Chapter 984: Fulfilling the Promise

What exactly was this "ancient array technique" that the Second Elder spoke of?

Mo Hua's eyes filled with thought.

An ancient barbarian rune array, obtained from the endless wilds of the Abyssal Marshes, refined by the Lord Wuzhu, sealed by the Great Desert imperial clan, and carved into the faceless, goat-horned bone demon statue…

The Second Elder didn't know what this array was, hadn't even seen it with his own eyes—why did he believe it suited his True Treasure?

Mo Hua recalled the Second Elder's subtle expressions within the Dragon Palace, mulling them over carefully in his mind.

At first, the Second Elder hadn't intended to mention this at all.

In fact, this "ancient array" was merely an ancient Great Desert secret buried deep within his heart.

He would have kept it buried until his death, never revealing it.

But the events in the Dragon Palace seemed to have changed his mind. After a fierce inner struggle, he finally revealed this secret to Mo Hua.

On the surface, this appeared to be the act of a dying man, helpless and resigned.

But this Second Elder, using dragon bones to prolong his life, had lived far too long.

Once a person lives too long, their scheming grows deep—especially such a calculating old demonic cultivator.

His gratitude and blessings toward Mo Hua at the end may have been genuine, but they likely also concealed his own calculations.

"Does this array truly exist?"

"Could the Second Elder have thrown out a bait to lure me?"

Mo Hua frowned.

The problem was, even if this ancient array were merely a "bait," he could not possibly refuse it.

Moreover, the Second Elder claimed this barbarian ancient array suited Mo Hua's True Array Diagram—this couldn't be baseless; he must have had his reasons.

"Then what kind of array is this barbarian ancient array? Another type of Great Desert dragon array? Or something else entirely?"

Unfortunately, the Second Elder had already scattered his soul—many details could no longer be asked of him.

The nature of this array diagram remained unknown.

Mo Hua sighed.

His True Treasure matter had indeed been full of twists and turns; after all this, he still had only a vague shadow.

Mo Hua shook his head.

Yet cultivation was inherently difficult, and precious lineages were always exceedingly scarce.

To obtain something valuable, one must exert great effort—there was no other way.

Previously, his master had helped him; in the Grand Void Gate, Mr. Xun and the elders had cared for him—but no one could help him forever.

He must learn to overcome difficulties himself, to forge his own foundation.

Only then could he truly stand firm upon the Nine Continents through his own strength.

Only then would he one day have the ability to wander the world alone, explore perilous and deadly places, seek lost Dao scriptures, gather ancient array diagrams, and gradually grow stronger.

Mo Hua's Dao heart grew firmer, his gaze brighter.

As for the barbarian ancient array, he had already made up his mind and no longer dwelled on it.

Afterwards, he picked up the Dragon Vein again.

Now that the Dragon Palace was silent and the Dragon Emperor dead, part of the lineage's source seemed severed, and the Dragon Vein had grown much calmer.

The aura within the Dragon Vein had also lost its ferocity.

Mo Hua tried to communicate with the Dragon Vein using his spiritual sense.

But he failed.

The Dragon Vein gave no response whatsoever.

Mo Hua frowned.

"That shouldn't be…"

In his expectation, having swallowed the Dragon Soul, he should naturally have resonated with the Dragon Vein.

Why was there absolutely no response?

Mo Hua sank his spiritual sense into his dantian, examining the state of his spiritual awareness.

After a moment of inner observation, Mo Hua realized that though he had swallowed the Dragon Soul, his spiritual sense had undergone no essential change—only a faint trace of dragon aura clung to it.

When he spoke, his clear voice carried a hint of dragon roar.

This was severely inconsistent with Mo Hua's expectations.

He had thought that swallowing the Dragon Soul, even if he couldn't transform into a dragon, would at least grant him some dragon scales or claws.

His spiritual sense would have grown harder, more resilient.

But the reality was far from what he imagined.

This Dragon Soul was not nearly as "nutritious" as he'd thought.

"Why?"

"Was it because the Great Desert Dragon Emperor had lived too long, grown decayed—so his dragon aura was aged, offering no 'nourishment' when consumed?"

"Or… was the Dragon Soul's essence too resilient? I swallowed it, but never truly 'digested' it?"

Mo Hua frowned, feeling both possibilities plausible.

But previously, no one had ever been able to "swallow" a Dragon Soul, so no one would have known whether it was digestible at all.

"Well, I've already swallowed it—better to slowly refine it over time and see what it becomes. But…"

Mo Hua muttered to himself.

"If spiritual sense attains Dao, spiritual awareness transforms into Dao, and merges with dragon power—then this would be… spiritual awareness dragon transformation?"

"If it becomes dragon-transformed, then when I turn my spiritual sense into a sword, does it become 'Dragon-Spirit Sword'? One slash, and a dragon emerges?"

Was this… going off track again?

Without realizing it, he had complicated the matter again.

Mo Hua sighed.

"Forget it. Lice too numerous to itch, debts too heavy to worry about—things are already messy; one more dragon won't make it worse."

Let it sink in slowly; we'll deal with it later.

Mo Hua withdrew his spiritual awareness from his mind sea, opened his eyes, stared at the dragon vein for a moment, then realized another problem:

"How do I handle this dragon vein?"

At present, this 'dragon vein' is unusable.

It cannot be stored in the storage pouch.

It cannot be studied either.

My plan to 'raise' a dragon has only just begun; it's still unknown how long it will take to gather the essence of ten thousand demons and cultivate a true, complete dragon pattern.

The moment to 'paint the eyes' has not yet come.

This dragon vein, kept on hand, is just a 'bone with little meat.'

Not just bone with little meat—it's also 'too hot to hold.'

This is a secret treasure of the Great Desert imperial clan, the entrance to the Great Desert Dao Treasury. Once word gets out, it will spark a bloody storm, bringing me no end of trouble.

Moreover, secretly keeping a dragon vein…

"Will the Dao Court charge me with 'rebellion'?"

"The Great Desert's dragon is a karmic dragon; its vein isn't a true dragon. It shouldn't be that serious…"

Mo Hua felt uneasy inside.

He was clean-handed—he had never even considered rebellion.

After thinking it over, Mo Hua wrapped the dragon vein in black cloth and put it away carefully.

Early the next morning, he visited Elder Xun Ziyou and 'surrendered' the dragon vein.

Mo Hua knew well: whatever he brought into the sect, Elder Xun Ziyou knew perfectly—but out of respect for him, the elder pretended not to notice.

This was Elder Xun Ziyou's trust.

But I must know my limits; I cannot be reckless.

For now, this dragon vein is beyond my control; it's better to hand it over to the sect.

Sure enough, when Elder Xun Ziyou saw the black cloth Mo Hua handed him, he didn't even open it—he already knew what was inside.

"Tired of playing?"

Mo Hua felt slightly embarrassed. "I don't understand it…"

Elder Xun Ziyou nodded. "I'll keep it for you for now. When you're capable enough to understand it, come back and ask for it."

Mo Hua felt grateful, yet also worried. He asked softly:

"Elder, if we kept this dragon vein ourselves, would it… draw the Dao Court's ire?"

Elder Xun Ziyou raised an eyebrow. "No problem. Does the Dao Court own all the dragons in the world?"

"You didn't skin a true dragon, extract its tendons, or refine its true dragon vein. You merely picked up a karmic dragon's vein—the Dao Court won't really come after you."

"Besides, heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know."

"This dragon vein is kept within Grand Void Gate; the Dao Court doesn't even know about it—there will be no trouble."

Mo Hua relaxed, smiling warmly at Elder Xun Ziyou: "Then I leave it in your hands, Elder."

Elder Xun Ziyou waved his hand. "Rest easy. Go focus on your cultivation."

"Yes."

Mo Hua nodded, smiled, bowed, and took his leave.

Elder Xun Ziyou shook his head helplessly, turned to look at the dragon vein before him—its aura seemed slightly weaker—and couldn't help but wonder:

"I wonder what this child has been studying…"

…

After leaving Elder Xun Ziyou, Mo Hua resumed his usual cultivation.

Several days later, during the monthly rest day, he left the sect and went to Luoshan.

With the matters of Gushan and the dragon vein mostly settled, Mo Hua finally had time for this trip.

He intended to return Huang Shanjun's 'life-image' to its rightful owner.

This was Huang Shanjun's final request.

To receive a command is to fulfill it faithfully.

Since he had promised, he must see it through.

Not to mention, Huang Shanjun had given him a great gift before dying.

Since he was traveling far, Call Ziyou naturally had to come along.

Mo Hua placed the image—invisible and undetectable to others—on Call Ziyou's back.

The two rode in a carriage all the way to Luoshan.

The mountains were silent, thick with trees.

Fallen leaves formed a thick, layered carpet, stretching from the mountain's base to its peak.

The two climbed the stone steps, stepping on the soft, brittle leaves, until they reached the ruined temple.

Mo Hua said: "Elder Xun, stop here. I'll go in alone."

Call Ziyou glanced at the desolate, uninhabited mountain and the empty, dilapidated temple, and frowned.

"You're going alone?"

Mo Hua nodded. "I'm visiting an old friend."

"Old friend?" Elder Xun Ziyou frowned in confusion.

"Mm," Mo Hua whispered, "my friend is a bit shy, and doesn't like being disturbed. Elder Xun, you mustn't tell anyone about this temple's location."

Elder Xun Ziyou nodded, half-believing, half-doubting.

Mo Hua was a bit odd.

But Mo Hua was used to being strange; doing odd things was, in fact, perfectly normal for him.

He could only feel a quiet awe—this child Mo Hua knew so many people, and his connections were truly extensive.

It was just…

Elder Xun Ziyou glanced at the empty mountain temple, wondering inwardly: this hardly counts as "people" connections, does it?

On the other side, Mo Hua had already carried the divine statue into the ruined temple.

The life-bound statue was heavy, but fortunately, Elder Xun Ziyou had carried it the whole way; Mo Hua carrying it this short distance was nothing.

Inside the ruined temple, Mo Hua looked up and saw Huang Shanjun within the clay sculpture.

It was still faithfully staying in this ruined temple.

There was no way around it—its condition made visiting others impossible.

No visitors ever came.

Even if visitors did come, Huang Shanjun wouldn't be happy.

Wild mountains, desolate lands, wolves, tigers, and leopards everywhere, wandering ghosts drifting about—what kind of "guests" could a fallen mountain god possibly have?

Huang Shanjun's expression was equally complex.

A few days ago, in its usual lonely, destitute, unchanging, and peaceful life, it had suddenly felt a strange unease.

It knew something was bound to happen.

And it was something enormous.

It had been anxious for a long time afterward, restless and distracted, eating stale buns without even noticing they were spoiled.

Today, the sunlight was perfect; Huang Shanjun had just lifted its head—

Sure enough, Mo Hua, this "Xiaozu," had come again.

As usual, Huang Shanjun floated up from the clay sculpture, wearing a kind smile, and bowed to Mo Hua in greeting.

"Little friend, long time no see. What brings you to my humble temple again?"

Mo Hua placed the statue on the ground.

"I brought you a 'gift.'"

The statue was wrapped in a gray cloth, surrounded by Mo Hua's Divine Mist Array, to conceal its aura and prevent karmic leakage.

Seeing the object before it, Huang Shanjun froze in stunned silence.

The gray cloth was tightly wrapped; it had no idea what lay inside.

But now that it was closer, it gradually sensed a faint, elusive aura—identical in origin, sharing the same root.

A thought it had never dared dream of slowly surfaced in its heart.

An unbelievable surge of excitement and joy welled up from within, flooding its entire body, causing it to tremble, its emotions churning, scalp tingling, head buzzing.

Huang Shanjun's heart was filled with disbelief.

"This…" its voice trembled.

Mo Hua whispered, "I thought it looked like your 'family heirloom.' I happened to come across it, so I brought it back for you."

As he spoke, Mo Hua lifted one corner of the gray cloth.

Huang Shanjun glanced once—and couldn't help trembling all over, tears welling in its eyes.

"You… retrieved it… for me?"

"Mm!" Mo Hua nodded.

Huang Shanjun's chest tightened; it nearly couldn't breathe.

It looked again at Mo Hua—and in that moment, Mo Hua's brows were like distant mountains, eyes like bright stars, lips red, teeth white, impossibly handsome, elegant, peerless in grace.

In all the world, no person, deity, or even immortal was more beautiful than Mo Hua.

Mo Hua was so beautiful, he seemed to radiate Jin Guang.

This little cultivator had actually… retrieved its life-bound divine statue?!

From the hands of that ancient evil deity, from within the hatched evil embryo, it had pulled out its life-bound divine statue, lost at the bottom of Solitary Mountain, seized by malevolent forces?!

For a mountain god like it, such a profound grace was no less than rebirth from its parents.

This Xiaozu was truly its "ancestor."

At the same time, Huang Shanjun was deeply shocked.

It simply could not imagine how Mo Hua, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had accomplished all this.

At the bottom of Solitary Mountain: ten thousand corpses buried, the evil embryo's divine palace.

Huang Shanjun couldn't even imagine how many perils and obstacles lay within.

Even if it, as a mountain god, somehow cultivated another thousand years and returned to the peak of third grade, it might still not survive the journey to Solitary Mountain's depths, reclaim its life-bound statue, and escape unscathed.

How… how had this little cultivator done it?

Huang Shanjun was stunned, utterly speechless.

Seeing it frozen in place, Mo Hua kindly reminded: "Hurry and take it. Don't lose it again."

Huang Shanjun suddenly snapped back to reality, remembering its purpose.

It no longer hesitated—reaching out toward its life-bound statue—but then paused again, wondering whether it should conceal this from Mo Hua.

But then it thought: this life-bound statue was found by Mo Hua; if he wanted to keep it, he could have taken it long ago.

Under these circumstances, hiding it from Mo Hua would be the act of a petty soul judging a noble heart.

Huang Shanjun no longer hesitated; his form flickered and slipped into his native divine statue, and after a moment, Huang Shanjun emerged again, half his body glowing with Jin Guang.

His appearance had changed—he wore more luxurious robes, his figure was more robust, his face had lost its pallor and gained a radiant luster.

Overall, he looked more imposing.

His origin was also thicker and heavier.

"Did you merge your native divine statue?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

Huang Shanjun said: "We've been separated too long; I needed to first nurture it for a while, and then…"

Huang Shanjun paused, then did not conceal it: "Then, once my origin aligns, I'll find another secluded place to store this native object."

Mo Hua nodded, asking no further questions; seeing the cracked bowl on Huang Shanjun's altar filled with rainwater and a half-rotted steamed bun on the plate, he knew this creature's life remained as bleak as ever, so he pulled out chicken, duck, fish, and meat from his storage pouch, laid them on the table, uncorked a small flask of wine, and invited Huang Shanjun:

"Come, eat and talk."

Huang Shanjun was deeply moved, clasping his hands: "Then I shall not refuse your kindness."

Thus, man and deity sat together atop the altar, eating meat and drinking wine as they chatted.

Mo Hua mainly wanted to ask about the old history of Gushan.

Huang Shanjun answered everything he knew without reservation.

But unfortunately, it seemed his origin was missing, and with it, a portion of his memory had been lost; no matter how much he spoke, most of it was already known to Mo Hua.

As for the Grand Void Gate elder who severed him, in his memory there remained only a vague white-robed figure and an impossibly sharp Grand Void Sword—everything else was forgotten, even the face blurred beyond recognition.

This matter was peculiar.

Mo Hua frowned, sensing two possibilities in his mind.

One was that Huang Shanjun had indeed lost his memory after his divine remains were severed, forgetting what the elder looked like.

The other possibility was that this Grand Void Gate elder had other unknown karmic ties and, to conceal them, somehow erased his own past.

It was even possible that someone else had erased his karmic traces due to some secret.

That was why Huang Shanjun could not recall his appearance.

But this was merely Mo Hua's intuitive speculation, born from his cultivation of the Dao of Karma.

The true truth remained uncertain.

Aside from this, Mo Hua asked several other questions.

These were all the lingering doubts he had accumulated over years of cultivating the Divine Thought Dao.

Including the direction of a cultivator's divine awareness, the advancement of deities, the relationship between a deity's grade and rank, the essence of Dao transformation, and especially whether a deity's divine thought undergoes a "qualitative change" as its grade and rank rise.

Long ago, the third-grade blood-colored divine remains he encountered had bodies as hard as iron.

And the third-grade demonic embryos were entirely clad in "demonic armor," impervious to damage.

But a cultivator's divine awareness showed no such transformation.

Even Mo Hua himself seemed to have only the faintest hint of such a "qualitative change."

Thus, he was perplexed.

Had he overlooked other "strengthening" paths in the Divine Thought Dao?

His divine thought was a chaotic mix of human and divine elements, and his divine origin had been cultivated too haphazardly.

With his own experience, he could not untangle these relationships, so he came to consult Huang Shanjun, hoping for some insight to further strengthen his divine thought.

(End of Chapter)