Chapter 457: Eat Up
Chapter 457: Eat Up
Mo Hua destroyed the zombie disciple, consuming its evil thoughts before beginning to meditate to refine them.
Within these evil thoughts were fragmented memories—memories of refining corpses, nurturing them, and controlling them.
The Zhang family's lineage involved clandestine activities, selling coffins outwardly while secretly refining corpses. This disciple was no exception.
He was considered one of Zhang Quan's ancestors, but his talent was mediocre. He had only reached the Qi Refining stage and hadn't practiced for long before the corpse poison invaded his heart, turning him into a zombie.
Fearing exposure, the Zhang family killed him and sealed his divine consciousness within the Ancestral Master Painting.
He was just like many other ancestors of the Zhang family.
In life, he was a zombie, and in death, he remained one. Thus, the evil thoughts that manifested after his passing also took the form of a zombie.
The entire Zhang clan was similarly half-human, half-zombie.
As Mo Hua refined the evil thoughts, a cold, putrid, and decaying desire polluted his spiritual sense. A bloodthirsty craving emerged within him, as if he had transformed into a zombie, yearning to devour flesh and choose his prey.
Faced with the intrusion of evil thoughts, Mo Hua immediately entered a state of meditation, calming his mind and dispelling unwanted desires.
He remained unfazed, remembering Master Zhuang's words about how each invasion of evil thoughts was a test of one's Dao heart.
For a cultivator, it was crucial to uphold one's initial resolve and safeguard one's Dao heart amidst the onslaught of worldly desires and evil temptations.
Should one's Dao heart falter and their initial aspiration be extinguished, it would be easy to stray from the path of Heaven.
People are not born impervious to all evils.
The Dao heart also needs to be cultivated and strengthened over time.
Mo Hua intended to start small, using these minor evil thoughts to temper his will and gradually attain enlightenment.
Bit by bit, he would solidify his Dao heart until he could withstand any evil influence.
Even if a malevolent god invaded his mind or a heavenly demon disturbed his heart, his mind would remain as clear as a mirror, untainted by any corruption.
Mo Hua quickly refined the zombie disciple, dispelling its faint evil thoughts. His spiritual sense had noticeably improved.
This was the most significant enhancement his spiritual sense had undergone in the past few months.
However, it still wasn't enough.
Mo Hua smacked his lips, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.
The zombie disciple had only reached the Qi Refining stage, and his spiritual sense wasn't particularly strong. After refining away the evil thoughts, there wasn't much spiritual sense to be gained.
This meager amount wasn't even enough to fill the gaps in his teeth.
Feeling a bit disappointed, Mo Hua opened his eyes.
Bai Zisheng was staring intently at him. Seeing that Mo Hua had opened his eyes, he immediately asked, "How is it?"
"It's fine," Mo Hua replied.
Bai Zisheng breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "What now?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment before answering, "I'll take another look, and you'll do as you said before..."
"Mhm." Bai Zisheng nodded. "Knock me out, call out for your master, burn the painting, and scatter the ashes..."
Although there were some discrepancies with what Mo Hua had said, it was more or less the same idea.
Mo Hua carefully unfolded the so-called "Ancestral Master Painting," which was, in reality, a "Zombie Painting" used for visualization.
He glanced at it once more.
The person in the painting turned to look at him, revealing a zombie-like face.
Then, a zombie stepped out of the painting and leaped into Mo Hua's sea of consciousness.
This time, Mo Hua released two zombies before closing the painting again.
These two zombies had also only reached the Qi Refining stage. In terms of their human identities, they were disciples of the Zhang family, but as zombies, they were merely walking corpses.
After entering Mo Hua's sea of consciousness, the two zombie disciples glanced at each other, their faces reflecting the same wild joy.
This sea of consciousness was incredibly vast.
The spiritual sense within it was abundant.
There was enough to sustain them for a long time.
They might even be able to eat their way directly to the Foundation Establishment stage!
Who would have thought that the sea of consciousness of this young cultivator would be such a feast?
But before they could rejoice for too long...
A Fireball Technique whistled toward them, exploding in an instant.
It blew one of the walking corpses away, and the crimson flames engulfed its entire body, causing it to writhe in agony on the ground.
The other walking corpse froze.
What was that just now? A Fireball Technique? Where did it come from within the sea of consciousness?
It soon realized the source of the Fireball Technique.
Not far away, a young cultivator with exquisite features and profound eyes, devoid of any emotion, was pointing at it with his small hands clasped together.
Before the walking corpse could react, a fireball had formed between the young cultivator's fingers.
This fireball was incredibly fast, accurate, and fierce.
In an instant, it flew right in front of the walking corpse.
The pupil of the walking corpse, now a deathly pale color, was filled with the red glow of the fireball, and then its entire body was blown away by the Fireball Technique, falling to the ground and suffering the torment of the raging flames.
This pain felt very real.
The walking corpse almost forgot that it had already died and no longer had a physical body.
Its heart was filled with dread.
Who exactly was this young cultivator?
However, Mo Hua didn't plan to waste any more time talking.
Time was limited, so he decided to act swiftly.
He wouldn't play hide-and-seek this time, as the Qi Refining stage walking corpses couldn't provide any clues about the true strength of the Zhang family's ancestors.
Mo Hua took a straightforward and brutal approach, using the Fireball Technique to blast both walking corpses to pieces.
After destroying them, he refined their evil thoughts to enhance his spiritual sense.
Then, Mo Hua repeated the process: he opened the painting, released the zombies, blasted them with fireballs, and refined their evil thoughts.
Although the evil thoughts of Qi Refining zombies weren't particularly strong, they accumulated over time. After "eating" several walking corpses, Mo Hua felt a significant improvement in his spiritual sense.
But it still wasn't enough.
This time, he set his sights on the few ancestors of the Zhang family who were seated near the front.
Those seated closer to the front were more prominent figures in the Zhang family's lineage, at least holding the position of elders.
The evil thoughts of elders should be stronger as well.
But how could he lure them into his sea of consciousness? Mo Hua thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up.
He took out two pieces of paper. One piece covered the Zhang family's ancestor, and the other covered the junior disciples seated at the end.
He left only the middle section uncovered, where the elders of the Zhang family were seated.
Mo Hua randomly picked one of them and stared directly at him.
In just a few breaths, the "person" turned his head to look at Mo Hua.
He, too, had a zombie-like face.
With a hooked nose, narrow eyes, a sinister expression, and an ashen face, he resembled an iron corpse!
Upon seeing Mo Hua, his expression turned vicious, and a flash of greed appeared in his grayish-white eyes. Then, he pounced into Mo Hua's sea of consciousness.
Once inside, the iron corpse paused, taken aback by what he saw.
Its laughter was hoarse and grating, an unpleasant sound.
Hidden nearby, Mo Hua nodded.
It seemed that even the iron corpse elder couldn't see through his concealment...
Mo Hua crept up behind the iron corpse with his club in hand. He raised the Thousand Jun Club high and brought it down on the iron corpse's head.
The club struck the back of the iron corpse's head with a loud "clang," like the sound of metal colliding.
Mo Hua's palm tingled with the impact.
The iron corpse elder staggered, its face contorting in pain and confusion as it turned to face Mo Hua, looking even more shocked.
After a moment, it regained its composure, its eyes filled with greed.
It looked at Mo Hua as if he were a thousand-year-old ginseng root.
But Mo Hua felt a twinge of disappointment.
It seemed that the iron corpse's strength was still formidable.
The sneak attack hadn't caused much damage.
Unlike ordinary walking corpses, the iron corpse's figure remained solid even after being struck by the club, staggering only a few steps back with a pained expression.
The two faced off, neither making a move.
The iron corpse elder couldn't fathom Mo Hua's background, and although it was covetous, it was also wary.
It scrutinized Mo Hua carefully, then looked around, suddenly realizing something. Its hoarse voice asked, "So that's why several disciples entered your spiritual sea but couldn't get out. They fell victim to your schemes!"
Manifesting his divine sense, Mo Hua's spiritual power was profound.
It was by no means inferior to that of the iron corpse elder.
Those few disciples of the Zhang family in the Walking Corpse stage were no match for this young cultivator.
Their deaths at his hands were justified.
Mo Hua neither confirmed nor denied it.
The iron corpse elder's face turned stern. "What crime have you committed by killing the disciples of my Zhang family?"
Mo Hua thought to himself:
"Not only am I going to kill the disciples of your Zhang family, but I'll also kill your ancestors..."
But outwardly, he merely replied nonchalantly:
"They wanted to eat me, so I killed them. It's their fault for bringing it upon themselves."
The iron corpse elder sneered, "They just wanted to take a few bites of your spiritual sense, but you killed them. Such cruel and vicious methods at such a young age."
Mo Hua was stunned. "Did your brain rot when you became a zombie? How can you say such things?"
The iron corpse elder let out a cold huff.
It was assessing Mo Hua's strength in its mind.
This young cultivator's manifestation of his spiritual sense was likely due to innate talent.
But the clash of divine senses was not so simple.
How could this young cultivator, no matter how talented, compare to the Zhang family's centuries-old techniques of the Corpse Way?
He might have taken advantage of one or two disciples, but since it had entered his spiritual sea, this young cultivator was now a grand feast for the entire Zhang family!
The iron corpse elder licked its lips as it gazed at the tender and adorable Mo Hua.
Mo Hua understood its intentions and coldly thought to himself:
"Who's going to be whose meal remains to be seen."
The iron corpse elder could no longer hold back as it gazed at Mo Hua.
It abruptly opened its large mouth, revealing sharp fangs coated with putrid corpse poison. Its body transformed into a green light as it lunged at Mo Hua, ready to take a bite.
However, its seemingly swift attack was already anticipated by Mo Hua.
With the Flowing Water Step, Mo Hua effortlessly dodged the iron corpse elder's assault.
The iron corpse elder relentlessly continued its assault, changing tactics by extending its sharp claws and pouncing from different angles, but each attempt was deftly avoided by Mo Hua.
In the end, Mo Hua even stepped on the iron corpse elder's head as he casually retreated.
The iron corpse elder was both enraged and annoyed.
How dare this young cultivator humiliate it?
It prepared to pounce again, but the distant Mo Hua pointed a finger, and fire blazed forth.
A fireball whistled towards it.
The iron corpse elder's pupil contracted as it hastily crossed its arms in front of its face to block.
The fireball exploded right in front of it.
The sleeves of its arms were incinerated, revealing iron-blue, corpse-like arms.
Its arms were charred black from the fire.
Licks of flame continued to dance across its body.
The iron corpse elder inhaled sharply, startled.
Fireball Technique?
How was this possible?
How could spiritual sense be condensed into a spell?
It realized something was amiss...
This young cultivator's ability to manifest his spiritual sense wasn't merely due to good luck or innate talent.
He must have inherited a divine sense cultivation technique!
Manifesting spells within one's spiritual sea—such a brilliant tactic. After parasitizing so many cultivators' spiritual seas and consuming their spiritual sense, it had never encountered such a method and had never even heard of it.
Even the ancestors might not have known of this technique.
The iron corpse elder felt a sense of fear.
"We need to reconsider our approach..."
It would be unwise to engage in a one-on-one battle with this young cultivator.
It needed to gather the full strength of the Zhang family, devise another plan, kill this young cultivator, and then feast on his spiritual sense.
If the opportunity arose, it would also seize his inheritance!
The Zhang family's power would surely increase exponentially!
Having made up its mind, the iron corpse elder intended to retreat.
But Mo Hua instantly saw through its plan.
Since it wanted to flee, Mo Hua wouldn't hold back.
He cast the Water Prison Technique to restrain the iron corpse, then unleashed a barrage of fireballs, one after another, engulfing the iron corpse elder in raging flames.
After a moment, the fire subsided, leaving behind billowing smoke.
The iron corpse elder roared and stepped out of the fire and smoke, its eyes glowing red and its body enlarged. Its skin had turned iron-blue and black, indicating that it had further zombified, and its overall strength had increased.
"You've angered me, little brat!"
The iron corpse elder was furious in its zombified state.
However, to Mo Hua, it made little difference.
He continued to use the Water Prison Technique to restrain it, followed by the Fireball Technique to blast it.
The iron corpse elder was unable to utilize its full strength and could only endure Mo Hua's suppression. Sensing something amiss, it mustered all its might and charged through the explosions of the fireball technique, rushing towards Mo Hua.
But when it looked up, Mo Hua was already gone.
Mo Hua had calmly retreated using the Flowing Water Step, once again creating distance before restraining it with the Water Prison Technique and bombarding it with fireballs...
Amidst the dancing flames, the iron corpse elder's face twisted in fear and its body staggered, its heart filled with dread.
How could it be that after living for so many years and consuming so many cultivators, it was completely outmatched by this young cultivator?
Iron Corpse Elder was incredulous.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, furrowed his brows.
It seemed... impossible to kill.
After further corpse transformation, the Iron Corpse's flesh had become too tough.
Relying solely on the Fireball Technique, he could suppress and defeat it, but it was challenging to deliver a fatal blow.
If this stalemate continued, there was a chance that his spiritual sense would be exhausted, causing his spells to weaken, and then it would find an opportunity to escape.
Mo Hua's eyes turned cold, "We need to find a way to finish it off."
Iron Corpse Elder understood this principle as well.
Knowing he was no match for Mo Hua, he could only endure the onslaught of the Fireball Technique, minimizing the damage and waiting for Mo Hua's spiritual sense to deplete before he could escape or counter-attack.
This tactic of suppression also consumed a significant amount of spiritual sense.
This brat won't last long...
Sure enough, after a short while, the Fireball Technique stopped.
Iron Corpse Elder's heart filled with joy, and as he looked up, he saw Mo Hua closing his eyes and concentrating, seemingly doing something mysterious.
Iron Corpse Elder was taken aback.
What was this brat up to?
Had he lost focus? Or given up? Or perhaps, something was wrong with his spiritual sense? Should he flee or pounce and finish him off?
As he hesitated for that moment, he suddenly realized something was amiss.
The surrounding aura seemed to be changing.
Iron Corpse Elder looked down and saw countless faint blue, delicate spiritual threads on the ground, winding and intertwining, forming intricate patterns.
Iron Corpse Elder's eyes widened in surprise.
What was this?
He wanted to flee, but it was too late.
Mo Hua had already completed his first formation.
It was a Golden Lock Formation.
The faint blue spiritual energy on the ground formed a formation, emitting golden light and condensing into sections of spiritual energy chains, locking the Iron Corpse Elder in place.
Iron Corpse Elder struggled a few times but couldn't break free.
After a while, the second formation was also complete.
It was a Melting Fire Formation.
As the formation patterns took shape, the faint blue spiritual energy turned into dazzling red light, transforming the ground into a sea of fire, like a blazing molten furnace, trapping the Iron Corpse Elder and incinerating him.
Iron Corpse Elder's heart was filled with fear.
Formations?
Was this brat a formation master?
But was this how formation masters created formations?
Without brush or ink, how could he condense formations so quickly with mere spiritual will?
Formations adhere to the laws of heaven, and their killing power is immense.
Moreover, these formations were incredibly realistic and powerful.
Iron Corpse Elder's heart trembled.
"It's over. I've fallen into a trap."
All he wanted was to come out and have a bite to eat, but now he was being grilled by this unknown brat's formations?
The cultivation world is truly treacherous!
Even a young brat could be so dangerous.
Facing imminent death, Iron Corpse Elder wanted to struggle with all his might and make one last desperate attempt.
For a moment, he managed to break free from the Golden Lock Formation, but Mo Hua's Water Prison Technique immediately immobilized him again. Soon after, the spiritual energy of the Golden Lock Formation regenerated, turning back into golden locks and restraining him once more.
Meanwhile, the Molten Fire Formation continued to burn his body relentlessly.
A dull knife will eventually cut through flesh.
Iron Corpse Elder felt despair creeping into his heart.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, studied the Iron Corpse Elder, then asked out of curiosity:
"Did your ancestor pass down the method of corpse transformation to you?"
Iron Corpse Elder gritted his teeth and replied:
"So what if they did?"
"Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?" Mo Hua inquired.
Iron Corpse Elder remained silent, seething with anger.
"If you don't have any other tricks, you're going to die here today." Mo Hua "kindly" reminded him.
Iron Corpse Elder was so furious that he couldn't speak.
Mo Hua stroked his chin, deep in thought.
It seemed that the Iron Corpse Elder had indeed exhausted all his options and had no other tricks left.
Mo Hua felt a mix of regret and disappointment as he said:
"Is this all your ancestors passed down to you?"
Iron Corpse Elder let out a cold laugh, "Of course not. My ancestors had countless tricks up their sleeves. How could you, a mere brat... "
As he spoke, he suddenly paused, then his eyes widened in shock.
Was this brat trying to trick him?
What was he up to? What did he want to know? Ancestors...
He wanted to figure out the ancestors' tricks. Could it be... he was plotting against the ancestors?
Iron Corpse Elder's heart filled with dread.
No, that's impossible.
How could a mere brat...
Iron Corpse Elder was stunned for a moment, then his face contorted in horror.
No, it's possible! With the incomprehensible abilities he displayed in the sea of consciousness, it's entirely possible for him to harm the ancestors! If he succeeds, and he figures out the ancestors' tricks, then the ancestors...
The ancestors are in grave danger!
Iron Corpse Elder's heart trembled.
Mo Hua saw that his thoughts had been exposed and sighed, "It would have been better if you remained ignorant."
Now that you've figured everything out, I have no choice but to kill you.
Although Mo Hua had never intended to let him live in the first place.
Mo Hua didn't waste any more time and focused on manipulating the formations, directly incinerating the terrified Iron Corpse Elder and then swallowing him whole.
The strength of the Iron Corpse's spiritual sense had increased significantly.
After consuming it, Mo Hua couldn't refine it all at once and estimated that it would take a few days to do so gradually.
Occasionally, some evil thoughts would surface in his mind.
Mo Hua could only calm his mind and meditate to gradually suppress these evil thoughts.
After withdrawing from his sea of consciousness, Mo Hua opened his eyes and looked at the Zhang family's ancestral painting.
There were still many zombies, a few Iron Corpses, and the ancestors of Zhang Quan in the painting.
One by one...
Not a single one will escape! I wonder if consuming them all at once will instantly bring my spiritual sense to the thirteenth level...
Mo Hua couldn't help but ponder this possibility.
Bai Zisheng, seeing Mo Hua's state, asked, "Are... Are you alright?"
Mo Hua snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head, "I'm fine."
Bai Zisheng, however, frowned, "Something's not right..."
Bai Zisheng's eyes, like still waters, fixed on Mo Hua, and he asked, "Your face looks... mischievous."
Mo Hua rubbed his cheeks, "I ate something bad, and now I need to digest it."
This chapter is a bit long, over 5,000 characters. Sorry for the delay~
(End of Chapter)
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