Chapter 1155: Mutiny

In the darkness, figures were dim.

Mo Hua galloped towards Damocheng.

Along the way, there were scattered camps on both sides, with cultivators stationed there.

These cultivators were not regular Dao soldiers, but rather cultivators from the Great Desolation Sect who were assisting the Dao Soldier Department in suppressing the rebellion in the south.

They were now camping with the main contingent of Dao soldiers.

Within the Great Desolation Sect's camp, powerful cultivator auras were faintly emanating, many of which belonged to Golden Core cultivators.

There might even be True Immortals of the Ascension Realm.

Mo Hua thought, 'I guessed correctly. With the army on the move, the Great Desolation Sect would follow. Damocheng's defenses must be stretched thin now—'

'I need to be fast!'

Mo Hua quickened his pace, traveling in dark clothes by night, avoiding the Great Desolation Sect's camps and any Great Desolation Sect cultivators above the Golden Core stage. He continued rapidly towards Damocheng for another two hundred li.

At a crossroads, the line of causality shifted.

Mo Hua's heart suddenly pounded, and he involuntarily stopped.

'Something isn't right... Why do I have a bad feeling?'

Mo Hua frowned deeply. After a moment, he found a secluded spot and used the demon blood he had obtained from the big tiger a few days ago to perform demon bone divination again. To his surprise, he found that the big tiger's aura was no longer present within Damocheng.

'Gone?'

'Dead—?'

Mo Hua's heart trembled, then his expression grew solemn. 'No, the causality is still there; it hasn't broken.'

'If the big tiger's aura isn't in Damocheng, does that mean the big tiger isn't in Damocheng anymore?'

'If not in Damocheng, then where?'

Mo Hua's gaze darkened. After a moment's thought, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at the Great Desolation Sect's camp.

He then used demon bone arts again to verify his conjecture.

Afterward, he erased all traces of his divination and turned back, walking along the path he had come from.

This time, he didn't avoid the Great Desolation Sect's camp. Instead, he observed its formations, found a weak point, and quietly slipped inside.

Within the Great Desolation Sect's camp, there were Ascended cultivators and many Golden Core cultivators.

Mo Hua dared not draw any attention.

Fortunately, the entire camp was vast, making it impossible for Ascended cultivators' divine sense to cover it completely. Golden Core cultivators were scattered, and the formations were all newly set up, thus having more weaknesses.

Mo Hua was careful, so there were no major issues.

In the darkness, a blood-red line of causality, imbued with fierce demonic energy, wove its way forward in Mo Hua's causal vision.

Mo Hua followed this bloody thread and arrived in front of a sealed camp.

The camp was constructed from steel on all sides, encircled by iron chains, and heavily fortified with dense formations. It was completely sealed, not only blocking sound but also trapping all scents.

Upon seeing this, Mo Hua's heart stirred. He immediately swept his divine sense over it, and his divine sense automatically began to compute.

In just a moment, he discerned a weakness within the densely arranged formations.

Mo Hua pointed a finger, and ink traced patterns on the ground, following the weakness to form array runes that deactivated the sealed formation.

As the array runes dissolved, a small opening silently appeared between the steel locks outside the camp.

Then, Mo Hua brought his right eye close to the gap and peered inside.

Everything within the iron-locked camp was revealed before his eyes.

It was less of a military 'camp' and more of a small 'demon training ground.'

Around the area, there were many iron cages holding various demonic beasts.

In the center of the area, eight golden iron chains held a fierce black-and-white tiger demon with the character 'King' on its forehead.

It was Mo Hua's big tiger.

Mo Hua suddenly understood, and was also a little surprised.

This Young Master Tuoba, he's going to war, and he actually brought this big tiger with him?

Just how much does he like this big tiger?

At that moment, in the center of the area, eight burly men at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage were pulling on the chains, wrestling with the big tiger.

Several other Golden Core cultivators were whipping the big tiger.

This seemed to be a method of 'demon taming,' continuously draining the big tiger's strength and cultivating its obedience, ultimately domesticating it to submit.

The big tiger was extremely furious, struggling and roaring at the surrounding cultivators.

The surrounding Great Desolation Sect cultivators remained indifferent, simply continuing to torment the big tiger, wearing down its ferocity.

Mo Hua's gaze turned cold. Just as he was about to act, he had to hold back the next instant.

This was the Great Desolation Sect's camp.

With Ascended cultivators and numerous Golden Core cultivators guarding it, if he acted now, he would surely not escape the Great Desolation Sect's grasp.

The big tiger would also be in danger.

Furthermore, trespassing into the Great Desolation Sect's camp already violated military orders. If he caused trouble, the Yang family wouldn't be able to protect him.

This matter had once again reached a dead end.

He could only reconsider the long-term plan.

Mo Hua's expression was grim, but for now, there was truly no better solution.

Moreover, time was ticking, and it was getting late.

He also had to rush back to the military camp as soon as possible, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain things to Elder Brother Yang.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly, could only give the big tiger a deep, helpless look, and then turned to leave.

In the camp, the big tiger seemed to sense something. Its temper suddenly flared, and its demonic power erupted, sending the eight peak Foundation Establishment cultivators flying. But this only provoked even more ruthless suppression from the Golden Core cultivators.

The Golden Core cultivators' suppression still couldn't extinguish the big tiger's ferocity.

The big tiger roared and howled, its demonic energy rampaging, its might shaking the surroundings.

The demonic beasts in the surrounding iron cages also trembled in terror at the tiger's might.

Three or four Golden Core cultivators from the Great Desolation Sect all had solemn expressions and exclaimed tremulously:

'This beast, it's only a second-grade demon, yet it possesses such terrifying power?'

'This truly is Young Master Tuoba's great fortune—'

'No need to say more, quickly subdue it, or if its demonic energy leaks out, it will cause trouble—'

The Golden Core cultivators' whips and spells became even more fierce, raining down upon the big tiger.

The big tiger was covered in wounds, yet it still refused to yield.

However, after roaring and struggling for a long time, it still didn't sense anyone coming. Even the familiar aura it knew had vanished. The big tiger's expression immediately became dejected, and it lowered its head, lying on the ground, unresponsive to the Great Desolation Sect cultivators' beating and scolding.

The Golden Core cultivators of the Great Desolation Sect looked at each other.

'What's wrong with this beast? Why is it so abnormal?'

'Never mind, it's good that it's calming down anyway.'

'Perhaps it knows it's powerless to change things and has become disheartened—'

'Given time, its ferocity will likely be worn away, and we'll have an explanation for Young Master—'

Outside the Dao soldier camp.

Mo Hua found a secluded place, changed into the Dao soldier's uniform, and then openly returned to the camp to find Yang Jiyong.

Yang Jiyong, seeing Mo Hua return, was relieved, even though it was expected.

'Did you find what you were looking for?'

'Mm-hm,' Mo Hua nodded.

He just couldn't bring it back...

'That's good,' Yang Jiyong said, not understanding the full situation. 'Get some rest before dawn; we'll have to continue marching tomorrow.'

'Okay.'

Yang Jiyong left.

Mo Hua returned to his tent, lay on his bed, his mind still preoccupied with the big tiger, wondering how he could rescue it.

But no matter how he thought about it, it was a 'dead end.'

Forcibly rescuing it would anger the Great Desolation Sect, and he wouldn't be able to handle the consequences.

Even if he rescued the big tiger, they wouldn't be able to escape at all.

Now, the big tiger was in the Great Desolation Sect's camp, surrounded by Dao soldiers.

Once it appeared and its demonic energy spread, the Great Desolation Sect wouldn't let it go, and the Dao Soldier Department would also execute it on the spot.

Either way, the big tiger would still die.

Mo Hua sighed helplessly.

Plans couldn't keep up with changes.

He had originally intended to go back to Damocheng to rescue the big tiger, but he hadn't expected that Young Master Tuoba would bring the big tiger with him.

The good news was that the big tiger would now accompany the Dao soldiers south to the Great Desolation.

The bad news was that rescuing the big tiger now would be even more difficult.

Mo Hua lay on his bed, his gaze restlessly shifting.

Over the next few days, the Imperial Dao Court's army continued its advance towards the Great Desolation, and their marching speed became increasingly faster.

Mo Hua's mind was almost entirely focused on rescuing the big tiger.

However, despite thinking for a long time, he still found no good solution.

Seven more days passed like this. The vast army of the Imperial Dao Court had approached one of the Great Desolation's passes, Fengbo Ridge.

At Fengbo Ridge, fierce winds blew for three thousand li, and the sea of sand resembled a vast heavenly wave.

Innumerable desolate mountains and ghostly ridges stretched across both sides of the Great Desolation, like specters, eerie and sinister.

This was a pass into the Great Desolation, and also a dangerous place.

By the time the Dao soldiers reached Fengbo Ridge, it was almost dusk, and as night deepened, they set up camp outside the ridge.

The military camp was abuzz with activity. By the time everything was settled, it was already late night.

Mo Hua lay on his bed, listening to the ghostly howling wind outside, feeling the stark temperature difference between day and night in the desert. Thinking that he was now 'serving in the army' and fighting, he felt an unfamiliar yet novel sense of heroism.

Of course, once the sense of heroism faded, his mind again turned to the big tiger.

But there was simply nothing he could do.

He was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. Trying to 'steal a tiger' from right under the noses of the Great Desolation Sect's Ascended and Golden Core cultivators was simply too difficult.

'Big tiger—'

Just as Mo Hua was pondering, a sudden tremor of alarm ran through his heart.

This tremor was more intense than any he had felt before.

This meant—

'Is the big tiger in danger?'

Mo Hua was uneasy. He secretly got up and performed a divination, but nothing came out.

He flicked a copper coin, but still deduced nothing.

Mo Hua frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

'How could I not be able to divine anything?'

'Has the causality been cut off? Or has something truly happened to the big tiger?'

Mo Hua pondered for a moment. Ultimately, he couldn't rest easy and decided to go see for himself to confirm the big tiger's safety.

If the big tiger was truly in danger, he wouldn't care about the consequences anymore; he would just have to throw caution to the wind and take things one step at a time.

Mo Hua changed into a black robe, concealed himself, and stealthily left the Dao soldier camp.

The night was deep, and the desert wind was desolate, cutting into him like blades.

Mo Hua braved the desert wind, merging with the darkness as he walked through ghostly mountain ridges, arriving alone at the Great Desolation Sect's camp.

The camp's formations, especially the second-grade ones, could be said to be very rigorous.

However, in the eyes of Mo Hua, the top expert in Qianxue Array Dao, who possessed extremely profound attainments, they were full of weaknesses.

Mo Hua, familiar with the routine, bypassed the formation's alerts and entered the Great Desolation camp once more.

Soon, Mo Hua found the iron-bound tent again.

Mo Hua pointed a finger, deactivating the formation at one corner of the tent, and with a slight unease, looked inside.

The big tiger was lying in the middle of the area, covered in bloodstains and seemingly injured, but its large head moved slightly, and its breathing was still steady.

'Not dead—'

Mo Hua let out a long sigh of relief.

Although it had sustained some injuries, at least its life was safe, and the atmosphere inside the tent was relatively quiet, with no immediate danger.

Around the outside of the tent, several Golden Core cultivators were drinking to ward off the cold and were not torturing the big tiger.

Faint, intermittent voices drifted over; these Golden Core cultivators were chatting.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then moved a little closer, holding his breath and focusing his divine sense to listen to their conversation.

These Golden Core cultivators were discussing trivial matters, nothing confidential, so they weren't lowering their voices and didn't seem afraid of being overheard.

'It's so hot and cold by turns—'

'If I don't drink some wine, I really can't stand it—'

'This godforsaken place in the Great Desolation truly isn't fit for humans.'

'Thankfully, this beast has settled down a lot and isn't causing trouble anymore, otherwise, us brothers would still be suffering.'

'Stop calling it 'beast, beast.' If it's truly tamed, this is a 'Royal Beast,' not something we can offend.'

'If you keep calling it 'beast' and Young Master hears you, he certainly won't let you off lightly.'

'Exactly—'

'But Young Master hasn't tamed it yet, has he?'

'Probably soon; its ferocity has been worn down significantly. Its temperament has become much gentler these past few days.'

'What a pity. If only we had been earlier—if we could've made it in time, maybe we could have gotten more rewards.'

'Let's drink—'

'Cheers.'

Afterward, the few of them said little more, only discussing daily cultivation routines, personnel changes within the Great Desolation Sect, and complaining about the harsh environment of the Great Desolation, expressing their desire not to stay long.

Mo Hua stopped listening, looked up at the big tiger, confirmed that it was fine, and then returned to the Dao soldier military camp.

However, all along the way, Mo Hua was filled with doubts:

The big tiger was fine—so what caused his sudden alarm earlier?

Furthermore, Mo Hua suddenly realized something he had overlooked before:

Why did Young Master Tuoba insist on taming the big tiger?

Although the big tiger was indeed magnificent, with its black-and-white fur, fluffy, both sacred and dominant, clearly of extraordinary lineage, everyone who saw it would like it.

But wasn't Young Master Tuoba a bit too obsessed?

Mo Hua frowned in confusion. Even after returning to his tent and lying on his bed, listening to the wailing desert wind, he remained perplexed and couldn't sleep.

After a while, Yang Jiyong came to inspect the camp.

His focus during the inspection was Mo Hua.

He didn't care much about the other Dao soldiers; he was just afraid that Mo Hua might run away or encounter some mishap.

After all, array masters like Mo Hua were rare talents, impossible to find even with a lantern.

If anything unexpected truly happened, he would be filled with utter regret.

Yang Jiyong entered the tent and immediately looked at Mo Hua.

Even one glance wasn't enough; he moved closer, wanting to see if Mo Hua was asleep and if he was still breathing.

But as he approached, he saw Mo Hua's large, flickering eyes in the darkness.

The two exchanged a glance.

Yang Jiyong felt a bit awkward and chuckled, 'It's windy here at Fengbo Ridge, with a lot of sand and gravel, and it gets cold at night. Are you getting used to it?'

'It's alright,' Mo Hua nodded.

'Good that you're getting used to it,' Yang Jiyong smiled. 'Get some rest early.'

After speaking, he didn't want to disturb Mo Hua further and turned to leave.

But the moment he turned, Mo Hua's expression changed, and he abruptly grabbed Yang Jiyong.

Yang Jiyong looked bewildered and asked, 'Wh-what's wrong?'

Mo Hua stared intently at Yang Jiyong's forehead.

It was too dark for him to tell at first, but when Yang Jiyong turned and the light shone on him, Yang Jiyong's face remained utterly dim and hazy. His glabella was also dark and shadowed, as if shrouded in a premonition of death.

Yang Jiyong would die?

Mo Hua's heart clenched fiercely.

'Elder Brother Yang, what have you done just now?' Mo Hua hurriedly asked.

Yang Jiyong was a bit puzzled, 'Patrolling the night, of course—'

'What about during the day?'

'I didn't do anything special during the day either, just marched and camped with everyone—'

'Aside from that?' Mo Hua asked. 'Did you do anything special, or encounter anyone or anything different from usual? You must tell me truthfully; do not conceal anything!'

Yang Jiyong was somewhat confused, but seeing Mo Hua's solemn expression, he thought carefully for a moment before finally shaking his head:

'Just like usual.'

Mo Hua's brow furrowed.

When he first saw the premonition of death on Yang Jiyong's forehead, he initially thought that Yang Jiyong had encountered something 'unclean' at Fengbo Ridge.

But now it seemed that wasn't the case.

His not doing anything special meant that this 'premonition of death' was indiscriminate.

Indiscriminate... does that mean a Dao soldier war?

Are the barbarian soldiers going to raid the camp?

But Mo Hua thought about it and still felt it wasn't that simple.

This was the Imperial Dao Court's army; how could barbarian soldiers raid their camp so easily?

Moreover, Yang Jiyong's squad of Dao soldiers was designated as 'rear guard.' Even if there was fighting with barbarian soldiers, they would be the last to charge.

Yang Jiyong was also a second-rank junior commander and had considerable battle experience; he couldn't possibly die so easily.

Unless the threat came from behind?

Behind them was—

Mo Hua's pupils contracted. 'The Great Desolation Sect?!'

But this—it also seemed unlikely. Not that the Great Desolation Sect couldn't rebel, but why would they?

It was true that the Great Desolation Sect dominated a region, possessed great influence, and was very powerful, comparable to a fifth-grade sect. But even so, they were still just one sect. How dared they turn against the Imperial Dao Court?

Were they tired of living?

Yet, the causality truly portended this.

In a flash, Mo Hua thought of the big tiger again—

Why did Young Master Tuoba go to such great lengths to tame the big tiger?

Was it because he wanted to use the big tiger as a 'mount'?

Mo Hua recalled that Elder Ji had once told him in Xiaoyi City:

'The tiger, derived from the White Tiger, one of the Four Divine Beasts, is a symbol of the Great Desolation's royal family.'

'It is said that every adult of the Great Desolation's royal family, if they wish to contend for power and dominance, must tame a powerful 'fierce tiger' to serve as a mount, thereby demonstrating their lineage.'

The Great Desolation's royal family, contending for power and dominance, taming powerful fierce tigers as mounts—

Mo Hua shook his head.

But this also wasn't quite right. That Young Master Tuoba was the son of the Great Desolation Sect's sect master.

The Great Desolation Sect's sect master was certainly not of the Great Desolation's royal family. Mo Hua hadn't thought much of it at first.

At this thought, Mo Hua suddenly froze. The Great Desolation Sect's sect master was Young Master Tuoba's father. As the sect master, suppressing the Great Desolation, he naturally couldn't be of the Great Desolation's royal family. But what about Young Master Tuoba's mother?

Mo Hua carefully recalled. At the marching banquet that day, he had personally seen the Great Desolation Sect's sect master; his physique and appearance were indeed those of a Nine Provinces cultivator.

However, Young Master Tuoba was taller, more handsome, and carried a hint of wildness.

This was not wrong; it was normal for someone who grew up in the Great Desolation to acquire some of its characteristics.

But what if—Young Master Tuoba's birth mother was from the Great Desolation tribe? Or even of the Great Desolation's royal family?

Then Young Master Tuoba would possess the bloodline of the Great Desolation's royal family.

That was why he went to such great lengths to tame the big tiger, to use this king among demons as his 'mount' to assert his royal lineage.

If that were truly the case, then the Great Desolation Sect, directly subordinate to the Imperial Dao Court, would have long since transformed into the Great Desolation Royal Family's 'Great Desolation Sect' through bloodline intermarriage.

A chill rose from the bottom of his heart. Mo Hua couldn't help but gasp.

All these thoughts, though slow to describe, raced through Mo Hua's mind in an instant.

Yang Jiyong wore a perplexed expression, wanting to ask Mo Hua what was wrong.

But Mo Hua grabbed Yang Jiyong's arm and asked in a low voice, 'Elder Brother Yang, do you trust me?'

Yang Jiyong was slightly stunned, then slowly nodded.

Mo Hua's expression was grave. He lowered his voice and said, 'The Great Desolation Sect might—have also rebelled—'