Chapter 1054: War (Great Battle)
Although they had worked together for a long time and had developed a tacit understanding, Gu Changhuai had a strong feeling that the person who sent the message must be Mo Hua. But given the gravity of the situation, he still had to verify it carefully.
"You are... Mo Hua?"
As soon as these few words took form as ink patterns, Gu Changhuai erased them.
That question was too direct.
If the person on the other side wasn't Mo Hua, it would alert the demonic cultivators.
If it was Mo Hua, it might reveal his whereabouts and put him in danger.
Gu Changhuai thought for a moment and instead sent this message:
"Fire Buddha... was it you who killed him?"
Inside the Blood Sacrifice Hall, after Mo Hua "mass sent" the message, he waited for a long time until he suddenly received this response. His eyes lit up immediately and he replied:
"Yes!"
"Fireball! Pierced his chest!"
The Fire Buddha had died after Mo Hua caught him off guard and used a forbidden technique of falling fire to blast through his chest.
Only he and Uncle Gu knew what those words meant.
Seeing this reply, Gu Changhuai's expression brightened. A huge stone dropped from his chest, and he felt a great sense of relief.
Thank goodness... Mo Hua wasn't dead.
If he could send a message, the situation couldn't be that bad.
Gu Changhuai could now be almost certain that it was indeed Mo Hua using some unknown means to contact him.
But Mo Hua, on the other hand, wasn't sure if the person on the other end was really his Uncle Gu.
After thinking for a moment, he decided he should also verify it. So he asked in return:
"Who was your last blind date with?"
Gu Changhuai, who had just felt relieved, instantly had a dark look on his face.
Beside him, Chief Xiatian glanced over with autumn-water-like eyes.
Gu Changhuai could only respond with a grim expression and one word:
"Hua."
Mo Hua nodded.
Confirmed. It was Uncle Gu.
Since the "password" matched, Mo Hua didn't waste words and sent another message:
"I'm in Yanluo Mountain, along with most of the disciples from the Four Sects, Eight Clans, and Twelve Streams."
"Yanluo Mountain is the site of the Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice Formation. There are countless monsters bred within the valley, and the stone bridge is isolated and impassable—we can't get out…"
Mo Hua briefly summarized the situation in clear terms.
Gu Changhuai replied, "Outside the formation, demonic energy is everywhere, and blood swamps cover the ground. The blood flows into the mountain and soaks the stones until they seem like the flesh of demonic beasts. We can't find the entrance or break through."
Mo Hua said, "No problem. I'll give you a map."
Without hesitation, Mo Hua began converting magnetic patterns into ink patterns, transmitting the overall structure of the formation and the terrain of Yanluo Mountain to Gu Changhuai.
The Transmission Talisman had a limited capacity for magnetic energy, so Mo Hua could only send it bit by bit.
After receiving the pieces, Gu Changhuai pieced them together into a grand and complex formation map of Yanluo Mountain.
He was deeply shaken.
Even the other Chief Inspectors found it hard to believe.
They had exhausted all efforts and fought hundreds of battles with demonic cultivators over the course of several days, yet couldn't break in. And now, with just a single message, they had the entire formation map?
This map was too confidential, yet it had been obtained too easily—it all felt unreal.
Many of the Chief Inspectors present had been urgently transferred from other regions of Qianzhou or the Central Dao Court and weren't familiar with the local terrain. Most of them remained skeptical.
"Is this map really reliable?"
"Could it be a demonic trap? Are they trying to lure us in to wipe us out?"
"Should we consider this more carefully?"
"This is a serious matter—we shouldn't act rashly…"
The crowd hesitated.
But Gu Changhuai said, "There's no need. We'll proceed according to this map. If anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility."
One of the Chief Inspectors replied coolly, "Chief Gu, I'm afraid you alone can't bear that responsibility…"
Gu Changhuai frowned.
Chief Xiatian's gaze darkened. "Then count me in as well. This map was obtained by Chief Gu, and I'll stand with him. If anything goes wrong, we'll take responsibility together."
The others exchanged glances and nodded:
"Very well."
They weren't necessarily doubting the authenticity of the map.
Given the current overwhelming demonic energy and dire situation, they had to act quickly to rescue the geniuses of Qianxue. This map was their only lead—real or not, it had to be the basis of their strategy.
Even if it was a trap, they had no choice but to risk it.
But someone had to take responsibility.
Gu Changhuai was from the Gu Clan, which alone might not carry enough weight.
But Xiatian was different—she represented the Xia Clan of Daozhou.
The Xia Clan was a powerful dragon, while the Gu Clan was a local serpent. Together, they made the most stable and balanced force to shoulder this responsibility.
If anything went wrong with the formation map, the responsibility would fall on Chief Xiatian, Chief Gu, and their respective clans.
That was the risk.
But if the map proved accurate, and they succeeded in rescuing the trapped disciples, the greatest merit of this mission would naturally belong to Chief Xiatian and Chief Gu.
All the other Chief Inspectors understood this clearly, and none felt it unfair.
Such is the way of the world—if you want rewards, you must take risks.
Those who can bear risk, reap rewards.
And most of these Chief Inspectors had been externally transferred—they weren't originally part of the Dao Court's system in Qianxue. If something went wrong, there'd be someone to take the blame. If things went well, they could still claim a share of the credit. That was enough for them.
Gu Changhuai glanced at Chief Xiatian in slight surprise.
She looked up. Their eyes met. They said nothing, but shared an unspoken understanding.
Gu Changhuai trusted Mo Hua.
And after everything that had happened, so did Chief Xiatian.
Gu Changhuai straightened up with determination and said, "Then it's settled."
"Chief Xiatian and I will take full responsibility. We'll formulate our attack plan based on this formation map."
"Mobilize all personnel. Spare no expense. We must rescue all disciples of Qianxue in the shortest possible time!"
"Agreed!"
"Everything will follow Chief Gu's orders."
The Dao Court side immediately began organizing in full swing.
Later, Mo Hua supplemented some additional details and said:
"These are the key points…"
"The map of the formation and terrain is something I simulated based on the formation's core. It should be mostly accurate, but there may be slight differences in the exact terrain. Uncle Gu, please be careful and verify as needed."
Gu Changhuai replied, "Got it. Be careful yourself."
Mo Hua asked, "No problem, right?"
Gu Changhuai replied with just two words: "Don't worry."
Mo Hua nodded.
Uncle Gu was usually quite reliable.
Given how important the Qianxue disciples were, the Dao Court would definitely take this seriously. They wouldn't lack manpower or resources—they just didn't understand the enemy's situation, which was why they couldn't break through.
Now that he had delivered the map, Uncle Gu should know what to do.
Having handed over the responsibility, Mo Hua felt a lot more relaxed.
"A gentleman is not different by nature, but good at making use of external help."
Being able to find help—and the right people to help—is a skill in itself.
And the Dao Court was probably more anxious than he was about this.
After making all the necessary arrangements, Mo Hua turned to the others and said:
"Guard the main hall well. I've already called the Dao Court (Tribunal) to come rescue us."
The disciples of the Taixu Sect weren't surprised.
The other sect disciples, while relieved, couldn't help but marvel inwardly — this Mo Hua was truly unconventional. Trapped inside a grand formation that was supposed to be "cut off from the world," he had still managed to get help from the outside.
Afterward, Mo Hua gave the group a few more instructions.
Nothing else happened after that, and everyone quietly waited.
Mo Hua sat in meditation, restoring his spiritual sense, though his mind was still filled with many doubts.
Foremost among them was the mysterious "Mr. Tu."
To this day, he had not seen even a glimpse of Mr. Tu's figure.
"Why?"
"Is this Mr. Tu not even at Yanluo Mountain?"
"Was he entangled by other powerful figures from the Dao Tribunal, aristocratic families, or major sects?"
"Or is he plotting something else entirely?"
Among the evil god's minions, was Mr. Tu the strongest cultivator?
Were there any other demonic cultivators at the Nascent Soul (Feather Transformation) stage?
Or perhaps even someone at the Void Fusion level had secretly defected to the Great Wilderness Evil God?
Was this entire Blood Sacrifice Formation truly only what he had seen so far?
Aside from Yanluo Mountain, was there a more central core area of the formation?
And where exactly was the formation eye...
…
The more Mo Hua thought about it, the more he felt there were deeper secrets hidden within, ones he did not yet understand.
But trapped in one corner of the Blood Sacrifice Formation, unable to grasp the whole picture, he had no way to investigate.
Moreover, the many Qianxue disciples here were, to him, a kind of "burden."
Until he got them out safely, he couldn't feel at ease.
Just then, the Dao Tribunal — long criticized for being "overstaffed," "bureaucratic," and "slow to act" — gathered their forces with thunderous speed. Led by nearly fifty Golden Core cultivators, they launched an assault on Yanluo Mountain.
At such a critical moment, no one dared to slack off or make a single mistake.
In moments, the battle began. Countless Golden Core magical treasures, spiritual weapons, swords and blades charged deep into Yanluo Mountain along the route mapped by Mo Hua.
Booming sounds echoed as powerful spiritual energy surged.
Under blade and spell, demonic cultivators began to fall one by one. The Dao Tribunal also suffered injuries and casualties. The battlefield was both grand and tragic...
But this was a scene Mo Hua, inside Yanluo Mountain, was fated not to see.
He could only feel the shaking of the mountain and the waves of spiritual energy drawing closer — using them to judge how the battlefront was progressing.
He couldn't see the exact battle, nor could he predict its course.
He couldn't even imagine how the Dao Tribunal had crossed that demonic valley.
But Mo Hua wasn't worried.
After all, the Dao Tribunal was the Dao Tribunal — experienced in hunting down demonic cultivators, full of deep-thinking, shrewd officials. If they truly wanted to act, they'd find a way.
There was no need for him to worry.
Sure enough, after some time, the evil aura trembled and the stench of blood filled the air — even drifting into the main hall.
This meant the battle had spread into the heart of the formation.
Mo Hua's expression turned solemn. "Guard the hall. Do not open the door under any circumstances."
Before long, bloody evil energy struck at the hall's entrance.
Some demonic cultivators outside were shouting curses.
Clearly, with the Dao Tribunal's assault, what was happening in this hall had already been discovered.
A demonic formation master began trying to break the formation. Even a Golden Core evil cultivator was now forcefully attacking the door.
However, the door was already sealed with a third-grade formation that was integrated with the main demonic formation.
Mo Hua had "infiltrated" into the formation core hall, killed the evil formation masters from the inside, and took control of the hall.
But to attack from the outside in — that wasn't going to be easy.
Still, Mo Hua knew the door wouldn't hold forever. All he could do was buy as much time as possible.
As expected, after a loud crash, the great door shattered.
A Golden Core demonic cultivator with demonic markings on his face, along with a Golden Core formation master and a group of demonic cultivators, stormed into the hall. When they saw the many elite Qianxue disciples before them, their expressions immediately shifted, and then turned to shock and rage:
"So it was this pack of brats who slipped through! Goddamn it…"
They didn't know how these sect brats had found a weakness and infiltrated the hall, but with the Dao Tribunal closing in, there was no time to investigate.
"Capture these prodigies and force the Dao Tribunal dogs to retreat!"
"If the Dao Tribunal doesn't back off, we'll kill these little bastards one by one!"
Ao Zheng, Shen Cangfeng, and Xiao Ruohan were furious upon hearing this.
They were all elite prodigies, highly praised since childhood — when had anyone dared call them "little bastards"?
They all burned with rage, their faces cold with killing intent, ready to charge, but were stopped by Mo Hua's sharp voice:
"Hold formation! Don't forget what I just said — focus on defense, don't think about killing!"
"These demonic bastards are destined to die eventually — they're not worth staining our hands."
Ao Zheng and the others halted.
The demonic Golden Core cultivator sneered at Mo Hua, his eyes venomous: "You arrogant little shit."
He then grinned, revealing fangs, exhaling a foul breath. He summoned a bone lantern magical treasure to shield himself, transformed into a gust of ghostly wind, and charged toward Mo Hua.
But Mo Hua was seated at the rear of the hall — in front of him stood the elite prodigies of the Four Sects, Eight Clans, and Twelve Streams.
Ao Zheng roared like a dragon, his fist blazing with dragon aura, striking the demonic cultivator.
Though it only lasted a moment, it halted the ghostly wind technique.
Next came Xiao Ruohan's sword qi — sharp and heavenly — slashing the demon's back.
Then Shen Cangfeng struck with his heavy Zangfeng Sword Qi, followed by the Five Elements spell of the Wanxiao Sect.
Further ahead came the Duanjin Sword, Guishui Sword, Lingxiao Sword, Xiaoyao Sword, Zixia Technique, Daluo Soaring Sword, and eighteen Vajra Gate prodigies as tough as iron.
The five brothers of the Tai'a Clan stood like fierce temple guardians, shielding Mo Hua.
Linghu Xiao's "Void Sword Dispelling Technique" was also ready to be unleashed.
The elite prodigies of the Four Sects and Eight Clans — hundreds of them — interwove their top-tier techniques into a "Great Wall of Prodigies" standing firm before Mo Hua. No matter how terrifying that demonic Golden Core cultivator was, he couldn't take a single step forward.
Getting close to Mo Hua was impossible — killing him was even more so.
The demonic Golden Core immediately sensed things were going badly.
If these prodigies had fought separately, regardless of their talent or heritage, they'd still be helpless before a slaughter-hardened Golden Core demon like him.
But damn it — these Four Sects, Eight Clans, and Twelve Streams prodigies had actually set aside their sect rivalries, joining forces like an iron wall. That was a nightmare.
Who had the influence to unite such arrogant geniuses?
The demon's bloody eyes glanced at Mo Hua in the back, now showing a trace of fear.
"Kill them all!"
He dared not delay and ordered all the evil cultivators to attack Mo Hua and his group.
But Mo Hua had already prepared everything. The ground was covered in formations.
Those who had been trapped and nearly slain by Mo Hua in the Shura Sword Trials were now, under his command and assisted by his formations, launching a fierce counterattack against the demonic cultivators.
Everyone felt a mix of emotions — both tense and oddly at ease.
Mo Hua's formations were incredibly powerful. Under their support, these already brilliant prodigies became even stronger.
Linghu Xiao and others even donned Five Elements Source Armor. Empowered by elemental forces, they unleashed devastating spiritual power, driving back the demonic cultivators.
Only the demonic Golden Core, using sheer cultivation level suppression, could go head-to-head against their combined might.
But that was all.
Even as a Golden Core, he couldn't breach their ironclad line — couldn't even take a bite out of this wall of prodigies.
Mo Hua never gave him the chance.
"Defend, don't kill" — that was the rule he had set.
Thinking of killing leads to recklessness, recklessness reveals openings, and openings mean death.
But if they just defended and waited for Dao Tribunal reinforcements, none of them would die — and none of the demons would escape either.
And everything happened just as Mo Hua had predicted.
No matter how frenzied the demons became, they couldn't break through Mo Hua's defense.
In fact, many were killed by Linghu Xiao's sword qi because of their reckless charges.
As time passed, the Dao Tribunal reinforcements finally arrived.
The demonic formation at Yanluo Mountain now faced both internal and external threats.
The demons were now surrounded from both front and rear.
Dozens of Golden Core cultivators from the Dao Tribunal charged into the demonic ranks and began a wholesale massacre.
The demonic Golden Core, despite his formidable strength and powerful techniques, couldn't withstand the joint onslaught. Soon, he was pierced through the throat by an ice sword, his chest torn open by wind blades, and stabbed to death by countless swords.
All the demonic formation masters were also slain.
Thus, the demonic cultivators within Yanluo Mountain were completely wiped out.
Gu Changhuai and the other Golden Core supervisors saw the intact Mo Hua, as well as the sect prodigies, and all felt a huge weight lift from their hearts — that enormous stone pressing down on them, almost suffocating them, slowly fell away.
"Uncle Gu," Mo Hua greeted.
Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua deeply, both relieved, grateful, and thankful, and asked, "Are you alright?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded.
Gu Changhuai didn't bother with small talk and said in a low voice, "This is no place to talk, leave quickly."
"Alright."
So the Dao Court's Golden Core supervisors escorted Mo Hua and the sect prodigies, leaving the Formation Core Hall and heading outside Yanluo Mountain.
The way was bloody, with scattered corpses of demonic cultivators.
At the valley, the shouts and battle cries still never ceased, and the stench of rot and blood filled the air.
Mo Hua looked over and was shocked.
Above the valley of demons and monsters, the stone bridge had already been destroyed, and on the nearby cliff wall, the Dao Court had embedded chains with hooks into the rock, pulling out a simple hanging rope bridge pressed against the cliff, connecting both ends of the valley.
The Dao Court cultivators crossed the valley using this "rope bridge."
But this clearly angered the monsters below the valley floor.
Countless deformed flesh-and-blood demons surged like a tide from the valley bottom, attacking the Dao Court cultivators.
Some Golden Core supervisors had to continuously cast spells, sword techniques, or activate magical treasures to strangle these demons and protect the rope bridge.
The scene was bloody and spectacular.
"Quick, go along the rope bridge and get out..." Gu Changhuai said gravely.
There were just too many monsters in the valley. Even though they were Golden Core cultivators, they could never kill them all.
So they could only temporarily suppress the demons and desperately guard the rope bridge, to get everyone out as fast as possible.
Otherwise, if trapped here, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The situation was urgent; everyone understood the severity, so no one delayed and all proceeded orderly, following Gu Changhuai's orders, stepping on the rope bridge, accelerating their movement techniques, and quickly withdrawing outside the valley.
Mo Hua stayed at the rear to cover the retreat.
The evil energy inside the great formation easily polluted people's spiritual seas, so the other disciples needed to evacuate as fast as possible — the sooner, the better. Delay would cause disaster.
But the evil energy didn't affect Mo Hua, so he was unconcerned.
The Dao Court's Golden Core cultivators kept suppressing the flesh demons below.
The sect disciples stepped onto the rope bridge, leaving Yanluo Mountain one after another.
Mo Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter what, the goal was achieved — the people were rescued, the junior brothers were safe, and he was ready to leave.
Although there were still many secrets in the Archaic Blood Sacrifice Formation that he hadn't figured out, there was no time to dwell on them now.
Just as Mo Hua prepared to leave, he caught sight of Gu Changhuai's repressed expression in the corner of his eye — as if he had other worries.
Mo Hua was startled and asked, "Uncle Gu, is something wrong?"
Gu Changhuai was a bit surprised, hesitated, then shook his head, "Nothing."
Mo Hua frowned.
From what he knew of Uncle Gu, there definitely was something.
But Uncle Gu wouldn't say...
Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. He looked up at the sky, pressed his fingers together, calculated quickly in his heart, and his expression changed. He turned and asked Gu Changhuai:
"Uncle Gu, where is Yu'er?"
Gu Changhuai's face showed shock, staring at Mo Hua with disbelief.
Mo Hua pressed further, "Did something happen?"
Gu Changhuai's expression darkened, "Yu'er... was taken..."
"By whom?"
"Shangguan Wang..."
The Shangguan family's true elder at the Ascension realm...
Mo Hua's brow twitched. After thinking for a moment, he nodded slightly, "I understand."
Gu Changhuai sighed, "Let's leave first. Yu'er's whereabouts are unknown, no matter how we search we can't find her, and Shangguan Wang has also disappeared. This matter... requires careful long-term planning."
"Mm."
Mo Hua nodded and followed Gu Changhuai out, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said slowly:
"Uncle Gu, you go back first. I'll stay."
Gu Changhuai's eyes flickered, frowning, "What do you intend to do?"
Mo Hua shook his head, "Time is tight, no time to explain. But... once we leave, Yu'er can never be saved."
Gu Changhuai's frown deepened.
He didn't understand the reason, but he trusted Mo Hua, so with determined eyes he said, "Then I'll stay too."
But Mo Hua shook his head again, "If I stay, I won't die. If you stay, you will surely die. No one except me can survive here..."
Gu Changhuai's heart trembled, "Mo Hua, you..."
"Uncle Gu, you must leave quickly. If you don't, it will be too late," Mo Hua said.
Gu Changhuai hesitated, but from the other side someone shouted, "Supervisor Gu, hurry! More and more demons are coming, the rope bridge is about to break!"
Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua with pain.
Mo Hua smiled slightly, touching the Two-Poles Void Lock around his neck, "This was given to me by the ancestor, it can protect me completely, Uncle Gu, you don't have to worry."
Gu Changhuai still wasn't at ease.
Mo Hua added, "Then do me a favor. When you get out, tell everyone to kill any evil formation masters they meet. The more formation masters die, the safer I'll be."
Gu Changhuai was silent for a moment, then nodded, but still pursed his lips tightly, his gaze painful — it seemed he didn't want to leave Mo Hua alone.
"Go," Mo Hua said.
Gu Changhuai's heart was torn. Finally, he took a deep breath and said to Mo Hua, "I'll try to kill all the evil formation masters. You... take care of yourself."
"Mm."
Only then did Gu Changhuai grit his teeth, decisively turn, and step onto the rope bridge, his silhouette bleak but resolute as he left Yanluo Mountain.
After he left, the Dao Court's Golden Core cultivators could no longer suppress the demonic tide.
Countless flesh demons crawled up the cliff wall, attacking the Dao Court cultivators.
The rope bridge above was gnawed by demons, breaking bit by bit, falling into the dark abyss.
The only path of escape was completely cut off.
At the valley mouth, Gu Changhuai looked back, and could only see, at the far end of the valley, through the darkness and bloodlight, a faint and familiar solitary figure.
But soon that figure was swallowed by the endless tide of flesh demons, vanishing completely...
(End of this Chapter)