Chapter 1055: Slaughter

Inside the great hall, piles of white bones, mountains of human skin, and rivers of blood—some seventy to eighty cultists clad in demonic robes with grotesque faces were frantically at work.

Some were drawing array diagrams, others controlling array pivots, some repairing array inscriptions, others rushing to fill in the array formations; still others specialized in mixing blood ink and refining bone-and-flesh array mediums.

These demonic arrayists, like the "worker ants" of a hive, worked with practiced coordination, sustaining the great array's operation and continuously advancing the demonic array's progress—Mo Hua watched in silent alarm.

This demonic array required so many demonic arrayists to construct and maintain, indicating its scale must be immense.

Arrayists are inherently difficult to cultivate.

The demonic arrayists before him moved with mastery and experience—clearly all were "experts" in array arts.

To secretly recruit and nurture so many elite demonic arrayists could not possibly be the work of a day or a night.

Countless hours, immense effort, and boundless devotion must have been poured into it.

Moreover, cultivating demonic arrayists requires generating massive "karmic slaughter."

Only by committing vast slaughter can one obtain enough human blood, flesh, bone, skin, and hair to serve as materials for practicing demonic arrays.

Not to mention the mountains and seas of corpses and blood now stockpiled here for constructing this array.

This Mr. Tu plots grandly, harbors great ambition, and has committed immense slaughter.

Mo Hua's gaze turned icy, yet he did not act rashly—he instead recalled another question:

"These demonic arrayists before me are all second-grade—where are the third-grade demonic arrayists?"

Such a massive demonic array could not possibly lack third-grade arrayists.

Of course, fourth-grade ones might not be here.

After all, this is the Luoshan Prefecture of third-grade status; the demonic array's grade cannot exceed third-grade.

One fourth-grade demonic arrayist—Mr. Tu—should be sufficient.

Even third-grade demonic arrayists are likely few in number.

Constructing a third-grade array within a third-grade prefecture is prohibitively costly.

Worse still, this is a demonic array, built near Qian Xue territory, under the watchful eyes of sects and clans—constructing a "pure third-grade" demonic array means slaughtering vast numbers of Jin Dan cultivators, which is impossible.

Breaking through to Jin Dan is hard; Jin Dan cultivators are few, and most possess strong cultivation, making them difficult to kill.

But compared to them, Foundation Establishment cultivators are numerous, and Qi Condensation cultivators are as countless as hairs.

Thus, according to Mo Hua's guess, this demonic array likely has only a small core central mechanism at third-grade level.

Beyond that, the vast majority of its array structures are filled with second-grade and even up to first-grade array inscriptions and pivots.

This is precisely what Elder Zheng once explained—the principle of "downgraded inscription compatibility."

Right

Demonic and orthodox arrays differ, but many foundational principles are interconnected.

Using "downgraded inscription compatibility" to "reduce cost and increase efficiency," lowering the array's threshold and construction difficulty, thereby advancing its implementation.

This is the "practical" approach to transforming abstract array diagrams into tangible arrays.

Even demonic arrays are no exception.

This Mr. Tu is a demonic master arrayist of profound attainment.

Mo Hua felt a flicker of wariness.

"Mr. Tu, and the third-grade demonic arrayists—"

Mo Hua's thoughts shifted slightly, and he grew even more cautious, beginning to patrol the great hall along a series of array corridors carved into the stone walls.

Around him drifted blood-colored demonic malevolences.

The corridors were lined with demonic array pivots pulsing with demonic power, and array defenses every three steps with warnings, every five steps with killing arrays.

To others, this was an untouchable "forbidden zone."

But to Mo Hua, it felt like "a fish in water."

He moved like a "ghost," unseen and unheard, drifting through the demonic array pivot hall, probing the environment and the overall array layout.

The entire array pivot hall was vast and structurally complex.

Mo Hua wandered for a long time but found not a single trace of "Mr. Tu."

Yet he discovered another, more secret array chamber.

Inside this chamber, a third-grade demonic array was drawn; four demonic arrayists, their demonic aura far more intense, wore bone masks and communicated with the array pivots via spiritual awareness, controlling the flow of demonic power within the great array.

Before them sat several bone cups.

Inside the cups floated blood.

In the blood floated a deformed, still-living, constantly rotating black-red eye.

The four demonic arrayists were exerting all their strength to manipulate the pivots.

But this manipulation was excruciatingly difficult, consuming immense spiritual awareness—soon their faces turned deathly pale, their eye sockets sunken, as if drained dry.

At that moment, one exhausted third-grade demonic arrayist removed his bone mask, revealing a sinister, grotesque face.

He then walked to the table, lifted the blood-cup filled with the eye, and drank it down in one gulp.

A flash of bloodlight crossed his face—his complexion visibly improved, his spiritual awareness instantly replenished.

Yet the madness in his gaze deepened further, radiating a strange excitement and fervor.

Then he put the bone mask back on and resumed his full concentration, reconnecting with the pivot to sustain the array's operation—Mo Hua watched in silent shock.

Demonic arrayists truly were a perverse path—everything they did reeked of demonic strangeness.

He wondered what kind of eye that was, and what flavor the blood wine might have.

Mo Hua watched the four for a while,

assessed the situation, and decided they were currently too dangerous to provoke.

But those second-grade demonic arrayists in the great hall—

Mo Hua's gaze flickered, and a plan slowly formed in his mind.

He silently retraced his steps, passing through the array-pivot corridor, and returned to the cave.

Inside the cave, the atmosphere was heavy.

Cheng Mo and the other Grand Void Gate disciples waited anxiously, fearing some misfortune had befallen Mo Hua.

Even the disciples of other sects now felt some concern for Mo Hua's safety.

Of course, they were not worried about Mo Hua himself, but about whether they could survive and escape the great array without him.

Amid this tense atmosphere, a shadow flickered through the void, and Mo Hua materialized.

Everyone exhaled silently in relief.

Sister Situ asked, "Senior Brother, how did it go?"

Mo Hua nodded. "I've roughly figured out the situation—"

He pulled out a sheet of paper, drew a simple terrain map, and marked a route. "Here is the array-pivot corridor,

at the end of which lies a grand hall, where seventy or eighty evil array masters are drawing evil arrays—"

"I'll lead you in," Mo Hua's gaze gleamed with sharpness. "Strike together—kill all seventy or eighty evil array masters!"

Everyone froze. "Kill them all?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Kill them all. Not one left alive."

Mo Hua remembered the teachings of the late "Mr. Pi" in the Solitary Mountain Tomb:

"When doing anything, among a group, there should ideally be only one array master."

"And that array master should best be yourself."

Among the disciples of the Si Sect, Eight Gates, and Twelve Streams, there were indeed array masters.

But these array masters were ordinary disciples, ignorant of great arrays, posing no threat to him.

But the "evil array masters" under Master Tu were different—they would certainly become a threat to him.

If these evil array masters had not crossed paths with him, fine.

But now that they had, they had brought misfortune upon themselves for eight generations.

Best to kill them all; if not all, then kill as many as possible.

The fewer evil array masters, the less threat they posed to him.

Good and evil cannot coexist; those who walk the same path are destined enemies.

With these two causal factors, these evil array masters had only one path: death.

"Strike covertly, move swiftly, strike hard, kill with one blow," Mo Hua said gravely. "These evil array masters have amassed great sins and aid the wicked—they must die."

"Whether we can eliminate these evil array masters is crucial to containing the evil array, and to our own survival."

Mo Hua's expression turned solemn.

Most

heavenly prodigies, aware of the gravity, nodded.

Only a few heavenly prodigies, accustomed to arrogance, paid little heed.

Mo Hua knew different people had different temperaments—some needed coaxing, others needed provocation.

Mo Hua spoke coldly again:

"You are all heavenly prodigies of the Geda Sects. You won't fail to kill seventy or eighty evil array masters, will you?"

"Don't make me look down on you."

At once, all the heavenly prodigies stiffened, their expressions turning serious.

No one wished to lose face, let alone be looked down upon by Mo Hua.

They had already been defeated by Mo Hua—if he now looked down on them, this humiliation would be unbearable.

"Good."

Mo Hua nodded, then took out the map and began planning, assigning personnel.

After arranging everything, Mo Hua entered the cave first and "cleaned" it again, eliminating all evil spirits to ensure absolute safety.

Then, within the array-pivot corridor, he deciphered array patterns, melted stone walls, opened several passages, and set up silence arrays and concealment arrays to mask their movements.

Concealment, stealth, reconnaissance, then luring the "wolf" into the den.

Mo Hua was thoroughly familiar with such tasks—he had done them countless times since childhood, and could do them blindfolded without error.

Finally, using his spiritual sense to guide ink, he quietly painted a "Spirit Mist Array" on the outer door of the array-pivot hall—blocking sound, blocking spiritual energy, even shielding against spiritual sense probing.

Thus, the entire hall became "cut off from the world."

The other four Jin Dan evil array masters were also sealed outside.

For a short while, no one would know what transpired inside the hall.

With all preparations complete, Mo Hua issued the "slaughter order."

Hundreds of heavenly prodigy disciples from the Si Sect, Eight Gates, and Twelve Streams followed Mo Hua's hidden passages straight into the array-pivot hall, using concealment arrays to take positions at each corner, surrounding the entire hall with no escape.

Then, at Mo Hua's command, the slaughter began.

Around the hall, where all had seemed normal, figures suddenly appeared like divine troops descending from heaven—in an instant, the hall was flooded with the silhouettes of water-element heavenly prodigies.

Following them came superior water-fire five-element spells, exquisite sword arts of the Si Sect and Eight Gates, and a barrage of spiritual weapons: hundred-needle darts, coin daggers, flying knives, sleeve arrows, plum-blossom darts. Alongside them surged body cultivators—some like adamant, some like mountains, some like tigers, some like azure dragons—crashing down with devastating fists and kicks. The disciples of the Si Sect, Eight Gates, and Twelve Streams all bore elite lineages.

All present were top-tier heavenly prodigies, each deploying unique, intricate, and deadly techniques with astonishing power.

Within the "secure" array-pivot hall, protected by the Heaven's Blood Sacrifice Array,

the evil array masters, busy constructing their arrays, never imagined that while the outer defenses remained intact, enemies had already breached their very lair.

Caught utterly off guard, each evil array master was slaughtered by spells, sword arts, and body cultivators—some disemboweled by sword qi, some burned by flames, some pierced through the chest by iron fists, dying instantly—karma returns.

Now, these wicked evil array masters faced their retribution.

Some evil array masters, quick-witted, reacted instantly as the slaughter began—cutting off fingers, biting tongues, gouging eyes, disemboweling themselves—trying to trigger karmic resonance, stir blood qi, and activate their life-saving evil arrays.

But their movements escaped none of Mo Hua's spiritual perception.

Mo Hua's fingers tapped rapidly; fireballs streaked like a rain of flame, interrupting the actions of these demonic array masters.

One demonic array master's expression turned furious—he dared to look toward Mo Hua.

But they did not know that doing so was no different from seeking death.

Mo Hua stood motionless; his eyes flashed with Jin Guang, and the Seven Souls' Grand Void Sword Prison pierced through his gaze, paralyzing their souls with terror, rendering them frozen in place.

Amid the chaos, other sect prodigies seized the opportunity to strike with a single sword thrust, ending the lives of these demonic array masters.

Some demonic array masters, skilled in arraycraft, still activated their demonic arrays through unfathomable means.

Blood spread across the ground, summoning white bones that formed into arrays.

The demonic array masters gathered together, using the demonic array as cover to reorganize and resist the prodigies' slaughter.

But the next instant, golden and crimson spiritual ink began to spread across the floor, and almost instantly, a Rank-Two High-grade Killing Array—the Golden Light Earth Fire Reversal Array—formed, surrounding the demonic array masters with a larger, more powerful array.

Then, the killing array erupted.

Jin Guang shattered the white bones; Earth Fire burned the blood to ash.

The white bone demonic array was broken.

The demonic array masters had never seen such divine-level array formation and destruction—faces filled with terror, the slaughter knives of the Qian Academy prodigies struck them down. Thus, under Mo Hua's command and control, a brutal yet covert "slaughter" of the demonic array masters unfolded within the hall.

Not long after, the battle ceased.

The once blood-red demonic array hall now lay strewn with corpses, blood flowing like rivers.

Yet this time, the blood flowing was not that of innocent cultivators, but of these demonic array masters who had aided evil.

Nearly eighty demonic array masters were utterly slaughtered.

The Mr. Tu had spent untold time, devised countless plans, poured in endless effort to carefully cultivate this large force of demonic array masters—now, by sheer misfortune, Mo Hua and the Qian Academy prodigies wiped them all out, not one left.

It was a clean, decisive, overwhelming slaughter.

It seemed brutal, yet in truth, it was easy.

The prodigies of the Si Sect, Seven Gates, and Twelve Streams stared in stunned silence at the utterly annihilated demonic array masters.

They knew well that these demonic array masters, though cut down like melons and vegetables,

were not "weak."

On the contrary, as demonic array masters, most were treacherous and cruel, possessing sinister techniques that, if unleashed, would bring endless calamity.

Had Mo Hua not probed their strength beforehand, planned meticulously, used arrays for cover and spells for support, this battle—even if won—would have cost many lives and would not have proceeded so smoothly. Mo Hua had calculated everything, prepared every array, anticipated every contingency, and all they needed to do was strike at the designated time—

and kill.

Nothing else required their attention.

If there was an anomaly, Mo Hua would warn them.

If there was a hidden strike, Mo Hua would interrupt it.

If there was an array, Mo Hua would break it.

Even some hard targets, difficult enemies—Mo Hua merely needed to "look" at them, and they could be killed.

It was as easy as eating and drinking.

The prodigies were struck with stunned realization:

So this is what it feels like to be Mo Hua's teammate?

It was truly worlds apart from facing him as an opponent.

As for the fate of those who opposed Mo Hua—

They looked again at the corpses strewn across the hall, the blood flowing like rivers, and their hearts trembled.

These demonic array masters before them might well be the fate of those who defied Mo Hua.

They died without even knowing how. The Qian Academy prodigies fell silent, their limbs suddenly cold.

On the other side, Mo Hua, unaware of their thoughts, had already begun skillfully organizing the "clean-up":

"Don't let your guard down—after chaos, always finish off the wounded."

"Anyone lying on the ground—don't miss one. Give each a final slash, use spells or sword qi—ensure they're truly dead."

"Then collect all their storage bags."

"Don't overlook any array diagrams or array texts."

"Some demonic cultivators forge bones and teeth into storage containers—check them all. If anything seems odd,

smash their teeth, break their bones."

"Also, open the heart—some forge artifacts within the heart—"

Mo Hua spoke calmly, generously sharing his lifetime's "experience."

The prodigies of the various sects stood frozen in place.

They silently stared at Mo Hua—his delicate, fair features, his face like a painted scroll—and felt their inner chill deepen.

Mo Hua frowned: "What are you all staring at? Hurry up and do as I said—"

This was inside a demonic array—time was urgent; who knew what sudden threats or terrifying cultivators might appear?

Why waste time gawking when you should be scavenging every second?

How could these disciples of the Si Sect, Seven Gates, and Twelve Streams have no sense of urgency? Mo Hua muttered inwardly.

While they spoke, the Grand Void Gate disciples were already following Mo Hua's instructions—finishing off the wounded, scavenging, prying teeth, breaking bones, and opening chests for treasures. After all, having long followed this little senior brother, they had acquired some experience.

The disciples of other sects, after a moment of silence, sighed helplessly and, following Mo Hua's orders and imitating the Grand Void Gate disciples, began scavenging the demonic array masters' remains.

Indeed, some demonic array masters were feigning death.

He had apparently used some "Turtle Breath" technique, masking himself among corpses and blood qi—no one had noticed.

He seemed to have employed some "Turtle Breathing" technique, using other bodies and blood qi to conceal himself, leaving no one to detect him.

But once subjected to a "finishing blow," it's entirely different.

The evil array master had a sword plunged through his chest; his heart meridian was about to be severed, and he could no longer endure it—he leapt up, intending to strike back, but Mo Hua trapped him with a Water Prison spell, and other disciples hacked him to death with chaotic swords.

At this point, the prodigies of each sect became even more convinced by Mo Hua's words.

They began to carry out his "finishing blow" measures diligently, systematically searching each one as Mo Hua had instructed.

There were even "cross-checks."

Each evil array master would receive at least three finishing blows and body searches from prodigies of different sects.

Under these conditions, it was nearly impossible for any to slip through—even treasure array diagrams were unlikely to be missed.

Not long after, a large pile of "loot" had been laid out before Mo Hua.

It included spirit stones, evil pills, evil weapons, evil arrays, and other evil items.

It also contained many jade slips, array texts, and array diagrams related to evil array techniques.

Mo Hua nodded, quite satisfied.