Chapter 1346: The Battle of the Royal Court

Chapter 1345: The Battle of the Royal Court

Inside a guest room at Golden Si Tower.

A ripple of watery light flashed, and Mo Hua’s figure slowly emerged in the room again, as if he had never left.

Bai Zisheng glanced at Mo Hua and sighed inwardly. His little junior brother’s concealment technique was becoming more and more unfathomable, coming without a trace, leaving without a shadow, really just like a “ghost”…

Bai Zisheng looked at Mo Hua, thought for a moment, and asked, “That person… was Da Hu?”

Mo Hua nodded.

Bai Zisheng let out a soft sigh. “How did he… end up like this?”

Back in Tōngxiān City, Bai Zisheng had fought Da Hu and the other two before. Their relationship wasn’t good, but they weren’t strangers either.

Later, it turned into the classic case of “no discord, no concord.” With Mo Hua as the bridge between them, Da Hu’s trio and Bai Zisheng gradually eased their relationship.

They had even gone to temple fairs together and watched demon beast-fighting shows.

Bai Zisheng had never expected that the simple, loyal boy from back then would become what he was now… fierce yet humble.

Mo Hua sighed. “When people grow up, there are many things they can’t control…”

When they were young, they only needed to cultivate and learn a skill to make a living. The rest of the time, they could play carefree and without worry.

But the world wasn’t really like that.

Children are carefree only because their parents shield them from the wind and rain.

Once they grow a little older and the burden of survival falls on their shoulders, they have to try facing the cruelty of the cultivation world on their own.

Mo Hua still remembered how Da Hu and the other two looked after their first demon hunt in their youth… covered in wounds.

There was even one time when San-Hu was drenched in blood and almost lost his life.

And now, they were all grown up. The warmth of childhood was perhaps long gone, and that small bit of kindness in their hearts had likely been worn away by the coldness of the cultivation world and the malice of human hearts.

Not to mention that Da Hu had come from a rogue cultivator background.

Mo Hua himself was also a rogue cultivator, but he knew his situation was different.

He had always been good with people, and had many connections. Many were willing to help him.

He was also talented in formations. Even after entering a major sect, he could thrive like a fish in water.

On top of that, he had learned the Heavenly Secret Derivative Algorithm, understood human nature, and often, just by instinct, could seek fortune and avoid disaster.

But Da Hu and the others were completely different…

They had plunged headfirst into the mire in a state of ignorance, able to rely only on brute strength to struggle desperately.

In those scheming great sects, for a dull, simple rogue cultivator like Da Hu to survive… how much suffering he must endure, how much bitterness and deception he must face… the hardship was easy to imagine.

Just thinking about it made Mo Hua’s heart ache.

Da Hu’s path, that was the normal fate of a rogue cultivator.

Either remain at the bottom, mediocre for a lifetime, or struggle upward to serve the powerful like an ox or horse, even selling one’s life as a lackey.

And he himself… was just an exception.

Mo Hua sighed, his gaze sharpening slightly as thoughts churned in his mind.

Bai Zisheng seemed to guess what Mo Hua was thinking and asked, “What do you plan to do?”

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s not the right time yet. There are still many hidden matters surrounding Da Hu that need to be understood. For now, I should focus on forming my Golden Core. We’ll talk about the rest later…”

Bai Zisheng nodded. “Let’s hope that demoness can find a way into the Dragon Pool…”

Mo Hua corrected him, “She’s a Divine Maiden, not a demoness.”

Bai Zisheng looked at Mo Hua suspiciously. “You’re defending her so much, don’t tell me you’ve got something going on with her?”

Mo Hua said helplessly, “No. Don’t wrong me like that.”

Bai Zisheng raised a brow. “You’re allowed to wrong me, but I’m not allowed to wrong you?”

He still held a grudge about the “having an affair” matter.

“You’d better be careful, or one day I’ll tell Zixi that you’ve been behaving badly out there, surrounded by a bunch of women…”

Mo Hua said anxiously, “Don’t talk nonsense!”

Bai Zisheng sneered. “She’s your senior sister. She’s watched you grow up, almost like your real sister. If she finds out you’ve gone bad and are flirting around all day, let’s see if she deals with you or not.”

Mo Hua sighed helplessly. “Fine… you’re the senior brother. You win.”

The corner of Bai Zisheng’s lips lifted into a smug smile.

…

Over the next few days, Mo Hua and Bai Zisheng patiently waited for news from Dan Ling.

But the Dragon Pool was a forbidden ground of the Royal Court, hidden deep within the Imperial Palace.

Even for Dan Ling, a Divine Maiden with high status and many connections, it wasn’t something she could easily inquire about.

Before any news came, however, the situation suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse.

That day, Mo Hua was meditating inside Golden Si Tower when he suddenly heard a thunderous boom. The building trembled. He rose and opened the window, only to see the distant sky dyed blood-red, flames of war blazing everywhere, ranks of armored soldiers bristling with weapons, and battle cries shaking the heavens.

The Dao Court’s army had arrived.

The final battle of the Royal Court had begun.

The vast forces of the Dao Soldiers pressed in, launching a full assault. Heavy armor formed solid lines, Dao soldiers surged like a tide, and siege spirit engines loomed like ferocious beasts.

Silver-white battle armor was stained with blood. The Dao Court’s banners snapped loudly in the wind.

The Royal Court’s side had also deployed all its elites.

Royal demon cavalry, Royal clan guards, barbarian armies of the Royal Court, shamans of the Divine Shaman Hall, cultivators of the Great Wilderness Sect, and the forces of various factions under the Royal Court—all used the ancient inner Royal Court as their stronghold to resist the Dao Court’s encirclement and slaughter.

This was the final battle to break the Royal Court, every inch of ground would be fought over.

Outside the towering walls, the two armies clashed in an incomparably bloody massacre.

Blades, armor, spears, halberds, spells, shamanic arts, demon claws, talismans, formations… powers of slaughter from different Daos intertwined like a giant “meat grinder,” harvesting lives from both sides.

The brutality of the killing was so intense that even standing atop Golden Si Tower, Mo Hua could feel it clearly.

Looking up at the sky, he could see the lives lost turning into dense blood energy and resentment, surging upward.

The horizon had been dyed crimson.

And at the very top of that red, darkness had already begun to form.

This was a sign that a Dao-Sin Calamity was taking shape…

Mo Hua could sense the terror of this unknown Royal Court Dao-Sin Calamity. Once it fully formed, the very heavens and earth of the entire Great Wilderness might fall completely into disaster.

And he knew he wasn’t the only one who could see and sense the signs of its birth.

But… no one cared.

Everyone seemed to have silently accepted it all, letting the war unfold, allowing the Dao Court’s slaughter of the Royal Court, watching the Great Wilderness descend into ruin.

Mo Hua’s expression grew grave.

He did not know what the upper echelons of the Dao Court were thinking.

Sometimes, he didn’t even know what his Martial Uncle was thinking.

He could vaguely see his Martial Uncle’s “game,” yet couldn’t discern what was real and what was false.

At this very moment, standing atop Golden Si Tower within the inner Royal Court, he could clearly feel that he was inside his Martial Uncle’s “board.”

Yet he couldn’t sense even the slightest trace of the ‘Strange Dao’.

He had no idea where his Martial Uncle was hiding, or how he was controlling the overall situation of the Royal Court.

What kind of Dao-Sin Calamity was he trying to nurture this time?

Could he truly use this Dao-Sin Calamity to advance from Feathered Ascension into the Profound-Hollow-Void, becoming an even more terrifying Daoist?

And what about the Dao Court? What were their true intentions?

Slaughter, baleful energy, karmic resentment, Dao-Sin Calamity, ascending through the Strange Dao…

These layered strands of cause and effect pressed down on Mo Hua until he could barely breathe.

…

The killing continued. Resentment continued to feed and grow.

The blood-red sky at the horizon slowly darkened, the black deepening until it seemed ready to drip like ink.

The battle for the Royal Court would not be decided in a short time.

But with each extra day of slaughter, with each life lost, the Dao-Sin Calamity in the sky was further “ripened.”

No one could stop it.

The momentum of the grand situation would not bend to any individual will.

Two days after the battle began, Mo Hua was meditating when a knock sounded at the door.

He opened it and found Dan Ling.

After entering, she shut the door tightly, finally letting out a breath. In a low voice, she said, “I found out where the Dragon Pool is…”

Mo Hua and Bai Zisheng both grew attentive.

Dan Ling spread a map across the table. “Prince Ao hasn’t received anyone these past days, and no one in the Royal Court has seen him either. It’s said that from the very day the Dao Court attacked the city, he suddenly disappeared… Most likely, he’s in the Dragon Pool…”

“And the Dragon Pool…”

She pointed to the map.

“This is a map of the interior of the Imperial Palace Court. The Dragon Pool of the Great Wilderness lies in the deepest part. From Golden Si Tower, you must pass through the Inner Court, then the Four Symbols Palace, then reach the Great Wilderness Dragon Hall. Behind the Dragon Hall, there’s said to be a Dragonbone Path. Beyond that is the Dragon Pool.”

Mo Hua was surprised. “Hidden that deep?”

Dan Ling nodded.

Mo Hua lowered his head to examine the map. It was enormous, with an extremely complex layout and countless palaces and towers.

Golden Si Tower lay on the outskirts, while the Dragon Pool was almost at the very core of the entire Imperial Palace.

Between them stretched a long distance.

Along the way, many major buildings were clearly marked.

Only the “Dragonbone Path” before the Dragon Pool was blacked out, a blurred area with no details at all.

Even so, this already counted as extremely “detailed.”

Mo Hua grew curious. “How did you get this map?”

Dan Ling replied, “It’s a secret map of the Divine Maiden Hall. I don’t know which generation of Divine Maiden left it behind. I only managed to obtain it from a senior of the hall by presenting the Divine Official’s written order.”

She looked at Mo Hua. “This is a secret of the Divine Maiden Hall. I’ve only shown it to you. Keep it for yourself, and absolutely don’t let it leak.”

Mo Hua nodded seriously.

Bai Zisheng muttered from the side, “I saw it too.”

I’m also a person, you know.

Dan Ling ignored him and continued, “If you’re going to the Dragon Pool, you have to go quickly. If you’re too late…”

Once the Dao soldiers breached the Imperial Court and chaos erupted, it would be too late.

Mo Hua asked, “You’re not coming?”

Dan Ling shook her head. “I’m the Divine Maiden of the Royal Court. The Dragon Pool is forbidden ground of the Great Wilderness. Giving you the secret map is already a violation. I can’t knowingly break the rules and go there myself. Besides, with the Royal Court facing great calamity, as a Divine Maiden…”

She sighed, her expression forlorn.

She didn’t finish, but Mo Hua understood. Dan Ling wanted to personally remain to defend the Royal Court against the Dao Court.

If the Royal Court fell and the dynasty perished, she would die alongside the Great Wilderness.

She was Dan-Zhu’s elder sister. Just like him, her heart held a sincere devotion and unwavering faith.

Sometimes, though, she simply didn’t cherish her own life enough.

Mo Hua said, “What instructions did the Divine Official give you?”

Dan Ling froze.

Mo Hua continued, “The Divine Official told you to bring us to the Dragon Pool. If you don’t guide us, how are we supposed to get there?”

Dan Ling frowned. “But…”

Mo Hua said, “If the Divine Official told you to do this, she must have her reasons. You are a Divine Maiden of the Divine Maiden Hall, are you going to disobey the Divine Official’s orders?”

Dan Ling looked stunned. “I…”

Mo Hua added, “The Divine Official would never betray the Royal Court. If she told you to do this, then it certainly doesn’t go against the Royal Court’s will. As for rules… those are made by people. At a time like this, there’s no need to be so rigid.”

Dan Ling stood there for a moment, and somehow felt that Mo Hua’s words… actually made sense.

Thinking of the Divine Official’s instructions, she finally nodded. “I’ll take you there.”

Mo Hua nodded. “Good.”

Bai Zisheng glanced at Dan Ling, then at Mo Hua, thinking to himself:

Little Junior Brother’s mouth is impressive at fooling people… seems even more impressive at fooling women…

…

After that, the three of them stopped delaying. They made some simple preparations, left Golden Si Tower and headed for the Dragon Pool.

But just after leaving Golden Si Tower and entering a courtyard, before they had gone far, they ran into a group of people.

At the front stood a tall, imposing man in golden beast-patterned armor. It was Young Master Tuoba of the Great Wilderness Sect.

Behind Young Master Tuoba stood a burly man with a gloomy expression, scars on his face, and whip marks on his body.

This man was Da Hu.

Around Young Master Tuoba were many Great Wilderness Sect cultivators, including two Golden Core elders.

They blocked the road ahead.

Dan Ling’s gaze sharpened as she said coolly, “Young Master Tuoba, what is the meaning of this?”

Young Master Tuoba smiled. “I wish to invite Divine Maiden to honor us with your presence at my Great Wilderness Sect as a guest, so I may show proper hospitality.”

Dan Ling replied, “I don’t have time.”

A flash of displeasure crossed Young Master Tuoba’s face. He sighed slightly and said, “If Divine Maiden has no time, I won’t force you, but…”

He pointed at Mo Hua behind Dan Ling. “This brat, I must take away.”

Dan Ling frowned. “What do you mean?”

Young Master Tuoba’s eyes turned icy. “This brat has a grudge with me. He stole my most beloved mount and nearly caused me to lose my life. I will never forget this debt of hatred…”

Especially that top-grade black-and-white-striped King Tiger.

Young Master Tuoba dreamed of taming it.

But that damned tiger wouldn’t even let him touch it, yet it willingly let this brat ride on its back and even carried him while escaping for his life.

The scene from that night was unforgettable to Young Master Tuoba.

Even if someone stole his woman, he wouldn’t hate them this much.

Only that black-and-white tiger was an obsession he could never forget, so he wished Mo Hua dead more than anything.

Previously, inside Golden Si Tower, it wasn’t convenient for him to make a big move.

But now the situation was different, there was no need for courtesy anymore.

The graceful Dan Ling stepped in front of Mo Hua and said coldly, “Young Master Tuoba, don’t overstep.”

It would’ve been better if she hadn’t shielded Mo Hua. Her protection only added fuel to the fire, stacking jealousy upon jealousy.

Young Master Tuoba’s mentality twisted instantly.

Jealousy distorted his face.

With a wave of his hand, he gritted his teeth and snarled, “Seize that kid. If you can’t capture him, kill him!”

“Yes, Young Master!”

The two Great Wilderness Sect elders immediately made their move, lunging toward Mo Hua.

Dan Ling snapped, “Who dares?”

The two elders hesitated. They didn’t dare offend Dan Ling, the Divine Maiden, and turned to look at Young Master Tuoba.

Young Master Tuoba roared, “Do it!”

They dared not disobey his order and could only continue attacking Mo Hua.

Dan Ling’s expression turned cold as she activated her Vermilion Bird Feather Longsword and engaged the two elders in battle.

These two elders had deeper cultivation than Dan Ling.

But Dan Ling was the Divine Maiden, with superior inheritance and formidable strength. Combined with her high status, the two elders didn’t dare go all out, and the fight fell into a stalemate.

Young Master Tuoba clicked his tongue and said to the disciples beside him, “You all go too.”

A group of Great Wilderness Sect disciples charged at Mo Hua, but Bai Zisheng swept his spear in a wide arc. In an instant, arms and legs were broken, and cries of agony filled the air.

Young Master Tuoba cursed them as useless and then ordered Da Hu,

“You go too. Kill that brat.”

A trace of venom flashed in Da Hu’s eyes. In the end, he still activated his Evil Tiger power and charged at Bai Zisheng.

Bai Zisheng, recalling the past, felt a bit nostalgic and didn’t go for the kill. The two of them fought back and forth evenly.

That left only two idle people in the field.

Young Master Tuoba looked arrogantly at Mo Hua, staring him down.

This was the Royal court, filled everywhere with people from his Great Wilderness Sect. This time, the brat was definitely doomed.

Once he fell into his hands, he would make sure to “properly deal with” him and teach him what true misery was.

And that Divine Maiden Dan Ling… sooner or later, she would also be his.

Mo Hua also looked at Young Master Tuoba, his gaze shifting slightly, as if thinking about something.

Seeing this, Young Master Tuoba sneered. “What? Thinking about killing me?”

For a brief moment, Mo Hua really did want to kill Young Master Tuoba.

But after evaluating things in his heart, he felt a bit disappointed and said regretfully,

“Your life isn’t even worth as much as my dog’s.”

Young Master Tuoba froze. In his entire life, he had never heard such vicious humiliation.

My life… not worth as much as a dog’s??

Rage surged up in him. His face flushed red and twisted completely.