Chapter 850: Dragon Blood

In the Long Wang Temple, Mo Hua led the way.

But the group's atmosphere was somewhat strange.

Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi flanked him, one on each side, one step behind—protecting Mo Hua while watching Xiao Dian closely.

Xiao Dian still wore his false smile, but now the mask was gone; his grin had shrunk to nothing but surface.

And the others' attitude toward Xiao Dian was equally subtle.

Water Yama clearly sided with Xiao Dian; the two had some connection, whether open or hidden.

Back on the island, when they hunted the water bandits, Water Yama escaped from Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi because Xiao Dian saved him.

Thus, Water Yama obeyed Xiao Dian without question.

Yet at the same time, he seemed to fear Xiao Dian, even harboring an indescribable dread.

This was extremely rare in Water Yama, a man who slaughtered without mercy.

Xie Liu clearly suspected Xiao Dian's true identity.

Among the Jin Dan present in the Long Wang Temple, he held the lowest status, weakest power, and least influence, so he could only trail behind Xiao Dian—barely a "comrade"—and blend in.

The strangest was Xiao Tianquan.

Xiao Tianquan and Xiao Dian were both cultivators of the Xiao Clan, and should have been bound by kinship.

But after Xiao Dian defected, Xiao Tianquan said nothing; along the journey, he deliberately kept his distance from Xiao Dian and stood beside Xia Diansi.

"The Xiao Clan's situation seems complicated…" Mo Hua thought silently.

As for Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian, they were still being "held captive."

Yet on the surface, Xiao Dian no longer harassed them.

But Mo Hua knew well: if anything changed, Brother Feng and Sister Qianqian would still be treated as "bargaining chips."

But he had no better plan right now—only wait and act as the situation demanded.

Mo Hua's gaze flickered slightly.

Thus, the hunt continued; the group walked through the Long Wang Temple, alert and wary.

Mo Hua led, tracking the bloody monster's trail, occasionally asking Water Yama about the temple's layout to confirm their route.

Among this group, only Mo Hua was a Hunter of Demons.

Dao Ting Si Diansi also pursued targets, but they pursued humans.

Criminal cultivators like Water Yama were well-versed in pursuit, but they were usually the ones being hunted.

Only Mo Hua was truly trained as a Hunter of Demons.

Thus, no one here understood beast behavior, habits, or faint traces better than he did.

Of course, this monster might not be a beast—but the principles were the same.

Mo Hua looked up at the rafters, extended his spiritual sense, and followed faint clues to track the monster.

But the Long Wang Temple was vast, its halls towering and rooms numerous; combined with the gloom and the reek of blood, the monster soon vanished from sight.

Mo Hua could only guess, calculate, and inch forward step by step… when suddenly, his expression shifted—he stopped.

Everyone else halted with him.

Gu Changhuai asked: "What is it?"

Mo Hua said: "Something's here…"

Then he paused, flipped lightly, and landed gracefully atop the rafters.

The rafters were made of massive timber, unusually wide; near the wall, debris littered the ground—a large hole had been dug by some unknown force.

The hole was big, but shallow, visible to the bottom at a glance.

Something must have dwelled here.

Mo Hua guessed it was likely the monster, using this as a temporary den.

He stepped closer and suddenly noticed a speck of blood inside the den.

The blood was pale blue-green, its aura faint, devoid of the stench of human or beast blood—instead, it carried a faint, sweet fragrance.

Fragrance?

Mo Hua frowned.

He stared, then couldn't resist—he extended a finger, dipped it in the blood, and licked it.

In that instant, a dragon's roar echoed in his ears.

Mo Hua's pupils contracted sharply.

"Dragon…"

He had never seen a true dragon, nor heard its voice—but suddenly, he was certain: the sound that shook his spirit, clear and resonant like gold and stone, was unmistakably dragon song.

Dragon blood?

Mo Hua's expression stunned—he couldn't help licking his lips.

Too bad he couldn't taste anything.

The blood itself was faint; the residue was nearly dried, leaving only a trace of aura—Mo Hua had sampled barely a speck, and could not even discern its flavor.

Mo Hua looked disappointed, but then his heart leapt.

"Long Wang Temple… could that monster be connected to the 'Dragon'?"

Its scales—were they… dragon scales?

That's why they were impervious to blades and spells, harder than any metal he'd ever seen.

Then the fluid flowing through it… was it dragon blood?

"No, no…"

Mo Hua shook his head again.

Dragons are divine beasts; they could never look so bloody.

Moreover, though the monster is strong, it is clearly far from the legendary "Dragon."

It eats humans and drinks their blood—its blood must be polluted; thus, what flows in its veins cannot be dragon blood.

"It's very likely that dragon blood is merely a catalyst."

"The monster consumed dragon blood, refined it within its body, and thus grew such hard 'dragon scales,' developed such profound blood qi, and forged such a formidable physique…"

Mo Hua nodded slightly, finding this speculation plausible, and at the same time his eyes glinted faintly.

Now it seemed the monster held far more secrets than he had imagined.

Regardless, he must capture this monster and study it thoroughly.

Of course, by his own strength, he could never catch it.

Fortunately, he now had a whole group of "enforcers."

Mo Hua leapt down from the rafters, and Xiao Diansi feigned a smile, "What's up above? Why did the young master stare so long?"

He and Gu Changhuai and the others were mutually wary, so he hadn't gone up to look himself.

Mo Hua said, "There's a nest—the monster has dwelled here; it's probably not far. We should search further."

He kept the matter of the dragon blood hidden.

Xiao Diansi could not possibly have guessed—he merely nodded. "Alright."

Afterward, Mo Hua led the way again.

Yet as he circled the area, he found many traces of the monster—but not a single glimpse of the monster itself.

As Mo Hua frowned in thought, suddenly his chest trembled, as if something were pulsing.

"Dragon blood…"

The dragon blood he had just licked seemed to have awakened.

Mo Hua felt the speed of his own blood flow had increased.

Dragon roars echoed in his ears; his heart beat faster and faster, his meridians swelled and ached, his limbs grew numb—as if the dragon blood within him were slowly awakening, devouring his bloodlines.

Even though this dragon blood was only a trace.

And it might not even be true dragon blood.

But his frail body could not possibly withstand it.

Mo Hua's physical form was simply too weak, his bloodline too feeble—this trace of "dragon" power far exceeded his body's capacity.

"Damn it, I should've known better than to eat random things…"

Mo Hua deeply regretted it.

Fortunately, dragon blood is not something one can just eat whenever one wants.

He had only licked a trace—not even a drop—and so the chaos in his bloodline lasted only an instant before gradually subsiding.

Cold sweat poured from Mo Hua's forehead; he let out a long breath of relief.

Seeing this, Xia Diansi's expression changed slightly; he extended his Bai Xi hand and gently wiped Mo Hua's forehead, frowning:

"Mo Hua? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Mo Hua sighed. "I ate something bad."

Xia Diansi was puzzled, not understanding what he meant.

How could one simply "eat something bad" out of nowhere?

"Sister Xia, I'm fine now—let's keep searching for the monster. The monster's matter is urgent…" Mo Hua quickly changed the subject.

Seeing Mo Hua seemed fine, Xia Diansi no longer pressed, but nodded and asked:

"The monster seems to have vanished—how do we find it now?"

Mo Hua also frowned; he extended his spiritual sense, scanning everywhere—but still found nothing.

The monster had vanished as if it never existed.

Suddenly, Mo Hua's heart trembled again.

Mo Hua was startled.

Not over yet?

But as he carefully sensed, he realized the pulsing was not his own heart—it was another heart…

The monster's "heart"?

Mo Hua closed his eyes, stilled his breath, and after a moment opened them again, a flicker of understanding crossing his face.

It was not the beating of a heart.

It was… a spiritual resonance between souls.

Mo Hua furrowed his brow slightly.

He had consumed a trace of dragon blood.

That trace contained an ancient divine beast's "spiritual soul."

Through this trace of "dragon blood," Mo Hua had formed a subtle resonance with that ancient divine beast's "spiritual soul."

He could sense the flow of other dragon blood within the Long Wang Temple.

In other words—he could sense the monster's location.

Mo Hua found this incredible.

Could dragon blood contain a "spiritual soul"?

Why?

Was it because divine beasts like dragons earned their name precisely because their "spiritual souls" fused with their flesh and blood?

Mo Hua was inwardly startled, but now was not the time to ponder this—he turned to the others and said:

"I know where the monster is—follow me..."

Then Mo Hua walked confidently toward the corridor on the right.

Behind him, the others exchanged glances, unsure how Mo Hua had come to know.

But Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi had always trusted Mo Hua, so they hesitated little and followed.

Shui Yanluo knew Mo Hua was strange, his abilities bizarre, so he harbored no doubt.

Xie Liu needed to obtain the Water Prison Forbidden Casket from Mo Hua—he would follow no matter what.

Xiao Tianquan hesitated a moment, then followed the crowd.

Only Xiao Diansi silently watched Mo Hua's back, his gaze growing increasingly astonished, and increasingly convinced that this Young Master was unfathomable.

He fell silent a moment, a flash of bloodlight in his eyes, then quietly followed Mo Hua.

The group followed Mo Hua until they reached a small square, where corpses littered the ground.

On the blue stone floor, blood splattered like ink, swirling in wild cursive strokes.

The cultivators and Diansi present—experienced and seasoned—recognized at a glance that a massacre had occurred here.

And not just any massacre—a sudden, brutal "mass slaughter."

It seemed that not long ago, these temple guards had gathered here for some reason, then suddenly been ambushed and wiped out.

The killer used no spells, no spiritual weapons—only overwhelming physical strength.

Most likely, it was that monster.

Mo Hua scanned the surroundings, using his soul-sense to detect, then pointed toward a plaque far away.

"There."

It was a plaque hanging high above the main hall—wide and thick, with a blue lacquer base and gilded ancient gold characters:

"Yecha Hall."

The group followed Mo Hua's finger and frowned.

Shui Yanluo said, "Where's the monster?"

"By instinct—it's in that direction..."

Mo Hua said "by instinct," yet his tone was certain: "It must have dug a hole behind the Yecha Hall plaque and hidden there."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Diansi drew his longsword, ready to strike, but Mo Hua stopped him.

"Don't act rashly—you'll scare it off."

Xiao Diansi glanced at Mo Hua, silently sheathed his sword, and asked, "Then what do you suggest, Young Master?"

Mo Hua wore an expression of complete confidence: "Don't worry—I'll handle it. To be honest, my ancestors were generations of demon hunters. My demon-hunting skills are all family-taught..."

Xiao Diansi's gaze turned subtle.

This Young Master's upbringing was inexplicable—he knew all manner of strange, bizarre, unpredictable arts.

"Very well—we'll follow the Young Master," said Xiao Diansi.

Mo Hua nodded, then said:

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. To hunt a monster, you must prepare thoroughly before striking."

"Otherwise, even a slight oversight will cost you dearly."

"Based on what we've seen, this monster is drenched in blood aura; its dragon... fish scales are extremely hard, its flesh immensely robust, and its claws and fangs coated in blood that is both foul and lethally toxic."

"It appears to be Second Rank, but no Foundation Establishment cultivator could take it down."

"Especially its scales—impervious to blades and spears, immune to fire and water. No spiritual weapon, physical force, or spell seems able to pierce them."

Xiao Diansi frowned slightly. "Even a combined force of Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't break them?"

Mo Hua pointed at Xie Liu. "Ask him."

Xie Liu didn't want to admit it, but had no choice but to speak truthfully: "I struck it dozens of times with Gui Water Sword Qi—didn't scratch a single scale."

At these words, everyone understood.

Xie Liu was a Jin Dan—he'd suppressed his cultivation to Peak Foundation Establishment and struck dozens of times without damaging the scales. The other Jin Dans, even if stronger, couldn't be much better.

"Therefore," Mo Hua said, "direct confrontation is unlikely to subdue this monster, let alone kill it."

"But it seems to have a weakness..."

"Weakness?" Xie Liu frowned.

He had fought the monster dozens of rounds and found no weakness whatsoever.

Mo Hua nodded. "Its weakness is its blood aura."

"All things in the world operate by law."

"A formation needs a core to power it; a cultivator's every move requires the heart to pump blood and the dantian to supply Qi; even beast-beings rely on their demonic cores for demonic power..."

"This monster is no different—it survives, moves, feeds, and hunts solely through that strange, foul blood aura."

"Once that aura is depleted, it loses its power source and can only await death."

"Thus, the key to hunting this monster is two-fold: trap it, and drain it."

"With so many Jin Dans here, draining should be no problem—the main issue is the 'trap.'"

Mo Hua asked the group: "Do any of you have spiritual artifacts or formations capable of restraining enemies? Bring them out and set them up now."

Everyone hesitated.

Shui Yanluo frowned. "Little brat, aren't you the one who can set formations?"

Mo Hua sighed helplessly:

"I'm only Foundation Establishment Mid-stage—my soul-sense is limited, and the formations I can set are low-grade. How could they possibly contain a Peak Second Rank monster?"

"Besides, I've used up nearly all my formations along the way."

Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua, his expression strange, but said nothing.

Although Xia Diansi knew Mo Hua's array skills were not low, he did not know exactly how high they were, so he did not suspect.

The others felt this statement was entirely reasonable.

Mo Hua added, "The situation is urgent—we must unite. If you withhold your methods now and get trapped dead in this Long Wang Temple, it will be too late to regret."

After a moment of silence, Gu Changhuai was the first to produce a chain and two arrays:

"This chain is standard equipment from Dao Ting Si, meant for pre-placed traps. The arrays are from my Gu family—I carry them on me but rarely get to use them."

Then Xia Diansi pulled out a net. "This is the Xia family's Earth Net, second-rank—it can bind an enemy for a while."

"Arrays are inconvenient to set up, so I rarely use them and usually don't carry them..."

With Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi leading, the others also produced at least some items.

Including Xiao Diansi, Xie Liu, Shui Yanluo, and Xiao Tianquan.

But Mo Hua felt it still wasn't enough, so he observed their expressions, watching for anyone hiding "enemy-binding" spiritual tools or arrays; whenever he spotted one, he fixed them with a piercing gaze, as if he wouldn't stop until every last item was stripped away.

"Alright, give it all to you..."

"Not enough."

"This many spiritual tools and arrays are already sufficient."

Mo Hua shook his head. "That monster is cunning and swift—it won't be easy to trap it. We must prepare thoroughly. Otherwise, if it escapes and hides deep within the Long Wang Temple, we may never catch it again."

"Fine..."

In this way, Mo Hua stripped them all bare, collecting nearly every single "enemy-binding" array and spiritual tool from everyone.

With that, he felt at ease.

Then he studied the terrain and "directed" the others to set up the arrays, take their positions, and prepare their "enemy-trapping" spiritual tools—the "hunt" began.

Xiao Diansi slashed with his sword, sending a blade of light that struck the plaque above the Nightlord Hall.

The plaque, forged from some unknown metal, was as hard as gold and iron, unbroken—but under the sword qi's impact, it fell from the eaves, revealing a dark, blood-dripping hole behind it.

"As expected..."

Xiao Diansi's pupils contracted slightly.

Then a sound came from within the hole—a monster, clutching bloody flesh remnants and mid-meal, slowly emerged.

Clearly disturbed mid-meal, the monster roared in fury, its eyes blazing red.

The sound was bizarre—like a river-dwelling night demon, yet also like some powerful aberrant beast.

Mo Hua heard it clearly.

The monster's voice sounded... like a "dragon's roar."

Mo Hua's gaze flickered.

Now that the monster had appeared, none hesitated—they struck immediately.

The battle erupted at once.

Gu Changhuai activated his green wind blades; Xia Diansi condensed icy sword qi.

Xiao Tianquan and Xie Liu both wielded Gui Water Swords.

Shui Yanluo used the Water Torture Whip; Xiao Tianquan used a set of Xiao family sword techniques.

Ouyang Feng was injured; Hua Qianqian was poisoned—they could not fight.

Mo Hua, the youngest and lowest in cultivation, knew his limits and did not join the fray; instead, he sat on a clean, blood-free step nearby, watching.

None of the cultivators present were truly weak—they all had rich combat experience.

Moreover, four Jin Dan were fighting together; Mo Hua had no concern.

Everything was unfolding exactly as he planned.

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