Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 706 – The Young Master

Guo Jianglong's scalp tingled. Gritting his teeth, he said:

"If I don't deliver the pill, I might not die.

But if I do deliver it… I'll definitely die."

Mo Hua responded coldly:

"If you don't deliver it, you'll definitely die anyway.

You're already useless. I'll just tie you up, stab a few bloody holes in you, and toss you into Yanshui River to feed the water demons."

"If you deliver the pill, at least you won't die right now."

A chill ran through Guo Jianglong's heart.

He knew this young master with the friendly face and vicious heart was not bluffing.

This little master was ruthless—

If he said he'd kill you, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.

After struggling internally for a long while, Guo Jianglong finally said:

"Fine… I'll deliver it! But I—"

Mo Hua's expression turned colder.

"Don't try to bargain. Deliver the pill, and I'll let you live long enough to enter Dao Prison.

Refuse, and you can take the fast route to the underworld."

Guo Jianglong's face turned pale.

He was out of options. In the end, he could only nod.

"Where are you supposed to deliver it?" Mo Hua asked.

Guo Jianglong sighed.

"Downstream of the Yanshui River, there's a small ferry crossing.

Though it's called a crossing, it's been abandoned for years—hardly anyone ever goes there…"

"At the hour of Xu (around 7–9pm), a small, empty boat will float past the ferry…"

Mo Hua nodded slightly but noticed Guo Jianglong stopped there.

He asked, "And then?"

"Then…" Guo Jianglong gave a bitter smile, "I don't know."

Mo Hua frowned.

Guo Jianglong quickly explained:

"Each time I board the boat, I let it drift freely on the river.

Within an hour, it always brings me to the destination."

"But the destination is different every time. I don't know where it is…"

Mo Hua narrowed his eyes. "Do you encounter any other cultivators during the journey?"

Guo Jianglong shook his head. "No."

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then said:

"Then lead the way."

Guo Jianglong nodded.

The group split into two.

Gu An and Gu Quan followed Mo Hua and Guo Jianglong to trace the line to its source and uncover the identity of the so-called "Young Master."

The other Gu family cultivators escorted Master She and the rest of the black-robed men to Dao Prison.

Mo Hua didn't plan to fight—he only wanted to know who the so-called "Young Master" or "Young Masters" actually were.

If things did get violent, they were still within a second-grade province.

With Gu An and Gu Quan, that was enough.

If those two couldn't win a fight, adding more wouldn't help.

Mo Hua picked out one of the storage bags from Master She's collection and tossed it to Guo Jianglong.

Inside were the evil "human pills" Master She had refined.

These pills were bait.

If the receiver turned out to be weak, Mo Hua could catch them red-handed.

If the receiver was strong and couldn't be beaten, at least the bait would reveal the type of "fish" lurking in the depths.

Before leaving, Mo Hua gave Master She a very dangerous look.

It clearly meant:

Stay quiet. Keep your mouth shut if you want to keep breathing.

Master She could only smile bitterly.

A dignified late Foundation Establishment cultivator, a second-grade demonic pill master, and a second-grade evil formation master—

and yet here he was, being threatened by a child.

But he didn't dare voice a single complaint.

This divine-sense monster was too terrifying. He'd probably even slaughtered the River God.

Master She didn't dare provoke him.

So, he lowered his eyes and stayed silent like a good boy.

With that, the two groups went their separate ways.

Guo Jianglong led the way.

To avoid suspicion, the binding Spirit-Locking Chains were removed from him.

His clothes were changed into simple fisherfolk robes, and no further restraints were applied—

he looked like a perfectly ordinary riverside cultivator.

But…

Mo Hua had secretly stuffed a Blazing Fire Formation plate into his clothes.

"You try anything funny," Mo Hua warned, "I'll blow you sky high."

Guo Jianglong was on the verge of tears.

The group departed.

Gu An and Gu Quan activated their Water-Concealing Jade, while Mo Hua used his Minor Five Element Concealment Technique.

The three of them, fully hidden, followed closely behind Guo Jianglong.

Guo Jianglong, clutching the formation plate in his chest like a bomb, didn't dare make a single misstep.

Eventually, he led them to the lower reaches of Yanshui River, to an isolated, long-abandoned ferry dock.

Water plants shimmered green, and the river glinted under the fading light.

Guo Jianglong sat at the edge of the ferry and waited.

Mo Hua and the others watched him from the shadows.

They waited until the sun set behind the western hills,

Twilight gave way to deep night.

Around the hour of Xu, from the distance—

a small, solitary boat slowly drifted into view, heading toward the abandoned dock.

It was made of wood, small enough to hold four or five people at most.

Guo Jianglong glanced behind him once, then silently boarded.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said:

"We're going too."

Gu An and Gu Quan nodded.

The three of them, still concealed, also stepped quietly onto the boat.

It rocked gently, sank slightly with the extra weight, and began drifting steadily along the current.

Cold moonlight spilled over the river, beautiful and tranquil.

But on the boat, every person was tense with caution—

eyes sharp, senses alert, not daring to relax.

None of them spoke.

Around them, only the soft rustling of the river echoed through the night.

No one knew how long they drifted, or how far.

Suddenly, Mo Hua's expression changed. He expanded his divine sense and muttered with a heavy tone:

"Third-grade province!"

This little boat had somehow taken them across the border into a third-grade province.

As a formation master who had personally seen the Heavenly Dao Grand Formation,

Mo Hua was especially sensitive to provincial boundary auras.

Now, he clearly felt it—

The surrounding spiritual energy had grown profound.

Even his own cultivation and spiritual force felt dwarfed by comparison.

That was the result of the Heavenly Dao's rules raising the realm ceiling.

They were now in a place where Golden Core cultivators could exert their full power—

A third-grade province!

Gu An and Gu Quan were slower to notice, but once Mo Hua warned them, they understood the danger.

Guo Jianglong, on the other hand, looked terrified.

"I—I don't know anything…!"

He had no control over the boat. Where it drifted had never been up to him.

Gu An asked quietly:

"Young Master Mo, should we turn back?"

A third-grade province… that was beyond their safe zone.

If something went wrong, they might not be able to protect Mo Hua.

Mo Hua frowned.

Turning back… was possible.

The boat was inscribed with water-path guidance and cruise formations.

With a few tweaks, it could float right back to its starting point.

But…

Mo Hua felt unwilling.

The fish was almost biting the hook—

Would he really reel it in now?

More importantly—

Even though they had entered a third-grade zone,

Mo Hua's Heavenly Omen premonitions hadn't triggered.

There was no sense of imminent death or danger.

"Let's keep going and see…" Mo Hua said.

Gu An and Gu Quan were uneasy, but could only nod in agreement.

The little boat kept drifting.

Who knew how long passed…

Until finally—Mo Hua saw a shoreline.

There was a ferry dock, and lamps flickering faintly at its edge.

Mo Hua was surprised.

This place… wasn't remote. In fact, it looked inhabited.

"Be careful," he reminded.

"Understood," Gu An and Gu Quan replied solemnly.

The small boat swayed gently like any normal fishing vessel returning late.

It slowly docked at the landing.

Waiting there was a man, who had clearly been standing by for some time. When he saw Guo Jianglong, he immediately asked:

"Where's the fish you caught?"

Guo Jianglong glanced back slightly, then gruffly replied,

"Give me the spirit stones first, then I'll give you the fish."

The man scowled,

"Let me see if the fish is fresh first. Then you'll get your stones."

Guo Jianglong retorted,

"Caught just now. Of course it's fresh."

The man asked again,

"How many spirit stones do you want?"

Guo Jianglong gave a number.

The man shook his head.

"Too much. I need to ask the boss."

Guo Jianglong said,

"I'll come with you—so you don't go slandering my fish behind my back."

The man nodded,

"Fine, follow me."

Guo Jianglong hesitated briefly, then leapt ashore and followed the man straight toward a nearby tavern.

Once the two of them had walked far enough, Mo Hua and the Gu brothers—Gu An and Gu Quan—stepped ashore and tailed them from a distance, following all the way to the tavern's front.

The tavern was open-air and spacious.

Surrounded by bamboo fencing, it had tables inside the courtyard for passing cultivators to sit, rest, and drink.

A few makeshift tables stood outside the courtyard too, though they were much more rough and basic.

At that moment, several people were drinking outside. One of them, clad in coarse clothing and wearing a straw hat, was gulping down strong liquor.

Mo Hua's gaze paused briefly on this man, then moved on as he and the Gu brothers stepped into the courtyard.

Inside the tavern, Guo Jianglong was already standing there respectfully.

At a table across from him sat four cultivators. Their dress was modest, but their clothing, fragrance pouches, and jade ornaments were all of exquisite quality.

Among them, Mo Hua recognized one.

It was the "Young Master Jin"—whom he had met once before and who had secret dealings with Guo Jianglong.

Guo Jianglong placed a storage bag on the table—it held the "human pills."

Young Master Jin, completely unbothered, pulled out a pill bottle, held it to his nose, and took a whiff.

He nodded.

"Good color. Strong scent."

Guo Jianglong cupped his hands and said,

"As long as Young Master Jin is pleased."

Jin offered no reply, but after a moment, he sighed faintly:

"I told you to just sell fish and your cultivation would be carefree.

So why'd you go and bring me a few flies?"

Before his words had even fully landed—

Mo Hua instantly knew their cover was blown. He gave the order without hesitation:

"Attack!"

Gu An immediately canceled his invisibility and slashed toward Young Master Jin.

Jin sneered, forming a golden sword ray with two fingers and firing it at Gu An.

Blade met sword.

Blood Qi clashed with sword Qi, and a nearby square table was blasted into splinters.

But Gu An didn't flinch.

He was late Foundation Establishment—his cultivation surpassed Young Master Jin's.

And he used the Gu family's Twin Linked Blade Technique, a powerful style—

Not as prestigious as the Broken Gold Sword Arts, but with his cultivation backing it, not inferior either.

In fact, Young Master Jin was the one forced back, his face paling under the force of the attack.

Gu An pressed forward, striking again—this blade, even faster.

Jin had no time to gather sword Qi. He could only retreat.

But even then, the blade sliced right past his face, trimming several locks of hair.

Jin looked absolutely disheveled and thoroughly humiliated.

Mo Hua shook his head slightly.

So weak, yet trying to act tough…

You looked like some elite just now, but you couldn't even survive two moves against our Brother An.

Jin also seemed to realize he couldn't handle Gu An alone.

"All together!"

The other luxuriously dressed disciples sneered, and summoned golden sword lights—

Most of them were clearly disciples of the Broken Gold Sect.

Other customers, just there for a drink, saw swords being drawn and fled like birds from a storm.

No one stuck around to watch a real cultivation battle.

Chaos erupted—

And the tavern fell into disorder in a flash.

Gu An and Gu Quan now fought side by side, executing the Gu family's Twin Linked Blade technique against Jin's group.

Blade light flashed, sword shadows danced, killing intent filled the courtyard.

Jin's group had six in total.

Most were mid Foundation Establishment; only one was late-stage,

But none had the depth of cultivation Gu An and Gu Quan did.

And they certainly didn't have their level of combat experience as Dao Judiciary officers.

So, despite being outnumbered, the Gu brothers didn't fall behind.

The fight was deadlocked.

At that moment, a tall Broken Gold Sect disciple said to Young Master Jin:

"Hold them off—I'll use the sect's sword art to end this!"

Jin, still pressured by Gu An's blade, gritted his teeth:

"Fine!"

With that, the Broken Gold Sect disciples adjusted their formation, covering for the tall one.

He retreated behind them, began forming hand seals, summoned his golden sword, and started condensing sword Qi.

Mo Hua saw it instantly—this was the true legacy technique of the Broken Gold Sect:

Broken Gold Imperial Sword Art.

But…

Either out of panic or overconfidence in his own skill,

the disciple had not activated any defensive techniques or protective talismans.

"Too careless…" Mo Hua murmured.

And just as the man had channeled all his spiritual energy, pushed his Qi to its limit, and was on the verge of releasing his strike—

Mo Hua lightly tapped his finger.

Three fireballs whistled out in succession.

One aimed at his head, one at his heart, and one straight for his dantian.

They were fast. Sharp. Deadly accurate.

The tall disciple, deep in concentration, had no time to react.

All three fireballs struck true.

His sword technique was interrupted. His spiritual power went into chaos.

He coughed up blood on the spot.

Gu An and Gu Quan, who had been watching him carefully, finally exhaled with relief and felt a wave of gratitude toward Mo Hua.

If that Broken Gold Sword Art had been fully released,

things could've gone very, very wrong.

Now, Jin's group all looked much more serious.

"There's someone else!"

The fighting paused briefly.

Young Master Jin stood still, scanning the battlefield and growled:

"Who's there? Stop hiding like a coward!"

Mo Hua thought for a moment… then slowly revealed himself.

Jin froze.

Such a young cultivator…?

He frowned and asked:

"Kid… who are you? I don't think we've met before."

Mo Hua said nothing.

Someone beside Jin guessed:

"Those two fight using the Gu family's blade technique.

This brat's probably with the Gu clan too."

"Gu family…" Jin's gaze darkened.

Mo Hua neither confirmed nor denied it.

Instead, he puffed up with righteous indignation and pointed at Jin:

"I don't care if your surname's Jin or Silver or Gold-Trimmed Jade-Lotus-Whatever."

"You've violated Dao Law!"

"Selling cultivators, committing murder, refining forbidden human pills—

Every one of those is a major crime!"

"If you confess now, you'll suffer less!"

Jin was first angry… then let out a scornful laugh.

"You stinking brat. What do you know?"

"Dao Law is for lesser people. It doesn't apply to me."

"Confess? Ha! If I turned myself in, the Dao Judiciary probably couldn't even hold me."

Mo Hua's face flared with righteous fury.

"So you admit it then? You admit to selling cultivators, killing people, and illegally refining human pills?"

Young Master Jin said nothing.

Mo Hua sneered,

"So you've got the guts to do it, but not to admit it? Turns out you're just a coward."

"I thought you were some infamous villain with power and status. Turns out you're just a spineless thug hiding behind others, sending them to die for you."

"Didn't you have a big mouth just now? Why so quiet? Didn't you say even the Dao Judiciary couldn't contain you? Is your face thicker than your butt?"

Young Master Jin instantly flew into a rage.

He knew.

He knew this brat was provoking him.

But that's exactly why it infuriated him.

Being goaded by a stinking little brat—

He couldn't swallow that humiliation.

In the cultivation world, reputation is power.

If someone mocks you, you cut them down, feed them to river beasts, and no one dares disrespect you again.

But if someone insults you and you just stand there saying nothing, everyone will start looking down on you.

If even a snot-nosed brat dares call him a coward to his face, what next?

Everyone would step on him.

Even the other "Young Masters" would think he'd shamed their name—he wouldn't even be worthy of working for them anymore.

Young Master Jin's expression twisted into a cruel grin.

"Fine, fine! You want me to admit it?

Then listen up—I admit it!"

"So what?"

"Yes, I trafficked cultivators. Yes, I killed some worthless trash. Yes, I refined human pills. So what?!"

"Who's going to stop me?"

"You, little runt? Or that boot-licking Dao Judiciary stuffed full of fat-lipped noble clan lapdogs?"

"Even if I admit it—what can you do?"

"You think I'm the same kind of 'person' as those low-class cultivators bound by the Dao laws?"

"So I kill a few worms and cook up some pills—who cares?"

His eyes burned with madness. His expression had grown grotesque.

Mo Hua's face darkened, his tone going ice cold.

"Brother An. Brother Quan.

He confessed. Cripple his limbs and take him back to the Dao Judiciary."

Gu An and Gu Quan both looked furious.

Young Master Jin paused—then laughed instead of getting angry.

"You're serious?"

Gu An and Gu Quan each gripped their blades, Blood Qi boiling. They were ready to go all out to subdue Jin's gang.

But just as they stepped forward—

A razor-sharp, crystal-clear slash of watery sword Qi suddenly swept in front of them like a guillotine.

This single strike—clean, condensed, and terrifying in its force—

carved a gully several feet wide into the stone floor.

Gu An and Gu Quan's faces turned pale.

A Golden Core Sword Cultivator?!

From behind Young Master Jin, a man slowly stepped out.

He wore a water-blue Daoist robe, his skin pale, aura profound.

Gu An and Gu Quan realized with dread—

they hadn't noticed this man at all before.

The tension in the air snapped taut.

The brothers silently pushed Mo Hua behind them, readying their blade stances to their limits.

The blue-robed swordsman only sneered, looking down from above as he said:

"Kneel. Kowtow three times. Swear to keep your mouths shut, and I'll let you live."

Gu An and Gu Quan's expressions turned dark with fury.

But before they could even reply—

Young Master Jin snarled viciously,

"No! Kill them! They all have to die—especially that foul-mouthed brat!"

The blue-robed sword cultivator frowned slightly.

Gu An and Gu Quan felt a chill run through their hearts.

They didn't care about themselves…

But Young Master Mo absolutely could not come to harm.

Gu An growled:

"We are from the Gu Clan!"

Young Master Jin sneered,

"Then the Gu Clan dies too!"

The blue-robed cultivator's eyes flickered.

He muttered under his breath:

"Let's not make this messier than it needs to be…"

But Jin bellowed, eyes full of bloodlust:

"Do it! I'll take full responsibility!"

The swordsman's expression soured slightly, but he didn't disobey.

A razor-sharp strand of Golden Core water-element spiritual power gathered at his fingertip, condensing into a gleaming blade of sword Qi.

He looked at Mo Hua with a calm, aloof gaze and said:

"Golden Core sword Qi kills in an instant.

It won't hurt much."

Before Gu An and Gu Quan could react—

He jabbed forward with two fingers.

The sword Qi screamed through the air, a streak of shimmering water-blue light shooting straight for Mo Hua's heart.

Gu An and Gu Quan's expressions changed drastically.

Mo Hua, however, remained calm and composed, gaze serene.

And just as the sword light approached within ten feet of him—

A brilliant, multicolored light suddenly burst forth.

Wind blades blossomed like twin petals, weaving together into a shield—

like a peacock fanning its feathers, elegant, intricate, dazzling—encasing Mo Hua within.

The sword Qi shattered against the feathered wind blades, unable to break through.

The blue-robed cultivator's pupils shrank.

He turned sharply toward the courtyard gate.

Outside the tavern, that same rough-clothed cultivator in the straw hat…

...was now standing up.

He was tall, handsome, with sharp features and a cold demeanor.

A faint arrogance in his expression as he looked down on the sword cultivator with open contempt.

"Beast."

"Who gave you permission to touch him?"

(End of Chapter)