Chapter 556

It wasn't just about killing…

But striking hard, sealing the hall with an array, slaughtering mercilessly!

Mo Hua was stunned.

No wonder he's my senior uncle.

Immediately, his eyes lit up, his heart filled with joy.

Daoxin Zhong Mo!

My senior uncle is finally demonstrating Daoxin Zhong Mo in front of me again!

And it's the real thing—large-scale, ruthless, unrestrained Daoxin Zhong Mo!

As Mo Hua watched the Jin Dan demonic cultivators in the hall, infected with demonic thoughts, descending into madness, he observed the way Xuan Sanren performed Daoxin Zhong Mo, his heart swelling with delight, and he couldn't help but praise:

"Senior uncle is so generous!"

On the other side, the four Liu Yuhua demonic ancestors of Xuan Sanren all looked furious.

"How bold!"

"How openly they slaughter fellow cultivators!"

"Arrogant!"

But they only spoke loudly—deep inside, they still feared Daoxin Zhong Mo and dared not act.

The chaos below their seats was intensifying.

Jin Dan demonic cultivators fell into random combat for no reason—some roared in rage, some trembled in fear, others grinned with bloodlust.

Everyone's demonic nature was awakened.

In an instant, it was impossible to tell who had been seeded with demonic thoughts and who hadn't.

Demonic artifacts flew everywhere, blood qi and demonic qi intertwined, skeletal wailing ghosts snarled in agony.

In the Wan Mo Dian, true demons truly began to dance in chaos.

Some demonic cultivators with remaining sanity tried to flee—they poured all their strength into launching artifacts at the doors and the surrounding Shi Dian walls, desperate to break an opening and escape.

But whenever artifacts or demonic qi touched the Shi Dian, they vanished like stones sinking into the ocean, one by one dissolved.

As they dissolved, dark black, eerie array patterns appeared.

Xuan Sanren's gaze trembled, and he exclaimed:

"Xiao Zijin Heaven-Sealing Array?!"

Du Zunzhe's expression darkened; beside him, Hei Luo Han and Lady Miao looked solemn.

"When did he set this up?"

"We didn't notice a thing…"

Du Zunzhe asked: "Can this array be broken?"

Xuan Sanren shook his head. "Hard to break."

He looked up, scanning the walls of the demonic hall, and said solemnly: "Don't forget—he's that Mr. Zhuang's senior brother…"

"The two of them—one excels in derivation, the other in deception—both are among the rarest great array masters in this cultivation world."

"Mr. Zhuang's array mastery is astonishing."

"Xuan Sanren is his senior brother—even if he's not quite as skilled as Mr. Zhuang, he's not far behind, and in some aspects, even stronger…"

"But…"

Xuan Sanren's gaze sharpened. "I never thought a mere demonic seed avatar could silently set up an array like this…"

No wonder he could break the ten-thousand-year-old traditions of the Mo Sect and, with only Liu Yuhua cultivation, be granted the title of "Dao Ren"…

Xuan Sanren thought silently to himself.

Hei Luo Han let out a cruel laugh. "If the array's hard to break, then kill the one who set it up…"

Before he finished speaking, Hei Luo Han struck suddenly—blood flowed from his palm, coalescing into a massive black blood skull, drenched in blood and filth.

Hei Luo Han waved his hand—the black blood skull opened its terrifying maw and lunged straight at Xuan Sanren.

The blood-shadow skull moved with extreme speed.

Xuan Sanren seemed unaware, sitting motionless as the skull swallowed him whole.

Along with Mo Hua, he too was swallowed by the skull's maw.

Moments later, the blood-shadow skull dissolved.

Mo Hua was unharmed.

He blinked, slightly dazed.

He had just been observing his senior uncle's Daoxin Zhong Mo technique—suddenly, a skull had lunged at him; before he could even fear it, the skull vanished, and around him, array patterns seemed to protect him, leaving him unscathed.

Mo Hua glanced at the dark, intricate array patterns surrounding him, perfectly aligned with Xiao Zijin's style, and was deeply shaken.

"This is… Xiao Zijin Heaven-Sealing Array…"

"It's my senior uncle's array…"

Unlike the Five Elements arrays, unlike ordinary spiritual-force arrays.

As Mo Hua pondered, he suddenly froze—he couldn't move.

These Xiao Zijin array patterns protected him, but also trapped him.

He was clearly inside the array, yet felt as if separated from it.

As long as the array remained intact, he couldn't leave.

But as long as the array remained intact, he wouldn't be harmed either.

"Is this… my senior uncle's doing?"

Mo Hua couldn't help glancing at Xuan Sanren's seat—only a white skeleton remained.

As if the skeletal blood shadow had dissolved his flesh and blood.

Mo Hua was startled.

"Did my senior uncle die?"

Then he silently shook his head.

He had traveled with his senior uncle all this way and knew his aura well.

His senior uncle's flesh and blood were gone, but that strange aura still remained—and… still slowly spreading, gradually intensifying, filling every corner of the Demon Hall…

The Black Arhat, seeing the "Strange Daoist" reduced to white bone by his own technique, sneered—but after just two laughs, he could no longer laugh.

He realized: the Strange Daoist was dead, yet not dead.

He had killed that fleshly body, dissolved its blood and flesh, turning it into a skeleton.

But this act had merely released something from within that skin, letting it spread bit by bit throughout the Demon Hall.

Like a plague upon the spirit.

This pathogen had originally been contained within the Daoist's skin.

Now that the skin was destroyed, the plague had spread…

The Black Arhat muttered in shock:

"What the hell is this Strange Daoist?!"

The expressions of the four Liu Yuhua Ancestors grew ever more solemn.

For the mad, eerie aura within the Demon Hall intensified sharply with the Strange Daoist's "death."

All Jin Dan demon cultivators sank into endless mutual slaughter.

The Demon Hall became a hell.

The demon cultivators became demons.

Human faces became scrolls of paper, upon which ferocity, terror, cruelty, bloodlust, greed—every vile expression—were painted like thick, vivid ink, forming a scroll of hellish demon faces.

In their cruelty lay a peculiar Strange Daoist flavor.

It sent a chill creeping into the heart.

This strange madness and demonic slaughter left the four Liu Yuhua Ancestors wanting to stop it—but unsure how to even begin.

And when the clamor ended, the dust settled.

This painting of a demon-infested hell was finally completed.

All dead!

Hundreds of Jin Dan demon cultivators—all perished without exception!

The four Liu Yuhua Ancestors all wore expressions of anger.

Poison Master trembled as he spoke: "Good! Good indeed!"

He sneered sharply, "No wonder the newly appointed 'Daoist' slaughters fellow cultivators without cause—such sinister, cruel methods! It proves the old saying: those not of our path must have alien hearts!"

"Let's see how he explains himself to the Demon Lord!"

But Xuan Sanren frowned. "Could this Strange Daoist truly have gone mad? Why kill so many Jin Dan? What does he want?"

The Black Arhat's eyes flickered with murderous intent. "Could he be trying… to claim that opportunity for himself?!"

Lady Mi sneered. "What a huge appetite…"

As the four spoke, they suddenly froze.

They realized: the aura within the Demon Hall had grown colder still. The Jin Dan cultivators were all dead—but the oppressive, lingering eeriness had become even stronger.

The four looked solemn, silent.

After a moment, a rustling sound echoed through the silent Demon Hall.

A chilling wind surged.

One by one, the slain Jin Dan twisted and slowly rose to their feet.

Their limbs were broken, their bodies drenched in blood—but without exception, their pupils had turned pitch-black and hollow.

One Strange Daoist was dead.

But hundreds of Strange Daoists now stood up…

The Jin Dan demon cultivators of this Demon Hall had died—and now reborn as Strange Daoists!

They stared at the four Liu Yuhua Ancestors seated upon the bone throne with black, sinister gazes.

All four Liu Yuhua Ancestors felt a chill run through them.

An unthinkable suspicion surfaced in their minds…

This Strange Daoist, having killed hundreds of Jin Dan, doesn't stop there—does he intend… to kill all four of us Liu Yuhua Ancestors too?!

This… could no longer be called arrogance.

It was… audacious beyond measure!

The Black Arhat laughed bitterly with rage. "Want to kill me? Fine! Let me see how you, this cowardly, parasitic Strange Daoist, plan to kill me!"

But Poison Master's gaze darkened, his heart turning cold.

No, it was possible…

Liu Yuhua status was revered; few had ever died at the hands of Jin Dan.

Because there were never enough Jin Dan.

And Jin Dan never had the nerve.

But in truth, if there were enough Jin Dan—and they were willing to die—even Liu Yuhua could be overwhelmed and perish.

Especially here, in the third-grade state border.

None of us Liu Yuhua cultivators can use our Liu Yuhua power here.

Control the Jin Dan and surround to kill Liu Yuhua!

This seems impossible, but it is indeed a killing trap.

Yet they never imagined…

They originally thought the enemy was the Dao Court, or that Mr. Zhuang, but never in a million years did they expect the true killing intent to come from this Xuan Sanren!

The Xuan Sanren's Heaven-Sealing Array blocks the escape route.

The Dao Heart Seed Demon controls the Jin Dan.

Use the Jin Dan to surround and kill Liu Yuhua!

Drive the pack of wolves to swallow the tiger!

The Poison Elder's heart grew cold; the more he thought, the more something felt wrong.

We've been tricked!

Under normal circumstances, it's impossible to gather so many Jin Dan demonic cultivators.

Our four Liu Yuhua Ancestors could never have gathered together.

Yet right now, every condition is perfectly in place.

Thus, this move, though seemingly audacious beyond bounds, is in fact exquisitely cunning and deadly—completely beyond their expectations!

"No wonder… it's the Xuan Sanren…"

The Poison Elder murmured silently.

Xuan Sanren asked: "Elder, what should we do now?"

The Poison Elder glanced at the Jin Dan demonic cultivators, controlled by the Dao Heart Seed Demon, hungering to devour them, and sighed:

"We are all of the demonic path, sharing the same breath. I have no wish to kill. The best course is to try forcibly breaking the Xuan Sanren's Heaven-Sealing Array, escape from the Demon Hall, and then deliberate on what comes after…"

Xuan Sanren agreed: "Elder's words are wise."

Then the four of them each unleashed their methods, aiming to forcibly shatter the Xuan Sanren's Heaven-Sealing Array.

The Black Arhat still used black blood to condense skeletal figures;

Lady Miao wielded a delicate fan of flesh-toned perfection;

Xuan Sanren used a demonic sword;

And the Poison Elder used a dark earth-colored, urn-shaped Gu snake, its demonic energy coiling into venomous snakes that scattered and gnawed at the array.

The vast Demon Hall, its stone walls cracked and peeling, instantly became riddled with holes.

Revealing within, countless strange black-gray array patterns.

These array patterns, like living things, re-divided and spontaneously regenerated after being destroyed, sustaining the array's operation…

"It… can't be broken?"

The four Liu Yuhua demonic ancestors frowned.

Only now did they realize how formidable the Xuan Sanren's array truly was…

But Mo Hua's heart trembled violently.

This array!

It's no ordinary array!

Other cultivators might not understand—even high-grade array masters, limited by their knowledge, might fail to grasp its secrets.

But Mo Hua was different.

He was Mr. Zhuang's disciple, and the Xuan Sanren's nephew-in-arts.

His array philosophy was taught by Mr. Zhuang.

He had studied Yan Suan, even received the Wuxing Sect's inherited Yan Suan methods, and thus had deep insight into it.

He could see: this Xuan Sanren's Heaven-Sealing Array was no ordinary array!

It was built upon a special "Yan Suan" method!

That's why the array patterns could divide and spontaneously regenerate!

That's why this Xuan Sanren's Heaven-Sealing Array was unbreakable!

Yan Suan!

Mo Hua was both greatly alarmed and greatly delighted.

He never imagined his uncle's treasures were so numerous!

The Dao Heart Seed Demon… and this special Yan Suan…

Could they all be the "supreme pinnacle" consciousness techniques his master spoke of?

Mo Hua's eyes sparkled, his heart pounding.

His small face looked innocent, but his mind's consciousness spun ceaselessly.

While the Demon Hall raged in chaos and no one noticed him, Mo Hua stealthily observed the Dao Heart Seed Demon, while internally deciphering the Yan Suan methods of the Xuan Sanren's Heaven-Sealing Array, busily absorbed…

And the chaos in the Demon Hall continued…

The four Liu Yuhua demonic ancestors could not break the Xuan Sanren's Heaven-Sealing Array, so battle became inevitable.

Hundreds of Jin Dan, their pupils pitch black, surged forward one after another, attacking the Liu Yuhua ancestors they had once bowed before.

The Black Arhat punched through a Jin Dan demonic cultivator.

Lady Miao fanned her beautiful fan, its pink glow shimmering, melting Jin Dan into white bones.

Xuan Sanren's demonic aura churned, sword qi spilling everywhere, slicing the demonic cultivators controlled by the Dao Heart Seed Demon into fragments.

And the Poison Elder no longer spoke of "sharing the demonic path, sharing the same breath, unwilling to kill"—facing his own survival, his strikes were fiercer than anyone's.

From the Gu snake, countless venomous snakes slithered out, tongues flickering.

The snakes burrowed into the Jin Dan, tearing at their flesh and sucking their demonic essence.

The four Liu Yuhua demonic ancestors clearly held the upper hand.

But the numerous Jin Dan demonic cultivators fought without fear, even as their limbs were severed, their chests split open, and their bodies turned to bone—they still charged toward the Liu Yuhua cultivators to bite off a piece of flesh, to inflict even a single wound…

At this moment, the four understood: Fang Yi intended to wear them down to death!

They were Liu Yuhua cultivators, yet bound by celestial balance, they dared not unleash their Liu Yuhua power.

The pack of wolves acted without restraint.

Yet the fierce tiger must bind its own claws and fangs.

The four felt both shock and fury.

They could not break the Heaven-Sealing Array, nor wipe out all of Fang Yi's Jin Dan cultivators…

If this continued, might these lofty Liu Yuhua demonic ancestors truly be devoured alive by a horde of demonic Jin Dan?

Such a death was one they had never imagined in their lifetimes.

Yet it was, undeniably, inching closer, bit by bit…

The Liu Yuhua demonic ancestors slaughtered Jin Dan cultivators, yet these Jin Dan cared nothing for "death," for they themselves were already "dead."

They were now merely Fang Yi's toys.

The four Liu Yuhua demonic ancestors had kept killing, kept killing—until their hands grew numb…

After an unknown duration of killing, a sudden transformation occurred.

One of the Liu Yuhua demonic ancestors died.

The one who died was the black bear demonic cultivator—Hei Luo Han.

He died beneath the heavenly tribulation's lightning.

He had long suppressed his Liu Yuhua cultivation, yet kept slaughtering relentlessly, until, in a moment of carelessness, he unleashed his Liu Yuhua power…

His blood qi crystallized—both sinister and exquisite.

Within the blood qi floated tiny, brilliant, feather-like spiritual forces.

This was spiritual force Liu Yuhua.

Any Jin Dan demonic cultivator who touched this Liu Yuhua power was shredded, reduced to ash and dust.

The Jin Dan demonic cultivators still surged forward, fearless and relentless.

The truly terrified one was Hei Luo Han!

【206】 He suddenly realized he had violated a celestial taboo!

The tiger, however, bound its own claws and fangs.

At the same moment, a vast terror loomed over his head.

He looked up—and saw a crimson thunderbolt, carrying an earth-shattering stillness, suddenly descending, utterly erasing him!

Hei Luo Han had no time to react—he was completely obliterated, spirit and form annihilated!

In his final moment, only one thought remained:

"So… it truly exists… celestial erasure…"

The heavenly tribulation came swiftly, and vanished just as fast.

It arrived in terror, departed without a trace.

The other three Liu Yuhua demonic ancestors all felt, firsthand, the true, overwhelming terror of the heavens.

The higher one's cultivation, the deeper the fear.

Lady Miao's beautiful face turned ashen; she whispered: "It's… real…"

Poison Master's expression shifted; his aged eyes trembled with dread.

And beside them, Xuan Sanren's face was strangely vacant.

All three now understood.

Fang Yi's Heaven-Sealing was the first step;

The Jin Dan encirclement was the second step;

And celestial erasure was Fang Yi's final, calculated killing blow!

He forced them into a corner: either be worn down alive, or, in endless depletion, fail to suppress their Liu Yuhua power and be utterly erased by the heavenly tribulation!

The heavens were supreme.

Before the heavens, even as Liu Yuhua cultivators, they were powerless!

The Jin Dan demonic cultivators' encirclement continued…

The second to die was Lady Miao.

She had to suppress her own cultivation while enduring endless battle and exhaustion—her spirit and mind were utterly drained.

Poison Master roared: "Fight to the death—there may still be a chance! As Liu Yuhua, even if we perish now, we should not die so ignobly!"

Lady Miao gritted her teeth: "Fine!"

Poison Master said: "We unleash our Liu Yuhua power together—just for an instant—and shatter Fang Yi's Heaven-Sealing Array, escape to freedom!"

"After escaping, each uses their own life-saving techniques—whether we live or die, it will be up to fate!"

There was no other way now.

Even with the threat of heavenly tribulation, they must risk everything.

Lady Miao and Poison Master's auras rose together, slowly drawing upon their Liu Yuhua power, preparing Liu Yuhua-level Dao techniques—as if to jointly break the array.

But when their auras reached a critical point, just on the verge of Liu Yuhua, they both halted, simultaneously.

They locked eyes—and cursed each other:

"Witch! You tricked me!"

"Old devil! You deceived me!"

Both had hoped to trick the other into using Liu Yuhua power to break the array, bear the heavenly lightning, while they themselves fled.

Lady Miao wanted to curse further, but the Poison Sovereign struck first, slamming a palm toward her.

This palm, though not as powerful as Liu Yuhua's, was already at the peak of Jin Dan power.

Lady Miao, caught off guard, barely intercepted the blow—but in her carelessness, she failed to suppress her cultivation, and pink qi began swirling around her, signaling Liu Yuhua.

Lady Miao turned pale with shock, spun around, and tried to drag the Poison Sovereign down with her in death.

But suddenly, thunderclouds coalesced, the heavenly tribulation descended—a crimson lightning flash—and Lady Miao perished instantly.

With Lady Miao dead, the Poison Sovereign looked up, his heart swelling with joy.

"Just as I suspected! When the heavenly tribulation strikes, it shatters the Gui Dao Seal-Yang Tianzhen's runes, revealing a gap—the chance to escape!"

The Poison Sovereign leapt forward, aiming to slip through the gap, flee the Demon Palace, and break free of the Gui Dao Seal-Yang Tianzhen's confinement.

But suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed him.

The Poison Sovereign froze, then struggled violently—but the one holding him possessed extremely high cultivation; after several desperate attempts, he broke free and continued fleeing outward.

But in that delay, the Gui Dao Seal-Yang Tianzhen regenerated, sealing itself shut completely.

The Poison Sovereign flew into a rage, whirled around, and roared:

"Xuan Sanren, what do you mean by this?"

The one who had suddenly grabbed him was none other than Xuan Sanren.

Xuan Sanren remained silent.

The Poison Sovereign stared closely—and his gaze turned icy.

Xuan Sanren's pupils had turned black!

"You…" the Poison Sovereign gasped in horror, "Impossible!"

Xuan Sanren smiled faintly, his pupils pitch-black, his face twisted into a vivid, eerie grin.

"Daoxin Zhong Mo…"

The Poison Sovereign stared, utterly incredulous:

"No… impossible—you're Liu Yuhua! How could Daoxin Zhong Mo take hold? You're one realm above him—a Jin Dan demon seed couldn't possibly corrupt your Dao heart…"

"Unless…"

The Poison Sovereign suddenly remembered something, his eyes snapping wide: "Xuan Mo Tai?!"

Meanwhile, Xuan Sanren had already donned his Dao robe.

The robe looked like it had been stripped from a corpse, caked in mud—it was the very Dao robe of the Gui Dao Man.

The Poison Sovereign, stunned and furious, erupted in curses:

"Xuan Sanren, you cowardly beast! You used an Xuan Mo Tai to replace your true body?!"

Xuan Mo Tai transformation—the supreme demonic art.

One body, two embryos—true and false, indistinguishable.

The Poison Sovereign never imagined that for such a critical mission—sealing Young Master An and seizing the secrets of the Gui Xu Tian Zang—this Xuan Sanren, out of fear of death, had sent his own Xuan Mo Tai, a body so split between truth and illusion!

Had it not been for this, I would have escaped just now!

The Xuan Mo Tai, though sharing one body with two lives, possesses a fractured Dao heart.

It holds Liu Yuhua-level cultivation, but lacks the complete Dao heart of a true Liu Yuhua.

That made it vulnerable to the Gui Dao Man's intrusion!

Thus, through Daoxin Zhong Mo, he fully stole a Liu Yuhua-level demon embryo!

The Gui Dao Man now stands as a Liu Yuhua!

A thread of dread spread through the Poison Sovereign's heart.

Did the Gui Dao Man… already know that Xuan Sanren's true body was merely an Xuan Mo Tai?

Was this all part of his plan?

The moment Xuan Sanren donned the "Dao robe," he became the "Gui Dao Man."

He had the face of a child, white hair, exquisite features, and eyes as black and deep as the abyss.

Perhaps because it was a Liu Yuhua-level body, his expression was far more vivid now, no longer stiff and lifeless as before.

The Poison Sovereign's expression turned grim. "What exactly do you intend?"

The Gui Dao Man smiled coolly. "In the demonic path, the only word is 'kill.'"

The Poison Sovereign said coldly, "You mean to kill me?"

The Gui Dao Man said nothing.

The Poison Sovereign sneered. "Fine! See how you kill me now! After that brutal battle, eight out of ten Jin Dan demon seeds are gone—the rest are broken remnants."

"Or are you going to strike me yourself?"

"We are both Liu Yuhua now."

"Are you planning to use this Liu Yuhua demon seed to take me down with you?"

The Gui Dao Man struck out with a palm—the Poison Sovereign flinched, then scoffed, countering with his own palm, nullifying the attack and sending the Gui Dao Man reeling several steps back.

The Gui Dao Man spat out a mouthful of black blood.

"Is that all?"

The Poison Sovereign showed faint disdain.

The Gui Dao Man wiped the blood from his lips, his gaze fixed on the Poison Sovereign like that of a man staring at a corpse.

Only then did the Poison Sovereign sense something was wrong.

He realized a terrifying aura was gathering above his head.

"Heavenly tribulation?"

The Poison Sovereign's voice trembled.

"Impossible!" the Venom Sovereign cried in terror, "I clearly didn't use Liu Yuhua's power!"

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Daoist Guile's lips. "Before me, what makes you think what you think is real?"

The Venom Sovereign's face went deathly pale.

"I… was also planted with a demon seed in my Dao heart?!"

He focused his spirit and looked inward, discovering a tiny shadow upon his own Dao heart.

Only a sliver had been planted…

But this single sliver of demonic thought had already violated the great Dao's taboo!

He would be erased by the Heavenly Dao!

"No, I don't want to die yet, I shouldn't die yet, I still have the great plans of the Demonic Sect, I have thousands upon thousands of disciples, I…"

The Venom Sovereign's expression turned savage.

But before his words had finished falling, a crimson heavenly tribulation descended.

The terrifying tribulation, imbued with the great Dao's ruthlessness, utterly erased the Venom Sovereign!

The Lei Jie dissipated, and all the dust settled.

Daoist Guile sealed the heavens, leaving no path to survival; within the Ten Thousand Demons Hall, deathly silence reigned.

Not even a whole corpse remained of the Jin Dan demonic cultivator.

The Liu Yuhua demonic ancestor—body and spirit both annihilated!

Daoist Guile stood atop a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, clad all in black, white hair draped over his shoulders, his pupils black and fathomless, his voice imperious and icy:

"What sort of trash are you all, to dare covet… my junior brother?!"

I'll write this whole stretch in one go, no splitting into chapters~

(End of chapter)