Chapter 331: Farewell
Chapter 331: Farewell
Mo Hua calmed himself and thought carefully.
It might not be considered a true Grand Dao Dissolution, at most it could be considered an embryonic form.
After all, he was still only at the Qi Refining stage, capable of setting up first-grade formations and deriving and stimulating the power of dissolution at the same stage.
But that was enough.
Mo Hua was already very satisfied with this level of power.
The late peak first-grade Black Bear Pi being instantly killed by the dissolution of the formation far exceeded the destructive power of a typical Qi Refining cultivator.
"Since that's the case, could the restoration formation dissolution...could it truly injure a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
Mo Hua couldn't help but wonder.
Who should he test it on?
Based on this power, even an early Foundation Establishment cultivator might perish if they came into contact with it...
He could only test it on some evil Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Mo Hua stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Why not use the third master as a sacrifice?"
After all, he would most likely be executed by the Daoting Court, and using him to test the formation before his death would be making good use of waste.
However, the Daoting Court might not agree to it.
Beheading was a punishment according to the Dao laws, and using him to test the formation could be considered a form of torture, which was probably against the rules.
Mo Hua felt a bit disappointed.
If only he had learned this earlier.
Then, during the attack on Heishan Stockade, he could have secretly used it to test the power of formation dissolution against a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Currently, the only remaining Foundation Establishment cultivator in Heishan Stockade was the Elder of the Qian Family.
But the Qian Family Elder was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and he was cunning and shrewd.
Mo Hua wasn't confident that the formation dissolution could kill him, and even if it could, it might not be easy to scheme against him.
What if he ended up failing and falling into the hands of the Qian Family Elder instead?
Mo Hua released his spiritual sense to confirm that the surroundings were safe and that the Black Bear Pi was indeed dead, then he rushed forward to examine the details.
One half of the Black Bear Pi's body was completely intact, not even a single hair was damaged.
The other half of its body had completely disappeared, turning into black powder. This powder was pitch-black and odorless, devoid of any signs of blood, spiritual energy, or vitality, resembling the lifeless remains of something that had perished and faded away.
This was the array master's understanding of formations and their manipulation of the power of the Grand Dao.
"Array masters are truly terrifying..."
Mo Hua murmured, then nodded to himself, "Luckily, I am an array master myself!"
He felt a sense of relief.
Afterward, he found a small grass within the black powder.
This grass was intentionally left by Mo Hua; it was the "life gate" he had kept.
Mr. Zhuang had told him that the Grand Dao was a cycle of life and death, a transformation of creation and destruction. With destruction, there was naturally also creation.
While the power of dissolution in the formation could annihilate all things, within that destruction, there was also a glimmer of life—this thread of life was the "life gate" left behind during the spiritual sense derivation.
Mo Hua wanted to test the power of the restoration formation's dissolution, as well as the retention of the life-bearing life gate.
And he had chosen this grass as the location of the life gate.
In the gentle mountain breeze, this fragile grass swayed with the wind. Even amidst the terrifying power of dissolution, it remained unharmed.
This proved that Mo Hua's calculations were correct.
He had not only derived the power of formation dissolution but also the life gate within it.
Mo Hua couldn't help but feel delighted.
From then on, as long as he practiced derivation, attempted dissolution, and simulated the life gate, his formation skills would improve day by day.
Eventually, his formation prowess would reach such a high level that other formation masters would dread facing him.
Mo Hua was happy for a while, and then he started to clean up the traces of the formation.
He had to erase the marks of the formation's dissolution, peel off the Black Bear Pi's skin, and remove its bones to sell for spirit stones. Although the pelt was damaged and more than half of its spiritual energy was gone, reducing the number of spirit stones it could fetch, even a mosquito's leg was still meat, and he couldn't afford to waste it.
After cleaning up, Mo Hua summarized the usage of the formation dissolution and felt a sense of regret.
Although the formation dissolution was powerful, it wasn't very convenient to use.
Dissolution required prior derivation, and derivation consumed a large amount of spiritual sense and time.
Without sufficient preparation, one couldn't use formation dissolution in combat.
Moreover, the formation dissolution could currently only be used as a trap, similar to the Earth Fire Formation.
This also required advance setup and had to be done without being noticed.
When used against demonic beasts, the destructive power was too overwhelming. After dissolution, more than half of the demonic beast's body would turn into black ash, and the remaining parts wouldn't fetch a good price.
It was basically a losing business.
When used against cultivators, the opponent shouldn't be too clever or overly cautious, and ideally, they shouldn't know that he was an array master. Only then could he catch them off guard.
Otherwise, they might not fall for it.
Additionally, the range of the life gate after the restoration formation's dissolution was relatively small, only about one or two feet of space. A person couldn't survive within that space.
For now, this life gate was still useless to him.
Mo Hua sighed.
Thinking about it, the conditions for using formation dissolution were indeed stringent.
The derivation was complex, the preparation time was long, the life gate was narrow, and the opponent ideally should be a fool or, at the very least, not too clever.
Indeed, the more powerful a force was, the more restrictions it had.
Mo Hua sighed with emotion.
However, even with numerous restrictions, having a powerful force was still better than having none.
One shouldn't be too greedy.
Mo Hua nodded, tidied up everything, and prepared to leave. As he turned, he glanced once more at the small grass.
The soil, rocks, and plants around it had been wiped out by the formation's dissolution, leaving only barrenness.
Yet this small grass, fragile yet resilient, swayed in the wind, seemingly brimming with infinite vitality.
Mo Hua stared at it, suddenly enlightened.
Mr. Zhuang was right. This world, the Grand Dao, and the myriad things within it indeed held life and death, creation and destruction.
---
During the following days, Mo Hua would visit Mr. Zhuang to seek guidance.
Sometimes he genuinely had doubts about formations and needed Mr. Zhuang's instruction; sometimes he brought delicious food made by his mother for Mr. Zhuang to taste.
When he had free time, he would also chat with Mr. Zhuang about the customs and culture of Tongxian City, or ask about the folklore and legends of the various states.
Additionally, when he had the opportunity, he would play the Five Elements Chess game with Kui Lao, a simple and entertaining game that didn't require much brainpower.
Mo Hua cherished this time.
Because he knew that in half a year, or maybe even a month, Mr. Zhuang would leave.
Whenever Mo Hua thought of this, his expression would become dejected.
Mr. Zhuang gently patted his head and said, "Work hard on your cultivation, and there will surely come a day when we meet again."
Mo Hua nodded solemnly.
Meeting is fate, gathering is fate, and parting is also a form of fate.
After meeting comes parting, and only after parting can there be a reunion.
The carefree Bai Zisheng also sensed the somber mood and asked Mo Hua, "Is Mr. Zhuang leaving?"
"Yes," Mo Hua replied honestly.
Bai Zisheng's expression became complex, while Bai Zixi's remained unchanged, though her eyes dimmed slightly.
"Are you leaving too when Mr. Zhuang leaves?" Bai Zisheng asked.
Mo Hua asked.
Although Bai Zisheng seemed arrogant, he had a chivalrous heart and treated Mo Hua well. Bai Zixi had also helped him a lot, imparting her knowledge and experiences of cultivation.
Even though they were only registered as disciples, they were still considered half-siblings, and Mo Hua cherished this bond.
Bai Zisheng looked dejected as he said, "I guess so..."
They had visited Mr. Zhuang in the hopes that he would accept them as his personal disciples. Now that Mr. Zhuang was leaving, they had no choice but to depart as well.
Even if they wanted to stay, Snow Auntie would not allow it.
The atmosphere became momentarily gloomy.
Mo Hua took out the wine, meat, and pastries made by his mother and said, "The path of cultivation is long, and with fate, we will surely meet again."
"Yes," Bai Zisheng nodded, but his expression remained glum, and the beef he ate seemed to have lost its taste.
Bai Zixi remained silent, only tasting a few bites of the pastries, which now seemed less sweet.
Due to their frequent visits to Mr. Zhuang, Mo Hua and the Bai siblings had stayed longer than usual.
Snow Auntie no longer assigned them as much homework, and Bai Zisheng often sparred with Mo Hua in their free time.
Bai Zisheng was at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, with profound cultivation and exquisite martial arts skills. In their previous spars, he had always held back his true strength, focusing only on body movements or techniques.
Now that Mo Hua had formed his spiritual sense, the Water Flow Step, Invisibility Art, and Fireball Technique, which relied on spiritual sense as their foundation, had become more powerful. Mo Hua could now face Bai Zisheng directly without needing him to hold back.
The two sparred, attacking and countering each other back and forth.
After tiring themselves out, they lay down to rest under the big elm tree.
Mo Hua lay on the soft grass, drenched in sweat, panting heavily.
His techniques, empowered by his robust spiritual sense, were actually superior to Bai Zisheng's.
However, his weakness lay in his physical body and spiritual root, which were inferior.
After several rounds of intense fighting, he would either run out of spiritual energy or be unable to exert enough force with his limbs, allowing Bai Zisheng to seize the opportunity and capture him in close quarters.
Bai Zisheng also lay on the ground, breathing heavily.
He had thought that he could easily defeat Mo Hua if he went all out.
But it turned out to be not as simple as he had imagined.
Mo Hua's Water Flow Step made him elusive, and it was challenging to catch him off guard. Moreover, the Fireball Technique was extremely powerful, with fast and accurate attacks that could not be underestimated.
And Mo Hua had not even used his Invisibility Art yet. If he employed stealth and surprise attacks, he would be even more challenging to deal with.
Bai Zisheng could only resort to a "cheesy strategy" of wearing Mo Hua down by depleting his spiritual energy and waiting for him to become physically exhausted before finding an opportunity to capture him in close combat.
Although he could win, it was not a glorious victory.
Bai Zisheng realized that he needed to work harder and not let Mo Hua surpass him, or he would never be able to act as his senior brother again!
A spark of determination ignited in his eyes.
As the two lay under the tree, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds, their minds wandered.
Suddenly, Mo Hua recalled the matter of the pill furnace.
In recent days, the Dao Court and the Dao Military had thoroughly searched Tongxian City and Heishan Stockade, destroying any pill furnaces with unusual designs or unclear functions.
They adopted a "better safe than sorry" approach to eradicate any possibility of the Qian Family Elder refining evil pills.
Zhang Lan also told Mo Hua, "All suspicious pill furnaces have been destroyed on the surface, so even if the Qian Family Elder wants to refine pills, he won't have a furnace to do so."
"Moreover, the Rejuvenation Pill requires a hundred years to cultivate, and the refining process is too long, leaving no room for errors. Even specialized demonic pill-refining sects may not be able to succeed, let alone the Qian Family Elder. We might be worrying too much."
Mo Hua felt that Zhang Lan's words made sense, and he felt somewhat relieved.
However, a lingering doubt remained in his mind.
He felt that he had forgotten something, but he couldn't quite recall what it was that he had forgotten.
It was like the thick fog in Heishan, visible yet intangible, but undeniably present.
As Mo Hua pondered, deep in thought, he suddenly realized that Bai Zixi was silently watching him.
He turned his head, and their eyes met—a pair of clear and watery eyes locking gazes with a pair of eyes that resembled scissors cutting through water.
Both of them were slightly startled.
White elm flowers drifted down, dancing between them.
Time seemed to stand still.
They stared at each other for an unknown duration before quietly averting their gazes.
For some reason, Mo Hua felt a sense of loss, and his memories began to surge. The words that Bai Zixi had spoken, that crisp and melodious voice, echoed in his mind.
There were words of guidance on formations, secrets of mystical techniques, and praises for the delicious pastries made by his mother...
As his thoughts drifted, suddenly, a sentence surfaced in Mo Hua's mind:
"Evil formations and demonic formations mostly use flesh and blood as the formation medium, inscribing evil thoughts as the formation patterns, and reversing the Grand Dao as the formation pivot..."
Mostly use flesh and blood as the formation medium...
Use "flesh and blood" as the formation medium...
Mo Hua was startled and jumped to his feet.
He now understood why he had been feeling uneasy.
Indeed, he had forgotten something.
He had forgotten... about the fat and large pig in the blood-colored pill room! Evil formations use flesh and blood as the formation medium...
That pig, covered in blood marks, was the true formation medium.
The blood marks on its body were not mere marks but the formation patterns of the evil formation.
The evil formation was inscribed on the pill furnace.
This meant that the pig was the actual pill furnace!
Within its body, the Rejuvenation Pill, which could assist the Qian Family Elder in breaking through his cultivation, was being refined!
(End of Chapter)
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