Chapter 1091: The Great Wilderness Bone Slip
Mo Hua's divine sense was hazy and muddled. He was clearly awake, yet still unbearably fatigued. His sea of consciousness felt as heavy as a mountain, as though burdened by endless guilt and karmic debt.
Everything before his eyes appeared shrouded in mist.
Whatever he looked at was a blend of black and white.
It was as if all color had vanished from the world, leaving behind only the most primal hues. The interwoven black and white evoked both a sense of lifeless stillness and a return to the origin of the Dao.
Mo Hua blinked hard again.
The black-and-white tinge of heaven and earth faded slightly, a hint of color returning to the world—but not fully. Shadows of black and white still clung to the edges of his vision.
This monochrome world seemed to have fused with his very eyes.
Frowning, Mo Hua blinked again. When he opened his eyes once more, he saw Old Mister Xun: hair like snow, expression stern, eyes full of worry.
Startled, Mo Hua murmured, "Old Mister Xun…"
He tried to sit up, but a warm, withered hand gently pressed him down. "Don't move."
Old Mister Xun placed the back of his hand against Mo Hua's forehead, then checked his pulse. He examined the state of his meridians, the strength of his blood and qi, the flow of spiritual power. Finally, he pinched Mo Hua's chin and inspected his eyes carefully.
Seeing that the black and white in Mo Hua's eyes was receding, with no trace of baleful aura, demonic qi, corpse energy, or blood qi, Old Mister Xun finally relaxed.
"Can you see clearly?"
"I can," Mo Hua nodded truthfully. "But it's still a little blurry, with some black-and-white edges."
"What about your meridians and spiritual power?"
Mo Hua circulated his qi slightly and said, "They seem fine."
"Do you feel tired?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded. "My shoulders feel heavy, like something's pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe…"
Old Mister Xun sighed lightly.
With such a deep blood debt, to merely say he feels "heavy"… This fate was beyond what one could call "resilient."
"You…" Old Mister Xun paused for a moment, then directly asked, "Do you feel the urge to kill?"
"To kill?"
Mo Hua was stunned, not quite understanding. "Why would I want to kill?"
Old Mister Xun didn't know where to begin. He sighed again. "It's good if you don't."
He stared deeply into Mo Hua's eyes again, confirming their clarity and sincerity, satisfied that Mo Hua wasn't lying.
But Mo Hua was confused. "Old Mister Xun, what exactly happened to me?"
Old Mister Xun gave him a long, silent look, then asked flatly, "Do you know what you've done?"
"I…"
Mo Hua hesitated, but ultimately decided to speak honestly.
After all, Old Mister Xun had treated him extremely well. There were some things he had to keep hidden, but others, like the matter of the blood sacrificial formation, he could speak of. He hadn't done anything wrong—he had gone to save people—so there was no need to lie.
Besides, the matter was far too great for him to shoulder alone. Better to tell Old Mister Xun and let him handle it.
So, after a brief moment of thought, Mo Hua recounted everything.
He had destroyed the evil formation in Yanluo Mountain to save his sectmates and other geniuses from Qianxue. Later, to rescue Yu'er, he had played along with Master Tu, navigating treacherous interactions among numerous demonic cultivators. In the end, he'd saved Yu'er, destroyed the blood sacrificial formation, and eliminated the demonic cultivators within it.
Old Mister Xun sighed deeply. It felt like listening to some exaggerated tale from a storyteller.
But after so many shocks, he was almost numb.
No matter how earth-shattering Mo Hua's actions were, he was slowly learning to accept them.
As for certain details Mo Hua had clearly glossed over, Old Mister Xun chose not to pry.
Sometimes, it's enough to have a general idea. Knowing too much isn't always a good thing.
Especially when it came to Mo Hua.
"I understand," Old Mister Xun nodded. "From this point on, do not speak of this to anyone else. Remember this—"
He looked Mo Hua in the eye and slowly said:
"As for Yu'er… you just happened to rescue his physical body. What occurred within the nightmare realm, you don't know."
"The self-destruction of the blood sacrificial formation has nothing to do with you."
"The deaths of those demonic cultivators were their own doing. That also has nothing to do with you."
"No matter what happens—cling to one answer: it has nothing to do with you."
"Otherwise, with so many Golden Core and even Nascent Soul demonic cultivators slain, the Blood Refining Sect, Black Demon Sect, Corpse Yin Valley, Demon Sword Sect, Hehuan Sect… all these demonic sects will treat you as their mortal enemy and hunt you to the ends of the world."
"Even the righteous sects and noble clans of Qianxue will covet you, treat you as a thorn in their side, seek every way to use you, crack open your skull, and study your sea of consciousness…"
"Your enemies will come from both righteousness and evil. At that point, every step you take will be perilous."
"You must remember this!"
Old Mister Xun's expression was deadly serious.
Mo Hua understood the gravity of it and nodded earnestly. "Yes, sir. I'll remember."
Seeing this, Old Mister Xun's stern expression eased, and his eyes grew warm again. He said gently:
"Good. Now forget all of it. Rest and recover. For now, stay in the rear mountains—don't go anywhere."
"I'll handle the rest."
"Thank you, Old Mister."
Old Mister Xun waved his hand, smiling kindly. "You've suffered karmic injury, and your spirit is overburdened. Don't use your divine sense recklessly. Don't overthink. Just sleep when you can."
"Mm."
Mo Hua nodded. His divine sense was indeed groggy, and his energy weak, so he closed his eyes and slowly drifted back to sleep.
Once he was sure Mo Hua had fallen asleep peacefully, Old Mister Xun quietly rose and left.
Outside, he summoned an inner sect disciple and instructed, "Pass my message to the Sect Master. Convene the Three-Mountain Dao Assembly. There are matters to discuss."
"Yes, Ancestor." The disciple departed.
Old Mister Xun turned to glance at Mo Hua one more time, and sighed in his heart:
"He's only just built his Foundation and already stirred up such a storm. If he reaches the Golden Core stage and causes more trouble, this old ancestor… may not be able to clean up the mess next time…"
...
In the days that followed, Old Mister Xun was preoccupied with sect meetings, issuing commands throughout the sect, and managing the aftermath—sealing all mouths and handling the consequences on Mo Hua's behalf.
Over the next several days, Elder Xun was busy holding sect meetings and giving orders throughout the sect, arranging various operations to handle the aftermath and "seal mouths" for Mo Hua.
Their goal was to minimize Mo Hua's involvement and karmic connection with the catastrophe of the Wilderness Blood Sacrifice.
They tried their best to let Mo Hua "disappear" from the incident entirely, to avoid provoking the demonic path's bloody revenge — or attracting the greedy eyes of other powers with ulterior motives.
All those within the Great Void Sect who knew the truth, no matter how much they knew, had their lips firmly sealed.
Of course, the most effective "sealing" was done by Mo Hua himself.
More accurately, it should be called "silencing" — he annihilated every demonic cultivator who had personally seen him, knew what he had done, or saw what formations he drew.
Even the four Spirit Transformation cultivators, including Master Tu, were not spared.
Truly, they died cleanly and completely.
Aside from him, no one truly knew what he had done within that blood sacrifice formation.
As such, this also made Elder Xun's "sealing" efforts much easier.
Everything went smoothly.
No one would actually believe that a mere Foundation Establishment disciple like Mo Hua was responsible for the destruction of a quasi-Third Grade Wilderness Blood Sacrifice Formation.
After all, he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage — no matter how high his spiritual sense, how powerful his formations, or even the fact that he was the leading figure of Array Dao in the Qianxue Region...
All those talents and honors, even added together, were insignificant in comparison to the massive demonic blood sacrifice formation that had been meticulously built to span across the Nine Provinces.
Still, there were indeed some who suspected Mo Hua.
They suspected he was the mastermind behind the collapse of the blood sacrifice formation — or at least a key participant.
But even the ones who had such suspicions found their own thoughts absurd and laughable.
It was a quasi-Third Grade demonic formation.
No matter how monstrous Mo Hua might be, he was just a Foundation Establishment sect disciple. What right, what ability did he have to destroy such a formation?
Such a theory was nothing more than glorifying Mo Hua — and by extension, bringing credit to the Great Void Sect.
That was contrary to the interests of most sects.
Therefore, the speculation that Mo Hua destroyed the blood sacrifice formation quietly died off and was soon never brought up again.
But another kind of rumor spread far and wide.
"They say... Mo Hua, after falling into the blood sacrifice formation, converted to the demonic path. Not only did he cultivate demonic arts, he ate human flesh, drank human blood, and used human blood and skin to paint evil formations."
"They say many parts of that formation for the resurrection of the Evil God were drawn by Mo Hua himself, the so-called Array Dao leader of the Qianxue Region."
This rumor wasn't entirely false.
At least half of it was true.
But Elder Xun certainly couldn't admit it, and the Great Void Sect's attitude was resolute. Their uniform response:
"Absurd!" "Laughable!" "Completely fabricated!" "Slander!"
Some even demanded Mo Hua come forward to clarify the matter — to prove that he hadn't cultivated demonic techniques, hadn't consumed human flesh and blood, and hadn't drawn evil formations.
After all, such things couldn't be hidden.
Once someone strayed down a bloody, heretical path, any abnormality would be easily noticed.
Even if there wasn't a problem, people could still find one.
Elder Xun had lived for countless years — how could he not understand this? Naturally, he ignored these demands and kept Mo Hua strictly hidden away, not letting even the slightest rumor or clue escape.
If others asked, the answer was simply that Mo Hua was cultivating, in seclusion, or studying formation arts.
If any high-ranking sect or noble clan questioned it, Elder Xun's expression would turn cold and he would reply sternly:
"What, are you trying to disgrace the honor of my Great Void Sect?"
"Would I not know whether my own disciple is clean or not?"
"You think our sect's Array Dao leader is someone you can just investigate? Forgive my bluntness — who do you think you are?"
Elder Xun, respected and esteemed, appeared to Mo Hua as a kind and honorable elder — but to others, he was an unfathomable "old monster."
When he pulled down his face and got serious, no one dared to test his temper.
But though the tree may desire stillness, the wind does not cease — these doubts, although temporarily suppressed by Elder Xun, continued to spread in secret, growing louder and more widespread.
Mo Hua knew none of this.
All the malice, all the gossip, had been completely blocked by Elder Xun, kept outside the Great Void Sect's gates.
Mo Hua spent his days alone in the back mountains recovering from his injuries, enjoying a peaceful life where clothes and meals were brought to him — as if time itself had stilled.
No outsiders, not even Great Void Sect members, were allowed to visit him.
The only exception was Elder Situ.
As the Grand Elder of the Mysterious Machine Valley, Elder Situ was considered an "informed party."
Once Mo Hua was slightly better, Elder Situ came personally to visit him, and the two sat together drinking tea in the small courtyard.
One old, one young — one a Spirit Transformation cultivator, the other at Foundation Establishment — one the Grand Elder of Mysterious Machine Valley, the other a low-ranking disciple of the Great Void Sect. Yet drinking tea together, they gave off the feeling of "old friends reuniting," the atmosphere quiet and harmonious.
Holding his teacup, Elder Situ glanced sideways at Mo Hua, many emotions stirring in his heart.
He hadn't expected that the little boy from Licheng all those years ago would, in the blink of an eye, grow to such heights.
Leader of Array Dao, peerless in divine sense.
Slaying gods with his sword, devouring demonic fetuses alive.
Every time he thought about it, Elder Situ felt a chill in his heart — and deep confusion.
In just ten short years, what exactly had this child gone through?
Where had he learned such astonishing skills?
Elder Situ wanted badly to ask, but in the end, restrained himself and kept silent.
Illness enters through the mouth; disaster comes from careless words.
Once spoken, heaven's secrets would be revealed.
Mo Hua, too, had a question he wanted to ask Elder Situ. He tried to hold back, but ultimately couldn't resist and softly asked:
"Senior Situ, my master…"
Elder Situ immediately pressed his hand against Mo Hua's arm, pursed his lips, and shook his head solemnly.
That karmic entanglement was even greater than Mo Hua's — more complex, more dangerous. Who knew how many old monsters were secretly sniffing out the scent of blood, their eyes watching intently.
Though officially, that man's life had been severed, and the Sky Burial had fallen into the hands of the heretical cultivator...
In the shadows, was someone still watching? No one could say for certain — so extreme caution was necessary.
Seeing the dim light in Mo Hua's eyes and his sorrowful expression, Elder Situ couldn't bear it. He sighed and said:
"Whether you ask or not, it makes no difference."
"Some things — knowing them early isn't necessarily a good thing."
"Right now, although…" Elder Situ paused, then continued, "Although your abilities are impressive, before the true immortal-grade karma of the heavens, you are still far too weak. You have not yet reached the point where you can sit at the chessboard and contend with those mighty figures — righteous and demonic — from ancient times to now, battling both openly and in the shadows."
"Your foremost task now is to cultivate diligently and raise your cultivation. When your realm is high enough, when you truly have the power to control the overall situation and reverse karma — then you can act."
"You mustn't be hasty…"
"Don't be hasty…"
Master Situ's tone grew a bit stern. "When one's own strength is lacking, but they still recklessly seek merit and try to forcefully change the situation, that's sheer foolishness. Acting without planning, preparing carelessly—at best, one becomes someone else's puppet; at worst, they die and their Dao perishes, with no hope of attaining the Great Dao. They'll never accomplish what they wish in this life…"
"Cultivation is never achieved in a day. Those who accomplish great things must possess a firm Dao heart and unwavering perseverance."
Mo Hua was briefly stunned, but then his gaze cleared, all his restlessness dissipating. He nodded earnestly.
Seeing this, Master Situ felt relieved and also a bit moved.
Ordinary people hearing such words would dismiss them as grand but empty rhetoric, scoffing at them.
Only those with true vision and insight can understand these words of real principle and put them into practice through their actions.
Such discernment and Dao heart are rare in this world.
Perhaps, only someone like this could carry the fate of Heaven and Earth, using their own destiny to suppress the direst of calamities—Dao sins and evil incarnations…
Master Situ sighed inwardly, then frowned slightly and thought to himself, "I only hope he doesn't stray from the right path…"
Afterward, the two chatted over some tea, talking about mundane things. Mo Hua also asked a few questions about fate and causality. When it got late, Master Situ stood up to take his leave.
"I won't disturb you any longer. Rest well."
"Mm. Take care, Senior Situ."
After sending Master Situ off, Mo Hua also began to feel a bit tired. His head was indeed heavy, muddled and drowsy, so he lay back down on his bed.
But after lying down for a while, he couldn't fall asleep.
Standing made him sleepy, but lying down, he couldn't sleep.
Mo Hua opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, his mind repeatedly going over Master Situ's words, heart weighed with worry:
How is Master doing now…?
It's already been ten years. Can the Qiankun Clear Light Lamp still anchor Master's life and death fate? What if it's broken…?
Senior Sister's mother—his Martial Aunt—will she take proper care of Master?
As these thoughts churned, Mo Hua's emotions became a little chaotic. He shook his head and forced himself to discard those distracting thoughts, calming his mind:
"Master Situ was right. Obsessing over things beyond my ability or control is meaningless."
"It's better to focus, and do well the things I can do, down to the smallest detail, with complete earnestness."
There were only two things he needed—and was able—to do right now:
First: become stronger.
Second: become even stronger.
This is also the essence of the path of diligent study. The meaning of cultivation and learning.
Heaven moves with strength; a gentleman strengthens himself ceaselessly.
As people living in this world, we must constantly grow stronger. Only then can we resonate with the Heavenly Dao and pursue strength unceasingly.
Mo Hua's spirit lifted, his eyes growing ever brighter and more resolute.
"I can't save Master yet… because I'm still not strong enough."
"As long as I become strong enough, I will be able to save Master!"
"I'm at the Foundation Establishment stage now. The next step is Core Formation… and to form a core…"
At this thought, Mo Hua swiped his thumb, retrieving a bone fragment from his storage ring.
This was the bone shard he had dug from the skull of the horned white-bone evil god idol that Mr. Tu had worshipped—it was a fragment from the Great Wilderness.
More precisely, this seemed to be a bone slip, similar to a jade slip.
And inside this bone slip was likely an extremely important formation technique for him.
He hadn't had time to examine it earlier due to the urgent situation. Later, burdened with too much karmic weight from killing, he had been bedridden and unable to think about other matters.
Only now did he finally take out the bone slip, preparing to study it carefully.
He first inspected the bone slip and found that, although it was made of bone, it did not seem to be human bone, and more importantly, there was no trace of evil aura inside.
That reassured him.
He pressed the bone slip to his forehead, and after sensing it for a while, Mo Hua's expression stiffened, a strange look appearing on his face:
"I… can't read this?"
"What's written here is… the ancient script of the Great Wilderness?"
The Great Wilderness generally referred to the wild lands south of Lichou. Its customs and culture were vastly different from the Nine Provinces of the Dao Court, and its long history held unique cultivation legacies—naturally, they also passed down some ancient scripts.
Normally, standard inheritances would never use such old writing.
Anything recorded in ancient script would never be simple.
Mo Hua stared at the characters etched into the bone slip, his brow slowly furrowing.
"If I can't read it… then what should I do?"
"Don't tell me… I have to learn it from scratch?"
(End of this Chapter)