*Perhaps that makes sense…*
*The best defense against formations is simply not to draw any.*
*Without formations, even the most adept Formation Masters wouldn’t be able to spot any flaws or weaknesses within them.*
Though absent of formations, the mural seemed to emanate another kind of presence.
Mo Hua shut his eyes and concentrated. Sure enough, faint hints of an exceedingly discrete yet vaguely familiar aura reached his senses.
Following this faint trace, Mo Hua arrived at a corner.
This section of the mural was notably simple, depicting only a few patches of grass, several scattered trees, and one narrow mountain path.
The mountain path snaked backward, meandering through the dense forest, seemingly connecting the entire expanse of the Barbaric Wilderness Mountains.
And this spot appeared to be the starting point of the mountain path—the entrance embedded within the mural.
Mo Hua deliberated for a moment, then decided to reach out and push it gently.
As his hand pressed against it, the entire world seemed to flip upside down. A rush of barbaric energy surged forth, as though the scenery within the mural had come alive.
When Mo Hua opened his eyes again, he realized he was now standing amidst a mountain.
*An uneasy chill ran through his heart as he scanned his surroundings. That’s when he noticed that this mountain wasn’t real—it was a fake mountain.*
It appeared to have been deliberately carved, yet its scale was impressive.
The entire Demon Palace had been constructed atop this artificial mountain.
The layout of the false mountain—with its terrain and natural features—mirrored the depiction of the Barbaric Wilderness Mountains on the mural outside.
It seemed as though the fake mountain was modeled after the Barbaric Wilderness Mountains.
Mo Hua observed the undulating peaks and ridges more closely, soon discovering that this mountain eerily mirrored the configuration of the Heaven’s Mystery Formation.
Its internal mountain structures perfectly corresponded with the labyrinthine maze outside.
The palace felt like a “mystery within a mystery, a formation within a formation.”
“This Demon Palace sure hides a lot of peculiar things…”
*Mo Hua found himself momentarily at a loss.*
*Were these elaborate constructs really built under Fire Buddha’s supervision?*
*What exactly was the purpose of the Demon Palace’s construction?*
*Sacrificial rituals? But how?*
*And what role did Fire Buddha play in all of this? What had he done here?*
Unable to make sense of it, Mo Hua shook his head and continued deeper into the mountain.
Since the configuration matched that of the Heaven’s Mystery Formation, the intricate pathways of this artificial mountain posed no challenge to Mo Hua.
Within the fake mountain’s terrain, each peak, each stone, every patch of grass and tree carried an air of eeriness.
Yet, to Mo Hua, they were nothing more than superficial oddities.
Still concealed, Mo Hua pressed onward deeper into the mountain.
After about the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, he reached the center of the fake mountain.
As Mo Hua expected, the heart of the fake mountain’s mystery formation contained an altar.