Chapter 501: Very Strong

There are five of them; fighting them will be difficult, so we must wait for the right moment and strike first to gain the upper hand…

Figure out how to eliminate a few of them first!

Mo Hua silently thought to himself.

Zhang Quan and the Zhang family elder had already begun consuming Mo Hua's consciousness within his mind sea.

Elder Song took just one sip and widened his eyes, sighing:

"This is the purest, most abundant, and deepest consciousness I've tasted in centuries…"

Zhang Quan was also deeply shocked:

"This consciousness… it must be at Foundation Establishment level…"

Elder Song slowly nodded. "Correct."

Zhang Quan's heart trembled.

Qi Condensation realm… Foundation Establishment consciousness!

No wonder…

No wonder this brat was so troublesome, no wonder he learned formations so well, and no wonder I couldn't see through his concealment technique…

Consciousness breaking through beyond its realm—what kind of monster is this child…

Elder Song frowned and asked:

"His consciousness is this strong… what exactly is this brat's identity?"

Zhang Quan shook his head. "I only know he's a formation master; his teacher seems reputable, but I don't know his exact identity."

Elder Song pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"Forget it. His identity doesn't matter. No matter how talented he is, no matter how strong his consciousness, he's still meat on our Zhang family's chopping block."

"The stronger his consciousness, the more succulent it is—this is a heavenly blessing for us!"

Zhang Quan agreed: "Elder's words are wise."

After speaking, he hesitated, then asked:

"Elder Song, some of our ancestors in the ancestral portrait seem to have vanished—where did they go?"

Elder Song paused, his frown deepening. "This… I don't know…"

Zhang Quan was surprised.

Elder Song looked solemn.

"The Ancestor has divined, but found not a single trace. Either they're trapped by something and cannot break free, or they've been slain—body and soul utterly destroyed…"

Zhang Quan felt a chill. "Slain?"

He found it hard to believe.

Among those missing ancestors were several Iron Corpse realm elders…

What could kill Iron Corpse elders and leave not a single trace?

As Zhang Quan was still stunned, he suddenly froze.

He realized something was wrong…

Around them, complex and mysterious patterns had suddenly appeared—patterns that subtly aligned with the Dao, intricate and beautiful, with a terrifying aura swirling within them.

Zhang Quan snapped back to awareness and cried out in alarm:

"No good!"

The two elders also noticed and immediately changed expression, trying to retreat.

But it was too late!

The first Golden Lock Formation was complete.

Golden spiritual energy manifested as spiritual chains, binding the group.

Then, within mere breaths, three surrounding Fire Formations spontaneously formed—like three crimson lotuses ready to burst, encircling them.

The Golden Lock, Three Lotus, Earth Fire Formation was complete.

In the corner, Mo Hua silently whispered in his mind:

"Detonate!"

The Golden Lock, Three Lotus, Earth Fire Reformation exploded violently!

The three lotuses bloomed, bursting and flickering, fine as spider silk, surging and intertwining, swallowing Zhang Quan and the others whole.

Moments later, the flames faded.

Within the formation, the figures of Zhang Quan and the others appeared.

Their bodies had grown taller, their robes tattered, their skin bluish-gray, their pupils white, their fangs grotesque—they were now fully "corpse-transformed."

At the moment of the Reformation's explosion, they were bound by the Golden Lock Formation, with no escape—they could only forcibly transform into corpses, relying on their bronze skin and iron bones to withstand the damage.

Even so, the two ordinary disciples were instantly killed, turning into two wisps of blue smoke.

Elder Si was the unluckiest—positioned at the center of the explosion, he suffered the worst injuries and collapsed unconscious.

Zhang Quan was luckier, but his body was covered in charred marks and severely wounded.

Elder Song's form had dimmed slightly, also suffering serious injuries.

The Reformation's explosion had directly eliminated three of them; only Zhang Quan and Elder Song remained.

"Who?!"

Elder Song looked stunned.

How could there be a formation inside the mind sea? When had this formation been set?

And how could anyone possibly draw a formation inside a mind sea?

Elder Song did not understand.

This completely exceeded his understanding of the Dao.

In the corner, a small figure gradually materialized.

It was a small cultivator with red lips, white teeth, and a delicate, adorable appearance.

Zhang Quan's eyes bulged in rage, as if he had seen his father's murderer, "It's you?!"

Mo Hua sneered.

"Isn't that obvious? Who else would it be?"

Zhang Quan gnashed his teeth in hatred, "How did you end up in my mind sea?"

Mo Hua refused to answer him.

Elder Song's heart tightened, his gaze sharpening:

"Spiritual manifestation…"

This little cultivator either had innate heavenly talent, or had cultivated a spirit-nourishing technique.

The former was manageable; if it was the latter, it was troublesome.

He recalled the intricate array patterns and the terrifying power of the array's explosion, and a sense of dread arose.

This little cultivator was no good person!

They had bitten into a piece of iron this time…

Elder Song's thoughts shifted slightly, and he called out loudly, "Young cultivator, let's talk this over."

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to say?"

"You killed two of my Zhang family disciples and severely injured Senior Elder Si, but it doesn't matter—my Zhang family will forgive you…"

"Elder!" Zhang Quan exclaimed urgently.

Elder Song gave him a glance, signaling him to be silent, then continued:

"Let us part ways in peace, as if nothing happened. Just let us go, young cultivator…"

Mo Hua smiled faintly.

"Let you go, so you can bring more people to devour me?"

Elder Song's expression remained unchanged, but his heart sank.

"This brat is exactly as Zhang Quan said—clever, cunning, and hard to deceive…"

Elder Song said, "I swear, once we leave, I will never trouble you again."

Mo Hua snorted inwardly.

These days, you couldn't even trust human words, let alone ghostly ones.

Mo Hua frowned, feigning hesitation, and asked doubtfully:

"Are you telling the truth?"

Elder Song's heart leapt with joy, and he nodded quickly, "My word is as good as gold—of course it's true!"

"Good!" Mo Hua nodded.

Elder Song was overjoyed—just as he let his guard down, he realized fire-red array patterns had suddenly formed beneath his feet.

Elder Song turned pale with shock and hastily retreated, but still caught the edge of the Ground Fire Array; flame energy seeped into his body, worsening his injuries.

Elder Song was stunned, hastily retreating, but still caught in the Ground Fire Array—flame spiritual energy invaded his body, worsening his injuries.

"Brat, you broke your word!"

Mo Hua looked innocent. "How did I break my word?"

"You said you'd let us go!"

Mo Hua said, "You said your word was as good as gold and you were telling the truth—I said 'good.' But I never said I'd let you go…"

Mo Hua muttered under his breath:

"Do you live so long your ears go deaf? Can't even understand what's said…"

Elder Song flew into a rage, "You—"

Zhang Quan quickly blocked Elder Song, speaking with experience: "Elder, don't talk to him!"

Or you'll die of anger—don't ask me how I know…

Zhang Quan thought silently.

Elder Song remained furious, but he heeded the advice and did not foolishly continue trading words with Mo Hua.

Zhang Quan glared fiercely at Mo Hua, then lowered his voice to Elder Song:

"Elder, this brat is deceitful and cunning—we can't trick him. We must kill him. If we leave him alive, he'll be a disaster!"

Elder Song pondered for a moment, then growled:

"Fine. You and I join forces and kill him! Tear him apart alive!"

Zhang Quan rejoiced: "Good!"

He had long wanted to kill Mo Hua; now, in the mind sea, with the experienced, spirit-nourishing Iron Corpse Elder assisting him, the timing could not be better.

Zhang Quan charged ahead, rushing toward Mo Hua.

In his plan, with him attacking and Elder Song guarding, their combined assault would surely subdue Mo Hua.

This little brat only knew how to hide behind array tricks—face to face, he'd be utterly defenseless.

But the situation was different from what he imagined…

Mo Hua raised his hand—first, a fireball, swift and precise, striking Zhang Quan's face before he could dodge.

Zhang Quan froze, his entire body engulfed in flames, searing with pain.

Zhang Quan endured the pain and pressed forward, but after only a few steps, he was immobilized by the Water Prison Technique.

Zhang Quan gritted his teeth against the pain and kept charging forward, but before he had taken a few steps, he was immobilized by a Water Prison technique.

Another fireball followed.

Then came Water Prison Spell, followed by another Fireball Spell…

…

Water Prison Spell to control, Fireball Spell brutal.

Before he could reach Mo Hua, his spiritual sense gave out, and he knelt halfway to the ground.

Throughout it all, Mo Hua stood in place, not moving a single step—only extending his small hand and casting a few spells, bringing him to his knees.

Zhang Quan's heart turned icy cold.

What happened?

Why is this brat so terrifying in his spiritual sea?

Far more terrifying than what Lu Chengyun had made him feel.

Even, filling him with a hint of… despair?

How could there be such a vast gap between his spiritual sense and this brat's?

Zhang Quan could not fathom it.

At that moment, another question came to him:

Where was Elder Song?

Zhang Quan forced himself to turn his head, but saw only Elder Song's hasty retreating back…

He's running away?!

Zhang Quan spat out a mouthful of blood.

We agreed to join forces and kill this brat—yet he fled, and Elder Song ran off!!

Why?

You're an Elder, for heaven's sake—how cowardly can you be?

(End of Chapter)