Chapter 780 – Divine Dao Formation
"Mister Tu?!"
Mo Hua's heart tightened.
He still didn't know exactly who this "Mister Tu" was, but judging from past events, this figure was most likely the number one "hound" of the Great Wilderness Evil God within the Qianxue Province.
If that were true, his cultivation level definitely wouldn't be low.
His mastery of formations must be profound, and his divine sense would be terrifyingly strong.
He might not be able to stay hidden!
"Not good!"
Mo Hua started to panic, a chill creeping into his bones.
And right then, the blood-red phantom attached to the black-cloaked leader suddenly jerked—snapping its head toward Mo Hua's hiding place.
But its line of sight was blocked by the massive goat-horned demon statue.
Mo Hua immediately pulled his head back, suppressed his breath, and sat absolutely still atop the goat skull—not even daring to make a sound.
Yet that blood-red phantom continued to stare, fixedly, at where Mo Hua was hiding.
The black-cloaked leader, clearly confused by this, asked aloud:
"Mister, what is it?"
The blood-red phantom seemed dazed for a moment, then suddenly frowned.
It could only speak through the black-cloaked leader's mouth, and though the tone and expression were different, it sounded like he was muttering to himself:
"There's a trace of divine aura… on that statue."
The black-cloaked leader's expression changed—he was now visibly nervous.
"Could it be… the Divine Lord has descended?!"
The phantom's voice warped strangely—rasping and hoarse, with a note of confusion:
"Impossible… The altar hasn't been activated, to avoid being traced by those old things. There shouldn't be any divine aura here…"
The black-cloaked leader furrowed his brow.
"Mister, should we check the altar?"
"Insolence!" the phantom snapped suddenly, voice thunderous.
"The Divine Lord is not to be defiled! The altar is the sacred resting place of our Lord's divine will. You and I—mere mortals—are unworthy to approach!"
The black-cloaked leader immediately bowed low in panic:
"Forgive me, Mister! I was ignorant and have offended the great Divine Lord's majesty. I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"
The blood-red phantom's tone eased slightly.
"But still… where is this divine aura coming from?"
The black-cloaked leader pondered for a moment—then gasped in realization.
"Mister! Could it be… our grand plan, long in the making, is nearing success?!"
"The Divine Lord is beginning to awaken! His might is slowly returning, and thus, even the untouched altar has started to resonate with his presence!"
The phantom paused—then a spark lit its eyes.
"Kneel!"
At once, the black-cloaked leader obeyed, prostrating himself.
Along with the phantom perched on his shoulders, he bowed toward the goat-horned demon statue—which also meant, unknowingly, he bowed toward Mo Hua hiding behind it—three times in solemn reverence.
"My Lord is eternal! Long live the Divine Lord!"
Mo Hua had a complicated look on his face.
After the bows, the black-cloaked leader lowered his head even more, not daring to gaze at the statue for fear of angering the "Divine Lord" that had supposedly manifested.
Then, he respectfully returned to the main hall.
He didn't look back at the statue.
And he absolutely did not dare to approach the altar behind it.
Mo Hua slowly let out a breath.
He had already mentally prepared himself—if discovered, he'd immediately activate his divine sense, inscribe a formation with his spiritual ink, and blow up the entire statue and altar, using the chaos to escape.
Thankfully, the Evil God's followers were just faithful enough to save their own altar.
Mo Hua glanced at the broken bone sword in his hand.
It was utterly silent.
The sword bone inside seemed to have sensed danger—and was playing dead.
Mo Hua shook his head, then peeked out again to observe the blood-red phantom on the black-cloaked leader's back.
That phantom had to be Mister Tu.
Its presence radiated an eerie blend of intellect and savagery.
Strangely, though, the aura wasn't especially powerful.
"Not his true body?"
Mo Hua frowned.
It looked more like a remnant soul—and at most, one at the Foundation Establishment level.
Probably because it was anchored to a Foundation Establishment cultivator like the black-cloaked leader. If the soul's level were too high, it would've overwhelmed the host.
"Just a remnant soul…"
Mo Hua felt a little disappointed.
But at the same time… also relieved.
If the real Mister Tu had come, he'd likely be dead already.
Then again—if the real one were in Myriad Demon Valley, his divination using copper coins probably would've revealed a great calamity.
"Not bad," Mo Hua thought to himself.
"My calculations were pretty accurate."
Back in the hall, the black-cloaked leader sat formally in the center, straight-backed and solemn. Facing forward, he performed a disciple's salute and respectfully said:
"Disciple Jin Yixuan respectfully requests instruction in formations from Mister Tu."
Jin Yixuan?
Mo Hua froze.
As expected—a member of the Jin clan. His name was only one character off from Jin Yicai. Likely of the same generation and closely related by blood.
And…
Learning formations?!
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.
Receiving instruction from "Mister Tu"… Could it be…
Mo Hua held his breath and listened carefully.
Sure enough, after a moment, the blood-red remnant soul of Mister Tu solemnly spoke:
"The Dao is not to be questioned lightly. The Art is not to be passed down recklessly. Do you understand what kind of legacy I am about to grant you?"
The black-cloaked leader—Jin Yixuan—prostrated again and declared:
"Disciple understands. What Mister Tu bestows… is the ultimate formation art born from mortal insight and divine bestowal—"
"The Divine Dao Formation!"
Mo Hua's heart thudded.
Finally—it's here!
The Divine Dao Formation!
Within the grand hall, Mister Tu's blood-red phantom nodded slightly and solemnly said:
"The Divine Dao Formation is a method to steal the path of divinity itself."
"Its essence lies in manifesting divine patterns through the Dao of the gods—transforming human willpower into an unnatural force, capable of resisting even the divine."
"It is a heretical formation! A profane path forged by lowly insects of cultivators, used to challenge the majesty of the divine—a way to blaspheme the gods!"
"Such formations… are utterly forbidden by the Divine Lord!"
Mister Tu's tone grew furious.
He paused to calm himself, then continued:
"Yet all things in this world follow a balance—birth and destruction, light and shadow, forward and reverse…"
"The Divine Dao Formation, while born of rebellion, can also serve as a supreme method to serve the Divine Lord."
"The heretics seek to use it to corrupt willpower and seal away our Lord…"
"But we, the faithful, can use it in reverse—to transform our will into devotion, and thereby better serve the Eternal Divine Lord…"
From behind the statue, Mo Hua suddenly understood.
So that's how it is…
No wonder a formation originally meant to seal evil gods was now being used by their minions, helping them wreak havoc.
Mo Hua curled his lip.
"One man uses a rope to leash a dog.
Another ties it around his own neck and becomes one."
And somehow still feels honored doing it.
Pathetic.
On the other side, Mister Tu continued:
"But since this formation steals the path of divinity, it naturally cannot be grasped by ordinary cultivators."
"Only rare individuals—those born with divine embryos, those whose thoughts naturally commune with gods, or the shamanic mediums who can resonate with the divine, or the vessels who've once been possessed by deities…"
"Apart from these, mortals simply cannot comprehend the Divine Dao Formation."
"All of this, I've told you before…"
Jin Yixuan cupped his fists. "Yes, sir."
"Therefore," Mister Tu said, "you are neither divine-born nor a shaman. Your thoughts do not reach the gods. You've never hosted a descent of the Divine Lord."
"So if you wish to learn the Divine Dao Formation, there's only one way—"
"Borrow!"
Jin Yixuan blinked. "Borrow?"
"Indeed," Mister Tu nodded.
"Borrow the Divine Lord's power. Lend His divine will to form the structure of the formation."
"That way, even if you do not understand the true core principles of the Divine Dao, under the protection of the Divine Lord, you can still build powerful formations."
"This is the blessing of the Divine Lord!"
Jin Yixuan immediately bowed low to the ground.
"Thank you for the Divine Lord's grace!"
Mister Tu then unfurled a sheet of demonic-hide parchment, picked up his formation brush, dipped it in blood-ink, and said:
"Now, I will teach you a formal Divine Dao Formation."
"This is a legacy from the Great Wilderness race, adapted from a technique that was once used to seal the Divine Lord himself—a blasphemous 'Divine Seal Formation.'"
"This legacy includes three formations:"
First, the Divine Gate Array (神關陣).
Second, the Divine Mist Array (神霧陣).
And third, the core formation—the Divine Lock Array (神鎖陣).
"The Divine Gate controls the opening and closing of divine miracles."
"The Divine Mist conceals and clouds divine perception."
"The Divine Lock… is a chain placed upon a god's very body."
"When combined, these three allow mortals to imprison the body of a god using nothing but willpower."
"They are, in essence, blasphemous arrays!"
"However, through repeated refinement, they've now been completely reborn into a formation system meant to serve the Divine Lord—to conceal His miracles, borrow His might, and fulfill His divine plans."
"Mortals are as straw dogs. Lowly in root and frail in body—they cannot possibly comprehend a formation this sacred."
"Without the Divine Lord's blessing, you'd have no right to even glimpse these patterns. You must never forget this!"
Mister Tu finished, and Jin Yixuan once again kowtowed, blood oozing from his forehead as he trembled with gratitude.
"Thank you for the Divine Lord's grace! Thank you, Mister Tu, for your teaching!"
"Good," said Mister Tu.
"I will now pass down the array patterns. Watch closely."
Mister Tu then used Jin Yixuan's body to draw the formation runes on the parchment.
Jin Yixuan watched reverently.
When the diagram was complete, Mister Tu instructed:
"Familiarize yourself with the runes. Understand their meaning. I will teach you more in time."
"Yes," Jin Yixuan replied.
Then the blood-red phantom began to fade, and Mister Tu's remnant soul gradually sank back into Jin Yixuan's body, vanishing.
Jin Yixuan stared at the runes before him, eyes alight with excitement.
"So this is… the Divine Dao Formation!"
A nearly extinct legacy in the entire Qianxue Province.
Even across the entire Nine Provinces of the cultivation world, it was exceptionally rare.
And the qualifications to learn it were ridiculously strict—in an entire province, those capable of mastering it could be counted on one hand.
And now, he was about to become one of them!
He reverently caressed the parchment, treating every line of blood-drawn rune as a precious treasure.
After a moment, he steadied himself and began to study it.
Soon after, he took up brush and paper and began practicing the runework.
But as he painted, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
The more he drew, the more frustrated he became.
Progress was agonizingly slow.
Time passed.
Eventually, footsteps echoed from outside.
A demon cultivator's voice followed:
"Leader…"
Jin Yixuan frowned and closed the parchment, annoyed.
"What is it?"
"A few new batches of Bliss Pills have finished. We require your inspection."
Jin Yixuan clicked his tongue. He was deep in studying the Divine Dao Formation—hardly a time for interruptions.
Still… divine formations were vast and obscure; mastering them wouldn't happen overnight.
But if something went wrong in Myriad Demon Valley's operations, he'd have no way to explain himself to the young lord.
"Fine," he said coldly.
He bundled up the parchment, intending to bring it with him—but paused mid-step.
This formation came from the Divine Lord himself.
It was personally taught by Mister Tu.
Who was he, to dare keep something so sacred in his own storage ring?
If he lost it… wouldn't that be a grave offense against the Divine Lord?
And how would he explain it to Mister Tu?
He hesitated for a moment—then inspiration struck.
He took out a lavishly crafted jade box, and carefully placed the demon-hide parchment inside.
Then, with great reverence, he offered the box before the goat-horned statue.
Right under Mo Hua's nose.
He even knelt down and kowtowed.
"Divine Lord above, please bless Your faithful servant to quickly comprehend this Divine Dao Formation. I will gladly charge into fire and blood, and offer sacrifices in Your name!"
Afterward, he kowtowed three more times.
Mo Hua, hidden behind the statue, was feeling… weirdly embarrassed.
Once the ceremony ended, Jin Yixuan left—never once daring to lift his head and look directly at the statue.
When he was gone, the hall fell quiet again.
Mo Hua waited a moment before cautiously peeking from behind the demon statue's hideous face.
Jin Yixuan didn't return. He was far away now.
Mo Hua relaxed.
He immediately crept toward the altar.
His divine sense swept over the jade box—no traps, no formations, no abnormalities.
"This Jin Yixuan… really is devout. Didn't even try to pull a fast one."
"Lucky me."
Suppressing his excitement, he gently opened the jade box and took out the parchment inside.
Then, slowly, carefully—he unrolled it.
A dense, blood-red pattern emerged before his eyes.
Complex. Profound. Ominously divine.
The Divine Dao Formations!
And not just one—there were three!
Time was tight. Mo Hua's eyes were sharp as torches as he quickly scanned over the formations, memorizing every single detail with utmost focus, committing the intricate runes to heart—line by line, stroke by stroke.
Once finished, he carefully closed the demon-hide parchment, placed it back in the jade box, ensuring not even a trace was left behind, then snuck back behind the horned demon statue.
Settling into his familiar "goat-head bench," Mo Hua pulled out paper and brush and, from memory, flawlessly transcribed every rune he had just memorized.
Then, he calmed his mind and began a thorough study of the patterns.
Some of the formations recorded on the demon-hide parchment were already familiar.
Including those from the small fishing village, and the dense forest outside Myriad Demon Valley—both were present here.
Judging from Mister Tu's earlier explanation of the Divine Dao Formation system:
The fishing village formation was likely the Divine Gate Array (神關陣) — which governed the opening and closing of divine miracles.
Essentially, it controlled the entrance to the evil god's temple in the blood-stained village.
The formation in the outer forest of Myriad Demon Valley was likely the Divine Mist Array (神霧陣) — able to create mist that shrouded and concealed divine perception.
"Unless one has an extremely strong divine sense, they wouldn't be able to pierce the mist and discover the truth hidden within."
And the final one—the core of all Divine Dao formations as described by Mister Tu—was the Divine Lock Array (神鎖陣).
This was completely new to Mo Hua.
He had never seen it before, aside from the time that old demon cultivator—now the Sword Bone Head inside his broken blade—had etched one of its runes onto his own life-bound swordbone.
That rune, Mo Hua had "borrowed" from the Demon Refining Diagram.
Which meant this Divine Lock Array might also be a core element of the Demon Refining Diagram.
He clearly remembered Mister Tu's words:
"The Divine Lock Array is a chain that binds the divine body."
Mo Hua fell into thought.
"So… the Divine Lock Array is essentially a pure sealing formation?"
"That's why it's the core of the Divine Dao system?"
'Divine Lock Array: Spirit transformed into chains, sealing divine beings…'
Mo Hua nodded slightly, feeling that his guess was probably right.
He pulled out his brush and ink once more, preparing to fully study this complete Divine Dao system from beginning to end:
From the Divine Gate, to the Divine Mist, and finally to the Divine Lock.
He had already studied the first two before, albeit incomplete versions, so now, with full rune patterns in hand, his learning progressed rapidly.
The only real challenge… was the Divine Lock Array.
Mo Hua immersed himself in meditation and began practicing stroke by stroke.
The hall fell into utter silence.
Only the soft rustling of brush against paper could be heard.
Inside the Bone Sword, the Sword Demon finally dared to poke its head out, giving Mo Hua a cautious glance.
"This little ancestor… his guts are as big as ever."
"Daring to steal-learn forbidden formations right under a demon leader's nose… what if something went wrong? What if they caught him? They'd skin him alive…"
The Sword Bone Head shook slightly, utterly helpless.
Yet seeing Mo Hua so focused, it couldn't help but sneak a peek at the runes he was writing.
That one glance sent a jolt down its spine.
It recognized them.
These were the mysterious runes from the Demon Refining Diagram!
Back then, it had only managed to memorize a single rune, but the others—it vaguely remembered… though not enough to reproduce them.
But now—
Here, under this brat's brush—the complete formation was being faithfully and precisely reproduced.
Not only that…
It had taken it over two hundred years of relentless study and practice, day after day, just to barely comprehend that one rune.
And even then, it couldn't explain how it had learned it—it was more like instinctive familiarity built from repetition.
And now?
This entire mysterious and complex formation system, Mo Hua was writing it out smoothly, naturally, as if it were as simple as breathing.
The Sword Bone Demon was filled with a deep, primal fear.
"Can talent between people really differ this much?!"
"I'm no formation master, sure—but come on! One rune took me two centuries, and this little freak picks it up after just a few glances?!"
"Is that even fair?!"
Just as the sword spirit was inwardly howling in despair—
Mo Hua put down his brush and softly muttered:
"That's about right…"
"This Divine Lock Array… doesn't seem as hard as I expected."
He wasn't too sure.
From the way Mister Tu had hyped it up, he had expected something unfathomably difficult, profound, and cryptic.
But now that he'd practiced it twice…
"Kinda feels… manageable?"
"Surely it's not that simple…"
He glanced back at the runes, did another quick deduction, sensing the divine resonance embedded in the formation—and surprisingly, everything felt solid.
"Did I really… already learn it?"
He almost couldn't believe it.
"Maybe I should test it out on something… just to be sure?"
Practice breeds truth.
Put it to the test, and see if it actually works.
"Divine Lock Array… divine will becomes chains… seals divine beings. If it can seal gods, it should definitely work on other stuff, right?"
Mo Hua considered for a moment—then his eyes lit up as he slowly turned his head…
And stared directly at the white bone sword nearby.
Inside, the Sword Bone Demon froze.
A creeping chill rose up from the depths of its soul.
"Oh no…"
"I'm screwed…"
(End of Chapter)