Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 874 – Water Shadow

"Senluo Water Prison…"

The characters were written in blood, wild and terrifying, brimming with madness—just reading them gave off a strange sense of awe.

Mo Hua's gaze darkened slightly.

So, his earlier guess had been correct.

The Water Prison Forbidden Box, with that word "forbidden" in the name, wasn't just the sect master's restricted possession—it actually hid a forbidden technique.

And not even a complete one—it looked like it was only half-developed.

The problem was…

Mo Hua frowned.

Who exactly was developing this forbidden art?

Was it passed down by successive sect masters? Or was it the handiwork of the Water Prison Sect's founding ancestor?

And what exactly were they trying to create?

What kind of forbidden art had the Water Prison Sect been working on?

Mo Hua sank his divine sense into the jade slip, skimming through the development notes of the forbidden technique. He picked out the parts he could understand, and as he read, his eyes slowly widened. The deeper he went, the more shocked he became.

The contents were deeply complex—he could only grasp the general idea.

It appeared to be—

An attempt to combine the Water Prison Sect's top-tier control-type Dao art, "Water Prison Technique," with their secret and deadly "Seven Soul Blood Prison Pupil Art".

By dissecting the structure of the pupil art and deconstructing the Water Prison Technique, then blending divine soul incantations with spiritual power formations, they were trying to fuse them into a truly unconventional forbidden Dao technique.

This was the theoretical core behind the forbidden art named "Senluo Water Prison."

"The Water Prison Sect… really had guts."

Mo Hua was genuinely shaken, then fell into silent thought.

The Blood Pupil Art was powerful. The Water Prison Technique was also powerful.

But both had their flaws.

Pupil techniques relied on catching enemies off guard. Once the target was wary, the effect diminished rapidly.

Take Xiao Zhenhai and Water Yama, for instance—they relied heavily on surprise when using their pupil arts.

The first time they used them, the enemy was caught unprepared, and the results were spectacular.

But every time after that, the effectiveness dropped. Eventually, even a fool would start guarding against it. At that point, the pupil technique became a useless charm waved at a blind man—more flashy than deadly.

And when facing real powerhouses—crafty, sharp-minded cultivators—the disadvantage only worsened.

You get one shot with a pupil technique. Fail to kill your enemy? You've basically lost your trump card.

As for the Water Prison Technique—it was powerful, yes. But it still followed the same limitations all upper-grade Dao arts had:

Slow to cast. Long charge time.

It wasn't as slow as attack-type arts, since it was control-based, but still slower than most combat techniques.

And that delay was enough to give an alert enemy time to react.

Just look at Xiao Zhenhai.

The first time he used Water Cage Technique, he caught Uncle Gu and Magistrate Xia off guard—they were both hit.

But the second time? They were ready.

Even with Xiao's Golden Body deployed, the two broke through it together and interrupted the spell.

The backlash nearly crippled him.

So, while both techniques were formidable, they each had major flaws.

But if you could combine them…

Now that was terrifying.

Start with pupil arts—fast to activate, wide-reaching, bypassing golden bodies, impacting both divine soul and physical body.

When this technique was used, enemies wouldn't even dare to look at you.

One glance—and they'd fall into the prison.

Not just that—it was dual control, targeting both body and spirit.

Once caught by the Senluo Water Prison, a cultivator essentially became a pig on a butcher's block—life and death no longer their own.

Mo Hua sucked in a sharp breath.

And he had a faint feeling that this forbidden art's true power… might go even deeper than that.

In the parts of the manuscript that were still too profound for him to fully grasp, buried within those intricate technique structures, Mo Hua sensed hints of some unknown laws…

Enough to make him suspect:

Could it be… the Water Prison Sect was wiped out by the Dao Court precisely because of this forbidden technique development?

A chill crept into his heart.

If that were true—this would be absolutely terrifying.

"Surely not…"

Mo Hua pondered. But this had happened a thousand years ago—far too ancient. He didn't know enough to confirm anything, and even if he had a guess, he had no way to verify it.

Even attempting to deduce the truth might backfire.

If it turned out to be real, the karmic backlash involved in the extermination of a sect—even a 12th-rank one—was something he absolutely could not afford to touch.

So…

Can I learn it?

The thought stirred in Mo Hua's mind. He browsed through the forbidden manuscript again.

He found that parts relating to the pupil technique and the Water Prison Technique—he could just barely understand.

But not much. Just a little.

As for the rest—the complex, obscure, and twisted structure of the techniques—was far beyond the scope of any second-grade Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Mo Hua sighed.

"I can't understand it…"

He tried a few more times to parse it, but what he didn't understand simply would not compute.

So he gave up.

And honestly, this was a forbidden art. And not even a completed one—an unfinished, deeply complex one.

Absolutely not something to mess with lightly.

Falling Fire Technique had been a fluke.

That had worked only because Mo Hua had first comprehended a certain fundamental spiritual law, and then used his divine sense advantage to overlay the Falling Fire spell structure—eventually developing a second-grade fire-type forbidden art:

"Mini Meteor Technique."

But forbidden arts were not all created equal.

He would never presume that what he haphazardly cobbled together could compare to something researched by the Water Prison Sect's sect master, or even their founding ancestor.

He remembered—just learning Mini Meteor had nearly cost him his life.

If he tried cultivating this unfinished and far more advanced Senluo Water Prison…

Even a single mistake could kill him without him even knowing how it happened.

Mo Hua shuddered, then shook his head.

"Better store this away for now…"

Even if he couldn't learn it, this forbidden manuscript was still invaluable for research and reference.

And the value was immense.

On the surface, it looked like a broken forbidden art.

But to Mo Hua, this manuscript contained the Water Prison Sect's most cutting-edge insights into spiritual structure, spell logic, and technique composition.

It was an absolute treasure trove of high-level spell theory.

And it was something no one else could ever know about.

Because this manuscript might just be the root karmic cause of the Water Prison Sect's destruction.

Without hesitation, Mo Hua tucked the jade slip into his storage ring.

The incomplete forbidden art "Senluo Water Prison" couldn't be learned.

Mo Hua turned his attention back to the other inheritances.

"True Water Prison Method"—couldn't be learned either.

Too exclusive. Too expensive.

He was still just a poor disciple from a humble background. He couldn't afford it.

As for "Water Prison Technique", the upper-grade control Dao art…

Well, theoretically he could learn it.

But practically? It was pointless.

His spiritual foundation couldn't support the energy consumption of such a high-tier Dao art.

Even using it once might drain him dry.

And this was a control art, which consumed less than offensive techniques.

If this was a killing spell? He wouldn't even consider it.

Spending weeks learning a powerful spell… that emptied your spiritual pool in one cast… leaving you unable to flee or even hide afterward?

No matter how you spin it… that's just stupid.

So, Mo Hua stored away both "Water Prison Technique" and "True Water Prison Method".

Either he couldn't learn them, or they were currently useless—at least for now.

That left only one:

"Water Shadow Phantom Body".

Chapter 874: Water Shadow

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

This was a water-type movement technique—one he could learn—and it happened to align perfectly with his current cultivation system.

He had already practiced Flowing Water Step, another water-type movement technique.

But Water Shadow Phantom Body didn't conflict with Flowing Water Step—in fact, to some extent, the two could complement each other.

Flowing Water Step excelled in frontal combat, allowing evasive maneuvers and prolonged skirmishing.

Whereas Water Shadow Phantom Body focused on confusing the enemy, creating illusory water shadows to mislead and open up fatal weaknesses.

He'd been eyeing this technique for a long time.

Back when he saw Water Yama using Water Shadow Step, he'd already taken note.

Now that he had acquired a technique even stronger than Water Shadow Step, of course he wasn't going to pass it up.

Mo Hua's eyes gleamed.

From then on, in addition to his formation studies and swordsmanship, he began carving out time to learn this supreme body technique inherited from the Yin Water Sect—Water Shadow Phantom Body.

Thanks to his foundation in Flowing Water Step, picking up this new water-shadow technique wasn't too difficult.

However, once he actually tried using it, the results were... not great.

To test the newly learned Water Shadow Phantom Body, he sparred briefly with Situ Jian in the Dao Techniques Hall.

He got completely destroyed.

Sometimes he couldn't form the water shadows at all and got beaten for nothing.

Other times the shadow split too slowly, leaving him unable to dodge in time.

Worse still, sometimes after splitting, even he couldn't tell which one was real and ended up stumbling straight into Situ's arms...

All in all, it was a mess.

Not to mention his hopeful plan of smoothly combining Water Shadow Phantom Body with Flowing Water Step and fluidly switching between the two.

It sounded great in theory, but in practice? Ridiculously hard.

Mo Hua felt a little disappointed, but he didn't dwell on it.

After all, Elder Kui had taught him since childhood: any Dao technique demands precision, mastery, and skillful application.

The deeper your understanding, the more exquisite your control, the more powerful the technique becomes.

No cultivator ever picked up a high-grade technique and suddenly got powerful just by fiddling with it for a bit.

If that happens, it's probably a demonic art—and the backlash will come sooner or later.

Any technique worth learning requires long-term effort, cultivation, and reflection.

Flowing Water Step was the same.

He got it from Zhang Lan. Back in Tongxian City, Mo Hua had started practicing it as early as the Qi Refining stage.

Through countless repetitions, combat applications, and spiritual refinement, he'd reached his current level.

Water Shadow Phantom Body, while clearly higher-grade and far more prestigious within the Yin Water Sect, was still brand-new to him.

His current familiarity and experience with it were minimal.

That's why, for now, its effectiveness fell far short of Flowing Water Step. To achieve even small mastery, let alone battlefield fluency, he'd need to invest a lot of time and effort—slow and steady refinement.

It wasn't something that could be rushed.

Mo Hua understood this well and kept a calm mindset.

Besides, Flowing Water Step was still more than sufficient for now.

Water Shadow Phantom Body would be icing on the cake—no need to hurry.

He had time.

And once he truly mastered Water Shadow Phantom Body, wielding it with instinctual finesse, it would—combined with his extremely agile Flowing Water Step—usher in a terrifying evolution in his movement skills.

He would become untouchable.

Untraceable. Unstoppable.

And hidden within the phantom body—deadly killing intent.

By the time his opponent realized they were tricked, they might already be dead.

A glint of cold sharpness flashed in Mo Hua's eyes.

Another month passed.

Mo Hua remained focused and diligent in his cultivation.

The Dao, like dripping water through stone, accumulated through steady, patient progress.

As time passed, both his formation techniques and movement skills improved solidly, steadily.

His swordsmanship, while progressing slowly, also inched forward bit by bit.

Meanwhile, an ominous tension loomed over the upper ranks of the Great Void Sect.

From time to time, elders from the Tai'e Sect and Chongxu Sect would show up frequently, apparently discussing something behind closed doors.

Mo Hua secretly asked Venerable Elder Xun what was going on.

Venerable Elder Xun simply shook his head and said, "These matters don't concern you. Focus on learning formation techniques."

Mo Hua wanted to press further but stopped himself in the end. He simply said, "Yes…"

But in his heart, he clearly still cared.

He was a disciple of the Great Void Sect. Even if his power was meager, in times like this, he wanted to do what little he could.

Elder Xun noticed and, after a brief moment of thought, spoke with unusual gravity:

"If you can master the Way of Formations—to the utmost—that alone would be the greatest help you could give to the Great Void Sect."

The words were heavy. Elder Xun said them with utmost sincerity.

Mo Hua was taken aback. Then he understood, and nodded firmly:

"Elder, don't worry. I'll do my best."

Elder Xun gave him a long, approving look and nodded with relief.

After that, Mo Hua took the elder's instruction to heart. He shut out all distractions and focused entirely on formation cultivation.

He'd planned to just quietly continue his path of steady progress, but...

Unexpected things always happened.

That night, after finishing his sword training, browsing some Dao heart and sword intent texts, and studying his formation manuals, Mo Hua lay in bed early, nearing midnight, and sank his consciousness into his sea of awareness.

In that spiritual space, Mo Hua meditated quietly for a while.

But after a few moments— A strange laugh echoed through the originally still sea of awareness.

It was Mo Hua himself, laughing.

His face was completely shrouded in darkness—twisted and eerie.

He reached up and covered his face with his hand.

The laughter stopped.

Mo Hua's face returned to normal—but his brows furrowed deeply.

"You're awfully pleased with yourself, aren't you?"

Mo Hua asked aloud.

The surroundings remained deathly silent. After a moment, however, his face twisted again, morphing into the sinister visage of a demonic infant. It grinned sharply, voice shrill and wicked:

"I didn't expect it... You're an even more perfect Divine Fetus than I imagined."

"Your sea of consciousness is the finest incubator. Your spiritual sense, a top-grade tonic. Even your soul... shows signs of transforming into Divine Essence."

"Best of all—divinity and humanity, perfectly fused!"

"Such a soul—I've never seen one before. If I can fully convert you, my true body shall descend in the flesh. I would possess a semi-divine, semi-mortal body..."

"A true god of flesh and blood!"

"And with flesh, comes desire. As a god of corruption, evil thoughts cannot die—they cannot be destroyed."

"Among the divine thrones of the Great Wilderness, among the three thousand divine remnants, the hundred avatars, and countless divine fetuses... you would be the most unique existence!"

"Because you... are me!"

The demonic infant was utterly ecstatic.

Mo Hua frowned. "You talk a lot. Are all evil gods this chatty?"

The evil infant's face instantly darkened. But after a moment, it gave a sinister smile.

"Mortals, no matter how strong, are beneath my notice. But you… you are different. You are worthy. Worthy of my words."

Mo Hua replied, "Then how about you come out, and we have a real chat?"

The evil infant only sneered in contempt, offering no reply.

Mo Hua looked at it with clear disdain. "Coward."

The evil infant's expression twisted grotesquely—then suddenly smoothed over, its tone slipping into something quietly manic:

"I tolerate your rudeness, because you and I are one. Tolerating you... is tolerating myself."

Mo Hua's gaze grew dangerous. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

The evil infant, still using Mo Hua's face, gave a chilling laugh:

"You cannot kill me. Evil thoughts are undying and indestructible. You, a half-step into Dao Transformation, half-divine at best—what can you do?"

"Even if you were a full-fledged god, you still couldn't erase me..."

"Sooner or later, you will be mine…"

"I look forward to that day…"

With one last eerie grin, the evil infant faded completely into Mo Hua's soul—no longer revealing even a trace of its presence.

Midnight had arrived.

The Dao Stele manifested.

Scarlet lightning of tribulation still sparked across it—threatening, destructive, lethal.

But the evil infant was gone.

Or rather, it had merged completely into Mo Hua, without leaving a single clue behind.

Like a venomous snake slithering into the shadows, lying in wait for the perfect time to strike.

Mo Hua felt irritable and unsettled.

That little bastard… actually dared to jump out wearing his own face?!

And it mocked me?!

What the hell?!

Mo Hua forced himself to calm down and quietly reflect:

"That little demon spawn… is it trying to disrupt my Dao heart?"

"Or maybe it's trying to shake my state of mind—make me restless, fearful… so it can find an opening and take over?"

After all, evil gods excel at manipulating the heart.

Every crack in the human psyche—greed, fear, doubt, desire—becomes their entry point.

Mo Hua's brows furrowed deeply.

This demonic fetus was a serious threat.

Whatever the case, he couldn't afford to let it roam free any longer.

No evil spirit had ever dared to act this boldly in front of him.

Even if it was a Divine Fetus of an evil god, he wouldn't tolerate it.

He needed to come up with a plan…

His gaze turned icy.

That night, he gave up on formation drawing entirely, spending the whole night pondering the situation.

The next day, after adjusting his state of mind, he forced himself to refocus on cultivation and formation studies, not letting the evil fetus mess with him further.

Three days later, the seven-day period arrived again.

From the void above the Disciples' Hall, space cracked apart—and a withered hand reached through once more.

Mo Hua was whisked away again, back to the forbidden area of the mountain.

Old Ancestor Dugu still sat cross-legged within the Sword Tomb, unmoving as ever.

As usual, he gave Mo Hua a lesson in the sword, and checked in on his progress.

Mo Hua's sword cultivation was still… steady but slow.

No breakthroughs, no major regressions.

Old Ancestor Dugu showed no emotion, as usual—neither praise nor disappointment.

Once he finished explaining some sword Dao insights and examining Mo Hua's swordsmanship, the Old Ancestor raised his hand, preparing to send Mo Hua back.

But just then, Mo Hua suddenly spoke up:

"Old Ancestor, I have some questions I'd like to ask."

Dugu paused. The hand he'd raised lowered slightly. He nodded.

"Speak."

Mo Hua spoke carefully:

"Senior, you once told me that the Great Void Sect's Divine Thought Sword Transformation Technique currently has four sword forms."

"The Sword Transformation Form is the foundation—it allows one to manifest divine thought as sword intent…"

"The Divine Dread Form is a more advanced technique—it lets you manifest sword intent externally to intimidate and suppress enemies…"

"But what about the other two forms? What sword Dao principles and divine thought transformations do they involve? How can one cultivate the God-Breaking Form, and that final one…"

Mo Hua's eyes sharpened with hidden blade-like light:

"...God-Slaying Form!"

(End of this Chapter)