned icy.

"Trying to disrupt my Formation Painting, are you?"

He drew a Spirit Sword, linked his Divine Sense to the stored Sword Array, and flicked a finger. Instantly, a golden beam tore through the atmosphere, streaking toward Ye Zhiyuan.

A battle of Sword Control against Sword Control.

This strike was faster and far more precise.

Ye Zhiyuan felt a sudden chill, his battle senses flaring to life.

In their previous skirmish, his defeat occurred because he failed to account for a Formation Master being capable of such potent Sword Control. He had been caught completely unprepared.

Now, however, he was ready; he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Retreating without a second of hesitation, Ye Zhiyuan propelled himself thirty to forty zhang backward.

This distance was well beyond the typical range for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Furthermore, knowing the volatile nature of Mo Hua’s peculiar "Sword Control," Ye Zhiyuan stayed safely out of the blast radius. To be certain, he ordered two Vajra Sect body cultivators to stand before him with their shields raised.

Mo Hua’s Spirit Sword struck the shields and detonated upon impact.

The overloaded Sword Array caused the blade to shatter, sending a flurry of razor-sharp fragments and concentrated Sword Qi into the air, creating a thick, blinding cloud of dust.

Hidden within that haze, the two Vajra Sect disciples endured the brunt of the Sword Qi. Their skin bore deep lacerations, and even their Golden Shields couldn't prevent them from sustaining heavy injuries.

Still, they had successfully shielded Ye Zhiyuan from the blow.

Ye Zhiyuan emerged completely unscathed.

Standing forty zhang away from the blast, he let out a long breath, the image of Mo Hua as a terrifying threat beginning to fade in his mind.

"So, Mo Hua’s Sword Control is nothing more than this."

"只要I am ready, he cannot touch me."

Barely had the thought formed, and his tension began to ebb.

Then, another plain Tai'a Sword emerged from the smoke.

It crackled with no Sword Qi and displayed no flashy technique; it was an ordinary Spirit Sword, yet it carried an aura of absolute death.

Ye Zhiyuan’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

Two hundred zhang!

How could Mo Hua’s Spirit Sword cover such an immense distance to reach him?

Was he holding back during their last fight?

Could he actually control his sword from two hundred zhang away?

Panic clawed at Ye Zhiyuan’s heart, but as he attempted to retreat, he realized it was already too late.

He had prepared for a strike from one hundred sixty zhang, but a range of two hundred zhang was beyond his comprehension.

Moreover, the first strike had occupied the Vajra Sect cultivators, leaving them unable to provide cover, while the dust cloud had completely obscured his vision.

This was a hopeless situation.

The Tai'a Sword hit its mark and shattered, the resulting Sword Array explosion unleashing a tempest of blades that tore through everything in the vicinity.

Just as before.

Ye Zhiyuan was felled once again.

Once more, he had been slain by a single, decisive strike from Mo Hua.

With Ye Zhiyuan dead, the battlefield situation collapsed instantly.

There was no one left to threaten Mo Hua from afar or prevent him from completing his work.

Across the valley, black-red Spiritual Ink slithered like vipers, and complex formations manifested like lethal sigils on the ground.

Shi Tiangang and Qin Cangliu felt a bone-deep chill.

It was too late to salvage the battle.

The glow of the Five Elements Source Armor began to flicker and fail.

Mo Hua poured his Divine Sense into the ground, pushing the resonance of the arrays to their limit; a celestial blessing descended, granting the Taixu Gate disciples overwhelming, godly strength.