The Demon Suppression Department's merits could actually be exchanged for Seven-Star Array diagrams? Mo Hua found it hard to believe. In his excitement, he crushed the cup in his hand.
Yu Cangming had no idea why the normally calm and composed Young Master Mo was making such a fuss.
“Young Master Mo, you…”
Mo Hua snapped back to attention, wiped the hot tea from his hand on the tablecloth, and asked, “Does the Demon Suppression Department really have the Seven-Star Array?”
Yu Cangming said, “The Seven-Star method has been the orthodox demon-suppressing lineage since ancient times. Young Master Mo... you didn't know?”
Mo Hua was taken aback. The scene of that battle at the Great Wilderness Royal Court rose unbidden in his mind; Immortal Zhuge flying through the air, activating the Central Heaven Purple Tenuity Northern Dipper Seven-Star Killing Array, calculating the numbers of heaven and earth to perfection, and slaying the embryo of the Great Wilderness Blood Moon Dao Calamity with the power of the stars.
If the Seven-Star Killing Array could kill even a Dao Calamity, and could suppress Senior Uncle's Ghostly Path power to a certain extent, then suppressing demons and monsters would certainly be no problem.
But still, Mo Hua hadn't expected this. “Wasn't the Seven-Star Array hidden in the Imperial Observatory? Why does the Demon Suppression Department have it too?”
Yu Cangming replied, “In the old days, the Demon Suppression Department was directly subordinate to the Imperial Observatory.”
This left Mo Hua even more astonished. “The Demon Suppression Department was subordinate to the Imperial Observatory?!”
“In the old days,” Yu Cangming stressed. “Naturally, it no longer is now.” Mo Hua frowned, thoughts stirring.
Yu Cangming sighed softly and continued, “Around twenty thousand years ago, when the Dao Court was first established, the Demon Suppression Department was one of the main forces suppressing the Great Demon Hall, directly wielding the authority of the Imperial Observatory. Its cultivators wore Seven-Star Daoist robes, held Seven-Star Swords, trod the Heavenly Star Steps, and slaughtered evil demons and heretics in all directions. With the power of heaven, earth, and stars, they swept away the filth of the world and returned the Nine Provinces to a clear sky...” As he spoke, he thought of the Department's former glory and sighed with deep emotion.
“What happened later?” Mo Hua asked. “How did the Demon Suppression Department break away from the Imperial Observatory?”
Yu Cangming hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, “It is related to the special cultivation power of the ‘Seven Stars.’”
Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. “The Seven Stars...”
Yu Cangming said in a deep voice, “The Seven Stars usually refers to the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, but in reality it is not limited to seven stars. It refers generally to the power of the stars in the sky.”
“This power came into being before heaven and earth, existed since ancient times, and is the purest and most vast. It shares its origin with chaos and is too profound to fathom. Not only is it incomparably powerful, it also has a natural suppressing effect on every demon, blood corpse, and yin-evil force. It is an ancient power cultivated by great beings of antiquity who comprehended the stars beyond the heavens, and it was controlled and applied through Seven-Star arrays, techniques, Dao arts, spiritual tools, and treasures.”
“In the battle against the Great Demon Hall in those days, countless demonic cultivators died to the Seven-Star power. The Seven Stars was also one of the heavenly powers that terrified the demonic sects the most.”
“But...” Yu Cangming's expression was complicated. “After the Dao Court overthrew and destroyed the Great Demon Hall, the remnants of the demonic path collapsed and gradually lost all strength. Then this mighty Seven-Star power became a threat to others in turn, and it had to be bound."
"The Dao Court passed laws and brought all Seven-Star inheritances under the Dao Court, hiding them in the Imperial Observatory. The Imperial Observatory's function began to be downplayed. The Demon Suppression Department was forcibly separated and no longer answered to the Imperial Observatory. Internally, the Department was forbidden from wearing Seven-Star robes, casting Seven-Star Swords, or cultivating Seven-Star techniques.”
“But the old connection existed after all. And some old ancestors of the Demon Suppression Department still cherished the past, so a few obscure Seven-Star inheritances were still recorded in the Department's merit registers. If later disciples wished to learn them, they could learn a little. It's just that these things were either shallow, obscure, incomplete, or impossible to truly master... in fact, one couldn't get anything substantial out of them. After all, the true Seven-Star lineage was held by the Dao Court. As for these bits and pieces, the Dao Court simply turned a blind eye.”
“Among all Seven-Star inheritances, the most obscure were the arrays. That's why a small portion of Seven-Star Array diagram inheritances were hidden in the Department's merit registers. It was less an inheritance and more like a little ‘legacy’ left in the Department's history, to show the world that the now-struggling Demon Suppression Department had once had glorious ancestors.” Yu Cangming gave a long, weary sigh. After talking so much, he felt thirsty, picked up his teacup, and drank.
Mo Hua frowned and pondered at his side. Finally, he looked up at Yu Cangming and said with complete seriousness, “Director Yu, is your Demon Suppression Department short of people?”
Yu Cangming choked a little on his tea and glanced at Mo Hua. “Young Master Mo, you mean...”
Mo Hua said, “No particular meaning. I just want to join the Demon Suppression Department.”
Yu Cangming's head ached. “Young Master Mo, you... are a disciple of the Taixu Sect, aren't you?”
“I've already graduated,” Mo Hua said.
Yu Cangming shook his head. “That's not what I meant. You are a disciple of the Taixu Sect, the foremost great sect in the world. You have Golden Core cultivation, talent, and looks, and plenty of good paths to choose from. Why join my Demon Suppression Department and suffer such hardship?”
Mo Hua said seriously, “Actually, there's no special reason. As you know, slaying demons and vanquishing monsters is my hobby. People live for their hobbies.”
Even the always steady and rigid Director Yu was rendered speechless by Mo Hua. This Young Master Mo really could spout any sort of nonsense.
Still, after a moment's thought, Yu Cangming roughly understood what Mo Hua was scheming. He sighed and advised, “Young Master Mo, there's no need to throw your whole life away for a bite of meat. The Demon Suppression Department's Seven-Star Array isn't as good as you think.”
Mo Hua said, “No matter. Whether the meat is delicious, you only know after eating; whether an array is useful, you only know after learning it.” As long as it was an array, he accepted all comers and wasn't picky.
But Yu Cangming kept shaking his head and refusing. Mo Hua asked, puzzled, “Tusheng can join the Demon Suppression Department, so why can't I? Didn't you say the Department's establishment was a death warrant and not worth anything?”
Yu Cangming smiled bitterly. “That's true, but at least one must have a clean background.” Mo Hua frowned. “Is my background not clean?”
Yu Cangming was speechless. A clean background? Where was it clean? With so many great clans in Houtu City, who could fully investigate your background? Who knew where you were registered? Who knew who your father and mother were? Who knew what your background was? Who knew whose illegitimate child you were?
Mo Hua's family history was just like his surname. As if ink had been poured over it, pitch-black and utterly unrelated to the word “clean.”
Yu Cangming said more tactfully, “Tusheng... he is a poor child, a spiritual farmer from the Great Spiritual Field Realm, from a poor background. Children from poor families can join the Demon Suppression Department and risk their lives.”
Mo Hua had even more to say now. “I'm from a poor background too.”
Yu Cangming took a deep breath, looked Mo Hua up and down, and finally couldn't hold back. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Young Master Mo, a person... should at least have a little self-awareness."
Which child from a poor family is like you? Why don't you take a mirror and look at yourself? That handsome face, that Golden Core cultivation, that air that is sometimes arrogant, sometimes overbearing, sometimes composed, sometimes refined; you are more of a young master than the young masters of Kun Prefecture.
Which poor family's child is like you? How can you say with a straight face, ‘I'm from a poor background’? As a distinguished disciple of the Taixu Sect, can you lie without blushing? This man is too wicked. Yu Cangming grumbled in his heart, though for the sake of face he didn't say it aloud.
Mo Hua, this “poor child,” was still looking at him expectantly. Yu Cangming sighed. “Young Master Mo, don't make things difficult for me. I dare take Tusheng, but not you. The Demon Suppression Department is too small a temple to hold a great deity like you.”
Mo Hua wanted to try again. “What if I don't take a salary?” No salary? In his heart, Director Yu wavered severely.
The Department was down-and-out, finances were tight, and the temptation of a “free” Golden Core cultivator working for nothing was really rather great. But Director Yu ultimately restrained his greed.
Having lived for so many years, how could he not know that no free pie fell from the sky and no good fortune would ever land on his head? This Young Master Mo was too murky, hard to gauge in strength, hard to tell in good and evil.
In any case, he was not someone easy to handle. If he welcomed this great deity into the Department, he might be letting a wolf into the house and getting the whole Department wiped out. Even if the Houtu City Demon Suppression Department was down-and-out, it was still the work of his life.
Yu Cangming firmly made up his mind and shook his head. “Young Master Mo, the Demon Suppression Department really is not worthy of you.”
Seeing that Director Yu was determined, Mo Hua knew he could not force it. He only sighed. “Then if the Department is ever short of people, remember to look me up.”
Yu Cangming thought “impossible,” but outwardly said, “I certainly will in the future.”
With nothing more to discuss, the two drank tea for a while. Mo Hua then called Tusheng over and examined the space between his brows and his eyes.
Although Tusheng still looked somewhat off, with his brow gray and a little distracted, he could still eat and drink, and his cultivation had not fallen behind.
For now, that was all there was to do; Mo Hua had no other good solution. There were still too many mysteries about the Living-Dead Corpse Embryo.
So Mo Hua instructed Tusheng to listen to Director Yu from now on, cultivate well, and once he entered the Demon Suppression Department, to do his work seriously.
Tusheng nodded and said honestly, “Everything will be as Master says.”
Seeing this, Yu Cangming slowly let out a sigh, relieved and gratified. Mo Hua said no more, took his leave of Director Yu, and left the Dao Court Department.
He had not gone many steps after leaving the Dao Court Department when, as soon as he entered the market, a sweep of his divine sense detected a host of hostile spiritual thoughts in the crowd.
These people were clearly here to watch him again. Some even had dark emotions, obviously nursing hatred for him.
It was unclear whether that hatred was because of the Flower Queen Yu Nujiao, because of Senior Sister Jiang Yingluo, because of the great clans' interests, or because of some other grudge.
Mo Hua shook his head and couldn't be bothered. He didn't even try to conceal his whereabouts. He openly hired a carriage and had it take him back to the Little Luan Mountain Blessed Land.
Back at the Little Luan Mountain Blessed Land, Mo Hua spent some more time with his Little Junior Sister, reading, drinking tea, and studying arrays together. After a while, he returned to his guest room.
In the guest room, Mo Hua sat alone at the table, his thoughts tangled. He cherished the time he had with Little Junior Sister now, and he cherished these idle days at Little Luan Mountain Blessed Land. But in some vague way, he had a strong intuition that this kind of day might not last much longer.
Fate wouldn't really let him stay at ease forever. The changes in heavenly mechanism were growing, and the urgency in his heart grew stronger and stronger. He knew he had to plan ahead and make his choice now.
Time would not wait for him, and the karma of the heavenly mechanism allowed no comfort.
His present circumstances offered only two choices. One was to go to the Great Spiritual Field Realm and avoid the upper levels of the great clans.
But the Great Spiritual Field Realm was far away, the situation complex, karma interwoven, and too many problems could not be solved in a day or two. Once he went there and fell into the mire of all parties' contradictions, it was hard to say when he could come back.
There was another problem: the Great Spiritual Field Realm was poor, prices were low, and spirit stones were scarce. He might not be able to earn enough spirit stones to feed his Taotie spirit bone formation.
The other choice was to stay in Houtu City and compromise with the Earth Sect.
Marriage alliance was, of course, impossible. But he could consider paying other costs to reach a temporary “reconciliation” with the Earth Sect, at least enough to gather spirit stones, fill the fourth Hand-Yangming Meridian spirit bone, and reach the mid-Golden Core stage.
But the Earth Sect was no fool; it would not be so easy to deceive. Dealing with the Earth Sect was no different from asking a tiger for its skin, they still held the initiative.
Unless he truly “sold himself” to the Earth Sect through marriage, the Earth Sect would not necessarily play along.
Both choices had their pros and cons, and both were full of unknown danger.
Moreover, with Little Junior Sister involved, Mo Hua had even more concerns. Should he leave her and go to the Great Spiritual Field Realm, not knowing when he could return? Or should he stay by her side and endure the oppression of the Earth Sect and the great clans? It was truly hard to choose.
Mo Hua sighed deeply and involuntarily took out a copper coin from the storage ring on his thumb. This was the copper coin his master had left him.
When faced with a decision, the only thing to do was divine. Yet because there was no straw dog to block fate's calamity for him, he didn't dare calculate too deeply. He could only restrain his calculation power, reduce the karmic variables, and simply divine the road before him, hoping the Heavenly Calculation would give him some insight.
Mo Hua held the thin copper coin in his palm, silently reciting the future karma, controlling the variables of the heavenly mechanism, and splitting out two strands of Ghostly Calculation power. He drove the Heavenly Calculation with both strands at once, using his master's copper coin as a medium to peer into a thread of the future.
He had originally only wanted to calculate a little. But the instant he activated the twin calculations and touched the coin, his palm began to burn.
In the haze, a white karmic aura, like a star in the daytime sky, fell from the edge of heaven, seeming about to descend beside him. It was both familiar and unfamiliar, and very powerful.
And while Mo Hua was peering into this karma, he was in turn peered at by this “karma.” You gaze at karma, and karma gazes at you. What was more, this karmic connection seemed not far away.
Startled, Mo Hua immediately cut off the calculation and put the heavenly fortune coin back into his storage ring. Then, with powerful mental force, he severed all processes of his Ghostly Calculation arts. He sank into meditation and let his sea of consciousness reach a state like still water, shutting out every stirring thought.
After who knows how long, Mo Hua felt the “reverse gaze” in the law of karma vanish, and the frightened throbbing in his heart was gone. Only then did he slowly let out his breath.
His mood, however, grew heavier. He pondered the strange image of the coin for a while, his gaze growing more and more solemn. “Who sensed my karma... Could some great figure... be coming?”
Almost at that very moment, high above the land of Kun Prefecture, an invisible, magnificent white-jade star vessel was crossing the sea of clouds, heading for Houtu City.
Inside the vessel, in a cabin paved with starry jade, a female Immortal in white glazed robes, her form seeming both real and illusory, her face stunningly beautiful, suddenly opened her eyes.
In her ice-jade pupils flashed an indescribable astonishment. “Just now... was that a resonance from my sect? This... how can it be?”