Chapter 1270: Twenty-Four Patterns

"Do you know it?" Mo Hua asked the Great Wu Ji God.

"It is..." The Great Wu Ji God's face held an inexplicable shock and complexity, "... a sacred beast of Da Huang."

Mo Hua frowned slightly.

This Great Wu Ji God, why does he always talk so much nonsense? Who doesn't know the Great Pixiu is a sacred beast of Da Huang?

He's stammering—he's definitely hiding something.

Mo Hua turned his head again, pointed at the Great Wu Ji God, and asked the Pixiu: "Do you know this feather-brain?"

Feather-brain...

The Great Wu Ji God dared not speak out in anger.

The Great Pixiu's massive head shook, clearly unaware of the identity of this "bird-man," yet its eyes brimmed with delight and excitement.

The Pixiu is stingy, hoarding wealth.

These spiritual entities—whether demonic devils or evil gods—once they enter its domain, become its "treasures."

In such a short time, it has gained another treasure; how could it not be joyful?

Like gods, sacred beasts have long lifespans, so their sense of time is "blunt"; years had passed outside, yet this massive-headed Pixiu felt no time had passed.

In fact, it had merely dozed off a few times.

And after a few naps, its "good friend" had come to visit again—and brought good things.

Though stingy and hoarding, the Pixiu has a broad heart and large frame, and isn't particularly vengeful.

It had long forgotten Mo Hua punching its massive head.

It had also forgotten the minor "quarrel" between them.

The Pixiu rubbed its massive head against Mo Hua again, then drooled as it stared at the Great Wu Ji God's body.

The Great Wu Ji God, still stunned, finally snapped out of it, his heart jolted—he turned to flee.

But before he got far, Mo Hua grabbed him, snapped his wings, and tossed him before the Pixiu.

Mo Hua said generously:

"It's yours."

The Pixiu's copper-bell eyes sparkled with joy.

It gladly accepted the gift.

But there was one problem: it had received too many gifts from Mo Hua, and for a moment couldn't "contain" them all.

The Pixiu lifted its left paw, revealing the Small Faceless Devil beneath.

The Great Wu Ji God, whose wings had been twisted off, saw this faceless, otherworldly demon and immediately trembled in the pupils of his eyes.

The Small Faceless Devil, exposed to daylight, began shrieking and struggling.

The dim-witted Pixiu only then realized its left paw was already occupied.

It slapped again, pinning the devil back down; then lifted its right paw—only to reveal another demonic entity beneath, a true god-embryo brimming with evil aura.

The moment this true god-embryo appeared, an ancient, soul-shaking evil aura flooded the hall.

The Great Wu Ji God, still reeling from the presence of the devil, now saw this second god-embryo and turned pale with shock.

He trembled as he pointed at the evil god's true embryo, unable to believe: "This... this is..."

Mo Hua said: "It should be a god-embryo hatched by your divine lord."

The Great Wu Ji God stared blankly at Mo Hua, face filled with terror.

What manner of being is this young divine lord?!

What kind of monsters are imprisoned in this place?!

Mo Hua said: "You'll be imprisoned here too."

The Great Wu Ji God, who had just felt furious and humiliated, suddenly fell silent.

After a moment, he looked at Mo Hua and asked hesitantly:

"Do I... really deserve this?"

Do I truly deserve to be imprisoned alongside a devil and a true god-embryo of an ancient deity?

Mo Hua paused, then nodded:

"By strength, you don't deserve it. But you arrived first—you claimed the spot. In time, you'll be a 'senior.' From that perspective, you still deserve it."

The Great Wu Ji God stared blankly, then slowly nodded—he found it strangely reasonable.

Though he was being sealed and suppressed, for some reason, a strange sense of pride welled up in him.

As if being sealed by Mo Hua was a form of recognition, a kind of divine "honor."

The evil god's true embryo, sensing Mo Hua's aura, suddenly turned its eyes pitch-black with murderous hatred, glaring at Mo Hua as if it wanted to devour his flesh and swallow his bones.

Mo Hua, however, looked utterly unconcerned.

The Great Pixiu, however, grew angry—how dare one of its own "pets" show anger toward its "good friend"?

It slammed its massive paw down, pinning the evil god's embryo to the ground.

The evil god's embryo could not struggle free.

The Pixiu lifted its left hind paw—finding it empty—and let out a loud "ao wu" at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua understood its meaning, and tossed the Great Wu Ji God beneath the Pixiu's left hind paw.

The Pixiu pressed down with its hind paw, pinning the Great Wu Ji God as well.

Now, three of its four paws held something "subdued."

The massive-headed Pixiu, as if fulfilling a sacred duty bestowed by its nature, felt profoundly "fulfilled," its face radiating satisfaction.

Mo Hua, however, recalled the appearance of the evil god's true embryo and fell into thought.

Since entering Da Huang, he had never come to see this evil god's true embryo.

One, affairs are too busy to attend to anything else.

Two, Da Huang is the domain of the Lord of Da Huang; Mo Hua fears stirring up some karmic entanglement.

But now it seems this true form of the evil god is strangely "well-behaved," even upon entering Da Huang, showing no unusual signs.

This is truly suspicious.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then asked the Great Pixiu:

"Big Head, can I cut off a piece of flesh?"

The Great Pixiu, who had been smiling kindly just moments before, suddenly flew into a rage, changing expression faster than turning a page, baring its teeth at Mo Hua.

But halfway through its outburst, the anger on its face faded, and its huge eyes held a hint of guilt.

It seemed to realize that Mo Hua had treated it so well, giving it many grand gifts, and now, merely asking for a bit of "flesh," it had reacted with such fury—it was truly excessive.

Before Mo Hua, the Great Pixiu clearly restrained its emotions.

It overcame a trace of its own "nature."

The Great Pixiu struggled against its own "unhappiness"; though reluctant, it slowly raised its right paw, revealing just one arm of the evil god's true form, letting Mo Hua "cut the flesh."

This was already an extraordinary act.

Mo Hua stepped forward, his right hand clasping the void, forming a golden sword of spiritual insight, intending to cut off a piece of "flesh" from the evil god's true form for later use.

The blade's edge had just touched the arm of the evil god's true form.

The Great Pixiu couldn't help letting out a "Aowu!"—as if deeply pained, as though Mo Hua were cutting not the god's flesh, but its own.

The Great Pixiu was heartbroken, yet didn't want Mo Hua to think it stingy, so it gritted its teeth, shut its eyes, and turned its big head away, refusing to look anymore.

Seeing its pitiful expression, Mo Hua couldn't help but laugh and sigh at once; after a moment's thought, he sighed and thought, never mind.

The Great Pixiu's "guarding of its food" was its nature—not that it didn't want to, but its instinct drove it, utterly beyond control.

Mo Hua also felt a pang of pity for this big dumb Great Pixiu; he didn't want it to suffer too much, so he dissolved the sword in his hand and said:

"Forget it. Cutting it now won't be useful; we'll talk about it later when I have time."

The Great Pixiu froze, opened its big eyes, glanced at Mo Hua, realized he was serious, and immediately burst into joy, sticking out its large tongue and licking Mo Hua incessantly.

Mo Hua felt helpless inside.

He instructed the Great Pixiu: "Keep a close watch on these three things. I'll return first; I'll come see you again when I have time…"

"Aow, aow, aow…" The Great Pixiu nodded its big head vigorously.

Mo Hua patted the Great Pixiu's huge head again, couldn't help smiling, then turned and left.

After Mo Hua left, the Great Pixiu's eyes flickered with a trace of disappointment. But remembering Mo Hua's promise to return, it felt a little better.

After all, it was just a few naps' worth of time.

The Great Pixiu slowly lowered its head to the ground, closed its eyelids, and resumed dozing off.

And while the Great Pixiu dozed off,

the demonic entity in its left paw continuously roared, though its face had no features, making its expression unreadable.

The evil god in its right paw glared with ferocity, yet seemed to fear something, holding back and refraining from action.

The Great Wujiu God beneath its hind paws made not a single sound.

Not only was there no sound, he showed not the slightest hint of resistance.

He even revealed a strange sense of calm.

After a long while, all around fell into deathly silence; the Great Wujiu God, pinned beneath the Great Pixiu, finally opened his eyes, his gaze dull and murky.

"So this is how it is…"

He murmured inwardly, "This is… the only choice I have to preserve my divine path and survive the coming Deceptive Heaven calamity…"

"An eerily powerful Divine Lord, the Great Pixiu, the demonic entity, the god's true form…"

"No wonder…"

The Great Wujiu God exhaled deeply, as if a drowning man had finally grasped a strand of grass.

…

Mo Hua left the divine hall sealed by the Great Pixiu, his spiritual awareness returning to his mind sea.

The threat of the Great Wujiu God was temporarily resolved; now he could safely "consume" mental energy to strengthen his spiritual awareness.

At this moment, the mind sea was filled with the vast, pure spiritual insight the Great Wujiu God had personally shed during his "cutting of the tail to survive"—spiritual insight accumulated over countless years.

Even after experiencing so many divine affairs, having consumed so much mental energy,

Mo Hua's heart still uncooperatively began to race.

Because this spiritual insight was so abundant, it could let him "eat" his fill in one go…

"If I consume it all, could I…"

Mo Hua's heart beat even faster.

He immediately took a deep breath, restrained himself, stabilized his mind, and kept his consciousness clear, refusing to let the "food" before his eyes blind him.

The greater the benefit, the more tempting it is—never lose your mind.

Still, caution is needed…

Mo Hua began to extend his spiritual awareness, carefully inspecting the massive pile of mental energy before him, checking whether the Great Wujiu God had left any traps for him.

Fortunately, though weak, the Great Wujiu God still had some sense.

Mo Hua checked several times and found no impurities in this spiritual insight.

Nor was there any tainted karmic residue mixed within.

Mo Hua finally felt completely at ease.

Then his gaze brightened, his mouth opened wide, and he eagerly began the true "feeding."

Now free of worries, unimpeded by other karmic interference, and with no one daring to disturb him, Mo Hua could finally eat "without restraint."

No one could stop him from feasting voraciously.

Mo Hua also focused his mind entirely on devouring and refining the mental force.

He swallowed more fiercely and rapidly than before.

Deep and pure mental force filled his mind sea, surging like a mighty river.

Mo Hua's mouth looked small, yet it seemed like a "Taotie's Gigantic Maw," radiating the aura of swallowing heaven and earth.

The surging mental force, like a river reversing its flow, poured entirely into Mo Hua's mouth.

Mo Hua's spiritual awareness accumulated at a visibly rapid pace, growing stronger and stronger.

His spiritual awareness's realm also slowly climbed to higher levels.

It rose from the middle-late stage of the Twenty-Three Lines to the late stage of the Twenty-Three Lines.

After reaching the late stage, Mo Hua kept eating, his spiritual awareness continued climbing, until it finally reached the peak of the Twenty-Three Lines.

At the peak of the Twenty-Three Lines, he suddenly encountered a great barrier.

It was as if a "Grand Abyss" had appeared between realms, and all the mental force he consumed filled this "chasm."

This was the bottleneck of spiritual awareness.

Moreover, this was the greatest spiritual awareness bottleneck Mo Hua had faced since entering the Jin Dan realm.

The Twenty-Three Lines was the early stage of Jin Dan.

The Twenty-Four Lines, beyond it, was the middle stage of Jin Dan.

This was a mid-realm bottleneck; to break through it and fill the "abyss" of his mind sea would require immense effort and an enormous amount of mental force.

But Mo Hua was not anxious.

Because much of the mental force stripped from the Wu Jiao Great God still remained.

Although this Wu Jiao Great God was not particularly strong in combat, he was still one of the ancient gods of the Great Wilderness, having cultivated deeply in the Great Wilderness for many years, with profound mental force reserves.

Now, all of his divine path's foundations lay in Mo Hua's hands.

Mo Hua did not believe that devouring such a great god could fail to fill the gap between his Twenty-Three Lines and Twenty-Four Lines of spiritual awareness…

Mo Hua continued concentrating and devouring fiercely.

One after another stream of mental force, after being refined, was swallowed into his belly, slowly refined within his spiritual mind-body, gradually assimilated, and transformed into the foundation of his divine path, steadily elevating his spiritual awareness realm.

Each time Wu Jiao's mental force diminished by a fraction.

Mo Hua's spiritual awareness strengthened by a fraction.

Thus Mo Hua kept eating, kept eating.

He did not know how long he had eaten, or how much he had consumed.

Eventually, he even grew numb from eating, nearly felt like vomiting—but Mo Hua still did not give up, mechanically and force-feeding himself…

The Tian Yan Jue he cultivated, the path of spiritual awareness as the Dao, inherently neared divinity, so the "gaps" between spiritual awareness realms were terrifyingly vast.

This was not a spiritual awareness scale any ordinary person could comprehend.

Therefore, Mo Hua's cultivation was extraordinarily arduous, exceedingly long, and intensely agonizing.

Yet even so, Mo Hua never gave up.

Whenever there was the slightest opportunity, he seized it.

He never let slip a single chance to strengthen his spiritual awareness.

And fortunately, this Wu Jiao Great God before him seemed to be the "gift" of heaven rewarding his diligence.

Finally, after eating for an unknown duration and refining for an unknown length of time, Mo Hua, lost in "Taotie" state—mindlessly devouring, utterly oblivious—suddenly tensed.

He could feel that a certain "bottleneck" had seemingly shattered.

Under his relentless devouring and refining, the "abyss" had been filled.

At the same time, an intense sense of power surged through his entire body.

He faintly sensed his spiritual mind had crossed a threshold, becoming stronger than before.

And not merely in "quantity."

Because this was a mid-realm breakthrough, Mo Hua felt his spiritual awareness had undergone a deeper "qualitative transformation."

The sinews and bones of his mental force body were further strengthened, becoming denser and more solid; the power of every punch and kick was now greater than before.

The foundation of his entire divine path was also more stable than before.

Now, if he fought the Wu Jiao Great God again, it would be even easier.

Moreover, because his spiritual awareness had grown stronger, the heavy oppressive pressure from the dangerous "life curses" within his fate pattern had weakened slightly…

"Twenty-Four Lines!!"

"My spiritual mind has finally reached… Twenty-Four Lines…"

Mo Hua remained stunned for a long while, then an indescribable excitement surged from his heart, filling his chest and spreading through his entire body.

Twenty-Four Lines was the most important milestone in his cultivation so far.

At Twenty-Four Lines, he could truly learn the second-rank personal ultimate array: the Twelve Meridians Taotie Spirit Corpse Array.

Once his personal ultimate array was perfected, it would lay the foundation for the next stage.

"I can finally…"

Mo Hua took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, "step toward Jin Dan…"