Chapter 753: Monster

Elder Xun Ziyou entered the elder's quarters and silently exhaled a breath of relief.

He hadn't expected that his impromptu visit to the Ancestor to discuss matters would lead him to suddenly encounter Mo Hua at the door.

The Ancestor's quarters forbade spiritual sense surveillance.

Thus he had never imagined Mo Hua would suddenly emerge from inside.

And so, this "spy" collided face-to-face with the very person he was spying on.

Elder Xun Ziyou still felt a flicker of unease inside.

But fortunately, he was a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator who had lived two or three centuries; his depth and experience were evident—he instantly suppressed the odd expression on his face, pretending not to recognize Mo Hua, and thus slipped past undetected.

"It should be fine…"

Elder Xun Ziyou murmured silently to himself.

It was just a chance encounter; even if this child were exceptionally sharp, he couldn't possibly have noticed anything…

Besides, just now, he had respectfully bowed to me and called me Elder, appearing perfectly proper and obedient.

Elder Xun Ziyou gave a slight nod.

He entered the inner chamber and presented a jade slip to Elder Xun.

"The reform matters have largely been settled…"

"The Dao Court has already begun processing the procedures."

"The specific regulations are still under discussion, but essentially, it will be decided by rankings from the Dao Discourse Assembly to determine sect hierarchy."

"Through this, we will reshuffle and reassign the slots of the Sida Sect, the Eight Gates, and the Twelve Schools."

"At the same time, this reform will alter the sect system within Daozhou, elevate the status of the 'Sida Sect,' and increase their share of the Qianlong Mountain spirit vein."

"In other words, after the sect reform, the title 'Sida Sect' will be more important than ever before!"

"Whoever seizes one of the Sida Sect slots from the current holders will gain both the authority of the new 'Sida Sect' and the massive spirit stone profits from the Qianlong Spirit Vein."

"Of course, if they fail to seize it, all of this remains with the current 'Sida Sect.'"

Elder Xun's gaze grew solemn.

Elder Xun Ziyou sighed:

"This is an open scheme…"

"It's a trap set by the Sida Sect to pave their way toward becoming true sect titans, on par with the Daozhou Dao Sect."

"With such a massive piece of meat laid before them, other sects—even knowing the risks are high and their chances slim—will still want to gamble."

"Until they truly lose, everyone believes they will win."

Elder Xun Ziyou felt a pang of reflection.

Elder Xun nodded slightly.

Yes, until they lose, everyone believes they will win…

But now, he too wanted to gamble.

He had no choice but to gamble.

Elder Xun frowned.

Lately, his mind had been unsettled; when he took time to calculate, he found that the seemingly peaceful situation concealed unpredictable dangers—no matter how he calculated, it was all fog.

This was strange.

Normally, good or bad fortune, one could always discern something.

Although Elder Xun knew his celestial destiny calculations were not refined, and his Destiny Compass was far from top-tier, and his predictions were not necessarily accurate, he still shouldn't have been completely unable to discern anything.

Not a single trace.

This meant the celestial destiny and karmic threads had been locked down.

Someone was preventing him from calculating anything…

Or perhaps, preventing everyone from calculating.

To obscure celestial destiny and karmic threads before a Void-Realization cultivator like him—this concealed a "terrifying" presence behind it.

Elder Xun had faint suspicions, but dared not confirm them.

After all, some matters were too distant.

Some terrifying entities had long been forgotten by people.

Modern cultivators have enjoyed peace too long and have lost all reverence.

Unaware of peril, they perish in comfort, lacking fear of true cosmic terrors.

Now, the overt situation is complex, while covert dangers surge.

To seek self-preservation now is likely impossible.

Then there is only one choice: gamble.

Elder Xun's gaze sharpened, and he asked: "How long will the sect reform last?"

Such a major reform could not be accomplished overnight—it involved too many clans and sects, too many vested interests, too deep an impact on the overall situation—and would inevitably require a long time to gradually implement.

Elder Xun Ziyou said: "It's said to be ten years, spanning three Dao Discourse Assemblies, rolling out the reform step by step until final resolution."

Elder Xun Ziyou hesitated, then added:

"But even so, the knives will likely be drawn starting with the next Dao Discourse Assembly."

"By the one after that, life and death will be decided."

"Even before the final assembly, the outcome will already be settled—the tenth-year assembly will merely be the victor's 'coronation'…"

Elder Xun Ziyou's tone was solemn.

"Ten years, three assemblies…" Elder Xun's gaze grew solemn, and he murmured, "I hope this child… makes it in time…"

…

Mo Hua returned to the disciples' quarters and resumed his cultivation as usual.

In his spare time, he reviewed all the arrays he had learned.

From the Grade-One Absolute Array, to the Grade-Two Five Elements Eight Trigrams Array, the Meta-Magnetic Array, and the Divine Path arrays he obtained from the small fishing village, he revisited them all.

He also began to think holistically about the system of arrays and the differences between array types.

This amounted to an advanced understanding of arrays.

Ordinary array masters, at his age and realm, could not even access such arrays, let alone learn so many.

The number of arrays Mo Hua mastered was more than ten times, even dozens of times, that of a typical array master.

The difficulty of the arrays he comprehended was far beyond theirs.

The more one learns, the more one must summarize and synthesize, attempting to unify the Way of Arrays—or at least make them mutually reflective and mutually illuminating.

Otherwise, learning without synthesis, no matter how much one learns, is merely scattered sand.

But such synthesis and comprehension cannot be achieved overnight.

Array categories are numerous, vast as the ocean.

To fully synthesize, integrate, and unify them all—just imagining it reveals this must be an immensely grand and arduous task.

It would require enormous time and energy.

Meanwhile, one must still learn too many, too many arrays.

Mo Hua estimated that even a lifetime might not suffice.

Yet every great and arduous undertaking is never simple.

The Dao lies right before him; even if the path is long, distant, and without visible end, he must walk it step by step.

Cultivators seek the Dao with single-minded devotion.

Even if, until death, they never reach the end, they must fall upon the path of seeking the Dao.

They must not, because the Dao is difficult, succumb to fear and remain paralyzed at the starting point until time slips away and body and Dao perish together.

With this thought, Mo Hua's Dao heart grew slightly firmer.

He began to calm his mind and organize the arrays.

Other arrays were fine—Mo Hua had learned many and practiced them thoroughly.

But the "Divine Path Arrays" were different; though Mo Hua could draw them and often practiced them, he vaguely felt he had not yet grasped their true essence.

The Divine Path Arrays he obtained from the small fishing village, while relatively complete, were far too crude.

Mo Hua knew only that such arrays could, to some extent, "isolate" and "seal off" spiritual sense.

They could seal the mind sea, preventing weaker malevolent spirits from invading.

To some degree, they could also suppress malevolent spirits.

But their effect was not strong.

They worked against ordinary malevolent spirits, but failed against stronger ones.

As for malevolent gods, or even malevolent god relics, it was unthinkable.

So they were useful, yet somewhat useless—far from meeting Mo Hua's expectations.

Moreover, Mo Hua always felt a barrier separated him from his understanding of Divine Path Arrays.

Different fields are as distant as mountains.

The same was true of array knowledge.

This barrier was that mountain.

Thus, though Mo Hua could draw these Divine Path array runes, his mind remained hazy, half-understanding.

Far from the clear, penetrating feeling he had when drawing other arrays.

Mo Hua had a faint suspicion.

These "Divine Path Arrays" seemed, like the Absolute Array, to involve complex array principles and Daoist laws…

Mo Hua thought it very likely.

But his current inheritance of Divine Path Arrays was too scarce—he could not learn more, contemplate deeper, or verify his hypothesis.

Mo Hua sighed, thinking to himself:

"I'm running out of things to learn…"

"Let's wait until after this year…"

"After the New Year, maybe I can plead with Master Xun to lift my 'house arrest'—then I could go outside to hunt malevolent gods, devour demons, and get a proper meal."

"Even if I can't find Divine Path Arrays, I could improve my 'diet,' feed the 'Daoist Laws' in my mind sea, and lift the restriction on my mind sea's growth…"

…

In the days that followed, Mo Hua calmed his mind and lived in quiet stability.

But on this day of his ten-day break, Mo Hua entered the Demon Refining Mountain to practice swordplay.

After practicing for half a day and slaying two hawk demons, just as evening approached and he was about to return to the sect, he noticed a commotion in the distance.

Curious, Mo Hua approached and found a crowd of fellow disciples gathered together.

Some held pills, others prepared medicinal decoctions, still others took out golden needles.

On the ground lay a man—Cheng Mo.

His face was pale, his lips dry, sweat beaded on his forehead, and a bloody wound gaped open on his chest, blood flowing freely.

Mo Hua's expression darkened. He asked:

"What happened?"

Ouyang Mu, standing nearby with a look of frantic worry, replied with shame in his voice:

"It's all my fault…"

Sister Situ shook her head and said, "This isn't your concern…"

Sister Situ's face was slightly pale, his breath faint, clearly exhausted from overusing his spiritual energy; his robe bore several slashes, but thankfully no serious injuries.

Sister Situ sighed, then explained the full story to Mo Hua:

"Young Master Ouyang was refining a sword and needed fur, claws, and bones from a fox spirit. Cheng Mo had free time, so he volunteered to hunt the demon, and I went with him…"

"At first, everything went smoothly."

"We found a rare Blood Meihu fox."

"Even in this beast-filled Lianyao Mountain, such fox spirits are extremely rare, with no existing battle plans. But since we'd slain so many beasts, we all had experience—we followed the standard procedure, copying what others had done."

"Hao Xuan set traps and laid out arrays, then we hid in wait."

"When the Blood Meihu fox stepped into the trap and triggered the array, suffered severe injury, we rushed out to kill it."

"Just as we were about to succeed, we discovered this fox spirit could use charm magic."

"Charm magic?" Mo Hua froze.

"Yes," Sister Situ nodded. "Some beasts are born with the innate talent to bewitch a cultivator's spiritual awareness."

"They can induce illusions, cloud the mind, or stir up all kinds of desires…"

Even Mo Hua, a hunter by background with extensive beast-hunting experience, had only heard of such beasts—he'd never seen one.

"So you were bewitched?"

"A little," Sister Situ said. "This Blood Meihu fox was still immature, only Second Rank Low. Its charm wasn't strong—it made my and Cheng Mo's spiritual awareness flicker, but before it could strike, we snapped out of it."

"My robe got torn in a few places, nothing serious."

"Cheng Mo took some wounds, but only superficial flesh injuries."

Mo Hua frowned, glancing at Cheng Mo lying on the ground, face as white as paper, blood flowing endlessly, and asked:

"Then what happened to him?"

Sister Situ looked solemn. "After the Blood Meihu fox bewitched us, our spiritual awareness blurred for a moment, then we recovered and immediately joined forces to kill it—but at that very instant, a 'monster' suddenly burst out of the forest…"

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. "Monster?"

Sister Situ frowned. "It was a monster—didn't look like a beast, nor like a human; or rather, it looked like both a beast and a human."

"It could stand on two legs or crawl on all fours, its body massive, wrapped in black cloth, entirely pitch-black, its form indiscernible—only its two eyes glowed blood-red…"

"This monster lunged out suddenly, claws sharp, slashing through a stench-laden wind. Everyone was caught off guard."

"Cheng Mo stepped forward first to block the others, engaging the monster in a single clash."

"But the monster was too strong—in one glance, it tore a massive gash across Cheng Mo's chest."

"We rushed to aid him, but seeing we were many, the monster roared and didn't linger—it grabbed the Blood Meihu fox's corpse and fled into Shenshan…"

"Cheng Mo's injuries are severe and need immediate treatment. And since the monster is so powerful and elusive, we dared not pursue deeper—we could only bring Cheng Mo back…"

Sister Situ let out a deep sigh.

Mo Hua's brow tightened further. He glanced at the barely breathing Cheng Mo and asked, "How is Cheng Mo's condition?"

A disciple skilled in pill refinement said:

"He lost too much blood, but we treated him in time—applied hemostatic powder and gave him a Pill to Solidify the Root and Restore Blood. He's a body cultivator with a strong foundation—he should be fine."

"Once we return to the sect, we'll ask Elder Murong to examine him, to prevent lingering complications."

"But…"

The disciple looked puzzled. "There's strange beast energy lingering in his wounds—this energy won't be easy to remove…"

"Beast energy?" another disciple exclaimed. "That monster was half-human, half-beast—could it be… a beast cultivator?"

"But no non-sect members are allowed into Lianyao Mountain, and everyone is checked by elders before entering—how could a beast cultivator have slipped in?" another disciple said.

Everyone was baffled.

Mo Hua, however, seemed lost in thought.

Beast cultivator…

No non-sect members allowed…

Evading inspection…

After a moment's reflection, he said to Sister Situ: "Where did you get ambushed by that 'monster'? Take me there."

Sister Situ nodded. "I'll take you."

Ouyang Mu said, "I'm coming too."

He looked guilty. "If I hadn't needed fox spirit materials to refine my sword, Brother Cheng Mo wouldn't have been injured."

Mo Hua comforted him: "This isn't your fault."

But Ouyang Mu was stubborn, still wearing a look of guilt, determined to do something.

At that moment, Linghu Xiao spoke up:

"I'll go."

Linghu Xiao was on good terms with Little Wood.

He was a sword cultivator; Little Wood was a swordsmith.

Linghu Xiao's spiritual swords were all maintained and repaired by Little Wood.

Both dealt with swords, and their temperaments matched well.

Little Wood's cultivation level was average—he'd be doomed if he faced a monster that could strike Cheng Mo down in one blow.

Linghu Xiao didn't say it outright, but clearly wanted to help Little Wood.

Moreover, this inhuman, non-beast monster was clearly a formidable foe.

Linghu Xiao trained in sword arts and wanted to test himself against it.

"Alright," Mo Hua nodded. "Linghu Xiao will come with us. As for Little Wood…"

Mo Hua looked at Ouyang Mu: "You go with everyone to bring Cheng Mo back to Grand Void Gate. Don't worry about anything else—don't dwell on it."

"Cheng Mo's skin is thick—he'll be fine…"

Ouyang Mu hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Set out," Mo Hua said. "Hao Xuan, Brother Yang, you come with us too."

"Alright."

Thus, Sister Situ led the way, with Mo Hua, Hao Xuan, Yang Qianjun, and Linghu Xiao closely behind; the five of them followed the mountain path, passed through the forest, and arrived at the site of the attack.

On the ground was a large pool of blood.

Part of it was pale pink, faintly infused with demonic energy—Li Meihu's blood;

the other part was deep crimson, mostly congealed—Cheng Mo's blood.

The situation was clear, just as Sister Situ had said.

In addition, there was a trail of blood and drag marks extending into the mountains and forest.

Clearly, the "monster" had dragged Li Meihu's corpse into the forest and vanished into its depths.

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened, and he said in a low voice:

"Enter the forest and take a look."

Sister Situ and the others exchanged glances, then all nodded.

Thus, the group cautiously walked deeper into the forest…

(End of Chapter)

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