Chapter 983

The entrance to the dragon soul felt like swallowing a chunk of meat packed entirely with sinew—unchewable, throat-burning—but Mo Hua's spiritual sense had already formed a Golden Core and fully completed the Pure Gold Dao transformation, utterly distinct from the spiritual awareness of ordinary cultivators.

It had even surpassed his previous state.

Savage dragon power raged through his body.

Mo Hua activated the Pure Gold primordial source, transforming it into potent mental force, like a grinding stone, slowly crushing the dragon soul into fragments and swallowing it down.

A powerful, scorching force burned his throat.

The mighty dragon soul surged through every part of his body.

Its defiant spiritual sense twisted like a savage dragon, darting wildly within him.

Mo Hua deliberately activated the Grand Void Spiritual Sense Sword Technique, combining it with arrays, spells, and Pure Gold spiritual power to grind down and slay the dragon's spirit within him.

His spiritual body instantly glowed entirely gold, dazzling and blinding, too radiant to look upon.

The mighty dragon soul emitted terrifying pressure, making the scalps of all Great Wasteland nobles in the hall tingle with dread.

After an unknown length of time, the dragon soul's aura vanished; Mo Hua opened his eyes, smacked his lips in reminiscence, and muttered softly:

"Tastes like nothing—"

But it's full.

Mo Hua felt a surge of dragon qi lodged in his chest and couldn't help letting out a burp.

That burp sounded like wind and thunder, carrying a dragon's roar that reverberated around the entire Dragon Hall.

Inside the Dragon Hall, all the subjugated Great Wasteland descendants trembled in shock, gasping in disbelief:

"M—Mo God!"

"It actually—killed the Dragon Emperor, dismembered him, and—'ate' him?!"

"Blasphemous!"

"The Dragon Emperor—he's dead?!"

"This is the Great Wasteland calamity!"

"Who in heaven summoned this monstrous little demon god?!"

Inside the Dragon Hall, voices screamed in terror, chaotic and deafening.

Mo Hua found them noisy; he turned his head, gazed at these ministers blessed by the dragon vein—some with dragon scales, some with dragon claws, some with dragon whiskers—and merely licked his lips, revealing a wicked grin that sent every civil and military official into a panic, scattering like startled deer fleeing a fallen tree.

Amid the fleeing crowd, only one man stood frozen, eyes vacant, unable to believe what he saw.

His body was half-covered in dragon bones, his gaze dull, his face aged.

Mo Hua recognized that face.

He took a step; Jin Guang flashed, and he appeared before the man, "You led me in?"

The old man smiled bitterly, "Did the young Divine Master spot it?"

Mo Hua regarded him curiously and asked slowly, "Weren't you dead in the Divine Hall? Second Elder..."

The old man in the Dragon Hall was none other than the Mo Sect's Second Elder.

He was the same Second Elder who had guided Shen Tu Ao through the Gushan tomb expedition, sacrificed his life to briefly seal the Evil Embryo by fusing with dragon bones.

Mo Hua never imagined the one who lured him into the Dragon Hall would be the Second Elder.

The Second Elder's expression was filled with bitterness as he explained:

"Those who die faithfully serving the Great Wasteland, giving their lives for its sake, leave behind a fragment of their soul that enters the Dragon Hall, joining the Dragon Ranks, eternally immortal alongside the Great Wasteland Dragon Emperor—"

Of course, the current "eternally immortal" Dragon Emperor had just been swallowed by Mo Hua.

This absurdity still stunned the Second Elder.

In the dream of the Evil Embryo, his lingering spirit had witnessed Mo Hua's battle with the Evil Embryo.

He had guessed Mo Hua was strong.

But he never imagined that this seemingly clever, eccentric Foundation Establishment array master in reality would be so—indescribably powerful in the spiritual realm.

The Dragon Hall's laws couldn't restrain him; the mighty dragon pressure couldn't suppress him.

Powerful dragon generals were crushed by his fist.

The noble Dragon Emperor was pinched to death with a flick of his hand.

Even the Great Wasteland dragon soul could be "swallowed."

Even the dragon soul of Dahuang could be swallowed by him.

"Eating" a dragon.

The Second Elder felt a chill surge from his heart, spreading through his limbs, making his entire body tremble uncontrollably.

A "terrifying" thought surfaced in his mind—

"Joining the Dragon Ranks, eternally immortal—" Mo Hua shook his head.

Living as Emperor, enjoying wealth and glory wasn't enough—now you want this after death too.

He stared again at the Second Elder, "Why did you bring me here?"

The Second Elder's eyelid twitched; he suppressed his thoughts, bowed his head, and spoke respectfully:

"During the battle in the Gushan Divine Hall, I saw the young Divine Master stand equal to the Evil Embryo, and realized your spiritual sense was extraordinary—so I wished to offer you an opportunity to learn the Great Wasteland legacy."

"It's not that simple, is it?" Mo Hua's gaze turned deep.

"Yes—" The Second Elder, under Mo Hua's stare, felt cold sweat on his back, his voice trembling, "The Dragon Hall is the place of legacy transmission. By its rules, to receive the Great Wasteland legacy, one must bow in worship to the Dragon Emperor to earn his blessing."

"It is—" The Second Elder, under Mo Hua's gaze, felt a chill run down his spine and stammered, "The Dragon Palace of Dahuang is the sacred site of succession. According to the Dragon Palace's rules, to receive the Dahuang inheritance, one must bow in reverence to the Dragon Emperor to earn his grace."

The Second Elder paused, forcing himself to continue, "you will develop a heart of submission, becoming a loyal arm of the Great Wasteland henceforth."

"Arm" was the word—but in truth, it was no different from "servant."

Mo Hua's gaze darkened slightly, "So you gave me an opportunity—and a trap at the same time. You were manipulating me?"

Mo Hua's gaze darkened slightly as he said, "So, you gave me an opportunity, but also gave me a trap. You're scheming against me?"

The Second Elder's voice trembled slightly. "It is———."

Mo Hua looked at him with a half-smile. "If you tell the truth, aren't you afraid I'll crush you to death?"

The Second Elder closed his eyes, let out a deep sigh, then said bitterly:

"The reason this wisp of my remnant soul has been able to linger is thanks to this Great Wasteland Dragon Palace, and this Great Wasteland Dragon Palace, in turn, is founded upon the Dragon Emperor."

"Now that the Dragon Emperor is dead, the Dragon Soul-————-is also gone, the Dragon Palace has no master, and we remnant souls won't last much longer before we too dissipate————"

Mo Hua glanced at the Second Elder and indeed saw his withered old form dimming little by little, his limbs also dissolving bit by bit.

Is he about to die?

Mo Hua shook his head.

If that's the case, then let this grudge be.

Most things in this world are half good, half bad.

This Second Elder, although he had tried to scheme against him, had also let him eat something good he'd never tasted before.

Being a magnanimous person, he wouldn't bother arguing with him.

"You can go ahead and die slowly then——·"

Mo Hua turned to leave, but was suddenly called back by the Second Elder:

"Little Divine Lord—·—.."

Mo Hua turned his head and asked him: "Is there something else?"

A terrifying notion rose in his mind. The Second Elder's expression was solemn, his heart torn with struggle. Finally he sighed and said slowly:

"I wish to make a deal with you———·

"A deal?" Mo Hua raised an eyebrow.

The Second Elder nodded. "If there's a chance, I'd like to ask you to act, at the necessary moment, to preserve a single thread of my Great Wasteland's bloodline.."

Mo Hua didn't understand. "Your Great Wasteland still has a bloodline?"

Imperial Prince Ye died long ago, his remains buried in the Lonely Mountain Imperial Tomb.

Shentu Ao is also dead, his very skin peeled off by Mr. Tu.

What bloodline does the Great Wasteland clan still have?

The Second Elder only said flatly: "There is."

"Where?"

The Second Elder was silent for a moment, did not say outright, only said: "Little Divine Lord, you will encounter them naturally in the future."

"You don't expect me to help your Great Wasteland revive, do you?" Mo Hua asked.

A trace of helplessness and despair flickered in the Second Elder's eyes. He gave a bitter laugh:

"The Great Wasteland very likely————·cannot be revived."

Mo Hua was somewhat surprised.

The Second Elder sighed: "All of this, from the very beginning, was a game of chess. I don't know how many cultivator grand powers, ancient evil gods, and Mo Sect ancestors are playing this board behind the scenes."

'I thought I could fool people's eyes, but everything I did was actually all within someone else's calculations. "Everything in the Great Wasteland has long become a chess piece manipulated by others."'

"This is also something I only saw after my death——"

"Beneath such a heaven-and-earth chessboard and life-and-death millstone, if the Great Wasteland is the slightest bit careless, it will fall into the desperate straits of bloodline severance, the extermination of its race."

"Therefore, I only hope that Little Divine Lord, if there's a chance, will act to preserve a single thread of my Great Wasteland imperial clan's bloodline. Even if they can never revive their ancestral enterprise, never become the Great Wasteland imperial clan, as long as they can escape the fate of being manipulated by others and live their lives in peace—that would be enough—..."

The Second Elder's words were earnest, even carrying a trace of pleading.

Mo Hua, however, shook his head and said: "Have you forgotten, I'm only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, I don't have that ability to help you—" The Second Elder sighed inwardly, then cupped his hands and said: "Although your cultivation is only at Foundation Establishment, your attainments in the Dao of Divine Sense are astonishing and rarely seen in this world."

In this world, from ancient times to now, there should be no Foundation Establishment cultivator who could step into the Great Wasteland Dragon Palace, slay the Great Wasteland Dragon Emperor, and still swallow the Dragon Soul whole without his body exploding.

"Moreover, all of this depends on what's convenient for Little Divine Lord——. —"

"If it can be done, I still ask Little Divine Lord to lend a hand. If it cannot be done, there's no need to force it."

Mo Hua nodded, but still did not agree easily. Instead he asked:

"Then what do you have to make a deal with me?"

Preserving the Great Wasteland bloodline is no small matter.

This Second Elder was also a man who knew his own mind. Since he dared to bring this up with him, it meant he must have some valuable chips in hand.

The Second Elder glanced at Mo Hua and slowly began:

"If this old man did not see wrongly earlier, Little Divine Lord's physical body already has late Foundation Establishment cultivation, but your natal dharma treasure has never been nurtured, has it——·."

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened slightly and he nodded.

The Second Elder said: "Little Divine Lord is well-versed in formations—are you planning to use my Great Wasteland's Four Symbols Azure Dragon Divine Beast Formation as your natal formation diagram?"

"Correct," Mo Hua did not hide it from him.

The Second Elder shook his head. "Little Divine Lord, the Four Symbols Azure Long Zhen—you cannot use it—"

Mo Hua asked: "Why?"

The Second Elder did not dare speak too bluntly, only said tactfully:

"The Azure Dragon is the karma-dragon inherited through the generations of my Great Wasteland. This kind of divine beast only acknowledges bloodline. If one is not of my Great Wasteland imperial lineage,

regardless of status, it will not recognize them."

"Secondly, Little Divine Lord, you do not cultivate body arts, your physical body is slightly——-—--weaker by just a little bit, therefore,

you also cannot bear the vast and boundless power of the Azure Dragon·—."

Mo Hua nodded slightly.

The matter of bloodline, he knew well enough.

The matter of his physical body, indeed there were many concerns.

Long Li was violent and tyrannical; with his powerful Dao-transformed divine sense, he forcibly swallowed the dragon soul, yet still felt a tearing sensation.

And his divine sense was strong, but his physical body was weak.

If he were to directly inscribe the Azure Dragon array on his body, using his flesh to bear the violent power of the Azure Dragon,

he feared that in an instant, his body would be torn apart into pieces.

"Then what?"

Mo Hua looked at the Second Elder; he knew the Second Elder wouldn't speak such nonsense for no reason.

The Second Elder was silent for a moment. At the final juncture, his heart was still torn in torment, unsure whether to speak.

But his remnant soul was already gradually fading away.

His legs had already turned to powder, and his body was beginning to drift away like dust, bit by bit.

The Second Elder sighed, finally accepting his fate, and slowly said: "I know of an array that should——— be more suitable for the Young Divine Lord."

Mo Hua's pupils contracted slightly. "What array?"

The Second Elder sighed: "This array was found in the ancient past by a Grand Lord Wuzhu of our Great Wasteland clan, whose cultivation reached the heavens, from the boundless, endless Savage Abyss of timelessness and spacelessness. It is an ancient anomalous-pattern array."

"This kind of ancient array has twisted, barbaric, archaic patterns and is not suited to the Great Wasteland's cultivation system."

"Moreover, this array doesn't even look like it was made for human use."

"But this senior Grand Lord Wuzhu was not resigned. He poured out most of his life's heart and blood, painstakingly researching, and finally, relying on his own outstanding attainments in cultivation, used the framework of the Four Symbols Array to recompile this ancient array into a Four Symbols Array that could merge into a cultivator's meridians and bones———."

The more Mo Hua listened, the more alarmed he became. He frowned and said: "You're not deceiving me?"

The Second Elder sighed: "A man about to die—why would he speak falsehoods? Besides———" The Second Elder glanced at Mo Hua with a gaze tinged with awe and fear, "How would I dare to speak recklessly before the Young Divine Lord?"

Mo Hua's gaze was deep. He looked at the Second Elder, saw through his divine soul, confirmed he wasn't lying, then slowly nodded and asked:

"Then what's this array called? What kind of Four Symbols pattern is it? What grade is it?"

The Second Elder shook his head. "I know nothing of it."

"You don't know?" Mo Hua's gaze darkened slightly.

The Second Elder said: "This array is too unconventional, and too terrifying. It only existed in the hands of that Grand Lord Wuzhu of old."

"After the Grand Lord Wuzhu fell, the Great Wasteland Imperial Court issued an imperial decree, stripping him of his title of 'Grand Lord Wuzhu,' destroying all his works—not only destroying his tomb, but directly classifying this array as forbidden, never to be passed down through the ages."

"Therefore, what exactly the array this Grand Lord Wuzhu researched looked like, this old man has also never seen with his own eyes———."

The Second Elder sighed deeply.

Mo Hua's brow furrowed even tighter. "You've never seen it with your own eyes. Since this array diagram was sealed away, it certainly isn't in your hands either. So why use it to trade with me?"

The Second Elder's gaze was obscure. "Although this ancient array diagram is not in my hands, I know where it is?"

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

The Second Elder said: "In the hands of that traitor of our Great Wasteland clan."

Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat. "Mr. Tu?"

The Second Elder was somewhat surprised, then nodded. "When he travels outside, his alias is 'Mr. Tu.'" Mo Hua frowned. "Then does that mean killing Mr. Tu is the only way to obtain this Great Wasteland ancient array diagram?"

Mr. Tu is at least Liu Yuhua, and is the Evil God's closest servant; he must certainly bear some of the Evil God's divine abilities.

A servant of the Evil God at the Liu Yuhua realm.

Mo Hua racked his brains and still couldn't figure out how to kill him.

"Not necessary," the Second Elder said.

Mo Hua was puzzled.

"Isn't it in his hands? If we don't kill him, how could we possibly get it?"

The Second Elder said: "It's in his hands, but he doesn't know where it is either?"

The more Mo Hua listened, the more confused he became. "What do you mean?"

The Second Elder said in a low voice: "In a certain place in Qianzhou, there exists a forbidden ground. Within the forbidden ground, there is a secret chamber. Within the secret chamber, there stands an altar. Upon the altar is enshrined an Evil God statue of white bone with a human face and ram's horns."

"This array is carved into the interior of this Evil God statue of white bone with a human face and ram's horns———."

"This matter, that traitor doesn't know either. He holds deep reverence for that ancient evil object and doesn't dare to touch this divine statue at all———."

Mo Hua's heart trembled.

A forbidden ground, an altar, an Evil God statue of white bone with a human face and ram's horns?

An ancient anomalous array diagram of the Great Wasteland?

Mo Hua looked at the Second Elder, somewhat suspicious. "If Mr. Tu doesn't know about this, why would you?"

"Because———" The Second Elder coughed, his form dimming further. "I have lived longer than this traitor. From a very, very long time ago, I have been using dragon bones to extend my life; otherwise, I should have died long ago———."

"But my wish remains unfulfilled; I am unwilling to die."

"The matter of this ancient array is a taboo of our Great Wasteland. I originally did not wish to tell anyone, but I just now saw the Young Divine Lord———."

The Second Elder paused, did not say it explicitly, only said: "Having seen the Young Divine Lord's divine might, I then harbored a sliver of hope, using this ancient array as bargaining chip to trade with you, Young Divine Lord———. I only ask that you preserve a single thread of my Great Wasteland's bloodline."

The Second Elder paused, not spelling it out, only saying, "After witnessing the Young Divine Lord's divine might, I harbored a sliver of hope and used this ancient array as leverage to bargain with you, Young Divine Lord—only asking that you preserve a single thread of Dahuang's bloodline."

"You've already told me all the secrets. If I don't fulfill the agreement, only going to seek the array but not protecting your Great Wasteland bloodline, what could you do?"

The Second Elder's remnant soul had already mostly faded. Hearing this, he said with a bitter expression:

"This old man has said, at this point, I am helpless. I am only clinging to a sliver of hope, and thus entrust this to the Young Divine Lord."

"If the Young Divine Lord acts, this old man would be endlessly grateful. If not, this old man absolutely bears no complaint."

After the Second Elder finished speaking, his aura grew even fainter.

Mo Hua was silent for a moment, then slowly asked: "Was all of this worth it to you?"

The Second Elder smiled slightly, his gaze resolute:

"I am a Great Wasteland clansman, born in the Great Wasteland, raised in the Great Wasteland, learned the Great Wasteland's heritage, and only thus could I possess this cultivation. Naturally, I should devote myself fully to my Great Wasteland clan, until my dying breath———."

I am a child of the Great Wilderness Clan, born in the Great Wilderness, raised in the Great Wilderness, and only by learning the Great Wilderness's legacy have I attained this level of cultivation—I shall devote myself utterly to my Great Wilderness Clan, till death do I serve.

Mo Hua said nothing.

The residual soul of the Second Elder had already dissipated from his legs, and even half his body had begun turning to ash; his face was gradually fading.

Perhaps knowing that true soul dispersal was upon him, the Second Elder's aged eyes held a sliver of hope and longing, looking at Mo Hua with a humble gaze.

Mo Hua let out a soft sigh and nodded.

"Fine, I accept your request."

The Second Elder bowed his hands, paying Mo Hua his final salute, sincerely saying:

"May the Young Divine Lord's Dao path be boundless, and his blessings match the heavens!"

Then, his wish fulfilled, his form vanished completely, turning into a wisp of ash that scattered into the heavens and earth.

Mo Hua watched the fading figure of the Second Elder, his gaze flickering, his emotions complex.

With the Second Elder's form gone, the Dragon Palace of Dahuang fell utterly silent.

All the Dragon Ministers of Dahuang, now without a lord to serve, each turned to blue smoke and vanished without a trace.

The dragon qi of the Dragon Palace also began to dissipate.

Mo Hua's form began to warp.

A force of repulsion descended upon Mo Hua, as if seeking to expel this "uninvited guest" entirely.

Mo Hua turned back, casting one final look at the Dragon Palace, now utterly dimmed by the Dragon Emperor's death, and then his entire body,

gradually vanished.

A whirl of dizzying rotation, the scenery twisted.

When Mo Hua opened his eyes again, he found himself slumped on the table in the disciples' quarters.

Before him lay the four-spirit beast pattern he had been deducing, and the incomplete dragon pattern.

The Dragon Vein lay beside his hand.

The events within the Great Dream Dragon Palace remained vivid in his mind.

"The Dahuang—ancient array diagram—"