Chapter 336: A Different Path
Chapter 336: A Different Path
The elder of the Qian family suddenly realized the truth, but he found it hard to believe. "How could it be you? You're just a child..."
Mo Hua bluntly denied, "It wasn't me."
However, his denial was futile.
The Qian family elder looked at Mo Hua with a steadfast gaze, his expression surprisingly devoid of anger.
Mo Hua felt tense and perplexed. He had deceived both Hei Shan Zhai and the Qian family elder, yet there was not a hint of hatred in the elder's eyes. Could he be so forgiving?
"Are you wondering why I'm not angry?" The Qian family elder asked.
Mo Hua nodded.
The elder's gaze deepened. "If you were an ordinary cultivator, whether a demon hunter, a Daoting Court cultivator, or a member of another family, I would tear you limb from limb for destroying my century of hard work."
"But you are different." The elder's eyes widened in surprise. "You are just a child of ten years old, yet you possess extraordinary courage and cunning. Your actions took me completely by surprise."
"More importantly, you are a formation master, and your understanding of formations far surpasses that of the third master, even though he is at the Foundation Establishment stage..."
"It's just a pity that you are not a member of my Qian family..." The elder's tone carried a hint of regret.
"What difference would it make if I were?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
The elder's gaze intensified. "If you were a member of my family, even a distant branch, as long as you had a drop of Qian family blood, I could have made you an elder..."
"I could even have gone against everyone's opinion and made you the head of the Qian family!"
Mo Hua scoffed, "If you're going to lie, at least make it sound plausible."
The Qian family elder said, "I have the final say in the Qian family. If I want you to be the head, then you will be the head."
"Being the head of a family is not all sunshine and rainbows," Mo Hua said, pointing at Qian Hongdao, who was lying on the ground. "Look what happened to this head of the family. You got him killed."
The Qian family elder paused for a moment, then shook his head. "You are not like him."
His gaze turned slightly somber. "Hong'er falls short in terms of talent, temperament, and schemes. The only valuable thing about him is his bloodline, as he carries my blood."
"So he's just a sacrificial pawn to further your goals?" Mo Hua retorted sarcastically.
The Qian family elder remained unperturbed and smiled faintly. "It's simply a matter of making the best use of one's talents and resources."
...Not even sparing your own grandson?
Mo Hua's gaze toward the elder turned even more disdainful.
The Qian family elder furrowed his brows in thought, then his eyes lit up. "No matter, even if you're not a member of my family, your capabilities make up for it."
He looked at Mo Hua and said, "You can join me and work for me. We will build another Hei Shan Zhai, and I will make you the grand elder of Hei Shan Zhai!"
"I will stay in the shadows, and you will be the leader of Hei Shan Zhai, with millions of evil cultivators under your command. Those evil cultivators will obey your every order!"
Mo Hua's mouth hung open, at a loss for words.
This Qian family elder certainly had a wild imagination.
"Hei Shan Zhai is no more," Mo Hua reminded him.
"The Hei Shan Zhai on Da Hei Mountain is no more," the Qian family elder said, his eyes narrowing. "But there is more than one Da Hei Mountain in this world, and more than one Hei Shan Zhai.
"Anywhere there are people, there can be a Hei Shan Zhai. Different names, but they are all just fear-inducing titles."
Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart.
This Qian family elder had ambitions far greater than he had imagined, and his schemes were truly far-reaching. He was not one to be concerned with immediate gains and losses, and he could set aside temporary grudges.
If he were to succeed, he would undoubtedly become a formidable tyrant in the demonic path.
Mo Hua was in no mood to beat around the bush. "I will never join forces with you!"
"Why?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and came up with a somewhat impressive reason. "Our paths are different, so we cannot work together."
The Qian family elder gave a cold smile. "At such a young age, what do you know about paths?"
"I may not know what a path is, but I know that it's different from yours," Mo Hua replied.
The elder's expression gradually softened, and he said indifferently, "When you grow up, leave Tongxian City, experience the hardships of the world, witness the chaos of the paths, and taste the despair of cultivation, you will understand that I am right..."
"But I won't know until I've experienced it myself," Mo Hua retorted, unconvinced by the elder's words. "How can I know anything for sure without seeing it with my own eyes?"
Knowing that he couldn't persuade Mo Hua, the Qian family elder took a step back.
"You can think about these things later, but for now, you can start by helping me. Whatever you want, I will find a way to get it for you."
The elder spoke earnestly.
With the third master imprisoned in the Daoist prison, he needed a formation master.
Compared to Mo Hua, the third master's understanding of formations was lacking.
The elder didn't care whether the third master lived or died, as long as Mo Hua could help him.
Mo Hua's gaze intensified, and he asked, "Are you planning to kill me?"
"I won't kill you," the elder stated, "but surely you have parents and friends?"
Mo Hua's eyebrows arched defiantly. "You dare touch them?"
Not wanting to incite Mo Hua's anger, the elder softened his tone, aiming for persuasion. "As long as you help me, I won't make things difficult for them."
Mo Hua scoffed inwardly.
"You don't believe me?" the elder asked.
Mo Hua glanced at him disdainfully. "What do you think?"
He had killed his own flesh and blood; clearly, he was devoid of compassion and righteousness. Every word he uttered was a lie, not worth believing.
Even if Mo Hua helped him, he would just be the next Third Master—useful when needed, discarded when not.
The Qian family elder saw that Mo Hua was impervious to his words, and he lost interest in trying to convince him.
Anyway, once his cultivation broke through, he could use Mo Hua's parents as leverage. He was confident that Mo Hua would have no choice but to obey him then.
And with Mo Hua's assistance in formations, it was only a matter of time before he could rebuild Hei Shan Zhai, and it would be even more powerful than before.
It would just take a little more time, that was all.
Time could erode one's resolve, and Mo Hua, being so young, couldn't possibly have an unwavering Dao heart.
The human heart was a vessel of great desires.
All he needed to do was find a way to lure Mo Hua onto the path of evil, even if it was just a single step. After that, there would be no turning back.
By then, Mo Hua would have no choice but to submit to his will.
He could rebuild Hei Shan Zhai, nurture more evil cultivators, and continue to use formations to hide and conceal himself.
However, this time, with Mo Hua's formations boosting its power, Hei Shan Zhai would be even stronger and impossible to discover.
After all, it was unlikely that another young cultivator like Mo Hua, skilled in stealth, formations, courage, and cunning, would dare to infiltrate Hei Shan Zhai and eavesdrop on its secrets hidden in the darkness.
Understanding the elder's intentions, Mo Hua replied with displeasure, "Evil deeds will eventually lead to self-destruction. You should be careful of retribution."
The Qian family elder merely laughed coldly, "If there truly was such a thing as retribution in this world, I would have suffered it long ago. I wouldn't have lived this long."
Mo Hua wanted to say more, but the elder interrupted with a faint smile, "Are you still thinking of ways to stall for time?"
Mo Hua replied boldly, "Haven't I been stalling for time this whole time?"
The elder's gaze upon Mo Hua turned even more appreciative, with a hint of intrigue, "Can you guess whether I'm refining the medicinal power or not right now?"
Mo Hua was taken aback, and as he released his spiritual sense, he felt a shock in his heart.
The elder's aura was gradually growing stronger!
The Qian family elder said calmly, "I know you rang that bell to call for help, but this nest is intricate and complex. By the time they arrive, I would have already refined the medicinal power and broken through to the late Foundation Establishment stage. I will also have driven away or killed those who came, avenging the previous ambush."
Mo Hua was stunned. Everything had been calculated by the elder.
While they were conversing, the elder had been refining the medicinal power of the Transfiguration Pill within his body; he had just been toying with him!
Mo Hua's heart turned cold, and panic began to set in.
He forced himself to calm down and think of another plan.
But his thoughts were in disarray, and for the moment, he couldn't come up with any ideas.
Just as he was at a loss, Mo Hua suddenly stiffened, his face contorting in fear as he looked past the elder, as if witnessing something terrifying.
The Qian family elder thought Mo Hua was trying to deceive him and paid it no mind.
However, Mo Hua had indeed seen something horrifying!
He saw that the dead pig had silently stood up! Its eyes were white, devoid of life, and there was not a trace of aura around it.
The elder was completely unaware.
The pig, shrouded in the aura of death, crept up silently behind the Qian family elder.
The elder sensed that something was amiss, as Mo Hua's expression of fear seemed genuine.
As he was about to turn around to take a look, it was already too late.
The pig demon, with its white eyes, opened its massive jaws and bit off the right half of the elder's body.
The look of shock remained frozen on the elder's face, clueless about what had transpired.
As he struggled to turn, he saw the dead pig, its pale and hollow eyes staring coldly at him.
"How could this be..."
The elder mumbled in disbelief.
The pig demon chewed on the elder's half-eaten body, swallowing it down.
Before the elder could utter another word, the massive jaws opened once more.
This time, the cunning and scheming Qian family elder was devoured whole!
He who fed others to the pig had, in the end, fed the pig himself.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
