Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 698 – Sword Transformation Style

The others were also shocked.

"It's actually the remnant of a lifebound magical weapon…"

"But…" Gu An examined it a few more times and frowned.

"The forging method for this lifebound spirit sword seems a bit… unusual."

"Unusual how?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

Currently, he was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and his understanding of breakthroughs to the Golden Core realm and crafting lifebound treasures was only surface-level.

The sect elders generally discouraged disciples from thinking too far ahead or overreaching.

Gu An explained:

"Typically, when crafting a lifebound magical weapon—body cultivators focus on vital essence, while spiritual cultivators emphasize spiritual power."

"A body cultivator's treasure is nourished by their blood essence. Man and weapon become one—strong in offense and defense, united in ferocity."

"A spiritual cultivator's treasure harmonizes with spiritual power—resonating with the heart, wielded with ease, full of spirituality."

"As for those rare prodigies who cultivate both body and spirit, their lifebound treasures possess both bloodlust and spiritual awareness."

"But this broken sword…"

Gu An frowned.

"There's no pure blood essence, and no signs of spiritual intent. Even though its shape matches that of a magical treasure—for some reason, it doesn't seem much different from an ordinary spirit tool."

"Maybe after soaking in the blood pool for so long, both its bloodlust and spiritual resonance have been tainted and corrupted by the evil blood and flesh…"

Mo Hua's heart trembled, and his gaze sharpened.

This sword—neither blood-essence-based nor spiritual—was in fact a magical treasure aligned with the Sword of Divine Sense path.

A weapon forged for divine sense fusion.

However…

Mo Hua frowned, confused.

This was only a Second-Rank province. So how could a Third-Rank sword-type magical treasure break here?

Magical weapons at this level belonged to Golden Core stage cultivation.

Mo Hua thought hard, but couldn't come up with an answer—so he turned to Gu An.

Gu An pondered a bit and shook his head.

"Second-Rank provinces restrict Golden Core power. Blood essence and spiritual power are capped. By all logic, this kind of Third-Rank sword shouldn't have broken here…"

"Maybe it was broken somewhere else and then dumped in the blood pool?" Gu An guessed.

Mo Hua shook his head slightly.

Back then, that sword cultivator elder had ventured into the fishing village alone. When he left, he looked pale—clearly heavily injured.

That meant the sword likely was broken right here.

Suddenly, Master She chuckled darkly.

Mo Hua looked displeased.

"What are you laughing at?"

Master She was clearly a bit afraid of this ruthless and unreasonable Mo Hua. He quickly withdrew his sinister grin and gave a dry laugh.

"Nothing."

"You know the origin of this sword, don't you?"

Master She wanted to lie, but under Mo Hua's intense stare, he didn't dare.

He said reluctantly:

"I only know a little…"

"Back then, a sword cultivator—arrogant and overestimating himself—dared challenge the Divine Master. The Divine Master crushed his sword arts, injured his core, and shattered his lifebound sword."

"With the sword broken, his foundation was damaged. If not repaired, his cultivation would be forever hindered."

"The Divine Master then suppressed the broken sword in this filthy blood pool… to serve as a warning to others."

"As long as the sword couldn't be retrieved, it remained broken—and so would his foundation."

"If he could never retrieve it in this lifetime, then his foundation would remain broken forever."

"That was the Divine Master's punishment."

As he spoke, Master She's expression turned into one of cold mocking—with a hint of reverence toward the Divine Master's power.

Mo Hua's face turned icy.

"Your half-hour's almost up. Go prepare the altar now—or I'll let you meet your precious 'Divine Master' in person."

Master She froze, then silently returned to altar preparations with a gloomy face.

Mo Hua, meanwhile, held the broken sword and sighed.

Divine Sense Sword Transformation—fusing divine sense with a lifebound weapon.

That sword cultivator elder must have used this technique—pouring everything he had into a battle against the fallen River God.

One man, one sword—fighting from the edge of the village to the temple gates.

Eventually, his strength was depleted. His divine sense exhausted. His sword intent worn down.

That was how he fell to the River God, and his lifebound sword was broken with him.

That elder's injuries must've been far worse than they looked.

Divine Sense Sword Transformation—while lethal to enemies—also injures the self.

If that's true, then this elder likely wasn't an exception.

Sword cultivators who practice Divine Sense Sword Techniques can slay demons and evil beings.

But their swords are their divine sense.

And when they cut down evil—they also cut themselves.

A blade too rigid… breaks easily.

If they encounter an evil spirit they cannot sever—then the backlash is immense.

Sometimes… even enough to shatter both life and weapon.

Mo Hua had heard rumors—

The Great Void Sect had once been a mighty sword sect, filled with powerful sword cultivators and renowned blades.

But if all those elders practiced this same dangerous "Divine Sense Sword Transformation," then their strength came at a grave cost.

The line between slaying evil… and crippling their own path was razor-thin.

What happened to the sword cultivator at the River God Temple may very well be the fate of all cultivators who tread this path.

Mo Hua held the broken sword and sighed inwardly.

"No wonder no one in Great Void practices this anymore…"

Not just that.

These days, the sect was filled with geniuses from various provinces—aristocratic heirs, top-grade spirit roots, unrivaled talents—each treated like precious treasures.

The sect would never dare let them practice a technique that used divine sense as a blade, wounding self with every strike.

But Mo Hua muttered silently:

"But I want to learn it."

"I'm not afraid."

In fact, he welcomed a head-on clash of divine sense.

"Too bad no one's around to teach me…"

Mo Hua rested his chin on his hand, frowning in thought. After a while, his gaze locked once more on the broken sword.

"Could the sword itself… contain the sword technique?"

After all, causality doesn't lie.

His earlier calculations clearly showed that this broken sword contained the karma of Divine Sense Sword Transformation.

Mo Hua flipped the sword over repeatedly—but found no sword manual, no sword forms, no etched diagrams.

Even the sword intent had faded.

Maybe it had soaked too long in the blood pool—centuries of corrosion had erased it all.

"Why?"

"Why did the Evil God specifically have this broken sword submerged in blood?"

Mo Hua furrowed his brow in deep thought.

If Master She's story were true, then the sword cultivator had lost completely—divine sense shattered, sword broken, fleeing in disgrace.

And if that were true—he shouldn't have been able to walk away alive.

But he did leave. Which meant, even if he lost, even if his sword broke—

He must have wounded the River God as well.

A mutual defeat. A brutal battle.

Which meant that sword cultivator had tremendous divine sense power.

Alone, he fought his way to the River God Temple, grievously wounded the fallen god, exhausted himself, and—despite everything—managed to retreat intact.

This proved the elder's Divine Sense Sword skill was highly advanced—possibly the orthodox inheritance of a powerful sword lineage.

If so, then this sword may very well contain the true Divine Sense Sword Transformation technique.

Mo Hua's heart burned with desire.

"Maybe I should calculate it…"

He sat down cross-legged, placed the sword on the ground, meditated briefly, and let fate unfold—his pupils deepening as the secrets of heaven emerged.

As soon as he peered in, an intense killing intent surged forth!

Mo Hua's heart jolted, and he nearly closed his eyes.

Suddenly, his Great Void Token shivered—emitting a faint light.

That killing intent seemed to recognize Mo Hua's identity—and slowly faded away.

"The Great Void Token… so the sword recognizes the Great Void Sect…"

Mo Hua pondered.

That powerful sword cultivator must have been a Great Void elder.

Mo Hua nodded slightly and continued, deepening his fate deduction.

Even though the token had dissolved the killing intent, the karma within the sword was still thick and heavy—hard to unravel.

After all, this was a Golden Core-level lifebound treasure.

With Mo Hua's current cultivation, forcefully probing it was extremely taxing.

Luckily, after soaking for centuries, most of the sword's intent had faded—and its karma was somewhat dulled.

Combined with his three-layered Sinister Thought, and upgraded Heaven's Machine techniques, his fate deduction was now far more refined.

Otherwise, peering into the sword's karma would be near impossible.

In his vision, mist unfolded.

Within the mist, a faint glimmer of sword light.

Pure white threads of karma intertwined, layer upon layer, impossibly complex.

Mo Hua didn't know how long had passed. Exhausting his divine sense to the limit, he slowly unraveled the fate, peeling it back bit by bit. Only then did the karmic threads begin to clarify.

Before his eyes, fragmented images began to appear...

First—a lone figure, long eyebrows and a sword on his back, walking into the blood mist with a determined back.

Vicious-looking cultivators, twisted and grotesque demons, blood leeches, and fish-like evil spirits tried to block his way.

He cut them all down with a single sword.

His sword light was pure silver.

It possessed the sharpness of a weapon, the pressure of sword aura, and the profundity of sword intent.

It could slice flesh and cleave evil alike.

No matter what fiends or monsters stood before him—none could withstand a single blow.

Before long, he had reached the River God Temple.

Within the temple, a powerful figure emerged. But at that moment, the image fractured into rippling waves—disrupted by an overpowering divine will.

What was clear was this:

There had been an epic battle before the River God Temple.

When the dust settled, the image froze.

The sword cultivator's long sword had pierced a divine figure that appeared to be the River God.

Mo Hua's pupils contracted.

The sword cultivator... won?

But the moment was fleeting.

As if blood was poured into a river, a red mist slowly spread and engulfed everything before Mo Hua.

When the mist cleared—

The sword cultivator stood pale-faced, blood at the corner of his mouth, holding a broken sword. The shattered tip had fallen to the ground.

Then, a voice filled with disbelief echoed:

"You... are not the River God…"

"...Such powerful evil intent—foul creature, what exactly are you? Where did you come from? What is your purpose?"

No one—or rather, no "god"—answered.

The sword cultivator looked bitter, a sliver of despair in his eyes.

And then—the vision abruptly ended.

Mo Hua's heart was shaken.

Judging from the karmic threads, the sword cultivator had slain—or at least seriously wounded—the River God…

But afterward, he had been ambushed by something even stronger.

"Such powerful evil intent…"

That must've referred to one of the Great Wilderness Evil Gods' incarnated divine remains, right?

Mo Hua frowned.

Still... while that was an important truth, it wasn't what he needed most right now.

Where was the method for Divine Sense Sword Transformation?

If his deduction was correct, this broken sword was that cultivator's lifebound treasure. Then, within the causal traces, there must be some secret to that sword technique.

Mo Hua began tracing karma further backward.

But the sword had been buried too long, corrupted by foul blood—most karmic traces had been eroded.

Sweat beaded on Mo Hua's pale forehead as he pushed his divination to the limit, slowly advancing...

Suddenly, a figure appeared in his vision.

An elderly man with a long beard, radiating overwhelming sword intent, clad in white robes like woven sword light—his presence cold and imposing.

Mo Hua only glanced briefly and immediately winced in pain as his eyes were stabbed by sword light. He quickly averted his gaze, only daring to observe from the corner of his vision.

Beside the elder stood a young man with a sword on his back.

"Xuan'er…"

"This sword art... I wasn't going to teach you, but I don't want…"

Mo Hua's divine sense was insufficient, and the karmic thread too faint—the voice flickered in and out, stuttering.

"...don't want you…"

"...don't want our Great Void Sect's sword inheritance to die out."

A heavy mist covered the memory. The timeline was unclear, as voices blurred and scenes tangled.

Mo Hua strained to listen—

"...Divine Sense Sword Transformation... True Technique…"

"Your foundation is solid—today, I shall teach you…"

"...the Jingshen Style…"

Jingshen Style?!

Mo Hua's heart leapt.

Great Void Divine Sense Sword True Technique · Jingshen Sword Style?

He peeked open one eye sneakily, still not daring to look directly at the long-bearded elder—his eyes locked instead on the long-browed young man.

Within that youth's gaze was a deep sword intent. In his hand, a sword—its aura condensed tightly. Sword qi merged with sword intent. Though his form was immature, it held a hint of terrifying power.

Mo Hua's eyes went wide as he stared for a long time—

...and then sank in despair.

"Crap... I don't get any of this!"

This wasn't some beginner sword technique—it was an advanced form of the Divine Sense Sword path. Mo Hua didn't even have the basics—he couldn't make heads or tails of what he saw.

The image flashed and vanished.

He'd caught only a glimpse—and learned nothing.

"Can I get the easy version, please…"

Sighing in defeat, Mo Hua pushed the karmic thread even further.

One by one, fragmented, bloodstained, and distorted visions flickered past.

Voices bubbled up like echoes in water, overlapping in dissonance.

Finally—Mo Hua caught two clear words:

"Hua Jian..." (Sword Transformation)

Mo Hua fixed his eyes on the scene.

This time, there was no long-bearded elder—just the long-browed youth, standing alone in a lush green mountain.

The scenery was familiar—quiet and ancient, like the Great Void Sect. Yet Mo Hua couldn't recall ever seeing this spot within the sect grounds.

The youth held his sword, standing amidst the misty hills. Clouds dampened his robe and veiled his face.

But his eyes shone bright—like the sword in his hand.

The youth's voice rang out, clear and resonant:

"Sword Transformation Style..."

"First form of the Great Void Divine Sense Sword True Technique: Sword Transformation Style."

"The path of divine sense is ever-changing—beyond mortal thought, beyond comprehension."

"The method of divine sense is metaphysical—meant to cut demons and punish evil. Every sword form begins with Sword Transformation."

"Jingshen, Pohshen, Zhanshen, Mieshen... All begin with transformation."

"To transform the sword is to refine sword into energy, shape energy into will, merge will with blade—transcending illusion and reality, until one can manifest a sword through divine sense alone... to cut through all things!"

...

Mo Hua listened intently, like a starving man devouring food, memorizing every word firmly in his heart. At the same time, he watched the youth's movements, copying them step by step.

"Refining sword into qi…"

Mo Hua gave it a try.

Nope.

His spiritual sword was of crude quality, and the sword qi he had cultivated was weak—no foundation at all.

"Refining qi into intent…"

That didn't work either.

Mo Hua wasn't a sword cultivator. His foundation in swordsmanship was far too shallow, and his sword qi too feeble—it was near impossible to blend it into his divine sense to manifest sword intent.

Both steps were beyond him, so—he shut his eyes and just skipped straight to the end:

"Merging intent with sword, turning illusion into reality…"

In the karmic vision, after long days and nights of bitter cultivation, the youth succeeded in his sword art and could finally attempt fusing divine sense with his sword.

He used his divine sense to manifest sword intent, fusing it into his blade.

That sword shimmered with brilliant light—both with clear sword aura and a refined silver-white intent.

Mo Hua, meanwhile, just gave up on swords and sword qi altogether.

Instead, he simply mimicked the youth's method of "condensing the sword" and tried to manifest a sword using only his divine sense.

A little cheat? Yes.

But his divine sense was strong—remarkably refined.

So within his Sea of Consciousness, like the youth before him, Mo Hua's spiritual will slowly began to take on the shape of a sword.

It was a faint golden sword.

The shape was rough—like a newly cast blade just pulled from the forge. It was short too, like a child's toy sword, but it fit perfectly in the tiny hand of the "spirit-form Mo Hua" inside his divine sense.

At this point, Mo Hua had reached the limit of his karmic divination.

The causal traces on the broken sword were now completely worn away.

The images from the past vanished one by one.

Even the aura on the broken sword faded significantly—it now felt like an ordinary spiritual sword.

Inside his Sea of Consciousness, Mo Hua stared at the golden little sword in his hand, lost in thought.

Did I actually learn it… or not?

Divine Sense Sword Transformation…

Well, he had transformed a sword, sure.

But compared to the youth from the past—compared to that powerful sword cultivator's "Divine Sense Sword Transformation"… Mo Hua's version was like a dollar-store knockoff.

That youth had a real sword in hand.

Mo Hua had no sword at all.

The youth's method merged sword intent, sword qi, and sword artifact into one—to kill and destroy.

Mo Hua? He just… turned his divine sense into a sword.

Plain and simple. No frills.

And even that sword only existed inside his consciousness—it didn't manifest in the real world at all.

Mo Hua scratched his head, frustrated.

Somehow, I think I've… completely missed the point.

Still… did this count as "learning" the Divine Sense Sword Transformation?

No sword-to-qi, no qi-to-intent—only intent-to-sword, illusion-to-reality.

Wait—actually, he hadn't even really reached the "illusion-to-reality" part.

He glanced at his little golden sword again and sighed.

"Guess this'll have to do for now. If I get the chance later, I'll go learn the complete version."

"Given I pieced this together from just a few hazy images and scattered fragments of dialogue… this isn't too bad…"

Mo Hua consoled himself with this thought and tucked the golden sword away—but a doubt lingered in his mind.

"I wonder what kind of power this Divine Sense Sword actually has… I need something to test it on."

Mo Hua exited his Sea of Consciousness, stashed the broken sword, and looked around.

Not a single evil spirit in sight.

The River God and the Evil God—gone too.

It seemed that great battle back in the day had devastated them both. The sword cultivator's Divine Sense Sword must've hit hard—hard enough that the River God had gone into hiding, leaving behind only this empty temple.

And the broken sword? Sunk into the blood pool, defiled with flesh and blood.

Not because of some symbolic "warning to others" nonsense the old weirdo had claimed.

No, it was out of fear.

That thing had pierced the River God's chest.

It was afraid of being stabbed again.

Mo Hua thought about it from the River God's perspective and felt it made perfect sense.

"Which means…" Mo Hua frowned,

"The River God—or rather, the Great Wilderness Evil God—is hiding… but where?"

The River God Temple was empty.

But it couldn't truly be empty.

Mo Hua turned his gaze toward Master She, an odd expression on his face.

Master She had already finished preparing the altar. On it were things either bloody or sinister—definitely nothing decent.

"The altar is ready,"

Master She turned around and said with a shadowed gaze.

Gu An looked at Mo Hua.

Yu Dahe, emotionally stirred, stared at Mo Hua with anticipation.

Mo Hua nodded.

Gu An grabbed two black-robed men, tossed them before the altar, and forced them to kneel.

Yu Dahe's two sons' corpses lay atop the altar.

Master She began to chant:

"O mighty River God, hear the prayers of your devout believer. We open this altar and offer this sacrifice…"

"Heaven acts with measure; sacrifices must follow order."

"One life for one life, one soul for one soul."

"Today we offer adult livestock—two humans in place of two children. May the River God show mercy…"

Then he prostrated himself to the ground, praying devoutly.

But Mo Hua's eyes flickered.

щщщ ●Λ n ●￠ ○

He felt the faint aura of a formation.

Master She, kneeling, used his sleeve to hide his actions as he scraped his finger on a stone brick beneath the altar—using blood as ink to draw a mysterious array.

His movements were stealthy.

Gu An and the others noticed nothing.

Mo Hua silently took it all in—saying nothing.

Eventually, Master She finished his chanting—and his array.

He turned back around, a vicious and malicious smile spreading across his face, no longer hidden.

Just then—Mo Hua saw the two black-robed men grimace in pain.

Their divine sense was instantly drained—leaving behind only lifeless corpses.

With the sacrifice complete, the atmosphere in the temple shifted.

In the center of the shrine, the statue of the River God seemed to come alive. Its eyes glared down upon the cultivators with cold majesty.

A thick red mist erupted outward.

"Bang!"

Gu An's Clarity Mirror shattered.

Gu Quan's Demon-Repelling Hairpin snapped.

Yu Dahe's Tranquility Jade split clean in half.

Their faces changed drastically.

They tried to strike Master She down—

But their bodies froze.

Their eyes lost focus.

Their consciousness faded.

One by one, they collapsed.

Mo Hua, too, felt drowsy—his mind sinking into sleep.

A strange power was trying to pull his divine sense out.

Mo Hua glanced at Master She, then chose not to resist—allowing his divine sense to detach from his body.

He, too, fell unconscious.

Now, in the entire River God Temple, only Master She remained standing.

His gaze twisted with hatred, he sneered:

"Foolish mortals… ignorant of the true power of the Divine Lord."

"A grand nightmare shall be your prison… Within this dream, I will kill each of you—one by one…"

With a final sneer, Master She closed his eyes—his divine sense left his body, and he, too, collapsed.

The world turned upside down—heaven and earth reversed.

When Mo Hua opened his eyes again…

A soft mist surrounded him—like a dream.

Before him stood a magnificent River God Palace.

The one outside? A fake.

This one—within the dream—was the real one.

At the very depths of this dream-palace, he could feel an overwhelming divine aura, tinged with a subtle scent of evil.

Mo Hua's lips curled into a faint, confident smile.

"Found you…"

(End of this Chapter)