Chapter 625: The Back Mountain
Within the Sword Tombs of the Great Void, the old man's gaze flickered.
"Since ten thousand years ago…"
"Heaven's secrets have become tainted, and the divine will of all living beings has weakened. It's impossible for any true divine beast to exist…"
"So what in the world… happened just now?"
A thick fog clouded his mind.
The elder's divine sense turned into a sword as he sought to trace the root cause of the demonic disappearance.
His mind-sword pierced the haze in an instant—and the scene before him shifted.
A blood-red world appeared.
The sky was dyed crimson. Amid mountains of corpses, a grotesque yet regal Corpse King lay bound in chains. Slowly… it opened its eyes.
Those eyes radiated savagery, bloodlust, and a twisted essence of Dao.
"A Dao Abomination…"
The long-bearded elder shook his head.
"A petty demon entered our Great Void. I intended only to trace its karma and cut it down with a single sword… but somehow, inexplicably, I ended up slashing open a Dao Abomination instead…"
The white-haired elder's face turned pale. Sword intent flowed chaotically over his features, the killing will barely restrained.
The Sword Tomb remained eerily silent. No disturbance.
And yet… the elder's expression was filled with shock.
He froze for a moment—then a faint air of pride flickered across his withered face.
As if… nothing had happened.
But twisted, blood-red Dao energy still clung faintly to his form.
With determined eyes, the elder drew a sword of divine will—and slashed it away.
At that moment, Master Xun's face was somber. With a stroke of his hand, he tore a rift in the void and stepped through. When he reappeared, he was already inside the forbidden Sword Tomb of the back mountain.
"If not for the fact that this Dao Abomination was weak, only at the half-step level, and had yet to fully manifest its body…"
"What exactly… happened?"
The elder furrowed his brow and slashed again.
His divine sense coalesced into an awe-inspiring sword aura—like Yin and Yang in chaos, Great Void swirling. The mystical light of the sword bloomed in an instant and tore through everything.
The long-bearded elder exhaled deeply, a chill running through his heart.
The Corpse King's body was bound by karma, seemingly residing in a layered illusory realm.
Every zombie and iron corpse that came into contact with the sword light was reduced to dust—completely annihilated.
Master Xun looked at the elder in the tomb with complex emotions in his eyes. He sighed softly.
"Senior Brother… you've drawn your sword again…"
That slash severed karma itself.
But such sword intent could not be sensed by ordinary cultivators.
Only the elder in the center showed signs of instability—his Dao heart wavering, divine sense bleeding—while a terrifying killing sword intent surged silently from his body, chilling to the core.
Yet the elder knew—there was now a bite mark on his divine sense.
"Otherwise, with my fractured will and damaged Dao heart… I would've already been corrupted—turned into a puppet of the Dao Abomination. A human in body… but a corpse in heart."
The mountain of corpses and sea of blood vanished in a blink.
The wound wasn't deep—but a sliver of bloodthirsty evil had seeped into his spiritual sea, gnawing at his Dao heart, brewing a cold, killing aura.
Master Xun gasped in horror.
But his sword seemed to slice through nothing.
"What is this?!"
Yet Master Xun understood—
In the blink of an eye, something had followed the subtle karmic chains, crept close to the elder, and taken a bite—its blood-drenched maw clamping down on his arm.
"Killing intent surging—divine sense, become sword!"
At the same time, Master Xun—seated among candlelight, quietly reading an array tome—suddenly paled.
The Great Void sword will surged like a silver river from the heavens. With a single slash, he severed the karmic chain—and cut down the blood-sea manifestation of the Corpse King's Dao Abomination.
As the corpse tide was destroyed by the sword light, the Corpse King roared, the chains of karma around its body trembling violently.
Master Xun's face was grave.
In an instant, cold winds rose.
Endless zombies and iron corpses surged like a tide into his consciousness, biting ferociously at his divine sense, completely unafraid of death.
Only after a long while did he manage—by sheer force of cultivation—to stabilize his Dao heart and suppress the killing intent. His expression returned to calm.
Yet his spiritual sea had already been tainted by karmic corpse-poison.
That sword… did strike the Corpse King.
The long-bearded elder looked up at Master Xun with a bitter smile.
"I didn't expect… it would be a Dao Abomination."
The back mountain was quiet. The Sword Tomb desolate, littered with broken swords.
The elders and disciples of the Great Void Sect slept peacefully, unaware of what had just happened in the forbidden land.
Master Xun's gaze was sharp.
"Someone's setting a trap… raising a Dao Abomination?"
The elder pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
"It doesn't seem like that. It doesn't feel like a deliberately cultivated Dao Abomination. More like…"
"When I severed karma with my sword, I accidentally touched something I wasn't supposed to. Broke a taboo. And provoked this creature…"
"A karmic Dao Abomination?" Master Xun asked, puzzled.
The elder nodded.
"This half-step Dao Abomination… it feels like it's already dead, but its resentment remains, parasitizing something…"
"Dead?" Master Xun's brow furrowed deeper. "In a realm governed by the Great Dao, how could a Dao Abomination be killed so easily?"
"What kind of being… has the power to bypass Heaven's laws and slay a Dao Abomination?"
The elder closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, then opened them again. His expression was solemn.
"All things in the world—if they can be born, they can die."
"A Dao Abomination is merely a twisted product of the Dao. It may be unmatched in this realm under Heaven's laws, but that doesn't mean it's truly immortal."
"If it can be born—it can die."
"I just never expected… that even while secluded in this Sword Tomb, not stepping out of the mountains, I could still get… bitten by a Dao Abomination…"
The elder looked up at the starless night sky and sighed.
"That man died. The immortal fate of the Heaven-Burial at the Ruins has surfaced. Heaven's secrets are shifting in silence. The unpredictable… is becoming more and more common…"
Master Xun frowned deeply.
In the Qianxue Domain, noble clans thrived, and peace had lasted for generations. It had truly been a long, long time… since anyone had uttered the words:
"Dao Abomination."
Now hearing them again… it felt like a memory from another life.
Master Xun began calculating with his fingers—but abruptly froze, sensing a shiver in his heart. Silently, he lowered his hand and simply asked:
"What kind of Dao Abomination was it?"
"In the sea of corpses and blood—a Corpse King."
…A Corpse King.
Master Xun quietly committed the name to memory, then looked up at the elder with growing concern.
"Senior Brother… are you alright?"
The elder coughed, his voice hoarse.
"Some quiet rest and I'll recover… Times have changed, yes, but a single karmic Dao Abomination is not enough to cripple my divine sense…"
He coughed again—and his breath grew visibly weaker. The original injury seemed to worsen.
Master Xun's heart ached. He sighed:
"Senior Brother… stop turning your divine sense into a sword. It's damaging your core."
"I know my limits…"
"Senior Brother!"
The long-bearded elder remained indifferent.
Master Xun sighed, his expression grave, and said in a deep voice:
"You, more than anyone, should understand what it means to cultivate the Sword of Divine Sense. Though its sword intent is peerless, capable of cutting through form and spirit alike…"
"Yet—what makes the sword, can also unmake it."
"This sword intent isn't an external weapon—it is your own divine sense."
"Once released, it must hurt someone—or hurt yourself. Even when you cut down others, you're consuming your own spirit."
"A typical sword cultivator wields a blade. If it's damaged, it can be repaired. If it breaks, it can be reforged. If it's destroyed, a new one can be made…"
"But divine sense is different."
"When divine sense becomes sword—if the sword is damaged, the spirit is harmed. If the sword breaks, the spirit dims. If the sword is destroyed… the spirit perishes."
"And that… is not even the most terrifying part."
"The truly terrifying thing is—"
Master Xun looked into his senior brother's eyes.
"When divine sense leaves the body as sword intent, it becomes extremely vulnerable to demonic corruption. Once corrupted, your Dao heart becomes stained—and there is no longer any path to ascend the Great Dao."
"You might even…"
He paused, heart aching, unable to finish.
But the long-bearded elder merely gave a bitter, self-mocking smile:
"…Even end up like me? Neither living nor dead. Trapped in my own body. Drawing a circle in the dirt… to imprison myself?"
"Senior Brother…"
"I know."
The elder sighed heavily.
"I know. This sword art… can no longer be practiced."
"I am the last of those who cultivate this sword of divine sense."
"From now on, no disciple of the Great Void Sect is to practice the 'True Art of the Divine Sword,' nor even be told of its existence."
"This lineage ends with me."
"It shall wither and die, buried here with me… in the Great Void Sword Tomb."
"But—I'm not dead yet."
The elder's face was aged and worn, yet his eyes gleamed like blades:
"I am still a bearer of the Great Void Sword Art."
"Those demons who dare to violate the Great Void—those who carry killing intent from karma, from destiny, from Heaven itself—I must cut them down."
"Even if it costs me my spirit… even if it ends in oblivion…"
"That is the last thing I am able to do."
Master Xun's heart swelled with both admiration and sorrow. He couldn't help but sigh and try to console him:
"Qianxue Domain is filled with powerful sects and noble clans. The world is flourishing. Petty demons and rogue spirits wouldn't dare provoke the Eight Great Sects…"
"Senior Brother, you don't have to—"
The long-bearded elder chuckled coldly:
"Do you even believe what you're saying?"
Master Xun was momentarily stunned.
The elder stared at him and sighed:
"Junior Brother… you're a formation grandmaster. You, more than most, should understand—"
"Our Great Void Sect… has never possessed any true legacy of Heavenly Calculations."
"We don't rely on calculations. We rely on the sword."
"If demons from beyond or evil gods from the wilderness dare to invade, all we can do is forge our divine sense into a sword—cut down the evil, sever the karma, and shield ourselves from Heaven's hidden dangers."
"All we can do—is kill."
"Real calculation arts… we never learned them. We never mastered them. So there are some things we simply… cannot see."
Master Xun fell silent.
He knew in his heart—his senior brother spoke the truth.
Heavenly Calculation far surpassed formation-based deduction.
His own derivations relied on array logic, not true Heavenly Algorithms. He could glimpse some strands of karma—but never its source.
The elder continued:
"If you cannot calculate—then you rely only on what you can see."
"And if all you see is 'prosperity'… how can you be sure it's the truth?"
Master Xun frowned.
"Our sect may not be proficient in calculation, but the other sects…"
The elder shook his head:
"Throughout the entire Qianxue Domain—whether formation-based or Heaven-based—the art of algorithmic deduction… has already declined."
"There was a time when this land thrived. Formation arts were at their peak. Cultivators had firm Dao hearts and bore the world in mind. From them, Heaven-calculation experts emerged…"
"But now?"
"Though the knowledge remains, the clans and sects calculate only for themselves—not for the people, not for fate."
"The sect leaders and elders who sit atop the food chain—grow fat from consumption. There are things they simply cannot see. Or rather, refuse to see."
"When blinded by greed—Heaven's secrets are obscured."
"And once Heaven is veiled, demons from beyond and evil gods from the wilds stir in the shadows. Feeding upon human hearts—they grow, unchecked."
His voice turned icy:
"These people see only the illusion of prosperity. They don't see the rot in the roots."
"They cannot foresee the decay in karma. The corruption of hearts. The horrors waiting to be born."
"One day, these evils will destroy the Great Void's lineage."
"So long as I live—I will cut them down."
"But once I'm gone… what then?"
There was a grim, unshakable calm in the elder's words—but a deep sadness as well.
Master Xun's heart ached. He exhaled slowly.
"Senior Brother… you're being too harsh."
"There are still many powerful cultivators in this land. There will always be a way. You shouldn't dwell too much on this. Focus on healing…"
But the elder fell silent.
He said nothing more.
Master Xun didn't press him, but the worry in his eyes only deepened.
What we cannot see… is what we should fear most.
He sighed, turned, and quietly left.
Who knows how much time passed before the long-bearded elder slowly opened his eyes again.
He gently caressed a broken sword at his side, and muttered softly:
"Forgive me…"
"I'll have to ask you… to 'die' with me here."
The ancient broken sword said nothing. Silence blanketed the tomb.
The entire back mountain lay cold and empty.
In the pitch-black Sword Tomb, the elder sat cross-legged, unmoving.
All around him were broken blades, ancient chains, and a formation of swords that sealed him within the forbidden land of the Great Void—never to emerge again.
...
Meanwhile in the
Disciples' Quarters.
The "little divine beast" Mo Hua had finished "eating" the demon, digested it thoroughly, then rested for a while.
By the next morning, he was back to class like nothing ever happened.
The workings of fate were obscure, karma lay hidden.
He still didn't know that somewhere in the sect, a certain old ancestor had just been bitten by the Corpse King Mo Hua was unknowingly nurturing inside him.
Unaware, he carried on with his cultivation and his studies as usual.
But there was now one more thing added to his routine:
Taking on Grade-2 formation tasks to earn contribution points!
Master Xun had adjusted his permissions—so even though Mo Hua wasn't officially graded yet, within the Great Void Sect, at least according to the Tai Xu Token, he was already recognized as a Grade-2 Formation Master.
During his rest days (the ten-day cycle "xunxiu"), he would go on missions to capture criminal cultivators, which brought in a good chunk of contribution points.
But frankly, compared to that, drawing Grade-2 formations was a way better deal in terms of reward-to-effort ratio.
After all, he only got two days off per cycle—barely enough for one mission.
But he had eight full days of classes, and as long as he had free time, he could pick up formation tasks and earn points daily.
What's more—they weren't mutually exclusive.
He could draw formations for points during the week, and then during xunxiu, go "relax" by chasing down criminals.
Along the way, he could capture a few baddies, experiment and refine his "Iron Plate" device, maybe seize a few useful spell techniques—and still rack up contribution points.
With this two-pronged approach, he'd be earning faster and better than ever.
Now that he could take on Grade-2 tasks directly, there was no need to go through Senior Sister Murong anymore.
So Mo Hua began scrolling the Tai Xu Token, searching for missions.
He kept applying all morning—and, as expected, not a single person was willing to assign a task to him.
In the Tai Xu Token, under every disciple's name, there was a profile with task and skill records.
Mo Hua now had a new line under his name:
Grade-2 Beginner Formation Master
Beneath this title were details: how many formations he'd drawn, how many missions he had taken, how many completed—and their results.
It was a record of his achievements.
And essentially, proof of his credentials.
But under Mo Hua's "Grade-2 Beginner" record… it was completely empty.
He hadn't taken any Grade-2 formation task from the Tai Xu Token, nor had he completed any drawings of that level.
Which meant—he was the very definition of a complete newbie.
Naturally, no one wanted to hire a greenhorn to draw their valuable formations.
Mo Hua had no choice but to lower his standards again and again—from 13-rune Grade-2 arrays… down to 12… then to 11…
But his "experience" was still too thin—no one was willing to trust him with the job.
Unconvinced, Mo Hua grew stubborn.
He kept applying.
Relentlessly. Repeatedly.
Until finally—on his 30-somethingth try—he landed his first mission:
A 10-rune Grade-2 array: the Fireworks Array.
Mo Hua sighed deeply.
"Only ten runes? Man, that's so basic…"
But it was what it was. Everything has a beginning.
"Without small steps, there's no journey of a thousand miles."
If he didn't start from the bottom and build up his resume, no one would ever entrust him with higher-level formations.
Mo Hua calmed his mind, steadied his focus, and began preparing to complete…
his very first Grade-2 formation mission within the Great Void Sect.
(End of Chapter)