Chapter 837: The White Dog

No one in the Grand Void Sect yet knew what kind of cultivation method Mo Hua had secretly learned.

Mo Hua felt he had gone off-track again.

But this time, he had only gone slightly off-track.

The Shocking God Sword was still the Shocking God Sword.

The Blood Hell Pupil was still the Blood Hell Pupil.

They had merely borrowed from each other and merged slightly.

Mo Hua pondered and decided no one before him had ever trained this way.

Naturally, Divine Mind Sword Formation was the Grand Void Sect's core transmission, and the Seven Souls Blood Hell Pupil was an absolute secret, passed only to the Water Prison Sect's master.

Before, no one could have obtained both transmissions simultaneously.

As for merging the sword technique with the pupil art, though it looked simple, it involved countless changes in divine awareness and even incorporated some "Seed Demon in the Dao Heart" techniques; apart from his senior who had long immersed himself in this path, few could master it.

Mo Hua felt he had "invented" an extremely powerful Dao art, and for the next several days he was elated.

He wanted to find someone to test the power of his Shocking God Sword… no, now it should be called the "Seven Souls Shocking God Sword."

But looking around, he had no opponent.

He couldn't just pick any fellow sect member to spar with.

This Shocking God Sword contained soul-destroying power.

If he sparred with his junior brothers and, in a moment of carelessness, accidentally harmed their souls, it would be bad.

After all, his junior brothers couldn't compare to him—their souls were extremely fragile.

Mo Hua sighed, feeling a touch of regret.

On this day, Mo Hua was eating in the dining hall, gnawing on a chicken leg while pondering the use of the Shocking God Sword, when suddenly he saw Sister Situ arriving with Yu'er.

Yu'er seemed terrified, his expression wounded, his small face pale as ash.

Sister Situ kept comforting him beside him.

Mo Hua froze, then his expression darkened.

In the Grand Void Sect, who dared bully Yu'er?

Mo Hua found it hard to believe.

Among peers, Mo Hua was the "junior elder brother."

Other disciples all knew Yu'er followed Mo Hua, was his little sidekick, and treated him kindly—no one dared bully him.

The juniors from the lower class had only recently joined, busy learning the sect's affairs and Dao studies, themselves confused and disoriented, unlikely to dare bully Yu'er, who clearly had "big connections."

Seniors from the higher class, logically, wouldn't be so bored as to bully a child like Yu'er.

Besides, the Sect's Dao Debate Assembly was approaching, and they were all swamped.

Of course, if it truly was them…

Mo Hua thought about it and wasn't afraid at all.

He had connections among his senior brothers and sisters.

Even without using those connections, he wasn't afraid of a fight.

Even seniors one class above him were only at Foundation Establishment's late stage; with proper planning, he had many ways to deal with them.

Beyond that, there were the sect elders.

If it truly was a sect elder tormenting Yu'er… then he'd go complain to Mr. Xun!

Mo Hua quickly ran through all possible scenarios in his mind, found nothing terrifying, and then asked confidently:

"What happened?"

Sister Situ sighed: "It was a dog."

Mo Hua froze.

He thought long and hard, never imagining the one who bullied Yu'er was a dog.

Unthinkable!

Just to be safe, Mo Hua asked: "Whose dog is it?"

Sister Situ shook her head: "No one knows who owns it; it doesn't look like it has a master—it's chained outside a secluded waterside pavilion to the north, probably kept as a guard dog."

Mo Hua nodded.

Then he wasn't afraid.

Just a guard dog.

Sister Situ glanced at Yu'er and said pityingly:

"Yu'er finished his lessons and was playing outside; he seemed to be chasing a drinking immortal crane and happened to run to that pavilion. The guard dog, which had been dozing, suddenly woke up for no reason, bared its fangs at Yu'er, and attacked furiously—it looked vicious. Yu'er was caught off guard and terrified."

"Luckily, the dog was chained; otherwise, in its rage, it might have hurt Yu'er."

"I just happened to pass by, saw it, and brought Yu'er back…"

Mo Hua frowned.

Suddenly barking wildly at Yu'er?

He turned to see Yu'er still shaken, his face pale, and patted his head:

"Don't be afraid—it's just a guard dog. I'll go get your revenge!"

Sister Situ felt helpless.

His junior elder brother always remained calm in major matters—extremely composed, meticulous, and reliable.

But sometimes, in daily life, he'd act… childish.

It's just a guard dog—what revenge could he possibly get?

Sister Situ sighed.

Mo Hua didn't care about any of that; he instructed Sister Situ to look after Yu'er, then stormed off toward the library alone.

The entire map of Tai Xu Mountain was roughly etched in his mind.

He had a faint memory of this library.

But its location was remote, the surroundings tranquil, and it lay off the usual paths disciples took to and from classes and cultivation, so few ever came here.

Yet before now, Mo Hua had never remembered a large dog in front of the library.

Of course, there might have been one—he'd simply ignored it.

Before the library stood pavilions, terraces, towers, and a small, serene pond.

The pond held immortal cranes, golden carp swimming beneath, several brocade luans and spirit rabbits, all radiating an aura of divine grace.

But these were not the focus.

Mo Hua lifted his gaze and saw a massive dog, chained with golden-threaded shackles, in front of the library.

The dog was entirely Bai Mao, neither ugly nor handsome—just a plain dog—now lying on the ground, gazing down with disdain, radiating utter contempt.

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow and pointed at it:

"Wretched beast, how dare you!"

The dog, seemingly attuned to human intent, understood Mo Hua was cursing it; its Bai Mao bristled, it slowly rose, and fixed Mo Hua with a fierce, hostile stare.

As it stood, its frame towered over Mo Hua by a full head, baring its teeth—undoubtedly intimidating.

But Mo Hua remained utterly unfazed.

Because the dog was chained.

Though shorter by a head, he still stood before the great white dog with unyielding authority.

Yet after a moment, Mo Hua grew conflicted.

What should he do next?

Beat the dog senseless?

Or find a way to kill it, stew it into a pot, and use it to calm Yu'er's nerves?

As if sensing Mo Hua's "grossly disrespectful" thoughts, the great white dog suddenly erupted in fury, its expression turning even more ferocious; a powerful, terrifying aura spread from its body.

Within its vertical pupils, something glowed and shifted.

Mo Hua froze, muttering inwardly.

This great white dog… isn't an ordinary dog?

Not a demonic beast, not a spirit beast—could it be… some kind of special aberrant beast?

Aberrant beast? Probably not something to provoke…

Should he just let it go?

The moment this thought surfaced in Mo Hua's mind, the dog seemed to sense it.

Its gaze toward Mo Hua now carried a trace of contempt and scorn.

Mo Hua's temper flared.

Just a gatekeeper dog, and it dares look down on me?

Fine!

Can't beat it, can't kill it, can't stew it—then I'll scare the hell out of you, make you suffer, and teach you there are mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond dogs!

Mo Hua snorted coldly, his gaze sharpened; his spiritual sense manifested the Jing Shen Sword, he activated the Seven Souls Iris Technique, and from his eyes blazed sharp, blade-like light, as if swirling sword qi seeped forth.

Jing Shen Sword!

This was the first time he'd ever used the Jing Shen Sword Art—not on a person, but on a dog.

In Mo Hua's expectation, the dog should've been instantly blinded, then howled in pleading surrender.

But the great white dog's vertical pupils trembled, and within them, pure white light flowed continuously, forming a hazy, shifting shadow that rose and fell, endlessly changing.

Before the serene library, a boy and a dog stared at each other.

One a small boy, one a great white dog—facing off.

It looked absurd, yet where their gazes met, in places ordinary cultivators couldn't see, pale golden sword light and pure white shadows clashed ceaselessly, each gaining and losing ground in unrelenting slaughter.

After a moment, neither gained advantage.

Both withdrew.

Mo Hua pointed at it: "You wait. After class tomorrow, I'll come back for you."

The great white dog glanced at Mo Hua with disdain, as if saying, "I'll wait. Come back if you dare."

Mo Hua snorted and turned away.

Back at the disciples' quarters, Mo Hua slumped into a chair, his expression defeated, deeply discouraged.

"Unbelievable—I lost to a dog…"

He'd thought his Jing Shen Sword had matured, that once unleashed, it would "slaughter all before him"—yet he'd been humiliated by a dog…

Strictly speaking, Mo Hua believed his sword-path iris technique had slightly outmatched the dog in their clash—but losing was losing; he couldn't make excuses for himself.

"Just what is this dog's origin…?"

Mo Hua frowned, but the more he thought, the angrier he grew.

"No—no matter its origin, I'll make it pay."

Otherwise, his self-created technique, blending the Tai Xu Jing Shen Sword Form and the Seven Souls Blood Hell Iris Technique, would be a laughingstock.

First battle lost—couldn't even handle a dog.

Mo Hua steeled his resolve, determined to settle the score with this dog.

"This Jing Shen Sword… needs more practice…"

Mo Hua took out the Water Prison Forbidden Box and began his visualization again.

The Seven Souls Blood Prison became the Seven Souls Sword Prison.

Logically, to fully integrate the seven souls—Shi Gou, Fu Shi, Que Yin, Tun Zei, Fei Du, Chu Hui, and Chou Fei—into the Sword Prison mental image, one must individually sense and activate each, then use the eyes as gateways to transform the soul, now infused with lethal energy, into "sword intent" as a weapon of destruction.

There are eight Sword Prisons: first integrate the seven souls, then the life soul.

Before this, Mo Hua had only carved one Sword Prison mental image into his soul, integrating only the Shi Gou soul; he still needed to integrate the other six souls before this improved Divine Shock Sword could truly reach minor completion.

After integrating the seven souls, integrate the life soul—only then does the complete Sword Prison form, merging sword and lethal energy, allowing the Divine Shock Sword to be considered fully perfected.

Mo Hua's emotions gradually calmed.

"Still far from enough…"

Whether the Divine Shock Sword or the Seven Souls Eye Technique, both held countless profound secrets yet unexplored, many arduous paths yet to be learned—not merely integrating one soul was enough.

He had only just begun learning.

He must continuously refine it, pushing the Divine Shock Sword to its ultimate limit!

Mo Hua discarded all distractions, focused his mind, and continued delving deeper into the Seven Souls Divine Shock Sword.

Use the life soul as the foundation; upon it, forge the Seven Souls Sword Prisons to complete the Divine Shock Sword Art.

"The Shi Gou soul has already merged into the mental image, forming one Sword Prison; the next soul is… Fu Shi…"

"Visualize the forbidden diagram, replace the torture instruments with swords, use swords in place of punishment…"

"Use the sword to enter the mental image; use the mental image to merge with the soul, guiding the soul to exit the orifices…"

…

Mo Hua gradually comprehended, practiced repeatedly; the more he comprehended, the more he sensed the profound depth and subtlety within both the Divine Shock Sword Form and the Seven Souls Blood Prison Eye Technique.

And his Fu Shi soul's Sword Prison was slowly taking shape.

This progress was much slower.

It seemed such soul-manipulation techniques grew progressively slower the further one advanced.

Yet even so, after an entire night, Mo Hua had integrated half of it.

His Divine Shock Sword Eye Technique had grown significantly stronger than before.

The next day, he eagerly went to challenge the big dog again.

Before the scripture pavilion, beside the small pond.

One man and one dog began staring at each other again.

To Mo Hua's surprise, he still didn't win—but compared to last time, he now held firm dominance.

After struggling for a while, both their souls grew weak, so they temporarily ceased.

"I'll be back in a few days!" Mo Hua refused to give up.

The big dog's expression remained disdainful, baring its fangs fiercely at Mo Hua.

But this time, its gaze had grown solemn—it no longer dared to truly ignore Mo Hua.

After returning, Mo Hua neglected food and tea, continuing to train the Divine Shock Sword relentlessly.

Finally, three days later, his progress surged—he fully integrated a Sword Prison into his Fu Shi soul.

Thus, he had now integrated two souls: Shi Gou and Fu Shi.

The Eye Technique's power surged dramatically.

The next day, Mo Hua arrived before the scripture pavilion, bold and confident.

This time, he would settle matters once and for all with the big dog.

The atmosphere grew solemn.

The white dog clearly recognized Mo Hua's strength; sensing the sharper aura radiating from him, it shed its former arrogance, replaced by a fierce resolve befitting a formidable opponent.

Both man and dog now fought seriously.

As before, they locked eyes.

But this soul clash was fiercer than ever before.

Mo Hua's sword intent took sword form, forging a prison filled with intense lethal energy, terrifying to behold.

The white dog seemed to awaken some bloodline power—its inner shadow solidified into a pure white, sacred divine beast phantom, too radiant to stare at directly.

After an indeterminate stalemate, Mo Hua ultimately prevailed.

His spiritual awareness had already transcended into Dao, his soul drawing closer to "divinity"; in raw spiritual combat, he had never feared anyone yet.

The white dog lost—its pure white phantom shattered, suffering backlash.

It was pierced through the eyes by Mo Hua's sword intent, writhing in pain, clutching its eyes with both paws and howling in agony.

Mo Hua exuded triumph.

Though his soul ached, and he felt dizzy and unsteady, before this "formidable foe," he could not lose face.

"Still dare to look at me?"

Mo Hua was arrogant.

Then he ran to the disciples' quarters and summoned Yu Er.

In front of the dog, Mo Hua pointed at Yu Er and ordered:

"Apologize."

But the moment the dog saw Yu Er, its face twisted into a snarl; ignoring its eye pain, it roared and lunged toward Yu Er.

Yu Er turned pale.

Mo Hua's expression hardened, his gaze flared—and the dog instantly fell silent.

It glanced at Yu Er, then at Mo Hua, who stood protectively behind him, radiating righteous resolve; reluctantly, it let out a low "woof" to Yu Er—enough to count as an apology.

Standing behind Mo Hua, with Mo Hua backing him, Yu Er was no longer afraid; seeing the white dog's fluffy fur, he even wanted to reach out and pet its head—but remembering its ferocity, he held back.

In any case, his dignity had been restored.

Mo Hua nodded, somewhat satisfied.

He was just about to scold the big dog again when a refined voice suddenly rang out:

"What are you doing?"

Mo Hua froze, turned his head, and saw a middle-aged cultivator step out of the library—his face was Bai Xi, his hair jet-black, his figure slightly plump, his expression gentle.

Mo Hua startled, "M-Master?"

This middle-aged cultivator was none other than the Grand Void Gate's Master.

Mo Hua didn't know him well, had never spoken to him alone, and had only seen the Master address the assembly during the annual Sect Opening Ceremony.

The Grand Void Gate Master glanced at Mo Hua, raised an eyebrow slightly, as if recalling something, "Your name is… Mo Hua?"

Mo Hua opened his mouth, "You… know me?"

The Grand Void Gate Master thought: Thanks to Elder Xun, there are probably few in this sect who don't know you…

The Grand Void Gate Master nodded slightly, turned to look at Yu'er, and asked, "Is this the young one from the Shangguan family?"

Yu'er nervously bowed, stammering:

"Master, sir."

"Good."

The Grand Void Gate Master spoke kindly, then his gaze fell on the large white dog beside them, as if it had just been bullied—he froze.

Mo Hua suddenly realized something and asked quietly:

"Master, this big dog… isn't it… yours?"

Big dog?

The Grand Void Gate Master blinked, his expression peculiar, then nodded, "You could say that…"

Mo Hua's heart sank.

Damn it!

You have to mind the owner when you hit a dog.

I bullied the Master's dog!

Just then, the Grand Void Gate Master asked, "You two children… what were you doing here just now?"

Mo Hua's mind raced, and he immediately said, "We… noticed this big dog was hungry, felt sorry for it, so we gave it something to eat, right…?"

Mo Hua shot the large white dog a sharp glance.

The dog, cowed by Mo Hua's "intimidation," instinctively let out a whine.

The Grand Void Gate Master's expression turned strange.

After speaking, Mo Hua quickly added, "Master, I'll take my leave now, won't disturb you…"

Then Mo Hua, leading Yu'er, bowed to the Master and hurried away.

The Grand Void Gate Master watched Mo Hua's retreating back, smiled faintly, and murmured:

"An interesting child—no wonder Elder Zǔ likes him."

He turned back, watching the large white dog lying on the ground with quiet amusement, his tone calm but tinged with mild glee:

"Aren't you usually the one who barks at everyone—even me? Why so obedient today?"

The dog lay listlessly, giving the Grand Void Gate Master a side-eye.

Then it turned its gaze far away, first glancing at Mo Hua, then unconsciously fixing on Yu'er—with a look of fierce hostility, as if facing a mortal enemy.

The Grand Void Gate Master caught that flicker of hostility.

His gaze paused, then turned to look at Yu'er, hand in hand with Mo Hua, walking farther and farther away—his brow slowly furrowed…

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