Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 907: Crane Seventh

Evening. The setting sun dipped below the horizon.

In a residential area for cultivators in Sanpin Banfeng City.

The Dao Court Division's cultivators had long since set up their arrays, laid out traps, and were lying in ambush throughout the surrounding area.

Gu Changhuai sat atop a nearby tall pavilion, his sharp gaze monitoring the movements of every cultivator along the entire street.

Beside him stood Xia Dian-Si, equally alert and cautious.

They were joined by another Golden Core-ranking Dian-Si, a field officer temporarily transferred in from a neighboring Sanpin Immortal City outside Ganxue Province.

This Dian-Si was named Fan Jin—a tall, burly man with a face full of scraggly beard, known for wielding a pair of iron warhammers and being a battle-hardened body cultivator.

He was the same Golden Core officer who had previously been caught in a Demon Sect ambush alongside Gu Changhuai, but had managed to escape thanks to Mo Hua's interference.

From the vantage point of the high pavilion, the three watched for a long time—yet no one appeared.

Fan Jin whispered,

"Is this intel really reliable?"

Gu Changhuai touched the message talisman at his side.

The talisman contained Mo Hua's detailed report—thorough and precise.

Gu Changhuai nodded.

"At the first quarter of the xū hour (around 7:15 p.m.), Crane Seventh will disguise himself as a traveling physician, walk down South Street, loop around, and by the third quarter of the xū hour (about 7:45 p.m.), arrive at the northernmost house—third from the right, with a red banner hanging at the door."

"Once inside, Crane Seventh will first dual cultivate, then drink blood, and finally pass on a cultivation technique..."

This was confidential intel from Mo Hua—known only to Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian-Si until now. Fan Jin, as an external officer, had just been informed.

He blinked and asked in disbelief,

"This intel is that detailed? Even the minute-by-minute schedule? What, did some fortune-teller divine this or something?"

Gu Changhuai fell silent.

Honestly, at this point, Mo Hua really was like some kind of fortune-teller.

"Oh, right." Gu Changhuai recalled Mo Hua's instructions and added,

"That Crane Seventh is skilled in demonic arts and is extremely troublesome. His body carries dark corruption—you can't not kill him, but you also can't kill him just any way. We'll need your help, Dian-Si Fan, to get in close and cripple his limbs first."

Of the three, only Fan Jin was a pure body cultivator. This task naturally fell to him.

Fan Jin nodded,

"Don't worry. I get it. I'll do my best."

Gu Changhuai nodded back.

Fan Jin glanced sideways at Gu Changhuai, clearly holding something back.

Noticing this, Gu Changhuai said,

"Dian-Si Fan, if you have something to say, just say it."

Fan Jin looked again at Xia Dian-Si, hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and asked in a low voice:

"Dian-Si Gu, I just want to ask… If I do well in this Demon Sect raid, is there any chance I could transfer from the Dao Court Division of Lone Mountain City to Ganxue Province?"

Gu Changhuai was caught off guard, then frowned slightly.

"It doesn't have to be Ganxue Province," Fan Jin said quickly.

"Any other Sanpin province would do..."

Gu Changhuai asked,

"You don't want to stay in Lone Mountain City?"

Of course not. Who the hell wants to stay in that godforsaken wasteland... Fan Jin muttered inwardly, but instead sighed and explained:

"Strictly speaking, as a Dian-Si of the Dao Court, serving anywhere should be the same. But my circumstances are a little… special."

"Lone Mountain City is desolate, and sparsely populated. I've got all this strength and nowhere to use it. I want to work hard and move up, but there's just no room for that there."

"Now that we're fighting the Demon Sect, Ganxue Province needs people. If I could transfer here, it would give me a chance, and I'd definitely give it my all."

"It's just… I have no family background, no connections. I don't know anyone high up in the Dao Court, and I don't even really understand how things work behind the scenes. I don't know what level of merit I'd need—not even asking for a promotion, just a reassignment."

He gave a bitter smile.

It was a bit self-serving, but at least it was honest.

Gu Changhuai didn't take offense.

Though proud and cold by nature, he wasn't heartless. He knew how hard it was for someone without power or background to climb the ranks.

Seeking a better future within the rules was only human.

Gu Changhuai thought for a moment, then said:

"There is precedent for this within the Dao Court. But such transfers often require connections and negotiations, so it's not easy and can't be treated as a standard path."

"But while promotion may be hard, transferring isn't as difficult. If you do well this time, you can file an application—then the vice division heads and division head will make the decision."

"That said, the Dao Court is a huge bureaucracy, full of politics, so whether it'll go through or not is anyone's guess. Still, it's definitely a potential route forward."

"As long as there's a chance, I'm grateful…" Fan Jin nodded repeatedly and bowed.

"Thank you, Dian-Si Gu, for your advice."

Gu Changhuai returned the gesture.

"No need to thank me."

Fan Jin breathed a small sigh of relief, feeling a bit more hopeful.

Xia Dian-Si, for her part, ignored their exchange completely. She hadn't spoken a word since they began, her attention fully locked on the street.

Fan Jin took the hint and didn't say more, refocusing and keeping watch on the corner below—though inwardly, he couldn't stop thinking.

"If I can just transfer out of Lone Mountain City…"

"I have to get out of there…"

His gaze carried a faint hint of fear.

The group fell silent, fully focused on the operation.

As the sun disappeared and the xū hour approached, a figure in a physician's robe appeared at the street corner—right on schedule.

He was tall and lean, with snow-white hair under a bamboo hat that shaded his face. Several gourds of pills hung on his back.

Just as Mo Hua had said, he strolled down South Street, took a turn, and by the third quarter of the xū hour, entered the house with the red banner hanging outside.

Everything matched Gu Changhuai's report—down to the minute.

Fan Jin glanced at the man, then turned to Gu Changhuai.

"Who exactly did you guys plant inside the Demon Sect? A damn Elder? This intel's unreal..."

Even Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian-Si were briefly stunned.

It was… that precise?

They couldn't help but wonder—how did Mo Hua get this information?

If they didn't know him so well, they'd honestly suspect he was an Elder in the Demon Sect...

But this wasn't the time to dwell on it.

Gu Changhuai saw Crane Seventh enter the red-bannered house and ordered grimly:

"Close the net."

Fan Jin shook off his distractions, his eyes growing sharp.

This was his chance. He had to perform well.

All around, Dao Court officers drew their blades, quietly converging on the target house. Though they couldn't match a Golden Core demon in strength, they could form formation arrays to block escape routes.

The arrays began activating one by one. The traps had already been laid.

Gu Changhuai, Xia Dian-Si, and Fan Jin formed a triangle around the house—but they didn't act yet.

Because Mo Hua had mentioned: Crane Seventh's demonic art had a flaw. When activating it, his blood Qi would reverse flow through specific acupoints—Quchi and Neiguan—causing pain in the Qi Sea. He needed to dual cultivate with a woman to relieve the pain.

During this time, his Qi would be disrupted and his strength drastically reduced.

Gu Changhuai mentally counted the time. Estimating that Crane Seventh was mid-act, overwhelmed by lust and unable to focus, he suddenly launched his attack and smashed through the door.

Inside the cramped house were three people:

A man and a woman—husband and wife—and Crane Seventh.

The man was one of Crane Seventh's disciples, and the woman was his wife.

The man guarded the door while his wife "served" Crane Seventh inside.

He offered up his own wife to please the Golden Core elder in hopes of reducing the amount of blood he had to offer, and keeping more for his own cultivation.

The wife, too, wished to cozy up to a powerful elder, so she gladly gave her body in exchange.

Such depravity wasn't surprising—once someone became a demonic cultivator, all sense of shame, morality, and humanity eventually eroded.

Still, Gu Changhuai and the others felt slightly nauseated.

Crane Seventh was naked, wriggling like some kind of meat worm. When he saw the intruders, he panicked, hurriedly grabbed a robe, wrapped himself up, and tried to flee.

But it was too late.

Gu Changhuai had already drawn his feather fan, releasing a blade of cyan wind that flew like a streak of light straight for Crane Seventh's neck.

Crane Seventh had no time to dodge—he grabbed the woman and used her as a shield.

Still entangled with him and dizzy with lust, the woman didn't realize what was happening before the wind blade sliced her head clean off.

Blood sprayed like rain, splattering the entire room.

The blade continued on, slashing toward Crane Seventh's neck—but was slowed slightly by the obstruction, giving him just enough time to shift his body.

The blade missed his throat, grazed his shoulder, and carved out a massive chunk of flesh.

Crane Seventh cried out in pain, cursing:

"You f—cking—!"

Before he could finish, a flash of cold light streaked toward him.

Xia Dian-Si stepped forward, short sword in hand, chilling frost coalescing around her. The way she looked at Crane Seventh was as if he were a rotting corpse—utter disgust. She held nothing back.

The icy short sword shot directly toward Crane Seventh's heart meridian.

Crane Seventh was aghast and hastily tried to circulate his blood Qi. But his dual cultivation had been interrupted midway, and the backlash of his technique had not yet subsided. As a result, he couldn't even form a proper protective blood Qi shield. At best, he managed a thin layer of blood light over his heart.

The blue-white sword glow pierced through it effortlessly, icy sword Qi surging into his heart and lungs, freezing his blood from within.

Fortunately, the blow was slightly off-target and didn't completely destroy his heart meridian—but it was enough to freeze his flesh and blood stiff, rendering him immobile for the moment.

This was a clash between Golden Core cultivators—swift as lightning, changing by the instant.

By the time the Foundation Establishment disciple in the room processed what had happened, his Golden Core "master" was already gravely wounded, blood splattered everywhere—and his wife, naked, had been decapitated.

"Yanzi!"

He howled in agony, eyes bloodshot, voice tearing with grief.

"You killed my Dao companion! I'll make you—!"

Before he could finish, Fan Jin sent him flying with a brutal kick. The man smashed into the wall, several bones breaking in the impact, and collapsed, unconscious.

Fan Jin didn't waste a breath. With a fluid motion, he hefted his two iron hammers and swung them straight for Crane Seventh's skull.

On the brink of death, Crane Seventh dared not hold back. Strange markings appeared across his body—a blood-red celestial crane.

As the demonic tattoo surfaced, the blood crane let out a shriek, and demonic energy surged wildly.

Using the power of the blood crane sigil, Crane Seventh forcibly suppressed the icy energy in his body. Then, with a graceful leap—like a crane spreading its wings—he burst through the roof and escaped the triangular encirclement.

The crane sigil made him light as a feather, able to move like flying over grass or snow without leaving a trace.

Though Golden Core cultivators couldn't fly outright, with the aid of the blood crane sigil, Crane Seventh could leap several zhang into the air—far more agile than most of his level.

But the moment he broke through the rooftop, the surrounding array patterns flashed. A golden net of light fell upon him, completely enveloping him.

Crane Seventh's fingers turned into blood claws, slashing apart the net.

But that moment of delay was all it took. Gu Changhuai and the others were already upon him again, giving him no breathing room, pressing in with relentless force.

Fan Jin charged in first, iron hammers whistling through the air. Fueled by ambition to make a name for himself, he fought with full force—no hesitation, no holding back.

Gu Changhuai bombarded him with wind blades. Xia Dian-Si harried him with icy sword strikes, mixing real attacks with feints, waiting for an opening.

Crane Seventh threw out everything he had—demonic talismans, magical treasures—nothing was spared.

But facing a fully prepared ambush by three Golden Core cultivators, Crane Seventh was overwhelmed. Everything about him had been predicted—he was entirely outmatched.

At last, realization dawned. He growled in fury:

"Who leaked the intel?!"

His movements, techniques, even his backup methods—all were known and countered in advance.

No matter how clever he was, today spelled only one word: death.

"Tell me who it was… Let me die with answers."

But this was no time for conversation.

Gu Changhuai and the others didn't respond—instead, they attacked even more viciously. Hammer blows thundered, wind blades slashed, and cold light shimmered in the air.

Within thirty rounds, Crane Seventh was on the brink of collapse, covered in wounds.

Realizing there was no escape, he went berserk. With a crazed glint in his eye, he bit his tongue, spewing blood to trigger the demonic will of his divine master—attempting to sacrifice his body and become a cursed puppet to drag Gu Changhuai and the others down with him.

But even this was within Mo Hua's calculations.

Gu Changhuai took out a Golden Bell Talisman and crushed it. A resonant tone rang out, sharp and disorienting.

Crane Seventh was momentarily dazed.

Fan Jin seized the chance. With a sudden leap, he closed in and unleashed a devastating "Tendon-Snapping, Bone-Shifting Hammer"—one hammer lifting Crane Seventh into the air, the other smashing him back down into the ground.

Bones shattered. Organs ruptured. Blood gushed from Crane Seventh's mouth.

His eyes bulged in fury,

"You... all... deserve—"

But his throat was sealed by Xia Dian-Si's blade—frost Qi locking his voice.

"Cripple his limbs," Gu Changhuai ordered.

Fan Jin did not hesitate. He swung both hammers, reducing Crane Seventh's arms and legs to pulp—completely disabling him.

Taking advantage of this, Gu Changhuai pulled out the treasure scroll Mo Hua had given him. In a blur of motion, he unfolded it and draped it over Crane Seventh's head.

Then he channeled his spiritual power into the scroll, forming blades of Qi that shredded Crane Seventh's heart meridian to pieces.

Crane Seventh died instantly.

But death was not peace.

As his life ebbed away, the demonic aura around him surged. Though his body was lifeless, it twitched like a corpse puppet—his limbs useless, but his head jerking wildly.

It was as if something terrifying within his dead flesh was slowly awakening—trying to leave his body and seek a new host.

Gu Changhuai's brow furrowed deeply, his expression grave.

Xia Dian-Si and Fan Jin were equally tense.

Thankfully, after a few tense moments, Crane Seventh's body finally fell still. The dreadful aura slowly faded—then disappeared entirely into the scroll.

Everyone let out a breath.

Fan Jin glanced at the corpse, then at the treasure scroll, recalling the eerie scene moments ago. He asked nervously:

"Dian-Si Gu, this scroll...?"

Gu Changhuai was silent for a moment, then replied quietly:

"It's a treasure given to me by a... 'highly esteemed master.' It seals demonic spirits."

"A highly esteemed master..."

Fan Jin immediately felt a wave of reverence.

He was still a bit hazy on the details, but Gu Changhuai came from a prestigious family and served as a Dian-Si in Ganxue Province—broad vision and deep knowledge. If he called someone a master, then there could be no mistake.

"As expected of Ganxue Province… so many hidden experts..."

Fan Jin sighed with admiration.

Gu Changhuai waited a while longer, confirming that Crane Seventh was truly dead and that there was no lingering disturbance. Then, cautiously, he sealed the scroll again.

His movements were swift and deliberate. Per Mo Hua's instructions, he didn't look directly at the scroll even once, nor did he let anyone else see it—lest disaster follow.

Crane Seventh was dead. The scroll was sealed.

The mission was complete.

Though the process had been a bit complicated, thanks to Mo Hua's absurdly accurate intel, everything had gone far smoother than expected. Many of their backup plans weren't even needed.

The Dao Court Division cultivators all felt the weight lift from their shoulders.

What followed was post-battle cleanup.

...

By the next day, Gu Changhuai personally visited the Great Void Sect, returning the sealed treasure scroll to Mo Hua.

"Everything went smoothly," Gu Changhuai said.

"Good," Mo Hua nodded.

Gu Changhuai hesitated for a long moment. Finally, in a quiet voice, he said:

"Thanks."

He clearly wanted to express gratitude, but his aloof nature made it hard to get the words out. The stiff, awkward way he finally forced himself to say it made Mo Hua find the whole thing quite amusing.

Mo Hua grinned and said cheerfully,

"No need to thank me!"

The Dao Court Division still had matters to attend to, so Gu Changhuai didn't linger. After handing over the scroll, he turned and left.

Mo Hua held the Five Elements Diagram in his hand and couldn't help but lick his lips.

After thinking briefly, he didn't return to the sect, but instead walked to a quiet, mist-shrouded hill near Mount Taixu.

The peak was secluded, surrounded by clouds, perfect for privacy.

Mo Hua set up a few simple formations, then opened the Five Elements Diagram.

The moment the scroll unfurled, a chilling, sinister aura surged out in panic, clearly terrified. It frantically searched for an escape route, and within moments, locked onto the only living being nearby—Mo Hua—and immediately dove into his sea of consciousness without hesitation.

Mo Hua had been "possessed."

Amidst the misty mountains, his face paled slightly, then he closed his eyes.

Within his consciousness, Mo Hua's divine sense manifested—and opened its eyes.

As soon as he did, he saw the "uninvited guest" that had barged into his mind.

Ram horns. Bull-like body. Ugly face. Two-legged posture. A body radiating ferocious demonic Qi.

A peak Second-Rank Divine Remnant.

This ox demon-like god-remnant had been trapped in that eerie scroll. When the scroll was opened, it panicked and fled in haste, choosing to dive into the sea of consciousness of… a "little brat"?

It was a peak second-rank being, a remnant soul of a mighty evil god. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators didn't have enough blood Qi or divine sense to even feed it properly.

Let alone a tiny brat in Foundation Establishment—not even close to enough food.

Still, since it had come, it might as well stay.

Given the circumstances, it would temporarily possess this body, drain it dry, then find a better host for parasitism later.

But then...

The horned ox demon sniffed the air—and its expression suddenly lit up with excitement.

This little brat's divine sense... it was so rich—

So rich it didn't even feel like Foundation Establishment—no, it didn't even feel human…

The ox demon froze mid-thought.

Didn't feel human?

It turned its head slowly and stared at Mo Hua.

In that moment, its eyes—deep brown and menacing—suddenly contracted sharply.

Mo Hua stared right back, calmly asking:

"Let me ask you something… Are all you Divine Remnants only second-rank?"

"You" Divine Remnants… Only second-rank?

The ox demon blinked in disbelief. Then fury welled up in its chest.

"Arrogant little brat! What gall! Do you even know what I am?!"

Mo Hua replied impatiently,

"I asked a question. Answer it."

The horned ox demon sneered,

"You damned brat, how dare you speak to me like that? You don't even—"

Before it could finish, the world spun around.

The next thing it knew, its perspective had tilted. Its face was pressed against the ground—and in front of it stood a familiar demonic bull body, pitch-black and terrifying… but missing a head.

The ox demon's pupils trembled violently.

That headless corpse… was me?!

And someone was stepping on its skull.

"If you won't answer, you're useless."

Mo Hua's voice was crisp as he stepped down. In his hand was a Broken Gold Sword, its blade sharp and unstained by blood.

The horned ox demon's expression twisted in horror.

Only now did it understand—the ancient existence in that scroll had been a monster.

And this seemingly tiny brat before him… was also a monster.

It had fled a wolf's den… only to land in a tiger's mouth.

"You dare—"

"I dare."

Mo Hua lost all patience. He stomped down, crushing the ox demon's head into a puddle of black water, evil mist rising.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he slashed out several golden sword beams, slicing the headless corpse to pieces. He summoned a Blazing Fire Array, burning everything to ash, and directly swallowed the refined evil intent into his body.

It was still early—the Heaven-Sealing Stele had not awakened, so there would be no heavenly tribulation to "sterilize" the evil will.

Thus, Mo Hua could only burn it for now and store the purified evil essence.

When midnight arrived, he'd borrow the power of tribulation lightning to completely erase the evil god's will—leaving behind only pure divine intent… and even purer divine marrow.

And with that… he'd have more marrow to consume.

Mo Hua was in a great mood. He carefully stowed away the Five Elements Diagram, then walked down the mountain path back to the Taixu Sect—light-footed, practically humming.

Once midnight came… He'd have another delicious feast.

And both his cultivation and the God-Slaying Sword would take another step forward.

(End of Chapter)