Chapter 1553: Summoning the Wind and Rain

Chapter 1553: Summoning the Wind and Rain

Seeing Mo Hua speaking with such plausible righteousness, Bai XiaoSheng found himself utterly powerless against him. He could only sigh and say:

"Fine, forget about the Ancestor part... But why on earth did you concoct a Tongxian Ancestor?"

Mo Hua replied, "We are the Tongxian Cult. Isn't it only natural for our Ancestor to be called the Tongxian Ancestor?"

"Natural, my foot!" Bai XiaoSheng said crossly. "Back in the Qianxue Prefecture realm, you were at least considered a profligate heir, a Young Master of the Great Void Sect, and you've met quite a few Ancestors yourself..."

"Have you ever seen an Ancestor from any faction dare to take up such an inflated title?"

Mo Hua paused slightly, recalling the Ancestors he had encountered.

Ancestor Xun, Ancestor Dugu, Ancestor Linghu, Ancestor Ouyang, the Shen Clan Old Ancestor, Ancestor Huá... and so forth.

Indeed, those Ancestors only referred to themselves by their surnames, not even revealing their real names, keeping an extremely low profile.

Let alone adopting an overly grandiose title like Tongxian.

Bai XiaoSheng said, "Ordinary cultivators know nothing and have no sense of perspective; only they would constantly babble about defying the heavens to change one's fate, attaining immortality, and achieving the Dao. When picking a name, they wish it could shake the heavens and earth..."

"Yet anyone who has cultivated to the Profound-Hollow-Void Realm and weathered the vicissitudes of time learns to revere heaven and fear fate, never daring to boast recklessly."

"They don't even dare mention their own names casually."

"And look at you—you went straight ahead and fabricated a 'Tongxian Ancestor,' not caring if it scared people half to death."

"Besides, this little trick of yours can only fool the people of a Third-Grade State Realm."

"You're just taking advantage of the fact that they've never seen a Profound-Hollow-Void Ancestor in their entire lives."

"Anyone born into an aristocratic clan who knows a thing or two would realize with a single listen that this Tongxian Ancestor of yours is a complete sham.

"There's no way a real Ancestor would take up such a title..."

Mo Hua frowned. "A lie spoken is like water spilled... What else can I do?"

"Anyway, it's just for casual use. Who's actually going to take it seriously and investigate who the Tongxian Ancestor is?"

Bai XiaoSheng asked him, "Just how many more Ancestors are you planning to concoct?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "Just this one for now."

If there were too many, he wouldn't be able to play all the roles himself.

Bai XiaoSheng asked again, "Then in this Tongxian Cult of yours..."

Mo Hua emphasized, "Ours."

Bai XiaoSheng sighed and said, "Then in 'our' Tongxian Cult, just what other grand figures are there that we, your Golden Core Protectors, don't know about?"

"No more 'people' for now," Mo Hua said.

After all, managing people was quite taxing, even if those people didn't exist and were entirely his own fabrications.

"However, I do want to bring forth a 'deity,'" Mo Hua said. "Can the title 《Tongxian Great Deity》 be used?"

In an instant, Bai XiaoSheng felt his head buzz with an excruciating headache.

He had created a Tongxian Cult, an Esteemed Master, two Protectors, then a Sect Master True-Person, and a Tongxian Ancestor.

And now, he even wanted to pull out a Tongxian Great Deity.

You really are blowing your horn to the heavens...

Bai XiaoSheng said, "If you keep messing around like this, I'm quitting the cult. I can't afford to play along anymore..."

Mo Hua urged him sincerely, "Don't! You're a founding member! Our Tongxian Cult was founded just a few days ago, so why are you already thinking of leaving?"

Gritting his teeth, Bai XiaoSheng hissed, "I'm a decent, upright cultivator. I really can't get along with a 'terrorist' like you...

"Those on different paths cannot make plans together."

Mo Hua sighed, "What paths and non-paths? Stop spouting such airy words... Fine, you tell me what to do, and I'll listen to you."

To retain his founding member, Mo Hua had no choice but to concede.

After all, in this day and age, cultivators who worked for free were truly hard to find, not to mention a Late Golden Core Stage one.

Bai XiaoSheng sighed. "I'll let it slide this time. But you... in our Tongxian Cult, no more people can be added."

Coming up with a Tongxian Ancestor at every turn, who could bear it?

If they didn't put a leash on him, heaven only knew what terrifying figures this kid Mo Hua would invent next.

"I won't add people, I'll..." Mo Hua said.

"Adding anything is out of the question," Bai XiaoSheng cut him off.

Mo Hua suggested, "A dei—"

"Don't even think about it..."

"A fa—"

"A fake one won't do either."

"What about a beast? A Divine Beast..." Mo Hua made a final attempt.

He wanted to reserve a spot for his Big Tiger.

Bai XiaoSheng stared at Mo Hua coldly.

Mo Hua sighed. "Fine, I'll listen to you. No more people for now, nor deities or beasts..."

Only then did Bai XiaoSheng breathe a small sigh of relief.

Their current situation was delicate, making reckless expansion extremely dangerous.

To say nothing of expanding with beings on the level of a Tongxian Ancestor...

Gu Changhuai, who had remained rather quiet all along, also had a faint, ominous premonition.

He spoke up:

"Let us quell the unrest in Qingchou as soon as possible..."

If this went on, heaven knew what turn the situation would take.

Nor did he know what Mo Hua would turn this Tongxian Cult into...

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, nodded, and murmured, "Indeed, we must hurry..."

The riots were still ongoing, people were dying every day, and countless bodies of the starved littered the areas inside and outside the city. If they did not suppress it soon, who knew how many more innocent lives would be lost.

Under the current circumstances, there was only one way to quell the unrest...

Using violence to counter violence; using war to stop war.

Securing peace through conflict.

...

The next day, Mo Hua summoned Great General Chang once more.

Facts spoke louder than words. Having experienced the previous night's victory—wiping out the enemy, preserving the soldiers' lives, and nipping the disaster in the bud...

Great General Chang was utterly awed by the Tongxian Cult's Dao heritage that could foresee events and orchestrate victories from afar.

His attitude toward Mo Hua grew even more respectful.

Mo Hua asked, "Old General Chang, do you know the origins of Lord Qingchou?"

Since the Esteemed Master asked, Great General Chang naturally held nothing back, saying:

"Regarding this Lord Qingchou, this old man does know a thing or two, though most of it consists of rumors. Whether true or false, they cannot be taken as absolute certainty..."

Mo Hua nodded slightly. "No matter."

After pondering for a moment, Great General Chang continued, "This old man has heard that this Lord Qingchou, commonly known as the Green-faced Fiend, was born with deformities, his green face resembling a ghost. Abandoned in the wilderness by his parents, he grew up eating demon-beasts and even eating humans..."

"Some rumor that this fiend possesses an innate Yāo-Human Fate Pattern, born with calamity. Thus, from the moment of his birth, he suffered the calamity of a difficult delivery, the calamity of parents, and the calamity of starvation... As he grew up, he would also spread his own calamities to the mortal realm..."

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean... a Yāo-Human Fate Pattern?"

"Yes," Great General Chang replied modestly. "This old man cannot compare to you, Esteemed Master, and I have dabbled in no Unorthodox Path Arts. What I know of Fate Patterns is mere hearsay. If there are errors, I ask Esteemed Master's forgiveness..."

Mo Hua, who actually didn't understand much of it himself, could only nod slightly and say, "No matter, Old General. Please continue."

Great General Chang then said, "What followed indeed matched the rumors... Once grown, Lord Qingchou seemed to know how to cultivate innately. No one knew how he practiced, but he suddenly broke through to the Golden Core, claimed a mountain as his domain, slaughtered people like scything grass, and brought calamity to the region..."

Mo Hua asked in surprise, "Innately knew how to cultivate? No one taught him?"

Great General Chang said, "From what we can tell, no one taught this Green-faced Fiend."

"Yet there are also rumors that this Green-faced Fiend wandered into deep mountains, obtained a fortuitous encounter as a child, and only then broke through to the Golden Core."

"Others say this Green-faced Fiend received guidance from an expert and cultivated a superior Cultivation Method, or even a Heretical Path Cultivation Method, which allowed him to break conventions, advance his realm, and become a grand Golden Core Cultivator..."

"Otherwise, no matter how peculiar his innate nature was, it would have been impossible for him to touch the threshold of the Golden Core so easily."

"After all, this is the Golden Core..."

Speaking up to this point, Great General Chang sighed. "In the Great Spirit Field Realm, breaking through to the Golden Core is an extraordinarily arduous task."

"This old man, though a Late Golden Core Stage Changshan Great General guarding a territory, spent a lifetime of effort to reach this stage. It was practically a stroke of immense, heaven-defying fortune, with luck playing the largest part."

"At times, my luck was so good that even this old man could hardly believe it..."

"If this old man were to live another life and cultivate all over again, should my luck fall short by even the slightest fraction, forget the Late Golden Core Stage, even breaking through to the Golden Core might not have been so easy..."

Great General Chang wore an emotional expression full of nostalgia.

Mo Hua was slightly taken aback. "Is it really that difficult?"

Great General Chang said with deep feeling, "The Great Spirit Field Realm is just that kind of place..."

"A scarcity of cultivation resources?" Mo Hua asked.

Great General Chang nodded. "That is one aspect; without wealth, one cannot cultivate the Dao. But the primary reason, of course, lies with the Kun Province Aristocratic Clans..."

Saying this, Great General Chang suddenly grew vigilant and looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua understood his concern and said, "I have no ties to the Kun Province Aristocratic Clans."

"Then the Earth Sect..."

"I'm not familiar with the Earth Sect either," Mo Hua said.

Only then did Great General Chang set his mind at ease, slowly explaining, "After this old man reached the Golden Core and looked back, I finally realized that the Cultivation Methods circulating within the Great Spirit Field Realm are almost all 'abridged' versions."

"And the origins of these methods trace back either to the grand aristocratic clans of Kun Province or directly to the Earth Sect."

"They only allow these abridged or altered special-issue Cultivation Methods to circulate in the Great Spirit Field Realm."

"Their purpose is to clamp down on the Golden Core boundary, preventing too many spirit farmers from breaking through to the Golden Core."

Mo Hua's gaze deepened slightly.

Behind him, Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai also frowned.

"Are Golden Cores hard to control?" Mo Hua asked.

Great General Chang nodded. "Qi-Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators—the more, the better, for they are the 'laborers' used to farm the fields and endure hardships."

"However, from the Golden Core upward, one becomes an elder-tier figure tasked with managing cultivators, wielding a degree of power. In a Third-Grade State Realm, they possess a measure of autonomy."

"Such Golden Cores are difficult to control. The aristocratic clans do not like them and suppress the spirit farmers from all sides to prevent them from reaching the Golden Core."

"Any cultivator who breaks through to the Golden Core due to various serendipities or extraordinary talent—so long as their registered origin is spirit farmer—will be marked by the clans. Even if they don't state it openly, they will ostracize you both overtly and covertly..."

Mo Hua nodded slightly, myriad thoughts stirring within his mind.

In the Great Spirit Field Realm, Foundation Establishment cultivators were numerous, but Golden Cores were few...

"Then when did Lord Qingchou break through to the Golden Core?" Mo Hua asked.

Great General Chang said, "Presumably, only about thirty-odd years ago."

Mo Hua's eyelids twitched. "In thirty years, he advanced from the Early Golden Core Stage to the Late Golden Core Stage?"

Great General Chang's expression turned solemn as he slowly said:

"Indeed... it is utterly baffling. Furthermore, this fiend's breakthrough to the Late Golden Core Stage only happened in recent years..."

Mo Hua looked at Great General Chang, his thoughts turning, and suddenly asked, "Old General, have you crossed hands with the Green-faced Fiend?"

Great General Chang was startled, then nodded. "Yes."

Mo Hua added: "A grudge?"

Deeply impressed by Esteemed Master Mo's divine foresight, Great General Chang sighed:

"It is truly as the Esteemed Master says. Over ten years ago, this Green-faced Fiend went mad and, for reasons unknown, came to my Changshan Fields to eat people.

"In my fury, I fought a battle against him. After five hundred exchanges, I pierced his chest with a spear thrust. Wounded, the Green-faced Fiend fled."

"I thought that even if that strike didn't claim his life, it would at least keep him quiet for a decade or so."

"Yet unexpectedly, in less than half a month, he emerged again to harm people."

"At that time, he was only at the Golden Core middle stage. Having tasted a strike from my spear and knowing this old man's prowess, he dared not act rashly, turning in another direction to flee."

"Wary of this fiend's bizarre nature, I did not dare pursue him."

"However, the grudge was thus forged."

Great General Chang's eyes turned solemn. "In the blink of an eye, over a decade has passed. This old man never expected this fiend would directly break into the Late Golden Core Stage."

"Not long after he attained the Late Golden Core Stage, the Famine Disaster spread across Qingchou Prefecture. Afterward, he incited a riot, leaving the entire Qingchou Prefecture in an utter, devastated mess."

"Truly, just as the rumors said, he possesses a Yāo-Human Fate Pattern, born with calamities that stir up storms of blood."

"Reflecting carefully on it now, the disasters large and small across Qingchou Prefecture are all connected to this Green-faced Fiend..."

Great General Chang let out a long, heavy sigh.

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed.

A Resurrected Body, a Yāo-Human Fate Pattern, born carrying calamities...

He grew increasingly interested in this Lord Qingchou, longing to dissect him to uncover the true nature of these secrets...

Mo Hua asked again, "Then where is this Green-faced Fiend right now? Is he not inside Qingchou City?"

Great General Chang replied, "Quite some time ago, this Green-faced Fiend left the city. For some reason, he has yet to return..."

"Left the city?" Mo Hua said.

Great General Chang said, "It is said he went to capture the lackeys of the Dao Court..."

Mo Hua turned his head to look at Gu Changhuai beside him.

Gu Changhuai, a lackey of the Dao Court himself, wore a frosty expression.

Seeing this, Great General Chang asked in confusion, "Is something amiss?"

Mo Hua turned back and said thoughtfully, "Nothing. However, the word 'lackey' should not be spoken lightly. It carries cause and effect, making it easy to be detected by the Dao Court."

Great General Chang was slightly startled and said, "Indeed, Esteemed Master Mo has far-reaching foresight and deliberate consideration. I shall pass down the order shortly; no one is to utter the word 'lackey' again."

Gu Changhuai's expression grew complicated.

Mo Hua nodded slightly. "Good."

He then asked, "Then in due time, this Lord Qingchou will surely seek you out for revenge, won't he?"

Great General Chang's expression grew solemn. "Once his hands are free, he will certainly come to kill this old man."

Mo Hua nodded, then asked, "What is the scale of the Green-faced Fiend's forces?"

Great General Chang said heavily, "Lord Qingchou is the instigator of this unrest, and vile thugs have gathered under his banner, calling themselves the Green-faced Multitude. Their stronghold lies inside Qingchou City. Under his command are more than a dozen Golden Core deputy generals governing a million rioters; their power is tremendous..."

Mo Hua asked again, "How many men are in your Changshan Army?"

Great General Chang replied with shame, "Less than a hundred thousand."

Mo Hua nodded. "That's enough..."

Great General Chang was stunned. "Enough?"

"Yes," Mo Hua said. "To prevent Lord Qingchou from coming for revenge, we must prepare in advance. These coming days will be hard on you, Old General..."

Great General Chang didn't quite understand what this mysterious Esteemed Master Mo meant, but he could only nod.

Two days later, he understood.

Because two days later, Mo Hua sought him out and handed him a map of Qingchou City. Upon the map, a sharp red line had been drawn with vermilion ink. Mo Hua said:

"Old General, begin the slaughter."

Great General Chang's pupils constricted as he stared at the red line on the map in disbelief.

Thereafter, the warfare officially commenced.

Great General Chang was still somewhat dazed, but circumstances waited for no one; Mo Hua's will propelled him forward.

Armored, Great General Chang had spent a lifetime of benevolence and righteousness guarding the Changshan Fields for his fellow townsfolk.

Yet at this moment, driven by an invisible force, he suddenly began his outward conquest.

Moreover, the entire campaign seemed aided by a god.

The Changshan Army, numbering fewer than a hundred thousand, was like a great dragon cleaving through thorns and thistles, utterly invincible...

Three days later, they first wiped out the relatively smaller Little Wolf Army, swelling their numbers to a hundred and ten thousand.

Seven days later, they crushed Great General Qinghe, subjugated the Qinghe Battalion, and the Changshan Army grew to a hundred and sixty thousand.

Ten days later, they routed the Mountain Locust Army, gathering their remnants and reaching two hundred and ten thousand men.

Great General Mountain Locust fled in defeat. Within three days, he rallied his scattered remnants and brought Master Heimei's grand army with him, staging a comeback.

Mo Hua, having anticipated the enemy's moves, sealed the Life Gate with a Formation. Great General Chang spearheaded the charge while the Changshan Army followed up with a slaughtering assault.

Outmatched, Great General Mountain Locust suffered a crushing defeat and fled. While running for his life, he was slain by the Left Protector of the Tongxian Cult.

The Mountain Locust Army had been a major force of three hundred thousand; a portion died, another fled, and in the end, over a hundred thousand surrendered completely.

Master Heimei, at the Golden Core middle stage, likewise perished at the hands of Great General Chang.

Afterward, the Changshan Army successively pacified the Red Banner Division, broke the Silver Armor Army, and slaughtered the Green Python group... Turning misfortune into fortune, victorious in every battle, their momentum surged like a sweeping dragon...

Every single thing unfolded according to Mo Hua's script.

In this manner, after merely a single month, the Changshan Army's rioter force had swollen to eight hundred thousand.

Across the entirety of Qingchou City, aside from the followers of Lord Qingchou—the instigator of the rebellion—the once-obscure and least noticeable Changshan Army had become the strongest in force and greatest in number.

In a single leap, Great General Chang became the second-greatest rebel general of Qingchou Prefecture, the most renowned mob commander besides Lord Qingchou.

The development of the situation surged like a river flowing east, the tides of battle shifting too fast for anyone to react.

By the time Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai came to their senses, the rioters Mo Hua could manipulate had already reached a grand total of eight hundred thousand, forming a mighty torrent.

And all of this had taken just over a month.

A month ago, they were merely three Golden Core Cultivators. Though not weak in cultivation, they lacked power and influence in Qingchou Prefecture, without a single person at their disposal.

Yet in a mere month, this Esteemed Master Mo could summon eight hundred thousand rioters with a single word.

Though he hid in the shadows and rarely showed his face, Great General Chang Zhenshan, a Late Golden Core Stage expert, followed his lead implicitly.

With a single word from Mo Hua, Great General Chang raised his arm in a call, and eight hundred thousand rioters responded.

The wind and rain across the entire Qingchou Prefecture shook along with Mo Hua's will.

Being in the thick of it, Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai were both somewhat stunned and dazed.

Wait...

Was this kid Mo Hua's power to stir people's hearts and summon the wind and rain truly this fierce?

In just one month, he had raised such a military force, gathered so much popular support, and coalesced such immense power.

The very sky of Qingchou Prefecture had changed color.

If he truly decided to rebel in the future, wouldn't that be catastrophic?

With a single raise of his arm, rallying myriad hearts, he might just poke a hole straight through the heavens...

(End of Chapter)