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Chapter 663: Hao Xuan
Chapter 663: Hao Xuan
What could be happening?
Mo Hua frowned and leaned forward to peer out of the carriage window.
The night outside was deep and dark.
The carriage traveled along the road, with a small immortal city not far to the left and a desolate mountain on the right.
Mo Hua hesitated for a moment before deciding to get out and investigate.
He brought the carriage to a halt, jumped out, and tied the horse to a nearby tree. Then, he released his spiritual sense to perceive the unknown causal energies around him.
There was a hint of blood...
And a faint hint of murderous intent.
Mo Hua concealed himself and followed this faint trail, moving silently toward the desolate mountain on the right.
Withered grass covered the ground, and thorns grew wildly.
The mountain rocks were rugged and uneven, making the walk a little uncomfortable.
After walking for about an incense stick's worth of time, Mo Hua noticed something amiss and stopped in his tracks. He crouched down and looked at the ground, his eyes narrowing slightly.
There were bloodstains on the ground, still fresh, as if they had been spilled not long ago.
The pebbles were scattered, suggesting that someone had run through here in haste.
The air carried a faint scent of blood, along with traces of spiritual energy.
This is...
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.
"Is someone being pursued?"
Moreover, the causal energies felt somewhat gloomy and vaguely familiar.
Mo Hua focused his mind and performed a divination, only to startle slightly.
In that moment, he saw a vision of two figures in black chasing a young man through the dark and desolate mountains under the cold moonlight.
The young man was bleeding, and the blades of the pursuers glinted with a chilling light.
The image flashed and disappeared.
When Mo Hua looked again, all traces of light and shadow had shattered and faded away.
The young man...
Mo Hua's eyes reflected his thoughtful expression, and he continued to conceal himself as he followed the trail.
Following the bloodstains and the lingering energies, he tracked them for several more li. As he emerged from the narrow mountain path, the terrain suddenly opened up.
However, the scent of blood in the air became more intense.
The residual spiritual energy traces were also more apparent.
It was clear that an intense battle had taken place here.
Mo Hua's heart tightened, and he swept the area with his spiritual sense. Not far ahead, on a slope, he spotted a large pool of blood. The ground and rocks were shattered, and there were signs of collapsed soil.
There were also traces of spiritual artifacts cutting through the air and scorch marks from spells.
If Mo Hua's guess was correct, the fleeing young man had been caught up to by the black-clad pursuers at this wide slope.
A battle had ensued, and after a fierce struggle, the young man had been captured, unable to match the black-clad cultivators.
He probably wasn't dead yet...
Or at least, not at that moment.
Otherwise, what would be left at the scene would be a corpse or, at the very least, bloody remains...
"He's been captured but not killed yet..."
"He should be nearby..."
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed, his pupils darkening as he released his spiritual sense to its fullest extent. A moment later, his eyes lit up.
There was a hidden cave nearby.
Faint traces of several people's presence could be detected within.
Mo Hua cast a minor concealment spell, merging his presence with that of the surrounding earth, rocks, and trees. His footsteps made no sound as he slowly approached the cave.
As he neared the entrance, he heard noises from within, and the presence of people became more distinct.
There were three people in total, all at the early stage of the Foundation Establishment.
Sounds of interrogation could be heard.
"You little brat... damn you..."
"Who sent you here?"
"Talk!"
"Damn it... speak!"
"Where are your accomplices?"
"What are your intentions?"
"What did you see?"
...
Then came the sounds of a whip lashing and a person being tortured. After a while, a young voice, weak and intermittent, could be heard:
"I... I don't know... cough..."
Mo Hua was startled.
That voice... it sounded so familiar...
He slowly stepped into the cave and peered inside. The lighting was dim, and he saw a young man bound and bleeding.
Two black-clad cultivators with covered faces looked vicious.
That young man...
Mo Hua stared for a while, his eyes widening in surprise.
It was his fellow sect member...
Hao Xuan?
There were many disciples in the same batch at the Grand Void Gate, and Mo Hua didn't know all of them.
But he remembered Hao Xuan.
They lived in the same disciple residence, and although they didn't interact much, they were familiar with each other and got along well.
Hao Xuan was always punctual with his array formation assignments and took them seriously. He was also amiable and easy to get along with.
Most importantly, he had called Mo Hua "senior brother" and even treated him to chicken legs...
He was one of us!
And now, Hao Xuan, who used to be so friendly, was bruised and battered, his life force wavering.
The two black-clad cultivators continued to interrogate him.
But Hao Xuan seemed genuinely clueless and couldn't provide any answers.
The black-clad cultivators furrowed their brows.
"He's not talking..."
"Now what?"
"What if..."
One of them formed a blade with his hand and made a gesture, his eyes filling with murderous intent.
Mo Hua was shocked.
Who were these black-clad individuals? Were they going to kill a Grand Void Gate disciple and a member of a prominent family just like that?
Hao Xuan's eyes widened in fear, and he struggled to speak, "I am from the Hao family of Qian Province, direct descendants of late Golden Core cultivators, with a Cave Void Realm elder ancestor..."
"I am a legitimate descendant of a prominent family. You can't just..."
One of the black-clad cultivators let out a cold laugh. "So what? Who isn't these days?"
The other cultivator immediately slapped him, his voice harsh. "Shut up!"
The first cultivator covered his face, his expression turning pale as he realized his mistake.
Hao Xuan also seemed to understand, his eyes filled with terror, and his face turned ashen.
They were going to silence him...
Before he could think any further, one of the black-clad cultivators raised his blade, the edge glinting with a chilling light.
This cry seemed to be filled with fear.
Then, someone took off running.
The sound of retreating footsteps gradually faded.
The people in the cave froze.
Even the raised butcher knife paused in mid-air.
The black-robed man flew into a rage. "Someone?!
"How were we discovered?!
"Did he hear what we said just now?!"
"And he got away?!"
One of the black-robed cultivators shouted angrily, "Damn it, go after him! Don't let anyone know about this!"
"Yes!"
The other black-robed cultivator immediately displayed his movement technique and chased after the fleeing person.
However, he didn't get far before a loud 'boom' echoed from outside, as if something had exploded. Then, a painful cry rang out, followed by silence.
The remaining black-robed cultivator in the cave narrowed his eyes.
"What happened?"
"What's going on?"
He wanted to call out the other cultivator's name, but the words died in his throat.
Mustn't alert anyone.
Mustn't reveal our identities.
He could only wait patiently.
But after waiting for a long time, the outside remained deathly silent.
The night was deep, and the mountains were quiet.
Only the occasional hooting of a night owl pierced the silence, sending chills down one's spine.
The black-robed cultivator's brows twitched uncontrollably.
He felt a sense of mortal danger hanging over his head, pressing down on him to the point where he dared not even breathe.
He tightened his grip on his blade, his eyes fixed on the cave entrance, his expression guarded, not daring to look away for even a moment.
He was afraid that if he wasn't careful, someone would rush into the cave and take his life.
But this stalemate was extremely draining on his mental energy.
The black-robed cultivator suddenly felt as if he were facing off against the entire deep, dark night.
Danger lurked everywhere.
He couldn't take it anymore and wanted to take a peek outside.
The black-robed cultivator swallowed hard and took a difficult step forward, slowly making his way toward the cave entrance.
However, his gaze was fixed only on the pitch-black night outside and didn't pay attention to his footing.
As he neared the entrance, golden light suddenly flashed.
Blood splattered everywhere.
The black-robed cultivator's legs were covered in blood, the golden light from the array slicing through his flesh and severing his tendons.
His eyes widened in terror:
"A mid-tier array?! When did this...?"
Before he could think any further, pain engulfed his entire body, and he let out a miserable scream. Then, his legs snapped, and his body collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
A moment later, fire blazed to life.
Fireballs tore through the night, relentlessly bombarding his body.
The black-robed cultivator struggled desperately, but his physical body couldn't withstand the array's lethality, the continuous explosions of the fireballs, and the burns from the fire-type spiritual energy.
His injuries became more and more severe.
After an unknown amount of time, under the relentless onslaught, the black-robed cultivator's breath gradually weakened and eventually dissipated.
The black-robed cultivator breathed his last, his body lying lifeless.
The fireballs paused for a moment, but only for a moment.
Then, the fire blazed again, continuing the bombardment, blowing up the black-robed cultivator's body...
In the pitch-black night, within the secluded cave.
After the unknown black-robed cultivator was killed, his body was still being consumed by the flames' explosions.
Hao Xuan's face turned deathly pale.
Array assassination, fireball bombardment, lurking in the shadows, merciless and cruel!
Who exactly was this person?
Too ruthless...
Suddenly, the fireballs stopped.
The cave fell silent.
Only then did Hao Xuan realize that he was the only living person left in the cave.
And although he couldn't see, he felt that something in the shadows opposite him was looking at him and then slowly walking towards him.
Hao Xuan's eyes were filled with fear, his hands and feet turned icy, and he couldn't help but tremble.
"Don't... don't come over here..."
But the shadow kept approaching.
That oppressive feeling in the darkness grew stronger.
Just as Hao Xuan was terrified to the extreme, his face devoid of any blood, a low, small shadow appeared before him.
Then, the shadow gradually solidified, and a figure emerged, revealing a cute little face.
"Hao Xuan, I've come to save you!"
Mo Hua revealed an innocent and cheerful smile.
Hao Xuan froze for a moment and then completely blanked out.
In that instant, he wondered if he was dreaming.
Everything felt so unreal.
Whether it was the black-robed cultivators chasing him or Mo Hua saving him...
It felt like he could open his eyes at any moment and find himself lying in his bed in the disciples' residence, only to grudgingly get up and go to class.
Hao Xuan closed his eyes and then opened them again.
It wasn't a dream...
The night remained as deep as before.
The mountain chill was still heavy.
The blood dripping from his forehead stung his eyes, and his body was covered in wounds. The chains that had bound him had dug into his flesh.
The pale light of the knife that had hung over his head was still vividly etched in his memory.
It had truly been a brush with death...
Hao Xuan stood there in a daze for a long time, looking at Mo Hua, and then hot tears welled up in his eyes.
"Mo Hua..."
He looked at her as if she were his closest relative...
He had never suffered such torment in his life, and he had almost lost his life...
...
Mo Hua unlocked the chains binding Hao Xuan and fed him healing pills to stop the bleeding and replenish his energy.
His injuries gradually improved, and his breath stabilized.
Hao Xuan was taken aback, "The Longevity Talisman?"
"Mhm." Mo Hua nodded.
He had just heard Hao Xuan mention that he was a direct descendant of the Hao family and had a Cave Void Realm ancestor.
Hao Xuan shook his head and sighed, "How could I be worthy of such a precious talisman?"
"I do have a Cave Void ancestor, but he has many descendants like me, his great-great-grandchildren..."
"Unless I possess an extraordinary root and an exceptional bone structure, or my bloodline is unique, and I'm the only descendant to carry on the family line, he wouldn't plant the Longevity Talisman on me, cutting off his path to immortality..."
"Planting this kind of talisman depletes one's cultivation source..."
"A Cave Void ancestor can probably only plant one in his lifetime..."
"So, unless they are nearing the end of their lives or have no hope of progressing further in their cultivation, they wouldn't damage their source and cut off their path to immortality by planting this heaven-defying Longevity Talisman on their descendants..."
"The 'Longevity' Talisman, with the word 'Longevity' in its name, truly is equivalent to another life..."
Upon hearing this, Mo Hua was shocked. He knew that the Longevity Talisman was valuable, but he never imagined it would be this precious.
A Cave Void cultivator's source of life, exchanged for a descendant's life.
Soon, Mo Hua frowned, thinking of his senior brother and senior sister...
Back then, outside of Lishan City, his senior brother and senior sister had shattered their Longevity Talismans to save him and to deal with the Saint and his group of Golden Core Demon Cultivators.
Once the Longevity Talismans were shattered, what would become of them...
Wouldn't they be without any life-saving talismans?
Such precious talismans were already a luxury to plant once, and it was unlikely that a Cave Void cultivator would plant a second one for them...
Mo Hua sighed, his expression filled with worry. "I wonder if my senior brother and senior sister will be alright..."
Hao Xuan thought that Mo Hua was worrying about him, and he felt even more grateful. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Mo Hua: "Mhm, it's good that you're alright..."
Hao Xuan thought for a moment, then said seriously to Mo Hua, "Mo Hua, you saved my life. From now on, you are my senior brother!"
Mo Hua comforted him, "It's what I should do. Don't worry about it..."
But Hao Xuan insisted.
After a while, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Mo... Senior Brother, did you kill those two black-robed cultivators?"
"When did you... become so powerful?"
"I thought you only knew how to set up arrays..."
Mo Hua blinked, "Actually, my cultivation is quite poor, and I'm no match for them. I just set up the array in advance and took advantage of their carelessness to deal with them by luck..."
Then, Mo Hua showed a "fearful" expression, "Now that I think about it, I still feel a bit scared..."
Hao Xuan nodded, "I see..."
But after a while, he paused, realizing something was off:
"That's not right. One of them was killed by a fireball spell, and after you killed him..."
Here's a rewritten version of the text without the Chinese characters and with the requested changes:
How cruel.
And the way you did it was so skilled and calm, not like it was just "luck"...
Mo Hua was taken aback, patted Hao Xuan's shoulder, and said seriously, "That was your misconception. You were injured and a bit delirious, so you misjudged."
"Those two died because of the array, it had nothing to do with me..."
Hao Xuan looked confused.
Did I... misjudge the situation? Mo Hua quickly changed the subject, "These are minor details. By the way, why were you being chased by those two? And who are they?"
Hao Xuan's attention was successfully diverted, and he thought for a moment before realizing something, "There's someone else!"
"What do you mean?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
"The one being chased!" Hao Xuan exclaimed.
Mo Hua frowned, "What happened exactly?"
Hao Xuan then explained the whole story:
"There were five of us, including Cheng Mo, Si Tu Jian, and the others. We took on a bounty and were on our way back to the nearby Immortal City after completing the task..."
"On the way, we passed by a desolate mountain and saw a group of suspicious cultivators. They were covering their faces, carrying bags, and pushing boxes. We didn't know what they were up to..."
"We found them suspicious, so we secretly followed them..."
"But not long after, they discovered us. As soon as they saw us, their expressions changed, and they drew their swords and knives, attacking us..."
"We fought for a while, but we were outnumbered and couldn't win, so we had to scatter and run..."
"Before I ran, I managed to catch a glimpse of what was inside their bags and boxes..."
Hao Xuan paused, his voice cold, "They were all people..."
People? Mo Hua's expression changed, and then he seemed to remember something. His eyes narrowed, and a cold light flashed in them.
Human traffickers... again?
...
(End of Chapter)
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