The Quest for Immortality

Mo Hua, with sharp eyes, also found a small line of annotated text from the wind and sand eroded, worn-out corner of the Formation Diagram.

The text included the name of the Formation used by sand ships, which can cross the Sand Sea:

”Sand Leveling Formation.”

Mo Hua silently remembered this name, glanced at the Formation a bit, and then said: ”Boss, rest assured, I know a little about this Formation...”

The Ship Boss was somewhat skeptical, but right now he had no other choice but to trust Mo Hua, so he said:

”Then I...”

Mo Hua replied, ”I need some time.”

The Ship Boss nodded, leaving Mo Hua alone in the dark cabin, standing guard outside.

This was the rule.

In Dafeng Crossing, when a family’s Formation Master painted a Formation, others were not allowed to watch, for fear of the leakage of Formation Patterns.

The Ship Boss understood this rule.

Even though Mo Hua was a laborer he hired, the ability to paint Formations demanded respect.

He wasn’t afraid Mo Hua would sabotage things either.

Everyone was on the same ship; if they were going to die, they would die together.

Afterward, Mo Hua took thirty minutes to finish painting the Formation in the cabin, then closed the dark cabin and said to the Ship Boss:

”It’s done.”

The Ship Boss was stunned, ”It’s done already?”

Mo Hua nodded, ”Let’s try sailing.”

Though skeptical, the Ship Boss did as Mo Hua said, raised the sail, lit the Spirit Stone, and the sand ship, originally stuck in the Sand Sea, glowed suddenly, like a fish jumping out of the sand, speeding forward, even faster than before.

The Ship Boss was both shocked and delighted.

The entire crew and passengers were all beaming with joy.

With favorable winds, the Ship Boss focused on steering, and after less than two hours, the sand ship rode the wind to Great Desert City.

The walls of Great Desert City towered high and were magnificently majestic.

Near the ferry, many sand ships of various sizes were docked.

The Ship Boss’s ship was one of the most inconspicuous among them.

But to him, this ship was a matter of life and death, almost his entire livelihood.

When the ship finally reached the shore, far from the endless wind and sand, the stone in the Ship Boss’s heart finally landed.

It was only then that he suddenly remembered something, searched through the crowd for a long time, but could see no sign of Mo Hua.

He asked around, but everyone said they hadn’t seen him.

The thin, weak, handsome, bright-eyed young man seemed to have ”evaporated” from the human world, leaving no trace.

The Ship Boss was bewildered.

The other crew members looked at each other in confusion.

”Come to think of it, since that young brother finished painting the Formation, we haven’t seen him.”

”Could he have accidentally fallen into the Sand Sea...”

”Don’t talk nonsense...”

”Then where is he? How did he just disappear?”

”Could it be...”

The Ship Boss, with a grave expression, instructed: ”No one should mention this matter, or you won’t eat with me again.”

The crew fell silent at his words, not daring to speak again.

They rested for a few days at the ferry in Great Desert City but did not enter the city. These poor Loose Cultivators were not allowed in Great Desert City, and they didn’t have many Spirit Stones, so entering the city was of no use.

Their job was simply to bring others to Great Desert City.

But such a Great Immortal City was not a place for them to settle.

A few days later, they picked up some scattered passengers and returned to Dafeng Crossing the same way they came.

Perhaps because the sand ship was more stable and faster, the return journey was inexplicably much smoother.

Back in Dafeng Crossing, the Ship Boss, still uneasy, sought out an old master who handled repairs for the ship line, asking him to inspect the sand ship.

The old master had worked at the ship line for one hundred and fifty years, was stubborn but trustworthy, and highly respected.

He dismantled the Ship Boss’s sand ship with a face full of disdain, complaining about aging and weathering problems until he suddenly saw the Formation on the ship and gasped in shock, eyes wide:

”Where... where did you get this Formation?”

The Ship Boss was moved and whispered, ”How is this Formation...?”

He had never drawn a Formation Pattern in his life and was utterly ignorant about Formations.

The old master took a deep breath and then said in a trembling voice:

”This is... a Second-Grade High-Rank Formation. Many large sand ships at the ship line don’t have as good a Formation as yours. Care for it well, and barring any accidents, it should secure your livelihood for fifty to sixty years.”

The Ship Boss shuddered, momentarily stunned.

He tried to recall Mo Hua’s appearance in his mind, but for some reason, Mo Hua’s face had become somewhat blurry, and he couldn’t even clearly remember what words that young brother had spoken to him or what matters they had discussed...

”This... indeed must be a meeting with a master...” the Ship Boss mumbled, deeply moved.

”What?” the old master asked.

The Ship Boss shook his head, ”Nothing.”

The old master said nothing further, only advised:

”Let this matter die with us; don’t speak of it recklessly. Otherwise, you understand the proverb of having a precious object and incurring a crime...”

The Ship Boss quickly replied, ”Yes, thank you very much, Master.”

The old master nodded, gave a few more reminders, and then left.

The Ship Boss stayed there, staring at the profound and distinct Formation on the ship, lost in thought for a long time.

In the evening, the Ship Boss made a special trip to a tavern.

This time he broke tradition and bought half a bottle of good wine, walked to the edge of the Sand Sea, and looking at the vast desert, he poured the good wine, which he normally couldn’t bear to drink, into the Sand Sea, murmuring and sighing:

”Young brother, your great kindness and virtue cannot be repaid.”

”With this humble wine, I wish you henceforth... smooth sailing...”

The Ship Boss, who had never known him before, sent his distant blessings.

...

Meanwhile, the ”young brother” blessed by the Ship Boss was diligently working odd jobs in Great Desert City.

Since the sand ship docked, Mo Hua had hidden himself, leaving quietly once it moored.

Afterward, he seized an opportunity to sneak into Great Desert City.

But Great Desert City, truly a Fourth-Grade Immortal City, was indeed immense.

Moreover, being on the edge of the Great Wilderness, it was the only Great Immortal City for thousands of miles around, with taller walls, larger land area, and an endless view of palaces and pavilions in the style of the Great Wilderness.

This was completely different from the Qian Learning State Boundary.

The Qian Learning State Boundary, despite being a Fifth-Grade State Realm, housed too many Great Families and Great Sects, with very tight land use. Thus, though the Immortal City within the state boundary was delicately built, it was not large, far less ”lavish” and ”extravagant” than Great Desert City.

For this reason, Great Desert City truly resembled a ”vast desert,” boundless and overwhelming.

Looking for a Big Tiger in Great Desert City was as futile as searching for a needle in a haystack.

Concurrently, Mo Hua wondered at heart, whether this Great Desert City, being an Immortal City where cultivators gather, would indeed allow Monster Beasts to enter? Especially a powerful Tiger Demon?

Aside from the matter of the Big Tiger, Mo Hua had thought about asking the Great Wilderness Sect if he could find Da’hu and the others.

However, upon considering it, he dismissed the idea.

His current identity was special, his Life Chart fierce. Associating with Da’hu and the others might bring them trouble.

Moreover, Da’hu and the rest, being of humble birth, were likely struggling in the Great Wilderness Sect as well.

Mo Hua could only continue his disguise and remain undercover in Great Desert City to gather information.

To find clues about the Big Tiger while also discreetly investigating the situation between the Taoist Court and the Great Wilderness, including the battles between the Taoist Soldiers and Great Wilderness Barbarian Soldiers.

As such, a few days later, Mo Hua gained some understanding of the current state of war in the Great Wilderness.

And he also found a clue about the Big Tiger:

”Demon Fighting Arena.”

It seemed that within Great Desert City, there existed a massive Underground Demon Fighting Arena.

< Chapter 2564 - 41: Great Desert City (Part 3)

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