Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 678: Misty River

The bounty was snatched up in an instant, leaving the other disciples feeling frustrated.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua—who had "colluded" with Uncle Gu to snag the bounty—was in an excellent mood, smiling with squinted eyes.

He looked over the task entry carefully again.

WANTED: River-Crossing Dragon

A mid-stage Foundation Establishment criminal cultivator, practices the water-element technique White Wave Art. Skilled in aquatic combat, often hides in rivers, sinks ships, and kills people—appears like a "Water Ghost."

Wields claw-type spiritual equipment of unknown origin, suspected to be a water-element weapon: Three Shark Claws, laced with water poison.

Caution: This person's cultivation technique grows stronger in water. Avoid fighting in aquatic environments unless absolutely necessary to prevent unexpected death.

At the end, there was a small added line:

"Trap him using an array, force him ashore without touching water, then make the arrest."

This line was clearly an extra addition.

Mo Hua guessed this was Uncle Gu's personal reminder for him.

After all, he was from Tongxian City in Lì Prefecture, near the Great Black Mountain—he lived off the mountain.

Now that he was in Ganxue Prefecture, most of the missions were mountain-based, and he rarely dealt with rivers or water cultivators.

"Uncle Gu may look like he's owed a hundred spirit stones with that icy face, but sometimes he's actually quite thoughtful."

Mo Hua nodded in approval.

After that, a case file was attached to the bounty:

Third day of the third month, Smoke-Water River.

Six merchants boarded a boat to cross the river. When they reached the lower section of the Smoke-Water River, the boat sank, and all fell into the water.

One was strangled and had his throat torn by a water cultivator.

Blood dyed the river red, attracting a group of aquatic demon beasts that tore the remaining five to pieces and devoured them.

All six perished.

Based on the culprit's cultivation, technique, and weapon, the Dao Court Division judged with high certainty that the criminal was none other than the notorious river-wandering cultivator—

"River-Crossing Dragon."

Mo Hua memorized the key points and prepared several water-element arrays. The next day, he went straight to find Cheng Mo and said directly:

"There's a bounty worth 600 contribution points. We split it—120 points each."

Out of brotherly love, Mo Hua didn't take a cut for himself.

Cheng Mo and his group barely scraped together a dozen points from each mission—it was rough out there.

As the "little senior brother," Mo Hua figured he should look after his "junior brothers."

"120 points?!"

Cheng Mo's jaw dropped. He hadn't taken a bounty over 50 points in ages.

Who would've thought Mo Hua's first move would be a 120-pointer?!

Stunned, Cheng Mo asked, "Mo Hua, how'd you even land a bounty like this?"

"Now, now, don't ask too much—I have my ways!" Mo Hua lifted his chin slightly, looking cool and composed.

That posture only made him seem even more mysterious and unfathomable to Cheng Mo.

"Mo Hua, your background must be insanely strong!" Cheng Mo couldn't help but exclaim.

Mo Hua frowned, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Oh, right," Cheng Mo quickly corrected himself. "It's not your background—it's your skill and your connections, Senior Brother!"

He praised earnestly.

He'd seen enough bounty boards and bounty hunters to know: high-reward missions were hard to grab.

Too many disciples, too little soup.

Plus, they had to compete with more powerful, senior cultivators with better experience and higher cultivation.

To keep things fair, the sect's contribution system was designed to be strictly regulated, immune to outside influence.

Even the Dao Court Division handled everything by the book.

In short—no nepotism. No shortcuts.

But Mo Hua?

Only a year into the sect. Early Foundation Establishment. And he managed to leap past all the senior disciples, snatching a 600-point bounty right from under their noses!

What kind of hidden tricks did that take?

What kind of ironclad relationship must he have with the Dao Court Division?

Cheng Mo didn't even dare imagine.

At this very moment, Mo Hua seemed to be glowing with divine light in Cheng Mo's eyes.

"Senior Brother, have a chicken leg!"

Cheng Mo immediately offered a "sacrifice"—a crispy, juicy, aromatic chicken leg from a rare breed of silken pheasant.

Mo Hua accepted it with a clear conscience, took a bite, and was instantly satisfied.

Still, he reminded Cheng Mo seriously:

"This mission's dangerous. Think it through carefully."

A mid-stage Foundation Establishment water cultivator, with ruthless tactics and rich experience—Cheng Mo's group wouldn't have an easy time handling that.

Cheng Mo replied, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

One hundred and twenty contribution points!

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Even if others wanted to risk it, they probably wouldn't get the chance.

"Alright." Mo Hua nodded. "You and Situ prepare. We set off on rest day, the day after tomorrow."

"No problem!"

Cheng Mo responded instantly.

...

Soon, it was time for the ten-day break. After class, Mo Hua met up with the others at the disciples' quarters.

There were five of them in total—besides Mo Hua, there were Cheng Mo, Situ Jian, Hao Xuan, and Yang Qianjun.

Cheng Mo, Situ Jian, and Hao Xuan were all from "Taiyi Residence," same as Mo Hua. They lived in the same building and usually attended the same classes.

The three had all taken Mo Hua's formation classes, so they called him "Senior Brother."

Yang Qianjun was the exception. He was from "Taijia Residence" and hadn't attended Mo Hua's lectures—so he didn't address Mo Hua as "Senior Brother."

However, he had a close friendship with Cheng Mo, and after that incident with the child traffickers—where they fought side by side and risked their lives together—their bond had deepened.

Yang Qianjun came from the Dao Soldier Division's Yang family. He was upright in character and skilled in both cultivation and technique.

Mo Hua had some ties with the Yang family too, so he brought Yang along for this mission.

As for Yi Li…

He was purely a spellcaster. In fights where they outnumbered the enemy, he could cast spells from a safe distance.

But if they were at a disadvantage and the enemy got close, he'd be the first to get knocked out.

So, following Mo Hua's advice, Yi Li had gone to learn some escape and self-defense techniques. Mo Hua didn't bring him this time.

The five of them finished their preparations, and under Mo Hua's lead, they set off for the Smoke-Water River.

On the way, Mo Hua went over the mission details again.

He explained River-Crossing Dragon's cultivation, techniques, spiritual tools, habits, and typical methods of killing.

Cheng Mo and the others became noticeably solemn.

They had taken bounty missions before, but mostly against early-stage Foundation Establishment criminals—mid-stage ones were rare.

And even when they did encounter mid-stage targets, they were usually weaker.

Either just barely into the mid-stage, with shallow cultivation, or poor techniques and average combat strength—none were truly seasoned, bloodstained veterans.

But this "River-Crossing Dragon" was different.

He was an old hand in the cultivation world, with years of experience, solid foundations, a unique water-based cultivation method, and brutal, ruthless tactics. Whether killing or escaping, he was extremely proficient.

This guy wasn't even in the same league as the enemies they'd fought before.

The only comparable foe was the leader of the black-cloaked traffickers they'd encountered earlier.

That black-cloaked leader was also a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and even surrounded by five of them, he fought with ease.

Even though they'd thrown everything they had at him, they failed to capture him.

If Mo Hua hadn't lured the black-cloaked leader away, they might have all died that day.

To this day, they had no idea where that black-cloaked leader had gone.

Thinking about it now gave them chills.

And now, facing the potentially just-as-deadly "River-Crossing Dragon," tension naturally rose in their hearts.

Mo Hua, on the other hand, remained calm and composed.

Catching a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like River-Crossing Dragon? Please. Just a warm-up.

In the past year, he'd taken down nearly a hundred criminal cultivators. Sure, a bunch were filler-level "small fry," but a solid few dozen were big names like this one.

Boss Jiang's list? He had already cleared almost all of it.

And River-Crossing Dragon… was on that list too.

That thought made Mo Hua frown slightly.

He'd always felt that list was suspicious.

The people listed on it all had unique abilities and impressive cultivation—some, like Fire Buddha, even practiced forbidden arts and were considered nearly untouchable demonic overlords in Tier-Two provinces.

So how could Boss Jiang—a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator with a hidden trump card like the "Broken Gold Sword Technique" and a dozen trafficker lackeys—possibly possess such a list of infamous criminals?

It made no sense…

Mo Hua had long suspected the list didn't actually belong to Boss Jiang.

But if not his, then whose?

What connection did these listed cultivators have with each other?

Why were their names recorded so secretly within that jade slip?

Mo Hua took out the list again and reviewed it carefully.

The most powerful one, Fire Buddha, was already dead.

Most of the others were either dead or captured.

A small few were missing or in hiding, their whereabouts unknown.

At this point, River-Crossing Dragon was the only one who had recently resurfaced—and the only one who had left a trace for Mo Hua to follow.

"If I can catch River-Crossing Dragon, maybe I can uncover more clues…

Let Cheng Mo and the others gain experience…

Test my new formation catalyst…

And most importantly—"

Mo Hua raised his head slightly, eyes gazing far into the distance through the carriage window, taking in the scenery of Ganxue Prefecture. In his heart, he quietly mused:

"I need to see with my own eyes…

What lies at the foundation of this prosperous land of clans and sects."

Heaven moves with strength; the noble man makes unceasing efforts to improve himself.

Earth is vast and nurturing; the noble man bears great virtue to support all.

As cultivators, we must not only look up at the heavens—we must occasionally lower our gaze… and observe the earth beneath our feet.

The carriage rolled along with the wind, and the scenery outside shifted.

After an unknown amount of time, the green mountains faded behind them, and on both sides of the road appeared a vast, expansive river.

Its surface was wide and mirror-like, shrouded in light mist, blending into the sky.

Smoke-Water River.

It was a great river in the Ganxue Prefecture region, stretching across multiple small territories, full of nourishing, flowing water.

A gentle breeze stirred faint ripples across the surface, and the crisp, moist scent of river water drifted into the carriage.

Mo Hua inhaled deeply, the clean air refreshing his mind.

After traveling a few dozen more li, they arrived at a ferry dock.

The dock was small, with a few spirit boats moored. Cultivators came and went, boarding and disembarking in a steady stream.

Smoke-Water River was broad, and its upstream and downstream stretches were long and winding.

Although cultivators could learn water-walking techniques—channeling spiritual power to their feet to walk across water like flat land—such techniques consumed a lot of spiritual energy. If their energy ran dry midway, they'd drown.

But the real danger came from the aquatic demon beasts lurking in the river's depths.

These beasts came in various grades and were born of the water. They were powerful—and had a particular fondness for eating people.

While crossing the river or drowning in it, if a cultivator encountered one and couldn't fight back, they'd become monster food.

So, most cultivators preferred to ride spirit boats across rivers. The boats provided defense and protection against water beasts.

The larger the boat, the safer the passage.

As for the six dead merchants? They had taken a small boat—likely made of poor materials, with weak formations. That's how River-Crossing Dragon managed to puncture it.

The spirit boat sank, and all six drowned.

As for River-Crossing Dragon, able to swim freely through the water and avoid the beasts—he must have had some kind of secret technique.

Based on the Dao Court Division's case records, Mo Hua narrowed down the location where the six merchants died:

Roughly twenty li downstream from the ferry dock.

The group traveled another twenty li by carriage and arrived at that river section.

On both sides of the river, wild grass grew tall, dotted with yellow flowers—like a lush green carpet rolled out over the land.

Between them, the jade-like river flowed gently.

The scenery was beautiful and serene—nothing like a place where people had died.

Cheng Mo glanced at Mo Hua and whispered,

"Mo Hua… do you know where those six were killed?"

Mo Hua's gaze deepened. After observing for a moment, he pointed to a stretch of riverbank where the water plants grew thick:

"There."

Cheng Mo and the others approached the riverbank and looked out at the vast water surface, all a little puzzled.

Aside from water—there was absolutely nothing.

The water plants swayed gently beneath the surface, and even if they had once been stained with blood, they'd long been washed clean.

But in Mo Hua's eyes, faint karmic chains tinged with blood still lingered across the water's surface.

It was obvious—someone had died here recently, and it had been a miserable death.

"Mo Hua, what now?" Cheng Mo asked.

Situ Jian and the others all turned to look at Mo Hua as well.

Their previous missions had clearer leads—targets were easier to track down. But this time, out in the wild with barely any clues, they had no idea where to even start.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and said,

"Upstream and downstream, Dao Court Division cultivators are stationed. River-Crossing Dragon likely can't escape this stretch of river…"

"His technique is the White Wave Art, a water-based cultivation method. It has pros and cons."

"The advantage: he moves through water like a fish. The downside: once he's out of water, his strength drops significantly."

"So, he probably won't risk leaving the water—most likely he's hiding somewhere in this part of the river…"

Mo Hua took out several pre-prepared formation disks.

"These formation disks have a Water Pattern Array inscribed on them. They can monitor the spiritual flow within the water…"

Afraid they might not understand, he added,

"It's like a water-based version of a Compass Array, or a mini Primordial Magnetic Array."

"These disks come in pairs—one for placement, one for monitoring…"

"Throw the placement disks into the river at intervals along the shore."

"Then we'll just lie in wait—guarding the tree for the rabbit—until River-Crossing Dragon takes the bait."

Although they didn't fully understand it, Cheng Mo and the others nodded, impressed.

So, the group split up and began searching for suitable spots along the riverbank, tossing the Water Pattern formation disks far out into the water.

But the river was vast, and the detection arrays only covered the near-shore areas.

Mo Hua knew he was mostly gambling here.

Capturing a water-affinity cultivator in a river was no easy task—this was the best method he had for now.

The team then stationed themselves along the shore, each holding a monitoring disk and closely watching for any changes in the water's spiritual flow.

Mo Hua also warned,

"If anything happens, don't act immediately. Use your Great Void Token to signal everyone. We'll regroup and plan before moving."

"Got it."

Cheng Mo and the others nodded firmly.

Thus began a long, slow game of "waiting for the rabbit."

A true test of patience.

Mo Hua perched on the branch of a large tree by the shore, chewing a blade of grass, legs swinging, one eye on his monitoring disk, the other lazily gazing at the scenery in the distance.

A whole hour passed without the slightest ripple of activity.

Not even a transmission came through the Great Void Token.

Just when Mo Hua was about to die of boredom, he spotted a small boat coming downriver. On board were three or four cultivators hauling in a fishing net, which seemed to be full of fish.

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow.

"Could that be... River-Crossing Dragon in disguise?"

He extended his divine sense for a closer look—and confirmed it wasn't.

The cultivators were just ordinary folks—two at Foundation Establishment, three at Qi Refinement. Their clothes were plain, and though damp with river spray, they carried no trace of killing intent.

Most likely local "fishing cultivators."

So-called fishing cultivators made their living by raising and catching spirit fish.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then leapt down from the tree and walked over to the group.

As he got closer, he noticed they all looked a bit haggard—mud-caked boots, heavy with the scent of fish.

They were unloading their catch into baskets—some of the spirit fish were Grade One, others Grade Two.

Since they were raised with cheap spirit feed, they had spiritual energy but no demonic aura—not dangerous, didn't eat people, and lacked any feral beastly nature.

The fishing cultivators noticed someone approaching and immediately tensed up—until they saw Mo Hua, a cute-faced young cultivator. They all relaxed visibly.

One of them, kindly, asked,

"Little brother, where are you from?"

Mo Hua replied,

"I came from Ganxue Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, the cultivators' expressions shifted slightly—with a touch of respect.

"You a disciple of a sect?"

Mo Hua nodded.

"Impressive," said one older fisherman. "To be accepted into a sect in Ganxue Prefecture—you must be extremely talented."

"You must have a top-grade spiritual root, right, little brother?"

Mo Hua's cheeks flushed pink.

"I… I'm just a little short of that…"

The old fisherman chuckled.

"Even so, that's still incredible!"

Mo Hua didn't really want to talk about spiritual roots, so he changed the subject.

"Uncle, are you out fishing?"

"Yup," the older one nodded. Then, he looked Mo Hua over and asked curiously,

"What are you doing out here by the Smoke-Water River, all alone?"

"I'm here to 'go fishing,' too!" Mo Hua nodded seriously.

"Fishing?" the old fisherman blinked.

This kid didn't have a rod or bait—what was he fishing with?

Another fisherman quickly waved his hand.

"Kid, don't bother. Just leave, now."

Mo Hua blinked.

"Huh? Why?"

The man pointed downstream.

"Not long ago, someone died there. Their body was chewed beyond recognition by a river beast. Word is, that man-eating water demon is still lurking around here."

"Oh." Mo Hua nodded thoughtfully.

Since the Dao Court Division hadn't released any public information, these fishermen didn't know the truth. So rumors had filled the gap.

They all thought those cultivators had been eaten by a water demon.

One of the fishermen added with a sigh,

"Six people died—including some young master."

"Young master?" Mo Hua tilted his head. "Weren't they just six merchants?"

The fisherman shook his head.

"There was a young master too. Word is, he was from a noble family."

"Noble family?" Mo Hua frowned. "Which one?"

Another younger fisherman spoke up, turning to the elder.

"Dad, what noble family? They were a third-grade clan—not even top-tier, not enough to count as 'noble.'"

The old fisherman glared at him.

"What's wrong with third-grade? Why wouldn't a third-grade clan be noble? If you manage to found a third-grade clan before I die, then I'll go to the afterlife with no regrets!"

(End of this Chapter)