"Four Ascended Ones… what should I do?"
Mo Hua's mind raced.
If it were only Mr. Tu, he could still use the long time to understand him, leverage Mr. Tu's loyalty to the "Great Wilderness Lord," and exploit Mr. Tu's confusion about the situation, plus a bit of Dao heart planting of demons, to "fool" him a little.
But now three more Ascended Ones had arrived.
One was a traitor from the Shangguan family, a former elder with real power; one was a corpse demon from the Yin Corpse Valley raising a golden corpse; and one was an Ascended Old Demon from the Demon Sword Sect. The situation instantly became much more complicated and dangerous…
Mo Hua's gaze tightened slightly. Using his divine sense to control his facial expression, he put on a calm look, while inside he wracked his brain, trying to think of a "deceptive" explanation.
Meanwhile, on the other side, as Shangguan Wang and the others entered the great hall, their pupils suddenly contracted, their faces as cold as water.
Inside the great hall, fresh blood was splattered like ink.
The Golden Core demons of various sects were almost all dead or injured. Looking around, it was clear they had slaughtered each other, tearing at each other's flesh to death in a pitiful manner.
It was obvious they had been killed mercilessly by the "Great Demon Lords."
The Ascended one from Yin Corpse Valley immediately showed a cold expression, suppressing his anger. His eyes revealed a deathly murderous intent as he glared at Mr. Tu:
"Mr. Tu… only gone for a few hours, why are all the Golden Core disciples of Yin Corpse Valley brutally dead?"
"Are you… going to give me an explanation?"
His anger and murderous intent stirred the golden coffin beside him. From within the coffin came strong corpse aura and the harsh sound of the golden corpse scratching at the coffin.
The Ascended Old Demon from the Demon Sword Sect also activated his demon sword, locking his killing intent on Mr. Tu, sneering:
"My Demon Sword Sect invests heavily in sword slave disciples, especially Golden Core ones. Now not one remains. Mr. Tu, are you also going to give me an explanation?"
Shangguan Wang's expression was indifferent, watching coldly.
As a traitor, he had no sect or disciples, so this was none of his business and he didn't want to get involved.
Mr. Tu's face was also ugly.
Clearly he had been schemed against, his ritual interrupted, soul lamp extinguished, and his physical body nearly devoured. Yet somehow these rotten debts were still counted against him.
"The deaths of these demon cultivators have nothing to do with me," Mr. Tu said coldly.
The Ascended one from Yin Corpse Valley sneered, clearly unwilling to believe Mr. Tu's one-sided words.
The golden corpse inside the coffin began to roar excitedly, about to emerge.
The Ascended Old Demon from Demon Sword Sect opened his sword box, and black eyeballs grew on the demon sword.
They were about to kill Mr. Tu.
Mr. Tu frowned tightly.
Normally, he would not fear these two old demon lords, but now his divine sense had been counterattacked, his body gnawed at, and his vital energy severely injured—he might not be a match for these two Ascended Old Demons.
Moreover, the most troublesome figure right now was not these two demonic Ascended Ones, but…
Mr. Tu's tone softened slightly, and he patiently explained:
"There was a flaw in the ritual, and I was also ambushed. The deaths of these fellow demon cultivators were not caused by me. The real culprit is someone else…"
"Who?"
Mr. Tu looked up towards the high altar. On the skeletal throne, Mo Hua was gripping Yu'er's neck.
Shangguan Wang, the Yin Corpse Valley corpse demon, and the Demon Sword Sect Old Demon — the three Ascended Ones — all cast gloomy eyes towards Mo Hua, their pupils slightly contracting, each with different expressions.
Shangguan Wang's gaze was venomous, and in his eyes looking at Yu'er appeared a trace of lust.
The Yin Corpse Valley and Demon Sword Sect Ascended Old Demons frowned, filled with suspicion.
The matter of the Evil God was mysterious and unfathomable. Although they were Ascended, they did not fully understand the specifics involved here.
The scene before them was even more puzzling.
They had seen this kid called "Mo Hua" before.
They knew his identity: the array master leader of the Tai Xu Sect, a low spiritual root but strangely strong and unorthodox "genius" in formations.
But here was the problem.
Wasn't this kid already subdued by Mr. Tu?
Why was he here?
Mr. Tu, a grand Ascended demon and the Great Witch-priest of the Evil God, could not even subdue a Foundation Establishment level brat?
Moreover, how did he manage to climb the altar?
Wasn't this altar the Evil God's forbidden ground? Mortal bodies touching it would lose their souls or explode and die. They had all witnessed this.
The most absurd part was—how could he still be choking the Shangguan family kid's neck?
They did not understand the full core ritual of the荒天血祭 (Arhatian Blood Sacrifice), but they were not completely ignorant.
The Shangguan family kid was the "divine fetus" of the Great Wilderness Lord's incarnation.
Hours ago, they sensed a powerful and evil divine aura wave that even made them, Ascended Ones, feel evil faith.
Obviously, through careful arrangement and bloody slaughter, the Great Wilderness Divine Lord had already descended into the world.
That Shangguan family kid was the flesh body incarnation of the Great Wilderness Divine Lord—in other words, the current "Divine Lord" in person.
But now, the Divine Lord himself was being choked by a Foundation Establishment kid.
What… did this mean?
The Great Wilderness Divine Lord was being held hostage?
Someone was using the Divine Lord to threaten Mr. Tu?
This thought surfaced, and both the Yin Corpse Valley and Demon Sword Sect Ascended Old Demons found it unbelievable.
The situation suddenly grew tense and delicate.
The Yin Corpse Valley Old Demon's gaze darkened as he asked Mo Hua, "I, Yin Corpse Valley, and all these Golden Core demon cultivators here, were we all killed by you?"
Mo Hua smiled faintly, "You should ask Mr. Tu about that…"
He neither admitted nor denied.
If he said "yes," all the hatred and vigilance of these Ascended demon lords would shift onto him, making it hard to get away afterward.
If he said "no," it would undermine his identity as the "Tai Xu Fierce God" and break the mysterious and terrifying godly image Mr. Tu held of him.
So it was better to kick the ball back and let Mr. Tu find excuses himself.
The god did not answer, only counter-questioned.
Sure enough, the Yin Corpse Valley and Demon Sword Sect Ascended Old Demons looked again towards Mr. Tu.
Mr. Tu's face darkened.
He guessed all this was highly likely related to Mo Hua.
But he was not certain if Mo Hua was truly behind it.
The biggest problem was that even if Mo Hua was a god, his host body was only Foundation Establishment level.
How could someone at Foundation Establishment kill so many Golden Core demon cultivators?
Besides, these Golden Core demons were all bloody and mutilated, clearly killed by even more cruel demonic hands.
Mo Hua was a righteous disciple of the Tai Xu Sect.
These two facts didn't match.
Even with the power of a god, how could a Foundation Establishment disciple from a righteous sect slaughter hundreds of Golden Core demon lords with such merciless and evil methods?
Mr. Tu racked his brains but could not come up with an explanation.
Not even a plausible "frame-up" excuse.
So Mr. Tu could only remain silent.
The more Mr. Tu remained silent, the more suspicious he became.
After all, compared to the "harmless" Mo Hua, Mr. Tu, an Ascended great demon, seemed more like the culprit who killed so many fellow demon sect members.
He had both the ability and motive.
The two Ascended demon lords from Yin Corpse Valley and Demon Sword Sect looked at Mr. Tu with growing coldness, their suspicion deepening.
The atmosphere was tense, the air thick with hostility.
Mo Hua stood tall on the altar, his eyes flashing slightly.
The situation was developing exactly as he expected.
As long as Mr. Tu and these few Feathered Demons start to harbor suspicion and turn on each other with internal strife, then he can seize the opportunity, fish in troubled waters, and find a way to take Yu'er and secretly leave this Blood Sacrifice Formation.
After all, others don't know, but Mo Hua, as the "originator," is perfectly clear.
Right now, this Blood Sacrifice Formation is an unknown "powder keg."
So far, Mo Hua has exploded many formations, but the Blood Sacrifice Formation is an exception.
This is a quasi-third-grade great formation, also an evil path formation, involving a divine mystery formation, and the transformation of righteous and evil spiritual power.
The difficulty is too high, the scale too large, the variations too complex, and it cannot follow the usual "disintegration" rules.
This kind of formation is Mo Hua's first time attempting to explode.
Despite having studied formations day and night in the Void Gate and countless formation practice sessions, Mo Hua has laid a terrifyingly solid foundation in formations and gradually formed his own understanding and insight into the essence of formations.
With his hands, this quasi-third-grade Arhatian Blood Sacrifice Formation should still be able to be blown up.
But there are too many uncertainties in it.
Even Mo Hua himself is unsure of the ultimate explosion effect.
So, he wants to run early.
Moreover, precisely because this formation's explosion is high-grade, large-scale, wide-ranging, and with extremely complex spiritual power changes, Mo Hua's divine consciousness calculation power simply cannot determine where the "birth gate" after the explosion will be, so he can only run early.
If he doesn't run, he will die.
The situation is still deadlocked.
The tension grows increasingly severe.
The suspicion among Mr. Tu and the other three Feathered is also deepening.
Those who have cultivated to the Feathered realm have deep experience and their own cognition and judgment; the suspicion here is not something a few careless words from Mr. Tu can resolve.
But the few Feathered have not rashly made a move.
They are scheming, their thoughts fluctuating, seemingly still considering something.
Mo Hua frowned, wishing they would quickly fight to the death, but at this moment, a soft murmur sounded, and Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat, sensing something amiss.
Yu'er, this child, has awakened!
Right now, the only leverage in Mo Hua's hands is Yu'er, the "Great Wilderness Lord."
If Yu'er wakes and accidentally says something wrong or slips a trap, causing Mr. Tu and these Feathered Demons to realize that their Great Wilderness Lord is not actually inside Yu'er's body, then Mo Hua will lose his "reliance" and become extremely passive.
The life and death of both him and Yu'er will most likely be at others' mercy.
The moment Yu'er murmured, Mr. Tu, Shangguan Wang, the Feathered of Yin Corpse Valley, and the Old Demon of the Demon Sword Sect—all four Feathered Demons' expressions trembled, then all showed shock and wild joy, their eyes sharp as they looked toward Yu'er.
Even Shangguan Wang's eyes revealed blazing greed and ambition, as if he wanted to seize Yu'er immediately.
Mo Hua's scalp tingled; he immediately clamped Yu'er's fair throat and coldly said:
"Don't move!"
Mr. Tu and the others shuddered instantly; Shangguan Wang's face also darkened.
At this moment, Yu'er slowly opened his eyes.
He saw the bloody great hall before him, saw the strangely shaped and sinister demons, and even the Elder Wang who had taken him from his mother—he was afraid.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
"You'd better not act rashly, or I will strangle this child!"
It was Brother Mo's voice.
Yu'er felt a joy in his heart, then, after hearing Mo Hua's words clearly, he felt somewhat sad.
Brother Mo... wants to strangle me?
Brother Mo... how could he possibly strangle me?
He...
Yu'er frowned, and immediately understood.
"Oh, Brother Mo is lying again..."
Yu'er blinked; he himself didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to delay Brother Mo's lying, and he definitely couldn't expose Brother Mo:
"What should I do?"
At this moment, Yu'er felt his neck being squeezed by Brother Mo, but Brother Mo's hand was soft and warm, the grip not painful; then he heard Mo Hua say:
"Your deity lord is in my hands..."
"He has just descended, is merging with the physical fetus, his consciousness like that of a fetus; it won't be long before the complete fusion, then he will truly arrive in this world. The first person he sees will be me, and he will truly regard me as kin..."
Yu'er was stunned, then suddenly realized Mo Hua was reminding him, telling him his current "setting."
He was just born, what deity lord.
He's not yet born; his consciousness is like a "fetus."
Fetus...
"I understand."
Yu'er nodded slightly, then his eyes went blank, expression dazed, pretending to be in a dazed state just waking from a nightmare, confused and unaware of all people and things in the world.
Seeing this, Mo Hua felt joy in his heart and silently praised Yu'er's cleverness.
This child had stayed by his side so long, indeed had comprehension and a strong tacit understanding with him.
Near Mo, one becomes dark.
A scheming kind of dark.
Mr. Tu's expression trembled, without suspicion.
Because at the moment Yu'er opened his eyes, he indeed felt his heart shake and had the impulse to kneel and worship.
This meant that the deity lord inside Yu'er's body had indeed awakened.
At this very moment, he could even sense an "evil god" aura surrounding Yu'er.
Only, he could not be sure of the current "state" of the deity lord's existence.
Just that—he couldn't be sure about the current "state" of the Godlord's existence.
The Godlord seemed to have been born, yet also appeared to have vanished; its aura was faint and elusive.
But if we follow Mo Hua's explanation, the Godlord, having been born, is currently in the stage of merging with the divine fetus. That would explain everything.
Because during this "fusion," the karmic ties are being erased, so the aura is very faint.
Once the fusion is complete, the Godlord will truly "open its eyes" and see this world filled with blood and flesh sacrifices.
At that thought, Mr. Tu's excitement was hard to contain.
Then his expression turned cold, and he thought:
"I absolutely cannot let the Godlord fall into the hands of this fierce god from the Taixu Sect. If the Godlord is corrupted by him, turning hatred into kinship, all my efforts of a thousand years will be ruined."
His reverence for the Great Wilderness Godlord made his blood boil.
Mr. Tu looked at Mo Hua, his eyes revealing a deep murderous intent:
"Release the Godlord. The Godlord is noble and not something for an outsider like you—an unorthodox deity—to lay hands on."
Mo Hua pinched Yu'er's fair cheek, sneered coldly, "And what if I do lay hands on it?"
Mr. Tu felt as if his lifelong faith had been gravely defiled. Rage surged uncontrollably, filling every pore.
As Mr. Tu's fury reached its peak, Mo Hua's mind raced quickly. Suddenly, he saw Shangguan Wang beside him. His eyes brightened immediately as he pointed a finger:
"Shangguan Wang!"
Shangguan Wang was taken aback.
Being addressed so directly by a Foundation Establishment disciple from a lower rank should have angered him, but Mo Hua's mysterious aura and deep gaze, along with his unusual demeanor, made him hesitate.
It seemed there was a stronger "presence" hidden inside him. Even Mr. Tu seemed somewhat wary of him.
This made Shangguan Wang reluctant to act rashly or quibble over such trivial matters.
Mo Hua directly commanded him:
"You—go kill Mr. Tu. Once the Godlord is reborn and its consciousness awakens, I will recommend you for merit and grant you eternal life!"
The Godlord's blessing, eternal life!
Shangguan Wang's eyes instantly reddened with shock.
But when it came to actually killing Mr. Tu, he hesitated.
Mo Hua gave him no chance to ponder and turned to the Winged Immortals of the Yin Corpse Valley and Demon Sword Sect:
"If you kill Mr. Tu, I will have the Godlord bless you too, granting you eternal life."
"This opportunity only comes once."
"There is only one servant of the Godlord."
"Whoever slays Mr. Tu will be the sole servant of the Godlord, alone enjoying the Godlord's blessings and worshipped by countless believers."
The Winged Immortals from Yin Corpse Valley and Demon Sword Sect frowned but did not act immediately.
They were old demons, having lived many years. They wouldn't be easily stirred by Mo Hua's few words.
Mo Hua sneered coldly and pressed on:
"Don't say I didn't warn you. The great fortune the Godlord grants only comes this once."
"If you obey my order to 'cleanse the court and cut down the traitors,' whether or not you manage to kill Mr. Tu, I will not blame you."
"But if you do nothing, just stand by and watch, don't blame me for holding grudges…"
Mo Hua grinned maliciously, his words icy and venomous:
"Soon after the Godlord fuses completely with the divine fetus and awakens, I will
report to the Godlord that your loyalty is insufficient, your faith weak, that you disobey His commands, even conspiring with Mr. Tu, betraying the Godlord for personal gain."
"Then, even if you are Winged Immortals, the Godlord will strip your souls, impose cruel torture, let the three thousand black mountains of the Great Wilderness and countless evil spirits devour your bodies, shattering your souls, condemning you to corrupt death..."
Mo Hua's right hand gripped Yu'er's neck, his face full of sinister cruelty, exactly like a treacherous villain who "controls the emperor to command the lords."
The Winged Immortals of Yin Corpse Valley and Demon Sword Sect were furious, yet a subtle fear also grew in their hearts.
The Great Wilderness Evil God's fearsome reputation was well-known.
And when the evil god descended, the terrifying aura that sent chills down their spines was something these Winged Immortals had personally experienced.
Serving a lord is like serving a tiger.
Serving a deity is even more so.
Moreover, their revered Godlord was an evil god—brutal and bloodthirsty by nature.
If a despised, petty "villain" who was deeply trusted appeared by the Godlord's side, then these Winged Immortals might not have a good fate.
Of course, it was also possible that Mo Hua was deceiving them.
But Mo Hua was a tricky fellow—able to "hold the Godlord hostage" was not something to underestimate.
The two Winged Immortals from Demon Sword Sect and Yin Corpse Valley pondered briefly, a gleam flashing in their eyes, hiding their intentions.
Then one broke open a coffin to summon a golden corpse, the other broke the seal of a sword box to unleash a demon sword.
Together, they attacked Mr. Tu.
Mr. Tu's eyes turned blood-red as he cursed inwardly.
Inside the great hall, the three Winged Immortals fought fiercely, using cruel, sinister methods. Corpse aura, sword energy, and blood energy intertwined and strangled each other.
After some intense fighting, the situation remained tense and unresolved.
Seeing this, Mo Hua looked again at Shangguan Wang and issued a low, eerie command:
"Elder Shangguan... escort me and the Godlord out. In return, I will absolve you of all guilt and make you the Godlord's sole 'servant,' granting you the Godlord's favor to ensure your eternal life. Even if your flesh and blood perish, your soul will not die..."
(End of this Chapter)