Chapter 761: Opening the Valley

The night was deep and heavy, the dense forest utterly silent.

The tall demonic cultivator was beheaded by Elder Xun Ziyou, falling straight to the ground and dying instantly.

Blood pooled across the ground.

Mo Hua showed no fear; his spiritual sense blazed like a torch, his gaze piercing as he scanned the demon's entire body, then rummaged from him a storage bag and a jade slip.

Finally, Mo Hua thought for a moment, then tore off the demon's black robe.

All these items were stained with blood.

Mo Hua wiped them clean briefly, then flipped through the storage bag first.

Inside the storage bag were mostly items the demonic cultivator carried with him.

Some blood-altered pills, refined from unknown flesh and blood.

Several spiritual weapons—genuine spiritual weapons, seemingly used by the giant demon before he descended into demonic transformation, kept by him as a memento, unwilling to discard.

Also some bones, and a pile of dried meat of unknown origin.

Lastly, there were the cultivation manuals and demonic Dao jade slips.

Mo Hua held the demonic cultivation manual, about to open it, when suddenly his hands were empty.

Elder Xun Ziyou snatched the demonic cultivation manual from Mo Hua's hands. "Demonic sect heresies are no good. Don't read them, child."

"Oh…"

Mo Hua lowered his head and tried to rummage through the storage bag again.

But in an instant, the storage bag was snatched away by Elder Xun Ziyou too.

"These aren't good things either. Don't pick up bad habits…"

Elder Xun Ziyou said with wary expression.

Mo Hua was young, looked like a small boy, but in Elder Xun Ziyou's eyes, he was merely a child.

Children are curious.

Such a promising array master candidate.

What if he truly glanced at a few demonic cultivation techniques here, grew curious for a moment, planted a single demonic thought, and thus veered off the right path, falling into the demonic Dao?

Then I would truly be "unworthy of a thousand deaths."

Even if the Ancestor didn't flay me alive, I'd regret it for the rest of my life.

Mo Hua had no choice but to look at the message token.

But as soon as he raised his hand, he immediately pulled it back, tucked the message token away, and glanced warily at Elder Xun Ziyou, fearing he'd snatch it again.

This time, Elder Xun Ziyou felt too embarrassed to take it again, and said:

"Go ahead, read it."

Mo Hua nodded, then sank his spiritual sense into the message token and read silently.

Inside the message token appeared the latest line of text:

"There's a traitor inside, hurry…"

This line was left by the tall demonic cultivator before death—unfinished, never sent.

Of course, it would never be sent now.

Mo Hua immediately erased it.

Besides that, there were other pieces of information.

Mo Hua skimmed through them and found mostly recent "orders" from demonic cultivators:

For example: "On the sixteenth of this month, the Ten Thousand Demons Valley opens, the White Bone Dao manifests. All demonic cultivators must enter the valley—no delays allowed."

"Mission: Three Black Ox Demons—kill."

"Mission: One Azure Fox Demon—capture alive."

"Note: Failure to complete mission—three days of Shen Shouxing inside the Demon Refining Cauldron."

"If anyone attempts to flee, they will be sacrificed to the Demon Refining Map, enduring the torment of ten thousand demons devouring them, soul and spirit annihilated…"

…

"Demon Refining Cauldron? Demon Refining Map?"

Mo Hua froze.

"What kind of thing is this cauldron?"

"And this map—could it be…"

Mo Hua's eyes gleamed faintly; he silently noted it down in his mind.

"What did you see?"

Beside him, Elder Xun Ziyou, seeing Mo Hua's big eyes darting about, wondering what "trouble" he was plotting, couldn't help asking.

"Nothing…"

Mo Hua whispered.

He couldn't possibly say, "I'm hungry…"

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then handed the message token to Elder Xun Ziyou. "Elder, you should take a look too."

Elder Xun Ziyou took it, swept his spiritual sense over it, and his gaze grew slightly heavy.

These demonic cultivators were indeed organized, with remarkably strict rules.

But he was also puzzled.

These messages seemed ordinary—why was Mo Hua's eyes gleaming, his expression even slightly…excited?

Strange…

Elder Xun Ziyou looked up and saw Mo Hua pulling out ink, brush, array paper, and a strange array plate from the storage bag, and he froze:

"What are you doing?"

"There's still residual magnetic flux traces in the message token—probably some past 'chat logs' that were erased. I'll just reconstruct them briefly…"

Mo Hua said casually.

Xun Ziyou opened his mouth.

Magnetic flux traces…

This child… he understands Magnetic Flux Array techniques too?

And… "briefly" reconstruct them?!

Is this a "brief" matter?

Xun Ziyou's gaze turned solemn.

Though he didn't understand the specific mechanics of the arrays, he had known many Array Masters from the Tian Shu Pavilion and grasped the general principles.

Reconstructing magnetic flux patterns is fundamentally not the same as drawing a Magnetic Flux Array.

The core of reconstructing magnetic patterns lies in secondary lightning flux.

This involves applying the "essence" of magnetic flux—a different derivation of "lightning patterns."

Xun Ziyou stared blankly for a long while, then asked quietly:

"Did Elder Xun Ziyou… the Laozu Sect teach you this?"

Mo Hua blinked. "What else? Do you think I figured it out on my own?"

Xun Ziyou pondered for a moment, then nodded:

"That makes sense."

Without direct instruction from the Laozu, how could anyone learn these things?

Then Mo Hua began reconstructing the erratic magnetic patterns.

He dismantled the message token with great familiarity, replicated the fixed magnetic patterns, sensed and recorded the secondary lightning patterns, reconstructed the Magnetic Flux Array framework within the token, and slowly restored the erased erratic magnetic patterns—finally revealing them as text again through magnetic ink…

Xun Ziyou, standing beside him, didn't understand any of it—but was deeply shaken.

Had Mo Hua not looked so young, he might have thought a "white-haired, ruddy-cheeked" Laozu of the Tian Shu Pavilion was demonstrating the principles of the Magnetic Flux Array to him…

Thus, the "chat logs" of the demonic cultivator were slowly restored by Mo Hua.

Because the secondary lightning flux was subtle and the traces faint.

The inferred erratic magnetic patterns had minor discrepancies, and the text rendered by magnetic ink was fragmented and disordered.

But the word order didn't impede comprehension.

With guesswork and inference, the general meaning was still clear.

Mo Hua transcribed the "decrypted" restored text onto another sheet of paper.

The text contained countless meaningless greetings, casual chatter, complaints, exchanges of "insights" on demonic cultivation techniques, inexplicable ramblings, and obscure "demonic Dao terminology"…

Mo Hua could only summarize the intelligence from these chaotic words:

First, the young demonic cultivator who had been killed…

Born into a minor clan, he had excellent talent and a touch of arrogance, believing he wasn't much worse than others.

During the sect gathering, he encountered a "Young Master" from a great family, refused to bow or offer proper greetings, and was deemed "arrogant and disrespectful."

Later, while hunting demons, he was tricked and lost in the dense forests of Lian Yao Mountain.

Eventually captured and brought into the Ten Thousand Demons Valley, he unknowingly took up demonic cultivation techniques and became a "demonic cultivator."

Now he was being used as a "pawn."

But exactly how he was used as a "pawn," how the substitution was carried out, how he escaped Lian Yao Mountain, who met him, and how he evaded justice—none of this was mentioned in the message token.

Probably too classified; this tall demonic cultivator dared not write it down.

Aside from that, there were some details about the internal situation of the Ten Thousand Demons Valley:

"In this demonic cultivator's chat, he mentioned three demonic elder figures…"

"He didn't specify their cultivation levels, but since Lian Yao Mountain forbids Liu Yuhua, anyone still called 'elder' must be a Jin Dan—though it's unclear which tier of Jin Dan they are…"

"He also mentioned a 'Young Master.'"

"It seemed everything had to follow the Young Master's orders."

"But these demonic cultivators were deeply secretive about the term 'Young Master' and dared not speak much of him."

"The Ten Thousand Demons Valley also had overseers who managed miscellaneous affairs and held considerable power. Below the overseers were the ordinary demonic cultivators…"

…

Mo Hua told Xun Ziyou every specific detail.

Xun Ziyou nodded, looking at Mo Hua with a sense of awe.

If this child ever took on covert surveillance or eavesdropping work, he'd be utterly unstoppable…

A single message token could uncover so many secrets.

What sect, what force could withstand him digging like this…

As he spoke, Mo Hua himself grew puzzled:

"The Ten Thousand Demons Valley has so many demonic cultivators—can only three Jin Dan elders really keep them under control?"

Xun Ziyou frowned, thought for a moment, then said slowly:

"The three Jin Dan are only there to maintain stability and prevent accidents."

"Demonic cultivators are numerous, cruel, and erratic—no one expects 'people' to manage them. There must be other coercive control methods…"

Other coercive control methods…

Mo Hua's mind stirred—he suddenly recalled the demonic patterns carved onto these cultivators' bodies, and his heart twitched:

"Four Symbols Array…"

Elder Xun Ziyou added, "Moreover, the elders who guard this Demon Refining Mountain cannot be ordinary people."

Elder Xun Ziyou turned his head, gazing into the depths of the dense forest radiating sinister demonic energy, his eyes deep and solemn.

"To dare commit such acts under the very eyes of the Dao Ting Si and the major sects of Qianxue Province—if exposed, it means family extermination, execution, and expulsion from one's sect!"

"Only true confidants would be entrusted with such a 'weighty responsibility.'"

"Moreover, a Jin Dan cultivator, even in a fifth-grade family, counts as a core member with a promising future—few would truly wish to remain here, isolated and blood-soaked, wasting away like a ghost, for the sake of their family."

"Besides, if this Demon Valley remains undiscovered, three Jin Dan demonic cultivators are more than enough to hold it."

"But if it is discovered…"

Elder Xun Ziyou's tone grew slightly colder. "Even thirty, even three hundred Jin Dan cultivators would be utterly useless."

Mo Hua froze, then slowly nodded.

That was true…

This was Qianxue Province, where great Shijiada Sects and other major sects were countless.

Once the Ten Thousand Demon Valley was exposed, no matter how many Jin Dan demonic cultivators guarded it, they'd be mere snacks—useless.

Conversely, if it remained hidden, three Jin Dan cultivators truly would be sufficient…

"Then, Elder Xun, are you going back to summon reinforcements to exterminate the Ten Thousand Demon Valley?" Mo Hua asked quietly.

Elder Xun Ziyou was about to speak, then suddenly paused, glancing at Mo Hua, and asked:

"What do you think?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "I'm just a lowly Foundation Establishment disciple—what could I possibly think?"

Elder Xun Ziyou sighed. "Say whatever you want."

"Oh," Mo Hua's eyes flickered, and he whispered, "In my view… if we launch a direct siege, problems will arise."

"The Ten Thousand Demon Valley is easy to defend, hard to attack."

"If too few forces are sent, and we can't break through quickly, it will turn into a war of attrition—with casualties."

"If too many forces are sent, the ranks will be mixed…"

Mo Hua gave Elder Xun Ziyou a meaningful look. "If unclean elements slip in among them and sabotage from within, the damage could be even greater."

Elder Xun Ziyou raised an eyebrow and nodded.

Mo Hua was right.

To keep this quiet, only trusted cultivators from one's own sect could be trusted.

But then, it would become the Grand Void Gate exterminating the Ten Thousand Demon Valley—and any casualties would be losses to the Grand Void Gate itself.

If other sects were called in, the secret would easily leak.

"There's another problem," Mo Hua continued. "Before the Ten Thousand Demon Valley lies a demonic array. According to the demonic cultivators, entering recklessly 'will bring a curse, shatter the mind, and drive one mad to death.'"

"Clearly, this demonic array is extremely treacherous. If we don't break it first and charge in blindly, casualties will be catastrophic."

"Can't you break it either?"

Elder Xun Ziyou asked with a solemn expression.

As soon as he spoke, he regretted it.

He, a senior Jin Dan late-stage elder, had unconsciously placed his hope for breaking the array on a mere Foundation Establishment disciple…

His dignity as an elder was nearly gone.

Fortunately, Mo Hua didn't seem to mind—he nodded seriously.

"The array here isn't just demonic—it likely involves matters of spiritual awareness. These fall outside the scope of ordinary arrays. I haven't figured them out yet…"

A typical array master—even a third-grade one—trained only in orthodox Five Elements and Eight Trigrams arrays would know nothing of demonic or spiritual arrays and could not discern their secrets.

Elder Xun Ziyou frowned slightly, then said:

"According to those demonic cultivators, 'On the sixteenth of each month, when the moon is full, the Ten Thousand Demon Valley opens, and the White Bone Path appears,' and only then can one enter."

"Tomorrow is the sixteenth. I'll wait until the valley opens, then try to slip inside and act according to circumstances."

Mo Hua quickly said, "I'm coming too."

"No, you're not."

"But what if we encounter the array? If there are spiritual arrays inside and you don't know how to handle them, and we're discovered?"

"Besides, hiding alone isn't enough to enter."

"You must use spiritual arrays to conceal your traces and block others' perception."

"Do you know how to do that?"

Elder Xun Ziyou was left speechless by Mo Hua's words.

Mo Hua repeated: "I'm coming too!"

Elder Xun Ziyou hesitated a moment, sighed, and relented:

"You follow me. Don't wander off once we're inside."

"Yes yes!" Mo Hua nodded.

A large-scale siege would be too obvious and risk alerting the enemy.

And it carried great danger.

So as per convention, one must first scout, understand the enemy's strength and secrets, before acting.

Of course, Mo Hua had his own small private motive:

He wanted to go inside and see what the demonic god was up to.

And… could the Ten Thousand Demon Valley possibly hide the complete transmission of the Four Symbols array and spiritual arrays?

He wasn't greedy—just a few Four Symbols or spiritual array diagrams would suffice.

Also, the "Demon Refining Map" mentioned in the demonic cultivators' transmission seals must be obtained.

See what it really is—whether it matches what he thought…

Mo Hua's eyes flickered slightly brighter.

Afterwards, Elder Xun Ziyou simply wiped away the blood on the ground and burned the two demonic cultivators' corpses with spirit fire, then returned with Mo Hua into the depths of the dense forest.

The two crouched atop a giant tree, waiting patiently.

Wait until the sixteenth night of the full moon, when the Ten Thousand Demons Valley opens, and find an opportunity to slip inside.

But before that, they must wait patiently and make preparations.

On the towering tree.

Mo Hua sat cross-legged on a thick branch, clutching two black robes—stripped from the two demonic cultivators.

He turned the black robes over and over, examining them several times, then carefully unpicked them along the seams and stitching.

Soon, the black robes were dismantled into fabric scraps.

And within the black robes, Mo Hua found what he sought.

The "array pattern sequence" of the Divine Path array!

"Indeed…"

Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.

When he first saw the black robes on the demonic cultivators, he had found them strange.

These black robes looked ordinary, yet they could somewhat conceal body shape and the demonic cultivators' spiritual aura.

Moreover, the closer to the dense forest, the better the black robes' concealment effect seemed to be.

Mo Hua had already calculated the forest's array, extracting some basic Divine Path array patterns.

Now, by dismantling the robes and cross-referencing, he discovered the Divine Path array patterns within the robes matched those of the forest exactly.

Moreover, the robes bore even clearer sequence patterns!

That meant the forest and the black robes shared the same array system.

He could replicate the sequence patterns to impersonate the two dead demonic cultivators, communicate with the forest's Divine Path reactivation system, and use the opposite array to conceal his own aura.

Thus, in addition to concealment, he gained spiritual sense isolation.

Even if they entered the Ten Thousand Demons Valley, they would be hard to detect.

Mo Hua nodded.

He pulled out two robes, one large and one small.

Both robes were custom-made spiritual artifacts, with no arrays yet painted on them.

The small one was for himself; the large one was originally meant to be painted with an array and sold.

Now they were perfect to serve as "array mediums."

With ample time remaining, Mo Hua painted the same Divine Path array design as the forest onto both robes, modifying the pattern sequence.

Now, these two robes shared the same effect as the demonic cultivators' black robes.

Mo Hua handed the larger robe to Elder Xun Ziyou.

"Elder, put this on."

Elder Xun Ziyou was confused.

Mo Hua simply said: "It conceals your aura—it lets you slip into the Ten Thousand Demons Valley…"

He didn't explain the complex array principles; he guessed Elder Xun wouldn't understand anyway.

Elder Xun Ziyou knew his limits, nodded, and obediently put on the robe.

With preparations complete, the two waited patiently on the tree.

In his spare moments, Mo Hua observed the demonic cultivators below.

As he watched, Mo Hua's heart grew complex.

These seemingly ferocious, flesh-eating demonic cultivators had mostly once been disciples of sects in Qianxue Province.

Yet now, they could probably never return to being human again.

Once one cultivates demonic arts, body and mind gradually shift toward beasthood, and there is no turning back…

Mo Hua sighed softly.

Then he felt a deeper pang.

Most of these disciples, lured or forced into demonic arts, seemed to come from small or mid-sized clans…

The young demonic cultivator just killed was the same.

The "missing" and "dead" disciples recorded in the Shandejuan Sect's archives were the same.

In this world, unaffiliated cultivators are shrimp; small families are small fish; great clans are big fish.

Small fish eat shrimp.

Big fish eat shrimp—and small fish too.

This oppression isn't just evident in clan power.

Within sects, among disciples, there is constant bullying and infighting…

The Evil God—or his minions—seem to exploit this "oppression" to infiltrate.

But is that truly all?

Mo Hua frowned.

Small and mid-sized clan disciples are oppressed, forced to submit, and thus infiltrated by the Evil God, becoming his minions.

Then what of the disciples from great clans?

Will the Evil God truly spare them?

Mo Hua's gaze grew solemn.

Time passed bit by bit.

, and from the silence, returned to an oppressive deathly stillness.

Finally, before anyone knew it, the night of the sixteenth arrived.

The moon was full, but carried a trace of sinister strangeness.

The blood water flowing in the blood creek gradually boiled, and the white bones on both banks trembled slightly.

The gathered demonic beasts also found it hard to contain the restlessness and fear in their hearts.

Suddenly, a surge of blood-colored karmic qi rose in the distance.

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened; he knew that in the darkness, the great gate of the Myriad Demon Valley had slowly opened…

(End of this chapter)

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