Chapter 1231: The Golden Pit

Mo Hua and the other three concealed their qi and approached the oasis; from several li away, they gazed afar and saw that within the oasis, under the cover of night, lights blazed brightly, a scene of splendor—as if an epiphyllum had bloomed in the famine-stricken desert—each of them astonished.

The group did not rush in but observed from afar for a while.

Inside the oasis were various tents and palaces built of sand and stone.

Many barbarian cultivators moved about within, diverse in appearance, wearing different garments and bearing distinct totemic demonic tattoos on their skin, likely from different tribes.

Clearly, this was a desert encampment for survivors amid the famine.

Moreover, those allowed into the encampment seemed to hold unusual status—at least, they were prominent figures within their respective tribes.

Within the oasis, in some rooms, cups and goblets clinked, nude bodies sprawled, laughter and chatter never ceased.

Outside, famine raged and corpses floated across the wasteland; here, people drowned in drunken oblivion, a grotesque irony.

At this moment, the main gate of the oasis was tightly shut.

Outside the gate, a crowd had gathered.

These people were dusty and weary, refugees fleeing from some unknown place; on the brink of despair, they saw this oasis in the desert as a firefly in the dark and clustered around it, desperate to enter for shelter.

But at night, the oasis gate remained closed.

The refugees could only huddle outside the gate, anxious and worried, waiting.

Mo Hua considered for a moment, then instructed Dan Zhu and Lord Lugu to quietly join the queue outside the gate.

All of them had disguised themselves.

Dan Zhu, handsome, posed as a young master; Lord Lugu and Chifeng appeared as bodyguards; Mo Hua played the role of the young master's attendant. With their qi suppressed, no one suspected them.

Yet in such a famine year, everyone was focused on their own survival, and no one cared about them.

The group waited like this until dawn broke.

Voices emerged from within the oasis; the gate slowly opened, and a gatekeeper stepped out.

The crowd, eager to rush in, froze as the gatekeeper's gaze turned cold and his aura surged outward, silencing them all.

"Jin Dan!"

Everyone's hearts jolted; seeing even the gatekeeper was a Jin Dan, none dared act rashly.

Those who had entertained thoughts of looting during the chaos now suppressed their intentions.

The oasis gatekeeper said: "This is a year of great calamity. My master, possessing benevolence, permits you entry."

"But there are two conditions:"

"First, you must possess legitimate status—at least that of a tribal official or elder."

"Second, you must pay a substantial entrance fee."

"If you fail to meet these conditions, you may still enter."

"But you will have to endure the fate of barbarian slaves. Barbarian slaves may enter the oasis, though their treatment… need not be elaborated."

"If you meet neither condition nor wish to become a barbarian slave, you must leave. We cannot accommodate you."

"The times are turbulent; my master acts out of necessity. We ask your understanding."

The gatekeeper's tone was polite, but his stance was firm.

And a place where a Jin Dan serves as gatekeeper clearly brooked no defiance.

The crowd began lining up, presenting tokens to verify identity and paying wealth or cultivation treasures as "entrance fees."

Just as the line neared Mo Hua and his companions, a minor disturbance erupted ahead.

A giant man loudly claimed he was the chieftain of a certain tribe.

The gatekeeper demanded proof; the man replied that as chieftain, he needed no token.

The gatekeeper said: "No token, no entry."

The giant grew frantic, insisting he was truly chieftain and even tried to force his way in; the gatekeeper struck, breaking his leg and hurling him into the desert.

The gatekeeper then reiterated: "Words mean nothing. You need a token."

Among the crowd, some faces paled, and thoughts of retreat arose.

At that moment, from the group ahead of Mo Hua, a youth cried out loudly: "I have a token! I do! I am the young master of Gongtu Tribe! I have a token!"

The oasis gatekeeper, hearing his loud cry and noting his young master demeanor, called out: "You. Step forward."

The youth claiming to be young master of Gongtu Tribe immediately stepped forward and presented a token carved from Bai Yu.

Tokens from other tribes were mostly made of demonic beast bones; his token, however, was crafted from precious Bai Yu—rare indeed.

The oasis gatekeeper examined it at length.

Fearing he would be denied entry, the young master secretly slipped a small pouch to the gatekeeper.

His motion was subtle; others may have missed it, but it escaped Mo Hua's spiritual sense.

Moreover, Mo Hua sensed a surge of spiritual energy emanating from the pouch—clearly, it contained many spirit stones.

In the Great Wasteland, spirit stones were extremely scarce.

The few existing spirit mines were concentrated in the Wang Ting and the hands of a few major tribes.

The Wang Ting controlled the lifeline of cultivation in the Great Wasteland.

Ordinary barbarian cultivators used broken spirit stones or inferior, contaminated ones.

To circumvent the need for "spiritual energy," many barbarian cultivators followed the path of "demonic cultivation."

They consumed demonic beasts to replenish blood qi, refined demonic power to draw forth a trace of cultivation energy, and used it to activate barbarian arts and dao methods.

In the Dao Court's traditional system, spiritual energy and demonic energy were clearly distinct.

Spiritual energy was righteous; demonic energy was inherently evil.

But after prolonged exposure to the Great Wasteland, Mo Hua's views had shifted—he realized such a rigid division was arbitrary and dogmatic.

Spiritual energy was the pure, uncontaminated qi of heaven and earth.

Demonic energy was also "spiritual energy"—merely spiritual energy corrupted within demonic beasts by demonic power.

Evil qi is the same.

Transforming various heavenly and earthly qi into Dao cultivation power is the source of a cultivator's strength.

Cultivating spiritual power is naturally the purest and safest path—the orthodox way.

Cultivating other demonic or monstrous qi accelerates cultivation and strengthens Dao techniques, but almost certainly leads to loss of reason and descent into the demonic path.

The distinction between orthodox and demonic stems largely from this.

This orthodox-demonic distinction is not wrong in itself; if one cannot even discern the basic notions of orthodox and demonic, one will inevitably stray and suffer qi deviation.

But this "orthodox-demonic" distinction holds little meaning for the Great Wasteland.

Because they are forced by survival and cultivation needs, they simply lack the means to pursue such pure "orthodoxy."

The scarcity of spirit stones forces them, if they wish to cultivate, to take the "semi-demon" path.

Throughout the cultivation world, spirit stone distribution is unjust.

Some are born into lives of spirit stone deprivation—how can one demand they walk the pure orthodox path?

Yet clearly, not everyone in the Great Wasteland suffers spirit stone scarcity.

At least this "Gongtu Clan" young master spends lavishly.

Mo Hua regarded him thoughtfully.

The oasis gatekeeper, touching his pouch filled with spirit stones, also watched this Gongtu young master.

The Gongtu young master offered a apologetic smile.

The gatekeeper glanced briefly at the Gongtu young master's token and nodded: "Gongtu young master—correct. Please enter."

His tone carried a hint of courtesy.

The Gongtu young master clearly appreciated this; he supported a woman beside him and entered the oasis first.

The woman beside him was wrapped in thick robes, her face covered by a veil, her features unseen.

Yet the Gongtu young master clearly cared deeply for her, clinging closely to her side, as if guarding a beloved treasure.

After the Gongtu young master and the woman entered the oasis, his five or six guards pushed several carts in behind them.

After letting them pass, the oasis gatekeeper turned and said: "Next."

The next was Mo Hua.

But Mo Hua was merely a "follower"; this matter was handled by Seeing Dan Zhu.

Seeing Dan Zhu stepped forward and presented a token.

The token identified him as a junior master of a minor branch of the Danque Clan.

His true identity as a main branch junior master was too prominent, so Seeing Dan Zhu used the lesser title—but even so, it drew intense attention from the gatekeeper.

After all, the Danque Clan was a major clan.

Moreover, Seeing Dan Zhu's appearance and bearing were extraordinary.

Seeing Dan Zhu then produced another Danque Clan artifact as a "toll."

The gatekeeper's demeanor grew far more respectful; he cupped the token with both hands and returned it to Seeing Dan Zhu: "Young Master, please."

Seeing Dan Zhu nodded and led Mo Hua into the oasis.

Mo Hua glanced back.

Those behind still queued, their faces filled with longing to enter the oasis.

If they had credentials and could afford the toll, they could enter.

But if they had nothing, they were barred—or they volunteered as "slaves," seeking merely a place to shelter in these desolate years.

Before the threat of death, whether one was man or slave, whether one had dignity or not, no longer mattered.

Mo Hua sighed softly.

…

Passing through the gate, walking down a street guarded by barbarian troops, they entered the oasis's interior.

Pavilions and palaces stood thickly; streets were orderly, markets noisy, crowds flowing, voices roaring.

On some upper floors, unclothed barbarian women laughed and waved at the crowd.

Amidst it all, even Mo Hua felt a moment of daze—as if he were not in the Great Wasteland, not in a year of calamity, but within the Nine Provinces, in some "prosperous" den of excess.

Seeing Dan Zhu and the others exchanged glances, all frowning.

With the situation unclear, Mo Hua planned to find a place to stay first.

The oasis had inns—many of them, expensive and cheap alike.

Prices were high in the famine years.

Mo Hua, accustomed to frugality, sought a cheap inn for temporary lodging.

Seeing Dan Zhu said nothing, but Lord Lugu disagreed.

He was a senior general of the Tie Shugu main branch; wherever he went, he demanded status, and could never tolerate cheap accommodations.

Mo Hua did not wish his own identity as Lord Wuzhu to appear "stingy," so he said nothing—it was Seeing Dan Zhu paying anyway.

Thus, they stayed at the most expensive and luxurious inn in the oasis.

Inside the inn, they encountered the young man again—the Gongtu Clan young master.

The Gongtu young master had no shortage of spirit stones and carried himself as a true young master, meticulous wherever he went; thus, staying at the most expensive inn was only natural.

Mo Hua ignored the Gongtu young master.

Yet the Gongtu young master was the first to greet Mo Hua and the others.

At the gate, they had shared a moment during the queue.

Though this was not "friendship," in these famine years, with so few living souls, they could count each other as "acquaintances."

Outside the oasis, everyone had been wary.

Upon entering the oasis, the noise of people surged, and as the atmosphere grew comfortable, the young master of Gongtu gained some leisurely mood and began to consider making connections.

After all, Dan Zhu was a genuine young master of the Danque, naturally exuding an air of nobility.

Dan Zhu then had a brief conversation with the young master of Gongtu.

Having spent much time with Mo Hua, Dan Zhu's mind had become more agile, and he had learned how to extract information.

When speaking of himself, he brushed it off in a single phrase; when discussing the young master of Gongtu, he offered appropriate compliments. The young master of Gongtu, delighted, spilled everything like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

Gongtu was a tribe beyond the Zhu Que Mountain Realm.

Not only Mo Hua, but even Dan Zhu and others had never heard of it before.

This tribe was third grade—not powerful, but uniquely positioned, exclusively handling procurement and purchasing for the Da Huang Wang Ting, acting as the Wang Ting's procurer.

As for why they fled here, it was said that a famine had severed the Wang Ting's core territory, forcing these peripheral tribes dependent on the Wang Ting to migrate eastward.

During the migration, this young master became separated from his tribe, enduring hardship and wandering, and for reasons unknown, ended up here.

Dan Zhu was a good listener.

The young master of Gongtu had been bottling up his frustrations for days; now, encountering Dan Zhu—a nobleman of his own rank—he naturally grew enthusiastic and spoke freely.

As they spoke, servants brought dishes.

These dishes, simply cooked, were far from fine, but in this year of famine, they were already rare.

The young master of Gongtu stopped speaking to Dan Zhu, turned to the woman beside him, and, stroking her shoulder, said tenderly:

"You've suffered so much on this journey—eat something."

The woman nodded, lifted her veil, revealing an unusually pale and exquisite beauty, even more striking against the desert backdrop.

The surroundings fell silent for a moment; many eyes turned toward her.

In an instant, her beauty was seen by countless onlookers.

Yet the young master of Gongtu paid no mind—not only did he not mind, he looked positively proud and delighted.

He fed the beautiful woman himself; their heads brushed together, radiating deep affection.

Mo Hua watched silently, saying nothing.

…

In the afternoon, Mo Hua ordered everyone to split up and gather information.

Over six thousand barbarian soldiers were still waiting; their goal was to see if they could acquire supplies from this oasis to prevent starvation and mutiny among the troops.

Cultivators possessed "storage" techniques; given the size of this oasis, it was indeed possible it held a large stockpile of supplies capable of feeding six thousand barbarians.

But this oasis was mysterious in origin, and its power might not be small—so reconnaissance was essential.

Mo Hua warned Lord Lugu: "Gather information only. Do not provoke trouble. Do not strike."

Among the four, Lord Lugu was the strongest in cultivation, held the highest rank, and was the most "unruly"—hence Mo Hua's specific warning.

Lord Lugu merely snorted coldly: "Understood."

Everyone dispersed, spent the afternoon gathering intel, and reconvened at the inn at dusk to exchange information.

The oasis contained numerous merchant pavilions and storehouses, clearly hoarding supplies—especially meat, dried rations, and some unknown source of Bi Gu Pills.

Exact quantities were unclear, but enough to ease the immediate crisis.

Yet acquiring these supplies through "trade" would come at a heavy cost.

Lord Lugu's suggestion was to seize them by force.

He was a Shu Gu general; he only understood "trade" through violence, never through actual spirit stones.

Mo Hua thought it inappropriate.

Seizing others' property without cause was always wrong.

Moreover, it wouldn't be easy to pull off.

In the end, the four agreed to delay action until the next day.

At night, Lord Lugu and Chifeng shared one room; Mo Hua and Dan Zhu shared another.

Dan Zhu sat cross-legged on the bed, meditating.

Mo Hua lay on the bed, covered by a blanket, his spiritual sense practicing formation arrays within his mind sea.

As he practiced, his spiritual sense suddenly stirred—he sensed an unusual disturbance.

Mo Hua opened his eyes to find Dan Zhu also awake, watching him—clearly, he too had sensed something amiss.

Mo Hua signaled Dan Zhu to stay silent; he pressed against the wall, extending his spiritual sense, and indeed detected commotion in the adjacent room.

The adjacent room was occupied by the young master of Gongtu.

At this moment, several uninvited guests had entered his room.

These intruders, in the dead of night, broke into the young master's chamber, bound him and his beautiful concubine, then departed.

Though they crept stealthily and concealed their movements, they still made some noise.

Not only Mo Hua—many cultivators in nearby rooms had sensed it.

But adhering to the principle of avoiding trouble, no one moved.

Dan Zhu looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua pondered a moment, then said: "Let's go see."

Then Mo Hua took out two robes made of demon hide—put one on himself, and handed the other to Dan Zhu.

Dan Zhu glanced at the robe, then at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua feared he'd overthink it, so added: "These were seized from another tribe not long ago."

Dan Zhu nodded—whether he truly believed it or simply accepted it as routine, it was unclear.

The two, cloaked in the invisibility robes, left their room and encountered Lord Lugu and Chifeng.

Mo Hua thought these two were burdensome and initially didn't want to bring them—but then reconsidered: the oasis's true nature was unknown, and having these two enforcers might help.

Mo Hua pulled out two more invisibility robes from his storage pouch and draped them over them.

The four of them, cloaked in invisibility, first glanced at the young master Gongtu's room.

The room was empty, only the tables and chairs shattered—nothing worth seeing.

But Mo Hua remembered that this young master Gongtu had a Jin Dan bodyguard.

Mo Hua frowned, and on a whim, went to check the bodyguard's room, finding the young master's Jin Dan guard slumped over the table, spitting green fluid.

On the table was a wine flask, its contents laced with potent poison.

Mo Hua frowned.

He wasted no more time and immediately set off, chasing in the direction the young master Gongtu had been taken.

After chasing for a quarter-hour, he faintly saw several black-clad figures ahead, carrying two sacks—each filled with a person.

Mo Hua did not rashly alert them; he kept his distance and followed.

After following a stretch, the black-clad men entered an unremarkable house, opened a hidden door in the farthest corner, and descended into a basement.

After the black-clad men entered, they shut the hidden door.

Moments later, Seeing Dan Zhu approached the hidden door, pushed on it—and found it wouldn't budge; clearly, it was locked from within.

Seeing Dan Zhu looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua studied the lock, extended a finger, and touched the lock's mechanism; as array patterns curled and spread, the door unlocked itself in moments.

Seeing Dan Zhu and the others were secretly startled.

Breaking in was easy—but opening it so silently, without a trace, was truly miraculous.

The hidden door opened. Lord Lugu led, Chifeng followed, while Seeing Dan Zhu and Mo Hua brought up the rear.

The four of them walked along the dark stone corridor, pressing inward for nearly half an hour before reaching the end.

At the end lay a vast prison.

Inside the prison were many private cells, evidently used for detaining and torturing prisoners—every kind of instrument of torment was present.

The young master Gongtu and his beautiful concubine were nowhere to be found.

Mo Hua was about to extend his spiritual sense for a thorough scan when suddenly, he heard a woman's sobs and pleading.

In the dark, silent dungeon, the sound was especially clear.

They followed the sound to the end of the corridor, to the rightmost private cell.

All other cells were ordinary prison cells.

But this one was furnished like a "boudoir"—candles glowed, red curtains hung, the floor was carpeted with beast pelts, looking luxurious.

The room was thick with incense.

Mo Hua sniffed—and realized the incense contained "aphrodisiac" components.

He had never used it himself, but back in Canglang City, the lustful Elder Ji, now dead, had been especially fond of burning this.

Inside the cell now were three people.

The young master Gongtu had his mouth gagged and was bound to the side, his eyes wide open, filled with grief and fury.

His fair and beautiful concubine was also bound, pinned to the bed, her clothes being stripped off one by one.

The man stripping her was a barbarian giant, a Jin Dan cultivator, bare-chested, his face alight with pleasure.

Mo Hua didn't need to guess: clearly, during the day, this barbarian giant had seen the concubine's beauty, stirred his lust, and ordered his men to steal her away that night.

But why had they also taken the young master Gongtu?

At this moment, the woman's clothes had been torn off mostly, revealing vast stretches of pale skin.

The barbarian giant grew even more excited, then turned his head and glanced at the young master Gongtu.

The young master Gongtu, unable to bear watching his beautiful concubine defiled, shut his eyes tight, tears streaming from the corners.

The barbarian giant, displeased to see him shut his eyes, stepped forward, gripped his throat, and snarled:

"Who told you to close your eyes? Open them. Watch. If you don't watch, what's the point of me doing this?"

The giant added: "Such a beautiful woman must be enjoyed in front of her man—see her shame and regret, see her man's rage and helplessness—that's what makes it worthwhile."

"Open your eyes and watch how your beloved woman writhes in pleasure."

The young master Gongtu kept his eyes shut, refusing to look.

The barbarian giant growled: "If you won't look, I'll gouge out your eyes, then carve up your woman."

The young master Gongtu opened his eyes, his face twisted with fury and agony.

The barbarian giant grinned wickedly—now satisfied.

Mo Hua frowned.

The barbarians here in Dahuang really knew how to twist things.

Sometimes, once a person abandons moral boundaries and lets desire run wild, they become as perverse as they can possibly be.

People often call others "beasts."

But beasts have no minds, no complex human thoughts.

So when a person becomes a beast, they're truly more beastly than any beast.

Seeing Dan Zhu's face was filled with fury.

Lord Lugu and Chifeng wore cold, indifferent expressions.

They were generals—unmoved by life and death; on the battlefield, no matter how beautiful a body, once cut open, it was just bloody, rotting flesh.

This scene before them felt dull to them.

The barbarian giant, however, was intoxicated—tearing more of the woman's clothes, savoring her beauty, her pleas, and her man's helplessness and pain.

The young master Gongtu's eyes seemed ready to bleed.

Seeing Dan Zhu looked again at Mo Hua—he was kind-hearted, clearly unwilling to stand idly by.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly. If he made a move now, it would certainly cause a commotion and trigger some unforeseen change, but he also couldn't really stand by and watch someone die.

Mo Hua nodded.

Seeing Dan Zhu clenched his palm, manipulating the Profound Fire, transforming it into a fire chain that bound the barbarian burly man's neck.

Chifeng flashed forward and threw a fierce punch at the back of the burly man's head.

The barbarian burly man only felt a throbbing pain in the back of his head, and once he reacted, he immediately flew into a great rage.

But he was only at early-stage Jin Dan, so naturally he was no match for Seeing Dan Zhu and Chifeng together. Combined with having been heavily injured by their opening strike, after only a few exchanges he was gravely wounded and collapsed to the ground.

Lord Lugu merely watched coldly from the side, too lazy to make a move.

After subduing the barbarian burly man, Seeing Dan Zhu took out a robe and draped it over the woman.

The rescued woman, her eyes brimming with tears, on the verge of weeping, raised her head to look at Seeing Dan Zhu, momentarily dazed.

Mo Hua, meanwhile, pointed a finger and broke the chains binding the young master of Gongtu.

Freed, the young master of Gongtu didn't even offer thanks, but rushed straight to his beautiful concubine, clutching her tightly in his arms, weeping as he said:

"Zhu'er, are you alright? It's my fault, I'm useless, I didn't protect you well."

The woman only pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

Seeing this, Mo Hua's mind was like a bright mirror; he shook his head inwardly.

And although the battle that erupted here was brief, it was after all Jin Dan cultivators fighting, so the fluctuations were very strong.

It quickly drew the attention of others.

Not long after, another barbarian Jin Dan burly man, wearing a brocade robe, charged in. Seeing the scene, his expression turned furious, and he rebuked:

"You bastards, who are you people, how dare you cause trouble here?!"

Mo Hua hadn't spoken yet.

But Lord Lugu, who had been watching coldly from the side all along, was momentarily stunned, then his expression suddenly changed drastically as he said: "It's you?!"

The brocade-robed barbarian burly man saw Lord Lugu, froze for a moment, and immediately revealed a look of terror:

"Lord Lugu?! You, how could you be…"

Lord Lugu's gaze was icy, his tone chillingly cold, and he said word by word: "The Bone-Slaughtering Tribe has been wiped out. You were my elder brother's subordinate—why is it that you didn't die?"

That Jin Dan burly man's face instantly filled with panic, and he turned and fled desperately, heedless of everything.

(End of this chapter)