Chapter 1162: Red Sun

The great tiger shifted between black and white, carrying Mo Hua into the night.

Inside the Dahuang Sect's tent.

Young Master Tuoba lay on the ground, his chest drenched in blood.

The nearby Jin Dan elders quickly pulled out pills and spirit liquids to stop his bleeding and treat his wounds, while inwardly trembling with dread—this tiger demon was so ferocious; had it not been for the Heart-Protecting Mirror bestowed by the Sect Master, Young Master Tuoba would surely have been crippled.

After a moment, the bleeding on Young Master Tuoba's chest ceased, but the wound burned and stung sharply.

Yet the pain of the wound paled beside the jealousy, rage, and anguish in his heart.

He, a member of the Wang Zu, had spent years of painstaking effort, employing every means, relentlessly refining, suppressing, and tormenting this beast—yet could never subdue it—until now, before his very eyes, the king of tigers lowered its noble head and willingly submitted to another, becoming someone else's mount.

This was worse than killing him.

"This grudge runs deeper than heaven and earth!" Young Master Tuoba gritted his teeth. "Hurry! Go! Issue the order—seal off all fronts of the Dahuang Sect! Kill that boy with the surname Mo! Bring back the Wang Shou—alive!"

"Yes, Young Master!"

The Jin Dan elders all bowed in assent.

They knew full well this matter was no trivial affair.

Black-and-white demonic aura was exceedingly rare; this black-and-white tiger was undoubtedly an anomaly among tigers, a treasure among Wang Shou.

Only such a Wang Shou could match the Young Master's status.

Moreover, this demon possessed a majestic aura and astonishing power; even now, at second grade, it was this ferocious—once it ascended to third grade and formed a true demonic core, its strength would surge exponentially, making it even harder to subdue.

And that boy—who exactly was he?

His cultivation was plainly ordinary, his bloodline clearly not noble—then why could such a ferocious Wang Shou willingly bow and submit to him?

No chains. No saddle. No array. No other suppression or restraint whatsoever.

For a tiger demon to submit willingly was simply inconceivable.

Demonic beasts devour humans, and their ferocity is hard to extinguish.

Generally speaking, demonic beasts are never truly "tamed."

"Taming" a demonic beast is essentially brute-force suppression through bloodline and martial power, forcing obedience.

Once the beast breaks free, it will still "devour its master."

Thus, ordinary "beast taming" always requires a saddle, demonic chains, and a beast-suppressing array to maintain balance.

Without restraints, even an ordinary demonic beast cannot be subdued, let alone a king among demons like this tiger.

Therefore, this boy who made the Wang Shou bow willingly was truly sinister.

Could it be… he isn't human?

This doubt rose in the minds of the Dahuang Sect cultivators.

But now was no time for deep inquiry—the priority was intercepting the tiger demon.

This boy must die!

And the black-and-white striped tiger beast must be reclaimed!

The Jin Dan elders of the Dahuang Sect issued orders through the Dahuang Command Seal:

"All Dahuang Sect disciples on standby—seal the front lines and block a boy riding a black-and-white tiger demon."

"Deploy military formations. Stop the tiger demon at all costs. Capture the boy. If he resists, kill on sight!"

The order spread. The Dahuang Sect's battle lines shifted.

Most Dahuang cultivators still fought the Dao Court.

A small portion of the standby cultivators turned their heads and began encircling Mo Hua.

This was a large-scale battle—even a small portion meant a great many.

Soon, Mo Hua, riding atop the great tiger, felt pressure multiply.

The tiger's innate ability released black-and-white demonic aura, altering its fur color to confuse spiritual signatures, conceal lethal intent, and increase speed—making it deadly for ambushes, strikes, and escapes.

Mo Hua had never seen this before.

But the ability lasted only briefly; once they left the tent and escaped the Dahuang pursuers, the tiger's black-and-white coloring reverted to normal.

It could only carry Mo Hua as usual, pushing toward the outer edge of the Dahuang Sect's defenses.

Yet under current circumstances, breakout was the hardest path.

This breakout route had been perilous even for Mo Hua alone, when he had stealthily infiltrated.

Now, with the tiger—a massive target—trying to break through the Dahuang lines and retrace their path, the dangers multiplied. The only good news: Liu Yuhua had not come.

The Dahuang Sect's Yu Hua had been tied up by the Dao Court's Yu Hua, so he hadn't pursued.

And Young Master Tuoba's life was no longer in danger.

The Dahuang Sect's Yu Hua would never abandon the greater battle to target Mo Hua, a mere "minnow."

But following Young Master Tuoba's orders, more and more Dahuang cultivators began encircling Mo Hua.

Among them were scattered Jin Dan, but mostly Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The Jin Dan posed less threat: the battlefield was open, the front stretched long, and the Dahuang Jin Dan were scattered across various sectors, leading troops against the Dao Court.

Thus, as Mo Hua broke out, he encountered few Jin Dan along the way.

Instead, the numerous Foundation Establishment Dahuang disciples, forming formations, were far harder to deal with.

These disciples had been trained according to the "Dao Bing" model.

They had originally been slated to accompany the Dao Bing Bureau to quell the rebellion in Dahuang.

Thus, their armor,

spirit weapons, arrays, formation formations, and battle tactics—all conformed strictly to Dao Bing standards.

Once formed into a Dao Bing unit, these disciplined Dahuang Foundation Establishment cultivators were even harder to defeat than Jin Dan.

Mo Hua was bound by the Fate Curse and could not kill.

A single giant beast, no matter how strong, could never kill that many.

Thus, Mo Hua could only guide Brother Da Hu's direction, avoiding the blockade and pursuit of Dahuang Men disciples.

But the situation was far from optimistic.

Before this, Mo Hua had known the power of the "Dao Bing" system—a military structure that allows the weak to overcome the strong.

Even during the previous Sword Debate, Grand Void Gate had relied on its well-prepared, disciplined prototype of "Tianjiao Dao Bing" to establish an early advantage.

But only now, as Dahuang Men disciples employed Dao Bing tactics to blockade and hunt them, did Mo Hua truly feel firsthand,

the might of the cultivator "military system."

Dahuang Men disciples gathered in formation, creating battle arrays that forced Mo Hua and Brother Da Hu to flee in all directions, barely escaping death.

Mo Hua could only temporarily restrain and delay them with spells and arrays.

Beyond that, it was entirely up to Brother Da Hu to charge through, tearing open defenses with fangs and claws to break the encirclement.

Fortunately, Brother Da Hu was a peak second-rank tiger beast, a mighty one among beasts; even without using his strange talent, his full-speed sprint was astonishingly swift.

Man and tiger struggled to survive in the gaps between spears, arrows, and blades, breaking through layer after layer of hardship.

Finally, after fighting for who knew how long, Mo Hua temporarily shook off his pursuers and spotted a canyon.

Across the canyon was a cliff.

Beyond the cliff lay the Dao Bing Corps' encampment.

Cross the canyon, leap the cliff, and they could completely escape Dahuang Men's blockade.

Mo Hua no longer hesitated; he patted Brother Da Hu's neck.

Brother Da Hu understood at once, instantly transforming into a gale as he charged toward the opposite side of the canyon.

But as soon as they entered the canyon, a squad of ten earth cultivators suddenly emerged from one side.

These ten wore golden-patterned beast armor—fine, heavy, and dense in aura; all were at Foundation Establishment peak.

Clearly, they were elite disciples meticulously chosen by Dahuang Men.

Perhaps even, they were Dahuang Men's generation of Tianjiao.

The ten lined up in a row, blocking Brother Da Hu's path, raising heavy shields to seal off the way completely.

The ten Tianjiao united in a deadly assault, their killing intent fierce as a rainbow piercing the sun.

Mo Hua's expression turned cold.

Brother Da Hu, enraged, bristled every hair, black-and-white demonic qi spreading over his entire body.

With a roar, Brother Da Hu launched his charge.

The ten Tianjiao of Dahuang Men,

and Mo Hua with his one tiger, instantly clashed in brutal combat.

In mere breaths, the tiger's claws, laced with a blood-chilling wind, struck the heavy armor and shields, sparking fire and leaving deep claw marks.

Demonic qi and blood qi surged; neither side held back—the battle was ferocious.

But Mo Hua dared not linger; if held up, the consequences would be unthinkable.

They must break out as soon as possible!

In a flash of lightning, after a hundred more rounds of combat,

Mo Hua used the Sandflow Spell to trap two Dahuang Men heavy-armored Tianjiao underground, then restrained the others with Golden Light Spell, Fireball Spell, Water Prison Spell, and other techniques.

Then, Brother Da Hu pushed off with his hind legs, shattering the ground.

His body shot out like a cannonball, bursting through the gap in the Dahuang Men Tianjiao's encirclement.

The ten Dahuang Men Tianjiao could only watch helplessly as the tiger demon escaped.

But just then, one of them—noticeably taller and more muscular—suddenly tensed his muscles, revealing crimson barbaric tattoos, violently breaking free from Mo Hua's Water Prison, then leaping forward with giant strides to block Brother Da Hu's path.

He was a tall youth.

His armor was shattered, revealing beneath it a body crisscrossed with gnarled, brutal scars.

Now, this tall youth stood directly before Brother Da Hu.

Brother Da Hu showed no mercy, lunging to strike.

But the tall youth did not dodge or retreat; his muscles hardened like steel, absorbing the tiger's claw with brute force.

The tiger's claw sank into his shoulder, leaving a deep wound.

Yet the tall youth, ignoring the pain, used his monstrous strength to grip the tiger's front paw with all his might.

Man and beast, relying solely on physical strength, locked in a momentary stalemate.

Though he was certainly no match for the fierce tiger, merely enduring this long proved his ferocity.

Mo Hua's heart jolted.

This tall youth possessed terrifying power.

But no one could block his path!

Mo Hua's gaze turned icy; he raised two fingers, intending to cripple the blocking youth—but then he looked up and froze.

The cold moonlight fell upon the tall youth's face.

A long scar ran from his left cheek down to his right.

The youth's gaze was resolute and steady, yet his expression carried savage brutality and malice, utterly erasing any trace of his former cheerfulness and kindness.

Mo Hua gasped, whispering:

"Brother Da Hu—"

The tall youth, hearing the voice, was struck as if by lightning; he lifted his head, staring at the boy on the tiger's back, recognizing a familiar, handsome face.

This

was the friend he had once spent every day with, but had now slowly forgotten.

Past scenes once again echoed in his heart.

The fierce expression on the tall youth's face faded, revealing a trace of pain and sorrow.

At that moment, a shout came from nearby:

"Meng Bohu, this is the person Young Master wants—stop him at all costs!"

Upon hearing this, the tall youth's face darkened. He gazed deeply at Mo Hua, then slowly relaxed his stance, stepping aside to let Brother Da Hu and Mo Hua pass.

Mo Hua called out: "Brother Da Hu!"

But the tall youth hung his head, daring not to look at Mo Hua again.

Brother Da Hu paid no heed to any of it; he carried Mo Hua on his back, dashed through the gorge, then leapt high, running as if across flat ground, clearing the cliff and fleeing into the distance.

Mo Hua turned to look back, but could see only the tall youth's back.

He simply kept his back turned to Mo Hua.

The massive figure, bathed in cold moonlight, cast a vast shadow.

He steadfastly refused to turn and look at Mo Hua even once more.

As Brother Da Hu raced onward, growing ever farther away, that once familiar yet now alien back gradually vanished from Mo Hua's sight.

After Mo Hua and Brother Da Hu departed,

the tall youth remained alone, standing where he was.

Several other Dahuang Sect prodigies arrived, but could no longer see Mo Hua or Brother Da Hu; they confronted the tall youth:

"Meng Bohu, why did you let him go?"

"The Young Master's order—you should have obeyed it even at the cost of your life."

"Just now, even if you had to die, you should have kept that tiger and killed that damned brat on its back."

The tall youth, called "Meng Bohu," his eyes slightly reddened, then forcibly suppressed it.

But the other prodigies continued their incessant accusations.

"You were born lowly; only because the Young Master took notice did you get this chance."

"The very name 'Meng Bohu' was granted to you by the Young Master."

"Such great grace and virtue demand you lay down your life without regret."

"But what did you just do? Are you afraid of death?"

"Speak up! Why won't you answer?"

"Are you mute?"

"Truly, a cultivator from the wilds—low-blooded scum. No matter how much the Young Master elevates you, you're still a crude, unworthy—"

A dull thud rang out, accompanied by spurting blood.

The Dahuang Sect prodigy who had spoken stared down in shock and saw his own chest pierced through by a fist like steel.

He looked up and saw Meng Bohu's scarred, snarling face and blood-red eyes.

The dominant force surged through the fist,

shaking and shredding the internal organs.

The Dahuang Sect prodigy, writhing in pain, tried to resist—but as he raised his head, Meng Bohu twisted his neck with his left hand, killing him instantly.

This stunned everyone present.

"Meng Bohu, are you mad?!"

"You dare kill a Hu family prodigy? What crime is this?!"

Among the ten prodigies, another disciple of the Hu family drew a golden blade and snarled coldly:

"Lowborn scum—you're an ungrateful mongrel. Today I'll tear you limb from limb and make you pay for my cousin's life!"

He immediately swung his golden blade and clashed with Meng Bohu.

But until they fought, he had no idea—once engaged, he was horrified to discover he was no match for this lowborn, despised, wolf-like Meng Bohu.

In fewer than a hundred exchanges, his head was twisted off by Meng Bohu.

The remaining ones, terrified and shocked, drew their spiritual weapons or artifact embryos: "Join forces—kill this monster!"

Having killed two, Meng Bohu's ferocity had fully awakened; his eyes burned crimson, brimming with brutality.

Savage force churned within him, causing his muscles to twist and swell irregularly.

No one knew what art he cultivated, but the force within him was terrifyingly dominant.

Facing three at once, he held his ground without yielding.

Worse—he grew fiercer with every clash, more violent, more bloody. Blades, fists, and kicks struck his body, yet he felt nothing, acting like a madman—yet every strike was lethal, aimed to kill.

The Dahuang Sect prodigies were momentarily paralyzed by his reckless, brutal fighting style; fear took root in their hearts.

Once fear took hold, their openings became obvious.

Soon after, one by one, they were torn open, their hearts ripped out, heads severed, skulls cracked—dead at Meng Bohu's hands.

Thus, of the ten Dahuang Sect prodigies, only four remained besides Meng Bohu.

Drenched in blood, Meng Bohu turned to face the four.

The four immediately turned pale and cried: "Senior Brother Meng, we—we are not your enemies."

The dominant force still churned within him.

Meng Bohu's face twisted as he spoke slowly: "Tonight's matter—"

One Dahuang Sect prodigy hurriedly said: "We know nothing—"

Meng Bohu's crimson eyes slowly faded; he pointed at them, then at the corpses:

"Each of you must stab one of these bodies, then swear a Heavenly Dao oath that you will say nothing of tonight."

The remaining four Dahuang Sect prodigies, cowed by Meng Bohu's cruelty and bloodshed, drew their blades and stabbed one of the fallen comrades each.

That way, even if they betray us, they can't explain these knife marks.

After finishing all this, Meng Bohu ordered the others to throw the four prodigies' corpses over the cliff, then said:

"Forget all of this. Return and report."

"Say we got separated, encountered Dao soldiers, and fought a brief battle."

"We didn't encounter the tiger. We don't know what happened to these fellow sect members."

The other four turned pale, bowed, and replied: "Yes, Master Meng."

Meng Bohu nodded. "Go."

The group departed in sequence.

Meng Bohu walked last; before leaving, he couldn't help turning back to look in the direction Mo Hua had vanished.

On his brutal face, a fleeting trace of nostalgia and sorrow surfaced, then gradually turned cold, as if all emotion had been lost.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua was still fleeing.

He worried about Brother Da Hu, but had no time to think deeply—he had to face an even more dire situation.

He was still being hunted.

He had been hunted within the Da Huang Men stronghold.

He escaped the Da Huang Men encirclement and entered the range of the Dao Court's main force, but it wasn't safer—he was still being hunted.

His earlier fears had come true.

Da Huang Men hunted him to kill him and capture the tiger.

The Dao Court's Dao soldiers, however, wanted to kill the big tiger.

The tiger demon was Da Huang's royal beast; now that Da Huang Men had mutinied and chaos reigned, its appearance would not be spared by the Dao Soldier Office.

Mo Hua was thus trapped in an impossible dilemma.

If things continued this way, Brother Da Hu would likely still not escape death.

As Mo Hua's expression grew solemn, a distant tremor shook the earth, the clamor of battle roared like thunder, accompanied by desolate war cries, as vast waves of barbarian troops surged forward—even banners of Da Huang's Wang Hou were visible.

"Are these barbarian troops?!"

Mo Hua's expression jolted—he immediately realized the Da Huang Men mutiny was merely a prelude.

Even if Da Huang Men was strong, it could never rival the Dao Court; its mutiny was only meant to disrupt the Dao Court's rear, serving as a diversion.

Then, while Dao soldiers were embroiled in chaos and distracted, the long-hidden Da Huang barbarian troops would charge forth, forming a pincer attack to inflict heavy damage on the Dao Court's main army.

This situation was truly perilous beyond measure.

But Mo Hua could no longer afford to care.

With Da Huang Men and the Dao Court's main force locked in chaotic battle, he and Brother Da Hu were already overwhelmed; now, with the Da Huang barbarians charging in,

the three sides clashed, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and the situation became utterly chaotic.

It was now even harder than climbing to heaven for Mo Hua to escape with Brother Da Hu.

He could only do his best to survive amid the three-sided battle with Brother Da Hu.

But as the chaos dragged on, Mo Hua

noticed something unexpected.

That was: Da Huang Men wanted to kill him and capture Brother Da Hu; the Dao Soldier Office wanted to kill Brother Da Hu.

But the Da Huang barbarians dared not show the slightest disrespect toward Brother Da Hu.

Mo Hua instantly understood.

The tiger was Da Huang's "royal beast," a symbol of the Wang Zu.

This meant that for Brother Da Hu, the barbarian troops' territory was the safest place.

This was Brother Da Hu's only hope of escape.

Mo Hua was filled with surprise and joy.

He immediately grabbed the mane at Brother Da Hu's neck, forcing the tiger to change direction and charge toward the barbarian ranks.

The barbarians charged from south to north, assaulting the Dao Court's Dao soldiers.

He, meanwhile, led Brother Da Hu in fleeing from north to south.

Of course, he dared not approach head-on.

Though the tiger demon was Da Huang's royal beast, the man riding its back was a "fake"—he was not of the Da Huang Wang Zu.

If he went head-on and encountered Da Huang's Wang Zu, he would be exposed.

Moreover, Mo Hua had briefly glimpsed, among the barbarian army, some giant-like Wang Qi soldiers.

These were the powerful Wang Hou of the Da Huang clan.

Mo Hua dared not provoke them.

He could only find a way to skirt the main barbarian force, fleeing southward along the southwestern edge.

Ordinary barbarians held the royal beast in deep reverence and dared not question it, let alone intercept it.

Thus, clinging to the southwestern edge and using the barbarians as cover, Mo Hua actually managed to escape with Brother Da Hu from the meat grinder of battle,

fleeing free.

Behind him was the terrifying battle of cultivation masters flying through sky and earth.

Life-or-death combat centered on Jin Dan.

A slaughterhouse where Foundation Establishment cultivators fell one after another.

Fire, spells, flesh, blades, Dao soldiers, barbarians, sect cultivators—all intertwined into a bloody, cruel, yet grand and tumultuous hell.

And all of it was gradually left behind by Mo Hua.

The stench of blood around him grew fainter and fainter, the cultivators fewer and fewer, the scenery emptier and emptier, until all around him there was not a single soul,

and looking out, the world was vast and hazy, with nothing in sight.

Only then did Mo Hua let out a deep sigh of relief.

He had finally escaped that great slaughter.

But the great tiger was still carrying him on its back, running forward without stop.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then patted the great tiger's back, wanting it to stop.

Now that the great tiger was safe, he still had to find a way to get back, to follow the main force of the Dao Soldiers and the Yang family disciples, to suppress the Great Wasteland rebellion together and earn merit.

But the great tiger paid him no heed at all.

It had been bound for far too long,

and had grown utterly weary of fighting and killing. Now that it had its freedom at last, it simply carried Mo Hua on its back, all four legs stretched out, running forward without pause, running and running.

As it ran, it let out joyful "roars."

No matter how Mo Hua tugged at its mane, it would not listen.

At this moment the night faded, and the red sun of the Great Wasteland rose.

On the vast, hazy earth, a great black-and-white tiger carried a youth on its back, bathed in the light of the red sun, racing ceaselessly through the endless stretches of Gobi, racing toward that boundless world whose end was unknown.