Chapter 757 – The Truth
The blood-colored stream trickled onward, flowing toward the distance with no visible end in sight.
No one could tell whether the liquid flowing through it was demon beast blood—or human blood.
The stones along the bank, long soaked in blood, had congealed into a crust of dried, blackish-red gore that looked disturbingly unnatural.
All around lay beast bones. Many of them bore bite marks—chewed by someone, or something.
The bones had been scattered across both shores and piled up like some macabre White Bone Beach.
Mo Hua and Xun Ziyou both stared at the scene, their expressions growing grave.
The sheer number of monster bones suggested that a tremendous number of beasts had died here.
Which also implied: the number of demonic cultivators hiding here… might be equally astonishing.
At that moment, a question arose in both their minds:
Where did all these demonic cultivators come from?
Mo Hua glanced at the frowning Xun Ziyou and asked in a low voice,
"Elder Xun, have you seen this place of bones before?"
Xun Ziyou thought for a moment. Though he was reluctant to admit it, he sighed,
"I've been on duty at Demon-Refining Mountain for over twenty years… but I've never seen anything like this—no blood creek, no bone fields…"
"And I've never seen demonic cultivators here either," he added.
Mo Hua considered for a moment and asked,
"Elder Xun, are you certain outsiders really can't enter Demon-Refining Mountain?"
Xun Ziyou's expression turned solemn.
"The mountain is sealed by formation arrays. Besides sect disciples and a few designated elders, no cultivator should be able to enter—absolutely no one."
But as he said this, he suddenly froze—then his eyes widened in realization.
"You're suggesting… all these demonic cultivators… are from within the sect?!"
Mo Hua corrected calmly:
"Were from within the sect."
A chill ran down Xun Ziyou's spine.
If that was true, then this matter was far worse than he had imagined.
To become a demonic cultivator was to betray the righteous path—something condemned by the Dao Courts and shunned by cultivators across the continent.
If Mo Hua was right, and this place hid a massive number of demonic cultivators… it could only mean a shocking truth:
Many disciples had fallen into the demonic path.
This would become the greatest scandal in all of Qianxue Prefecture's cultivation world.
The entire cultivation realm would be shaken.
"This must be investigated thoroughly!"
"Find out who had the gall to lure, indulge, or shelter so many disciples, turning them into demon cultivators!"
Xun Ziyou's gaze turned icy cold.
He moved forward, wanting to inspect the bone-littered riverbank—but Mo Hua suddenly pulled him back.
"We can't leave the forest," Mo Hua warned.
Xun Ziyou paused.
Mo Hua pointed at the surrounding trees.
"This forest is covered in Divine Dao Arrays. They block the perception of divine sense."
"It's a double-edged sword. On one hand, it hides the traces of the demonic cultivators. But on the other hand… it's also hiding us."
"Beyond here is different—bare ground, no trees, no formation cover. If we step out, we'll likely be completely exposed."
Xun Ziyou frowned.
"What about concealment artifacts?"
"Do you have one?" Mo Hua asked.
"I do," Xun Ziyou nodded. "I don't usually carry it—but I've had it on me lately."
(Mainly to sneak around and spy on you…) he muttered inwardly.
Mo Hua nodded slightly, then shook his head again.
"It's not just about concealment. There's also… a formation."
"A formation?"
Mo Hua pointed at the field of bones.
"Beneath all these remains, there's an array—an evil one. I don't know what type yet, but it's strange. If we step in without caution, something bad will definitely happen."
"Even concealment likely won't help…"
He had just figured it out moments ago.
The demonic cultivators wouldn't have dumped all these corpses here for no reason.
They were covering something.
With just a brief glance, Mo Hua had sensed the baleful and demonic aura saturating the field—masking the qi of an underlying formation.
It was a demonic array.
And not an ordinary one, either.
"If we just stroll in and trigger something unusual, we'll be noticed. A Golden Core demonic cultivator might be manageable… but if there's a Nascent Soul…"
"There's no Nascent Soul," Xun Ziyou interjected firmly.
Mo Hua blinked.
"None?"
"None," Xun Ziyou confirmed. "When Demon-Refining Mountain was founded, the elder who laid the mountain-sealing formations also placed a restriction: no cultivator beyond the Golden Core stage can remain here."
"The outer mountain's cultivation limit is Golden Core."
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed.
"A Heavenly Dao Array?!"
Xun Ziyou was startled.
"What Heavenly Dao Array?"
Mo Hua pointed upward.
"You know—the thunder tribulations in the sky…"
Xun Ziyou finally understood and shook his head.
"There's no array in the sky. What you're referring to is the Heavenly Dao's restriction law."
Mo Hua remembered then—his master had once told him:
"The Heavenly Dao Array is just a legend. Most cultivators don't believe it actually exists."
But Mo Hua knew otherwise.
Because he'd seen it with his own eyes.
"Yes, yes! The Heavenly Dao restriction," Mo Hua said quickly.
Xun Ziyou continued,
"It's not the same. The Nine Provinces are ranked. In a lower-tier province, using a power above its limit means being obliterated by the Heavenly Dao."
"This kind of restriction isn't something cultivators can control."
"The formation here isn't that powerful either."
"It's actually a repulsion array. If a Nascent Soul cultivator enters Demon-Refining Mountain, it sends out a warning."
"If they don't leave within a stick of incense's time…"
"The mountain's guardian formation will activate a Tier-Five spatial array and forcibly eject them."
Mo Hua blinked.
"Why eject Nascent Soul cultivators? Afraid they'll cause trouble?"
"Exactly," Xun Ziyou nodded. "Golden Core elders are sufficient to protect disciples. If a Nascent Soul elder came in and lost control—or went mad and slaughtered people—there would be unimaginable consequences."
"Nascent Souls can literally fly with spiritual wings. If they go on a rampage here, these Foundation Establishment genius disciples would be wiped out like weeds."
"It would be a disaster for the sect."
"It's happened before. That's why the sect eventually enacted a hard ban: no cultivators beyond Golden Core may enter the outer mountain."
"I see…"
Mo Hua nodded, enlightened.
So the strongest demonic cultivators in the area wouldn't exceed the Golden Core realm.
He glanced at Xun Ziyou.
This elder was at the late stage of Golden Core, with solid cultivation and clearly no weakling in real combat.
He should be able to protect me, Mo Hua thought.
That gave him a bit more confidence.
"Elder Xun, let's return for now."
"Return?" Xun Ziyou was puzzled.
Mo Hua explained:
"We'll come back at night. Most demonic beasts are nocturnal—hiding by day, active by night."
"Demonic cultivators drink beast blood, eat beast flesh, and follow the demon path. They too typically make their moves at night."
"They've hidden here for years without anyone noticing. It's likely because they always act at night when no one's around—hunting beasts in secret."
"So nighttime is better."
Xun Ziyou asked,
"Then why not just wait here?"
Mo Hua gave him a long look and whispered,
"Because we need to go back and check something."
"Check what?" Xun Ziyou asked, confused.
Mo Hua pointed at the many bones bearing bite marks.
And said softly:
"Check the background of these demonic cultivators."
Xun Ziyou's gaze turned sharp—he understood instantly.
If these demonic cultivators were once sect disciples, then the Demon-Refining Mountain records would surely have some trace of them.
Such as… Disciples who went 'missing' in recent years. Or those officially listed as 'deceased.'
"Deceased" disciples…
They might not have truly "disappeared" in Demon-Refining Mountain—or even really "died."
It was entirely possible they had been "transformed" into demonic cultivators within the mountain, shedding their former identities—recorded as "dead" in the sect's archives…
Xun Ziyou felt a chill creep into his heart.
That… was a very plausible theory.
He turned and gave Mo Hua a strange look.
Did this kid figure it out long before I did?
Why did it feel like this disciple of his knew more than he did?
It was almost like Mo Hua dealt with demons and monsters on a daily basis.
While Xun Ziyou was still in a daze, Mo Hua had already turned and started walking off. Halfway through, he glanced back and saw Xun Ziyou still frozen in place.
"Elder Xun, let's go already."
Xun Ziyou snapped out of it, nodded.
"Alright."
Yet as he stared at Mo Hua's retreating figure, there was a flicker of deep emotion in his eyes.
Perhaps he wasn't the only one who had misjudged the boy.
Even the Ancestral Elder… may have underestimated him.
This child… might be far more than just a "formation genius."
He might not even qualify to be called "just a disciple."
When they returned to the mountain's main gate, Mo Hua said,
"Elder Xun, we should look into the archives—check the records from recent years to see which disciples 'disappeared' or 'died' in Demon-Refining Mountain. And if possible, get their portraits too…"
There was another faint guess lingering in Mo Hua's heart that he needed to confirm.
"Alright…" Xun Ziyou sighed, sounding a little reluctant.
He was suddenly struck by a weird feeling—like he was the assistant, and Mo Hua was the actual elder giving orders.
Like he was just a glorified bodyguard for "Elder Mo."
Still sighing, Xun Ziyou made his way toward the Archives Hall inside the mountain.
Mo Hua followed him, naturally.
But just a few steps in, he was stopped by Xun Ziyou.
"You can't come inside."
Mo Hua blinked.
Xun Ziyou explained,
"Only on-duty elders are allowed to enter the Archives Hall or access the classified records of Demon-Refining Mountain."
Mo Hua looked visibly disappointed.
He'd been really hoping to browse through those records himself—he wanted to see what kinds of things were written inside.
Unfortunately… no dice.
"Please check carefully," he said, "and don't forget the portraits…"
Xun Ziyou sighed again.
"Alright…"
He raised his elder's token and entered the record hall.
Roughly an hour later, he came out and subtly gave Mo Hua a signal.
Mo Hua instantly understood.
The two of them returned to Demon-Refining Mountain and found a quiet spot behind a large boulder, far from anyone else. They sat down on the ground.
Xun Ziyou whispered,
"I snuck these out. They're rubbings—copies. Name, origin, background, cultivation history, portrait—all included.
Take a good look… I'll have to burn them after."
Mo Hua's heart trembled slightly.
This Elder Xun… was reliable!
He not only understood what Mo Hua needed—but even anticipated what Mo Hua hadn't thought of yet.
Worthy of being Old Man Xun's... whatever-generation grandson.
No time to waste—Mo Hua immediately started flipping through the documents.
These records detailed all the disciples who had either "gone missing" or "died" in Demon-Refining Mountain over the past hundred years:
"Kuang Ping – Broken Gold Sect – disciple of the third-grade Kuang Clan.
Disappeared three days after entering the mountain at age nineteen.
Two months of search yielded no trace. Suspected devoured by demon beasts."
"Jiang Rulong – Water Dao Sect – disciple of the second-grade Jiang Clan.
Entered mountain for beast hunting at age twenty. Inexperienced, panicked during hunt, was dragged into the deep woods by a beast. Body never recovered."
"Lan Huier – Danqing Sect… entered with a male fellow disciple. Both perished together."
"Liao Ying – Myriad Arrays Sect…"
…
The list included missing or deceased disciples from not only the Broken Gold Sect and Water Dao Sect, but from nearly every major sect.
Some of them… were likely genuinely dead.
But some others—well, those were another matter entirely.
There was a very high probability that many of these "dead" disciples were still alive—in Demon-Refining Mountain—transformed into monsters.
Devouring meat, drinking blood.
And maybe even more terrifying than that.
Mo Hua felt an odd familiarity with some of the names and faces—even though they should've been strangers.
It was a kind of causal intuition—a sense that they had crossed paths before.
And then, it clicked.
The criminal cultivators!
Those criminals he'd hunted down in the past—using Boss Jiang's list—many of them had inherited sect techniques and belonged to notable clans.
In theory, they should've had traceable identities within their home sects.
But when the Dao Court tried to track them, they found nothing.
Mo Hua had been confused back then.
But now, as he flipped through the list, he suddenly understood:
Those rogue cultivators causing chaos outside the sects—those "criminals"—had likely already been declared dead in their sect records.
That's why the Dao Court couldn't dig up anything.
And the sects themselves had no way to trace them.
In other words—
It wasn't just the demonic cultivators hiding inside Demon-Refining Mountain.
Even those evil cultivators committing crimes across the Qianxue Prefecture had likely used this place as a "cleansing site."
Demon-Refining Mountain was like a dark rag, wiping away every trace of identity.
Through a single "death record," a disciple's entire past could be erased.
They would vanish from the sect registry.
Reemerge elsewhere under a new name, a new face. Untraceable.
Mo Hua felt a cold shiver in his heart.
"No wonder..."
"No wonder those black-clad human traffickers serving the Evil Gods were so rampant—
While the Dao Court struggled every time it tried to investigate.
Because whenever they traced things back to a sect, they'd always find—
There really was 'no such person.'"
"Because the disciples that matched the conditions had already been 'declared dead'!"
"And from the sect's point of view, if the Dao Court tries to dig into someone already 'dead' or non-existent—and even slanders them by accusing them of colluding with traffickers or demonic cultivators—it just looks like troublemaking and malicious defamation."
"No sect would sit idly by."
"To defend their own interests, their reputation—and even the honor of their so-called 'deceased disciples'—they have to push back against the Dao Court's investigation."
"That's why every time the Dao Court tries to pursue this matter, it falls into a deadlock."
"Even Uncle Gu... no matter how capable he is, it's useless."
"He's a commander of the Dao Court. If he starts his investigation from within the Court, he'll always be blocked out by the gates of the sects."
Mo Hua was struck with sudden realization.
He finally pieced it all together.
But… there was still some hesitation.
After all, this was still just a theory.
Causal intuition was only intuition—it didn't mean it couldn't be wrong.
"I need confirmation…"
Mo Hua flipped through the list again.
Who knows how long he searched, until—
His pupils shrank, and a faint smile crept onto his lips.
"Found him."
On the list, a name stood out:
"Xie Zangshan – disciple of Water Dao Sect.
Twenty-one years old, from the third-grade Xie Clan.
Mid Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Proud and arrogant by nature, overconfident and self-important.
Entered the mountain alone to hunt demon beasts, disappeared.
Declared dead three months later."
Mo Hua didn't recognize the name…
But the portrait beside it—he knew it very well.
This man—this face—was that black-clad leader!
It had been two or three years ago.
Back when Cheng Mo and a few others had stumbled upon more than twenty black-clad traffickers who were selling off captured cultivators. They were pursued and nearly killed—until they ran into Mo Hua.
He'd intervened.
Saved Cheng Mo, killed most of the traffickers, and rescued the abducted cultivators.
Most of those traffickers died, turning into puddles of dark sludge.
Only one exception—the black-clad leader.
That man had been imbued with the remnants of an Evil God and chased Mo Hua all the way to a barren mountain… where Mo Hua used every trick in the book to kill him.
After the leader died, Mo Hua had examined his face.
Though it was charred by the Inferno Formation, and partly disfigured—he could still tell: it was a young man, probably just over twenty.
And now, that face… slowly overlapped with the portrait before him.
Xie Zangshan.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up.
This confirmed his theory.
He flipped back to check the timing—and sure enough, Xie Zangshan's "disappearance" was recorded the very next day after Mo Hua had "killed" the black-clad leader.
In other words, the trafficker leader died…
…and the disciple named Xie Zangshan was declared "missing" the next day in Demon-Refining Mountain.
This couldn't be coincidence.
It was a fully mature, nearly seamless operation—a process refined to perfection.
And the people or powers behind it… had to be substantial.
Mo Hua's gaze turned cold.
Beside him, Xun Ziyou noticed the intense focus in Mo Hua's eyes, his shifting expressions, and couldn't help but ask:
"Did you… figure something else out?"
Mo Hua glanced at him. After a brief pause, he decided not to reveal everything.
He only shared the surface-level conclusion:
"Most likely, the demonic cultivators in Demon-Refining Mountain are these so-called 'missing' or 'dead' disciples from the list."
Xun Ziyou, unaware of Mo Hua's deeper suspicions, nodded with a sigh.
"Hidden in plain sight…"
Who would've thought that right under the noses of sect elders across the entire Qianxue Prefecture, something like this could happen?
Some people… were far bolder than expected.
And their operations… terrifyingly precise.
The conspiracy behind this ran deep.
Xun Ziyou glanced up at the sky and said,
"It's getting late. Let's head back to that bone-filled land."
"Mm!" Mo Hua nodded.
The two set off once again.
At that moment, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the sky was painted crimson—a scene all too common in Demon-Refining Mountain.
But unlike before, when Mo Hua would usually descend the mountain under the sunset after hunting…
This time—he walked deeper.
Deeper into the dark forest of Demon-Refining Mountain.
Step by step… toward the abyss.
(End of this Chapter)