Chapter 693: Sword Mark

The moment he stepped onto land, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was met with a wave of stinging pain.

Before his eyes appeared a scene of fresh red.

He heard ferocious laughter, painful cries, and desperate wails.

It was as if cause and effect were reversed, and time flowed backward. Scenes of tragic events that had occurred in this fishing village hundreds of years ago, like fleeting shadows, reappeared in Mo Hua's eyes.

This fishing village had been thoroughly washed in blood...

Suddenly, Mo Hua saw a trace of the truth.

Amidst the blood mist, miserable wails rose one after another. All the fishing cultivators had been slaughtered. Blood flowed into the earth, dyeing the soil. It also polluted a divine being presiding over the fishing village.

A divine being of pale gold color.

This divine being...

Mo Hua expended his spiritual sense, wanting to see the face of this divine being clearly. But just then, the blood mist surged, covering everything.

This divine being's pupils also turned crimson red, revealing killing intent towards Mo Hua, who dared to spy on the cause and effect.

Mo Hua was startled, a cold sweat breaking out on his body. He suddenly opened his eyes.

Everything around was gloomy and dim.

The air carried a fishy smell and the stench of old decay. The mud under his feet was crimson red.

It seemed as if blood and soil had merged into one, but it had already dried and been silent for many years.

Other than that, everything around was very quiet. The blood mist was not thick, and there were no floating blood leeches. It looked a bit safer than outside the village.

"Young Master Xiao Mo, are you alright?" Gu An asked worriedly.

Mo Hua had suddenly turned pale and fainted just now. He seemed to have seen something terrible, and his expression was very ugly.

"It's nothing," Mo Hua wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "The atmosphere is too oppressive. I just had a nightmare temporarily. I'll adjust my mood a bit."

Gu An and the other two were speechless.

Mo Hua recalled the images that had appeared in his mind one by one and had a rough guess in his heart.

The fishing cultivators in the small fishing village were polluted by the evil god and then all killed.

The cultivators who exterminated the village were just pitch-black, ferocious figures. Their faces were indistinguishable, and their identities could not be discerned.

The small fishing village originally had a divine being.

This divine being had a pale gold light on its body, indicating a high rank, but it had been polluted by the evil god.

As for the outcome...

Mo Hua looked at the blood-colored fishing village and couldn't help but sigh.

His believers were slaughtered, and the fishing village was polluted.

The fate of this divine being was certainly self-evident.

It was now either an evil god or in the process of becoming one.

But...

Mo Hua furrowed his brows slightly.

He felt that the encounter of this fishing village was so familiar, as if he had seen similar scenes somewhere before.

Mo Hua concentrated his thoughts and thought carefully. His pupils slightly shrank.

The Xie family!

The Xie family, who were exterminated by the Fire Buddha, were also slaughtered. Their death forms were miserable, and the moment he stepped into the Xie family's door, there were ominous signs of cause and effect.

Mo Hua recalled the matters of the Xie family again.

Although the Fire Buddha was dead, the Bi Shan demon cave was exterminated, and the demon hall inside was also destroyed, Mo Hua always felt that there were still very deep cause and effect ties that had not been resolved.

Were the Xie family and the small fishing village connected in some way?

Mo Hua raised his head and looked at the deepest part of the fishing village, revealing a thoughtful gaze.

But the current priority was still to save people.

He could not let two innocent children become sacrifices for the evil god.

"I'll conceal myself first and go in to see the situation. You find a place to hide. If you hear anything, then run over and save me. If there's no sound, then stay put and don't let anyone discover you."

Mo Hua instructed.

Gu An and Gu Quan were a bit worried but still nodded obediently.

Yu Da He was worried about his son, his heart anxious like burning, but at this time, he had to suppress his impatient mood and wait patiently.

Mo Hua nodded slightly.

Although Gu An and Gu Quan had brought the water-hidden jade, the effect of this spirit tool was limited, and the two of them lacked hiding experience.

This kind of "professional work" of concealing oneself and eavesdropping still had to be done by himself.

Mo Hua was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something else. He then took out three pieces of clear heart and calm spirit spirit tools from his embrace and handed them to Gu An and the other two.

"These are calm spirit spirit tools. Each of you take one and keep it well."

Gu An was also very familiar with these three spirit tools. It was precisely Young Master Chang Huai who had ordered them to retrieve them from the Gu family storehouse and hand them to Young Master Xiao Mo.

Gu An was a bit doubtful, "Young Master, what is the exact use of this calm spirit spirit tool? It shouldn't just be for clearing the heart and calming the spirit..."

"It's for protecting the sea of consciousness."

"Protecting the sea of consciousness?"

"Mm," Mo Hua nodded. "It's a bit complicated to explain. Anyway, just keep it. It's for saving your life and is very important."

"Okay!" Seeing Mo Hua's serious expression, Gu An also took it solemnly. But afterward, he looked at Mo Hua with some worry again, "You gave us all the spirit tools, what about you, Young Master?"

"I don't need them," Mo Hua said confidently.

These spirit tools were actually not very useful to him.

His spiritual sense itself was a superior spirit protection tool!

Gu An and Gu Quan didn't understand much, but looking at Mo Hua, they still felt that Young Master Xiao Mo was very impressive...

Afterward, Gu An and the other two waited in their original spot.

Mo Hua, concealing himself, began to skillfully scout the situation in the fishing village.

This fishing village was completely abandoned. Everywhere were collapsed stone walls, withered thatch, and some broken traces left from the time of the extermination.

Mo Hua walked a few steps and saw a large fishing house not far away. There were some specks of lamplight inside the house, and several human figures vaguely appeared.

Mo Hua's eyebrows slightly raised, and he then tiptoed forward.

But before he even got close to the fishing house, Mo Hua's peripheral vision suddenly caught something, and his expression was startled.

"This is..."

Mo Hua turned his head and walked closer to look, discovering a stone pillar by the roadside that had been cut in half, leaving obvious sword marks.

"Sword marks?"

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but think in his heart:

"Perhaps this is what was left when that sword cultivator senior entered the fishing village that year and fought with people or evil spirits?"

Mo Hua used his hand to touch the broken surface of the stone pillar.

The broken surface was smooth, indicating that the sword energy was extremely sharp.

Only after years had passed, the sword energy had already dissipated, and the broken surface was also covered with a layer of sticky dirt.

Mo Hua wanted to try and observe this sword mark and comprehend some uses of sword energy.

But his attainment in sword arts was too shallow to support him in conducting this high-difficulty sword dao comprehension.

If sword energy doesn't work, what about sword intent?

Mo Hua released his spiritual sense and sensed the sword intent.

Extremely minute sword lights appeared on the broken surface. They had not extinguished even after several hundred years, which greatly shocked Mo Hua.

But these sword lights were still too weak to comprehend anything significant.

Mo Hua's pupils deepened, and patterns of heavenly mechanisms appeared in his eyes. Using the strange calculations of heavenly mechanisms, amplifying the derivations of heavenly mechanisms, he fixed his gaze again. Then he saw that the energy on the broken surface suddenly became sharp.

An extremely sharp, pale blue cold light, its edge fully displayed.

Mo Hua's eyes slightly stung, and his sea of consciousness actually also felt extremely strong pressure, as if a sword dao expert, with an extremely sharp treasure sword, was pointing at his eyebrows.

And then everything passed in a flash.

The slight sword lights on the broken surface thoroughly dissipated.

Within the heavenly mechanism derivations, the sword principles existing in cause and effect also faintly vanished without a trace.

Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, feeling a sense of regret.

"This is... divine thought turning into sword..."

That pure to the extreme killing intent, severe to the peak sword intent, and the stunning sword energy that divine thought turned into in an instant, all shocked Mo Hua's heart, leaving him unable to calm down for a long time.

Mo Hua lost himself in thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up, shining with brilliance.

"This is... divine thought turning into sword..."

"And it is very likely to be the Tai Xu Gate's, Tai Xu divine thought turning into sword true formula..."

He had finally personally seen and personally experienced the true divine thought sword, which was transformed by spiritual sense!

Mo Hua touched the broken stone pillar again.

It was a pity that there was nothing left on the stone pillar.

But it didn't matter.

There was one, then there would be two.

That sword cultivator senior who entered the fishing village, which was polluted by the evil god and full of crisis, couldn't have struck only once.

There must be other traces of "divine thought turning into sword" stored within this fishing village.

As long as he observed them one by one, even if he couldn't learn the true divine thought turning into sword, he should be able to roughly understand the basics and imitate it, learning some methods of using spiritual sense.

Mo Hua was full of anticipation.

He just didn't know where else in this fishing village there were sword marks left...

Mo Hua muttered in his heart, suddenly startled, and then realized that he still had proper business to attend to.

"Save people first, saving people is important..."

Mo Hua silently recited in his heart.

The matter of "sword marks" could be discussed later.

Then he concealed himself again and continued towards the large fishing house ahead.

There were no arrays around the fishing house, nor any other protective measures.

Perhaps the cultivators lodging in the fishing village didn't feel that outsiders could come here, so they didn't set up additional defenses.

This also made it convenient for Mo Hua.

The door of the fishing house was tightly closed, and there were faint human voices inside.

Mo Hua used his hands and feet together, lightly climbed onto the roof of the fishing house, and peered through the gaps in the thatch, looking inside the house.

Although the fishing house was large, the furnishings were poor. The lamps inside the house were lit, and the lamplight was dim and yellow.

There were several cultivators inside, surrounding a table and drinking.

Most of these cultivators wore black clothes, with one exception. He had a full beard and a body of black, robust muscles. This was precisely Over Jiang Dragon.

The wine was strong, with a very thick flavor. There were also several dishes of fried food and some dried fish on the table for drinking.

Several people ate and drank while chatting and complaining about things.

Mo Hua listened intently and heard things like "crappy weather," "gloomy place," "dead people," "unlucky," and so on.

Besides that, surprisingly, there was also... "Gu Chang Huai"?

"That bastard Gu Chang Huai..."

"I don't know what madness has gotten into him, staring at this old man for several months, a lingering ghost..."

"I'll kill him sooner or later!"

"Cut the crap! You're just a Foundation Building cultivator, do you have the guts of a bear or a leopard? You still want to kill a Golden Core?"

"You don't understand anything! Don't bully the poor youth! Sooner or later, I will also form a core, refine mercury to enter the dao, cultivate a superior Golden Core, learn the sect's town-suppressing sword formula, and have a decisive battle with that surname Gu."

"...I must humiliate him in a hundred ways, and then kill him!"

"Alright, stop dreaming..."

"Speaking of which, it's strange. That surname Gu, he's a third-grade Dian Si. Before, he usually caught criminal cultivators in the Golden Core realm. Why has he suddenly gotten sick this year and started targeting Foundation Building cultivators?"

One of the black-clothed individuals' tone slightly sank, "Could it be... he knows something?"

The atmosphere became a bit stagnant for a while.

The black-clothed person in the head seat had sharp eyes, drank a mouth of wine, and said in a low voice:

"According to Sir's words, there is a behind-the-scenes expert secretly instructing Gu Chang Huai, specifically working against us."

"Who is it?"

Someone said impatiently: "Damn, you fool, they said it's an expert, how could we know who it is?"

"Truly an expert, which one doesn't hide themselves deeply?"

"You motherf..."

"Enough!" The black-clothed person in the head seat said coldly, "We are all from the same family, mind your words and actions."

"Yes, Big Brother..."

The others said in low voices.

The crowd drank silently. After a while, someone found a topic again, and several people chatted back and forth.

However, the words were frivolous, mostly some vulgar jokes.

They mostly talked about which family's women were beautiful, which sect's women had good figures, or which spirit root's women were moist and interesting...

Mo Hua listened for a while, his brows furrowed.

Can these people have some ambition?

He didn't want to listen to this. You people gathered together, can't you say something proper?

But they just didn't follow Mo Hua's heart and continued with their "lewd words".

After a while, someone suddenly asked Over Jiang Dragon, "Li Yu, why the hell are you not saying a word until now, only busy drinking闷酒?"

Over Jiang Dragon seemed a bit absent-minded, frowned, and said:

"I always feel, something is not right..."

"What's not right?"

Over Jiang Dragon's gaze slightly condensed, "I always feel like someone is staring at me..."

Mo Hua's heart on the roof was alerted. He quickly withdrew his gaze, lay down honestly, and his Passing Water Step had already started operating, preparing to run if anything went wrong.

Below, Over Jiang Dragon said again: "Honestly, when I was in Dao Prison, I felt like someone was staring at me. After feigning death and escaping into the Smoke Water River, it was fine at first, I was free and easy."

"But after some time, I don't know why, it seems like I'm being stared at again."

"It's not always staring, they stare for a while, then rest for a while. There's a period in between, probably about ten days or so. I don't know why..."

Mo Hua silently said in his heart, because I have to go back to class...

Over Jiang Dragon's expression was a bit perplexed, "But, this is impossible. I won't say on land, but in the water, relying on the White Wave Formula and the White Wave Body Method, I've merged with the Smoke Water River. For so many years, no one has been able to keep an eye on me..."

"So this matter is very strange..."

The black-clothed person in the head seat's gaze sank, "Did you check?"

"Checked," Over Jiang Dragon nodded. "I used all the means I could, but I didn't find any traces..."

"Then that's it."

"You're just overthinking."

"But," Over Jiang Dragon hesitated a bit, a trace of heaviness flashing in his eyes, "Just now, I unexpectedly had a vague feeling of being spied on again..."

The crowd in the room shuddered upon hearing these words, and then all scolded, "You coward!"

"Suspicious..."

"You lost once, and now you're scared like a bird, timid and cautious..."

"It's possible that you are being stared at outside, but how can it be possible that someone can actually find their way here?"

"Suppose someone really did come in..." The black-clothed person in the head seat said in a low voice.

The crowd was silent for a moment.

The black-clothed person in the head seat scanned the room with his gaze and continued, "...Then it must be that there's a traitor among us."

The expressions of the crowd froze.

The black-clothed person in the head seat said coldly, "Someone has leaked the wellhead array patterns, the methods for feeding the fish demon, and the divine paths to enter the village..."

The cultivators in their seats all became nervous.

"Big Brother, you know I..."

"Big Brother, I always do my best when handling matters..."

"Big Brother..."

The black-clothed person in the head seat waved his hand, indicating, "I understand, you are all loyal, so the secrets of the fishing village cannot be leaked."

"And in the second-grade state boundary area, without knowing the wellhead array patterns, without knowing how to feed the demon, and without knowing the way to enter the village, it's impossible for someone to enter the fishing village unknowingly."

The black-clothed person in the head seat looked at Over Jiang Dragon and said, "So you don't need to worry too much."

Upon hearing these words, Over Jiang Dragon completely relaxed and said with a laugh, "Big Brother is right. We are all brothers, bound by a blood oath. Who would dare to leak these secrets?"

The black-clothed person in the head seat nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Just relax. All you need to do is follow the young master's instructions. The young master will not treat you badly and will definitely protect your safety."

Over Jiang Dragon's expression was respectful, "Yes."

Mo Hua on the roof frowned upon hearing these words.

Another young master?

Which young master is this young master exactly?

That Young Master Jin?

It shouldn't be...

Mo Hua was just thinking when he heard someone below ask again, "Big Brother, how long are we staying in this village?"

"Yes, it's gloomy and creepy everywhere. This is really not a place for living people to stay."

The black-clothed person in the head seat said indifferently, "Soon. After the river god finishes eating the offerings, we'll take them to refine pills. After refining the pills, we can go out..."

Mo Hua's heart went cold upon hearing these words.

The river god finishes eating the offerings?

Take them to refine pills?

These offerings, and what they take to refine pills... It wouldn't be Old Man Yu's two little grandsons, would it?

"After the river god finishes eating the offerings... does this mean the river god is already 'eating'?"

Mo Hua's expression was grave.

Time was running out...

The situation was also more urgent than he had expected.

Mo Hua quietly left the large fishing house with light steps, looked around, then chose a direction, and moved along the roofs towards the back of the fishing village.

After the large fishing house, there was another sealed fishing house.

Mo Hua reached the roof, found a gap, and narrowed his eyes to look inside. The moment he clearly saw the scene inside the house, Mo Hua's pupils shrank.

This was an alchemy room.

Inside the alchemy room, there were bones of cultivators that had been dissected everywhere.

In the middle right of the alchemy room was a white bone alchemy furnace. Inside the furnace, an eerie green fire was burning, looking a bit gloomy.

Several herbs were placed in front of the furnace.

These herbs were intertwined in purple, green, and red, with a strange appearance, and were still slowly wriggling.

In front of the white bone alchemy furnace, there was also a cultivator performing alchemy.

This person had disheveled hair, wore an alchemy robe, and had blood patterns tattooed on his face. His aura was evil and mad. Looking at his appearance, he was an evil alchemist.

(End of this chapter)