Chapter 1150: Fish Drying

Eyes as bright as copper bells scanned the group of cultivators, searching for that familiar figure.

Almost simultaneously, the tall and imposing Young Master Tuoba also noticed the tiger demon's unusual behavior. His expression immediately turned severe, and his gaze, sharp as a knife, fixed on Mo Hua. There was anger in his gaze.

Mo Hua could only lower his head further and step behind a large barbarian cultivator. In front of him, several aristocratic disciples and Great Desolation cultivators were staring in fear, watched by Young Master Tuoba's stern gaze. However, they had no idea what was happening. They could only bow repeatedly, bending even lower, their attitudes so respectful they were almost obsequious.

Young Master Tuoba watched these people, one by one, and naturally, he also saw Mo Hua. But Mo Hua was just a servant, holding tea, with his head bowed, his presence barely noticeable. Young Master Tuoba did not pay attention to Mo Hua. His attention remained on the 'nobles' in front of Mo Hua, scrutinizing each of them.

Just then, the great tiger seemed to spot something and let out an involuntary roar. Its demonic power surged instinctively, and the seals and chains binding its body trembled, as if it intended to break free. Eight peak Foundation Establishment body-refining experts couldn't control it at all. Pulled by the great tiger, they swayed back and forth, their faces flushed red, and the bricks beneath their feet cracked inch by inch.

Young Master Tuoba's face was filled with fury: "Beast! Still refusing to obey?!" He pulled out his tiger-head-patterned tempered steel whip, swung it forcefully, and lashed the great tiger with it. This tiger-head-patterned tempered steel whip seemed to be a half-artifact. It gleamed with golden light, and its power surged. When it struck the great tiger, it immediately drew a streak of blood.

The great tiger grew enraged and tried to pounce on Young Master Tuoba. The eight peak Foundation Establishment strong men instantly changed their expressions drastically, pushing their vital energy to the limit. Their muscles bulged, and they strained with all their might against the golden chains, restraining the great tiger's limbs. Several Core Formation cultivators nearby also had cold expressions as they activated their spells to suppress the great tiger to the ground.

Young Master Tuoba whipped the great tiger a few more times, then, with a mix of reluctance and resentment, he said: "An untamable beast! I gave you, this demon creature, a great opportunity, yet you refuse to submit and even dare to harbor ill intent against me?! You deserve to be beaten!"

The tempered steel whip repeatedly struck the great tiger's body. The great tiger remained defiant, but suppressed by countless chains, layered formations, and a group of cultivators ranging from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation, it simply couldn't break free. Before long, it was beaten to a bloody pulp.

Mo Hua watched, his brows furrowed. But Young Master Tuoba was still not appeased. He continued to whip the great tiger, lash after lash, until it lay prostrate on the ground, all its ferocity gone. Only then did he put away his tiger-head-patterned tempered steel whip and command: "Drag it away and keep it under watch."

"Yes, sir!"

The eight Foundation Establishment strong men then dragged the heavily wounded great tiger away. Before being dragged away, the severely injured great tiger slowly opened its eyes and gazed vaguely in Mo Hua's direction. Its copper bell-like eyes trembled slightly, then slowly closed again.

The fierce tiger demon was subdued, whipped, and then taken away. A long trail of blood was left on the ground. The surrounding cultivators were as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to utter a sound.

Young Master Tuoba's lingering anger had not subsided, and his gaze involuntarily turned towards Mo Hua, stirring up a question in his mind: "What exactly did this tiger demon see to behave so unusually— Normally, it's extremely vicious and ill-tempered, never showing anyone any kindness—" To Young Master Tuoba's surprise, a trace of jealousy inexplicably arose in his heart. But after watching for a long time, he couldn't find any cultivator in the crowd with an extraordinary bearing or presence who could make a 'king' among ten thousand demons take notice.

Young Master Tuoba grew increasingly perplexed and irritated, and the expression on his face became even more terrifying. Everyone knew that Young Master Tuoba was volatile, so they became even more cautious, not daring to utter a single word. A moment later, Young Master Tuoba let out a cold snort and said, "Let the demon fights begin."

Everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief. After that, everything proceeded as usual. In the demon fighting arena, the demonic beasts began to fight, and the scent of blood grew thicker. Stimulated by the spectacle, the originally bleak atmosphere gradually grew more fervent. Young Master Tuoba sat in his high seat, watching with a cold gaze. Though he said nothing, his face inevitably showed some disappointment. Today was supposed to be his day for 'fighting the tiger' and 'taming the tiger,' but all those plans had fallen through.

The more Young Master Tuoba thought about it, the more irritable he became. He backhanded a manager across the face. The manager clutched his face, forcing a smile, and kept complimenting Young Master Tuoba profusely. Mo Hua's gaze turned slightly cold.

The day's demon fights concluded. The nobles departed, and the servants and slaves began to clear away tables, chairs, and teapots, sweep the spectator stands, clean up demonic beast carcasses and severed limbs, and scrub away bloodstains. Mo Hua squatted on the ground, cleaning the nearly dry bloodstains of the tiger demon. But no one noticed that he secretly poured the washed-off tiger demon blood into a small bottle.

Night fell, and darkness enveloped everything. Servants and slaves went to sleep. The demon fighting arena was utterly silent, save for the faint, suppressed roars of demonic beasts echoing in the darkness.

Lying on his bed, Mo Hua opened his eyes. He moved lightly, leaped off the bed, and took out a brazier, wolf bones, and phosphorescent fire. Then, following the method of demon bone divination, he began to divine. When the flames surged and the wolf bones cracked, he placed the 'tiger blood' he had collected earlier in the day into the basin. Within the flames, light and shadow flickered. Clues of karma appeared in Mo Hua's eyes. Then the flames extinguished, and the wolf bones were covered in cracks. Mo Hua erased all traces, then with a flick of his finger, he disabled the formation locking the door. His figure gradually vanished into the darkness.

The demon fighting arena's prison at night was dark and eerie. Mo Hua navigated the prison with ease. He had worked as a chore boy in the outer grounds and served tea and water in the inner area, so over time, he had gained a clear understanding of the entire prison's layout. Mo Hua passed through the main prison and secret dungeons. After many turns, he finally reached the end of a path and encountered a wall.

In his karmic vision, streaks of blood passed through the wall, extending further beyond. Mo Hua released his spiritual sense, calculating in his mind, and clearly perceived the surrounding formations used for sealing. The layout of the formations appeared in Mo Hua's mind. Mo Hua swiped his finger, controlling ink with his spiritual sense, and silently disabled the formation.

The hidden door opened. Mo Hua entered while invisible. His nose immediately detected the strong scent of demon blood, identical to the smell of blood from the great tiger earlier that day. Mo Hua continued inward until he reached a special dungeon marked with totems. The dungeon was extremely secure, surrounded by formations, with railings cast from refined iron, and Grade Three locks on the doors, sealing the dungeon tightly.

Inside, the dungeon was relatively spacious. A huge tiger demon, with black and white stripes, lay sprawled there. The tiger demon's body was covered in bloodstains. However, many of these bloodstains had already scabbed over, whether from applied medicine or due to its robust vital energy and strong recovery ability, it was unclear. At this moment, the great tiger lay on the ground, its eyes closed, seemingly having endured much torment, and its spirits were very low.

Mo Hua watched, feeling a strange pang of sympathy, and let out a soft sigh. The sigh was extremely faint, not noticeable in the dim dungeon. But the great tiger was suddenly startled. It raised its head, and its copper bell-like eyes gleamed with surprise and suspicion, intently staring into the darkness before it. But there was nothing in the darkness. No one appeared, and no one spoke. The great tiger gradually showed a look of disappointment.

Suddenly, something was thrown from the darkness and landed in front of the great tiger's head. The great tiger instinctively opened its mouth and bit it. Lowering its head, it saw that it was actually a dried fish. The great tiger was startled at first, then the entire creature became excited. It roared twice towards the darkness. But there was no further reaction from the darkness, and that familiar, subtle aura gradually vanished. It seemed the person had already left. The great tiger paused for a moment, then, still holding the dried fish in its mouth, returned to its spot and lay down.

The dried fish was actually quite large, made from a big fish. However, the great tiger's current size was even larger, so the dried fish, when held in its mouth, still looked like a 'small dried fish.' The taste of the dried fish was very familiar—it was the taste of its childhood. As it licked, the great tiger let out a low growl, lay on the ground with a dejected expression, and seemed a little wronged.

Mo Hua erased his traces, restored the formation, and then returned the way he came, arriving back in his room. Lying on his bed, he began to plot. "I need to rescue the great tiger—" But given the current situation, it wouldn't be easy to rescue it.

The demon fighting arena itself wasn't the main concern. A mere demon fighting arena, guarded only by Core Formation cultivators, with formations primarily Grade Two and some Grade Three mixed in—for Mo Hua, destroying it would be trivial. The question was, what then, after destroying it? The great tiger was a demonic beast. Once it appeared in a celestial city, everyone would surely try to kill it. Great Desert City was a Grade Four celestial city, with a large number of Core Formation cultivators and a Grade Four Feathered Ascent True Person. Mo Hua might not care much about a few Core Formation cultivators, but a large number was a different story. Not to mention a Feathered Ascent True Person. The disparity between two major realms was simply too vast. If it came to a fight, he would have no chance to retaliate. Moreover, in Grade Four Great Desert City, Feathered Ascendants could fly freely in the air, and with vast sandy seas all around, there would be absolutely no escaping.

And then there was Young Master Tuoba. Although Mo Hua didn't know his origin, just by looking at his demeanor and imposing presence, he knew his identity was certainly extraordinary. This beast-fighting arena was probably closely connected to him as well. Furthermore, Young Master Tuoba seemed to care deeply about the great tiger. Once this beast-fighting arena was blown up and the great tiger snatched from his hands, it would likely become a fight to the death.

Killing Young Master Tuoba— First, it would violate the killing taboo and trigger a karmic calamity. Second, if he were to kill Young Master Tuoba, it would surely enrage the forces behind him, bringing about a bloody disaster for himself. He was currently in the Great Desolation, in Great Desert City. This wasn't Xuezhou Realm, nor was it Taixu Sect. He was alone, with no backing or reliable power. If he were to be targeted by the Great Desolation's native major powers, he would find himself in an extremely difficult situation.

"This is a bit troublesome," Mo Hua sighed. Another main issue was that the great tiger had grown too large. When it was small, it was clearly like a tiny kitten. If it were still the size of a 'little kitten,' he could simply carry it in his arms. Yet now, it was robust, with strong vital energy, surging demonic aura, and formidable ferocity, striking fear into anyone wherever it went. To take such a large great tiger out, it would be absolutely impossible unless everyone else was blind and deaf. Mo Hua's brows furrowed slightly. A method to rescue the great tiger wasn't easy to devise in a short time.

Before he could figure out a solution, Mo Hua continued as usual, spending his days in the inner area, serving tea and water to the 'nobles.' Whenever he had a moment, Mo Hua would secretly inquire among the other servants about the origins of this 'Young Master Tuoba.' But the other servants all looked terrified: "You dare to ask about the Tuoba family's affairs?"

Seeing that Mo Hua didn't understand, a servant whispered, "Tuoba—do you know what that surname implies?" Mo Hua naturally didn't know. Someone then hinted to him, saying, "The master of the Grade Four major sect, Great Desolation Sect, is surnamed Tuoba." But no one answered him. All the servants remained silent. The slaves' expressions were numb, and they were even less willing to speak. Mo Hua's heart sank slightly, and he stopped asking further questions. If this Young Master Tuoba was indeed a direct descendant of the Great Desolation Sect, then this matter would likely be even more troublesome.

A Grade Four major sect directly under the Dao Court, guarding the Great Desolation and assisting the Great Desolation Imperial Family. Such major sects that 'dominate' these frontier lands often truly possess lawless capital within their own territories and cannot be easily offended. He could only adapt to the situation and wait for the right moment.

A few days later, the manager suddenly found Mo Hua again and asked, "Tomorrow, would you be willing to serve Young Master Tuoba?" Mo Hua was momentarily pleased. "Young Master Tuoba?" The manager nodded. "Among these servants, you are the most diligent and meticulous. Therefore, I intend to promote you and give you this opportunity. Young Master Tuoba is a true 'master.' If you serve him well and gain his appreciation, perhaps in the future, he might even bestow upon you a manager's position. This way, you could truly defy fate and achieve great success—"

Mo Hua was visibly moved and asked, "Manager, what should I do?" The manager replied, "Nothing special. Just do as you normally would. As for other things, it's the same advice: don't listen, don't ask, don't interfere. Just act like a block of wood." Mo Hua feigned contemplation. A moment later, a hint of ambition flickered in his eyes, and he nodded: "Good." The manager caught the ambition in Mo Hua's eyes, shook his head with a slight smile, and then said: "Tomorrow, you will go serve Young Master Tuoba." His tone held a hint of appreciation and expectation.

That evening, Mo Hua returned to the servants' quarters. A quick sweep with his spiritual sense revealed that two people were missing. Following the scent, he found two gaunt servant corpses among a pile of demonic beast carcasses about to be disposed of. Each corpse had a palm print on its face. The palm prints were inflicted with great force, directly shattering the skulls and even breaking the necks. This method seemed familiar. Mo Hua vaguely remembered that a few days prior, Young Master Tuoba had slapped the manager in the same way. However, that manager's cultivation was high, so a few apologetic smiles were enough to get by. But these two Qi Refining servants died with one slap, their bodies discarded like trash. Mo Hua's gaze was indifferent.

The next day, he followed the manager's instructions and went to serve Young Master Tuoba. Of course, this so-called 'serving' simply meant standing by, observing people's expressions, and pouring tea and water. Young Master Tuoba didn't even spare him a glance. Mo Hua then understood: the manager's words were basically all lies, merely 'painting a cake' to entice him. Young Master Tuoba had gotten angry and slapped two servants to death. Thus, he had filled this empty position. As for the so-called 'gaining Young Master Tuoba's appreciation,' 'being rewarded with a manager's position,' and 'achieving great success,' all of that was utterly laughable. Young Master Tuoba couldn't possibly remember who he was. If he were truly just an ordinary 'servant' working here, simply not being slapped to death by Young Master Tuoba would already be considered 'blessed with great fortune.' Servants were not people; they were merely 'consumable goods,' just like the cups and dishes used to hold wine, fruit, or drinks. If they broke, they broke; one simply replaced them with new ones.

However, it was a rare opportunity to get close to Young Master Tuoba, so it was still a chance. Mo Hua stood meticulously and dutifully to the side, not speaking a word, not revealing a trace of his aura, appearing to have no presence whatsoever. What caught Mo Hua's attention was that Young Master Tuoba seemed different today; he wasn't watching demon fights but was hosting guests. The hall used for the banquet was the most luxurious. The food and drink for the banquet were of the highest quality. All arrangements were made to the highest standard. Moreover, a proud and unyielding person like Young Master Tuoba seemed to attach great importance to this banquet.

Seeing this, Mo Hua felt a flicker of doubt in his heart: "Who exactly is this Young Master Tuoba entertaining?" Mo Hua's eyes flickered slightly. He held his breath and concentrated, quietly observing from the side. The banquet's wine, fine dishes, and various spirit beast meats were all set out.

About half an hour later, people arrived at the door. Several plump Core Formation cultivators and a tall, thin Foundation Establishment cultivator walked in and saluted Young Master Tuoba, who was seated above them. A plump Core Formation cultivator cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Young Master Tuoba." Young Master Tuoba nodded. On the other side, the tall, thin Foundation Establishment cultivator, with a grim and resolute face, and a hint of mad obsession in his eyes, also cupped his hands and saluted Young Master Tuoba, but said nothing. Young Master Tuoba glanced at him but also said nothing.

But Mo Hua, who was waiting nearby, felt a stir of surprise. This tall, thin Foundation Establishment cultivator looked remarkably familiar. Had he perhaps seen him before? Who was he? Mo Hua frowned, trying his best to recall, searching for clues within some fragmented and faded memories. Suddenly, his heart trembled violently, and he remembered. "He is—" Li San?!

Li San, the elite disciple of the Demonic Sect who, back in Xuezhou Realm, when he was an enemy of the Demonic Sect, was swayed by Mo Hua's use of the Thunder Magnetic Token and the name of 'Elder You.' Li San had personally exchanged and handed over the Grade Two Reverse Spirit Formation Diagram from within the Demonic Sect.

"But—how could it be Li San?!" Mo Hua was filled with shock and doubt, completely baffled. "Wasn't Li San captured and then imprisoned in the Daoist Prison? How did he get out? And how did he travel thousands of miles from Xuezhou Realm to this Great Desolation land? Also, who is that plump Core Formation elder beside him—"

Mo Hua glanced at this Core Formation elder and confirmed that he had indeed never met him before. Yet, he also had a faint, very familiar feeling in his heart. As if this person had many karmic interactions with him in the past. Who could this person be? Mo Hua frowned, pondered for a moment, and then a strange name suddenly popped into his mind. Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat. "Could he be—" Elder You? Elder You, the one who was adept at maneuvering in the Demonic Sect of Xuezhou Realm? Elder You, who employed him for the Thunder Magnetic business through the Demonic Sect's transmission tokens? The one who...owed him 1.8 million spirit stones and hadn't paid him back—Elder You?