Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 890: Greeting Little Senior Brother

The merger of the Three Sects was already set in motion, but due to the sheer scale of the operation, it still needed to be implemented step by step.

The integration between sects would also proceed gradually.

At first, only the elders exchanged lectures.

Later, the disciples began visiting one another to promote communication and friendship.

Disciples from the Tai'a Sect and the Chongxu Sect came to the Great Void Sect to tour and engage in Dao discussions.

Likewise, the disciples of the Great Void Sect were now free to visit the Tai'a and Chongxu Sects without obstruction.

Mo Hua, of course, tagged along.

Although Venerable Elder Xun had advised him not to leave the Great Void Sect lightly, to avoid drawing too much attention…

Now that the three sects had merged, the Tai'a and Chongxu Sects technically were part of the "Great Void Sect," so strictly speaking, visiting them didn't count as leaving.

Besides, Mo Hua had never been inside either of those two sects before—he'd only ever caught brief glimpses while passing by.

He was quite curious to see what lay within their gates.

And so, Mo Hua toured both mountains alongside the Great Void Sect disciples.

And what a tour it was.

He quickly realized that both the Tai'a Sect and Chongxu Sect were… a bit bigger than the Great Void Sect.

Especially the Tai'a Sect—majestic and vast, its mountains rose like azure dragons, exuding a magnificent presence.

The Chongxu Sect wasn't as grand, but its landscape was dotted with soaring towers, rooftops cutting into the clouds like mountain peaks, adorned with blue-glazed tiles. Sword qi drifted through the mist—solemn and inspiring.

Together with the ancient, elegant style of the Great Void Sect…

Though born of the same lineage, each sect had its unique splendor.

Mo Hua was quietly awestruck.

He couldn't help but think—if just the three split sects had such rich foundations and could each stand as one of the Eight Great Sects…

Then what kind of grand and imposing colossus must the original, undivided sect have been?

Most likely a true titan—one that could rival the Dao Court and stir fear even in its heart…

That thought made Mo Hua's heart yearn.

He wandered through the sects' mountain gates, all the while caught in these musings.

Along the way, he ran into Linghu Xiao and Ouyang Mu.

The two weren't opposed to the sects merging.

Thanks to Mo Hua, they'd already grown closer to the Great Void Sect disciples—closer, in fact, than to their own sectmates.

And Mo Hua—this "Little Senior Brother" of the Great Void Sect—had saved their lives back in the Myriad Demon Valley. They shared a true, life-deep bond.

Once the sects fully merged, they could stick by Mo Hua openly and with pride.

Mo Hua was naturally delighted.

The trio chatted for quite a while.

Afterward, Mo Hua toured the Tai'a Sect one last time, but as he was preparing to return to Great Void Mountain, he happened to run into Ouyang Feng.

Naturally, the two began chatting again.

And as they talked, Mo Hua learned of something that made him blink in surprise:

"Senior Brother Feng, you're going on a journey down the mountain?"

Ouyang Feng nodded and said with some guilt, "I failed to secure a place in the Eight Great Sects for the Tai'a Sect during the Sword Duel Tournament… I let the elders down."

Mo Hua shook his head. "Senior Brother Feng, how could anyone blame you for that?"

"A fence needs three stakes, and a hero needs a good team."

Sword duels weren't like formation duels—you couldn't turn the tide single-handedly.

During the Rouge Boat incident, the Tai'a Sect had lost most of its elite disciples. On top of that, they faced sieges from four major sects. In such a hopeless situation, even if Senior Brother Feng had staked his life, it wouldn't have made a difference.

No one else could have done better.

And besides, his cultivation path wasn't focused solely on offense.

He had a deep foundation, steady and dependable, with a well-rounded skill set.

He could attack or defend, advance or retreat, support or cover, lead the charge or hold the rear.

While not outstanding in any one area, he was a "jack-of-all-trades"—adaptable to any situation and able to fill in where needed.

Precisely because of that, he depended more on having the right teammates.

A good team, and a strategy tailored to his strengths, were what allowed him to shine.

Unfortunately, the Tai'a Sect had lost too many of its elite disciples and couldn't provide that support.

The result was obvious: in the tournament, Senior Brother Feng had to take on both offense and defense, spread too thin, and in the end, couldn't excel in either.

Mo Hua couldn't help but feel regret.

If Senior Brother Feng had been on his team—not that he was trying to recruit him—but if they'd teamed up for the Sword Duel Tournament…

Mo Hua's formations could've boosted all of Feng's abilities, and with the right support teammates, Feng would've become a "hexagonal warrior"—a total all-rounder, perfectly capable of challenging the top talents from the Four Great Sects.

But alas…

The sects had merged too late.

And Feng was a whole cohort above him. They wouldn't have ended up on the same team anyway.

Mo Hua was truly regretful.

"Senior Brother Feng, are you leaving the mountain immediately?"

Ouyang Feng shook his head. "In a few days. Still have some matters to wrap up. But…"

He gave Mo Hua a genuine look and said sincerely:

"I never expected you to suppress the Four Great Sects and take first in the Dao of Formations. I already thought you were exceptional, but it turns out I still underestimated you…"

Mo Hua got a bit flustered and waved his hands modestly. "Just got lucky, that's all. Nothing much."

Ouyang Feng chuckled.

After a moment of silence, he let out a long sigh and said, "Yeah… there's always a higher sky and a stronger man. If we stay trapped in our little corner of learning, our vision will always be too narrow."

"I need to go out and experience the world… to see its vastness with my own eyes."

"Mm-hmm!" Mo Hua nodded enthusiastically.

Back when he'd traveled with his master, he'd learned so much.

Cultivating for a hundred years, reading ten thousand scrolls, and walking ten thousand miles—that was the path of a true cultivator.

If you didn't step outside, didn't open your eyes, didn't see this vast world for yourself, your worldview would always remain narrow, and you'd never grasp the true meaning of the Dao.

He wanted to travel more too… when he had time.

But…

Mo Hua asked, "Senior Brother Feng, aren't you going to wait until after you form your Core before going?"

"If I waited until I formed my Core, it'd be a bit too late," Ouyang Feng replied. "Whether you're from a noble family or a sect, once you become a Core Formation cultivator, you're considered a 'pillar of the organization.' You'd have to take up duties, oversee matters, or hold down a territory. There wouldn't be much free time."

"Besides, whether you're in the late Foundation stage or just entered Core Formation, you can only really operate in second-grade prefectures."

"Trying to immediately head to third-grade prefectures after forming a Core—especially ones where the Dao Court's control is loose, laws are lax, and evil cultivators roam unchecked—is actually more dangerous."

"And forming a Core isn't easy. Most cultivators fail multiple times before succeeding."

"If you want to form a good-quality Core, you can't rush. You need thorough preparation and a solid foundation…"

"Like establishing a Dao foundation during Qi Refining?" Mo Hua asked.

Ouyang Feng shook his head. "Much harder. This is Core Formation we're talking about. Even in powerful families and great sects, it's considered a true turning point—a major threshold in the path of cultivation."

"Succeed, and the skies open wide. Fail, and you may remain stuck for the rest of your life…"

"Oh…" Mo Hua nodded solemnly.

Ouyang Feng looked at him with some concern and said, "Junior Brother Mo, this might sound a bit forward, but…"

Mo Hua nodded. "Please speak, Senior Brother."

Ouyang Feng said sincerely, "Mo Hua, you need to pay more attention to your cultivation base. Your spiritual power foundation is still very important."

"You've got a dazzling array of techniques, and even I find myself amazed. But your spiritual power is too weak—it's a real shortcoming."

"And the further you go, the more it'll matter."

"For example, during the Sword Duel Tournament, you have to go through multiple intense battles. That consumes a huge amount of spiritual power. If your foundation is weak, you'll be exhausted after just one or two fights."

"When cultivators duel, if it drags out to the end, it's no longer about who has the stronger techniques—it's a battle of stamina and depth of cultivation. If your spiritual power is deep enough to last, you win. Otherwise, no matter how strong your techniques are, if you run out of energy, you still lose."

Ouyang Feng had experienced this firsthand.

In the last Sword Duel Tournament, the Tai'a Sect had been undermanned. In many rounds, he'd lost simply because he had been completely drained of spiritual power.

"Also… have you given any thought to your lifebound artifact?" Ouyang Feng asked.

Mo Hua shook his head and answered honestly, "I haven't had any good ideas yet."

Choosing a lifebound artifact was a tricky matter.

He had no inherited legacy, no supreme-grade spiritual tools, and hadn't had the chance to nurture one from a young age.

Worse still, his cultivation techniques were unique, and his system of Dao arts was completely unconventional—some of which he had quite literally learned by "accident," with no predecessors to refer to.

As a result, most of the lifebound artifact inheritances available in the Great Void Sect didn't suit his cultivation and skills.

Mo Hua had thought about this issue in his spare time, but no matter how he approached it, he couldn't come up with a solid plan.

On top of that, he still had so much else to learn—swordsmanship, formation techniques, movement arts—and free time was scarce. So the matter of a lifebound artifact had to be postponed.

Ouyang Feng, with a serious tone, said:

"For a Core Formation cultivator, over half their strength comes from their lifebound artifact. Forging a top-quality artifact that bonds with your very life and spirit is nearly as important as forming a high-grade golden core."

"You should start planning early…"

Then he gave a faint chuckle. "I may be meddling too much. Please don't take offense."

Mo Hua shook his head. "Not at all. Thank you, Senior Brother Feng."

This advice truly served as a wake-up call for him.

Some matters… had to be put on the agenda sooner rather than later. At the very least, he had to start preparing.

"Those who prepare thrive. Those who don't… fail."

He didn't want to end up on the verge of Core Formation still scratching his head about lifebound artifacts.

The two chatted a while longer, then Ouyang Feng bid farewell. Before he left, he turned to Mo Hua and asked sincerely:

"Xiao Mutou is my only younger brother. He's steadfast but a bit dense—not good with spontaneity. I must ask you, Junior Brother Mo, to please look after him."

Mo Hua replied confidently, "If he's following me, you've got nothing to worry about, Senior Brother!"

Ouyang Feng couldn't help but laugh, then turned serious and cupped his fists:

"This journey ahead… the path of the Dao is long and full of uncertainty. Mo Hua, until we meet again in the jianghu."

Mo Hua, reluctant to part, returned the salute.

"Senior Brother Feng, until we meet again in the jianghu."

And with that, they went their separate ways.

For several years after, Mo Hua never saw Senior Brother Feng again at the Great Void Sect.

He must have set out alone, wandering the world in search of experience and growth.

Mo Hua felt a bit of melancholy and could only silently wish him… a safe journey.

Some time later, after several rounds of disciple exchanges, elder lectures, inter-sect decree sharing, and unified merit contribution systems, the merger of the three sects was steadily moving toward completion.

On the Dao Court's end, the process was finally reaching its conclusion.

Once the Heavenly Authority Pavilion—the central bureau of the Dao Court—placed its final seal of approval, the matter would be officially settled.

At that point, there would no longer be three separate sects—Tai'a, Chongxu, and Great Void—but a single, unified great sect under one name:

The Great Void Sect, inheritor of the "Three Mountains, One Lineage."

Inside the Heavenly Authority Pavilion.

Several administrative cultivators were chatting in a loft chamber.

Before them were towering stacks of scrolls and jade slips.

These contained dossiers on virtually every recognized, large-scale cultivation force across the Nine Great Prefectures—each one officially acknowledged and categorized by the Dao Court.

Rank assignment, promotion, demotion, naming, renaming, removal—all of these affairs were decided through deliberations by the cultivators of the Heavenly Authority Pavilion.

As such, these cultivators wielded great power—but were also extremely overworked.

At that moment, a few officials were discussing the matter of the "three-sect merger" of the Great Void Sect.

At the center of the loft sat an elderly figure.

His face was wooden, expression stiff, skin like rotting bark—he looked more like a living puppet than a man. He mechanically stamped each scroll with bureaucratic precision.

The other cultivators around him paid him no mind and continued their chatter.

"Dry-Study Prefecture… Tai'a, Chongxu, and Great Void Sects merge under the name 'Great Void Sect'…"

"This has been dragging on long enough. Elder of the Pavilion already gave the word—it needs to be finalized today."

"Honestly, it's just cleanup at this point. The higher-ups approved it ages ago. No real decision-making left to us."

"We're just admins. Even if we wanted to decide something, we don't have the authority."

"You'd need to make it to Supervisor General for that."

"As if it's that easy. Becoming a Supervisor General isn't something you can just decide to do. To be honest, most cultivators reach administrator level and hit a wall. Dreaming beyond that is a waste of qi. Even if you claw your way up, without the ability, you won't keep the seat."

"Still, our Pavilion's supervisors aren't too bad. Not like the Astral Pivot Pavilion. They handle formations and celestial mechanisms—if you don't have the skill, you wouldn't dare take the job even if it's offered. Bad luck would swallow you whole."

"Heavenly Authority Pavilion isn't simple either…"

"All right, all right—enough gossip. Back to work."

A short silence fell over the loft.

But the work was mind-numbing, so someone inevitably spoke again:

"Great Void Sect, huh… Kind of surprising that there are still sects out there willing to reunite after splitting up. What's the point?"

"They probably couldn't survive separately…"

"I heard that Dry-Study Prefecture's undergoing major structural reforms lately. Lots of changes, fierce sect competition. They were probably about to drop out of the Eight Great Sects—this is their last shot at survival."

"Yeah, that checks out."

"What was the point of the reforms anyway? Now there's just more work for us."

"People die for wealth, birds die for food—sects are no different. The power plays happening behind the scenes? We outsiders can't hope to understand."

"Too true…"

"But if they merged, why name it just 'Great Void Sect'? Why not something new?"

"Isn't it obvious? Great Void Sect is the strongest right now, ranked the highest. Plus, didn't you hear? They've got a formation demon rising in the ranks…"

"A demon?"

"You haven't heard?"

One of the officials shook his head. "Been working overtime lately, swamped with the war in Southern Wastes. Haven't caught up on anything."

Someone else asked, "What kind of monster are we talking about?"

The earlier official said, "Clearly out of the loop, huh? In the Formation Conference in the Dry-Study Prefecture, a disciple from the Great Void Sect suddenly emerged—just mid Foundation Establishment, and he drew a peak-level Nineteen-Rune array, winning first place in formation arts."

"This even made its way to our Dao Prefecture…"

"Mid Foundation Establishment? Nineteen-Rune formation? That's gotta be fake, right?"

"No way that's real…"

"You can't cultivate your divine sense at that stage. Even if you're naturally gifted, there's no way it could be that big of a gap. Something's fishy—I don't buy it."

"Even here in Dao Prefecture—the heart of the Nine Prefectures, with all our talent—we don't have anyone that monstrous."

"Sounds like they're blowing smoke."

"Is Dry-Study Prefecture that ignorant? Don't they know what surpassing Tier Three divine sense means? You believe something that ridiculous?"

"Are those sects in Dry-Study trying to hype up some so-called genius and just oversold it?"

"For real. I don't buy it either."

The officials all shook their heads in disagreement.

But someone added, "Well, the chief examiner of that Formation Conference was from the Astral Pivot Pavilion here in Dao Prefecture. You can doubt the sects in Dry-Study if you want, but you can't be questioning the Astral Pivot Pavilion, right?"

"That's… true."

"Could they have been mistaken?"

"Come on now. We're talking about a Grade Four Formation Master here. You think someone at that level could just make a mistake? They've probably seen more formations than we've processed scrolls."

"Then… does that mean this 'monster' is real?"

"Hard to say…"

"Anyway," one official asked, "what's the name of this formation genius?"

One of them paused to recall and said, "I think… his surname is Mo. Name's… Mo Hua?"

The moment he finished speaking, the official suddenly shuddered. His face went pale.

Everyone looked at him in surprise, wanting to ask more—but then, seeing his expression, they were confused. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you look so pale?"

The official, clearly rattled, pointed upward with his finger and whispered, "I swear… just now, that puppet… it looked at me."

Everyone turned to look—and saw the wooden-faced old man in the center still mechanically stamping scrolls, expression blank, movements stiff.

"What are you talking about? It's a puppet, not a person…"

One official reminded him sternly, "Watch your mouth! According to Pavilion protocol, you're supposed to address him as 'Lord Kui'!"

"There's no outsider here. Why so formal?"

"Fine, fine, call him Lord Kui all you want. Still doesn't change the fact he's a puppet."

"No, seriously… I felt like Lord Kui looked at me just now…"

"Stop spouting nonsense. Why would Lord Kui randomly look at you?"

"I… I don't know…"

"Alright, that's enough," an elderly official cut in. "Quit the idle chatter. Let's finish handling the Dry-Study Prefecture's three-sect merger."

"The war in Southern Wastes is heating up, and sect activity is increasing. Who knows how much more work is coming our way—we won't have peace for long."

"Yes, yes…"

"Elder Xia is right."

"Best to finish this stuff early…"

The officials quieted down and refocused on processing their documents. Only when the sky began to darken did they finally finish.

Elder Xia respectfully handed over the scrolls regarding the Great Void Sect's merger to the puppet elder at the center.

The elder processed them like any other, stamping them with his seal.

No one noticed… his lips moved slightly, emitting a faint creaking sound—like someone cracking open a nut.

Once the Heavenly Authority Pavilion stamped the documents…

The merger of the three sects was officially complete.

The Great Void Sect was packed with people.

The disciples of Tai'a Sect and Chongxu Sect—now officially Tai'a Mountain and Chongxu Mountain—had gathered at Great Void Mountain's Grand Dao Arena to attend the first grand assembly following the merger.

Since the Great Void Sect was taking the lead post-merger, all major events would be held at Great Void Mountain.

This inaugural assembly was held with great ceremony.

Disciples in golden-yellow Dao robes from Tai'a Mountain, disciples in blue-green Dao robes from Chongxu Mountain, and disciples in black-and-white robes from Great Void Mountain all gathered together. The arena was filled with people—flowing crowds and surging voices, the atmosphere truly worthy of a great sect.

The three sect leaders each gave formal speeches, urging the disciples to unite and cultivate diligently.

And with the end of the grand assembly, the newly unified and massive Great Void Sect, encompassing all three mountains and over ten thousand disciples, was officially born.

The next day was the grand Formation Lecture.

Venerable Elder Xun gathered all mid-Foundation disciples from all three mountains to the Dao Arena of Great Void Mountain.

"From now on, I will be overseeing your formation studies," Elder Xun said in a wizened voice.

"However, I'm often too busy. So, on regular days, the formation training of all Tai'a, Chongxu, and Great Void disciples will be handled by Mo Hua."

"Mo Hua, come here," Elder Xun waved his hand.

Mo Hua nodded and walked to the center of the arena.

Elder Xun turned to the crowd and announced:

"This is Mo Hua. From now on, he will be your 'Senior Formation Brother', and will be teaching you formation arts on my behalf."

"Come now, greet your Senior Brother."

All the disciples of Tai'a Mountain and Chongxu Mountain were momentarily stunned.

They weren't very familiar with Mo Hua personally—but his name? That, they had certainly heard.

In fact, many of them had witnessed him at the Formation Conference, dazzling with overwhelming talent, dominating all rivals, and seizing first place with ease.

Though he looked young and didn't seem like a "senior," not a single person dared to question it.

Especially since this was Elder Xun's personal directive.

And so, in that vast arena, thousands of disciples from three different sects all bowed and spoke in unison:

"Greetings, Senior Brother!"

"Greetings, Senior Brother…"

Voices rang out in waves, merging into a mighty tide of sound—like rivers converging into a sea—shaking the woods, echoing into the clouds, resonating across the ancient Great Void Mountain.

And from that moment on, Mo Hua became the "Senior Brother" to all disciples across the newly unified Three Mountains, One Lineage.

(End of this Chapter)