Chapter 791: Leaving the Valley
"There's another door?"
Xun Ziyou looked surprised.
"Mm."
Mo Hua nodded.
He gazed again at the Demon Refining Diagram in front of him.
Within the diagram's constructed nightmare, most of the divine path formations had been dismantled by him, and the demon spirits had been largely devoured.
Now, the real Demon Refining Diagram felt less sinister, its spiritual essence of formations faded—like the husk of a broken formation medium.
And nightmares were a reflection of reality.
The nightmare inside the Demon Refining Diagram had been constructed based on the real Ten Thousand Demon Valley. While the two weren't identical, their layouts were quite similar.
In the nightmare, the Demon Refining Diagram was a blank mural.
And behind that mural—there was another hidden world.
That meant, in the real world, there should also be something special behind the Demon Refining Diagram…
Mo Hua turned to Xun Ziyou and said:
"Elder Xun, break through this mural."
"Break it?"
"Mm!" Mo Hua nodded firmly. "There's something behind it."
Xun Ziyou frowned slightly. After a brief pause, he nodded, retrieved his natal spirit sword, and infused it with Golden Core stage spiritual energy, sending sword qi slashing at the mural.
The mural cracked with a thud, but it was thick and deep.
He slashed a few more times—sword qi digging into the wall—and after more than ten strikes, the mural finally broke open.
Stone fragments fell with a rattle, and dust billowed in the air.
When it cleared, a narrow passage was revealed behind the mural—and at its end, a door painted with the head of a horned demon.
"A horned demon carving…"
Xun Zixian's face turned pale. He exchanged a glance with Xun Ziyou.
Mo Hua feigned innocence and asked softly:
"Elder Xun, do you know what the horns mean?"
Xun Zixian frowned and slowly shook his head, speaking in a low tone:
"Horns are a symbol of depravity. Hatred, resentment, envy—these evil desires nourish demonic entities, devour divine sense, and corrupt the heart."
"Any demonic entity bearing horns usually has ancient origins and is no trifling matter."
"But this particular carving… I've never seen it before. I'm not sure what specific demon it represents. We may need to ask the Ancestors back home…"
"Oh…" Mo Hua nodded.
After he finished, Xun Zixian warned Mo Hua again:
"Be especially careful in the future. If you ever see murals or statues with horns—avoid them at all costs. If you can stay away, then do so. Don't get involved if you don't have to."
"Yes, Elder. I'll avoid them for sure." Mo Hua swore confidently.
Xun Zixian let out a tiny breath of relief.
But Xun Ziyou's expression was more serious. "Are we going in?"
Xun Zixian thought for a moment and slowly said:
"Let's go take a look."
Mo Hua knew there shouldn't be any danger left behind that door.
The worst threats had already been within the nightmare of the Demon Refining Diagram.
And those threats had either been eaten, destroyed, or scared off by him.
Still, the mood was tense, so Mo Hua played along—putting on a facade of bracing for battle.
After all, if he didn't speak of what happened inside the diagram, the elders wouldn't know a thing.
Shangguan Xuanjian remained outside, guarding the unconscious Linghu Xiao and the others.
Whatever secrets lay behind the door weren't of concern to him.
Xun Ziyou then used his sword to cleave open the horned demon gate.
That gate was sealed with divine path formations—but those were meant to defend against divine sense and seal evil spirits. Against Golden Core sword qi, they were practically useless.
Once the gate was breached, a murky green glow poured from within.
The moment Xun Ziyou stepped inside, he saw a grand hall.
In it, bone lamps flickered with eerie green flame.
The decorations were both solemn and twisted. The murals on the walls matched the style of the outer Demon Refining Diagram, clearly of the same origin.
At the center of the hall sat over a dozen people, seated side by side.
Each had a lamp before them.
But all of the lamps had gone out.
These dozen people were cold and lifeless, completely devoid of breath.
Xun Ziyou and Xun Zixian exchanged glances, both slightly shocked.
Dead?
This hall was sealed. No one had broken in. So how had they died?
And none of the corpses bore any wounds. It was as if their divine souls had simply… disappeared?
Unconsciously, both turned back to look at Mo Hua.
Xun Ziyou asked, "Mo Hua, do you know what happened here?"
Mo Hua shook his head, "guessing" aloud:
"Maybe they did too many evil deeds and met divine retribution. Or maybe they collaborated with evil spirits, and suffered backlash—their divine sense devoured."
Technically… not a lie.
They did meet retribution.
And their divine sense was eaten—by the sword-spirit, a bonafide demonic entity.
Xun Ziyou and Xun Zixian looked at Mo Hua's innocent, naive expression and didn't quite know what to say. In the end, they could only sigh.
Xun Zixian concluded:
"Then let's settle it that way. These people consorted with evil spirits, and their divine sense was devoured."
That statement served as a formal verdict.
They died on their own. No one else involved.
Xun Zixian glanced quietly at Mo Hua again.
Also—not related to Mo Hua.
Xun Ziyou caught the message and nodded in agreement.
Mo Hua quietly swept his gaze over the dozen or so dead cultivators, his expression shifting when he spotted Jin Gui, Jin Yicai, and Jin Yixuan—all disciples of the Broken Gold Sect.
He nodded slightly to himself.
"Now Broken Gold Sect has no way out…"
"Even if they survive, they'll be stripped to the bone."
He didn't say any of that aloud, of course—just put on a disinterested face.
The elders would find out their identities sooner or later anyway.
Mo Hua turned his gaze away from the dead cultivators and looked upward.
There, he saw a luxurious screen and curtains of jade beads.
Behind them, faintly visible, was a lavish demon-skin throne.
Xun Ziyou and Xun Zixian noticed it too—their eyes darkening.
A throne like that meant there had been a powerful figure pulling the strings behind Ten Thousand Demon Valley.
With a flash, the two elders broke through the screen and lifted the curtains, entering the rear of the hall.
But the space was empty.
Not a single trace of anyone remained.
Mo Hua activated his divine sense and discreetly used some Fated Calculation.
He caught faint remnants of cause-and-effect lingering nearby.
They hadn't completely faded.
Which meant—someone had been here just moments ago.
Soon after, Elder Xun Zixian's eyes sharpened. He looked toward a screen in the corner—painted with a scenic mountain-water landscape. With a strike of his palm, spiritual force burst forth.
The moment the force hit, the formation lines on the screen lit up, barely held for a breath—then shattered entirely, revealing an entrance.
"Quick! Go check it out!" Xun Zixian said grimly.
He charged in first.
Xun Ziyou and Mo Hua followed closely behind.
But after only a few steps—they reached the end.
All three looked up—and paused.
They found themselves inside a sealed chamber, just over two zhang wide and long.
Its atmosphere was completely different from the oppressive grand hall outside.
That one was dark and eerie. This room, however, was elegant and refined, with soothing sandalwood incense wafting gently in the air.
It felt less like a demonic lair… and more like a cultivated young lord's private study.
Yet inside, there wasn't a single book or jade slip.
Everything had been destroyed—as if to prevent anyone from tracking its owner.
Clean. Not a trace left.
Only the lingering scent of sandalwood remained.
"Ran off?"
Xun Zixian frowned.
Xun Ziyou snorted coldly, "He sure ran fast."
Mo Hua, on the other hand, wasn't surprised in the slightest.
He had already suspected that the mysterious "young lord" had fled long ago.
Within this Ten Thousand Demon Valley, his only chance of capturing that mysterious figure was within the nightmare—sealing the man's divine soul with the Divine Lock Array and turning him into his own little "toy."
But once that "young lord" slipped away from the nightmare, he was as good as gone.
Unless, of course, the "young lord" was an idiot.
Which—clearly—he wasn't.
To be addressed as "young lord" meant he had a powerful background, exceptional talent, keen intellect, and ruthless methods.
Otherwise, there's no way he would've been chosen by the Great Wilderness Evil God, no way he would be so feared by countless demon cultivators, or able to make so many sect disciples who had turned demonic serve him willingly.
Even Mister Tu had chosen to destroy his own soul fragment to help this "young lord" escape.
Clearly, this person's true background was anything but ordinary.
Of course, to truly capture that "young lord" within the nightmare came with a key condition:
His divine soul must not be protected by a Lifespan Sigil.
Otherwise, there was nothing Mo Hua could do.
And on that front… Mo Hua wasn't sure.
After all, he was a rogue cultivator—not the direct descendant of some grand family. He didn't have a Void Transformation realm ancestor backing him. He didn't even have a single ancestor who'd plant such a sigil for him.
So his understanding of Lifespan Sigils was extremely limited.
"If I get the chance later, I need to ask Old Sir Xun about these Lifespan Sigils."
"Just in case, one day I really do run into some prestigious, high-background, sigil-protected golden boy—at least I'll be mentally prepared…"
Mo Hua quietly contemplated.
Meanwhile, Xun Ziyou and Xun Zixian thoroughly searched the study once again—but still found nothing.
"Like a gecko dropping its tail—he covered his tracks too cleanly…"
Xun Ziyou shook his head with a cold smile. Then he said grimly, "Let's return for now. Later, we'll summon people from the sect. We'll dig up this valley three feet deep—inch by inch. I don't believe we won't find any more clues."
"Mm."
Xun Zixian nodded slightly.
But just then, Mo Hua suddenly said, "Wait. Something's not right."
Xun Ziyou paused. "What's not right?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said, "There should be some kind of secret passage…"
From when he scared the "young lord" off in the nightmare, to when he escaped the nightmare himself and helped restore the souls of the three disciples, to breaking the mural, entering the hall, and finding the study…
All of that had taken—at most—half an hour.
Within that half-hour, if the "young lord" was going to escape, he had to have prepared a hidden tunnel.
One that led out of Ten Thousand Demon Valley… and more importantly, one that bypassed the many Golden Core elders who had already entered the valley.
But Mo Hua hadn't seen any such tunnel earlier.
"A secret passage…"
Xun Zixian's eyes grew serious. He released his divine sense once again and scanned the room.
Suddenly, his expression shifted.
He walked up to a bare section of wall on the right side of the study, channeled his spiritual energy, and a pale crystalline glow flickered from his palm as he struck the wall.
But—the wall didn't budge.
Xun Zixian's expression changed. "Call reinforcements! Get the other late-stage Golden Core elders over here!"
Xun Ziyou didn't delay and sent a message talisman immediately.
In the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, several elders of the Great Void Sect arrived.
Mo Hua recognized most of them.
Some he didn't—probably newer elders.
Ironically, none of them failed to recognize Mo Hua.
After all, in the centuries-long history of the Great Void Sect, there had been others favored by Elder Xun, sure—but none to this outrageous extent besides Mo Hua.
So when the elders entered, they all first glanced silently at Mo Hua—then approached Xun Zixian and Xun Ziyou to consult.
Xun Zixian said seriously, "There's a high-grade formation behind this wall."
Everyone's expression changed.
Even Mo Hua was startled.
If Elder Xun, a Tier 3 Formation Master, called it a "high-grade formation"…
One of the elders asked, "What tier?"
Xun Zixian shook his head. "Still hard to say."
"Then what now? Can we break the formation?"
"We can't."
"Then… force our way in?"
"It won't work… This formation is strong. If we try to break it by force, the consequences could be… unpredictable," Xun Zixian said.
"...Then what do we do?"
Xun Zixian said in a low voice, "We tear it down."
"Tear it down?"
"Yes," Xun Zixian nodded, pointing to a rough outline of the formation. "The formation is powerful—but it doesn't cover much area. We can dig around it through the surrounding stone. Just avoid triggering the formation entirely…"
"It sounds troublesome—but this is our only viable option right now."
After a moment's thought, everyone nodded in agreement.
Then Xun Zixian turned to Mo Hua and said:
"Mo Hua, go wait outside. Everyone in here is Golden Core—when we start digging, spiritual energy will fly everywhere. We don't want you getting hurt by accident."
"Mm, okay."
Mo Hua nodded obediently.
He was very aware of his own physical limits.
So Mo Hua stepped out of the study and waited quietly in the hall.
Inside, the elders of the Great Void Sect began the operation—some using brute strength, some with sword qi, others with spiritual tools. Following the boundaries marked by Xun Zixian, they carefully dug around the formation, avoiding any direct contact with it.
Though Mo Hua waited outside, his curiosity kept him focused on the sounds coming from within.
About a stick of incense later, the noise inside ceased.
Mo Hua blinked, then quietly slipped back in.
The study was now unrecognizable. One wall remained, but the others had been completely dug out.
Behind one such wall—they had indeed uncovered a hidden tunnel.
Xun Zixian said, "Let's go in and check…"
Just as he turned his head and was about to say something to Mo Hua—he saw Mo Hua already standing right behind Xun Ziyou, looking sweet and innocent.
Xun Zixian sighed, having no way to deal with him, and gave up trying.
The group of Golden Core elders stayed alert as they advanced deeper inside.
Soon, they stepped into a small cave.
The cave was narrow and bare.
All around was emptiness—except for a single ancient-looking stone platform in the center. It seemed unremarkable at first glance.
But when Xun Zixian's spiritual sense brushed across the platform and sensed lingering formation traces, his pupils contracted and he said coldly:
"Fifth-tier… Void Teleportation Array?!"
Fifth-tier?!
A formation requiring the Void Transformation Realm!
Everyone's expression shifted drastically.
Cold sweat streamed down Xun Ziyou's face. He instinctively reached for the Void Sword Token, intending to crush it and summon the Patriarch—only for Xun Zixian to grab his hand and stop him.
Xun Zixian shook his head. "The formation is already destroyed."
Only then did Xun Ziyou let out a long sigh of relief.
If a fully functional fifth-tier formation—especially one involving void power—was a killing array, then every one of them here, all Golden Core cultivators, would have been instantly annihilated upon triggering it.
And if it was a teleportation formation, enemies could be summoned in, slaughter them, and vanish without a trace. They would've died for nothing, with zero recourse.
Life and death would've hung on a single moment.
That was why, the very first instant, Xun Ziyou's reflex was to summon the Patriarch.
But now that the array was already destroyed, there was no need to cause a bigger stir—no point in alarming the entire sect.
Xun Ziyou frowned. "When was it destroyed?"
Xun Zixian's gaze darkened slightly. "Not long ago…"
"No movement at all?"
"It was pre-set by a formation master. Upon self-destruction, the runes erase themselves quietly, leaving little behind—especially the array's core."
Xun Ziyou's brows furrowed deeper, and he slowly exhaled.
"This situation… is frighteningly deep…"
"If this formation was exposed, then it means these cultivators had, at minimum, a Void Transformation realm fifth-tier formation master behind them."
"A fifth-tier formation master… In all of Qianxue Province, you could count them on one hand…"
"And this person was able to evade the detection of countless major experts in Qianxue, and secretly set up a fifth-tier formation here in Demon-Refining Mountain… That's…"
He hadn't even finished when Xun Zixian gave him a look.
Xun Ziyou turned his head—only to see Mo Hua standing beside them with a serious face, clearly listening very intently.
A headache instantly bloomed in Xun Ziyou's head.
Xun Zixian said plainly, "Let's head back before we talk more."
He glanced at Mo Hua as he said this.
The meaning was clear: Get this kid out of here.
Xun Ziyou understood. Matters touching on Void Transformation were dangerous enough that even Golden Core cultivators like them could die if they weren't careful.
As for Mo Hua—just a little Foundation Establishment disciple—he'd be vaporized before he could blink.
"I'm fine, really… no need to worry about me," Mo Hua said.
Void realm formations, fifth-tier arrays, teleportation…
He still wanted to hear more of the hidden story behind all this.
But just as he finished speaking, his sea of consciousness suddenly shuddered, and a sharp pain pierced through his mind.
It felt as though ten thousand monsters and demons were howling and screaming beside his ears.
Grotesque demon spirits, twisted shadows, vicious thoughts—they all clawed at him, trying to corrupt his Dao heart.
At the same time, a wave of bloodthirsty impulse surged from within.
It was like he was about to turn into a rampaging beast.
Xun Ziyou and Xun Zixian both noticed something wrong immediately.
"Mo Hua, what's happening to you?!"
"I—I'm not…"
Mo Hua gritted his teeth, furrowing his brow, trying desperately to resist the violent urges welling up in his heart.
But in the end—he failed.
His eyes suddenly turned ferocious, and—like a wild little tiger—he lunged forward and bit into Xun Ziyou's arm.
Chomp.
Again.
Again.
Viciously and fiercely.
Xun Ziyou: "…"
Mo Hua gnawed twice, but couldn't break the skin.
Xun Ziyou stood there completely baffled, unsure how to react.
On the side, Xun Zixian's expression grew serious. With a flick of his sleeve, a soft wave of spiritual energy brushed across Mo Hua's forehead, striking an acupoint.
Mo Hua's expression went blank—then he collapsed into a deep sleep.
Xun Ziyou looked at the now-unconscious Mo Hua, his face grave as he turned to Xun Zixian.
"What's wrong with the kid? Was he possessed?"
Xun Zixian frowned. "A little, yes…"
Xun Ziyou thought for a moment, then his face changed.
"Could he have been tainted by demonic spirits inside that Demon-Refining Diagram?"
Xun Zixian nodded slowly. "That's very likely…"
"Then what do we do? Can he be saved?"
Xun Zixian pondered for a moment and sighed.
"Let's take him back and have the Patriarch examine him…"
He did know some ways to purge demonic taint—but such methods varied from person to person, and depended on the exact kind of demonic corruption. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't. The results were unpredictable, and he didn't dare guarantee anything.
More importantly—Mo Hua was special.
He didn't dare act rashly.
If anything went wrong, they couldn't afford the consequences.
Knocking the kid out and bringing him back to the sect for the Patriarch to examine was the safest course.
That's what Xun Zixian decided in his heart.
"Alright!" Xun Ziyou nodded.
"By the way," Xun Zixian suddenly added, "that kid bit you earlier…"
Xun Ziyou replied calmly, "It's fine."
Xun Zixian shook his head. "No, I mean—check if his teeth are okay."
Xun Ziyou blinked. "He bit me, not the other way around…"
Xun Zixian nodded. "I know—but if his teeth got damaged biting you, the Patriarch probably won't be happy with you."
Xun Ziyou's scalp tingled. He nervously pinched Mo Hua's cheeks and checked his teeth—then let out a sigh of relief.
"Good… still intact."
"That's all that matters…"
Xun Ziyou hoisted Mo Hua onto his back and said to Xun Zixian:
"No time to waste. I'll take the kid back to the sect. You stay here and take charge of the Ten Thousand Demon Valley. Be careful."
"Got it," Xun Zixian nodded.
Without further delay, Xun Ziyou carried the "possessed" Mo Hua and rushed back to the sect.
Xun Zixian remained, staring at the destroyed fifth-tier formation before him, lost in thought.
After a long while, he sighed and murmured under his breath:
"The mountain storm… has already arrived…"
Two days later.
Great Void Sect.
Inside a quiet pill chamber.
Mo Hua opened his eyes—everything was blinding white.
His head still felt heavy and muddled. In his ears, he could still hear the ghostly wails of unknown demonic entities—making his skull throb painfully.
It felt like the aftereffects of a feast—having devoured too much at once, without the time to digest it properly.
Mo Hua was still trying to recover.
At that moment, a gentle yet aged voice rang softly beside him:
"You're awake?"
Mo Hua looked up and squinted—
He saw Old Sir Xun, hair completely white, sitting at the edge of his bed, holding a cinnabar brush and quietly correcting what looked like a thick pile of formation diagrams.
As if grading a student's homework.
(End of Chapter)