Chapter 700: Divine Power
Mo Hua's body shed the triple layers of sinister thoughts, and everything returned to normal—just like a simple, harmless young cultivator.
Only now, as he looked at Master She, his face was expressionless. In those faintly golden eyes flickered a hint of majesty, as though he were gazing down at an ant crawling on the ground.
Master She's gaze was filled with terror.
For a moment, it felt like he was facing... a god.
So many ferocious and terrifying demonic creatures—wiped out in a single round by this little King Yanluo using formations?
Could a human really do something like that?
No... impossible...
Master She knew full well—this young cultivator did have a fleshly body, and it was his own divine sense that had drawn the boy into this dreamscape.
He was human, no doubt.
But a divine sense that powerful—could that still be called "human"?
Master She's face turned as pale as a corpse, his expression one of utter disbelief.
"You old freak."
Mo Hua called out. But seeing Master She standing there dazed like a frightened statue, he simply reached out, gripped his neck, and dragged him forward.
After a few steps, Mo Hua suddenly recalled something. He turned back toward the demonic miasma that lingered in the air after the fiery massacre. Not wanting to waste it, he opened his mouth wide and inhaled sharply.
All the demonic aura in the air was sucked into Mo Hua's mouth.
Master She watched in horror, his entire body trembling, his soul practically fleeing his body.
This little cultivator wasn't eaten by the demons—instead, he was...
eating the demons!?
"What kind of... monster... did I just invite into Lord River God's shrine...?"
Master She was ashen.
Demonic spirits were born from the remnants of divine sense, twisted by terror and blood sacrifice at the hands of evil cultists. But in essence, they were no longer the divine sense of people—
They were corrupt thoughts that fed on divine sense.
Mo Hua had just devoured a massive amount of this corrupt demonic energy. After a bit of refinement, not only had he recovered his earlier divine sense loss, but it felt like his own spiritual will had grown stronger.
His divine sense had clearly taken a step from sixteen runes toward the realm of seventeen runes.
These demons... could they have been reared personally by the Evil God? The corrupted thoughts here were "plumper," and the refined divine sense more abundant.
In contrast, the demons within Yu'er's nightmare felt downright emaciated.
And lately—perhaps because Mo Hua had been "snacking" too often—the number of demons in Yu'er's dream had been decreasing steadily.
Mo Hua had been "hungry" for quite some time. This was the first proper "feast" in a while.
Having finished his demonic snack, Mo Hua continued dragging Master She by the scruff of his neck, deeper into the River God's temple.
As they went on, the atmosphere became heavier and more suffocating.
Golden light flickered around them, but it was tinged with blood.
Eventually, they arrived at the rear hall. Mo Hua looked up—and saw an enormous statue of the River God.
It had a fish's head and a human body, draped in a Daoist robe embroidered with clouds and ocean waves. Its hands formed mudras, resting at its sides. The mouth was wide as a blood basin, filled with jagged white teeth. It sat solemnly, high above, eyes filled with both awe and dread.
It closely resembled the statue in the outer temple—
But far larger, and the divine pressure emanating from it was far more intense—almost like a living god.
At that sight, Master She could no longer play dead. With a loud thump, he dropped to his knees and knocked his forehead against the stone tiles with trembling sincerity.
"Your humble follower greets Lord River God—greets the Divine Master!"
The River God sat unmoved, silent and imposing.
Mo Hua looked up, puzzled. "You're the River God?"
Master She's soul nearly leapt out of his body.
This brat! Just because he had a few tricks, he was utterly lawless!
He saw the River God and didn't even kneel—dared to speak directly to the divine name, showing not even a scrap of reverence!
Good swimmers drown. Good riders fall.
Just because he had a bit of ability, he no longer knew the height of the heavens. Sooner or later, he'd meet a gruesome end.
Lord River God would never tolerate such insolence.
Master She sneered internally.
But to his disbelief—the River God spoke.
"Yes..."
The voice was deep and ancient, dignified and solemn, echoing through the shrine with a subtle, resonant weight.
Master She pressed his head even lower.
He was terrified of angering the River God—but at the same time, utterly shocked.
In the past century or two, he'd offered so many sacrifices, but never once had Lord River God spoken a single word.
Yet this brat... spoke rudely, stared at the divine idol, showed no respect—and the River God replied?
And didn't even seem angry??
Master She was stunned.
"You've offended the dignity of a god..." the River God intoned, voice low and weighty.
Master She's heart clenched.
So the River God was angry after all—this brat's done for!
But then the River God continued—
"I shall overlook it."
Master She: "..."
Mo Hua raised a brow in surprise. "I barged into your shrine, saw your secrets, killed the demons you were raising—and you're just gonna let it go?"
Atop the fish-headed statue, the River God's expression was hard to read, but his voice carried a merciful tone:
"A god loves all beings. Your cultivation is still young—ignorance is forgivable."
Mo Hua asked curiously, "So you're willing to let me go?"
The River God nodded. "Naturally."
"I have some companions," Mo Hua added.
"They may leave as well."
"There were also two children. This old freak here..." Mo Hua pointed at the kneeling Master She, "...gave them to you as sacrifices. I'd like to take them back."
The River God was silent for a moment. His gaze narrowed slightly before he slowly replied:
"Those two children are blessed. I had intended to keep them as child attendants at my side. But your fortune surpasses theirs..."
"If you wish to take them, you may."
Kneeling devoutly on the ground, Master She went completely numb.
Did he just hear that right?
This brat actually dared to make demands from Lord River God—repeatedly?
And these outrageously rude demands—were accepted?!
Could it be that Lord River God was not a murderous god of wrath, but a benevolent deity of mercy?
No… this doesn't make sense…
But then—Mo Hua still wasn't satisfied.
He thought for a moment and added, "I also want to take the fisherman cultivators in the plaza."
This time, the River God's expression froze. His gaze turned icy, tone losing its earlier warmth.
"Young cultivator—contentment brings peace. A good start must have a good end."
"My favor toward you is already an exception. Do not overstep your bounds. If you lose your restraint, misfortune will follow..."
Mo Hua nodded. "Exactly. You—wearing a fish head, selling lamb meat, slaughtering people, devouring divine sense, refining demonic filth—should also know when to stop."
"I've been speaking nicely with you—already an exception. Don't overstep your bounds. If you lose your restraint, misfortune will follow..."
The River God's fish face suddenly twisted with rage. In those cold, lifeless fish eyes, a sinister gleam began to glow.
Its voice turned frigid, like frost covering midwinter:
"You... you know?"
"How could you possibly know?"
Wearing a fish head, selling lamb meat…
The River God's fish eyes instantly turned blood-red.
"Lowly mortal… such audacity!"
Mo Hua didn't waste another word—he launched himself forward and punched.
Master She was completely numb.
The River God let out a cold laugh and slowly extended his massive demonic claw, wrapped in bloody mist, reaching toward Mo Hua.
But Mo Hua's fair, delicate fist slammed into that massive claw.
Boom! A shockwave of divine sense rippled outward.
The River God's smile froze instantly.
His enormous claw had been punched straight through by Mo Hua's fist—its divine sense-projected shadow visibly dimmed.
And right after punching through the claw, Mo Hua followed up with another fist, aiming directly at the River God's fish-faced head.
The River God's gaze trembled—no longer daring to underestimate him. It quickly stood up and retreated backward.
Mo Hua's punch missed, but a flash of faint blue light shimmered across his body—he had activated Flowing Water Step, continuing his assault on the River God.
The River God dodged twice, but its massive frame made evasion impossible. It was struck squarely in the abdomen by another punch.
That small-looking fist carried such force of divine sense that the River God's divine form visibly shuddered.
The River God flew into a rage. "Very well, ignorant brat! You refuse wine when it's offered, so don't blame me for giving you the rod instead!"
A burst of blood mist surged outward, then suddenly reversed direction and condensed around the River God's form.
Rather than growing larger, its divine body shrank—now only a head taller than a normal adult cultivator—but far more refined and compact.
It seemed that the towering idol-like form it had taken earlier was merely a projection—a divine illusion used to awe worshippers by scattering its divine sense.
But scattered power is weaker.
Now, with divine sense condensed into this form, this was its true appearance.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up with excitement, his fighting spirit growing even stronger.
Since the transformation of his divine sense—especially after devouring divine marrow—he had yet to lose a single battle of spiritual force.
Ordinary demons were no longer a match for him.
He was eager to know—just how strong was the power of his divine-sense-forged body? Could it truly go head-to-head with a real "god"?
Mo Hua didn't waste time with words. In a flash, he rushed forward again, little fists raised—slamming one straight into the River God's face.
Caught off guard, the River God took the punch full-force. Its fish gills deformed, and its body staggered back several steps.
Once it regained footing, the River God's eyes were entirely blood-red.
Its killing intent fully awakened. The cloud-patterned sea-wave robes it wore turned blood crimson.
"Courting death!"
The River God growled, its voice now demonic. Claws tore through the air like wind, striking viciously toward Mo Hua.
Mo Hua remained fearless, meeting it head-on.
For a moment, their figures blurred, fists and claws colliding, divine sense clashing like thunderous drums. The shockwaves shook the dream-forged temple—cracking floor tiles and leaving walls pitted and scarred.
Master She, terrified of getting caught in the crossfire, had long since cowered in a corner—watching the battle with utter disbelief.
"That little brat's only ten-something... and he's using divine sense to brawl with a 'god'?!"
Master She could only feel like the world had gone mad.
And yet, after dozens of rounds, the two were still evenly matched.
The River God's gaze grew cold. Pale-golden light began to gather around its demonic claws—tinged faintly with specks of blood-red.
A cruel grin spread across its fish-like face.
With a gust of foul wind, those pale-golden claws—laced with bloodlust—slashed toward Mo Hua.
Sensing the danger, Mo Hua imitated the move—infusing strands of pale-gold divine marrow into his own fists, then throwing a punch to meet the incoming claws.
An even fiercer shockwave followed as the two divine forces collided, cracking the temple floor.
Both the youth and the god were forced back two steps—equal in strength.
Mo Hua felt a twinge in his fist and couldn't help but rub it.
The River God's claw remained intact, but its expression changed. It stared at Mo Hua in shock. "You're not human?!"
Mo Hua frowned. "You're not human."
Then caught himself. "Oh, wait—right, you really aren't human."
The River God looked displeased, its gaze cold. "You carry divine marrow—are you man, or god?"
Mo Hua just smiled silently.
The River God's face grew darker. With a chilling sneer, it growled:
"Don't think that just because you stumbled upon some divine marrow by chance, you can look down on gods."
"Gods are the rulers of all life—the Dao of Divinity is a forbidden path on the road to immortality. You know nothing."
"Fine." The River God raised its right hand, conjuring a white bone trident. Its tips bore five barbed hooks, each coated with toxic blood.
"No matter what you are—you'll become my sacrifice today."
"A divine marrow offering delivered to my door—how could I not accept?"
Mo Hua's gaze narrowed slightly.
The River God raised the bone trident high. From it, barbs of corrupted evil formed, congealing into blood-soaked spikes that launched straight at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's body shimmered with a watery mirage—he used Flowing Water Step to dodge with ease.
The River God sneered. The bone trident continued generating wave after wave of crimson spikes—dense, vicious, piercing toward Mo Hua.
Seeing he couldn't dodge them all, Mo Hua raised two fingers and pointed. A fireball formed, trailing flames as it shot toward the River God.
The fireball collided with the blood spikes midair—exploding into a mist of blood and fire.
The River God was startled. "A spell?"
Mo Hua didn't waste breath.
If melee wasn't working, then he'd switch to long-range magic.
He was never a body cultivator anyway. Close combat wasn't his forte.
Mo Hua's eyes glinted with depth, divine sense flowing. His fingers tapped quickly, firing off a stream of fireballs, one after another—like arrows from a repeating crossbow—aimed straight at the River God.
At first, the River God tried to use its bone trident and blood spikes to counter.
But within moments, it realized—the fireballs were increasing in number and speed, far outpacing the rate at which it could form spikes.
The densely packed barrage of fireballs overwhelmed it—blood spikes could no longer hold them back.
In just a few exchanges, a fireball struck the River God, erupting in a cloud of searing flame.
More and more fireballs followed in rapid succession, crashing into the River God's body one after another. Explosions of flame blossomed, swallowing its divine form whole.
Moments later, the firelight faded.
The River God's figure reappeared—looking somewhat disheveled, but without serious injury.
However, its expression had turned completely twisted. Its whiskers flared, fangs bared—it no longer carried the majesty of a divine being, now looking more like a feral river fiend.
This brat... was far more troublesome than expected!
"These little tricks of mine clearly aren't enough to take you down..."
"In that case, allow me to show you what a true divine path looks like. Let me show you... what it really means to be a god!"
Mo Hua's expression turned solemn—he could feel the River God's aura growing stronger and stronger.
At the same time, a mysterious and profound Dao resonance began to rise from the River God's body.
Mo Hua recalled what Lord Huangshan had once said: gods are born of the Dao, inherently carrying a fragment of the world's fundamental laws.
At this moment, the entire River God Temple was saturated with moisture—as though the water-based Dao laws had fully permeated the space. All divine-sense constructs around them began to twist and distort under the influence of these laws.
A single drop of bloodied water fell from the sky, splattering on the floor in a red splash.
Then a second. A third…
The drops became a downpour.
Blood rain fell from the heavens.
Mo Hua felt a surge of unease.
This blood rain was far too strange—the aura of heavenly laws around it far too intense. It was definitely not a good sign.
Mo Hua didn't know what kind of technique this big fish-headed River God was preparing, but he wasn't about to find out the hard way.
He turned on his heels, attempting to sneak away as quietly as possible.
Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is best—avoid the edge now, plan the counter later.
But he hadn't even gotten far when the River God suddenly grinned viciously, its massive mouth cracking open.
"Trying to run? Too late!"
"Now witness—what it means for a god to be born of the Dao, to comprehend the hidden truths of all things...!"
"Divine Ability—Boundless Blood River!"
Mo Hua's eyes widened.
A divine ability?!
A god's innate Dao technique?
He'd never heard of such a thing before—not even Lord Huangshan had mentioned it.
As soon as the River God finished speaking, its body began to dissolve into Dao essence, merging seamlessly into the falling blood rain.
The rain grew heavier by the second, and in just a few heartbeats, it gathered into a massive blood river, surging and rolling like an evil flood dragon stirring up waves. It crashed through temple walls, halls, and pavilions—swallowing everything in its path.
From the front of the River God Temple, the blood river surged forth, devouring all before it, spreading all the way to the rear hall—stopping only at the plaza.
There, numerous fisherman-cultivators knelt in worship.
They had offered faith through suffering, anchoring the River God's divine root. The god dared not damage this foundation.
But the sheer vastness of the blood river—was more than enough to drown Mo Hua.
Mo Hua was submerged, as if imprisoned in a boundless, watery hell. His chest tightened—unable to breathe.
Within the blood river were tangled strands of divine law, twisted thoughts from evil gods, and sinister demonic intent.
It was like a poisonous venom of divine sense—a corrosive liquid of spiritual force—constantly eating away at Mo Hua's divine avatar.
He was swallowed by the Boundless Blood River, like a child drowning in a tide of blood. His tiny limbs struggled feebly, helplessly, as he was dragged downward by a swirling vortex—sinking toward the depths of a dark, blood-tainted abyss.
The River God watched this scene unfold, a cold smile spreading across its face.
But moments later, that smile froze.
Something was wrong...
The River God's eyes flickered with dread. Its expression grew more and more grim.
It sensed it—a presence, a force akin to the Dao itself, spreading at the bottom of the river. Expanding, condensing... and then—
Erupting.
Like a volcano, it burst forth.
The entire blood river turned bright red.
But not blood red—fire red.
It was as if a volcano had exploded at the river's bottom, surging with blazing flames, boiling the water to a scalding heat.
The surface of the river began to bubble and steam. Blood water evaporated in thick clouds.
In that boundless blood river, a massive portion of the blood was evaporated on the spot. The rest reversed, pulling back into whirlpools—before also being vaporized, bit by bit, into mist.
Again and again—burn, boil, evaporate—until the entire Boundless Blood River had been reduced to nothing but steam.
The air was left dry and scorching.
White vapor coiled upward like silk.
The remaining blood rain fell with a scalding heat.
And there stood Mo Hua—right where he had been.
Surrounded by blazing divine fire, flames roiling around his small frame.
The Boundless Blood River had been completely incinerated by him.
The River God sucked in a sharp breath, expression grave and uncertain.
Mo Hua slowly turned to face it. His young face was stern, and with imposing flair, he declared:
"Divine Ability!"
"Karmic Fire Burns the River!"
The River God froze. And then, finally—couldn't help but curse out loud:
"You brat! What nonsense are you spewing!? You think I can't tell!? That was clearly a formation technique!"
"Close enough..." Mo Hua mumbled.
The River God's eyelid twitched wildly.
Formation... divine ability...
In some sense, perhaps they were similar.
But could a technique of this level of complexity really be performed by a human?
Just how deep must one's understanding of formations go, to be able to construct such a terrifying array in the span of a thought—within a dream, using nothing but divine sense?
In that moment, both god and worshipper had the same thought:
This kid... can he still be called "human"?
(End of this chapter)