Chapter 1522: Suppressing Demons and the Seven Stars

Chapter 1522: Suppressing Demons and the Seven Stars

Little Luan Mountain Blessed Land.

Mo Hua held the marriage "roster" that Jiang Yingluo had given him, looking somewhat troubled as he walked into the small courtyard.

In the elegant little courtyard, Bai Zixi sat at the table drawing formations.

Xiao Ju wasn't around—at this hour, she was probably tending to her orange trees again. Her trees were growing splendidly, seemingly on the verge of bearing fruit. Xiao Ju was overjoyed, spending all day lying in the dirt, watching over her orange trees, afraid that some careless big bird might peck them to pieces. True Person Rong wasn't in the study either, off doing who knows what.

The entire courtyard was quiet and peaceful for the moment.

Mo Hua approached the courtyard, gazing at Little Senior Sister's figure, and quietly drew closer, sitting down beside her.

Bai Zixi sensed Mo Hua's presence, paused her formation work, turned to look at him, and asked:

"What did Zhao Zhao want with you?"

Thinking of that person—the Eldest Senior Sister of the Earth Sect, who seemed to wield considerable authority there, bright and forceful, with a hint of majesty and dominance—being called "Zhao Zhao" by Little Senior Sister, Mo Hua felt a subtle sense of dissonance.

Mo Hua took the roster from his sleeve and handed it to Bai Zixi. She accepted it and saw that the roster contained a collection of beauties—some plump, some slender, all with flower-like faces and moon-like appearances, each with their own unique charm. She browsed through it with great interest. Then, somewhat surprised, she looked up at Mo Hua.

"Senior Sister Jiang... wants me to find a Dao Companion and form a marriage alliance with a great clan," Mo Hua said directly.

Bai Zixi's heart skipped a beat, her beautiful eyes flickering as she quietly asked, "Then... what do you think?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "How could I possibly agree?"

Bai Zixi asked, "You don't want to form a marriage alliance with a great clan?"

Mo Hua was silent for a moment, then sighed softly:

"Every benefit in this world comes at a price..."

"Marriages into prestigious families aren't so easy to climb into. Allying with a powerful clan may seem like a life of comfort and boundless prospects, but when you eat from someone's hand, you're beholden to them. There are too many times you'd be constrained, and in many matters, you'd have no choice but to go along."

Mo Hua knew that although he was a disciple of Great Void Sect with a seemingly great reputation, his true identity was merely that of a small rogue cultivator from Tongxian City in Li Province.

Between rogue cultivators and great clans—especially monopolistic ones like these—there was an almost irreconcilable contradiction. Unless he was truly willing to become a dog for the clan, conflict would inevitably erupt sooner or later. Even if he did become their "dog," the clan wouldn't truly respect him. Those riches, fame, beautiful Dao Companions—like sugar-coated cannonballs—were ultimately illusions, nothing more than a dream in the end.

Mo Hua understood this very clearly.

Bai Zixi looked at Mo Hua and asked, seemingly casually, "Then... none of the clan marriages would work?"

Mo Hua's heart trembled at her words. He turned to look at Little Senior Sister, his gaze filled with tenderness and affection, yet his heart was complicated beyond words.

Many things within great clans—especially marriage alliances—now that he had been exposed to more of them, he was gradually beginning to understand. He knew that things were far from as simple as he had once imagined. The Earth Sect's marriage alliances alone had such complex inner workings and such deep entanglements of interest. Not to mention the sixth-rank Bai Clan of Qian Province, which had rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor—the cause and effect of their marriage alliances might very well reach all the way up to the Heavenly Gate...

Even Mo Hua found it hard to fathom at the moment.

Especially after his conversation with the Earth Sect's Eldest Senior Sister, Mo Hua had been thinking the whole way back, and indeed, he had slowly come to understand some things.

His own path of cultivation was filled with too much uncertainty. The ancient Celestial Evolution Art, Dao-Transformed Divine Sense, breaking through via the Heavenly Puzzle Formation, the Life-Bound Taotie Spiritual Formation, the Dragon Qi Lock Inferior-grade Golden Core... Mo Hua didn't even know what he would ultimately cultivate into, or what changes his path might undergo. These causes and effects, once suddenly twisted, could trigger unknown mutations and make his life spiral out of control.

In contrast, the arrangements that great sects and great clans made for their truly core, direct-line descendants were extremely meticulous. Jiang Yingluo was like this, and Little Senior Sister was much the same. At least, judging by her current progress, she could cultivate step by step all the way to Feathered Ascension.

And what about himself?

Mo Hua asked himself honestly—he still didn't even have a clear concept of Feathered Ascension. How exactly one went from Golden Core, step by step, to Feathered Ascension, and ultimately flew into the heavens, he had no idea either. And the cultivation method he practiced was the Celestial Evolution Art, walking the path of Proving the Dao through Divine-Sense.

Feathered Ascension on the path of Proving the Dao through Divine-Sense, compounded by his Lifebound Taotie and all sorts of bizarre causes and effects—what kind of monstrous form he would take after ascension was beyond even his most vivid imagination.

And this was only the uncertainty of his cultivation.

Mo Hua's very existence itself was extremely "dangerous." Too many terrifying causes and effects lurked in his fate—the Divine Dao struggles of mutual devouring and life-or-death; the Strange Dao blood feud with Martial Uncle in the threads of Heavenly Secret; and if he wanted to save his Master, who knew how many enemies he would face in the future, how much danger awaited him...

Previously, Mo Hua had been relatively simple-minded, with only his Little Senior Sister in his heart, using her as an anchor for his willfulness, without thinking too deeply. But now that he was truly before his Little Senior Sister, many hidden dangers of the mortal world and cause and effect had to be considered.

Mo Hua knew well that if he were an extremely dangerous person, then the closer one was to him, the deeper the entanglement, and the more dangerous the situation for those whose cause and effect were intertwined with his. Even his Little Senior Sister would have to bear the various perils of the Divine Dao and Strange Dao on his behalf.

With this thought, Mo Hua's mood grew increasingly complicated.

"I..." Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "I don't know."

Bai Zixi looked at Mo Hua, seemingly thinking of something, and asked, "Little Junior Brother, what do you think of Zhao Zhao?"

Mo Hua was momentarily stunned. "What do I think?"

"Mm," Bai Zixi nodded.

"Senior Sister Jiang..." Mo Hua hesitated, "Although she's a bit domineering, she's still quite fair, and she hasn't made things difficult for me. There are people in the Earth Sect who want to harm me, but with her keeping them in check, they haven't dared to make a move."

Bai Zixi nodded slightly and asked, "Then... Little Junior Brother, what plans do you have for the future?"

Jiang Yingluo had asked this before.

Now his Little Senior Sister was asking the same... Yet Mo Hua still didn't know how to answer.

His plans for the future were not entirely clear.

The situation was uncertain, and he didn't know what fate he would bear.

He only knew that under the great tide of circumstances, his future would surely be strewn with thorns, filled with treachery and slaughter.

Mo Hua said slowly, "I..."

He hesitated, the words not yet spoken. But Bai Zixi seemed to already know, and nodded. Then she extended a jade-like delicate hand, gently pressing it against Mo Hua's lips:

"Little Junior Brother, remember, just act according to your Dao Heart, and choose the path you should walk."

Mo Hua only felt the delicate warmth at his lips.

Looking up, he met his Little Senior Sister's clear yet doting eyes, and felt an indescribable flutter in his heart, along with a hint of youthful shyness.

Mo Hua only nodded and said softly, "Mm, Senior Sister."

...

The days that followed told Mo Hua that the Eldest Senior Sister of the Earth Sect, Jiang Yingluo, was right, he truly didn't have many choices.

The great clans' blockade against him was all-encompassing.

The spirit stones in Mo Hua's hands grew fewer and fewer, while the hunger of the Lifebound Taotie Spiritual Skeleton Formation grew deeper and deeper. Yet he couldn't earn even a single spirit stone through his own abilities.

It wasn't that he lacked skill—it was that his skill was useless.

The Earth Sect dominated Kun Province, having cultivated and developed for over ten thousand years, and had long monopolized all resources and connections in Houtu City.

Unless he agreed to marry into the Earth Sect and become their lackey, there was basically no other path to take.

Because this was Houtu City, on the Earth Sect's "turf." Mo Hua was alone and powerless, utterly unable to contend with such a behemoth. For the first time, he deeply felt the predicament of being under someone else's roof.

The current situation was different from before—different from Tongxian City, from the Qianxue Prefecture realm, from the Great Wilderness. No matter how dire the situation had been before, Mo Hua had always had his own "territory," his own "influence," where he could plan and develop his strength. But in Kun Province, Mo Hua truly had no "territory" of his own in any real sense.

Aside from Little Luan Mountain Blessed Land, the only place Mo Hua could go was the Dao Court Division.

....

Three days later, Mo Hua went to the Dao Court Division again.

Gu Changhuai had gone to deal with the uprising in the Great Spirit Field Realm and hadn't returned yet... the outcome was unknown.

Mo Hua only found Yu Cangming, the Deputy Director of the Demon Suppression Division, and while drinking tea, asked about some matters.

After all, Mo Hua was an "outsider," and there was much information he couldn't obtain. But Yu Cangming was different—he held a high position and was jointly handling cases with Magistrate Gu, so he was relatively well-informed on many matters.

Although Yu Cangming felt that Mo Hua might not be a good person, there was still some debt of "life-saving" gratitude, and Gu Changhuai did trust Mo Hua quite a bit. So Yu Cangming didn't hide anything and said to Mo Hua:

"Two days ago, Magistrate Gu sent word back. He said that the two prefecture realms of Qingchou and Guitian are more chaotic than expected. The great clans exploit, Demonic Cultivators stir up trouble, refugees go hungry, and they keep causing incidents... Unless heavy-handed suppression is used, it will be very difficult to pacify."

"As for Huangrang and Nansui, they have different kinds of chaos... The situation there is like a quagmire—sunk deep and unable to extricate oneself..."

Yu Cangming sighed softly, his expression grave. "If this continues, once the situation further deteriorates and the uprisings intensify, the Dao Court Division will have no choice but to send documents upward, requesting the mobilization of Dao Soldiers to suppress the rebellion."

"Mobilize Dao Soldiers?" Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. "Are there Dao Soldiers stationed near Houtu City?"

Yu Cangming said, "All under heaven is Dao territory. How could there be no Dao Soldiers stationed?"

Mo Hua couldn't help but ask, "Where are the Dao Soldiers of Houtu City stationed?"

Yu Cangming said, "Dao Soldiers are generally stationed in deep mountains or uninhabited wilderness. Their camps rotate and change positions—the real-time locations are only known by the high-ranking officials of the Dao Soldier Division. It's confidential. We're only responsible for submitting requests; approval and deployment are handled by the Dao Soldier Division."

Mo Hua frowned and said, "But... the war in the Great Wilderness hasn't been settled yet, has it? Won't the Dao Court's forces be stretched thin?"

Yu Cangming shook his head. "No matter how stretched thin the forces are, they're not nonexistent. At the very least, there are still enough troops to suppress a spirit farmer uprising."

Mo Hua's gaze darkened slightly, and he nodded.

Uprising, Dao Soldiers, great clans, Demonic Sect... The situation was growing more turbulent by the day, yet Mo Hua felt a lingering hesitation in his heart.

Just then, Yu Cangming spoke up. "By the way, Young Master Mo, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Mo Hua was briefly taken aback, then nodded. "Director Yu, please speak freely."

Yu Cangming pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "I'd like to have Tusheng join the Demon Suppression Division. What do you think, Young Master Mo?"

Tusheng, join the Demon Suppression Division? Mo Hua was somewhat surprised—but even more so, he was puzzled. "Why would you ask me about something like this, Director Yu?"

Yu Cangming sighed. "I already spoke to Tusheng about it, but he said he only listens to Sir Mo's words. So I had no choice but to come ask you."

Mo Hua mulled it over briefly, then looked at Yu Cangming and asked, "Director Yu... you think highly of Tusheng?"

Since it concerned Tusheng, and he needed Mo Hua's consent, Yu Cangming didn't hide anything.

He nodded. "This child has some talent. I want to teach him cultivation and pass on some Dao Arts to him. If he learns well, I wouldn't mind teaching him some of my signature techniques either. He can't be a personal disciple, but a nominal disciple is certainly within the realm of possibility."

Mo Hua felt a sudden daze.

Back then, when Mister Zhuang took him as a disciple, he had said something similar at first, that he couldn't be a personal disciple, but he could start as a nominal disciple.

Mo Hua's heart ached faintly.

He looked at Yu Cangming again, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is it because Tusheng's aura is faint and concealed... and he's suited for assassination?"

Yu Cangming's brow twitched at the question, but then he recalled that this Young Master Mo was nearly demonic in his intellect, far beyond ordinary people, some things simply couldn't be hidden from him.

Yu Cangming nodded. "Correct. This child... is the most suitable person I've ever seen for inheriting my assassination Dao lineage."

Assassination as a lineage was already an extremely niche branch of Dao Arts.

Its power was formidable, capable of killing a powerful enemy in a single strike. But its drawbacks were equally severe: if the plan went wrong, if the calculations were flawed, and the strike failed, one could easily end up paying with their own life.

Thus, seeds suitable for inheriting this kind of Dao Art were few and far between.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment but didn't refuse. He nodded. "As long as Tusheng agrees, that's fine."

Tusheng came from refugee origins in the Great Spirit Field Realm. Though he had reached Foundation Establishment, he had never possessed any proper inheritance in terms of cultivation. Being able to receive Director Yu's guidance could be considered Tusheng's fortune.

Moreover, Tusheng was a "Living Dead Corpse Embryo," which put him in a very dangerous position. If he could cultivate by Director Yu's side, it would also serve as a powerful "body-protecting talisman," allowing Mo Hua to rest a little easier.

Seeing Mo Hua relent, Yu Cangming felt relieved. "Thank you, Young Master Mo."

Mo Hua shook his head. "Director Yu being willing to guide Tusheng in his cultivation is his blessing. However..."

Mo Hua looked somewhat puzzled. "Is having Tusheng join the Demon Suppression Division within the rules? The Dao Court Division's positions all require examinations and reviews, positions are hard to come by. The Demon Suppression Division should be similar. Even if Tusheng's cultivation and spiritual roots could pass the examination, he probably wouldn't pass the Dao Court's 'review' stage."

Yu Cangming waved his hand and sighed. "The Demon Suppression Division doesn't really matter anymore. It's not exactly a good post anyway."

Mo Hua asked, "It's different from the Dao Court Division?"

Yu Cangming said, "A position in the Dao Court Division lets you coast along and collect a salary, it's an 'iron rice bowl.' But a 'position' in the Demon Suppression Division is often just a 'death warrant.'"

After all, the Demon Suppression Division had to slay demons and vanquish evil. It was grueling and thankless, with one's life hanging by a thread—a single misstep could cost you your life.

Yu Cangming said indifferently, "Everyone fights over an iron rice bowl, but who wants a death warrant? Especially in times like these."

Mo Hua sighed inwardly, then asked, "Well, the Demon Suppression Division must still grant Merit Points, right?"

Yu Cangming said, "Naturally. With all that hardship, how could there be no Merit Points?"

Sects, great clans, and even the Dao Court—many of their merit systems were similar in overall framework.

Mo Hua asked again, "Then when someone from the Demon Suppression Division kills a demon lord and earns Merit Points, what can they exchange them for?"

Yu Cangming thought for a moment. "Not much different from anywhere else. Just Spirit stones, cultivation methods, Dao Arts, Spiritual Materials, Spiritual Artifacts, pill medicine, and the like."

Mo Hua took a sip of tea and casually asked, "Can they also exchange for formations?"

Yu Cangming nodded. "Naturally."

Mo Hua then asked, "What formations are available?"

Yu Cangming pondered. "Few people bother exchanging for formations, but ordinary ones are generally available: the Five Elements Formation, ordinary Eight Trigrams Formations, some Primordial Magnetic Formations, and the Seven Stars..."

The cup in Mo Hua's hand shattered instantly, tea spilling over his hand. He looked up, staring blankly at Yu Cangming, hardly daring to believe his ears:

"Did you just say... Seven Stars Formation?"

(End of Chapter)