Chapter 361: Demon Seeding

Old Kui sighed, “I didn’t expect his Dao-heart Demon Seeding to have advanced to this level…”

Mister Zhuang remained silent.

Old Kui said, “You’re in deep trouble.”

Mister Zhuang replied, “More debts, no worries. More lice, no itch. Doesn’t matter.”

Old Kui snorted coldly, then furrowed his brow, curiosity piqued. “What exactly did he do?”

“How should I know?”

“He’s your senior brother, how could you not know?”

“I’ve never practiced Dao-heart Demon Seeding myself…”

Old Kui thought for a moment, then said, “Tell me the technique of Dao-heart Demon Seeding, and I’ll grant you one request.”

Mister Zhuang was taken aback. “Really?”

Old Kui looked at him calmly. “Didn’t you say you don’t know it?”

Mister Zhuang replied, “I can know it.”

“What I say naturally counts,” Old Kui said.

Mister Zhuang thought for a moment, his gaze darkening slightly, then explained:

“Dao-heart Demon Seeding is a type of demonic technique that uses the mind’s Divine Sense.”

“This technique allows one to split their Divine Sense, condense it into a demon seed, and plant it in another’s Sea of Consciousness. It destroys the person’s Dao-heart, causing them to fall into demonic ways—or their Dao-heart collapses entirely, leaving them as mindless husks, completely at the manipulator’s mercy…”

Old Kui frowned. “Sounds simple enough.”

“Anything involving Divine Sense sounds easy, but in practice, it’s extremely difficult. Otherwise, Dao-heart Demon Seeding wouldn’t be one of the Ten Forbidden Demonic Arts,” Mister Zhuang said.

“Then what about that Feng Xi? What did the Strange Daoist do?”

Mister Zhuang said calmly, “It’s simple. He first planted a demonic thought in someone, sent them to the Black Mountain Stronghold to die. Their corpse was fed to a pig. Naturally, the demonic thought entered the pig demon’s body.”

“Normally, human demonic thoughts can’t survive long in a beast’s body. But if someone keeps feeding humans to the pig, the demonic thought survives by consuming their Divine Sense. So it appears as one face, but there are actually many; one voice is heard, but multiple people speak.”

“When the time is right, it takes over, controlling the entire great demon.”

“In the prefecture, great demons are invincible. By controlling it with a demonic thought, he can act with near impunity. Even if the Dao Court and major clans intervene, they’re powerless against him…”

Old Kui sighed. “Your senior brother is far smarter than you.”

Mister Zhuang paused, then added, “Smarter than me, yes, but it’s a pity—he ran into my disciple’s hands… or rather, in other words, my hands.”

After saying this, he nodded to himself.

Fortunately, he had foreseen this and taken Mo Hua as a registered disciple, teaching him the Grand Formation.

And Mo Hua had truly learned and constructed it, using the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Grand Formation to exhaust the great demon’s blood energy, forcing the Strange Daoist to reveal his demonic thought.

So, this time, he had won.

Old Kui couldn’t help but say, “Have some shame.”

Mister Zhuang ignored him.

Old Kui frowned again. “The Grand Formation killed the great demon, but now it’s alive again, half-dead, shrouded in death energy. With just the Tōngxiān City cultivators, there’s no way to handle it, right?”

Mister Zhuang sighed. “We can only stall.”

“Waiting for the Dao Court to intervene?” Old Kui’s gaze sharpened.

Mister Zhuang nodded. “Inside this half-dead Feng Xi resides the Strange Daoist’s demonic thought. The Dao Court will surely try to extract it for study, but…”

But it’s uncertain whether Tōngxiān City can hold it…

If the half-dead Feng Xi enters the city, Tōngxiān cultivators will still face a catastrophe.

Mister Zhuang didn’t say this aloud, but both understood.

Old Kui’s expression darkened.

“So…” Mister Zhuang raised an eyebrow. “About that request I just made.”

Old Kui was taken aback, a bad premonition rising.

“If Feng Xi enters the city, you die once and intervene,” Mister Zhuang said.

The words had been circling back—he was calculating Old Kui.

Old Kui’s expression twisted. “You formation masters are all corrupt.”

Mister Zhuang replied humbly, “Not at all. Clear water has no fish. A little filth is nothing.”

Old Kui said, “Tōngxiān City shouldn’t concern you. Why are you so kind?”

Mister Zhuang sighed. “As a teacher, I must do something for my disciple before leaving.”

The city’s cultivators were either Mo Hua’s family or acquaintances.

He could live with his own regrets, but he didn’t want his disciple to endure the same.

Mister Zhuang’s gaze lowered, tinged with melancholy.

Old Kui nodded. “Alright.”

“Thank you!” Mister Zhuang said lightly.

“No need. I agreed for Mo Hua’s sake,” Old Kui said.

Mister Zhuang paused. “What if it weren’t for Mo Hua?”

“I wouldn’t agree.”

“My earlier request…”

“You trade me one life for a word? Reasonable?”

Mister Zhuang suspected, “You were planning to go back on your word all along?”

“Near Mo Hua, I’ve learned—it’s just breaking a promise. Simple,” Old Kui said flatly.

Mister Zhuang sighed. “You aren’t clean-hearted either.”

Old Kui ignored him.

Mister Zhuang didn’t mind, secretly relieved.

Old Kui’s willingness to help was enough—he didn’t want Mo Hua saddened, nor his senior brother to create more killing karma.

Mister Zhuang felt weary, lying back on his bamboo chair, gazing at the sky, frowning as he sensed something off.

Old Kui looked at him, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

Mister Zhuang’s gaze sharpened, fingers clasped, thoughts racing, brow furrowed.

“The Heavenly Dao is still uncertain… but why? How can there still be uncertainty?”

“Where is the variable?”

He faintly sensed it, looking silently toward the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Grand Formation deep in the mountains, brow tightening.

Within the formation, cultivators were beginning to disperse.

The revived Feng Xi, half-dead and shrouded in death energy, remained trapped.

The Grand Formation could still exhaust it, but the spirit stones were gone.

All collected spirit stones had been used. Only a few remained, enough to power the formation for a few hours—not enough to subdue the revived Feng Xi.

Other Foundation Establishment cultivators were exhausted, unable to fight further.

For now, they had to retreat and plan.

Worried and desperate, they couldn’t think of a way to kill Feng Xi again.

Mo Hua stood atop the mountain, eyes fixed on Feng Xi, mind resolute.

Elder Yu and the others came over, helplessly saying, “Retreat first. Rest, then think of another way.”

Mo Hua nodded. “You leave first. I’ll hold the formation from behind.”

Zhang Lan and the others frowned. “That won’t do. How can you cover the rear?”

As Foundation Establishment cultivators, how could they allow a mere junior to handle rear-guard duties?

Moreover, Mo Hua’s status had changed.

He had successfully constructed the Grand Formation and resisted Feng Xi. With or without assistance, he would be a renowned chief formation master.

There was no room for risk.

Mo Hua corrected them, “It’s the Grand Formation covering the rear, not me personally.”

Before they could protest, Mo Hua said:

“Hurry and get everyone to retreat. Before leaving, place all remaining spirit stones on the formation’s nexus to restore its energy.”

“I’ll trigger the rear-guard maneuver. After that, leave the rest to me…”

Mo Hua’s composure and resolute tone left no doubt. Zhang Lan and the others nodded, following his instructions.

Inside the formation, cultivators operated it—formation masters and Dao soldiers alike.

They maintained the formation and transported spirit stones to supply it.

Most spirit stones had been consumed in suppressing Feng Xi. Only a few remained, deliberately saved by Mo Hua.

These stones were intentional reserves.

Firecrackers need a spark.

To collapse the Grand Formation, energy was required as a catalyst.

These stones would act as the “spark” to trigger its collapse.

He would use them to activate the collapse, completely annihilating the great demon!

Since he promised to kill the great demon with the formation, he would see it through.

He didn’t know what this great demon truly was.

But alive or dead, corpse or ghost, with blood energy or death energy—once in his formation, it was doomed!

It wouldn’t escape to consume anyone else.

Within the formation, cultivators were gradually dispersing.

Mo Hua, having planned in advance, began drawing the Reverse-Spirit Array on the formation’s core.

Pausing briefly, he felt reluctant.

This was his first Grand Formation… yet it couldn’t be preserved.

He sighed lightly, then drew the first Reverse-Spirit Array.

Almost simultaneously, Mister Zhuang, deep in the mountains, shivered, sensing something, stunned:

What is this child going to do…

…

Two hours later, all cultivators had dispersed.

Mo Hua finished drawing the Reverse-Spirit Array.

Sweeping his Divine Sense, he confirmed he was alone in the formation. The mountains were desolate and silent—no cultivator presence. Only then did he relax.

The revived Feng Xi remained trapped.

With insufficient spirit stones, Mo Hua didn’t activate the killing formation—he only used the containment array to hold it.

But the containment wouldn’t last long.

Many arrays began to dim due to lack of energy.

Feeling the reduced pressure, Feng Xi sensed the only cultivator in the formation.

That aura—Mo Hua.

The mountain-sized demon, wrapped in death energy, staggered toward him.

Each step made the ground tremble.

Its eyes were black voids of fear.

Finally, Feng Xi arrived before Mo Hua.

Small Mo Hua looked up, facing the towering Feng Xi, meeting its dark, terrifying gaze.

Its face showed human features, ever-shifting, revealing the face of the Daoist. It spoke, yet it sounded as if multiple voices spoke simultaneously:

“Your aura?”

“Bold…”

“Formation master?”

“Familiar…”

Finally, all voices merged into one question:

“Who are you?”

Cold light gathered in Mo Hua’s eyes, voice crisp:

“The one sending you to your death!”

He closed his eyes slightly, manipulating the formation core with his Divine Sense, reversing the energy, triggering the collapse of the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Grand Formation!