Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 982: Fulfilling the Promise

What exactly was the "ancient formation" the Second Elder spoke of?

Mo Hua's eyes were filled with contemplation.

An ancient foreign-patterned formation, retrieved from the boundless primordial wilderness, refined by a Grand Shaman, sealed by the royal family of the Great Wilderness, and carved into a white-bone evil god statue with a human face and ram horns…

The Second Elder didn't know what this formation was, hadn't even seen it himself— So why did he believe it was suitable to be Mo Hua's lifebound artifact?

Mo Hua recalled the subtle expressions of the Second Elder back in the Dragon Hall and quietly pondered over them.

At first, it didn't seem like the Second Elder had planned to mention this at all.

This "ancient formation" seemed like a buried secret—an old forbidden tale of the Great Wilderness he had kept hidden in his heart.

He likely intended to carry it to the grave.

But something that happened in the Dragon Hall clearly changed his mind. After a fierce inner struggle, he finally shared this secret with Mo Hua.

On the surface, it looked like a dying man's helpless confession.

But this Second Elder—having used dragon bones to prolong his life—had lived far too long.

And when someone lives long enough… they become deeply cunning, especially an old demon cultivator adept in manipulation.

His final gratitude and blessings may have been genuine… But that didn't mean there wasn't some calculation involved.

"Does this formation really exist?"

"Was the Second Elder just tossing out bait… to hook me in?"

Mo Hua frowned.

The problem was—even if it was bait, he had no way of refusing something like this ancient formation.

And the elder said this wild formation was suitable to become his lifebound diagram…

That couldn't have come from nowhere. He must've had some reason.

"Then what exactly is this wild formation? Is it another type of dragon formation? Or… something else entirely?"

Unfortunately, the Second Elder's soul had already scattered. Many details were lost forever.

The formation's identity remained a mystery.

Mo Hua sighed.

This matter of his lifebound artifact really was full of twists and turns. After all this effort, all he had was a faint, blurry lead.

He shook his head.

But the path of cultivation was always difficult. And precious inheritances were always extraordinarily rare.

If you want something great, you can't get it without effort.

In the past, he had his master to support him.

In the Great Void Sect, he had Venerable Elder Xun and the elders to look after him.

But they couldn't help him forever.

He had to learn how to face obstacles on his own, and forge the foundation of his own Dao.

Only then could he truly stand tall in the world of the Nine Provinces.

Only then would he have the power to roam the world alone—

Exploring perilous lands, seeking lost Dao texts, unearthing ancient formations, and growing stronger with every step.

Mo Hua's Dao heart grew even firmer. His gaze sharpened with determination.

He had made up his mind about the wild formation, so he didn't dwell on it further.

Afterward, he picked up the Dragon Vein again.

Now that the Dragon Hall had fallen silent, and the Dragon Emperor was dead, the line of inheritance seemed cut—

The Dragon Vein had also quieted.

Its aura was no longer as violent as before.

Mo Hua tried communicating with the Dragon Vein using his divine sense.

But it failed.

There was no response.

Mo Hua frowned.

"That's not right…"

By his reasoning—having swallowed the dragon soul—he should've resonated with the Dragon Vein.

Why was there no reaction at all?

He then sank his divine sense into his sea of consciousness to examine his state.

After a moment of introspection, Mo Hua discovered—

Although he had swallowed the dragon soul, his divine sense hadn't undergone any real transformation.

It had merely absorbed a faint trace of dragon aura.

When he shouted, his voice now carried a hint of a dragon's roar.

This was far from what he expected.

He had thought that after devouring the dragon soul, he might at least grow some dragon scales or claws.

That his divine sense would become tougher and more refined.

But this?

Nowhere near as "nutritious" as he had imagined.

"Why?"

"Was it because the Dragon Emperor lived too long and had already rotted, so the dragon qi was old and stale—no nourishment left?"

"Or… was the soul's essence too tough to digest, and I hadn't properly 'absorbed' it yet?"

Mo Hua frowned. Both seemed plausible.

But realistically, no one before him had ever eaten a dragon soul—

So who would know how easy or hard it was to digest?

"Whatever. I've already eaten it. I'll just slowly refine it over time and see what happens. It's just…"

Mo Hua muttered to himself.

"If divine sense is my Dao… and I've now integrated dragon energy… does that make this Dragonization of Divine Sense?"

"If I 'swordify' my divine sense… does that mean it becomes a Divine Dragon Sword?

One swing, and I shoot out a dragon?"

…Did I take the wrong path again?

Without realizing it, he had overcomplicated things once more.

Mo Hua sighed.

"Whatever. Lice don't itch when there are too many. Debts don't matter when you already owe a fortune. Things are chaotic enough already—one more dragon won't hurt."

He'd just digest it slowly. Deal with it later.

Mo Hua withdrew his divine sense from his sea of consciousness, opened his eyes, and looked at the Dragon Vein again.

And then realized another problem:

"What am I supposed to do with this Dragon Vein?"

For now, it was completely unusable.

Couldn't store it in a storage pouch.

Couldn't study it properly either.

His grand plan to "raise" a dragon was still in its infancy.

To gather the essence of ten thousand beasts and grow a complete dragon pattern… that might take who knows how long.

He hadn't even reached the "dotting the dragon's eyes" phase yet.

So holding onto this Dragon Vein now felt incredibly… chicken-ribbed—tasteless to eat, a pity to throw away.

Actually, more than that—it was also burning hot.

This thing was the royal treasure of the Great Wilderness—the very entrance to its Dao inheritance.

If anyone found out he had it, it would cause a bloody storm. Who knows how many problems it would bring him?

Not to mention—privately hoarding a Dragon Vein…

"Would the Dao Court label me a traitor for this?"

"I mean, the Great Wilderness dragons were karmic dragons, not true dragons… so maybe it's not that serious…"

Still, Mo Hua felt uneasy.

He was innocent! He had never even thought about rebellion!

After some thought, he wrapped the Dragon Vein tightly in black cloth and put it away carefully.

The next morning at dawn, he went to visit Venerable Elder Xun and handed over the Dragon Vein.

Mo Hua knew very well— Whatever he brought into the sect, Venerable Elder Xun definitely knew it all, but simply chose to turn a blind eye out of respect for him.

That was Elder Xun's trust.

But he himself had to act with sense—not overstep his bounds.

Right now, this Dragon Vein was not something he could safely handle. So it was better to leave it with the sect.

Sure enough, when Venerable Elder Xun saw Mo Hua present the black cloth, he didn't even open it.

He already knew what was inside.

"Tired of playing with it already?"

asdf

"Got bored of it already?"

Mo Hua scratched his cheek awkwardly. "More like... couldn't figure it out."

Venerable Elder Xun nodded. "Then I'll hold on to it for you. The day you've got the ability to understand it, come find me."

Mo Hua felt grateful, but also a bit uneasy. He lowered his voice and asked,

"Elder Xun, if we keep this Dragon Vein for ourselves… won't the Dao Court come after us?"

Elder Xun raised a brow.

"No big deal. What, you think the Dao Court owns all the dragons under heaven?"

"It's not like you skinned a true dragon, drained its tendons, and refined its Dragon Vein.

You just picked up a karmic dragon's vein. The Dao Court won't trouble you over that."

"Besides, this whole matter—heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know."

"We keep the Dragon Vein in our Great Void Sect. Dao Court doesn't even know.

No trouble will come from it."

Only then did Mo Hua feel reassured. Grinning, he said,

"Then I'll leave it in your care, Elder."

Venerable Elder Xun waved him off.

"No need to be so polite. Just focus on cultivating."

"Yes, sir."

Mo Hua nodded, smiled, and bowed before taking his leave.

Elder Xun watched him go, shaking his head with a helpless chuckle. Then he turned his gaze to the Dragon Vein before him, now slightly dimmer in aura.

He couldn't help but wonder inwardly:

"I really don't know what exactly that kid's been doing with this thing…"

After leaving Elder Xun, Mo Hua returned to his usual cultivation routine.

A few days later, during the rest period at the end of the ten-day cycle, he left the sect for a short trip—this time to Withered Mountain.

Now that the matters of Lone Mountain and the Dragon Vein were settled, he finally had time for it.

His purpose?

To return the "Lifebound God Statue" of Lord Huang of the mountain.

This was a final request left by Lord Huang of Lone Mountain.

A task entrusted to him, and one Mo Hua intended to fulfill.

After all, the old mountain god had also given him quite the generous parting gift.

And since it was a long journey, naturally, Xun Ziyou insisted on tagging along.

Mo Hua quietly strapped the statue—imperceptible to others—onto Xun Ziyou's back.

Together, the two took a carriage all the way to Withered Mountain.

The mountain was silent, wild, and overgrown.

Fallen leaves blanketed the ground in thick, soft layers, stretching from the base to the summit.

Step by step, they walked upward, their feet crunching on the golden carpet of leaves, until they reached a dilapidated mountain shrine.

Mo Hua turned and said,

"Elder Xun, this is far enough. I'll go in alone."

Xun Ziyou looked at the desolate peak and the empty, crumbling shrine. His brows furrowed.

"You're going in alone?"

Mo Hua nodded.

"Just visiting an old friend."

"Old friend?" Xun Ziyou looked puzzled.

"Mm," Mo Hua leaned in and whispered,

"This friend's a little shy… doesn't like strangers. Please, Elder Xun, keep this shrine's location a secret."

Xun Ziyou hesitated but nodded.

He found the whole thing strange.

But honestly, Mo Hua always had weird habits—so doing something odd wasn't even surprising anymore.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

"This kid… really knows a lot of people."

Just…

Xun Ziyou looked at the empty shrine and thought:

"This one probably doesn't count as people, does it…?"

Meanwhile, Mo Hua had already carried the statue into the ruined temple.

The lifebound statue was a bit heavy, but fortunately, Elder Xun had borne the load for most of the trip. Mo Hua only had to carry it for this final stretch.

Inside the shrine, Mo Hua looked up and immediately saw the old mud statue of Lord Huang.

There it sat, unmoving, quietly staying in the ruin.

Well, not like it could go anywhere—

With its condition, Lord Huang couldn't exactly visit others.

And no one ever came to visit him.

Even if someone did, Lord Huang wouldn't be happy about it.

This was a desolate mountain, crawling with beasts and ghosts.

As a rundown, near-forgotten mountain god, what kind of "guests" could he possibly expect?

Lord Huang's expression, upon sensing Mo Hua's presence, grew complicated.

Just a few days ago, his days had been quiet, boring, hopelessly the same—

And suddenly, he'd been seized by this uneasy feeling again.

He knew something big was coming.

And sure enough—

Today, with the sun shining just right, he lifted his head and saw…

That little devil Mo Hua, back again.

Lord Huang's spirit floated gently out of the mud statue, wearing his usual kind and benevolent smile.

He cupped his hands and bowed:

"Little friend, it's been a while. What brings you back to my humble shrine?"

Mo Hua set the statue he was carrying down onto the ground.

"I brought you a gift."

The statue was tightly wrapped in gray cloth, surrounded by concealment formations drawn by Mo Hua himself—to hide its aura and prevent karmic leakage.

Lord Huang blinked, stunned.

He couldn't see what was inside.

But at this close range…

He began to faintly sense a familiar, deeply resonant aura—something that shared the same origin as himself.

A thought—so bold he didn't dare entertain it—slowly surfaced in his mind.

A rush of disbelief, shock, and excitement surged from deep within.

His entire being began to tremble.

His emotions swelled uncontrollably.

His scalp tingled. His mind buzzed.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

"This…" his voice quivered.

Mo Hua whispered,

"Looked like something that belonged to you. I happened to find it, so I brought it back."

As he spoke, he lifted a corner of the gray cloth.

Lord Huang took one look—

And immediately started trembling all over.

His eyes filled with tears.

"You… you really… brought it back for me?"

"Mm!" Mo Hua nodded.

Lord Huang's chest tightened—he almost couldn't breathe.

When he looked at Mo Hua again, he suddenly felt this young man had eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like shining stars, lips red and teeth white—incredibly handsome, graceful beyond compare, peerless in bearing.

At that moment, there was no one—man, god, or immortal—more beautiful than Mo Hua.

In fact, Mo Hua was so dazzling, he practically glowed with golden light.

This little cultivator… actually retrieved his Lifebound God Statue?!

He had pulled it out from the hands of that ancient evil god—

Snatched it from that already-hatched evil fetus—

Rescued it from beneath the depths of Lone Mountain, where it had been occupied by sinister spirits!

For a mountain god like him, this was a kindness as deep as the sea.

Calling Mo Hua a "reborn parent" wouldn't be an exaggeration.

This little ancestor—truly lived up to being his ancestral benefactor!

At the same time, Lord Huang was utterly shaken.

He couldn't fathom how Mo Hua, just a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had managed to accomplish all this.

The depths of Lone Mountain…

A burial ground of ten thousand corpses…

A shrine housing a god-fetus…

Even he, a mountain god, even if he somehow cultivated for another thousand years and returned to his former third-rank peak, still might not have been able to fight his way into Lone Mountain's depths, retrieve his statue, and get out alive.

And yet… this little Mo Hua did it?

Lord Huang stood there, completely stunned.

Mo Hua, seeing him frozen in place, kindly reminded,

"Better put it away before you lose it again."

Lord Huang jerked back to his senses and hurried forward.

He reached toward his Lifebound Statue—but hesitated.

He seemed to be considering whether to do it behind Mo Hua's back.

But then he thought better of it.

This statue had been recovered by Mo Hua. If Mo Hua had wanted to keep it for himself, he would've done it already. No need for secrecy now.

To be suspicious at this point… that would be insulting a gentleman's honor.

So Lord Huang stopped hesitating. His form shimmered—and he entered the statue.

Moments later, he emerged again, now glowing with a faint golden aura.

His appearance had changed:

His robes were more ornate, his build sturdier, his complexion healthier.

He looked more energetic, more regal, more divine.

And his aura—clearly thicker and stronger than before.

"You merged with it?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

Lord Huang nodded.

"We were separated for too long. I need to nurture it for a while, and then…"

He paused for a moment, then admitted honestly,

"Once my origin fully stabilizes, I'll find a new, hidden place to store this Lifebound Object."

Mo Hua nodded, not prying further.

He glanced at the offering table and saw…

A broken bowl filled with rainwater, a plate holding a half-rotten steamed bun.

Clearly, Lord Huang's daily life had not improved.

So Mo Hua reached into his storage ring and pulled out some chicken, duck, and fish, laid them out neatly on the table, even opened a small bottle of wine.

"Come, let's eat and talk."

Lord Huang was deeply moved. He cupped his hands and said,

"Then I shall gratefully accept."

And so, man and god sat side-by-side atop the shrine's altar, eating meat, drinking wine, and chatting as they went.

Mo Hua's main purpose was to ask about the history of Lone Mountain.

Lord Huang answered all he could, leaving nothing out.

Unfortunately, due to the loss of his origin, much of his memory was also fragmented.

Most of what he said was already known to Mo Hua.

As for that Taixu Sect senior who once beheaded him—

All Lord Huang could recall was a vague figure in white robes and a sword of unmatched sharpness called the Taixu Sword.

Even the face was a blur.

This… was suspicious.

Mo Hua frowned slightly. His gut told him there were two possibilities:

One, Lord Huang truly suffered memory loss after being decapitated and simply forgot what that person looked like.

Two, that Taixu senior had other, unknown karmic factors. Perhaps he had used special means to erase his own history.

Maybe… someone else erased it for him, to hide something.

That would explain why Lord Huang couldn't recall anything specific.

But this was just a hunch Mo Hua formed after studying the Path of Causality.

What the truth was—he couldn't say for sure.

Besides that, Mo Hua asked some other questions.

These were things he'd puzzled over for a long time during his cultivation of Divine Sense:

How does a cultivator's spiritual consciousness evolve?

How do gods advance in rank?

What's the true relationship between a god's rank and its divine essence?

More importantly… when a god ascends in rank, does their divine sense undergo a qualitative change?

He remembered the third-rank blood-red god remains he'd encountered long ago—its body was as tough as iron.

Then there was the third-rank evil fetus, wrapped in demonic armor, practically indestructible.

But cultivators' divine senses didn't seem to show that kind of transformation.

Even Mo Hua himself…

He'd only begun to sense a slight qualitative change in his own divine sense.

This left him confused.

"Am I missing a crucial path to strengthen divine sense?"

But his own divine soul was such a chaotic mix of man and god—

His foundation was a mess.

With his current knowledge, there was no way to untangle all that.

So he could only turn to Lord Huang for help, hoping the mountain god could offer some insight…

To further enhance his divine sense.

(End of Chapter)