Chapter 1298

"Lord Divine Invoker..."

Tie Tie Shugu bowed to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua asked him: "Have the ancestors of your Art Bone Force always woven straw dogs with the same variety of human-clothing grass for sacrifice?"

Tie Tie Shugu thought for a moment and shook his head: "Not necessarily..."

Mo Hua did not speak.

Tie Tie Shugu explained: "In ancient times, human-clothing grass was everywhere, and the ancestors used this grass to weave straw dogs for sacrifice."

"But over a thousand years, the climate of heaven and earth has changed, and the quantity of human-clothing grass has declined, becoming increasingly precious."

"Many tribes, in order to imitate the ancient system and ensure that some causal inheritances using human-clothing grass as a medium would not perish in the history of the Great Wilderness, each kept many grass seeds and cultivated them. Therefore, the varieties of human-clothing grass also have many differences depending on the region and tribe."

These were things only the tribal ancestors knew; ordinary savage cultivators would not realize this at all.

Mo Hua frowned: "In other words, there are actually many types of human-clothing grass?"

Tie Tie Shugu said: "Yes."

Mo Hua nodded slightly, and his heart understood.

Cultivators seek truth and ask about the Dao; according to the research of the ancestors, it is divided into four levels: "Dao, Law, Technique, Vessel."

This was something he learned when he was studying at the Grand Void Gate.

Even a long time ago, his Master seemed to have mentioned it vaguely.

It was just that Mo Hua was still young at the time, and Mr. Zhuang did not talk too deeply, just mentioning it in passing.

Now that Mo Hua had experienced more, learned more, and comprehended more, he finally understood the essence of these four words.

Dao and Law are concepts at the "spiritual sense" level.

Vessel is a concept at the "material" level.

Technique is the level where "spiritual sense" and "material" are connected.

Mo Hua's Dao Heart was strong, his law comprehension was high, and he learned techniques well, but because he was poor when he was young, he often ignored the word "vessel."

But the vessel is the medium for Dao and Law, and it is also the means of realization for "technique," the material foundation.

The key point of not being able to comprehend the Great Wilderness Straw Dog Life Technique was very likely on this "vessel" that he had always ignored before.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment and said to Tie Tie Shugu:

"In the name of the Divine Invoker, go and collect the human-clothing grass existing in various mountain realms, various tribes, and various categories in the wilderness. After collecting them, hand them to me. This matter is most urgent..."

Mo Hua glanced at Tie Tie Shugu and added: "... This is related to the Great Wilderness Straw Dog Life Technique."

This straw dog life technique was originally the inheritance of the Art Bone Force, and Mo Hua did not hide it.

Moreover, he could only entrust the matter of collecting human-clothing grass to Tie Tie Shugu—that is, the current Art Bone ancestor.

Matters involving ancestral sacrifices were only best known to this ancestor.

Tie Tie Shugu's heart shook, and he said with a grave expression: "Yes."

……

Tie Tie Shugu was truly dedicated to this matter.

Three days later, he presented dozens of extremely rare human-clothing grasses he had collected to Mo Hua.

These human-clothing grasses encompassed dozens of mountain realms, nearly a hundred tribes, and thousands of years of inheritance.

Only Tie Tie Shugu, with his experience as an ancestor, could identify and find these grass seeds.

Similarly, only with Mo Hua's current powerful Divine Invoker authority could he scrape together so many categories of human-clothing grass in a short period of time.

Afterward, Mo Hua began to use these human-clothing grasses to weave straw dogs. He tried one variety after another.

Throughout the entire process, Mo Hua did not avoid Tie Tie Shugu.

Because this straw dog life technique was originally the inheritance of the Art Bone Force, Mo Hua did not want to keep it to himself.

At the same time, Mo Hua also hoped that with Tie Tie Shugu's experience, he could discover some problems he had not found during his research, so as to check for gaps and make up for them.

And Tie Tie Shugu did not disappoint Mo Hua's expectations.

In terms of the Dao of causality, Tie Tie Shugu was actually not weak; on the contrary, as the ancestor of the Art Bone Force who "died and was reborn," "Tie Tie Shugu's" causal attainments were actually very profound, and his ability to curse to death with causality was also unique.

It was just that when he met Mo Hua, it was like a mouse meeting a cat; he was truly helpless.

The Great Wilderness Straw Dog Life Technique was an ancient top-secret, and it was of the same lineage as part of the Art Bone Force's foundation.

Mo Hua told Tie Tie Shugu some causal secrets.

The Art Bone ancestor parasitic in Tie Tie Shugu's body also gave many suggestions on details, which benefited Mo Hua, who lacked experience in causal spells, a lot.

Mo Hua fused Tie Tie Shugu's suggestions, added his existing comprehension, and constantly tried to weave straw dogs using different categories of human-clothing grass as a medium.

Every time he wove a straw dog, his control over the straw dog life technique became deeper, and his experience in causality became heavier.

Tie Tie Shugu saw it in his eyes and was shocked in his heart; his gaze toward Mo Hua also had subtle changes.

But all this shock was hidden in the bottom of his heart and was not revealed.

In the following days, the straw dog life technique was studied deeper and deeper by Mo Hua at the "technique" level, and he mastered it better and better.

But at the "vessel" level, there was still no progress.

Dozens of human-clothing grasses had all been tried by Mo Hua. On Mo Hua's table, there were dozens more straw dogs of different grass varieties.

But the final result was exactly the same; not a single straw dog could truly block the murderous intent of causality for him.

Mo Hua frowned, and the atmosphere in the palace was solemn.

Tie Tie Shugu lowered his head and hands, his face also somewhat grave.

Mo Hua looked at Tie Tie Shugu and asked: "Are there any other varieties?"

Tie Tie Shugu said bitterly: "Reporting to Lord Divine Invoker, this old man has found all that could be found. This grass is extremely rare, and every tribe treats it as a treasure. If it weren't for using your name, this old man would not have been able to collect so many varieties of human-clothing grass..."

Mo Hua was not reconciled and asked: "Are there any rarer grass seeds?"

Tie Tie Shugu pondered and said slowly: "There are indeed..."

Mo Hua's brow shifted slightly: "Where?"

Tie Tie Shugu said with difficulty: "Rarer human-clothing grass is even more rare, and their uses are all extremely important: either they are also made into sacrifices and placed on the ancestral halls of the tribes; or they are planted in the ancestral graves of some large tribes; or they are used to refine some of the tribe's town-protecting treasures..."

"These things cannot be collected. Unless..."

"Really rob their ancestral halls, seize their town-protecting treasures, and blow up the ancestral graves of these tribes..."

Mo Hua showed a look of pondering, clearly thinking seriously.

Tie Tie Shugu's heart shook, and he hurriedly advised: "Lord Divine Invoker, now that there are strong enemies all around and the Witch Eagle Force is powerful, one must absolutely not do things like blowing up people's ancestral graves, otherwise it will provoke public anger and inevitably cause chaos..."

Mo Hua said: "I know."

Tie Tie Shugu had no bottom in his heart; looking at Mo Hua's appearance, he could not see that he knew at all.

Tie Tie Shugu thought over and over again and still emphasized cautiously: "Lord Divine Invoker, ancestral graves really cannot be blown up!"

Only then did Mo Hua nod with an icy face, seemingly somewhat unreconciled.

Tie Tie Shugu truly broke into a cold sweat.

Mo Hua then pondered: "Then could it be... it's not a problem with the 'vessel'... but a problem at the 'technique' level?"

Tie Tie Shugu also frowned tightly, thought seriously for a moment, and shook his head:

"Lord Divine Invoker's comprehension is heaven-sent, and his mastery of the straw dog life 'technique' far exceeds this old man's. To tell the truth, this old man does not feel that there is a problem with your understanding of the technique. The problem with this life technique is highly likely to be with the straw dog medium..."

Mo Hua looked at the human-clothing grasses in front of him one by one and said: "These grasses have changed with time and are no longer the true ancient varieties?"

Tie Tie Shugu sighed.

This was also the reason why many wilderness inheritances were lost.

The environment of heaven and earth has changed, the grass, wood, and demonic beasts have changed, and some mediums for casting spells have also changed.

Many powerful inheritances, lacking ancient mediums, naturally declined day by day, and eventually fell into decline.

Mo Hua's gaze shifted: "You go and choose some other straw grasses; they don't have to be human-clothing grass, but they must be ancient varieties, rare ones... I will try them one by one."

As things stood, human-clothing grass did not work, so he could only choose others.

Not knowing which grass would work, he had to use the stupidest method to try them one by one.

Tie Tie Shugu saw that Mo Hua's will was firm and bowed: "Yes..."

……

In the following days, Tie Tie Shugu found no less than a hundred ancient and precious grass seeds of the Great Wilderness and presented them to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua was tireless, consumed his essence blood, and tried them one by one. His face became paler and paler, but still, not a single grass could bear his causality.

Tie Tie Shugu also thought hard but could not find the answer, not understanding where the problem with this ancestor causal life technique of his Art Bone Force lay.

Tie Tie Shugu felt dejected.

Mo Hua did not give up, still unwavering every day, firmly consuming his heart's blood to try more straw grasses and weave more straw dogs, in order to seek a deeper causal Dao.

But he forgot that his physical body had inherently weak blood and energy.

And weaving straw dogs requires consuming essence blood. Over these days, he had been using essence blood to weave life technique straw dogs every day, and his blood and energy had long been depleted.

Finally, one day, Mo Hua could not bear it, his face pale as paper, and he fainted.

Tie Tie Shugu was startled when he saw this and just wanted to help Mo Hua, but he heard a roar in his ears; it was the big tiger looking at him with hostility and issuing a warning.

Tie Tie Shugu stopped his steps and did not dare to make any extra movements.

The big tiger's figure was like the wind; it walked to Mo Hua in a few steps, protected Mo Hua with its body, and rubbed against Mo Hua with its big head with a worried gaze.

After a long time, sensing the big tiger's aura, Mo Hua slowly woke up.

Seeing the big tiger's worried gaze, Mo Hua smiled shallowly and touched the big tiger's head.

Afterward, he took out a few medicinal pills and put them in his mouth to take.

These medicinal pills were for replenishing blood, and all of them were top-grade; some were even refined for him by Elder Elder Murong when he was at the Grand Void Gate.

After taking them, a hint of blood color indeed appeared on Mo Hua's pale face, and his complexion improved a bit.

But his body still felt very weak.

This feeling of weakness was truly long-lost.

Suddenly, Mo Hua realized that besides being the powerful Great Wilderness Divine Invoker and the incomparably noble Divine Lord's deputy, he was also that physically weak spiritual cultivator, the Mo Hua who had been sickly since childhood.

This feeling of "weakness" seemed very distant, but it also seemed to be right in front of his eyes.

In the dim memories of the past, Mo Hua felt as if he could see his thin and weak self when he was young, his self who was born in poverty but was clever and kind-hearted, the little array master who went to help others after learning array techniques.

The self at that time was like a thin but resilient straw grass.

And all the loose cultivators in Immortal City were also straw grasses.

Or rather, in the eyes of the true upper class, they were all just "straw dogs"... humble and lowly...

A hint of sympathy arose in Mo Hua's icy heart.

It was sympathy for himself, and also sympathy for those humble loose cultivators who were in the same boat as him.

Even looking at the world and the common people, they were nothing more than straw dogs.

Mo Hua's gaze became compassionate again.

And in this compassion, Mo Hua's pupils suddenly trembled, and he realized something.

He could not care about his weak blood and energy, slowly stood up, and accompanied by the big tiger, left the Divine Invoker Palace step by step and came outside the palace.

This Divine Invoker Palace was built on a high peak.

Mo Hua stood at the peak of the mountain, looked at the Great Wilderness, and amidst the clouds and mist, he felt as if he were at the top of the earth, looking at the smallness of all the mountains.

This was the vision of the upper level and the perspective of the Divine Invoker who held great power.

But Mo Hua's gaze crossed the mountains and looked at the most ordinary, most inconspicuous, most humble, and most small wild grasses at the foot of the mountain.

These wild grasses grew in the soil, survived in humility, and covered the entire wilderness land with their frail bodies.

Tie Tie Shugu followed behind Mo Hua, frowning, not understanding.

Not knowing how long it had been, Mo Hua sighed:

"Wrong..."

Tie Tie Shugu was startled: "What is wrong?"

Mo Hua said slowly: "The Great Wilderness Straw Dog Life Technique... should not use human-clothing grass..."

Tie Tie Shugu was somewhat stunned: "This is what the ancestors used."

Mo Hua's gaze was transparent, and he said slowly: "Your ancestors used human-clothing grass because in those years, this grass was everywhere and was the most humble grass and wood in the Great Wilderness."

"Straw Dog Life Technique, Straw Dog Life Technique; since one wants to be a straw dog, one should naturally use the most humble grass."

"But now, time has changed, human-clothing grass is rare and has become precious, so it is no longer 'humble' and is no longer the most, widest, and most ordinary grass and wood in the Great Wilderness."

"It is no longer 'humble,' so it is no longer qualified to be used to make 'straw dogs'."

"Not just human-clothing grass, all 'precious,' 'rare,' and 'superior' grass and wood are not qualified to be used as the medium for the Straw Dog Life Technique."

"No matter when, only the most ordinary, most humble, most lowly wild grass that is everywhere on this wilderness land can be used to cast the Great Wilderness Straw Dog Life Technique."

"The noble are the most humble, and the humble are the most noble."

"The most ordinary and most humble have the highest weight in the Great Dao."

"Therefore, it was wrong... 'Noble' grass cannot bear the Dao of this heavenly causality; only the most humble wild grass can..."

Mo Hua's eyes were deep, Dao rhyme circulated around his body, and his meaning was profound.

Tie Tie Shugu heard this, his heart and mind shaken, his eyes full of horror.

……

Afterward, Mo Hua discarded all ancient, precious, and gold-clad grass and wood, and only took the most ordinary, most humble, most inconspicuous, and most overlooked wild grass in the Great Wilderness to weave causal straw dogs.

This time, it was indeed different.

Every time Mo Hua wove a grass thread, his spiritual sense poured out like a river.

And his golden spiritual sense, as brilliant as a god, also fused deeply with the most humble wild grass of the Great Wilderness.

At that moment, Mo Hua felt that he was both a god high above, looking down on the world,

and a straw dog struggling in the mud, as humble as grass.

His life destiny was deeply tied to the straw dog in his hand.

He was weaving a straw dog, and he was also weaving his own destiny and the causality of his entire life.

……

The war in the Great Wilderness was still continuing.

At night, amidst the busy war, Tie Tie Shugu returned to his room and set up an altar.

But there was nothing on the altar.

Tie Tie Shugu lit a stick of incense and worshipped a certain non-existent spirit tablet.

His face was full of vicissitudes, his expression was old, but the excitement and shock in his heart were indescribable, so much so that his hand holding the incense was trembling:

"This child... his heart can swallow heaven and earth, his perspective is immeasurable, his comprehension is unimaginable; he is indeed... very much like you..."

"He is the person most like you in these thousands of years... he is..."

"The most suitable candidate..."

Tie Tie Shugu's tone contained great relief, but his face was hidden in the darkness.

(End of chapter)