Chapter 1554: Yāo-Human Fate Pattern

Chapter 1554: Yāo-Human Fate Pattern

At nightfall, in the Changshan Army camp, in the Esteemed Master's tent.

Mo Hua was studying the map, deploying battle formations, deducing cause and effect, and weighing his next moves and countermeasures.

Amid his contemplation, he suddenly looked up and found Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai staring straight at him with complicated expressions, as if looking at a monster.

Mo Hua was somewhat taken aback. "What are you looking at?"

Gu Changhuai didn't know how to begin.

Bai XiaoSheng, on the other hand, remained silent for a long time before asking faintly, "Have you... actually led a rebellion before?"

Mo Hua's brow furrowed, displeased. "What nonsense are you talking about? My record is perfectly clean, why would I rebel?"

Bai XiaoSheng shook his head. "If you haven't rebelled, how can you be so practiced at this?"

Operating behind the scenes, discerning cause and effect, strategizing and commanding, gathering eight hundred thousand rioters in just a single month.

The two of them had watched the entire process unfold; Mo Hua had executed it as smoothly as flowing water.

Arranging formations, positioning troops, mobilizing forces, advancing the army, deciding which factions to devour, which to eliminate, which rioters to absorb... From beginning to end, he arranged everything flawlessly, with even greater steadiness than when drawing a formation diagram.

Without personally experiencing the battlefield and being tempered thousands of times in war, it would be utterly impossible to possess such effortless ease, acting as calmly as if he were simply eating or drinking.

And since he wasn't a commander of the Dao Court, he couldn't have mobilized Dao Court troops. That meant he could only have commanded other forces. In other words...

He must have led some massive rebellion somewhere before. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly handle the art of war with such consummate ease.

Bai XiaoSheng was deeply suspicious.

Mo Hua's heart skipped a slight beat. He thought to himself that this Bai XiaoSheng truly lived up to being a member of the Bai Clan, he was occasionally quite sharp.

However, he really had never rebelled.

Even when serving as the Divine-Shaman in the Desolate Wilderness back then, he had merely worked hard to promote unification and develop the people's livelihoods; he had never truly aided them in rebellion.

Mo Hua recalled his past and, certain that he truly bore no ill intentions, nodded and declared with righteous indignation:

"I didn't rebel. Don't talk nonsense, and don't tarnish my clean reputation."

Bai XiaoSheng clearly didn't believe him.

Gu Changhuai was also somewhat skeptical.

Bai XiaoSheng asked, "Then where did this master-strategist ability of yours come from?"

"I'm self-taught," Mo Hua said.

"Self-taught?" Bai XiaoSheng frowned.

Mo Hua explained, "Didn't I tell you before? I served as a Dao Soldier in the Great Wilderness, fighting alongside the commanders of the Yang Clan. Later, I received guidance from True Person Zhuge of the Imperial Celestial Bureau and Commander General Yang of the Dao Soldier Division. Under their influence, I managed to pick up a few minor tricks of troop deployment and formation tactics..."

Upon hearing this, both Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai's expressions changed.

"True Person Zhuge of the Imperial Celestial Bureau..."

"General Yang of the Dao Soldier Division..."

"You know both of them?" Bai XiaoSheng asked in astonishment.

Mo Hua nodded, somewhat puzzled. "Are their statuses that high?"

"Nonsense," Bai XiaoSheng said. "The name Zhuge is already extraordinary in itself. Add to that being an Honorary Consecrator of the Imperial Celestial Bureau and a Feather Ascension True Person, how could his status not be high?”

"He is a figure dwelling high in the clouds! Normally, in the Dao Province, you could beg on your knees until your ancestors turned in their graves and still never get a glimpse of him.”

"As for Commander General Yang, he is equally far from ordinary. Beneath the various Ancestors of the Yang Clan, among the younger generation of True-Persons, Commander General Yang possesses the greatest strength and highest prestige. If not for that, he wouldn't have been appointed commander general-in-chief for the war in the Great Wilderness.”

"Both of them are paragons among the True-Persons of the Dao Province..."

Hearing this, Mo Hua felt a stir in his heart, tinged with a bit of concern.

He wondered how True Person Zhuge and General Yang were doing after that past battle.

Both were True-Persons and hadn't been at the epicenter of the "calamity," so they should have been able to escape his Martial Uncle's Strange Dao snare, right...?

Mo Hua felt concerned inside, but naturally, he couldn't voice such secrets. Pretending to be oblivious, he said smugly:

"So you're saying my connections are actually pretty wide..."

Bai XiaoSheng was speechless. "Is it really appropriate for you to boast about yourself like that?"

Mo Hua countered, "Just tell me if I'm right or not."

Bai XiaoSheng had no retort.

Truth be told, this kid Mo Hua really did have extensive connections. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to suppress him using his Little Grandaunt and his Great-Grand-Aunt.

Still, times had changed, and that was a separate matter entirely.

Bai XiaoSheng still felt that this kid was hiding things and holding back the truth.

Especially regarding their current situation...

Frowning again, Bai XiaoSheng asked, "Mo Hua, tell the truth. What exactly did you come to Qingchou Prefecture for?"

Mo Hua sighed with emotion. "Didn't I say it already? Qingchou is in turmoil, and I couldn't bear to see the suffering of the common folk. So, I came here to quell the rebellion and save their livelihoods..."

Bai XiaoSheng looked at Mo Hua with an indescribably bizarre expression.

Mo Hua was rendered speechless. "What's with that look? Could it be that I'm some great villain, some chaos-mongering demon king?"

Bai XiaoSheng instinctively nodded.

In his impression, wherever Mo Hua went, world-shaking chaos would inevitably follow; nothing good ever came of it...

Mo Hua couldn't be bothered to explain further.

Prejudice was like a great mountain.

Mo Hua returned his gaze to the map before him.

Yet Bai XiaoSheng remained uneasy and asked, "Rallying so many rioters... you don't actually harbor treasonous intentions toward the Dao Court, do you?"

Mo Hua sighed helplessly. "Why are you always suspecting me? I'm just a measly Golden Core cultivator; what ill intentions could I possibly have?”

"Besides, quelling riots, eliminating fiends, pacifying the rioters... Isn't all of this meant to stabilize the situation? Isn't it for the good of the Dao Court?”

"If anything, the Dao Court ought to thank me..."

Bai XiaoSheng froze.

This kid spoke with such slick, ghostly logic. While it sounded somewhat absurd on the surface, it paradoxically made complete sense.

If Mo Hua truly quelled the rebellion, eliminated the fiends, and pacified the rioters, then the Dao Court really would have to thank him.

They might even have to confer an award upon him...

As if sensing Bai XiaoSheng's thoughts, Mo Hua nodded. "See? So just follow me with peace of mind. We'll make this bigger and stronger, scaling new heights together.”

"When the Dao Court finds out, they'll reward us."

Bai XiaoSheng wore an expression as if he had just swallowed a fly. Wanting to refute it but finding no angle to do so, he could only mutter:

"Fine, suit yourself. Just don't end up dragging me to my death..."

Mo Hua said with confidence, "Don't worry, who are we to each other? I'm your Great-Aunt's junior martial brother. I might swindle anyone, but I'd never swindle you..."

Bai XiaoSheng didn't want to pay him any more attention.

Mo Hua didn't have time to entertain him either. Instead, he bowed his head to continue his deductions, sketching simulated Formation diagrams on an empty patch of ground.

Silence settled over the tent.

After a moment, Gu Changhuai, who was standing to the side, looked at the map before Mo Hua and suddenly asked:

"Is this... to capture Lord Qingchou?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Seeing this, Bai XiaoSheng couldn't help but chime in, "Why capture him? Wouldn't it be easier to just kill him?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "Killing him might not work."

He had already killed him last time, yet Lord Qingchou had ‘come back to life.’

Bai XiaoSheng's gaze darkened slightly. Lost in thought, he looked at Mo Hua and asked tentatively:

"How about you make a move directly?"

Mo Hua asked, "Why should I make a move?"

Bai XiaoSheng said, "You kill Lord Qingchou, and that ends it once and for all."

Mo Hua said in exasperation, "Have you lost your mind? Asking me, an Early Golden Core Stage cultivator, to kill a Late Golden Core Stage cultivator? Do you have any common sense regarding cultivation? Don't you know how powerful the Late Golden Core Stage is?"

Bai XiaoSheng wore a bizarre expression. "Weren't there rumors from the Demonic Sect that you killed three great Demonic Path Golden Core cultivators back at Dragon Pool in the Great Wilderness?"

Hearing this, Gu Changhuai couldn't resist looking at Mo Hua as well.

He had heard this rumor long ago, filled with both shock and curiosity. It was only because he hadn't wanted to pry into Mo Hua's secrets that he had held back from asking until now.

Naturally, Mo Hua would never shoulder such a massive scapegoat's pot.

He sighed. "Don't believe in rumors, and don't spread them. I'm just a frail Formation Master without the strength to truss a chicken. Don't go splashing dirty water all over me."

Mo Hua then looked at Bai XiaoSheng. "You're already an adult cultivator in your two or three hundreds. You need to possess the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood; you can't just believe whatever others say.”

"An Early Golden Core Stage cultivator killing a Late Golden Core Stage cultivator, does that sound plausible to you?"

Bai XiaoSheng was left completely stunned by Mo Hua's questioning.

When he had first heard of it, he had also found it utterly absurd, thinking the Demonic Sect must have lost their minds to utter such nonsense.

Alternatively, it could have been someone deliberately trying to kill Mo Hua with excessive praise, hyping him to the heavens to make him a thorn in everyone's side before getting rid of him.

Yet, after spending more time with Mo Hua, Bai XiaoSheng had actually begun to doubt his initial skepticism.

He had begun to wonder if Mo Hua truly possessed the power to slay Late Golden Core Stage cultivators single-handedly.

Mo Hua was simply too bizarre.

A normal cultivator's combat prowess was grounded in their cultivation realm, fluctuating slightly based on their foundation, bloodline, and Dao Arts.

Yet no matter how much it fluctuated, it would never deviate to an absurd degree; it still had to adhere to certain realm Laws.

Mo Hua, however, was an anomaly.

His Spiritual roots were poor, and his body appeared delicate and frail, looking as though he could be knocked down with a single punch.

Yet whenever it came to real action, Bai XiaoSheng felt that Mo Hua was as unfathomable as an abyss, exuding an invisible, oppressive aura.

Bai XiaoSheng had secretly entertained the thought of ambushing Mo Hua multiple times to test his depths.

Yet after hesitating again and again, he still hadn't dared to.

If he misjudged and provoked Mo Hua's displeasure, it would be no laughing matter.

Even if Mo Hua's cultivation was truly subpar, his Formations, his connections, and that poison-laced tongue of his were certainly not.

He would definitely suffer immensely.

Because of all this, Mo Hua's true strength had always remained an enigma in Bai XiaoSheng's mind, nearly impossible to deduce.

This matter had plagued Bai XiaoSheng for a very long time.

Yet Mo Hua's answer seemed reasonable as well...

Bai XiaoSheng couldn't imagine how an Early Golden Core Stage cultivator could possibly kill a Late Golden Core Stage cultivator either, let alone those heinous Golden Core Demonic lords.

Who is telling the truth...?

Is this kid Mo Hua actually strong or weak...?

Did he really kill those Late Golden Core Stage devil lords, or was it just someone spreading rumors?

Bai XiaoSheng was thoroughly muddled by Mo Hua.

Seeing this, Mo Hua didn't want him dwelling on it further, so he asked:

"By the way, do you know what a 'Yāo-Human Fate Pattern' is?"

"Yāo-Human Fate Pattern?" Bai XiaoSheng's train of thought was indeed derailed.

Mo Hua nodded. "Great General Chang mentioned it, it's Lord Qingchou's Fate Pattern."

Bai XiaoSheng was slightly taken aback. After pondering for a moment, he said:

"Fate Pattern... this concept belongs to the study of Heavenly Secrets.

"Simply put, every person's fate is predestined from birth. No matter how it fluctuates, it cannot escape a certain scope and pattern.

"People's Fate Patterns are diverse—some are good, some are evil, some smooth, some fraught with adversity... Naturally, there are also peculiar Fate Patterns.”

"A Yāo-Human Fate Pattern means a human possessing the fate of a Demon-Beast (yāo).”

"Demon-beasts feed on humans, so a human endowed with the fate of a Demon-Beast (yāo) will naturally devour other cultivators just like a demon-beast...”

"If this Lord Qingchou truly possesses such a Fate Pattern, he must be a born Baleful Aura fiend...”

"According to the laws of Heavenly Secret cause and effect..."

Bai XiaoSheng's expression turned solemn. "Such a yāo-human fiend is born with a malignant fate. Unless he devours more than half of the cultivators in a Prefecture Realm to fulfill his destiny, it is highly likely that... he cannot die.”

"Even if he wished for death, Heavenly Secret cause and effect might not truly allow him to perish...”

"This is the Will of Heaven..."

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly, waves of emotion churning in his heart. He asked Bai XiaoSheng:

"Then can a Fate Pattern be altered? Can a person see their own Fate Pattern? What happens if someone's Fate Pattern changes?”

"Is this Green-faced Fiend's Fate Pattern truly his own, or was it forcibly imposed on him by someone else...?”

"What happens if a Fate Pattern mutates...?"

Mo Hua fired off a barrage of questions.

Bai XiaoSheng developed a headache from the onslaught and sighed. "I'm only a Golden Core cultivator, not an Ancestor. Aren't you making things difficult for me by asking all this...?"

How could ordinary cultivators study matters regarding Fate Patterns?

Unless one's mastery of Heavenly Secrets reached the pinnacle, how would one dare speak of fate?

The fact that he even knew this much was already quite impressive.

Mo Hua sighed. "Fair enough."

These questions were indeed asking too much of Bai XiaoSheng. After all, even he, the grand Divine-Shaman of the Great Wilderness, hadn't figured it out yet...

As for this so-called Yāo-Human Fate Pattern, it would be better to dissect and study it once Lord Qingchou was captured and they had the actual material in hand.

Mo Hua thought to himself silently.

However, before capturing Lord Qingchou, there was still a major obstacle to address:

The million-strong Green-Faced Multitude.

They were the largest faction of rioters. Furthermore, because Mo Hua's calculations had been infallible, Great General Chang had annexed surrounding forces with extreme aggression.

As a result, the remaining rioter factions, terrified by Mo Hua's bizarre and formidable power, had all defected to the Green-Faced Multitude.

By now, the Green-Faced Multitude was estimated to number over 1.3 million.

Eight hundred thousand against 1.3 million.

The numerical advantage did not lie with him, but if it truly came down to a slaughter, Mo Hua could still maneuver the situation.

If he could raid Lord Qingchou's home base before he returned to the city, the subsequent matters would be much easier to handle.

However, large-scale warfare of this magnitude often involved brutal butchery; no matter how well it was controlled, massive casualties remained inevitable.

Unless absolutely necessary, Mo Hua did not wish to suffer excessive losses.

In Mo Hua's eyes, whether it was the Changshan Army or the Green-Faced Multitude, they would all eventually become ‘his people.’

Fiercely fighting and killing now, only for the dead to ultimately be “his own people,” was clearly a terrible loss.

Moreover, after a month of rapid marches and high-intensity warfare, the Changshan Army was showing signs of fatigue.

Their internal structure was not yet completely stable either.

Thus, Mo Hua temporarily slowed the tempo, instructing Great General Chang to halt the advance and rest the troops, taking the time to thoroughly digest the absorbed factions one by one.

Great General Chang now revered Esteemed Master Mo as a divine being.

Over the past month of conquest and annexation, Great General Chang had been shocked countless times.

That ability to predict everything like a seer, seize the initiative before the enemy could act, and maintain total control through schemes and stratagems truly felt like an all-knowing, almighty divine blessing.

It was simply too overwhelming.

Consequently, Great General Chang held Esteemed Master Mo of the Tongxian Cult in utter, prostrate admiration.

He executed every single one of Esteemed Master Mo's commands to the letter, never once questioning the reasoning behind them.

In any case, Esteemed Master Mo possessed divine foresight; everything was surely within his arrangements.

The Changshan Army's offensive temporarily settled down.

Great General Chang began internal reorganizations: consolidating supplies, mobilizing military resources, training the soldiers, and breaking up the various rioter factions absorbed during their rapid expansion to integrate them into his own ranks, slowly assimilating them...

Yet before the Changshan Army could rest for long, another unexpected turn of events occurred.

The Green-Faced Multitude took the initiative to attack instead.

Several days later, a vast horde of fiends, their faces painted with green demon-beast face rune-patterns using green Demon-Beast Blood, launched an encirclement against the Changshan Army.

The Green-Faced Multitude possessed overwhelming numbers, and they fought with mad, suicidal frenzy.

Unwilling to suffer excessive casualties, Mo Hua ordered a retreat after only a brief skirmish.

Over the following half-month, the Green-Faced Multitude provoked them repeatedly—sometimes staging ambushes, sometimes launching feints, sometimes attempting encirclements...

Because Mo Hua had deduced the cause and effect beforehand, they suffered no major losses despite being at a numerical disadvantage.

Instead, a portion of the Green-Faced Multitude's forces was chipped away.

Just when Mo Hua assumed the Green-Faced Multitude would quiet down for a while after suffering casualties and learning fear...

Three days later, in the dead of night.

Around the previously silent stronghold of the Changshan Army, bizarre figures invisible to the naked eye suddenly manifested.

These figures resembled grotesque demon-beasts bound by ropes, looking like imprisoned demon-beast souls. Advancing through the night, they climbed atop the heads of the Changshan Army soldiers to devour their Divine Souls.

For a moment, the soldiers of the Changshan Army were completely oblivious.

Only a moment later, men began rolling on the ground in panic, clutching their heads in splitting agony, utterly unaware of what bizarre Dao Arts had afflicted them.

Chaos erupted instantly across the Changshan Army's camp, flames rising into the night.

Standing outside the Esteemed Master's tent, Mo Hua watched the scene silently, his pupils constricting slightly.

"This is also... Fāng Arts?"

Had an Unorthodox Path expert intervened?

Did Lord Qingchou possess other Unorthodox Path experts under his command?

One who was actually proficient in... Unorthodox Path Fāng Arts tailored for warfare?

Amidst the flickering firelight, Mo Hua's eyes gleamed faintly.

(End of Chapter)