Chapter 829 – Pillage
Gu Changhuai was a bit far and didn't hear Mo Hua's shout, but he saw the signal flare.
That specific flare—he knew it well.
"Mo Hua!"
Gu Changhuai's expression hardened.
"Mo Hua?" Magistrate Xia paused, slicing open a water bandit's throat with her icy short sword. She turned her head toward Gu Changhuai with a frown. "Wasn't he supposed to stay put on the ship?"
Gu Changhuai stayed silent.
That slippery brat Mo Hua—he could never just sit still. If he ever actually behaved and didn't try anything sneaky, that would be the real miracle.
After a short moment of contemplation, Gu Changhuai said, "I'll go take a look…" Then he used his movement technique, moving like the wind toward the direction of the flare.
"Gu—"
Magistrate Xia didn't have time to stop him. Seeing he was already gone, she shook her head, gave a few orders to the nearby Xia family elites, and followed after him using her own movement technique.
—
Outside the stone fortress, Mo Hua was fully activating his Flowing Water Steps, darting like a streak of liquid silk, weaving between a group of water bandits who looked confused, not knowing what had just happened.
Behind him, Water Yama was completely deranged, eyes bloodshot, chasing after Mo Hua with murderous fury.
"You thieving dog! Stop running!!"
Mo Hua… ran faster.
He'd already done the math. His only option now—was to run.
Originally, he wanted to hit Water Yama with a Meteor Spell and ambush him for the jade casket.
But Meteor Spell had too long a cast time, and Water Yama was too vigilant—he failed every time.
Time was short. There was no time to set up a formation, no time to use sword techniques.
Any slower, and Water Yama would have stashed that jade casket into his storage ring.
Once that happened, getting it back would be ten times harder.
Fortunately, after a clever plan and taking advantage of Water Yama's split-second carelessness, Mo Hua pulled it off—snatched the treasure right from the tiger's jaws.
Now that he had the jade casket, fighting to the death was off the table.
Mo Hua didn't know exactly what the casket was, but judging from how Water Yama acted—it was probably more precious than his family jewels.
And now, those jewels were gone. Water Yama was in full rage mode.
Mo Hua wasn't about to stick around and get turned into paste.
Not to mention, there were still a bunch of water bandits around.
So the best tactic now was—run.
And he wasn't without reinforcements!
After firing the signal flare and running a bit more while being chased like mad, Mo Hua looked up and spotted a whirlwind figure—Gu Changhuai! Delighted, he shouted:
"Uncle Gu! Water Yama is here!!"
Water Yama?!
Gu Changhuai's pupils contracted sharply. His gaze turned razor-sharp. Green wind swirled around him, forming blade-like feathers that slashed straight toward Water Yama.
Behind him, Magistrate Xia heard Mo Hua yell "Water Yama" and instantly her killing intent surged. Three chilling sword auras condensed around her short sword, shooting forth with a freezing gleam, aimed directly at Water Yama.
"Two… Golden Core cultivators?!"
Water Yama's expression changed drastically.
The feather blades sparkled. The ice swords gleamed with bone-chilling cold.
He had no choice but to give up on chasing Mo Hua, and turn all his focus to dealing with their fierce attacks.
Mo Hua finally got a breather. He retreated quietly to the side and took some time to store the jade casket into his storage ring.
Now Water Yama would never see his precious baby again.
Meanwhile, the enraged Water Yama had no time to spare.
In terms of raw strength, Gu Changhuai—despite suppressing his cultivation—still had the upper hand over him.
Dealing with just Gu Changhuai was already hard enough.
Now there was Magistrate Xia too.
Water Yama was under immense pressure. In just a few exchanges, he'd already taken five or six wounds. At this rate, in a few dozen more rounds, he'd be finished.
Rage and dread swirled in Water Yama's eyes. His murderous aura condensed.
Since their last fight, Gu Changhuai had gained some insight. The moment Water Yama's killing aura flared, he sensed it and immediately shouted to Magistrate Xia:
"Don't look into his eyes!"
Magistrate Xia was startled but obeyed, avoiding Water Yama's gaze and locking her sights on his heart instead.
Every sword strike now aimed for Water Yama's chest.
Water Yama was furious, cursing in his heart:
"Damn it! How do these two Golden Cores know to guard against my Eye Technique?!"
"Who's the traitor that exposed my move?!"
When he last fought Gu Changhuai, the man had worn a mask and used an unfamiliar sword technique—his identity linked to "Water Prison Sect."
Now, this same man was a Dao-Ting Golden Core magistrate, using feather fans and wind blades—his regular style—and clearly stronger than before.
Water Yama didn't recognize him at first.
A few more rounds passed. Water Yama's heart sank further.
"At this rate—I'm going to die here! I have to run!"
"But… if I run… the jade casket…"
Water Yama's heart felt like it was being torn apart. His eyes turned red, almost bleeding.
Finally, he gritted his teeth.
"Forget it! If I live, I can get it back later!"
He made a snap decision—unleashing Water Shadow Step, dodged Gu Changhuai's wind blades, narrowly avoided an ice sword, and poured spiritual power into his legs.
His figure suddenly split into several watery shadows.
These illusions, ghostly and fast, pounced toward Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia, buying him a few seconds.
By the time the two of them identified the real body among the shadows, Water Yama had already fled ten zhang (30 meters) away.
At that moment, a Water Prison Spell appeared out of nowhere!
Six watery spiritual chains lashed out, binding Water Yama tightly.
Water Prison Sect's spells had tiers.
Three chains? Basically useless against someone like Water Yama.
But six chains? That actually held him in place… for a moment.
Even though it only lasted less than a breath—
Water Yama's expression shifted.
"Water Prison Spell!"
He turned and saw Mo Hua, hiding in the shadows.
"You?!"
The brat from the riverbank—the one who used Water Prison spells!
No wonder the thief's aura felt so familiar…
Water Yama instantly understood.
This little punk had been lurking in the shadows all along, scheming so hard—just to steal his Water Prison Forbidden Casket.
Because it was the Water Prison Sect's highest inheritance!
But then—he hesitated.
Something didn't add up.
"No… this brat's Water Prison Spell is way stronger than before…"
Even if he were a true disciple, there's no way he could have improved this much, this fast.
Just who was this little thief?
While pondering, Gu Changhuai's wind blade came slicing again.
Water Yama had no time to think. He had to retreat.
Mo Hua cast Water Prison again.
But this time, Water Yama was ready. He coated his whole body in water-force—once the chains touched him, they shattered.
Mo Hua's six-chain Water Prison spell… was weakened.
So the chase resumed—Water Yama fighting as he fled, wounds from wind blades and ice swords piling up.
Against the combined assault of Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia, Water Yama was barely holding on.
And he knew—if this continued, he wouldn't even make it off the island alive.
Grinding his teeth, he summoned more ghostly water shadows.
This time—seven or eight of them!
Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia activated their spiritual senses, their eyes glowing with power. They rapidly identified which shadow was the real one.
Gu Changhuai's eyes gleamed. With a flick of his feather fan, a phoenix-plumed wind blade surged forth to take Water Yama's life.
But at that instant—
One of the water shadows' eyes turned blood red, as if soaked in blood.
Within its pupils—wailing spirits struggled and howled.
A wave of deathly aura spread forth.
"Not good!"
Gu Changhuai's heart jolted.
Blood Fiend Eye Technique!
That cunning Water Yama had actually mixed an eye technique into the illusions created by his Water Shadow Step!
Typical of him—always scheming.
To distinguish between real and fake shadows, one had to focus. But the moment you looked, you gave him the perfect opportunity to cast his eye technique.
Gu Changhuai quickly averted his gaze to avoid the blood-red pupils.
But even in that hurried moment, a bit of red slipped into his peripheral vision—he was partially caught.
The blood fiend aura invaded his mind, and his divine sense was briefly shaken.
It took only a moment for him to recover, but by then, Water Yama had already escaped over ten zhang again.
Mo Hua, however, was unaffected by the eye technique—though sadly, it didn't help much.
He threw out a Water Prison Spell, and while it technically hit, it wasn't enough to pin down Water Yama, who was as slippery as a wet eel wearing oil.
Gu Changhuai turned and shook Magistrate Xia's shoulder, frowning.
"Hey! Wake up…"
It was her first time getting hit by such a sinister deathly eye technique, and she clearly wasn't used to it. Her divine sense remained fuzzy for longer than expected.
Only after a few shakes did she come to.
Once conscious, Magistrate Xia's gaze sharpened instantly. Without a word, she exchanged a glance with Gu Changhuai, and the two once again teamed up to chase after Water Yama.
Mo Hua followed for a few steps…
Then suddenly stopped.
He stroked his chin, dazed for a moment, thinking out loud:
"Wait… why am I chasing him?"
His Water Prison wasn't helping.
Meteor Spell and Sword Control were effective, sure—but too hard to time properly. And with Uncle Gu and Sister Xia, two Golden Cores, did they even need his little bag of tricks?
If they could catch Water Yama—great.
If they couldn't—what help was he gonna be, realistically?
Especially since outside this island… was the Smoky Water River.
On land, he could set up formations on the fly.
But in the water? Forget it.
His swimming skills weren't bad, but compared to Water Yama, a beastlike water bandit? That's a goldfish challenging a shark.
What if Water Yama had reinforcements waiting in the river?
No matter how he looked at it, chasing him would be risky and pointless.
So, no need to follow and play spectator.
Mo Hua looked up, scanned the island—and his heart skipped.
On second thought…
Water Yama ran off.
Which meant—no one left on this island could threaten him.
That meant he could do whatever he wanted.
Dig up this island three feet deep, and no one could stop him!
Mo Hua couldn't help but get a little excited.
"If I don't loot this place now… once the dust settles, everything'll be confiscated by the Dao-Ting. I won't even get a chance to sniff the leftovers."
He nodded solemnly. Then his eyes lit up.
Time to pillage.
By now, the battle was entering its endgame.
The water bandits were either dead or had fled. Any escapees would likely be caught by the traps Mo Hua had set, or eaten by water beasts drawn to the ruckus.
There might've been some secret escape routes on the island—
But only Water Yama would know them.
Mo Hua didn't care.
For now, the water bandits on the island were no longer a threat.
So he could go all out.
Using the island's terrain, existing formation layouts, and his vast "looting experience," Mo Hua swept through each structure like a locust swarm.
No nook or cranny was spared.
He scoured hidden rooms and secret tunnels, opened every box, jar, and chest.
Even in one basement, he found a skull—left behind by who-knows-who—and gave it a respectful once-over, just to be sure he missed nothing.
Water Yama and his crew had clearly killed a lot of people and stolen a lot of things.
Their accumulated cultivation resources were shockingly plentiful.
To hide these treasures, they had built numerous secret chambers and storage rooms on the island.
Some water bandits had even installed hidden compartments, clearly with their own private stashes.
But none of that could fool Mo Hua.
Relying on his refined divine sense and keen intuition, he uncovered everything.
Among the haul were piles of spirit stones, pills, spiritual tools—and even a collection of sinister magical artifacts.
But Mo Hua didn't take any of that.
After all, the Dao-Ting folks had risked their lives in this raid.
Uncle Gu and Magistrate Xia were still out there chasing Water Yama. He couldn't just take stuff behind their backs.
That'd be pretty low.
Plus, per Dao-Ting rules, all "stolen goods" would later be converted into merit points and fairly distributed.
Mo Hua would get a cut either way.
Every item he handed over would earn him merit—so there was no need to steal.
As long as he found everything, everyone would benefit. Win-win.
Except—there was one exception.
Formation diagrams.
Spirit stones and pills? Whatever.
But formation diagrams? Mo Hua had to take those.
He was a formation master. You could never have too many diagrams.
And, surprisingly, there were a lot of them on the island.
Especially in Water Yama's private chamber—where he had stashed a massive collection.
Some were on the Eight Gates Eight Trigrams Formation, including structure layouts, formation theories, core mechanisms, gate shifts, directional changes… far more detailed than anything Mo Hua had worked out on his own.
The rest were a mixed bag of all kinds of formations.
Some complex, some simple—from Five Elements to Eight Trigrams, even rare and obscure minor arrays—a full buffet.
Most likely looted from all the people Water Yama and his goons had killed.
Water Yama himself wasn't much of a formation expert—but he clearly knew formation diagrams were valuable, so he hoarded them.
But this turn of events worked out perfectly for Mo Hua.
He carefully picked through the stash, leaving behind the common, street-level formation diagrams—those basic ones he could see through with a single glance.
As for the more complex, profound, obscure, or simply unfamiliar ones? He gladly took them all with a smile.
His storage bag was stuffed to the brim.
Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.
And so, he continued looting all the way through the island.
He found even more formation diagrams and uncovered a few hidden chambers full of spirit stones and treasures. But there was one thing that kept nagging at him—
He still hadn't found the altar.
"How can there be no altar on this island?"
"That doesn't make any sense…"
Mo Hua frowned, muttering to himself.
By his logic, Water Yama—holding the title of "Venerable One"—should, like the Fire Buddha, have been guarding an Evil God Altar.
The cultivators from the Yu family water stronghold were likely meant to be sacrifices to it.
But on the island Water Yama occupied, not a single trace of an altar could be found. Not even the faintest sign of sacrificial activity.
That was… deeply suspicious.
"Where the hell is the altar?"
Mo Hua couldn't figure it out. After a moment, he shook his head.
"Forget it. Let's wait and see if Uncle Gu and Sister Xia can catch Water Yama. Then we can ask him about it…"
He went back to pillaging the rest of the island.
At this point, he'd searched through about 70–80% of it. Only a few hidden rooms remained.
Just a little more, and the looting would be complete.
But when Mo Hua entered a secluded chamber near the water's edge, tucked away from the rest, he found—someone was already there.
The person was rummaging through boxes, searching for something.
As soon as he noticed Mo Hua, he whipped around, eyes flashing with murderous intent. But when he saw it was Mo Hua, that glint vanished, replaced with a warm smile.
"Young… Young Master Mo, what brings you here?"
Mo Hua looked equally puzzled.
"Brother Xiao, what brings you here?"
The man's eyes flickered, then he smiled casually.
"Water bandits are tricky. I came to check if any had slipped through the net…"
Mo Hua nodded.
"And you? What are you doing here?" the man asked, his tone now a bit sharper.
Mo Hua promptly dropped Gu Changhuai's name like a divine talisman:
"Uncle Gu asked me to look around and check if the water bandits hid any stolen goods."
Then Mo Hua glanced around nervously, lowering his voice.
"Are there any dangerous bandits around here?"
"None…"
"That's a relief…" Mo Hua visibly relaxed.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then the man said:
"I already checked this place. It's safe. Look around—maybe you'll find some loot. I have something to take care of, so I won't disturb you."
Mo Hua smiled back. "Thanks, Brother Xiao."
The man gave Mo Hua one last friendly grin and walked out.
But once he was gone, Mo Hua's smile slowly faded.
His expression turned thoughtful.
Xiao Tianquan…
What was he doing in this secret room?
What was he looking for?
Mo Hua frowned slightly and scanned the room. It was a simple hidden chamber—clean but sparse. You could see the whole thing at a glance.
He spread out his divine sense—but found nothing out of place.
After thinking for a while, Mo Hua exited the room.
And right outside—he spotted Xiao Tianquan again, just a short distance away.
Apparently, he hadn't gone far.
Or more likely, he only pretended to leave and had been lurking nearby the entire time.
When he saw Mo Hua come out, Xiao Tianquan feigned surprise and smiled:
"Young Master Mo, didn't find anything?"
Mo Hua shook his head. "Nothing. Pretty shabby. I'm going to check elsewhere."
Xiao Tianquan nodded. "Alright. Stay safe. Watch out for the bandits."
"Got it!"
Mo Hua nodded and walked off.
Once Mo Hua was gone, Xiao Tianquan's face dropped.
He stared silently at Mo Hua's back, his gaze dark and shifting.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua walked away as if nothing was wrong—yet he could faintly feel a chilling prickling sensation on his back.
It was killing intent.
"Xiao Tianquan… wants to kill me."
Mo Hua's eyes turned cold.
But it was only intent. Xiao Tianquan hadn't actually made a move.
Mo Hua had Gu Changhuai backing him. And for some reason, he'd also gotten on surprisingly good terms with Magistrate Xia.
Xiao Tianquan was wary. He quietly buried his thoughts and put on his usual faint smile, turning to walk away.
But as he passed the corpse of a dead water bandit, he drew his sword—and stabbed the body several more times.
Only after the mangled corpse was bleeding profusely did he finally stop, his mood finally settled.
(End of this Chapter)