Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2172: 1019: I'm Done Playing
Previously on Immortality Through Array Formations...
The battle unfolded in a completely lopsided manner.
Facing the overwhelming Sword Qi unleashed by Xiao Wuchen, the top disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Taixu Gate disciples found themselves utterly powerless to resist.
Linghu Xiao proved no exception.
A mere handful of sword swings from Xiao Wuchen left Linghu Xiao fully subdued.
Each blow exuded an archaic and majestic aura, emerging naturally and infused with a subtle harmony to the Heavenly Dao that merged seamlessly into the emptiness.
Each attack bore a formidable Sword Qi forged from dense Spiritual Power.
Every assault demanded Linghu Xiao's utmost concentration.
As Xiao Wuchen swung his blade, Linghu Xiao was forced back one step at a time.
Clad in a pristine white Taoist robe adorned with Sword Patterns, Xiao Wuchen displayed a strikingly handsome and aloof demeanor, his stance poised and refined.
Yet Linghu Xiao, the prodigy of Chongxu hailed once every five centuries and the focal point of all hopes, could merely clench his jaw and fight on in desperation, his form a picture of total chaos.
He bore no trace of his earlier dominance, where his Sword Qi had swept through foes without mercy.
In that instant, the onlookers grasped the truth at last.
What makes someone a true prodigy?
What marks a genuine genius in Sword Dao?
Renown can be real or fabricated.
But the sword reveals only honesty.
Their initial exchange laid bare the clear divide in abilities.
Witnessing Linghu Xiao's wretched state, the crowd felt a twinge of sorrowful regret inside, though derision or schadenfreude remained absent.
They recognized Linghu Xiao's considerable prowess.
During the prior Sword Discussion, he had showcased his might.
Simply put, Xiao Wuchen surpassed him.
The Four Great Sects remained the pinnacle, after all.
Xiao Wuchen, premier disciple in Sword Dao among the Four Sects and from the Heavenly Sword Sect, stood as an ethereal existence beyond reach.
Even the brightest talents from the Eight Great Gates, for all their strength, merely perched atop earthly heights.
This was the essence of Sword Dao.
Xiao Wuchen also held an edge in cultivation level.
He had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment.
Linghu Xiao, by contrast, barely exceeded the typical late stage of Foundation Establishment.
To be precise, the Foundation Establishment Realm consists of just three phases: early, middle, and late. Beyond that lies the breakthrough to Golden Core.
However, condensing the Golden Core poses immense challenges.
Most cultivators at Foundation Establishment, barring rare fortune, linger indefinitely short of Golden Core.
This limbo might span a single year at minimum, or stretch to decades, centuries, or even a full lifetime.
Hence, a distinctive interval arises between late Foundation Establishment and Golden Core, varying per individual yet often prolonged.
In this time, practitioners persist in cultivation, as their Spiritual Power steadily intensifies and condenses, building a sturdy base that eventually offers an opportunity to advance to Golden Core...
Alternatively, one might have tried forming the Golden Core and faltered.
Or perhaps a Magical Treasure's core had taken shape, though the Golden Core itself remained unformed...
All these phases together form what is known as Foundation Establishment Peak.
It denotes a state surpassing standard Foundation Establishment but falling short of complete Golden Core.
Xiao Wuchen occupied this elevated stage, whereas Linghu Xiao did not.
Consequently, the gap in cultivation amplified his shortfall in Sword Dao.
Within the Sword Discussion arena, Linghu Xiao faltered against Xiao Wuchen, his actions laced with awkward floundering.
Conditions grew even graver for his comrades.
The Heavenly Sword Sect's squad ranked among the elite in the Sword Discussion Conference. Apart from Xiao Wuchen, the remaining four Heavenly Sword Sect disciples possessed solid skills as well.
These four might trail slightly behind Linghu Xiao in power.
Yet they outmatched Ouyang Xuan.
And they vastly exceeded Cheng Mo and Situ Jian.
This represented an absolute domination in raw "hard power" among the sect's followers.
As a result, the five from Heavenly Sword Sect unleashed a horrifying barrage of Sword Qi, leaving the Taixu Gate members in frantic defense, barely holding on.
Mo Hua fared no differently.
With his allies pinned down completely, his spells lost their potency.
He resorted solely to his movement arts to evade the blades of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples and stay alive.
Yet such endurance held no purpose.
The outcome stood evident.
Taixu Gate inched inexorably toward total loss.
Certain viewers clung to hopes of a "miracle," yearning for a hero to reverse the momentum.
Regrettably, no such reversal materialized.
The feeble inevitably succumb.
Linghu Xiao fell first.
He battled fiercely beneath Xiao Wuchen's sword, chasing any spark of a breakthrough, yet he couldn't alter the flow.
Overwhelmed by the dual deficits in cultivation and Sword Dao, Linghu Xiao pressed on until utter depletion, only to face a chilling cut from Xiao Wuchen that sealed his fate.
Linghu Xiao perished by Xiao Wuchen's blade.
The tide turned sharply for the worse.
His teammates soon wore down in succession, collapsing one by one...
The observing cultivators sank into quiet dismay.
Countless expressions shifted from anticipation to letdown.
Initial assumptions painted a clash of titans, a storm of sparks and flames, a thunderous showdown of forces.
Though one side was fated to yield, the bout ought to blaze with prodigious brilliance.
The Sword Dao masters from Heavenly Sword Sect and Taixu Gate were set for an "Ultimate Confrontation."
Instead, it proved a profound letdown.
Taixu Gate's defeat came too decisively, from beginning to end, devoid of any real tension.
Linghu Xiao stood no chance against Xiao Wuchen, the unrivaled leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Mo Hua went without saying.
At that juncture, whispers of mockery arose:
"So this is the might of Taixu Gate after the Three Sects Unification?"
"It's ridiculous how three sects at the 'Eight Great Gates' level merged and still can't overcome a single Heavenly Sword Sect team..."
"The Three Sects Unification yielded only isolation."
"They advanced this far solely through unification; without it, they'd lag even further..."
"The gap is truly vast, nothing less than a rout..."
"All that hype down the drain..."
"Pointless..."