Chapter 780: The Formation Stone Hall

Mo Hua had originally assumed the Demon Refining Map would be just another contemplation painting like those he'd seen before, but he hadn't expected it to be such a vast mural.

From afar, blood mist obscured the view, blurring his sight.

Yet he could vaguely make out a mountain range, and countless grotesque demonic creatures carved upon the mural.

"I need to get closer to see…"

Mo Hua thought silently.

He turned his head, looking at the white bone broken sword in his hand, and asked softly: "Bone Sword, how do I get there?"

The "Demon Sword" named Bone Sword spoke with a faint tremor of fear, clearly deeply wary of the "Demon Refining Map," yet still answered truthfully:

"Outside the Demon Refining Map, demon cultivators guard the perimeter. Avoid them, circle around to the back, then there's a stone bridge. After crossing it, there's a thorny stone forest, then through…"

It explained in great detail.

Mo Hua memorized every word and followed its instructions.

At the same time, he made up his mind: if this "worthless bone" lied to him, he'd dismantle the sword bone and swallow it whole for a snack.

After all, it had been a treacherous old schemer in life.

Fortunately, Bone Sword was very honest.

The path it indicated was correct.

Though it took some Zhou Zhe, Mo Hua arrived safely before the Demon Refining Map.

The ease of it surprised Mo Hua.

He frowned and asked: "Is the defense around the Demon Refining Map this lax? Was it really this easy to get here?"

Bone Sword thought silently: "That's because I'm guiding you…"

And truthfully speaking, this wasn't easy at all.

To sneak in, one needed perfect knowledge of the terrain, mastery of concealment techniques, intimate understanding of demon cultivator habits, exceptional agility, and boldness paired with meticulous caution.

"This little ancestor of a brat is too practiced at stealth and climbing walls—probably spent his days stealing chickens and sneaking into gardens…"

Bone Sword thought silently to itself.

Yet on the surface, it could only lie through its teeth and flatter:

"That's because Young Master's agility is refined, his concealment impeccable, his movements precise, his courage and caution perfectly balanced… so naturally, it's not difficult."

"Hmm." Mo Hua nodded.

This Bone Sword had a way with words.

"Also…" Bone Sword added, "the Demon Refining Map is where demon cultivators are punished. Countless demon cultivators have perished here, enduring the torment of ten thousand demons devouring their souls. So when they draw near, they're filled with dread, often hearing the mutterings and roars of demonic entities."

"Thus, even the guarding demon cultivators dare not approach the Demon Refining Map directly—they only patrol the perimeter."

"I see…" Mo Hua nodded slightly.

"The mutterings of demons…"

He drew closer to the Demon Refining Map, listened for a moment, then asked in confusion: "Where are the demon mutterings? I can't hear anything."

Bone Sword froze. Summoning courage, it sensed the mural for a moment—then suddenly stilled.

Nothing…

When it had secretly approached before, it had clearly heard them.

The wailing of ten thousand demons, grotesque and terrifying, shaking the soul.

Why had they vanished?

It stole another glance at Mo Hua, thinking: "Could it be… these demonic spirits are afraid of this little ancestor and dare not make a sound?"

That couldn't be…

Even absurdity has its limits.

Bone Sword chuckled silently and shook its head.

"Perhaps the time hasn't come yet—the demonic voices have fallen silent."

"Oh." Mo Hua stared at the Demon Refining Map again, then asked: "By the way, where are the formation patterns?"

"Formation patterns?" Bone Sword froze.

"That formation pattern you spent two hundred years learning," Mo Hua said, "weren't you the one who said you learned it from the Demon Refining Map?"

Bone Sword paused, sensing the mural, then slowly frowned: "It seems… sealed off."

"Sealed?" Mo Hua blinked.

"Yes…" Bone Sword said, "two hundred years ago, the Demon Refining Map wasn't fully completed—some formation patterns were exposed. But now…"

Bone Sword glanced again at the mural, its tone growing tense: "This map appears fully finished—all formation patterns are sealed."

Mo Hua's expression darkened.

I don't come, you don't finish.

I show up, you finish.

You're deliberately keeping it from me, aren't you?

"Can this map be blown up?" Mo Hua asked.

Bone Sword shuddered in fright and hurriedly said: "My little ancestor, please don't even think of causing trouble!"

"If you really blow it up, you'll open a catastrophe beyond imagining!"

No one knows what terrible thing might happen if the Demon Refining Map is destroyed.

Moreover, destroying it would surely draw the attention of the demon cultivators—once the entire valley goes on alert, even the most perfect concealment and cautious actions would likely end in death.

"I was just joking," Mo Hua said.

This Bone Sword is getting old—it's got a generation gap. Can't even take a joke.

"Then… can we enter the Demon Refining Map?" Mo Hua asked again.

He had no other thought—he simply wanted to go in and count how many demons were inside.

"Go in?"

The Sword Bone was puzzled, unsure what Mo Hua intended to do.

What good could possibly be inside the Demon Refining Map?

Others avoid it at all costs, yet he wants to enter?

His heart is truly vast.

What for? To enter and suffer the "Ten Thousand Demons Devouring the Body," with soul scattered and spirit unable to transcend?

Or does he truly believe that defeating my Sword Demon makes him invincible, and he dismisses the myriad demons within the Demon Refining Map?

The Sword Bone sneered inwardly.

He was about to speak and dissuade Mo Hua, when suddenly he froze—his inner demonic thoughts surged uncontrollably.

"This little ancestor… damn it, this brat!"

"This brat's utter lack of awareness is actually a good thing."

"If I can find a way to send him into the Demon Refining Map, whether his spiritual awareness dies inside or is trapped there, I can find a way to escape myself—and perhaps even 'occupy the magpie's nest,' acquiring a fresh, young, living vessel… it's not impossible…"

A craving stirred within him.

The Sword Bone's tone remained respectful, feigning indifference: "As far as I know, there are only two ways to enter the Demon Refining Map."

"One is to endure torture, die a horrific death before the Demon Refining Map; before the body perishes, extreme agony stimulates the spiritual awareness, causing it to undergo a certain transformation, allowing it to enter the Demon Refining Map after leaving the body, to suffer even greater punishment…"

"This is double torment—body and spiritual awareness alike—accompanied by death, no different from the suffering of hell. Thus, all demon cultivators in the Ten Thousand Demons Valley turn pale at the mere mention of the Demon Refining Map."

"The other method is sacrifice…"

Mo Hua blinked. "Sacrifice?"

"Correct," the Sword Bone nodded. "Through a certain ritual, a person can be sacrificed to the Demon Refining Map."

"But I have never seen such a 'ritual,' nor do I know its specific method."

"Sacrifice is rare within the Ten Thousand Demons Valley—ordinary demon cultivators lack the qualifications to offer themselves…"

Mo Hua frowned.

This was troublesome.

He still couldn't enter the Demon Refining Map.

If he endured torture, his life would be over—and he might even die screaming in agony.

If it required sacrifice, he didn't know the method, and no one would offer him as a "sacrificial offering."

His stomach was hungry, there was rice in the pot, but the lid was sealed—he couldn't eat it.

Mo Hua felt uneasy.

"Let's look around. Perhaps there are other clues—some way to secretly 'seep' into the Demon Refining Map…"

Mo Hua's spiritual awareness stirred slightly; he made up his mind, cast one last reluctant glance at the Demon Refining Map, then turned away silently.

Only a few zhang away, a strange sound suddenly reached his ears.

Mo Hua turned his head, listening intently.

Only then did he realize—the cries were coming from within the Demon Refining Map.

Like the shouts of countless demons, mixed together, noisy and clamorous, fiercely arrogant, laced with disdain and mockery.

It seemed they were laughing at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's gaze grew cold.

"You miserable bones—I'll enter and count your heads myself."

…

After Mo Hua quietly left, he began wandering around the area.

The Demon Refining Map was a massive mural, mysterious in appearance, but fundamentally, it was a type of Daoist structure.

Using the mural as medium, the array as its skeleton, and spiritual essence as the catalyst.

Yet its methods were bloody and heretical, involving array domains he did not yet understand.

But the basic process would not change.

Constructing this map required vast manpower, numerous materials, and a meticulously built array.

It was a project spanning years, even decades.

Based on his experience and habits as an Array Master who had constructed large arrays, there must be a secret chamber nearby where the array master once drew the array.

Further, according to Elder Xun Zixian's speculation:

The arrays within the Ten Thousand Demons Valley formed a unified whole; the Divine Dao arrays within the valley were a complete, uninterrupted lineage.

And the Demon Refining Map bore a Divine Dao array.

Therefore, it was highly likely that the Demon Refining Map was the very core of the entire Ten Thousand Demons Valley.

The Divine Dao array was the heart of the entire Demon Refining Map.

If he could find the Divine Dao Array Diagram, learn its lineage, he would most likely crack the secrets of the Demon Refining Map—and gain control over the entire Ten Thousand Demons Valley.

Of course, this was still only speculation.

What exactly was the lineage of the Divine Dao array?

And what role did the Demon Refining Map truly play as the valley's core…?

There must be far more profound, deeply esoteric array principles waiting for him to study and uncover.

"I'll probably learn something valuable…"

Mo Hua nodded.

He circled the massive mural twice more, and finally found a suspicious spot.

This was a massive Shi Dian.

Inside the hall, the aura of powerful arrays was thick.

Mo Hua recognized at a glance that this was the Array Shi Dian of the entire Ten Thousand Demons Valley.

It was typically used to store array media, stockpile array ink, design array diagrams, and provide a place for array masters to study, rest, and draw arrays.

At this moment, the great door was tightly shut, locked, and seemed empty inside.

Moreover, there were no demon cultivators guarding the surroundings.

It seemed that, like the Demon Transformation Map, this Array Shi Dian was also a "forbidden zone" where demon cultivators dared not tread.

"Should we go in and take a look?"

Mo Hua's heart stirred.

He released his spiritual sense, briefly sensing the interior—no living human or demon cultivator's aura could be felt.

It should be safe.

But one could never be certain—cultivators' perceptions were sometimes unreliable…

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then took out a copper coin and performed a Celestial Mechanism Divination, making a slight calculation.

This divination lacked the previous clarity of insight into cause and effect, the sensation of sensing heavenly fate, as when he first calculated fortune and misfortune.

He did not see the myriad causes and effects of heaven and earth converging into heavenly fate, like a silver river flowing through the cosmos.

Only a faint trace of causal disturbance could be felt.

The disturbance was extremely minor.

Probably the "newcomer bonus" was gone; future calculations would rely entirely on his own understanding of heavenly fate.

But this was fine.

Constantly creating such grand disturbances was beginning to wear on him.

The copper coin flipped into the air and landed in his palm.

It was heads.

That meant there was no danger inside.

Mo Hua couldn't help but imagine, "Celestial Mechanism Divination is truly useful. If I ever truly become like my master—fully comprehending heavenly fate, mastering cause and effect, avoiding misfortune and seeking fortune—how powerful I would be…"

He put away the copper coin and approached the Shi Dian's great door.

The door bore a massive beast-shaped lock, engraved with the Four Symbols' fang pattern.

Jian Gutou said, "This is a specially crafted array lock within the Ten Thousand Demons Valley. With this lock sealing the door, you cannot enter—best to find another way…"

But before he finished speaking, Mo Hua had already begun pushing the door.

The door opened without resistance.

Jian Gutou was startled, staring closely—he realized the array on the lock had been completely undone.

In just a few breaths… it was undone?

Is this Weixiaozu an array master?!

Jian Gutou suddenly remembered: when he had fought this Weixiaozu before, the Weixiaozu had used arrays to blow him nearly to dust.

But that didn't make sense…

This was the Ten Thousand Demons Valley's array—how could he unravel it so quickly?

What was his true origin?

Had he, perhaps, underestimated this Weixiaozu all along?

Jian Gutou grew deeply uneasy.

"No—I must find a way to escape from him as soon as possible. Otherwise, even if I become a Sword Demon, I will be eternally suppressed, with no hope of redemption."

Mo Hua paid no heed to the Sword Demon's thoughts; he erased the traces on the lock, quietly closed the door, then turned and stepped into the Array Shi Dian.

The Array Shi Dian was vast and opulent.

Just as Mo Hua had guessed.

Inside, vast quantities of array materials and array diagram drafts were stockpiled.

Yet most of these materials were made from the skins and bones, or blood, of unknown humans or demonic beasts.

The array diagram drafts were chaotic and complex, but all clearly descended from the Four Symbols demonic pattern, brimming with demonic and bizarre energy.

In the center of the hall stood a massive stone table, presumably used for drawing arrays.

Aside from that, everything else were array-related tools.

At the very back of the hall stood a towering, imposing, terrifying statue of a demonic goat-headed fiend!

Mo Hua looked at it, and his spirit trembled.

Goat horns!

The Great Wilderness Evil God!

Having dealt with the Great Wilderness Evil God for so long, he naturally knew that these goat horns were, to some degree, the symbol of this evil god!

"Finally—I've caught another 'weak point' of the Evil God!"

Mo Hua stepped toward the statue.

The Sword Demon trapped within the Broken Sword suddenly felt overwhelming dread and cried out:

"No, Ancestor, don't go near it!"

Mo Hua ignored it entirely, walking up to the statue, inspecting it from left to right, even reaching out to touch it, then sighing in disappointment.

"It's a fake…"

No evil essence was embedded in it, let alone the Evil God himself.

The Sword Demon broke into a cold sweat—though it was made of bone and could not sweat, it was terrified nonetheless.

Mo Hua glanced behind the statue and his eyes lit up.

"Altar!"

Behind the massive ram-horned demon statue lay a small altar.

On the altar sat a ram's skull, surrounded by offerings, with candles burning a sickly green glow.

Seeing the altar, Jian Gutou's pupils shrank in terror, his entire skeleton trembling, "No… no…"

But before he could finish, Mo Hua leapt lightly onto the altar, touched the ram's skull, sniffed the offerings, and frowned.

"Still fake?"

What did that mean?

Mo Hua didn't understand.

Wan Yao Valley was such a vast demon valley, teeming with demonic beasts and countless demonic cultivators, yet they'd gone to such lengths to set up such a tight array.

And yet they didn't even worship a true evil god?

Even a corrupted deity, a demonic avatar, or a god's corpse would've been enough.

Could it be…

Mo Hua mused to himself.

Wan Yao Valley lay within Lian Yao Mountain.

Lian Yao Mountain was in the Qian Xue Province, where cultivators of great power were too numerous, so the evil god dared not descend in its true form?

Could it only afford a hollow altar?

Mo Hua thought it very likely.

He rummaged through Shi Dian again, searching for other clues, especially ones related to the Divine Path array.

But since he was acting in secret and feared discovery, he couldn't search freely, let alone dig up the ground three feet deep, so his findings were minimal.

As he rummaged, Jian Gutou's voice came from the broken sword:

"Someone's coming!"

Mo Hua sensed it too. He scanned the surroundings, confirmed no obvious traces remained, and relaxed.

Then he flipped over, leapt onto the head of the ram-horned demon statue, slid down its back, and quietly hid behind it.

At the same moment, the door to Shi Dian opened.

A black-clad figure entered, tall and imposing, radiating an extraordinary aura.

"This man is the 'leader.'"

Jian Mo whispered through telepathy.

Mo Hua froze slightly.

The black-clad leader wore a hood that concealed most of his face; his features were invisible, but his aura revealed he was no ordinary demonic cultivator.

In fact, he seemed more like a "sect disciple."

And not just any sect disciple.

More like a highly revered "senior brother" within the sect.

Behind the black-clad leader followed another man.

This man was equally tall but slightly hunched, his demeanor respectful.

Mo Hua recognized him: Jin Gui, the Duan Jin Gate senior brother who had stolen his pig demon, then been hung upside down, stripped, and drawn on with a turtle.

He was also the newly appointed "supervisor" of Wan Yao Prison, having just become a demonic cultivator not long ago.

Mo Hua silently pondered:

"This Jin Gui from Duan Jin Gate shows such deference to the black-clad leader, and they seem familiar with each other."

"Could the black-clad leader also be from Duan Jin Gate?"

Meanwhile, the black-clad leader and Jin Gui walked into Shi Dian.

As they walked, they spoke in low tones, continuing their whispered discussion all the way to the center of the hall.

They were so focused they didn't notice the hall had been breached, nor that Mo Hua hid behind the ram-horned statue.

"... What happened?"

"Something's amiss…"

"I can't explain this failure to Young Master…"

"Senior brother…"

"Don't call me senior brother."

…

Hidden behind the statue, Mo Hua froze at the words, thinking: So it's true.

Duan Jin Gate…

This was going to be a disaster.

Inside the hall, the two continued talking.

Mo Hua involuntarily strained his ears, eager to hear more secrets, but crouching like this was uncomfortable.

Mo Hua glanced back, grabbed the ram's skull from the center of the altar, placed it beneath him, and sat down hard.

(End of Chapter)

dengbidmxswqqxswyifan

shuyueepzwqqwxwxsguan

xs007zhuikereadw23zw