Chapter 853: Bloody Battle
This smiling tiger had hidden himself far too deeply!
Even Elder Yu Canghai—the last surviving elder of the Water Prison Sect—didn't know the whereabouts of their sect's supreme Dao technique. Yet this smiling tiger not only got his hands on it but had already mastered it in secret.
Who would've ever guessed…
Just as Mo Hua was still marveling in shock, his instincts flared in warning. Almost reflexively, he activated Flowing Water Steps and layered it with an Invisibility Art, escaping outward.
A blade of Yin Water Sword Qi slashed down where he had just been standing—missing entirely.
Then a Water Prison Spell descended—again, a miss.
Magistrate Xiao, who had been feeling triumphant after subduing Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia with the Water Prison Technique, now felt a wave of irritation as he looked at Mo Hua.
He could catch Golden Core cultivators, but not this slippery little Foundation Establishment brat—he was like an eel, impossible to grab, not even grazing his robes.
Magistrate Xiao clicked his tongue.
"Enough…"
He turned around in a flash and appeared in front of Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian.
The two wore expressions of restrained anger and had just tried to retaliate, but with a flick of two fingers, Magistrate Xiao struck each of them in the shoulder with a burst of Water Prison Force, aggravating their injuries and rendering them unable to move.
He then held his sword horizontally in front of the two, looking at Mo Hua with a cold stare.
Mo Hua was helpless.
Uncle Gu and Magistrate Xia had been caught by this smiling tiger's scheme, subdued by the Water Prison Technique.
Senior Brother Feng and Senior Sister Qianqian were now being used as hostages.
Water Yama and Xie Liu were on the tiger's side.
Xiao Tianquan stood aside, watching passively—though to be fair, he wasn't strong enough to intervene anyway.
Counted up, Mo Hua was the only one left standing.
Realizing the tide had completely turned, Mo Hua sighed and raised his hands in surrender.
"I admit defeat. Just stop chasing me already."
Magistrate Xiao paused for a moment, then his gaze darkened. "Young Lord, you do know when to bow your head."
Mo Hua nodded earnestly. "Knowing when to yield is the mark of a hero—and I am a hero."
Magistrate Xiao let out a laugh and shook his head. "It's a pity. If not for our differing paths and sides, I'd have loved to become Dao friends with you."
Mo Hua waved dismissively. "Maybe next life…"
He already had enough friends. He didn't need this two-faced tiger joining the club.
Magistrate Xiao wasn't offended. He got straight to the point. "Since Young Lord is a clever man, I'll skip the small talk…"
His eyes gleamed. "Where is the box?"
At this point, Mo Hua stopped hiding and said frankly,
"I've hidden it in a secret place. Once we're out of Dragon King Temple, I'll tell you where."
He looked completely honest.
Magistrate Xiao, however, shook his head. "Young Lord, don't take me for a fool."
Mo Hua tilted his head. "Who's taking who for a fool?"
Magistrate Xiao's mouth twitched. He rested his sword lightly on Ouyang Feng's shoulder, then looked toward Hua Qianqian and said after a moment of thought,
"What a delicate flower… it'd be such a shame if she were to perish, her beauty scattered to dust…"
Mo Hua instantly understood the implication and sighed. "Fine."
Ouyang Feng, blood at the corner of his mouth, gave a bitter smile. "Brother Mo, don't worry about me. I lost fair and square. Live or die—it's no one's fault but mine…"
Hua Qianqian looked at Mo Hua, face pale but eyes firm.
"Junior Brother, just go. Don't let them use me against you."
She held a silver needle in her fingers, clearly prepared to shatter her heart if it came to that.
Better to die cleanly than to suffer humiliation at the hands of villains.
More importantly—she would not allow herself to be used to threaten Mo Hua.
But Mo Hua could never truly abandon them.
If it were anyone else, someone unrelated, maybe he could've walked away.
But Senior Brother Feng and Senior Sister Qianqian had always looked out for him. They weren't just comrades—they were family in all but name.
A drop of kindness must be repaid with a spring of gratitude.
That was what his mother had taught him since childhood.
Mo Hua nodded and said loudly:
"The Water Prison Sect's core treasure—Water Prison Forbidden Box, a treasure passed only to the Sect Master—is indeed in my possession!"
The moment those words left his mouth, even those who already suspected, and those who knew nothing, were all shaken.
Magistrate Xiao had guessed as much, but hearing Mo Hua admit it made his heart tremble.
Water Yama and Xie Liu's eyes gleamed with greed.
Even Xiao Tianquan's gaze flickered with desire.
Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia, despite being restrained by the Water Prison Technique, were visibly stunned. They knew exactly what a Sect-Treasured Inheritance meant.
"I can give you the box," Mo Hua said, "but I have conditions."
Magistrate Xiao forced himself to remain calm and nodded. "Speak."
"Release Senior Brother Feng and Senior Sister Qianqian. Remove the Water Prison Force from their bodies, and neutralize the Yin Water Poison."
Magistrate Xiao nodded. "Fine."
"And while we're still inside the Dragon King Temple," Mo Hua added, "you can't make any more moves against us."
"Agreed."
"Then start by letting them go. Remove the force. Cure the poison," Mo Hua insisted, clearly not planning to hand anything over until he saw action.
Magistrate Xiao frowned. "Give me the box first…"
Mo Hua shook his head, righteous and unyielding.
"You're Golden Core, I'm Foundation Establishment. I can't fight you. So you have to honor the terms first. Do it, and I'll give you the box."
Magistrate Xiao paused, then nodded.
This little brat, while slippery, didn't have much offensive ability. Even if he stood still and let the kid attack him, it wouldn't do much.
Given that, he might as well give him some breathing room.
Besides, nothing mattered more than the Water Prison Forbidden Box.
As long as he got that—everything else was secondary.
He nodded. "Fine."
True to his word, he struck each of their shoulders with a finger, dispersing the Water Prison Force inside them. Then he tossed a small bottle of pills to Hua Qianqian.
"Yin Water Sect's Detox Pill. It'll clear the poison."
Hua Qianqian hesitated, then took one. After a few moments, feeling the poison dissipate, she nodded toward Mo Hua.
Magistrate Xiao looked solemnly at Mo Hua. "I've done my part. Don't disappoint me, little brother."
Mo Hua nodded. "Alright, I'll give you the box!"
He reached into his storage pouch, then into his Storage Ring, took out the Water Prison Forbidden Box, and put it back into the pouch. Then—looking completely sincere—he pulled it out and tossed it toward Magistrate Xiao.
He was so swift and casual—it looked like he was tossing a random trinket, not a sect-defining treasure.
Magistrate Xiao, suspecting a trick, hesitated for a moment.
And in that fleeting hesitation, a shadow darted forward, trying to snatch the box from mid-air—
It was Xie Liu!
"HOW DARE YOU!" Magistrate Xiao roared, slashing with all his might.
Xie Liu didn't dodge. He took the sword through his shoulder, yet still lunged forward and grabbed the box.
Despite the gushing blood, he retreated several paces, ecstatic:
"The Water Prison Forbidden Box—it's mine!!"
He let out a few wild laughs, then snarled,
"With this inheritance, I—Xie Liu—am no longer some no-name! I'll never bow and scrape before others again! Never be at anyone's mercy!"
Magistrate Xiao, seeing his prize stolen, was livid. "YOU COURT DEATH!"
He slashed again.
Xie Liu sneered, dodging the blow and fleeing.
Magistrate Xiao missed and immediately pointed with two fingers. A Water Prison Spell materialized, locking onto Xie Liu.
At first, Xie Liu didn't take it seriously.
He had seen Mo Hua dodge the spell easily and figured it was a weak technique.
What he didn't know was—he wasn't Mo Hua. He lacked Mo Hua's danger sense, his divine arts, his deep understanding of the Water Prison Spell.
He underestimated it—and in just a split second, he was bound tight.
Only then did panic hit him.
As Magistrate Xiao's sword light closed in, Xie Liu panicked, gritted his teeth, and poured all his spiritual power into breaking free.
He barely escaped—but not before taking a vicious slash to the back.
Biting through the pain, he retaliated with a wild strike and fled.
Magistrate Xiao, however, was clearly running out of steam.
Even as strong as he was, he was still only early-stage Golden Core. Between using sword techniques, spells, and casting the powerful Water Prison Technique, his spiritual energy was nearly drained.
He wanted to give chase—but his strength was already starting to falter.
Xiao Magistrate was both shocked and furious.
He never imagined that after a full round of scheming and struggle—outwitting Gu Changhuai, Magistrate Xia, and even that slippery brat Mo Hua—it would be Xie Liu, of all people, that insignificant pest, who slipped through the cracks and snatched the Water Prison Sect's supreme treasure!
Xiao Magistrate roared, "Xie Liu! Return the Forbidden Box to me, or I'll tear you limb from limb!"
Xie Liu, hearing this, sneered inwardly.
Return the treasure he just got? What did Xiao Zhenhai think he was, a fool?
"That box is sealed by a secret method. Without the way to break the seal, it's useless to you," Xiao said coldly.
But Xie Liu ignored him completely, head down, sprinting forward.
Open it or not, first priority: hold it tight in his own hands.
The Bone Boat was already in sight. Xie Liu sped up, eager to get aboard and escape this place.
Seeing this, Xiao Magistrate's expression grew truly terrifying.
Veins bulged on his forehead, his face darkened, and the eyes he usually squinted opened wide, bloodshot and fierce. Murderous energy surged uncontrollably around him like a tidal wave.
"Die, Xie Liu…"
Xie Liu had been running full speed when he suddenly sensed a horrifying killing intent—cold and sharp—mixed with dreadful baleful energy that made his spine tingle.
"What the hell?!"
His expression twisted in fear.
What is Xiao Zhenhai trying to do to kill me?!
The Bone Boat was close. If he could just board it, he'd escape Xiao Zhenhai for now, then find a chance to leave the Dragon King Temple—and keep the Water Prison treasure all to himself.
But even so, his heart still trembled.
Xiao Zhenhai, as a Dao Court Magistrate, was incredibly deep, skilled at scheming and concealment, and his Dao arts were savage and unpredictable.
Xie Liu had no clue what else Xiao Zhenhai was hiding. Afraid he'd get one-shot, he turned back for a glance—
And that glance sealed his fate.
He looked into Xiao Magistrate's eyes.
A pair of blood-red pupils.
Within them, it was as if a prison existed—a Dao Prison, where tormented prisoners endured endless blood-soaked torture, their screams of agony echoing through the void.
Blood flowed from their mangled bodies, flooding the prison cell.
Their faces were indistinct, but their agony was real. They writhed in despair.
Then suddenly, one of the faces changed—
It became Xie Liu's.
Xie Liu's face turned deathly pale, his soul seemingly ripped from his body.
He could feel every moment of that torment, as though the pain the sinner endured was transferred onto him.
He was the sinner. The condemned. A damned soul trapped in purgatory, suffering a thousand tortures with no hope of release.
His spirit began to crack under the pressure of the baleful aura.
Agony invaded his mind.
His aura began to unravel.
This was—Baleful Soulblood Prison Eyes!
And not the kind used by Water Yama—this one was far deeper, more powerful, and radiated an even stronger murderous energy.
Xie Liu was struck by this blood-eye technique, and in just a single moment, his spirit was severely damaged. He stood there blankly, his face twisted in pain and despair—like a puppet of suffering.
"Still trying to run?"
Xiao Magistrate sneered, slashing through the air. A sword light cut across and severed Xie Liu's arm.
Blood sprayed. The severed limb hit the ground, still clutching the Water Prison Forbidden Box.
The sheer pain snapped Xie Liu back to awareness.
Despite the mind-shattering agony, the fractured soul, and the red haze before his eyes from the encroaching baleful aura, he still staggered forward—
Toward his severed arm.
Toward the box sealed with the Water Prison Sect's supreme inheritance.
"M–mine…"
But it was already too late.
Xiao Magistrate had already stepped up, stomped down on the severed arm, and took the box from Xie Liu's broken grasp.
Watching Xie Liu stumble toward him like a madman, Xiao's expression was full of disdain and mockery.
But mid-sneer, he suddenly stopped smiling.
Because—someone stood behind Xie Liu.
No one knew when it happened, but Mr. Wu—usually timid and quiet—was now standing right behind Xie Liu, face dark and cold.
Seizing the moment while Xie Liu was maimed and mentally broken from the eye technique, Mr. Wu lunged forward with a twisted expression and bit deeply into Xie Liu's neck, sucking not just blood—but flesh.
Gasps of shock rang out. Mo Hua immediately realized something was wrong and shouted:
"Stop him!"
Xiao Magistrate slashed again without hesitation—but it was already too late.
As Mr. Wu devoured Xie Liu's flesh and blood, his limbs began to twist. Scales erupted all over his body.
Xiao's sword struck the scaled flesh—and did nothing.
Instead, it infuriated Mr. Wu.
Now half-human, half-demon, covered in scaled armor, Mr. Wu shrieked:
"All of you livestock! All you pigs and dogs! You dared defile the God-Lord—now you all must DIE!"
Then, dragging the half-dead Xie Liu, he jumped straight into the Blood Pool.
The filthy, corrupted pool instantly dissolved and swallowed them whole.
The entire hall fell into stunned silence. No one expected this sudden twist.
"Is this Mr. Wu… trying to get himself killed?" someone whispered.
Xiao Magistrate's face darkened.
Mo Hua stared at the blood pool, recalling the scales on Mr. Wu's body. His pupils shrank.
This wasn't that simple.
Everyone present could tell—something terrible was about to happen.
Just then, Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia finally broke free of the Water Prison Technique and rushed over to Mo Hua's side.
Though they looked disheveled, their eyes carried deep unease.
Mo Hua couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
This Water Prison Technique's control power was far stronger than he had expected.
Compared to the Water Cage Spell—it was in an entirely different league.
No wonder the Water Prison Sect treated it as a sect-guarding divine art, only passed down to the sect leader.
If he ever had the chance, Mo Hua would love to learn it—but sadly, his spiritual power was too weak. Even if he did learn it, he likely couldn't use it.
But now was clearly not the time to think about such things.
Mo Hua expanded his spiritual sense, scanning the surroundings, then said in a low voice:
"The formation's been activated…"
Before his voice even faded—BOOM! A deep rumble shook the ground.
The central altar began to rotate, slowly sinking downward.
The surrounding blood pools surged, the blood roaring wildly, flowing who-knew-where.
Pillars of white bone rose from the pools, spiraling upward and twisting together.
And in the unseen depths—formation runes began to glow.
No one knew where the blood pools were flowing, and the ground kept warping and shifting. From within the blood pools, more and more bone pillars began to rise…
Everyone could only focus on protecting themselves—adapting to the shifting terrain, dodging the sinister bone spikes bursting out all around, and avoiding the foul, filthy blood.
Thankfully, this seemed to be only the "activation phase" of the formation, and it didn't appear to be primarily offensive in nature.
After a while, the formation finally calmed, and the surrounding environment stabilized.
When everyone stood still and looked around again, the boundless sea of blood had transformed into a white forest of bones.
Countless white bones—stacked like bricks—had formed towering palace walls bristling with bone spikes.
These halls and walls twisted and turned, stretching out endlessly, forming what seemed to be an entire "White Bone Labyrinth."
Mo Hua was shocked but not surprised.
When he first saw the blood sea, he had vaguely sensed that it concealed a puzzle array, and likely a matching labyrinth as well.
Just like the bronze labyrinth in the Bìshān Demon Cave before.
This Dragon King Temple was, in fact, a massive White Bone Labyrinth.
But the sheer scale, the strange transformations, the use of bones to construct the maze—even Mo Hua hadn't anticipated that.
This appeared to be a ritual structure tied to an evil deity.
A labyrinth built around an altar, to guard it.
But now, they were trapped inside the labyrinth—while the altar itself had vanished without a trace.
Mo Hua sighed quietly.
He had known it wouldn't be so easy to just waltz up and claim the altar's power.
He looked around again. Everyone was still present. Though the formation's activation had caused some disturbance, they were all safe. He quietly let out a breath of relief.
Of course, if his group was safe, so was Xiao Magistrate's.
But—Xie Liu was gone.
Magistrate Xia stared coldly at Xiao Magistrate, her expression grave. Thinking back to that eerie Water Prison Technique earlier, she said flatly:
"I never knew Xiao Magistrate had such fearsome Dao arts hidden up his sleeve."
Xiao smiled lightly. "A mere petty trick. I was just showing off."
Gu Changhuai sneered, "And where exactly did you learn this 'petty trick'? Neither the Water Prison Sect nor the Yin Water Sect would hand over a technique like that to you."
Xiao replied calmly, "Dao technique inheritances are classified. I'm afraid I can't disclose them to Inspector Gu. Perhaps we should focus on what to do next?"
Gu Changhuai's eyes narrowed. "And what do you propose?"
Xiao said, "Currently, you hold the Fishbone Token, and I hold the Forbidden Box of the Water Prison Sect. We've both achieved our goals—so there's no need to keep fighting. The only remaining issue is… this White Bone Palace."
"That Mr. Wu acted strangely. And who knows what dangers are hidden in this place? If we continue to fight amongst ourselves now, we'll only weaken each other—and give someone else an opportunity…"
Gu Changhuai raised a brow. "You want to cooperate?"
Xiao replied shamelessly, "Exactly."
"There is no other choice," he added.
Gu looked at Magistrate Xia. She frowned but then nodded. "Fine."
She didn't trust Xiao one bit.
But given the situation, she had no choice but to temporarily agree to an alliance.
Xiao's eyes lit up slightly, cupping his hands. "Magistrate Xia has great foresight."
"Let's move. Time's short. We need to see if there's any way out," Magistrate Xia said.
"Agreed," Xiao nodded.
And so the group regrouped and continued their search for an exit.
Though they walked together, there was always a buffer of distance between the two sides—everyone on edge and watching the other.
For a while, things were quiet.
Mo Hua finally let his guard down slightly. He followed behind Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia, quietly examining the bone pillars around them, trying to deduce the traces of the formation—his attention briefly wandering.
But after a while, just as he was deeply focused on the array, he suddenly sensed—a familiar wave of hostility, heading straight for him.
He was stunned.
Again?
This bastard really still wants to kill me?!
Unbelievable. So shameless it was almost impressive.
Mo Hua was speechless. He turned his head slightly—and sure enough, Xiao Magistrate had found a chance to use Water Shadow Step, closing to within three zhang of him.
Mo Hua sighed.
He could only keep dodging.
But just as Xiao Magistrate was about to strike, Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia sensed it too—their expressions turned icy, and they both moved to shield Mo Hua and strike back at Xiao.
Almost at the same time, Water Yama, who had been standing off to the side, suddenly turned red-eyed. A wave of murderous energy surged from him, and he quietly activated his Blood Eye Technique.
Not good!
Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia, seasoned veterans, had a reflexive awareness of that eye technique.
They immediately looked away and just barely managed to dodge Water Yama's eye attack.
But when they turned back—they were met by another pair of blood-drenched eyes.
Xiao Magistrate.
His eyes glowed blood-red. Inside them, a sea of blood roared, murderous energy howled, and wailing souls shrieked.
Water Yama's gaze was a distraction. Xiao's was the real attack.
Gu and Xia had dodged the feint—but not the real strike. And so, they still fell victim to it.
Working in tandem with Water Yama, Xiao aimed to finish the fight in one go. The moment he struck, he used his strongest Blood Eye Technique, swift and overwhelming.
His eye technique was far stronger than Water Yama's.
Gu and Xia felt an intense rush of murderous intent invade their minds. Their spiritual seas burned with pain. Faces pale, expressions twisted—they stood frozen, unable to move.
"Uncle Gu!"
Mo Hua cried out in alarm and turned to flee—only to meet Xiao Magistrate's blood-red eyes head-on.
He blinked, startled—but his gaze remained clear.
Xiao was also momentarily stunned.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Mo Hua suddenly reacted with a scream. "Ahhh!" he howled in pain, collapsing to the ground and clutching his eyes, thrashing and rolling dramatically.
"Ah! My eyes!"
Meanwhile, he quietly rubbed his own eyes until they turned red.
(End of this Chapter)