Chapter 453: Divine Thought, Lethal Strikes

Zhang Quan, Ling Shu Array, traitor of the Little Lingyin Sect.

These three are certainly connected.

But there are few clues, making it hard to investigate.

For now, the array is more urgent.

In Qingfeng Xu Lai's courtyard, Mo Hua was still practicing the Ling Shu Array.

Yet as he practiced, he suddenly felt he had forgotten something.

What had he forgotten?

Mo Hua froze for a moment, then suddenly remembered.

Zhang Quan's Laozu was still stuffed in his storage bag…

The portrait of Zhang's ancestral master!

The figure in the painting should be Zhang's ancestor.

Zhang Quan set up an altar, burned incense, and bowed to the ancestral portrait to borrow the ancestor's divine thought and refine the Corpse-Control Bell.

The painting contained divine thought.

This meant the ancestral portrait was likely an observation diagram.

The offering for the altar was a person's spiritual awareness.

Thus, the entity dwelling within this diagram, even if not a specter like the Green-Faced Imp, must be some filthy, malevolent thought.

Zhang Quan refined corpses.

His corpse-refining method was passed down by his Laozu.

Therefore, his Laozu was certainly no good thing.

Mo Hua patted his storage bag, his expression hesitant.

"Should I take a look?"

If he did, it would likely be dangerous.

Like in Great Heishan, this ancestral portrait might harbor some evil spirit ready to invade his spiritual sea.

And the Dao Stele had only recovered half its power.

If the Dao Stele could not suppress this evil spirit, and he was foolishly invaded by malevolent thought, it would be like inviting a wolf into his home—disaster would follow.

It might also expose the Dao Stele's secret, making it even more dangerous.

But not looking was also problematic.

This painting couldn't be kept.

If kept, and it fell back into Zhang Quan's hands, it would aid evil.

If not in Zhang Quan's hands but acquired by another cultivator, it could cost lives, providing the evil entity within the painting with spiritual awareness to feed on.

Keeping it himself carried great risk.

Who knew? On some day, when his life hung by a thread, the malevolent thought in this painting might emerge to sabotage him.

So it couldn't be kept.

If not kept, then it must be destroyed.

Burn it with fire, reduce Zhang Quan's Laozu to ash, and scatter the ashes.

If Zhang Quan found out, he'd probably be enraged to death.

Mo Hua couldn't help muttering inwardly.

But after thinking it over, Mo Hua felt reluctant.

After all, observation diagrams were rare.

So far, Mo Hua had encountered only two:

One was the Mountain-and-Water Dao Boy diagram from Shanzhai.

The other was this Zhang ancestral master portrait.

Both diagrams were extremely precious, deeply hidden, and hard to obtain.

Burning them would be a waste of heaven's bounty.

More importantly, if he could assimilate the divine thought within the observation diagram, he could strengthen his spiritual awareness.

Mo Hua's greatest strength was his spiritual awareness, and his greatest lack was also his spiritual awareness.

His spiritual awareness far surpassed that of a Qi Condensation cultivator, rivaled even that of a typical Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator, and was even deeper.

But this spiritual awareness was still far from enough.

He had to find a way to break through to Foundation Establishment mid-stage.

That is, the Fourteen-Stripe realm.

Only then could he establish his Foundation, forge the Dao Base of spiritual awareness, and walk the path of spiritual awareness as the Dao.

Currently, he lacked advanced arrays to hone his spiritual awareness.

The Ling Shu Array was Twelve-Stripe, but incomplete.

Obtaining the complete Ling Shu Array diagram would likely require some Zhou Zhe.

Under these circumstances, if he could assimilate the observation diagram, his spiritual awareness would advance much faster.

Mo Hua could establish his Foundation sooner.

After thinking it over, Mo Hua went to ask Mr. Zhuang.

He placed the crumpled, ash-stained, wrinkled Zhang ancestral master portrait before Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang stared at the filthy mess, his expression unreadable.

"How did you crumple it like this?"

Mo Hua pulled a serious little face and said:

"I'm afraid it'll bewitch me!"

Mr. Zhuang fell silent for a moment, then asked: "It bewitched you?"

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded.

"How did it bewitch you?"

"It praised my talent, offered me a chance, and made me look at it…" Mo Hua snorted, "It wishes too much!"

"And then…?"

"Then I gave it a good scolding, and it became obedient."

Mr. Zhuang glanced again at the drawing.

The drawing was crumpled by Mo Hua's small hand, dusted with incense ash all around, and marked with several tiny footprints.

It certainly looked like it had been "scolded"…

Mr. Zhuang couldn't help laughing.

Mo Hua asked softly:

"Master, can I look at this drawing?"

Mr. Zhuang thought for a moment, then shook his head:

"Not yet."

Mo Hua looked disappointed, then his eyes lit up and he asked:

"Not yet… then when, Master, will I be allowed?"

Mr. Zhuang didn't answer, but asked instead:

"How are you progressing with the Ling Shu Array?"

"I've learned a little…"

Mo Hua told Mr. Zhuang his understanding and insights into the Ling Shu Array.

Mr. Zhuang listened and nodded slightly.

Mo Hua couldn't help saying:

"Master, isn't this Ling Shu Array a bit too simple…?"

Mr. Zhuang paused, then tapped Mo Hua's forehead with his finger, "Don't say that outside."

Otherwise, some array masters will hear it and get angry, wanting to beat you.

Mo Hua grinned sheepishly, yet still asked confusedly:

"Master, I thought the Ling Shu Array should be harder…"

"Like the Grade-One Ten-Stripe Reverse Spirit Array, or the Grade-One Eleven-Stripe Thick Earth Array—those require deeper comprehension to master…"

"But this Ling Shu Array… I didn't seem to comprehend anything, yet I still grasped the basics…"

Mr. Zhuang smiled faintly, "How do you know you didn't comprehend anything?"

Mo Hua blinked, "What did I comprehend?"

I didn't even realize it myself…

Mr. Zhuang asked: "What is the core of the Ling Shu Array?"

"Spirit force control." Mo Hua replied instantly.

"How do you control it?"

"Through the array, analyze the essential structure of spirit force, then divide it into fine threads; use your spiritual awareness, centered on the array, to control these spirit force threads, thereby controlling external objects."

Mr. Zhuang smiled meaningfully:

"Does that sound familiar?"

Mo Hua frowned, thinking.

Spiritual awareness controlling spirit force…

After a moment, Mo Hua suddenly understood.

"The Great Expansion Scripture!"

The Great Expansion Scripture was also a technique for cultivating spiritual awareness control.

The more deeply you cultivated the Great Expansion Scripture, the more refined your spiritual awareness control became.

"Exactly!" Mr. Zhuang nodded, "The Ling Shu Array emphasizes spirit force control; the Great Expansion Scripture cultivates spiritual awareness control. Both share the same origin and are connected…"

"You didn't fail to comprehend the Ling Shu Array."

"The principles of this array—you've already absorbed them bit by bit, over time, while practicing the Great Expansion Scripture."

"That's why comprehending the Ling Shu Array was actually not difficult for you."

"After comprehending the absolute array, it was merely a gradual deepening of your everyday understanding—no sudden enlightenment."

Mo Hua slowly nodded, finally understanding.

After a moment, he frowned again and asked:

"But Master, the spirit force control involved in the Ling Shu Array and the Great Expansion Scripture are still different, aren't they?"

There's still a significant difference between the two.

That's why I didn't think of this at first.

Mr. Zhuang's eyes shone with approval as he nodded:

"They reach the same goal by different paths—similar in essence, but differing in emphasis…"

"The Great Expansion Scripture focuses on spiritual awareness control, emphasizing the awareness itself."

"The Ling Shu Array focuses on spirit force control, emphasizing spiritual awareness's manipulation of objects—or rather, spiritual awareness's control of spirit force, finely and meticulously guiding it."

"One is for within, one is for without; the two complement each other."

"You've learned the Great Expansion Sword Art; your spiritual sense is strong, so you'll find it easier to understand the principles of the Spirit Pivot Array, and understand them more thoroughly."

"Spiritual sense controlling objects…" Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and asked: "Is this related to spiritual sense manipulation at the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Mr. Zhuang explained:

"The principle is the same—both involve manipulating objects—but the forms differ. Spiritual sense manipulation emphasizes strength, while spiritual sense control emphasizes subtlety."

Mo Hua said: "Then can I now use spiritual sense manipulation?"

"No," Mr. Zhuang said, "it requires Foundation Establishment to learn. Your spiritual sense is sufficient, but your cultivation isn't."

Mo Hua felt a little disappointed, but after thinking, it made sense.

The methods of Foundation Establishment aren't easy to learn for Qi Condensation cultivators.

After hearing Mr. Zhuang's explanation, Mo Hua understood much, but still had many doubts.

"Master, how do these relate to the contemplation diagrams?" Mo Hua asked.

Mr. Zhuang's gaze sharpened slightly and said:

"Do you remember I said I would teach you the method of spiritual thought assassination?"

Mo Hua's heart tightened, his face showed expectation, and he nodded eagerly.

Mr. Zhuang's gaze grew deep and he spoke slowly:

"Spiritual thought assassination takes spiritual sense as its foundation and manifestation as its form—and spiritual sense control is the method."

"Spiritual sense as foundation, manifestation as form, spiritual sense control is the method…"

Mo Hua silently repeated it once.

Mr. Zhuang asked: "Do you understand?"

Mo Hua honestly shook his head.

He understood the words "spiritual sense," "manifestation," and "control" individually, but when Mr. Zhuang strung them together, he couldn't grasp it.

"It doesn't matter," Mr. Zhuang smiled, "take it step by step…"

"Spiritual thought assassination is an extremely esoteric technique, exceedingly difficult and perilous; ordinary cultivators never learn it."

"Even demonic cultivators rarely know it."

"I teach it to you because you have chosen the path of spiritual sense—your future will inevitably bring spiritual-level assassinations."

"And in fact, you've already encountered one…"

Like the green-faced imp in the Great Heishan contemplation diagram…

Mr. Zhuang thought silently.

He didn't know how Mo Hua had resolved it, but he didn't press.

Some secrets must be kept hidden.

Mr. Zhuang glanced at Mo Hua and gave a pointed warning:

"What exists is used for advantage; what does not exist is used for function."

"External objects may be relied upon, but never depended upon."

"You must continually strengthen your spiritual sense and master the method."

"Learn to rely on your own strength to confront the myriad dangers hidden within spiritual thought…"

"It is you who walks the path through spiritual sense—not any external object."

Mo Hua paused slightly, then suddenly understood; his small face grew serious as he nodded earnestly.

Seeing Mo Hua's clear gaze, Mr. Zhuang knew he understood, and felt reassured, giving a slight nod.

Then he pointed to the crumpled, balled-up Zhang Family Laozu Sect diagram on the table:

"Once you've learned the method of spiritual thought assassination, you can use this diagram for practice…"

(End of Chapter)