Chapter 537: Divine Sense Transforms into Dao

Divine Sense Transforms into Dao?!

Mo Hua's heart chilled, and he asked, "Divine Sense Transforms into Dao—what does that mean?"

The Wuxing little ghost twitched the corners of his mouth and said with a bitter smile, "This—how would I know?"

Mo Hua's gaze turned unfriendly.

The Wuxing little ghost hurriedly said, "I really don't know. I'm not a transmitting elder, and I don't understand formations either. Asking me about this isn't making things hard for me…"

"Besides, those words were just something I overheard…"

Mo Hua asked, "Who was the elder who said that?"

The Wuxing little ghost shook his head. "I don't know that either. He was very old, his face full of wrinkles, his blood and qi declining every moment, his eyes couldn't even open. I'd never seen him on ordinary days."

"But the old Sect Master of the Wuxing Sect, and all the elders, were very respectful toward him—clearly his seniority was extremely high."

Extremely high seniority…

Mo Hua frowned slightly.

With seniority that high, he might know the mysteries of the Wuxing Spirit Formation.

Mo Hua turned his head again and glanced at the dao arena.

At the center of the dao arena, the Wuxing Spirit Formation blazed with brilliant light.

The scene from moments ago surfaced once more in Mo Hua's mind.

He had manifested the Wuxing Spirit Formation, but the formation patterns were dim.

Formless, intangible, without intent or awareness, his divine sense flowed from atop the meditation cushion into the Wuxing Spirit Formation above the dao arena, and the Wuxing Spirit Formation began to glow…

When a manifested formation glows, it means the formation has taken effect.

This was exactly the same as within the Dao Stele.

On the Dao Stele, when the formation patterns light up and glow, it means the formation has succeeded.

Mo Hua rested his chin on his hand, thinking quietly…

Divine sense poured into the Wuxing Spirit Formation, and the formation patterns glowed…

This seemed to be a kind of demonstration.

It was also the final link of the inheritance.

The five meditation cushions outside the shrine taught the formation patterns of the Wuxing Spirit Formation.

The sixth "cushion," which had only a direction, opened the great door leading to the shrine.

Inside the shrine, the cushion atop the dao arena—the seventh cushion—revealed the mysteries of the Wuxing Spirit Formation.

Divine Sense Transforms into Dao…

Spiritual Power is Conserved…

One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three…

Mo Hua's heart trembled, and he was suddenly enlightened.

Spiritual power is conserved—however much spiritual power of Zhou Tian, that much of a spell is condensed.

And Wuxing spiritual power can amplify a spell's might.

Spiritual power itself does not increase or grow stronger—so where does that amplified portion of the spell's might come from?

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened.

It was divine sense.

The old elder of the Wuxing Sect had said Divine Sense Transforms into Dao, meaning to merge divine sense into the Dao, fusing it with spiritual power.

Only in this way could the power of Wuxing be strengthened without changing the spiritual power.

But drawing formations already requires consuming divine sense…

What is the difference between these two?

Mo Hua recalled again the scene atop the meditation cushion, where divine thought merged into the spirit formation, and gradually everything became clear.

Generally, when drawing a formation, the divine sense consumed is not used for the formation itself; it's more like…

It is used to comprehend the Great Dao, to communicate with the unfathomable Dao, and only by expending heart and mind can one draw the formation patterns.

This kind of divine sense is the wear of deliberation.

But the Wuxing Spirit Formation is different.

Beyond the divine sense consumed by the formation itself, an additional portion of divine sense must be poured into the formation and fused with spiritual power.

In this case, the power of divine thought and spiritual power, though different in path, return to the same goal—both are regarded as a kind of cultivation power.

Divine Sense Transforms into Dao.

Only when divine sense and spiritual power are united can the true Wuxing Spirit Formation be drawn!

But precisely because of this, the divine sense required for this absolute formation is far more than thirteen patterns.

Thirteen-pattern divine sense is merely the threshold for comprehending the formation patterns.

But while drawing the formation patterns, one must also split off divine sense, merge it into the formation, amplify spiritual power, and make the Wuxing Spirit Formation take effect.

Doing so intensifies the consumption of divine sense.

On the surface, the Wuxing Spirit Formation is a thirteen-pattern absolute formation, but its divine sense requirement is higher than that of ordinary thirteen-pattern formations.

Mo Hua was a little speechless.

No wonder this absolute formation had nearly been lost.

Not only is it difficult, but the inheritance is so troublesome.

What's even more outrageous is that a first-grade thirteen-pattern formation already has an absurdly high divine sense requirement, yet it turns out to be a reverse "under-marking."

Mo Hua shook his head.

At this point, there's no need to quibble over these things.

The current problem is: how exactly should spiritual awareness and spiritual energy be fused?

Thinking alone was useless; Mo Hua decided to try following the demonstration shown by the meditation cushion's transmission.

He sat on the cushion and, back in the dantian's array platform, attempted to redraw the Jin Guang array once more.

As he drew, he simultaneously split off a portion of his spiritual awareness and merged it into the array lines.

After just a few strokes, he failed.

Spiritual awareness must both perceive the array and merge into its lines—dividing attention like this was indeed difficult.

Mo Hua tried several more times.

After multiple attempts, Mo Hua gradually began to grasp the method.

He understood: this was, in fact, another technique for wielding spiritual awareness.

"One mind, two uses—split the spiritual awareness."

It required both division and fusion, demanding extreme precision from spiritual awareness.

Yet Mo Hua's foundation was the Tian Yan Jue, and he had comprehended the Ling Shu Array; the two complemented each other perfectly, bringing his control over spiritual awareness and manipulation of spiritual energy to a level of exquisite refinement.

Controlling spiritual awareness was no longer an issue.

Once the method was known, a few more attempts would make it manageable.

As Mo Hua continued drawing, he furrowed his brow:

To master the Five Elements Spirit Arrays, one needed strong spiritual awareness, the ability to perform spiritual calculations, mastery of the Tian Yan Jue, comprehension of the Ling Shu Array, and clarity on the principles of the Jue Zhen array…

He happened to possess all of these.

Was this coincidence—or had his master deliberately arranged it?

Mo Hua grew even more grateful for Mr. Zhuang's thoughtful planning, silently vowing in his heart:

"If this is so, I must master the Five Elements Spirit Arrays—I will not disappoint my master's expectations!"

Mo Hua gathered his focus and calmly drew the Jin Guang array.

He found it taxing.

His spiritual awareness consumption gradually intensified.

But his spiritual awareness was at the peak of Thirteen.

Though not yet Fourteen, it was still significantly stronger than ordinary Thirteen.

If his guess was correct, his spiritual awareness alone should be sufficient to draw a single Five Elements Spirit Array…

After an unknown length of time, just as his spiritual awareness was about to be exhausted, Mo Hua stopped his brush and exhaled deeply.

Before him lay a complete Jin Guang array.

And upon the array, Jin Guang blazed brilliantly!

Spiritual awareness, intangible, merged with the manifested spiritual energy—flowing like pure liquid gold between the array lines.

This was the amplified Jin elemental spiritual energy.

This was the true, Five Elements-enhanced power.

Mo Hua was overjoyed, his face lit with a clear smile.

Beside him, the Five Elements Ghosts stared in shock, their pupils trembling.

What is this?

The Jin Guang Jue Zhen?!

How did this young cultivator draw this?

When had he learned to draw it?

Wasn't he completely clueless when he first entered?

Sat on the cushion for a while, glanced at the array platform, and in the time it took to drink a cup of tea—he mastered this Jue Zhen?

The Five Elements Ghosts could not believe it.

He himself had sat on this cushion for centuries, stared at this array platform for centuries—and learned nothing…

This young cultivator sat down once—and learned it?

The Five Elements Ghosts stood frozen, lost in thought:

"I've impersonated the Transmission Elder for so long, seen so many array masters—and never once encountered a prodigy with such insane comprehension…"

"Is this young cultivator even human?"

The Five Elements Ghosts' inner shock suddenly triggered an alarm.

It looked up and saw Mo Hua watching it—with a piercing, clearly malicious gaze…

Like… looking at a five-colored pastry?

The Five Elements Ghosts shuddered involuntarily, voice trembling:

"W-what are you going to do?!"

Mo Hua's gaze was cold; he was considering how to deal with the Five Elements Ghost…

Logically, it should be killed.

These ghostly malevolent spirits, however harmless they appeared, were still treacherous aberrations—whose hearts were inevitably hostile.

His spiritual awareness was strong, and he excelled in combat—hence why the Five Elements Ghost trembled so pitifully.

Had his spiritual awareness been weak, he would have been tricked into believing it was the Transmission Elder—or worse, exposed and devoured whole.

Moreover, Mo Hua's spiritual awareness was still insufficient.

These malevolent spirit-forms could be devoured—one by one…

Mo Hua stared at the Five Elements Ghost like a cat eyeing a mouse, his gaze growing brighter and brighter…

A shadow of dread settled over the Five Elements Ghost's heart.

The Five Elements Imp cried out: "You can't kill me!"

"Why not?"

"I've helped you!"

"What have you helped me with?"

"I…." The Five Elements Imp's mind raced frantically. "I taught you the Five Elements Spirit Array!"

Mo Hua blinked. "Didn't you say you didn't understand arrays, that you couldn't even cast the Five Elements Spirit Array? If you didn't know it yourself, how could you teach me?"

The Five Elements Imp fell silent, then quickly said:

"Without me, you wouldn't have known 'Spirit Manifestation as Dao'—you never would have comprehended the Five Elements Ultimate Array…"

Mo Hua paused, thought for a moment, and found this plausible.

This Five Elements Imp had, indirectly, helped him…

He was about to say more.

But the Five Elements Imp's expression suddenly turned ferocious; it opened its mouth, revealing fangs, and lunged at Mo Hua, aiming to bite his throat.

Its movement was swift—in an instant it closed the distance, its face lit with triumph, eyes greedy, jaws wide as it bit down hard.

Life and death were at stake; it had no patience for words.

It wouldn't leave its fate to another's mercy.

So it struck first.

In the prior battle, it had convinced itself it had uncovered Mo Hua's tactics: spirit manifestation, mastery of spells, and always keeping distance during combat.

If so, it must rely on ranged spells and be weak in close combat.

If it could get close enough to bite—even once—the Five Elements poison would enter his body, and this little ghost would die without a trace!

The Five Elements Imp got its wish: it closed in on Mo Hua, its sinister fangs aimed at his pale, tender neck.

It bit down with all its strength!

The next instant, its own teeth clamped together, jarring it with sharp pain.

Its gums went numb; its heart turned cold.

It had bitten air…

It looked up.

Without warning, Mo Hua had slipped away like a fish, drifting to a distant spot, calm and composed, a trace of regret on his face:

"I was just making excuses for you, trying to spare your life—and now you've gone and killed yourself…"

The Five Elements Imp's eyes filled with panic.

What happened?

How did this little ghost escape?

It had no time to think; it lunged at Mo Hua again.

But Mo Hua's left hand clenched lightly, forming the Water Prison Technique; his right finger pointed, summoning a Fireball Technique.

In an instant, the Five Elements Imp was pinned in place by the Water Prison, pummeled again and again by relentless fireballs…

Its body burned; its heart turned bitter.

Why was it so unlucky—to meet this little calamity!

As its form began to fade, it cried out again:

"Little Ancestor, I was wrong!"

Mo Hua ignored it, refused to listen, and kept blasting fireballs.

Seeing it was doomed, the Five Elements Imp gritted its teeth:

"Don't kill me—I'll tell you a secret!"

Mo Hua stopped. He couldn't help asking: "Real secret or fake?"

The Five Elements Imp seized the lifeline. "Real!"

Mo Hua said: "Tell me first."

The Five Elements Imp's eyelid twitched; it hesitated:

"If I tell you, will you spare me?"

Mo Hua's expression turned icy. "Are you threatening me?"

The Five Elements Imp sneered, about to mock—when it saw Mo Hua's aura surge, fingers poised to cast, ready to send it to oblivion at the slightest word.

The Five Elements Imp laughed coldly, just about to mock him, when it saw Mo Hua bristling with momentum, fingers pressed together to form a spell, looking as if one wrong word, one refusal to share the secret, and he'd send it straight to the afterlife.

It seethed inwardly.

This Little Ancestor—he's immune to reason, and completely unreasonable!

Mo Hua's expression softened slightly. "Tell me first. I'll decide whether to spare you after I hear it."

"When you're under someone else's roof, you must bow."

The Five Elements Imp hesitated, sighed, and finally said:

"This secret—I discovered it myself, over these past few centuries…"

It glanced at Mo Hua, then pointed to the surrounding carved wooden array masters, the dense array patterns, the vast array platforms—this solemn, disciplined ritual ground—and said solemnly:

"This ritual ground… is a fake one…"

"Behind the altar… hides another… true ritual ground!"

A true ritual ground?

Within the divine altar lay another... a true cultivation ground!

A true cultivation ground?

Mo Hua clearly didn't believe it; he raised his small hand, ready to resume burning the little ghost.

The Wuxing little ghost immediately swore an oath:

"Truly, if I lie, may my soul dissolve and spirit scatter, dying without even a grave to rest in!"

Mo Hua froze.

Such a terrible oath?

He thought for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Tell me in detail."

The Wuxing little ghost exhaled in relief and said:

"This shrine looks simple, but it is a divine abode, a vessel for storing divine thought; the inheritance within can only be crafted by a great cultivator of Gao Chao realm with profound spiritual sense…"

"How could such a refined shrine be used merely to teach a Grade-One Ultimate Array?"

The Wuxing little ghost whispered:

"Over the years, trapped within this shrine, guarding this altar, I've spent hundreds of years observing many Wuxing Sect cultivators, hearing many Wuxing Sect secrets, and through solitary exploration within this shrine, I've finally discovered that this shrine contains two distinct altars…"

The Wuxing little ghost pointed to the ground. "This altar now is the 'Transmission' altar, teaching the Wuxing Ultimate Array…"

"There is another altar…"

The Wuxing little ghost's voice trembled. "The true 'Inheritance' altar."

"Within the Inheritance altar is sealed the Wuxing Sect's true inheritance—never shown to any living being!"

After speaking, the Wuxing little ghost stole a glance at Mo Hua.

It had expected that after hearing this, Mo Hua would be overjoyed, excited, greedy—at least curious…

But Mo Hua's expression remained as calm as still water.

He asked in return: "What is the Wuxing Sect's true inheritance?"

The Wuxing little ghost stalled, then shook its head.

"Have you been to the true Inheritance altar?"

The Wuxing little ghost shook its head again.

Mo Hua said: "You say this inheritance is never shown to 'people'—then how do you know of it?"

"Because you're a 'ghost'?"

The joke was cold.

The Wuxing little ghost couldn't laugh; it could only shake its head.

"Fine!" Mo Hua nodded, his gaze turning dangerous. "To save your life, you're making up stories, buying time, still trying to deceive me!"

The Wuxing Sect having the Wuxing Spirit Array is already impressive enough.

What else could there possibly be, this so-called 'true inheritance'?

Even his master never mentioned it.

How could this little ghost possibly know?

Even granting the inheritance exists, this Wuxing little ghost, who doesn't understand arrays, couldn't possibly recognize it.

It has sat on this altar's cushion for hundreds of years.

It has watched the 'Spiritual Sense Becomes Dao' demonstration in the Wuxing Spirit Array countless times—and still remains blind, knowing nothing.

With such a level, how could it know the Wuxing Sect's 'true inheritance'?

Even if the inheritance were placed before it, it would see nothing but a celestial scripture, utterly clueless.

This Wuxing little ghost spouts nothing but lies—useless to keep alive.

Mo Hua's eyes held killing intent.

Seeing Mo Hua's gaze, the Wuxing little ghost's expression turned to utter shock, and finally revealed its last card:

"It's true—I know the entrance!"

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. "The entrance to the true Inheritance altar?"

The Wuxing little ghost nodded frantically.

Mo Hua said nothing, only:

"Show me."

The Wuxing little ghost hesitated repeatedly, then reluctantly said:

"Fine…"

It walked into the altar, climbed to its top, approached the cushion, sighed faintly, lifted the cushion, flipped it over, and laid it back in place.

"Flip the cushion and sit upon it again—you'll see the true Inheritance altar!"

Mo Hua's eyelid twitched.

This Wuxing little ghost might not be lying…

The cushion transmits the Dao—right side up, upside down, surface and depth.

One is for transmission, one for inheritance.

On the surface, it's just an ordinary shrine, the same altar—but within the cushion lies a hidden universe.

Such meticulous planning is truly ingenious, exquisitely brilliant…

Mo Hua glanced again at the Wuxing little ghost, still wary.

The altar might be real—but he still couldn't trust this little ghost.

But time was running out…

Mo Hua hadn't counted, but he knew he had already been inside the shrine's altar for nearly two hours.

When the time came, he would be forced to leave.

Once he left, he would likely never enter this Wuxing Sect's Array Storage Hall again.

Mo Hua very much wanted to know whether the Wuxing Sect truly had this transmission dojo...

"How about... just one look?"

Mo Hua took a step forward, approaching the cushion, yet still hesitated.

At that moment, sudden chaos erupted.

A shocking aura suddenly exploded around him.

Mo Hua's heart tightened; out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Wuxing imp's expression shift—it was no longer timid, but cold and grotesque.

Five-colored light blazed fiercely from its body.

Simultaneously, its sharp claws shot straight for Mo Hua's heart meridian.

Had the Wuxing imp been hiding its strength?

Mo Hua frowned, yet remained unfazed; he activated the Flowing Water Step and, in a split second, narrowly evaded the Wuxing imp's claw.

But as he retreated, one of his feet inadvertently stepped onto the cushion.

The cushion suddenly generated a powerful suction, pulling at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua felt heaven and earth invert, scenery blurring and shifting, then plunged into utter void...

And his figure vanished completely from the transmission dojo.

The dojo stood empty.

The Wuxing imp burst into loud laughter:

"Good!"

"Good!"

"All this pretending, swallowing my anger—it was worth it!"

It glanced again at the spot on the cushion where Mo Hua had just vanished, sneering:

"No matter how gifted or cunning you are, you'll be trapped forever in this shrine dojo, never to escape!"

The Wuxing imp then erupted in wild joy:

"After hundreds of years, I can finally escape this place!"

At that moment, the incense burned out.

Two hours had passed.

The Wuxing imp no longer hesitated; it transformed into a streak of light and fled from the shrine...

Meanwhile, Mr. Zhuang, seated on the third floor sipping tea and cultivating calm, suddenly opened his eyes.

The Grand Elder rose and smiled calmly:

"Time's up. I should go fetch the senior's Gao Tu. I wonder how they've fared..."

But Mr. Zhuang said: "No rush."

The Grand Elder's smile slowly faded. "Senior, what do you mean?"

"Nothing," Mr. Zhuang said calmly. "This tea is excellent. Stay and have another cup with me."

The Grand Elder's face twisted into a forced smile, barely concealing his anger:

"Senior, you've been drinking for two hours already. Even the finest tea must be enough by now?"

"I've had enough," Mr. Zhuang smiled faintly. "But I have a Dao friend who hasn't had any yet."

"Dao friend?"

The Grand Elder froze, then shifted his gaze—and discovered that the empty seat to his right had, at some point, been occupied by a withered, expressionless old man.

This man was Master Kui.

The Grand Elder shouted: "Zhuang—"

Before he could finish, Master Kui lifted his head and glanced at him.

That single glance pierced straight into his heart, freezing him to the bone.

The Grand Elder staggered several steps before regaining his balance, then immediately changed his tone, speaking politely and gently:

"Mr. Zhuang... senior, please, take your time. No rush at all... no rush..."

After speaking, the Grand Elder, still shaken, wiped away cold sweat.

He wanted to glance at Master Kui again, but dared not—only fear stirred within him.

What realm was this old man even in...?

The Grand Elder trembled inside, yet dared not speak another word.

Fortunately, the incense had burned out; the shrine was sealed and could no longer manifest its Dao.

Those little imps, even if still inside, could learn nothing.

Let them stay a little longer—it didn't matter...

The Grand Elder sighed in relief, comforting himself.

Mr. Zhuang's face remained calm, but inside, turmoil stirred; his fingers hidden in his sleeve formed a hand seal, and after a moment, his eyes flickered with surprise.

His little disciple had apparently discovered something extraordinary...

Mr. Zhuang pondered for a moment, his gaze gradually turning solemn.

What secrets had the ancestors of the Wuxing Sect hidden...?

(End of Chapter)