Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 912: Manipulation

In the following few operations against the Demon Sect, just as expected, the Dao Enforcement Division came up empty-handed every time—left with nothing but impotent fury.

Watching the Dao Enforcement Division be played like a fiddle, seeing Gu Changhuai's "rage" and frustration—this sense of accomplishment further solidified Elder You's belief:

There really is a traitor inside the Demon Sect leaking secrets to the Dao Enforcement Division.

And "Mister Yuan" was genuinely helping them intercept magnetic signals to protect their secrets.

Every piece of magnetic script that Mister Yuan provided had proven authentic.

The intel Elder You personally deciphered had never been wrong.

His trust in Mister Yuan only deepened—and with it, his desire to keep Mister Yuan in the Demon Sect forever. His attitude became warmer and more respectful.

Mo Hua knew—the timing was just right.

His "roleplay" had been a great success—possibly even more convincing than the original Mister Yuan.

That guy was already dead, and probably hadn't even earned half as much trust or popularity as Mo Hua now enjoyed.

Time for the next phase of the plan.

This time, he intended to kill with a borrowed knife—trap two Golden Core devil cultivators at once, and devour their divine marrow in one go.

That would be enough to break through to late Foundation Establishment.

But who to kill?

That… needed careful picking.

Mo Hua began scouting within the Demon Sect for suitable targets. But as he looked around, none seemed ideal.

The easy-to-kill ones had already been fed to the Dao Enforcement Division through his previous schemes.

Now, the remaining Golden Core cultivators were either deep in hiding, too senior, or had survived countless bloodbaths—their positions as elders rock solid.

These devil cultivators were all ruthless maniacs. Who knew what grudges or secrets lay between them?

Mo Hua wasn't arrogant enough to think a few weeks of eavesdropping had unraveled their tangled web of relationships.

A misstep in framing could easily blow up in his face.

So, after some serious thought, Mo Hua made a decision:

Let Elder You choose.

Since he couldn't safely pick one himself, why not toss the dilemma back to Elder You?

Let Elder You decide who he thought the "traitor" was.

"I just nudge him—I won't make the call. Whoever dies, I'll eat just the same. Divine marrow is divine marrow—I'm not picky."

With that, Mo Hua began messaging Elder You:

"After combing through the magnetic formation hundreds of times these past few days, I've finally found some clues…"

"The Thunder-Magnetic currents deep within the compound array appear to originate from a rare Thunder-Magnetic Array Disc."

"It's extremely well-hidden and hard to detect. However, operating it does require some foundation in array techniques."

"Also, its activity seems concentrated around midnight—specifically the zi hour."

Mo Hua served up just enough clues.

As expected, Elder You took them very seriously.

After thinking for a moment, he said:

"Mister Yuan, are you suggesting the traitor is an array master, or at least has some knowledge of formations?"

"And that they secretly transmit the sect's internal secrets to the Dao Enforcement Division via Thunder-Magnetic signals—around midnight each day?"

Mo Hua replied vaguely:

"That's a possibility…"

"But…" Elder You frowned, "Among our current elders, none specialize in formations…"

Mo Hua froze. That… was awkward.

Array masters were ideal scapegoats.

They were easy to isolate—and easy to kill.

That's why he deliberately dropped this hint—to steer Elder You in that direction.

But now he found out the Demon Sect didn't have a single array master among its elders?

What, no one wants to improve themselves? Is it so hard to pick up a formation book or two?

Mo Hua grumbled silently, then sighed:

"Then I may have misjudged."

Elder You fell quiet. Then, he said:

"Or maybe… not."

Mo Hua blinked.

Elder You mused aloud:

"Isn't it possible someone does know formations, but keeps it hidden so others won't suspect them?"

Mo Hua:

"That's… not impossible."

"But who would that be?" Elder You asked.

Mo Hua:

"That's an internal matter of your sect—I wouldn't know."

He made sure to stay clear of the crossfire.

Elder You pondered, then asked again:

"So the Thunder-Magnetic Disc—you're sure it requires formation expertise to operate? Couldn't an ordinary cultivator use it after some training?"

Mo Hua answered with deliberate authority:

"The disc is quite complex. Without basic knowledge, they wouldn't even be able to understand the runes. It's also fragile—if someone untrained were using it and it broke, they wouldn't know how to fix it."

He delivered the statement confidently and technically.

Elder You nodded:

"Well said, Mister Yuan."

Clearly, investigating formation users was the right move.

Then he frowned again:

"But there's something else… During the zi hour, our elders are usually gathered for blood-drinking and experience exchange. They wouldn't have free time to leak secrets…"

Mo Hua frowned too.

He'd picked midnight at random—who would've thought the Demon Sect elders were such night owls?

Too late to change his story now.

He responded flatly:

"I only look at formations. The Thunder-Magnetic script showed activity at that hour. Other circumstances, I don't know."

Elder You still had doubts—but after some reflection, agreed.

Mister Yuan was an array master. His answers were based on technical truth. If the formation said midnight, then it said midnight.

"Actually…" Elder You thought, "Since the elders always gather at midnight, leaking secrets at that time would draw less suspicion. It's the perfect cover."

He had successfully gaslit himself.

Mo Hua:

"That makes sense."

Elder You's eyes narrowed as he nodded:

"I'll look into this. Thank you, Mister Yuan."

Mo Hua replied calmly:

"Just fulfilling my duty, Elder You. No thanks necessary."

Then their conversation ended.

—

In a bloody, shadowy stone chamber…

Elder You put away his Elder Token and sipped some blood wine, thinking over the clues.

After a while, a doubt flickered in his mind:

"Could this Mister Yuan be lying to me?"

But then he thought again:

"Lying about what?"

There was a traitor. That much was certain.

And the idea that the traitor knew formations? Very plausible.

Besides, from the very start, Mister Yuan had shown zero interest in Demon Sect internal affairs.

He was hired to help with formations, nothing more.

Everything he said was strictly within the realm of Thunder-Magnetic logic. He hid nothing—but also never said more than necessary.

And the intel he had provided had repeatedly helped the Demon Sect avoid destruction.

Elder You reviewed everything—and slowly nodded, reassured.

"The intel is reliable. That's enough for me to follow this lead…"

"Formations…"

"Which elder could've secretly studied formations? Who has that skill and kept it hidden to do unspeakable things…"

Elder You's eyes turned cold as he reviewed the list:

"Big Brother isn't the traitor."

"Second Brother is the most senior—he wouldn't betray the sect. Besides, the Demon Sect is just a makeshift gathering formed for a greater goal: raising blood slaves. Once it's done, the sect will be discarded. Why would Second Brother betray something so temporary?"

"Third is me. Obviously not suspicious."

"Fourth is an executioner—bloodthirsty and brutal. He's chained up daily and not allowed out. His brain can only process the word 'kill'. Asking him to remember runes is just cruel."

"Fifth and Sixth just emerged from that valley—they're still laying low. Not entirely off the hook, though…"

"Seventh was a lecher. Already dead."

"Eighth is careful and loyal. He's handled most of the sect's operations these years. If not successful, at least diligent…"

"Ninth is a glutton—not exactly cunning."

"Tenth—dead."

"Eleventh—dead."

"Twelfth—also dead…"

…

Elder You silently went over the list again, but no matter how he thought about it, he still couldn't figure out—

Who in the world had secretly studied formation techniques?

His brothers were all experts in killing and blood-drinking, each more brutal than the last.

But when it came to studying formations... who had the brain for it?

Still, Mister Yuan couldn't be wrong. The signs of the Thunder-Magnetic activity couldn't be fake either.

"I'll keep digging. As long as I investigate, someone's bound to slip up…"

Elder You's expression turned icy.

What exactly the Demon Sect did after that, Mo Hua had no idea.

A few days later, Elder You sent him a transmission:

"Mister Yuan, I've uncovered some leads. As of now, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Ninth Elders are all suspects…"

Mo Hua replied calmly:

"Oh?"

Elder You:

"I'd like to ask Mister Yuan for your opinion."

Mo Hua was secretly startled. This was clearly a trap question, and there was no way he'd take the bait.

He said mildly:

"I'm just a formation master."

Elder You quickly explained:

"You misunderstand, Mister Yuan. I'm not trying to test you. I simply wish to ask—based on your experience—who among these suspects looks most like a formation master?"

Mo Hua considered it, then said:

"Alright."

Elder You began describing:

"Ninth Elder has an excessive appetite. He often locks himself in his room, and when he comes out, he gorges himself. Otherwise, he seems to suffer energy loss…"

"Eighth Elder is the most cunning. He's always been in charge of the sect's planning and acts with extreme caution."

"Fifth and Sixth recently escaped from… a certain place."

"A certain place?"

"It's classified. I can't say."

Mo Hua frowned slightly but didn't press further—he just responded with a "Mm."

Elder You continued:

"After escaping, they joined the sect temporarily, but they may not be truly loyal to us."

"Fifth is short and thin. Sixth is tall and steady, with deep eyes and a calm presence like a mountain…"

Elder You described them one by one and then asked:

"Mister Yuan, in your view—which one is most likely the formation master?"

Mo Hua found himself… actually conflicted.

They all had formation master vibes.

One was gluttonous.

One was scheming.

One was short.

One had deep, mysterious eyes…

He felt momentarily stuck.

So he randomly picked:

"Eighth Elder—his mind is sharp, and his thinking meticulous. He fits the profile."

But Elder You shook his head:

"Eighth Elder has been in the sect for years. He's always worked tirelessly for the sect. He has no ill intentions."

Mo Hua tried another:

"Ninth Elder? Formation masters burn a lot of spiritual energy, so they tend to eat more."

"Ninth Elder is fat and lazy. He probably doesn't have the ambition or patience to learn formations."

Mo Hua pushed again:

"Fifth Elder? He's short, so maybe his sea of consciousness is more condensed…"

"Is that… a thing?"

"It should be…"

"He doesn't seem like one either."

"Then Sixth?"

"Sixth carries demonic beast aura. Beast cultivators typically can't learn formations…"

And so the real inner traitor—Mo Hua himself—continued seriously discussing who the Demon Sect's traitor might be, with Elder You.

But no matter who he guessed, Elder You rejected them all.

Mo Hua was stumped.

After all, he was just making it all up. There might not be a single actual formation master among them.

So he confessed:

"Perhaps… none of these four actually know formations?"

Unexpectedly, Elder You shook his head firmly:

"No. One of them definitely has a foundation in formation techniques. I'm certain!"

Mo Hua could only think:

Well, you already decided that, didn't you…

Elder You said,

"After this conversation, I have some ideas. Allow me to investigate further."

Mo Hua said,

"Very well. I'll keep screening the magnetic formation for traces."

Pretending to stay very busy.

"Thank you, Mister Yuan."

Elder You didn't disturb him again and went off to investigate.

Mo Hua, however, wasn't optimistic.

This path seemed like a dead end.

Should he give another clue? Steer Elder You in a different direction?

But what kind of hint would work…?

Mo Hua spent days thinking.

Just as he was preparing to change direction and "guide" Elder You from a new angle—

Elder You contacted him first.

"Mister Yuan, just as you said, there really is someone in the sect who knows formation techniques."

Mo Hua was stunned:

"Really?"

"Wasn't it you who said so?"

"I only guessed based on the patterns in the Thunder-Magnetic formation—it wasn't definite."

Mo Hua remained neutral and professional.

"As expected of Mister Yuan—cautious and meticulous." Elder You praised.

Mo Hua asked,

"So who was it?"

Elder You's eyes darkened:

"Eighth Elder."

Mo Hua:

"Oh…"

Elder You continued:

"I sent someone to investigate. Turns out, over the years, Eighth Elder, while appearing loyal and hardworking, had been embezzling blood pills, skimming off spiritual resources, and secretly raising his own blood slaves."

"He hid it well."

"His knowledge of formations was likely used to hide all this stolen wealth."

"To profit off the sect and satisfy his own greed—he deserves death!"

"He probably feared exposure and being killed by our big brother. That's why he's working with the Dao Enforcement Division—seeking a way out…"

Mo Hua was a bit stunned.

Elder You had actually dug out the truth…?!

Even an uncracked egg will eventually show flaws if a fly keeps buzzing around it.

And this Demon Sect wasn't exactly a sealed vault to begin with.

Still, Mo Hua hadn't expected this—even in the Demon Sect, there was corruption.

Where there are people, there is greed. Not even demonic cultivators are exempt.

"I see…" Mo Hua replied coolly.

He remembered his role: a detached formation master.

"So, what do you plan to do with Eighth Elder?" Mo Hua asked.

"Betraying the sect is a crime punishable by death!"

"The sect will execute him with the harshest punishment!"

Elder You's eyes gleamed with killing intent.

"He has no idea that the Demon Sect's foundation was laid for a grand and magnificent purpose!"

Grand purpose?

Mo Hua's pupils narrowed.

So this Demon Sect had even greater ambitions…

Could it be—the resurrection of the Great Wilderness Evil God?

But what did the Evil God have to do with blood-drinking and blood feasts? Could these rituals really aid its rebirth?

"Is there something I still don't know?" Mo Hua frowned.

"Forget it. Whatever it is, I'll deal with it later. For now, I need to eat that divine marrow."

But then—he froze.

If Eighth Elder was executed by the Demon Sect…

His divine marrow wouldn't end up in Mo Hua's hands!

All this effort would've been for nothing!

Unacceptable!

Mo Hua hesitated, then said:

"Elder You, deciding the fate of an elder based on this alone… isn't that a bit hasty?"

Elder You frowned, puzzled:

"What do you mean?"

Mo Hua replied:

"There isn't enough evidence. Just because he knows formations doesn't necessarily make him the traitor. We shouldn't rush into a death sentence."

Elder You said:

"Even if he isn't the mole, his corruption is enough to warrant execution."

Mo Hua:

You execute him, and I go hungry.

He pushed again:

"No… it's not that simple. If we kill him now, we'll never know if he really was the traitor."

"If he was, then great. But if he wasn't—then the real traitor is still hiding, and could continue leaking secrets to the Dao Enforcement Division."

Elder You's face changed. He had to admit:

"Mister Yuan, your logic is sound."

Uncovering the mole was the priority.

He'd almost ruined everything by acting too quickly.

"I'll capture Eighth Elder and subject him to blood torture. We'll extract the truth from him—see whether he really is the one leaking secrets!"

Mo Hua quickly said:

"No!"

Elder You was startled:

"What's the problem?"

"Torture won't work…" Mo Hua knew better than anyone—Eighth Elder wasn't the mole. He was just unlucky.

If the Demon Sect tortured him… the truth might be lost forever.

Mo Hua explained:

"A Golden Core devil cultivator has a strong mind. Torture may yield nothing. Worse, if he falsely confesses under duress, we'll get the wrong answer, and the real traitor will slip away amidst the chaos."

Elder You's admiration grew:

"As expected of Mister Yuan—so thoughtful and wise. Then what should we do?"

Mo Hua suggested:

"Set a trap. Test Eighth Elder. See if he contacts the Dao Enforcement Division."

Elder You asked:

"What kind of trap?"

Mo Hua deflected:

"I'm just a formation master. I'm not good at scheming."

He tossed the responsibility back to Elder You.

After some thought, Elder You said slowly:

"Then let's send Eighth Elder out on a sect mission. We'll intentionally leak the mission details to the Dao Enforcement Division and see how they respond."

"If they go all out and try to kill him, then he's not the traitor. If he dies, we won't have to kill him ourselves—it'll preserve our brotherhood and give him some dignity. We'll let the past be the past."

"But if the Dao Enforcement Division lets him go… then it proves he really is the mole."

Mo Hua nodded.

This Elder You… really knew how to play the "kill with a borrowed knife" strategy.

Mo Hua said:

"I don't really understand this kind of setup. I'll leave it to you. But if Eighth Elder turns out to be the mole—then my job is done, and I expect my reward."

He maintained a strictly professional tone.

"Of course. Mister Yuan has done us a great service. We won't let you go unrewarded…"

In the blood-soaked stone chamber, Elder You revealed a cold, playful smile.

"Then thank you, Elder You."

In the quiet elegance of the Great Void Sect, the corners of Mo Hua's lips curved into a faint smile.

...

After that, all arrangements were made by Elder You.

At a time when the Dao Enforcement Division was launching a fierce crackdown on the Demon Sect, and tensions were high, a seemingly random mission was suddenly assigned to the Eighth Elder within the sect.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a task only he could handle—but since the order came from above, he couldn't refuse.

Elder You's investigation had been extremely discreet.

Eighth Elder had no idea that his actions had already been exposed.

Then, under the careful planning of Mo Hua and Elder You, he walked straight into the Dao Enforcement Division's ambush—just as expected.

Facing the tightly arranged forces of the Dao Enforcement Division, Eighth Elder's heart turned cold. He prepared to fight to the death.

But what he hadn't anticipated was that the Dao Enforcement Division—usually merciless—suspiciously held back.

Gu Changhuai and the others only exchanged a few symbolic moves with him and didn't strike to kill.

Eighth Elder escaped from the encirclement with surprising ease. It felt like a dream—he couldn't believe it.

Just as he was beginning to feel relieved, thinking he had narrowly escaped disaster, his Elder Token suddenly vibrated.

An anonymous message came through:

"You've been exposed. Elder You set you up—he wants to kill you. Run."

Attached was a string of evidence:

—Embezzled blood pills.

—Illegally raised blood slaves.

—Countless kickbacks.

Every single charge was punishable by death within the Demon Sect.

Eighth Elder's face turned ghostly pale in an instant.

And at that moment, having just sent the anonymous warning to Eighth Elder, Mo Hua turned around and sent another message—this time to Elder You:

"Unexpected development. I was monitoring Eighth Elder's Elder Token…"

"Just now, someone sent him a message warning him he'd been exposed, telling him to flee."

"We need to act fast—send a Golden Core Elder after him immediately to silence him, or the consequences could be severe…"

After sending the message, Mo Hua silently counted in his mind.

One fleeing Eighth Elder…

One Golden Core demon sent to hunt him down…

That makes two Golden Cores. Just enough for Mo Hua to break through his realm.

Of course, he wouldn't mind if Elder You sent even more Golden Core demons.

The more that came…

The more he would "devour."

Mo Hua narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.

(End of this Chapter)