The Quest for Immortality

”The waters of South Yue City truly run deep...”

Mo Hua sighed again.

Behind the Corpse Walking Stronghold, what force was there, and behind Zhang Quan, who was there? Mo Hua had no clue yet.

He could only wait and see if the Taoist Court could get anything out of Zhang Quan’s mouth.

Mo Hua didn’t go to ask.

Because Zhang Quan certainly wouldn’t tell him.

Zhang Quan hated Mo Hua to death.

And Mo Hua had almost angered him to death as well.

If Mo Hua went to ask him, it would be good enough if he didn’t anger Zhang Quan into a cerebral hemorrhage, let alone getting any information out of him.

Now all the clues about the Spiritual Pivot Formation and Corpse Walking Stronghold were with Zhang Quan.

Only by extracting some information from Zhang Quan’s mouth could they continue the investigation.

Only by finding out which cultivator or power was behind Zhang Quan could they locate a higher tier of Spirit Pivot Formation Patterns.

Then Mo Hua could use this to restore the complete Spiritual Pivot Formation.

And truly master the twelve-pattern Spiritual Pivot Formation.

With the remaining time, Mo Hua still focused on comprehending the incomplete Spiritual Pivot Formation.

The Spiritual Pivot Formation was the key to this matter.

A cultivator who could command Iron Corpses with the Spiritual Pivot Formation was definitely not to be underestimated.

The conspiracy hidden within South Yue City must also be extraordinary.

Prepare in advance, use formations to break formations.

The more he understood about formations, the more solutions he would have when facing danger in the future.

…

After drawing formations for the day, Mo Hua steamed some pastries and brought them to Mr. Zhuang to accompany his tea time, chatted for a bit, bid farewell, and then brought some to Instructor Yan.

Instructor Yan was sitting in the courtyard, lost in thought, full of worries, his face showing signs of distress.

Mo Hua placed the pastries on the table and poured a cup of tea for Instructor Yan, then couldn’t help asking,

”Instructor, do you have something on your mind?”

Instructor Yan hesitated, then shook his head, ”It’s nothing.”

Mo Hua’s eyes flickered slightly, ”Is it about the traitor from Minor Hidden Spirit Sect?”

Instructor Yan stiffened, then responded bitterly,

”You know about it?”

”Mm-hmm.” Mo Hua nodded, ”Manager Mo already told me.”

Instructor Yan, feeling helpless, sighed,

”My junior brother, really can’t keep his mouth shut...”

Mo Hua asked, ”Is that traitor in South Yue City now?”

Instructor Yan didn’t really want to say.

Mo Hua then blinked his large eyes at him.

Instructor Yan hesitated, then reluctantly said,

”Sect grudges, I don’t want to drag you into it...”

Mo Hua shook his head, ”It’s okay, maybe I’m already involved.”

Instructor Yan was startled, then after some thought, he felt it was true.

Corpse Walking Stronghold was eradicated under Mo Hua’s leadership; his involvement was probably not shallow.

But Instructor Yan was still hesitant.

Mo Hua then said in a low voice,

”Moreover, I’m quite familiar with South Yue City, the Lu Family, South Yue Sect, Taoist Court, Mining Cultivators, Hundred Flower Tower, I have some connections with all of them. I can help you gather information.”

Upon hearing the key point, Instructor Yan’s eyes widened,

”You’re also familiar with Hundred Flower Tower?”

Even though he had never been there, from its name, he knew it was a brothel.

This kid, so young and not learning good things, why would he mingle in such places?

Mo Hua hurriedly waved his hand,

”I’m not familiar, but I know an Elder named Su who is very familiar...”

”Elder Su?”

”An Elder at the Foundation Establishment stage from South Yue Sect.” Mo Hua said.

Instructor Yan was slightly taken aback.

Having been in South Yue City for a few years, he knew only a few cultivators.

Mo Hua had been here for only a few months, how did he come to know so many cultivators...

Instructor Yan also recalled that he had heard from an Elder of the Situ Family that Mo Hua was now a first-grade Formation Master.

A first-grade Formation Master...

He had never imagined that in just two or three years, the student who once needed to consult him for three or four formation patterns had surpassed him and officially become a first-grade Formation Master...

This talent was truly frightening...

In his heart, Instructor Yan felt both exhilarated and wistful.

Then he also realized that the current Mo Hua, albeit young, should not be treated as just any ordinary child.

During the incident with Corpse Walking Stronghold, Mo Hua’s actions were brave and strategic, moving like a ghost.

All this was witnessed by Instructor Yan.

Even the Corpse cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage were played in the palms of Mo Hua’s hands.

And his own escape from Corpse Walking Stronghold was also thanks to Mo Hua.

With this in mind, Instructor Yan’s attitude towards Mo Hua unconsciously became much more solemn.

After a moment of contemplation and a soft sigh, he opened up to Mo Hua,

”That traitor is indeed in South Yue City...”

”How do you know?”

”I have seen the formations he drew in the city.”

Instructor Yan sighed again, then continued,

”Even though so many years have passed, his formation skills have improved, and his drawing style is completely different, but his subtle strokes, I recognized them at a glance!”

”It’s just that I’ve been asking around everywhere, and no one knows who is behind these formations, or where they came from...”

Instructor Yan’s expression showed disappointment.

”What’s the name of that traitor?” Mo Hua asked.

Instructor Yan seemed to recall painful memories, hesitated for a long time before slowly speaking,

”His surname is Shen, given name Cai.”

”Shen Cai?”

Mo Hua frowned, ”I don’t seem to know this person in South Yue City...”

A person skilled in formations, with a formation strength close to or even above a first grade, and entrenched in South Yue City for a long time, must not be an obscure nobody.

Mo Hua had seen or heard of nearly all the prominent Formation Masters in South Yue City.

But there was no one by the name of ”Shen Cai.”

Mo Hua asked, ”Could he have changed his name and fled?”

Instructor Yan nodded slightly, ”It’s not just a change of name; he has likely disguised himself too...”

”Disguised himself...”

Instructor Yan said through clenched teeth,

”He betrayed his master, destroyed his legacy; he’ll be spat upon by everyone. That face of his, he probably doesn’t dare to keep it either.”

”That complicates things...” muttered Mo Hua.

With a changed name and face, and an unknown identity, knowing only similar Formation Diagram techniques, indeed, he’s not easy to find.

And if you inquire too much, you might startle the snake.

The Cultivation World is so vast—if he got away, finding him again would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

”Are you looking for him to seek revenge?”

Mo Hua asked cautiously.

Pain flitted across Instructor Yan’s eyes before it turned to deep bitterness:

”After so many years, the desire for revenge has faded. I just want to find him and ask him personally. Even if he stole the Spirit Pivot Formation, why did he have to kill our master? Our master treated him so well...”

Having said that, Instructor Yan sighed deeply:

”There’s one more thing—the Spirit Pivot Formation Chart.”

”I hope to retrieve this Formation in my lifetime, to comfort the spirit of my master in heaven.”

”The Minor Hidden Spirit Sect is no more, but I hope that this Formation can be passed down and not be lost to time...”

Spirit Pivot Formation Chart...

Thinking for a moment, Mo Hua took out a Formation Chart and handed it to Instructor Yan:

”Instructor, is this the one?”

Instructor Yan was startled, glancing at the Formation in Mo Hua’s hand; he became stupefied.

His hands trembling, he took the Chart from Mo Hua, his pupils shaking as he murmured:

”Yes... that’s right...”

Instructor Yan looked at Mo Hua in disbelief, ”This... how did you obtain this?”

Mo Hua simply explained:

”It’s reconstructed through Divine Sense Calculation, based on the Formation Patterns on the bodies of Walking Corpses and Iron Corpses...”

Calculation... Reconstruction...

Instructor Yan was momentarily lost in thought.

He didn’t understand...

Gradually realizing, Instructor Yan recognized that even though he held Mo Hua in high regard, he might still have underestimated Mo Hua’s knowledge of Formation.

Divine Sense Calculation, this level of knowledge about Formation, not even mentioned in a single word within the legacy of the Minor Hidden Spirit Sect...

Mo Hua added, ”However, it’s a pity that this is only a part of the Formation, not the complete one.”

Upon hearing this, Instructor Yan looked down, noticing the incomplete Formation, his expression slightly disappointed.

Then he seemed to think of something and, with a glimmer of hope, tentatively asked,

”Can you, learn it?”

Mo Hua shook his head, ”Not yet, I’ve only learned a little.”

Instructor Yan was taken aback, ”A little?”

”Yes.” Mo Hua nodded, then took out a wooden tiger from his Storage Bag and placed it on the table.

Instructor Yan was somewhat baffled, ”What is this...?”

”Inside this tiger, a part of the Spirit Pivot Formation is drawn.”

Then, with his Divine Sense, Mo Hua controlled the wooden tiger.

The wooden tiger came to life on the table, running and pouncing, rolling over, then standing upright, holding a teacup in its hands and delivering it to Instructor Yan, subsequently giving a bow.

Instructor Yan, with his mouth agape, was at a loss for words.

As a Formation Master, he knew too well that the actions of the tiger under the influence of the Formation contained extremely profound and complex Formation principles.

Mo Hua gifted the wooden tiger to Instructor Yan.

Even after Mo Hua had left, Instructor Yan still sat staring at the tiger, lost in a daze.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses.

It was the Spirit Pivot Formation...

And it didn’t contain any evil abnormalities, no shortcuts or cheating methods.

It was the first time in his life that he had seen someone use the Spirit Pivot Formation to such an exquisite degree of spirit control.

Instructor Yan was shocked in his heart.

At the same time, he felt a sense of relief.

It was as though the persistent, somber hardships of searching alone and holding onto vengeance for years had been alleviated.

The grey, oppressive days now had a beam of light.

He could finally see the path ahead, just a bit clearer.

Looking up at the sky, Instructor Yan’s face was complex as he muttered to himself,

”Master, our Minor Hidden Spirit Sect’s Ultimate Formation has finally been learned by someone...”

”And it has been learned properly, legitimately...”

...

After leaving, however, Mo Hua was thinking about what Instructor Yan had said.

The traitor of the Minor Hidden Spirit Sect.

The vengeance for betraying the master.

Instructor Yan said that his heart for revenge had faded over the years, but his eyes still held deep dedication.

The hatred wasn’t intense, but the dedication was heavy.

That meant he no longer hated, but the traitor had to die.

From the tone Instructor Yan used at that moment, it seemed that even if it meant dying with the traitor, he would be willing.

Mo Hua sighed.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, Instructor Yan’s Taoist skills were, in fact, quite weak.

All his expertise was spent on Formation.

Even if he were to confront his enemy, it would likely be difficult for him to bring about mutual destruction.

If he truly went to take his revenge, in the end, the one in danger would still be Instructor Yan himself.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then nodded to himself.

If Instructor Yan couldn’t take his revenge, then Mo Hua would help him.

Repay kindness with kindness, repay enmity with vengeance.

Having received Instructor Yan’s favor, helping him to take revenge was only right and proper.

Moreover, Mo Hua was also curious to know if the Cultivator who drew the Spirit Pivot Evil Formation for Zhang Quan was indeed the traitor from the Minor Hidden Spirit Sect.