Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2230 - 1036: Traitor (2)

Even this form of "melee" adheres to specific "rules" and gets separated according to "rank".

The vulnerable ones perish right at the start.

Lower-ranked sects get removed from the competition first.

This serves as a traditional strategy from the ancient Asura battles.

The elimination process sticks to the "one sword" guideline.

Prodigies from each major sect lead the way, sweeping the area, and upon facing disciples from inferior sects, they deliver a single "one sword" strike.

Just a single sword strike.

Should the foe endure it, they earn the right to remain and press on with the battle.

Failure to endure means instant departure from the arena.

This weeds out the feeble.

It stops the powerhouses from clashing in deadly fights prematurely, which could let the weak exploit the disorder, turning it into a "farce".

In a way, it reinforces the established rankings of every sect.

Eliminating based on preset rankings keeps the sword discussion standings from straying too far.

All sects, even the four great ones, quietly endorse this practice.

This holds vital importance for the sect sword discussion.

Not even the four great sects will brashly violate the norms to evade extra uncertainties.

As a result, the Asura battle reveals its brutal side early on, kicking off the initial phase of straightforward "slaughter".

Across the mountains, above the streams, within the marshes.

Swords gleam, spells erupt, and fists collide with feet in fury.

Yet everything remains mere testing, pulling back right after the clash.

Facing the feeble, they swiftly claim lives without mercy.

Meeting the mighty, they halt precisely and hold back.

Before long, across the entire Asura battleground, disciples from weaker sects and those lacking sufficient power were all purged.

Nevertheless, certain individuals who weren't truly feeble got dragged down due to particular figures.

A few disciples skilled in hiding arts attempted to vanish using their skills.

If they managed to last a little longer, snag a better position, and rack up more points, that would be ideal.

In earlier times, such tactics proved somewhat useful.

But in this era, they fall flat.

Mo Hua excels far too much at hiding.

Consequently, all major sects now scrutinize "concealment" methods intensely to eliminate Mo Hua.

They've devised countless counters tailored against Mo Hua's hiding prowess.

Mo Hua has boxed himself into a corner.

These folks have nowhere left to turn.

Disciples who tried hiding, be it through arts or spiritual artifacts, paled in comparison to Mo Hua's mastery.

They barely managed to "vanish" for a short while before detection led to a fatal sword strike.

Furthermore, the art of concealment stirred up immense resentment.

Since some sect prodigies felt deeply shamed by Mo Hua's "mocking" through his hiding techniques, they refused to let anyone else pull off concealment right before their eyes.

Shi Tiangang stood out especially here.

Witnessing anyone hiding in his presence drove him to rage.

"Out of everyone, you choose to mimic Mo Hua?"

During the Asura battle, he made a point of pursuing hidden cultivators.

On top of that, disciples adept at movement skills faced backlash on account of Mo Hua.

Ever since Feng Zichen of the Carefree Sect nearly twisted his wrist that day while spinning sword blossoms into snowflakes, failing to even graze the edge of Mo Hua's robe, he grew intolerant of anyone flaunting movement techniques around him.

In the Asura battle, if disciples from lesser sects simply dueled him fairly with one sword, Feng Zichen wouldn't take issue.

However, if you dared to flee using movement arts directly in Feng Zichen's sight.

You'd strike his raw nerve right away.

He'd pursue relentlessly, hunting you to the world's edge just to slay you.

Regarding the Fireball Technique, that's obvious.

The Fireball Technique has turned into a standard "forbidden technique" throughout the Sword Discussion Conference.

No one except Mo Hua is allowed to employ it; all other disciples face strict bans.

This holds especially true in the Asura battle.

Anyone who heedlessly hurls a fireball becomes an instant mark, swarmed and chopped down by furious cultivators.

As they strike, they'd bellow:

"How dare you unleash the Fireball Technique!"

"You think you're superior or something?"

"I can't stand the Fireball Technique!"

...

Throughout the opening round of eliminations, Mo Hua made no appearance.

Still, his influence lingered in every corner.

In this swift purge and "sifting", after two hours, the initial "clearing" phase wrapped up.

The feeble and those echoing Mo Hua's style were all ousted.

Disciples from Qian Learning Hundred Gates suffered near-total annihilation.

Numerous lower-tier disciples from the Twelve Streams got removed.

The Eight Great Gates only shed a handful.

The Four Great Sects stayed entirely intact.

At this juncture, a new dilemma surfaced:

Press on with hunting Mo Hua?

Or push forward with the contest?

Prodigies guiding each sect pondered quietly in their thoughts.

Ye Qingfeng of the Daluo Sect declared:

"I propose that every sect halts combat and prioritizes, no matter the price, slaying Mo Hua first."

"Once Mo Hua falls, we can settle the victor among ourselves afterward."

"Remember, this Mo Hua poses a massive lurking danger."

"Though his cultivation remains trivial, he masters concealment and excels beyond compare in movement; within this vast battlefield, he glides effortlessly like a fish through water. Without banding together to take him out first, allowing him to 'endure' until the finish, we'll find him impossible to handle."

The Daluo Sect boasts two prodigies.

One honed the Daluo Flying Sword Skill yet met his end via Mo Hua's sword, leading to his sharp decline—the prior top sword control talent of Qian Learning, Ye Zhiyuan.

The other is Ye Qingfeng, cultivator of the Daluo Unification Sword Skill.

Ye Qingfeng cuts a tall, striking figure with profound cultivation, yet the Unification Sword Skill keeps his presence subdued and unassuming.

Insiders know, though, that Ye Qingfeng's power runs extraordinarily deep, placing him nearly at the top just below the four supreme prodigies.

Moreover, akin to Ye Zhiyuan, he ranks as a "seed" prodigy brimming with the Daluo Ancestor's expectations, bearing the unique Eternal Life Rune mark.