Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 980: Dream Dragon

It looked like a dragon… but not entirely.

It had a dragon's head, dragon's eyes, dragon's mouth, as well as whiskers and claws—but its body resembled a human's. It wore a dark cyan dragon robe, a crown of gold and jade with strings of pearls hanging down, and sat upright upon a throne high above the great hall. It exuded the authority to command the world, noble and dignified to the extreme.

Mo Hua looked around and found himself standing inside a vast palace hall.

The grand hall soared high into the mist, dragon carvings all around, clouds and fog swirling.

On both sides knelt rows of noble figures—civil officials, military generals, priests—clad in ornate robes.

Though they had human faces, parts of their bodies bore signs of "dragonification"—some had dragon claws, others scales, a few even sported whiskers.

Each of them bowed with heads lowered and backs hunched in utmost reverence, kneeling toward the half-human, half-dragon emperor seated on the throne.

In the vast Dragon Hall, the only one still standing was Mo Hua.

He stood alone at the base of the steps, raising his gaze to meet the imposing figure seated high on the throne—the Dragon Emperor.

The Dragon Emperor, garbed in imperial robes adorned with dragon motifs, looked down from above and spoke with a voice that was deep and regal:

"You stand before This Emperor—why do you not kneel?"

Kneel?

Meeting someone meant immediately dropping to his knees?

Mo Hua frowned, clearly displeased. He retorted:

"And what are you supposed to be? Why should I kneel to you?"

"Insolent!" the Dragon Emperor roared.

The shout was like a thunderclap splitting the skies, echoing through the Dragon Hall. Winds howled and dragons roared, shaking all four corners.

The kneeling nobles all turned pale with fright.

Yet amidst that chaotic storm of divine will and oppressive dragon might, Mo Hua stood still and calm, unmoved.

The Dragon Emperor narrowed his gaze, eyeing Mo Hua carefully before speaking in a slow, deliberate tone:

"You… are not of the Great Wilderness royal bloodline?"

Mo Hua shook his head and answered truthfully, "No."

"If you are not of my Great Wilderness royal line… then how did you enter this Dragon Hall?" the Dragon Emperor asked coldly. "Where did you obtain the Dragon Vein? And who guided you here?"

Mo Hua was taken aback. He hadn't considered that part.

He did have the Dragon Vein in his possession.

But… guided here?

So someone had shown him the way, allowing him to enter this dream realm and stand before this Dragon Emperor?

But who?

Mo Hua frowned slightly in thought.

If possessing the Dragon Vein, along with someone's guidance, was what allowed him access to this dream Dragon Hall…

Then…

He raised his head to ask, "Is this place… a legacy temple of the Great Wilderness?"

"Correct," the Dragon Emperor replied solemnly.

As expected.

Mo Hua lifted his chin and directly asked, "So are you going to grant me the Great Wilderness legacy?"

The Dragon Emperor's gaze turned colder.

At that moment, a dragon-armored general stepped forward from his side. The general had jade-green vertical pupils, thick brows, a flowing mustache, and held a long spear. He shouted:

"Ignorant brat! Such audacity! You lack the bloodline of the Great Wilderness, yet you dare covet our royal legacy? Do you think yourself worthy?"

Mo Hua sneered, "I'm talking to your boss. What are you, a glorified gate guard? Who gave you permission to interrupt?"

The dragon general was enraged. "Arrogant whelp! Insolent tongue! I shall slay you for His Majesty right now!"

Bowing first to the Dragon Emperor, the general's eyes filled with killing intent. He leaped from the throne, body morphing into a draconic form midair. His long spear gleamed with chilling light as it plunged straight at Mo Hua's face.

That thrust carried immense power.

The spear crackled with a phantom Azure Dragon coiling around it, matching the dragon general's burly form and dazzling golden armor—he looked almost divine.

Mo Hua simply scoffed. He raised one hand and gently closed his fingers, catching the tip of the spear mid-air.

The phantom dragon coiled and raged on the spear, its killing aura flaring.

But Mo Hua's delicate, fair hand seemed to hold the power of heaven and earth—it effortlessly caught the tip. No matter how hard the dragon general pushed, the spear wouldn't budge.

The dragon general's face changed. He roared, attempting to alter his move and summon more dragon force.

But Mo Hua simply twisted his wrist, and with overwhelming spiritual force, snapped the spear in two.

Then, stepping forward, he lightly kicked out.

That seemingly casual kick carried the force of a tidal wave.

The dragon general's massive body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the wall of the Dragon Hall. Bones shattered—who knew how many—and he slumped unconscious.

Just one twist, one kick—this mighty dragon general was instantly disabled.

Gasps of horror filled the Dragon Hall.

The nobles had suspected this audacious brat must have some backing…

But they hadn't expected him to be this terrifying.

Even the Dragon Emperor's strongest general couldn't last a single round.

From atop the throne, the dragon-headed, human-bodied Dragon Emperor finally showed a flicker of interest in his eyes.

"Such courage and power in one so young… If I could bring him under my banner, he could greatly bolster the might of the Great Wilderness…"

The Dragon Emperor pondered silently.

But Mo Hua looked up and calmly said, "Since you're unwilling to give me the legacy, then let me go."

He truly had no intention of making trouble, and he certainly didn't want to become enemies with the royal family of the Great Wilderness.

They had ancient roots, protective Dragon Spirits, and hidden secrets beyond count. Best to avoid stirring that hornet's nest.

Besides, it was just a first meeting—no need to escalate things.

That dragon general only got kicked because he was arrogant enough to try to kill him first.

And even then, Mo Hua had shown mercy.

If he'd used just a bit more strength—with his Golden Core divine sense and Pure Gold Dao Body—he could've crushed the general into powder.

So really, walking away was best for both sides.

The Dragon Emperor stared at Mo Hua for a moment before speaking slowly:

"You truly do not want the Great Wilderness legacy?"

Mo Hua blinked. "Are you saying… you'll give it to me?"

The Dragon Emperor shook his head. "To receive the royal legacy of the Great Wilderness requires true royal blood. You don't have that."

Mo Hua frowned.

Then why the long speech?

"However," the Dragon Emperor continued, "the Great Wilderness legacy does not belong only to the royal line."

"The royals have their inheritance…"

"The nobles have their inheritance…"

"And the commoners… have theirs."

Mo Hua suddenly understood and nodded. "So I'm considered a 'commoner'—you're saying I can learn the legacy of the Great Wilderness's common folk?"

"Correct," the Dragon Emperor nodded.

The legacy of the Great Wilderness commoners…

Mo Hua pondered.

He didn't really care about titles—royal or commoner.

The Great Dao of heaven and earth, with its myriad paths and methods, may differ in rank or name, and people may differ in status—but all are part of the Dao.

As long as a technique is usable, practical, and effective, it's worth learning.

There's no need to chase after things that only look impressive on the surface.

Besides, Mo Hua was genuinely curious—what kind of legacy had the Great Wilderness given its common people?

While he was lost in thought, the Dragon Emperor spoke again from above:

"You lack the bloodline; I cannot grant you the royal inheritance. But the commoner's legacy—I can bestow it upon you."

Mo Hua nodded. "Then bestow it."

He said "bestow", but his tone carried a subtle hint of command.

The Dragon Emperor tamped down his displeasure and, with a booming voice, declared:

"Then kneel."

Mo Hua frowned. "Again with the kneeling?"

The Dragon Emperor said sternly:

"This is the ritual of the Great Wilderness legacy. You must kneel—to submit to the Great Wilderness, to submit to the Dragon Vein. Only then can I bestow the inheritance."

Mo Hua sneered:

"Then forget it. I don't want it."

A person may kneel to heaven, kneel to earth, kneel to their parents—

But a mere royal clan of the Great Wilderness?

They weren't worth his kneeling.

If that's the cost of this legacy— Then he didn't need it.

The Dragon Emperor's gaze darkened.

"You refuse?"

Mo Hua nodded.

"Mm. I refuse."

Then added,

"Now send me back."

His time was precious—he had to get back to studying formations.

If the Great Wilderness wouldn't give him its legacy, then he'd just figure it out himself. He could even raise a dragon of his own if he had to.

But the Dragon Emperor didn't move, remaining silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

"No. This legacy… you must learn it."

Mo Hua instantly felt the shift in tone and narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

The Dragon Emperor's eyes widened slightly as his aura changed abruptly. He raised a cold, gleaming dark-cyan dragon claw and pointed at Mo Hua, exuding intense pressure as he ordered:

"Kneel!"

Mo Hua let out a cold laugh, initially unbothered. But the next moment, his expression subtly shifted.

From the void descended a solemn, irresistible force.

A powerful pressure enveloped him. A strange energy seeped into his knees, trying to force him to kneel.

"What is this?!"

Mo Hua's heart skipped.

He could feel it—this was a law-level force, enveloping the entire Dragon Hall.

The dragon's majesty and imperial authority of the Great Wilderness were gradually infiltrating his spiritual sense, subtly planting the urge to submit, bending his will toward kneeling.

In a flash, Mo Hua understood the causality and law at play here.

If he knelt even once, his soul would become tainted with a trace of servility.

That servility would fester and grow, merge with his consciousness, become habit.

Eventually, he would become mentally enslaved—a spiritual servant to the Great Wilderness's imperial will and dragon might.

This force, using divine sense as a medium, operated on a higher tier of laws.

Even Mo Hua felt the tug—his knees slightly weakening, as if he were about to kneel.

But he sneered inwardly.

With no hesitation, he activated his Dao-Transformed Essence, pushing back against the dragon's oppressive might.

At the same time, he stilled his thoughts, calming his heart and meditating in the natural flow of Dao, resisting the imperial coercion and its slave-making influence.

The pressure around him was like a mountain, but Mo Hua stood unmoved—not budging a hair.

The Dragon Emperor was startled.

Then, his eyes flashed with a cold gleam, and he released his supreme aura as one who ruled from above.

He spoke slowly—each word like a thunderclap, each syllable imbued with regal authority and ancient bloodline power:

"You injured my Dragon General. Yet I, benevolent as I am, do not punish you. In fact, I even intend to promote you—make you a captain in my imperial guard."

"This is reward. This is grace."

"You should kneel, and devoutly kowtow to thank this emperor for his boundless favor."

Each word was laced with a strange bewitching influence.

But Mo Hua remained standing, his gaze icy and indifferent.

The Dragon Emperor's expression twisted in displeasure.

"This is a gift from this emperor!"

"You should feel grateful! Honored! You should fall to the ground in worship, prostrating yourself in awe of imperial grace!"

"Only then shall I grant you the legacy of the Great Wilderness."

"You were born low. Your parents are nobodies. The blood you inherited from them is utterly base."

"Only by receiving my favor can you transcend your birth, shed your mortal shell, defy fate…"

Mo Hua's face instantly turned cold, his eyes gleaming with killing intent.

He raised his finger and pointed directly at the Dragon Emperor's nose:

"You overgrown gecko—did I give you permission to speak!?"

"What are you, to speak ill of my parents?!"

The Dragon Emperor froze, dumbfounded. His dragon face twisted in disbelief.

He was an emperor! Revered by all beings! Worshipped by countless mortals and cultivators. Never before had anyone, any being, dared speak to him like that—much less insult him to his face.

This was outright blasphemy!

This was the kind of offense that should be punished with a thousand cuts and extermination of nine generations!

All imperial dignity vanished. The Dragon Emperor now trembled in uncontainable fury, dragon scales bristling, eyes bloodshot.

But Mo Hua was no less angry.

"You moldy old lizard—you clearly don't want face!"

He no longer held back. He unleashed his full divine sense, fully activating his Dao-Transformed Spirit—his entire body erupted in a blazing, dazzling golden light.

This light was incomparably pure, filled with boundless divine rhythm and embedded with Dao law.

The overwhelming dragon might crumbled.

The oppressive imperial aura shattered.

Mo Hua broke free from the binding law of the Dragon Hall. With divine sense surging and golden light blazing, he looked like a little golden immortal.

He took a single step forward—

And in that one step, crossed the towering stairs of the hall, directly approaching the throne.

Nearby dragon guards were enraged and charged forth—

But Mo Hua struck them down one by one. With every punch, golden radiance surged, reducing them to powder.

He took another step—and stepped onto the Dragon Emperor's throne.

He kicked over the imperial platform.

Then reached out his small hand—like a net from the heavens—and lunged for the Dragon Emperor above.

"Wretch! How dare you?!"

The once-mighty Dragon Emperor, no longer calm or composed, lashed out with his dragon claws.

But the next instant, those fearsome claws were caught by Mo Hua's delicate white fingers.

One by one, Mo Hua snapped them.

The Dragon Emperor howled and transformed fully into a dragon, engaging Mo Hua in combat.

But the law of the Dragon Hall could no longer suppress Mo Hua. The once-oppressive dragon might and imperial aura could not bind someone with a Dao-Transformed Divine Body.

And relying on his divine sense alone, Mo Hua's opponent—a half-dragon—was simply no match.

Within a dozen rounds, the Dragon Emperor's bones were shattered, and he lay beneath Mo Hua's foot.

High above the Dragon Hall, Mo Hua sat upon the Dragon Throne, one foot stomping the Dragon Emperor into the floor.

He sneered coldly:

"Stinking lizard—you called my bloodline lowly?

Now tell me—who's beneath whom?"

The Dragon Emperor burned with shame and hatred.

"Despicable brat! You defile the Dragon Hall, disgrace the honor of the royal bloodline—

One day, you will suffer retribution from the Karmic Dragon, fall into endless hell, and suffer without end, never to reincarnate!"

Such venomous curses—Mo Hua let them flow in one ear and out the other.

If he could've killed him, he would've.

The fact he hadn't meant he couldn't.

Screaming curses? That was just weakness masquerading as power—hollow rage.

Still, this was the Great Wilderness Dragon Clan. Mo Hua felt just a little uncertain.

"Retribution from the Karmic Dragon?"

Was that real?

Did that mean if he killed this Dragon Emperor, he'd attract karmic backlash—and be hunted by the Great Wilderness's "Karmic Dragon"?

Mo Hua's eyes gleamed with golden light as he studied this so-called "Dragon Emperor."

The creature was half-human, half-dragon.

Its body was humanoid, but the head was draconic. Hands and feet were claws. Skin covered in scales.

Visually, a perfect 50-50 hybrid.

And peering into its spirit with his divine sense, Mo Hua could see—it was half human soul, half dragon soul.

The human half, Mo Hua guessed, was once a royal of the Great Wilderness—perhaps even an emperor.

The dragon half was a real dragon's soul.

In other words, it was a divine construct—a spiritual being forged by fusing a human soul with a dragon's.

Which meant—

Killing it might really incur karmic retribution from a dragon...

And he still didn't know what kind of status this Dragon Emperor held within the Great Wilderness.

It was this weak… It probably didn't have a very high status...

But what if behind it, there were still other beings—some Ancient Dragon Emperor, Primordial Dragon Sovereign, or even Prehistoric Dragon Ancestor types?

If he killed this "small one," would it provoke the "old ones"?

Would it start a never-ending chain of ancestral revenge, generation after generation, constantly making trouble for him?

This Dragon Emperor might not be strong.

But those ancient beings? They definitely might be.

After that whole evil fetus incident at Lone Mountain, Mo Hua had become much more cautious.

Yes, his divine sense was strong.

But that didn't mean he could go around killing left and right without consequence—didn't mean he was truly invincible.

"Maybe... I should just let this Dragon Emperor go?"

Mo Hua hesitated.

Sure, he'd just killed its general, kicked its throne, sat on its dragon chair, and stomped on its body…

But ultimately, it was the Dragon Emperor who made the first move.

It had tried to force him to kneel.

Wouldn't it be better if both sides laughed it off and let bygones be bygones?

Was that… even possible?

The more Mo Hua thought, the more hesitant his expression became. His foot, pressing down on the Dragon Emperor, even wavered slightly.

The Dragon Emperor noticed.

And the moment it sensed Mo Hua's hesitation—his fear—it sneered coldly:

"Ignorant brat! You have no idea the magnitude of the sin you've committed!"

"Your best chance now is to stop—kneel down immediately, kowtow a few times, swear fealty and servitude.

Perhaps then, this emperor may be merciful and spare your pitiful life."

"Otherwise… soon enough, karmic retribution will descend upon you!

You'll be destroyed in both soul and spirit!"

Mo Hua's face darkened again.

He had always been the type to respond kindly to respect, but never to threats.

This moldy old lizard—if it had spoken reasonably, he might've let it go.

But now? What was it doing?

Threatening him? Intimidating him?

Planning to kill him too?

Perched on that throne so long it had no idea what death looked like?

Mo Hua chuckled lightly.

"A so-called royal of the Great Wilderness?

Let me show you today—what it means to be born in hardship...

and die from luxury."

The Dragon Emperor shuddered.

"You dare?!"

But before it could speak again, Mo Hua struck—grabbing its neck and snapping it clean.

Then, with his right hand, he conjured a short blade of spiritual will—a bizarre dagger of divine sense, shimmering in a starry black hue.

This was no ordinary weapon.

It was formed by the Heavenly Demon Dao of Severing Emotion, fused with his divine sense.

Having now reached the Divine Sense Golden Core, Mo Hua's understanding of spirit-formed weaponry had ascended.

He could directly invoke the Heavenly Demon Laws of Severing Emotion into his weaponized divine thought.

Thus, this sword of divine sense…

was essentially a Heavenly Demon Sword.

He used it to slice the Dragon Emperor's divine sense—splitting apart the human soul and the dragon soul within.

Just like he did with the Evil Fetus and Lord Huang at the Lone Mountain Shrine.

But now, his divine sense was stronger, and the Heavenly Demon Sword even sharper.

Against this Dragon Emperor—who wasn't even as strong as the Evil Fetus—it was effortless.

A flash of golden-black light—

The Dragon Emperor was split in two.

"You little beast—what have you done?! You—"

The humanoid half of the Dragon Emperor stared at him, face full of fury and disbelief.

Mo Hua couldn't be bothered. He reached out with a small hand—and crushed it into nothing.

What remained…

was the pure Dragon Soul.

A wisp of faint bluish-green soul essence, majestic and unruly—the spirit of an Azure Dragon, now rested in Mo Hua's palm.

He stared at it.

And a thought, entirely instinctive, crept into his mind:

"Can I… eat this?"

That one stray idea… erupted like wildfire.

He couldn't stop thinking about it.

The dragon soul was pure. The dragon energy abundant. It even pulsed with a strange and powerful form of mental force.

Mo Hua began to drool.

He tried to hold it in.

Failed.

Opened his mouth wide— "Aaah-woo!" —and swallowed the entire dragon soul whole.

(End of Chapter)