Chapter 658: The First Year

Huo Fotuo's face was pale as ash.

A hole had been torn through his chest.

But his cultivation was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and having abandoned his human form, his body was like a demon's—flesh and blood could regenerate.

His pitch-black chest pulsed with writhing flesh, slowly beginning to heal.

Yet the next moment, Huo Fotuo's pupils shrank.

His flesh, halfway through regenerating, fell utterly still—completely unable to heal.

It seemed his life force had been utterly incinerated by the fusion's fire spiritual energy; even his demonic power had been burned to death at the level of "spiritual energy."

Huo Fotuo's pupils trembled violently.

"What kind of technique is this…?"

At the same time, the tiny fireball's fusion produced a faint flame that vanished completely.

From within Huo Fotuo's chest, two demonic artifacts—a pair of "hearts"—were exposed.

These were the core of Huo Fotuo's Infernal Flame Forbidden Technique, the embryonic core of his life treasure, and the foundation of his journey toward Golden Core.

These two hearts were priceless demonic artifacts.

Yet now, these two hearts had been blasted into pitch-black, dull, lifeless husks by that unknown, terrifying technique.

Even when they trembled, they lacked strength.

Huo Fotuo was filled with terror.

If he did not restore his flesh and continue nurturing these two treasure embryos, not only would he never break through to Golden Core in this lifetime—he might even die right here in Qingcheng Mountain.

Huo Fotuo's hand trembled as he reached again for his pills…

At that moment, Gu Changhuai, having recovered from the shock of the inexplicable technique, moved swiftly—using every last bit of his spiritual energy, he unleashed two more wind blades.

These two wind blades struck straight along the hole Mo Hua had opened, targeting Huo Fotuo's heart meridian, hitting one of the dimmed demonic hearts.

The demonic heart, already on the verge of shattering from the collapse of the technique and the immense spiritual energy of the fusion, finally buckled under the strain—with a creaking "crack," it split open with several fissures.

Then more cracks appeared.

Until it shattered completely…

Huo Fotuo still held the pill in his hand, his expression one of disbelief.

Moments later, his fear vanished.

His face regained its compassion.

Even a hint of confusion and release lingered.

With great effort, he turned his head to look one last time at Mo Hua.

"So… it really is… I'll die at the hands of this brat…"

Then his eyes slowly closed.

The unbalanced demonic hearts collapsed irreversibly.

Demonic energy spiraled out of control, reversing through his flesh and meridians.

Huo Fotuo's entire body was filled with demonic fire—he burned from within, his flesh swelling, twisting…

Gu Changhuai's pupils contracted sharply, his heart sank.

Demonic energy out of control? Flesh self-exploding?!

No good!

In a flash, Gu Changhuai glanced behind Huo Fotuo at Mo Hua, spat a disgusted "tch," and vanished in a blur—appearing before Mo Hua, he tackled him to the ground.

Mo Hua felt himself shielded by a "massive meat shield."

Then a deafening explosion roared in his ears.

The shockwave was violent, the spiritual energy surge savage.

The self-exploding demonic fire, carrying immense destructive force, surged outward like a tidal wave of flame.

Trees turned to ash; mountain rocks became powder.

The ground turned black and charred.

After who knew how long, the explosion subsided.

Mo Hua finally opened his eyes.

He saw the valley had been reduced to utter ruin—bare, scorched, and barren.

But all the damage had been borne by Uncle Gu…

He himself was unharmed.

Mo Hua shook Gu Changhuai, but Gu Changhuai had fainted—no matter how much he shook him, there was no response.

Mo Hua struggled to his feet and saw Gu Changhuai's back—covered in wounds, blood streaming—his heart leapt in alarm.

"Uncle Gu!"

Mo Hua cried anxiously.

"Uncle Gu, you're not dead, are you?"

"Uncle Gu, you're a Jin Dan, for heaven's sake…"

"Uncle Gu, you can't be this useless!"

"Uncle Gu, snap out of it…"

Gu Changhuai finally stirred—his breath was faint, his voice low, but he gritted his teeth and growled at Mo Hua:

"Shut up!"

If he kept talking, Gu Changhuai would die of anger before the wounds killed him!

Mo Hua exhaled in relief.

Not dead!

As long as there's breath, it's fine.

He immediately began rummaging through his own storage bag, but as he dug deeper, he remembered—he had no good goods on him.

Mo Hua began rummaging through Gu Changhuai's storage bag.

Gu Changhuai was a Young Master of the Gu family, a Gu Diansi of the Dao Ting Si, a Jin Dan cultivator—his storage bag should contain top-grade pills.

After rummaging for a while, Mo Hua pulled out a pile of bottles and jars from Gu Changhuai's storage.

Mo Hua carefully identified each one.

Some were likely for stopping bleeding, some for replenishing Qi, others for expelling fire poison; there were also ones to protect meridians, protect the Qi Sea, and sustain life…

Mo Hua had studied all these in his pill-class.

He took the pills he could clearly identify and whose effects were certain;

some he couldn't quite tell but were useful for the injury;

and others he couldn't identify at all but wouldn't kill a person—he shoved them all wholesale into Gu Changhuai's mouth.

Though these pills had complex ingredients, perhaps by accident they might help Uncle Gu's injury.

At worst, it was no different from not taking any pills at all.

After a while, Mo Hua asked softly again:

"Uncle Gu… you're not dead, are you…?"

Gu Changhuai spat out a mouthful of blood—whether from rage or from the pills forcing out stagnant blood, he couldn't tell.

His breath also grew steadier.

"Thanks to you, I'm still alive…" Gu Changhuai said coldly.

Mo Hua finally relaxed completely.

He picked up Gu Changhuai's storage bag again, found a transmission token, flipped through its records—it was an internal Gu family official token—and sent a message:

"Huo Fotuo is dead!"

"Qingcheng Mountain, Broken Neck Eye, right valley—come quickly!"

After sending it, Mo Hua turned back to look at Huo Fotuo.

Huo Fotuo's demonic artifact had become unbalanced, his demonic power spiraled out of control, and he exploded—his power was immense, leaving not even a "speck" behind.

What a pity…

Mo Hua frowned—he still had many things he wanted to ask Huo Fotuo.

Why did he exterminate the Xie family?

Just to cultivate evil and train his arts?

After exterminating the Xie family, what else had he done?

For whom was the Demon Palace built?

And who was the revered master enshrined there?

…

Now that Huo Fotuo was dead, these questions could no longer be answered.

But it's better he's dead—clean death, no more harm to the world.

Other matters—I'll investigate them slowly later…

Mo Hua looked once more at Huo Fotuo, now reduced to "no remains," and sighed.

Killing this Huo Fotuo was too much trouble.

But at least he's dead.

Afterwards, Mo Hua set up several arrays on the spot, keeping watch over Uncle Gu's vitality to prevent him from "suddenly dying," while quietly waiting for others to arrive.

After a while, people indeed arrived.

It was Gu An and Gu Quan.

Seeing Gu Changhuai's gruesome, bloody, barely alive state, they nearly lost their souls.

"He's still alive!" Mo Hua said.

Gu An and Gu Quan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Mo Hua said: "Send for several pill masters immediately—give emergency aid first; once confirmed stable, send Uncle Gu back to the Gu family to recuperate."

Gu An and Gu Quan bowed and replied: "Yes, Young Master!"

After the destruction of the Demon Cave, Mo Hua's status as this young array master had skyrocketed in their eyes—now he was only slightly below their own Young Master.

Gu An immediately used the transmission token to summon help.

"Young Master…"

Gu Quan hesitated, glanced around, then looked at Mo Hua and frowned:

"What exactly happened here…?"

Why had the entire valley changed? Why was the Young Master so severely wounded? Was Huo Fotuo truly dead?

Gu An and Gu Quan both looked puzzled.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said:

"Huo Fotuo tried to kill me—I fled into the mountains. Uncle Gu came to save me, then used all his strength to kill Huo Fotuo, and was himself gravely injured!"

Gu An and Gu Quan nodded, half-believing…

"Remember this!"

Mo Hua's young face turned serious as he warned: "It was Uncle Gu alone—who used all his strength—to kill the utterly wicked Huo Fotuo!"

"When the others arrive, spread this story far and wide!"

Gu An and Gu Quan stared at each other, puzzled.

Mo Hua extended his two small hands, wanting to pat both their shoulders.

But Gu An and Gu Quan were tall, and Mo Hua's arms were too short to reach.

Gu An and Gu Quan silently crouched lower, leaning their shoulders toward Mo Hua.

Mo Hua successfully patted their shoulders, nodded, then lowered his voice and said:

"You don't want someone else to steal Uncle Gu's credit, do you…"

Their expressions hardened instantly, understanding dawning.

Huo Fotuo was dead, Young Master Changhuai was severely wounded; besides Little Master Mo, no one else knew what had truly happened here.

They knew how powerful Little Master Mo was.

But to others, Little Master Mo was just a child, lowly and insignificant—no one would believe anything he said.

In such a case, those with ulterior motives could easily inflate their claims and steal the credit.

Gu An and Gu Quan's expressions turned solemn.

How could this be allowed?

Huo Fotuo was a Young Master, and it took immense sacrifice to kill him.

This credit must not be seized by others!

So from the very beginning, we must insist that Young Master Changhuai killed Huo Fotuo—alone!

Gu An and Gu Quan understood, their gazes toward Mo Hua filled with gratitude.

Little Master Mo is a good person!

He truly cares for our own Young Master!

Gu Quan nodded and said: "Little Master Mo, rest assured—I'll spread the news right away…"

Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.

Then the Gu family's alchemist arrived, examined Changhuai's injuries, and said the pills had been administered in time—his blood and qi were slowly recovering, his meridians had been regulated, and there was no serious harm.

Changhuai himself was a Jin Dan cultivator with a solid foundation; with rest, he'd be fine.

Soon after, someone carried Changhuai back to the clan.

And the news that Young Master Changhuai had "alone" slain Huo Fotuo reached Dao Ting Si, causing considerable shock.

A Jin Dan killing a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator was not remarkable.

But this demonic cultivator was a Foundation Establishment peak, a man of boundless evil who had run rampant across the second-grade prefecture—Huo Fotuo…

The matter was entirely different then.

Both openly and covertly, many cultivators turned their eyes toward Changhuai.

Some admired him, some were cautious, and others harbored sinister intentions…

…

Changhuai returned to the clan, took some pills, and woke up early.

Wen Ren Wan heard he was injured and treated him with great care, personally refining pills to heal him.

Especially after learning he was injured protecting Mo Hua, her gaze grew even more approving.

It felt as if her younger brother had finally grown up.

Changhuai, at over a hundred years old, felt deeply conflicted.

The Gu clan was also stirred into commotion.

But upon learning Changhuai was unharmed and that he had personally slain the demonic cultivator Huo Fotuo, the clan's elders began to admire him greatly.

Though his temper was poor, among peers in the Gu clan, Changhuai's talent and methods were unquestionably superior.

Changhuai's feelings grew even more conflicted.

By evening, Mo Hua came to say goodbye.

He was returning to Grand Void Gate.

His seven-day leave was over, Huo Fotuo was dead, the Infernal Fire Technique was secured, and classes would resume tomorrow.

But before leaving, he still needed to align his "story" with Uncle Gu.

Mo Hua bit into a fruit as he whispered:

"Uncle Gu, Huo Fotuo was killed by you alone—don't mention me at all…"

Changhuai frowned. "You don't want the spotlight?"

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded. "Huo Fotuo was a demonic cultivator—there might be other underlings or accomplices lurking…"

"I'm just a Foundation Establishment cultivator—if they target me, it'll be dangerous!"

Changhuai fell silent, internally bemused.

Who's more dangerous—the demonic cultivator… or you?

But Mo Hua's cultivation was truly low—a Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator did face great risk…

Changhuai nodded. "I understand."

Mo Hua smiled with narrowed eyes.

Now the "story" was perfectly aligned.

Outsiders would never know Huo Fotuo's death had anything to do with him.

He was merely a humble, insignificant sect cultivator who had been hunted by Huo Fotuo—completely innocent.

Changhuai pondered for a moment, then silently glanced at Mo Hua again.

The image of two fireballs colliding in the valley, the technique collapsing, merging into one, spiritual power undergoing transformation, forming a terrifying tiny fireball that blasted through Huo Fotuo's chest—flashed again in his mind.

Changhuai couldn't help but blink, then said in a low voice:

"Your… spell…"

Mo Hua blinked in surprise. "What spell?"

Gu Changhuai's face was expressionless. "There's no one else here."

Mo Hua chuckled awkwardly. "Nothing much—just a single, utterly 'ordinary' fireball spell…"

Gu Changhuai's voice was cold:

"Foundation Establishment early stage, a single fireball spell, pierced straight through the chest of a Foundation Establishment peak demonic cultivator. That's truly 'ordinary'…"

Gu Changhuai emphasized the four characters "ordinary" very heavily.

Mo Hua blinked. "It was all coincidence… the Fire Buddha's chest had a vital point, a huge opening—it just happened to be struck through by my fireball…"

"He was just terribly unlucky…"

Gu Changhuai felt helpless as he saw Mo Hua's face—pure as paper, yet as thick as a city wall.

Gu Changhuai sighed. "Go back and think carefully. Come up with a more credible excuse."

He added, "You don't need to tell me this excuse…"

Meaning: if you're ever discovered later, just make sure you can fool others.

Mo Hua's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Thank you, Uncle Gu!"

Gu Changhuai shook his head helplessly.

He had originally thought Mo Hua's talent for arrays was unimaginable, but he never imagined he also concealed an utterly terrifying spell.

How could any cultivator of the same realm possibly compete with him?

The Grand Void Gate has truly picked up a "little monster"…

The key is, from the outside, you can't tell a thing—he looks innocent, like a harmless little disciple.

Gu Changhuai couldn't help shaking his head again.

Seeing Gu Changhuai looked tired, Mo Hua said, "Uncle Gu, I won't disturb you anymore. Rest well, and I'll return to the sect."

"Mm." Gu Changhuai nodded.

Mo Hua casually grabbed a spirit fruit and turned to leave. After walking a while, Gu Changhuai called out to him.

"Mo Hua."

Mo Hua turned back in confusion.

He thought: Uncle Gu is a Jin Dan realm Diansi—he wouldn't be this stingy, would he? Not even letting me take one spirit fruit to eat…

Gu Changhuai's expression was conflicted, his features still proud, and after long hesitation, he reluctantly whispered:

"Thank you…"

Without Mo Hua, he might never have killed Huo Fotuo.

And if he couldn't bring Huo Fotuo to justice, the consequences would be endless.

But that "thank you" was forced, nearly inaudible.

Mo Hua froze, then his face bloomed into a sunrise-bright smile.

"Mm!"

…

Afterward, Mo Hua returned to the sect.

He first visited Mr. Xun and said he had finished drawing the array, and Dao Ting Si—mainly the Gu family—was deeply grateful to him.

Mr. Xun believed him without doubt, stroking his beard, thoroughly satisfied.

Building good relations with Dao Ting Si's Gu family would mean more connections for future endeavors.

Then Mo Hua resumed his regular classes.

Some fellow disciples, like Cheng Mo, Sister Situ, and Zheng Fang, asked curiously after class.

They asked why he had taken seven days off, how he got permission, who approved it, and what he did during those seven days.

Mo Hua said he had spent seven days drawing arrays.

They instantly lost interest.

Only Zheng Fang looked curious and asked some questions about arrays.

Mo Hua carefully selected and shared a few unusual array insights, easily fooling Zheng Fang.

After that, everything settled into calm.

Mo Hua returned to his usual, peaceful sect life.

The Bishan Demon Cave, the gloomy demon hall, the bronze labyrinth, the mysterious altar, the band of demonic cultivators, and the corpseless demon lord—Huo Fotuo—gradually faded away.

Soon, Mo Hua's first year at the sect came to an end.

(End of Chapter)