https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-651-The-Labyrinth-s-Killing-Array/12542843/
Chapter 650: Breaking Through
Chapter 650: Breaking Through
Qiao Laoliu returned from the outer temple, his face pale and frightened as he met with Huo Fotuo. "Big brother, something eerie has happened. The outer temple is empty, and many of our brothers are dead..."
Huo Fotuo's eyes narrowed, sharp as blades. "How did they die?"
"I... I don't know," Qiao Laoliu stammered.
Huo Fotuo remained silent, but his blood boiled and his killing intent grew heavier.
Qiao Laoliu's face turned ashen, and he quickly added, "It seems they were killed without a trace and their bodies dumped in the Putrefying River. Their flesh melted away, leaving no clues behind."
"There are still a few in the middle temple," Qiao Laoliu said.
"Almost everyone in the outer temple is dead," he added, his throat dry and his expression anxious.
"Impossible!" A tall and thin figure with a sinister and pale face stepped forward from behind Huo Fotuo. It was Yingleizi, the Demon Cultivator who had once met Mo Hua and tried to chase him down.
Yingleizi frowned. "I talked to Second Brother Shi just the other day..."
A hint of anger flashed in Yingleizi's eyes. "...That bastard was very arrogant in his words. With his cultivation, it's impossible for him to have died so quickly and thoroughly."
As he spoke, the other Demon Cultivators behind Huo Fotuo also recalled their interactions with the fallen.
"I talked to him too," said one.
"I exchanged letters with Ren Tu," added another. "He even cursed at me. One day, I'll make that beast pay."
"What about that despicable Yu Shusheng?"
"Huogongtou cursed at me as well!"
...
The group fell silent, a chill running down their spines.
"If they're all dead, then who..."
"Are the messages we've been receiving from ghosts?"
Huo Fotuo's face was cold, his killing intent palpable. His eyes scanned the room slowly, and then he seemed to recall something, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes.
"Yuan Dashi!" The group suddenly remembered the one who monitored every movement and action of the patrolling Demon Cultivators—Yuan Dashi, the master of formations.
A bloody wind blew, and the light of blood flashed.
The Demon Cultivators moved swiftly, rushing towards the central temple of the Demon's Lair and the Yuan Magnetic Formation's control room.
The formation guarding the door to the secret room had already been broken.
Pushing the door open, they saw a cold body lying on the floor. It was Yuan Dashi, his forehead and dantian pierced with bloody holes, his heart meridian stabbed multiple times, his hands broken, and his blood dried up.
The corpse was pitiful, but the figure was unmistakable—it was Yuan Dashi.
"Dead?!" The Demon Cultivators were shocked.
A late Foundation Establishment cultivator with nineteen spirit sense threads, a master of formations whose understanding was terrifying, and a revered evil formation master with an eccentric and insane temperament—Yuan Dashi had died silently?
He had died in his own formation's control room, and none of them in the entire temple had known.
The Demon Cultivators were both shocked and angry, and they couldn't help but exclaim:
"Who killed him?"
"Who could have done this..."
"This is the Holy Land..."
"How did they get in?"
"Is there a spy among us?"
"Bullshit!"
...
"Could it be... that a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Dao Court has arrived?" One of the Demon Cultivators asked in horror.
"Shut up, idiot!"
"This is a second-grade state boundary. Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator came, they couldn't kill so many people in such a short time..."
"A Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn't stoop to such despicable means to kill Foundation Establishment cultivators."
...
The group whispered among themselves, then gradually calmed down and turned to look at Huo Fotuo.
Huo Fotuo stepped forward to examine Yuan Dashi's body. As he inspected it, his eyes widened in surprise.
"This is wind-attributed spiritual power..."
"It's very thick..."
"Not just late Foundation Establishment, it's been deliberately suppressed. This is... Golden Core..."
"Jindan, wind-attributed spiritual power... Could it be..." Huo Fotuo's eyes turned bloodshot, his hands trembled, and the two heart-like fireballs at his dantian throbbed violently.
The old wound on his chest hurt as if it were being cut by thousands of knives...
"Gu... Chang... Huai..." Huo Fotuo said through gritted teeth.
His face remained impassive, but his red kasaya was now stained with blood-like flames. Greyish killing intent curled around the flames.
"Big brother!" Qiao Laoliu exclaimed, his face filled with fear.
The other Demon Cultivators fell silent, afraid to make a sound.
Huo Fotuo's anger rose, his body burning with rage as his killing intent threatened to spiral out of control. He clenched his teeth and whispered, "Amitabha," before reciting a Buddhist sutra to calm his mind and suppress the surging murderous intent.
His expression softened once more, and the other Demon Cultivators breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's not an inside job. It's the work of the Dao Court's Sidiansi," Huo Fotuo said calmly, before continuing to examine Yuan Dashi's corpse.
"Both hands are broken..."
"The top of his head was struck by a rod-like spiritual weapon..."
"His neck was strangled... and his heart vessel was pierced from behind with a short dagger..."
"His eyes are bulging, and his face is charred. Was it a fireball technique?"
"Whose fireball technique? Interesting..."
Huo Fotuo recreated the scene of Yuan Dashi's assassination in his mind, then noticed the dark green bloodstains on the ground, his expression turning grim.
"Poison?"
Was there poison on the dagger?
Huo Fotuo frowned. "This doesn't seem like Gu Chang Huai's style..."
"Has he become so despicable after all these years?"
Moreover, Yuan Dashi had soaked his eyes in blood wine and borrowed the evil thoughts of the Devil to strengthen his spirit sense. How could he have been killed without showing any signs of resistance?
"Could it be that Gu Chang Huai had help?" Huo Fotuo's eyes flickered.
"This person is meticulous, cruel, and proficient in spirit sense techniques and formation methods..."
"Only then could he have left no room for error, causing Yuan Dashi, with his strong evil thoughts, to be killed without any chance to fight back."
Could there be another expert by Gu Chang Huai's side?
Huo Fotuo's expression grew increasingly solemn.
"Big brother, what do we do now?" Yingleizi asked quietly, seeing that Huo Fotuo had been deep in thought for a long time, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.
Huo Fotuo's eyes were downcast, and after a moment of thought, he said, "Return to the inner temple, guard it with our lives, and destroy everything here!"
The faces of the others changed at his words.
Yin Leizi spoke in a low voice, "That's not necessary, right... That's..."
Qiao Laoliu also said, "That's right, Big Brother. We can still guard the Holy Land and bolt the doors shut. Even the Dao Court won't be able to break in temporarily..."
The other Demon Cultivators chimed in:
"That's right!"
"If the lackeys of the Dao Court come, we'll kill them all and offer them as sacrifices. Whether we stay or leave will be entirely up to us then..."
"Who cares about a bunch of lapdogs? Let's kill them all!"
Huo Fotuo shook his head. "You don't understand... Gu Chang Huai is a tricky opponent, unlike the usual good-for-nothings from the Dao Court..."
"The fact that they were able to get in means that the Demon's Lair has already sprung a leak..."
"We can't hold the outer temple..."
"We can only defend ourselves within the inner temple."
"Moreover, just in case, we must destroy everything in the inner temple and leave no trace behind..."
"The Holy Land is of utmost importance..."
"Once there's any sign of exposure, we must extinguish it completely and not let outsiders know..."
Huo Fotuo's expression turned solemn, leaving no room for refusal.
The other Demon Cultivators nodded in agreement, their hearts stirred.
Huo Fotuo's expression softened slightly. "After cleaning up the inner temple, we'll find a way to break out. I know you've been cooped up here for some time, and it hasn't been easy..."
"After we get out, you can do as you please for a while, and I won't restrict you..."
"After that, we'll leave Qianzhou and roam free under the vast sky and wide sea..."
"After a few decades, when the storm has calmed, we'll come back and settle old scores..."
Upon hearing "do as you please," the Demon Cultivators' faces lit up with sinister smiles. "As you command, Big Brother!"
Thus, the group carried Yuan Dashi's corpse and left the secret room, returning to the inner temple.
Huo Fotuo brought up the rear.
Just as he was about to step into the inner temple, filled with darkness and unknown secrets, Huo Fotuo paused and turned to glance at the vast outer temple.
A doubt surfaced in his mind:
"Yuan Dashi died earlier... Then who was the one discussing Buddhist teachings with me?"
Huo Fotuo frowned, pondering for a moment before turning around and walking deeper into the Demon's Lair.
The doors of the inner temple slowly closed, sealing away Huo Fotuo and his unknown secrets within.
...
Outside the Demon's Lair.
Gu Chang Huai returned to gather more manpower.
Mo Hua, guarded by Gu Quan and Gu An, was on the stone bridge, dismantling various alert and trap formations one by one.
After finishing, Mo Hua sat at the bridgehead, waiting.
But even after a long while, no one came.
"Is gathering more people going to take this long?"
Mo Hua muttered to himself.
According to Gu Chang Huai, the executives of the Dao Court were stationed outside the One-Line Sky, so logically, it shouldn't take more than half an hour to assemble them.
What had happened?
Mo Hua was perplexed.
Since he had to keep an eye on the Demon's Lair, Mo Hua could only wait patiently.
After an unknown amount of time, the other end of the bridge became bustling with the arrival of many Dao Court cultivators.
"They're here!"
Mo Hua's spirit lifted.
Gu Quan went to greet them.
After a while, the various executives of the Dao Court began to cross the bridge in batches.
To maintain a low profile, Mo Hua hid his figure and watched them from the side.
However, as he observed, he was slightly taken aback.
This number... seemed a bit too high?
"Didn't Uncle Gu say there would be 280 people? Why does it look like there are more than 400 now?"
Mo Hua was puzzled.
It was only after the 400-plus executives had crossed the stone bridge that Mo Hua finally spotted Gu Chang Huai at the end of the line.
But Gu Chang Huai's expression was rather unpleasant.
Mo Hua approached him and asked in a low voice, "Uncle Gu, why are there so many people?"
Gu Chang Huai's expression was displeased. "The Xiao family also came..."
The Xiao family?
Mo Hua realized, "The Xiao family of the Smiling Tiger?"
Gu Chang Huai was taken aback, then understood who Mo Hua meant by "Smiling Tiger." He sighed, "Don't give people nicknames when they're not around..."
"It's fine. I won't say it to his face..." Mo Hua replied.
Gu Chang Huai had no choice but to give in to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua asked again, "Could it be... that the news leaked?"
Gu Chang Huai's gaze sharpened, but he didn't respond.
Mo Hua raised his delicate eyebrows and asked, "Then why is the Xiao family here? Are they here to be informants?"
"To stir up trouble and create chaos?"
Gu Chang Huai gently glared at Mo Hua, "Without evidence, don't make random accusations..."
Then, Gu Chang Huai sighed softly, "The Xiao family probably came to get a share of the credit and grab some glory..."
"Grab glory?"
"The Demon's Lair base, hundreds of Demon Cultivators, the case of Huo Fotuo's extermination..." Gu Chang Huai explained, "Any one of these is a juicy opportunity."
"Now, all these opportunities are on one plate, so how could the Xiao family not salivate at the chance to expand their influence in the Dao Court and promote their disciples?"
"Oh..." Mo Hua nodded.
No wonder people often referred to the Dao Court's cultivators as lapdogs.
Lapdogs would only work hard when there was meat to be had.
The Xiao family had seen the "profit," so naturally, they had to act "promptly" and take the initiative.
Gu Chang Huai glanced at Mo Hua, puzzled, "Are you badmouthing the Dao Court again in your heart?"
Mo Hua looked innocent. "Uncle Gu, I'm already half a member of the Dao Court. How could I badmouth the Dao Court?"
Only then did Gu Chang Huai nod.
"But I'm just an external member, and being external means I can be counted or not counted, depending on the situation. It's a rather 'flexible' identity..."
Mo Hua silently added to himself.
"Right, where's Smiling... I mean, where's Xiao Dianshi?" Mo Hua asked.
Just now, all the Dao Court cultivators had passed by Mo Hua, and he had scanned them like a "parade inspection," but he hadn't spotted the Smiling Tiger or even any Golden Core cultivators.
Gu Chang Huai pointed to a young, exceptional-looking cultivator among the executives and said, "Xiao Tianquan, a direct descendant of the Xiao family. He's in the late Foundation Establishment stage and has just graduated from a prominent sect. He 'tested' into the Dao Court as an executive..."
"He's a core disciple of the Xiao family..."
"...The Xiao family wants to build up his achievements to facilitate his future promotion."
"Oh..."
Mo Hua glanced at Xiao Tianquan, noticing how he held his head high with a sense of arrogance. He seemed like a spoiled, privileged child who had never faced any hardships in life.
Born into a prestigious family, graduating from a major sect, and then joining the Dao Court as an executive, climbing the ranks to the Central Dao Court, and eventually becoming a high-ranking official—this was the typical trajectory of a "heavenly pride."
It seemed as if they were two entirely different breeds of people compared to himself.
However, his name...
"Xiao Tianquan..."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up as he made a connection, "Howling Sky Dog?"
Beside them, Gu Chang Huai massaged his temples in exasperation and took a deep breath before emphasizing once more, "Enough with the nicknames."
"Oh, okay," Mo Hua replied nonchalantly.
The Xiao family was willing to use the Fire Buddha, Demon Temple, and annihilation case as a stepping stone for their direct descendant, paving the way for his future promotions.
Mo Hua had nothing to say about that.
He was more concerned about the Fire Buddha.
Moreover, there was one thing that Mo Hua found particularly intriguing.
Mo Hua stole a glance at Gu Chang Huai, thought for a moment, and then quietly asked, "Uncle Gu, are you and the Fire Buddha sworn enemies?"
Gu Chang Huai's expression changed. "How did you know?"
"I guessed..." Mo Hua replied.
He noticed that whenever Uncle Gu mentioned or thought about the Fire Buddha, his expression would unconsciously turn grave, and his eyes would reflect a murderous intent.
Therefore, Mo Hua concluded that they must have a deep-seated grudge.
With a cold face, Gu Chang Huai replied, "It's not a complicated story..."
"Back then, I almost killed that evil beast, the Fire Buddha..."
"Unfortunately, I was only at the Foundation Establishment stage at the time, and my strength wasn't sufficient. I only managed to shatter part of his heart meridian, allowing him to escape..."
"In that battle, I killed several of his brothers."
"And he..."
Gu Chang Huai paused, his handsome face contorting with killing intent as he gritted his teeth and said,
"...also killed several of my fellow disciples who had graduated with me..."
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat as he looked at Gu Chang Huai with sympathy, unable to help but say, "Seeing your fellow disciples, as close as siblings, being killed before your eyes, and you being powerless to stop it, naturally, you would harbor hatred, your temperament would change, and you would become cold and distant, reluctant to interact with others, fearing that those close to you would face misfortune again..."
Mo Hua's mind was racing with assumptions.
Gu Chang Huai's face darkened, and he retorted, "What are you babbling about?"
"I've always had this personality!"
"Whether my temperament is aloof or not, what does it have to do with others? Why should I bother with those boring people? Why would I give them the time of day? They're just petty and opportunistic."
"Ah..."
Mo Hua was stunned.
He hadn't guessed any of that.
Indeed, the human heart is complex.
"As for those fellow disciples who died at the hands of the Fire Buddha..."
Gu Chang Huai sighed, "To be honest, I wasn't that close to them, but seeing innocent people brutally murdered by demonic cultivators was something I couldn't stand."
"Sometimes, I dream about it at night..."
"...and I hate my own powerlessness."
"I should have slaughtered all those demonic cultivators."
"And that evil beast, the Fire Buddha, escaped from my grasp and continued to wreak havoc and commit heinous acts..."
"As long as he's alive, I will never forget."
Mo Hua looked at Gu Chang Huai with newfound respect.
Who would have thought that this seemingly aloof and handsome "bad boy" with poor people skills would have such a strong sense of justice and such deep-seated hatred for evil?
Indeed, one should never judge a book by its cover.
Mo Hua sighed, "Uncle Gu, why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"
He hadn't expected that Uncle Gu and the Fire Buddha shared such a history of life-and-death battles.
Gu Chang Huai was speechless and gave Mo Hua a sidelong glance, "Would I tell a kid like you? If you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have brought it up."
Mo Hua paused, then nodded, "That's true..."
Adults, especially those old... senior cultivators who had lived for over a hundred years, often had old wounds and stories they didn't want to share with outsiders.
Unlike himself, who was always open and honest with others.
Mo Hua thought to himself.
After a while, the four hundred executives had been organized into formations, surrounding the Demon's Lair's entrance.
Just as Gu Chang Huai was about to say something, Xiao Tianquan, the Xiao family's pride and joy, confidently stepped forward and volunteered, "Executive Gu, please leave the task of breaking down the door to the Xiao family!"
Gu Chang Huai looked at him and said indifferently, "Executive Xiao, now that you've joined the Dao Court, stop bringing up your family. The Dao Court doesn't belong to your Xiao family, and ultimately, your family members are also part of the Dao Court."
Xiao Tianquan's face turned pale, feeling embarrassed and harboring a subtle resentment in his eyes.
Gu Chang Huai noticed it clearly and shook his head.
Indeed, without comparison, there would be no harm.
Compared to Mo Hua, who was mischievous but not overly annoying, these young masters from prestigious families were more detestable.
They put on a fake facade, and when something didn't go their way, they couldn't hide their resentment. It was simply off-putting.
Gu Chang Huai smirked inwardly but, after a while, seemed to recall something and nodded, "However, I appreciate your initiative. Go ahead and take the lead in breaking down the door."
Xiao Tianquan suppressed the resentment in his eyes and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Executive Gu."
Subsequently, he began issuing orders, with the Xiao family taking the lead and the Gu family and other executives assisting. They worked together to unravel the formation and forcibly break through it to open the door to the Demon's Lair.
Since they were about to attack the Demon Temple and capture Huo Fotuo, he had to make an appearance. As long as he kept a low profile and acted like a mere bystander, no one would pay him much attention.
Even if they did, as long as he stayed close to "Strangers Keep Out" Uncle Gu, they wouldn't dare question him.
Even Xiao Tianquan, who kept stealing glances at Mo Hua, didn't give him much thought after noticing his mediocre spiritual roots.
Breaking through the door went smoothly.
Previously, Mo Hua had already tampered with the array inside, and now, with the additional might of the Xiao family, who had spared no expense, the Demon Temple's door was blasted open.
The Xiao family's array master had set up an ineffective array outside the door, but the combination of precious spiritual artifacts and talismans did the trick.
The door, with its sinister, jagged teeth-like stones, was blown open, revealing a trail of blood on the ground and an unknown substance oozing out.
The Xiao family cultivators immediately praised, "Well done, Executive Xiao!"
"Your command is admirable!"
Even the executives from smaller families, who lacked significant backing, chimed in with flattery:
"Executive Xiao is truly talented and will surely go far!"
Xiao Tianquan remained calm, as if he had grown accustomed to such praise.
However, after a while, a cultivator exclaimed in shock.
"There's evil poison on the door..."
Xiao Tianquan quickly moved away, but a few executives who had been standing too close were already affected, their complexions turning foul as their spiritual energy became tainted.
Chaos ensued for a moment before it was brought under control.
Those affected by the poison, about a dozen executives, took some pills and rested on the side.
The Xiao family provided the pills, and it was announced that these executives were unharmed to avoid any blemishes on "Executive Xiao's" record.
This was Gu Chang Huai's idea.
Mo Hua was stunned by the scheming nature of these aristocratic families.
After breaking through the door, they arrived at the outer temple.
Contrary to their expectations, there was no resistance, and the outer temple was deserted, not a single demon cultivator in sight.
The middle temple was the same.
The inner temple's door, however, was tightly shut.
As expected, the demon cultivators were holed up inside, up to something unknown.
Xiao Tianquan sneered, "They're just sitting ducks, waiting for us to capture them? How foolish!"
Xiao Tianquan was about to say something more but glanced at Gu Chang Huai with a hint of wariness.
Gu Chang Huai remained expressionless but gave a slight nod.
This meant that Xiao Tianquan could do as he pleased.
Xiao Tianquan felt relieved.
However, he still couldn't help but wonder why his uncles and elders from the clan had warned him to be cautious around this Gu Dian, the Clan Registrar.
Next, the Xiao family executives began their assault on the inner temple.
Their methods were similar to what they had used on the outer temple.
Mo Hua continued to observe from a distance, not interfering.
This wasn't his time to shine yet.
He didn't want to show off his array skills in front of so many Dao Court cultivators, especially not to this Howling Sky Dog, who seemed to hold a grudge.
If he stole the spotlight, he would only earn Xiao Tianquan's resentment.
It wasn't worth the trouble.
However, the Xiao family's array master was rather incompetent, and their progress in breaking through with spiritual artifacts and talismans was slow.
Mo Hua could only patiently wait.
They had already spent three and a half days, and they had another three and a half days left.
Time was still on their side.
The inner temple was also guarded by an array.
To enter, they would either have to break the array or the door.
Mo Hua examined the array and realized it was a second-grade high-level array, something he didn't know how to handle.
Since that was the case, they had no choice but to break through by force.
The Xiao family had plenty of people, spiritual stones, spiritual artifacts, and talismans, so they focused on breaking the array while also attempting to force their way through.
Mo Hua watched as colorful lights flashed one after the other.
Precious second-grade talismans were being consumed one after the other.
The executives took turns using their Daoist techniques to bombard the inner temple's door.
Mo Hua also witnessed for the first time how "array-blind" cultivators, those who didn't understand arrays, dealt with arrays.
After more than half a day, there was a loud rumble, and the inner temple's door slowly collapsed.
"It's broken..."
Mo Hua was surprised and examined the array around the door, his eyes widening as he realized something.
This Demon Temple was still under construction.
The arrays near the door were relatively weak, and by breaking some of them, the overall stability of the arrays was compromised.
That was why, after more than half a day, they had managed to break through the inner temple's door.
Xiao Tianquan didn't understand this.
He truly believed that it was his and the Xiao family's prowess that had forced the door open.
"This measly Demon Temple is nothing!"
A group of executives quickly offered a string of flattery: "Executive Xiao is truly brilliant!"
Mo Hua paid them no mind.
He was eager to see what was inside the inner temple and glanced in, his eyes widening in surprise.
Inside the inner temple were countless stone walls standing close together, forming a... maze.
A maze?
Mo Hua frowned and released his spiritual sense to carefully perceive the area, only to discover that this maze was actually a type of array medium, and on top of this maze was another array.
"This array..."
Mo Hua found it peculiar yet strangely familiar.
As he studied it, his pupils dilated, and his heart trembled with a startling realization.
Wasn't this the...
Mystery Heaven Array?!
(End of Chapter)
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