The Quest for Immortality

``` Explore stories on empire

He took drugs, he became stronger, but Mo Hua turned invisible.

The gray-clothed cultivator didn’t stand a chance.

Once the drug effects of the Corpse Blood Pill faded, he wouldn’t be able to leave.

The gray-clothed cultivator howled ferociously a few times. Despite his reluctance, he could no longer stay there.

The humiliation and mockery from that brat could be avenged another day.

He threw a punch to hold Bai Zisheng off, then quickly dashed toward the corridor, smashing through the walls and disappearing into the rooms at the back of the building.

There was chaos in the room, with the sound of cultivators’ screams piercing the air.

Using his Concealment Technique, Mo Hua had delayed the gray-clothed cultivator until the effects of the drugs had worn off, seizing the chance to escape, before he slowly reappeared.

Bai Zisheng asked him, ”Should we pursue?”

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then nodded, ”Chase him a bit, but don’t be too hasty, lest he becomes cornered and lashes out.”

”Okay.”

The three of them followed the path the gray-clothed cultivator had created by smashing through the walls.

The gray-clothed cultivator fled towards the back building, frantically barging into rooms just like a headless fly, battering through the walls, leaving the entire back building riddled with holes.

Having ingested pills, his physical body was strong and his power much enhanced. The Formation used by the Hundred Flower Tower was only average, so it couldn’t withstand his assaults.

As Mo Hua and the others pursued, they found themselves facing a scene of ruined doors and windows as well as damaged walls.

They had no idea where the gray-clothed cultivator had escaped to.

Mo Hua released his Divine Sense, his brow slightly furrowed.

Even with his Divine Sense, he could not detect anything.

Could there be a hidden passage in this Hundred Flower Tower?

Mo Hua remembered what Qinglan had said; she had mentioned that this gray-clothed cultivator ”often stayed here, appearing and disappearing mysteriously, no one knew when he entered or left…”

In that case, as his drug effects waned, he could only think of escaping.

And escaping would surely mean a hidden passage.

Cultivators do have the ability to teleport, but such high-level techniques, involving spatial transitions, were clearly not within the power of Qi-refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

After contemplating for a short while, Mo Hua turned to Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi and said:

”Let’s split up and look, see if there’s any mechanism or hidden passage.”

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi nodded.

Bai Zixi said, ”Be careful.”

”Mhmm.”

Mo Hua nodded and then, having used the Concealment Technique to hide his presence, he moved towards the center.

Bai Zisheng went left, Bai Zixi went right.

While Mo Hua searched for traces of the gray-clothed cultivator, he kept his Divine Sense alert to Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi’s movements, afraid they would encounter danger.

As he walked, he noticed Bai Zixi had stopped in front of a room.

Mo Hua was slightly startled.

Had the junior martial sister found something?

He then turned back and headed towards where Bai Zixi was.

As Bai Zixi looked at the scene before her, she frowned.

There, a bed was forcibly broken through, revealing a dark hole beneath.

This hole was probably the entrance to a secret passage.

And under the bed lay a dead male cultivator, whose chest had a gaping bloody cavity, as if his chest had been pierced forcibly by an arm, destroying his heart and killing him.

The handiwork was likely that of the gray-clothed cultivator.

Beside the man, there were a few female cultivators shivering naked, without a thread on their bodies.

Bai Zixi was considering whether to check the secret passage, when she heard Mo Hua’s footsteps.

Mo Hua’s steps were light and familiar.

”Junior martial sister?”

Mo Hua called out and was about to step into the room.

Bai Zixi glanced at the unclothed females in the room, suddenly realized something, and quickly walked to the door, stretching out her delicate hand to cover Mo Hua’s eyes.

”You can’t look!”

Mo Hua felt the soft and delicate hands covering his eyes, with the breath of his junior martial sister close in front, and his face turned slightly red.

Yet, he still asked in a low voice, puzzled,

”Why can’t I look?”

Bai Zixi crisply said, ”Just because you can’t!”

”Alright then…”

Mo Hua obediently let her cover his eyes.

After a while, Bai Zisheng also arrived, about to say something.

Bai Zixi gave him a gentle glare, ”No looking allowed!”

”Oh…”

Bai Zisheng silently covered his own eyes.

The female cultivators in the room, having regained their composure, grabbed some silk and covered their bodies, then quickly threw on some clothes, albeit haphazardly.

They were still a bit exposed, but at least presentable.

Only then did Bai Zixi let go of her hand.

Mo Hua glanced at them and roughly understood, then asked,

”Was there a strange, corpse-like cultivator who came through here?”

The female cultivators nodded, stammering,

”We were just loosening our clothes, prepared to serve Young Master Zhao...”

”Young Master Zhao?”

One female cultivator pointed to the man lying on the ground with the chest wound and continued,

”Unexpectedly, that monster suddenly burst in…”

”Young Master Zhao lost his mood, spoke harshly in protest, and was then pierced through the chest by that monster with one claw.”

”After killing Young Master Zhao, the monster punched through the bedboard and crawled into the hole beneath the bed, disappearing somewhere…”

”Whose room is this?” Mo Hua inquired.

The female cultivators looked at each other, and finally one spoke up,

”It’s Sister Yulan’s room.”

”This Young Master Zhao, he was once a client of Sister Yulan, drank a bit of alcohol, who knows how, but he suddenly remembered Sister Yulan who had passed away, then stubbornly dragged us here…”

They hesitated to continue in front of Mo Hua.

Mo Hua nodded.

He checked the hole under the bed, which was pitch black.

After probing with his Divine Sense, Mo Hua shook his head.

”What’s wrong?” Bai Zisheng asked.

Mo Hua replied, ”It’s been blocked.”

```

”Can it be pierced through?”

Mo Hua shook his head, ”There’s a mechanism inside. Once activated, the formation will self-destruct and the earth and stones will completely block the passage. It seems to be designed for escaping and cutting off any pursuit.”

”Then what should we do?”

Mo Hua asked, ”The needles I gave you, did you leave them in his body?”

Bai Zisheng nodded, ”Three of them. One in his hair, one on his sleeve, and another one—after Zixi’s Sword Qi tore through his flesh, I took the opportunity to drive it into his wound, melding it into his flesh and blood. From the looks of it, he shouldn’t be able to detect it for a short period of time.”

Mo Hua smiled, ”That’s good then.”

After a while, Situ Jin and Situ Fang came in with several Enforcement Leaders.

They had all sustained injuries of varying degrees and had just taken their Pills, after a brief period of recuperation.

Situ Jin, with grateful eyes, said to Mo Hua:

”Thank you, young brother.”

If it wasn’t for Mo Hua on the upper floor, attracting the grey-clothed cultivator’s attention with the Fireball Technique and delaying him with tactics, sapping both time and the strange power of his medicine,

That would have allowed the gray-clothed cultivator to wreak havoc. The loss on this mission would have been disastrous.

Even he might have ended up severely injured.

Situ Jin then looked at Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi with admiration in his eyes, full of praise.

These are the true scions of a Great Clan.

With only Qi-refining Realm cultivation, they could confront Foundation Building Cultivators head-on and even injure the gray-clothed cultivator who, after taking the medicine, had his strength vastly increased and was like a living corpse.

What would happen once they established their Foundation?

”Indeed, worthy of being the legitimate descendants of a Noble Clan...”

Situ Jin silently reflected.

The Situ Family’s power wasn’t small, but there was much surplus when comparing downward, yet far from sufficient when looking upward, especially when compared to the Bai Family, a Great Clan.

This was reflected in the strength of the clan’s disciples.

Mo Hua and the others exchanged a few courteous words, saying things like ”No need to be so polite” and ”It’s what we should do.”

Of course, Mo Hua did most of the talking.

Bai Zixi was cold by nature, and Bai Zisheng was slightly arrogant.

Such matters were better left to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua also thanked Situ Jin and then asked:

”Elder Situ, what will the Taoist Court do next?”

Situ Jin glanced at Situ Fang, who thought for a moment and then said:

”We now know what the grey-clothed cultivator looks like. Next, we will report to the court, verify his portrait, and retrieve his native information to ascertain his identity.”

Mo Hua was somewhat surprised, ”He’s a bad guy though, can he still be found out?”

Situ Fang said, ”Even bad guys aren’t born bad.”

”Many Sin Cultivators and Heretical Demons were Serious Cultivators at first, but due to personal desires or mistakes, they strayed from the right path.”

”As long as one is a Serious Cultivator, the Taoist Court will record their native information.”

Mo Hua asked, ”Do I have native information too?”

Situ Fang said helplessly, ”Are you a Serious Cultivator?”

Mo Hua nodded, ”I’m very serious.”

”Then naturally, you do. However, the native information of a general cultivator is quite simple and usually, the Taoist Court can check it,” said Situ Fang.

”Doesn’t that mean one’s background can easily be checked by others?”

Mo Hua frowned.

In his memory, the Taoist Court was very easy to bribe.

Once bribed, wouldn’t anyone be able to check his background?

”It’s like that for general cultivators.”

Situ Fang said, and then she looked at Mo Hua with a smile and continued:

”However, if your cultivation becomes high in the future, if you are successful with formations, and if your status becomes noteworthy, the Central Tao Court will encrypt your native information, and the general Taoist Court will no longer have the authority to view it.”

”Also, each cultivator who inquires about your native information will be required to state a reason and will be recorded.”

Mo Hua nodded and then asked:

”After the grey-clothed cultivator’s identity is confirmed, how will the Taoist Court capture him?”

Situ Fang sighed, ”That’s going to require some effort...”

”Generally, a wanted notice will be issued, a reward will be offered, and based on his identity, related cultivators will be sought out for investigation to unravel the truth layer by layer...”

Situ Fang continued, but suddenly paused and looked at Mo Hua skeptically:

”Why do you ask these things?”

Mo Hua smiled shyly, ”I’m just learning.”

Situ Fang laughed at this and shook her head, ”You can’t learn everything… Leave the pursuit to the Taoist Court, and you all head back first.”

”Alright,” Mo Hua agreed, and then he seemed to remember something and asked:

”What about Sister Qinglan?”

”You mean that young girl?”

Mo Hua nodded.

He was worried that the brothel keeper would hold a grudge and take revenge on Qinglan.

Women in the brothel often had lives as unstable as floating weeds.

Since Qinglan had helped him, Mo Hua also wanted to consider her well-being and provide her with a way out.

Situ Fang thought for a moment and then said:

”Leave it to me. I’ll go to the brothel keeper, obtain her deed of sale, and take her away.”

”Will the brothel keeper agree?”

Situ Fang sneered, ”She has to agree even if she doesn’t want to. I’ll just say that Qinglan, this little girl, was colluding with the Sin Cultivator, and her Hundred Flower Tower is also under suspicion.”

”In order to absolve herself of suspicion, the brothel keeper will definitely toss Qinglan, this hot potato, over to me, and she wouldn’t dare to keep the deed.”

Mo Hua smiled, ”Then thank you, Sister Situ.”

After that, the matters were concluded by Situ Fang and the Taoist Court.

Mo Hua and the others then left the Hundred Flower Tower.

Before their arrival tonight, the Hundred Flower Tower was a world of lavish splendor but upon departure, it was left in a state of disarray.

Mo Hua looked back at the Hundred Flower Tower, and suddenly, a trace of doubt surfaced in his mind.

He remembered that the Hundred Flower Tower was guarded by a Foundation Building Cultivator.

With such commotion, the Lu Family’s Foundation Establishment had never intervened.

Were they not aware, and thus did not get involved, or did they know everything but pretended to be unaware?

Mo Hua’s brow furrowed again.

The mine, the Ultimate Formation, the deceased Mining Cultivators, the Lu Family, the Hundred Flower Tower, the grey-clothed cultivator...

And the missing Instructor Yan.

Could there be a connection among these...?

Mo Hua’s brows knitted tighter for a moment.