Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 906: The Mastermind

As Mo Hua quietly forged magnetic rune sequences and infiltrated the lower levels of the Demon Sect's Primordial Magnetic Formation without anyone noticing…

Within the Demon Sect — Secret Chamber

Before a massive blood pool, two Golden Core demon cultivators were deep in discussion.

One wore a black robe, thin in build, eyes gleaming with cunning. His right arm bore the three-rank Four Symbols "Dog Rune." With a respectful tone, he reported to the towering Demon Sect leader seated above — a figure as imposing as a mountain of flesh and shadow.

"Big Brother, the matter has been thoroughly investigated…"

"The one who sent the message erased the magnetic rune and masked their identity through unknown means. Not a single trace was left afterward. But if they could transmit a message, they must have had a Demon Sect Token."

"Demon Sect tokens are confidential, and the Primordial Magnetic Arrays are sealed systems. Outsiders should have no way to obtain one."

"But during our recent pursuit by the Dao Court Division, we lost some men, and a few sect tokens went missing."

"Those tokens most likely fell into the hands of the Dao Court… or someone else."

"So I ordered a full count of the sect tokens — all missing ones have been destroyed."

"Better late than never. While the messenger hasn't been identified yet, this hidden risk has been dealt with. However…" The Dog Rune cultivator frowned. "I fear this matter isn't so simple…"

The Demon Sect leader's scarlet pupils glanced coldly at him, gesturing for him to continue.

The Dog Rune cultivator lowered his voice and said:

"Most of the missing tokens belonged to regular disciples — at best, people of the Blood Scroll or Transmission ranks. Tokens at that level shouldn't be capable of accessing high-level sect intelligence or anonymously transmitting messages…"

"Therefore, it's more likely that the person who sent the message is someone still embedded within the Demon Sect. Even if they aren't at Golden Core stage, they're definitely peak Foundation Establishment, and highly trusted."

"This person is very likely the true mole the Dao Court placed inside our Demon Sect!"

He paused, then continued:

"I've also reviewed the ambush from a few days ago. The Dao Court didn't have an ambush prepared — they were completely caught off guard."

"If we'd struck then, we could've wiped out all those Dao Court lackeys."

"This mole must've found out about it too — but too late. They couldn't warn the others in time, so they had no choice but to send out that public 'exposure' message, even at the risk of revealing themselves."

"Otherwise, during that blood banquet, not a single Dao Court cultivator would've left alive!"

The Demon Sect leader's eyes blazed with fury. With a monstrous hand, he smashed the stone table beside him into powder.

The Dog Rune cultivator flinched inwardly, paused in thought, then said cautiously, "Still… in a way, this is a blessing in disguise."

The Demon Sect leader turned to look at him.

The Dog Rune cultivator's eyes gleamed. "If this hadn't happened, we never would've known that a mole was hiding so deeply inside the sect! And to this extent — it's almost unbelievable!"

"He saved the Dao Court's lackeys… but in doing so, he exposed himself!"

The Demon Sect leader's gaze narrowed, his voice thick and monstrous, like a beast growling:

"Say nothing of this to others. Investigate in secret. If I find out who the mole is…"

"I'll tear them apart limb from limb, grind their bones, and devour them whole."

"Yes, sir," the Dog Rune cultivator bowed.

The Demon Sect leader opened his mouth to say more, but suddenly his expression twisted. Waves of demonic qi surged from his body. His aura turned savage, bestial roars faintly echoing around him as if invisible monsters were circling, ready to devour.

The Dog Rune cultivator's eyes filled with fear. He immediately cupped his hands and said:

"Big Brother, I won't disturb you further."

The Demon Sect leader grunted lowly, unable to form human speech as he wrestled with his growing bloodlust. The Dog Rune cultivator didn't hesitate — he turned and swiftly sealed the chamber as he left.

Inside the stone room, the leader was now alone. No longer able to suppress it, his black robe shattered, revealing a twisted and grotesque body.

He stepped toward the blood pool, like a beast of blood and flesh.

The dark crimson blood soaked into his flesh.

His muscles pulsed and writhed, hungrily devouring the blood around him. As the blood seeped into him, bluish-black markings began to appear across his back.

They looked like a long serpent — scaled, clawed like an eagle, with horns and whiskers — exuding regal majesty.

A dragon.

A Four Symbols Blood-Colored Azure Dragon.

This Azure Dragon formation, dyed in blood, was etched into his back and fused with his flesh, continuously empowering him. His meridians and bones brimmed with terrifying strength.

Great Void Sect

In the following days, Mo Hua remained diligent as ever. Whenever he had free time, he used the Thunder-Magnetic Puppet to infiltrate Demon Sect tokens and extract intelligence.

He had now mastered the art of forging magnetic rune sequences — using the Demon Sect token like a "resurrected corpse," slipping into the lowest levels of their Primordial Magnetic Network as a completely fabricated identity — like a ghost drifting unseen through the sea of Demon Sect information.

As he grew more adept with the Thunder-Magnetic Puppet, his understanding of thunder-magnetic principles deepened, and his comprehension of the Primordial Magnetic system became increasingly complete.

The more skilled he became, the more intelligence he uncovered.

Every useful bit of stolen intel, he copied into a separate jade slip — know thy enemy, and you'll never be defeated.

These pieces of intelligence were the chips in his long-term strategy.

But intelligence alone wasn't enough.

When laying out a plan, you couldn't just collect information — someone had to execute it. Otherwise, it was nothing but empty theory.

The problem was — Mo Hua was stuck on Taixu Mountain, busy with training, and couldn't act personally.

And even if he could act, what could a Foundation Establishment cultivator do against Golden Core opponents?

"No chess pieces…"

Mo Hua frowned and muttered to himself.

He had been thinking about this problem for several days.

Then, on one of his rest days, while fiddling with the Thunder-Magnetic Puppet, a sudden vibration came from his message talisman.

A message from Gu Changhuai — inviting him to a meal.

Mo Hua blinked in surprise. After a moment's thought, he accepted.

"Skipping meals is a sign of brain damage," he quipped inwardly.

Besides, Uncle Gu was the one inviting — it was definitely going to be a feast.

Mo Hua replied simply: "Alright!"

He toyed with the puppet a bit longer, studied some array theory, and as noon approached, he started feeling hungry. He packed up and headed for the Great Void City.

Knowing Mo Hua was busy with cultivation, Gu Changhuai picked a location nearby — the grandest restaurant in the city.

Its name? The Great Void Dining Pavilion.

Elegant and antique in design, it specialized in traditional gourmet dishes. Gu Changhuai, rich as ever, ordered an entire table's worth.

When Mo Hua arrived, he noticed Magistrate Xia was already there too.

He looked at her, then at Gu Changhuai, and asked in confusion:

"Uncle Gu, Sister Xia, you're both treating me? Did something good happen?"

Magistrate Xia paused.

Gu Changhuai rolled his eyes. "What are you thinking? Just eat."

"Oh." Mo Hua nodded.

During the meal, Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia barely ate. They mostly just watched Mo Hua eat. Mo Hua didn't hold back — he dug in happily.

The sect's food wasn't bad, but it was made for disciples — not extravagant or luxurious. Every spirit stone counted.

But this was free food — and fancy free food — so he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

After a while, cheeks stuffed, Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and asked:

"Uncle Gu, you guys inviting me to a meal… was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Gu Changhuai hesitated, unsure how to begin.

After a pause, Magistrate Xia asked, "Mo Hua, was it you who sent the message using the talisman?"

She didn't specify what message — but everyone at the table knew.

Mo Hua answered calmly, "Yes, it was me."

Both Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia froze in surprise.

After a moment, Magistrate Xia frowned and asked, "How did you even know what was happening in the Demon Sect…?"

Mo Hua still answered calmly, "Can't say."

"And their retreat afterwards…?"

Mo Hua just shook his head without explaining.

Gu Changhuai and Magistrate Xia exchanged a look.

Mo Hua hadn't spelled it out, but they had their suspicions — and were both still in disbelief. How did he know the Demon Sect's plans? And what methods did he use to deceive them… even issue a false command to unravel a massacre-in-the-making?

Still, if Mo Hua didn't want to reveal certain things, they couldn't press too hard.

Whatever the case, he had saved their lives.

Magistrate Xia raised her cup, her graceful face serious. "Great kindness needs no thanks. Mo Hua, I toast you."

Gu Changhuai said nothing but also lifted his cup.

Some things didn't need to be said — they'd be remembered in the heart.

Mo Hua smiled. "We're all friends here. No need to be so formal."

Still, he raised his cup and clinked it with theirs — acknowledging their gratitude.

Mo Hua wasn't one for excessive modesty. He had done something good. They were grateful. And that made him genuinely happy.

Mo Hua wasn't the kind of person to fuss about appearances. He had done a good deed, and others were grateful—he felt happy about that, plain and simple.

After drinking, Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice and said,

"Uncle Gu, Sister Xia… do you want to deal with the Demon Sect?"

The two froze in surprise.

Xia Dian-Si nodded firmly.

"Naturally. As members of the Dao Court Division, it's our duty to eradicate those demonic cultivators completely—down to the roots!"

"That's good," Mo Hua said in a hushed tone.

"Since we're so familiar with each other, I won't hide this—I do have a way, and a channel, to obtain intelligence on the Demon Sect. I can't reveal the source, but it's highly reliable…"

After all, this information came from inside the Demon Sect. In fact, even most Demon Sect disciples didn't know as much as he did.

Mo Hua coaxed them:

"Sister Xia, if you and Uncle Gu can promise to keep this confidential and not reveal me, I'll give you the intel. Then you'll be able to eliminate the Demon Sect and purge the demonic plague from Ganxue Province."

Xia Dian-Si was tempted, but puzzled.

"But if you give us this info… what do you get in return?"

Mo Hua answered righteously:

"Everyone has a duty to destroy evil and protect the Dao!"

"I'm a disciple of the Great Void Sect, a descendant of one of the Eight Great Sects. I should uphold our teachings—with righteousness in my heart, purging evil without expecting anything in return!"

Xia Dian-Si was stunned by his sincerity.

She hadn't expected that Mo Hua—so gentle, handsome, and kind—would speak such bold, righteous words, burning with hatred for evil. Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover…

Only Gu Changhuai, sitting to the side, quietly sighed.

Xia Dian-Si, moved by Mo Hua's conviction, looked resolute.

"Good. You provide the intel, we'll kill the demon cultivators. We'll completely wipe out the Demon Sect that feeds on human blood and plagues this land!"

Mo Hua couldn't help but nod.

Then he hesitated, pretending to be troubled.

"But… there's one problem."

Xia Dian-Si asked,

"What is it?"

Mo Hua said,

"Sister Xia, do you remember last time, when a demon cultivator self-detonated his Golden Core and Uncle Gu was seriously injured?"

She nodded.

"Uncle Gu's injuries—his body was damaged, yes, but the most dangerous part was the 'Evil Spirit' parasitizing those demon cultivators."

"Evil spirit…" Xia Dian-Si's expression turned serious.

Although the Xia family was prestigious in Dao Province and had records of such beings, they rarely appeared in their domain. Nobles like her, raised under strong family protection, rarely encountered such twisted and eerie things—she had little real experience.

The same applied to Gu Changhuai.

Previously, Ganxue Province had been peaceful. Evil spirits lurked, but rarely caused major trouble. Only recently, with the coming of dark schemes from ancient evil gods, monsters stirred, and with Mo Hua—the walking storm—stirring things up, did strange events start erupting.

Even Gu Changhuai, a skeptic before, had experienced firsthand what it felt like when an evil spirit invaded the mind. Now he believed.

"Evil spirits… what should we do?" Xia Dian-Si asked Mo Hua.

She knew it had been Mo Hua who helped resolve Gu Changhuai's incident.

On the surface, Mo Hua looked like a mere Foundation Establishment disciple, weak in cultivation. But when it came to cultivation knowledge—especially arrays and esoteric matters—he was deep as an abyss.

Mo Hua pretended to think, then said seriously:

"I've come up with a method we could try…"

"When we capture a Golden Core demonic cultivator, we must kill them immediately—otherwise, if they release the evil spirit, it could pollute others' divine sense. That would be a disaster."

"But we also can't just kill them casually. Once they die, the evil spirit will lose its host and escape to find another. If another cultivator gets possessed, they'll become the spirit's puppet—like Uncle Gu last time."

At this, Gu Changhuai twitched, clearly not fond of remembering that.

Xia Dian-Si's heart also tightened.

"So…"

Mo Hua took out a yellowed, timeworn ancient scroll, and said solemnly:

"This scroll is a divine artifact passed to me by a senior—it can seal evil spirits."

"When capturing a Golden Core demonic cultivator, you must cripple their limbs first so they can't resist. Then cover their head—especially their divine sense—with this scroll. Then you kill them."

"This way, when they die and the evil spirit escapes, it'll be drawn into the scroll and sealed within."

"But—this scroll is strange. Very strange. Never open it. And absolutely do not look at it with your bare eyes."

Because what lies within… is even worse than the evil spirits.

Mo Hua silently added in his heart.

This scroll came from the corpse-refining Zhang clan of Nanyue City in Lizhou. Mo Hua had obtained it during the Corpse King chaos. It was a visualization scroll—the ancestral chart of the Zhang family—housing the vengeful spirits of their entire bloodline.

Later, Mo Hua devoured all their ancestors and repurposed the scroll to contain the Five Elemental Source Runes from the Five Elements Sect. So the karma tied to this scroll was deep. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to use it.

But this was such a time.

He had nothing else that could temporarily contain divine remains.

No risk, no reward. The Demon Sect had to be dealt with.

Xia Dian-Si carefully took the scroll. As her fingers brushed it, she felt its ancient aura and the faint, unsettling pressure it exuded. Her expression turned solemn. She knew—this artifact was no ordinary thing.

And the fact that Mo Hua trusted them enough to lend it showed his open heart and iron resolve to fight evil.

She then asked,

"After sealing the evil spirit with this… what next?"

"Just give the scroll back to me." Mo Hua said.

"To you?" Xia Dian-Si frowned.

"Wouldn't that be dangerous? The spirit is inside…"

"It's fine. I can eat—"

"…Eat?"

"What I mean is," Mo Hua quickly corrected himself, "I can handle it. Sooner or later."

Xia Dian-Si gave him a skeptical look.

Mo Hua said,

"I have the Great Void Mountain's old ancestor behind me. As long as I perform the proper rituals—bathe, burn incense, open the altar—I can purify the evil spirit. It won't be a problem."

Xia Dian-Si nodded.

The name of the Great Void Ancestor carried weight. She had no reason to doubt.

Thus, the deal was made.

Mo Hua would provide the intel. The Dao Court would strike, slay the demonic Golden Core cultivators, seal the spirits, and hand the sealed scrolls to Mo Hua.

All clearly laid out.

Before they parted, Mo Hua specifically reminded them:

"Uncle Gu, Sister Xia—this must stay secret. Don't tell anyone about me."

"And this scroll—also must remain confidential. No one can know. And never ever open it or try to look inside…"

Mo Hua's expression was dead serious.

Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian-Si, understanding the stakes, nodded gravely.

With full bellies and the plan settled—

Mo Hua returned to the Great Void Sect and began searching for prey.

He needed a test subject—a fall guy—to verify if this whole process would actually work. He continued lurking in the Demon Sect's magnetic sea, fishing for information and listening to the winds.

Two days later—he found a lead.

A Golden Core demonic cultivator, early-stage, ranked seventh among the Demon Sect's Golden Cores. Real name unknown. Referred to as: "Crane Seventh."

Crane Seventh was lustful and cultivated blood-based techniques, along with dual cultivation methods. He was notoriously depraved—he liked to take married men as disciples, pass them Blood Lotus Arts, and then prey on their wives. Sometimes all three would be in bed together, as he drained their blood and yin energy at once.

His preferences were… hard to describe.

Mo Hua didn't really get it. But perverts were easier to bait. And kill.

Mo Hua dug through everything on "Crane Seventh," mapped out his daily routine, and compiled it into a report for Gu Changhuai.

Because this Crane Seventh was such a notorious weirdo, people gossiped about him often, so plenty of info was available. Summarizing it was fairly easy.

Mo Hua compiled the data, made his plan, and sent it all to Uncle Gu via the message talisman.

After that, he returned to his routine—classes, cultivation, sword practice, and array drawing—no different from any other sect disciple.

But behind the scenes…

The operation to hunt and eliminate the Demon Sect's Golden Core "Crane Seventh" was already underway.

The Dao Court began rallying forces, laying traps, and setting ambushes.

The hunt was now in full swing, tightening by the hour.

And among all the players involved, only Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian-Si knew the truth— That the one pulling the strings… Was Mo Hua, quietly cultivating on a mountaintop, never leaving the sect.

(End of this Chapter)