Hidden moth

Chapter 357 Silent Killing Intent Startles the Rain
As is widely known, the so-called advancement rituals of various schools of magic are the result of continuous and systematic summarization over thousands of years based on the characteristics and requirements of magic cultivation, similar to special big data models and empirical formulas.

Continuous improvement also means constantly abandoning old rituals.

There is another special type of ritual that was gradually abandoned after the establishment of the Clan Law Hall and the reorganization of the sect a thousand years ago. It has long since disappeared from the lineage and is no longer practiced.

These rituals are mainly auxiliary means and procedures for performing various applied spells, and they bear obvious characteristics of ancient witchcraft.

Many sorcerers in ancient times were also wizards.

Hellery's technique was a crucial branch of ancient sympathetic magic—footprint magic. Sympathetic magic uses a part of the body or something that has come into contact with it as a medium to perform certain actions.

Footprint witchcraft, of course, uses footprints as the medium for casting spells, and the witchcraft used by Hailar is called "Love Gu," which was passed down by ancient Xing Shenmen sorcerers and is a ritual used in conjunction with "Love-Stealing Technique."

With a cultivation level of four in the Divine Awakening Technique, she can sense people's emotions and is jokingly called "Hanako".

The fifth level of the Divine Awakening Technique allows one to influence a person's emotions and thus manipulate their cognition under certain conditions and to a certain extent. This unique supernatural power is also known as "Emotional Stealing," hence the title "Emotional Stealer."

There are usually two mediums for casting the Love Poison spell: soil from the sole of a shoe and water from a footprint.

For example, there is a kind of witchcraft that involves "taking soil from the soles of a man's shoes, mixing it with wine, and giving it to a woman to drink, which will make her fall in love with a man." The soil from the soles of shoes must be the accumulated dust from old-fashioned cloth-soled shoes, which is rarely seen nowadays.

Footprint water is much easier to collect; ideally, it's water created by walking barefoot in wet, muddy ground. Hellery just used a little trick to create the conditions for collecting footprint water.

He must have used a two-way sympathetic footprint magic, first having Gao Xue'e barefoot to create a puddle in the mud, and then stepping barefoot in the same spot himself, before collecting the footprint water.

This "footprint water," after being processed, is mixed into wine or food, and it is said that if both parties consume it, they will fall in love with each other.

The characteristic of bidirectional sympathetic magic is its secrecy, because Hellari not only casts the spell on Gao Xue'e, but also on herself at the same time. The reversal of emotions and cognition appears very natural, and even a master of magic would not easily see through it.

This shows that this person is very cautious and meticulous in his actions, leaving almost no trace... But when he was preparing to collect the footprint water, He Kao happened to discover it!

Those who frequently practice witchcraft know that many so-called witchcrafts, if used by ordinary people, only have a slight suggestive effect on the practitioner and do not have the claimed effects.

It is merely a ritual; for the ritual to be effective, it depends on the practitioner's own magical skill.

One of the reasons it was gradually abandoned by the art schools a thousand years ago is that truly skilled individuals with profound cultivation and mastery of various applied techniques have no need to engage in such activities.

On the other hand, and more importantly, these rituals are characterized by the eerie features of ancient witchcraft and sorcery. Most of them are sinister in purpose and can easily lead people astray. They are almost all forbidden acts.

He Kao received a relatively complete ancient method inheritance. It did not have the various advancement rituals of today, but it contained the application techniques and corresponding auxiliary rituals of ancient times, so he could see it at a glance.

The origin of the Xiaomeng Alliance lies in the internal strife and division of the magic sect a thousand years ago, and it also inherits ancient methods from a thousand years ago.

Although the Xiaomeng has been sending people to infiltrate various schools of magic for thousands of years to spy on the latest improvements in various magic techniques, many aspects still retain the ancient methods from a thousand years ago, especially the Xingshen lineage to which Helari belongs.

Leaving aside the once extinct Yin'e Sect, there are two sects in the art of magic that are the most difficult to infiltrate. The first is the Lingxi Sect, which is almost impossible to penetrate, and the second is the Xingshen Sect, where "spies" are easily discovered.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Hellari possessed knowledge of bizarre witchcraft rituals from a thousand years ago.

Some of these witchcraft rituals are pure historical dross, while others, though also dross, cannot be said to be completely useless; their greatest function is to provide auxiliary effects.

It can make the corresponding spells more stable, easier to master, more efficient, or more secretive and unpredictable.

The principle is not entirely inexplicable, and even ordinary people who do not understand magic may use it. For example, the famous suspension bridge effect is to link a specific physiological reaction with a specific object.

By utilizing environmental factors, a series of complex reactions are triggered, such as tension, stimulation, pupil dilation, accelerated heartbeat, elevated body temperature, and endocrine changes. These reactions form a conditioned reflex with a specific object in the environment, thus creating the illusion of infatuation.

The so-called "hero saves the damsel in distress" trope also utilizes this effect.

Students who frequently act as heroes to save damsels in distress should take note: if the purpose of being a hero is to gain the other person's favor, then the core is not the result, but rather that two things must be done throughout the process.

First, the target must elicit corresponding physiological and psychological responses, thus creating a basis for the illusion of infatuation. Second, the target must project these physical and mental responses onto a specific object in the scene—that is, themselves.

If these two points cannot be achieved simultaneously, then no matter how cleverly the hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress plan is designed, it will be useless.

Two years ago, He Kao rescued Gao Xue'e in an abandoned amusement park, which perfectly met the above requirements. However, this was not his purpose. It can only be said that it was an unintentional act.

If someone does the first point but not the second, for example, if such a person is too ugly, even if the target has the corresponding physiological and psychological reaction, they cannot regard it as the object of infatuation, and it is still a waste of time.

Of course, Hellari did not use these ordinary methods. One of the most important characteristics of sympathetic magic is that it can be cast indirectly through a medium, thereby minimizing the exposure of the caster.

After collecting the water from the footprints, it must be processed and refined using the art of love, and Gao Xue'e must consume it without her knowing, according to a specific ritual, while he himself can also consume it.

At the same time, he could find another opportunity to meet and get to know Gao Xue'e... Would that lead to them falling in love? Not necessarily!
Gao Xue'e is no ordinary person. She is a second-tier assassin of the Hidden Moth Sect, with keen spiritual senses and expertise in poison identification. She could probably detect that the water or food she drinks is not right and might not take it.

Even if she accidentally ingests the Love Potion, she can still sense the abnormality in her own emotions and cognition. As long as she is aware of it and unwilling, her own rationality may be able to neutralize the effects of the spell.

If it were someone else, such as Wei Luo, a fifth-level guide from the Lingxi Sect, if she discovered that someone had used footprint water to concoct the Love Poison, she might immediately sense its origin and track down the caster. Nevertheless, He Kao would not allow Helali to actually use her methods. As a Hidden Moth, he could not only travel in his Yin Spirit, but he also withdrew his Yin Spirit, and his true body instantly arrived at this place, precisely in the pavilion where Helali had just been.

Hela moved her bare feet away, put on her shoes and socks, took out a small bottle with her left hand, and made a teasing gesture with her right hand. A stream of water flew up from her footprints and poured into the bottle...

Just then, he suddenly felt a great danger approaching, and even the hairs on his body stood on end. Forgetting about the bottle in his hand, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and threw it into the air.

The rain continued to fall, and at this moment, the raindrops flying all over the sky suddenly carried a sharp edge, converging from mid-air and slashing towards Hellari, just like a bolt of lightning with countless fine branches suddenly striking down, but without making a sound.

Sword Rain, a technique from the Divine Sword Control system, was passed down by Mei Guyu. It is executed with the Rainfall Divine Sword and is particularly effective in such weather conditions.

He Kao shouldn't have used such powerful magic. This is a residential area. If he didn't control it properly, he could disturb the ordinary people nearby and even hurt innocent people.

The wise thing to do would be to track Hellary to a secluded place before making a move, but Hekao was truly enraged at this moment and would not allow Hellary to successfully collect the Footprint Water, so he directly unleashed the Rainfall Divine Sword.

It was a rainy day, and there was no one around. Even if someone in a nearby apartment building saw it, they would just think that some unlucky guy had been struck by lightning.

The handkerchief was also a magical artifact, swirling and spreading out like a canopy to shield the rain of swords falling from the sky. However, Helali reacted too hastily, or rather, the Rain of Swords was too powerful, and it did not completely block the attack.

The sky was torn open in several places, the sword light slashed at the ground, the small plastic bottle that collected the footprint water flew out of his hand and instantly turned into nothingness, the footprints on the muddy ground also disappeared, and several paving stones next to him were also broken.

Of course, the power of the sword rain was not limited to this. This was because He Kao was controlling it when casting the spell, locking only Heliri's form and spirit, and trying not to affect the surrounding things.

This is the basic skill for cultivators to use supernatural powers. Everyone should strive to master it, so as to achieve the greatest effect at the lowest cost, and to avoid attracting the attention of others and harming the innocent.

He Kao's opponent today was also a senior fifth-level cultivator who possessed a powerful and versatile magic weapon, so the power of his spells still dissipated somewhat, but it wasn't a big problem.

The invisible canopy of the sky transformed back into a handkerchief and drifted down. Helari didn't even bother to retrieve it; all he wanted to do now was escape. The attack came too suddenly, and in his panic, he even thought it was Mei Guyu who had made the move.

From He Kao's perspective, the rain of swords unleashed by the Rain of God Sword seemed to cleave through an invisible curtain of sky. A handkerchief drifted down, and amidst the distorted light and shadow, Helali vanished...

As soon as He Kao made his move, He Lali noticed his presence. As a fifth-tier Love Stealer, she could even keenly sense He Kao's killing intent. However, He Lali did not choose to confront him head-on. Instead, she used illusion magic to distort her senses and took the opportunity to escape.

He Kao actually had another trick up his sleeve: to expand the range of his spell by covering the entire surrounding area with a deluge of raindrops. Although that would weaken the power of the sword rain, it should be enough to force Hela out.

However, He Kao did not do that. After his angry attack, he had regained his composure. This place was indeed not suitable for fighting, let alone casting large-scale spells.

He simply took the handkerchief, his true body instantly teleported to another safe place, and then his spirit traveled, floating in the sky above the residential area, in the direction Hellari might have fled.

Hellery uses illusions to conceal herself, but such magic is very energy-consuming and difficult to use over a wide area for a long time. When she thinks she has escaped to a safe area, she will definitely reveal her weakness.

He Kao's spirit floated in the air, overlooking the area. Almost a minute passed without finding any trace of Helali, and a minute was enough time for Helali to run far away.

Even when Hellari is in a state of illusionary concealment, the Yin Spirit Tracking Technique cannot find him. If he manages to escape beyond the range of divine sense, it would be equivalent to cutting off the tracking clues.

He Kao started to put himself in Haila Li's shoes again, thinking about what he would do if he were Haila Li.
Hellari had never dealt with the Hidden Moth before, let alone understood the Yin Spirit Pursuit Technique. Suddenly attacked and forced to flee, the main defense now was against the cultivator's conventional pursuit method—divine sense.

When Hera is in her spirit form, her observation while floating in the air is greatly limited. If Hera runs into a nearby house and hides, Hera will not be able to see her.

However, Hellari probably wouldn't do that. Hiding in a nearby residential building would make her easily detectable by a powerful person's divine sense. They need to find a place that can shield and interfere with divine sense.

Then He Kao found such a place: a subway station entrance a few hundred meters outside the west wall of the residential area.

Divine senses can be blocked by various obstacles, greatly shortening their range. They can also be disturbed by chaotic human energy, making it difficult to accurately lock onto the target.

The subway station, buried deep underground and teeming with people, is undoubtedly an excellent place, and in such a place, it is even more difficult for disciples of the magic sect to unleash powerful attack spells.

If Hellery could board a subway train that happened to be passing by, the way the crowded carriage would move rapidly underground would be the best way for her to escape.

Realizing this, He Kao immediately returned to his original state and teleported to a secluded corner near the subway station entrance. In that short time, he also went home to change his coat and shoes, hid the handkerchief, and changed his appearance.

At this moment, he was not his true self, nor was he the usual image of Feng Zilong. He was just an inconspicuous ordinary person, specifically a restaurant waiter he had met during a business trip. This person was about the same size as him.

The ingenious use of the hidden gauze is that it can be described in various ways. Theoretically, the more familiar and thorough one is with the object of disguise, the fewer flaws there will be.

He Kao was clearly not familiar with the waiter, but that didn't matter; Herali couldn't possibly be familiar with him either. This disguise was enough.

He entered the subway station, and just then a subway train arrived. The crowd was a bit chaotic, but he made a decision in half a second—to get on the train.

Qiyuan is a popular tourist city, and it's currently peak tourist season. The subway at the intermediate station was already packed with passengers. He Kao grabbed a bar, closed his eyes, and quietly floated to the top of the carriage, secretly observing each car.

He Kao's judgment was correct. Helali had indeed boarded the subway. She had already dispelled her illusionary concealment and was standing in the corner of the most crowded carriage, trying her best to conceal her aura so that she was almost invisible.

**
(End of this chapter)