Chapter 1151: Military March
Over the next few days, accompanied by Yang Jiyong, Mo Hua familiarized himself with Dao Soldier combat protocol and the battlefield formations commonly used during marches. Thanks to Yang Jiyong leveraging his family connections, Mo Hua was even granted a personal set of Dao Soldier attire and a Dao Soldier Token.
On the back of the Dao Soldier Token, a line of small characters was engraved: "Lí Prefecture, Great Black Mountain Prefecture Border – Mo Hua."
This was a token exclusive to Mo Hua.
From this moment on, his name and origin were officially registered with the Dao Soldier Division, making him a recognized Dao Soldier under the Dao Court.
And this… was who-knows-which-number identity Mo Hua had assumed now.
A rogue cultivator from Tongxian City, a freelance cultivator under the Dao Court Division, junior brother of the Great Void Sect, top array prodigy in Qianxue Prefecture, a second-grade array master of the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion, the young master of the Great Void Sect, the personal disciple of Mister Zhuang, and the little grandnephew of the Trickster Daoist...
Yep, quite the resume. But when you're out in the world, networking is key. The more identities, the more paths you can walk.
After that, preparations to suppress the rebellion in the Great Wilderness continued in full swing.
Inside the military camp, Dao Soldiers were being mobilized frequently. Amidst the hustle and bustle lurked a heavy, stormy tension.
Mo Hua wasn't nervous about the upcoming march and battle—what weighed on his heart was the big tiger.
He didn't know how the tiger had fared these past days in the underground Demon Arena—whether it had been bullied or tormented again.
Mo Hua wanted to rescue the big tiger, but his hands were tied for now. He could only wait for the right moment.
And according to his calculations, that opportunity would come when the Dao Court's army departed.
Once the army marched south to suppress the rebel barbarian forces, the Great Wilderness Sect—being a directly subordinate sect of the Dao Court—would be sending a large number of cultivators to join the campaign.
As a result, the defense in Desert City would weaken, and the young master of the Demon Arena, Tuoba, would lose much of his backing.
That would be the perfect time to destroy the arena and free the tiger—success rate, significantly higher.
After rescuing the tiger, Mo Hua planned to disappear into the army camp, tag along with the Yang Clan's Dao Soldiers, head south to the Great Wilderness, earn some battlefield merit, and build up his credentials.
More importantly, he intended to use the power of the Dao Court to infiltrate the royal court of the Great Wilderness.
From the Great Wilderness royal heritage, he would seek clues left behind by the Grand Shaman in order to comprehend the Twelve Meridian Gluttonous Spirit Bone-Crushing Grand Array, forge his life-bound array, and finally attempt to form his Golden Core.
Based on Mo Hua's prior speculation, the royal legacy of the Great Wilderness, and the absolute formations left by the Grand Shaman, were undoubtedly state secrets.
They had to be sealed deep within the royal court—possibly even in the forbidden zones of the imperial domain.
But the rebel forces in the Great Wilderness were formidable.
Without relying on the Dao Soldier Division, Mo Hua alone would have no chance of infiltrating such guarded places to seize these legacies.
He had to borrow the Dao Court's "blade" to defeat the royal court of the Great Wilderness—only then could he fish in troubled waters.
Of course, before that, if he could find a few evil spirits to snack on and nourish his divine sense, all the better.
This plan was, for now, the most feasible.
The only problem was—he couldn't take the big tiger along.
Once he rescued the big tiger, he'd have to let it go on its own.
After all, the tiger was a man-eating demon beast, an extremely ferocious tiger demon, and a symbol of the Great Wilderness royal clan—it would never be tolerated by the Dao Soldier Division.
They would surely imprison or even kill it.
If Mo Hua took a royal beast from the Great Wilderness into battle, he'd immediately draw suspicion, scrutiny, and doubt.
So, he had no choice but to release the tiger.
Once it was rescued, they'd part ways.
At this point, there was simply no alternative.
Luckily, the Great Wilderness was vast and sparsely populated, a perfect environment for demon beasts to roam. The big tiger should have no trouble surviving on its own.
"Let's hope so," Mo Hua murmured, sighing quietly.
With that, everything proceeded according to plan.
Soon, the Dao Soldiers would begin their march—but before that, there would be a banquet.
This military banquet was specially hosted by the Nascent Soul-level sect master of the Great Wilderness Sect to entertain the many officers and commanders of the Dao Soldier Division.
It was not something ordinary Dao Soldiers were allowed to attend.
Yang Jishan and Yang Jiyong, both middle-rank commanders and members of the Yang family, were naturally invited.
Mo Hua, however, didn't qualify.
Even though he was a second-grade array master, he had no family, no backing, and no military merit. He needed to win a few battles and rack up achievements before he could advance.
Merit and battlefield performance were what mattered most.
This system also served to prevent influential families from stuffing the Dao Soldier Division with freeloaders—people who drew pay but never stepped onto the battlefield, weakening the army's power.
Array masters like Mo Hua could rise quickly if they participated in real battles.
But if they didn't, they were no different from regular soldiers.
Thus, with no official rank, Mo Hua technically had no right to attend the military banquet.
But due to his special status as a guest of the Yang family, Yang Jishan deliberately brought him along as an "attendant."
Thanks to that, Mo Hua managed to visit the Great Wilderness Sect's base and freeloaded his way into the banquet.
In the spacious plaza of Desert City, sheep were being roasted, oxen butchered, wine flowing, and smoke rising from the grills—the scent of meat and alcohol filled the air.
Ordinary soldiers also received their share of food and drink—just not as lavishly as the officers.
Mo Hua followed behind Yang Jishan and Yang Jiyong, happily stuffing his face.
As he ate and drank, he also took the chance to scan the surroundings.
This was one of the Great Wilderness Sect's branch bases within Desert City.
As a sect directly under the Dao Court, the Great Wilderness Sect operated differently from sects in the Nine Provinces.
Its main mountain gate sat in the center of the Great Wilderness, within a minor fifth-grade prefecture.
Beyond that, all across the Great Wilderness—whether large immortal cities or barbarian settlements—a Great Wilderness Sect base was usually present. Their influence was vast, and their jurisdiction wide.
You could even say that the Great Wilderness Sect functioned like a "mini Dao Court" in the region.
Just… a shrunken-down version with lower status.
Among these bases, the fourth-grade Desert City was the largest stronghold besides the main sect headquarters—sprawling and imposing.
The scale of this military banquet was also grand.
The cultivators attending all held high status.
At the very front of the banquet, several Nascent Soul experts were seated.
The one in a gold-trimmed beast-patterned Daoist robe was the Sect Master of the Great Wilderness Sect.
Seated beside him was a plain-looking elder—also at the Nascent Soul level.
Others, seated on equal footing yet exuding even greater presence, were the Nascent Soul-level generals tasked by the Dao Court with leading the suppression campaign.
The Yang family's own Nascent Soul general was among them.
While Hollow Void cultivators rarely appeared in the world, Nascent Soul experts were already peak powerhouses walking among mortals.
These individuals weren't ordinary Nascent Souls either—either sect masters ruling over vast territories, or high-ranking elders with enormous authority, or generals commanding legions of Dao Soldiers and overseeing entire regions.
Simply sitting together radiated an oppressive aura few dared look at directly.
But Mo Hua didn't feel pressured—he was used to "big scenes."
At the Great Void Sect, the one who taught him arrays was Venerable Elder Xun, a Hollow Void cultivator. His swordsmanship instructor was none other than Ancestor Dugu—a top-tier Hollow Void expert.
During the blood ritual array incident, he had crossed paths with the likes of Mister Tu, Shangguan Wang, and the Nascent Soul demons of Yin Corpse Valley and Demon Sword Sect.
So no matter how grand this scene looked—Mo Hua remained calm and composed, eating and drinking as if it were just another day.
Watching from the side, Yang Jishan quietly nodded in approval.
Handling small matters without arrogance, facing big scenes without fear—this kind of composure and grace was truly rare, a sign of someone with real potential.
"But... a youth this outstanding—if I had ever met him before, I should've remembered. There's no way I could forget..." Yang Jishan frowned, sinking into thought.
Mo Hua, meanwhile, paid all that no mind—he simply kept eating, meat in mouth, heart full of concern for the big tiger.
He worried whether it was getting enough to eat in the Demon Arena, whether it was starving.
While his thoughts were drifting, sudden noise erupted nearby. Mo Hua followed the sound and saw a group of people approaching from the other side.
Leading them was a young man in golden beast-patterned armor. He was tall and imposing, radiating nobility and strength.
Mo Hua's eyes darkened slightly.
"Young Master Tuoba…"
It was none other than the same Young Master Tuoba from the Demon Arena.
At this moment, surrounded by attendants, he strode onto the platform and bowed respectfully to the Great Wilderness Sect Master, the Grand Elder, and several Dao Soldier Commanders.
The Sect Master nodded in response, then said a few words to the generals.
Though Mo Hua couldn't hear the conversation due to the distance and sound-isolation techniques, he could more or less guess—the Sect Master was introducing his son, Young Master Tuoba, to the Dao Soldier commanders.
Young Master Tuoba stood tall and respectful, refined and commanding—a handsome and impressive figure.
The various Nascent Soul commanders all gave him high praise.
Then, the Sect Master gave him some instructions.
Young Master Tuoba responded with a "Yes" and stepped down from the platform, proceeding to toast the mid- and lower-tier commanders. He was warm, polite, and smooth-spoken, completely different from his arrogant, brutal, and murderous self in the Demon Arena.
One by one, he toasted the tables, and eventually arrived at Mo Hua's group.
Smiling, he spoke some formal pleasantries: "Thank you for your hard work, Commanders," "We shall unite to suppress the Great Wilderness rebellion," "With one heart, peace shall reign under heaven," and so on. He then raised his cup and drank with the others.
Yang Jishan and Yang Jiyong, seeing Young Master Tuoba's bearing—young, gifted, and yet so humble—were visibly impressed, and they downed their drinks in kind.
Mo Hua, blending into the crowd, silently emptied his own cup.
He was just a lowly "attendant," after all—naturally, he kept a low profile.
Young Master Tuoba also treated him "equally," or rather, didn't notice him at all.
His gaze merely brushed past Mo Hua before he moved on to the next table.
But for some reason, Young Master Tuoba suddenly paused, turned his head, and looked back at Mo Hua, his brows gradually furrowing.
Yang Jishan noticed and asked curiously, "Young Master Tuoba?"
Young Master Tuoba blinked, came back to himself, and bowed slightly, "Commander Yang."
Yang Jishan asked, "Is there something else you wished to say?"
Young Master Tuoba's eyes flickered. He looked at Mo Hua and asked, "This young man… seems unfamiliar. Is he…?"
Mo Hua smiled gently, polite and mild—but didn't speak.
Yang Jishan, who appreciated talent, was more than happy to introduce Mo Hua to Young Master Tuoba. He said:
"This young man is named Mo Hua, a gifted array master."
"An array master?" Young Master Tuoba was stunned.
Did I mistake him for someone else? He asked again, "Surname Mo… he's not from the Yang family?"
Yang Jishan replied, "No, he's not Yang family, but he is a friend of ours—very close with the younger generation of our clan."
A friend of the Yangs...
Young Master Tuoba's gaze darkened slightly. He smiled and asked, "May I ask, when did Brother Mo arrive in Desert City?"
"He—" Yang Jishan paused briefly, his thoughts turning before he smiled, "He arrived not long ago, at my invitation."
Young Master Tuoba nodded and gave Mo Hua a long, searching look. Then he praised:
"No wonder Commander Yang values him. He is indeed refined in appearance and extraordinary in temperament."
Mo Hua cupped his hands and replied courteously, "Young Master overpraises."
Young Master Tuoba nodded slightly and raised his cup, expression neither cold nor warm. "Would Brother Mo honor me with a drink?"
Mo Hua's eyes flickered. He nodded, "With pleasure."
The two clinked cups and drank.
Young Master Tuoba said no more, reverting to his polished smile as he moved on to toast the next group of commanders.
Mo Hua sipped the wine, but his mind wasn't at ease:
"Did that Tuoba brat recognize me?"
"Or is he just suspicious and unsure who I am?"
Whether he recognized him or not—it didn't matter much to Mo Hua.
He was just some elite young master at the Foundation Establishment peak.
In terms of talent and strength, Young Master Tuoba was far inferior to top prodigies like Shen Linshu and the other bloodline elites of Qianxue.
Even compared to the top four sect geniuses like Shen Zangfeng, Ao Zheng, and Xiao Ruohan, he lagged behind.
The only reason Mo Hua hadn't acted against him was because of the face of the Great Wilderness Sect.
If not for Young Master Tuoba's powerful backer—being the Sect Master's son—Mo Hua had at least a hundred ways to play him like a fiddle.
"Great Wilderness Sect…"
Mo Hua looked up toward the platform, his expression darkening slightly.
The Sect Master and Grand Elder of the Great Wilderness Sect were both Nascent Soul cultivators.
That level of configuration would match a fifth-grade major sect in Qianxue Prefecture.
It meant that, although the sect resided in a remote and politically sensitive region like the Great Wilderness, and had to keep a low profile to avoid Dao Court scrutiny, in terms of sheer power, it had already reached the fifth-grade level.
Mo Hua's gaze shifted again to the Grand Elder beside the Sect Master—his heart suddenly quivered with an odd feeling.
The Grand Elder had kept a low profile the entire time, silent and reserved, barely saying a word.
Yet something about his aura felt… vaguely familiar to Mo Hua.
And yet Mo Hua was certain—this was the first time he had ever seen this Grand Elder.
The man was a complete stranger.
"Then why… do I feel a strange sense of familiarity?"
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
Just then, the Grand Elder seemed to notice the gaze and turned toward Mo Hua's direction.
Startled, Mo Hua immediately lowered his head and started gnawing on a pig's trotter, pretending to be completely absorbed in his food.
The Grand Elder scanned the area but, finding nothing unusual, quietly looked away—returning to his silent, brooding demeanor.
Mo Hua chomped down on the trotter and quietly exhaled in relief.
After the military banquet ended, Mo Hua returned to the barracks, continuing to prepare his gear and study Dao Soldier marching regulations and tactics.
Plans for the rebellion suppression were also steadily progressing.
Five days later, all preparations were complete.
The Dao Court's grand campaign to crush the rebellion in the Great Wilderness officially began.
The main forces of the Dao Court's Dao Soldiers departed from Desert City, marching deep into the heart of the Great Wilderness.
Along the way, they would eliminate all resisting forces, storm the royal court of the Great Wilderness, execute the rebel princes and lords, pacify the Southern Wilderness, and restore the Dao Court's authority.
At this moment, Mo Hua was just an ordinary Dao Soldier among this great campaign.
Clad in a Dao Soldier's light robe, he marched with the Yang Family's troops, departing Desert City toward the Great Wilderness.
They covered about 300 li (150 km) per day.
Since the army had just begun its advance, their pace was slower at first. Coordination between different battalions was necessary, so the first day's march wasn't especially fast.
Moreover, the Dao Soldiers under Yang Jishan had already clashed with barbarian forces once before, and many of them were still wounded.
As a result, they were placed at the rear during the march.
By nightfall, they temporarily stopped to set up camp.
Mo Hua calculated the time and distance. Once he was sure it was about right, he found Yang Jiyong and said, "Brother Yang, bad news—I forgot something."
Some things needed to be done above board—it couldn't all be sneaky business.
Yang Jiyong looked puzzled. "What did you forget?"
Mo Hua replied, "The jade pendant my parents gave me for protection. I left it back in Desert City. Can I go fetch it?"
Yang Jiyong narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "You're not planning to desert, are you?"
Mo Hua's expression stiffened. He was a little speechless.
He'd already expected someone as seasoned as Yang Jiyong to be skeptical if he said he needed to go back to Desert City—but he hadn't thought he'd immediately jump to desertion.
Mo Hua said calmly, "The war hasn't even started yet—we haven't seen a single barbarian shadow. What would I be deserting from?"
Yang Jiyong thought for a moment and nodded. That made sense.
If someone wanted to desert, it would be in the heat of battle—when the enemy was overwhelming, death was imminent, and the chaos offered a chance to escape.
But right now, the army had just departed. Morale was high, formations orderly—what idiot would try to desert now?
And besides, back in Tongxian City, when facing that great demon, Mo Hua—just a teenager at the time—hadn't thought of running away.
Now he was marching with the Dao Court's army to suppress a rebellion. Why would he flee?
Yang Jiyong stared at him. "So you really left something behind in Desert City?"
Mo Hua nodded.
Indeed—his big tiger was still in Desert City.
Yang Jiyong looked into Mo Hua's clear eyes and didn't suspect anything. Still, he hesitated.
"This… isn't exactly within regulations."
Mo Hua said, "I'll be in and out. Two, three hours at most. If I leave now, I'll be back before dawn."
"The army's stationed here for the night anyway. If I move fast, I'll catch up."
Yang Jiyong considered it. Honestly… it didn't seem like a big issue.
Sure, it wasn't by the book.
But rules were made for ordinary soldiers.
Mo Hua was a rare and valuable array master. As long as he wasn't deserting and was willing to serve the Dao Soldier Division, anything could be overlooked.
Besides, the army had just left camp and hadn't traveled far. This wasn't some critical turning point of the campaign. In truth, it wasn't a big deal.
Yang Jiyong tried once more, gently: "Can't you wait until the war's over to go back and get it?"
Mo Hua's gaze dimmed. "Blades and arrows don't see faces. I'm afraid the war will end, but I won't live to see it. At the very least… I want to carry the thing my parents gave me."
Yang Jiyong's heart trembled. He had nothing more to say.
He'd served in the Dao Soldier Division long enough to know just how brutal war really was.
No matter how noble your status or dazzling your talent—one strike from a battleaxe, and death was death.
Often, it took only a second for someone to lose their head—there wasn't even time to react.
The battlefield of Dao Soldiers was a meat grinder forged in fire and iron.
Yes, one could achieve glory.
But instant death? Also very real.
"…Alright. Go early, return early," Yang Jiyong said. "If anything happens, I'll cover for you."
Mo Hua smiled. "Thanks, Brother Yang."
Without further delay, he left the camp openly and confidently. The moment he stepped out, he activated his concealment technique and disappeared into the night.
The temporary defensive formations around the camp couldn't stop him at all.
Some of them, in fact, were set up by Mo Hua himself.
Once outside, he took off his Dao Soldier armor and changed into a black robe. Then he used all his strength to unleash Flowing Water Steps, fleeing back toward Desert City.
He had to reach the city as fast as possible.
Then, while the Great Wilderness Sect's main force was away at war, and the city was left with minimal defense—while Young Master Tuoba had no one to rely on—he would destroy the Demon Arena, rescue the big tiger, find a safe place, and release it.
Afterward, he'd return to the army camp as if nothing had happened.
That way, even if the Great Wilderness Sect investigated later, he'd have a "solid alibi."
And the sect wouldn't dare lay a hand on an official Dao Soldier and certified array master under the protection of the Yang family.
The key was: he had to move stealthily—and fast.
Everything had to be done before dawn.
Mo Hua's expression was grim as he sped toward Desert City.
In the darkness, he left behind only a ripple of flowing water—melting into the night.
(End of this Chapter)