“Devour everything between heaven and earth, letting all living beings return to chaos…”

The moment this thought surfaced, an extreme, maddening hunger instantly filled Mo Hua’s heart, causing him a gut-wrenching “starvation” that made him want to consume everything—whether human, demon, ghost, devil, or god—he wanted to eat it all.

“No!”

Mo Hua’s heart seized with fright. The Taotie’s法则 (fǎ zé, laws) were assimilating him—no, to be precise, they were “polluting” him, “devouring” him. He immediately closed his eyes, his spiritual sense returning to his Sea of Consciousness, cutting off all distracting thoughts and blocking all interference.

The hunger persisted. Mo Hua was clearly full, yet he was driven by this hunger to eat something. Anything would do. Even the flesh and blood of living people made Mo Hua’s mouth water.

Mo Hua could only meditate with all his might, restraining himself and guarding his heart. He made his mind reside above his physical body, with his mind as the master, and his body merely a puppet of his mind. In this way, all distracting thoughts, all greed and desires, sinking into turbidity, were but illusory floating clouds, reflections of inner emptiness rather than concrete realities. This was the Dao Heart cultivation method Mo Hua had developed over years of devouring evil spirits and purifying evil thoughts through meditation. It also incorporated some elements of the Tianmo Dao’s (Heavenly Demon Dao’s) Tai Shang Wang Qing (Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion). Tai Shang Wang Qing could sever emotions, and it could also sever evil thoughts.

Under the strengthening of his resilient Dao Heart, the Taotie’s法则 gradually receded, and the hunger slowly dissipated. After a while, when Mo Hua introspected, he found his heart as still as water, free of desire and thought. Only then did he slowly open his eyes. His expression was very solemn.

“The Taotie… it’s too terrifying…”

He hadn’t even seen it with his own eyes. Merely by contemplating the法則 through these old, unknown array patterns and catching a glimpse of the Taotie’s birth, he was almost consumed by extreme hunger. Even though the hunger had subsided, Mo Hua still felt lingering fear thinking about it. This was a “hunger” that could devour all reason and obliterate all conscience.

“Hunger…”

Mo Hua frowned deeply. A flash of inspiration made his heart skip a beat: “Could the famines of the Great Wilderness also be related to the ‘Taotie’?” Mo Hua recalled the fierce vision that had just appeared in his mind and silently deduced: “In the lands of the Great Wilderness, famines raged, starving people lay for thousands of li, dead bodies piled up like mountains, and extreme hunger accumulated, filling the sky with resentment, thereby twisting the法則 and giving birth to the terrifying fierce beast of heaven and earth… the Taotie?” This was a fierce beast born from great disaster, imbued with the power of法則. Therefore, its very existence signified “disaster.”

“Then… how did the Taotie紋 (wén, patterns) come to be?” Mo Hua pondered deeply, and more images appeared before his eyes. Corpses across the land, flesh evaporated, skin and bones, dead on the earth, under the熏染 (xūnrǎn, influence) of resentment, like black “array patterns,” integrated into the法則 of heaven and earth, converging to form the peerless fierce beast, the Taotie… This scene seemed almost as if…

“The Taotie… is a fierce beast generated by an array?” Mo Hua was startled, then thought for a moment and shook his head. On the surface, it certainly seemed that way. The Taotie’s aura was too strong, fierce energy swirling, its face indistinct, black energy floating around its body, forming grotesque patterns that constituted the Taotie紋. This made the Taotie itself seem like an “array beast.” But this wasn’t entirely precise. It should be…

Mo Hua frowned, analyzing the scenes he had just witnessed in his mind, consuming mental energy to deduce, analyze, and summarize. Finally, he understood a little: “The Taotie is a fierce beast hatched and ultimately born from countless starved ‘corpses’ in heaven and earth, acting as array media, long integrated with ‘法則,’ and undergoing some unknown changes and reactions under extreme conditions.”

Array patterns, or Taotie紋, are the abstract and then materialized patterns of “法則.” Array patterns, in essence, are the external manifestation of法則. It was法則 that spawned the Taotie, not array patterns that constituted this fierce beast. The Taotie is not an “array beast,” but a “法則 fierce beast” filled with the power of法則.

So… Mo Hua frowned. What exactly did the “法則” on the Taotie refer to? Was it “hunger”? Or “eating”? How should it be understood?

Due to the famine, many people fell into extreme “hunger.” They all wanted to “eat,” but the land was barren, with nothing to consume. Ultimately, everyone died in extreme hunger, and their strongest obsession before death must have been “eating.” Not just humans, but countless living beings who died in the famine held this obsession. So much so that this obsession became so strong it “twisted”—or more accurately, “polluted” and “tampered with” a certain heavenly法則, thus giving birth to the Taotie. But was the core of this法則 “hunger” or “eating”? And was it really that simple? Were there deeper meanings? How should one comprehend it? And after comprehension, how should it be used? How could this comprehension be integrated with the “Taotie紋,” and ultimately with the application of the “Taotie Array”? How could法則 be transformed into an “array”? Or rather, how could an array be used to verify法則?

Mo Hua’s brows were deeply furrowed into a “川” (chuān) character. This “Taotie Array” was absolutely the most ancient, most complex, and also the most difficult and ferocious绝阵 (jué zhèn, ultimate array) he had encountered so far. It was far more obscure than the previous逆靈 (Nì Líng, Reverse Spirit), 厚土 (Hòutǔ, Thick Earth), 靈樞 (Língshū, Spirit Pivot), and Wu Xing Yuan Zhen (Five Elements Origin Array). Moreover, this was the most “complete” set of法則 related to heaven, earth, people, and great disaster. Its scope and scale were much grander. This was also the first time Mo Hua had clearly perceived the form of specific “法則,” and the first time he had a tangible sense of the constitution of “法則” and “arrays.”

However, Mo Hua’s comprehension was still only “superficial.” He didn’t understand it clearly or thoroughly. Amidst its profound mystery, it was hard to “confirm” what he had understood, hard to verify whether it was right or wrong. It was merely a crack opened in the door of “法則,” allowing him a glimpse of the scene inside. As for entering the door, let alone truly mastering it, he was still very far off.

But this was normal. Mo Hua sighed. The Taotie was so massive, a “法則 fierce beast” that reached through heaven and earth, its body covered with array patterns, containing who knows how many powerful法則. He had only glimpsed it once; how could he understand it completely? An ant peering at the vast ocean, hoping to comprehend the Dao in one glance, was truly too arrogant and delusional. The Dao was long, and one must seek it with tireless study to gain a deeper understanding. But at least, it was a start…

Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat relieved. It had been so long since he obtained the Twelve Meridians Taotie Spirit Skeleton Array, and he had stumbled around the Great Wilderness for so long, yet the “Taotie” remained elusive, like clouds and mist. Now, finally, there was a glimmer of understanding, a glimpse into some of the Taotie’s causes and effects. All things are difficult at the start. With a clue, with a lead, he could gradually explore and research it further. Thinking of this, Mo Hua felt a surge of joy.

But before his joy lasted long, his face suddenly turned pale, and a strange tremor arose in his heart. This was because the Dao stele in his Sea of Consciousness trembled slightly, as if to remind him of something. At the same time, Mo Hua felt a pair of eyes. These eyes were watching him, as if right behind him! Mo Hua’s pupils suddenly contracted, the hairs on his neck stood up, and he immediately turned his head, his eyes glowing golden like lightning, scanning his surroundings. But behind him was pitch black, and there was no one. In Mo Hua’s spiritual sense, he didn’t detect even the slightest abnormality. It was as if everything was just his illusion.

But Mo Hua’s heart remained heavy. He cultivated Heavenly Secrets and always trusted his intuition. Even if his intuition was wrong, the resonance of the Dao stele would not be false. This was almost the first time Mo Hua had experienced the Dao stele “resonating” since he could remember, like a “hint,” a “warning,” telling Mo Hua that he was being spied upon by someone or something… Mo Hua’s heart trembled slightly. After regaining his composure, his thoughts raced: This place is a second-rank state boundary. Cultivators above the Golden Core stage, whose cultivation is too high, generally would never come to a second-rank state boundary. As for the窥视 (kuīshì, prying eyes) of cultivators below the Golden Core stage, he would definitely be able to detect them with his spiritual sense. If it wasn’t a person, then it was an evil spirit… Mo Hua followed the path of spiritual sense to attain the Dao, his eyes imbued with Dao-transformed golden light. In his eyes, evil spirits and sprites had nowhere to hide. Therefore, it was unlikely to be an evil spirit. If it were an evil god, Mo Hua would be able to smell its strong scent. But there was indeed nothing around.

Mo Hua’s pupils narrowed, his eyelids twitching slightly. “Who exactly, or what kind of existence… is watching me? To the point where… I need the Dao Stele’s reminder to detect it?” And why now? Was it because I studied the Taotie Array, glimpsed the Taotie’s法則, and triggered some karma, which then attracted attention? Mo Hua recalled the eyes that had been watching him. He didn’t know what these eyes looked like, or what color their pupils were, because he hadn’t “seen” them with his own eyes. But these eyes gave Mo Hua a deep, terrifyingly deep feeling, as if they were watching him from the endless, ancient past, across the long river of time…

“Whose eyes… are these exactly?” Mo Hua’s expression was solemn. He thought for a while, then dared not think further. But this doubt remained deeply embedded in Mo Hua’s heart, making him feel a lump in his throat. He couldn’t sleep, nor could he concentrate on drawing arrays. After several days like this, Mo Hua became somewhat irritable. He realized that this wouldn’t do; it was a waste of mental energy and time. Time was pressing, and he couldn’t afford to waste it like this. He had to comprehend the Taotie’s法則 and master the Taotie Array as soon as possible to pave the way for forming his Golden Core. Moreover, the situation in the Great Wilderness didn’t allow for his complacency.

Mo Hua forced himself to forget those “eyes.” Anyway, whoever it was, it was not something he could contend with at his current cultivation level and ability. Those who pry into karma are also pried into by karma. It’s impossible to only allow oneself to pry into others, but not allow others to pry into oneself. Moreover, if these eyes were to pry into him again, the “Dao stele” should still react. As long as the Dao stele didn’t react, he could assume it was “safe,” and there was no need to add to his worries.

Mo Hua let out a soft sigh, but the sense of urgency in his heart grew stronger. He felt his own “insignificance” more keenly, and his helplessness before certain powerful beings and great karmic forces. “Taotie法则…” Mo Hua murmured, his gaze obscure.

In the following days, Mo Hua continued to research the twenty-three-pattern Taotie Array day and night. He also drew the Taotie紋 hundreds of times. But he gained no further insights. The strange phenomenon of the “Taotie’s birth” that night never reappeared. Of course, this might also be a good thing. Mo Hua worried that if he saw too many “Taotie manifestations,” he might momentarily lose his composure, be “polluted” by the Taotie’s power, and become a “cannibal”—that would be disastrous. The complete, fierce beast form of the Taotie, its法則 power was still too strong. At Mo Hua’s current level, he couldn’t comprehend it. Seeing it too often was not necessarily a good thing. What he could do was to analyze the法則 bit by bit, master them, and eventually integrate them to control the Taotie’s power, starting from a single “array” perspective, going from shallow to deep, from less to more, from superficial array patterns to profound array principles. This couldn’t be rushed. Once he advanced too quickly, he could easily be反噬 (fǎnshì,反噬, harmed) by the法则 and suffer eternal damnation.

However, Mo Hua’s plan was good, but reality was full of challenges. At this stage, he couldn’t comprehend anything more just from the Taotie紋 in the array. Taotie紋 are the patterns of the Taotie法则, carriers of the Dao, and concrete manifestations of法則. From “Great Dao” to “法則” and then to “array patterns,” this is a top-down derivation, from origin to end. But reversing the process is very difficult. Especially since Mo Hua’s realm was not high, and his understanding of what “Taotie法則” specifically meant was not deep, even if he exhausted his spiritual sense and used Heavenly Secrets calculations, he couldn’t deduce deeper meanings. After all, this was no ordinary array. It wasn’t even an ordinary ultimate array. This was the ultimate Taotie array of the Great Wilderness, symbolizing “disaster.”

“Then I can only try another direction…” Mo Hua pondered for a long time and thought of another matter: famine. Based on the monstrous resentment during the Taotie’s birth, it could be roughly inferred that the Taotie was born from famine. Or more precisely, the Taotie was born from an extremely large-scale and devastating “great famine” in ancient times, countless years ago, which almost led to the extinction of the Great Wilderness. Mo Hua had confirmed this with Dan Zhu, Chi Feng, and some tribal elders like Zha Mu. Not only large tribes like the Danque (Cinnabar Sparrow) tribe, but also smaller tribes like Wutu (Black Earth), Wusha (Black Sand), and Heijiao (Black Horn) had legends of that great famine in ancient times. This famine was extremely severe, so much so that it had a special name: “The Great Famine.” Even the name “Dahuang” (Great Wilderness) itself likely came from the “Great Famine” that brought immense disaster in ancient times. Famine became a disaster, wiping out humanity, which is why this land was called “Dahuang.”

Of course, these are legends. Legends have a common flaw: their veracity is hard to discern, and they are often vague. The timing is also hard to determine. Moreover, this legend also contained another question that puzzled Mo Hua: If the “Great Famine” of ancient times gave birth to the peerless fierce beast—the Taotie—then what about subsequent famines? After the legendary “Great Famine,” famines still occurred frequently in the history of the Great Wilderness. Such records are common in the chronicles of various tribes in the Great Wilderness. Were these later famines caused by the Taotie? Did famine give birth to the Taotie? Or did the Taotie cause famine? This seemed like a chicken-and-egg question, and Mo Hua couldn’t say for sure. Or rather… were famine and the Taotie symbiotic?

And if that were the case, then wouldn’t the famine currently spreading in the Great Wilderness actually be caused by… the “Taotie”? At this thought, Mo Hua’s heart trembled: So, the intensely hunger-inducing, cannibalistic, reddish-yellow famine aura he had previously encountered was essentially… Taotie power?! The power of法则 he had been searching for had actually already… presented itself before him and spread around him? Was it the Taotie’s power that had been chasing him? Mo Hua sighed deeply. Indeed, all phenomena in the world, the myriad things, contain different “Daos.” What people lack is merely a pair of eyes that can discover the “Great Dao” and “法則.”

Afterward, Mo Hua didn’t hesitate. He arranged the affairs of the Wutu tribe, gave a few instructions to Dan Zhu, and then set off for the areas outside Wusha Mountain, where the famine was spreading. Previously, he had to avoid the famine. Now, he would pursue the famine—if “famine” truly meant “Taotie power.”

Five days later, Mo Hua arrived at a remote barren mountain west of Wusha Mountain and north of Chimu Mountain. The plants in the mountain were withered, and the aura of famine was growing. This was the “front line” of the famine’s spread. To observe and study the famine up close, Mo Hua temporarily settled in this barren mountain. Bachuan and five Danque barbarian soldiers set up a camp for Mo Hua and guarded him. Originally, Mo Hua wanted to come alone, as he was used to acting alone and disliked being a burden. However, Dan Zhu was worried about him, fearing he might encounter danger, so she sent Elder Bachuan, a Golden Core cultivator, with five Danque barbarian soldiers to look after him. After all, Mo Hua was a respected Witch Doctor, and his identity was noble; no mishap could occur. And Mo Hua indeed needed someone to help him with miscellaneous tasks and chores. If danger arose, they would also act on his behalf. After all, his hands were precious now and could not be stained with human life. So Mo Hua agreed.

The initial choice for the escort was “Bahan.” But Bahan was a big man, quite talkative and a bit noisy, so Mo Hua opted for the more steady Bachuan as his guard. Bachuan was quieter, spoke little, and generally just did what Mo Hua instructed him to do without much questioning otherwise. Mo Hua was quite satisfied.

In the following days, Mo Hua was stationed at the front line of the famine, personally observing, analyzing, and researching the “famine aura,” looking for the causes of its formation and the characteristics of its spread. After some time of research, Mo Hua was basically certain that the so-called “famine aura” was indeed a form of “Taotie power.” However, Mo Hua was not entirely sure about the source of this “Taotie power.” It couldn’t possibly be a “living” Taotie walking around the lands of the Great Wilderness, spreading disaster… Mo Hua thought this was unlikely. A “living” Taotie would be too terrifying. Mo Hua had almost lost his sanity just by glimpsing the “true form of the Taotie” while researching array patterns and comprehending法則. If a Taotie truly manifested, the disaster would never be at its current level. The Great Wilderness would probably be completely lost in an instant. A true Taotie would be no less terrifying than an even more horrific “Dao孽” (Dào niè, calamity of the Dao).

“But if it’s not the Taotie walking through the Great Wilderness and bringing disaster, then what exactly is this famine?” Mo Hua looked at the famine aura constantly growing and swirling before him, pondered for a long time, and then his heart suddenly skipped a beat: “Could this also be… an array?!” “Is someone using an array to generate Taotie power and spread famine in the Great Wilderness?!”

(End of chapter)