Chapter 1065: Pixiu
Pixiu?
"What kind of divine beast is this?" Mo Hua was very curious and asked Mr. Tu.
"This is…" Mr. Tu was about to speak but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and forced himself to stop.
He looked at Mo Hua deeply, shook his head, and said nothing more.
Although he didn't know why, his intuition told him he absolutely must not tell Mo Hua too much.
In fact, he already somewhat regretted telling Mo Hua the two words "Pixiu."
Better to avoid trouble.
"Remember my words, you must behave yourself," Mr. Tu said, then his figure turned into a blood-red light and disappeared hurriedly, as if he really had urgent matters to attend to.
Inside the flesh-and-blood prison, only Mo Hua remained alone.
Mo Hua, all by himself, patiently studied the Arhat Blood Sacrifice Formation Core that Mr. Tu had left him. In his mind, he continuously pondered the structure of this core, deducing and simulating the flow of spiritual energy again and again to deepen his understanding.
But not being able to actually draw it still left Mo Hua feeling somewhat dissatisfied.
And soon, Mo Hua grew bored.
He bore the boredom and stared at the formation core for a while, confirming that no sinister divine consciousness was secretly spying on him during this time.
Mr. Tu hadn't lied; it seemed he really did have urgent matters and busied himself elsewhere.
Only then did Mo Hua breathe a sigh of relief.
He quickly sat cross-legged, touched the white bone headband on his head, and muttered in his heart:
"A Great Wilderness relic, the divine beast Pixiu, a tooth-and-bone seal… Mr. Tu really thinks highly of me…"
"He really is willing to give it up…"
After all, if this thing were in his own hands, he definitely wouldn't want to waste such a precious item on sealing a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Mo Hua shook his head.
The current problem was that this very item was indeed sealing him.
If he didn't break the seal, he could hardly do anything and could only sit and wait to die.
Breaking the seal would give him room for "free movement" and allow him to make some small moves.
Mo Hua began trying to break the seal.
This was not his first attempt; whenever he had free time, Mo Hua tried to crack the seal, but without exception, all attempts failed.
The divine Dao formation involved in this relic was too profound, far beyond what he could "break" at present.
Mo Hua guessed that the cultivator who forged this relic was likely a prodigy of the Great Wilderness clan, an extraordinary talent with a high status.
It was even very possible that this person was the "arch-nemesis" of the evil god, who single-handedly led their clan to suppress the evil and fallen deity.
Unfortunately, humans ultimately cannot overcome gods.
At least humans do not live as long as gods.
No matter how talented the cultivator, even if they could suppress an evil god for a lifetime, they could never do so permanently.
Once such a prodigy fell, the gap among successors would let the evil god return.
Sometimes, when the evil god cannot deal with someone directly, it would corrupt other "humans" to fight them.
At times, "humans" are the strongest weapons evil gods use against humanity.
Mr. Tu before him was such an example.
The Great Wilderness relic was no different.
Originally a sacred object used by humans to suppress evil gods, it had now been turned around and used by the evil god's minions to suppress themselves.
Mo Hua felt somewhat emotional.
After putting aside these distracting thoughts, he concentrated fully on breaking the Great Wilderness relic.
The seal power of this relic was extremely strong.
If Mr. Tu kept sealing him like this, Mo Hua really wouldn't have any way out.
But the problem was that Mr. Tu, right in front of Mo Hua, repeatedly "unsealed" and then "resealed" the relic several times…
This gave Mo Hua an opportunity.
The Great Wilderness relic was like a house.
Mo Hua was the "prisoner" locked inside.
Normally, this "prisoner" wanting to leave the house must break the formation and "tear down the walls."
But Mr. Tu, the master, repeatedly unlocked the "locks" in front of Mo Hua, essentially exposing the "keys" to him.
This key was a divine lock formation pattern.
Mr. Tu had made it subtle—drawn in blood strands, secretive and eerie.
Others might not understand it, but with a foundation in divine Dao formations and having studied the Calculation of Heavenly Secrets, Mo Hua immediately perceived the mystery behind it.
Mr. Tu had unlocked the seal a few times, and Mo Hua, piecing together the clues, gradually deduced the "key" formation pattern Mr. Tu used to open and close the relic's seal.
It was a divine lock formation pattern with a special sequence.
Following the pattern, Mo Hua practiced for a long time until he could draw it with about seventy to eighty percent accuracy.
But that was enough for "unlocking," at worst requiring a few more attempts.
What came next was relatively easier.
Of course, this "easier" was only relative to Mo Hua.
Relying on the Dao stele and countless day-and-night formation practice and deep understanding, his divine sense could manifest formations by itself in his sea of consciousness.
Most cultivators couldn't do this.
Other evil spirits even less so.
Even divine beings born of heaven and earth, naturally endowed with divine powers, couldn't learn formations.
Therefore, the only one likely able to replicate the "key" and manifest the pattern inside the seal to unlock it was probably Mo Hua himself—a half-human, half-divine "anomaly" who could manifest formations in his sea of consciousness.
This was truly beyond normal cultivation "common sense."
Even Mr. Tu's rich imagination probably couldn't conceive of this.
Then Mo Hua took the divine lock formation pattern as a "key," and slowly began to pry open the "door lock" of the white bone relic.
Before, he hadn't had the chance to try.
Now that Mr. Tu was gone, he could finally try to break the "seal" without restraint.
Time passed bit by bit.
Mo Hua was very patient.
After an unknown length of time, with a creaking sound, the divine lock formation dissolved, and the relic's seal was finally "pried" open by Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's expression lit up with joy.
Success!
He could replicate the key and unlock from inside, meaning the Great Wilderness relic no longer threatened him.
His divine sense could freely bypass Mr. Tu's "seal" and be used as he wished.
He had planned carefully before and many of his schemes could now begin to be carried out.
Mo Hua smiled at the corner of his mouth and took a step forward, crossing the divine lock formation and breaking through the Great Wilderness relic's seal.
But then Mo Hua's expression changed, and the smile on his face slowly faded.
"This isn't right…"
Though he had broken the seal, he still didn't feel that sense of "freedom." In front of him was still a long divine lock corridor, extending endlessly.
Mo Hua frowned.
"What's going on?"
"I already broke the Great Wilderness relic, so why can't I get out?"
"Is there another layer of seal inside this relic?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and continued walking forward along the divine lock corridor.
The farther he went, the heavier the pressure became; even the flesh and bones of his divine sense incarnation felt faintly suppressed.
Mo Hua's expression grew solemn. He used his divine marrow to protect himself, resisting the pressure and persevering onward.
All around were "walls" constructed of extremely intricate divine lock formation patterns, like a divine Dao "Great Wall" stretching into the distance.
After an unknown distance, the divine lock formation disappeared, and before him suddenly opened a grand and solemn divine temple.
This temple was like a gate on the divine Dao Great Wall, suppressing all entrances and exits—truly a fortress of "one temple guards the pass, no evil may enter."
Mo Hua looked on with some reverence.
After much hesitation, he slowly stepped into the temple.
The moment his foot stepped inside, a strong wind blasted him, divine light dazzled his eyes, and boundless majesty engulfed him.
Mo Hua looked up and saw a huge golden lantern hanging in the sky.
He blinked and noticed the lantern flickered several times, shining with golden jade light from deep within, as if it were "blinking."
Mo Hua immediately realized this was not a lantern, but a "big eye."
Mo Hua immediately understood — this wasn't a lantern, but a "big eye."
At that moment, a roaring sound echoed, and a huge golden head turned around. Two lantern-like big eyes looked down, glaring at the tiny Mo Hua.
Man and beast, just like that, locked eyes.
Before Mo Hua could react, the big head opened its blood-red mouth wide and, with lightning speed, let out a "Wah!" and bit down, swallowing Mo Hua whole.
Then it chewed a few times, found it hard to chew and a bit "uncomfortable," so it gave up chewing and simply swallowed him down.
After swallowing, the "big head" closed its huge mouth, then squinted its eyes and lay flat on the ground.
The shrine inside instantly became quiet again.
But before the "big head" could remain quiet for long, it felt a foreign object in its throat. The object crawled up its neck bit by bit, soon reaching its mouth, where it began to pull at its tongue and pry its teeth.
The "big head" felt uncomfortable and tightly bit its mouth shut.
But the little thing inside its mouth made a bigger ruckus, accompanied by burning fire, ice water, golden slashes — all kinds of burning and stabbing pain — unbearable to tolerate.
Soon, the pain spread to the roots of its teeth.
One of its teeth was missing, exactly where the little thing had burrowed in, slashing at its gums like a sword.
Toothache like that could kill.
The "big head" couldn't hold on any longer, gritted its teeth, twisted its face, and sneezed, spitting out the thing it had just swallowed.
The sneeze was so powerful that Mo Hua bounced on the ground like a small rubber ball several times before stopping.
Fortunately, his spirit "body" was incredibly tough, neither chewable nor vulnerable to falling injuries.
Otherwise, he would either have been chewed to bits by the big head or shattered into pieces by that sneeze.
Mo Hua stood up, fully urging his divine marrow, shining with golden light, and then carefully observed the "big head" before him.
It was a golden jade-colored divine beast.
Two dragon horns on its head, eyes like golden bells, body like a fierce lion. Its fur was jade-white mixed with golden patterns, four legs with three toes each, feet covered with golden scales, toes equipped with golden claws.
Its aura was both fierce and sacredly solemn.
In an instant, Mo Hua realized its name:
Pixiu.
A "divine beast" used in the Great Wilderness sacred artifacts to seal gods and ward off evil.
According to Mr. Tu, this Great Wilderness sacred artifact was forged using a tooth of the divine beast Pixiu as a medium, refined by elder masters of the Great Wilderness clan, aided by divine arrays and secret Great Wilderness techniques.
But what Mo Hua didn't expect was that inside this sacred artifact, there really was a living divine beast — the Pixiu.
"No, no… not living…"
It should be a… divine soul of the Pixiu divine beast.
Mo Hua's gaze sharpened.
No wonder this white bone circlet could be called a "Great Wilderness sacred artifact" and could restrain evil gods…
Within it was sealed a complete, ancient, and powerful divine beast soul.
Not only in the Great Wilderness, but even in the Central Dao Court, this would be considered a rare divine treasure of the Dao.
Did Mr. Tu really use something like this to "seal" himself?
Is his mind okay?
"Or… maybe Mr. Tu himself didn't even know about this Pixiu divine soul…"
Mo Hua frowned.
But calling it a "complete" divine soul didn't seem quite right; this Pixiu seemed to be missing a tooth.
This was what Mo Hua discovered when he was swallowed by the Pixiu's mouth earlier.
Pixiu had four large fangs, plus rows of smaller teeth on the upper and lower jaws.
The missing one was the last tooth on the upper jaw.
Mo Hua couldn't help but look up, studying the Pixiu's big head, wanting to see if it was really missing a tooth.
And this behavior angered the Pixiu.
Whether it was because it hadn't "eaten" Mo Hua, thus its face was damaged…
Or because "missing a tooth" was a pain in its heart, and Mo Hua staring at the missing tooth greatly annoyed the Pixiu.
The Pixiu roared, its divine might surging, and its big head immediately lunged to bite Mo Hua again.
Mo Hua felt a majestic pressure bearing down on him, making him unwilling to resist. He knew this was the "divine beast's" oppressive aura. He immediately activated his divine marrow, transforming into a divine being of Dao, dissipating the pressure. Then with a flash of watery light, he became several afterimages and disappeared.
The Pixiu bit at empty air, lifted its copper-bell-like big eyes, saw the watery light spreading, and Mo Hua appearing several yards away. It immediately growled low, shook its big head, opened its blood-red mouth wide, and charged at Mo Hua again.
Mo Hua did not want to sit and wait for death.
His gaze sharpened, palms forming a hollow support, manifesting the Lishan Cremation Array. The mountains rose, and the subterranean fire surged, directly trapping the Pixiu.
The Pixiu was startled; it seemed incredible that such a tiny creature could manifest an array.
The Lishan Cremation Array appeared.
The mountain stone cage bound the Pixiu, and fierce flames burned its fur.
But the mountain stone cage was broken free by the Pixiu instantly; the blazing fire was like a bath to it, causing no harm at all.
The Pixiu shook its body, eyes full of disdain, seemingly mocking Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's face grew cold; his gaze sharpened. Palms clenched, a sword array appeared, instantly forming a divine sword of spirit, cutting down with force.
The sword qi split the mountain, the Five Elements' power flowed, striking the Pixiu fiercely.
But the sword still couldn't harm the Pixiu, not even a single fur broke.
Mo Hua's expression changed.
Is this really a divine beast?
What grade is it? How is it so strong?
At this strength, even if he used his ultimate form, the Void Spirit Slash Divine Sword, it would probably only scratch its "skin."
The Pixiu seemed to sense Mo Hua's thoughts, as well as the faint threat on his sword's edge.
This tiny creature before it dared to harm it.
And it might actually be able to?
The Pixiu immediately flew into a rage, howled to the sky. Golden light radiated from its pupils, extremely majestic. Its entire fur shone, with ancient patterns emerging, like the law of the Dao weaving golden armor over the Pixiu's body.
The dragon horns glittered with supreme majesty.
Its lantern-like eyes blazed brightly like the scorching sun, able to burn away evil and intimidate all wicked spirits in the world.
A divine beast's power instantly spread, enveloping the whole scene.
Mo Hua was suppressed by the divine beast's power, unable to move.
Under the gaze of those two sun-like glorious eyes, Mo Hua felt a sacred primordial force penetrating his soul, roasting and burning his spirit as if under the blazing sun.
This power disregarded realms and ranks, without respect to status, noble or lowly, only judging good and evil, only discerning righteousness and wickedness.
"This is… the power of the divine beast's law?"
Mo Hua's expression trembled, feeling the Pixiu's "judgment" power growing stronger and stronger. The scorching force flowed through his entire body, illuminating his soul, making him feel…
Hot, warm…
At first a little hot and uncomfortable, but after a while, it became warm and even pleasant.
The Pixiu's law power was like a "sunbath."
Mo Hua involuntarily squinted.
He was not a demon cultivator, not an evil spirit.
Though his hands were stained with blood, the people he killed were all deeply sinful.
His Dao heart was pure, like that of a newborn.
He comprehended the heavenly Dao, blessing all living beings.
On his journey, slaying corpses and eliminating demons, deploying arrays, saving many lives.
Although Mo Hua didn't dwell much on these deeds, they counted as heavenly Dao merits shaping his karma.
Therefore, though the Pixiu's "demon-suppressing" power was strong — a kind of innate law power — it fundamentally couldn't harm Mo Hua.
Therefore, although the Pixiu's "demon-quelling" power is strong—being a kind of innate force of law—it fundamentally cannot do anything to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's divine consciousness power certainly couldn't harm a single hair of the Pixiu.
This Pixiu's demon-quelling power could only give Mo Hua a "sunbath."
At first, the Pixiu was shocked, then it felt bored and uninterested.
It couldn't catch him, couldn't swallow him, couldn't digest him. After exerting so much effort and using its innate power, it still couldn't do anything.
It wasn't a demon, nor an evil spirit, not even a bit "wicked."
The Pixiu lazily lay back down, naturally no longer bothering with Mo Hua.
The divine beast's majesty dissipated, the law force faded, the demon-quelling power retreated, and the warm sensation disappeared. Mo Hua felt a bit regretful, even somewhat unsatisfied.
But it was a good thing this big-headed Pixiu no longer opposed him.
Mo Hua didn't want to actually kill this Pixiu.
Of course, even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to kill it.
This Pixiu's rank couldn't even be determined, its strength terrifyingly powerful, and it controlled the law force of demon-quelling.
Even if Mo Hua cultivated for dozens or hundreds more years, he might still not be able to overcome it.
The urgent matter was not to get entangled with this Pixiu, but to find an exit and leave this place of sealing as soon as possible.
Mo Hua began searching along the shrine for an exit.
Without the Pixiu's interference, Mo Hua quickly found the shrine's exit, the exit sealed by the sacred relic.
But his expression darkened.
Because the exit was blocked.
The Pixiu's big backside was tightly blocking the exit.
Mo Hua could only run in front of the Pixiu and politely ask:
"Hello, could you please move aside?"
But the Pixiu completely ignored him, lazily drooping its big head, occasionally licking its fangs, looking very bored.
Mo Hua had no choice but to sneak behind the Pixiu's rear and quietly manifest his mountain-cleaving sword to poke it in the butt.
The Pixiu got angry and growled lowly at Mo Hua.
The poke didn't hurt, so it didn't mind much, but its body did not move an inch.
Mo Hua sighed, feeling helpless.
If it came to a fight, he really couldn't beat this divine beast.
Trying to find an opportunity to sneak out was also unlikely.
Moreover...
Mo Hua frowned and pondered for a moment, even using heavenly secrets to deduce a bit, and then realized this might be the Pixiu's habit?
Pixiu loves wealth, it only allows entry, no exit.
If it's guarding against evil spirits, no evil spirit can escape from its mouth.
Even if he wasn't an evil spirit, it wouldn't let him leave.
Because this was the Pixiu's "nature," the law it upheld.
That is to say, from the moment he stepped into the shrine, this Pixiu would never let him out.
Mo Hua sighed, feeling deeply moved.
He had underestimated this "Great Wilderness Sacred Relic" before.
With such a powerful Pixiu guarding it, and an unreasonable law force suppressing things.
No wonder it's called a "sacred" relic.
If force doesn't work, then only softness remains.
Mo Hua thought for a while, then suddenly his eyes flashed. He ran to the Pixiu's fierce big head and asked it:
"Aren't you hungry?"
"If you let me out, I'll find you some delicious food."
The Pixiu ignored Mo Hua.
Mo Hua thought again and said, "You stay here all day, don't you feel bored? There's no evil spirit for you to suppress..."
The Pixiu looked at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua quickly shook his head, "I'm not an evil spirit, suppressing me is meaningless."
The Pixiu furrowed its brow, seemingly thinking Mo Hua had a point.
Mo Hua took the chance to persuade, "If you let me out, I promise that next time I come by, I'll definitely bring a powerful evil spirit for you to suppress."
The Pixiu looked at Mo Hua again, as if asking, "Really?"
Mo Hua nodded, "Really."
The Pixiu stared blankly at Mo Hua, its big head seeming to think about something.
But after all, it was a divine beast, slow in thought, not comparable to Mo Hua, half-human half-divine and as cunning as a ghost.
Seeing its change in expression, Mo Hua raised two fingers, "Two! I promise I'll bring two big evil spirits for you then."
The Pixiu's eyes immediately brightened.
Suppressing evil spirits was its nature, but the Great Wilderness sacred relic had been sealed for years; it hadn't fulfilled its "duty" for a very long time.
The Pixiu's big head started turning again.
In principle, its nature was indeed "stingy," no one who entered its territory was allowed to leave.
But letting one small fry go in exchange for two big evil spirits?
One for two, that was definitely a "profit."
The premise was that this little guy would really keep his promise.
The Pixiu widened its eyes and looked at Mo Hua, seeing the clarity in his gaze.
The fact that its demon-quelling power couldn't hurt Mo Hua also proved Mo Hua's "upright and just" character.
The Pixiu then sniffed Mo Hua's aura. This sniff made its eyes shine; it actually smelled the aura of a kindred spirit.
The aura of a dragon soul...
And also the aura of a "big white dog."
The Pixiu's copper-bell-like big eyes flickered with friendliness; its attitude immediately became much more intimate.
Mo Hua's eyes also brightened, knowing it now trusted him.
Before he could say anything, the Pixiu suddenly bent down, lowered its big head, then stretched out a paw covered in golden scales to tap its own forehead, and glanced at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua was stunned for a moment before understanding the Pixiu's meaning.
He stepped forward and touched the Pixiu's big head with his own forehead.
One human and one divine beast, foreheads touching, a golden light instantly blossomed.
A "contract" maxim flowed from between the Pixiu's brows into Mo Hua's mind sea.
This contract also transformed into golden light, etched on Mo Hua's forehead.
The golden light was dazzling, the oath forged.
Slowly, a horn grew on Mo Hua's forehead.
This horn was a pure gold dragon horn condensed from the law force, and also the demon-quelling horn of the divine beast "Pixiu."
(End of this Chapter)