Chapter 733: Source Armor

Beyond Lianyao Mountain, in the dense forest, demonic qi churned and black mist spread thickly.

A second-rank Boar-Head Demon sprinted full-speed, moving with incredible velocity.

Mo Hua and the others evacuating—including Elder Xun—noticed the ferocious demonic aura behind them.

Elder Xun furrowed his brows slightly.

Mo Hua's heart tightened; he said grimly, "Run! That boar's coming."

Cheng Mo and the others tensed, pushing their body techniques to their limits, moving faster—but the boar-demon moved faster still.

The intense aura of the demonic beast drew ever closer.

Mo Hua flipped his hand and laid down several array discs, planted more array flags, forming a confinement array to block the Boar-Head Demon.

The Boar-Head Demon charged straight into the array.

The array activated, forming a golden light prison that bound the boar-demon.

But the boar-demon paid no heed, relentlessly charging forward.

The golden light sliced through its hide and flesh, blood gushing—but it suffered little real injury, and instead became even more enraged.

Its saliva grew even more foul-smelling; its eyes grew greedier.

Mo Hua fled while continuously deploying techniques, trying to halt the boar-demon so the others could escape safely.

But the boar-demon chased tighter, drew nearer.

"We can't escape!"

Cheng Mo and the others' expressions changed; they turned to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's gaze turned icy. "That fat pig—it's asking for death!"

Hunting such tough, heavily armored powerful demonic beasts involves many variables and high risk; it's unwise to take reckless chances.

Mo Hua had only intended to delay it slightly, enough for everyone to escape safely.

But this fat pig kept charging straight at death—then it wouldn't be allowed to choose…

"Hao Xuan, your body technique is best—lure it."

"Cheng Mo, you all hold it off a little—don't engage in prolonged combat."

"Give me a moment—I'll set up an array and kill this fat pig!"

Mo Hua spoke clearly and swiftly.

Cheng Mo and the others froze, then solemnly nodded.

Then Mo Hua vanished from among the five, disappearing into the trees on the other side.

Hao Xuan followed Mo Hua's orders, pulling out stench-grass to lure the Boar-Head Demon.

Simultaneously, he reversed his hand and summoned sword qi, striking the boar-demon's forehead and drawing its hatred.

The Boar-Head Demon roared in fury and charged toward Hao Xuan.

Cheng Mo and the others offered brief resistance, struck once, then broke away—only restraining, never fighting to the death.

From afar, seeing the urgency, Elder Xun had already raised two fingers to condense sword qi, preparing to intervene—yet when he saw this, his expression halted.

"These kids… they want to turn the tables and kill this boar-demon?"

How?

Elder Xun frowned slightly.

This… how could they possibly kill it…

After a moment's thought, Elder Xun quietly lowered his fingers and dispersed the sword qi, deciding to observe the situation first.

Crisis between life and death is also a form of training.

Facing a powerful foe, letting these kids think for themselves and do their best is valuable experience.

If they truly fail, I'll step in.

At the eleventh hour, turning the tide.

It would also let me show off my skills as a late-stage Jin Dan elder of the Grand Void Sect…

Elder Xun nodded inwardly.

On the other side, Hao Xuan and the others pushed themselves to their limits, deploying every technique to drag the monstrous Boar-Head Demon.

Mo Hua, meanwhile, used this time to bury array discs and set up arrays in the forest.

The array he set was the strongest seventeen-stripe killing array he could currently control—carefully selected from all the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams arrays he'd obtained from the Shangguan Clan, the Wen Clan, and even Elder Xun's own collection.

The Grand Void Sect's own inheritance also contained killing arrays—but they weren't cruel enough.

Because the sect's purpose is to transmit the Dao and teach; its arrays emphasize cultivation, production, and normal duels, lacking heavy killing intent.

But the array inheritance of true aristocratic clans was different.

Outside the sect, arrays had no more courtesies—kill if you can; a dead enemy is the only good enemy.

Array inheritance was complex, with many schools and countless variations.

Thus, the number of array stripes wasn't fixed.

For example, the Fire-Melting Array from the Qi Cultivation stage had both unranked six-stripe versions and true first-rank nine-stripe versions.

Second-rank killing arrays similarly had many variants with the same name but different stripe counts.

For instance, the Earth-Fire Array had thirteen-stripe, sixteen-stripe, and high-tier seventeen-to-nineteen-stripe versions.

The Earth-Killing Array was the same.

These different-stripe variants of the same array type were scattered across the inheritances of various clans.

Mo Hua mastered Five Elements and Eight Trigrams arrays, combining strengths from multiple schools, selecting several of the most lethal seventeen-stripe killing arrays.

One was a high-tier second-rank, seventeen-stripe Earth-Fire Array, obtained from the Wen Clan.

One was a high-tier second-rank, seventeen-stripe Earth-Killing Array, taken from Elder Xun's private collection.

There was another, a second-rank high-level formation, seventeen-stripe Shangguan Golden Knife Formation; from its name alone, it was clear it originated from the Shangguan family.

These three formations were all pure and refined killing arrays.

Mo Hua set up these three layers of high-level killing arrays, then arranged some binding formations, after which he suppressed his aura and erased all traces.

Once all preparations were complete, Mo Hua whistled.

The clear, piercing whistle echoed melodiously through the forest.

Hao Xuan and the others, who had been struggling to hold out, heard the whistle, sighed in relief, immediately turned, and lured the Boar-Head Demon toward Mo Hua's position.

Having been toyed with by these "prey" for a full circle, the Boar-Head Demon was furious, its eyes blood-red, its aura savage.

It intended to swallow its prey alive, bones and all.

The Boar-Head Demon moved even faster.

Trees whipped backward, demonic winds howled violently.

Thus, riding its arrogant demonic aura, this powerful Boar-Head Demon charged straight into the formation Mo Hua had prepared in advance.

"Scatter!" Mo Hua said.

Upon hearing this, Hao Xuan and the others instantly dispersed.

In the blink of an eye, Mo Hua released his spiritual sense, connected with the formation's core, and activated the array.

The ground turned to quicksand, swallowing the Boar-Head Demon whole.

Then, rocks surged upward, forming a cage that trapped its body.

Grass and trees twisted like chains, binding its limbs.

The Boar-Head Demon roared and thrashed endlessly, pouring demonic power into its limbs, snapping the stone prison, tearing apart the wooden chains, about to leap free from the quicksand.

At that moment, Mo Hua's gaze was cold, and he whispered softly:

"Detonate!"

The earth trembled, killing intent surged forth.

Amid swirling dust, earth-elemental spiritual energy spiraled and gnawed like a dragon, relentlessly slaughtering.

Then, golden light flashed abruptly.

Streams of golden light coalesced into a blade array, circling back and forth, slicing the Boar-Head Demon's flesh inch by inch.

Finally, the earth-fire array exploded.

Crimson flames instantly swallowed the blood-drenched Boar-Head Demon…

First bind, then kill; binding arrays interlocked, killing arrays bristling with lethal intent.

The powerful formation's spiritual energy surged like waves, spreading outward endlessly, the scene dazzling and awe-inspiring…

Cheng Mo and the others were stunned, mouths agape.

Elder Xun was also momentarily dazed, then frowned, realizing something was off.

Was this formation's power too strong?

Could a cultivator at his realm even set up such a formation?

The Boar-Head Demon was obliterated by the three layers of killing arrays—dust and stones flew, trees snapped, spiritual energy rippled; when all disturbances subsided, its body was riddled with wounds.

In the Boar-Head Demon's savage eyes, there was both fury and terror.

Strike while it's wounded!

Mo Hua's eyes flashed with icy light, and he shouted:

"Kill it!"

Cheng Mo hesitated only briefly, then raised his axe and swung down; Yang Qianjun, Sister Situ Jian, and Hao Xuan also attacked.

The Boar-Head Demon roared and clashed with them in close combat.

The Boar-Head Demon was a second-rank mid-level demonic beast, its demonic power thick and its strength superior, but because it had been severely wounded by Mo Hua's formation, it was evenly matched against Cheng Mo and the others for now.

Mo Hua, from the side, precisely used various five-element spells to restrict, disrupt, or augment damage.

The situation had become stagnant.

Though victory was slowly tilting toward their side, Mo Hua knew this was a demon hunt—circumstances changed in an instant.

Moreover, within the Demon Refining Mountains, the terrain was complex, and variables were numerous.

They must find a way to end this swiftly, to crush the Boar-Head Demon in one decisive blow.

Mo Hua's gaze grew deep, and he calmed his mind.

He was waiting for an opportunity.

Finally, after who knew how long, the Boar-Head Demon, whose ferocity had surged due to injury, suddenly staggered a few beats.

Mo Hua froze, his eyes filled with confusion—but in an instant, he understood.

It was the poison of the Cangmu Wolf!

This Boar-Head Demon had drunk the Cangmu Wolf's blood, eaten its flesh, and ingested the wolf's poison.

Demonic beast blood was inherently impure; this poison wasn't fatal, and given time, it could be fully digested.

At most, it would make it sluggish and dazed.

But this Boar-Head Demon was greedy—it had just devoured the Cangmu Wolf and hadn't finished digesting it before chasing after them.

It had been running hard, wounded by the formation, and now surrounded by Cheng Mo and the others; its blood qi could no longer suppress the Cangmu Wolf's poison, and finally, it began to show cracks.

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened like a sword, brimming with killing intent, and he told Cheng Mo and the others:

"Use your supreme Dao arts!"

Cheng Mo and the others were momentarily stunned.

Though severely wounded, the Boar-Head Demon still retained thick blood qi.

Even if they exerted their full strength and unleashed their family's supreme Dao arts, they still couldn't kill this boar.

But Mo Hua is the senior disciple, so whatever he says goes.

The few of them no longer held back and began to pour all their strength into their Dao techniques.

Cheng Mo roared loudly, eyes bulging, blood qi surging; the exposed muscles on his body took on a deep, ancient bronze hue, and his entire aura became like a great axe capable of splitting mountains and shattering earth.

The Cheng family's ancestral Dao technique: Kaishan Axe!

After activation, the technique temporarily binds mountain and stone qi to the body, hardening skin and flesh like steel, granting the axe blade the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Yang Qianjun's eyes glowed with golden light, the spear tip condensing a blinding golden radiance.

On Sister Situ Jian's Li Huo Sword, flames surged violently.

On Hao Xuan's spiritual sword, fierce winds gathered.

Each of them unleashed their family's ancestral Dao techniques, charging together at the Pig-Headed Demon.

Meanwhile, the Pig-Headed Demon, its movements slowed by the Cangmu Wolf's poison, clearly had no way to evade.

But Xun the Elder, watching secretly, silently shook his head.

They won't kill it.

Superior Dao techniques are powerful indeed, but these disciples are only at Foundation Establishment mid-stage—they cannot fully unleash the power of these profound techniques.

If these Dao techniques were used together against a cultivator, even a regular Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator, they would likely be enough.

But they won't work against beast beasts.

Especially since the beast they're trying to kill is from Lian Yao Mountain.

Especially one with blood qi thicker than ordinary beast beasts—the Boar Demon.

Xun the Elder silently calculated.

When these Dao techniques strike the Pig-Headed Demon, they'll drain its blood qi to the brink, leaving only about one-tenth remaining.

The less blood qi a beast beast has, the closer it is to death—but also the more frenzied it becomes.

At that moment, these disciples will have exhausted all their strength, used their ultimate moves, and depleted nearly all their spiritual energy, leaving them helpless as fish on a chopping block, destined to become the Pig Demon's meal.

Hunting beast beasts is like this: accumulating advantage doesn't guarantee victory.

Even when holding the upper hand, once spiritual energy is spent, it's the cultivator who dies.

Still, these children have done quite well…

Xun the Elder nodded silently.

They know when to advance and when to retreat, act after careful planning, understand ambushes, grasp cooperation, watch over each other, and none of them showed fear or thought of fleeing in the face of danger…

"All good seedlings."

Xun the Elder thought silently.

Now it was time for him, as Elder, to step forward… no, to clean up.

Xun the Elder once again pressed his fingers together, condensing sword qi.

But before the sword qi could form, he froze, staring at the battlefield in the forest, his gaze filled with astonishment.

"The aura… seems to have grown stronger?"

What's going on?

At this moment, in the mountain forest.

Mo Hua stood outside the group, his gaze deep as water, his spiritual sense pouring out, instantly connecting with the Five Elements Source Armor and activating its Five Elements Source Array.

His vast, faintly golden spiritual thought merged into the Five Elements Absolute Array, blending with the array's spiritual energy.

On the Five Elements Source Armor, intricate and unusual array patterns lit up once more.

A clear, resonant "hum" sounded.

Cheng Mo and Yang Qianjun, clad in the Five Elements Source Armor and executing their killing techniques, instantly felt a presence communicate with their armor.

The armor activated, spiritual energy covering their entire bodies.

A mysterious force resonated with their meridians.

Their spiritual energy began to boil, flowing faster, growing stronger—even strong enough to cause slight stinging in their meridians…

"What is this?!"

In an instant, both their eyes filled with disbelief.

At that moment, they felt strengthened, their spiritual energy enhanced, and even facing a powerful beast beast, they felt no fear whatsoever.

"Kill!"

They exchanged a glance, growled low, and struck together.

On the Kaishan Axe, the gray-brown mountain stone spiritual energy surged, transforming into overwhelming force that slammed down with unmatched might.

The tip of the Yang family spear blazed with Jin Guang, blindingly brilliant, becoming a streak of light that pierced the Pig-Headed Demon's throat at terrifying speed.

In an instant, spiritual energy and demonic energy clashed violently.

The Pig-Headed Demon sensed the mortal threat and roared desperately, surging demonic energy—but it was useless.

Moments later, the dust settled.

The powerful, heavy Kaishan Axe split open the Pig-Headed Demon's forehead.

The sharp Jin Guang of the Yang family spear pierced through the Pig-Headed Demon's throat.

The sword qi from Sister Situ Jian and Hao Xuan arrived as planned, shredding the Pig-Headed Demon's flesh.

The Pig-Headed Demon's skull shattered, blood gushing from its throat; within moments, it slowly collapsed to the ground.

Cheng Mo and the others exhaled in relief, about to relax—then they remembered Mo Hua's "teaching," and immediately snapped back to full alertness.

Watch out—the boar might be feigning death.

Using their remaining spiritual energy, they took turns wielding blades, spears, and swords, delivering one final strike each.

Seeing the Pig-Headed Demon's fat head lying still, utterly lifeless, they finally let down their guard completely.

In the distance, Elder Xun pressed his fingers together, his sword qi half-condensed, then forcibly stopped.

He took in everything with his own eyes, but no matter how knowledgeable and experienced he was, he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath of cold air.

Just now, that was… what thing?

Armor? A formation?

He was a member of the Xun family, an elder of the Grand Void Gate, and had learned the most orthodox Daoist cultivation inheritance, yet having lived so long, he had never seen such armor, such a formation.

He could sense that the instant the armor activated and the formation took effect, the five-element spiritual power was greatly amplified.

A formation that amplifies spiritual power…

Elder Xun's heart trembled.

This formation… where did it come from?

Elder Xun silently looked toward Mo Hua.

Although the armor was worn on Cheng Mo and the other person.

The powerful boar-headed demon was also mainly slain by these two, using the amplified great-power Daoist arts.

But one didn't need to think to know that the formation definitely wasn't drawn by them.

Among these people, the only one who could possibly draw such an inconceivable formation was Mo Hua.

And just now, he could clearly sense that Mo Hua had released his divine sense to control the formation on the armor.

"But…" Elder Xun frowned, his heart full of confusion and puzzlement. "Where did he learn this formation?"

Amplify spiritual power, kill enemies across realms.

Such a powerful formation must surely be a top-tier inheritance.

Even placed within the Grand Void Gate, one of the eight great gates of Qian Province, it would be enough to serve as a sect-suppressing ultimate art.

How could this child possibly have learned it?

"Could it be…" Elder Xun deliberated for a moment, then guessed, "that the Old Ancestor taught him?"

If the Grand Void Gate truly possessed such a rare inheritance, it could only be hidden in the Old Ancestor's hands.

Throughout the entire Grand Void Gate, the Old Ancestor's attainment in formations was the highest, and his knowledge the most profound.

Elder Xun nodded, but then thought again:

"That's not right either…"

He had grown up before the Old Ancestor since childhood, yet had never seen, or even heard of, the Grand Void Gate, or the Xun family, possessing such a top-tier formation inheritance.

Did the Old Ancestor keep it private?

The truly good things, he kept in his own hands, didn't pass them to others, and only passed them to this boy?

Elder Xun's brow furrowed even tighter.

Now he was a bit unsure again whether this child Mo Hua actually bore the surname "Xun."

Otherwise there was simply no way to explain why the Old Ancestor treated him so well.

The Old Ancestor was stern and rigid by nature; before sect rules, he had always allowed no personal favoritism, treating even Xun family disciples with absolute impartiality and extremely strict discipline.

This point Elder Xun knew very clearly.

But people were, after all, people; no matter how stern and rigid, there were always degrees of closeness and distance.

If this child Mo Hua truly bore the surname "Xun"…

Then the Old Ancestor being good to Mo Hua—did it mean the blood ties between the two of them were closer?

How close?

A great-great-grandson several generations removed? A great-grandson? Or perhaps… a grandson?

As Elder Xun thought and thought, his heart suddenly gave a "thud."

"It's over!"

"Counted this way, this child Mo Hua… couldn't possibly be my elder, could he?!"

Should he call him "Uncle," or "Grand-Uncle"?!

Elder Xun drew in another sharp breath of cold air.

This generation gap had dropped far too much!

What to do?

Elder Xun broke out in a cold sweat, his thoughts racing.

"No good!"

He absolutely could not be a junior!

Since the Old Ancestor hadn't said it outright, and Mo Hua hadn't admitted it either, then… just pretend nothing had happened.

Whether true or false, treat it as if it never occurred!

Anyway, he himself knew nothing at all!!

Thinking this, Elder Xun felt much better in his heart, but when he looked at Mo Hua again, he couldn't help but carry a trace of "reverence" in his gaze.

And on the other side, the boar-headed demon was already dead.

Mo Hua let out a breath of relief, severed his divine sense, the formation on the Five-Element Source Armor stopped, and the spiritual power amplification failed.

Cheng Mo and Yang Qianjun withdrew from their "enhanced" state, returning to their original spiritual power, no longer feeling that sense of "I've become stronger," and a hint of loss and dejection appeared in both their gazes.

But in Yang Qianjun's heart, there was more shock than anything else.

"Senior Brother, this armor…"

Yang Qianjun's voice trembled slightly.

Mo Hua didn't hide it either, saying: "This is the 'Five-Element Source Armor.' Formations are drawn on it that can briefly strengthen the five elements and amplify spiritual power…"

Strengthen the five elements, amplify spiritual power!

Yang Qianjun's gaze shook violently.

He was a disciple of the Yang family, with a background in the Dao Weapon Bureau, so he saw deeper, understood what this meant, and for a moment his heart surged like a tidal wave.

Cheng Mo beside him, on the other hand, didn't think that much about it.

He only remembered the feeling when he put on the armor—spiritual power boiling, gods blocking slaying gods, buddhas blocking slaying buddhas, invincible wherever he went.

Cheng Mo hugged the armor and wouldn't let go, his eyes shining as he stared at Mo Hua, that expression almost shouting the two words "godfather" right out of his mouth.

(End of chapter)