Chapter 229

Before Mo Hua entered the inner mountain, Elder Yu secretly slipped him a Yao Yao Ling.

"Take this—you're officially a Yao Yao Shi now."

Mo Hua blinked. "Can you become a Yao Yao Shi without going through the Yao Yao Ceremony?"

First he guarded the spirit mine, then helped build the Alchemy Forge and the Pill Workshop; after all that, he was always busy cultivating and drawing arrays, so he missed this year's Yao Yao Ceremony.

Besides, he was a Spirit Cultivator and an Array Master—he rarely engaged in close combat with beast monsters; strictly speaking, he wasn't suited to be a Yao Yao Shi.

"Those are just empty formalities, meaningless. Whether you're a Yao Yao Shi is up to me—I say you are, you are!"

Elder Yu said with perfect confidence.

He was the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Yao Yao Guild, so indeed, he was the one who called the shots.

Elder Yu personally hung the Yao Yao Ling around Mo Hua's neck. "This Yao Yao Ling is the key—possessing it makes you a genuine Yao Yao Shi."

"Drip a drop of blood onto it," Elder Yu added.

Mo Hua paused.

Seeing Mo Hua's delicate, fair skin, Elder Yu thought for a moment. "Never mind—I'll do it for you."

Elder Yu took Mo Hua's pale, slender hand, condensed his spiritual energy into a fine needle, pierced Mo Hua's index finger, and let a single drop of blood fall onto the Yao Yao Ling.

Mo Hua sucked his finger, and the bleeding stopped soon after.

At the same time, his spiritual sense trembled slightly, as if resonating with the Yao Yao Ling, generating a sense of familiarity—as if this bone talisman was no longer an inanimate object, but a part of his spiritual sense.

"Is this blood-pledge bonding?"

"Sort of. But this Yao Yao Ling isn't a sentient spiritual artifact, so calling it blood-pledge bonding is a stretch—it's more like… a stamp of ownership."

"Oh." Mo Hua nodded.

He then touched the Yao Yao Ling and asked curiously, "Elder Yu, how exactly is this Yao Yao Ling made?"

Elder Yu sat down on a chair, poured himself a cup of tea, and said:

"It was passed down by the ancestors of Yao Yao Shi. Legend says there are many bone trees scattered across the world—trees infused with the bloodline of ancient great beast monsters, both beast and tree at once. They look like trees, but their trunks are bone, their branches are bone, even their leaves are bone shards."

"The Yao Yao Ling is carved from the bone wood of these trees. Once a beast monster is slain, the bone talisman senses it and grows a blood mark, recording the Yao Yao Shi's kill as merit."

"The more and denser the blood marks, the greater the merit—and when you brag to others, you look far more impressive."

Mo Hua's face twisted in confusion. "So it's just for bragging…?"

"Mainly to display seniority. Veterans and newcomers have utterly different Yao Yao Lings—and yes, it's also very convenient for bragging."

Elder Yu raised an eyebrow at Mo Hua.

"If you go out and boast about how many beast monsters you've killed in your lifetime, without proof, who'd believe you? This Yao Yao Ling is your proof—show it, and every blood mark gives you the confidence to brag."

Judging by Elder Yu's expression, he'd clearly bragged about this many times before…

Mo Hua asked again: "Can we make these Yao Yao Lings ourselves?"

Elder Yu shook his head. "No. They're made and issued uniformly by the Dao Court. Don't think they all look the same—they're all recorded by the Dao Court. No fakes possible."

Mo Hua turned the talisman over and over, searching for any mark—he couldn't tell how the Dao Court kept records.

Was it some special array?

Elder Yu whispered to Mo Hua again: "This one's special—it's carved from the core of the bone tree's growth rings. I've kept it hidden for decades, never dared give it away."

Mo Hua suddenly felt the Yao Yao Ling grow heavy in his hand. "Aren't you saving it for Uncle Yu and the others?"

Elder Yu snorted. "My idiot son? I wouldn't waste it on him."

Mo Hua felt unworthy.

Elder Yu said, "Honestly, it doesn't matter much. Whether it's from the trunk, branch, or leaf of the same bone tree, the effect is identical—it's just a bit more refined. Don't overthink it."

Mo Hua relaxed slightly and nodded.

"Keep it safe. Don't lose it," Elder Yu warned.

"Got it!"

Now, besides the warm, smooth Dan Jade given to him by Mr. Feng, Mo Hua wore a Yao Yao Ling made of beast bone around his neck.

The next day, Mo Hua packed everything and entered the inner mountain with Mo Shan.

The inner mountain was filled with miasma and toxic marshes, far more poisonous than the outer mountain.

In the outer mountain, you could get by with just caution—even without pills—but in the inner mountain, pills were essential.

Mo Hua's storage pouch held various vials: Miasma-Repelling Pills, Toxin-Repelling Pills, Mind-Clearing Pills, Blood-Stopping Pills, and more.

All these pills had been prepared for him by Mr. Feng.

There were also dried meat, fermented wine, and pastries—prepared by his mother.

So as dawn barely broke, Mo Hua dressed, ate lightly, and entered Great Heishan with Mo Shan.

They trekked through the outer mountain and reached the inner mountain.

Mo Hua swallowed a Miasma-Repelling Pill, then surveyed the inner mountain's surroundings.

The terrain was more complex, the forests denser, the paths more rugged and harder to navigate.

The miasma was thick, and the mist fluctuated unpredictably—sometimes dense, sometimes thin.

When the mist was heavy, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face; after walking a few steps, it might vanish entirely, only to engulf you again a few steps later.

Extremely strange.

Mo Shan said: "If you see thick mist far ahead, avoid it if you can. If you can't avoid it, be extra careful—don't take unfamiliar paths. Better to wait in place a while than act rashly…"

"Otherwise, you'll easily lose your bearings, wander deep into the woods, and encounter unknown dangers."

Mo Hua nodded.

The inner mountain was much larger than the outer mountain—even Mo Shan, who had hunted beast monsters here for years, had never explored every corner.

So he could only guide Mo Hua along the main path once, to help him become familiar with the inner mountain's environment.

That way, if danger struck, he'd know where to flee; if lost, he'd know how to exit and return home.

The terrain inside the mountain was complex and rugged, so the two of them walked a stretch, then rested a while.

During rest periods, Mo Hua would take out the map and add markings to it.

This map had been requested from Elder Yu, and it was originally very crude, marking only the mountain contours and general paths, nothing else.

So Mo Hua wanted to improve the internal mountain map.

He had done this before on the outer mountain—it helped him become familiar with the environment, and also made gathering herbs, spices, and ores easier; should an emergency arise in the mountains, having the map to refer to would be far more convenient.

After roughly half a month, having traversed the main mountain paths several times, Mo Hua had become roughly familiar with the internal mountain's environment.

His internal mountain map was now covered in scribbles and additions.

Next, Mo Hua needed to set up the South-North Parent-Child Repeating Array.

Mo Hua was an array master; he wouldn't feel at ease unless he placed some arrays inside the mountain.

With the South-North Parent-Child Repeating Array, he could sense spiritual energy fluctuations—making it easier to join the commotion, and also allowing him to anticipate danger and flee in advance.

It also made it easier for him to drain the blood of demonic beasts.

This was something Mo Hua couldn't do alone, so he enlisted the help of several hunter-killers.

Yu Chengyi summoned over ten Hunter-Killers at Qi Refinement Ninth Layer to assist Mo Hua in placing the stone needles inscribed with the South-North Array.

Because the internal mountain was vast, a single South-North Parent Array compass could not cover the entire area, so Mo Hua drew two sets, dividing them into Alpha and Beta compasses.

The Alpha compass monitored the south, the Beta compass monitored the north.

He also made a matching set for Mo Shan and Yu Chengyi, to aid the Hunter-Killers in their operations within the mountain.

Yu Chengyi was overjoyed; with this set of array compasses, their operations within the mountain became far more secure.

Whether chasing demonic beasts, anticipating danger, or lending each other aid, everything became much more convenient than before, no longer relying solely on the Hunter-Killers' experience and intuition.