Chapter 510: Breaking the Formation

"Reasonably familiar?"

Yang Jishan couldn't figure out what "reasonably familiar" really meant, so he probed further:

"Then little brother, do you know the method to break this Ten Thousand Corpses Formation?"

The cultivators present, upon hearing this, all looked at Mo Hua.

After a moment of deliberation, Mo Hua glanced at the crowd, then roughly gauged the strength of the cultivators on the Daoting's side, and nodded:

"There is one method."

Yang Jishan was overjoyed. "What method?"

Mo Hua asked, "Do you still have the map of Shi Dian?"

"We do!"

Yang Jishan immediately ordered someone to spread the map out on the stone table in the great hall.

Mo Hua marked a few points on the map. These points were located deep within Shi Dian, in slightly out-of-the-way places, unremarkable, with solid stone walls and nothing special about them.

Yang Jishan's face showed confusion.

Mo Hua explained:

"These spots are sealed storerooms, with a great many spirit stones stored inside…"

"Spirit stones?" Yang Jishan frowned.

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded.

"Lu Chengyun enslaved corpses to mine, and a large portion of the spirit stones he earned are hidden in these sealed storerooms in the corpse mine."

He had only learned this by sneaking around invisibly at night before, eavesdropping here and there.

"Then what?" Yang Jishan asked again.

"Destroy these spirit stones, and you can break the Ten Thousand Corpses Formation," Mo Hua replied.

Yang Jishan fell silent.

The expressions of the crowd also grew somewhat complicated.

Some even showed disappointment.

Mo Hua was a little baffled.

Instead, it was an old formation master who kindly reminded him:

"Little brother, you're young, you probably don't realize that evil formations are different from normal ones…"

"Normal formations refine spirit stones, convert spiritual power, and drive the formation…"

"But evil formations all use blood qi, flesh and bone, divine souls and lives, the resentment of living beings, the foul qi of heaven and earth—these evil forces—to drive the formation."

"Because of this, the formation is unholy, its power greatly increased, and the contamination to a cultivator's body and spiritual power is also greater…"

"Lu Chengyun's Ten Thousand Corpses Formation is the same."

"This formation isn't driven by spiritual power, so even if you destroy the storerooms and the spirit stones, it won't help—at most, you'd just cost him some spirit stone wealth…"

Mo Hua shook his head. "It's not like that."

The old formation master was slightly startled.

The other formation masters were also somewhat taken aback.

Mo Hua explained:

"Lu Chengyun's Ten Thousand Corpses Formation was derived from the Great Ten Thousand Corpses Formation. It has the architecture of the great formation, but not its scale, so it's only a replica formation…"

"But even so, the evil force it requires is vast."

"He couldn't massacre a city wholesale, couldn't extract evil force from blood and flesh, resentment, and hatred, so he used a compromise."

"He constructed the replica formation's formation eye, refined spirit stones, used spiritual power to drive the formation, then used blood qi to contaminate the spiritual power into evil force, driving the entire Ten Thousand Corpses Formation."

The old formation master's expression shook; the other formation masters also showed shock and doubt, exchanging glances.

"So…"

Mo Hua continued:

"Destroying the storerooms and the spirit stones is equivalent to cutting off the Ten Thousand Corpses Formation's supply, crippling its formation eye, and naturally breaking the Ten Thousand Corpses Formation."

"And the formation eye is already set; it can't be changed in the short term."

"Once the spirit stones are gone, even if Lu Chengyun wanted to start killing and massacring cities again, using blood and flesh evil force to drive the formation, it would be impossible."

After Mo Hua finished speaking, everyone's expression changed, but they still remained silent.

Ordinary cultivators either didn't understand formations, or only had a rough grasp of them, and couldn't follow at all.

The few formation masters who could understand, after Mo Hua's explanation, felt in their hearts that what he said made a great deal of sense, but were still a little unsure…

This concerned the Daoting's command—to suppress the corpse mine, exterminate the Corpse King, and strangle the Dao Abomination.

This was no child's play.

They dared not have the slightest oversight.

The old formation master deliberated, then asked:

"Little bro… little Mr., how do you know this?"

Because the formation eye was something I drew…

This kind of thing, Mo Hua of course couldn't easily say out loud.

So he vaguely answered, "I was locked up in the corpse mine by Lu Chengyun, and by a chance encounter, I saw the formation diagram of the Ten Thousand Corpses Formation…"

The Ten Thousand Corpses Formation diagram?

The old formation master's heart trembled. "Really?"

Knowing the Ten Thousand Corpses Formation diagram changed the situation entirely.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "How about I draw it for you to see…"

The old array master blinked, "Hua..."

You've just seen it, and you can draw it already?

Yang Jishan immediately ordered, "Bring paper and ink."

The old array master at once said:

"I have it, I have it!"

Saying this, he personally fetched paper and ink, while other array masters helped spread the array paper on the table and grind the spirit ink.

All prepared, everyone stared expectantly at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua felt uneasy, but still picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and began drawing the array patterns.

His brushwork was fluent, controlled, each stroke deliberate, free yet governed by law.

The array masters seated there were startled, exchanged glances, and whispered in admiration:

"Though young, he already shows the bearing of a master!"

"Without years of relentless practice, such brushwork is impossible..."

"Rare, rare..."

Even Yun Young Master, watching Mo Hua, his refined gaze shimmered with awe.

Mo Hua of course did not draw the full Ten Thousand Corpses Array diagram.

He merely sketched the flow of the array's core, to help everyone understand the spirit flow.

He also marked the central array eye, so they could see how spirit flowed through the eye, merged with the Ten Thousand Corpses Array, and mixed with blood and impurity to form demonic power...

Mo Hua stopped before finishing.

The array masters, still hungry for more, seeing him stop, said:

"Keep drawing! Why stop?"

Mo Hua scratched his head, nervously saying:

"I only remember this much..."

He couldn't draw more—if he did, he'd draw the entire array eye...

The others studied the simplified Ten Thousand Corpses Array diagram Mo Hua had drawn, left and right, then frowned.

One array master sighed:

"Lu Chengyun truly has talent..."

Someone snorted, "So what if he has talent? He's still a heartless wretch!"

"I never said he wasn't..."

"Without talent or virtue, one is merely mediocre; but with talent without virtue, one becomes a great danger."

"As long as one's character is corrupt, no matter how talented, he deserves scorn!"

"It's a pity Lu Chengyun's talent was never used rightly—this array eye is constructed with extraordinary finesse..."

The old array master shook his head, "This array eye may not have been built by Lu Chengyun..."

"Not Lu Chengyun?" Everyone was stunned.

The old array master nodded:

"Though it's a first-rank array eye, it uses the framework of a grand array—its underlying structure employs all five elements in orderly harmony. This is unmistakably orthodox, authentic Daoist array technique..."

"Someone with this level of array understanding would never stoop to learn demonic arrays or ally with Lu Chengyun."

"So the Ten Thousand Corpses Array may be Lu Chengyun's, but this array eye... may be the work of another."

Mo Hua listened, startled inwardly.

This old man with a beard, though only a first-rank array master, had piercing insight.

He could see through this too...

The other array masters, upon hearing this, all nodded.

Someone asked, "Then who drew this array eye? Could Lu Chengyun have a hidden array master behind him?"

"Is this array master also a first-rank?"

"No—this array eye uses grand array techniques; likely, he's second-rank..."

At this, everyone's expressions turned solemn.

An absolute array, a Ten Thousand Corpses Array—already dire enough.

If another array master stood behind Lu Chengyun, the situation grew even more grave.

The old array master suddenly asked Mo Hua:

"Young Mr., do you know whose hand crafted this array eye? Or do you know who this master is?"

Mo Hua tightened his small face, solemnly shook his head, "I don't know."

I can't say it was me...

Even if I did, you wouldn't believe me.

Seeing them still tangled in this, faces heavy with worries, Mo Hua had no choice but to say:

"In the corpse mine, I didn't see any other array masters..."

"Perhaps this array master was threatened by Lu Chengyun, drew the array, then was silenced."

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi both glanced silently at Mo Hua.

The old array master blinked, then nodded.

Lu Chengyun was suspicious—this wasn't impossible.

He sighed, "If so, it's truly a pity..."

Yang Jishan, seeing them draw and debate for so long yet still confused, finally asked bluntly:

"Everyone, can this Ten Thousand Corpse Formation be broken?"

The old formation master hesitated for a moment, then said slowly:

"If the formation eye is indeed as described, then this plan is indeed feasible."

"Then is this formation eye real?" Yang Jishan asked again.

The old formation master hesitated and said nothing.

The other formation masters also frowned, not uttering a word.

They felt it was real, but the formation knowledge involved in this formation eye far exceeded their own formation skill, so they dared not jump to conclusions.

If the truth turned out to be wrong, they could not bear that responsibility.

Yang Jishan looked at Young Master Yun again.

Young Master Yun was still hesitating. He pondered for a moment longer, then slowly nodded:

"It should be correct."

He thought for a moment, then explained:

"This formation matches the known conditions of the corpse mine, and the formation skill is very high — Lu Chengyun could not have fabricated it."

Yang Jishan let out a slight breath of relief.

He patted Mo Hua's shoulder and laughed, saying: "Little brother, you've helped a great deal again!"

Mo Hua also smiled happily.

"Since the formation is real, then it's easy to handle. Let's discuss how to destroy these spirit stones and cut off the supply to the Ten Thousand Corpse Formation…"

Afterwards, Yang Jishan discussed the specific plan with everyone.

How to deploy the cultivators, when and where, who would lead the attack, who would provide cover, how to destroy these several spirit stone storehouses…

These spirit stones could not be carried out.

They could only think of a way to destroy them.

Let them dissolve back into spiritual Qi and scatter again between heaven and earth, so Lu Chengyun could not use them for evil.

After the discussion was finished, Mo Hua took his leave.

Young Master Yun stared at Mo Hua's back for a long time, somewhat lost in thought. After a long while, his eyes brightened slightly.

……

Mo Hua, meanwhile, was settled in a quiet Shi Shizhong.

The Shi Shizhong was simply furnished — only a stone table, stone stools, and a stone bed. Clearly, the situation was urgent and priorities had been set, so no one was particular about niceties.

Mo Hua didn't care. What he cared about was a table full of food.

There were spirit fruits, and also chicken and duck spirit meat.

He had been locked inside a coffin and gone hungry for many days. Now his stomach was growling, and he tucked in heartily — a fruit in one hand, a chicken leg in the other — eating happily.

Cultivators could abstain from food for long stretches, but they would still grow hungry and suffer depleted blood and Qi.

Going too long without eating would still mean starving to death.

Bai Zisheng sat to one side, with one leg crossed over the other, shaking his head, wondering what he was mulling over.

Bai Zixi, meanwhile, quietly read a book. She occasionally raised her eyes; seeing Mo Hua eating so sweetly, her long lashes fluttered slightly, and her gaze grew a few shades more serene.

Mo Hua looked up and asked, "Aren't you two going to eat?"

"You go ahead and eat."

"Oh."

Mo Hua didn't stand on ceremony. After finishing his meal, he lay comfortably on the bed, patting his little belly that was full from eating.

Bai Zisheng said, "After eating you should walk it off — don't just lie down."

"Oh."

Mo Hua gave a reply, his voice a little lazy, but he still lay there without moving.

Bai Zisheng shook his head. After a moment, he thought of something and asked:

"Are you going back to see your master?"

Mo Hua blinked and said, "Once things here are settled, then I'll go back to see my master!"

Bai Zisheng's eyes lit up. "Are we going to take down Lu Chengyun?"

He could least stand those who were sanctimonious, threw their weight around, practiced demonic arts, killed people, and bullied his little sister and junior brother.

And on every one of those counts, Lu Chengyun was almost a perfect fit.

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded.

Bai Zisheng thought for a moment, then frowned. "It won't be easy to make a move, will it? With so many walking corpses, iron corpses, and a corpse king…"

Mo Hua sat up and said in a lowered voice:

"Take it step by step. First weaken Lu Chengyun's forces, drive him into a corner, then get close to that corpse king… and he'll be doomed!"

"Corpse king?" Bai Zisheng was taken aback. "Did you do something to his corpse king?"

Mo Hua wagged his finger and corrected him: "Not 'his' corpse king…"

"What do you mean?" Bai Zisheng didn't understand.

Mo Hua kept him in suspense and whispered:

"It's a secret. You'll find out when the time comes."

Bai Zisheng was not very happy.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then relented a step and said, "When the time comes, I promise I'll let you take down Lu Chengyun."

"Really?"

Bai Zisheng was somewhat skeptical.

"Mm," Mo Hua nodded and said, "you're my senior brother, I won't lie to you!"

Bai Zisheng immediately cheered up again.

Bai Zixi glanced at her elder brother, shook her head slightly, somewhat helpless.

……

The next day at the hour of Mao, the Dao Soldiers began their assault on Shi Dian.

On the main front, Yang Jishan led the charge, tying down most of the iron corpses, but this was only a feint.

The other two squads of elite cultivators, following Mo Hua's guidance, circled around and infiltrated, breaking through the storeroom's defensive array, blasting through the stone wall, and indeed found a storeroom full of dazzlingly blue spirit stones.

With military orders in hand, they did not hesitate. Spirit artifacts, talismans, and Dao techniques all came out at once, utterly destroying the large quantity of spirit stones stored within the storeroom.

The destroyed spirit stones transformed into a torrent of spiritual energy, which poured out from the corpse mine and returned to the world.

Mo Hua, outside the corpse mine, could sense this intense surge of spiritual power.

"So this is spiritual energy…"

Mo Hua murmured, his thoughts stirring slightly.

It is said that more than twenty thousand years ago, the world between heaven and earth still had rich spiritual energy.

It was only after Dao Ting unified the realm and the cultivation world developed rapidly, with spiritual energy extracted without restraint, that the natural spiritual energy between heaven and earth gradually dried up.

Spirit stones could only be mined from spirit ore buried underground.

Cultivators relied on spirit stones to cultivate.

There were still mountains and secret realms with residual spiritual energy between heaven and earth, but very few — as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns — occupied by the major factions of the cultivation world.

The same was true of spirit stones.

More than twenty thousand years into the Dao calendar, virtually all the spirit mines in the cultivation world had been divided up and occupied by Dao Ting, great clans, and major sects.

The vast majority of spirit stones were also gathered in their hands.

The vast majority of low-level cultivators could actually obtain very few spirit stones.

Let alone breathing in true spiritual energy between heaven and earth…

Now, the spiritual energy spilling out from the corpse mine, though dense, was brief — in less than a moment's work, it had completely dissipated.

Though this was spiritual energy, it could not truly be called real spiritual energy.

After it dissipated, the world between heaven and earth was still the same parched state as before.

Mo Hua felt somewhat wistful.

He raised his head, looked at the sky, and could not help silently thinking:

"I wonder if this world will ever see the day when spiritual energy revives…"

……

And when the storeroom was blown up, the spirit stones destroyed, and the spiritual energy filled the air and dissipated into the world, Lu Chengyun felt it too.

His heart ached as though pricked by needles.

These were spirit stones!

Spirit stones he had painstakingly earned by enslaving mine cultivators, commanding corpses, and mining the mountain!

With these spirit stones, he could bribe Dao Ting Si and all the various factions, expand the Lu clan, and exchange for all kinds of cultivation resources to push his own cultivation to the next level!

But now, they were all destroyed!

What was even harder for him to accept was the Ten Thousand Corpses Array!

With the spirit stones destroyed, the array eye of the Ten Thousand Corpses Array would lose its supply.

Although the array could still barely operate on the residual evil power, within ten days the evil power would be exhausted and the Ten Thousand Corpses Array would grind to a halt.

If he couldn't operate the Ten Thousand Corpses Array and continuously refine corpses, how could he contend with the Dao Soldiers?

Lu Chengyun's gaze turned cold. "It seems I'll have to think of another way…"

But then he felt somewhat puzzled.

How did Dao Ting know that his evil array was powered by spiritual power?

And how did they know his spirit stones were hidden in a secret storeroom?

Had a traitor appeared in the corpse mine and leaked all the secrets within?

"Impossible…"

Lu Chengyun shook his head.

Those who knew the truth had either been killed by him or sacrificed by him.

What remained were some corpse cultivators.

These corpse cultivators had followed him for a long time, killing people and refining corpses, their hands stained with blood.

Once one had cultivated corpse-path techniques, one had already fallen into the demonic path and could no longer defect to Dao Ting.

Even if they did defect to Dao Ting, it would be a capital offense.

They could not have leaked the secrets…

"Then that means someone on Dao Ting's side saw through the true state of the corpse mine and saw through the array I laid down?"

A cultivator with such ability and mastery of arrays must surely be a master.

But who exactly could this master be?

When did he set his sights on me?

Lu Chengyun frowned.

A sudden premonition rose in his heart.

It was as if someone had long ago woven a net, trapping him tightly within it, and then, watching like a tiger, closed in on him step by step…

Who exactly was this person?

What exactly was this net?

Lu Chengyun was baffled.

Behind him, the ferocious, imposing, utterly loyal Corpse King stood in equally silent stillness.

(End of chapter)