Chapter 674: Divine Path Array

Oh no, I talked too much all of a sudden.

Mo Hua's eyes, innocent yet profound, glittered like stars and pierced like candlelight, fixed steadily on Huang Shanjun.

Huang Shanjun felt uneasy under that gaze.

"Cough, it's… it's just that I've lived… a little too long…"

Huang Shanjun quickly gathered his thoughts, "Divine lifespans are very long. This barren mountain is uninhabited, the temple ruined and remote—I, a minor mountain deity, dwell here undisturbed, so my wasted years have piled up."

"Later, alas… if I hadn't taken a wrong path and had my foundation severed by your sect's elders, I wouldn't have fallen so low…"

Huang Shanjun sighed, putting on an air of despair.

Mo Hua suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

Though he hadn't been the one to cut down Huang Shanjun, it had been an elder of his Grand Void Gate who had done it.

Severing Huang Shanjun's divine path foundation meant he had, to some degree, become entangled in that karmic debt.

Still, Mo Hua had to defend the reputation of his sect's elders, raising a finger to correct:

"You went down a crooked path—that's why your sword cultivator elders cut you down. It's not their fault."

"Yes, yes." Huang Shanjun nodded repeatedly, candidly admitting, "I was indeed in the wrong."

Mo Hua finally nodded in satisfaction.

Huang Shanjun quietly steered the topic away, calmly saying:

"What was it you wanted to ask again?"

Mo Hua was indeed distracted by Huang Shanjun's words and no longer dwelled on how long it had lived.

What was it he wanted to ask?

Mo Hua blinked, pondering inwardly.

He had many more things he wanted to ask—messy, scattered, some of which Huang Shanjun might not even know the answer to.

If so, he'd start with the most pressing issue.

"Suppose… I encounter a demon god…"

Huang Shanjun's hand trembled, he sucked in a sharp breath, his voice cracking, "You encountered a demon god?!"

Mo Hua emphasized, "I said 'suppose'!"

Huang Shanjun let out a long sigh of relief, "You little brat, don't scare me like that…"

Mo Hua was puzzled, "I just mentioned it offhand—is it really that frightening?"

Huang Shanjun shook his head, "You don't understand how terrifying a demon god truly is…"

"Ordinary demon gods are often bloody and grotesque, holding grudges to the extreme…"

"Some ancient demon gods are even more terrifying and inscrutable, their malevolent thoughts overwhelming—once they fix their gaze upon you, not even ordinary cultivators stand a chance, let alone proper deities—they rarely end well."

"If you truly encounter a demon god, run as far as you can."

"Once ensnared, becoming a pawn of the demon god, blood corruption is the least of it—your divine mind will be eroded, your Dao heart corrupted, turning you into the demon god's offering, puppet, or slave… that's when you become neither human nor ghost, unable to live, unable to die…"

Mo Hua silently sighed inwardly.

Words are one thing, but it's already too late…

Practicing the Great Expansion Scripture means you've boarded a pirate ship.

Even if the demon gods don't come for you, you'll probably have to go find them…

Without "consuming" them, how can you break through your bottleneck, how can you raise your cultivation, how can you break through the realm?

Huang Shanjun was about to say something when he suddenly froze, eyeing Mo Hua warily, "You didn't… really encounter a demon god, did you?"

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow, "If I had truly encountered a demon god, would I still be standing here in one piece?"

Huang Shanjun thought for a moment, then nodded:

"True…"

Even if this Xiaozu Sect brat was powerful, there was no way he could have escaped a demon god's grasp.

If his flesh hadn't been corrupted, he'd be lucky to have escaped "devoured alive"—how could he be chatting so calmly with me?

Huang Shanjun nodded silently, yet remained puzzled, "Why are you asking about demon gods?"

Mo Hua sighed, "The cultivation world is so perilous—I'm just a frail little cultivator, trembling with every step, walking on thin ice—I naturally need to know more…"

"Knowing more means less danger."

"Especially about something as 'terrifying' as demon gods—understanding them beforehand, knowing yourself and your enemy, means you'll be prepared if you ever meet one, and won't foolishly walk into Hukou and get 'eaten' by them…"

Huang Shanjun pondered for a moment, then believed Mo Hua's lie.

It found Mo Hua's words entirely reasonable.

Though as a mountain deity, its instinct told it that this child was an unknown great trouble.

But setting aside the trouble, it actually liked Mo Hua quite a bit.

His aura was pure, his appearance adorable.

After all these years, he was the only human child who had braved mountains and rivers to bring offerings for it to eat.

Though occasionally, his innocence carried a tinge of malice.

His purity held a hint of strangeness.

But for a cultivator, especially a child, to interact with a mountain deity like me—some extraordinary traits are only natural.

"Let's just form a good connection…"

Huang Shanjun took another bite of the chicken leg.

No idea how this chicken leg was cooked—it was truly delicious.

Having eaten his food, it couldn't keep secrets anymore, lest it appear petty in front of this child.

"Deities and mortals are distinct—these words, as a mountain deity, I shouldn't have told you…"

Huang Shanjun sighed and said, "But you child, you're a bit special. Being able to encounter me, a mountain god, now, it's not impossible that you'll run into an evil god in the future. For the sake of these offerings, I'll tell you about it…"

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he immediately scooted his bottom closer to Huang Shanjun.

Huang Shanjun coughed once, cleared his throat, and said slowly:

"The matter of evil gods is rather complicated, and it's a long story. You don't have the relevant knowledge, so I can only start from the very beginning…"

"A human's divine sense is graded."

"A god's divine will is different — it is both graded and ranked."

Mo Hua frowned, not quite understanding.

Huang Shanjun explained: "That is to say, the many gods of heaven and earth are divided into realms by grade, and into divine rank by rank."

"Take me, for example — I am a second-grade minor mountain god. 'Second grade' is the realm, and 'mountain god' is the divine rank, which can also be called divine step."

"Divine rank is determined by the god's own 'divine marrow'…"

Mo Hua's heart trembled.

Divine marrow?!

The very "divine marrow" that, after he killed the Ram-Horn Magistrate and the Jin Se evil eye and devoured them, caused his divine sense to undergo a further "qualitative change"!

Huang Shanjun said: "Divine marrow is the marrow of a god's origin, containing the god's primordial essence, the manifestation of the Dao-ization of divine will. The higher the grade of the divine marrow, the higher the god's divine rank."

"Manifested outwardly, it takes on the great-Dao hues of silver, pale gold, pure gold, jade-white, glass-color, and so on…"

So many kinds of divine marrow!

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but lick his lips.

Huang Shanjun, halfway through speaking, suddenly felt a jolt of alarm in his heart. He looked at Mo Hua with some shock but without understanding why, and the words that followed got stuck in his throat.

Mo Hua couldn't help but say:

"Mountain Lord, keep going — divine marrow…"

Huang Shanjun hesitated for a moment, feeling he should still follow a god's premonition and ought not say too much.

"Divine marrow is something gods use to advance their divine rank; it has nothing to do with you. As a human cultivator, it doesn't matter if you don't know…" Huang Shanjun said evasively.

Mo Hua was a little unhappy.

Huang Shanjun, afraid Mo Hua would press further, immediately skipped that point and said quickly:

"A god's realm, that is, grade, represents the 'quantity' of divine will manifested. A god's divine rank represents the nobility of the divine marrow, the height of the divine station — in other words, the distinction of the god's 'quality.'"

"A god's strength is determined both by realm and influenced by divine rank."

"A god's realm determines the ultimate extent to which the god's body can be externalized. The higher the grade, the stronger the god, and the more massive the divine body."

"But a god's realm is also greatly influenced by divine rank."

"For example, the lowest-tier spirits are wandering gods; a step higher would be mountain gods like me."

"A third-grade wandering god can suppress a second-grade wandering god, but a third-grade wandering god may not necessarily be able to suppress a second-grade mountain god."

"Because the realm is one notch higher, but the divine rank is one tier weaker. When truly contending for authority, either side could win…"

Mo Hua listened, found it all very unfamiliar, and asked in confusion:

"This seems quite different from a cultivator's realm…"

Huang Shanjun nodded and said: "That's natural — cultivators are humans, not gods."

"These things are secrets only gods know. Ordinary gods would not tell such things to human cultivators."

"Those lacking in divine will do not see gods."

"Sometimes two mountain gods contend for authority in the mountains, fighting to the death, with formless divine will surging. Passing cultivators, if their divine will is slight, might be like 'blind men' — seeing nothing, sensing nothing."

"Oh, oh…"

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, then personally poured Huang Shanjun a cup of wine to thank him for the grace of imparting the god's teachings.

Huang Shanjun drank the wine Mo Hua had poured for him and felt considerably more at ease in his heart.

Mo Hua asked again: "What about evil gods, then? What category does an evil god's divine rank fall into? When a god becomes an evil god, is its divine marrow polluted as well?"

Huang Shanjun looked solemn and said: "When a god falls and becomes an evil god, the divine rank does not change, but the divine marrow will be polluted…"

Mo Hua was stunned.

Polluted…

Then the two portions of divine marrow he had eaten from evil gods — one from the Ram-Horn Magistrate, one from the Jin Se evil eye — hadn't they both been polluted?

Had he already been polluted?

Mo Hua was startled in his heart and hurriedly asked:

"After being polluted, what does the divine marrow look like?"

Huang Shanjun's expression was stern: "After pollution, the fallen evil god's evil thoughts will, like a venom, lodge deep within the divine marrow and merge with it as one. So long as the divine marrow lives, the evil thoughts do not fade…"

"Evil god's evil thoughts?"

Mo Hua was taken aback.

He recalled that day, when the Jin Se evil eye had been obliterated by tribulation lightning, there had been a phantom like a great golden-horned demon among them, which had been erased along with it.

Could that phantom have been the fallen evil god's evil thoughts, fused within the divine marrow?

Mo Hua slowly let out a breath of relief.

Good thing he was clever and had long felt that something was off about that golden "big eyeball," suspecting it might harbor hidden malice, so he had used tribulation lightning in advance to "detoxify" it.

Otherwise, he would have unknowingly "eaten" the evil god's divine marrow.

By now his brain might already be ruined.

Once the Dao heart was polluted and the divine sense devoured, the consciousness sea would become a breeding ground for evil thoughts.

Sooner or later, he would have become a thorough and complete little evil god himself.

The worst part was, this kind of danger was impossible to guard against.

Without any divine tradition to draw upon, they were utterly clueless about matters of the gods—even if they wished to guard against demonic deities, they had no idea where to begin.

"That was close…"

Mo Hua, still shaken, nodded silently. "Demonic deities are truly terrifying!"

He had almost "eaten" an unsanitized eyeball of a demonic deity.

Huang Shanjun saw Mo Hua's fearful expression—clearly triggered by his own words—and nodded, sensing that Mo Hua now feared demonic deities.

It's good to know fear…

Mo Hua turned and asked: "Then how do I deal with demonic deities?"

Huang Shanjun blinked. "Deal with?"

"No," Mo Hua corrected, "... guard against!"

"Oh." Huang Shanjun finally nodded solemnly. "To guard against demonic deities, you must first understand how they spread their doctrines."

"Demonic deities spread their doctrines similarly to ordinary gods, but their methods are bloody and grotesque."

"Demonic deities fragment their preaching."

"Since even gods are bound by the Dao's limits, a great demonic deity often splits its divine body into numerous first-grade, second-grade, or third-grade 'divine relics,' scattering them across the low-grade prefectures of the Nine Provinces to maximize the spread of heresy, feeding on human corruption and desire to replenish itself…"

"Divine idols that spread doctrine, parasitic flesh, nurturing desire, devouring hearts…"

"Demonic deities also require 'sacrificial offerings'—human flesh and spiritual consciousness as offerings."

"Especially twisted desires rooted deep in the human heart, karmic filth, bloody and fanatical faith—these are exquisite offerings to demonic deities…"

Huang Shanjun paused, then summarized:

"So if you ever encounter strange divine idols, heretical cultivators, demonic altars, flesh offerings, or twisted karmic sins—you can be certain they're tied to demonic deities."

"... Don't hesitate. Run as far as you can."

"Mm-hmm!" Mo Hua nodded vigorously, then blinked and asked humbly, "What if I can't run away?"

Huang Shanjun shook his head. "Then I can't help you."

"You're a mountain deity—you can't help either?"

Huang Shanjun looked slightly aggrieved:

"How does a mountain deity fight a demonic deity…?"

Forget demonic deities—I probably couldn't even defeat you, a mere cultivator brat…

Huang Shanjun silently grumbled in his heart.

"Is there truly no way at all?" Mo Hua asked again.

Huang Shanjun glanced at Mo Hua, thought for a moment, then spoke slowly:

"If you're lucky enough in the future to learn an array that can suppress gods, perhaps you might stand a chance…"

Mo Hua froze, then his spirits soared—his eyes gleamed brightly.

"An array that suppresses gods?!"

"Mm…" Huang Shanjun nodded, then suddenly grew wary. "Don't you dare use it against me…"

"Relax—you're not a demonic deity!" Mo Hua reassured him. "Besides, we're kind of good friends now."

Although Huang Shanjun didn't fully agree with the phrase "good friends," he dared not object.

A friend is better than an enemy.

"How is an array that suppresses gods different from ordinary arrays?" Mo Hua pressed eagerly.

He never imagined that asking about gods would lead him to uncover new secrets about arrays from Huang Shanjun.

Huang Shanjun nodded. "Naturally…"

It sighed, gazing upward through the temple's broken roof, and mused:

"Heaven and earth hold the Great Dao; the Great Dao manifests as myriad forms; all are methods."

"Arrays are one of these myriad manifestations of the Dao, yet closer to its origin than other methods."

"The Dao has countless forms; thus arrays too are countless, with countless categories and divergent rules."

Huang Shanjun looked at Mo Hua. "The arrays humans commonly use mostly rely on the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams—yet their root lies in consuming spiritual consciousness, comprehending the Dao, applying its principles, and manifesting them through the natural spiritual forces of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams…"

"Arrays contain both spiritual consciousness and the spiritual forces of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams."

"Different arrays emphasize either natural spiritual force or spiritual consciousness differently."

"To fight humans, natural spiritual force is primary."

"But to fight gods…"

Huang Shanjun paused, correcting himself: "To fight 'demonic deities'…"

It emphasized the words "demonic deities" heavily—clearly meaning: I am not one, so don't target me.

Mo Hua nodded, understanding perfectly.

Huang Shanjun continued: "To fight demonic deities, you must emphasize the 'spiritual consciousness' within arrays."

"The Dao's principles: the tangible harms the tangible; the intangible harms the intangible."

"Physical energy and spiritual force are 'tangible.'"

"Blood qi becomes strength; spiritual force becomes spells—they can harm the 'tangible' body, meridians, and dantian."

"Spiritual consciousness is 'intangible.'"

"The true form of a god is a certain kind of spiritual consciousness condensed from all living things. Unless you know the god's true idol, you must use spiritual consciousness to harm the 'intangible' god."

"Thus, in ancient times, some great cultivators, to suppress demonic deities, extracted from the Dao's principles a portion of arrays capable of maximizing spiritual consciousness."

"These arrays emphasize the 'intangible' spiritual consciousness and de-emphasize 'tangible' power. They strongly suppress gods and spirits, but have weak effects against ordinary cultivators."

"Ancient cultivators collectively called these arrays…"

Huang Shanjun's gaze sharpened, filled with profound reverence.

"Divine Dao array formation!"

Divine Dao array formation...

Mo Hua's heart jolted, and he couldn't help but hold his breath.

Just hearing that name, it sounds both cool and powerful!

I want to learn it!

Mo Hua's eyes sparkled, and he couldn't help but ask:

"How does one learn the Divine Dao array formation…"

Huang Shanjun shook his head. "I'm just a minor mountain god—neither human nor array master—how would I know…"

"Besides, the cultivation world has stretched on for so many years. Most of the array formations created by those ancient cultivators have already been lost. Even if you wanted to find them, it wouldn't be easy."

"And even if you found one, it would be very hard to learn."

"If it's sealed away within some major cultivation faction, treated as a 'taboo,' there's even less chance they'd let you learn it."

Mo Hua was a little disappointed. "Something this important shouldn't be passed down through the generations and carried forward?"

Huang Shanjun said meaningfully, "In the primordial age, the human race was weak. The ones who killed the most were yao, heavenly demons, and evil gods."

"Later, when the human race grew strong, the ones who killed the most were humans themselves."

"How could an array formation that restrains the gods compare in importance to one that 'kills people'?"

Mo Hua was stunned, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.

"Besides…"

Huang Shanjun's long brows lifted slightly, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes:

"Since it's a 'Divine Dao' array formation—one that can unleash the ultimate power of divine sense—how could an ordinary cultivator simply learn it if they wish, master it if they wish, or pass it on if they wish?"

"The heavens and the gods, their overwhelming might—how could that be so easy to restrain?"

"If someone with weak divine sense truly overestimates themselves, dares to trespass against taboos, and blasphemes the gods, they will surely die without a burial place!"

Mo Hua's heart chilled, then he glanced at Huang Shanjun in confusion.

Huang Shanjun, flustered by Mo Hua's innocent gaze, immediately tucked away his "proud" expression and said gently and modestly:

"Of course, this is all just hearsay. I'm just a small, fallen mountain god—I don't know much either…"

Mo Hua looked at Huang Shanjun with deep, profound eyes.

Huang Shanjun kept a smile on his face, but inside he was panicking like mad.

Fortunately, Mo Hua didn't press further and instead asked another question:

"If the 'Divine Dao' array formation can restrain gods, then what's the story with 'Divine Sense Sword'?"

"Does 'Divine Sense Sword' also contain array formations within it?"

Huang Shanjun breathed a sigh of relief and explained:

"That's another matter entirely."

"Another matter?"

"Mm." Huang Shanjun nodded. "Not every cultivator in this world learns array formations."

"Those who can't learn array formations, yet still need to slay evil gods or other powerful evil spirits, can only 'find another path.'"

"Divine Sense Sword is exactly that."

"If you don't know array formations and your divine sense isn't strong enough, you use the sword in place of an array—fuse sword Qi into divine sense, transform it into sword intent, and form a powerful divine sense killing force."

Huang Shanjun sighed with emotion. "Though humans are weak, their wits are truly extraordinary."

"Then," Mo Hua asked again, "is there any difference between Divine Sense Sword and Divine Dao array formation?"

Huang Shanjun pondered for a moment, then nodded:

"Divine Dao array formation is meant to restrain and suppress—it can be considered a kind of 'seal.'"

"Whereas Divine Sense Sword is pure slaughter."

Mo Hua asked in confusion, "Then by that logic, isn't 'Divine Dao array formation' actually not as formidable as 'Divine Sense Sword'?"

Huang Shanjun said, a little helplessly:

"How can you compare the two? Those who know array formations will definitely prioritize learning 'Divine Dao array formation.' Only those who don't know array formations but know sword arts will learn 'Divine Sense Sword.'"

"The two are completely different—one is 'seal,' the other is 'kill'…"

"A human's divine sense is inherently weak; it cannot be mentioned in the same breath as a god's divine sense."

"So if you truly want to slay an evil god, a human's divine sense realm must be far higher than the god's realm, and even then it's most likely a case of hurting the enemy a thousand while damaging yourself eight hundred—even victory would be a bitter one."

"If you happen to lose, the result is the annihilation of both spirit and Dao."

"Divine Sense Sword is already hard to learn. Clashing head-on with evil gods like this—who knows how many will die."

"Divine Dao array formation is different. Though it can't kill evil gods or some powerful evil spirits, using the array, carefully setting an ambush, successfully suppressing the evil god or evil spirit, and keeping the peace of a region—to a certain extent, it can 'use the weak to overcome the strong.'"

Mo Hua suddenly understood, then asked, "Do gods use array formations?"

This was a question he had wanted to ask for a long time.

Back then, in the sea of consciousness, he had been fighting that big golden eyeball.

At first, that big eyeball couldn't even tell whether he was human or god.

Later, the moment he used an array formation, that big eyeball instantly became certain that he wasn't a "god."

Mo Hua guessed that perhaps the gods of this world couldn't use array formations?

Sure enough, Huang Shanjun said, "Gods can't use array formations."

"Why?" Mo Hua was very curious.

Huang Shanjun said, "Gods are uniquely favored by heaven, born embracing the great Dao of heaven and earth, and inherently contain some special primordial sources of the great Dao."

"And array formations are likewise the manifestation of the great Dao's laws."

"A formation that encompasses countless Dao principles, if its laws share the same origin as the gods, then the gods are born with them—no need to learn, nor to rely on formations to use them."

"If they do not share the same origin, then the formation opposes the god's own Dao; the god cannot learn it, nor use it."

"The power of the gods lies in the 'purity' of their Dao."

"The stronger a god becomes, the deeper its own Dao's origin; yet at the same time, it grows more incompatible with other laws, unable to comprehend other Dao principles."

"Humans are different: their innate Dao is weak, so they can continuously learn, comprehend formations, borrow formations to activate countless Dao laws, and control the forces of heaven and earth."

Mo Hua understood.

In short, gods are born with it, so they need not learn.

Cultivators are born deficient, which is why they must comprehend formations.

One could also say it this way…

Gods are favored by heaven, born inheriting a portion of the Dao's origin, hence unable to learn other laws.

Cultivators are born with nothing, unloved by the Dao, yet can, through learning, master countless formations and comprehend the myriad Dao principles of the heavens.

It is like…

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly brightened:

"Being is used for advantage; non-being is used for function?"

Huang Shanjun's pupils shrank sharply, nearly speechless; after a long while, it regained composure and murmured:

"That is the truth…"

Yet its gaze toward Mo Hua held a subtle, almost incredulous wonder.

(End of Chapter)