The Quest for Immortality

Faced with these two choices, Mo Hua found himself caught in a dilemma, feeling increasingly anxious the more he thought about it.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Mo Hua. He thought of a method that wasn’t really a solution:

”How about we just ’steal away’ Dan Zhu to the Wutu Mountain Realm?”

That way, not only could he protect Dan Zhu, but he could also take a look at the situation in the Wutu Mountain Realm. Wouldn’t it be the best of both worlds?

But upon further reflection, Mo Hua shook his head, realizing this idea was somewhat wishful thinking and impractical...

The Wutu Mountain Realm is a Second Grade small mountain realm, and Dan Zhu, being a Golden Core, generally wouldn’t go to a Second Grade mountain realm.

Besides, as the Young Master of the Third Grade Danque Tribe, what would he be doing in such a small place?

However...

Mo Hua pondered for a moment and suddenly realized: Wouldn’t Dan Zhu be safer in a Second Grade mountain realm?

In the Third Grade mountain realm, Dan Zhu, as an Initial Golden Core, would face threats from those in the Golden Core Middle and even Late Stages.

But upon reaching the Second Grade mountain realm, Dan Zhu’s cultivation would be at the ”top,” making him the ”strongest.”

As long as he restrained his cultivation and refrained from using Golden Core power, he would be fine.

Moreover, with the Bi Fang Tribe making such a big show of force with their troops, it’s highly unlikely that their target is only Dan Zhu. It most certainly signals an impending war.

This war could likely engulf the entire Third Grade Vermilion Bird Mountain Realm, plunging the majority of Golden Cores into a deadly battle.

In such a situation, the Second Grade mountain realm would actually be safer.

As for what Dan Zhu should do in the Second Grade mountain realm...

Mo Hua thought for a while and suddenly recalled Mr. Tu and the Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice Formation.

Mr. Tu’s conception of the Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice Formation involved linking low-grade small state boundaries with a Blood Sacrifice Evil Formation to create an Evil Path Great Formation, thereby sealing the Fifth Grade Qianxue State Boundary.

This was a strategy to link low-grade state boundaries and block high-grade state boundaries under the limits of the Heavenly Dao Laws.

Though Mr. Tu is dead, his strategy is something I can learn from.

Let Dan Zhu take his troops to the Second Grade mountain realm to ”develop,” using the Second Grade mountain realm as a ”base,” to cultivate armor and train troops. When their strength grows, they can reverse and ”encircle” the Third Grade mountain realm.

Use the small mountain realm as a stronghold to swallow the larger mountain realm.

Such a thing, Mr. Tu could do—and he actually succeeded in doing it; it was just ruined by me.

Among any gathering of three people, there must be someone able to teach me.

Now, I can completely imitate Mr. Tu’s strategy.

The more Mo Hua thought about it, the more it made sense, even vaguely feeling that this might be the most suitable path for the current situation, and it was also the most suitable path for himself to take.

Of course, he would have to consider in more detail how exactly to implement it.

Mo Hua pondered for an entire night and spent the whole night in calculation, ensuring all routes and plans were well prepared.

At dawn the next day, Mo Hua gathered Dan Zhu and others, speaking in an extremely solemn tone:

”The Divine Lord has granted me revelation; we cannot return to the Danque Main Department. Ahead... lies a path of no return, a dead end!”

Dan Zhu and others were shocked.

”A dead end?” Chi Feng’s expression was heavy.

”Yes,” Mo Hua nodded and said in a deep voice, ”According to the Divine Lord’s revelation, if we proceed, forcing our way through the blockade of the Bi Fang Tribe, we will be utterly destroyed. It won’t just be these barbarian soldiers who won’t survive; even Young Master Dan Zhu... will meet his end at the hands of Bi Jie...”

Everyone’s faces went pale.

Ba Shan, terrified, asked tremblingly, ”Mr. Shaman, what should we do then?”

”According to the instruction of the Lord of the Temple, we can only seek to avoid the calamity if we wish to survive...”

Mo Hua laid out the map and pointed to a southeastern corner, ”This direction is the ’path to survival’ pointed out by the Lord of the Temple, and it is the only path for seeking life from death.”

Dan Zhu and others looked in the direction Mo Hua was indicating, frowning in confusion, ”Is this a Second Grade mountain realm?”

Mo Hua nodded.

”But... if we reach the Second Grade mountain realm, how will we settle?” Ba Chuan asked. ”Moreover, according to the teachings of the Great Wilderness, Golden Core Cultivators have never entered a Second Grade mountain realm.”

Mo Hua replied with certainty, ”Precisely because the ancestral teachings say so, we must go against them to seek life from death.”

Dan Zhu and others looked at each other in disbelief.

Entering a Second Grade mountain realm was truly unexpected, something they hadn’t even considered before.

But Mr. Witch seemed quite reasonable.

Moreover, this is the guidance of the Divine Lord.

Throughout the journey, Mr. Witch has repeatedly proven to them that the guidance of the Divine Lord is real and true, and the instructions of the Divine Lord are always correct.

This time, it should also be correct.

Of course, they did not know that this time the ”Divine Lord” had told a small lie.

The situation is not as severe as Mo Hua has been making out.

They don’t actually have to go to the Second Grade mountain realm.

It’s their ”Divine Lord” Mo Hua who deliberately guided them this way.

And after such an extended period of association, Mo Hua had gained sufficient ”prestige.”

After a moment of contemplation, Dan Zhu nodded, ”We will follow the Divine Lord’s guidance in all things. Please, Gentleman, lead the way.”

Chi Feng and others had no objections.

Mo Hua also nodded happily. In this way, the two forces under his command could formally ”merge.”

...

Thus, while the Bi Fang Tribe blocked the front routes, Mo Hua led Dan Zhu and others, making a detour, marching towards the southeast direction.

After half a month of trekking and encountering some obstacles, they finally left the Third Grade Vermilion Bird Mountain Realm and arrived at the more familiar Second Grade Wusha Mountain Realm.

As he surveyed the scene before him, Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

To his relief, the famine had not yet spread here.

This meant that the real ”turmoil” had not yet reached the Wusha and Wutu Mountain Realms.

But Mo Hua was not exactly happy.

Because the current state of the Wusha Mountain Realm was not good either.

The Wusha Mountain Realm, originally situated in the eastern part of the Barbaric Wilderness, was a secluded Second Grade small mountain realm.

This mountain realm previously did not have a fixed name.

After being conquered, Mo Hua, as the Shaman, specially permitted the Wulu Tribe’s chieftain to name it ”Wusha” after himself as a reward for his conquests.

Although the Wusha Mountain Realm is named after ”Wusha,” its true ”master” was still Mo Hua, the Shaman.

Under Mo Hua’s governance, this mountain realm should have developed according to the path he envisioned.

But now, a year has passed, and the Wusha Mountain Realm remained the same, even slightly worsening.

Mo Hua extended his Divine Sense, scanning the surroundings, and saw some tribes still in hardship; many grassroots barbarian cultivators were still starving; some children wandered by the roadside, still without access to Tao cultivation education.

Meanwhile, the mountain realm’s barbarian soldiers, clad in barbarian armor, were running rampant, oppressing others and demanding tributes.

In the Wusha Mountain Realm, many tribes, despite being very poor, with people in rags and bellies empty, were compelled to spend manpower and resources to carve fine stone materials to build exquisite statues.

The statues stood high, the face precisely that of the Wulu Tribe’s chieftain, ”Wusha.”

Any barbarian cultivator passing by was required to bow and pay homage to the statue of Wusha, reflecting a stern display of power.

Mo Hua’s gaze gradually turned icy.