Chapter 704: "Ordering Dishes"
Yu'er's presence on a node of the Tree of Divine Authority—one that symbolized the divine system of the Great Desolate Evil God...
That could only mean one thing: Yu'er held immense importance in the evil god's divine scheme—possibly even serving as a crucial piece in some grand, wicked plot.
But Mo Hua didn't quite understand.
"Yu'er is just a child… what could he possibly have that the Great Desolate Evil God desires so badly?"
A spiritual root?
True, Yu'er's spiritual roots were exceptional—but in Qianxue Prefecture, geniuses were everywhere. Cultivators with such aptitudes weren't rare.
So why had the Great Desolate Evil God singled out Yu'er, and even embedded him into a node of its Divine Authority Tree?
Could it be… a Divine Embryo?
Perhaps Yu'er had an exceptional divine sense aptitude, making him suitable as a Divine Embryo?
But what exactly was a Divine Embryo? Why Yu'er, specifically?
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
Regardless of the reason—Yu'er must not be harmed.
Aunt Wan had been so kind to him, and Yu'er treated him like an older brother—always thinking of him first, always so sweet and good-natured. Such a kind child couldn't be allowed to suffer any misfortune.
And as for the Great Desolate Evil God…
Mo Hua had already, quite impolitely, "eaten" a good portion of its belongings.
He'd consumed its monsters and minions, stolen pieces of its origin…
He'd thwarted its plans time and again—Slain its pawns, blown up its demon halls, dismantled its altars, consumed its divine remains, absorbed its divine marrow...
Now he was even sitting on its altar, stealing its authority...
Mo Hua himself felt he was getting a bit out of hand.
By this point, he was practically a walking list of crimes against the Great Desolate Evil God.
Even if it had the patience of a saint trained for a hundred lifetimes, it probably still wouldn't forgive him. And this one? It was a bloodthirsty, vengeful evil god, the epitome of holding grudges.
But still—an evil god that slaughtered cultivators, raised monsters, refined demons, corrupted divinities… wasn't exactly a saint to begin with.
So Mo Hua didn't feel the least bit guilty.
After all, the path of divine sense worked this way—Eat or be eaten.
Show weakness, and your fate was uncertain.
Retreat even once, and you'd never climb back.
Since he'd already started eating—He was going to "devour" it to the bitter end!
Mo Hua resolved firmly in his heart.
Of course… when it was time to be cautious, he would be cautious.
He planned to hide in the shadows, and never let the Great Desolate Evil God know he was involved.
After all, he was still just a Foundation Establishment cultivator—far from being able to face such a powerful evil god head-on.
He turned his attention back to Yu'er's node.
Though it was bright, it seemed to be sealed in some way, dimmed slightly, and suffused with an aura of ancient sword intent.
This sword intent—Mo Hua might not have sensed it before.
But now that he'd learned the introductory technique of Divine Sense Sword Manifestation, he could perceive it clearly.
He guessed it was thanks to the Great Void Sect.
Their legacy ran deep, and surely they had ancestral guardians watching over the sect.
Now that Yu'er had joined them, he too was under their protection.
That was just Mo Hua's guess though.
He didn't actually know who those ancestors were.
They lived in seclusion and rarely showed themselves.
As a new disciple of the Great Void Sect, Mo Hua figured he might never see any of those ancestors from the day he entered to the day he graduated.
Aside from the sword intent, there was another protective aura around Yu'er's node.
It was faint… very subtle.
Mo Hua probed it briefly—and discovered that it was his own.
So he just ignored it.
Afterward, Mo Hua returned to studying the Tree of Divine Authority.
Yu'er's situation had given him a decent understanding of this tree, which symbolized divine power.
The authority of the Great Desolate Evil God seemed closely related to "dreams."
Dream-weaving. Dream invasion.
Dreams were the bridge between divine sense and reality.
But Mo Hua wasn't sure—Was this a unique trait of the Great Desolate Evil God, or did all evil gods use dreams as a medium for their power?
The nodes on the Tree of Divine Authority… were essentially dreamscapes.
And those dreamscapes were extensions of divine sense.
But divine sense stemmed from reality.
So each node corresponded to a specific dream—That dream linked to a real-life altar, and a temple or Daoist domain where the altar was worshipped.
In short, evil god strongholds, like the fishing village.
But among all the nodes, Yu'er was a rare exception.
He wasn't a stronghold—just an ordinary child.
"Is there a way to rescue Yu'er once and for all?"
Mo Hua pondered deeply.
"What if I destroy the node? Sever its connection to the Tree of Divine Authority?
With no 'path' left, the demons can't find him anymore.
His nightmares would end. He could finally sleep in peace…"
"But… how do I destroy it?"
Mo Hua tried to command the Tree of Divine Authority, attempted to wield his divine rights—but it didn't work.
His authority was too low.
Far from enough to modify the tree, change its nodes, or overwrite the endpoints of its power.
Destroy a node? Forget it.
He could only use the system—not alter or destroy it.
Well… that's annoying.
Mo Hua frowned, lost in thought—and suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck him.
If he couldn't alter or destroy the node…
Why not flip the whole idea on its head?
Why not use his authority to command the evil creatures—
To invade Yu'er's dream?
Then he could lie in wait beside Yu'er, and ambush them all as they arrived.
Mo Hua's handsome eyes lit up with excitement.
That way, he could both weaken the evil god's forces, and relieve the pressure on Yu'er's nightmares.
At the same time—He'd get a massive meal, enough to patch the gap in his divine sense and maybe—just maybe—finally reach seventeen runes.
Or more than seventeen?
Even his little heart couldn't help thudding faster.
To steal an evil god's authority, pose as a "mini evil god", issue commands in the name of the Great Desolate Evil God…
And then use those commands to summon demons straight to his dinner table.
It was like ordering delivery!
It had once been a ridiculous fantasy of his…
And now, it might be his best solution yet.
No time to waste—Mo Hua immediately got to work.
Within moments, his divine sense connected to the Tree of Authority.
Thousands upon thousands of demons and monsters, raised and tethered across its dream nodes—all fell under his control.
Mo Hua first set the path.
The endpoint: Yu'er's dreamscape.
Then he began wielding divine authority, issuing commands through the tree.
A specific time was chosen for the invasion: Seven days from now.
Right now was too soon. He wasn't beside Yu'er.
In the coming days, he might still be busy cleaning up other matters.
And orchestrating such an invasion wasn't without risk—he needed time to prepare.
Seven days—not too long, not too short—just right.
With the path and schedule confirmed—
Next came the "menu"… or rather, "mobilizing the troops."
Mo Hua's eyes gleamed with anticipation. He licked his lips and muttered:
"Let's see what kind of monsters are on the menu…"
Demons snarled, evil spirits surged, Grotesque monsters, twisted abominations—evil spirits in every form imaginable.
As Mo Hua browsed through them, he muttered under his breath:
"Half-bull, half-horse demon... low-grade second-tier. Probably tastes awful, but it's got bulk. Let's start with three hundred. Good for warming up the stomach…"
"Fishmen demons? Seriously? Did the Lord of the Great Desolate corrupt other River Gods too? Or build altars for them?"
Mo Hua frowned.
"Whatever, I'll order anyway. Kinda tired of fish, though. Just fifty of these…"
"Ram-Horn Enforcers? Two of those, please…"
"Pig-head demon… way too greasy. One's enough…"
"Fox demons? What the heck… pink? Weird. Fine, give me a hundred to try…"
"Ram-Horn Warlord! Anything with horns has to be premium. Three—wait, stock's low? Only one left? Alright, just one then. Too many and I might not be able to handle it anyway…"
"This demon is just… a blob of black water. Can't tell what it is. Hope it doesn't give me food poisoning…"
"But it's rare. Must be special. Should I risk it...? Bah, it's free anyway—would be a waste not to pick it…"
"This one looks sturdy. Probably strong. One of those too…"
...
Just like that, Mo Hua kept clicking through, picking and choosing—totally overwhelmed by the variety of bizarre creatures.
"That should about do it…"
After an unknown amount of time, Mo Hua finally finished "ordering."
A vast web of eerie karmic threads began to form between all the selected monsters—merging into a blood-colored karmic river, all of it flowing toward little Yu'er.
Suddenly, Mo Hua felt a little nervous.
"Wait… what if I can't beat them?"
If he lost… wouldn't that endanger Yu'er instead?
Mo Hua took a moment to reassess his current divine sense strength, his divine formations, and the power of his Divine Sense Sword Manifestation. After a bit of internal math, he felt slightly more confident.
He'd already butchered a full evil god avatar—
These evil spirits should be manageable.
Still… there were a lot of them.
Mo Hua thought for a bit, then got clever—he staggered their arrival times, setting different waves to come one after another, leaving himself breathing room between rounds.
He'd eat while fighting, and fight while eating. Battle-fed cultivation—what's not to love?
Satisfied, Mo Hua gave a nod.
The "menu" looked solid. But… he couldn't help feeling just a bit greedy.
After all, any proper feast ended with a signature, powerhouse dish as the grand finale.
His eyes scanned back and forth across the crowded network of nodes on the Divine Authority Tree—until suddenly, he stopped.
His heart skipped a beat.
He'd found a big one.
It was pitch black, blood-colored, reeking with overwhelming divine corruption—part demon, part monster, part man, nearly approaching semi-divine.
Mo Hua had no idea what this thing was—but he could feel how terrifyingly strong it was.
It resembled an evil god avatar… but something about it was even more unnatural.
Mo Hua hesitated. An impulse surged in his heart to "order" it—but after a long mental battle, he reluctantly gave up.
This was his first time ordering off the divine menu. Best to keep things… digestible.
Once he had more experience as a "regular customer," he'd come back for the spicy dishes.
He stared longingly at the big guy, burned its location into memory, then used his divine authority to imprint his order list onto the Divine Authority Tree.
The Tree of Divine Authority glowed with endless radiance—divine majesty rippling through the void.
The "little evil god" had spoken.
And the demons obeyed.
Seven days from now, the evil spirits would mobilize as an army, descending upon the dreamscape of the Divine Embryo.
Mo Hua's divine command was now etched into the Tree itself.
As soon as the order was complete, Mo Hua's divine sense snapped back from the Divine Authority Tree.
After all—the altar wasn't his, the authority wasn't his, and the monsters certainly weren't his.
He was just borrowing. Best not to overstay his welcome—lest the Great Desolate Evil God catch him red-handed.
Though he didn't know exactly how the god might track him, or what it would look like if he left a trace…
Better safe than sorry.
If you're gonna steal an evil god's power, you better be quick, clean, and gone.
Also—destroy the evidence.
Back at the altar, Mo Hua opened his eyes. Without hesitation, he pulled out his spiritual ink, and with his divine sense controlling the brush, he laid down several Grade-Two, Sixteen-Pattern Ground-Killing Arrays across the platform.
This altar? One-time use only.
Once you were done with it—blow it up.
Otherwise, it might get tracked, and that would blow his cover.
Mo Hua gave the area a once-over, made sure he hadn't missed any treasures or left any traces, and then retraced his steps back out.
Outside the cave, Gu An, Gu Quan, and the others were still waiting.
When they saw him return, Gu Quan let out a quiet breath of relief.
"Young Master, how's the situation inside?"
Mo Hua's expression was solemn.
"Too dangerous. I didn't dare go too deep. Found nothing worth investigating. Best to blow it up."
Everyone: "…"
Gu An lowered his voice.
"Is that… alright?"
Mo Hua nodded.
"If there's a tiger in the mountain, there's no need to march into its den. Just level the mountain."
The others thought about it… and nodded in agreement.
If there were arrays involved, it was up to Young Master Mo to decide.
None of them knew a fraction of what he did.
"Everyone, step back," Mo Hua ordered.
The group retreated away from the cave mouth. From a safe distance, Mo Hua activated the arrays with his divine sense.
Multiple Ground-Killing Arrays detonated in thunderous explosions. Spiritual energy surged, flattening the altar into dust.
A dozen seconds later, the rumbling stopped.
The cave collapsed, tons of dirt and stone burying the remains of the altar completely.
Mo Hua finally relaxed.
Mission complete. Time to go home.
He still had to return to the sect and wait for that demonic takeout delivery in seven days.
Feeling light and cheerful, Mo Hua declared:
"Let's head back."
"Yes, Young Master."
Gu An and the others nodded, visibly relieved.
This journey had been full of strange dangers and eerie encounters—much of which they didn't fully understand.
But no one had died, the hostages were rescued, the criminals captured, and the mission was a success.
The weight on everyone's hearts had been lifted.
The River God Temple still felt a little spooky though.
No one wanted to linger, so they began their return.
Just as they were leaving, someone noticed—a body on the ground.
It was none other than Master She, the man who'd guided them here.
Master She's face was pale and stiff, lying motionless—no breath.
Gu Quan glanced at Mo Hua.
"Should we just leave him here?"
Mo Hua's eyes flickered slightly. He walked over to the body and whispered like a demon into She's ear:
"Keep pretending, and I'll really kill you."
Master She's eyes flew open. He jolted upright.
"Don't kill me!"
Gu Quan, annoyed, walked over and kicked him behind the knee.
Master She collapsed to his knees.
Gu Quan twisted his arm back, pinned him down, and drew his blade, placing it against She's neck.
Master She looked furious, but with a sword at his throat, he didn't dare act tough.
"Spare me! Please! I beg you!"
Gu Quan looked to Mo Hua for instructions.
Mo Hua sighed, then said with quiet regret:
"Kill him."
That old bastard knows too much. Leaving him alive is a risk.
Besides, he's both a dark alchemist and a dark array master—his hands are drenched in blood from brewing demonic pills and drawing cursed formations. Death is more than deserved.
Gu Quan raised his blade, ready to lop off Master She's head.
Suddenly, Master She's voice changed with panic.
"You can't kill me!"
Mo Hua raised a curious brow.
"Why not?"
Master She's face twisted in hesitation.
Gu Quan didn't wait—he let the blade slice across Master She's neck, shallow but bleeding.
Startled, Master She blurted out,
"I have a secret!"
Mo Hua silently stared him down.
Under that gaze, Master She's heart thudded like a drum. He knew this little demon king—who looked innocent but killed without blinking—wouldn't hesitate to finish the job. Trembling, he gritted his teeth and whispered:
"I am… a descendant of the Great Desolate's royal bloodline."
Gu An and Gu Quan both froze, expressions shifting.
Mo Hua frowned.
"Royal bloodline?"
Master She said urgently,
"South of Lizhou, deep in the Endless Mountains, the Shentu Clan once ruled the Great Desolate as kings…"
"I'm a descendant of the Shentu bloodline—the royal clan of the Great Desolate! That blood runs in my veins!"
Mo Hua's heart gave a jolt. His gaze grew thoughtful as he looked over Master She.
"You? Really?"
He clearly didn't buy it.
Master She flushed with frustration, but dared not snap back. Instead, he spoke with a quiet bitterness:
"I'm not lying…"
"The royal clan of the Great Desolate… is long gone. Only a few scattered remnants remain across the Nine Provinces, struggling to survive. There's no glory left to reclaim, no more royal courts or grandeur…"
"I don't even dare use my original surname. I picked a similar-sounding character and went with 'She' instead…"
Mo Hua's eyelid twitched slightly.
Shentu?
She…tu.
Tu Mister?
Could that "Mister Tu" be from the same royal bloodline?
Mo Hua looked again at Master She but suppressed his curiosity. He didn't voice that particular name.
Gu An frowned and leaned in close.
"Young Master Mo… If he is truly of royal blood, we may not be able to kill him so easily…"
Mo Hua looked puzzled.
Gu An explained,
"Over a thousand years ago, the Shentu royal family of the Great Desolate rebelled, declaring themselves sovereigns and defying the Dao Court. The court sent Azure Dragon troops to crush them."
"The war was brutal, lasting decades. In the end, the Great Desolate King was beheaded, and the rest of the royal family exterminated. Barely any survived…"
"If this man truly carries the Shentu bloodline, then his existence is… sensitive. We can't kill him casually."
Mo Hua didn't respond right away. He glanced at Master She, deep in thought. The killing intent around him flickered—sometimes surging, sometimes fading.
Master She's scalp tingled in dread.
He had seen it all—the River God nightmare… and this little devil didn't seem to operate under any rulebook. "Royalty can't be killed"? That line probably wasn't even in Mo Hua's vocabulary.
If Mo Hua wanted to kill him—not even gods could save him.
"Please don't kill me! I'll agree to anything!" Master She's voice quivered in fear.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly. A new thought began to form.
Maybe… this Master She could still be useful later.
Keeping him alive wasn't entirely out of the question. But he'd have to be warned—and thoroughly intimidated. Especially to keep him quiet. No leaking anything, particularly not to that so-called "God Lord."
Mo Hua nodded slightly, stepped close, and murmured:
"I'll spare you—but you'll keep your mouth shut. As far as you're concerned, you've never met me. You don't know anything about me. And especially not a word to your 'God Lord.'"
Master She's expression twisted uncertainly.
Mo Hua smiled—soft, but with a dark glint.
"Don't forget…"
"Who set up the altar that lured me into the nightmare outside the River God Temple?"
"Inside the dream—who opened the door for me? Who guided me in? Who spilled the secrets? Who cooperated with me?"
Mo Hua gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
"It was you."
Master She shuddered violently.
"I didn't! I wasn't conspiring!"
Mo Hua sighed.
"You say that… but will anyone believe you? Think about it. Would you believe you?"
Master She was speechless, filled with despair.
He realized something terrifying—somehow, without even knowing it…
He'd already become a traitor to his so-called "God Lord."
Even jumping into the Smokewater River couldn't wash that off.
"But… but the River God already knows—"
"No," Mo Hua shook his head, "It knows nothing."
Master She blinked in confusion—then his face went pale.
Understanding hit him like ice water down the spine.
"You… you…"
During the nightmare, when the River God activated its Blood River Divine Power, he had blacked out—his mind foggy, barely aware of anything until he woke up, pretending to be dead.
Only now did he understand—
Why the nightmare collapsed.
Why everyone woke up alive.
Why the River God didn't kill them, and even released the souls of the two sacrificial children.
Because that River God…
Was already gone.
A chilling dread seeped into his very bones. Master She trembled, no longer daring to meet Mo Hua's gaze.
It was like staring into the eyes of a terrifying evil god.
A mere mortal, unworthy to behold the divine.
Mo Hua's voice was suddenly gentle again:
"The nightmare is gone. The River God is gone…"
"So as long as you keep your mouth shut—no one will know what happened inside. No one will know you were the traitor who led me in."
Even shaking in fear, Master She tried to salvage some dignity.
"I… I'm not a traitor."
Mo Hua sighed.
"Does that matter? Who's going to care?"
"Whether you are or not—you are now."
His voice carried a subtle, insidious power—like a whisper crawling into the soul.
Master She slumped to the ground, his face ashen.
A single thought branded itself into his heart:
"I'm a traitor…"
(End of Chapter)