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Chapter 1388: Spiritual Energy
After several more days of treatment by Bai Zixi, Mo Hua’s injuries improved somewhat again.
He could barely walk now, and a bit of color had returned to his face.
Through the Causal deduction of the Great Wilderness demon divination, he learned that although the people of the Great Wilderness were facing brutal danger, there was still a sliver of hope, they had not truly all met total annihilation. This gave Mo Hua a measure of comfort.
His heart gradually calmed.
Only after calming down did Mo Hua realize that he seemed to be in a very unfamiliar place.
The surrounding environment and aura were completely different from the cultivation world outside.
According to the little girl called Xiao Ju, this place was a hidden landscape known as Xiaoluan Mountain Blessed Land.
Xiaoluan Mountain Blessed Land was a secluded paradise, not a place ordinary cultivators could set foot in.
Thus, there were very few people here, only Little Senior Sister, the little girl named Xiao Ju, and a “True-Person Rong.”
Since waking up, Mo Hua had not yet met True-Person Rong. He only knew that this True-Person Rong was the owner of this Xiaoluan Mountain Blessed Land.
And Mo Hua himself was merely a guest residing here.
Mo Hua wanted to meet the master of Xiaoluan Mountain Blessed Land to express his gratitude.
Before long, in the alchemy room, he met a dignified and elegant female cultivator, as if she had stepped out of an ancient painting of noble ladies.
Mo Hua was still lying on the sickbed and had just tried to get up to pay his respects.
With a gentle wave of her hand, True-Person Rong immobilized him, clearly not intending to let him bow.
Mo Hua could only politely greet, “Greetings, True-Person Rong.”
True-Person Rong gave a slight nod, her demeanor perfectly proper and refined.
It was Mo Hua’s first time meeting her, yet from the way she looked at him, it seemed it was not her first time seeing him.
Moreover, her gaze was deep and penetrating, as though she already knew quite a bit about him.
Mo Hua’s thoughts stirred, and he suddenly turned his head to look at his arm.
On his arm was a small wound, from which a tiny piece of flesh was missing.
Although it had later been restored by medicinal pills, that bit of original flesh had indeed disappeared.
Within that flesh lay his karma, and where that karma had gone…
Mo Hua lifted his head, his clear gaze turning toward True-Person Rong.
The moment their eyes met, True-Person Rong’s eyelids twitched. She clearly realized that her act of slicing Mo Hua and placing the sample under a spirit mirror for microscopic observation had been detected.
And this perception of karma occurred in but an instant.
She had only just met this boy and had not even spoken a word, yet he had already become aware of everything.
She could not even tell how he knew, nor whether he had used some heavenly secret method.
It was as if this perception of karma had become his instinct…
Just what kind of karmic monster was this boy?
A chill rose uncontrollably in True-Person Rong’s heart.
Fortunately, at that moment, Mo Hua cupped his hands and said, “Many thanks, True-Person Rong, for saving my life.”
True-Person Rong was startled. Seeing Mo Hua’s sincere expression and earnest tone, she slowly let out a breath of relief.
“It was merely a small effort,” she replied calmly.
Then she looked at Mo Hua. Some questions she originally wanted to ask suddenly became ones she did not quite dare to voice.
She was not a curious person. She strictly adhered to the principle of “do not look at what is improper, do not ask what is improper.” She held reverence for the unknown workings of Causality and never probed rashly.
Thus, regarding many of the origins of this strange boy, she was unwilling to pry, lest she invite unforeseen consequences.
But there were still some matters that, due to her responsibilities, she had to confirm.
“You… have known Zixi for a long time?” True-Person Rong asked.
Mo Hua did not hide it and nodded. “She is my Senior Sister. We studied under the same master, cultivated, and traveled together since childhood.”
True-Person Rong’s heart trembled slightly.
That would make them childhood companions…
She let out a soft sigh in her heart, then changed the subject and asked another question, “How did you end up in the Earth Sect?”
Earth Sect?
Mo Hua’s gaze shifted. He had not expected that after being sent out of the Great Wilderness, he had landed directly in the Earth Sect.
That meant the other end of that Ancient Stellar Grand Teleportation Formation was built within the Earth Sect of Kun Province’s fifth-grade domain?
And the name Earth Sect, he had heard it long ago from his master and remembered it well.
Especially… the Emperor Heaven and Houtu Diagram.
Mo Hua frowned.
Seeing this, True-Person Rong thought he was unwilling to speak and asked, “Before you arrived in Kun Province… did something happen?”
Mo Hua had intended to answer, but suddenly realized something. To be safe, he first asked in return:
“True-Person, how is the war in the Great Wilderness now?”
“The war in the Great Wilderness?” True-Person Rong was slightly surprised. “It’s still ongoing.”
Mo Hua’s expression changed. “Still ongoing?”
How could it still be ongoing?
His Martial Uncle’s scheme had already come to light. The Guixu Formation had begun operating, the Strange Dao had descended upon the Great Wilderness, and even the Profound-Hollow-Void ancestors were being transformed, how could the war still be continuing?
True-Person Rong said slowly, “The Great Wilderness Royal Court has fallen, and the imperial clan has been annihilated. But there are still remnants causing trouble, and the Dao Court’s army is still suppressing them. However, the main war is essentially over. It should be wrapped up soon…”
Mo Hua’s thoughts churned. This outcome did not match his expectations, nor did it align with what he had witnessed.
After a moment of contemplation, he quickly realized two possibilities.
Either his Martial Uncle had used the Strange Dao to once again seal off the heavenly secrets.
The Great Wilderness, now filled with calamity, had become an “unknowable land,” its karma shrouded in chaos and information cut off. Thus, most cultivators had no clear understanding of its true situation.
Or… the Dao Court had also sealed the news?
What happened in the Great Wilderness was far-reaching and could not truly be completely concealed. At the very least, the upper echelons of the Dao Court must know.
Those ancestors trapped in the abyss and fallen into his Martial Uncle’s hands would certainly cause a massive upheaval among the Dao Court’s higher ranks and the upper levels of major clans.
If such turmoil spread, it would inevitably destabilize the entire cultivation world and sow panic.
Thus, the Dao Court sealed the information, publicly claiming that the war in the Great Wilderness was not yet over.
His Martial Uncle sealed the karma to let the great disaster continue to ferment.
The Dao Court sealed the news to prevent unrest and maintain control.
Both possibilities were entirely plausible.
After thinking it over again and again, Mo Hua ultimately chose silence.
If he spoke out and revealed the truth of the Great Wilderness, he would likely offend both Martial Uncle and the Dao Court, violating the taboos of both sides.
Those who should know—and could know—the truth had surely already learned it.
Those who shouldn’t know, whether Martial Uncle or the Dao Court’s upper ranks, did not want them to know.
There was no need for him to speak out of turn.
Moreover, even if he did reveal the truth, how many would actually believe him?
Aside from angering the Dao Court and being labeled with something like “spreading demonic rumors to confuse the masses,” there would likely be no benefit at all.
The most urgent matter now was to preserve his life and focus on cultivation.
At the very least, before his injuries fully healed and his strength truly recovered, he absolutely could not stir up trouble or bring disaster upon himself.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly and chose a very “plain and unadorned” excuse:
“I forgot. When I went through the teleportation array, I hit my head. I don’t remember anything.”
True-Person Rong silently glanced at Mo Hua, her expression somewhat strange, but she didn’t press further. She only said calmly:
“I don’t mind, but before long, the Earth Sect may come to question you. Think carefully about what you’ll say.”
“The Earth Sect is a major sect, they won’t let this go easily,” she added as a reminder.
Mo Hua nodded. “Many thanks, True-Person Rong.”
True-Person Rong had already asked what needed to be asked. Whether Mo Hua spoke the truth or not, at least there was now an explanation.
She added, “Your injuries are complex, involving your Sea of Consciousness, physical body, meridians, and bones. The aftereffects will be severe. Before you fully recover, do not act recklessly, rest and recuperate properly.”
Mo Hua expressed his sincere thanks once more.
True-Person Rong then stood up and left.
Mo Hua lay back on the bed, thinking of the great calamity in the Great Wilderness, the terror of his Martial Uncle, and the impenetrable barriers of the Dao Court’s upper ranks. He let out a deep sigh.
...
The days that followed gradually became calm again.
Mo Hua was still worried about the Great Wilderness.
The shadow of Martial Uncle still loomed over his heart.
But for now, all these worries could only be set aside.
He was gravely injured. He couldn’t expend Divine-Sense, couldn’t cultivate, couldn’t fight. He could only nurture and recover. Even if he didn’t set those concerns aside, there was nothing he could do. Moreover, they were separated by countless tens of thousands of miles, far beyond his reach.
Mo Hua could only force himself to temporarily put everything aside and focus on healing.
The body was the foundation of cultivation, without recovering from his injuries, everything else was meaningless.
Amid a complicated mix of anxiety and helpless idleness, Mo Hua unexpectedly lived a period of leisure.
In the past ten to twenty years, he had almost never truly been idle.
In the Qianxue Prefecture Realm, he had to work hard at cultivation, study Daoist knowledge, broaden his horizons, and solidify his formation foundations.
He also had to earn merit, capture criminal cultivators, hunt down one vicious fiend after another, and destroy one evil god’s lair after another.
He had to devour large quantities of demons to fill his Divine-Sense, and consume vast amounts of divine marrow to temper his Divine-Sense.
In the end, he even had to face the newly descended evil god of the Great Wilderness, win a divine battle, and destroy the Arhatian Blood-Sacrifice Grand Formation.
After arriving in the Great Wilderness, he was even more overwhelmed. Enduring war, famine, tribal conflicts, the unification under the Divine Dao, threats from the Huá Clan, struggles over the Dragon Pool, entering the long-sealed Ancestral Court of the Great Wilderness, and, in the depths of the Endless Abyss, confronting for the first time his terrifying Martial Uncle…
Mo Hua was truly exhausted and utterly worn out.
He had worked so hard, yet hadn’t lived a single peaceful day.
And now that he was severely injured and couldn’t push himself anymore, he was instead finally enjoying some peace.
The XiaoLuan Mountain Blessed Land was a secluded paradise. Its mountains and waters serene, its people likewise tranquil.
Though True-Person Rong was dignified, rigid, and somewhat cold, she was actually kind and generous, and did not restrict Mo Hua.
As for Xiao Ju, that little one... though fierce, baring her teeth at him as if she wanted to eat him alive...
Compared to the criminal cultivators of the Qianxue Prefecture Realm, figures like the Fire Buddha and Water Yama, compared to the man-eating fiends of the demonic sects, compared to the barbarian generals of the wilderness, the treacherous tribal chiefs who betrayed their own, and the tide-like hordes of Strange-slaves in the abyss, and the utterly despair-inducing Strange Daoist...
This little one who bore hostility toward him was already quite adorable.
In Mo Hua’s eyes, she was almost like a “pet.”
And every day, Mo Hua no longer had to cultivate arduously, scheme, calculate, exhaust his mind with planning, or fight and kill.
He only needed to lie in bed, nurture his mind and spirit, and wait for Little Senior Sister to come feed him medicine.
Then each day, accompanied by Little Senior Sister, he would go out for a walk, stroll through the fairyland-like XiaoLuan Mountain Blessed Land, enjoy the scenery, and breathe in the fresh spiritual energy.
It was Mo Hua’s first time breathing natural spiritual energy.
Before this, all the spiritual energy he had absorbed came from refined spiritual stones.
Though today’s cultivation world was prosperous, spiritual energy was depleted. Within the natural world of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers, there was no longer any pure, natural spiritual energy left for cultivators to use.
Cultivators could only mine the vast quantities of spiritual stones left from ancient times, condensed within mountain ranges, to support their cultivation and sustain the entire civilization of the Dao.
Spiritual stones were currency, cultivation resources, and the very energy source of the entire cultivation world.
Almost all cultivators in the world relied on spiritual stones to live, those who could breathe natural spiritual energy were exceedingly rare.
Now, as Mo Hua breathed in this natural spiritual energy, a subtle, mysterious feeling arose in his heart.
It felt as though spiritual stones were dead.
While spiritual energy… was alive.
Though on the surface there was no essential difference between the two, and the effects on cultivation didn’t seem vastly different, Mo Hua’s Divine-Sense was far beyond that of ordinary people. His perception was extremely keen, and he could clearly sense that the spiritual energy from spiritual stones and natural spiritual energy were distinctly different.
Moreover, spiritual energy was a kind of energy of heaven and earth, a gift of the natural Dao.
Spiritual stones, however, were more like a kind of solidified “wealth.”
And since it was wealth, contention was inevitable, and earning spiritual stones was exceedingly difficult.
Mo Hua came from a rogue cultivator background, and he understood this deeply.
When he was young, the rogue cultivators of Tōngxiān City, including his parents, had to toil all day just to earn a single spiritual stone, living harsh and difficult lives.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly and couldn’t help but think:
“If one day, the spiritual energy of this world could recover, filling every corner of the land… so that all cultivators under heaven could cultivate by absorbing the energy of heaven and earth, without having to struggle endlessly just to earn spiritual stones… how good would that be…”
At this moment, the thought flashed through Mo Hua’s mind.
After that, this peaceful, carefree life continued.
The mountains were clear, the waters beautiful; there was no conflict, no disturbance, no worries. His Little Senior Sister was by his side. Every day upon waking, Mo Hua couldn’t help but ask himself: Am I dreaming?
But he quickly understood that he wasn’t dreaming.
Because even in dreams, he had never experienced such a good life.
Yet such a good life couldn’t last forever.
Those unknown dangers and hidden threats couldn’t simply be ignored into nonexistence.
Sooner or later, he still had to find something to do.
As the saying goes, as Heaven moves with vigor, a gentleman strives unceasingly. One must keep cultivating and constantly strengthen oneself.
But his severe injuries had not yet healed, and he couldn’t overexert himself. Many aspects of cultivation were temporarily out of reach.
After thinking it over, the only thing he could do was to find some simple third-grade formations to practice with and pass the time.
But the problem was, he didn’t currently have any suitable third-grade formation diagrams or manuals.
After some thought, he figured he could only ask his Little Senior Sister.
She was already refining pills for him, treating his injuries, and even feeding him medicine. At this point, he was basically living off her support.
He didn’t really want to freeload, but given the situation, he didn’t seem to have much choice.
Mo Hua sighed, feeling a bit troubled.
In the end, he went to find Bai Zixi and asked softly, “Little Senior Sister, could you lend me a few formation manuals to read?”
Bai Zixi glanced at him and said calmly, “Your Divine-Sense hasn’t fully recovered yet. You can’t draw formations for now.”
Mo Hua said, “I’ll just learn something simple.”
Bai Zixi knew that this Junior Brother of hers had been obsessed with formations since childhood, never letting go of formation diagrams for a single day. If she really forbade him from studying formations, he would definitely feel miserable.
So she showed a bit of mercy and asked, “What kind of formation manuals do you want?”
Mo Hua replied, “Something simple, third-grade beginner level will do.”
Bai Zixi froze for a moment, her delicate brows knitting slightly as she looked at him. “Third grade?”
That’s… simple?
Mo Hua nodded repeatedly. “Third grade is enough.”
For other cultivators, learning formations might be an extremely taxing endeavor.
Especially third-grade Golden Core formations. Normally, only formation masters at the mid-to-late Golden Core stage, with vast knowledge and powerful Divine-Sense, could comprehend them after expending tremendous effort.
But for the current Mo Hua, this truly was the only thing he could do right now... and the most leisurely one at that.
(End of Chapter)