Chapter 869: Pollution

Xiao family's ancestral elder's liver and gallbladder shattered.

Thin strands of black mist were seeping through his avatar's seven orifices, drilling into his spiritual perception, slowly infiltrating, polluting, and corrupting his soul.

The Xiao family's ancestral elder did not understand.

How had his beloved great-great-grandson possibly angered such a terrifying entity?

This terrifying entity resembled the legendary "Evil God" or "Heavenly Demon," a "taboo" even he, a Void-Transcending ancestral elder, feared immensely.

And when, precisely, had such entities begun spreading across Qianxue Province…

The Xiao family's ancestral elder could not fathom it.

But under this life-or-death crisis, there was no time for deep thought.

The Xiao family's ancestral elder poured all his lifetime's knowledge of celestial fate into activating a spiritual perception technique.

His spiritual perception avatar cracked open like molting skin, shedding its entire outer spiritual body to escape the corruption of evil thoughts and preserve the purity of his soul.

Spirit-Molting Technique!

It was the final and most difficult divine secret art he had obtained through immense fortune from this celestial fate technique.

Through this secret art, one could shed the spiritual body like a serpent shedding its skin, retaining only the soul.

Though spiritual perception would suffer great damage, it would also shed the polluted spiritual perception, preserving the purest origin.

It was a "cutting off the arm to save the body" spiritual perception art created to counter unknown entities and various strange pollutions within spiritual perception.

It was also the most difficult secret art in his lineage's transmission.

The Xiao family's ancestral elder had once believed he would never need to use it in his lifetime.

Yet he never imagined his beloved great-great-grandson would deliver him such a shocking "big surprise," forcing him, utterly unprepared, to face this "great terror" directly.

The Xiao family's ancestral elder's spiritual perception began to molt.

His skin cracked inch by inch, along with most of his spiritual perception and the black mist already infiltrated, all discarded at once.

A "miniature," pure version of the Xiao family's ancestral elder burst forth from the abdomen of the discarded shell, then fled without looking back—neither at the little ghost nor at the source of the "terror"—directly escaping beyond causality.

The situation was ten thousand times urgent.

Time was extremely tight.

One needed the resolve of a warrior severing his own wrist, and must seize this rare opportunity—no fraction of a moment could be missed.

A single moment's hesitation would mean death with no burial place.

The Xiao family's ancestral elder's molten spirit raced desperately beyond causality.

The little ghost paid him no further attention, seemingly distracted by the vast, Void-Transcending spiritual perception he had shed.

The "terrifying" entity continued spreading its polluting black mist.

It seemed on the brink of awakening, lacking some ritual or vessel to anchor its presence—about to awaken, yet not yet fully awake.

Otherwise, a single glance would have polluted a Void-Transcending elder.

The Xiao family's ancestral elder felt a surge of relief.

His luck was terrible, yet also unexpectedly good.

Had it been slightly worse, he would have been doomed beyond redemption.

Through this encounter, he finally understood what the "great terror" within celestial fate truly was.

This would greatly benefit his future cultivation of the Dao of causality.

"Escape first…"

The Xiao family's ancestral elder poured all his strength into fleeing outward, growing ever farther away, on the verge of breaking free from causality, escaping this nightmare.

But at that moment, a sudden distortion rippled—and the Xiao family's ancestral elder collided headlong with something.

A stench of decay and rot filled the air.

It seemed to be a corpse.

The Xiao family's ancestral elder, post-molting, looked up and saw a towering, ferocious "Copper Corpse," its eyes like blood oceans, body like ancient bronze.

The Xiao family's ancestral elder's heart tightened.

Copper Corpses were not terrifying.

To a Void-Transcending ancestral elder like him, a mere Copper Corpse was nothing but a low-end Foundation Establishment zombie.

But this was within causality—in the realm of celestial fate divination…

Where had this Copper Corpse come from?

The Xiao family's ancestral elder studied it briefly, seeing the haughty authority in its eyes, the overwhelming blood qi, and behind it, the faintly visible landscape of mountains of corpses and seas of blood—his spine chilled, his five viscera trembled with icy dread.

"This isn't an ordinary Copper Corpse—this is… the Corpse King, ruler of the undead, born of the blood sea?"

"This damn thing is… a Dao Corruption?!"

Like the coldest winter frost, a bucket of icy water poured over his head.

The Xiao family's ancestral elder turned icy cold, his face ashen.

He had never in his life imagined he would face such a situation.

A bizarre and sinister ghost fetus, a slumbering ancient evil god, a Corpse King Dao Corruption blocking the path…

The Xiao family's ancestral elder did not know how he had escaped this situation.

When his spiritual perception struggled back to his own mind sea, he felt no relief from survival—only endless unease and terror.

His soul bore wounds from Dao Corruption, pollution from the Evil God, and tooth marks from the ghost fetus.

His forehead was black, his eyes dull, his face white as paper, bloodshot veins visible beneath his eyes.

He was alive, yet looked like a "living corpse."

His spiritual perception had been shed like a skin using the Spirit-Molting Technique, leaving it severely depleted.

Yet despite his spiritual perception being utterly weak, his desires remained abnormally strong.

His heart seemed filled with countless cravings and desires.

The Xiao family's Ancestor sat numb, as if mourning his own death, slumped before Xiao Tianquan's blood-soaked corpse, muttering to himself:

"It's over…"

"The Xiao family is finished—everything, all finished…"

"I… am no longer myself. What, then, am I…?"

The cave entrance remained tightly shut, with no reply.

…

Several days later.

On the Xia family's spirit vessel.

Xia Jiancha was writing letters.

The first letter was addressed to the clan, its salutation naming a powerful elder of the Xia family—but he left no name, only the four characters: "Elder, Please Open."

"The plan has changed."

"Xiao Tianquan died suddenly, cause unknown. The plan to control the Xiao family must be reconsidered."

"If all else fails, we must gradually seize control of Dao Ting Si through the Gui Shui Gate, and use the Dao Discourse Assembly, while all sects are distracted by competition, to advance our grand scheme."

"Xia Rong'er lacks discernment and is unfit for major responsibilities; henceforth, the clan's support for her shall be reduced by thirty percent…"

Xia Jiancha paused, then added another line: "... Suspend all marriage negotiations concerning Xia Rong'er."

Then he concisely summarized the recent developments in Ganxue Province, the movements of the major clans, and sealed the letter, summoning a trusted servant to deliver it to the clan via the Xia family's Yuan Ci secret message channel.

Afterward, he began writing the second letter:

This letter had no addressee, and he signed no name.

"Xiao Tianquan's corpse has been returned to the Xiao family."

"The Xiao family's Ancestor has sealed his cave dwelling; given his habits, he is likely tracing cause and effect to identify the killer—but…"

Xia Jiancha's expression turned solemn: "Since the cave was sealed, three days have passed without it opening. Worse, the Xiao family's Ancestor has ordered all Xiao sect cultivators to stay at least a step away from the cave—and he himself has entered seclusion, with no further word since…"

"The Xiao family's Ancestor has very likely been 'polluted.'"

As he wrote the words "polluted," Xia Jiancha felt cold sweat break out along his spine.

"Though the situation is unexpected, a single Void-Opening cultivator of the Xiao family is effectively ruined…"

"The Elder's guess was correct: Ganxue Province is indeed shrouded in malevolent thoughts, dark impurities stirring beneath…"

"But the clans are exclusionary, the sects divided—there is no way to intervene yet, and no one understands the truth."

"If the situation becomes untenable, we must prepare early…"

…

After finishing, Xia Jiancha sealed the letter and placed it inside a golden sword. With a light flick of his finger, the golden sword vanished instantly.

Then he exhaled deeply, still trembling with lingering dread.

"The Ancestor was right: 'If you can avoid calculating, don't.' I barely escaped—had I calculated further, I might have been the one 'polluted.'"

No, not just "polluted."

The Xiao family's Ancestor, a Void-Opening cultivator with profound mastery of cosmic fate, met such a fate—likely doomed. If it had been me, I would have died on the spot.

Xia Jiancha sighed, frowning.

The Dao is perilous; cosmic fate is especially terrifying.

Who, then, was the terrifying entity Xiao Tianquan had angered…?

…

Within Grand Void Gate.

This "terrifying" entity was now in the Teaching Chamber, instructing his junior brothers and sisters in array formation.

"These array runes must be memorized—the sect's examination will surely test them…"

"These array patterns must be firmly memorized—you will surely need them on missions outside the sect…"

Mo Hua spoke with strict precision.

He taught earnestly; the junior brothers and sisters listened attentively.

Under Mo Hua's guidance, this year's Grand Void Gate disciples advanced rapidly in array arts.

One senior disciple, even younger than them by one or two years, stood atop the lectern teaching arrays—this subtly inspired the disciples' determination.

At first, fellow disciples had followed Mo Hua with the ambition: "I must surpass the junior brother."

Later, they realized the more they tried to "surpass," the wider the gap became—and so they accepted reality.

Their goal shifted from "surpassing the junior brother" to "matching the junior brother."

Then it became "do not fall too far behind the junior brother."

Finally, forced by circumstance, it became simply: "do not fail to understand what the junior brother teaches…"

And Mo Hua's status within the sect had become uniquely elevated.

The Ancestor favored him; the elders tolerated him; among the disciples, he commanded great respect.

Thus, when he had gone to the Long Wang Temple and "skipped class" for a long time, he returned as if nothing had happened—resuming normal cultivation and lessons, and no one found it odd.

Some disciples, genuinely curious about where Mo Hua went and what he did, kept asking incessantly.

Mo Hua assigned them array exercises, and they soon lost interest in questioning him.

Thus, sect life settled into routine.

But in Mo Hua's heart, a thorn remained.

That was the "evil embryo" of the Lord of Dahuang, fused within his soul.

Several days ago, for no discernible reason, the evil embryo within his soul had seemed unusually excited—as if it had feasted on something from some unknown source…

Mo Hua was startled by this.

He had thought that the evil fetus had broken through the Divine Dao array he had laid down and begun devouring his divine soul.

Later, after carefully checking it over, he found that it hadn't.

This "evil fetus" had no idea what it had eaten.

Nor did he know which poor wretch had been delivered into its mouth and fed it full.

Although what it "ate" wasn't him, this still served as a warning to Mo Hua.

This "evil fetus," even though sealed by him, still possessed some unfathomable methods, slowly growing stronger.

Once the day came that it grew powerful enough to break through his Divine Dao array, it could, without his knowing, further pollute his divine sense, thereby gravely threatening his divine soul.

Once the divine soul was thoroughly polluted, he and it would be indistinguishable, and he would truly become a "minor evil god."

"What a hassle…"

"Evil gods really aren't easy to provoke."

Mo Hua's brows knit tightly.

But right now he had no good way to eradicate this kind of parasitism or purify this "pollution."

He also didn't dare tell Old Mr. Xun.

If Old Mr. Xun suddenly decided to "sacrifice family for righteousness," then he really would be crying without tears.

He didn't know what the future held, but at least for now, he could still suppress the evil fetus and keep it from spreading and breeding.

He was still himself, not the embryo of an evil god.

But the problem was, he didn't know what things would be like later on.

Mo Hua mulled it over for a long time without any leads, so he figured he'd let it go for now and take it one step at a time.

When the cart reaches the mountain, there'll always be a road.

The evil fetus was sealed; as long as he was careful during this period, that would be enough.

The pressing matter at hand was to first eat the "dishes" he had marked.

Mo Hua had marked many demons and monsters at the altar of the Long Wang Temple, so the next event would surely be a grand feast, and he needed to prepare well for it.

Before that, Mo Hua specifically went to consult Elder Xun Zixian, probing from the sides, verifying several times, exploring the relationship between divine soul and divine sense, confirming that his devouring of pure divine thoughts would not affect the divine soul, would not cause any mishap to the divine soul, and would not feed the evil fetus's growth—only then did he feel at ease.

But right after that, another problem arose:

He had marked too many.

So many demons and monsters would all invade Yu'er's nightmare.

He himself could handle it just fine; after all, it wasn't that easy for demons and monsters to hurt him.

But if he was the least bit careless and couldn't keep the situation under control, causing the demons and monsters to run rampant, Yu'er would be in danger.

He could lay down Divine Dao arrays, but he felt that arrays alone weren't quite safe enough.

It would be best if there were someone who could, at the level of divine sense, help him plug the gaps and keep things in order—only then would he be completely at ease.

But this kind of matter wasn't easy to tell others about.

Moreover, not every cultivator's divine sense could withstand being torn through by demons and monsters the way his could.

Seeing that the day of "serving the meal" was drawing near, Mo Hua felt a bit troubled.

That day after class, he walked along, mulling over this matter.

Passing by the waterside book pavilion on the north side of the disciples' quarters, Mo Hua caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and just happened to see the big white dog sprawled on the ground, bored out of its mind.

Mo Hua was dazed for a moment, then his eyes couldn't help but light up.

He ran over to the big white dog.

The big white dog was very alert; sensing someone approaching, its furry ears pricked up, its bearing suddenly turned imposing, and it slowly rose to its feet, a low growl rumbling from its throat.

But halfway through growling, it realized it was Mo Hua, so it let out a listless "woof," and slumped back down, listless.

"Why so listless?" Mo Hua muttered.

The big white dog lay on the ground, eyelids slightly raised, and gave Mo Hua a plaintive look.

Then it drooped its eyelids again and went back to resting.

Mo Hua leaned close to it and whispered, "I'm inviting you to a feast. Want to eat?"

The big white dog's ears twitched, but it still ignored Mo Hua.

It was sick of chicken legs.

Besides, it actually didn't much care for chicken legs in the first place—it had only eaten them grudgingly out of respect for Mo Hua's face.

"Not chicken legs."

Mo Hua understood what the big white dog meant and whispered, "It's something even tastier…"

The big white dog turned its head, a pair of big eyes looking at Mo Hua, somewhat puzzled.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, not knowing how to explain, when suddenly a thought struck him, and he took out a bone sword from his storage bag.

"This thing…"

The big white dog froze, then couldn't help sniffing, picking up a faint, eerie scent from the sword.

Demons and monsters!

The big white dog's eyes immediately lit up, and drool couldn't help dripping down.

It suddenly opened its jaws wide, about to swallow the bone sword into its belly.

Fortunately, Mo Hua was quick-eyed and swift-handed, and swiftly put the bone sword away.

The bone that had been at its lips was gone, and the big white dog glared at Mo Hua indignantly.

Mo Hua glared back.

Meeting Mo Hua's gaze, the big white dog's bravado gradually fizzled out, and it lay back down on the ground, though its eyes couldn't help sneaking glances at Mo Hua's hand.

At that moment, the cheap-boned wretch trapped inside the bone sword nearly had its soul scattered in terror.

It truly feared Mo Hua would grow tired of it and, in a fit of whimsy, take its bone to feed to a dog.

This Xiaozu Sect brat suddenly causes trouble out of nowhere—it's enough to kill a person…

The cheap-boned wretch secretly broke into a cold sweat.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua also warned the White Dog: "Don't eat this bone—I still need it."

The White Dog whimpered, clearly unhappy.

Mo Hua then lured it: "I'll take you to a feast, much fatter than this bone—want to go?"

Upon hearing this, the White Dog immediately perked up, sticking out its large tongue and nodding eagerly at Mo Hua.

"Good!" Mo Hua said happily.

But just as he was about to lead the White Dog away, he noticed it was chained by some unknown material, unable to leave the library.

Mo Hua frowned, then remembered—this seemed to be the Sect Master's dog.

"Sect Master…"

Mo Hua rubbed his chin.

He wasn't familiar with the Sect Master; so far, he'd only seen him a few times during the annual Opening Ceremony.

And once before, at the library entrance, he'd been caught red-handed "bullying" the White Dog.

Yet even then, the Sect Master hadn't reprimanded him.

Besides, he was gentle and refined, with a courteous demeanor, seeming quite approachable.

"Maybe I should ask the Sect Master to borrow the dog?"

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then decided to try.

But he didn't know where the Sect Master lived, so in his spare time, he began waiting outside the library gate, hoping for good luck and a chance encounter.

Two days later, he indeed met him.

The Grand Void Sect Master, slightly stout, with a ruddy complexion and thick, jet-black hair, had just arrived at the library and spotted Mo Hua squatting outside his door—he froze.

"Mo Hua?"

"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded.

"What is it?" the Grand Void Sect Master asked gently.

"Sect Master," Mo Hua whispered, "I have a small request—could you possibly grant it…?"

The Grand Void Sect Master was surprised, then became curious.

In all his years as Sect Master, few disciples had mustered the courage to approach him directly with a request.

"Speak," the Grand Void Sect Master nodded.

Mo Hua pointed outside at the White Dog: "Can you lend me this dog for two days? Even one day would do…"

Borrow the dog?

The Grand Void Sect Master froze, speechless for a long moment.

Mo Hua whispered: "Is it not possible…?"

"It's not that it's impossible, but…" the Grand Void Sect Master looked puzzled, "what do you need this dog for?"

"To guard the door!" Mo Hua replied confidently.

The Grand Void Sect Master was at a loss for words.

This child truly regarded this beast, still carrying traces of divine beast blood, as a mere "guard dog"…

"This… dog is dangerous," the Grand Void Sect Master warned.

"No problem—I get along well with it. I've even fed it chicken legs," Mo Hua said.

The Grand Void Sect Master's expression grew peculiar.

After careful consideration, he still shook his head.

This dog was no ordinary beast—its temperament was too unruly; within the family, only a few elder ancestors and a handful of elders who fed it could command its respect.

Once it went mad, even ordinary cultivators were powerless against it.

Thus, lending it to a disciple could easily spark a major incident.

The Grand Void Sect Master was about to refuse outright, but as he looked at Mo Hua, he recalled Master Xun's high regard and hopes for him—and suddenly, against all reason, he nodded:

"Alright."

Mo Hua's face lit up with joy.

Then the Grand Void Sect Master personally unchained the White Dog and handed the leash to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua quickly smiled:

"Thank you, Sect Master! You're truly a great person!"

The Grand Void Sect Master chuckled, then was about to warn Mo Hua: "This beast is unruly and wild—be careful…"

But when he turned, he saw that the "unruly," "wild," chain-free dog was now obediently trotting behind Mo Hua, tail wagging happily…

The Grand Void Sect Master silently swallowed his words, his expression deeply complex.