Setelah Mo Hua pergi, sudah terlewat satu cangkir teh, Third Householder tidak dapat mendeteksijiwa Ilahi Mo Hua lagi, sehingga ia kembali ke hutan yang sunyi.
Darah mengalir deras, lahan itu menjadi kekacauan yang menyedihkan.
Kultivator iblis itu memang telah dimakan manusia, dan sangat bersih pula, namun darahnya menguar di seluruh tempat.
"Jakarta itu seorang anak, bagaimana bisa memakan orang dan menghasilkan kekacauan sebesar itu?"
Third Householder berbisik pada diri sendiri.
Ia kemudian menyadari ada yang salah: banyak tato kakan, gigitan, bahkan rambut yang terdiband darah menempel di tanah.
Third Householder terkejut, alisnya menggigil sedikit.
Kultivator iblis yang tubuhnya sudah dikorbankan, bukan dimakan oleh manusia, melainkan oleh monster binatang.
Dan anak yang baru saja dikooris oleh roh orang lain, kini lenyap tanpa jejak.
Pandangan Third Householder memadat, menunjukkan ada yang tidak beres.
Apakah orang-orang itu tidak dimakan oleh ghost itu?
Atau apakah ghost kecil itu bukan demon lama yang mengatasi tubuh manusia, melainkan monster binatang yang memakai kulit manusia?
Namun itu juga tidak terlihat benar. Tanpa pengasingan, bagaimana bisa hanya memiliki level Qi Refinement namun memiliki jiwa Ilahi dari Foundation Establishment?
Tao Surgawi memiliki aturan sendiri, dan semuanya memiliki batasnya.
Jiwa Ilahi seorang kultivator Qi Refinement, tak peduli sekuatnya, tidak mungkin dapat melewati batas tersebut, untuk menjadi setara Foundation Establishment.
Third Householder tidak dapat memengerti dan mendadak terkena guncangan besar— Ia telah melupakan sesuatu yang penting:
Contemplation Map!
Ghost itu sedang meditasi di atas gimbar meditasi, dan di bawah gimbar itu terdapat Contemplation Map yangIa buajambar dari sekaeanya.
Third Householder, bergerak secepat angin, menghimpun energilah kembali ke Pill Room di Black Mountain Stronghold.
Saat sampai di Pill Room, Ia mengangkat matras itu dan menemukan bahwa lokasi rahasia sudah terbuka, seramanya sunyi seolah-olah.
Sejuk mengalir melalui telinga Third Householder ketika ia mengemar pikirannya, meyakinkan bahwa Contemplation Map telah dicuri, namun kemudian Ia menemukan sebuah chart yang tidak jauh. Chart itu terbuat dari bahan yang bukan sama sekali kulit atau kertas; mewakil Qingyan Stream di tengah batu— itulah Contemplation Map-nya.
Kesembakoan mengalir melalui tubuh Third Householder ketika kehilangan harta berharganya kembali.
Seseorang telah membuka lokasi tersembunyiIa, mengambil Contemplation Map, namun gagal mengenal nilainya dan mengembalikannya ke samping.
Itulah Contemplation Map—harta berharga yang ingin menjadi milieu ribuan Formation Masters!
Third Householder menolep napas lega dan dengan hati-hati menggulung kembali Contemplation Map, namun senyumnya tiba-tiba beku.
Map itu masih sama, gunung masih sama, batu masih sama, bahkan alur sungai di bawah batu dan rumput di atas batu tetap identik dengan sebelumnya.
Namun satu hal yang tidak ada: Taoist Child itu.
Tangan Third Householder gemetar. Ia dengan segera menaruh kembali map, menuduh diri dalam posisi lotus, memaksa menekan pikiran, dan meninjau kembali map.
Tidak peduli berapa kaliIa meninjau, Ia tidak dapat menghubungkan esensi di dalam map, dan tidak sedikit pun yang menambah pada jiwa Ilahinya.
Third Householder terkejut dan marah.
Contemplation Map rusak! Tidak dapat lagi memperkuat jiwa Ilahinya.
Ekor tubuh Third Householder perlahan hilang warna.
Tanpa Contemplation Map untuk memperkuat jiwa Ilahi, akan sangat sulit untuk menggapai pengetahuan tentang formation.
Ia hanya berada satu langkah dari menjadi Second Rank Formation Master, namun kini langkah itu terasa seakan tak ternyata.
"Siapa yang mengrusakkan Contemplation Mapku?!"
Third Householder yang tidak dapat menahan kemarahan, mengira Mo Hua dalam pikirannya.
"Apakah itu ghost itu yang melakukannya?"
Namun bagaimana Ia mengatasinya?
Third Householder mendalami pilihannya.
Di dalam Contemplation Map, lanskap tetap sama, hanya Taoist Child yang menghilang. Mengapa Taoist Child itu menghilang, dan ke mana ia pergi?
Citra muka Mo Hua yang elegan dan senyum lembut mengalir ke dalam pikiran Third Householder, sebuah spekulasi luar biasa lahir.
"Bisa jadi ghost itu kecil itu... sebenarnya adalah Taoist Child dalam Contemplation Map..."
"Tidak, ini mustahil!"
Third Householder mengernyek kepala berulang kali.
Namun dalam hatinya, yang lebih ia pertimbangkan, semakin masuk akal, terutama kesamaan senyumnya— baik tau janji dan ceria, sekaligus menyimpan sedikit kilau candaan.
Sejuk mengalir di dalam dada Third Householder, bersamaan dengan rasa dukatan.
Ghost itu kecil itu, mulai terlihat lebih jelas bagian dari yangIa lihat.
Apakah Ia manusia atau hantu, demon lama yang mengatasi tubuh, atau monster binatang yang memakai kulit manusia, Taoist Child dalam Contemplation Map, atau sekadar saja mimpi dari keinginanku sendiri?
"Aku harus menangkap ghost itu dan menemukan kebenaran tentang asal-usulnya..."
Third Householder bersekutu diam.
Yang terbaik adalah mempertjuh jarak dari orang yang tidak dapat Ia ketahui kedalamannya.
Namun Contemplation Map-nya rusak, dan sangat mungkin ghost itu adalah penyebabnya. Ia harus mencari ghost itu dan mengungkap kebenarannya.
Tanpa Contemplation Map, jiwa IllahiIa akan tumbuh secara lambat, dan untuk membuat temukan kebangunan kembali pada formation akan sangat sulit.
Third Householder ia matham.
Kemampuannya untuk formation bukanlah tinggi, dan berbeda dengan Formation Masters lain yangrahasIA memakainya dengan sungguh-sungguh, hari dan malam dalam berlatih, ia menemukan perilaku itu kebodohan.
Formation menegakkan Tao Surgawi dan memerlukan pencerahan, bukan sesuatu yang dapat dicapai hanya denganlatihan keras.
Walaupun Ia telah mengambil jalan yang berbelah, memanfaatkan Contemplation Map yang dipenuhi niat buruk untuk memperkuat jiwa Illahi, perkembangannya dalam formation jauh lebih cepat daripada Formation Masters rata-rata.
Latihan keras tidak memberikan solusi.
Third Householder yakin dalam hatinya.
Karena Contemplation Map menjadi tidak efektif, memblokir pertumbuhan jiwa Ilahinya juga menghalangi jalan menuju penguasaan teknik formation.
"Aku harus menemukan anak itu ini!"
Jika ia adalah manusia dan memiliki jiwa Ilahi dari Foundation Establishment meskipun dalam Qi Refinement Realm, maka Ia pasti memiliki teknik rahasia untuk memperkuat jiwa Illahi, Ia harus mengambilnya;
Jika ghost itu kecil adalah Taoist Child dalam Contemplation Map, Ia hanya perlu mengunci kembali ke dalam map, sehingga Contemplation Map dapat dikembalikan ke keadaan semula. Ia tetap dapat menggunakannya untuk memperkuat jiwa Illahi dan masuk ke ambang menjadi Second Rank Formation Master.
Cahaya dingin mengalir melalui mata Third Householder, kemudian Ia diliupi kebingungan:
"Di mana ghost itu kecil itu sekarang…"
Mo Hua, yang Third Householder duga, sedang berada di Rumahnya, menikmati lauk pauk yang sudah ibunya buat dengan penuh cinta.
Sebuah meja penuh hidangan, menarik mata dan lautan lustra.
Di tangan kirinya, Ia memegang lumba kulin besar, dan di tangan kanan, Ia memegang kepala ayam besar, pipanya membesar, matanya mengerinding menjadi kelopak, berseru:
"Tidak ada yang lebih enak daripada makanan yang dimasak ibu."
Makanan di Black Mountain Stronghold sangat miskin; Ia tidak akan pernah kembali lagi.
Sepertinya Third Householder telah mendengar sesuatu dan menaruh tujuannya padanya, namun Mo Hua tidak memiliki rencana untuk kembali ke Black Mountain Stronghold,
kecuali jika Pengadilan Tao mengambil tindakan terhadapnya, dan hanya begitu Ia akan pergi menonton kegilaan itu.
Namun dalam jangka pendek, menembus Black Mountain Stronghold tidak mungkin, dan secara alami, Mo Hua tidak memiliki peluang untuk masuk kembali ke dalam gunung yang dalam.
Jika Third Householder ingin menunggu padanya, biarkan ia menunggu selamanya.
Tunggu sampai Ia berhasil menguasai Fundamental dan kemudian menjadi Second Rank Formation Master sebelum Ia peduli padanya.
Dengan begitu, bahkan tanpa trik dan penipuan, Ia tidak akan perlu takut padanya.
Saat ini, tujuan berikutnya Mo Hua adalah untuk menguasai Fundamental!
Ia telah lama menghemat cukup batu roh.
Ia memiliki keuntungan di Refinery Shop dan bisnis Alkimia di Southern City, dividen dari Fulu Food Building, dan Ia juga dapat mencuri beberapa dari Taoist Court.
Namun keuntungan dari Taoist Court dapat disimpan, ditunggu kebutuhan mendadak, dan hanya diambil bila Ia berada dalam kebutuhan mendadak nanti.
Itu adalah nasihat Zhang Lan.
Zhang Lan adalah seorang "kultivator dalam" dari Taoist Court dan tentu dapat mengerti lebih daripada Ia; nasihatnya harus diperhatikan.
Mo Hua memiliki akar roh yang sedang, dan mengcuba Heaven Yan Jue technique yang kini dianggap sedang, sehingga siklus Spiritual Power yangIa kumpulkan adalah agak di bawah rata-rata.
Karena tidak memiliki banyak Spiritual Power, jumlah batu roh yang dibutuhkan untuk temukan bukanlah terlalu tinggi; oleh karena itu, batu roh yang sudah disimpan Mo Hua sudah cukup.
Rintangan untuk Heaven Yan Jue terletak pada jiwa Ilahi, dan Mo Hua kini memiliki jiwa Ilahi dari Foundation Establishment, jauh berada di atas ekspektasi, seharusnya juga cukup.
Saat ini, dapat dikatakan bahwa semuanya sudah siap, hanya kehilangan momen yang tepat.
Dengan kondisi ini, asalkan Ia mencapai kesempurnaan pada tingkat kesembilan Qi Refinement, Ia dapat membuat temukan dan menjadi Foundation Building Cultivator dalam satu serangkaian!
Foundation Establishment ah…
Tidak ada banyak Foundation Building Cultivator di seluruh Tongxian City, apalagi seperti Ia, seorang Loose Cultivator. Dalam beberapa tahun, hanya Elder Yu, seorang Foundation Building Cultivator sendiri, yang telah menunduk pada mereka, berberdiskusi dengan Qian Family, dan mencari keadilan untuk Loose Cultivators.
Dan sekarang, Mo Hua bisa menjadi Foundation Building Cultivator juga.
Ia telah memikirkannya hari ini, namun belum mengharap agar datang begitu cepat, dan sangat nyata, seolah-olah sebenarnya dalam jarak jangkauan…
Mo Hua sedikit terpikir dan menyesap.
Liu Ruhua kemudian dengan lembut menyentuh kepalanya, berbisik lembut, "Fokus pada makanan mu."
Chapter 295: Chapter 294: Unfathomable_1
After Mo Hua left, a cup of tea’s time passed, and the Third Householder could no longer sense Mo Hua’s divine sense, so he returned to the secluded grove.
Blood was everywhere, a complete mess.
Those evil cultivators had indeed been eaten, and quite cleanly at that, but the blood was all over the place.
“The vessel is a child, how on earth did it eat people to create such a mess?”
The Third Householder muttered to himself.
He then noticed something was wrong: there were numerous claw marks, bite marks, and even hairs with blood on the ground.
The Third Householder was taken aback, his brows furrowing slightly.
The evil cultivators, whose bodies were mutilated, were not eaten by a person but by monster beasts.
And the child who had been possessed by another’s spirit, had also vanished without a trace.
The Third Householder’s gaze sharpened as he sensed something was amiss.
Were these people not eaten by that little ghost?
Or was it that the little ghost was not some old demon possessing a body, but a monster beast wearing human skin?
But that didn’t seem right either. Without possession, how could it have only the Qi Refinement cultivation yet possess the divine sense of Foundation Establishment?
The Heavenly Dao has its own rules, and everything has its limits.
The divine sense of a Qi Refinement cultivator, no matter how strong, could not possibly transcend those limits, to be comparable to Foundation Establishment.
The Third Householder could not understand and suddenly was struck by a great shock—he had forgotten something crucial:
The Contemplation Map!
The little ghost had been meditating on his meditation cushion, and underneath that cushion was the Contemplation Map he had stolen from his sect!
The Third Householder, moving as fast as the wind, hurriedly made his way to the Pill Room at the Black Mountain Stronghold.
When he reached the Pill Room and lifted the cushion, he found the secret compartment had been opened, and it was as empty as could be.
A chill ran down the Third Householder’s spine as he was frantic and lost in his thoughts, believing the Contemplation Map to have been stolen, but then he spotted a chart not far off. It was made of a material that was neither entirely skin nor paper; it depicted Qingyan Stream amid the rocks—it was his Contemplation Map.
Overjoyed by the return of his lost treasure, the Third Householder was ecstatic.
Someone had opened his hidden compartment and pulled out his Contemplation Map but failed to recognize the true value and discarded it aside.
This was the Contemplation Map—treasure that countless Formation Masters dream of!
The Third Householder breathed a sigh of relief and unfolded the Contemplation Map with utmost care, but his smile suddenly froze on his face.
The map was still the same map, the mountain still the same mountain, the rock still the same rock, even the stream by the rock and the moss on the rock remained identical to before.
But the one thing missing was the little Taoist Child!
The Third Householder’s hands trembled. He promptly placed the map back, seated himself in the lotus position, forcibly suppressed his mind, and contemplated the map once more.
But no matter how many times he contemplated, he could no longer connect to the essence within the map, nor did his divine sense grow in the slightest.
The Third Householder was both shocked and furious.
The Contemplation Map was ruined! It could no longer enhance his divine sense.
The Third Householder’s complexion gradually lost its color.
Without the Contemplation Map to enhance his divine sense, advancing his formation knowledge would be very difficult.
He had been just one step away from becoming a Second Rank Formation Master, but now that step seemed infinitely far away.
“Who destroyed my Contemplation Map?!”
The Third Householder, unable to contain his anger, thought of Mo Hua in a daze.
“Was it the little ghost who did it?”
But how did he manage to destroy the Contemplation Map?
The Third Householder pondered deeply.
In the Contemplation Map, the scenery remained, only the Taoist Child was missing. Why had the Taoist Child disappeared, and where had he gone?
The image of Mo Hua’s elegant face and innocent smile came to the Third Householder’s mind, and an incredible speculation emerged.
“Could that little ghost actually be the Taoist Child from the Contemplation Map…”
“No, this is impossible!”
The Third Householder shook his head repeatedly.
Yet in his heart, the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, especially the similarity between their smiles—both innocently cheerful and faintly carrying a hint of mischief.
A chill rose in the Third Householder’s heart, along with a sense of dread.
That little ghost, he was beginning to see through him even less.
Was he human or ghost, an old demon that had possessed a body, or a demon monster wearing human skin, the Taoist Child from the Contemplation Map, or just a figment of his own imagination?
“I must capture that little ghost and find out the truth about his origins…”
The Third Householder silently resolved.
It’s best to keep a respectful distance from those whose depths you cannot see through.
But his Contemplation Map was ruined, and most likely, that little ghost was to blame. He had to find that little ghost and get to the bottom of it.
Without the Contemplation Map, his divine sense would grow slowly, and to make a breakthrough in formation and become a Second Rank Formation Master would be very difficult indeed.
The Third Householder frowned.
His talent for formation was not high, and unlike other Formation Masters who would toil tediously, day and night in practicing formations, he found such behavior foolish.
Formation upheld the Heavenly Dao and required enlightenment, not something that could be achieved by mere hard practice.
Even though he had taken a crooked path, utilizing a Contemplation Map filled with ill intents to enhance his divine sense, his advancement in formations was much faster than that of average Formation Masters.
Hard practice offered no way out.
The Third Householder was certain in his mind.
Hence, the Contemplation Map became ineffective, cutting off the growth of his Divine Sense and also barring his way to advancing in Formation techniques.
“I must find that brat!”
If he is human and possesses a Foundation Establishment level Divine Sense despite being in the Qi Refinement Realm, he must have some secret technique to enhance Divine Sense, and he must get his hands on it;
If that brat is the Taoist child in the Contemplation Map, he only needs to seal it back into the map, and then the Contemplation Map can be restored to its original state. He would still be able to use it to strengthen his Divine Sense and step into the threshold of becoming a Second Rank Formation Master.
A cold light condensed in the Third Householder’s eyes, and then he was engulfed in confusion:
“Where could that brat be right now…”
Mo Hua, whom the Third Householder was brooding over, was at his home at the moment, heartily enjoying the meal his mother had personally prepared for him.
A full table laden with dishes, all appealing to the eye and palate.
In his left hand, he clutched a large bun, and in his right, he gripped a big chicken leg, his cheeks bulging, his eyes squinted into crescents, thinking to himself:
“Nothing tastes better than home-cooked food.”
The food at Black Mountain Stronghold was too poor; he would never eat there again.
It seemed that the Third Householder had gotten wind of something and had set his sights on him, but Mo Hua had no plan to enter the Black Mountain Stronghold again,
unless the Taoist Court took action against it, and only then might he go to watch the excitement.
But in the short term, penetrating the Black Mountain Stronghold was impossible, and naturally, Mo Hua had no chance of re-entering the deep mountains.
If the Third Householder wanted to wait for him, let him wait forever.
Wait until he had successfully established his Foundation and then become a Second Rank Formation Master before he would bother with him.
By then, even without tricks and deceptions, he wouldn’t need to fear him any longer.
Now, Mo Hua’s next goal was to establish his Foundation!
He had long since saved up enough Spirit Stones.
He had his share in the Refinery Shop and the Alchemist’s Business in Southern City, a dividend from the Fulu Food Building, and he could also fleece some wool from the Taoist Court.
However, the wool from the Taoist Court could be saved up, kept for unexpected needs, and only taken when he was in urgent need of it later.
This was Zhang Lan’s advice.
Zhang Lan was an “inner cultivator” of the Taoist Court and certainly knew more than him; his advice was to be heeded.
Mo Hua had a mediocre Spiritual Root and was cultivating the ancient Heaven Yan Jue technique, which was also considered mediocre, so the cycles of Spiritual Power he cultivated were somewhat below average.
Since he didn’t have a lot of Spiritual Power, the number of Spirit Stones needed for a breakthrough wasn’t particularly high; thus, the Spirit Stones Mo Hua had saved were already sufficient.
The bottleneck of the Heaven Yan Jue lay in the Divine Sense, and Mo Hua now had a Foundation Establishment-level Divine Sense, far exceeding expectations, which should also be sufficient.
Now, it could be said that everything was ready, lacking only the opportune moment.
As long as he cultivated to the perfection of the ninth level of Qi Refinement, he could make a break through and become a Foundation Building Cultivator in one fell swoop!
Foundation Establishment ah…
There were not many Foundation Building Cultivators in the whole of Tongxian City, let alone those like him, a Loose Cultivator. Over the years, it was only Elder Yu, a Foundation Building Cultivator himself, who had steadfastly supported them, opposing the Qian Family, and seeking justice for Loose Cultivators.
And now, Mo Hua could become a Foundation Building Cultivator too.
He had thought about this day before but hadn’t expected it to come so soon, and so vividly real, as if it was truly within reach…
Mo Hua was somewhat lost in thought.
Liu Ruhua then gently touched his head, softly saying, “Focus on your meal.”
Mo Hua came back to his senses, smiled at his mother, and began earnestly to tuck into the lavish spread before him.
Seeing him eat voraciously, Liu Ruhua thought about how he must have been starving in the mountains these past days, and felt a pang of heartache. She grabbed another big chicken leg for him and reminded him:
“Eat more.”
Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, “Mother, you don’t know, the food at Black Mountain Stronghold is really awful.”
“How bad can it be?”
“As bad as it gets.”
Liu Ruhua chuckled, “Yet you still ate it?”
“When the stomach is empty, even if the food is bad, you have to eat.”
Liu Ruhua suddenly frowned, “Your trip to the Black Mountain Stronghold, was it very dangerous?”
Mo Hua was about to nod but then worried his mother might fret, so he said, “It was okay, I have my Concealment Techniques; I can listen in, watch, and eat without them noticing…”
Then Mo Hua hesitated, remembering his mother’s admonitions, and spoke quietly:
“They are all bad people, so listening in, watching a bit, or stealing a bite shouldn’t count as doing a bad deed, right…?”
Liu Ruhua smiled, “No, it doesn’t.”
Mo Hua then recounted other stories.
But unlike the ones he told Elder Yu, all were “interesting” little things that seemed fun to listen to.
Like the fat man who fed the animals, carelessly being bitten to death by a tiger.
The two fools on guard duty, who, due to a misunderstanding, ended up killing each other.
Although the Third Householder was a Foundation Building Cultivator, some Formations weren’t drawn as well as his; he secretly undermined many and quietly dismantled many Formations without the Third Householder even realizing it to date…
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