Chapter 2019: Chapter 969: Mountain Lord (2) "Young Master Mo... What exactly is he..." "He should... be "human", right..." ... Deep within the great hall. A filthy and blood-stained long halberd lay broken and discarded on the ground. Resembling Lord Yellow Mountain, wearing the ominous demon armor, the malformed evil embryo stood motionless. An injury appeared on its shoulder, where flesh wriggled, evil energy festered, and foul blood dripped slowly. The evil embryo stood still, seemingly perplexed. Mo Hua took advantage of the moment, gasping desperately for breath. But before he could catch his breath, the evil embryo’s skin and flesh began to knit itself together, the evil essence gradually revived. The broken evil god’s long halberd reappeared in its hand. Mo Hua gritted his teeth, gasping in shock. "Too strong..." After contending for so long, Mo Hua had slowly come to understand. This evil embryo was an unsuccessful manifestation; in other words, it was the "stillborn" of an evil god, imbued with a more potent death aura than typical evil god entities. It should be unconscious, with only remaining instincts to devour and kill. Its existence is a fusion of many elements. It contains the essence of an evil god, the flesh of demon monsters, the agony and despair of over ten thousand mining cultivators who perished tragically in Solitary Mountain, and the malevolent aura birthed from such oppression. Chaos, deformity, mingled flesh. Mo Hua sensed a powerful, chaotic, and grotesque node from the Divine Authority Tree in the Great Wilderness, which now seems to be the evil embryo of Solitary Mountain. And within this evil embryo, the strongest component is Lord Yellow Mountain. A deity at the pinnacle of third grade. After being slain years ago, the vast remains of Lord Yellow Mountain seemed to have fallen into the hands of the evil god, becoming the "medium" for the incubation and arrival of the evil embryo. Or perhaps, it was a conspiracy from the start. A conspiracy against Lord Yellow Mountain. The former Lord Yellow Mountain was too powerful, especially in the third-grade realm of Solitary Mountain, even the evil god could hardly thwart him. So the evil god devised a way to cause his downfall, then used others to cut him down. Once corrupted, Lord Yellow Mountain caused calamity, becoming a hidden threat. The ancestors of Taixu Gate naturally had to slay him. After a bitter battle, Lord Yellow Mountain was cut down by Taixu Gate’s ancestors, severely injured, with only a sliver of clarity in his essence escaping. But the "corrupted" and fallen divine body of the Mountain God became nourishment for the evil embryo, undergoing transformations, becoming part of the embryo. In a sense, everyone was deceived. This is Mo Hua’s speculation after seeing the true face of the evil embryo and confronting it. The general outlines are probably so, but the specifics, the details along the way, are unknown. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 The true truth, perhaps, only the Lord Yellow Mountain of those days, Taixu Gate’s ancestors, or the evil god’s mastermind—Mr. Tu, can know. But whatever the truth is, Mo Hua cannot delve into it now. The greatest problem before him is the failed, deformed, and twisted evil embryo that must slumber at the bottom of Solitary Mountain. This evil embryo is overwhelmingly strong. Mo Hua pursed his lips tightly, feeling somewhat unwilling. Faster than him, fiercer strikes, stronger telekinesis, sinister evil energy, and black blood that can corrode divine marrow, surrounded by demon armor, impervious to blade and flame. Even trying to use the Godslaying Sword would be interrupted by the rabid evil embryo. No opportunity at all. In battle until now, Mo Hua has gained almost no advantage. The only good news is, even if this evil embryo is at the pinnacle of third grade, the Godslaying Sword can still cut through its armor and flesh, causing some level of damage. But whether it can be slain remains uncertain. The main issue is, there is no opportunity. This evil embryo simply won’t allow him the chance to fully execute the God-slaying technique. Its realm is too high; none of Mo Hua’s restraining methods, whether Water Prison Technique or Trapping Formation, have any effect. "Run first?" Mo Hua considered briefly and figured that fleeing might be the best strategy among many. Given the current situation, this evil embryo is likely rooted in the dragon coffin, unable to depart from the hall ahead. "Fight for a while longer, then run, rest briefly, and come back to fight again?" Though the evil embryo is strong, Mo Hua himself is also quite "tough". Relying on Divine Thought Taoism and some Divine Thought Sword Techniques, he can still somewhat fend off the evil embryo for a period, not quickly yielding. If that’s the case, then he can only wear it down repeatedly, seeking an opening... Mo Hua’s mind raced, contemplating various ways to counter the evil embryo, but in a blink, the evil embryo vanished. Panic surged in Mo Hua’s heart, quickly retreating backward. But it was a step too late, and a massive vicious claw, carrying a stench, tore directly towards Mo Hua. Several deep bloody scratches appeared on Mo Hua’s back. His whole body was knocked flying, like a projectile, crashing into the wall of the Divine Temple. With a loud bang, cracks spread across the wall. Mo Hua gritted his teeth, his body aching intensely, couldn’t help but curse: "Lord Yellow Mountain, I won’t forget this debt!" The root of the evil embryo’s strength is Lord Yellow Mountain. If not for Lord Yellow Mountain, he wouldn’t be suffering these pains, enduring such trials. But cursing aside, pain aside, Mo Hua still had to disregard his injuries, forcing himself to rise. He knew the evil embryo’s next attack was imminent. This evil embryo wouldn’t give him much respite at all. Mo Hua endured the pain, holding the golden sword, ready for action, but after waiting a moment, the surroundings remained peaceful, without the evil embryo approaching.