Chapter 648: The Missing Mo Xiu
Chapter 648: The Missing Mo Xiu
"What can I do with the Demon Temple in my hands?"
For a moment, Mo Hua's mind was filled with mischievous ideas.
But Gu Changhuai interrupted him, "Do you know where Huo Foteduo is?"
Oh right, finding Huo Foteduo takes priority...
Mo Hua immediately focused his attention, manipulating the Yuan Magnet Array Disk and using the Spirit Vision Center to keep a close eye on every movement within the Demon Temple.
However, as he watched, Mo Hua's brows furrowed.
"He's not here..."
Gu Changhuai was also taken aback, "How is that possible?"
Mo Hua explained, "This Yuan Magnet Center was originally connected to the Outer Hall, the Middle Hall, and the Inner Hall. But the Inner Hall seems to have a separate secret. It's veiled in mist, and I can't tell what's going on inside."
"The Inner Hall..."
Gu Changhuai's eyes turned cold.
Huo Foteduo was most likely hiding in the Inner Hall, and the core secrets of the Demon Temple were probably hidden there as well.
Moreover, the Inner Hall was completely sealed off.
"Or should we go back and call for more people? We can attack from both inside and out and besiege them together?" Gu An suggested quietly.
Gu Changhuai frowned and then asked, "How many Mo Xiu are there in the Demon Temple?"
Gu An and Gu Quan looked at each other and shook their heads. Then, the three of them turned to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and replied, "Based on the number of messages sent through the array, there should be more than four hundred..."
"Over four hundred..."
Gu Changhuai's eyes turned solemn.
Mo Hua asked, "Uncle Gu, how many people can the Daotinsi mobilize?"
"The Executive Branch can mobilize eight hundred, but..." Gu Changhuai's expression turned grave as he continued, "...in a short period, the trustworthy ones that can be mobilized are probably just over three hundred."
"And among them, those with rich experience in fighting against Mo Xiu are estimated to be just over a hundred..."
"..."
Mo Hua had a general idea of the situation.
The Daotinsi was bloated and inefficient, with a complex mix of cultivators.
While there were indeed upright cultivators dedicated to slaying demons and eliminating evil, they were in the minority.
Most were probably just going through the motions.
There were also those who were only motivated by personal gain and wanted to take advantage of the situation.
There were likely a few spies as well...
The entire Daotinsi was like a muddle of clear water, silt, dead fish, and tumors all mixed together.
One couldn't rely on them too much, nor could one afford to not rely on them at all...
People like Uncle Gu, Gu An, and Gu Quan were probably few and far between.
Gu Quan added, "Or, we could find a way to lure Huo Foteduo out, and then we can ambush him?"
Gu Changhuai thought for a moment and then shook his head, "Huo Foteduo is not an array master. Array masters generally have weak bodies and are not good at fighting. They are easier to kill..."
As Gu Changhuai spoke, he glanced at Mo Hua, who was standing beside him, looking unhappy. He couldn't help but say, "I'm not talking about you..."
Although Mo Hua was also an array master with a weak physical body, he was cunning and always had mischievous ideas. It was challenging for most people to outsmart him.
"Hmm."
Mo Hua didn't know what Gu Changhuai was thinking, but he felt that it wasn't entirely good or bad, so he reluctantly nodded.
Shaking his head, Gu Changhuai continued, "...Huo Foteduo is different. He's suspicious by nature, proficient in fire spells, and has killed countless people..."
"We may not be able to lure him out, and even if we do, it's unlikely that we can assassinate or overpower him in a short period."
"This is a second-grade state boundary, and I can't use my Golden Core power here. I only have the peak base-building cultivation."
"If we make a mistake, we will be surrounded by the numerous Mo Xiu in this Demon Temple, and we will have no chance of escape."
Moreover, even if they could get away, some of them would undoubtedly leave their lives in this Demon Temple...
Gu Changhuai's face turned grim.
Gu An and Gu Quan also frowned deeply.
Once heretical cultivators gained a foothold and gathered a following, it became extremely challenging to deal with them in the lower-grade state boundaries under the rules of the Heavenly Dao.
Mo Hua also knitted his brows, feeling anxious.
Unknowingly, two days had already passed.
He could vaguely see Huo Foteduo's figure, but there was a barrier between them that prevented him from capturing his prey, leaving him frustrated.
After some thought, Mo Hua's face turned cold, and he suggested, "Then let's start killing..."
Upon hearing this, Gu Changhuai, Gu An, and Gu Quan were taken aback.
"Start killing?"
"Yes!" Mo Hua nodded, "The three of you will go inside first and clear out the peripheral cannon fodder. Then we'll call for more people to surround the Inner Hall and attack it together. We'll besiege Huo Foteduo!"
"The Lonely Peak Demon Cave, a paradise outside the world."
"Its advantage is that it is isolated from the world, internally sealed, airtight, and easy to defend but hard to attack. Outsiders can't enter, nor can they peek into the secrets within."
"The disadvantage is that once we're discovered and besieged, we'll be trapped and it will be difficult to escape..."
Gu Changhuai pondered for a moment and then slightly nodded, "That's also a way."
"The Demon Temple is heavily guarded, and a frontal assault will undoubtedly be challenging."
"Even with the three of us working from the inside, the casualties will still be heavy..."
"So we must first weaken them from within..."
"Kill the Mo Xiu in the middle and outer peripheries, and then mobilize the Daotinsi executives to storm in and surround the Inner Hall..."
"This way, the situation will be reversed, and it will be Huo Foteduo who is besieged."
With the Daotinsi's numbers, they could overcome the enemy even if there were more mixed intentions and slackers among them.
"But..." Gu Changhuai glanced at Mo Hua, his eyes filled with concern, "...this won't be easy either."
Killing a dozen or so would be fine, but dealing with hundreds of base-building Mo Xiu would be tricky.
"Don't worry." Mo Hua pointed to the array disk behind him and said, "I'll use this Yuan Magnet Spirit Vision Array to guide you..."
"This Yuan Magnet Spirit Vision Array is now under my control and has become an 'inside traitor'. The Mo Xiu in the Demon Temple will be like 'blind men'."
"We can quietly assassinate them one by one without being discovered..."
Mo Hua exuded confidence.
Upon hearing this, Gu Changhuai understood and couldn't help but be moved:
Assassinate all the Mo Xiu in the Outer Hall without alerting the enemy...
As a Golden Core cultivator, he could indeed assassinate base-building cultivators in batches, a few at a time, even under the suppression of the Heavenly Dao.
But the premise was that he must not be detected...
The most critical factor here was still the array.
The core Spirit Vision Array, which monitored the entire Bishan Demon Cave, had now "defected"...
The enemy's most important array had become an "inside traitor".
Turning the enemy's array against them was like stabbing them with their own knife.
Gu Changhuai glanced quietly at Mo Hua.
Some array masters were simply too formidable...
Mo Hua, on the other hand, had a bright and determined look in his eyes.
He quickly ran through the entire plan in his mind once more:
First, through the Spirit Vision Restoration Array, he would "remote control" Uncle Gu and the other two, assassinating the Mo Xiu in the Middle and Outer Halls, eliminating all the guards.
Then, he would have Uncle Gu call for reinforcements to surround the Inner Hall and attack it together, trapping Huo Foteduo.
Even if the Daotinsi executives were "slackers," with their numbers, they should be able to handle the situation with a frontal assault.
After that...
Well, they would cross that bridge when they came to it...
Mo Hua thought to himself.
For now, he had no idea what was inside the Inner Hall, as the Spirit Vision Array hadn't revealed anything.
First, they would surround the Inner Hall and force Huo Foteduo out.
With the plan decided, Mo Hua's small face turned serious as he said, "Let the hunt begin..."
Gu Changhuai felt that the phrase was a bit odd, but considering Mo Hua's quirky nature, he didn't think too much of it...
And so, within the eerie Demon Cave and the heavily guarded Demon Temple, a silent hunt commenced.
Mo Hua "supervised" from the Spirit Vision Restoration Array's core, guiding Gu Changhuai and the others.
"In the northwest corner of the Middle Hall, there's a bone statue. To its right, two Mo Xiu will pass by in about ten breaths..."
"Kill them without worry, there's no one else around..."
Using the message talisman given by Gu Changhuai, Mo Hua sent instructions.
Afterwards, he focused his attention on the array disk.
Soon, in the manifestation of the Spirit Vision within the Restoration Array's core, two dark gray spiritual energy figures appeared, walking towards the corner.
They were the two Mo Xiu.
The Spirit Vision Array could only display faint spiritual energy figures.
So, to Mo Hua, they appeared as two dirty "spiritual silhouettes."
These two dirty spiritual silhouettes walked unsuspectingly towards the corner, and suddenly, three vague figures appeared beside them.
Due to their concealed forms, the spiritual energy was blurred, making it difficult to discern their appearance.
If Mo Hua hadn't known beforehand, he might have overlooked them.
Then, Mo Hua witnessed the three blurred spiritual energy figures take down the two dirty spiritual silhouettes.
There were red traces, possibly blood that had flowed out.
Or perhaps it was the evil energy of the Mo Xiu spilling out.
There were also white traces, likely the result of Gu Changhuai's wind-type spiritual energy attack.
He had taken down one of them alone.
As for Gu An and Gu Quan, it seemed they used blades, their combined spiritual energy arcs forming a full moon as they slew the other Mo Xiu...
As Mo Hua watched the array disk, he mentally filled in the details, finding the whole process novel and intriguing.
After the two Mo Xiu were killed, their bodies were dumped into the putrid water beneath the Demon Temple.
This putrid water seemed to serve as a "disposal site" for corpses...
The filthy water, mixed with what appeared to be sludge or flesh, emitted a putrid stench and was tinged with a greenish hue.
Perhaps it was used by the Mo Xiu to dispose of the bodies of those they killed.
Now, the slain Mo Xiu were also discarded there, a fitting end to their lives.
"Two down..."
Mo Hua continued to monitor the array disk, searching for the next unfortunate target...
Soon, he located another Mo Xiu.
"Keep going forward..."
"There's an alchemy room down the corridor. Hide in the corner, and in about seven breaths, a lone Mo Xiu will pass by..."
"Kill him..."
"Alright, next..."
"This time, it's two people and a dog..."
"Be quick, you only have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Otherwise, you'll run into a group of five Mo Xiu..."
"Another one down..."
"Kill..."
...
And so, Mo Hua watched the array disk, directing the hunt.
Gu Changhuai, a Golden Core cultivator, along with Gu An and Gu Quan, both late Foundation Establishment cultivators, carried out the assassinations.
Wherever they went, Mo Xiu silently "disappeared," one after another...
Yet, none of the other Mo Xiu noticed.
Mo Hua was excellent at concealing their actions.
Before disposing of the bodies, Gu Changhuai and the others would also remove the storage bags from the slain Mo Xiu.
Mo Hua only wanted the talismans, and the rest was of no interest to him.
Of course, even if he didn't want them, Gu Changhuai wouldn't give them to him.
After killing the Mo Xiu, Gu Changhuai would hand over only the talismans marked with the skull pattern, which all seemed to be of the same design.
These talismans seemed to have a special name given by the Mo Xiu – "Book Demon Talismans."
"Why bother with a fancy name like Book Demon Talismans? They're just message talismans," Mo Hua muttered to himself, sounding a bit displeased.
Nonetheless, he carefully collected all the Book Demon Talismans.
Every Mo Xiu in the Demon Temple seemed to possess one of these talismans, which allowed them to communicate with each other.
However, all the messages sent using these talismans were also monitored by the Yuan Magnet Central Array.
This was how the evil array master had kept an eye on the Mo Xiu.
Now, it played into Mo Hua's hands.
Mo Hua's current task was to monitor the Mo Xiu's "chats" to gather any information about Huo Foteduo or other secrets of the Demon Temple.
He hadn't discovered any other secrets yet.
But he finally learned the name of the deceased evil array master.
In their messages, the patrolling Mo Xiu referred to the deceased array master as "Master Yuan."
Master Yuan...
A master of Yuan Magnet Arrays?
Mo Hua wondered if that was the array master's original surname or if he had changed it later.
It didn't matter anyway.
The original Master Yuan was dead, and the new Master Yuan was actually "Master Mo."
Mo Hua impersonated "Master Yuan," issuing orders to the patrolling Mo Xiu through the talismans.
And the Mo Xiu were none the wiser.
Master Yuan was known for his unpredictable temperament and cold demeanor, and the Mo Xiu dared not question his commands.
However, there was one complication.
The Book Demon Talismans of the slain Mo Xiu...
For the Mo Xiu that Mo Hua had marked for death, their talismans couldn't be discarded just yet.
If any living Mo Xiu tried to send a message to the deceased and received no response, it would arouse suspicion.
So, Mo Hua had to play multiple roles, occasionally using the talismans of the dead to respond to messages from the living Mo Xiu.
This created the illusion that everyone was still alive and patrolling as usual.
Handling a few talismans was manageable, but as the number grew, it became more challenging for Mo Hua to keep up the charade.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
Thus, when it came to the Book Demon Orders, he could only give vague and ambiguous responses, such as "Hmm," "Oh," "Alright," "Sure," "Do as you see fit," and "Sounds good to me."
However, as the number of Book Demon Orders increased, these monosyllabic replies started to sound monotonous and a bit fake, which could lead to suspicion.
Mo Hua lay on the heretic array master's chair, multitasking. He focused on the array disk, marking targets for assassination, while also flipping through the records of the Book Demon Orders. He wanted to summarize some patterns in the magi's conversations so that he could better impersonate the evil array master.
After a while, Mo Hua realized he was overthinking things.
These magi had diverse personalities, volatile tempers, and crude language. There was no need to put in so much effort to mimic their speech patterns; he just needed to know how to curse and insult people.
Most of the magi would start cursing and insulting each other at the slightest disagreement.
As long as he could curse well, Mo Hua could play the part.
Cursing!
Mo Hua's eyes lit up as he thought of Elder Yu.
If cursing was considered a "realm," then Elder Yu would undoubtedly be at least a Half-step Cavern Void realm.
If cursing could increase one's cultivation, Elder Yu might have ascended long ago.
Unfortunately, Mo Hua was a gentle and polite young man, not very skilled in the art of cursing.
At most, he could...
Recall the curses he had heard from Elder Yu and passively memorized, and now was the time to put them to use...
"These are Elder Yu's curses; it's not that I've turned bad..."
"I just have a good memory; it's not my fault..."
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
Then, he began to use the Book Demon Orders to curse and insult the magi.
Let these magi in Qianzhou experience the power of Elder Yu's curses...
...
Magi A: "You mothercker, why aren't you replying? Are you ignoring me?"
Mo Hua replied: "What's the point of talking to a piece of trash like you? Your brain is as useless as a pig's; do you even understand what I'm saying?"
"Are you drunk?"
"How could I be drunk? The only way I'd get drunk is if I used your pig head as a wine cup and had your mother entertain me. Only then would I get drunk, you mothercker."
"Fine, fine! You good-for-nothing, you bastard..."
Mo Hua frowned, about to get angry, but then he realized something.
Why would he get angry at being called a "bastard"? It's not like they were insulting him...
"Fine! Even if I'm a 'bastard,' that just means your grandmother and a wild dog are my parents, and you're the bastard child of me and your mother..."
After Mo Hua's reply, there was no response from the other side.
Perhaps they had fainted from anger.
Mo Hua shook his head. "This isn't working. It's not me... I'm no match for Elder Yu when it comes to cursing."
Although Qianzhou was a large state with many sect legacies, their tradition of cursing was probably quite weak.
Mo Hua had quick hands and even faster divine sense, so he began to search through Elder Yu's "curse lexicon" to reply to the next magus.
Magi B: "You idiot, where are you?"
"On top of your mother's belly..."
...
"It's become rather quiet in the Demon Temple..."
"Of course, it's quiet. These guys are like walking corpses; how could they not be quiet?"
...
"I'm bored... Get me some girls to warm my bed..."
"All you ever think about is women. Why don't you stomp on your manhood and use your brain for once?"
...
"Are you dead?"
"Yes, I'm dead. Don't talk to me..."
"How can you reply if you're dead?"
"Then why are you asking?"
"I'm just showing concern for you, you beast..."
"I don't need concern from a beast like you. I died on top of your mother, and before I die, I'll make sure to leave another beast like you in this world..."
...
These curses were all things Mo Hua had heard Elder Yu say.
He didn't quite understand their meanings, but his divine sense was strong, and he had a good memory, so he recalled them.
As long as they were curses, they would do.
And they were quite effective on these magi.
After being cursed at, the magi all reacted intensely.
Some were so angry that they made mistakes in their written responses...
Others were so agitated that their divine sense became disordered, and they couldn't even send a reply...
Fortunately, these magi often cursed each other, so even if they were furious, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble in the Demon Temple.
It was also unlikely that they would come to blows over a verbal dispute.
Mo Hua guessed that they would hold onto this "grudge" and seek revenge later.
But that had nothing to do with him.
The "curse lexicon" belonged to Elder Yu.
The Book Demon Orders belonged to these magi.
This "grudge" wouldn't fall on his head.
Moreover, these "cursing" magi were already dead...
And their numbers were growing...
As Mo Hua marked targets for assassination, letting Gu Uncle do the "cutting," he also impersonated the Yuan Master, issuing orders to the magi while simultaneously "playing multiple roles" and cursing them.
He was quite busy.
Just then, a message came through on the Yuan Magnet Central Array Disk:
"Yuan Master."
Mo Hua casually replied: "What do you want, you bastard? Spit it out."
The other side remained silent for a long time.
Then, they slowly replied: "Yuan Master seems to have excessive liver fire today."
Mo Hua was surprised.
Who was this person?
They had a good temper and high tolerance, which was rare among the magi. They could even endure being cursed at...
As Mo Hua wondered how to respond, the other side sent another message:
"Greed, anger, and delusion are the three poisons, the three impurities, and the three fires. Desires disturb the heart, and evil spirits cling to the body. Only by cultivating a calm mind can one suppress the evil fruits..."
Mo Hua frowned, then was stunned, his mouth falling open.
"Greed, anger, delusion..."
"Calm mind... evil fruits..."
Could this person be...
Fire Buddha Tu?!?! Mo Hua was shocked...
"Fire Buddha Tu is... chatting with me?"
"And I even cursed at him?"
(End of Chapter)
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