The Quest for Immortality Chapter 2376: Holding the Emperor Hostage (2)

His response remained ambiguous, neither affirmative nor negative.

Committing to 'yes' would mean absorbing all the animosity and suspicion from these Feather Transformation Demon Leaders, making his subsequent escape exceedingly difficult.

Conversely, a 'no' would shatter his persona as the 'Tai Xu Vicious God,' destroying the mysterious and formidable image he had cultivated in Mr. Tu's mind.

Therefore, the most prudent course was to deflect the issue back to Mr. Tu, allowing him to devise his own justifications and alibis.

Instead of providing a direct answer, the deity responded with further inquiries.

Unsurprisingly, the leaders of Feather Transformation Demon, Old Demon of Yin Corpse Valley, and Demon Sword Sect redirected their attention to Mr. Tu.

Mr. Tu's countenance darkened considerably.

He suspected a connection to Mo Hua might be at play, but he couldn't be certain if Mo Hua was truly behind these events.

The most significant discrepancy was that, despite Mo Hua's supposed divine status, the physical body he inhabited was merely at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

How could an individual at the Foundation Establishment Realm possibly eliminate so many Golden Core Demon Cultivators?

Furthermore, the evident state of the Golden Core Realm Demon Leaders before him – covered in blood and gore, meeting a gruesome end – suggested they were slain by more brutal Demonic Path techniques.

Mo Hua himself was purportedly a righteous disciple of the Taixu Gate.

These two realities starkly contradicted each other.

Even with the 'divine power' bestowed upon him, how could a Foundation Establishment disciple from a righteous sect perpetrate such cruel and inhumane slaughter of hundreds of Golden Core Demon Leaders within the hall?

Mr. Tu exerted all his mental faculties but could find no plausible explanation.

He was incapable of even fabricating a convincing excuse of a 'frame-up.'

Consequently, Mr. Tu was forced into silence.

The prolonged silence from Mr. Tu only served to deepen the suspicions surrounding him.

When compared to the seemingly innocuous Mo Hua, Mr. Tu, the prominent Feather Transformation Demon, appeared more likely to be the perpetrator behind the massacre of his fellow Demon Gate comrades.

He possessed both the means and the motive.

The gazes of the two Feather Transformation Demon Leaders from Yin Corpse Valley and Demon Sword Sect grew increasingly frigid as they observed Mr. Tu, their suspicions solidifying.

An oppressive tension filled the chamber, the atmosphere thick with the potential for an imminent outburst.

Mo Hua, positioned high upon the altar, observed with a flicker in his eyes.

The unfolding situation aligned precisely with his expectations.

Should Mr. Tu and these Feather Transformation Demon Leaders become consumed by suspicion and internal conflict, he could seize the ensuing chaos to devise a method for covertly escaping this Blood Sacrifice Array alongside Yu Er.

After all, while others remained unaware, Mo Hua, as the 'instigator,' was acutely aware of the array's nature.

This particular Blood Sacrifice Array represented an unstable 'powder keg.'.

He had successfully detonated numerous formations previously, but this Blood Sacrifice Array was an anomaly.

It was a Quasi-Third Grade Grand Array, an artifact of the Evil Path, incorporating elements of Divine Dao Mystery Formation and the intricate conversion of righteous and evil spiritual power.

The immense difficulty, vast scale, and complex transformations rendered it impervious to conventional 'disintegration' methods.

Attempting to detonate such an array was Mo Hua's inaugural endeavor.

Despite relentless, day-and-night study and extensive practice with formations at Taixu Gate, Mo Hua had cultivated a formidable foundation in formation arts, gradually developing his own unique understanding and insight into their fundamental principles.

He was confident that, under his manipulation, this Quasi-Third Grade Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice Formation could still be detonated.

However, the process was fraught with numerous uncertainties.

Even Mo Hua could not fully predict the ultimate outcome of the explosion.

Thus, his desire to escape prematurely became paramount.

Furthermore, precisely because the explosion of this grand array – its elevated grade, massive scope, extensive reach, and complex spiritual transformations – made it impossible for Mo Hua's divine thought computational power to pinpoint the 'life-gate' post-detonation, an immediate escape was his only recourse.

Failure to do so would undoubtedly result in his demise as well.

The tense stalemate persisted.

The situation steadily devolved, growing more perilous.

The deep-seated suspicion between Mr. Tu and the three other Feather Transformations intensified.

Having achieved the Feather Transformation Realm, each individual possessed considerable experience, their own faculties for judgment and discernment, and these suspicions could not be easily allayed by Mr. Tu's few evasive statements.

Yet, the Feather Transformations refrained from immediate action.

Their minds, deeply engrossed in intricate schemes, seemed to be weighing various possibilities.

Mo Hua's brow furrowed; he had hoped for a swift, fatal confrontation between them. However, at this critical juncture, a faint, whispering sound echoed, causing Mo Hua's heart to abruptly seize with a sense of impending dread.

It was Yu Er, the child, who had awakened!

At present, his sole bargaining chip was Yu Er, the so-called 'Master of the Great Wilderness.'.

Should Yu Er awaken and utter something that revealed to Mr. Tu and these Feather Transformation Demon Heads that their 'Great Wilderness God Master' was not truly residing within Yu Er's body, he would completely lose his 'leverage,' finding himself in a severely disadvantageous position.

In all likelihood, both his life and Yu Er's would then be at the mercy of others.

The moment Yu Er's soft whisper escaped, Mr. Tu, Shangguan Wang, a cultivator from Yin Corpse Valley known as Feather Transformation, and the Old Demon of Demon Sword Sect – these four formidable Feather Transformation Demon Heads – were struck with astonishment. Their shock quickly turned to elation, their gazes burning with intensity as they fixed their sights on Yu Er.

Even Shangguan Wang's eyes blazed with a fierce, rapacious desire, appearing poised to seize Yu Er right then and there.

A prickle of unease ran down Mo Hua's spine. Gripping Yu Er's slender neck without delay, he let out a sinister chuckle:

"Stay put!"

Mr. Tu and the others flinched involuntarily, and Shangguan Wang's expression grew decidedly grim.

At that precise moment, Yu Er's eyes slowly fluttered open.

He beheld the gore-splattered hall around him, observed the peculiar and menacing Demon Heads, including Elder Wang who had originally taken him from his mother's arms, and a wave of fear washed over him.

Then, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"It would be wise not to make any sudden moves, lest I strangle this child!"

It was Mo Hua's voice, the one he knew as Brother Mo.

A surge of happiness filled Yu Er. However, upon fully processing Mo Hua's words, a pang of sadness followed.

Brother Mo... does he truly intend to strangle me?