Chapter 614: Unsealing
Mo Hua had only tasted it once—cracking open the skull imbued with Thunder Runes and shattering the divine consciousness within, extracting the faint golden "divine marrow" that oozed from the head of the Ram-Horn Enforcer.
This "marrow" resembled the blood of an evil god.
Though the quantity was small, the flavor was excellent.
He couldn't help but wonder—if he ever refined a real evil god, what would that be like?
If he ate it, how much stronger would his divine sense become?
As the thought floated through his mind, Mo Hua suddenly frowned.
No… This isn't right…
He was getting a little… overconfident.
An evil god—something that powerful and terrifying—if encountered for real, would bring unimaginable danger.
Even if he did want to go after such a target…
He needed to wait until his divine sense was more profound, his divine attacks sharper, and until he could make thorough preparations—act covertly, strike silently, and steal a bite without being noticed.
Thinking about "eating" an evil god already? Way too soon.
Also, just thinking like that... felt a little disrespectful to the evil god.
Mo Hua buried the idea deep in his heart.
"It's not that I can't afford to eat an evil god," he consoled himself, "it's just that demons and monsters have a better cost-to-benefit ratio."
Evil gods were too strong—it was best not to provoke them if he could avoid it.
But these petty demons and malevolent spirits? Not so powerful. He could throw them in the stew pot with ease. No big deal if he devoured a few more.
Besides, once he cleaned his plate, there was no one left to tattle.
And more importantly—they were after little Yu'er. That made it personal. No need to be polite.
Mo Hua glanced again at the peacefully sleeping Yu'er and couldn't help but wonder:
If he kept Yu'er by his side…
Would he always be able to lure demons and monsters to come and be his snacks?
That way, he'd always have on-the-go rations.
And his divine sense would keep growing.
Just like fishing.
Those evil, savage monsters were the "fish."
Which would make little Yu'er…
"A little bait?"
Mo Hua froze, then quickly shook his head to dismiss the thought—it felt way too disrespectful to Yu'er.
On the bed, Yu'er let out a soft "mm" as if displeased.
Mo Hua chuckled and patted Yu'er's head.
Sensing a calming, serene presence, the sleeping Yu'er smiled goofily and drifted deeper into slumber.
Mo Hua remained by her side, while his divine sense sank into the sea of consciousness, continuing to simulate the Primordial Magnetic Array and deduce the Secondary Thunder Runes...
The rest of the night, no more demons appeared.
The next day, Mo Hua went about his routine cultivation, drew formations, and spent some time playing with Yu'er.
At night, he still kept watch beside her.
The room was empty but tranquil.
No karmic threads, no chains of void, no monsters—only the peaceful stillness of night and the gentle glow of moonlight.
Another calm, uneventful evening.
Mo Hua understood—this patch of "leeks" had been harvested. Time to let them regrow for a while…
The next morning, Mo Hua said his farewells to Wenren Wan and prepared to return to the Great Void Sect.
Little Yu'er clutched tightly to the hem of his robe, reluctant to part.
But compared to before, her complexion was clearly much better. Though she looked a little sad, her eyes were bright, and her cheeks were flushed with healthy color.
As Mo Hua waved goodbye to the crowd, Yu'er mimicked him with her little wave.
After he left, Wenren Wan fell into a long silence before finally making up her mind. She turned to Shangguan Yi and said:
"I want to send Yu'er to the Great Void Sect!"
Shangguan Yi, sipping tea, choked midway and coughed. He looked helpless.
"What… You just suddenly decided this?"
She really did act on a whim…
"I've thought it through!"
Wenren Wan's eyes were firm—clearly a decision made after much consideration.
Shangguan Yi was stunned. He frowned slightly and said quietly:
"Yu'er has great talent. In the future, she could enter one of the Four Great Sects…"
"If she does, the teachings she receives, the peers she meets, and the connections she makes will all be a step above even the Eight Major Sects…"
Wenren Wan shook her head. "I don't care how talented she is, or how far she can go in cultivation. I'm her mother. I just want her to be safe and happy."
"You clansmen and your grand ambitions… fate and karma... I don't want Yu'er to be caught up in any of that. I'm afraid…"
Her face turned pale.
"…I'm afraid that one day, I won't get to see Yu'er again…"
She closed her eyes.
Or worse…
That little Yu'er might end up lying cold and lifeless in her arms…
During the days when Yu'er was plagued by nightmares and wasting away, Wenren Wan often had such dreams.
Sometimes, even more terrifying ones.
She trembled uncontrollably.
Shangguan Yi took her hand, his expression full of guilt.
Letting their son suffer and his wife worry—he had failed in his role as husband and father.
But sending Yu'er to the Great Void Sect… He still wasn't comfortable with that.
After a moment of thought, he asked slowly:
"Wan'er, you want Yu'er in the Great Void Sect because of… that Mo Hua boy?"
Wenren Wan didn't deny it.
"That's right. I want Yu'er to stay by Mo Hua's side."
Shangguan Yi's frown deepened.
He didn't dislike Mo Hua. In fact, he found the boy polite and sincere—quite likable. And he was grateful to him for what he'd done for Yu'er.
But deep down, there was always a sliver of unease… maybe even…
Dread.
There was something in Mo Hua's eyes—beneath the innocence lurked something uncanny.
Behind the clarity was a depth he couldn't grasp.
And Shangguan Yi had seen his fair share of people. As the heir apparent of the Shangguan clan in Qianzhou, he wasn't easily shaken.
He had even once considered having someone probe Mo Hua's karmic threads.
But such actions were taboo and an affront to Mo Hua.
Moreover, whenever he entertained the thought, he would be gripped with a sudden, intense fear—
As if prying too deeply would awaken some unspeakable taboo.
The terror was bone-deep.
He recalled Elder Mei from the Mysterious Mechanism Valley.
That elder had tried, at his request, to peer into the hidden karma—
Only to go mad, raving about being "bitten by zombies," turning into one, mountains of corpses, and other horrors.
To this day, Shangguan Yi didn't know whose karma Elder Mei had tried to unravel to fall into such madness.
But someone whose karmic threads were that terrifying was clearly a master of fate itself—perhaps even one of the unseen hands behind the greater schemes.
And Mo Hua...
Could very well be tied to such a person.
Maybe even without realizing it himself.
Shangguan Yi hesitated for a long time before sharing his concerns with Wenren Wan.
Wenren Wan scoffed, "That's just you. Scheming for so long you think everyone's full of secrets and calculations."
"But Mo Hua—he's a good kid."
"You treat him sincerely, he'll treat you the same. You think something's off about him? Maybe the problem's with you."
Shangguan Yi gave a wry smile. After a pause, his expression grew serious.
"Then think about this—Yu'er was kidnapped. So many people couldn't find her, but Mo Hua could."
"Yu'er was plagued by nightmares. The elders said it was karmic affliction—incurable."
"Yet the moment Mo Hua showed up, Yu'er could sleep peacefully again…"
"Something strange is going on here…"
"I'm afraid…"
He didn't finish.
Wenren Wan's expression darkened too. She frowned in thought for a long time. Then suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"That's because Mo Hua… is Yu'er's blessing!"
Shangguan Yi blinked. He didn't know how to respond.
But Wenren Wan only grew more convinced, nodding firmly:
"Mo Hua must be someone with great fortune!"
"That's why—when Yu'er was taken and no one else could find her, he could."
"When no one else could save her, he did."
"Even the night Yu'er was tormented by nightmares—Mo Hua was there. I saw him collapse, pale and shrouded in evil aura—he took the curse for her, passed out to protect her."
"But I told you—Mo Hua's blessings run deep. These 'calamities' can't touch him."
"Mo Hua's fortune is Yu'er's fortune."
"If Yu'er, still so young and frail, is to grow up safely, she must stay close to someone like Mo Hua—someone with deep blessings!"
Wenren Wan's tone was firm and full of conviction.
Shangguan Yi was almost convinced…
Luckily, he had some understanding of karma and evil spirits—he knew that so-called "blessings" weren't that simple.
He tried to object again, "Yu'er is still too young, and only at the Qi Refining stage. The Great Void Sect doesn't accept such young children…"
"She doesn't have to be an official disciple—just a kind of early-stay boarding student…"
"But the Sect Master wouldn't agree to this…"
"She's of the main bloodline of the Shangguan and Wenren families, with excellent spiritual roots—why wouldn't he? He'd accept her even if he had to make an exception."
"This…" Shangguan Yi was getting a headache. "It might interfere with Mo Hua's cultivation…"
Wenren Wan paused.
That… was a valid concern.
She hadn't thought about that.
Mo Hua was surely busy with his own cultivation. He couldn't be expected to care for Yu'er all the time.
After a moment of consideration, she had a solution:
"I'll send a caretaker with her. Someone to look after Yu'er, guide her cultivation, and not disturb Mo Hua unless Yu'er is plagued by nightmares again. Then we'll ask Mo Hua to check on her."
Shangguan Yi sighed, "The Great Void Sect… has never done this before."
"Then we'll be the first," Wenren Wan replied plainly.
"Father won't approve. The Great Void Sect elders will definitely raise objections—especially the more rule-abiding ones. They'll never agree…"
"How would we know unless we try?"
"Wan'er…"
Wenren Wan declared firmly, "I've decided. Yu'er must go to the Great Void Sect!"
Shangguan Yi said, "But Yu'er… she barely has nightmares anymore. There's no need to go through all this trouble."
Wenren Wan's gaze darkened. "And what about the future?"
Shangguan Yi froze.
Wenren Wan furrowed her brow, her voice low and chilling, "How do you know there won't be worse nightmares in the future?"
"What if Yu'er…"
Her voice trembled, the fear of that horrible dream rising again.
"…What if she suffers a nightmare even stronger, more despairing, more terrifying than before?"
"What will we do then? What happens to our child?"
She gripped Shangguan Yi's arm tightly—so tightly her slender knuckles turned white.
Shangguan Yi's expression shifted with shock.
He looked into her eyes—saw the deep maternal love mingled with a terror of the unknown. His heart trembled.
After a long silence, Shangguan Yi nodded deeply and said gently:
"…Alright. I'll find a way… to get Yu'er into the Great Void Sect."
As for Yu'er—Mo Hua had no idea yet.
He didn't know that, soon, he'd be gaining a "little neighbor."
Back at the sect, Mo Hua was still immersed in his research, endlessly working on the Primordial Magnetic Array and deducing more Secondary Thunder Runes.
His jade slip on Secondary Thunder Runes now contained more and more of them.
Though the symbols remained complex and highly variable, with many minute details, to Mo Hua's eyes, they were becoming increasingly clear—and familiar.
Like fellow Daoists he had never met before—see them enough times, and you naturally become acquainted.
And this particular "Daoist" had a huge family.
Although they looked different, their "bloodlines" were connected. After seeing enough of them, you could eventually recognize them all.
Thus, Mo Hua pressed forward—neither rushed nor slack—steadily analyzing and summarizing. In time, the jade slip came to hold roughly a hundred different Secondary Thunder Runes, each with distinct patterns.
His deductions became smoother and more confident.
The fusion of Heavenly Fate Calculation and Derivation Technique had become increasingly natural to him.
And his insight into the Secondary Thunder Runes had grown much deeper.
Mo Hua thought it was about time to find something to practice on…
The Transmission Order was still too advanced for now…
Through recent study, as well as advice from senior brothers and sisters, and discussions with formation cultivators from traditional sect backgrounds, Mo Hua had gradually broadened his understanding of the Flame Beacon Magnetic Array and similar constructs.
The Primordial Magnetic Array was the foundation for record-keeping and communication among cultivators.
Aside from brush-and-paper transcription, the most common medium used was jade slips.
All jade slips in the cultivation world used Primordial Magnetic Arrays as the structural base—responsible for displaying text, recording information, and transmitting messages.
Set-pattern magnetic runes, secondary thunder flows, irregular magnetic veins, and magnetic ink inscriptions—
This entire system formed the core of all "transmission"-type spiritual artifacts, like the Transmission Order, and was also the array foundation for all jade slips used in cultivation.
The legacy inscribed within jade slips relied entirely on the Primordial Magnetic Array.
Mo Hua suddenly remembered the two jade slips he got from Jiang Laoda.
Those jade slips likely contained the core sect inheritance of the Broken Gold Sect: the Broken Gold Sword Technique!
But the jade slips were sealed, unreadable for now.
Unlocking them would be easier than restoring them.
Mo Hua decided to take things step by step. He would first apply what he knew about the Primordial Magnetic Array to unseal the Broken Gold Sect's inheritance jade slip. Afterward, he could tackle the more complex task of restoring the Transmission Order.
The Broken Gold jade slip was made of white jade, its edges etched with gold lines.
Mo Hua took out the jade slip and, that evening in his disciple quarters, studied it secretly for a long time—but in the end, still couldn't figure it out…
His assumptions were correct.
The jade slip used the Primordial Magnetic Array as its base—incorporating set magnetic runes and unstable patterns, bridged together by Secondary Thunder Runes.
The so-called "sealing" was indeed tampering with the base array to obscure the original content.
To unseal it, he needed a special "secret rune."
And the nature of that "secret rune"… was precisely a Secondary Thunder Rune.
But theory was one thing—actual implementation was another. When it came time to actually break the seal, he found himself utterly at a loss.
How exactly had the jade slip been sealed?
How was he supposed to unseal it?
He knew the secret rune was a Secondary Thunder Rune—but which one?
And if he didn't know the right one, what then?
"Without guidance, exploring on your own really is hard…"
Mo Hua sighed.
He thought for a moment and decided he had to ask someone.
Originally, he had considered asking Elder Xun—but after a moment of reflection, he shook his head.
Sealing and unsealing things… definitely not something he could ask Elder Xun about.
The moment he brought it up, Elder Xun would guess that he was secretly messing around with something suspicious…
In a sect like theirs, if you were talking about "unsealing," it most likely meant breaking the seals on an inheritance jade slip.
Not a good look. It would ruin his image as a "well-behaved and obedient disciple" in Elder Xun's eyes.
And Mo Hua was certain that, in Elder Xun's mind, he was currently "polite," "proper," and "diligent."
If Elder Xun misunderstood… he'd never share any of the Great Void Sect's secrets with him again…
So—he needed someone else.
After a long moment of consideration, Mo Hua finally picked a suitable candidate:
Zheng Fang.
Zheng Fang was a descendant of the Zheng family from Zhen Prefecture.
The Zheng family had preserved, for generations, a secret and exclusive inheritance: authentic Thunder Rune formations.
Secondary Thunder Runes were a derivative branch of Thunder Runes.
Although Zheng Fang didn't personally practice Thunder Runes, he had grown up immersed in their study. He was definitely familiar with the principles behind Secondary Thunder Runes—or at the very least, with related Primordial Magnetic Arrays.
So,
Mo Hua went to find Zheng Fang.
Zheng Fang harbored a bit of resentment toward Mo Hua.
Because… he had lost to him.
The secret formation of the Zheng family that Zheng Fang prided himself on—difficult to learn even for descendants—had been picked up effortlessly by Mo Hua, even though it was only a foundational one.
What made it worse: despite coming from a formation aristocratic clan himself, Zheng Fang had to be taught formations by Mo Hua… and even address him as "Senior Brother Mo."
That stung.
Still, he couldn't deny it—Mo Hua's formation skills far surpassed his own. It made him uncomfortable, and as a result, he wasn't very talkative with Mo Hua and didn't have a great relationship with him.
Mo Hua, however, knew Zheng Fang wasn't a bad person—just a bit rigid and straightforward. So, he laid on the "sweet talk."
He praised the Zheng family's great reputation as being "as loud as thunder in the ears."
He said anyone capable of passing down such a noble Thunder Rune heritage through adversity must surely be a family of upright, righteous cultivators!
Then he complimented Zheng Fang himself: young, gifted, and with unlimited potential in formations…
Zheng Fang was defeated by the barrage of compliments like candy bullets. The grudge in his heart dissolved. Even though he tried hard to keep a straight face, the corners of his mouth couldn't hide his pleased smile.
Taking the opportunity, Mo Hua brought up the topic of Primordial Magnetic Arrays.
Zheng Fang, now in a much better mood, also felt he owed Mo Hua for teaching him so much and being his "senior brother." So, he decided it was only right to return the favor.
The two of them chatted for a while about the Primordial Magnetic Array.
Zheng Fang had the advantage of inherited knowledge from the Zheng family—broad horizons. Mo Hua, on the other hand, had gained deep insights through independent exploration.
Their conversation was mutually beneficial.
The more Zheng Fang talked with him, the more impressed he became with Mo Hua's formation intuition, and the more he truly came to recognize him as a remarkable "senior brother."
Then Mo Hua casually asked:
"Say… if I had a jade slip that I wanted to seal, so others couldn't read it—how would I do that?"
"Seal a jade slip?" Zheng Fang asked.
"Mhm," Mo Hua nodded.
Zheng Fang replied, "It's actually quite simple. Just overlay a layer of array script to obscure the contents, then add a seal rune as a kind of key…"
"Seal rune?" Mo Hua paused. "Do you mean a secret rune?"
Zheng Fang shook his head. "Not quite. Only those who aren't formation cultivators—or don't understand the Primordial Magnetic Array—would confuse the two and call everything a 'secret rune.'"
"But in proper orthodox inheritance, the terminology is strict. You can't mix them up."
"A seal rune is used to unlock a seal. A secret rune is used to unlock an encryption."
"If a jade slip is sealed, you can't see any of the text inside."
"If it's encrypted, you can see the text—but what you're seeing is actually fake, disguised content."
"The methods use the same underlying array logic, but the forms are totally different."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up in sudden understanding. He quickly followed up with another round of praise:
"You really know so much!"
Zheng Fang blushed slightly, but the praise made him proud. He began spouting everything he knew like beans spilling from a bamboo tube:
"Sealing is done by overlaying a complete Primordial Magnetic Array with a layer of unstable magnetic script, forming a dense, uniform 'magnetic ink mist' that obscures the jade slip's real content."
"Encryption is different. It distorts the magnetic flow between fixed-pattern and unstable-pattern runes—that is, the Secondary Thunder Flow—so that the words rendered by the magnetic ink become warped."
"To unseal it, you need to decrypt the seal rune and dispel the unstable magnetic script."
"To decrypt it, you must decipher the secret rune and correct the distortion caused by the Secondary Thunder Runes."
...
Zheng Fang rattled on without pause.
Although some of it was rote memorization—concepts he didn't completely grasp—he'd studied them diligently and had the fundamentals down cold.
Mo Hua was genuinely impressed.
Truly, "from three people walking together, one can always be your teacher."
Being humble and inquisitive always paid off.
With that, Mo Hua returned with a full harvest and excitedly began working on the "unsealing" task.
The Broken Gold jade slip from the Broken Gold Sect appeared blank on its surface—shrouded like mist. But if looked at closely, one could spot dense magnetic ink speckles.
That was the "seal."
Now that he understood the principle, he had a direction: figure out the "seal rune" and unlock the seal.
And the method wasn't all that complicated.
These jade slips were old, and Jiang Laoda had certainly checked them often in the past.
Every time he accessed them, he would've used the seal rune to unlock them.
Each unlocking would leave behind magnetic flow residue.
Ordinary cultivators might not notice it, but Mo Hua—thanks to his Heavenly Fate Fusion algorithm—could detect faint traces.
What he sensed were the remnants of magnetic flow—Secondary Thunder Flow.
From there, using his experience, he could simplify that flow into Secondary Thunder Runes.
Granted, the rune he derived would be a rough approximation.
So Mo Hua would then cross-reference it against his personal "Secondary Thunder Rune Library" and shortlist similar-looking runes for trial and error…
All Tier-Two Thunder Runes belonged to the same general category.
With over a hundred of them in his collection, at least one should match the seal rune used to lock the Broken Gold jade slip.
Even if none were exact, as long as the rune type was in the right category, he could tweak it slightly and test each variation.
Secondary Thunder Runes weren't precisely standardized—they weren't strictly considered formal array runes.
So as long as the general structure matched, they'd more or less work as a "key."
Like two similar keys—different, but still capable of unlocking the same lock.
The only issue: this process couldn't be done on the Dao Stele inside his sea of consciousness.
It had to be tested in real-world conditions—using Mystic Calculations and Derivation Techniques in tandem.
Which meant Mo Hua had to proceed cautiously—testing bit by bit, making sure the burden on his sea of consciousness didn't become too great and cause divine sense damage.
A few days later, through the fusion of algorithms, Mo Hua sensed traces of Secondary Thunder Flow.
After spending half a day analyzing it, he simplified it into a few candidate Secondary Thunder Runes.
Then, over the next two days, he combed through his jade slip collection and picked out a few closely matching runes.
Mo Hua treated these as potential seal runes and began testing each one against the Broken Gold jade slip.
The results were… surprisingly smooth.
After about a dozen tries, he heard a faint "zzzzip—", followed by a weak surge of thunder, and sensed the magnetic flow shifting.
At the same time—
The mist on the jade slip cleared.
The unstable magnetic script used to seal the slip faded away one by one, revealing five brilliant golden characters at the top:
"Broken Gold Sword Control Art!"
(End of Chapter)