Chapter 863

"What is this… thing?"

Mo Hua frowned, pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered—he had seen this thing before.

The first time he "ordered" at the blood-red fishing village's altar, he had sensed this strange, deformed, yet immensely powerful node.

Back then, he was unsure of himself, wary of the node's intense malevolence, and dared not order it.

Yet he never expected to encounter it again.

"What kind of demon lurks within this node's nightmare… should I order it and see?"

Mo Hua rested his chin on his hand, pondered for a moment, and found himself uncertain.

He sensed the node again.

Previously, his perception had been shallow; now, with his Divine Way nearing completion and the Evil Embryo possessing him, he was among the rare Divine Way experts within the Second Rank realm.

Though his status as a Divine Way expert was highly complex—half human, half divine, and now a small third part was an evil god.

Precisely because of this, his perception of the chaotic anomaly's "demon" was far clearer.

The demon within the node exuded a corrupt and mixed aura, as if composed of various flesh, diverse creatures, and different demons, all fused together around a single embryo as the core.

It bore the aura of an evil god, a presence so strong that, in some ways, it was not much weaker than the Evil Embryo.

Yet at the same time, its body teemed with filthy flesh, twisted malevolent thoughts, demonic limbs, and even faint traces… of corruption.

Mo Hua frowned.

He had previously thought it was merely a "big thing."

But he never imagined this "big thing" might be far stronger than he had assumed.

Now it seemed prudent to have been cautious.

If back at the small fishing village's altar, when his Divine Way was still undeveloped and he had not yet mastered Divine Mind Sword or Divine Way arrays, he had recklessly provoked this "big thing," he would surely have been doomed…

Mo Hua sighed.

Indeed, the Divine Way concealed countless dangers; even with power rivaling a god, he must remain vigilant in the future.

Especially that little lamb— it had caused him great losses; he must take this as a warning.

As for this "big thing," he'd leave it for now—wait until his strength grew further…

Mo Hua thought silently.

Moreover, his ordering was done using Yu'er as "bait."

If the demon was too powerful, Yu'er's danger would increase accordingly.

Better to be cautious.

Upon this thought, Mo Hua suddenly felt regret.

"In a moment of impulse, I ordered too much…"

This time, he was tricked, possessed by the Evil Embryo, and in a fit of anger, ordered too many demons.

These demons would all invade Yu'er's nightmares, and all the pressure would fall upon Yu'er.

Mo Hua felt a pang of concern, "Should I cancel some?"

He sat back on the altar, communing with the Divine Authority Tree, but found that placing an order was easy—canceling was difficult, and altering the established nightmare path, reversing cause and effect, involved the Way of Heavenly Fate and consumed vast amounts of Divine Mind.

Mo Hua was stunned.

Yet he reconsidered and thought it might still be manageable.

Though his divine soul was tainted and the Shocking Divine Sword was "sealed," temporarily unable to unleash its full power,

the demons invading Yu'er's nightmare were merely ordinary ones.

With his Nineteen-Stripe Divine Awareness's Dao-transcending power, even without relying on complex Divine Mind Sword or invoking his divine soul's strength, he could crush these malevolent entities easily.

Ordinary demons didn't deserve the use of the Shocking Divine Sword.

Later, he could fight while eating, sustaining himself through battle.

As long as he devised ways to protect Yu'er's safety, it should be fine.

Mo Hua nodded and prepared to leave the altar.

But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed something strange about the altar itself.

Earlier, he had been busy fighting the Evil Embryo and ordering dishes, utterly absorbed with no spare attention.

Now that the surroundings had grown quiet and his orders were complete, Mo Hua suddenly realized the altar itself was deeply peculiar.

When he sat upon the altar, it seemed as if waves of malevolent desires were nourishing him.

But these desires were not strong.

Mo Hua practiced meditation, constantly purging malevolent thoughts, his Dao-heart clear; thus, when beset by desires, he instinctively rejected them.

Yet now, upon closer examination, these desires felt unusual.

Lush, sensual, greedy, murderous, wrathful, deluded—unlike the malevolent thoughts of demons, they resembled the manifestation of human inner desires.

These desires, through some form of cause and effect, flowed into the altar, nourishing Mo Hua.

No—more accurately, they nourished the Evil God, the Evil Embryo, now fused into his Fu Shi soul.

After pondering for a moment, Mo Hua suddenly understood.

He grasped the causal logic behind the operation of this Long Wang Temple altar.

The Evil Embryo was the master of the Long Wang Temple.

Everything within this temple existed solely to nurture this Evil Embryo, to help it shed its form and hatch into a god.

The blood pool was the Evil Embryo's "amniotic fluid."

The temple keeper and Mr. Wu were the Evil Embryo's servants.

The Rouge Boat was the Evil Embryo's "feeding bowl."

And upon the Rouge Boat, the myriad desires of the cultivators—greed, obsession, delusion, corruption, love, hatred—all served as the Evil Embryo's "bait."

Now that the evil embryo has merged with my soul, all these "bait," crafted from human desires, nourish me directly.

Not only that…

Mo Hua carefully sensed it and discovered that what nourished him was not merely desire, but also something far bloodier, crueler, colder—causal ties steeped in sin.

It was as if someone, obeying his "orders," had committed countless murders.

These murders coalesced into causal ties laden with sin, nourishing him, hatching him—hatching the evil embryo.

The mechanism behind this had once eluded him, but now that he had become the evil embryo and experienced it firsthand, everything became far clearer.

"Desire becomes flesh and blood; causal ties become bones and marrow."

"This is… the Dao method by which the evil embryo matures and transforms into an evil god."

"Desire comes from the Crimson Boat—then where do these causal ties of sin originate?"

Mo Hua frowned, then his thoughts shifted; his spiritual sense withdrew from the nightmare and searched the area around the altar in the real world, finally discovering a strange object atop the altar's offering table.

It was a blood-stained stele without inscriptions.

The stele was soaked in blood, yet bore no characters.

It seemed someone had once written upon it with blood.

But the characters on this stele were not meant for "human" eyes; after being written, they dissolved into the stele along with the blood.

It resembled more a "soul contract."

Others could not see it—but Mo Hua could.

Though faint, he could still discern the barely visible characters upon the seemingly blank blood-stained stele.

These characters were names.

As Mo Hua stared, his heart sank; he hastily rummaged through his storage pouch and pulled out a jade slip.

This jade slip was Jiang Laoda's list.

It was precisely the blood-oath list of sinners, headed by Huo Fotuo and Shui Yanluo.

The names on both lists were nearly identical.

"So the origin lies here…"

Mo Hua finally understood what this list was truly for.

It was a "soul contract."

The sinners swore blood oaths, leaving their names on the list—effectively selling their souls and offering them to the evil god.

Thus, every crime, every murder they committed, would transmit through some form of causal tie to the altar, sacrificed to the evil god, slowly nourishing the evil embryo and strengthening the evil god.

But these sinners themselves likely did not know this secret.

And there was another point…

On the surface, this was merely a "list."

A list of sinners forming an alliance, a list of "protection" from the upper echelons, a list demonstrating "loyalty" to the Lord of the Great Wasteland.

But they certainly did not know it was also a "death list."

For Mo Hua could sense, from each name on the blood-stained stele, the aura of a soul.

When signing this list, these sinners had already severed a portion of their life-soul and offered it to the Lord of the Great Wasteland.

The Lord of the Great Wasteland held their life-souls—in other words, he controlled their life and death.

Should a sinner betray, the Lord of the Great Wasteland, through this "soul contract" list, could kill them with a single thought.

"Indeed, those who ally with an evil god will never meet a good end…"

"Their lives are in another's hands—and they probably don't even realize it…"

Mo Hua shook his head and sighed.

He wanted to study further, when suddenly a "Boom—" echoed, the ground trembled, as if something were striking the inner hall's door.

Mo Hua's heart leapt.

"Someone broke in?"

"No…" Mo Hua suddenly remembered, "It's Uncle Gu and the others trying to rescue me?"

Only then did he realize he had fought a brutal battle, feasted lavishly, and studied the altar for hours—he had lost track of time.

Uncle Gu and the others must be frantic with worry.

"I'll get out first…"

But when he looked up, he found himself at the very bottom of the blood pool—the blood had been drained, leaving a deep pit, pitch-black all around, with no path out.

"How do I get out?"

Mo Hua frowned.

The moment he thought of it, the altar glowed—its internal formation activated unseen, mechanisms turned, bones and stone interlocked, emitting a dull rumble.

The massive altar, bearing Mo Hua, slowly rose—as if honoring its master.

Mo Hua drew in a sharp breath.

"This altar… listens to me?"

"No—not just this altar, but… the entire Long Wang Temple?"

Mo Hua frowned in thought.

The evil embryo is the master of the Long Wang Temple.

And now, the evil embryo has merged into my soul.

The evil embryo is me.

I am the evil embryo.

In other words, I am now… the master of the Long Wang Temple?

Mo Hua opened his mouth, deeply shaken inside.

……

Outside the Bone Maze.

Many cultivators had gathered together—some wearing the robes of Dao Ting Si enforcers, others from the Gu and Xia clans.

They formed teams of ten, arranging into formations, unleashing arrays, talismans, spiritual artifacts, and spells in rotation to bombard the ram-horned gate.

Boom—boom—boom—echoed continuously; dust rose everywhere, the ground trembled, and shattered stones rained down.

Yet no matter what methods they tried, they could not break open the gate.

Gu Changhuai was frantic with worry; Xia Diansi was deeply troubled.

Time slipped away slowly; the ancient ram-horned gate, having endured dozens of attacks, remained unmoved—not even a crack had opened.

Their hearts grew colder by the moment.

Gu Changhuai finally let out a deep sigh and said apologetically, "Notify Grand Void Gate—Mo Hua, he probably…"

Gu Changhuai couldn't finish.

He, usually cold and distant toward others, now wore an unusually desolate expression.

Beside him, Xia Diansi's eyes also filled with sorrow.

Upon receiving the order, everyone ceased their attacks and prepared to withdraw.

But just then, a muffled "Boom—" sounded, accompanied by the sound of bone and stone grinding…

Everyone's expressions changed slightly.

They quickly turned their heads and saw—the very gate they had exhausted every array, talisman, spell, and spiritual artifact to shatter, now slowly opened by itself…

A strange, tense aura spread outward.

Something… was about to emerge…

This gate would never open so easily—unless…

Everyone's hearts tightened; they all braced for battle.

But the feared, powerful, bloody enemy said to dwell deep within the inner hall did not appear.

From the gate's crack, a head poked out.

It was Mo Hua.

He looked left and right, only then realizing a vast crowd stood outside.

At that moment, every pair of eyes turned sharply toward Mo Hua.

Under so many stares, Mo Hua felt embarrassed; he scratched his head and said shyly, "What's all this commotion…?"

Everyone froze, their thoughts momentarily scrambled.

……

In a side hall of the Long Wang Temple.

With no one else around, Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi thoroughly examined Mo Hua from head to toe—finding no injuries, stable spirit, and no other abnormalities—and finally breathed a true sigh of relief.

Of course, Mo Hua was now greatly abnormal—but they could not perceive it.

Xia Diansi gave Mo Hua another long look, then suddenly pulled him into her arms, patted his back, and said with a trembling voice:

"You're safe…."

She wasn't sure if she was comforting Mo Hua—or herself.

She was a Gu Diansi, burdened with strong responsibility.

On the surface, Mo Hua had been trapped in the inner hall to save them; if he had truly come to harm, she would carry guilt for life.

Mo Hua was surprised, and moved.

Xia Diansi appeared cold on the outside, but her heart was truly soft.

Gu Changhuai also felt immense relief.

If Mo Hua had truly met with misfortune, he would have no answer for Grand Void Gate, Cousin Wan, Aunt Gu Hong—or even himself.

"You're safe…"

Gu Changhuai murmured silently.

After their emotions settled and Mo Hua's safety was confirmed, with no one else nearby, Gu Changhuai finally asked curiously:

"Where's the Witch Mr.? Did he do anything to you? What exactly happened inside?"

Mo Hua had prepared his answer and replied half-truthfully:

"That Witch Mr. seemed to want to sacrifice me to something—but perhaps I was lucky; during the ritual, he suddenly died for no reason, and I escaped…"

Gu Changhuai: "…"

After a moment of silence, Gu Changhuai said helplessly, "That's it?"

Mo Hua nodded. "That's it."

"Suddenly died?"

"Yes," Mo Hua said, "Very sudden—just a blink."

I killed him…

Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua and sighed. "Alright."

Xia Diansi's expression was also peculiar.

She had indeed hoped Mo Hua would be blessed, that fortune would turn misfortune—but she never imagined it would happen this way.

This kind of luck was simply outrageous…

Or perhaps Mo Hua wasn't telling the truth?

But now, neither of them had the energy to investigate further—so long as he returned safely, that was enough.

Mo Hua glanced around and asked, "Where are Senior Brother Feng and Senior Sister Qianqian?"

Gu Changhuai said, "I originally planned to send them back to the sect first, but since your life or death was unknown, they refused to leave."

"I dared not leave them inside the inner hall—this inner hall is perilous beyond measure. If anything happened to them, I'd have to answer to the Grand Void Gate, the Tai'e Sect, and the Hundred Flowers Valley—all three together—and I'd be in even deeper trouble."

Just thinking about it made Gu Changhuai's head ache.

"So I had them wait at the entrance. They should be coming now."

After a while, Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian indeed arrived.

Seeing Mo Hua, both of them were overjoyed.

Even the usually composed Ouyang Feng couldn't help hugging Mo Hua and patting his shoulder.

"Junior Brother Mo…"

Ouyang Feng, emotionally stirred, trembled slightly; countless words rose in his throat but he could not speak. After a moment, he calmed himself, released Mo Hua, and bowed deeply, solemnly saying:

"Junior Brother Mo, your great kindness needs no thanks!"

"Senior Brother Feng, you're too kind…"

Before Mo Hua could finish, a fragrant breeze swept past, and Hua Qianqian suddenly embraced him from the side.

Earlier, when Mo Hua's fate was uncertain, Hua Qianqian had feigned strength; now that she saw him safe and sound, tears streamed down her face.

"Junior Brother Mo, it's so good you're unharmed…"

She wiped her snot and tears onto Mo Hua's clothes.

Mo Hua could only comfort her in return: "I'm fine, Senior Sister, don't worry…"

In any case, the journey to the Long Wang Temple had been frightening but ultimately without harm.

Everyone was safe.

After chatting a while longer, Mo Hua asked Gu Changhuai to send Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian back to the sect first.

As they were about to part, Mo Hua quietly warned them:

"Senior Brother Feng, Senior Sister Qianqian, remember—never mention the Crimson Boat or the Long Wang Temple to anyone…"

"I've already alerted Dao Ting Si. Uncle Gu and Xia Diansi will also keep this secret and won't speak of it."

"The Long Wang Temple incident is somewhat manageable—if someone presses you, say you happened to pass by and joined Dao Ting Si in rescuing people."

"But the Crimson Boat—you've never been there, and you must never mention it again…"

Otherwise, even if you jumped into the Yellow River, you couldn't wash yourself clean…

Mo Hua's gaze was solemn.

Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian's expressions turned grave. They glanced at Mo Hua with gratitude and nodded.

Afterwards, Mo Hua watched as the two boarded Gu's small boat and departed from the Long Wang Temple.

Then Mo Hua turned back and sought out Gu Changhuai again.

Gu Changhuai, surprised, said, "You're not leaving yet?"

Mo Hua said, "I want to search the Long Wang Temple again."

"Search the temple?"

"Yes." Mo Hua nodded.

With everyone present and Dao Ting Si fully staffed, he intended to thoroughly search the Long Wang Temple from top to bottom.

He felt that since it was called the "Long Wang Temple," it must have some connection to "dragons."

Moreover, he had now assimilated the Evil Embryo.

In a certain sense, this ancient Long Wang Temple was now his.

As its master, he must "inventory" his temple.