Chapter 740 – Conspiracy
Of course, all of this was still just a theory for now.
Mo Hua knew in his heart that this might very well be a kind of "cutting corners," a workaround that only suited his non-traditional form of "sword control."
Putting it into practice would require a great deal of effort.
How exactly should the swords be forged?
Should the traditional structure of spiritual swords be modified—and if so, how?
What were the true principles of orthodox sword control? How did they differ from his own? How did their power compare? What were the pros and cons?
Then there was the issue of sword arrays.
In most spiritual swords, the embedded sword arrays served to enhance the transformation of spiritual power into sword Qi, sharpening it like a blade and amplifying the strength of a sword cultivator's attacks.
But if Mo Hua wanted to use them, he'd have to rework the array design entirely based on the principles of sword Dao.
After all, he wasn't a sword cultivator. His own sword Qi was practically negligible—so amplifying it was useless.
Therefore, he had to discard the traditional "amplification-type" sword arrays, and instead design explosive-type sword arrays that relied on spiritual power transformations to generate powerful bursts.
The essence of the sword array would remain the same—but its application would differ.
Ordinary sword arrays were meant to transform and enhance sword Qi.
What Mo Hua needed was to transform and explode sword Qi.
Just thinking about the number of hurdles ahead made his head ache.
He could only move forward step by step.
For now, priority one was still resolving the Broken Gold Sect issue.
With a complete understanding of the Broken Gold Sword Array, Mo Hua began selecting counter-rune patterns based on the array's core principles. By combining and testing them repeatedly, he further refined the Broken Gold Armor.
He had already been working on this.
And during Cheng Mo and Song Jian's repeated duels, he had tested the armor's performance one step at a time.
So it didn't take long before Mo Hua successfully developed the true version of the Broken Gold Armor.
Over on Master Gu's side, mass production was also beginning in earnest.
Mo Hua began personally leading teams, all armored in Broken Gold Armor, sweeping across the Demon-Refining Mountain.
Even the direct disciples of the Broken Gold Sect—those who had trained in the orthodox Broken Gold Sword Control Technique—found their sword Qi severely weakened when striking Mo Hua's specially customized armor, crafted with deep insight into their foundational array structure.
In real combat, the Broken Gold Sect disciples were completely routed.
Some of them refused to accept defeat and kept coming back for revenge, but without their edge in sword Qi, they were like toothless hyenas—savagely defeated each time.
The Broken Gold Sect soon realized that the armor was the problem.
They had suspected as much before, but held their sect's sword technique in such high esteem that they never took the armor seriously.
To them, the Broken Gold Sword Technique could slice through gold and jade—nothing should be able to withstand it.
That was common knowledge among their disciples.
But after a few crushing losses, even they had to admit: the Great Void Sect's armor thoroughly countered their techniques.
In subsequent fights, they no longer aimed to win—but rather to strip the armor off the Great Void disciples.
Mo Hua quickly caught on to their intent.
After thinking it over, he told his fellow disciples in Demon-Refining Mountain:
"It's fine to lose a fight, but never lose the armor. If they try to steal it—destroy it. I'd rather see it broken than in their hands."
To be extra safe, Mo Hua also instructed Master Gu to implement some restrictions in the armor sales process:
"Only disciples of the Great Void Sect, holding the official sect token and my signed approval, may purchase 'Broken Gold Armor.'"
Inside the armor, Mo Hua had also left a little surprise.
After consulting with Master Gu and referencing the array encryption methods used in spiritual swords, he embedded self-destruct runes within the armor's internal formations.
If anyone tried to force it open—the internal array would obliterate itself.
Even if others realized there was something special hidden inside the armor, without the runes, they couldn't uncover its secrets.
Still, the Broken Gold Sect didn't give up. They launched repeated ambushes to steal the armor.
But every time they engaged head-on—they never once came out on top.
Even so, they didn't stop.
"A thief may try a thousand times, but no one can defend against him forever."
Through repeated battles and dirty tactics, the Broken Gold Sect eventually managed to seize a few sets of the armor.
…
Inside a lavish cave-dwelling of the Broken Gold Sect—
Jin Yicai sat at the head seat.
At his right sat a tall, imposing cultivator in the Broken Gold Sect's robes, his features sharp and stern with a cold glint in his eyes. He sat like an immovable mountain.
The two were seated as equals.
Below them stood Jin Gui, respectfully bowing.
He retrieved a suit of armor from his storage pouch, presented it with a slight bow, and reported:
"I arranged for several late Foundation Establishment brothers to hide their auras and blend in with the crowd. After much effort, we managed to seize three sets of this armor…"
"The first one was destroyed by the Great Void Sect disciples."
"When they saw it was about to be taken, they acted decisively—willing to be injured themselves just to destroy it."
"Someone must be instructing them behind the scenes…"
"The second and third were mostly intact—slightly damaged, but still usable. However…"
Jin Gui paused. "I had a few of our sect's artifact forgers attempt to dismantle the armor and restore the array structure, but…"
"One of them exploded on the spot. The internal framework and embedded arrays were completely destroyed."
"Just like with spiritual swords, this armor had self-destruct runes embedded in it. Clearly, the forger behind this armor had something to hide and didn't want us uncovering its secrets."
"I immediately stopped the dismantling process—preserving the final set of armor."
"I then reached out to one of the Jin Clan's Refining Elders through Young Master's connections."
"The elder was intrigued by the mention of self-destruct runes in armor and agreed to take a look."
"As expected of a high-level elder—he barely lifted a finger, and the armor was opened."
"But once it was dismantled, the elder's expression grew rather grim."
"He said this armor was clearly crafted by an expert—its design was intricate and highly customized, especially the internal formation, which was extremely unique…"
"The array was a hybrid—a blend of anti-metal, physical defense, and anti-sword effects. Though seemingly complex, it was clever in its application. Not a formal array system, but highly practical—almost like an embodiment of 'formless beating form.'"
"Most notably… the formation inside the armor perfectly countered the sword Qi transformations of our Broken Gold Sword Control Technique—as if…"
Jin Gui paused.
Jin Yicai frowned. "As if what?"
Jin Gui glanced at him, hesitant to speak.
Jin Yicai grew impatient. "Spit it out. Don't dance around it."
Jin Gui finally said:
"The elder said… it felt like the work of someone with deep knowledge of the Broken Gold Sword Array—a true formation master."
"Only someone like that could counter attack with defense, block sword with armor, and use spiritual power transformations to defeat our sword Qi transformations—producing such a deeply targeted armor…"
Jin Yicai's expression darkened.
The tall Broken Gold Sect cultivator beside him narrowed his eyes coldly.
"So the elder suspects…" Jin Yicai said flatly, "there's a traitor in our sect?"
Jin Gui bowed. "The elder didn't say for sure—it's also possible that our sword array… was leaked."
Jin Yicai snorted coldly.
"Our sword array is a sect-secret, heavily sealed. Everyone who learns it has signed a death contract. How could it leak to outsiders?"
"Unless…"
His gaze turned increasingly dangerous.
Jin Gui was confused. He asked cautiously, "Young Master, you mean…"
Jin Yicai gave a cold smile, glancing around the room.
"There are no outsiders here. I'll speak plainly."
"My Jin Clan holds the greatest power in the Broken Gold Sect—but not everyone here bears the Jin name."
"And there will always be those harboring ulterior motives."
"These people eye my Jin Clan with envy."
"They may not have leaked our sword array to outsiders—but what if they themselves created this armor to counter our techniques, for their own selfish gain?"
Jin Gui's eyes lit up in understanding. "You mean…"
He paused, then whispered cautiously:
"Song…"
Jin Yicai arched an eyebrow.
Jin Gui hesitated, visibly shaken, and found it hard to believe.
"Even if the Song Clan and our Jin Clan don't get along, they're still members of the Broken Gold Sect. Could they really collude with outsiders, secretly working with the Great Void Sect, drawing arrays for others to break our sect's sword Qi?"
"Could it be… that the Song Clan wants to use the Great Void Sect to overthrow our Jin Clan and rise to power?"
Jin Yicai's eyes turned contemplative.
"It's unclear for now—too early to say anything for certain. But… it's not impossible."
Jin Gui slowly nodded, though a question nagged at him.
"To be so skilled in our Broken Gold Sword Array—to design counter-arrays and break our sword Qi—it'd have to be a Song Clan elder, or at least someone of that level, right?"
"Would someone like that really stoop so low as to draw a mere second-grade array and forge a second-grade spiritual artifact?"
Before Jin Yicai could respond, the tall Broken Gold cultivator beside him cut in coldly:
"You know nothing."
"When it comes to formations, don't judge based on grade alone."
"What lies beyond the surface of grade rankings is the true, unfathomable depth…"
"The Dao evolves toward simplicity. A true formation master refines the complex into the simple, turns the difficult into the effortless. Even a low-grade formation, in their hands, becomes a work of profound ingenuity—far beyond what ordinary formation cultivators can grasp."
"Besides, those Great Void disciples are only mid-Foundation Establishment newbies. If not second-grade arrays, what else would they even use?"
His tone was arrogant and dismissive, looking down at Jin Gui like he was explaining the obvious to a clueless child.
Jin Gui bowed deeply, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
"Senior Brother speaks the truth!"
Jin Yicai frowned, then turned to the tall cultivator.
"Cousin, you're the formation expert. Can you tell who it was helping the Great Void Sect? Who's drawing their arrays, forging their armor, and countering our sword Qi?"
The tall man picked up the armor from the table and studied it for a while. His gaze turned solemn.
"These formation lines are like iron etched with silver hooks—smooth and practiced. Whoever did this has at least a hundred years of calligraphy refinement."
"The array hub is intricate yet well-ordered—clearly someone with profound insight into formation theory."
"Our Broken Gold Sect does have high-tier array masters, but someone with this level of control—casual yet precise, unbound by standard templates, able to command all rune types with such grace—is incredibly rare."
"And for such a master to lower themselves to crafting a mere second-grade array, and get involved in outer sect disciple affairs? That's… difficult to comprehend."
Jin Yicai sank into thought. Then a chill ran through him—his expression subtly changed.
"Could it be… there's been a leak?"
At this, the tall cultivator's face also darkened.
Jin Yicai's tone grew grave.
"Maybe the Song Clan, or perhaps some other elder within our Broken Gold Sect, caught wind of something… and so they partnered with the Great Void Sect. They're using their disciples to sabotage our plans in Demon-Refining Mountain—and looking for a chance to bring down the Jin Clan."
"Cousin," Jin Yicai's face paled slightly, "this must never get out… If it does, I'm finished…"
The tall cultivator's voice was low and steady.
"Don't worry. Even if you committed a sky-reaching sin, your uncle and aunt would clean up the mess for you."
"No, you don't understand." Jin Yicai's expression turned ugly, his eyes full of resentment.
"My father hates me."
"He used to be the Vice Sect Master. He waited seventy years—and in less than ten more, he'd have ascended to Sect Master."
"But because of what happened before, he lost his chance."
"The Jin Clan pulled strings and covered up what I did, but that came at a cost. My father's promotion was put on hold indefinitely."
"Now the upper ranks of the Broken Gold Sect—the various families, even elders within our Jin Clan—are all holding each other back. My father's advancement is basically dead in the water…"
"And he blames it all on me. Says it's my fault he's not the Sect Master."
Jin Yicai's face twisted.
"He never once considered—if he truly had the ability, he'd have advanced long ago during those seventy years."
"Who knows what he was doing all that time? Now that he got stuck at the final step, it's somehow my fault I ruined his grand plans?"
"And really, was it even my fault?"
His gaze turned venomous.
"If that bastard Gu Changhuai hadn't stuck his nose in—if he hadn't caught me red-handed and listed my crimes to the Dao Court—I wouldn't have fallen this far! I wouldn't be getting scolded by my father every day, or humiliated like this, locked up in this cave!"
"The irony is laughable…" Jin Yicai let out a cold laugh.
"My father and the rest of them always say things like 'mortals are ants,' 'life is cheap,' 'for the good of the clan, treat others like cattle.' And they say we, the Jin Clan, are born superior, above all others."
"Well, I believed them. I treated lives like grass. I was superior. I merely had a few dogs kill some worthless people, refine a few cauldrons of pills—I didn't even get my hands dirty…"
"And now my father and grandfather act all righteous, accusing me of having the wrong temperament, of straying from the proper path?"
Jin Yicai sneered, his tone dripping with disdain.
"What a joke!"
The tall cultivator's pupils contracted slightly, and he said calmly:
"Do not speak ill of the elders in front of outsiders."
He glanced toward Jin Gui.
Jin Gui immediately lowered his head, pretending he'd heard nothing.
He knew full well—despite having the surname "Jin," he wasn't really one of them. In their eyes, he was barely above a workhorse.
Jin Yicai also realized he had said too much—but his face remained cold, unwilling to back down.
Still, toward this cousin of his—someone who had grown up with him, steady yet ruthless—he felt a mix of kinship and reverence.
"Cousin, what should we do now?" Jin Yicai looked stricken.
"My father already treats me like a disgrace. If I cause another major scandal… he'll beat me to death for sure!"
Seeing Jin Yicai's panic and fear, the tall cultivator narrowed his eyes and gave a slow nod.
"Then let's not act rashly. Lie low for now and move in secret."
"As for the Great Void Sect… we'll settle the score later."
"Good!" Jin Yicai growled.
"And also Gu Changhuai and that damn Gu Clan!"
His eyes gleamed with vicious hatred.
"The day I was arrested, it wasn't just Gu Changhuai and his dogs—there was also a little punk from the Great Void Sect. He used some disgusting Water Prison Technique!"
"If it hadn't been for that water prison, I might have gotten away that day!"
"I've been stuck in this cave ever since. I haven't even had the chance to send anyone to investigate that brat's background—I don't even know which noble house he belongs to."
"But next time I see him, I'll cut that Water Prison runt into a thousand pieces to vent my hatred!"
"No, a thousand cuts is too kind…"
Jin Yicai's voice dropped into a chilling whisper.
"I'll sacrifice him alive. Feed him to the Demon-Refining Diagram. Let ten thousand demonic beasts tear him apart. Let corrupt energies gnaw at his heart. Let him die in agony, bit by bit—soul shattered, never to reincarnate!"
His once-handsome face twisted grotesquely.
The tall cultivator shook his head slightly.
This cousin of his—his desire for vengeance was too excessive.
With a temperament this extreme, wearing emotions on his face, how could he possibly stay calm in times of crisis?
Did he really think cultivation was that easy?
If he hadn't been born into power, with a high-ranking father and a doting, overindulgent mother—he would've died a hundred times over by now.
Still… he was useful. In fact, very useful.
Wearing his Broken Gold Sect robes, the tall and imposing cultivator silently glanced at Jin Yicai beside him, eyes dark and thoughtful.
...
"…Did the Broken Gold Sect… just wimp out?"
"The Broken Gold Sect chickened out?"
Inside the Great Void Sect, Mo Hua was genuinely surprised.
Cheng Mo nodded.
"Yeah, they turned into a bunch of turtle-heads. Haven't dared to show their faces."
He said this while gnawing on a giant pork knuckle.
It was lunchtime, and a group of disciples was noisily gathered in the dining hall, happily devouring spiritual dishes.
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
Something felt… off.
This wasn't like the Broken Gold Sect at all.
He'd assumed they were the petty, vengeful type who would fight him to the bitter end.
Even if they couldn't win, he expected them to keep being a pain, pestering him out of spite.
He hadn't expected them to just… back down like this.
"Let's give it some time. Be on guard—this could be a trick," Mo Hua warned.
"Got it!" Cheng Mo nodded.
Over the next stretch of time, Demon-Refining Mountain remained calm. Not a single Broken Gold disciple came to provoke them.
Only then did Mo Hua start to believe it was real—the Broken Gold Sect really seemed to have given up on fighting the Great Void Sect over Demon-Refining Mountain.
Of course, there was one notable exception.
Song Jian.
One day, while Mo Hua was entering the mountain, Song Jian showed up with seven or eight followers to ambush him.
But Mo Hua wasn't particularly worried.
Now that the Great Void Sect held the outer region of Demon-Refining Mountain, all Mo Hua had to do was whistle, and he could summon seventeen or eighteen disciples in a flash.
Besides, even seven or eight mid-Foundation cultivators couldn't stop him.
Song Jian pointed at Mo Hua, seething with anger:
"I know now. Your name is Mo Hua!"
"You're the one who stole my Broken Gold Sword!"
"That big oaf Cheng Mo was never the ringleader—it's you!"
"You're their 'Senior Brother'!"
Mo Hua raised an eyebrow—surprised.
Huh. Maybe this idiot wasn't quite as dumb as he looked.
"And…?" Mo Hua asked.
Song Jian roared:
"Give me back my Broken Gold Sword or you're dead!"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and asked:
"If I return your sword, will you stop bothering me?"
Song Jian had been about to yell, "No way in hell!"
After all, the grudge between them was deep.
But… the spiritual sword was still in Mo Hua's hands, and given the situation, he had no choice but to yield a little.
So he forced back his anger and replied:
"Return the sword, and I'll let the past go. Our feud ends there."
"Sure!" Mo Hua agreed cheerfully.
Honestly, he hadn't planned to give it back.
But thinking it over—he'd used Song Jian's sword Qi to deduce the Broken Gold Sword Array, and even tested his armor's effectiveness on the guy.
Whether Song Jian knew it or not, he'd been very helpful.
So, as thanks, Mo Hua figured he should give a little something in return.
He tossed a chunk of black, bent, chipped, and utterly ruined scrap metal to Song Jian.
"Here. It's yours."
Song Jian caught the scrap and exploded in rage.
"I asked for my Broken Gold Sword! What the hell is this?!"
Mo Hua sighed, then delivered the cruel truth:
"That is your Broken Gold Sword…"
Song Jian looked down and saw the familiar sword runes still barely visible on the blade. And the feel of it in his grip—it resonated with him, like an extension of his soul.
He was struck like a bolt of lightning.
"That is your Broken Gold Sword…"
Those words echoed in his ears again and again.
He stood there frozen, face ashen, like a weather-worn stone statue that refused to fall.
Then—when he snapped out of it—he exploded with rage.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!"
He raised the broken sword and looked around wildly, but Mo Hua was nowhere to be seen.
He was long gone.
Song Jian's fury surged, his whole body trembling. He threw his head back and roared with everything he had:
"DAMN YOU, MO HUA! IN THIS LIFE AND THE NEXT, WE ARE SWORN ENEMIES!!"
"I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!!"
His howling echoed for a long time through Demon-Refining Mountain.
Mo Hua, casually strolling between the peaks, heard it—but didn't give it much thought.
Song Jian's cultivation wasn't bad, and his swordsmanship was decent.
But compared to someone who had dissected the Fire Buddha, he just didn't measure up.
If Mo Hua really wanted to mess with him, there were countless ways.
Still, while Song Jian was a Broken Gold disciple and had his share of arrogance, he wasn't exactly a monster.
He liked bullying the weak, sure, but he hadn't done anything truly unforgivable—yet.
If he ever did step onto that path and was foolish enough to challenge Mo Hua again…
Then Mo Hua wouldn't be so polite next time.
But that was a problem for the future.
Right now, he had more important things to do.
Currently, a large chunk of Demon-Refining Mountain's outer region was under Great Void Sect control.
Mo Hua was up in the mountains to practice a new technique:
"Divine Sense Sword Control."
He wanted to test the power, speed, and range of his divine sense-guided sword control.
Then, based on the results, he would forge a proper flying sword tailored to the technique.
It was the rest day of the ten-day cycle, and Mo Hua had woken up early, carrying a few busted swords he'd scavenged from Master Gu.
He headed straight for Demon-Refining Mountain—
(End of Chapter)