The Quest for Immortality

Elder Yi said with a solemn expression.

Mo Hua whispered, ”Does the Taoist Court secretly collect ’Forbidden Techniques’...”

Elder Yi was startled, but he did not conceal it from Mo Hua, ”The Taoist Court does collect them, after all...”

Elder Yi did not say it, but Mo Hua understood.

With the Taoist Court unified, the Cultivation World was theirs.

The status of the Taoist Court was naturally revered, and no one could interfere with what they wanted to do.

Mo Hua then asked, ”Does the Sect also collect them?”

Elder Yi immediately shook his head, ”No.”

Mo Hua looked doubtful, equally unconvinced.

With Mo Hua staring at him, Elder Yi sighed.

He looked around, saw no one around, coughed, and then whispered, ”The Sect also... cough, also collects some...”

”Of course, not the Demon Skills and Evil Techniques kind of ’Forbidden Techniques.’”

”Evil Techniques involving demons, corpses, and ghosts that harm the harmony of heaven—such are definitely sealed without any leeway.”

”The kind of Forbidden Techniques the Sect collects are generally those involving the rules of the Great Dao, extremely powerful, but essentially impossible to cultivate, extremely difficult to control, or if cultivated, have very serious consequences...”

”These Forbidden Techniques are deliberated and judged by the Sect Leader, Elders, or the old ancestors.”

”Some techniques, which could be cultivated in the past, might have too great a cost and are not suitable to be passed down—then the old ancestors would decide to list them as ’Forbidden Techniques’ and seal them...”

Finishing his explanation, Elder Yi solemnly looked at Mo Hua again, ”You must absolutely not think about practicing these kinds of ’Forbidden Techniques.’”

”Although these techniques are collected in the Sect, they are strictly forbidden for disciples to cultivate.”

”Our Taixu Gate has strict sect rules. Any disciple, regardless of the reason, who clandestinely cultivates ’Forbidden Techniques,’ will be directly expelled from the Sect!”

Mo Hua’s heart tightened, and his expression became serious.

Elder Yi patted Mo Hua’s shoulder and sighed,

”Elder Master Xun values you so much; for your own sake, and for Elder Master Xun’s sake, you must not entertain any improper thoughts that would dishearten Elder Master Xun...”

Mo Hua nodded solemnly, ”Elder Yi, don’t worry.”

Elder Yi looked into Mo Hua’s eyes, saw his clear and sincere expression, and was reassured.

After Elder Yi left, Mo Hua returned to the Disciple’s Residence.

Reflecting on his conversation with Elder Yi, Mo Hua summarized:

Techniques embodying the principle of ”Fusion Fireball” must exist, and such techniques are certainly ”Forbidden Techniques.”

Practicing these types of ”Forbidden Techniques” results in side effects.

The side effects vary; some even lead to demonic corruption.

The Taixu Gate definitely harbors ”Forbidden Techniques.”

But where they are stored, they won’t let the disciples know—at least not in the regular cultivation classes or within the Merit Scrolls.

And he himself must not secretly learn the Taixu Gate’s Forbidden Techniques.

The sect rules are stringent.

If he were caught, Elder Master Xun, despite his favoritism, would probably have no choice but to relentlessly expel him from the sect.

Elder Master Xun has been so kind to him; he cannot betray his goodwill.

But then!

Mo Hua thought again.

As long as he doesn’t steal learn the Forbidden Techniques of the Taixu Gate, there would be no problem!

As long as he doesn’t study the demon, corpse, and ghost-type Evil Techniques, the Taoist Court wouldn’t care.

Even if there are side effects, he isn’t afraid.

He isn’t actually planning to ”learn” the Forbidden Technique.

Rather, through the Forbidden Technique, he wants to research the principles of ”Spell Fusion.”

”Copy” their skill patterns, thereby thinking of ways to continuously optimize and improve the skill patterns, perfecting a truly stable and controllable ”Fusion Fireball Skill.”

According to what Elder Yi had said, any Sect Disciple who secretly learns ”Forbidden Techniques” will be forcibly expelled from the sect.

In other words, they become ”defectors!”

Mo Hua’s eyes brightened.

In that case, among those sin cultivators on Boss Jiang’s list, there might very well be one or two who practiced ”Forbidden Techniques” and defected from the sect, committing misdeeds outside and becoming sin cultivators.

Boss Jiang is truly his ”lucky star!”

His list is just like a heritage ”treasure map.”

Mo Hua thought with a beaming smile, and then he took out Boss Jiang’s list again.

Among them, sin cultivators with the names containing ”fire” were marked by him.

These were specifically ”filtered” by Mo Hua who originally wanted to learn Fire Spells.

Mo Hua checked the names of these sin cultivators one by one.

”Fireworker Chief, Fire Wolf Head, Fierce Fire Palm, Fire Butcher...”

Mo Hua furrowed his brows.

He looked left and right and didn’t feel that these sin cultivators seemed like they had learned ”Forbidden Techniques.”

Their spells also didn’t seem capable of involving collapse of skill patterns or fusion of spiritual power, of relevance to his ”Forbidden Technique” research.

More importantly, Mo Hua didn’t have that feeling, no heavenly warnings, no karmic forebodings, no sudden heart palpitations.

”None...”

Mo Hua felt a great disappointment.

Mo Hua put the Jade Slip back into the Storage Ring, but then, feeling unwilling to give up, he took it out again and placed it on the table. He carefully observed it with the Calculation merged with the Heavenly Secret.

At that moment, he noticed a faint, red karmic chain on the Jade Slip.

Mo Hua was startled, his heart jumped.

There!

Indicated by the heavenly patterns and karmic forewarnings, the list did contain a lineage similar to the ”Fusion Fireball” Forbidden Technique!

Mo Hua hastily looked at it again.

But in the Jade Slip, the names of all the sin cultivators appeared ”unremarkable,” nothing unusual.

It seemed like the earlier ”karmic forewarning” was just an illusion.

Mo Hua performed another calculation, still finding nothing.

”What’s going on...”

Mo Hua leaned on the table, supporting his chin, frowning deeply in thought.

”Is there something... I haven’t discovered?”

”There’s something hidden in the depths of Boss Jiang’s list that I haven’t decoded?”

Mo Hua read through Boss Jiang’s diary again, reading while releasing his Divine Sense, carefully discerning every word.

After one read-through, he found nothing.

Mo Hua read it again...

Until on the third read-through, Mo Hua finally noticed something subtle.

Some of the passages and punctuation were blank, marked with ”secret,” and the technique was even more covert. Mo Hua had unconsciously skipped over them previously, thus he hadn’t noticed.

Mo Hua felt somewhat emotional.

”This Boss Jiang, sure is cunning...”

He almost tricked me!

Mo Hua’s eyes brightened as he started to try decoding, but the Secret Patterns in these blank areas were completely different from elsewhere.

With no other choice, Mo Hua had to repeat his old method, patiently using the Secondary Thunder Patterns from the Secondary Thunder Pattern Library, one by one comparing and decoding.

Three days later, Mo Hua finally decoded a new name in the blank place of the Jade Slip.

This name was hidden deeply, covered in heavy ink.

Seemingly entwined with blood, amid a sea of fire, profound murderous aura surged, subtly making one’s heart tremble.

Mo Hua’s gaze focused slightly, as he slowly said:

”Fire Buddha.”