Chapter 697: The Sword
Chapter 697: The Sword
Outside the Blood Refining Arena, in front of the River God Temple.
Mo Hua opened his eyes.
His spiritual energy and divine sense had been completely depleted, but his foundation in divine sense was extremely robust, so he had already recovered in this short moment.
On the other hand, his spiritual energy was taking longer to recuperate.
Mo Hua consumed several pills to nourish his spiritual energy and then proceeded to meditate to restore his divine sense.
There was still a lingering tingling sensation in his sea of consciousness.
This was the aftermath of forcibly using the Heaven's Secret Mystical Calculation to deduce and divide multiple layers of devious thoughts, which had inflicted damage on his sea of consciousness.
By dividing his divine sense into three layers of devious thoughts and setting up a four-layered divine sense formation, the speed of his calculations increased severalfold.
However, at the same time, the consumption of his divine sense also intensified severalfold, draining it completely in an instant.
Despite being merely at the early Qi Refining stage, he possessed sixteen spiritual patterns, and his divine sense was far superior to that of cultivators at the same level.
Yet, Mo Hua still felt that his "divine sense was far from sufficient."
Mo Hua sighed.
If his divine sense were strong enough, he might truly be able to use formations as spells, transforming a single thought into countless variations, simultaneously calculating multiple layers of devious paths, and instantly setting up a killing formation.
In times of crisis, it would be enough to turn the tides.
It would just require a considerable amount of spirit ink and spirit stones, a bit of a "money burner" that's all.
Moreover, it seemed that the transformation of divine thoughts was also beneficial for "dividing devious thoughts."
Dividing devious thoughts was equivalent to forcibly splitting one's divine sense to perform multiple devious calculations, which placed an immense burden on the sea of consciousness.
Initially, he could only divide a single layer of devious thought.
Just now, he had exerted all his strength to divide an additional layer.
If it weren't for the recent consumption of the "Divine Marrow," which further transformed his divine sense and strengthened its foundation, he wouldn't have been able to divide another layer of devious thought beyond his limit.
In total, he could divide his thoughts into three layers of deviousness.
His Heaven's Secret Mystical Calculation had become two layers stronger than before.
However, he didn't know if this "Heaven's Secret Mystical Calculation" of his master's was measured by the number of devious thoughts that could be divided from the divine sense.
"My master never told me about this..."
Mo Hua muttered to himself, and then he couldn't help but wonder further.
If he could divide his thoughts into three layers, then what about his master? How many layers could he divide if he went all out? Mo Hua's mind recalled the scene when his master had planted demonic thoughts in his heart, appearing in his sea of consciousness to help him unravel the Grand Mystery Formation. His master had manifested countless devious shadows.
Countless devious shadows...
Mo Hua was shocked.
Judging from this, his master was incredibly powerful!
His own meager three layers of devious thoughts were insignificant compared to his master's honeycomb-like dense network of devious shadows.
"As expected of my master!"
Mo Hua nodded in admiration.
However, a new doubt immediately surfaced in his mind.
He had only been able to divide three layers of devious thoughts because he had consumed the Divine Marrow, which transformed his divine sense, allowing him to endure the pain of devious calculations and withstand the burden on his sea of consciousness, barely managing to divide three layers of devious thoughts.
Then, what method had his master used to divide so many countless and innumerable devious thoughts? Could it be that his master's divine sense had also undergone some kind of "transformation" or "conversion"?
Or perhaps there was a more profound method of "dividing devious thoughts" in the Heaven's Secret Mystical Calculation that his master hadn't taught him?
No, that's not it...
His master hadn't intended to teach him in the first place, so how could he blame his master?
He could only blame himself for not being smart enough to learn the essence of devious paths from his master.
Mo Hua sighed.
"Life is finite, but the 'Dao' is infinite."
It seemed that he still had a long way to go.
Mo Hua calmed his emotions and prepared to continue meditating to restore his divine sense. However, another thought suddenly emerged in his mind.
"Dividing divine thoughts..."
Mo Hua frowned.
He recalled Huang Shanjun mentioning that powerful deities could divide themselves into countless parts.
The same was true for evil gods. The remains of the Great Wilderness Evil God, that golden evil eye, had spoken of "the boundless Great Wilderness, with countless divine remains," implying that the master of the Great Wilderness had already divided countless "divine remains"...
Deities could divide themselves.
Devious paths could also be divided...
Mo Hua's heart trembled.
Could it be that this Heaven's Secret Mystical Calculation, the method of dividing devious thoughts, was created by simulating the division of deities?
Deities divided their divine thoughts into divine remains, while cultivators divided their divine sense into devious thoughts.
Could these devious thoughts also be considered a kind of "divine remains"? Was he, in essence, dividing his divine remains when he divided his devious thoughts? Mo Hua was startled by his own idea.
After further contemplation, he felt that dividing "devious thoughts" and dividing "divine remains" were probably different. After all, one was a cultivator's technique, while the other was a deity's innate ability.
However, the more Mo Hua thought about it, the more similar he felt their fundamental nature was.
Yet, there was no way to verify this.
He certainly couldn't go and ask his master or the Great Wilderness Evil God about the similarities and differences between devious thoughts and divine remains.
One of them would probably kill him on the spot and turn him into a "little puppet."
The other would devour him and refine him into a "little divine servant."
Mo Hua shuddered involuntarily and shook his head.
Forget it, he would think about it another time.
Mo Hua buried this thought in his heart, intending to ponder it slowly in the future or ask his old friend Huang Shanjun when he had the chance.
However, by coincidence, Mo Hua had stumbled upon some insights into the advancement of divine thoughts on his own.
The more Divine Marrow one consumed, the deeper the transformation of one's divine sense, the more devious thoughts one could divide, and the stronger one's Heaven's Secret Mystical Calculation would become.
The more abundant one's divine sense was, the firmer the foundation for supporting devious calculations.
Whether it was derivation, formation setup, or spells, the speed would be faster.
In this world of spells, only speed was invincible.
The same seemed to be true for formations and other cultivation methods.
As long as one was fast enough, one could seize the initiative and gain the upper hand.
If one's speed reached the extreme, one could deny the enemy any opportunity to breathe, relentlessly assaulting them with countless techniques, keeping the momentum in one's favor!
"Divine Marrow..."
Mo Hua raised his head and glanced at the River God Temple in front of him, then unconsciously licked his lips.
Afterward, he calmed himself and pretended that nothing had happened, peacefully meditating to restore his optimal condition.
The others were also meditating and resting, taking pills to heal their injuries.
Their escape from the Demon Arena had been perilous, but fortunately, everyone was safe, albeit a little injured. It could be considered a close call.
As for the two black-robed men who had been used as "sacrifices," they were badly wounded, but since they were evil slave traders with countless sins, no one paid any attention to them as long as they were still breathing.
"Sword Intent?"
He looked ahead and saw that the front of the River God Temple was covered in intersecting sword marks, as if a Sword Cultivator had once fought here with all their might.
The ground was crisscrossed with sword marks, and some of the stone pillars in front of the temple showed signs of being cut by sword qi.
Even after hundreds of years, traces of sword intent remained.
This indicated that the Sword Cultivator's sword techniques must have been exceptionally profound.
And to be able to fight alone and reach this evil god's temple, their divine sense must have been incredibly powerful as well.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and as he looked at the sword marks, he moved his divine sense, carefully comprehending the profound meaning contained within the sword marks.
Unfortunately, these sword intents seemed to have been polluted and corrupted, and the remaining sword intent was not pure.
Mo Hua, this half-baked Sword Cultivator, couldn't understand it at all.
Not to mention learning even a single move or technique.
Mo Hua felt a bit disappointed and somewhat unwilling to give up.
"Should I give it a try?"
Mo Hua thought to himself, and then he tried to imitate what he had just learned, once again amplifying the Heaven's Secret Esoteric Calculation with the Heaven's Secret Mystical Calculation.
His eyes turned pitch-black, and divine shadows began to differentiate on top of his divine sense.
The divine shadows resembled ink-shadow robes, draped over Mo Hua's body.
One layer, two layers...
Mo Hua wanted to differentiate three layers, but when he reached the second layer, he felt pain in his sea of consciousness again, as if his previous injury hadn't healed yet, so he could only differentiate two layers of devious thoughts, making do with what he had.
With the amplification of the two layers of devious thoughts, under the Heaven's Secret Esoteric Calculation.
Mo Hua's eyes flashed, and the cause and effect suddenly appeared, intertwining and fluctuating.
This time, the cause and effect were clearer than before.
Threads of pure white cause-and-effect lines emerged from the sword marks on the ground and floated towards the River God Temple.
Mo Hua's heart trembled.
This implied that the secret to the sword intent was hidden within the River God Temple?
Without hesitation, Mo Hua walked straight towards the River God Temple. Before entering the temple, he turned and instructed:
"That old monster should also be inside. Everyone, be careful."
Everyone nodded.
In front of the River God Temple stood two black-lacquered golden pillars, with phrases like "Abundant Rain and Favorable Winds" and "Peace and Safety for the River" written on them.
However, the pillars were covered in sword qi scratches, making the words unclear.
Above was a plaque with the words "River God Temple" written on it.
Mo Hua swept his divine sense over it, frowning slightly, and then he stepped into the temple.
Upon entering, he saw a large hall.
The hall was spacious and empty, with nothing on the sides. Only at the far end was there an offering table with a statue of the River God standing on it.
The River God statue had the face of a fish and the body of a human. He wore a cloud-embroidered robe with a sea wave pattern, his hands clasped together in front of his chest. His mouth was like a blood basin, his teeth white, and he sat there tall, his gaze stern and terrifying.
Below the River God statue was a pool of blood.
The blood was viscous, and soaking in it was the figure of Master She.
His current appearance was very strange, half-demon and half-cultivator.
The blood in the pool was constantly repairing his physical body.
Everyone's expressions turned solemn, and they frowned.
Master She, soaking in the blood, heard the noise and opened his eyes. Upon seeing everyone, his expression changed, and he said in a hoarse voice:
"How did you make it here?"
Master She smiled coldly and slowly stepped out of the blood pool.
His injuries had been nourished by the blood, and he was now completely healed. At the same time, his stature grew taller, his muscles bulging, and he transformed back into a demon.
"My injuries have recovered, and now it's your turn..."
Mo Hua waved his hand.
Gu An and the others immediately rushed forward, their blades, fists, and feet working together in a flurry of attacks. After dozens of exchanges, they knocked Master She to the ground again and bound him tightly with the Spirit Locking Rope.
Mo Hua curled his lips.
This old monster wasn't as powerful as Fire Buddha. He had only learned some demonic methods and was putting on a show...
"I've brought the sacrifices, and the two children are also here. Didn't you say you would pray to the River God and exchange the sacrifices?"
Mo Hua said condescendingly, "Hurry up and make the exchange!"
Yu Dahe's expression also became tense.
Master She was pinned down by several of Gu's burly men, his demon skin peeled off, and he coldly smiled, "It's too late, there's no saving them now. You might as well wait for death."
Mo Hua said indifferently, "Little An Ge, chop this old monster into pieces."
Gu An hesitated for a moment and glanced at Mo Hua for confirmation.
Mo Hua nodded, "Do it!"
Without further hesitation, Gu An raised his butcher's knife and slashed at Master She's neck, the blade cutting through flesh and drawing blood.
Only then did Master She's face turn ashen, and he cried out to Mo Hua, "Are you serious?"
Mo Hua ignored him.
Gu An continued to apply force, the knife slicing deeper into his neck.
Master She's eyes widened, and he shouted, "I can save them! I can save them! I'll perform the ritual! Those two children can be saved if I perform the ritual!"
Mo Hua raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
"Really! Really!" Master She nodded vigorously.
Mo Hua gave Gu An a signal, and Gu An finally stopped, pulling out the knife, which was covered in blood.
Master She clutched his neck, his heart filled with hatred.
This little brat was truly ruthless. He didn't hesitate to kill when he said he would.
"Are you bad-mouthing me in your heart?" Mo Hua's expression turned cold.
Master She shuddered and quickly shook his head, "No! No!"
"Give him a pill to stop the bleeding," Mo Hua said, and then he looked at Master She with cold eyes, "I'll give you an incense stick's worth of time. Hurry up and perform the ritual, beg your River God to return the souls of those two children, or else I'll have someone chop you into pieces and feed your corpse to the demons outside..."
Master She hesitated, "An incense stick's worth of time isn't enough..."
Mo Hua's gaze turned dangerous.
Master She smiled bitterly, "It really isn't enough. I need to perform the ritual, make the offerings, and then beg the River God. An incense stick's worth of time simply isn't enough..."
"Then how long do you need?"
"At least..." Master She said in a low voice, "...half an hour."
"Alright." Mo Hua nodded, "I'll give you half an hour."
Only then did Master She relax.
"My storage bag..." Master She glanced at Mo Hua again, and seeing his unkind expression, he quickly explained, "The things for the ritual and offerings are all in my storage bag."
Mo Hua thought for a moment and said to Gu An, "Little An Ge, give him back his storage bag."
Gu An nodded and temporarily returned Master She's storage bag to him.
However, they confiscated all the demonic pills, techniques, and evil artifacts inside.
She Master glanced at Mo Hua with a malicious gleam in his eyes, silently cursing: Damn, I misjudged him.
I thought this kid was just an arrogant and overbearing young master from an aristocratic family, here to flaunt his power.
But who would have thought he's actually a ruthless little Yama King.
The wound on his neck stung painfully.
A sinister look flashed in She Master's eyes, but he endured the pain and continued to prepare the altar.
Mo Hua, meanwhile, took this opportunity to examine the entire River God Temple.
The temple appeared spacious and imposing, yet simple and crude.
From the inside, it looked ordinary, with none of the terrifying signs of blood-soaked mist that had been visible from the outside, as if the ominous blood-soaked omen had been an illusion.
Moreover, there was no altar.
Mo Hua searched the temple but couldn't find a proper altar that would stir his "desire."
It was similar to the uncompleted altar deep within the Demon Hall in Bi Mountain.
There was only a statue.
However, this statue seemed ordinary, neither resembling the River God's true form nor an evil god's proselytizing statue.
The only peculiar thing was that this statue was immersed in a blood pool.
Mo Hua looked down at the blood pool and noticed that the blood was viscous, with limbs and dissolved flesh floating within.
Just one glance made him feel nauseated.
"What is the purpose of this blood pool that immerses the statue?"
To corrupt the River God with blood and cause its degeneration?
Mo Hua was perplexed.
He looked around, scrutinizing the entire River God Temple, and had an uncanny feeling that someone had locked away the temple's true secrets, preventing him from seeing them.
Mo Hua silently glanced at She Master, his intuition telling him that the key to unlocking the temple's secrets likely lay with She Master.
Additionally, there was another question about the transformation of divine thoughts into swords.
Several hundred years ago, a sword cultivator proficient in the art of transforming divine thoughts into swords had fought here alone, leaving behind countless sword marks outside the temple.
And the cause and effect within those sword marks had all converged on the River God Temple.
However, the temple, though dilapidated and crude, showed no signs of battle or residual sword intent from the divine thought sword art.
"Where is the cause and effect of the divine thought sword hidden?"
Mo Hua stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes sharp as he scanned the corners of the River God Temple, but he still found no clues. His gaze eventually settled on She Master.
She Master felt his heart palpitate under Mo Hua's profound and inscrutable gaze.
"Is... is there something amiss, young master?" She Master asked with a forced smile.
Mo Hua remained silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "Is there a sword in this temple?"
She Master was shocked to his core, but he quickly composed himself, his expression unchanged as he asked in confusion, "What sword is the young master referring to?"
However, he couldn't hide his slight emotional turmoil from Mo Hua.
"You know." Mo Hua's eyes narrowed.
Before She Master could reply, Mo Hua's eyes lit up as he pondered, "You know about this sword..."
"...and you've seen it."
"The sword is in the temple, hidden in a place I haven't been, but you have."
Mo Hua's gaze swept the area, and he suddenly understood.
"The blood pool!"
"The only place in this entire River God Temple that I haven't been to, but you have, is the blood pool!"
"You were in the blood pool when we entered."
"So, the sword is in the blood pool!"
Mo Hua's reasoning was clear and his gaze sharp.
She Master's heart turned cold.
This kid is too cunning; he's like an old demon with a shrewd mind and suspicious nature.
Mo Hua commanded, "Go into the blood pool and retrieve the sword for me."
She Master's lips twitched as he was about to speak, but Mo Hua interrupted in a crisp yet cold voice, "I won't accept any excuses."
She Master's scalp tingled, and he said, "I still need to perform the sacrifice to save those..."
"The blood pool isn't deep; it won't take much time." Mo Hua interrupted again.
She Master knew he couldn't stall any longer, so he sighed and said, "There is indeed a sword at the bottom of the blood pool, but I don't know how to retrieve it..."
Mo Hua shook his head. "I don't care. Figure it out yourself."
She Master wanted to say something more, but Mo Hua's eyes now held a sharp edge.
She Master felt a chill down his spine and could only sigh in resignation. He walked towards the blood pool.
Gu An and Gu Quan stood guard with their knives, watching him closely.
The blood pool was filled with dissolved flesh and limbs, its stench nauseating.
Ordinary cultivators who entered risked having their physical bodies corroded, their spiritual power polluted, and even their divine sense degenerated.
But She Master, having ventured down the path of evil, was unafraid.
He cursed Mo Hua silently in his heart and then jumped into the blood pool, which was soaking the statue. He sank to the bottom.
The blood pool churned, and the air trembled.
After a while, She Master reluctantly emerged from the blood pool and threw a bloodstained sword onto the ground.
Gu Quan wiped the blood off the sword with a piece of silk cloth and handed it to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's pupils contracted as he examined the sword.
It was a broken sword, with only the tip remaining, and its body had been corroded by blood, losing its luster. However, the material used to forge the sword was extraordinary.
Although Mo Hua was not proficient in artifact refining, he had some knowledge of refining materials.
The gold and iron used to forge this sword were at least third-grade.
In other words, this was a broken...
Golden Core stage natal magic weapon!
(End of Chapter)
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