Chapter 815: Eye of Malevolence

Meanwhile, Water Yama's expression turned grim.

"Not only is his body technique excellent—this brat's perception is remarkably sharp. My Water Shadows upon Shadows, ghostlike and elusive—he actually discerned which water shadow I launched the killing strike from…"

Why?

How could a Foundation Establishment mid-stage brat possibly tell?

Water Yama was baffled.

In these few moments of pursuit, Gu Changhuai's aura nearby began to struggle, as if awakening from the "intimidation."

Water Yama's expression hardened.

"No wonder he's a Jin Dan—he's only been stunned this long…"

He silently thought, then turned to look at Mo Hua.

"We can't delay any longer…"

We must capture this brat soon!

Then that Jin Dan will hesitate, afraid to act rashly.

The other two Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivators are no threat.

And this brat, with his special identity, will become a hostage—take him back, inflict tortures upon him, and extract their origins and purpose!

Water Yama's form flickered, merging with water, then transforming into shadows upon shadows as he advanced toward Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly; his spiritual sense extended, perceiving the surroundings—he saw seven or eight water-colored ghostly shadows suddenly appear.

Water Yama's form was elusive, constantly darting back and forth among these water shadows.

Using water shadows to confuse the enemy, hiding lethal intent within.

If one cannot distinguish which ghostly shadow is real and which is false, one easily falls into passivity.

If one does not strike, one merely waits for death.

But if one strikes, even a slight misstep will reveal a fatal opening, inviting a killing blow.

Mo Hua inwardly marveled:

Such a powerful body technique!

It can evade enemies, confuse them, and lie in ambush to kill.

If judged purely by agility in confined space—footwork refined, advance and retreat effortless—it may not surpass the Step of Fading Water.

But in terms of devious lethality, it clearly surpasses it.

Yet no matter how devious his body technique, it pales beside Mo Hua's spiritual sense.

In Mo Hua's spiritual perception, he could filter out distractions and clearly discern Water Yama's true form.

Moments later, behind Mo Hua, a ghostly shadow flickered, then solidified.

Water Yama appeared out of thin air—face icy, skin deathly pale.

He flicked his hand; the Water Torture Whip, coated in toxic water, lashed out like a venomous water serpent toward Mo Hua.

With the whip's poisonous nature, even a graze—not a direct strike—would leave Mo Hua half-dead.

But as expected, the whip struck empty air.

Mo Hua's form flashed; water clung to his body as he executed a light retreat, slipping free from Water Yama's deadly whip.

Water Yama's face darkened.

"Indeed, this brat is suspicious…"

If so, he cannot be left alive.

Capture him, slowly torture him, and squeeze out every secret—his origins, his body technique, his perception—all of it.

Water Yama's eyes glinted with malice.

Seeing Mo Hua about to slip away, Water Yama fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Brat, you're dead."

Hearing this, Mo Hua's heart tightened; he involuntarily turned his head and glanced at Water Yama.

One look—and his expression jolted.

Water Yama's eyes had turned bright red, as if soaked in blood.

Within that blood, countless grotesque shapes coalesced—human-like, demon-like—writhing, screaming in agony as if enduring the eighteen tortures of hell.

A thick aura of deathly malevolence surged from his eyes.

In the instant Mo Hua locked gazes with him, this malevolence surged through Mo Hua's eyes into his spiritual sea.

Mo Hua felt a crushing fear of death, an icy chill, and the furious, agonized howls of countless vengeful spirits.

These emotions shook his spirit.

Then…

There was no "then."

All resentment dissolved the moment it touched Mo Hua's spiritual awareness.

All malevolent energy vanished without a trace.

Mo Hua involuntarily blinked.

His eyes were clear as water.

Water Yama, who had just cast the demonic technique and was staring directly at Mo Hua, froze—the smile forming on his lips never reached his face.

Then his heart sank; his expression changed drastically.

Failed?

The eye technique didn't work?!

How is that possible?!

Water Yama's gaze held a trace of disbelief.

A cultivator at early Jin Dan, caught off guard, could still condense baleful Qi, strike at his eyes, and stun him for a few breaths.

But this little brat…

How could a mere mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, completely unguarded, have looked into his eyes, taken the baleful-transformation ocular art head-on, and still come out unscathed?

Not only that, after being hit by the ocular art, that little brat's eyes only grew brighter, even shining with excitement, as if…

A hunter had spotted his prey?

"What an arrogant little brat!"

Killing intent surfaced on Water Yama's face. He was about to strike at Mo Hua when a sudden premonition of danger rose in his heart. He activated his movement art and retreated a step.

Then a sword-light came slashing down hard along the side of his head.

Water Yama had retreated, so it didn't hit him squarely.

But the sword-light still grazed his face.

A bloody gash was cut across his face, his topknot came undone, hair wild and disheveled—he looked utterly wretched.

Gu Changhuai, his face dark as still water, long sword in hand, appeared before him and blocked Mo Hua behind him.

"Damn it!"

Water Yama cursed inwardly, his thoughts racing.

"Miscalculated. I never expected this little brat to be so bizarre, with so many tricks up his sleeve—all my previous scheming was wrong…"

He had never imagined that he, a peak Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator leader who had killed countless, couldn't even catch a mid-Foundation Establishment little brat!

And now, with this Jin Dan cultivator standing in the way, he could forget about catching that little brat.

He had already used the baleful-transformation ocular art several times; his divine sense was exhausted now and he couldn't use it again anytime soon.

Especially against a Jin Dan cultivator, the ocular art drained him enormously.

Water Yama's figure flashed at once, splitting into even more water shadows.

Seeing this, Mo Hua immediately shouted: "Uncle Gu, he wants to run!"

Gu Changhuai swept his divine sense outward. After several breaths, he barely managed to pick out Water Yama's true body from the layers of ghostly shadows, and at once swept his long sword, sending a sword-light slashing over.

The sword-light pierced the air, but landed on empty space.

Water Yama's figure swayed, dodging by a hair's breadth, but his heart tightened and he couldn't help but curse and spit.

Then, without further hesitation, he pushed his movement art to its fullest and sped toward the riverbank to escape.

Just at that moment, a strange sense of crisis welled up within him once more.

Locked onto—by whose divine sense…?

Water Yama's expression changed.

But in an instant, a stream of water-light descended, transforming into chains and a cage, binding him tightly in the blink of an eye.

Yet barely a moment later, a flash rippled across Water Yama's body, as if coated with a layer of water-light. Water force circulated, and he easily broke free from the water-prison art that Mo Hua had previously found unbeatable.

After breaking free, Water Yama had already fled to the water's edge.

But he did not escape. Instead, he turned his head and looked back at Mo Hua with disbelief and sudden realization.

"An orthodox water-prison art! You are… a remnant of the Water Prison Sect?! No wonder, no wonder…"

Water Yama murmured.

Mo Hua was taken aback.

Water Prison Sect?

This Water Yama had mistaken him for a member of the Water Prison Sect?

Gu Changhuai, however, had no patience for chatter. He leveled his long sword and, in a few steps, closed the distance to Water Yama again, intending to take him down for good.

Water Yama silently glanced at Mo Hua one last time, a cold killing intent gleaming in his eyes.

"Anyone of the Water Prison Sect must die!"

Then he took another sword strike from Gu Changhuai head-on. His qi and blood jolted, his face went pale. Knowing the situation was hopeless now, he stopped hesitating and leaped into the Smoke-Water River.

Once in the river, he was like a flood dragon entering the sea.

Water Yama's aura merged with the entire river. His movement art grew another notch faster, like a water-dwelling monster, turning into a rushing current that swam into the depths of the Smoke-Water River.

Gu Changhuai stepped along the riverbank, chasing a few steps, then looked out—and Water Yama's tracks had already vanished. His face darkened.

This Water Yama moved through water as freely as if it were home.

As if the Smoke-Water River itself were his true domain.

Once a cultivator this skilled in water dove into the river, he was like a fierce tiger returning to its mountain. Catching him again would be as hard as scaling the heavens.

Forget catching him—even finding him again would probably be extremely difficult…

Gu Changhuai looked out once more over the rolling, bottomless waters of the Smoke-Water River, and for a moment his expression grew even more solemn.

He could only sheathe his long sword, turn around, and check on Gu An and Gu Quan's condition.

Gu An and Gu Quan had already come back to their senses, but their lips were pale, and they seemed to have been disturbed by the baleful Qi—still trembling slightly.

Mo Hua stared into their eyes for a moment, then let out a breath of relief and said:

"It's alright—just baleful Qi invading the body. Burn some incense, sit in meditation, calm the mind, and rest for a while and you'll recover."

What Water Yama used was baleful Qi, not evil spirits.

If it had been evil spirits, it would have been far more troublesome.

Inside his own consciousness sea, even demons and monsters held no fear for Mo Hua.

But inside someone else's consciousness sea, he didn't have many options for now.

Hearing Mo Hua say this, Gu Changhuai was reassured too.

When it came to these strange and unusual matters, Mo Hua still understood them best.

"Let's head back first. We'll discuss the Water Yama matter at length…" Gu Changhuai said in a low voice.

"Mm."

Mo Hua said, then turned his head to look at the vast, rolling Yanshui River, his expression complicated.

……

After Gu An and Gu Quan regulated their breath for a while and were roughly recovered, the group returned the way they had come, arriving at the relay station from before.

Inside the relay station, the few bound bandit cultivators were still there.

"These bandit cultivators—should we escort them back to Dao Ting Si?" Mo Hua asked.

"Yes," Gu Changhuai nodded, then a glint flashed in his eyes as he said, "Escort them to the Dao Ting Si in Qingzhou city."

Mo Hua understood.

The Gu family was in Qingzhou city, and most of the Dao Ting Si in Qingzhou city were Gu family people, so keeping the prisoners there generally wouldn't cause too much trouble.

But the fifth-rank Dao Ting Si of the Qianxue State boundary was different—inside, noble clans were mixed, eyes and ears were everywhere, and it was actually not very safe.

Gu Changhuai used a transmission talisman to summon people.

After a while, some Gu family members, following Gu Changhuai's orders, hired two horse carriages from a nearby Xiancheng and hurried over.

One horse carriage was used to hold the bandit cultivators.

Gu Changhuai, Mo Hua, and the others sat in the other horse carriage.

The group set out on their journey back, heading for Qingzhou city.

On the way, Gu An and Gu Quan were meditating. They had been struck by Water Yama's vicious, sinister Qi pupil technique and hadn't fully recovered, so they needed to regulate their breath.

Gu Changhuai sat quietly drinking tea, lost in thought about something.

Mo Hua thought for a while, then quietly asked him:

"Uncle Gu, do you know about the Water Prison Sect?"

Gu Changhuai pondered briefly, then shook his head. "Never heard of it before."

Mo Hua frowned.

Even Uncle Gu hadn't heard of it—that shouldn't be the case…

He did have some impression; it seemed that when he was learning the Water Prison Art, there had been a relevant record in a spell secret tome.

But exactly what the record said, he couldn't recall for the moment.

Gu Changhuai was also somewhat puzzled and asked Mo Hua:

"Why did that Water Yama call you a 'remnant of the Water Prison Sect'? Are you secretly in cahoots with this Water Prison Sect behind the scenes? Or did you secretly learn the Water Prison Sect's spell arts?"

"How could I possibly steal them!" Mo Hua said with a solemn face: "Uncle Gu, don't spread rumors at random and sully my innocence! All my spells were properly learned from the sect!"

Of course, the Small Meteorite Art was an exception.

That was learned from Huo Fotuo.

The Fleeting Water Step was also an exception.

That was taught to him by Uncle Zhang Lan.

Oh right, the Severing Gold Sword Control Art was also an exception.

That was something he had confiscated from the human trafficker Boss Jiang…

As Mo Hua thought and thought, he felt a tiny bit guilty.

It seemed that many of the Daoist arts on him weren't all taught by the sect.

Fortunately, Gu Changhuai didn't press the matter, but asked: "You mean, the Grand Void Gate has recorded the Water Prison Sect's inheritance?"

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded. "It's the Water Prison Art I often use."

Gu Changhuai frowned slightly. "That's strange…"

"What's strange?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

But Gu Changhuai didn't say, instead shaking his head and saying lightly:

"Nothing."

Uncle Gu was a fine person in every way, except he didn't play well with others, and sometimes liked to keep people in suspense.

Mo Hua silently shook his head.

But thinking it over carefully, he too felt there was something a little off about this matter.

He'd have to investigate properly later…

Gu Changhuai said: "It's getting late. You still need to return to the sect to cultivate. I'll keep an eye on the Water Yama matter and try to capture him and bring him to justice as soon as possible…"

But he also knew this matter was probably not that simple.

Judging from this clash, Water Yama was by no means a simple character.

Mo Hua asked again: "What about that instructor from Hundred Flowers Valley?"

Gu Changhuai said with a look of displeasure: "I'll have someone keep an eye on her too."

"Having someone keep an eye on her won't do," Mo Hua said. "You have to keep an eye on her yourself. Best to invite her out a few more times—have a meal, drink some tea. That both dispels her suspicions and lets you dig up more information…"

Stared at intently by Mo Hua, Gu Changhuai thought for a moment, then said helplessly:

"Fine…"

Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.

After that, he rode in the horse carriage like this, returning all the way to Qingzhou city with Gu Changhuai.

Once at the Gu family residence in Qingzhou city, he had a meal with Xu Wanyi and Yu'er, then took a Gu family horse carriage and safely returned to the Grand Void Gate.

Matters afterward—including the wrap-up at the relay station, the detention of the bandit cultivators, the appeasement of Hua Ruyu's side, and the investigation of Water Yama—Mo Hua temporarily did not concern himself with.

Even if he wanted to concern himself, he couldn't.

Being in the sect, his arm wasn't long enough; he really couldn't get involved.

He could only entrust all of this to Uncle Gu, and occasionally check on the progress with a transmission letter.

Moreover, he had his own matters to investigate.

After returning to the sect, Mo Hua settled Yu'er, then returned to the disciples' quarters.

All around was quiet.

Mo Hua immediately took out the Grand Void Token and flipped through the "Merit Register," page by page; less than the time of a tea brew, he found the record on the Water Prison Art:

"Water Prison Art, a rare technique…"

"Once the secret art of the Water Prison Sect, never taught outside."

"In the winter of Dao Calendar 19,080, the entire Water Prison Sect fell to demonic influence, suppressed by the Dao Court, and after its destruction, the Water Prison Art spread across the land, though many of its incantations were lost…"

"In Dao Calendar 19,900, True Person Yi compiled and organized this art, and it was archived in the Grand Void Sect…"

"The Water Prison Art is obscure in function, easy to learn but hard to master—choose carefully."

Mo Hua rubbed his chin, lost in silent thought.

Dao Calendar 19,080 winter…

Counting from now, it had been nearly a thousand years.

This was already a very distant event.

Uncle Gu was only two hundred years old; the Water Prison Sect had been destroyed long before he was born, so it was natural he knew nothing of it.

But the same question remained.

The entire sect fell to demonic influence…

The Water Prison Sect's lineage, as the name suggests, should have consisted entirely of orthodox water-elemental cultivation methods and Dao arts.

If that was so, how could the entire sect suddenly fall to demonic influence?

"One or two falling to demonic influence is understandable; even most disciples doing so is possible—but the entire sect? That's suspicious."

One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.

But a barrel of soup can't possibly be filled entirely with rotten apples…

The entire sect fell to demonic influence, then was utterly suppressed and annihilated—such absolute action must conceal something.

Another odd point was the timing of when the Water Prison Art was archived.

"In Dao Calendar 19,900, True Person Yi completed compiling the Water Prison Art and archived it in the Grand Void Sect."

That date is only a little over a hundred years ago.

The Water Prison Sect was destroyed over a thousand years ago, yet the Water Prison Art was only archived in the Grand Void Sect a hundred years ago.

Between them lay nearly nine hundred years.

No matter how you looked at it, it felt off.

"Water Prison Sect… Water Yama…"

Mo Hua's mind flashed again with the shocked expression Water Yama had worn upon seeing the Water Prison Art; he frowned.

The Water Prison Art seemed ineffective against Water Yama?

This obscure, hard-to-master control technique, yet unusually effective, seemed precisely countered by Water Yama's water-energy cultivation.

This could not be coincidence.

"Could Water Yama's entire skillset… be connected to the destroyed Water Prison Sect?"

Besides ignoring the Water Prison Art's control, two other techniques of Water Yama deeply intrigued Mo Hua.

One was Water Yama's movement technique.

This movement technique, like the Flowing Water Step, was also a water-elemental movement art—but when used, its traces were more elusive, with hidden water shadows brimming with lethal intent.

Mo Hua couldn't help imagining: if he could obtain this technique and attempt to merge it with the Flowing Water Step, wouldn't his own movement art reach a new level?

Then, his movement wouldn't just serve for concealment—it could also confuse enemies in direct combat and enable stealthy ambushes.

The other, and most important one…

Was the eye technique!

Water Yama's eyes could condense malevolent energy and release it through his gaze to shake an opponent's spirit!

This eye technique was extremely powerful and nearly impossible to guard against.

Even Uncle Gu, a Jin Dan cultivator, had fallen victim to it through momentary carelessness.

Eyes brimming with malevolent energy!

This method, in form, bore a striking resemblance to the "Eyes of Sword Light" technique once used by the legendary former elder swordsman of the Grand Void Sect, as described by Huang Shanjun.

If he could obtain this method and study it carefully…

Could he, too, use his eyes as a gateway, transform his spiritual awareness into a sword, and project it outward to kill?

Mo Hua's gaze gradually brightened with excitement.

This Water Yama was equally a treasure trove.

No less valuable than Huo Fotuo.

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