Chapter 705: The Devil's Bones
Chapter 705: The Devil's Bones
This idea, planted by Mo Hua through his persuasive words, took root in Master She's mind, influencing his spiritual consciousness.
For a moment, Master She's eyes glazed over.
Something seemed to be taking root in the depths of his heart...
Mo Hua, however, was unaware that when he had been speaking, he had unconsciously used a technique similar to "Demon Heart Planting."
But this technique was still rudimentary and unlike the heretic, Gu Dao Ren, he did not plant a "demonic thought" in another's heart.
Instead, he used words to shake the foundations of another's spiritual heart, planting a twisted seed of thought in their hearts to a certain extent.
This was a complex and subtle technique of spiritual manipulation.
The old Mo Hua would never have been capable of such a feat.
But now, after consuming a large number of divine marrow pills, his spiritual consciousness had undergone a qualitative change, with his divinity and humanity merging with his spiritual heart.
Mo Hua could now instinctively use some of the spiritual techniques he had once seen but had no idea how to begin practicing.
For example, this "Demon Heart Planting" technique that didn't rely on demonic thoughts...
"I am a traitor."
Master She's eyes glazed over for a moment, his pupils unfocused. After a moment, he returned to his senses, silently memorizing these words and believing them without a doubt.
"I am already a traitor."
"I have betrayed the Divine Master."
"I must not let the Divine Master know."
"I must not speak of this Little King Yan either... Otherwise, the Divine Master will find out about my 'inviting the wolf into the house'."
Indeed, this "Little King Yan" was right.
Whether intentional or not, deliberate or careless, he was the guide who led the tiger into the mountains.
Such guides deserved to die.
The Divine Master would neither discuss reasoning with him nor listen to his explanations.
Once the Divine Master found out, he would surely face a punishment far worse than death.
Master She had figured it all out and made sense of it in his mind.
Keeping this Little King Yan's secret was the same as preserving his own life!
"Do you understand?" Mo Hua asked.
Master She's face was pale, his voice hoarse, but he replied firmly, "I understand!"
Mo Hua was satisfied.
This Master She was still sensible, and there might be other causalities at play, so he could spare his life for now.
As long as he kept his mouth shut.
Mo Hua prepared to get up and leave, but then he suddenly remembered something else. He turned to Master She and said, "Give me the Shinto array."
Master She was startled.
Mo Hua's eyes sharpened, "You have it on you, don't you?"
There were traces of the Shinto array both inside and outside the fishing village.
And along the way, whether it was opening doors, opening altars, making sacrifices, or entering dreams, most of them were related to array patterns, and Master She was in control of these patterns.
So this Master She must be more than just a heretic array master.
Besides refining evil pills, he might also be responsible for maintaining and repairing the heretic arrays and the Shinto array in the village.
In that case, he might have a complete set of array diagrams for the Shinto array.
Master She, under Mo Hua's gaze, dared not hide it anymore and bitterly smiled, "I really don't have it."
Mo Hua didn't believe him, "Then how did you learn your heretic arrays?"
Master She had nothing left to lose, so he stopped hiding the truth. However, his expression remained pious as he said, "The Divine Master taught us these arrays through dreams. Whether we learn or draw them, we must borrow the Divine Master's powerful spiritual thoughts..."
"Otherwise, with just my own abilities, I would not be able to master these profound arrays."
Mo Hua frowned.
Dream transmission?
Borrowing thoughts to draw arrays?
Were these all the methods of the Great Wilderness Heretic God?
Mo Hua looked at Master She and noticed his fearful expression, thinking that he was probably telling the truth. But Mo Hua still felt that something was amiss.
The Shinto array was an array used to restrain gods.
Why would it be taught by a heretic god?
And weren't gods supposed to be incapable of understanding arrays?
How exactly did one borrow heretic thoughts?
So was it also through borrowing heretic thoughts that Over-the-River Dragon was able to draw the blood-colored unsealing array pattern at the well?
"Borrowing heretic thoughts..." Mo Hua's mind was filled with various thoughts.
Master She watched Mo Hua's pensive expression, unsure if he had thought of something or was plotting something sinister. He felt a sense of unease in his heart.
Fortunately, Mo Hua didn't ask any further questions and merely said indifferently, "Let's go."
Only then did Master She feel relieved.
The group left the River God Temple and began their journey back. Along the way, they noticed that the fishing village had changed once again.
The oppressive atmosphere had lessened.
The fishy and bloody smells were gradually dissipating.
The numerous flesh and blood demons in the dojo seemed to have lost their souls, turning into mindless zombies that struggled instinctively in place.
The evil spirits in the leech mud pond had all withered and died.
The mud pond had now become an ordinary pond.
Gods used objects as their foundation.
But now that the "god" was dead, even the objects would slowly disappear.
The entire fishing village, or rather, the entire heretic god's "preaching ground," had begun to decay.
However, Mo Hua didn't seem to want to let go of this heretic god's preaching ground just yet.
They had been cautious on their way here.
But now, the nightmare was over, the River God Temple had collapsed, the River God had been slain, and the heretic god's incarnation had been "eaten."
There was nothing left in this fishing village that could pose a threat to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's courage grew, and he began to scour the place like a swarm of locusts, collecting everything that seemed unusual.
Any strange objects were taken by him.
Not a single trace of array patterns on the floor tiles, pillars, squares, or roads was spared.
He even dug up the ground.
Under Mo Hua's orders, the Gu family cultivators and even Master She began to dig up the ground inch by inch, turning the fishing village upside down.
Mo Hua discovered array patterns one by one, recording them and eventually piecing together a complete array.
In this way, Mo Hua, with his profound understanding of arrays, was able to initially restore a complete Shinto array with array patterns, array pivots, and array eyes!
The Gu family cultivators were impressed, feeling that this young Master Mo was indeed practical and diligent, using every opportunity to focus on studying array techniques.
He knew that it was impossible.
The formations taught by the deity were not meant to be recreated so easily...
It wasn't merely a matter of gathering the formation patterns.
Before this, he had never seen any formation master capable of restoring a formation in such a manner...
There had to be a deeper understanding of formations at play here.
Master She was astonished.
This young master... His mastery of formations might be far more terrifying than he had initially thought! Not only was he a prodigy in spiritual consciousness, but also a true genius in formations...
Master She felt a sense of fear, daring not to have any other thoughts. His attitude was respectful, and he even showed a hint of humility.
After restoring a formation diagram, Mo Hua was delighted.
The fishing village had been thoroughly searched, and the ground was plowed as if by a plow, with no other treasures to be found.
Mo Hua was satisfied.
The group continued on their return journey, crossing the small bridge and approaching the large fishing house in the previous village.
Several monks from the Gu family were stationed here, guarding He Jianglong and the other black-robed men. Due to the distance, they had remained safe.
After reuniting, the group wasted no time and marched directly out of the fishing village with their captives in tow.
After walking for a while, they entered the dry well, and a deep pool blocked their path, with the powerful water demon lurking within.
One of the Gu family monks wanted to try the same trick again and threw a dead spotted fish into the pool.
Mo Hua shook his head. "No need."
On their way here, they had tried to avoid attracting attention, but they were still chased by the water demon, and Mo Hua had even taken a tumble.
Mo Hua held a grudge for that incident.
"I'll set up a formation to burn the water first, and then we'll join forces to kill that water demon!"
A gentleman does not bear grudges overnight! Mo Hua thought to himself, and then he began to set up the formation.
He didn't show off too much, using his spiritual consciousness to control the ink, and first set up several Earth Fire Formations with the formation plate, and then personally drew several Fire Formation patterns on the bricks and stones.
After the formation was activated, fiery lights filled the air, and a wave of heat rushed toward their faces.
The water in the entire pool became scorching hot, and the pool boiled and steamed violently.
Soon, a roar came from the bottom of the pool.
The water demon, soaked in boiling water, struggled and roared in the water, but its thick skin and tough flesh protected it from the heat, only causing it temporary pain.
In less than half an hour, the pool was dry.
The ugly and hideous water demon lay at the bottom of the pool, its yellow-green eyes glaring angrily at the group.
Mo Hua waved his hand, and more than ten Gu family monks immediately rushed forward.
On their way here, they had also been chased by this water demon, and one of their companions had his leg bitten, losing half his flesh. They held a grudge, and now that they had the upper hand, they showed no mercy.
Without water, the water demon's strength was greatly reduced.
The Gu family monks worked together seamlessly, with a well-coordinated offense and defense. In less than an incense stick's time, they had slaughtered the peak second-grade water demon.
Gu An took out his knife and sliced open the water demon's abdomen.
The inside was putrid and contained undigested human bones, indicating that it regularly fed on humans. At the bottom of this well, no one knew how many cultivators it had devoured.
Killing it was doing a good deed.
Following Mo Hua's instructions, the Gu family members endured the stench and proceeded to "dismember" the water demon.
They were not beast tamers, so they needed Mo Hua's guidance to extract the materials properly.
Mo Hua directed them from the side, instructing them precisely on where to cut, where to remove the scales, where to pick the bones, and where to peel the flesh.
The water demon's blood and flesh were stripped away, its bones picked clean, and its demon core extracted. It died a clean death.
After the materials were extracted, Gu An handed Mo Hua a pale blue Demon Pill and a long, translucent white spine.
"This is a peak second-grade Water Demon Core. After refining it in a pill furnace to burn away its demonic energy, it can be used as medicine and is worth quite a few Spirit Stones."
"This spine is also a good thing. It's filled with water energy and has a hard bone structure, making it excellent material for refining spirit swords."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "Refining spirit swords?"
Gu An nodded.
They were not beast tamers, so they were not familiar with hunting and extracting materials from demons.
However, they were from the Gu family and served in the Daoting Court, so they were quite knowledgeable about demon materials and their uses.
"Spirit swords require a sword embryo, usually made from metal or demon bones as the base material. Metal is easy to obtain, but a high-quality demon spine is hard to come by."
"This water demon had peak second-grade strength, and who knows how long it has lived. Its spine is the perfect choice for a sword embryo."
Sword embryo?
Mo Hua's heart stirred.
He had wanted to become a sword cultivator, but he lacked the foundation of a sword cultivation lineage, and his sword qi was insufficient. He also didn't have an abundance of spirit stones, so a spirit sword was out of the question.
However, now that he had learned the "Sword Transformation" technique that used spiritual consciousness to transform into a sword, he could barely be considered to have entered the door. Perhaps, in the future, he could become a half-baked "sword cultivator."
Moreover, the transformation of spiritual consciousness into a sword was also based on sword techniques.
A good spirit sword would be necessary.
However...
Mo Hua glanced at Gu An. "Don't you want this demon pill and demon bone?"
Gu An was very considerate. "We are acting on orders. The Daoting Court will reward us with salaries and merit. We must not be greedy for these extra possessions."
"Moreover, this mission's success is entirely due to Young Master Mo's quick wit, extensive knowledge of formations, and excellent command. These are rightfully his."
Mo Hua was a little embarrassed by the praise.
However, he was also aware that Gu An and these Gu family monks were probably treating him so politely because of Uncle Gu's face. They were giving him the benefits out of courtesy.
But these people were just ordinary sect disciples.
Gu An and Gu Quan, the two brothers, probably held somewhat higher positions in the Gu family, but they were likely not part of the direct lineage.
It was challenging for ordinary sect disciples to accumulate merit, and earning spirit stones for cultivation was probably not easy for them.
Furthermore, he might need their help in the future.
Gu An was about to decline when Mo Hua interrupted decisively, "That's settled then."
Gu An paused for a moment before cupping his fists and saying with a smile, "Thank you, Young Master Mo."
The other Gu family cultivators also expressed their gratitude, "Thank you, Young Master Mo!"
A demon pill from a second-grade peak water demon was quite valuable, and they could each get a good sum of spirit stones if they sold it.
Mo Hua's guess was correct.
While the influential families were large, they also had many mouths to feed.
These ordinary family disciples didn't have a lot of surplus spirit stones for their daily expenses, socializing with fellow cultivators, or their cultivation and training.
The Daoting Court missions were dangerous and strict, so it was challenging to earn extra income.
One of the Gu family cultivators said with a smile, "Young Master Mo, if you have any other requests in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."
The others chimed in, "Yes, we will do our best to assist you."
"Mhm."
Mo Hua nodded with a smile.
...
Soon after, the group left the bottom of the well and returned to the fishing village.
The well was dark and dreary, without a trace of sunlight, but outside, it was daytime, and the fishing village was bathed in bright sunlight.
Mo Hua released his spiritual sense to check on the condition of the fishing village.
The spiritual senses of the fishermen cultivators had recovered from their nightmare, and their expressions no longer showed occasional confusion. However, most of them looked pale and listless.
This was the result of spiritual exhaustion.
As followers of the heretic god, their spiritual senses had been devoured to varying degrees, so it was normal for them to experience some depletion. With proper rest, they should recover without any major issues.
Mo Hua scanned the area again to double-check and ensure there were no other problems before finally letting go of his concerns.
Upon returning, Yu Dahe hugged his two children and placed them on the bed. He fed them some calming and invigorating pills and used his spiritual power to unblock their meridians.
After a while, the two children gradually woke up and called out softly, "Dad, Grandpa..."
Old Yu couldn't contain his joy and was deeply grateful to Mo Hua.
Yu Dahe held his children and wanted to kowtow to Mo Hua to express his gratitude.
Mo Hua quickly stopped him, "No need for that..."
Mo Hua smiled kindly, but as he turned his head, his expression became slightly solemn as his spiritual sense noticed something amiss.
There seemed to be something unusual about the two children.
On the surface, they appeared the same as before, with no signs of injury on their bodies.
However, their cheeks, hands, and feet had faint white marks, which were unusual spiritual imprints.
With each breath, their spiritual senses trembled, resembling the gills of fish.
However, only cultivators with keen spiritual senses would be able to perceive this.
Mo Hua frowned slightly as he recalled the dream in which these two children knelt before the offering table and were assimilated by the two peculiar fish demons, their cheeks sprouting gills and their hands and feet transforming into fins.
It seemed that even after being rescued from the nightmare, the two children had still been affected by the River God, undergoing some unexpected transformation.
It was unclear if this change was for better or worse.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly and pondered for a moment before taking out several secret manuals from his storage bag.
There was the White Wave Manual, which included the White Wave Body Technique, and the Water Demon Evasion Technique.
These were the water-based cultivation techniques Mo Hua had obtained from He Jianglong.
To Mo Hua, these techniques were ordinary, but to these fishermen cultivators, who relied on the river for their livelihood, they were almost top-notch cultivation techniques.
"Take these cultivation manuals and techniques and have the children study them well..." Mo Hua instructed.
Yu Dahe held the manuals, his hands trembling.
Old Yu was at a loss for words, his eyes filled with gratitude as he choked out, "Thank you, young master, thank you..."
Mo Hua further advised, "It's best to keep their practice secret. Don't reveal these techniques to others, but these water demon evasion techniques are a type of demon-hunting method. You can teach them to the other villagers..."
"Yes, yes, we will do as you say, Young Master Mo!"
Old Yu and his son nodded repeatedly, expressing their heartfelt gratitude.
With that, the matter of the small fishing village was temporarily resolved.
Master She, the black-robed men, and He Jianglong would be escorted back to the Daoting Court by Gu An and his companions.
Mo Hua didn't need to concern himself with those matters anymore.
He had done what he set out to do, and now it was time to return to his sect to collect the "takeout."
However, as they were about to part ways at the edge of the fishing village, Mo Hua suddenly recalled something Master She had said earlier:
"...In half a day, this batch of pills will be ready. You can take them to the young master, and I will have fulfilled my task."
"Deliver the pills to the young master?" Mo Hua asked, looking at Master She. "Who is this young master you're supposed to deliver the pills to?"
Master She shook his head, "I don't know... I only know that they are to be delivered to the 'young master.'"
"I only handle the pill refining. I never meet with the young master directly."
Mo Hua nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the others before landing on He Jianglong.
He Jianglong's expression was calm, but his spiritual sense was agitated.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "Do you know who this 'young master' is?"
He Jianglong didn't dare to answer.
Mo Hua continued, "Who is responsible for delivering these pills to the young master?"
He Jianglong's fingers twitched involuntarily.
Mo Hua understood.
He glanced at He Jianglong and then issued a calm command, "Now, deliver the refined pills to the 'young master'!"
Mo Hua wanted to know who this 'young master' was.
(End of Chapter)
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