Chapter 1265: Spiritual-Skeleton Absolute Formation

Chapter 1264: Spiritual-Skeleton Absolute Formation

“Forming the Core…”

It was like a long, endless journey spanning ten thousand miles. Through the tedious and agonizing search, he finally glimpsed the dawn.

Mo Hua couldn’t help but clench his pale, jade-like palm.

“Finally…”

“I’m going to start refining my own life-formation, shaping my Golden Core…”

His expression was resolute, his gaze unwavering.

Then he looked around.

The formations he had previously laid, like a celestial net covering the ground, were still intact, and the surroundings were quiet.

But when Mo Hua extended his Divine-Sense to probe beyond the inner chamber, his expression betrayed slight surprise.

After a moment’s thought, he didn’t rise recklessly. Instead, he first meditated to harmonize his mind and body, steady his spirit, and only then concluded his seclusion. Pushing open the door, he stepped out.

Outside the door, Lu-Gu, Dan-Zhu, and the others wore stern expressions, forming a “human wall” as a protective formation around the Shaman Lord’s chamber. Opposite Lu-Gu and Dan-Zhu stood another group.

Leading them were Flame Shaman Yan Zhu, the Black Vulture Elder, and other high-ranking elders of the Flame Wing and related tribes.

Azure Shaman Qing Zhu also stood among them, though his expression was calm and indifferent.

The two sides faced each other, and although the atmosphere was not openly hostile, the undercurrent of tension was palpable.

This tense standoff lasted a long time.

It wasn’t until Mo Hua stepped out of the chamber that everyone was startled, their expressions varying.

Yan Zhu and the others’ expressions flickered.

Lu-Gu looked at Yan Zhu across from him, a cold sneer on his face.

Dan-Zhu’s eyes brightened, clearly relieved, and he whispered, “Teacher, you’ve emerged from seclusion.”

Mo Hua nodded slightly and asked, “What’s going on?”

Dan-Zhu glanced at Yan Zhu and his expression cooled slightly. “They intended to disturb your seclusion.”

Yan Zhu maintained a calm demeanor. “It was something important, a matter of great consequence. I needed the Shaman Lord to decide personally, so I dared to intrude…”

As he spoke, he glanced at Dan-Zhu and Lu-Gu, then said matter-of-factly, “But they were hostile, blocking my way… I thought you were being plotted against, so I called other tribal elders to confirm your safety.”

Dan-Zhu’s anger rose. “You twist the facts to justify yourself.”

Yan Zhu’s face remained impassive, his heart unmoved. He did not argue further, instead looking sincere, as if everything he said were true and his concern for Mo Hua genuine.

Dan-Zhu was about to retort when Mo Hua said calmly, “Forget it. Since it’s a misunderstanding, let it be. But…”

Mo Hua paused briefly, looked at Yan Zhu, and his gentle gaze deepened, “Do not let this happen again…”

Yan Zhu’s face remained respectful, but in his heart, his respect gradually waned.

After all, he was in the late stage of Golden Core, born from the royal court, a high-ranking Shaman of the Divine Dao. Accustomed to respect and prestige, temporarily yielding was one thing, but truly submitting his heart was another.

The divine altar’s intimidation had once forced obedience, but as time passed and his wounds healed, the memory faded. The “pride” of a Royal Shaman returned… and with it, his “ambition.”

He even felt a sting of humiliation at having once bowed to Mo Hua.

Resentment lingered because Mo Hua had “taken” his Divine Dao token.

After learning Mo Hua had secluded himself for ten full days, leaving the Divine Dao unguarded, Yan-Zhu had begun to stir with restlessness.

After all, within the Divine Dao, anything could happen.

Yet unexpectedly, Mo Hua emerged safely…

Yan Zhu felt some regret but didn’t care much, since his “slight mischief” did not count as betrayal.

“Yes, Shaman Lord…”

Yan Zhu responded obediently.

But then, he sensed something amiss. Raising his head slightly, he met Mo Hua’s gaze, and it was as if he had fallen into an unfathomable abyss.

Not right!

Yan-Zhu’s heart gave a violent jolt.

After only ten days of seclusion, how could Mo Hua’s Divine-Sense have changed so drastically?

Not just Yan Zhu… both the Black Vulture Elder and Qing Zhu, standing nearby, suddenly turned pale.

When Mo Hua first emerged, they hadn’t noticed, but now, with his gaze stern, his Divine-Sense spreading, his aura instantly shifted. Normally, Mo Hua could control his Divine-Sense perfectly, concealing and releasing it at will.

But after “feeding,” devouring a massive amount of spiritual energy—including nearly all the Divine-Sense cultivated by the Shaman God over the years—and completing a breakthrough from 23rd to 24th mark in the early Golden Core, he temporarily lost some control, causing his Divine-Sense to overflow.

Ordinary cultivators wouldn’t sense this.

But the three Yan Zhu, Qing Zhu, and, the Black Vulture Elder, as Shamans, were extremely sensitive to Divine-Sense.

Before them, Mo Hua appeared to stand alone.

Yet on the level of Divine-Sense, he resembled a “Taotie-like” Divine Dao monster cloaked in human skin, devouring the heavens with suffocating oppressive force.

That horrifying, “devouring” ferocity made Yan-Zhu and the others’ legs tremble uncontrollably.

The first to succumb was Yan Zhu, staring directly at Mo Hua.

Overwhelmed by the invisible, abyssal beast-like aura, he couldn’t resist the urge to submit and kneel.

By the time he realized it, it was too late—he was already kneeling.

When he tried to stand, he discovered his legs had gone weak; his own will no longer obeyed him.

As Yan-Zhu knelt, the Black Vulture Elder instinctively followed suit.

Qing-Zhu, who harbored no real hostility toward Mo Hua, bowed naturally as well.

With three high-ranking Shamans kneeling, others, though unaware of the details, also knelt in submission.

Even Lu-Gu and his group, impressed by Mo Hua’s commanding presence, also knelt respectfully.

In the blink of an eye, everyone present was kneeling.

Mo Hua waved his hand lightly. “Disperse.”

“Yes, Lord Shaman.”

Voices full of reverence echoed, and the crowd withdrew.

Yan-Zhu, pale and shaken, left the grand hall with the Black Vulture Elder. Only after walking a long distance did they exchange glances—each seeing shock, fear and confusion in the other’s eyes.

“Has he… grown stronger?” Yan Zhu muttered, his face trembling.

His cultivation realm hadn’t changed—but his Divine-Sense had grown immensely stronger, as if he had shattered a great barrier and ascended another tier entirely.

Impossible… How could that be possible?

The Black Vulture Elder’s gaze trembled with fear.

Even among Shamans, even among those who worshipped divine power, he had never seen such a phenomenon.

This defied all reason—it transcended what a “cultivator” should be capable of.

Could a Foundation Establishment body truly bear such vast and immense Divine-Sense?

Yan Zhu and the elder Black Eagle furrowed their brows, deep in thought.

Qing Zhu glanced at them indifferently and left without a word.

…

Inside the Shaman Lord’s chamber, Dan-Zhu and the others, seeing Mo Hua safe, breathed a sigh of relief, paid their respects, and departed.

Mo Hua sat quietly, still pondering Yan-Zhu’s group.

Those few still harbored ulterior motives. And not just Yan Zhu…

Among the tribes, the lower ranks were faithful, especially the poor and oppressed—they believed sincerely in the “Divine-Lord.”

But the high-ranking chieftains and elders, driven by greed and private interests, might fear his presence temporarily, but true long-term “faith” would not come easily.

Relying on a single public display of divine power to change their hearts entirely was difficult.

And with his cultivation level, it was hard to suppress so many Golden Core experts, especially several high-ranking late-stage Golden Core barbarian warriors.

He needed something stronger… a way to completely crush resistance, gather loyalty, and seize divine authority firmly in his grasp.

Across the Great Wilderness, there could only be one voice—the voice of the Divine-Lord.

And only one Shaman worthy to wield that authority.

“This must be done… but not yet.”

Mo Hua’s gaze hardened slightly.

Taking a deep breath, Mo Hua retrieved from his Storage Ring a white bone fragment he had long treasured—a white bone inscribed with his natal life-bound formation:

The Taotie Twelve-Meridian-Spiritual-Skeleton Formation.

Ever since he extracted it from the back of the skull of that human-faced bone idol worshiped by Mister Tu, it had remained safely in the Storage Ring. Though he couldn’t yet comprehend it, he would often take it out, study it, even just run his fingers along it.

It was a second-grade, 24-rune Great Wilderness absolute formation—immensely difficult, and requiring Divine-Sense of equal magnitude.

The 24-mark level of Divine-Sense was like a heavenly chasm, nearly unreachable.

But now, after all the ordeals and tribulations, Mo Hua finally “consumed” the level of Divine-Sense here in the Great Wilderness.

He could now officially begin to comprehend this mysterious and powerful Taotie Spiritual-Skeleton Absolute Formation, sealed within an evil god statue and named after the ferocious Taotie.

Suppressing his excitement, he calmed his mind and sank his Divine-Sense into the white bone fragment.

Ancient, obscure Great Wilderness characters floated before his eyes.

Back in the Great Void Sect, he had studied ancient script under an inner-sect elder who specialized in archaic cultivation texts, alongside senior brothers and sisters. This had given him a solid foundation.

Now, having entered the Great Wilderness and mingled as a shamans for so long, flipping through countless tribal writings and scriptures, Mo Hua’s mastery of the ancient scripts of the Great Wilderness had reached a very high level.

Reading these obscure characters now was effortless, as natural as breathing.

Moreover, upon reaching 24 patterns in Divine-Sense, it seemed to unlock something hidden—breaking through a veil that had long obscured the array’s true form.

The essence of the formation and the formation patterns that had been concealed within the veil, buried deep in the bone scripts, all revealed themselves one by one.

For the first time, Mo Hua saw the complete and true Taotie Twelve-Meridian Spiritual-Skeleton Absolute Formation.

The moment this complete formation appeared before his eyes, a surge of primordial, overwhelming aura nearly knocked him backward.

The array lines twisted and quivered like living creatures—resembling the eyes of a Taotie staring at Mo Hua, stirring a primal dread in his heart.

This eerie, profound sensation had never been felt when flipping through the bone texts.

It seemed only those with 24-mark Divine-Sense could perceive the formation’s true form.

“This formation… it’s really like a living ‘little Taotie’…”

“And I’m going to engrave this ‘living’ Taotie Absolute Formation onto my own bones, making it my Life-Bound formation to aid in forming my Golden Core…” Mo Hua trembled internally, a hint of fear arising.

It was as if he intended to seal an unknowable, uncontrollable existence—something utterly beyond comprehension—within his own bones, binding it to his life.

Mo Hua wasn’t even sure if this act conformed to the Dao’s natural order of proper cultivation practice.

But for some reason, it felt like committing a great cosmic “crime” right under the watchful eyes of Heavenly Dao.

This feeling vanished shortly after.

After all, Mo Hua had already committed so many “crimes” that he was somewhat numb.

This sense of “criminality” no longer affected him.

Moreover, to form the Core and learn this absolute formation, he had endured immense effort, overcoming countless hardships. There was no way he would give up simply because it seemed dangerous.

After all, it was just a formation.

Mo Hua was a formation master, dedicated to the path of formations. As long as it was a formation, there was nothing to fear.

In fact, the more difficult the formation, the more curious he became.

The more dangerous the formation, the more excited he was.

Difficulty and danger indicated that the formation contained profound Daoist principles, with unimaginable potential and power.

Mo Hua focused entirely on studying this seemingly “living” Twelve-Meridian Taotie Spiritual-Skeleton Absolute Formation. It was the most challenging formation he had ever attempted.

Time flew as he immersed himself completely.

Unaware of the passing hours, three days slipped by. During this time, Mo Hua worked tirelessly day and night, repeatedly refining his understanding. He began to gain a preliminary comprehension of the Taotie Spiritual-Skeleton Absolute Formation. From the outside, it looked ferocious, the formation extremely complex, radiating an ancient sense of hardship and peril.

Yet in practice, learning it was not as difficult as he had imagined.

Partly because his Dao-transformed Divine Sense, now at twenty-four patterns, was extremely strong, both in terms of realm, quality, and quantity.

But the main reason was that he had already done extensive research on the Taotie’s laws.

As he had discovered before, the so-called “Taotie” laws were not a single principle but a complete chain of interrelated rules. Different laws connected and distinguished themselves, ultimately forming the Taotie’s essence.

These laws also supported, on a Daoist logical level, the survival, hunting, consumption, digestion, and assimilation behaviors of this predatory law-beast.

The Taotie, as a fierce beast, was both abstract and concrete.

This issue was rather profound and complex, involving the comprehension of the laws themselves. Ordinary cultivators found it difficult to understand.

While others couldn’t grasp it, Mo Hua could easily comprehend the laws.

Precisely because of this, the series of Great Wilderness Absolute Formations derived from the Taotie laws—each interconnected with the others—came easily to him.

Mastering the prerequisite Absolute Formations first, and then learning the Taotie Spiritual-Skeleton Absolute Formation, yielded twice the result with half the effort.

However, without the prerequisite Absolute Formations, lacking the necessary groundwork and comprehension of the related laws, and looking only at it as an isolated “single formation,” this Twenty-Four-Pattern Twelve-Meridian Taotie Spiritual-Skeleton Absolute Formation would truly be like a Taotie ferocious beast—invisible, unknowable, unfathomable, incomprehensible, impossible to perceive, impossible to control—completely beyond the understanding of an ordinary Formation Master. Even if one wanted to learn it, they wouldn’t know where to start.

Local delicacies had to be tasted locally; local formations had to be learned locally.

Mo Hua felt somewhat fortunate.

Luckily, he had come to the Great Wilderness; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known where to start.

The formation’s use was largely as he had anticipated.

This was a “Spiritual-Skeleton” Formation—as the name suggests, it constructs a set of “spiritual energy bones” through the formation.

Through its formation patterns, the formation could store a certain amount of spiritual energy, sealing it within the bones.

It functioned as a “spiritual energy container” externally attached to the bones.

In this way, through the formation, he could solve the problem that, as a spiritual cultivator with weak spiritual roots, his cultivation techniques did not excel in spiritual energy, causing his spiritual power shortage to worsen day by day.

At present, the use of this Absolute Formation seemed to be only this…

As for whether it had other functions, Mo Hua still wasn’t sure.

He would have to truly master the Spiritual-Skeleton Absolute Formation, engrave it into his very bones, and operate it in practice to know for certain.

Even if its only function was “spiritual energy storage,” this Life-Bound formation was invaluable to Mo Hua.

After all, besides being a Shaman and a Formation Master, Mo Hua was also a spiritual cultivator who relied on “spells” for survival.

For a spiritual cultivator, spiritual energy was “life.”

Weak spiritual energy was the deadliest problem.

In the entire cultivation world, even in a fifth-grade great prefecture like Qianxue, treasure items capable of storing extra spiritual energy beyond the Qi Sea were top tier, rare and precious.

Such treasures required early, careful cultivation, were rare to inherit, and extremely costly.

Mo Hua, coming from a wandering cultivator background and missing the optimal cultivation period, had no eligibility to use them.

Thus, if he could use the Taotie Spiritual-Skeleton Formation as his life-bound treasure to solve the problem of insufficient spiritual energy, even if only for that, Mo Hua would be satisfied. More importantly, once he forged his life treasure—even in its early form—it would mean he had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and could officially attempt the Golden Core stage…

“Life-Bound formation… Golden Core…”

Mo Hua took a deep breath, settled his mind, and devoted himself entirely to studying the Twelve-Meridian Taotie Spiritual-Skeleton Absolute Formation.

Thanks to his deep understanding of the Taotie laws and accumulated experience, the process went surprisingly smoothly.

In just half a month, Mo Hua felt he had gained some insight.

He could even begin to sketch the formation patterns of the Taotie Spiritual-Skeleton Formation.

The speed of progress left him pleasantly surprised.

Yet he remained uncertain whether the formation could be practically applied or if problems might arise.

So, he needed a “subject” to experiment on.

He had already prepared this “subject” long ago.

In a dark chamber on the lowest level of the Shaman Hall rested a massive, ominous coffin.

Inside was the preserved corpse of a barbarian warrior, as massive as a small mountain:

General of the Shugu Tribe, Shi-Gu.

At this moment, Mo Hua stood alone before the coffin, his gaze deep and contemplative.

(End of this Chapter)