Immortal Mortal

In the following half an hour, Mo Wuji was completely engrossed with Chu Xingzi’s knowledge of the Array Dao.

When he saw something spectacular, he would immediately copy down the runes.

Initially, he had no knowledge of arrays, and these runes were like rocket science, dizzying him. Now that he had immersed himself in it, he found the inexplicable charm and attractiveness of these runes.

Even in his closed door cultivation, Mo Wuji would remember to eat his Inedia Pills. But now as he delved into his research into runes and arrays, he had completely forgotten about everything else. He was only aroused from his obsession only when his stomach started churning.

Mo Wuji retrieved an Inedia Pill but he did not put it in his mouth; he was distractedly gazing at a particular array.

Grade 1 Monitor Rune. It can the events which occur within the diameter of 10 meters. The Monitor Rune’s speciality is that it could receive, then transmit…

Mo Wuji’s gaze shifted away from this rune and he started to furrow his brows. He somehow felt that this rune was very familiar. His suspicions were soon confirmed as he recalled the rune on the bracelet. No, that’s not true. This rune was far more concise compared to the one on his bracelet. Mo Wuji was no longer a rookie with runes and arrays. He could subconsciously tell that Chu Xingzi’s Monitor Rune was of higher quality compared to the one on the bracelet, and it was only a Grade 1 Monitor Rune.

No, the grade of the rune wasn’t my main concern. Mo Wuji slapped his head and finally organised his thoughts.

The bracelet just needed an Azimuth Rune to point towards the transfer array. Why was there a need for a Monitor Rune?

The only possibility was that this rune was used to monitor the cultivators who entered the Five Elements Desolate Domain. Why would they do that?

Mo Wuji’s heart turned cold. If this Monitor Rune could transmit the information of what happened, then wouldn’t the fact that he killed Dong Lun, and even obtained the Immeasurable Soul-forging Crystal already be sent out?

No, that’s not right. According to the knowledge he just learnt, this kind of Grade 1 Monitor Rune can only transmit within 10 meters. With such a small functional area, it wouldn’t be able to transmit the images of what happened within the desolate domain. If it couldn’t do that, then what?

As he slowly made his way with logic, he finally reduced the answer. The bracelet must also have a Memory Rune. When the cultivators leave the desolate domain, they would need to return the bracelets. The people who receive the bracelets would then know what had happened within the desolate domain.

Mo Wuji exhaled a breath of cold air as cold sweat trickled down his back. If he had not known of such stuff and simply handed over the bracelet obediently, everything he had done here would have been exposed.

As he thought of this, Mo Wuji immediately went to look for the Memory Rune and found it not long after. His guess was confirmed; he did seem to see a similar rune on his bracelet.

Chu Xingzi’s knowledge of arrays definitely could not be left behind; this thing was far too useful to him. Seeing the portion which he had yet to read, his heart sunk. He spent the past two days relentlessly studying but he did not even read 1% of the content.

That would mean that he would require at least 200 to 300 days to finish reading everything, and that did not include the possible time he might spend pondering over his confusions.

Then I will have to copy it.

Mo Wuji decided firmly; even if he had to spend all his remaining time cooped up in here, he would have to copy every single thing on this wall.

Retrieving a pen, Mo Wuji started madly copying.

Except for when he was young and he had to spend the last few days of his holidays madly copying his holiday homework, Mo Wuji had never copied so hard before.

Days past and he had already ran through 10 pens.

This worried Mo Wuji; he only had a total of 20 pens on him. And he only developed this habit of bringing pens because of the incident with Lan Yu. Previously, Lan Yu did not understand what he said, and he had to write it out for her. Since then, Mo Wuji would always bring a few pens on him. Now with a storage bag, he threw a whole 20 pens into it.

Logically, he definitely wouldn’t have depleted his 20 pens. However, he would have never expected that 20 pens would not be enough for his time here in the Five Elements Desolate Domain.

Luckily, Mo Wuji’s worries came to naught. By the time he finished his 19th pen, he had already completely copied every on the wall. As he piled the pieces of paper together, the mountain that formed was as thick as several books.

Mo Wuji stretched his numb wrist. He was already at the Great Circle of Channel Opening Stage Level 9, but this 20 days of ‘simple’ copying were already more than he could bear.

If it were any other cultivator with a similar cultivation, they might have to spend a few months. It wasn’t simply because he could write faster, but because he didn’t even need to lift his head; his spiritual will could scan the information directly into his brain, he just needed to write unceasingly with his hands.

Time to go out. Mo Wuji stored the papers within his storage bag. He should have spent a little more than two months in the Five Elements Desolate Domain. If he stayed cooped up here, he might truly stay in the desolate domain forever.

Returning to the stone gate and inserting the copper key into the keyhole, the indomitable and impenetrable stone gate opened with a ”Zhiya” sound.

Mo Wuji plucked out the key and rushed out the stone gate. Perhaps one day he might come back again.

As Mo Wuji was leaving, he suddenly thought of something. Chu Xingzi had been shut in there for so many years, and he left behind his array knowledge, but what about his actual body? Did he get out? Even if he had died inside, there should be ashes, right?

Mo Wuji was sure that the corpse outside wasn’t Chu Xingzi’s. If it was Chu Xingzi, it would not have the stone gate’s key in his hand.

After thinking for a good half a day, Mo Wuji still couldn’t make sense of the situation. He could only conclude that Chu Xingzi was down below.

He should just rush out for now, these weren’t things for him to think about with his cultivation. If his cultivation was higher and he returned to find Chu Xingzi, he would bring his ashes out for a proper burial. After all, Chu Xingzi was also an esteemed master.

Mo Wuji hastened his pace and left the passage, returning to the main hall.

There was no one in the hall, just two more corpses. The corpses had already been searched clean. With a quick sweep with his spiritual will, Mo Wuji found that everyone else had already left. Wielding his metal pole, he lifted his head, discerned his direction and jumped.

Fortunately, there were those lamp like things floating in the air. He was soon able to reach the hole they first entered in.

The hole which led to the outside had already been covered entirely, but Mo Wuji wasn’t worried. There was simply a thin layer of ice that’s all. Elemental energy surged in the Tian Ji Pole and he thrusted upwards. After a few strikes, a fracture appeared in the layer of ice.

With a final thrust of his Tian Ji Pole, a hole appeared in front of Mo Wuji. It was pitch white outside. After confirming that there was no one else outside with his spiritual will, he jumped out of the hole and landed by the icy mountainside.

The moment he emerged, the first thing Mo Wuji did was to use his sharp knife to dig two small holes.

He was totally alone now; he was completely unable to carve ice steps down. However, he was heading down and not climbing up, he just needed to punch some holes in the ice and carefully punch his way down.

After a whole day’s time, Mo Wuji finally returned to the foot of the mountain. There was already no one here, and it was completely empty. Besides the blinding light reflected against the ice mountain, there was nothing else.

...

Meanwhile, deep within a canyon thousand miles away from the ice mountain, the smell of blood filled with air

Tens of corpses laid all over the ground, and the area looked like a mess. One a rare spiritual herb could explain what had happened here.

Hou Yucheng slowly wiped the blood off his long flute and hung it on his back. His entire body remained clean; there wasn’t even a speckle of dust on his body and his hair remained neat.

On the other hand, everyone else seemed to have traces of blood over their bodies, and even their clothes were tussled.

”Junior Wan’Er, are you alright?” It was only after all that did Hou Yucheng turn towards Qu Wan’Er, smiled and asked.

Qu Wan’Er’s hair was rather disheveled and there were many bloodstains over her body. She gratefully looked at Hou Yucheng and shook her head. After a while, she said, ”I really have to thank Senior Hou for just now. If not for you, I might have lost a limb.”

Hou Yucheng smiled faintly, ”We’re companions, you don’t need to care too much about it. If I was in danger, wouldn’t you also have helped me?”

Qu Wan’Er went silent for a moment before she continued, ” If I wasn’t greedy and tried to get that Condensate Radish Grass, you wouldn’t have been put in danger trying to save me.”

Hou Yucheng laughed gently and said, ”Junior Wan’Er, you think too much. To me, it doesn’t really matter whether I have to help you once, or help you twice. I’ve said it before, we’re companions after all…”

As he said this, he momentarily paused before he sighed, ”But it’s a real pity with Brother Mo. We still don’t know whether he managed to leave from that ice jade palace. I was the one who invited Brother Mo to the ice mountain, if something happens to him, I will not feel at ease.”

”Senior Hou seems to pay extra attention to Pill Master Mo?” Qu Wan’Er could not help but ask. This was not the first time Hou Yucheng mentioned Mo Wuji.

Hou Yucheng gazed blankly at the messy canyon before him and spoke in a slightly lower tone, ”Because I feel that his a different breed of person. He is vastly different from many of these people around us.”

”Senior Hou is also from the Heaven Demon Sect, aren’t you also different from everybody else. If not for me, Senior Hou wouldn’t need to kill that person.” Qu Wan’Er said faintly. She liked Hou Yucheng but Hou Yucheng treated her like a sister, and not that between a man and a woman.