The emaciated old man suddenly felt an inexplicable wave of terror.

But soon after, this wave of terror dissipated without a trace, as if it were just his own momentary illusion.

The old man relaxed, and drowsiness suddenly overcame him. Thinking that it was late and tomorrow would inevitably be a day of intense effort, he wanted to close his eyes and sleep for a while.

But in a daze, just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly felt hungry again and, without thinking, took out several Bigu Dan from his storage bag and put them in his mouth to chew…

However, Mo Hua, who was beside him, grew increasingly alarmed.

Because he saw clearly that the emaciated old man was not chewing Bigu Dan, but his own fingers!

He was putting his fingers into his mouth and chewing!

Blood was already dripping from the corners of his mouth.

His fingers were already exposing white bones.

At the same time, the middle-aged cultivator, lost in thought, was taking out a knife and placing it on his own neck.

Then Young Master Yun took out his sword and stabbed it towards his own chest.

It was Dao Heart Seed Demon!

“Shibo wants to kill these three people!”

Mo Hua became anxious, and his thoughts immediately raced. He thought of his understanding of “Dao Heart Seed Demon” developed over the past few days. His gaze sank, and his small hand moved, modifying the array patterns of the warming fire array in a few strokes.

Once the array patterns of the warming fire array were modified, they immediately conflicted and instantly self-destructed.

With a “boom,” the array exploded, emitting an ear-piercing sound.

Simultaneously, firelight soared up, spreading red, red. In the dark night, it was abnormally eye-catching, obscuring the strange Daoist’s line of sight and distracting him.

It also interrupted his Dao Heart Seed Demon.

Amidst the commotion, the three people, the emaciated old man, the middle-aged cultivator, and Young Master Yun, came to their senses, their gazes all somewhat bewildered.

The emaciated old man suddenly felt intense pain in his hand. He lowered his head to look and saw his own fingers, flesh and blood dripping, even revealing the grim white bones. A wave of terror surged in his heart.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

He raised his head to look around and just happened to see the small child opposite him, his expression slightly anxious as he looked at them, his small mouth opening and closing, seemingly saying something, but also seemingly hesitant to make a sound.

The emaciated old man endured the pain, frowned, and examined for a long time. Only then did he discern from the small child’s mouth shape what he was saying.

He was saying two words:

“Quickly leave!”

“Quickly leave!”

Quickly leave?

The emaciated old man was startled at first, then his eyes widened.

He recognized him!

This small child was that small array master from Nan Yue City!

He was also Mr. Zhuang’s small disciple!

Now, with an anxious expression, he was silently prompting himself… to quickly leave?!

The emaciated old man’s heart trembled, and a chill, like a tidal wave, surged through him. He immediately thought of the strange Daoist hidden in the shadows when they entered the door earlier.

He wanted to turn his head to look, but forcibly stopped his gaze.

His intuition, honed through years of divination, told him that this person was treacherous and absolutely not to be looked at!

The emaciated old man subconsciously reached for the Three Talents Yi Number copper coins inside his storage bag, but his hand touched them, and he only felt a sparse scattering. With a slight rub, the old man’s pupils widened in shock.

Broken?!

The Three Talents Yi Number copper coins… thoroughly broken?!

The life-and-death crisis just now was something even the Three Talents Yi Number copper coins couldn’t withstand!

“Quickly leave!”

The emaciated old man, with somewhat trembling hands, tightly pulled the middle-aged cultivator and Young Master Yun. In his gaze, fear had not dissipated.

Young Master Yun and the middle-aged cultivator were unsure why and were about to ask what was happening when the emaciated old man shook his head.

The two of them were shocked in their hearts and then realized that their behavior was abnormal. There was danger and strangeness within this ruined temple, and they both nodded solemnly.

With no time to delay, the three of them held their breath, quickly got up, made no sound, and quietly left.

The strange Daoist’s gaze shifted slightly, but even after the three people left, there were no more anomalies. He only looked at Mo Hua with a meaningful gaze.

Mo Hua scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, “Shibo, I haven’t learned arrays well. I mishandled it…”

The strange Daoist had an indifferent expression, obviously not believing Mo Hua’s nonsense.

But he also didn’t say anything and closed his eyes again to cultivate his spirit.

Seeing the situation, Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Shibo was wary of him and only used the simplest, most superficial “Dao Heart Seed Demon.” Young Master Yun and the other two hadn’t been deeply afflicted.

Otherwise, if he had truly used profound “Seed Demon” methods, it would have been troublesome.

Even if he wanted to save them, he would be powerless.

Seeing the three people walk far away, Mo Hua also relaxed, but he then thought of the words the old man had spoken…

“Gui Xu Heavenly Burial…”

Gui Xu, what place?

Heavenly Burial, what meaning?

Was this related to a great opportunity? Was it an ancient secret? Was it an inheritance, a volume of cultivation method, or was it…

An array?

Mo Hua shook his head, his mind in a fog.

“Whatever, it’s better not to aim too high…”

Master had said before that this kind of opportunity involved too much karma. One carelessness could lead to the danger of losing one’s life. For the current him, it was better not to know.

Mo Hua nodded.

He lowered his head again, looked at the warming fire array, and was filled with endless regret.

The array had self-destructed, and along with it, his roasted sweet potatoes, yams, wild fruits, and a big fish had all been burned to charcoal…

That big fish was almost done roasting. He had already smelled the fragrance, but after roasting for half a day, he hadn’t taken a single bite…

“My fish…”

Mo Hua felt a little heartache and couldn’t help but sigh.

He drew a new warming fire array, then took out the remaining sweet potatoes from his storage bag and, as if no one else was around, continued roasting them…

The three people, the emaciated old man, the middle-aged cultivator, and Young Master Yun, hurriedly left the ruined temple. Regardless of the night, they kept walking outwards. After walking for an hour, they were far enough away and then stopped.

The emaciated old man’s back was already soaked with cold sweat.

The middle-aged cultivator took a breath and asked, “What exactly happened?”

The emaciated old man’s hand was still dripping blood.

He took out medicinal powder, sprinkled it on his hand, and then took several pills internally. His complexion then improved somewhat.

Recalling the events in the ruined temple, he still felt a little heart-palpitated and fearful. He turned his head and looked at the two of them, his voice trembling as he said:

“The Three Talents Yi Number copper coins are broken…”

“The three of us almost died…”

Young Master Yun was startled.

The middle-aged cultivator frowned, “It’s not that evil, right…”

“Do you remember that small child roasting a fire in the middle of the ruined temple?”

“The small child roasting a fire?”

The middle-aged cultivator was startled and frowned, trying to recall. His expression suddenly changed, and he remembered:

“He… he is that small array master?!”

Young Master Yun also remembered, his eyes brightened, “It’s little brother Mo!”

Immediately, he again muttered, “Strange… how could I not remember before?”

The emaciated old man sighed, “This small child is very likely that person’s disciple. Although he is young, he is absolutely not ordinary…”

“In the ruined temple, we unknowingly fell into a heart demon…”

“It was this small child who made a strange sound and woke us up.”

“Later, it was also him who reminded us to ‘quickly leave’…”

“Otherwise, this time, I’m afraid we would have had more misfortunes than blessings…”

The middle-aged cultivator was a little surprised, “What exactly were the dangers inside that ruined temple?”

The emaciated old man also had a face full of doubts.

What exactly were the dangers?

Why did they fall into a heart demon?

Was it that Daoist who made the move?

Why were several of them completely unaware?

The emaciated old man thought left and right and was suddenly startled. He suddenly remembered the Daoist sitting in the corner of the ruined temple, obscured by shadows and unseeable.

A title that could not be mentioned surfaced in his heart.

The emaciated old man’s whole body trembled like a sieve.

“It’s…”

“What is it?” the middle-aged cultivator asked curiously.

The emaciated old man swallowed the three words “Strange Daoist” down his throat and only said, “That person… is a Daoist…”

“A Daoist?!”

The Demon Cult’s “Daoist” might not be ordinary.

Without exception, they were all genuine, extremely vicious great demon heads!

The middle-aged cultivator’s expression was stern, but his heart was still very curious, “Which Daoist exactly?”

The emaciated old man gave him a cold glance, “If I speak his name, the three of us will all die, and we will definitely die very ugly!”

The scene in the ruined temple earlier resurfaced.

The middle-aged cultivator drawing a knife to commit suicide, Young Master Yun killing himself with a sword, the emaciated old man devouring his own flesh…

Thinking of this, all three of them had somewhat pale faces.

The middle-aged cultivator also didn’t dare to ask again.

The emaciated old man frowned in thought, and his heart suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He suddenly realized and exclaimed, “Yes!”

The middle-aged cultivator was startled, “What happened?”

The emaciated old man’s heart was in turmoil. He hurriedly said, “Do you still remember when we entered Nan Yue City and detected corpse qi everywhere? After I divined, I said that sentence, right?”

The middle-aged cultivator thought for a while and shook his head, “You rambled on, being mystical, and said so many words. How can I remember which sentence you said?”

Young Master Yun, however, seemed to be thinking. “Senior Wen, you mean… good karma, right?”

He vaguely recalled the words the emaciated old man had initially said:

“These days, I occasionally have some heart palpitations…”

“It seems there is great terror ahead, extremely dangerous, life and death unpredictable.”

“And if we can suppress the corpse mine and save Nan Yue City, or even a state’s cultivators, perhaps we can form a good karma. In the future, when we encounter a crisis of nine deaths and one life, there will be a ray of hope…”

The emaciated old man’s gaze solidified, “Now it seems, this karma has just responded on this small child!”

“If we hadn’t made a move to help in Nan Yue City initially, hadn’t quelled the corpse chaos, hadn’t formed this good karma, and hadn’t known this small child…”

“Then today, there would be no small child to save us…”

“We would all die without a burial ground!”

The middle-aged cultivator and Young Master Yun were greatly shocked in their hearts.

The emaciated old man was somewhat emotional, “Cause and effect, good and evil, one drink, one peck. Mr. Zhuang initially gave us a choice and opportunity, which also equals giving us a ray of hope…”

Mr. Zhuang…

The three people felt both mysterious and complex in their hearts.

A moment later, Young Master Yun thought of something and suddenly said urgently:

“If that Daoist is a great demon head, then little brother Mo…”

The emaciated old man shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Don’t think about it. We ourselves are still hard to protect, let alone think about saving that small child…”

Young Master Yun’s face showed shame.

The emaciated old man then consoled him, “Don’t worry, he is Mr. Zhuang’s disciple. Nothing should happen…”

Within the ruined temple, Mo Hua’s eyes were bright, and his small face was red and puffy. The picture of roasting fire, roasting fish, and roasting sweet potatoes floated in his mind again.

The emaciated old man sighed in his heart.

Indeed, he was Mr. Zhuang’s disciple. His heart nature was indeed strong…

Being with a great demon head like the Daoist, he still had the leisure to roast things to eat there…

Moreover, even after committing the “Daoist’s” taboo and saving the three of them, that “Daoist” actually wasn’t angry and even just let them go…

The emaciated old man felt a little unbelievable.

Their lineage, proficient in heavenly secrets algorithms, had always heard of that Daoist’s fierce name.

That Daoist was never easy to get along with.

He had also never seen him be so “lenient” towards anyone, even being “indulgent”…

The emaciated old man sighed, “Good people have heavenly protection. We should still… just go back.”

Young Master Yun was still heavy with worry.

The middle-aged cultivator was startled, “Go back? Back where?”

The emaciated old man said in a bad mood, “Go back to where we came from!”

The middle-aged cultivator was greatly anxious, “What about the opportunity? You don’t want it? We’ve been working for so long…”

The emaciated old man laughed coldly, “You still don’t understand? This matter is already something we cannot touch…”

“Or rather, it was originally not something we could touch!”

“We are just chess pieces acting as scouts. Now the message has been sent back. Next, there will naturally be people above to plan this matter.”

“The boundary of Da Li Mountain will sooner or later become a slaughterhouse.”

“If we stay, we really won’t have a way out!”

The middle-aged cultivator frowned, “Because of Old Ancestor Xuan Mo?”

The emaciated old man sighed, “Not only…”

He turned his head and looked at the ruined temple. In his gaze, a layer of gloom and fear was covered.

“The Daoist has come, which means that those true demon heads of the Demon Path are also all coming…”

Although the Demon Cult was suppressed by the Dao Court and had been dormant for many years, its forces were strong. Of course, it was impossible to have only Old Ancestor Xuan Mo, this one Featherization Realm old demon.

This point was understood by all three of them.

But in the face of opportunity, the middle-aged cultivator was still somewhat hesitant.

The emaciated old man then coldly hummed, “Whether you go or not, I don’t care. Anyway, I want to go.”

The middle-aged cultivator was startled, then frowned, “How can you go? We agreed. I even gave you many spirit stones…”

“I’ll return the spirit stones to you.”

The middle-aged cultivator’s expression was conflicted. He struggled in his heart for a long time and then sighed, “I’m not reluctant about those spirit stones…”

“Whatever, just go.”

He also knew that with the old man’s divination, this road, he could turn danger into safety.

Without the old man, by himself, he really might not be able to walk out of Da Li Mountain alive.

He didn’t want the spirit stones either. Just treat it as forming a good karma.

The middle-aged cultivator was a little disheartened, “Originally, I still wanted to fight for an opportunity and change my fate a bit. Now… alas, I’ll still go back to Qian State and honestly be my instructor…”

He then followed behind the old man and walked back.

After walking a few steps, the emaciated old man suddenly stopped, turned around, looked at the ruined temple, and bowed deeply with a solemn expression, sincerely saying in his heart:

“May little friend turn danger into safety, and may his Dao Path be boundless!”

“If there is an opportunity in the future, I must repay this life-saving grace!”

Young Master Yun also sincerely bowed.

The middle-aged cultivator also breathed a sigh, though somewhat unwilling, he still solemnly performed a ritual.

Thereafter, the three people gradually walked far away, leaving Da Li Mountain and also leaving this place of right and wrong…

Mo Hua was just the opposite.

Not only could he not leave, but he also had to follow the strange Daoist, step by step, towards Li Mountain City, walking into the depths of this bloody storm.

After leaving the ruined temple, more than ten days passed, and Mo Hua finally arrived in front of Li Mountain City.

At this time, he was still dozens of Li away from the mountain city. From afar, he could see the sky-covering blood banners and the surging sea of blood.

It was the same scene he had seen the day he left Li Mountain City.

“Master…”

Mo Hua was worried in his heart. He turned his head and then asked the strange Daoist, “Shibo, do we want to enter the city now?”

The strange Daoist’s expression was wooden.

Mo Hua was not surprised. He was already accustomed to this Shibo not liking to talk too much, especially not liking to talk to himself.

Mo Hua didn’t mind either.

When you cannot change others, you have to learn to adapt to others.

He had already learned to roughly read out what the strange Daoist wanted to say from his empty and indifferent face and those black eyes.

Just like now, Shibo was black-faced, looking unhappy, meaning:

“Not entering the city.”

Mo Hua then said, “Not entering the city? Where are we going?”

The strange Daoist’s black eyes looked at Mo Hua.

“Entering the mountain?” Mo Hua tried to say.

The strange Daoist’s expression paused.

Mo Hua then said, “What are we entering the mountain for?”

The strange Daoist’s pupils turned black, and his face became even blacker.

Mo Hua then understood.

Shibo wanted him to shut up.

Mo Hua nodded and obediently followed behind him, no longer saying anything.

And the strange Daoist did indeed take him into the mountain and came to a place with a mountain cliff.

This mountain cliff was outside Li Mountain City.

All around, the mountain stones were rugged, and the grass and trees were withered.

Mo Hua checked the map and found that according to the map’s marking, this place was called “Dead Wood Cliff.”

Clearly, there were green mountains and grasses all around, but precisely here, not a blade of grass grew.

Mo Hua released his divine sense, checked all around, and discovered that this place had isolated energy, seeming to hide Yin Hui qi, hence the bare rocks and lack of life.

“What did Shibo bring himself here for?”

Mo Hua looked at the strange Daoist.

The strange Daoist paid him no attention, but directly came to the bottom of the cliff.

Mo Hua was shocked in his heart, “Does Shibo want to jump off the cliff?”

Soon after, he saw the strange Daoist take a step out, and heaven and earth turned upside down, mountains and rivers inverted.

The cliff that was originally underfoot suddenly turned, then floated in the sky, forming a huge stone hall. Within the stone hall, the structures were solemn, and demon shadows were hazy.

Mo Hua was shocked in his heart, “Is this an illusion array?”

Moreover, it was almost real, necessarily a second-grade or third-grade array.

Underneath this illusion array, was it a demon hall?

Was this a nest of demon cultivators?

Moreover, it looked like this demon hall had existed for a long time. It seemed that someone had built this demon cave here at Dead Wood Cliff outside the Five Elements Sect very early on.

The strange Daoist looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua understood that Shibo meant, “Follow me…”

Mo Hua cleverly nodded and followed the strange Daoist, stepping onto the stone stairs and walking into the demon hall.

Upon entering the demon hall, it was bloody and Yin Sen.

Moreover, Yin Qi permeated the air.

Mo Hua felt a bit uncomfortable, but what made him feel even stranger was the numerous demon cultivators inside.

These demon cultivators had evil appearances. Not only were there many of them, but their cultivations were also extremely high. Their bodies were winding with demon qi, obviously cultivating superior demon path cultivation methods.

And these demon cultivators’ insights were also obviously much higher.

Some demon cultivators on the periphery, seeing the strange Daoist, mostly showed disdain on their faces, and some even showed murderous intent in their eyes and took the initiative to attack.

However, the demon cultivators inside the demon hall, upon seeing the strange Daoist, mostly had grave expressions and showed apprehension, seeming to be able to discern the strange Daoist’s identity.

The strange Daoist had an indifferent face and ignored their gazes.

And their gazes, whether surprised, probing, or indifferent, all fell upon Mo Hua’s body…

It seemed very strange why the strange Daoist was bringing along such a child with a low realm, not cultivating demon arts, an upright temperament, and still with a tender face.

Being stared at by a crowd of demon heads, Mo Hua felt a little nervous.

But he thought that he could not lose face for Master and “Shibo”, so he strongly pretended to be calm, raised his head and chest, but his body still involuntarily moved closer to the strange Daoist’s side.

He felt that being by the strange Daoist’s side should be safer.

The strange Daoist, facing everyone’s gazes, walked directly to the middle of the great hall, found a place to sit down, and Mo Hua stood beside him, softly asking:

“Shibo, what are we doing here?”

The strange Daoist’s expression was cold.

Mo Hua secretly stared at his face, looking for half a day, but really could not read out exactly what he wanted to say.

Probably he meant that the story was long and could not be explained clearly for the time being, so Shibo didn’t want to say it.

Although the strange Daoist didn’t speak, the other demon cultivators were still whispering.

Mo Hua secretly listened, listened for a long time, and finally heard some keywords:

Like what Ming Ancestor, Demon Monarch, and again what Venerable, Ancestor Master, and…

Ten Thousand Demons Assembly!

“Ten Thousand Demons Assembly?”

Mo Hua’s heart tightened.

A gathering of Demon Cult old demon heads?

Had Shibo come to this inverted demon hall at Dead Wood Cliff to participate in the “Ten Thousand Demons Assembly”?

Mo Hua’s thoughts shifted slightly, feeling a little timid. He softly said:

“Shibo, is it inappropriate for me to participate in this ‘Ten Thousand Demons Assembly’…”

I am a proper cultivator.

Not a small demon head.

Moreover, I am only at the Qi Refining stage.

Participating in a gathering of great demon heads like this, which does not conform to my age, my realm, and my identity, is it not too impolite?

The strange Daoist’s pupils turned black.

Mo Hua then silently shut up.

But in his heart, he was still thinking nonstop:

“What is this Ten Thousand Demons Assembly opening for?”

“Could it be targeted at Master?”

“Which demon cultivators will participate in this Ten Thousand Demons Assembly? At least Golden Core? Will that Featherization Realm Xuan Sanren come?”

“Or are there even fiercer demon heads?”

“Strange Dao… ‘Shibo’ he, what plans does he have for participating in this Ten Thousand Demons Assembly?”

“Does he want to use the ‘Ten Thousand Demons Assembly’ to join hands with some Sanren, some Venerable, or some Demon Path Old Ancestor to deal with the Dao Court, plot against Master, and seize that so-called ‘great opportunity’?”

“Will he… kill Master?”

Thinking of this, Mo Hua was temporarily a little worried…

Within the demon hall, it was depressing, bloody, and suffocating.

White bones served as beams, and human skin as paintings.

As time passed, more and more demon heads entered the demon hall, and the atmosphere inside the demon hall became more and more grave…

Mo Hua also gradually went from being nervous and uneasy to numb and drowsy.

Finally, leaning on the strange Daoist’s stone chair, he dozed off while standing.

After who knows how long, a gust of Yin wind blew over, and Mo Hua shivered. As soon as he opened his eyes, his drowsiness suddenly vanished.

At this moment, within the demon hall, many people were already seated.

Saying “people” wasn’t quite accurate.

Some were half-corpse, half-demon, some were like beasts, like demons.

Even if they were human-shaped, they didn’t look like people upon closer inspection.

Some had pale faces, like dead people; some had beautiful appearances, with red lips and teeth; some had fat heads and big ears, with python snakes wrapped around their bodies; some were as thin as wood, with demon patterns engraved on their backs…

The entire demon hall was Yin Sen and solemn, and one could hear a pin drop.

A deathly silence.

“Ten Thousand Demons Assembly… has started?”

Mo Hua’s heart tightened, and then he saw several figures slowly emerge above the great hall, on the towering white bones and fangs’ seat.

These several figures had terrifying auras.

Like the abyss, like the sea.

Just revealing a bit of their aura oppressed Mo Hua, making him unable to breathe.

And among them, one figure was very familiar to Mo Hua. It was precisely that Old Ancestor Xuan Mo who had set up blood banners, suspended demon swords, and with a surging sea of blood, sealed off Li Mountain City and trapped Master in the Five Elements Sect—

Xuan Sanren!

A chill was born in Mo Hua’s heart, and at the same time, his gaze was shocked.

Could it be that these few demon cultivators on this white bones Venerable seat, who could be on equal footing with Xuan Sanren, were all Featherization Realm demon ancestors?!

Another 6k today

(End of this chapter)