Chapter 1351: Four Symbols Absolute Formation

Chapter 1350: Four Symbols Absolute Formation

Elder Xuanyuan asked Mo Hua coldly, “You already knew what was going on with this Four Symbols Palace, didn’t you?”

Mo Hua smiled faintly and said nothing.

Anger rose in Elder Xuanyuan’s heart, and he no longer wished to bother with Mo Hua. But at that moment, an ordinary elder from Dao Province whispered to him, “Elder, the overall situation of the Dao Court is more important…”

Elder Xuanyuan forcibly suppressed his anger, looked at Mo Hua, and said, “What do you want?”

“Very simple.” Mo Hua smiled calmly. “From now on, all of you clan elders—including those from Dao Province—must listen to me.”

“Whatever I tell you to do, you do. Whatever I don’t allow, don’t act recklessly.”

Elder Xuanyuan flew into a rage. “Outrageous!”

Not only him but other clan elders from Dao Province were also furious and began rebuking him one after another:

“Absurd!”

“Ignorant brat!”

“You think you’re worthy to command the elders of our Dao Province clans?!”

“The great clans of the Eight Provinces may be soft-spined and easily bewitched by you, but do you think our Dao Province clans are the same? Ridiculous!”

“You don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth!”

“You’re overreaching…”

It wasn’t just the Dao Province elders, some of the great clan elders from the Eight Provinces also frowned secretly.

Standing on Mo Hua’s side and advancing or retreating together was one thing. Taking orders from Mo Hua was an entirely different matter.

They had not yet fallen so low as to obey commands from a mere Foundation Establishment junior.

Mo Hua’s words made them uncomfortable.

Mo Hua treated all the angry shouts and verbal mockery like a breeze brushing past his face. Smiling, he said, “If you won’t listen, then forget it…”

After that, he resumed meditating and ignored everyone.

The Dao Province elders exchanged glances, then discussed:

“This Four Symbols Palace may be a maze, but it’s only so big. If we split up to search, we can’t possibly fail to find a way out.”

“If we really can’t find one, we’ll just tear this palace down and escape.”

“This brat is so arrogant, we absolutely cannot let him build momentum.”

“Agreed…”

Elder Xuanyuan nodded, his expression gentle as he said:

“We are all elders of great clans, with long inheritances and profound cultivation, each bearing unique skills. We should serve the Dao Court, pool our wisdom, and join forces to break this situation.”

“The benefits of the Dragon Pool will be shared by those who contribute. This old man will not treat anyone unfairly.”

These “well-intentioned” words were something Elder Xuanyuan normally would never say.

If Mo Hua had not been so skilled at winning hearts and rallying people, pushing him into this position, why would a dignified elder of the Xuanyuan Clan have to lower himself like this?

Still, these words did indeed reassure many clan elders.

Some of the clan elders from the Eight Provinces were also tempted.

Especially the major clans among the Four Major Sects—such as the Shen Clan, Ao Clan, and Xiao Clan—who already had close ties with the Central Dao Court. Their thoughts stirred even more.

Among the younger prodigies of the clans, Mo Hua held a certain “authority.”

But to these clan elders, Mo Hua carried little weight.

Between currying favor with a peak Golden Core elder of the Xuanyuan Clan and a peak Foundation Establishment disciple of the Great Void Sect, they knew very well whom they should please.

Previously, the situation had been pushed forward entirely by Mo Hua, and they had no chance to take a stance. Now that Elder Xuanyuan had given them an opening, they were inclined to take the opportunity.

Of course, in front of Mo Hua, they still wanted to save face and didn’t directly crowd around Elder Xuanyuan.

Mo Hua swept his gaze over them and more or less saw through everything.

Human nature was like this, leading a group was never easy.

Especially when these elders were never truly his people to begin with.

Mo Hua understood this clearly but said nothing, merely watching them stir about.

“Let’s go…”

“Alright.”

Elder Xuanyuan led the Dao Province clan elders back into the Four Symbols Maze, hoping to find a path to the Great Wilderness Dragon Bone Hall.

The Eight Province clan elders walked in the opposite direction from Elder Xuanyuan.

But Mo Hua was certain that these two groups of elders, who had set off in “opposite directions,” would surely “coincidentally meet” in secret, renew acquaintances, reminisce about old times, and naturally collude together.

Some might even discuss how to turn against him, betray him, or even set him up.

Back when Mo Hua had served as the Divine-Shaman, he had seen such things countless times. He didn’t even need to expend Divine-Sense to calculate, he could guess it with his eyes closed.

But he didn’t care.

From the perspective of “divinity,” human scheming was ultimately just petty cleverness.

Once they ran into walls and suffered enough, they would naturally come back to seek his help.

After that, Mo Hua sat where he was, completely unmoving.

Meanwhile, the elders of Dao Province and the other eight provinces did indeed circle the maze once and secretly “merge forces.”

After reaching some kind of agreement, they formed a massive combined force and began jointly breaking through the Four Symbols Maze.

Inside the palace, auras shook violently.

More than an hour later, the elders returned to the main hall.

Unlike last time, more than a dozen elders were carried back this time.

They lay on the ground, clutching their heads and rolling in agony.

Some bled from all seven orifices, their ears and eyes ringing violently. Some had their Sea of Consciousness scorched, burning pain drilling into their minds. Others bore claw marks, blood flowing nonstop, the pain seeping deep into their bones.

All the elders’ faces were dark and grim, unable to speak.

The prodigies who had remained in the main hall looked at each other in dismay.

Only Mo Hua still wore that infuriating smile.

Seeing this, Elder Xuanyuan endured his humiliation and anger, gritted his teeth, and asked word by word, “What exactly is going on…?”

Mo Hua shook his head and stopped keeping them in suspense. Pointing at the bloodstains covering the ground, he said slowly:

“The reason those Four Symbols King soldier fought to the death was actually to lure you here into the main hall of the Four Symbols Palace. Then, in a desperate final battle, they would sacrifice their lives, using the bloodline of the Four Symbols royal clan to activate the Four Symbols Maze Formation, sealing you inside this palace, so that anyone who dared covet the Great Wilderness Royal Court would be trapped forever in the Hall of the Sacred Beasts…”

“Those remaining King Soldiers of the Great Wilderness had already resolved to die together with you.”

“They knew long ago that they were bound to die, so before dying, they wanted to drag you down with them…”

“They intended to rely on their ancestors’ labyrinth, trading their lives for yours…”

“It looks like you slaughtered them, but in truth, they were also plotting to slaughter you.”

Mo Hua’s tone was grim.

As soon as he said this, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

Dan Ling, the Divine Maiden of the Great Wilderness, felt as if her heart were being sliced by knives.

Elder Xuanyuan frowned deeply and stared at Mo Hua. “How would you know this?”

Mo Hua pointed at Dan Ling. “Didn’t I say? I captured the Divine Maiden of the Great Wilderness. Naturally, I learned quite a few secrets.”

Dan Ling froze.

In truth, she knew nothing about any of this.

But Elder Xuanyuan did not doubt him. His gaze swept over Dan Ling’s figure before he suddenly sensed something off. Frowning, he said:

“You’re only at Foundation Establishment. The Divine Maiden is Golden Core. How did you ‘capture’ her?”

Mo Hua sneered. “Just an early-stage Golden Core. With my methods, isn’t it easy to handle?”

The elders frowned, thinking this brat’s mouth was outrageous. You’re only Foundation Establishment, yet you dare say you can casually handle an early Golden Core?

Sarcastic words reached their lips, but then they remembered that this group of dignified Golden Core elders had just been “handled” by Mo Hua moments ago.

Quite a few of them silently swallowed their ridicule.

Elder Xuanyuan chose not to dwell on that issue. He only asked, “So you learned the method to break the situation from Dan Ling?”

Mo Hua nodded. “More or less.”

Elder Xuanyuan said, “How do we break it?”

Mo Hua smiled but said nothing.

Suppressing his anger, Elder Xuanyuan said, “Fine. We’ll listen to you.”

The other clan elders looked at Elder Xuanyuan differently now.

His face burned with embarrassment, but he had no choice.

Time was slipping away. The Royal court had not fallen, they could not leave the Four Symbols Palace, the Great Wilderness royal bloodline had not been exterminated, the Dragon Pool’s destiny had not dissipated, and the Dao Court’s mission could not proceed.

If things dragged on too long, he would be in serious trouble.

“But…” Elder Xuanyuan added, “only inside the Four Symbols Palace will we follow your lead. Once we break this strange maze, everyone will still act according to the Dao Court’s orders.”

Mo Hua didn’t care and nodded. “Fine.”

All he needed was to “train” them once, get these elders used to following his commands.

And subtly plant the habit of obeying orders in their subconscious.

After that, he could adapt as circumstances required.

Mo Hua had never liked forcing people anyway.

He then took out a large sheet of white paper. Using the orientations of the Four Symbols and the positions of the Eight Trigrams as reference, he marked some circles and drew some crosses. Then he instructed:

“Split yourselves into teams. Five people per team.”

“For the positions I marked with circles, send one team to occupy each spot. For now, do nothing.”

“For the positions marked with crosses, no one is allowed to approach. If you do, life and death will be up to fate.”

“Afterward, the formation will activate. Your positions will become formation nodes. Once the formation moves, the layout will shift, the nodes will change, and patterns of the Four Symbols sacred beasts will appear on the walls of the maze…”

“If you encounter White Tiger patterns, you must act quickly and destroy the formation markings.”

“If you encounter Black Tortoise patterns, do the opposite, stop immediately. Do not move at all.”

“If you encounter Vermilion Bird patterns, open your eye acupoints and draw out the Vermilion Bird Fire within your Sea of Consciousness. Otherwise, Divine-fire will burn your body, causing unbearable pain.”

“If you encounter Azure Dragon patterns, close your eyes and seal your senses. Do not let the dragon’s might enter your body, or all seven orifices will bleed…”

…

Mo Hua spoke in an orderly, well-reasoned manner, explaining all the formation’s many changes and taboos.

Everyone listening felt a chill run through them, their minds full of confusion.

They… didn’t really understand…

Not only ordinary elders, even some formation experts from great clans felt lost in the fog, unable to grasp the mysteries involved.

They simply could not understand the meaning of these actions, nor the formation principles behind them.

“Th-this… why must we do it this way…” an elder asked with a frown.

Mo Hua did not explain.

If he really started explaining, even ten days or half a month wouldn’t be enough.

Besides, even if he explained, they might not understand.

Mo Hua simply said, “Just do as told. Don’t ask.”

An elder from the Yuwen clan frowned. “What if we follow your instructions and die?”

Mo Hua replied, “Then you die.”

The elder froze, then flew into a rage. “Brat, are you toying with us?”

Mo Hua’s gaze turned cold. “You need to understand this, it is you who want to break the formation but couldn’t. That’s why you came to me.”

“It’s because you’re incompetent that you’re begging me. Not the other way around.”

“The method to break the formation is right here. Whether you do it or not is your choice.”

The Yuwen elder burned with anger but had no choice but to swallow it in front of Mo Hua.

He only hated his own loose tongue for speaking out and provoking this little ancestor.

Seeing him fall silent, Mo Hua nodded, then said sternly:

“It’s not that I’m making rules for you. These are the rules of the formation itself.”

“Engrave every word I said into your hearts. Not a single sentence can be wrong.”

“Don’t blame me for not warning you. This is no ordinary formation. Never underestimate the heritage of the Great Wilderness.”

“Follow my instructions and you’ll be safe. If you think you’re clever and violate the Four Symbols’ taboos, dying here in the Four Symbols Palace will be your own fault.”

“Remember,” Mo Hua warned gravely, “you must be obedient…”

The guardian elders of the great clans all felt a chill in their hearts.

Some of them even nodded subconsciously, only to be glared at by those beside them, snapping back to their senses with cold expressions.

…

After that, under Mo Hua’s arrangements, this group of Golden Core elders from different regions and clans began following his orders to take positions and break the formation.

Because the formation in the Four Symbols Palace was too dangerous, only the elders went to break it.

The peak Foundation Establishment prodigies remained in the main hall.

Mo Hua also stayed in the hall. He deliberately chose a position, sat cross-legged, released his Divine-Sense, and observed the situation of the entire Four Symbols maze.

While everyone was “breaking the formation,” he continuously deduced the formation’s changes in his mind, using them to reverse-engineer the structure and complete formation diagram of the Great Wilderness Four Symbols Palace Formation.

That was his true objective all along.

Some things he did not say aloud.

In truth, this Four Symbols maze didn’t need to be “broken” at all.

It was a maze. Since it was a maze, one only needed to follow the formation pivots and formation nodes and simply “walk” out.

There was no need to waste effort breaking the formation.

Mo Hua actually knew how to walk out of it.

The reason he had these people break the formation was to stimulate the formation and set it into motion.

Then he could use the Heavenly Secret Derivative Algorithm, along with law simulation, to restore and comprehend certain unknown mysteries of the Four Symbols formations.

Based on Mo Hua’s prior observations and deductions, what was constructed within the Four Symbols Palace was a complete reconstructed Absolute Formation diagram encompassing the four sacred beasts of the Four Symbols: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

This must also have been the handiwork of some mighty ancestor of the Great Wilderness.

At the same time, this kind of reconstructed Absolute Formation diagram had certainly been lost.

Because such a reconstructed Absolute Formation was incredibly powerful. It combined trapping, bewildering, offense, defense, and the might of the Divine Dao into a composite function. Fused together with the four sacred beasts, it formed a grand formation to guard the Royal court, virtually unassailable.

Sadly, the ancestors’ legacy had been lost.

The people of the Great Wilderness themselves probably could no longer understand this Four Symbols Palace formation.

If they knew how to use it, the King Soldiers earlier would not have needed to die.

They would only need to rely on the formations within the Four Symbols Palace, set the formation into motion, and coordinate with the powerful King Soldiers. The Golden Core elders of the Dao Court would never have been able to kill their way in.

Even if they did break in, they would only end up trapped to death.

It would never have come to the current situation—sacrificing the lives of King Soldiers to use such a powerful Four Symbols reconstructed Absolute Formation as a mere “prison.” What a tragic waste of a heavenly treasure.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

Such a formation must not be buried in this war.

Thus, Mo Hua told a small lie and manipulated the clan elders into using brute force to break the formation.

This Four Symbols formation was too strong; Mo Hua himself simply could not break it.

He also could not withstand the backlash of the formation.

Therefore, it required over a hundred deeply cultivated and powerful Golden Core elders working together to break the formation and bear its backlash.

And when the formation was attacked, it would inevitably counterattack.

Once it counterattacked, it would expose its formation patterns, formation pivots, the flow of the formation’s power, and the transformations of the laws.

At this moment, Mo Hua sat in the main hall, taking the opportunity to use the Heavenly Secret Derivative Algorithm to record all these changes in the formation.

Later, when he had time, he could sort them out, deduce them further, study them one by one, and attempt to restore them.

This way, he might be able, in one go, to complete the Absolute Formations of the Great Wilderness’s Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—the four sacred beasts.

This was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

And with Dao soldiers massacring cities and the Royal court on the verge of destruction, this might also be Mo Hua’s last chance to fully comprehend the complete Four Symbols Absolute Formation…