Chapter 499: Not in Control
Chapter 501: Not in Control
Elder Song was, of course, afraid.
Zhang Quan didn’t understand, but he did.
That little brat looked young, still with traces of childishness on his face—yet his Divine-Sense was solid, his aura deep; he could manifest spells and even manifest formations…
This was clearly someone with a Divine-Sense inheritance from a great clan or an ancient family.
And before this, he had hidden himself, launched a formation ambush, used spells that could both trap and kill.
Clearly a battle-hardened cultivator with rich experience.
Don’t even mention their group being ambushed—two dead, one crippled, and the remaining two, himself and Zhang Quan, gravely injured with severely reduced strength.
Even if all of them were uninjured, even with full power, if they fought this little cultivator head-on, they’d probably lose more often than win.
He still didn’t know what trump cards this brat was hiding.
Elder Song grew anxious:
He had to run!
He must run!
If he didn’t run, he’d be “delivered” on a platter.
As for Zhang Quan—he was a junior. For them seniors to let him charge first, or even die first, was only proper. A display of his filial piety, so to speak.
Under Zhang Quan’s stunned gaze, Elder Song hunched his back and fled in panic, without the slightest dignity befitting a senior.
But just as he reached the edge of Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness, about to escape—
Mo Hua pointed a finger and cast Water Prison Technique.
Blue tendrils flowed like water, forming a cage that bound Elder Song in place.
Elder Song’s eyes widened.
Such speed!
His murky eyes flicked, his body shrank—shedding skin and compressing his bones like a peeled bamboo shoot—slipping out of the Water Prison’s restraints.
Mo Hua showed a hint of surprise.
As expected of a proper elder of the Zhang family—he wasn’t completely useless.
Mo Hua pointed again; another Water Prison formed in an instant and trapped Elder Song once more.
Bound again, Elder Song cursed inwardly:
“What the hell is this spell?”
“It’s not for killing—just for control.”
“What kind of sick cultivator specializes in these disgusting spells?”
Again Elder Song shed skin and bone, shrinking further and slipping free.
Mo Hua simply pointed once more—unhurried, unremarkable—and yet another Water Prison appeared, binding the now-tiny Elder Song again.
At the same time, golden formation runes bloomed beneath Elder Song’s feet.
In just a few breaths, they condensed into the Gold-Lock Formation. Golden light surged, locks closing in layer after layer, sealing Elder Song completely.
The escape path was right there.
Just a few more steps and he could have gotten away.
Then he’d report to the Zhang family patriarch, gather the elders of generations past, charge in together, butcher this little brat, and divide him up for a meal!
But those last few steps?
He simply couldn’t take them.
No matter how he struggled, no matter how much force he used, he couldn’t escape the little brat’s palm.
Driven into a fury, Elder Song gave up running. His body expanded, face turning blue-green with fangs growing out; his white eyes turned blood-red and veined.
“Fine! Brat, you’ve gone too far! Today it’s you or me—one of us dies!”
His aura surged.
Mo Hua’s expression also turned solemn.
This Elder Song had a high status and long seniority in the Zhang family. Mo Hua wanted to see what ultimate technique he still had…
A great battle was about to erupt—
One cup of tea later…
Mo Hua stared speechlessly at Elder Song lying on the ground, bruised, swollen, and barely breathing.
So that’s it? That’s all you had?
From start to finish, he’d been crushed by Mo Hua’s spells and formations—every attack followed by Water Prison and Gold-Lock control.
Every few steps, he’d be trapped again, becoming a stationary target for Mo Hua’s barrage.
A few more steps—trapped again—then blasted further.
He didn’t even get close to Mo Hua before being beaten flat and left half-dead.
All that earlier “till death we fight” bravado was apparently just hot air.
Mo Hua shook his head and said to the collapsed elder:
“I overestimated you. You’re so bad at this…”
Elder Song spat a mouthful of blood.
He was utterly aggrieved.
It wasn’t that he was weak—he just never got a chance to use his strength.
Controlled nonstop, unable to get close, unable to even strike once, unable to use even a tenth of his power—anyone would be reduced to a joke.
Of the five “zombies” the Zhang family sent in—
Two were annihilated, one crippled, and the remaining Zhang Quan and Elder Song were both on the ground…
Zhang Quan watched Elder Song—an elder of their clan—get strung up, beaten, and toyed with like a helpless “grandson,” completely powerless. His complexion turned ghost-white.
Only now did he truly understand the difference between himself and Mo Hua.
Outside, Mo Hua was merely crafty and troublesome.
But inside the Sea of Consciousness? Mo Hua was downright terrifying.
How had the Zhang family provoked this “little ancestor”?
Burned by the Earth-Fire Formation and Fireball Technique, Elder Song was flayed and battered. He could feel his Divine-Sense ebbing away and, both anxious and furious, he shouted:
“Little friend, what exactly do you want?!”
Mo Hua smiled. “Whatever you want, I want.”
Elder Song froze—then his expression twisted in horror.
This brat… he wanted to eat him?!
His thoughts spun wildly as he blurted:
“Young friend, you practice a righteous path! We are evil spirits—ghost remnants! Listen to my advice: if you ‘eat’ us, it will corrupt your Dao heart, damage your foundation, twist your nature—you can’t eat us!”
“It won’t.” Mo Hua smiled.
The smile was innocent, yet tinged with something sinister.
Won’t?
Why not?
Zhang Quan thought carefully—then his body trembled like plunging into ice.
“The missing ancestors of the Zhang family… were they all… eaten by you?!”
The ancestors’ remnant souls resided in the Ancestral Diagram and rarely left unless hunting.
The diagram had been perfectly intact when last in his hands.
After Mo Hua stole it—and they retrieved it—the ancestors were gone…
They must have hunted their way into Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness… only to get eaten… just like this…
Zhang Quan turned ashen.
Elder Song looked horrified.
So in the end, the brat wasn’t the feast.
They were.
Mo Hua blinked, then smiled, revealing white teeth. “So you’ve guessed.”
Both shuddered violently.
Elder Song barked sharply: “You’ll gain nothing by offending the Zhang family!”
But his voice trembled—clearly bluffing.
Zhang Quan snarled, “The old patriarch won’t let you go!”
Mo Hua was unfazed.
On the contrary, he licked his lips, gaze deep and meaningful.
Zhang Quan froze—then terror filled his eyes.
No… no way…
Did this brat… even want to “eat” their family’s old patriarch?!
Elder Song realized the same.
Terror surged through them both.
That was the Zhang family’s patriarch!
And someone actually dared to covet him.
Even worse—
This little cultivator had unfathomably deep Divine-Sense.
His scheming was profound, his methods terrifying.
Given the advantage of preparation, he really might endanger their patriarch.
Seeing their expressions, Mo Hua sighed:
“You two know too much…”
Then, under their horrified gazes, he pointed lightly—fireballs burst forth, spiritual power roared—blasting them until they were mere flickering shadows, on the verge of dispersing…
Silence fell over the Sea of Consciousness.
Mo Hua exhaled, sat cross-legged, and pondered:
“Should I ‘eat’ them?”
If he consumed them, his Divine-Sense would grow—but probably not enough to reach thirteen lines.
There was a bottleneck from twelve to thirteen—hard to break.
And after “eating,” he’d need time to refine.
He didn’t have that time now.
Inside the Ancestral Diagram were still many Zhang family ancestors; if they barged in while he was refining, that would be disastrous.
He was alone—while the Zhang family’s generations of zombie ancestors were all in that diagram.
One against an entire clan of undead elders.
He shook his head.
One or two, even three or four, he could manage—but once there were too many, it would be messy, and mistakes weren’t allowed.
If they caught a weakness, if he was injured and surrounded, he’d be in real danger.
This was the corpse-mine—not his master’s cave mansion. His master wasn’t here to protect him, nor were his Little Senior Brother or Little Senior Sister here to back him up.
If something went wrong, no one would cover for him.
So he had to be cautious—extremely cautious.
Especially… since the patriarch was still out there.
Mo Hua didn’t know what cards Zhang Quan’s patriarch had, nor had he ever fought him.
But someone who’d lived this long, devoured so many cultivators—his Divine-Sense must be powerful, his scheming deep, his methods many.
Continuing like this meant facing the few with the many—while still being watched by a powerful foe.
It was becoming harder and harder.
And extremely dangerous…
“What should I do?”
Mo Hua propped his cheek with one hand, pondered for a moment—then his eyes suddenly lit up.
Zombies!
Corpse control!
The Zhang clan’s generations of ancestors were all zombies.
And since they were zombies, they could be controlled!
And in his hand, he just so happened to possess a profound and top-secret method of controlling corpses—
the Ling-Pivot Absolute Formation!
Mo Hua considered silently:
“With the Ling-Pivot Absolute Formation, I can control the Zhang clan’s zombie elders and disciples, then send them to besiege the Zhang clan’s zombie patriarch…”
“I’ll sit on the side, watch the show, pick up the scraps, and finish off whoever’s left…”
“Small risk, low effort.”
“In that case, the one fighting many with few will be the Zhang clan’s patriarch, and the one surrounded by powerful enemies… also the Zhang clan’s patriarch.”
The situation would reverse, and offense and defense would swap!
Mo Hua’s eyes shone as he nodded to himself.
Then he began preparing.
First, he needed to test whether the Ling-Pivot could truly function inside the Sea of Consciousness.
Mo Hua glanced around.
There were three figures.
Elder Song, Elder Si, and Zhang Quan.
All of them were mind-bodies, shaped like zombies, heavily damaged after being suppressed and struck down by Mo Hua’s formations and spells. Their souls were wounded, silhouettes dim, lying unmoving.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then chose Zhang Quan and Elder Song.
Using his Divine-Sense, he manifested formation runes and drew the Ling-Pivot Formation upon the heart-pulse of both.
Once the Ling-Pivot was complete, a flash of bright blue light sank into their bodies.
Then the runes dissolved into threadlike strands—like veins, like tendrils, like stitching thread—slowly spreading within their bodies, weaving in, merging, and completely taking control.
Mo Hua understood.
So this was how the Ling-Pivot functioned…
He had only ever used it on his wooden puppet little tiger.
The puppet was dead matter with a simple structure, and easy to control.
He’d used it on zombies too—a little zombie, and the Corpse King—but neither case was complete.
On the little zombie, he had only modified sequence runes, not fully reconstructed a Ling-Pivot.
On the Corpse King, he merely overlaid new runes atop Lu Chengyun’s corrupted Ling-Pivot, stealing the control—but still not a full construction.
Now, in the Sea of Consciousness, manifesting runes with Divine-Sense to control the iron-corpse’s evil mind, every strand and filament appeared in perfect detail.
For the first time, he could deeply observe the structure and effect of the Ling-Pivot, and understand its formation principles.
Only now did he realize his previous grasp of the Ling-Pivot was crude and superficial.
Applying it here, manifesting runes, controlling corpses—this allowed him to comprehend the technique far more deeply.
A rare opportunity to deepen his mastery!
Mo Hua’s spirits rose.
He focused fully—manifesting runes, observing the movement of spirit threads, contemplating the structure of spiritual nodes, and polishing his control technique…
His understanding of the Ling-Pivot grew bit by bit…
Meanwhile, the heart-pulses of Zhang Quan and Elder Song were fully inscribed with the Ling-Pivot Formation. The spirit threads spread through their limbs, completely seizing control.
Mo Hua’s Divine-Sense moved—both stood up at once.
As expected, they rose exactly according to his intent.
But both kept their eyes closed, devoid of consciousness, just like true puppets.
Mo Hua controlled Zhang Quan to slap Elder Song. Then he controlled Elder Song to slap Zhang Quan.
Then he made them repeatedly slap each other in turn.
Neither resisted.
Mo Hua then had them spar.
They did so obediently.
But severely injured as they were, and with Mo Hua controlling them, their moves were clumsy and their power weak.
Mo Hua sighed.
Too weak…
At this level, they couldn’t threaten the Zhang clan’s patriarch at all.
“Maybe I should wake them up?”
He decided to try.
He took the two Zhang disciples and the gravely wounded Elder Si, refined them completely with the Molten Fire Array, and fed them to Zhang Quan and Elder Song.
Sure enough, their wounds healed and their auras grew stronger.
After a moment, both opened their eyes.
They were surprised to find their injuries healed, strength restored to nearly seventy or eighty percent.
Then surprised again—because their “bodies” weren’t theirs anymore.
Whatever they tried to do, their bodies stayed still.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua sat to the side, smiling pleasantly at them.
Their hearts chilled.
This little devil… what was he up to now?
“You two are my people now. You’ll follow my orders,” Mo Hua instructed.
Zhang Quan felt the absurdity.
What was this kid saying?
How could he possibly be his “people?”
How could he obey this brat’s orders?
He wanted to tear him apart!
Mo Hua said, “Zhang Quan, slap Elder Song.”
Zhang Quan sneered in his heart.
You want me to slap an elder? Impossible—utterly—
Before the thought finished, his hand had already smacked Elder Song across the face.
Zhang Quan froze.
Elder Song froze even harder.
A junior… actually slapped his elder, obeying that brat’s command?!
Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction and said to Elder Song:
“Now you slap him back.”
Elder Song slapped Zhang Quan.
Now both realized something was very wrong.
Zhang Quan roared, “Brat! What did you do to us?!”
Elder Song also shouted, “What exactly do you want?!”
Mo Hua rolled his eyes.
“How could I possibly tell you? Do you take me for a fool?”
Then he muttered, “Can’t let them talk, or they’ll expose my plan…”
Could he make them shut up?
Mo Hua willed it—
at their heart-pulse, blue light flared and formation runes surfaced.
Threads of spirit emerged, sewing upward, stitching both their mouths closed.
Zhang Quan and Elder Song widened their eyes in horror—but could not make a sound.
Mo Hua squinted and smiled.
That’s better.
Zombies should behave like zombies—no talking!
Then, concealing himself, he sat cross-legged to lie in wait, ready to ambush the next Zhang clan zombie elder and test the Ling-Pivot’s control.
After a while, sure enough, another zombie elder arrived with two zombie disciples, entering Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness.
The elder stepped in, barely had time to marvel at the purity and depth of Mo Hua’s Divine-Sense, when he saw Zhang Quan and Elder Song standing like wooden stakes.
Their appearance was strange.
Their clothes were tattered and scorched, as if after a fierce battle.
But their auras were calm and steady—totally unlike someone who had just fought…
“Elder Song?”
The zombie elder frowned.
Elder Song did not move.
His eyes were open, but fully unresponsive.
The zombie elder felt uneasy.
“Elder Song?”
“What happened?”
“Where is Elder Si? And the two disciples?”
“Why are you… in this state?”
He questioned them for a long while.
Elder Song said nothing.
The elder’s frown deepened.
Right then—Elder Song suddenly attacked, fingers like claws, as swift as wind, aimed straight for the elder’s heart-pulse.
The zombie elder was startled, dodged, but still got a gash across his chest.
Black blood oozed out.
He roared, “Elder Song! What are you doing?!”
Elder Song’s attacks grew fiercer, reckless and lethal.
The elder struggled to defend, gritting his teeth:
“Zhang Song, what is the meaning of this?!”
“You want to be a traitor?!”
“Slaughter your own clan’s elders?!”
“How will you explain to the patriarch?!”
“You want to rebel?!”
Elder Song’s face was expressionless, but in his heart he wept:
I don’t want to kill my own clan!
I’m helpless…!
It’s not my fault…!
It’s that vicious, hateful, despicable, cunning, shameless little devil!
He’s the one making me do this!
Author Notes:
(Today I’m busy—only one chapter, a little over 4k words.)