Chapter 1152: Dao Soldier

“Are these the Daoist soldiers of the Imperial Court?”

“And their aura is so vast and mighty, covering the sky and earth... Is this a large army of Daoist soldiers?”

Mo Hua's heart trembled slightly. He glanced back at the demon-fighting arena, and his figure gradually disappeared, reappearing near the city gate.

Desert City was magnificent, with towering walls and an enormous gate, like two confronting mountains. Usually, Desert City's main gate remained shut, and ordinary cultivators could only enter and exit through the side gates. But now, the mountain-like main gate of Desert City stood wide open.

Large brigades of armored Daoist soldiers, radiating a magnificent aura, were orderly marching in square formations through the gate into the fourth-grade Desert City. A mighty, seemingly endless torrent, they carried an oppressive aura of iron and blood.

The clang of metal and the rhythmic thud of iron cavalry shook the earth. The sheer number of Daoist soldiers, their formidable combat power, and their soaring morale seemed to pierce the heavens.

Cultivators of all kinds in Desert City watched from the sides, their pupils constricted and expressions filled with shock. Only at this moment could they truly comprehend the source of the Imperial Court's supreme authority. Only now did they understand what the Imperial Court relied upon to unify the Nine Provinces: soldiers and slaughter.

Mo Hua's expression was also deeply shaken. This was the first time in his life he had witnessed such a massive movement of Daoist soldiers. He had seen Daoist soldiers during the encirclement of the Qian family in Tongxian City. He had also seen many Daoist soldiers in Nanyue City during the suppression of the Lu family and the containment of the corpse plague. However, the Daoist soldiers he had seen on those two occasions were but a drop in the ocean compared to the overwhelming metallic army before him; they were utterly incomparable.

This was the true central Imperial Court army. This was a vast force of regular Daoist soldiers, dispatched from military camps across various provinces and assembled at the gateway to the Great Wilderness, all under military orders issued by the central Imperial Court and coordinated by the Daoist Soldier Bureau, specifically to suppress the rebellion in the Great Wilderness.

At a glance, they numbered in the tens of thousands, countless. This Imperial Court army, symbolizing the Court's majesty, would proceed south into the Great Wilderness under the Dao Monarch's command, crush the Imperial Court, execute the princes, quell the rebellion, and assert the Court's divine authority.

Cultivation wars signified slaughter and death. They meant brutality and tragedy. Yet, even so, upon witnessing this torrent forged of metal and might, Mo Hua felt an almost instinctive tremor in his heart and a surge of fervent excitement.

When such a powerful current of Daoist soldiers engaged in battle, charging the front lines, their formations and armor becoming one, their blades and morale intertwined, they would be like a tsunami, crushing all enemies and shattering all obstacles. What a magnificent and blood-forged spectacle that would be.

For a moment, Mo Hua was completely captivated. A moment later, he gradually understood something else: "The Imperial Court... is enraged..." "The true war in the Great Wilderness has begun..."

As Mo Hua was lost in thought, movement came from a distance. Several Golden Core cultivators emerged from the Spirit Beast Pavilion, which housed the underground demon-fighting arena. They released their divine senses, searching for Mo Hua's figure. However, intimidated by the might of the Imperial Court's Daoist soldiers, they dared not openly search for Mo Hua. Mo Hua's gaze flickered. Using the oppressive aura of the Daoist soldiers as cover, he completely concealed his presence. His aura blended into the diverse atmosphere of Desert City, like a fish disappearing into a stormy sea, leaving no trace.

Dozens of miles away, in Desert City. Inside an inn. Mo Hua washed off the bronze-colored ink, changed his clothes, and transformed back into his clean-cut, pale-skinned self: Mo Hua, the late-stage Foundation Establishment formation master and spiritual cultivator.

People came and went in the inn. In his room, Mo Hua poured himself a drink and quietly pondered his next move.

The entry of the Daoist army into the city meant the Imperial Court was getting serious. The conflict in the Great Wilderness would also escalate further. However, these were not his most pressing concerns. Mo Hua knew his own limitations. To be frank, the war between the Imperial Court and the Great Wilderness was something he, in his current state, simply could not influence. In such a large-scale cultivation war, the scope was too vast, the numbers too immense, and the complexity of the battles and the unpredictable shifts in fortune were simply too profound. As a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, he couldn't offer much help, let alone hope to change such a grand war situation. The only thing he might be able to do was with formations. However, the formations used by Daoist soldiers were standardized, and the core military formation patterns were all top secrets of the Daoist Soldier Bureau. The weapons and armor used by Daoist soldiers were also mostly forged before the war. He couldn't interfere with any of these. The only areas he might contribute to were pre-war formation preparations, wartime formation responses, and post-war formation repairs. But he could do these, and so could other formation masters.

His biggest problem now, however, was his cultivation level. In large-scale cultivation wars, Qi Refining was the lowest tier, Foundation Establishment was the foundation, and Golden Core cultivators formed the backbone. If he could break through to the Golden Core stage, learn more advanced third-grade formations, and apply them broadly, he might truly play a relatively significant role in the war. His Foundation Establishment cultivation and second-grade formations were simply too limited in such a major war. Even if he performed perfectly, he was just one person, affecting the outcome for a single squad of Daoist soldiers or one or two battles, which would have little impact on the overall war situation.

Of course, it was too early to consider these matters now. The immediate priority was still to rescue the large tiger. If he delayed, Young Master Tuoba would probably continue to whip and tame the tiger. The large tiger's life would likely be in danger. Mo Hua's expression slightly darkened as he silently pondered various methods and means to rescue the tiger, deducing the causal variables in the process and predicting changes in the final outcome.

Time passed slowly. After an unknown period, Mo Hua gently sighed. He had calculated that simply rescuing the tiger from the demon-fighting arena wasn't difficult. He could devise many methods in a short time, and the causal deductions showed no major variables. But the problem was that once rescued, it couldn't leave Desert City. Once the tiger left the arena, it would either be intercepted midway by numerous Golden Core cultivators, or it would be instantly killed by a Rebirth cultivator. Even if it somehow managed to leave Desert City, it would be pursued by the Great Wilderness Sect and die during the chase...

Mo Hua had carefully considered the root of this problem. The problem was that in this region of the Great Wilderness, he had no "backer." He recalled that back in the Ganxue Province, he had no such worries. In Ganxue Province, he had people in the Imperial Court Bureau; in the major aristocratic families, he had people; in the circle of deities, he had people; in other sects, he had people; and in the Tai Xu Sect, everyone was his person... Who would dare to seize a tiger he rescued? Forget just rescuing a tiger; even if he placed this tiger in the Demon Refining Mountain for safekeeping, there would be no issue. He could completely cover it. As long as he wasn't cultivating incorrectly or committing evil deeds, there would always be someone to back him up for any problem that arose. When things got tough, he would just hide inside the Tai Xu Sect's mountain gate, quietly attend classes, and with the sect and ancestors supporting him, no one could touch him. He felt nostalgic just thinking about those days now.

But the current situation was different. Here in Desert City, and indeed the entire Great Wilderness, it was completely someone else's territory. He felt constrained and very passive when trying to act.

Mo Hua sighed softly again. But merely sighing was useless. Mo Hua thought for a moment, then pushed open his door and left the inn, hoping to gather useful clues there to act opportunistically and rescue the tiger.

A few steps out of the inn, he saw more Daoist soldiers marching in formation. Mo Hua's expression subtly shifted. Previously, he had been so overwhelmed by the mighty aura of the Daoist army that he hadn't examined them closely. Now, observing them closely, he realized that while these Daoist soldiers appeared uniform, there were many internal intricacies and differences. Besides the obvious distinctions in "troop types" such as light-armored Daoist soldiers, heavy-armored Daoist soldiers, war cavalry, and spirit wolf cavalry, there were also Daoist soldiers clearly organized by spiritual root and cultivation technique: Five Elements Gold Spirit Daoist soldiers, Five Elements Wood Spirit Daoist soldiers, Five Elements Water Spirit Daoist soldiers, Five Elements Fire Spirit Daoist soldiers, and so on.

The origins of these Daoist soldiers also varied. Apart from all carrying the Imperial Court's "Dao" character banner, different Daoist Soldier Bureau families also had their own distinct flags. Just then, among the majestic Daoist soldiers, Mo Hua spotted a large banner with a prominent character: "Yang." The Yang family of the Daoist Soldier Bureau... Mo Hua's gaze flickered, and his expression became a little strange. "My backer... has arrived?"

Unfortunately, there was no one familiar to Mo Hua in this particular contingent of Yang family Daoist soldiers. Mo Hua formed a hand seal, calculated for a moment, then walked to another street and waited patiently in front of a teahouse.

Cultivators of all types passed by Mo Hua, including Daoist soldiers from the Imperial Court Bureau. But he waited until evening and still didn't see the person he was looking for. Mo Hua frowned and muttered softly, "This isn't right. Southwest, where land and water meet... the divination said I'd meet an acquaintance here..."

Just as he was pondering, his spiritual sense stirred, and he looked up to see a contingent of Daoist soldiers approaching from afar. This group of Daoist soldiers was different from the others; their armor was old and stained with blood, and their faces were covered in dust. The other Daoist soldiers had just arrived in the Great Wilderness, ready for deployment. This group, however, looked more like they had retreated from the front lines of the Great Wilderness, covered in injuries. This contingent also carried the Imperial Court's "Dao" character banner, with a "Yang" family flag hanging beneath it.

Mo Hua's gaze swept over them, and he immediately spotted the leader: a robust Golden Core commander, whose face was weathered and scarred, but whose expression remained resolute despite his injuries. Past memories briefly resurfaced. Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he called out, "Commander Yang!"

Yang Jishan, who was walking ahead, deep in thought with a solemn expression, was startled by the sudden call. He turned his head and saw a handsome, picturesque young man with skin as fair as jade, smiling at him.

Yang Jishan was momentarily stunned. The young man was like a painting; breathtaking at first glance, and then somewhat familiar upon closer inspection. An inexplicable sense of familiarity welled up in his heart. It seemed this young man had once been an "acquaintance" of his, a very special one at that. But Yang Jishan couldn't recall where he had ever met this young man...

"You are..." Yang Jishan said slowly. Mo Hua, a little puzzled, replied, "Commander Yang, have you forgotten? I am Mo Hua."

"Mo Hua..." "Mo Hua..." Yang Jishan's brows gradually furrowed. He felt the name was also very familiar, as if it had left a deep impression in his memory. But when he tried to recall, his mind felt hazy, as if he couldn't remember anything clearly.

"Mo Hua..." Suddenly, a pure, fair, and adorable little face flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning. Yang Jishan's heart jolted, and he immediately exclaimed in surprise, "You are... that little kid from Nanyue City."

Seeing that Yang Jishan had recognized him, Mo Hua nodded cheerfully, though he was also slightly displeased as he corrected, "I'm not a little kid anymore..."

Yang Jishan then looked Mo Hua, who now resembled a dashing young man, up and down, and said with a chuckle of admiration, "You've grown." Then he seemed puzzled. "Why have you come all the way to Desert City?"

Mo Hua replied, "I was traveling south when I encountered war and chaos, so I had no choice but to seek temporary refuge in Desert City."

Hearing this, Yang Jishan felt both sympathy and emotion. With the outbreak of war in the Great Wilderness, disaster was inevitable, and Lizhou, being closest to the Great Wilderness, would certainly bear the brunt of the conflict. Under such chaotic wartime conditions, it was truly remarkable for a young man like him to escape to Desert City. "Are you alone?" Yang Jishan asked gently.

"Yes."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "No."

Yang Jishan then said, "In that case, come back to the military camp with me. Now that the Imperial Court army has gathered, the Daoist soldiers' camps are definitely safer than outside." Mo Hua's face lit up with joy, and he nodded, "Thank you, Commander Yang!" "Let's go." "Okay."

And so, Mo Hua openly blended into the ranks of the Daoist soldiers.

Yang Jishan, accompanied by Mo Hua, walked towards the military camp in Desert City, surrounded by a group of battle-hardened Daoist soldiers. Yet in his heart, he still couldn't quite figure it out: "This Mo Hua... who exactly is he?" "I should know him... but how do I know him?" "Nanyue City?" "What event in Nanyue City, and when, led me to meet this young man?" "Why have I seemingly forgotten this young man for so long, with no memory of him at all?"

Yang Jishan was perplexed and wanted to ask Mo Hua for clarification. But he was also a little afraid of the awkwardness of meeting an acquaintance in a foreign land and being unable to remember who that "acquaintance" was. Yang Jishan could only grit his teeth and pretend nothing was amiss.

The group passed through the streets of Desert City and arrived at a heavily guarded Daoist soldier camp in the northwest corner. Outsiders were prohibited from entering the Daoist soldier camps. But Yang Jishan was a Daoist soldier commander, with considerable authority. Moreover, he was from the Yang family, and the camp he was stationed in consisted almost entirely of Yang family members, so a simple word from him was enough for the guarding Daoist soldiers to let them pass.

Yang Jishan led Mo Hua into a military tent, where they encountered another burly man. The big man's right arm hung limply, and his left chest was wrapped in bandages. A deep, bone-exposing wound stretched from his left neck to his right ribs, a very severe injury that was still oozing blood. Yang Jishan frowned. "Weren't you supposed to be resting?"

The big man, his face pale, grinned and said, "I won't die, and I can't sit still." Mo Hua, however, was startled. "Uncle Yang?" This person was also an acquaintance of his, Yang Jiyong, the Daoist soldier captain who had joined him in exterminating the Qian family and fighting the great demon Feng Xi in Tongxian City.

Yang Jiyong looked at Mo Hua with a puzzled expression for a moment, then his face filled with shock, his mouth agape, saying in disbelief, "You... you're Mo Hua?" "Yes." Mo Hua nodded with a smile.

Yang Jiyong stared at Mo Hua for a few moments, truly surprised and delighted. "It's been over ten years, and in the blink of an eye, you've grown so much..." Yang Jishan, standing by, was somewhat stunned. "You... know him too?"

Yang Jiyong looked confused. "Big Brother, didn't I tell you? I met a young formation master in Tongxian City." "Tongxian City..." Yang Jishan frowned, then suddenly recalled that Yang Jiyong had indeed mentioned an exceptionally talented "young formation master" to him. But... why was it the same person, yet his memories seemed completely disjointed? This young man... who exactly is he...?

Yang Jishan's expression slightly darkened.