Chapter 471: The Ten Thousand Corpses Array

Mo Hua walked into the mural, into the zombie's mouth, and into the secret passage.

The secret passage was narrow and dark, but not long.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, after passing through the passage, the space ahead of Mo Hua suddenly opened up.

Before his eyes appeared a massive altar.

The altar's furnishings were exquisitely beautiful, gilded and brilliant.

The sandalwood was precious, the candlestands made of jade, the candles inlaid with gold, a giant incense burner carved with golden beast motifs, its interior burning incense whose smoke curled gently.

On the altar were arranged five-colored spirit flowers and offerings of spirit pigs and sheep.

Before the altar hung golden banners and suspended dragon-patterned lanterns.

In the center of the altar stood a sculpture.

The sculpture was covered in yellow cloth, its form obscured.

But its materials were either gold or jade.

The entire altar was both imposing and luxurious.

Mo Hua gasped silently in his heart:

"How many spirit stones must this have cost…"

He glanced downward, frowned, and his gaze grew even more stunned.

Beneath the altar lay a massive bronze coffin.

Its surface was coated in green patina, corroded by countless years, exuding an ancient, decaying aura.

Around the massive bronze coffin were arranged dozens of iron coffins.

The iron coffins nurtured iron corpses, blackish-green in color, slightly smaller than the bronze coffin.

Beyond the iron coffins, as far as the eye could see, were countless pitch-black wooden coffins.

These wooden coffins numbered in the thousands, and for a moment, Mo Hua could not even count how many there were.

Between the wooden coffins ran blood-colored array patterns.

First, the wooden coffins were categorized and linked to the iron coffins, then through the iron coffins, connected via blood-colored array patterns to the central massive bronze coffin.

On the ground among the coffins were painted numerous sinister arrays.

All the sinister arrays were linked together.

Sinister and grand.

Mo Hua's heart trembled.

This was… a demonic great array?

He suppressed his shock, calmed his mind, and used his spiritual sense to calculate the array's core and number of arrays, then exhaled slightly in relief.

Not a great array…

Though terrifying to behold, the number of individual arrays, the structure of their cores, and the scale of the array system all fell short of qualifying as a great array.

At most, it was a "quasi-great array."

Fundamentally, it was still a compound array—significantly weaker than a true great array, yet far stronger than ordinary compound arrays.

This was the strongest compound array Mo Hua had ever seen.

And it was a demonic compound array.

Lu Chengyun, seeing Mo Hua's stunned expression, felt satisfied, a smile tugging at his lips:

"Young Mr., what do you think?"

Mo Hua had already formed his plan; he feigned ignorance, his expression shifting uncertainly, then finally exclaimed in disbelief:

"Master Lu, you're constructing a great array!"

Lu Chengyun replied humbly:

"It's not quite a great array—just a large compound array."

Yet a flicker of pride passed through his eyes—he was clearly proud of the array he had laid out.

Mo Hua put on another act of naivety, stunned:

"Such scale… and it still isn't a great array?"

Lu Chengyun smiled and asked:

"Young Mr., you've never seen a great array?"

Mo Hua blinked.

He thought: I can't tell you I've not only seen one, but built a Grade-One Eleven-Stripe Five-Element Demon-Slaying Great Array—and used it to kill a great demon…

Even if I said it, Lu Chengyun wouldn't believe me.

So Mo Hua shook his head with an "earnest" expression, his voice filled with awe:

"I've never seen one—only heard my master mention that true array masters who can construct great arrays possess extraordinary spiritual sense, vast knowledge of array theory, profound mastery, and must oversee the entire construction—these are legendary figures who command respect across regions."

Mo Hua shamelessly praised himself.

Lu Chengyun nodded in agreement: "Indeed."

Becoming the chief array master and constructing a great array was the lifelong pursuit of every array master.

Lu Chengyun was no exception.

So far, he lacked the ability to construct a great array—this compound array was already his limit.

Even so, he had far outpaced other array masters.

Once activated, this array would allow the Lu family to dominate the entire Xiao Huang Province.

Whether in personal power or array mastery, he could advance further.

Given time, he would surely construct a true great array.

Lu Chengyun's eyes glowed with Xiong Xiong's ambition.

Mo Hua, thirteen years old and already having constructed a great array, stood to one side, watching silently.

When Lu Chengyun snapped back to awareness, Mo Hua quietly asked:

"Lord Lu, what exactly is this array?"

Lu Chengyun's gaze sharpened slightly, and he spoke slowly:

"This array is called… the Ten Thousand Corpses Array."

"Ten Thousand Corpses Array…"

Mo Hua's heart stirred with surprise.

"Ten Thousand Corpses…"

No…

This is not the name of a single array, nor even of a reduced array.

A mere reduced array could never be named "Ten Thousand Corpses."

Mo Hua looked down at the countless coffins and the densely packed demonic arrays, his gaze shifting slightly.

This Ten Thousand Corpses Array must be a great array!

It should be called the Ten Thousand Corpses Great Array!

The current reduced array was carved down from the original great array.

Lu Chengyun lacks the array-building skill, and the Lu family could never exhaust their resources to construct such an array.

So Lu Chengyun, unable to build the great array, constructed this reduced version—derived from the Ten Thousand Corpses Great Array.

But where did Lu Chengyun get the array diagram?

The transmission of great arrays is always top secret.

My Five-Star Demon-Slaying Great Array was given to me by my master.

Who gave Lu Chengyun the Ten Thousand Corpses Great Array?

Moreover, this is a demonic grand formation; only a prominent demonic sect or a powerful demonic cultivator could possess such a heritage.

Mo Hua's heart grew cold, his gaze chilling slightly.

"Lord Lu, where did this array come from?" Mo Hua asked again in a low voice.

Lu Chengyun opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated, looking at Mo Hua and smiling:

"This… I'm afraid I cannot disclose it."

Mo Hua smiled apologetically:

"Forgive me, Lord Lu—I shouldn't have asked."

Then he added curiously:

"Why did you call me here? I don't know reduced arrays, and this one's demonic—I've never studied it, and my master would never let me learn it."

Lu Chengyun smiled faintly. "Little Mr., rest assured—I won't ask you to do anything difficult."

"Little Mr., please follow me…"

Lu Chengyun spoke and walked straight ahead.

Mo Hua followed behind him, passing through the dense rows of coffins and the layered crimson demonic arrays, arriving near the bronze coffin.

Near the bronze coffin, some areas remained blank—no array markings drawn yet.

Lu Chengyun said:

"I asked you here not to draw demonic arrays, but to help me construct the array's core."

Mo Hua said: "Isn't the core of a demonic array still a demonic array?"

Lu Chengyun shook his head. "Not built with demonic methods, but with orthodox spirit-gathering techniques."

Mo Hua was confused.

You're drawing a demonic array, yet the key part won't use heretical methods?

Seeing Mo Hua's puzzled expression, Lu Chengyun sighed:

"The core of a demonic reduced array carries too much blood guilt—we of the Lu family cannot bring ourselves to do it…"

Mo Hua silently cursed him for putting on a show, yet spoke solemnly in praise:

"Lord Lu truly has a compassionate heart…"

Mo Hua spoke falsehoods with wide eyes, his young face utterly serious.

Lu Chengyun blinked in surprise—he didn't know whether Mo Hua was praising him or mocking him…

Of course, he didn't care.

"But…" Mo Hua said hesitantly, "I don't have the array diagram."

Lu Chengyun handed Mo Hua the array diagram.

Mo Hua glanced at it, and instantly grasped its general structure.

This diagram was incomplete.

It contained only the sections related to the core and the pivot.

It could indeed be used to construct the array's core system, but the full flow of spiritual energy remained unknown.

Mo Hua studied the Ten Thousand Corpses Array diagram again, and gradually understood.

For a demonic great array, the core requires immense blood qi and demonic power to sustain its operation.

This Ten Thousand Corpses Reduced Array, derived from the Ten Thousand Corpses Great Array, demands less blood qi and demonic power—but still in colossal quantities.

According to the diagram, constructing the core of the Ten Thousand Corpses Great Array originally required a reduced array composed of the Blood Refining Array and the Blood Spirit Array.

First kill people, then use the Blood Refining Array to refine the cultivators' blood qi and extract their spiritual energy.

Then, using a Blood Spirit Array, they would fuse the cultivators' blood Qi and spiritual power to form evil power, driving the great array to operate.

This way, they would need to kill very, very many cultivators.

Mo Hua remembered Senior Sister mentioning this.

Some demonic great arrays, when operating, would even slaughter an entire city's cultivators, refine their blood spirits, pour them into the array eye, and drive the great array.

The Ten Thousand Corpses Restoration Array — you don't need to kill so many cultivators all at once.

But in the long run, as long as the array operates, one must keep killing, continuously extracting spiritual power and blood Qi, to feed the array.

Nanyue City doesn't have that many cultivators for him to kill either.

Moreover, the Lu family wouldn't dare kill like that.

If they really killed like that, with so many dead, even a fool would sense something was wrong.

This is also something the Dao Court would absolutely not tolerate.

Unless the Lu family truly wanted to rebel against the Dao Court, the entire clan falling into the demonic path and converting to the Mo Sect, would they dare to do such a thing.

But such conduct is far too heinous in nature.

Once discovered by the Dao Court, they would surely be suppressed and killed by Dao Soldiers, the whole clan slaughtered, not a single one spared.

Mo Hua estimated that Lu Chengyun didn't have that kind of nerve either.

Even if he did, with so many people in the Lu family, not all of them would dare throw their lives away like that.

Clearly it's an evil array, but the evil array's array eye cannot be used.

Then they could only use a spiritual power array eye.

Mo Hua estimated that Lu Chengyun wanted to use a Spirit Gathering Array as the array eye, with spirit stones as material, to refine spiritual power.

Once the spiritual power flowed, he would then use the evil Qi within the evil array to corrupt the spiritual power, forming evil power, thereby driving the entire Ten Thousand Corpses Restoration Array.

"Master was right — orthodox array methods are the foundation, evil arrays are just opportunistic shortcuts."

Mo Hua said silently in his heart.

Still, this Lu Chengyun's insight into arrays was also very profound.

To actually think of this method of mixing orthodox and evil.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then politely declined again:

"Patriarch Lu, restoration arrays… I'm not very familiar with them, I'm afraid I can't draw one…"

Lu Chengyun, however, said: "You can."

Mo Hua was somewhat puzzled. "How do you know?"

"I heard it from Elder Su."

"Elder Su?" Mo Hua frowned. "This matter has something to do with Elder Su too?"

Lu Chengyun shook his head. "It has nothing to do with him."

Lu Chengyun looked at Mo Hua and said with feeling:

"When I was chatting casually with Elder Su, I heard him mention that your insight into array eye construction is truly marvelous. The moment Lu heard it, he was astonished, as if meeting a prodigy!"

"Such insight, involving high-level restoration arrays, even the central structure of great arrays — without deep array inheritance and guidance from a master of arrays, one could not possibly have such extraordinary understanding."

"So, I conceived an idea — I wish to invite young Mr. to construct the array eye of this Ten Thousand Corpses Restoration Array for me."

Mo Hua understood.

So it was Elder Su — he had let it slip.

When Mo Hua had taught him, he had even told him not to speak of it to outsiders.

Perhaps Elder Su didn't consider Patriarch Lu an outsider…

Or perhaps he just wanted to boast about Mo Hua in front of Patriarch Lu, to give Mo Hua some face, but didn't expect it to backfire.

Elder Su probably also didn't expect that Lu Chengyun was not a good person.

Mo Hua sighed softly in his heart.

These insights about array eyes were his realizations when constructing the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Great Array.

The construction of a great array's array eye, applied to a restoration array, was naturally more than sufficient.

It was only natural for Lu Chengyun to have such thoughts.

He had tried to overestimate Mo Hua's array standards as much as possible.

But in fact, this kind of "overestimation" was still just an underestimation.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then showed a troubled expression:

"I'm only talking about it on paper — I may not actually be able to construct it…"

Lu Chengyun appeared very magnanimous:

"It's fine, young Mr. may try as he wishes. Arrays always require trial and error. I believe that with young Mr.'s cleverness, he certainly won't disappoint Lu…"

The implication being — if he disappointed him, he wouldn't be in for a good time…

Mo Hua understood Lu Chengyun's thoughts, sighed, and said helplessly:

"Alright, I'll try."

(End of chapter)