Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 702 – Golden Marrow

The little silver fish swam away.

Mo Hua didn't care. While the nightmare hadn't collapsed yet, and the River God Temple was still standing, he kept rummaging through the altar—checking every bottle and jar, every candle and stand.

But after a long search, he still found nothing.

After pondering for a moment, Mo Hua acted on a whim and sat down on the altar himself.

He felt a faint, mysterious sensation.

As if... he had connected with something unknowable.

But that was all.

Or perhaps...

The Blackwater River God, being stared at by Mo Hua, suddenly felt a chill all over.

His gaze darkened in confusion. "What… is that?"

Inside his sea of consciousness, Mo Hua focused his spirit, closed his eyes, and meditated, visualizing his own form.

The River God's divine body was already locked down by the Earth Prison Array.

He had fed well on the River God's evil thoughts.

He had preserved his core self through the chaotic torrent of depraved desire.

But compared to that, there were still follow-up matters to handle.

As long as the evil god's will couldn't be eradicated, it would remain rooted in his sea of consciousness, endlessly polluting and spreading.

Mo Hua wasn't sure if the River God was truly dead, so he intended to refine its evil will—devour it clean—to eliminate any lingering threat. No sense dragging this nightmare on.

Once he was fully prepared, Mo Hua sat cross-legged and plunged his consciousness inward.

Maybe it was because he had already destroyed the altar and kicked over the offering table, but even after sitting on it himself, there wasn't much of a reaction.

Despite everything he had "eaten", he still couldn't break through the barrier between sixteen and seventeen strands—between mid-stage and late-stage Foundation Establishment.

That single strand was like a chasm—impossible to cross.

In that moment—law descended, life and death sealed, fate irreversible.

From sixteen strands to seventeen—it might seem like just one strand of Divine Sense, but the gap was as wide as heaven and earth.

Mo Hua snorted coldly but said nothing.

This was likely the evil god incarnation's original plan.

—The Divine Marrow of the Great Dao.

"A Divine Dao Formation?!"

Mo Hua said, "My Divine Sense is still a bit unstable. I'll rest and recover—it should be fine after a few days."

He'd eaten too much.

Several pale golden formation patterns, imbued with an ancient and righteous divine aura, flowed over the creature's body, sealing it completely.

Mo Hua spoke, then pulled out a strip of black cloth inscribed with multiple formation lines, followed by a thickly-wrapped stick.

After all, the "Sword Manifestation" move of his Divine Sense Sword Art was something he'd "stolen" by copying—not a legitimate inheritance. It was just a crude beginner-level move, so it was reasonable that it couldn't fully kill an evil god incarnation.

Mo Hua waved his hand, "It's a formation master thing. You wouldn't understand. Just remember what I said earlier."

At the same time, Mo Hua grasped the air with his right hand.

But midway through his escape—he suddenly realized he couldn't move.

He had already cut off the River God's head.

But it had seen him do it. It had watched this little brat pin the River God's skull down and slice it off—this child was not naïve. He was ruthless.

Then Mo Hua gritted his teeth and handed the stick to Gu Quan, still not forgetting to remind:

The Blackwater River God was stunned. Its eyes snapped open. "You... know?!"

Mo Hua used Divine Sense to form a Leaving Fire Array, slowly burning away the evil thoughts bit by bit.

His Dao Heart gradually became firmer.

This was a "sunlit scheme"—a plan shown in the open, impossible to avoid.

Unfortunately, for various reasons, the sect had lost the true inheritance of the Divine Sense Sword Technique. The advanced sword moves of this art… there was nowhere to learn them.

The River God's pupils were still filled with horror when it was finally annihilated by heavenly tribulation, along with the evil will of the Great Wilderness Sovereign.

How do you know?

How could a teenage human cultivator know—let alone understand—the Great Wilderness Sovereign, hidden in the shadows, using vast evil to obscure heaven's secrets?

Mo Hua didn't bother answering.

The shadowy figure—formed from filthy black water—manifested as a black water demon, fish-headed, human-bodied, bearing a resemblance to the River God.

But now, he wanted to eat something even more nourishing.

This seemed to be the Divine Corpse of a Great Wilderness Evil God.

"Frighten-God Style, Break-God Style, Sever-God Style, Annihilate-God Style…"

If Mo Hua used his Divine Sense to form a sword again, even an evil god incarnation would be no match.

He glanced at the River God again, eyes bright with a hint of spiritual light.

"If I could master Sever-God or Annihilate-God styles... could I destroy evil god avatars without external help, relying solely on my own power?"

The River God, seeing that bribery didn't work, turned menacing:

"Take it easy when you strike…"

Everyone else wisely kept quiet, staying on guard to protect Mo Hua.

Not good!

The Blackwater Evil God was now detoxified, its divine essence destroyed, leaving behind a large amount of pale golden Divine Marrow.

This River God Temple still looked creepy—but it wasn't scary anymore.

He wasn't a body cultivator. His skin was tender—he couldn't take a beating.

The monster froze for a moment. Its two ugly fish-eyes rolled upward—only to see, standing on its head, a small child.

Don't answer him…

As soon as Mo Hua finished speaking, the two children softly murmured something.

"I'm talking to you," Mo Hua said. "Why aren't you dead?"

It began to entice him:

"Little Daoist, your Divine Sense is the strongest I've ever seen. Remaining human would be a waste of talent. Why not walk the supreme path of godhood alongside me…"

Unless one reached a higher realm, using a higher-grade Divine Corpse to birth a more powerful evil avatar—only then, using divine-level might, could it be forcefully annihilated.

And that's assuming it could even be ambushed in the shadows.

When you think he's childish—you're the real child.

Mo Hua could feel a powerful rejection force. If he didn't leave soon, his Divine Sense would be obliterated along with the dream.

Yu Dahe finally relaxed. Tears welled in his eyes. He couldn't stop thanking him:

"Thank you… Thank you, Young Master Mo…"

A whole Grade-Two fish-headed River God had been completely devoured by Mo Hua.

Within the remaining pale-gold Divine Marrow were several strands of exceptional purity, nearly pure gold, radiating with dazzling brilliance and contained Dao principles.

"I'll be entering meditation shortly. If I show any signs of abnormality or evil in my gaze, seal my forehead with this black cloth."

The River God's unease was growing stronger.

"Young Master… what exactly do you plan to do?"

Time ticked by.

At some point, as Mo Hua sat in silent meditation, unaware, a massive shadow slowly emerged behind him.

"Don't you think this is very rude?"

"Shouldn't you apologize? Offer a gift? Show some sincerity?"

The River God's grotesque brow twitched. "Then how should I show my sincerity?"

He thought Mo Hua was immature.

Everything that happened in the fishing village—stemmed from this.

"The Great Wilderness Sovereign—limitless god, ruler of the 3,000 mountains and countless demons. If you overstep your bounds and ruin my grand plan… you will fall into purgatory, and not even a thousand deaths will redeem you!"

The River God's evil will surged, and it broke free from the Earth Prison Array.

Grinding away at one's Divine Sense bit by bit, devouring evil spirits one by one, like dripping water piercing stone—it was truly an uphill battle to break through that bottleneck.

But Yu Dahe was still worried sick.

The River God's eyes widened—

"That's…"

Mo Hua frowned.

The creature had horns. On its fish head, its mouth protruded outward, lined with fangs, curled and jagged—almost like… a goat's mouth?

But this Divine Corpse was slightly different—it seemed to have parasitized the River God and slowly fused with it, becoming closer to a true evil god.

The River God stared coldly at Mo Hua, wary and alert.

It wasn't like back in the Abyss of Bì Mountain—where just sitting on the altar summoned a divine aura, otherworldly mysteries, and comforted the Divine Sense.

This child… knew quite a bit about the divine. And his mind was treacherous and cunning.

Mind and body were aligned—clear as a mirror.

There were only two possibilities for failing to destroy the evil will:

His Divine Sense Sword Art was too shallow, not lethal enough to fully eliminate the incarnation.

The evil god's will was too deeply rooted—it could not be erased.

"Young Master Mo, are you alright?" Gu An asked.

But in that moment, Mo Hua's figure flashed forward.

He approached the monster, his golden Divine Sense sword already dancing with a flurry of radiant sword light.

The evil god's origin will—it was naturally hard to erase.

Endless golden brilliance gathered between his fingers, condensing into a simple but terrifying pale gold Divine Sense Sword.

The monster silently opened its massive maw—trying to swallow Mo Hua whole.

The River God couldn't imagine how a mere teenage Foundation Establishment cultivator could possibly destroy it completely.

Yet Mo Hua was not just digesting Divine Sense—he was solidifying his Dao Heart.

Gu Quan took the stick, exchanged looks with the others, all confused. He whispered:

This kind of evil god incarnation contained the will of the original evil god.

A certain Divine Corpse of the Great Wilderness Evil God had used dark means to parasitize the River God of the fishing village, and with the River God's divine body as an incubator, hatched an evil god avatar.

"Ignorant brat! Talking big!"

The sword cultivator from hundreds of years ago may have had strong swordplay—but his Divine Sense was weak, and thus easy to deal with.

"Brat… when did you discover me?"

"Your Divine Marrow!"

He was preparing to first refine the River God's evil thoughts.

Though he could shatter it into pieces with his Divine Sense Sword, he still couldn't completely annihilate it.

Mo Hua snorted inwardly.

His Divine Sense was steadily growing stronger.

Since he brought everyone here, he was going to bring them back safely too.

The Blackwater River God looked at Mo Hua in shock, sucking in a sharp breath.

"How could you possibly… know Divine Dao formations?!"

After being dismembered, the Blackwater River God once again turned into a pool of black water.

But the way of divinity was unfathomable and mysterious.

He mustn't let anything slip—mustn't let this brat pick up on any divine secrets.

The monster thrashed in agony, howling as it clawed toward Mo Hua.

He was hungry again.

He was an incarnation of an evil god, carrying the will of the Great Wilderness Sovereign.

If Mo Hua survived for decades, or even a hundred years, and let his Divine Sense fully transform along the Dao—how could they contain him?

The River God's expression flickered; a deep fear arose in its heart.

No matter how firm his Dao Heart was, if it were constantly polluted by evil thoughts, then one day, he would slip—fall into enslavement, becoming a puppet of depravity.

The evil will of the Great Wilderness Evil God was vast and overwhelming; its true strength must be terrifying.

Mo Hua, however, now felt at ease.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Gu An, Gu Quan, and the others watching him with concern.

And during the karmic deduction, he'd seen this creature hiding in the shadows, ambushing a senior swordsman from the Great Void Sect. How could he not know how despicable it truly was?

It didn't need to defeat him. It only needed a chance to sneak into his sea of consciousness. With its indestructible evil will, it would eventually "assimilate" him.

Its voice, like the River God's, carried the wet, distorted echo of a water demon—but heavier, darker.

Mo Hua looked unhappy.

"You sneak into my consciousness, creeping around trying to ambush me, and you're asking what I want?"

He gripped the Blackwater River God's horn and dragged it to the center of his sea of consciousness.

"What can you do about it now?"

Sure enough, a moment later, the Blackwater River God reappeared.

On the surface, the River God was dead, dissolved into a pool of bloody evil thoughts, now swallowed into Mo Hua's belly.

With sharp sword light, Mo Hua dismembered the River God once more.

Yu Dahe's face lit up with joy.

A dignified Grade-Two River God had an extremely powerful Divine Sense. Even though it had fallen and was filled with evil thoughts, once refined and purified, the remaining pure Divine Sense was still considerable.

Piercing golden light descended from above, the sword light slicing through everything, tearing the monster's evil-flesh to shreds.

The monster's eyes bulged from its skull—it thrashed even harder.

Mo Hua held the demon's horn like sticky taffy, clinging tight to its head.

The once unreachable seventeenth-strand realm of Divine Sense, once so distant, now seemed to be within arm's reach.

The creature's pupils shrank violently. It thrashed its head to try to fling Mo Hua off.

Gu Quan silently nodded.

But the River God was certain—this brat had to be lying.

The vast evil thoughts of the River God were swallowed whole by Mo Hua.

"I'm young, and not greedy," Mo Hua grinned.

"Just give me a piece of the good stuff, and we'll call it even."

And so, he burned the evil spirits, absorbed Divine Sense, and tempered his Dao Heart—all at once.

"Why don't you die?" Mo Hua asked in confusion.

The shadow around him was dark, tinged with blood-red, its presence terrifying—yet silent.

This kind of Dao Heart endurance tested one's will immensely.

But fortunately, Mo Hua was used to it—he had even grown numb to it.

All kinds of depraved desires surged up from his heart, but Mo Hua pressed them back down with a firm and unshakable will.

The Divine Dao formation patterns here were crude—only effective because Mo Hua's Divine Sense was strong enough to briefly suppress the River God.

Mo Hua sighed helplessly.

He looked around. None of the Gu family cultivators were missing, all intact. Yu Dahe had also awakened and seemed fine.

Mo Hua nodded, satisfied.

The Blackwater River God's gaze was sinister. It sneered coldly, saying nothing.

Its twisted face contorted further.

This… was a core taboo of the divine.

A ray of light shone into Mo Hua's eyes.

A child was lying on top of its head, dangling upside down, staring into its eyes.

"Why won't you die?" he asked with some irritation.

The monster howled in fear and rage. Its wounds worsened, and it moved slower.

Don't speak? Think I can't guess anyway?

This Blackwater River God seemed to be the true incarnation of the Great Wilderness Evil God—not just a divine corpse. Though only at Grade-Two, it was something beyond just "corpse."

"Are you done talking?" Mo Hua asked.

He stared at the River God, eyes gleaming faintly as he silently ran calculations in his mind.

Even if it were ambushed—it might not be heavily wounded.

"If you're not going to talk," Mo Hua glanced at it again, lazily,

"then I'll just kill you and be on my way…"

But the two children still hadn't woken. They furrowed their brows, struggling to open their eyes—but failed, drifting back into uneasy slumber.

"The sword forms of the Divine Sense Sword…"

Fortunately, now… he was almost there.

"Kill me?"

The time had come.

The River God Temple had begun to collapse.

Mo Hua speculated: evil god avatars were hatched from Divine Corpses.

Caught off guard, the Blackwater River God saw it—that flash of forbidden, annihilating red.

Mo Hua glanced at the two children and nodded slightly.

Then, after a thought, he shook his head.

"No rush. I've got something else to finish first…"

If one didn't rely on realm breakthroughs to grow their Divine Sense, and instead improved it entirely through personal effort—

That explained why the River God wasn't a match, but still acted so fearless.

But this brat—he actually said it out loud!

He was demanding… Divine Marrow!

Surely there was a traitor among the gods—someone who spilled the secrets to this little menace!

The River God was startled.

Suddenly it noticed something wrong. It looked around and realized—

somehow, formation lines had appeared on the ground, forming a complete array.

Anyone who could interfere in this game of chess—no matter how insignificant they looked—must not be underestimated!

Realizing this, the River God panicked.

Its gaze twisted in horror, and it tried to turn into a shadow to escape into the black water.

Mo Hua thought… that was very likely.

On the tiny golden sword, several beams of light bloomed—piercing straight through the monster's skull.

From behind Mo Hua's small body, shadow spread, growing larger—becoming a massive, monstrous evil silhouette.

He was full now. Stuffed, even. Time to digest a bit, solidify his gains, then exit the sea of consciousness.

Mo Hua remained motionless.

That might really be the end…

The thought even made the River God itself go blank for a moment.

So far, this boy had only lived a little over ten years—and yet his Divine Sense was already this strong.

No matter how weak a chess player is… a player is still a player.

"Not talking?"

The River God trembled. It was finally realizing… things might be going very wrong.

Could it be that these were…

Mo Hua looked at the ruined altar and sighed softly.

That grotesque mouth opened wide—completely engulfing tiny Mo Hua.

Another possibility: his Divine Sense hadn't yet undergone a qualitative leap—his "divine grade" was still too low, and thus he couldn't fully destroy higher-tier evil wills.

Mo Hua gripped his golden sword, a murderous glint in his eye.

Then… he frowned slightly.

The River God asked: "What do you want?"

"If you're not willing to give up your body, that's fine too."

Inside the sea of consciousness, things settled for the moment.

But with its massive body, the creature simply couldn't escape Mo Hua.

There's no such thing as guarding against a thief for a thousand days.

The black water trembled—and from within, a shadow slowly rose.

It could be cut—but not destroyed.

The world flipped once more—Divine Sense distorted and inverted.

Tribulation lightning!

"Mn."

"Relying on just" a Grade-Two Evil God's incarnation…

Once again, through dream recall, it entered Mo Hua's Sea of Consciousness.

Mo Hua simply said, "You hid really well. I just discovered you."

"I know…" Mo Hua curled his lips.

"It's that Great Wilderness Evil God, huh…"

Just like that, who knows how much time passed—

the river of blood and evil thoughts was gradually incinerated,

while strands of divine sense smoke were devoured one by one.

The key point was: this brat lied without the slightest hesitation—pure nonsense flowing like water.

Mo Hua's eyes flickered. He vaguely recalled the names of some sword techniques he'd heard from that sword cultivator senior during his deduction of the broken sword's karma:

Since when did an incarnation of a mighty evil god—trying to annihilate a human cultivator's divine sense—become so timid, so cautious, that it needed to use the phrase "just a Grade-Two"?

The Blackwater River God was both furious and stunned.

On one hand, the Great Wilderness Sovereign was at such a level that his divine sense was truly undying and indestructible—Mo Hua couldn't erase it.

Could it be an even more profound sword path within the Great Void Divine Sense Sword Scripture?

Mo Hua's heart trembled—his eyes gleamed with longing.

Gu An glanced around and whispered,

"Young Master, this isn't a place we should linger… Why don't we head back first?"

This trip to the fishing village—my goal was always you.

Let myriad evils pass the heart—without leaving a single trace.

Mo Hua quietly whispered,

"Let me show you something nice…"

The Blackwater River God's eyelid twitched.

To pierce through the fog of fate, uncover the root of corruption, and even know the true name of the Great Wilderness Sovereign—it meant this young cultivator, though low in cultivation, had already stepped onto the chessboard.

He now had the right to play, no longer a mere clueless pawn to be moved around.

Mo Hua smiled faintly—within his gaze, a trace of sword light glinted.

He landed lightly on the ground, pointing his golden little sword at the black water.

"Come out. I know you're not dead."

But Mo Hua reconsidered—

It might look like "just a little",

but who could say how many thresholds were hidden in that "little"?

At the mention of "Divine Marrow," the River God's expression changed drastically.

"Besides, you have no idea what kind of terrifying, supreme being my true self is…"

From the swamp-like shadow and the spreading black water, slowly emerged a foul creature with a grotesquely large mouth and twisted ram horns.

That white smoke wasn't clean either—it still contained residual instinctual evil thoughts. After swallowing it, Mo Hua's will was being subtly eroded.

Mo Hua sighed, suppressing his anxious mood and slowly calming himself down.

"Brother An, Brother Quan—guard me while I cultivate…"

One must see things through to the end.

With the entire River God devoured, Mo Hua's Divine Sense had taken another great leap forward.

"If I go crazy, just knock me out with this stick!"

Mo Hua stopped resisting and gently closed his eyes.

"With your so-called Divine Sense Sword Form… sure, you might defeat me, but you'll never kill me."

The River God's expression turned grim.

Yu Dahe panicked again and looked nervously toward Mo Hua.

"Take it slow… it's almost done…"

In the Sea of Consciousness, Mo Hua's Divine Sense avatar opened its eyes—

a faint glimmer flashing in his pupils.

The Divine Sense Sword—unbelievably sharp.

Mo Hua acted directly—his small hand like an iron clamp, pressing the River God's head against the Dao Stele.

"I'll give you everything!"

The nightmare began to distort.

"It's over now. My soul has returned…"

No matter how strong a chess piece is—

it's still just a piece.

"Being a god is dull. Keeping the flesh to indulge in pleasures—now that's real fun…"

When Mo Hua woke, the group finally let out sighs of relief.

The River God was now one hundred percent sure:

This little brat—he really knows everything!!

The source of the divine grade…

Mo Hua didn't waste words—clean and sharp.

He jabbed forward—

a soft golden light condensed into a golden thread, piercing straight into the monster's forehead.

A sinister gleam flashed in the River God's savage eyes.

Otherwise, how could just a Grade-Two evil avatar possibly do anything to him?

Within the lurking corruption, he held onto his humanity.

Mo Hua sat in meditation, completely defenseless.

But the situation had changed. Having witnessed the power of the Divine Sense Sword, knowing he couldn't win, the River God said:

"I was too hasty… Little Daoist, shall we call it a draw?"

The River God froze—

then burst out laughing in exasperation.

Strike while the enemy is weak!

"Swish swish"—Mo Hua stabbed several more times.

Sword qi formed from divine sense slashed out in all directions, cutting the giant evil being into pieces—

until it finally turned into a pool of black water and collapsed, lifeless.

This was exactly what made evil gods so terrifying:

their methods looked simple, but were nearly "unresolvable."

Before the words even finished, the center of the Sea of Consciousness rippled—

an ancient, mystical Dao Stele emerged, its aura rising and falling.

Black water burned dry—evil aura extinguished.

"What do you want? Techniques? Dao methods? Fame? Power? Beauty…?"

"What took you so long? I've been waiting forever."

He held his two sons tightly, face full of confusion and anxiety.

He didn't even know if his sons were alive or dead.

Mo Hua, following his usual habit, once again used these evil thoughts to refine his Dao Heart.

He hadn't expected the Divine Sense Sword to be this powerful.

Especially in the hands of this little brat—

whose divine sense was both strong and deep—

this sword technique made up for his previously less-lethal style, turning it into something terrifying.

"Of course it was…"

Mo Hua frowned—then suddenly understood.

"I learned it from your own Dao grounds," Mo Hua said with a smile.

He wanted to completely refine the evil thoughts—

purge the filth, preserve the essence, and retain only the pure Divine Sense.

Only then could he truly devour and digest it.

Mo Hua bounced across the creature's head—his body fluid and nimble like water—dodging all its kill moves.

Then, in a reversal, he stabbed it again from above.

The River God's Divine Sense was indeed powerful—

but most of it was foul and reeked of evil.

Of course, Mo Hua wasn't going to speak that kind of harsh truth out loud.

This brat's Divine Sense was naturally strong to begin with.

Too strong.

So strong, it had already begun to transform into Dao—

even enough to rival gods.

Though this evil thought had been hacked to pieces by the Divine Sense Sword, and was clearly weakened, it still hadn't been truly erased.

Just as it was about to devour Mo Hua—

a shadow flickered before it.

Mo Hua's figure vanished.

Mo Hua had wrapped the stick with a thick layer of cotton—so it wouldn't hurt if he got clubbed.

The blood-red evil thoughts were burned by the crimson formation, reduced to strands of white smoke,

and were inhaled into Mo Hua's belly.

Mo Hua's eyes lit up— his expression full of delight.

Pure Gold Divine Marrow!

(End of this Chapter)