Chapter 1022: A Sword from the Sky

Qianxu No. 1, the leader of formation masters.

This title echoed in the minds of countless observing cultivators outside the dueling arena, weighing heavily on their hearts.

Even though this was a grand sword duel, the words "leader" could not be taken lightly, even if it referred to formations rather than swordsmanship.

On the high platform of the official pavilion, watching Mo Hua's formations withstand the fearsome sword aura of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Yu'er was completely engrossed, her eyes sparkling.

Wen Qingwan, Zhang Lan, and others all felt a surge of excitement.

The disciples of the Tai Xu Sect were equally invigorated.

The elders from the Three Mountains—Tai'e, Chongxu, and Taixu—also sat up straight, staring intently at the battlefield.

Was this a turning point?

The dueling of sword techniques had been arduous, and the Tai Xu Sect had suffered repeated defeats.

As a sect, they desperately longed for a victory.

At the faintest sign of a turning point, every Tai Xu Sect cultivator felt their hearts leap, filled with both hope and anxiety.

But deep down, they knew—winning was no easy task.

After all, their opponent was the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Though the situation seemed unfavorable, the Heavenly Sword Sect would never sit idly by and accept defeat—otherwise, they would not be worthy of being one of the Four Great Sects.

The spectators understood this well.

Sure enough, from the side of the Heavenly Sword Sect, within the battlefield, a proud young man stepped forward.

He had a tall, slender figure, sharp and resolute features, and an extraordinary aura.

Many people immediately thought of a name:

Xiao Ruohan.

The strongest of the Heavenly Sword Sect—except for Xiao Wuchen.

Xiao Wuchen was a peerless genius, his swordsmanship unparalleled. Even within the Heavenly Sword Sect, he stood far above the rest.

But the Heavenly Sword Sect had a deep foundation; it did not rely on Xiao Wuchen alone.

Beneath him, many young sword geniuses thrived.

Among them, Xiao Ruohan was the strongest after Xiao Wuchen.

Though he could not surpass Xiao Wuchen, when compared to other prodigies from the Four Sects and Eight Schools, he remained among the very best.

He was in no way inferior to Linghu Xiao, another famed genius.

And in this sword duel, Xiao Ruohan was the leader of their team.

Since he was a prodigy, a chosen one, then in dire moments like this, he had to take responsibility and turn the tide.

Only by doing so could he be worthy of the title "Heavenly Prodigy" and gain the admiration of the masses.

More importantly, his true goal was to surpass Xiao Wuchen.

The Tai Xu Sect's team had been crushed effortlessly by Xiao Wuchen. They were merely Xiao Wuchen's defeated opponents.

And now, was he supposed to lose to Xiao Wuchen's defeated opponents?

Xiao Ruohan could not accept this.

He had to win.

Not only win—he had to win spectacularly, and even slay Mo Hua!

Since Xiao Wuchen had defeated this team without effort, Xiao Ruohan could not afford to lose!

If Xiao Wuchen could not kill his enemies, then he would kill them!

Only by doing this could he catch up to Xiao Wuchen's footsteps, gain recognition from the sect elders, and earn the reverence of the thousands watching this duel.

This so-called leader of formation masters, Mo Hua—

He was not just an obstacle in this duel.

He was also the stepping stone for Xiao Ruohan to surpass Xiao Wuchen's prestige.

Therefore, this gate must be broken!

Even the slightest opportunity could not be missed.

In sword duels, the battle between geniuses was often decided in a single moment.

If one fought desperately, victory was possible.

If one hesitated, defeat was certain!

At this moment, Xiao Ruohan grew increasingly calm.

He realized that in his moment of impatience, he had almost been intimidated by Mo Hua.

Yes, Mo Hua's formations were strong.

But there was no need to overestimate him.

In such a short time, Mo Hua had drawn two high-tier formation diagrams—that was already astonishing.

High-tier formations consumed a vast amount of spiritual energy and took time to construct.

Even if Mo Hua was the leader of formation masters, it was impossible for him to quickly draw a third two-star, nineteen-pattern high-tier formation.

As long as they launched a full-force assault and broke through one more formation, they could storm in, seize the momentum, kill Mo Hua, and crush his defenses.

Amidst the chaos of sword strikes, if Mo Hua's reaction was even a moment too slow, he would die without a doubt.

"At all costs—kill!"

Xiao Ruohan's gaze turned ice-cold.

Without hesitation, he crushed a Golden Body Talisman and raised his sword high toward the heavens.

The talisman protected his body.

Boundless spiritual energy surged like raging rivers, sword aura roared like a tempest.

All his spiritual power gathered into one body.

All his sword energy converged into one blade.

On his sword, a blinding radiance erupted—like a falling star, dazzling beyond measure, exuding an overwhelming killing intent.

The spectators outside the battlefield gasped in shock:

"A Sword from the Heavens?!"

"One of the deadliest techniques in the Heavenly Sword Sect!"

"Xiao Ruohan actually mastered the very first move of the Nine Heavenly Sword Techniques... Unbelievable…"

The crowd shook their heads in awe.

"The Heavenly Sword Sect truly lives up to its name as the top sword sect in Qianxu Prefecture."

"Aside from Xiao Wuchen, even their other disciples possess such terrifying sword talent."

"Xiao Ruohan is only slightly weaker than Xiao Wuchen, but that does not mean he isn't strong—he's still a top-tier prodigy!"

"This 'Sword from the Heavens'—he has never used it before, has he?"

"Indeed. In all previous duels, he never needed to bring out this ultimate move."

"Yet now, in this duel, he has been forced to unleash it…"

"The Tai Xu Sect is in trouble…"

On the Tai Xu Sect's side, upon witnessing Xiao Ruohan's terrifying sword technique, Yu'er, Wen Qingwan, Zhang Lan, and the others all trembled.

The confidence they had just begun to feel was instantly replaced by unease.

Within the dueling arena—

The originally restrained mind was no longer in control.

Inside the Sword Duel Arena.

The moment Xiao Ruohan raised his sword and gathered power, Mo Hua immediately shouted:

"Interrupt his killing move!"

Linghu Xiao's sword aura struck first.

Then came Situ Jian's Li Fire Sword.

Cheng Mo raised his large axe, let out a loud roar, and, disregarding everything, slashed towards Xiao Ruohan.

Ouyang Xuan also activated his movement technique, his Tai'a Sword flashing with a cold light as he thrust straight at Xiao Ruohan's spiritual meridians.

Mo Hua, quick of eye and deft of hand, threw several fireballs.

However, his fireballs were blocked by a Golden Body Talisman and failed to interrupt Xiao Ruohan's sword technique, only inflicting a slight burn.

Linghu Xiao and Situ Jian's sword auras were intercepted by two disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, each stopping one attack.

Cheng Mo and Ouyang Xuan were also entangled by two other disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, unable to approach Xiao Ruohan.

Mo Hua shouted, "Xiao Xiao, cut him down quickly!"

Linghu Xiao, fully focused, immediately pinched a Golden Body Talisman, raised his Chongxu Sword high, and unleashed all his spiritual power, condensing it into a chillingly sharp, water-moon-colored true qi of the Chongxu Sword. With an overwhelming aura, he confronted Xiao Ruohan.

This was the Flying Sword Technique.

This was the pride of the Sword Dao.

The two faced off, their imposing auras evenly matched.

The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect realized the situation was turning dire and immediately shifted their focus, attacking Linghu Xiao.

Situ Jian drove his Li Fire Sword forward to meet them.

Swords clashed in rapid succession, but ultimately, the inheritance of the Li Fire Sword was inferior to the Heavenly Sword Technique. Situ Jian was quickly overwhelmed and could no longer hold his ground.

Cheng Mo and Ouyang Xuan had no choice but to break away to support Linghu Xiao.

The battlefield was in utter chaos.

Sword auras and spells clashed.

Both sides' disciples were locked in a fierce struggle.

Just as the combatants were fighting for their lives, Xiao Ruohan's sword technique was finally fully charged. Without a moment's hesitation, he swung his blade.

A mighty sword light, like a comet falling from the sky, descended with overwhelming force, slashing toward the city gate.

Ouyang Xuan, protecting Linghu Xiao, could not escape.

Seeing this, Cheng Mo and Situ Jian gritted their teeth and charged toward the sword light, attempting to block it with their lives.

However, this was the first form of the Nine Heavenly Sword Techniques—the Heavenly Sword Killing Strike—immensely powerful.

The sword light surged forward, instantly obliterating Cheng Mo and Situ Jian before continuing on, slashing fiercely into the city gate, which was protected by a high-level gold-stone formation.

At the same moment, witnessing Cheng Mo and Situ Jian sacrificing their lives, Linghu Xiao was enraged. His gaze turned icy, and without hesitation, he unleashed his merciless, moonlight-like Chongxu Sword Qi at Xiao Ruohan.

Xiao Ruohan had yet to finish his sword move and had no way to evade.

Two more Heavenly Sword Sect disciples rushed forward, activating their sword aura to block Linghu Xiao's deadly strike head-on.

Yet Linghu Xiao's attack was not to be underestimated.

One disciple was shredded by the sword qi.

The other was severely wounded.

The remaining sword qi slashed toward Xiao Ruohan.

The two Sword Dao prodigies each unleashed their ultimate sword techniques. After multiple obstructions, the strikes finally reached their targets.

Then, the sword qi exploded violently.

Two deafening booms echoed as swirling air currents tore through the ground, rocks shattered, and thick smoke billowed.

Amidst the smoke and dust, dazzling sword light intertwined, illuminating the battlefield.

The entire arena was shrouded in a chaotic mix of smoke, debris, and sword qi, flickering unpredictably.

Everyone held their breath, their hearts tense.

They desperately wanted to know the outcome.

Was the city gate broken?

Was Xiao Ruohan dead?

Between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Tai Xu Sect, who had won?

As the crowd eagerly awaited, the dust gradually settled, and the sword light faded.

The battlefield became clear once more, revealing the results of the fierce clash.

The city gate was broken.

Xiao Ruohan was not dead.

Xiao Ruohan had endured Linghu Xiao's Chongxu Sword Qi Killing Move head-on.

However, this Chongxu Sword Qi had been mostly neutralized by the Heavenly Sword Sect's disciples.

The remaining sword qi, though powerful, was ultimately insufficient to kill him.

Meanwhile, after wiping out Cheng Mo and Situ Jian, Xiao Ruohan's Nine Heavenly Sword Techniques had landed solidly on the city gate.

Cheng Mo and Situ Jian's cultivation was ultimately inferior to the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Even with all their strength, they only managed to block a portion of the attack.

Moreover, the city gate was enormous and immovable, acting as a perfect target, bearing the full brunt of Xiao Ruohan's immensely powerful sword strike.

Not a single ounce of sword qi was wasted.

This was the disadvantage of defensive warfare.

In a normal sword duel, if one could not win, they could flee.

But in a defensive battle, the massive city gate stood in place. There was no way to escape, no way to evade.

And so, enduring Xiao Ruohan's devastating sword strike, even with a high-tier formation reinforcing it, the city gate was still broken.

The gold-stone formation shattered.

A massive breach appeared in the city gate of the inner city.

"The city gate is broken!"

The cultivators outside the battlefield exclaimed in shock:

"One man, one sword—did he really bring down the gate with a single strike?!"

"Just this one sword—one sword to kill two men, one sword to break the formation, one sword to open the city gate?!"

"The power of this one sword is immense! He truly deserves to be called the prodigy of the Four Great Sects!"

"In the face of adversity, relying on his own strength to turn the tide—this is what it means to be a Sword Duel Prodigy!"

"With this battle, Xiao Ruohan's name will surely spread far and wide. From now on, people will know that beyond Xiao Wuchen, the Heavenly Sword Sect also has Xiao Ruohan..."

"The Four Great Sects are indeed the cradle of prodigies. Seeing this makes our own sects envious..."

...

The cultivators outside the battlefield were full of admiration and continued their discussions without end.

Outside the arena, the observing cultivators were not stingy with their praises and discussions were endless.

Inside the arena, Mo Hua let out a sigh.

He looked at the massive gap in the city wall, caused by the fierce sword energy, and felt a bit helpless:

"As expected of the Sword Discussion at Qianxu... these sword cultivators are all so proud, each one stronger than the last. There's no room for carelessness at all..."

"And even less room for laziness?"

"It's really hard to win a match..."

If he had only set up two arrays, it would have truly been over.

Mo Hua exhaled slightly and stretched out his hand, pressing it onto the city wall.

A flash of light flickered across the wall.

Xiao Ruohan and the other Heaven Sword Sect disciples had just adjusted their breathing after breaking through the city gate. Before they could even celebrate, they saw a new radiance slowly rising.

This radiance was no longer golden but had the color of earth and stone.

The Gen Mountain Earth and Stone Formation.

This was a high-level second-grade formation, combining the Gen trigram from the Eight Trigrams with the Five Elements' earth and wood attributes.

It was different from the Golden Rock Formation.

The Golden Rock Formation focused solely on defense, making the city "impregnable like a fortress."

However, the Gen Mountain Earth and Stone Formation, while slightly weaker in defense, had the added ability to repair the city walls.

Mo Hua had anticipated that the walls would surely be damaged at this stage of the battle, so he had prepared this array in advance to restore the gate.

As the light spread, intricate patterns of earth-colored formation lines rapidly crawled across the massive city gate.

The formation converted spiritual energy into the power of earth and stone, rapidly repairing the damaged city walls.

In an instant, the gap that Xiao Ruohan and the Heaven Sword Sect disciples had fought so desperately to create, at the cost of their all-out efforts and near sacrifice, was completely restored—as if it had never been damaged at all.

The surroundings fell silent.

The earth and stone of the Gen Mountain Formation sealed the city gate.

It was as if it had also sealed the mouths of the watching cultivators.

It was also as if it had sealed the hearts of the Heaven Sword Sect disciples.

At this moment, what they felt was nothing short of true despair.

It wasn't just them—onlookers in the spectator stands also fell into silence.

Even the spectators felt despair on behalf of the Heaven Sword Sect disciples.

Five rounds of siege warfare, yet all met with high-level formations.

One formation? Fine, that's manageable.

Two formations? Still acceptable.

But three formations? That's just shameless!

How were they supposed to keep playing?

How was this even fair?

For the past hundreds of years, in all the previous Sword Discussions, no team had ever needed to break through three consecutive high-level second-grade formations just to win.

"This is cheating!"

"This is disgraceful!"

"This is supposed to be a Sword Discussion, not a Formation Discussion! Is the Tai Xu Sect even worthy of this victory?!"

But regardless of the arguments, the outcome was nearly indisputable.

The Heaven Sword Sect had four members left.

The Tai Xu Sect had three.

The Heaven Sword Sect still held the advantage.

However, looking at the city gate—now completely restored, nearly flawless, and reinforced with a high-level formation—even if the Tai Xu Sect had zero members left, the Heaven Sword Sect still wouldn't be able to break through the gate again.

There was no chance left.

And time was running out.

The Heaven Sword Sect disciples, feeling both disheartened and powerless, made a few symbolic slashes.

Sword energy struck the city gate, only to vanish without a trace, as if sinking into the sea.

They felt even more stifled.

And so, fifteen minutes later, the bell rang.

The Sword Discussion was over.

The Heaven Sword Sect lost. The Tai Xu Sect won.

"We won?!"

Outside the arena—

Yu'er was so excited that she clapped her hands and cheered, "Brother Mo won!"

Wen Xunwan smiled as she watched Yu'er, gently saying, "Yes, we won."

Within the Tai Xu Sect, everyone who had been holding their breath finally relaxed.

Both disciples and elders alike showed smiles on their faces.

The disciples of Tai Xu Sect all shouted, "Senior Brother Mo is wise and mighty!"

This was the first victory of the Tai Xu Sect in this Wordless Sword Discussion.

And it was almost entirely won through Mo Hua's formations.

The elders of Tai'e Mountain and Chongxu Mountain, who had previously harbored doubts about Mo Hua, began to reflect on their attitudes.

Had they been too unfriendly toward Mo Hua?

Had their smiles been not warm enough?

Should their tone of voice have been more kind?

On the Feng Family Viewing Platform,

Zhang Lan let out a slow breath, feeling a sense of admiration.

"This kid Mo Hua... really is full of surprises."

A match that seemed completely unwinnable, he somehow turned the tables and secured victory...

"As expected of Mo Hua..."

Seated beside Zhang Lan, Elder Zhang, initially calm, now had a slight frown and a trace of disbelief in his eyes.

"He's only in the Foundation Establishment Realm, yet he just set up three consecutive high-level second-grade formations?"

"Is he truly... the top Formation Genius of Qianxu?"

"And not only that—he excels in stealth, movement techniques..."

"A formation master who can't be killed?"

"This boy... his future is limitless."

"I must find an opportunity to meet him." Elder Zhang frowned slightly.

"But I fear his talent is too high, and his status too elevated, that he may not want to meet someone like me—just an elder of a mere fourth-grade noble family..."

"Perhaps I need to find someone influential to introduce me..."

Outside the arena, most of the cultivators remained silent.

But then, sighs began to spread:

"Tai Xu Sect... actually won?"

The course of events had gone against everyone's expectations.

A match that seemed absolutely certain, with no chance for surprises, had turned into an unpredictable rollercoaster.

The Tai Xu Sect, which should have lost beyond a doubt—had actually won.

It was truly unbelievable.

"Those formations were too overpowered..."

"Three consecutive high-level second-grade formations... In all my years, I've never seen such a shameless Sword Discussion."

"Can you really call this 'Sword Discussion' when it's just formation reliance?"

"Regardless of the argument, the winner is the strongest."

"If you have a problem with it, go set up your own high-level formations next time."

"That's just sophistry..."

"How is this sophistry?"

"In today's world, strength is about overall ability."

"A formation master in a Sword Discussion? That's just another form of power."

"No matter how you see it, that kid's talent in spells, stealth, movement techniques, and formations is absolutely monstrous..."

"As the saying goes, 'Words reflect the heart'—perhaps spell techniques and formations... are essentially the same."

"The Heaven Sword Sect lost so unfairly..."

"Thinking about that city gate being reinforced repeatedly, I really feel bad for Xiao Ruohan."

Indeed—Xiao Ruohan felt utterly stifled.

It was the first time in the Sword Discussion that he had faced such high-level formations—three in a row.

If not for that, he never would have lost.

In this regard, he was undoubtedly the biggest 'victim' of Mo Hua's formation-based victory.

At this moment, his heart felt like the city gate itself—an obstacle he could never break through.

Mo Hua was puzzled and muttered:

"Why do they like staring at me so much?"

"Do I look that good?"

Situ Nan saw Mo Hua's slightly clueless expression and couldn't help but sigh helplessly.

He had a feeling that after this battle, the "Sword Duel Vendetta" of his junior brother would likely start spreading toward the "Four Great Sects"…

Generally speaking, disciples of the Four Great Sects were more arrogant. They disdained associating with disciples of the Eight Major Schools.

But clearly, hatred toward a certain person had broken this barrier.

Night fell, within the Slaughter Mo Order.

A cultivator, anonymous and silent, infiltrated the Slaughter Mo Alliance.

His name was "At Great Heights, One Feels the Cold."

Because more and more cultivators were joining the alliance, it was impossible to keep track of everyone.

Inside the Slaughter Mo Order, people were fervently discussing Mo Hua's "crimes":

"His spells are insidious—fine, whatever. His concealment techniques are insidious—fine, whatever. Even his movement techniques are insidious—I'll let that slide…"

"But he actually exploited a loophole and set up an array formation in the middle of the Sword Duel Conference!?"

"And it was a high-level formation!"

"Despicable and shameless!"

"Moreover, the formation was obviously even more sinister—it was clearly designed to toy with others. First, he sets up an illusion of despair, then gives them a glimmer of hope, only to crush that hope completely, dragging them into even deeper despair…"

"Just thinking about it makes my brain hurt…"

"Such a wicked mind…"

"Even demons wouldn't go this far."

"Too sinister…"

"Truly disgraceful…"

After watching the discussion for a while, "At Great Heights, One Feels the Cold" silently typed a sentence:

"Indeed."

A nameless junior chimed in: "I'll say it now—whoever can kill Mo Hua at the Sword Duel Conference, I'll acknowledge them as my elder brother on the spot!"

A fool responded: "Deal?"

A female cultivator, Zixia Fairy, added: "Short on spirit stones? Talk to me."

Another chimed in: "Mo Hua must die!"

Soon, the whole group started spamming: "Mo Hua must die!"

After a moment of silence, "At Great Heights, One Feels the Cold" also typed along with the crowd: "Mo Hua must die…"

(End of this Chapter)