Chapter 847: Chaos Unleashed
The spacious room was soaked in blood, littered with severed limbs—it looked as if some kind of demonic creature had feasted here.
Even Water Yama, a notorious cultivator who had killed countless people, felt a little queasy at the sight.
He might kill, but he didn't eat people.
But the remains in this room were clearly chewed and gnawed on—a gruesome end inflicted by something monstrous.
"Could it be… everyone in the temple was eaten by that monster?"
"Even Mister Wu?"
Both Xie Liu and Water Yama felt their hearts sink.
"Let's look around. Maybe we'll find some clues," Xie Liu said.
Water Yama nodded.
The two began combing through the carnage, searching among the broken remains strewn all over the room.
Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian, upon seeing the blood-soaked floor, turned deathly pale.
They were disciples of righteous sects—they had never witnessed something so grotesquely brutal.
Hua Qianqian covered her nose and mouth with her hand, shut her eyes, and didn't dare to look again.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, was relatively calm.
Although he felt a bit uneasy, his short cultivation journey of under twenty years had already exposed him to many encounters with demonic cultivators and evil beasts.
Scenes like this weren't unfamiliar.
Plus, as a demon-hunting cultivator, he'd witnessed beasts devouring people since his youth—he quickly adjusted.
After thinking a moment, Mo Hua also joined the search.
However, unwilling to dirty his hands with the gore, he pulled a stick from his storage ring and began poking around the remains, prodding here and there.
After a while, he really did find something.
"There used to be a lot of formations drawn in this room—blood formations drawn with human blood… Evil arrays."
"And they were all activated."
"Something must've happened during their activation. But to keep others from learning the truth, someone erased the formation traces afterward…"
"This formation… is not simple."
Mo Hua frowned. Even with his deep knowledge of formations and experience with dark arts, he couldn't decipher much.
Of course, it could be because most of the formation patterns had already been wiped away or were obscured by blood, making it difficult to identify anything clearly.
Aside from that, Mo Hua also found a small scale among the blood and gore.
It was a dark jade color, stained with blood, very similar to the scales on that monstrous creature—but it was smaller, and more crystalline.
It didn't carry the same eerie demonic aura as the monster's scales, but it did retain a trace of something…
Mo Hua furrowed his brow, unable to describe it.
But based on his instinct, this was the aura of some unknown beast—ancient, and faintly divine.
He sniffed around the scale.
Aside from the heavy stench of blood, he detected something else: a fresh, clean blood scent.
The overwhelming stench was human blood.
But the fresh scent… what was it?
Mo Hua's brows drew tighter.
But this second blood scent had no actual liquid blood present—not even a single drop or visible trace. It had been completely masked by the stronger, fouler human blood.
Mo Hua shook his head, murmuring inwardly:
"What exactly happened in this room? What kind of formation was laid? And what is that unfamiliar blood scent?"
"What thing was feeding in here?"
"And Mister Wu… could it be…"
His eyes flashed with thought.
Meanwhile, Water Yama and Xie Liu finished their own search and gathered again.
"The corpses here… they're all the temple guards."
"Mister Wu's body isn't among them."
"He might still be alive."
"Everything else—books, jade slips, command tokens—they were all destroyed. Looks like someone did it deliberately…"
Both of them frowned.
The more clues they found, the more questions arose—but they still knew very little.
The Dragon King Temple was even more secretive than Rouge Boat Town. It was shrouded in thick fog; ordinary cultivators wouldn't even be able to find it.
This was a sacred banquet site for the Divine Lord, protected by divine power.
Who could be powerful enough to create such a bizarre disaster here? And for what purpose?
Water Yama glanced at the floor, where gore squished beneath his boots. A sense of unease settled over him.
"This place isn't safe—we should leave."
Even Xie Liu, a Golden Core cultivator, felt a subtle dread. Something about this place was beyond his understanding.
The group exited Mister Wu's great hall. Outside, the blood stench faded, but the atmosphere grew even more oppressive.
It was as if something unseen was watching them in the shadows.
Water Yama's eyes shifted. He immediately said:
"We have to leave this temple!"
They had come here to hide.
But now, it seemed staying here was no safer than facing the Dao Court's enforcers—perhaps it was even more dangerous.
Worse yet, they didn't even know what they were up against.
So why stay?
Xie Liu understood and nodded heavily.
"Agreed!"
Mo Hua, however, was reluctant.
After all, he'd worked so hard just to sneak into this temple, and now he was leaving empty-handed?
He briefly considered using some tricks to keep Xie Liu and Water Yama inside longer, but when he looked at Ouyang Feng and the pale-faced Hua Qianqian, his heart softened.
"I can handle it… but for senior brother and senior sister, it's too risky. Better to leave first…"
Water Yama took the lead, heading toward the temple gate.
Mo Hua followed silently.
Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian stuck close to him. Xie Liu brought up the rear, keeping a tight eye on Mo Hua.
After all, the sect's legacy treasure was still on Mo Hua.
He couldn't let him die—but he couldn't let him escape either.
Even if Mo Hua had to die… it would be after the treasure was his.
And so the group moved cautiously toward the temple gates.
The temple remained eerily silent—tall walls, ancient halls, carved beams… all weighed heavily on the heart.
After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they reached the front gate.
Xie Liu glanced at Water Yama, who didn't say a word but walked up to the gate.
He pulled out the fish-bone command token again and placed it into the mouth of a bronze guardian beast statue nearby.
The token flashed. The beast trembled slightly.
Moments later, the array activated, and the thick iron chains groaned as they began pulling open the heavy temple doors.
When they saw the gates opening, everyone sighed in relief.
As the doors opened wider, Xie Liu took the lead and stepped toward the exit.
But just as he reached the threshold—his expression changed dramatically.
A flash of icy-blue sword light streaked through the crack.
A freezing burst of sword energy shot straight at his face.
Xie Liu tried to dodge, but his ear was still grazed—blood didn't even have time to spill before it was frozen solid by the chilling spiritual power.
A second later, a sharp green wind blade sliced toward his chest.
He drew his sword and blocked it, using the force of the attack to spring backward—retreating swiftly back into the temple.
And the moment he backed away—someone from outside charged in.
At the front was a tall, elegant cultivator with a feather fan in hand and a strikingly handsome face.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up.
"Uncle Gu!"
Gu Changhuai heard Mo Hua's voice—and silently let out a sigh of relief.
He's alive… thank goodness.
Whew, good... he's not dead.
Even though Gu Changhuai knew that with Mo Hua's craftiness, he should be fine dealing with both Xie Liu and Water Yama, he had still been somewhat worried.
Now that he saw Mo Hua not only unharmed but even full of energy, he finally relaxed. Then, without hesitation, he surged his spiritual power and attacked Xie Liu.
Behind Gu Changhuai was Magistrate Xia, wielding a short ice-blue blade.
And behind them were two more people—one Magistrate, one Enforcer—both in official Dao Court robes.
Mo Hua blinked in surprise.
"Wait... isn't that 'Howling Celestial Dog'... and 'Smiling Tiger'?"
"Why are they all here?!"
On the battlefield, Gu Changhuai immediately gained the upper hand over Xie Liu. With Magistrate Xia assisting from the side, Xie Liu was completely outmatched.
Unlike Water Yama, Xie Liu didn't have many strange tricks up his sleeve. In a direct confrontation, his disadvantage in both cultivation and technique quickly showed.
Elsewhere, Xiao Tianquan had already locked blades with Water Yama—the two were fiercely fighting one-on-one.
From the look in Xiao's eyes, he really did want to kill Water Yama with his own hands.
Water Yama only sneered coldly at him, saying nothing.
Mo Hua stood to the side, spectating calmly.
In this situation, it wasn't his turn to act.
Similarly, the "Smiling Tiger" Magistrate Xiao also stood off to the side, not making a move, simply observing the scene silently.
The tide of battle was gradually becoming clear.
After a while, Magistrate Xiao finally drew his sword.
A long sword enveloped in deep blue watery light began to hum with sword qi.
"Deep blue water light…"
Mo Hua caught a glimpse of the glow from the corner of his eye and immediately felt something was off. Moments later, the sense of wrongness grew stronger.
He could faintly feel an obscure but intense hostility—directed at him.
"What the hell?"
Startled, Mo Hua looked up and saw that at some point, Magistrate Xiao had turned to stare at him—his eyes icy cold.
That deep blue sword was now aimed at him.
Mo Hua was shocked.
"This Smiling Tiger… he wants to kill me?!"
"Is he crazy?!"
Mo Hua immediately activated Flowing Water Steps to the max, his figure turning fluid and evasive as he retreated.
Magistrate Xiao was a bit surprised at how sharp Mo Hua's reaction was, but then his expression darkened. In the blink of an eye, his body split into nearly ten watery shadows, all surging toward Mo Hua.
Water Shadow Steps.
And more refined than Water Yama's version.
Left with no choice, Mo Hua activated his Concealment Technique.
However, Magistrate Xiao was a Golden Core cultivator, battle-hardened and sharp. Though Mo Hua had vanished, his aura lingered faintly, and Xiao could still roughly sense his direction.
Estimating his location, Xiao struck toward the hidden Mo Hua.
But just then—Ouyang Feng stepped forward, activating his Tai'a Sword Art to block the attack.
Seeing the Dao Court Magistrate trying to kill Mo Hua, Hua Qianqian's expression turned frosty. She unleashed a volley of Hundred Flower Spirit Needles, aiming straight for Magistrate Xiao.
Xiao deflected Ouyang Feng with a single slash, forcing him to cough up blood, then swept his blade around, shattering Hua Qianqian's needles mid-air.
He released his divine sense again—but Mo Hua had completely disappeared.
Frustrated, his face darkened.
"Tch… slippery little brat…"
Left with no better option, he turned his attention elsewhere.
A flash of sword light stabbed into Ouyang Feng's right arm, crippling his meridians and rendering his sword hand useless.
Then, he flicked a poisoned hidden weapon—it struck Hua Qianqian's shoulder.
Her face went pale, lips turning faintly blue—the poison was swift.
With both Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian incapacitated, neither could resist.
The sudden turn of events left everyone in shock—including Mo Hua. No one had seen this coming.
And it had all happened in just a few short exchanges.
Now, with the two juniors under his control, the entire battlefield fell into a tense silence.
Gu Changhuai paused, his expression cold and grim.
"Magistrate Xiao, what is the meaning of this?"
"The meaning?" Xiao replied, still wearing that insincere, smiling face—only now, his smile was tinged with coldness. "Why pretend to be confused, Magistrate Gu? Surely, you've suspected me for some time."
Gu said nothing, expression frosty.
"You suspected me, but had no proof. So on the surface, you played along—but we both know you've been watching me. Just as I've been watching you."
Gu's brows furrowed.
Indeed—he had suspected Xiao.
But without concrete proof, accusations were meaningless. To take down a fellow Dao Court Magistrate without solid evidence? Absolute fantasy.
Especially someone from the Xiao Clan.
What he hadn't expected… was that this smiling snake had been hiding so long—only to suddenly betray them now, without warning.
In Gu's mind, even if Xiao was going to betray them, he'd do it later—once the Dao Court had evidence and surrounded him with no escape.
Not now, when all they had was suspicion and not a shred of proof.
Xiao, reading Gu's thoughts, chuckled.
"Strike early, strike first. That's how you survive."
"In a backwater like Qianxue Prefecture, being Golden Core isn't much—but it's not little either."
"If I wait until you've got evidence and Dao Court issues the arrest—how would I ever escape?"
"I'm a Magistrate too. I know exactly how this works."
"If I'm going to act, it must be at a time that catches you completely off guard."
"Hesitate even a moment… and I'd be dead."
Gu narrowed his eyes. "So… it was you who helped Water Yama escape the other day?"
"You were involved in the Rouge Boat incident too."
"And the Yin Water Sect's mole in the Dao Court—it's been you all along, hasn't it? Covering for Rouge Boat from the inside?"
Gu's words were sharp and damning.
But Xiao simply smiled, saying nothing.
He may have flipped sides—but he wasn't dumb enough to confess everything openly.
Magistrate Xia stared at him coldly and asked, "Is this your decision… or the Xiao Clan's?"
Xiao squinted. "That much, you should already know, Magistrate Xia."
"In a big family like the Xiao Clan, there are all kinds of people. The higher-ups can't control everything."
"I wasn't born into a powerful branch. No ancestor to cover my back. If I don't figure out my own way—make connections—how would I ever get ahead in this life?"
"Rouge Boat's fall only meant my exposure was a matter of time. So I figured—why not strike first?"
Magistrate Xia narrowed his eyes. "And what do you want?"
"Not much," Xiao smiled faintly. "We've been colleagues. I hold no grudge against either of you."
"As long as the Xia Clan gives me a Cloud Crossing Edict for the Nine Provinces, and the Gu Clan grants me a Qianxue Travel Permit, I can leave this prefecture, cross through the clouds, and vanish from your lives forever."
"I won't bother you. You'll never see me again. Isn't that best for everyone?"
"So… what do you say?"
Gu and Xia exchanged glances, but said nothing.
"Of course," Xiao added, "I doubt you'll agree that easily."
He raised his sword and pressed it against Ouyang Feng's neck.
"These two—one's a Tai'a Sect disciple, the other from Hundred Flowers Sect. Neither has a simple background."
"If you refuse me, I'll just have to 'regretfully' send them to the afterlife."
"You wouldn't want to offend both Tai'a and Hundred Flowers over this, would you?"
He gave a small, disappointed sigh.
"Originally, I wanted to take that slippery brat hostage. He's from the Great Void Sect, has deep ties to the Gu Clan… and, to my surprise, even you, the cold-faced Magistrate Gu, seem to care for him."
"If I'd captured him, I could've used his life to force your hand."
"Unfortunately… I underestimated how damn slippery that brat is."
Magistrate Xiao looked a bit regretful.
Magistrate Xia's face was like frost, and Gu Changhuai's expression was also very grim.
Just then, Mo Hua, who had been hidden all this time, quietly revealed himself beside them.
Magistrate Xiao gave Mo Hua a long look, slightly raised an eyebrow, and praised:
"Such a refined concealment technique. Clearly only at Foundation Establishment, yet even someone as experienced as myself—a Golden Core magistrate—could barely detect you. As expected, someone close to Magistrate Gu, even if still a youth, is no ordinary person…"
Mo Hua's face remained cold. Even though "Smiling Tiger" was complimenting him, he wasn't particularly flattered.
After speaking, Magistrate Xiao turned to Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia again:
"So, have you made your decision? Hand over the Cloud Crossing Edict and Qianxue Travel Permit—or I'll kill these two so-called geniuses right here and now."
Magistrate Xia frowned, glancing at Ouyang Feng, who even with a sword at his neck remained fearless, and then at Hua Qianqian, who though poisoned, kept her lips tightly pressed and didn't beg for mercy. He sighed:
"Release the children, and I'll give you the Cloud Crossing Edict."
"Magistrate Xia, so compassionate," Magistrate Xiao praised with a mocking tone, then looked at Gu Changhuai.
Gu Changhuai also sighed.
"I'll give you the permit too."
Saving lives was the priority—especially since Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian held important statuses.
If the traitor escaped, he could be hunted again.
But if people died—there would be no bringing them back.
"I don't have it on me, though. I'll have someone make one after we leave," said Gu Changhuai.
"No matter," replied Magistrate Xiao. "I can wait. But I advise you two—don't try anything funny. I am a Dao Court magistrate. Any tricks played on the documents—I'll know."
Gu Changhuai frowned.
Just then, Mo Hua suddenly spoke up, his tone crisp:
"Are you sure... you'll even be able to get out?"
Magistrate Xiao paused. "What do you mean?"
Mo Hua pointed toward the temple entrance.
"Take a look."
Magistrate Xiao first thought Mo Hua was trying to trick him and refused to glance back. But after a moment, he noticed Mo Hua's expression wasn't fake, and there was indeed a strange aura from the direction Mo Hua pointed.
He gripped his sword tighter, slowly turning his head, using the corner of his eye to glance toward the temple doors.
The moment he looked, his pupils contracted sharply.
On the bronze beast statue guarding the door, something stood there—something blood-soaked and monstrous, its body wrapped in misty, steaming blood qi. No one could tell what it was.
It looked horrifying, yet its aura was strangely faint.
Earlier, everyone had been busy fighting, and no one had noticed when it arrived—nor what it was.
At this moment, the creature glanced at the group, then suddenly bit down and pulled out a fishbone token that was embedded in the statue's mouth.
The moment the token came out, the Dragon King Temple's heavy gate began to close.
Then, in a flash of motion, the monster swallowed the token, turned into a streak of blood light, and leapt onto the temple rafters.
Before anyone could react—it vanished.
A cold chill spread among the cultivators present.
Magistrate Xiao instantly turned to Water Yama and said darkly, "Do you have another token?"
Water Yama trembled a little, shaking his head fearfully.
"Just one…"
Magistrate Xiao's false smile faded. He swung his sword in frustration, sending a wave of deep blue sword light slashing toward the temple gates.
But the doors of the Dragon King Temple were… made of something unusual.
That full-power strike, from a Golden Core-level sword art, hit the door—and didn't leave even a scratch.
Clearly, without the fishbone token, brute force couldn't open the gate.
Mo Hua sighed.
"I forgot to mention… strange things have started happening in this temple."
"At this point, it's no longer about whether the Dao Court will catch you, whether you have a travel permit, or whether you can cloud-cross out of Qianzhou."
"Now, the real problem is… we might not even be able to get out of this temple."
"If we don't figure something out, we're all going to die in here."
"Oh—and maybe not even from old age."
Mo Hua added, with mock regret:
"That monster? Yeah, it eats people. Wouldn't be surprised if one of us is next on the menu."
Magistrate Xiao's expression grew uglier. Even the fake smile on his face started to crack.
He'd calculated everything down to the last detail—but he had never accounted for something this bizarre happening inside the Dragon King Temple.
If not for this sudden twist, with the permits in hand, he could've just left Qianzhou and vanished into the horizon.
The entire hall fell into a heavy silence.
Everyone was deep in thought.
Mo Hua scanned the room, reading the mood, then spoke up:
"So, I think we're all clear on what the situation is."
"Priority number one: Find that monster and get the token back."
"Any other grudges? We settle them after we get out."
"Otherwise, we're all dying in here."
"And don't say I didn't warn you—there might be more than one of those things in here."
"There might be something even worse than what we just saw."
"If we don't work together now, we're all dead."
Mo Hua spoke with a serious, no-nonsense expression.
Magistrate Xiao looked around. Though his eyes were still narrowed, his smile was completely gone. He nodded:
"Fine. I won't attack again."
"All I ever wanted was a way out. I wasn't trying to fight to the death."
"Since the temple's become this dangerous, I'll agree to a truce."
Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia exchanged glances and both nodded.
"Getting out comes first. Everything else—we can put aside for now."
With all three Golden Core cultivators in agreement, no one else dared raise objections.
They weren't fools—they knew what really mattered right now.
All past grievances could be shelved in the face of life-or-death crisis.
And so… a strange "team" was temporarily formed.
Mo Hua nodded with satisfaction and said:
"Alright. Let's go find that monster!"
And so, Mo Hua led the way—guiding this temporary band of cultivators, all from different factions, with different goals, different minds, and even different sides…
Through the eerie halls of the Dragon King Temple—to hunt monsters.
(End of this Chapter)