Chapter 930: The Bone Demon Array
Chapter 930: The Bone Demon Array
Xun Zixian's eyes trembled, and he immediately pointed his fingers, condensing a white sword beam, piercing towards the blood-patterned creeping bone stele.
A crimson light appeared on the bone stele.
The sword beam pierced the demonic blood-colored shield, holding it for a moment before shattering it inch by inch, and then slashed onto the bone stele.
A crack appeared on the stele's surface, and beneath it, blood and flesh squirmed, accompanied by harsh screams.
"Ghostly sounds?"
Xun Zixian's expression changed, and he quickly covered Mo Hua's ears, but Mo Hua's demeanor remained unchanged.
The level of malevolent sound was not enough to shake his mindset or divine mind, but several other Golden Core Elders nearby frowned, feeling uncomfortable and nauseous.
As the harsh screams became more piercing, Xun Zixian immediately said, "Let's work together to destroy this stele!"
The other Golden Core Elders also realized the malevolence of the bone stele and summoned their artifacts, exerting all their strength to shatter the blood-patterned bone stele into pieces.
The bones turned to powder, the flesh evaporated, and the squirming blood patterns, now without a medium, gradually faded until they disappeared.
The blood energy that had gathered around them through the array also dissipated.
Xun Zixian heaved a slight sigh of relief, but his heart soon sank again.
"This is just one of many third-rank demon arrays in the area, using bones as a medium, rotting flesh as a foundation, and fresh blood as ink. If we let them continue to feast on fresh blood and death energy, who knows what terrible things might happen..."
Xun Ziyu immediately spoke up, "I'll go inform the other elders and the Knowledge Imperial Hall to gather people and try to destroy all these bone array steles within a short time."
"Good," Xun Zixian nodded.
Over a dozen more Golden Core cultivators gathered, and under Xun Zixian's guidance, they searched for the demon array steles scattered throughout the Goose Landing Mountain Blood Swamp, finding and completely shattering them, breaking the arrays.
The blood-red color in the sky faded slightly, but it was still visible to the naked eye, slowly condensing.
The demon arrays on Goose Landing Mountain continued to operate.
"It's still too slow; we might not make it in time..." Xun Zixian frowned.
"Elder," Mo Hua suddenly spoke up at this moment, "I'll take some people to look for the bone steles too. We can split into two units and work faster."
Xun Zixian turned to Mo Hua, "Can you find the third-rank arrays?"
"I'll give it a try," Mo Hua replied.
Xun Zixian had no doubts about Mo Hua's comprehension and mastery of arrays, but he still had some concerns, so he turned to Xun Ziyu.
Xun Ziyu understood his intention and nodded, "I'll take a few elders with Mo Hua to ensure his safety."
"Mmhmm," Xun Zixian agreed.
Indeed, there was no time to worry about anything else.
Xun Zixian remembered something and solemnly instructed Mo Hua, "Just destroy them; don't look too closely, don't remember them, and don't try to learn from them."
The more talented a disciple was, the faster they could be corrupted, and once they strayed onto the wrong path, there would be no turning back.
Mo Hua nodded, "Elder Xun, I understand."
So, they split into two units, one led by Xun Zixian and the other by Mo Hua, to search for and destroy the bone array steles.
The demon arrays on the bone steles were of the third rank, surpassing Mo Hua's array skills.
However, his divine perception was just a hair's breadth away from the twenty patterns of the third rank. Without drawing the arrays himself, he could still find the third-rank arrays without much difficulty.
Moreover, these demon arrays were filled with fresh blood, absorbing a large amount of karmic malevolent energy. In Mo Hua's divine perception, they were like daytime phantom fires, clearly visible.
Mo Hua didn't even need to rely on array calculations to identify them at a glance.
Xun Ziyu, the Great Void Sect, and several Golden Core Administrators from the Dao Prefecture Office followed Mo Hua, walking through the blood-drenched Goose Landing Mountain Swamp.
After a few steps, Mo Hua glanced sideways and pointed, "Over there!"
The Golden Core Elders exchanged glances and summoned their artifact spirit swords, channeling their Golden Core spirit power to blast open the swamp's surface water plants, revealing the buried bone stele beneath.
On the bone stele, blood patterns squirmed.
Xun Ziyu and the others didn't hesitate; they unleashed their sword light spells, turning the bone stele into powder, dissipating the blood patterns, and destroying the demon array.
Mo Hua forced himself to shift his gaze from the blood patterns, avoiding the sight of the filthy demon array patterns to prevent his eyes from being polluted.
But to be honest, he did have a slight curiosity to take a look.
As an array master, array masters seek to understand all arrays.
Demon arrays were also a type of array, containing a certain "Dao."
Furthermore, with his firm Dao heart, consuming malevolent energy and refining evil thoughts into his Dao heart, he had a higher resistance to ordinary malevolent thoughts.
But he still didn't look.
It's better to listen to advice and be well-fed.
Elder Xun Zixian's words should be heeded; one shouldn't become arrogant just because of a strong divine mind foundation.
With the bone stele shattered and the ghostly sounds dissipated, the demon array was destroyed, and Mo Hua continued forward. After a while, he arrived at a depression and pointed underground, "There's one here too."
Xun Ziyu and the other Golden Core Elders worked together to open the ground and destroy the stele, breaking the array.
Mo Hua followed the same method, pointing out locations, and the Golden Core cultivators led by Xun Ziyu would destroy the arrays.
With Xun Zixian and Mo Hua working together, the speed at which they broke the arrays more than doubled.
Soon, most of the blood-patterned bone steles in Goose Landing Mountain were destroyed.
The malevolent energy in the sky also weakened.
The blood mist that had condensed in the air slowly evaporated.
Everyone felt a great relief.
Mo Hua and Xun Zixian reunited.
Xun Zixian looked at Mo Hua with satisfaction and nodded, "Well done, you've worked hard."
"Elder, you're too kind. This is what a disciple should do," Mo Hua replied politely. Then, he turned to look at Goose Landing Mountain and added, "There should still be some remaining bone steles in this mountain..."
"It's fine," Xun Zixian said, "This place is filled with poisonous swamps and complex terrain. We don't have enough time to clear it all now, but I'll have someone take care of it later."
Mo Hua nodded.
The two of them looked up at the sky, where the miasma and blood mist intertwined, creating an endless expanse of crimson. Both of them furrowed their brows.
They were both formation masters, and exceptionally talented ones at that. They could sense the strange and eerie aura emanating from the blood-soaked demon array that covered the Goose Landing Mountain Blood Swamp.
"Should we break the formation with killing?" Mo Hua muttered.
Xun Zixian's eyes flickered, "All slaughter is accompanied by fresh blood, skeletons, rotting flesh, the grudges of the dying, fear, and the yin energy and malevolent energy after death... These are the sources of power for demon arrays."
"The more intense the slaughter, the more powerful the demon array becomes."
"And..."
Xun Zixian's gaze shifted from the blood-red sky to the vast land below, his brow furrowed.
The recent suppression of the Demon Sect had been fierce, resulting in the tragic deaths of over a thousand cultivators.
The blood, grudges, and malevolent energy of these cultivators were absorbed by the demon array, transformed into demonic power, and ultimately channeled into the earth's meridians, only to...
Disappear without a trace.
With the vast land as a barrier, it was impossible to trace the path of this demonic power.
Not only had Xun Zixian failed to discern its path, but even Mo Hua, who had resonated with the earth's Dao essence, couldn't perceive the flow of the demon array's power.
The earth, as the embodiment of the Kun trigram, embraces all things, be it life or death, righteousness or evil.
Once the demonic power entered the earth's meridians, it vanished without a trace.
Mo Hua, being only at the Foundation Establishment stage, couldn't fully grasp the truth despite his exceptional insight, as his understanding was limited by his cultivation level.
Xun Zixian's eyes grew solemn, "There's someone behind the scenes in the Demon Sect, and their mastery of demon arrays is unfathomable."
Mo Hua nodded in agreement.
He suspected it was Mr. Tu, but he wasn't entirely sure.
Among the minions of the Great Wilderness Demon God, there might be demon array masters even more formidable than Mr. Tu.
Xun Zi You, standing nearby, finally understood the situation, and his expression changed slightly, "So, we've fallen into a trap? The Demon Sect deliberately set up this formation, luring us into slaughtering their disciples, to activate this formation with the power of killing?"
Xun Zixian's brows knitted together.
But Mo Hua shook his head, "Not necessarily..."
He had dealt with the Demon Sect, or rather, the Great Wilderness Demon God behind them, far too many times. There were things he understood that others didn't.
"This formation was likely designed this way from the start." Mo Hua explained, "Since the Demon Sect was established here, a bloody battle was inevitable, sooner or later. The one who set up the formation must have foreseen this and prepared the demon array in advance. He was waiting for this inevitable bloodbath."
"It's just that the Demon Sect was suppressed earlier than expected."
"Otherwise, if the Demon Sect had been allowed to develop for another ten or twenty years, the number of demon cultivators would have been countless, perhaps exceeding tens of thousands."
"By then, if the Dao Prefecture Office were to suppress the Demon Sect again, and another bloody battle ensued, the number of casualties would have been ten times greater, if not more."
"At that point, with such heavy slaughter and blood energy filling the sky, even if someone discovered the demon arrays hidden in the poisonous swamps, absorbing and transforming the malevolent energy of the dead, and channeling it into the earth's meridians, it would be impossible to stop."
"If the demon array were to be fully sated, who knows what terrifying things might happen..."
Mo Hua's tone was grave.
Xun Zixian, Xun Zi You, and the other elders all had solemn expressions.
The atmosphere grew oppressive.
Xun Zi You sighed, "The demons and heretics are indeed deep and cunning, with their eerie and vicious schemes."
Xun Zixian nodded in agreement, and then he paused, glancing at Mo Hua with a thoughtful look.
While the Demon Dao was indeed treacherous, Mo Hua, with just a glance at the formation, had guessed the mechanism behind the demon array's activation. This demonstrated his keen mind, understanding of formations, and insight into the nature of things, which was no less than that of the mastermind behind the scenes.
"The old master's worries were indeed justified. The more exceptional the talent, the more crucial it is to prevent them from straying onto the wrong path."
With this thought, Xun Zixian said to Mo Hua, "The suppression of the Demon Sect is likely concluded. Come with me back to the sect, and leave the aftermath to the Dao Prefecture Office."
Mo Hua hesitated for a moment before asking softly, "Elder, can I go inside the Demon Sect to take a look?"
Xun Zixian maintained his composure and asked, "What do you want to see?"
Mo Hua wanted to see if there were any clues about the Four Divine Beast Azure Dragon Array inside the Demon Sect...
But the Azure Dragon Array might have transformed into the Demon Dragon Array, so Mo Hua couldn't be explicit. He replied, "I want to see what the Demon Sect is like on the inside and what the demon cultivators have been doing."
Mo Hua had assumed that Elder Xun Zixian wouldn't agree.
But Xun Zixian seemed to have an idea, for after a moment's hesitation, he nodded, breaking his usual pattern, "Alright, I'll take you to see it."
Xun Zi You was somewhat reluctant.
He didn't want to go to a place like the Demon Sect a second time, let alone let Mo Hua go there.
But since Mo Hua wanted to go and Xun Zixian had agreed, he couldn't argue with them. He could only call a few more Great Void Sect elders to accompany them, to ensure Mo Hua's safety, as he wouldn't be able to explain if something happened to him.
The interior of the Demon Sect was already in ruins.
The Dao Prefecture Office and the Great Void Sect elders had broken through the outer formation and engaged in a deadly battle with the leaders and Golden Core elders of the Demon Sect. Now, the Demon Sect's main hall lay in ruins, with broken walls and shattered stones everywhere.
However, many of the Demon Sect's crimes remained.
The "Blood Slaves," kept in pigsty-like cages, were emaciated and barely human, their minds clouded.
These blood slaves, most of them had already died, their fresh blood drained before the battle.
A few were barely clinging to life, but with their blood essence depleted and their foundation injured, it was uncertain if they could be saved.
Additionally, there were some cultivators whose blood was extracted, turned into mummies, and hung on the beams.
There was also "Blood Wine" brewed from human blood, stored in the warehouse, for the Demon Cultivators to drink.
In the secret room, there were various cruel torture devices, with Demon Arrays painted on them, seemingly serving no particular purpose other than to torture people for amusement...
...
Mo Hua walked through this, witnessing it all.
Sometimes, knowing and seeing are two different things. Only by witnessing it firsthand and experiencing it personally can one truly understand the implications of certain matters.
Everything before Mo Hua vividly conveyed:
In the eyes of Demon Cultivators, humans could be backup "dry rations," "fruits" for brewing, or "livestock" to be raised, but they could never be considered "human."
These scenes were deeply etched into Mo Hua's mind.
Mo Hua remained silent.
Xun Zixian observed Mo Hua's expression and spoke slowly, "Cultivators have varying levels of cultivation and strength."
"Some cultivators, after achieving powerful cultivation, care for the world and use their strength to benefit countless lives."
"On the other hand, there are cultivators who, relying on their strength, oppress, enslave, kill, and even massacre other weaker cultivators."
"This is the distinction between the righteous and the demonic."
Xun Zixian pointed to the Demon Sect, filled with Demon Formations, and said, "Formations are the same."
"Some Formation Masters comprehend the Heavenly Dao and use formations to benefit the world."
"There are also Formation Masters with sinister intentions, who use Demon Arrays for personal gain. They may even extinguish their Dao heart, creating powerful formations at the cost of countless lives."
"This is the fundamental difference between righteous and demonic Formation Masters."
"Many cultivators live their entire lives in comfort, never truly understanding what 'demonic' means. Some even think that falling into the demonic path isn't a big deal, or they might feel that becoming a demon, killing countless beings, is a sign of power."
Xun Zixian sighed deeply, then glanced at Mo Hua and said solemnly, "Cultivating the demonic path may grant power or the ability to control the elements, but it's impossible to comprehend the Dao or achieve immortality."
"You must understand this clearly: Do you want to achieve immortality or merely seek power?"
"This question is easy to understand at the moment, but the challenge lies in maintaining your initial aspirations throughout a lifetime of hardships and trials, as time passes and years go by."
Xun Zixian's tone was grave.
Mo Hua's pupils trembled slightly, and he nodded deeply.
From then on, he seemed deep in thought as they ventured deeper into the Demon Sect, reaching its innermost depths, where they encountered the Demon Sect leader cultivating in a vast blood pool. It was at this point that Mo Hua noticed the blood pool, and his eyes widened as he took in the sight of the blood pool.
The blood pool was enormous, crafted from skeletons, surrounded by demon stone statues with hideous appearances.
Filling this blood pool would require countless lives and an unimaginable amount of blood.
But now, the blood pool was empty.
All the fresh blood had been drained by the Demon Sect leader, who possessed the power of the Evil Dragon, during the final battle.
Inside the blood pool, there were Demon Arrays, but these arrays were ordinary ones used for blood nourishment, keeping the blood fresh and flowing.
They were not the powerful Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array.
Mo Hua circled the blood pool but found nothing of significance. He gave up and followed the elders, preparing to return to the Great Void Sect.
Before leaving, Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and asked Xun Zi You, "Elder Xun, did you encounter an elder in the Demon Sect who was thin, had dog patterns on his body, and whose surname was 'You'?"
"Dog patterns?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded.
Xun Zi You pondered for a moment and shook his head, "During the raid on the Demon Sect, I fought with over ten Demon Sect elders, but I didn't see one with dog patterns on his body among the Golden Core Demon leaders."
Mo Hua frowned.
He hadn't seen him...
Had this Elder You received a warning and fled in advance? Or was he killed by another Golden Core elder?
"Is this person important?" Xun Zi You asked Mo Hua.
Mo Hua pondered for a moment and shook his head.
He wasn't sure how to explain.
Logically, this Elder You should be a crucial figure, but the dog patterns on his body made him seem like a lackey.
As a Golden Core cultivator, he wouldn't willingly be a "dog."
Although Mo Hua had deceived him, he sensed that Elder You possessed deep machinations.
The deception worked because Elder You's knowledge of formations was insufficient.
An expert deceiving a novice is a sure thing.
Of course, Mo Hua's concern for Elder You was primarily due to the fact that Elder You still owed him 1.8 million spirit stones.
Mo Hua remembered this debt clearly.
"Mo Hua?" Xun Zi You noticed Mo Hua's absent-mindedness, his eyes flickering, and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with Elder You?"
"It's nothing," Mo Hua replied, "I was just asking casually."
Xun Zi You looked at Mo Hua with a mix of belief and doubt, clearly suspicious.
Mo Hua said, "It's getting late, Elder Xun. Let's return to the sect, or Elder Xun will start to worry."
Xun Zi You's attention shifted immediately, and he nodded, "Yes, let's head back."
The immediate priority was to escort Mo Hua, the child, back to the Great Void Sect, ensuring he didn't wander in this bloody place any longer, lest he be tainted by something unclean, which would make it difficult to report to the ancestor.
So, the Great Void Sect elders escorted Mo Hua, riding in a carriage, back to the sect.
Before leaving, Mo Hua turned back to take one last look at Goose Landing Mountain.
Goose Landing Mountain was in ruins, the blood mist had not completely dispersed, and the poisonous mist veiled the sky, creating an eerie haze.
It was as if a fog obscured something mysterious.
The escaped leader of the Demon Sect; the Golden Core Demon Cultivator from Demon Valley; the missing Elder You;
And that nameless, writhing Bone Demon Array;
All these matters floated in Mo Hua's mind like a painting.
Mo Hua felt as if he had already touched the core of the Demon God's conspiracy, but there was still too much that was obscured by the mist, hidden beneath the veil.
Especially the dead aura power that had been transformed by the demon array, flowing into the earth's meridian, its destination unknown...
A shadow of gloom descended upon Mo Hua's heart.
...
After returning to the sect, Mo Hua burned incense and bathed, washing away the dust and dirt. He then lay down on the bed in the disciple's residence.
The karma of the Demon Sect and the words of Elder Xun Zixian still lingered in Mo Hua's heart.
Mo Hua couldn't help but recite in his heart:
"Where is the Four Divine Beast Azure Dragon Array hidden?"
"Do I really have to slaughter the leader of the Demon Sect to obtain this formation?"
Mo Hua recalled the massive blood pool deep within the Demon Sect, used for the leader's cultivation.
"If the Four Divine Beast Azure Dragon Array truly requires the slaughter of many people and the shedding of much blood to successfully nourish it..."
"To gain power for oneself, one must slaughter countless innocent cultivators..."
"How could I ever do such a thing?"
"Elder Xun Zixian is right. If one blindly pursues power, they will eventually become blind, forgetting their original heart and losing their true self. Instead, they will become a puppet to power, controlled by it rather than controlling it..."
Mo Hua's thoughts raced with various concerns.
But there were many questions he couldn't answer at the moment.
Moreover, due to the exhaustion from the recent efforts to eradicate the demon cultivators, the more he thought, the more his mind felt heavy. Unknowingly, he fell into a deep sleep.
As Mo Hua slept, his guard down, a stream of death aura power emerged, following the karma and slowly manifesting. It flowed into his Sea of Consciousness and seeped into his eyes.
Within the death aura were scenes of the Demon Sect cultivators' tragic deaths during the Dao Prefecture Office's encirclement and suppression, as well as lingering resentment.
This resentment condensed into death aura and merged into Mo Hua's eyes.
Unbeknownst to Mo Hua, the 'Seven Soul Blood Prison Eye Technique' he obtained from the Water Prison Sect quietly activated, silently cultivating within him.
Mo Hua's aura also took on a chilling quality.
Within the chill, there was a terrifying aura of slaughter, as if he had killed countless people.
Yet, this aura of slaughter also carried a sense of righteousness and authority, as if he were a demon and monster exterminator.
...
Dao Prison.
Batches of demon cultivator disciples were locked up in the prison.
To prevent the demon array from absorbing death aura, the Dao Prefecture Office did not completely annihilate the Demon Sect during their follow-up operations.
Many Demon Sect disciples survived the Dao Prefecture Office's slaughter.
These disciples were imprisoned in the Dao Prison.
Li San witnessed all of this.
The panicked words among the demon cultivator disciples also reached Li San's ears without fail.
Li San's heart sank like he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"It's over..."
"My Demon Sect... is it over?!"
Li San's strength suddenly drained, and he collapsed to the ground, his eyes lifeless like a dead fish.
More idle chatter involuntarily filled his ears.
"It's all over, everyone is dead..."
"Elder Nine is dead, Elder Two is dead... they're all dead..."
"The leader is alive..."
"What's the use?"
"The Demon Sect is completely destroyed, finished, from top to bottom, utterly annihilated..."
Among these fragmented words, a sentence suddenly caught Li San's attention.
"I didn't see Elder You, he seems to still be alive..."
...
"From start to finish, I didn't see him..."
"Not sharing the fate of the Demon Sect, he's truly a traitor!"
...
Elder You! Li San's eyes lit up with a divine glow, but he couldn't hear the rest of the words. He only heard those few words:
"Elder You isn't dead!"
Not dead...
Li San's face turned pale, his thoughts racing. Suddenly, his pupils contracted:
"I understand!"
"I finally understand why Elder You sent me to the Dao Prison..."
"He had foreseen this calamity for the Demon Sect! He knew that many sect members would perish!"
"Therefore, he planned to send me to the Dao Prison!"
"This was to protect me! To help me avoid this great disaster, in hopes of the Demon Sect's revival and resurgence in the future..."
"If the sect rises again, wouldn't I become the Demon Sect's 'Vassal Minister'?"
"The position of an Elder is nothing compared to that!"
Li San's once-lifeless heart rekindled with hope.
His expression was resolute, and his faith in 'Elder You' deepened.
"Elder You didn't deceive me, everything is according to his plan!"
"Everything he did was right! With such deep and far-reaching calculations, Elder You must have a grand scheme."
"And Elder You's plan needs me... Now, I must bide my time and prepare to dedicate myself to him in the future..."
In the dark prison, Li San slowly lay down, closing his eyes. No one saw the burning faith and ambition in his eyes.
...
At the same time, in a pitch-black secret chamber.
The eerie green candlelight flickered, casting a sinister shadow on the ghastly sheep bones.
Mr. Tu, his body covered in bloodstains and his skin and bones nearly separated due to the divine punishment, roared in a low voice:
"One day, I will make the Great Void Sect... face total annihilation!"
(End of Chapter)
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