The Quest for Immortality

The sunlight shines brightly, streaming into the mountain forest, fragmented into scattered light spots by the overlapping branches and leaves, seeping into the woods and falling onto the ground, leaving a mottled pattern.

The fallen leaves on the ground are piled thick.

This is a dense, vast forest rarely visited by people.

Mo Hua compared the map in his mind and roughly judged the position.

These woods were situated on the border between the Outer Mountain and the treacherous parts of the Inner Mountain, incredibly remote. Even Monster Beasts rarely roamed here, and it was far from the Mountain Gate.

The journey to and fro was too long, taking too much time.

Thus, most disciples would never come to this place to hunt monsters.

A faint mist hovered amidst the forest, mixed with a pungent miasma. The atmosphere was lifeless and somewhat oppressive.

Mo Hua and the others followed the pink blood stains on the ground and the dragging marks of the Monster Beast step by step, heading deeper into the forest.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the blood stains vanished.

The ground was chaotic with mountain stones, grasses, and trees, showing no discernible traces.

Situ Jian and the rest silently looked at Mo Hua.

Ling Huxiao seemed confused and glanced at Mo Hua as well.

Mo Hua lowered his head, his eyes suddenly turning pitch black and profound. Heavenly secret patterns surfaced in the depths of his eyes, and the lines of cause-and-effect before him slowly intertwined.

A crimson aura gradually appeared, floating toward the distance.

Mo Hua pointed in that direction and said:

”This way.”

After speaking, Mo Hua took the lead, following the direction where the threads of cause-and-effect aura extended, heading deeper into the woods.

Situ Jian and the others naturally followed behind him.

Only Ling Huxiao appeared a bit bewildered.

”How... did he figure that out?”

Watching as Mo Hua and the others quickly walked away, Ling Huxiao didn’t dare to chase after them with more questions and could only silently follow.

After proceeding for a while, Mo Hua suddenly stopped, his expression slightly heavy, and warned:

”Be cautious; it’s just ahead.”

Situ Jian and the others immediately became alert and nodded solemnly.

Ling Huxiao froze for a moment, still unable to understand.

How had he determined that again?

Ling Huxiao’s Sword Heart Clarity allowed him strong perception, and his Divine Sense wasn’t weak either. Yet within the range of his Divine Sense, he hadn’t detected even the tiniest trace.

And Mo Hua had already found the enemy?

How strong was his Divine Sense?

Ling Huxiao was secretly astonished but, given the circumstances, had no choice but to suppress the questions in his heart.

Under Mo Hua’s guidance, the group restrained their aura, held their breath, and tread lightly. After proceeding gingerly for a while, Ling Huxiao’s pupils suddenly contracted.

He sensed a powerful presence.

This presence, mixed with a bloodthirsty Monster Qi, caused his Sword Heart to faintly tremble.

After a few more steps, Situ Jian and the others also detected the ferocious presence, their expressions collectively growing serious.

Mo Hua, in contrast, appeared composed. Once they reached a hundred feet away, he stopped and made a hand gesture, signaling the group to hide.

They found a large tree densely covered with shrubs and hid behind it, peering through the thick woods toward the front.

From afar, they saw several ancient trees with massive trunks, under which lay a Fox Demon with blood-red fur and pink Monster Blood, its slender and alluring figure already lifeless.

It was none other than the Blood Charming Fox.

Beside the Blood Charming Fox was a tall figure cloaked in a black robe, obscuring its appearance and body—a ”monster.”

This monster was crouched beside the Blood Charming Fox, consuming its Monster Blood, swallowing the blood greedily. Crunching sounds of flesh filled its breaths, reminiscent of a wild beast.

Eating Monster Beasts raw?

Mo Hua and the others felt an unsettling chill.

Hao Xuan was about to speak when Mo Hua made a ”silence” gesture. He then waved his hand, leading everyone to retreat further. Only after putting more distance between them did Mo Hua nod, signaling that they could talk.

Hao Xuan lowered his voice and asked:

”What is that thing?”

”Is it human? Or a Monster Beast?”

”Or perhaps... a Monster Cultivator?”

”Could be a Monster Cultivator...” Situ Jian murmured quietly.

”Do any of you know how to differentiate Monster Cultivators?” Hao Xuan asked again. ”Or, what sets Monster Cultivators apart from Demon Cultivators?”

Situ Jian and the others looked puzzled.

In daily practice, Monster Cultivators and Demon Cultivators were often lumped together, and they couldn’t tell the specific differences between them.

After all, according to Taoist Law, whether Monster Cultivators or Demon Cultivators, both were to be eradicated.

Seeing their confusion, Mo Hua thought for a moment before explaining:

”According to the Taoist Court’s classification, Demon Cultivators actually refer to ’Cultivators of the Demon Path,’ a collective term for Cultivators practicing Heretical Demon cultivation techniques. This includes, but isn’t limited to, Monster Cultivators, Corpse Cultivators, Evil Cultivators, Ghost Cultivators, and Demon Cultivators...”

”When classified by cultivation method, different categories of Demon Cultivators each have their own characteristics.”

”Monster Cultivators consume human flesh, Corpse Cultivators refine human corpses, Evil Cultivators harvest Vital Energy, Ghost Cultivators refine souls, while Demon Cultivators primarily absorb and extract Spiritual Power from others.”

”Since Demon Cultivators have the largest influence, other Heretical Demon Cultivators mostly rely on Demon Cultivators’ sects, so generally, Monster, Corpse, Evil, and Ghost Cultivators are all grouped under the term Demon Cultivators...”

These were insights Mo Hua had specifically inquired from Uncle Gu Changhuai during past bounty hunts to better understand how to ’slay monsters and eliminate demons.’

Hao Xuan nodded approvingly and praised:

”Junior Brother, you really know a lot.”

Then, he asked curiously: ”But this ’monster,’ eating monsters instead of humans—what exactly is it?”

Situ Jian shook his head and remarked, ”Who says it hasn’t eaten humans? If it can eat Monster Beasts raw, it surely wouldn’t hesitate to eat humans.”

”And judging by its appearance, its Divine Sense might be somewhat compromised, with its demonic nature overtaking its human nature.”

Mo Hua nodded slightly. ”That’s right.”

He could sense that the ”monster” had intelligence, but the fluctuations of its Divine Thought were abnormally chaotic, seemingly disrupted by an inverse flow of demonic power. For the moment, it had lost reason and devolved into a wild beast.

Situ Jian asked, ”What should we do now?”

He glanced at the monster that was ripping apart the beast and devouring its flesh, his brows furrowed. ”Judging by its presence, it likely has Foundation Establishment Late Stage strength—it won’t be easy to handle...”