"Do not pry, the unpryable."
The emaciated elder recalled what his master had said to him years ago.
Find adventures on empire
The unpryable...
He thought of Mr. Zhuang again, thought of that layer of fog.
The fog laid down by Mr. Zhuang was perhaps not just about keeping a secret but also about protecting all those who rashly sought the cause and effect of the young gentleman.
For hidden within that cause and effect lay great peril.
But no matter how he struggled to comprehend, he could not understand why such a young Junior Formation Master would be tainted with such grave and ferocious karma.
What on earth had happened?
"Enough, enough, ignorance is bliss... Knowing such dangerous matters is not a good thing..."
The emaciated elder sighed with lingering fear in his heart.
All things related to Mo Hua were becoming vague in his mind.
He only remembered, beneath the blood-red sky and amidst the Corpse Tide, a small, unyielding figure standing faintly in the distance.
Young Master Yun couldn’t remember clearly either.
He remembered the Spiritual Pivot Formation, remembered that he had made friends with a Junior Formation Master.
But who this person was, he had only a hazy recollection, and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t remember.
Only a clear, smiling face remained in his memory...
...
Elsewhere, the leader of the Taoist Soldiers, Yang Jishan, was writing a report to the Taoist Court.
He wanted to commend Mo Hua for his service.
In the battle of the Corpse Mine, suppressing the Corpse Tide, subduing the Corpse King, executing Lu Chengyun, quelling the undead menace, and improving the lives of the cultivators and citizens of South Yue City, this young gentleman, Mo Hua, contributed immensely.
But as he wrote, everything suddenly became hazy again.
Yang Jishan tried to write the two characters "Mo Hua," but as soon as he started, he froze.
The name Mo Hua was obscured by fog.
He could not remember the young gentleman’s family or given name.
"What’s going on?"
Yang Jishan was deeply shocked.
How could I have forgotten his name?
Soon he realized, it was not just the name, even the face, and voice of the young gentleman were becoming indistinct and unreal.
The matters of the Corpse Mine were also discontinuous and incomplete.
Within the Corpse Mine, atop the graves, what exactly had happened?
Yang Jishan frowned.
His mind only remembered two images:
One was the Corpse King howling towards the heavens under a blood-red sky, with thousands of corpses bowing in worship.
The other was the Corpse King roaring unwillingly amidst blazing flames, turning to ashes.
What actually happened in the end?
Yang Jishan had completely forgotten.
How was such a powerful and fierce Corpse King subdued and turned to ash?
Yang Jishan could not recall at all.
In his Sea of Consciousness, he only vaguely remembered a small figure that changed the heavens and earth, commanding the submission of thousands of corpses...
"Who was that little cultivator?"
Yang Jishan frowned, murmuring to himself.
...
As things settled down,
All the cause and effect gradually wrapped themselves in fog.
The various factions of cultivators from South Yue City also gradually dispersed.
But half a month later, another group of uninvited guests arrived.
They were four odd-looking cultivators.
A young man, exquisitely handsome, but with a pale complexion as if wearing a deathly, finely crafted, flawless mask.
An old man carrying a Sword Box, expressionless, with only the whites of his eyes showing.
A big man, burly in stature, with sharp fingertips and bloodshot eyes.
And an old crone, antiquated and babbling.
They stood on a desolate hilltop, gazing distantly at South Yue City and the surrounding mines.
The Sword Box Elder spoke in a hoarse voice,
"Such a great gesture, what a pity!"
The pale youth sneered, "Nothing more than raising a first-grade Taoist Demon, and not even successfully at that..."
The big man with fangs bared a savage smile, his face resembling that of a fierce wolf, "Your father has always wanted to do it, yet he hasn’t raised even one in half his lifetime."
The pale youth arrogantly said,
"Either raise something above third or fourth grade, a real Big Demon, Big Undead or Big Sin. Raising first or second-grade Taoist Demons is meaningless."
The hoarse and indifferent voice of the Sword Box Elder sounded like slowly flowing sand,
"With such words, you truly don’t understand what a Taoist Demon is... A Taoist Demon is an anomaly, not measured by grade."
The pale youth scoffed, clearly dismissive.
The fanged big man looked around once more, sniffed the stench in the air, and said with emotion,
"Too bad we’re late, otherwise we could have feasted."
He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, which unsettlingly had barbs on them.
The Sword Box Elder nodded, "Yes, it’s a pity, had this Taoist Demon not met an early demise, the entire state boundary could have become a breeding ground for the Demon Path."
"Whose doing was it?" the fanged big man asked.
"Who else could it be?" the Sword Box Elder retorted.
A hint of wariness flashed in the eyes of the fanged big man.
Clearly, even they were reluctant to mention that Taoist’s name.
The pale youth laughed sardonically, "I wonder who it was that spoiled Gui Tao’s people’s good fortune..."
Disdain flickered across his bloodless face.
The Sword Box Elder said sternly,
"You best show some respect. Don’t think that just because you have your father backing you, that Taoist won’t dare to touch you."
The pale youth’s gaze sharpened, "My father’s cultivation is higher than his."
The Sword Box Elder shook his head, "You still don’t understand what the title ’Taoist’ implies..."
The pale youth remained somewhat unconvinced.
The Sword Box Elder’s eyes, filled only with whites, coldly gazed at the youth, his voice chill,
"If that Taoist wanted you dead, not even your father could save you."
"Whether you live or die is trivial, but don’t drag us down with you. If you do, we won’t let you off either..."
The pale youth was indignant but did not speak out in rebuttal.