Chapter 858: Worse Than a Dog

"You're no longer useful."

In those eyes lay a cold, solemn authority; within them glowed golden, awe-inspiring swordlight.

Then, a flash of golden light.

Water Yama's expression grew dazed, as if trapped within a cage woven of swordlight, a thousand golden blades flaying his soul.

"Eye technique?!"

At the last possible moment, Water Yama poured every ounce of his dark energy into his eyes, attempting to resist the golden eye technique with his Transformed Dark Blood Eye Art.

A sea of blood surfaced, writhing with grotesque vengeful spirits.

But the golden light swept through—and in an instant, the blood sea vanished entirely.

Water Yama's soul felt as if it had been cleaved by a sword, shaken by the sword intent, flooded with overwhelming terror.

He tried to struggle further, but realized the dark energy he had long suppressed was nearing loss of control, slowly corroding his mind sea.

The eye technique duel failed; the dark energy turned against him.

If his mind sea was flooded by the dark energy, he would die without doubt!

Water Yama's face twisted as he used his last shred of consciousness to suppress the dark energy.

Yet his eye sockets gradually filled with crimson—and at that moment, he saw Mo Hua.

Somehow, the Spirit-Binding Chains on Mo Hua's body had already been removed.

He approached Water Yama, and while Water Yama's spiritual awareness was in chaos, he took the Water Prison Forbidden Chest right before Water Yama's eyes.

That very chest—the one he had spent immense effort cultivating his spiritual power, sacrificed half his life's essence, and had only just "opened" moments ago…

The Water Prison Forbidden Chest!

Water Yama felt a surge of rage that burned his mind; the dark energy within his mind sea was about to break free.

At that moment, he heard Mo Hua murmur softly:

"Sigh… I clearly overestimated you. You're nowhere near as good as the dog in my Grand Void Gate…"

At these words, Water Yama's fury surged, spitting blood—he could no longer suppress the dark energy within him.

His mind sea was ravaged by the dark energy's backlash, his soul gradually fracturing.

His eyes shifted from deep crimson to ashen black, yet still retained faint instincts, lashing out wildly, biting at everything around him.

Seeing this, Mo Hua quickly stepped back.

Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian, seeing Water Yama suddenly lose his sanity, his spiritual energy in chaos, his aura dimming, seized the opportunity to strike.

Ouyang Feng drove his longsword straight through Water Yama's heart meridian.

Hua Qianqian plunged her Hundred Blossom Spirit Needles into Water Yama's forehead.

Both strikes were fatal wounds.

Severely wounded, Water Yama's dark energy began to recede slightly; he showed a flicker of last breath, as if about to speak.

Just then, another figure emerged from the corner of the wall.

The man wore the robes of the Dao Ting Si, his face handsome, his skin Bai Xi—it was Xiao Tianquan.

Xiao Tianquan moved swiftly, darting forward and piercing Water Yama's throat with a single sword thrust.

Water Yama's pupils contracted; he stared blankly at Xiao Tianquan, then his gaze gradually blurred—and he died.

Thus ended Water Yama, the wicked tyrant of the Smoke Water River.

Mo Hua glanced at Xiao Tianquan, then patted his chest and exhaled deeply, voice trembling with relief:

"Big Brother Xiao, thank heaven you arrived in time—otherwise I'd have fallen victim to this Water Yama's treachery."

Xiao Tianquan nodded. "This man committed countless evils; his death is well-deserved."

Yet…

Xiao Tianquan stared at Water Yama's dead eyes, now blackened and ashen, and frowned:

"Why did he suddenly lose his sanity?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "I don't know… probably just karma catching up—punishment from heaven for all his wicked deeds."

He had used his eye technique discreetly, so none present had seen the golden sword intent within his eyes.

Xiao Tianquan frowned tightly, studying Water Yama, then exhaled slightly and murmured:

"Probably couldn't contain the dark energy—got backlash."

Mo Hua's eyebrows twitched slightly.

This Xiao Tianquan knows more than he lets on.

With Water Yama dead, the matter here was settled. Ouyang Feng pondered a moment, then asked:

"Gu Diansi and Xia Diansi are held up by that Witch Mr. —should we go help them?"

Even if they wanted to flee now, they couldn't escape.

Within this Bone Labyrinth, danger lurked everywhere: the scaled monster "Witch Mr.," countless blood corpses, and the treacherous Xiao Diansi.

Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi, both Jin Dan cultivators, were their only hope.

If Gu Changhuai and the other remained unharmed, there was still a chance.

If either fell, all of them—including Mo Hua—would likely be doomed.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Let's go see."

He picked up the incense burner and the red incense stick left by Water Yama, using them to repel the blood corpses, then stepped toward the gate.

Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian followed behind Mo Hua.

Xiao Tianquan brought up the rear, but deliberately hesitated a moment, glancing down at Water Yama, pulling the sword from his throat—still uneasy, he stabbed the dead man's heart meridian several more times, then quietly patted Water Yama's body and checked his waist pouch—but found nothing.

"Nothing?"

Xiao Tianquan's expression turned slightly grim; he looked up at Mo Hua, his gaze dark and brooding, paused in thought, then silently followed after him.

Mo Hua led the group, driving the blood corpses, retracing their steps back to the gate of white bones.

Before the gate, several Jin Dan were still fighting to the death.

Blood corpses lay scattered everywhere; blood had soaked and stained nearly every inch of the ground.

Gu Changhuai stood alone against Xie Liu, now turned into a blood corpse, while Xia Diansi and Xiao Diansi fought together against the sorcerer Mr. Wu, whose body was covered in dragon scales.

Everyone bore wounds of varying severity, and their qi had weakened considerably.

Even the monster Mr. Wu had nearly spent half his blood aura.

But Mr. Wu clearly held the upper hand, especially with his numerous blood corpses aiding him—he moved with ease in attack and defense.

If things continued this way, Gu Changhuai and the other two would fall—only a matter of time.

Mo Hua observed the battlefield, made up his mind, and handed the incense burner to Ouyang Feng: "Senior Brother Feng, fall back. I'll be right back."

Ouyang Feng didn't know what Mo Hua intended, but could only warn: "Junior Brother Mo, be careful."

"Mm, Senior Brother Feng, rest assured."

After speaking, Mo Hua silently activated the Minor Five Elements Concealment Technique; his figure dimmed and vanished.

Hidden, Mo Hua took advantage of the fierce battle and the lack of attention, circling far around Mr. Wu and the others, avoiding blood corpses, until he reached the gate.

He remembered clearly—these blood corpses had crawled out from near the gate.

Mo Hua searched briefly at the gate and indeed found the blood-red demonic array carved beneath the white bone pedestal.

These demonic arrays used blood sacrifice to forge blood corpses.

Mo Hua didn't fully understand them, but dismantling them wasn't difficult.

Around the demonic array, he drew golden and fire-element arrays—gold to repel evil, fire to burn curses, array to break array.

In truth, the best array to repel evil was a thunder array.

But thunder array lineages were as rare as phoenix feathers; even the Grand Void Gate didn't possess one, and Mo Hua didn't know how to make one.

Still, these blood sacrifice arrays weren't advanced, and since the goal was merely brute destruction, there was no need for complex, refined methods.

Mo Hua glanced up—the battle raged fiercely, no one noticed him—so he used his spiritual sense to command his ink, fingers tracing lines, guiding spiritual ink to form the array.

Soon, the array manifested.

Mo Hua didn't hesitate—he immediately detonated the array.

Instantly, flames erupted, a boom rang out, the white bones beneath the ground shattered apart, and the blood array was destroyed along with them.

The moment the blood array was destroyed, the surrounding blood corpses lost control, convulsed briefly, then collapsed motionless.

Even Xie Liu lost all resistance, fell to his knees with a thud, bared his neck, awaiting death.

Gu Changhuai channeled spiritual power, forming a powerful wind blade that severed Xie Liu's head, then turned to join Xia Diansi and Xiao Diansi, surrounding Mr. Wu.

The blood corpses lay prostrate; Xie Liu was dead.

In the blink of an eye, Mr. Wu—who had once surged forward, surrounded by a tidal wave of blood corpses—stood alone.

Mr. Wu was stunned, then roared in fury: "Who dares, you wretched rogue, destroy my array?!"

Mo Hua naturally said nothing.

At this moment, he had no need to reveal himself and draw Mr. Wu's hatred.

Xiao Diansi and the other two knew the moment was precious—they struck at once, wind and light sword qi erupting, beginning their encirclement and slaughter of Mr. Wu.

Mo Hua, still hidden, watched quietly for a while, thought, then began secretly setting up another array, preparing for his next plan.

Mr. Wu had transformed into a demon resembling a nightcrawler, his body covered in dragon scales, impervious to blades and spells, his power formidable.

But he now faced three Jin Dan.

Moreover, Mo Hua had already devised a plan to counter Mr. Wu, and Gu Changhuai and the others had gained experience.

Now they were merely repeating the same tactic—executing Mo Hua's plan once again.

Mr. Wu indeed couldn't withstand the prolonged assault.

Less than half an hour passed, his blood aura had nearly vanished, and his scales were clearly visible beneath the thinning aura.

Without the swirling blood aura and blood supply, Mr. Wu finally panicked.

He didn't want to repeat his failure—he darted left and right, searching for an opening to escape, intending to regain strength by feeding on blood, then return.

But the three Jin Dan present were no easy foes.

Mr. Wu had no chance at all.

In no time, he was subdued.

Xiao Diansi had intended to kill Mr. Wu, but discovered that in this nightcrawler form, Mr. Wu had undergone some transformation—he retained his consciousness, and his scales were even harder than before.

His jaws were clenched shut; blades and swords couldn't pierce in, making it impossible to shred his organs and kill him.

"Trap him. Let's first figure out how to escape."

Only then did Mo Hua reveal himself, then personally bound Mr. Wu with chains and sealing arrays—layer after layer, binding him tightly.

Xiao Diansi looked deeply at Mo Hua and said coolly: "Young Master's array craftsmanship is indeed extraordinary."

Mo Hua waved his hand modestly: "Just passable—barely earns me a living."

Xiao Diansi's gaze darkened slightly; his expression unconsciously grew more serious.

With Mr. Wu and the blood corpses dealt with, Ouyang Feng, Hua Qianqian, and Xiao Tianquan from afar all gathered together.

As the group converged, Xiao Diansi suddenly froze, frowning:

"Where is Shui Yanluo?"

Everyone exchanged glances.

Mo Hua said: "Dead…"

"Dead?!" Xiao Diansi's pupils dilated sharply.

Mo Hua sighed: "He suddenly lost his mind for no reason, eyes blazing red, going mad trying to kill me—I, Feng Shi Xiong, Qian Qianjie—we were no match for him. Luckily, Brother Xiao arrived in time and killed Water Yanluo..."

Xiao Diansi's sharp gaze suddenly locked onto Xiao Tianquan.

Xiao Tianquan felt his scalp prickle, but he could only force himself to say, "Yes... I killed him..."

Xiao Diansi's gaze turned dark. He glanced at Xiao Tianquan, said nothing, and turned away: "First, find a way out."

Each of them had different thoughts, but none spoke.

At the gate, they saw the door tightly shut, its doorframe adorned with gnarled goat bones—no crack, no opening array.

Fortunately, the group discovered a demonic bronze statue.

This statue was identical to the one at the entrance of the Dragon King Temple, used to insert the Fishbone Tablet to open the temple gate.

And now, the Fishbone Tablet was in Xiao Diansi's hand.

Gu Changhuai glanced at Xiao Diansi.

Xiao Diansi fell silent for a moment, then slowly stepped forward, took the Fishbone Tablet from his storage pouch, and inserted it into the demonic bronze statue.

Moments later, the gate trembled, and with a dull rumble, it slowly opened.

But whether the Blood Pool had changed or some array had been damaged, the gate opened only a crack before stopping.

Seeing this, everyone exhaled slightly in relief.

The gate was already large; even this narrow crack was enough for people to pass through.

The group stepped forward, intending to walk outside—when suddenly, another change occurred.

A blade of emerald-green wind slashed toward Xiao Diansi.

The attacker was Gu Changhuai.

He wanted to kill Xiao Diansi.

A flash of ice-blue light appeared beside him—Xia Diansi also struck with an ice-element sword gleam, pressing it against Xiao Diansi's throat.

Xiao Diansi was not surprised.

But his first move was not to fight Gu Changhuai or Xia Diansi—he activated Water Shadow Step to evade, then flashed forward, closing in on Xiao Tianquan's side, reaching out with a large hand to grab him.

Xiao Tianquan seemed to have anticipated this.

He guessed Xiao Diansi would try to seize him, so the instant the others moved, he retreated swiftly, barely avoiding Xiao Diansi's grasp.

Seeing his grab miss, Xiao Diansi prepared to strike again—but Xiao Tianquan cried out quickly:

"Uncle, the artifact isn't on me."

Xiao Diansi was half-skeptical, then suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua wore an innocent expression.

Xiao Diansi was even more uncertain.

This brat Mo Hua might be pretending.

And this nephew of mine, Xiao Tianquan—I raised him himself; his cunning runs deep—he's just as likely to deceive me.

Water Yanluo was killed by Xiao Tianquan, but the Water Prison Forbidden Casket may not be in his possession at all.

As Xiao Diansi hesitated, he suddenly realized Mo Hua had vanished.

He swept his spiritual sense—and spotted a faint shadow near the demonic bronze statue not far away.

"That brat—he's trying to steal the Tablet!"

Xiao Diansi struck instantly, slashing his sword toward Mo Hua, then flashed away from Xiao Tianquan and charged toward Mo Hua.

The Fishbone Tablet was within reach—but Xiao Diansi was already attacking. Mo Hua had no choice but to drop the Tablet and activate Departing Water Step to evade.

Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi rushed over to support Mo Hua.

They blocked Xiao Diansi's attacks, then moved to seize the Fishbone Tablet—but Xiao Diansi would never let them succeed.

The three circled the Tablet, swords clashing, fighting desperately for control—but none could gain the upper hand.

At this moment, all of them understood clearly.

The labyrinth had been solved, Master Wu had been subdued—if Xiao Zhenhai now seized the Fishbone Tablet, everyone would be at his mercy.

Xiao Zhenhai was cruel and cunning; they could never entrust their lives to him.

And Xiao Zhenhai knew too—if Gu Changhuai got the Fishbone Tablet, given his hatred of evil, he would spare no effort to kill him.

Moreover, he must obtain the Water Prison Forbidden Casket.

This casket was tied to his entire Dao cultivation—no matter who held it, he would reclaim it.

Even if he had to kill every person here and search their corpses, it was inevitable!

With this thought, both sides unleashed their deadliest blows.

Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi engaged Xiao Zhenhai head-on.

Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian provided support from the sides—even Xiao Tianquan joined the others, attacking the uncle who had always treated him kindly.

Xiao Tianquan understood well.

If Gu Changhuai won, he likely wouldn't kill him.

But if Uncle—no, now it was Xiao Zhenhai—won, given his suspicious nature, he would never spare him again.

So Xiao Tianquan, as this nephew, fought with all his strength to kill Xiao Zhenhai.

Xiao Zhenhai laughed bitterly with rage.

Gu Changhuai said coldly: "Xiao Zhenhai, you've amassed countless sins; death is too good for you. Surrender now, and perhaps I'll spare your life. Otherwise, this White Bone Labyrinth will be your grave!"

Xiao Zhenhai sneered: "Gu Diansi, we're both Diansi. Such words might fool others—but to deceive me? How laughable."

"Precisely because we're both Diansi, I offer you this one chance at life."

Gu Changhuai spoke sweetly, but his spells never ceased—and each strike grew harsher than the last.

The rest of the group also showed no mercy.

Even though Xiao Zhenhai bore the entire supreme technique of Water Prison Gate, he now felt immense pressure.

If this were a third-grade prefecture, it would be better—he could unleash his Jin Dan power to fully manifest his inheritance.

But here, in a second-grade prefecture, he was bound and constrained, fighting with great discomfort.

Xiao Zhenhai, his rage boiling over, sneered, "Fine, fine—you all want to kill me? Then don't blame me for being uncivilized…"

His eyes turned slightly red, and deadly aura surged forth.

Gu Changhuai, drawing on experience, immediately averted his gaze from Xiao Zhenhai.

But in doing so, though he avoided the eye technique, he exposed an opening—Xiao Zhenhai seized the chance, closed in with Water Shadow Step, and slashed him with a sword.

Xiao Zhenhai sought to press his advantage, but Xia Diansi intervened from the side, temporarily forcing Xiao Zhenhai back.

Afterward, Xiao Zhenhai repeatedly used Blood Eye Technique to intimidate, found openings, and struck to kill, compounded by his top-tier cultivation art and movement technique—Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi fought with extreme difficulty.

The situation grew increasingly dire.

At this moment, Xia Diansi, exhausted from prolonged combat and with his mind slightly disturbed by the deadly aura, moved with slight sluggishness.

Xiao Zhenhai seized the opportunity and thrust his sword toward Xia Diansi's neck.

Gu Changhuai's face darkened; he clicked his tongue, yanked Xia Diansi aside, and blocked the strike with his feather fan.

But his cultivation was still slightly weaker than Xiao Diansi's; though he blocked the sword, Xiao Zhenhai changed his technique mid-strike and pierced his shoulder.

Gu Changhuai's face turned pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Xiao Zhenhai's eyes gleamed with excitement—he was about to advance and deliver another strike when he suddenly felt his body freeze, immobilized for an instant.

He looked down and saw glowing array patterns beneath his feet.

Threads of blue spiritual energy, like vines, tightly coiled around his body.

"An array?"

Xiao Zhenhai's pupils shrank.

Xia Diansi, regaining his senses, saw Gu Changhuai had taken the sword blow for him, his shoulder pierced—his beautiful face flushed with fury; a thin layer of ice crystals formed on his short sword, and he slashed toward Xiao Zhenhai's throat at blinding speed.

Xiao Zhenhai barely dodged, but still drew a line of blood.

The ice crystals spread along the cut, sealing his throat.

Xiao Zhenhai's face darkened with rage; he swung his sword, repelling Xia Diansi, and retreated several steps himself to create distance.

As he steadied himself, before he could recover, a flash of fire erupted from the ground—and another array exploded.

Earthfire Array.

Then came Earthkill Array.

Interspersed with trapping arrays: Quicksand, Golden Chains, Wooden Prison.

Fire qi and earth qi intertwined; explosions erupted one after another.

Only then did Xiao Zhenhai realize—he had unknowingly been surrounded by arrays, enduring wave after wave of their assault.

And every single one of these arrays was a high-grade second-grade array, with eighteen or even nineteen runes.

The finest class of arrays in the second-grade realm!