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Chapter 485: Sneaking a "Taste"
Chapter 485: Sneaking a "Taste"
The notorious Lu Bo Pi had accumulated a lifetime of evil deeds, yet he had chosen a good son-in-law and established a respectable family head. Even in death, he couldn't rest in peace and ended up being turned into a zombie.
It seemed that karma had finally caught up with him, and he deserved every bit of it...
Mo Hua mused silently to himself.
After cursing Lu Jia's ancestor, Lu Cheng Yun sat down to meditate and restore his spiritual senses.
With no opportunity to sneak away, Mo Hua could only hide behind the altar and patiently wait for Lu Cheng Yun to leave before looking for another chance to escape.
However, Lu Cheng Yun had been meditating for a long time, and his spiritual senses still hadn't recovered...
Mo Hua couldn't help but feel anxious for him.
"Why is his recovery of spiritual senses so slow?"
It only took Mo Hua a moment of meditation to recover, but Lu Cheng Yun was like a tortoise, taking forever. Even after sitting for so long, his spiritual senses had barely improved. Was it a problem with his meditation technique?
Mo Hua frowned in thought.
He had learned meditation from Mr. Zhuang, and by calming his mind and purifying his thoughts, his spiritual senses recovered quickly.
Perhaps Lu Cheng Yun's recovery was slow because he didn't know how to meditate properly, and his mind was filled with complicated thoughts and impure intentions.
Was it just Lu Cheng Yun who was this slow, or did other formation masters take this long to recover their spiritual senses as well? Mo Hua realized he had never paid much attention to this before.
"It seems the meditation technique Master taught me is truly extraordinary..."
Mo Hua's heart filled with gratitude for Mr. Zhuang once again.
Lu Cheng Yun continued to meditate for a while longer before finally opening his eyes, seemingly agitated.
However, his spiritual senses had only recovered a fraction.
Mo Hua was perplexed.
"What is Lu Cheng Yun up to?"
With his spiritual senses still far from fully recovered, how could he start drawing formations?
To Mo Hua's surprise, instead of drawing a formation, Lu Cheng Yun took out a picture from his close-by storage bag.
The picture was a bit crumpled, with creases and footprints that hadn't been wiped clean.
Mo Hua recognized it instantly.
The footprints on the picture were his own.
It was the portrait of the ancestor that Zhang Quan had given him!
It was a zombie portrait, and also a visualization picture!
So this picture had indeed ended up in Lu Cheng Yun's hands!
That ungrateful Zhang Quan, who had forgotten his ancestor, had actually given away his own ancestor, causing Mo Hua so much trouble in finding it.
Mo Hua cursed him inwardly, then fell into deep thought.
Zhang Quan treasured this portrait of his ancestor, so he probably didn't want to give it away and only lent it to Lu Cheng Yun.
There must have been some kind of deal between them.
Zhang Quan must have gained a significant benefit from this transaction, or he wouldn't have lent out the picture.
After all, it was a visualization picture, useful for enhancing one's spiritual senses.
Zhang Quan might not have known its true purpose, but Lu Cheng Yun certainly did.
Mo Hua furrowed his brows again as another question arose.
The purpose of the visualization picture was to enhance one's spiritual senses...
But how did it do that?
In his case, he had directly 'consumed' it because if he didn't, he would have been 'consumed' instead...
But other cultivators didn't have a stele in their sea of consciousness, and they wouldn't be subjected to the divine slaughter. So, they probably couldn't 'consume' it like he did.
If they couldn't 'consume' it, then what would they do?
Wouldn't they be 'consumed' as well?
Or was there a proper way to use the visualization picture that he wasn't aware of?
How did other cultivators use these pictures to enhance their spiritual senses?
...
Mo Hua's head was filled with questions. Quietly poking his head out, he observed Lu Cheng Yun, hoping to learn how he utilized the picture so that he could gain some insight.
Outside the altar, within the Ten Thousand Corpse Formation.
Lu Cheng Yun took out an incense burner and lit three incense sticks.
Then, with reverence, he opened the portrait of the Zhang family's ancestor, bowed, and held the picture up. As the incense smoke curled upwards, he sat cross-legged, his posture straight and his gaze fixed on the image, his mind tranquil as he entered a state of contemplation.
The auras of the man and the picture gradually merged.
Lu Cheng Yun seemed to have entered a profound and subtle state, a realm of enlightenment that could only be comprehended and not described in words.
His spiritual senses were being nourished, slowly recovering and growing stronger.
"How strange..."
Mo Hua frowned.
It seemed that the picture could indeed be used for visualization, and that visualization could enhance one's spiritual senses.
This was different from his own experience...
Mo Hua recalled his first encounter with the picture of the Taoist boy. The boy had transformed into a little ghost and entered his sea of consciousness, attempting to 'consume' him.
The second time, with the portrait of the Zhang family's ancestor, the ancestor had turned into a zombie and lunged at his celestial palace, again trying to 'consume' him...
Neither of them had given him a chance to contemplate and understand the pictures.
Why was that?
Why was Lu Cheng Yun able to calmly pay his respects and utilize the visualization picture to enhance his spiritual senses, while his only options were to 'consume' or be 'consumed'?
There was another question: Hadn't Lu Cheng Yun realized that these seemingly virtuous ancestors of the Zhang family were actually zombies?
Putting himself in their shoes, if he were one of those wicked ghosts, he would also choose to 'consume' a child like himself...
It's a case of a kind person being taken advantage of by ghosts.
Mo Hua sighed helplessly.
...
On the other side, Lu Chengyun was still wholly focused on comprehending the visualization picture, seemingly oblivious to external matters.
Mo Hua contemplated whether he should make his escape now or wait a little longer.
However, as he thought about it, he paused.
With the visualization picture right in front of him, why should he leave?
Lu Chengyun carried the picture with him at all times.
If he didn't find a way to take it now, the next opportunity might not arise for a long time.
But how could he take it?
Stealing it by force was out of the question.
He couldn't defeat Lu Chengyun in a fight.
As for stealing it... he probably wouldn't be able to pull that off either.
Lu Chengyun wasn't a fool or a block of wood.
While Mo Hua's stealth techniques could hide him from Lu Chengyun's senses, attempting to steal something from his possession at such close quarters would be akin to not taking him seriously at all.
"What should I do?"
Mo Hua racked his brains but couldn't come up with a good idea. Finally, he could only give up with a sense of powerlessness.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.
He couldn't take it by force or steal it... but he could 'sneak' a taste!
As long as the visualization picture remained in Lu Chengyun's hands, he might not be able to get it back for the time being. However, he could still collect some 'interest' by capturing a few zombies and having a feast. That shouldn't be a problem.
Mo Hua cautiously poked his small head out again.
From his position, Lu Chengyun's body blocked his view, and he could only see a part of the visualization picture.
But Mo Hua was very familiar with this picture.
Even with just a partial view, he could roughly deduce the scene depicted in the visualization.
A tall and majestic pavilion stood solemnly.
The ancestor of the Zhang family, with an air of dignity, imparted his teachings, surrounded by an ethereal aura.
The disciples reverently listened to his words, passing them on from mouth to mouth.
Lu Chengyun's expression was one of intense focus, as if he had gained profound insights and comprehended the Great Dao from the ancestor's words. His divine sense was unknowingly strengthened as he immersed himself in this state of mind.
However, Mo Hua understood clearly.
Those weren't any 'teachings' but rather pompous and empty nonsense.
They often spouted phrases like 'the Dao', 'fate', and 'truth'...
On the surface, they seemed profound and mysterious, but in reality, they were hollow and meaningless, amounting to nothing.
Lu Chengyun was merely deluding himself.
But Mo Hua didn't bother to point it out. Instead, he hoped that Lu Chengyun would become even more engrossed, preferably brainwashed by the zombie ancestor of the Zhang family, so much so that he would never leave this place.
Mo Hua focused on his own task.
His gaze quickly scanned the visualization picture, picking and choosing his target. Finally, he settled on one of the Zhang family elders.
This elder sat in a corner while the ancestor imparted his teachings. Everyone else seemed engrossed in reciting the words, but this elder seemed somewhat distracted, merely mumbling incoherently as if just going through the motions.
Even without his presence, no one would likely notice.
"You're the one!"
Mo Hua's eyes gleamed as he fixed his gaze on the elder.
The elder, who had been reciting the scripture, suddenly paused as if sensing something. Slowly, he turned his head, and his cloudy eyes landed on Mo Hua.
Just as Mo Hua had expected, a change began to occur.
Under Mo Hua's unwavering gaze, the elder gradually revealed his true form.
Mo Hua's eyes shone with a clear and bright light, like the sun, burning away the elder's facade and exposing his true identity as a zombie.
The zombie elder was both angry and delighted.
Angry that a little ghost dared to look down on him, and delighted because this little ghost had thick divine sense, which meant he would be a delicious meal. A young and immature Qi Refining ghost like him would surely be easy prey.
The zombie elder's face showed his greed, and he couldn't contain his hunger any longer. He immediately leaped out of the picture and into Mo Hua's sea of consciousness.
He believed that a feast of divine sense awaited him.
Little did he know that he was leaping into an abyss from which there was no return...
(End of Chapter)
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