Chapter 635: Annihilation of the Family

Mo Hua's pupils contracted.

Annihilation of the family?!

The Xie family?

"The Xie family of Bishan City—that's the one…"

Murong Caiyun nodded, "That was the day we went to capture the traitor from Duanjin Sect—the second-rank Xie family we encountered."

Mo Hua remembered.

That day, he and Sister Murong, along with Brother Feng, took a mission to Bishan City to capture a Duanjin Sect traitor.

The traitor was said to have stolen something from the Xie family and vanished; the Xie family couldn't find him, so they posted the task at the sect.

To catch him, the Xie family sealed the city and searched every street, going to great lengths.

Yet for some reason, the merit reward was very low.

And the traitor truly was hard to catch.

As if recalling the scene, Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart.

Mo Hua, though sympathetic, felt puzzled:

When leaving Bishan City, Mo Hua had faintly sensed that this matter wasn't over.

Capturing him had taken considerable effort.

"Some say Huo Fotuo took the entire Xie family as offerings to cultivate dark arts…"

"Amid boundless karmic flames, the culprit Huo Fotuo wore a cassock, his eyes blazing red, chanting sutras, his face radiating cold compassion…"

"The entire Xie family perished…"

"Logically, Huo Fotuo could never possibly have killed every single cultivator in a family…"

"Even more absurdly, some people, unable to distinguish right from wrong, claimed the Xie family was destroyed because they had done too much evil—that Huo Fotuo's killings were heaven's justice…"

"But the truth is…"

"According to the cultivators of Bishan City, that night, the entire Xie estate was engulfed in flames, bloodlight staining half the sky; every Xie cultivator, like demons from hell, was slain, dismembered, then reduced to ash in the karmic fire…"

"Sister, why did Huo Fotuo annihilate the Xie family?"

"What kind of rumors?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

Mo Hua asked softly:

"Some say the Xie family once offended Huo Fotuo and made an enemy—this trip was his revenge…"

The traitor's disguise art was extremely refined—he alternated between male, female, old crone, and dwarf; when captured, he appeared as a burly man.

The strange thing about this matter is…

Murong Caiyun shook her head, "I don't know. Dao Ting Si is still investigating, and the rumors outside aren't reliable."

Murong Caiyun sighed softly, "No…"

Murong Caiyun let out a deep sigh, her expression solemn.

"Others claim the Xie family patriarch once stole the woman Huo Fotuo loved; heartbroken, he became a monk and turned to darkness, and now that his cultivation is complete, he sacrificed the entire Xie family to mourn his beloved…"

"Even if weak, the Xie family was still one of the top two cultivation families in Bishan City…"

"This matter is strange…"

"All kinds of rumors…"

"Even if strong, Huo Fotuo is merely a second-rank criminal cultivator."

"The Xie family, at least, was a second-rank clan with many cultivators; even if they couldn't win, they could hold out for a while—surely at least one or two could have escaped…"

And the power of that Falling Flame Art might be far more terrifying than I imagined…

He cultivated Duanjin Sect's 'Dun Jin Jue' body technique and was skilled in disguise—masquerading as a woman, he hid in a brothel disguised as a tavern called 'Sheep's Head, Dog's Meat.'

Murong Caiyun raised her white fingers, counting them off one by one for Mo Hua…

"Rumors rise with the wind; no one knows what truly happened…" Murong Caiyun shook her head.

"Some say Huo Fotuo colluded with the Xie family, and after a dispute over the spoils, he slaughtered the entire family…"

No one knew what his true appearance had been.

…

Moreover, Mo Hua didn't know what the traitor had stolen from the Xie family.

Spiritual sense could detect only spiritual energy, not fleshly appearance.

So although Mo Hua's spiritual sense was strong and could identify his spiritual energy, he could not reconstruct the traitor's fleshly appearance beyond that energy.

"Didn't the Xie family resist?"

But he hadn't expected it to begin with the Xie family's annihilation…

Mo Hua frowned, then asked with pity:

"Really… not a single survivor left?"

Murong Caiyun's gaze sharpened slightly, "I thought the same…"

Huo Fotuo seems far more dangerous than I thought…

Mo Hua recalled 'Qiao Laowu' and 'Yin Leizi'—he asked curiously, "Did Huo Fotuo have accomplices?"

Annihilation of a family—could one man possibly accomplish that?

"I don't know…"

Murong Caiyun shook her head, "Mass annihilation is an extremely brutal act with horrific consequences. Dao Ting Si will seal the news and withhold all clues from the public."

"Has there ever been an annihilation before?" Mo Hua asked.

Murong Caiyun thought for a moment before replying, "Rarely… the last time was over a hundred years ago—a small clan was wiped out by a dark cultivator…"

"I don't know the details—I only heard about it from my little aunt."

That massacre was so heinous that smaller clans were thrown into panic; the upper echelons of Dao Ting Si were enraged and dispatched numerous Gu Diansi and Zhi Si to hunt the cultists day and night.

Eventually, all those criminal cultivators were captured and executed by array-based lingchi, their bodies displayed publicly as a warning to others…

After that, massacres of this kind were rarely heard of again.

And now, there's the matter of the Xie family being wiped out by Huo Fotuo…

Such incidents shake public morale, so Dao Ting Si will reveal nothing until the criminal is captured and the truth clarified.

"Then…" Mo Hua whispered, "will Dao Ting Si issue a bounty to sects for the capture of Huo Fotuo?"

"No," Elder Murong said firmly.

"Not at all?" Mo Hua sounded disappointed.

"Mm."

Elder Murong nodded and explained:

"This matter is too dangerous…"

"Bounties issued by Dao Ting Si usually target criminal cultivators at Foundation Establishment early or mid-stage; though powerful, they can still be handled by sect disciples working together."

"But Huo Fotuo is different — a killer of countless lives, extremely dangerous. Dao Ting Si dares not assign such a task to any sect."

"Most sect disciples come from prominent families; if they suffer losses, Dao Ting Si will be held accountable."

"Moreover, since this involves a massacre, Dao Ting Si will not leak any information for the sake of secrecy."

"At most, once Huo Fotuo is captured and the matter settled, they might issue minor tasks for sect disciples to hunt down any remaining fugitives…"

"Oh…"

Mo Hua nodded, lost in thought, as if pondering something.

Elder Murong glanced at Mo Hua and warned:

"Don't go thinking of anything foolish…"

Mo Hua froze.

Elder Murong said, "Are you interested in Huo Fotuo?"

"Sort of…"

Mo Hua evaded.

He wasn't interested in Huo Fotuo himself — he was interested in Huo Fotuo's forbidden technique.

Seeing Mo Hua's eyes flicker with interest, Elder Murong sighed:

"Capturing Huo Fotuo is Dao Ting Si's duty — we have no room to interfere."

"And this matter is incredibly perilous. If you fall into Huo Fotuo's hands, you're likely dead. You escaped him once — you won't escape him twice…"

Elder Murong's face showed concern: "So don't take any risks — this is a pool of murky water…"

Mo Hua thought carefully, then said solemnly:

"Sister, don't worry!"

…

After Elder Murong left, Mo Hua began pondering Huo Fotuo's matter.

Sister was right — this matter was indeed extremely dangerous.

But forbidden techniques are hard to obtain, and merit points won't buy them.

Moreover, Huo Fotuo's Meteor Fire Technique is a fire-element forbidden art — two flames burn within his body, surging like hearts.

This might be the key to my research on fireball collision, spell collapse, and spiritual force fusion.

If I get the chance, I must obtain this Meteor Fire Technique!

If I miss it now, I won't know when I'll encounter it again.

But I must be extremely cautious.

Preserve my own life.

I still have to support my parents in their old age!

Mo Hua frowned and began thinking seriously:

"How can I obtain the Meteor Fire Technique's incantation?"

Capture Huo Fotuo before Dao Ting Si does?

Once Dao Ting Si captures Huo Fotuo, even if he reveals the Meteor Fire Technique's incantation, I'll never get it.

Dao Ting Si would never give a dangerous forbidden technique to a mere Grand Void Gate disciple like me.

Moreover, given Huo Fotuo's nature, he'd rather "burn everything together" than surrender the forbidden technique.

Once Huo Fotuo is arrested, this fire-element forbidden technique will die with him.

"Capture Huo Fotuo before Dao Ting Si? Or kill him outright and search his corpse?"

How to kill him?

By myself?

Mo Hua thought it over, then helplessly shook his head.

"Unlikely…"

Huo Fotuo is alert, his cultivation, spells, and methods all too powerful.

Moreover, he has Yin Leizi, Xue Qiaofu, Ghost Mask Sha, and other criminal cultivators as his lackeys.

His few lackeys are no easy foes either.

To kill him alone, I'd need Zhou Mi's meticulous preparation, an ambush set in advance, and the dismantling of an entire Grade-One array — just to slay a Foundation Establishment late-stage Huo Fotuo.

But where would I even find a Grade-One array to dismantle?

Besides, Grade-One arrays cost enormous resources — dismantling one just to kill Huo Fotuo would be a grotesque waste.

Moreover, Huo Fotuo is cunning and cautious; even if he sets a trap, he won't necessarily walk into it.

So, we can only rely on someone else to kill him…

We just need to assist from the side, lend a small hand.

Then, who can we rely on to kill him?

Mo Hua rubbed his chin, pondering in his mind…

Elder Murong and Brother Feng and the others? Definitely not.

Brother and sister cultivators like them only have Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivation; even though they are prodigies of the Eight Great Sects, they still pale in comparison to Huo Fotuo, who is Foundation Establishment late-stage and has slaughtered entire clans.

Whether they can win is another matter.

If they fail, they might even lose their lives.

Elder Murong cares for me and doesn't want me to take risks.

I feel the same—I don't want the brothers and sisters who've helped me so much to bear such danger.

They don't have as many survival techniques as I do.

Then who else is there?

After thinking long and hard, Mo Hua realized there was only one person who might possibly help kill Huo Fotuo.

That person was Gu Changhuai, Uncle Gu…

He has Jin Dan cultivation, and holds the position of Gu Diansi in Dao Ting Si.

His status is suitable, and his cultivation is sufficient.

Moreover, Uncle Gu has always seemed to want to bring Huo Fotuo to justice.

But the problem is right here—he's from Dao Ting Si; even if he captures Huo Fotuo and extracts the secret scripture of Yuanying Shu, he's unlikely to hand it over to me, whether for public or private reasons.

Put yourself in his shoes—if I were "Uncle Gu," I wouldn't give the Yuanying Shu to some unknown "Mo Hua."

In his eyes, I'm a "dangerous" element.

He would never let a small cultivator already deemed "dangerous" learn an even more "dangerous" forbidden technique…

But after thinking long and hard, Mo Hua realized he had no other options.

Uncle Gu was the only possible choice.

Mo Hua sighed softly.

"We'll take it one step at a time…"

"First, find a way to get close to Uncle Gu, enter Dao Ting Si, gather intelligence, and track down Huo Fotuo…"

"Then, seize the opportunity—maybe I can follow behind Uncle Gu and sneak the Yuanying Shu's incantation out of him…"

For now, that's all I can do.

After this, Mo Hua continued as usual—attending classes, cultivating, helping Yu'er with her lessons, drawing arrays, and sneaking time to inquire about Huo Fotuo.

But Elder Murong was right.

Dao Ting Si indeed won't assign Huo Fotuo's case to any sect.

For most sect disciples, the name "Huo Fotuo" is barely more than rumor, a topic for after-class chatter.

They'll never come into contact with him in their lifetimes.

Mo Hua had no choice but to sneak off to Dao Ting Si to find Uncle Gu.

But Dao Ting Si is heavily guarded; the Ting Si chambers aren't places you can wander into freely.

Using his memory of the route and his own wit, Mo Hua slipped past the Zhisi along the way and reached Gu Changhuai's Ting Si chamber—only to find it empty.

Gu Changhuai had gone out to apprehend criminal cultivators.

Mo Hua didn't know whether the criminal Gu Changhuai was chasing was Huo Fotuo, and he had no one to ask—he could only return empty-handed.

"No one's around in Dao Ting Si—it's so inconvenient to get things done…"

Mo Hua sighed.

He had to think of another plan.

During the ten-day break, Mo Hua had free time and accompanied Yu'er back to the Gu household.

This was Yu'er's first visit home since entering Grand Void Gate.

At the Gu household gate, Wen Ren Wan was waiting early, her face full of anticipation.

Although it was her idea to send Yu'er into Grand Void Gate, mother and child are bound by blood—she worried day and night about Yu'er…

Worried about how Yu'er's cultivation was going, whether she ate well, whether she was happy, and more importantly…

Whether she could escape the nightmares and sleep peacefully.

Soon, the carriage stopped at the Gu household gate.

Yu'er jumped down, calling out clearly, "Mother!" and ran with her little legs into Wen Ren Wan's arms.

Wen Ren Wan embraced Yu'er and saw that her skin was Bai Xi, her complexion rosy, her spirit bright, and her weight noticeably heavier—she seemed to have regained her vitality and even gained a little weight; she was overjoyed.

This meant Yu'er was happy, healthy, and unharmed in Grand Void Gate.

And free from terrifying nightmares.

Wen Ren Wan glanced at Mo Hua, filled with gratitude.

That evening, Wen Ren Wan prepared a full table of rare delicacies—all things Mo Hua had never eaten.

Mo Hua devoured them with great relish.

Yu'er sat beside him, hugging her small bowl, mimicking Mo Hua's manner, her cheeks bulging with food.

Wen Ren Wan sat to the side, propping her chin, watching the two children—one large, one small—with a gentle smile in her eyes.

After a while, Gu Changhuai arrived.

He seemed to have just returned from Dao Ting Si, his face dusty, but upon hearing Yu'er had come home, he still came to see her.

The moment he stepped through the door and saw Mo Hua beside Yu'er, his expression grew complicated, and a faint tingle ran across his scalp.

He had a feeling that trouble had come knocking…

"Changhuai, you've just gotten back—perfect timing, have a bite too…" Xu Wanyi said in a gentle tone.

Yu'er, a little stiff and formal, said properly, "Hello, Uncle…"

Hearing that childish "Uncle," Gu Changhuai's heart melted, but his expression remained as awkward as ever—the clumsiness of someone who wanted to show kindness but couldn't quite get it out.

Mo Hua watched and shook his head.

Xu Wanyi glanced at Mo Hua, then at Gu Changhuai, understood at once, and said with a smile:

"I'll take Yu'er out for a walk to help her digestion…"

"Changhuai…" Xu Wanyi shot Gu Changhuai a look, giving him a sharp glance. "You entertain Mo Hua."

Gu Changhuai's mouth went bitter.

Then Xu Wanyi took Yu'er by the hand and left.

Gu Changhuai sighed, sat down across from Mo Hua, poured himself a cup of wine, downed it in one gulp, and said helplessly:

"You didn't come here specifically to find me, did you?"

Mo Hua told the truth: "Not entirely…"

He had brought Yu'er back for two reasons: first, to return Yu'er to Xu Wanyi's side, let Yu'er see her mother, and spare Xu Wanyi from worrying.

Second, to prevent Yu'er from traveling back alone and being harassed by demons in the middle of the night, unable to sleep.

And he himself had also missed a "ration" of divine sense.

The last purpose, naturally, was Gu Changhuai.

"Out with it. What is it?"

Gu Changhuai sighed.

This little trouble had come—he couldn't dodge it even if he tried.

Mo Hua blinked and said in a small voice, "Uncle Gu, the Dao Ting Si is hunting Huo Fotuo—can you take me along?"

Gu Changhuai knew he was going to say exactly that, and refused righteously:

"No!"

"Why not?" Mo Hua pressed.

Gu Changhuai glanced at Mo Hua and sighed, "Too young, cultivation too low, just started learning, and most importantly—you're not a member of the Dao Ting Si…"

Mo Hua asked curiously, "If I were a member of the Dao Ting Si, would that be okay?"

Gu Changhuai gave a cold snort in his heart.

A member of the Dao Ting Si…

The Dao Ting Si isn't that easy to get into.

From the lower-ranked Zhisi and Gu Diansi all the way up to the Deputy Zhou Zhangsi and Zhou Zhangsi, every one of them has to pass an examination before being hired.

The examination is strict, covering many categories: spiritual root, cultivation method, martial arts or spells, family background, any criminal record, whether any direct blood relatives within three generations have been imprisoned or fallen into demonic cultivation, and so on…

The Dao Ting Si's vetting is extremely strict, the requirements extremely high.

Besides, you're a loose cultivator—no status, no background—how could you possibly get into the Dao Ting Si…

Gu Changhuai brushed him off: "Mm, if you were a member of the Dao Ting Si, I might reluctantly consider it…"

Mo Hua silently pulled out a bronze waist token.

The style was plain and archaic, very low-end, but very familiar…

Gu Changhuai froze, his brow twitching wildly.

Mo Hua's gaze was sly, but his face was perfectly solemn as he said:

"Uncle Gu, actually…I do have an identity in the Dao Ting Si…"