Immortality Through Array Formations

493  Chapter 479 Coveting_1

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In the serene bamboo chamber of South Yue City,

Mr. Zhuang opened his eyes; they had paled slightly and with a hint of helplessness, he said,

”Having a disciple too clever can also be a troublesome matter...”

”Once clever, they think too much, and without caution, they stumble upon matters they shouldnʼt have...”

Old Kui, who was carving a little tiger out of wood for Mo Hua, paused and frowned at these words:

”Calculated against again?”

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, ”Almost.” He sighed softly, ”Fortunately, the child is clever...”

He knew how to use the Earth Dao Meaning to mask his own aura; otherwise, if that person really saw his face, it wouldʼve required more effort.

Lost in thought for a moment, Old Kui said quietly:

”Itʼs been a long time since Mo Hua came back...”

Mr. Zhuangʼs face was slightly pale, but upon hearing these words, his eyebrows lifted slightly, and he smiled faintly:

”What, do you miss him?”

Old Kui ignored him, silently continuing to carve the little tiger in his hands.

Previously, Mo Hua had come to him, saying he might need a lot of little tigers and asked him to help carve some.

Now he had carved quite a few little tigers, but Mo Hua had not come home.

A moment later, Old Kui sighed, expressing his frustration:

”Iʼve run out of pine nuts, and thereʼs no one to roast them for me.”

Mr. Zhuang suggested:

”Why not let Zisheng roast them for you? Heʼs my disciple and, by extension, your junior; itʼs only right for him to render such a service.”

Old Kui was somewhat disdainful, ”Disciples of the Bai Family are only good for waving around blades and spears, nothing else.”

”You sure are picky...” Mr. Zhuang shook his head.

Old Kui paid him no mind, only thinking about when Mo Hua would return.

But he couldnʼt figure it out, so he asked Mr. Zhuang:

”How much longer?”

Mr. Zhuang pinched his fingers and cast his gaze toward the distant mines, his eyes flickering as he slowly said:

”Soon, I think...”

Mr. Zhuangʼs expression was profound.

”He has mastered the Formation.”

”That item is almost refined.”

”Corpse Qi is spreading, Heavenly secrets are sullied.”

”This calamity facing South Yue City is not minor; it remains to be seen how the child will handle it...”

Old Kui nodded.

Mr. Zhuang looked again towards the mines outside the city.

Above the mines were the mining cultivators, toiling in their wretched fate.

They knew nothing and still toiled diligently every day.

Mr. Zhuang lamented, ”Whenever a great calamity befalls the heavens and the earth, itʼs always the cultivators at the very bottom who suffer the most...”

”Youʼre being sentimental again.”

Old Kuiʼs voice sounded wooden.

Mr. Zhuang laughed at himself:

”No helping it, Iʼm getting old.”

Old Kui looked at Mr. Zhuang, his eyes revealing deep regret and melancholy.

He said nothing and continued to lower his head, carving the little tiger.

Stroke after stroke, his technique was skilled, and the wood shavings fell as the little tigerʼs form became naturally defined.

Then, the bamboo chamber became suddenly quiet.

After a while, Old Kui suddenly said, ”Iʼll kill your senior brother.”

Mr. Zhuang was taken aback.

”Kill him, and you could live a few more years,” Old Kuiʼs voice was cold and sharp.

Warmth surged in Mr. Zhuangʼs heart; a serene smile appeared on his refined face.

”Thank you.”

Then, with a hint of apology, he said:

”Youʼve helped me so much, and my days are numbered; Iʼm afraid I wonʼt be of help to you...”

Old Kui shook his head, ”Even if you disregard the feelings of the Sect, I could use Heavenly Puppetry to kill him, and if you live a few more decades, you might still be able to help me.”

Mr. Zhuang was silent for a short while, then shook his head and sighed:

”He canʼt be killed anymore...”

Old Kui frowned, ”Is Planting Devil in Taoist Heart truly that troublesome?”

Mr. Zhuang stated calmly, ”He entered the Demon Palace, became a Taoist, and took the Taoist name ʼGuiʼ. The Divine Thought legacy he received, if cultivated deeply, is nearly on par with a Heavenly Demon.”

”He was cautious in the past, even the Pavilion Elders couldnʼt do anything against him.”

”Now, with his Planting Devil in Taoist Heart nearing completion and his Divine Thought taking the ʼGuiʼ path, it is full of trickery and ever-changing; he canʼt simply be killed with cultivation or Taoist Skills...”

Old Kui also fell silent, his aged eyes hiding indeterminate emotions.

”Without trying, how would you know?”

Mr. Zhuang sighed, ”You could try, and he might die, but itʼs uncertain who would die in the end, and whether he truly died would be unknown to anyone...”

Old Kuiʼs brows furrowed tightly, ”Planting Devil in Taoist Heart isnʼt considered the ultimate legacy of the Demon Sect, is it?”

Why was it so terrifying?

Mr. Zhuangʼs face showed a complex expression, ”Planting Devil in Taoist Heart isnʼt, but my senior brother, heʼs a cultivator of the utmost Divine Thought...”

”In this world, who knows who could kill him...”

Mr. Zhuang looked helpless as he slowly closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the innocent and cheerful face of Mo Hua appeared in his mind.

Mr. Zhuang was slightly startled, then his gaze became elusive; after a long contemplation, he muttered:

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”Itʼs still early...”

”Just donʼt get killed, surviving is enough...”

...

In the Lu Familyʼs Corpse Mine, within the Ten Thousand Corpses Sacrificial Altar.

Not until the Thick Earth Formation was complete, his Divine Sense clear, and the eerie aura had dissipated without a trace, did Mo Hua finally breathe a sigh of relief.

At the same time, his heart was filled with lingering fear, and cold sweat had seeped out on his back.

”How strange...”

He hadnʼt spoken his name, nor mentioned his Taoist title, but just by thinking more profoundly, he was sensed by that Taoist, and even the image of him arose in his mind.

His body also felt slightly beyond his control.

To litigate his Taoist title, to convert to his Taoism.

Exactly what kind of method was this? Could it be some form of Divine Thought Technique?

Mo Hua dared not think further.

He buried the words ”Gui Taoʼs people” deep in his heart, trying as much as possible not to touch upon or think deeply about them.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua also felt somewhat dejected.

He had previously believed that with his Divine Thought Technique fully accomplished, he could dominate in conflicts at the level of Divine Sense.

Yet, he hadnʼt expected to be detected simply by exercising his thoughts.

In the face of Gui Taoʼs elusive shadow, he felt utterly at a loss, incapable of resistance.

Mo Hua exhaled:

”The path of Tao Cultivation still requires caution, one must not be arrogant or complacent.”

”There are mountains beyond mountains and heavens beyond heavens.”

”The methods of high-realm great cultivators penetrate the heavens and the earth, beyond the wildest imagination, completely unfathomable to someone who is merely a small Qi Refinement cultivator like me.”

”One must never become cocky!”

Mo Hua silently reminded himself several times, then nodded.

Then another thought occurred to him:

If such a shadow is a technique of Divine Thought,

Could he learn it in the future?

To refine the ultimate in Divine Thought, to Prove the Dao with Supreme Divine Sense.

Could he then, like this Taoist, employ inscrutable methods that leave others unable to guard against?

Right now, he was only in the Qi Refinement stage, with merely twelve patterns in his Divine Sense.

But if one day his Divine Sense became strong enough, and he mastered numerous Divine Thought Techniques, could he directly confront this ”elusive shadow”?

If possible, would silently reciting ”Gui Taoʼs people” and baiting his ”elusive shadow” to come mean that...

He could directly ”consume” it?

Eating its elusive shadow, could that enhance his Divine Sense as well?

After refining it, might he even comprehend some Divine Thought Techniques?

...

Mo Hua had only entertained the thought briefly when his Sea of Consciousness suddenly trembled, and a desiccated shadow of the Taoist appeared.

Mo Hua jumped, quickly collecting his thoughts.

In his mind, he silently chanted, ”Iʼm not thinking anything, Iʼm not thinking anything...”

It was unknown how much time passed before his Divine Sense became clear and the shadow dissipated.

Only then did Mo Hua finally breathe easy.

He dared not indulge in such wild fantasies anymore but instead earnestly forgot all those recent thoughts, continuing to investigate the Formation and sacrificial altar before him...

...

Meanwhile, in a remote desolate forest.

Sun Yi suddenly sensed something, pausing abruptly.

He then sneered, ”You dare to come again?”

”You think I wouldnʼt know if youʼre thinking of my name in your heart?”

He sat down cross-legged, took a Blood Pill, and recovered his aura. Just as he was preparing to perform his Calculation, his heart suddenly quivered.

He felt a palpitation.

This palpitation came out of nowhere, vanished quickly, and seemed as if the Heavenly secret was stirring, birthing some malevolent Divine Thought.

It had fixed its gaze on him with ill intent, and it appeared to include a shade of ”covetousness”...

What did it mean?

Who could, or who would dare, covet him?

Sun Yi felt a twinge of anger.

He wanted to trace it back.

But this Divine Thought was as faint as a notion, extremely subtle.

Like a fishhook thrown onto the water surface, barely stirring a ripple before sinking into the quiet depths, lurking in silence.

The surface of the water returned to calm, leaving no trace.

As if someone had buried that thought deep inside their heart.

And the heavens had their cycles, with all cause and effect already silently, secretly turning...

Sun Yiʼs gaze grew profound, empty, but no longer indifferent; it now bore a layer of frost:

”Who is it...”

The deep mountain was silent, with the eerie cries of a strange beast in the distance.

Long afterwards, Sun Yi turned and continued on, limping along his preset path, his voice croaky with a hint of hatred and terror:

”Donʼt let me find you...”

”Otherwise...”

His words were unfinished when they were swallowed by the deep, mysterious silence of the mountains.