Chapter 1068: The Earth Veins Mourn
Chapter 1068: The Earth Veins Mourn
But... would this method really work?
Mo Hua frowned, carefully calculating the potential outcomes in his mind based on the given "causes"...
Once the Vast Sky Blood Sacrifice Array was fully formed, it would link all the Second and Third Rank State Boundaries, creating a wall of flesh and blood to completely seal off the Fifth Rank Qianxue State Boundary.
This would be a bloody and impenetrable "blockade."
The Blood Sacrifice Array was sinister and bizarre.
Inside the array, numerous demonic sects and their leaders would gather.
Waves of walking corpses, iron corpses, copper corpses, blood slaves, sword slaves, and pleasure slaves would flood the area.
And within the Blood Veins, an endless army of demons would await.
With the array's enhancement, this would be an extremely powerful demonic force.
Cultivators outside would almost certainly be unable to breach the Vast Sky Blood Sacrifice Array and enter Qianxue State Boundary.
Cultivators inside Qianxue State Boundary would be equally unable to escape.
Cultivators below the Golden Core realm, once they entered the Blood Sacrifice Array, would be surrounded by demonic leaders, cultivators, various demonic slaves, and the demon army, and would surely meet their end.
The Second and Third Rank State Boundaries had their own restrictions.
Even those at the Feather Transformation realm, if unable to fully exert their cultivation and fly, would face certain death if trapped by the endless demons.
Cave Void cultivators, being immensely powerful and capable of comprehending the laws, might be able to break through the encirclement.
But that was only if the Great Wasteland Evil Deity hadn't awakened.
If the Great Wasteland Evil Deity awoke and its evil power spread, the Blood Sacrifice Array would become a "taboo."
Even a Cave Void cultivator might hesitate to venture into the Blood Sacrifice Array.
Once contaminated or parasitized, becoming a puppet or toy of the Evil Deity, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Cave Void cultivators were restricted by the Evil Deity.
Feather Transformation cultivators could easily perish if not careful.
Cultivators below the Golden Core realm would certainly die.
The vast Qianxue State Boundary would become a stagnant pool, gradually being consumed by the Evil Deity's forces.
And it would be even worse than that...
Mo Hua's pupils narrowed.
The Demon Assembly was a grand event in the Nine Provinces.
Currently, Qianxue State Boundary was filled with cultivators from all over the Nine Provinces.
The number was several times greater than before, and all were elite cultivators from their respective State Boundaries.
If Qianxue State Boundary fell, these people would either become demonic cultivators, the Evil Deity's pawns, or walking corpses and blood slaves.
Or they would be killed outright, their blood, skin, and bones used as materials for demonic artifacts and arrays.
The demonic forces would instantly grow stronger.
More terrifyingly, Mo Hua hadn't forgotten that near the Fifth Rank Qianxue State Boundary lay the entire Qianlong Mountain Spirit Mine.
This Fifth Rank spirit mountain produced countless spirit stones, essential for supporting the cultivation and operations of the major sects in Qianxue.
Once Qianxue fell, the Qianlong Mountain Spirit Mine would naturally become the Evil Deity's possession.
Spirit stones were the most important resource in cultivation.
To achieve great things, one needed an abundance of spirit stones.
Without delving into other aspects, consider the array's energy supply alone.
Once the Qianlong Mountain Spirit Mine was contaminated, the countless spirit stones would transform into endless evil power, continuously supplying the Blood Sacrifice Array Focus.
The Vast Sky Blood Sacrifice Array would receive an infinite supply and would operate perpetually without interruption.
With spirit stones, resources, people, and territory, the Evil Deity would awaken, the blood sacrifice would spread, and the array would never cease.
The entire Fifth Rank Qianxue State Boundary would become a self-sustaining, deeply rooted, and extremely difficult to eradicate demonic "stronghold."
From there, it would continuously expand outward, spreading the Evil Deity's power and pollution, potentially leading to the gradual fall of the entire Qian Province...
The more Mo Hua thought, the more terrifying it became.
Mr. Tu's thousand-year plan was truly horrifying.
His array setup was indeed grand and extensive.
Despite the process being fraught with uncertainties and difficulties, his scheme had a real chance of using the near Third Rank Blood Sacrifice Array to refine the Fifth Rank Qianxue State Boundary, turning this grand Qianxue site into a hellish crucible, a demonic arena, and causing countless lives to suffer and die...
"Can the elders of Qianxue see through this?"
Mo Hua furrowed his brow, putting himself in the shoes of the "elders" of the various families and sects, and realized they might not.
The situation was shrouded in mystery, with many hidden details. Even Cave Void cultivators would find it difficult to see this clearly.
At least before the incident, they wouldn't understand it.
Moreover, Qianxue had been peaceful for too long.
The demonic forces had been dormant for too long.
The Evil Deity had long been forgotten.
Qianxue, with its prosperity and splendor, was a place of opulence and luxury.
The families and sects were preoccupied with the Demon Assembly, vying for fame and profit, and seeking their own interests.
Given the situation, they couldn't help but compete.
But once they were ensnared in the struggle for fame and profit, they would naturally fail to see the more dangerous consequences.
This was precisely what the saying meant:
A rise is swift, and a fall is sudden.
Prosperity could crumble in an instant, and life and death could be decided in a moment.
Mo Hua frowned, continuing to inscribe the Blood Sacrifice Array's key points using the Great Wasteland Bone Carving technique as per Mr. Tu's instructions, while simultaneously pondering the matter.
But he thought for a long time and still had no clear idea.
After drawing the array for a while, his divine perception was exhausted, and he lay on the massive skeleton, resting and deep in thought.
The current situation was even more severe than he had anticipated.
It wasn't just the severity of the current "causes", but the even more terrifying "consequences" that followed.
He didn't want to see Qianxue become a land of suffering and death.
He was a disciple of the Great Void Sect in Qianxue, having cultivated and lived there for nine years.
He had met many people and received much kindness and care.
"Massacre and suffering" is not an empty phrase.
If Mr. Tu's scheme succeeds, many people Mo Hua knows will likely die.
People from Lonely Mountain City, Smoky Water River, and scattered cultivators from various regions will die.
In the Dao Court, Uncle Gu, Sister Xia, and many other officials who have connections with him, including Gu An and Gu Quan, will die.
The various sects in Qian Prefecture will face a bloodbath, with countless disciples perishing.
The Great Void Sect might cease to exist.
The patriarchs, elders, and disciples of the various mountains within the sect, including his own junior brothers, will likely die.
The disaster brought by the Evil Deity will cause the heavens and earth to turn to blood.
Mo Hua doesn't want the people he knows to die, nor does he want so many innocent cultivators to die.
But what can he do?
Mo Hua furrowed his brow.
The current situation is that the Cave Void elders of the various sects in Qian Prefecture, even if they didn't see it before, should now have some inkling of what's happening.
However, they are outside the great array, and they may not see as clearly as Mo Hua, who is deep within the enemy's camp, drawing the array for Mr. Tu.
They will certainly take many measures to counter Mr. Tu.
These measures may not succeed, but they will certainly put a lot of pressure on Mr. Tu.
But these measures are still not enough.
What can I do?
Mo Hua frowned and subconsciously traced an array pattern in the air with his fingers.
It was a pattern from a twenty-line array.
A Second Rank Spirit Inversion Absolute Array!
Through tireless and persistent effort, Mo Hua had already learned this array during the Asura battles.
He just hadn't used it yet.
Now, his initial idea was simple: blow up the Blood Sacrifice Array and kill all the demon cultivators.
The Blood Sacrifice Array cannot be left standing.
The demon cultivators must not be left alive.
Not only because of the massacre, but also because part of the array patterns and focal points were drawn by his own hands.
At the Demon Assembly, so many demon lords have seen his face and know he participated in the gathering.
These are all "evidence."
Moreover, if the Blood Sacrifice Array is truly completed and the Evil Deity is fully resurrected, causing a great massacre,
then the countless killings will inevitably taint his karma.
Whether intentional or forced, he will be one of the "chief culprits" responsible for the bloodshed and suffering.
This is one of the reasons Mr. Tu was willing to teach him the array and let him deeply participate in the construction of the Blood Sacrifice Array.
Mo Hua, who understands karma, can't possibly misunderstand this.
He cannot bear these killings.
Therefore, the Blood Sacrifice Array must not be left standing.
As for those demon lords, since they have seen his face, they must all be eliminated, no matter how unfortunate it is for them.
As for how to do it, his Master Uncle had already "taught" him at the Demon Assembly; he just needs to follow the example.
The only problem is that, in terms of cultivation, methods, and array skills, he is far inferior to his Master Uncle.
What his Master Uncle could do, he simply doesn't have the ability to do.
Especially with arrays.
Mo Hua has learned the Spirit Inversion Array, which is like having "explosives" in his hands.
But this is a quasi-Third Rank Blood Sacrifice Array. Where to place the explosives, how to detonate them, and how to escape after the explosion—all involve array patterns of too high a rank, a massive scale, and complex spiritual energy flow, which are beyond his current array skills.
Moreover, the biggest problem is Mr. Tu.
How to deceive Mr. Tu?
Mr. Tu is a Feather Transformation cultivator, a Fourth Rank evil array master, the most loyal servant of the Great Wasteland Evil Deity, and the chief array master in charge of the Vast Sky Blood Sacrifice Array.
Mo Hua doesn't believe that his actions can escape Mr. Tu's eyes.
He can guarantee that even the slightest modification to the array patterns will be detected by Mr. Tu.
Under Mr. Tu's watchful eye, he can't make any moves at all.
And it seems impossible to deceive Mr. Tu.
Mo Hua's gaze was solemn as he fell into deep thought.
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't come up with a good plan.
Under Mr. Tu's coercion, the progress of the Vast Sky Blood Sacrifice cannot be stopped and must proceed according to plan.
The most Mo Hua can do is slightly delay the progress, but this is only a temporary solution.
The day that must come will inevitably arrive.
Mo Hua stood up and looked down from the ancient beast skeleton. His gaze passed over the massive and grand bones of the giant beast, then down to the enormous blood sacrifice heart, and further down to the river of blood in which the heart was immersed.
He then looked further down, to the earth veins polluted by evil energy beneath the river of blood.
A faint resonance stirred in Mo Hua's heart.
This was a resonance from the Dao of the Earth, a connection he formed with the earth when he comprehended the Earth Absolute Array and had an epiphany about the Great Dao.
At this moment, this resonance trembled, stirring Mo Hua's heart.
The resonance no longer held the former warmth and tolerance but was filled with anger and frustration, the desperate cries and wails of countless living beings.
Blood was flowing.
The earth veins were mourning.
Mo Hua looked at the blood-soaked earth veins as if he were looking deep into the earth's Dao, his gaze sympathetic and sorrowful.
...
Qian Xue Prefecture.
Situ Zhenren, with his head of white hair, sat in the Northern Dipper Seven Star Array, surrounded by starlight, activating the array and using the power of the stars to trace Mr. Tu's aura, planning to kill him to prevent future troubles.
Suddenly, the heavenly fate shifted, and a thread of karma floated by.
Situ Zhenren's heart trembled, and he immediately plucked a thread of starlight, placed it on his forehead, and used the Seven Stars to divine the future, his expression changing drastically.
"Situ Zhenren, what happened?" a Cave Void elder overseeing the array asked, frowning.
Situ Zhenren's face was pale, as if he found it hard to believe, but then he seemed to resign himself and slowly said:
"The heavenly fate foretells that fourteen days from now, the Vast Sky Blood Sacrifice Array will be completed."
"The Lord of the Great Wasteland will re-emerge in the world..."
"The great calamity of Qian Xue Prefecture is coming..."
When he spoke these words, all present were shocked.
Then, like a stone causing a thousand waves, his words stirred a great commotion among the higher-ups of Qian Prefecture.
In the void, almost all the Cave Void elders reappeared in the Sword Observation Tower.
"The situation was stable for a while, wasn't it? The Blood Sacrifice Array is progressing, but the pace is not fast..."
"Mr. Tu is also being restrained."
"Even if it is completed, it can't be in just fourteen days."
"And the date can be so precise?"
"Could there be some mistake?"
The group of Cave Void elders were in heated debate.
Situ Zhenren still found it hard to believe, but he sighed and said:
"This is the heavenly revelation we received through the activation of the Northern Dipper Seven Star Array. It is what it is..."
Unless some greater power intervenes, this is the truth.
The heavenly revelation foretold the completion of the Blood Sacrifice. No matter what happens, the Vast Sky Blood Sacrifice Array will reach its full power.
The revelation also predicted the re-emergence of the Lord of the Great Wasteland, which means that no matter how unbelievable it may seem, it will become a reality.
All their efforts will be in vain.
They cannot prevent what is to come.
As for why the heavenly revelation predicts this, it must be because certain people or events have already occurred or are about to occur, leading to profound changes.
The powerful cause and effect generated by these changes are driving the progression of this event.
But what this "cause and effect" is, Situ Zhenren cannot see through the Blood Sacrifice Array, nor can he speak of it.
These fourteen days might be a death sentence.
But they could also be a "revelation" from heaven, giving them time to prepare for the great calamity and the fierce battles to come.
Heaven has a benevolent nature and may not wish to see the Qianxue State Boundary truly drenched in blood and covered in corpses...
But what can they do with this "revelation"?
All the Cave Void elders fell into deep thought.
After a moment, Xun Laoshi looked at Situ Zhenren and asked in a serious tone, "Brother Situ, is there any way to counteract it in the techniques of the Mystic Valley?"
Situ Zhenren sighed.
It had come to this...
The heavenly revelation of death could not be avoided.
Situ Zhenren's expression was solemn as he spoke slowly, word by word:
"There is only one method now..."
"Find some cultivators with powerful divine perception. Have their souls leave their bodies and break into the newborn Evil Deity's nightmare, and at the moment of its birth, forcefully obliterate the true embryo of the Evil Deity!"
As soon as he said this, all the elders present felt a tightness in their chests.
Even if they were not experts in divine perception, they could not fail to understand the gravity of the situation.
Facing the Evil Deity head-on was a matter of life and death.
It was even possible that after this battle, they would not be able to tell whether they were alive or dead.
Moreover, this was not just a matter of whether they were willing to risk their lives.
The question was how they could enter the newborn Evil Deity's nightmare at the moment of its birth.
One of the Cave Void elders asked Situ Zhenren.
Situ Zhenren was silent for a moment before he replied, "It's a matter of maternal connection. Use the mind to enter the dream."
"Maternal connection?"
"Yes", Situ Zhenren explained, "The child from the Shangguan family was not taken without reason. This child bears a great cause and effect and is undoubtedly the ‘divine embryo’ chosen by the Evil Deity for its birth."
"The nightmare of the Evil Deity's birth is also the nightmare of the Shangguan family's child."
"And through maternal connection."
"By activating the Mystic Valley's greatest treasure, the Heavenly Dream Inducer, we can use bloodline as a bridge and the mind sea as a path to enter the nightmare of the divine embryo through the mother's dream."
"But..." Situ Zhenren sighed, "This method is recorded in ancient divine texts, and whether it will work is uncertain."
A Cave Void elder frowned, "It's not that simple."
Entering a dream is not an easy task.
Using bloodline as a bridge and the mind sea as a path to enter a dream cannot be done without a cost...
Situ Zhenren nodded and sighed, "This method places a heavy burden on the mind sea. At best, it will damage the mind sea; at worst, it will lead to the extinction of the soul."
"Even if it succeeds, there will be gaps in the mind sea, making it extremely fragile."
"Cultivators on the path of cultivation emphasize the unity of blood, spirit, and divine perception. Each path has its own focus, but these three elements are essential."
"Especially divine perception. Once it is damaged, it basically violates the principle of ‘a complete Daoic body.’"
"If this method is used to enter the dream, Wenren Wan... may never be able to advance in cultivation for the rest of her life."
Of course, there was something even more cruel.
If they failed to obliterate the Evil Deity before its birth, they would have to kill the child called Shangguan Yu, along with his mother.
Both mother and son would have to die.
Situ Zhenren's conscience was tormented, but he had no choice.
This was the heavenly revelation, this was fate, desperate and helpless.
Situ Zhenren's expression was somber.
A Cave Void elder sighed, "This is not something we can decide alone. We must inform the Shangguan and Wenren families."
Both the Shangguan and Wenren families were Grand Fifth Rank lineages.
Yuer is the Shangguan family's legitimate son.
Wenren Wan is both the young lady of the Shangguan family and the legitimate daughter of the Wenren family's patriarch.
This is not something that can be decided lightly.
Soon, a flying sword message was sent to the elders of the Shangguan and Wenren families.
Both the Shangguan and Wenren families were Grand Fifth Rank lineages, but their ties to the sect were not too tight. Therefore, during the Lunjian period, the elders of both families were in seclusion in their forbidden zones and did not attend the Sword Viewing Pavilion.
Upon receiving the message, the elders of both families frowned.
They could not make a decision and could only sigh, passing the message to their respective family heads to decide.
The head of the Shangguan family, Shangguan Ce, and the head of the Wenren family, Wenren Jingxuan, personally discussed the matter with Wenren Wan and her husband.
In a secret room of the Shangguan family.
The atmosphere was tense.
Wenren Wan's gentle and beautiful face was now pale. She said only one thing: "I must save Yuer."
Shangguan Ce said nothing.
Shangguan Yi's eyes were filled with pain. On one side was his beloved wife, and on the other was his son whose fate was uncertain. No matter which choice he made, his heart was being torn apart.
Wenren Jingxuan's face was ashen.
He was not indifferent to Yuer, after all, Yuer was his grandson.
But Yuer's fate was uncertain, and it was unclear whether he could be saved.
He did not want to put his beloved daughter, whom he had cherished since childhood, at such great risk for Yuer's sake.
Even if, by some miracle, they managed to save Yuer,
His only daughter would suffer from gaps in her mind sea, making it impossible for her to advance in cultivation and leaving her with no hope of achieving the great Dao.
She might even die and have her Dao extinguished.
Wenren Jingxuan, as the family head, was accustomed to weighing the pros and cons. He knew what the best choice was.
He could only suppress his discomfort and persuade Wenren Wan:
"The most important thing for a cultivator is life and cultivation. As for the child... you can have more in the future..."
Wenren Wan turned to look at her father, her beautiful eyes filled with tears:
"You can have more children, but my Yuer... there is only one."
(End of Chapter)
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