Chapter 1555: Divine Sword

Chapter 1555: Divine Sword

Attacks of flesh and Spiritual Power were tangible and ever-changing; most were visible to the naked eye and could be guarded against in advance.

Attacks on the level of Divine-Sense, however, were an exception.

Under ordinary circumstances, when one person intruded upon another's Divine-Sense—whether prying or attacking—it could generally be perceived.

Yet if the Divine-Sense had undergone a qualitative change, it became a completely different story.

When mortals died, they became ghosts; furthermore, entities such as Yāo Wraiths, Corpse Wraiths, Evil Spirits, Demonic Wraiths, as well as deities like Barbarian Gods, Mountain Gods, and Evil Gods had Divine-Sense that had undergone a qualitative change. To cultivators, they became imperceptible existences.

The Divine-Sense Thoughts of ghosts, wraiths, gods, and their ilk were superior to humans on a qualitative level.

Meanwhile, a cultivator's Divine-Sense could never undergo a qualitative change.

Because the methods to cultivate Divine-Sense had long since gone extinct.

The vast majority of cultivators could only cultivate tangible Blood Qi and Spiritual Power through Cultivation Methods, prompting qualitative transformations in their flesh and Spiritual Power through realm breakthroughs.

Yet their Divine-Sense could never undergo another qualitative change.

Therefore, even though cultivators were born with innate Divine-Sense, they could not perceive higher-stage entities such as ghosts and gods.

Unless those ghosts or gods manifested, actively descending upon the mortal world to invade a cultivator's Sea of Consciousness and affect them through Ghost Art Divine Powers.

Otherwise, unless born with extraordinary innate Divine-Sense or blessed by some god, most cultivators could not directly perceive the traces of gods and ghosts.

And an existence like Mo Hua—who, through Dao-Transformed Divine Sense, could see ghosts and gods with the naked eye in the physical world—was no different from a Divine Fetus.

At this very moment, within the Changshan Army's encampment, what met Mo Hua's eyes was occurring in the physical world.

One after another, illusory Yāo Wraiths clung to the heads and faces of the Changshan soldiers, frantically devouring their Divine-Sense.

Other Yāo Wraiths had transformed into insects, burrowing straight into their minds.

The Changshan Army was thrown into utter chaos, terrified cries echoing all around.

Yet the night was deep, and with no trace of an enemy in sight, nobody knew what was truly happening.

Before long, Great General Chang, having caught wind of the alarming upheaval, rushed anxiously before Mo Hua and clasped his hands:

"Esteemed Master, we fear unorthodox evildoers are wielding otherworldly arts to harm my soldiers! I beg Esteemed Master to lend us your aid!"

Mo Hua's gaze shifted down slightly. Nodding, he instructed:

"These are Unorthodox Path dark arts capable of polluting the Sea of Consciousness. Have all uncorrupted Changshan soldiers retreat thirty zhang away, shut their senses, and erect heavy shields to isolate themselves. Leave the rest to me."

Overjoyed by the response, Great General Chang said, "Yes, Esteemed Master."

Thereafter, Great General Chang carried out Mo Hua's orders.

Having received commands, the officers and soldiers of the Changshan Army found their backbone. They raised their heavy shields, walling off the corrupted troops on the other side.

In truth, this was also Mo Hua's first time encountering such Unorthodox Path Fāng Arts that could manipulate Yāo Wraiths for a sweeping assault.

However, while he was encountering such Fāng Arts for the first time, he had faced countless similar, perilous situations where Evil Spirits harmed mortals.

Currently ignorant of the Unorthodox Path and possessing no clever tricks, Mo Hua could only resort to the clumsiest method: stepping onto the field in person to stifle these Yāo Wraiths using wisps of Divine Thought Sword Intent.

In the dark of night, firelight raged wildly.

Dressed in black, Mo Hua walked through the ferocious, chaotic troops. Without lifting a single finger, he slew the Yāo Wraiths with his gaze alone.

Though the method was clumsy, his Divine-Sense Thought was mighty.

One glance, one death.

As a human of flesh and blood, he could not kill people; doing so would incur Killing Karma and trigger the Fate Bane.

Yet as a Divine Lord, slaying vile abominations like Yāo Wraiths and Evil Spirits carried no taboos whatsoever.

Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai, serving as his Left and Right Protectors, guarded Mo Hua's flanks, fending off attacks from disordered soldiers.

At the same time, seeing Mo Hua stroll with hands clasped behind his back, casting arts with his eyes alone—where a single glance brought a berserk soldier collapsing to the ground—they could hardly conceal the shock in their hearts.

And they were not the only ones stunned.

Witnessing this, the other soldiers found it even more unfathomable, deeply awed by the boundless divine might of the Tongxian Cult and Esteemed Master Mo's profound mastery over the Unorthodox Path.

Gradually, the commotion in the camp died down.

Under the protection of his two guardians, Mo Hua advanced like a stabilizing pillar; wherever he passed, the tides of chaos subsided, the illusory Yāo Wraiths were utterly eradicated, and the perils lurking within their Divine-Sense were completely resolved.

Ultimately, all lurking perils and assassinations were born of the unseen and vanished into the unseen.

The deep night returned to tranquility once more.

Only Mo Hua's black-clad silhouette blended into the night, looking eerie yet powerful, bringing profound peace of mind.

Beholding this, all the soldiers of the Changshan encampment felt their emotions surge. After staring blankly for a long while, led by Great General Chang, they fell to one knee and prostrated themselves, shouting at the top of their lungs:

"Tongxian Cult, Following Heaven's Mandate to Carry Out the Dao!"

"Esteemed Master Mo, Boundless in Magical Power!"

In the silence of the night, these two slogans thundered through the sky, piercing the darkness and echoing above Qingchou City.

Bai XiaoSheng's scalp tingled, goosebumps breaking out all over his body.

Gu Changhuai also felt a chill run through the depths of his heart.

It's over... This is looking bad...

Mo Hua, however, gave a gentle wave of his hand.

Though the gesture was light, it carried immense authority.

The frenzied chanting came to a halt at once. Everyone looked upon this black-clad figure with reverence in their eyes.

Great General Chang stepped forward and clasped his hands. "Our thanks to Esteemed Master for stepping in."

Mo Hua gave a slight nod. "The danger persists; the unorthodox evildoers may make a comeback. You must remain vigilant and mount a strict guard."

"The injured soldiers must rest quietly as well; the Yāo Wraiths inside some of their Seas of Consciousness haven't been thoroughly purged yet..."

Mo Hua then laid out instructions for the subsequent arrangements, as well as the methods and precautions for nursing the soldiers wounded by the Evil Spirits back to health.

Filled with boundless gratitude, Great General Chang said, "Esteemed Master's benevolence and righteousness are great; may your life rival Heaven itself!"

The Changshan soldiers chimed in with praises of their own, their voices resounding, "Esteemed Master's righteousness is great; may your life rival Heaven itself!"

Mo Hua waved his hand nonchalantly, and the chorus of praise finally ceased.

"Go tend to your duties."

"Understood."

Afterward, Great General Chang acted on Mo Hua's instructions to handle the aftermath, attending to the casualties and deploying forces to maintain strict vigilance against further unexpected developments.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua, the Esteemed Master of the Tongxian Cult, returned to his tent alongside his two protectors.

The moment they entered the tent, Mo Hua lifted his hood and sat down, prompting Bai XiaoSheng to suck in a breath of cold air and fume:

"Are you looking to get yourself killed..."

Mo Hua was taken aback. "What's wrong now?"

He was a Golden Core of two to three hundred years old; why was he always so jumpy?

Bai XiaoSheng's scalp still prickled with numbness.

"'Tongxian Cult, Following Heaven's Mandate to Carry Out the Dao; Esteemed Master Mo, Boundless in Magical Power'... Why didn't you tell them to shout a bit louder?"

"Better yet, shout loud enough to reach the ears of Heaven, so the Dao Soldier Division and the Imperial Celestial Bureau find out and come have a look at this supremely capable Esteemed Master Mo!"

At the side, Gu Changhuai, being an Archive Officer of the Dao Court, also rubbed his forehead, feeling a throbbing headache.

Mo Hua sighed. "Mouths belong to other people; if they want to shout nonsense, what can I do?"

"It's not like I told them to call me 'supremely capable and boundless in magical power'..."

Bai XiaoSheng was thoroughly exasperated. "Regardless, watch yourself. If you get me and Magistrate Gu killed, that's one thing, but don't go and get yourself erased..."

Mo Hua sighed.

Chiefly, having served as the Divine-Shaman of the Great Wilderness, he had grown accustomed to people praising him to the skies, becoming numb to such empty titles. Thus, he hadn't thought much of it.

Reflecting carefully, though, it was indeed somewhat inappropriate.

"Then... what should I do?" Mo Hua asked.

Bai XiaoSheng said, "Exercise some restraint, keep a low profile... and whatever you do, don't expose your true character."

Mo Hua had no idea what nonsense Bai XiaoSheng was spouting.

What was wrong with exposing his true character?

His nature had always been entirely upright and just...

However, during the early stages of an undertaking, one had to be broad-minded and forgiving. Mo Hua didn't want to make a fuss, so he nodded:

"Fine, I'll tone it down later."

Bai XiaoSheng couldn't tell whether Mo Hua was being sincere or not, but since he had agreed, he breathed a small sigh of relief.

If things kept going like this, what if the Tongxian Cult actually ended up flourishing and thriving...?

Still, another serious issue remained...

Bai XiaoSheng stared at Mo Hua for a long time before asking, "What you cast with your eyes just now... was that Fāng Arts?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "I don't know Fāng Arts."

Bai XiaoSheng was stunned, and Gu Changhuai looked equally taken aback. "You don't know Fāng Arts?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Bai XiaoSheng said speechlessly, "You don't even know Fāng Arts, yet you dared to impersonate an Unorthodox Path Esteemed Master?"

Before Mo Hua could reply, Bai XiaoSheng suddenly realized something. "Wait, if you don't know Fāng Arts, then what was it... that you used just now?"

"It was..." Mo Hua hesitated, not quite sure how to explain it.

Bai XiaoSheng's pupils shrank slightly as if striking upon a terrifying thought, his voice turning chilling: "What you used just now... couldn't be the Taixu Divine Sense Sword-Manifesting True Art, could it?"

Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.

Even Gu Changhuai's face shifted abruptly upon hearing the name 《Taixu Divine Sense Sword-Manifesting True Art》, his chest tightening.

Those eight characters had been sealed away for ages; those who were unaware might have never even heard of them.

Yet within the Qianxue Prefecture realm, anyone in the know who was familiar with the history of the Great Void Sect knew of this horrifying sword art.

Mo Hua frowned. "What Taixu (Great Void)... True Art? I'm a disciple of the Great Void Sect, so how come I've never heard of this sword art?"

Bai XiaoSheng snapped, "Still playing dumb with me?"

If someone else didn't know, it might be forgivable.

If you don't know, I'll swallow my Lifebound Magical Treasure sword like a candied hawthorn on a stick!

In truth, back during the Qianxue Sword Debate, when Mo Hua had used an unknown move to cripple the four top geniuses of Qianxue in an instant, Bai XiaoSheng had already harbored suspicions.

At that time, however, he simply hadn't dared to believe it.

He hadn't believed that the Great Void Sect would dare to defy the world, even flouting the Dao Court's prohibition to pass down this Divine Sense Transforming into Sword technique.

He hadn't believed that someone in this world could genuinely master this Divine Sense Sword Dao True Art.

And he certainly hadn't believed that the one who mastered Divine Sense Transforming into Sword would be a mere outer disciple at Foundation Establishment.

Therefore, after a fleeting suspicion back then, Bai XiaoSheng had tossed the thought to the back of his mind.

Subconsciously, he hadn't dared to entertain such notions because it was far too preposterous.

Yet right now, standing by Mo Hua's side and witnessing his gaze flash like a sword blade, that matter suddenly surged back to mind.

The Taixu Divine Sense Sword-Manifesting True Art... It couldn't really be that, could it...?

If Mo Hua truly learned it... that would be utterly defying the heavens...

Bai XiaoSheng stared at Mo Hua with horror in his eyes.

Mo Hua said, "I really don't know what Taixu sword art you're talking about; I've never even heard of it."

Bai XiaoSheng continued to stare at Mo Hua in silence.

Knowing that he likely couldn't keep it hidden, Mo Hua sighed. "It's not the Taixu Sword-Manifesting True Art; it's another sword style..."

Both Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai were stunned. "Another sword style?"

"Yes..." Mo Hua furrowed his brow, racking his brain for a long time before recalling the name Old Mister Xun had given him back then.

The old man had said it was registered with the Dao Court and that the Great Void Sect had finalized all the paperwork, making it completely legitimate and open to use without issue.

"It's..." Mo Hua said hesitantly, "...the Taixu Divine-Shock... Sword Intent Secret Art?"

Bai XiaoSheng's face fell. "If you're going to make up a lie, can you at least sound confident about it?"

Are you asking me or telling me?

Mo Hua sighed. "I'm really not making it up."

Old Mister Xun was the one who made it up.

Because it was a fabrication concocted by someone else, Mo Hua wasn't used to saying it, which was why he stammered a bit.

If it were a title he had made up himself, it would have rolled right off his tongue.

However, having spoken the lie once, Mo Hua sounded far more practiced the second time.

"It really is called the Taixu Divine-Shock Sword Intent Secret Art!"

Mo Hua stated with absolute certainty, "If you don't believe me, you can check with the Dao Court. It's written down in black and white, registered in their records—a proper, law-abiding sword art."

Not some dangerous, illicit Forbidden Art.

Hearing this, Bai XiaoSheng frowned and exchanged a glance with Gu Changhuai, both appearing somewhat puzzled.

Mo Hua spoke with such conviction, claiming it was recorded in the Dao Court's archives... could it be real?

The Dao Court's records couldn't be faked, so did he truly learn this... Taixu Divine-Shock Sword Intent Secret Art?

But what kind of sword art was that? They had never heard of it...

After pondering for a moment, Bai XiaoSheng still felt something was off, pressing on: "Where is your sword?"

Mo Hua retorted, "You're the one who's cheap."

Frustrated and helpless, Bai XiaoSheng said, "Be serious, where is your sword?"

Mo Hua replied, "What sword?"

Bai XiaoSheng couldn't tell whether Mo Hua was genuinely clueless or playing dumb. "The Taixu Divine-Shock Sword Intent Secret Art, since it's a sword art, how could it not involve a sword?"

"Just now, you didn't even use a sword..."

Mo Hua was momentarily stumped by the question.

Indeed, without a sword, how did he use a sword art?

Mo Hua turned it over in his mind, at a loss for words.

Gu Changhuai was brimming with suspicion as well.

Bai XiaoSheng furrowed his brows, staring at Mo Hua in deep contemplation for a good while before suddenly slapping the table, exclaiming, "I understand now!"

Mo Hua blinked and asked, "What do you understand?"

Bai XiaoSheng's eyes gleamed as he said slowly, "Is your Magical Treasure a treasured sword passed down by the ancestors of the Great Void Sect?"

Now Mo Hua was genuinely stunned.

Although his Magical Treasure wasn't a sword, he truly did carry a sword on him... or rather, half of a broken sword passed down from an Ancestor of the Great Void Sect, bearing the name:

Dugu.

Bai XiaoSheng hadn't guessed entirely right, but he had hit upon a sliver of truth.

Mo Hua asked Bai XiaoSheng curiously, "How did you guess that?"

Seeing Mo Hua's reaction, Bai XiaoSheng assumed his deduction was spot-on, speaking rapidly:

"Deducing from standard principles of cultivation, all Golden Core Cultivators must possess a Magical Treasure. Since you are at Golden Core, it is impossible for you to lack one."

"Yet you have never once used a Magical Treasure, which proves that yours must be extraordinary."

"You are the Great Void Sect's Crown Prince, the Little Senior Brother, the champion of the Sword Debate; with your lofty status in the Great Void Sect, your Magical Treasure could never be crude."

"The fact that you do not deploy it casually means it must be a trump card of yours..."

"And since it is a trump card, it cannot be shown to others lightly."

"Meanwhile, your Blood Qi and Spiritual Power are both weak, and your only strength lies in your Divine-Sense. Therefore, your trump card must be related to the Great Void Sect's Divine Sense-type sword arts."

"Even if it isn't that most heaven-defying Forbidden Art, the Taixu Divine Sense Sword-Manifesting True Art, it certainly wouldn't fall far behind."

"The Taixu Divine-Shock Sword Intent Secret Art... Assuming what you said is true, then your Magical Treasure is a 《Divine Sword》 capable of channeling Divine-Sense Thought Power."

"And this Divine Sword was likely bestowed upon you personally by an Ancestor within the Great Void Sect for you to refine into your Lifebound Magical Treasure."

"A Divine Sword forged into a Magical Treasure, shaking heaven and earth upon deployment."

"That is why you dare not use it lightly, because once unleashed, it will inevitably incur Killing Karma, and someone will inevitably die!"

Bai XiaoSheng spoke word by word, feeling awed by his own reasoning as he laid it out.

After all, this was a 《Divine Sword》 Magical Treasure.

Mo Hua was also somewhat shocked.

He hadn't anticipated that Bai XiaoSheng could guess to such an extent.

Though his conclusions were wrong, many of the components weren't entirely off the mark.

"So, your Lifebound Magical Treasure..." Suppressing the trepidation in his heart, Bai XiaoSheng looked at Mo Hua. "Exactly which..."

Before he could finish, Gu Changhuai cut in, "Master Bai, let's not discuss this."

Bai XiaoSheng paused, looking up at Gu Changhuai.

Gu Changhuai shook his head, clearly afraid that Bai XiaoSheng would pry too much and end up exposing all of Mo Hua's secrets.

Mo Hua had offended far too many people and walked a path fraught with danger; if too many of his secrets leaked, it could very well invite fatal disaster upon him.

Thus, even though Gu Changhuai had always found Mo Hua mysterious and harbored endless questions, he had never pried deeply, lest an errant word bring harm to the youth.

A jolt ran through Bai XiaoSheng. Realizing that he had indeed asked too much—which could easily disturb the threads of cause and effect—he gradually held his tongue.

It wasn't that he truly wished to harm Mo Hua.

Rather, it was simply that Mo Hua harbored far too many baffling, unfathomable secrets, stoking an overwhelming sense of curiosity.

That was the sole reason he had asked so much in the heat of the moment...

Bai XiaoSheng's thoughts churned.

Still... judging by Mo Hua's silence, had his guess truly hit close to the mark?

That was a Lifebound Divine Sword Magical Treasure...

Just which Ancestor had bestowed it upon Mo Hua?

Could it be...

The title of an Ancestor from the history of the Great Void Sect—a breathtaking genius whose Sword Dao reached the absolute pinnacle, capable of severing all flesh, spirit, and soul—slowly surfaced in Bai XiaoSheng's mind.

Bai XiaoSheng drew a slight breath of cold air, an endless wave of shock swelling from the depths of his soul.

...

Translator Note:

剑 (jiàn) means: “sword,” while 贱 (jiàn) means: “cheap,” “shameless,” or “despicable.”

Bai Xiaosheng asks, “Where is your sword?” (你剑呢), and Mo Hua deliberately twists 剑 into 贱, replying, “You’re the one who’s cheap!”

(End of Chapter)