Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 903: Thunder-Magnetic Little Man

What… is this thing?

Mo Hua stared wide-eyed at the little thunder figure, and the little guy stared blankly back. Big eyes met beady sparks for a long moment.

Mo Hua tentatively said, "Hey."

The Thunder-Magnetic Little Man didn't respond. It just tilted its head in confusion, looking at Mo Hua in a daze.

"Does this little thing have a life of its own?"

"Is it… alive?"

Mo Hua frowned and released his spiritual sense, carefully examining it. After a moment, realization dawned.

No—it wasn't alive.

It only looked lively. In truth, it had no consciousness, no independent movement, and couldn't respond on its own.

"Then… can I control it?"

Mo Hua focused his intent, channeling his spiritual sense to try controlling the Thunder-Magnetic Little Man.

Very quickly, a faint, subtle connection stretched out from the little man, merging into Mo Hua's divine consciousness. The two now shared a thread of affinity—almost like blood and water.

After all, this little man was something Mo Hua himself had calculated using the Guiyuan Algorithm.

In other words, Mo Hua was its creator.

Their origins were aligned.

With just a flick of his will, Mo Hua seamlessly connected to the little thunder man.

The Thunder-Magnetic Little Man slowly stood up. Under Mo Hua's direction, it walked a few steps to the left, then a few to the right, bounced once, even struck a pose with hands on hips, looking up at Mo Hua with a smug little air.

"So it can act under my control…"

Mo Hua clicked his tongue in amazement.

But now what?

This Thunder-Magnetic Little Man, born from the Guiyuan of Secondary Thunder Runes—what exactly could it do?

Mo Hua propped his chin on his hand, analyzing it based on the nature of Secondary Thunder Runes and his understanding of Thunder-Magnetic resonance:

It was composed from extremely subtle Secondary Thunder Runes. It had no blood or flesh, no true form or substance. Ordinary cultivators couldn't even see it. And because Thunder-Magnetic forces were elusive, even formation masters with decent spiritual sense couldn't sense it.

And in essence, it was both thunder current and magnetic field—a type of Thunder-Magnetic energy body.

Which meant, in theory, it could infiltrate other thunder flows and magnetic fields.

In other words, it could penetrate into Primordial Magnetic Arrays, Thunder-Magnetic Arrays, and any array media constructed with Thunder-Magnetic formation logic.

Moreover, being a consolidated form of Secondary Thunder Runes, it followed the principle of "using thunder to affect magnetism"—so this little man could generate thunder flow and alter magnetic runes.

Which also meant—if handled properly—it could rewrite the fundamental "fixed" magnetic runes of a formation.

Rewrite fixed magnetic runes!

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

No time to waste—he immediately took out a discarded transmission talisman and began an experiment.

He first dismantled the broken talisman, extracted a magnetic wire, then connected one end to the talisman's internal structure and the other to the jade slip containing the Thunder-Magnetic Little Man.

The wire was crafted from magnetic materials, commonly used in Primordial Magnetic Arrays. They weren't cheap—and not easy to buy.

But Mo Hua, being from a poor background and used to living frugally, hadn't bought the wire. He'd salvaged it from other talismans—good old "scrap recycling."

Once the magnetic wire was set up, Mo Hua used his divine sense to control the Thunder-Magnetic Little Man.

Inside the jade slip, the little figure—formed from Guiyuaned Secondary Thunder Runes—took a few steps and, under Mo Hua's guidance, walked out along the magnetic wire into the transmission talisman.

As soon as it entered, the place was filled with magnetic runes. The little thunder guy became visibly more energetic, like a fish swimming joyfully into the ocean—it had found its natural habitat.

Mo Hua began guiding the little man to infiltrate the talisman's internals.

In his spiritual sense vision, at microscopic resolution—

The electric-blue, stick-figure Thunder-Magnetic Little Man dove straight into unstable magnetic runes.

Then, like spring rain soaking the earth, it slipped in effortlessly—seamlessly blending into the magnetic structure.

It quietly bypassed the unstable magnetic layers and crept into the most deep-rooted fixed magnetic runes.

The whole process was smooth, silent, traceless—as natural as a deer vanishing into the forest.

If Mo Hua hadn't been controlling it himself, even he might not have realized there was a hidden thunder figure embedded in the intricate sea of magnetic runes.

He was astonished—then elated.

Then came the true test: using the Thunder-Magnetic Little Man to summon secondary thunder flow and secretly modify the fixed magnetic runes.

However… this part didn't go as smoothly.

In Mo Hua's spiritual vision, the little figure could be seen crawling between runes, its stubby limbs dipped in magnetic ink, scribbling and smearing here and there, trying to make edits.

But its movements were clumsy.

The results were hard to predict, and not always under control.

Mo Hua speculated this was because the Thunder-Magnetic Little Man was still just a prototype—the amount of Secondary Thunder Runes it had integrated wasn't enough.

Being a "source stream" of Secondary Thunder Runes, it needed to manifest specific runes to trigger corresponding magnetic reactions.

Each Secondary Thunder Rune had a unique form, corresponding to specific Primordial Magnetic changes.

If the rune base was too small, the little man's power to induce magnetic variation was limited. It couldn't rewrite freely yet.

"I'll need to keep refining it… integrate more Secondary Thunder Runes into the source form."

Still, the transmission talisman didn't involve any high-level formations.

With the runes already integrated into the little man, it was barely enough.

It just required time, patience, and more trial and error.

And so, the Thunder-Magnetic Little Man busied itself between magnetic runes—smearing and scribbling—its movements becoming smoother, more natural, and even kind of animated.

Soon, the fixed magnetic runes had been modified according to Mo Hua's will.

He then guided the little guy to exit the talisman, walk back along the magnetic wire, and return to the jade slip.

Afterward, Mo Hua picked up the modified talisman and tried inputting a few words.

The talisman displayed:

"I am your father."

Mo Hua tried typing a few more phrases—

Every single one returned:

"I am your father."

Mo Hua nodded, very pleased.

This was the result of reprogramming the core magnetic logic. No matter what you typed, the output would always be:

"I am your father."

Perfect for trolling someone.

But the most incredible part—the talisman looked completely untouched from the outside.

If Mo Hua didn't say anything, no one would ever know it had been tampered with at the core.

That was the truly terrifying part.

Mo Hua couldn't help but squint with glee.

This trial run on the transmission talisman had gone extremely well.

The Thunder-Magnetic Little Man was not only stealthy, but powerful.

Next, Mo Hua pulled out another token.

This one was stained with blood, carved with demonic runes, and exuded a sinister aura—it was the Demonic Sect Token.

The transmission talisman was just practice—a safety buffer to avoid damaging anything important.

This Demonic Sect Token was the real objective of his research.

Now that the trial was successful, it was time for the real operation.

Mo Hua followed the same method: pulled out a magnetic wire, connected one end to the jade slip, and the other to the Demonic Sect Token.

Then, with a thought, he sent the Thunder-Magnetic Little Man down the wire and into the token.

Once inside—the place was flooded with magnetic runes.

The little guy looked like it was swimming in a sea of magnetic ink.

Though it couldn't match the Great Void Sect's token, the internal structure of this demonic token was far more complex than that of an ordinary transmission talisman.

Its fixed magnetic runes were denser and more intricate by far.

With Mo Hua's current mastery of magnetic formations, dismantling this token directly and trying to crack its core runes head-on was practically impossible.

But now, with the Guiyuan algorithm, and the prototype Thunder Source Rune he'd painstakingly derived—

Everything was different.

This Thunder-Magnetic Little Man was like a cheat code.

It slipped silently into the sea of magnetic inscriptions…

Like a fish in water, it quickly reached the deepest layers of runes.

Without damaging the token, Mo Hua was able to glimpse its foundational formation structure.

At the bottom, the fixed magnetic runes recorded the token's formation sequence, along with key identity data.

But the core magnetic runes…

…were shrouded in gray mist.

Mo Hua couldn't see them clearly.

"What's going on?"

"Do I… not have permission?"

No access?

Mo Hua pondered a while before finally realizing—the Demonic Sect Token required identity-based authorization.

In other words, the demonic sect disciple and their token were bound.

Anyone not matching the identity—even if they got their hands on the token—wouldn't be able to use it.

Mo Hua examined the token more closely. Its surface was stained with blood, and he guessed that this blood might be the key to the identity binding.

This token was likely activated using the blood of the demonic sect disciple.

And without that blood, the token would remain useless.

Unfortunately, the token's owner—presumably that demonic cultivator—was likely imprisoned in the Dao Court, with his life or death unknown.

It wasn't like Mo Hua could stroll into prison and extract a fresh sample.

Besides, even if the blood theory were true, it was still just speculation—there could be other unknown conditions as well.

"If I don't use blood, is there any other way...?"

Mo Hua fell into thought for a moment. Then he began decoding the token's other core magnetic runes, searching for a clue.

He didn't know how long had passed—but eventually, he found one usable line of runes. After decoding, it read:

"Token Permissions: Disabled."

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then directed the Thunder-Magnetic Little Man to alter this rune—changing "Disabled" to:

"Enabled."

The little guy spent some time smearing and editing. Sure enough, the base magnetic rune changed.

"Token Permissions: Enabled."

Immediately after, the demonic token trembled slightly. A flash of light flickered before Mo Hua's eyes. When he looked again—

All the formation runes lit up. Rows of magnetic ink emerged and transformed into characters—the entire token activated.

Mo Hua's expression was filled with awe.

"This little thunder guy... is way too useful."

Now that the permissions were active and identity verification bypassed, Mo Hua didn't hold back. He began "reviewing" the information stored within the token.

Token Owner:

Demonic Sect Disciple: Chi Fei

Cultivation Realm: Late Foundation Establishment (Demonic Path)

Status: Ordinary Disciple

Cultivation Method: Blood Lotus Manual (Second Layer)

Lineage: Sixth Generation, Fourth Transmission

Merit Points (Demonic): 123

"Demonic merit points?" Mo Hua murmured. "So this is like the demonic sect's version of merit? Same concept as our Taixu Sect's contribution points?"

But only 123 points? That's pitiful. What can that even buy?

It wasn't even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of Mo Hua's own merit total.

Even accounting for different exchange rates between righteous and demonic sects, 123 was... embarrassingly poor.

Mo Hua couldn't help but look down on it.

But then—

A thought struck him, and his heart skipped a beat.

"If the demonic sect has merit points... doesn't that confirm it?"

They must have a sect treasury, a secret vault, and probably something like a contribution ledger, which could be used to exchange for cultivation resources and legacies.

That could only mean… a whole flock of sheep, ripe for plucking!

The only problem was… who knew how "clean" these demonic legacies were? Could a righteous cultivator like Mo Hua even use them safely?

"Please," he prayed inwardly,

"Let this demonic sect have some proper, decent cultivation techniques.

Not just blood-sucking, bone-eating, ghost-wailing freakishness.

Don't make it so I can't even scam them properly!"

Then, he kept reading.

Record:

Killed a total of 25 cultivators

Held two blood feasts

Survived one Dao Court raid

Passed down demonic techniques to six disciples

Four at Qi Refining

Two at Foundation Establishment

Offered:

610 jin of Qi Refining blood meals

67 jin of Foundation Establishment blood meals

"Due to unwavering loyalty to the sect, cruel temperament, fondness for indiscriminate slaughter, and a heart devoid of conscience, the disciple is deemed worthy of reward.

Thus elevated to official disciple status, and granted the sect token."

A date followed at the bottom—roughly a month ago.

Mo Hua shook his head.

"As expected. Fresh recruits are always unreliable.

Only been in the sect for a month and already lost your token."

What followed was a bunch of miscellaneous fluff—nothing of real value.

After reading everything, Mo Hua gained a basic understanding of the Demonic Sect.

But that was all.

The real core stuff? Still out of reach.

Mo Hua was certain this wasn't the full extent of it. A sect token, by logic, had to serve greater functions.

"The construction of a transmission talisman is based on a Primordial Magnetic Array—

and even then, a simple one.

Two compatible arrays are usually enough."

"But a sect token? That's another story."

"It's far more complex."

"Even if not based on a grand formation, it must rely on an entire integrated system—

A vast, high-tier Primordial Magnetic compound array."

"Every sect token is connected to this large system."

"Which means each token is a sort of access point."

"If I can find the insertion point—

I could use this token to link deeper,

and tap into the underlying Primordial Magnetic Array

that keeps the entire Demonic Sect running."

"Everything I want should be in that array."

"But where's the interface?"

Mo Hua flipped through all the internal magnetic runes of the token again from top to bottom—

But still found no sign of any so-called access point.

"Nothing?" Mo Hua frowned.

"That… shouldn't be right…"

It shouldn't be like this…

Without a Primordial Magnetic Compound Array serving as the base—complete with array core and array pivot—there was no way this sect token's formation could even function.

"So maybe… it's not that the interface doesn't exist.

It's just that… I don't have permission to see it yet."

The interface between simple arrays and compound arrays must exist.

But for an ordinary demonic disciple like Chi Fei, the permissions likely weren't high enough—so the interface was probably just hidden.

"So how do I bring out the interface for the compound array?"

"Unlock permissions?"

But… how do you unlock that?

Mo Hua furrowed his brow in thought. Then, a scene flashed in his mind—when Venerable Elder Xun had helped him unlock permissions on the Taixu Sect's command token.

Back then, in order to let Mo Hua take a 2nd-grade formation commission, Elder Xun had manually assigned him a provisional grade, labeling him a "Second Grade Beginner Formation Master."

Even though, at the time, Mo Hua hadn't formally passed any certification or held such a title.

But within Primordial Magnetic Formations, the fixed magnetic runes have definitional authority.

"If the rune says you're a 5th-grade master, then as far as the formation system is concerned—you are a 5th-grade master."

That's how powerful these systems were.

"So if I manually redefine this Chi Fei guy to be a 'Demonic Elder' instead of a regular disciple…"

"Wouldn't that technically make him an Elder, instantly? Like… promotion by rune hack?"

"And Elders should definitely have higher permissions…"

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. He decided to test it immediately.

He directed the Thunder-Magnetic Little Man to begin generating new secondary thunder runes, and attempted to overwrite Chi Fei's identity field from "Ordinary Disciple" to "Elder."

It didn't work.

No matter how hard the Little Man scribbled with his tiny thunder-charged arms, it could not inscribe the characters for "Elder."

Mo Hua frowned.

"Is it that this can't be altered at all… or is the token too low-grade to permit the change?"

"Is it just that a normal disciple's token can't carry the identity of an Elder?"

With no other choice, he stepped down a level and tried other identity titles.

After all, there are all sorts of disciple classifications.

If Chi Fei was labeled "Ordinary Disciple," then there must be some unordinary ones too—those with more authority.

So Mo Hua began experimenting:

"True Transmission Disciple…"

No luck. The change technically worked, but the magnetic runes didn't activate. No effect.

"So maybe the Demonic Sect doesn't have a 'True Transmission' classification? Or at least not this one."

Which made sense, he figured.

After all, a sect that operates on a tiered exploitation system—big demons suck on medium demons, medium demons drain little ones, and the little ones bite mortals—it's basically MLM with blood.

In a setup like that, who needs a "true inheritance"?

Disciples were just walking food packets, mobile blood reservoirs.

Mo Hua shook his head.

"Fine. Not true transmission. What about 'Senior Disciple'? … Still no?"

"Elite Disciple?"

"Nope again?!"

He tried: "Entry Disciple," "Cultivation Disciple," "Direct Disciple," "Final Disciple"…

All failed.

Finally, feeling exasperated, Mo Hua took a wild guess based on the Demonic Sect's shady nature—and slapped on the title "Transmission Disciple".

Ping! The rune lit up. It worked.

Finally, a disciple rank that upgraded the token and was accepted by the array.

"Transmission Disciple…" Mo Hua couldn't help but complain inwardly.

"Of course. Even dying, these guys never forget to pass on their nasty demonic techniques…"

And then—

The moment Mo Hua changed Chi Fei's rank from "Ordinary Disciple" to "Transmission Disciple," the token began to transform.

The Primordial Magnetic Formation began to tremble. The deep magnetic fog dissipated.

Faint runes, previously dormant, began to light up—then converge into a hidden interface.

Inside the interface, countless lines of magnetic circuits and data arrays began to connect and flow.

A massive, ordered, and intricate compound magnetic formation hub appeared, carrying torrents of information streams, like roaring rivers of data.

And in that instant, Mo Hua saw—

Countless demonic cultivators' data flowed across his vision.

Some were cursing, some ranting, some giving orders, some plotting, some discussing techniques, and some were even trading blood slaves…

So many demonic activities, all captured in this hidden channel.

Mo Hua was utterly shaken.

It was as if he had just peered into the living, beating heart of the demonic sect—an invisible, ever-active, underground network.

And in that daze, he suddenly felt like he was starting to understand the mystical brilliance of Thunder-Magnetic formations.

"From a single speck, one can sense the thunder-magnetism of heaven and earth… Peer into the myriad workings of the world, and strategize with everything held within the palm of one's hand."

(End of this Chapter)