As the scar-faced chieftain’s head exploded from Mo Hua’s fireball spell, the notorious bandit stronghold in Xiaojie Jizhou was completely wiped out.

Mo Hua then threw several more fireballs around the area.

Intense flames rose into the sky, spreading rapidly and incinerating the entire stronghold, over a hundred corpses, along with all their sins.

The fire blazed into the sky, standing out sharply against the night.

A foul, charred smell spread through the mountains with the wind.

At the foot of Xiaojie Mountain, in the mountain village.

The poor rogue cultivators, who had been sleeping uneasily, caught a faint, putrid smell. Waking with a start, they looked up to see a blood-red glow in the sky, their faces filled with shock and fear.

“The mountain bandits are attacking again?”

“Quick, grab the children!”

“All the women to the cellar—”

“All men follow me—”

Anxious shouts turned into a chaotic din within the village. After a flurry of activity, they realized that while there was firelight in the sky, nothing unusual was happening around the village.

“The mountain bandits—they didn’t attack?”

Someone looked perplexed.

Everyone looked up at the sky. A moment later, someone mumbled in disbelief:

“Could it be—the mountain bandits—were killed?”

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

They wanted to go into the mountains to check the situation, but fearing the bandits’ brutality, they hesitated, their hearts filled with uneasy trepidation.

Three days later, a brave hunter who often roamed the mountains secretly slipped up the slope. Half a day later, he descended, trembling with excitement, gesturing with his hands:

“They’re dead!”

“All of them!”

“A dozen or so died on the road, burned beyond recognition.”

“The entire stronghold was burned to ashes, and every single one of those beasts inside is dead! Vultures are picking at their charred flesh.”

“The entire mountain is clear now—”

The rogue cultivators were overjoyed, then became filled with wonder and doubt:

‘The chieftain of these bandit cultivators was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a prolific killer who could incite bloody chaos with a mere gesture. He was a towering figure; who could have possibly killed him? Who had the power to do that?’

“Not to mention that there were over a hundred bandit cultivators in that stronghold, all of them notorious for their evil deeds. Could they really all have died in a single night? This must be the thunderous might of an immortal!”

At this, a gaunt old man in the crowd immediately spoke with a trembling voice:

“Yes, yes—it’s Lord Immortal Child!”

“We wished Lord Immortal Child eternal life and prayed for his protection, and he truly answered us! In a single night, he killed all the bandit cultivators on the mountain, eradicating evil and bringing peace to our region—”

The old man tremblingly knelt down and sincerely intoned:

“May Lord Immortal Child enjoy endless blessings, live as long as the heavens, be greatly compassionate, and save us from suffering—”

With such a “feat” laid before them, even more people began to believe in the Immortal Child.

Like the old man, they knelt on the ground, bowing towards the heavens, praying for blessings from the Immortal Child, and seeking his protection.

Yet at this very moment, the Immortal Child who was receiving their prayers was enduring intense suffering.

Fifty li away, on a desolate mountain, within a secluded cave.

Simple and crude formations were set up all around.

Mo Hua sat in the cave, his lips pale, his glabella pitch-black. The malevolent aura around him had almost solidified, turning into a grey mist that flowed down his body, causing vegetation in patches to yellow and wither.

Mo Hua’s mind was also tormented by murderous intent.

In the unseen, the villagers’ prayers, like flowing streams, merged into Mo Hua’s destiny, yet they were utterly incapable of resisting the profound, ocean-like karma of his killings.

And this time, Mo Hua had killed over a hundred mountain bandits.

The backlash from the malevolent aura was stronger than ever before.

Mo Hua’s eyes were tightly shut. Vaguely, he could see the Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice Array, a scene of deathly black and white. Within it, the demonic cultivators, annihilated by the power of disintegration, turned into wailing vengeful spirits, manifesting as twisted, elongated human faces that roared and shrieked at Mo Hua.

“You killed me—”

“Give me back my life—”

“What’s the point of living after committing such slaughter—”

“Your sins are profound; why aren’t you dead?”

“Kill everyone—”

“Kill—”

Countless shrill, cacophonous voices filled his mind. An ordinary cultivator hearing them would surely suffer a splitting headache, descend into madness, and be overcome by murderous urges.

However, Mo Hua, who cultivated his spiritual sense and possessed an enlightened Dao heart, had extreme resistance to the roars of these karmic “vengeful spirits.”

Moreover, these vile demonic beasts deserved their deaths; they needed to be killed!

Even if he were to kill them again, Mo Hua would feel no remorse.

But the problem was that he had killed too many, and the malevolent aura he stirred up was too immense.

Mo Hua, a half-step immortal who had achieved Dao through his spiritual sense, could ignore these “vengeful spirits.”

But he could not ignore the malevolent aura itself.

Even true deities, capable of suppressing ghosts, could not underestimate malevolent aura.

Once excessively eroded by malevolent aura, even benevolent deities might have their essence corrupted, falling into “Gods of Slaughter,” “Fierce Gods,” or even “Evil Gods.”

As the malevolent aura grew heavier, Mo Hua’s glabella became darker, and his mind was gradually clouded by murderous intent.

A voice echoed in Mo Hua’s mind.

It was identical to his own voice, yet colder, more ruthless: “Mortals are ignorant, driven by greed, without a sense of equality or the will to seek the Dao. They live only for pleasure, exploiting each other, causing the Heavenly Dao to fall out of balance and immortal opportunities to be obscured—”

“Such foolish people, all of them deserve to die, all must be killed—”

These words subtly resonated with a part of Mo Hua’s psyche, stirring his thought of ending the world.

Mo Hua’s brows furrowed. He knew that things had come to this point, and he had no choice.

He held his breath and focused, taking out the Water Prison Forbidden Box. He then visualized the Water Prison Diagram within the box, and following the traditional cultivation method of the Water Prison Sect, he channeled the malevolent aura into his divine sense, engraved it into his mental image, integrated it into his soul, and merged it with the Seven Sword Prison.

The orthodox cultivation method of the Water Prison Sect’s Seven Souls Blood Prison Eye was to use malevolent aura to amplify the power of the blood pupils.

Previously, Mo Hua had not cultivated malevolent aura, so he had only activated the Grand Void Startling God Sword using the techniques of the Seven Souls Blood Prison Eye.

The Blood Prison Eye served as the form, and the Startling God Sword as the essence.

But now, the malevolent aura within Mo Hua surged uncontrollably.

He could only channel this overflowing malevolent aura into his soul, cultivating it according to the eye technique first created by the Water Prison Sect’s esteemed seniors.

Mo Hua, who had always taken the “deviant path,” was now forced by the malevolent aura to take the “orthodox path” of the Water Prison Sect.

But this alone was not enough.

The karmic malevolent aura at the level of divine sense had been drawn into his soul.

However, there was still residual malevolent aura on his body’s exterior.

So Mo Hua took out a second secret manual:

The “Demonic Dao Malevolent Aura Transformation Art.”

This demonic cultivation art had been tucked away by him for a full decade.

He had never intended to cultivate it.

But now, he had no choice but to use this demonic method to forcibly transform and dissolve the surging, solidified malevolent aura within him.

The profound principles of the “Demonic Dao Malevolent Aura Transformation Art” circulated in his mind.

Streaks of malevolent aura were stirred by Mo Hua, gathering in his Sea of Consciousness, then driven by spiritual energy, they circulated outwards along his meridians in a small cycle.

Finally, they gradually merged with his spiritual energy, settling deep within his Qi Sea, thus completing the initial “aura transformation.”

Mo Hua’s spiritual energy now also carried the might of malevolent aura.

In this manner, Mo Hua simultaneously cultivated the Water Prison Sect’s “Seven Souls Blood Prison Eye” and the Demonic Fiend Sect’s “Demonic Dao Malevolent Aura Transformation Art.”

The overflowing malevolent aura in his destiny was split into two.

One part merged into his soul, hidden within his eyes.

The other mixed with his spiritual energy, settling in his Sea of Consciousness.

The backlash from the malevolent aura was also being “dissolved” by Mo Hua bit by bit.

The blackness on Mo Hua’s glabella began to recede, the malevolent aura around him lost its source and gradually disappeared, and color slowly returned to his pale face.

Half an hour later, Mo Hua opened his eyes.

In the depths of his eyes, a blood-red malevolent aura flashed, containing the shrill cries of thousands of cultivators at their deaths.

The weight of his karmic slaughter was enough to strike fear into anyone who witnessed it.

Mo Hua then pointed with his fingers, and a fireball condensed at his fingertip.

The center of the fireball was a blazing red, but its edges were outlined in black, with malevolent aura circulating within.

With a casual flick of his finger, the fireball struck the ground and exploded, shattering rocks and scorching vegetation.

This was the normal power of a fireball.

What was abnormal was that the surrounding vegetation, not directly hit by the fireball spell, merely withered and died, turning desolate, simply from being grazed by the fireball’s malevolent aura.

The good news was that Mo Hua felt himself growing stronger again.

His eye technique was now the orthodox Seven Souls Blood Prison Eye.

Even without relying on the Startling God Sword or overdrawing his divine sense, the malevolent aura in his eyes alone possessed extremely strong deterrent power,

inspiring fear in others.

Secondly, his current fireball spell, edged in black and imbued with a killing malevolent aura, was also several times more powerful.

The bad news was that both of these abilities became stronger only because of “malevolent aura.”

Strictly speaking, malevolent aura was not a common method used by orthodox cultivators.

In his current state, he already resembled a “demon lord.”

This was something Mo Hua found difficult to accept.

“How did I suddenly become like a demon lord—”

Mo Hua frowned, racking his brain to recall various anecdotes and definitions of good and evil.

A moment later, Mo Hua’s expression shifted as he suddenly remembered some words Elder Yu of the Water Prison Sect had told him long ago.

Many of the Water Prison Sect’s inheritances, even its ultimate forbidden techniques, were related to “malevolent aura.”

Consequently, the Water Prison Sect had a profound understanding of malevolent aura.

According to Elder Yu Canghai, people in this world are divided into righteous and evil, and so too is malevolent aura.

Malevolent aura is categorized into righteous malevolent aura and evil malevolent aura.

As long as one kills, malevolent aura will be incurred. To refine malevolent aura, one must kill.

Killing good people refines evil malevolent aura.

Killing wicked people refines righteous malevolent aura.

Water Prison Sect cultivators have always served in the Daoist Court, punishing criminals with torture, subduing evildoers in Daoist prisons, and executing all treacherous, monstrous, and corrupted individuals. By cultivating awe-inspiring malevolent aura through slaughter, they embody righteous energy, striking fear into petty villains and wicked schemers. This is known as cultivating “righteous malevolent aura”!

When Elder Yu said these words, Mo Hua had been somewhat dismissive.

Now, recalling them, he nodded repeatedly, finding them very insightful.

He remembered that Elder Yu seemed to have also said:

“Righteous malevolent aura is very difficult to cultivate—”

“One who cultivates righteous malevolent aura must possess immense willpower and an exceptionally firm Dao heart—”

“Once righteous malevolent aura is cultivated and karmic slaughter committed, the vengeful spirits clinging to one will mostly be those of heinous villains. These malevolent thoughts will ceaselessly invade your mind. Should your character develop a crack and you fail to resist these malevolent thoughts, you will suffer a backlash, your character will degenerate, and the malevolent aura will mutate, completely transforming from righteous malevolent aura into an even more extreme evil malevolent aura—”

Recalling this, Mo Hua’s heart skipped a beat.

He hadn’t expected that Elder Yu’s words from back then would actually come true for him now.

During the Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice, he had killed too many vicious demonic cultivators.

In other words, he had cultivated immeasurable “righteous malevolent aura.”

These righteous malevolent auras indeed harbored vengeful spirits.

These vengeful spirits belonged to heinous villains, and their malevolent thoughts indeed invaded his mind.

If he couldn’t resist them, he would suffer a backlash, and his character would degenerate.

If he were to suffer qi deviation as a result and indiscriminately slaughter innocents, the “righteous malevolent aura” would inversely transform into an even more extreme “evil malevolent aura.”

A towering “righteous malevolent aura” could still be balanced for the time being.

But if a towering “righteous malevolent aura” were to transform into an abyssal “evil malevolent aura,” his destiny would instantly become corrupted.

He would also suffer qi deviation, become a great demon lord, be cut off from the Great Dao, and his path of cultivation would be utterly ruined. Mo Hua drew a sharp breath.

Only then did he realize that he had inadvertently stepped onto the Water Prison Sect’s path of “cultivating righteous malevolent aura.”

This path was on the edge of a cliff, extremely narrow, allowing only advance and no retreat.

A single misstep would send him plummeting into an abyss, lost forever.

Furthermore, the karmic slaughter he had committed was profound and pure enough that the “righteous malevolent aura” he had cultivated might be countless times stronger than all the righteous malevolent aura cultivated by all Water Prison Sect disciples to date.

Ordinary righteous malevolent aura wasn’t a big deal.

But the sheer volume of his righteous malevolent aura was indeed terrifying.

The slightest mutation could lead to catastrophic consequences.

Mo Hua sighed deeply, feeling utterly helpless.

Must he, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, really bear such immense karma?

“Not only are dispelling malevolent aura and transforming malevolent aura extremely difficult—”

“Cultivating malevolent aura is also like cultivating ‘heavenly lightning’; it’s a huge hidden danger. The slightest carelessness could lead to utter destruction.”

“Furthermore, I must not mistakenly kill a good person, otherwise that single act of karmic slaughter, creating ‘evil malevolent aura,’ would be like a fuse instantly igniting the unstable ‘righteous malevolent aura,’ leading to my eternal damnation—”

But this was the situation; the karmic slaughter was profound, and the righteous malevolent aura was like a sea, irreversible. He could only take things one step at a time.

Mo Hua mused inwardly:

“From now on, I should avoid killing whenever possible.”

“As long as I don’t kill, I won’t trigger karma. The state of my malevolent aura will be absolutely safe.”

“If I absolutely must kill, I must ensure the person truly deserves death. This will only increase ‘righteous malevolent aura,’ and the backlash can barely be resolved by relying on the Seven Souls Blood Prison Eye and the Demonic Dao Malevolent Aura Transformation Art. But I still cannot kill too many at once.”

“As for innocent people, I absolutely must not kill them. Otherwise, if I cultivate evil malevolent aura and contaminate my righteous malevolent aura, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

Mo Hua calmed his mind, organized his thoughts, and slowly nodded.

“People are divided into good and evil, and malevolent aura into righteous and evil. Good and evil can change, and righteous and evil can also transform into each other—”

At this thought, Mo Hua’s heart trembled. He suddenly felt as though he understood something.

But when he pondered it carefully, it became obscure and ethereal again, like a gazelle’s horn hanging, leaving no trace.

He knew this was because his cultivation was insufficient, his vision not broad enough, and his understanding of the Great Dao not yet profound.

However, Mo Hua was not in a hurry. Insights like these had to come step by step.

Through gradual accumulation, continuous learning, and deep thought, there would always be a day when everything would naturally fall into place and become clear.

Mo Hua stood up, erased the traces of the formations around him, and then buried the scorched marks left by the fireball spells.

Afterwards, he flattened the ground with an earth manipulation spell, ensuring no traces were left before he departed.

As he walked along the mountain path, Mo Hua remained preoccupied.

One moment he pondered cultivating malevolent aura, the next he thought about dispelling and transforming it. Then he considered the Seven Souls Blood Prison Eye and the origin of his malevolent aura fireball spell. As he continued to think, Mo Hua suddenly froze:

“The Blood Prison Eye is Water Yama’s secret art.”

“Fire spells, combined with malevolent aura and fear, are the Fire Buddha’s unique evil technique—”

“It seems I’ve already—combined the strengths of both, becoming a fusion of Qianxue’s two great demon lords, the Fire Buddha and Water Yama?”

And even surpassed them?

Mo Hua sighed deeply, feeling helpless.

He then traveled dozens more li, reaching the first, and almost only, small immortal city in Xiaojie Jizhou.

Mo Hua stood outside the small immortal city, watching the bustling crowds within. After much deliberation, he decided to enter.

He had considered it carefully: if he continued alone, he would inevitably encounter “wicked people” and be tempted to kill, unable to resist dealing fatal blows.

This wouldn’t do; he needed to find some people to “protect” himself, to avoid accumulating more karmic slaughter.

Mo Hua entered the city, walked around, and came upon a security escort agency.

Inside the agency was one of the few early Foundation Establishment cultivators in Xiaojie Immortal City.

This Foundation Establishment cultivator, about one hundred twenty to one hundred thirty years old, had half-white hair, a tall stature, and a straightforward demeanor.

He had come to Xiaojie Immortal City to escort goods, and on his return trips, he would also escort cultivators as a side job to earn extra money. Although he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a realm higher in cultivation, he still had to make a living and support his family.

Especially in smaller places, resources were scarce.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, cultivation alone was a significant expense, and daily living costs were tight. They had no choice but to find ways to generate income and economize, earning more spirit stones.

Even earning one more was beneficial.

“Senior Luo, I’d like to ask you to take me along.”

Mo Hua approached the Foundation Establishment cultivator and cupped his hands in a salute.

He had inquired earlier; this Foundation Establishment cultivator’s surname was Luo, and he was the chief escort of the Luo Family Escort Agency in Canglang City.

And Canglang City was also the location of the Canglang Sect, conveniently along the way.

Chief Escort Luo was leading a horse when he heard Mo Hua. He glanced at him, his brow rising in surprise at Mo Hua’s otherworldly countenance and demeanor, yet feeling a hint of doubt:

“I, a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, cannot discern the true nature of this young man before me—”

He opened his mouth and asked, “May I ask your esteemed surname, your origins, and where you are headed?”

Mo Hua smiled gently, “My surname is Mo. I am traveling abroad on my sect’s orders and am currently heading to Canglang City. However, I am concerned about dangers along the way, so I humbly request the chief escort to take me along—”

There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with his words.

But Chief Escort Luo still hesitated somewhat.

Mo Hua then took out ten spirit stones. “I can pay more.”

Chief Escort Luo was taken aback.

The journey to Canglang City was quite far. The usual escort fee was five spirit stones, which, though not a large amount, was still a considerable sum for ordinary rogue cultivators, especially the poorer ones nearby.

Yet now, Mo Hua offered ten spirit stones right away.

“He’s probably a young master from a wealthy family, out for a leisurely trip, unaware of the difficulties of earning spirit stones—”

Chief Escort Luo mused silently, then looked at Mo Hua a few more times. Seeing that Mo Hua indeed looked good and had a gentle temperament,

appearing utterly harmless.

“I can’t see through his cultivation, so he probably carries a treasure that conceals it. But he’s very young, so his cultivation shouldn’t be high. It’s normal for such a handsome young man to worry about dangers on the road when traveling alone—”

Chief Escort Luo felt a sense of protective concern and nodded. “Alright, you can come with us.”

Mo Hua smiled and cupped his hands. “Thank you very much.”

After half a day of preparations, Chief Escort Luo finalized the agency’s affairs and then led the convoy, with both goods and people,

departing together.

Mo Hua blended in with them.

With the protection of the chief escort, an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, the journey ahead became much safer.

Even when they encountered audacious bandits, Mo Hua didn’t need to act. Master Luo, along with the escort agency’s leaders and escorts,

dealt with them.

Mo Hua simply had to drink tea, eat snacks, and watch from the side; he didn’t need to lift a finger.

“Indeed, to live, one must learn to ‘be lazy’.”

“It’s much more comfortable to blend in with a crowd.”