Chapter 861: Master
"What… is this thing?"
Mo Hua frowned and thought for a moment—then suddenly remembered.
He'd encountered this thing before.
The first time he "ordered from the menu" at the blood-colored fishing village altar, he had sensed this same bizarre, deformed, yet terrifyingly powerful node.
Back then, it was his first time placing an order, and he'd lacked confidence. The overwhelming evil aura from that node had intimidated him—so he didn't dare pick it.
He never expected… to run into it again now.
"What sort of monster is hidden in this node's nightmare...? Should I try ordering it?"
Mo Hua rested his chin in thought, uncertain.
He probed the node again.
Previously, his perception hadn't gone deep. But now that his divine path had reached a minor attainment—and with a fragment of an evil god attached to him—he counted as one of the rare Divine Dao experts within the second rank.
Even though his composition was... complicated.
One-third human, one-third divine, and the last third… now tainted by an evil god.
But precisely because of this, he could now sense that chaotic, distorted "creature" even more clearly.
The being inside the node radiated a vile, tangled aura. It seemed to be a fusion of all sorts of flesh, various creatures and demons, merged together around a single embryo.
It held the stench of an evil god—dense and suffocating.
In fact, in some ways, it wasn't even weaker than the Evil Fetus within him.
But at the same time, it was riddled with twisted flesh, malformed desires, demonic limbs—and even carried a faint… corruption aura.
Mo Hua furrowed his brow.
Before, he had only sensed it was a "big guy."
Now, he realized… this thing might be far more powerful than he'd expected.
In hindsight, being cautious that first time had been the right call.
If he had provoked that "big guy" back in the fishing village—before completing his divine path, without mastering divine sword techniques or divine formation arts—he'd likely be dead by now.
Mo Hua sighed.
"As expected… there are endless hidden dangers in the Divine Path. Even if I now have strength comparable to a god, I still need to tread carefully."
Especially after being thoroughly tricked by that little evil lamb, he'd definitely learned his lesson.
As for this "big guy"?
Let it be for now. He'd come back for it when he was stronger.
"Besides… I'm using Yu'er as bait."
If the monster was too powerful, it would put Yu'er in even more danger.
Better safe than sorry.
Just thinking about it made Mo Hua regretful.
"Tch… I got emotional and over-ordered…"
After getting possessed by the Evil Fetus, he'd been furious and impulsively "ordered" a bunch of monsters.
Now all of them would invade Yu'er's nightmares—piling all that pressure onto her.
Mo Hua winced.
"Maybe I should cancel a few…"
He sat back down on the altar, tried to communicate with the Tree of Divine Authority—only to discover:
Ordering monsters was easy. Canceling them? Not so much.
Altering an already established nightmare path meant reversing karmic causality. That involved tampering with the Heavenly Dao—and would require a massive consumption of divine will.
Mo Hua was stunned.
But after thinking it over, he figured it should still be fine.
Sure, his soul was now corrupted. Sure, the Sword of Divine Dread was sealed. Sure, he couldn't access his full strength.
But the monsters invading Yu'er's dreams were just normal demons.
With his 19-pattern divine sense, he could still steamroll them without relying on soul techniques or sword condensation.
Normal demons weren't even worthy of his Sword of Divine Dread.
He'd simply fight and feed—battling as he consumed.
Using war to sustain war. That'd solve the energy cost too.
As long as he focused on protecting Yu'er, it should be manageable.
Mo Hua nodded in reassurance and was about to leave the altar…
…but just as he moved, he sensed something strange.
He'd been too focused before—fighting the Evil Fetus, frantically ordering monsters. No time to notice.
Now that it was quiet and the ordering was done, Mo Hua suddenly noticed—
The altar itself… was strange.
When he sat on it, it felt like there were streams of evil desire feeding into him.
But they weren't strong.
Mo Hua cultivated deep meditation techniques, frequently purifying his mind, so he instinctively rejected them without thought.
But now that he tasted them more closely… they felt odd.
Lustful, violent, greedy, mad—these weren't demonic evil thoughts, but more like the innate desires of humans.
These desires, channeled through some karmic link, were flowing into the altar—nourishing Mo Hua.
No—more accurately, nourishing the Evil Fetus fused into his Fushi Soul.
Mo Hua pondered, then had a flash of realization.
He understood the karmic logic behind the Dragon King Temple's altar.
The Evil Fetus… was the true master of the Dragon King Temple.
Everything here—the entire structure and ritual—was designed to nourish this Evil Fetus, helping it break free from its cocoon and be reborn as a god.
The Blood Pool? Its amniotic fluid.
Mister Wu and the temple guardian? Its servants.
The Rouged Boat? Its rice bowl.
The various cultivators aboard that boat—along with their lust, greed, delusion, obsession, desire, love, hatred…
All of it was food for the Evil Fetus.
And now that the Evil Fetus had fused with Mo Hua's soul—all that desire-crafted "food" was being delivered directly to him.
And not just that…
Mo Hua, feeling more carefully, found he was also being fed something bloodier, crueler, colder—tainted karma soaked in sin.
As if someone… was committing atrocities on his behalf.
These killings, too, were being distilled into karmic sin and sent to nourish and hatch him—more accurately, to hatch the Evil Fetus within him.
He hadn't understood the deeper workings before, but now, having become the host of the Evil Fetus, he saw it all more clearly.
"Desire becomes flesh. Karma becomes bone."
"This… is how an Evil Fetus transforms into an Evil God."
"Desires come from the Rouged Boat… but where do these sins come from?"
Mo Hua frowned. Then, on impulse, his divine will withdrew from the dream and began searching around the real-world altar.
Eventually, on the offering table in front of the altar—he found a strange object.
A wordless blood stele.
It was soaked in fresh blood… but had no visible writing.
As if someone had written on it using blood, but the words weren't meant for "humans" to see.
So the writing, along with the blood, had sunk into the stone.
It resembled a contract of divine souls.
No one else could see it—but Mo Hua could.
Though it was faint, he could make out faintly glowing names on the so-called blank stele.
One by one—names.
Mo Hua's expression darkened. He quickly pulled out a jade slip from his storage ring.
The list from Boss Jiang.
The blood pact of the Sin Cultivators, headed by Fire Buddha and Water Yama.
The names on the blood stele… were almost identical to those on the jade slip.
"So this is the root…"
Mo Hua finally understood what that list was really for.
It was a soul contract.
The Sin Cultivators had sworn a blood pact—leaving their names on that list.
In doing so, they had sold their divine souls, offering them to an Evil God.
From that point on, every evil act, every murder they committed—would channel its karmic aftermath through the altar, feeding the Evil God, nurturing the Evil Fetus, helping it grow stronger.
But the darkest part of all?
Those Sin Cultivators… likely had no idea.
And there was… one more thing.
On the surface, it just looked like a "list."
A list of sinners forming an "alliance," a list of those receiving "protection" from above, a list demonstrating loyalty to the Lord of the Great Wilderness.
But what they didn't know—was that this was also a death list.
Because Mo Hua could feel it. From the names engraved on that blank blood-stele, he could sense traces of their divine souls.
When those Sin Cultivators signed the list, they had actually severed a piece of their soul and offered it to the Lord of the Great Wilderness.
He now held their life force—and by extension, their life and death.
If any of them betrayed him, the Lord could—through this Soul Contract List—snuff out their lives in a single thought.
"As expected… anyone who serves an evil god is destined for ruin."
"Their very lives are held in someone else's hands… and they probably don't even realize it…"
Mo Hua shook his head with a sigh.
He wanted to study the list further, but suddenly—
BOOM!
A heavy rumble echoed through the ground, shaking the floor.
Something… was pounding against the inner hall's gate.
Mo Hua's heart jumped.
"Someone's breaking in?"
"No—wait…" Mo Hua suddenly remembered. "It's Uncle Gu and the others… trying to rescue me?"
Only now did he realize—after a brutal battle with the Evil Fetus, a binge-ordering spree of monsters, and a deep dive into altar research…
He had no idea how much time had passed.
Uncle Gu and the others must've been getting anxious.
"Alright, let's head out first…"
But when he looked up, he realized with a frown:
He was at the bottom of the blood pool.
The blood had been completely drained. What remained was a deep, pitch-black pit—with no way out.
"...How do I get out of here?"
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
The altar lit up.
Some hidden formation began to activate. Gears turned. White bones clicked into stone.
A deep rumble followed—
The massive altar, with Mo Hua seated atop, slowly rose upward, as if carrying its master to the surface.
Mo Hua sucked in a breath.
"This altar… is responding to me?"
"No. Not just the altar. Is it… the entire Dragon King Temple?"
Mo Hua frowned, deep in thought.
The Evil Fetus was the true master of the Dragon King Temple.
And now, that Evil Fetus had fused with his soul.
The Evil Fetus is me.
I… am the Evil Fetus.
In other words—
I am now the master… of the Dragon King Temple.
Mo Hua opened his mouth, stunned. His heart thundered with awe.
Outside the bone maze…
Dozens of cultivators had gathered—some in the official robes of the Dao Court Division, others from the Gu Clan and the Xia Clan.
Grouped into squads of ten, they had formed battle arrays.
Talismans, artifacts, formations, and spells—everything they had—they hurled at the twisted, horn-shaped main gate of the inner palace.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed endlessly. Smoke billowed, rocks trembled, debris flew.
But no matter what they tried—
The gate would not open.
Gu Changhuai's face was pale with worry. Magistrate Xia's expression was equally grim.
Time ticked away.
The ancient, curled-horn gate—after withstanding dozens of attacks—remained utterly unmoved. Not even a crack appeared.
Hope began to wither in everyone's hearts.
Gu Changhuai finally let out a long sigh and said guiltily,
"Notify the Great Void Sect… Mo Hua, I'm afraid…"
He couldn't finish the sentence.
He had always been a cold, indifferent man—
But now, his face was filled with deep sorrow.
Even Magistrate Xia's eyes gleamed with grief.
Everyone obeyed the order, quietly preparing to retreat.
But just then—
BOOOOOM.
A low rumble rang out, followed by the grinding of bones and stone…
Everyone's expression changed.
They turned their heads sharply—and to their shock—
The massive, ancient gate—the one they'd blasted, smashed, cursed, and bombarded with every spell and formation they had—was now…
Opening on its own.
A strange, eerie aura seeped through the crack.
It felt like something was about to emerge.
This door… it would never open so easily. Unless—
Everyone's hearts tensed at once, ready for battle.
But the terrifying, blood-soaked enemy they expected… never appeared.
Instead…
A single head poked through the gap.
It was Mo Hua.
He looked around—left, right—then finally noticed the dozens of people crowded outside.
At that moment, every single pair of eyes turned to stare directly at him.
Mo Hua scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uh… wow. This is… quite the welcome party…"
Everyone just stood there, utterly frozen.
Their thoughts a tangled mess.
...
Meanwhile,
Inside a side hall of the Dragon King Temple—
There was no one else present.
Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia personally checked Mo Hua from head to toe.
After confirming he had no injuries, his spirit was stable, and he showed no abnormalities, they finally let out a genuine sigh of relief.
Of course… Mo Hua did have some pretty massive abnormalities—
They just couldn't tell.
Magistrate Xia gave him one long look, then suddenly pulled him into a hug.
She patted his back, her voice trembling slightly as she murmured:
"As long as you're alright…"
It was unclear if she was comforting him, or herself.
She was the magistrate—responsibility weighed heavily on her.
On the surface, it looked like Mo Hua had been trapped in the inner sanctum trying to save them.
If something really had happened to him… she'd carry that guilt for the rest of her life.
Mo Hua was a little surprised—
Also, a little touched.
Magistrate Xia might seem cold on the outside, but inside, she was soft as silk.
Gu Changhuai also looked like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.
If Mo Hua really had suffered an accident…
He wouldn't know how to face the Great Void Sect, Cousin Wan'er, Aunt Gu Hong, or even himself.
"As long as you're safe…"
He echoed quietly.
Once everyone had calmed down, and with no others around, Gu Changhuai finally asked with a frown:
"Where's that Mister Wu? He didn't do anything to you, right? What exactly happened in there?"
Mo Hua was already prepared.
He half-truthed and half-lied: "That Mister Wu… I think he was trying to offer me to something. But maybe I was just lucky— During the ritual, he suddenly… died. And I escaped."
Gu Changhuai: "…"
He was silent for a moment, then gave Mo Hua a helpless look:
"…That's it?"
Mo Hua nodded. "That's it."
"He just… suddenly died?"
"Yes," Mo Hua said. "Very suddenly. Just in the blink of an eye."
…because I killed him.
Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua and sighed.
"Fine."
Magistrate Xia's expression was a little strange.
Of course, she wanted Mo Hua to be lucky enough to turn misfortune into blessing… But this level of "blessing" seemed a little too… heaven-defying.
Or maybe—Mo Hua wasn't telling the full truth?
Still, at this point, neither of them wanted to pry. The most important thing was that he came back alive and well.
Mo Hua, meanwhile, looked around and asked:
"Where are Senior Brother Feng and Senior Sister Qianqian?"
Gu Changhuai replied: "Originally, I planned to send them back to their sects. But when you went missing, they refused to leave."
"I also didn't dare leave them in the inner temple—who knows what might happen in that cursed place. One's from the Great Void Sect, one's from the Grand Azure Sect, and the other's from the Hundred Flower Valley… Just thinking about explaining all that gives me a headache."
"So, I left them waiting at the gate. They should be on their way now."
Sure enough, a little while later, Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian arrived.
Seeing Mo Hua safe and sound, both of them were overjoyed.
Even the normally calm and composed Ouyang Feng couldn't help but hug him. He patted Mo Hua on the shoulder and said, with a trembling voice:
"Junior Brother Mo…"
He was so emotional he could barely speak. After a moment, he steadied his feelings, stepped back, and bowed solemnly.
"Junior Brother Mo—great gratitude needs no words."
"Senior Brother Feng, you're too polite…"
Before Mo Hua could finish, a waft of fragrance came from the side— And Hua Qianqian threw herself at him.
Earlier, when Mo Hua's fate was uncertain, she'd been holding back her emotions. But now that he was safe, she couldn't hold back the tears any longer.
"Junior Brother Mo, I'm so glad you're okay…"
She sobbed as she wiped her tears and snot on Mo Hua's robe.
Mo Hua could only try to comfort her.
"I'm fine, really. Don't worry, Senior Sister…"
In any case, this Dragon King Temple ordeal had ended in relief. No one was hurt.
The three of them chatted for a while. Then Mo Hua asked Gu Changhuai to escort Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian back to their sects.
As they were parting ways, Mo Hua quietly gave them a warning:
"Senior Brother Feng, Senior Sister Qianqian—listen closely. Do not tell anyone about the Rouged Boat or the Dragon King Temple."
"I've already spoken to the Dao Court Division.
Uncle Gu and Magistrate Xia will keep things quiet too."
"As for the Dragon King Temple—if someone presses, just say you happened to pass by and joined the rescue effort."
"But the Rouged Boat… you've never been. And don't ever mention it again."
Because if you do…
Even if you jumped into the Yellow River, you wouldn't wash the blame off.
Mo Hua's gaze was solemn.
Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian both tensed.
They exchanged a look, then nodded seriously.
Mo Hua then watched as they departed aboard one of the Gu Clan's small boats, leaving the Dragon King Temple behind.
He then turned around and went to find Gu Changhuai again.
Seeing him return, Gu Changhuai was a little surprised.
"You're still here?"
"I want to search the Dragon King Temple," Mo Hua replied.
"Search it?"
"Mm." He nodded.
With the Dao Court Division still here and fully staffed, it was the perfect opportunity.
He wanted to thoroughly comb through the temple, from top to bottom.
He had a feeling— If it was called the "Dragon King Temple," then surely… there had to be something related to a dragon inside.
More importantly—he had now fused with the Evil Fetus.
In a sense, this ancient Dragon King Temple was his now.
As the master— He needed to take inventory of his own domain.
(End of Chapter)