Chapter 778 – Formation Stone Hall
Mo Hua originally thought that the "Demon Refining Diagram" would be like the other visualization diagrams he had seen before—just a scroll or painting. He didn't expect it to be such a grand mural.
From a distance, it was shrouded in a mist of blood, making the view somewhat blurry.
But even so, one could vaguely make out that the mural depicted a mountain range filled with countless grotesque and savage demonic creatures.
"I need to get closer…"
Mo Hua silently resolved.
He turned to the broken white bone sword in his hand and asked quietly,
"Swordbones, how do I get over there?"
The "Sword Devil" nicknamed Swordbones spoke with faint dread in its voice—it clearly feared this Demon Refining Diagram—but still replied honestly:
"There are demon cultivators guarding the outer perimeter. If you avoid them and loop around to the back, you'll find a stone bridge. Cross it, then pass through a thorny stone forest beyond that…"
It gave very detailed directions.
Mo Hua memorized everything, then followed them precisely.
At the same time, he mentally prepared himself—if this "cheapskate bones" tried anything funny, he'd just snap it in half and swallow it whole for a snack.
After all, it was a shady old scumbag in life.
Thankfully, Swordbones behaved.
And its directions were accurate too.
Though it took some effort, Mo Hua successfully arrived at the Demon Refining Diagram.
So smooth, in fact, that it made him suspicious.
He frowned. "The defenses around the Demon Refining Diagram are this lax? I got here this easily?"
Swordbones silently thought,
That's because I'm guiding you, okay?!
And honestly, it hadn't been easy at all.
To sneak in here, one needed to know the terrain like the back of their hand, be a master of stealth, understand demon cultivator habits, have excellent movement techniques, and a bold but cautious temperament.
"This little ancestor… so good at sneaking, wall-climbing, and rooftop-hopping… must've done plenty of thieving and sneaking in his free time…"
Swordbones grumbled internally.
On the outside, though, it still had to flatter shamelessly:
"That's all thanks to Young Master's brilliant movement technique, masterful stealth, calm demeanor, and sharp instincts. Of course it wasn't hard."
"Hm." Mo Hua nodded.
He had to admit, this Swordbones had a way with words.
Swordbones continued,
"Also… this Demon Refining Diagram is a site of punishment for demon cultivators. Countless demons have died here, their souls torn apart by the Ten Thousand Demons' soul-devouring torment. So any demon who approaches feels instinctive terror—many claim to hear the whispers and howls of monsters."
"That's why even the demon guards only watch from afar—they don't dare get too close."
"I see…" Mo Hua nodded thoughtfully.
"Whispers of demons…"
He leaned closer to the mural, listening quietly for a moment, then asked with some doubt:
"Where are the whispers? I don't hear anything."
Swordbones froze, then cautiously focused its senses—and blinked in shock.
Nothing…
When it had sneaked over here before, the air had been filled with terrifying cries—ten thousand demons wailing, the air heavy with soul-wrenching dread.
So why… silence now?
It glanced sneakily at Mo Hua.
"Don't tell me the ghosts here are scared of this kid… so they're staying quiet?"
…No way, right?
That would be absurd.
Swordbones chuckled to itself and shook its head.
"Maybe it's just the wrong time. The demons are dormant."
"Oh." Mo Hua stared at the mural for another moment, then asked,
"Where are the array patterns?"
"Array patterns?" Swordbones blinked.
"That formation you said took you two hundred years to learn," Mo Hua said. "Didn't you say you learned it from this mural?"
Swordbones paused, focused on the diagram again, and slowly frowned.
"…It seems to be sealed."
"Sealed?" Mo Hua was stunned.
"Yes…" Swordbones said. "Two hundred years ago, the diagram wasn't fully complete. Some formation lines were still exposed. But now…"
It glanced at the mural again, its tone becoming serious:
"This diagram appears to be finished. All the array patterns are sealed inside."
Mo Hua's expression soured.
So when I wasn't here, it wasn't done.
Now that I show up—boom, suddenly finished.
You're just doing this to mess with me, huh?!
"…Can I blow this thing up?" Mo Hua asked flatly.
Swordbones trembled in horror. "My little ancestor, please don't!"
"If this diagram explodes, it'll cause a catastrophe!"
No one knew what terrifying consequences might unfold if the Demon Refining Diagram was destroyed.
Worse, it would alert all the demon cultivators. And even if Mo Hua's stealth was top-tier, even if he was cautious, it'd be hard to escape unscathed once the valley was on full alert.
"I was just saying." Mo Hua replied casually.
This old fossil really was outdated—couldn't even handle a joke.
"…So, can I go inside this diagram?" Mo Hua asked.
He didn't want anything fancy—he just wanted to go in and count how many monsters were in there.
"…Go in?"
Swordbones was confused—what was this little lunatic thinking?
The Demon Refining Diagram was a prison of horrors. Everyone else avoided it like the plague, and he wanted to go inside?
Was he insane?
What for? To experience "Ten Thousand Demons Devour the Body," have his soul shattered and annihilated?
Did he really think that just because he had tamed a Sword Demon, he was invincible? That the countless demons inside the mural were no threat?
Swordbones sneered in its heart.
Just as it was about to speak, it suddenly paused—an evil thought rising from deep within.
"This little... brat."
"So arrogant—maybe that's a good thing."
"If I can find a way to send him inside… whether his soul dies or gets trapped, I might escape. Maybe even hijack his body. Fresh, young… it's not impossible…"
A burning desire bloomed.
Swordbones kept its tone respectful and replied casually,
"There are only two ways to enter the Demon Refining Diagram."
"One—suffer extreme torture and die in front of the mural. At the brink of death, the unbearable pain triggers an anomaly in the soul, allowing it to detach from the body and enter the diagram… to suffer even worse torment."
"This is a double-layered punishment—physical and spiritual, followed by death. That's why the mere mention of the mural terrifies all demon cultivators."
"…The second way is sacrifice."
Mo Hua blinked. "Sacrifice?"
"Yes," Swordbones nodded. "Through a certain ritual, a person can be sacrificed to the mural."
"But I've never seen such a ritual, nor do I know the specifics. In this valley, sacrifices are rare, and common demon cultivators don't even qualify to offer them."
Mo Hua frowned.
Well… that's annoying.
So, he can't enter the mural.
If it's by torture, he dies—and painfully.
If by sacrifice—he doesn't know how, and no one wants to offer him up.
It's like being hungry with food in the pot—but the lid's nailed shut.
Mo Hua felt vexed.
"…I'll look around. Maybe there's another way to 'slip' into the Demon Refining Diagram unnoticed."
With that thought, his divine sense stirred, and he gave the mural one last reluctant glance before turning away.
He had only walked a few steps…
…when a strange sound entered his ears.
Mo Hua turned around and focused his hearing.
He quickly realized—it was the sound from within the Demon Refining Diagram.
It was a cacophony of demon howls—chaotic, noisy, full of arrogance and disdain.
As if… they were mocking him.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed.
"A bunch of bony bastards… Just wait till I get inside—I'll count your skulls one by one myself."
…
After quietly leaving the mural, Mo Hua began to wander the surrounding area.
Mo Hua quietly slipped away and began wandering the surrounding area.
The Demon Refining Diagram might look like a massive, mysterious mural, but at its core, it was still a type of cultivation construct.
It used the mural as its medium, formations as its skeleton, and divine souls as its fuel.
The only difference was that its methods were far more sinister and bloody—and involved formation branches Mo Hua had yet to study.
Still, the basic logic remained unchanged.
To create something like this diagram required immense manpower, countless materials, and above all, a thoroughly constructed formation.
It was the result of years, possibly centuries, of construction.
And based on Mo Hua's experience building large formations, there must be a secret chamber nearby used by formation masters for painting arrays.
Then, recalling Elder Xunzi Xian's speculation:
The formation systems within the Myriad Demon Valley were interconnected—the Divine Dao Formations here formed a complete lineage.
And since the Demon Refining Diagram contained Divine Dao Formations…
…it was highly likely this diagram was the core of the entire Myriad Demon Valley.
The Divine Dao Formations were the very heart of the diagram.
If he could find the Divine Dao formation array, and comprehend the inheritance behind it, then he would probably be able to unravel the secrets of the Demon Refining Diagram—and even take control of the entire valley.
Of course… that was still just a theory.
What exactly the Divine Dao inheritance was,
And what the diagram's true function might be…
There were surely layers of brilliant, profound formation mysteries waiting for him to uncover.
"There's definitely good stuff to learn here…"
Mo Hua nodded with expectation.
Circling the massive mural, he made two loops around the area—and finally found a suspicious-looking location.
A massive stone hall.
The moment he laid eyes on it, he could sense a dense formation aura within.
This, without doubt, was the Formation Stone Hall of the Myriad Demon Valley.
These kinds of places were typically used to store formation mediums, stockpile formation ink, design formation diagrams, and provide space for formation masters to study, rest, and draw arrays.
The door was tightly shut with a heavy lock.
And curiously, there were no demon guards around.
Just like the Demon Refining Diagram, this Formation Stone Hall also seemed to be a forbidden zone that even demon cultivators avoided.
"Should I go in?" Mo Hua considered.
He released his divine sense and scanned the hall—he couldn't sense any signs of life inside.
Seemed safe.
But still… cultivators' senses weren't always reliable.
So Mo Hua took out a copper coin and used Heavenly Fate Deduction to divine the outcome.
This time, unlike the first time he had performed a deduction, there was no grand sense of insight into fate—no vast galactic convergence of karma flowing through heaven and earth.
Just a faint sense of causal ripple.
A tiny, almost imperceptible reaction.
Apparently, the "newbie bonus" was gone.
From now on, his success would depend on his own grasp of heavenly fate.
Still, that was fine too.
Those world-shaking reactions were a bit overwhelming anyway.
The coin flipped into the air and landed in his palm.
Heads.
That meant: no danger inside.
Mo Hua couldn't help but feel some anticipation.
"Heavenly Fate Deduction is really useful. If I could one day, like Master, truly see through karma and control destiny—to avoid danger and seek fortune… how incredible would that be…"
He put the coin away and approached the main doors.
On the gate was a massive beast-shaped lock engraved with Four Symbols Canine-Tooth Pattern.
Swordbones quickly said, "This is a custom array lock used in the Myriad Demon Valley. With this locking the door, you won't be able to enter. Best to look els—"
But before it could finish, Mo Hua had already started pushing the door.
And with zero resistance, the massive doors swung open.
Swordbones was shocked.
Looking closer, it realized—the array formations on the door lock… had already been completely dismantled.
All that happened in just a few seconds of conversation?
This little ancestor… is actually a formation grandmaster?!
Swordbones then suddenly remembered:
When Mo Hua had first subdued it, it was via a formation—one that nearly blew it to pieces.
But still… this was the Myriad Demon Valley's formation!
How could he crack it so quickly?
Just what kind of background did this little monster have?
Had it underestimated him again?
Swordbones was suddenly filled with dread.
"This won't do… I need to find a way to escape from his control. Otherwise, even as a Sword Demon, I'll be suppressed by him for all eternity—never to rise again!"
Mo Hua, unaware of the sword demon's inner turmoil, quietly erased the marks on the door lock, closed the massive gate behind him, and stepped into the Formation Stone Hall.
The interior was spacious—ornate and magnificent.
Just as Mo Hua had predicted.
The place was stocked with a vast collection of formation materials and formation diagram scrolls.
However, most of the materials seemed to be made from the skins, bones, and blood of either humans or demonic beasts—unclear which.
The formation scrolls were jumbled and complex—but all appeared to follow the same vein of the Four Symbols Demon Mark, filled with strange and eerie energy.
At the center of the hall stood a massive stone table, clearly used for drawing formation diagrams.
Beyond that, the room was filled with tools related to array creation.
And in the deepest part of the great hall stood a colossal, awe-inspiring, and terrifying statue of a horned demon—with ram-like horns spiraling from its head.
Mo Hua's heart trembled as he gazed upon it.
Ram horns!
The Great Wilderness Evil God!
Mo Hua had dealt with this Evil God long enough to know—those ram-like horns were unmistakably a symbol of its presence!
"Finally… I've caught the Evil God red-handed again!"
With excitement, Mo Hua strode straight toward the statue.
The sword demon residing in the broken blade suddenly felt a deep, primal fear and cried out:
"No! Ancestor, don't go over there!"
But Mo Hua completely ignored it, walking right up to the statue. He examined it from left to right, even reached out to touch it. After a moment, he sighed in disappointment.
"A fake…"
There was no trace of evil intent or parasitic will upon it—let alone an actual Evil God.
Swordbones was shaking in terror—even though it was nothing but bone and couldn't sweat, it felt utterly chilled to the marrow.
Mo Hua peeked behind the statue—and his eyes lit up.
"An altar!"
Behind the towering horned demon statue was a small altar.
Atop the altar sat a ram skull, surrounded by sacrificial offerings and dim green candles flickering eerily.
The moment Swordbones saw the altar, its pupils shrank. All its bones began to rattle in fright.
"Don't… don't…"
Before it could finish, Mo Hua had already leapt lightly onto the altar, picked up the ram skull, sniffed the offerings, and frowned.
"Another fake?"
What was going on?
Mo Hua was confused.
The Myriad Demon Valley—such a massive demon haven, filled with so many beasts, raising so many demon cultivators, and deploying such an elaborate formation network...
Yet they weren't worshipping a real Evil God?
Not even a corrupted deity, a manifested avatar, or at least a divine corpse?
Could it be…?
Mo Hua pondered.
The Myriad Demon Valley was situated on Demon Refining Mountain.
That mountain was located in Qianxue Prefecture—a fifth-grade region under the Heavenly Dao Sect, teeming with powerful cultivators.
So perhaps the Evil God didn't dare descend here in full force, fearing detection?
And could only settle for a hollow, ceremonial altar?
Mo Hua thought that was very likely.
He continued rummaging through the stone hall, hoping to find other clues—especially anything related to the Divine Dao Formations.
But since he was sneaking around and didn't want to be discovered, he couldn't search too freely, let alone dig up the floor. So he found very little.
Just as he was still looking, a voice from the broken sword rang out:
"Someone's coming!"
Mo Hua sensed it too. He scanned his surroundings, ensuring he hadn't left any obvious traces. Only then did he relax.
Then, with agile movement, he flipped up to the top of the horned demon statue, slid silently down its back, and hid behind it.
At that moment, the doors of the stone hall swung open.
A tall, burly man in black robes stepped in, his presence overwhelming.
"That's the leader," Swordbones whispered mentally.
Mo Hua was slightly startled.
This black-robed figure wore a hooded cloak that concealed most of his face, making it impossible to see his features—but from his aura, it was clear:
He was no ordinary demon cultivator.
In fact, he seemed more like a sect disciple.
And not just any disciple—more like a "Senior Brother" with immense authority within a major sect.
Behind the black-robed leader was another man.
He was also tall but walked with a slight hunch and an overtly respectful posture.
Mo Hua recognized him.
It was Jin Gui, the Broken Gold Sect senior brother who'd stolen his pig demon—then got caught, stripped, and had turtles drawn all over his body.
He was also the new steward in charge of the Myriad Demon Prison, having just turned demon cultivator not long ago.
Mo Hua thought silently:
"This Jin Gui from the Broken Gold Sect is extremely deferential to this black-robed leader—and they seem to know each other well."
"Could it be… this black-robed guy is also from the Broken Gold Sect?"
The two men strolled deeper into the hall, talking as they walked.
They reached the center of the hall and kept speaking in hushed tones, clearly discussing something secret.
They were so focused they hadn't noticed anyone had entered the hall earlier—let alone that a Mo Hua was hiding behind the demon statue.
"...What happened?"
"Something's wrong…"
"The plan failed. I can't explain this to the Young Master…"
"Senior Brother—"
"Don't call me Senior Brother."
…
Behind the statue, Mo Hua blinked.
"As expected…" he thought.
"Broken Gold Sect…"
"Welp. This is getting real messy now."
In the hall, the two were still talking.
Mo Hua couldn't help but perk his ears up, hoping to catch more juicy secrets. But crouching like this was starting to get uncomfortable.
So he looked behind him, yanked the ram skull off the altar, placed it under him, and sat on it.
Like a true cultivator of comfort and chaos.
(End of this Chapter)