Chapter 1374: Killing Trap

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Chapter 1373: Killing Trap

“They want… to kill Martial Uncle…”

Mo Hua’s heart jolted. For a moment, his thoughts went blank. Then his Divine-Sense turned sharply, and he suddenly realized.

This might truly be… the best moment to kill Martial Uncle.

All laws of heaven and earth exist in dialectical transformation. Being and non-being give birth to one another; strength and weakness define each other.

When a cultivator breaks through a realm, it is the same.

The moment you attempt to shatter a bottleneck and step toward greater power is often the very moment you are at your weakest.

Mo Hua understood this deeply.

Back then, as a Divine-Shaman, his authority had towered over all. The heavenly mechanisms were clear to him, karma formed a closed loop, and across the entire Desolate Wilderness, no matter how treacherous it was, none could harm him.

But the moment he longed to grow stronger and attempted to break through to the Golden Core, that critical point of breakthrough became his moment of greatest “weakness.”

Unknown mighty cultivators, demons and monsters, enemies and nobles, traitors and schemers… all came to harm him at once.

If that step was crossed, the Great Dao would transform, and the world would open wide.

If it was not, then it was like misstepping at the threshold and plunging into an abyss, life and death hanging by a thread.

His first attempt… he had failed.

The Golden Core shattered, his divinity fragmented, and he fell into the hands of the Huá clan.

What Martial Uncle was plotting in the Great Wilderness was, in truth, no different.

He had sought to form a Golden Core. Martial Uncle sought to enter the Profound-Hollow-Void.

His first Core formation had failed.

And the Dao-Sin Calamity of the Great Wilderness had been strangled before it could manifest, meaning Martial Uncle’s breakthrough had also failed.

Once a breakthrough failed, the backlash of the Strange Dao would follow. From “strong,” one would become “weak,” flaws exposed everywhere, and would be at the most vulnerable moment.

Within the calculations of heavenly mechanism and karma, that was also when killing intent was at its most perilous.

“With Martial Uncle’s unfathomable depth… could he truly not foresee such danger?”

Mo Hua frowned, pondered briefly, and quickly realized.

Even if Martial Uncle had foreseen it, he still had no choice.

The opportunity to form a Golden Core was priceless, let alone to ascend into the Profound-Hollow-Void.

When he himself formed his Core, even knowing the dangers, even knowing killers lay in wait on every side, he had to attempt it… had to struggle through countless lethal traps for that sliver of possibility.

Let alone proving the Dao with one’s own body and ascending into the Profound-Hollow-Void.

For this chance, for nurturing that Dao-Sin Calamity of the Great Wilderness, Martial Uncle had schemed for who knew how many years.

He had no alternative.

Even if calculated against by ancestral old monsters from every side, he still had to raise that Dao-Sin Calamity, prove his Dao amidst chaos, and seek the opportunity of the Profound-Hollow-Void through untold hardships.

Even if crushed to dust, he had to fight for that one-in-ten-thousand chance.

A cultivator’s life is spent pursuing the Dao. None spare their strength. However treacherous the path, they exhaust their lifetime’s effort to seek a higher realm.

That is the “fate” of one who cultivates.

Only…

Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

If he understood this, how could the old monsters of the Dao Court not?

And there were too many of them. Long enthroned at the heights, their grasp of the world’s grand design ran too deep.

Every arrangement Martial Uncle had made, they saw clearly from above.

The Royal Court of the Great Wilderness, its people, aristocratic interests, the struggle between righteous and demonic paths, True Dragon qi, famine, Dao-Sin Calamity… even the Imperial Celestial Bureau, even True-Person Zhuge, all were within their layout.

“This is… the Dao Court that has ruled the cultivation world for over twenty thousand years…”

Mo Hua let out a long breath. After a moment of silence, he frowned again and asked True-Person Zhuge,

“But… that Daoist… can he truly be killed?”

That was the indescribable Strange Daoist.

Mo Hua had personally experienced how bizarre and terrifying the power of the Strange Dao could be.

True-Person Zhuge’s expression grew solemn. After a pause, he said slowly,

“Between heaven and earth—myriad affairs, myriad things, myriad principles—even the countless complex forms of cultivation power, no matter how they transform, cannot escape the framework of the Great Dao. All possess their cycles of generation and restraint.”

“The power of the “Strange” Dao is sinister and unpredictable, eerie and fearsome. But at its root, it is merely a form of yin-evil force—born of the interplay between the void and the real, the utmost yin and darkness—a variation of metaphysical cultivation Divine-Sense force.”

“This kind of power is not without restraint.”

“The power of constellations represented by the “Seven Stars,” the ancient divine beasts, the blood of the True Dragon, the Four Sacred Beasts of the Great Wilderness, and certain lost Divine Dao formations… these stellar and divine forces can restrain, even suppress, the power of “Strange thoughts” to a certain extent.”

“And by borrowing the constellations of the heavens, calculating the heavenly mechanism, fixing karma and cause of death, aligning timing, terrain, and human harmony… even a Dao-Sin Calamity can be slain…”

“That Daoist may be strong… but he is not impossible to kill.”

Mo Hua frowned deeply and nodded.

He knew in his heart that if Martial Uncle could be killed, it would be a good thing. One great enemy fewer.

Yet for some reason, unease lingered within him.

Could someone as terrifying as Martial Uncle truly be killed so easily?

Even if he could… what price would have to be paid?

Mo Hua glanced at True-Person Zhuge and couldn”t help asking,

“Then… will it be you who goes to kill him, True-Person Zhuge?”

True-Person Zhuge asked, “Why?”

Mo Hua hesitated.

True-Person Zhuge had treated him well. He did not wish for him to clash with Martial Uncle.

It was not that True-Person Zhuge lacked strength… But Martial Uncle was too strange.

True-Person Zhuge could deploy the Central Ziwei Heaven Big Dipper Killing Formation, gather the Seven Stars into sword light, and slay the Dao-Sin Calamity before it took form. His strength was unquestionable.

Yet if he truly faced Martial Uncle, the danger would be extreme. One misstep, and he might die at Martial Uncle”s hands.

Even in the most ideal scenario—if True-Person Zhuge truly gathered the Seven Stars and killed Martial Uncle—he would never emerge unscathed. Not only his fleshly body and Divine-Sense, but even the origin of his Great Dao might be corroded by the Strange Dao, leaving him neither human nor ghost, a fate worse than death.

Mo Hua truly did not want to see such an outcome.

He spoke sincerely,

“Even if that Daoist’s Dao-Sin Calamity has been slain, his breakthrough failed, and he is gravely injured, he will not be easy to deal with. True-Person, please heed my advice, do not fight that Daoist.”

Mo Hua had seen too much.

Since childhood, the number of Feathered Ascension cultivators he had personally witnessed die at Martial Uncle’s hands could not be counted on one hand.

Others dying was one thing.

But he truly did not wish True-Person Zhuge to face danger.

His gaze was filled with worry.

True-Person Zhuge could feel that Mo Hua was genuinely concerned for his safety. Warmth stirred in his heart.

Yet he still shook his head.

“That is not for you to worry about.”

Mo Hua pressed on, “True-Person, how do you intend to kill that Daoist?”

True-Person Zhuge fell silent.

Many schemes had already been set in motion. At this point, there was no turning back.

And many secrets could never be revealed to Mo Hua.

But Mo Hua suddenly had a flash of insight.

“Is it that massive formation outside? Is that meant to—”

True-Person Zhuge felt a headache coming on. He stood up and began pushing Mo Hua toward the door.

“That is enough. What I have told you stays buried in your stomach. From here on, you are absolutely not to involve yourself.”

The Strange Daoist was someone even he, a Feathered Ascension cultivator of the Imperial Celestial Bureau, found troublesome. If anything unexpected erupted, Mo Hua—who had only just entered the Golden Core realm—wouldn’t stand a chance, no matter how clever or slippery he was.

True-Person Zhuge had not forgotten, this was his “little ancestor.” Not the slightest mishap could be allowed.

But Mo Hua insisted: “I’m not leaving.”

True-Person Zhuge rubbed his temples.

“That is not up to you. I have important matters ahead and no time to watch over you. Whether you wish to or not, you’re leaving.”

Mo Hua replied: “If you’re not watching me… can you truly be at ease?”

True-Person Zhuge froze.

That question stopped him cold.

This brat was an uncontrollable ticking bomb. Even kept right under his nose, watched every moment, there was still a risk of explosion, let alone tossing him out alone at such a critical time.

But where could he toss him and feel at ease?

What if he threw him out and the boy just snuck back in?

The kid was like a pangolin. If he wanted to burrow back, who could stop him?

For a split second, True-Person Zhuge truly considered knocking Mo Hua unconscious with a club, tying him up with hemp rope, and stuffing him into his Storage Ring to keep him from running around.

But he knew that wouldn’t work.

Just as irritation welled up in his heart, a cultivator of the Imperial Celestial Bureau respectfully called from outside:

“Honored Consecrator, the time has come.”

True-Person Zhuge’s heart gave a slight jolt. He frowned. “I know…”

He turned back to Mo Hua, pondered for a long moment, and finally said helplessly:

“Fine. You stay with me. Behave yourself. Do not do anything unnecessary, or even I won’t be able to protect you.”

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly. “Mm-hmm.”

True-Person Zhuge sighed, lifted the formation sealing the secret chamber, and walked out. Mo Hua followed step by step behind him.

Outside, several cultivators from the Imperial Celestial Bureau bowed. “Everything is prepared. Please inspect it, Honored Consecrator.”

True-Person Zhuge gave a slight nod.

Mo Hua glanced over and noticed among them a refined-looking cultivator.

It was the very same Bureau official whom he had intimidated with Divine-Dread Sword, then exploited a loophole to borrow a Jade Token and slip through the gate.

The official now seemed to have realized what had happened and was glaring at Mo Hua with undisguised anger.

Mo Hua felt a little awkward. His gaze wandered elsewhere, and he said nothing.

Fortunately, with True-Person Zhuge present, no one dared speak further.

Besides, True-Person Zhuge had far more urgent matters to attend to.

…

On this expedition to the Great Wilderness, the Dao soldiers’ campaign was commanded by General Yang of the Yang Clan, while True-Person Huá oversaw supervision and the Dao Court’s rewards and punishments.

The plan to suppress the Dao-Sin Calamity—and ultimately execute the Strange Daoist—was entrusted entirely to True-Person Zhuge.

Many aspects of the plan were not to his liking. But as an Official of the Imperial Celestial Bureau, it was his duty.

Faced with a catastrophe like the Dao-Sin Calamity, and a world-shaking fiend like the Strange Daoist, he upheld the righteous path and had to eradicate evil completely.

And the Great Wilderness Ancestral Court before them was, within the plan, the burial ground of the Strange Daoist.

By now, numerous formations had already been set up within the Ancestral Court, all of them True-Person Zhuge’s handiwork.

Previously, Mo Hua had snuck in and only glimpsed a small portion.

Now, following openly behind True-Person Zhuge and looking around freely, he saw a far broader landscape.

The entire Great Wilderness Ancestral Court was composed of vast “ancient mausoleums” built from massive quantities of white bones.

Some were grand and towering; others jagged and grotesque. They stood throughout the court, exuding an ancient, solemn aura.

Yet now, more than half of the mausoleums had been swallowed by pitch-black abyssal depths.

The Strange Daoist was hiding somewhere within that endless abyss.

To launch the campaign against him, True-Person Zhuge had ordered the Bureau’s cultivators to construct numerous Seven-Star Formations within the portions of the Ancestral Court not yet consumed by the Abyss Marsh.

Standing atop the steps, Mo Hua gazed into the distance.

Before him lay the endless abyss, pitch-black and terrifying.

Beneath his feet stretched the bone-forged Ancestral Court, pale and eerie.

The black of the abyss and the white of bone stood in stark contrast.

Within the pallid court, the lights of the Seven-Star Formations laid by True-Person Zhuge flickered on one by one, like a sky full of stars igniting above a graveyard, an oddly discordant beauty.

These countless Seven-Star Formations were the layout devised to kill Martial Uncle.

From his high vantage point, Mo Hua took it all in.

With True-Person Zhuge present, he couldn’t secretly run calculations to steal insights. He didn’t know much about the myriad Seven-Star Formations before him.

But drawing on years of experience with grand formations, he made a quick internal estimate of their total scale, and soon realized a problem.

“Not enough…”

Though numerous, though brimming with star power, though formidable, this quantity of formations simply could not inflict a “lethal” blow upon Martial Uncle.

In Mo Hua’s estimation, to utterly annihilate someone so terrifying through formations alone would require at least the equivalent power of a third-grade grand formation’s collapse.

Even then, he doubted it would suffice.

If it were up to him, he would collapse at least a fourth-grade grand formation, just to be safe, just to ensure Martial Uncle would have no burial ground left.

Better to blow up a few extra formations to guarantee a one-shot kill than to gamble on luck and reduce destructive force, leaving future calamities behind.

This was what he called “redundant lethality” in formation design.

But these formations before him, forget redundant lethality. By his calculations, they didn’t even meet the threshold for true killing power.

Though numerous and powerful—and monopolized Seven-Star Formations of the Imperial Celestial Bureau—they were not grand formations, nor even many composite formations.

Mo Hua saw no means akin to “collapse,” which meant they were not mediums for spiritual transformation either.

With only this scale of Seven-Star Formations, even if star power restrained the Strange thoughts, it would never kill Martial Uncle, even if he were gravely wounded and on the brink of death.

Mo Hua could see this clearly. True-Person Zhuge, a master of formations, could not possibly have failed to calculate it.

“That means… there are other methods?”

Mo Hua’s eyes flickered.

In an instant, he recalled the massive formation he had seen earlier.

That unfinished colossal formation might very well be the true core of this plan to hunt and kill Martial Uncle.

“But what exactly… is that formation? And what is its purpose?”

Mo Hua frowned, utterly perplexed.

He turned his head, intending to ask True-Person Zhuge, but seeing him busy arranging formations and constructing the overall layout, he felt it inappropriate to interrupt.

So he could only wait patiently. When True-Person Zhuge moved to complete that gigantic formation, he would secretly study it himself.

Mo Hua had long since calculated that within the entire Ancestral Court, the most formidable formation master had to be True-Person Zhuge, the Feathered Ascension realm Honorary Consecrated Official of the Imperial Celestial Bureau.

And that massive formation, still unfinished, could only be perfected by True-Person Zhuge.

All he had to do was wait.

Sure enough, True-Person Zhuge made a full circuit around the Ancestral Court, confirming that every formation he had designed had been fully constructed. The minor flaws in the formation hubs and the errors within the formation patterns were all corrected. After hesitating briefly, he finally turned and walked toward the colossal formation at the very center, the one upon the White Bone Plaza.

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up. He hurried after True-Person Zhuge, afraid of falling even half a step behind.

Upon reaching the White Bone Plaza, True-Person Zhuge glanced back at Mo Hua, frowning slightly in hesitation.

Mo Hua lowered his gaze, nose observing his heart, heart observing his mouth, putting on the appearance of utmost obedience, as though he harbored no unrealistic delusions toward formations that did not belong to him.

True-Person Zhuge sighed. Once a mouse has fallen into the rice jar, no amount of guarding helps.

He had already kept Mo Hua by his side, practically inviting the wolf into his home. What else could he do?

Thus, True-Person Zhuge stopped hesitating. He began to mobilize stellar power, using it as ink, sketching vast and profound formation patterns upon the unfinished framework of the colossal formation.

The moment he made his move, Mo Hua felt a jolt of shock.

Because what True-Person Zhuge was drawing were unmistakably… Fifth-Grade formation patterns?!!

Feathered Ascension, Fourth Grade, yet drawing Fifth-Grade formation patterns?!!

Mo Hua’s pupils contracted. He stared at True-Person Zhuge in utter disbelief, and at the same time, a single term surfaced in his mind:

“Formation Flow!!”

True-Person Zhuge… he was proficient in Formation Flow!

And this was absolutely no ordinary Formation Flow.

This Formation Flow could actually allow True-Person Zhuge, at the Feathered Ascension realm, to draw Fifth-Grade formations…