Chapter 363: Recuperation

Mo Hua recorded that last stroke of the Immortal Rune, and then his Divine-Sense was completely exhausted—he collapsed to the ground.

As he lost consciousness, he vaguely heard many cultivators shouting his name, rushing toward him.

Their voices were filled with anxiety.

Among them were his father, Mo Shan, Zhang Lan, Elder Yu, Commander Yang, and many other familiar people.

Then, everything faded into darkness.

…

When Zhang Lan, Mo Shan, and the others reached Mo Hua, they saw blood streaks at the corners of his eyes. His breathing was weak, but his pulse was steady and his blood circulation smooth—only then did they let out a sigh of relief.

They quickly carried Mo Hua to Elder Feng for treatment.

Meanwhile, Mister Zhuang still stood on the bamboo porch, gazing at the mountain sky in silent contemplation.

That stretch of heavens had once held the soaring blood mist of Feng Xi, the vast spiritual power of the grand formation, the annihilating force of collapse, and the terrifying might of heavenly tribulation lightning.

But now, all of it was gone. The sky was clear and empty, as if none of it had ever happened.

That is the Heavens. That is the Dao.

Even if storms rage through the world, they too pass in the blink of an eye—gone like drifting clouds, leaving not a single trace.

Mister Zhuang stared blankly at the horizon, lost in thought.

From dusk till deep night, he didn’t move.

Grandpa Kui couldn’t bear it any longer and said coldly, “If you don’t rest, you’ll die.”

“Who doesn’t die?”

“Then at least choose a more interesting way to go. Don’t die in such a dull, tasteless manner.”

Mister Zhuang didn’t answer, still lost in silence.

Grandpa Kui frowned slightly, then, fearing that he truly meant to seek death, asked,

“What are you thinking about, all this time?”

“I’m thinking…” Mister Zhuang said quietly, “just how long can I keep hiding?”

“As long as you can,” Grandpa Kui replied with a cold tone. “Hasn’t that always been your way—drifting through life as it comes?”

Mister Zhuang sighed. “But what’s the point of it anymore?”

Grandpa Kui’s brow furrowed.

“Whether I live one more day or one less day, it makes no difference at all,” Mister Zhuang continued softly.

Grandpa Kui’s gaze sharpened. “What are you planning to do?”

Mister Zhuang gave no answer, only continued to stare at the horizon—

the place where Mo Hua’s figure had once stood.

When the grand formation collapsed, when the tribulation lightning faded, Mo Hua’s silhouette atop Great Black Mountain had been burned deep into his mind.

As the night deepened, darkness devoured his figure, yet his eyes shone like starlight—burning with a faint, stubborn hope.

——

When Mo Hua slowly awoke, he found someone at his bedside—his mother, Liu Ruhua.

Tear tracks still glistened at the corners of her eyes. Her hand gently clasped Mo Hua’s small one, as though she had been watching over him the entire time. But exhaustion had overcome her, and she had fallen asleep beside him.

Warmth surged in Mo Hua’s heart. He felt a pang of tenderness. Reaching out, he gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

Liu Ruhua stirred awake with a start. Seeing Mo Hua’s smiling face, she finally relaxed.

Letting out a long sigh, the heavy stone in her heart finally fell away. She said softly,

“You’re awake. What do you want to eat? Mother will make it for you.”

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly listed a long string of dishes.

Liu Ruhua blinked, then laughed helplessly. “Still such a glutton.”

Then she reminded him gently, “Elder Feng said your Sea of Consciousness was injured, but not too badly. Rest a few days, and you’ll recover.”

“But your eyes… we’re not sure what you saw, but they were hurt. You may have occasional bouts of blindness, times when you can’t see clearly. Be careful when that happens.”

“Elder Feng has already refined a few furnaces of pills for you. Take them daily, and after some time, he’ll check on you again.”

Liu Ruhua rambled on affectionately, unable to stop.

Mo Hua listened quietly, nodding obediently.

After a while, Mo Shan entered as well. Seeing his son awake, joy flashed across his face.

But all his concern seemed stuck in his chest, and he didn’t know how to express it. In the end, he could only manage a stiff, “You alright?”

Mo Hua nodded. “Mm!”

Mo Shan exhaled in relief.

He and Liu Ruhua didn’t really understand what had happened in the mountains—what Mo Hua had done—but they didn’t ask. As long as he was safe, that was enough.

Liu Ruhua frowned slightly. “Don’t take such risks again.”

Mo Hua reassured her, “Don’t worry, Mother. I calculated everything carefully. There was no danger—it only looked a little risky.”

Mo Shan’s expression froze. Inside, he could only sigh.

Looked a little risky?

Feng Xi was blown to dust, tribulation lightning rained from the heavens, and you call that “a little risky”?

Liu Ruhua, too, was skeptical. “Really calculated?”

“Of course!” Mo Hua nodded firmly. “Formations don’t lie. Life is life, death is death. I left a Life Gate—it means I definitely wouldn’t die!”

Liu Ruhua didn’t understand a word, but seeing his confident little face, she couldn’t help smiling as she pinched his cheek.

“Alright then, Mother believes you.”

Mo Hua beamed, his eyes curving into little crescent moons.

Mo Shan, watching his wife and son, felt his own gaze soften.

Later, Zhang Lan, Elder Yu, Chief Zhou, and others came to visit, bringing plenty of gifts—mostly food: things to replenish blood, calm the spirit, and nourish the body.

Mo Hua was touched… and delighted.

When asked about the grand formation’s collapse, Mo Hua didn’t use the complex term “collapse.” He simply said he had found a way to make the formation “self-destruct.”

The power of collapse was a secret formation inheritance—best not to speak of it lightly.

As for how he made it self-destruct, he vaguely mentioned some things about formation cores and array runes.

Everyone listened to him with awe and quickly accepted it.

After all, whether he was telling the truth or not, they couldn’t understand a word of it anyway.

To an array master, even a normal grand formation was already complex—let alone its collapse.

And to those not array masters, even basic formations were already incomprehensible, much less something so vast.

All that mattered was: the grand formation had destroyed itself, the great demon was slain, and Mo Hua was safe.

That was more than enough.

At that thought, everyone felt deeply moved—especially Elder Yu.

He never imagined that, through their joint effort, they would truly slay a great demon.

Such a feat had not occurred in Tōngxiān City for thousands of years.

And much of that credit belonged to Mo Hua.

He had not only saved Tōngxiān City—but all of them as well.

Elder Yu and the others silently engraved that debt in their hearts.

Afterward, not wishing to disturb his rest, they departed.

Mo Hua’s injuries, in truth, were not too serious. After several days of recovery under Elder Feng’s care, he returned home.

His Sea of Consciousness was slowly healing. For now, he couldn’t draw formations or use Divine-Sense much—so he took the opportunity to enjoy some well-earned rest.

However, his eyes would sometimes go blind for brief moments.

It was as if he had glimpsed something he was never meant to see—patterns containing the supreme truths of the world.

Thus, when he now looked at ordinary things, they sometimes appeared hazy—veiled in a thin layer of white, illusory mist, half-real, half-false, impossible to tell apart.

Elder Feng didn’t know what Mo Hua had truly witnessed. Judging by his injuries, he simply said truthfully,

“Your eyes were scorched by something. Seeing blurriness from time to time is normal. With rest, you’ll recover.”

Mo Hua felt relieved. He definitely didn’t want to be half-blind.

*Thank you to the readers In-the-Wild Mathematician, Ze Yu An, 20230331045401601, and gchen for your rewards!

And thank you all for your support.*

The great conflict of the first volume is now complete. Time to tie off a few threads—and then, the new volume begins!

(End of Chapter)