Chapter 692: Crisis

But there was one other thing that troubled Mo Hua deeply.

According to the old fisherman of the village, years ago, a cultivator with long eyebrows and a sword on his back had entered the blood mist alone—and returned unharmed, leaving behind warnings about the blood mist and the blood fish.

Who was this cultivator?

Mo Hua frowned in thought.

"He could see through the blood mist, meaning his spiritual sense was extremely strong; to return safely from a small fishing village under the shadow of a demonic god, he must have possessed a technique of spiritual mind attack or spiritual mind defense."

Carrying a sword…

Could he possibly be a swordsman skilled in "Spiritual Mind Turned Sword"?

Spiritual Mind Turned Sword…

Could he be one of my Grand Void Gate's elder predecessors?

Mo Hua muttered to himself.

After descending through the well's bottom into the vanished village, I must pay close attention—look for any traces left by this elder.

Since this elder entered the demonic god's territory, he must have been attacked by the demonic god's minions, and possibly even faced the demonic god directly.

If so, he must have left behind some traces of spiritual mind attack.

But I don't know if, after hundreds of years, these traces have faded away…

"I should go in and take a look first…"

Since I've decided to descend the well, I must prepare properly.

Mo Hua began analyzing the dangers within the blood-colored dry well one by one.

The formation at the well's mouth—I've already mastered it; entering won't be a problem.

Earlier, I also sent Little Tiger to scout a short stretch of the path.

I know this is a dry well, with a passage that extends straight ahead, but after walking some distance, water will appear ahead.

The water hides deadly traps—Little Tiger was shattered to pieces.

It might be a trap mechanism, but the most likely possibility is a water-dwelling demonic beast.

This demonic beast is probably meant to guard the entrance.

What lies beyond that, Mo Hua still doesn't know.

But it's highly likely to be the fishing village that vanished after being corrupted by the demonic god.

What exactly happened in this village before it vanished centuries ago, after offering sacrifices to the demonic god?

What remains in the village now?

Is that river god who accepted the sacrifice itself a demonic god—or a deity corrupted and utterly fallen by the Great Wasteland's demonic god?

And the River Dragon…

Could he have allies lying in wait within the village?

Mo Hua sighed, feeling this was extremely troublesome.

This is something he couldn't possibly handle alone—he absolutely needed help.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then sent a message to Gu Changhuai:

"Uncle Gu, I've found the entrance to the human traffickers' stronghold…"

Gu Changhuai: "Wait a moment—I'm coming right over."

Mo Hua quickly replied: "No need."

The other side is a demonic god; if Uncle Gu comes, he'll be in grave danger.

This fishing village lies within a second-grade prefecture—if Uncle Gu gets corrupted by the demonic god, goes mad, and accidentally unleashes his Jin Dan power, violating the taboo and drawing the heavenly tribulation's wrath, he'll be erased.

Even if he escapes the heavenly tribulation, if he turns and kills me, I'm finished.

Mo Hua felt this was highly probable, so he said:

"Uncle Gu, please don't come under any circumstances!"

Otherwise, I can't protect you.

Gu Changhuai frowned. "Are you hiding something from me?"

There is something I'm hiding—but even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it…

Mo Hua muttered to himself, then said: "No."

After a moment's hesitation, Gu Changhuai said:

"Then I'll send Gu An and Gu Quan—they're both at the late Foundation Establishment stage, strong enough, and from the Gu family, so I trust them."

"Besides them, use the Gu family's secret command to mobilize additional personnel, just in case."

"In a second-grade prefecture, this should be sufficient; if anything unexpected happens, let me know again, and I'll find another solution…"

…

Mo Hua nodded.

Uncle Gu is still very reliable.

"Mm-hmm," Mo Hua said.

Having Gu An and Gu Quan accompany me into the well's depths is perfect.

Other Gu family members waiting outside will give me peace of mind.

But this still isn't enough…

Mo Hua added: "Uncle Gu, do you have any spiritual artifacts that calm the mind and soothe the spirit—or treasures that protect the soul and stabilize the spiritual sense?"

Gu Changhuai frowned. "Why do you need these?"

Mo Hua gave an excuse:

"I'm afraid the River Dragon, like Huo Fotuo, has cultivated demonic demonic qi that can terrify the spiritual sense and shake the heart—so I want to prepare in advance, just in case."

Gu Changhuai paused, finding it reasonable.

This child Mo Hua—foreseeing trouble, his thoughts are truly meticulous…

"There should be similar spiritual artifacts in the Gu family's storage; I'll have Gu An and Gu Quan fetch a few on my behalf and send them to you…"

Gu Changhuai said bluntly.

"Thank you, Uncle Gu."

Mo Hua silently exhaled.

Mo Hua wasn't sure whether these spiritual artifacts for calming the mind and protecting the spirit would work against the evil god, but he had to try.

"There's one more thing…" Mo Hua said, "Uncle Gu, could you help me request two more days off?"

Gu Changhuai fell silent.

Mo Hua said: "The River Dragon is hiding deep—within one day, I fear I won't catch them."

Gu Changhuai sighed. "Fine. I'll also request leave for you on behalf of Dao Ting Si…"

"But whether Grand Void Gate approves, I can't guarantee."

"Last time I requested leave for you, the elders of Grand Void Gate weren't pleased. If I ask again, they'll likely be even less accommodating…"

Mo Hua also sighed.

There was no choice.

The well's bottom had to be entered, and leave had to be requested.

Hopefully, Master Xun will cover for me—I'll go apologize to him afterward.

"Just try requesting it."

"Mm."

Afterward, the two went their separate ways.

Mo Hua used the Gu family's secret order to summon personnel from the nearby Dao Ting Si.

Gu Changhuai arranged for Gu An and Gu Quan to support Mo Hua, while drafting a letter on behalf of Dao Ting Si, stamping it with his own Gu Diansi seal, and sending it through Dao Ting Si's channels to Grand Void Gate.

It was a leave request letter.

Gu Changhuai had also devised a "legitimate" excuse.

The gist was: Dao Ting Si had urgent duties requiring the Foundation Establishment-level disciple Mo Hua from Grand Void Gate to draw several arrays, needing two days' leave.

Due to urgency, please grant approval.

This letter reached Senior Elder Song Yiyi, who oversaw disciple attendance.

Senior Elder Song Yiyi's face immediately darkened.

Again, that little Mo Hua!

Unthinkable.

Grand Void Gate, one of the Eight Great Sects of Qian Xue Prefecture, is not so easily entered.

Yet this child keeps running outside, constantly requesting leave.

He doesn't even request leave himself—he has Dao Ting Si do it for him. What an air of superiority.

Senior Elder Song Yiyi immediately wanted to reject it.

But after thinking, he hesitated.

He tucked the letter away and personally delivered it to Master Xun.

But upon meeting Master Xun, Senior Elder Song Yiyi instantly lost his nerve, speaking only softly:

"Master, you see this child… he's requested leave again…"

Master Xun sat at his desk, fiddling with something, his expression grave, brows deeply furrowed, an faint aura of authority subtly radiating from him.

Thus, Senior Elder Song Yiyi spoke with great caution.

Master Xun uttered an "Mm," not even looking up.

Senior Elder Song Yiyi dared not repeat the same words; he lowered his head and waited quietly.

After a while, Master Xun let out a faint sigh, raised his head, retracted his aura, and became once more the white-haired, aged elder.

"What did you say?"

"Oh," Senior Elder Song Yiyi finally breathed deeply, whispering, "That… child Mo Hua… he's requested leave again…"

"For what reason?"

"He says Dao Ting Si has urgent duties and needs his help."

"How many days?"

Senior Elder Song Yiyi frowned. "Two days…"

Master Xun said casually, "Two days? Let him take it. What's the big deal? It won't hinder much cultivation…"

Is this about hindering cultivation…

Senior Elder Song Yiyi inwardly grumbled but dared not speak plainly, so he said delicately: "It might violate sect rules and set a bad precedent…"

Master Xun raised an eyebrow. "What rule?"

"The… sect…"

Senior Elder Song Yiyi glanced at Master Xun and couldn't continue, helplessly saying:

"He keeps doing this—it's not sustainable. The other disciples will gossip."

Master Xun's face hardened. "Gossip about what? If other disciples have the ability, let Dao Ting Si beg them for help and request leave for them—I'll approve any number of days."

"Do they have such ability?"

"Array arts aren't just about you drawing them well—you must use them, and others must know you can."

"Bottling yourself up in the sect, studying and training blindly without applying your skills—that's the real problem."

Elder Song was rendered speechless.

Seeing this, Old Mr. Xun softened his tone and said gently:

"Besides, this is also a good thing…"

Elder Song was slightly taken aback.

Old Mr. Xun went on: "Dao Ting Si has asked Mo Hua for help. Mo Hua is a disciple of my Grand Void Gate. In other words, Dao Ting Si is asking my Grand Void Gate for help."

"Why ask my Grand Void Gate for help, and not the Sida Sect, not Tai'a Gate, Chongxu Gate, or any of the other eight major gates and twelve stream sects?"

"This naturally shows that our Grand Void Gate teaches well, and its disciples have real ability."

"Tell me — is this not a good thing for my Grand Void Gate?"

Elder Song was stunned for a moment, and for the time being found himself unable to retort.

He thought it over carefully once more, and actually felt that, indeed, this seemed to be the case…

Apart from Mo Hua, he had never seen Dao Ting Si willing to send a letter requesting "leave" into a sect for any disciple.

Wasn't this precisely proof that my Grand Void Gate's disciples had great ability, and that Grand Void Gate taught well!

For a moment, Elder Song felt as though the honor were partly his own…

Old Mr. Xun glanced at Elder Song lightly. "Understood?"

Elder Song nodded without thinking.

Old Mr. Xun then concluded: "Then that's settled. Leave the letter here. I still have matters to attend to."

Hearing this, Elder Song immediately cupped his hands and said respectfully:

"Then I shall not disturb you further, Mr. Xun."

Having said that, Elder Song left the letter behind, took his leave, and departed.

After Elder Song left, Old Mr. Xun continued to bury his head in studying an object on the table.

It was a compass.

Round as heaven, square as earth, with meridians crossing one another; above it were the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the fate-calculations of every direction — profound and complex.

Old Mr. Xun stared at the compass, concentrating as he divined, but his brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and his expression grew ever more solemn.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh and said helplessly:

"My Grand Void Gate's divination methods… truly do not work…"

"I cannot calculate it…"

In Old Mr. Xun's clouded eyes, a flash of sharpness appeared.

These past days, he had always felt a vague unease, as though Grand Void Gate, because of certain matters, had been targeted by some terrifying existence.

This matter was no trivial thing — it concerned the fate of the entire sect.

But no matter how he thought, no matter how he ceaselessly schemed and divined again and again, he could not part the fog, nor glimpse the truth within.

In a daze, all he could see was Grand Void Gate seemingly bound layer upon layer by chains of purple, rotting karma.

A pair of blood-red, terrifying eyes watched Grand Void Gate with predatory intent.

This crisis lurked in the shadows.

There must be someone, targeting Grand Void Gate, pushing forward some sinister plot.

Yet on the surface, nothing at all had happened.

Old Mr. Xun frowned, and suddenly recalled his senior brother's words, a sigh rising in his heart.

His senior brother had been right — if this were Grand Void Gate in its former glory, why would it need to worry about such demons and monsters? Even if a hundred evils lurked in the workings of fate, a thousand dangers wove through karma, and ten thousand wicked thoughts arose, all could be cut down with a single sword!

But…

Old Mr. Xun's eyes dimmed.

Now, the divine swords were all sealed away, sword arts were all forbidden techniques — no one could cultivate them, no one dared to, and no one practiced them anymore.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to force himself, against his will, to study these clumsy arts of fate-divination…

Old Mr. Xun felt weary in both body and mind.

He gazed at the compass a while longer, and before long felt his divine sense withering and his sea of consciousness pricked with pain.

Old Mr. Xun rubbed the space between his brows, then closed the compass on the table and rested his eyes.

After a moment, he opened his eyes again, intending to continue his divination, but happened to notice the letter on the table.

It bore Gu Changhuai's seal.

"The Gu family…"

Old Mr. Xun gave a slight nod.

It seemed Mo Hua, this child, really did have quite a good relationship with the Gu family.

The moment he thought of Mo Hua, Old Mr. Xun's mood eased of its own accord, and his divine sense no longer felt so parched.

This child's talent for cultivating the Dao was, admittedly, a bit lacking.

But his talent for divine sense could be called peerless.

Now, at only the early stage of Foundation Establishment, his divine sense had already reached the absurd realm of sixteen-pattern divine sense — truly beyond comprehension.

One could say my Grand Void Gate had picked up a treasure.

As for seventeen patterns…

Old Mr. Xun pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

The barrier of the final mid-realm within Foundation Establishment was far too thick; it could not be broken in a day.

He estimated it would take reaching mid Foundation Establishment, or even late Foundation Establishment, and borrowing the boost of a higher realm, to push through in one stroke — shattering the barrier of the sea of consciousness and breaking through the bottleneck of divine sense.

It cannot be rushed…

During this period, he must settle down, learn more array formations, and make his foundations even more solid.

Master Xun paused slightly, then realized he hadn't paid attention to Mo Hua in many days.

But this child has a righteous nature, excellent talent, and works hard—he's very easy to manage, requiring no reminders.

Not only that, he even taught some of the array lessons in my place.

Master Xun felt deeply satisfied.

He prepared to resume his calculations of the compass, but as soon as his spiritual sense stirred, he sensed something was wrong.

Mo Hua's figure was blurred, indistinct, bustling about, yet it didn't seem he was drawing arrays.

Master Xun froze, a faint chill sinking into his heart.

What exactly is Mo Hua doing?

Aside from drawing arrays, what else could he possibly do?

Aside from drawing arrays…

Master Xun thought for a moment: Mo Hua's physical body is weak, his spiritual energy low—a frail little boy. What could he possibly do?

Master Xun frowned, a faint unease stirring in his heart.

…

On the other side, in the small fishing village.

Gu An and Gu Quan had arrived at the small fishing village on Gu Changhuai's orders, bringing several spiritual artifacts for spirit protection.

A Qingxin Mirror.

An Anshen Jade.

And a Bixie Hairpin.

These three spiritual artifacts were treasured possessions of the Gu family; though only second-rank, their effects were unique and their materials rare, making them exceedingly precious.

Mo Hua didn't know if they'd help, but he could only try—like treating a dead horse as if it were still alive.

In addition, using the Gu family's secret decree, Mo Hua summoned over twenty Gu family cultivators at Foundation Establishment.

The risks at the bottom of the well were unknown; not everyone could descend, and the spirit-calming artifacts were limited.

Mo Hua planned to descend first with Gu An and Gu Quan, both late Foundation Establishment cultivators, carrying the Qingxin and Anshen artifacts, to scout the path and assess the situation before deciding his next move.

This was, for now, the safest course.

Afterwards, Mo Hua had Gu An and Gu Quan, in their capacity as Dao Ting Si, order all fishing cultivators in the small fishing village to return home and stay indoors.

He ordered the other Gu family cultivators to tightly guard the village.

Before departure, one fishing cultivator approached Mo Hua.

He was the eldest son of Old Yu Tou, and the father of Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi—Mo Hua remembered his name: "Yu Dahe."

Without a word, Yu Dahe knelt down, his expression resolute as he pleaded:

"Young Master, I want to go too!"

Mo Hua helped him up and shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous."

Yu Dahe remained kneeling, his eyes slightly red. "Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi are my own sons…"

Mo Hua sighed, pondered long, then finally said: "Alright."

Yu Dahe's face lit up with gratitude.

Mo Hua's thoughts shifted slightly.

Their destination was the fishing village polluted by the demonic god.

He was not a fishing cultivator and didn't understand many things about fishing cultivators; bringing Yu Dahe along would surely help.

Moreover, they were saving his two sons.

If those two children couldn't be saved, Yu Dahe, as a father, would endure double the grief of losing them—it was better to let him fight for them.

Afterwards, Mo Hua brought Gu An, Gu Quan, and Yu Dahe to the well behind the small fishing village.

Gu An had observed the entire journey and couldn't help asking:

"Young Master, could the Guojianglong be hiding in this well?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Gu An and Gu Quan exchanged glances.

Yu Dahe whispered weakly: "This is our village's drinking well—how could anyone hide inside?"

"Just watch…"

Mo Hua spoke, then took out brush and ink and began drawing an array around the well.

When the array was complete, the runes glowed—the well trembled violently, then, as it had that night, revealed its true form.

It was a dry well—the true entrance to the demonic god.

At the same time, crimson blood mist surged forth.

But only Mo Hua could see this blood mist.

Gu An, Gu Quan, and Yu Dahe were stunned—they hadn't expected the secret to truly lie within the well.

Yet they saw no crimson in the mist; they only felt the fog thicker, their bodies colder, and though it was daytime, an unnatural chill hung in the air.

Mo Hua was about to descend when he suddenly remembered something.

He recalled that night, when the Guojianglong leapt into the well, it carried a fish basket with several large dead fish.

Those dead fish had huge heads and mottled patterns, looking rather ugly.

Mo Hua didn't understand.

Why had the Guojianglong brought those dead fish?

He thought for a moment: if the Guojianglong brought them, then he should bring some too.

When you don't know something, learning from others is always safe.

Mo Hua took out paper and ink and drew the appearance of the dead fish, then asked Yu Dahe, "What kind of fish is this?"

Yu Dahe frowned, stared for a long while, then remembered, "It should be Dead Spot Fish."

"Dead Spot Fish?" Mo Hua paused slightly, asked no further, and said directly, "Can you get some?"

"I can!" Yu Dahe said firmly.

Without another word, he ran to the front village. After about an incense stick's time, Yu Dahe returned, holding three large dead fish — three gray, ugly "Dead Spot Fish."

They looked as if borrowed from one of the village households.

Mo Hua nodded.

Now fully prepared, they could descend into the well.

Before descending, Mo Hua paused in thought, then reiterated his warning:

"I'll say this upfront — the well is extremely dangerous. Once inside, you must obey my orders exactly, not a single mistake allowed, or the consequences could be terrible…"

Yu Dahe froze, then clenched his teeth and nodded solemnly.

Mo Hua turned to Gu An and Gu Quan and said:

"Little An Brother, Little Quan Brother, you two too."

Gu An and Gu Quan's expressions grew tense, but they both nodded firmly.

They were from the Gu family, serving in Dao Ting Si, and daily dealt with criminal cultivators and evil cultivators — the risks were never small.

They weren't fearless of death, but neither were they cowards.

Moreover, they didn't believe their own lives were more precious than the young Master Mo before them.

This boy, so young and only at Foundation Establishment early stage, was willing to risk his life — how could the two of them hesitate?

"Young Master Mo, we'll follow your lead."

Gu An and Gu Quan said in unison.

Mo Hua gave a slight nod, then took a deep breath, gazed at the blood-misted, unfathomable depths of the well, and said gravely:

"Descend."

"Yes!" Gu An and the other two nodded.

Then Gu An and Gu Quan jumped down first.

Yu Dahe murmured the names of his two young sons, his expression resolute, following right after.

Finally, Mo Hua no longer hesitated — he leapt into the blood-red well leading to the evil god.

(End of Chapter)