Chapter 185: Crushing Victory
Meng Lei grew increasingly agitated—his Seven-Star Sword Formation was utterly ineffective against Gu Mo's Five Elements Sword Formation. In his eyes, if Gu Mo hadn't shown such overwhelming strength, there might've been a chance to spare his life.
But the stronger Gu Mo's performance, the less room Meng Lei had to hold back. If he couldn't stop himself in time, Gu Mo would die for sure.
While injuries were expected in sparring matches, there was still a world of difference between gravely wounding an opponent and outright killing them.
As for backing down now? That was no longer an option. Meng Lei had already crossed the point of no return. He was done waiting.
If he could eliminate Gu Mo, not only would he reclaim his status as a core disciple, but he'd also earn a staggering fortune.
With this thought burning in his mind, Meng Lei's gaze filled with killing intent. Without hesitation, his figure turned into a streak of sword light, charging directly at Gu Mo. Disciples of the Grand yan Sword Sect might specialize in sword formations, but that didn't mean their individual combat strength was lacking.
The combination of sword formation and individual might—that was the true style of the Grand yan Sword Sect. Now that he knew his formation was inferior to Gu Mo's, Meng Lei decided to go head-to-head instead.
At the peak of Foundation Establishment, Meng Lei was confident he could crush a mere early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like Gu Mo.
"Die!"
Meng Lei's sword-light was terrifyingly fast. Ordinary Foundation cultivators wouldn't even have time to react. Seeing this, a nearby Core Formation elder immediately extended his spiritual awareness over the arena, ready to intervene at the first sign of danger.
"Rise!"
Gu Mo calmly watched Meng Lei approach. He brought his fingers together, then suddenly waved. Instantly, four streams of sword light emerged and formed the Four Symbols Sword Formation around him.
Not all formations in the Grand yan Sword Codex were offensive in nature—some specialized in defense or entrapment. The Four Symbols Formation Gu Mo now used was a defensive formation.
Clang!
Meng Lei's assault was blocked by the sudden rise of the Four Symbols Sword Formation.
"What?!"
Meng Lei stared in shock—first at the distant Five Elements Formation, then at the Four Symbols Formation before him. His eyes brimmed with disbelief. Simultaneously deploying two formations? This kind of talent was on par with even Fang Yi.
And the stronger Gu Mo appeared, the more fervent Meng Lei's killing intent became. His hostility was so intense that even the surrounding crowd could feel it.
Many frowned, though some were indifferent. After all, sword cultivators should possess a certain killing aura. Besides, with a Core Formation elder standing by, surely nothing would go wrong.
"Break it for me!"
Meng Lei let out a low roar. In a flash, a vengeful sword aura condensed into a blade and slashed toward Gu Mo's defensive formation.
Vengeance Sword Aura.
This was a sword momentum Meng Lei had refined after losing to Fang Yi. With each defeat, his sense of vengeance deepened, further empowering this aura. The stronger his desire for revenge, the more devastating the sword momentum became.
Once Meng Lei finally achieved his revenge, this sword momentum would condense into Sword Intent.
In short, as long as he stayed determined and didn't lose heart from repeated defeats, he could one day overcome Fang Yi and form his Sword Intent.
Among sword cultivators, the difference between possessing Sword Intent and not having it was night and day.
Now, in order to kill Gu Mo, Meng Lei released his carefully refined Vengeance Sword Aura—essentially discarding all the progress he'd made.
After all, his intended target was Fang Yi, not Gu Mo. This type of sword aura could only accumulate into Sword Intent if used against its original target. Redirecting it would waste the entire effort.
Even so, considering how difficult it was to grasp Sword Intent, the condition was actually quite reasonable.
Boom!
The sword forged from vengeance slammed into Gu Mo's Four Symbols Formation, shattering it instantly. As the sword closed in on Gu Mo, two more sword shadows suddenly crossed before him.
Two Aspects Sword Formation!
The crowd gasped in unison. This match had now seen Gu Mo deploy three sword formations in total, overwhelming the audience with sheer astonishment.
Most disciples would already be impressive if they could comprehend even a single basic sword formation. To grasp multiple formations marked one as a genius—but being able to deploy multiple simultaneously? That was something else entirely.
Just as the crowd reeled from the shock of Gu Mo's third formation, a brilliant golden sword light suddenly flashed in the arena.
"That's a Core Formation-level Sword Talisman!"
The watching Core Formation elder was alarmed. He'd been momentarily stunned by Gu Mo's dazzling performance, delaying his response.
Sword Talismans were a special type of charm that sealed a sword cultivator's sword aura inside. These were strictly forbidden in sparring matches. Meng Lei using one—especially one at the Core Formation level—was a flagrant violation of the rules.
High above, in the sky, Xuan Tianhen watched the match unfold. When he saw Meng Lei activate the Sword Talisman, a glimmer of sword light flickered in his eyes.
Even if the Core Formation elder couldn't respond in time, a Nascent Soul swordmaster like Xuan Tianhen certainly could. But the sword light in his eyes quickly faded.
Because… he no longer needed to act.
As the lethal sword light closed in, Gu Mo's expression remained calm. He reached out and grabbed it barehanded.
Everyone's eyes went wide.
CRACK!
Gu Mo crushed the sword light in his grip. Looking down at the wound in his palm, he quietly sighed to himself. Sword cultivators truly hit hard—even with his Core Formation-level physique, he couldn't block it completely.
Though this clone of Gu Mo was only at early Foundation Establishment, his body housed Core Formation-grade spiritual power. Combined with the body-refining art known as the Spirit-Tempering Method, he had spent the last three years using Core Formation energy to temper this clone's body to the Core Formation level.
Most sword cultivators were fragile but deadly. Gu Mo? He was both tough and deadly.
"Ahhh!!"
With all his trump cards failing, Meng Lei finally snapped. At this point, he had only one thought: kill Gu Mo at any cost.
Guided by that desperation, Meng Lei activated a forbidden secret technique given to him by a mysterious figure.
"Blood Sword Art!"
With a roar, Meng Lei's blood began to boil. In the next instant, blood surged from his body, condensing into a giant Blood Sword that flew toward Gu Mo. This was a suicidal strike, fueled by his entire cultivation and life force.
"That's a demonic technique from the Blood Demon Sect!"
The entire crowd was stunned. No one had expected Meng Lei to resort to demonic arts. This wasn't just a violation of the duel's rules—it was a blatant breach of sect law.
"My disciple, would you like me to intervene?"
Xuan Tianhen's voice rang out in Gu Mo's ears. He was already very satisfied with Gu Mo's performance… yet still a little greedy. After all, catching sword energy barehanded wasn't exactly a sword cultivator's proper method.
"Master, I recently gained insight into a new sword art. Please guide me," Gu Mo replied, summoning a flying sword that transformed into a longsword in his grasp. He assumed a defensive stance.
Clang!
The blood sword slammed down. Gu Mo, still in a defensive stance, met it head-on. But as the clash echoed out, his stance suddenly shifted to offense.
In a single brilliant flash, a dazzling sword light cut through the air—
—and shattered the blood sword.
"This… this is—"
Xuan Tianhen stared at the sword technique Gu Mo had just unleashed, awe flickering in his eyes. As a Nascent Soul Sword Lord, he naturally grasped the intricacy behind the move.
And it was precisely because he understood its profundity that he was so deeply shaken. What stunned him was that Gu Mo had actually mastered such a refined and mysterious sword technique. It proved Gu Mo wasn't only extraordinarily gifted in sword formations—his aptitude as a traditional sword cultivator was equally outstanding.
As for how Gu Mo had come into possession of a sword inheritance not inferior to the Great Yan Sword Codex, Xuan Tianhen didn't care in the slightest. Wasn't it perfectly normal for cultivators to encounter some fated opportunities?
After all, he himself had only reached the level of a Nascent Soul Sword Lord thanks to numerous lucky encounters.
As long as Gu Mo acknowledged him as his master and accepted his identity as a disciple of the Great Yan Sword Sect, Xuan Tianhen would be more than happy for Gu Mo to keep gaining even more fortuitous opportunities.
Gu Mo's displayed talent and strength filled Xuan Tianhen with excitement. But as his gaze shifted toward the shriveled figure of Meng Lei, a sigh crept into his eyes.
"Sect Master!"
With Xuan Tianhen now present, the crowd that had just been shaken by Gu Mo's sword strike finally came to their senses.
"Sect Master… am I really inferior to that Fang Yi, or that Lin Wu?" Meng Lei raised his head with difficulty, his voice hoarse and strained.
"In terms of talent, you're no less than anyone else," Xuan Tianhen replied, locking eyes with him. Meng Lei had once been the Great Yan Sword Sect's brightest prodigy. Even after Fang Yi emerged, Xuan Tianhen never lowered his expectations for Meng Lei—especially after he grasped the momentum of Vengeful Sword Intent. Xuan Tianhen had looked forward to the day Meng Lei could defeat Fang Yi and truly master that sword intent.
Unfortunately, Meng Lei had never been able to patch the flaw in his temperament, ultimately leaving him vulnerable to infiltration by demonic spies.
"I… have failed you, Sect Master."
With great effort, Meng Lei rose and bowed low to Xuan Tianhen. After that bow, he never lifted his head again—his entire cultivation, his very life, had been spent in delivering that one sword strike.
"Alas…"
Xuan Tianhen looked skyward, frustration churning in his chest. He knew the sect had long been infiltrated by demonic spies. Many of its finest talents had died under suspicious circumstances, and those deaths could not be separated from the work of the demonic path.
The demonic sects feared the rise of another peerless genius within the Great Yan Sword Sect—someone like the sect's founder. Thousands of years had passed since that ancestor failed to ascend to the Divine Transformation stage, and many of the secrets from that time, Xuan Tianhen had already uncovered. The one who ambushed the founder back then had been none other than agents from the Three Demonic Sects.
But that wasn't the end of it. Even now, they hadn't relented. They continued to embed themselves deep within the Great Yan Sword Sect, intent on preventing any future resurgence.
Xuan Tianhen had long resolved to root out these spies, but the sect had been compromised for too long. Some elders and disciples weren't even aware that they themselves were pawns of the demonic path—only when the demons made their move would these pawns realize they had been manipulated all along.
Such supreme demonic techniques weren't something a battle-hardened Nascent Soul Sword Lord like Xuan Tianhen could easily counter. The only thing he could do was to protect disciples like Fang Yi and Gu Mo—guarding them until they grew strong enough.
If the Great Yan Sword Sect could give birth to another Nascent Soul Sword Lord, then Xuan Tianhen would feel he had lived up to the expectations of the sect's ancestors, that he hadn't allowed the lineage to wither away. And if fortune truly smiled on the sect again—if it gave rise to someone capable of attempting Divine Transformation—then all the tricks of the demonic sects would crumble to dust.
Of course, if the Great Yan Sword Sect ever did produce a new Grand Nascent Soul Sword Lord, the Three Demonic Sects would stop at nothing to eliminate that individual.
But this time, Xuan Tianhen was ready. Having suffered once, the Great Yan Sword Sect would not fall into the same trap again.
He just hoped he'd live long enough to put those preparations into action before his lifespan ran out.
"…Announce the result."
Xuan Tianhen turned his gaze to the Golden Core elder on the dueling platform.
"This bout's victor—Lin Wu!" the elder called out at once. Then he added, "Does anyone else wish to challenge Lin Wu?"
Silence was the only reply.
What a joke—challenge Lin Wu? Just thinking of those three layered sword formations, that barehanded block of a Golden Core-level sword qi, and finally, that brilliant finishing strike—
Many disciples were already convinced that Lin Wu could contend with even Golden Core elders. He had clearly transcended the level they could ever hope to reach.
Seeing that no more challengers stepped forward, Gu Mo quietly left the dueling grounds. Indeed, he now stood on an entirely different level than the rest.
"Disciple, come kill with your master," Xuan Tianhen called out, motioning Gu Mo to follow.
The demonic spies had once again claimed the life of a sect genius. How could Xuan Tianhen possibly let that slide? The ones hiding within the sect were hard to identify, but the ones outside? There were plenty to target.
"Alright!"
Gu Mo nodded and quickly caught up with Xuan Tianhen. An opportunity to hunt with a Nascent Soul Sword Lord wasn't one that came often.
The mere news that Xuan Tianhen was on a warpath left demonic spies lurking within righteous territories trembling in fear. As for locating those targets?
There was no need to worry. Once the other righteous sects heard that Xuan Tianhen was hunting down demonic spies, they would eagerly hand over every hideout and den they had uncovered.
They wouldn't even have to lift a finger—a Nascent Soul Sword Lord was doing all the heavy lifting for free. What righteous sect wouldn't cooperate with that?
And as for retaliation from the demonic sects? Xuan Tianhen couldn't care less. Even he didn't know how many demonic spies were buried within the Great Yan Sword Sect. If the demonic sects really wanted revenge, let them come—chances were they'd end up killing more of their own spies than actual disciples.
Xuan Tianhen's only priority was protecting a few key disciples of the sect.
Shennong Valley.
Gu Mo rubbed his temples, a trace of killing intent leaking from his eyes. These days, his clone had been following Xuan Tianhen nonstop—killing along the way, leaving behind nothing but rivers of blood.
Such a blood-soaked path had gradually cultivated killing intent within Gu Mo. It was clear that Xuan Tianhen was deliberately training him—guiding him to condense Sword Intent of Slaughter.
Of course, Xuan Tianhen had always been carefully observing him throughout. Had Gu Mo shown signs of mental strain, he would have stopped immediately. But Gu Mo's resilience had taken Xuan Tianhen by surprise.
If it had been someone like Meng Lei, with a flaw in his heart, he'd likely have succumbed to madness by now. Yet Gu Mo remained calm and composed.
This was undoubtedly thanks to the Taiyi Evergreen Scripture Gu Mo's true body cultivated—a life-nurturing method renowned for its profound ability to stabilize the heart and soul.
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