Chapter 562: Stealing Knowledge

Daoheart Seed Demon?!

"Senior Brother, are you going to… cut the grass and root out the threat?!"

Bai Qingcheng's heart trembled.

How ruthless!

At this moment, several other Liu Yuhua True Persons also arrived.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi, though told not to move, were filled with worry and couldn't help but follow along.

They all saw Mo Hua.

They saw Mo Hua's strange expression—his pitch-black, hollow pupils, his youthful face, and the pervading aura of malevolence.

Sister Situ's gaze trembled:

"The demonic thought is deeply planted!"

How long had this young cultivator been in contact with the Gu Daoist?

Why had such a deep demonic thought been planted in him?

And this thread of demonic thought…

…carried a trace of the Original Demon Seed's aura…

Sister Situ's heart leapt in shock.

What deep karmic ties did the Gu Daoist have with this young cultivator? How could he possibly plant such a deep demonic thought—just to kill this child outright?!

The other Liu Yuhua True Persons also looked solemn.

"Senior Situ, what should we do?"

"This young cultivator carries a demonic seed…"

"To prevent its spread and endless calamity, should we… eliminate him first?"

There was a glimmer of killing intent in his gaze.

Bai Zi Xi's eyes turned cold, and she spoke sharply:

"Who dares?!"

All the Liu Yuhua True Persons were startled, momentarily awed by Bai Zi Xi's aura, then stirred with anger.

They were high-level cultivators, ancestral founders of their own sects—when had they ever been so disrespectfully challenged by a mere Qi Condensation girl?

They regarded Bai Zi Xi with hostile eyes.

Bai Zisheng stepped forward, standing before Bai Zi Xi, his voice fierce: "Who dares bully my sister? Who dares touch my junior brother?"

"Impudent brat! You—"

One Liu Yuhua True Person flew into a rage and was about to rebuke him, but someone beside him pulled his sleeve.

He turned his head and saw Bai Qingcheng, face like frost, gaze like a sword—his words died in his throat…

The Bai family still had this Bai True Person—he dared not offend her.

These two children were the legendary Heavenly Spirit Roots.

Don't underestimate the young and poor…

Don't let momentary anger lead to careless words and bring trouble upon yourself.

But this young cultivator couldn't be left unaddressed…

"Senior Situ, what do you think…?"

He passed the question to Sister Situ.

Bai Qingcheng also looked at Sister Situ, her gaze subtle but clearly asking: Was there any way to save Mo Hua?

Sister Situ was torn.

Save him… how could he save him?

The Gu Daoist's Daoheart Seed Demon corrupts the Daoheart, damages the spirit, is incurable, and beyond any rescue…

The best course, of course, was to end the suffering quickly—eliminate him early before the demonic thought spread…

But…

Sister Situ tugged at his beard.

Killing this young cultivator was simply too hard to do.

Not killing him, however, risked endless future calamity.

And even if they had to kill him—who would do it?

Though this child seemed to have no background or lineage, he was the disciple of that Mr. Zhuang…

Even if his spiritual roots appeared inferior and his talent mediocre, likely just a placeholder disciple, any connection to Mr. Zhuang carried immense karmic weight.

He didn't have the courage to truly strike him down…

Moreover, if this child were truly so ordinary, the Gu Daoist wouldn't have gone to such lengths—using Daoheart Seed Demon, feigning one direction to strike another, to kill a child of ten or eleven…

The Bai True Person is right—the Gu Daoist's actions must have intent.

This matter must have hidden depths.

Sister Situ frowned deeply, glanced again at Mo Hua, and sighed helplessly:

"This child, though deeply seeded with demonic thought, doesn't yet seem mad—his mind hasn't been fully lost, and as a Qi Condensation cultivator, his power is limited; even if he goes berserk, he can't kill anyone…"

"In my opinion, we should first contain this child and observe the situation…"

If all else fails, we'll have to crush the demonic thought in its cradle…

Sister Situ didn't say it outright, but everyone understood.

Bai Qingcheng's gaze sharpened slightly, and she sighed: "Then we follow Senior Situ's advice."

She truly had no way to counter Daoheart Seed Demon—she could only try to buy time.

I hope Mo Hua, this child, is blessed by heaven, turning misfortune into fortune...

Using Sister Situ's Qiankun Qingguang Lamp to light a lamp, Bai Qingcheng thus summoned the Brocade River-and-Mountain Umbrella, enclosing Mo Hua within it to seal off his aura.

It was to prevent Mo Hua from going mad, his demonic thoughts from spilling out.

It was also to protect Mo Hua.

Around Mo Hua, Sister Situ had drawn the Divine Sealing Array of Xuanji Valley, firmly trapping Mo Hua and the Demon Seed of the Gu Daoist in the center, preventing any unforeseen changes.

"Zisheng, Zixi, return first..." Bai Qingcheng said softly.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi both shook their heads.

They would stay here, guarding their little junior brother!

They had promised their master to take good care of their little junior brother!

Bai Qingcheng, helplessly, could only stay with the two children, guarding before Mo Hua.

"Junior brother..."

Bai Zi Xi looked at Mo Hua's pitch-black pupils, his heart ached slightly; he tightly pressed his lips, his face pale.

Mo Hua, confined beneath the Brocade River-and-Mountain Umbrella, remained quiet, silent and still.

Around him, the Xuanji Divine Sealing Array severed his aura; his pupils were utterly black, his expression slightly vacant, as if unaware of everything.

Yet in his mind sea, Mo Hua furrowed his brows.

He sensed a great terror.

A powerful, pitch-black, eerie, gray-black shadow, like swirling ink, suddenly surfaced in his mind sea.

Then, a formless, twisted figure gradually emerged.

His face was utterly unfamiliar, hazy, bearing blurred afterimages.

Yet his aura was unmistakably familiar.

Mo Hua knew without looking.

This man was his senior uncle.

And the true... Gu Daoist!

Or rather, a trace of near-origin Gu thought!

Mo Hua felt tense, but not panicked.

For at this moment, the Gu Daoist remained beyond the boundary of his mind sea.

Between him and the Gu Daoist lay a vast, a thousand-layered, intricate, complex, cocoon-like...

Mitan Great Array!

The bottleneck of Tianyan Jue, once an obstacle to Foundation Establishment, had now become Mo Hua's mind sea's natural barrier, "keeping the Gu Daoist at the door."

Gu energy swirled; the Gu Daoist shifted from ethereal to solid, gradually manifesting.

As soon as he coalesced, he looked up and saw thousands upon thousands of arrays stretching between himself and Mo Hua, freezing him in stunned disbelief.

"Mitan Great Array?"

"How could it be... Mitan Great Array?"

How could a cultivator's mind sea form a Mitan Great Array...?

This fundamentally exceeded his expectations.

Across the Mitan Great Array, the Gu Daoist's deep gaze fixed on Mo Hua, his expression cold, tinged with confusion.

This Mitan Great Array... who had set it up?

Who had the ability to plant a Mitan Great Array inside a cultivator's mind sea?

And why?

The Gu Daoist glanced at Mo Hua, frowned, and fell into thought.

At such a young age, he could manifest spiritual awareness...

His mind sea was resilient, his spiritual sense powerful...

To be taken as a disciple by his junior brother, he must possess extraordinary qualities.

His mind sea must conceal a tremendous secret...

Junior brother...

To conceal this secret, to protect his little disciple, to prevent me from seeing the truth, he went to great lengths to set up this Mitan Great Array...

He intended to use this Mitan Great Array to guard his little disciple's secret...

"So that's it..."

"His celestial calculations were used here..."

"To construct... the Mitan Great Array!"

The larger the array, the greater the secret it conceals...

The Gu Daoist's pitch-black pupils trembled slightly, his expression growing quite excited.

Mo Hua did not know what he had deduced, but he knew he was no match for this sky-piercing Gu Daoist senior uncle, so he said:

"Senior uncle, you see for yourself—there's an array between us. I can't get out, and you can't get in."

"I won't entertain you. Please leave soon and return soon..."

The Gu Daoist sneered, "A mere Grade-One Mitan Great Array dares to stop me? Junior brother, junior brother, you underestimate me too much!"

Mo Hua froze.

Did his senior uncle mean he could break the Mitan Great Array?

But... this is the Mitan Great Array...

One array after another was being unraveled; even if it were his senior uncle, it would take at least one or two years—not ten or eight.

Could his senior uncle be planning to never leave his mind-sea?

He simply couldn't afford to host him…

At that moment, Mo Hua's expression changed; he fixed his gaze and was deeply shaken.

The face of the Heretical Daoist gradually blurred, twisted, transformed into a strange shadow, and then that shadow slowly split into countless distorted, void-black human forms.

These strange shadows spread in all directions, then began…

to erode the Mysterious Heaven Array!

Mo Hua was stunned.

What is this?

Is this… Dao Heart Seed Demon?

No, that's not right…

According to Mo Hua's previous observations and understanding, Dao Heart Seed Demon was fundamentally a special method based on spiritual perception manipulation.

Mo Hua looked again, closely.

Now, within his mind-sea, with no external forms, all things appeared in their most fundamental spiritual perception states, so Mo Hua saw everything clearly.

These split strange shadows were derivatives based on spiritual perception algorithms…

"The Dao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; Three gives birth to all things…"

And these split shadows were not merely "eroding" the Mysterious Heaven Array—they were fundamentally using the array's interplay of generation and destruction, strength and weakness, mutual cancellation and consumption…

So, their true nature was…

unraveling the array!

The Heretical Daoist was unraveling the Mysterious Heaven Array right before his eyes!

And the foundation of this unraveling was that peculiar Heretical Dao algorithm…

Mo Hua had overheard White Senior Uncle and that old man surnamed Situ mention that his senior uncle's spiritual perception algorithm shared the same origin as his master's, yet differed in detail.

This spiritual perception algorithm was none other than…

Celestial Mechanism Heretical Calculation!

That meant… his senior uncle was using Celestial Mechanism Heretical Calculation to unravel the bottleneck of his own Heavenly Expansion Art—the Mysterious Heaven Array!

Mo Hua's heart shook violently, then a thought struck him.

This…

Could it also be his master's arrangement…?

Had his master found Mo Hua too slow at unraveling the array, so he sent his senior uncle to help him unravel it, to help him break through his Foundation Establishment bottleneck?

To let him achieve Foundation Establishment sooner…

Mo Hua's heart ached, his eyes grew damp.

"Master…"

Mo Hua murmured.

Suddenly, another thought struck him—he froze.

No, it wasn't that simple…

His master's goal might not merely be to have his senior uncle help him unravel the Mysterious Heaven Array and break the Foundation Establishment bottleneck—it might also be to make him…

learn Celestial Mechanism Heretical Calculation?!

Mo Hua's heart trembled, then began pounding fiercely.

If he learned Celestial Mechanism Heretical Calculation, he would know himself and know his opponent; then, when facing his senior uncle again, he wouldn't be lost, controlled, or led by the nose…

Moreover, Celestial Mechanism Heretical Calculation could unravel the Mysterious Heaven Array!

Then, in the future, he could use Celestial Mechanism Heretical Calculation to unravel the Mysterious Heaven Array himself!

Mo Hua grew dazed.

Did his master really plan so far ahead for him…?

Mo Hua felt a pang of sorrow, then his expression hardened.

He absolutely could not betray his master's expectations!

He must study hard, as his master had instructed!

He must learn every last detail of his senior uncle's techniques!

Mo Hua's eyes gradually brightened, shining like stars.

This was the best moment to learn "Celestial Mechanism Heretical Calculation"!

In his own mind-sea, his senior uncle showed no hesitation, splitting his strange spiritual perceptions, unraveling the Mysterious Heaven Array right before his eyes.

The Mysterious Heaven Array contained tens of thousands of arrays.

Unraveling each one meant unraveling tens of thousands of times…

Every time the Heretical Daoist unraveled one array, it was like a live demonstration—using actual array examples—to show precisely how to master Celestial Mechanism Heretical Calculation and apply it to unravel all heavenly arrays!

Tens of thousands of times!

Even if Mo Hua were an idiot, he could grasp the general idea.

But he was no idiot.

His spiritual perception was exceptional; he was Master Zhuang's direct disciple, skilled in divination, profound in array theory, fluent in array principles, and had already sensed Dao essence and comprehended an ultimate array.

Previously, traveling with the Heretical Daoist, he had witnessed Dao Heart Seed Demon and Heretical Dao Sealing Heaven—effectively "previewing" Celestial Mechanism Heretical Calculation and gaining foundational understanding.

Now, learning it again, he would gain double the results with half the effort.

The Heretical Daoist was unraveling the Mysterious Heaven Array right before him.

It was as if placing the meal directly before Mo Hua's face…

Even feeding it straight into Mo Hua's mouth.

Mo Hua's spirit surged, and he fixed his gaze unblinkingly on the eerie thoughts as they "eroded" and dismantled one array after another.

He etched each scene firmly into his mind, endlessly memorizing, comprehending, calculating, and reproducing…

Until finally, he achieved complete mastery.

Mo Hua learned with ravenous hunger, utterly focused.

Like a large spotted cat that had fallen into a fish hold, feasting voraciously, desperate to stuff his belly to bursting…

…

The Mysterious Heaven Array was profound and complex, its formations vast and intricate, not easily unraveled.

Even the Eerie Daoist, using Celestial Mechanism Eerie Calculations to split his eerie thoughts and erode the array, had to concentrate fully.

Occasionally he raised his head, saw Mo Hua, and frowned.

The boy's expression… was strange…

His small face taut, utterly absorbed, seemingly staring at something yet thinking of nothing—only his eyes shimmered with shifting light, as if "calculating" something…

But upon closer look, he noticed Mo Hua's face tense, as if he were "afraid."

The Eerie Daoist froze.

An illusion…?

How could a child of ten-odd years possibly perform celestial calculations?

And how could he possibly learn the methods of spiritual thought?

Even my own astonishingly gifted younger brother relied on Celestial Blood and innate Dao Bones to achieve this…

What could this child possibly have?

The Eerie Daoist's gaze grew cold.

"Regardless, once I break the Mysterious Heaven Array, I'll peer into this brat's mind-sea—and then I'll know everything…"

"Then I'll know why my younger brother hid this little disciple so deeply…"

The Eerie Daoist stirred his spiritual thought; eerie energy churned.

Numerous eerie thoughts accelerated their "erosion" of the Mysterious Heaven Array, like a cocoon woven of spiritual threads…

One by one, array patterns and formations dissolved under Celestial Mechanism Eerie Calculations.

The more the Eerie Daoist unraveled, the more Mo Hua watched, learned, understood, and comprehended—deepening his insight…

All Eerie Dao methods, myriad transformations, lay bare before his eyes.

Celestial Mechanism's deceptions, the ebb and flow of the Great Dao, all entered his spiritual thought.

Time slowly passed…

Outside the mind-sea, Bai Qingcheng, Bai Zisheng, Bai Zi Xi, and a host of Liu Yuhua waited anxiously…

Mo Hua remained perfectly still, his pupils pitch-black.

The situation had not worsened—but neither had it improved.

Inside the mind-sea, the Eerie Daoist unraveled the array; Mo Hua learned…

No one knew how many days had passed.

Mo Hua's mind-sea trembled; his spiritual thought became crystal clear.

The Mysterious Heaven Array, with its thousands of methods and ten thousand formations, vanished entirely; the fine, silken threads like silkworm cocoons dissolved completely.

Mo Hua clearly sensed: the bottleneck to his Foundation Establishment had vanished!

And the swirling eerie energy reformed into a human shape.

The Eerie Daoist stepped forward, entering Mo Hua's mind-sea, standing before him.

Mo Hua, still on the verge of joy, froze, his heart chilling.

This was the Eerie Daoist…

This was Celestial Mechanism Eerie Calculations…

The complex, vast Mysterious Heaven Array had been undone so easily…

The array that would have taken me years—even decades—to solve—had been broken by "Senior Brother"…

The Eerie Daoist's face was cold; he raised his right hand, forming a long sword of ancient bronze.

It was the same sword that had pierced Mr. Zhuang's chest and stripped away the innate Dao Bones—the Xumi Sword.

Mo Hua's eyelid twitched.

Senior Brother truly wants to kill me!

If spiritual thought dies, all spiritual awareness vanishes—even if the body remains, it is merely a shell without substance!

The Eerie Daoist revealed his killing intent.

Mo Hua said nothing; he raised his hand and launched a Fireball Technique straight at the Eerie Daoist.

The Eerie Daoist swept his Xumi Sword; the blade's light split the fireball, nullifying the spell—but his expression flickered with surprise.

Spell manifestation…

And the spell's power was considerable—meaning this child's spiritual thought strength and application far surpassed that of a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Next, Mo Hua pressed his assault: he pointed, concentrating, and crimson array patterns appeared, then exploded.

The Earthfire Array detonated; flames erupted instantly, engulfing the Eerie Daoist—yet still, they harmed him not at all.

But the Eerie Daoist could not help but freeze.

Array manifestation…

He glanced at Mo Hua, and frowned.

Who taught him all these things?

He's so young—how can he already use these spirit-sense techniques?

No wonder younger brother values him…

I seem to have underestimated this little thing…

"But his techniques are still too immature…"

The Deceiver's expression was cold.

This demon seed of mine is merely at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

It's meant to conceal his presence, to fool those Liu Yuhua and Jin Dan cultivators.

It's also to avoid the risk that a demon seed above Jin Dan level would be too powerful—if planted, it would immediately shatter Mo Hua's spirit sea.

If Mo Hua's spirit sea shatters, he dies, and I'll never get to uncover the truth.

If this brat dies, it doesn't matter—but if his spirit sea is destroyed, I'll never learn what secret younger brother hid in this little disciple of his.

This peak-of-Foundation-Establishment demon seed contains a sliver of my Deceiver's primordial essence.

Using it against this little thing is overkill—more than enough!

"Just a manifested array—showing off in front of the master…"

The Deceiver pointed his swordtip, and sinister energy spread; black-gray Deceiver array patterns suddenly appeared, locking Mo Hua in place and slowly eroding his spirit-sense!

This Deceiver array is powerful, endlessly generating, impossible to break free from.

His spirit-sense is being slowly "eroded"…

Mo Hua's heart tightened; out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the array patterns. A sudden insight struck him—he imitated on the spot, manifesting his own spirit-sense into array patterns, dissolving the Deceiver's patterns one by one, then found a flaw and immediately broke free…

After escaping, Mo Hua exhaled in relief.

But the Deceiver stood frozen, face filled with disbelief.

"Heavenly Mechanism Deceit Calculation?!!"

He stared at Mo Hua, his black pupils trembling, as if witnessing something utterly incomprehensible, "How could you… know Heavenly Mechanism Deceit Calculation?!"

Mo Hua felt a twinge of guilt, so he said, "My master taught me!"

"Lies!" the Deceiver snarled, "Your master doesn't even know it!"

Heavenly Mechanism Deceit Calculation is the supreme spirit-sense art, a forbidden technique—only I know it in all the world.

The Deceiver's gaze turned vicious, about to speak again, when suddenly the previous scenes replayed before his eyes.

Mo Hua's focused little face, his bright, piercing eyes, his thoughtful expression…

And every moment along the journey…

The Deceiver's pupils widened in shock, and he said incredulously:

"You… stole Heavenly Mechanism Deceit Calculation?!"

"It wasn't 'stolen'!"

Mo Hua corrected him firmly.

I learned it openly, honestly, right before your eyes, Uncle!

How can something learned openly be called 'stolen'?

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