Chapter 1435: The Rotten Eye

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Chapter 1433: The Rotten Eye

A subtle tremor stirred within Mo Hua’s heart.

His experiences in the Great Wilderness had made him particularly sensitive to the words “Famine.”

And the true calamity of the Great Wilderness had also begun with a “Famine.”

Mo Hua’s pupils contracted slightly as he asked the vendor, “What kind of famine?”

The vendor noticed that Mo Hua, who had originally appeared gentle and handsome, underwent a complete change in demeanor upon hearing the words “Famine.” An aura of sharpness emanated from him, making the vendor feel somewhat fearful. He replied: “I… I don’t know either.”

“What did Nian Youyu tell you?” Mo Hua asked.

The vendor said, “Brother Nian only mentioned that the harvest back home was poor, some people had starved to death, and he was afraid his family would be affected, so he hurried back to his hometown… I don’t know anything else.”

Mo Hua asked him, “You’re not from the Great Spirit Field Realm?”

The vendor nodded, “My ancestors were farmers, but later we sold all our land. I came to Houtu City to make a small living by doing some petty business, but it’s barely enough to get by. Rice is expensive in Houtu City; it’s not easy to survive.”

Seeing that the vendor truly knew nothing more, Mo Hua didn’t press further. He spent some Spirit stones to buy a few trinkets and left amidst the vendor’s profuse thanks.

After leaving the vendor, Mo Hua headed straight back to the minor blessed land. Yet, even as he walked through the tranquil mountains and waters, his mind remained unsettled.

The words “Famine” continued to pluck at his heartstrings, leaving him unable to find peace.

After pondering for a long time, Mo Hua returned to his room, securely closed the door, took out a brazier and Demon Bone, and prepared to perform a divination.

He wanted to divine whether this “Famine” was related to his Martial Uncle.

Mo Hua lit the brazier and was about to toss the Demon Bone into it when he paused.

“If I divine this, will I directly divine Martial Uncle?”

“Could the information about the famine be a trap set by Martial Uncle? Is he trying to lure me in?”

The events of that upheaval in the Great Wilderness, and Martial Uncle’s schemes, had been too profound and powerful, leaving Mo Hua with lingering apprehension to this day.

His own Dao of Cause and Effect was still too immature in the face of his inscrutable Martial Uncle.

Yet, if he didn’t divine, Mo Hua truly couldn’t rest easy.

If this famine disaster was also Martial Uncle’s doing, then ignoring it and not getting to the bottom of it would ultimately only lead him into Martial Uncle’s schemes, sitting idly by and waiting for death.

“Martial Uncle’s true form should still be in the Great Wilderness at this time, stationed deep within the Endless Abyss Marsh, controlling the Guixu Grand Formation.”

“And Kun Province is countless miles away from the Great Wilderness. Martial Uncle is too far away to exert direct influence; even if a conspiracy is brewing, it’s absolutely impossible for his true form to come here.”

“As long as Martial Uncle’s true form doesn’t descend, if I am extra cautious, it’s not impossible to handle.”

After calculating in his heart for a moment, Mo Hua took out his last two straw-dogs and held them in his palm.

The straw-dogs were vessels of the Great Wilderness Fate Art and could help him withstand some of the backlash.

Then, Mo Hua began to toss the Demon Bone into the brazier.

Along with it, he also threw in an orange.

This orange was a product of the Great Spirit Field Realm, one that Mo Hua had originally bought from Nian Youyu for Xiao Ju to eat.

To prevent Xiao Ju from overindulging, Mo Hua had deliberately saved a few, and now they came in handy.

In addition, there were also a few empty storage bags, all belonging to Nian Youyu, which Mo Hua also threw into the brazier.

Using “objects” as mediums and cause and effect as threads.

Within the brazier, cause and effect began to converge, merging into one within the flames, burning cracks onto the Demon Bone.

Once the cracks had fully manifested, Mo Hua waved his sleeve to extinguish the brazier, retrieved the demon bone, and carefully examined the fissures upon it. Following the diagrams of the Great Wilderness Demon-Bone Divination Art, he systematically categorized the cracks according to divinatory principles and recorded them onto a jade slip.

Mo Hua pressed the jade slip to his forehead, channeled his divine sense, and began deducing the causality within.

“Nian Youyu…”

“Famine…”

“Great Spirit Field Realm…”

In a fleeting moment, time and space shifted. Mo Hua seemed to see vast stretches of dark green spirit fields, connected by crisscrossing paths, extending as far as the eye could see.

He glimpsed a faint, blurry figure resembling Nian Youyu, speaking anxiously to a group of people.

Some among them had sallow complexions and emaciated frames, likely suffering from chronic hunger.

Beyond this, however, there were no immediate signs of a severe “Famine.”

No corpses, no sinister mists, no gloom in the sky.

Nor could he detect any trace of the ominous portents left by his Martial Uncle.

Frowning, Mo Hua continued to deduce the causality related to the “Famine.”

His divine sense poured forth like a flood.

In his mind, fragmented and unfamiliar scenes continuously surfaced, mostly related to the Great Spirit Field Realm.

Suddenly, a resonance of Dao essence emanated from the vast earth below.

Mo Hua’s divine sense was involuntarily drawn and pulled toward it.

In an instant, his divine sense seemed to be dragged into an unknown realm.

All imagery vanished, as if plunged into eternal darkness and silence.

“What place is this?”

Mo Hua’s expression shifted slightly as he focused his divine sense to perceive his surroundings.

From the darkness, he faintly sensed an overwhelming pressure.

It even evoked in him a feeling of terror, one that seemed utterly irresistible.

While Mo Hua was still stunned, he suddenly saw a massive, indistinct shadow slumbering within the perpetual darkness.

And when Mo Hua’s divine sense probed this shadow,

The ancient shadow of causality was lifted like a curtain, revealing a corner.

A gigantic rotting dead eye was slowly opening.

“Eye…”

Mo Hua’s heart trembled violently. With a sharp jolt, he crushed the jade slip at his forehead, abruptly halting the divination ritual.

Without the slightest hesitation, he overturned the brazier and used the Fireball Technique to completely melt the demon bone, erasing all traces.

After completing this, Mo Hua looked down at his own palm.

One of the straw-dogs appeared to have been “corrupted,” now utterly decayed like a rotting corpse.

Mo Hua felt a pang of deep sorrow.

Of the only two straw-dogs left, another had been rendered useless in an instant.

Now, he possessed only a single straw-dog—just one “life” remaining.

Yet a chill ran through his heart, and he hurriedly used the Fireball Technique to incinerate the decayed straw-dog entirely.

Afterward, he frowned, the unease and fear within him lingering, difficult to dispel.

“Was that… Martial Uncle?”

“But that oppressive feeling bore a striking resemblance to Martial Uncle.”

“This is…”

Mo Hua formed some conjectures in his mind, his expression shifting uncertainly, yet he still found it somewhat hard to believe.

Finally, he lowered his head again, gazing at the sole remaining straw-dog in his hand, and let out a deep sigh. His heart was filled with a complex mix of fear and apprehension.

Just from that single glance, another straw-dog was gone.

If not for the Great Wilderness Straw-Dog Life Art left by the Great Shaman Priest, which allowed for causality transference and possessed profound mysteries…

Otherwise, he had no idea what kind of trouble he might have stirred up or what bizarre events might have occurred by now.

Within causality lies great terror.

This saying truly held no falsehood.

Even he himself sometimes encountered “unforeseen calamities” and faced unexpected dangers, let alone others.

The waters of the cultivation world were indeed far too deep.

And as the Heavenly Secrets shifted and the situation grew turbulent, certain terrifying existences that had never before appeared in the world were gradually beginning to “reveal themselves.”

Thinking of that pair of enormous rotting eyes, the powerful sense of gloom and oppression they brought.

Mo Hua felt an overwhelming heaviness in his heart.

After some thought, he pushed the door open and went to find True Person Rong.

True Person Rong was reading a book, with a blank sheet of paper in front of her, seemingly engrossed in some calculation.

Seeing Mo Hua arrive, True Person Rong looked somewhat surprised and asked, “Is something the matter?”

“I…” Mo Hua was about to speak when his peripheral vision caught sight of the notebook in front of True Person Rong. He stared for a long moment before asking, “True Person, are you… calculating causality?”

True Person Rong nodded.

Mo Hua’s expression grew subtly complex.

True Person Rong frowned. “What is it?”

Mo Hua then tentatively asked, “True Person, are you aware of the Famine in the Great Spirit Field Realm?”

True Person Rong shook her head. “The Great Spirit Field Realm is a mixed area of Second and Third-Grade cultivators. Generally, those who have undergone Feathered Ascension do not set foot there. As for the Famine Disaster… that place is mostly inhabited by spirit farmers who rely on the heavens for their livelihood. Once the weather turns unfavorable, or there is drought or locust plagues, famine disasters occur. Matters like these are handled by the Dao Court Division… there’s no need for you or me to concern ourselves with it.”

After finishing, True Person Rong looked at Mo Hua and asked, “Why are you suddenly bringing up the Famine?”

Mo Hua had originally intended to tell True Person Rong about the matter of the “rotting eyes.”

But just as the words reached his lips, he glanced again at the draft of causality calculations True Person Rong was working on… riddled with errors, it was almost unbearable to look at.

In the end, Mo Hua held back and sighed, “It’s nothing. I was just asking in passing.”

True Person Rong looked at him with a strange expression.

Mo Hua said, “I’ll take my leave now, so as not to disturb your… contemplation of causality.”

True Person Rong nodded. “Mm.”

Afterward, Mo Hua departed.

True Person Rong watched Mo Hua’s retreating figure, lost in thought, before refocusing her attention and continuing her study of the basics of Causality Technique.

After leaving, Mo Hua sighed.

There was no way to discuss this with True Person Rong.

Mo Hua remembered that when he had previously asked True Person Rong if she understood causality, she had replied, “A little.”

Mo Hua had thought True Person Rong was being modest.

But it turned out that not everyone in this world was as humble as he was.

True Person Rong truly only understood “a little.”

Under such circumstances, telling True Person Rong about this “great terror” related to causality, which even he found overwhelmingly difficult to handle, would undoubtedly be harming her.

Mo Hua could only give up and keep the secret buried within himself for the time being.

But this matter could not be left unattended either.

After much deliberation, Mo Hua decided he could only go find Manager Zhao to learn more about the situation.

Manager Zhao was still very busy.

For some unknown reason recently, the business dealings at Fortune Pavilion had suddenly become much more frequent. Manager Zhao, who used to be able to leisurely drink tea, was now as exhausted as a dog.

But Manager Zhao still made time to receive Mo Hua amidst his busy schedule, after all, Mo Hua was both his “major client” and his “good helper.”

If only fewer people died during the Entering the Earth process.

Mo Hua asked about the Famine.

And just as he had expected, Manager Zhao, being in business and well-informed, indeed knew quite a bit about the Famine in the Great Spirit Field Realm.

“This is quite normal,” Manager Zhao said.

“Normal?” Mo Hua’s gaze flickered.

“Yes,” Manager Zhao nodded. “Spirit farmers rely on the land to farm and depend on the heavens for their meals. With so many people, even the slightest disturbance can easily lead to food shortages. Famine disasters like this are common occurrences.”

“These kinds of famines aren’t large in scale either. They subside after a while and may not necessarily starve many people. It’s nothing unusual.”

In this cultivation world, people die every day.

Mo Hua looked at Manager Zhao, his gaze sharpening as he asked, “I’m afraid it’s not that simple, is it? If it really were that simple, Manager Zhao wouldn’t know so much about it.”

Manager Zhao’s expression grew complicated. “Of course, to be honest with you, young master… famines are also opportunities. You can do some business and the like.”

Mo Hua fell silent.

Manager Zhao sighed. “I know you might feel uncomfortable about this, but that’s just how business is… Anything, whether big or small, good or bad, joyful or disastrous, is an opportunity for a merchant. The word ‘business’ doesn’t distinguish between good and evil. If I were to consider morality and conscience, I, Zhao, would have starved to death long ago.”

Doing business involves hoarding goods and profiting from scarcity. Taking advantage of famine years to buy low and sell high.

That’s just how merchants are.

Manager Zhao knew in his heart that he still exercised some restraint. In this line of work, there were plenty of managers who were far more ruthless and unscrupulous than him.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment but said nothing for the time being.

Just then, a steward came up and said that another distinguished guest had arrived.

Manager Zhao sighed, muttering, “I don’t know what’s going on with all this coming and going. I can’t even enjoy a few more sips of tea.”

Mo Hua stood up and said, “Then I won’t disturb you any further, Manager.”

Manager Zhao wore an apologetic expression. “I’m too busy and haven’t been able to host you properly. Please forgive me, young master.”

Mo Hua nodded and added, “If… anything strange happens regarding the famine in the Great Spirit Field Realm, remember to tell me?”

“Strange?” Manager Zhao was slightly taken aback. “What kind of strange things?”

Mo Hua’s gaze sharpened. “You’ll know if you encounter it.”

Manager Zhao paused, then said thoughtfully, “Alright. If I hear any strange news, I’ll definitely inform you, young master.”

Mo Hua nodded and then got up to leave.

Even though he was very busy, Manager Zhao still stood up and escorted Mo Hua a short distance.

Just as they went downstairs, they ran into a middle-aged cultivator wearing a Kun Hexagram Symbol Robe, with a dignified and refined appearance.

Seeing this person, Manager Zhao was somewhat surprised. After a moment, he immediately put on a smile and said: “Elder Tian, long time no see.”

The cultivator addressed as “Elder Tian” merely nodded.

Manager Zhao smiled and said, “I wonder what brings you here?”

Elder Tian replied, “I came to see if there are any new array diagrams.”

Manager Zhao said, “Very well, please go upstairs.”

Elder Tian turned his head and looked at Mo Hua standing beside Manager Zhao. After scrutinizing him for a moment, a glint suddenly flashed in his eyes. “Is that… Young Master Mo?”

Mo Hua was somewhat surprised.

Manager Zhao was even more taken aback and asked, “You know Young Master Mo?”

Elder Tian nodded but didn’t say anything.

Manager Zhao couldn’t help but look at Mo Hua.

Unexpectedly, Mo Hua also wore a puzzled expression, clearly not recognizing the person before him.

Mo Hua then cupped his hands in salute and asked, “Elder Tian… knows me?”

Elder Tian nodded. “I saw you when you first fell into the Earth Sect.”

Manager Zhao frowned, unsure of what Elder Tian meant by that remark.

What did he mean by “fell” into the Earth Sect? Could this young master Mo have fallen from the sky?

Mo Hua, however, felt a stir in his heart.

This Elder Tian was a high-ranking member of the Earth Sect.

Elder Tian looked at Mo Hua, his gaze shifting slightly. “Young Master Mo, you…”

Mo Hua said, “I need to head back.”

Elder Tian asked, “Young Master Mo, you are a Formation Master, aren’t you?”

Mo Hua nodded. “Yes.”

Elder Tian then said, “I need to select some Third-Grade Formations to study back at my place. Would you like to come along and take a look?”

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up. Though he didn’t know what Elder Tian was up to, there were formation diagrams to see—why pass up the chance?

Mo Hua immediately nodded, then glanced at Manager Zhao.

Manager Zhao seemed troubled. “According to the rules of Fortune Pavilion, some sections of the Formation Repository are not open to Formation Masters below the Third-Grade.”

Elder Tian replied, “It’s fine. I’m the one viewing them; he’s just accompanying me.”

Seeing Elder Tian’s firm stance, Manager Zhao pondered for a moment before sighing. “Very well. Elder Tian, Young Master Mo, please follow me.”