Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 928: Fan Jin

Yanluo Mountain—spanning eight hundred li.

Crisscrossing waterways, swamps covering the land, and poisonous mist rising into the sky. Wild geese flying overhead often fell dead from the poison, crashing into the bogs and dissolving into putrid water—hence the name "Goose-Falling Mountain."

A branch of the Smokewater River flowed through the mountains.

The water carried a fishy stench.

Deep within the treacherous and complex mountains lay the stronghold of the Demonic Sect.

At this moment, outside the deep mountains, amidst the harsh terrain, numerous righteous cultivators had already lain in wait, concealed in the forests and swamps.

This siege on the Demonic Sect was of an immense scale.

The Daotingsi had dispatched fifteen Golden Core-grade enforcers, along with six hundred late-stage to peak Foundation Establishment officers.

The Great Void Sect, allied with the Daotingsi, had sent twenty Golden Core elders.

The sect had recently merged with two others, increasing its numbers—so its elder dispatch actually exceeded the Daotingsi.

However, only a hundred inner disciples were deployed.

This was a siege against a Third-Rank Demonic Sect, and fighting Golden Core demonic heads was perilous beyond compare.

A great sect like the Great Void Sect would never let its inner disciples—who were top-tier prodigies and future pillars of the sect—risk their lives in such bloody combat.

Inner disciples weren't "cannon fodder"—they were "seeds."

Their presence here was for tempering their hearts, to witness firsthand the cruelty of the Demonic Sect, to adapt to blood-soaked battles with the demonic path—so that in the future, they could truly bear great responsibility for the sect.

The only outer disciple present—was Mo Hua.

Of course, he wasn't here for tempering.

He was the puppet master behind the curtain.

The shadowy hand that accelerated the Demonic Sect's demise.

In Qianxue Prefecture, a land filled with powerful sects, any Demonic Sect that dared show itself was doomed—it was only a matter of time.

Whether or not Mo Hua existed, that fate wouldn't change.

But Mo Hua had sped up the process, pushing the timeline of the Demonic Sect's fall from beginning straight to its final act.

And now, Mo Hua was here in person, witnessing the culmination of it all.

The only downside—his position was too far from the Demonic Sect, so the view wasn't great.

He had no choice. That was already the biggest compromise he could get.

Uncle Gu from the Daotingsi, Sister Xia, Venerable Elder Xun from the Great Void Sect, and all the other elders—none of them agreed to let him be part of the front lines.

Especially Venerable Elder Xun.

"The son of a noble family does not sit beneath a collapsing roof."

To wipe out the Demonic Sect and fight Golden Core demonic cultivators was far too dangerous. A single slip could cost Mo Hua his life—and by then, regret would be meaningless.

But Mo Hua had insisted, promising to behave—stay quiet, stay far back, cause no trouble. Plus, with so many elders around, he should be safe.

Only then did Venerable Elder Xun reluctantly agree.

Thus, Mo Hua was allowed to participate, but only from a distance. He had lost all "personal freedom," had to stick close to the elders, and was forbidden from acting alone.

Besides, there wasn't much left for him to do anyway.

As the "middleman," he'd already made the connections and set things in motion—his job was done.

Everything else was in the hands of the Daotingsi and the sect elders—he had no part to play now.

He didn't have the strength to take part in the battle against Golden Core demonic cultivators.

The formations near the Demonic Sect were being handled by Elder Xun Zixian and other formation masters—Mo Hua had no need to get involved.

More importantly, most of the formations were Third-Rank, beyond Mo Hua's current ability—even if he wanted to help, he couldn't.

The only thing he could do was stand beside Elder Xun Zixian while he broke the formations, observe quietly, and learn the structure and rules behind Third-Rank formations in advance.

Once the formation was broken, came the pre-battle deployment phase.

Large numbers of Daotingsi cultivators began moving in secret, surrounding the Demonic Sect according to plan.

The Great Void Sect elders also began mobilizing.

A thin mist hung over the area—everything was proceeding swiftly and in silence.

Mo Hua, on the outer edge of the battlefield, ended up as the "free" one, standing there with deep eyes, quietly watching everything unfold.

He was stationed in a temporary outpost.

Nearby, another person was just as idle as he was.

The man was tall and burly, with a full beard and dressed in a Daotingsi enforcer's robe—this was Fan Jin.

Fan Jin was responsible for bringing up the rear.

A task as dangerous as sieging the Demonic Sect—Fan Jin, being only early-stage Golden Core, wasn't qualified to charge the front lines.

And he didn't qualify for being in the main battleforce either—killing demonic cultivators and earning merit.

That kind of glory? Not his turn.

As for things like reconnaissance, eavesdropping, or formation-breaking? He didn't have the skills.

So all that was left for him was rear-guard duty. If the operation failed, he'd cover the retreat.

If the demonic cultivators tried to flee, he'd be the one to intercept. All the dirty and exhausting jobs—fell on him.

Right now was still the preparation phase, and the outpost was bustling with activity.

Fan Jin kept glancing around, clearly preoccupied.

Being transferred from a small region to take part in this grand operation was a huge opportunity—he could meet and befriend other cultivators.

Cultivation was also about building relationships.

To advance, one had to seek out opportunities.

But after looking around for a long while, he still couldn't find anyone to talk to.

All the Golden Core cultivators coming and going were either noble-born Daotingsi officers from Qianxue Prefecture, naturally a cut above him...

Or they were true inheritance elders of the Great Void Sect, with deep cultivation and top-tier Dao lineages—completely out of reach.

Even if he spoke up, they'd probably ignore him. His background, lineage, and cultivation were all inferior.

Though Fan Jin was tall, he felt like he was shorter than everyone around him.

But he didn't want to give up—this might be his only shot.

Once this operation ended, no matter the outcome, he might never again be part of something this large, surrounded by so many Golden Core cultivators.

Even if such an opportunity arose again, he might not be invited.

Fan Jin remained on alert, scanning passing cultivators from the corner of his eye, looking for someone—anyone—a bit lower in status, someone with a kind face who might be willing to talk.

Finally—he spotted one.

Young, tender-faced, weak blood aura, low spiritual power, following behind a bunch of elders like someone just tagging along.

Most importantly—handsome, with clear eyes and a warm, approachable smile. He looked like someone easy to talk to.

Only problem? He was just Foundation Establishment.

But hey—Foundation it is. He couldn't talk to a Golden Core anyway.

And he was wearing a Great Void Sect robe—likely a disciple. Maybe Fan Jin could use him as a bridge to the elders behind him.

In big sects, even a few words exchanged with someone could sometimes turn out to be incredibly useful.

Worst case, it made for a good story.

So Fan Jin sneaked over to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua, who had been surveying the mountain terrain, noticed this strange Golden Core officer approaching. Curious, he turned his head and watched, not knowing what the man wanted.

Fan Jin steeled himself, cupped his hands and said:

"I am Fan Jin, a humble enforcer of the Daotingsi. Young brother, you're... a disciple of the Great Void Sect, yes?"

Mo Hua glanced at his own robe.

Yep, that was pretty obvious.

He nodded,

"What do you need?"

Fan Jin suddenly froze.

"What do I need…?"

Truth be told—he didn't need anything.

He just wanted to chat, maybe form a connection, build some relationships.

But he didn't know this kid. Didn't know his name, his interests, or even what to talk about.

He had the drive to improve—but after making this first step, he suddenly had no idea what came next.

Mo Hua, however, paused in thought.

Fan Jin…

That name… rang a bell.

"Do you know Uncle Gu?" Mo Hua asked.

Fan Jin blinked.

"Uncle Gu?"

"Gu Changhuai," Mo Hua said.

Fan Jin immediately nodded,

"Yes, of course! Enforcer Gu Changhuai—I was temporarily assigned to Qianxue Prefecture, and I've been working with him this whole time. He's helped me a lot."

Fan Jin let out a long sigh of relief.

Somehow—this connection just materialized. He never imagined it would come from the famously cold and impartial Enforcer Gu.

Mo Hua also nodded lightly.

He remembered now.

There was an Enforcer Fan.

Back when he used the token to alert the Demonic Sect that there was an inside mole and they should abort the mission—this Fan Jin was with Uncle Gu at the time.

Technically, he'd saved the man's life.

"Little brother, are you from the Gu family?" Fan Jin asked cautiously.

Mo Hua shook his head.

"My surname is Mo."

"Mo..."

Surname Mo...

Fan Jin felt a bit lost. As far as he remembered, there didn't seem to be any notable family with the surname "Mo" around the Qianxue Prefecture region.

Still, that confirmed his earlier judgment.

"Little brother," Fan Jin asked, "could it be... you're not from an aristocratic family?"

Mo Hua asked back,

"How can you tell?"

Fan Jin lowered his voice,

"No offense, little brother—and I'm not trying to boast—but I'm pretty good at reading people."

He glanced at Mo Hua and said,

"Your blood qi is weak, so you must've lacked spiritual nourishment in childhood. Your spiritual power's thin—your spiritual roots likely aren't exceptional. That means you definitely aren't from some major family."

"You probably joined the Great Void Sect through some fortunate opportunity."

"But…" Fan Jin shook his head, a bit wistful. "In the sect, you probably aren't given much attention. You just run errands, do odd jobs, serve tea and such. Otherwise, by now, there would've been signs of nurturing a life-bound artifact."

Mo Hua was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"You're surprisingly accurate."

"Right?" Fan Jin sighed. "Honestly, we're pretty similar. Both from the bottom rung, trying to make a name for ourselves... it's tough."

Mo Hua asked,

"You're from a small clan?"

"Exactly," Fan Jin nodded. "Fan Clan of Lone Mountain City, a third-rank small family. Though... that was in the past. We've declined now. The clan's scattered. I'm basically alone."

"Lone Mountain City?" Mo Hua was stunned.

He hadn't expected this Fan Jin to also be from Lone Mountain City.

"You know of Lone Mountain City?" Fan Jin asked, a bit surprised.

"Yeah," Mo Hua nodded. "I know Master Gu from the Lone Mountain Artifact Hall."

Fan Jin was even more surprised.

"You know Master Gu?"

"You know him too?"

Fan Jin said,

"We've had a few drinks together. I know him fairly well. Back in the day, I was the one who helped process their business license paperwork."

He hadn't expected that a casual conversation out of curiosity would actually lead to a real connection—and the more they talked, the deeper that connection became.

Fan Jin instantly warmed up even more to Mo Hua, becoming noticeably friendlier.

"If you ever visit Lone Mountain City, I'll definitely treat you right!"

"Sure!" Mo Hua replied without hesitation.

But then Fan Jin suddenly remembered something and shook his head.

"No wait, maybe don't go to Lone Mountain City. Let's wait until I get transferred to Qianxue Prefecture or a nearby region as a proper enforcer—then I'll throw you a feast."

Mo Hua paused, then his gaze flickered.

"Fan Enforcer... you don't want to stay in Lone Mountain City?"

"That godforsaken place? Who would?" Fan Jin waved it off with a look of disdain.

But Mo Hua's gaze sharpened slightly—he noticed something was off in Fan Jin's expression.

He was showing disdain, yes—but deep in his eyes was something else...

Dread.

Even a trace of...

Fear.

Fear?

What was there to fear in Lone Mountain City?

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly.

But Fan Jin clearly didn't want to talk about "Lone Mountain City" any longer. He quickly changed the topic and looked at Mo Hua, offering a bit of elderly concern:

"Little brother, let me give you a word of advice. Take it if you find it useful—if not, just pretend I'm babbling nonsense."

"Please go ahead, Fan Enforcer," Mo Hua said with a nod.

Fan Jin spoke sincerely:

"You're at late-stage Foundation Establishment. Next step is Core Formation, right? When it comes to your life-bound artifact—you really need to choose carefully. Even if the sect doesn't value you and you have no family backing, you still can't afford to slack off."

Initially, Fan Jin had only wanted to use Mo Hua to build some connection to his sect's elders—but after chatting so naturally with him, his warm nature took over, and he genuinely started giving advice from the heart.

Even though Mo Hua didn't really need it.

Fan Jin saw Mo Hua's mild expression and thought he wasn't taking him seriously—so he got a little anxious:

"Really, little brother. I've been there. I'm not lying. I suffered greatly from this. Back then, I thought as long as I could form a core, it was fine—didn't put much thought into the artifact. Figured I could make do with whatever."

"But now I have formed a core, and guess what? My artifact's trash. I get outclassed everywhere…"

Mo Hua asked curiously,

"Fan Enforcer, what's your artifact?"

"A hammer."

"Your life-bound artifact… is a hammer?"

"Yes."

Fan Jin looked like he had a thousand regrets but nowhere to vent them.

"So I'm telling you—the life-bound artifact is not something you should take lightly. You must choose the one that suits you best. Don't try to cut corners."

Mo Hua nodded slowly.

He'd actually spent a lot of time thinking about his future artifact. He wasn't really concerned about Fan Jin's suggestion—what interested him more was still...

Lone Mountain City.

Mo Hua wanted to know: what had happened in Lone Mountain City that could make a Golden Core enforcer show fear?

But before he could ask—

"Mo Hua, come have some tea."

It was Elder Xun Zixian.

"Oh, coming!" Mo Hua quickly responded.

Fan Jin turned to look and saw the one who had called—he immediately froze.

It was a late-stage Golden Core elder from the Great Void Sect, with sword-like brows and brilliant eyes, both in looks and bearing utterly outstanding.

Fan Jin's heart trembled.

The Great Void Sect was one of the eight great sects. A late-stage Golden Core true-inheritance elder from there was a towering figure compared to a low-tier early-stage Golden Core enforcer from a backwater like him—absolutely unreachable.

Fan Jin wanted to try and network—but the gap was just too vast.

He didn't even have the confidence to speak.

Just then, a Daotingsi officer came looking for him.

"Fan Enforcer, Enforcer Gu is looking for you. The operation is about to start."

"Understood." Fan Jin nodded, then turned to Mo Hua and cupped his hands.

"It's fate that we met. I won't disturb you any further. If there's a next time, let's talk more."

Mo Hua also cupped his hands:

"The demonic cultivators are vicious. Be careful, Fan Enforcer."

"Thanks for the reminder, little brother."

With that, Fan Jin turned and left—though in his heart, he couldn't help feeling a bit regretful.

Such a golden opportunity... If only he could've stayed a little longer, chatted a few more lines— Maybe... just maybe, he could've managed to link himself to one of the "big names" in the Great Void Sect.

"What a pity…"

"What a pity…"

Fan Jin had only taken a few steps before he couldn't help but glance back.

At that moment, Elder Xun Zixian called Mo Hua to sit down and personally poured him a cup of tea, speaking warmly:

"A fellow cultivator gifted this to me. It's called Snow-Pure Bloom. Try it."

The tea leaves were like snow, the brew crystal-clear, and the fragrance elegant and clean.

Mo Hua took the cup, sipped, and smiled with narrowed eyes:

"Thank you, Elder Zixian!"

This scene burned itself into Fan Jin's eyes. His mind instantly buzzed like it had been struck by thunder.

Wait…

No, this isn't right.

Wasn't it disciples who served tea to elders?

When had it ever been the other way around?!

What sort of sect was this Great Void Sect!?

And the one pouring the tea wasn't just any elder—he was clearly a high-standing, deeply learned, late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Such a senior figure… someone Fan Jin didn't even dare greet casually, was pouring tea for that young man?

Fan Jin stood frozen, dazed, and muttered internally:

"Just who... is this little brother...?"

Suddenly, he remembered—

That elder had addressed the youth earlier, and seemed to call his name—

Mo Hua.

"Mo Hua…"

Fan Jin frowned. That name sounded very familiar.

He racked his brain—and suddenly, his pupils shrank and he drew in a sharp breath.

"Don't tell me... that's the Mo Hua?

That rumored 'little monster' from the Great Void Sect?!"

Half an hour later, everything was in place.

The battle to exterminate the Demonic Sect officially began.

But this had little to do with Mo Hua.

Elder Xun Zixian stayed by his side as per the orders of Venerable Elder Xun—not only to keep him from running off and getting into trouble, but more importantly, to ensure his safety.

Mo Hua quietly sat, drinking tea, while his eyes stayed fixed in the distance—watching the direction of the Demonic Sect's lair and observing how the battle unfolded.

Thousands of Daotingsi cultivators, along with elders and disciples from the Great Void Sect, followed prearranged routes, moving like dark tides as they encircled the Demonic Sect from all sides.

A massive net was being drawn—tightly sealing the Demonic Sect's stronghold within.

The storm was coming.

The mountain was still, the air silent, as if holding its breath.

In the miasma-ridden, venomous swamps of Wild Goose Drop Mountain, the silence only grew heavier.

Suddenly—

A massive ripple burst out!

The mountains trembled. The ground quaked violently.

It was the outer defensive formation of the Demonic Sect being broken through, causing a violent spiritual energy explosion that sent shockwaves across the terrain.

Then came the battle cries—

So loud they pierced the heavens.

Golden Core cultivators led the charge, unleashing their artifacts and raining sword auras, spellfire, blades, and armor upon the enemy—clashing head-on with the demonic cultivators.

The once-clear skies quickly darkened, stained red by blood and choked with poisonous fog.

Following the Golden Core cultivators was the bulk of the battle force.

Daotingsi Enforcers led their subordinates; the Great Void Sect elders led their inner disciples. They formed tight formations, like grinding machines, cutting down the Demonic Sect disciples one by one.

Five-element spiritual energy and demonic blood qi collided and twisted together, setting off chain reactions of devastating explosions.

Severed limbs, flying viscera—the battlefield was a scene of carnage.

Blood poured into rivers, soaked into swamps, and dyed the entire Wild Goose Drop Mountain in a crimson veil.

The slaughter stretched on.

Thousands of cultivators fought to the death across the toxic marshes and forested slopes—blades breaking, spells flying, hidden weapons flickering between trees. The scale of the battle was immense.

Who knew how much time had passed before the battle seemed to slow.

Mo Hua knew—

It wasn't over.

It just meant the elders and Golden Core enforcers had broken into the inner sanctum of the Demonic Sect.

And sure enough—

Moments later, an even stronger quake surged out.

Mountains cracked. Stones split.

The overflowing spiritual energy lashed out like a tidal wave, reversing the poisonous mists and turning rivers and hills upside down.

At the same time— A ferocious, tyrannical, terrifying roar resounded through the mountain— Like an ancient beast awakening from slumber.

The sound made all the beasts in the mountains cower in fear. Even righteous cultivators felt their hearts tremble.

Mo Hua's pupils shrank.

"That's… a Dragon's Roar!?"

The Azure Dragon of the Four Symbols Array…

Beside him, Elder Xun Zixian's face also changed upon hearing the roar.

"An Evil Dragon…"

(End of this Chapter)