Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 664: Luring the Kill

"What do we do now?"

Hao Xuan instinctively looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and said,

"We go find Cheng Mo and the others first. They're probably still being hunted. If we leave them be, they might not make it out alive…"

"But…" Hao Xuan hesitated. "It's just the two of us, right? And those traffickers… there were at least twenty of them…"

"Did you try using your Great Void Token to send a distress message?" Mo Hua asked.

Hao Xuan nodded, then shook his head.

"I did, but it didn't work. We're in a wilderness area—there's barely any Primordial Magnetic energy, and it's easily disrupted. Plus, we're pretty far from the sect. The message might not have gotten through…"

Mo Hua was taken aback and tested his own Great Void Token.

As expected, the Primordial Magnetic energy was faint, and the magnetic runes were unstable—the signal really couldn't go through.

He'd never had to send a distress call before, so he didn't know there were limits like this.

He also tried the transmission talisman Uncle Gu had given him.

The inked script flickered dimly—faint and unstable. The Primordial Magnetic energy clearly lagged, so it wasn't certain whether it had sent or not—but it seemed slightly more reliable than the Great Void Token.

Mo Hua furrowed his brow. After some thought, he got it.

The Great Void Token was a more advanced magical tool, but it was too complex. Message transmission was just a basic auxiliary function—so it wasn't as effective as a single-purpose transmission talisman.

The token's arrays were controlled by a central formation hub—located at the Great Void Sect's main gate.

The closer you were to the sect, the better the signal. The farther you went, the weaker the magnetic flow.

And right now, they were outside of Qianxue Prefecture—across a regional boundary. That meant both the token and talisman's functions would be severely limited.

Whether or not the messages could go through… was still uncertain.

But either way, they had to try.

So Mo Hua sent the message:

"Uncle Gu, there are human traffickers—over twenty of them—hiding in the wilds outside Xiao Yun City…"

After that, he left it be.

As far as distress calls go—you always try, but don't expect too much.

Mo Hua turned to Hao Xuan,

"Which way did Cheng Mo and the others run?"

Hao Xuan thought, then pointed.

"They ran toward that mountain to the west…"

Mo Hua looked in that direction.

The night was dark and the mountain shrouded in pitch black. Searching over there could take ages.

He asked Hao Xuan,

"How bad are your injuries?"

Hao Xuan gave a bitter smile,

"I can go with you, but I probably can't fight. Won't be much help…"

"It's fine." Mo Hua replied.

He didn't expect Hao Xuan to fight anyway.

With so many enemies, Hao Xuan's cultivation level wouldn't make a difference. Just pointing the way was enough.

Before heading out, Mo Hua turned back to examine the two dead black-robed cultivators in the cave—he wanted to check their belongings and see their faces.

He needed to know—who would dare traffic cultivators so close to the Qianxue border?

The one in the cave had his legs severed by the Gold-Blade Formation and was then finished off by Mo Hua's fireballs. His body was charred.

But Mo Hua had deliberately avoided hitting the face—leaving a clue behind.

In the dim cave light, the corpse lay still.

Mo Hua stepped forward and lifted the mask—his pupils contracted.

Beneath the black cloth was a face of rotted flesh, features indistinguishable, even the blood was black and foul.

"…What is this?"

He expanded his spiritual sense, peering in carefully—and his expression grew grim.

"Demonic Qi…"

Before death, this black-robed cultivator had released his own Demonic Qi, which corroded his flesh, blurred his features, and polluted his spiritual essence—ensuring no one could identify him.

Mo Hua rushed outside the cave.

The other black-robed man, who'd died in the underground Fire Formation, had suffered the same fate—corroded by Demonic Qi into a pile of rotten meat.

Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart.

This was the first time he'd encountered something like this…

Even in death, they destroyed their own bodies and tainted their essence to avoid being traced.

But…

Mo Hua frowned.

Where did that Demonic Qi come from?

Why hadn't he sensed any trace of it earlier?

Hao Xuan, trailing behind, caught a glimpse of the corrupted corpses and instinctively covered his mouth.

"Why do they… look like that?"

Mo Hua shook his head. He searched their storage pouches—aside from some spirit stones, pills, and standard-issue spirit tools, there were no clues to their identities.

"So cautious…" Mo Hua muttered.

Hao Xuan asked, "Then should we…"

"Forget it," Mo Hua replied. "Finding Cheng Mo and the others is more important."

There were over twenty enemies.

They'd only killed two—plenty more remained.

Mo Hua didn't believe every single one of them would self-destruct before death to hide their identity.

"Let's go." he said.

"Okay." Hao Xuan nodded.

He didn't understand most of what was happening, but following Mo Hua was clearly the safest move.

After all, Mo Hua had just saved his life.

Hao Xuan recalled what his parents had told him before he joined the sect:

"Xuan'er, even though you have a Dongxu ancestor, you're number 156 in the bloodline. That old ancestor probably doesn't even remember your name…"

"Your talent's not terrible, but it's not great either. You don't have the ruthlessness it takes to stand out in the sect."

"So at the very least—learn how to survive."

"It's okay if you can't master other skills. Just get good at movement techniques."

"When traveling the cultivation world—if you're in danger, run. If you can't run, stick to someone reliable. Don't try to act tough on your own."

And Mo Hua—yeah, he really seemed like the "reliable" kind of cultivator his parents had described.

He was younger, weaker in cultivation, and shorter…

But his trap-laying, killing, and looting skills? Very polished.

A little scary—but if Hao Xuan just called him "Senior Brother" and stuck close, he'd probably be fine.

Hao Xuan nodded to himself.

Then he took the lead, and the two of them used movement techniques to head west into the mountains.

Hao Xuan had wind spiritual roots and specialized in wind-type movement techniques—he was fast and agile.

To his surprise, Mo Hua's movement techniques were also highly unusual—graceful, fluid, completely unburdened by the terrain.

After half an hour of travel, they reached a dense forest.

The woods were thick and the night pitch dark—visibility was zero.

Hao Xuan lost his bearings and glanced at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua looked around. In his eyes, faint lines of causality flickered. After a moment, he said,

"This way. Follow me."

"Right!" Hao Xuan quickly nodded.

So now Mo Hua led the way, and Hao Xuan followed behind.

Though the forest floor had no visible trail, Mo Hua always seemed to know where to go.

Hao Xuan found it strange.

Eventually, bloodstains began to appear on the ground.

There were blade and axe marks on the trees nearby—and faint traces of earth and fire spiritual energy.

"That's the Mountain-Splitting Axe! And the Leaving Fire Sword!"

"It's Cheng Mo and Situ Jian!"

Hao Xuan was stunned. He finally couldn't resist whispering:

"Mo Hua, how did you even find this path…"

Mo Hua said solemnly,

"Intuition."

"...Oh."

Hao Xuan was half-skeptical.

Mo Hua whispered,

"They're just up ahead. Let's go take a look."

"Okay." Hao Xuan tensed up.

They crouched lower and crept forward. But suddenly, Hao Xuan turned—Mo Hua had vanished!

He panicked.

"Mo… Mo Hua…"

Mo Hua's figure reappeared beside him.

Hao Xuan nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Oh right—you can't go invisible." Mo Hua pulled a jade pendant from his storage pouch.

"This is a Water-Invisibility Jade. A kind uncle from the Dao Court lent—'loaned' it to me. You use it first. It'll let you turn invisible."

Hao Xuan took it, dazed, and nodded.

The two of them then activated concealment techniques and snuck closer to the other side of the woods.

There, a small hill slope lay ahead. The terrain was open, and a stream ran below, lined with rocks.

Beside the stream, two groups of cultivators were locked in battle.

One side wore black clothes and masks—nine in total.

The other side had only three.

Mo Hua caught a glimpse and instantly recognized them.

One shirtless man, covered in bloody gashes, was swinging two large axes and shouting loudly—Cheng Mo.

Another, pale-faced and wielding the Leaving Fire Sword—Situ Jian.

The third was a fierce-looking disciple wielding a spear, locked in deadly combat with the masked attackers. Though exhausted, his cultivation was clearly impressive.

Mo Hua blinked.

"Who's that?"

He pointed at the spear-wielding youth and asked in a low voice.

Hao Xuan glanced over and whispered,

"His name's Yang Qianjun. He joined the sect the same year as us, but he lives in a different disciple residence. You probably haven't seen him before."

"Ah, got it."

"Oh, oh."

Mo Hua nodded.

Yang Qianjun… surname Yang… uses a spear…

Mo Hua lowered his voice, "A disciple of the Yang Clan from the Dao Armament Division?"

Hao Xuan was a little surprised. "You know the Yang Clan too?"

"A bit."

Hao Xuan nodded, "Yeah, he's a direct descendant. Trained in the Yang Clan's ancestral spear techniques. His cultivation's strong…"

"The Cheng Clan and Yang Clan are on good terms—Cheng Mo and Yang Qianjun know each other."

"This time, our mission was to capture three Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators. So we brought him along—five of us in total."

"Oh." Mo Hua nodded, then asked curiously,

"The five of you—You, Cheng Mo, Situ Jian, Yang Qianjun… who's the fifth?"

"Yi Li." Hao Xuan said.

Mo Hua paused. "Yi Li… the Yi Clan as in Elder Yi from the Dao Techniques Hall?"

"Yeah." Hao Xuan looked around but didn't see Yi Li, then sighed,

"I don't know what happened to him… he might've escaped… or… might not have made it…"

His expression was filled with worry.

Mo Hua spread his spiritual sense and scanned the area. Suddenly, he pointed at a figure lying in a corner.

"Is that Yi Li?"

Hao Xuan followed his finger, stunned for a second—then quickly nodded.

"Yeah, that's Yi Li!"

Now it made sense.

He bore the surname Yi—clearly a direct descendant of the Yi Clan, which meant he was a spell cultivator.

In chaotic group battles, spell cultivators were at a severe disadvantage—especially since they were outnumbered. That would've made him the primary target.

He must've been overwhelmed early on and taken down first.

Luckily, he was only unconscious—for now, his life was not in danger.

But give it a bit longer… and that could change.

Mo Hua turned his attention back to the situation.

(Cue classic cliffhanger narrator voice)

Dear reader, this chapter continues on the next page—don't miss it, things are about to get even more intense!

These masked black-robed cultivators all had solid foundations. If Mo Hua was right, they were likely from prestigious families too.

Which meant—Cheng Mo's side might not be able to hold out much longer.

The three of them were already surrounded by nine attackers—their moves were growing sluggish, and their spiritual power was visibly fading. They were gritting their teeth just to stay standing.

The fact they'd lasted this long was impressive.

Hao Xuan was starting to panic.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said,

"You're pretty fast, right?"

Hao Xuan didn't quite follow, but slowly nodded,

"My parents were worried I'd run into trouble, so they made me specialize in movement techniques…"

Mo Hua whispered,

"In a moment, I want you to show yourself—taunt them a bit, lure them over here. I'll lay an array and take care of them."

Hao Xuan froze for a second, then nodded.

There were too many enemies. With just the two of them, their only shot was to rely on formation traps.

Only…

Hao Xuan glanced around. "Where's the array?"

"Don't worry." Mo Hua said, "You lure them in, I'll set it up in the meantime."

Seeing Hao Xuan's doubtful look, Mo Hua emphasized,

"I'm really fast at setting up formations!"

"…Okay then."

Hao Xuan mumbled. Just as he was about to stand up, another issue occurred to him:

"…How do I lure them?"

Mo Hua explained patiently,

"Just show yourself, let them see you, then panic and run. They'll definitely send people to chase you down."

"Would they really fall for that?" Hao Xuan sounded unsure.

Mo Hua said,

"They're trying to kill everyone to silence witnesses. As long as you show your face, they'll come after you no matter what."

"But… what if they don't chase me?"

"Then you insult them."

"…I'm not very good at insulting people…" Hao Xuan said awkwardly.

"No worries," Mo Hua's eyes lit up, "I'll teach you!"

Hao Xuan flinched. "You insult people often?"

Mo Hua immediately shook his head.

"No, no—I'm no expert. But I happen to know a certain senior who's very skilled in the art. By chance, I memorized a few of their choice phrases…"

Mo Hua quietly whispered a string of insults into Hao Xuan's ear.

Hao Xuan was shocked to the core.

Like a frog climbing out of a well, he suddenly realized—people can insult each other like that?!

"Got it memorized?" Mo Hua asked.

Hao Xuan solemnly nodded.

"Good. Off you go!" Mo Hua said. "But remember—don't try to fight. The moment they chase you, just run!"

"Alright!"

With that, Hao Xuan mustered his courage, stepped out of the forest, and stood at the edge of the trees, shouting loudly at the black-robed cultivators who were surrounding Cheng Mo and the others:

"Cheng Mo! Hang in there! I'm coming!"

Then, he charged straight toward them.

The black-robed cultivators were stunned for a moment.

Then they recognized Hao Xuan. Seeing him walk straight into their net, their eyes turned savage, and they drew their weapons with cold smirks.

Hao Xuan jumped in fright and immediately turned around and bolted.

The black-robed cultivators looked at each other.

One of them frowned for a moment and said coldly, "Chase him! We can't let word of this get out!"

"Yes!"

Two of them responded, then drew their blades and chased after Hao Xuan.

Just as Mo Hua had instructed, Hao Xuan led the two into the forest. After weaving around a bit, he hid behind a large boulder.

Then—BOOM!

An explosion rang out, shaking the ground.

A surge of violent spiritual energy swept through the air.

Hao Xuan tensed, then looked up to see the two black-robed men lying motionless on the ground.

Beside them, Mo Hua was already casting fireball spells to finish them off.

Smooth execution. Practiced moves.

Hao Xuan almost started to wonder if this "Little Senior Brother" of his was some seasoned pro in the arts of ambush, looting, and murder.

After finishing them off, Mo Hua didn't look the least bit happy.

Hao Xuan quickly ran over. "Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

Mo Hua pointed at the two bodies on the ground.

Hao Xuan took a closer look—they were already mangled beyond recognition.

Just like the last two black-robed corpses.

"While they're alive, you can't sense any Demonic Qi. But the moment they die, the qi runs wild, corrupting the flesh and spiritual energy…"

Mo Hua's expression was grim.

Hao Xuan felt a chill.

He came from a righteous cultivator clan and had only ever heard about the strange and sinister tricks of the demonic path. This was the first time he'd seen them with his own eyes.

It was as if all those stories about the dangers of cultivation had suddenly come to life.

But Mo Hua didn't seem surprised.

He stood up and mapped out a new "lure" route for Hao Xuan.

Then, Hao Xuan once again returned to the stream and shouted at the group of black-robed attackers:

"I'm back!"

The black-robed cultivators froze again.

But this time, none of them took the bait.

Even an idiot could tell something was off by now.

So Hao Xuan remembered what Mo Hua taught him, and shouted, loud and serious:

"You bunch of cowards—"

"Spineless trash!"

"Did you leave your guts behind in the womb or what?!"

"Here I am insulting your ancestors, and you just hide like turtles!"

"What—your dads were turtles too? You're just a bunch of little green turtle bastards, is that it?"

"In that case, why don't you introduce me to your mothers? Maybe I can help you grow the turtle family tree!"

. . .

The insults left the black-robed cultivators completely dumbfounded.

Even Cheng Mo and the others were looking at each other in disbelief.

Was Hao Xuan possessed?

He normally didn't even swear. Where had this sudden divine mastery of insults come from?

(Cue that narrator again)

Dear reader, the chapter continues on the next page—don't miss it! It's about to get wild!

Cheng Mo and the others were confused.

The black-robed attackers, once they recovered, were furious.

One of them gritted his teeth. "Boss, I'm going to gut that brat!"

"Tear him limb from limb!"

Their leader frowned. "It's obviously a trap…"

Another nodded.

"The two brothers who chased him earlier haven't returned. Either they got led away—or ambushed."

But someone else growled in anger:

"I don't care! After such humiliation, I must gut him like a fish!"

The black-robed leader snapped, "No."

But the man sneered, "Don't forget—you've got no right to order me around. I was only following you out of courtesy. In terms of status, I'm not any lower than you!"

"You—!"

The leader was furious, but the other man ignored him and pointed at two others.

"Let's go! We may have to keep our identities hidden—but with our lineage, we cannot endure such disgrace!"

So three of them broke away and charged after Hao Xuan.

Now only four black-robed attackers remained in the field.

Four against three—still an advantage, but a much smaller one.

Cheng Mo and the others were emboldened. They saw hope—not just to survive, but to turn the tables.

Meanwhile, the three black-robed pursuers sneered and gave chase.

They thought: Three versus one? Easy.

Even if there were some traps ahead, they were confident they could handle it.

What they didn't know…

…was who was really waiting for them in that dark forest.

Half an hour later.

The formation lit up with a flash of red.

Flames surged into the sky.

When the smoke cleared—

The three arrogant, black-robed men… were lying flat on the ground.

Dead.

(End of Chapter)