Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 929: Evil "Dragon"

"Evil Dragon?" Mo Hua was slightly stunned and turned to look at Elder Xun Zixian.

Xun Zixian said in a low voice,

"Dragons are ancient divine beasts, and also the totem of the Heavenly Emperor lineage of the Dao Court. They summon wind and rain, command thunder, and possess supreme power."

"Everything about a dragon—its soul, bones, flesh, blood, scales—are divine treasures."

"Countless cultivators throughout history have sought to draw power from the dragon, and from that desire, many cultivation techniques have emerged."

"Among them, some belong to the righteous path… and others to the demonic."

"Righteous methods include Azure Dragon arts, the Xuanhuang Dragon Mantra, Dragonblood Body-Refining Techniques, or martial arts like Dragon Force Techniques, dragonbone artifacts, and dragon-spirit pills… and so on."

"But there are also many dragon-based arts among the demonic paths. These, however, are forbidden techniques—ordinary cultivators can't even get close to them."

Xun Zixian gazed off into the distance, his expression grave.

"This roar carries human resentment, endless slaughter karma, and overwhelming evil qi. I don't know what kind of demonic technique was used to raise such an evil dragon…"

Mo Hua, however, already had a guess in his heart—

It was an array.

The Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array…

Mister Tu must have twisted the formation into a Four Symbols Evil Dragon Array, feeding it with flesh and blood to nurture it into a force of demonic dragon might.

But…

Mo Hua frowned slightly.

If this Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array really was transformed into an "Evil Array," and the Azure Dragon had become an Evil Dragon—could he still use it?

If he etched this formation into his body as a lifebound artifact, wouldn't that make him… a demonic cultivator imbued with evil dragon power?

Far in the distance, blood qi surged through the skies. The evil dragon's roar shook the heavens, and its fearsome might left hearts trembling.

"Are dragons… really that strong?" Mo Hua muttered.

Xun Zixian nodded seriously.

"Anything with 'dragon' in its name—none of it is weak. That includes evil dragons."

Dragon…

Mo Hua's thoughts drifted, and he suddenly recalled his senior brother—Bai Zisheng.

He still remembered faintly: on the mountain of corpses at Nanyue City, his senior brother had once manifested an Azure Dragon shadow behind him, fusing man and spear into one.

With a single mighty strike, he pierced through the chest of Lu Chengyun, the traitor of Little Spirit Concealment Sect and former "Corpse King" servant.

That technique… if memory served, was called "Returning Dragon Spear."

His senior brother was a direct descendant of the Bai Clan.

Which meant—the Bai Clan's inheritance was also dragon-related?

Then… the Bai Clan's origins might be truly extraordinary.

"Anything with 'dragon' in it isn't weak…" Mo Hua repeated softly.

Then couldn't help complaining inwardly:

"Though honestly, not everything with 'dragon' in it is strong… Like that 'Soaring Dragon in the Sky' move my dumb senior brother taught me. That one's a total fraud. He only gave it that flashy name to sound cool. It's all flair, no bite. I used it once in combat and got smacked around like a ragdoll…"

As his thoughts wandered, old memories of the four of them journeying together as master and disciples rose to his mind—leaving him slightly dazed.

"I wonder where that idiot senior brother is now…"

But he didn't have long to reminisce—

Another deafening dragon roar shattered his thoughts, accompanied by an even more violent spiritual force shockwave from afar.

Mountains cracked, bloody marshes splashed into the air, and a foul wind laced with demonic qi swept toward them.

This was the aftermath of a full-power clash between late-stage Golden Core cultivators.

Even the shockwave alone could destroy mountains and shatter stone—utterly terrifying.

Xun Zixian immediately stepped in front of Mo Hua, flicked his sleeve, and spun yin and yang together—forming a crystalline shield of spiritual light to block the wave and protect Mo Hua.

Only then did Mo Hua feel a bit more at ease.

At the same time, he felt a deep chill in his heart.

A full-power Golden Core clash… the power of spiritual energy could be this terrifying!?

Clearly, he had been wise to act cautiously before.

It's one thing to plot from the shadows and have Golden Cores kill Golden Cores…

But if he were to charge in himself and get hit by one of their techniques—he might not even have a body left to bury.

He had still underestimated Golden Cores…

Mo Hua asked with a worried expression,

"Elder Zixian, can the elders of the sect handle this Evil Dragon's power? Will there be danger?"

Xun Zixian paused, sensed carefully, and then shook his head.

"The power of this Evil Dragon feels violent, yes—but unstable. It's likely that the technique is flawed or the formation incomplete. It hasn't fully matured."

"Besides, the ones we sent from the Great Void Sect are all experts. Ziyou's sword intent is unparalleled, and the late-stage Golden Core elders from the Tai'a and Chongxu lineages have come too. The three sword styles complement each other—it shouldn't be too dangerous…"

Mo Hua felt slightly relieved.

He then asked,

"Then can they kill the demon cultivator who wields this evil dragon power?"

"It'll be difficult," Xun Zixian replied. "It depends on luck."

Mo Hua sighed lightly.

If they can't kill him, then capturing him alive is even more unlikely.

Which meant—getting his hands on the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Formation Diagram was going to be tricky.

The dragon's vicious roars still echoed across the mountain range.

But moments later—a stream of serene zither music rose into the air, like flowing water over high mountains, soothing the heart. It tempered the raging cries of the Evil Dragon.

It seemed one of the Golden Core elders had made a move—using music to combat the dragon's roar.

Sure enough, the dragon's roar weakened noticeably, and much of the killing intent within it dissipated. Listening now, it no longer felt so terrifying and oppressive.

"That's the Clarity Zither of the Wenren Clan," Xun Zixian explained. "It's one of the rarer musical instrument-type artifact inheritances."

Mo Hua nodded.

He remembered that among the enforcers mobilized for this operation, there was indeed a Golden Core cultivator from the Wenren Clan.

The zither melody suppressed the dragon roar, and soon after, the spiritual shockwaves reignited—the battle had clearly entered its climax.

With Elder Xun Zixian protecting him, Mo Hua was quite safe, but as he gazed out at the misty, blood-soaked chaos of Wild Goose Drop Mountain, he couldn't help but worry.

The turbulent mix of spiritual energy and blood qi continued to churn for a full half day before finally quieting.

The blood qi in the sky had condensed into a blood mist.

The curtain finally fell on this operation.

Daotingsi cultivators had already begun post-battle clean-up.

The Demonic Sect had been defeated. The Golden Core-level demons—those that could be killed, were killed.

But it wasn't over yet.

A large number of Demon Sect disciples had scattered like birds and beasts.

The Dao Court Division was blocking off exits and hunting them down one by one, trying to eliminate them completely to prevent any remnants from escaping and harming innocent cultivators.

Although the main battle was over, small-scale skirmishes still erupted across every corner of Wild Goose Drop Mountain.

Mo Hua wanted to go out and take a look, but Elder Xun Zixian refused to allow it.

The great battle was dangerous, yes—but the aftermath, with scattered remnants, could be even more deadly if underestimated.

Xun Zixian didn't dare let Mo Hua take that risk.

Mo Hua had no choice but to wait patiently.

After a while, Golden Core elders from the Great Void Sect began returning one after another. Each of them looked exhausted, with visible injuries and disordered spiritual auras—it was clear that the battle had taken a heavy toll on them.

Even Xun Ziyou returned, with a streak of blood on his dao robe, his hair half undone, his face pale, his body covered in blood, and his eyes still carrying the lingering savagery of battle.

This was nothing like the carefree Elder Xun Ziyou Mo Hua had seen before—the one who quietly tailed him, slacked off at every chance, and sipped tea lazily.

Xun Ziyou still seemed caught in the bloodlust of the fight, his face fierce and cold. But the moment he saw Mo Hua and met those clear, tranquil eyes, he finally snapped out of it and let out a long breath.

"Elder Xun, are your injuries serious?" Mo Hua asked.

Xun Ziyou replied gently,

"I'm fine. Nothing major."

Then he took a few pills and sighed:

"It's just a shame… the Demon Sect leader escaped."

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly.

Elder Xun Zixian frowned.

"What exactly happened?"

Xun Ziyou's expression turned serious.

"We fought our way forward all the way to the Blood Pool, and there we encountered the Demon Sect leader."

"That person looked half-human, half-ghost—strange and sinister. On his back was a carved dragon pattern of unknown origin. When activated, his blood surged violently, and a dark green evil dragon coiled around his body. Blades couldn't cut him, spells couldn't harm him, and he emitted a soul-shaking dragon roar. Even with three or four of our late-stage Golden Core elders working together, we couldn't subdue him."

"The sword intent of the Great Void Sect, the blade edge of the Tai'a Sect, the sword aura of the Chongxu Sect—none of it could break through his defenses."

"After a prolonged stalemate that lasted several hours, he finally drained the entire Blood Pool dry. He seemed unable to continue draining more, so he transformed into a dragon shadow and, with overwhelming evil might, broke through the encirclement and fled deeper into Wild Goose Drop Mountain."

"The Evil Dragon escape technique was far too fast. We didn't dare chase too deep, so we let him go and focused on wiping out the rest of the Demon Sect scum."

After all, the danger of the Demon Sect didn't lie in one leader alone, but in the many tumors that spread its demonic arts.

If they could eliminate most of the demonic cultivators, that alone would be a great success.

Mo Hua also felt a bit of relief. The operation had succeeded, and that was what mattered most—but he still felt regret.

The Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array was truly powerful.

That Demon Sect leader, empowered by the Evil Dragon, couldn't even be subdued by several late-stage Golden Core elders.

Which meant… what would become of the Azure Dragon Array Diagram?

If even so many Golden Core elders couldn't capture him, then Mo Hua had even less of a chance.

Mo Hua frowned, lost in thought.

Just then, Xun Ziyou sat down, took a sip of the tea Elder Xun Zixian had just brewed, and suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, I killed a Golden Core demon."

Xun Zixian responded flatly,

"So what? You killed one—what's the big deal?"

For a late-stage Golden Core to kill one or two other Golden Cores—what's so special about that?

"No, no," Xun Ziyou frowned.

"Do you remember the Golden Core demon beasts I told you about from the Ten Thousand Demons Valley?"

Xun Zixian's gaze sharpened. He nodded.

Mo Hua perked up his ears.

Xun Ziyou explained:

"Back then on Demon Refining Mountain, there were three Golden Core realm demon elders in the Ten Thousand Demons Valley."

"One of them—we later found his corpse during the mountain sweep. His chest bore thick claw marks, like someone had ripped it open. His storage ring was gone, and the skin with his demon markings had been cut away—we couldn't even tell what kind of demon he was."

"The other two—a serpent demon and a bear demon—were the same ones who ambushed Elder Xuanjian of the Chongxu Sect during the hunt."

"I fought with them once, but they escaped. Later we searched the mountain again but found no sign of them."

"But just now, in the Demon Sect's stronghold… I ran into them."

Both Xun Zixian and Mo Hua were shocked.

"So the Ten Thousand Demons Valley is connected to the Demon Sect?" Xun Zixian frowned.

"Seems like it…" Xun Ziyou replied.

Mo Hua also frowned.

He had long suspected that after forming their Golden Cores, demon cultivators from the Ten Thousand Demons Valley were allowed to leave—and the Demon Sect might've been one of their destinations.

Until now, that was only speculation—but Elder Xun Ziyou's words confirmed it.

The Ten Thousand Demons Valley was indeed connected to the Demon Sect.

"What about those two Golden Core demon cultivators?" Xun Zixian asked. "Did you kill them?"

"I got one," Xun Ziyou replied. "The serpent demon is dead, but the bear demon escaped. No idea where he fled to, or whether he might've been killed by another elder."

Xun Zixian pondered for a moment and muttered,

"There's something strange about this…"

Xun Ziyou nodded.

"Indeed."

Mo Hua also looked thoughtful, but just as he was about to speak, he suddenly sensed something off. His expression changed, and he quickly looked up at the sky.

He saw a dim crimson haze overhead, with a sinister energy secretly circulating along a fixed pattern.

Startled, Mo Hua turned to Xun Zixian.

"Elder!"

Xun Zixian had also noticed the anomaly. His face darkened.

"It's a formation!"

He stood up abruptly, releasing his divine sense. Inwardly calculating something, his expression soon turned grim. He turned to Xun Ziyou and said,

"It's a Corpse-Energy Conversion Formation. It's feeding on the blood energy and grievances of the dead to nourish… something. Send down the order—don't kill the remaining demon cultivators unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, this formation will feast until it's full."

Xun Ziyou didn't understand much about formations, but he knew to trust Xun Zixian's expertise. He immediately summoned a few inner sect disciples and instructed them to pass down the elder's command.

The disciples accepted the order and hurried off.

But Xun Zixian still wore a troubled expression.

"But we can't just stop killing altogether. The earlier battle already left many dead. Even if we stop now, the evil formation will continue to draw in blood and resentment."

Mo Hua understood this too and said,

"Elder Zixian, we must find a way to break this formation. We can't let a wicked array like this remain."

Xun Zixian nodded slightly, though he cast a concerned glance at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua understood—he was worried for Mo Hua's safety.

So Mo Hua assured him,

"I'll go with you. I won't leave your side, and I won't run around. Most of the Golden Core-level demon leaders are already dead or fled. There shouldn't be any more major danger."

Xun Zixian pondered for a moment and nodded.

"Very well."

He then gathered a few remaining Great Void Sect elders who still had energy to spare and led them deep into the toxic swamps of Wild Goose Drop Mountain.

What was once a poisonous swamp had now become a bloody marsh.

The fog in the air was dyed red with blood, hanging thick in the sky, supported and sustained by the hidden power of the formation.

Within the blood mist, faint traces of life and death karma flowed.

Xun Zixian took out a special directional compass, drew a few strokes with his fingers, and the golden needle spun before pointing steadily toward the source of the evil energy.

Following the needle's guidance, Xun Zixian led the way.

Mo Hua obediently followed behind, stepping over withered grass, toxic marshes, and the severed limbs of slain demon cultivators, making his way deeper and deeper into the swamp.

One incense stick's time later, Xun Zixian stopped, his eyes narrowing. With two fingers together, he sent out a burst of sword light, which flew out and blasted apart a grassy mound ahead.

Beneath the mound lay a large stele made of white bone, its surface engraved with vicious and twisted patterns.

The blood fiend energy lingering in the air was converging from all directions toward this bone stele.

Bathed in the nourishing blood energy, the runes on the stele's surface became soaked in blood, glowing with an eerie crimson hue. What's more—they began to squirm, as if they had come to life…

(End of this Chapter)