Chapter 286: Eaten

Just a wisp of that aura spreading out made the green-faced demon tremble violently with terror, as if its very essence were being erased.

That wisp of aura seemed to come from the Dao's rejection.

The Dao suppresses all evil and malevolence.

At the same time, searing pain burned across the green-faced demon's body.

It looked down and saw that, without notice, its hands, its feet, its body, as if scorched by molten fire, were slowly dissolving.

And its form gradually shrank, revealing its true shape once more—the little green-faced, fanged demon.

"Run, or you'll die!"

The green-faced demon, terrified beyond reason, shrieked and struggled desperately, trying to escape Mo Hua's mind sea.

Mo Hua naturally would not let it escape.

His eyes flashed, and he seized the chance to activate the Flowing Water Step, three strides as two, appearing instantly before the green-faced demon and grabbing it.

Earlier, when the green-faced demon's aura was strong, Mo Hua could not get close.

But now, after being blasted by Mo Hua's Earth Fire Array and burned by the Dao Stele's aura, its true form was exposed, and its remaining spiritual awareness had weakened drastically.

Mo Hua subdued it effortlessly.

The green-faced demon still struggled, shrieking: "Let me go! Let me go!"

Mo Hua did not release it, but asked: "What exactly are you?"

The green-faced demon did not answer, but its expression twisted into a snarl as it threatened:

"Release me now… or one day, I'll eat you!"

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened, his small face hardening.

At death's door, still daring to threaten me?

He gripped the green-faced demon's throat and said coldly: "Keep boasting—do you really think I won't eat you first?"

Mo Hua had only been threatening, but the moment he spoke those words, the green-faced demon's face flooded with terror.

"No… don't say 'eat'…"

The green-faced demon was terrified and trembling.

But it was too late—no sooner had Mo Hua finished speaking than a more immense aura surged from the Dao Stele, instantly burning the green-faced demon into a wisp.

The green-faced demon's wisp howled, twisted, writhed, and screamed—but to no avail, crushed and ground by the Dao Stele's aura, it was soon refined into several strands of green qi.

Then those strands of green qi directly drilled into Mo Hua's mouth and were swallowed into his belly.

In an instant, the green-faced demon had been "eaten" by Mo Hua.

Mo Hua froze.

He'd only said it offhand—how had he actually "eaten" this little demon?

He hadn't truly meant to eat it…

Thinking of the green-faced demon's fanged, grotesque visage, he muttered under his breath:

"Hope I don't get sick… no, hope I don't go mad."

Before he finished speaking, Mo Hua's expression changed.

He felt his mind explode like a kaleidoscope, flooded with countless new images.

In the Shenshan, a young Daoist acolyte studied Yiqi Xiuxian with a Daoist Priest.

The Daoist Priest read a strange book; the acolyte followed along, and as they read, their smiles grew increasingly sinister, until both desired to eat humans.

The acolyte and the Daoist Priest conspired, deceiving wandering cultivators and began eating them.

As they ate, they lost their human forms.

One became a red-faced, fanged demon; the other became a green-faced, fanged little demon.

Later, a white-robed sword cultivator descended from the clouds, slicing the red-faced demon—born from the Daoist Priest—with one sword; the acolyte-turned-green-faced demon escaped, fleeing into the painting and sealed within the Daoist temple.

Later, many cultivators obtained this painting.

Those with shallow insight, unable to see its true nature, called it the Daoist Priest's young acolyte.

Those with profound spiritual awareness, who glimpsed its true form, called it a wicked, monstrous beast.

Others, unaware of its nature, would visualize the painting, borrowing its spiritual awareness.

But to borrow, one must repay.

It would slowly devour the spiritual awareness of those who used it.

Until a sect elder sealed it away, leaving it in darkness, starving for a long time.

Later, a sect disciple stole it out.

That sect disciple had a youthful face, his eyes brimming with ambition.

He was the Third Chief of Great Heishan…

Layer upon layer of images and memories flooded Mo Hua's mind.

Mo Hua's thoughts were chaotic, too disordered to sort them out—when suddenly, another impulse surged through his heart.

He wanted to eat humans!

Mo Hua's heart jolted.

At the same time, murderous intent, greed, and other evil thoughts surged forth.

Mo Hua frowned tightly, realization dawning.

He had "eaten" the green-faced demon—so his mind was now filled with these evil thoughts.

If this continued, his evil thoughts would deepen, and he might truly become a cannibal.

Mo Hua endured the pain and hurried to the Dao Stele, sat in meditation, and applied the meditation technique taught by Mr. Zhuang, focusing his spirit and purging distractions.

Evil thoughts rose in Mo Hua's mind, then faded one by one, rising and falling in endless cycles.

At the same time, Mo Hua engraved Mr. Zhuang's words in his heart.

Let the mind follow what is natural, and never deceive oneself.

Even if evil thoughts arise in the heart, do not fear them, do not be afraid, do not deceive oneself; observe and contemplate within, let the mind become clear and limpid, let the heart break free of its cage, and roam boundlessly.

The worldly thoughts of the mundane world are, in the end, nothing at all; the heart is like a bright mirror, attracting no dust.

Wisps of green Qi, tangled with evil thoughts, drifted out from Su Zimo's body, only to be thoroughly crushed by the aura of the Dao Stele and vanish without a trace.

Mo Hua had no idea how long had passed before he finally opened his eyes.

The many evil thoughts that had surfaced moments ago had been completely purged; Mo Hua's mind held nothing external, his divine sense utterly clear.

Mo Hua let out a breath of relief. Just as he was about to stand, a surge of extremely pure divine sense suddenly welled up within his sea of consciousness.

This surge of divine sense was the evil thought of that green-faced little ghost, purified and preserved—pure power of spiritual perception.

This pure spiritual perception flooded Mo Hua's sea of consciousness.

The green-faced little ghost's divine sense had originally been stronger than Mo Hua's; now that it had been refined, its power of divine sense was even more vast and mighty.

Mo Hua had no idea what to do.

He had never encountered such a situation in the Daoist cultivation classics, nor in Mr. Zhuang's teachings.

Just as Mo Hua hesitated, the pure divine sense grew ever greater, like a tide, suddenly pouring into Mo Hua's sea of consciousness and battering against the walls of his consciousness.

Mo Hua's sea of consciousness ached faintly, even showing signs of cracking.

"Not good!"

Mo Hua was greatly alarmed.

This surge of divine sense was too much—it would burst his sea of consciousness.

Enduring the searing pain in his sea of consciousness, Mo Hua hurriedly began drawing formations on the Dao Stele.

Drawing formations would consume a great deal of spiritual perception; Mo Hua wanted to use formations to burn off this surge of divine sense, preventing his sea of consciousness from being shattered by the swelling divine sense within.

Mo Hua used his finger in place of a brush, straining to trace the formations on the Dao Stele.

All manner of Five Element formations, the Sinan Qin Zimu compound formation, a first-grade Molten Fire compound formation, concealment formations, and so on.

Mo Hua did not deliberate; whatever came to mind, he drew at once.

His speed was extremely fast—between the flicking of his fingers, afterimages trailed, spiritual perception poured forth, and layer upon layer of formations were drawn by Mo Hua upon the Dao Stele.

But no matter how fast Mo Hua drew, he still could not keep up with the speed at which the divine sense was growing.

Just then, Mo Hua thought of the Reversal Spirit Formation.

A first-grade, ten-pattern Reversal Spirit Formation—a formation that, with his current spiritual perception, he could not possibly draw in full.

But it also meant that drawing the Reversal Spirit Formation could consume a vast amount of spiritual perception.

Mo Hua began recalling the formation patterns of the Reversal Spirit Formation, then attempted to draw it on the Dao Stele.

The first attempt—he failed.

The second attempt—still a failure.

……

Mo Hua paid no heed, drawing again and again, over and over.

At the same time, the speed at which he consumed divine sense finally reached a rough balance with the speed of its growth.

The divine sense no longer pressed against his sea of consciousness, and the pain within gradually eased.

Mo Hua felt somewhat better, then rallied his spirit and continued to consume divine sense, wholeheartedly practicing the Reversal Spirit Formation.

Mo Hua drew it again and again.

The formations he drew on the Dao Stele piled one atop another, layer upon layer—he had lost count of how many times he had drawn it.

Each time he drew, he would draw a little more; each time he drew a little more, the divine sense consumed would be a little greater, and his spiritual perception would strengthen a little as well.

Trickling streams converge into a great river.

At last, Mo Hua's final stroke fell; his divine sense was utterly spent, and the Reversal Spirit Formation bloomed with a deep, profound light.

The formation patterns lit up; the formation took effect.

And this meant that Mo Hua had drawn the Reversal Spirit Formation completely, in its entirety.

A heaven-defying anomaly, transcending grade—a first-grade, ten-pattern Reversal Spirit Formation!

By a fortunate twist of fate, Mo Hua had, with the aid of the divine sense within the contemplation diagram, drawn a formation that a first-grade formation master should have been unable to comprehend.