Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 915: Darkening

The ancient and profound, five-element-infused, formation-blended Great Void God-Slaying Sword burst into brilliant light, cascading down like a reversed heavenly river.

The Blood-Slaughter Blade, formed from condensed divine cadaver blood, shattered inch by inch the moment it clashed with Mo Hua's strike. The blood-path Dao it carried—slaughter, cruelty, deicide, lifelessness, and the annihilation of humanity—was shredded by Mo Hua's sword Dao, and finally crushed outright by the vast and archaic Great Void Sword Intent.

In the end, the blood blade collapsed.

The unstoppable God-Slaying Sword cut through the blood blade, swept aside the sea of blood, and with unstoppable momentum, struck the divine cadaver's body.

This Third Grade divine cadaver possessed divine will as solid as form—its black-red blood like an indestructible armor.

But in front of this sword—this fusion of the Mountain-Splitting, Broken Gold, Yin Water, Li Fire, and Great Void sword formations—it still couldn't withstand a single blow.

The dazzling sword edge paused only for a moment before shattering the cadaver's blood armor, smashing its shoulder bones, cleaving into its body, and continuing downward—splitting the cadaver clean in two.

Its Dao was severed. Its origin was shattered.

The divine body was split. Blood ceased to flow. The origin collapsed.

Even the wounds still brimmed with residual sword intent—ceaselessly slicing, preventing healing, extinguishing every trace of vitality.

The divine cadaver's horrified expression remained frozen on its face. A moment later, it slowly turned to Mo Hua, who gripped the God-Slaying Sword with both hands. Its eyes were filled with shock and dread.

"What a powerful sword…"

Gradually, the cadaver's expression turned calm—then indifferent.

Its body was slowly dissolving, its will slowly fading—but its tone remained flat.

"You've won…"

"Your Dao transformation is a complete mess. Your sword path is a total jumble. But I must admit… it's strong."

"Still… the further you go in the Dao, the more refined and pure it must be. This chaotic method—you won't go far."

The blood-colored cadaver gave Mo Hua one last deep look.

"This time, I lost. I hope next time… I'll get to meet you again."

"If you're still alive… If…"

"You're still you."

With those words, the cadaver disintegrated into ash, vanishing completely—leaving behind only a clump of black-red, sand-like smoke.

Mo Hua, however, furrowed his brows.

"Lost this time… meet again next time? Isn't this thing dead? How does it 'meet me again' if it's already dead?"

"And… wasn't this thing the divine cadaver of a Great Wilderness Evil God? Why does it feel so different from the others?"

"Is it because it's a Third Grade? Or is there some other reason?"

"This divine cadaver… something's off…"

As Mo Hua pondered, a sharp stab of pain erupted in his sea of consciousness. His expression turned grave.

"Crap… I've overdrawn…"

The burden of battling a Third Grade external evil was too great—his blood and qi had started to weaken, and even his sea of consciousness was beginning to sting.

And worse… he'd run out of divine marrow.

His heart sank.

"That was a pyrrhic victory if I've ever seen one… I'm completely drained. Every trump card used, all my resources gone. Good thing I killed a Third Grade cadaver… hopefully the loot's worth it."

Mo Hua, weakly standing up, walked toward the black smoke left behind by the cadaver. He reached out a hand, intending to manifest an array to begin refining it.

But when his hand emerged—

It was pitch-black.

Mo Hua froze.

"When… did I get injured?"

"Or… have I been corrupted by the cadaver?"

Looking down, he found not just his hand, but his entire arm, shoulder, chest—even half his body—had been stained pitch-black, as though soaked in sewage.

His pupils shrank.

At that moment, a sharp, sinister, ear-piercing laugh echoed in the air.

The Evil Fetus!

Mo Hua's expression shifted. He immediately tried to cast a divine array to seal his spirit—but it was already too late.

Black water began to surge outward from inside his divine body, infecting his limbs and bones. Even his face was starting to be stained with black spots.

"I set up an array… how are you out?!" Mo Hua cried out in shock.

The Evil Fetus's dark water cloaked his face. Borrowing Mo Hua's mouth and tongue, it spoke in a shrill, mocking tone:

"What made you think… that your pitiful divine arrays could actually seal me?"

"You think I've just been lying dormant, letting you seal me up, waiting to die?"

"I've been waiting… for this very moment…"

Mo Hua's heart sank. He tried to summon the Dao Stele, but—there was no response from his sea of consciousness.

Then he remembered—the Dao Stele wouldn't appear before midnight.

The Evil Fetus sneered:

"Don't waste your energy. I live inside your spirit—I know everything about you."

"Before midnight, your Dao Stele won't respond."

"Your divine sense may be strong, but it's no match for a Third Grade cadaver. If you fight, you'll burn divine marrow."

"If your luck's bad, you die by its hand."

"Even if you win, you'll have to go all out, exhaust every trick—leaving yourself completely drained afterward…"

Mo Hua scowled:

"So… that Third Grade cadaver—it was your doing? You summoned it? You planned all this just for now?"

As he finished, his face darkened again—becoming the twisted visage of the Evil Fetus—who sneered:

"Correct. Clever as always. Only now do you figure it out."

Mo Hua growled:

"Don't forget—you can't corrupt my Dao heart. Even now, drained as I am, you can't beat me head-on."

"I just need to endure a few hours. Once midnight hits, the Dao Stele will shield my sea of consciousness—you'll crawl right back into your little shell."

"Give me time, and I will cut you down."

Even in a weakened state, his words made the Evil Fetus tremble.

It had already developed trauma from Mo Hua's previous schemes. Only now, when Mo Hua was exhausted from a deadly fight, did it dare emerge.

But even it knew… this was its only chance.

Dark blood surged around Mo Hua.

"These past days, I've been wondering… how can I defeat you? Kill you? Consume you…"

"My sealed memories are slowly awakening—but none of them contain a way to destroy you."

"Your sea of consciousness harbors an ancient existence. Your body holds too many secrets."

"Your divine sense is too strong. Your methods—endless."

"So I came to a conclusion…"

The Evil Fetus smirked wickedly.

"I can't beat you. Only you can beat you. Only you can kill yourself…"

Mo Hua's heart jolted.

Then suddenly—the evil aura surged.

The black blood on his body writhed like worms, sprouting tendrils, burrowing into his divine sense avatar—absorbing, duplicating, assimilating—as if splitting him apart.

Mo Hua struggled, but to no avail.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually, the black blood had completely wrapped around him, like a cocoon. It trembled, pulsed, shed its skin—and transformed into a new figure.

The Evil Fetus and that figure fused—then stood across from Mo Hua.

Mo Hua slowly lifted his head and looked forward. His eyes widened.

Standing across from him—was another Mo Hua.

Same size. Same build. Same face.

But soaked in black blood, radiating wicked aura—a strange and terrifying Dark Mo Hua.

At that moment, Dark Mo Hua grinned, revealing ghastly white teeth:

"This is my final innate divine power: Fetal Mimicry."

Its voice was identical to Mo Hua's—but carried a crisp, sinister, and venomous edge.

"I used your divine soul as a guide… my divine Dao as the 'womb'… and birthed another you."

"I couldn't corrupt you. I couldn't turn you into me."

"In that case, I'll just become you."

"As long as I kill you and devour you, there'll be no difference between us—you in me, me in you. We'll fuse into the ultimate Divine Fetus, and truly become one."

Mo Hua's expression turned grim.

He brought his fingers together and summoned a surging fireball, sending it straight at the "Dark Mo Hua" born from the Evil Fetus.

At the same time, "Dark Mo Hua" mimicked his gesture—summoning a black fireball with a sinister whistle. The two flames collided mid-air.

A burst of fire and divine sense exploded. Both fireballs vanished, but the black one, infused with evil aura, clearly had the upper hand.

Mo Hua clenched his palm and pulled in the air—a Water Prison descended, aiming to bind "Dark Mo Hua."

But with a flicker of black water, Dark Mo Hua used Water-Stepping Technique to slip free, then countered with a grab of his own—summoning a Black Water Prison, which crashed down beside Mo Hua.

Mo Hua dodged again with Water-Stepping, then narrowed his eyes and triggered the Golden Lock Array, sealing off all directions around Dark Mo Hua.

Golden runes turned to chains, binding Dark Mo Hua tightly.

But he simply sneered, waved his left hand, and broke free from the Golden Lock chains.

With his right hand, he manifested a Black Li Fire Sword, and casually cleaved through the entire array. The Golden Lock shattered completely.

Mo Hua's face was now extremely grave.

Dark Mo Hua looked at him and grinned—a smile both childlike and twisted:

"Told you, I'm you. I was hatched from you. Whatever techniques you know—I know them all."

Mo Hua fell into silence.

After that brief exchange, he truly realized how troublesome he himself was to deal with.

And worse—he was exhausted from the long battle.

Meanwhile, the enemy before him—Dark Mo Hua—had just been born at peak strength. At this rate, fighting on was meaningless.

Mo Hua sighed.

"Born of the same root, why must we turn on one another? Since you are me… why don't we shake hands and make peace? Must we fight to the death?"

Dark Mo Hua laughed mockingly:

"Didn't I say? I am you. But don't try to fool 'yourself' like you fool others."

Mo Hua clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Dark Mo Hua pointed a finger, sending another black fireball at him. He then gripped his hand, summoned the Black Li Fire Sword, and used Water-Stepping Technique to blink forward, blade aimed straight for Mo Hua's heart.

Mo Hua sidestepped the fireball, countered with a grab, summoned the Tai'a Mountain-Splitting Sword, spun it into a blooming sword flower, parried the strike to his chest, and followed up with a slash to engage in close combat with his blackened self.

But after fighting the Third Grade divine cadaver, Mo Hua's divine sense was far too depleted. Whether spells, formations, or swordplay—he was utterly outmatched.

Dark Mo Hua's strikes grew fiercer and more ruthless.

Mo Hua's aura weakened, his wounds multiplying and deepening.

Still—he gritted his teeth and fought on.

But there was a limit to his endurance.

No one knew how long they fought before Mo Hua finally staggered from exhaustion, his divine sense faltering—a fatal opening appeared.

Dark Mo Hua's grin turned vicious. He formed a Cremation Evil Array with his left hand, sealing Mo Hua within it.

Then, with his right hand, he conjured a Black Water Sword—vile and poisoned—and hurled it with deadly force at Mo Hua's heart.

Mountains of darkness loomed, forming a cage. Evil fire surged, malevolent thoughts roiled—and swallowed Mo Hua whole.

The wicked blade struck the spot where Mo Hua stood, and the sword light exploded with lethal intent.

Evil darkness and flame filled the air.

But when the smoke cleared—Mo Hua was gone.

Dark Mo Hua looked up—only to see him standing at the array's edge, bathed in dim golden light, leaning heavily on his Mountain-Splitting Sword, panting.

Clearly, he had used some unknown trick to narrowly escape the lethal combination of array and sword.

"Lucky bastard… but judging by how pathetic you look, you won't last much longer."

Dark Mo Hua sneered, wasted no more words, and summoned another black Mountain-Splitting Sword, charging at Mo Hua once more.

Mo Hua, already running on fumes, could only grit his teeth and keep fighting.

The clash continued for some time before he once again faltered, exposing a weakness.

Dark Mo Hua struck again, combining arrays and sword techniques in an attempt to kill him outright.

Massive waves of divine sense rippled out—but when the smoke cleared again, Mo Hua had narrowly survived.

Dark Mo Hua, enraged, lunged again.

Mo Hua barely held on—each time it looked like he'd die, yet somehow, he just didn't.

Eventually, Dark Mo Hua sensed something was wrong and roared:

"You didn't use up your divine marrow! You still had reserves?!"

Mo Hua shook his head calmly: "Nope."

Dark Mo Hua's eyelid twitched. He jabbed a finger at him:

"Then what's that on your lips? That's clearly divine marrow you just snuck!"

Mo Hua wiped his mouth. "You're mistaken. That's blood I spat out."

Dark Mo Hua nearly coughed blood from rage.

"You really are… despicable!"

Mo Hua didn't bother hiding it now and retorted righteously:

"I'm a poor kid from a humble sect. Whether it's spirit stones or divine marrow—I'm used to stashing a little aside. You know, just in case. Running out feels terrifying."

He then looked at Dark Mo Hua:

"Didn't you say you are me? Then this habit—you should understand."

Dark Mo Hua was speechless.

Mo Hua tilted his head. "You don't understand? Oh… right."

Suddenly, he looked enlightened—and completely certain.

"You say you're me… but in the end, you were born of a Great Wilderness Evil Fetus. The womb was corrupted. You don't understand the struggles of a bottom-tier cultivator."

"You're not me—not really."

Dark Mo Hua's face darkened to an awful shade.

Only now did he realize—he had underestimated this half-human, half-divine brat. He was absurdly hard to kill.

Even harder than a real god.

Still, no matter how difficult, there had to be a limit.

"You must be nearly out of divine marrow," Dark Mo Hua hissed, his sinister eyes boring into Mo Hua. "There's no way you had much left after that fight with the Third Grade divine cadaver. You won't last much longer."

Mo Hua nodded in agreement. "You're right. Not much left. I won't last much longer. That's why…"

"Then I'll cut you down too!" Mo Hua said coldly.

Dark Mo Hua's pupils shrank.

Mo Hua raised both hands high above his head, his expression filled with a fearless determination to die if needed.

"I admit it. You've truly forced me into a corner…"

"I have been caught in your scheme. At this very moment, I'm at my weakest—my divine marrow is indeed gone."

"If this drags on, I have no chance of winning. So I have no choice but to gamble everything on this."

"With this final sword, we settle this once and for all!"

"If I win—then I am still me."

"If I lose—then you become me."

"Do you dare face me in a fight to the death and wager it all on this last sword strike?"

Mo Hua's eyes were cold and condescending, as if staring at a mere ant—staring at the darkened version of himself before him.

Dark Mo Hua froze… and then his expression twisted with rage.

Dare?

He sneered.

"Don't forget—I was 'Fetal-Manifested' in your image. I know all your moves. You think betting it all on the God-Slaying Sword will let you kill me?"

Mo Hua said calmly:

"How would I know… unless I try?"

Dark Mo Hua's expression grew icy.

He wasn't planning to gamble.

No one knew better than he how sly, devious, and full of dirty tricks Mo Hua was.

This sudden call to a final sword duel?

There was no way it didn't come with a trap.

But then… he noticed something strange.

Mo Hua was still holding his hands up in the air, saying he wanted to "fight to the death"—but he hadn't moved. Not a wisp of sword qi had formed. His gaze was flickering. He even looked… slightly guilty?

Dark Mo Hua instantly understood.

He's bluffing!

He's me—and I'm him.

He knows I'm suspicious by nature, so he's faking this "death duel" to make me hesitate—to make me back off from delivering a fatal blow!

He's just stalling—stalling for time until midnight, when the Dao Monument appears to shield his sea of consciousness. Once that happens… I'll be powerless against him.

Spells, arrays, or regular Sword Manifestations—none of them can kill him.

The only thing that can…

Is the final form of the Taixu Divine Sword: God-Slaying Sword.

Dark Mo Hua's pupils trembled as thoughts surged through his mind:

"It's not that he wants to duel me.

It's that I should duel him!"

"Before the Dao Monument descends—this is my one and only chance to strike him down and replace him!"

"Mo Hua knows this too. That's why he made the first move—pretending he wants to gamble his life to scare me off from truly fighting back!"

"If I hesitate even for a moment and don't strike now… the moment midnight comes, all my plans will go up in smoke!"

Being born from the same source, Dark Mo Hua instantly saw through Mo Hua's game.

He stopped hesitating.

He raised his own hands into the air. Inky-black evil sword formations began coalescing—one after another, merging into a sword of divine intent that pulsed with terrifying aura.

The sword he knows—I know.

The Dao he understands—I understand.

Mo Hua's divine sense was damaged, his energy drained, his divine marrow almost gone.

But my evil intent is still abundant!

This final clash of blades—I have the advantage!

Dark Mo Hua's eyes lit with ferocity. He glared at Mo Hua and declared, his voice sharp with madness:

"Fine. One strike to decide our fate!"

"Let's see—who gets to be Mo Hua!"

(End of this Chapter)