Chapter 664: Hao Xuan

What could be happening?

Mo Hua frowned, leaning out to glance beyond the carriage.

The night outside was deep.

The carriage rolled along the road; to the left not far away stood a small Xiancheng, to the right stretched a desolate mountain range.

Mo Hua hesitated, then decided to go down and investigate.

He halted the carriage, leapt down, tied the horse nearby, and extended his spiritual sense to sense the unknown causal aura.

A trace of blood…

And a faint killing intent.

Mo Hua concealed his form, following that faint aura, stepping soundlessly toward the desolate mountains to the right.

Dry grass covered the ground, thorns grew thickly.

The rocks were jagged, crunching underfoot, sharp against his soles.

After walking for a quarter-hour, Mo Hua sensed something amiss, stopped, crouched, and stared at the ground, his gaze darkening.

Bloodstains lay on the ground, still wet, as if spilled not long ago.

The broken stones were scattered.

It seemed someone had run through here at full speed.

The air still carried a faint metallic scent of blood, and a faint trace of spiritual energy.

This is…

Mo Hua's heart tightened slightly.

"Is someone being hunted?"

And the causal aura felt dark, and oddly familiar.

Mo Hua focused, calculating the threads of fate—then froze.

In a flash, he saw in the dark night of the desolate mountains, two black-clad figures chasing a boy.

The moonlight was cold, the blades glinting with frost.

Blood streamed from the boy's body…

The vision vanished in an instant.

When Mo Hua looked again, all light and shadow shattered and dissolved completely.

The boy…

Mo Hua's gaze grew thoughtful; he kept concealed and continued following.

Following the blood and aura, he pursued several more li, emerging from the narrow mountain path into open terrain.

But the stench of blood in the air grew stronger.

The lingering spiritual energy became more distinct.

A fierce battle had clearly taken place here.

Mo Hua's heart tightened; his spiritual sense swept forward and saw a large pool of blood not far ahead on the slope, shattered rocks, and collapsed earth.

Around him were traces of spiritual weapon cuts and spell burns.

If Mo Hua's guess was correct, the fleeing boy had been caught by the black-clad figures on this open slope.

They had fought, battled fiercely—the boy lost, and was captured by the black-clad cultivators.

He probably wasn't dead yet…

Or at least, not yet dead.

Otherwise, the scene would hold not bloodstains, but a corpse—or at least bloody remains…

"Captured… but not killed yet…"

"He must be nearby…"

Mo Hua's gaze darkened, his pupils deepening; he extended his spiritual sense to its limit. After a moment, his eyes brightened.

There was a hidden cave nearby.

Inside were several blurred auras.

Mo Hua activated the Lesser Five Elements Concealment Technique, merging his aura with the surrounding earth, wood, and stone, moving silently toward the cave.

As he neared the entrance, movement inside became clear, the auras more distinct.

Three people—all Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Inside, sounds of interrogation echoed.

"Brat… damn it…"

"Who sent you?"

"Speak!"

"Damn it… talk!"

"Where are your accomplices?"

"What's your purpose?"

"What did you see?"

…

Then came the sound of a whip striking flesh; after a long pause, a young voice, weak and broken, whispered:

"I… don't know… cough…"

Mo Hua froze.

That voice… it was familiar…

He slowly walked into the cave entrance, leaned in to look inside, and saw dim lantern light; a boy was bound, his face covered in blood.

Two black-robed cultivators, their faces covered, stared with ferocious eyes.

That boy…

Mo Hua watched for a moment, then suddenly froze.

It was his own sect mate…

Hao Xuan?

The Grand Void Gate had many students from his year, and Mo Hua didn't know them all.

But he remembered Hao Xuan.

They lived in the same dormitory; though they had little interaction, they were familiar enough, and got along well.

He submitted his array assignments on time, was diligent in attitude, and treated others kindly.

Most importantly, he had called Mo Hua "Little Senior Brother."

And he had even treated Mo Hua to a chicken leg…

He was one of us!

Yet now, the once-kind-faced Hao Xuan was covered in wounds, barely breathing.

The two black-robed cultivators were still interrogating him.

But Hao Xuan seemed, truly, to know nothing—and could not speak.

The two black-robed cultivators frowned.

"Can't get him to talk…"

"What do we do?"

"Maybe…"

One of them formed a hand into a blade, made a cutting gesture, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Mo Hua was startled.

What were these two black-robed men?

Were they killing a Grand Void Gate disciple, a noble scion, so casually?

Hao Xuan's pupils also contracted; he gathered his last breath and cried out:

"I am the direct heir of the Hao family of Qian Province—my parents are both late-stage Jin Dan, and we have a Laozu of the Void-Dwelling Realm…"

"I am a noble scion—your kind…"

One black-robed cultivator sneered:

"That's it? Who isn't…"

The other black-robed cultivator immediately slapped him, barking:

"Shut up!"

The first black-robed cultivator realized his mistake, clapped a hand over his face, turned pale, and dared not speak.

Hao Xuan understood at once—his eyes filled with terror, his face drained of all color.

They're going to silence him…

They…

Before he could think further, one of the black-robed cultivators had already raised his executioner's blade, its edge gleaming with cold white light.

At that moment, a sharp cry echoed from the cave entrance:

"Ah—!"

The cry sounded terrified.

Then someone ran off as fast as they could.

Footsteps faded into the distance.

Everyone inside the cave froze.

The raised blade halted.

The black-robed cultivator roared: "Someone's here?!"

"How were we discovered?"

"Did he hear everything we said?"

"He ran?!"

One black-robed cultivator snarled: "Damn it, go after him! Don't let a word leak!"

"Got it!"

The other black-robed cultivator immediately used his body technique and sprinted out of the cave.

But he hadn't chased far when—BOOM—a loud explosion rang outside, followed by a scream, then silence.

The black-robed cultivator left inside shrank his pupils.

"What happened?"

"What just occurred?"

He wanted to call out the other's name, but the words died on his tongue.

No leaks allowed.

No exposure of identity.

He could only wait patiently.

But long after, the outside remained utterly silent.

Deep night. The mountains and woods were soundless.

Only occasionally did the hoot of an owl send a chill through the heart.

The black-robed cultivator's brows trembled uncontrollably.

He felt a life-or-death crisis hovering above his head, forcing him to hold his breath.

He gripped his blade tightly, staring fixedly at the cave entrance, alert and never daring to look away.

Afraid that if he slipped for even a moment, someone would rush in and take his life.

But this standoff drained his spirit mercilessly.

In a moment of sudden clarity, the black-robed cultivator felt as if he were fighting against the entire deep night.

Danger lurked everywhere.

He could no longer bear it—he wanted to step outside and take a look.

The black-robed cultivator swallowed his saliva, struggled to move his feet, and slowly walked toward the cave's mouth.

Yet his gaze remained locked on the pitch-black night outside, unaware of his footing.

As he neared the cave entrance, a flash of golden light suddenly appeared.

Blood sprayed in all directions.

The black-robed cultivator's two legs were severed by the golden array's light, crisscrossed with deep cuts, tendons completely severed.

The black-robed cultivator's eyes widened in terror:

"Mid-level array?! When…?"

Before he could think further, pain exploded through him—he screamed, then his legs snapped, and his body collapsed helplessly to the ground.

Moments later, flames erupted.

Fireballs streaked through the night, relentless, pounding against his body.

The black-robed cultivator struggled desperately, but his flesh could not withstand the array's killing force, the continuous explosions of fireballs, or the searing burn of fire-elemental spiritual energy.

His wounds grew increasingly severe.

After an unknown length of time, under relentless assault, the black-robed cultivator's breath grew faint, then vanished entirely.

The black-robed cultivator died, reduced to a corpse.

The fireballs paused—for just a moment.

Then flames erupted again, continuing to bombard, reducing the black-robed cultivator's entire body to ashes…

A pitch-black night, a hidden cave.

After the unknown black-robed cultivator was killed, his corpse was still consumed by the explosions of fire.

Hao Xuan's face turned deathly pale.

Array kills, fireballs desecrate the corpse, hidden in shadows—cruel and ruthless!

Who on earth is this?

Too brutal…

Suddenly, the fireball technique ceased.

The cave fell silent.

Only then did Hao Xuan realize that he was the only living soul left in the cave.

Though he could not see it, the shadow across from him seemed to have glanced at him—and then slowly approached.

Hao Xuan's eyes filled with terror, his limbs turned icy, and he trembled uncontrollably.

"No… don't come near me…"

But the shadow drew ever closer.

The intangible pressure grew stronger and stronger.

Just as Hao Xuan was utterly terrified, his face drained of all color,

a low, dark shadow suddenly appeared before him.

Then the shadow solidified, a figure emerged, revealing a cute little face.

"Hao Xuan, I've come to save you!"

Mo Hua smiled with innocent purity.

Hao Xuan froze for a moment, then went utterly dumbfounded.

In that instant, he wondered if he were dreaming.

Everything felt unreal.

Whether the black-robed cultivators chasing him, or Mo Hua saving him…

It felt as if he would open his eyes, the sun would shine, and he'd be lying in his disciple quarters, then trudge unwillingly to class.

Hao Xuan closed his eyes, then opened them again.

Not a dream…

The night was still deep.

The chill of the mountains was still heavy.

Blood from his forehead dripped into his eyes, stinging his corners, his body covered in wounds, the chains binding him dug into his flesh.

The white, gleaming blade that had hovered above him moments ago was still vivid in his memory.

It had been true, hairbreadth life and death…

Hao Xuan stared at Mo Hua for a long time, then tears welled up suddenly.

"Mo Hua…"

He looked at Mo Hua as if seeing a blood relative…

Since childhood, he had never suffered such torment—he'd nearly lost his life…

……

Mo Hua unlocked Hao Xuan's chains and gave him pills to heal his wounds, stop the bleeding, and nourish his Qi.

His injuries gradually improved, and his breath slowly steadied.

Hao Xuan finally let out a long breath and sighed:

"I thought I was going to die here…"

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then suddenly asked curiously:

"Don't you have that talisman? The one that glows golden, for preserving your life…"

Hao Xuan froze. "The Life-Preserving Talisman?"

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded.

He had just heard Hao Xuan say he was a direct descendant of the Hao family, with a Void-Dwelling Laozu.

Hao Xuan shook his head, sighing:

"Such a precious talisman? I'm not worthy of it…"

"I do have a Void-Dwelling Laozu, but the Laozu has countless descendants—like me, a great-grandson or great-great-grandson…"

"Unless my spiritual roots stole the essence of heaven and earth, my bones shook the ancient and modern world… or unless my bloodline was unique—the sole heir of the Laozu's line, whose death would mean total extinction—then the Laozu would never waste his essence to plant a Life-Preserving Talisman for me…"

"Planting such a talisman drains the Daoist's fundamental source…"

"A Void-Dwelling Laozu can only plant one in his entire life…"

"So unless they are nearing death or have lost all hope of further cultivation, they would never willingly damage their own foundation and sever their own Dao path to plant such a heaven-defying Life-Preserving Talisman for their descendants…"

"The Life-'Preserving' Talisman—those two characters 'Preserving' truly mean another life…"

Upon hearing this, Mo Hua was stunned.

He knew the Life-Preserving Talisman was valuable, but he hadn't realized it was this valuable…

One Void-Dwelling fundamental source, one descendant's life.

Immediately, Mo Hua frowned, remembering his junior brother and junior sister…

Back outside Shancheng, my junior brother and junior sister shattered their Life-Preserving Talismans to save me—and to fight the Holy Son and his group of Jin Dan demonic cultivators…

Once the Life-Preserving Talisman shattered, what would become of them from now on…?

Wouldn't they have lost their life-saving talisman?

Such a precious talisman—planting one is already extravagant; no Void-Dwelling would likely plant a second for them…

Mo Hua sighed, his expression deeply worried.

"I wonder if my junior brother and junior sister will be alright…"

Hao Xuan thought Mo Hua was worried about him, and felt even more moved; he comforted Mo Hua:

"Don't worry—I'm fine."

Mo Hua: "Mm, good that you're fine…"

Hao Xuan thought for a moment, then turned serious and solemnly told Mo Hua:

"Mo Hua, you saved my life. From now on, you are my sworn senior brother!"

Mo Hua tried to comfort him:

"It's what I should have done—don't take it to heart…"

But Hao Xuan remained stubborn.

After a while, he suddenly remembered something and asked doubtfully:

"By the way, Mo… Senior Brother, did you kill those two black-cloaked cultivators?"

"When did you… become so powerful?"

"I thought you only knew arrays…"

Mo Hua blinked, and sighed:

"Actually, my cultivation is terrible—I couldn't have defeated them. I just set up an array in advance, caught them off-guard, and barely managed to eliminate them…"

Then Mo Hua showed a "frightened" expression: "Now that I think about it, I'm still a little scared…"

Hao Xuan nodded. "I see…"

But after nodding for a while, he suddenly froze, sensing something wrong:

"Wait—that guy was killed by a Fireball Spell, and after killing him, you still…"

…used a Fireball Spell to "whip the corpse"…

How brutal.

And the technique was practiced, calm, effortless—not at all like someone who got lucky…

Mo Hua froze, patted Hao Xuan's shoulder, and said solemnly:

"It's your imagination—you're injured, dazed, you misread it…"

"Both of them died from the array—nothing to do with me…"

Hao Xuan looked bewildered.

Did I… get dazed?

Seeing this, Mo Hua immediately changed the subject:

"These are minor things. By the way, why were you being chased by these two? Who are they?"

Hao Xuan's attention was indeed diverted; he thought for a moment, then suddenly realized:

"There are others!"

"What others?" Mo Hua blinked.

"The ones being chased!" Hao Xuan cried.

Mo Hua frowned. "What exactly happened?"

Hao Xuan then recounted the full story:

"The five of us, along with Cheng Mo and Sister Situ, had taken a bounty to carry out a mission in the nearby Xiancheng…"

"After completing the task, we were returning together when we passed through a desolate mountain and saw a group of suspicious cultivators, their faces covered, carrying sacks and pushing boxes, doing something strange…"

"We thought it suspicious, so we secretly followed them…"

"But not long after, they spotted us. When they saw us, their expressions changed instantly—they all drew their swords and blades and attacked us…"

"We fought for a while, but we were outnumbered and outmatched, so we scattered and fled…"

"Just before we ran, I caught a glimpse of what was inside their sacks and boxes…"

Hao Xuan paused, then spoke coldly: "All of them were people…"

People?

Mo Hua's expression froze, then as if recalling something, his gaze sharpened, revealing a glint of cold light.

Again… human traffickers…

(End of Chapter)