Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 896: The Supreme Dao of Severed Emotion

After returning to his disciple quarters, Mo Hua didn't rush into cultivation. Instead, he carefully sorted through everything Venerable Elder Dugu had just taught him.

He transcribed all the key points into a jade slip for regular review—just in case he forgot anything later.

Only after that did he officially begin practicing the "God-Slaying Sword."

With Elder Dugu's guidance, Mo Hua finally realized— Yep. He'd been training it wrong. Again.

The God-Slaying Sword wasn't meant to be practiced like that.

The so-called "self-slashing of the life soul" didn't literally mean slashing himself. The "slash" signified shedding and transforming.

It required a heart devoted to the Dao—forsaking the ego, embracing the greater self, comprehending the essence of sword Dao, and achieving both spiritual and sword-path transformation.

With mixed feelings, Mo Hua took out an old and humble bamboo slip on sword Dao.

The engravings were plain but deep—imbued with ancient sword intent.

This was the Sword Flow.

Mo Hua held his breath and calmed his mind, entering meditation. He began visualizing the Void Sword Flow engraved on the bamboo slip.

Letting go of his ego, forgetting his personal sword path, he used an empty heart to observe the Void Sword Flow, seeking to comprehend the essence of sword Dao—to draw near to the source, to fully awaken the sword's origin.

Once that was achieved, as Elder Dugu said, he could merge this origin into his soul and wield the true, god-slaying form of the Void God-Slaying Sword!

Mo Hua's soul was deeply cultivated, his foundations strong. He was well-versed in array formations and spiritual techniques, had even devoured many evil entities, and cleansed his mind through deep meditation.

He'd even dabbled in "Dao-Heart Seeding Demons."

So when it came to "heart cultivation," Mo Hua was probably stronger than many Golden Core cultivators who had lived for centuries.

Abandoning the self, forgetting personal sword Dao, embracing emptiness—this was easy for him.

But the problem came afterward.

Mo Hua visualized for a long time…

But the Void Sword Flow's ancient sword intent remained unchanged—exactly as it had been before. No transformation, no resonance.

No sudden insight.

No enlightenment.

No improvement in his sword Dao.

His level in swordsmanship was still… basic.

No new comprehension. No newfound mastery.

Mo Hua stared at the bamboo slip for a long time before finally admitting—

He'd been staring at it for nothing.

He couldn't understand the Sword Flow.

And as for the essence of sword Dao? Nothing. Nada.

He thought maybe he just hadn't put in enough work.

So the next day, after class, Mo Hua returned to his quarters and stared at that bamboo slip again—for three full hours.

Still—nothing.

No mystical sword truth.

No sword Dao origin.

No profound pathway to sword enlightenment.

Mo Hua frowned and began reflecting. Then it clicked.

The problem… was the so-called "ego."

Slaying the ego, to become the sword Dao.

But Mo Hua didn't even have an "ego" in sword cultivation.

In this context, the "ego" referred to everything a sword cultivator accumulated since youth—nurturing their spirit sword, practicing techniques, comprehending sword intent. That deep sedimentation of sword Dao foundation.

That was the "ego" Elder Dugu spoke of—but in truth, it was anything but small.

Mo Hua imagined himself in Elder Dugu's shoes. If one were to start from scratch and build up a sword foundation deep enough to qualify as the "ego" worth slaying…

They'd have to be like Linghu Xiao—a prodigy who'd been training in sword cultivation since childhood, for decades or even over a hundred years, reaching the Golden Core realm and sword Dao mastery before their "ego" was ready to be cut away.

Only then could one be qualified to slay it.

Only then could it serve as a stepping stone—slay the ego, ascend higher, comprehend the Sword Flow, and reach the origin of the sword.

Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart.

Now he finally understood why Elder Dugu had constantly told him to focus on building a sword foundation, saying he couldn't yet cultivate the spiritual-sword technique.

The old man wasn't wrong.

The True Art of Soul-Sword Manifestation relied entirely on one's sword Dao foundation.

Without that base, there was no sword to manifest.

Without achieving sword proficiency, there was no "ego" to slay—no comprehension of Sword Flow, no possibility of learning the final God-Slaying Technique.

And right now, Mo Hua didn't even have a sword Dao "ego" worth slaying.

So forget Sword Flow. Forget sword origin. Forget supreme Dao…

"All this work… and I still can't learn it…"

Mo Hua sighed in disappointment.

But thinking about it, it was understandable.

The True Art of Void Sword Manifestation was the supreme sword technique of the Void Sect. If it were easy to learn, it wouldn't be worthy of that title.

Besides, he wasn't even a proper sword cultivator.

Trying to learn the sect's highest sword Dao legacy without any real foundation was a bit… delusional.

Still, Mo Hua didn't want to give up.

He turned the issue over and over in his head—until he realized he'd hit another deadlock.

To learn the God-Slaying Sword, one had to slash the life soul.

To slash the life soul, one had to slay the ego.

And to slay the ego, one had to have a sword Dao "ego" to slay.

Mo Hua didn't have that. So from step one—his path was already blocked.

His mood grew more and more conflicted.

This God-Slaying Sword… he'd turned it into a complete mess.

He couldn't practice it the proper way.

His own version? Not only was it wrong—it had damaged his soul.

Every day, he'd slash his own life soul once. Those tiny soul wounds added up over time. Eventually, he'd need Divine Essence to repair it.

And right now, Divine Essence was rare and valuable—not only for healing but also required for his late Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

It was a vicious cycle.

If he couldn't master the God-Slaying Sword, then slaying the Demonic Fetus would remain a distant dream.

And if he couldn't slay that thing, he couldn't convert its danger into Divine Essence—meaning his cultivation would remain stuck, and who knew how long it would take to reach late Foundation Establishment…

Mo Hua's scalp tingled. He sighed again.

But sighing wouldn't fix things. The Dao still had to be walked. The sword still had to be practiced. Life had to go on.

"Next time I visit the Forbidden Ground, I'll ask the Elder again…"

For now, Mo Hua shoved the frustration aside, calmed his heart, and returned to his usual cultivation and studies.

Two days passed.

One morning, as usual, Mo Hua got up and cultivated. After that, he took out the bamboo slip and used the sword intent within to strike his own life soul—his routine for suppressing the Demonic Fetus and keeping himself sharp.

It was all mechanical by now. Habit.

But after the strike, Mo Hua suddenly froze.

He didn't need to do this anymore.

The God-Slaying Sword wasn't meant to be trained this way.

He wasn't supposed to literally slash his life soul.

Mo Hua sighed again, feeling a little annoyed. He dove into his soul-sea with his divine sense to inspect the damage.

Thankfully, his soul had long since adapted. Though injured, the wounds weren't too serious.

He let out a breath of relief and looked closer.

His soul bore crisscrossed sword scars, as fine as fish scales.

The results of his daily soul-slashing—his masterpieces, if you will.

"Sometimes, being too hardworking… isn't necessarily a good thing," Mo Hua muttered to himself, preparing to withdraw his consciousness.

But just then—his peripheral vision caught something.

He paused.

There—on one of the wounds in his life soul—he saw it.

A trace of sword intent remained.

Normally, nothing strange.

Using Void Sword Intent to slash your soul would naturally leave residual energy in the wounds.

Totally expected.

But now, staring at it…

Mo Hua's heart shook violently.

A wild, thunderous idea stirred in his mind—

"Tempering the spirit with the sword… self-slashing the life soul… slay the ego, perceive the Sword Flow, comprehend the source, fuse with sword Dao…"

"Self-slashing the life soul was just the means. The goal… is to merge the sword's origin into the soul!"

"If that's the case…"

Mo Hua's eyes widened with sudden realization:

"Then by using Void Sword Intent to slash my life soul— Haven't I already carved sword intent directly into my soul?!"

"And within sword intent… lies the origin of sword Dao."

"So doesn't that mean—I've already embedded the sword Dao origin… into my life soul through these scars?!"

"All that's left… is to fully merge it."

"And the end result—will be the same!"

The difference was:

The orthodox method of cultivating the God-Slaying Sword was:

Build a sword Dao "ego"

Slay the ego

Comprehend Sword Flow

Merge sword origin

But Mo Hua?

He skipped everything. No ego. No Sword Flow. No comprehension.

He just used sword intent to directly slash his soul.

And those slashes left behind sword Dao origin— Which now waited to be merged.

A method even more radical than "slay the self to become a saint."

It was outright cheating.

And the best part?

Only he could cheat this way.

Others couldn't withstand Void Sword Intent.

But he could.

Others couldn't heal their soul.

But he could too.

And as for the Void Sword Flow—he didn't even need to comprehend it. As long as he could fuse its essence into his soul, he could just… use it directly.

The Elder himself had once said: "The noble-minded are not different by nature, they're simply skilled at using what's available."

Use techniques as a raft to cross to the Great Dao.

Once the Dao is attained—abandon the raft.

The form didn't matter.

Mo Hua's heart thumped wildly.

Only now did he truly feel that the door to the true essence of the God-Slaying Sword was beginning to open before him.

With his mind made up, Mo Hua immediately stilled his breath and focused inward.

He viewed himself with divine sense—sensing both the wounds on his soul and the sword intent lingering within.

The wounds were fine and laced with pain.

The sword intent was profound and tenacious, with the essence of sword Dao constantly circulating inside.

Enduring the sharp pain, Mo Hua guided the sword intent—threading it through the wounds and merging it into his soul.

It was agonizing, but he clenched his teeth and bore it.

The ancient sword intent seeped into his soul's wounds, bringing pain—but also slowly fusing with his soul like steel being folded into flesh.

These "blades" flowing in his body were painful—but at the same time, they resembled ancient divine elixirs. With each cycle, they converted into streams of sword intent, perfectly blending into his divine soul.

This was the ancient sword Dao of the Void Sect merging with Mo Hua's Dao-imbued, near-divine soul.

And so, Mo Hua's True Art of Soul-Sword Manifestation finally stepped into the realm of God-Slaying.

From here on, he only needed to slash once a day—tempering a bit more of the origin each time. Over days and months:

Fusing the sword Dao into the flesh of his soul, forging a true God-Slaying Sword.

Until the day when that sword finally emerged…

That would be the day the Demonic Fetus died.

Mo Hua was invigorated, eyes gleaming like stars.

He followed the method he had devised, tempering his soul a bit more—then paused.

Because—damn, it hurt.

Just using Void Sword Intent to slash his own soul was already excruciating.

Now he was embedding sword shards into the "flesh" of his soul?

It was starting to feel like a slow-motion execution.

So—this had to be done step-by-step. No rushing.

Mo Hua rested for a while to recover his spiritual awareness.

Now that the God-Slaying Sword cultivation was finally on the right track, Mo Hua could turn his attention to another matter…

"The Supreme Dao of Severed Emotion…"

He murmured under his breath, frowning.

This was the other "supreme Dao technique" Venerable Elder Dugu had passed to him that night in the Sword Tomb's forbidden ground.

Mo Hua… hadn't dared to cultivate it.

Something about it felt off.

On the surface, the Void God-Slaying Sword and the Supreme Severed Emotion Dao looked somewhat similar—but upon deeper reflection, they were fundamentally different.

One was a profound, righteous sword Dao.

The other… was cold, emotionless—an extreme, eerie technique.

And throughout all the recorded sword Dao legacies of the Void Sect, Mo Hua had never once seen any mention of "severing emotions."

"Also… why did Elder Dugu suddenly teach me this thing?"

Mo Hua furrowed his brow, thinking back.

That night, Elder Dugu had looked normal. But his words… carried subtle dissonance.

Could something have happened… to the Elder?

And the one who "taught" him that night—was it really the Elder himself?

Was there truly someone—or something—capable of bypassing a Hollow Void Elder and passing on such a technique?

Mo Hua's frown deepened.

Things were starting to get weird…

Still, what was done was done. Now the question was— Should he learn the Supreme Severed Emotion Dao?

Mo Hua reviewed the technique in his mind and had to admit—this was a profound, rare, and terrifyingly powerful Dao law.

Once mastered, it seemed one really could sever all emotions with a single thought, cut off all worldly attachments with a single sword—cut through anything.

But something about it still felt wrong.

The problem lay in those two words: "Sever Emotion."

Humans have emotions—that's what makes them human. Sever those emotions, become devoid of desire or feeling… Would you still be human?

And if you're no longer human, what kind of Dao are you even realizing?

Even if you succeed, the Dao you realize in a non-human state… what would it become?

"Was the Elder… lying to me?"

"Or is there some malevolent thing… secretly deceiving me?"

"Should I even keep learning this?"

…

Mo Hua rubbed his chin, thinking.

He figured—maybe he could try a little.

After all, this was still a method for comprehending the Dao.

But he couldn't learn all of it—because clearly, there was something strange here.

Take the essence, discard the trash.

In simpler terms: learn, but with caution.

The voice of "Elder Dugu" whispered in his ears again, reciting the Severed Emotion Dao:

"Empty the heart. Sever the self. Align with the human Dao. Fuse with the Law of Annihilation. Become the sword. Let the soul be the blade. Let your edge be unmatched. And within Heaven and Earth—nothing shall be uncut."

Okay, that part sounded awesome. Worth learning.

But then came the line: "Sever all worldly emotions and desires. Reach a state of no feeling, no want, no self, no thought, no attachment…"

…Now that part? Sketchy.

Maybe learn from it—but don't go too deep.

So Mo Hua began tentatively cultivating the Supreme Severed Emotion Dao.

He tried cutting away his emotional attachments:

No thoughts, no desires, no attachments, no self…

Sever the emotions…

His gentle expression slowly turned cold, even showing a trace of eerie ferocity.

It was as if everything in this world had become an obstacle to his pursuit of the Dao. And all must be severed.

Himself.

His family.

His friends.

His teachers.

Those he loved.

All must be slain.

Only by slaying all… could the Dao be attained.

Mo Hua couldn't help but mutter softly:

"Only by slaying all… can one attain the Dao…"

"Slay all…"

"Slay…"

His mind went blank. His expression twisted—then began to blur. His facial features melted like makeup in the rain—dissolving, fading…

"No! Something's wrong!"

Suddenly, Mo Hua snapped out of it.

He grabbed his face, severed all thought, and forcibly stabilized his mind with Meditation Technique.

Only after a full incense stick's time did he fully recover from that terrifying trance.

Mo Hua's heart still trembled.

"This technique… is powerful. But terrifying…"

He'd nearly—really—severed all his emotions.

Mo Hua frowned.

If he had severed them… and lost all sense of self… and his divine mind spiraled out of control…

He didn't even want to imagine what he'd become.

"Severing emotion…"

Mo Hua fell into deep thought.

Some emotions… could be cut away.

But not all.

The purpose of "Severing Emotion" was to attain the Dao, not to sever emotion for its own sake.

If one truly cut off everything—ceasing to be human—the consequences would be far worse.

Mo Hua had already gained insight into this when he was devouring divine essence, transforming his spiritual sense into Dao, and merging divinity with humanity.

If divinity and humanity could be fused, then surely the Dao of "Severing Emotion" could be harmonized too.

"I can't cut everything. Some emotions must remain…"

"The kindness of my parents in raising me—I must keep that in my heart…"

"The grace of my master in teaching me the Dao—I must never forget that…"

"Uncle and auntie from Tongxian City, childhood friends, fellow disciples in the Void Sect, the elders, Venerable Elder Xun, Venerable Elder Dugu…"

"And Aunt Wan, Yu'er, Uncle Gu…"

As Mo Hua thought about it, he realized—there really were a lot of people he needed to remember.

Interpersonal bonds gave rise to emotions and affection—these were the very foundations of human feeling.

If he discarded them all, he'd inevitably lose his true self and become hollow, numb.

"I need an anchor…"

But the problem was—there were too many people to hold onto. Mo Hua couldn't find a single clear "anchor" to gauge how far he could go with Severing Emotion.

Parents and master—the karmic ties were too deep.

Because the ties were too deep, even if he severed emotion, they would be the last to go. Not so easily forgotten.

But if, one day, he did forget them… that would mean he had unknowingly cut all the way to the source—that his humanity was gone.

And once it's gone, there's no going back.

Others could also serve as "anchors" for Severing Emotion—but Mo Hua feared that with how busy he was, he might slip up and accidentally "cut" them too.

If he cut them, and their bond was severed, he'd completely forget them.

Imagine—running into someone who remembers you fondly, but you've forgotten them completely because you accidentally severed that emotion.

That'd be… super awkward.

"So who should I use as my anchor for Severing Emotion…"

Mo Hua was torn, thinking it over for quite some time—then suddenly, a great idea struck him: "Senior Sister!"

He'd use his Senior Sister as the anchor for cultivating the Supreme Severing Emotion Dao.

While cultivating, he'd occasionally think of her.

If his feelings ever dulled—that meant he'd gone too far.

If his feelings remained—that meant his humanity was intact. His emotions were still present.

And as long as he still had human nature—and a heart for the Dao—he'd be fine.

Besides, there was still plenty of emotional "baggage" in human nature worth trimming.

Greed, anger, obsession—resentment, and attachment.

A mind like a mayfly, constantly flitting. Desires as endless as crashing waves.

All those worldly ambitions and cluttered thoughts—those could be cut.

By severing those impure emotions, he could wash off the dust of the mortal world, see through illusions, and his Dao heart would become clearer and his will stronger.

Through this method, he could cultivate a Dao of Severing Emotion that was "seemingly emotionless yet still full of feeling."

Mo Hua was delighted by this revelation—but then frowned again.

"Wait… doesn't this mean I've kind of deviated again?"

He thought about it—then shrugged.

"Eh… as long as it works."

Wasn't the first time.

He'd gotten used to going off-track.

With that, Mo Hua felt completely at ease.

He then officially began to cultivate Severing Emotion and comprehend the Dao—following the method passed down by "Venerable Dugu," cutting away his emotions.

After a while, he'd pause to meditate on his Senior Sister.

If his emotions felt unchanged, all was well.

If he noticed any dulling—he'd stop and reflect on his method of severing: was something off?

Only once her graceful and peerless image surfaced clearly again in his mind—would he continue.

Seek heavenly truth, preserve human nature.

Just like that—with Senior Sister as his anchor—Mo Hua deepened his cultivation of the Supreme Severing Emotion Dao, step by step…

Of course, he hadn't forgotten the Void God-Slaying Sword Style.

Every morning, he used the Void Sword Flow to slash his own soul—letting the sword Dao's essence deeply fuse into his spiritual wounds.

At night, he cultivated the Supreme Severing Emotion Dao.

Following this supreme method of Dao comprehension, he'd understand the principles of "severing," then merge them into his Sword-Manifesting Divine Thought.

In this way, he was simultaneously cultivating both the Void God-Slaying Sword and the Supreme Severing Emotion Dao.

Both were techniques he had essentially stumbled into by accident—yet now he was cultivating them in tandem.

What would ultimately emerge from such a combination—even Mo Hua didn't know.

But thinking it over, he figured—

"It definitely won't be weak."

At the very least… it might just be enough to kill the Demonic Fetus.

Mo Hua nodded slightly.

"I'm not asking for much. Just want to slay that thing…"

In cultivation, there are no sunrises or sunsets.

With the addition of these two new techniques, Mo Hua's days had become even more packed, and his responsibilities even heavier.

He had to cultivate, attend his own classes, and still teach Formation Arts to thousands of junior disciples across the One Vein and Three Peaks.

In between, he studied formations, trained in the God-Slaying Sword, and honed the Severing Emotion Dao.

With undivided focus and a heart set on cultivation—he spared no thought for distractions.

But on this day, as he was practicing the Supreme Severing Emotion Dao, suddenly—he felt a vague stirring in fate.

The bloodied and pale face of Uncle Gu (Gu Changhuai) flashed through his mind.

Mo Hua froze.

"…Uncle Gu?"

He thought for a moment. Something didn't feel right.

He took out his transmission talisman and sent a message:

"Uncle Gu, are you okay?"

There was no reply.

Mo Hua waited patiently for quite a while—but still no response.

"What's going on…"

He frowned, recalling how during the New Year at the Gu residence, Uncle Gu had mentioned the blood-drinking Demonic Sect, a dozen Golden Core demonic cultivators, and how the Dao Court was mobilizing forces to hunt them.

"Is he on a mission and unable to use the talisman… or…"

"Could something have happened to Uncle Gu…"

A shadow of unease bloomed in Mo Hua's heart.

Night fell.

Qingzhou City.

Several Gu clan cultivators drove a horse-drawn carriage at breakneck speed. Their clothes were bloodied, faces anxious, and sweat drenched their brows.

As soon as they entered the city, the carriage sped toward the Gu residence. One man jumped off and shouted desperately:

"Quick! Someone fetch the Pill Dao Elder!"

The previously quiet Gu residence instantly burst into chaos.

Moments later, the Pill Dao Elder arrived, lifted the blood-reeking curtain—only to see the carriage floor soaked in blood…

And lying there, soaked in crimson, half of his Dao robe drenched—unconscious, deathly pale—was Gu Changhuai.

His brow was dark as ink.

"The evil energy has entered the brain… the brow black as night…"

Several elders of the Gu family widened their pupils—chilled to the bone.

"This is… a sign of death…"

(End of this Chapter)