Chapter 969: The Mountain Lord
Chapter 969: The Mountain Lord
In the magnificent and solemn temple, an eerie aura filled the air. Within, Mo Hua and the Evil Embryo were locked in a fierce battle, their thoughts intertwining and clashing, creating a cacophony of vibrating sounds.
Mo Hua seized the opportunity to summon a fireball with his concentrated thoughts. It shot out, exploding upon impact on the Evil Embryo—the blackened and fallen "Yellow Mountain Lord"—but only managed to create a small spark.
The Yellow Mountain Lord retaliated with a ferocious swipe of his blood-red claw, catching Mo Hua off guard and tearing open his arm.
Startled, Mo Hua quickly activated his Golden Divine Marrow to heal his wound.
The Evil Embryo's next attack came swiftly.
A blood-red spear materialized out of thin air, formed from the grievances of a resentful spirit, and struck towards Mo Hua's head.
Mo Hua summoned all his strength to activate the Flowing Water Step, narrowly dodging the attack. He then countered with a water prison technique, trapping the Evil Embryo in seven layers of water restraints.
The Evil Embryo raised its hand, shattering the water prisons into sparkling droplets. It took a step forward, and in a flash of darkness, it closed in on Mo Hua, striking him with a palm strike that sent him flying.
Mo Hua felt excruciating pain throughout his body as he adjusted his body mid-air, landing on his feet and sliding backward for a long distance before stabilizing.
In the next instant, a flash of bloodlight signaled the Evil Embryo's next deadly attack.
Black blood, like a blade, pierced towards Mo Hua's heart pulse.
Instinctively, Mo Hua avoided the vital point, but his shoulder was still pierced, causing him to roll on the ground in a pitiful state.
The Evil Embryo took another step, closing in on Mo Hua once more.
With its deformed claw, it formed a filthy spear and thrust it towards Mo Hua.
Suddenly, a burst of golden light appeared.
Countless intricate array patterns emerged, transforming into chains that bound the Evil Embryo tightly. The surrounding earth fire roared, and lava flowed as the divine sense explosions shook the Evil Embryo's body.
The Evil Embryo gently tugged, breaking free from the chains one by one. It strode through the sea of fire as if it were a hot spring, unharmed.
Mo Hua's scalp tingled, and before he could fully process what was happening, a corrupted spear, shrouded in an ominous aura, slashed towards his waist.
Mo Hua clenched his fist, summoning a sword array that materialized into a Gold-Cleaving Sword.
The corrupted spear clashed with the Gold-Cleaving Sword.
Golden sword aura and dark red evil qi intertwined, tearing at each other, and the residual force sent Mo Hua flying.
Mo Hua's palm throbbed with pain, and blood trickled from it.
He continued to use his divine marrow to heal his injuries but realized that a portion of it had been contaminated by the Evil Embryo's black blood.
His heart ached as he thought of how hard he had worked to accumulate this divine marrow.
Now, with just one contamination, a part of it was ruined.
A flash of bloodlight and a gust of bloody wind alerted Mo Hua to the Evil Embryo's next attack.
He looked up and saw a spearhead, stained with black blood and rotting flesh, piercing towards his skull.
With his Gold-Cleaving Sword shattered, Mo Hua quickly summoned a Taichi Mountain-Opening Sword, its sword intent as deep as a mountain, to meet the Evil Embryo's spear.
In that moment, the divine senses of a Demonic Deity and a Half-God clashed head-on.
The corrupted aura intertwined with the golden divine aura, creating a shockwave that spread in all directions.
Amidst the flashing blades, Mo Hua and the Evil Embryo fought for nearly a hundred exchanges.
Mo Hua's divine sense, materialized on his body, bore numerous wounds, exposing flesh and even reaching deep into his bones.
The Evil Embryo's body, however, remained intact, its evil qi surging.
The Third Rank Vengeful Ghost, with its Third Rank Vengeful Ghost body, was clad in a pitch-black, corrupted divine body, solid as if it were clad in golden iron armor. It was impervious to water and fire spells, and even the divine sense sword could not penetrate it.
"This won't do..." Mo Hua's expression grew grave.
After a few more exchanges, he was struck by the spear and sent flying again.
Mo Hua seized the opportunity to retreat, creating some distance. He stood firm, raised his hands above his head, and his eyes deepened with determination as his sword intent soared.
Various Five Elements Sword Arrays and the principles of the Void Sword Dao converged around him, gathering in his palms, and a giant sword began to take shape...
Mo Hua's eyes gleamed with unwavering killing intent.
Spells couldn't harm you.
Arrays couldn't trap you.
The sword transformation technique couldn't breach your armor.
I refuse to believe that the True Void Sect's Sword Technique of Divine Slayer can't sever your bones.
Mo Hua's hands formed a giant divine-slaying sword, slowly materializing...
But before he could complete the transformation, a figure even faster than before, lightning-quick, closed in on him.
A filthy spear, stained with black blood, thrust towards his face.
"Not enough time!"
Mo Hua's face paled, and he clenched his teeth, summoning an incomplete divine-slaying sword to strike down.
The sword intent, not yet fully formed, clashed with the demonic deity's corrupted spear.
In an instant, the temple shook.
A terrifying divine sense fluctuation, like a hurricane, swept through the entire dream battlefield, causing the wind and clouds to churn and the vengeful spirits to howl.
Outside the hall, Xun Ziyou and the others paled, sensing the tremors in their divine souls.
It was a force powerful enough to obliterate their divine souls.
Even the dissipating remnants of the power left them with an overwhelming sense of dread.
They couldn't fathom the sheer terror of the battle unfolding within the hall.
Even Xun Ziyou, a late Golden Core Realm elder of the Void Gate Sect, felt his soul tremble.
"Is that... Mo Hua?"
"What is he fighting against...?"
The commotion was truly terrifying.
Beside them, Master Gu and Fan Diensi were even more shocked, their faces drained of color.
"Little Mo, he... who is he...?"
"He should be a 'human,' right...?"
...
Deep within the hall, a filthy spear, stained with black blood, lay broken on the ground.
The Evil Embryo, resembling the Yellow Mountain Lord, stood in its corrupted demonic armor, its flesh distorted.
On its shoulder, a wound appeared, and from it, blood and flesh squirmed as the evil qi turned into pus, and filthy blood dripped.
The Evil Embryo stood motionless, seemingly surprised.
Mo Hua, seizing the opportunity, gasped for breath.
But before he could catch his breath, the Evil Embryo's flesh began to knit together, and the evil qi slowly revived.
The broken Evil Deity's halberd reappeared in its hand once more.
Mo Hua gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath of cold air.
"Too strong..."
After their confrontation, Mo Hua gradually came to understand.
This Evil Embryo had descended but not fully manifested, in other words, it was a "Dead Embryo" of an Evil Deity, possessing an even stronger death energy than a typical Evil Deity.
It should be unconscious, possessing only the residual instincts of devouring and killing.
Its very existence was a fusion of numerous elements.
It contained the origin of Evil Deities, the flesh and blood of demons, the agony of tens of thousands of Mining Cultivators who died miserably in Solitary Mountain, despair, and the Twin Qi born from the oppression of despair.
Chaos, deformity, and a mixture of flesh and blood.
Mo Hua had sensed a powerful, chaotic, and deformed node on the Divine Authority Tree in the Great Wilderness. Now it seemed very likely that this was the Evil Embryo of Solitary Mountain.
The strongest component within this Evil Embryo was Yellow Mountain Lord.
A Divine Being at the peak of the Third Rank.
After Yellow Mountain Lord was slain, his massive Divine Remains seemed to fall into the hands of the Evil Deity, becoming a medium for incubating the Evil Embryo and descending into the world.
Or perhaps, this was all part of a conspiracy from the start.
A plot specifically targeting Yellow Mountain Lord.
The Yellow Mountain Lord of the past was too powerful, especially in this Third Rank Solitary Mountain Realm. Even an Evil Deity might not have been able to handle him.
So, the Evil Deity first sought a way to corrupt him and then kill him indirectly.
The corrupted Yellow Mountain Lord became a menace, a hidden danger.
The senior of Void Gate Sect naturally had to slay him.
After a fierce battle, the senior of Void Gate Sect struck down Yellow Mountain Lord, leaving him heavily injured with only a thread of clear consciousness, he escaped.
But the corrupted and fallen body of the Mountain God became nourishment for the Evil Embryo, undergoing various transformations and becoming a part of it.
Everyone had been outmaneuvered.
This was Mo Hua's speculation after seeing the true face of the Evil Embryo and engaging in combat with it.
The general outline might be as described, but the specific details and events during that time were unknown.
The true truth was likely known only to the Yellow Mountain Lord of that year, the senior of Void Gate Sect, or perhaps, the mastermind behind the Evil Deity—that Mr. Tu.
But Mo Hua couldn't delve further into the truth at this moment.
The biggest problem before him was this failed descent, a deformed and twisted Evil Embryo that had to slumber at the bottom of Solitary Mountain.
This Evil Embryo was truly formidable.
Mo Hua clenched his lips, feeling a bit resentful.
It was faster, more ruthless in its attacks, had stronger willpower, possessed eerie evil energy, its black blood could corrode divine marrow, and its body was clad in demonic armor, impervious to blades and fire.
Even if he wanted to use the Divine-Slaying Sword, the frenzied Evil Embryo would disrupt his power accumulation.
It didn't give him a single chance.
After fighting this long, Mo Hua had barely gained any advantage.
The only good news was that even though the Evil Embryo was at the peak of the Third Rank, the Divine-Slaying Sword could still cut through its armor and flesh, inflicting a certain degree of damage.
Whether it could be slain was still uncertain.
The main issue was the lack of opportunity.
This Evil Embryo wouldn't give him a chance to fully utilize the Divine-Cutting Technique.
And its realm was too high; his restrictive methods, whether the Water Prison Technique or trapping arrays, were completely ineffective.
"Run first?"
Mo Hua considered and felt that the best option was to retreat.
From the current situation, this Evil Embryo, with the Dragon Coffin as its foundation, couldn't be separated from the hall before them.
"Fight a bit more, then run, rest, and then come back to continue fighting?"
Although the Evil Embryo was strong, Mo Hua himself was also quite "tough."
Relying on Divine Will Cultivation and some Divine Will Sword Techniques, he could still hold his own against the Evil Embryo, preventing a quick defeat.
So, he could only persist, wearing it down and seeking an opportunity...
Mo Hua's mind raced as he thought of various ways to restrain the Evil Embryo, but in the blink of an eye, the Evil Embryo vanished.
A sense of foreboding rose in Mo Hua's heart, and he quickly retreated.
But it was too late; a huge, ferocious claw, carrying a bloody wind, slashed towards Mo Hua.
Several deep bloodstains appeared on Mo Hua's back.
His entire body was sent flying like a small cannonball, slamming into the wall of the temple.
A loud boom echoed, and cracks spread across the wall.
In the 1619th chapter, a look without a single mistake!
Mo Hua clenched his teeth, enduring the intense pain, and cursed, "Yellow Mountain Lord, I've taken note of this!"
The powerful origin of the Evil Embryo was Yellow Mountain Lord.
If not for him, why would he have suffered so much?
But despite the curses and pain, Mo Hua had no choice but to ignore his injuries and struggle to stand up.
He knew the Evil Embryo's next wave of attacks was imminent.
This Evil Embryo wouldn't give him much time to catch his breath.
Mo Hua endured the pain, gripping his golden sword and standing guard. After a moment, the surroundings were calm, and the Evil Embryo didn't attack.
Mo Hua was taken aback and looked up to see the Evil Embryo standing not far away, motionless.
At the same time, its black blood churned, demonic energy intertwined, and its entire body trembled slightly, as if something within was in conflict.
Occasionally, a strand of familiar aura flickered on its face.
Mo Hua's pupils constricted.
"Is this... Yellow Mountain Lord's consciousness?"
"Could it be that it hasn't been completely corrupted?"
As he watched, the golden light on the Evil Embryo's face dimmed, and the red light became more prominent.
In a daze, Mo Hua finally grasped a glimmer of hope and shouted, "Mountain Lord, are you still alive?"
"Yellow Mountain Lord!"
This cry seemed to truly stir the Evil Embryo, awakening a sliver of its hidden consciousness.
The Evil Embryo's face began to split, half black and red, and half dark gold.
The dark golden half of its face slowly opened its eyes, revealing a hint of clarity, a trace of evil energy, and a heavy aura of authority.
"You..."
It seemed like it hadn't spoken in a long time, its voice low and raspy.
The Evil Embryo, for the first time, opened its mouth to speak.
"You... who are you..."
"Why... do you know... my name..."
Sure enough!
Mo Hua's heart leaped with joy.
The consciousness of the Yellow Mountain Lord, hadn't completely vanished!
Mo Hua also found it hard to believe.
After being polluted for so many years, it still retained a shred of sanity. How powerful must the Yellow Mountain Lord have been back then...
However, now wasn't the time for regrets.
Mo Hua grasped at a straw of hope, hurriedly saying, "Mountain Lord, we are good friends!"
The corrupted Yellow Mountain Lord remained silent for a moment, looking at Mo Hua with questioning eyes.
The young lad before him was a stranger.
He, the revered deity of Solitary Yellow Mountain, was just a step away from breaking through to the Fourth Rank True God realm. How could he possibly be friends with such a young lad?
Mo Hua, seeing his doubtful gaze, quickly affirmed, "It's true!"
The Yellow Mountain Lord was about to say something, but suddenly his head twisted, and his face once again displayed cruelty and ferocity. That fleeting clarity, turned into ferocity.
His consciousness vanished again.
The Evil Embryo's blood-red eyes turned towards Mo Hua, and it raised its corrupted trident to attack.
Mo Hua had no choice but to wield his golden sword and fight the Evil Embryo. While they battled, an idea formed in Mo Hua's mind.
"I've found an opportunity!"
All things in the world possess inherent contradictions.
Even the most indestructible and powerful enemies, internally, must have their contradictions.
Contradictions are the weaknesses.
By seizing these weaknesses, one can overcome and defeat powerful foes.
This Third Rank Apex Evil Embryo, was the only chance to defeat the Yellow Mountain Lord.
Mo Hua gathered his strength, disregarding his injuries, and fought the Evil Embryo. Although he knew he couldn't win, he seized every opportunity to gradually wear down the Evil Embryo.
Sure enough, after a while, the Evil Embryo's aura weakened, and a faint golden light appeared.
The Yellow Mountain Lord's consciousness showed signs of revival.
Unfortunately, this sign only lasted for an instant before disappearing.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up, confirming his idea.
The forces of good and evil, canceled each other out.
As long as the Evil Embryo was constantly worn down and pressured, its weaknesses would be exposed, and the Yellow Mountain Lord's consciousness might awaken.
This was the only hope to defeat this powerful Evil Embryo.
Mo Hua dared not relax for a moment, nor could he afford to rest.
The Yellow Mountain Lord had been polluted by this Evil Embryo for an unknown number of years. His consciousness was like a flickering candle in the wind, and it was uncertain how long it could endure.
Once it completely vanished, all hope might be lost.
Given the vast difference in their cultivation realms, Mo Hua had no idea how to completely eliminate this Evil Embryo.
Despite his injuries, Mo Hua could only grit his teeth and continue to fight and struggle against the Evil Embryo.
As they fought, Mo Hua didn't stop talking, constantly harassing the Evil Embryo's consciousness.
"Mountain Lord, wake up..."
"Mountain Lord, don't die..."
"If you die, I won't be able to defeat you..."
"Mountain Lord!"
After nagging for a while, the Yellow Mountain Lord's consciousness within the Evil Embryo seemed to show little reaction.
Mo Hua had to think of another way, saying:
"Mountain Lord, I truly am your friend..."
"You have another 'you' who escaped Solitary Mountain and hid in a broken temple on a small hill, enduring the wind and rain..."
"The roof leaks, and the walls are drafty..."
"Drinking rainwater and eating stale buns, guarding a few feet of clay and mud sculptures, fearing both wolves and cultivators..."
"I've offered you sacrifices, fed you meat, and shared wine with you..."
"You even taught me the knowledge of the divine path..."
"Mountain Lord..."
...
Mo Hua spoke as he fought.
The battle was long and arduous.
After a while, perhaps due to the harsh conditions of the solitary mountain wilderness, the Yellow Mountain Lord, revered by countless worshippers, was finally touched.
Finally, the Evil Embryo paused, its body overflowing with evil energy, and its face contorted with cruelty and ferocity.
Two forces intertwined within it.
Red and gold lights flickered and merged.
The deformed flesh and blood writhed like a serpent.
With a painful, cruel, and rational roar, the Evil Embryo's sinister face was suddenly illuminated by a golden light, revealing its authority.
The Yellow Mountain Lord's consciousness temporarily gained the upper hand.
His divine will and memories, briefly traced back, suppressing the "dead embryo" of the Demonic Deity.
With a pair of golden, narrow eyes, the Yellow Mountain Lord silently observed Mo Hua, his voice hoarse as he spoke:
"You truly... know me?"
"My... other self... is still alive?"
Mo Hua, with several broken bones and covered in blood and wounds, finally heaved a sigh of relief, nodding repeatedly, "Yes! We know each other, and my other self is alive!"
Although his existence was miserable, it was indeed alive.
The solitary mountain wilderness was peaceful, free from the noise and worries of the outside world.
The Yellow Mountain Lord gazed deeply into Mo Hua's eyes, sensing a faint trace of causality between them.
This connection of origins couldn't be wrong.
The other self, indeed, had a deep friendship and fate with this young lad.
Moreover...
The Yellow Mountain Lord's gaze deepened as he looked at Mo Hua, finding his existence quite peculiar.
He seemed human, but far too powerful to be one.
He seemed divine, but his aura wasn't pure enough, and his humanity was too strong, and he spoke too much.
He seemed demonic, yet within his causality, there was a near-demonic killing intent, heavy with sin, but also upright and honorable...
"Such an existence, no wonder, can be friends with me..."
The Yellow Mountain Lord sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of regret, and spoke to Mo Hua:
"Evil Embryo, undying and unyielding, impossible to kill..."
"With my remaining will, I use the power of the Demonic Deity to release you from this nightmare. This is the last thing I can do..."
"Consider it, repaying the causality between us..."
(End of Chapter)
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