Chapter 710: The Loophole
The tide of demons surged relentlessly.
The aura of evil spirits, too, flowed without end.
Inside the room, the chilling yin energy thickened layer upon layer, and each wave carried different flavors—some violent, some cunning, some sinister, some authoritative. It felt like endless varieties of evil spirits were appearing, and their offensive was as vast as the sea.
In the face of this overwhelming ocean of demonic tide, Mo Hua's small figure stood firm and unmoving.
Wenren Wei watched nervously, his palms slick with cold sweat.
He was worried for Mo Hua—and equally so for little Master Yu'er.
Who knew how much time passed? Just as Wenren Wei was growing increasingly anxious, all of the malevolent energy suddenly vanished.
The inexplicable chill withdrew, the oppressive gloom abruptly lightened. Wenren Wei looked around again—though he still couldn't see anything, he could feel it: the evil spirits… were truly gone.
Immediately, he looked toward the inner chamber—only to see Mo Hua had already opened his eyes.
The Divine Authority Tree had quieted. The demonic army had been completely devoured.
Mo Hua let out a long breath, eyes bright.
Wenren Wei cautiously glanced at Mo Hua. Seeing that his gaze was righteous, expression calm, and devoid of madness or corruption, he finally relaxed. Still, he tested the waters:
"Young master, are you…"
Mo Hua gave a radiant smile.
"I'm fine."
Wenren Wei was greatly relieved and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for your efforts, young master."
Mo Hua didn't stand on ceremony. He nodded and said,
"Yu'er's fine now. It's getting late—I'll head back and rest."
Wenren Wei bowed again—this time more reverently than ever before.
"Many thanks, Young Lord Mo!"
Mo Hua returned the courtesy politely, then walked off with light steps.
After Mo Hua left, Wenren Wei raised his head to inspect the room's four walls—still shaken.
Everything was… gone.
As if the earlier oppressive darkness, demonic aura, and stifling dread had all been an illusion.
He turned to look at Yu'er again.
The child still lay in bed, breathing softly, tiny mouth slightly open. He even smacked his lips from time to time, as if he were enjoying something delicious in a dream.
From beginning to end… he'd slept sweetly.
Wenren Wei recalled what Miss Wenren Wan had said—and couldn't help but feel both gratified and emotional.
"Miss Wan was right… Young Master Yu'er really has met a little guardian spirit…"
Meanwhile, Mo Hua had just returned to his room.
He immediately sat down on the bed, crossed his legs, and began meditating—his divine sense diving into his sea of consciousness.
He had just gorged himself on wave after wave of demons—his sea of consciousness was stuffed to bursting. He needed to digest.
And his divine sense… was no longer able to be suppressed.
Inside his consciousness, Mo Hua focused intently, and began refining the massive amount of demonic will he'd swallowed whole earlier. He purified it—removing the filth, keeping only the essence—and absorbed it one by one, strengthening himself.
Threads of refined divine thought merged into his divine sense avatar.
Mo Hua's divine sense surged rapidly.
In just moments, the purified demonic energy had filled in the gaps of his divine sense and broken through the long-standing bottleneck.
It was like a dam had burst—waters rushing forward with unstoppable force.
Mo Hua's divine sense broke through the barrier between sixteen-rune mid Foundation Establishment and late Foundation Establishment, and successfully advanced to seventeen runes!
Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivation with Seventeen-Rune Divine Sense!
At that moment, everything became clear.
Mo Hua felt his sea of consciousness expand again, his divine sense deepen significantly.
The range of his spiritual perception had also grown by a large margin.
With his new divine sense foundation, his Derivative Algorithms and Deceptive Calculations had grown more efficient and stable.
But more importantly—
Array Formations!
He could now finally learn seventeen-rune formations!
Even though they were just low-high-grade tier-two formations—not yet true "advanced" (which began at nineteen runes)—they were still the gateway to high-level formations.
Seventeen-rune arrays could still pack a punch, even against regular late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Mo Hua felt his spine stiffen with confidence.
"As long as I get the chance to set up my array… even late-Foundation Establishment cultivators will be eating dirt!"
But arrays could wait.
Because Mo Hua realized—this "buffet" wasn't over yet.
He had eaten far more than expected.
His divine sense had already reached seventeen runes—and even beyond that, slightly stronger than a typical seventeen.
But the purified demonic energy kept coming, flooding in and merging with his divine avatar.
Mo Hua's divine sense was still growing...
"Wait… am I about to hit eighteen runes?!"
The bottleneck between seventeen and eighteen was smaller—it was a minor realm barrier, not as tough as sixteen to seventeen.
Mo Hua's little heart thumped—and then his face lit up with a beaming smile.
"Eighteen runes!"
"Two levels in one step!"
Overjoyed, Mo Hua calmed his excitement and continued his meditation, focusing on refining more demonic thought and expanding his divine sense.
As he had hoped, his divine sense grew visibly stronger with each passing breath.
Finally—just a little more, and he'd reach the eighteenth-rune realm…
He could even feel the bottleneck cracking, beginning to dissolve…
Mo Hua's face glowed with joy.
But just then—
Everything stopped.
Somewhere in the void… something quivered.
The sensation—it reminded Mo Hua of the Dao Tablet.
It felt like…
The Heavenly Dao?
Mo Hua's heart jolted. He faintly sensed that some supreme will had briefly glanced at him through the fabric of reality—
—And then noticed that something was… off.
A moment later, a rule—one that had never existed—descended upon Mo Hua.
His divine sense kept growing—but the bottleneck no longer budged.
All that excess divine energy? It was vanishing—swallowed into nothingness.
His divine sense no longer improved.
Mo Hua blinked, dumbfounded.
"Wait—what?"
"Where's my eighteenth-rune divine sense?"
"I was just this close…"
He looked around—
And suddenly noticed, inside his sea of consciousness, a strange rift had appeared out of nowhere.
That rift was pitch black, yet faintly laced with gold.
It looked like the manifestation of some kind of law or principle—a crystallized representation of the Great Dao.
This law had appeared out of nowhere—but had fused completely with his sea of consciousness.
And now, any demonic thought he refined and absorbed was being sucked into that rift—vanishing.
It was as if the Heavenly Dao didn't permit his divine sense to grow any further.
So it had spontaneously patched a loophole—with a new law.
That law had manifested as a gold-veined, black rift in the void.
Whenever Mo Hua's divine sense tried to grow—it would get confiscated.
It placed a hard cap on his divine power—preventing him from breaking through some unseen limit.
Mo Hua was stunned.
"…What the hell?"
"Am I a loophole in the Heavenly Dao now?"
"So it just slapped on a patch to fix me?"
"…You've got to be kidding me…"
Mo Hua couldn't help but feel a little bit resentful.
He was just a lowly little Foundation Establishment cultivator—did Heaven really have to "target" him like this?
And this was already the second time.
Mo Hua remembered that when he first broke through to Foundation Establishment, his divine sense had surged drastically. But later, it seemed to surpass some kind of threshold, and was then suppressed by a Heavenly Dao law.
Then, under the Celestial Evolution Art and the Mìtiān Array, his divine sense was forcibly restructured—from overwhelming "quantity" to refined "quality."
And now, once again…
Just a step away—just one step from reaching eighteen runes—and a temporary law had descended to suppress him again.
Mo Hua couldn't help but purse his lips and mutter internally:
"Heaven's really stingy…"
After that internal grumble, Mo Hua sighed again.
His sea of consciousness had become incredibly… complicated.
There was his own domain—his divine avatar.
Then there was the mysterious Dao Tablet, the tribulation-marked lightning rune, and now, a bizarre Heavenly Dao Law.
Especially this law…
Mo Hua felt a headache coming on.
He swallowed a bit more demonic will and spent some of his divine sense to manifest an array, running several tests—and finally pieced together the rough function of the law.
That law… was basically a divine sense tax.
He could still use his divine sense. He could consume it, restore it, manipulate it as normal.
But he could no longer increase it.
Any increase would be deducted by that rift-like Heavenly Law.
Mo Hua was a little distressed.
He wasn't mad about the deduction itself—but how long would it keep deducting?
Surely not… forever?
Maybe when his cultivation caught up and his realm finally aligned with his divine sense—balancing out or at least no longer being so exaggerated—the law would dissolve?
Or perhaps, once it had "eaten" enough divine sense, the law would disappear on its own?
The Great Dao was aloof, its laws silent. No one could give Mo Hua an answer.
He let out a long sigh.
"Guess it is what it is…"
Better to count your blessings.
Seventeen runes, then. So be it.
Besides, his divine sense was already peak seventeen-rune—just a hair away from eighteen.
For his current stage, that was… "barely" sufficient.
As for what came after—
Mo Hua figured it didn't matter how long the Heavenly Dao wanted to "tax" him.
Because there was nothing he could do about it anyway…
Who could predict the whims of the Dao?
Since that's the case, he might as well cultivate steadily, as always, and continue to temper his divine sense.
Once his cultivation grew strong enough—or his divine sense had been "rebalanced"—he'd eventually break free of the suppression.
Mo Hua stared again at that pitch-black, gold-lined rift in his sea of consciousness and suddenly felt curious.
"Laws… what are they, exactly?"
"Why would a law look like this?"
"Black with gold… like a rip in space. And why can it devour divine sense?"
"Void… cracks… could it have something to do with the Hollow Void Realm?"
Mo Hua instantly felt like he'd stepped into something profound.
He decided that, when he had free time in the future, he'd study this "law" and see if he could figure something out—maybe even learn from it.
After all, since this uninvited guest had moved into his sea of consciousness, he might as well try to squeeze some benefits out of it. No reason to waste the opportunity!
With that thought, Mo Hua's mood immediately brightened.
A Heavenly Dao Law!
He'd never seen one before.
Or rather, this wasn't something a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator—heck, not even ordinary cultivators—should have access to.
Yet here it was: a clear and present manifestation of a Heavenly Dao Law, residing in his sea of consciousness, deducting his divine sense without end.
Yes, it was suppressing him—but at the same time, it gave him the chance to directly witness the materialization and operation of a Heavenly Dao Law.
All things in life had two sides—calamity and blessing often came together.
Mo Hua nodded to himself, spirits high.
But for now, he didn't have time to study it in depth—he had more demon "takeout" to finish.
He still had a lot of leftover "food" from the altar. Can't let it go to waste!
Mo Hua resumed absorbing the demon will.
Though this time… it felt a little "tasteless."
After all, none of the demonic energy actually made it into his belly—it was all snatched away by the Heavenly Dao.
Mo Hua felt a little wronged. But sticking to his "no waste" policy, he still ate it all anyway.
Afterward, he clearly felt that the Heavenly Law's suppression… had loosened just a little.
Apparently, it was getting full too.
"Just as I thought…"
Mo Hua sighed again—and silently swore that one day, he would definitely squeeze every last benefit from the Heavenly Dao.
"You don't just steal my snacks and get away with it!"
With a quiet "hmph," Mo Hua composed himself and began reviewing array patterns on the Dao Tablet.
He had preparations to make.
In the coming days, he would officially begin studying seventeen-rune array formations!
Elsewhere – Great Void Sect, Forbidden Grounds behind the mountain.
A void rift suddenly tore open from thin air.
Venerable Elder Xun, white-haired and solemn, stepped out from the void.
He had been in the Elder Hall, isolating himself from the world to quietly calculate karmic cause and effect—but just moments ago, he had sensed an enormous wave of sword intent. It was impossible to ignore.
But as he tried to divine the source—his compass refused to stop turning.
With no choice, Venerable Elder Xun had patiently waited for the calculations to complete before rushing over to investigate.
Inside the Sword Tomb, a long-bearded elder sat motionless in a daze.
Venerable Elder Xun looked around warily, his expression grave.
"Senior Brother… you drew your sword again?"
The long-bearded elder gently stroked the broken sword at his side, his gaze unfocused, and shook his head.
"Half-drawn…"
Venerable Elder Xun frowned.
What did "half-drawn" even mean? He unsheathed the sword… but didn't strike?
Elder Xun glanced again at the long-bearded elder, noting how his thoughts seemed distant, preoccupied with something. A sense of unease crept over him.
"Senior Brother," he asked cautiously, "what happened?"
The long-bearded elder's sharp gaze flickered with contemplation, before he suddenly asked a strange question:
"Does our Great Void Sect… raise a divine beast?"
"…A divine beast?"
Elder Xun blinked, thoroughly confused.
Why was his senior brother asking something so random all of a sudden?
Could it be—
Elder Xun's expression tensed.
Had his senior brother's mind been damaged?
Contaminated by demonic thoughts, or perhaps backlashed by sword intent?
Had his injuries worsened—reaching his sea of consciousness and clouding his thoughts?
Elder Xun fell silent.
He looked at his senior brother, who had spent his entire life worrying for the sect, exhausting himself mentally and physically. His body shattered, soul scarred, now left alone to watch over the Sword Tomb—accompanied only by broken swords and shattered steel.
His heart ached at the thought.
He sighed deeply, suppressing the sorrow in his chest. Shaking his head with a weary sigh, he replied:
"Divine beasts… where would you even find one of those these days?"
But the long-bearded elder didn't pick up on Elder Xun's hidden concerns. He simply continued to ponder.
"Then… has any extraordinary expert taken lodging within our Great Void Sect recently?"
Elder Xun searched his memories, then shook his head.
"No one like that."
Yes, there had been visitors—but none who would qualify as a "great expert" in his senior brother's eyes.
The long-bearded elder furrowed his brows, deliberated for a moment, and asked:
"Then… in recent years, has our Great Void Sect taken in any prodigiously talented disciples?"
Prodigiously talented?
Elder Xun was briefly startled, then began to reflect.
There were indeed several highly gifted disciples in this generation—many possessed top-tier spiritual roots and excellent aptitude.
But such talents wouldn't normally catch his senior brother's attention.
Someone at his senior brother's cultivation level—nearing the very limit of what cultivators could reach—would only deem a person "prodigiously gifted" if they stood head and shoulders above even other geniuses.
As Elder Xun's thoughts turned, he suddenly thought of Mo Hua.
That boy…
When it came to array formations, he was absolutely extraordinary.
But outside of that? Not one area was up to par.
He was the very definition of hyper-specialized.
And array formations… had nothing to do with his senior brother.
His senior didn't even dabble in arrays, so why would he care about an array prodigy?
Just to be safe, Elder Xun still asked, "What sort of 'talent' are you referring to?"
The long-bearded elder's eyes flickered with deep thought.
If it was truly a disciple from our sect… then this person must possess terrifying divine sense and an extremely lethal will.
He replied slowly:
"Someone with an innate connection to the sword…
A disciple born with sword intent, or capable of manifesting divine sense naturally…
Someone who excels at combat and slaughter…"
Innate sword intent? Divine sense for battle…?
Elder Xun nodded slightly in realization.
Well then—it definitely wasn't Mo Hua.
That child was an array master, not a sword cultivator. He could barely even hold a sword properly, let alone fight with one. Soft-spoken and gentle—he didn't look like he could hurt a fly.
As for the other disciples? Nothing came to mind.
Their sect had sealed away the technique of turning divine sense into swords as a forbidden art.
And even their current sword techniques weren't particularly advanced.
If some top-tier prodigy were truly born with "innate sword intent," they wouldn't have joined the Great Void Sect to learn such mediocre sword arts.
In the entire Qianxue Prefecture, there were countless dedicated sword sects they could have chosen instead.
Even if the forbidden technique was still available, they wouldn't dare let a prodigy use it—unless that person's fate was outrageously sturdy and simply couldn't be killed.
"No one like that," Elder Xun concluded.
The long-bearded elder closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh—disappointed.
Elder Xun frowned.
"Senior Brother… why are you asking all this?"
The long-bearded elder opened his eyes, gazing at his junior—a man now old and white-haired, who had once been elegant and brimming with youthful energy. The memory of those younger days surfaced in his mind, and in the end… he couldn't bring himself to worry the man any further.
"It's nothing. Just asking," he replied lightly.
Elder Xun didn't buy it, but seeing that his senior had already shut his eyes again—clearly unwilling to speak more—he could only sigh.
"Stubborn your whole life… now halfway in the grave, and you still won't change."
Shaking his head in frustration, Elder Xun grumbled and warned:
"Save your strength. Don't go drawing your sword again…"
Then he turned, raised a hand, tore open a void rift, and left.
After Elder Xun departed, the long-bearded elder slowly opened his eyes once more.
He turned his gaze toward the majestic, ancient silhouette of the Great Void Mountain, frowning as he muttered:
"…Just who was it?"
The vast mountain loomed, shrouded in lush greenery, concealing everything beneath its canopy.
The long-bearded elder's eyes gleamed sharply.
"If you make a move again… next time, I will catch you."
(End of Chapter)