Chapter 1552: Establishing a Cult

Chapter 1552: Establishing a Cult

Mo Hua had grown up in Tongxian City, and being accustomed to it from an early age, he had never given it much thought.

Now, however, having learned the Heavenly Secrets and understood cause and effect, looking back and pondering it carefully made him feel that something was bizarre.

Why?

Why had no one realized that this remote, desolate, completely unknown 《Tongxian City》 actually contained the karma of the character 《Xian》— Immortal?

Was there some transcendent existence that, through some manner of means, had screened off the awareness of this character?

Because of that, everyone could see the three characters 《TongXian City,》 and they frequently rolled off their tongues, yet no one ever realized the true significance behind them.

No one had ever realized that, unlike other Immortal Cities, this small city was truly named using the character for Immortal (Xian).

Tongxian City... did it lead to Immortals?

The more Mo Hua thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He began to wonder whether his own suspicious nature was acting up, making a mountain out of a molehill.

It was very likely that Tongxian City was simply too far beyond the reach of imperial authority, too remote, and too impoverished, causing the Dao Court to overlook it and neglect stripping it of the word 《Xian》.

Yet the deeper he probed, the more he felt it could not be that simple...

For instance... why had his Master, a man of profound cultivation who was thoroughly versed in the 《Heavenly Secret Derivative Algorithm》, deliberately traveled all the way to a tiny city in a remote corner of Li Province to live in seclusion?

The world was vast; with his Master's capabilities, where could he not have gone?

Even if he had been gravely injured, relying on Heavenly Secret concealment, he could have easily hidden anywhere across the Nine Provinces and the Four Seas.

Why, of all places, did he choose to live in seclusion in Tongxian City?

Had Master possessed some other reason for doing so back then?

And there was one most crucial thing...

Mo Hua gently stroked his forehead. Within his Sea of Consciousness lay something that had completely altered his destiny...

The Dao Stele.

An existence like the Dao Stele was exceedingly difficult to define, and its function seemed quite ordinary, it was merely used to practice formations and retrace Divine-Sense.

Over all these years, it had remained exactly as it was, neither transforming nor showing the slightest hint of progress.

It was as if it had been this way since time immemorial.

Yet upon careful reflection, drawing formations and retracing Divine-Sense meant it could convert Formations and Divine-Sense Thoughts back and forth between the tangible and the intangible.

Being and non-being giving birth to one another, the illusory and the real transforming between themselves.

It appeared utterly unremarkable, yet it possessed the profound mystery of turning the mundane into the miraculous.

It was just that when his cultivation realm was too low, he had simply been incapable of comprehending it.

Could the existence of the Dao Stele be connected to Tongxian City?

What kind of connection could there be?

And just what kind of existence possessed the power to screen off the character 《Xian》 of Tongxian City from both Heavenly Secret cause and effect and human perception?

Why, in those days, did Master choose Tongxian City to live in seclusion?

The Great Dao is like the wind, rising from mere duckweed. So many matters, the roots of countless causes and effects, had begun in that impoverished Tongxian City, with a broken Dao Stele without words, and with himself, a tiny cultivator...

Examining these seemingly casual details closely through his Cause-and-Effect Intuition, every single point was steeped in an indescribable, bizarre eeriness...

Mo Hua's expression shifted several times, and a slight chill crept into his heart.

Beside him, Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai saw Mo Hua—who was usually unruffled—standing there as if possessed by a demon. His eyes flickered, his emotions wavered, and his Divine-Sense surged erratically, emanating an inexplicable sense of pressure that made their scalps tingle.

Bai XiaoSheng could not help but ask in a low voice, "What are you daydreaming about now?"

Mo Hua startled, snapping back to his senses. Only then did he rein in the strange stirrings in his heart, shaking his head. "Nothing."

Bai XiaoSheng sneered, clearly not believing him. Still, since Mo Hua did not say, he could hardly press further.

He possessed self-awareness; he knew he was not skilled enough to pry secrets out of Mo Hua's mouth.

It was already a blessing not to have his own secrets pried out by Mo Hua.

Bai XiaoSheng fell silent.

Yet Mo Hua remained deeply anxious. After some thought, he tested the waters: "Is it still in time for me to change our name?"

"Change names?" Bai XiaoSheng was taken aback. "You're not going to be called Mo Hua anymore?"

Mo Hua shot Bai XiaoSheng a look of disdain. "The name of the Tongxian Cult, of course. You're really stupid."

Had anyone else called him stupid, Bai XiaoSheng would have sneered and swung a sword at them long ago.

Yet coming from Mo Hua, Bai XiaoSheng could only be the bigger man and pretend he had heard nothing.

Bai XiaoSheng asked flatly, "What's wrong with the Tongxian Cult?"

Mo Hua said, "Didn't you two just say that the 《Tongxian Cult》 has the word 《Xian》 in it, violating a taboo and making it easy to be suppressed by the Dao Court?"

"Wouldn't it be better to change it?"

Bai XiaoSheng was a little surprised. "That's odd. Weren't you acting tough earlier, treating it like it was nothing?"

Mo Hua wore a complicated expression.

Ignorance breeds boldness.

Because he hadn't known, he hadn't thought much of it.

Now that he realized the three characters 《Tongxian City》 were very likely tied to unfathomably profound matters, he felt a bit timid deep down.

If his guess proved correct, they would truly be finished.

Mo Hua said solemnly, "I admit I was arrogant before. The character 'Xian' (Immortal) carries too much weight..."

Bai XiaoSheng froze, almost thinking he had misheard.

That Mo Hua—lawless, boundless in arrogance, ruthless, devious, and cunning—had actually admitted he was arrogant?

So you have times when you're afraid, too?

Bai XiaoSheng marveled inwardly.

Gu Changhuai, however, shook his head. "It can't be changed now. You've already lied to Great General Chang. Now that the name of the Tongxian Cult has been spoken, how can you change it?"

Bai XiaoSheng nodded as well. "A lie spoken is like spilled water."

Mo Hua suggested tentatively, "How about saying I remembered it wrong? In truth, we are... the Tong'ling' Cult?"

Gu Changhuai sighed. "What do you think? As a grand esteemed master, could you possibly misremember the name of your own sect?"

"How do you think Great General Chang will view you then?"

"From then on, he won't believe a single word you say..."

Mo Hua nodded. "That's true as well..."

His credibility was very important. A spit of saliva meant a hammered nail; what was said was what stood.

Bai XiaoSheng thought it over and added, "Forget it, let's stick with the Tongxian Cult for now. Don't change it."

Mo Hua asked, "Aren't you afraid of violating the Dao Court's rules?"

Bai XiaoSheng sighed, rather speechlessly, and retorted, "Are you part of the Dao Court right now? Don't forget, you're an rioter now..."

Both he and Magistrate Gu had been dragged in by Mo Hua to play the role of rioters, had Mo Hua himself forgotten that?

Realization dawned upon Mo Hua.

Since they were rioters, they were not on the same side as the Dao Court to begin with. Why would they care about the Dao Court's rules?

Heaven, Earth, Immortals—they could use whatever words they pleased.

Many rioters lived from hand to mouth and never planned on living long anyway; why would they care about such titles?

Whatever name they took, naturally nothing was taboo...

"Besides, it's only for temporary use..." Bai XiaoSheng mused. "The name Tongxian Cult is made up out of thin air anyway. We'll only use it this once."

"Once this matter is over, we'll erase the name immediately. Completely undetected, the Dao Court might not even investigate it. It probably won't be a big issue..."

Mo Hua hesitated slightly. "We still have to erase the name?"

Bai XiaoSheng glanced at Mo Hua. "What? Are you thinking of developing and glorifying the Tongxian Cult?"

"Do you want to make yourself the Tongxian Cult Master while you're at it?"

"How could that be? I'm not stupid..." Mo Hua shook his head repeatedly.

The title of Tongxian Cult Master was truly a bit terrifying.

Becoming the Tongxian Cult Master would be like the god of longevity hanging himself, courting death.

Gu Changhuai pondered for a moment and also sighed:

"Let it be the Tongxian Cult then. Just keep a low profile. It's an expedient measure, meant for temporary use. Make quick work of it, resolve the uprising as soon as possible, and discard the name just as fast."

"As long as we aren't too ostentatious, the Dao Court generally won't investigate..."

Gu Changhuai was, after all, an insider of the Dao Court; he knew some of the regulatory loopholes and could navigate around them slightly.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and nodded. "All right."

Bai XiaoSheng carefully reviewed the whole matter from beginning to end once more and agreed that there shouldn't be much of a problem.

Tongxian Cult was a fake name, temporarily adopted, to be discarded immediately after use, completely undetected. They just needed to be cautious.

As an honorable member of the Bai Clan, pure and blameless, he could not afford to be tainted by any dark history.

...

Though fabricated, following the deliberation among the three, the sect known as the 《Tongxian Cult》 was temporarily established in a proper and justifiable manner.

Mo Hua was the Esteemed Master, yet every position above Esteemed Master was currently up to him to define.

Whether there was an Ancestor or a Cult Master, what manner of sacred entity the Ancestor was, or what surname and given name the Cult Master possessed, all depended on Mo Hua's mouth to invent on the spot.

The history and origins of the Tongxian Cult were entirely subject to Mo Hua's whim.

Gu Changhuai and Bai XiaoSheng were the Dharma Protectors.

Dharma Protectors held high status and were elder-tier figures, but since their venture was only midway through inception, it was merely an empty title for now; their primary responsibility was to protect Mo Hua, this Esteemed Master.

With the sect's name settled and its internal structure stabilized, the next step was to expand their influence outward.

First and foremost was earning the trust of Great General Chang.

The next day, Mo Hua met with Great General Chang in the military encampment, pointing to a corner of the map:

"Three days from now, at the third quarter of the Hai hour (9 p.m. – 11 p.m.), there will be an enemy raid on the southeast corner of the camp."

"The enemy is a division of the Mountain Locust Army, skilled in Earth Escape, numbering roughly five hundred. Under cover of night, they will burrow into the military encampment in three successive waves, intending to slaughter our forces and seize the camp."

"Their Earth Escape technique is exceedingly refined, moving underground without a trace. There are no signs to follow from the surface, nor any way to mount a conventional defense."

"You may dig trenches and lay traps underground, setting up Fire Talismans, Formations, and poisonous water. Feign an absence of defenses, and once they enter the formations, seal them to slaughter the enemy..."

...

Mo Hua laid out the timing, location, personnel, vulnerabilities, troop strength, escape techniques, and counter-tactics in their entirety to Great General Chang.

Hearing this, Great General Chang was shaken to his core, feeling as though the Esteemed Master before him truly possessed the ability of prescience.

He simply didn't know whether this prophecy was true or false.

Furthermore...

Great General Chang frowned. "Forgive me, Esteemed Master. Fire Talismans, poisonous water, and mechanical traps are easy enough to procure, but Formations are of superior heritage..."

Most people in Changshan Army came from spirit farmer backgrounds; their Formation heritage was scarce. The scattered bits of Formations they occasionally picked up were all related to agriculture, lacking any for slaughter or Trap Formations.

Not only Great General Chang, but even the majority of Lord Qingchou's followers were unskilled in Formations.

Mo Hua produced a storage bag and handed it to Great General Chang:

"The Formations required for this battle are all inside. Follow the instructions noted on the Jade Slip, deploy them beneath the earth, and you can trap the enemy within square inches."

"Once the formations are sealed, send men to slaughter them. You will achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Great General Chang took the storage bag and glanced through it briefly. Seeing the exquisite Formations and detailed annotations, his face registered shock, and he cupped his hands:

"Thank you, Esteemed Master, for bestowing the formations. Esteemed Master is indeed extraordinary, to be so profoundly versed in such high-level Formations."

Mo Hua waved his hand and said flatly, "Go on. Make your preparations early."

"Understood..."

Great General Chang bowed, then hesitated slightly.

Mo Hua asked, "Is there anything else?"

Great General Chang said hesitantly, "May I ask how to address the Esteemed Master's esteemed name..."

Mo Hua wore a cloak that veiled his face, revealing only half of a fair, jade-like chin. His voice sounded clear and melodious, seemingly possessing the effects of rejuvenation.

Great General Chang only knew that he referred to himself as "Esteemed Master," but not which Esteemed Master he was.

Mo Hua thought about it, deciding his given name should not be revealed, but his surname posed no issue. Thus, he said, "You may revere me as Esteemed Master Mo."

Esteemed Master Mo...

Great General Chang had never heard of an expert surnamed Mo in the surrounding regions, nor did he recall any Unorthodox Path sects with that surname.

Was this Esteemed Master truly surnamed "Mo," or was it merely...

An Unorthodox Path title using "Mo" (Ink)?

Esteemed Master Mo...

'He who touches ink will be blackened...'

It carried an eerie connotation, not sounding like a righteous Dao title.

Great General Chang pondered inwardly, though he dared not voice it aloud. Cradling the Formations Mo Hua had bestowed, he remained somewhat skeptical, yet he still carried out the deployment according to the instructions one by one.

True or false, he dared not be sloppy in the slightest regarding this Esteemed Master Mo of the Tongxian Cult's orders.

Amid his apprehension, time flew by.

On the third day, the night entered the Hai hour (9 p.m. – 11 p.m.).

Great General Chang led his troops to guard the southeast corner. The night was windless and exceedingly quiet. At the third quarter of the Hai hour, movement indeed stirred at the southeast corner.

Sweeping out his Divine-Sense, Great General Chang could sense something living crawling beneath the earth, yet its aura was extremely faint, like that of an insect.

Had he not received forewarning, a moment of carelessness might have caused him to overlook it entirely.

To say nothing of the other sentries on night watch.

Great General Chang was secretly astonished, yet he kept his composure. He waited for the duration of an incense stick, until these insect-like enemies had fully entered the trap, before ordering the formations sealed.

Simultaneously, the subterranean traps were triggered in unison. Poisonous water and toxic fumes flooded in, Fire Talismans detonated, and Great General Chang personally led his men in the slaughter.

Instantly, battle cries erupted across the dark night amid frantic panic and chaos. Poisonous water surged, Fire Talismans roared, the Soil Formations formed cages, and blood splattered in every direction.

An hour later, the cries of battle gradually ceased, the chaos subsided, and the majority of the enemies were slain.

Clutching the Mountain-Suppressing Spear, Great General Chang stood steady and imposing like a towering mountain. Looking around at the corpses carpeting the ground, the shock in his heart could not be quelled for a long time.

Tonight, every single detail—from time to place, from the raid to the encirclement—was almost precisely as Esteemed Master Mo had foreseen, without the slightest discrepancy.

Had the night not been chillingly cold and the stench of blood still lingering, Great General Chang would have thought he was dreaming.

A dream he was repeating.

A sudden gust of cold wind blew past, clearing Great General Chang's head a bit. He took tally of the enemy, discovering that among the invading force, there were a staggering five Golden Core cultivators, while the rest were mostly late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, totaling four to five hundred men.

If this force had secretly breached the Changshan military encampment under cover of night, unleashing widespread arson and slaughter, who knew how many of his soldiers would have perished.

Once heavily wounded under the conditions of this rebellion, they would be like a beast with its flesh torn open; the blood would only attract the greed and slaughter of even more vicious brutes, leading to an unimaginable disaster...

"Within a month, the Changshan Army is bound to suffer a crushing defeat."

"Three months later, less than a tenth of your troops will remain."

"Half a year later, you will be devoured by the various rioter factions..."

"Standing alone without support, you will before long fall by the hand of the Green-faced Fiend..."

Every single one of these prophecies spoken by Esteemed Master Mo would likely become reality in sequence.

For a trance-like moment, Great General Chang could almost see the annihilation of the Changshan military encampment, and his own aged frame disemboweled by the Green-faced Fiend, his head severed and hung upon the city gates of Qingchou.

The dark night was bleak and desolate. Great General Chang took a deep breath.

He ordered his men to clean up the aftermath, then personally made his way to Mo Hua's encampment.

It was already late in the night. Mo Hua sat before a table, calculating the state of affairs. Seeing Great General Chang walk in, he asked:

"How did it go?"

Donning his war armor, Great General Chang sank onto one knee and kowtowed to Mo Hua:

"Everything occurred precisely as Esteemed Master Mo predicted. The invading bandits from the Mountain Locust Army have now all been slain."

"The Tongxian Cult truly lives up to its reputation."

"Esteemed Master Mo possesses vast Divine Powers."

Mo Hua nodded slightly. "My Tongxian Cult acts Following Heaven's Mandate to Carry Out the Dao, inheriting supreme Unorthodox Dao Mystic Arts. The old general needs only to heed our commands with unwavering sincerity. With the Tongxian Ancestor watching from above, he will naturally aid you to victory in every battle and allow your Changshan people to seek a chance at survival amidst these turbulent times."

The Tongxian Ancestor?!

Great General Chang's mind shook, and he immediately prostrated himself, saying, "I, Chang Zhenshan, shall hereafter obey the commands of the Tongxian Cult and honor Master Mo as supreme."

"I only beg the Esteemed Master to protect the well-being of my people."

"From this day forth, the men, women, young, and old of the Changshan Army shall go through fire and water for the Tongxian Cult without hesitation."

Mo Hua nodded with satisfaction. "Your devotion is sincere, old general. The Tongxian Ancestor above will surely protect you and the Changshan Army, bestowing upon you all boundless fortune."

Filled with joy as though hearing sacred decree, Great General Chang bowed at once:

"Gratitude to the Ancestor for his mercy, and gratitude to Esteemed Master Mo for showing the path."

Mo Hua nodded. "Very well. The old general has pressing affairs to attend to; there is no need to linger."

Great General Chang cupped his hands. "Yes. This old man takes his leave, and will not disturb the Esteemed Master's quiet cultivation."

Having spoken, Great General Chang bowed respectfully to Mo Hua once more before rising and slowly leaving the encampment, his tall silhouette growing increasingly resolute.

Once Great General Chang had departed, Bai XiaoSheng looked at Mo Hua, rather astonished:

"Your Cause-and-Effect Technique has actually become this powerful?"

Cause and effect were difficult to master. Generally speaking, if a causality cultivator could calculate their own fortune and misfortune, that was already quite impressive.

A battle like this depended on heavenly timing, earthly advantage, and human harmony; the factors were complex, the participants numerous, and when various causes and effects converged, the difficulty of deduction was exceedingly high.

Yet Mo Hua had genuinely calculated it all.

At first, Bai XiaoSheng had assumed Mo Hua merely deduced a rough outline to fool Great General Chang.

Yet just now, he had observed through his Divine-Sense that the trajectory of the battle matched Mo Hua's deduction identically.

Time, location, not a hair's breadth off.

He had even predicted the exact number of people.

This was somewhat... terrifying...

Especially at his age and cultivation realm, to possess such attainment in cause and effect, if one claimed he was not an old monster who had committed soul possession, no one would believe it.

Mo Hua, however, casually nodded. "It's so-so... Just testing the waters, nothing significant."

Back in the Great Wilderness, he had been a Divine-Shaman, directing battles on a scale of hundreds of thousands to millions.

The difficulty was significantly lower now.

Even though he had calculated it accurately and won, Mo Hua didn't really feel much of a sense of accomplishment.

Bai XiaoSheng simply couldn't stand Mo Hua's manner—seemingly modest while actually arrogant, ostensibly low-key yet carrying an imperceptible air of insolence.

Worse still, he had no choice but to watch this irritating display.

Bai XiaoSheng sighed.

Beside them, Gu Changhuai suddenly recalled something and asked Mo Hua:

"Did you just mention something about... a Tongxian Ancestor?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Gu Changhuai asked, "Where did this Tongxian Ancestor come from?"

Mo Hua said, "Nowhere. I just made it up."

Gu Changhuai froze. You even fabricate an Ancestor?

Bai XiaoSheng frowned, a headache coming on. "Your courage is growing fat again. You even dare to fabricate the title of an Ancestor? Aren't you afraid of being slapped to death by a real Ancestor?"

Mo Hua felt somewhat helpless and sighed:

"What else could I do? With my grand Tongxian Cult holding such a resounding name and being such a massive sect, we can't very well lack even an Ancestor, can we?"

"Wouldn't it be embarrassing to let word out that we have no Ancestor?"

"If we encounter other sects in the future, wouldn't we appear inferior?"

"Since that's the case, I had no choice but to invent a Tongxian Ancestor..."

...

Translator Note:

Qian Clan from Tongxian City:
Qián (钱): Money / Coin / Cash / Wealth / Surname Qian

Qian (Heavenly Dao Sect / Qiandao Sect):
Qián (乾): Heaven / Qian (1st Hexagram) / Gān / Sovereign

(End of Chapter)