Chapter 800: Blood Sacrifice

Huangshan Jun's face changed, but it was only for an instant before he returned to normal. He smiled awkwardly at Mo Hua and said:

"This little god is currently in adversity, naturally, I have to hide everything."

"I fear passing cultivators will demolish my mud sculpture; I fear the wolves and insects in the mountain will rob my offerings; I fear unknown ghosts and evil spirits will defile my temple and occupy my Dao field..."

"This temple was built deep in the mountains, and it's okay if it's a bit dilapidated, but if it's refined and luxurious, it will definitely be coveted by others."

Huangshan Jun's face was bitter as he spoke.

Mo Hua looked at Huangshan Jun silently, not speaking.

He could tell at a glance that Huangshan Jun was lying.

However, Mo Hua didn't blame him.

Whether a person or a god, who doesn't have some unspeakable secrets?

He himself had far more secrets than Huangshan Jun.

To be good friends in the long run, they must certainly leave some leeway for each other and give the other party space to keep secrets.

Since he wasn't saying anything, Mo Hua wouldn't force him.

Anyway, hiding in a broken temple and eating wind and drinking dew was his problem, not Mo Hua's...

Mo Hua looked at Huangshan Jun deeply again, nodded, and said, "That's true."

Huangshan Jun felt his hair stand on end from being looked at by Mo Hua's deep eyes, and his heart was uneasy. When he heard these words, he suddenly let out a sigh of relief.

Mo Hua raised his head and looked at the broken temple, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"Mountain Jun, it's not good to hide like this, right? Do you want me to help you?"

"Help?"

Huangshan Jun was stunned, not understanding what Mo Hua meant.

"How can you help me hide?"

Mo Hua said, "I've learned a new array method that can shield divine sense perception. If you paint it on the god statue and hide inside, it won't be easy for others to discover you."

Huangshan Jun was very surprised, but also didn't want to brush off Mo Hua's good intentions. He cupped his hands and said:

"Then thank you, little friend."

Mo Hua looked around for a while and said:

"The mud sculpture in the temple is visible as soon as you enter the door, it's too conspicuous. Painting the array method on it won't be of much use. Mountain Jun, do you have any other statues to hide your body in?"

"This..." Huangshan Jun was silent for a while.

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "That little dog behind the temple, would you like to hide inside? I..."

Huangshan Jun repeatedly shook his head, "No, no..."

To hide from Mo Hua, he had attached himself to and hidden in the little dog statue before.

This embarrassing matter was something he would never want to mention again in his lifetime.

Even though he was in adversity again, he was still a mountain god, and a mountain god needed face.

Huangshan Jun looked at Mo Hua, hesitated repeatedly, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Little friend, come with me."

Mo Hua's expression shifted slightly, and he nodded.

Huangshan Jun slowly floated out from the mud sculpture, led Mo Hua out of the broken temple, and arrived at a cliff edge behind the temple.

"Cliff?"

Mo Hua looked at Huangshan Jun.

Huangshan Jun pointed downwards somewhat awkwardly, "There's a mountain cave below, little friend, please come this way..."

Huangshan Jun walked towards the cliff edge.

Mo Hua followed him over and only then discovered that a steep stone staircase was hidden among the overgrown old vines on the cliff edge.

Following the stone stairs down a few Zhang, there was a mountain cave.

The mountain cave was not big and very shallow.

When Mo Hua entered the mountain cave, he discovered that there was still a god statue hidden inside.

This god statue was tall and dignified, with a long and narrow face and majestic eyes, somewhat similar to Huangshan Jun. The entire body of the statue was cast in fine copper, and in some places, it was even plated with a layer of gold. Compared to the mud sculpture inside the broken temple, it was immeasurably stronger.

Mo Hua was a little surprised and looked at Huangshan Jun, "This wouldn't be your life god statue, would it?"

Huangshan Jun smiled and didn't speak.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and felt it shouldn't be.

No matter how much Huangshan Jun trusted him, it was impossible for him to expose his life god statue so easily.

Unless his brain was addled.

People rely on clothes, gods rely on golden robes.

This god statue should be a treasure he had privately hidden, used to "maintain face."

Of course, in an emergency, it could also be used to "hide the body."

"Okay, then I'll paint the array method for you," Mo Hua asked.

Huangshan Jun cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your trouble..."

Mo Hua took out paper and brush and began to paint the array method stroke by stroke around Huangshan Jun's "golden robe" god statue.

Huangshan Jun watched silently from the side, curious about what kind of array method Mo Hua was going to paint for him.

But as he watched, Huangshan Jun's face changed again.

"This..."

His body trembled, and he hesitated for a long time before stammering, "Little... little friend, this... could this be... god path array method?"

"Yes," Mo Hua nodded.

Really!

Huangshan Jun gasped.

How did this little plague god even learn the god path array method?

Extraordinary...

Wouldn't he be even more lawless after this?

What was the meaning of painting the god path array method on his god statue?

Huangshan Jun's face stiffened, and he regretted it very much.

Human hearts are unpredictable. Indeed, cultivators are fundamentally not worth trusting.

If he had known earlier, he shouldn't have revealed the location of this god statue...

Huangshan Jun's face was bitter and helpless. He could only beg for mercy and said, "Little friend, have mercy! Don't seal this god statue of mine..."

If this god statue was sealed, he would have no retreat.

Mo Hua asked in doubt, "Who said I wanted to seal you?"

Huangshan Jun's face was full of resentment.

Mo Hua then comforted him and said, "Don't worry, it's not what you think..."

"I'll use the god path array method to seal your god statue, then leave a gap for you to enter and exit freely. This way, the god path array method will instead become your reliance for hiding your body and shielding your aura."

"In the future, if you encounter danger, just hide inside. Others, even other evil spirits, may not be able to discover you."

Huangshan Jun was slightly stunned, and his heart suddenly understood.

He hadn't thought that the "god path array method," originally used against gods, could actually have this kind of use.

But upon careful thought, it made sense.

Normal gods received incense upright and didn't need to hide here and there, so they naturally didn't need to rely on this method to live.

While evil gods were enemies of god path cultivators.

God path array masters would naturally find ways to completely seal them without leaving any flaws.

Using the "seal" array method for "hiding the body" was indeed a strange idea.

Huangshan Jun praised in his heart and looked at Mo Hua again, very curious.

He didn't know where this god path array method of his came from...

Huangshan Jun wanted to ask, but he was very sensible and didn't.

With this little cultivator's shrewdness, it was estimated that he wouldn't tell him anyway.

After Mo Hua finished painting, he indeed left a gap in the array method behind the god statue and said to Huangshan Jun, "Go in and try it..."

Huangshan Jun frowned.

He was a god, and naturally had an almost instinctive repulsion to this kind of god path array method that restrained gods.

What's more, this array method came from Mo Hua, whose background was unclear.

Once he went in and was sealed inside by him, he would truly have tears with nowhere to shed them.

But being looked at by Mo Hua's clear big eyes, Huangshan Jun felt a little ashamed in his heart.

Forget it...

He gritted his teeth and finally turned into a wisp of white smoke, trembling as he drilled into the god statue.

After entering the god statue, the surrounding array method felt like narrow mountain walls, making him feel suffocated and uncomfortable.

He had a premonition that if Mo Hua sealed the gap in the array method at this time, he would be trapped in this god statue, sealed by the array method, and never see daylight again.

Huangshan Jun's heart was uneasy.

Fortunately, after a while, Mo Hua said, "How is it?"

"Still... still okay..." Huangshan Jun said.

"Um," Mo Hua nodded, "Then come out. You don't need to go in normally. If you encounter real danger, go in and hide."

He also didn't know what Huangshan Jun was hiding by attaching himself to the broken temple.

But having more options was always a way out.

Huangshan Jun turned into green smoke and floated out from the seal. He suddenly felt the pressure suddenly reduce and let out a long sigh of relief. He then cupped his hands towards Mo Hua and sincerely said:

"Thank you, little friend."

"Okay, I should go. I'll come see you again when I have time." Mo Hua waved his hand and then left the mountain cave.

Huangshan Jun saw Mo Hua off. His mood was a bit complicated for a while, and finally, after hesitating for a long time, he still opened his mouth and said:

"In Qian Xue state boundary, there is a respected evil god..."

"This evil god, doesn't it have sheep horns?" Mo Hua asked.

"Yes..." Huangshan Jun nodded, then suddenly stunned, "You... you knew?"

Not only did I know, I even met it, and even "ate" it...

"How did you know?" Huangshan Jun was a little shocked.

Mo Hua said, "I encountered several small evil spirits in the nearby state boundary. They seemed to be the claws of this evil god."

Huangshan Jun looked at Mo Hua with a stunned expression and asked:

"Then you are fine, right?"

Mo Hua smiled, "I'm fine..."

Huangshan Jun nodded, and thought to himself that it was also true. He had even learned the god path array method. Several small evil spirits should not be difficult for this "little plague god."

Huangshan Jun was silent for a moment and said with a serious expression:

"Claws are not fearsome, what's fearsome is this evil god..."

"This respected evil god has been sleeping for a long time, it is very ancient, and its evil thoughts are vast. Its current strength may not be even a thousandth of its peak. Once it wakes up, even if only a god fetus hatches, it will be a catastrophe for the world..."

Hearing this, Mo Hua's expression also sank.

Although Huangshan Jun was in adversity now, he was once "rich." His eyesight and insight were still there.

If he said so, it meant that the true body of this great desolate evil god was very likely much more terrifying than he imagined.

Especially, it might be "waking up"...

"Do you still remember what I told you before?" Huangshan Jun said again.

Mo Hua originally wanted to ask, what words did you say?

He had met Huangshan Jun many times and said many words. How could he still remember which words Huangshan Jun was referring to?

But he combined the context before and after, frowned and thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered.

"You said, 'Qian Xue state boundary is not a place to stay for long,' right?"

"Not wrong," Huangshan Jun sighed, "I said before to let you cultivate in the sect and leave when you cultivate to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, even if it takes a few years, it shouldn't exceed ten years. Within ten years, it should still be in time..."

"But now, it looks a bit dangerous."

Mo Hua was slightly startled, "What do you mean?"

Huangshan Jun raised his head and looked at the seemingly clear sky, his brows tightly furrowed:

"Recently, I don't know why, the evil thoughts have suddenly become restless. It seems someone is secretly arranging things, forcing that respected evil god to speed up its progress. Now it seems, it may not be able to hold on for ten years..."

"Someone... is arranging things in the dark?" Mo Hua also frowned.

Who is it, so fierce?

They can actually force an evil god to speed up its plan?

Mo Hua thought about it, and his heart suddenly "thumped."

This person Huangshan Jun mentioned... wouldn't it be me?

I forced the evil god?

Not to that extent, right...

Mo Hua was silent for a moment, then quietly asked Huangshan Jun again:

"Mountain Jun, what exactly is the evil god's conspiracy? If it wants to revive, what must it do?"

Huangshan Jun's face was troubled.

"Can't say?" Mo Hua asked.

Huangshan Jun sighed, "I don't know the specific conspiracy. I only know that as ancient evil gods revive, they must all be accompanied by a field..."

Huangshan Jun's expression was solemn, and his voice was cold, "... grand blood sacrifice!"

Mo Hua's pupils shrank.

Grand... blood sacrifice!

Just in Qian Xue state boundary?!

Huangshan Jun looked at Mo Hua and said in a deep voice:

"I can only say this much. If it's really like this, once the blood sacrifice begins, living beings will be devastated, and all things will wither. Little friend... take care of yourself."

Mo Hua frowned tightly, "But... Qian Xue state boundary has so many Grade 4 and even Grade 5 families and sects, and many old ancestors are in charge. How could something like a blood sacrifice happen?"

Huangshan Jun shook his head, "This, this little god is not clear."

Mo Hua didn't know if he really didn't know, or if he was worried about something and couldn't say more, so he just nodded, cupped his hands and said:

"Thank you, Mountain Jun, I'll remember."

After that, Mo Hua took his leave.

Huangshan Jun saw Mo Hua off, but before he left, he finally said a meaningful sentence:

"Human nature's evil is precisely the evil god's best bait..."

Mo Hua's expression was stunned.

This sentence always lingered in Mo Hua's mind until he left the dead mountain and was in the carriage going to Yan Shui City, it still didn't disappear.

"Human nature's evil is the evil god's best bait..."

Huangshan Jun seemed to be reminding him of something.

Or, was he sighing based on his own past?

Mo Hua pondered silently in his heart.

And... a grand blood sacrifice?

Small-scale blood sacrifice might exist, but sacrificing a whole Qian Xue state boundary, such a large-scale blood sacrifice, how could Mo Hua think it was possible based on his understanding...

Moreover, Huangshan Jun only said that the revival of ancient evil gods must be accompanied by a grand blood sacrifice.

He didn't say that this evil god was necessarily the great desolate evil god.

The place of its revival might not necessarily be in Qian Xue state boundary.

Instead, it was very possible, in... the great desolate?

Mo Hua shook his head.

"Forget it, don't think about these for now..."

This kind of evil god's great conspiracy was not something he could get involved in at the moment.

He had at most stolen a little of its authority, eaten a little of its demons and monsters, and destroyed only a few of its altars.

And they were all Grade 2.

For a great desolate evil god of unknown grade, but definitely very high-ranking, it shouldn't be a big deal.

He still needed to use his time and energy to promote himself...

Mo Hua said silently in his heart.

After that, he began to concentrate on meditating, closing his eyes to nourish his spirit.

The carriage also carried him leisurely towards Yan Shui City.

The journey was uneventful.

When he arrived at Yan Shui City, it was already evening.

He inquired about the location of the Ye family, confirmed the direction, and went straight to the Ye family's entrance, only to find that the Ye family was heavily guarded, prohibiting all non-family cultivators from entering.

Mo Hua couldn't get in.

Bluntly inquiring would probably not be too good and would be regarded as a "suspicious cultivator."

And if the Ye family really had something shady going on, it might alert the enemy.

Mo Hua circled the Ye family outside the wall again, examining the array methods.

He could guess the general pattern of the array methods.

But the Ye family was a Grade 3 family, and there were also quite a few Grade 3 array methods arranged within the mansion. With Mo Hua's current array method level, it was still not easy to handle.

Solving a corner of a Grade 2 array method to sneak in was indeed an opportunity.

But if he was discovered, it would be a big trouble.

Mo Hua walked around twice, found no opportunity to start, and saw that it was already late, so he found a family noodle shop nearby to eat noodles.

The noodle shop was simple and unadorned, called "Wang Ji Noodle Shop."

The shop was not big, and the only shop owner was a spirited and hale, and somewhat gossipy big aunt.

This noodle shop was also specially chosen by Mo Hua after walking around twice, because he was attracted by the shop owner's "gossipy" and talkative nature.

At this time, it was already late, and the meal time had passed, so there were not many people eating noodles.

Mo Hua called out "sister," which made the big aunt happy. Not only did she give Mo Hua extra noodles, but she also gave him two extra portions of pickled vegetables.

After the two chatted for a while, Mo Hua unobtrusively asked about the Ye family's affairs.

Some matters were not easy for outsiders to probe, but these cultivators who lived in the marketplace and were used to listening to rumors knew everything clearly.

Mo Hua chatted with the shop owner for a while and then had a rough idea.

The Ye family had a bad reputation in Yan Shui City.

To the lower level, they bullied stray cultivators and acted tyrannically in the locality. Although not to the extent of causing Dao Court Si to question their responsibility, they were despised by people openly and secretly.

To the upper level, they fawned and attached themselves.

Within the family, the disciples' relationships were also not harmonious.

Moreover, the Ye family had another matter that was well-known, which was "selling daughters."

"Their Ye family does everything to curry favor with the powerful. Last year, a direct daughter of the family who was over twenty years old married into some sect to a widowed elder who was almost three hundred years old."

"Only their Ye family would do something like this..."

The shop owner, the big aunt, said disdainfully.

Mo Hua's gaze shifted, and he suddenly lowered his voice and whispered:

"I also heard about this matter. It seems that this direct daughter of the Ye family committed suicide later because she was unwilling to suffer humiliation..."

The shop owner was stunned, "Suicide? No..."

"Not suicide?" Mo Hua pretended to be puzzled.

The shop owner also frowned, thought for a moment, and shook her head: "It should not have been suicide. I didn't hear others say it."

Mo Hua muttered, "Could it be that I remembered incorrectly, and the one who committed suicide wasn't this one? Ye family... do others also commit suicide?"

"Suicide..." The shop owner shook her head, "I haven't heard of it recently... It's better to live than to die a bad death. No matter how difficult life is, you have to endure it slowly. Unless it's absolutely necessary, who would commit suicide for no reason?"

"Is that so..." Mo Hua's gaze slightly condensed.

"However, it's also hard to say..." The shop owner said again, "The Ye family does many unjust things. Even if someone dies, they will hide it and probably won't let others know."

"If the girls who are married out to climb higher positions suffer humiliation and commit suicide, the Ye family probably won't spread it. I'm afraid they will choose another female and send her into this pit..."

"Sister, are there many such incidents?" Mo Hua asked.

"Who knows?"

The shop owner, the big aunt, couldn't help but add another spoonful of noodles to Mo Hua.

"Even the direct line young masters of the Ye family who die are generally not publicized. Who knows how many people have died in secret..."

"Direct line young masters die?"

"Yes," the shop owner, the big aunt, said, "Last year, or the year before, a young master of their Ye family went for wine and women, and died on the Yan Shui River..."

Mo Hua's pupils shrank.

Ye family young master, wine and women, died on the Yan Shui River...