Mo Hua self-painted array formations, self-structured the cycle of mutual generation and restraint, and self-realized the laws.

He tried and explored little by little, constantly testing the limits. Once his mind went blank, showing signs of being “assimilated” by the Great Dao, Mo Hua would immediately notice and stop.

If the Heavenly Dao were a judge, acting according to the laws of the Great Dao, then Mo Hua was now a “law-breaking” rascal, and a habitual offender at that, constantly probing the edges of the Heavenly Dao, wandering in the grey area of forbidden taboos.

“Law-breaking” acts were naturally more lucrative but easily led to sanctions. “Law-abiding” acts, while yielding slower profits, were safe and stable, with no future worries. It was better to be a “law-abiding” cultivator. Of course, even if he didn’t want to be law-abiding, he couldn’t, as the Heavenly Dao never indulged him.

Fearing being “targeted,” Mo Hua’s comprehension of laws naturally slowed down. Yet, even so, his speed of comprehension was still incredibly absurd. The most terrifying aspect of “self-controlled” law comprehension was the “self-control.” He could create conditions for “epiphanies” himself, comprehend corresponding laws according to his own designs, and even deduce other laws by creating “contradictory mutual generation and restraint.”

Such “heaven-defying” behavior, in a sense, transcended the scope of “human.” This was simply not something a normal person could do. Not to mention, Mo Hua was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. The will of the Heavenly Dao not directly smiting this heaven-defying entity was already a great mercy.

Thereafter, Mo Hua began to continue his array formation structuring, law restructuring, law generation and restraint, and law comprehension within the “limits” tolerated by the Heavenly Dao. He couldn’t “indulge” too much in it, which Mo Hua wasn’t happy about, but there was no other way; cultivation still required a balance of work and rest, a steady, long-term approach.

Days passed like this, and half a month later, Mo Hua’s array formation skill had significantly improved. This was primarily due to his control over the Hou Tu Jue Zhen, various Five Elements earth-type array formations, and Bagua Gen Shan-type array formations, which had leaped a whole level. He used these array formations as a medium to “generate” earth-related laws, and practiced them repeatedly, gaining profound insights. The generation of laws, in turn, fed back into Mo Hua’s comprehension of array formations. From array to law, and then from law to array. The two had initially blurred some boundaries, tending towards unity. This was truly comprehending array formations to the “law” level. And this was only for “earth” type array formations.

Mo Hua felt that if he were to perform this kind of array formation deconstruction, law restructuring, and then using laws to feed back into array formation comprehension for all array formations, then one day, he might truly be able to achieve the unity of “ten thousand arrays” and “ten thousand laws,” becoming an unimaginably terrifying array master. The array formations he painted would be “laws.” His laws could also spontaneously derive array formations…

“Array formations are laws, laws derive array formations…”

At this thought, Mo Hua’s heart suddenly jolted. He suddenly realized that he didn’t seem unfamiliar with this matter. He had seen this scene before. It was more than ten years ago, when he was still young. His Shibo had taken him to attend the Wan Mo Hui, using the “Gui Dao Feng Tian Zhen” to seal the entire Wan Mo Dian, slaughtering all Golden Core and even Ascension stage demonic cultivators. At that time, when his Shibo used array formations, those gui dao array patterns seemed to come alive, spontaneously deriving in the void…

“Gui Dao Feng Tian Zhen…”

Mo Hua gasped. At that time, he was young and his cultivation was low, his vision and experience insufficient, so he couldn’t understand it at all. He didn’t understand why his Shibo’s array formations could “self-reproduce” as if they had life. But at this moment, recalling it, he suddenly realized, could this be… the manifestation of comprehending one’s own Dao, controlling one’s own laws, and then deriving array patterns based on “laws”? His Shibo cultivated Gui Dao. Then what he controlled was the law of Gui Dao. What was spontaneously derived using the law of Gui Dao was the Gui Dao Feng Tian Zhen array formation.

Mo Hua was shocked, a chill running down his spine. He felt as if he was getting closer to his Shibo, and his understanding of his Shibo was deepening. But the more he understood, the more he felt his Shibo was powerful and terrifying. What he had painstakingly and superficially comprehended, his Shibo might have already mastered to perfection, integrated, and refined to an ultimate state. For a moment, Mo Hua felt a deep sense of loss. When would he ever catch up to his Shibo…

Then he suddenly realized that he was a bit too “greedy” and a bit too arrogant. What kind of person was his Shibo? How many years had his Shibo cultivated the Dao, and how long had he been cultivating? What realm was his Shibo in, and what realm was he in? To want to compare himself to his Shibo now was too ambitious… It was normal not to be able to compare. Thinking this, Mo Hua felt a little better.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but think that if his Shibo’s methods were truly as he surmised, deriving “array formations” from “laws,” then it meant that his path might be the correct one. In this world, besides his Shifu, there were probably very few array masters who could compare to his Shibo, who held the title of “Daoist.” His Shibo’s path was definitely the path of a strong person. Even if he didn’t follow it, it was certainly worth referencing.

Mo Hua gradually breathed a sigh of relief. His heart, which had been somewhat confused and helpless about the Dao, laws, and array formations, gradually settled down. If one walked a path alone, it would surely be lonely and bewildered. But if his Shibo walked ahead of him, it would be much more reliable. Although he and his Shibo had different paths and were destined to part ways at some intersection…

At this thought, Mo Hua’s mood inexplicably became heavy. He then “extinguished” all thoughts related to his “Shibo,” to avoid mentioning him too much and actually causing his Shibo’s perception. Compared to the title of “Daoist,” the karma associated with the two words “Shibo” was much weaker. Mo Hua even speculated that for certain reasons, his Shibo’s true self might not even be aware of the existence of his “little Shizhi.” But his Shibo was his Shibo, and caution was still necessary. As long as he confirmed that his understanding of “Dao, Law, and Array” was viable, and that there was a path forward and a direction to find, that was enough.

“Forget Shibo, forget Shibo…”

Mo Hua reined in his thoughts, calmed his mind, and then continued to delve into array formations and study the power of Taotie. As his comprehension of array formations deepened and his understanding of laws became more thorough, his research into the power of Taotie naturally became more profound. Mo Hua gradually felt that he seemed to have grasped some fundamental law of “famine.”

He then faced a very complex problem. This was a “law” level problem: the power of Taotie that caused the spread of the Great Wilderness famine might be completely different from the law of the twenty-three-patterned Taotie Jue Zhen he obtained from the Shugu Tribe. And the laws of the Shugu Tribe’s twenty-three-patterned Taotie Zhen and the twelve-channel Taotie Ling Hai Zhen might also be different. This meant that the “Taotie”-related laws he had encountered so far could not be unified. The corresponding three types of array formations: Famine Taotie Zhen, Shugu Taotie Zhen, and Ling Hai Taotie Zhen, might also be mutually exclusive.

This greatly puzzled Mo Hua. The Taotie represented by famine might be related to the laws of hunger and death. What did the Taotie of the Shugu Tribe signify? What laws did the Taotie Ling Hai Zhen contain? Why, despite all being “Taotie,” was there such a huge disparity? What mystery was hidden within? How should the origin of this “Taotie” ultimately be understood? What was the essential law of “Taotie”?

Mo Hua frowned deeply. The deeper he researched, the more perplexed he became, even feeling that he might have entered another dead end. The laws of “Taotie” were fierce, profound, and multifaceted. He found it difficult to find a “thread” to unravel and delve deeper into its core. Mo Hua could only patiently continue to repeatedly draw the Hou Tu Fu Gou Jue Zhen and comprehend the power of Taotie within the famine.

However, this comprehension quickly reached a “bottleneck.” This was because the Qi of famine did not manifest in the form of an “array formation.” Or rather, Mo Hua did not yet know what the “Famine Taotie Zhen” was, or how it was constructed. Knowing the “array” but not the “law” meant that even if one only learned the form and didn’t grasp the essence, one could at least imitate it. Mo Hua’s situation was the opposite. He had prematurely comprehended some of the “law” of famine but had not seen the “array” of famine as a carrier. Therefore, the “law” had no carrier, no medium, and could not unite with the “array.” Empty comprehension of laws, without the ability to apply them, was still useless. This was equally a very tricky problem.

“Where can I find the array patterns that cause famine?” “Deep in the spread of the famine?”

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, wondering whether to refine some Hou Tu spiritual artifacts or Sheng Ji Dao robes that could suppress “famine.” Wearing these robes and carrying these spiritual artifacts, he could resist the power of Taotie and venture deep into the heart of the famine’s spread. He would search for traces of “array formations” in the core area of the famine. If he could find these array patterns that instigated “famine,” he might be able to unite “law” and “array” and first learn this “Famine Taotie” array formation. In this way, he would also have initially mastered a “power of Taotie,” equivalent to having the ability to “create famine.”

Of course, this was just Mo Hua’s “hypothesis,” deduced from his experience and knowledge. Whether he could actually delve into the heart of the famine, whether he could find the Famine Taotie array patterns, and even whether such “famine array patterns” truly existed, all remained unknown variables. Mo Hua hesitated. The famine-stricken land might hold opportunities for array formations, but at the same time, the dangers were immense. A slight misstep, if corrupted by the power of Taotie, he might fall into extreme “hunger and thirst,” with his life at stake. And while the danger was certain, the opportunities might not truly exist. This made it difficult to choose.

While Mo Hua was still wavering, other developments occurred. One day, Mo Hua was observing the withered land, studying the spread of the famine, when Bachuan came to find him. “Shaman Elder, something has happened.” Mo Hua was slightly startled. “What is it?” Bachuan said with a serious expression, “The Wusha Mountain Realm has been breached.” Mo Hua was surprised. “Is it the Bi Fang Tribe?” Bachuan shook his head. “It’s the main branch of the Shugu Tribe.” Mo Hua frowned. “Shugu Tribe?”

“Yes,” Bachuan said, “the Shugu Tribe, whether to avoid the famine or for other reasons, suddenly began to invade the second-grade small mountain realms. Their forces are very strong, and the Wusha Mountain Realm was breached a few days ago. Danzhu Shaoshu is leading troops to resist, but the outcome of the battle is unknown…” Mo Hua was engaged in a very important and profound research, which Bachuan did not understand, but he knew it in his heart. Naturally, he wouldn’t dare to disturb Mo Hua for ordinary matters. But now, with a strong enemy invading and Danzhu Shaoshu personally going to the front lines, the matter was of great importance. He could only bite the bullet and interrupt Mo Hua’s research.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, I understand. We’ll go back now.” Whether or not to visit the core area of the famine’s spread would be considered later. The immediate priority was to resolve the Shugu Tribe’s invasion. After all, Wutu and Wusha and these other mountain realms were Mo Hua’s “base camp” and a stronghold for further development, and could not be lost. The threat of the main Shugu Tribe could not be underestimated.

Mo Hua took one last look at the withered land and the scattered Hou Tu Fu Gou array formations he had drawn to resist the famine, feeling the wondrous sensation of “life and death” interwoven and permeating, his gaze deep, then he set off.

The area where Mo Hua conducted his research on the power of Taotie was northwest of the Wusha Mountain Realm. The area where the Shugu Tribe invaded was directly to the west. It took Mo Hua a day and a night to reach the front line of the Wusha Mountain Realm. Upon arriving, he saw that both sides were already engaged in fierce combat in the steep mountain ranges. Danzhu and Chifeng, leading the Danque Tribe and the barbarian soldiers from Wusha, Heijiao, Wutu, and other tribes, were locked in battle with the Shugu Tribe members, who were painted with strange facial markings.

The Shugu Tribe had bypassed the famine-stricken area and launched their attack on the Wusha Mountain Realm from between the steep mountain ranges. Fortunately, their intentions were quickly discovered. Upon learning this, Danzhu led a counterattack and successfully stopped the Shugu Tribe’s barbarian soldiers at the edge of the Wusha Mountain Realm, about thirty li away. This prevented the main body of the Wusha Mountain Realm, including the smaller mountain realms like Wutu under the Wusha Mountain Realm’s barrier, from suffering too much damage. The Shugu Tribe had always wanted to advance into Wusha’s interior, but Danzhu held them firmly. Both sides fought back and forth on the front line, the battle fierce, until late at night when they each ceased hostilities.

After the ceasefire, a frowning Danzhu returned to his camp and saw Mo Hua waiting for him. His expression immediately turned to joyful surprise. “Sir, you’re back?” Mo Hua nodded. Danzhu looked at Mo Hua, his face unable to conceal his joy. Mo Hua had been researching the famine and comprehending laws for several months, during which he hadn’t returned to the Wutu Tribe or seen Danzhu.

But as he looked, Danzhu suddenly froze. He felt that after several months apart, the Shaman Elder seemed completely different. His demeanor was more composed, more ethereal, and more transparent, subtly giving the impression of integrating with the surrounding heaven and earth. Even his breathing seemed to contain some indescribable rhythm. And his eyes held a profound clarity, as if everything he saw was no longer its original form. Danzhu was inwardly astonished. All the Golden Core cultivators he had met, even Grand Cultivators in the late Golden Core stage, had never possessed such a natural and profound bearing.

Mo Hua, however, was unaware of this. When immersed in laws, he was not conscious of his own changes. Seeing Danzhu’s initial joy turn into astonishment, he asked, “Is the situation very serious?” Danzhu snapped back to reality and shook his head. “It’s good that Sir is here.” Danzhu himself didn’t realize that his address of “Sir” was now spoken with even greater sincerity than before.

Afterward, Mo Hua inquired about the battle situation, and Danzhu reported everything in detail. This time, the Shugu Tribe had launched a sudden attack, led by the “Shugu Six Monsters” with whom they had had some past conflict. Of course, one of the Six Monsters had been killed by Danzhu, so they should now be called the “Shugu Five Monsters.” The Shugu Five Monsters were originally a unified group of six brothers, and with one dead, they naturally hated Danzhu to the bone. This attack on the Wusha Mountain Realm was also an act of “revenge.”

The Shugu Five Monsters were not originally a cause for concern. They were defeated by Danzhu; all six of them together were no match for the prodigy Danzhu, let alone now with only five. However, this was the Wusha Mountain Realm. The Wusha Mountain Realm was a second-grade mountain realm, subject to the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao. Danzhu, a Golden Core cultivator, could only utilize the cultivation of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Wusha Mountain Realm, unable to exert his full strength. In particular, his supreme Vermilion Bird Xuannuo Feather Garment magical artifact could not be used, effectively crippling most of his power. Therefore, this genius was invisibly “weakened” by the Heavenly Dao. The Shugu Five Monsters, who were originally inferior to Danzhu, were now “strengthened” relative to Danzhu when their cultivation was suppressed. With this back and forth, Danzhu could not gain any advantage against these five.

Mo Hua’s original intention in having Danzhu come to the second-grade mountain realm was to protect him, to prevent other high-level Golden Core cultivators from killing him. As a result, Danzhu was not protected but instead “weakened.” The Shugu Five Monsters, on the other hand, were protected. Mo Hua’s heart was also somewhat complex. The changes in strength under the Heavenly Dao’s checks and balances were indeed very subtle. And once Golden Core cultivators were restricted, the main force of the war completely became “Foundation Establishment” cultivators. The outcome of this cultivation battle would be entirely dominated by Foundation Establishment barbarian soldiers.

In other words, this was a contest of military strength between the Danque Tribe and the allied tribes of Wusha, Heijiao, Wutu, and the main Shugu Tribe. In wars of large prefectures, the strong prevailed. Higher cultivation meant greater strength, and Ascension cultivators could dominate an entire region. In wars of small prefectures, numbers prevailed. More people meant greater strength; even ants could gnaw an elephant to death. And Mo Hua’s side, even including Danzhu’s subordinates and the barbarian soldiers from Wutu and other small allied tribes, all their forces combined could not match the military strength of a single main Shugu Tribe. At this time, the forces that could be deployed in the Wusha Mountain Realm were also not all of them. Wutu and other rear tribes also had to send troops to guard. Therefore, the barbarian soldiers under Danzhu at this time numbered about two thousand, which was only half the number of the Shugu Tribe. And these four thousand barbarian soldiers of the Shugu Tribe were naturally not all their forces. After all, this war had just begun. They could not go all out to attack Danzhu from the start. But it would be hard to say what would happen later. Therefore, the current situation was quite severe. With a numerical disadvantage and Danzhu’s own cultivation restricted, unable to single-handedly turn the tide with his personal strength, his expression was quite solemn.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then said, “No matter, let’s fight and see.” Afterward, Mo Hua made simple arrangements. These arrangements were decided after a brief deduction, based on the specific situation. Mo Hua did not perform a deeper divination. This was because the scale of this war was somewhat large, with six thousand people in total. This was ten times the number of participants in the previous battle with Bije. The difficulty of divination also increased tenfold. This far exceeded Mo Hua’s limit for deduction. Moreover, this was a direct confrontation, more of a head-on clash, not easy to exploit with clever tactics, and some “schemes” would be useless. Therefore, Mo Hua could only roughly calculate the general auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, then let both sides fight a few rounds, observe the situation, and then make further decisions.

The next morning, both sides began to fight again. Mo Hua stood on a distant cliff, observing. The situation he saw was not optimistic. Fewer troops indeed meant weakness. Furthermore, there was an even more severe problem: Barbarian armor. The barbarian armor of the main Shugu Tribe was a notch better than the armor of all the barbarian soldiers on Danzhu’s side. And in this battle, the main Shugu Tribe also employed a more special kind of barbarian armor. This was a dark grey, fearsome in shape, extremely hard, heavy tusk armor made from unknown demonic bones. This almost indestructible heavy armor, worn by peak Foundation Establishment Shugu barbarian soldiers, could almost be said to be invincible in a second-grade mountain realm war. Even Danzhu himself, without using his Golden Core cultivation or activating his feather garment magical artifact, could not break through these “hard bone” heavy armors. The final result was naturally self-evident.

The battle ended with the defeat of Danzhu’s tribe and the Wutu alliance. The Shugu Tribe advanced fifty li. Everyone’s faces were ashen. Only Mo Hua, after some thought, had an unusual gleam in his eyes: “Shugu Tribe… heavy armor…”