Chapter 1068: The Lament of the Earth Dao
But... can this method really work?
Mo Hua frowned, calculating the resulting "effect" step by step in his mind, based on the predetermined "cause"…
Once the Arhatian Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation is fully formed, all the second- and third-grade state boundaries around will connect, forging a flesh-and-blood city wall that completely seals off the fifth-grade Qianxue State boundary.
This is a bloody and airtight "blockade."
The Blood Sacrifice Formation is sinister.
Within the formation, numerous demonic sects' fiends gather.
Various undead, iron corpses, bronze corpses, blood slaves, sword slaves, and lust slaves bred by the demonic paths surge like a tide.
And within the blood-rich earth veins, there is an endless army of demons.
With the formation's power blessing them, this is an extremely powerful demonic force.
Cultivators outside almost cannot breach the Arhatian Blood Sacrifice Formation to enter the Qianxue State boundary.
Cultivators inside Qianxue State cannot get out either.
Cultivators below Golden Core realm, once entering the Blood Sacrifice Formation, will be surrounded by fiends, demon cultivators, various demonic slaves, and demon armies, and will surely die.
Second- and third-grade state boundaries have Heaven Dao restrictions.
Even if they ascend, without fully unleashing their cultivation, unable to fly freely, if trapped by the endless demons, they could still perish.
Those with Void Profound cultivation strong enough to comprehend the laws might break through.
But the premise is that the Great Wilderness Evil God has not awakened.
If the Great Wilderness Evil God wakes and its evil power spreads, this Blood Sacrifice Formation will completely become a "forbidden zone."
Even those at Void Profound might not dare to pass through it.
If contaminated, parasitized, becoming puppets or playthings of the Evil God, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Void Profound cultivators are restricted by the Evil God.
Ascenders risk death from even slight carelessness.
Below Golden Core, death is certain.
The vast Qianxue State boundary would become a stagnant pool of death, slowly devoured by the Evil God's forces.
And it doesn't end there…
Mo Hua's pupils slightly tightened.
The Qianxue Sword Discussion Conference is a grand event in the Nine States.
Currently, inside Qianxue State boundary, cultivators from all over the Nine States gather.
The numbers are several times more than before, all elite cultivators from various state boundaries.
Once Qianxue State falls, these people will either become demon cultivators, pawns of the Evil God, or undead blood slaves.
Or be killed outright, their blood, skin, bones, and flesh turned into materials for demonic forging and formation drawing.
The demonic forces' strength would instantly surge.
What's more terrifying is that Mo Hua did not forget: near the fifth-grade Qianxue State, there is an entire Qianlong Mountain Spirit Ore.
This is a great fifth-grade spiritual mountain, producing countless spirit stones to support the cultivation and operation of Qianxue's major sects.
Once Qianxue falls, this Qianlong Mountain Spirit Ore naturally becomes the Evil God's possession.
Spirit stones are the most vital resource for cultivation.
To accomplish great things, vast amounts of spirit stones are necessary.
Even considering just the formation's supply perspective:
Once Qianlong Mountain Spirit Ore is contaminated, countless spirit stones will convert into endless evil power, continuously supplying the Blood Sacrifice Formation's core.
The Arhatian Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation will also receive infinite supply, operating endlessly and uninterrupted.
With spirit stones, resources, people, and territory,
The Evil God awakens, blood sacrifice spreads, the formation never stops.
The entire fifth-grade Qianxue State boundary will become a self-sustaining, deeply rooted, and extremely difficult to eradicate demonic "stronghold."
From there, based in Qianxue State, it will spread outward,
Allowing the Evil God's power to pollute and spread further; the entire Qian State will likely fall step by step…
Mo Hua grew more horrified the more he thought.
This Mr. Tu's plan, laid over a thousand years, is truly terrifying.
His formation setup is indeed grand to the utmost.
Although the process may not be smooth, with many variables and great difficulties,
According to his scheme, it is truly possible that with a quasi-third-grade Blood Sacrifice Formation, he could refine the fifth-grade Qianxue State boundary,
Turning the entire Qianxue prosperous land into an Asura purgatory, becoming the Evil God's altar, bringing devastation and countless deaths to all living beings…
"Can the elders of Qianxue State see through this?"
Mo Hua frowned, imagining himself as the "elders" of various great families and sects. He felt they probably couldn't.
This matter is shrouded in heavy fog, with obscure details; even Void Profound cultivators would struggle to see this far.
At least before the event happens, they are unlikely to understand.
Moreover, Qianxue has been peaceful for too long.
The demonic paths have been silent for too long.
The Evil God has long been forgotten.
The flourishing Qianxue State boundary, with its bells and drums, and grand feasts,
All the families and sects' minds focus entirely on the Sword Discussion Conference, competing for fame and profit.
With the situation so, they cannot avoid competing; they must compete.
But once trapped in the fame and profit struggle, blinded by immediate interests, naturally they cannot see the more dangerous cause and effect.
This exactly fits that saying:
When it flourishes, it bursts forth; when it falls, it suddenly perishes.
Flourishing destroyed in a moment; life and death arriving in an instant.
Mo Hua frowned, continuing to carve the formation core of the Blood Sacrifice Formation using the Great Wilderness Bone Engraving Technique, following Mr. Tu's "instructions," while distractedly pondering this matter.
But no matter how long he thought, he found no clue.
After drawing the formation for a while, his divine sense exhausted, Mo Hua lay on the huge skeleton, resting and deep in thought.
The current situation is actually more severe than he had anticipated.
The severity lies not just in the current "cause," but the more terrifying "effect" to come.
He did not want to see the devastation of living beings in Qianxue State.
He is a disciple of the Tai Xu Sect in Qianxue State and has cultivated and lived on this land for nine full years.
He knows many people and has received much kindness and care.
"Devastation of living beings" is not an empty phrase.
If Mr. Tu's scheme succeeds, many people he knows might die.
Lonely Mountain City, Smokewater River, and scattered cultivators everywhere will die.
In the Dao Court, Uncle Gu, Sister Xia, and the many officers like Gu An, Gu Quan, and others who are friendly to him will die.
The major sects in Qianxue will also face a bloodbath, with countless disciples dying.
Tai Xu Sect might cease to exist.
Sect leaders, elders, disciples, and his junior brothers will likely die.
The Evil God disaster, the blood transformation of heaven and earth.
Mo Hua doesn't want the people he knows to die, nor so many innocent cultivators.
But what can he do?
Mo Hua's brow tightened.
Given the current situation, even if the Void Profound elders of the Qianxue sects didn't notice before, now they should have somewhat sensed it.
Only they observe from outside the formation, unlike himself, who is inside the enemy camp, drawing formations for Mr. Tu, seeing things clearly.
They will definitely take many measures to counterbalance Mr. Tu.
These measures may not succeed but will surely bring Mr. Tu considerable pressure.
But these alone are definitely not enough.
Is there anything I can do…
Mo Hua frowned, instinctively tracing a formation pattern in the air with his finger.
This is a twenty-pattern formation.
A second-grade Reverse Spirit Severance Formation!
Second Rank Reverse Spirit Absolute Formation!
This absolute formation, after day and night, persistent and continuous effort, had actually already been learned by Mo Hua during the Asura War.
He just kept it unused all this time.
Now his initial idea was very simple: blow up the Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation and kill all the demon cultivators.
The Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation cannot be left standing.
Neither can the demon cultivators.
Not only because it would cause widespread devastation of living beings, but also because parts of the formation patterns and formation core of the Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation were drawn by himself.
At the Ten Thousand Demons Gathering, many demon lords had seen his face and knew he participated in the demon meeting.
All of these are "incriminating evidence."
Moreover, once the Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation is truly completed and fully activated, and the evil god really resurrects, causing devastation among all living beings,
then countless killings caused would inevitably be tied to his karma.
Whether intentional or forced, he would be one of the "chief culprits" responsible for the bloodshed and devastation of living beings.
This is also one reason why Master Tu was willing to teach him formation techniques and allowed him to deeply participate in the construction of the Blood Sacrifice Formation.
Mo Hua understands karma and causality well and cannot fail to see this clearly.
He cannot bear these killings.
Therefore, the Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation must never be left intact.
And those demon lords — since they have met him personally — even if they are unlucky, none of them can be left alive.
As for the specific approach, Master Shi Bo had already "taught" him during the Ten Thousand Demons Gathering back then; he just needs to imitate it.
The only problem is that, whether in cultivation, skill, or formation technique, he is far inferior to Master Shi Bo.
What Master Shi Bo did, Mo Hua simply lacks the ability to do.
Especially the formation techniques.
Mo Hua does know the Reverse Spirit Formation, which is equivalent to having "explosives" in his hands.
But this is a quasi-third rank Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation. Where to place the explosives, how to detonate them, and how to escape afterward — these involve formation patterns of very high rank, massive scale, complex formation core transformations, and intricate spiritual energy flow, which exceed his current formation capabilities.
More than that, the biggest problem lies with Master Tu.
How to hide this from Master Tu?
Master Tu is an ascended cultivator, a fourth rank evil formation master, the most loyal servant of the Great Wilderness Evil God, and the chief formation master controlling the Archaic Heaven Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation.
Mo Hua does not believe his tampering can escape Master Tu's eyes.
In fact, he dares to guarantee that even the slightest change in the formation patterns will be detected by Master Tu.
Under Master Tu's watchful eyes, it is impossible for him to make any move.
And it seems impossible to hide anything from Master Tu.
Mo Hua's gaze turned grave as he sank into thought.
No matter how hard he racked his brain, he could not come up with a good solution for now.
Under Master Tu's pressure, the progress of the Archaic Heaven Blood Sacrifice cannot be stopped; it must proceed bit by bit according to plan.
The most Mo Hua can do is to slightly delay the progress, but that is a temporary fix, not a fundamental solution.
The inevitable day will come sooner or later.
Mo Hua rose and looked down from atop the ancient beast bones.
His gaze passed over the massive and magnificent skeleton of the giant beast, then looked at the enormous blood sacrifice heart, then further down at the river of fresh blood soaking it.
Then even further down, at the earth veins polluted by evil energy beneath the blood river.
A faint resonance arose in Mo Hua's heart.
This was the resonance from the earth Dao essence.
It was a connection he formed with the earth when he comprehended the Thick Earth Absolute Formation and suddenly understood the Dao.
At this moment, this resonance stirred the strings of Mo Hua's heart.
Within the resonance, there was no longer warmth or tolerance, but rather an anger stained with blood, unwillingness, and the despairing wails and cries of all living beings.
Blood was flowing.
The earth veins were lamenting.
Mo Hua looked at the bloodstained earth veins as if gazing into the Dao essence deep within the earth, his expression filled with sympathy and sorrow.
...
Qianxue State Realm.
The white-haired Master Situ sat cross-legged inside the Big Dipper Seven Star Formation.
Surrounded by starlight, he was manipulating the formation, using the power of the stars to seek Master Tu's qi, intending to kill Master Tu and end future troubles.
Suddenly, the heavenly mechanism shifted, and a thread of karmic cause floated by.
Master Situ's heart trembled. He immediately plucked a thread of starlight and touched it to his forehead.
Using the Seven Star Bright God, he calculated with finger movements, and his expression changed drastically.
"Master Situ, what happened?" asked the Void Elder overseeing the formation, frowning.
Master Situ's face turned pale, looking somewhat incredulous, and finally resignedly said slowly:
"The heavenly mechanism predicts that after fourteen days, the Archaic Heaven Blood Sacrifice Formation will be completed."
"The Lord of the Great Wilderness will reappear in the world..."
"The great calamity of Qianxue State Realm is coming..."
As these words left his mouth, the entire hall's expressions changed.
Then like a stone stirring a thousand waves, a huge uproar arose among the upper echelons of Qianxue.
In the gaps of the void, almost all the Void Elders appeared at the Sword Viewing Tower.
"The situation wasn't temporarily stabilized? The Blood Sacrifice Formation is progressing, but not very fast..."
"Master Tu is also being restricted."
"Even if completed, it shouldn't be as soon as just fourteen days."
"And yet, the timing is so precise?"
"Could there be a mistake?"
The Void Elders debated anxiously.
Master Situ still found it hard to believe, but sighed:
"This is a heavenly mechanism revelation empowered by the Profound Heaven Big Dipper Seven Star Formation; whatever it shows is the truth..."
Without interference by a stronger force, this is the fact.
The heavenly mechanism predicts the Blood Sacrifice's completion, and no matter what happens,
the Archaic Heaven Blood Sacrifice Formation will be completed.
The heavenly mechanism predicts the Great Wilderness Lord's reappearance, which means no matter how incredible,
this will become an established fact.
Everything they do will be in vain.
They cannot stop any of it from happening.
As for why the heavenly mechanism has such a prediction, it must be because certain people or events have already occurred, or will soon undergo profound changes.
The powerful karmic cause generated thereby is driving this event forward.
The powerful cause and effect generated from this is driving the progress of this matter.
As for what exactly this "cause and effect" is, even Master Situ cannot see through it through the Blood Sacrifice Formation, nor can he explain it.
These fourteen days might well be a death date.
But at the same time, it could also be a "revelation" from Heaven, giving them this period to prepare for the upcoming great calamity and dreadful battle.
Heaven has a virtue of valuing life; perhaps it does not wish to see the Qianxue Prefecture truly fall into ruin, with blood flowing like rivers...
But now that they have this "revelation," what can they do?
All the elder masters present fell into deep thought.
After a moment, Elder Xun looked at Master Situ and asked solemnly, "Brother Situ, is there any countermeasure in the secrets of the Xuangi Valley?"
Master Situ sighed.
It has really come to this...
The fatal calamity foretold by fate is ultimately unavoidable.
His expression grave, Master Situ spoke slowly and clearly:
"At present, there is only one solution…"
"Find some cultivators with powerful divine senses, send their primordial spirits out of their bodies, infiltrate the newborn nightmare of the evil god, and forcibly erase the evil god's true embryo at its birth!"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the elders present felt their chests tighten.
Even though they are not experts in divine sense techniques, they understood perfectly.
Facing the evil god is a fight with a one-in-nine chance of survival.
It is even possible that after this battle, they won't be able to tell if they are alive or dead.
Moreover, it is not a matter of how much they value their lives.
The question now is: how can they enter the evil god's newborn nightmare at the moment of its birth?
One elder asked Master Situ.
After a moment of silence, Master Situ said: "Mother and child are linked in heart — using consciousness to enter the dream."
"Mother and child linked in heart?"
"Yes," Master Situ explained, "That child from the Shangguan family wasn't abducted without reason. There is a great cause and effect tied to the child; he is surely the one chosen by the evil god to serve as the 'divine embryo' for its birth."
"The evil god's birth nightmare is the nightmare of that Shangguan child."
"And mother and child are linked in heart."
"By activating Xuangi Valley's supreme treasure — the Great Dream Heavenly Guide — using bloodline as the bridge, and the sea of consciousness as the beam, one can enter the evil embryo's nightmare through the biological mother's dreams."
"But…" Master Situ sighed, "This method is recorded in the ancient scriptures of the divine path, but whether it will actually work remains unknown."
One elder frowned: "It can't be that simple. Entering a dream is not so easy. Using bloodline as a bridge, the sea of consciousness as a beam, to enter the dream through consciousness must have a cost..."
Master Situ nodded, sighing:
"This method places a huge burden on the sea of consciousness — at best, it damages the sea of consciousness; at worst, it causes the destruction of the soul."
"Even if it succeeds, the sea of consciousness will have gaps and become extremely fragile."
"Cultivators practice cultivation by uniting blood, spirit, and divine sense. Each follows a different path with different emphases, but all three are indispensable."
"Especially divine sense: once damaged, it essentially violates the rule of 'an intact Dao body.'"
"If the mother enters the dream this way, that girl Wenren… might never be able to advance her cultivation again in this life."
Of course, there is also a more cruel possibility.
If they fail to erase the evil god before its birth, they will have no choice but to kill the child Shangguan Yu along with it.
Both mother and child would die.
Master Situ's conscience is tormented, but he has no choice.
This is fate, this is destiny — despair and helplessness.
Master Situ's expression darkened.
An elder sighed: "This matter can't be decided unilaterally; the Shangguan and Wenren families must be informed."
Both the Shangguan and Wenren families are fifth-rank noble families.
Yu'er is the legitimate child of the Shangguan family.
Wenren Wan is both the young mistress of the Shangguan family and the legitimate daughter of the Wenren family head.
This matter is not one to decide lightly.
Soon, a flying sword message was sent to the elders of both families.
The Shangguan and Wenren families are fifth-rank nobles, but their ties to the sect are not very tight. So during the Sword Conference, the elders of both families stayed secluded in the Forbidden Land, not attending the viewing at Sword Observation Tower.
Receiving the message, both elders frowned.
They could not make a decision and could only sigh and forward the letter to their respective family heads for them to decide.
The family heads, Shangguan Ce and Wenren Jingxuan, personally discussed the matter with Wenren Wan and her husband.
In a secret chamber of the Shangguan family.
The atmosphere was tense.
Wenren Wan's gentle and beautiful face was pale as she said only one thing: "I want to save Yu'er."
Shangguan Ce said nothing.
Shangguan Yi's brows and eyes were full of pain. On one side was his beloved wife; on the other was their son, whose fate was uncertain. No matter the choice, his heart was pierced with pain like a knife.
Wenren Jingxuan's face was ashen.
He did care for Yu'er — after all, Yu'er was his grandson.
But Yu'er's life was uncertain, and it was unclear whether they could save him.
He did not want his daughter, whom he had loved and cherished since childhood, to bear such a tremendous risk.
Even if by some miracle they saved Yu'er,
His only daughter's cultivation would stagnate forever due to damage to her sea of consciousness.
She might never hope to reach the Dao.
She might even die and cease to exist.
As the family head, Wenren Jingxuan was used to weighing pros and cons and naturally knew what the best choice was.
He could only suppress his unease and advise Wenren Wan:
"The most important thing for a cultivator is life and cultivation. As for children... you can have more in the future..."
Wenren Wan turned her head, staring at her father blankly, tears flowing from her beautiful eyes:
"There can be more children, but my Yu'er... is the only one."
(End of this Chapter)