Chapter 658: The First Year

The Fire Buddha's face was devoid of color.

His chest had been blown open.

However, his cultivation, after all, was at the peak of Foundation Building, and he had abandoned his human form, making his physical body like that of a demon; his flesh and blood could regenerate.

In his dark, black chest, flesh and blood wriggled, and it actually began to slowly heal again.

Only in the next moment, the Fire Buddha's pupils slightly constricted.

His flesh and blood, after wriggling halfway, completely stopped, utterly unable to heal.

It seemed that the merged fire spiritual power had thoroughly incinerated his life force, and the evil power in his body had also been "burned to death" at the "spiritual power" level.

The Fire Buddha's pupils shook violently.

"What... what spell is this?"

At the same time, the weak flame produced by the merged small fireball completely dissipated.

In the middle of the Fire Buddha's chest, two "hearts" of evil tools were exposed.

These were the core of the Fire Buddha's Falling Fire Forbidden Technique, the embryonic natal magic treasures he had nurtured, and the foundation for his advancement to Gold Core.

These two hearts were extremely precious demonic path evil tools.

But now, these two hearts had been bombed pitch black and dim by that unknown, terrifying spell.

Even when they trembled, it was weak and powerless.

The Fire Buddha was extremely terrified.

If he didn't replenish his flesh and nurture the two magic treasure embryos again, not only would breaking through to Gold Core in this life be hopeless, but he might even die in this Qingcheng Mountain just like this.

The Fire Buddha's palm trembled unsteadily, and he still wanted to take out pills...

Just at this moment, Gu Changhuai, who had recovered from the shock brought by the earlier unbelievable spell, was quick-eyed and nimble-handed. Exhausting his remaining spiritual power, he immediately replenished two wind blades.

These two wind blades followed the hole broken open by Mo Hua, directly striking the Fire Buddha's vital points, hitting one of the dim evil tool hearts.

The evil tool heart, which was already on the verge of shattering from the technique's collapse and the massive spiritual energy produced by the spiritual power fusion, finally couldn't bear it. With a "creak" sound, several cracks appeared.

And then the cracks grew more and more numerous.

Until it completely shattered...

The Fire Buddha was still holding the pills in his hand, his expression somewhat unbelievable.

A moment later, the terror on his face dissipated.

His face became compassionate again.

It even contained a trace of blankness and liberation.

He tried hard to turn his head, taking a final look at Mo Hua.

"Turns out... I really will... die at the hands of this little brat..."

Then his eyes slowly closed.

The unbalanced evil tool heart collapsed irreversibly.

The evil power lost control, flowing backward through his flesh and blood meridians.

The Fire Buddha's entire body was filled with evil fire, self-igniting. His flesh and blood swelled and deformed...

Gu Changhuai's pupils shook, and his heart sank.

Evil power out of control, flesh and blood self-detonating?!

Not good!

In a flash, Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua behind the Fire Buddha. With a disgusted "tsk" sound, his figure flickered, and he came in front of Mo Hua, throwing Mo Hua to the ground.

Mo Hua just felt like he was being protected by a "big meat shield".

Then, an ear-splitting explosion sounded beside his ear.

The sound wave was violent, and the spiritual power fluctuation was violent.

The self-detonating evil fire, carrying a powerful destructive force, instantly spread out like a surging tide of fire.

Trees turned to flying ash, and mountain rocks turned to powder.

The ground was scorched black.

It's not known how long passed before the explosion subsided.

Mo Hua then opened his eyes.

He found that the valley had been bombed into a scene of utter devastation, completely bare.

But all the damage had been borne by Uncle Gu.

He himself was fine.

Mo Hua shook Gu Changhuai, and found that Gu Changhuai had already fainted, and no matter how he shook him, there was no reaction.

Mo Hua barely managed to crawl to his feet. He saw Gu Changhuai's back was covered in scars, and blood flowed freely, which gave him a fright.

"Uncle Gu!"

Mo Hua said anxiously.

"Uncle Gu, you're not going to die, are you?"

"Uncle Gu, you're a Gold Core cultivator at least..."

"Uncle Gu, you're not going to be that useless, right!"

"Uncle Gu, try a little harder, ah..."

Gu Changhuai finally had some movement. His breath was faint, but his voice was low, and he still gritted his teeth and said to Mo Hua:

"Shut up!"

If he said any more, he wouldn't die from the injuries, but he would be angered to death by this brat!

Mo Hua let out a breath.

He wasn't dead!

As long as he had breath, it was still alright.

He immediately started flipping through his own storage bag, but after flipping and flipping, he just remembered that he didn't have any good items on hand.

Mo Hua started flipping through Gu Changhuai's storage bag again.

Gu Changhuai was the young master of the Gu family, the Si Dian Si of the Dao Court, and a Gold Core cultivator. His storage bag should have high-grade pills inside.

Mo Hua flipped for a while, and then took out a pile of bottles and jars from Gu Changhuai's storage.

Mo Hua identified them one by one.

Some should be for stopping bleeding, some should be for replenishing qi, some were for removing fire poison, and there were also those for protecting meridians, protecting the Qi Sea, and sustaining life...

Mo Hua had learned about all these things in his pill classes.

He put some pills that he could distinguish and whose effects were clear;

Also some that were not so clear, but were useful for injuries;

As well as some that he couldn't distinguish clearly, but wouldn't kill him if he ate them, all bundled together and stuffed into Gu Changhuai's mouth.

Although the composition of these pills was complex, perhaps by a fortunate coincidence, they could be useful for Uncle Gu's injuries.

Anyway, the worst situation was the same as not eating the pills.

After a while, Mo Hua softly asked again:

"Uncle Gu, you're not dead, are you..."

Gu Changhuai spat out a mouthful of blood, but he didn't know if it was from being angered, or if the pills were taking effect, forcing out stagnant blood.

His breath also smoothed out a little.

"Thanks to you, I'm still not dead..." Gu Changhuai said indifferently.

Mo Hua then thoroughly put his heart at ease.

He picked up Gu Changhuai's storage bag again, found a transmission token inside, flipped through the records, it should be from the Gu family's internal affairs division, then sent a message:

"Fire Buddha is dead!"

"Qingcheng Mountain, Broken Head Eye, right side valley, come quickly!"

After sending the message, Mo Hua turned his head and looked at the Fire Buddha.

The Fire Buddha's evil tools were unbalanced, his evil power lost control and self-detonated. The power was extremely great, and it really didn't even leave any "slag".

What a pity...

Mo Hua wrinkled his brow. There were still many things he wanted to ask the Fire Buddha.

Why did he exterminate the Xie family?

Just to cultivate evil practices?

What did he do after exterminating the Xie family?

Who was the Demon Hall built for?

Who was the revered lord enshrined there?

Now that the Fire Buddha was dead, these doubts temporarily had no way of being known.

But it was also good that he was dead, dead cleanly, to avoid bringing disaster to the world again.

Other things, he could slowly investigate later...

Mo Hua looked at the Fire Buddha, whose "bones and ashes were gone", and sighed.

Killing this Fire Buddha was really too laborious.

Fortunately, he still managed to kill him.

Afterwards, Mo Hua set up some arrays in the original place, while paying attention to Uncle Gu's life force to avoid his "sudden death", while quietly waiting for people to come over.

After a while, people indeed came.

It was Gu An and Gu Quan.

When they saw Gu Changhuai's miserable, bloody appearance, on the verge of death, their souls were scared away.

"He's still alive!" Mo Hua said.

Gu An and Gu Quan then seemed to be relieved of a heavy burden.

Mo Hua then said: "Call a few alchemists over, first for emergency treatment. After confirming there's no problem, send Uncle Gu back to the Gu family to recuperate."

Gu An and Gu Quan bowed and said: "Yes, little young master!"

After the battle to destroy the demon cave, Mo Hua's status as a little array master in their hearts rapidly climbed, now only slightly less than their young master.

Gu An immediately called people through the transmission token.

"Little young master..."

Gu Quan hesitated for a while, looked around, and then looked at Mo Hua, furrowing his brow and saying:

"What exactly happened here..."

Why did the entire valley change its appearance? Why did the young master suffer such heavy injuries? Is the Fire Buddha really dead?

Gu An and Gu Quan both had looks of doubt.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, and then said:

"The Fire Buddha wanted to kill me, I escaped into the mountain. Uncle Gu came to save me, and then exhausted all his strength to kill the Fire Buddha. He himself was also heavily injured!"

Gu An and Gu Quan nodded, seeming to half-believe, half-doubt...

"Remember!"

Mo Hua's small face was serious as he admonished: "It was Uncle Gu alone, who exhausted all his strength, to kill off the evil Fire Buddha!"

"When people come, you just spread this matter!"

Gu An and Gu Quan looked at each other, with a hint of incomprehension.

Mo Hua stretched out his two small hands, wanting to pat the two people's shoulders.

But Gu An and Gu Quan were tall and big, and Mo Hua's arms were a little short, unable to reach.

Gu An and Gu Quan silently squatted down, putting their shoulders over for Mo Hua to pat.

Mo Hua successfully patted the two people's shoulders, nodded, and then lowered his voice and said:

"You also don't want Uncle Gu's merit to be snatched away by others, right..."

The two people's expressions became serious, and they immediately understood.

The Fire Buddha was dead, Young Master Changhuai was heavily injured. Except for little Young Master Mo, no one else knew what exactly happened here.

They knew how fierce little Young Master Mo was.

But in the eyes of others, little Young Master Mo was young, and his influence was small. No matter what he said, others wouldn't believe him.

In this way, it would be very easy for some people with ulterior motives to bluff and claim the merit.

Gu An and Gu Quan's expressions became serious.

How could this be?

The Fire Buddha was killed by the young master, who paid such a great price.

This merit absolutely cannot be usurped by others!

So, from the beginning, they would insist that it was Young Master Changhuai, "alone", who killed off the Fire Buddha!

Gu An and Gu Quan understood, and the look in their eyes towards Mo Hua was full of gratitude.

Little Young Master Mo is a great good person!

He is really good to their young master!

Gu Quan nodded and said: "Little Young Master Mo, don't worry, I'll spread the news now..."

Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.

After the Gu family's alchemists came, they checked Gu Changhuai's injuries and said that the pills were administered very timely, his Qi and blood were slowly recovering, and his meridians were also being nurtured, so there was no big problem.

Gu Changhuai himself was a Gold Core cultivator, with a good foundation, so he would be fine after recuperating for a period of time.

Then someone sent Gu Changhuai back to the clan.

And the news that Gu Changhuai, alone, had "single-handedly" killed the Fire Buddha also spread back to the Dao Court Si, causing no small shock.

It was not a big deal for a Gold Core to kill a Foundation Building demon cultivator.

But this demon cultivator was the peak Foundation Building, full of evil, rampant in the second-grade state, the Fire Buddha...

That matter was completely different.

Openly and secretly, many cultivators focused their gaze on Gu Changhuai.

Some were appreciative, some were cautious, and some harbored evil intentions...

Gu Changhuai returned to the clan, took some pills, and woke up early.

Wen Ren Wan heard that he was injured and cared for him extremely. She personally refined some pills to give him for healing.

Especially when she heard that he was injured protecting Mo Hua, her gaze was even more appreciative.

She felt a sense that the younger brother she had raised had finally grown up.

Gu Changhuai, who was over a hundred years old, felt very complex.

The Gu family also experienced a commotion.

But knowing that Gu Changhuai was fine, and that the demon cultivator Fire Buddha was killed by his hand, the group of elders in the Gu family also felt increased appreciation for Gu Changhuai.

Although his temper was a bit bad, among the disciples of the same generation in the Gu family, it was indeed Gu Changhuai's talent and methods that were superior.

Gu Changhuai's mood was even more complex.

In the evening, Mo Hua also came to say goodbye.

He wanted to return to Tai Xu Sect.

His seven-day holiday was over, the Fire Buddha was dead, the Falling Fire Technique was in his hands, and he was going to formally attend classes tomorrow.

Just before leaving, he still wanted to align his "oral confession" with Uncle Gu.

Mo Hua gnawed on a fruit while lowering his voice and saying:

"Uncle Gu, the Fire Buddha was killed by you alone, you absolutely mustn't mention me..."

Gu Changhuai furrowed his brow, "You don't want this limelight?"

"Um." Mo Hua nodded, "The Fire Buddha is a demon cultivator. Who knows if he has other little brothers or accomplices secretly..."

"I'm just a small Foundation Building cultivator. If they stare at me, it will be very dangerous!"

Gu Changhuai was silent, feeling a little speechless in his heart.

Which was more dangerous, the demon cultivator or you...

Although Mo Hua's cultivation was indeed low, a Foundation Building early stage cultivator, the risk was indeed too great...

Gu Changhuai nodded, "I know."

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed with a smile.

With this "oral confession" aligned, it was simply perfect and flawless.

Outsiders wouldn't know that the Fire Buddha's death had anything to do with him.

He was just a small, inconspicuous sect cultivator who was chased and killed by the Fire Buddha, an innocent one.

Gu Changhuai pondered for a moment, then silently looked at Mo Hua again.

In the valley, the scene of two fireballs colliding, the techniques collapsing and merging into one, the spiritual power fusing to form a terrifying small fireball that bombed through the Fire Buddha's chest, resurfaced in his mind.

Gu Changhuai couldn't help his eyelids twitching, and he said in a deep voice:

"Your... spell..."

Mo Hua was stunned, "What spell?"

Gu Changhuai was expressionless, "There's no one else here."

Mo Hua gave a sheepish smile, "It's nothing, just a recorded, 'ordinary' fireball technique..."

Gu Changhuai's voice was cold:

"A Foundation Building early stage, a fireball technique, that bombed through the chest of a peak Foundation Building demon cultivator, is indeed 'ordinary'..."

Gu Changhuai emphasized the word "ordinary" heavily.

Mo Hua blinked his eyes, "It was all a coincidence... The Fire Buddha's chest had a vital point, the flaw was too big. It just happened to be bombed through by my fireball technique..."

"It's just his luck was too bad..."

Gu Changhuai saw that Mo Hua's face was as pure as white paper, and as thick as a city wall, and he felt helpless.

Gu Changhuai sighed, "Go back and think carefully, find a more reliable excuse."

After he finished, he added another sentence, "You don't need to tell me this excuse..."

The meaning was that in case you are discovered in the future, you just need to be able to fool others.

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he smiled and said:

"Thank you, Uncle Gu!"

Gu Changhuai shook his head helplessly.

Originally, he only thought that Mo Hua's talent in arrays was unbelievable, but he never thought that he still hid a terrifying spell.

How could cultivators of the same realm compete with him?

Tai Xu Sect this time, really picked up a "little monster"...

The key is that from the outside, he still didn't look like it at all. He had a pure face and looked just like a harmless little disciple.

Gu Changhuai couldn't help but shake his head again.

Mo Hua saw that Gu Changhuai looked a little tired, and then said: "Uncle Gu, then I won't disturb you. You should heal well, I'm returning to the sect."

"Um." Gu Changhuai nodded.

Mo Hua casually took another spiritual fruit, turned around and walked away. After walking a while, he was called to a stop by Gu Changhuai again.

"Mo Hua."

Mo Hua turned his head in doubt.

He thought to himself, Uncle Gu is a Dian Si of the Gold Core realm, he wouldn't be so stingy as to not let himself take a spiritual fruit to eat, right...

Gu Changhuai's expression was conflicted, his brow and eyes still held pride. He hesitated for a long time, then reluctantly said in a low voice:

"Thank you..."

After all, without Mo Hua, he might not have been able to kill the Fire Buddha.

And if the Fire Buddha couldn't be brought to justice, it would inevitably bring endless disaster in the future.

But this "thank you" was very reluctant, almost inaudibly low.

Mo Hua was stunned, then his face bloomed with a smile as bright as the sunrise.

"Um!"

Afterwards, Mo Hua returned to the sect again.

He first visited Old Mister Xun, saying that he had finished painting the arrays, and that the Dao Court Si side, mainly the Gu family, was very grateful to him.

Old Mister Xun didn't doubt him, stroked his beard, and was very satisfied.

Being able to build a good relationship with the Gu family of the Dao Court Si, they would have another network for future endeavors.

Then Mo Hua just attended classes as usual.

Some fellow disciples, like Cheng Mo, Si Tu Jian, and Zheng Fang, would curiously ask him questions after class.

They asked Mo Hua how he got seven days off, how he got it approved, who approved it, and what he did during these seven days.

Mo Hua just said he painted arrays for seven days.

Their interest immediately waned.

Only Zheng Fang was curious and asked some questions about arrays.

Mo Hua also selectively answered some rare array knowledge, fooling Zheng Fang.

After that, everything was calm again.

Mo Hua, like in the past, lived a stable sect life.

The Bi Shan demon cave, the gloomy demon hall, the bronze maze, the mysterious altar, and a group of demon cultivators, as well as the demon head whose bones and ashes were gone—the Fire Buddha, gradually faded away.

And soon, Mo Hua's first year in the sect came to an end.

(End of this chapter)