Chapter 723: Secondary Thunder Currents
Water Yama?!
Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart and frowned deeply.
"Who is Water Yama?"
He'd been active in the Qianxue Province and nearby immortal cities for over two years now. He had captured countless criminal and demonic cultivators, and he knew more secrets than the average cultivator.
Yet he had never heard the name Water Yama.
He looked down again.
On the list, the three characters "Fire Buddha" had completely faded, erased entirely—
Replaced by: Water Yama.
Which meant…
Fire Buddha was dead.
And the Evil God had appointed a new butcher to lead another massacre.
If this Water Yama was able to replace Fire Buddha, didn't that imply that—even if his strength wasn't greater—it likely wasn't much weaker either?
After a long silence, Gu Changhuai finally replied via messenger talisman:
"Never heard of him."
Mo Hua's face stiffened.
Gu Changhuai frowned.
Mo Hua gave a slight nod.
So… could this Water Yama be new on the scene?
Gu Changhuai:
"Why are you asking about this name?"
Mo Hua:
"Mm."
Here we go again…
Whenever he had free time, Mo Hua would send another message, sneakily asking:
"Uncle Gu, have you heard of the name 'Water Yama'?"
He shook his head, his brow furrowing. This whole thing made less and less sense. Then he mused:
Devil cultivators aren't usually this dumb. Why would they write everything in a messenger talisman…?
If Water Yama gets taken down, will there suddenly be others popping up named Golden Arhat, Wood Yaksha, or Earth Dīzàng…?
But that kid (meaning the Evil God) is full of twisted ideas. If He doesn't want people to know, then there's no way to squeeze it out of Him.
Judgment… execution…
Just what kind of origin does this "Water Yama" have?
A criminal cultivator on Dao Court's most-wanted list?
Or a murderous devil cultivator with a blood-soaked record?
If this person was chosen by the Evil God Himself…
Wouldn't he also carry some kind of heretical inheritance powerful enough to rival forbidden techniques?
Even Uncle Gu, a Dao Court officer, hadn't heard of him…
"From the little evidence we have, it seems that the fishing cultivators in the water stronghold were chained up, forced to kneel, and then beheaded."
Many things were too complex to explain, so Mo Hua only vaguely said:
Gu Changhuai paused for a moment, then gave a fitting analogy:
"It's like convicts being judged, kneeling at the execution grounds… and getting their heads chopped off."
He was clearly taken aback.
"Water Yama?"
After some thought, Gu Changhuai replied:
"Alright. I'll remember it. I'll ask someone to look into it when I have time."
"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded.
He was a bit surprised.
"I got this name from a messenger talisman. It said…"
(When it's not about formations, Uncle Gu is actually pretty sharp.)
Gu Changhuai dryly added,
"This messenger talisman of yours… did it mention any other clues?"
He was sure Mo Hua was hiding something.
Mo Hua explained:
"I went there. The entire stronghold was dyed blood red. Blood everywhere, and the soil soaked red—but there were no bodies. Only scraps of flesh and remains."
"There were bloodstains in kneeling positions, trails of rolling heads, and broken chains…"
Gu Changhuai frowned.
"How do you know this name?"
"That's it," Mo Hua said. "Only this name."
After a long silence, Gu Changhuai finally replied, his tone grave:
"Yu Family Water Stronghold… it was a massacre."
"Just like…"
Mo Hua couldn't make sense of it, so he asked around.
His brow furrowed, his heart heavy. Then he couldn't help but mentally grumble.
Before Mo Hua could even respond, Gu Changhuai followed up:
"Is this related to the extermination of the Yu Family Water Stronghold?"
Could this be a clue pointing toward the Evil God?
"Right, Uncle Gu," Mo Hua suddenly remembered. "Did you go to the Yu Family Water Stronghold? Was there any other evidence?"
That… was a long story.
Uncle Gu really lived up to his title as a Dao Court Officer. His brain worked fast.
"Yes," Mo Hua confirmed.
Another messenger talisman?
Messenger talismans weren't that magical, were they? Could they really sniff out every secret?
This "Water Yama"… his tastes seemed a little too specific.
Or maybe… this method of extermination had some deeper meaning?
Mo Hua really wanted to go to the slaughtered Yu Family Water Stronghold and search for karmic clues—but he couldn't disobey Elder Xun's orders.
Gu Changhuai understood and said:
"I'll investigate the Yu Family Water Stronghold and this Water Yama. You stay put in the sect. If I find anything, I'll let you know."
Truthfully, he didn't want to tell Mo Hua.
But if he didn't, Mo Hua would surely find a way to dig into it on his own. Better to just tell him—save him the effort, avoid delaying his cultivation, and prevent him from doing anything reckless out of curiosity.
The conversation ended there.
Gu Changhuai went back to work.
In the days that followed, Mo Hua continued cultivating and studying in the sect, occasionally keeping an eye on Dao Court's updates.
But everything remained… eerily calm.
Nothing happened.
Even sightings of demonic cultivators became rare.
And Water Yama… completely vanished.
Despite Dao Court's ongoing investigation into the Yu Family Water Stronghold incident, there was still no progress.
After all, it was a remote place—not an immortal city.
The cultivators living there were poor fishermen, isolated from the world, rarely interacting with outsiders.
After the massacre, Dao Court chose to keep the news under wraps, fearing it would alert other evildoers.
As a result, this tragedy only caused a brief stir near the Smokespring River before fading into nothing more than a grim tale told over meals.
The Yu Family Stronghold was gone.
The surrounding fishermen continued struggling to survive.
Dao Court kept investigating…
But with no results.
Outside the Smokespring River, in the immortal cities, life went on as usual. The noble clans still lived in luxury.
Mo Hua's feelings were complicated.
These remote rogue cultivators were like duckweed in a river—humble, drifting.
Whether they thrived or died… no one really cared.
A few more days passed, and the incident didn't even cause a ripple anymore. It was already fading from memory.
But Mo Hua knew—the shadow was spreading…
And the blood-stained karma grew deeper.
The Great Wilderness Evil God… had surely claimed another altar.
Mo Hua let out a long, long sigh.
But right now— He was powerless.
All he could do was continue his cultivation. Strive to break through to the mid-stage Foundation Establishment as soon as possible.
Amidst the unseen, a storm loomed.
Whether it was cultivation, divine sense, or formation mastery—every bit of improvement counted.
Beyond that, there was also research and practical application involving formations and spiritual tools. Especially crucial was the crafting of the Five Elements Source Armor—a type of armor with amplification abilities.
During a break in his training, Mo Hua made a trip to the Gu family.
He wanted to discuss with Master Gu the concept of "opening the source" of the Five Elements Source Armor and how to integrate it with divine sense control.
Master Gu looked startled, then furrowed his brow so tightly it looked like a knotted rope.
"This kind of armor… never heard of it. The Lone Mountain Armory has never forged something like this."
"Young master truly thinks differently from others…"
Whether that was praise or just polite commentary, it was hard to tell.
Mo Hua sipped his tea, sorted out his thoughts, and slowly explained:
"This formation is rather special, so it can't follow conventional refining methods. The internal structure needs to be altered so that the formation inside the spiritual tool can be controlled by divine sense."
Master Gu pondered it carefully before replying:
"If the armor's formation can be controlled by divine sense… then there's no way to restrict who controls it."
"Once the formation is 'source-opened,' any cultivator—ally or enemy—could potentially use their divine sense to manipulate the armor's formations…"
"That's a massive risk."
"In life-or-death battle, if another cultivator with strong divine sense forcibly hijacks the armor's formation—shutting it down, reversing its function, or even triggering self-destruction—it's basically handing a sword to the enemy and cutting off your own limbs…"
Mo Hua frowned.
That did sound… quite problematic.
He thought for a moment, then his eyes brightened slightly. Shaking his head, he said:
"It's fine."
The formations embedded in the Five Elements Source Armor were Five Elements Source Formations.
These were ultimate formations. Even if "source-opened," few people would understand them, let alone be able to wrest divine control away from Mo Hua.
Seeing the confidence in Mo Hua's expression, Master Gu slowly nodded.
His job was only to raise concerns and provide input. The final decision rested with Mo Hua.
"In that case, this armor would fall somewhere between a 'spiritual tool' and a 'formation medium'—serving both roles."
Master Gu quickly grasped the concept.
"Exactly," Mo Hua nodded.
"Alright," Master Gu muttered in thought. "I'll go back and mull it over more, try a few things…"
"But this kind of armor has a unique structure with no precedent. Forging it will take significant time and effort. I estimate at least half a month to produce a prototype for testing…"
"That's fine," Mo Hua smiled. "Thank you for your hard work, Master Gu."
"Young master, there's no need for thanks—it's my duty."
Master Gu chuckled, then added warmly:
"By the way, Immortal Crane Pavilion in Qingzhou City just got a fresh shipment of top-grade spirit fish. Would you care for a taste?"
"Spirit fish, huh…"
Mo Hua was a little sick of fish.
Especially after that nightmare… where he ate the Fish-Head River God, and then devoured a bunch of fish monsters and evil spirits. Now just hearing the word "fish" made his stomach feel full.
But Master Gu was so enthusiastic…
Mo Hua didn't want to turn him down, so he nodded.
"Sure, sure."
The Immortal Crane Pavilion had a serene and refined ambiance.
On the table were several spirit fish dishes—plated like coral, flavored like rare delicacies, golden broth shimmering, fragrant and visually exquisite.
Mo Hua ate happily.
But mid-meal, his thoughts drifted to the fishing cultivators from the small fishing village…
These fish might've been caught by those cultivators, risking their lives out on stormy waters, enduring hardships to bring them in.
Suddenly, the food in his mouth tasted less flavorful.
He flipped through the menu again.
Fish at the Immortal Crane Pavilion were absurdly expensive.
But the fishermen who caught them barely earned enough spirit stones to survive.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and murmured in his heart:
"Is there some way to help those fishing cultivators earn more spirit stones…"
After the meal, Mo Hua bid farewell to Master Gu.
Master Gu returned to the Lone Mountain Armory to begin research on the "source-opened" structure of the Five Elements Source Armor.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, returned to the Gu household.
He wanted to greet Aunt Wan before heading back to his sect.
But when he arrived, Wenren Wan was entertaining guests—apparently some relatives from the Wenren family had come bearing gifts.
Mo Hua sat quietly in the main hall, sipping tea and waiting.
Before an incense stick burned through, Wenren Wan appeared at the door, beckoning to him mysteriously.
Mo Hua blinked.
"Aunt Wan?"
She smiled with a twinkle in her eyes and whispered,
"Come here, I've got a few things for you."
Mo Hua, full of curiosity, set down his teacup and followed her into a side room.
The chamber was surrounded by formations that blocked eavesdropping.
Wenren Wan took out a storage pouch and slipped it to Mo Hua, softly reminding him:
"Keep it safe. Don't let anyone know."
Mo Hua was stunned. He slowly opened the pouch, extended his divine sense inside—
And couldn't help but gape.
So many formation diagrams…
Most of them were complete sets—covering everything from starter formation runes to high-grade first-rank and even advanced second-rank formations.
Mo Hua was stunned.
"Aunt Wan, this is…"
"I know you love studying formations," Wenren Wan smiled. "So I had your Uncle Shangguan get some formation manuals and diagrams from the Shangguan family. Some are also precious collections from the Wenren family. They just arrived—take them. Study them when you have time."
"This is too valuable…" Mo Hua said, amazed.
Wenren Wan shook her head.
"This is what you deserve."
Mo Hua hesitated, still wanting to decline.
Wenren Wan winked at him.
"Since you call me Aunt Wan, just accept what I give you."
"But…" Mo Hua still had concerns. "What about the Shangguan and Wenren families…"
Wenren Wan said calmly:
"Don't worry. These formations came through your Uncle Shangguan and myself. No one will trouble you."
"Of course, don't go blabbing about it either."
"Got it!" Mo Hua beamed. "Thank you, Aunt Wan!"
Wenren Wan's smile curved like a crescent moon.
"Now, take a look at those formation diagrams. See if they suit your taste."
"Mm!"
Mo Hua began carefully studying the formation diagrams.
These diagrams covered a broad range.
Most were still formations based on the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams.
These were the most commonly used and widely applicable formations in the cultivation world, and nearly every formation master had to learn them as part of their foundation.
However, the Five Elements Eight Trigrams formations passed down in the Shangguan and Wenren families were somewhat different from those taught in the Great Void Sect.
The Great Void Sect emphasized "lineage and instruction," teaching formations with a focus on inheritance and pedagogy.
The Shangguan family, being involved in cultivation-related industries, focused on practical application in business.
The Wenren family, on the other hand, seemed to possess a deeper heritage and placed emphasis on theoretical research in formation principles.
Each family had its own strengths, and by cross-referencing them, Mo Hua could learn from all and make up for what was lacking.
Mo Hua's face lit up with joy.
Wenren Wan saw how much he liked them and couldn't help but smile as well.
Mo Hua continued flipping through the diagrams, and partway through, he suddenly froze—his eyes lighting up.
Primordial Magnetic Formations!
In addition to the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, these materials even included Primordial Magnetic types!
First came a manual titled Collected Patterns of Fixed Magnetic Runes, stamped with the seal of the Shangguan family's Formation Pavilion.
Next was Supplementary Record of Fixed Magnetic Runes, stamped with the Wenren family's seal.
Beneath that were several high-grade second-rank Primordial Magnetic formations.
Mo Hua had never even heard of these formations before.
They were clearly alternative Primordial Magnetic formations outside the Great Void Sect's heritage.
Mo Hua was stunned.
"Aunt Wan, this is…"
Wenren Wan smiled and said:
"I noticed you're close with Changhuai, so I asked him what kinds of formations you normally study."
"But he's always caught up with Dao Tribunal matters and doesn't know much about formations. It took a lot of effort just to get a vague answer—he only said you seemed especially interested in Primordial Magnetic formations."
"So I gathered these rune commentaries and diagrams for you."
Then she furrowed her brow slightly and added:
"But Primordial Magnetic formations are quite niche. Even in the Shangguan and Wenren families, we don't have many of them. Few disciples are even interested, so I'm not sure if what I've gathered will be enough…"
"It's more than enough!" Mo Hua nodded rapidly, beaming as he said, "Thank you so much, Aunt Wan!"
Wenren Wan saw how genuinely delighted he was and felt comforted.
Mo Hua held the diagrams like they were priceless treasures, his heart bursting with joy.
Aunt Wan is truly a divine-level good person!
He couldn't stop himself from flipping through the diagrams again and again.
Suddenly, he froze.
One of the diagrams felt… off.
It seemed to have too many formation runes?
Mo Hua swept it with his divine sense and counted carefully:
One, two, three… twenty runes.
Twenty runes?!
Mo Hua froze.
Something felt very off.
Then it hit him like a lightning bolt. His eyes flew open.
Second-rank… Twenty runes?!
A Perfect Formation?!
He immediately pulled the diagram out and saw a title written in ancient, oddly-shaped seal script:
Sub-Thunderstream Array (次生雷流陣)
Mo Hua inhaled sharply and looked at Wenren Wan in disbelief.
"Aunt Wan, this…"
Wenren Wan looked puzzled. She glanced down and nodded:
"That's a formation treasured by the Shangguan family. I had your Uncle Shangguan bring it out. Apparently, they earned it as a reward from the Dao Tribunal after rendering some meritorious service, receiving the legacy from the Heaven's Pivot Pavilion."
"But it was too difficult, and no one knew what it was good for. Over time, it was shelved and forgotten…"
"Is that formation… very valuable?" Wenren Wan asked, confused.
Mo Hua nodded, his voice trembling:
"Very valuable… extremely valuable!"
Even far more than Aunt Wan imagined…
This was a Perfect Formation within the Primordial Magnetic category, one that approached the origin of the Sub-Thunder Runes!
Even a formation master who was skilled in Primordial Magnetism wouldn't be able to comprehend the name "Sub-Thunderstream Array" unless they'd glimpsed the essence of Primordial Magnetism and understood the mystery of Sub-Thunder Runes.
A Perfect Formation of Sub-Thunderstream!
Mo Hua's heart was shaken. He couldn't calm down for a long time.
Wenren Wan didn't overthink it—seeing Mo Hua so stunned, unable to take his eyes off the array, she could tell this formation meant a lot to him, and felt truly satisfied.
"Keep it safe. Study it slowly once you're back at the sect," Wenren Wan said gently.
"Mm!"
Mo Hua quickly stuffed the array into his storage pouch, then tucked that pouch into his robe.
If Aunt Wan hadn't been standing right there, he might've just shoved that Perfect Formation diagram straight into his Storage Ring for absolute safety.
Wenren Wan saw that Mo Hua had packed everything up, and only then did she relax.
"It's getting late. You should head back to your sect. And… please take care of little Yu'er for me."
"You can count on me, Aunt Wan!"
Mo Hua nodded solemnly.
From this day on, Yu'er was his little brother.
If anyone—even a Great Wilderness Evil God—dared lay a finger on Yu'er…
He would shatter its divine remains, sever its avatar, and bake it into pastries to eat one bite at a time!
(End of Chapter)