Chapter 793 – The Great Void Diagram
Even after returning to the Elder's Residence, Venerable Elder Xun remained somewhat lost in thought.
Talented disciples with superior spiritual roots were rare, but not unheard of.
Especially among large sects and powerful clans—each generation would yield a few disciples with top-tier spiritual roots.
He had even seen those legendary, one-in-a-million Heavenly Spiritual Roots in his lifetime.
But disciples with exceptional divine sense aptitude?
Now that was truly rare.
Divine sense aptitude didn't show itself easily. It was subtle and almost undetectable in daily life.
Worse still, the cultivation world had virtually no official systems for training divine sense. Divine Dao inheritances were scarce. So even those born with strong divine sense aptitude often had no way to refine their sea of consciousness or temper their spiritual mind—wasting their potential without even realizing it.
And even for those who did pursue it, the road was incredibly difficult.
The path of divine sense was illusive, dangerous, and full of uncertainty.
A cultivator who specialized in divine sense would develop highly lopsided abilities—immense strengths paired with glaring weaknesses.
So even if someone had the talent, few dared to truly choose that path.
Thus, disciples gifted in divine sense were:
Hard to discover,
Hard to train, and
Even harder to see succeed.
To this day, the only one he had ever seen with such peerless divine sense talent was Mo Hua.
But even Mo Hua's case was unique.
At this point, it wasn't just a matter of "good talent" anymore.
For his current cultivation realm, to possess this level of divine sense…
It was so heaven-defying, so beyond normal comprehension, that even he—a Nascent Void Patriarch—found it hard to grasp.
Venerable Elder Xun inhaled sharply.
And with that, his earlier suspicions became all but confirmed:
"That man… wants this disciple to walk the path of Proving the Dao through Divine Sense!"
Venerable Elder Xun sighed inwardly.
To send a mere rogue cultivator down such a lonely, obscure, dangerous, and nearly extinct path—with no clear end in sight...
It was madness.
And bold beyond belief.
But it was also… exactly the kind of thing that man would do.
And now...
Thinking of Mo Hua—thinking of his nineteen-pattern divine sense—Venerable Elder Xun was inwardly shaken.
He's actually… making it work.
Still in the Foundation Establishment realm, and yet with such profound divine sense foundations—if he continued down this path and honed it further, his future would be beyond imagination.
Yes, divine sense was hard to cultivate, obscure in application, and difficult to find methods for—
But that was true for ordinary cultivators.
If one could truly break ahead of the pack, mastering divine sense…
That would be the making of a true monster.
Venerable Elder Xun's pupils shrank slightly, and a name surfaced in his mind:
"The Phantom Daoist…"
That name was a taboo in both the righteous and demonic paths.
He was the first, and likely only, person in the Demon Sect to earn the title of Daoist with just an Ascension Realm cultivation base—a prodigy among monsters.
And he too… walked the path of divine sense.
His cultivation was mysterious and unfathomable.
Though still only in the Ascension Realm, he moved like a ghost and inspired fear wherever he went.
Many powerful cultivators had tried to kill him—yet none even knew where to begin.
If he ever broke into the Nascent Void Realm…
Who could possibly stop him?
And Venerable Elder Xun had a strong premonition—
With the Phantom Daoist's intellect and cunning, his ascension beyond mortality and step into the void would not be far off...
When that day came, the world would face a calamity like no other.
"So many disasters in the making…"
Venerable Elder Xun sighed deeply.
He looked up, across the floating clouds of Mount Great Void, gazing at the murky skies over the Qianxue State Realm, and sighed again.
Forget the Phantom Daoist for now...
The disaster brewing within Qianxue State itself was already plenty to worry about…
Mo Hua rested for one day, and his body was soon fine.
His problem lay primarily in the realm of divine sense.
The gentle and beautiful 3rd-Rank Alchemist, Elder Murong, examined his meridians, unblocked his spiritual and blood flow, and massaged several key acupuncture points on his back and forehead before softly saying:
"I've given you some pills to invigorate blood, dispel stagnation, and calm the mind. Take them every morning.
If you feel unwell at any point, come find me again."
Mo Hua rotated his arms—his whole body felt smoother and lighter—and happily replied:
"Thank you, Elder Murong!"
She smiled and nodded.
After a polite bow, Mo Hua left the alchemy chamber.
Returning to his quarters…
After a short meditation to calm his mind, he couldn't wait any longer.
He took out the visualization diagram that Venerable Elder Xun had—ahem—"loaned" to him.
It was housed in a jade box, the paper ancient and slightly wrinkled, clearly very old.
Mo Hua gently ran his hand over it, and for a moment, he could almost feel the weight of the years soaked into it.
But he didn't open it just yet.
Remembering Venerable Elder Xun's instructions, he first bathed and cleared his mind, then lit the top-grade calming incense.
The incense stick stood in its holder.
With a flicker of flame, wisps of white smoke drifted upward, filling the room with a soft, tranquil fragrance.
Mo Hua inhaled deeply—it truly did clear the mind and brighten the spirit.
"Venerable Elder Xun really doesn't hold back.
Wonder how many spirit stones this stuff is worth…
Probably not cheap."
In the fragrant haze, he sat quietly for a bit longer.
Then, reverently, he opened the ancient, "clean" visualization diagram—an heirloom of the Great Void Sect, entrusted to him by Venerable Elder Xun.
On the scroll—
He saw a stretch of lush green mountains.
The terrain was rugged and ancient, and the forests were painted in deep greens, tinged with rich inky hues—a sense of time long past.
Amidst the forested mountains stood majestic Daoist courtyards.
Palatial towers and halls loomed one after another, nestled among the peaks, blending seamlessly into the ancient landscape.
They had clearly withstood the erosion of wind and time.
Above the mountains, mist and clouds drifted.
Cranes flew.
Mythical beasts lurked faintly in the distance—adding an ethereal, immortal energy to the scene.
"…This is… the Great Void Sect?"
Mo Hua studied the diagram closely.
It looked a little like it—but not exactly.
It did depict a sect.
But this sect seemed even grander.
The style of its halls resembled the Great Void Sect's, but felt older, more timeworn.
Most striking of all—the sky above the sect was higher, purer, more righteous in aura.
"Maybe it's the Great Void Sect of the past?"
He stared a while, then shook his head and gave up trying to figure it out.
"Forget it. Let's just start the visualization…"
He extended his divine sense to scan the scroll.
To his surprise, there really were no evil spirits or ghostly presences—as Venerable Elder Xun had said, this was a truly "clean" diagram.
"How rare…"
Mo Hua set aside all stray thoughts and began to meditate on the image.
Cloudy mountains, misty towers, antique Daoist courtyards—everything radiated a timeless serenity.
A sense of noble pursuit and clarity of Dao flowed from the image like gentle rain, nourishing his mind and spirit.
In just a short time, Mo Hua felt all the malice, resentment, stray thoughts, and greed within him being washed clean.
His divine sense didn't grow much...
But his Dao heart—it had become crystal clear.
"…So this is…"
Mo Hua was stunned.
Could this be what a true visualization diagram is supposed to be?
Sitting and meditating, attuning oneself to the meaning within the image, purifying one's divine sense and cleansing one's heart?
Had all the previous diagrams he'd encountered… just been corrupted, demonic knockoffs?
Mo Hua slowly nodded.
No wonder Master had once told him that visualization diagrams were treasures to cultivators—items so precious they were guarded secrets of great clans and even the Dao Court itself.
But Master had also warned him: visualization diagrams often hid danger, were difficult to distinguish between real and fake, and were extremely perilous...
A genuine diagram contained righteous intent—it could strengthen divine sense and temper one's Dao heart, truly a peerless treasure.
But a false one… might harbor evil spirits or corpses, corrupt the divine sense, pollute the Dao heart, and was indeed terrifying beyond measure.
The real and the fake were hard to tell apart—danger and fortune intertwined.
For ordinary cultivators, it was nearly impossible to discern them.
"Still…"
Mo Hua furrowed his brow slightly.
"After I meditated on it, my divine sense didn't really seem to improve?"
"Is it because I used the wrong method…
Or does the Great Void Sect's visualization diagram focus more on cleansing the Dao heart, offering only minimal benefit to divine sense itself?"
He looked up at the diagram again, unable to make full sense of it, then muttered:
"Forget it.
Be content with what you have.
Just being able to purify my thoughts and cleanse evil intent is already enough.
Can't be too greedy…"
He calmed his thoughts once more and resumed his meditation.
After another hour of visualization, his divine sense felt serene—free of obstruction, and devoid of stray or impure desires.
Mo Hua decided that was enough for now. He respectfully rolled up the diagram and put it away.
Venerable Elder Xun had told him—one hour per day. No less, no more. Just the right amount was best.
"Listen to the elders, eat full meals," Mo Hua thought to himself.
Once the diagram was properly stored, Mo Hua retrieved his storage pouch and took out a broken sword.
It was a white-bone blade, eerie and pale, carrying an unsettling, sinister aura.
This was the very broken sword housing the Sword Bone Head.
By sect rules, such sinister items were not allowed inside the sect.
But Mo Hua had pleaded with Venerable Elder Xun, explaining that the bone sword was of great use to him, and he guaranteed it would cause no trouble.
Venerable Elder Xun had considered for a while, then reluctantly agreed to let him bring it in.
As for the other elders… well, they just had to pretend not to see it.
That said, rules still had to be followed.
The bone sword was officially registered with the elder guarding the sect's mountain gate.
It could pass inspection, and Mo Hua could bring it to his quarters…
But if anything strange or evil happened within the sect, he would be the first suspect.
And Mo Hua had no intention of taking the fall.
So, just to be safe, he had added two arrays to the bone sword:
Divine Lock Array: to seal away evil thoughts.
Divine Mist Array: to obscure its aura.
He gave not even a sliver of opportunity for the Sword Bone Head to act out.
After triple-checking everything, Mo Hua carefully peeled back a bit of the sealing array and sent out a wisp of divine sense to probe the blade's interior.
Then, he whispered:
"Hey…"
No response.
"Sword Bone Head, you dead yet?"
Sword Bone Head: "…"
"Speak!"
"O-oh!" The voice immediately responded,
"Thanks to your blessings, Little Ancestor, I'm still alive…"
Mo Hua frowned.
"Don't 'Little Ancestor' me—I'm not some old evil ghost.
And I'm not even old. Why are you calling me ancestor?"
("You may not be a ghost, but you sure eat them…" Sword Bone Head muttered internally.)
"Then… what should I call you?" it asked timidly.
"Call me whatever you think is appropriate," Mo Hua replied.
Sword Bone Head immediately understood.
This was a test.
A test of tact, of wit, of knowing the situation and recognizing power.
And the current situation? Crystal clear.
So Sword Bone Head respectfully offered:
"Then, may I address you as… 'Master'?"
Mo Hua shook his head.
"I don't like those two words.
No one in this world should be another's master."
Sword Bone Head froze.
What… does that even mean?
It didn't quite understand.
Then it hesitantly asked:
"Then… how about 'Sir'?"
Mo Hua's expression darkened.
"Are you mocking my height?"
In the real world, Mo Hua could grow taller—albeit slowly.
But his divine sense avatar had seemingly frozen in the Foundation Establishment stage, before his divine sense had transformed.
He wasn't sure if it would ever "grow up."
So hearing this evil spirit call him "Sir," Mo Hua wasn't pleased.
"No, no! I wouldn't dare…" Sword Bone Head quickly replied, panic creeping into its voice.
Images of countless evil beings being devoured by Mo Hua resurfaced in its mind, and its skull began to tingle.
"Not this… not that… what do I even say?!"
Sword Bone Head's thoughts raced. Then, quickly, it said:
"Then perhaps… I'll just call you 'Young Lord'?"
Mo Hua was just about to reject it.
Too many "Young Lords" running around Qianxue State—the title made him think of shady noble kids doing shady things. He didn't like the sound of it.
But then he changed his mind.
"Alright. From now on, call me 'Young Lord.'"
Sword Bone Head breathed a deep sigh of relief.
This little ancestor is really hard to serve.
Serving him is like serving a tiger…
No—worse. He's a tiger that literally eats people.
No room for error.
So Sword Bone Head quickly pledged:
"Then I shall call you 'Young Lord.' From now on, if you ever need anything, I, Sword Bone Head, will charge through fire and water without hesitation!"
"Good."
Mo Hua was slightly satisfied.
"Now behave yourself.
Stay inside. Don't come out. Don't make trouble.
If the sect elders or a patriarch notice something strange, I won't be able to protect you."
"And if that happens, I'll crush you myself and destroy all evidence.
Got it?"
Sword Bone Head shivered.
"Y-yes! I will absolutely remember, Young Lord!"
Mo Hua nodded, then resealed the arrays and checked everything thoroughly.
Not a trace of evil aura leaked out—he was finally at ease.
Sword Bone Head still had great value.
First and foremost—his Life-bound Artifact.
Mo Hua lacked experience in artifact crafting.
But Sword Bone Head's former self had been a master swordsmith—skilled in forging countless demonic weapons with deep technical knowledge and a solid lineage.
In the future, when he forged his Life-bound Artifact and its embryo, he'd need him.
And beyond that… There was also the matter of divine sense invasion.
Besides that, there was the matter of Divine Sense Invasion.
Mo Hua's own divine sense couldn't leave his body on its own.
In the future, if he encountered an evil spirit that knew its place and willingly pulled him into a dreamscape, that would be fine.
But if the evil spirit didn't cooperate, then he'd be stuck just staring helplessly, with no way to act.
Even when dealing with divine-sense-based items like the Demon-Refining Diagram, if he didn't know the proper "sacrificial ritual," he wouldn't be able to invade it at all.
But now, with Sword Bone Head and this white bone broken sword, he had a medium.
He could use divine-path formations to construct a Divine Lock Bridge, connect the medium, and thus insert his divine sense into other spiritual artifacts—achieving Divine Sense Invasion.
Of course, that was just Mo Hua's theory for now.
Actually putting it into practice would likely come with plenty of problems.
Still—having a method was always better than having none.
Mo Hua put the white bone sword away. Seeing that it was getting late, he sank his divine sense into his Sea of Consciousness and resumed his formation training atop the Dao Stele...
Meanwhile, in the Elder's Residence—
Though it was already deep into the night, the white-haired Venerable Elder Xun was still bent over his desk, sorting through scrolls and array diagrams.
After a while, Xun Ziyou arrived.
He had been out on sect business the past few days. Having just returned, despite the late hour, he rushed over to report to Venerable Elder Xun without delay.
He knew full well—during such troubled times, the Patriarch was surely still awake.
Xun Ziyou waited respectfully outside the door.
"Come in,"
Venerable Elder Xun said coolly.
Xun Ziyou entered, saluted, and reported all the information he had gathered—thoroughly and without omission:
"The Dao Court already knows.
Seems there was a planted spy within the Qianxue region.
Despite the attempt to contain the information, it still leaked out."
"However, the matter has been suppressed—jointly—by the Four Major Sects."
"After all, if this matter were exposed, it would cause widespread panic.
A major internal purge would be inevitable.
Even the sect reformations would be postponed."
"And the reforms must be done sooner rather than later.
Delay it by a few years—or decades—and if the political winds shift, it might never get done."
"So the Four Major Sects don't want anything disrupting this.
To them, the sect reform is the biggest priority.
They won't let something like the Demon-Refining Mountain incident derail their plans."
"Of course," Xun Ziyou smirked slightly, "they'll definitely have to bleed for it."
"If they want to bury the matter, they'll have to feed some very large mouths above them."
"And the Dao Court's appetite... isn't easily satisfied."
Venerable Elder Xun nodded slightly.
"What about the Broken Gold Sect?"
Xun Ziyou replied:
"Because of those disciples involved, the Jin family has completely collapsed.
The Grand Elder has retired, and while the other Jin family elders haven't been removed—yet—it's only temporary."
"That's the sect's attempt to maintain stability, to avoid stirring things up or arousing suspicion."
"But those Jin family elders no longer have any future prospects.
And their positions will never again be inherited by Jin family disciples."
"After the Jin family fell, the Song family rose to power."
"Originally, the Jin family's vice sect master—the one who died in the Ten Thousand Demon Valley, Jin Yicai's father—was the most likely candidate to become the next sect master of Broken Gold Sect."
"That's now utterly impossible."
"The next generation of leadership, whether sect master or elders, will come from the Song family."
"In the next few years—or decades—Broken Gold Sect will gradually reshuffle, phasing out the Jin family, and allowing the Song family to fully take over."
"Sooner or later, the Broken Gold Sect's surname will be Song…"
Xun Ziyou sighed.
The Jin family's power in the Broken Gold Sect was the result of centuries of effort—painstakingly built by their ancestors and elders.
Now, because of a few reckless disciples, it had all come crashing down in an instant.
Watching this unfold, Xun Ziyou couldn't help but feel a tinge of melancholy—as if he had just witnessed a towering building collapse before his eyes.
From now on, it would be exceptionally difficult for the Jin family to ever rise again.
And the Song family, long suppressed for hundreds of years, had finally flipped the board—and they would certainly not be merciful to the Jin family.
Then, a thought occurred to Xun Ziyou. He lowered his voice and said to Venerable Elder Xun:
"Patriarch, now that the situation in Broken Gold Sect has changed… do you think we might…"
Venerable Elder Xun immediately shook his head.
Xun Ziyou looked puzzled.
Venerable Elder Xun said calmly:
"When the Jin family ruled Broken Gold Sect, they were hostile to our Great Void Sect."
"Now that the Song family is in charge, they'll do the same."
"Broken Gold Sect has always leaned toward the Four Major Sects."
"They follow the lead of those four. And besides—"
Venerable Elder Xun paused.
—Based on everything surrounding the Demon-Refining Valley and the sect reformation, there were likely deeper collusions at play.
But without concrete evidence, Venerable Elder Xun didn't elaborate.
He looked at Xun Ziyou and said:
"You're thinking that the Jin family fell because of us, and the Song family rose because of that, so we've done them a favor?"
Xun Ziyou slowly nodded.
Venerable Elder Xun sighed and shook his head:
"You're thinking far too simply…"
"Whether the Jin family ruled, or the Song family rose, the Broken Gold Sect is still the same sect."
"A mountain may change shape, but its nature remains."
"Especially now—with the Qianxue region in turmoil, the Song family will cling to stability even more tightly.
They won't abandon old alliances to befriend our Great Void Sect, with whom they've never been close."
"Internally, they'll suppress the Jin family.
Externally, they'll continue cozying up to the Four Major Sects.
And under the name of 'Broken Gold Sect,' they'll gradually pull all of Jin family's old networks under the Song banner."
"That's the smart move."
Xun Ziyou suddenly understood, and looked at Venerable Elder Xun with deep admiration.
As expected of the Patriarch…
"Then about our current negotiations with Broken Gold Sect…" Xun Ziyou asked.
Venerable Elder Xun's gaze sharpened. He said coldly:
"No need to show mercy. Fleece them hard."
"If you go easy, they won't feel grateful.
They'll think our Great Void Sect is weak and easy to bully."
"But if we cut deep and make them feel pain, even if they resent it, they'll know we're not to be trifled with."
Xun Ziyou cupped his hands:
"Understood, Patriarch."
"Also… one more thing,"
Venerable Elder Xun's eyes gleamed with thought, then he added:
"After this negotiation, from the share of assets we extract from Broken Gold Sect… set aside a portion."
He paused for a moment, then slowly said:
"Put it… under Mo Hua's name."
(End of Chapter)