Chapter 828: Snatching a Tooth from the Tiger's Jaws
Mo Hua wasn't worried about what was happening on the island.
First, this entire operation was about leveraging power—specifically, borrowing the might of the Dao Court to wipe out these water bandits.
The Xia Family's affairs weren't his to fret over.
Second, it was because of the array formations.
The formations on the island were structured around the principles of the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) and the Eight Gates, cleverly designed.
But the array master who set them up… wasn't exactly a genius.
This was a remote, barren island, after all. Resources were limited, and the formations turned out rather crude.
The layout used the Eight Gates as a frame, but the internal Eight Trigrams were half-baked and incomplete.
It had the Gates, but not the full Trigrams.
Fully realized Eight-Trigram arrays were exceedingly rare.
Elements like Li (Fire), Kan (Water), and Gen (Mountain) were easier—they shared similarities with common Five Element arrays, so they were more widely understood.
But the other trigrams—like Zhen (Thunder), Xun (Wind), Kun (Earth), and Qian (Heaven)—were a different story.
These deviated drastically from Five Element paradigms, their structures deep and mysterious, their diagrams nearly extinct, and their inheritances nearly lost to time.
Even Elder Xun Zixian, who had a vast collection, didn't possess even half a page of diagrams for Zhen, Qian, or Kun formations.
If Mo Hua couldn't access them, how could any of the other disciples in the Great Void Sect?
Let alone this group of water bandits—there wasn't a single Grade-2 formation master in the entire Yin Water Sect who could master the complete Eight Trigrams.
In short, the Eight Gates-Eight Trigrams formation on this island was inherently flawed.
Lacking the full Eight Trigrams, most of the internal formations were just patched together with other Five Element arrays.
Some areas didn't even have a proper substitute.
Mo Hua had examined it thoroughly, consulted Elder Xun, and reached a firm conclusion.
According to Elder Xun, a true "Eight Gates-Eight Trigrams" array was easy to learn but hard to master—its structure was simple, but its permutations endless. Only true experts could wield it fully.
And Mo Hua wanted to become one of those experts.
So this was the perfect playground for him to study and improve the formation.
The island's array was rough and incomplete—but he could refine it.
By slowly enriching the Trigrams, enhancing the dynamic flow between the Gates—especially the Life Gate and Death Gate—he could gradually unleash the full power of the formation.
Frankly, placing this formation here was a waste of its potential.
Only in his hands could it be put to proper use.
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
Time ticked on. The night grew darker.
Thick darkness carried the stench of blood.
The array on the island flowed just as he had predicted—the Eight Gates shifted exactly as expected, following his deductions.
The Dao Court enforcers were executing the plan perfectly, encircling and slaughtering the bandits.
It didn't take long for the water bandits to start collapsing.
Some bandits tried to flee through the Life Gate, escaping from the island.
But the moment their feet touched the ground outside the gate, what looked like solid land turned to swamp.
They sank.
The mud became a vortex, as if ghostly hands were dragging them under.
"Damn it, who laid this tra—"
Before he could finish the sentence, the swamp sealed his mouth. He flailed wildly but couldn't escape.
Dao Court cultivators caught up and finished them off one by one.
Swamp Array—of the Dui Trigram.
After much thought, Mo Hua had concluded this was the perfect formation for the island.
There was earth, and water nearby—Earth + Water = Marsh.
Most of the bandits got stuck in the swamp, unable to struggle free, and were beheaded on the spot.
Even those who managed to escape into the river were caught in fishing nets.
These weren't ordinary nets—they were reinforced with formation magic, lined with barbed hooks, and laced with poison. Once caught, the bandits were fish on a chopping board.
Worse still, if they accidentally wandered into one of the Death Gates—the ones Mo Hua had baited and prepped—they would be devoured by water demons.
With such thorough preparation, escape was nearly impossible.
The killing continued.
Bodies piled high.
Mo Hua estimated the tide had turned. Most of the bandits were dead. The chaos had subsided. The island was no longer a serious threat.
It was time to move.
He rose and quietly set foot on the island.
The soil squelched beneath his feet—soaked with blood, thick and sticky.
Bandit corpses lay everywhere.
Mo Hua activated his Minor Five Element Concealment Technique, released his divine sense, and bypassed the Kan Gate, moving deeper into the bandit camp.
Whenever he spotted someone playing dead, he casually tossed out a Fireball Spell, sending them off to the underworld like a grim little King Yama.
The camp was in complete chaos.
Fires, blood, mud, corpses strewn about, footprints crisscrossing—pure mayhem.
Mo Hua quickly deduced the locations of Gu Changhuai, Magistrate Xia, and the main Dao Court forces.
After all, the route they used to breach the formation was his design.
But he didn't need to follow that same path.
At this point, no one understood the bandit stronghold's formations better than he did—not even Water Yama, the bandit leader himself.
Through his divine sense, Mo Hua could clearly perceive the changing flows of the array.
His gaze sharpened as he sensed the formation's core.
He moved toward it.
There were some minor trap and kill formations along the way.
But to Mo Hua, they were laughably basic—they couldn't even slow him down, let alone harm him.
He slipped past them with ease, invisible as a ghost, dodged a few straggling bandits, and executed a few injured ones for good measure.
Finally, he reached the heart of the bandit stronghold.
Everything was unfolding perfectly, just as planned.
Which meant—this was the perfect moment to start his own operation.
If he was right, Water Yama would be at the center of the island's formation.
Even if he wasn't, this was still the control hub, the core of the bandit camp's operations. There had to be secrets inside.
If he could sneak in and grab a few treasures, that'd be ideal.
Water Yama, heir to the Water Prison Sect, was a walking treasure trove. Mo Hua couldn't afford to let that go.
But this raid was Magistrate Xia's operation, and the Xiao Clan had gotten involved too. Uncle Gu wasn't in charge, and Mo Hua couldn't pull strings.
If Water Yama was captured, and fell into the Xia Clan's hands—then Mo Hua would get nothing.
Maybe a few spirit stones and contribution points as a reward.
But spirit stones? He had plenty.
Contribution points? Don't make him laugh.
What Water Yama had on him… was something no spirit stone or merit could buy.
If he wanted a piece of the pie, he had to act.
If the opportunity doesn't exist—create it.
And that's what this was.
This entire plan—the Eight Gates-Eight Trigrams setup, the timing of the raid, his suggestions to Magistrate Xia—was designed to give him this exact window.
Right now—
Most of the bandits were dead.
The formations couldn't stop him.
Water Yama was busy fighting for his life.
Mo Hua was hidden, ready to strike.
In half an hour, Uncle Gu and Magistrate Xia would reach this area.
That was his retreat path.
If something went wrong, all he had to do was hold out for thirty minutes, and they'd come to his rescue.
But whether he could get the prize…
That depended on what he did in the next half hour.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed, gleaming in the dark.
The look of a hunter.
He crept closer to the center of the bandit camp.
There stood a large stone fortress, ringed with wooden palisades.
This was clearly the leader's residence—the place where the bandits held meetings, and the heart of the Eight Gates-Eight Trigrams array.
There were guards outside, and a few formations set up.
But those formations were… amateur at best.
Worse, they hadn't even set up anti-stealth arrays—nothing to reveal invisible intruders or show hidden footprints.
Under normal circumstances, they probably didn't need them.
But this was no normal night.
With his expert Minor Five Element Concealment, Mo Hua drifted in like a phantom, completely undetected.
Inside the fortress, Mo Hua lifted his gaze—and immediately spotted Water Yama.
He was seated at a large table in the main hall, surrounded by several bandit sub-leaders.
They weren't "discussing" tactics. They were shouting at each other.
"...Who the hell led those dogshit Dao Court bastards here?!"
"How the f*ck should I know?!"
"Someone must've leaked it…"
"We've got a traitor in our ranks!"
"The river terrain around the camp is a nightmare—I can't even find my way around!"
"There's no damn way those mutts could've snuck into camp without an inside guide, I'll bet my life on it!"
"And what about the formation?"
"Weren't we told it was impenetrable, solid as a mountain? Why the hell did it fall apart like a paper screen?!"
"Every move we make is playing right into their hands!"
"And what the hell's the use of saying all this now?! We need to think about how to fight them off!"
"You don't get it—before we fight outsiders, we need to clean up our own house!"
…
A chorus of arguments broke out—everyone shouting their own opinion in a chaotic mess.
"Enough!"
On the high seat sat Water Yama, pale-skinned with sharp, arrogant features, exuding a murderous chill.
Apparently, he held a lot of sway. As soon as he spoke, the rowdy water bandits all fell silent, not daring to say another word.
After a moment, one of them spoke in a low voice:
"Boss, the Dao Court's about to breach the camp. What should we do now?"
Someone else roared, "Boss, let's just slaughter those bastard dogs!"
"How?" another scoffed nearby. "They've got Golden Core cultivators."
"So what if they do? This is a Grade-2 province—if we fight to the death, it's not certain who'd die!"
"Oh yeah? Talking big now? You think your measly Foundation Establishment ass can kill a Golden Core? Go ahead, let's see you do it!"
"You bastard, you think I can't?!"
…
The gang of thugs spiraled into another shouting match.
Water Yama's face turned to ice. Inside, he cursed—a bunch of damn brainless brutes, all brawn and no wit.
"Enough!" he barked, irritation seeping through. "So long as the mountains remain, we won't run out of firewood. I've prepared a backup plan—we're retreating through the secret tunnel."
"Boss, we can't do that! We've already lost so many brothers—running now would be too disgracefu—"
Crack!
Water Yama lashed out with a venomous Water Torture Whip.
The rebellious lieutenant caught a slash across the face, leaving a bloody welt that made him howl in pain.
Water Yama's eyes turned glacial. "Did you not hear what I said?"
The underling instantly paled and fell silent. The others quickly clammed up too.
Water Yama gave a slight nod, eyes still cold. "Our brothers' deaths will be avenged—but not now. First, we avoid the blade at our throat. These debts… we'll settle them later."
"Yes!"
"Boss is right!"
"We follow Boss to the end!"
…
The water bandits chorused in agreement.
Water Yama commanded, "All of you, go prepare. You have one incense stick's worth of time. Once ready—we move."
"Yes!"
One by one, the bandits stood, bowed, and filed out of the hall.
Soon, only Water Yama was left.
His face remained hard as stone. After a moment, he cursed under his breath:
"So those Dao Court dogs really did show up…"
Though muttered quietly, the words still reached Mo Hua's ears.
Hidden silently in a corner, Mo Hua frowned.
What did he mean by that?
Had Water Yama heard rumors beforehand? And just didn't take them seriously, so he didn't increase defenses?
Who told him?
As Mo Hua pondered, Water Yama stood up and headed toward the inner stone chamber of the hall.
Mo Hua thought for a second, then silently followed.
Based on experience, Water Yama was most likely about to pack his valuables and prepare to bolt.
Now that the Dao Court was at the gates, everything he chose to take must be precious to survival.
Mo Hua shadowed him into the stone chamber.
Inside, there was a secret room.
Right in front of Mo Hua, Water Yama activated the mechanism, opened the hidden door, and walked in.
Perhaps because of the mounting pressure outside, Water Yama was distracted and agitated, and completely failed to notice Mo Hua tailing him silently.
But the moment Mo Hua stepped into the hidden chamber, he was surprised.
This wasn't at all what he had imagined.
He had expected to find some sinister altar inside. His plan had been to get Water Yama out of the way, sit on that altar, and "place an order" for some evil blessings.
Then all he had to do was wait until he got back to the sect for a feast.
He was even ready to take his nineteen-strand divine sense to the next level.
But—this room?
No altar.
Not even a statue of some evil deity.
It was just a simple stash room—stuffed with spirit stones, pills, and assorted loot from years of pillaging.
Mo Hua was deeply disappointed.
Sure, the stash was valuable, full of Water Yama's ill-gotten gains—but compared to a true altar, it was a consolation prize at best.
He was still brooding when suddenly—his pupils shrank.
He saw Water Yama ignore all the glittering treasures and head straight to the back wall, where he turned a candlestick and opened a hidden compartment.
From it, he pulled out a box wrapped in black cloth.
At once, a chilling, sinister aura filled the room, laced with murderous intent.
"That box…"
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.
The always cold and solemn Water Yama, upon seeing this box, lost his composure.
His eyes burned with obsession. Even his hands trembled slightly as he held the box.
As if this object meant more to him than his life.
Water Yama slowly and reverently unwrapped the cloth.
Beneath it lay a blue jade casket.
Carved into the casket was an eerie, bone-chilling Infernal Prison Diagram.
It depicted a prison filled with instruments of torture. Every device had a prisoner bound to it—suffering, screaming, writhing in pain, and crying for mercy in absolute despair.
The casket itself was a calm aqua blue, but the image on it was blood-red, radiating cruel and brutal intent, along with a chilling aura of killing will.
Water Yama gazed at the jade casket, utterly mesmerized.
To him, it was as if the prisoners within the Infernal Prison—suffering every torture imaginable, dying in despair—were the most beautiful sight in the world.
He couldn't help but caress the jade casket, utterly enamored. It took him a moment to remember: crisis was at the door—now wasn't the time to admire it, but to run for his life.
Water Yama carefully examined the casket again, ensuring it was undamaged and showed no abnormalities. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
He rewrapped the jade casket in its black cloth and was just about to place it into his storage ring—
When suddenly, a chilling intent surged straight up his spine.
A vicious, shadowy killing intent burst forth from behind him—fierce and lethal.
Water Yama felt his heart seize in terror.
"Someone... is trying to kill me?!"
A death omen descended.
At that critical moment, he clenched his jaw so hard it bled, and pushed his spiritual power to its peak, dodging with all his might while lashing out behind him with his whip.
His effort paid off.
The fatal attack behind him was interrupted.
Water Yama's reflexes were razor-sharp, and his venomous whip strike was both fast and deadly. The sneak attacker was forced to abandon their half-formed spell and retreat to evade.
From the corner of his eye, Water Yama caught a few fading embers.
Though just a lingering trace, the pressure it exerted on him was immense.
If that spell had finished forming—and he hadn't dodged—he would have died on the spot.
"What kind of spell was that…?"
Water Yama's gaze trembled.
And—who was the one attacking me?
His fear began to fade, replaced by fury.
So close—so damn close—and he would've been done for!
With a snarl, Water Yama fully released his aura. His body bulged with muscle, water-attribute force surging through his meridians, and his eyes filled with murderous rage.
But before he could locate his attacker—another wave of killing intent erupted from behind!
Twisting flames flared again.
A faint burning pain made his scalp prickle.
Water Yama's heart jumped. Instantly, he dodged once more and countered with a whip strike behind him.
The fire vanished again.
The spell was once more disrupted.
That terrifying spell hadn't had time to take shape.
Water Yama exhaled in relief.
But that coward hiding in the shadows—failing twice in a row—seemed to grow anxious and frustrated.
Water Yama's eyes narrowed, and he roared:
"You damn little rat! You dare snatch the tiger's whiskers?! What a gutsy wretch! Even with enemies at the gates, I'll drag you out and torture you to death with every agony known to man!"
His gaze brimmed with bloodlust.
This attacker was all stealth and ambush—no real threat in direct combat.
As long as he stayed vigilant, and caught a slip—the bastard was as good as dead.
But before he could think further, a new red glow lit up in the dark chamber.
"Again? Behind me?"
Water Yama sneered coldly.
After two ambushes, he felt confident he had the attacker's tricks figured out. He promptly unleashed his venomous spiritual power in a sweeping counterattack.
But—this time was different.
The fire spell formed much faster. In an instant, the technique solidified—flames licking at his back, delivering a tingling burn.
Water Yama was startled, but then relaxed.
The burning pain was real—but the injury was minor. It felt like a basic Fireball Spell, not the terrifying one that nearly killed him.
"What's the meaning of this?"
A little Fireball Spell? Barely a tickle.
Then, another fireball struck his arm.
It stung a bit—tingled and numbed—but that was all.
Water Yama didn't even bother to look at the injury. He sneered coldly, scoffing:
"You think a couple of fireballs can kill me? What a joke."
But no response came.
Water Yama frowned.
"Ran off?"
Just gave up, that easily?
What a coward…
His lips curled into a mocking smirk.
But—the next second, he realized something was wrong.
The Fireball Spell had numbed his arm, dulling his perception. But after circulating his water-attribute spiritual power a few times, the burning sensation faded—and his senses returned.
And then he noticed it—his hand felt… too light.
Startled, he looked down—and his heart nearly exploded.
He was still clutching the black cloth, the casket seemingly still wrapped inside. Even in a life-or-death battle, he hadn't loosened his grip.
But now—somehow—someone had sliced the cloth, and…
The jade casket was gone?!
Water Yama's lips turned pale, and his whole body trembled with rage.
And then it hit him—
First, a terrifying spell to create overwhelming pressure and force his full attention.
Then, simple spells to lower his guard.
Finally, a lightning-fast Fireball spell to numb his arm, dull his senses—
—and while he was distracted, cut the cloth and steal the casket!
Water Yama snapped.
His eyes turned bloodshot.
"You damned little thief!!"
"I'll tear you limb from limb and grind your bones to ash!!"
—
Meanwhile, outside the bandit stronghold—
Mo Hua, fully activating Flowing Water Steps, was dashing away at top speed with the jade casket clutched in his arms, eyes gleaming with joy.
"Nice haul!"
"Huge score!"
"Run like hell!"
Then he launched a flare into the sky and shouted into the distance: "Uncle Gu! Save me!!"
(End of this Chapter)