Chapter 759: Opening of the Demon Valley (End of Chapter)
Chapter 759: Opening of the Demon Valley (End of Chapter)
The night was deep and the forest was silent.
The tall and formidable demon cultivator was beheaded by Xun Ziyou's sword and fell to the ground, lifeless.
Blood soaked the ground.
Mo Hua showed no fear; instead, his divine sense blazed, his gaze piercing as he scanned the demon cultivator's body. He then retrieved a storage bag, a jade slip, and after some thought, pulled off the black robe the demon cultivator was wearing.
These items were all stained with blood.
Mo Hua wiped them off casually and began to inspect the storage bag.
Inside were mostly items that the demon cultivator carried on his person.
There were some blood-enhancing pills, their origin uncertain.
Several spiritual artifacts—proper ones, it seemed these were what the large demon cultivator had used before he fell into demonization and madness, kept as mementos.
There were also some bones and a pile of dried meat of unknown origin.
Lastly, there were cultivation manuals and demon cultivation jade slips.
Mo Hua held the demon cultivation manual, intending to take a look, but in a blink of an eye, it was snatched from his hands by Xun Ziyou.
"Demon techniques are not something a child should be reading. They are the dark path, not something good," Xun Ziyou said.
"Oh..." Mo Hua replied, his head lowered.
He wanted to continue inspecting the storage bag, but before he knew it, Xun Ziyou had taken that away as well.
"These aren't good things either. I don't want you picking up bad habits..." Xun Ziyou said warily.
In his eyes, Mo Hua, despite appearing to be a young boy, was still just a child. And children were naturally curious.
Such a promising array master apprentice might, out of curiosity, take a glance at these demon techniques and inadvertently plant a seed of demonic desire, leading him astray onto the path of demons.
If that happened, he, Xun Ziyou, would never be able to redeem himself, even if it meant death. Even if the old ancestor didn't flay him, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Mo Hua had no choice but to turn to the message talisman.
But as he lifted his hand, he quickly retracted it, putting the talisman away and warily eyeing Xun Ziyou, afraid that he would take this from him as well.
Xun Ziyou felt a little embarrassed to take this from him as well, so he said, "Go on, take a look."
Mo Hua nodded and immersed his consciousness into the talisman, silently reading its contents.
The latest message on the talisman read:
"There's a spy among us, hurry..."
This message was left by the tall demon cultivator before his death. It was neither completed nor sent.
Of course, it would never be sent now.
Mo Hua immediately erased it.
There was also some other information.
Mo Hua flipped through it briefly and found mostly recent 'instructions' from the demon cultivators:
"On the sixteenth of this month, the Demon Valley will open, revealing the White Bone Dao. All demon cultivators must enter the valley without delay."
"Mission: Black Bull Demon, three of them, dead."
"Mission: Blue-Green Fox, one, alive."
"Note: Failure to complete the mission will result in three days of punishment inside the Refining Demon Urn."
"Those who dare to escape will be sacrificed to the Refining Demon Chart, suffering the agony of being devoured by myriad demons, their souls obliterated..."
...
"Refining Demon Urn? Refining Demon Chart?"
Mo Hua was taken aback.
"What is this urn?"
"And this chart, could it be..."
Mo Hua's eyes gleamed, his curiosity piqued.
"What did you see?"
Xun Ziyou, standing beside him, saw Mo Hua's big eyes rolling, clearly thinking of something, perhaps some mischievous idea, and couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing..."
Mo Hua replied softly.
He couldn't very well say that he was hungry, could he?
Mo Hua thought for a moment and then handed the message talisman to Xun Ziyou. "Elder, why don't you take a look as well?"
Xun Ziyou took the talisman and scanned it with his consciousness, his expression growing slightly grave.
These demon cultivators were indeed organized and had strict rules.
However, he was also puzzled.
These messages seemed mundane, so why were Mo Hua's eyes sparkling with excitement, his expression even showing a hint of... anticipation?
Something was amiss.
Xun Ziyou looked up and saw Mo Hua taking out brush and ink, array paper, and a strange array plate from the storage bag, causing him to pause: "What are you doing?"
"There are residual Yuan Magnetism traces on the message talisman, probably from some 'chat history' that was erased. I'll just simply restore it..."
Mo Hua replied nonchalantly.
Xun Ziyou's mouth fell open.
Yuan Magnetism traces...
Not only did this child understand Yuan Magnetism arrays, but he was also going to "simply" restore them?!
Was this a simple task?
Xun Ziyou's gaze turned solemn.
While he didn't understand the specifics of array techniques, he had met many array masters from the Celestial Pivot Pavilion and had a rough understanding of the principles.
"Restoring" Yuan Magnetism array patterns was completely different from drawing them.
Restoring magnetism traces involved the application of secondary thunder currents.
It required an understanding of the "essence" of Yuan Magnetism and was an alternative derivation of "Thunder Patterns."
Xun Ziyou was stunned for a moment before asking quietly, "Did Old Ancestor... I mean, did Xun Lao also teach you this?"
Mo Hua blinked, "Of course. How else would I know it?"
Xun Ziyou pondered for a moment before nodding, "Makes sense."
Without the Old Ancestor's guidance, how could he possibly learn such things?
Mo Hua then began to restore the unstable magnetism traces.
With great skill, he dismantled the message talisman, replicated the fixed magnetism traces, sensed and recorded the secondary thunder traces, and reconstructed the framework of the Yuan Magnetism array within the talisman. Bit by bit, he restored the unstable magnetism traces that had been erased, and finally, using magnetic ink, he revealed the hidden text.
Xun Ziyou, standing beside him, couldn't understand what Mo Hua was doing, but he was deeply shaken.
If not for Mo Hua's youthful appearance, he might have thought that one of the "ancient-faced" old ancestors from the Celestial Pivot Pavilion was teaching him the principles of Yuan Magnetism arrays.
In this way, the 'chat history' of the demon cultivators was slowly restored by Mo Hua.
Because the secondary thunder currents were subtle and the traces minute, the reconstructed unstable magnetism traces might be slightly inaccurate, and the text revealed by the magnetic ink was fragmented and chaotic.
However, the order of the words didn't affect readability.
Through guesswork and deduction, the general meaning could be discerned.
Mo Hua transcribed the 'decoded' text onto another piece of paper.
The text included a lot of meaningless greetings, conversations, complaints, exchanges of "insights" on demon cultivation, random ramblings, and some abstruse "demon path terminology."
Based on this scattered information, Mo Hua summarized the intelligence:
Firstly, the young demon cultivator who was killed...
He came from a minor family, had good talent, and was a little arrogant, not thinking that he was much worse than others.
Eventually, he was captured and brought to the Demon Valley, where he unknowingly cultivated a demon cultivation technique, becoming a "Demon Cultivator."
Now, he is being used as a "stepping stone."
However, the details of how he is being used, the subterfuge involved, how to escape Refining Demon Mountain, who will be there to assist, and how to get away scot-free are not mentioned in the message talisman.
It seems that this tall and powerful Demon Cultivator refrained from including such sensitive information in the talisman.
Aside from this, Mo Hua also learned about the inner workings of the Demon Valley:
"This Demon Cultivator mentioned three Demon Elder cultivators in his conversations..."
"He didn't specify their cultivation levels, but to be revered as 'Elders' within the restricted areas of Refining Demon Mountain, they must be at the Golden Core stage. It's just unclear which level of the Golden Core realm they've attained..."
"Additionally, he also mentioned a 'young master.'"
"It seems that everything they do is under the young master's command."
"But these Demon Cultivators are very secretive about the term 'young master' and dare not speak of it."
"Within the Demon Valley, there are also managers who handle various miscellaneous tasks and wield considerable power. Below them are the ordinary Demon Cultivators..."
...
Mo Hua went on to relay more specific information to Xun Ziyou.
Xun Ziyou nodded, looking at Mo Hua with a sense of emotion.
With such skills, this child would be unparalleled in espionage and information gathering in the future...
Just a single message talisman had yielded so many secrets.
Which sect or power could withstand such scrutiny?
As they spoke, Mo Hua also expressed his doubts:
"With so many Demon Cultivators in the Demon Valley, how can only three Golden Core Elders maintain control?"
Xun Ziyou frowned, pondering for a moment before slowly saying:
"The three Golden Core cultivators are merely there to maintain stability and prevent any unforeseen circumstances."
"Demon Cultivators are numerous, violent in nature, and act erratically. It's impossible to rely on 'humans' to manage them, so there must be other forceful means of restraint..."
Other means of restraint...
Mo Hua's heart stirred as he suddenly thought of the demonic tattoos on the Demon Cultivators' bodies, and an idea took shape:
"The Four Symbols Array..."
Xun Ziyou continued, "Moreover, the Elders stationed here in Refining Demon Mountain must be extraordinary individuals."
Xun Ziyou turned his head, gazing into the depths of the forest, shrouded in a sinister demonic aura, his eyes deep and penetrating:
"To dare to carry out such activities under the watchful eyes of the Court of Formation and the various major sects of Qian Xue State is to risk having one's clan exterminated and one's sect's name erased if discovered."
"Only the most trusted Elders would be entrusted with such a 'heavy responsibility.'"
"Furthermore, Golden Core cultivators are considered key members in a fifth-grade family, with promising futures ahead of them. Not many would willingly give up their humanity to guard this bloody, isolated place for their family."
"Additionally, if this Demon Valley remains undetected, three Golden Core Demon Cultivators are sufficient to maintain control."
"But if it is discovered..."
Xun Ziyou's tone turned cold, "Not to mention three, even thirty or three hundred Golden Core cultivators would be of no use."
Mo Hua was taken aback, slowly nodding.
That was true...
There were so many prominent families and sects in Qian Xue State.
If the Demon Valley were exposed, the Golden Core Demon Cultivators guarding it, no matter their number, would be like insignificant vegetables, of no use at all.
Conversely, as long as it remained hidden, three Golden Core cultivators would indeed be enough...
"Then, Elder Xun, are you going back to gather people to wipe out the Demon Valley?" Mo Hua asked quietly.
Xun Ziyou was about to answer when he paused and looked at Mo Hua, asking, "What do you think?"
Mo Hua shook his head, "I'm just a small Foundation Establishment disciple, what could I possibly think?"
Xun Ziyou sighed, "Say what you think."
"Oh," Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he whispered, "In my opinion... if we just surround and attack, it might cause problems."
"This Demon Valley is easy to defend but difficult to attack."
"If we send too few people, we might not be able to take it down quickly, and it could turn into a protracted battle, resulting in casualties."
"But if we send too many, it will be a mixed bag..."
Mo Hua glanced meaningfully at Xun Ziyou, "What if there are unclean elements among them, causing trouble from within? The consequences could be even more dire."
Xun Ziyou raised an eyebrow, nodding in agreement.
Mo Hua's analysis was spot on.
To keep this operation covert, they could only rely on trusted cultivators from their own sect.
However, doing so would make it seem like Tai Xu Sect was taking on the Demon Valley alone, and any casualties would be theirs to bear.
If they called upon other sects, it would be challenging to keep the matter under wraps.
"There's also another problem," Mo Hua continued, "According to the Demon Cultivators, there's an evil array at the entrance of the Demon Valley, and anyone who enters without permission will 'be cursed, lose their sanity, and die in madness'..."
"This shows how formidable this evil array is. If we don't break it, charging in will undoubtedly result in heavy casualties."
"Can't you break it?"
Xun Ziyou asked with a grave expression.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Here he was, a late-stage Golden Core Elder, unconsciously pinning his hopes on a mere Foundation Establishment disciple to break the array...
He was ashamed of himself as an Elder.
Fortunately, Mo Hua didn't seem to mind. Instead, he shook his head seriously and said, "The arrays here are not only evil but also involve some spiritual sense techniques. They are beyond the scope of ordinary arrays, and I haven't figured them out yet..."
A typical array master, even a third-grade one, would be clueless about evil arrays and spiritual sense arrays if they had only studied the orthodox Five Elements and Eight Trigrams arrays.
Xun Ziyou furrowed his brows slightly before continuing, "According to those Demon Cultivators, 'Every sixteenth day of the month, when the moon is full, the Demon Valley will open, revealing the White Bone Dao, and only then can one enter the Demon Valley...'"
"Tomorrow is the sixteenth, and when the Demon Valley opens, I'll try to sneak in and see how things go."
Mo Hua quickly added, "I'll go too.
"Also, when we go in, it's not enough to just hide."
"We must use a Shinto formation to cover our tracks and block others' perception."
"Do you know how to do that?"
Xun Ziyou was left speechless by Mo Hua's words.
Mo Hua repeated, "I'm going too!"
Xun Ziyou hesitated for a moment, then sighed and conceded, "Fine, you can come with me, but once we're in, don't wander off."
"Okay!" Mo Hua nodded.
A large-scale encirclement and suppression operation would be too noticeable and might alert their targets. Moreover, it was indeed a very risky undertaking.
So, as per convention, it was necessary to first scout out the situation, gather intelligence, and understand their opponents before making a move.
Of course, Mo Hua also had a little bit of a "selfish" motive: he wanted to go in and see what the Evil God was up to.
Additionally, he wondered if there might be a Four Symbols Formation or a complete legacy of Shinto formations hidden within the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons. He wasn't greedy; he would be content with obtaining a few Four Symbols or Shinto formation charts.
Furthermore, regarding the "Refining Demon Chart" mentioned in the demon cultivators' message talisman, he wanted to find a way to get his hands on it and see if it was what he thought it was...
Mo Hua's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Afterwards, Xun Ziyou simply wiped away the bloodstains on the ground, used Elixir fire to incinerate the two demon cultivators' bodies, and then returned with Mo Hua to the depths of the forest.
The two of them perched on a large tree, patiently waiting.
They would wait until the sixteenth night when the full moon would open the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, and then they would find a way to sneak in.
However, before that, they needed to be patient and make some preparations.
On a towering tree...
Mo Hua sat cross-legged on a sturdy branch, holding two black robes in his hands, which he had taken from the two demon cultivators.
He examined the black robes, turning them over and studying the seams and stitching. Then, he carefully began to take them apart, piece by piece.
Soon, the black robes were reduced to piles of cloth.
And among those pieces, Mo Hua found what he was looking for.
The "formation sequence" of the Shinto formation!
"As expected..."
Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.
From the very beginning, when he had first seen the demon cultivators' black robes, he had found them peculiar.
These black robes seemed ordinary, but they had the ability to conceal their wearer's physique and aura to a certain extent.
Moreover, the closer they got to the dense forest, the more effective the black robes seemed to be at hiding their presence.
Mo Hua had already analyzed the formation within the dense forest and obtained some basic Shinto formation patterns.
Now, by dismantling the black robes and comparing them to his findings, he discovered that the Shinto formation patterns on the robes were identical to those in the forest.
Furthermore, the robes also had clearer sequence patterns!
In other words, the formations in the forest and on the black robes were part of the same system.
He could "mimic" the sequence patterns to communicate with the Shinto formation system in the forest, using their formation to conceal his own aura.
This way, in addition to their stealth measures, they would also have a means to block spiritual sense.
Even after entering the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, they would be less likely to be discovered.
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
He took out two Daoist robes, one large and one small.
These robes were custom-made spiritual artifacts that had not yet been inscribed with formations.
The smaller one was for his own use, while the larger one was originally intended to be inscribed and sold.
Now, it would serve as a "formation medium."
With ample time on their hands, Mo Hua inscribed both robes with Shinto formations identical to the ones in the forest, making sure to modify the sequence patterns.
Now, these two Daoist robes had a similar function to the demon cultivators' black robes.
Mo Hua handed the larger robe to Xun Ziyou.
"Elder, put this on."
Xun Ziyou was perplexed.
"It's to conceal our auras so we can sneak into the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons..." Mo Hua explained, not going into the intricate details of the formation principles, as he doubted Xun Ziyou would understand them anyway.
Xun Ziyou was self-aware enough to know his limitations, so he simply nodded and put on the robe.
With their preparations complete, the two of them patiently waited on the tree.
During their idle time, Mo Hua's gaze fell upon the demon cultivators below.
As he studied them, his expression became complicated.
These seemingly cruel and bloodthirsty demon cultivators had once been like him—disciples of sects in the Qian Xue State.
But now, it was unlikely that they would ever be able to return to their human forms.
Once one practiced demon techniques, their body and mind would gradually transform into that of a demon beast, and there would be no turning back...
Mo Hua sighed softly.
Then, he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
Most of these disciples, who had been lured or forced to practice demon techniques, seemed to come from small and medium-sized families...
The young demon cultivator who had been killed earlier was one such example.
And from the records in the Refining Demon Mountain's archives, the "missing" and "deceased" disciples had come from similar backgrounds.
In this world, solitary cultivators were like shrimp, small families were small fish, and large families were big fish.
Small fish ate shrimp.
Big fish ate shrimp and small fish alike.
This kind of oppression wasn't limited to family power dynamics.
Within sects, among disciples, various forms of bullying and scheming occurred...
It seemed that the Evil God, or rather, the Evil God's minions, were taking advantage of this "oppression" to infiltrate and spread their influence.
But was that really all there was to it?
Mo Hua frowned.
The disciples from small and medium-sized families were oppressed and forced to submit, becoming the Evil God's minions.
But what about the disciples from the large families? Would the Evil God simply let them be?
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed, his expression turning somber.
Time passed slowly.
Below, on the banks of the Blood Creek, in front of the White Bone Beach, the gathered demon beasts grew quiet, their initial restlessness transforming into an oppressive silence.
Finally, the sixteenth night arrived without them noticing.
The moon was full, but it had an eerie tint to it.
The blood flowing in the Blood Creek began to boil, and the white bones on both shores trembled slightly.
The assembled demon beasts could barely contain their agitation and fear.
Suddenly, a wave of blood-colored karmic energy rose in the distance.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed as he realized that the door to the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, hidden in the darkness, had slowly opened...
(End of Chapter)
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