Chapter 1216: The Formation of Heavy Armor

Lugu was tall and imposing, clad in dark, grotesque bone armor, his face painted with blood-red war makeup.

He was a general of the Zhengbu of Shu Bone, with illustrious battle merits, his power even greater than that of the aged Shu Bone Grand Chief.

This campaign against the Wusha Mountain Realm was also under his full command.

Lugu himself had endured countless battles; he had not taken this campaign against the Second-Rank Wusha Realm seriously.

Yet now, watching Dan Zhu and the others depart, recalling the formation he had just witnessed, Lugu's expression grew solemn.

"These sacred symbols are strange and unusual—not from Wang Ting's lineage…"

"Could what that Iron Shu Bone said be true?"

"Is that shaman of the Dan Que tribe truly a cunning, skin-wearing demon?"

"Could a skin-wearing demon appear beneath the bright sun on our Great Wilderness?"

A cruel glint surfaced in Lugu's eyes.

One of his bodyguards said, "My lord, shall we pursue them?"

Lugu fell silent for a moment, then said, "No."

"But…" the bodyguard hesitated, "three heavy-armored soldiers were seized—they were wearing the ancestral-descended Yuan Bone Heavy Armor…"

Lugu sneered, "So what if they took them? Things left by our ancestors can never fall so easily into others' hands."

The bodyguard dared say no more.

Lugu's gaze sharpened, his voice deep and grave: "Issue orders—press forward. Attack mountains, kill anyone who stands in our way. This battle, they had other designs all along."

Lugu sneered, "They stole three sets of heavy armor—now they must pay with territory. Let's see if Dan Zhu can even count the cost of this deal."

"Yes." The bodyguard relayed the order.

The Shu Bone Zhengbu's barbarian troops began advancing in force.

Mo Hua's order had been to "retreat," not to hold ground.

Moreover, they were not yet a match for the Shu Bone Zhengbu—retreat was their only option.

General Lugu seized this moment without hesitation and launched a full-scale advance.

With no obstruction, the Shu Bone forces advanced ever faster, conquering mountains and peaks, unstoppable.

The Dan Que tribe and the Wu Tu Alliance could only retreat further and further.

Defeat had become a trend.

Lose, retreat; retreat, lose; then retreat again.

Dan Zhu and the others retreated for a full day and night, finally halting their rout only when they reached the vast Wu Feng Mountain Range, which cut across the Wusha Mountain Realm, holding their ground against the Shu Bone forces.

At this point, the Shugu tribe had already occupied nearly half of the territory of the Wusha Mountain realm.

Despite Mo Hua having, in his role as Lord Wuzhu, ordered all tribes within the Wusha Mountain Realm to evacuate in advance.

People, food, and some valuables—all left behind.

Yet in the haste, many things could not be moved.

For the Shu Bone forces, this was a great victory.

The cost? Only three heavy-armored barbarian soldiers and three sets of Yuan Bone Heavy Armor.

……

East of the Wusha Mountain Realm, still under Mo Hua's control.

At this moment, in a small tribal encampment.

Inside a spacious tent, a newly built sealed prison had been erected.

Three Yuan Bone Heavy Armor barbarian soldiers were imprisoned, their bodies suppressed by arrays, limbs bound in chains.

Mo Hua, accompanied by a group of Jin Dan, prepared to study thoroughly the ancient Yuan Bone Heavy Armor passed down by the Shu Bone.

Mo Hua temporarily lifted the array.

The three layers of array—metal, water, earth—faded; the drowning effect ceased; the three heavy-armored soldiers could breathe again.

And at the very instant Mo Hua lifted the array,

One of the heavy-armored barbarians, his gaze resolute, said: "For the Barbarian God! For the Shu Bone! For our ancestors!"

Then he bit down hard, severing his own tongue root, blood oozing from his lips.

His life force was instantly severed.

The Yuan Bone Heavy Armor on his body glowed with a deep, eerie light, demonic energy surging and twisting, then exploding violently into shards.

Dan Zhu sensed the danger and instantly stepped in front of Mo Hua.

The barbarian general Chifeng and the two elders, Bashan and Bachuan, blocked before Dan Zhu.

The Yuan Bone Heavy Armor shattered into fragments; the barbarian inside exploded into a mist of blood.

Shards and blood mist, propelled by the blast's force, spread through the prison, staining the ground and pockmarking the walls and Shi Zhu.

Mo Hua stood motionless.

Dan Zhu before him, along with Chifeng and the others, had absorbed the blast's force.

When the explosion ceased and the smoke cleared,

The Shu Bone barbarian, man and armor alike, had been utterly "self-destroyed," reduced to dust and fragments.

Everyone's expression changed.

And almost simultaneously, they heard another Shu Bone heavy-armored soldier mutter:

"For the Barbarian God! For the Shu…"

Mo Hua immediately said: "Stop him!"

In the instant Mo Hua spoke, the blood-smeared barbarian general Chifeng lunged forward, seizing the heavy-armored soldier's throat and cutting off his words.

The Shu Bone heavy-armored soldier, unable to finish—unable to utter "For the Shu Bone! For our ancestors!"—looked regretful.

Then his face twisted in fury, ignoring Chifeng's force, he slammed his teeth down and bit through his own tongue.

Ordinary cultivators, even with their tongues severed, would not die.

But these heavily armored soldiers of Shu Gu tribe seemed to have learned some kind of "Shaman Art"—once their tongues were cut, their lives vanished in an instant.

As soon as their lives faded, the Yuan Gu Thousand Barbarian Heavy Armor shattered and self-destructed.

This time, the explosion's power was immense, and Chifeng was closest.

Even though he was at the mid-stage of Jin Dan cultivation, the armor's self-destruction blasted him over ten zhang away, his armor and clothing torn to shreds, his body riddled with wounds.

After two consecutive explosions, even Chifeng and those far away like Dan Zhu were momentarily stunned by the shockwaves.

Just then, the last surviving Shu Gu heavy armor soldier recovered from the explosion's aftershock.

He wore Yuan Gu heavy armor, which shielded him from the explosion's residual force, but his face was shredded and bloodied by flying shards.

On that bloodied, mangled face, a cruel, determined sneer emerged.

Dan Zhu, quick-witted, saw this and his expression changed. "Danger!"

But after two waves of self-destruction, all these Jin Dan cultivators were still stiff from the shockwaves.

In less than a breath, they could not stop this final soldier's suicide.

The Shu Gu heavy armor soldier silently chanted, "For the Barbarian God, my lord…" then gritted his teeth and bit down hard.

But before he could bite, Mo Hua's eyes turned toward him.

Those eyes were sharp as swords, a prison of blades, dark murderous qi surging like an ocean.

The soldier's sneer remained on his face, but his eyes filled with terror, and under the unbearable mental pressure, he lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

Dan Zhu and the others were stunned, turning their heads to look at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua closed his eyes, dispelling the murderous qi, and when he opened them again, his gaze was clear and calm as he ordered:

"Bind him. Use steel hoops to clamp his mouth shut—don't let him bite his tongue and kill himself."

"Yes."

Elder Bashan obeyed, forcibly clamping the last living Yuan Gu heavy armor soldier's mouth with steel hoops.

He could still open and close his mouth, but he could no longer bite through his tongue.

Mo Hua then went to examine the two heavy armor soldiers who had already self-destructed.

Both were utterly "reduced to dust and bones."

Flesh and blood had exploded into mist, bones shattered into fragments.

The Yuan Gu heavy armor on their bodies was also completely pulverized, mixed indistinguishably with their blood, flesh, and bone debris.

Mo Hua searched briefly and picked out several bone fragments.

These bone fragments were tougher in texture, clearly inscribed with some kind of array.

Judging by the material and the brushwork, they were ancient arrays—but the self-destruction must have originated from within, starting with the array itself.

Once it exploded, nothing would remain.

Mo Hua fell into thought.

Chifeng, affected by the explosion, was covered in wounds, but as a mid-stage Jin Dan cultivator, though his injuries looked severe, his bones and tendons were unharmed. After a moment's reflection, he said to Mo Hua:

"It seems these are the only remaining ancient heavy armors—destroy one, and you lose one."

"The warriors wearing them are all fierce, bloodthirsty, and carefully selected barbarian soldiers."

"They are loyal to the Barbarian God, to their tribe, to their ancestors—their flesh and blood are fused with the armor, their tongue roots bound to their lives, trained in the Shaman Art of severing the tongue to die."

"Once captured or cornered, they bite their tongue roots, cut off their life force, trigger the armor's self-destruction, and die alongside their enemies—so the armor won't fall into enemy hands…"

Mo Hua nodded, then turned to look at Tie Shu Gu.

Tie Shu Gu, under Mo Hua's gaze, felt his scalp prickle and nodded. "Chifeng my lord… is… right…"

Mo Hua said nothing, thought for a moment, then said to Chifeng: "Chifeng my lord, you and the Young Master, go attend to your duties."

Lord Lugu led the main Shu Gu force, advancing like a hungry tiger, step by step.

With powerful enemies outside, they all had more urgent matters to handle now.

Dan Zhu said: "Mr., you yourself…"

"No need," Mo Hua glanced at Tie Shu Gu. "Tie Shu Gu Elder will stay."

Tie Shu Gu's heart turned cold at being named.

Dan Zhu thought for a moment, then nodded. "Mr., be careful."

"Mm."

Dan Zhu no longer hesitated, leading Chifeng and the others away.

Inside the blood-splattered prison, only Mo Hua, Tie Shu Gu, and the last Shu Gu heavy armor soldier—whose suicide had been halted by Mo Hua's eye technique—remained.

Mo Hua looked at the heavy armor soldier and felt a pang of emotion.

These heavy armor soldiers were devout in faith, fierce in spirit, fearless of death—they were truly rare warriors. If only they could be won over…

Alas, their positions and interests were opposed; now, they could only face each other with swords and spears.

Mo Hua looked again at the Yuan Gu heavy armor on the soldier.

The armor's bone color was dark and dull, incredibly heavy and hard—once worn, it fused almost entirely with flesh and blood, impossible to remove.

And if mishandled, the soldier's suicide would trigger the armor's self-destruction as well.

Thus, another method must be found to extract the arrays carved by the Shu Gu ancestors within these armors.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and ordered Tie Shu Gu: "Wake him up."

Tie Shu Gu hesitated inwardly—he did not know Mo Hua's intent, but dared not defy the "demon's" command—so he pulled out a bone needle and stabbed it into the soldier's neck.

The heavy armor soldier awoke, saw Tie Shu Gu, especially the bone needle in his hand, and cried out in shock:

"You… you're from my Shu Gu tribe! Are you a Jin Dan commander?!"

Tie Shuguo did not answer.

The heavy-armored soldier roared: "You're a traitor?! You betrayed your tribe, your ancestors, and Lord Manshen! You dog!"

His teeth, clamped by iron bands, bled, making his speech slurred, yet brimming with indescribable fury.

It seemed Tie Shuguo's actions were unforgivable.

Tie Shuguo remained calm, silent, enduring the tribe's insults.

But Mo Hua could feel Tie Shuguo's inner pain.

Only Mo Hua, this "demon," understood Tie Shuguo's loyalty and the suffering behind his silent responsibility.

Unfortunately, no one else knew.

Mo Hua said to the heavy-armored soldier: "Take off your heavy armor, and I'll spare your life."

The heavy-armored soldier looked at Mo Hua with fear.

He could glare at Tie Shuguo, curse him—a Jin Dan—as a traitor and a dog, but dared not disrespect Mo Hua.

His face turned pale as he asked Mo Hua: "You're not human—you're… a demon?"

Mo Hua's expression was solemn and grave: "I am Lord Wuzhu of the Divine Lord."

The heavy-armored barbarian shook his head: "You're not Lord Wuzhu. You have demon eyes—you're terrifying. You can't be Lord Wuzhu."

Mo Hua said nothing more, repeating: "Take off the Yuan Bone Armor. I'll show mercy. I'll spare your life."

The heavy-armored barbarian asked: "Is this true?"

Mo Hua said: "I am Lord Wuzhu. Lord Wuzhu follows the gods' principles—never lie."

The heavy-armored barbarian said seriously: "Fine. Unchain me. I'll give you the armor. If you spare my life, I'll do anything."

Mo Hua looked into his eyes and shook his head: "You're thinking of suicide—and of killing me."

The heavy-armored barbarian's face turned pale: "You're truly not human—you're a demon who sees into hearts!"

Mo Hua corrected him: "Lord Wuzhu. Not demon."

But the heavy-armored barbarian clearly didn't believe him.

In his heart, Mo Hua was a terrifying Shi Renxing demon.

Mo Hua couldn't deceive him, and felt a flicker of surprise.

In truth, no one knew that his seemingly calm words had just woven in a trace of the "Dao Heart Seed Demon" method.

Though Mo Hua hadn't used his full strength—only one or two tenths of his mental power.

After all, this heavy-armored barbarian was merely at the peak of Foundation Establishment—not worth Mo Hua's full effort as a twenty-three-stripe Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator.

Yet the result: the heavy-armored barbarian was not swayed.

This puzzled Mo Hua greatly.

Was it because the barbarian was too stupid to grasp his implication?

Or was his vigilance too high, his suspicion too deep?

Or perhaps… he was too superstitious, his faith too unshakable?

Mo Hua hesitated—should he intensify his effort, and formally use "Dao Heart Seed Demon" on this barbarian again?

But after thinking, he decided against it.

"Dao Heart Seed Demon" was his uncle's technique. Though occasionally useful, Mo Hua struggled to control its intensity.

Now there was only one heavy-armored soldier left, and only one suit of armor. One misstep, and both would be lost.

So he resolved to use a more reliable method—one he could fully control—to solve this problem.

Mo Hua made up his mind and asked the heavy-armored barbarian: "Has your armor ever been breached?"

The heavy-armored barbarian nodded: "Naturally."

Mo Hua said: "I don't believe you."

The heavy-armored barbarian sneered, pride flashing on his face:

"This armor was granted by Lord Manshen, passed down by our ancestors—nothing in the world can destroy it."

Mo Hua sneered: "Let's make a wager. I bet I can break your armor. Let you see that your so-called Lord Manshen is a joke. Your ancestors were all fools. The armor they passed down? Worthless before me."

These words were blatant humiliation.

An insult to Lord Manshen and Tie Shuguo's ancestors, a trampling of the barbarian's honor as a warrior.

So much so that the heavy-armored barbarian overcame his terror of Mo Hua the "demon" and roared:

"You demon, how dare you speak so boldly!"

"Fine! Today I'll see what trick you use to break my ancestral armor!"

Mo Hua said: "If I fail to break the armor, I'll let you live and apologize to your Lord Manshen and ancestors."

"If I break it, you kneel to me and become my servant."

The heavy-armored barbarian nodded, thinking: if the armor breaks, I'll kill myself—what care I for being a "servant"?

He said: "Agreed."

Then he stared at Mo Hua, eager to see how Mo Hua could possibly break Tie Shuguo's ancestral Yuan Bone Armor.

Mo Hua pulled out a long spear and tossed it to Tie Shuguo: "This spear has been blessed by me—a divine gift. Use it to break the armor."

Tie Shuguo froze: "Me?"

Mo Hua nodded: "You."

Tie Shuguo's expression was complex as he took the spear, hefted it a few times, frowned—felt nothing unusual about it.

This was blessed?

Of course it wasn't blessed. Mo Hua was lying. It was just an ordinary spear.

Seeing Tie Shuguo hold the spear, the heavy-armored barbarians of the Tie Clan immediately glared with fury.

This traitor really did become a running dog of the "demon monsters"—and to think he's still a Jin Dan.

The Bone-Art Savage Soldier asked Mo Hua, "Can I fight back?"

Mo Hua nodded. "You can."

What he wanted was for them to fight back, what he wanted was for these two to truly cross blades and go at it for real.

So, inside the Wusha tribe's prison, with Mo Hua's permission, Tie Shugu and this Bone-Art Savage Soldier in heavy armor began to tear into each other.

Tie Shugu was following Mo Hua's orders, forced to fight this savage soldier.

But this heavy-armored savage soldier genuinely wanted to kill Tie Shugu.

In his heart, Tie Shugu was a traitor through and through—betraying the Savage God, betraying the ancestors, and betraying the tribe.

The people of the various clans within the Bone-Art tribe actually didn't feel a very strong sense of belonging to the tribe itself.

But toward the Savage God, my lord, and the ancestors of the Bone-Art tribe, they held an extreme devotion.

So this savage soldier was itching to kill the traitor Tie Shugu to satisfy his rage.

Of course, he was only at Foundation Establishment peak—there was no way he could kill Tie Shugu.

Although Tie Shugu was a Jin Dan, within a second-rank mountain realm, he couldn't truly kill this heavy-armored savage soldier either.

What's more, the Abyss-Bone heavy armor on this savage soldier was nearly indestructible.

What Tie Shugu held in his hands was still only the "Spear Breaker" Mo Hua had given him.

The two thus fought each other like this, evenly matched for a time, and the longer they fought the more intense it grew, the more their tempers flared—they nearly forgot where they were.

And all of this was under Mo Hua's direction.

Mo Hua sat far away, silently watching all of it.

Watching Tie Shugu's spear thrust again and again into the Abyss-Bone heavy armor.

The formations within the Abyss-Bone heavy armor circulated like a great beast drawing in and exhaling breath, producing some kind of subtle transformation, and thereby granting the Abyss-Bone heavy armor an extremely resilient savage force that offset Tie Shugu's power.

All of this, others couldn't see clearly.

But Mo Hua, who was well-versed in formations, saw it as plainly as if he were looking at fire.

Especially after he had clarified the related transformations between "formation" and "method," and using the opposing models of the Dao, comprehended deeper laws—his understanding of formations had also risen to a higher level.

His derivation of formations had also become more effortless.

The two Bone-Art tribe men caught up in their "internal strife," slaughtering each other, had no idea what this "demon monster" Mo Hua was secretly deducing.

They couldn't imagine it—let alone possibly imagine it.

They might have known Mo Hua's "dreadfulness."

But they didn't truly know just how deep, just how terrifying, the eyes of this "demon monster" Mo Hua—eyes that could see through the essence of all things—really were.

And their ceaseless slaughter, and the countless rounds of "armor-breaking" and "defense" shifts revolving around the Abyss-Bone heavy armor, were all watched by Mo Hua and became material for his "deduction."

The results of the deduction also turned into formation patterns, silently recorded by Mo Hua in his jade slip.

Finally, after a full five days of nearly sleepless, food-forgetful observation and derivation—

Mo Hua obtained an entirely new Four Symbols.

This was precisely the core formation within the Abyss-Bone Thousand Savage Heavy Armor of the Bone-Art tribe's ancestors.

And, to Mo Hua's surprise, this turned out to be a…

second-rank, twenty-pattern Four Symbols heavy-armor formation.

This was… yet another Absolute Formation!

(End of chapter)