Chapter 785: “Rat

Elder Xun Ziyou added, "These demonic cultivators are charging at us like madmen—we've already clashed with them…"

Mo Hua frowned slightly.

Had Elder Xun's group been exposed?

So these demonic cultivators are trying a last-ditch, do-or-die stand?

But… how were they exposed?

Why did the demonic cultivators know Elder Xun's group was stationed just outside Ten Thousand Demons Valley?

Was it because Elder Xun's group carelessly revealed their position, or because… that mysterious Master Tu also understands heavenly fate and karma, "can divine the unseen"?

Mo Hua frowned.

But now that things have reached this point, dwelling on it is useless—only by quickly deciding the next move can they proceed.

Mo Hua asked, "Elder Xun, can you break through?"

The Grand Void Token paused for a moment; Elder Xun's side seemed delayed by some matter. After a while, a message came back:

"It will take some time…"

"Zi Xian said we can only enter Ten Thousand Demons Valley via the Bone Path—the Blood Streams on either side must not be touched."

"Right now, the Bone Path is packed solid with demonic cultivators, surging like a tide. Though we hold a cultivation advantage, we can't break through for now."

Outside Ten Thousand Demons Valley, blood mist hung thick, demonic winds howled in waves.

On the Bone Path, demonic cultivators roared as they fought the sect disciples.

In an instant, demonic energy surged into the heavens.

Disciples of the Grand Void and Chong Xu Sects either summoned sword qi or cast spells, slaying demonic cultivators one by one, blood pooling on the ground.

Elder Xun Ziyou slashed his right hand, conjuring a blade of qi that casually slew several demonic cultivators, then pushed further into Ten Thousand Demons Valley.

Yet at the same time, he sensed something was wrong, and sent a message to Mo Hua:

"These demonic cultivators' condition is strange—they bear peculiar markings, glowing red, their demonic power pushed to its absolute limit…"

He glanced around again, frowned, then continued:

"Once they die, the demonic markings explode, reducing flesh and bone to pulp."

"Some haven't even died yet—their demonic markings have gone out of control, demonic energy reversing, driving them mad, then self-exploding…"

Mo Hua's heart tightened at this.

"These demonic cultivators have been abandoned as expendables."

Each of them had been branded with the Four Symbols Demonic Mark.

He himself could control the Four Symbols Demonic Mark—but he had to alter each one individually, using an array pivot to command their demonic power.

But the overseers inside Ten Thousand Demons Valley didn't need to.

They possessed demonic banners integrated with the Four Symbols Demonic Mark array pivot.

With these banners, Ten Thousand Demons Valley could command entire batches of demonic cultivators, forcing them to "walk through fire and boiling water," "die without hesitation."

The controlled demonic cultivators served as cannon fodder, meant to block Elder Xun's group and buy time.

At the same time, they were always meant to be "sacrificed."

Jin Yixuan—or rather, the Young Master behind him—seeing the situation was hopeless, wanted to exterminate all his demonic cultivators, leaving not a single survivor!

Indeed, ruthless and cruel.

Mo Hua sighed in admiration.

Elder Xun Ziyou casually slashed and killed a few more demonic cultivators, then asked Mo Hua:

"Are you alright on your end?"

"I'm fine," Mo Hua said.

He'd merely stolen a little knowledge.

Otherwise, nothing had happened.

After all, before coming here, he had calculated the karmic threads—Ten Thousand Demons Valley could be called a "greatly auspicious" place.

To others, fortune or misfortune might be uncertain—but for him, there should be little danger.

"Good, then be careful—I'll break in as soon as possible…"

Elder Xun Ziyou had intended to end the message, but turned to see Elder Shangguan Yaohua of the Chong Xu Sect watching him with hopeful eyes.

Elder Xun Ziyou froze, slightly exasperated.

In this dire moment, he only hoped Mo Hua would focus on his own safety.

Others? He'd help if he could, but he didn't want Mo Hua taking unnecessary risks, creating complications, especially now, in this chaos.

But Shangguan Yaohua had deep ties with him.

The Chong Xu Sect also had longstanding connections with the Grand Void Sect.

It truly wasn't right to stand idly by.

Elder Xun Ziyou sighed, then sent another message to Mo Hua: "If you get the chance, look out for Linghu Xiao…"

Mo Hua: "Got it!"

He hadn't planned to abandon his two companions anyway.

Shangguan Yaohua bowed to Elder Xun Ziyou, grateful: "I shall forever remember this young brother's kindness."

Elder Xun Ziyou nodded, a slight relief settling in his heart.

Taking a bit of risk to earn the Chong Xu Sect elder's favor wasn't a bad thing.

Elder Xun Ziyou pushed his life-sword to its peak, his voice low: "Hurry and break through."

Shangguan Yaohua solemnly replied: "Understood!"

Then the two joined forces, using their Jin Dan cultivation to activate the sword art, condensing sword qi into tangible blades, carving a bloody path through the tidal wave of demonic cultivators, charging toward the gates of Ten Thousand Demons Valley…

……

Inside the demonic valley, within the array chamber, Mo Hua rested his chin on his hand.

He was considering what to do next.

Originally, if time had been sufficient, he had intended to stay and listen to "Mr. Tu" lecture, verifying whether the so-called "essence" of his Divine Path array matched the Divine Path sealing principles he had personally comprehended.

Whether there was anything worth learning from it.

But now it seemed there was no time left.

These demonic cultivators seemed determined to "burn their boats."

"So vigilant, huh…"

"Or did I do something that the other side 'calculated'?"

Mo Hua shook his head.

It seemed he must be more careful in his actions from now on—even possibly needing to account for some "Heavenly Fate and Karmic Threads" to avoid unseen surveillance and risks.

"The Dao of Heavenly Fate is a long and arduous path…"

Mo Hua nodded, gradually regaining his focus.

"Since the gates of the Demonic Valley have opened and Elder Xun is already breaking in, first figure out how to get Xiao Mutou and the others out—everything else can wait."

Mo Hua quietly extended his spiritual sense.

This was the array chamber, empty all around; Jin Yixuan was not here, and no other demonic cultivators dared enter rashly.

After waiting a moment, Mo Hua returned the "Goat-Head Stool" to its original place, then quietly slipped away from behind the goat-horn demon statue, passed through the hall, dismantled the array, opened a narrow gap in the door, concealed his presence, and slipped out stealthily.

The door quietly closed behind him.

No one knew he had come.

No one knew he had left.

Leaving the array chamber, Mo Hua retraced his steps along the direction indicated by the sword bone, heading toward the prison.

Along the way, chaos and noise filled the air—completely different from the oppressive silence he had encountered upon arrival.

The demonic cultivators were tearing down the Demonic Valley.

Anything that could be dismantled, they dismantled; anything that could be blown up, they blew up; anything that could be destroyed, they destroyed—without the slightest hesitation.

Mo Hua couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

Though it was a cultivation structure of the evil path, it had still taken countless efforts and immense hardship to build—how could they dismantle it without a trace of regret?

Yet he hadn't realized that if he hadn't infiltrated and caused all this commotion, the Demonic Valley would never have been torn down…

The journey was smooth.

Thanks to his concealment technique, the more chaotic the situation, the easier it was for him to blend in—and the less likely he was to be discovered.

Thus, Mo Hua slipped back silently to the prison.

Inside the prison, Xiao Mutou and the other two were tense and uneasy.

The loud commotion within the valley, the distant cries of battle, and the chilling aura of blood had slowly seeped in—but they had no idea what was happening.

The moment Mo Hua appeared, Ouyang Mu's eyes lit up.

Song Jian, who had been anxious, saw him like a relative and nearly burst into tears.

Even Linghu Xiao let out a deep breath of relief.

"Senior Mo, what's happening outside?" Ouyang Mu asked.

"Fighting has broken out. It's a long story—I'll tell you later. First, I'll figure out how to get you out."

All three perked up immediately.

"Here are your storage bags—I stole them back for you."

Mo Hua tossed the three storage bags to them.

These three storage bags had been stolen by him from nearby locked prison cells—he had long kept them in his sights but had never had the chance, fearing he'd alarm the guards.

Now the nest was in chaos and they were fleeing anyway—it no longer mattered.

The three looked at him with gratitude.

Mo Hua briefly explained his plan: "I'll kill a few demonic cultivators and take their black robes. You'll put them on, smear yourselves with demonic blood, and pretend to be demonic cultivators—blend into the crowd and escape…"

It was too chaotic now, and he had no concealment spiritual artifacts on him.

Moreover, Ouyang Mu and the others lacked concealment experience—even if they used spiritual artifacts, they'd likely give themselves away. It was better to slip out disguised among the demonic cultivators.

"I'll guide you when the time comes."

After speaking, Mo Hua glanced at Song Jian.

Among them, Song Jian was the only "outsider."

"Obey me without question—if you don't, I can't save you," Mo Hua warned.

Song Jian nodded obediently.

With the Demonic Valley in utter chaos, any frenzied demonic cultivator could tear him apart—he dared not act up anymore.

Whatever Mo Hua said, he would follow.

After giving all instructions, Mo Hua said: "Alright, let's go."

But as he stepped forward, he suddenly halted, his expression subtly altered.

Ouyang Mu asked: "Senior Mo, what's wrong?"

"I suddenly have a feeling," Mo Hua frowned slightly, "you three… won't be able to escape."

The three's expressions changed slightly.

Mo Hua frowned, pondered for a moment, then flipped his palm and plucked up a copper coin.

Ouyang Mu, puzzled, whispered:

"Mo brother, what are you… doing?"

Mo Hua said casually: "I'm calculating your fortunes."

Ouyang Mu and the other two: "…"

Right before their eyes, Mo Hua tossed a copper coin.

But after tossing it, Mo Hua's brow tightened even further.

"Useless…"

He had tossed the coin, yet felt no trace of karmic premonition; his mind remained ambiguous about fortune or misfortune, unable to determine anything.

Why?

Was it because it had nothing to do with him—he was divining others' fortune, so he couldn't see anything?

Or was it because the heavenly pattern was too chaotic, involving too many people, with tangled karmic threads, making it impossible to calculate?

Or perhaps true "heavenly pattern" divination cannot be performed endlessly.

Human computational capacity has limits; after one or two calculations, it requires time to recover?

"My clumsy heavenly pattern divination really is still too underdeveloped?"

Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

Yet since he had sensed even a faint omen, the situation was likely not optimistic.

Mo Hua glanced again at Linghu Xiao and the other three, pondered briefly, then said:

"I'll take you out; at the valley entrance, sect elders will be waiting to meet you. But if you truly can't get out and are blocked by someone, don't be foolish—don't think about dying with honor or fighting to the death. Just surrender honestly, and let them take you back…"

Linghu Xiao and the other three found Mo Hua's words strange, but with the emergency, they had no time to ask further; they memorized his words and nodded.

Afterwards, Mo Hua used the Four Symbols Array Pivot to "name" and kill three dog-headed demonic cultivators.

These demonic cultivators were short in stature, their black robes fitting snugly.

Mo Hua stripped off their black robes.

Linghu Xiao and the other three wrapped themselves in the three black robes, smeared demon blood over their bodies to mask their scent, then followed Mo Hua's guidance toward the Great Demon Valley's gate.

On the way, Mo Hua held a small array disc.

This disc was a simple spiritual vision array hub he had developed from the spiritual vision replication array's core in the Magnetic Array Chamber.

Through this pivot, he could loosely connect to the "Magnetic Spiritual Vision Array" he had previously activated.

With the spiritual vision array, he could monitor the movements of nearby demonic cultivators.

The Magnetic Vision map was certainly not as clear as the core in the array chamber, but it was sufficient.

Mo Hua concealed his presence, observing all directions with his senses, while using the spiritual vision array to guide Linghu Xiao and the other three.

He deliberately chose routes with fewer demonic cultivators.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered large waves of demonic beasts, and sometimes lone demonic cultivators.

When facing large waves, the three blended in.

When encountering lone demonic cultivators, they pretended not to notice.

Occasionally, some lone demonic cultivators were extremely alert and sensed something off about Linghu Xiao and the others, calling out to question them.

In such cases, Mo Hua acted decisively, ordering them to strike down the attackers ruthlessly.

Ouyang Mu's cultivation was average, but he had some sword foundation.

Song Jian, though seeming like a spoiled noble, had learned the Golden-Cutting Sword Art quite well.

As for Linghu Xiao, as the Sword Prodigy of Chongxu Sect, there was no need to say more.

And Mo Hua controlled things from behind with minor spells.

Even though the scattered demonic cultivators they encountered along the way were not weak, they were no match for the four of them combined.

Thus, dodging and killing, they gradually moved away from the Demon Prison, heading toward the Great Demon Valley's gate…

…

Deep within the Great Demon Valley.

In a luxurious yet elegant study.

A young Young Master sat upon the upper seat, his bearing as jade-like as Hua Ruyu.

Jin Yixuan bowed his head below, clasping his hands:

"Everything has been done as the Young Master planned: everything to be destroyed has been destroyed, those who were to die are dead, and all traces of alchemy, artifact forging, and especially array work will be erased…"

"Mm."

The young Young Master nodded softly, then fell silent, his Bai Xi fingers tapping the table's edge, lost in thought.

Jin Yixuan said respectfully: "Young Master, is something amiss?"

The young Young Master paused, then spoke slowly:

"Why… was it discovered?"

Jin Yixuan's heart tightened.

The Young Master continued: "How did they know the Great Demon Valley existed? Why did they lie in wait outside?"

"Why not attack directly, and wait outside?"

"What are they waiting for?"

Jin Yixuan's expression changed; his mind raced. "Young Master, you mean these people are waiting outside for an opportunity—and that opportunity is inside the valley…"

The Young Master gave no reply.

Jin Yixuan thought briefly, then gasped inwardly: "My Lord, in recent days, there have indeed been abnormalities within the valley…"

The Young Master gazed at him with indifference.

Jin Yixuan's heart turned cold, fearing reprimand, lowering his head even further—but still forcing himself to speak:

"A steward has died. You are aware of this matter."

"Besides, occasionally there are demon cultivators who drop dead."

"There are also demon cultivators who feel, as if by some unseen hand, that they are being watched…"

"I had previously suspected that some demon specter had broken out from the Demon Refining Diagram and was causing chaos in the valley…"

Jin Yixuan said in a low voice.

The young Young Master said coldly, "Demon specters are sealed within the Demon Refining Diagram, bound by formations, cut off from the outside. They cannot break out, let alone cause chaos."

The corner of his mouth curved into a cold smile. "A 'rat' has slipped into Ten Thousand Demon Valley."

"The sect's hawks and falcons are gathered outside the valley, waiting for this rat to steal intelligence for them, to probe our strengths and weaknesses…"

Jin Yixuan's face went pale, and he hurriedly confessed:

"It was my failure to notice!"

The Young Master glanced at Jin Yixuan indifferently. "I've told you not to waste my time with such useless words. What good is your failure to notice? What good is your confession? None of it changes anything…"

"If I truly wanted to kill you, you'd already be a dead man. There's no need for this pitiful act, begging for mercy like a dog."

Cold sweat seeped from Jin Yixuan's forehead, and he immediately said:

"I will redeem myself through meritorious service!"

The Young Master gave a slight nod, then fell into brief thought, his eyes flickering:

"This rat must want to rescue someone."

"Most likely, he's already rescuing them…"

Jin Yixuan was startled, and immediately said in a deep voice, "I'll head over right now, drag back those three little brats, find that rat, and crush him!"

"No," the Young Master shook his head. "Once you've caught that rat, bring him back. I want to take a look at him myself…"

His gaze was icy, yet tinged with a hint of amusement.

"Yes!"

Jin Yixuan solemnly kowtowed, then retreated respectfully. Once he had left the study, his expression instantly turned savage, and he cursed in a low voice:

"What brazen little sneak dares to play tricks on me? Making me lose face in front of the Young Master—truly seeking death!"

"Since the Young Master says not to kill, I'll spare your life—just enough to make you wish you were dead, unable to live or die!"

He immediately summoned a group of stewards and said in a deep voice:

"Follow me to Ten Thousand Demon Prison!"

"Yes."

Seeing his fierce and vicious expression, the stewards dared not ask for details and could only respond in unison.

Afterwards, Jin Yixuan could not wait any longer and urged his movement technique, his body swift as a tiger or leopard, rushing toward Ten Thousand Demon Prison in a frenzy.

The group of stewards behind him did not dare slacken, and hurriedly followed.

Upon arriving at Ten Thousand Demon Prison and entering the cellblock, Jin Yixuan discovered that the cells were completely empty.

Those three people had indeed escaped!

And the few dog-headed demon cultivators guarding the entrance outside had vanished without a trace.

Upon closer inspection, he found that these dog-headed demon cultivators had been stripped bare and fed to the nearby demon beasts.

In front of the nearby demon beasts' cages, some gnawed-on demon cultivator flesh and bone still remained.

Jin Yixuan flew into a rage and shouted, "Split up and pursue!"

"Yes!"

Several stewards split up along the routes of Ten Thousand Demon Prison and pursued in different directions.

Jin Yixuan also chose a direction and continued the pursuit. But after chasing for a while, he suddenly froze, turning his head to look at a wall nearby.

On the wall, some mud and stone were mixed old and new, and among them was a faint trace of spiritual energy. Unless one were a formation master well-versed in formations, it would be impossible to detect.

Jin Yixuan stepped forward, wiped it with a broad sweep of his hand, and upon seeing the formation sealed beneath the stone wall, his pupils immediately contracted.

Primordial Magnet Spirit Pivot Formation!

Activated by someone!

No wonder, no wonder Jin Gui said that in Ten Thousand Demon Prison, there was a feeling of being "watched."

Because there really was an invisible "eye" secretly watching him.

No, very likely more than one.

Jin Yixuan's face darkened like water. He immediately searched the vicinity for a moment and discovered that several adjacent Spirit Pivot Formations had also been activated.

These spirit-vision formations were like several cold and eerie "eyes," watching every movement within Ten Thousand Demon Prison.

And how many more such "eyes" lurked in the corners of Ten Thousand Demon Prison was unknown.

For a moment, Jin Yixuan felt a chill in his heart.

(End of chapter)

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