Chapter 1160

Yang Jiyong, hearing this, was stunned and immediately grabbed Mo Hua, his voice trembling:

"You can't just say things like that—"

If the Great Wilderness Sect truly rebelled, that might not be so bad.

But if the Great Wilderness Sect hasn't rebelled, and Mo Hua says this, and it spreads, it's slander against the Dao Court's direct-affiliated sects, undermining military morale— the charge is extremely serious.

And how could the Great Wilderness Sect possibly rebel? How would they dare?

The Dao Court's power is simply too great; if the Great Wilderness Sect rebelled, are they trying to die?

Mo Hua shook his head. "I don't fully understand the specifics, but the Great Wilderness Sect has almost certainly rebelled—and very likely will launch a mutiny tonight."

Otherwise, Yang Jiyong's yintang wouldn't show the sign of death.

Yang Jiyong frowned deeply and stared hard at Mo Hua.

In his mind, Mo Hua would never lie—but to truly believe it, he still couldn't quite bring himself to.

To suddenly claim the Great Wilderness Sect would mutiny,

and that it would happen precisely tonight.

Yet Mo Hua's expression was utterly solemn.

Time was short; Yang Jiyong couldn't decide, so he said: "Come with me—we'll go speak to Brother Yi."

He couldn't make this decision himself.

Mo Hua nodded.

Yang Jiyong led Mo Hua to Yang Jishan's tent.

Yang Jishan was handling military affairs; upon hearing Yang Jiyong's words, he was both shocked and terrified, staring at Mo Hua in disbelief:

"Really?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Highly likely."

Yang Jishan frowned. "How do you know?"

"I—" Mo Hua fell silent for a moment, then decided to reveal a bit of secret knowledge: "I've studied a little of the Heavenly Mechanism and Cause-Effect Art."

"Heavenly Mechanism and Cause-Effect?"

Yang Jishan's expression changed; Yang Jiyong was even more stunned. The Heavenly Mechanism and Cause-Effect Art—this ethereal, obscure, nearly extinct lineage—was something ordinary cultivators could never encounter, let alone learn.

Even within the Yang family, the high-level cultivators who understood Cause-Effect Art were few and far between.

And every one of those cultivators had centuries of cultivation experience, had weathered countless trials, and only after accumulating profound Daoist insights could they grasp fragments of Heavenly Mechanism and comprehend a hint of Cause-Effect.

How could Mo Hua, a boy barely twenty, have such experience? Where had he learned Cause-Effect?

Yang Jiyong looked utterly confused.

Yang Jishan found it hard to believe too.

Mo Hua said: "I really can do it."

Yang Jishan paused, then shook his head. "Even if you truly can do Cause-Effect—"

He hesitated slightly, then spoke honestly: "Actually, most cultivators don't know—before the Dao Court launches a large-scale military campaign, high-level experts always perform divinations to foretell Heavenly Mechanism. Even now, among the high-ranking officers accompanying the army—"

—there is an Yu Hua–level grand strategist who understands Cause-Effect—"

After speaking, Yang Jishan regarded Mo Hua with careful scrutiny.

His implication: Cause-Effect Art isn't something only you know—the Dao Army's high command, Yu Hua–level grand strategists, know it too.

If a mutiny were coming, those Yu Hua–level grand strategists would have foreseen the Cause-Effect.

But you—a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator—calculated it?

Mo Hua was stunned.

This had caught him off guard.

Indeed, the cultivation world was vast, with countless talented individuals; many advanced skills weren't unique to him.

But the problem was—he had genuinely foreseen the ominous sign.

Then why hadn't the Yu Hua–level grand strategists shown any reaction at all?

Had he miscalculated?

Mo Hua glanced at Yang Jishan and noticed Yang Jishan's yintang was faintly gray—another sign of impending death.

But since Yang Jishan was a Jin Dan commander with higher cultivation, his chances of survival were greater, so his death sign was shallower than Yang Jiyong's.

Yet even so, as time passed, Yang Jishan's death sign was slowly deepening.

It couldn't be wrong!

Mo Hua's heart sank instantly; his gaze turned profoundly serious as he told Yang Jishan:

"I don't know the overall situation of the Dao Army, but Commander Yang, you and Brother Yang are in mortal danger—you must find a way to save yourselves!"

When a person is destined to die, they will die.

If you don't try to save yourself now, even the heavens cannot reverse it.

Mo Hua truly feared that Yang Jishan and Yang Jiyong would follow the same path as Elder Ji and Manager Wang of Xiaoyi City—dying in the mutiny.

Yang Jishan frowned deeply.

He could tell Mo Hua genuinely cared about his life and death, and spoke with absolute sincerity—no lies.

But this matter—

Yang Jishan looked at Mo Hua and suddenly felt a jolt of shock.

He realized that when Mo Hua was serious, his aura was utterly different from before.

Previously, Mo Hua had been a bright-eyed, cheerful, approachable boy.

But now, in the darkness, as he spoke of Heavenly Mechanism, his aura had become profound and heavy; his eyes radiated an unfathomable depth, and in every glance, Cause-Effect seemed to flow.

Yang Jishan's heart trembled.

He had seen this aura only on the high-ranking members of families who orchestrated affairs from behind the scenes.

Who exactly is this young brother?

Yang Jishan's thoughts returned to Nan Yue City; he pondered for a long time but still found no clue.

Past memories seemed shrouded in mist, forbidden to be glimpsed, not even a single thread of evidence remaining.

Just then, the night wind howled over Fengbo Ridge.

The chilling wind pierced through the tent, making the lantern flames flicker.

The crimson glow reflected on Mo Hua's face, like flowing blood.

Outside the tent lay Fengbo Ridge, jagged and grotesque, like walking corpses and ghostly specters.

Seeing this scene, Yang Jishan's heart jolted—the Mists of Heavenly Mechanism momentarily dispersed.

Suddenly, an image surfaced in his mind.

The sky was obscured by blood-red haze; across mountains and plains, zombies filled the land—like the undead of Avici Hell—howling and roaring, shaking heaven and earth.

Among the ten thousand corpses stood a sovereign, tall and majestic, radiating a terrifying, brutal aura.

Yet at this moment, this terrifying king of the dead was kneeling.

He knelt before a young cultivator who looked no older than ten or eleven.

At the same time, all the zombies across the land knelt prostrate.

The Corpse King knelt, the Iron Corpses submitted, ten thousand corpses paid homage.

And the young cultivator the Corpse King knelt before had features as delicate as a painting, yet bore profound authority—he was unmistakably the boy before him.

It was… Mo Hua.

Like a bolt of lightning splitting the sky, it rang through his mind.

Yang Jishan remembered everything; at last, he recalled who Mo Hua was.

He was that strange boy who had quelled the zombie plague in Nan Yue City, who at the critical moment made the Corpse King kneel and ten thousand zombies submit.

Yang Jishan's heart surged with tumultuous waves; his entire body trembled uncontrollably.

How could he have forgotten such an important matter? How could he possibly forget?

Yet after a moment, the battle-hardened Yang Jishan maintained calm despite the intense emotional surge.

Now was not the time to dwell on this.

If Mo Hua truly was that boy who subdued the Corpse King all those years ago, then his words could not be false.

Whether or not Dahuang Sect would truly mutiny, at the very least, he must prepare fully.

Yang Jishan wore a solemn expression as he said to Yang Jiyong:

"Issue orders: have all soldiers in the camp don armor, activate the formation, stand fully alert, prepare for enemy attack—"

Then, with a solemn face, he added, "I'm going to the main camp to seek the Commander-in-Chief's opinion."

He was merely a third-grade Jin Dan commander, authorized only to command the soldiers under his own camp.

He had no authority to decide the overall strategy of the Dao Soldiers.

Even if Dahuang Sect truly rebelled, he must still report to the higher-ups—only the Liu Yuhua-level Commanders-in-Chief could deliberate, decide, and issue orders.

"Yes!"

Yang Jiyong said grimly, relaying Yang Jishan's orders.

The Yang family cultivators in the camp, who had just rested, immediately began donning armor and gripping spears once more, going on alert.

Yang Jishan walked the perimeter, confirming the camp's defenses were in order.

Only then did he prepare to depart for the main camp.

But just as he was about to move, Mo Hua suddenly grabbed his arm.

Yang Jishan froze, turning to look at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua wore a solemn expression and shook his head.

Yang Jishan realized something—he extended his spiritual sense and discovered, amid the howling wind, countless shadowy figures lurking in the night of Fengbo Ridge,

crawling like ghosts along the ground, inching slowly toward the camp.

Their direction of approach was precisely the Dahuang Sect's encampment.

Their timing was perfect—they clearly knew the Dao Soldiers' marching routines inside and out.

Their armor also bore hidden formation arrays.

Had he not been forewarned, there would have been no defense against them.

Yang Jishan looked at Mo Hua, astonished not only that Mo Hua's words were true, but also that this Foundation Establishment cultivator's spiritual sense was keener than his own Jin Dan level—detecting the ambush several breaths before he had.

Yang Jishan waved his hand.

Yang Jiyong understood, turning to issue orders: "Execute the plan."

Within the Yang family camp, soldiers sank into concealment.

Not long after, a formation's glow flared—a Dahuang Sect infiltrator was sliced cleanly in half, blood scent spreading.

The previously stagnant night instantly turned deadly; the clamor of battle erupted like thunder.

"Enemy attack!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

The slaughter erupted—within an instant, blood stained the darkness.

In the night, no one knew who was killing, who was dying—who had been beheaded by a sword, pierced through the heart by a spear, or shredded by formations—limbs lay scattered everywhere.

Black and red merged; murderous intent boiled over.

In this tense slaughter, Yang Jishan had no time to send word to the main camp.

And he had no need to send word, for soon after, the Great Desert Sect's full-scale mutiny began.

On Windstorm Ridge, the ground was densely packed with Great Desert Sect cultivators.

They turned their blades against the Dao Court's troops.

As the warfire spread with the cold desert wind, it erupted across the battlefield in the span of mere blinks.

And the battle was extraordinarily fierce.

From the moment the mutiny began, it surged straight into a white-hot frenzy.

Yang Jishan also encountered a Great Desert Sect Jin Dan cultivator and was locked in mortal combat.

Yang Jiyong and his men were also caught in a grueling struggle.

Fortunately, Mo Hua had warned them in advance and had set up a marching formation as a barrier, preventing the situation from collapsing entirely.

Otherwise, with the Great Desert Sect striking unexpectedly and secretly, the other Dao Court troops might have fared unknown, but Yang Jishan, Yang Jiyong, and the entire Yang family company would surely have been doomed.

After fighting and entangling for a while, the situation reached a stalemate.

Yang Jishan was held fast by a Great Desert Sect Jin Dan cultivator; the two were locked in a brutal, evenly matched duel.

Mo Hua broke his usual restraint and exerted a sliver of spiritual sense, using the Shocking Divine Eye Technique to stun the Great Desert Sect Jin Dan for several breaths.

In a life-or-death battle, those few breaths were enough to decide fate.

By the time the Great Desert Sect Jin Dan regained his senses, his chest had already been pierced through by Yang Jishan's spear.

In Dao Court combat, one looks first to the commander, second to the troops.

In a third-grade battlefield, Jin Dan are the commanders, Foundation Establishment are the troops.

Once a Jin Dan dies, the command is lost, the top combat power is gone, and the remaining Great Desert Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators' strength plummets.

Yang Jishan jabbed his spear, killing several Great Desert Sect cultivators, then moved like a whirlwind, charging and slashing repeatedly, shattering the remaining group of Great Desert Sect cultivators.

The Yang family's encampment crisis eased slightly.

But before anyone could catch their breath, a dazzling blade of light suddenly flared across the night sky, its overwhelming might spreading like a mountain crashing and ocean roaring.

Mo Hua's heart tightened; he looked up and saw the pitch-black night sky lit as bright as day.

Above, a cultivator stepped through the air, pure white blade-light flaring like wings around him, brilliant and ethereal, like a celestial immortal.

Walking through the air!

Yu Hua True Person!

This was Yu Hua—true power.

This Yu Hua cultivator appeared to be the Dao Court's supreme commander; he extended two fingers and slashed, sending forth a staggering blade qi that plummeted like a cliff's edge.

The blade qi struck the Great Desert Sect's formation, and spiritual energy erupted like a mountain collapsing, cleaving the earth open.

Whether Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, or Jin Dan, all were instantly shredded by the Yu Hua's brilliant blade qi.

The power of a single sword strike reached this extreme.

Mo Hua watched, his spirit shaken, stunned into silence.

As the Yu Hua sword cultivator slaughtered Great Desert Sect cultivators with his blade qi, a golden light erupted from the Great Desert Sect's ranks.

A Great Desert Sect Yu Hua True Person, bearing a tiger-patterned back, moved like a ferocious tiger, his blood qi surging violently; he stepped through the air and punched forward, locking combat with the Dao Court's Yu Hua sword cultivator.

Fist met sword, and violent tremors radiated outward.

All cultivators caught in the spiritual energy shockwave—Dao Court or Great Desert Sect alike—were instantly shredded.

The Yu Hua sword cultivator dodged the tiger-patterned man and struck again, cleaving toward the Great Desert Sect's position, slaughtering countless cultivators.

The tiger-patterned man sneered, roaring at the Dao Court's troops; his tiger's roar was ferocious and terrifying, and in an instant, it vaporized the flesh and blood of several Dao Court Jin Dan commanders and countless Foundation Establishment troops, leaving only bleached bones.

The battlefield grew even more brutal.

Mo

Hua's heart trembled—this was what a true Yu Hua cultivator was like.

A Yu Hua True Person who flew freely across the battlefield, unbound and unafraid.

Looking down from above, slaughtering low-rank cultivators as if an immortal butchered mortals.

Jin Dan and Yu Hua were separated by only one major realm, yet it truly felt like a chasm, a world apart.

No wonder Jin Dan were still called great cultivators; only at Yu Hua could one be called True Person.

Above, the Yu Hua-level combat continued, with several more Dao Court supreme commanders and Great Desert Sect elites—Yu Hua True Persons—joining the fray.

For a time, Windstorm Ridge's spiritual energy pierced the heavens, Dao arts shattered the earth, mountains collapsed, the ground split, flesh and blood flew, and the carnage was inhuman.

Yang Jishan's face turned pale with horror: "Yu Hua True Persons have joined the battle!"

Without hesitation, he ordered the Yang family's Dao Court troops: "Quick! Everyone! Retreat to the eastern third-grade zone!"

A Yu Hua's battlefield is slaughter; no one below Jin Dan can stand against it.

Stay any longer, and if caught in the crossfire, all will die.

After saying that, he hurriedly grabbed Mo Hua: "Quick, let's go together!"

Mo Hua nodded with a solemn expression.

Yang Jishan and Yang Jiyong led the Yang family's Dao Court troops, shielding Mo Hua, as they retreated toward the eastern third-grade zone of Windstorm Ridge.

Other Dao Court troops clearly had the same plan, shoving and trampling each other as they shifted toward the eastern and western flanks.

Even as they retreated, they continued fighting the Great Desert Sect.

The battlefield descended into utter chaos.

But before Mo Hua and the others reached the third-grade zone, a group suddenly appeared before them, led by three Great Desert Sect Jin Dan cultivators,

with two hundred or so Great Desert Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators behind them.

As the two sides met, one Great Desert Sect Jin Dan said:

"It's Yang Jishan—kill them!"

Yang Jishan saw three Jin Dan opponents across from him; his heart sank, but with no escape on this narrow path, he could only thrust his spear forward and charge.

Fighting one against three was extremely difficult.

Moreover, the Dahuang Sect's trio consisted of two Jin Dan Early Stage and one Jin Dan Mid Stage.

Yang Jishan, himself only Jin Dan Early Stage and already exhausted from several battles, naturally lacked strength, and under the encirclement of the three Dahuang Sect Jin Dan,

his techniques grew increasingly weary.

If he fell, the rest of the Yang family's cultivators would be slaughtered to the last.

This, perhaps, was another omen of death.

Mo Hua's expression was solemn; he considered using the Shocking Spirit Sword to aid Yang Jishan in killing his foes.

But Yang Jishan was now surrounded and under immense pressure, barely holding on.

Even if the Shocking Spirit Sword created an opening, he had no strength left to strike down the Dahuang Sect's Jin Dan.

If he acted himself, directly using

the Decapitating Spirit Sword—

it would inevitably stir the Fate Plague.

On a battlefield where blades showed no mercy, stirring up the Fate Plague and letting the Gu Dao's miasma rebound onto himself was no different from seeking death.

Mo Hua had no choice but to temporarily restrain the three Dahuang Sect Jin Dan with some arrays and Five Elements spells.

Yet the moment he moved, a tall, thin Jin Dan from the Dahuang Sect locked eyes on Mo Hua and shouted:

"It's this brat!"

"The one the Young Master wants!"

"Grab him! Or kill him!"

"The Young Master said: alive, bring him; dead, bring his corpse."

Two Dahuang Sect Jin Dan Early Stage immediately charged toward Mo Hua; the remaining Jin Dan Mid Stage continued fighting Yang Jishan.

But the two Jin Dan Early Stage cultivators clearly couldn't catch Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's form flowed like water, slipping lightly away, escaping between the two Jin Dan's blockade.

"Fuck, what the hell is this kid—"

"Aren't you just Foundation Establishment? Two Jin Dan can't catch you?"

"Stop talking—move now!"

The tall, thin Dahuang Sect Jin Dan swung a poisoned hook toward Mo Hua's neck.

The other Jin Dan swung a spiked club at Mo Hua's head.

But Mo Hua turned into mist and evaded again.

The two Dahuang Sect Jin Dan cursed and pressed in once more.

Yang Jishan saw Mo Hua in danger and tried to help, but his low cultivation left him crushed by the Dahuang Sect Jin Dan Mid Stage wielding a demon-headed blade—he could barely breathe, his heart burning with panic and anxiety.

Yang Jiyong, only at Foundation Establishment Peak and already wounded, was trapped in a circle of Dahuang Sect disciples, fighting desperately.

Amid the two Jin Dan's harassment, Mo Hua assessed the battlefield; his heart grew heavier.

He knew if they delayed further, the situation would turn dire.

His premonition of death was about to come true—

Mo Hua frowned slightly, then glanced at Yang Jishan, infused a thread of spiritual insight into his voice, and whispered:

"Commander Yang, flee!"

Yang Jishan froze.

Mo Hua then turned coldly to the three Dahuang Sect Jin Dan: "Was it that bastard Young Master who sent you to capture me?"

"Bastard—" The tall, thin Jin Dan muttered it instinctively, then slapped himself hard, "Pah—how dare you call the Young Master a bastard? Boy, you're dead!"

Mo Hua sneered. "Did I get it wrong? What else is he if not a Dahuang bastard?"

This enraged all three Dahuang Sect Jin Dan.

"Insulting the Young Master—I'll catch you and flay you alive, slice you into a thousand pieces!"

"Grind your bones to dust and scatter them!"

Mo Hua laughed scornfully. "Your three useless bastards' movement? Even as dogs fighting over shit, you couldn't catch it while it's still warm."

"Kid, you're asking for death!"

The Jin Dan Mid Stage of the Dahuang Sect, clad in battle armor and wielding the demon-headed blade, flew into a rage, abandoned Yang Jishan, and raised his blade to kill Mo Hua.

Amid rippling water, Mo Hua dodged the slash, then smirked at him and activated his movement technique to flee.

This was naked provocation.

The other two Dahuang Sect Jin Dan—one with the poisoned hook, one with the spiked club—struck only mist; they failed to stop Mo Hua.

"Fuck! Brother!" The tall, thin Jin Dan turned to the Jin Dan Mid Stage of the Dahuang Sect.

The Jin Dan Mid Stage of the Dahuang Sect cursed and said:

"Chase him! The Young Master wants this man—get him, or we can't answer to the Lady."

"Understood!"

"Skin him, rip his tendons!"

The three Dahuang Sect Jin Dan immediately abandoned the Yang family's infantry and chased after Mo Hua.

Yang Jishan tried to follow, but exhausted and gravely wounded, he had no strength left to save Mo Hua.

He could only watch helplessly as Mo Hua, alone, drew away the three powerful Dahuang Sect Jin Dan to protect his company's Yang family infantry.

Yang Jishan's lips were stained with blood; his heart filled with shame and regret.