Chapter 635: Clan Extermination

Mo Hua's pupils constricted.

Annihilated?!

The Xie family?

"The Xie family in Bi Shan City, aren't they..."

Murong Caiyun nodded, "It's the second-rank Xie family we encountered that day when we went to apprehend the traitor from the Duan Jin Sect."

Mo Hua remembered.

That day, he, Senior Sister Murong, and Senior Brother Feng had accepted a mission to go to Bi Shan City to apprehend a traitor from the Duan Jin Sect.

The traitor, it was said, had stolen something from the Xie family and vanished without a trace. Since the Xie family couldn't catch him, they issued the mission to the sect.

The Xie family had gone to great lengths, sealing off the city and searching the streets to catch the person.

But for some unknown reason, the merit points awarded were very few.

And that traitor was indeed difficult to catch.

As if recalling that scene, a shiver ran down Mo Hua's spine.

Alongside his sympathy, Mo Hua felt some confusion:

When he left Bi Shan City, Mo Hua had a vague feeling that the matter wasn't over.

Catching him had also taken a lot of effort.

"There are rumors that the Fire Buddha annihilated the entire Xie family as a sacrifice for cultivating evil techniques..."

"In the boundless karmic fire, the culprit, the Fire Buddha, wore a kasaya, his eyes blazing red, chanting Buddhist mantras, his face expressing cold compassion..."

"The entire Xie family is dead..."

"Logically, how could the Fire Buddha possibly kill every single cultivator in a family..."

"Even more ridiculous is that some people, unable to distinguish right from wrong, say that the Xie family was annihilated because they committed many unrighteous deeds, and the Fire Buddha's killing was acting on behalf of heaven..."

"But the fact is..."

"According to the cultivators in Bi Shan City, that night, the entire Xie family mansion was engulfed in a sea of fire, blood stained half the sky red, and all the cultivators of the Xie family, like evil spirits in purgatory, were killed, dismembered, and then reduced to scorched ashes in the karmic fire..."

"Senior Sister, why was the Xie family annihilated by the Fire Buddha?"

"What kind of rumors?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

Mo Hua asked in a low voice:

"Some say the Xie family had offended the Fire Buddha back then, incurring a grudge, and the Fire Buddha's visit was for revenge..."

The traitor's disguise technique was very subtle, sometimes male, sometimes female, sometimes an old woman, sometimes a dwarf. When they caught him, he looked like a big man.

The strange thing about this matter was...

Murong Caiyun shook her head, "I don't know either. The Dao Ting Division is still investigating, and the rumors outside aren't very reliable."

Murong Caiyun sighed softly, "No..."

Murong Caiyun let out a deep sigh, her expression extremely solemn.

"There are also rumors that the Xie family head back then stole a woman the Fire Buddha was fond of, causing the Fire Buddha to become disheartened and become a demon monk. Now that his techniques are perfected, he sacrificed the lives of the entire Xie family to commemorate his beloved woman..."

"No matter how weak the Xie family is, they are still one of the top cultivation families in Bi Shan City..."

"This matter is very strange..."

"There's every kind of rumor..."

"No matter how strong the Fire Buddha is, he is only a second-rank罪修 (zui xiu - criminal cultivator)."

"The Xie family is at least a second-rank family, with quite a few cultivators. Even if they were no match, they could at least hold on for a while, and surely one or two could have escaped..."

And the power of that Fallen Fire technique might also be much more terrifying than he imagined...

He cultivated the "Dun Jin Jue" movement technique of the Duan Jin Sect and was proficient in "disguise." He disguised himself as a woman and hid in a brothel that masqueraded as a restaurant, selling dog meat under a sheep's head.

Murong Caiyun raised her fair fingers and counted them one by one for Mo Hua...

"Rumors arise with the wind; no one knows exactly what happened..." Murong Caiyun said, shaking her head.

"Some say the Fire Buddha colluded with the Xie family, and because of an uneven distribution of spoils, he launched a killing spree and massacred the entire Xie family..."

He had no idea what his original appearance was.

Moreover, Mo Hua didn't know what exactly the traitor had stolen from the Xie family.

His divine sense could only perceive the presence of spiritual power, not the physical appearance of flesh and blood.

Therefore, although Mo Hua's divine sense was strong and could identify the traitor's spiritual power, he couldn't reconstruct the traitor's physical appearance beyond their spiritual power.

"Didn't the Xie family resist?"

But he didn't expect it to begin with the "annihilation" of the Xie family...

Mo Hua frowned, then felt a pang of sympathy, and asked:

"Really... not a single survivor was left?"

Murong Caiyun's gaze narrowed slightly, "That's what I think too..."

The Fire Buddha seemed much more dangerous than he had imagined...

Mo Hua thought of "Qiao Lao Wu," "Yin Lei Zi," and the other two, and then asked doubtfully, "Did the Fire Buddha... have accomplices?"

Annihilating an entire family was something he might not be able to do alone.

"I don't know about that..."

Murong Caiyun shook her head, "The annihilation of a family is a brutal act with extremely negative consequences. The Dao Ting Division will seal off information, and no clues will be released to the public."

"Have there been any previous cases of family annihilation?" Mo Hua asked.

Murong Caiyun thought for a moment before speaking, "Very few... The last time, it seems, was more than a hundred years ago, when a small family was annihilated by evil cultivators..."

"I don't know the specifics; I only heard about it from my aunt."

"Because the nature of that annihilation was so恶劣 (e lie - heinous), some small families were panic-stricken. The upper levels of the Dao Ting Division were furious and dispatched a large number of Dian Si and Zhi Si to search for those evil cultivators day and night."

"Ultimately, that group of罪修 (zui xiu - criminal cultivators) were all captured and executed by slicing using a formation, and their bodies were publicly displayed as a warning to others..."

"After that, there haven't been many reported cases of family annihilation."

"And now, there's the matter of the Xie family being annihilated by the Fire Buddha..."

"This kind of event will also shake people's hearts, so until the罪修 (zui xiu - criminal cultivator) is apprehended and the truth is clarified, the Dao Ting Division will not reveal any information."

"Then..." Mo Hua said in a low voice, "Will the Dao Ting Division issue a bounty to the sects to apprehend the Fire Buddha?"

"No." Murong Caiyun stated definitively.

"No?" Mo Hua was a little disappointed.

"Yes."

Murong Caiyun nodded and explained:

"This kind of thing is too dangerous..."

"The bounties issued by the Dao Ting Division are generally for apprehending罪修 (zui xiu - criminal cultivators) in the early to mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm. Although their strength is not weak, they can be dealt with through the cooperation of sect disciples."

"The Fire Buddha is different. The Dao Ting Division dare not issue missions for such a murderous and extremely dangerous罪修 (zui xiu - criminal cultivator) to the sects."

"Most sect disciples come from aristocratic families, and if anything goes wrong, the Dao Ting Division will be held accountable."

"Furthermore, since it involves family annihilation, the Dao Ting Division will not reveal any information for the sake of secrecy."

"At most, after the Fire Buddha is captured and the matter is settled, they might issue some missions to let sect disciples help catch any stragglers..."

"Oh..."

Mo Hua nodded, looking thoughtful, not knowing what he was thinking.

Murong Caiyun glanced at Mo Hua and warned:

"Don't get any wild ideas..."

Mo Hua was startled.

Murong Caiyun then said, "Are you... interested in the Fire Buddha?"

"Sort of..."

Mo Hua said vaguely.

He wasn't exactly interested in the Fire Buddha, but primarily in the Fire Buddha's forbidden techniques.

Seeing the slight glimmer in Mo Hua's eyes, Murong Caiyun said helplessly:

"Apprehending the Fire Buddha is the Dao Ting Division's business; there's no room for us to interfere."

"Moreover, this matter is extremely dangerous. If you fall into the Fire Buddha's hands, it's likely to be more bad than good. You might escape from the Fire Buddha once, but you might not escape a second time..."

Murong Caiyun looked worried, "So, whatever you do, don't take risks and get involved in this messy business..."

Mo Hua thought seriously for a moment and said solemnly:

"Senior Sister, don't worry!"

After Murong Caiyun left, Mo Hua pondered about the Fire Buddha.

Senior Sister was right; this matter was indeed too dangerous.

But forbidden techniques are not easy to obtain, and merit points cannot be exchanged for them.

Furthermore, the Fire Buddha's Fallen Fire technique is a fire-attribute forbidden technique, with two flames burning fiercely within him, like hearts.

This is very likely the key to his research on the collision of fireballs, the collapse of spell formulas, and the fusion of spiritual power.

If there was a chance, he must get this Fallen Fire technique!

Once he missed it, he wouldn't know when he would encounter it again.

He just had to be extremely cautious.

And protect his little life.

He still had to support his parents in their old age!

Mo Hua frowned and began to think seriously:

"But how can I get the spell formula for the Fallen Fire technique?"

Catch the Fire Buddha before the Dao Ting Division?

Once the Dao Ting Division catches the Fire Buddha, even if the Fire Buddha reveals the spell formula for the 《Fallen Fire Technique》, he would not be able to obtain this forbidden technique.

The Dao Ting Division could not possibly give a dangerous forbidden technique to a mere disciple of the Tai Xu Sect like himself.

Furthermore, given the Fire Buddha's behavior, he would likely choose to "perish together like jade and stone" rather than hand over the forbidden technique.

As soon as the Fire Buddha was captured, this fire-attribute forbidden technique would be buried with him.

"Catch the Fire Buddha before the Dao Ting Division? Or just kill the Fire Buddha and search his body?"

How to kill him?

Kill him by himself?

Mo Hua thought about it and shook his head helplessly.

"Highly unlikely..."

The Fire Buddha was vigilant, and his personal cultivation, techniques, and methods were too strong.

Moreover, he had罪修 (zui xiu - criminal cultivators) like Yin Lei Zi, Xue Qiao Fu, and Gui Mian Sha as his henchmen.

Those henchmen of his were also not easy to deal with.

If he were to kill him by himself, he would probably need careful preparation, setting up an ambush in advance, and collapsing an entire first-rank grand formation to kill the late-stage Foundation Establishment Fire Buddha.

But where could he find a first-rank grand formation to collapse?

Furthermore, a first-rank grand formation costs so much; collapsing it to kill a Fire Buddha would be a terrible waste.

And the Fire Buddha is cunning and cautious; even if he set a trap, he might not fall into it.

So, he could only rely on others to kill him...

He would just assist from the side, lending a small hand.

Then, who to rely on to kill him?

Mo Hua stroked his chin, pondering in his heart...

Senior Sister Murong and Senior Brother Feng certainly couldn't do it.

His senior brother and sister were only in the mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm. Although they were talented disciples of the Eight Great Sects, compared to the late-stage Foundation Establishment Fire Buddha, who was capable of mass murder and family annihilation, they were still considerably inferior.

Whether they could win was another matter.

If they failed, they might even lose their lives.

Senior Sister Murong cared about him and didn't want him to take risks.

Similarly, he didn't want his senior brother and sister, who had helped him a lot, to face such danger.

They didn't have as many life-saving methods as he did.

Then who else?

Mo Hua thought and thought, and there was only one person who could reluctantly help kill the Fire Buddha.

That was Uncle Gu Changhuai...

A Golden Core realm cultivator and a Dian Si of the Dao Ting Division.

His identity was suitable, and his cultivation was sufficient.

And Uncle Gu seemed to have always wanted to bring the Fire Buddha to justice.

But that was also the problem. He was from the Dao Ting Division. Even if he caught the Fire Buddha and interrogated him for the 《Fallen Fire Technique》 manual, publicly or privately, it was highly unlikely that he would give it to himself.

Putting himself in "Uncle Gu's" shoes, he wouldn't give the Fallen Fire technique to the "Mo Hua" whose background he didn't know.

In his eyes, he was a "dangerous" element.

He couldn't possibly let an already "dangerous" young cultivator learn an even more "dangerous" forbidden technique...

But no matter how much Mo Hua thought, there were simply no other options.

Uncle Gu was the only candidate left.

Mo Hua sighed slightly.

"Let's take it one step at a time..."

"First, figure out how to get involved with the Dao Ting Division through Uncle Gu, inquire about clues, and pursue the Fire Buddha..."

"Then, act according to the situation and see if I can follow behind Uncle Gu and secretly get the spell formula for the 《Fallen Fire Technique》..."

For now, that was all he could do.

After that, Mo Hua continued to attend classes, cultivate, help Yu'er with her homework, draw formations, and occasionally inquire about the Fire Buddha.

But Senior Sister Murong was right.

The Dao Ting Division would indeed not assign missions regarding the Fire Buddha to the sects.

For most sect disciples, the name "Fire Buddha" was almost just a rumor, something to talk about after class.

They would never come into contact with him in their lives.

Mo Hua was helpless and could only find time to go to the Dao Ting Division to find Uncle Gu.

But the Dao Ting Division was strict, and the Dian Si's offices were not places to wander around freely.

Following the route from his memory and relying on his wit, Mo Hua managed to evade the Zhi Si along the way and reached Gu Changhuai's Dian Si office, only to find it empty.

Gu Changhuai was out, apprehending罪修 (zui xiu - criminal cultivators).

Mo Hua didn't know if Gu Changhuai was apprehending the Fire Buddha, and he couldn't find anyone to ask. In the end, he could only return empty-handed.

"No one in the Dao Ting Division, it's really inconvenient to do things..."

Mo Hua sighed.

He had to find another way.

During his ten-day break, Mo Hua had some free time, so he accompanied Yu'er back to the Gu family.

This was Yu'er's first time returning to the Gu family after entering the Tai Xu Sect.

At the entrance of the Gu family, Wen Renwan had been waiting early, with a look of anticipation.

Although sending Yu'er into the Tai Xu Sect was her idea, as a mother, she was constantly worried about Yu'er...

Worried about Yu'er's cultivation, whether she was eating well, whether she was happy, and most importantly...

Whether she could sleep peacefully without being tormented by nightmares.

Soon, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the Gu family.

Yu'er jumped out of the carriage, sweetly called out "Mother," and then scampered into Wen Renwan's arms.

Wen Renwan hugged Yu'er and was overjoyed to see Yu'er's fair skin, rosy complexion, and good spirits. And she felt heavy in her arms, as if she had recovered her vitality and even gained a little weight.

This meant that Yu'er was happy and healthy in the Tai Xu Sect, without any illnesses or disasters.

And without the intrusion of terrifying nightmares.

Wen Renwan glanced at Mo Hua, feeling grateful.

In the evening, Wen Renwan prepared a table full of delicacies, many of which Mo Hua had never eaten before.

Mo Hua ate heartily.

Yu'er also sat beside him, holding a small bowl and mimicking Mo Hua, her little cheeks puffed out.

Wen Renwan sat on the side, propping up her cheek, watching the two children, one big and one small, with a gentle smile in her eyes.

After a while, Gu Changhuai arrived.

He seemed to have just returned from the Dao Ting Division, looking dusty, but hearing that Yu'er was back, he still came to see her.

However, as soon as he entered the door, he saw Mo Hua beside Yu'er, and his expression became complicated, his scalp tingling slightly.

He felt that trouble seemed to have arrived...

"Changhuai, you just got back. It's a good time to eat something too..." Wen Renwan said gently.

Yu'er was a little reserved and said formally, "Hello, Uncle..."

Gu Changhuai's heart melted when he heard the tender "Uncle," but his expression was as stiff as ever, with a clumsy attempt to express goodwill that he couldn't quite convey.

Mo Hua just shook his head.

Wen Renwan glanced at Mo Hua, then at Gu Changhuai, understood the situation, and said with a smile:

"I'll take Yu'er for a walk outside to help with digestion..."

"Changhuai..." Wen Renwan glanced at Gu Changhuai, giving him a sharp look, "You entertain Mo Hua."

Gu Changhuai's mouth tasted bitter.

Wen Renwan then led Yu'er away.

Gu Changhuai sighed, sat opposite Mo Hua, poured himself a cup of wine, drank it in one gulp, and then said helplessly:

"You didn't come specifically to find me, did you?"

Mo Hua said truthfully, "Not entirely..."

He brought Yu'er back, firstly to return her to Auntie Wan's side, so Yu'er could see her mother and Auntie Wan wouldn't worry.

Secondly, to prevent Yu'er from being disturbed by demons and unable to sleep if she returned alone at night.

And he himself wouldn't miss a meal of divine sense "rations."

The last purpose, of course, was Gu Changhuai.

"Alright, what is it?"

Gu Changhuai sighed.

This little trouble had arrived, and there was no avoiding it.

Mo Hua blinked and whispered, "Uncle Gu, when the Dao Ting Division is pursuing the Fire Buddha, can you include me?"

Gu Changhuai knew he would say this and refused righteously:

"No!"

"Why not?" Mo Hua pressed.

Gu Changhuai glanced at Mo Hua and sighed, "You're too young, your cultivation is too low, you've just started, and most importantly, you're not from the Dao Ting Division..."

Mo Hua asked curiously, "If I were from the Dao Ting Division, would it be alright?"

Gu Changhuai snorted inwardly.

Someone from the Dao Ting Division...

The Dao Ting Division was not that easy to enter.

From the lower-level Zhi Si and Dian Si to the upper-level Vice Palm Si and Palm Si, everyone had to pass an examination to be hired.

The examination was very strict and covered many categories, including spiritual roots, cultivation techniques, martial arts or techniques, family background, criminal record, whether any direct blood relatives had been imprisoned or become demons within three generations, and so on...

The Dao Ting Division's scrutiny was extremely strict, and its requirements were extremely high.

Moreover, you are a rogue cultivator, with no identity and no background, how could you possibly enter the Dao Ting Division...

Gu Changhuai said perfunctorily, "Yes, if you were from the Dao Ting Division, I might reluctantly consider it..."

Mo Hua silently took out a bronze waist token.

Its design was simple and ancient, very low-level, but very familiar...

Gu Changhuai was stunned for a moment, his eyebrows twitching wildly.

Mo Hua's eyes were cunning, but his face was serious as he said:

"Uncle Gu, actually... I also have an identity with the Dao Ting Division..."