Chapter 855: Blood Battle

This smiling tiger hid himself far too deeply!

Even Yu Canghai, the last surviving elder of the Water Prison Sect, didn't know where the sect's core Dao art was hidden—yet this smiling tiger not only got his hands on it, but had already secretly mastered it.

Who could have imagined…

As Mo Hua marveled, a warning prickled in his mind—he instinctively activated the Step of Flowing Water and the Concealment Technique, fleeing outward.

A Gui Water Sword Qi slashed through the spot where he had just stood—missing.

Then another Water Prison Technique descended—also missed.

Xiao Diansi, who had been smugly using superior control to suppress Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi, now glared at Mo Hua with sudden, inexplicable rage.

He could catch a Jin Dan cultivator, yet this Foundation Establishment brat slipped like an eel—couldn't even graze his sleeve.

Xiao Diansi clicked his tongue.

"Fine…"

He spun his hand, flashed forward, and appeared before Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian.

Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian's expressions darkened with anger—they were about to strike, but Xiao Diansi jabbed each with a finger, driving Water Prison force into their shoulders, instantly worsening their injuries and locking them in place.

Xiao Diansi laid his sword across their throats and stared coldly at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua sighed helplessly.

Uncle Gu and Xia Diansi had been betrayed by this smiling tiger—trapped by the Water Prison Technique.

Brother Ouyang and Sister Hua had been taken hostage by this smiling tiger.

Water Yama and Xie Liu were on the smiling tiger's side.

Xiao Tianquan stood aside, arms crossed—he couldn't interfere anyway.

Counting them all, only Mo Hua remained.

The situation was dire. Mo Hua sighed and chose to surrender. He said to Xiao Diansi:

"I yield. Don't chase me."

Xiao Diansi froze, then his gaze darkened. "Young Master, you truly know when to yield."

Mo Hua nodded. "He who knows the times is a hero. I am indeed a hero."

Xiao Diansi laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "Pity—if not for our differing Dao paths and opposing stances, I'd truly wish to become your Dao companion."

Mo Hua waved his hand. "Maybe later…"

He had plenty of friends—he didn't need this two-faced smiling tiger.

Xiao Diansi didn't mind. He cut straight to the point: "Young Master, you're a sensible man—I won't beat around the bush…"

A flash of cunning gleamed in his eyes. "Where is that box?"

With things at this point, Mo Hua no longer hid anything. He said:

"I've hidden it somewhere secret. Once we leave the Long Wang Temple, I'll tell you."

Mo Hua's expression was utterly calm.

But Xiao Diansi shook his head. "Young Master, don't treat others like fools."

Mo Hua looked puzzled. "Who am I treating like a fool?"

Xiao Diansi's face twitched slightly. He rested his sword on Ouyang Feng's shoulder, glanced at Hua Qianqian, paused thoughtfully, then smiled:

"What a beautiful girl—if she were to perish, crumble to dust, it would be such a pity…"

Mo Hua understood Xiao Diansi's meaning. He sighed. "Fine."

Ouyang Feng, blood at the corner of his mouth, chuckled bitterly. "Brother Mo, don't worry about me. I'm outmatched—whether I live or die, I blame no one."

Hua Qianqian looked at Mo Hua, her face pale, her gaze resolute:

"Brother, just go—quickly."

In her fingers, she held a silver needle—ready to sever her heart meridian if all hope was lost.

Better to die and be done with it than suffer humiliation at the hands of these villains.

She wouldn't let them use her to threaten Brother Mo again.

Mo Hua couldn't possibly abandon them.

If they were strangers, strangers with no ties, he'd simply walk away.

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But Brother Ouyang and Sister Hua had deep bonds with him—and they'd often looked out for him.

A drop of kindness deserves a spring in return.

That's what Mother taught him since childhood.

Mo Hua nodded. "The Water Prison Sect's core treasure—the Water Prison Forbidden Box, passed only to the sect master—is indeed on me!"

At these words, those who knew and those who didn't were both stunned.

Xiao Diansi had suspected the box was on Mo Hua.

But hearing him admit it outright still sent a jolt through him.

Water Yama and Xie Liu's eyes glinted with greed.

Even Xiao Tianquan's gaze flashed with sharp interest.

Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi, who understood the true weight of "core treasure" and "sect master's inheritance," were stunned despite being held by the Water Prison Technique.

"I can give you the box," Mo Hua said, "but I have conditions."

Xiao Diansi suppressed his excitement and nodded. "Speak."

"Release Brother Ouyang and Sister Hua. Remove the Water Prison force from them. Cure their Gui Water poison," Mo Hua said.

Xiao Diansi nodded. "Agreed."

"And inside the Long Wang Temple, you won't attack us again," Mo Hua added.

Xiao Diansi nodded. "Fine."

"Do as I say first—release your senior brothers and sisters, remove the water prison force, and cure the Gui Water poison," Mo Hua said, looking as if he wouldn't act until he saw the rabbits.

Xiao Diansi frowned. "Give me the box first..."

Mo Hua shook his head, speaking with unshakable conviction: "You're a Jin Dan. I'm only at Foundation Establishment. I can't fight you. So you must agree to my terms and carry them out first—then I'll give you the box."

Xiao Diansi paused to think. It made sense.

This brat, though clever and sly, used all his skills solely for escape; his combat abilities were negligible.

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Even if I stood still and let him kill me, he couldn't possibly harm me.

Given this, I should give him some breathing room—don't push too hard.

Moreover, nothing matters more than the Water Prison Forbidden Box.

Once I have the Water Prison Forbidden Box, everything else is irrelevant.

Xiao Diansi nodded. "Alright."

Then he kept his word: he tapped each finger on Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian's shoulders, removed the Water Prison force from their bodies, and pulled out a vial of pills, tossing them to Hua Qianqian.

"Gui Water Sect's Purifying Toxin Pills. They'll cure the poison."

Hua Qianqian hesitated a moment, then took one pill and swallowed it. After a while, she felt the remaining poison dissipate, exhaled softly, and nodded at Mo Hua.

Xiao Diansi looked at Mo Hua with solemn eyes. "I've done exactly as you asked, young brother. Don't let me down."

Mo Hua nodded decisively. "Fine. I'll give you the box!"

Mo Hua reached into his storage pouch, withdrew the Water Prison Forbidden Box from his Nai Zi Ring, placed it back into the pouch, then "pretended" to pull it out again, and cleanly tossed it to Xiao Diansi.

His movements were too decisive, too swift.

As if he weren't tossing away the Water Prison Sect's sacred treasure, but merely an ordinary, worthless box.

Xiao Diansi feared Mo Hua was tricking him, so he hesitated.

Yet in that instant of hesitation, a figure suddenly lunged forward, right before Xiao Diansi's eyes, trying to snatch the Forbidden Box.

It was Xie Liu!

Xiao Diansi roared in fury: "How dare you!"

He immediately unleashed all his strength, thrusting his sword forward.

Xie Liu didn't dodge or retreat—he was pierced through the shoulder by Xiao Diansi's sword, yet pressed on without hesitation, seizing the box.

After grabbing the Forbidden Box, Xie Liu ignored his wound, wrenched free from Xiao Diansi's blade, leaped several times, and retreated dozens of zhang away. Though blood streamed from his shoulder, his heart surged with wild joy:

"The Water Prison Forbidden Box! It's mine!"

He laughed wildly, then his face twisted with rage as he spat:

"With this inheritance, I, Xie Liu, will no longer be a nobody! I will never again bow before others or suffer their orders!"

Seeing his treasure seized by another, Xiao Diansi flew into a rage. "Die!"

He slashed again with his sword.

Xie Liu sneered, leaped aside, and evaded Xiao Diansi's strike.

Xiao Diansi's sword missed. His face darkened instantly. He pointed a finger—suddenly, a Water Prison spell materialized in midair, engulfing Xie Liu.

Xie Liu had paid it no mind at first.

He'd seen Xiao Diansi use the Water Prison spell against that brat and missed every time—he'd assumed it was a useless technique.

But he didn't realize he wasn't Mo Hua—he lacked Mo Hua's sharp perception of lethal intent, his profound Divine Dao cultivation, and his mastery of the Water Prison spell.

Seeing Mo Hua dodge it easily, he grew careless—but the instant he faced it himself, he was bound tight in an instant.

Xie Liu's expression changed drastically.

As Xiao Diansi's sword qi approached again, Xie Liu panicked, gritted his teeth, and forced out every ounce of spiritual energy—barely managing to break free from the Water Prison spell.

But his back still took a slash from Xiao Diansi's sword.

Xie Liu endured the searing pain, swung a counter-slash, then leaped backward and fled into the distance.

Xiao Diansi, however, was growing weak.

Even at his strongest, he was still only early-stage Jin Dan. Frequent use of sword qi and spells, coupled with the heavy expenditure of spiritual energy to cast the superior Water Prison Control technique, had left him nearly drained—chasing Xie Liu now was extremely difficult.

Xiao Diansi was both shocked and furious.

He never imagined that after outmaneuvering Gu Changhuai, Xia Diansi, and that brat Mo Hua with such cunning and effort, he'd let this insignificant nobody slip through his fingers and steal the Water Prison Sect's sacred treasure!

Xiao Diansi roared: "Xie Liu, return the Forbidden Box—or I'll tear you into a thousand pieces!"

Hearing this, Xie Liu sneered inwardly.

Return the treasure I've got? Does this Xiao Zhenhai really think I'm a fool?

"The box is sealed by secret arts. Without the key to unseal it, keeping it is useless," Xiao Diansi said.

Xie Liu ignored him completely, kept running straight ahead.

Whether he could open it or not—he'd hold onto it tightly first.

As the Bone Boat came into view, Xie Liu accelerated, eager to board it and escape the area.

Seeing this, Xiao Diansi's expression turned terrifying.

His forehead bulged with veins, his face turned ashen, his previously half-closed eyes snapped wide open, bloodshot and wild. Uncontrollable murderous aura surged around him like a raging flood.

"Xie Liu... die..."

Xie Liu had been fleeing smoothly when suddenly, a terrifying killing intent, laced with dreadful murderous aura, struck his back, sending chills through his bones.

"What's happening?"

Xie Liu turned pale with shock.

What trick is this Xiao Zhenhai planning to use to kill me?

The bone boat was right before him; if he boarded it, he could temporarily escape Xiao Zhenhai, then find an opportunity to leave the Long Wang Temple and claim the Water Prison's ultimate treasure for himself.

But deep in Xie Liu's heart, he still felt uneasy.

Xiao Zhenhai, as Dao Ting Si's Gu Diansi, was deeply calculating, skilled in restraint, and his Dao arts were ferocious and unfathomable.

Xie Liu had no idea what other tricks Xiao Zhenhai held in his hands; he feared being killed in a single strike, so he turned his head to look back.

But that one glance turned life and death upside down.

He saw the Gu Diansi's eyes.

They were a pair of blood-red eyes, within which seemed to be a Dao prison, where criminals were imprisoned, enduring bloody tortures, screaming endlessly in agony.

Blood flowed from the criminals, gradually flooding the entire Dao prison.

The criminals' faces were blurred, yet they struggled on, filling one with despair.

And in the next instant, the criminal's face grew clear, then abruptly changed—into Xie Liu's own face.

Xie Liu's face turned deathly pale, his spirit shattered.

The tortures inflicted upon the criminal seemed to have "transferred" onto him.

He was the criminal, the prisoner, sunk in the inferno, enduring countless tortures, doomed to eternal damnation.

His soul was tainted by malevolent energy, violently shaken.

Pain eroded his mind.

His vital aura, too, trembled and began to slip from his body.

Blood Prison Eye Technique!

And it was a Blood Prison Eye Art deeper, stronger, and more densely malevolent than the Water Yama's!

Upon being struck by this eye technique, Xie Liu suffered catastrophic soul damage in an instant—he stood frozen, soulless, face twisted in pain and despair, like a puppet of suffering.

"Still trying to run?"

The Gu Diansi sneered, slashing through the air with a sword beam that severed Xie Liu's arm—unprotected, utterly defenseless after the eye technique's impact.

Xie Liu's arm was cut off, blood spraying; the severed limb fell to the ground, still tightly clutching the Water Prison Forbidden Casket.

And this excruciating pain brought Xie Liu back to his senses.

Though his soul quaked violently, his head throbbed as if splitting, malevolent energy corroding his mind-sea, his vision drowned in red, he still struggled toward his severed arm.

Toward the casket within the severed hand—the vessel containing the Water Prison Sect's supreme legacy.

"Mine… mine…"

But it was too late.

The Gu Diansi had already stepped before him, seizing the initiative, crushing the severed arm underfoot and snatching the Water Prison Forbidden Casket from it.

Watching Xie Liu stagger toward him like a madman, the Gu Diansi sneered with contempt.

But halfway through his laugh, he could no longer laugh.

Behind Xie Liu stood a person.

Without warning, the once timid Mr. Wu had suddenly appeared behind Xie Liu, his face dark and grim.

Taking advantage of Xie Liu's wounded arm and shattered mind from the eye technique, Mr. Wu, face twisted, lunged forward and bit into Xie Liu's neck, frantically drinking his blood—and even… his flesh.

Everyone's expressions changed; Mo Hua sensed something was wrong and shouted:

"Stop him!"

The Gu Diansi no longer hesitated—he slashed again—but it was too late.

After consuming Xie Liu's blood and flesh, Mr. Wu's limbs twisted, and scales suddenly erupted across his body.

The Gu Diansi's sword slash struck the scales—leaving not a scratch—and instead ignited "Mr. Wu's" fury.

Covered in scaled armor, half-man, half-beast, Mr. Wu shrieked:

"You vermin! You swine! You desecrate the Divine Lord—you shall all die!"

Then his form blurred—he dragged Xie Liu with him and leapt into the blood pool.

The filthy, corrupt blood pool instantly corroded and fully swallowed them both.

This sudden turn of events was utterly unforeseen by all.

"Is this Mr. Wu committing suicide?"

The Gu Diansi's face darkened.

Mo Hua glanced at the blood pool, then recalled the scales on Mr. Wu's body—his pupils contracted.

He knew deep down—it was probably not that simple…

Everyone present clearly sensed it—something momentous was about to happen.

Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi had finally broken free from the Water Prison technique's control and arrived before Mo Hua.

Both looked disheveled, yet both carried deep wariness.

Mo Hua, too, felt a quiet awe.

The control effect of this Water Prison technique was far stronger than he had anticipated.

Compared to the Water Prison Art, it was not even in the same league.

No wonder the Water Prison Sect revered it as their ultimate secret art, passed only to the sect master.

If he had the chance, Mo Hua truly wanted to learn it—but his spiritual energy was too weak; even if he learned it, he doubted he could ever use it.

But now was clearly not the time to consider such things.

Mo Hua released his spiritual sense, sensing the surrounding blood pool, then said firmly: "The formation has activated…"

Before his words had fully faded, a sudden "Boom—" echoed, and the ground trembled.

The central altar began rotating and sank downward.

The blood pools around it surged violently, blood howling and raging, rushing toward some unknown destination.

White bone pillars rose from the blood pool, winding upward and merging together.

In the depths of the void, arrays of runes glowed to life.

The blood pool vanished somewhere unknown, the ground twisted and shifted continuously, and the bone pillars growing from the pool multiplied endlessly...

Everyone could only defend themselves, adapting to the shifting terrain while dodging sinister bone spikes erupting from all sides and avoiding the filthy bloodwater...

Fortunately, this seemed only the "activation" phase of the array, and this array was not primarily designed for slaughter.

After some time, the array calmed, and the surrounding environment stabilized.

When everyone stood still and looked again, they saw the vast expanse of blood sea transformed into a forest of white bones.

Dense, countless white bones, like bricks and stones, formed towering walls and halls bristling with bone spikes.

Moreover, these walls and halls twisted and turned endlessly, with no visible boundary—like an entire "Bone Maze."

Mo Hua was stunned, but not surprised.

When he saw the blood sea, he had vaguely sensed it concealed a puzzle array, and a corresponding "maze."

Just like the bronze maze in the Bishan Demon Cave back then.

Inside this Long Wang Temple was an entire "Bone Maze."

Yet the scale was so vast, the transformations so strange, and the maze forged entirely from bones—this exceeded Mo Hua's expectations.

This seemed to be one form of a demonic altar.

Building a maze outside the altar, using the maze to guard the altar.

But now, he was trapped inside the maze, and the "altar" had vanished.

Mo Hua sighed.

He knew this altar would not let him sit upon it so easily.

Mo Hua glanced around again and saw everyone was still present; though startled during the array's activation, none were harmed, and he quietly exhaled in relief.

Of course, Mo Hua and his group were unharmed, and Xiao Diansi and his group were equally unscathed.

But Xie Liu was gone.

Xia Diansi stared coldly at Xiao Diansi, recalling the eerie Water Prison Technique just now, and with a solemn expression, spoke in a detached tone:

"I never knew Xiao Diansi harbored such a powerful Dao art."

Xiao Diansi smiled faintly, "A trivial trick, I humbly offer it."

Gu Changhuai sneered, "Where did you acquire this Dao art? Neither the Water Prison Gate nor the Gui Water Gate would ever have entrusted you with it."

Xiao Diansi said, "Dao art transmission is a secret—I cannot disclose it to you, Gu Diansi. Instead, let us consider what to do next."

Gu Changhuai said coldly, "What do you propose?"

Xiao Diansi said, "Now, the fishbone token is in your hands, and the Water Prison Forbidden Casket is in mine—we've both achieved our goals, so we may temporarily cease hostilities. The only issue is this Bone Hall before us..."

"That Wu Mr. behaves mysteriously; this Bone Hall conceals countless dangers. If we fight among ourselves now, it would be unwise—it might leave us both wounded, giving others an opening..."

Gu Changhuai raised an eyebrow, "You still want to ally?"

Xiao Diansi, shameless, said, "Precisely."

"Beyond this, there is no other path," Xiao Diansi added.

Gu Changhuai glanced at Xia Diansi; she frowned, then nodded, "Agreed."

She did not trust Xiao Diansi.

But given the current situation, she had no choice but to temporarily agree to ally with Xiao Diansi.

Xiao Diansi's expression brightened slightly; he bowed, "Xia Diansi understands the greater good."

"Let's go—time is urgent. Let's see if there's any chance to escape..." Xia Diansi said.

"Agreed," Xiao Diansi nodded.

Then the group reunited and continued searching for an exit.

Yet between the two sides, a distance remained; each guarded against the other.

After walking some distance, all remained peaceful.

Mo Hua also relaxed slightly, following behind Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi, observing the bone pillars and deducing traces of the array—his focus momentarily distracted.

Moments later, as Mo Hua was pondering the array, he suddenly sensed a familiar malice rushing toward him.

He found it hard to believe.

Again?

This dog still wants to strike me?!

How shameless...

Mo Hua was speechless; he turned slightly and indeed saw Xiao Diansi seize an opportunity, activating Water Shadow Step, now within three zhang of him.

Mo Hua sighed and had to keep dodging.

At the instant Xiao Diansi moved, Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi both sensed it; their expressions turned icy simultaneously, they shielded Mo Hua, and joined forces to strike at Xiao Diansi.

But almost simultaneously, the Water Yama, standing nearby, his eyes turned crimson, demonic aura surging, secretly activated Blood Gaze Technique.

No good!

Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi, battle-hardened veterans, instinctively reacted to this gaze technique.

They quickly turned their heads, barely avoiding the Water Yama's gaze.

Yet when they looked again, they still saw a pair of bloody eyes.

It was Xiao Diansi!

Xiao Diansi's eyes were blood-red, oceans of blood churning within his pupils, demonic aura surging, wailing spirits screaming.

The Water Yama was illusion; Xiao Diansi was real.

Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi dodged the eleven, but missed the fifteen—they were ultimately struck.

And with the Water Yama's cooperation, Xiao Diansi sought a swift victory, without hesitation, unleashing the Blood Eye Technique with the speed of a thunderclap before the ear could catch it.

His Blood Eye Technique far surpassed that of the Water Yama.

Gu Changhuai and the other felt malevolent energy pierce their brains, their spirit seas searing with pain; they turned pale, faces twisted in agony, frozen in place.

"Uncle Gu!"

Mo Hua was startled, just as he was about to flee, he looked up and saw Xiao Diansi's blood-red eyes.

Mo Hua paused for a moment, yet his gaze remained clear.

Xiao Diansi, seeing Mo Hua's reaction, also froze for a moment.

Then in an instant, Mo Hua reacted—he let out a shrill cry of "Ah!" and collapsed to the ground, clutching his eyes, writhing in agony, "pained" as he rolled about.

"Ah, my eyes…"

Mo Hua secretly rubbed his eyes until they turned red.