Chapter 655: Water Poison (Thank you, Master Meng Bai Jin Yu!)

Mo Hua pondered in his mind.

First, he couldn't kill Huo Fotuo.

Unless there was a Rank-One formation here, one that could unravel him—and then Huo Fotuo had to be trapped inside it, waiting while Mo Hua finished drawing the Reverse Qi Formation to crush him to death…

Otherwise, even if Huo Fotuo stood still and let him strike, Mo Hua would exhaust his Qi before he could kill him.

After all, the gap in cultivation was too vast…

If so, then he could only "borrow a blade to kill."

Borrow Gu Shu's "blade" to kill Huo Fotuo, this demonic cultivator.

As long as Huo Fotuo died, Gu Shu probably wouldn't mind being used as a "blade."

He was helping him too!

Mo Hua studied the two men locked in combat.

Gu Shu's cultivation was higher than Huo Fotuo's, but he had to suppress his power, so his movements were restrained.

Huo Fotuo was different—he could unleash his full strength, casting spells without restraint.

Flames roared, engulfing mountain and valley.

Huo Fotuo's cultivation was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, seemingly only a step away from Jin Dan.

And with the boost from the two flaming hearts in his chest, his Qi was nearly equal to Gu Shu's…

He had just swallowed a Blood Pill, restoring his blood and Qi.

Meanwhile, his malevolent aura, though not enough to frighten Gu Shu, subtly eroded his mind.

If this continued, the outcome was truly uncertain…

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, made a quick calculation, then continued concealing his presence as he approached Gu Changhuai and Huo Fotuo.

"First, break his malevolent aura…"

Mo Hua silently mused.

The malevolent aura seemed useless against him.

His spiritual sense had transformed; his spiritual awareness had endured countless battles, having devoured ghosts, corpses, and demons—he wouldn't be affected by malevolent aura.

But Gu Shu was different.

He wasn't a formation master; though his spiritual sense was strong, it hadn't been honed, making it vulnerable to erosion by malevolent aura, causing restlessness and instability, thus weakening his power.

Break the malevolent aura, and Huo Fotuo weakens; Gu Shu strengthens.

And the key to breaking malevolent aura… lay in the eyes.

This was Mo Hua's guess.

He didn't fully understand what malevolent aura was.

But based on his research into spiritual sense, spiritual awareness, and certain causal energies…

Since malevolent aura could instill fear, it must be a kind of energy between "heaven-and-earth Qi" and "spiritual awareness."

And since killing sins could be transformed into malevolent aura…

It meant this process contained a trace of causal law.

In Mo Hua's perception, all of Huo Fotuo's flame spells carried malevolent aura—this must be what Huo Fotuo meant by "transforming killing into malevolent aura, refining it through spells…"

Yet he still had to rely on Buddhist cultivation to suppress the aura, lest it backlash and destabilize his spiritual sense.

That meant malevolent aura itself was tied to "spiritual awareness."

Spiritual sense resides in the spiritual sea.

The eyes are the window of spiritual awareness.

Therefore, the part with the most concentrated and violently fluctuating malevolent aura must be the eyes.

Mo Hua stole another glance at Huo Fotuo's eyes.

In Huo Fotuo's eyes burned fierce flames, within which swirled thick, murky vapors—just looking at them instilled dread.

A common cultivator, meeting that gaze, would almost certainly be seized by terror, becoming a helpless "sheep" awaiting slaughter…

Even during combat, Gu Shu dared not stare long at Huo Fotuo's eyes—he clearly feared those flames of malevolent aura.

Mo Hua waited patiently for an opening.

On the other side, Gu Changhuai and Huo Fotuo's battle remained deadlocked, as fire rain and wind blades flew everywhere.

Gu Changhuai wielded the Ling Feng Hua Yu Technique, swinging his folding fan to summon waves of wind blades toward Huo Fotuo.

Every wind blade that reached within a zhang of Huo Fotuo was blocked by a "wall of fire."

This wall of fire used flame as "bricks," with vertical and horizontal golden threads, resembling a colossal flaming cassock.

It must be the protective method inherent in Huo Fotuo's cassock.

The fire wall nullified most wind blades.

The remaining wind blades, Huo Fotuo dodged with his body movement.

But Huo Fotuo's body movement was not agile.

And his cassock's defense had gaps.

Another ten or so rounds passed.

Mo Hua finally spotted an opening.

The instant Huo Fotuo had just used his fire wall to block dozens of wind blades, then dodged several wind blades with his body movement, his Qi not yet cycled back, and his feet just halted.

Mo Hua extended a finger and pointed.

A brilliant streak of Jin Guang shot forth instantly, piercing Huo Fotuo's eye.

It was a basic spell: Jin Guang Technique.

Mo Hua had learned it earlier by exploiting criminal cultivators for resources—it wasn't difficult, so he'd picked it up casually.

Mo Hua still remembered Elder Yi of the Grand Void Gate, who had guided him in the Dao arts.

All arts merged into one body.

The subtlety of their application lies within the mind.

This is the insight of "All Arts Interconnected."

Arts are not only about power, but also function.

This Jin Guang technique has little power, but contains pure Jin-element spiritual energy, blindingly bright and severely damaging to a cultivator's eyes.

Hitting any other part feels like scratching an itch.

But striking the eyes causes great pain.

It is a sinister art with strong "targeted" destructive capability.

Huo Fotuo never expected anyone else to be inside the altar, let alone that he would be ambushed.

Even if he had expected it, with his spiritual energy stagnant and his movement frozen, he could not dodge.

And Mo Hua's art was extremely fast.

Huo Fotuo's eyes were instantly pierced by Jin Guang, leaving two trails of blood-tears—each blink hurt, and his vision blurred.

The sinister aura around him also dissipated considerably.

Huo Fotuo was both shocked and furious.

"Who is this despicable worm? How dare you ambush me?"

His vision impaired, he swept with his spiritual sense—but all around was empty white, only Gu Changhuai's storm-like spiritual energy, no trace of other cultivators.

"No one?"

Huo Fotuo's heart jolted.

Gu Changhuai's gaze sharpened, his heart cold.

That just now… was Jin Guang?

Mo Hua?

Gu Changhuai lightly swept with his spiritual sense, and indeed found a faint, furtive little figure in a corner nearby.

He was a Jin Dan spiritual sense, but could only make out a vague shape.

Gu Changhuai found it incredible.

This child…

Can he use Jin Guang too?

And the timing… was perfect…

Gu Changhuai paused, then realized the sinister aura around Huo Fotuo had receded—he understood Mo Hua's intent.

Gu Changhuai's gaze darkened, and without hesitation, he manipulated his art to continue attacking Huo Fotuo.

In a battle of evenly matched cultivators, any slight variable could alter the outcome.

Now with Mo Hua's aid, the balance was broken; battle-hardened Gu Changhuai needed no words to know what to do next.

Moreover, only by fully suppressing Huo Fotuo could Mo Hua be safer.

Otherwise, with Mo Hua's tiny frame, if Huo Fotuo found him, even a glancing blow might mean certain death…

With this thought, Gu Changhuai's aura surged violently—wind blades rained like arrows, slicing through the air.

Huo Fotuo suddenly felt immense pressure.

He extended his spiritual sense, still trying to find the "treacherous worm" who had ambushed him—but Gu Changhuai now fought to kill, forcing him into desperate defense, leaving no room for distraction, no chance to hunt Mo Hua.

Mo Hua nodded.

No wonder he's Uncle Gu—he didn't need to speak to know what to do.

Huo Fotuo's eyes burned with pain.

Though his high cultivation and deep spiritual energy allowed his flesh to heal quickly, restoring his vision soon, he could no longer concentrate his aura through his eyes.

Whenever he tried to gather aura, his eyes felt like needles piercing them.

And…

He'd be ambushed again!

Every time he focused his gaze to gather aura, a Jin Guang would inevitably strike, stabbing his eyes.

"Damn it!"

Anger surged in Huo Fotuo's heart.

Without his aura, Gu Changhuai lost one source of caution, and he gained one more disadvantage.

But he could still fight…

In life-or-death combat, everything changes in an instant; until the final moment, no one can declare victory.

Huo Fotuo's killing intent flared again.

He would kill Gu Changhuai.

Even if he couldn't kill Gu Changhuai, he would kill that "treacherous worm" hiding in the shadows.

This person's art had little power—he must be only Foundation Establishment early stage.

He didn't know how the fellow hid, but if he dared show himself, he'd be incinerated by falling fire—certain death!

Huo Fotuo sneered.

He continued fighting Gu Changhuai.

But as he fought, Huo Fotuo sensed something wrong.

There were other arts…

Not just Jin Guang—also Water Prison, Quicksand, and other elemental arts, swift and precise, striking like hidden arrows through every gap.

These spells are weak in power, and due to their low rank, their restraining effects are limited.

But even if limited, they still take effect.

Every time he tries to dodge or resist Gu Changhuai's spells, these "disgusting" spells hold him back.

Huo Fotuo grew weary of it, silently cursing inside.

What kind of despicable person is this?

He doesn't learn proper spells—why does he only study these bizarre, disgusting tricks…

"Fortunately, these spells are still low-ranked, so the threat is minor—otherwise…"

Just as Huo Fotuo's thoughts shifted, his feet suddenly sank, and the mountain rocks trembled.

He looked down—and his pupils shrank.

Beneath his feet, a pool of ink had appeared out of nowhere, seeping into the ground and autonomously tracing out lines of earth-gray patterns, forming a…

Array?!

Huo Fotuo could hardly believe it.

Where did this array come from?!

The ground was empty just moments ago—how could an array suddenly appear?

It was as if a ghost had drawn it…

And judging by these array lines… is this a Second-Rank Mid-Level array?

Huo Fotuo's heart sank.

A Second-Rank Mid-Level array can already threaten a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator.

He was about to activate his body technique to escape the array when a flash of gray light surged beneath his feet—spiritual energy flowed rapidly, instantly activating the array. The mountain rocks rose, forming a cage that trapped Huo Fotuo in place.

Eight Trigrams Gen Mountain Binding Array!

This binding array can trap a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator; though the control time is shortened, it's enough to restrain for five to six breaths.

At that moment, Gu Changhuai seized the opportunity, channeling spiritual energy and unleashing hundreds of wind blades, like a storm of rain, blasting toward Huo Fotuo.

Huo Fotuo could only grit his teeth, spreading his robe and concentrating all his power to form a "wall of fire."

The wind blades struck the fire wall—spiritual energy exploded, one after another.

But there were too many wind blades—the fire wall could not hold.

After a moment, the fire wall was shattered by the relentless wind blades, and the remaining blades swallowed Huo Fotuo whole.

Where the wind blades struck, rocks shattered, thick gray smoke billowed.

When the dust cleared, Huo Fotuo's figure reappeared.

He looked extremely disheveled—his robe was covered in new slashes, blood dripped from his lips, yet his aura had not weakened much.

Mo Hua saw this and silently sighed:

"This Huo Fotuo is really tough…"

Deep evil power, and his robe's defense is strong…

After fighting so long, he still hasn't been killed outright.

Huo Fotuo spat out the blood in his mouth with a "pah!" and sneered coldly:

"Gu, I didn't know you had an accomplice?"

Gu Changhuai did not answer.

Huo Fotuo's gaze grew dark, yet puzzled. "When exactly did you set up this array…?"

Gu Changhuai's face remained expressionless, but inside he couldn't help thinking:

"How would I know…"

He didn't set up the array.

He hadn't even seen how Mo Hua had placed the array beneath Huo Fotuo's feet.

This kid's array techniques are truly sinister…

Huo Fotuo was about to say more, but Gu Changhuai had already gripped his folding fan, manipulating spells to attack him again.

Huo Fotuo could only continue fighting.

But the situation grew increasingly unfavorable for him.

He had to fight Gu Changhuai, a Jin Dan Gu Diansi, while simultaneously guarding against all kinds of treacherous spells.

He also had to watch his feet, lest he step on one of those inexplicable arrays that appeared out of nowhere…

"Defeat is certain…"

Huo Fotuo instantly realized this.

In a cultivator's battle, when things are deadlocked, any unexpected turn becomes the final straw that breaks the camel's back.

Now, there were far more than just one straw.

And they kept multiplying.

If this continued, he would truly be tricked to death by that coward hiding in the shadows—and killed by Gu Changhuai.

"As long as the green mountains remain, there will always be firewood…"

While his strength still holds, escape now!

Huo Fotuo suddenly surged his evil power, unleashing a torrent of blood rain toward Gu Changhuai.

Gu Changhuai's expression darkened—he had no choice but to retreat.

Seizing the opening, Huo Fotuo activated his body technique, becoming a streak of firelight that reached the altar.

He reached down and tried to retrieve the secret manual hidden beneath the bricks—but when he scanned with his spiritual sense, he found the bricks were empty…

Huo Fotuo's heart trembled in shock.

"Gone?!"

He raised his head again, looked around, and his pupils suddenly trembled violently.

At some unknown moment, a complex array had already been drawn around him in blue and green spiritual ink.

This array was unlike any of the previous ones—clearly more profound.

Moreover, within the array, water qi swirled thickly, faintly exerting a restraining effect on the fire spiritual power coursing through his body.

Huo Fotuo's face went deathly pale.

Yet Mo Hua's eyes shone bright, the corners of his mouth curving into a faint, triumphant smile.

Second-grade, sixteen-pattern, Yi Wood Water-Poison Compound Array.

This was an array Mo Hua had carefully chosen long ago for Huo Fotuo, prepared for exactly this kind of critical moment—to ambush him.

This compound array was something Mo Hua had exchanged for from the Grand Void Merit Pavilion.

It was the array most capable of countering Huo Fotuo that Mo Hua could currently learn.

Yi Wood Water-Poison combined water and wood; the five elements fused, using water as poison, blended into Yi Wood spiritual power.

Water overcomes fire; wood feeds fire.

The so-called "water poison" was not a true poison, but rather referred to the yin-cold water spiritual power—clinging like a bone-burrowing maggot, hard to cleanse, acting much like a "poison."

And by merging "water poison" into "Yi Wood," on one hand, the water poison could be used to counter Huo Fotuo's evil fire power.

On the other hand, the Yi Wood spiritual power fused with "water poison," while nurturing fire spiritual power, would plant the "water poison" deep within that fire spiritual power.

Thus, the water poison would endlessly regenerate.

And water and fire could not coexist—the two would repel each other.

Huo Fotuo would then endure the torment of water-yin and fire-heat, and within a short time, it would be very hard to root out.

The only problem with this array was that it was drawn far too slowly.

A second-grade, sixteen-pattern compound array was already somewhat beyond Mo Hua's divine sense level.

But fortunately, Mo Hua's divine sense had undergone a qualitative change—powerful and resilient—allowing him to draw even more difficult arrays.

Arrays were difficult, so controlling ink to draw them was very slow.

Drawn slowly, it would surely be easy for Huo Fotuo to notice, allowing him to dodge in advance.

And with Mo Hua's divine sense, he only had one chance.

Once he failed, all his previous efforts would be wasted.

So Mo Hua took a gamble.

He guessed that Huo Fotuo would surely return to the altar to retrieve the Meteor Fire Art secret manual.

So he anticipated this in advance and drew this compound array near the storage bricks.

And Huo Fotuo did not "disappoint" Mo Hua's expectations—he truly came back to take his Meteor Fire Art secret manual, which Mo Hua had already pocketed.

The storage space was empty, nothing inside—nothing but the array laid in ambush.

In the instant Huo Fotuo stood stunned and shocked, Mo Hua flicked a finger and detonated the Yi Wood Water-Poison Compound Array.

Water-blue and wood-green spiritual power exploded violently.

Yi Wood spiritual power surged, water-poison spiritual power coiled, like two spirit snakes merging into one, ceaselessly tearing at Huo Fotuo within the array.

At the moment of crisis, Huo Fotuo hurriedly activated his kasaya to shield his body.

But his kasaya already had quite a few tears in it.

The water-wood spiritual power acted like venomous snakes, gnawing at his flesh, injecting "spiritual power poison" into his blood.

Huo Fotuo only felt a sudden chill run through his body.

Water and fire tormented him; the pain was unbearable.

At the same time, the evil fire on his body, stimulated by the "Yi Wood spiritual power," burned even more fiercely.

But this Yi Wood spiritual power was laced with water poison.

So the fiercer his evil fire grew, the deeper the water poison seeped.

Huo Fotuo's face turned green one moment, blue the next, and occasionally flushed red—looking utterly bizarre.

But after all, he possessed peak Foundation Establishment cultivation; with surging evil power, he forcibly used his cultivation to suppress the water poison within his body.

Though he had suppressed the water poison, he could still feel his movements growing sluggish, his reactions half a beat slower, and the water poison within his body was slowly gnawing away at his spiritual power.

Huo Fotuo's heart was both horrified and terrified.

"Five-element generation and restraint, array circulation…"

"This is an extremely profound application of arrays…"

"Who exactly is it?!"

Huo Fotuo's gaze suddenly turned fierce. At this very moment, he finally detected someone not far away—someone whose aura had leaked out a few threads, apparently due to excessive divine sense consumption.

Huo Fotuo gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and a streak of fire light shot through the air.

Mo Hua had previously used his divine sense to control ink and drawn several arrays.

Now, having finished drawing the Yi Wood Water-Poison Compound Array, his divine sense had grown somewhat sluggish, his concealment art had revealed a flaw, and Huo Fotuo had thus spotted his traces.

Since it had come to this, he stopped hiding.

The fire light struck the mountain rock, but Mo Hua had long since used Flowing Water Steps to dodge, then landed lightly, revealing his figure.

Seeing it was a small, delicate figure, Huo Fotuo's brows knit tightly.

"A dwarf cultivator?"

As Mo Hua's figure gradually came into clear view, Huo Fotuo took another look, and his pupils trembled violently as his eyes went wide.

"Not a dwarf—it's a… child?!"

And…

Does this child recognize him?!

Huo Fotuo instantly remembered.

It was that young cultivator who saw through the identities of the four of us at the teahouse outside Bishan!

Huo Fotuo's gaze froze, and he muttered:

"How is this possible..."

How could it be... the one who forced me to the brink with vile spells and profound arrays?

That insignificant Foundation Establishment brat?!

This is a fucking joke!

Huo Fotuo's heart trembled.

He stared fixedly at Mo Hua, "Is your concealment technique Yin Laoer's Five Elements Stealth Art? Did Yin Laoer also fall into your hands?"

Mo Hua smiled sweetly, "Guess."

Huo Fotuo frowned.

At that moment, he suddenly froze, looked down, and saw more spirit ink flowing at his feet, forming an array...

Boundless rage surged in his heart; Huo Fotuo's face turned ashen, aura of slaughter radiating, nearly shattering his Buddhist cultivation state.

"This brat... has gone too far?!"

Even during this moment of speech, he's plotting to ambush me?!

Mo Hua was indeed drawing an array again.

His spiritual sense recovered quickly; in this brief time, it had regained a bit, and thinking it was better than doing nothing, he took advantage of Huo Fotuo's talking to secretly sketch another array.

Unfortunately, Huo Fotuo noticed...

This Huo Fotuo is indeed extremely alert.

Huo Fotuo suppressed the water poison in his body, gathered his breath, and vanished in a flash.

Mo Hua sighed and could only shout:

"Uncle Gu!"

Before his words ended, Gu Changhuai's wind blades struck again.

Gu Changhuai's emotions were equally turbulent.

He did not know what array Mo Hua had laid.

But now Huo Fotuo's face alternated between blue and green, clearly unwell—perfect time to strike while he's vulnerable.

Gu Changhuai clashed again with Huo Fotuo.

Mo Hua watched from the side, calculating clearly in his mind.

The Yi Wood Water Poison Array alone could not kill Huo Fotuo.

But the water poison would slow his speed, delay his reactions, and due to water's opposition to fire, inflict pain and disrupt Huo Fotuo's spiritual energy flow.

With this, Uncle Gu would find it much easier to kill Huo Fotuo.

All he needed to do was stay far away and watch Huo Fotuo die.

He didn't need to lift a finger, lest Huo Fotuo, cornered and desperate, lash out in his final moments and drag him down...

The situation was indeed as such.

Huo Fotuo was crushed under Gu Changhuai's assault, gasping for breath.

He seethed with fury, yet had no recourse.

He never imagined he would be brought down by a brat he'd met only once...

Without him, even if he couldn't defeat Gu Changhuai, his own preparations would have been enough to escape.

He wouldn't be trapped here on this altar, blinded by spells, ensnared by arrays, and poisoned...

"Damn brat!!"

Huo Fotuo's face brimmed with murderous intent.

But anger did no good; with Mo Hua watching him like a tiger, he couldn't escape the altar, his wounds worsened, and the water poison gradually overwhelmed him...

Huo Fotuo could only rely on his deep demonic power to cling to life.

In half an hour's time, he would be drained, dying on the altar.

At that moment, a powerful tremor came from above the Demon Palace.

It carried countless array pattern clashes and the scent of exploding arrays.

Mo Hua's expression changed.

Had the Demon Palace activated its self-destruct array?

He turned to look at Huo Fotuo, and saw on his face an expression of grim acceptance of death.

The dying Huo Fotuo, face streaked with blood, grinned savagely:

"You'll die with me here..."

(End of Chapter)