Chapter 694: Bridge of Blood
Chapter 694: Bridge of Blood
Upon hearing this, Yu Dahe's eyes widened in fury, and he trembled as he asked, "What did you say?"
She Daoshi smiled sinisterly, "There's no saving these two children. Their souls have already been offered to the Divine Master!"
Mo Hua, feigning confusion, asked with a puzzled expression, "What is this Divine Master you speak of?"
She Daoshi was slightly annoyed and cursed inwardly.
Ignorant child, how dare you blaspheme against the Divine Master with your reckless words! You will surely suffer divine punishment for your insolence, begging for death but unable to find it!
However, he suppressed his anger and replied indifferently with a reverent tone, "The Divine Master is the sovereign of all deities and the supreme ruler of all life!"
Mo Hua understood the gist of it. This She Daoshi was also a half-baked fool.
He had no true understanding of the Divine Master, or the Lord of the Great Wilderness, and merely regarded it as a lofty being worthy of his faith.
Mo Hua scoffed, "Old fool, what nonsense are you spouting? Where is this so-called master of deities and supreme ruler?"
"Humans are the pinnacle of all beings. There are no deities in this world, and I have never seen any!"
She Daoshi glanced at Mo Hua with contempt and sneered, "Mortal eyes cannot perceive the true nature of the world, nor can they comprehend the grandeur of the divine path."
Mo Hua humphed, "You're just spouting mystical nonsense."
She Daoshi didn't bother to argue with this impudent child. However, he stared at Mo Hua, and a hint of shrewdness and doubt flickered in his mad eyes.
He had found this brat peculiar from the start.
Who exactly is this kid?
If his suspicions were correct, these people before him were likely the hounds of the Daotinsi.
As for how these lackeys of the Daotinsi managed to overcome numerous obstacles, set up an ambush, and capture them... She Daoshi was still perplexed.
But the situation was already clear, and there was no use dwelling on it now.
The immediate concern was their escape.
She Daoshi surveyed the cultivators before him, and the one who intrigued him the most was the young boy in front of him.
Why was there a child with such weak vitality and mere foundational cultivation level among the Daotinsi cultivators?
It was odd.
Moreover, the boy's pampered appearance and arrogant demeanor suggested that he had led a comfortable life and had never experienced any hardships.
The other Daotinsi cultivators also seemed to treat him with deference.
Could he be a scion of some influential family, seeking to build his reputation by joining the Daotinsi early, paving a glorious future for himself? The more She Daoshi thought about it, the more convinced he became, and he couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
What a way to court death!
Seeking glory and ending up in this hellish place.
Perhaps he doesn't know the various ways one can die here...
She Daoshi gazed at Mo Hua, a fleeting glint of malice in his eyes.
Mo Hua, sensing the subtle shift in She Daoshi's gaze, detected a hint of chilling hatred. He raised an eyebrow but maintained his composure, continuing to feign arrogance and insolence.
On the other side, upon hearing that the two children could not be saved, Yu Dahe's face turned pale, and his hands shook as he held the children.
Gu An, seeing this, kicked She Daoshi and pressed his blade against his neck, demanding coldly, "Old man, speak! What must we do to save these two children?"
She Daoshi let out an annoying laugh but remained silent.
Mo Hua, irritated by his ambiguous attitude, threatened fiercely, "Old fool, if you don't speak, I'll burn off all your hair and peel your skin, turning you into a bald 'beggar's chicken'."
She Daoshi replied with malice, "Little brat, listen to some advice. Don't let your youth make you overly arrogant."
Without another word, Mo Hua formed a fireball and moved to burn She Daoshi's hair, intending to give him a live demonstration of a "flambeed hairy chicken".
She Daoshi's eyes widened in disbelief, and his voice turned shrill, "Stop—"
What kind of upbringing did this brat have? How could he act so recklessly?
Mo Hua held the scorching fireball close to his hair and asked, "Will you speak now?"
She Daoshi was enraged, but he quickly calmed himself and said, "I can tell you, but you may not believe me."
"Speak first," Mo Hua said.
She Daoshi glared at Mo Hua with hatred in his eyes, then sighed helplessly, "It's quite simple, actually..."
"The River God requires a sacrifice."
"I have already offered the souls of these two little beasts... I mean, children, to the River God."
"While these two children are sacrifices, they are not the only ones who can be offered."
"As long as you choose two living people and bring them to the 'altar' to replace them, you can retrieve the souls of these children, and they will live again..."
Mo Hua's heart stirred.
Bring them to... the altar?
The altar!
Not the unfinished altar in the Magic Hall on Mount Bi, but one that has been completed and operational for hundreds of years!
Mo Hua's heart trembled, but he kept his composure and challenged, "Old fool, you're lying!"
"I'll tentatively believe that there are deities in this world. But first, you spoke of the Divine Master, and now you mention the River God. Which one is the true master of a mangy old dog like you?"
She Daoshi was furious and wanted to tear Mo Hua into pieces, but he held back his anger and replied indifferently, "The River God is an incarnation of my Divine Master."
"The River God is equivalent to the presence of the Divine Master."
Mo Hua instantly understood, and combining this with his knowledge of theology and the stories from the fishing village, he grasped the situation.
The River God and the Evil God of the Great Wilderness were two distinct entities.
However, the Evil God of the Great Wilderness had corrupted the once-benevolent River God.
Thus, the current River God had become an incarnation of the Evil God of the Great Wilderness.
Of course, the process of corruption was likely complex, and he could only make a simple inference for now.
As for how the Evil God corrupted, parasitized, and transformed a deity, that was probably a matter of "evil theology," which he couldn't yet comprehend.
"That's still not right!" Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, "When you made the sacrifice in the alchemy room, why do we need to go to some altar to change the sacrifice?"
She Daoshi wanted to kill Mo Hua.
Where did this brat get all these nitpicky questions?!
But with no other choice, She Daoshi explained patiently, "Because the sacrifice was simple, but to change it, we must obtain the consent of the River God."
"What if the River God doesn't agree?" Mo Hua asked.
She Daoshi sneered, "Then there's nothing I can do. This is the only way to save these two children."
"It's in Houcun," She Daoshi replied.
"Houcun?" Mo Hua was slightly taken aback.
She Daoshi's eyes narrowed, and he said with a gloomy expression, "In the back of the fishing village, there is a special place built to worship the River God."
"Is that true?" Mo Hua asked again, seeking confirmation.
She Daoshi responded with a cold smile but remained silent.
Gu An whispered, "Young Master, this evil alchemist is crafty and treacherous. We must be cautious."
Mo Hua frowned, deep in thought.
Seeing this, She Daoshi's face twisted into a mocking smile as he said, "Houcun is a dangerous place, not somewhere ordinary cultivators can go. If you don't have the guts and rely only on your family's influence, I advise you not to take this risk."
As expected, Mo Hua was goaded, "Old fool, do you look down on me? I'll show you today!"
"What River God, what goddamn pig, it's all bullshit!"
"I want to see, in this second-rate state, with a dozen battle-hardened Foundation Establishment cultivators by my side, what dangers Houcun holds that can possibly harm me?"
Mo Hua boasted arrogantly.
She Daoshi's eyes turned slightly somber.
As expected of a hot-blooded youngster, unable to restrain himself.
A dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators? They were nothing but appetizers.
Ignorant fool, unaware of the true horrors that exist in this world.
He's fallen right into my trap, and he doesn't even know it.
She Daoshi secretly rejoiced in his heart.
Gu An and Gu Quan exchanged a meaningful glance, understanding Mo Hua's temperament. They couldn't help but feel a hint of sympathy for She Daoshi as they saw the look in his eyes.
Mo Hua arrogantly commanded, "Old fool, lead the way to Houcun."
Gu An and Gu Quan remained silent, but the other Gu family cultivators spoke up, trying to dissuade him. "Young Master, please reconsider. We can't trust the words of this villain."
They were reluctant to let Mo Hua take such a risk.
Mo Hua hesitated, playing along with their concerns.
She Daoshi grew a bit anxious but maintained his composure, letting out a cold smile. "It's your choice whether to save them or not, but don't blame me if you miss the opportunity... Time is running out."
"Once the River God starts consuming the sacrificial offerings and devours the soul of these two children..."
She Daoshi's eyes turned cruel as he continued, "In less than four or five days, you'll witness their physical bodies rotting away, bit by bit..."
Yu Dahe's face turned ashen at the thought.
A cold glint flashed in Mo Hua's eyes.
Gu An and the others sighed softly, knowing that they had no choice but to embark on this journey. Gu An pressed his blade against She Daoshi's neck and ordered, "Lead the way."
She Daoshi remained silent, a look of resignation on his face.
"I have a condition," he finally said.
"You still want to negotiate?" Mo Hua asked, annoyed.
She Daoshi smirked, "Who would do anything without a condition?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and agreed, "Fine, what's your condition?"
She Daoshi grinned, "What else could it be? Naturally, it's to spare my life after we succeed."
Without hesitation, Mo Hua said, "I agree!"
She Daoshi nodded, "Then we have a deal."
Mo Hua eyed him suspiciously, "What if I change my mind and kill you after we're done?"
She Daoshi remained unfazed, "I'm not worried. If I was concerned about that, I wouldn't have agreed to the condition in the first place."
Mo Hua's brows furrowed.
This old fool must have something up his sleeve.
He turned to look at the two unconscious children in Yu Dahe's arms and sighed softly.
He hoped that what this old man said was true, and that the children could still be saved.
This Houcun in the back of the fishing village held many secrets, and he had to go there no matter what.
After a moment of contemplation, Mo Hua instructed, "Everyone, get ready. We'll set off soon."
Gu An and Gu Quan were taken aback.
What was there to prepare?
Then they saw Mo Hua running out of the large fishing house alone, avoiding everyone else as he searched the ground around the house.
Curious, Gu An and Gu Quan approached him and asked softly, "Young Master, what are you looking for?"
Mo Hua glanced at She Daoshi and then showed Gu An and Gu Quan the stone tablet in his hand, whispering, "Help me look for similar stone tablets or stones with array patterns on them. Any array pattern will do..."
"Also, check if there are any traces of sword energy around..."
Gu An and Gu Quan were perplexed.
"I have my reasons," Mo Hua assured them.
The brothers nodded and began their search as instructed.
Mo Hua squatted on the ground, like a little squirrel digging, meticulously searching for array patterns and traces of sword energy.
He guessed that this old man, She Daoshi, must have malicious intentions, and that Houcun would be extremely dangerous.
Even if it meant cramming at the last minute, he wanted to find more divine array patterns or traces of divine will manifesting as swords, which might come in handy later.
After some searching, they made a few useful discoveries.
Mo Hua obtained three more divine array patterns and found two traces of sword energy. However, these traces were old, and the sword intent had mostly dissipated, offering no new insights into his "divine will transformation into sword" technique.
Mo Hua felt a bit disappointed.
It seemed that he would have to wait until he reached Houcun to find out more.
Mo Hua memorized the new array patterns and prepared to set off.
First, they needed to assign roles to everyone.
There were initially nine people in the group of black-robed men, but two had died, leaving seven.
Among them, Mo Hua selected two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to replace Yu Dahe's two sons as sacrificial offerings.
She Daoshi would act as their guide.
That left four others, including Heijiang Long and the leader of the black-robed men, to stay behind and watch over the captured cultivators.
With their dantians destroyed, they wouldn't be able to cause much trouble.
However, to be extra cautious, Mo Hua decided to leave six people behind.
The remaining four Gu family cultivators would accompany Mo Hua to Houcun.
Since they were "exchanging" the sacrificial offerings, they had to bring the two unconscious children, so Yu Dahe joined them as well.
Mo Hua instructed Yu Dahe, "You don't have to do anything else but take care of your two sons."
Gratitude filled Yu Dahe's heart.
He never expected that this young master, whom he had met by chance and only knew for a few days, would go to such great lengths to save his children.
"Young Master, rest assured, I'll do as you say," Yu Dahe said solemnly.
Mo Hua nodded.
With the roles assigned, the group set off.
Gu Quan held She Daoshi captive, while Gu An protected Mo Hua. Yu Dahe carried the two children, and the remaining four Gu family cultivators escorted the two black-robed men who would serve as the new sacrificial offerings. Thus, they embarked on the journey to Houcun.
Along the way, the sky was overcast, and the surroundings were filled with dilapidated fishing houses, exuding an air of death and gloom.
Beyond the arch, a denser layer of blood mist loomed.
She Daoshi said to Mo Hua, "I need to unseal the bridge before we can cross."
Mo Hua, remembering the array pattern that Guajiang Long had drawn at the well, nodded and said, "Go ahead."
Gu An unlocked the Spirit-Restraining Lock on She Daoshi's hand.
She Daoshi flexed his wrists, walked to the bridge, and reached for his waist, only to find it empty. Then he recalled that his storage bag had been confiscated, and he said, "I need human blood."
She Daoshi's storage bag was in Gu An's possession, as it contained only sinister ingredients and pill formulas for refining demonic pills, so it hadn't been passed to Mo Hua.
Gu An rummaged through She Daoshi's storage bag and retrieved a white bottle, which he tossed to She Daoshi.
She Daoshi caught it and, using his finger, dipped into the blood within. He began to draw the unsealing array pattern on the stone bricks in front of the bridge.
Mo Hua leaned forward, watching intently from the side.
As She Daoshi reached the halfway point, he looked up and saw Mo Hua's focused expression, his demeanor suggesting that he knew what he was doing. With a strange tone, She Daoshi asked, "Oh? Young Master also understands array formations?"
Mo Hua snorted, "Of course. Among my fellow disciples, if anyone dares to claim to be better than me in array formations, they are lying."
She Daoshi didn't try to hide what he was doing from Mo Hua but instead boldly displayed the array pattern he was drawing, smiling as he said, "Then, Young Master, can you tell me what kind of array formation this is?"
Mo Hua studied it for a moment, then stammered, "Well, what else could it be? It's... the five elements, the eight trigrams... the array formation used for unsealing, right?"
From this, She Daoshi knew that this young master was all talk and no substance.
Pretending to understand, yet spouting nonsense and boasting.
She Daoshi sneered inwardly but continued without hesitation, completing the array pattern.
As he drew, Mo Hua quietly memorized the pattern.
When She Daoshi finished, Mo Hua added, "I thought it would be some profound array formation, but it's nothing special. To be honest, I've studied this formation before, but it's not as good as the ones passed down in my family, so I didn't bother to master it..."
She Daoshi cursed inwardly:
You ignorant brat, spouting nonsense and acting arrogantly. You have no idea how profound this formation truly is...
She Daoshi gave a cold huff.
Mo Hua stole a glance at She Daoshi, his thoughts stirring.
He had figured out that this She Daoshi was not just a demonic pill concoctor but also a demonic formation master!
From the way he drew the formation with such skill and ease, far surpassing Guajiang Long, it was evident that he was highly experienced in this field.
Mo Hua could tell at a glance that he was no ordinary formation master.
"Interesting, this old eccentric is quite the hidden talent..."
Mo Hua maintained his composure, his thoughts turning.
However, this revelation proved beneficial, as he now had a more complete version of the unsealing formation memorized.
This She Daoshi was turning out to be quite useful.
She Daoshi, using the human blood, finished drawing the formation, and the array pattern seemed to melt into the blood, seeping into the bridge.
Then, She Daoshi stood up and declared, "The entrance to the back of the village is open."
The group frowned, unable to detect any changes.
Only Mo Hua's gaze sharpened as he noticed a faint light barrier on the bridge, a crack forming in the middle, creating an entrance.
The crack shimmered like an eerie eye.
The entire stone bridge had transformed into a bridge of blood.
However, Gu An and the others couldn't perceive this change.
Gu An glanced at Mo Hua, who nodded slightly, "Let's go."
Gu An then relocked She Daoshi's hands and pushed him forward, leading the way across the arched bridge.
The others followed closely behind.
Thus, the group stepped onto the pale stone bricks, crossing the blood-colored bridge and entering the forbidden back of the village.
As soon as they entered, the atmosphere shifted drastically.
Mo Hua could see that the blood mist in the air was so dense that it seemed ready to drip blood.
Even Gu An and the others felt the oppressive atmosphere, their spiritual senses growing slightly dull, as if a dark veil had been cast over their eyes.
The soil beneath their feet carried a putrid scent, soft like human flesh.
Yu Dahe's eyes widened in horror, and he whispered, "This really is... that fishing village..."
Gu Quan was taken aback, and he asked, "Which fishing village?"
Yu Dahe's voice trembled as he replied, "It's... the one that the old fishermen talk about, the village that offended the River God and was struck down by divine punishment, completely wiped out..."
The group's expressions turned solemn.
In their understanding, they had come to capture these traffickers and rescue the two children.
But the situation was becoming increasingly bizarre.
Gu An's eyes narrowed, and he glared at She Daoshi, "Did you slaughter the people of this fishing village as well?"
"How is that possible?" She Daoshi scoffed, "That happened hundreds of years ago. What does it have to do with me?"
However, his smile was strained, a hint of ambiguity in his tone.
Mo Hua also gave him a meaningful look.
This She Daoshi seemed to be hiding more than a few secrets...
She Daoshi continued to lead the way.
The group walked on the blood-stained ground, but as they went, Mo Hua suddenly looked up, his gaze drawn to the depths of the fishing village.
At the same time, a longing arose within him.
It was as if something in the heart of the fishing village was "beckoning" to him.
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
Longing?
What am I longing for? Mo Hua pondered for a moment but couldn't figure it out. He turned his thoughts inward, using his deduction technique.
His mind churned with cause and effect, and a vague impression emerged.
Mo Hua wasn't skilled in the Heavenly Machine Calculation Technique, so he couldn't quite decipher what it was, but his eyes gradually lit up with anticipation...
(End of Chapter)
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