https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-611-Sword-of-Divine-Consciousness/12542703/
Chapter 610: The Jade Slip of Duan Jin
Chapter 610: The Jade Slip of Duan Jin
The burly man shouted angrily, "I won't!"
The iron plate before him was covered in intricate array patterns, resembling a bed of knife needles and fiery hell. One could tell at a glance that it was definitely not something pleasant.
"Won't you kneel?" Mo Hua asked, his face expressionless.
The man sneered, "Do you think I'm stupid...Ah—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Ouyang Feng grabbed him and kicked him in the knee.
The man's knees buckled, and as soon as they made contact with the iron plate, he let out a painful howl. Cold sweat formed on his forehead, and his face contorted in agony.
Mo Hua, unsure if the man was truly in pain or merely feigning it, asked curiously:
"Does it hurt?"
He genuinely wanted to know...
While he had designed this iron plate himself and carefully inscribed each array, Mo Hua wasn't exactly sure of its effects.
He had guessed that it would probably be painful, though.
After all, he had inscribed not just one but several torturous arrays onto the iron plate...
There was the Gen Mountain Micro-Needle Array, which, when activated, would cause spiritual energy to condense into tiny needles that pierced the knees, inflicting intense pain.
The Eight Trigrams Kan Water Array would cause spiritual energy to seep into the knees, bringing an icy chill that felt like thousands of needles stabbing the joints.
And then there was the Li Fire Array, where fire-attributed spiritual energy would slowly burn, causing an excruciating scorching sensation...
These three arrays worked in succession, subjecting the victim to the sensations of needles piercing their bones, freezing cold, and burning heat.
It was definitely not an enjoyable experience.
However, Mo Hua had no idea just how unpleasant it truly was.
He wasn't foolish enough to test it on himself, though.
This traitor from the Duan Jin Gate was the first person to experience the "Mountain, Water, and Fire Torture" iron plate.
Mo Hua was curious about the man's feedback so that he could evaluate his design and make improvements to the arrays if necessary.
Hence, his question was asked with genuine sincerity.
But the burly man misinterpreted it as mockery and ridicule, and his anger surged. His eyes turned red, and he gritted his teeth, enduring the pain of the arrays' effects on his knees without uttering a word.
"Well? Does it hurt?" Mo Hua prodded.
Finally, the man's defenses crumbled, and he trembled as he shouted, "You son of a bitch..."
Mo Hua immediately stuffed a heavy stick into the man's mouth, his face serious as he said,
"How dare you curse at me? Your manners are deplorable..."
With his mouth blocked, the man couldn't speak, and he just glared at Mo Hua with eyes full of hatred.
"It seems like it's still not painful enough," Mo Hua mused, stroking his chin. "The power of the arrays needs to be stronger..."
"What other arrays should I add?"
"Golden needles? Wooden poison? Or perhaps..."
Murdong Caiyun and Ouyang Feng opened their mouths, but no words came out.
The man's scalp tingled at their suggestions, and his eyes widened in horror. How could there be such sinister, malicious, and insane young cultivators in this world?!
Who had taught them these things?
The man desperately tried to speak, but all that came out were incoherent "woo woo" sounds.
Mo Hua removed the stick from his mouth, and the man gritted his teeth and said, "I'll talk!"
Mo Hua nodded happily and immediately asked the question that was most important to him:
"Does it hurt to kneel on this iron plate?"
The man was so ashamed and furious that he wanted to die, but he refused to answer.
Murdong Caiyun couldn't bear to watch anymore. She gently bumped Mo Hua's shoulder and whispered, "Ask him something else. Don't make it so hard for him..."
It was humiliating enough for such a large cultivator to be forced to kneel; there was no need to ask if it hurt or not.
"Oh, okay."
Mo Hua agreed. It was indeed more important to focus on the matter at hand. He could always find someone else to ask about the iron plate's effectiveness later.
Mo Hua felt a bit disappointed as he withdrew his spiritual sense from the array's focal point, temporarily deactivating the arrays on the iron plate.
The pain subsided, and the man breathed heavily, gradually calming down.
Mo Hua began to question him about the important matters:
"Do you know Boss Jiang?"
After asking the question, Mo Hua released his spiritual sense and observed the man's eyes, checking for any signs of deception or lies.
The man frowned, his eyes clouded with confusion. "Who's Boss Jiang?"
Mo Hua asked, "Then do you know Bald Eagle?"
The man's face turned pale. "Bald Eagle... I've only heard of him... He's ruthless and not someone to be trifled with..."
"You've never met him?"
The man shook his head.
"Have you seen any other bald cultivators?"
The man was bewildered by the question. "Bald... cultivators?"
Mo Hua described, "Someone similar to Bald Eagle. They might be bald, but they wear wigs. Their nicknames in the underworld include words like 'bald,' 'light,' 'Arhat,' or 'ascetic'..."
The man frowned in pain as he asked, "Why are you asking about this?"
Mo Hua's expression turned displeased. "Am I the one being questioned here, or are you?"
Under pressure, especially after experiencing the pain from the intricate arrays on the iron plate, the man reluctantly said, "I've kept a low profile and laid low for some time. I've heard of some famous cultivators..."
"Like 'Bald Wolf,' 'Bald Flood Dragon,' 'Bitter Ascetic,' and 'Evil Arhat'..."
"But my cultivation is not high enough, so I only do small-scale theft and smuggling. I have no connections with them..."
Mo Hua silently noted down these names and then asked, "Have you ever abducted and sold cultivators?"
The man's pupils constricted, but he shook his head.
"I wouldn't dare. This place, Qian Xuezhou, is full of influential families. I don't have the guts to abduct and sell cultivators here."
Mo Hua's gaze sharpened as he studied the man thoughtfully.
The man tried to remain calm, but his guilt was evident as he averted his gaze.
Mo Hua smiled faintly and did not press the issue. Instead, he said, "One last thing—hand over your disguise technique!"
The man's expression changed, and he argued stubbornly, "What disguise technique?"
"Don't play dumb with me," Mo Hua said, his displeasure evident.
Seeing the man's stubborn expression, Mo Hua's spiritual sense stirred, and he reactivated the arrays on the iron plate, pushing them to their limits.
The man's eyes widened in pain, and his whole body trembled as his knees endured unimaginable agony. Still, he clenched his teeth and remained silent...
Mo Hua found his endurance strange. "How can he bear it so well?
"He'd rather endure torture than give up his disguise technique..."
"Is it because the consequences of revealing the disguise technique are too severe, so severe that he'd rather die than give it up..."
"Or is it because the array patterns on this iron plate aren't powerful enough to force him to speak the truth?"
What a pity that I can't test this iron plate myself to know its true might...
I'll have to find a way to improve it later...
Mo Hua thought silently.
So far, the burly man hadn't revealed much information.
Mo Hua planned to wake him up, make him suffer some more, and force him to spill more secrets.
He was almost certain that this traitor from the Duan Jin Gate was hiding something.
Moreover, he must have been involved in the abduction and sale of cultivators, but his guilty conscience was making him too afraid to admit it.
If that was the case, Mo Hua saw no reason to hold back.
Mo Hua raised the heavy stick, intending to wake the man up, but Murdong Caiyun stopped him.
"Junior Brother, that's enough... Don't play him to death. He still needs to be handed over to the Daotingsi..." Murdong Caiyun said helplessly.
Mo Hua blinked, "Then should I go lighter?"
Murdong Caiyun frowned, "That won't do either."
Mo Hua looked disappointed, "Alright then."
The mission and the merit points were more important, and he could always gather more intelligence later.
Murdong Caiyun was puzzled, "Why did you ask him about that so-called Boss Jiang, the Bald Eagle, and the human traffickers?"
It was, of course, because of the Four Symbols Formation.
And also because of their conspiracy to abduct and sell cultivators behind the scenes.
But these weren't things he could say openly.
So, Mo Hua explained, "I suspect he's part of a group of human traffickers! I have a younger brother who almost fell victim to them, so I wanted to ask some questions and see if I could find any clues to bring them all to justice!"
Mo Hua put on a righteous expression.
Murdong Caiyun and Ouyang Feng exchanged glances, unsure if Mo Hua was telling the truth or not.
Mo Hua quickly changed the subject, "Can I search his body now?"
The Xies' goal was to capture this man, and they hadn't searched him yet.
Ouyang Feng thought for a moment and sighed, "Go ahead..."
He also took out the storage bag he had taken from the burly man and handed it to Mo Hua, "Go through this storage bag as well and see if you can find any clues."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he immediately took the storage bag, feeling a little embarrassed as he said,
"Senior Brother, is this really alright?"
"It's fine," Ouyang Feng smiled.
He was also curious to see if Mo Hua could find anything.
As for the Daotingsi in Bishan City, and the Xies, with his background, he didn't really put them in his eyes.
The reason he had been following the rules so far was because of the strict rules of Taihe Gate and the teachings of the Ouyang family, not wanting to bring shame to his sect and the prestigious family.
Mo Hua immediately searched the burly man's body and then frowned.
He found that the man's flesh was soft and felt "fake," as if something was attached to his body, creating a special form.
So, he could be a woman, a young man, an old woman, or a burly man.
The man's face was obviously also a skin bag pasted on, and it looked very strange.
As for what he originally looked like, it was impossible to tell.
Even spiritual sense couldn't "see" through it.
What spiritual sense "saw" was the essence of all things in the void, the spiritual power, or the trajectory of qi, not the true appearance.
Flesh and blood, and facial features were just the outer shell.
However, Mo Hua clearly saw the man's spiritual power essence and silently memorized it.
Now, if he ever met this man again, he wouldn't be able to escape...
The man did have some items on him, and Mo Hua searched him thoroughly, placing everything he found, including the storage bag, together.
Mo Hua went through the items one by one.
Spirit stones, pills, spiritual weapons...
Most of them were things that ordinary cultivators would carry.
There were also some cultivation techniques and methods, but they weren't rare, and there was nothing to suggest a connection with the Duan Jin Gate.
There was no disguise technique...
The only unusual item was a jade slip.
This jade slip was made of white jade with golden trim.
It looked very familiar to Mo Hua, and after a moment's thought, he was shocked: He had seen the same style of jade slip before! On Boss Jiang!
That human trafficker, Boss Jiang, had two identical jade slips, but they were sealed, and Mo Hua couldn't peer into them with his spiritual sense, so he had kept them in his storage ring.
Mo Hua moved his spiritual sense slightly and found that the jade slip in the burly man's hand was also sealed, and it seemed to be using the same sealing method as Boss Jiang's jade slips.
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked,
"Senior Brother Ouyang, do you know what this jade slip is?"
Ouyang Feng took the jade slip, glanced at it, and his eyes paused on the golden trim, looking surprised,
"This seems to be... the Duan Jin Gate's inheritance jade slip?"
"Duan Jin Gate!"
Mo Hua's heart chilled.
So, that meant Boss Jiang was also a disciple of the Duan Jin Gate?
Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and asked, "Senior Brother Ouyang, isn't the twelfth-rate Duan Jin Gate mainly focused on sword cultivation?"
Ouyang Feng nodded, "Yes."
"Do they have any powerful sword techniques?" Mo Hua's eyes sparkled.
"They do," Ouyang Feng nodded, "The Duan Jin Gate has an extremely powerful sword technique that is their sect's signature move. It's called..."
Ouyang Feng said in a deep voice, "Duan Jin Yu Jian Jue!"
Duan Jin Yu Jian Jue!!! Mo Hua's eyes shone brightly.
A sect's signature move!
So, that imposing and dazzling golden sword technique that Boss Jiang had used was the Duan Jin Gate's signature move, the Duan Jin Yu Jian Jue?
Mo Hua waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing..."
Then, as if he had just remembered something, he asked, "Brother Feng, how do I read this jade slip? It seems to be sealed..."
"This is a heritage jade slip," Ouyang Feng explained. "To prevent the loss of heritage, such jade slips are specially 'sealed' and can only be opened if you know the 'secret pattern' to unlock the seal and access its contents."
"Sealed...secret pattern?" Mo Hua asked, his eyes narrowing. "Is this 'secret pattern' a type of array pattern?"
"Well..."
Ouyang Feng hesitated, as array formations weren't his forte, and he couldn't really explain the intricacies.
Murdong Caiyun chimed in, "Yes, in a way..."
"'Sealing,' in this context, refers to the use of array formations to seal the item. Naturally, the 'secret pattern' required to unlock it is also a confidential array pattern."
"This is a special application of array formations, although the form and terminology may differ slightly."
Mo Hua nodded in understanding.
In other words, as long as he mastered the array formations within, he could break the seal of the "secret pattern" and gain access to the heritage within the jade slip!
Seeing the wheels turning in Mo Hua's head, Ouyang Feng couldn't help but caution him, "This jade slip is not meant to be studied."
"If I'm not mistaken, the jade slip contains the body-refining techniques of the Duan Jin Gate, the 'Dunjin Jue'..." Ouyang Feng continued.
"...This is the heritage of the Duan Jin Gate. Without their permission, if you study it on your own, the Duan Jin Gate will hold you accountable..."
"Moreover, since this jade slip was stolen, the Duan Jin Gate will definitely have it on record, so even secretly studying it is not an option..."
Mo Hua nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, Brother Feng."
It didn't matter if he didn't study this jade slip; he still had the other two.
However, he was curious about what was sealed within those two jade slips...
Mo Hua planned to return to the sect and quietly research them further, hoping to use his knowledge of array formations to break the "secret pattern" seals and gain access to the heritage of the Duan Jin Gate...
Even if he didn't study them, analyzing and critiquing them would deepen his understanding of sword techniques, which could also lay a foundation for his own learning of the 'Tahui Shennian Huajian Zhenjue.'
"Brother Mo, do you have any other questions?" Ouyang Feng asked, glancing up at the sky to check the time.
Mo Hua shook his head repeatedly.
He had already learned quite a bit, and anything else he wanted to know would likely remain unanswered.
Moreover, Sister Murdong didn't want him to push further, as she feared that the captive man might not survive more interrogation.
Murdong Caiyun nodded. "Alright then, I'll signal for the Xie family cultivators to come over."
"Okay," Ouyang Feng agreed.
Murdong Caiyun then took out a piece of paper and set off a firework to alert the Xies.
Mo Hua proceeded to clean up the scene, concealing any signs of his "enhanced interrogation" methods and the fact that he had searched the man's body and storage bag.
Ouyang Feng thoughtfully assisted him, offering reminders from an observer's perspective to ensure they didn't leave any loose ends.
Soon, the Xie family cultivators arrived, their expressions shifting as they took in the unconscious, kneeling man. Their gazes toward Mo Hua and his companions held a hint of complexity.
It wasn't gratitude, but rather...
Mo Hua pondered for a moment.
It was...regret? Regret for having asked the three of them for help?
Or was it regret that they had beaten the Xies to capturing the man? Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly.
There was definitely something off about this Xie family...
But that was none of his concern anymore.
Their mission was complete.
Murdong Caiyun began negotiating with the Xies, discussing the details of the task and the distribution of merit points as rewards.
She skillfully deflected many of their questions.
For example, how they had captured the man, why he was unconscious, what had happened to his knees, and who had made him kneel...
Murdong Caiyun's tone remained pleasant as she explained that they had happened upon him during their patrol and subdued him. In the process, their spells had accidentally struck his knees, resulting in the injuries.
The Xies wanted to inquire further, but Ouyang Feng's stern gaze and sharp demeanor stopped them in their tracks.
Mo Hua guessed that the Ouyang family name carried significant weight.
Once the arrangements were settled, the trio didn't linger and set off from Bishan City.
As they departed, Mo Hua turned back to look at the mist-shrouded, awe-inspiring Bishan City, a nagging feeling in his heart telling him that this matter wasn't quite over yet...
...
As their carriage left Bishan City, heading toward the border of Qian Xuezhou, Mo Hua bid farewell to his senior siblings halfway through the journey.
"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, I just remembered something I need to take care of, so I'll be getting off here. I'll return to the sect on my own tomorrow."
Murdong Caiyun and Ouyang Feng exchanged glances, their eyes falling on the desolate mountains surrounding them. "What business do you have in these mountains?"
"I have a daoist friend who lives here," Mo Hua explained with a smile. "He's rather reclusive and lonely, so I thought I'd pay him a visit."
"A daoist friend?"
"Yes."
"Here, in these mountains?"
Murdong Caiyun surveyed the area, her eyes falling on the barren, uninhabited mountains. "Are you sure?"
"He's a bit of a hermit," Mo Hua admitted.
"Alright, be careful," Murdong Caiyun said with a sigh, her eyes filled with concern.
"Don't worry, Senior Sister!" Mo Hua assured her with a smile.
He waved goodbye and turned toward the depths of the mountains...
Deep within these mountains was a dilapidated temple, and within that temple lived a mountain spirit.
This mountain spirit wore a troubled expression, on the verge of tears, and soon, it would have to meet someone it absolutely did not want to see...
(End of Chapter)
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