Immortality Through Array Formations

Chapter 242: Chapter 241 Fiery Flame Rune (Five More)_1

The burly man sensed something was off and tried to extract himself and flee, but it was already too late.

Three top-grade Earth Fire Formations were activated, unleashing intense fluctuations of spiritual power. Amidst the explosive roar, a scarlet blaze engulfed the burly man.

Only after the blaze had dissipated did the burly man’s extremely disheveled figure become visible.

His clothes were tattered, his body covered in scorch marks; his right side was still relatively intact, but the left side was severely injured with his arm blasted into a bloody blur.

On the brink of life and death, the black-clothed burly man relied on his many years of fighting instincts to avoid the epicenter of the Earth Fire Formation’s explosion.

At the cost of an arm, he had saved his own life.

Otherwise, even if he did not die, he would have been grievously injured.

“Damn brat, I’ll make sure you die a miserable death!”

The black-clothed burly man was furious yet shocked at the same time.

A formation? How could it be a formation?

Cultivators among Loose Cultivators who could deploy formations were few and far between; from where did this formation come?

“Could it have been laid down by his elders to protect him? It couldn’t possibly be his own work…”

With apprehension in his heart, the black-clothed burly man, though furious, dared not rashly pursue Mo Hua again.

This little cultivator was quite peculiar and quite the actor; for the moment, he couldn’t see through the reality of the situation and dared not act recklessly.

Besides, he also feared there might be other formations on the ground.

Mo Hua rather regretted that the formation hadn’t killed the man.

Even Monster Beasts suffered severe injuries when blasted by three top-grade Earth Fire Formations. It seemed that cultivators who had spent years in the Tao Cultivation World were more wary of fellow cultivators’ tricks.

Mo Hua secretly extended his divine sense to observe the burly man’s condition.

The burly man appeared miserable, but he still retained most of his spiritual power.

His aura was profound, and he boasted a robust physique, indicative of a Body Cultivation practitioner at the peak of Qi Refinement Ninth Level. Given his disregard for human life, it was highly probable that he was a Sin Cultivator with abundant experience in fighting and spellcasting.

Although he had been injured by the Earth Fire Formation and one arm was disabled, his other arm was unharmed.

Dealing with him would still prove to be quite troublesome.

Both parties had their reservations and faced off for a while; the burly man dared not pursue, and after some thought, Mo Hua began to flee in a panic, his footsteps disordered, betraying his agitation.

“Thinking of running away?”

The burly man’s gaze turned cold; having suffered such a loss, he was determined not to let Mo Hua go.

He wanted to pursue but was unsure of what other tricks the little cultivator might have, creating a sense of fear that left him indecisive.

It was at this moment that Mo Hua stumbled on a stone and fell to the ground.

The burly man’s face contorted fiercely.

He was convinced the little brat was genuine in his panic!

The black-clothed burly man leaped forward, following the mountain path Mo Hua had taken; with a few large strides, he arrived in front of Mo Hua.

“Little devil, let’s see where you can run to now!”

The burly man reached out with a large hand, attempting to grab Mo Hua.

But the Mo Hua who had fallen to the ground flowed like water along the surface, swiftly disappearing from in front of the burly man and reappearing behind him in the blink of an eye.

The burly man grabbed at empty air, a shock running through his heart.

“A movement technique?!”

This brat had even learned a movement technique?!

The burly man broke out in a cold sweat as he struggled to turn his head, only to see Mo Hua now standing behind him, pinching a jade rune between his fingers.

The burly man’s pupils dilated, “Runes?”

Mo Hua activated the rune with spiritual power, and with a flash of red light from the rune, spiritual power vibrated, and a blaze surged forth, engulfing the black-clothed burly man.

This particular rune was confiscated by Old Zhao from a Qian Family cultivator and given to Mo Hua for self-defense.

Named the Fiery Flame Rune, a top-grade rune, it encapsulated the might of a Qi Refining Ninth Level spell—the Fiery Flame Technique.

Mo Hua first feigned escape, then pretended to slip and fall, deceiving the black-clothed cultivator into carelessness.

Then, in an instant, using the Water Passing Step, he moved to the burly man’s rear, and while the burly man was still unable to react and had no chance to evade, Mo Hua activated the Fiery Flame Rune.

Runes were expensive, so they shouldn’t be wasted; it was essential to seize the opportunity to make the best use of them and maximize their power.

Caught completely off guard, the burly man suffered a sneak attack from Mo Hua at his back and bore the full brunt of a Qi Refining Ninth Level spell. He immediately felt his entire body burn and his meridians ache in searing pain.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua, with a reverse grip, drew the Thousand Jun Stick from his storage bag.

Seizing the opportunity while the burly man was severely injured and staggering, Mo Hua hoisted the Thousand Jun Stick high, channeling his spiritual power and activating the Thousand Jun Formation.

A flash of gray light, and in an instant, the Thousand Jun Stick became as heavy as a thousand pounds, carrying the force of the wind as it smashed down viciously.

“Clang!”

The stick struck the black-clothed burly man right on his forehead.

The man’s scalp throbbed with excruciating pain.

Mo Hua, however, felt a tingling numbness in his hands from the shock.

“Worthy of a body cultivator, the head is truly hard,” Mo Hua thought to himself. He then raised the Thousand Jun Stick again and, following the same method, smashed it down on the black-clothed burly man’s forehead once more.

The burly man’s head felt heavy, and he began to lose consciousness.

Mo Hua, gathering his strength, struck another blow with the stick.

Only after another hit did he realize that he hadn’t shouted out the name of the move, which lacked a great deal of momentum, so he added another strike while loudly exclaiming:

“Like a Thousand Pounds!”

Finally, the black-clothed burly man couldn’t hold on any longer. His eyes rolled back, and he staggered until, with a “thud,” he fell to his knees and then face down onto the ground.

Mo Hua released his divine sense to probe the state of the man’s spiritual power.

He discovered that the spiritual power in the man’s meridians was wandering erratically, unmistakably flowing unchecked.

This meant that the burly man had passed out.

Still not entirely reassured, Mo Hua delivered another Fireball Technique and raised the Thousand Jun Stick, using all his might to break the defenseless man’s limbs one by one, finally sighing with relief.

Mo Hua was gasping for breath from exhaustion.

He wasn’t a body cultivator, and even with the aid of the formation, swinging the Thousand Jun Stick a few times, his arms still ached.

But the objective had been achieved.

The black-clothed burly man, who had been so imposing just a moment ago, now lay paralyzed on the ground, his spiritual power in disarray, his blood qi weak, unable to move his limbs.

Confirming that the black-clothed burly man couldn’t stir up any more trouble for the time being, Mo Hua immediately ran to Ji Li’s side.

Ji Li’s blood was still flowing.

With a grave expression, Mo Hua quickly fed him a Small Rejuvenation Pill, crushed a few Hemostatic Pills, and sprinkled the powder on Ji Li’s wounds, then fed him two Blood Qi Pills.

The Small Rejuvenation Pill was for hanging onto life, Hemostatic Pills for stopping blood, and Blood Qi Pills could replenish blood qi.

These were all techniques taught by Old Mr. Feng to provide emergency assistance and save a life in critical moments.

Afterward, observing Ji Li’s meridians with divine sense, Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

Ji Li’s breath was weak, but his spiritual power was still flowing, and the wounds were gradually healing.

“As long as he’s not dead,” Mo Hua murmured.

He ignited the signal fireworks, sending up the flares.

Even though he had temporarily saved Ji Li’s life, he still needed to be sent to Old Mr. Feng for treatment as soon as possible; otherwise, his chances were slim.

Mo Hua alone didn’t have the strength to carry Ji Li down the mountain.

Moreover, with Ji Li covered in blood, it was easy to attract monster beasts, and dealing with a late-stage Rank One monster beast would be even more troublesome.

The only hope was that some nearby Monster Hunters would see the signal and come to support them soon to preserve Ji Li’s life.

Ji Li, covered in blood, lay on the ground, and after a while, his fingers twitched slightly, showing some signs of response.

“Brother Ji! Brother Ji!” Mo Hua called out several times.

Ji Li seemed to hear him, his eyes slowly opening. Seeing that Mo Hua was unharmed, he appeared to relax, then his gaze gradually became empty and unfocused, and his eyes slowly closed again.

This was a sign of the dispersal of divine sense.

Mo Hua was startled, knowing this was a bad omen. Once a cultivator’s divine sense dissipated, even if the body was saved, it would be no different from a dead person.

To continue living, one must have a strong will to survive.

Thinking quickly, Mo Hua said, “Brother Ji, if you die, what will happen to Sister Fu Lan?”

Ji Li’s eyelids trembled faintly.

Mo Hua continued, “Uncle Ji is still waiting to celebrate your wedding.”

Ji Li’s eyes did not open, but tears began to flow from the corners.