Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 895: The God-Slaying Path

Mo Hua was walking the path of proving the Dao through divine sense—the cultivation of divine will into Dao.

He had to hold himself to strict standards.

He had to grow stronger.

He would use the Evil Embryo as his touchstone.

And the Evil God would be his ultimate adversary.

Slaying the Evil Embryo would mark minor success; only by slaying the Evil God could he consider it a true attainment.

Anything less was unworthy of being called "qualified."

Mo Hua nodded slightly.

Looking at things now, although his "Sword Manifestation Technique"—an evolved form of his Myriad Sword Array that transformed divine sense into sword—was indeed powerful, it still lacked the depth of true origin power.

Against ordinary evil spirits, its lethality was overwhelming.

But facing an entity like an Evil God—even if he could win—he might not be able to kill it.

Therefore, he had to keep learning. He needed to grasp an even stronger sword move to elevate the might of his Divine Sense Sword Manifestation.

Within the True Art of Divine Sense Sword Manifestation, the deadliest move—the ultimate divine sense sword technique—was...

God-Slaying Sword.

"But…"

Mo Hua furrowed his brows, pulled out the bamboo scroll gifted to him by Venerable Elder Dugu, studied the ancient and crude sword marks upon it, and murmured:

"Tempering the divine with the sword, severing the life soul…"

That was what he'd been doing.

Using the sword intent within the bamboo scroll to temper his divine sense, to cut down his own life soul.

He did it daily—one slash per day—never missing a single session.

Yet after so long, aside from turning the Evil Embryo into a turtle hiding in its shell, and shredding his own life soul into scarred fragments, he hadn't gained any deeper insight.

He only faintly felt like he was practicing the God-Slaying Sword.

But whether this method was correct, whether it was working, or where the true essence of the God-Slaying move lay… he still couldn't quite grasp it.

Mo Hua studied the matter for several more days.

But for now, he had no further leads.

Eventually, he had to admit to himself: this kind of profound, mysterious sword technique wasn't something he could fully comprehend by just shutting himself in a room and guessing.

He needed to humbly consult Venerable Elder Dugu.

Better that than ending up completely off-track.

Previously, the Elder hadn't taught him the God-Slaying Sword's specifics because his divine sense sword techniques weren't yet up to standard.

But things were different now.

His "Sword Manifestation" technique—born from sword arrays—had undergone transformation.

If he consulted the Elder now, perhaps the old man would be willing to teach him a little more...

A few days later — in the rear mountain of the Great Void Sect.

The forbidden grounds of the Sword Tomb.

Venerable Elder Dugu appeared as composed and healthy as ever, which made Mo Hua quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

As usual, the elder gave his routine lecture on swordsmanship.

After the lesson, Mo Hua seized a quiet moment and asked in a low voice:

"Elder… how exactly does one cultivate the God-Slaying Sword?"

Venerable Elder Dugu paused for a moment, then looked at Mo Hua calmly, a thoughtful light in his eyes.

Mo Hua had asked about the God-Slaying Sword before—likely out of curiosity.

But now that he asked again, how could the Elder not understand?

This boy… had already begun learning the God-Slaying move.

Venerable Dugu sighed inwardly.

In all his years, he had never seen someone progress so rapidly in the Divine Sense Sword Manifestation Art—advancing with such speed it felt like a thousand miles a day.

And this was no ordinary art—it was the Divine Sense Sword Manifestation Art of the Great Void Sect.

The most profound divine sense sword technique of the sect—one that bordered on taboo.

Venerable Dugu shook his head.

Ah, well… perhaps monstrous talent really does exist in this world.

He was slowly learning to accept it.

At this point, there was no reason to keep the final sword move hidden anymore.

His gaze sharpened as he asked:

"The bamboo scroll I gave you—have you looked at it?"

"I have." Mo Hua nodded.

"And what did you see?"

"Sword patterns on the scroll—and sword intent within the patterns."

"Do you know what kind of sword intent it is?"

Mo Hua pondered a moment, then shook his head.

"Disciple only knows that the sword intent is ancient… very deep… It doesn't feel overwhelmingly strong, but it seems to contain... some kind of source of swordsmanship?"

After all, it had wounded the Evil Embryo's origin.

Venerable Dugu furrowed his brow slightly.

He can even perceive sword origin... just who was this boy's master? How did he come to have such insight?

After a moment of thought, he nodded slowly and asked again:

"Then do you know what kind of sword origin it is?"

Mo Hua shook his head again.

That was still beyond him.

He was originally "sword-blind," and though he'd learned a lot from the Elder in recent days, he was still far from the level of discerning sword origin.

Venerable Dugu nodded solemnly and began:

"This sword origin comes from a tremendous source. It was obtained back when our Great Void Sect was still one with the other two sects—before the Three Sects split."

"We extracted it from an ancient 'divine sword'—a sliver of sword-related Dao resonance."

"Ever since, generations of Great Void elders and forebears have poured all their swordsmanship into it."

"After dozens of generations, and thousands of years of painstaking effort, they finally nurtured this incredibly rare 'sword origin.'"

He lowered his voice:

"And this sword origin… is also known as—"

At that moment, a term surfaced in Mo Hua's mind unbidden, as if whispered by fate:

"Swordstream?"

Venerable Dugu looked up, eyes flickering, and then nodded with approval:

"Correct. Swordstream. The origin lineage of swordsmanship passed down through our sect—the crystallization of our path."

Mo Hua was shaken to his core.

Swordstream…

So this thing he'd been pondering and slashing his life soul with every day… was actually the incredibly rare Swordstream?

No wonder it was so ancient and obscure, so mysteriously profound—it could even wound the Evil Embryo's origin.

And this precious Swordstream… Venerable Dugu had entrusted it to him.

Well—"entrusted" wasn't quite right. More like "loaned" for study. But even so, it showed how much the elder valued him.

Mo Hua was deeply moved.

At the same time, he felt a little conflicted.

He was supposed to be a formation master—and he still hadn't mastered "Formationstream." Yet here he was already deep into Swordstream?

It felt like he was learning the "ending credits" before the "opening scene" had finished playing.

"Then what's the connection between this Swordstream… and the 'God-Slaying Style'?" Mo Hua asked.

Venerable Dugu responded with a question of his own:

"You walk the path of divine sense—then you must know of evil spirits and phantoms. But what of the 'gods'?"

Mo Hua slowly nodded.

He was very familiar with gods.

In fact, he had quite a few divine "acquaintances":

An old friend—Lord Huangshan.

A young friend—the little silverfish.

And a bad friend—the Evil God of the Great Wilderness.

Whose Evil Embryo was currently nesting inside his life soul.

Of course, Venerable Dugu had no idea Mo Hua had such divine networking.

The Elder simply nodded and continued:

"Good. Then I won't need to explain too much. In this world, entities of divine sense—evil spirits, ghosts—come in countless forms. But above them, higher beings exist."

"Heavenly gods, fallen deities, ancient Dao essences, and even Domains…"

He paused, then continued:

"Demons, monsters, spirits—they confuse the mind, devour divine sense. Such evils are born of thought—they cannot be harmed by blood or Qi, nor by spiritual power."

"Only by manifesting divine sense as sword can they be slain."

"But above those evils… exist gods. The gods themselves may fall—and when they do, they bring ruin to the world."

"Humans may slay demons, ghosts, and spirits… but can they slay gods?"

He turned to look at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua hesitated, then said:

"They should… be slayable, right?"

Venerable Dugu shook his head:

"Man is man. God is god. The divine sense of man… cannot slay the gods."

Mo Hua froze.

He thought about it for a moment… something didn't add up.

If human divine sense truly couldn't kill a god—then how did Lord Huangshan get slain?

If that were truly the case, wouldn't the evil gods of this world be invincible?

No matter how they ravaged the world, cultivators would be powerless to resist.

There was no way the old patriarch didn't understand this…

Mo Hua mulled over Elder Dugu's words again, then slowly said:

"If human divine sense can't slay gods, then… one must find a way to transcend the limits of being human by borrowing certain methods—only then… can gods be slain?"

Venerable Elder Dugu raised a brow, giving Mo Hua a deep look, then nodded.

"Exactly!"

"Man is man. God is god. Their divine sense—worlds apart."

"But as the sages say: 'Though a gentleman's nature is no different, he excels in borrowing from things.'"

"If man cannot slay gods directly, then he must borrow, comprehend, and leverage the Dao of heaven and the laws of all things—forge a path, reverse his own limits, and cut down the divine!"

"That… is the God-Slaying Style!"

The Elder's voice was firm, sonorous.

Mo Hua fell into contemplation.

The gods were born of Dao, blessed by nature.

Cultivators were born flawed, but through learning, enlightenment, and borrowing the Dao—they could slay gods.

In a way, this was the truest form of the weak overcoming the strong—mortals slaying gods, human will defying heaven.

Mo Hua's spirit trembled.

But… how exactly does one "comprehend the Dao to slay gods"? He was still a bit lost.

Comprehend the Void's Swordstream? Borrow its sword-origin to slay fallen gods?

How do you comprehend? How do you borrow?

Seeing his confusion, Elder Dugu prompted:

"Do you remember the secret I told you for cultivating the God-Slaying Sword?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Temper the divine with the sword, sever the life soul."

"Those eight words hold the key," Dugu said.

"Human divine sense cannot slay gods—so you must borrow. Borrow the great Dao. Borrow immense origin power."

"But sword-origin is the highest of mysteries—it doesn't come easy."

"The Swordstream of our Great Void Sect comes from an ancient divine sword. From its remnant Dao-resonance, our ancestors—generation after generation—poured in their sword knowledge. Only then did they finally nurture this sword-origin with the power to slay the divine!"

"With this origin, our divine-sense sword cultivators can borrow the strength of the Swordstream—to harm gods that mortal power could never touch."

"And the form that origin takes… is the Swordstream itself."

"Disciples of our sect comprehend the Swordstream, borrow its essence to temper their divine soul. That… is the meaning of tempering the divine with the sword."

Mo Hua nodded with dawning clarity, then asked:

"Then what about severing the life soul?"

Venerable Dugu asked in return:

"Have you comprehended anything from the Swordstream yet?"

Mo Hua looked a bit ashamed.

"No…"

All he'd felt was a sliver of ancient sword intent. Without the Elder's explanation, he wouldn't have realized it was a true sword-origin at all.

He'd spent so long on it—and still hadn't really understood any sword principles.

"That's not your fault," Dugu sighed.

"Don't say you—even I, when I was your age, even after reaching the Golden Core Realm, couldn't grasp it."

"Not just grasping it—I couldn't even understand it."

He sighed with emotion:

"This is the ancient Swordstream of the Great Void Sect—sword-origin nearing the Dao itself…"

"Those who created and nurtured it were all ancestors at the Hollow Void Realm and beyond."

"With such profound sword principles, how could ordinary disciples comprehend it?"

"Even sword geniuses—young and talented—may not have invested enough time, or attained a high enough realm. Their worldview is still limited. It's impossible for them to truly understand the Swordstream's wonders."

"If a legacy requires all its disciples to be near-immortal just to understand it, no matter how powerful it is—it will eventually be lost."

"So our ancestors came up with a different method—somewhat like cheating…"

"Severing the life soul!"

Mo Hua's heart jolted.

Venerable Dugu's voice turned grave and slow:

"Imagine a commoner trying to become a sage. But sages are noble, wise, far-sighted… while the commoner is shallow, bound by mortal desires, and has flawed cognition. No matter how he tries, he can't become a sage. What should he do?"

"There is only one path: Slay the self, become the sage."

"Cut away the lesser self to realize the greater."

"Forget oneself completely—sever base desires, abandon bias, cast off pettiness—and transform directly into a sage."

"Think as a sage would. Act as a sage would. And naturally… you will become one."

"This is: Slay the self, attain sainthood."

"In the sword path, severing the life soul means the same."

"You're a sword-path commoner, trying to become a sword-path sage."

"But your vision is shallow, your mind clouded, your heart impure—and you hold all sorts of mistaken obsessions about the sword."

"If you try to become a sage like this, it's nearly impossible. Worse, one misstep, and you'll go astray—forever cut off from the sword's summit."

"So—you must slay yourself!"

"Slay your distractions, your obsessions, your misconceptions, your ignorance—cut away your small and mistaken sword-path self."

"Visualize the sage. Embrace the Swordstream. Approach the sword-origin. Imprint that origin upon your divine soul, so that you and the sword… soul and Dao… become one."

"Slay the small self—become the sage."

"Sever lesser paths—attain the true sword Dao!"

"Slay the self, become the sage. Slay the soul, become the Dao."

His words echoed like thunder in Mo Hua's ears—resounding, soul-shaking.

Mo Hua was struck as if by a lightning bolt of insight, stunned into silence.

He memorized every word Elder Dugu said, preparing to ponder it deeply.

But before he could reflect further, a sudden fit of coughing rang out.

He looked up and saw Elder Dugu covering his mouth with a withered hand, brow tightly furrowed—coughing heavily.

Mo Hua's heart clenched.

"Elder, is it your old wound…?"

Dugu waved it off, slowly calming his breath, though his eyes had dimmed, and his voice was weak:

"It's nothing… happens all the time…"

But Mo Hua had never seen the Elder cough like this before.

He looked… like a man completely exhausted—sick and near the end.

Mo Hua's heart ached.

He was a Hollow Void Realm ancestor—with unfathomable power—and yet, for the sake of the sect, he spent his days in weariness, buried among broken swords in the Sword Tomb, living like a walking grave marker...

The pain gnawed at him.

Elder Dugu noticed Mo Hua's mood. His gaze softened, and he said gently:

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

Mo Hua still looked troubled.

After a brief pause, Elder Dugu asked:

"So? Did you understand what I just said?"

Mo Hua forced himself to refocus, nodded slightly—then, after a moment, another question popped into his mind.

He frowned:

"Elder… if 'slay the self to become the sage, slay the soul to become the Dao' means cutting away the lesser sword path, doesn't that mean… everything I've learned before was useless?"

Elder Dugu shook his head.

"Without the small self, what would there be to slay? And without that—how could the greater self arise?"

"Likewise, if you don't learn the sword at all—don't even possess a shallow sword path—how could you ever slay yourself? Then there's no way to ascend or touch the origin."

"In short—no small self, no great self. No meager sword path, no way to perceive the Swordstream."

"Though the small self is flawed—impure, selfish, clouded with ignorance—it is the foundation of sainthood."

"Even your shallow swordsmanship is the ladder toward the true sword-origin."

"In fact, the basic sword techniques of our sect exist precisely to help disciples form their small self—so they may one day sever it, and rise to the sword's pinnacle."

"So that's how it is…" Mo Hua murmured, a wave of realization flooding over him.

This kind of principle—if the Elder hadn't told him directly—he would've never figured it out.

Your cultivated sword path… was meant to be slain.

The wisdom of the old patriarch… was truly vast and profound.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment—then suddenly froze. His expression changed.

Wait a minute.

Severing the life soul… that's what it meant?!

Then what about what he'd been doing?!

Mo Hua asked, a little sheepishly:

"Elder… when we say 'sever the life soul,' it doesn't mean… literally using sword intent to slash at your own life soul, right?"

"Using sword intent to cut your own life soul?"

Elder Dugu blinked—then frowned.

"A human's life soul is extremely fragile—how could it possibly withstand being slashed?"

"What kind of fool would literally slash their own life soul?"

Mo Hua: "…"

Yeah.

He was that fool.

He really didn't want to admit it… but he was that "idiot."

So after all that effort, it turns out—he'd gone off track again.

Self-slashing the life soul didn't literally mean slashing your life soul.

He'd taken it way too literally.

Mo Hua couldn't help but sigh.

Venerable Elder Dugu noticed his expression, fell into brief thought, then suddenly froze, eyes widening in disbelief:

"You didn't actually…"

"I did NOT!"

Mo Hua flatly denied it, firmly refusing to admit he was a "fool."

Elder Dugu silently stared at him, saying nothing.

Mo Hua hesitated, then weakly asked:

"Elder… if someone did actually slash their life soul… what would happen?"

"Truly slashed their life soul…"

Elder Dugu inhaled sharply, his brow furrowed, just about to speak—when suddenly, his expression froze.

His aged face flickered—his features turned to blank white parchment, like a mask stripped of form.

Overlapping human faces appeared and vanished across his visage, flickering without a sound.

The change lasted no more than a blink—vanishing as quickly as it came.

By the time Mo Hua sensed something amiss and looked up, Elder Dugu's face had already returned to normal, his expression unchanged.

"Slashing the life soul… it's not a big deal," Elder Dugu said calmly.

Mo Hua blinked.

"It's… not a problem?"

Elder Dugu nodded.

"I've told you—you're not like the others. What others can't learn, you can. What others can't walk, you can. What others can't slash… you can."

"The only issue is—slashing the life soul isn't easy. It requires insight into a special kind of Dao."

"A special Dao?"

"Indeed," Elder Dugu nodded. "You must comprehend… the Dao of Ruthlessness."

"The Dao of Ruthlessness?"

Mo Hua frowned deeper and deeper, feeling more confused by the second.

Elder Dugu's expression turned cold—without joy or sorrow—as he explained:

"The God-Slaying Sword of the Great Void Sect… its essence lies in the character 'slay.' Why can it slay gods? Because it contains source power, fused with the Dao of Annihilation."

"The Dao of Annihilation—by name and nature—demands one to sever emotion and extinguish desire."

"You must cut away all mortal attachments, all worldly sentiments. Achieve a state of no emotion, no desire—no self, no thought, no obsession."

"Only then… can you truly slay all things. Only then can you comprehend the supreme sword Dao. Only then… can a mortal will slay a god."

"This… is the Supreme Dao of Severed Emotion."

Mo Hua's heart trembled.

The Supreme Dao of Severed Emotion…

Before he could ponder it further, Elder Dugu continued: "It's a supreme law of the Dao. If you truly master it—and integrate it into your sword path—your heart will be void, your ego severed. You'll unite man and Dao, merge with annihilation itself. Your body becomes the sword. Your soul becomes the sword. Unmatched in edge—nothing in this world shall be beyond your blade!"

Elder Dugu fixed his gaze on Mo Hua: "Do you wish to learn it?"

Mo Hua's heart surged. He nodded slowly, with great resolve.

"Good!" Elder Dugu's eyes gleamed. "You possess astonishing talent—such gifts cannot be wasted. I shall now pass on to you the Supreme Dao of Severed Emotion, and teach you how to comprehend this peerless law…"

He extended a withered finger and touched Mo Hua's forehead.

In that instant— A wave of profound insight surged into Mo Hua's mind, woven with Daoist transformations and divine chants from beyond the realm.

Strange and esoteric comprehension techniques filled his senses—mystical beyond imagining.

Mo Hua felt his spirit illuminate, as if brushing against the origin itself—his perception flooded with an unfathomable connection to the Dao.

A mysterious, limitless method was branded upon his soul.

Mo Hua meditated deeply, immersed in insight.

He didn't know how long had passed— Eventually, he opened his eyes slowly. For a moment, a void flickered within his gaze… before it faded, and his consciousness returned.

"You've memorized it all?" Elder Dugu asked.

Mo Hua nodded: "All of it."

A deep expectation glimmered in Dugu's eyes.

"Good. Comprehend it well. What I've passed to you is the supreme Dao. Once you merge it with your sword path—your sword will ascend to the peak. You will slay all beneath the heavens!"

Mo Hua's expression lit up. He bowed three times in reverence: "Many thanks for Elder's grace in passing down the Dao."

Elder Dugu nodded, his expression full of rare warmth.

Then he sighed softly: "You're the only one left I can pass this on to…"

Mo Hua bowed again, deeply.

Elder Dugu said gently: "Go now. Comprehend it well."

"Yes," Mo Hua replied.

Elder Dugu tore open the void and sent Mo Hua back to his dwelling.

Once Mo Hua left—the forbidden ground fell silent again.

The night was deep. The moon, cold and distant. The Sword Tomb, deathly still.

Elder Dugu remained seated alone, unmoving—like a statue carved of stone and dust.

Moments passed— Suddenly, Elder Dugu snapped out of his daze. His eyes flicked around, checked the sky, and realized…

"I already sent the boy back…"

His pupils contracted sharply.

"What… exactly… did I just teach him?"

"No… it wasn't me…"

"Those things... what did they just teach that child?!"

Elder Dugu's face began to tremble—his heart filled with a faint, creeping dread.

(End of this Chapter)