Chapter 676: Assistance

After a long time, Mo Hua exited the state of sudden enlightenment, his mind clear and lucid.

The three colors in his eyes faded; all insights quietly sank into his heart…

Do not regard the divine as "divine"…

Divine nature and human nature merge as one, tempering the Dao heart.

With this, Mo Hua had no more reservations and could officially begin his plan to "consume" the divine.

He could not afford to consume powerful evil deities, so he would start simply—first consume the "divine relics" left behind by preachers.

Mo Hua took out another sheet of paper and began arranging his plan.

He first envisioned the process in his mind:

To consume divine relics, one must first locate them, seize them, suppress them with spiritual intent, sterilize them with tribulation lightning, "consume" the divine marrow, then use the assimilation of "divine nature" to temper the Dao heart.

There are two problems here:

One is finding the divine relics; the other is seizing them.

Finding divine relics requires clues.

The most direct clues regarding the evil deity—the Lord of the Great Wasteland's preached "divine relics"—are these black-robed traffickers.

They wear black robes, conceal their faces, use standardized spiritual tools with no distinctive features, and secretly traffic cultivators.

Even after death, they destroy their corpses with demonic qi to prevent exposure.

This group is organized, disciplined, numerous, skilled, and discreet—certainly connected to the "evil deity."

Moreover, their leader bears a blood-red demonic eye implanted on his forehead.

That demonic eye is one of the "divine relics" of the Lord of the Great Wasteland.

Mo Hua killed the black-robed leader; his corpse turned to black water and was buried in a secluded valley outside Xiaoyun City.

But his face, Mo Hua had memorized.

Mo Hua decided that when he had time, he would begin his investigation from the identity of this "black-robed leader."

Besides that, traffickers themselves are another clue.

"Traffickers…"

Mo Hua frowned slightly.

Since arriving in Qianxue Prefecture, he had encountered many traffickers.

From the very beginning, when they kidnapped Yu'er and tried to abduct him as well…

To later encounters with the Bald Eagle and the group of criminal cultivators wanted by Dao Ting Si.

Even the demonic cultivators led by Huo Fotuo, who exterminated the Xie family, may well have engaged in "trafficking" cultivators…

Could all these people be connected to the "evil deity"…

But… what connection could there be?

The connections here are tangled, obscure, and likely missing some critical clues.

Mo Hua scratched his head; he could not yet figure it out, so he simply noted down the two clues—"traffickers" and "black-robed leader"—planning to "follow the vine to the melon" later, starting with these two points.

The matter of finding "divine relics" now had some direction; next came seizing the "divine relics."

That would be more troublesome.

Mo Hua pondered briefly…

Divine relics that preach must have followers, or lackeys, or "divine servants" possessed by the relics.

To seize the divine relics, one must first eliminate the humans who worship the evil deity and willingly serve as its lackeys, before even considering dealing with the "divine."

The "divine" part, by contrast, is easier.

As long as he targets one or two nearby first- or second-grade minor prefectures or minor Xiancheng, his opponents will generally be only first- or second-grade minor "divine relics."

If they dare enter his mind sea, they become "meat buns" with no chance of return.

With tribulation lightning at his disposal, even the evil deity's will lingering within the divine relics would not frighten Mo Hua.

Thus, at this stage, the most troublesome part is truly the "humans."

That is, followers or lackeys of the evil deity, similar to the black-robed traffickers.

Mo Hua realized that to deal with them, his current strength was clearly insufficient.

Late Foundation Establishment…

Mo Hua thought for a moment and decided to be conservative—below mid-Foundation Establishment.

One or two mid-Foundation Establishment or lower evil deity lackeys, Mo Hua could handle alone.

But if there were many, relying solely on himself would be extremely taxing.

Especially against mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators—he would have to deploy all his techniques, catch them off-guard, prevent them from learning his secrets beforehand, use deception, combine arrays and forbidden arts, add calculations, subtle schemes, layers of trickery, just to barely prevail.

It's exhausting… and extremely dangerous, with very low tolerance for error.

After all, his frail body—if he fails to plan thoroughly, if Zhou Mi makes even one oversight, he risks capsizing in a ditch and losing his life.

His previous battle with the mid-Foundation Establishment black-robed leader had taught him this well.

The most crucial point: his trump cards cannot be exposed often.

Concealment technique, array-drawing from the ground, minor meteor forbidden art…

These techniques work better the more hidden they are; once enemies know of them in advance and become wary, their effectiveness plummets.

For instance, if every enemy carries a "Sight-Through" spiritual mirror and constantly activates projection arrays…

Or refuses to walk on unclear paths, avoids night travel, avoids any path that might be arrayed, constantly watches his steps to avoid hidden arrays;

Or wears full armor, fully equipped, his Dao robe painted with a Water Armor spiritual array to resist Mo Hua's close-range meteor technique…

Or simply denies him any chance to get close…

Mo Hua's head ached just thinking about it.

I'm alone, with no clan backing, my physical body is weak, and my Qi is meager—my hard power is quite weak, and I'm still afraid of being schemed against or targeted.

I should expose my own methods as little as possible.

Mo Hua sank into silent thought.

"I need to find someone to help…"

With helpers, I can tag along.

Someone needs to stand at the front, facing the enemy head-on.

I just need to hide in the shadows, cast a few spells, provide some control, lend a hand—no need to reveal my full hand.

Even if discovered, I'm just a "little nobody," so I won't draw attention.

But now the problem is, he has no helpers left.

Originally, Elder Murong, Brother Feng, and others had deep cultivation, extraordinary Dao arts, and rich experience—they could have helped me.

But they're senior brothers and sisters, a year ahead, with their own matters to attend to; they won't necessarily stick around afterward.

That means I can only look among my own year's disciples.

The most suitable candidates are Cheng Mo and Sister Situ…

Mo Hua clicked his tongue.

Though it's not nice to say it, Cheng Mo and Sister Situ are both a bit… weak.

They've just entered the sect; though their foundations are solid, they're only at Foundation Establishment early stage;

Though their Dao arts are decent, they lack real combat experience;

Though their talent and comprehension are good, their experience dealing with heretical cultivators and demonic cultivators is nearly zero—they're still inexperienced;

Though they're taller than Mo Hua and a year or two older.

But in Mo Hua's eyes, they're still far too "green."

Dealing with heretical gods and heretical cultivators, one misstep could cost you your life.

Previously, Cheng Mo and the others were chased by black-robed cultivators and nearly didn't survive.

Later, in the abandoned armory, when they ambushed the black-robed leader, the bloodlight from the evil eye rendered them mentally deranged and immobile—they were barely clinging to life…

Mo Hua sighed.

Under these circumstances, even as their "little senior brother," he couldn't bear to drag them into danger.

Relying on Dao Ting Si won't work either.

He couldn't just go to Uncle Gu and say he wanted to "consume" a heretical god and ask him to send Dao Ting Si enforcers to capture the heretical god's followers…

Uncle Gu is a "array-blind," and doesn't cultivate spiritual awareness—he definitely wouldn't believe him.

Use "capturing human traffickers" as an excuse?

Mo Hua thought about it, then shook his head.

Dao Ting Si can handle human traffickers themselves—they won't bring him along.

Moreover, he's a sect disciple, must cultivate within Grand Void Gate, and can only leave during the ten-day breaks.

The timing doesn't match—Dao Ting Si's operations won't wait for him.

There might even be traitors inside Dao Ting Si.

After weighing everything, he still could only turn to Cheng Mo and the others…

They're all fellow disciples; class schedules and ten-day breaks align perfectly.

They call him "little senior brother," have treated him to chicken legs, and after the black-robed human trafficker incident, they've roughly shared life and death, fought side by side.

Though they're from noble families, they're young and passionate, with none of the spoiled aristocratic habits—they're actually quite easy to get along with…

Mo Hua sighed softly.

They're just too weak…

Their cultivation is insufficient, their experience shallow.

Mo Hua pondered a moment longer, then changed his mind:

"Experience is built up gradually; many things are 'first time awkward, second time familiar'—Cheng Mo and the others have decent talent; after experiencing some dangers, they'll naturally gain experience…"

"There's some risk, but with me along, it should be somewhat safer…"

"The biggest problem, though, is cultivation and strength…"

Mo Hua frowned, then suddenly froze, recalling four words out of nowhere.

"Auxiliary Destruction."

Mr. Zhuang's words surfaced again in Mo Hua's mind, word for word:

"Don't focus on Destruction; focus on Auxiliary Destruction…"

"Focusing on Destruction means competing with other prodigies."

"Auxiliary Destruction means helping prodigies compete."

"The stronger your Auxiliary Destruction skills, the less they dare offend you."

"Then, even without a clan, any clan can become your ally…"

"In the utilitarian, opportunistic world of cultivation, among countless prodigies with superior elemental roots, Dao arts, and techniques—you'll still have your place!"

Mo Hua's mind cleared suddenly; he recalled another phrase:

Water benefits all things without contending, therefore nothing under heaven can contend with it.

Auxiliary Destruction can enhance Cheng Mo and the others' strength, giving them enough ability to "work" for me—tracking heretical god followers, hunting heretical gods.

At the same time, even without relying on the title of "little senior brother," the path of Auxiliary Destruction can help me truly establish myself among fellow disciples, making others dare not underestimate me.

Because aiding others in Destruction, I don't seek the spotlight, won't incite jealousy from prodigies, won't become a thorn in the eyes of great clans.

They might even come to court me instead.

The most crucial thing is to stay hidden behind the scenes.

Mo Hua still remembered the words his master had spoken when teaching him to assist in killing and combat:

"The rafters that stick out rot first."

"You must not stick out, nor need you stick out."

"Learn to hide in the shadows, learn to leverage momentum, thrive among the great factions, navigate smoothly between them—only then can you truly endure, steadily advance your cultivation, comprehend arrays, and seek the true Dao…"

Assist in killing and combat, avoid the enemy's sharp edge, conceal yourself in darkness, learn to leverage momentum.

Mo Hua had not fully understood these words back then; now, standing within Qianxue Province, he felt them deeply.

Qianxue Province appeared calm on the surface, but beneath it, currents surged violently.

Sinful cultivators, evil cultivators, and demonic cultivators mingled together.

Human traffickers were like "cockroaches"—you thought they were gone, but then, before you knew it, a whole nest emerged.

Evil deities lurked, evil desires festered, and malevolent karmic threads spread…

He truly needed to bide his time and avoid drawing attention.

Mo Hua was slowly understanding.

"A tree that towers above the forest will be struck by the wind."

If so, then this small sapling of his must remain quietly hidden within the forest, never seeking the spotlight, lest he be shattered by the gale.

Grand Void Gate was the forest.

His fellow sect disciples were all trees.

The more outstanding and powerful they were, the better he could hide.

Then, using the vast forest and its dense trees as cover, he could absorb nourishment, grow silently, and ultimately, without notice, become a towering giant tree!

Mo Hua's eyes glinted faintly, and he sighed inwardly.

His master was truly brilliant!

Even events so far in the past had been planned by his master.

"Assist in killing and combat!"

Mo Hua had fixed his goal, and his thoughts gradually sharpened:

Using his own abilities, assist in killing and combat to enhance Cheng Mo's strength.

Then, with Cheng Mo's help, track down human traffickers, hunt divine relics, and devour divine marrow.

He would remain hidden, avoiding the spotlight entirely.

He would also devise ways to bury his own trump cards even deeper.

Afterward, he would rely solely on his "assistance" ability to get by within the sect!

Mo Hua nodded silently.

But this plan still had many details to consider carefully.

Especially hunting evil deities—such endeavors carried great danger; summoning Cheng Mo and the others now might be premature.

But assisting in killing and combat could be prioritized.

How exactly should one assist in killing and combat?

What methods existed? What limitations applied? How could one apply them in battle?

These required time and study.

…

In the days that followed, Mo Hua pondered "assistance."

No matter how he thought, it all revolved around "arrays" and "spells," with the application of arrays being the most critical.

But the application of arrays…

When Mo Hua used them himself, it was simple—he simply used his spiritual sense to guide ink and drew directly on the ground.

But using arrays to assist others involved array design, array medium refinement, and alignment with fellow disciples' elemental affinities, cultivation techniques, Dao methods, and combat habits.

Mo Hua had to clarify all this clearly before taking action.

For the next several days, whenever he had free time after class or during breaks, he pondered this problem.

One noon, Mo Hua was eating in the disciples' quarters, gnawing on a chicken leg while pondering arrays.

Suddenly, Cheng Mo sat down beside him, feigning sorrow with heavy sighs.

But after sighing for a long while, Mo Hua paid him no attention.

Cheng Mo stealthily offered Mo Hua a "chicken leg," then gazed at him with hopeful eyes.

Mo Hua took the chicken leg and nodded: "What is it? Speak."

Cheng Mo beamed with joy and exclaimed: "Mo Hua, merit points are too hard to earn."

"Mm." Mo Hua bit into the chicken leg.

"This entire month, I've earned only fifty merit points."

"Oh." Mo Hua's cheeks bulged as he chewed.

"Doing ordinary tasks barely earns any merit points…"

"I'm decent at drawing arrays…" Mo Hua said.

Cheng Mo's expression was complex—envious, with a touch of petty jealousy.

Though Mo Hua had little spirit stone, in terms of merit points, he was a genuine "little tycoon," far wealthier than them.

"I'm almost out of merit points…" Cheng Mo sighed helplessly.

"Oh…" Mo Hua chewed, unmoved, then suddenly froze, eyeing Cheng Mo warily:

"You're not asking to borrow my merit points, are you? I won't lend them to you…"

He had many arrays to learn, and his merit points weren't even enough for himself.

"It's not…" Cheng Mo said awkwardly.

"Then what do you want to do?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.

Cheng Mo whispered: "Mo Hua, do you know any quick way to earn merit points?"

"Arrays…"

"Arrays don't count."

Cheng Mo said firmly.

For him, an array idiot, to earn merit points by drawing arrays—wasn't that like asking a pig butcher to embroider? Pure torture…

Cheng Mo looked at Mo Hua with a hint of grievance.

Mo Hua sighed. "Then I can't help you…"

Cheng Mo shook his head, certain: "You definitely know a way."

Mo Hua frowned. "Why are you so sure?"

Cheng Mo whispered: "You're so smart, with Master Xun as your backer, with Gu Diansi as your uncle in Dao Ting Si, and you're so skilled at 'punishing evil and promoting good'—you must know some special routes."

Mo Hua corrected: "Master Xun isn't my backer."

Cheng Mo looked unconvinced.

Mo Hua, slightly exasperated, asked: "What kind of route are you looking for?"

Cheng Mo hesitated, then spoke like a thief:

"Are there still human traffickers being caught…?"

Mo Hua was surprised, but still shook his head: "Human traffickers aren't rats—you can't just catch them whenever you want…"

"Even once a month would be fine! Three hundred merit points!" Cheng Mo groaned.

He only got fifty a month now.

Mo Hua ate his chicken leg in silence.

"Any other criminal cultivators would do…" Cheng Mo sighed. "There are too many disciples taking missions now—good ones are all snatched up, and what's left barely gives any merit points."

"For high-reward missions, our experience is too shallow, our mission records too thin—others won't let us take them…"

"'We'?" Mo Hua raised an eyebrow. "Who else…?"

"Who else? Just Sister Situ and the others."

Cheng Mo sighed again. "At this rate, when will I ever save enough merit points to exchange for spiritual items for body tempering…?"

Cheng Mo began to play the victim in front of Mo Hua.

Mo Hua listened, his expression thoughtful.

He hadn't planned to bring Cheng Mo and the others into this so soon.

Directly targeting the demonic god was indeed too risky.

It was still too early for Cheng Mo and the others.

But now they can't earn merit points…

Mo Hua's thoughts stirred.

Maybe he should first take Cheng Mo and the others for a trial run?

Start simple—catch some criminal cultivators, train them a bit, then gradually escalate to hunting down the black-clad human traffickers, those lackeys of the demonic god?

Seeing Mo Hua blink repeatedly, as if deep in thought, Cheng Mo sensed a possible opening and his eyes lit up. He immediately offered another chicken leg, solemnly saying:

"Little Senior Brother, I'm counting on you…"

Mo Hua took the chicken leg, thought for a moment, sighed, and feigned reluctance:

"I'll think about it. If I find anything, I'll let you know."

Cheng Mo was overjoyed and hurried to thank him:

"Thank you, Little Senior Brother! From now on, you're my real brother!"

Mo Hua had been Cheng Mo's "real brother" many times before—he was no longer impressed.

Still, taking Cheng Mo and the others along to earn some merit points didn't seem problematic.

Assisting in combat didn't sound that simple either.

He could use them as "test subjects" to figure out exactly how to proceed.

Mo Hua gave a slight nod, gradually making up his mind.

…

On his day off, Mo Hua went to the Gu family again.

He wanted to ask Uncle Gu if he could arrange for missions to be issued through Dao Ting Si, so he could take them himself and catch criminal cultivators to earn merit points.

If Uncle Gu agreed, he'd have a complete "industrial chain" linking Dao Ting Si and Grand Void Gate.

Once the "industrial chain" was formed, he could find missions, issue missions, take missions, and complete them himself—earning merit points efficiently and effortlessly.

He wasn't short on merit points now, but only for now.

There would be many uses for merit points later—no one ever had too many.

Of course, this is on the premise that Uncle Gu agreed.

He hadn't been sure before, but after the Huo Fotuo incident, and given his current "relationship" with Uncle Gu, Mo Hua felt Uncle Gu might still agree.

Even if he refused, it was worth trying.

But when he arrived at the Gu residence and stepped through the gate, Mo Hua unexpectedly met a cultivator.

Broad-shouldered, dignified, with resolute eyes, slightly dark skin, muscles like iron blocks, condensed blood qi, and profound cultivation.

This man was Master Gu, the third-grade Jin Dan cultivator and armorer from Gu Family's Gushan Armory City.

(End of chapter)