Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 696 – Fragmented Evil Will

"The River God Temple…"

Mo Hua looked toward the distant temple bathed in towering blood-red light, his eyes narrowing slightly.

After using the Earth-Slaying Formation to clear the area, wave after wave of blood-flesh fiends still rushed forward. Mo Hua quickly laid down a few Gen Mountain Entrapment Arrays to stall them, buying time for everyone to escape the Dao altar. They finally found temporary refuge in an open courtyard.

Now that they'd put some distance between themselves and the altar, they were also out of range of the Blood Refinement Formation that sustained the monsters.

Those grotesque abominations—refined through the blood array—couldn't stray far from it, so they ceased their pursuit.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Mo Hua's gaze darkened slightly as he looked toward one of the Gu clan cultivators. That man's face was deathly pale, brows tightly furrowed—clear signs of divine sense depletion.

Earlier, that very cultivator had been caught at close range by one of the blood-flesh monsters and had part of his divine sense drained.

Though Mo Hua had repelled the creature quickly, the damage was done.

"These blood-forged fiends… can devour divine sense…"

Mo Hua frowned.

These twisted monstrosities were like walking corpses—hard to kill, impossible to eliminate.

With just their current team, wiping them all out was out of the question.

While their combat ability wasn't particularly high, their ability to drain divine sense made them extremely dangerous.

No matter how strong a cultivator was—once they were surrounded and pinned down, and had their divine sense devoured—they'd soon lose consciousness, becoming prey for these fiends.

And in a Tier Two province, monsters of this quantity were downright terrifying.

If they were unleashed, they could slaughter an entire city.

A typical Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't stand a chance.

Without any divine sense defense, even a Golden Core cultivator could be caught off guard and drained dry, then torn apart alive.

In fact, most would probably die without even knowing why.

Mo Hua's expression grew solemn, and he let out a quiet sigh.

"Thankfully, these monsters can't wander too far from the blood array… or the consequences would be unimaginable."

He looked again toward the cursed Dao altar, now swarming with writhing, deformed monstrosities.

"So this… is what the evil god calls a 'preaching ground'..."

This was the true work of the evil god?

So this was how the evil god "preached"?

Through blood, madness, and inhuman cruelty…

Who, exactly, was aiding the evil god in spreading its teachings?

And—could they even still be called "human"?

Mo Hua's gaze grew cold and profound.

"The undercurrents in Gan Province… are far too violent."

He sighed again and gently patted the Gu clan cultivator on the shoulder.

"Sit and rest. You've suffered divine sense damage."

The cultivator was momentarily stunned, but didn't resist. Still puzzled, he said:

"I don't know what happened… my head just suddenly started hurting terribly…"

Mo Hua considered, then chose to tell them the truth:

"Those monsters… can drain divine sense."

The group was shocked. Their faces shifted, but also looked a bit lost.

"Monsters… that can drain divine sense?"

Such a thing actually existed?

Mo Hua felt a bit helpless.

Most cultivators who didn't train in spiritual sense were utterly clueless when it came to it.

Even Gu An and Gu Quan, though skeptical, knew Mo Hua wouldn't lie about something like this.

The cultivation world was vast—anything was possible.

It was just that such bizarre things were hard to process upon first encounter.

Gu An narrowed his eyes and softly asked:

"Young Master Mo… how did you know that these monsters could drain divine sense?"

Everyone turned toward Mo Hua in unison.

Mo Hua thought for a moment—then pulled out his trusty universal excuse:

"I studied formation arts in the Great Void Sect under Mister Xun. He told me about them."

The crowd blinked, then nodded in understanding.

Mister Xun…

They didn't know who this person was, exactly, but to be called "Mister" while teaching at the Great Void Sect implied tremendous status, learning, and seniority.

It made sense that someone like that would warn his students of obscure fiendish threats.

They turned their gazes back to Mo Hua.

To be personally taught by someone like Mister Xun, this Young Master Mo was clearly no ordinary youth.

He was either a genius, of distinguished background, or both.

Their respect for him deepened.

This fishing village was full of deadly secrets.

Yet this noble young master had personally stepped into danger with them, the Daoting enforcers—facing peril head-on.

Such courage, wisdom, and integrity—he was on par with even Young Master Changhuai.

No—perhaps even greater.

After all, Young Master Changhuai had only entered life-or-death battles after graduating from his sect and reaching the late Foundation stage.

Young Master Mo, on the other hand, was still early Foundation, and seemingly new to the sect—yet here he was, calm and capable in the face of death.

No wonder Young Master Changhuai had entrusted top-secret Gu clan orders to this youth.

In the hearts of these Gu cultivators, Mo Hua's standing had just risen another tier.

The group continued to rest in place.

The Gu cultivator who had his divine sense drained sat cross-legged on the ground. He didn't know how to meditate, so his recovery was slow—but better than nothing.

Mo Hua had no real way to help.

His own divine sense was strong and recovered quickly—but he couldn't share that strength with others.

The rest of the Gu cultivators took pills and sat in meditation, tending to their injuries.

Most had sustained at least minor wounds during the battle with the monsters.

The monsters' claws carried fiendish qi—and after years soaked in foul blood, had a sort of corpse-like poison as well.

While not as sinister as actual corpse poison, it still needed to be purged quickly.

Mo Hua sat off to the side, chin in hand, deep in thought.

Suddenly—Yu Dahe's face changed dramatically, his emotions surging with panic.

Mo Hua noticed and turned to look.

The two children—Little Shunzi and Little Shuizi—had grown deathly pale, lips drying out, blood circulation slowing visibly.

Yu Dahe's eyes reddened. Tears streamed down his face.

Mo Hua's heart tightened.

Either the River God has started consuming the "offerings"...

Or these two children's souls have been separated too long, and their bodies are starting to deteriorate…

Yu Dahe gave Mo Hua a desperate glance.

He wanted to beg him—to save his children.

But after what he'd seen at the Dao altar… those swarming monsters, and the terrible truth that they could drain divine sense…

How could he open his mouth?

They were strangers. What right did he have to ask someone else to risk their life for his children?

Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

These two children—he had to save them.

And as for that River God Temple—he had to go.

If he didn't go now, there might never be another chance.

The River God Temple was right behind the Dao altar.

Mo Hua narrowed his eyes in thought.

If the altar's monsters couldn't be fully wiped out—then the only option was to break through.

If they were going to make it to the temple… They'd have to charge right through the horde.

If we charge through...

With Gu An and Gu Quan—both possessing deep cultivation—leading the way, the others could provide cover while Mo Hua supported with formations.

As long as they broke through and reached the River God Temple, those blood-refined fiends probably wouldn't dare follow them inside.

The only problem was… how to prevent their divine sense from being devoured.

"I wonder if spirit tools that calm the mind will help…"

"Even if they do, we only brought three. That won't be enough to protect everyone…"

"Shielding the divine sense…"

Suddenly, a spark of insight flashed through Mo Hua's mind:

"Godpath Formations…"

Based on his current understanding, godpath formations—those that emphasized divine intent and spiritual power—could restrain or even seal gods to a degree.

If it could "seal divine power," then logically, it should also be able to seal a cultivator's divine sense, right?

Use a godpath formation to seal the sea of consciousness?

If divine sense was sealed within, then it couldn't be devoured by fiends, right?

It was like putting a lid on a teapot—you can't drink what's inside if the lid's shut.

This idea… made perfect sense to Mo Hua.

But it had to be tested.

After a moment's thought, he took out a palm-sized formation talisman, and drew some basic godpath runes he'd only recently learned.

Then, he wrapped the talisman in black cloth, and tied it to the forehead of one of the black-robed captives.

"Later, toss him out and let the fiends 'take a bite.' I'll test whether the formation works," Mo Hua said lightly.

The black-robed man's limbs were bound, his mouth sealed shut. He stared at Mo Hua with terror—as if he were looking at a little devil straight out of hell.

Gu An nodded without question.

He didn't know what Mo Hua was trying to test, but he wouldn't understand even if he asked.

He grabbed the black-robed man—who struggled desperately—and began walking toward the Dao altar.

Mo Hua followed.

At the center of the altar, a horde of fiends was gathered. But around the outskirts, only a few wandered aimlessly.

Mo Hua scanned the area and soon spotted two nearby monsters crawling in a grotesque, twisted fashion—limbs bent in unnatural directions, heads lolling sideways.

"There," he pointed.

Gu An obeyed, spun around, and hurled the black-robed man in that direction.

His face turned pale as a sheet. Bound and helpless, he could only watch as he inched closer and closer to the two terrifying monsters.

With a dull thud, the man landed about ten feet away from the fiends.

A feast had arrived.

Their eyes instantly glowed red. Like wild beasts, they scrambled toward the man—one gnawing on his leg, the other climbing onto his face, its puckered mouth heading straight for his forehead to suck out his divine sense.

But just then, the black cloth on his forehead flashed faintly.

The godpath formation activated, sealing his divine sense firmly within his sea of consciousness.

No matter how hard the monster tried, it couldn't suck out a single thread.

As the frustrated monster prepared to open its jaws and swallow the man's whole head—

"That's enough," said Mo Hua.

After all, the man was a sacrifice. He couldn't die yet.

Gu An instantly moved. In a blur, he dashed forward, kicked one monster flying, then slashed down with his blade, beheading the other.

He grabbed the black-robed man by the collar and hauled him back.

Meanwhile, the noise had drawn the attention of more monsters, who began crawling toward them.

Mo Hua tossed out a formation plate, followed by two formation flags—triggering an explosion that momentarily blocked the advancing fiends.

These formation tools had been specially refined for Mo Hua by Master Gu.

He'd drawn some basic formations on them to prepare for emergencies.

Under the cover of the formations, he and Gu An quickly retreated back to the courtyard.

"The formation works," Mo Hua said succinctly.

"I'll draw one for each of you. Place it on your forehead and wrap it in black cloth—it will protect your divine sense from being devoured."

"After that, I'll deploy a formation to draw the monsters' attention."

"Everyone else—use that chance to charge through. As long as you get past the altar and into the River God Temple, you'll be safe—at least for now."

"And Little Shunzi and Little Shuizi will have a sliver of hope."

"Yes, sir!"

The Gu clan cultivators responded in unison, their voices low and firm.

Yu Dahe, overcome with emotion, wiped the tears from his eyes. The towering man dropped to his knees and kowtowed deeply to everyone present.

There were too many monsters in the Dao altar. To break through, they'd need to thin the horde as much as possible.

Mo Hua brought out several mechanical tiger puppets. Each one was smeared with a bit of human blood—from the black-robed man—and embedded with a formation flag.

The flags bore a firework array.

High-damage formations took too long to set up and weren't ideal here.

But since the goal was just to draw attention, even fireworks would do the trick.

Power doesn't matter. The right formation is always the strongest one.

Mo Hua activated the fireworks arrays and released the mechanical tigers, sending them scurrying in all directions.

Several small tigers, each with a gleaming flag sticking out, darted off on little legs.

Their flags burst with dazzling fireworks, filling the gloomy fishing village with bursts of colorful light—beautiful, but jarringly out of place.

The monsters froze in confusion, their ugly faces lit up by the fireworks.

It was a surreal sight.

Still, the smell of blood and pulses of spiritual energy from the formation flags triggered their instincts.

A number of monsters gave chase, and the altar immediately fell into chaos.

Mo Hua pointed forward.

"Go!"

Gu An and Gu Quan took the lead.

Yu Dahe followed behind, carrying his two sons on his back. The other Gu clan cultivators covered the flanks.

Two black-robed men were tied with ropes and dragged behind—as bait to distract any pursuing monsters.

The group sprinted at full speed toward the far side of the altar.

Before long, some monsters noticed them and let out piercing howls, charging forward on all fours—or sprinting on two legs.

The group tensed—a deadly battle was about to begin.

"Don't fall behind!" Gu An shouted, then joined forces with his brother Gu Quan.

One wielded his blade in the left hand, the other in the right. Their strikes overlapped—like twin waves crashing in unison, cutting down every fiend in their path.

These brothers shared the same spiritual root and cultivated the same lineage of techniques.

Their blade technique was a Gu clan ancestral dual-combat style—the Twin-Link Blade Art.

Alone, its power was average. But when two trained siblings performed it together, its might soared—rivaling elite Dao arts.

Even better, because it was a joint technique, it conserved spiritual energy.

With a cascade of bladed light, Gu An and Gu Quan cleared the way, unstoppable.

The others flanked them, fending off monsters lunging from the sides.

Yu Dahe followed Mo Hua's instructions to the letter, focusing only on carrying his sons. Even when a monster's claw tore into his arm, he never stopped running.

His eyes were fixed ahead—resolute, unyielding.

The rear of the group was the two black-robed captives being dragged behind.

Several fiends had already climbed onto their bodies, latching onto their faces and furiously sucking away.

But their foreheads had also been sealed with Mo Hua's godpath formation.

The fiends couldn't absorb anything.

And those monsters trying in vain to devour divine sense?

They became perfect targets for Mo Hua's spells.

A single fireball—boom—sent one flying.

As for the black-robed men, after being face-hugged by those grotesque monsters, they'd long since passed out from sheer terror.

And just like that, amidst a massive Dao altar swarming with dense fiendish beasts, the group charged forward like a storm through waves.

Blade light swept across the sky, spells flew in all directions.

Occasionally, standard Dao Tribunal talismans exploded in bursts.

Because they were sprinting at top speed, Mo Hua didn't have time to set up proper formations, so he could only support with fast-cast spells:

Gold Blade Art, Water Prison Technique, Fireball Spell, Flowing Sand Art, Wooden Bindings…

All kinds of five-element spells cycled continuously—attacking, restraining, defending—controlling the flood of monsters.

Some fiends got in close, trying to suck divine sense.

But with everyone's forehead sealed by Mo Hua's array, their most troublesome ability had been neutralized.

So they continued charging forward, non-stop.

Gu An and Gu Quan's arms were sore from killing.

Mo Hua had nearly drained all his spiritual energy from constantly casting low-tier spells.

Everyone else was hanging on with gritted teeth.

No one knew how much time had passed—suddenly, the path ahead opened up.

They saw the far end of the Dao altar, and beyond it—the River God Temple with its gold-tiled eaves gleaming in the distance.

The pursuing fiends were also slowing down.

It seemed they had reached the edge of the blood-refining formation; the monsters' movements were increasingly restricted.

Everyone's spirits surged.

The River God Temple was right there—they were almost through!

But after such prolonged battle, it was ironically at the final moment when people were most prone to slipping up.

Several Gu family cultivators let out a breath of relief—but in that moment of letting go, their tense mental state collapsed, and all the fatigue came crashing back.

Blood Qi was drained, spiritual energy stagnant—two cultivators collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

Mo Hua's heart sank.

Seeing several fiends closing in from behind, he immediately shouted:

"Brother An! Brother Quan!"

Gu An and Gu Quan stopped in their tracks and leapt back without hesitation, hoisting the two fallen comrades onto their backs.

"You go first!" Mo Hua ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument.

The two brothers hesitated briefly, worried for him, but instinctively obeyed.

With their companions on their backs, they dashed forward with all their might.

Mo Hua stayed behind.

With a wave of his hand, he smashed several bottles of spirit ink, splashing it around him.

His pupils instantly turned pitch-black.

In the heat of crisis, he fully activated his Heavenly Pattern Deduction, pushing his divine sense to the absolute limit.

Not fast enough!

He had to go faster!

The shadow in Mo Hua's eyes suddenly quivered and split into two, pushing his divine sense to the verge of collapse.

But the monsters were almost on him—he still wasn't fast enough…

"Faster… just a little more!"

Mo Hua gritted his teeth, desperately forcing the formation to activate.

Just then, a golden flash sparked in his eyes.

His Divine Marrow flowed into his divine sense, stabilizing his sea of consciousness and absorbing the strain of the deduction.

Mo Hua's divine sense surged, twisted—and split a third time!

Now he had:

One core will,

Three illusionary shadows,

And his divine sense split into four parts, controlling the spirit ink.

The ink danced under his control, forming four flowing threads that weaved at unprecedented speed, instantly solidifying into a Second-Rank, Sixteen-Rune Earth-Slaying Formation!

Right at that moment, several monsters pounced at him.

Their hideous fish-like faces, grotesque fangs, and cold eyes were clear as day.

They opened their jaws at Mo Hua—

Mo Hua's face was expressionless.

He spoke softly:

"Explode."

The Earth-Slaying Formation erupted under the pull of his divine sense.

The ground trembled—spiritual energy surged—and the fish monsters were instantly shredded to dust.

Having wiped them out, the shadows in Mo Hua's eyes dissipated.

He turned to leave—but after just a few steps, his spiritual energy froze, and his Water-Stepping Movement halted.

His divine sense spasmed in intense pain.

That moment earlier—when he triple-split his deduction and constructed a complex formation—had drained him entirely.

His knees buckled.

He began to collapse.

Just then, Gu Quan, having returned after delivering the others, caught him in his arms.

Gu An arrived as well, slashing through more fiends with a burst of blade light.

The two brothers shielded Mo Hua, fighting as they retreated—

Finally, they escaped the range of the blood-refining formation, and left the fiend-infested Dao altar behind.

The monsters lingered at the edge, circling like wolves, howling at Mo Hua and the others…

But not a single one dared step beyond the boundary.

(End of this Chapter)