Chapter 503: Fierce Battle

Chapter 505: Fierce Battle

The Zhang family’s Ancestor, transformed into a Bronze Corpse, clashed violently with the Zhang family Iron Corpse Elder under Mo Hua’s control. Corpse aura surged, and brute force radiated in every direction.

From the outside, it looked like a brawl between martial cultivators.

But since they were all zombies, their close-quarters fighting involved claws and teeth, making their movements wilder and their strikes more vicious.

Mo Hua felt his blood boil.

It was like controlling an elite monster to battle a major villain.

After watching the chaotic fight for a while, Mo Hua suddenly realized he still had serious business to attend to.

He gathered his focus, calmed his mind, and began observing the Bronze Corpse Ancestor’s attack patterns.

Was it more accustomed to fists, claws, or kicks?

He noted its habits: after a right punch, it might follow with a sweep; after a slash with its claws, an upward strike would follow; after the Black Tiger Heart Probe, it would spin and deliver an elbow strike…

Mo Hua silently observed, recording each of the Zhang family Ancestor’s habits.

Just like he had once studied the movements of beasts and cultivators to hone the Flowing-Water Step.

Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

Different opponents had different moves, different habits.

Monsters differed from humans, and humans differed from corpses.

The more familiar one was with these patterns, the better one could anticipate them, preventing being caught off guard.

For ordinary opponents, it didn’t matter much, but for a formidable enemy like the Bronze Corpse Ancestor, extra caution was necessary.

The more details he could discern, the greater his chance of victory.

This was also a hunter’s technique, taught to him by his father, Mo Shan, back at Great Black Mountain.

Hunters were physically weaker than monsters but had to fight them up close. Familiarity with their movements was essential.

Mo Hua faced the Bronze Corpse Ancestor the same way.

While observing, he mentally simulated the corpse’s combos, preparing countermeasures.

The Bronze Corpse proved powerful indeed. Against eleven Iron Corpses, it still held the upper hand.

Every strike was brutal, every force heavy.

One-on-one, a single Iron Corpse was no match. Only with eleven, coordinated under Mo Hua’s guidance—each striking and retreating in turn, like a relay—could they contest the Bronze Corpse.

The battle reached a tense stalemate…

The Bronze Corpse’s strength lay in sheer power.

The Iron Corpses’ strength lay in fearless ferocity.

Trading wounds for wounds, fighting to mutual destruction, they battled the Zhang family Ancestor.

Using the Zhang family’s own elders to fight its Ancestor.

Mo Hua felt no sympathy.

If they all died, it didn’t matter…

But the Zhang family Ancestor did care!

These were its descendants, esteemed elders of the Zhang family. If even it, the old ancestor, perished alongside them, the family would collapse.

“I can’t keep dragging this out…”

Its eyes turned cold, aura surging. A right fist swept across, forcing back several Iron Corpses. It stepped back and began forming hand seals.

When the Iron Corpses closed in again, the Ancestor’s body suddenly emitted a wave of green corpse aura.

The Iron Corpses enveloped by it slowed within moments, their movements sluggish, their own auras weakening bit by bit.

Mo Hua narrowed his eyes.

Corpse toxin?

No, it seemed more like a spell.

Corpse Poison Technique!

Once this toxin seeped into the body, movements slowed, and continuous poison damage occurred.

The Bronze Corpse’s corpse poison was indeed dangerous…

Mo Hua made a mental note to be extra careful.

Once the Ancestor used the Corpse Poison Technique, the situation changed.

The Iron Corpses slowed, strikes became delayed, steps faltered, unable to reach the Ancestor, failing to restrict it…

“Looks like it’s my turn to act…”

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up. He nodded slightly.

Hiding in the shadows, he seized the opportunity and, with a finger point, cast the Water Prison Technique.

The Ancestor, trying to dodge the Iron Corpses’ attack, suddenly felt its aura shift. Pale blue threads appeared, forming chains that bound it in place.

At the same time, an attack that should have been avoided struck.

An Iron Corpse’s claw pierced the left chest of the Ancestor. The bronze-like skin prevented deep penetration, but it still caused noticeable injury.

The Ancestor struck the Iron Corpse away with a punch, eyes cold, scanning its surroundings:

“Who’s there?”

“Who dares ambush me?”

Mo Hua feigned ignorance, staying silent.

The Ancestor’s face darkened.

His suspicion had been correct. Someone had set a trap, using the Zhang family’s elders—completely brainwashed—to fight him.

And the mastermind was nearby, waiting for the right moment to end him.

Malicious intent ran deep.

The Ancestor’s eyes turned icy.

“I want to see which petty villain hides under innocence, harboring evil in his heart!”

Its right hand formed a grip, condensing divine sense.

In moments, a pale white bone staff materialized.

Mo Hua twitched.

A manifested spirit weapon!

The Zhang family Ancestor’s skill in manifesting spiritual weapons far surpassed his own.

He could only manifest the Thousand-Jin Staff, which appeared somewhat insubstantial, far less solid than this bone staff.

Yet, this wasn’t just a spirit weapon—it was an evil artifact.

The bone staff, crafted through demonic means with bones as a medium, radiated malevolent energy.

Chanting, the Ancestor’s staff skull’s eyes glowed red.

Its aura grew sinister.

The corpse poison condensed into writhing serpents, spreading in all directions, fangs bared.

Mo Hua felt a chill.

This Zhang ancestor’s methods were extremely chaotic.

Both corpse cultivation and spellcasting.

Was it a physical cultivator, a spiritual cultivator, or a demon whose methods defied convention?

As Mo Hua pondered, the serpents reached his feet. He used Flowing-Water Step to retreat.

Even this subtle movement emitted a faint divine sense ripple, which the vigilant Ancestor immediately detected.

Its bronze vertical pupils narrowed. The bone staff pointed at Mo Hua.

The surrounding serpents swirled like a tide, poisoned aura thick, advancing toward him.

Mo Hua reluctantly revealed himself, moving lightly while repeatedly pointing with fingers.

Fiery orbs condensed at his fingertips, shooting out with roaring speed.

The scarlet fireballs collided with the poisonous serpents, exploding one by one.

Flame force intertwined, large swathes of serpents turned to ashes, poison destroyed, the fire burning red with hints of sinister green.

Within moments, all of the Ancestor’s poisonous serpents were annihilated.

The Ancestor’s expression remained calm.

The corpse poison was neutralized, but the “mastermind” behind it had been revealed.

Yet this “mastermind” shocked it—

A mere child…

Had it been a prodigious youth, a calculating middle-aged cultivator, or a grim-faced elder, it wouldn’t have been surprising.

But this innocent-looking, naive yet profound-eyed child unnerved it.

Something unusual always hinted at a monster.

Frowning, the Ancestor assessed:

This child had refined divine sense, could manifest both self and spells.

Innocent in appearance, yet cunning in method.

Hiding, spying, leaving no trace.

Manipulating generations of Zhang family elders.

If not for the bone staff and reinforced corpse poison, the child couldn’t have been forced out.

Its divine sense, honed over centuries by consuming others’ divine sense and combining corpse techniques, was profound.

How could this child, barely having grown, possess such devious methods?

The Ancestor’s gaze darkened.

“Child, what are you?”

Mo Hua smiled: “You tell me.”

The Ancestor, seeing no anger, asked again:

“How did you control the Zhang family elders?”

Mo Hua lied casually:

“I didn’t. They were naughty, tried to eat my divine sense, so I just advised them, and they suddenly reformed….”

“Right,” he added, “they said they wanted to eliminate all evil, including you, to atone for their sins.”

The Ancestor’s eyes narrowed.

The child’s words were nonsense; clearly no good intentions.

The Ancestor considered:

“You and I have no enmity—shall we stop?”

Mo Hua nodded, feigning relief:

“Fine, I don’t want to fight. I can’t beat you anyway.”

He waved his hand: “Go on, I won’t stop you…”

The Ancestor hesitated, expression unreadable:

“And my Zhang elders…”

Mo Hua waved again: “I told you, they’ve seen the light, follow me now…”

The Ancestor sneered: “You said stop, yet you seem insincere.”

“What sincerity?”

The Ancestor proposed:

“You release them, I weaken my divine sense—seven or eight-tenths, fair for both. What say you?”

Mo Hua’s eyes darted:

“Or… I release the Iron Corpses, you weaken your divine sense—seven or eight-tenths. Then I lose my tools, you lose divine sense; fair for all.”

The Ancestor’s gaze hardened: “Child, are you mocking me?”

Mo Hua prepared to reply, but suddenly froze in shock.

Behind the Ancestor, a massive bronze coffin had risen.

It materialized, ancient, covered in verdigris, similar to a corpse king’s coffin.

Huge, clearly not ordinary.

This materialization must have taken time.

The Ancestor’s prior words about stopping were lies, merely stalling.

Mo Hua roared: “You sneaky old bastard! Chatting to distract, then casting secretly!”

The Ancestor sneered: “Child, you’re still green at this.”

He clapped his palms, voice hoarse and fearsome:

“Grand Sealing Coffin Technique—open!”

The bronze coffin’s lid swung wide. Inside was pitch black, yet rusty bronze chains extended outward, ensnaring surrounding Iron Corpses, pulling them into the coffin.

The Ancestor said coldly:

“Had I not needed to, I wouldn’t use this…”

“The Grand Sealing Coffin materializes a bronze coffin, turning all elders into Iron Corpses, erasing their divine sense, remolding their bodies, nullifying all control.”

“Then they are no longer my Zhang elders, but mere Iron Corpse puppets under my control.”

“They serve the Zhang family, but won’t call me ‘Ancestor’ anymore…”

Grief and anger filled the Ancestor’s eyes.

“Child, this is all your fault!”

“Once I regain control of the Iron Corpses, I’ll encircle and devour you, bite by bite, to avenge my Zhang family!”

Its eyes burned with hatred.

This child posed a grave threat.

Prolonged struggle would be disadvantageous.

Better to use the trump card, pay a price, and eliminate the child once and for all!

Without the Iron Corpses, the child couldn’t compete.

With the Grand Sealing Coffin, eleven Iron Corpses would be remade.

One Bronze Corpse, eleven Iron Corpses—enough to encircle the child.

Here, within its divine sense sea, there was nowhere to escape.

Mo Hua’s face reflected fear.

The Ancestor felt satisfaction—but quickly realized something.

The child remained calm, seemingly unfazed.

The “fear” on his face appeared feigned.

The Ancestor looked down sharply and saw intricate array markings stretching from his feet to the bronze coffin.

Complex, layered.

When the coffin opened, these patterns, like vines, crept inside.

The Ancestor realized:

“You little brat, scheming against me?!”

Feigning idle chatter to secretly cast the Grand Sealing Coffin, yet the child, taking advantage of the distraction, had laid these arrays!

Mo Hua snorted: “Tit for tat, fair’s fair!”

The Ancestor’s expression darkened, about to seal the coffin.

Mo Hua acted first, moving divine sense and shouting crisply:

“Explode!”

The densely packed Earth Fire Arrays detonated.

The array markings inside the bronze coffin lit up, layer upon layer extending outward, spiritual force surging in waves.

The bronze coffin became a coffin of fire.

Divine sense manifested, exploding violently inside.

With the Ancestor opening the coffin, the Earth Fire Arrays extended within, amplifying destruction.

Flames roared.

Moments later, the coffin trembled and cracked, dissipating into a faint illusion.

Simultaneously, several Iron Corpses drawn into the coffin were affected, their forms dim, immobilized.

Within the divine sense sea, the Ancestor suffered severe damage, face pale, coughing blood, divine sense heavily depleted, body slightly shriveled.

Zhang family’s Ancestor gnashed his teeth:

“Arrays?!”

This little brat… was an array master too?

And his method of setting up arrays—no brush, no ink. What medium did he use? What did he draw the formation with?

The Ancestor’s gaze trembled.

He had lived for several centuries and had never seen a cultivator draw formations inside the Sea of Consciousness.

Let alone someone doing it in such an absurd way—no brush, no ink, directly manifesting arrays with divine sense. It was unbelievable.

This child either came from an unfathomably deep lineage…

Or had encountered some extraordinary fortune and inherited a shocking legacy!

Mo Hua’s complexion had turned pale.

He had manifested too many formations at once, consuming a huge amount of Divine-Sense. Even he felt his divine sense becoming unstable.

This Zhang family Old Ancestor was even more troublesome than he expected.

Bronze Corpse, Corpse Poison Technique, Bone Staff, Grand Sealing Coffin Technique…

If not for controlling the Iron Corpses and using numbers to suppress one, fighting head‑on would have been dangerous.

Thankfully… he chickened out just a little earlier.

But now that things had reached this point—and the Zhang family Ancestor was heavily injured—he absolutely couldn’t let him escape!

Strike while he’s down—take his life!

The eleven Iron Corpses had been affected by the Earth Fire Array explosion. Six were near collapse; only five remained.

Mo Hua controlled the remaining Iron Corpses, surrounding and attacking once more.

At the same time, he continuously used the Water Prison Technique to restrain, and Fireball Technique to consume the enemy.

“Not good!”

The Grand Sealing Coffin Technique had been broken; divine sense backlash struck him, drastically weakening him. The Zhang Ancestor felt a chill in his heart.

Today was a calamity!

Even as the Zhang family’s Old Ancestor, a corpse‑dao Ancestor, a Bronze Corpse incarnation who had lived for centuries, he never imagined he would capsize in the “ditch” that was Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness.

He never would have imagined—The Zhang family, inheriting corpse cultivation for centuries, controlling corpses for generations… would one day have their own elders treated as zombies—controlled by someone else.

Even used to rebel against their own ancestor!

And because he was unprepared, every method he used had been neutralized.

He’d been outschemed at every step by this little brat!

The Ancestor was furious, his expression twisted. Ignoring the Iron Corpses tearing at him, he moved like a gust of wind, charging straight toward Mo Hua.

With his divine sense gravely damaged, killing this boy and devouring his divine sense was the only chance of survival.

Even if he died afterward, he had to drag this brat down with him.

From the boy’s current methods, he was adept at spells and arrays, but not close combat—that’s why he kept his distance and used underhanded tricks.

As long as he got close, everything would be resolved.

The Old Ancestor’s eyes turned vicious, bloodshot, corpse aura surging.

This was his final chance. He had to go all out!

Mo Hua sensed his intent, heart tightening. Retreating rapidly, he continued using the Water Prison Technique to restrict him.

But the Ancestor, in Bronze Corpse form, was fast and powerful.

Now enraged, the Water Prison could only hold him for one or two breaths before being shattered.

After a short chase, the Ancestor caught up.

He was ecstatic, a flash of murderous intent on his face. His fingers elongated into sharp talons, sweeping toward Mo Hua’s heart.

Mo Hua remained unhurried, executing the Flowing-Water Step.

Like flowing water, he bent lightly and slipped past the claw with effortless grace.

The Ancestor paused slightly, then attacked again.

His hideous left hand—covered in barbs—smashed down toward Mo Hua’s head.

Mo Hua rose and fell like a drifting leaf, borrowing strength from nowhere, his movements rippling like water patterns as he slid past naturally…

The Ancestor’s expression changed drastically.

What movement art was this?

He couldn’t discern a trajectory at all.

After exchanging several rounds, he grew increasingly horrified.

He couldn’t touch him!

Not even a sleeve corner—much less kill him.

What shocked him even more—Every one of his moves seemed to be predicted by this brat.

Every punch, claw, advance, retreat—All his close‑combat habits were known to Mo Hua!

At this rate, closing in was useless!

Why?

Why did this kid know his moves so well?

Could it be that from the very beginning, when he fought the Iron Corpses, every move had been memorized by him?

For the first time, the Zhang Ancestor felt despair.

He tried using Corpse Poison Technique again, but Mo Hua was already prepared.

The moment he lifted his hand, Mo Hua withdrew, widened the distance, then pressed him with Fireball Technique, supported by formations…

Though prolonged combat consumed Mo Hua’s divine sense—his fireballs and formations weakening—

The Ancestor was already at the end of his strength.

He couldn’t withstand Mo Hua’s attrition.

Especially since Mo Hua’s divine sense consumption turned into real attacks—while his own methods couldn’t even touch Mo Hua’s shadow.

And the five Iron Corpses watched like hungry wolves.

Whenever they saw an opening, they attacked recklessly, trading injury for injury, life for life—never letting him escape…

The Ancestor was both furious and helpless.

He was torn by Iron Corpses, blasted by spells, blown apart by arrays, his body covered in wounds.

Trapped by corpses, restricted by Water Prison, unable to kill Mo Hua, unable to flee—he could only be worn down…

And so, after who knows how many exchanges…

The Zhang family’s Old Ancestor, a corpse‑dao Ancestor, was slowly ground to death.

Covered in wounds, he knelt half‑collapsed, breath completely extinguished.

Even then, Mo Hua didn’t dare approach.

He first kept his distance, letting the remaining two Iron Corpses guard him.

Then he meditated to restore divine sense.

Once recovered slightly, he blasted the Ancestor’s corpse with Fireball Technique.

After blasting, he meditated again.

Then blasted again.

Meditate, blast…

Repeating this who‑knows‑how‑many times, until the Ancestor was no longer recognizable—reduced to a thick plume of divine‑sense‑laden blackish green smoke—only then did Mo Hua feel safe.

He let out a long breath, collapsed onto the ground, panting.

Overall, things had gone smoothly—but Mo Hua wasn’t satisfied.

He realized—inside the Sea of Consciousness, he was strong, yes, but only normally strong.

Against weaker enemies, spells and arrays were enough.

But against stronger ones—like the Zhang Ancestor—with his current means, he couldn’t land a decisive, one‑strike kill.

He had to trick out their trump cards, dismantle them one by one…

Then rely on movement arts, spells, and arrays to slowly wear them down.

Exhausting.

And it took too long.

The longer the fight, the more likely unexpected events would arise.

And unexpected events meant danger.

“Looks like I need to come up with more methods… learn stronger techniques…”

Mo Hua thought quietly.

Then he finally relaxed.

No matter what—he had dealt with the Zhang family’s zombie ancestor!

His eyes brightened as he looked at the thick, black‑tinged divine‑sense smoke.

He couldn’t help feeling excited:

“I wonder… after ‘eating’ this Zhang family ancestor—how much will my divine sense increase?”