Chapter 801: Blood Sacrifice

Huang Shanjun's expression changed, but only for an instant before he regained his composure, smiling awkwardly at Mo Hua:

"The little god is now fallen on hard times; naturally, I must hide from everything."

"Afraid of passing cultivators smashing my clay statue; afraid of wolves and beasts in the mountains stealing my offerings; afraid of ghosts or evil spirits from who-knows-where defiling my temple and seizing my sacred ground…"

"This temple stands deep in the mountains; a little shabby is fine, but if it were even slightly elegant or luxurious, someone would surely covet it."

Huang Shanjun spoke these words with a bitter expression.

Mo Hua watched Huang Shanjun in silence.

He could see at a glance that Huang Shanjun was lying.

But Mo Hua did not blame it.

Whether human or deity, who doesn't have some secret they can't speak of?

His own secrets far outnumbered Huang Shanjun's.

To be true friends long-term, one must leave room for each other—to grant space for hidden truths.

If it won't speak, then don't press it.

After all, it's the one hiding in this ruined temple, braving wind and rain—not him…

Mo Hua gave Huang Shanjun another long look, then nodded and said, "True enough."

Huang Shanjun had been unnerved by Mo Hua's piercing gaze, his heart fluttering with unease; hearing this, he let out a deep sigh of relief.

Mo Hua looked up at the ruined temple, pondered for a moment, then added:

"Shanjun, hiding like this won't work forever. Shall I help you?"

"Help?"

Huang Shanjun was startled, not understanding Mo Hua's meaning.

"How would you help me hide?"

Mo Hua said, "I've learned a new array technique that can conceal divine perception. I can paint it onto your statue—you'll hide inside it, and no one will easily find you."

Huang Shanjun was greatly surprised, but didn't wish to refuse Mo Hua's goodwill; he bowed and said:

"Then I thank you, young friend."

Mo Hua examined the surroundings for a while, then said:

"The clay statue right by the temple entrance is too obvious—even if I paint the array on it, it won't help. Shanjun, do you have any other statues you use to hide in?"

"This…" Huang Shanjun fell silent for a moment.

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, "The little dog statue behind the temple—do you like hiding inside that? I…"

Huang Shanjun shook his head vigorously, "No, no…"

To hide inside the dog statue just to avoid Mo Hua.

That humiliation, he would never speak of again in his life.

No matter how fallen he was, he was still a mountain deity—and even deities have pride.

Huang Shanjun glanced at Mo Hua, hesitated long, then gritted his teeth and said, "Young friend, follow me."

Mo Hua's expression shifted slightly, and he nodded.

Huang Shanjun drifted gently out of the clay statue and led Mo Hua away from the ruined temple to the edge of a cliff behind it.

"A cliff?"

Mo Hua looked at Huang Shanjun.

Huang Shanjun pointed downward, slightly embarrassed, "There's a cave below. Young friend, this way…"

Huang Shanjun walked toward the cliff's edge.

Mo Hua followed and only then noticed that thick vines growing along the cliffside concealed a steep stone staircase.

Following the staircase down several zhang, there was a cave.

The cave was small and shallow.

As Mo Hua entered, he discovered another statue hidden inside.

The statue stood tall and dignified, with a long, narrow face and stern eyes, resembling Huang Shanjun in some ways; its entire body was cast from fine bronze, with some parts gilded—far superior to the clay statue in the ruined temple.

Mo Hua was startled, looking at Huang Shanjun: "Is this your true spirit statue?"

Huang Shanjun smiled but said nothing.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and decided it wasn't.

No matter how much Huang Shanjun trusted him, he wouldn't so easily reveal his true spirit statue.

Unless he'd lost his mind.

People rely on clothes; deities rely on gold.

This statue was likely his private treasure, kept to "maintain face."

Of course, in emergencies, it could also serve to "hide."

"Alright, shall I paint the array for you?" Mo Hua asked.

Huang Shanjun bowed deeply: "I'm in your debt…"

Mo Hua took out paper and brush and began meticulously painting the array around Huang Shanjun's "gilded" statue.

Huang Shanjun watched silently beside him, curious what array Mo Hua would paint for him.

But as he watched, Huang Shanjun's expression changed again.

"This…"

His body trembled; after much hesitation, he stammered, "Y…young friend, this… this can't be… a divine path array?"

"Yes." Mo Hua nodded.

Indeed it is!

Huang Shanjun sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

How did this little plague god learn the Divine Path array technique?

This is terrible…

Won't he become even more lawless from now on?

What does it mean for him to paint a Divine Path array on his own statue?

Huang Shanjun's face froze, and he deeply regretted it—profoundly regretted it.

Human hearts are unfathomable; indeed, cultivators are not to be trusted at all.

If only I hadn't told him the location of this statue…

Huang Shanjun's expression turned bitter, utterly helpless, and he begged: "Young friend, show mercy! Don't seal my statue…"

If you seal this statue, it will have no escape.

Mo Hua asked in confusion: "Who said I'm going to seal you?"

Huang Shanjun looked at him with a forlorn expression.

Mo Hua comforted it: "Don't worry, it's not what you think…"

"I'll use the Divine Path array to seal your statue, but leave an opening so you can come and go freely. In this way, the Divine Path array becomes your shelter, concealing your aura."

"If you ever face danger, hide inside—it's possible no one, not even other malevolent spirits, will find you."

Huang Shanjun paused, suddenly understanding.

It never imagined the "Divine Path array," originally meant to oppose deities, could be used this way.

But upon reflection, it made sense.

Normal deities receive worship openly and have no need to hide, so they don't rely on such methods to dwell.

Yet deities who have fallen into evil paths are enemies of Divine Path cultivators.

Divine Path array masters naturally devise ways to completely seal them, leaving no flaw.

Turning a "sealing" array into a "hiding" one—truly a brilliant idea.

Huang Shanjun admired it inwardly and glanced at Mo Hua again, deeply curious.

I wonder where he learned this Divine Path array technique…

Huang Shanjun wanted to ask, but wisely kept silent.

Given this young cultivator's cunning, he probably wouldn't tell me anyway.

After finishing the drawing, Mo Hua indeed left a gap in the array behind the statue and said to Huang Shanjun: "Try going inside…"

Huang Shanjun frowned.

As a deity, it naturally recoiled from Divine Path arrays designed to suppress deities—almost instinctively.

Moreover, this array was crafted by Mo Hua, whose true nature was unknown.

Once inside, if he sealed the gap, I'd be trapped forever, weeping without recourse.

But with Mo Hua's clear, wide eyes fixed on it, Huang Shanjun felt a pang of shame.

Enough…

It gritted its teeth and finally transformed into a wisp of white smoke, trembling, slipping into the statue.

Inside the statue, the surrounding array felt like narrow mountain walls, leaving it suffocated and uneasy.

It had a premonition: if Mo Hua sealed the gap now,

it would be imprisoned within the statue, bound by the array, never again seeing the light of day.

Huang Shanjun felt uneasy.

Fortunately, after a while, Mo Hua asked: "How is it?"

"I… I'm fine…" Huang Shanjun said.

"Hmm." Mo Hua nodded. "Then come out. You don't need to stay inside unless real danger arises."

He didn't know what Huang Shanjun was hiding from in that ruined temple.

But keeping an extra escape route was always wise.

Huang Shanjun turned into a wisp of green smoke and drifted out of the seal, instantly feeling the pressure lift, exhaling deeply, then bowed to Mo Hua with sincere gratitude:

"Thank you, young friend."

"Alright, I'm leaving. I'll visit again when I have time." Mo Hua waved and departed from the cave.

Huang Shanjun saw Mo Hua off at the temple's entrance, his emotions complicated; after long hesitation, he finally spoke:

"In Qianxue Prefecture, there is a malevolent deity…"

"Is this malevolent deity the one with ram's horns?" Mo Hua asked.

"Yes…" Huang Shanjun nodded, then suddenly froze. "You… you already know?"

Not only do I know—I've seen it, even "eaten" it…

"How do you know?" Huang Shanjun was stunned.

Mo Hua said: "I encountered a few minor malevolent spirits nearby—they seem to be this deity's underlings."

Huang Shanjun looked at Mo Hua in shock and asked:

"Are you alright?"

Mo Hua smiled: "I'm fine…"

Huang Shanjun nodded, thinking it made sense—if he could master the Divine Path array, a few minor malevolent spirits wouldn't trouble this "little plague god."

Huang Shanjun fell silent for a moment, then said solemnly:

"The underlings aren't terrifying—it's the malevolent deity itself that is dangerous…"

"This malevolent deity has slumbered for ages, is extremely ancient, and its evil intent is boundless. Even now, its power is likely less than one-thousandth of its peak. Should it awaken—even if it only hatches one divine embryo—it would be a catastrophe for the world…"

Mo Hua's expression grew grim upon hearing this.

Huang Shanjun may be fallen on hard times now, but he once knew wealth and still retains his vision and insight.

If he says so, then the true form of this Great Wilderness Demon God is likely far more terrifying than I imagined.

Especially since He may be in the process of "awakening"…

"Do you still remember what I told you before?" Huang Shanjun asked again.

Mo Hua wanted to ask: Which words exactly?

He had met Huang Shanjun many times and spoken many words—how could he recall which ones Huang Shanjun meant?

But after piecing together the context, he furrowed his brow and suddenly remembered.

"You mean, 'The Qianxue Province is no place to linger'?"

"Correct," Huang Shanjun sighed. "I told you to cultivate within your sect, reach the late Foundation Establishment stage, then leave—even if it delays you some years, don't stay past ten. Within ten years, there should still be time…"

"But now it seems dangerous."

Mo Hua blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Huang Shanjun lifted his head, gazing at the seemingly clear, boundless sky, his brows tightly knitted:

"For some reason lately, the evil thoughts have grown restless—as if someone is secretly orchestrating things, forcing that Demon God to accelerate its pace. Now it seems… it may not last ten years…"

"Someone… is secretly orchestrating things?" Mo Hua also frowned.

Who could be so powerful?

Who could force a Demon God to hasten its plans?

As Mo Hua pondered, his heart suddenly lurched.

Could the person Huang Shanjun meant… be me?

Me forcing the Demon God?

That can't be right…

Mo Hua fell silent for a moment, then quietly asked Huang Shanjun:

"Shanjun, what exactly is the Demon God's scheme? What must it do to awaken?"

Huang Shanjun's expression twisted in hesitation.

"Can't you tell me?" Mo Hua asked.

Huang Shanjun sighed. "I don't know the specifics of the scheme—I only know that whenever an ancient Demon God awakens, it is always accompanied by a…"

Huang Shanjun's face turned solemn, his voice icy: "... grand blood sacrifice!"

Mo Hua's pupils contracted.

A grand… blood sacrifice!

In the Qianxue Province?!

Huang Shanjun looked at Mo Hua and spoke gravely:

"I can only say this much. If this is true, once the blood sacrifice begins, all life will be slaughtered, all things withered. Young friend… take care."

Mo Hua frowned deeply. "But… the Qianxue Province has countless fourth- and fifth-rank Shijiahe Sects, many Ancestors guarding them—how could a blood sacrifice happen here?"

Huang Shanjun shook his head. "I, a minor spirit, do not know."

Mo Hua did not know whether it truly didn't know, or if it was holding back out of caution—so he merely nodded, bowed, and said:

"Thank you, Shanjun. I'll remember."

Then Mo Hua took his leave.

Huang Shanjun watched Mo Hua depart, but before he left, he finally added with deep meaning:

"Human evil is the finest bait for a Demon God…"

Mo Hua stood frozen.

That phrase lingered in his mind all the way until he left Ku Mountain and boarded the carriage bound for Yanshui City.

"Human evil is the finest bait for a Demon God…"

Huang Shanjun seemed to be hinting at something.

Or perhaps it was merely a reflection born of its own past?

Mo Hua silently pondered.

And… a grand blood sacrifice?

A small-scale blood sacrifice might exist, but sacrificing the entire Qianxue Province? Such a massive blood sacrifice—by Mo Hua's understanding, it seemed impossible…

And Huang Shanjun only said that the awakening of an ancient Demon God is always accompanied by a grand blood sacrifice.

He never said this particular Demon God was the Great Wilderness Demon God.

Nor did he say its awakening would necessarily occur in the Qianxue Province.

It might very well be… in the Great Wilderness?

Mo Hua shook his head.

"Forget it—for now, don't think about this…"

This kind of Demon God conspiracy is beyond my current reach.

All I've done is steal a tiny fraction of its authority, consumed a few of its demons, and destroyed a handful of its altars.

All of them were second-rank.

To a Demon God whose rank is unknown but surely very high—the Great Wilderness Demon God—it's probably not even worth mentioning.

I should focus my time and energy on improving myself…

Mo Hua silently told himself.

Then he began to sit in meditation, closing his eyes to rest.

The carriage also carried him, strolling leisurely toward Yan Shui City.

The journey passed without incident.

By the time they reached Yan Shui City, it was already evening.

He inquired about the Ye family's location, confirmed the direction, and went straight to their gate—only to find the Ye family heavily guarded, barring all non-family cultivators from entering.

Mo Hua could not slip inside.

Asking openly would likely backfire, and he'd be labeled a "suspicious cultivator."

And if the Ye family truly had something to hide, he might alarm them.

Mo Hua circled the wall once more, studying the formation.

He could guess the general layout of the formation with about seventy to eighty percent accuracy.

But the Ye family was a third-grade clan, and their estate was dotted with several third-grade formations; at his current level, Mo Hua was ill-equipped to handle them.

Disassembling a second-grade formation to breach the wall might offer a chance to sneak in.

But if caught, the trouble would be immense.

After circling twice without finding an opening, and seeing nightfall approaching, Mo Hua found a noodle shop nearby to eat.

The noodle shop was plain and unadorned, called "Wang's Noodle Shop."

The premises were small, and the owner was a single woman—a sharp-eyed, talkative auntie.

Mo Hua had deliberately chosen this shop after two rounds of scouting, precisely because the auntie was gossipy and loved to chatter.

The evening was late, the meal hour over, and few remained to eat.

Mo Hua called her "sister," which delighted her; she not only added extra noodles to his bowl but also gave him two extra portions of pickled vegetables.

After chatting awhile, Mo Hua casually brought up the Ye family.

Some matters were hard for outsiders to uncover, but these street-dwelling cultivators, accustomed to rumors, knew everything.

After chatting with the owner, Mo Hua had a general idea.

The Ye family had a poor reputation in Yan Shui City.

Toward the lower classes, they oppressed itinerant cultivators and bullied the countryside; though not so extreme as to draw the attention of Dao Ting Si, they were widely despised openly and secretly.

Toward those above them, they fawned and clung for favor.

Within the family, relations among disciples were also discordant.

Moreover, the Ye family had one notorious practice: "selling daughters."

"They'd do anything to curry favor with the powerful—last year, they married off a twenty-something direct-line daughter to some sect's three-hundred-year-old widowed elder."

"Only the Ye family could pull off something like this…"

The auntie sneered.

Mo Hua's gaze shifted, and he lowered his voice, whispering:

"I heard about this too—apparently, that Ye family direct-line daughter, unable to bear the humiliation, killed herself…"

The auntie blinked. "Killed herself? No… not that I know of."

"Didn't she kill herself?" Mo Hua feigned confusion.

The auntie frowned, thought a moment, then shook her head. "She didn't. I haven't heard anyone say so."

Mo Hua muttered, "Did I misremember? Wasn't it her? Did the Ye family have anyone else who killed themselves?"

"Killed themselves?" The auntie shook her head. "I haven't heard of any recent cases. Better to live miserably than die—no matter how hard life gets, you endure it. Who'd kill themselves unless pushed to the brink?"

"Is that so…" Mo Hua's gaze sharpened slightly.

"But you can't be sure…" the auntie added, "The Ye family does so many wicked things—if someone dies, they hide it. They'd never let others know."

"If a girl married off to climb Gao Wei is abused and kills herself, the Ye family won't announce it—they'll just pick another girl and shove her into the same firepit."

"Sister, does this happen often?" Mo Hua asked.

"Who knows?"

The auntie couldn't help herself—she added another ladle of noodles.

"Even if a direct-line Young Master dies, they never make a fuss. Who knows how many they've secretly killed?"

"A direct-line Young Master died?"

"Yes," the auntie said. "Last year—or was it the year before? Their Young Master went out carousing and died on the Yan Shui River."

Mo Hua's pupils contracted slightly.

The Ye family Young Master, carousing, died on the Yan Shui River…

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