Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 918: Life-Bound Artifact

The next day, after attending a cultivation class, news of Mo Hua's breakthrough to the late Foundation Establishment Realm spread quickly throughout the sect, causing a minor stir.

The head of formation arts in the entire Great Void Sect—first in array theory and undisputed leader of the path of formations, the senior brother of several thousand disciples—had finally caught up to his junior brothers and broken through to late Foundation Establishment.

This senior brother who had been given a special "probationary pass" to skip ahead to the late Foundation Establishment term had, at last, shed all concern about being held back.

From top to bottom, the Great Void Sect collectively let out a sigh of relief.

Elders he passed along the way would smile at Mo Hua and offer him congratulations.

Some of his junior brothers even held a small banquet for him in the dining hall, letting him feast heartily. Each of them also brought a small congratulatory gift as a token of goodwill.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on reaching Late Foundation Establishment!"

Cheng Mo raised his cup, joining his fellow disciples in a joyful toast.

Mo Hua was a little touched… but also felt they were being a bit too dramatic.

Late Foundation Establishment… was it really that big a deal?

Feeling a little puzzled, Mo Hua asked Cheng Mo, "Did you guys also celebrate like this when you reached late Foundation Establishment?"

Cheng Mo shook his head. "Nope."

Mo Hua blinked. "No?"

"Mhm," Cheng Mo said. "When we broke through to late Foundation Establishment, it was just an ordinary thing—not worth celebrating. But you, Senior Brother… you're different. Your breakthrough was way too difficult, too exhausting. That's why it's worth a special celebration."

If Mo Hua didn't know Cheng Mo was a straight-talking guy who never sugarcoated his words, he would've thought this kid was mocking him.

The other disciples around them also nodded enthusiastically:

"Senior Brother's breakthrough really wasn't easy—it deserves celebration."

"…"

Mo Hua's expression turned subtly awkward. In the end, he just sighed.

What should have been a joyful occasion… now somehow felt like he was being pitied.

Still, it was his junior brothers' heartfelt gesture. Though his emotions were mixed, he accepted it all with grace.

Over the next few days, other familiar faces like Wenren Wan, Elder Gu Hong from the Gu Clan, Gu Changhuai, and Magistrate Xia from the Xia Clan, also sent Mo Hua gifts.

Wenren Wan even hosted a private banquet just for him.

Not wanting to disturb Mo Hua's cultivation, she didn't make a big deal out of it—just reserved a table at a restaurant in the Great Void City and ordered a few of his favorite dishes.

Mo Hua ate to his heart's content.

After those few lively days, Mo Hua finally began to calm down again.

Now that he'd broken through to late Foundation Establishment, he had to think about matters of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Cultivation was always like this—one hurdle after another.

Cross one threshold, and many more await.

One mustn't grow arrogant from momentary success—

Nor feel anxious or lazy due to the vastness of their goals.

One must take it step by step, walking the path beneath their feet with steady determination.

Day by day, cultivating with resolve, comprehending each insight—

Only then could water wear down stone and carve the path to immortality.

It may seem dull… it may seem long…

But this was the true "shortcut."

Only with a Dao heart firm as iron, immense willpower, and endurance through hardship and peril, could one reach the end of the path—and attain the Dao to become an immortal.

With this in mind, Mo Hua focused his heart and returned to his usual routine: diligent cultivation, sword training, and array studies.

But a few days later, something occurred to him.

"Why hasn't Ancestor Dugu called me over for sword training?"

Mo Hua frowned.

He'd spent so much energy before—killing the divine corpse, slaying the evil embryo.

Then he'd been unconscious for days, cared for by Elder Murong.

Once recovered, he'd focused on refining divine marrow, absorbing divine sense, solving formation puzzles, and breaking through his bottleneck—busy day and night.

Now that things had settled down, he suddenly realized—the seven-day period had long passed, yet Ancestor Dugu hadn't called for him once.

"Did the old ancestor forget?"

He was really old—who knows how many years he had lived?

A little forgetfulness now and then was understandable.

So Mo Hua waited patiently.

But a few more days passed—two full seven-day periods—and still nothing.

No spatial rift.

No withered hand reaching through the void.

Nothing.

"Could it be… the old ancestor doesn't want to teach me anymore?"

"Or… did something happen to him?"

Mo Hua's frown deepened.

He raised his fingers and traced in the air.

No luck.

He had just entered Foundation Establishment—he couldn't tear open a spatial rift.

Nor could he go to the back mountain and visit Ancestor Dugu to ask what happened.

This left Mo Hua worried.

The old ancestor had once given him the gift of teaching and guidance—Mo Hua couldn't just sit by when something might be wrong.

So during the day, he tried to sneak toward the back mountain while no one was watching.

But… it was a forbidden area. Naturally, it wouldn't let him sneak in.

He didn't even make it close before being caught by an inner mountain elder.

Technically, outer disciples who trespassed the inner mountain should be punished.

But Mo Hua's situation was… special.

Who in the sect didn't know the rumor that he was "the old ancestor's direct grand-disciple"?

Not to mention he was the head of the path of formations.

So the elder turned a blind eye.

"The inner mountain's off-limits. Head back now and I'll pretend I didn't see anything. Otherwise, I'll have to report it…" the elder said kindly.

"Uh-huh, I was just… lost," Mo Hua replied.

When it came to making excuses, he was a master.

After getting out of the elder's sight, Mo Hua wandered around a bit more… but still couldn't find the way to the back mountain.

Even though he was familiar with the outer mountain, that was it.

The inner mountain—the core sect area—and especially the rarely visited back mountain… those weren't part of his usual stomping grounds.

After wandering several more rounds without success, he had no choice but to give up.

If he kept at it and got caught again, even he wouldn't be able to explain himself.

Elders weren't stupid. They could let it slide once, but pressing your luck was pushing boundaries.

Mo Hua sighed and turned to leave.

After a few steps, he couldn't help but glance back.

The ancient, majestic Great Void Mountain loomed like a colossal azure dragon, coiled across Drylearning Prefecture.

The outer mountain stretched like its tail—

But the back mountain… that was the true source of the range—the dragon's head.

And this dragon's head pierced into the clouds, veiled in thick mist, mysterious and unreachable, aloof in its height.

His divine sense couldn't perceive a thing—

Even fate and karma couldn't deduce it.

Mo Hua didn't even know where the Sword Mound was—let alone where Ancestor Dugu was guarding.

Yet he faintly felt there must be a formation—one that cut off all perception, sealed away all secrets, and suppressed the most vital truths within the misty peaks above.

"The Great Void Sect… may still be hiding many secrets…"

Perhaps even… great dangers.

Ones only those of sufficient cultivation could reach.

Mo Hua stood gazing at the back mountain, eyes deep and thoughtful.

Who knows how long he stared before finally turning away, silently walking down the greenstone path.

Back at the disciple's quarters—

Mo Hua sat alone.

There was no reply from Ancestor Dugu.

No more impromptu "sword lessons" either.

His heart held both regret… and worry.

But the back mountain was forbidden.

Unless he could tear space open—he couldn't get in.

And judging by how things seemed now, the back mountain might already be sealed off, even space itself locked down.

Even if he could open a rift, he likely still couldn't enter.

Mo Hua sighed.

"I hope the old ancestor, with his great fortune and destiny, is alright… and that one day, I can see him again."

He made this silent wish from the bottom of his heart.

Mo Hua silently offered a wish in his heart.

Afterward, he could only set the matter aside for the time being and return his focus to his own cultivation.

After all, the number one duty of a cultivator… is cultivating.

As long as a cultivator is alive—they must cultivate.

If they stop cultivating, they may as well be dead.

"Now that I've reached late Foundation Establishment, the next step… is Golden Core."

"But I've only just broken through. My foundation isn't solid enough yet… I'm still quite far from forming a true Golden Core."

"And forming a Golden Core isn't that simple…"

As Mo Hua considered it carefully, he realized there was still much he needed to do before that breakthrough.

He was walking the path of Divine Sense Dao, forging a divine sense-based foundation, so before his cultivation could reach Golden Core, his divine sense had to reach the 20-line threshold and condense into a core.

That way, once his cultivation advanced to Golden Core, his divine sense would multiply in power and undergo a qualitative transformation.

So, the stronger his divine sense before core formation, the better.

Each line above the 20-line mark would make his divine sense foundation that much more profound.

Right now, his divine sense was just a hair away from twenty lines.

But that "hair's breadth" wasn't something he could overcome through mere cultivation—or by gobbling up some evil spirit like a snack. It clearly required a specific opportunity, or perhaps a moment of enlightenment, or some rare thing to consume.

But as for the specifics? Without that opportunity, Mo Hua couldn't figure it out.

Divine Sense Core Formation… required a fateful trigger.

On the other hand, another problem was staring him straight in the face—so urgent that he had no choice but to tackle it right away:

Life-Bound Artifact!

To form a Golden Core, one needed a life-bound artifact—a weapon or tool tied to one's very life force, forged together with the core, and crucial to a Golden Core cultivator's combat power.

Before, he could still afford to put it off. But now that he had reached late Foundation Establishment, with Golden Core up next, he absolutely couldn't delay any longer.

If he didn't start figuring something out now, the opportunity might pass him by completely—and he'd never form his core in this lifetime.

The issue wasn't that Mo Hua wanted to delay… it's just that he really had no idea what to use as his life-bound artifact.

He racked his brain, but couldn't think of anything suitable.

After some hesitation, he sank his divine sense into his sea of consciousness, and approached the Dao Stele. Holding onto a faint hope, he softly asked:

"Would you… be willing to become my life-bound artifact?"

The Dao Stele ignored him completely.

Mo Hua then sneaked a glance at the Heavenly Tribulation Lightning on the stele.

He didn't even need to ask—just one look, and he immediately abandoned this absurd idea.

Using tribulation lightning as a life-bound artifact? He'd be blasted to dust before he ever got to form a core!

Besides, tribulation lightning wasn't even a spiritual item—definitely not usable as an artifact.

Mo Hua withdrew from his consciousness and took out the Great Void Bamboo Sword that Ancestor Dugu had given him.

The bamboo sword looked ordinary, but it held within it the ancient sword intent of the Great Void Sect—a condensation of the sword dao lineage forged from the blood, sweat, and insights of the sect's generations of masters.

"Use this bamboo sword as my life-bound artifact?"

Mo Hua thought about it, then shook his head again.

"This was something Ancestor Dugu gave—no, loaned me…"

It contained the highest sword flow of the Great Void Sect. How could he selfishly refine it into his personal artifact?

Besides… he wasn't purely a sword cultivator.

In the world of divine sense, he could wield swords formed of thought, channel sword techniques through divine transformation—deadly and elegant.

But in the real world, his actual sword skills were… pretty weak.

Sure, he had a killer technique—"sword control"—but every time he used it, it blew up the sword.

He couldn't risk blowing up his own life-bound artifact, right?

"Nope… won't work." Mo Hua shook his head.

"If not a sword, then…"

He rummaged through his storage pouch and pulled out a bronze coin.

It was a coin his master had given him—he'd used it once to divine fortune before entering the Ten-Thousand Demon Valley.

"A bronze coin as a life-bound artifact?"

He considered it… and still shook his head.

"Can't attack, can't defend, just used for divination. I'd look like a street-side fortune teller."

What would it look like if other Golden Core cultivators were clashing with blades and magic treasures—while he pulled out a coin and muttered,

'Hold on, lemme draw a hexagram…'

"If I do divine something, it should be in secret—not out in the open, waving my life-bound coin around…"

He kept digging through his storage pouch. There were a few spiritual items inside… but none seemed right. Too weak, too niche, or just not fitting.

Having no better options, he decided to seek advice.

After all, he'd come to the Drylearning Prefecture to cultivate and learn. If he already had all the answers, he wouldn't have joined a sect in the first place.

Mo Hua first asked around among his junior brothers.

But what he learned made him sigh in envy.

These junior brothers—from noble families or prestigious lineages—had everything planned in advance:

Which technique to practice, which Dao to follow, what spiritual tool to cultivate, what life-bound artifact to forge, and even what quality of Golden Core to aim for.

Their paths were already paved in gold.

They didn't need to worry about anything—just follow the road and walk forward.

Mo Hua, on the other hand, was a loose cultivator. At one point, even reaching Foundation Establishment had felt like a dream.

He couldn't learn anything from the experiences of these pampered junior brothers.

So, he turned to the teaching elders for help.

The teaching elders—cultivation veterans with years of experience—had deep wells of knowledge. They gave Mo Hua a lot of suggestions.

Because of his unique position and likable personality, many elders genuinely cared about him. Whether out of duty or affection, they all offered sincere and thorough advice—fearing he might suffer losses when it came to his life-bound artifact.

Some even went as far as offering up secret inheritance techniques from their own lineages, despite the personal cost.

But—there were too many suggestions. Mo Hua's head began to spin.

Worse still, all these suggestions were based on the assumption of deep family heritage, abundant resources, and plentiful spirit stones.

They required time, rare ingredients, and expensive materials…

And in the end, the resulting artifact would be on par with the average noble clan descendant.

Of course, even that was already a great achievement.

After all, Mo Hua had started from an extremely humble beginning. That he could now, in this final hour, still forge a life-bound artifact on par with the heirs of powerful clans, was proof enough of the profound foundation of the Great Void Sect's teachings.

By all rights, an artifact of that level—equal to a noble clan's direct descendant—should already be considered a luxury for Mo Hua.

He was a lone cultivator, and to climb through so many barriers to now stand shoulder to shoulder with the elite of the cultivation world, forging a top-tier artifact, could truly be called a leap to the heavens.

Greed is not a virtue. One should not ask for too much.

But the problem was—this method of forging a life-bound artifact… was far too costly.

And because Mo Hua had waited so long—already in late Foundation Establishment before beginning the process—he missed the long "nurturing" phase most cultivators go through. As a result, the cost of forging his artifact would be even higher.

If he were staying in the Great Void Sect long-term, that wouldn't be so bad.

With the sect backing him, and the Ancestor watching over him, he could take his time, use resources steadily, and patiently nurture his artifact to completion.

But Mo Hua knew his own situation.

He couldn't stay in the Great Void Sect forever.

He had come here to study the Dao, to make up for the many weaknesses in his background as a rogue cultivator—lack of perspective, lack of connections, lack of a complete cultivation inheritance.

But he had more important things to do.

He still had a master to save.

Sooner or later—probably sooner—he would leave the sect behind.

Once he left and ventured alone into the Nine Provinces, he would face winds and storms, dangers and traps. He would no longer have a stable environment or ample resources to properly nurture a life-bound artifact.

Worse still, these clan-style artifact methods were designed for geniuses with top- or supreme-grade spiritual roots. They didn't really suit Mo Hua's natural aptitudes or his unique cultivation methods.

Left with no better choice, Mo Hua went to consult Venerable Elder Xun.

Elder Xun sat quietly in the elders' residence, a Heavenly Mechanism Disk spread before him. Judging by his wearied state, he hadn't slept in days.

But when Mo Hua brought up his question, the old man still gave it careful thought, then slowly said:

"I've actually considered this issue before… but I hadn't found a good solution, so I didn't bring it up with you."

Elder Xun looked at Mo Hua, a trace of regret in his eyes.

"To be honest, you've long passed the best age for nurturing a life-bound artifact. Whatever you choose now… it's unlikely to be ideal."

"I understand," Mo Hua nodded.

"So, what exactly do you want to ask?"

Mo Hua asked,

"Elder, what general direction should I go for my life-bound artifact? Should it be offensive, like a sword or saber? Defensive, like a golden bell or iron shirt? Or perhaps something for stealth, scouting, or escape?"

Elder Xun pondered briefly, then replied:

"You're a formation master. Once you understand formations, all things connect. Honestly, you're not suited for single-function artifacts, especially not offensive weapons like swords."

"A life-bound artifact is tied to your very soul. If it gets damaged, you get injured too. Your physical body is already quite fragile. Using a sword-type artifact to engage in head-on combat would be unwise. If it gets destroyed, the backlash would be severe."

"Some formation masters do nurture tools like formation disks or brushes to increase speed or precision in array crafting."

"But those are rare and obscure, and the boost they give is minor. Your own array skills are already profound and fast—those gains would be negligible for you."

Elder Xun continued slowly,

"So instead of trying to kill with your artifact… or enhance your formations—why not use it to compensate?"

"Compensate?" Mo Hua blinked.

"Yes. Your life-bound artifact is one with your life. Use it to compensate for your shortcomings."

"Shortcomings?" Mo Hua asked.

"Your biggest issues," Elder Xun said thoughtfully,

"are a weak physical body… and thin spiritual power."

"So your first priority should be an artifact that supplements your spiritual power."

"The second option would be something to enhance your physical body."

"If neither is possible, then like most formation masters, forge something to help with concealment, escape, or self-preservation."

Mo Hua fell silent, considering it.

"So… something to restore spiritual power, strengthen the body… or for survival."

Elder Xun nodded slightly.

"But as for exactly what to forge—that's a choice you must make. I can't decide for you."

He knew Mo Hua's true background—and parts of the karma entwined with him.

But the cultivation methods of Mo Hua's lineage weren't something he understood well—especially anything related to that person, or that sect… none of which followed normal logic.

Elder Xun feared that well-meaning advice might lead Mo Hua astray, so he could only offer suggestions—not conclusions.

The rest would have to be decided by Mo Hua himself, based on his own... let's say... unorthodox and occasionally secretive inheritances.

Mo Hua nodded,

"Thank you, Elder. I understand."

"Good," Elder Xun replied. After a pause, he added,

"If you need anything—speak up. If you need a suitable 'core' or base item, I'll rummage through the Great Void Sect's treasury and see if we've got anything useful."

When it came to Mo Hua, Elder Xun truly gave his all.

"Thank you, Elder!" Mo Hua said sincerely.

The old man gave him a gentle look and encouraged,

"Keep cultivating. The road of cultivation is full of trials. One step at a time—never lose heart."

"I won't!" Mo Hua nodded firmly.

After bidding farewell, he returned to his quarters.

With Elder Xun's guidance in mind, he dug up a few cultivation manuals—things like Complete Guide to Artifact Types, Intro to Artifact Crafting, Golden Core Begins With the Life-Bound Treasure…

The more he read, the more overwhelmed he became.

Too many types. Too many options. Too many conflicting opinions.

Mo Hua couldn't help but mutter in frustration:

"What should I pick for my life-bound artifact…?"

(End of this Chapter)