The Quest for Immortality

In the Great Wilderness, under the scorching sun, on a mountain slope of a certain desert.

Mo Hua and the Big Tiger lay resting on the ground.

The initial thrill had passed; the Big Tiger was tired and hungry, so it lay on the ground belly up, waving its four paws in the air for a moment. Then it turned its head towards Mo Hua and opened its mouth, making a ”meow” sound.

Mo Hua, helpless, took out some dried fish and tossed it into the Big Tiger’s mouth.

The Big Tiger licked the dried fish, satisfied.

But Mo Hua felt bitter inside. He lifted his head and looked around.

All around was desolate, the desert stretched on, brown earth, red mountains, and the sky with the blazing sun blended together, vast and boundless; he had no idea where they were.

”Where exactly did this Big Tiger take me?”

Mo Hua was utterly bewildered.

By reasoning, now that the Taoist Soldiers were ambushed and the rebellion faced setbacks with the situation critical, it’s the perfect time for him to showcase his abilities and earn military merits.

But the plan couldn’t keep up with the changes.

The foolish Big Tiger ran off with its hooves, completely derailing his plan.

Now, all his strategies were in disarray.

Building accomplishments had also gone up in smoke.

Mo Hua was a bit angry and couldn’t help but pat the Big Tiger on the head.

But he wasn’t into Body Cultivation, so he had no grip strength at all.

The Big Tiger thought Mo Hua was petting its head and playing with it, and while chewing the dried fish, it rubbed its head against Mo Hua’s hand.

Mo Hua had no temper at all.

By then, the Big Tiger had finished eating the dried fish and opened its mouth wide towards Mo Hua again.

Mo Hua had no choice but to toss another piece of dried fish to it.

The Big Tiger chewed the first piece very carefully, licking it for a long time, savoring the taste slowly, but instead, it became hungrier.

With this second piece of dried fish, it wasn’t so polite, swallowing it in a few gulps.

After eating, it looked eagerly at Mo Hua again.

Mo Hua realized that feeding it like this wasn’t a solution.

This Big Tiger was a ”big eater.”

Although he had some dried fish in his Storage Bag, altogether it was only a few dozen pieces, all made by his mother, who had specially bought big fish, pickled and sun-dried them with great care—a laborious process.

Really feeding them to the Big Tiger, they would be gone in one meal.

The other snacks like meat jerky, fruit preserves, and Fasting Pills were his ”rations.”

He couldn’t let the Big Tiger eat those either.

Otherwise, in just a few meals, it would all be devoured, and he’d be left with nothing to eat.

Moreover, with the Big Tiger’s size and appetite, those things surely wouldn’t be enough to fill it.

But all around was empty, not a shadow of a person or a Monster Beast. Where could he find food...

Mo Hua had a headache.

He hadn’t thought that one day he’d have to worry about feeding the Big Tiger.

But there was no way out. He couldn’t just watch the Big Tiger starve, could he?

Mo Hua tossed another piece of dried fish to the Big Tiger, then said, ”Let’s go, let’s find something that can actually fill you up.”

The Big Tiger, with the dried fish in its mouth, didn’t know if it understood or didn’t understand but started walking forward on its own.

After just a few steps, it suddenly turned its head and glanced at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua was slightly stunned, not understanding its intention.

The Big Tiger inclined its large head towards its back, indicating for Mo Hua to ride on its back so the two ’brothers’ could go together.

Mo Hua hesitated a little.

The Big Tiger lay down on the ground, as if it wouldn’t move unless Mo Hua got on its back.

It seemed afraid that while running, it might suddenly turn around and find Mo Hua gone again.

So only with Mo Hua on its back could it feel at ease.

Mo Hua sighed, smoothed the Big Tiger’s mane, then sat on its back.

The Big Tiger let out a low ”woof,” then stood up, and began trotting forward.

...

The red sun hung high in the sky, a blaze that covered everything.

No Map, unable to locate where he was, or where the Court Army was.

No idea which direction to go, or how to return.

Whether Commander Yang Jishan and Brother Yang Jiyong had removed the ”signs of death” and passed the military calamity.

The Taoist Court Army was embroiled in the Great Wilderness Sect’s betrayal and ambushed by Barbarian Soldiers; what was the outcome?

What should he do next?

And how could he achieve Core Formation?

Mo Hua knew none of these and couldn’t speculate either.

But at this point, there was no other option.

Mo Hua had no choice but to ride the Big Tiger, wandering the lands of the Great Wilderness.

...

Meanwhile, in Taoist State.

Central Dao Court, Heaven Shu Pavilion.

At the top of the high pavilion, the Pavilion Elder’s room was empty.

The swirling mist had dispersed.

The pieces on the chessboard remained as they had been for a long time, untouched.

The Jade Slips and documents once sent to this room for the Pavilion Elder’s instructions were now all delivered to the other side, to the more spacious Supervisor’s office.

At this moment, the Supervisor of the Heaven Shu Pavilion, middle-aged and dressed in luxurious attire, was perusing the Jade Slips sent from the front line, his face so gloomy it almost dripped water.

”Great Wilderness Sect rebellion.”

”Barbarian Soldiers’ ambush.”

”Taoist Court Army’s defeat, with residual forces scattered throughout the Great Wilderness, in fragmented battles with the Barbarian Soldiers.”

The army had set off for less than half a month, yet the situation had deteriorated so quickly, to such chaos.

This left the Supervisor, who was one rank below the top in Heaven Shu Pavilion, hardly able to believe.

He couldn’t help but turn his head and look towards the Pavilion Elder’s room.

Now, the Pavilion Elder’s room was desolate and empty.

The former elder with white hair, who used to doze off at the chessboard, looking muddleheaded and idle, had retired and gone into seclusion.

And once the Pavilion Elder left, the Supervisor realized the pressure of sitting in this position.

Even though he hadn’t fully taken over, only being a Supervisor, acting as a ”substitute Pavilion Elder,” he already felt as if he was at the edge of an Abyss, walking on thin ice.