Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 872 – The Divine Statue

From that point on, besides sword training, Mo Hua had a growing list of formation techniques to study.

Venerable Elder Xun scheduled daily lessons for him, ensuring he steadily learned a variety of Five Element and Eight Trigram formations.

At first, the lessons weren't too advanced. They started from the Sixteen-Mark level, following a formation catalog that Elder Xun had somehow compiled. One by one, they reviewed everything, patching gaps in Mo Hua's knowledge.

For every formation Mo Hua hadn't studied, wasn't familiar with, or didn't fully understand, Elder Xun personally explained it in detail to reinforce his foundation.

The formations weren't high-grade or particularly difficult—most were ones Mo Hua had already learned before. So, while the learning wasn't very challenging, it was tedious and dry.

But Mo Hua understood Elder Xun's intentions and took the lessons seriously.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

"Only by gathering trickling streams can one form a mighty river."

The foundation was always the most important part of learning anything. The stronger the base, the higher one could reach. Without that, chasing lofty goals was meaningless—any high tower built would collapse instantly.

Mo Hua already had a solid foundation in formations.

But since the opportunity was here, he wanted to make it even stronger.

And so, by day he studied formations with Elder Xun.

In the evenings, he would go to the Lecture Hall to train his sword qi.

After sword practice, he returned to the disciples' quarters to study Intro to Sword Dao, deepening his understanding of swordsmanship.

Then, around midnight, he would sink his consciousness into his sea of awareness and continue practicing formations on the Dao Tablet over and over.

Every seven days, he'd head to the back mountain to meet with Dugu Ancestor.

The days were busy—but deeply fulfilling.

Within the Great Void Sect, the most powerful ancestor in formations taught him formations. The most skilled sword cultivator taught him swordsmanship.

Even the sect leader likely didn't get this kind of treatment.

Of course, Mo Hua never mentioned to Elder Xun that Dugu Ancestor was teaching him the Divine Will Sword Technique.

That was something Dugu Ancestor had explicitly warned him not to tell anyone.

Mo Hua didn't dare get clever. If he angered Dugu Ancestor and lost the chance to learn the Divine Will Sword, it would be a disaster.

So, Elder Xun and Dugu Ancestor each taught him in isolation.

Neither knew the other was instructing the same disciple.

And the two elders' attitudes toward Mo Hua couldn't have been more different.

Elder Xun absolutely cherished him, believing Mo Hua to be a once-in-a-lifetime "genius." In formation training, he grasped everything instantly, understood with just a word. Each day was a breeze, a joy.

Dugu Ancestor, however, wore a perpetual scowl.

Because Mo Hua's progress in swordsmanship was... abysmal.

Learning anything was like watching a turtle crawl. He understood the theory, the principles—but when it came to actual training? No different than doing nothing.

In all his life, Dugu Ancestor had never taught such a slow and untalented sword disciple.

So sometimes, he doubted himself.

That day in the forbidden ground, when the sword qi hummed, the sword intent filled the air, the clouds rolled in…

Was it just an illusion?

Had I been too hasty in deciding to pass on the Divine Will Sword to this kid?

Now it seemed, not only would Mo Hua fail to carry the legacy forward—he might not even learn it at all...

Dugu Ancestor sighed deeply.

Still, as an elder of the sect, his word was gold. Since he'd promised, he wouldn't go back on it lightly.

"Let's keep teaching and see what happens…"

Besides, it's not like he had anything better to do.

And having such a lively kid around to chat with… wasn't so bad either.

And so, Mo Hua continued learning both formations and swordsmanship.

The only problem? He was excelling in one… and bombing in the other.

Even he felt helpless about it.

Still, his formation foundation grew deeper each day.

And his swordsmanship, under his persistent late-night effort and Dugu Ancestor's high-level guidance, began to slightly open up.

Just like that, a month passed in a whirlwind of study. Mo Hua barely had time for anything else.

When he finally stopped and took a breath, he suddenly remembered—

There were some matters he hadn't had time to investigate.

Some loose ends he hadn't tied up.

"Sure enough, the busier you get, the easier it is to forget things…"

Mo Hua sighed.

Two days later, during his ten-day rest period, Mo Hua asked Elder Xun for leave and took a trip to the Gu Clan in Qingzhou City.

Though Elder Xun had said not to leave the sect and focus on formation studies, he hadn't actually forbidden Mo Hua from going out.

Casual strolls were fine.

But something like before—going to places like the River God Temple, Ten Thousand Demons Valley, Rouge Boat, Dragon King Temple, chasing down heretic cultivators, investigating sacrificial altars—those extended leaves were out of the question now.

When Mo Hua arrived at the Gu household, he greeted Aunt Wan, then went straight to Gu Changhuai's study.

Gu Changhuai was reading. When he saw Mo Hua, he was a bit surprised.

He frowned and asked,

"Didn't you say you were going to focus on formations and not go out anymore?"

"Just had a few things to deal with. I'll head back right after," Mo Hua replied.

"What is it?" Gu Changhuai's tone grew wary—his past experience told him that anything Mo Hua found interesting was usually not good news.

"It's nothing major, just…" Mo Hua lowered his voice, "What's the deal with the Rouge Boat?"

Gu Changhuai fell silent.

He originally wanted to brush him off with a "Court affairs are confidential," but Mo Hua wasn't so easily fooled.

He wasn't exactly an outsider—he probably knew more about what happened than anyone else.

And besides, in the Dragon King Temple, Mo Hua had risked his life to save him…

Gu Changhuai sighed, stood up, shut the doors and windows, activated formations, and finally frowned,

"The Rouge Boat… it's very strange."

"Strange?" Mo Hua was confused.

Gu Changhuai said:

"The Rouge Boat was destroyed. Most of the disciples aboard were captured."

"The Yin Water Sect was subdued. The case was taken over by the Dao Court—mainly the Xia Clan. The elders, instructors, and disciples involved were thrown into Dao Prison, judged by their crimes. Minor offenders got decades of imprisonment. The more serious ones were executed—some even by formation dismemberment…"

"As for the clans and forces linked to the Rouge Boat and its… 'entertainment trade'—the worst were wiped out by the Court. The rest were demoted, fined, stripped of assets, and forced to reform."

"Isn't that… a good thing?" Mo Hua asked.

Gu Changhuai nodded slightly.

"On the surface, yes. The atmosphere's improved. Not just the Rouge Boat—other shady industries have backed off. Clans and sects are cracking down on disciples. No one dares act recklessly now. But…"

Gu Changhuai's frown deepened.

"I just can't shake the feeling… that this was all deliberately orchestrated by someone."

"Orchestrated…"

Mo Hua frowned.

"Uncle Gu, you mean—someone knew the Rouge Boat couldn't be saved, so they sacrificed the pawn to protect the king?"

Gu Changhuai froze, then nodded.

"Yes. And it might be more than just that."

Mo Hua nodded slowly.

Now that it was put into words, he felt something was definitely off.

The Rouge Boat case had its twists and turns, but the Dragon King Temple incident… went too smoothly.

The Dragon King Temple was a trap set by Mr. Tu—to ensnare him, a supposed "divine being."

And indeed, he was trapped.

The evil fetus had been implanted into his soul.

So… what about the Rouge Boat?

If the Dragon King Temple was used to scheme against him, how could the Rouge Boat not be part of the plan?

What was the Rouge Boat meant to do?

Mo Hua frowned deeply, pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"Uncle Gu, the disciples aboard the Rouge Boat—what sects were they from?"

Gu Changhuai thought for a bit and replied:

"Pretty much all sects within the Qianxue Province. The top hundred sects for sure. Anyone who boarded the ship was undoubtedly a prominent disciple. Even those from the Twelve Lower Streams and the Eight Great Sects were present."

"Oh, the Great Void Sect wasn't on the list. I heard they refused to allow any disciples aboard, out of concern for some higher figure."

Mo Hua didn't seem relieved. In fact, he looked grimmer.

"What about the Grand Ardent Sect?"

"They had quite a few disciples on board. All in the late Foundation Establishment stage—talented elites."

"Chongxu Sect?"

"Them too."

Mo Hua listed several more sects—all of them had sent disciples aboard the Rouge Boat.

And every one of those disciples shared certain traits:

Late Foundation Establishment. Outstanding talent. High status in their sects.

Normally, this wouldn't be strange.

After all, the Rouge Boat was a place for forging connections through beauty and power—naturally, only the best of the best would attend.

But now… it felt too coincidental.

These "heaven's chosen" disciples— They were all tied to one extremely important event: The Dao Discussion Conference.

Dao Discussion Conference!

The disciples from the Grand Ardent Sect, the Chongxu Sect, and even others friendly with the Great Void Sect but distant from the Four Great Sects… many of their top talents were likely candidates for this session's Dao Discussion Conference!

And now—they'd all been swept up in a single strike?!

A chill crept through Mo Hua's heart.

He finally understood what the mastermind behind the Rouge Boat—likely none other than Mr. Tu—had been planning.

Knowing the Rouge Boat couldn't be saved, he set a trap and used it to infiltrate sects like Grand Ardent and Chongxu—sect rivals to the Four Great Sects.

Then, while the Dao Court was investigating the Rouge Boat, he lured the disciples of these "hostile" sects aboard.

Lure the tiger to devour the wolf.

Once the Dao Court confirmed these disciples had entered or exited the Rouge Boat, they would be marked.

They'd either be thrown into Dao Prison, expelled from their sects, or—if their sects somehow managed to protect them—still be utterly ineligible to attend the Dao Discussion Conference.

The core strength of their representatives—emptied out.

And the outcome… was self-evident.

Mo Hua's gaze turned solemn.

"Uncle Gu… were there any disciples from the Four Great Sects aboard the Rouge Boat?"

Gu Changhuai nodded, "No. The Four Great Sects have strict rules and proper conduct. None of their disciples were aboard. Honestly, that's a stroke of fortune…"

He sighed.

"If disciples from the Four Great Sects had also gone aboard for debauchery and pleasure-seeking… the reputation of the entire Qianxue Province would've been utterly disgraced…"

Mo Hua's heart grew heavier.

Maybe… they didn't go aboard for debauchery or to seek pleasure.

But what they did might've been even worse…

The so-called "Young Lords Pavilion"—an organization of overwhelming power and privilege. Those who joined were nobles, elites. There was no way the Four Great Sects weren't involved.

Only… he had no proof.

And in the eyes of most cultivators in the Qianxue Province, the Four Great Sects were exalted institutions—true academies of Dao cultivation.

Their disciples were paragons—dragons among men.

Even Uncle Gu, not knowing the inside story, probably saw them that way too.

But Mo Hua had interacted with plenty of these so-called "Young Lords" from all kinds of sects—and he knew:

Things weren't that simple.

This might very well be a scheme of the Four Great Sects.

Before the sect reform took place, they used this incident to cripple rival sects like the Grand Ardent and Chongxu—sects that could have contested the Four Great Sects' positions.

They had now lost their core disciples.

They could no longer contend.

And so, the so-called "sect reform"—was already decided before it even officially began.

The game had ended before it ever started.

This… was true scheming.

While everyone was still clueless, the final chapter had already been written.

Mo Hua sighed softly.

"So young, and already sighing all the time?" Gu Changhuai frowned.

This kid had already sighed three times in the short span they'd talked…

Mo Hua glanced at him and shook his head, a little wistfully.

"Uncle Gu… you wouldn't understand."

Gu Changhuai was so annoyed he wanted to pinch his cheeks—but in the end, he held back.

Mo Hua's "status" in the Gu clan was higher than his own.

Gu Changhuai waved his hand.

"Finished asking? If so, get back to the sect and cultivate properly."

Mo Hua had indeed finished. Not lingering, he stood and bowed.

"Then I'll take my leave, Uncle Gu. I'll come find you if anything else comes up."

Gu Changhuai rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache coming on.

But just as Mo Hua stepped over the threshold and was about to leave the study, Gu Changhuai suddenly remembered something.

"Mo Hua…"

Mo Hua turned around, looking puzzled.

Gu Changhuai hesitated, then slowly said,

"Xiao Tianquan… is dead."

Mo Hua's expression remained calm. A moment later, he finally reacted with mock surprise.

"What? The Howling Heaven Hound is dead?!"

Gu Changhuai stared at him silently.

Fortunately, Mo Hua had thick enough skin. Even though his acting was a bit flawed, he powered through it, pretending he hadn't known the Howling Heaven Hound had died.

"How'd he die?" Mo Hua asked.

Gu Changhuai looked at him blankly.

"What do you think?"

Mo Hua paused to think, then said with a straight face,

"Could it be that he did too many evil deeds and finally faced divine retribution? Dropped dead from heavenly punishment? The heavens truly are just…"

Gu Changhuai's eyes narrowed.

He hadn't expected an actual answer—just wanted to confirm something.

But now, hearing Mo Hua's words… his emotions grew complicated. He suddenly asked:

"Mo Hua… do you think the Heavenly Dao truly exists in this world?"

Unexpectedly, Mo Hua nodded with certainty.

"Yes!"

Gu Changhuai frowned.

"You know what kind of Heavenly Dao I'm talking about?"

"All kinds," Mo Hua replied.

Gu Changhuai was taken aback.

Mo Hua pointed to the sky.

"Up there—there is Dao."

He had seen it with his own eyes.

That "Dao" had manifested as a great formation—one that truly connected heaven and earth. One he still couldn't understand or see through.

Then he pointed to his heart.

"And in here—there's Dao too."

"There are those who seek fame, those who seek profit, those who chase cultivation and power. Others want status, luxury, pleasure."

"There are even those who use their fame, wealth, and cultivation to oppress and exploit others—happens all the time."

"But none of that has anything to do with Dao or immortality. The ones who can truly become immortals—are those who hold the Dao in their hearts, who act in accordance with Heaven's will."

"If there is no Dao in your heart, if you do not uphold Heaven's will, then even if you gain earth-shaking cultivation, even if you stand at the peak of fame and power—you'll still crumble when tribulation strikes. You'll be reduced to dust beneath the Dao, never to become immortal."

Gu Changhuai was visibly shaken by these words.

But also… confused.

"How do you even know this?"

Mo Hua answered righteously:

"I guessed!"

Gu Changhuai: "..."

Mo Hua muttered,

"It's not like I've ever become an immortal. How would I really know? But based on my experience and insight, that's how I think it works…"

"If I guessed wrong… I'll just revise it later."

Gu Changhuai didn't even know how to respond.

He sighed.

"Go back already."

Mo Hua nodded.

"See you, Uncle Gu."

And with that, Mo Hua turned and walked off, carefree as ever.

But the words he left behind… echoed in Gu Changhuai's mind like a brand.

"Hold the Dao in your heart, and uphold the will of Heaven."

He didn't know why, but those words seemed to ease the confusion and helplessness he'd been feeling about the Xia Clan and the Dao Court's politics.

His gaze grew steady.

...

After leaving the Gu residence, Mo Hua took a slight detour and made his way to a small fishing village.

Old Yu's family was still busy with their daily work. Life was hard, but the whole family worked together in harmony and peace—it was a simple, honest life, the kind that made others envious.

Mo Hua didn't disturb them.

He turned invisible and quietly made his way to the shrine behind the village.

Atop the shrine stood a small statue—his own "Little Immortal Statue."

And hidden behind the statue was a tiny silver fish, currently basking in his divine protection, happily nibbling on the incense offerings.

When it saw Mo Hua arrive, the little silver fish wagged its tail excitedly, nodding its head and calling out, "Benefactor!"

Mo Hua had once saved its life and reshaped its fate, so the little silver fish was endlessly grateful. Back on the Mistwater River, it had done everything in its power to help him.

With a mysterious smile, Mo Hua said,

"I've brought you a gift."

He set down a bundle in front of the little fish.

The fish blinked in confusion—there didn't seem to be anything in the bundle. But since it was from its benefactor, it didn't dare doubt him. Instead, it activated a bit of divine essence to sense it—

—only to start trembling violently, its scales nearly standing on end.

"A… a dragon…"

A Dragonbone Divine Idol!

Terror and awe welled up in its tiny heart. Its trembling voice quavered:

"B-Benefactor… this is far too precious. I… I can't accept this. I don't dare accept this…"

Mo Hua looked puzzled.

"Isn't it a good thing?"

"It is! But it's too rare, too sacred. My divine fate is shallow—I can't possibly bear such a treasure…"

The little silver fish was self-aware. Then, with some hesitation, it added,

"Most of my divine path memories were lost in that blood-colored River God Temple, so I don't know exactly where this idol came from. But I do know it's forged from dragon bone—it's definitely not ordinary. It might be even more important than you think…"

"Please, Benefactor, you must keep it yourself."

Mo Hua sighed.

The problem was—he didn't know how to use it.

If it could be stored in his storage pouch or ring, he would've kept it. But it couldn't be stored at all.

So, just carrying it around openly? Sooner or later, he'd run into some experienced cultivator—or a greedy deity—who would notice and cause trouble.

Worse, ever since he removed it from the Dragon King Temple, its faint divine aura had been slowly fading with time.

Mo Hua wasn't sure why, but he suspected that such a true-life idol needed to be nurtured.

And that kind of nurturing… could only be done by a divine being.

After considering all options, the little silver fish was still the most suitable candidate.

Lord Yellow Mountain lived too far away, and it already had plenty of idols—clay ones, golden ones… if it ran out, it would probably crawl into a dog statue and make do. It didn't lack one more.

Besides, Lord Yellow Mountain was ancient and cunning, always speaking cryptically.

Mo Hua couldn't fully trust him.

Unlike the little silver fish—pure, sweet, always calling him "Benefactor," and sincerely eager to help.

But… the fish was still too nervous to accept.

So Mo Hua changed tactics.

"Then think of it as me lending it to you. Just take care of it for me. Nurture it with divine essence. And if one day I need it again—you can return it to me."

The little fish still looked uneasy.

"Just think of it as basking in my good fortune…"

"But… but I'm so weak…"

"That's fine," Mo Hua said. "This divine idol isn't something regular cultivators—or even demons and evil gods—can perceive."

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been gathering dust in a corner of the Dragon King Hall.

"Besides, I'll lay some formation arrays around it to conceal it further. That way, almost no one will notice it."

Still seeing hesitation on the little fish's face, Mo Hua leaned in with a serious look and said:

"I'm entrusting this to you. Guard this idol for me. And while you do… you can use it to nourish your soul and strengthen your divine body."

"Don't let me down."

That did the trick.

The little silver fish was immediately filled with resolve.

"Rest assured, Benefactor! I won't fail your trust!"

Mo Hua smiled in satisfaction.

He found a remote, hidden mountain cave behind the Little Immortal Shrine and placed the dragonbone idol inside.

Then, he began setting up divine-path formations around it.

Ordinary formations wouldn't do—not even concealment arrays. High-level formation masters would still see through those like paper screens.

But divine-path formations were different.

They were offshoots of divine will and divine sense—most high-level formation cultivators didn't even dabble in them.

Mainly because they lacked the inheritance to understand them.

Using the layout styles of the Great Wilderness evil gods as reference, Mo Hua established a full set of divine-path formations around the cave:

Divine Gate Array – sealed the entrance.

Divine Mist Array – masked spiritual sense.

Divine Lock Array – sealed the idol itself and warded off external threats.

Now, everything was in place.

Even if someone broke the formations, the idol's innate concealment would still hide it.

Then Mo Hua added a finishing touch:

He drew a turtle on a piece of paper and placed it at the very back of the cave.

That way, if someone ever made it through all the divine-path formations—after all that effort—only to find a drawing of a turtle…

They'd probably be so furious they'd miss the actual idol entirely.

Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.

Then he turned to leave.

The little silver fish, full of gratitude and reluctant to part, followed him all the way to the edge of the village. Only when Mo Hua's figure vanished down the road did it return to the shrine, determined and solemn.

"I will definitely guard the idol well for Benefactor!"

After leaving the fishing village, Mo Hua wasted no time and returned to the Great Void Sect.

From then on, he seldom left the sect.

He spent every day learning formations from Venerable Elder Xun, and swordsmanship from Old Ancestor Dugu.

His formation skills advanced steadily— And even his swordsmanship… slowly began to click.

Two months later, the year came to an end.

And so did Mo Hua's fifth year at the Great Void Sect.

(End of this Chapter)