Chapter 722: Annihilation
Chapter 722: Annihilation
Mo Hua accepted the bounty but, as he was unable to leave Qian Xue Zhou, he handed the task to Cheng Mo, asking him to lead the team. However, Mo Hua did not disclose the details of the bounty.
It wasn't until the night before their departure that Mo Hua gathered everyone together and briefed them on the mission.
"This bounty is to assist the Dao Ting Si in their mission to surround and suppress a large number of Demon Cultivators in Qing Ping City!"
A large number of Demon Cultivators!
The group was taken aback by this revelation. No wonder the bounty offered such a high amount of merit.
The young disciples felt a mix of excitement and tension. Although they were from prestigious families, they were still young and inexperienced, having devoted most of their time to cultivation without being entangled in their families' affairs. They still cherished the dream of "wielding their swords across the world, slaying demons, and vanquishing evil".
Filled with righteousness, they had an innate aversion to the demonic path.
They had encountered some evil cultivators during previous bounty missions, but those cultivators often came from lowly lineages and, although their methods were vicious, their overall impact was negligible.
This time, however, they would be facing a large group of Demon Cultivators.
Mo Hua continued, "There's only one thing you need to remember for this suppression mission..."
"To eradicate evil to the last?" Cheng Mo asked.
"No, it's to ensure your own safety first!"
The disciples were taken aback by this statement.
"Don't underestimate Demon Cultivators!" Mo Hua's expression turned solemn. "They are indeed evil, but they are not stupid. Even if they are not as intelligent or talented as you, they have ample cultivation experience, and they will resort to any means necessary. Their methods are despicable..."
"If you let your guard down when facing Demon Cultivators, you will be at a severe disadvantage and may even risk your life!"
"While it is commendable to eradicate evil, you must also consider the circumstances and act within your capabilities." Mo Hua sighed. "I want you to earn merit, not throw your lives away."
The disciples nodded in agreement, expressing their appreciation for their senior brother's thoughtful consideration.
"So," Mo Hua concluded, "when you act later, form groups of five and look out for each other. Your priority is to ensure your own safety."
"Leave the direct confrontations with the Demon Cultivators to the Dao Ting Si."
"Our task is to provide support from the periphery and deal with any stragglers."
"Remember, do not be greedy for merit, do not take reckless actions, and do not engage in prolonged battles. Avoid fighting formidable enemies, and do not pursue fleeing foes."
"Go there safely and return safely."
Mo Hua sighed again. "If anything happens to you, the sect elders will hold me responsible, and I won't be able to assign any future Dao Ting Si missions to you..."
Hearing this, the disciples immediately assured him with solemn vows:
"We will definitely be cautious. Please rest assured, Senior Brother!"
Mo Hua nodded, then reminded them of some trivial matters, such as ensuring they had their protective spiritual artifacts, donned their armor robes, and carried sufficient healing and life-saving pills.
As night fell, Cheng Mo led the group of fifty disciples on their journey, while Mo Hua bade them farewell at the mountain gate, watching until they were out of sight.
The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse, casting a dim light on the mountain.
Tai Xu Mountain was shrouded in the thick darkness of night.
The disciples of Tai Xu, traveling along the mountain path, had left Tai Xu Gate behind, embarking on their first large-scale mission to suppress Demon Cultivators.
Mo Hua let out a soft sigh, feeling a twinge of worry.
He wondered if they would encounter any problems on their journey to Qing Ping City to suppress the Demon Cultivators who intended to annihilate them.
However, with Gu Shen keeping watch, he believed that everything would be fine.
Moreover, Mo Hua had made some calculations beforehand.
Although his divination method was still immature and couldn't predict clear cause-and-effect relationships, he hadn't sensed any ominous signs that would make his "heart leap into his throat".
Thus, he believed that this suppression mission wouldn't pose too great a danger.
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.
Since he couldn't leave the state, all he could do was wait for news from Cheng Mo and the others. Worrying wouldn't change anything.
In the meantime, he had other matters to attend to.
During Mo Hua's break, Master Gu had delivered a set of armor that was specially customized according to Mo Hua's requirements—a set of armor that was compatible with the Five Elements Origin Array.
Mo Hua named it the "Five Elements Origin Armor".
The Five Elements enhancement array was an ultimate formation, and it was extremely rare.
Likewise, spiritual artifacts compatible with it were also extremely rare, and there were no existing models to reference.
Mo Hua could only rely on his understanding of formations and Master Gu's input on artifact refining to experiment and refine the armor step by step.
This set of origin armor was just the first version, and Mo Hua wasn't sure if it would even work.
It might require continuous testing and improvement.
However, this was within Mo Hua's expectations.
During his break, Mo Hua had some free time, so he decided to test the functionality of this Five Elements Origin Armor.
He first drew the Five Elements Fire Origin Array inside the armor.
Then, he rented a Dao Fa room to test the power of his spells.
Inside the Dao Fa room, Mo Hua looked somewhat comical as he donned the obviously oversized armor, his expression solemn.
There was no helping it—the armor had been crafted for an adult, so it was bound to be too big for him.
Fortunately, the Dao Fa room was enclosed, so no one would see him.
Mo Hua, clad in the armor, began to cast Fireball Spell at a distant spell puppet.
A red light flashed on the armor, enveloping Mo Hua in its glow.
With a flick of his finger, Mo Hua unleashed a Fireball Spell, which whistled through the air, leaving a trail of fierce fire as it struck the distant spell puppet.
An explosion sounded, and the fire raged.
The spell puppet was scorched by the fire-attribute spiritual power, leaving a charred black mark that gradually faded as the array's effect took hold, restoring it to its original state.
The power of the Fireball Spell was not weak.
However, Mo Hua's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Something's wrong..."
The armor wasn't working.
He took off the armor, disassembled it, and carefully inspected the array.
He had the First Grade Thirteen-Line Five Elements Fire Origin Array memorized, and each stroke and line was flawless.
The array was correct.
He then compared it to the design of the armor.
Master Gu was a Third Grade Artifact Refiner with extensive experience. His craftsmanship was exquisite, and the external armor was perfect.
There was no issue with the array or the armor.
However, this Five Elements Fire Origin Armor was not functioning as intended.
His spiritual power had not been amplified, and the power of the Fireball Spell had not increased.
Mo Hua was perplexed.
This set of Five Elements Origin Armor was crafted according to the standard structure of spiritual artifacts.
However, ordinary spiritual artifacts correspond to ordinary formations.
The Ultimate Formation is definitely different.
Or, at the very least, the Five Elements Ultimate Formation is unique.
"How did I draw my previous Five Elements Origin Formation?"
"Why does it work when drawn on the ground but not on armor?"
Mo Hua recalled how he had drawn the formation on the ground and created the Five Elements Origin Formation.
After comparing the two, he had a hypothesis.
The only difference between drawing the formation on the ground and the Five Elements Origin Armor was in the flow of formation power.
When drawn on the ground, the Five Elements Ultimate Formation is activated by divine will, with divine will and spiritual power merging and flowing together.
In the Five Elements Origin Armor, the Five Elements Ultimate Formation is purely driven by spiritual power, with only the flow of spiritual power and no fusion of divine will.
Mo Hua remembered.
The Five Elements Origin Formation essentially amplifies the five types of spiritual power through the formation, achieving a "transformation of divine will."
The amplified portion of spiritual power is not created out of thin air but is transformed from "willpower."
With this realization, Mo Hua's heart trembled as if he had gained a profound insight. He felt that he had discovered something very important.
However, when he tried to think it through, he suddenly couldn't explain what exactly he had understood.
Perhaps his current cultivation was too low, and his experience insufficient, so he only gained a hint of inspiration without a deep understanding...
Mo Hua slowly nodded.
Since he couldn't figure it out for the time being, he didn't dwell on it and instead turned his attention back to the Five Elements Origin Armor.
Understanding the principle was one thing, but actually solving the problem was another, more complicated matter.
It involved the fundamental rules of power flow in formation media formations and spiritual artifact formations.
After a formation is activated, it is controlled by divine will.
A spiritual artifact, once activated, operates on its own.
Simple formations, such as the fire formations Mo Hua had drawn before, those with fewer than nine lines and not worthy of being considered complete, are easy to activate.
Usually, all it takes is an infusion of spiritual power.
Crushing a spirit stone and letting the spiritual power flow into the formation lines will naturally activate the formation.
But this only applies to formations with fewer lines and simpler structures.
As formations become more complex, the number of lines increases, and their functions become more sophisticated.
For example, compound formations, grand formations, or single formations of the second grade or higher.
These formations have embedded formation cores and are powered by spirit stones.
They also include complex formation pivots that can be controlled by spiritual sense to manipulate the flow of spiritual power, adjusting its intensity, direction, and more.
Controlling formations with divine will requires a certain foundation in formation techniques and a relatively abundant amount of spiritual sense.
Spiritual artifacts are different.
As they are meant for all cultivators, the threshold for their use cannot be set too high.
Moreover, their usage should not be complicated.
Spiritual artifacts can be used as long as there is spiritual power to fuel them.
The formations within spiritual artifacts, once supplied with spiritual power, operate on their own without the need for additional control through divine will.
However, the problem lies in the fact that the Five Elements Origin Formation requires "transformation of divine will."
When drawing a formation on the ground, it is the logic of the formation that allows it to be controlled by spiritual sense.
With spiritual sense, one can inject divine will and transform spiritual power.
On the other hand, the Five Elements Origin Armor is a spiritual artifact.
The formation within a spiritual artifact cannot be controlled by spiritual sense, and thus, it is impossible to inject divine will, perform the "transformation," strengthen the five elements, or amplify spiritual power.
Mo Hua felt a headache coming on.
Indeed, what seemed like a simple problem would inevitably lead to a host of unexpected issues when it came to practical application.
This meant that the Five Elements Origin Armor couldn't have an "internal formation" structure like ordinary spiritual artifacts.
The formation of the Five Elements Origin Armor had to be "open-source."
Only when spiritual sense could intervene would divine will be able to transform, and spiritual power would be amplified.
However, this design would likely not conform to the specifications of ordinary spiritual artifacts and would be more like a special "formation artifact" between a spiritual artifact and a formation medium.
Things were getting complicated...
But this minor difficulty couldn't be considered a setback.
Mo Hua was prepared for such challenges and naturally didn't feel discouraged. Instead, he felt invigorated and ambitious.
After all, once this "Five Elements Origin Armor" was successfully developed, it would enhance the power of his techniques, free from the restrictions of location and the need to draw formations.
With the amplification of the Five Elements Origin Armor, even if his cultivation was slightly inferior, with the right strategies, he could fight opponents of higher realms.
Mo Hua was full of anticipation.
"One step at a time..."
Mo Hua thought for a while and decided to start from the refining diagram of the Five Elements Origin Armor, trying to "open-source" the internal formation and redesign its structure.
At the same time, he was also concerned about the situation in Qing Ping City.
He wanted to send a letter to Uncle Gu to ask about the progress.
However, he knew that the extermination of Demon Cultivators was a matter of great importance, and Uncle Gu's letter of reply would likely be "sealed."
Even if he asked, he wouldn't get a response.
In any case, he would know the outcome in a couple of days.
Mo Hua patiently continued his research on the Five Elements Origin Armor, and before two days had passed, Cheng Mo and the others returned.
Mo Hua counted the number of people and found that there were exactly fifty, which finally put his heart at ease.
Cheng Mo and the others had varying degrees of injuries, but their expressions were excited.
"Eleven people had minor injuries, two had their arms broken, and one was stabbed by a sword, but none of the injuries were serious." Cheng Mo reported to Mo Hua.
"After taking some healing pills, they'll be fine in a few days," Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction and then asked, "What about the Demon Cultivators?"
Cheng Mo shook his head. "I don't know. As soon as they showed their hands, Gu Dian Si ordered the attack, and the captured Demon Cultivators were taken to the Dao Ting Si for strict interrogation."
"Gu Dian Si looked very serious, so I didn't dare to ask too many questions..." Cheng Mo added.
Mo Hua nodded. "Alright."
He glanced at everyone and cautioned, "Don't spread word about this matter. Otherwise, we might attract unwanted trouble."
The group nodded in agreement.
"Gu Dian Si gave the same instructions," Cheng Mo affirmed.
Mo Hua then dismissed everyone to rest, assuring them, "Once the Dao Ting Si finishes their tally, your merit points should be credited to your accounts."
The disciples beamed with joy and expressed their gratitude.
"...Thank you, Junior Brother!"
...
Back in the disciples' residence, Mo Hua sent a message to Gu Chang Huai: "Uncle Gu, do you know which family the Demon Cultivators were trying to annihilate?"
He waited for a response, but Gu Chang Huai didn't reply.
It seemed that Uncle Gu was busy...
Mo Hua thought to himself.
The next day passed without a reply from Gu Chang Huai, which puzzled Mo Hua.
Finally, on the third day, Gu Chang Huai responded: "They succeeded in their annihilation."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "What?"
Gu Chang Huai heaved a long sigh. "Someone... was wiped out."
Mo Hua's pupils contracted. "But we defended Qing Ping City, didn't we? It wasn't Qing Ping City, was it?"
"Yes..." Gu Chang Huai replied, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Those Demon Cultivators actually split into two groups and launched their attacks simultaneously. Qing Ping City was just one of their targets."
"We discovered their plan for Qing Ping City and mobilized our forces to thwart it, but we overlooked their other target..." Gu Chang Huai explained, his expression grim.
"Where was the other location?" Mo Hua asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Yuanshi Water Village on the Yanshui River," Gu Chang Huai answered.
"Yuanshi Water Village?" Mo Hua frowned, perplexed.
"Yes," Gu Chang Huai nodded. "It's a secluded water village near the Yanshui River, situated on a solitary island surrounded by water. The inhabitants are mostly fishermen cultivators, but they tend to keep to themselves and rarely interact with outsiders."
"The entire water village was slaughtered by the Demon Cultivators two nights ago..." Gu Chang Huai continued, his voice filled with anguish.
"However, no one knew about it at first. It was only the next day when a fisherman cultivator happened to row past the area and noticed a putrid, bloody stench. As he drew closer, he saw that the river surface outside the water village was stained crimson with blood. Every single cultivator in the water village had been slaughtered, leaving no survivors..."
Gu Chang Huai's voice trailed off as he sighed heavily, overwhelmed by the tragedy.
Mo Hua's heart turned cold as he asked, "Do we know who did this?"
Even if they were foreign Demon Cultivators, they should have some identity or affiliation.
"We're still investigating," Gu Chang Huai replied. "We should have some news in the next few days, but without any witnesses, it will be difficult to track them down."
"What about the Demon Cultivators captured in Qing Ping City?" Mo Hua inquired.
"Although we captured many of them, most were just low-level lackeys. We interrogated them, but they didn't provide any useful information," Gu Chang Huai explained, his expression darkening.
Mo Hua furrowed his brows, sharing Gu Chang Huai's concern.
Gu Chang Huai's expression turned grim, but after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Don't worry about these matters. I will handle the investigation. You focus on your cultivation."
After that, Gu Chang Huai stopped responding to Mo Hua's messages.
Mo Hua's mood grew heavier as he sensed that the scheming of the Great Wilderness Evil God was accelerating, and its footsteps were drawing nearer.
But what was its ultimate scheme? Resurrection?
How would it achieve that?
Mo Hua's brows knitted tighter as he pondered these questions.
Furthermore, did the annihilation of Yuanshi Water Village mean that another hidden altar had been established somewhere along the Yanshui River?
Who were these Demon Cultivators who had slaughtered the inhabitants of Yuanshi Water Village, and who was leading them?
Mo Hua sighed heavily.
It was frustrating that he couldn't leave and conduct his own investigations.
Mo Hua pushed down the tumultuous thoughts in his heart and tried to calm himself by drawing some formations.
However, as he drew, he suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.
Compelled by an unseen force, he reached into his storage bag and pulled out a jade slip—the one containing Jiang Laoda's list of criminal cultivators.
Most of the names on the list had already faded, indicating that the cultivators were either dead, escaped, or captured.
Even the name of Huo Fotuo, which had burned with a bloody flame, signifying his evil deeds, had now dimmed.
The list had served its purpose.
Yet, Mo Hua felt that there was still some unresolved karma at play, some threads of fate that remained entangled in the darkness.
And just now, he sensed that another thread of karma had shifted...
What could it be? Mo Hua stared at the list, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't discern anything unusual.
As he was about to put the list away, Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat, and his expression turned solemn.
His eyes deepened, and the patterns of heavenly secrets, treacherous paths, and divine light intertwined within them.
As he gazed at the jade slip, he noticed a change.
The name Huo Fotuo faded completely.
Then, his vision blurred, and the threads of karma shifted.
The fiery sea receded, and the tide surged.
The tide was blue at first, but then it was irrigated by blood, turning half blue and half red, resembling a sea of blood.
The sea of blood engulfed the fiery sea.
On the jade slip, the name Huo Fotuo was erased, and another name emerged, bearing the mark of bloody water and evil deeds:
Shui Yanluo.
(End of Chapter)
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