Chapter 753 – The Dense Forest
This monster was a demon cultivator—and not just any ordinary one.
Not only had it cultivated demonic arts that allowed bodily "demonization," but its body was also etched with mysterious Four Symbols Demon Runes!
Mo Hua licked his lips lightly.
Four Symbols Formation!
This was a formation system distinct from the more common Five Elements and Eight Trigrams.
It was not something the Great Void Sect ever passed down.
In fact, even in most major sects, Four Symbols Formations were exceedingly rare.
"If I can catch that monster, peel off its skin, and copy those runes…"
Mo Hua's eyes gleamed as he pushed his Flowing Water Step to the limit, feet light as wind, and chased along the blood trail left by the heavily injured demon cultivator.
That demon had lost an arm and left half its body soaked in blood, crawling along the ground and leaving behind a distinct crimson trail.
But it was, after all, a demon cultivator—its physical recovery was fast.
At first, the blood trail gushed like a spring… but gradually faded into a trickle… and eventually broke into faint, scattered blood spots.
Still, no matter how faint, it couldn't hide from Mo Hua's divine sense.
Especially since he had divination.
With the Thread of Causality guiding him, this demon cultivator had virtually no chance of escape.
He chased for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. The trail on the ground was now barely visible, the air scented with only a whisper of blood.
Mo Hua could only rely on the faint red thread of cause and effect to continue the pursuit.
But suddenly—the thread snapped.
Mo Hua frowned and looked up, only to realize that at some point, he had unknowingly entered the deepest part of the forest.
Before him stood a dense wall of trees, cloaked in mist.
In every direction—nothing but woods, stretching endlessly.
At a glance, he had no idea where he was.
Even more strange: when he released his divine sense, everything seemed normal at first glance… but upon closer inspection, he realized—
He couldn't sense a thing.
It was as if something silently absorbed every trace of his probing divine sense.
Or more precisely—as if the forest itself wove a veil of divine mist, blocking spiritual perception entirely.
The wounded demon had slipped into the forest, vanishing like a fish into the sea… a tiger back to its mountain lair… completely gone.
"Lost him…?"
Mo Hua stood frozen, brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
With his divine sense and heavenly deduction, he'd rarely lost a target—let alone one so heavily wounded.
This forest…
He stood there, staring for a long while, mind churning.
And suddenly—his pupils shrank.
What sort of power could completely block divine sense?
For something this widespread—it had to be a formation.
But ordinary formations couldn't truly block divine sense.
Most so-called "concealment" arrays only blurred it by disrupting spiritual energy, creating interference or "barriers."
Their underlying principle: confuse the flow of spiritual energy, not block spiritual perception directly.
And when probed by divine sense, these arrays always gave off a clear sense of obstruction.
But this forest—had none of that.
No clear barrier. Yet divine sense still couldn't pierce it. It was like gazing into fog—nothing came back.
A formation that could block perception at the divine sense level… that meant it had to involve divine will itself.
In other words—this formation was…
A Divine Dao Formation?!
Mo Hua gasped.
What the hell?
Buy one, get one free?!
He had never expected that in this otherwise mundane outer area of Demon-Taming Mountain—right under his nose—two kinds of rare formations would lie hidden.
The Four Symbols Formation on the demon cultivator…
And now, a Divine Dao Formation seamlessly blended into this massive forest!
Mo Hua once again released his divine sense—but as soon as it touched the forest, it was like a stone sinking into the sea—no reaction.
If not for the fact that his divine sense was both powerful and refined, he wouldn't have even noticed that it was sensing nothing.
His divine sense… was "seeing without seeing."
This forest—it existed within divine sense… and yet, it did not.
Mo Hua was shaken.
"What a brilliant trick."
"What a terrifying formation!"
He immediately wanted to step into the forest and study this Divine Dao Formation up close.
But as soon as he lifted his foot—he hesitated.
"This forest… might be dangerous…"
The demon cultivator had run here, even while wounded.
That meant this place was likely its safe haven.
Such a massive forest, hiding such a powerful Divine Dao Formation—no ordinary cultivator could have created this.
Which meant deeper within the forest—there were likely others.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Anyone allied with that demon, even if not a demon themselves, would surely be a vicious devil cultivator.
At the very least—they'd be at Foundation Establishment, possibly even Core Formation.
And Mo Hua was alone.
Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. No backup. No one watching his back.
To enter now, headfirst into unknown danger, was simply—
Too reckless.
Mo Hua sighed.
He lingered in front of the forest for a long while, torn.
In the end, he could only back down.
"What a shame…"
The Divine Dao Formation was right there.
But with things as they were, he couldn't afford to gamble.
Best to retreat for now and come back with a proper plan.
After all, the forest wasn't going anywhere—it didn't have legs.
He cast one last lingering glance at the woods—like a farmer reluctantly leaving his beloved vegetable garden.
"Once I'm ready… I'll come back to pick my crops."
He nodded solemnly, then turned and left—clearly reluctant.
After Mo Hua left, Xun Ziyou watched his back, tracking his movements.
Only after confirming that Mo Hua wouldn't encounter danger anytime soon, did he step toward the forest himself.
His top priority in Demon-Taming Mountain was protecting Mo Hua's safety.
Everything else came second.
Now that Mo Hua was safe, he could spare a little time to investigate that demon cultivator.
The forest was misty, trees tall and shadowed, wild and ancient.
Xun Ziyou walked a few circles through the woods, unleashed his divine sense several times—and found nothing.
He frowned.
A late-stage Core Formation cultivator like him… lost track of a wounded Foundation Establishment-level demon cultivator?
He'd been slacking over the years, sure—but not that much.
This wasn't his fault.
Still unwilling to admit defeat, he turned to the right and said:
"You lost him too, didn't you?"
A ripple of light appeared.
A man in Void-Piercing Dao robes stepped out, looking a bit awkward.
But his mouth still insisted:
"I was watching over Xiao'er. Didn't pay attention to the rest."
"What?"
The elder from the Void-Piercing Sect looked at Xun Ziyou and said nonchalantly, "You lost him?"
Xun Ziyou couldn't be bothered to reply.
The two of them each spread their divine sense to search the forest thoroughly, and soon both frowned.
"He really vanished…"
The Void-Piercing elder grew serious, his expression puzzled.
"What technique did that demon cultivator use to evade the divine sense of two Core Formation cultivators?"
"A stealth technique? Concealment artifact?"
Xun Ziyou shook his head.
The cultivation world was vast—filled with countless arts, techniques, and magical treasures. Even for him, it was hard to say for sure.
Logically speaking, with such a large gap in cultivation and divine sense, no matter how good the stealth method was, it should be impossible to slip past their perception.
Moreover, there was a more important issue.
Xun Ziyou frowned and said:
"Why is there a demon cultivator here in Demon-Taming Mountain?"
The Void-Piercing elder's gaze also turned grave:
"The mountain is sealed by formations. At the gate, there's an array to detect demonic and fiendish energy. Every disciple entering the mountain is screened by a warding mirror, and we elders constantly patrol the area…"
"There should only be disciples within the mountain. Apart from us patrol elders, there shouldn't be any other cultivators here."
"So how did a demon cultivator get in?"
"And how did he hide here? What's he planning?"
The two of them looked increasingly serious.
"Should we search the mountain?"
"Too much commotion could stir panic and cause bigger problems—and it might not even work…"
After all, that demon cultivator had disappeared right under the noses of two Core Formation experts.
"Should we watch the area for a bit?"
Xun Ziyou shook his head.
"We don't have the time."
Their top priority was to protect Mo Hua and Linghu Xiao.
Both men sighed.
The Void-Piercing elder looked at the forest again. The more he looked, the more perplexed he became. He muttered quietly:
"Just what technique was used to blind both our divine senses…"
Xun Ziyou also stared at the woods, frowning in confusion.
After a moment, his eyes suddenly flickered.
"Xuanjian," he said gravely, "you've been stationed at Demon-Taming Mountain for a long time. Have you ever seen this forest before?"
The Void-Piercing elder blinked, then looked again at the woods in front of them. His brows slowly knitted.
"Now that you mention it… it does seem unfamiliar…"
Demon-Taming Mountain was vast, filled with forests.
But as a stationed elder, he'd patrolled most of it over the years.
And yet, the forest before him—while seemingly ordinary, no different from other groves, maybe just broader and without a clear edge—did feel… strangely unfamiliar.
"You're saying it's not that the demon cultivator was exceptionally good at hiding… but rather, this forest is hiding something?"
The elder asked.
Xun Ziyou slowly nodded.
The Void-Piercing elder spread his divine sense again, sweeping the area.
But while their divine senses were powerful, neither of them had experienced a breakthrough in quality, nor were they versed in formations.
So even with their senses, the forest appeared perfectly empty.
"What kind of trick?" the elder asked.
Xun Ziyou shook his head.
He still hadn't figured it out.
He frowned in thought—then suddenly remembered Mo Hua.
He recalled how just moments ago, Mo Hua had stared at this forest for a long time, eyes growing brighter—as if discovering something.
Then he took a step forward like he wanted to enter, hesitated, and turned away. But before leaving, he looked back one last time—meaningfully.
Xun Ziyou thought it over carefully and found it almost unbelievable.
"Could that kid… have figured something out?"
"But how is that possible?"
They were two full Core Formation cultivators and still saw nothing. How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator see through it?
Xun Ziyou frowned.
But if it were true…
If Mo Hua had discovered something—then that meant the secret of this forest involved something Mo Hua was proficient in, and which they were not.
That would be…
Formations.
This forest had a formation cast over it. That's how it could subtly block even Core Formation-level divine sense and provide the demon cultivator with cover.
But what kind of formation?
Xun Ziyou looked around—no signs of any formation, no clues at all. The forest looked utterly ordinary.
"What kind of formation could this be?"
"And how the hell did that kid see through it?"
After all, he himself was a Core Formation cultivator—over two hundred years old.
And that kid? Not even twenty.
Yet somehow, he could see it, and Xun Ziyou couldn't?
Xun Ziyou sighed deeply.
"Geniuses are so annoying."
"Especially formation geniuses."
Formations were obscure and unfathomably deep.
With some geniuses, you didn't even know what made them amazing—and had no idea just how far behind you were…
The Void-Piercing elder watched Xun Ziyou's shifting expression and repeated sighs, and frowned.
"Did you figure something out?"
Xun Ziyou snapped back to the moment.
After some thought, he decided these were still just suspicions, and better left unsaid for now.
"No. I'm just lamenting… how we elders let a demon cultivator slip in under our noses."
He sighed.
The Void-Piercing elder nodded solemnly.
Xun Ziyou added,
"There's something off about all this. Let's report to the sect and discuss a solution. Best not to alarm others for now—avoid word getting out."
"Agreed," the elder nodded.
The two of them finished their discussion and were about to leave.
Just then, the Void-Piercing elder suddenly remembered something, and his expression turned uneasy.
"By the way—that sword strike… what was that about?"
Xun Ziyou played dumb.
"What sword strike?"
The elder shot him a look.
"Don't play dumb. I saw it with my own eyes. That kid—across a hundred and fifty zhang, didn't even gather sword qi. Just a jolt of divine sense, and his spiritual sword launched itself. Golden light flashed, sword qi exploded—it shredded that demon's mutated arm to pieces, splattered blood all over its body…"
"That kid… Mo Hua… he's only mid-stage Foundation Establishment."
That kid named Mo Hua… was only at mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
And yet, with such a level of cultivation, he could control a flying sword with such fierce precision, over such a long distance, with such speed and terrifying power...
The elder from the Void-Piercing Sect still felt chills when thinking about it.
Xun Ziyou put on a shocked face and shook his head.
"No way. Impossible. You must have seen it wrong."
The elder gave him a look.
"How could I have seen it wrong?"
"You definitely saw it wrong," Xun Ziyou replied seriously, as if delivering a judgment.
"That wasn't sword control—it was just a kind of throwing weapon engraved with formations. The power was average at best. The only reason it seemed so devastating was because the demon cultivator was already badly injured and couldn't resist."
The elder looked at him in disbelief.
"A formation-engraved throwing weapon? At least make your nonsense a little believable!"
Xun Ziyou retorted,
"Then have you ever seen a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator control a flying sword across 160 zhang with that kind of power?"
The Void-Piercing elder paused.
"Well… no…"
It clearly violated his understanding of what's possible.
"Also," Xun Ziyou added, "sword control… Even that genius disciple of yours from the Void-Piercing Sect, the one with a crystal-clear sword heart, hasn't mastered sword control yet, has he? Mo Hua isn't even a sword cultivator. How could he be capable of such an advanced sword technique?"
"That's true," the elder couldn't help nodding.
Say what you will, but when it came to talent in swordsmanship, he was certain that Linghu Xiao was among the absolute best—not just in their sect, but across the entire Ganxue Province.
If Mo Hua really could wield a flying sword that powerfully…
Wouldn't that make him even more gifted in swordsmanship than their top prodigy?
That's impossible!
The elder gradually started to believe the explanation.
After all, he'd been some distance away, hadn't seen clearly—just had the impression that Mo Hua had controlled a sword, which then struck the demon cultivator from afar, slicing off its mutated arm in a spray of blood and sword qi.
But thinking it through again, flying sword control didn't make sense.
A specially-made spiritual weapon shaped like a throwing weapon and engraved with formation runes—that made much more sense.
The elder nodded thoughtfully.
Next to him, Xun Ziyou silently let out a breath of relief.
Whew. Crisis diverted…
Mo Hua had pulled another one of his "center-of-attention" stunts, and Xun Ziyou had to do damage control, making up excuses to avoid drawing unwanted attention.
Good thing Mo Hua's feats were always so absurd—people were more likely to believe a made-up lie than the outrageous truth.
Xun Ziyou sighed inwardly.
Not only do I have to protect the kid, now I'm also responsible for covering up his ridiculousness…
"Next time, he better buy me a drink at the very least…"
On the other side, Mo Hua had regrouped with Linghu Xiao and the others.
"It got away. I lost it," Mo Hua said with a sigh.
Everyone was a bit disappointed—they'd been so close to killing that demon cultivator.
"Let's go back. We'll check on Cheng Mo's injuries. As for that demon, it's still somewhere in the mountain. It won't be able to run forever."
How dare it lay hands on a junior of my Great Void Sect… I'll skin it alive sooner or later.
Mo Hua thought darkly to himself.
So the group started heading back. But along the way, Linghu Xiao clearly looked troubled.
He kept glancing at Mo Hua, again and again, until finally, he couldn't help but ask:
"You know sword control?"
Mo Hua looked a little surprised, then nodded.
"A little. But it's not orthodox sword control. It mostly relies on formations inscribed onto the sword itself."
Linghu Xiao gave a simple "Mm" and didn't say more—but in his heart, he'd already pegged Mo Hua as a deeply unfathomable expert.
"One day, I'm definitely going to duel him…"
Linghu Xiao made a silent vow.
When they reached the foot of the Great Void Sect mountain, the group split up.
Linghu Xiao returned to the Void-Piercing Sect.
Mo Hua and the others returned to the Great Void Sect.
At the gate, Situ Jian asked,
"Senior Brother, should we report the demon cultivator to the sect elders?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment. Something about the whole thing felt strange. It was fine to not tell outsiders, but sect elders should at least be informed.
"Mm." He nodded.
He then went to find Elder Song, who handled disciple affairs like attendance and records, and told him about encountering the demon cultivator in Demon-Taming Mountain.
"A demon cultivator?!"
Elder Song's face turned serious the moment he heard.
"Understood. I'll inform the patrol elders stationed in the mountain and have them keep an eye out. We'll also make sure the disciples remain safe."
"The patrol elder in the Demon-Taming Mountain… That's Elder Xun Ziyou, right?" Mo Hua asked.
Elder Song was surprised.
"You know him?"
Mo Hua shook his head.
"Just met once. Heard the name, but don't really know him."
Elder Song nodded.
"Alright. If anything else comes up, Elder Xun will likely come find you."
"Okay," Mo Hua replied.
Now that he had officially reported it, Mo Hua felt at ease. He went to check on Cheng Mo.
His condition had improved quite a bit.
"We avenged you. Took off that monster's arm."
Mo Hua even took out the severed arm to show Cheng Mo before storing it away again.
Cheng Mo looked pale, but he managed a bitter smile.
"Thanks, Senior Brother…"
Mo Hua saw that he looked a bit dejected, so he added,
"That thing was a demon cultivator—very strong. Even with the five of us working together, we only managed to take off one arm. And it still escaped."
"Just focus on recovering. Once you're healed, we'll go find that beast together. We'll chop it up and peel off its skin!"
Cheng Mo's eyes lit up at those words. He smiled and nodded.
"Yeah!"
(End of Chapter)