However, forming the Golden Core still presented significant challenges.

Mo Hua considered carefully.

If he were to attempt to form the Golden Core again, first, he needed to nourish his body’s meridians, eliminate any potential hidden dangers in his divine consciousness, and eradicate the aftereffects of his previous failed breakthrough.

But this was not the most troublesome issue.

The most troublesome issue remained the karmic killing intent.

The root cause of his previous Golden Core formation failure was that he had been “ambushed.”

A group of powerful diviners, disregarding martial ethics, ambushed him, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. Mo Hua had no idea such a thing could happen, so he wasn’t prepared and was caught completely off guard, suffering immensely.

He couldn’t guarantee that these troublesome powerful diviners wouldn’t target him again during his next attempt to form the Golden Core. If they did, his next attempt might also end in failure.

He had to find a way to solve this problem.

Once bitten, twice shy.

From now on, he had to learn to outwit these old schemers.

And the only solution Mo Hua could think of now was…

“Dahuang Chu Gou Ming Shu” (Great Wilderness Straw Dog Life Art).

This was the Dahuang’s ultimate karmic technique, a forbidden art passed down by the ancestors of the Shu Gu tribe. It embodied profound karmic laws, encompassing the idea that “the gods are unkind, treating all living beings as straw dogs; yet the gods are also living beings, and the gods are also straw dogs,” signifying the unity of god and human, and the co-existence of noble and lowly.

Mo Hua even suspected that this karmic life art was the ultimate technique of the “Forbidden” Great Witch Priest who had disappeared from Dahuang’s history.

Before, he only had suspicions. But after being ambushed by the powerful diviners and failing to form the Golden Core, Mo Hua was almost certain that this was indeed something belonging to the Great Witch Priest.

Because this karmic transference art was simply too powerful, far exceeding what Mo Hua had previously imagined.

A single chu gou truly could stand in for a “life.”

And no matter how terrifying the karmic killing intent, it could only take one “life” at a time. This was a characteristic of karmic law. This characteristic also meant that the chu gou ming shu conferred a certain degree of “death immunity.”

This life art might be useless for ordinary people. Because chu gou themselves provided karmic defense and did not possess the ability to defend against physical and spiritual attacks. In reality, if caught, one would still be killed by swords and spells.

But Mo Hua was different. His innate talent for divination was extraordinarily high, and his karmic cultivation had now caught up. As long as his karma was not seen through, it was almost impossible for him to be caught off guard in reality. His problems always originated from “karmic lines” before leading to him being surrounded and killed in the physical world.

The incident in the Wildlands was just like that: he was sanctioned online before being caught by True Human Hua offline.

Therefore, for Mo Hua, karmic issues were fundamental issues.

Moreover, Dahuang Chu Gou Ming Shu was not just ordinary karmic defense; it was a more sophisticated form of karmic transference. For Mo Hua, who was proficient in divination, this was equivalent to giving him the ability to “create lives” for himself karmically.

He was like a “Nine-Tailed Fox Demon.”

Every time he fashioned a chu gou, he gained another “life.”

In the Wildlands, the situation was urgent, and he only had time to fashion two chu gou.

One chu gou enticed Elder You and various killing intents within the Wildlands.

The other chu gou offset the karmic tribulation from the powerful diviners.

After that, there was nothing more he could do.

The chu gou were used up, and the Golden Core formation failed. Mo Hua was severely injured and, caught completely unprepared, was utterly defenseless before True Human Hua.

“If I hadn’t been so eager for success during the previous Golden Core formation, if I had prepared more thoroughly, fashioned a few more chu gou, and transferred the misfortunes a few more times, would I have succeeded?” Mo Hua couldn’t help but wonder.

However, upon closer reflection, he felt it wasn’t that simple. In a sense, forming the Golden Core as a Divine Priest was destined to fail.

The identity of “Divine Priest” was too sensitive. His divinity also far exceeded the norm. Although he was clearly a human being, a flesh-and-blood body, what he did in Dahuang was akin to emulating the gods of heaven and earth, spreading his teachings among mortals. He was only at the Foundation Establishment stage; his flesh-and-blood body could not withstand so much incense and faith.

Therefore, this attempt at Golden Core formation was destined to fail. If he had succeeded, he would have been bound to the Divine Priest identity, with his divinity becoming unique. In the future, he would only be the Divine Priest of the Wildlands, the Divine Lord of Dahuang, but he might no longer be “Mo Hua.”

Such a result could be even worse. Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

Since forming the Golden Core as a Divine Priest carried too much karma, leading to the annihilation of his humanity, and was thus destined to fail, then he could only… form the Golden Core as “Mo Hua.”

“After all, I am inherently just a person, inherently just Mo Hua…”

But even if he formed the Golden Core as “Mo Hua,” those troublesome powerful diviners might not truly let him off the hook. Mo Hua harbored no illusions, so he still needed to prepare more chu gou.

“If I weave a few more chu gou, resist a few more karmic tribulations, avoid those ‘old schemers,’ and if I also have some fortuitous encounters and good luck, then perhaps my next attempt at Golden Core formation will succeed…”

“Perhaps I really can… form the Golden Core…”

With a plan in mind, Mo Hua’s heart gradually settled. A sense of fatigue also crept in. For these past days, as a prisoner of the Hua family, he had constantly racked his brains, trying to save himself, which was truly exhausting. Now, having relied on the support of True Human Zhuge and these “Taixu Sect” elders, he could finally catch his breath.

Mo Hua lay on the bed, closing his eyes to rest. But when he wasn’t resting, he felt very tired. Now that he could truly lie down and rest, his mind was filled with worries, making it impossible to sleep.

The failure to form the Golden Core lingered in his mind. Some past scenes always floated in his thoughts. Mo Hua opened his eyes, slowly sighed, and murmured softly:

“I wonder how things are… in the Wildlands…”

Although he could not now admit to being the Divine Priest and had to sever his ties with that identity, the Wildlands was, after all, his “foundation” for nearly ten years of struggle. There were many matters and many people he cared about.

He didn’t know what the Wildlands would become after his sudden disappearance as the Divine Priest. Would it continue to develop according to his ideals, or would it instantly fall apart?

What about Dan Zhu? What would Dan Zhu think? Could he uphold his Dao heart and shoulder the responsibility? Would the big tiger be in danger? Would it be lonely, left alone in the Wildlands? When would he be able to see the big tiger again, to stroke its big head?

And many other people… those disciples he taught, those people he influenced… Would the obedient and sensible Little Zha Tu, and the diligent Elder Zha Mu, live peacefully?

What about Lu Gu, who pledged loyalty to him, and Tie Shu Gu, whose allegiance and fate were uncertain?

Would the great chiefs, great elders, and other high-ranking officials of various tribes, whom he had suppressed with divine authority, harbor rebellious thoughts? What would be the future for the barbarians he had liberated? Would the systems he established and the reforms he implemented be overthrown again?

Were all these things he did in the Wildlands truly useful? Could they truly change the fate of the people in the Wildlands? Was everything he did truly right?

Mo Hua’s mind was in turmoil, but no one could give him answers. He could only sigh deeply in the dark night. In the Wildlands, he controlled the overall situation with his divinity, constantly busy and exhausted, calmly yet somewhat numb. Now that he had left the Wildlands, he calmly reviewed everything, and an unspeakable worry and melancholy arose in his heart.

Life is often like this… One keeps striving forward, but when they truly walk a certain distance and look back, they suddenly realize that what is truly important may not be the goal ahead, but the paths they hurriedly walked. These paths walked are what forge a life. The journey of seeking the Dao is the foundation for a cultivator to achieve the Great Dao.

Mo Hua lay in the dark, his heart filled with unspeakable emotions.

“I hope the people of the Wildlands will be alright…”

The next day, Mo Hua woke up early, meditated and regulated his breathing, rested his body for a while, and then went out. He wanted to see if he could sneak out of the Privy Council’s guest room and gather some wild grasses from Dahuang. With wild grasses, he could weave chu gou. With chu gou, he could activate the life art and transfer karma.

After his failure to form the Golden Core, the two carefully woven chu gou he had made were all ruined. Now, Mo Hua had no chu gou in his hands. Karmically, he was completely “undefended.”

Although for a long time before, he had not learned the Dahuang Chu Gou Ming Shu and was always in an “undefended” state. But that was before. In Tongxian City, in Nanyue City, and in Ganxue Prefecture, Mr. Zhuang and Elder Xun were secretly protecting him. His own fate also carried a great ill omen, which would automatically defend him.

But all of these were “passive” and relied on others. In karma, who was harming him, who was protecting him, who harmed him and ultimately caused their own demise… many times, Mo Hua himself was clueless.

But now the situation was different. The dangers he faced were greater, and it was uncertain if anyone could always protect him. Mo Hua also didn’t wish to be protected indefinitely. He had to learn to control his own destiny and grasp the karmic dangers himself.

Before real danger arrived, he had to fashion as many “chu gou” as possible to resist calamities, the more the better.

However, Mo Hua’s request to go out was rejected. The two supervisors, Huangfu and Shangguan, did not allow him to leave. Mo Hua tried to “negotiate” with Supervisor Huangfu, but it was useless.

“You cannot go out,” Supervisor Huangfu insisted. He hadn’t forgotten that this was “Little Ancestor,” the little “spirit tablet” of the Taixu Sect personally designated by Elder Xun. Since he was a spirit tablet, he had to be revered. What kind of “spirit tablet” would run out if not properly revered? If something happened, how would they explain it to Elder Xun? This was for the public good.

Privately, Supervisor Huangfu and Supervisor Shangguan, who were related to Mo Hua, quite liked this handsome and polite “Little Ancestor.” With the complex situation outside and many people secretly eyeing Mo Hua, they were even less likely to let him out.

Mo Hua sighed. In this way, he was effectively under “house arrest” again. It was like this with the Hua family, and it was still the same even after leaving the Hua family. However, the Hua family confined him to harm him. Supervisor Huangfu confined him to protect him. Mo Hua knew Supervisor Huangfu was doing it for his own good and couldn’t say anything.

He could only take a step back and say, “Supervisor, can someone gather some wild grasses for me?”

“Wild grasses?”

“The most common, most inconspicuous kind of wild grass, found everywhere.”

Supervisor Huangfu didn’t understand, “What do you want these wild grasses for?”

“I…” Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said, “To study Dahuang’s soil and water?”

Study soil and water? Supervisor Huangfu was still perplexed. However, they were just wild grasses, so there was no reason to refuse. Given Mo Hua’s status, logically speaking, let alone wild grasses, even if he wanted to eat dragon meat, they would have to seriously consider it.

“Alright, no problem,” Supervisor Huangfu agreed.

Mo Hua bowed, “Thank you, Supervisor Huangfu.”

Supervisor Huangfu quickly pressed his hand down. Mo Hua didn’t know about Elder Xun’s letter, and Supervisor Huangfu didn’t reveal it, still treating Mo Hua as an ordinary disciple on the surface. But he couldn’t be ignorant of the proper decorum or be presumptuous.

Supervisor Huangfu said gently, “We are all ‘fellow disciples,’ and we are all related in some way, so there’s no need to be so formal.”

Mo Hua thanked him, “Thank you for your care, Supervisor.”

“Not at all, not at all…”

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while when Mo Hua suddenly remembered a question: “Supervisor, where exactly are we right now?” Since he was captured by True Human Hua, he had been confined, only vaguely guessing that he had been taken from the Wildlands. But where he was now, he had no idea.

And… “How are the battles in Dahuang… progressing?” Mo Hua asked softly.

Supervisor Huangfu paused, initially not wanting to discuss it, but since Mo Hua asked and it would be rude not to answer, he carefully began, “We are currently in the old territory of the Dahuang Sect…”

“Regarding the court’s war, as a supervisor, I can only briefly tell you some things; confidential matters cannot be disclosed. Please, little…” Supervisor Huangfu paused, unsure how to address Mo Hua. He couldn’t very well call him “Little Ancestor” in front of him. But calling him “little brother” seemed impolite, and more importantly, too distant.

Mo Hua seemed to sense Supervisor Huangfu’s hesitation and said, “If you don’t mind, just call me Junior Brother?” After all, they shared the fate of studying in the same sect. Supervisor Huangfu had graduated earlier, so by rights, he was the Senior Brother, and Mo Hua would naturally be the Junior Brother.

Supervisor Huangfu nodded, “Junior Brother, hello, Junior Brother, hello.”

Mo Hua said, “Senior Brother Huangfu, please continue…”

Supervisor Huangfu felt a little closer to him in his heart and nodded, then said: “Confidential matters cannot be told to you, but the general situation doesn’t need to be avoided…”

“It is now the 20,047th year of the Dao Calendar. Nearly ten years have passed since the southward fall of Yinghuo, the rise of Lihuo, and the rebellion of Dahuang.”

“In these ten years, the Dao Court’s army and Dahuang’s Royal Court have been locked in continuous combat.”

“Initially, the Dahuang Sect’s unexpected rebellion led to the defeat of the Dao soldiers, incurring the wrath of the Dao Court…” Mo Hua nodded. It was during this time that he got separated from the army, was taken by the big tiger, and fled to the Wildlands. He went from serving the Dao Court and achieving merits to “building a career” for the Wildlands. He could indeed sigh: fate plays tricks on people.

Supervisor Huangfu continued, “…The Dao Court was enraged and subsequently dispatched more troops to engage Dahuang’s Royal Court.”

“But for some reason, Dahuang’s Royal Court was strangely powerful this time. Whenever there was a battle, strange things would happen. There were always inexplicable commotions in the Boundless Abyss, which were terrifying.”

“The Dao Soldier Division launched several major battles but failed to secure victory. With the situation in a stalemate, the Dao Court had to issue an edict, conscripting cultivators from various aristocratic families and sects to reinforce and quell the rebellion in Dahuang.”

Mo Hua said, “The aristocratic families probably don’t have Dao soldiers, do they?”

“That’s natural,” Supervisor Huangfu said. “Unless approved by the Dao Court and with a敕令 (Chìlìng – imperial decree) from the Dao Soldier Division, privately raising Dao soldiers is a capital offense.”

“Then the ones sent by the aristocratic families this time…”

“They are all elders, core cultivators from various aristocratic families and sects, as well as some gifted young disciples who specifically came to gain experience through the fires of war…” Supervisor Huangfu said.

Mo Hua was slightly stunned, “The… prodigies from various aristocratic families and sects.”

(End of Chapter)