Chapter 861: The Main Character
Chapter 861: The Main Character
“What is this... thing?”
Malcolm furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment before suddenly remembering that he had encountered this thing before.
The first time he “ordered” at the altar in Crimson Cove Village, he had sensed this peculiar, malformed, yet incredibly powerful node.
Back then, it was his first time ordering, and he was unsure and wary of the node’s intense evil aura, so he didn’t dare to select it.
But now, he had encountered it again.
“What kind of demonic entity is hidden in this node’s nightmare... Should I select it and take a look?”
Malcolm, chin in hand, pondered for a while, feeling uncertain.
He sensed the node again.
Previously, his perception was not deep enough, but now, with his divine consciousness partially formed and the evil fetus “possessing” him, he was a rare divine consciousness expert of the Second Rank.
Although his divine consciousness was complex—half human, half divine, and now a small part evil deity—this complexity actually made his perception of the chaotic and abnormal “demonic entity” clearer.
The demonic entity within the node emitted an evil and mixed aura, seemingly composed of various flesh, different creatures, and various demons, all centered around a single embryo.
It carried the aura of an evil deity, which was extremely strong and, to some extent, even rivaled the evil fetus.
However, it was also filled with various impure flesh, malformed evil thoughts, remnants of demons, and even a trace of... corrupted aura.
Malcolm frowned.
Previously, he had only thought it was a “big thing.”
But now, he realized that this big thing might be much stronger than he had anticipated.
It seemed that his caution back then was justified.
If he had rashly provoked this “big thing” at the small fishing village altar, before his divine consciousness was fully formed and he hadn’t mastered the divine consciousness sword and array techniques, he would have been in grave danger...
Malcolm sighed.
Indeed, the path of divine consciousness was fraught with countless dangers. Even with his god-like strength, he still needed to be cautious.
Especially after the little sheep kid had caused him such a loss, he would have to be more careful in the future.
As for this big thing, he would leave it for now and deal with it when he was stronger...
Malcolm thought to himself.
Moreover, he used Eureka as “bait” when he ordered.
If the demonic entity was too strong, Eureka would be in greater danger.
He needed to be more cautious.
Thinking this, Malcolm suddenly felt a bit regretful.
“I was too impulsive and ordered too much…”
This time, he fell into a trap, being possessed by the evil fetus, and in a fit of anger, he had ordered too many demons.
These demons would invade Eureka’s nightmares, putting her under immense pressure.
Malcolm felt a pang of guilt. “Should I cancel some?”
He sat back on the altar, communicating with the Tree of Divine Authority, only to find that ordering was easy, but canceling was difficult. Changing the predetermined nightmare path, reversing cause and effect, involved certain heavenly principles and would even consume a lot of divine consciousness.
Malcolm was momentarily stunned.
But then he reconsidered and thought it might be alright.
Although his divine soul was polluted and the Spirit-shocking Sword was “sealed,” temporarily unable to function at its full strength, the demons invading Eureka’s nightmares were just ordinary.
With his nineteen-pattern divine consciousness and the power of the Dao, he could crush these evil spirits without relying on complex divine consciousness techniques or using his divine soul’s power.
Ordinary demons didn’t deserve the use of the Spirit-shocking Sword.
In the end, he could fight and eat, using the battles to sustain himself.
As long as he thought of ways to protect Eureka, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Malcolm nodded and prepared to leave the altar.
But just as he was about to leave, he sensed something strange about the altar.
Previously, he had been busy fighting the evil fetus, so he hadn’t noticed.
Now, with the surroundings quiet and his ordering complete, Malcolm suddenly realized that the altar itself was quite peculiar.
When he sat on the altar, it seemed that various evil desires were nourishing him.
But these desires were not strong.
Malcolm practiced meditation, often cleansing evil thoughts, so his Dao Heart was clear. When evil desires arose, he subconsciously discarded them.
But now, savoring the moment, these desires seemed different.
They were extravagant, greedy, murderous, and chaotic, resembling the various desires that manifest in the human heart.
These desires, through some causal relationship, flowed into the altar, nourishing Malcolm.
No, to be accurate, they were nourishing the evil deity “Evil Fetus” that had merged with his Fuyu Spirit.
Malcolm pondered for a moment before realizing the causal logic behind the Dragon King Temple altar’s operation.
The Evil Fetus was the master of the Dragon King Temple.
Everything in the temple existed to nurture this Evil Fetus, allowing it to transform and hatch into a deity.
The Blood Pool was the Evil Fetus’s “amniotic fluid.”
The Temple Guardians and Shamans were the Evil Fetus’s servants.
The Crimson Barge was the Evil Fetus’s “feeding trough.”
And on the Crimson Barge, the various desires, greed, lust, and malicious intentions of the cultivators were all “sustenance” for the Evil Fetus.
Now that the Evil Fetus had merged with his own divine soul, this “sustenance” cooked from human desires was nourishing him as well.
Moreover...
Malcolm carefully sensed and discovered that what nourished him was not only desire but also some more sinister, ruthless, and cold causal forces imbued with sinful karma.
It was as if someone was following his “orders,” committing various murderous sins.
These sins also condensed into causal forces containing sinful karma, nourishing him, and hatching the Evil Fetus.
Previously, he didn’t understand these connections, but now, having embodied the Evil Fetus and personally experienced it, everything became much clearer.
“Desires transform into flesh and blood, causal forces transform into roots and bones.”
“
"This is... the method of nurturing an evil fetus, which will transform into an evil deity."
"The 'desires' come from the Vermilion Boat, but where do the 'sins' and their karmic consequences come from?"
Mo Hua frowned, then his thoughts stirred slightly. His divine consciousness withdrew from the nightmare and he searched the altar area several times. Finally, he found a peculiar object on the offering table in front of the altar.
It was a blood-stained stele with no words.
The stele was soaked in blood, but had no inscriptions.
It seemed someone had written something on it using blood, but the words were not meant for human eyes. The words had fused with the blood, becoming one with the stele.
This was more like a "soul contract."
Others could not see it, but Mo Hua could.
Though the words were faint, he could still see the vague inscriptions on the blood-stained stele.
These inscriptions were names.
As Mo Hua looked, his heart sank. He quickly rummaged through his storage bag and pulled out a jade slip.
This jade slip was the list given by Elder Jiang.
It was the blood oath list of the sin cultivators, led by Fire Buddha and Water Yama.
The names on both lists were almost identical.
"The root of it all is here..."
Mo Hua finally understood what this list was for.
It was a "soul contract."
The sin cultivators had sworn blood oaths, leaving their names on the list, effectively selling their souls to the evil deity.
Thus, all their sins and killings would be transmitted through karmic links to the altar, where they would be offered to the evil deity, gradually nurturing the evil fetus and strengthening the evil deity.
But this secret was something the sin cultivators themselves might not even know.
Moreover, there was one more thing...
On the surface, it appeared to be just a list.
A list of sin cultivators forming an alliance, a list of upper-level protection, a list showcasing loyalty to the Lord of the Great Wasteland.
But they definitely did not know that it was also a "death list."
Mo Hua could sense a soul aura from each name on the blood-stained stele.
When they signed the list, these sin cultivators had actually cut a part of their soul and offered it to the Lord of the Great Wasteland.
The Lord of the Great Wasteland held their souls, which meant he controlled their lives and deaths.
If the sin cultivators betrayed him, the Lord of the Great Wasteland could, through this "soul contract" list, make them die with a single thought.
"Indeed, those who ally with the evil deity will surely meet a bad end..."
"Holding their lives in someone else's hands, they probably don't even know..."
Mo Hua shook his head and sighed.
He wanted to study it further, but suddenly heard a "thunder" sound, the ground shaking as if something was ramming the inner temple's door.
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.
"Someone is breaking in?"
"No, that's not right..." Mo Hua then remembered, "It's Uncle Gu and the others trying to rescue me?"
He realized he had been in a fierce battle, had a big meal, and had studied the altar for a long time, not knowing how much time had passed.
Uncle Gu and the others must be getting anxious.
"Let's get out of here first..."
But when he looked up, he found himself at the bottom of the blood pool, which had been drained dry and was now a deep pit, surrounded by pitch darkness with no way out.
"How do I get out?"
Mo Hua frowned.
And just as he thought, the altar glowed, the internal array activated, mechanisms turning, and a dull sound echoed.
The massive altar lifted Mo Hua, as if carrying its master.
Mo Hua sucked in a breath of cold air.
"Is this altar... listening to me?"
"No, it's not just the altar, but... the entire Dragon King Temple?"
Mo Hua furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
The evil fetus was the master of the Dragon king temple.
And now, the evil fetus had merged with his soul.
The evil fetus is me.
I am the evil fetus.
In other words, I am now... the master of the Dragon King Temple?
Mo Hua's mouth opened in shock.
...
Outside the bone labyrinth.
Numerous cultivators gathered together, including those in Dao Ting Si robes and cultivators from the Gu and Xia families.
They formed teams of ten, using formations, talismans, spirit artifacts, and spells to bombard the inner temple's ram's horn doors.
The thundering sounds echoed, smoke and dust rose, the ground trembled, and rocks crumbled.
But no matter what methods they tried, they couldn't break through the doors.
Gu Changhuai was anxious, and Xia Diansi was worried.
Time ticked by, and the ancient ram's horn doors, despite dozens of attacks, remainedunyielding, not even a crack appearing.
Everyone's hearts grew colder.
Gu Changhuai finally sighed deeply, feeling guilty. "NotifyTai Xu Men. Mo Hua... he is probably..."
Gu Changhuai couldn't finish his sentence.
The usually cold and distant manlooked unusually dejected.
Beside him, Xia Diansi's eyes were filled with sorrow.
Everyone, following the order, stopped and prepared to leave.
But just then, a dull "thunder" sound echoed, accompanied by the sound of bones and stones grinding...
Everyone's faces changed.
They quickly turned around and saw the massive doors, which they had failed to open despite using all their means, now slowly opening on their own...
A strange, tense aura spread out.
It seemed something was about to come out...
This door would not open easily unless...
Everyone's hearts raced, and they braced themselves as if facing a great enemy.
But the powerful and bloody foe they imagined, residing deep in the inner temple, did not appear.
Instead, a head poked out from the door seam.
It was Mo Hua.
He looked left and right, only to realize that a crowd of people was densely packed outside.
At that moment, everyone’s gazes simultaneously shifted towards Mo Hua.
Feeling a bit embarrassed under so many eyes, Mo Hua scratched his head shyly and said, “What’s all this excitement…?”
The crowd was momentarily dazed, their thoughts in a jumble.
...
In a side hall of the Dragon King Temple.
With no one else around, Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi thoroughly examined Mo Hua from head to toe. Finding no injuries, a stable mental state, and no other abnormalities, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Of course, Mo Hua was actually quite abnormal, but they couldn't see it.
Xia Diansi gave Mo Hua another deep look, then suddenly pulled him into a hug, patting his back with a trembling voice, “It’s all right….”
It was unclear whether she was comforting Mo Hua or herself.
She was Diansi, a person with a strong sense of responsibility.
On the surface, Mo Hua had been trapped in the inner hall to save them. If anything had gone wrong, she would have felt guilty for the rest of her life.
Mo Hua was a bit surprised and touched.
Xia Diansi appeared cold on the outside, but she had a soft heart.
Gu Changhuai also felt relieved.
If anything had happened to Mo Hua, he wouldn’t have been able to face his cousins, his aunt, or even himself.
“It’s all right….”
Gu Changhuai also said quietly.
Once their emotions had calmed, and seeing Mo Hua was safe with no one else around, Gu Changhuai asked hesitantly, “What about that Mr. Wu? He didn’t do anything to you, right? What exactly happened in there?”
Mo Hua had prepared his story and said half-truthfully, “That Mr. Wu seemed to want to offer me to something, but maybe I was lucky. During the ritual, he suddenly died, and I managed to escape…”
Gu Changhuai: “…”
After a moment of silence, Gu Changhuai sighed helplessly, “Just like that?”
Mo Hua nodded, “Just like that.”
“Suddenly died?”
“Yes,” Mo Hua said, “It was very sudden, just a blink of an eye.”
(I killed him...)
Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua and sighed, “Alright, then.”
Xia Diansi had wished for Mo Hua to have a stroke of luck, but she hadn’t expected it to be this extreme.
This luck was too outrageous…
Or perhaps Mo Hua wasn’t telling the whole truth?
But at this point, neither of them had the heart to press the issue. No matter what, it was a relief that he was safe.
Mo Hua, however, looked around and asked, “Where are Senior Brother Feng and Senior Sister Qianqian?”
Gu Changhuai replied, “I was going to send them back to the sect first, but since your fate was uncertain, they refused to leave.”
“I didn’t dare leave them in the inner hall. It’s too dangerous. If anything happened to them, I’d have to answer to the Tai Xu Sect, the Tai A Sect, and the Hundred Flowers Valley. I’d be in even more trouble.”
Just thinking about it gave Gu Changhuai a headache.
“So I had them wait at the entrance. They should be coming over now.”
Sure enough, after a while, Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian arrived.
Seeing Mo Hua, both of them were overjoyed.
Even the usually composed Ouyang Feng couldn’t help but hug Mo Hua, patting his shoulder.
“Junior Brother Mo…”
Ouyang Feng’s emotions were so intense that his body trembled. He had a thousand words to say but couldn’t speak. After a moment, he calmed down, released Mo Hua, and bowed respectfully, “Junior Brother Mo, your kindness is beyond words.”
“Senior Brother Feng, you’re too kind…”
Before Mo Hua could finish, a sweet scent wafted over, and Hua Qianqian hugged him again.
Earlier, when Mo Hua’s fate was unknown, Hua Qianqian had put on a brave face. Now, seeing him safe, she couldn’t help but cry.
“Junior Brother Mo, I’m so glad you’re safe…”
She even wiped her tears and snot on Mo Hua.
Mo Hua could only comfort her in return, “I’m fine, Senior Sister, don’t worry…”
In any case, the trip to the Dragon King Temple had been harrowing but safe.
Everyone was unharmed.
After a brief reunion, Mo Hua asked Gu Changhuai to send Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian back to the sect.
Before they parted, Mo Hua secretly instructed them, “Senior Brother Feng, Senior Sister Qianqian, remember, don’t mention the Vermilion Boat or the Dragon King Temple to anyone…”
“I’ve already spoken to Dao Ting Si, and Uncle Gu and Xia Diansi will keep it secret. They won’t reveal this to anyone.”
“The Dragon King Temple is one thing, but if anyone asks, just say you happened to pass by and helped rescue people with Dao Ting Si.”
“But the Vermilion Boat, you’ve never been there and must never mention it again…”
Otherwise, even if you jumped into the Yellow River, you couldn’t wash it away…
Mo Hua’s gaze was serious.
Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian’s expressions stiffened. They looked at Mo Hua gratefully and nodded.
After seeing them off in a small boat from the Gu family, Mo Hua turned back to Gu Changhuai.
Seeing Mo Hua, Gu Changhuai was a bit surprised, “You’re not leaving?”
Mo Hua said, “I want to search the Dragon King Temple.”
“Search the temple?”
“Yes,” Mo Hua nodded.
With everyone present and Dao Ting Si’s ample manpower, he planned to thoroughly search the Dragon King Temple from top to bottom.
He felt that since it was called the “Dragon King Temple,” it must have some connection to “dragons.”
Moreover, he had fused with the Evil Fetus.
In a way, this ancient Dragon King Temple was now his.
As the owner, he wanted to “take inventory” of his temple.
(End of Chapter)
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