Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 699 – Exploitation

Mo Hua once again surveyed the River God Temple before him, thoughts stirring.

Hundreds of years ago, that long-eyebrowed sword cultivator had come alone, sword in hand, slaughtering his way to the front of the temple—likely killing many of the temple's evil spirits.

He had even stabbed the River God straight through the chest with a single sword.

Because of this, the River God had grown fearful, no longer daring to dwell within the outer temple.

Instead, it constructed a "phantom" River God Temple within a dreamscape—its secret sanctuary—so as to prevent any future sword cultivators skilled in Divine Sense Sword Manifestation from slaying it once again.

This dream-temple was almost entirely cut off from the real world.

Other than the evil god's most devout followers, no one knew of its entrance, nor of how to even enter it.

"They've been starving for quite some time…"

"We need to find a way in and check it out…"

"If we really end up offending the River God, it won't just be you who dies…"

These impoverished fisherman-cultivators…

Leading the way, Master She walked ahead while Mo Hua followed behind. The two passed through the plaza where the fisherfolk prayed and continued toward the rear hall of the River God Temple. Soon, they arrived at its main gate.

Their suffering had become the foundation of their faith.

"This is a blood sacrifice array that I received from the Divine Lord himself—studied it my whole life. Within the nightmare woven by the Divine Lord, this array uses blood as ink, dreams as a medium—utterly unbreakable."

He looked around, his eyes cold, his face twisted with delight as he let out a harsh, savage laugh.

The interior of the River God Temple was far more spacious.

The monstrous demons lurking inside stared with greedy eyes, but none dared approach—as if something was holding them back…

Mo Hua tightened his grip.

"You think you have the right to ask me questions?"

Grotesque monsters bared their fangs one after another, eyes blood-red, gazing hungrily at Mo Hua.

Master She's eyes bulged as he struggled to break free—but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape.

That hand may have looked small, but the divine sense behind it was terrifyingly powerful.

Master She muttered inwardly.

They pressed forward, crossed the front gate of the temple, and reached the central plaza.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua was starting to grow impatient.

"Hurry up and lead the way!"

"Who… who are you?"

He asked weakly.

Master She jumped in fright and trembled,

"Don't say things like that… please…"

Mo Hua stood at the entrance to the River God Temple, about to push the door open when his expression froze, eyes narrowing. He gradually faded from sight.

His eyes narrowed further.

"I get it. Lead the way."

Master She slit his own wrist with the ritual dagger. His blood floated up and condensed into an ugly, grotesque, blood-colored fish in midair.

"Doesn't matter. Just take me there."

This dream-temple was far grander than the one outside.

These people had no power to resist.

Master She looked a little pale, his figure a bit translucent—but he still couldn't help smirking smugly.

"You didn't expect that, did you, brat? I'm actually a formation master!"

He also explained that the dream realm had "no day or night"...

Mo Hua glanced around.

Within moments, demonic energy flooded the sky.

Mo Hua took a few steps forward. Seeing that Master She wasn't moving, he turned and frowned,

"Why'd you stop?"

The evil god used dreams to maintain control over its believers, feeding on their faith without anyone noticing, growing stronger in secret.

But the dreamscape only appeared at night.

Of course, Mo Hua wasn't afraid.

Master She began to feel a trace of unease in his heart.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled out his ritual dagger and stabbed his own arm. When the blade had drunk its fill of blood, he inserted it into the temple's lock.

Master She hesitated.

"You… shouldn't go beyond this point."

Seeing Mo Hua unsatisfied, he added quickly:

"To show his compassion, the River God created this dream realm where they could all kneel and pray—day and night without end."

Their divine sense manifesting in the dream after falling into a nightmare?

But Mo Hua wasn't entirely sure, so he asked,

"What exactly is going on with these fisher-cultivators?"

At that moment, Master She suddenly drove the ritual dagger into his own chest, blood bursting out and rushing toward Mo Hua. As it approached, it instantly condensed into a blood-red array that bound Mo Hua in place.

Even so, the monsters surrounding them still dared not approach closer than three feet, only baring their teeth, drooling foul-smelling saliva, and growling lowly.

"Not yet,"

Master She said darkly.

Mo Hua casually grabbed the back of his neck and ordered,

"You mangy freak. Take me to your master."

Lowering his gaze, Master She approached the River God Temple and reached out to push open the grand doors.

However, Gu An's forehead flashed with array runes—something protected his divine sense, and the bloody fish couldn't be forced into him.

Living faith—used to feed the evil god.

Groaning, Master She clutched his stomach and slowly knelt before Mo Hua.

Though it was dangerous, Mo Hua was skilled enough that—even if he couldn't defeat a second-rank evil god—he could still protect himself.

On the other side, Master She saw Mo Hua still standing there, looking a little distracted. Seizing the opportunity, he grinned wickedly and secretly gripped the ritual dagger in his palm.

Now he finally understood how the evil god expanded its power through preaching and worship.

But just as he was about to act, he froze, frowning:

"No… that'd be letting you off too easy…"

Whether it was the great clans or the evil gods, they treated these people as tools—squeezing every last drop from them.

In the rear of the River God Temple, there were hundreds of iron cages packed tightly together, each imprisoning grotesque monsters made from combinations of fish heads, human torsos, or demonic limbs.

In that instant, everything clicked for Mo Hua.

"Then you also entered the dream. How did you get back out?"

He asked, eyes sharp.

The fisherfolk of that small village were constantly dreaming this same nightmare.

Mo Hua sighed.

"I don't want to go there…"

Master She's eyelids twitched nervously.

What the hell is with this brat?!

My divine sense is late Foundation Establishment! And I can't even take one punch from this little bastard?! Where the hell are the laws of cultivation?!

This—this was total and utter exploitation.

From flesh to soul.

From life to death.

Not even a scrap left.

The plaza was packed with kneeling "people."

And they all looked familiar—every single one of them was a fisher-cultivator from the small village.

"Why?" Mo Hua asked.

"Ah, yes. I implanted blood-fish in all of you, turning you into sacrifices to feed my Divine Lord with your faith. Once your divine senses are drained dry, you'll be refined into half-human, half-demon monsters…"

Master She confessed painfully.

Though Master She didn't know exactly what Mo Hua had realized, he didn't dare ask. He simply resigned himself and pushed open the temple's door.

As they stepped inside, Mo Hua paused, his expression one of disbelief.

Even the human traffickers… were just the flunkies.

"A fight?"

Master She smirked crookedly.

"You think too highly of yourself. I'm a late Foundation Establishment cultivator—with divine sense engraved with eighteen runes! In this nightmare crafted by the Divine Lord, crushing a little early Foundation runt like you is child's play—"

Mo Hua just rolled his eyes.

"Brat…"

This torment and hatred would eventually congeal into blood-and-flesh monsters—becoming new "evil spirits."

"The altar…"

From the ground, complex array runes surged up like tidal waves, spreading out like spring vines in full bloom.

Master She grabbed the grotesque blood-fish and tried to force it into Gu An's forehead.

"What's going on?"

The surrounding monsters looked as if they were facing a mortal enemy—trembling in fear.

Fear?

Master She grew nervous and hurriedly pleaded:

"L-Little ancestor, I don't know what kind of inheritance you've received to possess such powerful divine sense at your age… but no matter how strong your divine sense is, you're still just a mortal. How can you dare offend the dignity of a god?!"

Boom! Divine sense surged. The array exploded like a roaring inferno sweeping through a hurricane, instantly incinerating every monster within.

It was as if Mo Hua had aged several years in an instant.

Master She's expression flickered, and finally, his gaze turned cold as he sneered:

"Very well, brat. Since you won't talk, don't blame me for what happens next."

His face twitched slightly.

After faith was drained, their corpses—slain in brutal sacrifice—would be used to refine flesh-crafted demons.

As this thought struck, Mo Hua suddenly felt a sharp pain in his divine sense.

These monsters wouldn't obey anyone but the Divine Lord.

And the medium that led one into the dream—or rather, the "contaminated" medium chosen by the evil god—was the well water that bred blood-fish.

Mo Hua glanced at Gu An and the others, then asked:

"How do we get these people out?"

At last, he understood where the deformed, grotesque monsters in Yu'er's nightmare had come from.

Master She stood to the side, secretly watching Mo Hua's reactions, scheming who-knows-what.

So the evil god had spun a dream…

This Master She likely wasn't just an ordinary follower.

The lock on the door trembled, like a demonic beast opening its eye, greedily sucking in the blood from the ritual blade.

These kneeling fisherfolk… looked more like…

Master She furrowed his brows, utterly baffled.

A tiger fallen to the flatlands is bullied by dogs!

You damn brat—let's see how long you can stay smug!

Since you're so eager to die, I'll gladly show you the way.

One type: flesh-crafted demons.

Another: evil spirit demons.

Master She gritted his teeth and stabbed his own arm with the ritual dagger. A cloud of blood mist erupted, blowing away the hand on the back of his neck—barely allowing him to escape.

"What is this?!"

Mo Hua spread his arms. With his movement, eerie thoughts twisted behind him, leaving behind layers of afterimages.

His body moved like thunder—he dashed forward and threw a punch.

"When divine sense perishes, so does the person."

He didn't want Gu An and the others left behind, in case something went wrong.

"This is dangerous…"

This brat's instincts are too sharp… What the hell is going on?!

Flesh-crafted demons could destroy a cultivator's physical body, pollute their meridians, spiritual energy, and qi sea.

Mo Hua felt a tightness in his chest, and in that moment, a surge of killing intent flooded his heart.

One by one, cruel images rose from the threads of karma—like a revolving lantern, flashing through his mind.

"Stay here and get torn apart alive—chewed up bite by bite by these monsters!"

Master She's face contorted, his heart in turmoil.

The true strength of the evil god lay in its two fearsome armies of demons.

And then he saw it—Mo Hua, surrounded by hundreds of vicious demons. His gaze chilled, and the strange divine sense flowing from his body instantly split into three black shadows—like three layers of ink-black dao robes draping over him.

If not for this aura, these hungry demons might've devoured even Master She.

But these demons… were all evil spirits!

Master She pulled out a blood-red ritual dagger, aiming to slit the throats of Gu An and the others.

Those two kids' souls were likely already inside the River God Temple—though it was unclear if the River God had eaten them yet…

A blood-colored fishing village, its fisherfolk kneeling and praying—offering faith to a fallen River God.

Though afraid, Master She still gritted his teeth and continued bleeding, drawing more runes with it.

The moment the door opened, a chill wind blew in, carrying with it a stench of filth and blood.

Out there, this brat had the lowest cultivation and weakest strength. He looked like some arrogant, brainless young master from a noble house…

But after awakening from the dream, Mo Hua crushed the fish demon in his sea of consciousness with his own hand.

In front of the River God Temple was a round platform paved with stone bricks.

Master She swallowed his hatred and sighed,

"Forget it. Come with me."

Some of these people… likely had no idea what had happened to them.

Behind the door, darkness loomed.

The blood-fish swam through their minds like fish in water. Each time it took a sip, the figures of these fisherfolk grew fainter.

Master She fled in panic, but before he'd gone far, he sensed something wrong behind him. Turning around, his pupils contracted violently.

Mo Hua's gaze was heavy with sorrow.

He recalled that not long ago, he had drunk fish soup and fallen into a nightmare when his divine sense was contaminated.

"Kill!"

When Master She turned around again, he saw Mo Hua standing there—with a mocking smile on his face.

He glanced around, lowered his voice, and cautiously warned:

"These villagers are the foundation of the River God's power. If you touch them and anger the god, you'll die with no burial."

Mo Hua asked,

"Can the villagers wake up from the dream?"

His eyes narrowed. He more or less understood now.

Not just him—Gu An, Gu Quan, the other Gu family cultivators, and even Yu Dahe had all been dragged into this dream. Right now, they remained unconscious.

Master She was burning with hatred.

He needed to escape before the demons finished eating Mo Hua.

Master She frowned.

Mo Hua silently stared at him.

He looked over each of the people trapped in the dream. Then, his expression shifted.

"Where's that damned brat?"

He gave Master She a glance.

All the cultivators in this dream could manifest their divine sense. This nightmare… had been personally constructed by the River God—or rather, the Great Wilderness evil god—as a shared dream.

Only… Mo Hua appeared slightly younger than the version of himself he'd seen before.

After death, residual divine sense would be fermented with blood and transformed into evil spirits.

In the dream, he had lived through multiple tragedies with his little martial sister—none with happy endings.

But these villagers were different…

Master She wore a mocking smile, but before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed.

"Wait… Who are you, really? Why is your divine sense so refined? How can you remain lucid even within the dream?!"

Alive, you're prey. Dead, you're a tool.

Master She hesitated, stopping in his tracks.

"You were looking for me?"

This brat was the most dangerous of all the Dao Court enforcers.

The two black-robed men were gone.

The River God had never been known for good temper.

Master She's eyes were filled with terror. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. He struggled for a moment—but couldn't even get up.

Once the faith had been drained dry and the divine sense exhausted, the villagers became walking corpses. Then, it would raise its butcher's blade—using its black-cloaked followers as claws—to slaughter the entire fishing village.

Mo Hua drew in a sharp breath.

"I'm the River God's High Priest! In this fishing village, I'm under the protection of the Divine Lord! What can you possibly do against me?!"

I'll probably be collateral damage too… dragged down with you...

"A bunch of swine! Livestock! You humiliated me over and over again along the way—but now, the tables have turned!"

Only now did Master She snap back to reality and nod rapidly,

"Yes! Yes!"

They knelt, their figures ghostly and insubstantial, bowing toward the depths of the River God Temple—each with a hideous blood-fish swimming inside their mind.

Because their divine senses had already been sacrificed by Master She to open the temple door.

Ordinary cultivators couldn't manifest their divine sense like this.

Ordinary cultivators don't possess Divine Sense Avatars.

But unexpectedly, once drawn into the nightmare, his divine sense became terrifyingly powerful.

He saw hundreds of monsters, surging with momentum, layered thickly around that brat, sealing him in tight.

If not for that, had his Sea of Consciousness been even more polluted, he might've ended up just like the fisherfolk—dragged into this "shared nightmare" on some random night, never waking again, forever reduced to livestock raised by the evil god.

The demons caught the scent of blood and grew restless.

Master She panicked and had just turned his head when he realized—his nape was caught in a pair of small but steel-strong hands.

"Hold on," Mo Hua suddenly said.

Mo Hua felt a complicated emotion rise in his heart.

"Simply killing you without letting you understand why you're dying… doesn't cleanse the shame or satisfy the hatred in my heart."

The vermillion gate swung open, revealing just the tip of the iceberg that was the River God Temple's true form.

Master She's eyes spun, and he solemnly declared:

"These ignorant peasants are of low birth, living in suffering. That's why they pray to the Great River God, begging for His mercy."

Only then did Mo Hua release his grip.

With interest, he asked in a crisp tone:

Still, the state of these fisher cultivators confused him deeply.

Master She thought for a moment, then grinned wickedly.

These demons looked nearly identical to the flesh-crafted demons outside.

They were all probably just ordinary rogue cultivators—unqualified to walk the divine sense path, much less form autonomous Divine Sense Avatars.

Master She let out a long breath and glanced at Mo Hua from the corner of his eye—his heart turned to ice.

That punch had been frighteningly fast and heavy.

Damn it. Totally underestimated this kid.

In just a few breaths, a vast and overwhelming Mountain Fire Slaughter Array had already been constructed.

Master She's figure slowly reappeared.

The ritual blade cut into his palm, blood dripping onto the ground and forming bloody rune patterns.

Otherwise, how could the true entrance to the shrine—and the dream-entry array—be under his control?

For these fisherfolk, peace was fleeting; suffering was lifelong.

"So what? You gonna leave your life here?" Mo Hua asked, his innocent face barely hiding the threat.

Mo Hua clenched his tiny fists.

Master She paled, stammering:

"I've… seen it, but not really seen it. I didn't dare look. I just knelt, head down the whole time…"

In the blink of an eye, divine sense surged wildly.

Mo Hua said nothing.

Even Old Yu was kneeling inside.

Mo Hua smiled without answering.

Master She finished speaking and turned to leave.

Their faith had become nourishment for the evil god.

Master She quickly added:

"I… prayed to the River God. Lit incense at the altar, kowtowed three times with full reverence—that's how I exited the nightmare."

"I've endured humiliation all this time just to get to this moment."

Evil spirit demons could infiltrate the Sea of Consciousness, and inside the nightmare woven by the evil god, devour divine sense with unstoppable force.

Mo Hua asked curiously,

"You've seen the River God?"

He stepped into the River God Temple. Before him stretched a long white-stone pathway, its sides carved with ornate beams and columns, covered in fish demon patterns.

Master She's hands trembled slightly as he carefully unlocked the door.

The runes flowed across the ground like keys, slithering into several iron cages, unlocking their locks one by one.

A chill crept up Master She's spine.

The kneeling fisherfolk all bore twisted expressions of pain, as if trapped in countless loops of nightmares—offering their agony to the evil god as faith.

One part real, one part illusion.

The evil god devoured their faith.

Master She's heart jumped, and he hurriedly explained:

"It's not up to me! Entering dreams is the River God's power—I just open the altar and borrow a bit of ritual technique. I don't have the power to pull people out!"

He now understood why the evil god had crafted so many flesh-crafted monsters outside.

It meant—this dream wasn't just a simple dream. It wasn't just the kind of dream you had at night…

"In this dream, I'll kill all of you one by one. Once your divine senses are destroyed, your physical bodies will rot sooner or later…"

Only now did Mo Hua snap back to reality, looking coldly at the surrounding monsters.

Before Master She could even react, a gut-wrenching pain tore through his abdomen—his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull from the blow.

Xiao Shuizi and Xiao Shunzi were nowhere to be seen either.

"You wanna fight me?"

Mo Hua almost crushed Master She's neck. Terrified, he begged:

"Little ancestor! Spare me! I'll lead the way!"

"Did I… forget some little thing?"

A moment later, after the lock drank its fill of blood, it clicked open with a creak.

Mo Hua, now bored, said flatly:

"None of your business. Keep moving."

Master She finished speaking, his sinister eyes flashing with excitement.

Mo Hua's eyes were deep black and pure. He whispered under his breath:

As he entered the plaza, Mo Hua's pupils trembled.

This kind of blood array was terrifyingly cruel—inflicting tremendous pain and resentment.

The doors of the River God Temple were shut tight, but had no visible lock.

The foul stench in the air… Mo Hua felt a faint sense of familiarity.

"Why couldn't the evil spirits take root? Who placed divine protection on these people?"

The dead villagers had their corpses fused with beasts—refined in bloody evil arrays into grotesque flesh monsters.

A crisp voice suddenly rang out behind him.

The gate to the back hall was sealed with a massive lock.

No—this wasn't just fear.

He could feel something wasn't right.

Master She's hands trembled—he didn't dare make a move.

When he next looked up, he realized Mo Hua was already standing right in front of him.

"Try any tricks again… and I'll snap your neck."

(End of this Chapter)