Chapter 651: Breached

Qiao Lao Liu returned from the outer hall, saw Huo Fotuo, and said in a trembling voice, his face pale with fear:

"Big brother, it's a ghost— the outer hall is empty, so many brothers are dead…"

Huo Fotuo's gaze sharpened. "How did they die?"

"I don't know…"

Qiao Lao Liu stammered.

Huo Fotuo fell silent, but his blood qi surged, the aura of malice growing heavier.

Qiao Lao Liu turned ashen and hurriedly added:

"It seems they were killed— silently, unseen— then dumped into the Corpse River, their flesh and blood dissolved, leaving no trace…"

"A few are still alive in the middle hall…"

"The outer hall… is almost entirely dead…"

Qiao Lao Liu swallowed hard, his expression uneasy.

"Impossible!"

Behind Huo Fotuo, a tall, thin demonic cultivator with a pale, sinister face spoke.

This man was Yin Leizi, who had once met Mo Hua and even hunted him.

Yin Leizi frowned:

"I just spoke with Shi Lao Er…"

Yin Leizi's face darkened with anger. "That bastard was arrogant as hell— with his cultivation, there's no way he could've been killed so quickly, reduced to nothing…"

Hearing this, the other demonic cultivators behind Huo Fotuo suddenly remembered.

"Me too…"

"I exchanged messages with Ren Tu…"

"He even cursed me— someday I'll cut that beast to pieces…"

"And that piece of trash Yu Shusheng…"

"Huo Gongtou cursed me too…"

…

The cultivators exchanged glances, a chill creeping over them.

"If they're all dead, then who…"

"Is a ghost sending us messages?"

Huo Fotuo's face remained cold, his malice solidifying; his gaze slowly swept the room, then suddenly paused— a flash of sharpness lit his eyes.

"Master Yuan!"

Only then did the demonic cultivators remember: every whisper and movement within the demonic hall, every patrol, was monitored by Master Yuan.

A stench of blood wind rose, flashes of crimson light flickered.

The demonic cultivators activated their movement techniques and rushed toward the central hall's Yuan Ci Array Core chamber.

The array sealing the chamber's door had already been shattered.

They burst inside and saw a cold corpse lying on the floor— blood holes pierced its forehead and dantian, its heart meridians slashed multiple times, its hands broken, its blood long dried.

The corpse was horrifically mangled, but its build and attire unmistakably marked it as Master Yuan.

"Dead?!"

The demonic cultivators were stunned.

Master Yuan— a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator, with nineteen-mark spiritual sense, terrifying array mastery, and a bizarre, deranged temperament, revered by all…

Had died so silently?

Killed in his own Array Core chamber.

And not a single one among them had noticed.

The demonic cultivators erupted in shock and fury:

"Who killed him?"

"Who could've killed…"

"This is the Holy Hall…"

"How did they even get in?"

"Is there a traitor among us?"

"Shut your fucking mouth!"

…

"Could it be… the True Person Liu Yuhua from the Dao Court has arrived?" one demonic cultivator gasped.

"Shut up, idiot!"

"This is a second-grade prefecture— even if Liu Yuhua came, he couldn't kill this many in such a short time…"

"Liu Yuhua killing Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't be so sneaky, so cowardly…"

…

The murmurs faded, and all fell silent, their eyes turning quietly to Huo Fotuo.

Huo Fotuo stepped forward to examine Master Yuan's corpse.

As he studied it, he suddenly froze.

"This is wind-element spiritual force…"

"Extremely potent…"

"Not just Foundation Establishment late-stage— it's been suppressed deliberately… it's Jin Dan…"

"Jin Dan, wind-elemental Qi—this is..."

The Fire Buddha's eyes were bloodshot, his hands trembling; two heart-like fireballs surged and pounded at his heart meridian.

His old chest wound flared with agony, as if a thousand knives had just slashed him...

"Gu—Chang—Huai..."

The Fire Buddha spoke, word by word.

His face was cold, but crimson robes already seeped with flame like blood; upon the flames, faintly coiled grayish miasma...

Old Qiao Liu's face twisted in terror:

"Big Brother!"

All other demonic cultivators fell silent, not daring to make a sound.

Anger surged, his body burned as if aflame, the miasma on the verge of spiraling out of control.

The Fire Buddha gritted his teeth, murmured "Amitabha," then chanted sutras, forcibly calming his spirit and suppressing the raging murderous intent within.

His face once again grew compassionate.

The other demonic cultivators quietly exhaled in relief.

"Not a traitor inside—it's the Dao Ting Si's Gu Diansi..."

The Fire Buddha spoke calmly, then continued examining Master Yuan's corpse.

"Both hands were broken..."

"The crown of his head struck hard by a blunt spiritual weapon..."

"His neck was snapped... his heart meridian pierced from behind by a short blade..."

"His eyes bulged, his face charred and blackened—this... was a Fireball Technique?"

"Whose Fireball Technique? Interesting..."

The Fire Buddha mentally reconstructed the assassination of Master Yuan, then glanced at the emerald-green bloodstains on the ground—and froze.

"Poison?"

Was the short blade coated in poison?

The Fire Buddha frowned:

"This doesn't match Gu Changhuai's modus operandi..."

"After all these years, has he become dishonorable?"

Moreover, Master Yuan had steeped his Tian Mo Eye in blood wine, drawing upon Tian Mo's evil thoughts—his spiritual sense was immensely strong. How could he have been killed without even attempting resistance?

"Could it be... Gu Changhuai has an accomplice?"

The Fire Buddha's gaze flickered with unease.

"This person is meticulous, ruthless, excels in spiritual techniques, and masters array arts..."

"Only then could he plan perfectly, forcing Master Yuan—with his potent evil thoughts—to submit helplessly to death..."

Does Gu Changhuai have another expert among his allies?

The Fire Buddha's expression grew increasingly solemn.

"Big Brother, what do we do now?"

Yin Leizi, seeing the Fire Buddha lost in deep thought for a long while under the oppressive silence, asked softly.

The Fire Buddha's gaze sank; after a brief pause, he said:

"Return to the inner hall. Fortify it tightly. Destroy everything!"

The others' expressions changed.

"Big Brother?!"

"Destroy everything?"

Yin Leizi whispered: "Is that really necessary...? That's..."

Old Qiao Liu also said: "That's right, Big Brother—we can still hold the Sacred Hall, seal the gates. Even Dao Ting Si can't break in for now..."

Other demonic cultivators chimed in:

"Exactly!"

"If Dao Ting Si's dogs come, we kill them all as offerings—then whether we stay or leave, it's still up to us..."

"A pack of dogs? You're giving them too much credit?"

"Kill them all!"

The Fire Buddha shook his head. "You don't understand..."

"Gu Changhuai is extremely difficult to deal with—unlike the usual drunken sacks of Dao Ting Si..."

"If they've gotten in, it means this demonic lair has already begun to leak..."

"The outer hall cannot be held..."

"We can only defend the inner hall."

"Moreover, to be safe, everything in the inner hall must be destroyed—leave not a single trace..."

"The Sacred Hall is of paramount importance..."

"If there's even the faintest hint of exposure, we must extinguish it utterly—no outsider must ever know..."

The Fire Buddha's expression was solemn, leaving no room for refusal.

The other demonic cultivators, chilled to the bone, nodded in agreement.

The Fire Buddha's expression softened slightly. "Clean out the inner hall. Then we'll find a way to break out. I know you've all been cooped up here these days—you're stifled..."

"Once we're out, you can let loose for a while—I won't restrain you..."

"After that... we leave Qianzhou. The sky is vast, the sea boundless—we'll be free and unbound..."

"Wait until the storms settle in a few decades, then come back to settle old scores..."

Hearing "let loose for a while," the demonic cultivators all wore lewd grins and laughed: "As the elder brother says!"

Thus, the group carried Master Yuan's corpse out of the secret chamber and returned to the inner hall.

Huo Fotuo walked at the rear.

Just before entering the dark, chaotic inner hall—whose depths held unknown things—Huo Fotuo suddenly halted and turned to look back at the vast outer hall.

A doubt rose in his heart:

"Master Yuan died long ago... then who was it that spoke Buddhist teachings with me?"

Huo Fotuo frowned, pondered for a moment, then turned and stepped into the depths of the demonic hall.

The great doors of the inner hall slowly closed, sealing Huo Fotuo and the hidden secrets within.

Outside the demonic cave.

Gu Changhuai had returned to mobilize his forces.

Mo Hua, protected by Gu Quan and Gu An, stood on the stone bridge, dismantling one after another the various alert arrays and traps upon it.

After finishing, Mo Hua sat at the bridge's entrance and waited.

But after waiting a long time, no one came.

"Just mobilizing a few people—how long could it take?"

Mo Hua muttered silently.

According to Gu Changhuai, the Dao Ting Si enforcers were stationed just beyond the One-Line Sky; logically, they should have assembled within half an hour.

What had gone wrong?

Mo Hua felt puzzled.

Since he had to keep watch on the demonic cave, Mo Hua could only wait patiently.

After an unknown length of time, the other end of the bridge suddenly buzzed with the presence of many cultivators.

"They've come!"

Mo Hua perked up.

Gu Quan was ready on the other side to receive them.

After a while, the many enforcers of Dao Ting Si began crossing the bridge in batches.

To remain discreet, Mo Hua concealed his form and watched them cross.

But as he watched, Mo Hua froze slightly.

This number... seems too high?

"Didn't Uncle Gu say two hundred and eight? Why does it look like over four hundred now?"

Mo Hua was puzzled.

Only when all four hundred-plus enforcers had crossed the stone bridge did Mo Hua finally spot Gu Changhuai at the very end of the line.

But Gu Changhuai's expression was grim.

Mo Hua stepped closer and whispered:

"Uncle Gu, why so many?"

Gu Changhuai frowned, "The Xiao family has come too..."

The Xiao family?

Mo Hua understood. "The 'Smiling Tiger' Xiao family?"

Gu Changhuai blinked, then realized who Mo Hua meant by "Smiling Tiger," and sighed:

"Don't go around giving people nicknames like that..."

"It's fine—I won't say it to his face..." Mo Hua said.

Gu Changhuai had no reply to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua asked again: "Did... the news leak out?"

Gu Changhuai's gaze sharpened, but he said nothing.

Mo Hua raised his delicate eyebrows and asked again:

"Then why did the Xiao family come?"

"To be a mole?"

"To leak information—or to stir up chaos?"

Gu Changhuai gave Mo Hua a sharp look. "Don't say such things without evidence..."

Then Gu Changhuai sighed slightly. "The Xiao family probably came to snatch a bite of meat—to claim some credit..."

"Claim credit?"

"The demonic cave outpost, hundreds of demonic cultivators, the murderer known as Huo Fotuo..." Gu Changhuai said. "Any one of these is a juicy prize."

"Now all these prizes are on one platter. The Xiao family wants to strengthen its influence in Dao Ting Si and promote its disciples—how could they not be greedy?"

"Oh..." Mo Hua nodded.

No wonder people always called Dao Ting Si cultivators lapdogs and hawks.

Only when there was meat to eat did lapdogs and hawks work hard.

Seeing the "grease," the Xiao family naturally moved swiftly and aggressively.

Gu Changhuai glanced at Mo Hua and asked suspiciously:

"Are you thinking bad things about Dao Ting Si again?"

Mo Hua wore a perfectly serious expression. "Uncle Gu, I'm half a Dao Ting Si member now—why would I speak ill of Dao Ting Si?"

Gu Changhuai finally nodded.

"But I'm only an outsider—outsiders can be counted, or not counted; our status is rather 'flexible'…"

Mo Hua silently added in his mind.

"By the way, Smiley… hasn't Xiao Diansi come?" Mo Hua asked again.

All the Dao Ting Si cultivators had just passed before Mo Hua.

Mo Hua had inspected them like a parade, but found no trace of Smiley Tiger, not even a Golden Core cultivator.

"No," said Gu Changhuai.

Mo Hua frowned. "Then who's leading the Xiao family?"

Gu Changhuai pointed to a young, strikingly handsome cultivator among the Zhisi:

"Xiao Tianquan, a direct heir of the Xiao family, late Foundation Establishment, just graduated from the sect and 'passed' the exam to join Dao Ting Si as a Zhisi…"

"He's a core disciple of the Xiao family…"

"The Xiao family wants to give him some merit to ease his promotion."

"Oh…"

Mo Hua glanced at Xiao Tianquan, seeing him holding his head high, his eyes brimming with pride, radiating the aura of a heaven-favored child who had never known hardship, whose life had always been smooth sailing.

Born into a noble house, graduated from a major sect, then joined Dao Ting Si, rising steadily to its upper echelons, then transferred to the Central Dao Ting, wielding high power and prestige, becoming a superior being…

This was the template of a "heaven-favored child."

So lofty, so distant—he felt like they were two entirely different kinds of people…

But his name…

"Xiao Tianquan…"

Mo Hua fell into thought, then his eyes lit up:

"Especially Xiao Tianquan?"

Beside him, Gu Changhuai groaned in pain, then took a deep breath and emphasized again:

"It's fine… don't go giving people nicknames."

"Oh, okay," Mo Hua replied dismissively.

The Xiao family was willing to use the fire Buddha, the demonic temple, and the massacre as stepping stones for their direct heir, paving his path to future promotion.

Mo Hua had nothing to say about it.

He still cared about the fire Buddha.

And there was one thing Mo Hua was deeply concerned about.

Mo Hua stole a glance at Gu Changhuai, thought for a moment, then whispered softly:

"Uncle Gu, are you and the fire Buddha enemies?"

Gu Changhuai's expression changed. "How do you know?"

"I guessed," said Mo Hua.

He noticed that whenever Uncle Gu mentioned the fire Buddha, or even thought of him, his expression would unconsciously turn solemn, and his eyes would flicker with a murderous impulse.

Thus, Mo Hua concluded they must have a deep-seated grudge.

Gu Changhuai's face grew cold. "It's not complicated…"

"Back then, I nearly killed that demon..."

"But I was still at Foundation Establishment then—my strength was insufficient; I only shattered part of his heart meridians, and he escaped…"

"That battle, I killed all his other brothers."

"And he…"

Gu Changhuai paused, his handsome face twisting with malice as he gritted his teeth:

"Also killed several of my fellow graduates…"

Mo Hua's heart tightened; he looked at Gu Changhuai with sympathy and blurted out:

"Witnessing your sworn brothers slaughtered, Uncle Gu, you were powerless, so you harbored hatred, your personality changed—you became cold and reclusive, unwilling to speak with others, afraid that those close to you would suffer the same fate…"

Mo Hua went on, imagining it all himself…

Gu Changhuai's face darkened. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"I've always been this way from the start!"

"Whether I'm aloof or not—what does it matter to others? Why should I bother with those boring people? Why should I give a good face to those petty, scheming worms?"

"Whether I'm aloof or reclusive is none of anyone else's business. Why should I care about those boring people? Why should I give a good face to those scheming, crawling worms?"

Mo Hua froze.

He hadn't guessed right at all.

Human hearts truly were complex.

"As for those comrades who died at the fire Buddha's hands…"

Gu Changhuai sighed. "They weren't really close to me—just innocent people slaughtered by demonic cultivators. I couldn't stand it."

Gu Changhuai sighed, "Actually, I wasn't very close to him—just that an innocent man was brutally killed by demonic cultivators, and I couldn't stand by."

"Hate myself for being powerless."

"For not killing every last one of those demonic cultivators."

"And that demon, who escaped from my hands, still roams freely, stirring up trouble, committing evil..."

"As long as he lives, I'll remember him forever…"

Mo Hua looked at Gu Changhuai with new respect.

Mo Hua regarded Gu Changhuai with new respect.

Uncle Gu, who seemed aloof and looked like a handsome rogue, with terrible social standing, turned out to have such an upright nature and such fierce hatred of evil...

Indeed, one cannot judge a person by appearance.

Mo Hua sighed: "Uncle Gu, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

He hadn't realized Uncle Gu had this life-or-death grudge against Huo Fotuo.

Gu Changhuai was speechless and gave Mo Hua a side-eye:

"What would I say to a brat like you? If you hadn't asked, I wouldn't even be talking to you now."

Mo Hua froze, thought for a moment, then nodded:

"That's true..."

My lord, especially one who has lived over a hundred years—a senior cultivator—certainly has many old matters he doesn't wish to share with outsiders.

Unlike me, who is open and honest with others.

Mo Hua thought silently to himself.

After a while, over four hundred Zhisi had been deployed, forming a formation that surrounded the demon cave's entrance in layers.

Gu Changhuai finally rose to his feet, about to speak.

Xiao Tianquan, the prodigy of the Xiao family, walked up to Gu Changhuai with full confidence and volunteered:

"Uncle Gu Diansi, the task of breaking the gate can be entrusted to my Xiao family!"

Gu Changhuai looked at him and said calmly:

"Zhisi Xiao, once you're in Dao Ting Si, don't mention your Xiao family anymore—Dao Ting Si isn't your Xiao family's private domain; your Xiao family members are, at their core, Dao Ting Si members."

Xiao Tianquan's face turned pale, feeling his dignity insulted, a faint hint of resentment flickering in his eyes.

Gu Changhuai saw it clearly and shook his head slightly.

Without comparison, there is no hurt...

That child Mo Hua, even if he's full of mischief, isn't nearly as detestable.

It's these aristocratic youths who are hypocritical on the surface and, when provoked, can't suppress their inner resentment—visibly repulsive.

Gu Changhuai sneered inwardly, but after a moment, as if remembering something, he nodded and said:

"Still, your initiative shows courage. The task of breaking the gate is yours."

Xiao Tianquan suppressed the resentment in his eyes and thanked him:

"Thank you, Uncle Gu Diansi."

He then issued orders, making Xiao family Zhisi the main force, with Gu family and other Zhisi as auxiliaries, setting up and dismantling formations while forcibly breaking the array to open the demon cave's gate.

Gu Changhuai stood by, arms crossed.

Mo Hua stayed close to Gu Changhuai.

This time, Mo Hua didn't conceal himself.

Since they were going to attack the demon palace and capture Huo Fotuo, he'd have to show his face eventually—so long as he kept a low profile and pretended to be a "hanger-on," it would suffice.

Others wouldn't pay him much attention.

Even if they did, as long as he stayed beside Uncle Gu, who was "no trespassing," they wouldn't dare ask.

Even Xiao Tianquan glanced at Mo Hua several times, intentionally or not.

But seeing Mo Hua had only a mid-low grade spiritual root, his gaze automatically dismissed Mo Hua.

Breaking the gate went smoothly.

Because earlier, Mo Hua had already tampered with the gate's formation from inside.

The Xiao family had clearly invested heavily—they had their family's formation masters draw arrays outside the demon palace gate and used many precious spiritual artifacts and talismans to forcibly blast open the gate.

The array drawn by the Xiao family's formation master was useless.

Mo Hua knew this well.

What worked were the spiritual artifacts and talismans.

But the Xiao cultivators didn't know—they saw the demon cave's gate, a stone door like a demonic eye, cracked open by a massive fissure, the jagged stone teeth around it shattered, and strange blood oozing out.

They all praised: "Zhisi Xiao is brilliant!"

"Excellent command!"

Some Zhisi from minor families with no powerful backing also forced themselves to join in:

"Zhisi Xiao is young but talented..."

"Sure to achieve greatness!"

Xiao Tianquan wore a calm expression, as if accustomed to such flattery.

But after a while, a cultivator suddenly cried out:

"The blood on the gate... it's poisonous!"

Xiao Tianquan immediately stepped back; some Zhisi who had been too close were already contaminated—their breath reeked of corruption, their expressions changed drastically.

Chaos erupted instantly.

After a moment, it calmed down.

The dozen or so Zhisi poisoned by the blood toxin took pills and rested to the side.

These pills were provided by the Xiao family, and publicly they claimed the poisoned were unharmed, to avoid tainting "Zhisi Xiao's" record.

That was what Gu Changhuai said.

Mo Hua stared in disbelief.

These aristocratic families really are full of schemes...

After breaking through the gate, they entered the outer hall.

The expected resistance never came—the outer hall was empty, not a single demonic cultivator in sight.

The central hall was the same.

The inner hall's gates were tightly shut.

As expected, these demonic cultivators guarded the inner hall, doing something inside.

Xiao Tianquan sneered, "Holding the inner hall, waiting for us to trap you like fish in a barrel? How stupid!"

Xiao Tianquan was about to say more, but suddenly cast a cautious glance at Gu Diansi.

Gu Diansi remained expressionless, merely nodding slightly.

It meant, let him do as he pleased.

Xiao Tianquan was reassured.

Still, he muttered to himself: this Gu Diansi, aside from being bad-tempered and clueless, didn't seem so hard to deal with.

Why did all my uncles and cousins tell me to be wary of him?

Afterwards, the Xiao family's enforcers began breaching the inner hall.

Their methods were much the same as outside.

Mo Hua stood behind, arms crossed, not lifting a finger.

This wasn't his place to take the lead.

He didn't want to show off his arrays before so many Dao Ting Si cultivators.

Especially since this Especially Xiao Tianquan was petty.

If he stole his spotlight or took his credit, he'd surely earn his hatred.

Hard work, no reward.

Yet the Xiao family's array masters were truly limited; relying on spirit artifacts and talismans, their progress was painfully slow.

Mo Hua could only wait patiently beside them.

It had already been three and a half days; three and a half days remained.

Time was barely enough.

The inner hall was also sealed by an array.

To breach the inner hall, either dismantle the array or break the gate.

Mo Hua glanced at it—the array was too hard to unravel, and it involved a second-rank high-level array, which he couldn't handle.

If so, the inner hall could only be broken by brute force.

The Xiao family had no shortage of people, spirit stones, spirit artifacts, or talismans; they used dismantling as auxiliary, breaking as primary.

Mo Hua saw five-colored lights rising and falling.

One precious second-rank talisman after another was consumed.

The enforcers took turns casting Dao arts, forcibly smashing the inner hall's gate.

Mo Hua saw for the first time how "array-blind" cultivators, unfamiliar with arrays, dealt with them…

After lasting most of the day, a "Boom—" echoed, and the inner hall's gate slowly collapsed.

"It's broken…"

Mo Hua was surprised, glanced at the array around the gate crack, then understood.

This demonic hall was unfinished.

Near the gate, some adjacent arrays were weaker.

Xiao Tianquan and his men, by accident and luck, broke through some of the inner arrays, loosening the whole structure.

Only then could they breach the inner hall's gate in half a day.

Xiao Tianquan didn't understand any of this.

He truly believed he and the Xiao family had broken the gate through sheer strength.

"This mere demonic hall? Not so formidable!"

A group of enforcers swiftly offered a string of flattery: "Xiao Zhisi is brilliant!"

Mo Hua ignored them.

He couldn't wait to glance inside the inner hall.

At the sight, Mo Hua froze.

Inside the inner hall stood dense, closely packed stone walls.

These stone walls connected and arranged into a… maze…

A maze?

Mo Hua frowned, released his spiritual sense, and carefully sensed—suddenly realizing these mazes were array mediums, upon which another array had been constructed.

"This array…"

Mo Hua felt… strange, yet oddly familiar.

As he stared, his pupils slowly widened, his heart trembling.

This wasn't…

Mi Tian Great Array?!

(End of Chapter)