Chapter 1064: Severing the Head
Chapter 1064: Severing the Head
In the center of the Blood Sacrifice Array, within the Flesh Labyrinth.
Mo Hua was still examining the human skin that Mr. Tu had given him, studying the Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice Array Core imprinted upon it. His brows were furrowed tightly as he traced the patterns with his fingers.
This time, he didn’t have to pretend he couldn’t understand it, because the array core was indeed quite challenging for him to learn.
Mo Hua was quite familiar with the Mystic Sky Array, but the array core before him was not a simple version of it. More accurately, it was a “grafted” version of the Mystic Sky Array, infused with the lineage of the Vast Wasteland, designed to achieve the Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice ritual.
Moreover, it was also an evil array used for sacrifices.
Although its fundamental principles were related to Divine Law, the methods were cruel and bloody, not purely malevolent, but still beyond the scope of the normal array techniques Mo Hua had studied.
Additionally, he had to be wary of Mr. Tu.
Despite the relatively harmonious relationship they had, with Mr. Tu teaching and Mo Hua learning, Mo Hua didn’t believe that Mr. Tu was genuinely kind or that he was teaching him the array techniques out of a passion for talent.
One must always be cautious of others.
Thus, Mo Hua had to carefully discern the cruel and malevolent aspects of the Blood Sacrifice Array Core, being cautious and meticulous to avoid falling into Mr. Tu’s schemes.
At the same time, he had to meticulously study the framework of the Blood Sacrifice Array, even delving deeper to understand how the core of the Blood Sacrifice Array connected and integrated with the Mystic Sky Array. He needed to understand how the internal array forces operated, completed their cycles, and ultimately formed a closed loop.
Not only did he need to learn and master it, but he also had to stand above Mr. Tu, from the position of a “Divine Master,” to fully comprehend the complete Blood Sacrifice ritual and the principles of the array technique that unified the Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice with the Mystic Sky Array.
This required powerful divine perception, deep knowledge of array techniques, and a vast amount of mental energy.
With so much to think about and comprehend, the learning process was naturally slow.
Mr. Tu occasionally glanced at Mo Hua, seeing him engrossed in studying the Blood Sacrifice Array Core. He didn’t disturb him, merely flashed a thoughtful look before slowly leaving.
Mo Hua, immersed in the world of arrays, didn’t notice Mr. Tu’s departure.
Time flowed by.
Mo Hua pondered and practiced repeatedly, drawing and failing over and over again. When his divine perception was exhausted, he would sit in meditation to recover, then continue practicing and studying.
Mo Hua poured a great deal of effort into it.
However, this was ultimately an evil array, with a grand design.
Mo Hua’s ambitions were also vast; he aimed to understand the deep principles of the array technique, and thus encountered countless failures in a short time.
After another round of drawing and failing, his divine perception exhausted, Mo Hua paused and sighed.
At that moment, his expression changed, and he turned to find Mr. Tu standing beside him.
Mr. Tu glanced at the stack of failed array drafts Mo Hua had drawn, said nothing, and extended his long, pale hand, offering a few items:
A wax-yellow piece of human skin.
A vial of fresh, red human blood.
And a pen made from human bone.
Mo Hua’s face paled at the sight.
Mr. Tu said, “I won’t force you, but if you can’t learn it and are struggling to understand it, these items can save you time and effort, helping you comprehend the array.”
Seeing Mo Hua’s puzzled expression, Mr. Tu explained gently:
“Humans are the most intelligent of all beings, born with a spiritual essence.”
“Everything from a human—skin, flesh, bones, blood, tendons, veins, organs, and viscera—are valuable. They can be used to forge artifacts, refine elixirs, and create talismans, each with its unique benefits.”
“The same applies to drawing arrays.”
“Holding a bone pen, your divine perception will become more active; using blood ink, your mind will feel more attuned; drawing on human skin, your brushstrokes will flow more smoothly. Whether learning, comprehending, or drawing arrays, these will make your efforts more efficient.”
“Especially when your divine perception and array skills reach a bottleneck, using a bone pen, blood ink, and human skin paper can help you temporarily break through that barrier, allowing you to grasp the subtleties of the next realm.”
“Things you couldn’t understand before will become clearer, and problems you struggled with will suddenly make sense.”
Mr. Tu’s originally raspy voice was now as smooth as fine wine.
Mo Hua bit his lip, his face showing a struggle.
Mr. Tu, noticing Mo Hua’s expression, added calmly:
“If I’m not mistaken, your divine perception is just one step away from the Twenty Lines, isn’t it?”
Mo Hua panicked and quickly shook his head, denying it:
“No, I’m still far from it.”
Mr. Tu’s pupils narrowed, guessing that a senior from the Void Gate had specifically instructed Mo Hua to keep his true divine perception level a secret.
However, he was indeed just one step away...
The gap between the nineteenth and twentieth lines was the Tian Qian.
No one understood this gap better than Mr. Tu.
And now, Mo Hua, at the late Zhu Ji stage, was just one step away from reaching the Twenty Lines and forming a Golden Core.
Mr. Tu was both amazed and puzzled.
“How many ‘divine blessings’ did that Void Fiend from the Void Gate bestow upon him to allow his divine perception to grow to this level?”
One might as well say he is the son of a deity.
Mr. Tu was consumed by jealousy.
Even when treated like a dog by the Divine Master, he still felt honored.
And now, this young man before him was being treated like a son by a deity, showered with favor?
Soon, Mr. Tu forcibly suppressed his resentment, a faint smile playing on his lips as he addressed Mo Hua:
"The Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice is a quasi-third-rank array. Its second-rank array core is complex and profound. Although it falls short of the twenty-line mark, it is not far off."
"Given your current spirit awareness, understanding it would be incredibly challenging."
"However, if you can set aside some of your 'prejudices' and use a bit of 'external aid' to enhance your spirit awareness and insight, you might truly be able to comprehend the core of the Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice array."
"Even more, with this external aid, you might temporarily glimpse the realm beyond the Golden Core."
Mr. Tu's words were filled with temptation, "Don't you want to know what it feels like to have a twenty-line spirit awareness and reach the Jie Dan realm?"
Mo Hua, whose spirit awareness had already reached the Jie Dan realm, felt a complex mix of emotions. He forced himself to show a look of longing, but his expression soon became conflicted.
Mr. Tu concluded calmly, "I won't force you. It's up to you whether to use these things or not."
With that, Mr. Tu left, leaving Mo Hua alone, his brow furrowed and his mind in turmoil.
Mo Hua continued to study the blood sacrifice array core, but this time, his state of mind was far from calm.
Human bones, skin, and blood were within arm's reach, and every time he struggled to understand the array, he couldn't help but look up at the evil array pen, blood ink, and array medium, his gaze tormented.
Several times, he almost reached out to grasp the bone pen, but he gritted his teeth and held back.
A small misstep could lead to no turning back.
Thus, he continued to struggle with his inner conflict for a long time. Only when he sensed that Mr. Tu's cold gaze had relaxed did he heave a sigh of relief, no longer needing to continue his act.
Drawing the array was exhausting, and acting was no less strenuous.
Especially when performing in front of an old demon like Mr. Tu, it was a significant challenge to his acting skills. Of course, it could also be seen as a form of training.
This was a form of experience accumulation.
The more he acted, the better he learned to control his inner emotions, facial expressions, and even the subtle changes in his mortal body using his spirit awareness. This allowed his acting to become almost second nature, making his emotional reactions seem genuine. This would help him handle similar old demons more effectively in the future.
This was an alternative use of the Heavenly Derivation Technique and spirit awareness control.
It was something Mo Hua had gradually discovered over the years while dealing with various cultivators and demons.
Life is a performance, and it all depends on your acting skills.
It may seem unimportant, but it is incredibly useful.
"This Mr. Tu is indeed devious."
"He taught me the array, making it seem difficult, then offered me a 'shortcut,' tempting me to take the easy way out. If I'm not careful, I'll be led astray..."
Mo Hua shook his head.
Sensing that Mr. Tu had relaxed his vigilance, Mo Hua could now focus on studying the array core according to his own plan. Occasionally, he would "act" by glancing at the human skin and blood, showing a look of longing to deceive Mr. Tu.
But the longer he acted, the more a genuine thought began to form in his mind as he looked at the human skin and blood:
"If I use this human skin and blood, my array will definitely be stronger, and I will find it easier to learn the ultimate array..."
"Why not... give it a try?"
"Experience what it feels like to draw the array with human blood and skin..."
This thought, once it emerged, spread like wildfire, consuming his entire mind.
Driven by curiosity and desire, Mo Hua almost reached out to grab the bone pen, wanting to use it to dip in the blood and draw the array on the human skin, to feel the changes in his spirit awareness and the power of the array...
His fingertips were about to touch the bone pen when a chill ran down his spine.
It was as if an ancient, clear bell was ringing in his ears.
Mo Hua shuddered, instantly regaining his senses, and quickly withdrew his hand, feeling a deep sense of fear:
"Close call, almost let myself get 'acted' into it."
Each act of deception was a form of suggestion, both to others and to himself. The more he suggested, the more he would believe it, and evil thoughts and desires would take root in his heart.
Mo Hua felt a chill run down his spine.
"Next time I encounter something like this, I must be more vigilant and not be truly tempted by evil desires."
"A gentleman is cautious when alone and does not deceive in the dark. The more one is alone, the more one must control oneself."
"Only when one's Dao heart is truly firm can one be truly invulnerable to all evil."
"I must take this as a lesson."
Mo Hua nodded solemnly and then continued to draw the array...
...
At the same time, in the center of the Flesh Labyrinth.
The atmosphere was dark and sinister, the flesh writhing.
In the middle, surrounded by skulls, stood an altar.
On the altar, a massive statue of an evil deity stood, with a human face, goat horns, and a fearsome set of fangs, its surface stained with blood and bone-white.
Mr. Tu, holding a skull, knelt before the altar. He slowly lifted his head and looked at the skull in his hands.
A crack appeared on the skull.
His Vast Wasteland Deception Witchcraft had been broken.
Mr. Tu frowned.
To be able to detect such subtle metaphors and self-correct?
At such a young age, his resolve could be so firm?
This resolve was far stronger than that of Shangguan Wang, an old man who had lived for hundreds of years...
Mr. Tu felt a bit regretful, but more admiration and a hint of joy in his eyes.
"This is a good thing..."
Mr. Tu slowly stood up, bowed respectfully to the statue of the evil deity, and then stepped back from the altar. He approached a desk made of white bones and spread out a scroll of human skin.
The human skin was waxen yellow, and on it were recorded the methods for creating demons.
Cruel illustrations detailed how to dissect humans and beasts, maintaining a certain level of vitality, and then stitch them together according to specific guidelines. Finally, using the human's resentment, the beast's ferocity, the human's spiritual power, and the beast's demonic energy, they would be fused to create a new, deformed, and powerful demon...
"It's time to change my body..."
Mr. Tu murmured.
His whereabouts had been exposed, and his current body was now entangled in cause and effect, making it detectable.
Moreover, this body had been used for too long and had already turned a pale, deathly gray.
A cunning rabbit has three dens; it was time to prepare another body.
Mr. Tu flipped to the last page of the illustrations.
On the last page was a hand-drawn sketch.
The sketch depicted a body wrapped in human skin, composed of various demons and dragon scales and claws, forming a half-human, half-demon, half-dragon body.
This was the powerful "body" Mr. Tu had planned for himself.
However, this body had a torso but no head.
"Once the Divine Master is reborn, all things in heaven and earth will be sacrifices."
"The Divine Master will devour the Void Fiend, and I will devour the host of the fiend..."
"The body is too weak, the spiritual root is too poor, but the insight is extraordinary, and the spirit awareness is extremely strong... Remove the dross and take the essence. Use his head to sew it onto the powerful demon body; this will be the perfect vessel..."
Mr. Tu murmured, then took out a bone pen and dipped it in blood ink, drawing a head on the powerful but deformed demon body in the sketch.
The head was that of a handsome young boy, his features drawn in blood.
This head belonged to Mo Hua.
...
In the Flesh Labyrinth, Mo Hua was still studying the array formations.
Over the next few days, Mr. Tu would occasionally visit him, saying he wouldn't force Mo Hua but still subtly encouraging and guiding him, trying to "brainwash" him.
"Right and wrong are merely biases..."
"Those who achieve great things do not hesitate to use any means and do not need a sense of morality."
"Those who hold onto a false sense of righteousness and self-comfort will never achieve greatness."
"These bones, blood, and skin come from humans, but they are not people you killed. They are dead, and with death, their paths are extinguished. The remaining flesh and bones are just dead things in the world. What's wrong with using them?"
"You don't need to feel guilty or sinful."
...
No matter what Mr. Tu said, Mo Hua only put up a surface struggle. In reality, his resolve was firm, and he remained unperturbed, never touching the human skin and bone pen Mr. Tu had given him.
Mr. Tu was not upset; on the contrary, he was somewhat pleased.
A cultivator with such firm beliefs was worthy of being the head of his new body.
Mo Hua learned slowly, and Mr. Tu patiently waited.
However, a few days later, while teaching Mo Hua how to draw array formations, Mr. Tu suddenly changed his expression and left without saying a word.
Mo Hua was confused but didn't ask.
Less than an hour later, Mr. Tu returned, looking grim. He instructed Mo Hua:
"I need to leave the Flesh Labyrinth for a while. Study the array formations on your own and don't cause any trouble."
Mo Hua was surprised but nodded seriously.
Mr. Tu turned to leave but then remembered something and, still uneasy, pointed his finger at Mo Hua's forehead. Using a blood line, he activated the Bone Circlet, resealing Mo Hua's mind.
Mo Hua was startled and quickly said, "With my spirit awareness sealed, I can't learn the array formations."
But Mr. Tu ignored him.
Clearly, whether Mo Hua learned the array formations or not was not important.
Sealing Mo Hua and eliminating this unstable factor was far more crucial.
Mo Hua had no choice but to touch the Bone Circlet firmly embedded in his head, which tightly locked his mind. Seizing the opportunity, he asked:
"Mr. Tu, what exactly is this Bone Circlet?"
Previously, Mr. Tu would not have answered.
But now, they had a relatively good relationship, and Mo Hua's "head" was already reserved for him.
Mr. Tu was more patient with Mo Hua's questions.
"This is a sacred object of the Vast Wasteland, crafted from the tooth bone of a divine beast, capable of sealing spirits and warding off evil." Mr. Tu said calmly.
A divine beast?
Mo Hua was curious and asked, "What kind of divine beast?"
Mr. Tu's eyes flickered with reverence as he slowly replied:
"A Pixiu."
(End of Chapter)
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