Chapter 697: Sinister Thoughts Differentiation

“He Bo Temple……” Mo Hua looked at the temple in the distance, where blood-red light surged into the sky, his gaze slightly sharp.

After the Earth Extermination Array cleared the area, demons and monstrous creatures continued to arrive one after another, launching attacks. Mo Hua set up some Gen Mountain Trapping Arrays again, delaying them for a moment, allowing the group to move far away from the arena. They rested temporarily in a spacious courtyard.

Moving far away from the arena also meant moving far away from the demon blood refinement array.

Those deformed demons, bred by the blood refinement array, could not leave the array too far, so they no longer pursued and attacked.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Mo Hua’s gaze sank slightly, and he looked at one of the Gu family cultivators. He saw that the cultivator's face was deathly pale, his brows tightly furrowed, and his divine sense clearly showed signs of depletion.

Earlier, that Gu family cultivator had been approached by a demon, and his divine sense was sucked.

Although the demon was quickly driven back by Mo Hua, a portion of his divine sense had still been sucked away.

“Flesh-constructed demons can suck cultivators’ divine sense……” Mo Hua frowned.

These zombie-like deformed demons were hard to kill and seemed endless. Relying on just their group to exterminate them all was fundamentally impossible.

While these demons might not be too strong in terms of direct combat, their ability to suck divine sense was very troublesome.

No matter how high your cultivation level, once trapped in a group of demons and entangled by these fearless creatures, your divine sense would be rapidly depleted, causing you to lose consciousness. Then you would be unable to resist and become food for the demons.

And in the Second Grade realm, such a large number of demons could be called terrifying. If released, they could almost slaughter a city. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators were fundamentally no match for them.

Without means to defend against divine sense attacks, even a Golden Core cultivator, if caught off guard, might have their divine sense sucked dry and then be “gnawed” to death by the demons.

Most people, if they didn't know about the demons' ability to suck divine sense, would probably die without knowing how.

Mo Hua's expression was solemn, and then he lightly sighed.

Fortunately, these demons couldn't leave the blood refinement array too far, otherwise the consequences would truly be unimaginable.

Mo Hua looked towards the distance again, where deformed demons densely packed the arena, and pondered in his heart.

This was the evil god's 'preaching ground'. And also the evil god's true handiwork?

The evil god's true “preaching” was originally "preached" like this, so bloody and evil, extinguishing humanity.

Who was aiding the tyrant and helping the evil god to preach? And could they even be considered "people"?

Mo Hua's gaze was profound, and his expression was icy cold.

The undercurrents in Qian State were perhaps too turbulent.

Mo Hua sighed again, patted the Gu family cultivator, and said, “Meditate and rest for a while. Your divine sense is depleted.”

The Gu family cultivator was startled but didn't force himself. He said in confusion, “I don't know what's wrong, my head suddenly hurts terribly.”

Mo Hua thought for a moment and still told them the truth. “Those demons will suck people's divine sense.”

Everyone was shocked to hear this, but their expressions were somewhat bewildered. “Demons? Will suck divine sense?”

Are there actually such demonic things in this world?

Mo Hua felt a little helpless.

Most cultivators who didn't cultivate divine sense were truly completely ignorant of the divine sense path.

Although Gu An and Gu Quan didn't completely believe it, they also knew that Mo Hua would never deceive them on this matter. The vast cultivation world held countless strange things. It was just that encountering something this strange for the first time made it difficult to accept for a while.

Gu An’s gaze slightly condensed, and he softly asked, “Gongzi Mo, how do you know that these demons will suck divine sense?”

Everyone hearing this involuntarily looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then brought out the "all-purpose" Old Mister Xun. “I learned arrays from Old Mister Xun at Tai Xu Sect. All of this was told to me by Old Mister Xun.”

Everyone was startled, and then their expressions showed sudden realization. Old Mister Xun...

Although they didn't know exactly who this Old Mister Xun was, someone who taught at Tai Xu Sect and could bear the title of “Old Mister” must be virtuous and prestigious, learned and profound, with a respected status. Knowing some strange matters about demons and giving warnings to his disciples was also a matter of course.

They looked at Mo Hua again.

To be personally taught by such an old mister, this Gongzi Mo's identity must also not be ordinary. Either his talent was extremely outstanding, or his background was extraordinary, or both.

Everyone’s gaze towards Mo Hua became even more respectful.

Now it seemed, in this fishing village, dangers were everywhere. A young gongzi with such a noble identity actually personally took action and bravely faced dangers with them, the officials of the Dao Court Si Zhi Si. Such courage, strategy, and character were sufficient to compare with Gongzi Changhuai.

No, even a notch higher than Gongzi Changhuai.

After all, Gongzi Changhuai was also a disciple of a sect with a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation. Only then did he truly begin to go to the front lines to fight. Gongzi Mo was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and it seemed he hadn't been in the sect for long, yet he could remain fearless in such a dangerous place and command properly.

No wonder Gongzi Changhuai would hand over such an important secret order of the Gu family to such a young gongzi.

In the hearts of these Gu family cultivators, Mo Hua’s status rose again.

Afterwards, everyone continued to rest on the spot.

The Gu family cultivator whose divine sense was sucked sat on the ground to rest. He didn't know how to meditate, so his divine sense recovered very slowly, but at least it was better than nothing. Mo Hua also had no other way. His own divine sense was strong and recovered quickly, but he couldn't help others.

The other Gu family cultivators also took pills and meditated to heal. Earlier in the battle with the demons, everyone had sustained some injuries to varying degrees. The demons' claws carried demonic qi, and also a kind of "toxicity" similar to corpse poison after years of soaking in foul blood and water. Although not as evil as corpse poison, the poison still needed to be expelled as soon as possible.

Mo Hua sat aside, propping his chin, deep in thought.

Suddenly, Yu Dahe’s face changed dramatically, and his emotions also fluctuated strongly.

Mo Hua noticed, turned his head to look, and saw that the faces of Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi, the two children, had already gradually turned pale, their lips had gradually dried up, and the circulation of their blood qi was becoming slower and slower.

Yu Dahe’s eyes were bloodshot, and tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.

Mo Hua's heart tightened, knowing that time was running out. Either the River God had started to eat the "sacrifices," or the souls of these two children had been out of their bodies for too long, and their bodies were beginning to decay.

Yu Dahe humbly glanced at Mo Hua. He wanted to open his mouth and beg Mo Hua to save his children.

But earlier, after going to the arena and seeing the densely packed demons, and knowing that those fearsome demons also sucked divine sense, he couldn't bring himself to speak. They didn't have a deep friendship. What right did he have to beg others to risk their lives to save his children?

Mo Hua sighed softly in his heart. These two children must be saved if possible. And he also had to go to that He Bo Temple. If he didn't go this time, he might not have another opportunity. The He Bo Temple was just behind the arena.

Mo Hua pondered in his heart. Since the demons in the arena were endless, the only way was to find a way to break through the siege and force their way through.

If they forced their way through...

With Gu An and Gu Quan, who had deep cultivation, leading the way, the others covering, and he using arrays to coordinate...

As long as they broke through and entered the He Bo Temple, these demons should not dare to chase them in. The only problem was how to prevent divine sense from being sucked by the demons.

“Spiritual tools for calming the mind, I wonder if they're useful.”

“Even if they are useful, I only brought three such spiritual tools, and they can't protect everyone.”

“Protect divine sense……”

Mo Hua’s mind stirred, and he suddenly had a flash of inspiration. “Divine path arrays…”

Based on his understanding of divine path arrays so far, this type of array, which emphasized divine power, could to some extent restrain or seal gods.

Since it could "seal" divine power, did that mean it could similarly "seal" cultivators' sea of consciousness?

Use divine path arrays to seal cultivators' sea of consciousness? If the divine sense was sealed inside, then naturally, it wouldn't be sucked by the demons?

Just like adding a lid to a teapot. You couldn't drink the water in the pot through the lid.

Mo Hua felt that his speculation seemed very reasonable... But it needed to be tested.

Mo Hua pondered slightly, then on a palm-sized array paper, he drew the divine path array patterns he had just learned, which were still quite shallow. Then he took out a black cloth, wrapped the array paper, and tied it on the forehead of a black-clothed person.

“We'll throw him out in a while, let the demons ‘gnaw’ on him for a bit, I'll test the array…” Mo Hua said lightly.

The black-clothed person's hands and feet were bound, his mouth was also sealed, and he could only look at Mo Hua with terrified eyes, as if looking at a little devil from hell.

Gu An nodded. Although he didn't know what array Mo Hua wanted to test, he didn't ask, because even if he asked, he wouldn't understand.

Gu An picked up the black-clothed person, regardless of his struggles, and walked directly towards the arena. Mo Hua also followed behind.

In the center of the arena, there were a large number of demons gathered, but on the periphery, only a few were wandering. Mo Hua glanced slightly and saw that not far away in a corner, two demons were tilting their heads, crawling in a deformed manner with their limbs reversed.

“There.” Mo Hua pointed with his hand.

Gu An nodded, obeying Mo Hua's command, and with a backhand, threw the black-clothed person over.

The black-clothed person's face was as pale as paper, but his body was bound and unable to struggle. He could only watch with wide eyes as he got closer and closer to the two fearsome demons.

Finally, with a "plop" sound, the black-clothed person fell about one zhang away from the two demons.

Heaven-sent food. The eyes of the two demons turned red, and they immediately rushed towards the black-clothed person, their limbs together.

One demon gnawed on the black-clothed person's leg, and the other demon crawled to the black-clothed person's face and began to pucker its lips and suck towards his forehead.

The black cloth on the black-clothed person's forehead flashed with a faint light. The divine path array operated, firmly sealing his divine sense in his sea of consciousness. No matter how hard the demon tried, it couldn't suck out a single bit of divine sense.

Just as the demon lost patience and opened its big mouth, wanting to swallow the black-clothed person's head in one bite, Mo Hua said, “Alright.”

This person was a sacrifice and couldn't die yet.

Gu An obeyed the order. His figure flashed, and he rushed towards the two demons, kicking one away with a foot, turning and slashing with a knife, chopping off the head of the other demon. Then he grabbed the black-clothed person's collar and saved him back again.

The distant demons heard the noise and also flocked towards this side, crawling.

Mo Hua threw out an array disc towards the distance, and then flung out two array flags, detonating the array to block the distant demons. These array components were all refined for Mo Hua by Master Gu. Mo Hua had casually drawn some arrays to cope with some emergencies.

Using the array as cover, the two shook off the demons again and returned to the courtyard.

“The array is useful.” Mo Hua said concisely, “Later, I will give each of you one. You can paste it on your forehead and wrap it with black cloth. This can prevent demons from sucking your divine sense.”

“Afterwards, I will set up arrays to attract the attention of the demons.”

“The others should take the opportunity to gather together and rush over. As long as you cross the arena and enter the He Bo Temple, you will be temporarily safe.”

“Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shuizi will also have a slim chance of survival.”

“Yes!” The Gu family cultivators said involuntarily in a deep voice.

Yu Dahe was shocked in his heart, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and his tall body knelt on the ground, giving a heavy kowtow to the cultivators present.

In the arena, there were too many demons. To pass through, they needed to try to reduce the number of attacking demons. Mo Hua took out several small tiger figures. On the body of each small tiger, he smeared a little human blood—the blood of the black-clothed person. Then he inserted an array flag into each, on which he drew a fireworks array. Large killing arrays were not easy to set up and were very time-consuming. Since it was to lure enemies, a fireworks array could serve the same purpose. Regardless of power, the suitable array was the strongest array.

Mo Hua activated the fireworks arrays and at the same time controlled the small tigers to run in four directions. Several small tigers, with flashing array flags inserted, scampered in all directions. The array flags continuously burst colorful fireworks towards the surroundings. In the gloomy fishing village, it appeared very splendid, but also very dazzling.

All the demons were stunned. The splendid fireworks illuminated their ugly faces. The style of this scene appeared very discordant. But the human blood qi on the array flags and the spiritual power fluctuations of the array still attracted them to pursue instinctively.

Many demons chased after the small tigers, and the arena instantly became a chaotic mess. Mo Hua pointed forward with his hand, “Charge!”

Thus, Gu An and Gu Quan opened the way in front, Yu Dahe carried the two sons, the other Gu family cultivators covered, and the two black-clothed persons, tied with ropes, were dragged at the end, attracting the attention of the pursuing demons. The group rushed forward with all their might, towards the opposite side.

Soon, some demons noticed Mo Hua and the others, roaring and charging towards them on all fours or on two feet.

Everyone’s expressions tensed, knowing that a desperate fight was imminent.

Gu An shouted in a deep voice, “Don't fall behind!” Then he immediately joined forces with his brother Gu Quan. One held a knife in his left hand, and the other held a knife in his right hand. The knife momentum cooperated from left and right, and the knife light merged into one, surging like rushing waves, chopping off the approaching demons one by one.

Gu An and Gu Quan, brothers with the same spiritual roots, cultivated the same lineage of techniques. The knife method was a set of combined attack dao methods passed down by the Gu family, called Twin Linked Chain Knife Method. When used by a single person, the power of this set of knife methods was only average, but if the two brothers cultivated it wholeheartedly, the power would rise further, sufficient to compare with superior dao methods. Moreover, because it was a combined attack by two people, the consumption of spiritual power would also be much less.

Gu An and Gu Quan, with their linked chain knife light opening the way, were unstoppable for a time. The others covered on both sides, resisting the pouncing demons. Yu Dahe listened to Mo Hua's instructions and only focused on carrying the two children, rushing forward with all his might. Even if demons pounced in front of him and their claws scratched his arm, he still only looked straight ahead, his gaze firm, without a trace of retreat.

At the end of the team were the two dragged black-clothed persons. Some demons had already climbed onto their bodies and were frenziedly sucking at their faces, but their foreheads were also tied with divine path arrays by Mo Hua. The demons fundamentally couldn't suck anything. And these demons who tried to suck divine sense also became live targets for Mo Hua's spells. Mo Hua sent a fireball and blew one away.

As for these two black-clothed persons, being fiercely sucked on the face by the demons, they had long been scared unconscious.

Just like this, the group rushed forward in the vast arena, through the dense demon groups, like breaking waves. Knife light filled the sky, and spells flew everywhere. Occasionally, the standard talismans of the Dao Court Si also exploded one after another. Because they were continuously rushing at high speed, Mo Hua basically had no time to set up arrays, so he could only use quick spells to coordinate. Golden Blade Technique, Water Prison Technique, Fireball Technique, Quicksand Technique, Wood Binding Technique... All kinds of five elements spells circulated nonstop. They either attacked, trapped, or defended, restricting the group of demons.

Some demons also approached, wanting to suck divine sense. But because everyone's foreheads were sealed by Mo Hua with arrays, the demons' most troublesome method was not worth worrying about.

Just like this, everyone continuously rushed forward without stopping. Gu An and Gu Quan killed until their hands were soft. Mo Hua frequently cast low-level spells, and his spiritual power was almost exhausted. The others also gritted their teeth and persisted.

Don't know how long passed, but suddenly the area ahead opened up, and everyone saw the end of the arena and the He Bo Temple not far away with its flying eaves and golden roof. The speed of the pursuing demons also slowed down. It seemed they had reached the edge of the blood refinement array, so the demons' movements were gradually restricted. Everyone's spirits were greatly lifted. The He Bo Temple was right in front, and they were about to rush out.

But after a long bitter battle, the closer they got to the end, the easier it was to relax. Several Gu family cultivators slightly exhaled, but with this breath, their tense mental state instantly became unbalanced, and all fatigue surged back. With blood qi deficient and spiritual power obstructed, two Gu family cultivators couldn't muster any strength and directly fell to the ground.

Mo Hua's heart sank. Seeing several demons chasing up from behind, Mo Hua immediately shouted, “Brother Xiao An, Brother Xiao Quan!”

Gu An and Gu Quan immediately stopped from the front, leaped back, and carried the two Gu family cultivators on their backs. Mo Hua said without hesitation, “You two run first!”

Gu An and Gu Quan were worried about Mo Hua and were stunned for a moment, but they still subconsciously obeyed Mo Hua's command. Carrying the two comrades, they exerted force to run forward. Mo Hua stayed at the end, waved his palm, and instantly crushed several ink bottles, spiritual ink splashing everywhere. Then his pupils instantly turned pitch black.

In urgency, he fully urged the Heavenly Mechanism Strange Calculation, pushing it to the extreme, circulating his divine sense to the extreme. Not enough! Need faster! The strange shadows in Mo Hua's eyes suddenly trembled, turning into two, and then his divine sense load rapidly increased, approaching the limit. But the demons charged forward to kill, and his divine sense was still not fast enough.

“Faster…” Mo Hua gritted his teeth, urging the array with all his might.

Just at this time, a golden light flashed in the bottom of Mo Hua's eyes. Divine marrow merged into his divine sense, solidifying his sea of consciousness and bearing the load of the strange calculation. Mo Hua's divine sense suddenly trembled. After twisting, it pushed a little further past the limit, directly turning into three strange shadows. One main thought, three strange shadows, four parts of divine sense controlled the spiritual ink. The spiritual ink, controlled by divine sense, divided into four threads, advanced together, and with unprecedented speed, instantly condensed into a Second Grade sixteen-pattern Earth Extermination Array!

Just at this time, several demons rushed to Mo Hua's front. Their ugly fish faces, ferocious fangs, and cold pupils were clearly visible. They opened their big mouths towards Mo Hua. Mo Hua's expression was unmoving, and he said lightly, “Explode!”

The Earth Extermination Array, under the guidance of his divine sense, instantly exploded. The ground shook, and the spiritual power torrent instantly engulfed and tore these several fish demons, grinding them to dust.

After killing these several demons with the Earth Extermination Array, the strange shadows in Mo Hua's eyes faded, and he turned and walked. But after only a few steps, his spiritual power suddenly stagnated, and his moving steps stopped. Mo Hua's divine sense also twisted intensely in pain. It was as if that instant of the strange calculation's triple division and array formation had already exhausted his divine sense. Mo Hua's feet softened, and he was about to fall to the ground.

Just at this time, Gu Quan, who had saved people and returned, caught Mo Hua with one hand. Then Gu An also rushed back, his sharp knife light shaking, repelling the other several demons. The two protected Mo Hua, fighting and retreating at the same time, and finally left the range of the blood refinement array and the arena where the demons danced.

The pursuing demons wandered at the edge of the arena, lowered their heads and roared towards Mo Hua and the others, but did not dare to cross the boundary.

(End of this chapter)