https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1058-The-Assembly-of-Ten-Thousand-Demons/13466465/
Chapter 1059: The Array Master
Chapter 1059: The Array Master
Cultivators at the Core Formation stage need to first forge their life-bound magical treasures.
Mo Hua's situation was unique. His foundation in both flesh and spirit energy was shallow, making ordinary life-bound magical treasures unsuitable for him.
If he were to force himself to use one, he could barely form an ordinary core.
His future cultivation would then be even more mundane, falling far behind other sects, with little hope of turning things around.
Therefore, he had to abandon the standard magical treasure forms and take a different path, using array formations to forge his life-bound treasure, which also suited his identity as an array master.
However, choosing the right life-bound array formation was also extremely difficult.
Initially, Mo Hua planned to forge the Four Directions Azure Dragon Divine Beast Array Map, a relic of the Great Wasteland royal family.
This array map began as an evil array, developed by the Ten Thousand Demon Valley, and was branded onto the body of Shentu Ao, a descendant of the Great Wasteland royal lineage. It was later purified by the dragon's bloodline, but in the end, Mr. Tu intercepted it, stripping the entire human skin along with it.
The Azure Dragon human skin map was in Mr. Tu's possession, and for the time being, Mo Hua couldn't get his hands on it.
Deriving dragon patterns from demonic markings was a high-difficulty task that would take an indefinite amount of time, perhaps even until the end of days.
Moreover, after deep consideration, Mo Hua realized that the Azure Dragon Array Map was not suitable for him.
Although having a dragon pattern on his body would look incredibly cool and powerful, his frail physical body could not withstand the tyrannical and chaotic backlash of dragon power.
He was of humble origins and lacked the royal bloodline of the Great Wasteland, making the Azure Dragon Array, a legacy of the Great Wasteland royal family, unsuitable for him.
Apart from the Azure Dragon Array Map, the only other clue was the ancient barbarian array map mentioned by the Second Elder.
The Great Wasteland lineage had a long and storied history.
The Second Elder, an ancient shaman of the Great Wasteland lineage, knew many secrets, and his words likely had some basis in truth.
However, it was unclear what kind of array formation the ancient barbarian array map, which had been sealed away for ages and even once banned by the Great Wasteland royal family, might be.
Mo Hua was both curious and eager, but his brow furrowed in concern.
He didn't know where Yuer was, nor where Mr. Tu had hidden the human-faced ram-horned bone statue of the Evil God.
In the vast Evil God Temple, searching for a person or a statue on his own was like looking for a needle in the ocean, with little hope of success.
Moreover, the dungeon was a death trap, and without Mr. Tu opening the door, Mo Hua had no way of escaping.
Even if he managed to escape, the old demon Yu Hua was waiting for him outside, ready to pounce.
Countless Core Formation demons also coveted him.
In a world of chaos and enemies, he was surrounded.
But there was one more thing, even more troublesome.
Mo Hua touched the bone hoop on his head.
His previous panic was not entirely feigned. Mr. Tu's bone hoop genuinely sealed his divine perception, preventing his divine consciousness from extending outward.
Mr. Tu's guess was correct; sealing his divine perception was equivalent to sealing all his abilities.
But...
"Using a Great Wasteland sealing treasure... really necessary..."
Mo Hua muttered to himself.
For a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, did he really need to use a Great Wasteland treasure to seal him?
Mr. Tu was indeed generous...
Mo Hua sighed softly.
So far, part of his prediction had come true.
Even alone, Mr. Tu didn't dare to kill him.
However, other aspects of the situation deviated from his expectations.
Mr. Tu was overly cautious and vigilant, far more so than Mo Hua had anticipated.
Now, his physical body was trapped in the dungeon, and his divine consciousness was sealed within his mind's sea.
Outside, demons were rampant, and the Great Wasteland Blood Sacrifice Grand Array covered the sky.
In this situation, he was truly in a hopeless predicament.
Mo Hua frowned, deep in thought, but could not come up with a good solution.
For now, he could only wait, hoping for a change in the situation.
The Evil God's attempt to descend using the Great Wasteland Blood Sacrifice Grand Array was a blatant and sacrilegious act that would surely enrage the various forces of Qian Xue Prefecture and the Central Dao Court, leading to a powerful suppression.
The intense conflict between the righteous and the demonic would inevitably cause significant changes.
And within these changes, there would be an opportunity for him.
So, he needed to be patient and wait.
But first, he had to find a way to break the seal of the "white bone hoop" on his head.
Otherwise, with his divine perception sealed, all his abilities would be useless, and even if an opportunity arose, he could only watch helplessly.
Mo Hua calmed his mind, focusing his divine perception inward to study the "white bone hoop" on his head.
Mr. Tu hadn't explicitly revealed the origin of the bone hoop, only saying it was a supreme treasure personally forged by a high-ranking member of the Great Wasteland lineage thousands of years ago.
But Mo Hua suspected that at its core was a highly advanced divine array sealing technique.
The fact that it could seal his divine consciousness, which had been purified and goldenized through the absorption of divine essence, indicated that the divine array was of the highest caliber.
Even a deity might be sealed by it.
However, Mo Hua was not an ordinary deity, nor could he be defined as one.
Deities are born with innate divine powers.
Mo Hua's divine consciousness, like that of a deity, was cultivated through his own efforts.
And he was an "aberration" who could continuously comprehend the Dao, learn array formations, and create arrays with his divine consciousness.
This fact, known only to the Evil God avatar he had "devoured", was unknown to almost everyone else.
...
As Mo Hua continued to try to perceive the seal of the bone hoop, Qian Xue Prefecture was in turmoil, the storm of blood and violence growing more intense and spreading outward, involving more and more territories and cultivators.
The Great Wasteland Blood Sacrifice Grand Array, a quasi-third-rank array, could not directly affect the fifth-rank Qian Xue Prefecture.
But all the territories below third rank surrounding Qian Xue were shrouded in blood, gradually being consumed by the Great Wasteland Blood Sacrifice Grand Array.
The sky was tinged with a blood-red hue, growing increasingly vivid.
Amidst the crimson, terrifying evil intentions stirred restlessly.
Under the influence of these evil intentions and the blood-red sky, cultivators from the righteous and demonic factions clashed fiercely across the various states.
Scattered cultivators and ordinary practitioners continuously fell to the hands of the demon cultivators, only to be turned into zombies or iron corpses by the corpse cultivators of the Corpse Cultivation Valley.
The Demon Sword Sect slaughtered cultivators, using their blood to sacrifice to the demon swords.
The demon cultivators of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain began to feast on human flesh, leaving dismembered limbs scattered everywhere.
The Blood Alchemy Sect cultivators started to drink blood, transforming their victims into "blood slaves."
The Happiness Sect kidnapped young men and women, engaging in orgies in the mountains to gather energy, draining their victims dry.
...
The brutality and cruelty were endless and varied.
Similarly, an increasing number of demon cultivators fell to the hands of the Qian Xue Prefecture's righteous families and the Dao Court cultivators.
In terms of direct strength, the righteous forces of Qian Xue Prefecture were far superior to the demon cultivators.
Not to mention, many Void cultivators and Yu Hua True Men were stationed within the Fifth-Rank Qian Xue Prefecture.
If not for the fact that the evil formations were only spreading in the Second and Third-Rank states, these powerful cultivators, with their formidable cultivation, could have unleashed their Void manifestations, soaring through the heavens and earth, and annihilated the evil god's minions and countless demon cultivators in the blink of an eye.
However, under the current circumstances, they were unable to unleash their full power.
The Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators were the main forces in this chaotic blood sacrifice and massacre.
This was why the battle was so intense and deadlocked.
The righteous and demonic factions were constantly vying for control, with the blood sacrifice formation serving as the boundary.
Outside the blood sacrifice formation, the righteous forces were stronger. As the battle intensified and the situation became more heated, the defenses of the various states were tightened, and most scattered cultivators gathered in immortal cities to avoid the slaughter by demon cultivators.
It was becoming increasingly difficult for the demon cultivators to carry out large-scale massacres and seize territory.
Inside the blood sacrifice formation, the righteous cultivators were no match for the demon cultivators.
Even if they managed to gain the upper hand temporarily and even penetrate the formation to slaughter some demon cultivators, they soon had to retreat quickly.
This was because the blood sacrifice formation had a blood vein running through it, nurturing countless flesh demons and roaming invisible evil spirits. If a cultivator was overwhelmed by the flesh demons or contaminated by the invisible evil spirits, even a late-stage Core Formation cultivator was at risk of corruption or death.
For these reasons, the chaotic heavenly blood sacrifice formation became a formidable barrier.
The situation was a brutal yet delicate balance.
This "balance" was not beneficial for either side.
The longer the chaotic heavenly blood sacrifice formation persisted, the stronger and more malevolent it became, causing more harm and dishonor to the righteous forces of the Qian Xue Prefecture and a greater affront to the authority of the Dao Court.
For Mr. Tu and his companions, this "balance" meant delay, which meant the time for the divine master's birth was being prolonged, leading to the divine master's dissatisfaction.
Moreover, delay could lead to unforeseen changes.
However, the formation was activated hastily, and they lacked the necessary manpower.
Without the ability to cause large-scale massacres, the "resources" required for the evil formation—human skin, blood, and bones—were running low.
Even Mr. Tu had no better way to advance the blood sacrifice formation.
Amidst this situation, Gu Changhuai took action.
...
Upstream of the Yan Shui River, at the periphery of the blood sacrifice formation, in front of a secluded mountain peak.
More than a dozen Dao Court Core Formation overseers gathered together.
Gu Changhuai spread out a map on the ground, showing array patterns and several red dots marked with vermilion ink:
"I visited Tai Xu Gate and met with Master Xun Lao, showing him the Yan Luoshan formation map transmitted by Mo Hua."
"Master Xun Lao, based on the Yan Luoshan formation, roughly deduced the array maps and the array pivots of the other blood sacrifice formations, marking them with red dots."
"The array pivots control the progress of the formation."
"Similarly, the array pivots are always guarded by evil array masters."
"Our target is to penetrate the formation according to the array maps, find the array pivots, and eliminate the evil array masters..."
Gu Changhuai's gaze was cold and resolute as he repeated:
"Any evil array master we encounter, no mercy. None shall be left alive!"
He clearly remembered the words Mo Hua had said to him:
"Once you're out, kill any evil array master you encounter. The more evil array masters die, the safer he will be."
In the matter of the blood sacrifice formation, he could not help Mo Hua. Since that was the case, he would do his best to eliminate as many evil array masters as possible.
This was for Mo Hua, and for Yuer.
It was the only thing he could do.
After Gu Changhuai finished speaking, the other dozen or so Core Formation overseers nodded in agreement.
Among them was Xia Diansi, who had a deep friendship with Mo Hua, and Fan Jin, the overseer of Gushan City, who had received Mo Hua's favor.
This chaotic heavenly blood sacrifice involved a wide range of areas, and Gushan City was no exception.
Fan Jin was naturally summoned to suppress the demon threat.
For him, this was both a risk and an opportunity.
He came from a humble background and was not afraid of risks or hard work; he was only afraid of lacking opportunities.
Mo Hua had already given him an opportunity, and he had already made a name for himself in front of the Dao Court's Inspector Xia.
If he could show bravery and diligence in this blood sacrifice crisis, his promotion would be a natural progression.
Moreover, this was to help Mo Hua, which further boosted his spirits, leaving him with no room for complacency.
With everything arranged, everyone's faces were grim.
Gu Changhuai nodded, and everyone activated their invisibility spiritual equipment, following the flaws in the formation pointed out by Master Xun. They successfully infiltrated the formation, avoiding the demon veins, and fought their way to the array pivot.
The array pivot was set up in a bloody stone chamber.
Inside, there were indeed two or three dozen evil array masters busily constructing an evil array, using human blood as ink and bones as a medium, gradually advancing the construction of the grand blood sacrifice array.
Gu Changhuai, without a word, drew his long sword. With the speed of the wind, he cleanly decapitated one of the evil array masters.
Xia Diansi thrust his sword, freezing the throat with ice.
Fan Jin swung his massive hammer with the ferocity of a tiger.
The other core formation realm enforcers also joined in.
These two or three dozen evil array masters either had their throats cut by ice swords, their chests smashed by hammers, were blasted by spells, or strangled to death. In an instant, they were all dead.
Gu Changhuai set fire to their bodies and then withdrew.
Within the grand array, evil thoughts permeated, and the air was thick with blood. With countless flesh and blood demons roaming about, they dared not stay for long.
Along the way, core formation realm demon cultivators tried to block them, but to no avail. A few of them even died.
After everyone withdrew, they rested briefly outside the Yan Shui River.
Gu Changhuai burned the sandalwood incense given by Xun Lao to clear his mind and dispel the evil aura. Then, he led everyone to the next location to continue the slaughter of the evil array masters...
Gu Changhuai acted secretly and ruthlessly, killing in waves and changing locations. One by one, the evil array masters met their end.
Mr. Tu could no longer bear it.
...
Inside the grand blood sacrifice array in the Evil God Temple.
In a secret room.
Mr. Tu's originally deathly pale face now showed a grotesque expression.
"Truly, it's that damned Gu Changhuai, killing my array masters..."
Shangguan Wang said coldly, "How did the Heavenly Dao Court know the exact locations of these evil array masters? Who leaked the information?"
Mr. Tu's gaze was sharp. "Gu Changhuai... He must have obtained the array map materials when he breached Yan Luoshan and deduced something from them..."
Shangguan Wang's brows furrowed.
Gu Changhuai might not be an expert in array formations, but Qian Xue Prefecture had no shortage of array masters, especially Xun Lao from Ethereal Gate, a fifth-rank array master with unfathomable skills.
If the grand blood sacrifice array was sealed and the array map not leaked, Xun Lao might not have been able to discern much.
However, once the array map was leaked, with a trail to follow, it wouldn't be difficult for Xun Lao to deduce part of the grand array's structure.
Especially the outer part of the array, which was relatively crude.
Once this part of the structure was figured out, the positions of the array masters would naturally be exposed to the Heavenly Dao Court's blades.
Shangguan Wang's expression grew increasingly grim.
In such a meticulously planned grand scheme, the array masters were extremely important.
If too many evil array masters died, the grand array would not be able to fully activate, and the deity of the Great Wasteland would not be able to revive. Thus, his ambition of "eternal life" would not be realized.
Moreover, he had abandoned his position as a powerful elder of the Shangguan family.
If the plan failed, he would not only lose everything but also face the pursuit and annihilation by the major families, becoming a notorious demon and monster, living in the shadows.
"Mr. Tu..." Shangguan Wang gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, "We must... take early precautions."
Mr. Tu also frowned.
He did not want his thousand years of hard work to be ruined in an instant.
He did not want the deity's revival to be compromised.
Otherwise, he would have no way to explain himself to the Lord of the Great Wasteland, and he would surely have a place in the endless hell of the Great Wasteland.
However, the current problem was extremely severe.
Due to the incident at the Lun Jian Conference, the grand blood sacrifice array had to be hastily activated.
Although it was successfully initiated, the array was fundamentally incomplete and not fully constructed.
Especially the peripheral areas, which could not be connected through the array pivot, failing to achieve his grand vision and pose a fatal threat to Qian Xue Prefecture.
Therefore, he could only have his evil array masters work day and night.
The grand blood sacrifice array was too vast and spread too wide. The manpower was already stretched thin, and now, the damned Gu Changhuai had intervened, killing the evil array masters he had poured so much effort into cultivating.
Especially at Yan Luoshan, the seventy to eighty evil array masters who were massacred made Mr. Tu's heart bleed.
Now, Gu Changhuai was still killing.
The evil array masters were still dying.
The situation was worsening.
If this continued, once the grand array completely shut down, everything would be over.
They must do everything possible to quickly complete the grand blood sacrifice array and hasten the deity's arrival...
Mr. Tu frowned in thought, his pupils dilating, and he spoke in a low, grave voice:
"At this critical moment, there is only one person who can help us..."
Shangguan Wang was startled and asked, "Who?"
Mr. Tu's eyes narrowed, and he spoke slowly, word by word:
"Mo Hua..."
Shangguan Wang was taken aback.
He did not expect Mr. Tu to place such high regard on Mo Hua.
But...
Shangguan Wang frowned in thought and then sneered, "You mean to rely on a Foundation Establishment disciple to build the grand array for you?"
Mr. Tu shook his head. "He is not an ordinary Foundation Establishment disciple. He is the unparalleled array master of Qian Xue Prefecture..."
Shangguan Wang's expression changed.
The scenes from the Lun Jian Conference flashed through his mind. After a moment, his eyes showed deep apprehension.
...
In the Great Wasteland Prison, in a dungeon.
Mo Hua was still studying the white bone hoop on his head when a chill ran down his spine, making him feel cold all over. He looked toward the cell door and saw the tall and gaunt Mr. Tu standing there, looking as sinister as a hanged ghost.
"Little brother..."
Mr. Tu's tone was still cold, but his words were more polite. "I have a request for your assistance."
"What is it?" Mo Hua asked.
Mr. Tu was straightforward. "Draw array formations."
"Draw array formations?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled. "What kind of array formations?"
Mr. Tu's pupils narrowed, his tone serious. "The grand blood sacrifice array..."
Mo Hua felt a jolt in his heart, his breath catching. He barely suppressed his excitement and refused with a righteous expression:
"No, I won't draw it!"
(End of Chapter)
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