Chapter 638: Nie Transformation

Mo Hua's pupils contracted.

Is this… the scene of the Xie family's annihilation?

Is this the lingering soul-memory of the Xie sect cultivators, slaughtered and burned to death, left here?

Is it the residual spirit's divine thought?

Beneath the bright daylight, a sea of fire stretched before him.

Mo Hua gritted his teeth against the nausea, focusing his gaze, determined to witness this cruel "slaughter" to its end…

He wanted to know what had truly happened to the Xie family…

The blood-soaked slaughter continued.

Demon-like heretic cultivators sneered as they raised their blades, chopping and dismembering the Xie sect cultivators like pigs and cattle.

After the Xie cultivators were killed, their corpses were gathered together…

Yet, somewhere in the depths of fate, something began to stir.

Simultaneously, their limbs began to twist.

They were no longer human, but rather… things that "ate" humans…

His "Heavenly Mechanism Calculation" method was based on his master's teachings, and he had stumbled upon it through trial and error.

Mo Hua frowned, his pupils dark as ink, haunted by sinister thoughts, as he activated Heavenly Mechanism Calculation to peer further.

As if sensing Mo Hua's intrusion, the sea of fire surged violently, its flames crimson as blood, rising with the wind to engulf both the killers and the slain, blocking Mo Hua's view.

And Mo Hua lacked the power to "pierce through" this sea of fire.

Cause and effect seemed to falter for an instant.

They were like firewood reduced to ash after burning.

At that moment, Mo Hua's heart jolted.

The remains of the Xie family stirred—they seemed filled with unbearable resentment, struggling, contorting, and grotesquely rising again.

They were already "dead," yet they lived as "Nie."

What followed seemed to be a taboo.

The blood-red hue intensified; the sea of fire spread, obscuring everything before him.

The sea of fire suddenly boiled.

They seemed to have been utterly drained of everything.

A gentle, doting face reappeared in his mind…

Soon, the sea of fire receded.

Mo Hua pressed on, continuing to stare.

Discarded carelessly, no one cared.

Flames crept like serpents, snarling and clawing at Mo Hua as if in warning.

Like livestock slaughtered, their blood entirely drained.

Mo Hua frowned in confusion.

On the ground, strange shadows overlapped once more—hundreds of Xie sect cultivators, dismembered and gruesomely dead, piled densely together.

Or perhaps, he had never been formally taught…

After all, his master had never formally taught him true Heavenly Mechanism Calculation.

All the Xie sect cultivators had vanished, as if their flesh and spirit had been utterly "evaporated."

A trace of Nie transformation arose; the scene abruptly changed.

He saw that Huo Fotuo and the other monstrous heretics had vanished.

"Demons?!"

Mo Hua's vision sharpened slightly.

Soon, the aura of Nie transformation intensified, a twisted energy rippling outward…

Thus, his vision could not pierce the surface of the fire to perceive the true cause and effect.

The screams and wails beside him also tore apart, becoming intermittent.

Mo Hua sighed, knowing this was the power of Liao Zheyan obscuring cause and effect—too overwhelming, while his own calculation skills were utterly insufficient.

The scenes that followed suddenly grew blurry.

But they did not dare to trespass upon Mo Hua.

The calculation array was manageable, but calculating heavenly fate was strained, far inferior.

What had once been human limbs gradually transformed into the forelegs of oxen, the hooves of horses—becoming inhuman "livestock."

And they became a monstrous, evil "Nie" entity.

Mo Hua felt a pang of sorrow.

Some entity had concealed the cause and effect, preventing Mo Hua from seeing what occurred after the massacre…

Mo Hua's heart trembled.

The deformed, monstrous demons that had coveted Yu'er and tormented her with nightmares reappeared in his mind…

Mo Hua stared closely, silently comparing, then his gaze hardened.

"Not…."

They resembled each other, but they were not the same thing.

The demons in Yu'er's nightmares were the claws of demonic spirits, embodiments of evil thoughts.

Their very existence was a "thought-body."

Yet these Xie sect cultivators' transformation into "livestock" resembled a distortion of heavenly fate, a karmic consequence of cause and effect.

More like…

Dao Nie?!

Mo Hua's heart turned cold, his gaze heavy.

He could feel…

Although the signs of corruption were extremely faint and on a tiny scale, everything before him was undeniably a sign of "Great Dao Corruption."

As Mo Hua frowned in thought, these half-human, half-beast "demons," now corrupted, suddenly turned their blood-red eyes toward Mo Hua.

They died with hatred, seeking a living soul to devour.

And Mo Hua was the only "human" within this layer of cause and effect.

These "demons" twisted and struggled to their feet, then one by one, fixed their cruel gazes on Mo Hua.

Mo Hua stood still, expression calm.

In an instant, murderous intent surged.

These "demons" shrieked and roared, using hands and hooves alike, opening their bloodied maws as they charged at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua watched them silently, his expression tinged with pity.

At the same time, behind Mo Hua, a sea of blood rose.

A mountain of corpses suddenly materialized.

Across the hills and fields, countless grotesque walking corpses and iron corpses filled the land.

A towering, majestic corrupted Corpse King, with blood-red eyes and terrifying aura, reigned supreme over the countless undead.

The corrupted, non-human demons seeking to devour Mo Hua all froze in fear.

The Corpse King's gaze was cold.

To it, these demons, bearing only faint traces of corruption and numbering only a few hundred, were nothing but ants.

After a moment, the Corpse King let out a thunderous roar toward the sky.

Countless undead surged in frenzy; the hundreds of demons trembled in terror.

Then the sky turned crimson as the horde of walking corpses charged down like a raging flood, and in a single glance, utterly swept away, tore apart, and crushed to dust every last one of these "corrupted" demons.

The faint trace of corruption within the Xie family was also completely erased.

Yet after killing the corrupted "demons," the undead horde's ferocity was ignited; they all raised their heads and shrieked, murderous intent filling the heavens.

The sea of blood atop the corpse mountain grew even more crimson.

The aura of Dao Nie grew even heavier.

Beneath the sky-obscuring sea of blood, the Corpse King's aura grew increasingly violent.

Its grotesque eyes grew redder by the moment, faint signs emerging of it breaking free from its bonds and further corrupting.

At that moment, a clear, unyielding command rang out.

"Stand down!"

The once-turbulent corpse mountain instantly fell silent.

The undead horde all bowed their heads, daring not to speak.

The Corpse King's blood-red eyes, soaked in bone-deep murderous intent and surging with savage ferocity, locked onto Mo Hua—onto this nominal "young master"—wishing nothing more than to kill him on the spot.

Mo Hua's gaze was indifferent as he met the Corpse King's stare.

That gaze was clear and transparent, yet carried the unchallengeable authority of a superior.

Its meaning seemed to be: "Don't make me say it again."

The Corpse King, upon meeting Mo Hua's gaze, instantly erupted in rage.

It was about to resist, but the mark buried deep within its body flared with searing pain; its body was bound tightly by pale-blue Spirit Pivot array patterns, like Great Dao laws and chains of cause and effect.

Filled with dread, the Corpse King had no choice but to relent.

Its eyes still glowed with cruelty and defiance, yet its body obediently "submitted."

The sea of blood receded; the undead returned to their graves; the corpse mountain faded.

Only the Corpse King, before vanishing, cast one last terrifying and piercing glance at Mo Hua…

As if to say: "I will return…"

Thereafter, the corpse mountain and sea of blood vanished completely; the karmic guilt dissipated.

The faint trace of corruption within the Xie family was also erased and gone.

The raging fire sea gradually extinguished…

Mo Hua felt only a blur before his eyes; the red of fire and blood faded, replaced by the blinding white light of day, making him dazed and unable to open his eyes…

…

"Mo Hua?"

"Mo Hua!"

A hurried voice rang out.

Mo Hua blinked, slowly opening his eyes to find himself lying beside Gu Changhuai.

Gu Changhuai frowned, continuously calling his name.

Seeing Mo Hua awake, he finally exhaled in relief.

If this child had suffered any serious harm, he truly wouldn't know how to explain it to his cousin and Yu'er.

But then his doubts returned.

The scene moments earlier still lingered vividly in his mind.

Mo Hua had just entered the destroyed Xie family compound, his expression had shaken, his face turned pale, then his eyes lost focus, he closed them, and fainted.

It seemed… he had seen something he shouldn't have seen…

And even more strangely, after Mo Hua fainted, the entire Xie family's aura suddenly became sinister and oppressive.

Something terrible seemed to be gradually transforming...

Evil influences were growing.

Beneath the bright daylight, there was a bone-chilling cold.

Even Gu Changhuai, a Jin Dan cultivator, felt chest tightness and shortness of breath, a sudden shock stirring in his heart.

But when Mo Hua opened his eyes, everything vanished again...

Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua, his gaze solemn, and asked:

"What exactly... happened?"

Mo Hua rubbed his eyes, slowly sat up, and in his mind rapidly recalled the cause and effect of the event.

Fire sea... Xie family... massacre...

The obscured mystery enveloped by the fire sea...

Signs of Dao corruption...

These things couldn't be spoken of.

If he spoke, he'd bring great trouble upon himself.

Especially the matter of "Dao Niao"—that was a taboo of the Dao Ting Si.

After thinking it over, Mo Hua said:

"I studied formation arts too hard, drew too many, exhausted my spiritual awareness, so I occasionally faint—it'll pass in a while..."

Gu Changhuai immediately knew Mo Hua was lying.

Just moments ago, he was full of energy, his eyes bright and lively, flickering with vitality—how could his spiritual awareness suddenly be so depleted he fainted?

This kid was definitely hiding something...

Gu Changhuai gave Mo Hua a long, deep look and asked:

"So, are you still going to inspect the Xie family?"

Mo Hua nodded. "I am."

Gu Changhuai nodded, said nothing, and took Mo Hua on a one-hour tour of the Xie family estate—its ruins, charred black everywhere.

The entire Xie family had been reduced to ashes.

Everything had turned to cinders.

After touring the whole place, Mo Hua found no further anomalies.

Occasionally he spotted a clue, but Gu Changhuai already knew of them.

Gu Changhuai had deep cultivation, rich experience, keen observation, and the instinct of a Gu Diansi.

Aside from those "inconceivable," unfathomable, heavenly fate and karmic matters, anything Mo Hua could find, Gu Changhuai had surely noticed already.

Some things Mo Hua couldn't see, Gu Changhuai could still perceive.

In investigation and case-solving, Gu Changhuai was still extremely professional.

Mo Hua followed Gu Changhuai, walking through the Xie family estate, looking everywhere.

Huo Fotuo and his people had been very "clean."

The Xie family, from people to buildings, had been burned to a wasteland, leaving no extra traces.

Aside from the scene he had seen within the fire sea, there were truly no other clues.

Mo Hua felt disappointed.

Gu Changhuai saw Mo Hua's disappointed expression and wasn't surprised.

The Dao Ting Si had searched the Xie family inside and out many times—if anything had been there, it would have been found long ago.

They couldn't wait for Mo Hua to uncover something.

"Let's go back..."

Gu Changhuai said calmly.

He wanted to take Mo Hua back to the Gu family and deliver him safely to his cousin—this would save him trouble.

He didn't want this brat wandering around and causing unexpected complications again.

Like just now...

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded.

He hadn't found anything, so he might as well return for now.

But as he turned to leave, Mo Hua suddenly froze, turned back to look at the ruins of the Xie family, and his brow slowly furrowed.

Gu Changhuai was startled. "What is it?"

Mo Hua paused, then said slowly: "Uncle Gu, do you have the Xie family's cultivation architecture blueprints?"

Gu Changhuai nodded. "I do."

"Could I see them?" Mo Hua said.

Gu Changhuai's gaze darkened slightly. "What do you intend to do?"

Mo Hua said: "I need to find a place..."

"Find a place?"

Gu Changhuai frowned, thought for a moment, then didn't press further—he nodded:

"Fine."

Gu Changhuai found a slightly cleaner spot, took out a scroll from his storage pouch, spread it on the ground, and said to Mo Hua:

"This is the architectural blueprint of the Xie family estate..."

The scroll marked the terrain, buildings, and the formations used on each structure within the Xie family estate...

Mo Hua was very familiar with this kind of diagram.

He carefully, slowly flipped through the architectural blueprint…

In the fiery scene that had just surfaced, after the Fire Buddha killed, he gathered the corpses of the Xie family cultivators together.

The crucial moments were obscured by the sea of fire, hiding the cause and effect; Mo Hua could not see them.

But though he could not see the secrets hidden beneath the flames, he did not know what the Fire Buddha had done after killing in the fire.

Yet he faintly remembered the surrounding scenery.

These scenes were clearly within the Xie family compound.

But he had just walked around and found no similar sights in his memory.

"There must be a place I overlooked…"

Mo Hua repeatedly recalled the scenes from the sea of fire in his mind, then compared them to the Xie family map, searching for similar locations.

Finally, Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

On the blueprint, in a corner of the Xie family's back courtyard, there was a hidden pavilion; before it lay an open space, relatively barren, surrounded by side chambers and potted tripods.

The entire layout and arrangement matched his memory perfectly.

Mo Hua reached out, pointing at the pavilion courtyard on the map, "Uncle Gu, let's go there and take a look."

Gu Changhuai glanced at Mo Hua in surprise, then nodded slightly.

The two then followed the blueprint, walking along roads unrecognizable from destruction, stepping through ash, until they reached the pavilion's location.

The pavilion's surroundings had collapsed; burned beams and walls had tumbled down, blocking the path.

That was why Mo Hua had not noticed it before.

Gu Changhuai pulled out a paper fan, waved it casually, and a surge of spiritual energy swept clear the path.

Mo Hua continued forward and entered the courtyard before the pavilion.

This place was tucked away in a corner, quiet and concealed.

The pavilion had also been burned down, and the fire here seemed even fiercer; fewer architectural remains remained.

The courtyard was desolate; all visible was still blackened ruin, no different from other places.

The two searched thoroughly but found no clues.

Gu Changhuai turned back to look at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua frowned, lost in thought for a long while.

"There's not a single trace…"

"That shouldn't be…"

Mo Hua released his spiritual sense; within the void of white, it was equally empty—only residual fire-element spiritual energy remained, nothing else unusual.

"Nothing?"

Mo Hua's brow tightened further; suddenly he froze, instinctively sniffing his nose.

"Uncle Gu, have you smelled anything?"

"Smelled?" Gu Changhuai sniffed lightly, frowning, "Burnt smell?"

"No…"

Mo Hua said, then sniffed again, his gaze sharpening.

"Very faint…"

"Crisp, but with an odd note—slightly viscous, very moist…"

Beside him, Gu Changhuai looked speechless, frowning:

"Are you sure you're describing a smell detected by your nose, not a taste on your tongue?"

"A taste hidden in the mouth?"

Mo Hua froze, then suddenly gasped in shock.

He remembered!

This was…

The taste of Jin Se bone marrow?!

Yangjiao's practice… the Nian of the Spirit Marrow!

This was… the aura of the Evil God?!

Mo Hua's spirit surged; he lifted his nose, sniffed again, then followed this faint "scent" of spiritual essence to a corner of the courtyard.

Mo Hua sniffed once more, then rummaged through the debris and unearthed a pile of charred residue.

Gu Changhuai stepped forward, examined it, sniffed it, even used his spiritual sense to scan it, then his expression turned somewhat disappointed:

"Ordinary ash, nothing special."

"Can't tell what it was burned from…"

Mo Hua shook his head, his expression solemn, "This is not ordinary!"

He smelled the scent of the Evil God on it.

But he did not know what this black, charred mass actually was.

He could not identify it.

But these things were certainly extraordinary.

This was the truth hidden beneath the flames—the remnants left behind after some unknown force obscured the cause and effect.

It very likely concealed a shocking secret.

Seeing Mo Hua, usually so innocent and mischievous, display such a solemn expression for the first time, Gu Changhuai also took it seriously.

He pulled out a storage pouch, divided the residue into two portions, and carefully sealed them away.

"I'll take it back and have Dao Ting Si investigate these residues—figure out what they're leftover from…"

Is it a spirit artifact, a spirit object, a pill, or…

Human flesh.

Mo Hua nodded, then asked: "If you find out…"

Gu Changhuai sighed. "If I find out, I'll tell you."

"Mm."

Mo Hua looked up at the Xie family, burned to ashes and wiped out.

Massacre of the entire household, destruction of corpses, erasure of traces.

Karma obscured.

Traces of corruption.

And…

The scent of a demonic god on the black residues…

Mo Hua frowned tightly.

He had thought this was merely a brutal act by a group of criminal cultivators led by Huo Fotuo.

But now it seemed the waters here might run far, far deeper…

……