Chapter 1028: Slaughter Mo Order

Chapter 1028: Mo Annihilation Mandate

"Why can't I see it…?"

"Is there still some hidden path of other Heretical Gods in this? Does that Mr. Tu have an even deeper scheme?"

Mo Hua pondered for a long time.

But there were too few clues—he still had no clear lead for now.

The resurrection of the Heretical Gods and Mr. Tu's grand plan had likely been in motion for countless years.

Without tangible cause-and-effect evidence, simply sitting in a room and speculating blindly wouldn't lead him to any real clues.

However, there was another matter that piqued Mo Hua's curiosity.

Resting his chin on his hand, furrowing his brows, he muttered to himself:

"If this Duanmu Qing really went to the Rouge Boat…"

"What would she do there?"

"Play?"

"Play what?"

As far as he knew, the Rouge Boat was a high-class pleasure establishment—

A place where beauty was a tool, wealth was the bait, and power was the ladder. It lured prodigies, fostering corruption and forming factions.

To put it bluntly, those prodigies went to the Rouge Boat to indulge in women.

Then what about Duanmu Qing?

She was a woman herself—surely, she wouldn't also go there to 'play' with women…

So did she… play with men instead?

Did she have her own 'harem,' keeping lovers and pretty-faced men, reveling in debauchery?

"Tsk, tsk~"

Mo Hua shook his head, sighing inwardly.

You can know a person's face, but not their heart…

A fairy-like beauty on the surface, yet indulging in such excess behind closed doors…

Truly, the more glamorous someone appeared, the more rotten they might be underneath.

But this was just his wild guess.

He had no way to confirm if it was true.

This circle was simply too chaotic, too decadent.

As for his pure and innocent self, he could hardly imagine what the noble scions of prestigious clans did in the secret rooms of the Rouge Boat…

And now, even if he wanted to know, it was too late.

Because he had already blown up the Rouge Boat.

At that thought, Mo Hua suddenly shuddered, realizing something:

"I blew up the Rouge Boat… Did I also, by chance, blow up all the pretty-faced lovers Duanmu Qing kept there?"

"Could that be why she wants to kill me?"

"No, that's not right…"

"At first, she didn't want to kill me—it was only when I said her 'Dao heart was tainted' that she lost control…"

"But why would she care so much about that statement?"

Mo Hua frowned, thinking for a long time but still unable to understand.

Duanmu Qing was an extremely beautiful woman, but she was also fierce, secretive, and a little unhinged—completely unreadable.

"I'll have to keep an eye on her…"

"Duanmu Qing… The other three prodigies of Ganxue… and—"

"Mr. Tu…"

Mo Hua nodded slightly, his gaze deep, burning with a flickering light.

Then, he discarded his distracting thoughts, calmed his mind, and returned to his intense study of formations.

With so many tangled threads to unravel, he had to meticulously peel them apart.

Learning formations was like dripping water wearing away stone—it couldn't be abandoned.

Many things remained uncertain. The more formations he learned, the more leverage he had…

Mo Hua refocused and began his studies again.

For now, his formation studies followed his previous plan:

The first was reconstructing the Four-Symbol Dragon Diagram.

From his adventures in the Myriad Demon Valley, he had gathered scattered pieces of the Four-Symbol Demon Marks. By piecing together these formation patterns and tracing them back to their origins, he aimed to reconstruct a complete 'Dragon Mark.'

This kind of reconstruction was extremely difficult and time-consuming—no overnight task.

But it was invaluable for deepening his comprehension and mastery of Four-Symbol Formations.

If he could truly reconstruct a full 'Dragon Mark' through his own efforts—

Then, in a sense, he would possess an understanding far beyond ordinary formation masters, reaching the level of a true Four-Symbol Formation Grandmaster.

To Mo Hua, this process of reconstruction was both a method of learning and a means of enlightenment.

The second focus was the Reverse Spirit Formation.

He had long since learned the fundamentals of the Reverse Spirit Formation.

He had also started delving into its formation principles some time ago.

Thus, truly mastering a Second-Grade Reverse Spirit Formation did not present many major hurdles for him.

But there were still numerous small obstacles.

After all, this was a Second-Grade Absolute Formation—it wasn't something that could be learned easily.

It required relentless practice and persistent insight.

Only through sustained effort could he eventually achieve mastery.

Mo Hua looked forward to the moment—

Once he fully grasped the Reverse Spirit Formation, he would wield the true power of a Second-Grade 'Absolute Formation.'

With his Reverse Spirit Formation as the 'fire' and others' formations as the 'fuel,' he could create even grander 'fireworks.'

Of course, he might not actually set off those fireworks.

But he had to have the power to do so.

Mo Hua nodded, then set aside all distractions, quieted his mind, and immersed himself in studying formations.

The Four-Symbol Dragon Formation and the Reverse Spirit Formation—these were the two formations he was striving to master.

Both belonged to the category of Absolute Formations.

Learning them was grueling, practicing them even harder.

The process was long, obscure, and tedious.

With the cycle of exhausting his divine sense and then recovering, racking his brains, failing repeatedly, enduring setbacks, and meditating to gain insight…

But Mo Hua found joy in it.

Accompanied by the repeated cycles of exhausting and recovering his divine sense, racking his brains, failing constantly, enduring setbacks, and pondering deeply for enlightenment...

Yet, Mo Hua found joy in it.

There were no shortcuts in formation techniques—this was the path a formation master must walk.

Moreover, it was the road leading to the higher realms of formation mastery.

Precisely because it was extremely difficult, it was also exceptionally valuable...

The next day, the sword duels continued.

Mo Hua kept an eye on Duanmu Qing's matter for now. Meanwhile, he continued studying the two ultimate formations.

But the situation in the sword duels was growing increasingly tense.

Especially since Duanmu Qing, who had previously fought in the duels, was defeated by Wanxiao Sect. That slight "fragile" advantage Taixu Sect originally held instantly vanished.

The margin for error was shrinking further.

Da Luo Sect was fiercely catching up, pressing closer with every step.

With only a few victories' difference, Taixu Sect's ranking was on the verge of slipping, about to fall from its position as the leader of the Eight Great Sects.

Taixu Sect was, of course, unwilling to accept this.

Not only Mo Hua but the other teams of Taixu Sect disciples were also fighting with everything they had, nearly exhausting themselves in every battle. The duels were brutal.

During this time, the Five Brothers of Tai'a, Yang Qianjun, and a few other teams desperately secured several victories.

These victories were hard-won. But compared to the overall situation, they felt like a drop in the ocean.

The gap between Taixu Sect and Da Luo Sect was not widening.

This meant Mo Hua could not afford to lose.

Next came the Dao Discussion Celestial Apparatus, which continued predicting match lineups.

Mo Hua participated in two more Earth-ranked sword duels—one against a top disciple of Lingxiao Sect and one against a mid-tier team from Qiandao Sect.

Neither of these teams were at the absolute pinnacle, but they were by no means weak. Mo Hua had to stay vigilant.

His tactical approach remained centered around "formations," assisting Linghu Xiao and the others in their attacks.

He knew far too many formations.

Within the second rank, he had mastered everything—Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, nothing was beyond his grasp.

Killing formations, defensive formations, trapping formations—he excelled in all of them.

Before each battle, he would even cover himself with a small blanket while setting up, ensuring no one could tell which formations he was preparing.

Any formation was possible.

Combined with the terrain, match format, and adapting to circumstances, his strategies were ever-changing, impossible to guard against.

Meanwhile, Linghu Xiao and his teammates had improved tremendously after so many duels, both in strength and mentality.

With the added support of Mo Hua's formations, Taixu Sect's team had indeed reached the level of a "half-step top-tier" team.

Thus, despite some struggles, they managed to win both duels against Lingxiao Sect and Qiandao Sect.

However, despite the victories, Mo Hua had a bad premonition.

Through these two matches, he vaguely sensed that his usual formation strategies seemed to have been deciphered…

Even though he had been careful in previous duels, refraining from overusing formations,

Most formations were used only when necessary.

And when he drew them, he covered them with a small blanket.

Yet, none of this seemed to matter anymore.

Mo Hua could faintly perceive that when his opponents countered his formations, their actions followed a structured, almost "systematic" approach.

Others might not have noticed, but Mo Hua's sharp mind and keen divine sense could not be fooled.

And such a systematic approach could never have been devised by the disciples themselves.

Their formation knowledge was far from that level.

Mo Hua pondered for a long time, faintly suspecting that it was likely the work of one—or even a group—of formation elders...

Gathering together, dividing tasks, analyzing the duel terrains and formats, systematically deducing his formation patterns and strategies.

This kind of deduction was akin to a real-time battle simulation.

Using divine sense simulations, they could predict what formations Mo Hua would likely use in certain terrains, against certain opponents, under specific match conditions...

Mo Hua took a deep breath.

"No way…"

"Would they really go this far just for a single disciple like me in a sword duel?"

But his experience and intuition told him he wasn't wrong.

His opponents' actions in battle undoubtedly followed a "system."

As for where this system originated, who created it, and what it contained…

Mo Hua couldn't figure it out yet, nor was it easy to guess.

But soon, he wouldn't need to guess.

Two days later, someone personally delivered this "system" into his hands.

In the dining hall, Mo Hua stared at the white jade slip in his hand, lost in deep thought.

The jade slip was titled:

"Rules for Dealing with Mo Hua."

Full title:

"Guidelines for Countering the Various Insidious Tactics of Mo Hua in the Sword Conference."

This set of rules was given to him by Song Jian.

According to Song Jian, "Every sect that opposes the Taixu Sect or has been defeated by you in the Sword Conference has a copy of this."

"Ordinary disciples don't have it."

"But among the Four Great Sects and Eight Major Schools, any elite disciple who has advanced to the Earth-rank in the conference now essentially owns one."

Duanjin Sect, due to Mo Hua's involvement, had deep enmity with the Taixu Sect and was considered a "hostile" sect.

This time, in the Sword Conference, also because of Mo Hua, Duanjin Sect lost many rounds to the Taixu Sect and suffered heavy defeats.

Similarly, due to Mo Hua's "manipulations," Song Jian had now become one of Duanjin Sect's "top-ranked" elite disciples.

As a result, this "Rules for Dealing with Mo Hua" was delivered into Song Jian's hands.

And eventually, it was forwarded to Mo Hua himself.

The cycle of cause and effect was truly fascinating.

Of course, looking at this set of "rules against himself," Mo Hua felt rather conflicted.

In the dining hall, he wasn't the only one reading it.

Cheng Mo, Situ Jian, Hao Xuan, and a group of junior disciples were all huddled together, peering at the jade slip in Mo Hua's hands.

Even Linghu Xiao, who had come to Taixu Mountain just for a free meal, couldn't resist sneaking a glance.

The core purpose of the "Rules for Dealing with Mo Hua" was to counter Mo Hua.

Its contents were divided into multiple sections: "Spells," "Movement Techniques," "Array Formations," and even a short section on "Mind Games."

The "Mind Games" section was the shortest, mainly consisting of anecdotes from various anonymous sect disciples who had "fallen for Mo Hua's tricks," serving as a cautionary reminder.

Including:

"Do not speak to Mo Hua before a battle."

"Do not believe Mo Hua's slander."

"Mo Hua is extremely insidious. Every word he says is for tactical purposes—there is not a single truth in them."

"Beware of all his schemes and deceptions…" and so on.

Mo Hua was not happy.

The biases in people's hearts were truly like mountains.

How could someone as sincere as himself be labeled as "insidious"? Utter nonsense…

Fortunately, the "Mind Games" section was short, meaning it only represented a minority opinion—just prejudice, nothing to take seriously.

Mo Hua continued reading.

The "Spells" section was incredibly detailed, meticulously listing every low-level Five Elements spell Mo Hua had used in the Sword Conference so far.

Even some obscure, highly niche spells that Mo Hua had only casually cast once—spells he himself had forgotten—were all recorded.

Each spell was accompanied by countermeasures.

Since they were minor spells, most were dismissed with a simple sentence.

The only exceptions were Fireball Technique and Water Prison Technique.

Especially Fireball Technique.

The pages were filled with:

"Beware of Fireball Technique!"

"Stay alert for Fireball Technique follow-ups!"

"Better to die first than be humiliated—remember this!"

Water Prison Technique was also extensively analyzed, listing key points to watch out for and various talismans, artifacts, and methods that could counter it.

There were even remarks like:

"Water Prison Technique is disgusting."

"Better to be hit ten times by Earth Prison Technique than once by Water Prison Technique."

Although Mo Hua didn't know exactly who compiled all these texts, he could sense a deep, seething hatred between the lines.

Next was "Concealment Techniques," which also contained many notes.

Including the origins of his concealment technique, types of concealment, methods to break stealth, tracking techniques, and the best times to use certain artifacts…

Someone even added a note:

"Beware of Mo Hua using an obvious concealment technique to mislead you—otherwise, you'll be made a fool of."

Mo Hua was puzzled.

A fool? Who?

After the "Spells" section came "Movement Techniques."

This section was highly "professional."

Someone had analyzed Mo Hua's movement techniques in extreme detail, breaking down each move, illustrating them in the jade slip, and dissecting every step.

Even weaknesses in his techniques were noted.

These insights were likely extracted from image recordings, carefully scrutinized, and painstakingly studied.

His every movement had practically been examined under a microscope.

Those who compiled this must have strained their eyes staring at these images.

Mo Hua sighed but wasn't too concerned.

Movement techniques were a measure of one's true ability.

Even if someone learned his techniques and identified his weaknesses, they wouldn't be able to catch him unless they were faster, more precise, and more skilled.

Moreover, the true strength of his "Flowing Water Step" lay in his mastery of spiritual awareness and control.

Merely identifying some "flaws" in his moves was meaningless.

Thus, while the "Movement Techniques" section seemed thorough, it was ultimately just "theoretical analysis"—not a real threat.

But the last section—the most extensive, "Array Formations"—was a real problem.

Mo Hua took one look at it and immediately frowned.

As expected, it detailed countermeasures against his formations, derived from actual battles in the Sword Conference.

So far, his use of high-level formations in combat had been limited.

Some of his techniques were still kept hidden.

Logically, there shouldn't have been much data to analyze.

But this was Qianxue State, home to countless sects.

Not only were there many elite disciples, but there were also numerous experienced elders skilled in Daoist arts.

Among them, there were undoubtedly many highly proficient array formation elders.

If there wasn't enough real battle data, these elders would simply rely on their knowledge and experience to simulate and deduce.

By analyzing the competition format, mapping out terrains, matching opponents, and leveraging their vast knowledge of second-grade formations, they had "predicted" Mo Hua's possible strategies in battle.

This kind of simulation accounted for a vast range of possibilities.

First, Mo Hua knew too many formations.

Second, different formats, terrains, and opponents led to different battle scenarios and formation applications.

They had outlined in detail which formations Mo Hua might use in specific Sword Conference battles, where he might place them, and what telltale signs to watch for.

How to stay vigilant, detect formations, probe for traps, and counter them—all meticulously planned.

The complexity was overwhelming.

And with the Sword Conference being so fast-paced, such a massive amount of simulations and deductions couldn't possibly have been done by just a few formation elders in a short period.

It had to have been an entire group of elders, working tirelessly, pouring in vast amounts of spiritual awareness, dedicating immense effort, compiling battle scenarios, devising counterstrategies—culminating in this densely packed, detailed scroll:

"Rules for Dealing with Mo Hua - Array Formations Section."

Mo Hua was truly in awe.

These formation elders were incredible.

At the same time, he was speechless.

Did these formation elders really have nothing better to do?

As formation masters of Qianxue State's top sects, did they really need to put this much effort into countering a mere Foundation Establishment disciple like him?

Was their spiritual awareness that disposable?

Even if it was, they should at least care about their hair…

Spiritual awareness could recover.

But once their hair fell out, it might never grow back.

One's body, flesh, and bones were gifts from one's parents, aligned with the Dao.

If hair falls out, it may not necessarily grow back.

The body, flesh, and bones are gifts from one's parents, aligned with the Dao.

Even for cultivators, hair does not grow back just because they will it to—otherwise, this world would have no bald people...

Mo Hua had a headache and couldn't help but sigh.

The disciples beside him, looking at the dense, meticulously organized, and painstakingly compiled "Guidelines," were equally shocked.

Cheng Mo marveled, "Senior Brother, you really have some prestige."

"In all the years of the Sword Conference, I've never heard of a set of 'rules' being created just to counter a single disciple."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Senior Brother, you might as well be the 'Number One of the Sword Conference.'"

"Unprecedented..."

"And probably never to be repeated..."

Mo Hua's face darkened.

Fame invites trouble, just as fattened pigs invite slaughter.

This was not a good thing.

Mo Hua was unconvinced. "No one else has ever been targeted like this before?"

"As far as I know," Hao Xuan shook his head, "no."

Mo Hua didn't understand. "Then why am I being targeted?"

"Probably because... you're too infuriating..."

The younger disciples of Taixu Sect thought silently to themselves.

Their Senior Brother Mo Hua, regardless of his actual combat strength, had an unparalleled ability to enrage people.

Even more so than his mastery of formations.

If he did it intentionally, that would be one thing.

The real issue was that he sometimes angered people without meaning to.

And unintentional provocation was the most infuriating of all.

Especially when he did it with an expression of pure innocence—nothing was more exasperating.

This had been demonstrated to perfection in this year's Sword Conference.

Of course, they wouldn't say this out loud.

After all, in Taixu Sect, their Senior Brother was still respected and adored.

"Maybe it's because, Senior Brother, you're different from other prodigies..."

"What do you mean?"

"Other prodigies are strong because of their cultivation—that's raw power."

"But you, Senior Brother, are strong because of your techniques and formations—that's tactical strength."

"Raw power is difficult to counter. Strength is strength, weakness is weakness. But techniques… can be restrained through various methods."

Some disciples also speculated, "It might be because of women..."

"Senior Brother, you offended Lu Zhenlong, which indirectly offended many of her admirers..."

For most people, offending someone was just that.

But offending a woman, especially a beautiful one, was a different matter entirely.

Cheng Mo quickly added, "And Duanmu Qing..."

During the Sword Conference, Duanmu Qing had pursued Senior Brother relentlessly, determined to fight to the death.

Someone sighed, "To be simultaneously hunted by two of the Sword Conference's top female cultivators, Senior Brother, you might call this 'destined for romance'..."

Mo Hua's face grew even darker.

After finishing his meal, Mo Hua returned to the disciples' quarters.

He needed to focus on refining formations and preparing countermeasures for his next match.

With the release of the "Rules for Dealing with Mo Hua," his skills—especially his standard formation strategies—had been thoroughly analyzed.

The next battle would not be so easy.

Yet, deep inside, he felt a lingering doubt.

The formation section of this "Rules" must have been compiled by formation elders from various sects.

Only seasoned formation masters could simulate and predict real battle applications so accurately.

But what about the other sections?

Who had put those together?

Mo Hua frowned.

Meanwhile, within the "Demon Slayer Order," a shadowy figure, obscured like ink in water, sent a thickly written message:

"All countermeasures against Mo Hua have been compiled and recorded in the 'Rules.'"

"A copy of this 'Rules' is now in everyone's hands."

"Further updates will be made as the Sword Conference continues."

"Our creed: Mo Hua must die!"

"Our goal: To eliminate Mo Hua!"

Below, a chorus of voices echoed—

"Mo Hua must die!"

And so, this "Rules for Dealing with Mo Hua" continued to spread within the Demon Slayer Alliance, constantly refined and expanded…

Centuries later, this manual, originally born from the Sword Conference, would evolve into one of the most infamous cultivation texts of its era—

The "Demon Slayer Codex."

(End of this Chapter)