Elder Lu felt as if he had become a puppet on strings for this young master Mo. Though not actually controlled, he found himself involuntarily acting according to Mo Hua’s intentions.
His original purpose for this trip was merely to escort his own young master, Zhu Muchen.
But for some reason, he had suddenly been thrust into destroying a demon lair.
And it seemed he had no way to refuse.
Good and evil have never coexisted. Young master Zhu Muchen watched from the side, and Mo Hua had already planned everything thoroughly.
Elder Lu could think of no reason to refuse.
After a moment’s thought, seeing that the situation was settled, he could only grit his teeth and say, “Eliminating demons and upholding righteousness is our path’s duty. Kill.”
Then he led a dozen or so Zhu family guards, holding their breath and concealing their auras, following the route drawn by Mo Hua, circling into the courtyard, entering the farmhouse, and charging into the tunnel.
Mo Hua, along with Zhu Muchen and the bound youth, stayed outside to watch.
Zhu Muchen wanted to go in as well, but Mo Hua didn’t allow it. After all, as the more senior junior brother, he still had to care for his younger junior brother.
Zhu Muchen didn’t like killing anyway, and if he got injured in the chaos, that wouldn’t be good.
As for the bound youth, Mo Hua was afraid he might be too eager for revenge and seek death recklessly.
The three waited outside.
Before long, a bloody killing intent emanated from the house, mixed with howling yin winds and roiling black qi.
Golden Core stage spiritual power intertwined in the tunnel, causing the earth to tremble.
This fierce, sinister clash of spiritual power generated powerful waves, stirring the night and awakening all the spiritual farmer cultivators in the entire Xiaowang Village.
But most of them dared not make a sound; they could only shut their doors and hide inside, shivering.
They were all very low-level cultivators with weak cultivation, but they could feel the strength and brutality in this power fluctuation.
This was power above the Golden Core stage.
For ordinary spiritual farmers, it was an irresistible force. Once such power descended to slaughter them, it would bring instant catastrophe.
But they were merely low-level spiritual farmers, helpless and powerless to resist. All they could do was hide in their homes, pretend to know nothing, and in their terror, pray to the heavens for protection.
They prayed that the heavens would spare their entire village from massacre, that their loved ones would not die innocent deaths.
Mo Hua could sense the entire village’s reaction and sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, the battle within the lair—disguised as an ordinary house—soon concluded.
After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the entire house was shattered by the force of Golden Core energy. Amidst the dust, a group of Zhu family guards withdrew from the house, covering each other and securing the perimeter.
Then two other figures kept intertwining, their magical artifacts clashing, their Golden Core forces intertwining and tearing at each other. They rolled across the ground and burst up from underground.
After emerging, the two temporarily stopped and took their positions.
Mo Hua focused his eyes and saw that one of them wore a dark robe and held a Fulu Gold Staff—it was Elder Lu of the Zhu family.
The other was completely shrouded in a black robe, his face hidden, but his two eyes were exposed. One of his eyes had rotted away, revealing bare white bone.
This White Bone Eye cultivator was surrounded by an eerie yin aura, clearly a demonic cultivator of no mean skill.
From the aura he emitted during battle, his cultivation level was roughly at the peak of mid-Golden Core, not far from late Golden Core. He was likely a demon sect leader.
Looking at this appearance, based on his knowledge of demonic sects, the words “Skeleton Cave” instantly popped into Mo Hua’s mind.
This one-eyed demonic cultivator was very likely a demonic cultivator from Skeleton Cave—
At this moment, the White Bone Eye demon head, suddenly ambushed, stared coldly at Elder Lu opposite him and said hoarsely, “Why kill my disciples?”
Elder Lu sneered. “Good and evil cannot coexist. You demonic beasts deserve death; there is no why.”
The White Bone Eye demon head sneered and was about to curse Elder Lu when he suddenly paused and turned his head to look into the distance. He saw a handsome young master, as beautiful as a painting, watching the battle.
This young master did not take part but stood aloof, with a composed demeanor and an air of controlling the entire situation.
The White Bone Eye demon head’s expression changed. “You?!”
Mo Hua was somewhat surprised. “You recognize me?”
A glint of eerie light flashed in the rotten white bone eye. The demonic cultivator said coldly, “The Taixu Sect’s prodigy, Young Master Mo.”
Mo Hua was even more surprised. “How do you know me?”
The White Bone Eye demon head said coldly, “The Demon Kill Order for your execution has spread throughout all major demonic sects. Any demonic elder above Golden Core knows your name, Mo Hua, and knows your face. Killing you would earn a great bounty.”
Upon hearing this, Elder Lu and all the Zhu family guards were stunned.
They never imagined that this Young Master Mo had such a reputation—to be on the Demon Kill Order!
Zhu Muchen was shocked and then looked at Mo Hua with concern, thinking to himself, just what had his junior brother done to incur such deep enmity.
The bound youth also showed disbelief in his eyes. He didn’t understand, but he was deeply shaken.
Even Mo Hua himself was a bit surprised. “I’m that famous already?”
Seeing his indifferent attitude, the White Bone Eye demon head couldn’t help but twitch his eye socket.
Was this Taixu Sect young master truly naive, or was he just playing the fool—did he have no idea what he had done?
“The Demon Kill Order—”
Mo Hua pondered for a moment but didn’t take it too seriously. It was probably just an ordinary demonic pursuit order, nothing special.
There were already plenty of demonic cultivators who wanted him dead.
Mo Hua asked, “So, you want to kill me?”
The White Bone Eye demon head looked at Mo Hua, his heart uneasy, uncertain how to proceed.
Logically, killing Mo Hua for the reward was the most reasonable course.
But the Demon Kill Order never listed mediocre targets. That a mere early Golden Core cultivator could be on it was already bizarre, not to mention all the rumors—
Seeing the demon head hesitating, Mo Hua lost patience and ordered, “Elder Lu, hurry up and kill this demon.”
Elder Lu’s forehead twitched.
The White Bone Eye demon head’s pupils also contracted.
Elder Lu cursed inwardly—kill at a moment’s notice? Did he think a Golden Core demon head was a cabbage?
But the situation was what it was; dragging it out was indeed not a solution.
After a moment’s thought, Elder Lu once again activated the Fulu Gold Staff and attacked the White Bone Eye demon head.
The White Bone Eye demon head sneered, using a pair of hooks made of human bones, and with howling ghostly souls, he fought Elder Lu.
The other guards could only support from the sidelines, not daring to engage directly.
They were only ordinary Golden Core cultivators, and they feared the demon head’s powerful cultivation and sinister magical artifacts; they dared not easily cross blows with him.
The burden of attack could only fall on Elder Lu.
And Elder Lu didn’t dare go all out. His main task was to protect Zhu Muchen.
If he exhausted his strength and had no power left to protect Young Master Zhu, and anything went wrong, his guilt would be immense.
The White Bone Eye demon head also fought cautiously with Elder Lu, his moves vicious but wary of Mo Hua, not daring to use his full strength.
Thus, the White Bone Eye demon head and Elder Lu fought another two hundred rounds, consuming nearly a third of his demonic power.
Continuing like this, the situation would turn unfavorable. The White Bone Eye demon head swept his divine sense and thought, “Better to feint east and attack west, escape into the village, activate the Soul Devouring Art, devour everyone in Xiaowang Village to replenish my demonic power, and then decide what to do?”
That way, whether to fight or flee, he would have the confidence.
But as soon as this thought arose, his hairs stood on end. Following the feeling, he saw Mo Hua looking at him with a cold gaze, as if seeing through all his thoughts.
At the same time, Mo Hua’s indifferent voice sounded from a distance but seemed to reverberate in his ears.
“You’d better behave yourself—”
Mo Hua said coldly, “If you don’t harm the innocent, I won’t make a move.”
“Even if you kill Elder Lu, I won’t bat an eye.”
“But if you harm even one innocent cultivator in this village, if you take even one bite, you will die here today.”
Elder Lu’s expression changed; the other Zhu family guards were even more shocked and puzzled.
This Young Master Mo really had an arrogant mouth.
But what they found even more baffling was that the mid-Golden Core peak demon head, being verbally humiliated by Mo Hua like this, actually didn’t retort.
Not only did he not retort, but the terror in his eyes only deepened.
It was as if Mo Hua’s words were like a mountain pressing down on his heart.
After another hundred-plus rounds, the White Bone Eye demon head seemed to figure something out.
He could no longer endure the invisible pressure Mo Hua was exerting.
Even though Mo Hua hadn’t actually made a move, he couldn’t bear those deep eyes that seemed to contain a terrifying killing intent at any moment.
The White Bone Eye demon head took out a skull, crushed it directly, and burst out a sky full of yin qi, with ferocious ghost faces.
Elder Lu hurriedly shouted, “Fall back!”
The others dared not confront it head-on and retreated ten zhang away. When the yin qi dissipated, the White Bone Eye demon head was gone.
He had fled.
Elder Lu frowned deeply and couldn’t help but look at Mo Hua, asking, “Young Master Mo, should we pursue?”
Mo Hua shook his head. “Can’t kill him; forget it.”
Since Elder Lu wasn’t willing to risk his life, the White Bone Eye demon head was essentially unkillable anyway. Staying would be pointless.
Depleting his demonic power and intimidating him was enough.
Prolonging the fight would only waste time.
Mo Hua said, “Let’s check the tunnel.”
Elder Lu hesitated. “This—”
“What?” Mo Hua asked. “Can’t we go?”
Elder Lu sighed. “The tunnel is eerie and filthy, not suitable for viewing—”
Mo Hua said, “No matter.”
He had fought many battles and seen plenty of bloody, eerie, filthy things; this small scene was nothing.
“And Young Master Zhu—” Elder Lu hesitated.
Mo Hua said meaningfully, “He will have to face these sooner or later—”
Elder Lu’s pupils contracted, and he no longer refused.
The ground had been deformed by the battle between Elder Lu and the White Bone Eye demon head.
Elder Lu had people clean it up a bit, then led the way as they entered the underground demon lair.
The entrance was narrow. Mo Hua descended the steps and reached an underground tunnel, behind which was a spacious underground base.
As Elder Lu had said, the base contained all kinds of eerie and terrifying items: skulls, various bones, blood pools, half-made ghost banners, dried human skin, and many skulls—
All these were used to refine evil artifacts.
Zhu Muchen watched, his face pale and his stomach churning.
—
As for the refugee youth, his expression was one of terror and despair, and then, as if realizing something, his face twisted in extreme pain.
He had probably guessed that his parents, sister, and the familiar uncles and aunties among the refugees had all been used as “consumables” by these demonic cultivators, their souls extracted and refined into evil artifacts.
At that thought, his heart ached, and stimulated by the surrounding bloody human skins and sinister implements, his throat swelled, and his stomach churned with acid.
Seeing this, Mo Hua’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately pressed his finger on the youth’s forehead.
Touched by Mo Hua’s finger, the refugee youth felt his consciousness grow hazy, his eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Zhu Muchen looked at the youth with sympathy, then turned to Mo Hua and asked, “Junior brother, is he alright?”
Mo Hua said nothing, only sighed, called over a guard, and said, “Take good care of him.”
“Yes.” The guard took the youth.
Mo Hua then turned around, surveyed the surroundings, and asked Elder Lu, “Have you searched it?”
Elder Lu was taken aback. “Searched for what?”
Mo Hua said, “Naturally—the origins of this small demon lair, documents, orders, scrolls and jade slips, and other confidential items—”
Elder Lu shook his head. “This base only had these evil artifacts. Items like texts and jade slips were probably taken by the—the demon head just now.”
Mo Hua nodded and looked at the corpses on the ground.
These corpses should also be demonic cultivators from Skeleton Cave, ten in total.
Elder Lu said, “As per Young Master Mo’s instructions, we wrapped our heads in black cloth, circled in, and easily killed these demonic beasts. They tried to use some evil arts, but they didn’t seem to work.”
“Only that mid-Golden Core demon head, whose cultivation was too strong, could not be subdued.”
Mo Hua made no comment and asked, “Elder Lu, what do you plan to do with this demon lair and these corpses?”
Elder Lu thought for a moment and said slowly, “Destroy them all—and burn these demonic cultivators’ corpses too.”
Mo Hua’s expression was calm. “Not calling the Dao Court Department to have a look?”
Elder Lu said, “These are all demonic evil artifacts; keeping them would bring endless harm. The corpses cannot be left for long; they will pollute the earth’s qi. All demonic filth should be burned as soon as possible.”
“If the Dao Court Department comes, they’ll investigate endlessly, causing delays. Once evil artifacts go missing or the earth’s qi is polluted, it’ll be troublesome—”
Mo Hua was silent.
Seeing this, Elder Lu sighed and said, “And to be honest with you, young master, our family really doesn’t want to deal with the Dao Court Department. They are flesh-eating tigers, insatiably greedy. Please, for the sake of Young Master Zhu, be lenient. Anyway, most of the demonic cultivators who did evil here have been eliminated—”
Since Elder Lu had put it that way, Mo Hua had no choice but to nod. “Alright.”
Elder Lu, seeing Mo Hua relent, let out a long sigh of relief and bowed. “Thank you for your understanding, young master.”
The night passed. The next morning,
Mo Hua had Elder Lu build a new graveyard near the wasteland and buried the thirty-odd refugees one by one.
The gravestones were carved by the youth himself.
Apart from his own parents and sister, he did not know the full names of his companions, so he wrote according to memory: “Uncle Zhao’s Grave,” “Aunt Liu’s Grave,” “Brother Yang’s Grave,” “Sister Feng’s Grave,” and so on.
After writing, the youth knelt before his parents’ and sister’s graves, silently shedding tears, his face blank.
Before, no matter how hard it was, at least his family was alive.
—
But now, all his family was dead. It felt as if his life had been drained away, leaving only endless regret and emptiness—
And he was still just a youth, not very old.
Mo Hua stood behind the youth, silently watching, his gaze heavy.
In his more than thirty years of cultivation, he had experienced the Corpse Mutation in Nanyue, the Blood Sacrifice in Qianzhou, the brutal war in the Great Wilderness, and the strange changes in the Abyss—he had witnessed too many people dying in wars and disasters.
But even so, thinking of this youth’s experience, Mo Hua couldn’t help but feel a complex, unspeakable emotion.
The reversal of heavenly secrets, the turbulence of the overall situation, the rise of demonic forces—any slightest evil fruit that resulted, when it fell on an individual, was a despair beyond resistance in fate.
Mo Hua could not yet see the heavenly secrets of Kun Prefecture, but he could roughly deduce that under the influence of various karmic causes, tragedies like the one before him would likely occur repeatedly across the lands of Kun Prefecture.
More and more people would be displaced and lose their loved ones.