Chapter 574: Killing Array

Second-grade earth-fire array!

And it's a thirteen-stroke array, exceeding expectations!

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

Indeed, fortune is conserved; no matter how unlucky you are, there will always be a time when luck turns.

Though not fourteen strokes, Mo Hua was already very satisfied.

Moreover, the earth-fire array is tied to the earth and is a killing array!

This also matched Mo Hua's current array needs.

Without delay, Mo Hua immediately copied the second-grade earth-fire array diagram, studied it carefully, meticulously calculated, and focused on comprehending it.

The basic framework of the second-grade earth-fire array is similar to that of the first-grade earth-fire array.

The array strokes are second-grade fire-system array strokes.

The array pivot structure is an optimized and expanded version of the first-grade earth-fire array's form, designed to accommodate more, deeper, and more potent array strokes.

Mo Hua knew the first-grade earth-fire array by heart; now learning the second-grade version, he essentially achieved twice the result with half the effort.

Not long after, Mo Hua memorized the second-grade earth-fire array diagram.

That night, on the Dao Stele, Mo Hua began formal practice.

The beginning of any endeavor is difficult.

When advancing from first-grade to second-grade arrays, there is much new material to learn, so progress will be slower.

But Mo Hua had already mastered two second-grade arrays, meaning he had "entered the door," and was gradually becoming familiar with the second-grade array system.

Moreover, the earth-fire array is a five-element array, derived by Mo Hua through reverse-engineering from the "Five Element Source Strokes."

And what Mo Hua was most proficient in was five-element arrays.

Thus, learning it now was much easier than before.

After only four or five practice runs, Mo Hua drew the thirteen-stroke second-grade earth-fire array.

When activated, a red glow flashed—the array's fire surged and flowed, as if brimming with powerful array energy.

This was a second-grade array!

And not just any second-grade array.

A thirteen-stroke second-grade array is, essentially, the strongest and most difficult array a beginner second-grade array master can master.

If Mo Hua learned a few more thirteen-stroke second-grade arrays, he could even undergo grading and become a beginner second-grade array master.

"I just wonder if Xiancheng here allows grading for second-grade array masters..."

Mo Hua practiced the second-grade earth-fire array another ten or so times on the Dao Stele, ensuring every stroke and line was clear in his mind, every stroke and pivot thoroughly understood, before finally putting down his brush.

After resting a moment, Mo Hua pondered further:

"I've learned the second-grade earth-fire array, but without spirit ink, I can't draw it—I don't even know its power..."

As a cultivator, you must always have a clear sense of the power of your spells and arrays.

That way, you won't misjudge the situation.

When you should kill and can kill, you won't hesitate out of overestimating your opponent's strength and let the enemy escape.

Nor will you, when weaker than your opponent, foolishly believe "the advantage is mine" and strike recklessly, sealing your own death.

Neither is acceptable.

Precise judgment, decisive action.

This is also the basic of a beast-hunter.

Mo Hua nodded.

In the past, when hunting beasts in the mountains, his father, Seeing Mo Shan, had warned him this many times.

If you have the advantage, kill without mercy.

If you're outmatched, run without hesitation.

Therefore, I need to draw the earth-fire array and test its power, so I'll have a clear sense of it—when I meet enemies later, I'll know whether to kill or flee.

"Spirit ink..."

In Xiancheng, second-grade spirit ink had already been mostly gathered by Mo Hua.

Even if there were ways to buy it, once or twice was fine, but Mo Hua could never afford it in quantity.

With Mo Hua's speed of learning and drawing arrays, spirit ink was consumed at a furious rate, like water...

It was a bottomless pit; no amount of spirit stones could fill it.

Since he couldn't buy it, he'd have to mix it himself.

To mix it, he needed second-grade beast blood...

Mo Hua thought briefly, then had an idea—he asked his mother to prepare several bags of dried large fish, flavored in spicy, five-spice, and savory varieties.

At dawn, Mo Hua slung the dried fish and went to Great Heishan, finding Sun Dahei.

Sun Dahei smelled the fishy scent, his big eyes lit up, then he feigned aloofness, letting out a low "Aowu!" to show he was a tiger, not truly fond of fish.

"Mm-hmm," Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, "I understand."

Then he secretly slipped the dried fish to Sun Dahei.

Sun Dahei was very satisfied.

Mo Hua asked: "Sun Dahei, do you have any 'enemies' in Shenshan?"

"Oh, not 'human' enemies—should it be... 'beast' enemies?"

Though Sun Dahei couldn't speak, he was cunning as a fox—he seemed to grasp the general meaning of Mo Hua's words.

Upon hearing "enemy," Sun Dahei nodded his head, then looked at Mo Hua with puzzled eyes.

Mo Hua patted his chest, "I'll avenge you!"

The big tiger paused, then glanced at Mo Hua—no bigger than a "tiny thing" compared to itself—and clearly doubted him.

"Don't worry, I'm strong…"

The big tiger buried its head and slept, ignoring Mo Hua.

Mo Hua pestered and wheedled, using dried fish as bait, and finally convinced the big tiger.

A second-grade beast in Great Heishan has almost no natural enemies.

Only another second-grade beast can deal with a second-grade beast.

Mo Hua decided to team up with the big tiger to hunt second-grade beasts; the big tiger would eat the meat, while Mo Hua drew blood to paint arrays.

Thus, a young cultivator and a giant tiger began their "collusion"…

The big tiger's "enemy" was a second-grade Kuimu Wolf.

The big tiger brought Mo Hua near the Kuimu Wolf's den, crouching in the grass, eyes gleaming with anger.

The den was spacious and damp, but not deep.

Inside lay various beast limbs and even human skeletons.

The Kuimu Wolf was inside, eating unknown flesh.

This second-grade Kuimu Wolf had thick demonic energy and a massive body.

Its fur was black-green, claws and fangs sharp, infused with pale green demonic energy.

The Kuimu Wolf's demonic energy was of the Wood element, toxic; once wounded by it, the poison would spread and multiply within the body, hard to eradicate.

Mo Hua didn't know what grudge the big tiger held against this Kuimu Wolf…

Perhaps it had been bullied when young?

Generally, a tiger demon's strength should surpass that of a wolf demon.

But this second-grade Kuimu Wolf had clearly lived longer; though only early-stage second-grade, its aura was more terrifying, its gaze more cunning, its fur darker.

Most crucially, it was its teeth.

They were soaked in human blood, black-red, clearly having devoured many, its saliva reeking of rotting meat.

Mo Hua considered: he had just entered Foundation Establishment, his arrays were incomplete, his combat style unstructured, lacking discipline.

So he could only rely on "brute force."

Of course, the main force would be the big tiger.

He could only use minor tricks and finish off the wounded.

Mo Hua was a beast hunter, well-versed in beast behavior—including the Kuimu Wolf.

He spent time observing nearby fur and blood traces, deducing the Kuimu Wolf's movement patterns and daily habits.

Mo Hua scattered herbal powder along the Kuimu Wolf's inevitable path, masking its scent, then set up a concealment array, hiding the big tiger within.

He himself retreated far away, found a small pit with a boulder for cover, used his spiritual sense to control ink, first laid a concealment array, then painted a first-grade Thirteen-Stripe Fire Source Annihilation Array on the ground.

Then, the man and the tiger waited patiently.

An hour later, the Kuimu Wolf, full from eating, emerged from its den, as if strolling to digest.

This was its territory.

All living things—beasts or humans—were its food.

As usual, it walked along the silent mountain path, no movement, no anomaly around it.

Then, suddenly, the wind rose.

From an empty stretch of air beside the path, a giant tiger leapt out!

The big tiger opened its jaws—sly, swift, with a treacherous angle—and bit straight for the Kuimu Wolf's throat.

The Kuimu Wolf's vertical pupils widened in fear and fury; it dodged urgently but too late—its forelimb was seized in a single bite, torn open into a bloody gash.

The Kuimu Wolf's eyes turned crimson, its fur bristled, fangs bared in scarlet, yet a flicker of doubt lingered in its gaze.

It couldn't fathom how this second-grade tiger demon had suddenly appeared beside it.

The big tiger seized the moment, eyes blazing with malice, roared, and lunged again at the Kuimu Wolf.

The two second-grade beasts clashed fiercely, their battle thunderous.

With demonic energy surging, their roars shook the mountains, terrifying aura spreading outward.

Nearby birds and beasts, terrified, scattered in all directions.

Distant beast hunters turned pale, sent word afar: a second-grade beast battle was underway—evacuate immediately.

As the tiger and beast fought fiercely, the big tiger soon fell on the defensive.

Even with the initial strike wounding the Kuimu Wolf, it was still too inexperienced to match this old wolf demon.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua, hidden far away, finally found his chance.

He closed his eyes, locking his fourteen-stripe spiritual sense firmly onto the second-grade Kuimu Wolf.

Then he opened his eyes, gathered qi, pointed his finger, cast a second-grade Fireball Technique, while simultaneously activating the Fire Source Annihilation Array beneath his feet.

Flames swirled across the Fire Source Annihilation Array.

A wondrous aura condensed from the array, flowing into Mo Hua, stimulating his meridians, making his spiritual power surge, tremble, and boil.

Five Elements amplified, spiritual power boiling!

Mo Hua flicked his finger—the second-grade fireball coalesced, spiritual power solidifying into a faint liquid state, like mercury forged from flame.

At Mo Hua's mental command, the fireball shot forth, hurtling toward the second-grade Kuimu Wolf, locked by his spiritual sense.

The Kuimu Wolf was locked in fierce combat with the big tiger.

Suddenly, a surge of flame flashed—a fast, brutal fireball struck its waist.

The second-grade Fireball Technique, amplified by the Fire Source Annihilation Array, was remarkably potent.

Flames erupted; the Kuimu Wolf's flesh split open, a patch of its body charred black, inflicting serious injury.

Kui Mu Lang roared in furious rage.

The great tiger also froze for a moment, seemingly surprised that such a small fireball could be so powerful.

Throughout the entire third-grade Xiancheng, including the whole Great Heishan, very few cultivators could cast such a potent spell.

After all, there are few Foundation Establishment cultivators in Xiancheng, and even fewer spiritual cultivators.

The great tiger snapped out of its shock after only a brief pause, its eyes gleaming with excitement, it licked its lips, and charged at Kui Mu Lang again.

The great tiger fought ahead, pinning it down.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua, from afar, launched fireball after fireball, wearing it down and adding damage.

With spiritual sense locking its target and the Fire Source Array amplifying it, Mo Hua's fireballs were precise and brutal.

He was far away, shielded by massive rocks, concealed by his Stealth Technique, and had no fear of being spotted or pursued by Kui Mu Lang.

Kui Mu Lang was enraged beyond endurance.

Under the dual assault from near and far, its wounds grew deeper by the moment.

It wanted to kill the great tiger, but was repeatedly thwarted by fireballs; it tried to break away, but was held fast by the great tiger.

And even now, it did not know what was casting this fireball spell—whether a cultivator or a beast—that even beasts found repulsive…

As time passed, Kui Mu Lang was finally mortally wounded, fighting desperately like a cornered beast.

The great tiger no longer pressed hard, focusing instead on pinning it down, occasionally trading wounds to prevent Kui Mu Lang from escaping.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua's fireball technique grew faster, more precise, and more effortless…

Kui Mu Lang tried to flee, but could not escape.

It tried feigning death, but before the cunning, almost human great tiger and the cunning, ghostlike Mo Hua, such tricks were clearly useless.

Thus, the third-grade Kui Mu Lang was slowly worn down, inch by inch, like meat being sliced with a dull knife, by one man and one tiger, one distant, one near, until finally killed…

And Mo Hua had, for the first time, slain a third-grade beast!

Though he largely relied on the great tiger holding the front, his contribution was indispensable!

After Kui Mu Lang's death, the man and the tiger began to "divide the spoils."

Mo Hua first used the Blood Absorption Technique to draw out the third-grade Kui Mu Lang's beast blood.

Since achieving Foundation Establishment, Mo Hua, who could now use spiritual sense to manipulate objects—and even ink—could now extract beast blood far more quickly.

The Kui Mu Lang's blood, red with faint green tinges, was drawn by Mo Hua's spiritual sense into a jade vial he had prepared in advance.

He extracted twenty vials!

After that, the Kui Mu Lang's blood gradually darkened, congealed, and lost much of its potency, making extraction difficult.

Mo Hua carefully stored the twenty vials of third-grade beast blood into his Storage Bag, and couldn't help smiling.

Twenty vials!

When refined into spiritual ink, they would yield even more—enough to last him for a long while.

Mo Hua was thoroughly satisfied.

Next came the great tiger's meal.

The great tiger dragged Kui Mu Lang's corpse into its cave and began to savor it slowly.

Seeing the great tiger covered in wounds, Mo Hua took out some pills, ground them into powder, and applied them to heal the beast.

The great tiger lay on the ground, eating the meat.

Mo Hua lay atop it, sprinkling cool medicinal powder onto its wounds to detoxify and stop the bleeding.

Kui Mu Lang's beast energy carried poison; while this posed little threat to the great tiger, also a third-grade beast, leaving it inside could still cause lingering harm.

As the great tiger ate the wolf meat, it felt a coolness spread over its body, its wounds improving, and it closed its eyes, its massive head swaying gently.

After applying the medicine, Mo Hua turned his head and noticed something strange in the great tiger's mouth.

It was a round, blood-red, red-and-green interwoven mass, shaped like a heart, still faintly pulsing.

"Is this… a beast's inner core?"

Mo Hua froze.

This was the first time he had ever seen a beast's inner core.

Beasts with rare bloodlines are born with inner cores, but such beasts are exceedingly rare.

Usually, first-grade beasts accumulate blood essence, second-grade beasts develop a rudimentary form of an inner core, and only third-grade beasts form a true inner core.

The inner core is like a cultivator's qi sea—the source of all the beast's beast energy.

This inner core belonged to the third-grade Kui Mu Lang; though it had the shape of an inner core, it had not yet fully formed—it was merely an embryonic core…

Mo Hua stared at it, curious.

But the great tiger swallowed it whole in one gulp.

Immediately, the great tiger's aura deepened, its beast energy grew denser, and its fur darkened several shades…

Mo Hua was startled.

Is this great tiger consuming the inner core to cultivate?

Mo Hua frowned, puzzled.

As far as he knew, beasts sometimes ate other beasts' inner cores, but only by simple ingestion—never with such obvious effects.

Mo Hua recalled then, back at Shanzhai, how the second-in-command had drunk human blood, and when none was available, drank the great tiger's blood.

He claimed it was because the great tiger had "special bloodline, extraordinary talent…"

Swallowing inner cores to increase beast energy…

No wonder its cultivation advanced so rapidly, no wonder it grew from a kitten-beast into a full-grown great tiger in such a short time…

Mo Hua silently noted this down.

When he gains more experience in the future, he must find a chance to uncover what kind of beast this great tiger truly is.

Swallowing the internal elixir, it grows stronger with every bite…

If it keeps eating like this, what will become of it?

Mo Hua shook his head.

Mo Hua set aside the matter of the big tiger for now; after this, he would begin mixing spirit ink and learn to control ink with his spiritual sense, painting a second-rank Earth-Fire Array.

If the Earth-Fire Array's power was strong enough and he could paint it quickly enough, it would become one of his signature attacks in the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Afterward, hunting second-rank beast beasts and absorbing their demonic blood would become much easier.

No longer would he have to rely on the big tiger to trade blows and tie it down while he wasted energy with Fireball Spells—clumsy, exhausting, painstakingly killing for half a day already…

Mo Hua first tried mixing spirit ink.

Mo Hua did not possess the recipe for second-rank spirit ink.

He could only adjust and improvise based on the first-rank spirit ink recipe his junior sister had given him long ago, making do with what he had.

The recipe was different, but the medicinal principles were the same.

Mo Hua didn't demand perfection—just something usable.

There was another problem.

Kui Mu Lang was a second-rank wood-element beast beast; its blood carried some wood affinity, making it unsuitable for painting an Earth-Fire Array.

Fire-element demonic blood would be best.

But fortunately, in the Five Elements' generation and restraint, wood generates fire, so it wasn't too conflicting.

With limited resources, Mo Hua didn't seek perfection—just something usable, even if makeshift.

Thus, Mo Hua pieced together ingredients, spending two days to finally mix several vials of second-rank spirit ink.

Mo Hua first used this spirit ink to paint a second-rank Thorn Array; he found it actually worked, with decent effect—only slightly worse than expected, still passable.

Afterward, Mo Hua began painting the Earth-Fire Array properly.

He chose the same location for painting arrays: Shenshan, beside the big tiger's cave, though slightly farther away.

Then Mo Hua held his breath, focused his mind, and used his spiritual sense as brush, the ground as paper, to paint this second-rank array designed for slaughter.

As it was a second-rank array, and he was not yet proficient, Mo Hua painted slowly and with effort.

Moreover, he failed several times, wasting one or two vials of spirit ink.

Mo Hua was heartbroken, so he sat in meditation, calmed his mind, and began painting again.

Red and green spirit ink, guided by Mo Hua's spiritual sense, hovered in the air before flowing into the ground, coalescing into the array…

The big tiger watched Mo Hua, his small face grim, fiddling for a long time without any effect, and grew curious, staring wide-eyed at him.

After an unknown length of time, after several failures, Mo Hua finally completed the second-rank Earth-Fire Array.

His spiritual sense had been drained by more than half; his face was pale, but his eyes gleamed with excitement.

Now that the array was painted, it was time to activate it and test its power.

The Earth-Fire Array was dangerous.

Mo Hua immediately ran far away, hiding beside the big tiger, then looked on expectantly, gently stirring his spiritual sense to ignite the array's runes and activate this second-rank, thirteen-rune Earth-Fire Array.

Three breaths passed. The wind was still. The air was calm.

Nothing happened.

Mo Hua blinked in surprise. "Did I mess up?"

That couldn't be—how could his own array be wrong?

He had checked it over and over again.

If it were wrong, he would have known immediately…

"Then… is it the spirit ink?"

"After all, it's not fire-element ink, and the ingredients are cheap, the technique crude—so perhaps… poor spiritual energy conductivity?"

Just as Mo Hua was uncertain, suddenly his spiritual sense stirred, and his expression changed.

His spiritual sense detected that the nearly a hundred spirit stones piled atop the array's core to activate it had instantly vaporized, vanished without a trace.

Then, flames blazed crimson and blinding on the Earth-Fire Array.

Spiritual energy surged like molten copper.

In less than a breath, a terrifying explosion erupted.

An extremely violent, even scorching, surge of spiritual energy detonated, sending a wave of heat sweeping outward.

Nearby vegetation turned to ash; rocks melted.

At the center of the Earth-Fire Array's explosion, spiritual energy churned and roiled like magma within the earth's veins, brimming with terrifying power…

The big tiger leapt in fright, bounding far away; upon landing, it dug its claws into the ground, every hair on its body standing on end.

Even after the Earth-Fire Array had exploded and its spiritual energy dissipated, leaving the surroundings charred and ruined, the big tiger remained shaken.

It slowly turned its head toward the tiny Mo Hua, its large eyes filled with shock.

It seemed unable to fathom how such a small cultivator could produce such a terrifying commotion…

And Mo Hua was equally stunned, murmuring dazedly:

"This… is the power of the second-rank, thirteen-rune Earth-Fire Array…"

Arrays embody the principles of the Dao.

The higher the rank, the greater the power.

The power of a second-rank slaughter array far exceeded Mo Hua's expectations.

The second-rank, thirteen-rune Earth-Fire Array, as it stands now, is sufficient to severely wound any Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator!

Mo Hua frowned, pondering further.

Painting arrays upon the earth… is even more powerful than I thought…

Especially the Painting of the Killing Array!

The array's power is great, but setting it up is troublesome.

If I could act without restriction, with a single thought, I could draw an array on the ground and condense earthfire…

Then, in the real world, it would be just as in the spiritual sea.

Setting up an array is like casting a spell…

Even if my own Qi is weak, by using my spiritual sense to form the array, I would gain sufficient self-defense, deterrent power, and devastating offensive capability in battle…

Provided that I draw fast enough…

The faster I draw, the stronger it becomes—so much so that I could catch enemies off guard and bury them in earthfire…

(End of Chapter)