Chapter 506: Fierce Battle

The Zhang family's ancestral copper corpse and the iron corpse elder under Mo Hua's control clashed in a tangle of reeking corpse qi and surging force.

It looked like a melee between body cultivators.

But since they were all corpses, when fighting at close range, they used claws and fangs, making their movements more savage and their techniques more ferocious.

Mo Hua watched with blood boiling.

It felt like controlling elite monsters to fight a major villain.

After watching the spectacle for a long while, Mo Hua suddenly realized he still had important business to attend to.

He gathered his thoughts, calmed his spirit, and began observing the ancestral copper corpse's attack patterns.

He noted whether it favored fists, claws, or legs.

He recorded its habitual attack sequences.

Like a right punch followed by a sweeping kick, a horizontal claw slash always followed by an upward slash, a Black Tiger Steals Heart move always followed by a spinning elbow strike…

…

Mo Hua observed silently, meticulously recording the ancestral Zhang corpse's attack habits.

Just as he had once observed demonic beasts and cultivators to refine his Flowing Water Step.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.

Different enemies have different techniques and different attack habits.

Demons differ from humans; humans differ from corpses.

So one must become thoroughly familiar with them, anticipate their moves in advance, so that when combat begins, one can predict their actions and avoid being caught off guard.

For ordinary opponents, it doesn't matter much, but for a formidable foe like the ancestral copper corpse of the Zhang family, one must be extra cautious.

The more you learn about their weaknesses, the greater your chance of victory.

This is the technique of a demon hunter.

It was what his father, Diemoshan, taught him back in Great Heishan.

Demon hunters' physical bodies are far inferior to demonic beasts, yet they must engage in close combat with them, so they must know demonic beast movements and habits intimately.

Mo Hua was now dealing with this ancestral copper corpse in the same way.

Mo Hua observed while mentally simulating the copper corpse's combos, gaining a clear understanding of how to respond.

The copper corpse was indeed powerful, holding the upper hand against eleven iron corpses.

Every strike and motion was ruthless and heavy with force.

In direct combat, a single iron corpse was no match; only through Mo Hua's unified command, with the eleven iron corpses coordinating their attacks—each striking once then retreating, like a wheel of relentless assaults—could they even hold their ground against the copper corpse.

The battle grew momentarily stalemated…

The copper corpse's strength lay in its power.

These iron corpses' strength lay in their fearless resolve.

They fought the ancestral Zhang corpse to the death, trading wounds, determined to perish together.

Using Zhang family elders to fight the Zhang family's ancestral corpse.

Mo Hua felt not the slightest regret.

Even if they all died, it didn't matter…

But the Zhang family ancestor cared deeply!

These were his descendants, his Zhang clan's most meritorious elders; as the clan's own ancestral elder, if he truly perished alongside them, the Zhang clan would be finished.

"I can't keep wasting time like this…"

The Zhang ancestor's gaze turned icy, his aura surged violently; he swept his right fist, forcing back several iron corpses, stepped back several paces, and began forming hand seals.

As the iron corpses closed in again,

A thick, sickly green corpse qi suddenly erupted around the Zhang ancestor.

The iron corpses caught in this qi slowed their movements, their steps grew sluggish, and their own vital energy began to dwindle.

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed.

Corpse poison?

No, it looked more like a spell.

Corpse Poison Art!

It unleashed a burst of corpse poison around the body; once the poison entered, it slowed movement and inflicted continuous toxic damage.

The copper corpse's poison was indeed troublesome…

Mo Hua silently noted it, resolving to be more cautious.

With the Corpse Poison Art cast, the situation changed.

The iron corpses, affected by the poison, moved slower, struck more sluggishly, even stumbled—unable to close in on the ancestral corpse, losing all ability to restrain him…

"Looks like I'll have to act now…"

Mo Hua's eyes glinted faintly; he nodded.

Hidden in the shadows, he seized his chance, pointed two fingers, and cast Water Prison Art.

The Zhang ancestor, dodging iron corpse attacks, suddenly felt his vital energy shift violently—a pale blue spiritual thread appeared, transforming into chains that bound him in place.

At the same time, the attack he should have dodged did not evade him.

One iron corpse's claw pierced deep into the Zhang ancestor's left chest; though his copper-like skin prevented a fatal wound, it still inflicted clear damage.

The Zhang ancestor smashed the iron corpse away with a punch, then turned his cold gaze around and shouted loudly:

"Who is it?"

"Who dares ambush the old man?"

Mo Hua feigned a master and said nothing.

Zhang Clan's Ancestor's face turned grim.

His suspicions had been correct.

Someone had set an ambush, tricking Zhang Clan's group of elders, then brainwashing and controlling them to turn against him.

And now, this mastermind lurked nearby, waiting for an opportunity to take his life!

His intentions were utterly vile!

Zhang Clan's Ancestor's expression turned icy. "Let me see which Feng Xiaoxiao dares hide in shadows, harboring malice!"

His right hand clenched the void, his spiritual sense condensing.

In moments, a pale-white bone staff materialized.

Mo Hua's eyelid twitched again.

Manifesting a spiritual artifact!

This Zhang Clan's Ancestor's method of manifesting spiritual artifacts was far more refined than his own.

He could only manifest the Thousand-Tael Club.

But even that Thousand-Tael Club still shimmered with faint afterimages, insubstantial—nowhere near as lifelike as this bone staff.

Still, this shouldn't be called manifesting a spiritual artifact.

It should be called manifesting a demonic artifact!

This bone staff was clearly forged through demonic means, using white bones as a medium, a demonic alchemical furnace, and sinister techniques.

Zhang Clan's Ancestor chanted a spell; suddenly, the skull atop the bone staff glowed red.

Zhang Clan's Ancestor's aura turned suddenly sinister.

Corpse poison coalesced into countless serpentine flood dragons, hissing with forked tongues, spreading densely in all directions.

Mo Hua's scalp prickled.

This Zhang Clan's Laozu had too many chaotic tricks.

He cultivated corpse bodies and knew spells too.

Is he a body cultivator or a spiritual cultivator?

Or do demonic arts operate differently—ignoring the distinction between blood qi and spiritual power?

As Mo Hua pondered, the flood dragon slithered beneath his feet; he immediately activated the Flowing Water Step and retreated.

This subtle movement generated a faint spiritual sense ripple—tiny, yet detected by Zhang Clan's Ancestor, who was fully alert.

Zhang Clan's Ancestor's bronze vertical pupils narrowed; he pointed the bone staff at Mo Hua.

The surrounding flood dragons surged like a tide, clustering into a mass, radiating chilling poison, sweeping toward Mo Hua.

Mo Hua had no choice but to reveal his form, stepping lightly as he retreated while repeatedly jabbing his fingers.

Fireball spells condensed at his fingertips and shot out with a whistle.

Crimson fireballs struck the corpse-poison flood dragons, exploding one after another.

Fire spiritual force detonated, flame threads strangling.

Vast swathes of the serpents were reduced to ash; the corpse poison burned away, the crimson flames tinged with sickly green.

In less than a cup of tea's time, Mo Hua had incinerated every one of Zhang Clan's Ancestor's corpse-poison flood dragons with fireball spells.

Zhang Clan's Ancestor's expression remained calm.

The corpse poison technique had been broken—but the "mastermind" had been forced into the open.

Yet this "mastermind" filled him with shock and suspicion.

It was just a brat…

If this mastermind were a brilliant young cultivator, a cunning middle-aged cultivator, or a grim old cultivator, he wouldn't be surprised.

But this brat—with his innocent face, pure aura, yet deep, piercing eyes—sent a chill through him.

Anything out of the ordinary must be sinister.

Zhang Clan's Ancestor frowned.

This brat's spiritual sense was pure and profound—he could manifest his own form and cast spells.

His face was naive, yet his methods were treacherous.

He concealed himself, spied unseen, left no trace.

He had manipulated Zhang Clan's generations of elders as if they were pawns.

Had he not manifested the bone staff to amplify his corpse poison, he might never have drawn this brat out.

His spiritual sense skills were forged over centuries—devouring others' spiritual consciousness, painstakingly refining them, blending them with his pre-death corpse Dao heritage.

This brat, with his childish face, hadn't even eaten rice for years—where did he get such deep cunning and such bizarre techniques?

Zhang Clan's Ancestor's gaze darkened slightly and asked:

"Brat, who are you really?"

Mo Hua smiled sweetly. "Guess."

Zhang Clan's Ancestor showed no anger, asking again:

"How exactly did you control my Zhang Clan elders?"

Mo Hua lied with a straight face:

"I didn't control them. They themselves had done too many evil deeds, then dared invade my spiritual sea to devour my spiritual sense—I kindly advised them, and they suddenly saw the light, turning from evil to good…"

"Oh, by the way," Mo Hua added, "they said they must eradicate evil completely—kill you, their Laozu, to atone for their sins."

Zhang Clan's Ancestor's gaze turned icy.

This brat spouted nothing but lies—he didn't know which word was true…

He was certainly no good soul.

The Zhang family ancestor's thoughts stirred, an idea forming, and he said:

"You and I have no grudge between us—can we stop here?"

Mo Hua let out a breath of relief, nodded, and said:

"Sure, I didn't want to fight you anyway. I can't beat you."

After saying that, Mo Hua waved his hand at the Zhang family ancestor. "You go on, I won't keep you…"

The Zhang family ancestor froze, then his expression flickered between light and dark, and he said coolly:

"Then what about my Zhang family's elders…"

Mo Hua waved his hand again. "I told you, they had a change of heart, turned from evil to the righteous path, they're not following you anymore. Now they're mine, they listen to me…"

The Zhang family ancestor gave a cold laugh. "We agreed to stop fighting each other, little brother—don't you think you're lacking in sincerity?"

"Sincerity?"

The Zhang family ancestor said:

"You release the control on them, I take them and leave. From now on, we don't bother each other. My Zhang family will no longer show you any disrespect, and I ask that you, little brother, show my Zhang family some courtesy in return. What do you say?"

Mo Hua pretended to think, frowning as he said:

"But… I can't beat you to begin with, and if these iron corpses turn from the light to the dark, what if you don't keep your word? Wouldn't I be in for a rough time?"

The Zhang family ancestor cursed inwardly.

What a suspicious little brat!

"What do you want?"

Mo Hua's eyes rolled around, and he said:

"How about this—I release the control on these iron corpses, and you cripple your own divine sense. You don't have to cripple all of it, just seventy or eighty percent. That way I lose the iron corpses, you lose your divine sense, and we're even."

The Zhang family ancestor's gaze went cold. "Little brat, are you making fun of me?"

Mo Hua was about to keep trading quips when his expression suddenly changed, shock flooding his eyes.

He discovered that behind the Zhang family ancestor, at some unknown moment, a massive bronze coffin had risen.

This giant coffin had clearly also been manifested—antique, decayed, covered in blue-green bronze rust, its aura deep and heavy, almost identical to the bronze coffin used to refine corpse kings.

The bronze coffin was enormous; one look told you it was no small matter.

Such a manifestation was bound to take an enormous amount of time.

Everything the Zhang family ancestor had said earlier—"stop here," "we don't bother each other"—was all lies.

He'd spouted this nonsense just to stall for time.

To complete the manifestation of this massive bronze coffin!

Mo Hua raged. "Old bastard, you treacherous snake! You tricked me into chatting while secretly casting spells!"

The Zhang family ancestor gave a contemptuous snort. "Little brat, fighting me—you're still too green."

Then he pressed his palms together, his voice hoarse and savage:

"Great Coffin-Sealing Art—activate!"

The massive bronze coffin's lid flew open. Inside was pitch black, nothing visible, yet from within stretched bronze chains mottled with rust.

These chains spread out in every direction, binding the surrounding iron corpses and dragging them toward the inside of the coffin.

The Zhang family ancestor said grimly:

"Unless absolutely forced, I didn't want to use this move…"

"The Great Coffin-Sealing Art manifests a massive bronze coffin that will reconvert all the elders into iron corpses, erase their divine sense, reshape their bodies, and wash away every means of control."

"But this way, with no consciousness left, they won't be elders of my Zhang family anymore—just iron corpses under my control."

"They were Zhang family elders, my own descendants. Refined by the bronze coffin, their consciousness wiped clean, they'd truly be nothing but iron corpse puppets…"

"They can still serve my Zhang family, but they'll never call me 'Ancestor' again…"

The Zhang family ancestor felt grief, then indignation, and glared at Mo Hua.

"Little brat, this is all thanks to you!"

"Once I regain control of the iron corpses, I'll have them surround and kill you—have them devour you alive, bite by bite, gnaw you down to nothing!"

"To avenge my Zhang family, to quench the hatred in my heart!"

The Zhang family ancestor's eyes burned with raging hatred.

This little brat had made him feel a deep sense of crisis.

If this dragged on, it would be bad for him.

Better to play his trump card, pay some price, settle this once and for all, crush this little brat here, and cut off future trouble!

Once he lost control of the iron corpses, this little brat was no match for him at all.

And he would use the Great Coffin-Sealing Art to refine the eleven iron corpses anew.

One bronze corpse, eleven iron corpses—more than enough to surround and kill this little brat.

This was his sea of consciousness—the little brat had nowhere to run!

Mo Hua's face showed fear.

The Zhang family ancestor felt a surge of satisfaction.

But very quickly, he sensed something was wrong.

This little brat's gaze was calm, even composed, with not a trace of worry.

The "fear" on his face seemed to be put on?

The Zhang family ancestor sensed something was off and suddenly looked down, only to discover formation patterns stretching from beneath his feet all the way up onto the massive bronze coffin.

Layer upon layer, complex and intricate.

And the moment the massive bronze coffin opened, these formation patterns, like vines, crept along the coffin's mouth and crawled straight inside.

The Zhang family's ancestral master immediately understood, and could not help but rage:

"You little brat, you tricked me?!"

He had feigned idle chatter with the brat, secretly casting the Great Coffin Sealing Art.

Yet this brat, taking advantage of his focus on the spell, used the bronze coffin as cover and laid down these array lines!

Mo Hua snorted, "Reciprocity—it's only fair!"

The Zhang family's ancestral master's face darkened instantly; he tried to seal the coffin.

But Mo Hua moved faster, his spiritual sense flaring as he shouted sharply:

"Detonate!"

The densely packed Earth-Fire Reversal Array exploded outright!

From within the bronze coffin, array lines ignited one after another, spreading outward layer by layer, surging spiritual energy rippling outward in waves.

The bronze coffin became a flame coffin.

Spiritual energy, manifested by spiritual sense, erupted and churned inside.

While the Zhang family's ancestral master opened the coffin, the Earth-Fire array lines had extended into its interior, so the destructive power was greater.

Flames surged violently, and after a moment:

The bronze coffin trembled and cracked, dissolving into a faint phantom shadow before vanishing.

At the same time, the several iron corpses sucked into the coffin were caught in the array's power—their forms dimmed, motionless.

Within the spiritual sea, the manifested spiritual technique is the spiritual sense itself.

With the bronze coffin destroyed, the Zhang family's ancestral master suffered severe injury—his face turned pale, blood spewed from his mouth, his spiritual sense was drastically depleted, and his figure shrank and grew thinner.

The Zhang family's ancestral master gritted his teeth:

"An array?!"

How could this brat also be an array master?

And how did he draw the array—without brush, without ink? What medium did he use? What did he draw with?

The Zhang family's ancestral master's gaze trembled.

He had lived for centuries and had never seen a cultivator draw an array within the spiritual sea.

Not to mention such an unexpected, brushless, inkless method—directly manifesting arrays through spiritual sense—was utterly inconceivable.

This boy must either come from a deep-rooted family tradition, rich in heritage,

Or he had encountered a miraculous fortune and inherited an astonishing legacy!

Mo Hua's face had also turned pale.

He had manifested too many arrays at once, draining vast amounts of spiritual sense—he was now beginning to feel spiritual exhaustion.

This Zhang family ancestral master was even more troublesome than he'd thought.

Bronze corpse, corpse poison art, white bone staff, Great Coffin Sealing Art.

If not for controlling the iron corpses and overwhelming him with numbers, had he faced him head-on, the outcome might have been uncertain.

Good thing I played it cautious…

But now that the Zhang family's ancestral master was gravely wounded, I absolutely cannot let him escape!

Strike while the iron is hot!

Of the eleven iron corpses affected by the Earth-Fire Array, six were near death—only five remained.

Mo Hua manipulated these remaining iron corpses to continue their encirclement and assault.

At the same time, he continuously used Water Prison Art to restrain and Fireball Art to wear him down.

"Bad!"

With the Great Coffin Sealing Art broken, the spiritual backlash had severely weakened him—the Zhang family's ancestral master's heart turned icy.

Today was a great calamity!

Even he, the Zhang family's ancestral master, a corpse Dao patriarch, a bronze corpse incarnation, who had lived for centuries, never imagined he'd capsize in Mo Hua's spiritual sea—a "sewer."

He never imagined that the Zhang family's centuries-old corpse Dao, which had controlled corpses for generations, would end with its own elders being turned into corpses and controlled by an outsider.

Worse—he had been forced to control them and turn against his own ancestors!

And under the advantage of surprise, all his techniques had been nullified.

He had been completely outmaneuvered by this brat!

The Zhang family's ancestral master, enraged beyond control, his expression twisted, ignored the iron corpses surrounding him, and shot forward like the wind straight toward Mo Hua.

Now that his spiritual sense was severely damaged, killing this brat and devouring his spiritual sense was his only chance to survive.

Even if he died in the end, he would take this brat down with him.

Judging by the techniques this brat had just used, he excelled in spells and arrays, but was weak in close combat—that's why he kept his distance and relied on underhanded tactics.

If he could get close, everything would be resolved.

The Zhang family's ancestral master's gaze turned monstrous, eyes bloodshot, corpse qi surging violently.

This was his last chance—he had to give everything!

Mo Hua sensed the Zhang family's ancestral master's intent, his heart tightening—he retreated while casting Water Prison Art to restrict the old man's movements.

But the Zhang family's ancestral master, transformed into a bronze corpse, moved swiftly and struck with immense force.

In his fury, the Water Prison Art could only hold him for one or two breaths before he broke free.

After a brief chase, Mo Hua was caught.

The Zhang family's ancestral master rejoiced, a cruel gleam flashing across his face—his five fingertips elongated into sharp claws, slicing through waves of yin wind aimed straight at Mo Hua's heart meridian.

Mo Hua remained calm, activating the Flowing Water Step, bending gently like water, effortlessly evading the claw.

The Zhang family's ancestral master paused in surprise, then pressed forward with another strike.

Its grotesque, ugly left hand, covered in backward-facing spines, slammed down straight for Mo Hua's head.

Mo Hua rose like a falling leaf, vanished suddenly, then dropped abruptly—as if drawing power from empty space, slipping away like ripples on water, natural and effortless.

The Zhang ancestral patriarch's expression changed.

What kind of body technique is this? Not a single trace can be discerned.

It fought several more rounds, growing more alarmed with each strike.

Can't touch it!

Can't even brush a corner of its robe, let alone kill this brat.

What stunned it most was that every move it made seemed predicted by this brat.

Every punch, every claw, every advance, every retreat—all the close-combat techniques and habits—this brat knew them inside out!

In this situation, closing in is useless!

Why?

Why does this brat know its techniques so well?

Could it be that from the very beginning, when it fought the Iron Corpses, every move it made was memorized by him?

For the first time, the Zhang ancestral patriarch felt despair.

It tried using Corpse Poison Art again, but Mo Hua had already prepared.

The moment it raised its hand, Mo Hua withdrew far in advance, then created distance and suppressed it with Fireball Art, aided by array techniques to trap and kill…

Though the struggle dragged on, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was heavily depleted—both the Fireball Art and the array techniques had lost potency.

But the Zhang ancestral patriarch himself was also a dying force.

It simply couldn't withstand this kind of attrition.

Moreover, Mo Hua's spiritual sense attacks, though draining, actually struck its body, while all its own methods couldn't even graze Mo Hua's shadow.

And the five Iron Corpses watched nearby, ready to pounce.

Whenever there was an opening, they traded wounds for wounds, fought to the death, and clung to the Zhang ancestral patriarch, refusing to let it escape…

The Zhang ancestral patriarch was utterly frustrated, yet powerless.

It was torn by the Iron Corpses, blasted by spells, shattered by array explosions, covered in wounds, surrounded by the Iron Corpses, restrained by Water Prison Art—unable to kill Mo Hua, unable to flee, forced to endure this slow drain…

Thus, countless more rounds passed.

The Zhang ancestral patriarch, a once-mighty Corpse Dao patriarch, was worn down and died outright…

Its body was riddled with wounds, half-kneeling on the ground, utterly devoid of breath.

Even so, Mo Hua dared not approach.

He kept his distance, positioning the last two Iron Corpses before him, then meditated briefly to restore his spiritual sense.

Once his spiritual sense recovered somewhat, Mo Hua blasted the Zhang ancestral patriarch's corpse with Fireball Art.

After the blast, he sat in meditation again to restore his spiritual sense.

Then he blasted again with Fireball Art.

Then meditated, then blasted…

He repeated this cycle endlessly—meditating, blasting—until the Zhang ancestral patriarch was reduced to unrecognizable ruin, reduced to a thick, black-tinged plume of smoke, at which point Mo Hua finally relaxed…

He exhaled deeply, lying on the ground, panting.

The entire process had gone smoothly enough, but Mo Hua was still dissatisfied.

He realized his inner self in his spiritual sea, though strong, was merely ordinary strength.

Weaker enemies could be easily slain with spells and arrays.

But against stronger foes, like the Zhang ancestral patriarch, his current methods couldn't deliver a decisive, one-strike kill!

He could only first find ways to lure out its hidden cards, then dismantle them one by one.

Then rely on his body technique, spells, and arrays to slowly wear it down…

This was exhausting…

And it took a long time.

The longer it took, the more likely something would go wrong—once something went wrong, risk followed.

"I'll need to think of better ways, learn more powerful techniques…"

Mo Hua thought silently.

Then he felt a great relief.

No matter what, he had finally eliminated this Zhang family's Corpse Ancestor!

His eyes brightened as he gazed at the thick, black-tinged, spiritually potent smoke, a quiet anticipation rising in him:

"I wonder how much my spiritual sense will grow if I 'consume' this Zhang ancestral patriarch…"

(End of Chapter)