Qian Xue state boundary, third-grade land boundary wilderness.

A place of ruins where the “Blood Banquet” was about to be held.

All the demonic cultivators were momentarily stunned.

They stood rooted to the spot like wind-blown sculptures, dazed for a long time.

The plan was well-laid, the dogs of Dao Ting Si had fallen into the trap, the ambush was set, everyone had sharpened their knives and were eager, bloodthirsty and crazed, when suddenly, without warning, a message arrived saying there was an inner ghost and the plan should be stopped…

Near the ruins, the densely packed demonic cultivators couldn’t help but look at each other for a moment, and then all turned their gaze towards the several Golden Core demonic heads in the lead.

At the very front of the crowd, several Golden Core demonic heads, wearing pitch-black demonic path cloaks, with demonic qi swirling around them and their faces covered by murky demonic qi, were also all frowning.

One person said in a hoarse voice, “What is going on?”

“Who has the audacity to ‘stop the plan’?”

“Who sent this message?”

“Quickly, go check…”

Another Golden Core demonic head said in an ice-cold voice, “It’s too late, Dao Ting Si has already entered the trap, the arrow is on the string. At this time, where do we have time to check this kind of thing?”

Someone said doubtfully, “Could it be… our arrangements in Dao Ting Si…”

He had not yet finished when another demonic head cursed, “Shut up!”

In the Demon Sect, there were “inner ghosts” arranged by Dao Ting Si.

In Dao Ting Si, naturally, there were also “inner ghosts” arranged by the Demon Sect.

This matter was very secret, and the identity of the inner ghost could not be exposed. Even these demonic heads, all of whom were Golden Core cultivators and of high status, did not all know the identity of the “inner ghost” hidden in Dao Ting Si.

Therefore, they were not sure whether this “informant” message was sent by the “response” from Dao Ting Si’s side.

The crowd was silent for a moment, then someone said:

“We can check who sent the message later… The problem now is, is this message true or false, and do we really have an ‘inner ghost’ within our Demon Sect?”

“Didn’t we already catch an inner ghost?”

“Could the inner ghost in Dao Ting Si be caught so easily by us?”

“What do you mean?”

“My meaning is…” A thin and tall Golden Core demonic head raised his head and looked at the leading Golden Core late-stage big leader, then slowly said, “Was the previous ‘inner ghost’ deliberately exposed by Dao Ting Si?”

“Dao Ting Si deliberately exposed this inner ghost just to use his life as a bait to lure us into a trap. While we were fishing for Dao Ting Si, Dao Ting Si also reversed it, using this ‘inner ghost’ as bait to fish for us…”

“You mean… this is a set within a set, a bureau within a bureau?”

“Yes, we set a trap, and Dao Ting Si fell into the trap. But this trap was actually also a trap set by Dao Ting Si, and in the end, it was actually us who fell into the trap…”

“Go to your mother, what set not set, it’s making this old man dizzy…”

“Idiot…”

“Simply put, is there still another inner ghost among us?”

“This true inner ghost is hidden in the dark with ulterior motives, deliberately setting up a bureau, wanting to wipe us out in one fell swoop, and the ‘inner ghost’ we caught before was actually just a ‘scapegoat’, an abandoned piece by Dao Ting Si?”

“Then that means this ‘inner ghost’ is likely of considerable status, even…”

His words stopped abruptly.

The demonic qi covered everyone’s faces, but within the demonic qi, everyone’s complexions were somewhat subtle.

Someone who can hide in the dark and set up a bureau is at least a Golden Core.

This person is still an inner ghost, which means this “inner ghost” is very likely among the current crowd.

Among the current Golden Core cultivators, anyone could be that inner ghost…

For a time, the atmosphere was silent and strange.

The crowd was silent and did not speak, but their hearts were all rapidly calculating:

In these past few days, who has been the most suspicious, who has exposed flaws, who has not been active in killing people, who has not enjoyed sucking blood, who has not been diligent in cultivating demonic arts, and who is most likely that… true inner ghost.

Demonic cultivators are inherently ruthless and suspicious.

At this critical moment, these Golden Core demonic heads, who kill people like cutting hemp, were even more unsettled by the phrase “there is an inner ghost, stop the plan”, with endless suspicion in their hearts.

After a while, a rough Golden Core demonic head spoke:

“I don’t feel right, how can there be so many inner ghosts? Perhaps someone is stirring up trouble in the dark, wanting to destroy our Demon Sect’s plan.”

“This message must be fake.”

“Not bad…”

“How can there be an inner ghost among us?”

Several other Golden Core demonic heads also echoed.

“But…” another demonic head said in a low voice, “If this message is fake, it means that someone is using this method to confuse public opinion and intends to stop our plan to hunt Dao Ting Si cultivators…”

“This just means our plan has already leaked.”

“And this plan was only known internally within the Demon Sect, and almost no wind was revealed to the outside before.”

“Such a meticulous plan can be exposed, doesn’t it prove that there is really an inner ghost among us?”

All the Golden Core demonic heads were stunned at this moment.

If this message was true, then there was indeed an inner ghost among them.

Even if this message was fake, was there still an “inner ghost” among them?

“In this way, no matter what, there must be an ‘inner ghost’?”

“Seems… it makes sense…”

“Hiss…”

Someone took a deep breath, and then the crowd all looked towards the leading Demon Sect leader.

In this situation, only the leader could decide.

The Demon Sect leader, with his Golden Core late-stage cultivation, sturdy and strong body, and demonic qi swirling around him like a small mountain, remained motionless at this moment, his gaze fierce, not saying a word.

With the leader not speaking, the other demonic heads did not dare to say more.

And just at this time, the Dao Ting Si members who had originally entered the ambush also made some movements.

They quietly closed ranks, tightly grasped their knives and swords, found cover behind a nearby city wall, and the leading several Golden Core officials also restrained their aura, with their spiritual power accumulating, ready to launch.

They were faintly vigilant about something.

These vigilant actions were relatively subtle. If before, the demonic cultivators were in a state of bloodthirsty madness, with chaotic minds, they might not have detected them.

But now, because of the “inner ghost” matter, they were just in a state of suspicion and distrust, so these subtle actions of Dao Ting Si were very obvious.

All the Golden Core demonic heads’ complexions sank.

Finally, a thin figure, a Golden Core demonic head like a “military advisor”, said in a low voice to the Demon Sect leader:

“Big brother, something is not quite right…”

He pondered for a moment and slowly said, “Dao Ting Si entered the ambush circle, yet they held back their troops and did not take the bait. Now they are even secretly guarding, it’s a bit strange…”

“Either they have already detected something and know that the current situation is a ‘trap’, or there is indeed something fishy in this, and they themselves are the ‘trap’…”

The Demon Sect leader’s pupils slightly constricted.

That Golden Core demonic cultivator continued, “If it’s a trap, then the current situation is not suitable for taking risks…”

“The dogs of Dao Ting Si have the support of local big families. If we kill one wave, there will still be another wave.”

“These brothers of ours, and the disciples and grandchildren below, were not easy to obtain. If the casualties are too heavy, it won’t be easy to develop under the eyes of Dao Ting Si again…”

The Demon Sect leader’s blood-red eyes coldly watched the crowd of Dao Ting Si cultivators below. After a moment, his voice was hoarse and terrifying, half human, half beast:

“Withdraw first…”

The Demon Sect leader’s face was pitch-black, with surging demonic qi around him, filled with cold killing intent.

“Go back and thoroughly investigate, exactly who… sent the message.”

“Yes!”

The crowd was shocked, and all cupped their hands and said.

They knew that this time, the big brother was really angry.

Amidst the ruins, there was a scene of dilapidation.

This was an abandoned family business, with broken walls and ruins everywhere, so it was chosen by the demonic cultivators as the venue for the “Blood Banquet”.

Indeed, a small group of demonic cultivators gathered here to suck blood.

Gu Changhuai got the informant’s message and originally wanted to come and wipe out this group of demonic cultivators in one fell swoop, but at this moment, he only felt a chill down his spine.

He realized he had fallen into a trap.

Around him, there seemed to be nothing, but in the night, demonic shadows surged, as if there was obscure killing intent blended into the shadows.

But when he detected it, it was already too late.

He and his people had already fallen into the heavy encirclement of the Demon Sect.

Gu Changhuai was not sure exactly how many of these demonic cultivators there were, but from the obscure but strong oppressive feeling around him, there were definitely not few.

He could only order them to hold their ground and let the crowd be alert, to drag it out as long as possible.

At the same time, several of their Golden Core cultivators were also looking for a way to break through and find an opportunity to escape.

But the situation at this time was very dangerous.

The Demon Sect was ruthless and numerous, and they had come prepared. Once a fierce battle occurred, it would be a bloody slaughter with no room for maneuver.

At this time, they could only do their best, but Gu Changhuai also had no confidence in his heart.

He didn’t dare to think about how many of these colleagues would die in the end, and how many could actually survive…

Gu Changhuai looked around, glancing at the nervous expressions of the Dao Ting Si executives, especially most of the cultivators from the Gu family, and his heart was stinging with pain.

He turned his head again, looking at the Xia official beside him who had a cold face but a beautiful appearance, and his heart was complex:

“The cultivators of the Gu family cannot die…”

“This woman is very annoying, but she cannot die here either…”

Anyway, he probably wouldn’t be able to escape.

For some reason, this group of demonic cultivators had an extremely high hatred towards him. Every time they met, they wished they could kill him.

If he used himself as “bait”, he should be able to buy some time and also seek a ray of life for others.

Gu Changhuai thought silently in his heart.

Those who seek the Dao do not pity their bodies.

How many of the Gu family’s ancestors fulfilled their duties and died at the hands of evil demons, he didn’t know.

And this, perhaps, was also his fate.

It’s just… he owed Mo Hua that boy a favor, and he was afraid he couldn’t repay it in this life.

He had repeatedly received favors from that boy in the past, yet he had not helped him with anything. He really felt a bit sorry for him…

Gu Changhuai sighed slightly.

The Xia official with a grave expression saw Gu Changhuai sigh, then turned her head and said in a low voice:

“I still have several precious talisman treasures on hand. When we open the way ahead, you follow behind as you are injured. Let’s think of a way to break through together…”

Gu Changhuai looked at the Xia official deeply, did not say anything, just nodded calmly with a look of seeing death as returning home.

His attitude was too calm, and with a hint of viewing death as returning home.

The Xia official only felt strange, but did not think further.

Afterwards, the Xia official took out an ice-blue, precious jade talisman, hid it in her sleeve, and accumulated power, ready to launch.

Another Golden Core official transferred from another state boundary only felt his scalp tingling.

He had just arrived at Qian Xue Dao Ting Si and encountered this situation on his first mission. He truly had difficulty expressing the hardship in his heart.

But the matter had already reached this point, and there was nothing more to say. If he didn’t fight hard, his life would truly be gone.

He tightly grasped a pair of large hammers in his hand.

Gu Changhuai also took out his life-bound magic treasure, a flowing light and colorful seven-colored peacock feather treasure fan, and secretly operated his spiritual power…

The other cultivators in the crowd also all grasped spiritual tools, their faces pale.

Everyone had made up their minds to fight to the death.

But just at this moment, the demonic qi lurking in the distance suddenly surged, like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves.

But these wolves did not make a move, but suppressed their cruel killing intent, gradually going far away, seeming to retreat…

Gu Changhuai and several others were stunned.

The others also all looked at each other.

But they still did not dare to act rashly, but patiently remained alert.

However, after the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, there was actually no trace of aura in the distance, as if all the demonic cultivators had completely withdrawn in silence.

The crowd, who had originally been like facing a formidable enemy, inevitably felt a blankness in their hearts.

“Why did these demonic cultivators suddenly withdraw?”

“What happened?”

“Could it be a trap? They want to let us lower our guard, and then take advantage of our relaxation to kill a return carbine?”

The Golden Core official who was transferred from other state boundaries and used double big hammers guessed in a low voice.

Gu Changhuai thought for a moment, shook his head, “They are many and powerful. If they really wanted to devour us, they would have directly made a move. There is no need for superfluous actions.”

“Then what do they… mean by this? Playing around?”

Gu Changhuai and the Xia official had similar puzzled expressions.

After pondering for a moment, Gu Changhuai said in a low voice:

“No matter what happened, it’s always a good thing for us. Let’s withdraw to a safe place first, lest we delay too long and these demonic cultivators come back again.”

The Xia official nodded, and then passed down the order, letting the Dao Ting Si cultivators withdraw first.

But they did not go far, but withdrew to a small woods twenty li outside the city gate. After confirming that the surroundings were safe, they temporarily stationed there. This stationing lasted for the entire night.

At dawn the next day, another group of reinforcements arrived to rendezvous.

The two groups of forces merged into one and then turned back, returning to the ruins—which was also the place where the Demon Sect had set up the ambush.

They wanted to check.

Whether there were really a large number of demonic cultivators in ambush last night, what kind of trap they had set, and why they suddenly withdrew in the end…

A crowd of Dao Ting Si cultivators spread out and searched the entire ruins, together with the nearby barren mountains, once.

They didn’t know until they searched. After this search, everyone’s expressions changed greatly.

The ground among the mountains was full of demonic cultivators’ footprints, there were residual demonic qi, traps made by blood insects, remnants of evil arrays that had been set up and then dismantled, and grass and trees that had been polluted by demonic qi and were gradually decaying and withering…

And looking around, this was the case everywhere on the mountains.

Even Gu Changhuai and the Xia official were drenched in cold sweat in their hearts.

The number of demonic cultivators was even more than they had expected, and there were even quite a few Golden Core realm demonic heads.

This was not a simple ambush, but a large-scale “encirclement and annihilation” aimed at Dao Ting Si.

If a war had started last night, it would have been ominous with little hope for survival. The chance of truly surviving in this kind of cruel encirclement and annihilation by demonic cultivators was truly slim.

For a time, a strong sense of relief after surviving a disaster arose in everyone’s hearts, but at the same time, stronger doubts also sprouted.

Why?

Why, when the ambush was clearly set, and everything was ready, did they suddenly withdraw again?

Demonic cultivators always cut the weeds and eliminate the roots. This kind of act of showing mercy is fundamentally not their style.

Gu Changhuai frowned.

After that, the crowd searched the surroundings again, but still found nothing.

It seemed as if the Demon Sect had just quietly set up an ambush, quietly surrounded the Dao Ting Si cultivators, then made a gesture, and then quietly withdrew.

They came gently, and went gently, yet they did not take away a single life.

“Exactly why?”

The crowd was puzzled and could not understand.

Gu Changhuai also couldn’t figure it out.

So after searching for another hour, the Xia official sighed and only said, “It’s getting late, let’s return to Dao Ting Si first, and investigate slowly later.”

“En.” Gu Changhuai nodded.

Then the crowd set off back.

The journey was bumpy, but everyone was safe and sound.

After most of the day, the crowd returned to the Dao Ting Si of Qian Xue state boundary.

The mission ended. Although there was no merit on this trip, in this situation, with no sacrifices, it was already a blessing in misfortune.

The Xia official also returned the sealed storage bags to the crowd one by one.

This was the rule of Dao Ting Si.

Whenever there was a major mission, to prevent leaks, all Dao Ting Si cultivators, except for spiritual tools and pills related to the mission, were not allowed to carry other items.

Gu Changhuai and the Xia official also just got their storage bags back at this time.

Because of the matter of the Demon Sect, their minds were still preoccupied with doubts, so they only casually checked their storage bags once and didn’t pay too much attention.

It wasn’t until they flipped to the transmission orders in their storage bags and saw the information Mo Hua had sent them on the transmission orders yesterday:

“Uncle Gu, the ‘informant’ inside the Demon Sect has been exposed.”

“Uncle Gu, be careful of the Demon Sect’s ambush…”

“Uncle Gu…”

For a moment, Gu Changhuai only felt his scalp tingle.

This message was sent to him by Mo Hua yesterday, and judging by the time, it was exactly before they entered the Demon Sect’s ambush.

That is to say, Mo Hua already knew!

Mo Hua was in Tai Xu Gate, not going out, yet he knew about the Demon Sect’s large-scale encirclement and annihilation plan earlier than these Dao Ting Si officials who were in the thick of it.

He knew earlier that they were stepping into a killing trap where they were bound to die.

And, he even notified himself in advance, letting himself be careful…

Gu Changhuai was horrified in his heart, and at the same time, a feeling of disbelief surged up.

Mo Hua… exactly how did he know?

Gu Changhuai couldn’t help but look towards the Xia official, and discovered that the Xia official was also holding a transmission order, her eyes shaking, as if she had also seen a similar transmission from Mo Hua, and was shocked in her heart.

“Mo Hua he…” the Xia official murmured, her expression unbelievable.

“Mo Hua he knows, does that mean…”

A nearly absurd guess surged up in both of their hearts at the same time:

This matter, Mo Hua knew about it in advance, and sent a message.

Currently, it seems that only Mo Hua knew in advance.

Subsequently, the Demon Sect set up a good ambush, and halfway through the encirclement and annihilation, they suddenly withdrew again…

Could it be that this matter…

Was it Mo Hua who, in the dark, did something to make so many demonic cultivators have to stop their plan and retreat unwillingly?

This guess was too absurd.

Gu Changhuai and the Xia official initially also only felt it was impossible.

But thinking about Mo Hua’s always unexpected and inconceivable actions, surging waves gradually surged up in both of their hearts…

Inside Tai Xu Gate.

At this moment, Mo Hua was busy to death.

After the message “there is an inner ghost” was sent out, he began deleting magnetic patterns overnight, preparing to “run away”.

Of course, it wasn’t a real “run away”, but to erase all traces he had left in the Demon Sect’s Yuan Magnetic Array base to avoid being detected by this group of demonic cultivators.

First, he restored all the fixed magnetic patterns he had modified during this period through the thunder magnetic little person.

Then, he still gritted his teeth, shielded the entrance of the Yuan Magnetic Complex Array, and cut off contact with the Yuan Magnetic Sea.

Afterwards, he re-modified the identity of “Chi Fei”, this Demon Sect disciple, to “ordinary disciple”.

All the permissions he had opened through tampering with magnetic patterns were shielded off.

The Demon Sect order was also modified by him to a “closed” state.

After erasing all traces, Mo Hua took back the thunder magnetic little person, threw the Demon Sect order back into the Na Zi Ring, pretended nothing happened, and attended class, cultivated, and practiced sword as usual.

After the matter, he just ignored it.

But in his heart, he was inevitably somewhat uneasy.

What if he was discovered, and this group of demonic cultivators found their way to his doorstep…

Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, and suddenly realized that he seemed to be overthinking.

He was now a dignified disciple of the Third of the Eight Great Gates, Tai Xu Gate, and was currently in Tai Xu Mountain.

Inside Tai Xu Mountain, there was a Void Cave ancestor in residence, and the sect master was a Feather Transformation stage cultivator.

He didn’t know how many Golden Core realm elders he was familiar with.

What was he afraid of?

Just a few, no, just more than ten Golden Core demonic heads.

If he was outside, he might give them some face and not be able to afford to offend them, so he would try to hide from them a bit.

But this was in Tai Xu Gate. If they dared to come, they wouldn’t even need the ancestor to make a move. Those Feather Transformation stage big elders could chop them all dead with one sword each.

Mo Hua’s back suddenly straightened. He realized that he truly had “backers” now.

Thus, two days later, he again couldn’t bear the loneliness, opened the Demon Sect order, and quietly “logged in”.

Then he discovered that he had been “banned”.

It seemed the Demon Sect had detected an anomaly and had “cancelled” all such lost or traceable Demon Sect orders.

Mo Hua’s heart sank.

He had just started playing with this order, and it had already been “banned”?

He hadn’t played enough yet.

“Have to think of a way…”

The situation was urgent, and Mo Hua didn’t care so much. Then he again sacrificed the thunder magnetic little person that had returned to its origin and let it penetrate into the Demon Sect order.

He wasn’t afraid of being discovered by the demonic cultivators.

If he was discovered, he would just directly destroy the Demon Sect order and throw it down the cliff of Tai Xu Mountain.

After the thunder magnetic little person penetrated into the Demon Sect order, Mo Hua indeed saw that all the magnetic patterns in the Demon Sect order began to turn gray, and all messages could not be transmitted.

And the permission state was also modified to “destroy”.

This piece of Demon Sect order seemed to be scrapped.

Mo Hua frowned.

This Demon Sect was too stingy. They said they would destroy the Demon Sect order and they just destroyed it. How could they not play like this…

They didn’t want to play, but he still hadn’t played enough.

“What to do?”

Mo Hua pondered for a while again, then according to his own thunder magnetic experience and the principles of the thunder magnetic array passed on to him by Elder Zheng, he began to conceive a plan and started conducting attempts one by one.

And after several attempts, Mo Hua gradually got an idea.

The Demon Sect order was in his hand. The Demon Sect wanted to “ban” it, but they couldn’t start from his piece of order.

They could only cut off the contact of his piece of Demon Sect order from the end of the Yuan Magnetic Complex Array.

And every piece of Demon Sect order had a sequence of magnetic patterns used to identify its “identity” and thus connect with the Yuan Magnetic Complex Array.

This principle was the same as the one-grade twelve patterns Spirit Pivot Absolute Array he had initially learned.

The Demon Sect “destroyed” the sequence of his piece of Demon Sect order, so this piece of Demon Sect order was abandoned, and even if he modified the “transmission disciple” permission, he still couldn’t access the Yuan Magnetic Sea of the complex array.

“Then in other words, as long as I modify the sequence magnetic patterns, I can still connect in…”

“But… where are the sequence magnetic patterns? How to modify them?”

Mo Hua again patiently and concentratedly combed through the fixed magnetic patterns inside the Demon Sect order from beginning to end.

Finally, after combing five times, Mo Hua discovered a place hidden deep inside, with complex patterns, unclear meaning, but very cumbersome and special Yuan Magnetic Array patterns.

“Found it!”

The sequence magnetic patterns!

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, and then he immediately began to think about how to modify these magnetic patterns and what to modify them into.

The sequence magnetic patterns themselves had no special meaning and were purely used to identify the order’s identity.

Therefore, their patterns themselves would be very complex.

Mo Hua also didn’t have any other sequence magnetic patterns with Demon Sect permissions to use temporarily.

So he could only try to modify it blindly.

See if he could hit a dead mouse with a blind cat.

Mo Hua had learned the Spirit Pivot Array and knew that the sequence array patterns themselves were also derived according to certain rules for convenient management.

As long as he “forged” one, it should work.

But this “forging” also required some effort.

Afterwards, Mo Hua began to try, according to his profound array knowledge and keen array intuition, to forge a new “magnetic pattern” according to the original sequence.

Every time he forged a sequence magnetic pattern, he tried to communicate with the thunder magnetic little person to see if he could borrow thunder magnetic power to re-open the interface and intervene in the Demon Sect’s Yuan Magnetic Complex Array.

Just like this, he tried one by one…

Starting from various angles, various directions, and various structures, after fully trying more than fifty times, Mo Hua finally successfully tested out a truly useful “sequence magnetic pattern”.

Mo Hua used the “forged” sequence magnetic pattern to begin connecting to the Demon Sect’s Yuan Magnetic Array.

In an instant, the Yuan Magnetic shook, and the secondary thunder flow surged.

The gray magnetic patterns began to light up one by one again.

A thunder magnetic interface opened, and the intricate yet orderly Yuan Magnetic flow, carrying a large amount of information, flowed like rivers endlessly.

A large amount of information about demonic cultivators was again presented in Mo Hua’s mind.

Looking at the familiar scene, Mo Hua couldn’t help but his eyes shone.

“Success!”

“I’m back again!”

Even though he had been “banned”, he still relied on his intelligence and wisdom to break through layers of obstacles and penetrate into this piece of Yuan Magnetic Sea again.

“This order can still be played…”

Mo Hua’s heart filled with anticipation.

And at the same time, looking at the complex and messy Yuan Magnetic flood, a thought couldn’t help but emerge in his heart:

If he could secretly borrow the thunder magnetic little person to control the Yuan Magnetic Array, then even a Golden Core’s setup, he wouldn’t be unable to play…

(End of this chapter)