Huangfu Wen’s bloody corpse instantly escalated the situation.

Killing a fellow Daoting member and harming a scion of a Daozhou aristocratic family—Bai Zisheng’s actions were extremely heinous.

When the news reached the military camp, everyone was first astonished, then utterly enraged. Even in warfare, envoys are not to be slain. Huangfu Wen had merely acted out of good intentions to persuade Bai Zisheng, but Bai Zisheng, far from being grateful, repaid kindness with enmity by killing Huangfu Wen. This was truly too arrogant and brutal. Moreover, Huangfu Wen and Bai Zisheng were not strangers; they had fought side by side and shared a camaraderie.

“To cruelly kill a fellow cultivator for a demoness from the Great Barrens, so blinded by lust—it is truly shameful…”
“This Bai Zisheng truly deserves to die!”
“Without his death, the people’s anger cannot be appeased, nor can the Dao’s laws be upheld…”

Venerable Hua reported the news to the Daoting’s Seven Pavilions, and Daoting quickly issued a higher-level “arrest and kill order”:

“Pursue Bai Zisheng at all costs.”
“If he continues to resist stubbornly, kill him on sight.”

The situation escalated, and what Bai Zisheng now faced was a “life-or-death situation.” Mo Hua’s mission also instantly shifted from “arresting Senior Brother” to “hunting down Senior Brother.”

A肅殺 atmosphere permeated the entire military camp. The intent to kill Bai Zisheng began to spread throughout the camp.

Mo Hua, however, still found it somewhat unbelievable and incomprehensible. After following Venerable Hua on his trip, he could generally guess that this was a trap set by the Hua family. But why? How did the Hua family dare? And how exactly did Huangfu Wen die?

Inside Venerable Zhuge’s tent, Mo Hua and Venerable Zhuge sat by a tea table, the tea on the table already cold. Both of them were frowning deeply. Not only was Mo Hua puzzled, but Venerable Zhuge also seemed extremely perplexed. He frowned in thought for a long time, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table, and couldn’t help but murmur, “This shouldn’t be…”

Mo Hua whispered, “What shouldn’t be?”

Venerable Zhuge frowned, “I didn’t see it… he shouldn’t have died…”

Mo Hua instantly understood. “Venerable, you mean you didn’t see any death omen on Huangfu Wen’s Yintang, so logically, he shouldn’t have died, right?”

Venerable Zhuge grunted, then suddenly startled, looking up at Mo Hua. “How did you know?”

Mo Hua said, “Because I didn’t see it either.”

“No…” Venerable Zhuge’s mind went blank for a moment. Is this a question of what *you* didn’t see?

“How could you… see that?” Venerable Zhuge thought for a long time, a tremor in his heart, and asked incredulously, “Who taught you? Old Master Xun?”

Mo Hua nodded vaguely. He couldn’t very well say that no one had specifically taught him, and that he had gradually figured it out on his own. If he had to say who taught him, “Martial Uncle’s” contribution was actually greater. After all, he had been forced to study causality, resist fate’s oppression, and discern death omens precisely to counter Martial Uncle’s decrees of fate.

Venerable Zhuge looked at Mo Hua and shook his head. “No, even if the old master taught you, you’re only at the Foundation Establishment stage; how could you have learned it?”

Mo Hua whispered, “I don’t really ‘know’ it; I can only see a little bit…”

Venerable Zhuge frowned deeply. Mo Hua, fearing that Venerable Zhuge would press the matter, said, “That’s not the key. The key is, how exactly did Huangfu Wen die?”

“This Huangfu Wen… he’s a clansman of Senior Brother Huangfu, who serves as a steward in the Seven Pavilions, isn’t he?”

Mo Hua’s little thoughts, of course, couldn’t escape Venerable Zhuge. However, since Mo Hua deliberately changed the subject, Venerable Zhuge didn’t bother to pursue it further, and the crux of the matter indeed wasn’t there.

Venerable Zhuge nodded. “He’s from the Huangfu family.”

Mo Hua said, “Then why not ask Senior Brother Huangfu? Senior Brother Huangfu should be familiar with the situation.”

Venerable Zhuge said, “We might not get anything out of him…”

Mo Hua didn’t understand. “Why?”

Venerable Zhuge said calmly, “Great aristocratic families are not small clans. Their numbers are at least in the tens of thousands. Many clansmen might never meet each other in their entire lives.”

“To outsiders, they all share the surname ‘Huangfu’ and should be one family, but within the aristocratic family, they might just be strangers with the ‘same surname,’ perhaps even less close than you are to your fellow disciple…”

Mo Hua was stunned. He had never considered this before. He had subconsciously assumed that as long as they were from the same aristocratic family and shared the same surname, even if not close, there would still be some kinship. In Tongxian City, scattered cultivators with the same surname were generally relatives. Even those with different surnames, if they were neighbors, were usually quite familiar with each other. And throughout Tongxian City, most scattered cultivators, like Elder Yu, Uncle Yu, Uncle Meng, Uncle Chu, Aunt Jiang, Uncle Zhao… regardless of whether they shared a surname or not, they were relatively close to Mo Hua, treating him like family.

But aristocratic families seemed to be different. Among scattered cultivators, people with different surnames could be like family, supporting each other through difficult times. In aristocratic families, however, clansmen with the same surname could be like strangers, treating each other as if they were unknown. Furthermore, due to the sharp conflicts of interest within aristocratic families, once there was a disagreement over interests, relatives might not be family at all, but rather enemies. The closest and most estranged are found in aristocratic families.

“It’s difficult to investigate the Huangfu family…” Mo Hua frowned. “Then there might be a lot of tricks hidden in Huangfu Wen’s death…”

“Venerable, you didn’t even see his death omen, so was his karma obscured by someone?”
“Did he voluntarily go to persuade Bai Zisheng?”
“What exactly did he say to Bai Zisheng?”
“Was it really that Bai Zisheng… who killed him with his own hands?”

Mo Hua asked Venerable Zhuge a series of questions. Venerable Zhuge’s expression was indifferent and he did not answer. Mo Hua then further whispered, “Venerable, is the Hua family setting a trap… to target Bai Zisheng?”

Venerable Zhuge’s forehead twitched. He immediately formed hand seals, conjured a Bagua plate, and manifested Yuhua spirit patterns out of thin air to seal off the surroundings, isolating sound and karma. Having done all this, Venerable Zhuge then looked at Mo Hua and said crossly, “You child, how dare you say such things carelessly?”

Mo Hua said indifferently, “There are no outsiders; we’re just talking among ourselves…”

Venerable Zhuge couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Mo Hua. Who’s “among ourselves” with you?

Mo Hua asked, “Is that so?”

Venerable Zhuge said nothing. Mo Hua took his silence as agreement, nodding and saying, “I thought so too.” Then he asked Venerable Zhuge, “Venerable, how do you think the Hua family dared to do this? Bai Zisheng is, after all, a member of the Bai family. If they set a trap to harm a direct descendant of the Bai family, aren’t they afraid of retaliation from the Bai family?”

Venerable Zhuge’s brows also furrowed. This was precisely what puzzled him. “Generally speaking… they wouldn’t dare, but Bai Zisheng’s situation is not entirely ordinary…”

Mo Hua asked, “What do you mean?”

Venerable Zhuge sighed, “Bai Zisheng’s natal Longevity Talisman shattered once…”

Mo Hua’s expression subtly changed.

Venerable Zhuge continued, “Not many people know about this, but among the true great aristocratic families of Daozhou, it’s not a secret. Especially now, when it concerns the Bai family of the Sixth-Rank Ancestral Dragon realm…”

“The natal Longevity Talisman is not merely for protection and defense, offering an extra life. For an aristocratic family like the Bai family, the Longevity Talisman is also a seal of origin, protecting the bloodline of direct descendants from being lost and exploited by those with ulterior motives…”

“Once the natal Longevity Talisman shatters, it’s equivalent to this ‘seal of origin’ being gone. The bloodline is in an unprotected state, which is a huge hidden danger… This means that if someone is truly daring, they might genuinely target your direct descendants.”

Mo Hua quickly asked, “If the natal Longevity Talisman shatters, are there any remedial measures? Can it be planted again?”

Venerable Zhuge shook his head. “Do you think the natal Longevity Talisman is like a common cabbage? You can just plant it whenever you want. It’s drawn using the origin of the Void Glimpse, extremely precious. To be able to plant it once is already considered an ancestral blessing, a stroke of divine luck.”

“Can it really not be planted again?” Mo Hua asked. Venerable Zhuge was about to say no, but the words caught in his throat, and he added, “Nothing is absolute in this world; it’s not entirely impossible… unless your innate talent is exceptionally high, and you carry some unique and great fortune, even related to the rise and fall of a major sect or family, with immense hopes placed upon you by the ancestors… In such a situation, if you shatter one, someone will still try their best to plant another one for you.”

“But such cases are extremely rare.”

“The prodigies who can have a natal Longevity Talisman planted are already rare. To shatter one and have another planted is the rarest of the rare, with a probability only slightly greater than becoming an immortal…”

“At least this Bai Zisheng shouldn’t have such fortune.”

Mo Hua’s gaze dimmed.

Venerable Zhuge sighed softly again, “A natal Longevity Talisman, to be shattered… I wonder what this Bai Zisheng did…”

A strong sense of guilt appeared in Mo Hua’s eyes. He still remembered what happened back then. Outside Lishan City, that devilish sect’s Saint Child, with a group of ferocious Golden Core devil cultivators, wanted to capture him to threaten his master. In desperation, it was Senior Brother and Senior Sister who, to protect him, personally shattered their natal Longevity Talismans, which were linked to their lives.

Mo Hua’s heart ached: “Senior Brother’s Longevity Talisman shattered because of me…”

Venerable Zhuge noticed the change in Mo Hua’s expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” Mo Hua shook his head, calming his emotions, his voice slightly hoarse, “So, the reason the Hua family can target Senior… Bai Zisheng is because his natal Longevity Talisman… shattered, and he no longer has means of protection…”

Venerable Zhuge nodded, “This should be the prerequisite. If Bai Zisheng’s Longevity Talisman hadn’t shattered, even if others had designs, they wouldn’t dare to act rashly.”

“And once the Longevity Talisman shatters, it essentially means losing the status of a core direct descendant.”

“Planting a Longevity Talisman for you doesn’t mean this talisman belongs solely to you; rather, it represents the entire family’s expectations and recognition of you.”

“You need to bear the heavy responsibility of a direct descendant prodigy, cultivating diligently for the family and seeking benefits.”

“But now, you’ve shattered the Longevity Talisman, which is equivalent to losing a portion of the Void Glimpse origin in your hands, causing a huge loss to the family.”

“This is actually already considered a ‘major transgression’.”

“Although there were reasons for it and he won’t be punished, he will still be labeled as ‘unfit for heavy responsibilities’ and gradually marginalized by the aristocratic family.”

“But…” Mo Hua frowned deeply, “Even if he’s marginalized, isn’t he still a direct descendant of the Bai family? If the Hua family truly targets him, how could the Bai family let it go?”

“That’s the problem…” Venerable Zhuge’s gaze was solemn. “Generally speaking, the Hua family wouldn’t do something so insane…”

“But if the Hua family truly did it, then it means there’s a deeper reason, and the Hua family can gain some huge benefit from it.”

“This benefit is so great that the Hua family would rather offend the Bai family than fail to achieve it…”

Mo Hua’s heart felt heavy. “What is this benefit…?”

“This benefit is…” Venerable Zhuge stroked his chin, slowly looking up at Mo Hua. “…How would I know? I’m not a worm in the Hua family’s belly.”

Mo Hua said, “You… take a guess?”

Venerable Zhuge said coldly, “Don’t try to trick words out of me. Where am I supposed to guess from?”

Mo Hua was somewhat disappointed.

Venerable Zhuge looked at Mo Hua coldly. “I’ve said enough. With your intelligence, you should understand what I mean. Do not, under any circumstances, interfere in this matter. Don’t even stick a single finger into it. Otherwise, you’ll either offend the Bai family or the Hua family.”

“There are many madmen among the Bai family, and they are extremely murderous. If you offend the Bai family, you won’t even know how you died later.”

“The Hua family members are deeply cunning and will calculate anything for their own benefit. If you offend the Hua family, you might not even be able to leave the Great Barrens.”

“Some past grievances can be ignored; perhaps they were truly misunderstandings. But if you spoil the Hua family’s plan in this matter, and the Hua family becomes enraged, even I, a Venerable, might not be able to protect you… Do you understand?”

Mo Hua nodded. “Understood.”

Venerable Zhuge didn’t know if he truly understood or just pretended to, but as long as he agreed, that was enough. As long as he didn’t cause trouble and there weren’t too many entanglements, that would be fine…

“Oh, right,” Venerable Zhuge recalled something else at this point. “Your reputation in Ganxue Zhoujie seems quite significant?”

Mo Hua said, “I told you, I’m the top in Ganxue’s Formation Dao and the first in sword discussions. How could my reputation be small?”

“More than that, right?” Venerable Zhuge wondered, “I noticed that those prodigies seem quite… familiar with you?”

Mo Hua nodded: “My connections are actually quite extensive…”

Are you sure you can call those “connections”? Venerable Zhuge was too lazy to comment. But then, a sense of karmic alert immediately arose in his heart: “You aren’t… also very familiar with that Bai Zisheng, are you?”

Mo Hua’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless, even with a hint of exasperation, and he retorted, “Venerable, do you yourself think that’s possible?”

Venerable Zhuge frowned and thought seriously for a moment. It really did seem… unlikely… How could two people who were completely unrelated know each other? Even if this kid’s connections were extensive, they couldn’t be “extensive” in that way.

“That’s good,” Venerable Zhuge said solemnly, “Anyway, remember this: from now on, you can only observe; you cannot interfere. This water is so murky it’s black; you’re not allowed to touch it with a single finger.”

Mo Hua sighed inwardly. I don’t want to get involved either… but… “That’s my only Senior Brother…”

Mo Hua nodded and said, “Venerable, please rest assured.”

Afterward, Mo Hua truly obeyed Venerable Zhuge’s instructions, stayed out of the matter, and let the situation unfold. The “hunt” for Bai Zisheng was fully pushed forward by the Hua family.

No matter how strong Bai Zisheng was, he was ultimately only at the Foundation Establishment stage. His karma was sealed by the Hua family, and he was trapped by layers of illusion formations, eventually cornered in the Kingly Domain, on an isolated peak within the Second-Rank Little Xuanwu Mountain Realm. On this isolated peak, the Hua family and a host of prodigies would launch their final encirclement against Bai Zisheng, who had colluded with the Great Barrens and harmed his comrades.

Mo Hua also participated in this encirclement. He didn’t personally act, but he was an observer, witnessing from several miles away as his Senior Brother was surrounded and killed by the Hua family and hundreds of prodigies. After many years, Mo Hua finally saw his Senior Brother’s appearance with his own eyes.

Sword-like brows and starry eyes, handsome and tall, clad in blood-stained white battle armor, a single man with a single spear, standing alone between heaven and earth. His eyes were filled with obstinacy, defiance, and disdain. The first glance at him made one feel that this person was certainly no ordinary being, possessing the demeanor of a “White Dragon among Men,” powerful and noble.

The moment Mo Hua saw his Senior Brother, he instantly understood. The person the Hua family truly wanted to “slice” was perhaps Senior Brother all along.

(End of chapter)