Chapter 552: Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao
Chapter 552: Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao
Can I learn it?
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
No, that's not possible...
Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao... Just the name suggests it's a technique of the demonic path.
As a proper cultivator, I shouldn't stray down the treacherous path of the demonic arts. What if I lose my way, fall into the depths of darkness, and become a little demon?
"But even if I can't learn it, can I at least study it?"
Mo Hua's thoughts took a turn.
He recalled his master's words of caution about the "Mystic Path" on the night they parted:
"He has already fallen into the clutches of demonic influence, and the path he cultivates is the 'Mystic' art..."
"His heart is cold, and his methods are formidable. He is also extremely arrogant, but he is adept in the art of spiritual consciousness, and his mastery over it is unparalleled..."
"If you ever encounter him, you must be cautious and on your guard..."
...
Be cautious if we ever meet...
Mo Hua furrowed his brows.
Was there a deeper meaning behind Master's words?
Did he foresee or predict that I would encounter this Mystic Path cultivator, and that's why he warned me to be careful? But how can I be cautious? Mo Hua wondered, his heart filled with uncertainty.
"Know yourself, know your enemy?"
Only by understanding the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao can I guard against it.
If I know nothing about it, I might fall prey to my "Senior Martial Brother's" techniques, becoming his puppet and losing control of myself without even realizing it.
Moreover, Master said that the Mystic Path cultivator had "unparalleled mastery over spiritual consciousness."
If even Master describes it as unparalleled, then the Mystic cultivator's spiritual consciousness techniques must be refined to perfection and incredibly powerful.
I should at least try to learn what I can.
As for the righteous path and the demonic path...
Mo Hua stroked his chin, deep in thought.
What is considered righteous and what is deemed demonic are both manifestations of the "Dao," reflections of the Great Dao.
Take formation spells, for example.
At first glance, there seems to be a clear distinction between evil and righteous formation spells. However, their essence adheres to the fundamental principles and framework of formation spells.
The difference lies in their intent. Righteous formation spells aim to comprehend the Dao of Heaven and grasp the true essence of spiritual power.
Evil formation spells, on the other hand, are driven by impatience and greed. They sacrifice the integrity of the formation for quick results, prioritizing power and using human blood as ink, bones as pivots, flesh as mediums, and the sea of blood and qi as eyes.
Yin and Yang give birth to each other, and difficulty and ease complement each other. Just as righteousness and evil contradict each other, they also prove each other's existence.
Is the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao similar?
Learn its techniques, understand its principles, and grasp its path.
Even if I can't use the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao, I can still gain insight through analogy and comprehend the principles of spiritual consciousness manipulation, thus learning the techniques of spiritual consciousness manipulation.
At the very least, I can know my enemy and protect myself from my "Senior Martial Brother's" schemes.
However, I must remain steadfast in my heart and not waver from the righteous path.
It's easy to stray from the righteous path, but turning back from the demonic path is exceedingly difficult...
Mo Hua nodded involuntarily.
I must not be bewitched by the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao.
I won't become a little demon! Mo Hua made up his mind and then began to follow the Mystic Path cultivator, peeking and prying as he observed how the Mystic Path cultivator used the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao to manipulate others and slaughter cultivators...
The Mystic Path cultivator acted without restraint, wreaking havoc wherever he went, frequently employing the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao.
After witnessing it numerous times and combining it with his understanding of spiritual consciousness and his experience with spiritual consciousness killing techniques, Mo Hua gained a rough understanding of the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao.
It was a magical art of spiritual consciousness that sounded ordinary but seemed bizarre, and upon deeper reflection, was terrifying. In practice, it was cold, cruel, and almost impossible to counter.
Qi and blood injure the flesh.
Spiritual power injures the meridians.
But the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao injures the spiritual consciousness itself.
It transforms one's own spiritual consciousness into demonic thoughts, and after differentiation, it spreads like a plague, infecting and lodging itself in others' seas of consciousness.
It was similar to the covert possession technique depicted in the visualization diagram, but far more powerful.
Covert possession parasitically consumes the sea of consciousness and has many limitations, taking a long time to show effects.
However, the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao takes effect extremely quickly. Those infected by the Mystic Path cultivator's "demon seed" would, in just a few breaths, find themselves deeply rooted in demonic thoughts, unable to extricate themselves.
Covert possession is an external invasion of evil.
Demon seed, on the other hand, is more like internal pollution, directly corrupting and transforming the heart of the Dao into demonic tendencies.
It's not that the Mystic cultivator controls them.
Rather, it seems like they can't control their own demonic thoughts.
Even though they are being manipulated by someone else, it feels like they are acting according to their own will and desires.
By planting demonic thoughts within the heart of the Dao...
In this sense, the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao devours and destroys the heart of the Dao itself!
A chill ran through Mo Hua's heart, and he turned his gaze to the Mystic cultivator, a newfound doubt surfacing in his mind: "Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao, differentiation of demonic thoughts... Then where is the true 'Mystic Path' cultivator, or rather, where is the source of his demonic thoughts?"
"If I don't eliminate that demonic thought, will the Mystic cultivator never die?"
"Furthermore, is it possible that as long as the demonic thoughts are not completely eradicated, even if the source of the demonic thoughts is killed, the 'Mystic cultivator' won't die?"
"Doesn't that mean he would truly be... immortal and indestructible?!"
Mo Hua's heart trembled at the realization.
This "Senior Martial Brother" of his seemed far more terrifying than he had imagined...
But then, another thought occurred to Mo Hua:
"Such a terrifying Senior Martial Brother, such a formidable Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao, I must study it thoroughly..."
Mo Hua nodded involuntarily and continued to spy on the Mystic cultivator.
This time, he observed more carefully and discovered even more...
First, the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao required a medium.
The six senses—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—could all serve as mediums.
The six dusts—form, sound, odor, taste, touch, and dharmas—were all pathways.
Some cultivators infected by the "Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao" had merely glanced at the Mystic cultivator, while others had heard him speak.
Some had smelled the blood on him, and some had tasted his blood.
There were also those who had fought the Mystic cultivator, touching his deathly pale and slightly putrid flesh, causing their hearts of the Dao to crumble and becoming his puppets.
And those who perish under the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao meet different fates.
For cultivators of low realms, a mere glance is enough to taint their hearts, leading them to self-destruct.
The miscellaneous demon cultivators they encountered along the way all met their end in this manner at the hands of Senior Martial Brother.
For those with slightly higher realms, close-range contact is employed, allowing the demonic thoughts to parasitize them.
For example, the two dozen or so Golden Core cultivators who were killed earlier had their hearts planted with demonic thoughts, causing them to desire to become 'immortals' and ultimately leading to their self-destruction.
As for those with even higher realms, like the old man in the blood-red robe who had accompanied the Saint Child and wielded the bell, black demonic sword, and possessed a firm will and higher cultivation, they are more challenging to deal with.
In such cases, Senior Martial Brother has no choice but to use words.
He confuses their intellect, shatters their mental defenses, corrupts their hearts, and unleashes their demonic desires.
The old man couldn't withstand it and brought about his own destruction...
But what if the cultivator's realm is even higher?
With the level of demonic thoughts that Senior Martial Brother is currently parasitizing, would he be powerless? Mo Hua pondered but couldn't figure it out.
The blood-robed old man at the late Golden Core stage was the cultivator with the highest realm that Mo Hua had seen perish under the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao.
He hadn't witnessed Senior Martial Brother dealing with cultivators of even higher realms, so without a reference, he couldn't analyze the situation.
However, this was beyond his current concerns, and Mo Hua didn't dwell on it.
The pressing matter at hand was to start from the basics and analyze the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao through specific examples.
As he continued to observe, Mo Hua gradually became more familiar with the methods of employing the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao.
Although its manifestations were complex and unpredictable, its essence remained the manipulation of spiritual consciousness.
Mo Hua felt a sudden enlightenment, but he still vaguely felt that he hadn't crossed that threshold and truly grasped the concept of the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao.
He needed to observe more, learn more, and think more...
With each person the Mystic Path cultivator killed using the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao, Mo Hua's understanding of it deepened.
Initially, the Mystic cultivator was unaware of Mo Hua's actions.
It was only after he had used the Demon Seed to kill a few demon cultivators and noticed Mo Hua's unusual quietness that he turned to see Mo Hua staring at him with his big, round eyes.
It seemed like Mo Hua was memorizing, calculating, learning, and summarizing something all at once...
He went from deep in thought to a gradual enlightenment, and his eyes shone brighter and brighter...
The Mystic cultivator's pitch-black pupils trembled, and he was utterly shocked.
This little thing... What is he secretly learning?!
Learning the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao?!
Where on earth did this Senior Martial Brother of his pick up such a ruthless and unscrupulous junior disciple?!
The Mystic cultivator's expressionless face underwent a series of changes before finally returning to its usual calm.
He didn't say a word, but from then on, he became more restrained in his actions.
He no longer killed indiscriminately.
When he used the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao, he did so with great restraint.
Even when he did use it, he only employed the simplest and most basic methods of planting demonic thoughts.
Mo Hua noticed this change and quietly asked, "Senior Martial Brother, these demon cultivators are targeting Master. Aren't you going to kill them?"
However, the Mystic cultivator remained indifferent and ignored him.
Mo Hua sighed and understood that the Mystic cultivator was guarding against him.
He was hiding things and not letting him watch anymore!
Mo Hua felt a bit unhappy and grumbled to himself, "Senior Martial Brother is so stingy..."
He actually won't let me watch anymore.
I haven't figured it out yet...
But Mo Hua had no choice.
"Fine, if I can't watch, then I won't."
He could only commit the previous scenes of the Demon Seed in the Heart of the Dao to memory and ponder over them in his free time, carefully contemplating them to try and gain some insight into the methods of manipulating spiritual consciousness and to learn some superficial techniques from his Senior Martial Brother, who had reached the pinnacle in the art of spiritual consciousness manipulation.
...
The two continued on their journey toward Lishan City.
A few days later, on one evening, Mo Hua followed the Mystic cultivator to a dilapidated temple.
It was unknown which deity this temple was dedicated to, but it had fallen into disrepair over the years, and the doors and windows were broken.
For some reason, the Mystic cultivator insisted on staying there for the night.
That night, the moon cast a cold light.
As the mountain breeze blew, a chill filled the air.
Mo Hua drew a Warm Fire Array on the ground to start a fire for warmth and roasted some wild sweet potatoes, wild yams, and fish he had caught along the way.
As they were roasting the food, they heard several footsteps approaching.
It seemed like a few people were heading toward the dilapidated temple.
At the same time, there were faint voices carrying over: "...Let's just go back..."
"Are you content with that?"
"We have no choice..."
"The area near Dalisan is too chaotic, and it's no longer a place we can stay. Moreover, we can't let Young Master Yun come to any harm..."
Young Master Yun? Mo Hua was slightly startled.
The voices grew closer, and he recognized them as belonging to the three people he had encountered in Nanyue City: the elderly man, the middle-aged man, and the young man.
"Senior, don't worry about me. I..."
"What are you saying? Your father entrusted you to my care. If something happens to you, how can I face him..."
"I think that if we're careful, we might still have a chance..."
This was the voice of the middle-aged cultivator.
"These past few days, I've felt nervous and on edge, as if some great calamity is approaching. I can't sleep at night, so I want to leave..."
"If you leave, you'll miss out on this opportunity..."
"Don't be delusional. The true demonic cultivators of the Great Li Mountain have yet to arrive..."
"Our Daoting Sect has powerful cultivators too, don't we?"
"How can that be the same? You..."
As the three of them talked, they entered the dilapidated temple and were surprised to see Mo Hua and Mo Hua sitting there.
The Mysterious Daoist sat in the shadows, his figure obscured and difficult to make out.
Mo Hua was drawing a Warm Fire Array on the ground, roasting some food over the fire. His small face was flushed from the heat, and his cheeks were puffed out as he munched on a sweet potato.
Mo Hua recognized the thin and elderly man; his surname was Wen. Upon seeing Mo Hua and the Mysterious Daoist, he was first surprised and then cupped his hands in greeting, "Please pardon us, elders. We intend to stay here for the night, and we hope that you can accommodate us."
After speaking, Elder Wen looked at Mo Hua with a puzzled expression.
He felt that on this dark and windy night, in the dim light of the broken temple, Mo Hua's carefree attitude as he roasted and ate his food seemed somewhat eerie.
At the same time, he also felt that Mo Hua looked vaguely familiar.
It was as if he had seen him somewhere before, and the impression should have been quite deep.
However, he just couldn't remember.
Mo Hua was also surprised.
These three people didn't seem to recognize him.
But it didn't matter; in the current situation, it was better to pretend they didn't know each other.
So, Mo Hua didn't say anything and simply nodded in response.
Elder Wen cupped his hands again to express his thanks. The middle-aged cultivator, on the other hand, was haughty and simply sat down without a word.
Young Master Yun, however, looked at Mo Hua with confusion. After a while, he still couldn't quite place him, so he cupped his hands in a polite gesture of thanks.
Mo Hua remembered Young Master Yun quite clearly.
He was a second-rate array master, with thin skin and a shy demeanor. However, he had a good heart and was very enthusiastic. He didn't hold back when it came to array knowledge either.
They had gotten along quite well.
Mo Hua turned his head and stole a glance at the Mysterious Daoist, feeling a bit worried.
Would his "Master" kill these people?
He held the sweet potato in his hand without eating it, instead focusing on observing the Mysterious Daoist. He noticed that his breath was steady, and his senses were all restrained, showing no signs of using the Heart Demon Seed technique, which finally eased Mo Hua's worries.
Mo Hua took advantage of the warmth from the fire and finished eating his sweet potato. Then, he adjusted the light of the Warm Fire Array to make it dimmer.
As the night deepened, the shadows also grew longer, obscuring the Mysterious Daoist's figure even more.
Mo Hua nodded slightly.
With the dimmer light, Young Master Yun and his companions wouldn't be able to see the "Master's" figure clearly.
On the other side, Young Master Yun and his group found a clean spot and sat down, beginning to converse in low voices.
It seemed like they were trying to avoid being overheard by Mo Hua and the Mysterious Daoist, so their voices were very soft, and their words were quite cryptic.
Mo Hua's spiritual sense was extraordinary, and he could hear bits and pieces of their conversation, but it was still rather vague.
It seemed like Elder Wen wanted to leave, but the middle-aged cultivator disagreed, while Young Master Yun was torn between the two options, wanting to leave but also feeling reluctant to give up something.
The middle-aged cultivator scoffed at Elder Wen, "The older you get, the more cowardly you become."
Elder Wen retorted, "It's precisely because I'm cowardly that I've lived this long."
He glanced at the middle-aged cultivator and coldly smiled, "You might not even live to be as old as I am..."
The two of them bickered for a while and then began discussing the Daoting Sect and the Demon Sect, mentioning a bunch of names that sounded very impressive. However, Mo Hua's experience was limited, and he didn't recognize any of the names.
They talked about various figures, such as "Honored Masters," "Immortals," "Rakshasa," "Valley Lords," and "Ancestors."
Who were these people, and what were their statuses and relationships?
The three of them chatted on and on.
Since Mo Hua didn't recognize the names and found their conversation about clan marriages, promotions, ancestor birthdays, and burials rather boring, he started to feel drowsy.
In his half-awake state, Mo Hua suddenly heard them mention something that startled him:
"You say that person... what exactly does he have on him?"
Mo Hua immediately snapped back to full alertness.
That person...
Were they talking about... his master? Mo Hua secretly looked up.
Elder Wen's expression turned solemn, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
The middle-aged cultivator's eyes narrowed, "You actually know something?"
Elder Wen remained silent.
The middle-aged cultivator grew impatient, "Come on, just say it already..."
Young Master Yun also looked curious.
Elder Wen hesitated for a long time before finally sighing, "I... also heard about it by chance. It's good that you know, but please don't tell anyone else..."
The middle-aged cultivator assured him, "Don't worry."
Elder Wen sighed again and continued, "Our sect's former leader was extremely skilled in calculations and had a long history. Unfortunately, before he passed away, his sea of consciousness deteriorated, and his mind became dull, so sometimes he would speak without thinking..."
Elder Wen didn't want to disrespect his predecessor, so he chose his words carefully.
"One day, he accidentally let something slip, and I happened to overhear it..."
"He said that the secret that person carries involves... the Burial of Ruins..."
Burial of Ruins?
What did that mean? Mo Hua frowned.
Suddenly, the surrounding aura changed, and Mo Hua turned his head to look at the Mysterious Daoist, his eyes widening in shock.
In the pitch-black night, the Mysterious Daoist had opened his eyes, his pupils darker than the night itself, and his breath was agitated. His senses had also undergone a strange transformation.
He... had the intent to kill!
(End of Chapter)
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