Chapter 1051: Slaughter
Chapter 1051: Slaughter
The grand hall was filled with mounds of bones, piles of human skins, and rivers of blood.
Dozens of Evil Array Masters, dressed in dark robes with grotesque faces, were busily engaged in their tasks.
Some were drawing array diagrams, others were controlling the array hubs, some were repairing array patterns, and still others were rushing to fill in the array structures. There were also Evil Array Masters specifically responsible for mixing blood ink and refining bone and flesh array media, among other duties.
These Evil Array Masters were like "worker ants" in a hive, proficiently dividing their labor to support the operation of the grand array and continuously advancing its construction.
Mo Hua watched in silent shock.
This Evil Grand Array required so many Evil Array Masters to construct and maintain, indicating its immense scale.
Array Masters were already difficult to cultivate.
The Evil Array Masters before him were skilled and experienced, clearly experts in their field.
It must have taken a great deal of time, effort, and dedication to secretly recruit and maintain so many elite Evil Array Masters.
Moreover, the cultivation of Evil Array Masters required a great deal of "karmic debt."
Only by creating a great deal of karmic debt could one obtain the vast amounts of human blood, flesh, bones, skin, and hair needed as materials for practicing evil arrays.
Not to mention the mountains of corpses and seas of blood stockpiled here for the construction of the grand array.
Mr. Slaughter had grand ambitions, great ambitions, and great karmic debt.
Mo Hua’s gaze was cold, but he did not act rashly. Instead, he thought of another question:
"The Evil Array Masters here are all second-rank. What about the third-rank Evil Array Masters?"
Such a large-scale Evil Grand Array could not possibly lack third-rank Array Masters.
Of course, fourth-rank might be a different story.
After all, this was the third-rank Yanluo Mountain Province, and the highest rank of the Evil Grand Array here would not exceed third-rank.
A fourth-rank Evil Array Master like Mr. Slaughter was probably enough.
Even third-rank Evil Array Masters were likely few and far between.
In the third-rank province, constructing a third-rank grand array was extremely costly.
Moreover, building a purely third-rank Evil Grand Array in the vicinity of the Qian Study, under the watchful eyes of various sects and noble families, would mean slaughtering a large number of Golden Core cultivators, which was impossible.
Breaking through to the Golden Core stage was difficult, and Golden Core cultivators were few and far between, with most being powerful and hard to kill.
In contrast, Foundation Establishment cultivators were numerous, and Qi Refinement cultivators were as plentiful as cattle and sheep.
Therefore, Mo Hua guessed that the current Evil Grand Array likely had only a few core hubs at the third-rank.
The rest of the array structure was probably filled with second-rank and even first-rank array patterns and hubs.
This was the principle of "Pattern Downgrade Compatibility" that Elder Zheng had mentioned.
While the principles of orthodox and evil arrays differed, many fundamental concepts were the same.
By using "Pattern Downgrade Compatibility", one could reduce costs and improve efficiency, lowering the threshold for constructing the grand array and making it easier to implement.
This practical approach applied even to evil arrays.
Mr. Slaughter was a deeply accomplished main Evil Array Master.
Mo Hua felt a bit wary.
"Mr. Slaughter and the third-rank Evil Array Masters..."
Mo Hua’s thoughts raced, and he became even more cautious. He began to patrol the array corridors along the stone walls of the array hub hall.
Surrounding him were wandering blood-colored evil spirits.
The corridors were lined with evil energy-infused evil array hubs and array defenses, with warnings every three steps and death traps every five steps.
To others, this was a forbidden area, but to Mo Hua, it was like being in his element.
He moved like a "ghost", undetected, wandering through the grand array hub hall and investigating the environment and overall array hub layout.
The hall was vast and structurally complex.
Mo Hua wandered for a long time but found no trace of Mr. Slaughter.
However, he discovered a more secret array hub room.
Inside this room, a third-rank evil array was drawn, and four third-rank Evil Array Masters, with even more intense evil auras, were wearing bone masks and using their spirit senses to communicate with the array hubs, controlling the flow of evil energy within the grand array.
In front of them were several bone wine cups.
The cups contained blood water, and in the blood water floated a deformed, seemingly still-living black-red eye, which continuously rotated.
The four Evil Array Masters were exerting all their efforts to control the array hub.
This control seemed extremely difficult and highly draining of their spirit senses. Before long, their faces were pale, their eye sockets sunken, as if they had been drained dry.
At this moment, one of the drained third-rank Evil Array Masters removed his bone mask, revealing a sinister and evil face.
He then walked to the table, picked up the blood wine containing the eye, and drank it in one gulp.
As a blood glow flashed across his face, his complexion visibly improved, and his spirit sense seemed to be instantly replenished.
However, the madness in his eyes deepened, showing a certain excitement and fervor.
He then put on the bone mask again and continued to focus entirely on communicating with the array hub, maintaining the operation of the grand array.
Mo Hua watched in silent shock.
The Evil Array Masters truly lived up to their reputation, their actions exuding an eerie and sinister aura.
He wondered what kind of eye it was and what the blood wine tasted like.
Mo Hua observed the four men for a while, assessing the situation, and concluded that they were not to be provoked for the moment.
But the second-rank Evil Array Masters in the hall...
Mo Hua’s gaze flickered, and he gradually formed a plan.
He then silently retraced his steps, passing through the array corridors, and returned to the cave.
The atmosphere inside the cave was heavy.
Cheng Mo and the other Tai Xu Gate disciples were anxiously waiting, fearing that something might have happened to Mo Hua.
The disciples from other sects were also somewhat concerned for Mo Hua’s safety, though not out of genuine worry for him, but rather because they feared they might not survive the grand array without him.
In this tense atmosphere, a figure flickered in the air, and Mo Hua appeared.
Everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Situ Jian asked, "Senior Brother, how did it go?"
Mo Hua nodded, "I have a general understanding of the situation..."
He took out a piece of paper and drew a simple map of the terrain, outlining a route. "Inside, there’s an array hub corridor. At the end of the corridor, there’s a grand hall. Inside the hall, there are about seventy to eighty Evil Array Masters drawing evil arrays..."
"I’ll lead you in", Mo Hua said, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Once we’re inside, you’ll all attack together and kill every single one of those seventy to eighty Evil Array Masters!"
Everyone was taken aback. "Kill them all?"
Mo Hua nodded. "Kill them all, not a single one must be left alive!"
Mo Hua still remembered the teachings of "Mr. Skin", who had died in the Lonely Mountain Tomb:
"Whenever you do anything, it’s best to be the only array master in a group."
"And that array master should be you."
While there were array masters among the disciples of the Four Sects, Eight Sects, and Twelve Streams, they were all ordinary disciples who didn’t understand grand arrays and posed no threat to him.
However, the "Evil Array Masters" under Mr. Slaughter were different. They would certainly pose a threat to him.
If these Evil Array Masters hadn’t encountered him, it would have been fine. But now that they had, it was as if they had suffered a lifetime of bad luck.
It was best to kill them all. If not, kill as many as possible.
The fewer Evil Array Masters, the less of a threat they posed.
Good and evil cannot coexist, and rivals are natural enemies.
Given these two reasons, these Evil Array Masters had only one fate: death.
"Your actions must be stealthy, swift, and ruthless. You must strike to kill", Mo Hua said solemnly. "These Evil Array Masters are deeply steeped in sin and have aided evil. They must die."
"Whether we can eliminate these Evil Array Masters is crucial for curbing the Evil Grand Array and for our escape."
Mo Hua’s expression was serious.
Most of the Tianjiao understood the gravity of the situation and nodded.
Only a few, who were used to being arrogant, didn’t take it seriously.
Mo Hua knew that people had different personalities; some needed to be handled gently, while others needed to be pushed harder.
Mo Hua continued coldly:
"You are all Tianjiao from the major sects. Surely you can’t be unable to kill seventy to eighty Evil Array Masters?"
"Don’t make me look down on you."
This made all the Tianjiao focus and become serious. No one wanted to lose face, especially not in front of Mo Hua.
They had already been defeated by Mo Hua before. If they were looked down upon again, the humiliation would be unbearable.
"Very well."
Mo Hua nodded, then took out the map and began to plan and assign tasks.
After making the arrangements, Mo Hua entered the cave first and "cleansed" it of any evil spirits, ensuring everything was safe.
Next, he broke through the array patterns in the array hub corridor, melted the stone walls, and opened several passages. He also set up silencing and invisibility arrays nearby to conceal their movements.
Using invisibility to scout and then lure the "wolves" into the trap was something Mo Hua had done countless times since childhood. He could do it in his sleep without making a mistake.
Finally, Mo Hua used his spirit sense to control ink and quietly drew a divine fog array outside the grand hall’s door. This array would muffle sounds, block spiritual energy, and even prevent spirit sense from detecting what was happening inside.
With this, the entire grand hall was effectively isolated from the outside world.
The four Jin Dan Evil Array Masters were also cut off from the hall.
For a short time, no one would know what was happening inside the grand hall.
Once everything was prepared, Mo Hua gave the order to begin the slaughter.
Hundreds of Tianjiao disciples from the Four Sects, Eight Sects, and Twelve Streams followed the secret passages Mo Hua had set up and entered the grand hall. They were hidden by the invisibility array, each taking a position around the hall, completely surrounding it.
With Mo Hua’s command, the slaughter began.
What had been a normal grand hall suddenly saw the appearance of a flood of Qian Study Tianjiao disciples, as if they had descended from the heavens. They unleashed powerful water and fire elemental spells, intricate sword techniques from the Four Sects and Eight Sects, and various spiritual equipment for assassination, such as floral needles, gold coins, flying knives, and sleeve arrows. Body cultivators, with the strength of diamonds, mountains, tigers, and dragons, launched devastating punches and kicks.
The disciples of the Four Sects, Eight Sects, and Twelve Streams all had superior lineages. Being the elite Tianjiao of their respective sects, they displayed a variety of skills, each more magnificent and deadly than the last.
The Evil Array Masters, who were busy constructing evil arrays under the protection of the Wild Sky Blood Sacrifice Grand Array in what they thought was a secure environment, never expected to be attacked in their lair.
Caught off guard, the Evil Array Masters were brutally killed by spells, sword techniques, and body cultivators. Some were gutted by sword qi, others burned by flames, and still others had their chests pierced by iron fists, dying horrifically on the spot.
Good and evil always meet their due.
These evil-doers now faced their retribution.
A few Evil Array Masters, being alert, immediately reacted upon realizing the attack. They either severed their fingers, bit their tongues, gouged out their eyes, or cut open their bellies, trying to trigger their protective evil arrays through self-mutilation.
But none of these actions escaped Mo Hua’s spirit sense.
Mo Hua’s fingers flicked, and fireballs rained down, interrupting their attempts.
One Evil Array Master, enraged, dared to look directly at Mo Hua.
But he didn’t realize that doing so was a death sentence.
Mo Hua stood still, his eyes flashing with a golden light. The Seven Souls Void Sword Prison, channeled through his eyes, terrified and paralyzed their spirits.
In the chaos, other sect Tianjiao seized the opportunity to strike and end the lives of these Evil Array Masters.
A few skilled Evil Array Masters managed to activate their arrays using unpredictable methods.
Blood spread on the ground, summoning rows of white bones to form arrays.
The Evil Array Masters gathered together, using the arrays for protection, reorganizing their formation to resist the Tianjiao’s onslaught.
In the next instant, the golden and fiery spiritual inks began to twist and weave on the ground. Almost instantly, they formed a high-level killing array of the second rank, the Golden Light Earth Fire Compound Array. This array, with a wider range and greater power, completely surrounded the Evil Array Masters.
Then, the killing array erupted.
Golden light sliced through the bones, and the earth fire burned away the blood.
The bone evil array was shattered.
These Evil Array Masters, who had never witnessed such divine skill in array formation and destruction, were now filled with terror. Meanwhile, the executioners from the Qian Study and Tianjiao took the opportunity to strike them down...
...
Under Mo Hua's command and control, a brutal yet secretive "massacre" of the Evil Array Masters unfolded in the grand hall.
Before long, the battle came to an end.
The once blood-red grand hall was now strewn with corpses and rivers of blood.
However, the blood flowing this time was not that of innocent cultivators, but of the Evil Array Masters who had aided the tyrants.
Nearly eighty Evil Array Masters were utterly annihilated.
Mr. Slaughter, who had spent countless hours and efforts meticulously training this large group of Evil Array Masters, had seen them all fall to Mo Hua and the Qian Study and Tianjiao, not a single one left standing.
This was a clean, one-sided, and overwhelming massacre.
It seemed brutal, but in reality, it was quite easy.
The Tianjiao from the Four Sects, Seven Gates, and Twelve Streams, looking at the thoroughly exterminated Evil Array Masters, were all stunned and lost in thought.
They knew that these Evil Array Masters, despite being cut down like melons, were not weak.
On the contrary, as Evil Array Masters, they were mostly cunning and vicious, possessing various evil means that could cause endless trouble if unleashed.
If Mo Hua hadn't gathered intelligence in advance, made meticulous plans, and utilized arrays and spells to support the operation, even if they had emerged victorious, the battle would have been much more brutal, resulting in significant casualties, and the outcome would not have been nearly as effortless.
Mo Hua had calculated everything, prepared the arrays, and considered all contingencies. All they had to do was follow his lead and strike at the appointed time.
Any unexpected situation, Mo Hua would warn them.
Any ambush, Mo Hua would disrupt.
Any array, Mo Hua would break.
Even the toughest enemies, once Mo Hua "looked" at them, could be killed.
It was as easy as eating and drinking.
The Tianjiao disciples were shocked and enlightened:
This was what it felt like to be Mo Hua's teammate?
The experience of being his opponent was truly worlds apart.
As for the fate of those who opposed Mo Hua...
They glanced at the corpses and rivers of blood before them, and their hearts shuddered.
These Evil Array Masters might well be the fate of anyone who opposed Mo Hua.
They died without even knowing how...
The Qian Study and Tianjiao disciples fell silent for a moment, feeling a chill run through their limbs.
...
Meanwhile, Mo Hua, unaware of their thoughts, had already begun to efficiently handle the aftermath:
"Be cautious. After the battle, make sure to finish off everyone on the ground."
"Don't miss a single one. Give them all a final blow, using spells or Sword Qi, to ensure they are truly dead."
"Then collect their storage bags."
"Don't overlook array maps, array books, or anything else."
"Some evil beings use bones and teeth as storage containers. Check these carefully, and if you find anything unusual, break the teeth and bones..."
"Also, check their hearts. Some people store magical treasures in their hearts..."
...
Mo Hua spoke calmly, generously sharing his lifetime of "experience."
The disciples from the various sects and gates were stunned.
They silently watched Mo Hua, whose clear and delicate features seemed to deepen the chill in their hearts.
Mo Hua frowned. "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and follow my instructions..."
In the Evil Grand Array, time was of the essence, and they could encounter any number of unexpected situations or terrifying cultivators.
So why were they just standing there, wasting time?
Why did these disciples from the Four Sects, Seven Gates, and Twelve Streams show no sense of urgency...
Mo Hua wondered.
While they were talking, the disciples of Tai Xu Gate were already following Mo Hua's instructions, "finishing off" and "looting" the bodies, and even extracting teeth and breaking bones to find treasures...
After all, they were from Tai Xu Gate and had been working with Mo Hua for a long time, so they had some experience.
The other disciples, after a moment of silence, sighed and began to follow Mo Hua's instructions, mimicking the actions of the Tai Xu Gate disciples.
Sure enough, some Evil Array Masters were "faking death."
One of them seemed to have used a "tortoise breath" technique, using other corpses and blood to cover himself, making him undetectable.
But once he was "finished off", things changed.
A sword pierced his chest, about to sever his heart, and he couldn't take it anymore. He leaped up, ready to attack, but Mo Hua trapped him with a water prison spell, and the other disciples cut him down with their swords.
From then on, the Tianjiao from the various sects and gates had even more faith in Mo Hua's words.
They began to seriously implement Mo Hua's "finishing off" measures, and they followed his instructions to the letter, searching each body thoroughly.
There was even "cross-checking."
Each Evil Array Master would be "finished off" and searched by at least three Tianjiao from different sects.
Under these conditions, it was almost impossible for any to escape, and even valuable array maps and treasures were unlikely to be overlooked.
Before long, a large pile of "loot" had been placed before Mo Hua.
It included spirit stones, evil pills, evil weapons, evil arrays, and various array-related scrolls, books, and maps.
Mo Hua nodded, quite satisfied.
(End of Chapter)
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