Chapter 847: Chaos
Chapter 847: Chaos
The vast room was drenched in blood, with severed limbs scattered everywhere, as if some demon had feasted within.
Even Shui Yanluo, a malevolent cultivator known for his ruthless killings, felt a twinge of nausea at the sight.
Though he had killed many, he had never eaten them.
But the bodies in the room had clearly been gnawed and chewed by something.
"Could the people in the temple have been eaten by that monster?"
"Was Mr. Wu eaten too?"
Xie Liu and Shui Yanluo's hearts sank at the thought.
"Let's look for any clues," Xie Liu said.
Shui Yanluo nodded, and the two of them began searching through the blood-soaked, limb-strewn room.
Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian's faces turned pale at the sight of the carnage.
As disciples of a sect, they had never seen such a gruesome and terrifying scene.
Hua Qianqian covered her mouth and nose, closed her eyes, and refused to look any further.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, fared better.
Though he also felt some discomfort, his nearly two decades of cultivation had given him extensive experience dealing with malevolent beings and dark cults.
He had seen similar scenes before.
As a monster hunter, he had grown up witnessing beasts devouring humans, so he quickly adapted.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and began searching the room.
But the blood and gore were messy, and he didn't want to dirty his hands. So, he took out a stick from his storage bag and poked around, looking for any clues.
After a while, he found something.
"There were a lot of arrays drawn on the floor, all in human blood. They are dark arrays..."
"These arrays were activated."
"After activation, something happened, but to prevent others from knowing, the array patterns were erased..."
"This array... is not simple."
Mo Hua frowned. Despite his knowledge of arrays and his experience with dark arrays, he couldn't discern much.
Of course, it was also possible that the remaining array patterns were too few and too blurred by blood, making it hard to see.
Additionally, Mo Hua found a small scale in the blood and gore.
The scale was dark green and stained with blood, similar to the scales on the monster but smaller and more translucent.
It didn't have the same dark, bloody aura, but it carried a faint...
Mo Hua thought for a moment, struggling to describe it.
But by feeling, it was a type of aura he had never sensed before, ancient and somewhat sacred.
Mo Hua sniffed around the scale.
Along with the strong, acrid smell of blood, there was another, fresher blood scent.
The strong, acrid smell was human blood.
The fresh blood scent... what could it be?
Mo Hua furrowed his brow.
But this blood only left a scent, with no actual blood or even a trace of it, mixed in with the other acrid human blood, making it even harder to detect.
Mo Hua shook his head, muttering to himself:
"What exactly happened in this room? What kind of array was set up, and what is this blood scent?"
"What creature was feeding here?"
"As for Mr. Wu, could he have...?"
Mo Hua's eyes flickered, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Shui Yanluo and Xie Liu also searched the area and then gathered.
"These bodies are of the temple guardians..."
"There is no body of Mr. Wu."
"He might still be alive."
"Everything else has been destroyed, books, jade slips, tokens, all of it. It seems someone deliberately did this..."
Both of them frowned at the growing list of questions.
The more they found, the less they seemed to know.
This Dragon King Temple was a secret place, more hidden than the Lipstick Boat, shrouded in thick fog, making it nearly impossible for ordinary cultivators to find.
It was a place for the divine feast, protected by the deity.
Who had the power to create such a bizarre and deadly scene, and what was their purpose?
Shui Yanluo glanced at the mangled limbs and the sticky blood under his feet, feeling a growing unease.
"We shouldn't stay here long. Let's go outside."
Xie Liu, though a Golden Core cultivator, felt a sense of unease, sensing that things were beyond his understanding.
The group left Mr. Wu's hall and stepped outside. The smell of blood faded, but the oppressive feeling grew heavier.
It was as if something was watching them from the shadows.
Shui Yanluo's eyes darted around, and he immediately said, "Let's leave this temple!"
They had come here to hide.
But now, it seemed that hiding in the temple was no safer than facing the hounds of the Dao Court. In fact, the temple itself was more dangerous.
This danger was unknown.
So, why stay?
Xie Liu understood and said firmly, "Agreed!"
Mo Hua was reluctant.
He had finally entered the temple and found nothing. How could he just leave?
Mo Hua considered using some minor tricks to keep Xie Liu and Shui Yanluo there, but when he saw Ouyang Feng and the pale-faced Hua Qianqian, his heart softened.
"It doesn't matter for me, but it's dangerous for my seniors to stay here. We should leave first..."
Shui Yanluo moved toward the temple entrance.
Mo Hua silently followed.
Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian followed closely behind Mo Hua, while Xie Liu walked at the rear, his eyes never leaving Mo Hua.
The succession of the sect master depended on Mo Hua.
He couldn't let Mo Hua die, but he also couldn't let Mo Hua escape.
Even if it meant death, he had to get what he needed first...
The group moved cautiously toward the temple's main gate.
The temple remained eerily silent, with its towering walls and ancient halls, creating a suffocating atmosphere.
After about the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, they reached the temple's entrance.
Xie Liu glanced at Water Yama, who said nothing but walked to the door and retrieved the fishbone token, inserting it into the mouth of a bronze statue of a guardian beast.
The token flashed, and the statue trembled.
Then, an array activated, and the massive iron chains that held the heavy gate began to unwind, slowly opening the door.
Seeing the gate open, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
As the gate opened wider, Xie Liu took the lead and stepped outside. But just as he reached the doorway, his expression suddenly changed.
A flash of ice-blue sword light darted through the gap.
A freezing sword aura shot straight for his face.
Xie Liu turned his head sharply, but the sword aura still cut through his ear, and the ice spiritual energy froze the blood before it could even flow.
Then, a green wind blade slashed toward him.
This wind blade aimed for his heart.
Xie Liu drew his longsword and held it horizontally across his chest, blocking the wind blade. At the same time, he used the force of the wind blade to push himself back, retreating into the temple.
As Xie Liu retreated, the people outside rushed in.
The first to enter was a tall, handsome cultivator holding a feather fan.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up.
"Uncle Gu!"
Gu Changhuai, hearing Mo Hua's voice, silently breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, he's still alive...
Although he knew that Mo Hua's cunning would likely keep him safe between Xie Liu and Water Yama, Gu Changhuai had still been somewhat worried.
Seeing that Mo Hua was not only unharmed but also in good spirits, Gu Changhuai felt relieved. He then channeled his spiritual energy and charged at Xie Liu.
Behind Gu Changhuai was Xia Diansi, wielding an ice-colored short sword.
Behind them were two more people, both wearing the standard robes of the Dao Ting Si, one a Diansi and the other a Zhisu.
Mo Hua was taken aback.
"Actually the 'Howling Heavenly Dog'... and the 'Smiling Tiger'?"
"Why are they both here?"
On the other side, Gu Changhuai immediately took the upper hand against Xie Liu, especially with the help of Xia Diansi, leaving Xie Liu at a significant disadvantage.
He didn't have as many bizarre techniques as Water Yama, so in a direct confrontation, his inferiority in both power and dao techniques was evident.
Meanwhile, Xiao Tianquan found Water Yama, and the two engaged in a fierce battle.
It seemed he truly wanted to take Water Yama's life.
Water Yama merely sneered at him, saying nothing.
Mo Hua stood to the side, watching the spectacle.
In this situation, it wasn't his turn to act yet.
Similarly, "Smiling Tiger" Xiao Diansi also stood to the side, not rushing to join the fight but quietly observing the situation.
The situation gradually became clear.
After a while, Xiao Diansi finally made his move.
He drew a longsword, its blade glowing with a deep blue light, and began to gather his sword aura.
"Deep blue light..."
Mo Hua caught a glimpse of the sword light and sensed something was off. A moment later, he felt an even stronger sense of wrongness.
A subtle but powerful hostility seemed to be directed at him.
"What's going on?"
Mo Hua was startled. He looked up and realized that "Smiling Tiger" Xiao Diansi was staring at him with a cold gaze.
And the deep blue longsword in his hand, now transformed into a sword aura, was also aimed at him.
Mo Hua was suddenly alarmed.
This "Smiling Tiger" wants to kill me?!
Is he out of his mind?!
Mo Hua quickly activated the Flowing Water Step, his body moving like water as he retreated.
Xiao Diansi, surprised by Mo Hua's agility, narrowed his eyes. His figure blurred, splitting into nearly ten water shadows that moved even faster, charging at Mo Hua.
Water Shadow Step!
And it was a more refined version than Water Yama's.
Mo Hua had no choice but to use a concealment technique.
However, Xiao Diansi was a Golden Core cultivator with extensive experience and sharp senses.
Although Mo Hua concealed himself, he didn't move far, and his aura still lingered. Xiao Diansi could still faintly sense Mo Hua's position.
Estimating the location, he thrust his sword at the concealed Mo Hua.
Just then, Ouyang Feng used the Taiyi Sword Technique to block the sword.
Hua Qianqian, seeing the Dao Ting Si Diansi attack Mo Hua, her face turned cold, and she summoned the Hundred Flower Spirit Needles to attack Xiao Diansi.
Xiao Diansi's sword swept away Ouyang Feng, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood. He then swung his sword, knocking Hua Qianqian's spirit needles to the ground.
Scanning the area with his divine sense, he found that Mo Hua had disappeared, and his expression darkened. He sneered:
"This brat is so slippery..."
Since he couldn't catch Mo Hua, he decided to take the other two instead.
Xiao Diansi's sword moved swiftly, piercing Ouyang Feng's right arm and temporarily paralyzing his meridians, rendering him unable to wield his sword.
He then threw a poisonous dart, striking Hua Qianqian's shoulder.
Hua Qianqian, poisoned, turned pale, her lips tinged with blue.
With this, Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian were both rendered powerless.
The sudden turn of events took not only Mo Hua by surprise, but everyone present was caught off guard.
This series of changes happened in the blink of an eye, within just a few moments.
As Xiao Diansi held hostage Ouyang Feng and the other, the entire scene fell into an instant silence.
Gu Changhuai stopped what he was doing, his expression cold and stern. "Xiao Diansi, what is the meaning of this?"
"What is the meaning?" Xiao Diansi's face still wore a smile, but it was colder and more sinister. "Why ask when you already know, Gu Diansi? You must have suspected me all along."
Gu Changhuai's expression remained cold, and he said nothing.
"You suspected me, but you had no evidence. So, you had to play along with me, even though you knew what I was up to. How could I not know what you were thinking?" Xiao Diansi continued.
Gu Changhuai frowned.
Indeed, he had suspected Xiao Diansi.
But he had no evidence.
Without evidence, everything was just conjecture. Attempting to bring down a Dao Ting Diansi on baseless charges was nothing more than a fool's dream.
Especially since this Diansi was from the Xiao family.
What he hadn't anticipated was that Xiao Diansi had been hiding his true intentions all along and would strike at such a critical moment.
In Gu Changhuai's estimation, if Xiao Diansi were to act, it would be when the Dao Ting had concrete evidence and had surrounded him with no way out.
Not now, when there was only suspicion and no evidence, and he suddenly turned traitor.
Xiao Diansi seemed to have guessed what Gu Changhuai was thinking and smiled lightly. "It's always better to be prepared. You should act as soon as possible."
"In the Qianxue Province, the Golden Core realm is neither particularly powerful nor insignificant."
"Once you gather all the evidence and the Dao Ting issues a warrant, how could I possibly escape?"
"Being a Diansi, I know these procedures inside and out."
"Since I'm going to act, I must choose the most unexpected and opportune moment."
"Otherwise, any hesitation could mean certain death..."
Gu Changhuai frowned. "So, the Golden Core cultivator who rescued Water Yanluo a while back was you?"
"The incident with the Lipstick Boat, you were involved too?"
"The spy in the Dao Ting from Kuisui Sect, that was you as well, wasn't it? You were the one covering up the Lipstick Boat incident from the inside?"
Gu Changhuai's words were sharp.
Xiao Diansi smiled but remained silent.
Though he had turned traitor, he wasn't foolish enough to reveal everything he had done.
Xia Diansi also glared at Xiao Diansi, asking, "Is this your decision, or the Xiao family's?"
Xiao Diansi narrowed his eyes. "You should know, Xia Diansi. In a large family, there are all kinds of people, and the elders can't control everyone. My background isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Without the support of an ancestor, I need to find my own way and make connections to have a future."
"Unfortunately, the Lipstick Boat was destroyed, and my actions will eventually be exposed. Given that, it's better to act early and take the initiative..."
Xia Diansi asked, "What do you want?"
"I don't want much," Xiao Diansi smiled. "After all, we were colleagues once, and we have some history. I don't want to make things difficult for you."
"All I ask is that the Xia family give me a Cloud Passage Decree for the Nine Provinces, and the Gu family give me a Qianxue Province Entry Order. With these, I can leave Qianxue Province and then use the Cloud Passage to leave Qian Province. From there, we can part ways, and we'll never see each other again."
"I won't stand in your way, and you won't see me again in this life. This is for the best for both of us."
"What do you say?"
Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi exchanged a glance but said nothing.
"Of course," Xiao Diansi continued, "I know you won't agree so easily..."
He drew his sword and placed it against Ouyang Feng's neck. "These two are disciples of Taiyi Sect and Baihua Sect, both of significant importance. If you don't agree, I'll have no choice but to send them to their deaths."
"You won't be able to explain their deaths to Taiyi Sect or Baihua Sect, will you..."
Xiao Diansi sighed with regret. "Originally, I wanted to capture that young brat. He's from Tai Xu Sect and has deep ties with the Gu family. Surprisingly, he also seems to have a close relationship with you, the cold-faced Gu Diansi. I thought if I captured him and used his life as leverage, you wouldn't dare to refuse. Unfortunately, I didn't expect him to be so slippery and hard to catch..."
Xiao Diansi looked a bit disappointed.
Xia Diansi's face was like ice, and Gu Changhuai's expression was grim.
Mo Hua, who had been hiding, now quietly revealed herself beside them.
Xiao Diansi gave Mo Hua a long, appraising look, raising an eyebrow in admiration.
"Truly remarkable concealment. Despite only being at the Foundation Establishment realm, you managed to evade even my experienced senses as a Golden Core Diansi. It's no wonder you have such a close relationship with Gu Diansi. Even as a child, you are no ordinary person..."
Mo Hua's face remained cold, unimpressed by the praise from the smiling fox.
Xiao Diansi finished speaking and turned back to Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi.
"What do you say? Will you give me the Cloud Passage Decree and the Qianxue Province Entry Order, or shall I kill these two prodigies right now?"
Xia Diansi frowned, looking at Ouyang Feng, who remained calm despite the sword at his neck, and Huashan, who bit her lip and remained silent despite being poisoned. He sighed.
"Let these two children go, and I'll give you the Cloud Passage Decree."
"Xia Diansi, you have a kind heart," Xiao Diansi praised, then turned to Gu Changhuai.
Gu Changhuai sighed, "I can give you a pass as well."
Saving lives was the priority, especially for someone like Ou Yangfeng and Hua Qianqian, who had special identities.
If they ran away, they could be caught again.
But if they died, there would be no way to save them.
"But I don't have one right now. I'll have to get it done after we get out," Gu Changhuai said.
"That's fine," Xiao Diansi replied, "I can wait. But I advise the two of you not to have any other thoughts. You know I come from the Diansi, and any tampering with the pass won't escape my notice."
Gu Changhuai frowned.
At that moment, Mo Hua suddenly spoke in a clear voice, "Are you sure you can still get out?"
Xiao Diansi was taken aback, "What do you mean?"
Mo Hua pointed to the door, "Look."
Xiao Diansi thought Mo Hua was tricking him and was reluctant to turn around. But after a moment, seeing Mo Hua's serious expression and the strange aura at the spot she pointed to, he tightened his grip on his sword and slowly turned to look with the corner of his eye.
The moment he looked, his pupils constricted.
Mo Hua was pointing to a bronze statue of a guardian beast at the door.
Standing atop the bronze statue was a blood-drenched, terrifying creature, wrapped in a cloud of blood. Its presence was faint, but its appearance was horrifying.
During the intense battle, no one had noticed it, and it was unclear when it had arrived.
The creature glanced at the group, then lowered its head and bit into a fishbone token, pulling it out.
As soon as the fishbone token was removed, the heavy doors of the Dragon King Temple slowly closed.
Then, with the speed of lightning, the creature swallowed the token and swiftly transformed into a streak of blood, leaping onto the roof beams and vanishing before anyone could react.
The cultivators quickly realized what had happened and their hearts sank.
Xiao Diansi immediately turned to Water Yama and asked in a stern voice, "Do you have any more tokens?"
Water Yama shook his head fearfully, "There was only one..."
Xiao Diansi's forced smile turned cold, and he swung his sword, releasing a deep blue blade of light that struck the door.
But the door of the Dragon King Temple was made of something unknown.
The peak Foundation Establishment blade of light struck it without causing even the slightest ripple.
It was clear that without the fishbone token as a key, the door could not be broken by force.
Mo Hua sighed, "I forgot to tell you, something strange has happened in this temple. The issue now isn't whether the Dao Court will arrest you, or if you have a pass to escape and travel far away..."
"The problem is that we might not even be able to leave this Dragon King Temple. If we don't find a way to save ourselves, we'll be trapped here for life."
"Or even worse..."
Mo Hua added with a sigh, "That creature is a man-eater. It might not take long before it eats us all."
Xiao Diansi's expression turned grim, and his forced smile faltered.
He had calculated everything, but he never expected such a bizarre situation to arise in the Dragon King Temple.
Otherwise, with the pass in hand, he could have left Qianzhou and found a new life elsewhere.
The atmosphere in the room became heavy.
Everyone fell silent, lost in thought.
Mo Hua looked around, observing everyone's reactions, and then said, "So, the situation is clear. Our top priority is to catch that strange creature and see if we can retrieve the token."
"As for other grievances, we can settle them later."
"Otherwise, we'll all be stuck here, waiting to die."
"Don't blame me for not warning you. That creature might not be alone, and there could be even more terrifying monsters in this temple."
"If we don't work together, we're all dead."
Mo Hua said this with a serious expression.
Xiao Diansi also looked around, his eyes narrowing but his smile gone. He nodded, "Fine, I won't act."
"My original plan was to find a way to survive and escape, not to fight to the death."
"Since this temple is full of danger, I agree to a truce."
Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi exchanged glances and nodded, "Getting out is the priority. We can settle other matters later."
With the three Golden Core cultivators in agreement, the others had no choice but to follow.
They weren't fools and could distinguish between what was important and what was not.
Personal grudges could wait.
Thus, a peculiar "team" was temporarily formed.
Mo Hua was satisfied and nodded, "Good, let's go find that creature!"
Mo Hua led the way, guiding this motley crew of cultivators with varied backgrounds, goals, and intentions, as they began their hunt for the monster in the eerie Dragon King Temple...
(End of Chapter)
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