Chapter 671: Divine Dao Formations

Chapter 673: Divine Dao Formations

“…Oops. I said too much just now.”

Mo Hua’s eyes—brilliant as stars, innocent yet profound, as if candlelight illuminating the darkness—were fixed intently on Lord Huangshan.

Lord Huangshan felt deeply uneasy under that gaze.

“Ahem, I-it’s just that I’ve lived… a little bit longer than average…”

He quickly straightened up, explaining, “Gods live very long lives. This desolate mountain has no people, the ruined temple is remote… I’m just a small mountain god living here. No one bothers me, so I ended up wasting a bit more time than most.”

“Later on, sigh… if I hadn’t strayed down the wrong path and had my divine foundation severed by your sect’s elder, I wouldn’t have fallen to this state…”

Lord Huangshan sighed dramatically, playing the part of a disheartened deity.

Mo Hua suddenly felt a little awkward.

Even if he wasn’t the one who crippled Huangshan, it was an elder from the Great Void Sect who did it.

Having his Divine Dao foundation cut off… Mo Hua couldn’t deny some karmic connection there.

Still, he felt he had to defend his senior. He raised a finger and corrected:

“You were the one who went astray. The sword cultivator elder only acted because of that. Don’t blame him.”

“Yes, yes.” Lord Huangshan nodded quickly and admitted openly, “It really was my fault.”

Only then did Mo Hua nod in satisfaction.

Huangshan smoothly changed the topic, asking lightly: “What else were you about to ask?”

Sure enough, Mo Hua was distracted, no longer fixated on how long the old mountain spirit had been alive.

What else did he want to ask?

Mo Hua blinked and thought for a moment.

There were a lot of things he wanted to ask—messy, jumbled things. Some of them, Lord Huangshan probably wouldn’t even be able to answer.

In that case, better to start with the most important one for now.

“…Say, what if I encounter an Evil God…”

Lord Huangshan’s hand trembled. He sucked in a cold breath, voice rising in pitch. “You encountered an Evil God?!”

“I said if! Hypothetically!” Mo Hua emphasized.

Lord Huangshan finally let out a long sigh of relief. “Kid, don’t scare me like that…”

Mo Hua frowned. “I just mentioned it casually. Is it that scary?”

Huangshan shook his head. “That’s because you don’t understand how terrifying Evil Gods really are…”

“Ordinary Evil Gods are already bloodthirsty, twisted, and vengeful…”

“The ancient ones are even worse—unfathomably terrifying, filled with endless wicked thoughts. Once they lay eyes on you, forget ordinary cultivators—even true deities rarely end well…”

“If you do run into one, run. The farther the better.”

“If you get caught in their web, becoming their pawn is the least of your worries. Pollution of flesh is minor. What’s worse is corruption of divine sense, collapse of your Dao heart… and in the end, you’ll become nothing but a sacrifice, a puppet, or a slave to the Evil God.”

“Not human, not ghost—unable to live, unable to die…”

Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

Easy to say… but too late now.

Cultivating the “Celestial Evolution Art” was already boarding a pirate ship.

Even if the Evil Gods didn’t come find him, he’d probably end up looking for them.

If he didn’t “consume” them, how was he supposed to break through his bottleneck? How could he raise his cultivation, or surpass his current realm?

Just as Lord Huangshan was about to say more, he suddenly froze and glanced at Mo Hua with suspicion. “You… didn’t actually encounter an Evil God, did you?”

Mo Hua raised a brow. “If I had, would I still be sitting here chatting with you?”

Lord Huangshan thought it over and nodded.

“Fair…”

No matter how talented this little ancestor was, it was impossible to escape the clutches of an Evil God.

If his flesh hadn’t been corrupted and “devoured alive,” he wouldn’t be sitting here so casually.

Still, Lord Huangshan couldn’t help but ask, “Then why are you asking about Evil Gods?”

Mo Hua sighed, “The cultivation world is so dangerous. I’m just a weak little cultivator, trembling with every step, walking on thin ice. Of course I need to learn more…”

“The more I know, the less likely I am to die.”

“Especially with terrifying things like Evil Gods—if I understand them beforehand, I won’t get caught off guard and walk right into their jaws…”

Huangshan thought about it and bought the story.

It sounded perfectly reasonable.

Although his instincts as a mountain god warned him: this kid—Mo Hua—is an unknown disaster waiting to happen…

But still, putting trouble aside, he couldn’t help but like the boy.

His aura was pure, and he was adorably respectful.

In all these years, he was the only human child who ever climbed mountains and crossed rivers to bring offerings.

Even if… his innocent demeanor carried a faint touch of evil.

Even if… his pure nature was tinged with strangeness.

Still, any little cultivator able to deal with a mountain god had to be a bit out of the ordinary.

“…Let’s consider this building good karma.”

Huangshan took another bite of chicken.

Whatever this chicken leg was seasoned with, it was delicious.

Well, he’d taken the offerings. No point hiding things and seeming stingy now.

“Mortals and gods are different. Technically, as a mountain god, I shouldn’t be telling you this…”

He sighed, then said solemnly, “But you’re… a special case. If you can meet a mountain god like me today, encountering an Evil God someday isn’t out of the question. Since you brought offerings, I’ll tell you.”

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, and he scooted a little closer.

Huangshan cleared his throat, then slowly said:

“Evil Gods are a complex topic, and it’s a long story. You don’t have the background, so I’ll have to start from the beginning…”

“A person’s divine sense has grades.”

“Gods’ divine will is different—it has both grades and ranks.”

Mo Hua frowned—this was a bit confusing.

Huangshan explained, “In other words, the many gods of Heaven and Earth are classified by grade (境界), and also by rank (神位).”

“For example, I am a Second Grade Mountain God. ‘Second Grade’ is the cultivation level, and ‘Mountain God’ is the divine rank.”

“Divine rank is determined by a god’s Divine Marrow (神髓)…”

Mo Hua’s heart skipped a beat.

Divine Marrow?!

That thing he devoured after killing Goat-Horn Enforcer and the Golden Evil Eye—the essence that transformed his divine sense!

Huangshan continued, “The Divine Marrow is the origin essence of a god, containing their fundamental nature. It is a manifestation of divine will’s Dao transformation. The higher its grade, the higher the divine rank.”

“When externalized, it shows in different colors—silver, pale gold, pure gold, jade white, glazed glass, and other ‘Dao Colors’…”

So many kinds of Divine Marrow?!

Mo Hua’s eyes sparkled, and he couldn’t help licking his lips.

Halfway through his explanation, Huangshan suddenly felt a jolt of terror. He looked at Mo Hua in shock, not quite sure why, and the rest of his words got stuck in his throat.

Mo Hua urged, “Mountain Lord, keep going—what about Divine Marrow?”

Huangshan hesitated, but his divine instincts screamed not to say too much.

“…Divine Marrow is something gods use to ascend in divine rank. It’s unrelated to you. You’re just a human cultivator, no need to know.” He brushed it off vaguely.

Mo Hua looked very unamused.

Huangshan, afraid Mo Hua would press further, quickly changed topics:

“A god’s cultivation realm—that is, the grade—determines the quantity of divine will they can manifest.”

“The divine rank, however, reflects the quality of that divine will, based on the grade of their Divine Marrow.”

“Thus, a god’s strength depends on both grade and rank.”

“Grade determines how massive a god’s externalized divine body can be—the higher the grade, the stronger the god, and the larger their divine form.”

“But that grade is heavily influenced by their rank.”

“For example, the lowest-tier gods are Wandering gods, above them are Mountain Gods like me.”

“A 3rd-grade Wandering god could suppress a 2nd-grade Wandering god, but that 3rd-grade Wandering god might not be able to suppress a 2nd-grade Mountain God.”

“Because while its grade is higher, its divine rank is lower. When competing for divine authority, the outcome is uncertain.”

Mo Hua frowned, clearly unfamiliar. “This is… really different from how cultivator realms work.”

Huangshan nodded, “Of course. Cultivators are human. Gods are not.”

“These things are divine secrets—most gods won’t tell human cultivators.”

“Those lacking divine will can’t even perceive true gods.”

“Sometimes, two mountain gods may fight in the mountains, battling for authority. Their divine wills clash invisibly. Passing cultivators with weak divine sense may walk right through it, seeing and sensing nothing—just like blind men.”

“Ohhh…”

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, then poured Huangshan a drink to thank him for sharing the divine wisdom.

Huangshan sipped the wine Mo Hua poured and felt much more relaxed.

Mo Hua then asked, “So what about Evil Gods? What’s their divine rank? If a god becomes an Evil God, does their Divine Marrow get corrupted?”

Huangshan’s expression darkened. “A god who falls and becomes an Evil God doesn’t change divine rank—but their Divine Marrow will be corrupted.”

Mo Hua froze.

Corrupted…

He had consumed two portions of Evil God Divine Marrow—one from Goat-Horn Enforcer, one from the Golden Evil Eye.

Weren’t they… already polluted?

Does that mean he himself had been polluted too?!

Mo Hua jumped in fright, quickly asking:

“What does Divine Marrow look like after it’s been polluted?”

Lord Huangshan’s face turned grave.

“Once polluted, the degenerated Evil God’s will fuses deep into the Divine Marrow like a wicked toxin. It becomes part of it. As long as the Divine Marrow remains, the evil will doesn’t dissipate.”

“Evil God will…?”

Mo Hua paused.

He remembered—when the Golden Evil Eye was annihilated by tribulation lightning, a giant illusory figure had been erased along with it. That figure looked like a golden demon with curled ram horns…

Could that have been the degenerate Evil Will merged into the Divine Marrow?

Mo Hua slowly let out a breath.

Thank goodness he’d been cautious. That gold “eyeball” had seemed suspicious from the beginning—like it was hiding something sinister. So he’d preemptively purified it with tribulation lightning.

Otherwise, if he had just gobbled down an un-sanitized Evil God’s Divine Marrow…

Who knows? His brain might already be broken by now.

Once the Dao heart is polluted, the divine sense swallowed, the sea of consciousness becomes a nest for evil intent—

Sooner or later, he’d have transformed into a full-blown little Evil God.

And the scariest thing? There would’ve been no signs at all.

Without divine studies or inheritance, clueless about gods, he wouldn’t even have known how to guard against Evil Gods.

“Too close…”

Mo Hua nodded grimly.

“Evil Gods really are terrifying.”

He’d almost eaten an un-disinfected Evil God Eyeball. Yikes.

Seeing the fear on Mo Hua’s face, Lord Huangshan nodded, satisfied that his warning had done its job.

“It’s good to be scared…”

But Mo Hua quickly asked:

“Then how do I deal with Evil Gods?”

Huangshan blinked.

“Deal with?!”

Mo Hua hurriedly corrected,

“…I mean, guard against!”

“Oh.” Huangshan nodded, then solemnly said:

“To guard against Evil Gods, the first thing you need to understand is… how they preach their Dao.”

“Evil Gods spread their Dao in a way similar to other gods—but far more bloody and twisted.”

“They split their essence to do it.”

“Because even Evil Gods are restricted by the Heavenly Dao, a major Evil God often fragments their divine body into many First-, Second-, or Third-Grade ‘Divine Remnants.’ These are scattered across the lower regions of the Nine Provinces to spread the Evil Dao as widely as possible…”

“They parasitize through statues, inhabit flesh, feed on desire, and devour human hearts.”

“They also demand offerings—human flesh, divine sense, and especially…”

“Distorted desires rooted deep in the human heart, sinful karmic filth, bloody fanatical worship… all of these make the perfect sacrifices for an Evil God.”

Huangshan paused, then summed up:

“So, if you see weird statues, sinister-looking cultivators, altars to demons, sacrificial flesh, twisted sin… they’re probably linked to Evil Gods.”

“Don’t hesitate. Run. Run as far as you can.”

“Mhm mhm!” Mo Hua nodded frantically. Then, blinking sincerely, asked:

“But… what if I can’t run?”

Huangshan shook his head.

“Then there’s nothing I can do.”

“You’re a mountain god and you still can’t help?”

Huangshan looked a little wronged.

“How’s a mountain god supposed to fight an Evil God…”

(Honestly… I probably couldn’t even beat you, kid…)

He silently grumbled in his heart.

“So there’s no way at all?” Mo Hua pressed.

Huangshan glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and finally said:

“If you’re lucky enough… and one day learn an array that can suppress gods… maybe then, you’ll stand a chance.”

Mo Hua froze—then immediately lit up, eyes glowing.

“An array that suppresses gods?!”

Huangshan nodded, then suddenly looked wary.

“Don’t use it on me…”

Mo Hua reassured him quickly:

“Relax! You’re not an Evil God! And we’re… kind of friends now.”

Though Huangshan didn’t fully agree with that “friend” label, he also didn’t feel like objecting.

Friend was better than enemy, after all.

“So… what’s the difference between arrays that suppress gods and regular ones?” Mo Hua asked eagerly.

He hadn’t expected that asking about divine matters would actually lead to learning secret array knowledge!

Huangshan nodded.

“Of course there’s a difference…”

He looked up through the ruined temple roof and sighed toward the heavens.

“Heaven and Earth follow the Great Dao. The Great Dao manifests in ten thousand forms, and all of those become law.”

“Arrays are just one of many ways the Dao reveals itself—but they are closer to the Dao’s essence than most other arts.”

“With ten thousand variations of the Dao, there are likewise ten thousand kinds of arrays—diverse in category, and vastly different in structure.”

Huangshan turned to Mo Hua:

“Most human cultivator arrays rely on the Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, and other natural forces—but their essence comes from consuming divine sense, grasping the Heavenly Dao, and channeling laws through those natural energies.”

“So arrays contain both divine will and natural spiritual force.”

“Different arrays emphasize one or the other.”

“If you’re dealing with humans, arrays focus on Five Elemental power.”

“But to deal with gods…”

He paused, then corrected himself:

“To deal with Evil Gods…”

He said “Evil Gods” very emphatically—as if to make it perfectly clear: Don’t you dare use this on me.

Mo Hua caught the hint and nodded solemnly.

Only then did Huangshan continue:

“To deal with Evil Gods, arrays must focus on divine will power.”

“The laws of Heaven and Earth follow this:

‘The tangible harms the tangible. The intangible harms the intangible.’”

“Spiritual energy in the body is tangible.

Blood-qi becomes force, spiritual power becomes spells—used to harm the physical: flesh, meridians, dantian.”

“But divine will is intangible.”

“The essence of a god is a form of divine intent gathered from all sentient beings. Unless you know their true divine image, the only way to harm them is with power of divine will.”

“So in ancient times, some powerful cultivators created arrays that embodied laws of Heaven and Earth—designed to fully weaponize divine will against Evil Gods.”

“These arrays prioritize the intangible and de-emphasize the tangible. They’re especially effective against gods and spirits, but have weak killing power against ordinary cultivators.”

“Ancient cultivators had a name for such arrays…”

Huangshan’s gaze sharpened, filled with reverence.

“Divine Dao Arrays (神道阵法)!”

Divine Dao Arrays…

Mo Hua’s heart trembled. He instinctively held his breath.

Just the name—cool and powerful.

He had to learn it!

His eyes lit up like stars.

“How do I learn Divine Dao Arrays?!”

Huangshan shook his head.

“I’m just a minor mountain god. Not human. Not an array master. How would I know…”

“Besides, after all these years, most of those ancient arrays have been lost. Even if you could find one, it’d be hard to understand.”

“And if they’re sealed in major sects as taboos, there’s no way they’ll let you study them.”

Mo Hua looked disappointed.

“Something this important… shouldn’t it be passed down through generations?”

Huangshan gave him a meaningful look and said:

“In ancient times, the human race was weak. The ones killing people were demons, devils… and Evil Gods.”

“But once humans became powerful…”

“The ones who killed the most… were other humans.”

“Why would an array that suppresses gods be more valuable than one meant to kill other people?”

Mo Hua was stunned, and fell into deep thought.

“Also…”

Lord Huangshan’s long brows arched slightly, a hint of pride glinting in his eyes:

“Since we’re talking about ‘Divine Dao Arrays,’ which can unleash the full potential of divine will—do you think just any cultivator can learn them at will, master them easily, or casually pass them on?”

“The gods of Heaven and Earth possess immense and boundless might—how could they be so easily suppressed?”

“If someone with weak divine sense overreaches and tries to touch such taboos, insulting the divine… they will surely die without even a burial!”

Mo Hua’s heart shivered, then glanced curiously at Lord Huangshan.

That innocent look from Mo Hua made Huangshan nervous. He quickly dropped his smug expression and switched to a humble tone:

“Of course, this is just what I’ve heard… I’m just a humble, down-and-out mountain god—I don’t really know much.”

Mo Hua stared at him with a deep, unreadable look.

Lord Huangshan smiled on the surface, but inside he was panicking.

Luckily, Mo Hua didn’t press him and instead asked another question:

“If ‘Divine Dao Arrays’ can restrain gods, then what about ‘Divine-Will Sword Manifestation’? Does that involve arrays too?”

Huangshan let out a sigh of relief and explained:

“That’s a different thing altogether.”

“A different thing?”

“Mm.” Huangshan nodded. “Not every cultivator learns array formations.”

“Those who can’t study arrays but still want to slay Evil Gods or other powerful evils have to… forge their own path.”

“Divine-Will Sword Manifestation is one such path.”

“If you lack formation mastery and don’t have strong divine sense, then you replace the array with the sword. Merge your sword intent into your divine will—sharpen your spirit into a blade.”

He sighed admiringly:

“Humans may be weak in body… but their ingenuity is extraordinary.”

“Then,” Mo Hua continued, “what’s the difference between ‘Divine-Will Sword Manifestation’ and ‘Divine Dao Arrays’?”

Huangshan thought for a moment and replied:

“Divine Dao Arrays are primarily for suppression and sealing. You could say they’re a form of containment.”

“Divine-Will Sword Manifestation, on the other hand, is purely for slaughter.”

Mo Hua frowned slightly:

“So that means… ‘Divine Dao Arrays’ aren’t as powerful as ‘Divine-Will Sword Manifestation’?”

Huangshan gave a weary smile:

“How can you compare the two like that?

If someone can use formations, they’ll naturally learn Divine Dao Arrays.

If they can’t use formations but are good with swords, then they go with Divine-Will Sword Manifestation.”

“They’re completely different paths—one ‘seals,’ the other ‘kills.’”

“Human divine sense is naturally weak—there’s no way to compare it to the divine will of gods.”

“If you truly want to kill an Evil God head-on, your divine sense has to vastly surpass the god’s. And even then, it’s likely to be a pyrrhic victory—you’ll win, but you’ll be half-dead.”

“If you lose, your godhood is destroyed, your Dao erased.”

“Divine-Will Sword Manifestation is already hard to learn, and fighting Evil Gods directly with it? Countless deaths await.”

“But Divine Dao Arrays are different.

Even if they can’t kill Evil Gods outright, they can trap them. With careful planning and precise setup, one could suppress an Evil God and bring peace to a region.

It’s a real way for the weak to overcome the strong.”

Mo Hua nodded in realization. Then he asked:

“Can gods use arrays?”

He’d been wondering this for a while.

Back when he fought the golden eyeball in his sea of consciousness—at first, the thing wasn’t even sure whether he was a human or a god. But the moment Mo Hua used a formation, the eyeball instantly confirmed:

He’s not a god.

That got him thinking—maybe gods can’t use formations?

Sure enough, Huangshan replied:

“Gods can’t use arrays.”

“Why?” Mo Hua asked, full of curiosity.

“Because gods are born with innate blessings. They’re born from the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth itself, and their bodies contain unique essences of the Dao.”

“But formations are also manifestations of the Dao’s laws.”

“If an array’s rules align with the god’s own Dao, then the god already understands them innately—there’s no need to study or use an external formation.”

“If the array’s rules differ from their Dao, then the two will conflict, and the god won’t be able to learn it anyway.”

“Gods are powerful because their Dao is pure.”

“The more powerful a god is, the more deeply embedded their Dao is—but also, the more exclusive it becomes, making it harder to understand any other laws.”

“Humans are different. Their innate Dao is weak, so they can learn and understand formations. They use formations to borrow and control various laws of Heaven and Earth.”

Mo Hua suddenly understood.

In simple terms: gods are born with knowledge—they don’t need to learn.

Cultivators are born with nothing, so they have to learn formations to access power.

Put another way…

Gods are favored by the Dao and born with a portion of its essence—so they can’t learn anything outside it.

Cultivators are born with zero blessings—but that means they can learn everything.

It was like…

Mo Hua thought for a moment. Then his eyes lit up:

“Possessing something makes it useful; lacking it makes it adaptable?”

Lord Huangshan’s pupils shrank. He was momentarily speechless.

Only after a long while did he murmur:

“Yes… that’s the truth.”

But the look he gave Mo Hua now… carried a subtle, stunned awe.

(End of Chapter)