The Quest for Immortality

Mo Hua pondered for a long time, silently absorbing this understanding of the ”Great Dao” in his heart.

Although it is still vague, quite rudimentary, and only faintly perceives the prototype of the vast and infinite Great Dao.

But he indeed has gained a little bit of insight into the concept that all paths lead to the same goal.

A special kind of ”Dao” begins to sprout in Mo Hua’s mind.

In recent years, he has traveled far and wide, learning various formations, swordsmanship, spells, divine thought Dao skills, causality magic... from different sources, scattered and incomplete, all of which suddenly resonated with his Sea of Consciousness, showing signs of merging.

Between these seemingly diverse and distinct ”skills,” all transform in Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness, approaching a certain origin-like ”Dao.”

But this ”fusion” only started and stopped shortly after.

Because Mo Hua’s insight is still too shallow.

This ”Dao” prototype is merely budding, without enough foundation to truly merge.

Mo Hua sighed lightly.

Just like before, the realm is still too low.

With his current cultivation accomplishments, he is still unable to break through the barriers between different Dao skills, cannot truly penetrate the surface of ”skills” to glimpse the underlying ”Dao,” thus achieving the state of ”returning to the true Dao.”

Furthermore, his understanding of specific ”skills” is far from adequate.

His ”skills” are not well learned yet.

Blind belief in skills is worse than having no skills.

But without skills, there is also no Dao.

Whether it is formations, spells, swordsmanship, divine thought spell points, causality divination skill... these specific ”skills” all need further polishing, diligent research, learning to a more profound degree, reaching a higher realm of insight.

”Skill” is the bridge to ”Dao.”

The stronger the ”skill,” the more solid the bridge to ”Dao” becomes.

If one wants to ”seek the Dao,” they must refine their ”skills” to the utmost.

”By any means, refine skills to the utmost, reach proficiency and ease, approach the state of ’transformation,’ break the barriers between skill and Dao, penetrate the surface of skills to glimpse the essence of Dao.”

”Even go further, break the barriers between ’skills’ and ’skills.’

”Integrate all Dao skills into one.”

”Dao moves with the heart, skill arises from the heart, one thought births and extinguishes myriad skills, eternally persistent...”

Mo Hua’s confusion about Tao cultivation gradually clears in his heart.

He gains a clearer understanding of the path he needs to walk, the Dao he needs to pursue, and how to walk it step by step.

In the dark night, Mo Hua’s eyes shine bright like fire.

And in the distance, the flames of war continue to spread, the sounds of fighting rise and fall.

Everyone’s movements, the flow of combat, the factors of victory and defeat, are all within Mo Hua’s calculation.

Sitting in the darkness, Mo Hua seems like a ”behind-the-scenes manipulator,” invisibly controlling it all.

And this battle is only the beginning.

In the mountains and forests, the slaughter continues until dawn, when the counter-assassination targeting the Bi Fang Tribe finally stops.

The Bi Fang Tribe suffers a crushing defeat, with more than sixty elite casualties, and over two hundred Barbarian Slaves perish.

Under the siege of Dan Zhu and Chi Feng, Bi Jie is also quite embarrassed.

Retreating to the camp fifty miles away, Bi Jie can hardly contain his fury.

It is not the largest defeat he has ever faced.

But it is the most ”humiliating” failure.

Because he lost to the hands of Dan Zhu, who is a realm lower than him, inexperienced in formation battles, and almost ”still wet behind the ears.”

The Danque Tribe and the Bi Fang Tribe have always had old grievances.

Both Bi Jie and Dan Zhu are Young Masters with a reputation for genius.

But the cunning and sinister Bi Jie never took the indecisive, young and immature, and ”hypocritical” Dan Zhu seriously.

Yet now, it is Dan Zhu who handed him such a defeat.

How could Bi Jie not harbor anger?

In the temporary camp of the Bi Fang Tribe, Bi Jie still bears the wound burned by Dan Zhu’s Mystic Fire, with a vexed flame in his heart, unable to vent.

He cut down several Foundation Establishment Commanders who disobeyed orders and fled on their own into two halves.

After chopping the men, Bi Jie turned back and sternly said, ”Speak, who leaked the information to the Danque Tribe?”

The Barbarian Soldier Junior Commanders were momentarily silent and cowered, fearful of speaking the wrong word and getting decapitated by the furious Bi Jie.

Only a grey-eyed elder spoke calmly, ”Young Master, don’t be impulsive.”

This grey-eyed elder in the Golden Core Middle Stage appears to hold high prestige.

Bi Jie respects him greatly, slightly suppressing his temper.

The grey-eyed elder looked at everyone and waved them away, ”You all leave first.”

”Yes.”

The junior commanders, seizing the lifeline, breathed a sigh of relief and offered apologies before retreating.

In the tent, only Bi Jie and the grey-eyed elder remained.

Bi Jie said, ”Elder She, why didn’t you let me continue questioning?”

The grey-eyed elder shook his head, ”The greater the defeat, the less we should beset the hearts of men, and this matter likely has other complexities.”

Bi Jie frowned, ”Do you mean there’s no one who leaked information?”

The grey-eyed elder nodded.

Bi Jie did not believe it, ”If no one leaked information, why did the Danque Tribe understand our actions so thoroughly? They seized vulnerabilities at almost every step, chasing us down, causing my Bi Fang Tribe to lose over sixty elites.”

These elites followed Bi Jie through life and death, his most loyal cronies.

Bi Jie’s heart bleeds.

The grey-eyed elder spoke slowly, ”Young Master, if you place all blame on ’traitors’ and severely punish the subordinates, it will surely cause panic, causing chaos in the military formation.”

”These Barbarian Soldiers are your foundation; no matter what happens, you must first stabilize the military’s heart.”