Chapter 1055: Mr. Tu
Outside Yanluo Mountain.
A group of exceptional disciples had survived the calamity and were preparing to retreat.
Cheng Mo glanced left and right, then suddenly asked, "Where is our junior senior brother?"
Situ Jiandao replied, "Junior senior brother told me to let us leave first, he will come later."
Linghu Xiao frowned, "Is junior senior brother alright?"
Situ Jiandao said, "He told us not to worry, he won't be in danger."
Linghu Xiao nodded, "Then let's wait a bit for junior senior brother."
"Okay."
"We'll wait for junior senior brother to come out, then return to the sect together."
A group of Tai Xu Sect disciples gathered outside the camp where the Daoting Division was stationed, waiting to reunite with Mo Hua, but no matter how long they waited, that familiar figure did not appear.
At that moment, there was a rumbling sound in the distance, the mountain peak collapsed, and a sinister aura spread. The entrance to the Evil Dao Formation of Yanluo Mountain was sealed again.
And still, their junior senior brother hadn't appeared.
Everyone's faces changed drastically.
"Junior senior brother hasn't come out!"
"He's still in that evil demon mountain?"
They exchanged glances, their expressions extremely grave.
Situ Jian frowned in deep thought, and just then, he looked up and saw Gu Changhai with a solemn face in the distance. He immediately approached and asked,
"Gu Dian-si, where is our junior senior brother?"
Linghu Xiao, Cheng Mo, and the other Tai Xu disciples all looked at Gu Changhai with bright, expectant eyes.
Gu Changhai suddenly deeply realized the special "status" Mo Hua held in the hearts of the Tai Xu disciples.
He sighed, "Mo Hua... he stayed inside the formation."
Everyone's faces showed great shock, "Gu Dian-si... (Gu Changhuai) "
"Mo Hua... he wants to save someone."
"Save who?"
Gu Changhai shook his head.
Situ Jian and the others roughly guessed this was Daoting Division's secret and inappropriate to disclose, so they didn't press further.
But their junior senior brother was missing...
"Should we... go back to help junior senior brother?"
Situ Jian shook his head calmly, "The entrance collapsed, the formation is sealed, we can't get back in."
"And there are still so many demons..."
"Besides, even if we go back, we won't be able to help junior senior brother. We don't understand the formation; we would only become a burden..."
The Tai Xu disciples all looked somewhat downcast.
Gu Changhai said, "You... go back to the sect first. Mo Hua's safety is the responsibility of our Daoting Division."
It was hard enough to rescue these exceptional disciples; they couldn't risk any more accidents.
But Linghu Xiao shook his head resolutely, "I'll wait here. Whenever Mo Hua comes out, we'll return to the sect together."
Other Tai Xu disciples also solemnly nodded:
"If junior senior brother doesn't come out, we won't leave!"
"If we return to the sect, it will be together!"
Gu Changhai looked moved but didn't insist further.
Meanwhile, disciples from other major sects had already started leaving. But halfway through, someone asked,
"Why isn't Tai Xu Sect leaving?"
"Seems like they're waiting for Mo Hua..."
"Mo Hua?"
"Seems he's still inside the formation?"
Everyone's expressions changed, "Still inside the formation?"
"I just overheard their conversation with Daoting Division's chief. They said Mo Hua wants to save someone, so he hasn't come out yet..."
All the outstanding disciples of the sects stopped in their tracks.
Mo Hua had already saved them.
Now they were all out, but Mo Hua was still inside that eerie, terrifying Evil Dao Formation, trying to save others...
The impression of Mo Hua in their minds suddenly blurred.
Although his words could be harsh, his attitude arrogant, methods devious, and actions infuriating, he had indeed united disciples from various sects with his own strength, successfully leading everyone out of the demon's lair. And now, he was alone inside the demon's lair, selflessly sacrificing himself to save more people...
This Mo Hua didn't seem to be a "villain" after all.
Maybe quite the opposite?
Everyone's expressions fell silent.
Lingering anger, hatred, gratitude, admiration, shame — all kinds of emotions intertwined and echoed in their hearts, complex and hard to describe.
Ao Zheng from Longding Sect was the first to stay, speaking in a deep voice, "I'll stay too."
Shen Cangfeng frowned but said nothing.
Xiao Ruo was cold and still, obviously unwilling to leave alone.
As the four great sects' exceptional disciples, their pride was even stronger.
Having been resentful of Mo Hua, but now helped by him, they could not bear to abandon him and felt they would despise themselves deeply if they left.
So they stayed, not for Mo Hua, but for their own "Dao heart," for their own belief in cultivation, for sincere loyalty and integrity.
They did not want to be cowards who fled the battlefield.
Among the Eight Great Sects, Shitian Gang of the Vajra Sect slowly spoke,
"Mo Hua has done us Vajra Sect a favor, we'll wait too."
The Vajra Sect's disciples nodded.
From other sects, Qin Cangliu of Duan Jin Sect, Lu Zhenlong of Zi Xia Sect, Feng Zichen of Xiao Yao Sect, all stayed as well.
Song Jian of Duan Jin Sect was genuinely worried about Mo Hua but outwardly showed a slight sneer, pretending to be reluctantly "following the crowd."
Ye Zhiyuan of Da Luo Sect had been withdrawn ever since Mo Hua mocked him for "not flying the sword far."
Now he was unwilling to leave.
Mo Hua was his recognized rival; sooner or later he would personally use the Da Luo Flying Sword to kill Mo Hua and avenge his humiliation.
Before then, he didn't want Mo Hua to die first.
The leading outstanding disciples wouldn't leave, so naturally disciples from other sects stayed as well.
At this moment, the exceptional disciples from the Four Sects, Eight Gates, and Twelve Streams, after escaping the Blood Sacrifice Formation, all gathered outside Yanluo Mountain, silently waiting.
Their thoughts varied — some out of deep camaraderie, some for their pride as exceptional disciples, some out of gratitude, some harboring resentment, some just following the crowd...
But whatever the reason, all the outstanding disciples of the Qianxuezhou Realm sects looked toward Yanluo Mountain, silently awaiting that one figure...
…
Inside Yanluo Mountain.
The Blood Sacrifice Formation was still operating, evil aura thick and dense. Amidst the blood-stained demon lair, Mo Hua was curiously "touring" around with a curious expression.
The Blood Sacrifice Great Formation was still operating, its sinister aura thick and dense. Amid the blood-stained demon den, Mo Hua wandered around with a curious expression, "inspecting" everything.
All the demon cultivators inside Wild Goose Falls Mountain had been wiped out by the Dao Court Division; no one could disturb him while he studied this荒天 Blood Sacrifice Great Formation.
The massive army of flesh-and-blood demons relied on the blood-veins of the land to nourish themselves and could not stray too far from the mountain valley. As long as one didn't approach the valley entrance, the danger was minimal.
The evil spirits roaming in the air were even less worth worrying about.
Therefore, Mo Hua, blending within the formation, felt somewhat "like a fish in water" for a time—tearing down whatever he wanted, examining whatever he wished. There was simply no one, no demon, to stop him.
In this way, Mo Hua toured the outer perimeter again, expanding his formation thinking from the practical examples of evil formation applications and the details of formation construction, enriching his practical experience in great formation usage. He benefited greatly.
After finishing his inspection, feeling it was about right, Mo Hua turned and headed toward the secret central formation chamber.
Inside the secret formation chamber were four Golden Core evil formation masters.
Now, all four Golden Core evil formation masters were dead, their bodies left on site—limbs broken, heads severed.
This was exactly what Mo Hua had previously instructed Uncle Gu to do.
As soon as they breached Wild Goose Falls Mountain, find as many Golden Core division members as possible, sneak into this formation chamber first, kill these few Golden Core formation masters—make sure to remove their heads, and do not look them in the eyes.
First kill the formation masters in a major battle.
This was Mo Hua's experience as a senior formation master accumulated over many years.
Uncle Gu had implemented it thoroughly.
Mo Hua nodded and looked at the table.
The wine cup on the table remained, the eyes in the cup rolling. Blood seeped drop by drop from the eyes, mixing with the wine, forming a bright red pool.
Mo Hua thought for a moment but still refrained from drinking.
This thing was somewhat sinister—better not to taste it.
According to Mo Hua's guess, this was likely a method evil formation masters used to refine their formation skills by borrowing strange external items to replenish their divine awareness.
But in this world, good things don't come easily; everything comes at a price.
Evil formation masters rely on these dark items to replenish divine awareness, strengthen their recognition sea, and comprehend formations.
Or they recklessly create slaughter, using human flesh and bones to lower the formation threshold and draw more powerful formations—these all come with costs.
They would gradually sink deeper into the evil path, step by step corrupting themselves, ultimately becoming dependent on evil and forever unable to reach the true great formation Dao.
Formations must still be learned by oneself—bit by bit, practiced repeatedly, with unwavering focus and constant research. Only then does the learned knowledge truly become one's own and can be fully integrated and understood.
Sometimes shortcuts turn out to be detours.
The real "shortcut" is to persistently walk the righteous path all the way through...
Mo Hua paused in deep thought; his gaze gradually cleared, and inside, he began to discard the "temptation" of the evil formation bit by bit. Once his Dao heart was firm again, he continued to study the central formation plate before him.
This was the formation plate where the "core" formation pivot was located.
Moreover, it was a third-grade one.
Mo Hua tried to intervene in the formation pivot with his divine awareness several times but failed each time.
Although his divine awareness had reached the Golden Core realm, already having twenty marks, it seemed insufficient to control the great formation pivot.
The great formation pivot resisted his divine awareness.
Unwilling to accept this, Mo Hua calmed himself and continued to try. Using his incredibly resilient pure-gold divine awareness—tempered by Dao transformation—he bore the extremely strong burden that ordinary formation masters could not withstand, forcibly penetrating the core of the great formation to seize control of the formation pivot.
Finally, after dozens of attempts of "force brings miracles,"
the great formation pivot exceptionally acknowledged Mo Hua's divine awareness level and opened partial permissions to him.
Mo Hua's divine awareness finally intervened in the荒天 Blood Sacrifice Great Formation's pivot.
Boom—his recognition sea trembled.
Enduring the severe pain, Mo Hua slowly opened his eyes.
Before him was boundless blood-red.
Countless formation patterns resembled blood vessels, weaving outward in all directions.
Evil power flowed through these "blood vessels," connected by formation patterns, linking all aspects of the great formation, making the荒天 Blood Sacrifice Great Formation resemble a monstrous "colossal demon" slowly awakening...
Mo Hua's divine awareness communicated with the great formation. Seeing this scene, his first reaction was his own insignificance.
The blood color of the great formation stretched like a vast sea—endless and boundless.
And he was but a tiny grain in this sea of blood.
Mo Hua was shocked in his heart, suddenly realizing that his previous estimation of this great formation's scale had been a "misjudgment."
This Blood Sacrifice Great Formation was too massive, far beyond his ability to "control."
"So this is the layout of a quasi-third-grade great formation…"
Mo Hua was a little dazed. At the same time, a suffocating sense of powerlessness arose in his heart.
His previous understanding had been too "narrow," somewhat
like a frog at the bottom of a well, arrogant in his own small world.
He had thought that by manipulating the formation pivot, he could to some extent alter this Blood Sacrifice Great Formation.
But now it seemed, with such enormous scale and complicated structure, even "understanding" the formation was extremely difficult.
Mo Hua felt frustrated, but after a brief disappointment, he slowly calmed his mind.
It was right that it was so large.
It was right that the formation was complex and difficult to understand.
Only such a formation deserved to be called a great formation.
Such a level of great formation was worthy of becoming the lifelong pursuit of countless formation masters.
Even his "shallowness" and "misjudgment" were correct.
Knowing one's own insignificance is the path to becoming strong.
Only by realizing one's flaws and shortcomings can one have a direction for effort, to become stronger step by step.
"The formation path is vast and profound. There is still so much for me to learn..."
"In other words, I can still become very, very strong..."
Mo Hua looked at the vast, magnificent great formation before him, and his fighting spirit gradually rose again.
From then on, he no longer hesitated and began with the easiest-to-understand second-grade formation pivot section, dissecting and analyzing from the internal core, gradually studying this quasi-third-grade荒天 Blood Sacrifice Great Formation...
He could not comprehend the third-grade parts.
But for the second-grade formation pivot, Mo Hua could grasp about seventy to eighty percent, and by interpreting the second-grade formation pivot, he speculated about the structure and function of the third-grade pivot.
As the chief formation master, he took a macro perspective of the entire complex great formation's design concept.
Soon, Mo Hua immersed himself in the great formation.
The more he learned, the more profound his insights became.
But the more he learned, the more he felt how little he knew.
The deeper his comprehension, the more shallow he felt it was.
This was exactly what Mo Hua needed.
Others' praise and the fame of being the top formation master would make one arrogant, immersed in past achievements, becoming complacent.
Those meant nothing to him.
What he truly needed was unwavering dedication to formations, a "ravenous" thirst for the great Dao of formations.
Always knowing one's ignorance, always knowing one's shallowness, only then can one grow stronger forever, always pursuing one's "Dao"...
Time passed bit by bit.
Mo Hua immersed in studying the great formation, feeling his understanding grow richer, sometimes becoming utterly absorbed.
He did not know how long passed when suddenly he felt a chill down his back.
Even the room's temperature had turned significantly colder.
He withdrew his divine awareness from the formation pivot and turned to look—behind him stood someone, unknown when they arrived, tall and thin, cold and terrifying aura, cultivation unfathomable, and bearing a strong evil god's presence.
Mr. Tu...
The air froze momentarily.
Mo Hua tilted his head back to look at Mr. Tu.
Mr. Tu lowered his head, looking at Mo Hua.
The two stared at each other for a long time. After a moment, Mr. Tu slowly spoke, his voice like a night owl's:
"Understand it?"
Mo Hua shook his head, honestly saying:
"Too difficult, can't really get it..."
Mr. Tu's deathly pale eyes contracted slightly.
Then he turned to look at the headless corpse inside the room, released his cold divine awareness, sweeping across the Wild Goose Falls Mountain surroundings. His expression instantly turned grim as he looked at Mo Hua and asked:
"Where is the evil formation master I raised?"
Mo Hua whispered, "It seems… they're all dead…"
Bloodshot veins bulged in Mr. Tu's eyes, floating like parasites.
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly waved his hand, saying:
"It's nothing to do with me, they were killed by the Dao Court Division!"
"Uncle Gu brought the Dao Court Division, broke through Yanluo Mountain, and slaughtered all the evil formation masters!"
Mo Hua credited everything to Gu Changhuai.
Blood energy surged around Mr. Tu, his voice low and hoarse like a demon beast's roar.
"Gu Changhuai——"
Indeed, several Golden Core evil formation masters in the room whose heads were severed were cut by wind blades, and they died at Gu Changhuai's hands.
As for the other evil formation masters, there was no need to say more.
Even if Gu Changhuai hadn't personally dealt the blows, they were still killed by the Dao Court Division.
"This Gu Changhuai, time and again, ruins my grand plans. Had I known, I shouldn't have held back so much, I should have killed him at all costs…"
Mr. Tu thought to himself.
Although he did not understand how Gu Changhuai managed all this — how he broke through the great formation's blockade, entered the valley, killed the evil formation masters he had painstakingly cultivated, and even saved the sacrifices —
Just thinking that Gu Changhuai was an agent appointed by the "Great Void Fierce God" gradually made Mr. Tu understand.
To be chosen by the Fierce God to serve as a divine agent, one must have extraordinary abilities and strategies far beyond ordinary people.
It wasn't strange to accomplish things beyond common folk.
Moreover, Gu Changhuai had always been opposing the Divine Lord, and had never been an easy opponent from the start.
But thinking of the formation masters he had raised being completely wiped out, And most of the elite sacrifices he had captured had escaped, Mr. Tu's face darkened, his features contorted, and then his bloodshot trembling eyes fixed on Mo Hua.
After all, if bad things were to be said, this head of the formation path in the Great Void Sect was no less troublesome.
If not for him, there wouldn't have been a need to hastily activate the Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation.
Many previous troubles also bore the shadow of this brat called "Mo Hua"…
Those lingering physical and spiritual scars from the Divine Lord's punishments caused by failed schemes began to ache again.
An uncontrollable murderous intent gleamed in Mr. Tu's eyes.
Mo Hua sensed the killing intent and immediately became serious, saying:
"Those who accomplish great things must stay calm. They must learn to control their emotions and never let anger cloud their judgment, or it will cause disaster."
Mr. Tu's chest tightened, his face twisted.
After a moment, he scrutinized Mo Hua with a fierce gaze and asked, "Do you know who I am?"
Mo Hua shook his head, "You're just some evil demon path, I don't care who you are."
Mr. Tu sneered, "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Mo Hua looked confident, "You wouldn't dare kill me!"
"Why?"
Mo Hua snorted coldly, "I'm the head of the formation path of the Great Void Sect, protected by the Ancestor. The Dao Court Division is nearby. If you don't provoke me, fine — I'll pretend I never saw you and won't give you trouble. But if you harm me, my Ancestor in the Great Void Sect will make you vanish without a trace."
His words were arrogant and defiant, but Mr. Tu did not doubt them.
This kid named Mo Hua really held that position in the Great Void Sect.
But still...
Mr. Tu asked, "Isn't this valley only inhabited by you? No Dao Court Division, no Ancestor around? Don't you know that?"
"My Ancestor protects me… How could I let you see through that?"
Mo Hua's expression remained normal and calm, but he used his spiritual awareness to control his calf, causing a subtle tremor.
This "forced calm" display was not lost on an experienced old demon like Mr. Tu.
At Mo Hua's age, having such composure was already decent.
But ultimately, he was still too inexperienced — controlled his expression but not his body, revealing the cowardice within…
Mr. Tu sneered slowly, "Let me guess…"
"The Dao Court Division did come to save you… but you're a formation master who believes yourself very skilled, thinking there's no formation you can't learn, even a great formation. So secretly, you slipped here, wanting to study this荒天血祭大陣 (Wasteland Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation) on your own…"
"After all, it's a grand formation, and you can't stop being obsessed. But since it's an evil formation, you don't want others to know."
"But the problem is, this valley is full of countless blood-flesh demons, and the Dao Court Division can't stay long."
"You wasted time, and by the time you realized it, everyone else had withdrawn — only you remain in this valley…"
"Now, no one is coming to save you…"
Mr. Tu's tone was icy. With each sentence, Mo Hua's face paled more, as if Mr. Tu had pierced through all his plans.
"You… you're talking nonsense… you… you're just guessing wrong…"
Mo Hua spoke nervously.
He spoke the truth — Mr. Tu was indeed guessing wildly, not a single guess correct.
Unfortunately, Mr. Tu wouldn't listen to the truth. He only saw Mo Hua's panic and rambling.
Words can lie, but instincts do not.
Mr. Tu sneered, not actually intending to kill Mo Hua.
This Mo Hua was a very valuable "chip," useful if kept alive.
Moreover, he had some reservations and did not dare to kill Mo Hua, at least not yet…
Mr. Tu looked gloomily at Mo Hua, his voice hoarse and low:
"Your little tricks won't fool me. Behave and come with me. Listen to me, and I won't kill you."
"If not, I will tear you open, gut you, rip out your intestines and heart, forge you into a demon puppet, trapped in life and death outside reincarnation."
Mo Hua's face was fearful and unwilling, but he could only nod obediently.
"As long as you don't kill me, I'll listen to you…"
Mr. Tu slightly nodded, then turned to leave. Suddenly, his heart jolted with suspicion:
"Is this kid lying to me?"
Mr. Tu's cold eyes looked again at Mo Hua.
The expression was genuine — the forced calmness, the arrogance mixed with guilt. If it were acting, the kid's scheming was too deep, and the acting was too good.
As the saying goes, a wealthy child doesn't sit in the hallway.
With this kid's status and identity, there was no need to risk coming here personally and falling into his hands.
But still, it was all too coincidental.
Why had everyone else left, but only this kid remained alone in this demon's lair?
Why?
Could it be... the Divine Lord?!
Mr. Tu suddenly realized, then everything clicked.
This was the Divine Lord manipulating fate behind the scenes.
The Divine Lord knew this kid carried a great fate and knew this kid was the key to His resurrection, but until now, this kid had been in the Great Void Sect, heavily protected, no chance to act.
Now this kid was trapped in the Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation, disturbed by its evil aura, his fate was in chaos.
No one was guarding his fate.
So the Divine Lord's power took advantage of this, using the kid's obsession and delusions about the evil grand formation to intercept his fate and his entire being.
Everything was the Divine Lord's revelation!
The Divine Lord was secretly controlling everything!
Mr. Tu let out a long breath, his faith in the Divine Lord growing stronger, increasingly awed by the divine mystery.
As for the threat this kid posed…
Inside the Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation, everything was under the Divine Lord's protection.
And this kid himself was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
His realm was at this level, still under Mr. Tu's nose.
"I'm a great transcendent, how could I die at the hands of a single Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
Mr. Tu sneered bitterly at himself.
After pondering, he stretched out his pale palm, blood streaks forming from his fingertips, merging into the formation pivot before him. The pivot changed as blood strands seeped into the stone wall, transforming the entire wall into flesh and blood.
The entire formation pivot stone wall, like the blood-and-flesh jaws of a demon, slowly opened, revealing a dark and deep passage behind.
"Follow me."
Mr. Tu ordered, then stepped into the bloody passage.
Mo Hua nodded, utterly despairing, but obediently followed Mr. Tu into the bloody demon's maw.
(End of this Chapter)