The Quest for Immortality

This is the ”Dao” of Formation, and its relationship with the ”Name” of Formation.

And what a Formation Master seeking the Great Dao must do, perhaps is, to reverse all superficial ”Names”, fully comprehend them, and through these diverse ”Names,” deduce that one, unique Dao of Formation.

This understanding is extremely important.

This is also an insight and experience that those who have always stayed under the Taoist Court’s jurisdiction in the Nine State, learning the Taoist Court’s unified standardized formations, cannot realize or comprehend.

”Formation is the principle of heaven and earth, not the ’Name’ set by people, nor the Patterns standardized by the Taoist Court, and even less the Grade delineated by humans.”

Mo Hua suddenly felt a bit lost.

Mr. Zhuang had told him similar words when he was a child.

At that time, Mo Hua only kept it in his heart; now stepping out of the Nine State and witnessing the Taoist inheritance of the Great Wilderness, he truly felt it more vividly.

Only then did he realize that his master’s teachings were indeed precious and utterly true.

Formation encompasses everything, yet it is constantly changing and circulating, not constrained by any Grades, Names, or forms.

That is why one must learn diversely, reference extensively, and ultimately integrate it all seamlessly.

One must not follow others’ norms, nor take others’ Formation Flows as a standard, but must walk one’s path, using one’s Divine Sense to perceive the surface of various Formation Patterns, glimpse the essence of Formation, and create one’s ”Formation Flow.”

What others teach is always someone else’s.

What oneself comprehends is truly one’s own.

All these truths are contained in Mr. Zhuang’s past teachings.

They seem like mere verbal ”empty words” without practical use.

Indeed, Mr. Zhuang back then did not teach Mo Hua the true supreme mysteries of Formations: the ”Immortal Sky Formation Flow.”

But Mo Hua instead feels that the seemingly ordinary principles his master taught him at that time are the real ”mysteries” of Formation.

In all things, there is benefit in having; there is utility in not having.

Seemingly useful methods can only provide transient benefits.

Seemingly useless principles, once understood, can genuinely be beneficial for a lifetime.

”Master truly was painstakingly thoughtful toward me...”

Mo Hua stood there blankly for a long time, feeling a slight sourness in his heart, unable to resist a surge of longing.

A moment later, he suddenly realized something and had to forcibly suppress the longing, compelling himself not to think about it anymore.

After a while, once he calmed his emotions, Mo Hua focused intently and continued to consider the matters of the Danque Tribe.

”Holy Pattern...”

Mo Hua had verified it.

In the Danque Tribe, there indeed is an inheritance of ”Holy Patterns,” but these inheritances are held by some ”Chief Elders.”

The Chief Elder’s identity is mysterious and seldom appears, whom Mo Hua could not reach.

The highest application of the Danque Tribe’s Holy Pattern is on a piece of armor.

With this armor, the Danque Tribe can forge a force of elite Barbarian Soldiers unique to the Danque Tribe:

The Scarlet Plume Soldiers.

How strong this force of Barbarian Soldiers is and what traits they have, Mo Hua has not seen and does not know.

He only knows that this force of Scarlet Plume Soldiers is the strongest military power in the Danque Tribe’s history.

Even in the once strong military of the Great Wilderness Royal Court, filled with heroes, they were a top-grade force of Barbarian Soldiers.

A pinnacle Second Grade Scarlet Plume Soldier unit can even charge head-on and kill Golden Core Experts, showing their might.

But all this is what Mo Hua heard from the Danque Tribe People in casual conversations, and how much ”boasting” is involved, Mo Hua does not know either.

If given a chance, he genuinely wishes to witness firsthand the magnificence of the Danque Tribe’s strongest force of Barbarian Soldiers, the Scarlet Plume Soldiers.

Moreover, Mo Hua delved into the power structure of the Danque Tribe.

The leader of the Danque Tribe is naturally the Great Chief, Dan Zhu’s father, Dan Lie.

A robust figure, seemingly a bit lecherous, but very shrewd.

Besides him, there are trusted aides from the Chieftain’s direct lineage, as well as various Young Masters, and the Barbarian Cultivator powers within the tribes under each Young Master.

Outside of the Great Chief, another significant force is the ”Elder Council.”

In the Danque Tribe, Barbarian Cultivators from any tribal branch with a Golden Core or above can become ”Elders.”

Among the Elders, those with high status and strong abilities may enter the Elder Council to participate in significant tribal decisions.

The main power in the Elder Council is in the hands of the ”Chief Elder.”

Beneath the Chief Elder, there are set the ”Left Elder” and ”Right Elder.”

The statuses of the Left and Right Elders are equally high, and they can be regarded as the Chief Elder’s left and right arms.

Once the Chief Elder steps down, the next Chief Elder will be chosen from the two Left and Right Elders.

Apart from the Chief Elder, Left Elder, and Right Elder, other Elders are further divided into ”Upper Elders” and ”Lower Elders.”

Upper Elders must have at least Mid-stage Golden Core Cultivation.

Lower Elders are mostly at the Initial Golden Core.

The promotion from Lower to Upper Elder is also not solely based on ”Cultivation.”

Birth, Bloodline, talent, ability, contributions to the tribe, etc., all matter.

Besides, it also depends on ”vacancies.”

If there are no vacancies among the Upper Elders, Lower Elders cannot be promoted, only waiting in line as substitutes.

The Elder Council and the Great Chief counterbalance each other; you are strong when I am weak, and I am strong when you are weak, with much intrigue and interest conflicts.

Seemingly a ”barbaric” tribe, but the rules of power are quite complex, and the gap between upper and lower positions is also distinct.

This is looking from the ”upper tier.”

Looking from the lower tier, the Danque Tribe’s internal is also a complete ”tribute” system.

Smaller sub-tribes give ”tributes” to medium-sized tribes, seeking protection.

External affiliated tribes provide ”tributes” to direct line tribes, seeking shelter.

Some subtribes, connected only through marital ties, relying on the Danque Tribe without self-defense capabilities, are ostracized and exploited by all other tribes.