The Quest for Immortality Chapter 2256: Forbidden Sword Skill (3)

"On this issue, Taixu Gate owes everyone an explanation..."

Elder Master Xun paused briefly, letting out a sigh filled with helplessness as he spoke:

"This affair... remains a closely guarded secret of Taixu Gate, never meant for outsiders' ears. Yet since you've inquired, I'll hold nothing back."

Speaking with gravity, Elder Master Xun declared, "While Taixu Gate has banned the Divine Thought into sword True Jue, we refused to let the Sword Dao's Taoist legacy vanish entirely. Thus, the Sect's highest leaders have spent years developing a balanced, upright sword intent technique."

"The sword intent method Mo Hua mastered is this fresh creation, called the Taixu Shocking God Sword Intent Manual."

"It's a legitimate sword intent technique, free from any forbidden status, and far removed from that soul-damaging Divine Thought into sword method that wounds the Divine Soul..."

Elder Master Xun elaborated patiently.

The assembled Heaven Void Ancestors gasped sharply, inwardly stunned, wondering how a Sect ancestor could so boldly fabricate tales before such a crowd?

Could the name and background of this sword art really be invented right here?

Are you trying to deceive spirits?

Noticing the skepticism among the onlookers, Elder Master Xun calmly produced a Jade Slip:

"I've documented this sword technique—its name, key principles, cultivation origins, sword intent condensation process, and demonstration forms—in this Jade Slip, and submitted it to the Qianxue Court Tribunal ages ago..."

"Taixu Gate also registered it with the Mount of Tao authorities prior to the Sword Discussion Conference."

"This evidence confirms that Mo Hua's sword discussion display wasn't the prohibited Divine Thought into sword True Jue, but simply Taixu Gate's innovative sword intent method, the Taixu Shocking God Sword Intent Manual..."

...

These revelations sent a chill through the hearts of all Heaven Void Ancestors present, who inwardly sensed trouble brewing.

This obscure new technique had drawn zero attention, let alone sparked interest among these ancestors.

Particularly since Taixu Gate held no fame for superior sword arts before.

No one had bothered scrutinizing it daily.

Yet who imagined Taixu Gate would craft a genuine technique amid these mere formalities.

A name's legitimacy grants words their weight.

The audience shivered inwardly.

Had Ancestor Xun foreseen everything from the start, preparing this countermove with flawless foresight?

Was even Mo Hua, Taixu Gate's Formation Leader, merely his chess piece?

Did Elder Master Xun orchestrate this entire scheme?

The ancestors furrowed their brows, gazing at Elder Master Xun, struck by how this understated elder, who toiled silently for Taixu Gate, proved so profoundly scheming and inscrutable, filling them with profound wariness...

For the moment, silence reigned.

Elder Master Xun sighed softly, bitterness gnawing at his heart.

Only he knew this 'inscrutable' ancestor was just stuck mopping up Mo Hua's chaos.

He couldn't predict, much less steer, whatever Mo Hua set out to do.

Heading into the Sword Discussion Conference, he'd never dreamed Mo Hua would unleash such a 'shock,' nearly halting his breath in fright.

Were it not for Elder Master Xun's prudent habits—meticulous in details and always planning ahead—he couldn't have shouldered this crushing responsibility.

Still, for now at least, the crisis was averted.

The fallout from this event loomed large, and sects plus aristocratic families wouldn't drop it lightly, but those were future worries.

Right now, the plan was to proceed cautiously, step by step; as a Heaven Void Ancestor, he'd shielded Mo Hua this far and no further for the moment.

Next, ensuring Mo Hua's safe return to Taixu Mountain—confining him to the Back Hill Forbidden Area, triggering the Formation, sealing the mountain gates to block all access—that was paramount to protect the boy, with other issues secondary.

At worst, they'd shamelessly dodge blame and shift responsibility.

A bit of bloodletting, some flesh carved off, offerings of Spirit Stones—none mattered greatly.

As long as Mo Hua stayed unharmed.

Elder Master Xun steadied his mind gradually, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the square's phantom projection, ready to shatter the void instantly upon the Formation's opening and Mo Hua's emergence, whisking the child back to Taixu Gate.

To thwart any ancient, undying Heaven Void ancestors spotting Mo Hua, coveting him with envy, and yielding to murderous impulses.

Not solely Elder Master Xun—numerous other Heaven Void Ancestors watched the illusory scene with rapt intensity too.

The prior Dharma Form clash had exploded inside the Asura Battlefield.

To halt Spirit Tide leaks harming bystanders, the Mount of Tao's Large Formation had auto-sealed a vast swath of Asura Grounds while snuffing the five Heaven Void Dharma Phases.

They had to await the full dissipation of Heaven Void Dharma Phases and Spirit Tide before unsealing the Formation to reveal Mo Hua and the rest's fate.

Soon, the world's golden radiance fully dimmed, the Spirit Tide ebbed away completely.

The Large Formation's lingering might also faded.

Only then could all behold the scene within the Formation clearly.

Mountains, rivers, marshes, valleys... all razed flat, the landscape a desolate waste, mere sand and dirt remnants after the horrific Spirit Tide's consumption, stripping every trace.

Amid this, a handful of figures lingered.

Mo Hua, face ashen yet composed.

Encircling him, five figures like Shen Linsu—sword-slashed, auras feeble—sprawled lifelessly, fates uncertain.

These five, naturally, hadn't perished.

Though Heaven Void Dharma Phases were destroyed, Eternal Life Rune remnants on their brows shielded a thread of life force.

The Heaven Void Ancestors had foreseen this result, yet witnessing it firsthand still quaked their souls.

One versus five.

Mo Hua had, with solitary form and blade, solo-slain the quintet, 'defeating' Qian Learning State Boundary's top five Heavenly Pride Disciples.

Four among them Foundation Establishment Peak bloodline geniuses.

An unparalleled exploit in Sword Discussion Conference annals.

Unheard of before, improbable henceforth.

This youth was a freak among freaks...

Countless Heaven Void Ancestors inwardly exclaimed, while many wrestled rising, irrepressible elimination urges.

Elder Master Xun's stare turned icy, vigilance peaked, guarding against any ancestor's hostile strike on Mo Hua.

Though Elder Master Xun focused wholly on Mo Hua, a sudden jolt creased his brow.

Not only him—many Heaven Void Ancestors detected the oddity too.

The strangeness lay not with Mo Hua, but Shen Linsu and his four comrades.

In the Asura Grounds, the five including Shen Linsu lay prone, faces bloodless, forehead Eternal Life Runes aglow golden.

Yet this gold was shifting hue.

Threads of purple-black, laced with blood-red, oozed filthily—like festering 'pus' from mangled flesh.

As though Mo Hua had cleaved their Seas of Consciousness, spilling this 'pus' forth.

This Divine Thought 'pus,' repulsive and tainted, boasted extraordinarily high Divine Thought purity despite its vileness.

Among attendees, solely Heaven Void Ancestors discerned these primal, corrupt Divine Thoughts clearly.

They observed the purple-black 'pus' sprawl across the earth, unfurling like poppy blooms nourished by malevolent intent.

Instantly, every Heaven Void Ancestor's expression twisted in shock.

Sword Dao Ancestors among them grew particularly grim, eyes flashing terrifying acuity.

...

Meanwhile, on the spectator stands.

Aboard Qian Taoist Sect's lofty dais, a scholarly middle-aged elder's features contorted, muttering darkly:

"Cursed whelp, you've wrecked my grand scheme!"