Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 905 – Who Is It

Qianxue State Territory, third-grade domain outskirts.

At the site of a soon-to-begin "Blood Banquet," in a desolate ruin.

All the demonic cultivators were momentarily stunned—minds blank.

They stood like statues in the wind, frozen in place, dazed for a long time.

The plan was set, the Dao-Ting Division's lackeys had fallen into the trap, the ambush was ready to close in. Everyone was sharpening their blades, bloodthirsty and wild—but just as they were about to pounce, a sudden message arrived: There's a mole. Abort the operation.

All around the ruins, packed tightly with demonic cultivators, many exchanged bewildered glances. Then, all eyes turned to the few leading Golden Core devil heads.

At the front of the crowd, several figures cloaked in pitch-black demonic robes, their faces obscured by filthy demonic aura, also furrowed their brows.

A hoarse voice spoke:

"What's going on?"

"Who has the guts to 'abort the operation'?"

"Who sent this message?"

"Hurry! Go investigate…"

But another Golden Core devil said coldly,

"There's no time. The Dao-Ting Division has already taken the bait. The arrow is nocked—we can't afford distractions now."

Someone hesitated,

"Could it be… the mole we planted inside the Dao-Ting Division—?"

Before he could finish, another devil snapped,

"Shut up!"

The Demon Sect had a mole planted by the Dao-Ting Division.

Naturally, the Demon Sect had also embedded moles inside the Dao-Ting Division.

These matters were top-secret. The identities of the moles could not be revealed. Even these Golden Core experts, despite their rank and status, weren't necessarily privy to who exactly had infiltrated the Dao-Ting Division.

So this whistleblowing message—whether it came from their inside mole—they honestly had no clue.

A silence fell, then someone finally said:

"We can check who sent it later… The real issue now is—is this message true? Do we really have a mole in our Demon Sect?"

"Didn't we already catch the mole?"

"And you think it's that easy to catch a mole in the Dao-Ting Division?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean…" A tall and thin Golden Core devil looked toward the highest-ranking leader and said slowly,

"What if the 'mole' we caught was someone the Dao-Ting Division meant for us to catch?"

"They let that mole get exposed on purpose—used his life as bait to lure us in. We thought we were fishing them—but maybe they were using the mole to fish us…"

"You're saying… this is a trap within a trap? A scheme within a scheme?"

"Exactly. We set a trap, the Dao-Ting fell for it. But our trap was actually their trap. In the end, we got played."

"Damn it, all this trap talk is giving me a headache…"

"Idiot…"

"So, to put it simply—there's still another mole among us?"

"The real mole has been hiding in the dark, plotting all along. The one we caught was just a scapegoat—a piece the Dao-Ting discarded on purpose?"

"If that's the case… then this mole must be someone of considerable rank. Maybe even…"

The words trailed off.

Their faces were hidden behind demonic aura, but inside that aura, their expressions were all growing complicated.

Whoever laid the trap had to be at least at the Golden Core level.

And if this person was a mole… then that meant the mole was likely standing right here among them.

Any one of the Golden Core cultivators present could be the mole.

The air grew silent and eerily tense.

No one spoke, but in their hearts, everyone was calculating at high speed:

Who's been the most suspicious recently?

Who slipped up?

Who's been too passive in killing?

Who didn't enjoy blood-drinking?

Who's been slacking off in demonic cultivation?

Who's the most likely to be… the real mole?

Demonic cultivators were ruthless and paranoid by nature.

Now, with this sudden revelation, these bloodthirsty Golden Core devils were thrown into a frenzy of suspicion and unease by just one phrase: "There's a mole. Abort the mission."

After a while, a burly Golden Core devil muttered,

"I don't buy it. How can there be so many moles? Maybe someone's stirring up trouble to sabotage the Demon Sect's plans."

"This message—it must be fake."

"Agreed…"

"How could there be a mole among us?"

Other devils echoed in agreement.

"But…" another devil said solemnly,

"If this message is fake, then it means someone is using it to spread confusion—to stop us from slaughtering Dao-Ting cultivators…"

"Which also means—our plan has been leaked."

"And this plan… was known only within the Demon Sect. It was never leaked outside—not even a whisper."

"If even such a tight-lipped plan could be exposed, doesn't that just prove… there really is a mole among us?"

All the Golden Core devils froze.

If the message is true—there's a mole.

If the message is fake—there's still a mole.

"So either way… we've definitely got a mole?"

"…That's… actually pretty convincing…"

"Sss—"

Someone inhaled sharply. Everyone looked toward the Demon Sect's top commander.

This kind of situation—only he could make the call.

This leader, at peak Golden Core stage, was broad and hulking, surrounded by swirling demonic aura like a walking mountain. At this moment, he remained completely still, eyes cold and fierce, silent.

With him not speaking, no one else dared say a word.

Just then, from the Dao-Ting's side—already deep in the ambush—there was a subtle shift.

They quietly tightened their formation, gripping their swords, finding cover behind the nearby walls. The leading Golden Core officers restrained their auras, spiritual energy building.

They were clearly on high alert.

Their movements were subtle, but under normal conditions—when the devils were in bloodthirsty frenzy—they might've gone unnoticed.

But now, with everyone in paranoid mode over the mole, every little twitch was glaringly obvious.

The expressions of the Golden Core devils darkened.

At last, a thin, strategist-type devil whispered to the leader:

"Big Brother… something's off."

After thinking a moment, he added slowly:

"The Dao-Ting walked into the ambush but didn't attack. Now they're guarding themselves. That's odd…"

"Either they sensed something, and realized this was a trap—or… they themselves are the trap."

The leader's pupils contracted.

The strategist continued,

"If this is really a trap—then now's not the time to take risks."

"The Dao-Ting dogs have support from the local great clans. We kill a batch, another batch shows up."

"Our brothers, and even the juniors below them, were hard-earned. If we suffer too many losses, it'll be even harder to grow again under the Dao-Ting's nose…"

The Demon Sect leader's scarlet eyes locked coldly onto the Dao-Ting cultivators below. After a moment, he spoke in a voice hoarse and beastly:

"Retreat."

His face was ashen-black, demonic aura boiling, seething with cold killing intent.

"Go back and investigate—find out who sent the message."

"Yes!"

Everyone's hearts trembled as they bowed.

They knew—Big Brother was truly furious now.

In the ruins: a scene of decay.

Once the property of a now-defunct family, it had fallen into rubble and ruin, which made it a perfect site for the Demon Sect's "Blood Banquet."

A small group of demonic cultivators had indeed gathered here to drink blood.

Gu Changhuai had received an informant's message, originally intending to wipe them out in one sweep. But now—his back was drenched in cold sweat.

He realized he had walked into a trap.

Though everything around seemed normal, in the darkness, shadows moved—murderous intent hidden deep in the gloom.

But by the time he sensed it, it was too late.

They had already walked into the Demon Sect's full encirclement.

He didn't know how many devils were hidden out there—but judging from the oppressive pressure, there were a lot. Too many.

He could only order his men to hold formation, remain alert—stall for time as best they could.

Meanwhile, the few Golden Cores among them were searching for an opening—any chance to break through and survive.

But the situation was grim.

The Demon Sect was brutal, prepared, and heavily outnumbered them. If a battle broke out, it would be slaughter, plain and simple—with no room for retreat.

All Gu Changhuai could do was try his best. But even then, he had no confidence.

How many of his comrades would die? How many would live?

He didn't dare imagine it.

He looked around at the tense faces of the Dao-Ting officers—most of them Gu family cultivators—and felt a sting in his chest.

Then he turned to the beautiful but cold-faced Magistrate Xia beside him, feeling conflicted.

"The Gu family cultivators… must not die.

This woman is annoying—but… she can't die here either."

As for himself—he had no delusions of escape.

The Demon Sect seemed to bear a special grudge against him. Every time they met, they seemed hellbent on killing him.

If he used himself as bait, he might buy a little time. Maybe that would give the others a chance.

Gu Changhuai remained silent.

Those who walk the path of strategy… must not cling to life.

Many Gu ancestors had died doing their duty—fallen to demonic hands.

Perhaps… this was his fate too.

The only regret… was the debt he owed that brat Mo Hua.

He had benefited from Mo Hua's help more than once, but had done nothing in return.

That guilt weighed on him.

He sighed quietly.

Magistrate Xia, seeing his expression, turned and said in a low voice:

"I still have a few premium talisman treasures," Magistrate Xia said. "In a moment, I'll clear a path from the front. You're injured—stay behind me and try to break through with the others…"

Gu Changhuai gave her a deep look but said nothing. He simply nodded calmly.

His composure was unnaturally still—there was even a trace of fearless resolve, like someone ready to die.

Magistrate Xia found it odd but didn't think too deeply.

Then she pulled out a pale blue jade talisman—clearly rare and precious—and hid it up her sleeve, waiting for the right moment to act.

Another Golden Core official, newly transferred from another province, felt his scalp go numb.

It was his first assignment since arriving at Qianxue's Dao-Ting Division… and this was the situation he walked into. He didn't even have words to describe his misery.

But there was no use complaining. At this point, if they didn't fight for their lives, they'd lose them for sure.

He gripped his twin warhammers tightly.

Gu Changhuai also summoned his life-bound treasure—a radiant, rainbow-colored Peacock Feather Fan, spiritual energy quietly gathering.

The rest of the cultivators held their spirit tools, faces pale.

Everyone was prepared to make a last stand.

But just then—the demonic aura lurking in the distance suddenly began to churn, surging like bloodthirsty jackals.

And yet… these jackals didn't pounce. They held back their murderous intent and began to fade into the distance, retreating…?

Gu Changhuai and the others froze.

Everyone exchanged uncertain glances.

Still, they didn't dare move recklessly. They waited in vigilant silence.

But after the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the distant aura had completely vanished. As if all the demon cultivators had silently, thoroughly… withdrawn.

Everyone who'd been bracing for a desperate battle suddenly felt dazed.

"Why did they retreat?"

"What happened?"

"Is this a trap?" the newly transferred Golden Core with twin hammers muttered. "Are they trying to lull us into lowering our guard before coming back for the kill?"

Gu Changhuai thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"They have the numbers. If they wanted to take us down, they could've attacked directly. No need for tricks."

"Then what the hell was that? Were they just messing with us?"

Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia both looked deeply puzzled.

After a moment of thought, Gu Changhuai said gravely:

"No matter what happened—it's good for us. We should fall back to a safe zone before they change their minds."

Magistrate Xia nodded and gave the order for all Dao-Ting cultivators to retreat.

They didn't go far—only about 20 li—to a small grove outside the city gate. Once they confirmed the area was safe, they temporarily set up camp.

That night passed uneventfully.

At dawn the next day, reinforcements arrived.

The two groups joined forces and returned to the ruined site—the ambush site laid by the Demon Sect.

They had to investigate.

Did the Demon Sect really have a large-scale ambush set up? What kind of trap was it? And why did they suddenly withdraw?

The Dao-Ting cultivators spread out, searching the entire ruin and the surrounding mountains.

What they found made everyone's expression change drastically.

The mountainside was littered with demonic footprints, traces of residual demonic aura, traps made of bloodworms, fragments of disassembled evil arrays, and foliage contaminated and decaying from lingering corruption…

Looking out, the signs stretched across the whole mountain range.

Even Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia felt a chill down their spines.

The number of demon cultivators had far exceeded their original estimate. Many of them had even been Golden Core-level devils.

This wasn't just a simple ambush.

This had been a full-scale encirclement and extermination operation aimed at the Dao-Ting Division.

If fighting had broken out last night, the chances of survival would've been slim to none. In the face of such a cruel and overwhelming assault, living through it would've been nearly impossible.

Everyone felt a powerful wave of gratitude—to have survived.

But at the same time, their confusion only deepened.

Why?

Why had they gone through all the trouble of setting up the ambush… only to suddenly retreat?

The Demon Sect was known for merciless slaughter. Mercy and withdrawal weren't their style.

Gu Changhuai furrowed his brow.

Everyone continued to search the surrounding area—but found nothing more.

It was as if the Demon Sect had quietly surrounded them… and then quietly left, doing nothing more than putting on a show.

They came quietly.

They left quietly.

And they didn't take a single life.

"Why?"

No one could make sense of it.

Gu Changhuai didn't understand either.

After another hour of fruitless searching, Magistrate Xia sighed and said,

"It's getting late. Let's return to the Dao-Ting Division and investigate later."

"Mm." Gu Changhuai nodded.

So the group packed up and headed back.

The journey was bumpy, but they made it back safely.

By late afternoon, they arrived at the Dao-Ting Division of Qianxue State.

Mission complete. Though they had gained nothing, no one had died—and under the circumstances, that was a miracle.

Magistrate Xia also returned the sealed storage rings to everyone.

This was standard Dao-Ting protocol.

For critical missions, to prevent information leaks, all personal belongings except mission-related gear and pills were confiscated beforehand.

Now, Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia finally got their storage rings back.

Still preoccupied with the Demon Sect mystery, their minds were heavy. They only gave their rings a cursory check—nothing more.

Until they saw it.

Inside the storage ring— the message talisman.

The one with a message from Mo Hua, sent the day before:

"Uncle Gu—the Demon Sect's informant has been exposed."

"Uncle Gu—be careful of the Demon Sect's ambush…"

"Uncle Gu…"

Gu Changhuai felt a sudden chill across his scalp.

The message had been sent yesterday, just before they walked into the ambush.

Which meant—Mo Hua already knew!

Mo Hua, who never left the Great Void Sect and rarely left his room… had known before any of them, that the Demon Sect had orchestrated a large-scale operation.

He had known that they were walking into a death trap.

And he had even warned them in advance.

Gu Changhuai was stunned—and deeply shaken.

How…? How had Mo Hua known?

He turned toward Magistrate Xia, who was also holding a message talisman, eyes trembling—she, too, had received a similar message from Mo Hua. And she, too, was in shock.

"Mo Hua…?" she murmured, disbelief written on her face. "If he knew… then doesn't that mean—?"

At that moment, they both had the same absurd, almost impossible thought:

Mo Hua knew about this in advance. He was the only one who knew in advance.

Then the Demon Sect laid the ambush… Halfway through the encirclement—they suddenly withdrew.

Could it be…

Could it be that Mo Hua did something behind the scenes—forcing all those demon cultivators to abandon their operation and retreat unwillingly?

The thought was absurd.

At first, both Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia instinctively dismissed it as impossible.

But the more they considered Mo Hua's usual unpredictable, even bizarre behavior, the more waves of shock surged in their hearts…

Inside the Great Void Sect.

Mo Hua, at this moment, was crazy busy.

The moment he sent out the message about the "mole," he began working through the night to erase magnetic rune traces—preparing to "run."

Of course, he wasn't literally running away.

He was meticulously wiping out all evidence he had left inside the Primordial Magnetic Array foundation of the Demon Sect—lest those demonic freaks sniff something out.

First, he reverted all the preset magnetic runes he had tampered with using the Thunder-Magnetic Puppet.

Then, steeling himself, he disabled the entrance to the secondary array, severing all connections to the Primordial Magnetic Sea.

After that, he altered the identity of "Chi Fei," the Demon Sect disciple he had been impersonating, turning him back into a regular, totally unremarkable sect member.

Every permission he had previously unlocked through rune manipulation—revoked.

Even the Demon Token was reset to a "sealed" state.

Once he'd erased all traces, Mo Hua withdrew the Thunder-Magnetic Puppet, tossed the token back into his Storage Ring, and resumed normal life like nothing had happened—attending lessons, cultivating, practicing swordplay.

As for what would happen next…

That wasn't his problem.

Still, deep down, he felt uneasy.

What if they found out?

What if the Demon Sect tracked him down?

Mo Hua froze briefly… then suddenly realized—he was overthinking.

Right now, he was a disciple of the Great Void Sect, ranked third among the Eight Major Sects, safely nestled in the heart of Mount Taixu.

Mount Taixu was guarded by Hollow Void elders. The Sect Master himself was in the Spirit Ascension Realm.

As for Golden Core-level elders who were on friendly terms with him?

He'd long since lost count.

What was he afraid of?

A few measly… no, just ten or so Golden Core demon cultivators?

If he were outside, sure—he might've had to play it low-key, dodge them if needed.

But here in the Great Void Sect?

They wouldn't even need a Hollow Void elder to handle them—one sword from any Ascension-level elder would chop them all down like weeds.

Mo Hua's spine straightened with sudden confidence.

He had backers now. Real ones.

Two days later, unable to suppress his curiosity, he secretly opened the Demon Token and "logged back in."

And promptly discovered—he'd been blacklisted.

Apparently, the Demon Sect had noticed something was off and had deactivated the token's identity.

Mo Hua's heart sank.

"What the hell!? I only used this thing once and they already banned me?"

"I'm not even done playing with it yet…"

"Gotta think of something…"

Desperate, Mo Hua summoned the Thunder-Magnetic Puppet again and let it infiltrate the token.

He wasn't afraid of getting caught.

Worst-case scenario? He'd just smash the token and chuck it off a cliff behind Mount Taixu.

Once the Thunder-Magnetic Puppet slipped into the token, Mo Hua saw it clearly:

All the magnetic runes had dimmed.

No information could be transmitted.

Access status: Terminated.

The token had officially been scrapped.

Mo Hua frowned.

"Seriously? This Demon Sect is so petty. One mistake and they're like—'DELETED!'"

"Fine, you don't want to play… but I still do!"

"So… now what?"

He paced, then began to analyze the token's structure using his thunder-magnetic expertise and everything Elder Zheng had taught him about lightning-based array theory.

After several attempts, a plan began to take shape.

The token was still physically in his possession—so the Demon Sect couldn't "destroy" it directly.

Instead, they must have cut its connection from their end—severing it from the Primordial Magnetic Array by deleting its identity sequence.

Every Demon Token had a unique magnetic sequence embedded in its structure, used to verify its identity and link it to the core array.

It was the same principle Mo Hua had learned when studying the Grade-1 "Twelve-Rune Spirit Hub Absolute Array."

So when the Demon Sect voided his identity, they'd simply deleted that sequence. Without it, even if he restored "Transmitted Disciple" permissions, the token still couldn't reconnect to the magnetic sea.

"In other words… if I change the magnetic sequence, I should be able to reconnect..."

"But… where is that sequence? And how do I change it?"

With great patience, Mo Hua combed through the entire structure of the token from start to finish.

Five passes later, he finally found it.

A deeply buried, highly complex, seemingly meaningless—but extremely intricate—specialized Primordial Magnetic Pattern.

"There it is!"

The sequence rune.

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

Then he frowned.

"But how do I modify it? And into what?"

The magnetic sequence wasn't meant to do anything functional—it was purely an identifier.

Which meant… it was complex on purpose.

He didn't have any samples of valid Demon Sect sequences to copy either.

So…

He'd have to wing it.

"Let's see if this blind cat can catch a dead rat."

Fortunately, Mo Hua had studied spiritual arrays and knew that sequences like these usually followed logical derivations for ease of management.

If he could just "forge" one that looked valid—it might work.

Still, it wouldn't be easy.

So Mo Hua called on his profound knowledge of array theory and his razor-sharp intuition, and began attempting to fabricate a new sequence based on the old one.

Each time he forged a sequence, he tested it—seeing if the Thunder-Magnetic Puppet could reestablish a connection to the Primordial Magnetic Array.

Bit by bit, trial after trial…

From all angles, all directions, all structures—

After fifty attempts, he finally hit the jackpot.

One forged sequence succeeded.

Mo Hua used that forged sequence to reconnect to the Demon Sect's magnetic array.

In an instant, the array resonated.

Secondary thunder currents surged.

Dimmed magnetic runes flared back to life.

A new Thunder-Magnetic interface opened—streams of ordered yet chaotic Primordial Magnetism roared through like a river in flood.

Countless pieces of demonic information flooded into Mo Hua's mind once more.

He couldn't help but smile, eyes glowing.

"It worked!"

"I'm back, baby!"

Even after being blacklisted, he'd still managed to break back in—with pure skill and sheer brilliance.

"This token isn't done yet. I can still have fun with it…"

Mo Hua's heart began to stir with excitement.

And as he stared at the overwhelming magnetic data before him, a bold, dangerous thought quietly crept into his mind:

"If I secretly take control of the Primordial Magnetic Array using the Thunder-Magnetic Puppet…"

"Then even the games these Golden Core devils are playing… might just be my game now."