Lù Gǔ was still torturing Jīn Wū Tú, wishing he could flay all of Jīn Wū Tú’s flesh and crush his bones to vent his hatred.

Jīn Wū Tú only laughed like an idiot, utterly unresponsive.

Mò Huà then said, “Enough, if you keep hitting him, he’ll die, and we won’t get anything out of him.”

Her voice was not loud and sounded very young, but coming from Mò Huà, it carried an inexplicable weight.

Lù Gǔ actually suppressed his anger and stopped.

Jīn Wū Tú, beaten almost beyond recognition, flinched and couldn’t help but glance at Mò Huà.

This mere Foundation Establishment Realm youth, with just one sentence, could stop the enraged Adult Gǔ. Jīn Wū Tú’s expression changed, revealing a hint of bewilderment and confusion.

Mò Huà beckoned, calling over a few barbarian soldiers, and instructed,

“Take this ‘traitor’ to the prison, give him some herbs, treat his wounds, don’t let him die.”

“Yes.”

The barbarian soldiers took Jīn Wū Tú away.

Gǔ watched Mò Huà with cold eyes.

Mò Huà calmly said, “Haste makes waste. Calm down and think about how to interrogate him. The more impatient you are, the more likely you are to mess things up.”

Gǔ remained silent, not expressing anything verbally, but he didn’t pursue the matter further and left without a word.

After Lù Gǔ left, Mò Huà also quietly pondered how to deal with Jīn Wū Tú.

“Physical punishment” was probably out of the question.

Even using his array formation torture board wouldn’t work.

Jīn Wū Tú had been tortured by Lù Gǔ, his flesh was mangled, and countless bones were broken, yet he still showed a devil-may-care attitude, resigned to his fate and said nothing.

Gǔ was a late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator, and he was undoubtedly more ruthless than Mò Huà. If even his brute force couldn’t loosen Jīn Wū Tú’s tongue, Mò Huà’s array formation torture likely wouldn’t work either.

Perhaps it was related to the “shedding skin” sorcery Jīn Wū Tú had learned.

If he regarded his flesh and blood as external objects, not considering himself human, then all physical pain could be cast aside?

Mò Huà’s brow furrowed slightly.

If that was the case, physical torture wouldn’t work, so he could only resort to mental torment.

Mò Huà instinctively decided to try “Dao Heart Seed Demon.”

He spent some time crafting his words, condensing them into a “seed,” and while contemplating, walked towards the prison, stopping in front of Jīn Wū Tú.

Looking at Jīn Wū Tú, confined in the prison, covered in chains and blood, Mò Huà’s mind stirred. Just as he was about to speak and activate Dao Heart Seed Demon, his heart suddenly fluttered.

Along with the palpitation, Mò Huà’s mind instantly cleared considerably.

“What am I doing? Am I using Dao Heart Seed Demon on someone else?”

Mò Huà’s brows were tightly knit, and an inexplicable sense of discord arose in his heart.

In this situation, Dao Heart Seed Demon seemed like the best method.

But Mò Huà quickly realized that it was also the most “dangerous” method.

This Great Wilderness was his Martial Uncle’s “chessboard.”

Was he going to use the Dao Heart Seed Demon, which he learned from his Martial Uncle, on his Martial Uncle’s chessboard, to manipulate others’ thoughts?

At this thought, Mò Huà’s heart was startled.

This was no longer just a matter of being bold. But the problem was, he seemed to have used a bit of the Dao Heart Seed Demon method in the Great Wilderness before, albeit very little, but could his Martial Uncle have already noticed?

This was not impossible.

Mò Huà felt an inexplicable chill in his heart.

However, the Great Wilderness was vast, meaning the chessboard was huge.

There were many cultivators in the Great Wilderness, meaning there were also many pieces.

He was just one piece in this vast game, and his Martial Uncle was a busy man; he might not necessarily notice him. Mò Huà’s heart felt heavy.

Either way seemed possible; he couldn’t be sure for a moment.

But the prepared “Dao Heart Seed Demon” could no longer be used.

If he hadn’t known, it would have been fine; ignorance is bliss, and he would have used it without apprehension.

But now that he knew, he couldn’t help but be wary, even fearful.

Even if his Martial Uncle didn’t know about him now, once he got used to using Dao Heart Seed Demon, using it for a long time, with many traces, his Martial Uncle would eventually catch him.

One who walks by the river often cannot avoid getting wet.

Those who drown are also those who know how to swim.

Mò Huà took a deep breath, swallowing the words of incitement.

But if not Dao Heart Seed Demon, what other method could he use?

What method could break Jīn Wū Tú’s mental defenses and make him speak the truth?

Mò Huà hid in the shadows, silently watching Jīn Wū Tú, his gaze deep, seemingly trying to pierce Jīn Wū Tú’s inner world.

Jīn Wū Tú, confined in the prison, originally felt nothing.

But under Mò Huà’s gaze, a sudden sense of unease and panic arose in his heart, as if something terrible was plotting against him, as if a malicious spirit that could see into people’s hearts was watching him.

Jīn Wū Tú closed his eyes, trying not to think of anything.

But the more he tried to stop thinking, the more he thought.

Once a crack appeared in the human heart, the things it feared most would inevitably surface.

Gradually, cold sweat seeped from Jīn Wū Tú’s forehead, and his heart could no longer bear the pressure. He could only mumble something, seemingly comforting himself:

“It’s nothing—”

“It’s nothing—he’s dead, he’s dead—”

He’s dead?

Mò Huà flinched, his eyes flickered slightly, then gradually retracted the spiritual pressure, and his figure slowly faded away.

As soon as Mò Huà left, the oppressive feeling in the prison instantly disappeared.

But Jīn Wū Tú didn’t feel relieved. Affected by that spiritual thought, he only felt his inner vulnerability growing wider and his inner fear deepening.

Physically, there was no extra pain.

But the inner suppression and fear lingered like a shadow.

Jīn Wū Tú’s eyes widened, filled with panic.

After Mò Huà left, he deliberated for a full hour before arriving at the deepest tent in the military camp.

Inside the tent was a huge coffin.

Gǔ’s corpse was sealed inside the coffin.

Although he had made up his mind, Mò Huà still hesitated at the last minute.

Standing before Shì Gǔ’s coffin, Mò Huà remained silent for a long time, his heart in an internal struggle. Finally, he sighed deeply, and his gaze became firm.

In the martial world, one is not one’s own master.

In the face of a great disaster, some principles had to be flexible.

Mò Huà had someone summon Chì Fēng and instructed:

“Shì Gǔ’s body has some abnormalities. I need to purify it with the power of the Divine Lord. You are to issue an order to seal off the surrounding area. No one is allowed to disturb or approach.”

Chì Fēng’s expression was somewhat stern; he nodded and said:

“Yes, Master Wū.”

After the area was sealed, Mò Huà had Chì Fēng open Shì Gǔ’s coffin. After a moment of silence, he slowly began:

“You will cut open Shì Gǔ’s flesh, exposing the meridians and bones—”

Chì Fēng’s face changed, “Master Wū, this—”

Mò Huà shook his head and calmly said, “Just do as I say. Everything is the will of the Divine Lord.”

Chì Fēng frowned, pondered for a moment, then decided to trust Mò Huà.

He no longer hesitated, drew his bone knife, and following Mò Huà’s instructions, began to dissect Shì Gǔ’s corpse.

Shì Gǔ was a late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator, and after death, his corpse was stiff, making his body very tough.

However, he was dead after all. After death, there was no divine consciousness to control the body. Although it was as stiff as iron, Chì Fēng, a mid-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator, could still cut through it, though it would require more effort and multiple dissections.

Mò Huà had previously drawn several lines and marked several points on Shì Gǔ’s limb bones.

Chì Fēng followed Mò Huà’s markings, cutting at the nodes and dissecting along the lines.

Like a dull knife cutting iron, it took over an hour to cut open Shì Gǔ’s corpse, revealing the stark white bones inside.

Mò Huà nodded, “Alright, you may go now.”

Chì Fēng gave Mò Huà a deep look, then nodded, “Yes.”

After Chì Fēng left, Mò Huà looked at Shì Gǔ, dissected and revealing his bones, and let out another soft sigh.

Then, without further hesitation, he took out a bone knife, dipped it in spiritual ink, and began to draw array formations on General Shì Gǔ’s bones according to his plan.

The technique for drawing the array formations came from Master Tú’s bone carving method.

The array formation he was drawing was the Small Ling Shu Array, which he had once used to control spirit beasts.

The bone carving method had to be learned, practiced, and mastered flawlessly, without a single error.

Because it was one of the essential techniques for his “Core Formation.”

One day in the future, he would use the bone carving method to carve the twenty-four-pattern, twelve-meridian, Gluttonous Spirit Skeleton Extinction Array onto his own bones.

Carving array formations onto one’s own bones was an extremely dangerous act; not a single oversight could be tolerated.

It had to be practiced to perfection, without the slightest mistake.

It was just that he hadn’t had a good opportunity to “practice.”

Earlier, he had ordered Chì Fēng to break Tiě Shù Gǔ’s bones and had tried drawing on Tiě Shù Gǔ’s bones once.

As a result, after just one stroke, the Golden Core Realm Tiě Shù Gǔ directly fainted from the pain. And during this period, a large amount of vitality was lost.

If he truly used Tiě Shù Gǔ as “consumable material,” his life wouldn’t last, and Mò Huà wouldn’t have many opportunities to “practice.”

The pain was unbearable, and vitality would be lost. Given this, he couldn’t use “living people” for practice.

If he couldn’t practice on living people, he could only use “dead people.”

Dead people wouldn’t feel pain, and since they were already dead, there was no issue of vitality loss.

The deceased Shì Gǔ was currently the best “material.”

Moreover, Shì Gǔ’s body had to be dealt with.

General Shì Gǔ, a late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator, was extremely powerful during his lifetime. After his death, his body was like a malevolent spirit, also extremely terrifying; it could be said to be an “untainted corpse” with an extremely powerful foundation.

Lù Gǔ was unwilling to “cremate” his elder brother’s body.

Thus, Shì Gǔ’s corpse itself became a major hidden danger.

Should Shì Gǔ’s body be refined or controlled by others someday, it would undoubtedly cause a disaster with endless repercussions.

To prevent such a “disaster” from happening and to prevent Shì Gǔ’s corpse from being controlled by others in the future, Mò Huà could only first find a way to control Shì Gǔ himself.

Just as he had done in Nányuè City back then.

Dangerous factors had to be kept in his own hands.

As for the methods involving “corpse control,” Mò Huà certainly didn’t know the orthodox evil corpse-refining methods of the Yin Corpse Valley. The only corpse-controlling method he knew was the Small Ling Shu Extinction Array.

This was a first-grade, twelve-pattern extinction array.

A first-grade extinction array could be regarded as a “quasi-second-grade” array formation. Using it on the late-stage Golden Core Realm Shì Gǔ was still too weak.

It probably wouldn’t be able to control much, at most only allowing Shì Gǔ’s corpse to perform some simple movements, unable to fight or kill.

But for now, this was sufficient.

Mò Huà had no other better means; he could only do this.

In the sealed, dark tent.

Mò Huà, alone, jumped into Shì Gǔ’s coffin and began carving the Small Ling Shu Extinction Array onto Shì Gǔ’s massive corpse using the bone carving method.

He used this to practice how to perform “bone carving” modifications on a human body.

At the same time, he also pre-emptively buried the Small Ling Shu Array to prevent any future hidden dangers of corpse transformation.

Time passed bit by bit.

The external matters were handled by Dān Zhū and others.

Mò Huà himself focused on carving the Small Ling Shu Array onto the skeleton of Shì Gǔ’s corpse.

For Mò Huà, the Small Ling Shu Array was not difficult.

The difficulty lay in bone carving.

Especially in performing array formation bone carving on Shì Gǔ’s body.

There were many details to pay attention to and many issues to consider.

Mò Huà calmly resolved each problem, pushing the bone carving progress step by step.

As time passed, one Ling Shu array pattern after another was imprinted by Mò Huà within Shì Gǔ’s corpse.

Mò Huà’s bone carving technique—especially the method of carving arrays into the bones within the “human body”—also underwent further refinement, gradually maturing.

Finally, after a full five days, Mò Huà initially completed the bone carving of the Small Ling Shu Array.

Within Shì Gǔ’s body, the Small Ling Shu Array was initially formed.

Mò Huà also had no time to build a more complete and complex Small Ling Shu system.

Time was short; it just needed to work.

Mò Huà took out some Blood Qi Pills, crushed them, and sprinkled them on Shì Gǔ’s wounds.

Shì Gǔ’s corpse had been parasitic with malevolent divine power, giving it some “flesh and blood resurrection” ability. Upon absorbing the blood qi, the flesh and blood began to repair themselves, and the wounds also started to close.

The array formations Mò Huà carved onto Shì Gǔ’s bones were also deeply hidden within Shì Gǔ’s body as the wounds repaired.

Afterward, Mò Huà placed several spirit stones into Shì Gǔ’s mouth.

The spirit stones were automatically crushed by the array formations on Shì Gǔ’s dental bones, transforming into light blue spiritual energy that was absorbed.

Mò Huà touched Shì Gǔ’s forehead with his finger, using his divine sense to communicate with the array core and various array nodes of the Small Ling Shu Array within Shì Gǔ’s body, thereby activating the array formation.

A moment later, a faint blue light emanated from within Shì Gǔ’s body.

The Small Ling Shu Array carved by Mò Huà began to operate. As the array operated, spiritual energy transformed into Ling Shu power, spreading within Shì Gǔ’s corpse, gradually covering Shì Gǔ’s deceased meridians and bones, and slowly seeping into the bones, fusing with them.

Spiritual energy, the Small Ling Shu Array, bones, and the corpse.

These levels gradually connected and established some kind of link according to the array formation, eventually being integrated by Mò Huà’s divine consciousness.

When the medium and the array, spiritual power and bones were connected, and divine sense flowed unimpeded, Mò Huà’s eyes displayed a faint blue, eerie glow.

He softly chanted:

“Arise!”

As his voice fell, the deceased body of Shì Gǔ, like a small giant, began to slowly tremble.

First, his fingers, then his arms, then various small bones, limb bones, and spinal bones all began to exert subtle force.

The array formation was activating; spiritual power was manipulating Shì Gǔ.

The blue light within Shì Gǔ’s corpse also gradually brightened, reaching its peak before becoming internalized, hidden within the bones beneath the flesh.

Finally, the blue light converged to its extreme, merging with the corpse.

The massive “Shì Gǔ” slowly stood up, like a “ghost god” towering in the darkness.

Mò Huà walked in front of Shì Gǔ, his eyes glowing blue, looking at the tall Shì Gǔ.

Shì Gǔ, like a “ghost god,” also slowly opened its eyes and looked at Mò Huà.

Its eyes were dark and hollow, very terrifying.

But deep within the darkness, a wisp of blue light, very similar to the Ling Shu patterns in Mò Huà’s eyes, flickered.