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Chapter 936: The Orphan
Chapter 936: The Orphan
This Evil Embryo was both familiar and foreign.
Its appearance was that of an ink-black infant, somewhat resembling the one he had previously slain in his Mo Hua, but it was evidently larger, with more distorted limbs, and its aura was even more chaotic. It was unclear how much grudge, sorrow, and malice were mixed within it.
At this moment, it stared at Mo Hua with a cold expression and a fiendish gaze.
Mo Hua, too, was staring at it.
Within the filthy and dark nightmare, a golden figure and a black evil infant stood in silent confrontation.
After an unknown duration, the evil infant's expression suddenly turned ferocious. It opened its mouth filled with serrated teeth, its eyes blood-red, and its right finger pointed at Mo Hua as it muttered in an eerie voice.
Mo Hua frowned, wondering what it intended to do, when he felt black fog swirling around him, accompanied by a blood-colored resonance.
The ground swelled, black water solidified, and human figures emerged one after another.
These figures resembled demons, but upon closer inspection, they were not "demons" but actual "humans"—one after another, miserably dead.
They wore tattered clothes, had severed limbs and broken arms, their faces stained with bloody tears. They were enslaved, dominated, filled with countless grudges, struggling as they crawled towards Mo Hua.
Hand after hand grabbed Mo Hua, and mouth after mouth bit into his body.
Severe pain surged.
This agony was not merely physical; it seemed to encompass the suppression and torture of countless cultivators during their lifetimes, as well as the sorrow and despair they experienced after death.
Mo Hua's expression changed, and he pointed his finger, but no fireball appeared.
His divine intention stirred, yet no arrays formed around him. He clenched his palm, but no divine intention sword materialized.
It was as if, in this nightmare, he was merely a feeble, lowly, and powerless cultivator.
He had no cultivation, no spells, no arrays, no sword art, nothing. In the face of the great tribulation, he was hopeless and powerless.
More and more miserably dead individuals crawled towards Mo Hua, gnawing at his body.
The agony of life and the despair of death seeped into Mo Hua's entire being like poison.
As the pain intensified, Mo Hua, who had lost all his strength, gradually felt a sense of coldness and despair.
Just as he was about to be swallowed by these half-human, half-ghost demons, and drowned in boundless agony, a moment of clarity emerged, and his Dao mind instantly regained its initial purity.
Mo Hua suddenly woke up.
"It's all fake... everything is an illusion."
"This feeble, powerless, and lowly cultivator is not me."
"I am Mo Hua. I have a divine intention that has undergone Dao transformation. With a thousand arrays, my furnace's fire is purely refined, integrated into my body. The divine intention sword slashes away the self and also severs the demonic beings."
Mo Hua's gaze grew increasingly resolute, radiating the sharpness of a treasure sword.
He clenched his hand, and within his palm, a strand of sword intent constantly twisted, flickered, and generated, continuously breaking through some mental constraint and shattering a certain nightmare rule...
Finally, a faint sound echoed, and cracks spread across Mo Hua's body.
Mo Hua clenched his right hand, and golden light flashed as his sword revealed its blade.
Holding the divine intention sword, he swung his first strike towards himself.
The golden sword light flashed, directly shattering his "divine intention incarnation" into pieces.
But what he had severed was not himself; it was that weak, powerless, and hopeless cultivator who could only die miserably in the face of the great tribulation.
He had slashed the nightmare rule, which, through deception and persuasion, had bestowed upon him a "self."
As the false self vanished, the true self resurfaced, and Mo Hua's mental clarity instantly returned.
The nightmare's rule had been broken.
All of Mo Hua's divine intentions instantly returned to his body.
The divine intention sword in his hand glowed with radiant light, and sword qi surged. Mo Hua swung his arm, and the sword qi drew a dazzling golden light, sweeping through like a bursting river.
All the half-human, half-ghost demons were cut in half at the waist, killed by the golden sword qi, and turned to ashes.
The black qi in the nightmare was swept away.
Mo Hua turned his head and fixed his gaze forward.
The deformed and robust "evil infant" ahead still stared at him with a cruel gaze.
Mo Hua did not go to slay this "evil infant."
He knew that what was before him was merely an "illusion," something that had never existed, a manifestation of the power of cause and effect.
It was like an "anchor" of cause and effect; the nightmare and demons had emerged because of it, but it was not actually present here.
As the nightmare's rule was broken, Mo Hua gradually regained consciousness, the nightmare dissipated, and the evil infant's figure gradually faded.
But the evil embryo continued to watch Mo Hua...
When Mo Hua entered the dream, it watched him; when Mo Hua was swallowed by the demons, it watched him; when Mo Hua broke the nightmare and slashed away the demons with a sword, it still watched him; and now, as the nightmare was about to dissipate, it still watched him.
Its pupils were hollow and ink-black, threaded with blood, and its gaze was eerie and terrifying.
Until the nightmare completely vanished, and Mo Hua awoke from the nightmare, those blood-colored eyes remained imprinted in his mind.
Mo Hua opened his eyes.
He found that on the table, the spiritual ink had been knocked over, and the ink had seeped through the array paper, leaving wet traces.
The nightmare came and went swiftly.
From the moment he entered the dream to the moment he woke up, not much time had passed.
Mo Hua tidied up the table, dried the ink, organized the scrolls, and then sat at the table, frowning in contemplation.
"Why did I have this nightmare?"
Was it because the previous evil embryo was not completely eradicated, or did he become entangled in cause and effect after slaying the evil embryo? Or was it because I met that 'Noble Young Master' and personally witnessed the poppy-like fallen Heavenly Fate Causality, and thus, fate began to turn in the depths of my consciousness?
"Why was this nightmare different from the previous ones? In the dream, it seemed like I was not myself. Could this also be the ability of the Demon God?"
And...
Mo Hua frowned.
"What is this evil embryo that I dreamed of?"
Was it already dead, or was it still alive? If it was dead, why did it appear in my dream?
If it was still alive, does that mean the Great Demon God has more than one evil embryo? Yu'er's words and the dream she had resurfaced in his mind, and Mo Hua's gaze slightly condensed as he gradually formed a conjecture.
Mo Hua gradually formed a plan for his next steps.
After sorting out his emotions, Mo Hua began to eliminate external distractions and unwaveringly continued practicing his formation techniques.
Formation practice was essential; with practice, there would undoubtedly be progress.
No matter how many unexpected events or changes occurred in life, as long as there was time, he would practice formations.
Time was limited, and it flowed relentlessly. Once any moment was wasted, it would be impossible to reclaim it.
Mo Hua continued his formation practice, but soon after he started, his expression turned slightly solemn.
Those empty and ink-black eyes, laced with bloodshot veins, eerie and terrifying, appeared before him once again, silently watching him.
These eyes seemed to exist forever.
They would always be in some unknown place, eternally watching Mo Hua, forever.
Mo Hua silently observed these eerie eyes in his heart, and after a moment, he muttered softly:
"Dare to look at me again..."
"If you look again, I'll 'devour' you..."
...
A few days later, in Void City.
Mo Hua arranged to meet Master Gu at a restaurant.
Since it wasn't a monthly rest day, Mo Hua still had classes, and time was limited, so they only had a simple meal and chatted briefly.
Master Gu was a third-rank Artificer from the Gu family, managing the Gu family's Artificer shop in Lonely Mountain City.
The Artificer shop had been on the brink of bankruptcy and struggled to survive, but after Mo Hua helped them by drawing formations, customizing spirit tools, and attracting business, it was revived and thrived.
Master Gu was extremely grateful to Mo Hua, and he kept pouring wine and serving dishes to Mo Hua as if Mo Hua was the Golden Core Cultivator and he was just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
"Master Gu, there's no need to be so polite," Mo Hua said.
"It's only right," Master Gu said, adding another piece of pork shank to Mo Hua's plate with a smile. "Young Master has done a great favor for our Artificer shop, so if you need anything in the future, just ask."
Master Gu's expression was sincere.
Mo Hua's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked, "Master Gu, how is Lonely Mountain City doing lately?"
"Lately?"
"Yes."
Master Gu thought for a moment, "Lonely Mountain City is more or less the same as before, but our Artificer shop is doing much better, earning more spirit stones, and even the surrounding businesses are improving."
"Many Artificers have come to our Artificer shop to make a living. Those who mine and do manual labor have a meal to eat because of our shop."
"Compared to the bustling Immortal Cities or even the prosperous medium-sized Immortal Cities, it's far from comparable. But compared to the previous Lonely Mountain City, it's much better, and there are more cultivators coming and going, and the city is gradually regaining its vitality..."
Mo Hua nodded.
In other words, the situation was improving, and life was getting better bit by bit.
"Then..." Mo Hua lowered his voice and asked, "Has anything unusual happened in Lonely Mountain City recently?"
Master Gu couldn't help but lower his voice as well, asking, "What kind of matter are you referring to, Young Master?"
"Has there been anything strange, bizarre, or..." Mo Hua's gaze turned slightly somber, "...a major case involving many deaths?"
Master Gu's expression became solemn, "A major case?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded, "The kind where the Fan family was annihilated, and many people died."
Master Gu frowned, thought carefully, and shook his head, "No."
"None?"
"Yes, it's been relatively peaceful lately," Master Gu said, "And in Lonely Mountain City, there are mostly loose cultivators. Since the city declined, there aren't many small families, so it's not possible to have a situation like the 'Fan family annihilation with many deaths.'"
After all, a loose cultivator's family only had a few members, so it couldn't be considered 'annihilation.'
Mo Hua nodded, but he felt something was strange.
There were no accidents or major cases...
The Gu family's Artificer shop was doing better and better, and even the surrounding cultivators had a means of livelihood. With increased foot traffic, the city was gradually regaining its vitality.
Everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction.
But why...
That day, during the encirclement and suppression of the Demon Sect, the Registrar named Fan Jin they met seemed to want to transfer out of Lonely Mountain City. If it was just a simple transfer, it wouldn't be a big deal.
People naturally strive for better positions.
However, his eyes concealed deep fear...
What was in Lonely Mountain City that made even a Golden Core Registrar from the Dao Imperial Court feel 'fear'? Mo Hua found this increasingly strange, so he asked, "Master Gu, do you know Fan Jin?"
"Fan Jin?" Master Gu was slightly taken aback, "Young Master, do you mean the Registrar of Lonely Mountain City?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded.
"You know him?" Master Gu was quite surprised.
Mo Hua simply replied, "By chance, we've met once."
Master Gu nodded and didn't ask further. After a moment of thought, he said, "I've had a few drinks with this Registrar Fan. He's a decent person, but a bit self-interested and likes to put on airs. He's a bit of a bully, but it's not too extreme. He usually follows the rules. Lonely Mountain City is too poor, so there's not much to gain, and he's still considered 'honest' as a Registrar..."
"Oh..." Mo Hua seemed to be deep in thought.
Master Gu observed his words carefully and whispered, "Young Master, has this Registrar Fan done something wrong, or has he offended you?"
Mo Hua smiled, "It's nothing. He said he's the Registrar of Lonely Mountain City and wanted to treat me to a meal, so I casually asked."
Master Gu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was fine.
This Fan Jin was quite perceptive to recognize the 'big shot' behind Young Master's unassuming facade.
The two chatted a bit more, and after they were both satisfied with the meal, Mo Hua returned to the Great Void Sect. Before leaving, he said, "Master Gu, in three days, it will be the monthly rest day. I'll go to Lonely Mountain City to take a look."
Master Gu was startled upon hearing this and then became overjoyed, quickly replying, "Young Master, please rest assured. I'll make the arrangements, and I'll personally come to pick you up."
Mo Hua smiled, "Thank you, Master Gu.
Three days later, Mo Hua boarded the carriage of the Gu family, personally escorted by Master Gu, and together they set off for Loneliness Mountain City.
Midway through the journey, Mo Hua, lost in thought, suddenly felt a stirring and looked up.
He noticed a dilapidated temple peeking out from a mountain peak, hidden deep within the old forest—it was the temple of his old friend, Yellow Mountain Lord.
"Mountain Lord..."
Mo Hua had a sudden urge to visit Yellow Mountain Lord on the way.
After all, it had been a long time since he last saw this old friend. He wondered how he was doing, whether he was still drinking rainwater and eating stale buns every day.
But then he thought about it again. Master Gu was on the road, and the journey to Loneliness Mountain City was quite long. Visiting the Mountain Lord on the way would inevitably delay them.
"Next time... I'll definitely visit Yellow Mountain Lord next time."
Mo Hua silently resolved in his heart.
A gust of mountain wind blew, sweeping through the barren hills, making the trees rustle and the old mountain temple tremble slightly.
...
After that, Master Gu drove the carriage while Mo Hua closed his eyes and rested inside.
The carriage raced forward, and after another half day, they finally arrived at Loneliness Mountain City.
Mo Hua lifted the curtain, poked his head out, and looked around, taking in the scene of Loneliness Mountain City.
The mountain city was still quite ruined, with bare rocks and withered vegetation. The sky was gray, and there were many abandoned mines around, with few signs of human life.
Having seen the prosperity of Qianxue State and the surrounding Immortal Cities, the sight of Loneliness Mountain City gave a strong sense of disjunction.
It could even make one wonder if the people here lived in the same world.
But Master Gu wasn't wrong.
Compared to before, Loneliness Mountain City had improved a lot. At least the cultivators passing through no longer looked so despondent and sorrowful; instead, they seemed more lively.
The carriage moved slowly along the rugged mountain roads, eventually reaching a large Artisan Shop located in the southeastern corner of Loneliness Mountain City.
Above the entrance to the Artisan Shop hung a sign with the powerful inscription "Gu Family Artisan Shop," and below it, a smaller plaque read "Loneliness Mountain Branch."
Entering the Artisan Shop, Mo Hua saw a vigorous and bustling scene.
Compared to before, the changes within the Artisan Shop were earth-shattering.
The Artisan Furnaces were larger, the Molten Fire Arrays more complete, and there were more Artisans and disciples.
Everyone worked together, placing one Spirit Tool Embryo after another into the furnaces to be smelted and forged.
Amidst the roaring flames, sparks flew. Rows of newly forged Spirit Tools, of various types, were neatly arranged in the courtyard.
In terms of scale, furnaces, manpower, and output, everything far surpassed what it used to be.
Mo Hua hadn't been to Loneliness Mountain City for a long time. Since he had agreed on the regulations and set the standards for formations and Spirit Tools, he had become a "hands-off manager."
Seeing the scene before him, Mo Hua couldn't help but be somewhat shocked and praised Master Gu:
"Master Gu, your Artisan Shop is getting better and better..."
Master Gu, flattered, looked proud and bowed to Mo Hua, saying, "This is all thanks to Young Master. Without Young Master, the Artisan Shop wouldn't be what it is today."
Mo Hua waved his hand, modestly saying, "No, no, I just helped a little bit."
Master Gu then ordered someone to call over a group of Artisan disciples and instructed them, "Come, greet Master Mo."
"Master Mo, greetings!"
A group of sweat-soaked, muscular Artisan disciples bowed in unison, saying, "We greet Master Mo!"
"Master Mo's great kindness will never be forgotten!"
The scene was overwhelming, and Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed, quickly saying, "No need to be so formal, you can go back to work."
Master Gu dismissed them and said to Mo Hua, "Young Master, I've arranged a banquet for you tonight. It's a special treat. There's still some time, would you like to take a tour?"
Master Gu suspected that Mo Hua had a specific purpose for coming to Loneliness Mountain City.
Though he couldn't guess what it was, he did his best to show Mo Hua around.
Mo Hua nodded, "Thank you, Master Gu."
"Please, Young Master." Master Gu personally led the way, guiding Mo Hua through the Artisan Shop.
To outsiders, these were all secrets.
But Mo Hua was different. If he wanted to see, Master Gu wouldn't refuse.
After touring the Artisan Shop, Master Gu led Mo Hua outside.
Outside the Artisan Shop, many cultivators gathered on the nearby open ground, sitting cross-legged with bamboo baskets in front of them, filled with various black, gray, or white ores.
"These are Loose Cultivators. They have low cultivation levels, can't forge Spirit Tools, and have no other special skills. They have only their strength and can only carry bamboo baskets into the mountains to look for luck, picking up leftover ores."
"If they have good luck, the ores can be used for forging and can be exchanged for a few fragments of Spirit Stones to buy some coarse grains and barely fill their stomachs."
"If they have bad luck, they'll go hungry."
"Before, there were only a few Artisan Shops in Loneliness Mountain that could sustain themselves. The ores these people picked were of poor quality, and no one would buy them."
Master Gu sighed, a trace of melancholy in his voice, "But now it's better. Our Artisan Shop is growing, and we need a lot of ores. Even if the ores they pick are of poor quality, they can still exchange them for some fragments of Spirit Stones. Though it's not much, at least they won't go hungry."
Mo Hua felt a mix of relief and complexity. Glancing around, he noticed many children among the crowd.
They were thin and dirty, with arms as thin as bamboo poles, carrying bamboo baskets filled with black-gray ores.
The heavy ores weighed them down, making it hard for them to stand straight.
There were not just one or two such children, but many.
Mo Hua felt a pang of sympathy and a sense of foreboding, asking, "Do these children go to pick ores alone? Where are their parents?"
Master Gu's expression turned bitter, and he shook his head, "This is Loneliness Mountain City. Most of these children are orphans..."
(End of Chapter)
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