Chapter 985

Huang Shanjun glanced at Mo Hua with suspicion.

By now, it had been several years since it last saw Mo Hua.

Just now, overwhelmed by emotion over the matter of its life-image, gratitude too profound for words, it had momentarily thought Mo Hua bore the bearing of a dragon and phoenix, peerlessly handsome, radiating Jin Guang.

But now, after careful observation, Huang Shanjun realized this might not be its "illusion."

Mo Hua's divine thought indeed faintly emitted Jin Guang.

This Jin Guang could only be seen by gods.

And Mo Hua's divine awareness had grown far more obscure, more concealed, deeper than the ocean than before.

The stronger the divine awareness, the harder it is to perceive.

A nearly absurd suspicion arose in Huang Shanjun's heart.

"Young friend, you—" Huang Shanjun hesitated, words unspoken.

"What is it?" Mo Hua asked.

After deep consideration, Huang Shanjun shook its head. "Nothing—"

It dared not voice the question.

Humans and gods are fundamentally different.

For a mortal, with flesh and blood, to tread the path of divine apotheosis—this is a grave taboo.

Such a person would face great calamity.

If this secret were revealed, it would surely summon divine disaster, drawing the wrath of all gods in heaven and earth, even their annihilation.

Fleshly apotheosis is the path of "desecration."

And mortal cultivators who pursue the path of Dao-hua apotheosis face equal peril.

Should they falter, they will fall into evil ways, becoming grotesque fleshly demonic gods, their malevolent thoughts spreading like plague,

Into the earth.

In Huang Shanjun's long memory, no one walked this path except a few ancient cultivators whose divine thought was innately gifted, astonishingly brilliant to the point of madness.

And those who had walked this path before were, in truth, hardly even "human."

Huang Shanjun gazed deeply at Mo Hua.

It was utterly certain: Mo Hua was, without doubt, a "human" composed of flesh and blood.

Even if his divine thought was strong, he was still fundamentally a human.

Moreover, his humanity was abundant, his Dao-heart resolute, his spirit vivid and lively.

The more Huang Shanjun looked, the more its heart trembled, yet it said nothing, silently suppressing its suspicion deep within.

It even forced itself to forget.

Mo Hua had bestowed upon it a great debt.

If Mo Hua truly walked the "Dao-hua apotheosis" path, then this must never be spoken aloud.

It was best, from the very beginning, to know nothing of this.

But Huang Shanjun remained uneasy; its eyes flickered, and it spoke to Mo Hua with pointed intent:

"Humans and gods are fundamentally different."

"Between mortals and gods lies a great heavenly chasm, a clear boundary."

"At all times, this boundary must never be broken, or great calamity will surely follow."

Mo Hua instantly understood Huang Shanjun's meaning, nodded, indicating he understood.

Only then did Huang Shanjun exhale, and continue:

"Mortal cultivators refine spiritual force; each realm brings a transformation. First grade: Qi Refinement, spiritual force like mist; second grade: Foundation Establishment, spiritual force like mercury; third grade: Jin Dan, spiritual force crystallizes—"

"But a cultivator's divine awareness does not undergo such change."

"From first to second grade, divine thought doubles; thereafter, it increases only in quantity, never in essence."

"This essential transformation of divine thought belongs to gods alone."

"First-grade god: thought-force like mist; second-grade god: thought-force like mercury; third-grade god: thought-force crystallizes—"

"This is the 'form-change' of a god's thought-force, a change in its form."

"Beyond form-change, a god's thought-force possesses another layer of 'substance-change': this is the 'Dao-hua' of divine thought."

"Primordial Dao evolves, giving birth to divine marrow; the rarer a god's divine marrow, the deeper its Dao-hua, the truer its origin, the higher its rank, the stronger its laws."

"High-rank gods, with potent origins, possess profound 'Dao-hua' power, even capable of breaking the limits of divine realms to slay higher gods—"

Huang Shanjun recounted the secrets of the divine path to Mo Hua.

This entire body of divine knowledge was far more complete than before.

It had been restored by integrating its life-image and awakening fragments of lost memory.

Another portion of divine knowledge Huang Shanjun had not mentioned before was because it had never imagined that Mo Hua, this cunning and eccentric human cultivator, might be walking the path of breaking the Dao's taboo: "Dao-hua apotheosis."

But now, the situation was different.

Huang Shanjun was certain Mo Hua would find this knowledge indispensable, so it explained in exhaustive detail.

And Mo Hua, after listening, gained much.

In a certain sense, this was true "divine transmission of the Dao."

Though Huang Shanjun was now fallen, it had once been a peak third-grade Great Mountain God, seasoned by time, weathered by change, deeply rooted, and terrifyingly powerful.

Otherwise, the Wild Evil Gods would never have gone to such lengths to covet its divine body and sacred domain.

For it to transmit the Dao to Mo Hua was exceedingly precious.

This "direct transmission" of divine knowledge from a god was, in a sense, itself a divine taboo.

Few, if any, would know of it.

Even Master Xun of the Void-Dwelling Realm probably wouldn't know.

After all, Master Xun doesn't have a "god" friend to drink and chat with.

"Thank you, Shan Jun," Mo Hua bowed in gratitude.

"Young friend, you're too polite," Huang Shanjun sighed.

Recovering my True Divine Image is such a great favor that even if I tied grass into knots, I could never repay it—sharing secrets of the Divine Dao is nothing.

After hearing Huang Shanjun's teachings, Mo Hua's mind now held a clearer framework for Divine Dao advancement.

He was now half-man, half-god, stuck in between.

Two Divine Dao advancement frameworks were mixed together, so some universal Divine Dao concepts did not apply to him.

He had to study and explore on his own to carve his own path between man and god.

"By the way," Mo Hua remembered something else and asked, "Shan Jun, what about the 'Dragon'? Are there advancement paths for Dragon Souls?"

"Dragon?" Huang Shanjun paused. "What does this have to do with the Dragon?"

Mo Hua didn't know how to say it.

He couldn't tell Huang Shanjun he had "eaten" a Dragon—

Mo Hua said: "A few days ago, by chance, I encountered a descendant of Da Huang and saw a Dragon Soul, so I'm curious and wanted to ask you."

Huang Shanjun was greatly surprised and asked: "Where is this Dragon Soul now?"

In my stomach—Mo Hua fell silent for a moment, then could only say: "I don't know—"

Huang Shanjun felt a pang of regret, then mused: "The Dragon is a divine beast; its Soul is the soul of a divine beast. In some sense, it is comparable to a 'god.'"

"But Dragons are exceedingly rare, and Dragon Souls are even rarer."

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"Even when I was the God of Gushan, living for countless years, I never saw a Dragon Soul more than a few times."

"The secrets of Dragon Souls are known only to the Dragon clan itself, or to human lineages that inherit True Dragon or Ye Dragon blood."

"Human lineages that inherit True Dragon or Ye Dragon blood?" Mo Hua asked.

Huang Shanjun said: "The Son of Heaven's lineage inherits True Dragon blood. The Da Huang imperial clan inherits Ye Dragon blood."

"Moreover, among the imperial clans of the Wilds, the Northern Frontier, and the Western Extreme, some reclusive clans, and even certain great families and major clans today, Ye Dragon blood occasionally flows."

Mo Hua understood.

He had heard of the distinction between True Dragon and Ye Dragon from Xia Jiancha.

But he had never heard before of these factions bearing Ye Dragon blood.

"Even great families and major clans have Ye Dragon blood?"

Mo Hua couldn't help thinking of his heroic young senior brother, whose spear thrusts were like a dragon's lunge.

"Young Senior Brother comes from the Bai family and cultivates the Dragon-Subduing Dao Art—does that mean he also carries Ye Dragon blood?"

Mo Hua thought it wasn't impossible.

If he ever meets Young Senior Brother, he must ask him.

Having asked enough about the Divine Dao, Mo Hua memorized the key information, then turned to look again at Huang Shanjun and noticed a faint Jin Se aura clinging to it; curiously, he asked:

"Shan Jun, you've obtained—"

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then didn't say the four characters "True Divine Image."

Heaven and Earth have six ears.

And he himself was entangled in many karmic threads.

If he spoke those four words, someone might deduce it and bring unexpected disaster upon Huang Shanjun.

So Mo Hua said: "Now that you've obtained that thing, can your strength return to its former state? You were mighty once."

Once a third-grade peak, just one step away from entering the fourth-grade realm, the God of Dashan.

His Dao cultivation made even demonic gods covet.

His divine powers were astonishingly strong.

He had built a vast divine temple and erected countless divine statues.

Clearly, he had many believers and his incense offerings were once flourishing.

Now, compared to then, it was like heaven and earth reversed.

Huang Shanjun smiled cheerfully: "With the source, everything is possible—though of course, it won't happen quickly.

A god's Dao cultivation must be cultivated step by step."

Mo Hua was glad for Huang Shanjun and asked: "Then if you want to reach third grade, do you need to establish many altars and consume the incense of mortals?"

Huang Shanjun shook his head.

"Not needed?" Mo Hua said.

Huang Shanjun's gaze grew deep, and he sighed slowly: "The support of mortals is all illusion."

"All beings in this world—humans, demons, gods—are mostly puppets of power, fame, profit, and status."

"Humans are like this—"

"Wear the trappings of authority, and you are an emperor; lose it, and you are merely an ordinary mortal."

"Reach the pinnacle of cultivation, and you are revered as ancestor; lose your cultivation, and you are but an ant in heaven and earth."

"I, this mountain god, am no different."

"When my divine will was strong and my power boundless, I was majestic, with countless worshippers and flourishing incense—"

"But the majesty was not mine—it was the celestial force that used me as its 'puppet.'"

"People did not worship me—they worshipped my divine power."

"Such support is inherently illusory."

"Once I lose the power of heaven and earth, the masses turn away, and the incense offerings cease, I am nothing more than a tiny mountain god, forgotten in a ruined temple on Huangshan."

"Therefore, I have come to understand: gods are born of the Dao, and must remain detached from external things, cultivating stillness and depth."

"Cultivate good connections, but do not seek people's support, do not demand widespread incense offerings, do not force karmic bonds."

"Since these are illusory things, do not rejoice when they come, nor grieve when they leave—focus solely on your own Dao, awaken to your true source..."

Huang Shanjun's words carried deep meaning.

Mo Hua sat in silence, lost in thought.

He had heard these insights from Huang Shanjun before, but had not truly understood them; now, after all he had endured on the lonely mountain, they carried an entirely different weight.

Gods seek the Dao, not incense offerings.

Incense offerings follow human hearts—fleeting and insubstantial.

Yet the Great Dao endures within heaven and earth, eternal and unchanging.

Likewise, cultivators should seek the Dao, not merely cultivation levels, power, fame, profit, or status.

Mo Hua nodded, and bowed deeply to Huang Shanjun. "Thank you, Huang Shanjun, for your guidance."

Huang Shanjun hurriedly waved his hand. "The world is full of change and hardship; I've merely gained a small insight. If it helps you, that's enough—I cannot bear such a profound bow."

Mo Hua nodded. "You've helped me greatly."

The two drank more wine and chatted a while longer. As dusk fell, Mo Hua prepared to leave—he could not let Elder Xun Ziyou wait outside indefinitely.

As he rose to depart, Mo Hua paused and asked Huang Shanjun: "Do you ever face disturbances from malevolent spirits while cultivating in this ruined temple?"

Huang Shanjun said: "Occasionally."

Mo Hua said: "Wait a moment." He went outside the temple, broke off a branch, and carved it into the shape of a small sword.

Then, Mo Hua touched his forehead, condensing a thread of spiritual sword intent.

The sword intent was still crude, yet the fierce, lethal energy within it felt as solid as reality—Huang Shanjun watched, deeply startled.

Mo Hua infused the sword intent into the wooden blade, then hung it above the temple door.

To the eye, it was merely a rough wooden sword.

But if any evil or demonic force dared to intrude, it would become a fearsome "Beheading Sword."

"My sword hangs here—ordinary evils won't dare come near," Mo Hua said.

Huang Shanjun gazed at Mo Hua deeply, filled with gratitude, and bowed long and low. "Your great kindness, young friend, this small god will forever remember."

Mo Hua waved his hand. "I already said—we're good friends. Don't be so formal."

"I'm returning to my sect. I'll come visit again when I have time."

Looking at the small wooden sword hanging from the rafters, Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction, waved to Huang Shanjun, and departed with ease.

The sun set behind the barren mountain, the ruined temple.

Mo Hua and Elder Xun Ziyou walked down the winding mountain path together, cloaked in the vast evening glow.

Huang Shanjun watched Mo Hua depart, his heart brimming with emotion.

He never imagined that eight years ago, the lone young cultivator who climbed the mountain under cover of night and broke into his temple would become the greatest "blessing" of his life—

Under the moonlight, he returned to the sect.

Mo Hua practiced the Reverse Spirit Array all night. At dawn the next day, Zheng Fang came to him again, handing him a letter, saying:

"Young Master Mo, my great-uncle will return to Zhenzhou in three days."

Mo Hua was startled. "Is Elder Zheng leaving?"

"Yes," Zheng Fang nodded. "My great-uncle has already resigned his position as Elder of Qiandao Sect, and stayed longer than permitted. With the New Year approaching, matters have arisen within our clan—he must return."

"Before he departs, he wishes to see you once more. He may have something to entrust to you."

Mo Hua felt a pang of regret. "I understand. I will visit Elder Zheng."

"Alright, Young Master Mo. I'll take my leave then."

Zheng Fang departed.

Mo Hua pondered: since Elder Zheng was returning to his clan, it was better to bid him farewell early.

Otherwise, something urgent might arise and delay him, causing him to miss the chance entirely.

So at noon, he went to visit Elder Zheng.

Elder Zheng had rented a cave dwelling temporarily within Taixu City.

When Mo Hua arrived, Elder Zheng was packing. Seeing Mo Hua, he smiled warmly and immediately ordered a servant to serve tea. The two sat in the courtyard of the cave dwelling, sipping tea and chatting.

"Elder Zheng, you're returning to your clan?" Mo Hua asked softly after sipping his tea.

"Yes," Elder Zheng sighed. "I've stayed too long already. The clan—recently, matters have arisen. Before the New Year, I must return."

Mo Hua's expression grew somber.

Elder Zheng was upright, deeply learned in arrays, and kind to him. Whenever Mo Hua asked questions, Elder Zheng answered fully and without reservation—a truly admirable elder.

Now he was leaving so soon—Mo Hua felt deeply reluctant.

Elder Zheng silently studied Mo Hua, his heart filled with reflection.

He had taught for years in Qiandao Sect, yet never met a disciple he truly admired.

Now, having resigned his post and preparing to return to his clan, he met this boy—Mo Hua.

Had he known, he should have become an Elder at Grand Void Gate.

Then he could have rightfully become Mo Hua's "Elder" and taught him array knowledge without restraint.

Elder Zheng felt deep regret.

He looked again at Mo Hua—and as he gazed, he suddenly paused, frowning.

Though Mo Hua's aura was obscured by the Grand Void Yin-Yang Lock, as a Liu Yuhua-level array master, he could still faintly sense that Mo Hua's spiritual awareness had grown significantly since before—

"Your spiritual awareness has strengthened again?"

"Impossible—"

"Nineteen-mark peak? If pushed a bit further, wouldn't that be a twenty-mark Jin Dan? Foundation Establishment cultivation, yet forming a spiritual insight core?"

Master Zheng shook his head, finding it absurd even to himself.

From his storage pouch, he retrieved several jade slips he had long prepared.

"I've recorded some basic electromagnetic principles, as well as advanced thunder-electromagnetic array knowledge, into these jade slips,

you may consult them if you wish to study further."

"Moreover, I've compiled some array diagrams—these differ somewhat from your Grand Void Gate's lineage; they'll serve you well as reference."

"Besides that, there are also some array insights—"

Master Zheng handed each item to Mo Hua in turn.

Mo Hua looked at the jade slips and texts, his heart filled with deep gratitude.

Master Chunchun Sect further instructed earnestly:

"The Dao is endless, the path of arrays boundless—you must study diligently, persevere without ceasing. There are no shortcuts in the art of arrays; perseverance is the only way forward. Only by holding firm, never giving up, can you walk far—"

These seemingly ordinary words were the most unshakable truths, distilled from the vicissitudes of cultivation and the weight of life experience.

"Also, if you ever get the chance, go to Zhenzhou and pay a visit to my Zheng family—" Master Zheng said.

"Yes!" Mo Hua nodded solemnly. "Disciple will remember!"

A faint smile appeared on Master Zheng's serious face.

Afterward, he detailed to Mo Hua, drawing from his own experiences, various taboos in arrays, cultivation, the Dao, and potential troubles Mo Hua might encounter while traveling in the cultivation world.

Master Zheng spoke meticulously; Mo Hua listened intently. Before they realized it, half a day had passed.

The sun sank lower, painting the horizon with evening glow.

Seeing the hour was late, Master Zheng bid Mo Hua farewell with evident regret.

Mo Hua knew it was time to take his leave.

Yet just as he was about to depart, Master Zheng suddenly called out to him, his expression grave, his mind hesitating whether to speak or not.

Perhaps he thought that if he didn't speak now, he might never again have the chance to tell Mo Hua.

Master Zheng slowly made up his mind, then waved his hand, activating the array. A glow spread, sealing the entire cave and cutting off all sight and sound.

"Mo Hua," Master Zheng's expression turned grave. "What I'm about to say—after you hear it, tell no one, and never mention it lightly to others."

Mo Hua froze, then solemnly nodded.

Master Zheng nodded, then asked slowly:

"Have you ever heard of—Great Demon Temple?"