Chapter 913: A Small Smile
Chapter 913: A Small Smile
Demon Sect.
Before the Blood Pool.
A group of Demon Sect elders were present, draped in black robes. Some resembled humans, some resembled demons, some had fangs, and their eyes were blood-red, each with a bizarre appearance.
The atmosphere was eerie and heavy.
"Old Eight fled?"
"Yes."
"Why did he run?"
"Stupid question. If he didn't run, he'd be dead."
"How did he know to run? Who tipped him off?"
Elder You, who had a dog pattern etched on his body, said indifferently, "According to Mr. Yuan, it was an 'anonymous' person who tipped off Old Eight."
"Mr. Yuan..."
"Another anonymous person? Who is this person?"
"Meaning, besides Old Eight, there's another 'inside informant' in our Demon Sect tipping off information?"
"Perhaps not..."
...
As the group discussed, a plump elder with a bulky figure said:
"Ultimately, can this Mr. Yuan be trusted?"
All the Golden Core Demon Lords looked at Elder You.
Elder You glanced at the plump elder indifferently, "Half a month ago, when the Dao Prefecture Office surrounded us, your hundreds of disciples were saved because of Mr. Yuan's intercepted information. Otherwise, you wouldn't even have blood meals now."
The plump elder fell silent.
This was his "bread and butter," not to be offended.
A thin and short elder asked, "What are Mr. Yuan's array formation skills like?"
Elder You's expression was solemn, "Very profound."
The short elder nodded, "He is a talent and should be kept for our Demon Sect's use. What does he like? Human blood? Human flesh? Spirit Stones, treasures, or women?"
Elder You's expression remained calm, "That's not your concern."
The short elder's eyes turned cold, his expression unfriendly.
"The matter of Mr. Yuan can be discussed later," an elderly elder above them said. His bloodshot, hazy eyes swept over everyone, "First, deal with Old Eight."
The room fell silent for a moment, then someone asked, "To be clear, is Old Eight definitely the inside informant?"
"The Dao Prefecture Office surrounded him but didn't take his life. If he's not the inside informant, who is?"
"If he is the inside informant of the Dao Prefecture Office, why didn't he directly join them when the Demon Sect was exposed?"
"That's true..."
"What's true? Isn't this simple? The Dao Prefecture Office bought Old Eight to leak information. Now that he's exposed, he's useless. Those hounds of the Dao Prefecture Office aren't kind; they probably wish to flay his skin, break his bones, and dig out any secrets from him."
"Therefore, whether he joins the Demon Sect or the Dao Prefecture Office, he's dead. He can only run."
"In that case, we must catch him before the Dao Prefecture Office does, and not let him fall into their hands."
"Who will go and kill him?"
Upon these words, everyone fell silent, not daring to speak.
Killing a fellow sect member, while also risking discovery by the Dao Prefecture Office, was both strenuous and unprofitable.
"Let Old Four go."
"Blood Elder?"
"Exactly. Old Four has been locked up for a year and hasn't had a kill in a long time. It's perfect for him to kill Old Eight. He's simple; as long as there's someone to kill, he'll do it."
Elder You frowned, "Old Four shouldn't be used lightly. Once he kills too much, the... inside him..."
Elder You paused, not daring to say those two words, and continued, "Once the evil deeds become too heavy, his evil intent will grow endlessly. If it exceeds the limit, the Golden Core's physical body won't be able to bear it. Once he goes berserk, all of us, the believers of the Divine Lord, will die at the hands of the Divine Lord."
Everyone's expressions changed.
As the tension mounted, the Demon Sect leader, who usually kept silent, suddenly spoke from his seat:
"Let Old Four go."
His voice was low and raspy, exuding an undeniable authority.
Elder You didn't understand but, as it was the leader's command, he said, "Yes, I'll arrange it and release Old Four."
The matter was decided, but some still had doubts, "Old Eight's whereabouts are unknown. How will we track him?"
Elder You said, "Mr. Yuan is proficient in Primordial Magnetic Array Techniques. He has the means to track Old Eight."
"Again, this Mr. Yuan?"
Everyone frowned.
The elderly second elder then confirmed with Elder You, "Old Three, is this Mr. Yuan truly trustworthy?"
Elder You pondered for a moment, then said slowly, "This person is a perfect 'tool.'"
The second elder understood and nodded, "Good."
...
After the meeting, Elder You left the Blood Pool and sent a letter scroll to Mo Hua:
"Mr. Yuan, the sect will send Old Four to kill Old Eight. Please provide guidance."
Mo Hua hesitated, "This matter is not easy to handle..."
"Then, Mr. Yuan..."
Mo Hua, "It will cost more."
Elder You paused, then said, "Three hundred thousand Spirit Stones."
Mo Hua responded promptly, "Deal!"
Elder You transmitted a magnetic pattern to Mo Hua, "Old Four is a bloodthirsty killer, his mind is unstable, but he can still understand the Demon Sect Token."
"Mr. Yuan can use this magnetic pattern to locate Old Eight and then pass the information to Old Four to pursue and kill him."
"As for how to locate and use this magnetic pattern, Mr. Yuan is an 'expert,' so I won't go into detail..."
Mo Hua actually wasn't quite sure.
He had used the Prime Magnetic Flow for tracking before, but using the Demon Sect Token and the Primordial Magnetic Composite Array to locate someone was something he hadn't tried.
But at a time like this, he couldn't show any hesitation. Mo Hua confidently said, "Of course."
"Thank you, Mr. Yuan."
"Elder You, rest assured. Elder Eight won't escape."
Afterward, Elder You transmitted a magnetic pattern to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua spent some time studying the magnetic pattern and discovered that it contained a Primordial Magnetic sequence, and it was at the elder level.
Using this Primordial Magnetic sequence, he could utilize the array hub of the Primordial Magnetic Composite Array to locate the corresponding Demon Sect Token.
This wasn't difficult.
Mo Hua, thrust into the situation, quickly figured it out.
Moreover, the entire Primordial Magnetic Sea of the Demon Sect was now his domain.
He was both the thief and the gatekeeper.
With "inside control," he had no reservations, making his research much easier.
Understanding the principle, Mo Hua began to orchestrate the pursuit, a matter involving the Dao Prefecture Office, the Demon Sect, and two Golden Core Demon Lords.
……
Gu Beishan.
Elder Ba, who had just escaped from the Dao Prefecture Office, was currently hiding in a secluded mountain forest, his mind in disarray.
He couldn't understand how the situation had suddenly escalated to this point.
Not long ago, he was a Golden Core Elder of the Demon Sect, sucking the blood of Blood Meat Puppets, receiving worship from his disciples, and wielding immense power and prestige.
But in the blink of an eye, he had become a stray dog.
The Dao Prefecture Office wanted to capture him.
The Demon Sect also wanted to kill him.
This change was too sudden, leaving him no time to react.
This made him feel as if someone had been secretly plotting against him all along.
Just then, his Elder Token trembled, and a message arrived:
"The people from the Dao Prefecture Office are in your southwest, and they will find you in about half an hour. You must flee north."
"The Demon Sect also wants to kill you, and Elder Blood has been released..."
Upon hearing the name "Elder Blood," Elder Ba's face turned pale. He gritted his teeth and asked with the Demon Sect Token:
"Who are you?"
Anonymous Person: "I'm helping you."
"Why are you helping me?"
"You don't need to know."
Elder Ba scoffed, "Do you think I'll believe you so easily? How do I know you're not tricking me?"
"You have no choice but to trust me. This is your last straw of hope. If you don't grasp it, you're as good as dead. Either die at the hands of the Dao Prefecture Office or at the hands of Elder Blood."
Elder Ba's thoughts raced, "Wait, the Dao Prefecture Office won't kill me. They just..."
"I lied to them..." Mo Hua explained, "I told them you had the Demon Sect's secrets, and they didn't kill you because you were still useful. But now they know the Demon Sect has abandoned you, and your death is certain."
"Impossible! I don't believe it! This is all just your word!"
"Then let's make a bet."
"What kind of bet?"
"Bet on whether the Dao Prefecture Office will find you in half an hour and try to kill you, as I said."
Elder Ba's heart trembled as he asked, "Who are you? How do you know so much?"
"Why would the Dao Prefecture Office listen to you?"
"How do you know the Demon Sect's movements so well?"
"Who are you?!"
But the Elder Token remained silent, and these messages seemed to disappear without a trace, leaving no response.
The other party didn't answer.
What should he do?
Elder Ba's mind was in turmoil.
Escape directly? But where to?
Returning to the Demon Sect was out of the question.
His corruption and bribery had already been exposed, and going back would be like walking into a trap.
Escape in the direction indicated by the anonymous person? What if it's a trap?
"How about... I verify first? Let's see if this anonymous person is telling the truth and if the Dao Prefecture Office is really after me."
After a moment of contemplation, Elder Ba decided to take a chance.
He took out a Blood Meat Puppet, draped his Demon Sect robe over it, and used Earth Escape to hide himself in the ground, staying far away.
About half an hour later, figures appeared in the distance, and indeed, cultivators from the Dao Prefecture Office arrived.
Leading them was none other than Gu Changhuai.
Upon seeing the puppet, he immediately unleashed a Wind Blade, slicing it in half, causing blood and flesh to fly.
Gu Changhuai approached and frowned, "A fake?"
He scanned the surroundings and ordered loudly, "Search the area and find the Demon Sect's Elder Ba. Kill him on sight."
An official stepped forward and whispered, "Elder Gu, are we really going to kill him?"
Gu Changhuai's expression turned cold, "He's of no use anymore. What's the point of keeping him alive?"
These words, though distant, reached Elder Ba's ears intermittently, chilling his heart.
"That anonymous person was right!"
Just then, the Elder Token trembled again, and another anonymous message arrived:
"Run, they've found you!"
Elder Ba's heart sank, and he swept his Divine Perception, only to realize that the spot where he was hiding had already been detected by the Dao Prefecture Office cultivators.
They remained calm and pretended to search while secretly "surrounding" him.
You sneaky and shameless Gu Changhuai, pretending as if it were real!
Elder Ba no longer hesitated and immediately fled, turning into a flash of light and escaping towards the north.
Gu Changhuai silently watched the fleeing light for a moment before ordering, "Pursue, but don't get too close."
"Yes!"
...
The mountain wind howled, and the grass and trees flashed by like shadows as Elder Ba ran desperately.
At this moment, he could confirm that the anonymous person was not lying.
Although he didn't know their name or identity, they seemed genuinely intent on helping him.
If not for their deception of the Dao Prefecture Office and the revelation of his corruption, he would have already been dead and buried.
Indeed, Mo Hua accurately guided him, helping him evade the Dao Prefecture Office's blockades multiple times as he raced towards the northwest.
Elder Ba felt slightly relieved.
But what he didn't know was that in the direction he was running, a figure in blood-red robes, filled with murderous intent, the "Executioner" Elder Blood, was also rushing towards him under Mo Hua's guidance.
The fleeing Elder Ba and the vengeful Elder Blood, connected by Mo Hua, were both desperately rushing towards each other.
Finally, under Mo Hua's "control," after several hours, Elder Ba, who had been running at full speed, was less than ten miles away from Elder Blood.
Pretending to be unaware, Mo Hua sent another message: "It's not looking good. Elder Blood is catching up to you."
Elder Ba, who had thought his journey would be smooth, suddenly felt like he had fallen into an ice cave.
"How is this possible? How could he catch up to me?!"
Because I'm leading him...
Mo Hua thought silently.
But the truth was too cruel, and Mo Hua couldn't bear to reveal it.
"Hurry, turn left!" Mo Hua directed Elder Ba again.
Elder Ba gritted his teeth, having no choice but to run left.
He had no desire to encounter the ill-fated Elder Blood.
After running for a while, Mo Hua spoke again, "There are people from the Dao Prefecture Office to your right!"
Elder Ba had no choice but to turn right. After a short escape, Mo Hua said, "Elder Blood is less than five miles away, turn left again."
Elder Ba was startled, and Mo Hua kept moving left and right, leading Elder Ba around in circles. During this time, Gu Changhuai had already instructed the Dao Prefecture Office cultivators to set up an impenetrable trap at the location designated by Mo Hua.
Step by step, Elder Ba was approaching a dead end.
Even Elder Ba realized something was amiss.
He was being led in circles, not escaping the mountain, and the more he fled, the more perilous his path became. When he looked up, he discovered that he had been led to the bottom of a cliff, surrounded by towering cliffs on three sides, impassable even for flying birds.
Where was this place?
Elder Ba's heart sank, and with trembling hands, he took out the Elder Token and sent a message to Mo Hua, "Which way should I go?"
Mo Hua replied, "Guess."
Elder Ba's anger surged.
I'll guess your mother's big head ghost!
"Hurry up! Tell me, which way should I go?!" Elder Ba demanded, his face filled with rage.
"Left."
"The left side is a cliff!"
"Then go right."
"All three sides are cliffs!"
"That's not right, how can it be cliffs..."
Elder Ba's trust in Mo Hua, which had been built up bit by bit during this journey, gradually crumbled.
A terrifying suspicion rose in his mind.
"You've been deceiving me all along? Are you toying with me?!"
After sending this message, the Demon Sect Token went silent, and for a long time, there was no response. Elder Ba's heart grew colder by the moment.
After an unknown period, the Demon Sect Token suddenly trembled.
Elder Ba quickly looked at it and saw a message on the token, but there were no words, only a small...
A smiling face drawn with magnetic ink.
The simple smile was pure and adorable, yet it exuded a sinister and eerie aura.
Elder Ba's face turned deathly pale, and his knees went weak.
"It's over..."
He turned to flee, but as he turned, he found himself facing a blood-soaked figure, exuding a murderous aura. The Executioner, Blood Elder, had silently appeared behind him.
Blood Elder slowly drew his blood-stained blade, his throat quivering as he spoke, "Traitor..."
Elder Ba didn't utter a word in explanation.
In front of the insane Blood Elder, any explanation would be futile.
He tore open his arm and pulled out a white, blood-dripping bone spur—his lifebound magic treasure.
With matters having come to this, a life-and-death battle was inevitable.
Elder Ba and Blood Elder clashed without a word, their demonic energies surging. The blood blade and bone spur clashed, neither gaining the upper hand.
However, Elder Ba was no match for the bloodthirsty Blood Elder, and after several dozen exchanges, he began to falter.
While fighting Blood Elder, he plucked a blood talisman and placed it in his mouth. After spitting it out, it transformed into a blood curse skeleton that bit into Blood Elder, restricting his movements.
Seizing this opportunity, Elder Ba desperately tried to escape.
But before he could flee more than a few dozen feet, numerous figures appeared before him. The Golden Core Executives of the Dao Prefecture Office, along with Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators, formed a human wall, surrounding him completely.
Leading them was a handsome and cold-faced man—none other than Gu Changhuai.
Elder Ba's heart sank like a stone.
He understood that this had been a trap from the very beginning.
From start to finish, he had been played with like a puppet.
And even now, he didn't know who had been pulling the strings.
The only thing he remembered before his death was that simple yet eerie little smile, drawn with magnetic ink...
...
Far away in the distant Void Mountain.
Mo Hua put away the Guest Scholar Token.
He had done all he could, and the task of dealing with Elder Ba and Blood Elder was now in Uncle Gu's hands.
The two Golden Core Demon Lords were too powerful for him to handle at his current level, so he could only hide in the shadows and plot a small scheme.
"I hope everything goes smoothly, and Uncle Gu can kill these two Golden Core Demon Lords and deliver my 'package'."
"I hope Uncle Gu and his team stay safe."
"With so many people from the Dao Prefecture Office, Uncle Gu should be fine..."
Mo Hua was a little worried but could only quietly wait for the outcome.
The wait seemed unexpectedly long.
Was it because Elder Ba was too cunning, or was Blood Elder too strong and hard to kill?
After half a day of anxiety, Gu Changhuai finally sent a message:
"They're both dead. It went relatively smoothly."
Only then did Mo Hua breathe a sigh of relief.
"In a couple of days, I'll give you the map." Gu Changhuai said.
"Good."
"I have some matters to attend to regarding the aftermath..."
"Mhm," Mo Hua was relatively familiar with the procedures of the Dao Prefecture Office, "Uncle Gu, you go ahead."
After finishing his conversation with Gu Changhuai, Mo Hua took out the Guest Scholar Token again and, as Mr. Yuan, sent a message to Elder You of the Demon Sect:
"Blood Elder has fulfilled his mission and killed Elder Ba."
"But the Dao Prefecture Office was too despicable, with their overwhelming numbers. Blood Elder didn't make it out alive..."
After a brief silence, Elder You replied, "I understand. Thank you, Mr. Yuan."
Both sects had lost a Golden Core Elder, yet Elder You's tone seemed calm.
Mo Hua found this strange.
Perhaps Elder You had a deep and unreadable character, not showing his emotions.
To maintain his persona, Mo Hua added, "I've done what I promised. Don't forget about the payment, Elder You."
Elder You: "Mr. Yuan, rest assured."
The conversation ended there.
Mo Hua put this matter aside for now and focused on waiting for his "package."
Two days later, Gu Changhuai visited the Great Void Sect and personally delivered the Five Elements Map, sealed with the evil spirits, to Mo Hua.
"I've killed the two demon lords and sealed the map twice. Hopefully, there won't be any issues."
"It should be fine..."
"Just make sure you're careful. I have to go; the Dao Prefecture Office still has matters to attend to." Gu Changhuai said.
"Alright."
Mo Hua waved goodbye to Gu Changhuai and then, holding the Five Elements Map, went to the same secluded peak near Void Mountain, his heart filled with anticipation.
Two divine remains!
With these, he could return and refine them, advancing his divine perception to a sufficient level to break through the bottleneck of the Heavenly Evolution Art.
Foundation Establishment Late Stage was within reach.
(End of Chapter)
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