Chapter 1065: Pixiu
Chapter 1065: Pixiu
Pixiu?
“What kind of divine beast is this?” Mo Hua asked Mr. Tu, curiosity piqued.
“This is…” Mr. Tu began, but then a sudden unease gripped his heart, and he cut himself off mid-sentence.
He gave Mo Hua a long, deep look, shook his head, and fell silent.
Though he didn’t know why, his instincts told him not to reveal too much to Mo Hua.
He even regretted telling Mo Hua the name “Pixiu” at all.
Better safe than sorry.
“Remember what I told you and stay low,” Mr. Tu said, his form dissolving into a blood-red light as he hurried away, seemingly in a rush to attend to some urgent matter.
Left alone in the flesh prison, Mo Hua began to patiently study the Wild Sky Blood Sacrifice Array Hub that Mr. Tu had left him. He meticulously examined the structure of the array, deriving and simulating the flow of spiritual energy over and over again to deepen his understanding.
However, the inability to draw the array himself made Mo Hua feel somewhat frustrated.
Moreover, he soon grew bored.
Mo Hua endured the tedium, staring at the array for a while longer, ensuring that no cold divine perception was secretly watching him.
Mr. Tu hadn’t lied; he really did have some pressing business to attend to.
Mo Hua let out a sigh of relief.
He quickly sat cross-legged, touching the Boneskull Circlet on his head and muttering to himself:
“Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact, divine beast Pixiu, sealed with tooth and bone… Mr. Tu really does think highly of me…”
“He’s quite generous, too…”
If this were in his possession, Mo Hua would never have used it to seal a mere Zhu Cultivator.
Mo Hua shook his head.
The problem was that the artifact was indeed sealing him.
Without breaking the seal, he could do almost nothing and would just be sitting there, waiting to die.
Once the seal was broken, he would have the space to act and make some moves.
Mo Hua began to try and break the seal again.
This wasn’t the first time he had attempted it. Whenever he had spare time, Mo Hua would try to crack the seal, but every attempt had ended in failure.
The divine path array involved in this sacred artifact was far too profound for his current level to “break.”
Mo Hua speculated that the cultivator who had forged this artifact was likely a brilliant and highly esteemed genius within the Great Wasteland clan.
He might even have been a mortal nemesis of the Evil God, leading his people to suppress the evil and fallen deities with his own strength.
Unfortunately, humans could never match the longevity of gods.
No matter how talented a cultivator might be, even if they could suppress an evil god for a lifetime, they couldn’t do so forever.
Once such a genius fell, the next generation often struggled to fill the gap, and the evil gods would return.
Moreover, the evil gods could use other humans to deal with those they couldn’t handle directly.
Sometimes, humans were the most powerful weapon the evil gods had against other humans.
Mr. Tu was a prime example.
The Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact, originally meant to suppress evil gods, was now being used by one of their minions to seal him.
Mo Hua felt a sense of irony.
He then put aside these thoughts and focused on breaking the Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact.
The sealing power of this artifact was extremely strong.
If Mr. Tu had consistently sealed him, Mo Hua would have had no way to break free.
However, the problem was that Mr. Tu had repeatedly unsealed and resealed the artifact in front of Mo Hua several times…
This gave Mo Hua an opportunity.
The Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact was like a room, and Mo Hua was the prisoner locked inside.
Originally, to leave the room, he would have had to dismantle the array and break down the walls.
But when Mr. Tu, the master, repeatedly unlocked and relocked the room in front of Mo Hua, he inadvertently exposed the key to Mo Hua.
This key was a divine lock array pattern.
Mr. Tu’s actions were subtle, using blood threads to draw the pattern in a secretive and sinister manner.
Others might not have understood, but Mo Hua, with his foundation in divine path array techniques and his knowledge of Heavenly Insight Calculation, quickly discerned the intricacies.
After Mr. Tu unsealed the artifact a few times, Mo Hua gradually deduced the sequence of the array pattern Mr. Tu used to open and close the seal.
It was a special sequence of a divine lock array pattern.
Mo Hua practiced drawing it for a long time, eventually capturing about eighty percent of its essence.
This eighty percent was enough to unlock it, though it might take a few more tries.
The rest was relatively simpler, at least for Mo Hua.
With the help of the Tao Stele and extensive, day-and-night practice of array techniques, Mo Hua had a deep understanding of arrays.
His divine spirit could manifest arrays within his Sea of Consciousness.
Most cultivators couldn’t do this.
Other malevolent beings certainly couldn’t.
Even gods born of the heavens, with innate divine powers, couldn’t learn array techniques.
Thus, the ability to replicate the key from within the seal, manifest the array pattern, and unlock it was likely unique to Mo Hua, a half-human, half-divine being who could manifest arrays in his consciousness.
This was truly far beyond the ordinary "common sense" of cultivation.
Even with his vast imagination, Mr. Tu would have found it hard to believe.
Later, Mo Hua used the Divine Lock Array Pattern as a "key", gradually prying open the "lock" of the Boneskull Sacred Artifact...
He hadn't had the chance to try before.
Now, with Mr. Tu absent, he could finally attempt to break the "seal" without restraint.
Time slowly passed.
Mo Hua was patient.
After an indeterminate amount of time, with a "creak", the Divine Lock Array dissolved, and the seal on the Sacred Artifact was finally "unlocked" by Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's expression brightened with joy.
He had succeeded!
Being able to "replicate" the key and unlock it from the inside meant that the Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact no longer posed a threat to him.
His Divine Spirit could now bypass Mr. Tu's "seal" and be used freely.
Many plans he had conceived and pondered over could now be put into action.
Mo Hua smiled, took a step, and crossed the Divine Lock Array, breaking through the seal of the Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact.
But then, Mo Hua's expression froze, and his smile slowly faded.
"Something's not right..."
He had clearly broken the seal, yet he still didn't feel "free." In front of him, there was still a long, seemingly endless Divine Lock Corridor.
Mo Hua frowned.
"What's going on?"
"I broke the seal of this Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact, so why can't I leave?"
"Is there another seal inside this Sacred Artifact?"
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then continued to move forward along the Divine Lock Corridor.
The further he went, the greater the pressure became, even suppressing his physical form and bones.
Mo Hua's expression turned grave as he used his Divine Marrow to protect himself, resisting the pressure and pushing forward.
The surroundings were entirely constructed of highly sophisticated Divine Lock Array Patterns, forming a "wall" like a Divine Path "Great Wall", stretching far into the distance.
After an unknown amount of time, the Divine Lock Array disappeared, and the view ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a grand and solemn temple.
This temple, like a gateway on the Divine Path Great Wall, stood majestically at the entrance, exuding an aura that could repel all evil.
Mo Hua felt a sense of reverence as he looked at it.
After much hesitation, he slowly stepped into the temple.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, a strong wind blew in his face, divine light blinded his eyes, and an overwhelming aura enveloped him.
Mo Hua looked up and saw a massive golden lantern hanging in the sky.
He blinked, noticing that the lantern flickered a few times, its depths glowing with a golden light, as if it were "blinking."
Mo Hua immediately realized that this was not a lantern but a "giant eye."
At that moment, a roaring sound echoed, and a massive golden head turned, its two lantern-like eyes staring down at the tiny Mo Hua.
Man and beast locked eyes.
Before Mo Hua could react, the massive head opened its enormous mouth and, with lightning speed, snapped and swallowed Mo Hua whole.
It chewed a few times, found him unchewable and a bit "gritty", and decided not to bother further, swallowing him directly.
After swallowing, the "big head" closed its mouth and then closed its eyes, lying down on the ground.
The temple instantly became quiet again.
But before the "big head" could remain quiet for long, it felt something strange in its throat, slowly crawling up its neck and into its mouth, pulling its tongue and prying its teeth.
The "big head" felt uncomfortable and tightly clenched its mouth.
However, the little thing inside became even more active, accompanied by burning, freezing, golden light slashes, and various other painful sensations, which were unbearable.
Soon, the pain spread to its teeth.
One of its teeth was missing, and the little thing had slipped inside, using a sword to cut its gums.
Toothache is a torment.
The "big head" couldn't bear it any longer, baring its teeth and letting out a sneeze, expelling the thing it had just swallowed.
The force was immense, and Mo Hua was thrown like a small ball, bouncing a few times on the ground before coming to a stop.
Fortunately, his Divine Spirit "body" was incredibly resilient, unchewable, and unbreakable.
Otherwise, he would have either been chewed to pieces or shattered by the force of the sneeze.
Mo Hua stood up, fully activating his Divine Marrow, his body glowing with a golden radiance, and then he examined the "big head" in front of him.
It was a golden and jade-colored divine beast.
It had two dragon horns on its head, eyes like golden bells, a body like a fierce lion, white fur with golden patterns, and four feet with three toes, each covered in golden scales and tipped with golden claws.
Its aura was both fierce and solemn.
Mo Hua instantly recognized its name:
Pixiu.
The divine beast used in the Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact for sealing and repelling evil.
According to Mr. Tu, this Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact was created using a tooth from the divine beast Pixiu as a medium, combined with the advanced techniques of the Great Wasteland clan and the Divine Path array, along with secret Great Wasteland methods.
But Mo Hua hadn't expected that the Sacred Artifact would actually contain a living divine beast, the Pixiu.
"No, that's not right... it's not living..."
This should be the divine soul of the Pixiu.
Mo Hua's gaze sharpened.
No wonder the Boneskull Circlet could be called a Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact and could counter an Evil God...
Sealed inside this was the intact soul of an ancient and powerful divine beast.
This would be a rarity, even in the Central Dao Court, let alone in the Great Wasteland.
Did Mr. Tu really use something like this to "seal" himself?
Was he out of his mind?
"Or... does Mr. Tu himself not know about this Pixiu's divine soul?"
Mo Hua frowned.
But to say the divine beast's soul was "intact" wasn't quite right. This Pixiu seemed to be missing a tooth.
This was something Mo Hua noticed when he was swallowed by the Pixiu.
The Pixiu had four large fangs, and besides these, there was a row of smaller teeth in both the upper and lower jaws.
It was missing the last tooth in its upper jaw.
Unable to resist, Mo Hua looked up to examine the Pixiu's large head, wondering if it was indeed missing a tooth.
This action infuriated the Pixiu.
Perhaps it was because it hadn't "eaten" Mo Hua, thus losing face.
Or perhaps the missing tooth was a sore spot, and Mo Hua's stare at its gap was deeply annoying.
The Pixiu roared, its divine aura surging, and its massive head lunged at Mo Hua again.
Mo Hua felt an overwhelming pressure, making him dare not resist. Recognizing it as the divine beast's aura, he immediately activated his divine marrow, transforming into his divine body, dispelling the pressure. Then, with a flash of water, he turned into several afterimages and vanished.
The Pixiu bit into empty air, its large eyes, like copper bells, scanning the area. Seeing the water mist, Mo Hua reappeared a few dozen feet away. The Pixiu growled, shook its head, and opened its massive jaw, charging at Mo Hua once more.
Mo Hua didn't want to just sit and wait for death.
His eyes narrowed, and he raised his palm, manifesting the Mount Li Funeral Fire Array. The earth rose, and flames erupted, immediately engulfing the Pixiu.
The Pixiu was startled, seemingly finding it incredible that this little creature could manifest an array.
The Mount Li Funeral Fire Array appeared.
The earth turned into a cage, trapping the Pixiu, and the roaring flames burned its fur.
But the earth cage was shattered instantly by the Pixiu, and the flames seemed like a mere bath, causing no harm at all.
The Pixiu shook its body, its eyes filled with disdain, as if mocking Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's face turned cold. His eyes narrowed, and he clenched his hand, manifesting a sword array, which immediately formed a divine spirit sword that he swung with force.
The sword qi split the mountain, the elemental forces flowing, and it struck the Pixiu with a mighty blow.
But even this sword couldn't injure the Pixiu; not even a single hair was broken.
Mo Hua's expression changed.
Was this a divine beast?
What rank was it? How could it be so strong?
At this level, even using the ultimate form of the Ethereal Divine Thought Sword of God Slaying, he could probably only scratch its surface.
The Pixiu seemed to sense Mo Hua's thoughts and the threat from the tip of his sword.
This little creature actually wanted to hurt it.
Could it really hurt it?
The Pixiu immediately roared in anger, its eyes glowing with an extremely dignified golden light. Its fur shimmered, and ancient patterns appeared, like a golden robe woven from the great laws, enveloping the Pixiu.
The dragon horn glowed brilliantly, exuding supreme dignity.
Its lantern-like eyes burned brightly, like the sun, capable of burning away darkness and subduing all evil.
A wave of divine beast power instantly spread, enveloping the entire area.
Mo Hua was immobilized by the divine beast's power, unable to move.
Under the gaze of those two sun-like, regal eyes, Mo Hua felt a sacred primordial force penetrating his divine spirit, burning and roasting his spirit under the sun.
This force ignored rank, disregarded status, and didn't differentiate between high and low, noble and common. It only recognized good and evil, right and wrong.
"Is this... the power of the divine beast's law?"
Mo Hua's expression trembled. He felt the Pixiu's "judgment" growing stronger, the scorching force spreading through his body, illuminating his divine spirit, making him feel...
Warm and cozy...
At first, it was a bit too hot and uncomfortable, but after a while, it became warm and pleasant.
The Pixiu's power of law was like a "sunbath."
Mo Hua couldn't help but close his eyes.
He wasn't a demon cultivator, nor was he an evil entity.
Although he had taken lives, those he killed were all guilty of heinous crimes.
His heart was pure, his intentions innocent.
He cultivated the Dao to benefit all beings.
On his journey, he had slain demons, spread arrays, and saved many lives.
Though Mo Hua didn't dwell on these deeds, they counted as merit in the unseen realm, shaping his karma.
Therefore, while the Pixiu's "evil-suppressing" power was strong, a natural law, it could not fundamentally harm Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's divine spirit power couldn't injure a single hair on the Pixiu.
Similarly, the Pixiu's evil-suppressing power could only give Mo Hua a "sunbath."
The Pixiu was first shocked, then found it boring.
Unable to catch, unable to swallow, unable to digest. All this effort, using its natural power, and it could do nothing.
Not a demon, not an evil entity, not even a trace of "wickedness."
The Pixiu lay back down, indifferent, and no longer bothered with Mo Hua.
The divine beast's dignity dissipated, the law faded, the evil-suppressing power retreated, and the warm feeling vanished. Mo Hua felt a bit regretful, a bit unsatisfied.
However, it was a good thing that this big-headed Pixiu wasn't opposing him anymore.
Mo Hua didn't really want to kill this Pixiu either.
Even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to.
This Pixiu was impossible to gauge in terms of rank, and its strength was terrifying. It even controlled the power of the Evil-Suppressing Law.
Even if Mo Hua practiced for several more centuries, he might still be unable to do anything to it.
The pressing matter was not to tangle with this Pixiu. Instead, he needed to find a way out of this seal as soon as possible.
Mo Hua began to search for an exit along the temple.
Without the Pixiu's interference, Mo Hua quickly found the exit of the temple, which was also the exit of the sacred artifact's seal.
However, his expression turned grim.
The exit was blocked.
The Pixiu's large buttocks were blocking the exit tightly.
Mo Hua could only run in front of the Pixiu and politely ask:
"Hello, could you move a bit?"
But the Pixiu ignored him, lowering its big head and occasionally licking its fangs, looking quite bored.
Mo Hua had no choice but to sneak behind the Pixiu's buttocks, secretly manifesting his Mountain-Cleaving Sword to poke the Pixiu's buttocks.
The Pixiu growled at Mo Hua, but since the poke didn't hurt much, it didn't take it too seriously. Its body remained unmoving.
Mo Hua sighed, feeling helpless.
If it came to a fight, he really couldn't defeat this divine beast.
Trying to sneak out was also unlikely.
Moreover...
Mo Hua frowned, pondering for a moment, even using Heavenly Insight to deduce the situation. He then realized that this might just be the nature of the "Pixiu"?
Pixiu loves wealth and only takes in, never letting out.
If it were to suppress evil spirits, none of them would be able to escape from its mouth.
Even if he wasn't an evil spirit, it wouldn't let him leave.
Because this was the "nature" of the Pixiu, the "law" it adhered to.
In other words, from the moment he stepped into the temple, this Pixiu would never let him out.
Mo Hua sighed, feeling a sense of awe.
He had underestimated this "Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact" before.
With such a powerful Pixiu guarding it and the unreasonable power of the law suppressing it, no wonder it was called a "sacred" artifact.
If brute force wouldn't work, he could only try persuasion.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He ran to the Pixiu's fierce-looking big head and asked:
"Aren't you hungry?"
"If you let me out, I'll find you something delicious to eat."
The Pixiu ignored Mo Hua.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, "Don't you find it boring to stay here all the time? There are no evil spirits for you to suppress..."
The Pixiu glanced at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua quickly shook his head, "I'm not an evil spirit, so suppressing me wouldn't make much sense."
The Pixiu frowned, seemingly finding some truth in Mo Hua's words.
Mo Hua seized the opportunity to persuade, "If you let me out, I promise that when I have the chance, I will definitely catch a powerful evil spirit and bring it in for you to suppress."
The Pixiu looked at Mo Hua again, as if asking, "Really?"
Mo Hua nodded, "I promise."
The Pixiu stared at Mo Hua, its big head seemingly deep in thought.
However, as a divine beast, its mind worked slowly, and it couldn't match the sharpness of Mo Hua, who was half-human and half-god.
Seeing the Pixiu's expression change, Mo Hua raised two fingers, "Two! I promise to catch two powerful evil spirits for you."
The Pixiu's eyes immediately lit up.
Suppressing evil spirits was its nature, but the Great Wasteland Sacred Artifact had been sealed for a long time, and it had been a very long time since it last fulfilled its "duty."
The Pixiu's big head started to think again.
In principle, its nature was indeed "stingy", allowing no one to leave once they entered its domain.
But letting a small one go in exchange for two big ones was definitely a "profit."
The only condition was that this small one would truly keep its promise.
The Pixiu widened its eyes and looked at Mo Hua, seeing his clear gaze.
The earlier Evil-Suppressing Power hadn't hurt Mo Hua, proving his upright and incorruptible character.
The Pixiu then extended its nose to sniff Mo Hua's aura. This sniff revealed a familiar scent.
The scent of a dragon soul...
And the scent of a "big white dog."
The Pixiu's big eyes twinkled, showing a friendly expression, and its attitude became much more affectionate.
Mo Hua's eyes also lit up, knowing that it trusted him.
Before he could say anything, the Pixiu suddenly lowered its body, lowering its big head, and then extended its golden-scaled paw, tapping its forehead and looking at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua was dazed for a moment before understanding the Pixiu's meaning.
He stepped forward and touched his forehead to the Pixiu's big head.
As the two foreheads touched, a golden light instantly blossomed.
A "covenant" inscription flowed from the Pixiu's brow, connecting to Mo Hua's Sea of Consciousness.
This covenant also transformed into golden light, etching itself on Mo Hua's forehead.
The golden light was brilliant, and the vow was cast in stone.
A horn slowly grew on Mo Hua's forehead.
This horn was a pure golden dragon horn, condensed with the power of the law, and it was also the Evil-Suppressing Horn of the divine beast, the Pixiu.
(End of Chapter)
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