Chapter 813 – Eye of the Evil Spirit (目煞)
On the other side, Water Yama's expression also darkened.
"Not only is his movement technique excellent—this little brat's perception is astonishingly sharp. I created layers of watery shadows, ghost-like and elusive, yet he still managed to pinpoint which shadow I launched my killing blow from…"
Why?
How could a mere mid-Foundation cultivator tell?
Water Yama couldn't understand.
During their brief chase, not far away, Gu Changhuai's aura began to stir—he was starting to break free from the mental suppression.
Water Yama's eyes narrowed.
"As expected of a Core Formation cultivator… only stunned for this short a time."
He thought silently, then turned to glare at Mo Hua.
"Can't delay any longer…"
He had to capture this brat immediately!
That way, the Core cultivator wouldn't dare act rashly with a hostage in his hands.
The other two late-Foundation cultivators weren't worth worrying about.
And once this uniquely-identified brat was captured, he could be tortured to extract everything—his identity, his goals, his techniques, his perception.
Water Yama's figure blurred, melting into water, transforming into a multitude of ghostly shadows that closed in on Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly. His divine sense swept out, penetrating illusions, revealing the battlefield clearly—seven or eight watery ghost-shadows now surrounded him.
Water Yama's body flickered within these shadows, constantly shifting between them.
He used water illusions to confuse and mask his killing intent.
If Mo Hua couldn't distinguish which one was real, he'd soon fall into a passive, vulnerable position.
If he didn't act, he'd die.
But if he did act—and guessed wrong—he'd expose a fatal weakness and be killed instantly.
Mo Hua was secretly amazed:
Such a powerful movement technique!
It could be used to dodge, confuse, and even conceal lethal ambushes.
In terms of flexible footwork and nimble evasion, it might not match Flowing Water Steps.
But in terms of trickery and assassination—it was definitely superior.
Still, no matter how deceptive Water Yama's movement was, it couldn't compare to Mo Hua's divine sense.
Within the vision of his spiritual awareness, interference faded away. Water Yama's real body was clearly visible.
A moment later, a ghostly shadow flickered behind Mo Hua—and then solidified.
Water Yama appeared out of nowhere, face pale and cold.
With a flick of his wrist, the Water-Torture Whip, laced with venomous water poison and as vicious as a toxic serpent, lashed viciously at Mo Hua.
At that level of toxicity, even a graze would leave Mo Hua half-dead—if not completely.
But as expected, the whip struck nothing but air.
Mo Hua's body shimmered with waterlight and flicked away in a graceful backstep, slipping out from under Water Yama's killing strike.
Water Yama's face turned grim.
"This brat is definitely not normal…"
In that case, he absolutely couldn't be allowed to live.
Capture him. Torture him. Tear out all his secrets—his identity, techniques, and perception—piece by piece.
A vicious glint flickered in Water Yama's eyes.
Seeing Mo Hua about to slip away again, Water Yama fell silent for a moment—then suddenly rasped:
"Brat… you're dead."
Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart. Almost involuntarily, he turned his head to glance at Water Yama.
Just one glance—and his expression changed.
Water Yama's eyes had turned blood-red, as if soaked in gore.
And within that bloody hue twisted countless strange, malformed figures—part human, part beast—wailing in torment, as if suffering the cruelest tortures in hell.
A dense aura of deathly malice surged from those eyes.
In the moment their gazes met, that evil energy flooded through Mo Hua's eyes and into his spiritual sea.
Mo Hua felt a wave of deathly fear, bone-deep cold, and a torrent of furious, agonized wails from countless wronged souls.
The emotional barrage shook his very soul.
And then—
Nothing happened.
The moment those resentful spirits touched Mo Hua's spiritual awareness, they instantly dissolved.
All the evil energy… vanished without a trace.
Mo Hua blinked in confusion.
His eyes—clear as a mountain spring.
At the same moment, Water Yama, still wearing the beginnings of a twisted grin from his spell, froze. His smile died halfway across his face.
Then his heart sank—and his expression changed drastically.
It failed?!
My eye technique didn't work?!
How is that possible?!
Water Yama stared in disbelief.
Even against an unprepared Core Formation cultivator, he could usually lock their gaze, channel malice into their eyes, and stun them for several seconds.
But this brat—
A mere mid-Foundation cultivator—who'd looked directly into his eyes—had endured the spell with zero preparation…
And was completely unharmed?
Not only that—afterward, his eyes had grown even brighter… even a little excited…
As if—
A hunter had just spotted his prey.
"What an arrogant brat!"
Water Yama's face twisted with fury. Just as he was about to attack again, a sudden danger sense exploded in his heart. He quickly stepped back.
A sword light cleaved downward, aiming straight for his skull.
Because he had retreated, it didn't strike fully.
But the sword still grazed his face, drawing blood.
His hair came undone, and his appearance turned haggard and disheveled.
In front of him stood the grim-faced Gu Changhuai, long sword in hand—blocking the way, shielding Mo Hua.
"Damn it!"
Water Yama cursed inwardly, thoughts racing.
"I miscalculated. I never imagined this brat would be so bizarre, with so many tricks. All my earlier planning has gone up in smoke…"
He never would've thought that he—a peak Foundation master, a blood-soaked demonic cultivator—would fail to even capture a mid-Foundation brat.
Now, with this Core Formation blocking the way, he had no chance of grabbing the boy.
He'd already used his eye spell multiple times. His spiritual power was drained—he couldn't cast it again anytime soon.
Especially not against a Core cultivator—it took far too much mental energy.
Water Yama's body blurred again, transforming into layers of watery illusions.
Seeing this, Mo Hua shouted, "Uncle Gu! He's trying to run!"
Gu Changhuai's divine sense swept outward. After a few breaths, he finally located the real Water Yama amidst the shadows.
His sword slashed out!
But the attack struck only empty air.
Water Yama had narrowly dodged—though not without a tight grip of anxiety in his chest. He cursed again.
He no longer hesitated. Activating his movement technique at full force, he sprinted toward the riverbank.
Just then—a strange and sudden sense of danger washed over him.
Someone's spiritual sense… had locked onto him?
Water Yama's face changed.
And in the next instant—a surge of waterlight descended like a snare of chains, instantly binding him tightly.
But only a breath later, Water Yama's body shimmered, cloaked in flowing water energy—and he easily broke free from the water prison spell that had never failed Mo Hua before.
Breaking free, Water Yama reached the water's edge.
But instead of fleeing immediately—he turned around, stared at Mo Hua in shock, and then came to a realization.
"That was a pure water prison technique! You're… a remnant of the Water Prison Sect?! No wonder… no wonder…"
He muttered.
Mo Hua blinked in surprise.
Water Prison Sect?
That Water Yama actually mistook him for a member of the Water Prison Sect?
Gu Changhuai, however, didn't bother with idle chatter. Sword in hand, he stepped forward, closing the distance between him and Water Yama in a few swift strides, clearly intending to finish him off.
Water Yama gave Mo Hua one last look, his eyes filled with icy killing intent.
"Anyone from the Water Prison Sect—must die!"
Then he forcefully took another of Gu Changhuai's sword strikes. His qi and blood churned violently, his face turned pale, and realizing the situation was hopeless, he no longer hesitated. With a leap, he dove into the Mistwater River.
The moment he entered the river, it was like a flood dragon returning to the sea.
Water Yama's aura fused perfectly with the river water. His movement technique gained another burst of speed, and he transformed into a torrent-like shadow creature, swiftly vanishing into the depths of the Mistwater River.
Gu Changhuai dashed several steps along the riverbank, but when he looked out again, Water Yama had already disappeared. His expression turned grim.
This Water Yama could move through water as freely as breathing.
It was as if the Mistwater River was his true domain.
With such mastery over water, once he was submerged, he became like a tiger returned to the mountains—catching him again would be near impossible.
Forget catching him—finding him again might already be out of reach...
Gu Changhuai looked again at the surging, seemingly bottomless Mistwater River, his expression growing even more somber.
He finally sheathed his sword and turned to check on Gu An and Gu Quan.
They had already regained their senses, but their lips were pale, their bodies lightly trembling—clearly still affected by the evil energy.
Mo Hua looked closely into their eyes, then let out a breath of relief and said:
"It's alright. It's just the evil aura invading their bodies. Burn some incense, sit quietly to calm the mind, and after some rest, they'll recover."
Water Yama had used evil qi, not demonic spirits.
If it had been a spirit, that would've been much trickier.
Within his own sea of consciousness, Mo Hua wasn't afraid of even ghosts or demons.
But in someone else's sea of consciousness—he currently had no way of intervening.
Hearing Mo Hua's diagnosis, Gu Changhuai also relaxed.
These strange matters… Mo Hua definitely knew more about them than he did.
"Let's head back first. As for Water Yama, we'll plan carefully later," Gu Changhuai said in a low voice.
"Mm."
Mo Hua nodded, then turned around and looked again at the vast, rolling Mistwater River, a complicated look in his eyes.
...
After Gu An and Gu Quan meditated for a bit longer and were more or less stabilized, the group returned the way they came, arriving back at the outpost.
Inside the outpost, the few bound bandit cultivators were still tied up.
"Should we escort these bandits back to the Dao Tribunal?" Mo Hua asked.
"Yes," Gu Changhuai nodded. Then, with a flash of thought, he added, "Take them to the Dao Tribunal in Qingzhou City."
Mo Hua understood.
The Gu Clan resided in Qingzhou City, and most of the Dao Tribunal there were Gu Clan-affiliated. Escorting prisoners there would ensure fewer complications.
But the 5th-grade Dao Tribunal in Qianxue Prefecture was a different story. It was filled with tangled noble families and informants—far less secure.
Gu Changhuai sent a transmission talisman to summon their people.
Not long after, Gu Clan members arrived on his command, having hired two carriages from a nearby cultivation city.
One carriage was for the prisoners.
Gu Changhuai, Mo Hua, and the rest rode in the other one.
And thus, they began their journey to Qingzhou City.
On the way, Gu An and Gu Quan sat in meditation. Having suffered Water Yama's sinister evil-eye technique, they had yet to fully recover and needed time to stabilize.
Gu Changhuai sat quietly, sipping tea, seemingly deep in thought.
After thinking for a while, Mo Hua leaned closer and quietly asked:
"Uncle Gu, have you heard of the Water Prison Sect?"
Gu Changhuai thought for a moment and shook his head. "Never heard of it."
Mo Hua frowned.
Even Uncle Gu hadn't heard of it? That didn't seem right...
He vaguely remembered—when he was studying the Water Prison Technique, he'd seen something mentioned about it in the spell manuals.
But what exactly it said… he couldn't recall clearly at the moment.
Gu Changhuai was puzzled too. He asked:
"Why did Water Yama call you a 'remnant of the Water Prison Sect'? Did you secretly collude with them? Or did you steal their techniques?"
"How could I steal anything!" Mo Hua said righteously, "Uncle Gu, don't make up rumors and tarnish my spotless reputation! All my spells were learned properly through the sect!"
…Well, except for Little Meteor Spell.
That one came from Fire Buddha.
Also Flowing Water Steps—that was taught by Uncle Zhang Lan.
Oh right, and the Broken Gold Sword Technique—that was looted from the slave trader Boss Jiang…
Mo Hua's expression turned a little guilty.
It seemed a good number of his techniques actually weren't officially taught by the sect...
Luckily, Gu Changhuai didn't press the issue. Instead, he asked:
"So you're saying the Great Void Sect preserved the Water Prison Sect's legacy?"
"Mm," Mo Hua nodded. "That Water Prison Technique I often use."
Gu Changhuai furrowed his brow slightly. "That's strange…"
"What's strange?" Mo Hua asked curiously.
But Gu Changhuai just shook his head and replied flatly:
"Nothing."
Uncle Gu… was reliable in every other way, but he could be so uncooperative sometimes. Always holding back, always acting mysterious.
Mo Hua shook his head silently.
But the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something about this situation was… off.
He'd have to investigate it carefully later.
Gu Changhuai said, "It's getting late. You still have to return to the sect and continue cultivating. As for Water Yama, I'll keep an eye on the matter and do my best to have him apprehended as soon as possible..."
However, he also knew—it probably wouldn't be that simple.
Judging from this last encounter, Water Yama was no ordinary opponent.
Mo Hua then asked, "What about that instructor from Hundred Flowers Valley?"
Gu Changhuai's face darkened. "I've already arranged for someone to monitor her."
"That won't do," Mo Hua replied seriously. "You need to keep an eye on her yourself. Best if you ask her out a few more times, for a meal, or tea—both to ease her suspicions, and to probe for more information..."
Gu Changhuai met Mo Hua's piercing gaze. After a brief moment of thought, he finally said with resignation:
"…Fine."
Mo Hua nodded, satisfied.
After that, he rode the carriage with Gu Changhuai all the way back to Qingzhou City.
Upon arrival at the Gu residence, they had a meal together with Aunt Wan and Yu'er. Then Mo Hua took a Gu Clan carriage and peacefully returned to the Great Void Sect.
As for everything that followed—cleaning up the mess at the outpost, processing the captured bandits, appeasing Hua Ruyu, and tracking down Water Yama—Mo Hua didn't involve himself further.
Even if he wanted to, he couldn't.
He was back in the sect, too far removed to intervene.
All he could do was leave these matters to Uncle Gu, and occasionally check in with a message talisman to ask about progress.
Besides, he had his own matters to look into.
After returning to the sect and settling Yu'er in, Mo Hua headed back to the disciples' quarters.
The surroundings were quiet.
Mo Hua immediately pulled out his Great Void Token and flipped through the "Merit Record" page by page. In less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, he found the relevant entry on the Water Prison Technique:
"Water Prison Technique: A rare spell."
"Once the secret art of the Water Prison Sect, never to be passed down."
"In the winter of Dao Calendar Year 19,080, the Water Prison Sect fell into demonic cultivation. The Dao Tribunal suppressed and exterminated them. After the sect's destruction, the Water Prison Technique spread, though many parts of it are incomplete…"
"In Dao Calendar Year 19,900, the technique was compiled by Immortal Yi and included in the Great Void Sect's archives."
"The Water Prison Technique is obscure in its application—easy to learn, difficult to master. Choose with caution."
Mo Hua rubbed his chin in silent thought.
Dao Calendar Year 19,080, winter...
That was nearly a thousand years ago.
A rather distant event.
Uncle Gu was only two hundred or so years old. The Water Prison Sect had already been wiped out long before he was born, so it made sense that he'd never heard of it.
But the same old question still lingered—
"The entire sect fell into demonic cultivation…"
The Water Prison Sect, by its name alone, should've specialized in conventional water-element cultivation techniques.
If that's the case, how could the entire sect suddenly fall into demonic ways?
"One or two going astray is understandable. Even most disciples falling might be possible—but the entire sect? That's suspicious."
A single rat spoils the pot, sure.
But surely the whole pot wasn't made of rats, right?
The complete demonic turn of the sect, followed by total extermination—done so cleanly and completely—clearly smelled of something fishy.
Another oddity was the timeline of the Water Prison Technique's official inclusion.
"Dao Calendar Year 19,900—Immortal Yi compiled the technique and added it to the Great Void Sect."
That was just over a hundred years ago.
The Water Prison Sect was destroyed over a thousand years ago, but the technique wasn't archived until nine centuries later.
That gap of nine hundred years… didn't sit right.
"The Water Prison Sect… Water Yama…"
Mo Hua recalled Water Yama's shocked expression when he saw the Water Prison Technique being used, and frowned.
Was it just his imagination, or was the Water Prison Technique ineffective against Water Yama?
This obscure, rarely-mastered, yet incredibly effective control spell seemed to be specifically countered by the water force that Water Yama cultivated.
That couldn't be a coincidence.
"Could Water Yama's entire skillset be related… to the supposedly destroyed Water Prison Sect?"
Beyond the control resistance, Water Yama had two other techniques that piqued Mo Hua's interest.
One was his movement technique.
Like Flowing Water Steps, it was a water-based agility art—but even more ghostly in motion, with hidden killing intent woven into the watery shadows.
Mo Hua couldn't help imagining—if he could obtain this movement technique and fuse it with Flowing Water Steps, wouldn't his agility arts rise to an entirely new level?
He wouldn't just use footwork to evade and hide—he could attack, confuse enemies, and launch sneak attacks mid-fight.
The other, and perhaps even more important, was—
Eye Technique!
Water Yama's eyes could condense evil qi and release it through his gaze, shaking his opponent's spirit.
This ocular technique was incredibly powerful—and near impossible to guard against.
Even Gold Core–stage Gu Changhuai had fallen for it once due to a moment's carelessness.
Eyes infused with evil qi!
The form of this technique bore a curious resemblance to what Lord Huangshan had once described—an ancient sword cultivator from the Great Void Sect, said to have used a technique called "Eyes Containing Sword Light."
If Mo Hua could acquire and study this eye technique…
Could he, too, turn his eyes into killing tools, projecting his divine sense as sword-light to slay enemies?
Mo Hua's gaze began to burn with excitement.
This Water Yama… was a treasure trove in human form.
Every bit as valuable as Fire Buddha.
(End of this Chapter)