Chapter 1358: Dragon-Bone Path

Chapter 1357: Dragon-Bone Path

Seeing Mo Hua’s figure vanish into the Dragon-Bone Path, everyone’s hearts jolted in alarm.

“Chase him—kill him!”

The demonic Golden Cores all wore ferocious expressions.

An elder of the Demonic Sword Sect famed for his movement techniques, along with several Golden Core fiends from the Skull Cave, immediately activated their movement arts, turning into layers of black shadows as they sped ahead to hunt Mo Hua down.

But just as they neared the dragon-skull bone passage, a sudden dragon’s roar rang out.

From within the bone path surged an overwhelming pressure. Its force was immense, violently repelling the Golden Core fiends dozens of zhang backward, their blood boiling.

The Demonic Sword Sect elder clutched his chest, blood at the corner of his mouth, pupils trembling.

“Royal restriction… Golden Cores forbidden to pass…”

The Dragon Pool of the Great Wilderness was the place where the Royal lineage formed their Golden Cores.

The Dragon-Bone Path led to the Dragon Pool, and thus it was filled with ancient restrictions.

Cultivators at Golden Core and above simply could not set foot inside; otherwise they would suffer the backlash of draconic might.

Once inside the Dragon-Bone Path, with the restrictions blocking the way, their Golden Core cultivators could go no farther.

“So it was all calculated… damn brat…”

Both righteous and demonic elders cursed inwardly.

The Demonic Flood Dragon Mountain Lord’s expression changed.

“Quick! Summon the saint sons and prodigies of the demonic sects, send them into the Dragon-Bone Path!”

“Yes, Mountain Lord.”

On the other side, Elder Xuanyuan also realized the situation and hurriedly ordered:

“The Dragon-Bone Path is open, summon the prodigies of every clan.”

Before long, the prodigies of both the righteous and demonic paths entered the Dragon Hall, clearly divided.

The Demonic Flood Dragon Mountain Lord instructed the demonic prodigies:

“Quick, enter the bone path, reach the Dragon Pool, and form your Golden Cores. And…”

“By any means necessary, find that Mo Hua. At any cost, kill him!”

His expression was extremely severe, his mood exceptionally grave.

Among these righteous and demonic paths prodigies, no one could know who would grow into a future hegemon.

But that boy named Mo Hua did not need the future, right now he already possessed the bearing of a towering power.

Only at Foundation Establishment, he could weigh gains and losses, control the situation, summon wind and rain, and manipulate top Golden Core figures from both paths for his own use.

He acted arrogantly and imperiously, issuing commands with authority, yet no one could do anything about him.

This child must die.

It was not only the demonic path that gave such orders. Elder Xuanyuan of Dao Province also spoke to the disciples of the Xuanyuan, Yuwen, Jiang, and Ji clans:

“Enter the Dragon Pool and strive to form your Golden Cores. If you encounter Mo Hua…”

He did not say more, but his expression was cold, eyes filled with killing intent.

Mo Hua was arrogant, lawless, disrespectful, and uncontrollable.

Yet his abilities were formidable, of a kind ordinary people could hardly comprehend.

The formations he drew were incomprehensible; his skills and methods unfathomable, like antelope horns hung in the air, leaving no trace to follow.

Prodigies from other clans needed Dao-protecting elders to dare seek opportunities in the Great Wilderness.

He went alone, without protection, yet could “manipulate” all the Dao-protecting elders to pave the road for him.

If allowed to grow, he would become a great calamity. He must be strangled before his foundation is complete.

The prodigies of Dao Province all wore dark expressions, killing intent hidden beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, the elders from the Qianxue Prefecture realm sighed and told their prodigies:

“You… decide for yourselves.”

They were unwilling to make things difficult for Mo Hua.

After all, Mo Hua came from a sect within the Qianxue Prefecture realm; there was at least some shared bond.

Back in Qianxue, sects differed and competed fiercely.

But having left Qianxue and arrived in this foreign Great Wilderness, compared with the Dao Province and demonic forces, Mo Hua could instead be counted as “one of their own.”

The problem was that Mo Hua was simply too outrageous.

From a pragmatic standpoint, they too felt this boy could not be allowed to live.

Otherwise, who knew what terrifying heights this unfathomable youth might reach?

Kill him—it felt heartless.

Spare him—it meant leaving hidden danger.

Thus they could only sigh and let the prodigies decide for themselves.

Of course, they knew even better: killing Mo Hua would not be easy.

At the Sword Debate Tournament years ago, within such a small arena, the combined geniuses of Four Sects and Eight Gates had failed to kill him.

Now, in the Great Wilderness, even Golden Core elders of both paths could be “maneuvered” by Mo Hua with effortless ease.

Sending Foundation Establishment prodigies to hunt him down was, to some extent, wishful thinking.

But such words could not be spoken aloud.

…

After the orders of the righteous and demonic paths were issued, their prodigies no longer hesitated. One after another, their figures flashed as they rushed into the Dragon-Head bone passage.

They would enter the Dragon-Bone Path, seek the Dragon Pool to form Golden Cores, and forge their own Dao paths.

At the same time, within the Dragon-Bone Path, they would eliminate the great enemy intolerable to both righteous and demonic paths.

Seeing this, Bai Zisheng sneered and also charged into the Dragon-Head bone passage.

Dan Ling, however, remained within the Situ Clan’s camp, standing shoulder to shoulder with Situ Fang.

Many among the righteous and demonic factions secretly coveted Dan Ling, the Great Wilderness Divine Maiden. But Mo Hua’s lingering prestige still weighed on them, and with so many present, no one dared openly make a move to seize her.

At this moment, Dan Ling herself could not spare attention for such matters.

She stood where she was, face desolate, watching the hope of the Great Wilderness, Prince Shentu Ao—no longer human, nor ghost—her eyes filled with indescribable sorrow.

Everything before her told her that the Great Wilderness truly… was about to perish.

And not merely perish, but face extinction, nation and people erased alike.

Her heart felt as if it were being carved apart.

Elder Xuanyuan looked at Dan Ling, a deep glint flashing in his eyes. Then, following her gaze toward Shentu Ao, he seemed to recall something and scanned the surroundings.

“Where is Qingzhu?”

(TN: Azure Shaman Qingzhu)

An elder beside him looked around and replied, “It seems she slipped away in the chaos…”

Elder Xuanyuan frowned. “Find her.”

“That…” the elder hesitated.

Elder Xuanyuan’s gaze turned cold and sharp. “You must find her. Absolutely.”

“Yes.”

Several elders accepted the order and dispersed to search for Qingzhu.

At that moment, Yan Zhu stepped forward and respectfully said, “Elder, I will go as well.”

Elder Xuanyuan frowned. “You?”

Yan Zhu replied, “Qingzhu is a High Shaman. She has Divine Dao techniques that confuse the senses. I can track her trail.”

Elder Xuanyuan studied him deeply.

Yan Zhu’s expression was devout, his gaze firm, and within it lay an indescribable humility.

Once the Great Wilderness fell, this High Shaman would have no choice but to rely on the Dao Court for survival.

His future depended entirely upon them.

Elder Xuanyuan nodded. “Good. If you capture Qingzhu, it will count as a great merit. I will speak well of you before the Ancestor.”

Yan Zhu was overjoyed. “Many thanks for the elder’s recognition.”

Elder Xuanyuan then pointed to another clan elder. “You go with him and assist Yan Zhu.”

“Yes,” the elder responded.

Yan Zhu knew this was both assistance and surveillance.

Those not of our kind must harbor different hearts.

He understood that principle well.

Yan Zhu then departed the Dragon Hall together with that ordinary elder of the Xuanyuan clan to search for Qingzhu.

As more and more prodigy disciples entered the Dragon-Head Bone Passage, the Dragon Hall of the Great Wilderness was left with only the Golden Core elders of the Righteous and Demonic factions facing one another.

The atmosphere grew heavy in the silence.

After some time, Elder Xuanyuan slowly spoke:

“Burn Shentu Ao’s corpse.”

Shentu Ao had been too powerful.

Although Mo Hua had prevented the revival of the Strange-Dao formation patterns and thus “killed” him, leaving the corpse behind would still pose a hidden danger.

Though Shentu Ao was of Royal blood and his body would surely have great uses if preserved, under the current circumstances it was better to avoid complications and deny him even the slightest chance of revival… even if that chance were only one in ten thousand.

The Royal bloodline of the Great Wilderness must be eradicated… every last trace, Elder Xuanyuan thought silently.

The Demonic side did not object. For them, burning the corpse also avoided future trouble.

Thus, the Dao Court formation masters arranged a Corpse-Incinerating Flame Formation, burning Shentu Ao’s flesh on the spot.

Within the raging fire, his flesh dissolved at a painfully slow pace, while his hollow eyes still retained a devouring darkness.

Those eyes continued to stare at the crowd.

Yet neither the Righteous nor Demonic cultivators paid them any mind.

They guarded the Dragon Hall and stood watch outside the Dragon-Head Bone Passage, protecting their prodigies as they formed their cores.

At the same time, they were all guarding a corpse.

Mo Hua’s corpse.

Mo Hua had entered the dragon-bone passage. Whether or not he succeeded in forming his core, he would eventually emerge.

The moment he did, they would kill him.

The humiliation of before would be repaid in full. Not the slightest chance of survival could be allowed.

At this moment, cultivators of both Righteous and Demonic paths waited patiently within the Dragon Hall.

…

Half an hour later, inside the Four Symbols Maze.

Yan Zhu held a lamp, searching intensely for Qingzhu’s trail, while a tall, thin elder of the Xuanyuan clan followed behind him.

The two wandered through the Four Symbols Palace for quite some time.

Yan Zhu frowned deeply. “Where exactly did this Qingzhu hide…”

The tall, thin elder was also puzzled. “She has already defected to the Dao Court. If she serves loyally, wealth and honor await her. Why vanish so inexplicably now… what could she possibly want?”

Yan Zhu sighed. “Women… who knows what goes on in their minds.”

After searching a bit longer, Yan Zhu’s expression changed.

“There’s blood.”

“Blood?”

The tall elder looked down and indeed saw faint bloodstains on the ground.

But the stains were mixed with a viscous, unknown fluid. They looked strange, nothing like blood from a human body, more like…

Like…

The tall elder’s pupils slowly widened as he turned toward Yan Zhu.

What met his eyes were blazing crimson pupils.

A savage flame Divine-sense surged through Yan Zhu’s gaze, invading his Sea of Consciousness without warning, burning his Divine-Sense and bringing unbearable agony.

“You—”

Before he could finish speaking, a sacrificial blade pierced straight through his chest.

Yan Zhu drove the blade into the elder’s chest, twisted it viciously to shred his heart meridians, and only after the elder’s life fully extinguished did he withdraw the blade and kick the body aside.

Yan Zhu ground his teeth and cursed in a low voice:

“Glory and riches, my ass. A bunch of idiots.”

“You have no idea how terrifying that Lord truly is…”

“And you’re still standing guard there, waiting to die?”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became.

“I told you long ago—kill him early, kill him early—but you wouldn’t listen, wouldn’t believe…”

“You only think of killing after being toyed with.”

“Damn it…”

Yan Zhu glanced at the tall elder lying dead by his hand.

Killing this elder had essentially severed his path of surrendering to the Dao Court. The “future” he had planned for himself was gone.

A tight pressure filled his chest.

He had thought the Dao Court vast and powerful, full of experts everywhere, never imagining they would be blind fools mistaking fish eyes for pearls.

Had he known this, why would he have betrayed that Lord in the first place and bring this suffering upon himself?

The more Yan Zhu thought, the more resentment filled him.

But at this point, there was no choice.

He had to escape as soon as possible. As for future prospects and power, one needed to live to enjoy them.

(TN: MOST WISEST DICISION)

He tossed a fire talisman onto the tall elder’s body to destroy the evidence, then noticed the blood on the ground again.

Mixed within the blood was amniotic fluid, but not human.

It was pale gold.

Yan Zhu frowned, froze for a moment, then sighed softly.

“Another fool… who knows what she was hoping for…”

He shook his head, took out a bead, and burned the bloodstains clean, leaving no trace of karma.

“We met by fate. This is all I can do… the rest depends on your destiny.”

Murmuring softly, Yan Zhu no longer hesitated. He fled swiftly through the Four Symbols Maze in the direction opposite the Great Wilderness Dragon Hall.

The maze’s paths had been deciphered by Mo Hua.

Mo Hua had also led Yan Zhu through them once.

With Yan Zhu’s cunning, there was no way he would fail to memorize the route.

At this moment, he followed the path Mo Hua had deduced, fleeing desperately… away from Mo Hua.

…

At the same time, within the Dragon-Bone Passage:

The prodigies of the Righteous and Demonic factions gathered together, activating movement techniques as they sped through the passage.

The entire Dragon-Bone Passage was a vast, majestic corridor, constructed entirely from ancient white bones, like the spine of a colossal dragon, its craftsmanship both exquisite and awe-inspiring.

As they moved through it, the prodigies of both sides continued to clash and attack one another.

Righteous and demonic paths could never coexist; blood feuds had existed between them for ages.

This was true for the elders of the upper ranks, and equally true for these prodigies.

If the opportunity arose, they all wished to kill a few opposing prodigies here in the Dragon-Bone Passage, to enhance their own reputations, eliminate future threats, and reduce the number of competitors for the Dragon Pool ahead.

After all, no one knew what the Dragon Pool of the Great Wilderness truly looked like, nor what dangers it might hold.

Thus, within the grand and wondrous Dragon-Bone Passage, the prodigies of both factions charged toward the depths of the Dragon Pool while simultaneously unleashing demonic arts and Dao techniques to hinder one another and strike in secret.

For a time, prodigies crisscrossed the passage, each displaying their own methods.

Young Master Shi of Yin Corpse Valley manipulated a half-golden bronze corpse, its yin aura chilling to the bone.

The Evil Dragon Young Lord of Myriad Demon Mountain possessed a half-flood-dragon, half-true-dragon body; his flesh and blood were terrifyingly aberrant and powerful.

The Saintess of the Joyous-Union Sect, named Yu Lian’er, shook a pair of soft jade bells; her face was pure and innocent, yet every smile and glance stirred burning desire.

The peerless Sword-Dao prodigy of the Demonic Sword Sect, taciturn and reserved, controlled an ancient demonic sword with three eyes, its killing intent biting cold.

The young master of Skull Cave, known as Ghost Young Master, cultivated ghost-controlling arts; with every gesture, mournful winds howled.

On the righteous side, Xuanyuan Jing and Yuwen Hua of Dao Province displayed their respective inherited arts, ancient and exquisite.

From the Qianxue Prefecture, Ao Zheng, Xiao Ruohan, Shi Tiangang, and Feng Zichen unleashed the superior sword and Dao techniques of the Four Sects and Eight Gates, their power resounding with prestige.

Each clash between these prodigies carried the imprint of their sects and clan lineages.

Though their cultivation realms were only at the peak of Foundation Establishment, their inheritances were rarer, their mastery more refined, and what they had learned were all phoenix-feather-and-unicorn-horn supreme arts.

Amid their chaotic melee, there had already emerged the embryonic aura of a grand righteous-demonic war.

And this battle among prodigies continued, with neither side gaining the upper hand… until a figure appeared before them.

The person looked like a youth, slender in build, with features like a painting and an easy, unhurried bearing. He seemed ordinary at first glance, yet impossible to forget once seen.

“Mo Hua!”

At this moment, Mo Hua stood in the Dragon-Bone Passage, absent-mindedly examining something.

And the instant they saw him, the prodigies of both the righteous and demonic sides—who had been locked in fierce conflict—stopped fighting all at once.

Mo Hua was like a magnetic formation of overwhelming attraction, drawing all hatred and attention toward himself.