Chapter 763: The Prison
The geomagnetic "signal" improved a little, and Mo Hua finally received Elder Xun's message.
Though the valley's isolation still caused some interference, making the ink characters a bit fuzzy, they were still readable:
Xun Ziyou: "Many inner elders from my Great Void Sect and Chongxu Sect are now stationed in the forest…"
The rest of the ink grew dimmer, but the writing remained legible:
"If anything goes wrong, we'll attack the Myriad Demons Valley together and rescue you all."
If the situation became truly dire, even the Patriarch would intervene—
Though this last sentence, Xun Ziyou didn't write out.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, no one wanted to trouble the Patriarch.
The Void Sword Token should only be used as a last resort.
In the fifth-tier Qianxue Prefecture, Void Refining cultivators stood at the peak. Once one of them made a move, it would shake the entire sect system—and such a move would undoubtedly draw attention from other major sects.
Especially now, in the Demon-Taming Mountain, where void-level cultivators were forbidden to enter.
If a Void Refining elder forcibly descended, he'd destroy the mountain-sealing array and violate Qianxue Prefecture's bans—bringing endless trouble and making it extremely difficult to clean up.
Mo Hua didn't know Elder Xun had handed over the Void Sword Token. All he knew was that there were a bunch of inner elders outside—which gave him a great deal of peace of mind.
After all, to be an elder in one of the Eight Great Sects' inner circles…
That meant being a truly formidable Golden Core cultivator.
In any third-tier cultivation clan, such a person would be considered an indisputable founding ancestor.
Still, even so, Mo Hua didn't want them to attack rashly…
Some dangers had nothing to do with cultivation level.
So Mo Hua warned:
"Unless the Myriad Demons Valley fully opens and the White Bone Path is revealed, do not approach carelessly…"
"Especially not the blood stream outside… or the white bone beach."
"Those areas are laced with evil arrays and house various demonic entities. They corrupt divine sense, drive people mad with delusion, and cause spiritual instability…"
He had seen this with his own eyes.
On the way in, when he tampered with the black bear demon's chains to sneak in via the coffin—after the bear demon broke free, it went on a rampage and knocked another demon cultivator into the blood stream beneath the White Bone Path.
Mo Hua saw with his own eyes:
Demonic abominations rose from the blood—grotesque and malformed. Bone-white claws stretched out and dug into that demon's skull, scooping out his brains.
That demon went completely mad and was immediately slain by his fellow demons.
This white bone beach reminded him of the "Blood Leech Path" back in the fishing village—defensive traps using malevolent spirits to guard secrets.
Pity he hadn't had time to study them before being pulled into this mess.
Otherwise, all those monsters… maybe he could've enjoyed a little "light snack."
Mo Hua thought to himself with a smirk.
Xun Ziyou felt Mo Hua's warning was a bit exaggerated.
Especially the part about "malevolent spirits"—he'd heard of such things but had never witnessed them personally, so he remained somewhat skeptical.
Still, Mo Hua didn't seem like he was lying.
And in this kind of situation, it was indeed unwise to approach the valley carelessly.
Xun then asked about Linghu Xiao and the others. After learning that they were locked in a prison but temporarily safe, he let out a long breath of relief.
So did Chongxu Sect Elder Shangguan Xuanjian.
After some thought, Xun Ziyou grew solemn and messaged:
"Mo Hua, from now on, aside from when you're asleep, send me one Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch character every hour."
"If there's any hour where I don't receive one…"
His tone turned cold:
"No matter what, we'll launch a full-scale assault!"
Whether they faced demons or evil spirits, none of it would matter anymore.
Even if it meant burning down the blood stream and grinding the bone beach into powder, they would storm the valley and flatten it!
Mo Hua was moved.
Elder Xun… and the entire sect… were treating him so well.
At the same time, he quietly muttered:
"Hopefully, the geomagnetic signal here stays cooperative… If the signal drops and I can't send the next character, this whole valley's going to be toast…"
"Yup, yup."
Mo Hua nodded and immediately sent the character 'Jiazi'.
From now on, except when sleeping, he would send one character every hour.
After doing so, a question suddenly occurred to Mo Hua, and he asked:
"Elder Xun, how did Linghu Xiao and Little Wood get captured?"
"This isn't rest season, right? They should've been cultivating at the sect. Why were they in Demon-Taming Mountain?"
Xun replied:
"Ouyang Mu's case involves the Tai'a Sect—it's unclear for now."
"But Linghu Xiao… according to Chongxu Sect's investigation, someone sent him a letter."
"After reading it, he became very agitated and rushed to Demon-Taming Mountain alone…"
"Elder Shangguan found out afterward…"
"Shangguan Elder?" Mo Hua blinked. "Someone from the Shangguan clan?"
"Yes," Xun said. "His name is Shangguan Xuanjian, a direct member of the clan and now an elder of Chongxu Sect."
Shangguan Xuanjian…
Mo Hua nodded slowly and memorized the name.
Xun continued:
"By the time Elder Shangguan heard the news, it was already too late. He rushed to Demon-Taming Mountain, but was ambushed by a Golden Core demon."
"He used Chongxu Sword Qi to sever one of its arms, forcing it to flee."
"He didn't pursue, instead continuing into the mountain to save the others—but was soon besieged by two more Golden Core demons…"
Mo Hua asked,
"Were those the two demon elders who fled from the Myriad Demons Valley?"
"Yes," Xun sighed.
Elder Shangguan had defeated one demon already and was then attacked by two more. If not for timely reinforcements, he might not have made it.
These demons were getting audacious—
To even dare target a Chongxu Sect elder.
Either they were blinded by bloodlust…
Or they believed that, even if they killed him, they could cover it up cleanly without leaving a trace.
Or worse—what they were plotting… was so important that the death of an elder was worth it.
Xun Ziyou frowned deeply.
Mo Hua nodded slightly but felt a sudden jolt in his heart.
There were three Golden Core–level demon elders in the valley.
One had already lost an arm to Elder Shangguan.
The other two were currently held back by Elder Xun outside and couldn't return.
That meant—right now, inside the Myriad Demons Valley… there wasn't a single Golden Core left?
Mo Hua was stunned.
No wonder, when he divined earlier using coins and the Heaven's Secrets, he got an auspicious result: "Great Fortune."
So the whole valley was just… an empty shell?
His eyes narrowed.
In this vast and sinister place… if no high-level demons were around…
Didn't that mean he could go wild?
Then he paused and shook his head.
No, no. Gotta stay humble. Better to act cautiously.
Still, without a Golden Core suppressing the place, maybe he could let his courage grow just a tiny bit…
With that thought, Mo Hua nodded to himself, then sent Xun Ziyou a message:
"Elder, don't worry."
"Let me quietly scout things out first…"
Although Xun Ziyou didn't want Mo Hua to act rashly, the situation had already reached this point. Inside the Myriad Demons Valley, Mo Hua was their only "insider." If he didn't do anything, the entire operation would remain stuck in a stalemate.
"Be careful. And remember—send the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches character on time," Xun Ziyou repeated solemnly.
"Mm-hmm," Mo Hua nodded.
After their conversation ended, Mo Hua put away his Great Void Token and began analyzing the current situation.
First and foremost, he had to get Little Wood (Ouyang Mu) and Linghu Xiao out.
After all, in some sense, those two were on his team.
Well… maybe not Linghu Xiao, for now.
That guy was a bit arrogant—and tsundere.
But Little Wood had sincerely called him "Senior Brother Mo" and even helped forge his sword. No matter what, he had to be rescued.
As for Song Jian…
Well, may the heavens bless his dumb little white-lotus soul.
"But how am I even supposed to rescue them?"
Mo Hua looked down thoughtfully.
The prison had been carved from blood-colored stone, spacious and grim, with multiple individual cells inside.
The three captives were each locked in their own separate cell.
Aside from them, there were no guards or other demon cultivators inside the prison room itself.
"Seems like these three have unique identities, so they're getting 'special treatment'—solitary confinement," Mo Hua guessed.
The prison bars were made from refined black iron, carved with intricate array formations. There were demon guards posted outside—security was tight.
Of course, for Mo Hua, complex formations were no big deal.
And even dealing with demon guards wasn't impossible.
But even if he broke the formation, picked the locks, and somehow got rid of the guards…
He still wouldn't be able to get them out.
The Myriad Demons Valley was vast and layered with strict security.
Outside the prison, who knew how many demon cultivators were lurking?
Forget the fact that they were all just mid-Foundation Establishment level—even a Golden Core cultivator wouldn't be able to brute-force their way out easily.
Not to mention… the main gate of the valley was currently closed.
At this rate, even a mosquito would have trouble flying out, let alone three living, breathing humans.
Mo Hua sighed softly.
"Looks like I'll need to take the long route…"
Inside the cells, Little Wood and the others were still unconscious.
That idiot Song Jian was even drooling in his sleep—completely unaware of the dire situation they were in.
Mo Hua shook his head.
He decided to go outside and scout the area first.
Although the prison was heavily guarded, it had been excavated from a natural cave. The stone pillars were jagged, and the walls uneven, full of protrusions and shadows.
Mo Hua clung to the rocky walls, crawling like a giant tabby cat across the ceiling.
A completely invisible tabby cat.
When he encountered a formation barrier, he disabled it on the fly.
The Myriad Demons Valley was huge. Naturally, corner areas like this wouldn't be guarded by high-grade formations—it'd be far too expensive to maintain.
After disabling a few formations, Mo Hua reached the outer area—and his eyes immediately narrowed.
When he arrived earlier, he had hidden beneath the coffin and couldn't see anything.
Now that he could look around… he realized he was inside a massive demonic beast prison.
The cell that held Little Wood and the others was just one of many.
The entire prison was hewn from jagged mountain rock, soaked in blood-red light and thick with demonic aura. Countless demonic beasts were chained and sealed inside various cells.
Each one bound in shackles, sealed with arrays, and confined.
And it wasn't just beasts—
There were demon cultivators imprisoned here too.
Painful groans echoed from the cells between the walls—clearly, some of these demons had committed offenses and were now enduring torture.
Some were pierced by venomous needles.
Some were scorched by branding irons.
Some were sliced and hacked by blades and axes.
The torture devices were… impressively varied.
"I wonder which hurts more," Mo Hua mused, "these or my own 'array-formation torture board'…"
Then he remembered a line he had deciphered earlier from a communication talisman:
"If anyone dares to betray or escape, they shall be sacrificed to the Demon-Refining Diagram, to suffer the agony of ten thousand demons devouring their flesh and soul…"
"So this Demon-Refining Diagram… is also used as a punishment?"
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
"Wonder where this thing is…"
He was pretty hungry… and he did want to "experience the agony of ten thousand demons gnawing at his soul" just a little—just to see what kind of monsters the diagram contained…
The whole Myriad Demon Prison was huge. Demon cultivators patrolled it periodically.
Mo Hua explored for a long time, but didn't even reach the end.
He was new to this place, unfamiliar with the layout, and still had to avoid being seen. So after a while, he ended up totally disoriented.
As for the array system…
While the Myriad Demons Valley had a complex, layered formation structure, this prison section was broken up into independent cells, each with its own smaller formation.
It wasn't easy to use these local formations to deduce the layout of the entire valley.
"This is getting tricky…"
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
With no better option, he returned the way he came and crept back into the original prison cell area.
Inside, Little Wood and Linghu Xiao had woken up.
But they looked dazed, clearly unaware of what had happened—or where they even were.
Little Wood glanced at Linghu Xiao, face pale:
"Senior Brother Linghu, where are we?"
"I don't know either," Linghu Xiao replied, shaking his head.
His tone was still cold and aloof, but his eyes were clearly uneasy. He was just trying to stay composed.
Then he asked,
"Junior Brother Mu, do you remember anything?"
Ouyang Mu honestly shook his head.
"I don't remember anything. I was just cultivating at the sect, then forged a few swords, ate a meal, went back to the disciple quarters to rest… and after a nap—bam! I woke up here."
Linghu Xiao frowned.
Little Wood asked,
"Senior Brother Linghu, how did you end up here?"
Linghu Xiao was silent for a moment, then sighed softly:
"Someone gave me a letter… It said you had gone into the Demon-Taming Mountain alone to forge a backup spiritual sword for me—and then disappeared."
"I didn't fully believe it, but I had to be sure. So I went into the mountain to look for you… but as soon as I entered, I ran into some demon cultivators."
"I... couldn't beat them."
Linghu Xiao's expression was filled with frustration as he sighed.
"In the end, they caught me. When I woke up, I was already here."
Ouyang Mu muttered quietly,
"I'm sorry... It's my fault you got tricked, Senior Brother Linghu."
Linghu Xiao shook his head.
"No, I was just foolish. It has nothing to do with you."
"What I don't understand..." Linghu Xiao frowned,
"Why did those demon cultivators go to such lengths to capture the two of us…?"
At first, he thought he'd simply had bad luck.
But looking back now, this had clearly been premeditated—someone wanted to capture both him and Little Brother Mu as hostages.
"Not two," Ouyang Mu said.
Linghu Xiao was startled.
Ouyang Mu pointed to a nearby cell.
"Looks like... there's one more."
Only then did Linghu Xiao notice that, in the next cell over, amidst a pile of messy straw, another person was lying there.
That person was Song Jian—who was just now waking up.
He opened his eyes, looked around, and immediately shouted:
"Which sneaky bastard dared ambush me?! And drag me into this filthy, stinking dump?!"
"Do you have any idea who I am?!"
"I'm a proud disciple of the mighty Broken Gold Sect, I am Song—"
He hadn't even finished speaking when he spotted Ouyang Mu and Linghu Xiao in the adjacent cell.
Song Jian frowned.
"Who the hell are you people?"
He'd spent his entire time in Broken Gold Sect bossing around his underlings, basking in glory. He never paid attention to disciples from other sects.
So of course—he had no idea who Ouyang Mu or Linghu Xiao were.
Naturally, there was only one disciple from another sect whose face he'd burned into memory—
That was his arch-nemesis, the one who had stolen and destroyed his sword, his mortal enemy: Mo Hua.
Even if Mo Hua turned to dust, Song Jian would recognize him.
Ouyang Mu began to say,
"I… I'm…"
But before he could finish, Linghu Xiao's gaze turned icy. He glared at Song Jian.
"You're one of those Broken Gold Sect scum?"
Linghu Xiao had been robbed of several spirit beasts by Broken Gold Sect members during his time in the Demon-Taming Mountain, so he already held a grudge.
When Song Jian heard the word "scum," he exploded with rage:
"What did you just say, you little runt?! How dare you look down on Broken Gold Sect?!"
Linghu Xiao snorted coldly,
"Your Broken Gold Sect is full of trash from top to bottom. Calling you 'scum' is actually being generous."
Song Jian ground his teeth.
"Fine! If I had my sword right now—"
But halfway through that sentence, he winced.
Right—he didn't just misplace his sword.
That shameless villain had stolen it—and destroyed it!
Song Jian took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"If I had my sword, I'd show you the true power of our Broken Gold Sword Art!"
"Broken Gold Sword Art?" Linghu Xiao let out a snide laugh,
"More like Broken Chicken Sword Art. I've defeated at least eighteen—or maybe twenty—of your sect's goons already."
Song Jian blinked in disbelief.
This kid's that strong? Who even is this guy?
He had to be bluffing…
Trash-talking was easy—anyone could do it.
Hot-headed and prideful, Song Jian wasn't going to back down. He instantly puffed out his chest and declared:
"Big talk for someone so tiny! I could take ten of you by myself!"
Strangely, Linghu Xiao didn't get angry. Instead, his expression turned cool and serene.
With a faint smirk, he said:
"Good. If we ever get out of here, we'll see how many moves you can last against me."
As the two continued bickering…
Heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the cell.
The three of them froze, instantly falling silent and holding their breath.
Moments later, with a clanking of chains and a flicker of array light, the cell door creaked open.
A tall demon cultivator, shrouded in a black robe, walked inside.
His eyes glinted with venomous malice as he swept his gaze across the three captives. Then he grinned, baring sharp, menacing fangs.
Linghu Xiao's expression hardened.
Song Jian's heart skipped a beat.
"A… a demon cultivator?!"
His already pale face turned ghostly white.
(End of Chapter)