Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 961: Dragon Coffin

The aura of the Dragon of Karma was deep and intense, radiating supreme majesty. Everyone present felt their hearts tremble involuntarily, a vague compulsion to submit beginning to rise from deep within.

The black-robed elder dropped to one knee with reverent solemnity.

Young Master Xuan's face turned slightly pale as he bowed in respect.

The bear demon cultivator trembled in fear, prostrating with his forehead pressed to the ground.

Mo Hua, however, remained completely still.

His divine sense was extraordinarily powerful, and his cultivation of spiritual consciousness had already approached the level of a deity. This gave him an innate resistance to this kind of spiritual majesty.

"A man lives his life—he kneels to Heaven, to Earth, and to his parents."

"The royal clan of the Great Wilderness? No matter how grand their power or overwhelming their presence—they are not worthy of my submission."

Besides, at the moment, he was just a pitiable "puppet" who had been implanted with a demonic seed in his Dao Heart.

"A puppet has no heart or soul. Why would it kneel willingly?"

Once the dragon aura receded, everyone slowly rose to their feet.

The massive dragon head opened, and the magnificent gate behind it revealed a world suffused in brilliant golden light and awe-inspiring divine might.

"The Imperial Tomb of the Great Wilderness… it's opened," Shentu Ao murmured softly, adorned in his dragon-patterned robes. He took the lead, his towering frame like a small mountain, stepping slowly into the final temple.

The black-robed elder and the others followed closely behind.

Young Master Xuan glanced at Shentu Ao's group, eyes flickering with unreadable thoughts. After a moment, he turned to Mo Hua and the others.

"Move."

Mo Hua obediently took stiff, lifeless steps, following them into the Lone Mountain Divine Temple, the place hiding the greatest secrets of the Great Wilderness.

Inside, golden brilliance dazzled the eyes with opulence.

All around the long staircases stood statues of various forms—standing, sitting, reclining. Some wore golden armor, others luxurious robes; some in scholarly dress, some cloaked in capes. All had narrow, stern faces, but without exception, each statue depicted Huangshan Lord.

Mo Hua couldn't help but inwardly click his tongue in amazement:

"How many people, how much time, how much yellow ore and how many spirit stones did it take to forge all these statues?"

"This Huangshan Lord… such extravagance. No wonder he ended up ruined. Honestly, he brought it upon himself."

"Some things really are destined by Heaven."

"But wait… even if Huangshan Lord's alive, what's the point of making all these statues of himself?"

Confused, Mo Hua silently mused as he followed the others forward.

There were no traps or formations encountered along the way.

This grand hall seemed built to honor the imperial tomb and the Lone Mountain deity. The outside was fraught with danger and peril—but within, it was solemn and peaceful, perhaps to avoid disturbing the royal bloodline or the divine.

Step by step, the group passed the ornate, diverse mountain god statues and arrived at the innermost depths of the temple.

Here, the structure became even grander, radiant with flowing colors and dazzling light.

At its center stood a massive mountain god statue, even more imposing than those outside.

This statue wore imperial armor, radiating awe without anger. At first glance, it resembled a deity of Lone Mountain. But upon closer inspection, it bore the traits of the royal clan of the Great Wilderness.

Divine and royal elements, fused into one, creating this colossal mountain god statue seated at the heart of the divine temple.

And beneath this statue—

There lay a coffin.

Its shape and style were nearly identical to the enormous yellow-bronze coffin in the underground palace—the one that had been soaking in endless blood and flesh—but this one was much more refined and compact, sized to hold only a single body. The materials used were clearly far more luxurious.

Most striking of all: atop the coffin was carved a mighty, rebellious dragon.

It was a Dragon Coffin.

Mo Hua's heart stirred as countless thoughts swirled in his mind:

"Who's buried in that Dragon Coffin? A royal of the Great Wilderness?"

"Is the 'Dragon Pulse' Shentu Ao spoke of also hidden in that coffin?"

"But what even is the 'Dragon Pulse' of the Great Wilderness? A legacy? A dragon's skeleton? Or… some other part of a dragon?"

"Could it even contain… the complete Four Symbols Azure Dragon Formation Diagram?"

Mo Hua's eyes flickered slightly, then quietly exhaled.

"At last… my lifebound formation is within reach."

This journey had been perilous beyond compare.

Mo Hua had never expected that Lone Mountain would conceal so many horrors, or that it had been turned into such a deadly trap.

Cursed tunnels.

Grotesque corpses.

A coffin of flesh sealed by ten thousand bodies.

A slave mine of tens of thousands.

A ghost road of evil spirits.

And this divine temple, overrun with dancing ghosts.

Even the dragon-head gate, sealed by the ancestors of the Great Wilderness and only openable by royal blood.

Mo Hua reflected: aside from handling the ghosts and spirits with ease, everything else had been far beyond his ability.

Especially that dragon-head gate. He had absolutely no way to open it—after all, he did not carry the blood of the royal clan.

Luckily, these Demon Sect leaders had played right into his hands.

And now, after all this struggle, the Dragon Coffin of the Great Wilderness was finally within arm's reach.

Mo Hua suppressed his excitement and stood silently to the side, like an obedient, soulless "puppet."

And indeed—no one present paid him the slightest attention.

Their eyes were fixed only on that coffin—the one that symbolized imperial authority, supreme honor, and majestic aura.

"Is it inside the coffin?" Young Master Xuan asked.

The black-robed elder nodded.

"It is."

A flash of obsession gleamed in Young Master Xuan's eyes.

"Then what are we waiting for? Open it."

But the black-robed elder shook his head.

"Not yet."

Young Master Xuan frowned.

"Why not?"

"Inside the Dragon Coffin… lies a Demonic Fetus."

"A Demonic Fetus?!"

Young Master Xuan's pupils shrank.

Mo Hua's heart also trembled.

So it was true!

There really was a Demonic Fetus hidden within Lone Mountain—and it was sealed inside this imperial Dragon Coffin!

But how did this black-robed elder know such a secret?

Mo Hua was puzzled.

At this moment, Young Master Xuan asked,

"Are you telling the truth?"

The black-robed elder slowly nodded.

But Young Master Xuan's brows furrowed. His eyes flickered.

"Second Elder, don't try to scare me with some vague talk of 'demonic fetuses.' If we're to work together, I expect transparency. Explain this clearly."

"What is this demonic fetus? Where did it come from?"

The black-robed elder was silent for a while, then sighed. A cold gleam flickered in his eyes.

"This matter… begins with a former 巫祝 (Wuzhu)—a once highly respected shaman of our clan."

"Wuzhu?" Young Master Xuan's expression flickered slightly.

The black-robed elder said solemnly:

"A Wuzhu serves spirits and deities, paints the Four Symbols, commands totems, tames beasts, and discerns fortune and misfortune… They are the shamans of the Great Wilderness."

"When the Dao Court slaughtered our royal clan, severed our bloodline, and shattered our foundation, only one in ten Wuzhu survived."

"Yet despite this, the surviving shamans continued to endure in silence—nurturing the hope of restoring the royal clan of the Great Wilderness."

"But the heavens did not favor us… A horrifying betrayal occurred among the Wuzhu themselves."

At this, a mix of anger and fear twisted across the black-robed elder's face.

Young Master Xuan's expression grew more solemn.

The elder's voice trembled as he continued:

"One Wuzhu, during a sacrificial rite to the spirits, violated a taboo… and awakened an ancient evil god of the Great Wilderness."

"Under the evil god's bewitchment, he betrayed us."

"On the surface, he remained a respected Wuzhu (tribal shaman), but in secret, he had deviated from his original path, betrayed the Great Wilderness, and wholly surrendered body and soul to the evil god. His actions brought about a terrible calamity—he stole the legacy of the Great Wilderness, seized its bloodline, and in this very divine temple… raised a Demonic Fetus!"

"This was the first Demonic Fetus he nurtured."

"He intended to use it to bring the evil god into this world."

"But for some reason, he failed. The evil god never descended… and the fetus went out of control."

"In the end, that traitor had no choice but to seal the fetus here, beneath Lone Mountain, in the depths of this divine temple."

"And now…" the black-robed elder looked toward the golden dragon coffin before him, a hint of dread in his eyes. "That Demonic Fetus… is sleeping inside this coffin."

Hearing this, Young Master Xuan's expression changed—but after a moment, he still furrowed his brows, clearly not fully convinced.

Mo Hua, on the other hand, was reeling inside.

Young Master Xuan might not know, but he did. He was far too entangled in the matters of the evil god to be ignorant now—he understood better than anyone.

Second Elder's words had revealed a torrent of secrets.

And for Mo Hua, many questions were finally answered.

His thoughts raced as he pieced everything together:

"The 'traitor' Second Elder spoke of—the one who betrayed his people and surrendered to the evil god… is he talking about Mister Tu?"

"Mister Tu was actually a Wuzhu of the Great Wilderness?"

"A shaman who communes with spirits, paints the Four Symbols, commands totems, tames beasts, divines fortune and misfortune… No wonder he could master the Four Symbols Formation, manipulate divine formations, raise demon beasts in the Myriad Demon Valley, conceal the Ardent Rouge Boat from fate, and even predict auspiciousness and calamity…"

"So it was here, in Lone Mountain, that he raised his first Demonic Fetus."

"And hundreds of years ago, he already tried to use it to summon the evil god…"

Mo Hua recalled the pit filled with over 100,000 densely packed miner corpses.

His heart turned cold.

—

On the other side, Young Master Xuan pondered for a moment, then chuckled with a hint of sarcasm:

"Senior, do evil gods really exist in this world?"

The black-robed elder gave him a cold glance.

"You'd better pray… you never encounter one."

"Evil gods are the kind of thing—if you never come across them, then they don't exist. But if you do, then whether they're real or not no longer matters… because by that time, you won't be you anymore."

"You've studied the 'Demonic Seed of the Dao Heart'—you should understand."

Young Master Xuan's heart trembled slightly, but after a pause, he asked again:

"If what you say is true, and this Dragon Coffin really contains a Demonic Fetus, then… aren't we about to awaken it?"

"Absolutely not!" the black-robed elder snapped.

Young Master Xuan frowned.

"Why not?"

"You have no idea how terrifying a Demonic Fetus is," the elder said gravely. "Once awakened, we're all dead."

Young Master Xuan remained skeptical.

Seeing this, the elder's tone turned stern:

"Don't think that just because you've learned a bit of the Dao Heart Demon Seed, you've mastered the path of divine sense. You've never truly experienced the horror that dwells within the soul. The terrifying things within spiritual thought—you don't understand them at all."

Young Master Xuan's expression darkened.

"This Demonic Fetus… at most, it's Third Grade, right?"

"At most Third Grade?" The black-robed elder laughed coldly.

"Do you even understand what a Third Grade Divine Fetus means?"

"This is a Demonic Fetus of a Third Grade Evil God—one that almost descended into the mortal world!"

"If it wakes… forget you—even if your family's grand elder came in person, they might not walk out of this mountain alive. Even if their body escapes, their soul would be left behind."

"What's more… if my guess is right…" the black-robed elder's eyes filled with deep fear,

"This Demonic Fetus might be at the peak of Third Grade, and possibly close to Fourth Grade…"

Those words didn't faze Young Master Xuan too much.

But Mo Hua?

His scalp went numb.

"A Demonic Fetus at peak Third Grade… nearly Fourth?!"

"We're screwed."

"That's way out of my league."

Mo Hua's heart pounded violently.

"Just killing a Second Grade Demonic Fetus nearly drained me dry… and now this?!"

"This is a whole different tier of existence—completely incomparable."

"And it's a failed descent of an evil god—plus out of control? That's double the nightmare."

"This is the real 'big guy.' Compared to that huge flesh-and-blood corpse statue, this is on a whole other scale of horror…"

A chill crept up Mo Hua's spine. His heart felt icy cold.

He had actually been considering trying to absorb this Demonic Fetus earlier… to push his divine sense to twenty threads!

Now?

"Yeah… no."

"I was clearly overestimating myself…"

"Trying to 'eat' a peak Third Grade Demonic Fetus? Who the hell do I think I am?"

"If I really tried that… not only would I not eat it—it'd eat me."

"Reckless. Truly reckless…"

Mo Hua quickly revised his plans:

Forget the Demonic Fetus. It's untouchable. Best not provoke it at all.

The real goal now—is to get my hands on the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Formation Diagram.

If I can get the Great Wilderness' Dragon Pulse, even better.

These people clearly plan to use the Dragon Pulse to rebel—if I steal it away, that'd be doing the Dao Court a big favor.

Even if I can't use it myself, I could hand it over and exchange it for some top-tier formation techniques or exclusive secrets from the Dao Court.

Plan revised. Priorities reset.

—

On the other side, upon hearing the phrase "peak Third Grade Demonic Fetus," Young Master Xuan nodded slightly, finally showing some caution.

But then he frowned again.

"If this Demonic Fetus is truly so terrifying… then doesn't that mean we can't open the coffin?"

The black-robed elder fell silent, then suddenly changed the subject:

"Young Master Xuan, about our previous agreement… will you still honor it?"

Young Master Xuan nodded.

"Naturally. My branch of the Demon Sect will assist the Great Wilderness royal clan in rising again—dominating the Southern Wastes and opposing the Dao Court. All we ask is that you grant us a corner of land to spread our teachings."

"Good." Second Elder nodded in satisfaction.

Then he turned to Shentu Ao, bowing deeply. His expression was complicated, and his voice was aged and heavy with emotion:

"Third Prince… this old servant can only accompany you up to this point."

"I fear I will not live to see the day… when you ascend the Dragon Throne and rule over the Great Wilderness."

The ever-silent, coldly arrogant Shentu Ao… actually revealed a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

He returned the bow—deeply.

It was the first time Mo Hua had ever seen him bow to anyone.

He said nothing after that.

But...

This bow… was enough.

Second Elder gave a slight nod and said calmly,

"I will seal the Demonic Fetus and isolate its senses so it won't awaken. After that, you may open the coffin and retrieve the Dragon Pulse—but remember, you only have one hour."

Once he finished speaking, Second Elder raised his head, using a secret Great Wilderness technique to observe the Dragon Coffin's position, calculating something silently in his mind.

Moments later, having determined the proper orientation, he walked directly to an open space three zhang (approx. 10 meters) before the coffin.

He sat cross-legged and took out several strange, primal-looking bone artifacts—some were claws, others arm bones, shin bones, skulls... all exuding an ancient, savage aura.

One by one, he carefully arranged the bones on the ground, piecing them together into the shape of a dragon.

Then he brought out a vial of blood ink, drawing specific formation diagrams on the floor.

Mo Hua glanced over and noticed the diagrams resembled a mix between Four Symbols runes and tribal beast totems. They were drawn entirely in blood, bizarre and unfamiliar to him.

"Is this also some secret formation from the Great Wilderness?"

Second Elder meticulously finished the blood markings.

The patterns connected the bones like veins, threading them into one—the assembled skeleton resembled a bloody-bone dragon.

Then he drew out a final bone segment.

It gleamed like jade, radiating a powerful aura. It was the same dragon bone he had previously used to suppress the evil aura from the flesh-statue.

Second Elder clenched the dragon bone between his teeth.

Then, without hesitation, he pulled out a ritual dagger—

—and stabbed it deep into his own heart meridian.

His body trembled violently, clearly enduring unbearable pain.

And as the pain overtook him, blood flowed from his mouth and soaked into the dragon bone.

The dragon bone wailed softly, slowly turning crimson.

On the ground, the blood-pattern bone dragon began to resonate. Crimson threads wrapped around the bones and fused with them—

—finally transforming into a Dragonbone Chain, forged from blood and bone.

This chain slowly floated into the air, moving into position above the Dragon Coffin, sealing its hidden corners and cutting off a terrifying internal aura.

But at that moment… Second Elder's head slumped forward, and his breath began to fade.

Mo Hua's heart jolted.

Dead…?!

This was a shamanic secret art of the Great Wilderness?

This Second Elder—late-stage Golden Core cultivator—had sacrificed his own life, ignited the dragon qi, and used his blood and dragon bone to forge this Dragon Lock, sealing the Demonic Fetus?

Mo Hua glanced toward the Dragon Coffin.

Something strange had indeed occurred.

The coffin now looked… different. It seemed as though something had been stripped from it—or rather, something had been sealed away. Its presence within the "real world" and the "spiritual realm" had been temporarily separated.

In other words, changes to the material world would no longer affect the spiritual layer within the coffin—where the peak Third Grade Demonic Fetus was sealed.

A truly profound technique.

Not only Mo Hua—even the bear-demon cultivator and Young Master Xuan looked shaken.

They clearly hadn't expected Second Elder to sacrifice his own life just to open the Dragon Coffin.

And he'd done it without hesitation—resolutely and without the slightest pause.

For a moment, both their expressions were heavy.

Shentu Ao's sorrow deepened—but like all the pain of losing clansmen over the years, he buried it silently in his heart.

His face once more grew cold and proud.

Second Elder's sacrifice could not be in vain. The blood of the Great Wilderness royal clan must not be spilled meaninglessly.

It was all for the revival of the royal line.

With unshakable determination, Shentu Ao stepped forward, placed his hand upon the golden and ornate Dragon Coffin…

…and slowly began to push open the lid.

—

A dragon's roar echoed softly.

The coffin gave off a fierce resistance. Wisps of ancient, decayed dragon qi burrowed into Shentu Ao's arm.

But possessing the power of an Evil Dragon, he dissolved each strand of dragon qi with ease.

Finally, the lid creaked open.

—

The air froze.

Everyone's gaze turned toward the opened coffin, and for a moment, they were stunned.

Within the golden, dragon-etched coffin…

lay a child, perhaps ten or twelve years old.

He wore the dragon robes of the Great Wilderness, upon which was embroidered a classical Azure Dragon motif.

His body was whole, his features pale but ethereal. His eyes were closed, expression serene.

Mo Hua's pupils shrank violently as he took in the boy's face.

His heart shook.

"This child… Why does he look… a little like Yu'er?"

(End of this Chapter)