The Quest for Immortality Chapter 2212: Shockwaves

"What on earth did I witness just now?!!"

"Sword Control?!"

"That brat Mo Hua actually knows how to wield sword control?!"

"How in the world can he manipulate a sword? How is something like this even feasible?"

"No way, this can't happen at all!"

The revelation hit so hard that numerous onlookers among the cultivators first questioned their minds before trusting their vision:

"Have I been caught in some illusion spell, seeing things that aren't real?"

"Did all those pills scramble my thoughts? Reality feels a bit fuzzy to me..."

"I overdid the drinking last night; perhaps I'm still not fully awake."

"I have to be dreaming... But imagining Mo Hua pulling off sword control is ridiculous; something's wrong with my Sea of Consciousness..."

...

Naturally, the majority of cultivators held onto their sense, accepting the sight before their eyes as truth.

Yet this only amplified their disbelief:

"Mo Hua is truly performing sword control?!"

"He executed sword control... and took down Ye Zhiyuan in an instant?"

"The 'Formation Leader' from Taixu Gate, commanding a flying sword, slays the sword genius of Daluo Sect with a single blow?!"

"Does this make any sense whatsoever?"

"It's utterly ridiculous."

"This Cultivation World has gone completely mad..."

The minds of most were overwhelmed with astonishment and bewilderment.

"One more thing: where on earth did Mo Hua pick up sword control skills, and how could he master them?"

"There's no sign of Sword Qi about him, so definitely no Sword Dao Heritage."

"What powers his sword control technique?"

"His sword control shows no hint of human-sword unity..."

"I've practiced sword arts for years, yet I've never encountered such an odd method of sword control..."

"Does Taixu Gate teach a sword control style like this?"

"And what sort of sword was that, exploding right away?"

"Was the blast on purpose or just a fluke?"

"A blunder perhaps?"

"Did the sword control fail and cause the Spirit Sword to burst? Did he unintentionally finish off Ye Zhiyuan?"

"This Ye Zhiyuan sure drew the short straw..."

"You lot were too busy eyeing the sword to spot how the control range was a tad off?"

"It looked a smidge beyond Ye Zhiyuan's reach?"

"Doesn't this span approach the Foundation Establishment boundary?"

"Judging distance on Fangtian Huaying is tricky, but it must be over a hundred plus zhang..."

"Such a sword control range for a Formation Master without sword cultivation?"

"Divine Sense might be potent, but surely not for this purpose?"

"A Formation Master's Divine Sense serves Formation Painting, not sword control—does Mo Hua even realize that?"

"It's baffling..."

...

The duel spectators, whether puzzled, stunned, bewildered, or astounded, murmured and debated without end.

Simultaneously in the mountain, innumerous cultivators chatted animatedly, the din persisting.

The entire Mount of Tao echoed with uproar.

Beyond these regular viewers, even Wenren Wan, Murong Caiyun, Hua Qianqian, Gu Changhuai, Zhang Lan—those somewhat "acquainted" with Mo Hua—stood in shock.

They never imagined that Mo Hua, always staying under the radar and never once handling a sword, possessed the ability to control one?

Zhang Lan felt it most acutely.

He recalled vividly, in Tongxian City, how Mo Hua couldn't even lift a sword, much less train in swordsmanship.

But after merely ten years or so.

He abruptly dispatched the famed sword prodigy of Daluo Sect with a single strike during the Sword Discussion Conference.

Lingering in obscurity for ages, then erupting into brilliance.

It was genuinely... "absurdity welcoming absurdity at the door."

Absurdity had truly come home...

Within the Sword Observation Tower.

Hua Valley Master gazed at Mo Hua in a daze, her lovely eyes brimming with surprise.

Fellow sect leaders displayed looks of incredulity as well.

In the tea room.

The leaders from Taixu, Tai’a, and Chongxu sects sat in quiet, at a loss for words.

Events unfolded with such speed and concluded so suddenly.

The sword discussion began, Mo Hua unleashed sword control, one sword soared forth, detonated immediately, the Debating Bell tolled, and it concluded.

And then, simply...

Victory?

For an instant, the Three Mountains' sect leaders found it hard to believe, even suspecting their eyesight.

The triumph's elation in the sword discussion failed to ease the astonishment and perplexity weighing on their hearts.

At last, Tai’a Sect Leader let out a sigh:

"This youngster... did mention it would be straightforward, yet still..."

Not in this manner of straightforward.

This was overly "straightforward."

From start to finish, it spanned only a breath, centered on a lone flying sword.

They scarcely had time to brace themselves mentally before the sword discussion wrapped up.

Even the tea in the pot remained unboiled...

...

Amid the cultivators' "uproar," this bout of sword discussion drew to a close.

The crowd dispersed, and Mount of Tao slowly hushed.

However, Mo Hua's bizarre flying sword feat, challenging every norm, lingered unfaded in memory.

The ripples from this sword persisted long...

That night, inside the sect's grand hall.

Daoist Law elders from various sects assembled.

A shadow painting loomed overhead.

Depicted within, Mo Hua grasped the sword, commanded it, directed with fingers, the sword streaked across the heavens, striking the Daluo Sect disciple.

At first, nothing seemed amiss.

Yet in the following instant, the Spirit Sword glowed, the Sword Array activated, Sword Pattern shifted, Sword Qi built up until surpassing its threshold, the Spirit Sword shattered and burst into shards.

The blade pieces merged with Sword Qi, unleashing tremendous devastation...

This sequence replayed ceaselessly in the hall.

The Daoist Law elders observed it hundreds of times, from dusk till late night.

After each viewing, silence reigned.

Such sword control utterly transcended their conventional knowledge.

They repeatedly pondered in quiet:

What manner of sword control was this?

How exactly was it executed?