Chapter 870: Alarm

Mo Hua led a large white dog into the disciples' quarters, openly and boldly, drawing startled glances from every disciple along the way.

"Senior Brother, the sect's rules forbid disciples from keeping spiritual pets…"

"This isn't a spiritual pet," Mo Hua corrected. "It's the sect leader's guard dog. I borrowed it for a while."

"The sect leader…"

The disciples stared, dumbfounded, thinking: You said he had no connections—but he borrows the sect leader's dog as if it were nothing. Even the Ancestor's own grandson wouldn't get this treatment…

The disciples whispered among themselves.

The large white dog held its head high and marched proudly.

When following behind Mo Hua, it trotted happily.

Now, inside the disciples' quarters, surrounded by a crowd of disciples, the dog grew haughty, head tilted high, looking down at everyone from beneath its eyelids.

It truly looked like "the sect leader's dog."

"Senior Brother, what are you using this dog for?" one disciple asked curiously.

"I have something important to do," Mo Hua said seriously.

"Important?" The others were confused.

Mo Hua couldn't explain it to them.

Tonight was the night the demons delivered their "takeout." This dog was here to join him for the feast.

The hour was late; he needed to prepare quickly.

Seeing the disciples still asking questions, Mo Hua scowled. "Have you finished your array exercises?"

The disciples' hearts sank; they immediately scattered in a rush.

Mo Hua shook his head and led the large white dog to Yu'er's room.

Wenren Wei's expression clearly showed surprise.

"Mo Young Master, this is…"

Mo Hua said solemnly: "I have a premonition—Yu'er may be in danger tonight. Demons might invade his dream sea in the dead of night. I've brought this dog to guard the door."

Wenren Wei's expression sharpened. "Truly?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Truly."

Because these demons were summoned by him.

Wenren Wei gave a slight nod, yet still looked puzzled. "This dog…"

What does a dog have to do with demon invasions?

Mo Hua said: "It's the sect leader's dog. It's extremely powerful!"

The Grand Void Gate's sect leader…

Wenren Wei's demeanor grew solemn—he was completely taken in by Mo Hua's lie.

He nodded. "I understand."

The Grand Void Gate's sect leader's dog could not possibly be an ordinary dog.

Moreover, after spending these days together, he had grown deeply trusting of Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's words—especially those concerning Young Master Yu'er—had always proven prophetic, never wrong.

Young Master Yu'er's current safety, health, and lively spirit were entirely due to Mo Hua's care.

If Mo Young Master says this dog has great use, then it must have a special purpose.

Wenren Wei said solemnly: "Thank you, Mo Young Master. If you need anything, please command me."

Mo Hua smiled. "Thank you, Uncle Wei."

He then naturally began giving Wenren Wei instructions.

He told Wenren Wei to guard the door carefully, explained what to watch for, and repeated all the precautions without tiring.

Wenren Wei memorized every word Mo Hua said, not daring to overlook a single detail, then stood faithfully outside the door.

Mo Hua brought the large white dog inside the room.

Yu'er was still inside, diligently reviewing array techniques.

Seeing Mo Hua, his eyes lit up—but when he spotted the large white dog behind him, his expression turned startled, then wary, with a hint of fear.

The large white dog, seeing the small Yu'er, froze for a moment—then, almost instinctively, its gaze turned fierce, baring its teeth in a low growl.

Yu'er grew even more frightened and hid behind Mo Hua.

Mo Hua quickly pressed his hand down on the dog's head. "Behave."

The dog, held down by Mo Hua's hand, dared not act up—but still glared fiercely at Yu'er.

Mo Hua frowned, puzzled.

This dog's attitude toward others was rude, but if left alone, it merely looked down its nose—indifferent, not hostile.

So why, when it met Yu'er, did it look like it had found an enemy, its gaze so vicious?

Could it be…

Mo Hua's expression grew thoughtful; after a moment, he shook his head.

Either way, this wouldn't do. He brought the dog here to cover his back, to protect Yu'er.

If it lost control and hurt Yu'er in a rage, wouldn't that be like trying to steal a chicken and losing your rice instead?

Seeing the dog's lingering hostility despite being held down, Mo Hua leaned close and whispered:

"Do you still want to eat that big meal?"

The dog paused, its anger fading, confused.

Mo Hua pointed at Yu'er. "Whether you eat well tonight depends entirely on him. If you don't watch your attitude, you won't get this meal—or any future ones. You'll just starve."

The dog looked bewildered, then obediently nodded.

Although he still didn't fully understand the cause and effect here, out of respect for Mo Hua and the "feast," he restrained himself somewhat and dared not frighten Yu'er anymore.

Mo Hua was somewhat satisfied.

Afterward, he began setting up the array.

First, near the walls, he laid down several Divine Mist Arrays to obscure spiritual perception.

This was to prevent any disturbance from being detected and attracting unwanted surveillance.

It was also to conceal a bit of cause and effect, avoiding any tricks from Master Tu or other minions of evil gods targeting him.

Inside the inner chamber, centered on Yu'er, Mo Hua set up three layers of Divine Dao arrays.

The outermost layer was the Divine Gate Array.

The Divine Gate Array is the gate and lock of spiritual thought.

All demons that invaded Yu'er's nightmares through karmic nodes along chains of sin would be barred at this Divine Gate.

The only opening in the gate was Mo Hua himself.

Thus, any invading demons, if they wished to assault Yu'er's nightmare, would first pass through the Divine Gate and enter Mo Hua's spiritual sea, becoming his "meal."

But this time, the demons were too numerous; one layer of the Divine Gate Array might not hold them all.

Therefore, Mo Hua laid down a second Divine Gate.

This second gate was guarded by the Great White Dog.

The Great White Dog's strength, capable of sparring with him, was unquestionable.

All demons that slipped through would end up in the Great White Dog's mouth.

"Meat buns" thrown at a dog vanish without return.

The innermost layer was the tightly sealed Divine Lock Array, surrounding Yu'er completely and shielding him at the center.

These three meticulously constructed Divine Dao arrays resembled three sturdy dams.

Mo Hua personally guarded the gate, the Great White Dog held the rear; one man, one dog, their defenses were impenetrable, waiting to welcome the coming flood of demons.

Time slowly passed.

Soon, the sun set beyond Luoshan, and night descended.

Mo Hua burned incense, lulled Yu'er to sleep, then sat alone on a mat before the Divine Gate, closing his eyes to rest.

The Great White Dog, strictly obeying Mo Hua's orders, lay on another mat not far away.

The ground was covered with dense, intricate array patterns drawn by Mo Hua.

The atmosphere was silent, with only candle flames flickering slightly.

After an unknown length of time, the Great White Dog, whose head had drooped to the ground in boredom, suddenly opened its eyes, filled with shock.

Mo Hua, who had been meditating, slowly opened his eyes, his gaze faintly brightening.

The thing he had waited for so long had finally arrived!

A cold wind surged inside the room, biting with chill; a sinister and oppressive aura spread.

Something seemed to be growing in the shadows.

In Mo Hua's deep eyes, interwoven with black, white, and gold, strange celestial patterns emerged—half filthy, half bloody, black and red intertwined like spiderwebs, evolving from nothingness and spreading across the walls.

The branches of the Tree of Divine Authority, like karmic chains, reappeared once more.

On the branches, black water condensed, fruiting without flowers, forming embryos.

The demons summoned by his stolen authority hatched one after another from these embryos.

One by one, ox-headed, horse-faced, human-bodied with monstrous heads, twisted and grotesque demons, their eyes blood-red, struggled out of the void.

The Great White Dog widened its eyes.

Its body retained remnants of divine beast bloodline; it was an exceptionally rare strange beast.

It could see things ordinary cultivators could not.

Yet even so, such a vast multitude of demons and spirits—it had never seen anything like this in all its life.

Like a child who had never seen the world, seeing its splendor for the first time.

Saliva dripped from its mouth.

The atmosphere was sinister, demons everywhere, blood qi thick, the air cold and oppressive to the extreme.

Yet Mo Hua smiled faintly.

Sensing Mo Hua's contempt, countless demons snarled with ferocious eyes, transforming into terrifying stench-winds, surging together toward Mo Hua…

"Finally… the feast begins…"

…

Meanwhile, in the Forbidden Zone of Grand Void Gate.

The bearded old man, seated motionless in the Sword Tomb, sealed by layers of arrays, suddenly opened his eyes.

"Finally… it's come again…"

He had waited a long time.

He had waited for this day.

He wanted to see what kind of thing had repeatedly stirred up chaos within Grand Void Gate, summoning demons and gathering evil.

Was it a demon-devouring strange beast?

Was it the leader of evil spirits,

Or a demon who cultivated dark arts, harboring sinister intent, plotting against Grand Void Gate?

He had endured for too long; this time, whether demon or villain, none would escape detection!

In the bearded old man's eyes, Jin Guang flashed.

A scripture solidified, crystallized, underwent Liu Yuhua, then shattered—a sword-shaped void flickered, bright and dim, within his pupils.

The spiritual sense of a Void-Refining cultivator, vast and sweeping, swept across Mount Tai Xu with astonishing sword intent.

Yet this sword intent was too profound; ordinary disciples felt nothing at all.

Only the Void-Refining Ancestors and a few True Persons of late or mid Feather Transformation, with extraordinary talent and keen spiritual sense, noticed it.

Upon sensing this spiritual presence, everyone paled, cold sweat seeping into their hearts.

This was spiritual thought forged into a sword—its very nature carried piercing sword intent. Fortunately, it had merely swept past briefly; had it carried murderous intent, like a divine blade sweeping over Mount Tai Xu, countless disciples across the mountain would have perished or been wounded.

"It's… the Lone Ancestor from the Forbidden Zone…"

"What's happened?"

"Could it be… that the Ancestor's Dao heart has cracked again?"

"Has his spiritual thought become unstable?"

"This is bad…"

"In the past, the Ancestor occasionally swept his spiritual sense over Mount Tai Xu, but never before with such speed or with this much anger…"

"What of the array sealing the Ancestor? Has it failed? Can it no longer suppress his dark thoughts…"

At once, the true high-ups of the Tai Xu Sect, all above Feather Transformation, grew deeply troubled.

Even the Tai Xu Sect Master, who was poring over scriptures in the Scripture Pavilion, was no exception.

Yet beyond his solemn expression, he also felt puzzled.

The Lone Ancestor had willingly submitted to sealing, guarding the Sword Tomb for all these years, and nothing had disturbed the peace—recently, there had been no major upheaval. Why had he suddenly unleashed such a terrifying spiritual sense?

The Tai Xu Sect Master, usually so composed, now furrowed his brow.

He set down the jade slip, swept his sleeve, extinguished the lamp, and stepped out of the Scripture Pavilion. Just as he was about to leave, he froze, turning his head toward the Disciples' Quarters.

If there truly was something unusual, it could only be one small, peculiar matter…

It was Mo Hua who had borrowed that strange beast from him.

Mo Hua's sudden borrowing of the beast had also piqued the Sect Master's curiosity, so he quietly released his spiritual sense, following Mo Hua into the Disciples' Quarters to see what he intended to do.

Later, he saw Mo Hua bring the beast into the Shang family's quarters, into the room of the young direct-line heir named "Yu'er."

The Tai Xu Sect Master's heart grew slightly clearer.

Divine beasts repel evil.

Strange beasts with even a trace of divine beast bloodline could likewise ward off malevolent forces.

He had brought this beast into the Tai Xu Sect from his family precisely with this purpose in mind.

This child, Mo Hua, was clever-minded and possessed strong spiritual sense—perhaps he had sensed the beast's ability to repel evil, and thus wished to borrow it to protect the Shang child.

As a disciple, he had mustered the courage to ask the Sect Master for something, all to protect another.

This child, Mo Hua, truly has a fine character…

The Tai Xu Sect Master's heart eased, and he decided not to inquire further.

Yet now, as the Ancestor's spiritual thought from the back mountain suddenly surged forth, he unconsciously felt these two events might be connected.

But after careful thought, the Tai Xu Sect Master shook his head.

What earth-shattering act could a mere Foundation Establishment disciple possibly have committed to provoke the Ancestor in the back mountain?

Moreover, this was no ordinary Ancestor…

If this Ancestor stepped out of his mountain, the entire Qian Xue Province would tremble.

One who had perfected Spiritual Thought Forged into a Sword—even Void-Refining cultivators dared not face his blade.

With this thought, the Tai Xu Sect Master's heart grew heavier. He activated his movement technique and arrived at the Elders' Quarters to visit Mr. Xun.

But as soon as he stepped through the door, he realized nearly every senior elder above Feather Transformation in the Tai Xu Sect was already gathered there.

They exchanged formal greetings and stated their purpose.

Mr. Xun frowned and said: "Don't worry—the seal is intact. Your senior brother… should be fine. I'll go to the back mountain to check. You all stay here and don't make a fuss."

"Old Master, I fear…" everyone worried.

Mr. Xun felt uneasy, but waved them off: "It's fine."

With that, he flicked his finger through empty air, tearing open a rift in space, and stepped through it to the back mountain's Forbidden Zone.

Entering the Forbidden Zone and walking into the Sword Tomb, Mr. Xun saw the bearded elder, his expression wary as he studied the lone, proud, sharp, yet broken and tomblike figure.

After a moment, Mr. Xun exhaled in relief, his tension easing, and spoke slowly:

"Senior brother…"

The bearded elder said: "Why are you here?"

Mr. Xun sighed: "Senior brother, didn't I tell you not to use your spiritual sense lightly…"

The bearded elder's gaze darkened slightly.

He had intended to finish this quickly, not restraining his spiritual power—just one sweep over Mount Tai Xu would have revealed the traces of that petty villain.

But he had not expected that, after sweeping, he found nothing.

The bearded elder surmised that the hidden villain causing "chaos" must have used some method—most likely a certain array—to conceal his aura and block spiritual perception.

This array was extremely ingenious.

He had not anticipated it, and his cursory sweep had been fooled.

But he was a Void-Refining cultivator—his spiritual thought was immense. These tricks could not hide from him; if he opened his spiritual sense and swept again, he would surely find the flaw and uncover the mastermind.

Yet just as he prepared to scan Mount Tai Xu once more, someone came to his door.

Mr. Xun pleaded earnestly:

"Senior brother, you know your condition better than anyone. Your soul… cannot endure even the slightest setback. You must not use your spiritual sense lightly anymore."

"Moreover, your spiritual thought is cultivated through the True Scripture of Spiritual Thought Forged into a Sword. If it goes awry and the sword intent loses control, the consequences will be unimaginable."

The bearded elder remained silent.

Mr. Xun suddenly realized something and frowned:

"Senior Brother, has something happened in the sect?"

Knowing this senior brother as he did, unless the sect had suffered a change, he would never so rashly unleash his divine sense in an emergency.

The bearded elder's gaze sharpened slightly; he opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately said nothing.

He was proud and stubborn by nature, and never liked to entrust his own affairs to others.

Moreover, even he himself had not yet figured out the hidden details.

And his younger brother, with his white hair, had already labored enough for the sect.

The bearded elder merely said softly: "Nothing…"

Then he closed his eyes and fell silent.

Seeing this, Mr. Xun felt helpless, but at least his senior brother was unharmed and the Sword Tomb showed no anomaly.

Mr. Xun exhaled in relief, then shattered the void and departed using Void Transit.

Back at the Elder's residence, Mr. Xun told the others: "It's nothing—perhaps Senior Brother is merely tired and accidentally let his divine sense slip. No major issue…"

Upon hearing this, everyone relaxed instantly.

"That's good…"

"Just a false alarm…"

"Everyone, disperse," said Mr. Xun.

"Then, Mr. Xun, we take our leave."

The Grand Void Sect's Patriarch bowed, then left with the others.

The room was left with only Mr. Xun alone.

Mr. Xun stood for a moment, eyes filled with thought; the more he pondered, the more suspicious it seemed—something was amiss, and his senior brother was hiding something from him.

But if his senior brother refused to speak, he could never force an answer from him.

And yet…

Mr. Xun glanced at the desk, piled high with jade slips, documents, and sword-messages.

The divination compass had only progressed halfway…

The Dao Debate Assembly after the sect's reforms was less than a year away; hidden currents surged everywhere, and the situation was intricate and complex.

This Dao Debate Assembly might well determine the rise or fall, the survival or extinction, of the Grand Void Sect.

There were simply too many matters—he had no time to attend to them all…

Mr. Xun sighed deeply, sat back down, and buried himself once more in the endless jade slips and messages, seeking to deduce from this tangled web of cause and effect that one precious thread of hope…

…

In the forbidden zone of the back mountain.

After Mr. Xun left, the bearded elder opened his eyes again.

He could not give up.

His younger brother was right—but he could not avoid investigating this matter.

He even had a premonition: this might be his last chance.

If he did not uncover the truth of this demonic karmic thread now, when next would he get the chance? It might be years, even decades away.

But the bearded elder knew well: he could no longer unleash his divine sense on a large scale.

He must not create any disturbance, must not alarm others, and his divine perception could not afford another mishap.

Thus, he released only a tiny, hidden thread of divine sense, silently and unseen, sweeping from the back mountain toward the front mountain.

But this method was vastly slower.

…

In the disciples' quarters, in Yu'er's room.

Unaware, Mo Hua was feasting voraciously.

Countless demons flowed into his mind sea, and he slew them one by one.